Hearne continues to deliver fun antics and a centuries old protagonist that can't seem to have a platonic conversation with a woman without constantly struggling to not think about her physique.

My first audio book! A million thanks to Erica for the recommendation. This book was a lot of fun on audio book, delivering an interesting premise and a delightful dog sidekick, as promised. Oberon, Atticus's Irish Wolfhound, is up there with the dog from Up as a perfect imagining of man's best friend. Hearne has created several other captivating characters and interpretations of the Gods, and Daniels is a wonderful narrator, giving unique life to each.

This book fell short of being outstanding in my opinion due to some irritating decisions the author made with the treatment of some characters. Despite that, this was a really fun read with great pacing and creepy in all the right ways. It reminded me of Scalzi's Lock In in the way Patrick took the idea of the ability to revive the dead for a brief conversation, and then built on how the whole world would be changed by that "technology." Revival of the dead is inherently morbid, a bit frightening, and raises a bunch of questions, and Patrick executed a good balance of these elements.

This book was REALLY good. I won't tell you much of what it's about, because it is really a treat to discover. The characters are vibrant and the plot kept surprising me. Exhilarating and touching, you should read this book!

As thrillers often do, this book alternated between two interwoven stories. In this case, we got to see the present and past of the protagonist, and his relationship with a young woman he falls in love with in college and how he becomes involved with her later in life as her criminal lifestyle is catching up with her. I found the alternating story line to be frustrating, it felt like it made the book more of a page turner (one of the stories was more compelling than the other at any given moment) without being necessary, since the information of the past story was hidden from the reader but not from the characters in the story. Furthermore, I was unsatisfied with the place in the story where the reader was dropped off. The characters were really interesting and I wanted more time with them and more resolution.

I read Panic in one day and was not disappointed (except maybe a little with the ending.) It's a really fast paced story, that made me feel the fear that the characters are experiencing as they compete in dangerous stunts to try to win a huge prize.

I enjoy that King decided to make a trilogy out of the interwoven stories of Bill Hodges and friends and the City Center Massacre, and the ending of this novel left me longing for the final installment more than I'd expected. I love the team of Bill, Holly and Jerome, but in this book they take a backseat to a new villain and hero, who are barely adequately tied to the original trio to make the story work. Anyway. The premise is, Morris Bellamy kills author John Rothstein in order to steal his unpublished works, hoping for further work on his favorite character, Jimmy Gold. He is thrown in to prison for an unrelated crime after burying the spoils of his robbery, and years later a young Pete Saubers discovers them. King breathes life into the Jimmy Gold books as expertly as he does the characters in his own story, and left me aching for the opportunity to read the fictitious novels. A fast paced thriller that also muses on the love of reading and how fiction can change a life.

Dune was really something. I had no idea what it was going to be about, and I was pleasantly surprised and at times frustrated by this novel of a political struggle wrapped in prophecies and set on a fantastically executed desert planet. I am not convinced I completely "got" it, to be honest. There was something very beautiful in a poetic way about it all, but I was still grasping for complete clarity by the end. I've heard mixed things on whether the subsequent Dune books are necessary or not and have decided to keep reading the series for now, so I guess I will see whether the missing clarity is provided as it continues or if I've missed something or if it's just intentionally vague on some stuff. Also, I found Paul to be increasingly difficult as the story progressed. So, I don't know. I part loved this book but also was frustrated by it for reasons I can't quite articulate. Or they are spoilers I don't know. We can talk about it if you want.

In this story about people who treat murder with an extraordinary level of nonchalance, Swanson expertly balanced my levels of like and dislike for his cast of characters, continuously surprising me with where my hopes were placed at any given moment.

This issue left me feeling confused. There is a lot going on and I have a hard time keeping the characters straight and no clue why everything is so creepy and mysterious in this world.