I actually loved the premise and characters in this. The problem was the plot felt too slow. I put it down to pick up another day and then never really felt like it. I do want to try more of author's work though. Arrr!

Couldn't get into this story or the writing even though I liked the premise. It just wasn't working for me. Too bad. I abandoned ship. Arrrr!

Ahoy there me mateys! I heard about this book from Tammy @ booksbonesandbuffy and was very intrigued despite that fact that urban fantasy is not usually me thing. But this book deals with truckers, bikers, and other drivers who help protect the haunted U.S. Interstate Highway System. So cool.

I had previously tried to read this author’s six-gun tarot and never finished it due to pacing but thought the author’s writing was interesting enough to give him another shot. I be very glad that I did. This book was filled with excellent characters, fun world-building, and is what I consider urban fantasy at its best.

This story follows Jimmie Aussapile who is a truck driver who is pudgy and chews tobacco. He is an unassuming guy who does his best to save the world and bring down the bad guys. He is all heart and seriously made the book for me. The other characters were great too. There be Heck Sinclair, a biker who has a bit of PTSD from his tour in Iraq and loves to create mayhem. There is the cop, Lovina Marcou, who is trying to track down missing children nobody else seems to care about. There is also a late addition of Max the Builder who was delightful.

The plot was excellent and I very much enjoyed many of the blended ideas. Ye have internet myths, serial killers, ghosts, secret societies, a town not on any maps, and an ancient evil. Now normally the ancient evil trying to take over the world bores me. But this time there is a nice blend as to why the evil is going to take over and how it wants to do it. The antagonist in this book was rather creepy and I liked how it all played out.

I don’t know if I will read the second book because this one satisfied me rare urban fantasy craving. But I do know that this was an excellent read that I would recommend to all fantasy readers due to the characters and world-building. Arrr!

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Ahoy there me mateys! This be the seventh book in me Ports for Plunder – 19 Books in 2019 list. Both this book and a man called ove were two books highly recommended by the crew. I adored Ove as he was me kindred spirit. So I was excited to finally meet Eleanor as well.

I have to admit that I was more of fan of Eleanor pre-transformation. I mean I didn’t enjoy her alcoholism, self-disgust, or her mental illness (so sad!) but I loved her quirky, somehow endearing viewpoint of the world. She was very aware of her likes and dislikes and the commentary on people and places around her was just excellent. Much of her introvertism aligned with me own. Societal niceties (other than being polite) can be overrated.

Her evolving friendship with her co-worker, Raymond, was just delightful. Raymond was just so silly and sweet and lovely. If only everyone had a friend like him. Watching Eleanor become more open to people and the world around her was divine. I enjoyed watching her go from “survival mode” to finding joy and acceptance in her own being. I enjoyed how Raymond’s friendship helped this occur in a natural, organic way.

Though eventually, Eleanor ends up in therapy. Which is good. She certainly needed professional help and I am glad there is no stigma attached to this. But the transformation that occurs seems to end up making Eleanor more like everyone else. It seemed to suggest that in order to be happy, ye have to blend in better with the “normal” people. This involved things like wearing makeup, buying better expensive clothes, and getting haircuts. I am not saying those things are bad in-and-of themselves. But some of this gave me moments of unease while listening.

But for the majority of the book, I was content to follow and watch Eleanor. Mostly because of her and Raymond’s interactions. I thought this was a powerful book about how deep loneliness can be and its effects on the human condition. The only part I actively hated was the final twist at the end. I thought it cheapened Eleanor’s growth and empowerment of dealing with her mother. It just seemed so gimmicky. But I loved Eleanor’s odd-duck ways and was very glad to have finally read the book that everyone has been raving about. Arrrr!

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Ahoy there mateys! This book is about a soldier, Eden, who is greviously injured in a war and is in a coma. His wife, Mary, refuses to leave his side, not even for the sake of their daughter. But she finally leaves one Christmas and Eden wakes up. And the consequences are unexpected.

This novel is narrated by Eden’s dead best friend. I frankly thought this short book was going to have a sci-fi feel which is partially why I read it. The other reason is because I kept picking it up every time I passed it so I decided that was a sign. This book was not sci-fi despite the dead narrator. It is very much literary fiction and explores how husband, wife, and friend’s lives intersected and influenced each other.

The story novel was beautifully written and was a super quick read. I found meself completely compelled by Eden’s side of the story in particular. I emphathized with his plight on multiple levels. His current circumstances were hell. There are lots of philosphical questions in this one – war, end of life wishes, guilt, friendship, loss, marriage, responsibilies, etc. It may not have been a sci-fi but I am very glad I read this one. Arrr!

Side Note: Readers may find some similarities to johnny got his gun.

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Ahoy there me mateys!  I really enjoyed this author's Themis Files trilogy and knew I wanted to read whatever he wrote next.  The test is an immigration dystopia.  The book is only 112 pages and I chose to listen to the audiobook version.  It runs about 2 hours and 12 minutes and I listened to it at almost double speed.  I thought the narrator Neil Shah did a very good job and I avidly listened to this one.  I am not going to get into the plot at all because the reader should experience it for themselves.  I truly felt for Idir.  But suffice to say that this was certainly interesting, scary in ramifications, and ultimately sad.  I recommend this author's works if ye haven't read them yet.  I will continue to follow his career with interest.  Arrr!

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