This is an intriguing look into the changes in health care (and specifically mental health care) over the course of about fifteen years, seen through This is an intriguing look into the changes in health care (and specifically mental health care) over the course of about fifteen years, seen through the lens of a particular practitioner (also trying to figure out how to balance changing demands against a reasonable desire for a personal life, professional ethics, and generally being helpful rather than harmful.) ...more
Another in my "There were many reserves for this at the library" reading (about 9 months, in this case), but the book was well worth the wait. While IAnother in my "There were many reserves for this at the library" reading (about 9 months, in this case), but the book was well worth the wait. While I was generally familiar with much of the general content (I'd known about the basics of how unlikely B-24 and similar plane crash survivors were to survive, and the horrors of many of the Japanese POW camps), but I really like how Hilldebrand carried the story and found ways to make the experience real without being unreasonably gruesome - the book is about the personalities, as much as the actions, and there are some great people involved.
I also really appreciated her careful attention to details (as backed up by the notes at the end) that helped make it clear where information came from. ...more
More please! I picked this up after reading the author's Big Idea post over at John Scalzi's blog (a source that rarely leads me wrong), and loved it.More please! I picked this up after reading the author's Big Idea post over at John Scalzi's blog (a source that rarely leads me wrong), and loved it. This is an epic plotline in some ways (imperial mysteries abound!) but it's also intimate and personal in all sorts of ways. Watching Drothe try to navigate a complex world with lots of details and immersive explanation was fascinating. ...more
Loving the series so far - deep and complex epic storyline of my favorite kinds (complex characters who aren't just good and evil, complicated plots aLoving the series so far - deep and complex epic storyline of my favorite kinds (complex characters who aren't just good and evil, complicated plots and motivation, and great descriptions.) ...more
More awesomeness from Seanan McGuire. After initially bouncing off the first one a year and a bit ago (due to where my own brain was, not the book!) IMore awesomeness from Seanan McGuire. After initially bouncing off the first one a year and a bit ago (due to where my own brain was, not the book!) I've inhaled the first four books in the series fast, and love them to pieces.
What I particularly love about them, as someone with a fairly good folklore background, is that she manages to combine the folklore with surprising twists and turns that I wouldn't have expected, leading to great stories, and engaging characters. At the same time, because it's a series, there's space for characters to grow and change in fascinating ways across the books (and I look forward to a lot more of that!)
And, on top of that, what great characters! Toby, her protagonist, is not your typical urban fantasy heroine in a lot of ways - for one thing, she's already been married and had a child before the books even start. It's refreshing to read a book where the character's an adult, trying to do adult stuff around the edges of the book (be a good friend, be a great aunt to her best friend's kids, support herself, keep her commitments) while also trying to find an identity in the world of Faerie she mostly inhabits these days (something made complicated by her parentage.)
More please! I'm not sure I can wait for September, but I'm going to have to try... ...more
A really fun read, this is about a group of child agents, who take on spy and intelligence tasks that aren't suited to adult agents. I found it a quicA really fun read, this is about a group of child agents, who take on spy and intelligence tasks that aren't suited to adult agents. I found it a quick but not predictable read, with some great characters and moments. ...more
This is one of those anthologies that's as fascinating as a collection as it is for the stories themselves. Within, find stories about - as the title This is one of those anthologies that's as fascinating as a collection as it is for the stories themselves. Within, find stories about - as the title says, love and death - by a wide range of authors from across many genres. The juxtaposition of the genre assumptions of a fantasy novel next to a romance tale next to a mystery lead to some fascinating connections. (Plus, the selection of authors is great.)...more
A fascinating look at what was fundamentally the birth of forensic science in many ways via the lens of a particular serial killer in France in the laA fascinating look at what was fundamentally the birth of forensic science in many ways via the lens of a particular serial killer in France in the late 1800s. The book interweaves his crimes (and how he was caught) with information about the development of various scientific tools, and the people who created them....more
A YA dystopia about a world that's doing its best to excise love (teens go through a process at 18 when it is surgically removed, basically.) Like a lA YA dystopia about a world that's doing its best to excise love (teens go through a process at 18 when it is surgically removed, basically.) Like a lot of YA dystopia novels, you have to buy the premise for it to work, but I found some interesting things in here. ...more
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