Fiction – Page 13 – Ryan's Book Blog

The Four Winds

January 26, 2023 by Ryan

Background

Published in January of 2021, The Four Winds is the story of a woman and her kids leaving the farm in Texas during the dust bowl and heading to California. Things didn’t work out like they planned.

My Thoughts

I read this book because our church’s adult women put it out there as their book club pick. In short, I didn’t like it. It was reading the Grapes of Wrath again but this time with an empowerment story complete with a worthless husband.

Recommendation

I wasn’t a fan.

A Darkling Plain

January 10, 2023 by Ryan

Background

Published in 2007, A Darkling Plain is set 6 months after Infernal Devices. Hester is presumed dead as is the Stalker Fang. The world is getting ready for the last war.

My Thoughts

This was a good resolution and I love what happened to Shrike at the end in particular.

Recommendation

You have to finish it…

Infernal Devices

December 27, 2022 by Ryan

Background

Published in 2005, Infernal Devices is the third book in the “Mortal Engines Quartet”. It follows Predator’s Gold and starts the story 16 years after the last book ended. This story picks up with their child (Wren) and her adventures become the catalyst to change all their lives.

My Thoughts

Another good book but a little slower than the last. It took me a minute to take a shine to Wren and the other new characters.

Recommendation

Can’t turn back now.

The Road

December 18, 2022 by Ryan

Background

Published in September of 2006, The Road is a dystopian story of a father and his son in a post war torn America. The Road they are traveling is full of dangers and this is no place to raise a child.

My Thoughts

While the book was well done, it was so depressing. I would truly hope that we as humans act a little better than what was portrayed. I think someone needs to give Cormac McCarthy a hug…

Recommendation

If you liked Grapes of Wrath, then you likely need a hug too. However, you’d likely like this one as well.

Predator’s Gold

December 8, 2022 by Ryan

Background

Published in September of 2003, Predator’s Gold is the sequel to Mortal Engines. It continues the story of what happens after London is destroyed.

My Thoughts

Again, I thought they did a great job with the next book. This could have ended the series and it would have been just as good.

Recommendation

Good book!

Mortal Engines

December 1, 2022 by Ryan

Background

Published in November of 2001, Mortal Engines is a dystopian future where the traction cities are on the move eating each other and they are fighting against the anti-traction league to for the right to do so.

My Thoughts

As dumb as the concept is, it was a fun book. It had some really good character development and was just a good read. Of course, I watched the movie shortly after reading it. Honestly, I don’t know why I do that… They hacked the story-line to bits.

Recommendation

Skip the movie and read the book.

Outlander

October 21, 2022 by Ryan

Background

Published in June of 1992, Outlander is the first book in a series of fictional books about Outlanders. People who time travel from one place to another. The first was a nurse from WWII to 16th century Scotland.

My Thoughts

It certainly had an interesting back story and the author knows how to keep the reader engaged but I didn’t really like it. The main character was a little too much “Mary Sue” for me and I didn’t really like how she handled herself. I was looking for a good series but this just wasn’t it.

Recommendation

Skip it. For this 12 book series, I am one and done.

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

October 8, 2022 by Ryan

Background

Published in October of 2007, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running is a autobiographical look at Haruki Murakami and largely centered around his experience with the New York marathon and other races. He is primarily a writer but he has done a lot of running.

My Thoughts

This was an interesting book to read. Any work from another culture has elements that can surprise you as you go along. Ironically, I listened to this book while running. He mentions doing triathlons as well and I was disgusted that swimmers would kick an old man as he was trying to compete in a race. Particularly in open water…

On the whole, it was an ok book. I don’t know that I grew too much from it.

Recommendation

I wouldn’t read it again.

Greenlights

August 18, 2022 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

Published in October of 2020, Greenlights is the autobiographical musings of Matthew McConaughey (all right, all right, all right…).

My Thoughts

I’m always nervous when I read this celebrity bios. Most of the time I come away thinking much less of them but this time was different. My wife was talking to me about this book thinking that I had already read it. I told her that I had but I was thinking about Val Kilmer’s book. So, I had to read it…

I was pleasantly surprised. The first of it seemed like it he was trying to act all manly to counter he stereotypical RomCom role. As the story went on, he seemed to actually be the person he was representing. It also explains why he stopped doing those roles. If it wasn’t just fantasy, he earned a bit of my respect.

Recommendation

Not a bad read.

Battlefield Earth

August 16, 2022 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

Published in 1982, Battlefield Earth is a story of Earth a thousand years from now after we had been invaded by an alien civilization known as the Psychlos. They have almost no interest in us, rather they just want to mine our planet for the heavy metals.

My Thoughts

This was a pretty fun book and I remember being intimidated by it by it’s shear size when I read it as a teen. With my adult eyes, it was pretty campy and all the women had almost no character development but it was still fun.

The movie that came out a number of years ago was pretty terrible and didn’t do much to help promote the book. Oh well, Travolta tried…

Recommendation

A fun action book but pretty long.