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Author: Jenny Hamilton

The moral of the story

I just finished Juli Zeh’s book In Free Fall (Dark Matter in the UK, and although I’m not doing a cover comparison because this post isn’t actually a review, the British cover wins and will be counted as such in my end-of-year tallies), a book that seems to assume a moral stance I can’t get on board with: If you are being blackmailed to do a murder, the fact that you then do murder doesn’t count. In my opinion, yeah, it definitely still counts. I had other problems with the book (started very strong; ended less strong), but I had…

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Book / Art Pairing: The Town in Bloom, Dodie Smith

It occurred to me the other day that although I like both books and art, I only ever talk about one of them here. Perhaps I am not the only person around the blogosphere of whom this is true.  Hence, I’ve decided to try a new thing with some of my book posts where I pair the book with a piece of art that I’ve liked. Please let me know in the comments what you think about this idea for a new feature: Good? Indifferent? Hopelessly pretentious? The Town in Bloom, Dodie Smith’s third adult novel, was a gift from…

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Lady Audley, belatedly

Sorry I missed the first batch of readalong posts, readalong friends! I have no excuse. I got distracted doing something else. I promise to faithfully post every Thursday from here on out. Sorry, lovely host Alice! Have we already established the number of readalong participants whose awareness of Lady Audley’s Secret prior to this readalong was limited to / originated from that time Tacy’s father burned the copy of it that Betsy had borrowed from her maid and lent to Tacy? If not, can I get a show of hands in the comments? & some critical remarks about Mr. Kelly…

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Reading the End Bookcast, Ep.21: B-side Books, The People in the Trees, and a Mad Scientist Game

In this edition of the Reading the End Bookcast, the Jennys talk about authors and their B-sides: the lesser books that we love and hate. We review Hanya Yanigahara’s The People in the Trees, because once just isn’t enough, and we play a game of my own invention about mad scientists of fiction. You can listen to the podcast in the embedded player below or download the file directly to take with you on the go. Episode 21 Or if you wish, you can find us on iTunes (and if you enjoy the podcast, give us a good rating! We…

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Review: Two thirds of the Last Policeman trilogy, Ben Winters

Note: I received review copies of The Last Policeman and Countdown City from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Important question if you have read the two existing books in the Last Policeman trilogy: Does the meteor actually hit the earth in the third book? Or do they find a way to avoid the impending disaster? I say it’s a cop-out if the meteor doesn’t strike. The Last Policeman is a series about a man who has always wanted to be a police detective. Just because there is a miles-long meteor heading straight for the Earth to destroy…

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Reading the End [Pod]cast, Ep.20: A Review of Captain America: Shield of Dreams

Here is an experiment me and Randon did! Testing out some new equipment, we here have a podcast review of Captain America 2. You can listen to the podcast in the embedded player below or download the file directly to take with you on the go. Or if you wish, you can find us on iTunes (and if you enjoy the podcast, leave us a review! We appreciate it very very much). Episode 20a Credits Producer: Captain Hammer Photo credit: The Illustrious Annalee Song is by Jeff MacDougall and comes from here.  

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Review: Shards of Time, Lynn Flewelling

Note: I received this ebook from the publisher, via Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review. These days, I don’t read much high fantasy. It’s not that I’m ashamed of the many hours I spent reading Mercedes Lackey books in middle and high school; it’s just that I rarely, rarely feel like returning to that type of fantasy. But I’ve never been able to quit Lynn Flewelling. I looooved The Bone Doll’s Twin (you can always get me with gender stuff and a healthy dose of creepiness), and I get a kick out of seeing the Seregil and Alec doing…

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Review: Boxers and Saints, Gene Luen Yang

Before I get started with this review, it’s time for PRAISE PLEASE, a segment I do sometimes because I need praise like oxygen. I decided that in 2014, I was going to read 20% non-white authors. I got a slow start because by the time I resolved this, I already had ten reviews scheduled or in need of writing, and they were all of books by white authors. However, in the first third of the year, my books have been 40% by authors of color. Half POC authors would be best, but I am still pretty pleased with myself. (I’ve…

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Review: The Lucy Variations, Sara Zarr

Show of hands in the comments: Who played an instrument in their youth? What instrument and for how long? Why’d you start, and if you quit, why’d you quit and do you miss it? I had piano lessons for part of middle and high school. My second-grade teacher, who was really primarily a music teacher, came to my house once a week and taught me and Social Sister how to play. I was okay. I have big hands, so that was good, but I never had a really good feel for the way the music flows. If I were wealthy,…

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