Month: April 2017

Kindness Goes Unpunished

Kindness Goes Unpunished (Walt Longmire, #3)Kindness Goes Unpunished by Craig Johnson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

At first, I was a bit put off that this Longmire book took place in Philadelphia instead of Wyoming, but I quickly got over it. This one is pretty rough though. Walt takes what seems like a lot of abuse through this book, worse than usual. Perhaps harder for me to read was the subplot about Cady’s brain injury. Nonetheless, this is still a Longmire book with Henry, Dog, and eventually even Vic (and the whole Moretti family) being involved. Johnson has a tendency to both engage in stereotyping and turn it on it’s head. This isn’t my favorite of the three Longmire books I’ve read, but it was still very engrossing and enjoyable. Definitely worth a read.

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Mass Effect: Retribution

Mass Effect: RetributionMass Effect: Retribution by Drew Karpyshyn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed Drew Karpyshyn’s Mass Effect series of books that tied into the games. This third book in the series wraps things up and leads into Mass Effect 2. This gives readers more information on The Illusive Man and how Cerberus works. It also provides more information on Kahlee Sanders and David Anderson and there is even a brief mention of Shepherd. All good stuff for Mass Effect fans. Now that Andromeda is out, it was kind of nice to listen to some of the old school Mass Effect stuff. I highly recommend both the games and the books. Although the fourth book is not written by Karpyshyn, so I don’t know about that. People don’t seem to like it as much as the three he wrote.

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Girl Walks into a Bar

Girl Walks into a Bar . . .: Comedy Calamities, Dating Disasters, and a Midlife MiracleGirl Walks into a Bar . . .: Comedy Calamities, Dating Disasters, and a Midlife Miracle by Rachel Dratch

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I listened to this entire book on a plane and it made the flight go by quite pleasantly. Rachel Dratch is very funny and this book was enjoyable to listen to with her reading it. I don’t know how much I would have enjoyed reading it to myself, but I had several laugh-out-loud moments, which as you can imagine, was a little awkward on the plane. Definitely worth a listen.

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Coffee Emergencies Abroad

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If you should find yourself in the English countryside, you might discover that the vast majority of coffee available to you is dark French or Italian roasts. If you’re like me and you prefer a medium or light roast, you might be a little frustrated. If this is your situation, I recommend buying a bag of Taylors Lazy Sunday. It’s a medium roast, drinkable with a little milk, and you won’t have that rage feeling in the morning. Also featured in the photo above is the pour over setup I made from the circa 1970s coffee maker we found in the cottage where we were staying. Co-op Food also carries a store branded fair trade medium roast which is also drinkable. You have to make due sometimes when traveling, so I had to buy ground coffee, because neither of the places we stayed had a grinder. No, I don’t travel with one. I haven’t reached that level of coffee crazy. Other than the limited coffee situation, I really love the English countryside. It looks a lot like Virginia and aside from a few things here and there, feels very much like home.

 

 

Black Panther #1

Black Panther #1Black Panther #1 by Ta-Nehisi Coates

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book, but fair warning to comic fans, it’s densely written text for a comic. Obviously Ta-Nehisi Coates is a gifted writer and that’s on full display here, but he also clearly has never written a comic before, and that also shows. Parts of this read more like a novel, but he’s clearly finding his way and I’m looking forward to reading the second one. His take on Black Panther and the crisis in Wakanda is excellent and speaks strongly of someone deeply aware of central African politics as well as having a clear love of the character. Somewhat amusingly, this volume also contains the first appearance of Black Panther in Fantastic Four. Comics have really come a long way. Thank goodness.

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Waykan Review

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Lexington Coffee Roasters is my all-time favorite roaster. They offer a wide variety of lightly roasted, single origin beans that are my coffee preference. Waykan from Guatemala is one of my favorites. All the subtle flavors are there. It’s excellent black, but a little cream doesn’t hurt it too much. So good. This is my last bag until it’s back in season. I was fortunate enough to get two bags of it while it was available. So, so good. If you haven’t tried their coffees, click on the link and order some. You won’t be sorry.

Death Without Company

Death Without Company (Walt Longmire, #2)Death Without Company by Craig Johnson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I came to this series of books via the televisions series, which I love. Now, I’m loving the books just as much, if not more, than the TV show. Craig Johnson’s Walt Longmire is a complex character without many of the tropes that mysteries get trapped in with the lone, usually alcoholic, lawman. Walt is a man with deep roots in his community, close friends, a daughter. He’s a man who feels his responsibilities are part of his honor and duty and sometimes those responsibilities are at cross purposes. The people around him are just as interesting and just as appealing as he is. They aren’t cardboard cut outs, they feel like real people with real foibles. In short, these are high quality mysteries, well worth your time.

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Napoleon’s Hemorrhoids: … and Other Small Events That Changed History

Napoleon's Hemorrhoids: ... and Other Small Events That Changed HistoryNapoleon’s Hemorrhoids: … and Other Small Events That Changed History by Phil Mason

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is really a bunch of snippets about interesting little things that possibly had a big impact on history. I’m listening to it, but it would really be better as bathroom reading. The guy reading it sounds like he’s doing a series of 1980s movie trailers, which gets a little tiring after about twenty minutes. It’s not bad for listening in the car for short bursts while running errands, but it’s not something I’d want to listen to on a long car ride.

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