Cody

What if…? You find yourself stuck in a time loop…but you’re the most boring person ever.

I really wanted to like this book. I love time loops! Mother of Learning, Palm Springs, Groundhog Day, etc. I really enjoy watching characters test their limits, learn new skills, explore and experiment to try and escape from their awful situation! Now imagine a person who gets stuck in the loop and spends half a year just sitting in their room, not doing anything. Now perhaps this is highly realistic, this is exactly what a normal person would do, grow listless and depressed and anhedonic. However, reading about that was a chore.

It’s not all gloom and doom. The writer (perhaps more specifically, the translator) really have a way with words. I loved the beautiful prose. It was vivid and at times poignant. The complete lack of dialogue was interesting, as the whole thing is a diary and who honestly writes in full quotes in a diary! I imagine the next book will explore the next day, which would be a little more interesting, but I’m not going to move on. Way too many other things to read.

LOVE the idea of the snails. So weird and creepy!

Great small Dresden story. Super creepy villains, compelling stakes, and Trip (Tripp?) had a great arc. Also, it's fun to get a novella so quickly after Twelve Months came out!

One of my favorite murderbot stories. Super stressful, in a good way, and as always, being in murderbot's head as it navigates human interaction is always a hoot.

things starting to get rather repetitious. How many “glares” and “hairy eyeballs” can one man take?

4.6 stars, what an absolute delight. Went in with no expectations, just a book I could read with my daughter. Lo and behold! It was just so charming. Tremendous fun.

4.6 stars. Magnificent ending to one of my favorite series.

4.5 stars

4.5 stars

Can't get over how much of an idiot the main character is. How he survived for 30 years before the book started is beyond me.

Terrific standalone. The characters are everything, and it still maintains the classic Abercrombie humor and writing.

Fun! Writer clearly has a good grasp on both science and the human condition.

Holy moly. This book was equal parts terrifying and thought provoking. Plus it was a quick read, no reason not to give it a try.

6 out of 5. Absolutely stunning.

3.5 stars

3.5 stars

A absolute masterwork, totally exceeds the hype. I cannot recall the last time any book moved me this much. It was equal parts charming, tragic, entertaining, and fascinating. (The fact that I got it while in Oxford was just a lovely perk.) 6/5, would read again.

6 out of 5 stars. Absolutely terrific from start to finish. Great prose, terrific protagonist, interesting novel world, vaguely menacing magic system, multiple competing political factions, competition, action, romance. This book had it all.

2.5 stars rounded up for sheer inventiveness.

SOLID outing

5% plot
10% dialogue
85% internal monologue/infodump/reiterations/teenage angst

Woof. Such a cool concept that was just an absolute slog to get through.

Magnificent

Absolutely terrific. Chilling and exciting and somber and approachable. A perfect late October read.

Starts off awesome but slows down enough that it became my least favorite Crouch book so far.

This book was a delight! I've been a fan of North ever since he started Dinosaur comics and have followed him through Adventure Time, Squirrel Girl, choose your own adventure Hamlet, and now his great non-fiction stuff. Do you want to laugh and be tricked into learning a bunch of stuff? Look for further!