This made me laugh. from Slacktory
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This made me laugh.

from Slacktory

from: slacktory.com

I read thirty books this year. (Comic books count.)
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I read thirty books this year. (Comic books count.)

My cannonball read reviews (# 26, 27, 28). 26 / Wool Omnibus by Hugh Howey I’ve read a lot of sci-fi. I’ve read a lot of post-apocalyptic fiction. I’ve read a lot of straight fiction (or what we might call “drama”), suspense, and a few mysteries. Comparatively, the Wool Omnibus (which is a collection of five short novels self-published by the author) is one of the best in its field. Ten or so thousand people live in an underground “silo,” a cylindrical city bored 150 stories deep into the earth. The air outside will kill you, so criminals sentenced to death are sent outside, to “clean” the sensors that let the silo’s inhabitants know it’s still bad out there. You’ll learn all this in the first five pages, and I really don’t want to tell you more. Imaginative, thrilling, with well-drawn characters and a compelling world, Wool also happens to fall into one of my favorite sub-genres: The Book in Which the Backstory is the Real Story. I’m such a sucker for it. While spinning a contained narrative that stands well on its own, Howey simultaneously reveals the history of the silo, its inhabitants, and the greater world with exquisite skill. I recommended this book more in the last couple of months than any other in recent memory. It’s insanely readable. Five stars. One of my favorites this year. 27 / First Shift - Legacy by Hugh Howey This series just keeps getting better: prequel slash simultaneous timeline FTW! (See also: Ender’s Shadow.) If you finished Wool with more questions than answers, like I did, First Shift will do a great job at answering most of those questions and creating a ton more. A slighter book than Wool, this kicks off the prequel series with style (and quite a bit of action). Five stars. 28 / Second Shift - Order by Hugh Howey Darker and twistier. I love it. Following Wool and First Shift, Second Shift continues exploring a timeline parallel to the original story to great, cliffhanger-y effect. Five stars. Can’t wait for the next installment.
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My cannonball read reviews (# 26, 27, 28).

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My cannonball read reviews (# 24, 25). 24 / Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn Dark and twisty. Fun and depressing. Full of unreliable narrators. It’s been a while since I read anything resembling a mystery, so this was a breath of fresh air. Like in my review of Room, I really don’t want to give anything away plot-wise, but I will say this: the first part of the book plays like a pretty standard whodunnit. At the halfway mark, though, shit gets real. Ms. Flynn is a crafty, crafty lady. Four stars. Trust no one. 25 / Ready Player One by Ernest Cline One phrase kept running through my head as I read: “nerd nostalgia porn.” Lots of my friends inhaled and enjoyed this book, but I was slightly less charmed. Combining elements of Reamde, Neuromancer, For the Win, and strongly reminiscent at times of Ender’s Game (which, strangely, was not referenced in the book, unlike every other piece of media released in the 1980s), Ready Player One is an enjoyable “fight the man” tale set in a near-future where nearly everyone lives in squalor and spends most of their time “plugged in” to Oasis, the ultimate cyberspace environment. Our protagonist, Wade Watts, is one of thousands of Oasis-dwellers on a hunt for a mysterious prize. He’s just a poor kid, and he’s up against a group of professional “gunters” (“egg hunters,” as in “easter egg”) who aren’t just fighting dirty in the game. Hijinks ensue. Three stars. Not totally for me, but fun.
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My cannonball read reviews (# 24, 25).

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My cannonball read reviews (# 21, 22, 23). 21 / Astonishing X-Men, Vol 1: Gifted by Joss Whedon 22 / Astonishing X-Men, Vol 2: Dangerous by Joss Whedon 23 / Astonishing X-Men, Vol 3: Torn by Joss Whedon Fun! Funny! Exciting! If you like Joss Whedon, and/or Wolverine, and/or comics in general, read this series. Four stars.
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My cannonball read reviews (# 21, 22, 23).

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