BOOK REVIEW: The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley sounded like such a promising book when I read the jacket copy. In nineteenth century London, a watch that mysteriously shows up on a guy’s pillow saves his life from a bomb blast…apparently predicting blast somehow. He tracks down the Japanese watchmaker, and we learn of the watchmaker’s beginnings through flashbacks. Part steampunk and part magical realism, it’s a book that should have been a joy to read. But the terrorist bombings–and mystery about the person behind it–never fully engaged me, and it just seemed to move a little too slowly for such a short book. Three Stars.

BOOK REVIEW: If you’re a fan of The Walking Dead, One Second After by William R. Forstchen is the book for you. It’s about what happens when an EMP pulse knocks out all the power in the United States, and how common townspeople fight (literally) to survive the following year. It reads just like The Walking Dead looks (minus the zombies) – everything is broken down and abandoned. People are dying in hospitals and on the streets, and roving gangs are killing people to get their supplies. The horror here is that everything could actually happen, and many fear that someday it will. My only complaint with this book is that it seemed to go on for far too long and the writing at time seems forced, but an entertaining read nonetheless. Three Stars.

BOOK REVIEW: Mothering Sunday by Graham Swift is a short book about a maid in an English country house in 1924 who is having an illicit affair. Something happens after one of their trysts (no spoilers here!) and the book traces how those events effect her life, both immediately after as well as later in her life. I must admit that I had to restart this book twice because I hated the beginning, but I eventually fell into the rhythm of the book and found it a quick and enjoyable read. But would I recommend it to somebody? Um…no. Three Stars.

BOOK REVIEW: Yes, I know…Don DeLillo is considered one of the greatest writers of our time. I don’t know if it’s me getting older and more impatient or what, but reading books like Zero K are seriously beginning to try my patience. This book is about people getting cryogenically frozen for reanimation at some later date. Intriguing, yes. But it just turns into people just talking about it or thinking about it or–in one short section that I admittedly skimmed–what one frozen body is thinking while in the cryogenic state (???). I love a great, well-written book, but given the choice between this and a pulp thriller, I’ll take the thriller every time. I’m giving this one Three Stars simply out of respect.