Laura > Recent Status Updates

I'm really loving the tension between the main character and her "handler"/ boss. Also who is the Tunneler??

This book is so freaking hilarious!!

Two words : space pirates! I'm loving this so far.

I love the creativity of the plot, though at times it feels like reading the ramblings of someone in the Q universe. Politicians are secretly involved in the occult! A horrifying monster has been rising from the depths of America since the 17th century! Also I love the idea of Nixon being particularly talented in the dark arts. I'm excited to find out more.

I'm already loving the plot and the description of the community library. What a cozy read ♥️

Trains AND sci-fi combined?? Choo choo LFG!!!

This book is so dumb but I'm invested now. The writing is really poor. The decisions all the characters make seem so unbelievable. Every few pages the author describes the heat as "baking" or the sun is "baking" everyone. We get it it's hot in the middle east. Then the soldiers decide to take occupied subway tunnels to evacuate the president of the United States?! Surely they had better contingency plans than that.

Not me halfway through realizing this was not written by Al Gore. 🙃

I'm really pushing to finish at this point. I think the author brings up some great talking points but now it's just huckster after huckster. All of the people featured are starting to blend together into one charlatan preacher/salesman/campaign manager blob.

Another powerful quote : " It made me wonder about Trumpism and the American evangelical movement. Was deconstruction even possible without atonement from the people who'd been part of the problem?"
The author dismisses the growing movement of personal deconstruction. It is not just individual interpretations of scripture but total rethinking of the institution of Christianity. The author still supports the church.

"He was right. These people were scared. They were scared, in part, because of economic and cultural instability. But mostly they were scared because people like Reed were trying to scare them. To win campaigns, the most valuable tool was fear."
What a powerful quote, and so true. This chapter is about the fear mongering of perceived persecution of Christians in America.

So many thoughts .I didn't realize the author is still a Christian. It affects his bias. At one point the preacher asks whether they should keep a political rant in a donation video. It was edited out but at no point has the author mentioned churches are not allowed to be political no matter what?! He also acts shocked that churches are authoritarian. Growing up as a girl in the church that was not a surprise.

"In addition to the carefully itemized manifest items, one additional traveler was aboard the ship. The crew was unaware of its presence."

The drama! The tension! Already I am hooked on this non-fiction book about a cruise ship in the grips of the COVID -19 virus.

The authors are extremely talented. No meandering, but more than just facts. They really make you feel connected to the people on board.

Whew, the relationships in The Shining Sea are so toxic! I am definitely resolving to read a happier book next. Maybe something with unicorns.

Koji Suzuki is just the best. These stories are rather dark, and the book starts off with a trigger warning for suicide. I feel like the author is able to write about deep and depressing topics in such a way, that I am still intrigued, and not sucked up in a black hole of depression myself. I'm looking at you, Long live the Post Horn. (Which was very good, just sad).

Abandoned for now. In the words of Carly Rae Jepson. "I'm coming back for you baby!" Maybe.

I'm not really loving this but it's hard to abandon when I've read so many pages already 😭

The perfect book to read when you have a lot of free time.

I need to know more about the magical aspects of the main character's (Dune) investigation into the virus!

I didn't love the first book, but I keep thinking about the plot. I think the storyline was so intriguing that I wanted to read the sequel, despite not loving the prose. It's good so far.

I am so interested in the daemon aspect of this world and the rules for interacting with them. I vaguely remember not being allowed to read these, or hearing that something was *bad* in the books. It's sad that religious panic can keep people from reading really wonderful literature.

Really intriguing so far. A book rec from Amanda, and coincidentally I found a copy at the free little library! This will also count as a space on my happy valley reading bingo card.

This is a book about technology and medicine and is almost 10 years out of date...however it is interesting to read about the introduction of the electronic record in hospitals. After this I want to find a more updated book on medical technology.

Normally I don't like following multiple characters'point of view but the author makes it work.

I'm really enjoying this book. It seems like Nordic authors have really gotten the thriller genre locked in. Also, I love the creepy detail of mysterious figurines appearing at the scene of the crime...

I'm reading Salvation at the same time and the stories are blurring together. 😅