Feasy Reads

 Hello, feasyheads! So far this week, I've been going to the library a lot. I got another Trawn trilogy, the rest of the Murderbot  series, and a lot  of D&D books. I'm finishing up the audiobook for Exit Strategy  and reading a bit of The Will of the Many.   Good morning/afternoon/evening/night/3:00 AM, Uncle Wally

 Hi, feasyheads. Not much to report today. I made progress on Dune Messiah  and The Will of the Many .  Good morning/afternoon/evening/night/3:00 AM, Uncle Wally

 Hello, feasyheads! There's not much to say today. I kept reading Dune Messiah  and am listening to Rogue Protocol , the third installment in the Murderbot series. On Libby, my hold on The Will of the Many was finally delivered, and I look forward to reading it. Good morning/afternoon/evening/night/3:00 AM, Uncle Wally

 Hello, feasyheads!  I do believe you are owed a review of Dune  today. It was a very long book, nearly eight hundred pages not counting the appendix. THat's why it took so long to finish. The writing style is pretty different from what I'm used to (the book was written in 1965) and used a good amount of unknown words. It definitely isn't my favorite, but has probably impacted my writing style slightly.  Moving on to the characters. Paul is all right, and while the complex politics and different political and corporate entities were slightly hard to follow at times, it was easier to do so than expected.  The worldbuilding was very intricate, and you see how much thought and time was put into perfecting it with every page.  However, I failed to find Dune  as captivating and as much of a masterpiece as I had been told. Perhaps I need to read it at a later time, when I can understand it better. (has happened with past books) But for whatever reason, it wa...

 Hello, feasyheads! I do believe you are owed a review of either Artificial Condition  or Dune . I thought I'd start with Artificial Condition , the second book in the Murderbot series. I listened to part of the dramatized audiobook and finished the book by just reading it on Libby, and I must say, this series is incredible. Murderbot, as it calls itself, is funny, sarcastic, and cynical, and there's little sentimentality in the series but when it happens, it is really well done. It's fun to be immersed in the world of Murderbot. Something about its systems and how it connects with the security systems.. it's just so appealing. This book also gets a nine out of ten. It's short, nicely written, and I can immerse myself in the world of Murderbot. Good morning/afternoon/evening/night/3:00 AM, Uncle Wally

 Hello, feasyheads! Many apologies for not writing Monday and Tuesday. Time go the better of me. Anyways, I finished Dune  as well as Artificial Condition  (I did half audiobook, half ebook). Today, I'm unfortunately out of time and will have a review for at least one of them tomorrow. Yesterday I went to a new library, and got another Thrawn series. Based on my discussions in a Star Wars Discord server, there are three different Thrawn series and they are all written by Timothy Zahn. I look forward to reading it. Good morning/afternoon/night/3:00 AM, Uncle Wally

 Hello, feasyheads! The weekend is in sight! Today was basically a zero day for me, unfortunately. I've been putting off reading Dune and had to study for a test last-minute, so none of that usual reading time. I didn't manage to listen to an audiobook, either. On Monday I'll go back to the usual writing/ Good morning/afternoon/evening/night/3:00 AM, Uncle Wally

 Hello, feasyheads! Today, as per usual for Wednesdays, I got very little reading done. Not enough to write about, at least. However, I've made progress in my audiobook of the Murderbot series.  I thought I'd tell you about the plan for the next books to read: 1. Finish Dune  (honestly having doubts about finishing the series) 2. The Will of the Many  (on my to-read list for so long, I hope it arrives in time) 3. First Shift (Legacy) (Seemed like an interesting one from my to-read list) 4. Little Brother (A to-read I made early on) 5. The Mercy of Gods (I have the book but have to return it soon, may get it somewhere else) And that should keep me set for about a month or so. In terms of audiobooks, the dramatized adapatations are really quite amazing and the people over at the r/RedRising subreddit recommend the audiobooks of the series, which is what I'm thinking of doing after Murderbot. Anyways, that's all for today! Middle of the week is over with! Good morning/a...

 Hello, feasyheads! Today more progress was made in completing Dune . I have about two hundred pages left and should hopefully be done by this week. Today, I opened Goodreads for the first time in a while, and my to-read list has significantly grown. But that's not what I'll talk about today. There was this series, The Murderbot Diaries , that's been on my to-read list. After The Will of the Many , I thought that's what I'd read. However, this weekend, I got the first book, All Systems Red , in audiobook form. It's a novella, only three hours of listening. I must say, it's a really enjoyable series, and I'll keep listening to it all the while finishing the Dune  series.  Quick question: Do I put it as read on Goodreads if it's an audiobook? Immediately I connected with Murderbot, the main character. It's sarcastic, cynical, asocial, and is descriptive but entertaining. This made it easier to get into the plot of the story, which I also really lik...

Hello, feasyheads! The weekend is in sight, just one more day!  Today, I continued to read Dune , and I'm more than halfway through. So far, I'm enjoying the book and especially the unique writing style. Today, there isn't much to say.  Happy early Memorial Weekend! Good morning/afternoon/evening/night/3:00 AM, Uncle Wally

Hello, feasyheads. Apologies for not posting yesterday and Monday. I was exceptionally busy. Now, the series review on the Thrawn Trilogy (The Star Wars Legends one) you are owed: For this series, I got a personal recommendation by another Star Wars fan. I was looking forward to reading it and had high hopes. Let's talk about the physical appearance of the books first. The books themselves were small and quite easy to carry around (convenience points) and the cover art, especially for the third book, was beautiful. The text was on the smaller side, making the time to read each page a bit longer than expected. Overall, the physical book is pretty nice. With the first book, I was instantly sucked into the plot of the story. Grand Admiral Thrawn makes a great antagonist. A ruthless and genius military tactical who can accurately predict the New Republic's actions? That's a pretty hard foe to beat. This was why his end was amazing. However, I do feel that it was a bit rushed. T...

 Hi, feasyheads! We're so, so close to the weekend now. Today, I finally  finished The Last Command  and thus the Grand Admiral trilogy. I do want to finish and read more books, but this was an absolutely amazing series. I'll write the review of The Last Command  today and the review of the Thrawn Trilogy overall on Monday. Warning: spoilers for the series incoming. At four hundred and sixty pages, The Last Command is the longest book in the trilogy. However, ~400 pages is a very respectable amount. Not too long or too short. The book itself was small, and reminded me of Ender's Game . About the same font and size. This book was pretty convenient to carry around. The cover art is insanely good, much better than that of the first two. Okay, enough about the physical book. The plot of the Thrawn trilogy is very well-made, and the antagonists are very enjoyable. Grand Admiral Thrawn and Joruus C'baoth are pretty much always at odds, and think they have the upper hand....

 Hello, feasyheads! The bulk of the weekend is behind us. Tomorrow, I'm about 99% sure that I'll finish my book, and the Thrawn Trilogy . Then, it's off to Dune. Today, my hold on The Will of the Many  is ready on Libby, so I'll click deliver hold. I promise that tomorrow I'll write more, what with the review of The LAst Command  needing to be done, and on Monday The Thrawn Trilogy .  All for today. Good morning/afternoon/evening/night/3:00 AM, Uncle Wally

Hello, feasyheads! Today, I kept on reading The Last Command . It's been dragging on for quite some time, but I should be finished with the series soon—probably Thursday, in two days. Afterwards, it's off to Dune , and after That  probably The Will of the Many. I'm a bit worried for Dune . I started to read it, but it got slightly confusing. Maybe I need to read it while not being in the middle of another series. Oh well. The series is an absolute must on my list, mostly due to its fame. Because I've yet to finish The Last Command , this post and recent ones have been fairly short. However, I hope to finish soon and write more. Good morning/afternoon/evening/night/3:00 AM. Uncle Wally

Hello, feasyheads! How are you today? I'm still finishing up The Last Command , book three in the Thrawn Trilogy,  and hope to be done by this week. Also, I'm considering creating a book club via Discord. If you're interested, DM me. (uncle_wally_51177) Next, I'll definitely read Dune , as I've gotten many personal recommendations. Now, I checked out all of the books in the series. Afterwards, it's probably off to The Will of the Many , a book on my to-read list for a very long time.  That's all for today. Good morning/afternoon/evening/night/3:00 AM, Uncle Wally

Hello, feasyheads! The weekend is in sight! Today, I continued to read The Last Command (turns out its's not The Last Commander ), the final book in the Thrawn Trilogy. However, I haven't yet made too much progress and don't have much to say. That's all for today. Good morning/afternoon/evening/night/3:00 AM, Uncle Wally

 Hello, feasyheads! Today, I started reading The Last Commander , book three in the Thrawn trology. After I finish it, I'm thinking of reading Dune , since I have all of the books and they will be due soon. There's not much to say regarding The Last Commander so far—I don't get as much reading time on Wednesdays.  For now, this is all. Also, I was thinking. If anyone wants to join an online book club, I'm considering creating one. Comment down below if you're interested! Good morning/afternoon/evening/night/3:00 AM, Uncle Wally

Hello, feasyheads! Happy Tuesday. Today, I finished Dark Force Rising , the second book in the Thrawn Trilogy, part of Star Wars Legends. I guess it takes three days for the majority of the plot to leak out of my head, because it was hard to keep track of what was currently happening for the first chapter or so. So here's the obligatory review: While I have my reservations about the repeated use of specific words in the story, Timothy Zahn's writing style is satisfactory and he uses some unknown words, but it's a fairly easy read.  The plot, while slightly difficult to follow after taking a break, at least for me, due to Admiral Thrawn's complicated schemes, remains something worthy of becoming Star Wars canon. They should have at least made a small show or movie about it, with all of the Star Wars shows there are already. I don't have much in particular to say that differs from the first book, only that I continue to really like the characters. This gets an 8.75 ou...

Hello, feasyheads! Today I didn't get much reading done, but I owe you guys a review of Heir to the Empire , the first book in the Thrawn Trilogy. This book was of medium length, a little on the shorter side. As for the writing style, it was satisfactory. However, there were several phrases and words that were slightly overused. (ex. conceded, a pair of heartbeats, soothed)  The story is a great continuation of what happens after the rebels win. A whole new government must be built. In that way, this story reminds me of the Iron Gold  trilogy, which is set ten years after Red Rising . There's even the same sort of attempt at a senate, one person trying to gain political power, and the remnants of the enemy wreaking havoc from the shadows.  I wish that the series was adapted into film, because it would be a great addition. The series is Star Wars Legends, and I think that means it's not canon.  Heir to the Empire  is the start of a great trilogy and had me checki...

Hello, feasyheads! We're almost at this week's finish line! Just one more day.  Like yesterday, I got a lot of reading done. I finished Heir to the Empire , first in the Thrawn Trilogy, and began the next one, Dark Force Rising . So far, this is a great series, but I wish that it could have been made into a move. The Thrawn Trilogy takes place after A New Hope  in the Star Wars timeline, and I'm not sure if it's canon.  I'm a bit pressed for time right now and debating whether to post the review today. I have about five minutes. You know what, I'll do it next Monday.  The writing style was satisfactory this time around, unlike the Star Wars prequel book. (No, I'm still not over that.) Perhaps the 'reading hangover' as dubbed by the r/RedRising subreddit after finishing the series is finally fading.  It's weird, but my favorite character so far specific to this series is Mara Jade. (Of course, C-3PO and R2-D2 are still my favorite duo.) Mara is on...

Hello, feasyheads! We've already gone through most of the week. Today, I started the Thrawn Trilogy series, which is part of Star Wars Legends. Yesterday, I finished the trilogy, and promised I'd write a review today. Here goes: The Star Wars story is amazing. It truly is a whole other galaxy, with so many different stories to be told. I really .love the vastness and story of the Star Wars franchise in general. Five stars in that department. Unlike the prequel trilogy, which I seriously disliked because of its lack of description and, in my opinion, poor writing style, the Star Wars trilogy is beautifully written. Authors George Lucas, Donald F. Glut, and James Kahn contributed different amounts to each of the three episodes, and their writing style was pretty varied but extremely descriptive, and there's no other way to put it—fancy.  This was an amazing book and managed to keep me hooked for a long time. It gets a 9 out of ten on the grand scale. More tomorrow! Good morni...

 Hello, feasyheads! How are you doing? Today, I finally finished the main Star Wars trilogy, and I have to say, the book was amazing. Tomorrow I’ll start Star Wars legends, a different series. It’s a trilogy but there’s also another two books in a similar Star Wars series I’m considering reading. Tomorrow I’ll post a review. Good morning/afternoon/evening/night/3:00 AM, Uncle Wally

 Hello, feasyheads! I'm very sorry for not typing earlier. Last week was hectic and I had a lot of work. This week my schedule is a little wonky, so either I will get a ton of reading time or barely any. I'm still not finished with Star Wars , but have about a hundred pages to go. I will definitely finish this week, though. Today the book I'll tell you about is Fourth Wing  by Rebecca Yarros. It's been haunting my Goodreads and even Reddit feed in the form of Audible ads and won a Goodreads choice award. It must be pretty good. The story tells about a girl who was supposed to pursue a quiet career among books, but her mother, the commanding general, made her enroll in an academy for the elite dragon riders. There's only two ways out. Graduate, or die. The atmosphere is seriously competitive and the dragons ready to easily snap the fragile humans in half. I want to reed it because it's been recommended to me online many times and appears in a lot of the lists of ...

 Hi, feasyheads. Today I didn’t really get any reading time, so not much to report on that. It’s pretty late so I don’t have time to say anything signficant. Tomorrow I will write more. Good morning/afternoon/evening/night/3:00 AM, Uncle Wally

 Hello, feasyheads!  Another day has gone by. Today, I kept reading the Star Wars book. I'm starting to get used to the writing style, which as it turns out is by George Lucas, the original creator of Star Wars. It's really enjoyable and as I've stated before, I'm hooked in. Yesterday I mentioned that I started Dune , which I got multiple personal recommendations for. Although it seems interesting, I got through little of the book and am slightly confused so far with the politics. It's just a slightly lower priority for a read, and I'll start the series after Star Wars. I haven't much to say today, so this is it for now. Good morning/afternoon/night/3:00 AM,  Uncle Wally

 Hello, feasyheads! Long time no see! Last week I didn't really get much reading time, so I'm going to post a review of Star Wars: Collector's Edition . If anyone did't know, there's a book version of episodes I-VI (Might be more) and I'm reading them to build up to Star Wars Legends . The book I read has episodes I-III. The Star Wars universe in my opinion is rich and well-built. The plot of the prequel trilogies is essential for Star Wars. After all, SPOILER ALERT we learn about Darth Vader's life as Anakin Skywalker, essential for understanding him as a character. Revenge of the Sith  especially is where we see him turn from a promising Jedi into the Sith lord. I even watched part of the movie again. Unfortunately, there was one thing that distracted me from enjoying the plot. The writing style. I get that Star Wars is supposed to be also suitable for younger kids, but the lack of accurate description, and frankly, the words weren't quite vivid enough...

 Hello, feasyheads! Apologies for not posting yesterday. I had a lot of work, and besides, I didn't get much reading time. I believe I owe you a review of the series Chaos Walking  by Patrick Ness. Overall, this was an amazing series and one that I would recommend to not only readers of the same level as I but slightly younger. The sci-fi is prevalent in the series, and yet the settlers are far from technologically advanced. The series revolves around Todd Hewitt, the youngest in Prentisstown. At the start, he is a month away from turning thirteen and becoming a man. But Prentisstown is no ordinary town. The Noise germ, found on New World, makes men have Noise. It's sort of weird, but basically everyone can hear everyone's thoughts. Todd has also been told that the Noise germ killed all the women, and that the Spackle, the indigenous race, released it during their war against humans. The future looks bleak for Todd and humanity. It's just him and 146 other men, and they...

 Hello, feasyheads! I've really been on a reading roll recently. Today, I've finished Monsters of Men  (started yesterday) and thus the whole Chaos Walking  trilogy. It's been an absolutely amazing series. I also checked out (another) book, the first in Star Wars Legends . It's supposed to be the unwritten episodes.  Today I'll write the review of Monsters of Men  specifically, and tomorrow of the whole series.  Monsters of Men  is an epic ending to an epic series. The whole series is extremely raw and emotional, but now that we see things from three different viewpoints, especially the carnage and war that takes up most of the book, the readers get even more of a vivid image of everything. Patrick Ness's writing style, as I've said many, many times before, is absolutely amazing. It's simple and yet manages to capture everything so perfectly. The story reels you in. The characters, I feel, are especially well-made. Todd continued to grow and grow, chan...

 Hello, feasyheads! It's the start of yet another week. If only it was already Friday. This weekend and today, I've made amazing progress in the Chaos Walking  series. I finished The Ask and the Answer , and started Monsters of Men , the final book in the trilogy. Over the weekend, I went to two different libraries and got a lot  more books. Next week, I'm starting Dune , when I won't be here, and I have all the books in the series but the second. I got it on hold on Libby. Of course it has to be the second book.  All right, time for the review of The Ask and the Answer : Chaos Walking  in general is a series that I really like. It's definitely more YA, and the language, coming from Todd, who never learned to read (and spell) is pretty simple. However, there's just something about the series that I find incredibly captivating and my desire to keep reading had me cracking open the book over the weekend, which I usually never do.  The narration, while simple,...

Happy Friday, feasyheads! Apologies for not posting yesterday. I was especially busy and had no time, so I'm writing this right now to make up for it. Today I kept reading The Ask and the Answer  by Patrick Ness. According to my estimations, by the end of next week, I'll finish Chaos Walking  (hopefully). However, I haven't decided what to read next. All my holds are streaming in and by next week I should also have a physical copy of The Mercy of Gods  as well as Illusive . Based on my priorities, I should bring Ender's Game , but in two weeks I'll be away (no blogs :( ) and won't be able to get the next book. I'll probably read Liquid Crystal Nightingale , that book I picked up, and will look for a standalone or a big book. For the daily book pick: Dune by Frank Herbert is an absolute sci-fi classic that I've gotten multiple recommendations for. It follows Paul of House Atreides as they take leadership of a planet with spice, the most valuable material ...

 Hello, feasyheads! Today, I finished The Knife of Never Letting Go , first in the Chaos Walking series. In addition, I went to (a different) library and ended up checking out Ender's Game , though this will be my third time reading it. I want to actually read the rest of the books afterwards. I'm going to review TKONLG now. So the language in this book is pretty simple, being told in first-person perspective of Todd Hewitt, who never really learned to read. Some words were misspelled (i.e. direkshuns and creachers) but the writing somehow managed to be descriptive and I got sucked into the story pretty quickly.  The plot is suspenseful. There are several things which are only revealed at the end of the book (what a boy has to do to become a man, what happened in Prentisstown very long ago) that ke[pt. me reading. In terms of action, there was a mild amount with a knife (holds significance in the story) and so far there was no romance. However, I suspect that will probably cha...

 Hello, feasyheads! Short on time so the post won't be as long today. I continued to read The Knife of Never Letting Go , first in the Chaos Walking  series. So far, I am really enjoying the narration, oddly, and the story keeps me wanting for more. Currently, I'm more than halfway through and expect to finish this week, or maybe next Monday or so.  Today, I went to. the library and got the second book in the series, The Ask and the Answer , and I think I saw the third book on Libby (all hard copies checked out). While looking through the science fiction section for other books I plan on reading in the future, I decided to get one random book. It's called Liquid Crystal Nightingale  by Eeleen Lee. With a father broken by tragedy and her twin sister dead by the corruption of Chatoyance (I think it's the name of the planet or colony), Pleo Tana wants nothing more than to get off the island and she is willing to do whatever it takes to do so. Upon being framed for the m...

 Hello, feasyheads! Yet another new week is here. Today, I finished Epic  by Conor Kostick. Unfortunately, I can't say that I particularly enjoyed it. That might've been because the Red Rising  series was one of the best I've ever read and this book seems bad in comparison, but something about the book I disliked. Here's the rating: Epic  tells the tale of a world where violence is banned, and all conflicts are resolved through a video game, Epic. Erik, the main character, and his friends, are very poor. In fact, the majority of the population is poor. They carry out manual labor and grind for meager coins in Epic, because it determines your wealth and status in real life as well. Erik and his friends embark on an unexpected, incredible quest and try to beat the system. I didn't have any exceptionally high expectations for this book, but assumed it would be something like Ready Player One , which I really enjoyed. However, that storytelling, how authors like Pierce ...

 Hello, feasyheads! The weekend is officially in sight! Today I continued to read Epic , and estimate that I'm about 60% through. I can't say that I really like it, because although the storyline is fairly interesting, there's just something about the book, maybe it's the writing style, that I'm not a fan of. I'm just reading to get it over with, and chances are, I won't read the next book. The book on my reading list today is pretty random compared to my usual reads, to be honest. Someone recommended the whole Dragonlance  universe of books to me, and I think I'll start with Dragonlance: Chronicles . This is a high fantasy read and may have inspired the game Dungeons and Dragons . Sometime's it's good to change things up, so I think I'll try it.  It's about a group of friends who find themselves on a quest when dragons, thought mythical, come to the world again, which could cause war. This is a really basic summary. I'm choosing to r...

Hello, feasyheads! The second block of the week is coming up. So today I started to read Epic , by Conor Kostick. It reminds me of Ready Player One  in the sense that there's a video game that revolutionized life, and that the main character is poor and I think will probably end up successful due to the game. It seems like a shorter read, and longest case, I would finish it by next Tuesday. Today the book recommendation is Broadcast  by Liam Brown. It tells about a YouTube vlogger that is offered a spot in an online show. There, every single thought he has will be publicly broadcast along with what he does. I'm a bit skeptical if I'd like it because someone described it as literary fiction, meaning there is more emphasis on themes and writing style rather than the plot. However, I will probably give it. atry sometime.  This is all for today. Good morning/afternoon/evening/night, Uncle Wally

 Hello, feasyheads! Today, I have finished the entire Red Rising and Iron Gold  saga. It's not too often I read such long series, but this was just absolutely an awesome read. I should probably start with the review of Light Bringer. Light Bringer  is about Darrow and friends' long journey home after a devastating defeat on Mercury. It focuses a lot more on the character development of everyone, especially Darrow and the antagonist, Lysander. The book is beautifully written. Pierce Brown's writing style especially in the last three books of the series is incredible.  From here on, spoiler alert! You'd think that being about 90% through the book, you've seen all the action. Not in Light Bringer . One of the most memorable chapters in the series is Hangar 17B . Online, you'll see a lot of hate for Lysander. More than a regular villain would. This is because of what happened there. People thought maybe Lysander would betray the idea of an alliance with the Rim and ...

 Hello, feasyheads! *sighs* The start of another week once more. Today, I continued Light Bringer , currently the final installment in the Iron Gold series. Turns out that's what it's called, and it's a separate series from Red Rising .  I will definitely finish it this week. I only have about 150 pages to go, thanks to my aggressive reading. Now for today's pick: The Mercy of Gods  by James S.A. Corey (pen name). It's a sci-fi read that was nominated for Readers' Favorite Science Fiction last year by Goodreads, so it must be pretty good. The story is about a human research assistant, Dafyd Alkhor. The human race has been enslaved by an enemy alien race called the Carryx. The story revolves around how he tries desperately to keep his humanity and survive under Carryx rule. I wanted to read this book because it seemed like a heavily sci-fi dystopian book, and that it has numerous awards. Although the stories with many awards are well written, I haven't found ...

 Hello, feasyheads! I made some pretty good progress in Light Bringer  today, 140 pages or so. Today was one of the better days. Right off the bat I'm seeing that Light Bringer  will have less action, and it's more of the development of the characters and the aftermath of the war. Being a revolutionary has its costs after all. Today's pick is  All Systems Red by Martha Wells. It's more of a science fiction pick, but a book I'd like to read nonetheless. The story is about a cyborg which is destined to assist humans on a research mission, but finds it prefers doing other things than security, such as watching soap operas. It starts developing emotions as well after overriding some of its code. Overall seems like something I might read sometime. The weekend is in sight! Good morning/afternoon/evening/night/3:00 AM, Uncle Wally

Hello, feasyheads! We've gotten the majority of the week behind us! There's little left. Today I finally  completed Dark Age  by Pierce Brown. It was quite a long read. The final book in the series so far is Light Bringer , a little shorter but still a hefty ~680 pages to read. Hopefully I'll complete it by the end of next week, and that'll be the end of the Red Rising saga. Now for Wally's review: Dark Age  mostly centers around the remnants of the Society trying to take back Mercury from the grip of the   Republic. Although there's a lot of Darrow in the book, and he's still the main character, his story gets overshadowed, in my opinion, by that of Ephraim as he navigates the complex world of the Obsidians and how Sefi the Quiet is trying to unite all of the tribes.  Like all of the books in the series so far, the story ends on not quite a cliffhanger but on something either like a betrayal or a great loss, either of someone or a battle. This was no except...

 Howdy, feasyheads! Today, I continued Dark Age . This is the last day (finally) you're going to hear that, because I've only got a few pages left. Expect the review tomorrow. Today's pick is called Master Class  by Christina Dalcher. It tells the tale of a world where students' potential is determined by a standardized test regularly. The best and brightest get a golden future and an elite school. Score too low, and you go off to some federal boarding school. Elena Fairchild thought she agreed with the system, until her daughter bombs one of the test and is sent off thousands of miles away. She is then willing to do whatever it takes to get her back. I found this read from a "Readers also enjoyed" section on Goodreads based on a different dystopian book I was looking at.  That's all for today.  Good morning/afternoon/evening/night/3:00 AM, Uncle Wally

 Hello, feasyheads! It's the start of another week again. Today, I continued reading Dark Age . It seems like I'll never finish it! I have about 180 pages to go according to my estimates. This week, though. This week, this ends.  All right, now for today's book on the to-read list. I found many today. The first in the series of the same name, Illusive  by Emily Lloyd-Jones is about a group of young criminals. Ciere Giba, the main character, is now an illusionist, able to change her appearance at will. The powers came from a vaccine for a pandemic that swept the globe, the MK virus. Giba joins a group of super-powered people where they hope to achieve the impossible -- locate the formula that gave them their powers. This seems like a good read because it has the sci-fi and dystopian twist needed, and the world seems pretty interesting, still using real countries like the US. I will read a sample sometime and decide if to read it or not. All for today. Good morning/afternoo...

 Hello, feasyheads! The weekend is in sight. Just one more day! Today, like yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that, I continued reading Dark Age . At least I'm more than halfway through.  Now let's get to today's pick from the to-read list. It's called Jennifer Government , by Max Barry, and I haven't been able to find it anywhere. The book is a clear dystopia where the world has turned ultra-capitalist, and employees' last name is the name of their company (hence the name Jennifer Government .) The story is about Hack Nike, your average lowly merchandise worker. He is offered a contract by executives of Nike, and quickly signs without reading the bottom text. He finds out that the job he needs to carry out is shooting up teens in order to build up street cred for a new line of Nike shoes. Naturally, he goes to the police, who hand the case over to the NRA (still not sure what it stands for) and Hack meets Jennifer Government, an agent with ...

 Hello, feasyheads! We're more than halfway through the week, only little more to go! I'm still continuing Dark Age . I have a feeling that it will take not only this week but maybe all of next to finish. This week I haven't as much time to read and it is a pretty thick book.  The book on my reading list I've chosen for today is Artificial Wisdom , by Thomas R. Weaver. It's a bit of deviation from my standard reads, people calling it a murder mystery thriller. From what I've discerned online, it centers around themes like AI and the climate crisis. Marcus Tully, the main character and a journalist, is pulled into a murder mystery by an anonymous whistleblower amid the global election for a dictator.  Still, the book checked all the boxes. I'd think the book was a hard read, but the language is actually fairly easy. The story hooked me in, and there's clear dystopia in the setting. After all, Tully's world is facing a climate crisis. And there's a...

 Hello feasyheads! I'm short on time today and won't be able to write much. But here's my report of Dark Age so far: about 36% in, and have gotten to the phase where the point of view is no longer just Darrow and Lysander but also Virginia au Augustus and Ephraim ti Horn. What I've noticed about Brown's writing is that whenever something seems to go really well for the characters, suddenly something bad has to happen. I like this because it's a whole lot more realistic and am looking forward to continue the book tomorrow. Once again all for now because I'm short on time, but tomorrow I'll go back to writing about potential books. Good morning/afternoon/evening/night/3:00 AM,  Uncle Wally

Hello, feasyheads! Hopefully you enjoyed your weekend. So today I continued reading Dark Age . It's a pretty big book and I have a feeling it'll take more than this week to finish.  But today I found a book series to read for later, and it's a good one. It's not quite a book series as the second book isn't expected to be out till September, and it's called The Will of the Many  by James Islington. Based on the 9-week wait on Libby for it, the book seems pretty good. It's one of those books with a low-class character going undercover with the elites, and like in Red Rising , Rome and Latin are prevalent in many aspects of the story. The status of the people is based on Latin numbers, even. I read a sample of the book a few weeks ago and wasn't interested, but now that I pay a lot more attention to the story, it's definitely going on my to-read list. More potential reads soon! Good morning/afternoon/evening/night/3:00 AM, Uncle Wally

 Happy Thursday, feasyheads! The weekend is in sight! Today was a fairly uneventful day in terms of reading. I finished less than I hoped for of Dark Age but still made some progress. Oddly enough, although I would think the four points of view would remain, we only see Darrow's and Lysander's. Maybe Lyria and Ephraim will show up later, when they hold some significance in the plot. I'm still working through the slightly dull start a book, and hope to get into the middle soon. Tomorrow I should be able to get a lot of reading done. Like I said yesterday, I would look and see if Little Brother  was available anywhere, and it is on Libby. I read a sample and will definitely read it at some point.  Today's book on the to-read list is called Epic , and it is the first of a series. I have seen it in a library, so it must be pretty popular. It's more of a sci-fi read. According to the description on Goodreads it's set in New Earth, where conflicts are resolved in a fa...

 Happy Wednesday, feasyheads! It's the middle of the week, just hold on a little longer! So today, I finished Iron Gold , the fourth book in  the Red Rising series by Pierce Brown. However, some people say it's of a different series. This is because there is a ten-year gap between Morning Star and Iron Gold. So in this new series, I have two other books to read, first Dark Age then Light Bringer. There is talk of another book, Red God, to be released in summer 2026. First, here's the Goodreads description of the book: They call him father, liberator, warlord, Reaper. But he feels a boy as he falls toward the pale blue planet, his armor red, his army vast, his heart heavy. It is the tenth year of war and the thirty-second of his life. A decade ago, Darrow was the hero of the revolution he believed would break the chains of the Society. But the Rising has shattered everything: Instead of peace and freedom, it has brought endless war. Now he must risk everything he has fought ...

 Howdy, feasyheads! We're approaching the middle of the week once more. Today I got through a large portion of Iron Gold. Since I don't usually get too much reading time on Wednesday, I expect to finish the book on Thursday. Continuing with potential books I found interesting, here's an entry about Little Brother by Cory Doctorow. It revolves around Marcus, a quick-witted highschooler. He and his friends are in the wrong place at the wrong time, in the aftermath of a major terrorist attack on San Fransisco. He is mercilessly interrogated by the Department of Homeland Security, and his best friend doesn't return as Marcus is released. As part of the Goodreads description says: "The city has become a police state where every citizen is treated like a potential terrorist." The blurb further goes to say that there is only one option left, that "M1k3y" must take down the DHS himself. I presume that this guy is Marcus's little brother, as per the title...

 Hello, feasyheads! It's the start of yet another week! Yesterday I was thinking, and on the days that all I do is continue the book, it could get kind of boring. I will say that I'm about 70% through Iron Gold  and should finish it sometime this week, but today I was thinking to go over books I plan on reading after I finish the Red Rising series. I did find a different trilogy. It's called The Knife of Never Letting Go , and after reading a sample have decided that's the series I want to read next. It's about a boy named Todd in Prentisstown, where the Noise germ has killed all the women and half the men, as well as make people's thoughts audible. Todd discovers that the town is hiding something, which I haven't been able to figure out yet. The story is definitely in easier language to read.  Also, I scrolled through Goodreads and made a list of more potential books, including The Loop  and Epic . Sometime this week I'll track down the samples and deci...

 What's up, feasyheads? Today was a great day for reading. Is it just me, or at the beginning of a book do you feel bored? Well, I got past that reading slump today, and I'm caught up in two especially of the four stories that are happening at the same time in Iron Gold . There are three or four chapters for each perspective. The perspectives are: Darrow, Lysander, Ephraim (a Gray), and Lyria (a red). Each of them struggle in the new world that the Rising has created, the new Republic trying desperately to keep order while the looming threat of an attack from both Venus and the Outer Rim hangs over everyone. I must say I had lower expectations for this book out of all the others, because it's the start of a new world, and that might be boring, but the book has proved captivating. Now for the review and rating of Morning Star  I promised I'd do! Morning Star  provides a satisfying ending to the main Red Rising  trilogy, all the while keeping the epic space battles and...

 We're halfway there, feasyheads! Yesterday I promised to write the review of Golden Son , since I was busy last week. Tomorrow, I'll have the review of Morning Star  available.  Not much to report today about reading, I didn't get much reading done. So let's jump straight into the review! Golden Son  is the second book in the Red Rising  series and is about Darrow's life after the Institute and how he navigates the web of scheming politics. This book may be my favorite so far in the series, but it's close with the first one. I'm more of a fan of the action rather than politics, but it does add a nice twist. Golds after all lie and backstab and betray to no end.  The book gets an 8.85 out of ten. I really enjoy the storyline and the universe that Pierce Brown has created, but I can't lie, the allegiances and who is secretly against which House can get pretty confusing at times. While Red Rising  resembles The Hunger Games  in its 'making teenagers...

 Hi feasyheads! Sry I wasn't able to write for a while, I was away. I need to do something right now as well, so I can't write something long. I finished both Golden Son  and Morning Star  this week, Morning Star  being finished today. I will give my ratings tomorrow, but for now I need to go. See you tomorrow! Good morning/afternoon/evening/night/3:00 AM, Uncle Wally

 Happy Valentine's Day, feasyheads! There's not much to report back today. Just continued reading Golden Son.  I'm about 75% percent through. Since I don't post often on the weekends, the review of the book will be posted on Monday, if I get to reading it. I don't read much on the weekend. All for now. Happy Friday! Uncle Wally

Happy Thurday, feasyheads! Pull through, the weekend is in sight! Today I continued reading Golden Son  and am about halfway through the book, which is second in the series Red Rising . I'm really liking it so far.  There is a whole lot more politics to Golden Son . Now that Darrow has gone past the Institute, he must manage to survive in a world where power is sought after above everything else and House feuds run deep. He then has to take on his primary mission of destroying the Society, all the while putting up the façade that he is a gold like the others and believes that LowColors are below him and must work for their golden gods. It gets hard. Though the series is fairly long (six books), I must make sure to have a book or series available to me next, to read after the series. Tomorrow I'll let you know of any good books I've been recommended. You can comment your book suggestions down below as well! That just about sums it up for today. Feasily yours, Uncle Wally

 Happy Wednesday, feasyheads! I finished Red Rising today, just in time before the book was due. If anyone wants to read it, here's a brief summary of the story: Darrow, a low-ranking Red miner, infiltrates the elite Golds to try to cause revolution. He is accepted into the Institute, where he must face off fellow students and have his House come out victorious.  I felt that  Red Rising  strongly resembles The Hunger Games , because as previously stated, there are teenagers alone in the wild, establishing factions and brutally fighting each other. But it also resembled Red Queen , in that the Reds are the lowest and the ones above them are much more powerful. In addition, the elites have serious politics, determined by family and its status.  The Wally rating is: 9 out of 10! There was minimal romance but the memory of Darrow's dead wife, Eo, fuels him in his ultimate mission. Pierce Brown created a whole world for his story, with many new phrases the reader mus...

 Howdy, feasyheads! Today was as expected a lot of reading Red Rising . I'm really starting to enjoy the book, and highly recommend it. It's not as dystopian as some of my other reads but has that Hunger Games part with the teenagers trying to survive in a wild world, establishing power, and the game overseen by the aristocratic rich who seemed to enjoy watching the game. Hierarchy is established, collapses, and rebuilds.  Anyway, I hope to finish the book by tomorrow, as like I said yeasterday, the due date for the book is approaching after returning it there's a nine-week wait to read it again. I checked everywhere, and it was checked out in every library I looked! That's a good indicator that the story is good, though, and I'll read the rest of the series and tell you if I recommend it. Good morning/afternoon/evening/night/3:00 AM, Uncle Wally 

 Hi, feasyheads! Today was for the most part uneventful. Remember when I previously mentioned the reading slump? I think I'm nearing the end of that. And it's about time, too, because I have two days for my loan left. That's not good at all. I'm only about halfway through the book! And no, it's not renewable. After it gets returned, I have nine weeks of waiting for the next opportunity to read it. The series seems to be really popular, as I checked all the nearby libraries for both online and hard copies of the book, and they're all checked out for a while. I have two ideas: Get the audiobook, and read a lot more tomorrow and Wednesday. The latter's probably not gonna happen. Anyways, I was wondering if you guys have any recommendations for dystopian books or maybe one you'd like to know about.  That about concludes it all for today! Good morning/afternoon/evening/night/3:00 AM, Uncle Wally

  Good day, feasyheads! Today, I continued reading Red Rising by Pierce Brown. It’s a longer book, so I think I’ll be reading it for a bit. I like the setting, and like I described yesterday, it resembles both The Hunger Games and Red Queen . The plot is also pretty captivating. A lowly Red becomes undercover as one of the Goldens, who may as well be gods in all of their capabilities.  However, I’ve once again reached that part in the story where it’s gotten sort of boring, although it isn’t really. It’s just sort of hard to continue on for a bit. In all of the series I’ve read, there seems to be a slump in the middle of each book. I hope to overcome this, however, and continue on to book two of the series after finishing this one. The series has 6 books! I don’t usually write on Fridays, as I’m too busy, so I’m out of time right now. I might write something tomorrow. Happy Friday! Uncle Wally

 Howdy, feasyheads! Today was a day full of reading. Thursdays usually are. Firstly, I finished Gleanings , by Neal Shusterman. It's, if you missed the earlier descriptions, book 3.5 of the Arc of a Scythe series. It's actually a collection of short stories from the Scythe  universe, and they offer insight into the lives of other people throughout the events of the series, as well as a few stories that happened before and after the events of The Arc of a Scythe . Taking a break from Shusterman for a bit made me appreciate his writing style a lot more. It's definitely my favorite. Multiple perspectives and the only occasional unknown word. The stories captivated me, and I was immersed in the small bubble that each one of them had. It was a very fun read, and afterwards I thought a lot about the characters and how it would be like to live in the 'post-mortal' world. This book gets an 8.9 out of 10 on the Wally scale. I highly recommend reading this after the end of th...

 Hello feasyheads, Today was a great day for reading! I made sizable progress in Gleanings . It consists of about thirteen short stories from the Scythe  universe. I really lie these and if you finished the series, I highly recommend reading it as it gives you perspective on life for various types of people living in the 'post-mortal' world. Different types of scythes, common people, 'unsavories,' you name it. Since I've been reading shorter books recently, this has been a nice change of pace, as Gleanings  is pretty long.  I hope to finish the book tomorrow. That's probably going to happen, but now I'll be stuck once again looking for a new series. This is Wally logging in later today, with great news! The book Red Rising , which I have wanted to read for a long time, has become available! And three weeks earlier than expected, no less! Red Rising  is a series, and I hope to at least be temporarily satisfied with my reading list for a week or two. On Goodre...

 Hello feasyheads, Today was pretty full of reading! I finished Anthem  by Ayn Rand, a pretty famous author. It's a novella (only about 150 pages!) that I found similar to 1984 . It was not a particularly hard read, actually, but the use of 'we' instead of 'I' even when the character referred only to himself. It serves as a good start for philosophical fiction, if you're interested in that. For the rating: The story wasn't as confusing as I'd expect it to be, and very clearly had the signs of a dystopia that I like to see in a book. You could really see how growing up in this world when no one is an individual affects the main character. We see it in how he feels that it is not okay that he is smarter than others or in an any other way different, and yet he is. It's very clear that the story is meant to show the dangers of collectivism and the importance of individuality.  The story gets a 6.75 out of 10, not because I have disliked it or anything, i...

 Hello again, feasyheads! Sorry for not posting sooner, but I was busy this weekend. So today I finished The Giver  by Lois Lowry, one of the very popular and awarded books. Did you know that it made its way to school curriculums? Lory got many awards, including the Newberry. I was reluctant to read this at first, thinking it wouldn't be that dystopian. However, I was surprised. Time for the rating! This book was made in easy-to-read language, and was actually surprisingly short. It was a fun little read. Lowry used a method that I really like in my books: the iceberg theory. It basically means that the author doesn't give the reader much information, and instead it is slowly revealed. In all of the books I've read, this strategy has been a success.  For the actual plot now, I really liked the storyline, how Jonas, the main character, slowly discovers that his perfect world is not perfect. **Spoiler** It was really shocking how far into the story, we realize that there is...

 Howdy, Feasyheads! Today was unfortunately one of those days where I didn't really read. I read only the first chapter of The Circle  by Dave Eggers. The sequel, which I read before starting this one, worked as a standalone book and was amazing.  Maybe it's just me being a picky reader, but the start of the story didn't really hook me in as much. Same goes for The Every , the sequel book. Maybe it gets better as I keep reading. After all, sequels are typically made because the first one was a success. I'm going to Goodreads to surf for more recommendations, and will hopefully find a new series (or standalone. No bias towards those). Stay feasy! Good morning/afternoon/evening/night/3:00 AM, Uncle Wally

 Hi again Feasyheads, Today was a very interesting day in terms of what I read. I finished the Arc of a Scythe  series. Here is my rating for The Toll : The plot was well-built. Rather than the typical 'gather a rebellion to fight the evil, a few of the good scythes ally with the Thunderhead in order to bring down Goddard once and for all. Throughout the story we are reminded of the Thunderhead's sheer ingenuity and compassion, and I find myself contemplating the Thunderhead more recently. I feel that this was an amazing ending to the series, but I slightly lost track of specific characters and all of the things that the Tonists were going on about. This is why I give this book an 8.5 out of ten.  The whole series was one that, like Legend , had unique touches to its elements and is written in a style that I really like. This series gets 8.9 on our scale for book series I've read because of how all of the individual elements of the story like the plot, perspectives, and w...

 Hello Feasyheads, Sorry I was not able to post on Friday. I hadn't gotten hold of Thunderhead yet, anyway. For the weekend summary: I checked out a hard copy of Thunderhead  on Saturday, and began reading it. On Sunday I read the bulk of it, and completed it. This morning I got The Toll , which thankfully was available on Libby for no wait. Thunderhead  is the second book in the Arc of a Scythe  series, and it did not disappoint. Neal Shusterman's unique touch to his books, which in Scythe  was journal entries after each chapter, was replaced with the Thunderhead's thoughts. It gives us an insight to the complex mind of the Thunderhead, and added a great deal to the story. The corruption at the hand of Scythe Goddard became much stronger in Book 2. There is simply no limit to the evil Goddard has in stock. He sank the entire island of Endura, where the grandslayers and so, so many scythes lived just to take control and pin it on Rowan. In The Toll is really whe...

 Hello feasyheads, Today, I unfortunately could not go to the library but I will get Thun derhead soon, hopefully tomorrow but probably Saturday. Anyway, today I finished The Program . It's a romance dystopia (definitely not one of my favorite types of dystopia) but I gave it a chance. Here's the short Goodreads summary:  In Sloane’s world, true feelings are forbidden, teen suicide is an epidemic, and the only solution is The Program .  The book proved to be interesting, and I liked the plot line a lot. I don't know why, but the end of the story reminded me a lot of the ending in 1984 by George Orwell . Also, I tried audiobooks out for the first time, and listened to some parts of  The Program rather than reading it. It may have been because the reader did a good job, but the story just seemed a lot more intense. I would definitely recommend trying out audiobooks for your next read. That's all for today. Good morning/afternoon/evening/night/3:00 AM, Uncle Wally

 Yesterday I started to write about Scythe by Neal Shusterman but ran out of time. This is the continuation.   So the two main characters, Rowan and Citra, were teens, as is common in YA books, and though there obviously had to be some romantic tension, there was only little, which is a trait I like in dystopian books. I also really liked Scythe Faraday's character. He serves as the perfect example for what a scythe was intended to be, wise and compassionate to the ones he gleaned. After the mess with Faraday, when Rowan had to study under Goddard, he began actually enjoying his work, going against what Scythe Faraday had stood for. However, we cannot be fully sure. I personally felt like there was too little information on what Rowan felt as he slowly became a lethal weapon. Perhaps that's how the author wanted it. Scythe Goddard was also a very interesting character. He held vey different beliefs than of scythes he called part of the "old guard." One t...

Tuesday, January 21st, 2025  Today, I finished Scythe by Neal Shusterman. I started yesterday, on the 20th, and got more than halfway through. A few months ago, I picked up Scythe , after reading the Unwind series because it was made by the same author. Anyway, the first time I opened it I hadn't really gotten deep in, just when Scythe Faraday visited both Rowan and Citra's homes. But now, I realize that the story is a lot more complex, with corruption slowly spreading throught the Scythedom. The politics and sly maneuvers of the scythes reminds me a lot of the books that I have read which involve a royal court, like Red Queen and especially Throne of Glass . First of all, the setting, and the situation the world was in was extremely thought-provoking. A world where there is virtually no death, no pain, no diseases, immortality? It seems like a dream. But the dark side of things eventually shows itself. As a character in the story described, when life is pleasant all the time...