Typing up this post a few days before Christmas, on the couch, with a fuzzy blanket and a favorite snack, with Star Trek: The Original Series playing in the background. Happy holidays indeed! (The episode is The Devil in the Dark, if anyone is curious.)

When I read this novella from the Red Rain series, I was skeptical about a story that basically just retold much of an earlier book from a different perspective, even though it’s something I’ve often wanted to try myself.

I needn’t have worried. The point of view was different enough that I didn’t feel like I was reading the same thing over again, and I’m enjoying Nic more and more as a character, which wasn’t something I would have expected after reading Red Rain! Very enjoyable.

I saw this book many years ago at a library and it caught my eye, but I felt weird about checking it out–almost as though reading it would be too much of an admission of the problems I had in my relationship with my mom at the time.

Fast forward to 2022–I stumbled upon the same book in a totally different library as a mom myself, already with a good deal of healing having taken place. But I still felt drawn to it, still felt that it could be helpful in resolving issues that remained with me. And it was. It helped me solidify things I’ve struggled with in the past as well as the present, determine my own role in them, and move on to a greater extent. I definitely recommend it.

Another book I found while wandering around my local library, one I’d been interested in reading for awhile. It was well-written and very timely. I’ve long respected Voddie Baucham and appreciated his teaching, and this book was no exception.

One thing I found particularly interesting was Baucham’s perspective on social issues as a black man, and how that view changed over time. He writes with compassion without sparing hard truths, and that was refreshing. Highly recommend this one as well.

The 11th book in the Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes was my least favorite up to that point. It was quite honestly boring, and the situation–Mary Russell joining the cast of a silent film about in the 1920s–feels even more unrealistic than usual.

There were also too many characters to keep track of, none of whom were particularly interesting. The resolution to the “mystery” was not impressive. And of course, as usual, Holmes was mostly absent, which I don’t like. But King is a good enough writer that the book still managed to be moderately entertaining.

This was a book club book, and as an avid sci-fi fan, I was very much looking forward to it. And overall, it did not disappoint. The premise was interesting, the plot was overall well done, and “Rocky” was an extremely endearing character. The ending was also so satisfying it made me a bit teary.

The one thing that knocked off a star for me was the unrealistic nature of it. And I don’t mean the space travel, aliens, or other scientific fictions, I mean the idea that the whole world would agree to come together and work in harmony in the face of an emergency like the one that sets everything off. This part of the plot runs through the book and was not only less interesting than the rest, but always made me roll my eyes at the faulty view of human nature. But overall a good book, and fairly clean. Good for fans of sci-fi.

That’s it for today! We are now more than two-thirds of the way through, so I may have a chance after all! Let me know your thoughts on any of these, as always!