Books I Read and Other Assorted Oddities

 I've wanted to read this book since it came out. Yes, I know that was a long time ago. Dr. Ryland Grace wakes up on a spaceship. He has no idea who he is, how he got there, or why he's there. All he knows is that he's alone. Two other members of his crew didn't survive the trip. Slowly, we learn that Grace is a scientist, sent on a suicide mission to save Earth from Astrophage, a lifeform whose invasion has made the sun dimmer. In a desperate bid to save humanity, a ship was launched to the Telceti system, the only star apparently unaffected. The hiccup? The Hail Mary isn't alone. I LOVED this book. I can't stop thinking about how much I loved this book. I know I didn't love Artemis (I liked it, but felt it had issues), but this book was totally different. I loved the non-linear / flashback method of the storytelling. We gradually find out small nuggets about Dr. Grace, his background as a teacher, his mission, what's happened back on Earth before he le...

 This is my second time through Artemis . I read it before resurrecting this blog, so here I am, reading it again to review it. Artemis by Andy Weir imagines a society on the moon. Jazz Bashara has lived in Artemis since she was six. She has a successful smuggling side hustle alongside a legitimate porter job. Artemis is full of all kinds of people, from the very wealthy to the very poor. As Jazz says, "I'm one of the little guys." That's all about to change when Trond Landvik, one of the very wealthy, offers her a million slugs to pull a job. All she has to do is sabotage the mining operations of the city's oxygen supplier, Sanchez Aluminum. After a botched job, and a double murder, Jazz finds herself far over her head and the next target of a powerful crime syndicate. Can Jazz outwit O Palacio and mend broken relationships to save Artemis? This is a fun story. Jazz's narrative voice is hilarious. I love her personality and her depth. I love the amount of sci...