All Books
She Comes First: The Thinking Man’s Guide to Pleasuring a Woman by Ian KernerMy rating: 3 of 5 stars It’s been a while since I’ve read a non-fiction book about sexuality (the last was the excellent Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex), and because it is an area of intense interest where actual […]
Is she coming first even if she is cumming first? Read More »
How the Hippies Saved Physics: Science, Counterculture, and the Quantum Revival by David KaiserMy rating: 2 of 5 stars In a word, ug. Honestly, I was disappointed with the lack of physics. Aside from a solid explanation of the two slit experiment and Bell’s Theorem (which is used to assert quantum nonlocality), and the refutation
Plot Twist – The Hippies Didn’t Actually Save Physics – Physicists Did. Read More »
Rosemary’s Baby by Ira LevinMy rating: 5 of 5 stars Ira Levin specializes in disturbing tales of enormous vision. As such, Rosemary’s Baby is a quintessential tale of terror, standing beside giants like Frankenstein and Dracula, because it creates a new, oft-imitated horror form. The book is essentially a psychological conflict set in New York
Rosemary’s Baby – Review after my Happy Halloween reread Read More »
Harvest Home by Thomas TryonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars Let’s take a successful, but troubled couple (Ned & Beth Constantine) with a daughter (Kate) who has emotional issues that manifest in physical illness out of the city and put them in the country where all their problems will be solved. Give them a rainbow
Thomas Tryon – Harvest Home Read More »
Seven Days In May by Fletcher KnebelMy rating: 3 of 5 stars This is the third time I’ve read Fletcher Knebel’s novel about a beleaguered president whose job is threatened by a charismatic military man. Before I go into my new impressions I will give a short summary of the political situation of 1961-2, when
My Review of Knebel’s Seven Days in May (a reread after 35 years) Read More »
The Martian by Andy WeirMy rating: 4 of 5 stars Yeah, this was a great romp. Good story, well told, and left me dreaming of space travel. It’s really rare to find a good science-fiction book that relies on good science, but it sure is a pleasure when it happens, and it’s done right. The
My review of The Martian Read More »
Such a good book. One that I fought with, but came out loving it even more because of the challenge. Do you want to see how to do polytheistic cultures? The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth MoonMy rating: 5 of 5 stars It’s pretty hard to talk about a book of over 1000 pages that
The Deed of Paksennarion – my review on Goodreads Read More »
Here is a link to my Goodreads author page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14247287.Michael_Gouker The best part is the photo I use so I’ll reprint it here: This was a gift from Roger Misteli and Sandra Just! 🙂 That’s a real picture of me eating wasabi.
I am a Goodreads Author now. Read More »
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King My rating: 4 of 5 stars Nice. So, I avoided reading this for years because I thought it would be another one of the “Can you survive the _____?” books like Misery and Gerald’s Game. Oh, and I’m also not a Red Sox fan. 😉 It
My Review of “The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon” Read More »
Usually I love Stephen King books but this fell flat for me. The Colorado Kid by Stephen KingMy rating: 2 of 5 stars Well, I see. Yes, mystery is important, but let’s talk about Sudoku. Imagine a game of Sudoku that gets to the last few moves, just when you have to make the deepest
My Review of “The Colorado Kid” Read More »
Storm Front by Jim ButcherMy rating: 3 of 5 stars Delicious, but like a snack with too much salt rather than the healthy hearty meals to which my reading self is accustomed. Jim Butcher has built a picturesque world, but Storm Front is only going to give us tastes of what’s inside. Still, I’m very
My Review of “Storm Front: Dresden Files #1” Read More »
Joyland by Stephen KingMy rating: 3 of 5 stars 3 stars is about right. I definitely enjoyed the story. There were interesting characters and a terse tight plot. I actually guessed the culprit, but not through the clues, but the psychological trail. All those women were charmed. When Jonesy suspects Eddie but realizes it was
My Review of “Joy Land” Read More »
Outlander by Diana GabaldonMy rating: 3 of 5 stars Overall a 3 star rating (I liked it) is correct. Diana Gabaldon has a very expressive voice, especially when describing surroundings. There were times when I could read a paragraph close my eyes and BE inside this world she painted. I had a bumpy ride through
My Review of “Outlander” by Diana Gabaldon Read More »
Perdido Street Station by China MiévilleMy rating: 5 of 5 stars I loved so many aspects of this story. The world-building – a broken-down, dismal place where industry and magic work together and compete with each other – astonished me. This book drips theme. Some readers may find this time spent on the vivid description
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At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill BrysonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars I found this book to be very illuminating. It is well-researched, but it reads more like a conversation than a history treatise. Bryson introduces characters who recur in the story, but in different roles. The end result is a
My Review of “At Home” by Bill Bryson Read More »
Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline CareyMy rating: 4 of 5 stars Ok, first let’s look at the positives. There is a good story with top-notch political intrigue. The main character is touched by Kushiel and, thus, has an interesting method of acquiring important information. First she is used by her master to gain secrets but he
My Review of “Kushiel’s Dart” Read More »
The Conjure Book by A.A. AttanasioMy rating: 4 of 5 stars This was quite pleasurable. I’m not really sure why I chose to read it with several hundred books on my to read list, but about a month ago I started it and promptly forgot. Today I found it again in the pile and a
My Review of “The Conjure Book” by A A Attanasio Read More »
This is a nice story, novella sized: Snow White and Rose Red: The Curse of the Huntsman by Lilly FangMy rating: 3 of 5 stars Very enjoyable retelling of a fairy tale that reeks of Faerie in the same way that Smith of Wooten Major or Stardust does. This is a less ambitious story, but
My Review of “Snow White and Rose Red: Curse of the Horseman” by Lily Fang Read More »
Gone Girl by Gillian FlynnMy rating: 4 of 5 stars This was a very enjoyable read. I absolutely devoured it in two days. The first day I spent with Diary Amy and her cheating pathetic murderous husband. The second day I spent it with very different people. The treasure hunt was an especially ingenious device,
My Review of “Gone Girl” Read More »