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klreeher's reviews
399 reviews
The Pocket Guide to Debugging by Julia Evans
fast-paced
5.0
a GREAT little fast paced guide to debugging. I think it's a great balance of being "practical" (with debugging advice, examples, and tools) and the theoretical mindset that leads to successful debugging.
i work in qa, i've had to coach SO MANY folks (programmers and non) on how to think about debugging. debugging is a VITAL skill.
i work in qa, i've had to coach SO MANY folks (programmers and non) on how to think about debugging. debugging is a VITAL skill.
The King of Faerie by A.J. Lancaster
I'm going to have to come back and leave a longer review later, but it's likely going to be in the context of the whole series, so here are my highlights:
- i can't figure out why i didn't finish reading this the first time
- i DEEPLY dig the resolution to the "are you still fae for living in the mortal world and loving a mortal" / constant theme of not denying your own self/being in these books.
- ADORE the way all the Fae are just like, yeah, the High King is currently the High King but in the past has been the High Queen, and likely will again, while all the mortals show willing but still trip over pronouns/etc.
- also ADORE the way all the Tempestren sibs show facets of their mother's power/problems. Ryn's issues with compulsing *herself* makes me wonder if that's going to be a problem for Rakken, too.
- I found the godparent bit with Lamorkin and Wyn *extremely* moving and was so so glad to see them again when Lamorkin was officiating the wedding.
- was Extremely Thrilled that while Marius was playing a larger role in this book, it felt very much part of the current story, not a preview of the next series, if that makes sense. I've read a lot of the family pattern romance novels -- you know, so and so the younger sister meets side character b in the first novel that's about her older sister, but you can Tell They Will Be The Next Book? this had some of that vibe but in a very satisfactory way instead of being a hijack of Hetta and Wyn's story.
imp and mardia were discussing the ways that making a world [more queer friendly can gut the drivers of a succession crisis](https://twitter.com/stopthatimp/status/1590440354024521728) and I think these books avoid that by remembering that a succession crisis is intimately related to the family as a political unit, and always being keenly aware of the political unit(s) within the Valstar and Tempestren families, and I love that about them.
- i can't figure out why i didn't finish reading this the first time
- i DEEPLY dig the resolution to the "are you still fae for living in the mortal world and loving a mortal" / constant theme of not denying your own self/being in these books.
- ADORE the way all the Fae are just like, yeah, the High King is currently the High King but in the past has been the High Queen, and likely will again, while all the mortals show willing but still trip over pronouns/etc.
- also ADORE the way all the Tempestren sibs show facets of their mother's power/problems. Ryn's issues with
- I found the godparent bit with Lamorkin and Wyn *extremely* moving and was so so glad to see them again when Lamorkin was officiating the wedding.
- was Extremely Thrilled that while Marius was playing a larger role in this book, it felt very much part of the current story, not a preview of the next series, if that makes sense. I've read a lot of the family pattern romance novels -- you know, so and so the younger sister meets side character b in the first novel that's about her older sister, but you can Tell They Will Be The Next Book? this had some of that vibe but in a very satisfactory way instead of being a hijack of Hetta and Wyn's story.
imp and mardia were discussing the ways that making a world [more queer friendly can gut the drivers of a succession crisis](https://twitter.com/stopthatimp/status/1590440354024521728) and I think these books avoid that by remembering that a succession crisis is intimately related to the family as a political unit, and always being keenly aware of the political unit(s) within the Valstar and Tempestren families, and I love that about them.
Vanished Kingdoms: The History of Half-Forgotten Europe by Norman Davies
Did not finish book. Stopped at 58%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 58%.
This audiobook may make a better read -- the author's approach is scattershot enough i keep losing the thread of the context, esp when he's going on a tangent about how x is a good parallel to y. It's also got the feeling of -- hm. I don't think I'm coming away with the industry standard understanding of all of these histories? Which isn't to say the history presented is incorrect, just that I don't feel like I can necessarily place what it's in conversation with, particularly if I *want* to figure out what the consensus of current scholarship is on a point.
Fascinating, but I need more backstory before I try to reread.
Fascinating, but I need more backstory before I try to reread.
Atone by J.C. Owens
Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.
I don't know how you managed to woobify your own characters in such a short time period but you did.
Master of Restless Shadows Book Two by Ginn Hale
4.0
What a completely batshit wrap up of this trilogy!! Loved it. Ariz stole the show.
The Winter Duke by Claire Eliza Bartlett
adventurous
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Extremely solid early novel. The characters grabbed me by the throat from the first and kept me hooked. NGL, the marketing as YA is a little confused? It's about a 16 year old, I suppose. No titties get touched, but it's otherwise not something I'd peg as YA.
It feels a little like a 7 pound bag of world building crammed in a 5 pound bag -- and sometimes that's a little distracting. Overall, I found the world fresh and interesting, and if there are not more books that explore it, I *may riot*.
I liked the overall conflict between "my family is awful" and "yeah but they're still my family". It also interplays interestingly with the "shit i inherited an absolute monarchy that i really don't want" and the rumblings of people wanting a representative government.
I *adored* Inkar. One of my early notes was:
> THIS MAD GIRL DISASTER GRAND DUKE JUST MARRIED A PRINCESS WHOSE NAME SHE DIDNT EVEN KNOW BC SAID PRINCESS WAS A JOCK HOTTIE WHO WASNT RUDE TO THE STAFF. ❤️❤️❤️❤️
and honestly, I stand by that. But also, she was a great foil for Ekata. I really enjoyed them comparing their families and the discussion about their desired leadership styles.
It feels a little like a 7 pound bag of world building crammed in a 5 pound bag -- and sometimes that's a little distracting. Overall, I found the world fresh and interesting, and if there are not more books that explore it, I *may riot*.
I liked the overall conflict between "my family is awful" and "yeah but they're still my family". It also interplays interestingly with the "shit i inherited an absolute monarchy that i really don't want" and the rumblings of people wanting a representative government.
I *adored* Inkar. One of my early notes was:
> THIS MAD GIRL DISASTER GRAND DUKE JUST MARRIED A PRINCESS WHOSE NAME SHE DIDNT EVEN KNOW BC SAID PRINCESS WAS A JOCK HOTTIE WHO WASNT RUDE TO THE STAFF. ❤️❤️❤️❤️
and honestly, I stand by that. But also, she was a great foil for Ekata. I really enjoyed them comparing their families and the discussion about their desired leadership styles.
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.5
I was a little put off by the tagline " Ancillary Justice meets Red, White & Royal Blue", and I don't really think it's an accurate summary. It's some space opera. It's much more towards something like Honor Harrington in terms of the world setting -- reading the scene where Kiem is first called in front of the Emperor reminded me vividly of David Weber's March Upcountry.
That's not to imply it's military sci-fi, but only that that's the kind of world building context we're in, not something as serious as Ancilliary Justice.
All I can say for the Red, White, and Royal Blue reference is that, yeah, this started out as something posted on AO3 first too.
About a third of the way through, I was losing my mind trying to figure out if I'd read this book before, and when I complained to my wife about it, she was like "oh you probably read it on Ao3." Because apparently it was initially posted there. To the author's extreme credit, the published novel version is much better than the original posted online. The pacing is much better, and the world building is much more built out. I found the whole "impact of distance and communication on galactic politics" stuff reminiscing of Left Hand Of Darkness, albeit that may just be because of the snow.
Jainan's characterization and plot line is much more fleshed out -- I enjoyed him a lot more, and he's much less a Dire Woobie Caricature.
I tend to like this tropey pairing a lot -- the slightly dim social butterfly and the socially anxious academic -- and one thing I particularly liked about Kiem in this is how much it's shown that he's just, genuinely interested in people. And kind. Jainan's characterization has a depiction of social anxiety that's not super cringy, which is nice.
I do want another novel of Jainan's home planet and clan politics and such -- would be nice to have Kiem as the fish out of water.
That's not to imply it's military sci-fi, but only that that's the kind of world building context we're in, not something as serious as Ancilliary Justice.
All I can say for the Red, White, and Royal Blue reference is that, yeah, this started out as something posted on AO3 first too.
About a third of the way through, I was losing my mind trying to figure out if I'd read this book before, and when I complained to my wife about it, she was like "oh you probably read it on Ao3." Because apparently it was initially posted there. To the author's extreme credit, the published novel version is much better than the original posted online. The pacing is much better, and the world building is much more built out. I found the whole "impact of distance and communication on galactic politics" stuff reminiscing of Left Hand Of Darkness, albeit that may just be because of the snow.
Jainan's characterization and plot line is much more fleshed out -- I enjoyed him a lot more, and he's much less a Dire Woobie Caricature.
I tend to like this tropey pairing a lot -- the slightly dim social butterfly and the socially anxious academic -- and one thing I particularly liked about Kiem in this is how much it's shown that he's just, genuinely interested in people. And kind. Jainan's characterization has a depiction of social anxiety that's not super cringy, which is nice.
I do want another novel of Jainan's home planet and clan politics and such -- would be nice to have Kiem as the fish out of water.