Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins My rating: 4 of 5 stars So, we have book one: satire of reality TV, book two: propaganda, and now book three: the reality of revolution and civil war. This trilogy is a perfect example of how YA and children’s literature is often subversive – this is why there are so…

What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe My rating: 5 of 5 stars My undergraduate degree is Electrical Engineering, but the most important thing I learned was not anything about Maxwell’s Equations or electrons and holes – it was how to view the world in order to ask questions about…

Love Hina, Vol. 12 by Ken Akamatsu My rating: 2 of 5 stars The book continues where the last one left off: with Kanako desperate to get intimate (physically and emotionally) with her adopted brother. While not biological incest, I still am not completely comfortable with it. Of course, coupled with the fact that she’s…

I only have a bit of free time each day – usually no more than about two hours when you add it all up. So whichever of my hobbies tends to catch fire is the one that gets the majority of the attention. 2013 was a pretty good year for video games, but in 2014…

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins My rating: 4 of 5 stars While the first book was a satire of reality TV (including the wrap up episode), this book is about the importance of controlling messaging and of revolution. Collins explores how The Capital controls what the districts see and know in an effort to limit…

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins My rating: 4 of 5 stars As I mentioned in my first status update, I’d always dismissed The Hunger Games as a European Battle Royale. And, superficially, it appears to be an apt comparison. High school kids are forced to battle each other until only one is left. With…

Jumper by Steven Gould My rating: 3 of 5 stars Quick note: If you don’t like sci-fi – you can probably still enjoy this book. The main character can teleport and that’s it. The reasons, science, etc are not explored. It’s just a plot device and the rest of the story is pretty much devoid…

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde My rating: 3 of 5 stars My brother Dan recommends a lot of stuff to me. I don’t always have the time or money to get to it right away, but when it comes to books, music, and comics I’m usually very in sync his recommendations. (At least when…

Homeland by Cory Doctorow My rating: 4 of 5 stars Cory Doctorow – you upset me so much. Your books continue to rock. But, recently, you’ve gotten too real with your stories. They are still awesome stories. But they upset me because they make me feel impotent. All the ideas in Little Brother, For the…

The Intern’s Handbook: A Thriller by Shane Kuhn My rating: 4 of 5 stars This book is a meta-fiction work of art. It is told from two perspectives – that of an assassin writing a guide book to future assassins at his firm, HR, Inc and that of an FBI investigation into our main character.…