The Wee Writing Lassie’s 300 Books in a Year – Book 252

Black Holes: The End of the Universe? By John G. Taylor

Goodreads Blurb: In addition to the basic information needed to understand what a black hole is, this book also explains what the existence of black holes might mean for the future of our solar system and planet. Scientists’ latest findings about the interiors of black holes and our changing understanding of the forces of nature are included in this first-time trade paperback edition. This examination of space and time asks us to contemplate the paradox of a beginning with no beginning and a future with no future.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Goodreads Review: A very fascinating book – but I think I could have done without that opening monologue about how we have to stop worshipping at the feet of the unknown. Not that it wasn’t thought provoking but it did come off a bit like someone’s religious parents didn’t hug them enough as a child.

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The Wee Writing Lassie’s 300 Books in a Year – Book 251

The Long Patrol by Brian Jacques

Goodreads Blurb: The Redwall series is soon to be a Netflix original movie!

The adventures of Redwall continue, as Jacques’ masterful storytelling leads readers through one of the greatest battles yet.

The murderous Rapscallion army is on the move. Dealt a humiliating defeat by Lady Cregga Rose Eyes, the Badger Lady of Salamandastron, who still pursues them, the Rapscallions are heading inland to take an even greater the peaceful Abbey of Redwall. The elite fighting unit of hares, the Long Patrol, is called out to draw them off. At the forefront is the young hare Tammo, the lead sword in one of the most ferocious battles Redwall has ever faced.

Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️

Goodreads Review: I think the main issue is it didn’t really seem to have much of a cohesive plot.

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The Wee Writing Lassie’s 300 Books in a Year – Book 250

The Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov

Goodreads Blurb: A millennium into the future two advancements have altered the course of human history: the colonization of the galaxy and the creation of the positronic brain. Isaac Asimov’s Robot novels chronicle the unlikely partnership between a New York City detective and a humanoid robot who must learn to work together. Like most people left behind on an over-populated Earth, New York City police detective Elijah Baley had little love for either the arrogant Spacers or their robotic companions. But when a prominent Spacer is murdered under mysterious circumstances, Baley is ordered to the Outer Worlds to help track down the killer. The relationship between Life and his Spacer superiors, who distrusted all Earthmen, was strained from the start. Then he learned that they had assigned him a partner: R. Daneel Olivaw. Worst of all was that the “R” stood for robot–and his positronic partner was made in the image and likeness of the murder victim!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Goodreads Review: The Question one asked themselves upon first picking up the Caves of Steel is just how gay is this robot buddy cop mystery? The answer: very. Slightly less than I remember it being but probably more than Isaac Asimov intended.

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The Wee Writing Lassie’s 300 Books in a Year – Book 249

Only Human by Sylvain Neuvel

Goodreads Blurb: In her childhood, Rose Franklin accidentally discovered a giant metal hand buried beneath the ground outside Deadwood, South Dakota. As an adult, Dr. Rose Franklin led the team that uncovered the rest of the body parts which together form Themis: a powerful robot of mysterious alien origin. She, along with linguist Vincent, pilot Kara, and the unnamed Interviewer, protected the Earth from geopolitical conflict and alien invasion alike. Now, after nearly ten years on another world, Rose returns to find her old alliances forfeit and the planet in shambles. And she must pick up the pieces of the Earth Defense Corps as her own friends turn against each other.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Goodreads Review: Man, that ending was far more unsettling than I think it was supposed to be.

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The Wee Writing Lassie’s 300 Books in a Year – Book 248

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

Goodreads Blurb: Sophie has the great misfortune of being the eldest of three daughters, destined to fail miserably should she ever leave home to seek her fate. But when she unwittingly attracts the ire of the Witch of the Waste, Sophie finds herself under a horrid spell that transforms her into an old lady. Her only chance at breaking it lies in the ever-moving castle in the hills: the Wizard Howl’s castle. To untangle the enchantment, Sophie must handle the heartless Howl, strike a bargain with a fire demon, and meet the Witch of the Waste head-on. Along the way, she discovers that there’s far more to Howl—and herself—than first meets the eye.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Goodreads Review: I enjoyed that more than the film, and I really liked the film.

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The Wee Writing Lassie’s 300 Books in a Year – Book 247

Little, Big by John Crowley

Goodreads Blurb: John Crowley’s masterful Little, Big is the epic story of Smoky Barnable, an anonymous young man who travels by foot from the City to a place called Edgewood—not found on any map—to marry Daily Alice Drinkwater, as was prophesied. It is the story of four generations of a singular family, living in a house that is many houses on the magical border of an otherworld. It is a story of fantastic love and heartrending loss; of impossible things and unshakable destinies; and of the great Tale that envelops us all. It is a wonder.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Goodreads Review: An excellent characterisation of oddness. It reminds me somewhat of A Hundred Years of Solitude in the unabashed strangeness of its characters. Having said that it had an unpleasant atmosphere, which given its content might have been intentional, that I didn’t care for. I’m glad I read it but I don’t think I’ll do so again.

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The Wee Writing Lassie’s 300 Books in a Year – Book 246

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

Goodreads Blurb: Piranesi’s house is no ordinary building: its rooms are infinite, its corridors endless, its walls are lined with thousands upon thousands of statues, each one different from all the others. Within the labyrinth of halls an ocean is imprisoned; waves thunder up staircases, rooms are flooded in an instant. But Piranesi is not afraid; he understands the tides as he understands the pattern of the labyrinth itself. He lives to explore the house.

There is one other person in the house—a man called The Other, who visits Piranesi twice a week and asks for help with research into A Great and Secret Knowledge. But as Piranesi explores, evidence emerges of another person, and a terrible truth begins to unravel, revealing a world beyond the one Piranesi has always known.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Goodreads Review: This book was an experience – but I can’t really tell you about it, without taking that experience away from you. So go out and buy this book now, and don’t look to the end, just enjoy the journey getting there😁

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The Wee Writing Lassie’s 300 Books in a Year – Book 245

Encanto by Angela Cervantes (Adapter)

Goodreads Blurb: Disney Encanto tells the tale of an extraordinary family, the Madrigals, who live hidden in the mountains of Colombia, in a magical house, in a vibrant town, in a wondrous, charmed place called an Encanto. The magic of the Encanto has blessed every child in the family with a unique gift from super strength to the power to heal–every child except one, Mirabel. But when she discovers that the magic surrounding the Encanto is in danger, Mirabel decides that she, the only ordinary Madrigal, might just be her exceptional family’s last hope.

(Goodreads Page)

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Goodreads Review: I’m going to do what I don’t usually do with my Goodreads reviews … I’m going to spoilerize. Because my God that ending … that ending … Mirabel gets her own door!!! Sort of.

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The Wee Writing Lassie’s 300 Books in a Year – Book 244

The Art of Encanto by Juan Pablo Reyes Lancaster Jones

Goodreads Blurb: MEET THE MADRIGALS: A magically gifted family who live hidden in the mountains of Colombia in a miraculous house, in a wondrous, charmed place called an Encanto. This vibrant behind-the-scenes book explores Walt Disney Animations Studio’s latest big-screen adventure, Encanto, featuring colorful concept art, storyboards, character designs, and insights from the creative minds behind this beautiful film.

(Goodreads Page)

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Goodreads Review: I love concept art – it’s so beautiful but somehow this book takes the cake.

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The Wee Writing Lassie’s 300 Books in a Year – Book 243

Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee

Goodreads Blurb: From Harper Lee comes a landmark new novel set two decades after her beloved Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece, To Kill a Mockingbird. Maycomb, Alabama. Twenty-six-year-old Jean Louise Finch—”Scout”—returns home from New York City to visit her aging father, Atticus. Set against the backdrop of the civil rights tensions and political turmoil that were transforming the South, Jean Louise’s homecoming turns bittersweet when she learns disturbing truths about her close-knit family, the town and the people dearest to her. Memories from her childhood flood back, and her values and assumptions are thrown into doubt. Featuring many of the iconic characters from To Kill a Mockingbird, Go Set a Watchman perfectly captures a young woman, and a world, in a painful yet necessary transition out of the illusions of the past—a journey that can be guided only by one’s conscience. Written in the mid-1950s, Go Set a Watchman imparts a fuller, richer understanding and appreciation of Harper Lee. Here is an unforgettable novel of wisdom, humanity, passion, humor and effortless precision—a profoundly affecting work of art that is both wonderfully evocative of another era and relevant to our own times. It not only confirms the enduring brilliance of To Kill a Mockingbird, but also serves as its essential companion, adding depth, context and new meaning to an American classic.

(Goodreads Page)

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Goodreads Review: You know what’s strange, for something that was written first this book only really works as an addendum to ‘To Kill a Mocking Bird’. No, it’s not as good but I knew that going in so that wasn’t a shock. What was was the character that was killed off. I won’t say which one but if you read the book you’ll know and if you haven’t I wouldn’t want to rob you of that innocence.

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