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3 of the 5 stories were new to me; bonus - read by Spider Robinson.

Fairly light reading, this is a nice collection of anecdotes about the show and the cast. Also contains an episode guide. 3 stars, +1 to commemorate the passing of Russell Johnson earlier this year.

Started out with a great premise - an ocean in Minnesota? - and fantastical travel to another world. Fantasy, with little bits of horror evident. Then, Oz-like, it became a series of small adventures. Then, it rather abruptly ended.

High marks for fantastic setting and prose, middle marks for no solid plot visible, and very low marks for not making this a standalone book. Clearly Clive Barker can write for the young adult audience.

While describing his own invention, Allie Fox says, "He's full of poison and flammable gas... those are his vital juices!" He looked at his finger stump and added, "But there's danger in all great inventions."

Charlie, his son and the narrator of this story, compares that invention to his own father's head, and that comparison rings true in this and many other ways. Allie is psychotic, and his madness drives him forward. This was not a pleasant story to read, and I find myself glad to have escaped the darkest jungle. While the descriptions and imagery were rich, the characters were fairly flat - only Charlie really grows.

I am sure I saw parts of the 1986 movie, but it didn't stick with me. I shall brave the Mosquito Coast one more time to see it, now in context.

This is two stories within a story, and with short stories (and back stories) sprinkled through those. It also has appearances by Bugs Bunny and the Brothers Grimm. Which is to say that it might be a good season of episodes for a horror show on TV, but is way too convoluted for a book.

A worthy prequel, with lots of name- and book-title dropping. Was fun reading about San Francisco and BART, and touching base with so many characters from the original book. Not strictly necessary for the story, but fun none-the-less.

Sometimes wonderful things are hidden in plain sight. Once this book bubbled to the top of my reading list I finished it in two days. For me, it was a combination of things I enjoy and great characters and a story that kept me reading. Will re-read this soon; it is highly recommended.

Do me a favor - move this to the top of your reading list soon!

Thin book, quick read. Aspects of time travel (Mesopotamian bricks?) and climate change and gynarchy; I really liked the alternating chapters. Some chapters mention the events of other chapters but from a different perspective - I've always been a sucker for that. Also, the main character (Fisher) is quite humorous at times.

Drawbacks - the story ends somewhat abruptly, with no real resolution.

Bonus - the supporting character who mentions the research of Charles Fort. More well known today than in the early seventies, and my favorite phenomenologist. I definitely enjoy Wilson Tucker's writing style and will seek out more in the near future.

John Scalzi's story is pretty good and the project is quite interesting. Some good ideas here, and I will probably check out the sequel.

This rambling history covers more about the players, staff and spectators of the longest game in baseball history than about the game itself. Each of the stories is interesting, though some needed a smidge more. For me, this was a three star book that never slowed rounding second and slid into third just under the tag - safe. Because I'm a Sox fan and have been to a game at McCoy, add half a star and sacrifice the runner home.

A whirlwind tour of science and the history of science. Stops for the history of man, the planet, and the universe, and many many other places.

Travel writer Bill Bryson digs in and collects interesting and informative bits about all kinds of science and scientific history. Along the way he names other books and authors that he has drawn from, so a reader can dive deeper into any topic. Recommended.

Really excellent story, and the annotated version reveals just how much of a game there was between author Norton Juster and illustrator Jules Feiffer. Annotations also show the inspirations, test sketches and thematic influences on the text and artwork. Highly recommended.

Robert Ludlum (and later his estate) writes about an assassin character who has extreme memory loss. Hmmm....

After we get a little glimpse of Hal Ambler not being able to find himself in any search, I found myself thinking of Total Recall - where the only person who could erase everything he knew was himself. Alas, the plot was not that interesting.

I found the secondary character of Caston, the CIA number cruncher, to be a more interesting hook, and enjoyed their limited partnership towards the end of the novel.

Robert Ludlum could have edited and tightened this story to 3 or 4 stars easily, but the estate has only produced a fairly derivative work.