Reading in September

My blog is at least partially about books but last month the books category remained silent. I attended the Alley of Books, met Nicholas Eames and bought many books but didn’t read much. Everything I started reading was either sub-par or slow. I finished 4 books, one of my worst months over the last years.

Best books

• Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh – an unusual mix between Ender’s Game and Infinity Gate. A young, genetically modified super soldier, tries to save humanity while battling with prejudices. I enjoyed it and rated the book 5/5.
• Inside Man by John McMahon – a crime story with several intertwined cases and a main mystery I couldn’t guess. I’d love to keep reading his Head Cases series. However, I never wrote a post about it and the reason why is probably also the reason for giving it 4/5 rather than 5/5. I can’t quite put it into words.

Worst books

• Walk me Home by Sebastian Fitzek – DNF. I tried reading this thing for 3 days, going through 20-25 pages/day. It made me feel miserable. It’s an awfully unpleasant book, focused on describing torture and suffering. I only read maybe 70 pages in total before throwing it away. It might be better after the shocking intro but I doubt it. I didn’t give a 1* it on Goodreads because I didn’t finish it but this book is so unpleasant that I’m done with Sebastian Fitsek for good.
• The Jury Master by Robert Dugoni – 2/5, an action/thriller that’s constantly switching between characters, successfully confusing you who is doing what. A few weeks after I finished it, I remember none of it.
• Damage Control by Robert Dugoni – 3/5. The author clearly improved a lot after The Jury Master. The book has some good writing but the plot and the characters are cartoonish, painted in black and white. Unlike the previous two books, this one is readable and a solid 3/5. Robert Dugoni is a good writer and I’m glad my journey through his earlier works is over. I read all of his translated books.