My Least Favorite Books of 2017

Books, Cards, and Literary Treasures

Book - 2017

It's probably sacrilege for a librarian to include this book on a list of least favorites. And I'm one of those who still miss card catalogs. This isn't a...Show more It's probably sacrilege for a librarian to include this book on a list of least favorites. And I'm one of those who still miss card catalogs. This isn't a bad book: it's a well researched, informative, high quality coffee table book. It was also uncritical and boring. Too much "rah rah," not enough substance. Show less

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Black Feathers: Dark Avian Tales edited by Ellen Datlow

https://jocolibrary.bibliocommons.com/item/show/1502746036

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I admire what this anthology tried to do: a collection of avian-themed stories exploring the dark and magical qualities of birds. Adherence to the central...Show more I admire what this anthology tried to do: a collection of avian-themed stories exploring the dark and magical qualities of birds. Adherence to the central theme is spotty - some stories feature birds prominently and some barely have them at all. Some stories were creepy and some weren't. Some were just odd. One expects a degree of inconsistency in the quality of work in any anthology, but this one is more scattershot than most. Some are excellent, some are bad to the point they shouldn't have been included, and most are forgettable. Chalk this up to a poor job of editing. Show less

Dog Songs

Thirty-five Dog Songs and One Essay

by Oliver, Mary

Book - 2013

Poetry is such a personal thing. Like or dislike frequently has little to do with objective factors. I appreciate poetry and I adore dogs - I wanted to love this collection. Instead, I found it underwhelming and facile. Poetry is such a personal thing. Like or dislike frequently has little to do with objective factors. I appreciate poetry and I adore dogs - I wanted to love this collection. Instead, I found it underwhelming and facile. Show less

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Celestial Mechanics

A Tale of A Mid-winter Night

by Heat Moon, William Least

Book - 2017

Intelligent, atmospheric, insightful, confident. Heat Moon's fiction debut is impressive. But it suffers from too many flaws typical of a first-time autho...Show more Intelligent, atmospheric, insightful, confident. Heat Moon's fiction debut is impressive. But it suffers from too many flaws typical of a first-time author. Which is surprising, given that Heat Moon isn't a first-time author, having written acclaimed nonfiction. I suppose that acclaim upped the expectations for his first fiction outing. The biggest failure of this novel is simply that it tries too hard. Heat Moon shows great potential as a fiction author but he's not there yet. Show less

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The Silent Corner

A Novel

by Koontz, Dean R.

Book - 2017

The less I say about this one, the better. I used to be a HUGE fan of Koontz. I'm not anymore. No other book has disappointed me this much in... maybe ever. The less I say about this one, the better. I used to be a HUGE fan of Koontz. I'm not anymore. No other book has disappointed me this much in... maybe ever. Show less

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The World of Lore

Monstrous Creatures

by Mahnke, Aaron

Book - 2017

"Lore" is a fantastic podcast and this book is just as good. But it's literally the podcast in book form. I was hoping Mahnke would use the free...Show more "Lore" is a fantastic podcast and this book is just as good. But it's literally the podcast in book form. I was hoping Mahnke would use the freedom of print to give us something more. Instead, this is more of the same. Not remotely a bad book but not what I wanted. Show less

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https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32795732-the-long-sunset

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This isn't McDevitt's best work. He offers some interesting ideas but nothing very dramatic or compelling. It's a tepid story. This isn't McDevitt's best work. He offers some interesting ideas but nothing very dramatic or compelling. It's a tepid story. Show less

After On: A Novel of Silicon Valley by Rob Reid

https://mymcpl.bibliocommons.com/item/show/3553613110

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I read an ARC of this book when it was titled "Forever On". It has a compelling central idea, it's well paced, and the characters are likeable, ...Show more I read an ARC of this book when it was titled "Forever On". It has a compelling central idea, it's well paced, and the characters are likeable, if shallowly realized. But the writing is amateurish and the structure deeply muddled, with an overabundance of snark and ham-handed social commentary. It tries way too hard to be cool and fails. Show less

What the Hell Did I Just Read

A Novel of Cosmic Horror

by Wong, David

Book - 2017

This is a good book. It's a fun, fast paced, mind trip of ride. For fans of Wong's series, I'm sure this is a welcome addition. It's just not my thing. As entertaining as this book is, it's not enough to win me over. This is a good book. It's a fun, fast paced, mind trip of ride. For fans of Wong's series, I'm sure this is a welcome addition. It's just not my thing. As entertaining as this book is, it's not enough to win me over. Show less

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