Deeply Odd by Dean Koontz

Deeply Odd by Dean Koontz

Odd Thomas Series, Book 6

Publisher: Bantam (May 2013)

354 pages, eBook (purchased myself for $13.99)

Book Rating: 4 Stars

In this manuscript, Odd details his adventure involving some kidnapped children and a satanic cult, among other dark entities. Annamaria and Hitchcock, along with a few new acquaintances help Odd along the way, but largely, once again, Odd is on his own to sort things out for much of the story. I confess I’m more than a little disappointed in the direction this series has taken, seeming to value sensationalism over being true to the simple things that made the first couple books great. I love Odd’s character so much, that I feel compelled to continue reading the books, just to see what he’s been made to suffer this time, but Odd seems increasingly ill-prepared for the horror contained in each new book, and yet has no option other than to deal with it. If only he could return to his simple life as a fry cook in Pico Mundo and help the everyday lingering spirits of his small town, instead of being forced to solve the problems of the world at large. I look forward to reading  the next and last book in the Odd series, Saint Odd, hoping it sees Odd returned home and reunited with Stormy at last.

The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks (September 2007)

480 pages, Audiobook (purchased myself for $9.56)

Book Rating: 5 Stars

With the continued increase of our dependence on and incorporation of technology, our world is moving more into a place in which the highly improbable will have a greater impact on our daily lives.  Due to complexity, there is no way to predict a “Black Swan” event, but there are ways to make sure you can capitalize on positive “Black Swan” events and ways to mitigate the negative ones. This is the center message from Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s book The Black Swan.

The book does read like a philosophy book: a great deal of deep analysis with lots of quotes (even though he complains about philosophers who quote too much).  Sprinkled between the deep analysis is an elitist fervor, especially about economists and their “bell curves”. 

If you can get past his elitism and sarcasm, this book and its message are truly ingenious.

Taste of Insanity by Morenike

Taste of Insanity by Morenike

Publisher: LFF Publishing (March 2013)

254 pages, eBook (purchased myself for $6.99)

Book Rating: 4 Stars

Content Note: Includes Swearing, Sexual Content and Violence

This story is about a group of African American women from all walks of life that come together, three as mental health professionals (Avery, Stephanie, Lisa) and three as mental health patients (Egypt, Andrea, Blakely), and they work to help each other overcome their troubled pasts through a special program called the Rose Program. All of the characters in this story were very complex, even the mental health professionals, having a chance to air their demons. It was written in a very free-flowing style and though I couldn't really relate to most of the characters or their backgrounds, the story was very easy to read and the action kept me riveted the entire way through. This story had a very realistic ending . . . perhaps a little too realistic for me. I like everyone to live happily ever after, at least when I'm reading fiction, and that definitely did not happen in this book. But, at the same time, sometimes we all need a wakeup call, to let you know how bad others have it, and I think this definitely does that. This edition did include a fair number of editorial errors, but the characters and story were engaging enough to overlook it. Engaging read!

Odd Apocalypse by Dean Koontz

Odd Apocalypse by Dean Koontz

Odd Thomas Series, Book 5

Publisher: Bantam (July 2012)

368 pages, eBook (purchased myself for $9.99)

Book Rating: 4 Stars

Following his adventures with the plottings of a nuclear threat and the ill-advised experimentation with aliens, Odd is drawn to a large Victorian estate called Roseland where there seems to be more out of place than the murdered young woman and her horse that Odd keeps seeing. I found this much more compelling than the last book. The murder mystery was intriguing and flowed into something much larger and more sinister in some ways, but I felt once again that the murder mystery with the ghost would have been enough for me with out the sensational hoopla piled on top of it. I also noticed a bitter, sniping edge now and then to the narration, which seemed new and directed toward highlighting a displeasure with both government and pop culture, and though I didn't disagree with much of it, I thought it seemed misplaced and out of character, given it was Odd that is supposedly writing these manuscripts. Never the less, I enjoyed the story and thought it came to a satisfying end. Odd never takes the easy way out! I look forward to reading Odd's next adventure in Deeply Odd, due out later this month.

Odd Interlude by Dean Koontz

Odd Interlude by Dean Koontz

Odd Thomas Series, Novella

Publisher: Bantam (July 2012)

306 pages, eBook (purchased myself in three parts for $5.97)

Book Rating: 3 Stars

This novella follows Odd Hours. Odd and Annamaria, on their journey toward the unknown, take a brief detour to a little place called Harmony Corner, essentially a family-owned truck stop with a diner and motel of sorts. Both Odd and Annamaria believe Odd’s services are needed there and it doesn’t take long to confirm that it is so. As with Odd Hours, this was just a bit too much for me. Odd’s gifts are of little use to him here, no dead people are beckoning, and yet he must wade through the darkness anyway. At least with this adventure he had the help of a young girl and a computer as he sorts out the evil that has contaminated the place from a nearby government research facility. This novella is followed by Odd Apocalypse.

Odd Hours by Dean Koontz

Odd Hours by Dean Koontz

Odd Thomas Series, Book 4

Publisher: Bantam (April 2012)

370 pages, eBook (purchased myself in a four-book bundle for $31.99)

Book Rating: 3 Stars

Losing Elvis, and gaining the much less comforting presence of Sinatra, Odd is led into an anarchical nuclear conspiracy centered in a small coastal town, among other things inhabited by packs of ferocious coyotes. This was a bit too much for me. Too removed from the ordinary and too much left unexplained. Annamaria gave me the creeps, and Odd being just naive enough to fall into some horrid trap, meant I was worried about him even more than usual, since he didn't have anyone else to lean on through this other than her enigmatic statements. I'm not looking forward to Annamaria continuing with us to the next book in this series, Odd Apocalypse, but I'll survive it, because I do still care about what happens to Odd, poor guy. He better not become romantically involved with her EVER, because she isn't half as engaging as Stormy was and it would feel like a huge betrayal to Stormy after all he's said and done. And I hope at some point Odd gets to go back home to Pico Mundo, sans Annamaria, and resume fry cooking, the mundane ghosts are much more interesting then these barely escaped epic disasters. Anyway . . . moving on.