Review: The Magician's Lie

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The Magician's Lie by Greer Macallister

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



The Magician's Lie had all of the ingredients of an awesome story... and just about got there. The premise caught me by the lapels immediately - a female illusionist accused of murdering her husband by chopping him in half with an axe. Anyone who doesn't think that sounds worth looking into obviously didn't watch the movie 'The Illusionist'. The intrigue and mystery of a good magician mixed with a well-written historic fiction is hard to beat and honestly, for most of the book I was hooked.

The story takes place during a single night while the illusionist tells the story of her life to a law-man who arrested her shortly after they found a man dead. I very much enjoyed the tone of the writing and felt that the pace was perfect. There were a few small things in the story which were aggravating such as some of the choices made by Arden... she's a very intelligent girl who makes some oddly silly choices which didn't really fit her character.

Overall I loved the book. It certainly wasn't perfect but I think it is certainly a gem that should get a fair amount of attention this year. For full disclosure, I got a copy from Netgalley for an unbiased review.



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Review: Not the Last Goodbye: On Life, Death, Healing, and Cancer

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Not the Last Goodbye: On Life, Death, Healing, and Cancer by David Servan-Schreiber

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Not the Last Goodbye is a very short but emotionally-packed book. It was written by the author of the Best-Seller 'Anti-Cancer' (a book which I haven't read. I also wasn't aware of this when I started reading it). From what I understand, Anti-Cancer was a diet/self-help book that essentially taught a diet based on scientific evidence that can help prevent cancer increase the longevity of cancer patients. I may be completely wrong about that premise but that is the gist as I understand it. Not the Last Goodbye follows up Anti-Cancer as an end-of-life farewell by Dr. Servan-Schreiber after his cancer returned aggressively.

I can imagine that those who were skeptics and the followers of Dr. Servan-Schreiber's method were shaken a bit by the return of his cancer. In this book, he addresses the skeptics and arguments against his proclamations in Anti-Cancer and his continued support for its teachings. But more than anything, NTLG is a brief recollection of his struggles toward the end of his life and his legacy that he hopes to leave behind.

I think this was a book written for those who hold Dr. Servan-Schreiber dear, including his family, friends and fans, but I think there are also strong lessons that can be picked up by anyone who reads it. It's a bit of a dark read for such a short book and unlike Pausch's 'Last Lecture', I didn't necessarily finish it inspired to pick up and do anything different with life... but it was a decent read and a heart-felt goodbye.

The book was finished just 8 weeks before Dr. Servan-Schreiber's death so I'm sure many will hold these word with great reverence. I'm not sure it spoke enough to those not familiar with his other works but overall it was still a good read.

For full disclosure, I got the book for free from NetGalley for an unbiased review.



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Review: California

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California by Edan Lepucki

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



This is one of those books that barely survived the DNF shelf. Honestly, after finishing it, I kind of wish I would have done just that and filed it among those not worthy of my time. I suppose that what hurt the most about my overall impression of this book is that it should be been right up my alley. I love stories in this genre. Dystopian fiction is usually my cup of tea but California ended up being a massive disappointment.

There were some small glimpses of adventure and excitement in the story but overwhelmingly the story was made up of dreary dialogue between characters who actually did very little of anything. The setting was perfect for a complicated emotional tale... but it failed to deliver.

This was one of those books that garnered a significant amount of early praise which doesn't seem to be deserved. The pace was extremely slow and the ending left me wholly unsatisfied. I'll be glad to move on to something else.



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