Month: January 2014

Top Ten Tuesday: 2014 Debuts I’m Excited For

Posted January 14, 2014 by Michael @ Knowledge Lost in Top Ten Tuesday / 7 Comments

toptentuesdayIt’s Tuesday again which means time for another round of Top Ten Tuesday; I like joining in on this meme because I have a set topic to work with. Top Ten Tuesday is a book blogger meme that is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week the theme is: Top Ten 2014 Debuts I’m Excited For. This sounds a little similar to 2014 Releases I’m Dying to Read but I will see if I can think of some debut novels I’m excited about.

I don’t pay enough attention to what is being released to know what I want to read. I hope to discover some more from this week’s Top Ten Tuesday.


The Echo by James Smythe

Posted January 10, 2014 by Michael @ Knowledge Lost in Literary Fiction, Science Fiction / 0 Comments

The Echo by James SmytheTitle: The Echo (Goodreads)
Author: James Smythe
Series: The Anomaly Quartet #2
Published: Harper Voyager, 28-01-2014
Pages: 320
Genres: Literary Fiction, Science Fiction
My Copy: ARC from Edelweiss

Buy: AmazonBook DepositoryKindle (or visit your local Indie bookstore)

Twenty years after the Ishiguro vanished, two brilliant scientists have been asked to help answer the many questions surrounding this disappearance. Identical twins Tomas and Mirakel Hyvönen have been interested in space travel since children. Not space, just the equipment. Can that find the Ishiguro, will they solve the mystery or will this just lead to more questions.

This is the sequel to The Explorer, so it is going to be hard reviewing this book without giving anything away. Already I might have said too much about the first book but I highly recommend reading The Explorer anyway. This series is off to a fantastic start and I’m already eager for the next book, which unfortunately may not be till next year.

If you have never read James Smythe before, I recommend him highly. His books The Explorer and The Machine book made my top books of 2013; that is a rare and incredible feat since I had so many books to pick from. Smythe writes literary science fiction that not only keeps you on the edge of your seat; they will also get you contemplating humanity.

The Echo has that philosophical and bleak style you come to expect from James Smythe. While this book sounded like there weren’t any thrilling moments, I was wrong; I was addicted to this book as much as The Explorer and it kept me up late at night. I love the way this author looks at life and sanity; there is so much he wants to say and I’m beginning to wonder if the planned four books series is enough.

I really want to say more about this novel but I’m afraid anything I do say will be a spoiler. I hate leaving a review so short but I highly recommend this series and that is all I can really tell you. James Smythe has another book coming out this year, so I have something to look forward to. I’m sure The Testimony will also be read during the course of 2014 as well.


Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Goals/Resolutions For 2014

Posted January 7, 2014 by Michael @ Knowledge Lost in Top Ten Tuesday / 6 Comments

toptentuesdayIt’s Tuesday again which means time for another round of Top Ten Tuesday; I like joining in on this meme because I have a set topic to work with. Top Ten Tuesday is a book blogger meme that is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week the theme is: Top Ten Goals/Resolutions For 2014. I don’t really have goals for the year, except for reading ones. Here is what I want to achieve this year.

  • Complete the Literary Exploration Reading Challenge
  • Read more Non-Fiction
  • Read bigger books
  • Take my time with a book in order to read more critically
  • Continue reviewing every book and document my reading journey
  • Be willing to abandon more books
  • Create a better way to track books read
  • Clean up my Edelweiss/Netgalley eARC list
  • Exercise more