The Mayor of Noobtown

The Mayor of Noobtown

by Ryan Rimmel

Blurb:

It could be worse. You could be stuck with a literal shoulder demon.

After dying and being reborn into a world that's built like a video game, Jim has found himself stuck in a very old world style new player zone for low level adventurers. Unfortunately, the zone fell out of use centuries ago, and no one told the monsters they were supposed to take it easy on the Noobs. Even worse, the only new player around is Jim.

Jim has been given an opportunity, and he'll do his best to take advantage of it.

My Reaction:

(This was another 372 Pages We'll Never Get Back reading selection.)

Ugh.  
Need I say more?  

I haven't been keeping up with updating my reading list, and I've mercifully forgotten most of the specifics, but I do remember pages of stats (which I skipped without an ounce of guilt), juvenile humor, and literally falling asleep multiple times while struggling to make my way through this book.  

To be fair, when the author finally had some things actually happen, it was more readable (though I wouldn't go so far as to say it was enjoyable), but that was far too late in the book to earn more than a single star from me, I'm afraid. 

I just don't get the success of this book, but the world is a strange place full of mystery and confoundment. 

(As bad as this was, I still say that Shadow Moon and Bob Honey Who Just Do Stuff were worse reading experiences for me, personally.)

I Know Who You Are

I Know Who You Are

by Alice Feeney

Blurb:

Meet Aimee Sinclair: the actress everyone thinks they know but can’t remember where from.

Except one person.

Someone who knows Aimee very well—and what she’s done. . .

When Aimee comes home and discovers her husband is missing, she doesn’t seem to know what to do or how to act. The police think she’s hiding something and they’re right, she is—but perhaps not what they thought. Aimee has a secret she’s never shared, and yet, she suspects that someone knows. As she struggles to keep her career and sanity intact, her past comes back to haunt her in ways more dangerous than she could have ever imagined.

My Reaction:

(I listened to the audiobook version.)

This one has some... issues... but at least it held my interest.  I guessed the twist just before it came, but in a half-disbelieving kind of way, because I couldn't see how it could be that.  And yet it was... 

There are some truly disgusting and enraging things in this book, and the plot feels very unlikely—but eh!  It distracted me from real life for a while, and that's the main thing I'm looking for in a thriller.