A Librarian on Elm Street

 This was a fun little book with descriptions and introductions of ten conspiracies from around the world. I was glad to be able to read and harken back to when you could have fun with conspiracy theories and thinking about "What if" without having to deal with the bleak hell that is 2020 and QAnon cultists. I also didn't know that we had lost the cornerstone to the White House, so that was cool. If you're already into conspiracy theories, this isn't the book for you. A little bit of extra info might be present, or pictures of primary documents might be new for you, but on the whole this is an introductory work for those who hadn't read or dealt too far down the rabbit hole yet.  Disclaimer: I received a free digital copy of this title from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

 Boy howdy, this was a big book. To start, I've got to say full disclosure: I'm a Paolini fan. The Inheritance Cycle was a must-read for me growing up as I was absolutely floored someone the same age as me could write a New York Times bestseller. I went into this book exited and eager to see what he could do with a Sci-Fi genre story. And when I went into it, it just kept going....and going.....and going.  If it wasn't for being a fan of Paolini, I probably would have given up on this one without finishing it. The Sci-Fi elements of the story are standard, and you can totally feel the loving homage to many standards of the genre, but the new or exiting or distinct components are few and far between. With minimal spoilers, girl explores alien world, girl finds alien artifact, shenanigans ensue.  I think my biggest criticism of Sea Of Stars is that it setting-hops so fast and frequently. The places and plot points move so quickly that it is hard to really get a sense of the...