THE PROVING GROUND (Lincoln Lawyer #8) (audiobook) by Michael Connelly

Published in 2025 by Little, Brown and Company.
Read by Peter Giles.
Duration: 10 hours, 50 minutes.
Unabridged.

Synopsis

The Lincoln Lawyer returns for another case in The Proving Ground. Mickey Haller has moved away from defense work to civil litigation.

In this case, an AI program designed to be a friend substitute to young adults and teens told a teenage boy to get rid of his girlfriend in a way that could easily be interpreted as killing her. So, he took his father's unsecured pistol and shot her in the high school parking lot.

Haller is suing the company for marketing a faulty product towards teens. He is pretty sure he has the goods - bad programming and an unethical marketing team that is more concerned about demonstrating the potential of the AI so the company can be absorbed by a bigger company with deep pockets. They wanted the payoff rather than making it safe.

But, as Haller and his team start to dig, they find they are out of their depth. Tech writer Jack McEvoy comes in to offer his services. Fans of Connelly will recognize McEvoy from his own short series of novels, including the tech thriller Fair Warning.

Soon enough, they all learn what it means to take on a tech company and its multibillionaire backer who have no sense of ethics and a true knowledge of how to manipulate the technology that surrounds us all...

My Review

This is a solid legal thriller. The complicated tech and legal maneuvers are broken down and made easy to understand for the reader. The legal implications of AI really haven't been thought through and the reader can see a few of the big questions that still have to be answered.

Michael Connelly has decided to let his characters age as they stories go forward. Mickey is no longer the brash young lawyer scrounging for defense work and always willing to put himself at physical risk with the law and his clients' criminal friends in order to win the case. He is still fighting, but it is a different sort of fight.

I like the fact that Haller's world is basically our world, so big events like the January 2025 Southern California Wildfires (Pacific Palisades) take place in his universe as well. In this book, that fire has real world implications for characters that lived in those areas according to the previous books.

This is a good book, but not the best of the Lincoln Lawyer collection. It is totally worth reading, but it is simply good, not great.

I rate this audiobook 4 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: The Proving Ground by Michael Connelly.

JAILBIRD by Kurt Vonnegut

Originally published in 1979.

Synopsis

Jailbird is the fictional story of William F. Starbuck, the least important member of the Watergate conspiracy to go to prison. 

The story begins with the day that Starbuck is released from a makeshift federal prison (and very cushy, for a prison) on a Georgia military base. He has no idea what he is going to do and he doesn't have a lot of money, but he figures that he will be okay - after all, he has a degree from Harvard and he learned how to be a bartender in a correspondence class while he was in prison.

What follows is a wild tale of good and bad coincidences that take Starbuck to a broken-down residential motel in New York City. Like the hotel, Starbuck is a broken man in many ways - he is an ex-con, his wife of many years has passed away, he never speaks to his son, and he feels shame for accidentally ruining the career of one of his friends due to an offhand comment he made during a anti-Communist Congressional hearing lead by then-Congressman Richard Nixon.

But, in just a few hours everything changes...

My Review

In many ways Jailbird is considered to be a comeback novel for Vonnegut (1922-2007). After the overwhelming success of Slaughter-House 5, Vonnegut struggled to "do it again."

He struggled to write Breakfast of Champions. His next book, Slapstick, was too personal and too weird to be a bestseller. Jailbird reminds me more of Mother Night and God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater than the three science fiction books that he published from 1969 to 1976.

World War II looms large in each of those books - the main characters are struggling to deal with what they saw and did (also a massive theme in Slaughter-House 5)

William F. Starbuck worked as a part of the prosecution team during the Nuremberg Trials. If it hadn't been for the war, he wouldn't have met his wife. The war made him, and everything about it was accidental - he met his wife on by sheer luck. He was assigned to the the trials because he happened to be around and ht happened to be around because of the education he was given by an old millionaire who was a recluse because someone unknown strikebreaker mistakenly pulled the trigger during a tense moment in a strike when the millionaire was a child.

One unrelated thing leads to another and leads to another like a thread of random events that led us to where we are now. Vonnegut spent a lot of time thinking about this idea. In his science fiction books he often explores it through time travel. This book relies heavily on flashbacks.

Vonnegut's report card for his own books.

Jailbird often looks at the plight of the regular working stiff - restaurant managers, chauffeurs, receptionists, the least important guy in the Nixon Administration, down and out authors, affable guards in a minimum security prison, and so on. There is a lengthy introduction about a real-life event in Vonnegut's life that blends into a fictional story about a strike at an Ohio factory that ended in a bloody massacre.

Vonnegut famously graded his own books in the essay collection Palm Sunday. He gave Jailbird an A. I disagree a bit. I rate it 4 stars out of 5, which I would consider to be a B.

Jailbird can be found on Amazon.com here: Jailbird by Kurt Vonnegut.

JOHN WESLEY HARDIN: A LIFE from BEGINNING to END (kindle) by Hourly History

Published by Hourly History in October of 2025.

John Wesley Hardin (1853-1895) is the archetype of the Old West gunman in so many ways:

a) He was most active in the immediate post-Civil War era;

b) His violence was not really directed for any larger cause, mostly just family beefs or perceived personal insults;

c) Eventually, his violent ways caused his death.

Hardin was credited with more than 20 murders, although he claimed he killed 42 men. He wasn't fighting to prove a point, like Billy the Kid claimed to. He wasn't fighting as an extension of the Civil War, like Jesse James claimed to be doing. Instead, Hardin was literally running and gunning as he fled from one jurisdiction to another. He hid among an immense extended family network, eventually killed someone, and then fled to another location to hide among another set of cousins.

I found this to be an interesting read. Hardin was clearly some sort of sociopath - anyone who kills 42 people in multiple settings in less than 10 years is not normal.

I thought this quote about Hardin's father was amusing, but I am not sure if it was intentional: "Pastor Hardin didn't quite know what to make of his troubled son's life. But of one thing he was certain: there was no way that this rough-and-tumble renegade was going to follow in his footsteps and become a Methodist minister."

I rate this short e-book 5 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: John Wesley Hardin: A Life from Beginning to End by Hourly History.

WILL GRAYSON, WILL GRAYSON (audiobook) by John Green and David Levithan

Audiobook published in 2010 by Listening Library.
Performed by MacLeod Andrews and Nick Podehl.
Duration: 7 hours, 51 minutes.
Unabridged.

Synopsis

Will Grayson, Will Grayson is the story of two Chicago area teens named Will Grayson who attend different schools and do not know one another.

One Will Grayson is determined not to risk hurt romantic feelings by not putting himself out there to make connections and possibly get hurt. Instead, he focuses on knowing all about obscure bands and lives vicariously through his over-the-top best friend, Tiny Cooper. Tiny Cooper is a massive mountain of young man who is also gay and is also the school's most talented athlete. Think of the biggest football lineman you have ever seen, make that lineman great at every sport, able to sing show tunes at the drop of a hat, and the biggest social butterfly in the school.

The other Will Grayson is a closeted gay teen who has found an online boyfriend from Ohio. He muddles through high school life by getting involved in low commitment activities like the math team (he is only on the team to provide the minimum number of bodies required - the math geniuses take care of all of the real work). He has a pushy female frenemy that clearly is interested in him and does not understand why he does not reciprocate. 

One day, the two Will Graysons meet. When their worlds collide, everything changes...

My Review

Tiny Cooper is, without a doubt, one of the best characters I have read in a book this year. He is a walking talking stereotype in many ways - the gay character who loves musical theater, writes his own songs, and falls in love at the drop of a hat. But, he is such a big personality character that he transcends all of those stereotypes.

The story itself pulls the reader in (or in my case, the listener). As a teacher, I found the characters mostly realistic when compared to the students I see and hear in my classroom every day.

But, there were some ridiculous things that were so unrealistic that the teacher in me just couldn't buy it. For example, Tiny Cooper is given student council funds to put on a musical that he has written in the school theater. There is no way that any school would put on this musical. You might be able to put on an overtly gay-themed musical, but not one with so many direct sexual references. They just keep on coming - one after another after another.

I could buy it if they were putting this musical on in a local theater that was not affiliated with the school. I've seen that happen a couple of times in my 35+ year teaching career.

That being said, it is a fun book. An acquaintance told me that this was her all time favorite book. I wouldn't go that far, but I did like it quite a bit. 

I rate this audiobook 4 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan. 

This book has been included in book ban lists across the country due to its LGBTQ+ themes, sexual references, alcohol, and cursing. Shocker! High school students curse! Orange County in Florida is one of those places (Link to article).

DRAGONS of AUTUMN TWILIGHT (Dragonlance Chronicles #1) (audiobook) by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

Originally published in 1984.
Audiobook published in 2013 by Audible Studios.
Read by Paul Boehmer.
Duration: 20 hours, 0 minutes.
Unabridged.

Way back when, I read every book in this series from cover to cover as quickly as they came out. I did the same with at least two other follow-up series from these authors and, if I remember correctly, I read other books that were connected to this series - but not by the original authors. I proudly had about a dozen related books on my book shelf.

That was 40 years ago. I sold those books along the way and had largely forgotten about them. I was reminded of them and I decided to listen to the audiobook version of the first book just to see if they were as good as I remembered.

Synopsis:

Krynn is a mostly peaceful place years after a calamity caused the people to turn away from the old gods. Cynicism abounds and the people worship new gods that may not after much comfort, but at least they didn't turn away from the people at their time of greatest need.

There are elves, humans, multiple types of dwarves, Kinder (halflings with zero impulse control), and humans of all sorts. Honorable knights still serve, but the people doubt their sincerity. Strange barbarians live out in the wild spaces and magic users can memorize spells to do any number of miraculous and dangerous things. 

A group of brave of explorers can make a small fortune exploring the ruins of the world before the destruction came - if they can fight.

The book starts with just such a group of explorers who are reuniting after splitting up to look into rumors of strange new armies arising, clerics serving gods no one has heard of, and possibly even the return of the ultimate creatures of the legends of the olden days - dragons!

Once the group assembles back in their home town the action starts almost immediately and they have to flee into the wilderness. As they work their across Krynn they find out that the rumors are much more than idle stories.

My review:

The original cover that I remember. 
Check out the $2.95 price!

This series reads exactly like a well-run Dungeons and Dragons campaign - because that is what it was designed to be. The creators of D&D released a campaign you could buy to go along with the book (or do something completely different than the characters in the book do.)

Back when I first read the series I was a regular player of D&D and this book felt very comfortable. Experienced D&D players will see the obvious NPC characters and even the little escapes the dungeon master will have built in to make sure the players have a successful campaign. 

The characters are pretty standard fantasy characters - a grumpy old dwarf, haughty elves, a mostly brawn fighter, a mostly brains magic user whose only loyalty is to himself, a paladin with an unbending code of honor, enthusiastic but unskilled newbies, a conflicted leader, and more.

Does it work?

After a slow start, it really does work very well. The first 3 or 4 hours of this 20 hour audiobook were slow, but once it gets going, it's worth it.

The characters make it work, as it is with all good books. In this case, two minor characters make the second half of the series fun and touching: Fizban the befuddled old wizard and Flamestrike, the grieving and senile old dragon. Excellent characters make for memorable scenes. Once I was reminded of Flamestrike, I immediately remembered her touching and dramatic final scene that I read 40 years earlier. 40 years later it was as good as I had remembered. 

I rate this audiobook 5 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: Dragons of Autumn Twilight.

THE ROARING TWENTIES: A HISTORY from BEGINNNG to END (kindle) by Hourly History

Published by Hourly History in 2023.

Hourly History specializes in producing little histories and biographies that can be read in about an hour. 

If you are pretty well-versed in the basics of 1920's America, this short history offers nothing new. If you remember the basics from your U.S. history textbook or if you watched a documentary on the topic, this e-book ill offer nothing new.

The e-book repeats some of its main themes multiple times, sometimes within a few paragraphs of each other. I kept wondering if they were trying to fill space, which seems kind of ridiculous in a book with literal space limits (able to be read in just an hour). It also made me wonder if this book were written by an AI.

As an example of what I was talking about, the e-book mentioned that people grew more accepting of LBTQ+ people in the 1920's. That is undoubtedly true, but it was mentioned so many times that it might persuade some readers that the 1920's were a very accepting time. I think it would be fair to say that the during the 1920's, the needle of the gauge of LGBTQ+ acceptance moved off of "zero", but that's about it. Progress, to be sure, but hardly worth mentioning multiple times. 

The facts presented in the book are all solid, which is why I am giving it 3 stars out of 5, even if it was written in a clunky way.

This e-book can be found on Amazon.com here: The Roaring Twenties: A History from Beginning to End.

WITCHY (graphic novel) by Ariel Slamet Ries

Originally published in 2019.

Witchy started out as a highly acclaimed webcomic that has since been printed as a graphic novel on high quality paper. 

Witchy is set in a world where magic exists and the length on a person's hair determines the power of the magic user. The kingdom of Hyalin uses magic users to enforce its regime. They train young users in an academy with the goal of providing magic users as soldiers in the elite Witch Guard. The Witch Guard fights external enemies and tamps down internal dissent with brutal, often lethal force.

The graphic novel has a lot of positive things:

-The drawings are clean, crisp, and very clear. The art is great.

-The characters all easy to differentiate from one another (sometimes artists makes a lot of characters that look alike).

-There are several great characters, especially the raven familiar.

But, there are negative things as well:

-The ground rules of the universe are not explained well. This graphic novel deserved an written introduction page, much like the famed scrolling text in the Star Wars movies. It would have benefitted from even a few sentences, like the three sentences at the beginning of James Gunn's Superman movie. The back cover of the book provides some necessary information, but not enough.

-Because the ground rules were not explained well, I often was somewhat confused and did not understand the actual stakes involved in some dramatic scenes.

-Interesting story lines are developed and then dropped in an effort to move the story along. In particular, I am thinking about the characters in the school and how they relate to the main character, Nyneve. It didn't help to move the story along when this reader was still trying to understand the basic rules of this world. Remaining in the school longer would have allowed more character development and let the reader learn more of the ground rules.

I rate this graphic novel 3 stars out of 5. Not bad, but it seems like it was a missed opportunity to be so much more.

This graphic novel can be found on Amazon.com here: Witchy by Ariel Slamet Ries.