Books read in 2025: No. 41 -- Living Dead in Dallas

by Charlaine Harris

Started: Dec. 11

Finished: Dec 18

Notes: Though I've been trying to read horror of late, I'm fairly sure this won't be it, though I realize there are vampires involved and perhaps horror elements. This series of books kicked off the "True Blood" TV series on HBO more than a decade, and I watched a handful of episodes and thought they were interesting, so perhaps I'll find something here to like.

Mini review: Not awful, for me, not great. The writing reminded me of AI, which only goes to show AI definitely used this author for its learning. The characters were okay, but fairly forgettable. And the worst part was the plot. This was a murder mystery, and the murder is introduced in the first 10 pages. Then the book goes off and basically forgets about the murder while the main characters were involved in what I would call "side missions." Eventually, in the last 40 or so pages, the plot gets back to the murder and the mystery, and it's not exactly solved so much as it is concluded by a bunch of minor characters showing up and putting a wrench into the works. The final chapter, however, was nice and somewhat bittersweet, as a vampire realizes he still has ties to the world of the living. If you've read other books in this series and enjoyed them, you'll likely enjoy this one as well, if for no other reason than it will help you to visit some old friends again. Otherwise, no, this one wasn't for me.

Beer of the Week: Tsingtao Lager

Beer score: 3.4

Company: Tsingtao Brewery
ABV: 4.7
IBU: 18

I've yet to try a beer from Asia of which I've overly approved, and that remains the case here.

Pours a pale yellow color. Gives off weak smells of orange peel. Water, sweet and sour.

That's really about it.

Books read in 2025: No. 40 -- Ring

by Koji Suzuki

translated by Robert B. Rohmer and Glynne Walley

Started: Dec. 2

Finished: Dec. 10

Notes: I've been trying to read horror of late with little success, usually tumbling down the hole of mystery novels and the like, but this one I'm pretty sure will fit the bill since it's the first novel of a trilogy which is the basis for The Ring horror movies in Japan and the U.S.

Mini review: The plot here wasn't bad, but I felt the characterizations weren't all that great, most of the characters not being worthy of much empathy. Also, characters seemed to make vast leaps of logic and guesswork with little to no evidence, and then being proved right. In fairness, this was a translation from Japanese, so it's not impossible there are cultural differences which went over my head. And, though I'm no translator and obviously don't know Japanese, I felt the translating job here was too literal, or at least it seemed that way. Glad I read it, but I think a better translation could have served the story better.

Beer of the Week: Landshark Lager

Beer score: 2.8

Company: Margaritaville Brewing Company
ABV: 4.7
IBU: 15

If you're headed to the beach and are interested in a fairly weak, watered-down brew for warm weather, this one might be your choice.

It pours a pale yellow, mass-produced color while giving off little to no smell, though there might be a cheap beer scent ... maybe.

There's a lot of carbonation, which hurts any tasting, but there is a hint of sweetness beyond all that fizz.

Meh, I can't say a lot good about this one. At least it can get you drunk, if you drink enough of it.

Books read in 2025: No. 39 -- The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

by Stieg Larsson

translated by Reg Keeland

Started: Nov. 15

Finished: Dec. 2

Notes: Trying to read horror of late but failing, so I'm giving this novel a try. I've seen the movie years ago but recall next to nothing about it other than a serial killer was involved, but I'm not expecting this to be horror as much as a thriller. Still, I've been meaning to read this for a while, so I'll give it a try. Also, I'm getting ready to go to the hospital for a few days for surgery, so I wanted something to read that isn't too short.

Mini review: Yep, there was a serial killer, but this was not horror but a mystery novel, and not necessarily a murder mystery. Oh, there are plenty of murders, mostly in the background, but they're not really the gist of the tale. Or are they? I mean, they sort of are but they also sort of aren't. One mystery leads to the revelation of a bad person doing very bad things even though they weren't necessarily responsible for the original mystery. And then there are several sub-plots which, in my opinion, I did not feel helped the novel; I could've done without the first 50 or so pages of this novel as well as the final 50 pages, because most of the real action happens between. All that being said, I'm glad I read this one, because it was over all quite a decent read.

Beer of the Week: Samuel Adams Harvest Helles

Beer score: 5.9

Company: Samuel Adams
ABV: 5.4
IBU: 15

For a beer released in the autumn, the coloring surprised me with its light goldenness. On the nose, I picked up light hints of citrus, flowers, and bread.

Upon drinking, the taste has all of the above, but there's also more bitterness than I expected. In fact, that bitterness lingers, as do the hints of citrus, perhaps lemon.

All in all, not a bad beer, though also not a great one. Maybe a little more carbonation that I felt was necessary.