Friday, March 7, 2025

Blood of Dragons (Volume 4 of the Rain Wild Chronicles) by Robin Hobb

My Rating: 4.6


The dragons and their dedicated band of keepers have at last found the lost city of Kelsingra. The magical creatures have learned to use their wings and are growing into their regal inheritance. Their humans, too, are changing. As the mystical bonds with their dragons deepen, Thymara, Tats, Rapskal, and even Sedric, the unlikeliest of keepers, have begun transforming into beautiful Elderlings raked with exquisite features that complement and reflect the dragons they serve. But while the humans have scoured the empty streets and enormous buildings of Kelsingra, they cannot find the mythical silver wells the dragons need to stay health and survive. With enemies encroaching, the keepers must risk "memory walking"- immersing themselves in the dangerously addictive memories of long-deceased Elderlings - to uncover clues necessary to their survival. And time is of the essence, for the legendary Tintaglia, long feared dead, has returned, wounded in a battle with humans hunting dragon blood and scales. She is weakening and only the hidden silver can revive her. If Tintaglia dies, so, too, will the ancient memories she carries - a devastating loss that will ensure the dragons' extinction.


This book had the Rain Wild series come together for me. I would almost miss it except, I know that my beloved Fitz and The Fool are waiting for me next. I never thought fantasy would appeal to me but, I absolutely LOVE this series and highly recommend. 

Thursday, March 6, 2025

Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance

My Rating: 4.6


Elon Musk, the entrepreneur and innovator behind SpaceX, Tesla, and SolarCity, sold one of his internet companies, PayPal, for $1.5 billion. Ashlee Vance captures the full spectacle and arc of the genius's life and work, from his tumultuous upbringing in South Africa and flight to the United States to his dramatic technical innovations and entrepreneurial pursuits. Vance uses Musk's story to explore one of the pressing questions of our age: can the nation of inventors and creators who led the modern world for a century still compete in an age of fierce global competition? He argues that Musk is an amalgam of legendary inventors and industrialists including Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Howard Hughes, and Steve Jobs. More than any other entrepreneur today, Musk has dedicated his energies and his own vast fortune to inventing a future that is as rich and far-reaching as the visionaries of the golden age of science-fiction fantasy

There are things I like about Musk and things I do NOT like about him. I wanted to understand him more so got this audio book for us to listen to. I finished the book admiring him and being leery of him. He is brilliant and cut throat, genius and scary. I am just as divided in my feelings for him as most people who know him intimately. You do have to admire many things about him while also recognizing his many negative traits. Interesting read.