Project Hail Mary

tags: mystery, science fiction, thriller

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

from GoodReads

Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission--and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish.

Except that right now, he doesn't know that. He can't even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.

All he knows is that he's been asleep for a very, very long time. And he's just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.

His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, he realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Alone on this tiny ship that's been cobbled together by every government and space agency on the planet and hurled into the depths of space, it's up to him to conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.

And thanks to an unexpected ally, he just might have a chance.

Part scientific mystery, part dazzling interstellar journey, Project Hail Mary is a tale of discovery, speculation, and survival to rival The Martian--while taking us to places it never dreamed of going.

I loved Andrew Weir's The Martian but his second novel Artemis failed to entertain me. Project Hail Mary has redeemed him in my eyes. He is back in this fascinating science fiction adventure with a lovable and admirable character who is enthusiastic, witty, and has a great sense of humor, to finish his job regardless of his current situation. 

Ryland Grace is forced chosen to go on a space trip mission to save the sun, earth, and humankind. The sun is losing power because of tiny organisms sucking up its energy. [Nope, not by crazy creepy Bill Gates who wants to shield the sun to stop bogus climate change.] Ryland is alone in a small spaceship with his memory gone but slowly regaining them. He becomes a friend/ally with a non-earthling during this desperate suicide Hail Mary mission and the two of them work together for the same goal - to save their planets. Ryland calls the space alien Rocky who is the very definition of adorable. Rocky reminds me of Baby Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy because he/it acts like a cute genius child. There are loads of math and science stuff going on but they are interesting instead of boring, just like The Martian. The ending is a little bittersweet because EE can't phone home.   

Highly recommended for science fiction fans.

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From Wiki

Hail Mary refers to the Hail Mary pass, a very long forward pass in American football, typically made in desperation, with great difficulty of achieving a completion. Due to the small chance of success, it makes reference to the Catholic Hail Mary prayer for help.

Oxygen

tags: mystery, Netflix streaming, science fiction

from Netflix

A young woman wakes up in a medical cryo unit. She doesn’t remember who she is or how she ended up sequestered in a box no larger than a coffin. As she’s running out of oxygen, she must rebuild her memory to find a way out of her nightmare.

I was bored to death watching this French science fiction dreck but I finished it hoping the ending will be mind blowing like Oblivion and Vanilla Sky. Unfortunately, it isn't. I had to friggin' endure 91 minutes of mediocre script, acting, and movie set. The actress constantly licking and biting her lips is so irritating. 😒

The reason why she is in a small box with oxygen running out doesn't become clear until almost at the very end. This has been done before but with better story, writing, deeper meaning, more suspense, and obviously better actress. Is there any point to this movie? None that I can think of. It is pure garbage IMHO. Goose egg.

Avoid. It's Ugly.

Arsenic And Adobo

Filipino author, murder mystery, new series

⭐

from GoodReads

When Lila Macapagal moves back home to recover from a horrible breakup, her life seems to be following all the typical rom-com tropes. She’s tasked with saving her Tita Rosie’s failing restaurant, and she has to deal with a group of matchmaking aunties who shower her with love and judgment. But when a notoriously nasty food critic (who happens to be her ex-boyfriend) drops dead moments after a confrontation with Lila, her life quickly swerves from a Nora Ephron romp to an Agatha Christie case.

With the cops treating her like she’s the one and only suspect, and the shady landlord looking to finally kick the Macapagal family out and resell the storefront, Lila’s left with no choice but to conduct her own investigation. Armed with the nosy auntie network, her barista best bud, and her trusted Dachshund, Longanisa, Lila takes on this tasty, twisted case and soon finds her own neck on the chopping block.

I really really wanted to like this mystery novel by a Filipino author. Unfortunately, I hated it, really really hated it. *Sigh*

A lot of Filipino food are mentioned throughout the book and a few recipes at the end. It is understandable because the main character Lila works in her Aunt's Filipino restaurant. But the food got too distracting. 

What I didn't like

• The writing style and first person narration.
• The author tried too hard to make Lila witty and funny. I didn't find her witty nor funny. Lila comes out as character who lacks empathy by making light of someone's death that happened right in front of her. The scenario is utterly unnatural. She barely reacted to the second death and the head injury of her frenemy.
• Lila's lawyer and the detective investigating the murder are both incompetent and inconsistent. 
• Lila mentioned a few characters related to her and her current circumstances but they never showed up nor were explained further.
• The author tried to add romance into the murder mystery with boring people.
• The author's wokeness which is in-your-face obvious with the "diverse" characters, just like several  insufferable Hollywood movies that include all races in the universe for inclusiveness. The author probably had a checklist of all the necessary people aside from Filipinos that she believed should be in her first book: Japanese, Pakistani brother and his lesbian sister, lesbian Mexican, mixed Korean/White, Black, Greek. 🙄🙄🙄
• The baddies are pure white which she emphasized very early on. Yes, she said pure white. Sheesh! Two of her ex boyfriends are no-goodnik white people, one was the murder victim. Remember, white people are bad, bad, bad. Others are fine, noble, and if flawed, are redeemable.
• Story is not compelling; no real tension; amateurish. 

Do not read if you like murder mysteries. It is awful and will give you a headache due to excessive eyerolling. 

The Unkindness Of Ravens

tags: mystery, new series, M E Hilliard

⭐⭐⭐⭐

from GoodReads

Greer Hogan is a librarian and an avid reader of murder mysteries. She also has a habit of stumbling upon murdered bodies. The first was her husband's, and the tragic loss led Greer to leave New York behind for a new start in the Village of Raven Hill. But her new home becomes less idyllic when she discovers her best friend sprawled dead on the floor of the library.

Was her friend's demise related to two other deaths that the police deemed accidental? Do the residents of this insular village hold dark secrets about another murder, decades ago? Does a serial killer haunt Raven Hill?

Though Greer admires the masters of deduction she reads about in books, she never expected to have to solve a mystery herself. Fortunately, she possesses a quick wit and a librarian's natural resourcefulness. But will that be enough to protect her from a brilliant, diabolical murderer?

And even if Greer manages to catch the Raven Hill killer, will living with her conscience prove a fate worse than death?

I probably have found a new mystery fictional character to replace M. C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin. Greer Hogan, like Agatha has the unlucky habit of finding dead bodies. Her natural interest in solving the murder opens herself to becoming a victim also. There are other similarities between Agatha and Greer that are worth noting:

• have a police officer as a friend/ally - Agatha has Bill Wong and Greer has Jennie Webber 
• moved from city to a quiet village - Agatha to the Cotswolds, Greer to Village of Raven Hill, a small town in Connecticut 
• had high-paying jobs before quitting - Agatha was in public relations in London, Greer was a buyer for a cosmetics company in New York
• have a bit of sense of humor but Agatha is funnier, more biting and politically incorrect which I love, Greer is also funny but tamer, IMHO

I like this first of a series. It held my interest and I finished reading (336 pages) in one sitting. Although it reads like a cozy mystery, the murderer turned out to be a truly evil character. My only complaint, and the reason for the 4 stars, is there are too many red herrings, 2 of which are completely unnecessary.  I hope the succeeding books will be much tighter and have more humor.

Recommended for mystery readers.