Reviews and Comments

Disclosure: I got this book for free from BookSirens (thanks to the author [a:William Sonn|109293|William Sonn|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1638301481p2/109293.jpg]). They hope I would give a review but it isn't required and I have to be honest if I do give one.

Something Like Treason starts out how you least expect it, the foreword actually starts six years later. You would think that it would give spoilers but I can see why the author chose to do this, it helps to give a good amount of context to the story ahead.

In the beginning, they mention a fair amount of camps, but the author doesn't exactly say where. If you are a reader from USA you can figure out where they are located fairly clearly, but if you are an international reader then it's hard. The author may want to mention that this all happened in the United States.

When I started reading I wasn't sure if this story was actually true or not (I didn't look at the genre). I said it would be a damn good story if it wasn't true, and a terrible story if it was true. Upon searching the main character's name (Dale Maple) you can clearly read that this book is 100% true, and even includes references. If you don't wish to spoil the book for you then don't search any of the character's names since they are all true names.

It was interesting to read how much has changed between the war and today. Including addresses, and phone numbers.

The book really dives into detail, not just in each person but also in the camps, where they are located and what's around them. If you are a visual reader then it helps you to visually see the story more.

I do appreciate that any time money was mentioned, the author included how much that would be at the time of writing. The author didn't mention what year "at this writing" was, but I still think it allowed someone to understand how much or little something was.

The author does include a few smaller stories in the book which talk about certain people, some of these stories could have been shorten, either to add more to the time frame after the war, or to shorten the length of the book.

While I was reading, there was a number of things that I didn't see coming since I didn't know the history of Dale Maple. These were some very good surprises and I can't imagine how Dale Maple felt when they happened.

The book ends (before the afterword) in a way that either wraps up the book well, or leaves unanswered questions. I feel the author ended the book well and if I was curious about more on each person then I could search for them online.

Overall, an interesting book and something that I didn't know happened until reading.

DNF for now at 27%. I wanted to really enjoy this book because I've read the first two in this series, and while there are parts I love, there are a couple major things that turned me off from continuing.

First regarding what I loved, it was a continuing of the beloved series. If you haven't recently read the second book then do so as it helps the third book to make more sense. There is a summary but that may not do justice.

The book picks back up from where the author left the character, and many details are included. There are many points where you may not want to stop reading.

"The search operation must have been pricey for you though.”
“Astronomical. With the constant mobilization of our staff and the fines for stalking and mass surveillance, it had to be the costliest wild goose chase in the Free Era.”"

There are also points of things that could, or do, happen in the real world, so that was interesting to read.

“Money bends rules like a blowtorch on steel.”

Now for what got me to stop reading, some points have so few details that you also have to make up certain things in your head. The author also includes the chapter marks in odd spots. This book is dialogue heavy and with such, it can be confusing to try and keep up with who is saying what, at some points I even got confused in that regards.

At a point in the book, the author starts to switch between periods of time, which just become confusing as many of the switches lack context and aren't done in a coherent way.

I feel like the author included tons of details and page fillers to make the last book (in this series) as long as possible and that is a major thing that turned me off.

“Flying into the unknown. A fitting metaphor for life, don’t you think?”

"The only choice they left us was how to cope with the consequences"

Disclosure: Got an advance copy of the book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. Nobody has gotten a copy of this review before it went live.

This is a book for those 18+ (21+ in some areas) about the porn industry. If that doesn't appeal to you then don't read this review or book.

Trigger warnings for the book (does contain spoiler): pornography, sex, violence, suicide, hint of racism, courthouse, trial, driving / car decency, funeral, pyrotechnics

[a:Stuart Canterbury|8367483|Stuart Canterbury|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] is the perfect person to write this book, not only does he do a great job of covering the industry within this book, he was an writer, director and producer on many movies so he knows what happens.

The book covers not just what happens in front of (or behind) the camera, but also what happens outside of "action" and "cut". You see that everyone is a person, who has their own things going on.

"For a group who made a living out of make-believe, it was all too real now; even on such a flawless day in the flux of life, nobody could ignore what ending came to all."

"The story behind the movie was always more interesting than the story on the screen. "

The book seems to take place over the course of a year, but there aren't any exact date, which makes it a bit harder to read when periods of time seem to be skipped.

The author does include many details which helps with the book, and some places the author doesn't include any detail. For example, the author mentions that someone says thank you. The author didn't have to include that, but they did.

The industry and relationships may look good on the outside, but you don't really know what is happening. And there are many things that happen that you wouldn't see every day.

"Only does scenes with other girls. This always happens when the girls get involved in off-camera relationships with men. Very hard on the male to see her going off to work in the morning to swallow an anaconda.”
Travis did not want to get into such serpentine details. “Understood. You have to respect the girl’s feelings. Especially given the proportions.”"

"If any neutral witness had seen what he had written, the random list on the paper would have been baffling: Pegging. Uniforms. Secretary. Brazilian. Grandma."

The author does include multiple stories within the book, and I wish they had finished one story before moving onto the next one as it was confusing at some times (and to ensure the reader doesn't forget anything).

There were times the book seemed to be in third-person, and other times it was in first-person. But it was all done in a way that allowed to reader to understand what was going on.

The author includes a major quote from someone near the end of the book, that could have been used to end the book in a really powerful way, but the author chose to end the book in a different way.

"Sometimes, you think you really know someone well. And maybe you think the worst of them. But they can surprise you. It turns out that there can be good in everyone. But as far as I am concerned he should win an award, you know, as a human being."

Book has trigger warnings of: violence, blood, gore, guns, depression, swearing. If you don't like (or don't want to read) any of those, then don't read this book.

A science fiction, fantasy, mystery, and storytelling book all mixed into one, and a wild story that happens along the way. When you start the book you feel out of place, unsure of what is going on, but as you continue to read it all makes sense. The details in this book allow you to imagine yourself there, being one of the characters, and looking around.

"Breathe deep. Can’t tell Ruby. Can’t tell anyone. Not until I figure out what this is."

There are some places you will feel confused, and many have to read over multiple lines again. It's particularly because it's so weird, but also because there may be multiple characters speaking and you aren't sure who is saying what.

There were a few times I just had to laugh from the situation or words that were said.

"Godfuckingdamnit I forgot about the dinosaurs."

From what I can tell, multiple stories happen within this book, and it can be confusing to know which story you are currently in. Most of them do come together by the end, but it can be confusing until you get there. Some of those stories feature jumps in time, either back or forwards, and you may not even know there has been a time jump until you read one particular thing.

“I like learning, and getting hurt is the only way you learn.”

When you get near the end, the main character does a great job giving a recap of what all happened and how some of the stories come together. That isn't the end of the book, there is more, which I'm not sure the author needed to include as finishing may leave you in a state where you aren't sure if it was a good or bad thing.

"“The fuck?” I ask."

There will be times that you don't feel like continuing, and that's ok, keep reading, overall it's a good book.

"Silence, which I accept to mean I am correct."
"I almost want to say this out loud. But I’m not ready. Not yet."

Rating: 2.7/5

"I dared not tell my parents about my latest “job opportunity” — my mother would not have slept for the entire week."

This book does have bias because it's written by the author, about herself and her time. The CIA has reviewed the book so there parts that are reacted. Which does take away from the book, but the publisher explains why, before the first chapter. So you take everything in this book with a grain of salt (read & understand it, but don't believe it 100%).

"had taken the position that [Text has been redacted here.]. In other words, [Text has been redacted here.] "

"the vast majority of people really only want to talk about themselves. Answering a query about yourself, especially if there is not a lot you want to give out, is a matter of providing enough to be polite, then deflecting the question back to the conversation partner."

While this book does cover some details that similar books don't cover, I would encourage you to read similar books to get context behind things that the author doesn't cover.

"Making decisions on how much money to offer a potential asset while handing crayons to my daughter who sat under my desk was strange indeed, but not without humor."

Many sentences felt like run-on sentences, commas are needed. The chapters are also very long, so I encourage you to watch the time when you read. There are passages of time that happen without context, or how long has passed, which makes it a bit harder to read.

"It was obvious to me that anyone working for the government better truly love what she was doing, because the modest pay and personal sacrifices wouldn’t keep a good employee with any ambition around for long."

The book could have been shorten in multiple ways, from removing sections & chapters that didn't make sense to have, the author's family history, and the afterword (which seems to be a shorten version of the book).

Overall, an interesting book which has a different perspective on the CIA.

"Nearly all foreign travel carries the risk of stomach upheaval, but while it is an inconvenience as a tourist, it is a catastrophe when on business."

Rating: 4.6/5

This book continues right off from where the second book in this series finished off. While it does recap a few things, I found it best to read this book right after finishing the second book. This book does have violence in it, so if you don't like reading about that, then don't read this book.

The author continues with the humour, it's not as much as the previous books in this series, as this book is more serious.

“Drink your potatoes or you can’t have potatoes for dessert.”

“Cute makes me sound like a stuffed animal.”
“Keep in mind that I sleep with my stuffed animals.”
“Okay, cute it is, that’s definitely me, cute as a button.”

There are some great reminders that having a group as leaders, is better than just having one person. They all see and think differently.

“Keep on questioning my decisions,” Herb said. “Sometimes the people on the committee are uneasy about challenging me.”
“Well, you have been right most of the time.”
“Just keep on questioning what I’m saying, promise?”

Many discussions are had that reflect our planet currently.

Sometimes it helps to have the right person there, at the right time. As well as to gain friend and partnerships, as everyone should want to help each other.

“It’s good for all of us to have somebody to talk to. There have been things I’ve had to go through that have shaken me.”

I found myself wanting to keep reading, so please keep an eye on the time while reading, otherwise you may miss things, or stay up all night.

“I wasn’t asleep. I was watching out the front window. This must be important,” Herb said.
“It is. We have to talk. We have everything wrong.”

I'm not going to spoil how this ends, but it does finish off the series, but leaves it open if the author decides to continue writing.

"There was always hope. Life would find a way."

Rating: 3.8 / 5

This is the second book in this series, please have read the first book before reading this book (or this review). The book picks back up at the end of an action scene from the first book, but also does a nice recap of the first book.

"What a thought. Did any of us really appreciate something until it was gone?"

Numerous periods of time are skipped over, which could have been done to not bore the reader, but didn't indicate how much time has passed.

"there’s a basic human need for things to be normal and predictable"

It's interesting how many things (like small talk) stop happening when you see someone multiple times per day, when your all trying to survive. And how people can change over a length of time.

“So this wasn’t a social visit.”
“Nope.”

At multiple points, there could have been a different story line. It's interesting why the author kept the story line they did.

The book does get emotional at multiple times, especially near the end. Once you get near that ending you will want to keep reading.

“I don’t think you’re helpless … just special … too special to put at risk.”
“I know that was supposed to be a compliment, but I’m just as capable as you out here, probably more so with a gun.”

The book does end on a cliffhanger.

"Safe might never happen again."

Rating: 3.7/5

There are three books to this series (which I didn't know until after I started reading) which is why the book may be a slower pace then would otherwise be expecting. This review is for the first book in the series.

The main character whose perspective we read from is a male high school student, which means there are a few times that a high school sense of humour will be written. It isn't disrespectful in any way, but it's something to keep in mind, and at times you may be wondering why the main character decided to do a certain something.

"Funny how much older I felt than these kids. Actually I’d always felt older than everybody who was my age and quite a few grown-ups. Throughout this whole situation I’d been entrusted with information that almost nobody else knew, information that made me feel older, weighed me down."

While it's categorized as a young adult book, there is tons of action which in some places the author includes tons of detail. So much so, that the reader may need to stop and step away from the book for a moment. There are also spots where more details could have been added by the author.

“Not pulling. Showing you this weapon that I have a permit to carry and know how to use.”

“I guess it’s the best plan we have”

The book does get the reader to think about things they may not thought about before (and which hopefully never happen).

"Not as well prepared as I should have been. I never dreamed of a scenario this severe. This has the potential to be so much worse than anything I’ve ever seen before."

It is interesting how the passage of time happens, and how certain people change over that time, which I believe the author did on purpose. There are also times when the author skipped over certain things, either to keep the book interesting or because there was a set page limit.

The book does end on a cliffhanger.

“You’ve done enough. More than enough. I want you to go and spend some time relaxing, being a kid again. At least for one evening.”

Wonder what it's like working at a low-wage job in America? This book explains what it's like, how they sleep, what their life outside of work is like, and how it affects more than just themselves.

"At SDF8, I pop Advil like candy all day, not even bothering to track when my last dose was. I don’t talk to anyone at break or lunch; I’m too tired. My head pounds, and I feel generally dull. By the end of my shift, I’m almost staggering from the stabbing pain in my feet and trying to lean some of my weight on my cart as I push it, as if it’s a walker."

While this book is really centred in America (and American companies), the experiences are applicable for almost any low-wage job in the world. If you don't like American-centred books then skip this one.

"but my smugness fades as I see that everything, including my car, has been aggressively coated in ice. It’s been a mild winter so far, but of course it’s freezing two hours before sunrise. You idiot."

"It’s been eight months since I’ve had a steady paycheck. My savings are gone, and Car Life seems like a mild inconvenience compared to jacking up my credit-card balance even further or having another miserable forty-five-minute commute every day."

There were some times that a word didn't make sense in context with the other words, I'm not sure if that's an error on editing.

The writer loved to include stories from the past, which got repetitive after a while, so I tended to skip over them, and I didn't miss out on any context or part of the writer's experience.

The writer knows how to included humour and good jokes, I wish they included them more to break up the book.

"Today, my bracelet recorded more than thirty thousand steps. I start giggling helplessly as I work out the math. That’s more than fifteen miles. Fifteen! Fucking! Miles! It’s the funniest, most horrible thing I’ve ever heard."

"Scrooge literally has a better time-off policy than Amazon"

There is a huge amount of detail in this book, sometimes it's great to have, and sometimes I found it wasn't needed.

"But, more important, if Vicki’s saying what I think she’s saying—if it’s part of her job to change our official time-clock records to reflect only the time we’re logged in to the phones—that sounds an awful lot like wage theft."

The author touched on the different class system (like those who work low-wage jobs, and those who work in tech jobs). I almost wish the author spent more time covering that.

"Because if you don’t really know anybody outside your class, you can’t really understand the embarrassingly large disconnect between the actual working class and the kind of people who shape public opinion and policy."

"Do you want to win elections? Acknowledge that something’s wrong and offer people a different why.
So, why can’t employers find good workers to fill open positions? Because the drawbacks of the jobs they’re offering outweigh the benefits.
Why do people vote against their self-interest? Because when national politics hasn’t truly improved the lives of the non wealthy in decades and is covered like sports, why take it any more seriously than professional wrestling?
If the data says everything’s so great, why is America freaking the fuck out? Because the systems we use to compile and analyze data don’t consider America freaking the fuck out to be relevant information."

The conclusion chapter I found to be weird as it does wrap the book up, it does so in a way that requires you to remember almost random things that were mentioned in the book.

The author does include footnotes (in the eBook version) which I found helped to provide more context, and some provided humour.

Overall, an interesting book if you are interested in American low-wage jobs and what those people go through.

"After that, I knew not to be honest with customers in the same visceral way I know not to stick my hand in a fire."

"even the cheapest, most discounted motel is completely unsustainable for a single person making $9.50 an hour"

"some part of me finally accepts that you need walls between you and the customers to survive here, and I start building them. I still do everything I’m supposed to, of course. I just… stop caring. Caring makes you vulnerable."

"I get to leave"

Disclosure: Got this e-book for free from LibraryThing's Early Reviewers in exchange for an honest review of this book. Nobody (the author, publisher, or LibraryThing) had any say or read this review before it went public. The copy I got does contain a QR code for another free book which I did not redeem.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

The e-book I got was not meant for e-readers as it didn't contain links directly to each chapter in the table of contents, and the e-reader didn't show the chapter header at the top. The formatting (with the title of the book) was messed up because of this.

I'm not going to touch on things I disagree with regarding what was said in this book, as the author mentions that you can take from this book whatever you want.

However, if you aren't based in the US you may find this book a bit weird as it mentions things like credit scores and how to get them.

It also mentions things like COVID-19, which may confuse future readers.

Some of the methods mentioned may depend on the class and background of the reader, which I don't think is something that the author took into consideration.

"If you are crossing over state lines, stop in the state’s welcome center; they have maps of the state available for free."

"If anything says, “Dry-Clean-Only,” run away and do not purchase. If you really must though, that will have to be taken to the dry cleaner shop nearest you."

Many things in this book could be considered old-fashioned, as people and workplaces change quickly. I would encourage you to consult updated article online for the current best practices.

I did enjoy that the book went over some readers may not know (and some readers may know). It helped to make the book something that anyone becoming an adult could learn from.

Half-way through (and at the end) the reader is asked to leave a quick review on Amazon. I found it a bit distracting when it was half-way through, but some readers may like the reminder.

There are some things I wish the author had includes a source on, as they may be common knowledge but may not actually be true. I did really like that the author included a substantial number of sources.

While the book does cover a number of good topics, I feel like it missed a few, such as savings accounts, finding your first place to live, grocery shopping, getting your first vehicle.

Overall, anyone becoming an adult will get something out of this book that they probably didn't know before.

"There is a difference between quick dusting and deep clean dusting. Typically, one is done about once a week (if you have pets) or bi-weekly, and the other needs to be done at least every two-to-three months."

"Your first experience with a lease should be a good one with little to no misunderstandings, if possible ... Basically, for anything you do not understand, ask to have it explained (you might want to record this bit with your phone) and make sure you do this prior to signing"

"You should also have emergency contact information and if they have any health problems or concerns. As a responsible roommate, you should have emergency contact names, phone numbers, allergies, medications, medical insurance information, and heaven forbid, a copy of their Durable Power of Attorney or Healthcare Advocate Form. If you each gather that information and know where it is kept, that would be helpful should any emergency arise."

"Remember, you cannot get something if you have never asked for it to begin with."

This is a review of the book itself, not anything that the author has said outside of this book.

While this is a book that predicts a number of things that could happen in the future, the author forget about the qr codes they included in every chapter and the future of them. Those qr codes are meant to go to the author's website (which doesn't exist at the time of this review) and the app mentioned at the beginning doesn't exist anymore either.

Some of the things the author talked about has come true in 2022 which is very cool.

"Instead of our relying on professional editors to package a home page or produce a printed page, our online friends are now our de facto editors, providing a supply of news and information that is highly personalized and tailored to our interests. As a result, these relationships are much more than “social.” They are hugely influential."

When reading the footnotes, the links are either cut off (that may be due to my e-reader) or don't exist anymore (as it's been 13 years since some of those links were first published).

The first chapter is on the sex / porn industry, I think it's very bold to start on that chapter and if I were working on that book I would suggest for it to be moved to a later chapter so that readers get invested into the book earlier.

The author does mention what exact street they lived on (at the time of the writing), which I think is very weird and I hope they moved shortly before publishing. They also touch on points related to Christian and "the church" every once in a while which some readers may not like.

Overall it's an interesting book, which some people may laugh at and some may find interesting. It's not a book I would read again and the type of people that would enjoy this book may be very small.

"Fear of the new and fear of the unknown are common afflictions. At their worst, they can stunt or stop innovation. More commonly, though, this technology hypochondria—or technochondria, if you will—rattles a large part of the population, leading to a divide between those who rush forward with new experiences, fearful that they might miss something, and those whose fright leaves them feeling disoriented and left behind."

"what so many of us have trouble grasping—is how difficult it is to foresee exactly what changes a new technology ultimately will bring."

The author spent a ton of time, and energy into this book and there are many great details, but there are some things I wish the author did differently.

"As the saying goes, if it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck."

They don't talk about their experience when they were trolled online, they do cover it a little different, it would have been nice to hear their experience since they tell the story of so many others who were trolled online. I know this may not have been the point of the book, but if there is something who doesn't know their history (before writing this book) it would have been nice to cover it.

Since the author is Australian there were some words that I had to look up the definition of, I'm not sure if that is because of how the author writes or if I need to expand my word reach.

There are a couple of times where it was confusing who was saying something, so it would have been nice to include the names of people more often.

The author talks about the experience someone (who shared their story) had with the police which was nice. While the words mention at least one experience, I feel like the author is pro-police.

"yet during my own research for one of the case studies in this book, my questions about how NSW Police investigates cyberhate cases went unanswered despite repeated requests"

"You have to wonder, if the police had actually acted on his initial complaints, if any of this would ever have happened."

"‘Trying to expose these people doesn’t … necessarily require any particular dark web skills. We did it through old-fashioned journalism, which was spending hours and hours and hours trawling through his public social media profiles and putting two and two together. And I think the cops could have done that, but they didn’t.’"

It's unclear in a couple of places where the author mentions "the book", if they are talking about the book you are reading or another book.

Since the author had a publishing date, they are unable to provide an ending to all the stores they covered which leaves the book a little bit unfinished in spots.

There are some spelling and grammar mistakes that I noticed, not sure if it's just in my copy or in every copy.

"‘Victims could go offline but it would make their lives worse,’ she writes, referring to all the lost opportunities and social connections cyberhate targets forgo when they are forced offline"

"it raises an interesting question about whether, as a community, we’re inadvertently outsourcing decisions about justice and law enforcement and hate speech into private hands. Should private companies – as opposed to policing and government agencies – have dominion over whether domestic violence perpetrated online ‘violates their policies’?"

Science fiction, meets adventure, and a bit of romance. It does mention the Vietnam war.

The naming of the main character is inconsistent. It does include a little bit of humour which is nice.

Sometimes it's the right people, at the right place, at the right time (with the help of some magical people).

There are times in the book where it skips ahead a period of time without telling the reader which is sometimes confusing and requires the reader to pause for a moment before continuing.

"Yes. You humans have such a whimsical history," she said.

""You might want to step out for this," Stern warned. AJ bit back a response about not being able to step anywhere."

""You really get off on changing your appearance, don't you?"
"I have spent decades pasted to the side of space debris. I find humanity's expression of individuality quite refreshing. Surely, you wouldn't deny me a small pleasure?""


“No one said English was easy to understand.”

"Did you ever read Alice in Wonderland?"
Darnell quirked his head to the side.
“Buddy, Alice was strictly amateur hour.”"

I first read this book in high school, but I'm glad I picked it up again to read.

At the beginning, the author throws you straight in, which can make the reader feel like an outsider and not sure about anything.

The copy I had (e-book) had a number of missing spaces between words, and weird line spacing (where the line would finish, then the next word would be on the next line). Both of these happen multiple times which sometimes may for some frustrating reading.

There are a number of things that happen in the book that happen in real life,

"But the committee would never bother The Receiver with a question about bicycles; they would simply fret and argue about it themselves for years, until the citizens forgot that it had ever gone to them for study."

There are a couple of times where the author moves forward (or back) a length of time without indicating it to the reader, which comes across as confusing.

When I finished the book (which I did in one day) I'm not sure if it ended on a positive or negative note. I was almost in a haze for the rest of the day.

"Jonas frowned. "I wish we had those things, still. Just now and then.""

"It's the choosing that's important, isn't it?"

"The life where nothing was ever unexpected. Or inconvenient. Or unusual. The life without color, pain, or past."

Disclosure: I got this ebook from LibraryThing's Early Reviewers in exchange for an honest review. Nobody (the author, publisher, or LibraryThing) has read this review before I posted it publicly.

This is the second book in this series, if you haven't read the first book (which is called [b:The Pine Barrens Stratagem|58841897|The Pine Barrens Stratagem (From the Case Files of Steve Rockfish, #1)|Ken Harris|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1634025638l/58841897.SX50.jpg|92684233]) then don't read this second book (or this review) until you've read it. Otherwise it won't make sense.

The author does provide a nice recap of the first book at the beginning, which I think more authors should do and allows the readers to get into the right mindset before continuing.

Overall, this book is another great one and I really hope the author continues to write more in this series.

There are however, a few words that I felt didn't fit at the right place. I would have substituted them for another word, but didn't detract from the whole book.

The author has some great humor in certain spots, I felt like I was laughing long enough but not so long that I couldn't continue.

"A fist pump and a game of hay bale Frogger later"

Because it is a book, the author had to choose what to include and what to skip, there are some things that I wish the author chose to include, and some I wish they didn't include.

There are some transitions that happen between the stories that happened smoothly, and some that there so sharp that I had to take a second to stop and realize it was a different story before continuing.

There are many times when reading that I didn't want to put this book down (which meant I stayed up past my bedtime many times) and I would rather have read this book than done almost anything else.

"“Steve, if it’s okay with you, I’d like to take the next couple of days off.”
“Couple? Take five. I’ll see you next Tuesday."