Rob's Updates en-US Mon, 12 May 2025 18:31:35 -0700 60 Rob's Updates 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Review6729773406 Mon, 12 May 2025 18:31:35 -0700 <![CDATA[Rob added 'The Day Tripper']]> /review/show/6729773406 The Day Tripper by James Goodhand Rob gave 3 stars to The Day Tripper (Hardcover) by James Goodhand
]]> Review7564437566 Mon, 12 May 2025 18:26:28 -0700 <![CDATA[Rob added 'Mr g']]> /review/show/7564437566 Mr g by Alan Lightman Rob gave 4 stars to Mr g (Hardcover) by Alan Lightman
3.5 rounding up to 4. A whimsical creation fable told by an actual physicist, and it was pretty much what I wanted/expected, as I love both nerdy science minutia, and light, almost goofy narratives. In the end, the nerdy science stuff won out for me, the way Lightman could express things like vast distances of space and time in an easy-to-digest and fun way. The story was just okay, but about halfway through on a whim I borrowed the audiobook, and damn, Ray Porter is the best narrator on the planet. He elevated the second half so much, I got choked up at that scene with the old woman who stole bread near the end (that wasn’t a spoiler, I don’t think!) ]]> ReadStatus9418182934 Mon, 12 May 2025 18:26:20 -0700 <![CDATA[Rob wants to read 'Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill']]> /review/show/6062234664 Happiness by Matthieu Ricard Rob wants to read Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill by Matthieu Ricard
]]> Review7564437566 Mon, 12 May 2025 18:18:39 -0700 <![CDATA[Rob added 'Mr g']]> /review/show/7564437566 Mr g by Alan Lightman Rob gave 4 stars to Mr g (Hardcover) by Alan Lightman
3.5 rounding up to 4. A whimsical creation fable told by an actual physicist, and it was pretty much what I wanted/expected, as I love both nerdy science minutia, and light, almost goofy narratives. In the end, the nerdy science stuff won out for me, the way Lightman could express things like vast distances of space and time in an easy-to-digest and fun way. The story was just okay, but about halfway through on a whim I borrowed the audiobook, and damn, Ray Porter is the best narrator on the planet. He elevated the second half so much, I got choked up at that scene with the old woman who stole bread near the end (that wasn’t a spoiler, I don’t think!) ]]> Comment290132791 Thu, 01 May 2025 15:56:00 -0700 <![CDATA[Rob commented on "Rob Dircks' new novel available on NetGalley" in NetGalley Addicts Support Group]]> /topic/show/23120637-rob-dircks-new-novel-available-on-netgalley Rob made a comment in the NetGalley Addicts Support Group group:

Hi NetGalley Addicts! My sixth novel, Sunnyside, is launching now � and I'm looking for folks to read and provide honest, thoughtful reviews. Here's the NetGalley link:





Sunnyside: A Novel
“GET OFF MY LAWN.� They just stood there. In the dark. On his grass. Three punks. They were always there, roaming the streets, kicking over trash cans, spray painting the train underpass, throwing eggs on Halloween, a stain on his otherwise bucolic Ridgewood, New Jersey neighborhood. Once they left a bag of dog crap on his front porch and set it on fire. He almost stepped in it. But for some reason this new thing, the just standing there, pissed him off even more. Like they owned his lawn. Pot-smoking punks.

So begins the journey of Theo Hoover, disgruntled history repairman, who accidentally becomes Grand Oversee -- humanity's supreme leader -- managing the terraforming of Sunnyside, mankind's potential new home planet. But people are dying. And aliens are coming. And his brother is missing. And Kate Kingston of all people has been assigned his Chief of Staff. Oh, and that chaos is only the beginning, as the fate of Sunnyside � and humanity � comes to rest in Theo's shaky hands.

With Sunnyside, Rob Dircks has crafted a science fiction story with a dry, constant thread of humor -- but also a brotherhood story, a friendship story, a love story, a story about loss and letting go, and a story about our absurdities and whether we can overcome them -- or if we even should. The Black List describes it as "a distant future filled with irony, madcap characters, spaceships, a few bureaucratic conspiracies and an utterly unique voice with a pace and energy that moves at warp-speed.�

And the story is timely: it explores a world where bureaucracy is so tangled it gives rats' nests a bad name, and corruption is rampant. BUT� it offers much needed hope (and a well-deserved escape) in our “interesting� times. Enjoy the read!

Rob Dircks

For those who might not know me, I’m the #1 Audible bestselling author of You’re Going to Mars!, the Where the Hell is Tesla? trilogy, The Wrong Unit, and more (including the anti-self-help book Unleash the Sloth! 75 Ways to Reach Your Maximum Potential By Doing Less). I’ve also got a drawerful of screenplays and short stories, some of which appear on my original audio sci-fi short story podcast Listen To The Signal, (which I also narrate). ]]> Comment290132367 Thu, 01 May 2025 15:41:21 -0700 <![CDATA[Rob commented on "FREE Audible Codes for new Rob Dircks novel!" in Audiobooks]]> /topic/show/23120624-free-audible-codes-for-new-rob-dircks-novel Rob made a comment in the Audiobooks group:

My sixth novel just launched � and I'm looking for folks to listen to the audiobook and review! I have 20 free Audible codes available. (Reply on this thread to request a code.)



Sunnyside: A Novel
“GET OFF MY LAWN.� They just stood there. In the dark. On his grass. Three punks. They were always there, roaming the streets, kicking over trash cans, spray painting the train underpass, throwing eggs on Halloween, a stain on his otherwise bucolic Ridgewood, New Jersey neighborhood. Once they left a bag of dog crap on his front porch and set it on fire. He almost stepped in it. But for some reason this new thing, the just standing there, pissed him off even more. Like they owned his lawn. Pot-smoking punks.

So begins the journey of Theo Hoover, disgruntled history repairman, who accidentally becomes Grand Oversee -- humanity's supreme leader -- managing the terraforming of Sunnyside, mankind's potential new home planet. But people are dying. And aliens are coming. And his brother is missing. And Kate Kingston of all people has been assigned his Chief of Staff. Oh, and that chaos is only the beginning, as the fate of Sunnyside � and humanity � comes to rest in Theo's shaky hands.

With Sunnyside, Rob Dircks has crafted a science fiction story with a dry, constant thread of humor -- but also a brotherhood story, a friendship story, a love story, a story about loss and letting go, and a story about our absurdities and whether we can overcome them -- or if we even should. The Black List describes it as "a distant future filled with irony, madcap characters, spaceships, a few bureaucratic conspiracies and an utterly unique voice with a pace and energy that moves at warp-speed.�

And the story is timely: it explores a world where bureaucracy is so tangled it gives rats' nests a bad name, and corruption is rampant. BUT� it offers much needed hope (and a well-deserved escape) in our “interesting� times. Enjoy the read!

Rob Dircks

For those who might not know me, I’m the #1 Audible bestselling author of You’re Going to Mars!, the Where the Hell is Tesla? trilogy, The Wrong Unit, and more (including the anti-self-help book Unleash the Sloth! 75 Ways to Reach Your Maximum Potential By Doing Less). I’ve also got a drawerful of screenplays and short stories, some of which appear on my original audio sci-fi short story podcast Listen To The Signal, (which I also narrate). ]]> Review6729773406 Sun, 27 Apr 2025 18:36:03 -0700 <![CDATA[Rob added 'The Day Tripper']]> /review/show/6729773406 The Day Tripper by James Goodhand Rob gave 3 stars to The Day Tripper (Hardcover) by James Goodhand
]]> Review7492529599 Tue, 15 Apr 2025 22:03:27 -0700 <![CDATA[Rob added 'All Systems Red']]> /review/show/7492529599 All Systems Red by Martha Wells Rob gave 5 stars to All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries, #1) by Martha Wells
]]> Review7453723873 Tue, 01 Apr 2025 09:22:42 -0700 <![CDATA[Rob added 'Sunnyside: A Novel']]> /review/show/7453723873 Sunnyside by Rob Dircks Rob has read Sunnyside: A Novel (Audible Audio) by Rob Dircks
Hi, I'm the author, so I won't be leaving a star rating ;) But I want whoever stumbles on this to know that this book hit different for me, in a good way. It took me FOREVER to finish it (2019-2024, ouch!), and the story of its journey is a long and winding one, but really it's the story itself that I'm so psyched about, because it's got all my favorite things: zany sci-fi, a brotherhood story, a bit of a love story, an all-out, no-holds-barred adventure. aliens, and space, and manmade moons, and at its center a History Repair Technician named Theo. Maybe most of all it's got that mix of humor and heart that I strive for (and I hope you agree!). Enjoy the read/listen! -- Rob ]]> UserChallenge59697724 Sat, 04 Jan 2025 13:29:20 -0800 <![CDATA[ Rob has challenged himself to read 12 books in 2025. ]]> /user/show/11100279-rob-dircks 11627
He has read 2 books toward his goal of 12 books.
 
2 of 12 (17%)
Create your own 2025 Reading Challenge » ]]>