TL;DR: Deeply researched and absolutely blood-soaked, this was a ride. Source: NetGalley - Thank you to the publisher!! Structure: I enjoyed the structure, and found myself impressed with how everything came together here. Characters: A lot of these guys blended together (there is a lot) but our author noted distinguishing things each time it was... Continue Reading →
Chasing Evil by Robert Hilland & John Edwards
TL;DR: A fascinating chronicle of an FBI agent and a psychic working together. Source: NetGalley, thank you so much to the publisher! Plot: This was pretty well paced, though I think they reached a bit fill in the end. Characters: Interesting! They felt fairly well represented with what we got. Readability: This one is an... Continue Reading →
Daughter of Daring by Mallory O’Meara
TL;DR: Full of some interesting information but completely ruined for me because of the authorial voice Source: Netgalley! Thank you so much to the publisher Plot: This one primarily covers the rise of Hollywood and film with aspects of Helen Gibson. Characters: Helen is mentioned a lot and is in there, but it touches on... Continue Reading →
A Hunger to Kill by Kim Mager
TL;DR: This was very interesting - a narrative of Kim Mager’s interviews with a serial killer. Source: NetGalley, thank you St. Martin’s Press! Plot: This one is fast paced as it’s almost entirely the interviews between Mrs. Major and the killer. It really pulls you through. Characters: We focused primarily on Mrs. Mager and the... Continue Reading →
The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer
TL;DR: Another great look at reciprocity that was first introduced in Braiding Sweetgrass Source: NetGalley, thank you so much to the publisher! I also did purchase my own copy as well. Premise: I really liked this as a short little essay to read at this time of the year (Thanksgiving to Christmas) I thought it... Continue Reading →
Adventures in Volcanoland by Tamsin Mather
TL;DR: While this one wasn’t entirely for me, I do think there is a lot to be gained for people who are interested. Source: NetGalley via the publisher, thank you! Structure: This one is billed as part memoir, which I don’t think is accurate. It’s more a study of the different volcanic events. It does... Continue Reading →
What the Chicken Knows by Sy Montgomery
TL;DR: Sy Montgomery is a go-to nature writer for me. This was fantastic. Source: Netgalley, thank you so much to the publisher! Plot: Our author talks about chickens, facts and her life with them. It’s short and sweet, an easy one sitting read. Sources: For a short book Sy Montgomery had quite a few sources... Continue Reading →
Pixel Flesh by Ellen Atlanta
Readability: This was very easy to read, though I found at time the author was a little too personal and keeping track of names was a bit much. Structure: This was just a mix of essays with decent bridges between them. Density: 4/10 Thoughts: Pixel Flesh was a bit of a struggle for me, I’m... Continue Reading →
Plants & Fungi by DK
TL;DR: If I had an unlimited book budget, these kind of books would be a constant purchase Source: Thank you so much to publisher! Science: I love learning fun new facts and this one impressed me with some things I didn’t know, presented in easy to read snippets. Photography: The art and photography in this... Continue Reading →
A View From the Stars by Cixin Liu
TL;DR: A weirdly structured collection of essays and stories. Probably more for the devoted fans of Cixin Liu than anyone else.Source: NetGalley, thank you to the publisher! Collection: As far as a collection, this one felt like a bunch of saved files from a folder with no real collective theme or reason. It was fairly... Continue Reading →