dyslexzak's reviews
215 reviews

Dreams Underfoot: The Newford Collection by Charles de Lint

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Many of the stories felt really meaningful, like they had something to say. Others, I didn’t feel so connected to.
I loved getting to know Newford and looking out for the connections between each of the stories and characters.

The New Puritans: How Identity Politics and Social Justice Became the Dominant Religion of Our Time by Andrew Doyle

informative reflective medium-paced

3.5

An interesting snapshot into an ever changing world, and yet still relevant these few years later.
It’s worth a read, especially if you’re not clued in to this sort of thing.

Stephen Fry's Secrets of the Roaring 20s by Stephen Fry, John Woolf, Baker Nick

informative lighthearted medium-paced

3.5

It dragged a bit in places and others felt like they sped by.
Despite the fascinating subject, this series made it feel like ten years wasn’t enough for a 12 part series of this kind.

Talking with Serial Killers: The Most Evil People in the World Tell Their Own Stories by Christopher Berry-Dee

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

4.0

Each chapter follows a different serial killer. It starts by laying out their childhood, then runs through crimes one by one clearly stating the graphic details of the killings in as least sensationalistic way possible. Then, it takes you through the timeline of arrest, sentencing and execution (if relevant). Finally, there is a short discussion of what nature and nurture might have pushed these people into acting as they did.

This formula was great and allowed the stories to be told concisely without giving up on detail.

James Moriarty, Consulting Criminal by Andy Weir

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

Three short stories following Moriarty as a consultant to fellow criminals. What a fantastic premise with near unlimited possibilities.

Although it had some interesting ideas, I found the stories fairly one note and straightforward with few unforeseen twists or any of the surprises a story of this type sets you up to expect.
Moriarty has really no personality of his own (nor do any of the character for that matter) and instead he and his narrator-companion have the fairly boring rehashing of the Holmes/Watson dynamic we see all over the case of the week crime TV.

Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport

hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

4.0

The concept is excellent and I found reading this book was really motivating. I put some of the suggestions into practice straight away and suspect that some version of them will continue to become a part of my daily routine.

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

adventurous informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

4.5

This was a fascinating book. There were a few tips and opinions on the craft of writing, but mostly it was a subjective story of one man’s experience with it at different stages of his life.

I haven’t read much Stephen King. I’ve tried, but rarely seem to connect with his stories (though when I do, I really do). Despite only having read a few of his novel length works, I really really enjoyed getting a view into how and why he tells stories.

Sometimes the stories of stories are the most interesting part to me, and this definitely one of those times.

Berserk, Vol. 23 by Kentaro Miura

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This volume felt a bit slow at the start, but towards the end, it really picked up with some interesting developments moving forward.

No Beast So Fierce by Edward Bunker

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is a unique feeling entry into the crime genre. It felt grounded and down to earth.
The characters felt real and as though they had lives of their own even when we couldn’t see them.

When we start the story, the main character — Max — is just getting out of prison and is convinced that this time, he won’t be going back.
Finally wanting to go straight gives Max fresh eyes to look at the world through and he slowly sees how hard it is for a man with a criminal past to get a second chance.

I’d definitely recommend this book.

The Tales of Max Carrados by Ernest Bramah

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

This was an interesting listen.
I loved the variety in the cases and investigations Carrados found himself in.
If you’re a fan of the Sherlock Holmes stories (especially the Stephen Fry narrated audio collection), you’ll like this.