librarymouse's reviews
226 reviews
The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel
adventurous
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
This account of the life of Christopher Knight is an engaging and well-told story about a very interesting man. The questions raised on solitude, it's benefits and detriments, and related prompts towards self reflection make this book more than what it initially appears to be, in terms of it's impact on the reader
This book is written in a very consumable manner. I read it in one go.
This book is written in a very consumable manner. I read it in one go.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Alcohol, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Suicidal thoughts, Confinement, and Stalking
Minor: Drug use and Eating disorder
Eating disorders noted as briefly mentioned due to the severe emaciation of Christopher Knight as mentioned to occur after winter food scarcity and during his time in prison
What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This was a fast and interesting read. The first half of the book was a little slow, and the last half a little fast, but overall the pacing added to the element of mystery. It wasn't hard to guess where the story was going, in terms of the fungal poisoning, but smaller aspects of the mystery were still surprising.
Spoiler
Madeline having been dead since before the start of the events of the novel was an interesting twist. It makes a lot of sense looking back. It's also really neat how the integration of a language with so many pronouns into the plot through the character of Alex creates further interest and intrigue in how Maddie and Alex interact concerning the way she references the fungus as if it were a child. I don't have any particular love of Poe, beyond the general appreciation, but this was an engaging use of his premise.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Animal cruelty, Terminal illness, Mental illness, Body horror, Death, Eating disorder, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Gore
Moderate: Suicide, War, Misogyny, and Vomit
I marked eating disorders as being a graphic description because of the ways in which the emaciated characters are explained in depth.
Stuart Britain: A Very Short Introduction by John Morrill
informative
slow-paced
I read this for school. It is a short, but dense book, taking far longer to read than I thought it would. There are a few dry jokes thrown in for the discerning reader. Overall, I enjoyed this book, but I'm unsure that I can adequately rate this as it compares to my recreational reading.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Death, Genocide, War, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Murder, and Religious bigotry
The Only Girl in the World by Maude Julien
The discussions of war in this book are in reference to the author's father's experience in WWII. He is simultaneously pro-Hitler, and pro-Jew, to the point at which he believes that Jews as a uniform body owe him or people under his protection (Maude) sanctuary if they ever seek it, regardless of if they personally were helped by him during the holocaust, hence the tags of war and antisemitism. There are no scenes of war in the traditional sense in this book.
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
As I was thinking about this book, my first instinct was to refer to the author as Maude. After having it drilled into me throughout an English degree, calling an author by their first name is not an instinct I often feel, but the raw and vulnerable way in which Maude Julien tells her story, the loneliness of her childhood, and her struggles with attempting to feign normalcy in adulthood in the wider world make her feel as if she's someone the reader knows personally. The atrocities she suffered in her childhood, her struggle for autonomy and free thought, and the slow petering out of her father's hold over her with the help of her kindly music teacher are hauntingly crafted in this book. I am still incensed on her behalf that her father, mother, and the man who repeatedly assaulted her never paid for the horrible acts they committed in a court of law, or through well-deserved animosity and revile from their peers. In telling her story, Maude Julien refuses to let the world allow her torment go unnoticed, immortalizes herself and the man who saved her as heroes, and immortalizes her tormenters villains in perpetuity.
In the face of the unthinkably horrific, Maude Julien paints a world in which a child can still wonder at butterflies and feel the love of her animal companions. In the face of a seemingly endless void of depression, she shows how the smallest spark can create an unshakable hope.
In the face of the unthinkably horrific, Maude Julien paints a world in which a child can still wonder at butterflies and feel the love of her animal companions. In the face of a seemingly endless void of depression, she shows how the smallest spark can create an unshakable hope.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Torture, Death, Gore, Grief, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Animal death, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Antisemitism, Sexual assault, Cannibalism, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Animal cruelty, and Blood
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Genocide, and War
Minor: Pregnancy
Spoiler
There is a descriptive scene in this book in which the author attempts suicide with a dull knife and is unable to die because, though she saws through her skin with the blade, it is too dull to slice through the veins that roll beneath its surface. The author is very candid about her multiple childhood suicide attempts through various means, and her desire to die from a very young age.
Atomic Accidents: A History of Nuclear Meltdowns and Disasters: From the Ozark Mountains to Fukushima by James Mahaffey
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
I'd wanted to read this book for a long time, and while interesting, I was a bit disappointed by the degradation of my understanding chemistry and physics, and by the simultaneous depth and shallowness of the material addressed. The focus of the book is split between the mechanical and chemical aspects of nuclear science and industry, and the human side of atomic accidents. It's length and the information density makes it hard to recall what occurred at the beginning of the book, by the end. That being said, this was a very interesting read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, War, Blood, Death, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Forced institutionalization and Cancer
Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I'm really not sure what to think of this book. It's very consumable. I read it in just over an hour. At a few points, I wondered if this book is an allegory for the changes that occur when a child starts showing signs of autism, since both David and Nina are noted to line up things just before their poisoning becomes severe. I'm not sure that that is the case, but this book, as per the title, reads like a fever dream. There's definitely a commentary being made on the visibility of disabled children, how they're viewed when the disability is developed, and on a wealth disparity between the urban well to do and the rural poor.
I'm sure if I were to read this again and again, I'd find a new understanding each time.
I'm sure if I were to read this again and again, I'd find a new understanding each time.
Spoiler
the confirmation of the migrations being done in the greenhouse being real, at the end, is an interesting twist (?). I don't know that it can be called a twist because David is co narrating, and were told by Carla that it is real, but Amanda's scepticism is infectious. Nina being in David's body at the end of the book, unrecognized by her father is heartbreaking. Carla saying that if she could have another child, she'd want one like Nina is made all the more unsettling and sad with the ending. Her tying knots, as if trying to reinstate the snapped, ineffable rope that connects her to her mother
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Terminal illness
Moderate: Medical content, Animal death, Confinement, Child death, and Grief
Sweep of the Heart by Ilona Andrews
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
So much happened in this book! I really enjoyed how long this addition to the series is, allowing me more time with the characters I've come to love. Dina and Sean have found balance in their roles as innkeepers and within their romantic relationship. They're really healthy, and good for each other. That also acts as a framework, foreshadowing Dina's recognition of and reflection on the growth of her power.
They're are a few subtle nods to the initially-introduced plot of Wilmos being missing, throughout the long, bachelor-esque interlude, keeping him in mind for readers, without necessarily breaking the suspension of disbelief.
I am not a fan of The bachelor TV program and series related to it, but I really enjoyed the dating game plot of this book. The higher stakes and more nuanced cultural variances made it a lot more engaging than I expected, when I went into the book already expecting to enjoy it.
This book, like the others in the series, does a fantastic job neatly tying up the main plot lines while continuing/concluding plots introduced in previous books and introducing new threads to be followed in later additions to the series. I am eagerly awaiting more.
A few things:
They're are a few subtle nods to the initially-introduced plot of Wilmos being missing, throughout the long, bachelor-esque interlude, keeping him in mind for readers, without necessarily breaking the suspension of disbelief.
I am not a fan of The bachelor TV program and series related to it, but I really enjoyed the dating game plot of this book. The higher stakes and more nuanced cultural variances made it a lot more engaging than I expected, when I went into the book already expecting to enjoy it.
This book, like the others in the series, does a fantastic job neatly tying up the main plot lines while continuing/concluding plots introduced in previous books and introducing new threads to be followed in later additions to the series. I am eagerly awaiting more.
Spoiler
A few things:
- I loved Dina standing up to the busybodies on the innkeeper council!
- The true reason Caldania killed her brother is heartbreaking, and it makes her character so much rounder and more tangible as an individual
- Are the growing power of Dina recognizes in herself and the unprecedented powers Maud recognizes in herself indicative of something, or are we just getting overpowered main characters so they're able to survive progressively stronger adversaries?
- Donna is the Costco lady!! I love that Dina follows her knitting blog, gives her husband yarn for her, and still doesn't recognize her.
- How old is the fuzzy, feline ripper of souls?
- I want to know more about Sebastian North. I'm about 90% sure I've now read every book in this series, but it feels like I'm missing something. That feeling might just be very good foreshadowing.
- Where are Dina's parents, if not with their inn?
- Can the Scottish guy trying to adopt Dina get her parents declared dead even though she has a sort of proof that they are alive?
- The tendril reaching for and opening a door onto the planet that Maud and Helen are living on was such a beautiful way to end the book. Magnolia green is reaching for one of the other children it helped raise, and in doing so, allowing for easier travel for the family to see each other.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Excrement, Grief, Infertility, Medical content, Sexual assault, Vomit, Death, Blood, Confinement, War, Colonisation, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
Moderate: Trafficking and Xenophobia
Minor: Miscarriage, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, and Slavery
Rogues: True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels and Crooks by Patrick Radden Keefe
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
4.5
The time Patrick Radden Keefe spends with each client shows his dedication to his craft. This book humanized people and events often sensationalized beyond individuality by press coverage. This is a really interesting and engaging read, with chapters long enough for readers to be invested in the stories being told. Each story is self contained, allowing for this book to be read at whatever pace you'd like to read it.
When I got to the last chapter, I was waiting to understand what crime Anthony Bourdain had committed or had been a part of uncovering, beyond drug use, before I realized that in the subtitle also notes rebels.
When I got to the last chapter, I was waiting to understand what crime Anthony Bourdain had committed or had been a part of uncovering, beyond drug use, before I realized that in the subtitle also notes rebels.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Hate crime, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Gun violence, Death, Drug use, Grief, Cancer, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Addiction, War, Trafficking, and Infidelity
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Adult/minor relationship
Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I'm glad I got this book in print to read, but now, I'm unsettled by it.
Ruth Anne's snoopy😭. Twice, when he came up, first in Amy's thoughts right after Ruth Anne succumbing to the pennetants, and again at Ruth Anne's memorial, I nearly cried. Grady Hendrix has a neat trick of characterizing his characters with little, branded quirks, like Ruth Anne's religious attachment to Blistex and Amy specifically stopping at the Speedway for coffee that somewhat break the suspension disbelief while making them a bit more interesting. Ruth Anne's Snoopy waiting for her on the couch at a home she'll never return to takes that almost comical brand name dropping and turns it on it's head. Making the thought of a mass produced toy waiting for it's loving owner to return home such a deeply gut wrenching thing in the slog of gore and terror in this book makes upsetting and gorgeous space for grief. Ruth Anne gouging out her own eyes to avoid seeing the things that terrified her, with the childlike belief that if she can't see them, they can't see her is equally upsetting.
Matt and Trinity are interesting characters, but they don't get as much space in the book to be known. The focus is on Amy, Basil, and Ruth Anne. Ruth Anne does a great job personalizing Basil to Amy, beyond the archetype of ineffective middle manager. He believes in her as a person. It just takes a while for the two of them to understand each other.
This book really takes the concept of the real evil being capitalism to the furthest degree possible beg it would fall into a spoof/satire category. Orsk is a corporate, bureaucratic nightmare.
The gradual shifting of the images from possible furniture pieces to torture equipment is honestly funny. I like how each item is showcased in the chapter. In some scenes, this book reads a bit like a fanfiction, which isn't a bad thing. It provides much needed moments of levity.
Spoiler
Ruth Anne's snoopy😭. Twice, when he came up, first in Amy's thoughts right after Ruth Anne succumbing to the pennetants, and again at Ruth Anne's memorial, I nearly cried. Grady Hendrix has a neat trick of characterizing his characters with little, branded quirks, like Ruth Anne's religious attachment to Blistex and Amy specifically stopping at the Speedway for coffee that somewhat break the suspension disbelief while making them a bit more interesting. Ruth Anne's Snoopy waiting for her on the couch at a home she'll never return to takes that almost comical brand name dropping and turns it on it's head. Making the thought of a mass produced toy waiting for it's loving owner to return home such a deeply gut wrenching thing in the slog of gore and terror in this book makes upsetting and gorgeous space for grief. Ruth Anne gouging out her own eyes to avoid seeing the things that terrified her, with the childlike belief that if she can't see them, they can't see her is equally upsetting.
Matt and Trinity are interesting characters, but they don't get as much space in the book to be known. The focus is on Amy, Basil, and Ruth Anne. Ruth Anne does a great job personalizing Basil to Amy, beyond the archetype of ineffective middle manager. He believes in her as a person. It just takes a while for the two of them to understand each other.
This book really takes the concept of the real evil being capitalism to the furthest degree possible beg it would fall into a spoof/satire category. Orsk is a corporate, bureaucratic nightmare.
The gradual shifting of the images from possible furniture pieces to torture equipment is honestly funny. I like how each item is showcased in the chapter. In some scenes, this book reads a bit like a fanfiction, which isn't a bad thing. It provides much needed moments of levity.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Medical content, Physical abuse, Body horror, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Self harm
Blessed Are the Bank Robbers: The True Adventures of an Evangelical Outlaw by Chas Smith, Chas Smith
funny
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
I really don't know what to think of this book. So much of what the author said about his extended family felt like foreshadowing for him exploring his eventual loss of religion because of the atrocities some of them committed, but as of the publication of this book the author is still actively Evangelical. The conflict between his fervent desire to live vicariously through his bank robber cousin or actually commit crimes for the thrill of it, versus his professed religious beliefs is so wild. Finishing off the postscript with an exploration of how his previously lovingly described cousin and uncle assaulted and abused their congregations was a whiplash moment.
This was an engaging read. The pacing was just weird.
This was an engaging read. The pacing was just weird.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Violence, Addiction, and Medical content
Moderate: War, Alcohol, Colonisation, Death, and Infidelity
Minor: Deportation, Suicide, Racism, and Cannibalism