danielmolloy's reviews
286 reviews

The Hexologists by Josiah Bancroft

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 16%.
extremely endearing and interesting characters, AND a plot i was totally invested in, interrupted every other page with expositional worldbuilding that brought the story to a screeching halt
Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers

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emotional reflective sad slow-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

4.75

just absolutely devastating.  i had no idea what to expect coming into this book, and i've been completely knocked over by carson mcculler's talent.  i cannot believe this book didn't come to me sooner, but i'm so glad i've found it now.
Cari Mora by Thomas Harris

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dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

i'm really looking forward to reading this one again <3 put it off for years in the fear that it wouldn't live up to my thomas harris expectations, and i understand why, but i'm glad i finally did read it!  less impactful than the others i've read, for sure, but still an excellent thriller.
Searching for Franklin: New Answers to the Great Arctic Mystery by Ken McGoogan

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informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

completely fascinating to learn about franklin's first disastrous expedition in tandem with contemporary research and expeditions following his disappearance.  the author's portrait of his friend louie kamookak is one of the most loving i've ever read (in nonfiction or otherwise) and this only makes me more excited to someday visit the arctic myself.
American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird, Martin J. Sherwin

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 17%.
this is SO incredibly good and so incredibly dense.  reading this in fits and spurts is not the way to handle it, so i'm looking forward to trying again when i can give it more dedicated attention.
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King

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inspiring mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

got me a little teary at the end there!!  this is one i would SO happily recommend to others -- really excellent and a rewarding quick read!
The Death I Gave Him by Em X. Liu

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dark sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

REALLY really enjoyed this!!  it was highly anticipated for me, and totally lived up to my expectations.  absolutely loved every minute of tearing through this in one sitting.
The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris

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dark tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

more patient than red dragon was, and scratches a different, utterly non-urgent kind of itch.  same masterful language, same exquisite possession of the story.  there's no other book like this, and i genuinely can't imagine something better.
Red Dragon by Thomas Harris

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dark tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

continues to be one of the best books i've ever read.  one of those reads where you stop every few chapters and reread a section just to feel the joy of the language.
Skeleton Crew by Stephen King

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dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

-- spoilers below for all stories (kind of; I got lazy with this one) --

the mist (skipped)

here there be tygers - 4/5

just a good little story!!  what if there was a tiger, huh?  what then?

the monkey - 3.5/5

speaks to my own childhood anxiety about everything being my fault… this works really well for me

cain rose up - 5/5

yeah actually i REALLY liked this.  really potent dread rather than a shock.

mrs. todd’s shortcut - 4/5

very a wrinkle in time kind of deal, and i love a bit of good yearning

the jaunt - 5/5

soooo bradbury-coded!!  fucking hell man

the wedding gig - 3.5/5

i did like this; it was surprisingly straightforward for what i’ve read in the rest of the book so far!!  feel that guilt, man.  you can always do more.  i don’t know why people are surprised stephen king is a progressive when you have endings like this.

paranoid: a chant - 5/5

a poem????  this shit rules!!

the raft - 5/5

the frozen girlies are gonna love this one

word processor of the gods - 3/5

my bitch of a wife and cringefail son?  DELETE.

the man who would not shake hands - 5/5

british sensibilities in this one, oddly enough, despite the new york setting.  i liked the added mystery of stevens and the packet at the beginning!

beachworld - 5/5

gunslingers and archaic dialects and deserts that aren’t deserts at all

the reaper’s image - 5/5

i love a super little haunted mirror story

nona - 5/5

catch me naming my child nona at this point

for owen - 5/5

omg okay 😭

survivor type - 5/5

lady fingers

uncle otto’s truck - 3.5/5

ummm……. sure

morning deliveries (milkman #1) - 5/5

HOT DAMN!!!!

big wheels: a tale of the laundry game (milkman #2) - 3/5

UHHH OKAY????

gramma - 4/5

very severely good and i am so satisfied with this ending

the ballad of the flexible bullet - 5/5

yeah, fucking excellent

the reach - 4.5/5
and now i’m crying, cool