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dckathleen's reviews
268 reviews
The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler
adventurous
challenging
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I liked it, but it wasn't what I expected. In a world where the seas are even more depleted and corporations are even more powerful than now, an intelligent octopus species is found living in a derelict ship near an archipelago.
This books isn't really about that though, it is about the meaning of sentience and intelligence. Can we recognize traits that we value in ourselves in others? Do humans inevitably destroy other intelligent life forms?
This books isn't really about that though, it is about the meaning of sentience and intelligence. Can we recognize traits that we value in ourselves in others? Do humans inevitably destroy other intelligent life forms?
Outside by Ragnar Jónasson
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
This was too long for a short story and too short for a novel. The characters were not well developed and ultimately I didn't care what happened to them.
Group of friends goes to a remote place and bad stuff starts to happen, it turns out the close friends are not as close as they thought... you know the deal.
Group of friends goes to a remote place and bad stuff starts to happen, it turns out the close friends are not as close as they thought... you know the deal.
Abandon by Blake Crouch
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Interesting parallel timelines revolving around an abandoned mining town. Points taken off for overuse of the word whore (dude, I get it, there were sex workers in the old West mining town), the number of times that blood pools darly, and the end felt like the author ran out of pages, closed his laptop, and said, "done!"
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, and Violence
The Centre by Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A secretive language center is able to teach native level language skills in three weeks. I don't want to give anything away, so I'll just say, this takes a weird turn. It's good, and it looks at privilege and appreciation, colonialism and feminism.
Cave of Bones: A True Story of Discovery, Adventure, and Human Origins by Lee Berger, John Hawks
adventurous
challenging
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
Nonfiction book about the discovery of a cave in South Africa containing evidence of a new hominin species, Homo Naledi, which is not a human ancestor and which did things which we have previously only ascribed to humans. They buried their dead, made cave art, and could bring fire with them. They lived alongside our human ancestors. This is told in an engaging way, including descriptions of the terrifying process of getting in and out of the extremely narrow cave entrance. It's an interesting look at discovering Homo Naledi and our own perspective on what it is to be human.
The Changeling by Victor LaValle
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
So many CW: child death, abuse, domestic violence.
I did finish it, but found it to be too long and kind of frustrating. There were too many weird elements. I get whet the overall goal was, but it felt disjointed.
I did finish it, but found it to be too long and kind of frustrating. There were too many weird elements. I get whet the overall goal was, but it felt disjointed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Gore, and Violence
All the Murmuring Bones by A.G. Slatter
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Witches, magic, intrigue, a Kelpie, carni orous mermaids, a traveling circus, murder, a multigenerational pact, a terrible cousin out for ...marriage, a deceitful uncle out for...maybe also marriage? This book has all that and more!
The Hunger by Alma Katsu
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The Donner party with a supernatural twist. This was good, and even though we know generally that it ends poorly, it's still suspenseful.
The Mother by B.L. Blanchard
adventurous
challenging
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This was an excellent read. It's about what England might be like had it not benefitted from the spoils of colonialism. It's a small, impoverished nation with few natural resources and it has extreme restrictive laws regarding women. A noble born woman is trapped in a terrible marriage, she has no access to the outside world and knows that she is in danger. She attempts to flee her marital home for what she hopes will be a better life in a safer place.
Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
4.0
This is a really interesting book with lots of research about the benefits of breathing correctly, and the detriments of mouth breathing and breathing less optimally. There were also several extreme breathing techniques which were discussed which could provide help for some people.
There were a few instances of talking about animal experiments. I listened to the audiobook and the author gave warning, so I skipped that.
This is interesting and a valuable reflection on something we do thousands of times per day. I liked learning about the similarities in breathing techniques (aka meditation and prayer) across unrelated cultures around the world. There are some breathing exercises at the end of the book
There were a few instances of talking about animal experiments. I listened to the audiobook and the author gave warning, so I skipped that.
This is interesting and a valuable reflection on something we do thousands of times per day. I liked learning about the similarities in breathing techniques (aka meditation and prayer) across unrelated cultures around the world. There are some breathing exercises at the end of the book
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty