demonxore's reviews
107 reviews

This is very much akin to Lovecraft, but if Lovecraft were much better at writing story arcs. The first collection, Songs of a Dead Dreamer, were richer and more enjoyable to me than the set in Grimscribe. 

I can't, in good conscience, give a star rating to this book because I may not have been its intended audience. I believe this book was well researched and painstakingly crafted for academics of war, and I am merely a layperson with a somewhat strong interest in military history. I did learn a few things, but unfortunately most of the details did not lodge themselves securely in my brain.

Space Systems Failures: Disasters and Rescues of Satellites, Rockets, and Space Probes is a really eye-opening compilation of the various failures of space systems missions including scientific NASA missions, commercial launches, and defense programs around the world. This book will make you much more vigilant in designing space systems. If you think flubbing units or coordinate systems is not that big of a deal, add up the millions (or billions?) of dollars lost to these trivial mistakes in production launches. 

This is a decent summary of Russian history from the beginning of the formal Russian empire to the end of the Gorbachev era. As with most survey works, this history doesn't delve very deep into any single topic. Thankfully, though, this history isn't limited to just the lives and actions of the ruling groups and elite classes.The instructor, Professor Mark Steinberg, provides supplementary cultural context by examining the lives, problems, thoughts, and feelings of the common Russian people throughout this era. Despite its length, it's a worthwhile audio course for those interested in an understandable surface-level overview of Russian history. 

This was a very moving set of accounts from survivors of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11th, 2001. It was very long, but powerful and important. For the length, I wish there had been more about the political fallout and later effects.

This series is pretty thought-provoking. I rarely read series, but since this was originally planned as a quartet with a fully developed arc, I am making an exception for Terra Ignota. I wish I knew more about philosophy so I could really understand the references to historical thinkers, but the story is still great even if I can't fully appreciate the depth of research.

This book was a good introduction to the atrocities of colonial Congo, but I feel like it is incomplete with regard to how historical events set the stage for perpetuated strife in the region. The ending feels rushed and loosely strung together. Hopefully there is another book out there that picks up where this leaves off. 

Reading "Seymour: An Introduction"  admittedly feels like work, but " Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters" is a brilliantly architected and beautifully constructed short story. I love the intro dedication* (it feels very personal, especially during the several intentional dialogues Buddy Glass initiates with the reader in "Seymour"), and it was a large factor in helping me stay the course through to the (ultimately satisfying) end of "Seymour." 

Although I still don't see what all the fuss is about with The Catcher in the Rye (what a phoney that Caulfield guy is, eh?), I still adore the rest of the Salinger oevre and look forward to the set of posthumous works his surviving family will be publishing in the coming decade. 

*DEDICATION: "If there is an amateur reader still left in the world—or anybody who just reads and runs—I ask him or her, with untellable affection and gratitude, to split the dedication of this book four ways with my wife and children." - J. D. Salinger, dedication from  “Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters" and "Seymour: An Introduction"

Knowing nothing about the book when I started, I didn't expect it to be something of a 1930s Jane Austen novel. The most pleasant surprises were the elements of witchcraft/paganism sprinkled throughout, like a mild and sweet version of We Have Always Lived in the Castle. There were many frustrating moments though, and I feel so bad for poor Stephen. He deserves the world and I would gladly love him! Overall a decent book and very well narrated on Audible by Jenny Agutter.