andycroll's reviews
107 reviews

Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell

funny lighthearted 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? Yes

4.0

Somewhere between Pullman and Potter with imagination to burn and some poetic turns of phrase.

61 Hours by Lee Child

adventurous lighthearted mysterious relaxing fast-paced

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

4.5

One of Child’s best. There’s even a cliffhanger ending! Books joining together! GASP.

Will make an excellent series of the TV show.

Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain, and Body by Daniel Goleman, Richard J. Davidson

informative slow-paced

3.0

Interesting findings, but the authors do like to spend time name dropping and “adding colour” to the most interesting insights. Which would fill a pamphlet for the layman meditator.

I’m none the wiser as to the proven level of permanent benefits for normal folk, those not prone to retreats of living as monks.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

adventurous 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? No

4.0

Pandemic-relevant. Much more interesting as it went along and darted around the times before and after.

Layered Design for Ruby on Rails Applications: Discover practical design patterns for maintainable web applications by Vladimir Dementyev

informative medium-paced

4.0

Solid technical read.

Why Did You Stay?: A memoir about self-worth by Rebecca Humphries

challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

4.0

Surprisingly solid self-examination in the glare of a public moment.

Feel-Good Productivity: How to Do More of What Matters to You by Ali Abdaal

lighthearted medium-paced

3.0

It’s a perfectly fine puppyish rehash and summary of other life improvement works

Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child

adventurous relaxing fast-paced

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

4.0

Solid. Generally less successful when “taking on world issues” but improves by the end.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence and Violence

Moderate: Sexual content

Keep Going: 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad by Austin Kleon

hopeful reflective fast-paced

4.0

Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? by Julie Smith

informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

Not a lot new here, but a book I’d recommmend to folks wary or nervous of therapeutic intervention. Comprehensive, unthreatening, useful.