beardedbarista's reviews
724 reviews

The Algebra of Wealth: A Simple Formula for Financial Security by Scott Galloway

informative inspiring medium-paced

5.0

I want to thank PRHaudio for this complimentary audio book! This book does such a great job in helping you understand creating wealth, keeping it and developing financial security. Galloway pulls no punches on putting your time and money in perspective to make sure you are taking care of you and your families future. Definitely recommend this book!

The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton
Did not finish book. Stopped at 25%.

I just couldn't do it anymore. The whole plot was too much and my patience for finding out what was going on was exhausted. I tried and just couldn't

Every Beautiful Mile by

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

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

5.0

The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious sad fast-paced

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

4.0

This was a fun and lighthearted, kind of magical book! A mix of Nancy Drew and Charlie and The Chocolate Factory... Some of the stuff that happens in this book was a stretch but I think the whimsical nature of the old author reuniting some of his favorite readers for a chance to win the last manuscript of his stories was so great! (That's what the book was about) Sort of. It was also about facing your fears and taking on responsibility. The cover and title at a glance kind of give you a different idea of this book but it's still a solid and short read.

Very Bad Company by Emma Rosenblum

funny lighthearted mysterious tense 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? No

5.0

Thanks so much to MacMillan Audio for this complimentary audiobook!  I loved this book from the start! I had a great time listening to all the perspectives and didn't mind(for once) the multiple view points. And while the stakes were pretty low I found myself caught up with the Aurora Company retreat and all the nefarious dealings. I can't wait to read Rosenblums other book and definitely recommend this one for a fun read this summer!

When Among Crows by Veronica Roth

dark tense fast-paced

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

2.25

Thanks to MacMillan Audio for this complimentary audiobook! I didn't really know what to expect going into this except for it was a short book. And I think that was what really hurt this story. I didn't feel like I got quite enough world building and character development. This could have either been expanded or shortened for maybe a story in a short story collection. I just couldn't keep my attention on the story and I didn't care enough about the characters.

Raising Mentally Strong Kids: How to Combine the Power of Neuroscience with Love and Logic to Grow Confident, Kind, Responsible, and Resilient Children and Young Adults by MD Amen

challenging emotional informative inspiring medium-paced

5.0

I love taking a break from fiction to work on myself or my relationships and family. This book was fantastic. It did make me really analyze how I parent my daughter and also how me and my wife interact around her. If you care about the well being of your child this book is a must. 

Locklands by Robert Jackson Bennett

adventurous challenging dark tense 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? Yes

2.25

Yall... I wanted to love this trilogy but words. This book series got more and more hard to stomach with each book. AND I DIDN'T want it to! I think it started with the book being a different size and different bind than the other two. Then it had a HUGE time shift and just gave no reason why. It introduced a TON of new stuff and I was just hoping for resolution... not more revelations( at least not new world building kind). It just felt like he dug a hole of a book and was just making up new magical tech to climb himself out of it. I would love to discuss this book with someone who really loved it to maybe make the math math for me.  

Snowglobe by Soyoung Park

adventurous emotional lighthearted tense 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? It's complicated

3.5

The Haunting of Velkwood by Gwendolyn Kiste

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Thanks to SagaPress for this free gift! This was a short and eerie read! Take IT and Wanda Vision and you have The Haunting Of Velkwood! Definitely a book about family trauma and repressed emotions from a past life with secret the whole town paid for(or street in the case of this book). There is a bit of a twist at the end and while the book has a real mystique to it, it sticks with you and keeps you thinking about it long after its done. This would have made for a good book club book. I def need to bounce this book off some people so let me know if you read it and what you think! Glad to be part of the SagaSaysCrew and thanks again to Saga for the book!