dyslexzak's reviews
255 reviews

The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea by Sebastian Junger

adventurous dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

3.5

The extreme technical detail will put some people off.
I greatly enjoyed the depth with which the author explored the history of the town and the inhabitants.

The way the author took similar examples from survivors of other disasters and storms was unique and a compelling way of keeping the drama without fictionalising events.

She: Understanding Feminine Psychology by Robert A. Johnson

lighthearted mysterious reflective

3.5

An interesting dive into the meanings and symbolism of stories.

He: Understanding Masculine Psychology by Robert A. Johnson

lighthearted mysterious reflective medium-paced

3.5

An interesting dive into the meanings and symbolism of stories.

The King Within: Accessing the King in the Male Psyche by Douglas Gillette, Robert L. Moore

hopeful informative reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

4.0

Fascinating thoughts. I’ll definitely look out some more of their books on the subject and probably revisit this one.

Perennial Seller: The Art of Making and Marketing Work That Lasts by Ryan Holiday

challenging hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced

5.0

No fluff, no nonsense. This book is exactly what it says on the tin. All told through Ryan Holiday’s signature concise and simple stile.

The Evolved Nest: Nature's Way of Raising Children and Creating Connected Communities by Darcia Narvaez, G.A. Bradshaw

emotional hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing medium-paced

3.5

The near constant mention of western science doing something or other from colonial… blah, blah, got a bit grating.
And the slight over idealisation of native communities and cultures was a bit much.

In truth, without the introduction by Gabor Mate I doubt I’d have continued to the end. And that would have been a shame because this is a nice little book, with a good heart, and interesting science told very well.

The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday, Stephen Hanselman

informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

4.5

This was a really nice way of integrating Stoicism into my life.

Would recommend to anyone.

The Haunting Season: Ghostly Tales for Long Winter Nights by Natasha Pulley, Laura Purcell, Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Bridget Collins, Sara Collins, Jess Kidd, Andrew Michael Hurley, Imogen Hermes Gowar, Elizabeth Macneal

dark emotional mysterious 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

3.5

I appreciate how similar the stories are in length.
They all have a wonderful atmosphere about them which is exactly what you want from an anthology like this.

Some were better than others, but all were worth the read.

The Black Gang by Sapper

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.5

For me this story is elevated from what it could be by the relationships between Drummond and his gang of friends, and Drummond and his wife Phillis.

Drummond is the main man, but every character gets their little chance to shine. I appreciate that.

Battle Royale by Koushun Takami

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

3.5

I was worried about keeping track of the unfamiliar names, but the characterisation of the rather large cast made it easy.

Some interesting side plots and twists throughout.