graywild's reviews
681 reviews

The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

Angrboda is a witch who seems to be able to survive death.  She ends up marrying Loki, the trickster god, and they have 3 children together.  At first Loki seems like an ok god but later in the book he betrays Angrboda and their kids.  By the way Thor and Odin are terrible gods. Angrboda foresees Raganrok (the Norse apocalypse) and tries to figure out a way to save her children and her friend Skadi.  I am not familiar with any Norse mythology and I liked the overall flow of the story.  Recommend.

Lilith by Nikki Marmery

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

1.5

This was an audiobook for me. I haven't read the mythology of Lilith so I was interested in the story. The story starts with Lilith as the first woman/angle/immortal who is the wife of Adam, covers the Bible up thru the Passion of Christ, skips to the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls and end in present day.   Since it covers such a big history there are alot of characters introduced and it dilutes the story IMO. All the males are one dimensional and only there to treat women as child bearers.  All the women are oppressed and many get assaulted/raped over and over again in the book.  I found myself not really caring about the character of Lilith and toward the end found myself zoning out but I wanted to finish.  Not recommended.

Blade of Secrets by Tricia Levenseller

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

3.0

Ziva is a bladesmith who can also apply magic to her weapons - cannot be broken, always hits the target, etc.  She is commissioned by a warlord to make a weapon and Ziva accidentally magics the weapon to have long range striking and reveals the secrets of the victims to the holder of the sword.  She realizes it is too powerful and runs of with her sister, a librarian and a mercenary to try and hide the sword.  The story was ok but not enough to interest me into reading the rest of the series.

The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel

dark tense medium-paced

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

2.0

I really liked Station Eleven so this book was a let down for me.  In the end I didn't care about any of the characters and there were alot of characters. The general story moved at a slow pace for me and it just didn't make me engaged.  Don't recommend.

Cults: Inside the World's Most Notorious Groups and Understanding the People Who Joined Them by Max Cutler

challenging dark informative sad tense medium-paced

3.5

Maybe half of the people I was semi-familiar with and the rest I had not heard of. Decent job of giving background to each person and talking about what psychological problems drove the behavior. Still fascinated about why people would choose to follow people to their deaths.  Common thread seems to be struggles in life, lack of self-esteem, etc. 

But Will You Love Me Tomorrow?: An Oral History of the '60s Girl Groups by Emily Sieu Liebowitz, Laura Flam

challenging dark inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

3.75

Tells the story of the early girl groups from the 60s in interview format.  Many of the group names and songs are recognizable although some I didn't know.  Shocking how young many of the performers were (early teens for many) and as a result many were exploited.  Most didn't get the money they were promised.  Half the book covers the rise of the genre.  The back half covers the time when groups broke up, people were fired, companies moved or were sold.  The last chapter covers in more detail the terrible way Phil Spector treated Ronnie Spector and how that resulted her not singing anymore. 

The Mermaid by Christina Henry

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

This was an audiobook which I do rarely.  Fictionalized story of the Fiji Mermaid.  It covers her time in rural Maine and her employment by PT Barnum.  Interesting concept but at times I felt the characters were flat.  Might have been the narration but I just had a hard time connecting to some of them.  In particular Levi (Barnum's lawyer and Emilia's protector) seemed to clearly care for Emilia but then there was a whole passage where he treated her like property.  Maybe this was trying to reflect the historical period but seemed out of place.  Vacation read.

We'll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida

emotional inspiring fast-paced

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

3.75

Connected short stories about people who are struggling with their mental health and visit a clinic.  The clinic is hard to find and only staffed by a nurse and a doctor.  The doctor listens to their problems and then prescribes a cat for a few weeks to help them.  The experiences with the cats are different with each person but it allows them to see solutions to their issues.  A feel good book with a hint of magical realism implied. 

The Dead of Winter: Beware the Krampus and Other Wicked Christmas Creatures by Sarah Clegg

dark informative fast-paced

2.0

Short book covering the darker side of Christmas traditions.  Most are monsters that seek to punish children who are bad.  Alot of the stories involve murder and beatings.  I knew Krampus but the others I was not familiar with.  Interesting topic but I felt like it was a bit disjointed to read.  Within the chapters, at times, it seemed to go off into topics that were loosely related.

Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten

informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

3.0

I knew who Ina Garten is but I never really watched her show.  Although her parents were very controlling (or perhaps because of this), Ina certainly learned how to take some chances that ultimately ended up being successful for her.  When she bought Barefoot Contessa store in the Hamptons she definitely had to figure out how to be successful in a seasonal business.  Some luck.  Some business savvy.  Alot of hard work.  Its a relatively short book so she doesn't go into depth in TV show and cookbook success but I think you get the overall idea of what she did.  I would recommend as a good vacation read.