graywild's reviews
682 reviews

The Carnivale of Curiosities by Amiee Gibbs

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.0

Interesting concept of characters so I thought it would have potential.  Story just took forever to get going and even though it picked up at the end it was still boring.  Supernatural characters, magical beings set around a freak show in the late 1800s or early 1900s. The conflict between 2 of the characters IMO is never really worked out well.  Not recommended.

Open Throat by Henry Hoke

adventurous challenging reflective fast-paced

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

3.5

 POV from a mountain lion living in the hills near the Hollywood Sign. Short book that reads more like a novella.  Engaging story.  Ending is decent. 

King: A Life by Jonathan Eig

dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

Well researched biography of MLK that includes declassified FBI files.  The author tries to present the entire person of MLK.  He was a great leader for civil rights but he also had many flaws.  Highly recommend.

A Good House for Children by Kate Collins

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

2.0

Haunted house story that covers 2 timelines - one in 1970s with a widow, her children and her nanny.  The second is in 2017 with Nick, Orla and their 2 children.  The house is an old gothic house isolated from a village near the sea.  It takes a while for the stories to get going.  Maybe a ghost story. Maybe just psychological disturbance. The ending was unsatisfying.

The Life Impossible by Matt Haig

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

3.75

Grace is a widower living in England who is given a house in Ibiza by a casual person she once worked with.  Her time in Ibiza is an opportunity to heal emotionally. There is a paranormal aspect and an evil developer so this probably gives it a little lower rating.  However, I enjoyed the story and wanted to find out how it was going to end.  I would recommend this story. I also enjoyed The Midnight Library so if you didn't like that story this may or may not be a good one for you. 

Edison's Ghosts: The Untold Weirdness of History's Greatest Geniuses by Katie Spalding

funny informative lighthearted fast-paced

3.75

Fun book on the quirkiness of geniuses.  Everyone has weird habits or beliefs even if they are super smart.  The author writes in a fun, irreverent way that sets the tone for the book.  Some of the stuff I knew, like Tesla and his pigeons.  Alot I didn't know and this is what made the book fun for me.  Each chapter (person) is short so easy to read.  Recommend for some light trivia reading.

Spartacus by Howard Fast

adventurous challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

IMO the movie starring Kirk Douglas and Laurence Olivier is better than the book.  The book covers the story of Spartacus but it goes back and forth from the time of the rebellion to after it is finished.  I'm not sure the characters are completely fleshed out.  At the end there is a decently long section dealing with Varinia (Spartacus' wife) and her life after the rebellion.  Book felt disjointed at times. 

The Centre by Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi

challenging mysterious fast-paced

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

2.5

Anisa find out about The Centre from her boyfriend Adam.  Apparently this organization can make you fluent in a language in 10 days.  Anisa is interested because she translates movies and books for a living.  Interesting concept with a twist.  The story gets bogged down and the ending was unsatisfying for me. 

Cue the Sun!: The Invention of Reality TV by Emily Nussbaum

informative reflective fast-paced

3.5

The 1st half of the book covers very early reality shows like Candid Camera, The Dating Game and The Gong Show.  It transitions into the groundbreaking shows like The Real World and Survivor.  I like the overall bluntness of the book.  Almost all the shows are rigged and edited to present the show the producers want.  The author also calls out the terrible nature of some of these people.  Definitely learned a few new things about Survivor and The Real World.  The 2nd half talks about quite a few shows I didn't really watch like the Bachelor and a bunch of one off shows.  The book finishes with Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and the Apprentice.  I do appreciate the author calling out the problematic nature of using Trump.  Overall if you are fan of reality shows this is the book for you.  If you haven't watched alot of these shows you might not really appreciate the game that is being played. 

The Small and the Mighty: Twelve Unsung Americans Who Changed the Course of History by Sharon McMahon

adventurous challenging informative inspiring fast-paced

3.75

Hard to be me to give higher for a history book but this book was a good one.  Read for a book club.  The book focused on lesser known people who have made a big impact in history.  Chapters are short enough you don't get bogged down by unimportant facts.  Story is compact and moves along.  Recommend as a started book for history.