oliverlang's reviews
151 reviews

The Last Days of the Dinosaurs: An Asteroid, Extinction, and the Beginning of Our World by Riley Black

informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

Hello Tyrannosaurus meet ~~Tyrannicide~~ the rest of our prehistoric ancestors

A really great insight into the days before and after the K-Pg event that challenged and changed life on earth.

I don't read a whole lot of non-fiction work as I struggle to get absorbed but in parts, this incredibly descriptive book read like fiction.

Riley Black uses science supported findings to paint a vivid picture of what life might have been like for individual creatures (not just the dinosaurs) before a giant lump of celestial rock slammed into our inherited planet. Black eloquently explains what likely happened in the days and years after The Event that caused a sequence of events to unfold putting life on earth through the ultimate stress test.

Be More Snail: find joy and thrive by living in the slow lane by Pop Press

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slow-paced

2.0

The Godbreaker by Mike Brooks

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald

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

1.5

If oatmeal were a book.

I read this for a reading challenge and it was perfectly 'nice' sure but oh my god it was so bland...

And what's with the random ghost?? It's almost like it was added in there to make something about this novel exciting and it just couldn't. And the ending was just like they got bored writing and left it there.

Can't imagine why this was made into a film, sorry, Penelope.

The Whale Tattoo by Jon Ransom

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dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.5

Minus half a ⭐ for the 43 uses of the word Underpants.

This book took me by surprise a little bit. It was raw and dark which I find is something I don't often come across in Queer fiction. I think that Queer fiction commonly gravitates to displaying Queer joy since our joy is often something that is stolen from us in real life. Fiction naturally seeks to remedy that and provide an escape from these hardships which I do love and appreciate, however it was a certain type of refreshing to read such an unfiltered work of fiction.

The Whale Tattoo dove deep into the experience of Love, Loss and mental health. It has strong themes of homophobia, depression and death but was beautifully written with stunning imagery. This book is not remotely light hearted in nature but Ransom has made it a work of art.

Content Warnings