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rjsetserauthor's reviews
859 reviews
Death Without Company by Craig Johnson
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Rape
Grieving Dads: To the Brink and Back by David Dicola, Kelly Farley
emotional
5.0
Rating this 5 stars because there are too few books for dads who've lost a child, and this one is very well written. There is a lot of commentary about what it feels like to be a grieving dad (or parent) and as a wife, I related to a lot of what each of these dads said. I was able to recognize my husband's struggle with grief. We went through this book together and I'm glad we did; it opened up conversation topics for us and gave me (the wife) a different perspective and way of helping my husband where other books geared towards women were completely useless.
Cautions: There are a lot of stories, not terribly graphic, but I couldn't read them and neither could my husband. Our story is still too fresh. There is also some cursing, but honestly, I think that made the book more relatable because when you're in this situation, sometimes the only words that encapsulate the right feelings are curse words.
I recommend this book especially to anyone who may know a grieving dad, because as someone on the outside, you might not know how to help someone in this situation. These dads shared both their frustrations and comforts from how those around them responded to them, and most of the time, what you think will "help" might actually hurt very deeply.
Cautions: There are a lot of stories, not terribly graphic, but I couldn't read them and neither could my husband. Our story is still too fresh. There is also some cursing, but honestly, I think that made the book more relatable because when you're in this situation, sometimes the only words that encapsulate the right feelings are curse words.
I recommend this book especially to anyone who may know a grieving dad, because as someone on the outside, you might not know how to help someone in this situation. These dads shared both their frustrations and comforts from how those around them responded to them, and most of the time, what you think will "help" might actually hurt very deeply.
The Cold Dish: A Longmire Mystery by Craig Johnson
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
5.0
The Cold Dish is now going to be the book I recommend to anyone looking for Western reads.
Longmire has a dry, sarcastic sense of humor and each of the characters has such vibrant personalities that it's difficult to believe this is fiction. I had no prior introduction to Longmire before reading this book (for book club), but after this one, I'm a fan. Walt is such a loveable character.
"I'm a loveable slob."
The depth of the male-emotion in this story, accompanied by strong female characters, also surprised me. When I think of "Westerns", my mind goes to John Wayne-type stories, so I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting so many solid female characters who played such large roles in the story. And I loved every one the women in this book. But even more, I loved how Walt carried himself and that we saw his emotionally vulnerable side (because I feel like men processing emotions isn't often shown in stories). He isn't perfect, but he's a pretty stand-up guy and I'm really glad he's our main character.
"The older I get, the more I think I look like a muppet."
"Oh please, all the women in town chase you. Can you imagine if you were good-looking to boot?"
As far as the story goes, I never lost interest. It's the perfect pace of Walt living his life and trying to solve the case. It's both exciting and tugs on the heartstrings. Overall, I really enjoyed it!
Content disclaimers: High cursing content and some mild s3xual jokes made. No on-page s3x, but the topic is prevalent considering the nature of the case and can become mildly descriptive. There's no gory descriptions regarding the cases, but the action does pick up towards the end, so expect a lot of *pew pew* action.
Longmire has a dry, sarcastic sense of humor and each of the characters has such vibrant personalities that it's difficult to believe this is fiction. I had no prior introduction to Longmire before reading this book (for book club), but after this one, I'm a fan. Walt is such a loveable character.
"I'm a loveable slob."
The depth of the male-emotion in this story, accompanied by strong female characters, also surprised me. When I think of "Westerns", my mind goes to John Wayne-type stories, so I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting so many solid female characters who played such large roles in the story. And I loved every one the women in this book. But even more, I loved how Walt carried himself and that we saw his emotionally vulnerable side (because I feel like men processing emotions isn't often shown in stories). He isn't perfect, but he's a pretty stand-up guy and I'm really glad he's our main character.
"The older I get, the more I think I look like a muppet."
"Oh please, all the women in town chase you. Can you imagine if you were good-looking to boot?"
As far as the story goes, I never lost interest. It's the perfect pace of Walt living his life and trying to solve the case. It's both exciting and tugs on the heartstrings. Overall, I really enjoyed it!
Content disclaimers: High cursing content and some mild s3xual jokes made. No on-page s3x, but the topic is prevalent considering the nature of the case and can become mildly descriptive. There's no gory descriptions regarding the cases, but the action does pick up towards the end, so expect a lot of *pew pew* action.
Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli
Did not finish book. Stopped at 10%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 10%.
Don't care for the blood magic use.
Pawsitive Beginnings by Leighann Dobbs
mysterious
fast-paced
2.0
I expected a quick mystery because of the page count (81 pages) but I didn't expect the story to feel like the synopsis of a longer novel. It was rushed, the storytelling was clipped and poorly edited, and the resolution was a little ridiculous. I wanted a cozy cat mystery, but this just didn't do it for me. Maybe the full series is better, but I read this to get a feel for the series as a whole, so it's unfortunate that I didn't care for it.
Unleash the Cosmos: A Space Poetry Anthology by Nathaniel Luscombe, Jenni Sauer
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Alchemist For Hire by Devon Van De Zandt
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
4.0
"We're only alive by sheer luck, aren't we? We're a bunch of idiots."
I laughed so much while reading Alchemist for Hire! It's a chaotic fantasy adventure that honestly felt like a DnD session. I'm fairly certain the characters were rolling dice to see if their plans would work, because the plot was so unpredictable and the characters never reacted the way I thought they would. Absolute chaos. Hysterical chaos, but still chaos.
The dialogue is top-tier sarcasm. I highlighted so many conversations and often read them aloud to my husband because of their brilliance. There were even some instances where I didn't know if the characters were being serious or sarcastic, and I rarely encounter that kind of scenario where I'm second-guessing myself in books, so *hats off*.
"You are an exotic beauty, with eyes like stars, as far apart as they can be. The only thing that can rival the smoothness of your skin is the worn cobblestones of the palace courtyard."
I do have some content disclaimers for you: Lots of cursing accompanied by vulgar language and topics that fall in line with dirty humor. Most of it was mild and, like I said, I laughed throughout most of the book, but my husband was in the military, so I've developed a sense of humor that most would not expect of me. There were a few jokes and situations that were a bit over the top for my taste, but for the most part, I'd say it's mild to medium on the scale of dirty humor, depending on your tolerance.
Romance: S3xual jokes and conversations are prevalent, but there's no on-page spice.
Action: Gore is mentioned and can get a little gross (my notes app has a few of the green emoji faces in it), but its involvement is more for humor than horror elements (if that makes sense?).
Overall, I would read the rest of the series, but I would only recommend it to a *few* of my reader friends who have specific senses of humor :)
I laughed so much while reading Alchemist for Hire! It's a chaotic fantasy adventure that honestly felt like a DnD session. I'm fairly certain the characters were rolling dice to see if their plans would work, because the plot was so unpredictable and the characters never reacted the way I thought they would. Absolute chaos. Hysterical chaos, but still chaos.
The dialogue is top-tier sarcasm. I highlighted so many conversations and often read them aloud to my husband because of their brilliance. There were even some instances where I didn't know if the characters were being serious or sarcastic, and I rarely encounter that kind of scenario where I'm second-guessing myself in books, so *hats off*.
"You are an exotic beauty, with eyes like stars, as far apart as they can be. The only thing that can rival the smoothness of your skin is the worn cobblestones of the palace courtyard."
I do have some content disclaimers for you: Lots of cursing accompanied by vulgar language and topics that fall in line with dirty humor. Most of it was mild and, like I said, I laughed throughout most of the book, but my husband was in the military, so I've developed a sense of humor that most would not expect of me. There were a few jokes and situations that were a bit over the top for my taste, but for the most part, I'd say it's mild to medium on the scale of dirty humor, depending on your tolerance.
Romance: S3xual jokes and conversations are prevalent, but there's no on-page spice.
Action: Gore is mentioned and can get a little gross (my notes app has a few of the green emoji faces in it), but its involvement is more for humor than horror elements (if that makes sense?).
Overall, I would read the rest of the series, but I would only recommend it to a *few* of my reader friends who have specific senses of humor :)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing and Sexual content
The Legends of Rasa, Vol. I: A Cozy Slice-of-Life Fantasy Story Collection by Effie Joe Stock
fast-paced
4.5
Within Her Thoughts by K. Vincent
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
4.25
I met this author at a signing, where she shared her beautiful story of overcoming darkness and why she wrote these books.
Her poetry is raw and holds nothing back. She's honest with her readers and her words reveal her struggles with inner demons. Her constant pull and shove of trying to overcome deadly thoughts throughout her poems is powerful imagery. I love the progress made through the collection, from dark to light, as we witness her overcoming her darkest moments and thriving in happiness and love towards the end.
Her poetry is raw and holds nothing back. She's honest with her readers and her words reveal her struggles with inner demons. Her constant pull and shove of trying to overcome deadly thoughts throughout her poems is powerful imagery. I love the progress made through the collection, from dark to light, as we witness her overcoming her darkest moments and thriving in happiness and love towards the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm
Moderate: Cursing, Drug use, Sexual violence, and Grief
I will issue a trigger warning, however, as her imagery can be intense and hard to read, especially if you relate to the content. Also, the hardback is illustrated and there were a few photos that will be triggering to anyone who has dealt with self-harm. There were a few poems with cursing (including strong language) and one containing references to sexual abuse.