User Profile

Blank Slate

BlankSlate@bookwyrm.social

Joined 1 year, 4 months ago

I read books. Whatever strikes my fancy.

This link opens in a pop-up window

Gregg Olsen, Karen Peakes: The Hive (AudiobookFormat, 2021, Brilliance Audio) 4 stars

This is listed as an audio edition but I'm reading the e book.

The Hive

4 stars

A good mystery that I did not figure out halfway through. There's a good selection of unreliable characters with quirks and opathies that made putting this together a lot of fun. The shady new-age charlatan is a modern character that I am finding I enjoy.

David Graeber, David Wengrow: The Dawn of Everything (2022, Allen Lane) 4 stars

A breathtakingly ambitious retelling of the earliest human societies offers a new understanding of world …

The Dawn of Everything

3 stars

I didn't enjoy reading this book but that's not to say it wasn't a good book, or worthwhile. There were some revelations in there for me to enjoy - and I sure did! I told others about this book while reading it - but they were buried inside of too many words. The appendix consumes 48% of this tome but so much more of the text could have safely been stowed there for the detail-starved reader. I was frequently reminded of "Moby Dick" and found myself wondering whether it would be safe to skip whole chunks. I admit to skimming at times. Could be me, this wasn't a popular book for nothing...but I'm so relieved to be finished.

bookstodon #books

David Graeber, David Wengrow: The Dawn of Everything (2022, Allen Lane) 4 stars

A breathtakingly ambitious retelling of the earliest human societies offers a new understanding of world …

I read in bed every night. It seems the more I need to stop and reflect, the faster I fall asleep. I'm falling asleep every few pages on this one so it's slow going. Long winded at times but some interesting stuff to consider. Like, women invented math and science before it got mansplained. I can't wait to finish this book.

Don Winslow: City on Fire (Hardcover, 2021, William Morrow) 4 stars

City On Fire by Don Winslow

3 stars

The story moved along quickly. There were a lot of characters and I had trouble at first keeping track of them. My favorite was Cassie but I didn't get to spend enough time with her. I never developed much emotional attachment to any of the characters; had I cared more for or about them this would've rated higher for me.

Freida McFadden: The Housemaid (Paperback, 2022, Grand Central Publishing) 4 stars

“Welcome to the family,” Nina Winchester says as I shake her elegant, manicured hand. I …

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

4 stars

Great fast read with some fun twists and no deep intellectual commitment required and nothing here to make me worry about the actual real world. I didn't learn anything new and I didn't have any epiphanies...a perfect distraction.

Gabrielle Zevin: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow (Hardcover, 2022, Knopf) 4 stars

In this exhilarating novel, two friends--often in love, but never lovers--come together as creative partners …

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

3 stars

This is the first book I've ever read that I think I am actually too old to appreciate. I'm not a gamer and lack the familiarity with that world that might help me better grasp the literary Easter eggs. I'm sure I missed a few. It's a lovely tale, well-written, with characters I cared about.