dyslexzak's reviews
246 reviews

The Tales of Max Carrados by Ernest Bramah

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

This was an interesting listen.
I loved the variety in the cases and investigations Carrados found himself in.
If you’re a fan of the Sherlock Holmes stories (especially the Stephen Fry narrated audio collection), you’ll like this.
Priest of Bones by Peter McLean

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I bought this book on the recommendation of Slowly Red on YouTube. He had it in his Grimdark Reading Guide video.
I have to say, it didn’t feel like true Grimdark to me.

It is a dark fantasy with a focus on characters over magic. Back alley business over royal politics. And gang warfare over epic battles.
Slowly Red likened it to Peaky Blinders, but with magic and I think if a dark, low fantasy version of Peaky Blinders sounds appealing to you, you won’t be disappointed by this book.
The Throne of Bones by Brian McNaughton

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • 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

I found this collection quite hit and miss. The names for people and places were quite strange and hard to follow.
I took notes and read very consciously and still didn’t find it easy to follow all the connections of characters and timelines, though it did help.

Some of the stories were interesting. It was humorous to see all the ways women could end up naked for extended periods of time.
All in all, the writing style felt like it could have been from a century before it was and that made it hard to get through. It will be great for some, but not for me.
Hard to recommend.
This is Not America: Why Black Lives in Britain Matter by Tomiwa Owolade

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informative reflective slow-paced

3.0

This is interesting, but I found it slow at the start.
Writing Creative Nonfiction by Tilar J. Mazzeo

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 4%.
I’ve moved on from my non-fiction projects for a while.
I’ll probably comeback to it.
Atrocitology: Humanity's 100 Deadliest Achievements - Kindle Edition by Matthew White

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad fast-paced

4.5

This is an excellent read. The short chapters meant I could read one or two a day and get through the frighteningly long book in no time.
I appreciated the detail, and how the author was able to summarise what were often quite complex events.

Very interesting.
Berserk, Vol. 22 by Kentaro Miura

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I found the beginning of this volume quite slow, but the latter third and particularly the final two chapters were really good.
I'll continue the series, but I hope we get into this arc quicker now. I know it's the longest one, but I hope that doesn't mean the pace will be taking a hit.
Death Not Episode 0: Death Eraser by Takeshi Obata, Tsugumi Ohba, Tsugumi Ohba

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dark mysterious medium-paced

3.5

It's fascinating to see where it began, but I don't think starting here is the best option.
It also repeats itself a little in the middle.
Mythology of the British Isles by Geoffrey Ashe

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adventurous informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing fast-paced

4.5

The format of short chapters on a variety of subjects is one that I really enjoy.
I felt that there was a good amount of details in each. I’ve researched this subject before and still there were things on topics I’d looked into that I hadn’t come across before.

I really enjoyed it and will probably read it again.
American Made: Who Killed Barry Seal? Pablo Escobar or George HW Bush by Shaun Attwood

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adventurous challenging dark informative mysterious reflective slow-paced

3.0

It’s a fascinating story.
I love Shaun Attwood’s writing. So informative and the details really bring it to life.
A good chunk of this book goes over information on Pablo Escobar that is also in one of his other books, which felt like a bit of a shame for me. Though it would obviously be very helpful for people who hadn’t read it.