2021/12/20
BOOK REVIEW:
CHASE DARKNESS WITH ME BY BILLY JENSEN
I N C L U D E S A F F I L I A T E L I N K S
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Title: Chase Darkness With MeAuthor: Billy Jensen
Published: 2021
Language: English
Pages: 368
Rating: 3/5
Summary:
Billy Jensen, an investigative journalist, recounts his 15 plus year career and his drive to look into and solve unsolved cases, and how he went about trying to find endings to all of these stories he kept encountering.
Review:
I've known about Billy Jensen ever since I read I'll Be Gone In The Dark, and have since encountered him on several podcasts. I really enjoy listening to his stories and his insights, and so of course, I quite enjoyed this book.
My favorite thing about this book was reading about Jensen and his father, and I wish we had gotten to read even more about it. It's clear how important his father was to him, and still is, and it really shines through. I also enjoyed reading about his friendship with Michelle McNamara (the author of I'll Be Gone in the Dark), and how important this community of non-police people who investigate crimes is for him.
Another thing that makes this book stand out is the exploration of social media and how the author used it in his investigations, and what an amazing tool it can be (although not always). It's a very interesting part of our current world that I think is often overlooked, and is very interesting to read about.
It was very interesting to read about the different cases Jensen tells us about in this book, although some of them feel a bit scattered about, and I felt like I never quite got into a good rhythm with this. I also felt it got quite repetitive after a while, and the whole thing felt a bit all over the place.
I'm glad I read this though, and for fans of true crime, I think this is a very interesting read.
You can get this book at The Book Depository (affiliate link)
You can read more about it on Goodreads
2021/12/16
2021/12/14
2021/12/13
BOOK REVIEW:
A LIFE ON OUR PLANET BY DAVID ATTENBOROUGH
I N C L U D E S A F F I L I A T E L I N K S
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Title: A Life On Our Planet: My Witness Statement and Vision for the FutureAuthor: David Attenborough
Published: 2020
Language: English
Pages: 266
Rating: 4/5
Summary:
In this book, Attenborough, world famous broadcaster and natural historian, recounts his extraordinary experiences with nature throughout his life and explores how much has changed in his 94 years on Earth.
Review:
This was a fantastic read, which doesn't surprise me at all.
Like a lot of other people, I'm a big fan of this authors nature documentaries and I thought reading a book detailing his view on the natural world and our current climate crisis would be very interesting; and it was. Just like in his documentaries, you can truly tell how much he loves and cares about the natural world, and I really liked how he explained exactly why it's so important to preserve it.
There's a lot of information in this book, including a lot of statistics, and it's a lot to take in. I always feel a bit depressed reading books about the climate, because there's a sense of hopelessness to me about it, but I really like that Attenborough deftly takes us through how we may be able to reverse it and how not all hope is lost.
I actually think this is a great book to start with if you haven't read any nonfiction books on this subject; Attenborough's voice is strong and steady, the book is not too long, and the whole thing is a bit depressing but not overwhelmingly so.
I also want to add that I listened to the audiobook of this, but found it quite helpful to have the book in hand while I was listening. Attenborough has a great storytelling voice, so I really enjoyed it, but it's also the first audiobook I've ever got through, so I don't have anything to compare it to.
You can get this book at The Book Depository (affiliate link)
You can read more about it on Goodreads
You can read more about it on Goodreads
2021/12/09
2021/12/07
BOOK REVIEW:
A LONG WAY GONE BY ISHMAEL BEAH
I N C L U D E S A F F I L I A T E L I N K S
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Title: A Long Way GoneAuthor: Ishmael Beah
Published: 2007
Language: English
Pages: 230
Rating: 3/5
Summary:
This is the devastating story of a child soldier, who at the age of twelve saw his home country descend into chaos and war, and by the time he was thirteen, he had been recruited by the government army.
Review:
I've had this book for such a long time, and I'm glad I finally got around to reading it.
This is a courageous and horrific book all at once. The authors story is heartbreaking, and it takes a lot of bravery to share it with the world. It's a story of pain and war, and trying to grow up and make sense of the world in the middle of it all.
The strongest part of this book, for me, was the telling of what happened after, so the last third of the book; trying to come to terms with what has happened, trying to grapple with grief and trying to return to the rest of the world from such a nightmare existence.
I will say, I did find the ending a bit abrupt though, and I would have liked to get a little bit more out of it. I think the book tells an important story, one that everyone should know of, but it was less of an emotional read than I had anticipated, as parts of it, understandably, felt a bit detached.
It's definitely worth the read though, especially if you know little about this conflict and want a human and personal view of it (which everyone should have).
You can get this book at The Book Depository (affiliate link)
You can read more about it on Goodreads
You can read more about it on Goodreads
2021/12/04
BOOK REVIEW:
SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EYES BY CAITLIN DOUGHTY
I N C L U D E S A F F I L I A T E L I N K S
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Title: Smoke Gets In Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the CrematoryAuthor: Caitlin Doughty
Published: 2014
Language: English
Pages: 254
Rating: 4/5
Summary:
After finishing a degree in medieval history in her twenties, Caitlin Doughty took a job at a crematory, taking a journey into and learning to navigate the secret world of the dead and the death industry.
Review:
This is my third book by this author, and it's no surprise that I really enjoyed this.
It always feels a bit weird to say one has enjoyed a book about death, but I always enjoy Doughty's books and they all deal with it, so there's obviously something about the way she writes that really demystifies the whole thing. This is an honest book, both personally and professionally, and it's both respectful and funny all at once.
It was really interesting to get to read about the authors beginning; I've followed her on social media for years and already read her other books, so it was fascinating to see how she came into this industry and this fascination, as well as where she came from.
Reading Doughty's books and seeing her work online has actually really helped me; things are always more terrifying when you know so little about it, and learning more about death and the process that comes after has opened my eyes and my mind. The facts about death and dying, and coming to terms with your own mortality, coupled with a morbid and dry sense of humor make for both an interesting and educational memoir, and I very much enjoyed this.
You can get this book at The Book Depository (affiliate link)
You can read more about it on Goodreads
You can read more about it on Goodreads
2021/12/03
2021/12/02
2021/11/28
2021/11/25
BOOK HAUL:
NOVEMBER
I N C L U D E S A F F I L I A T E L I N K S
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The holiday season is just around the corner and November is coming to an end! Time always flies so fast this time of year, and I'm getting ready for the busiest time of year at work. I still got a bunch of books this month though, optimistically thinking I'll get to some of them before the end of 2021. We'll see though! If not, there's always next year.
( a f f i l i a t e l i n k s )
The Mummy Case by Elizabeth Peters
The Mummy Case by Elizabeth Peters
Hope you're all having a lovely day!
2021/11/23
BOOK REVIEW:
THE HAUNTING OF ASHBURN HOUSE BY DARCY COATES
I N C L U D E S A F F I L I A T E L I N K S
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Title: The Haunting of Ashburn HouseAuthor: Darcy Coates
Published: 2016
Language: English
Pages: 342
Rating: 3/5
Summary:
A woman moves into an infamous house on the outskirts of a little town, a house she has suddenly inherited from a family member she didn't know existed, but soon finds that there's definitely something off about the place and that somewhere, somehow, someone is watching her.
Review:
This was quite a fun and spooky book, but it did take a while to really get going for me.
I think the premise of this book is really interesting, and I was very intrigued when I started this; we've got a main character who is sort of at the end of her wits and her only option is to move into this house with her cat (which I loved by the way), and as she's there, she finds out more about her family's past and everything that's happened in the house, all the while getting the sense that there's something wrong with the house.
All of that is really interesting, but I felt like after the initial intriguing part, there was a lot in the middle here where I didn't feel as interested for some reason. It might have something to do with the characters, like they were fine, but probably not great and definitely not particularly memorable to me. I also think because we spend basically the entire book with just one character and she's not all that interesting, it gets a little bit boring.
It just felt very slow to me for a long time, but I kept going, and towards the end, things definitely picked up and got very exciting. I didn't know where the story was going, so I was surprised and intrigued and really enjoyed reading the last part.
So it ended up being a bit of a mixed bag for me, but I did like the spooky parts, I liked the setting and the house and I was very sucked in towards the end (even if it took me forever to get there).
You can get this book at The Book Depository (affiliate link)
You can read more about it on Goodreads
You can read more about it on Goodreads
2021/11/21
2021/11/20
BOOK REVIEW:
THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE BY SHIRLEY JACKSON
I N C L U D E S A F F I L I A T E L I N K S
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Title: The Haunting of Hill HouseAuthor: Shirley Jackson
Published: 1959
Language: English
Pages: 246
Rating: 3/5
Summary:
Four strangers come together at an old house known as Hill House at the request of a doctor seeking solid evidence for paranormal phenomena.
Review:
I quite liked this book, although at the end of it I felt a little underwhelmed, just like I did when I read We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Jackson.
My favorite thing about this book is definitely the house where everything takes place; I felt like I could really picture it and I could really feel how wrong the whole place felt. You get a true sense of how easy it is to get lost in the house; it's almost like its own character. There are several scenes where something decisively scary happens in the house, and I really liked those as well.
I liked reading about the characters, even though I probably didn't feel a strong connection to any of them, or particularly liked them all that much. It was interesting to see how they fared throughout the book and as you read, you do question wether or not you can trust these people, or if they're really sane.
I think I just expected this to be scarier and more exciting than I felt it was; sometimes I think the story meanders a bit and we go on tangents I didn't find particularly interesting. I'm glad I read this though, because the haunted house part of the story was excellent.
You can get this book at The Book Depository (affiliate link)
You can read more about it on Goodreads
You can read more about it on Goodreads
2021/11/19
2021/11/16
BOOK REVIEW:
A SECRET HISTORY OF WITCHES BY LOUISA MORGAN
I N C L U D E S A F F I L I A T E L I N K S
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Title: A Secret History of WitchesAuthor: Louisa Morgan
Published: 2017
Language: English
Pages: 528
Rating: 3/5
Summary:
In this historical saga starting off in the early 1800's and ending with World War II, we follow five generations of witches, all born with extraordinary gifts which puts them in danger.
Review:
I really, really enjoyed reading this book and felt thoroughly sucked into the story.
The book is split into five parts and in each one, we follow a woman from the same line of witches, each in their own time period. We follow mother and daughters across more than a hundred years, and I adored seeing the different women, some of which are more likeable than others, which in my book is a good thing. It was fascinating to see the relationships between mothers and daughters, and the passing on of the craft. It's a perfect blend of family saga and sorcery.
The start of the book grabs you right away and is filled with magic, danger and great atmosphere, and I really liked the different settings we got to see. The first two parts were especially suspenseful, and I felt like the women really were in danger, being constantly hunted and having to hide. Unfortunately though, I felt like that suspense lessened as we went on; the book keeps telling us that the witches need to hide and that they're always at risk, but I didn't actually feel like they were, so it lost me a bit towards the end there.
I also think that some of the perspectives are too similar and now that I've had some space from the book, only a couple of them stand out to me. That being said, this was very entertaining, and like I said, I felt really sucked into the story. I do think the book is a tad too long, but I flew through it anyways, which doesn't always happen to me with longer books.
If you liked historical fiction stories about witches, this is definitely worth the read.
You can get this book at The Book Depository (affiliate link)
You can read more about it on Goodreads
You can read more about it on Goodreads
2021/11/13
BOOK REVIEW:
THE WITCHES OF NEW YORK BY AMI MCKAY
I N C L U D E S A F F I L I A T E L I N K S
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Title: The Witches of New YorkAuthor: Ami McKay
Published: 2017
Language: English
Pages: 545
Rating: 4/5
Summary:
Set in New York in 1880, a young woman leaves her home for the big city and starts working for two witches in a very special teashop, and soon finds she herself has surprising abilities she never knew of, abilities some people find fascinating and others the work of the Devil.
Review:
This was fantastic!
This is exactly the kind of historical fiction with witchcraft in it that I like; I loved the setting of New York in this and how electric it felt, I loved the little tea shop, I really enjoyed the different supernatural creatures we meet in here and just the magic itself was great, like both the witchcraft and the magical world, which is our world just with... supernatural stuff in it, which is my favorite.
The characters in here were also wonderful, although it took be a bit of time to establish who was who in the beginning. Once I got to know them all though, I just loved reading about them, although some of the characters we meet are absolutely insane, because we don't just follow these witches, we also get to read from the perspectives of some of the people around them which was very interesting. I really enjoyed the exploration of the magic, but also the time, and how witchcraft of this time intersected and crashed with religion.
This is like the perfect blend of historical fiction, the supernatural and wonderful female characters, and it was an excellent autumn read for me. It is also a bit on the longer side, but it didn't really bother me, I enjoyed pretty much every bit of it.
You can get this book at The Book Depository (affiliate link)
You can read more about it on Goodreads
You can read more about it on Goodreads
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