graywild's reviews
511 reviews

The Odyssey by Homer

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

reread of this classic.  It tells the story of the journey of Odysseus from the war with Troy back home to Ithaca.  Because he blinded the Cyclops, Poseidon punishes him and vows not to let him return home.  Adventures that he encounters are the Cyclops, Scylla, the Sirens, Calypso (who imprisons him) and eventually fighting the suitors who are threatening his kingdom and wife Penelope.  If you like mythology this is a must read.  It does stall a little at times but recommend.

Our Narrow Hiding Places: A Novel by Kristopher Jansma

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

3.0

Follows the story of Mieke during WWII as she lives in a village in Holland trying to survive and as she is an older woman living on the East Coast.  I enjoyed the general story of Mieke and her struggles in Holland.  I felt like the story as she is older was not fleshed out as well.  There is also some small sections where the story is told by eels.  That is ok but seems not to necessarily fit the overall tone of the book.  Recommend as a vacation read. 

To Each This World by Julie E. Czerneda

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

Humans on New Earth have a space travel alliance with the Kmet.  Suddenly the Kmet want them to recall any humans on different planets.  Henry is tasked with going to those planets and retrieving the populations to New Earth.  The initial set up is complicated with how humans travel and how the Kmet communicate.  The last chapter was just ok for me and the ending seemed a bit rushed.  More like a vacation read for me.

The Displacements by Bruce Holsinger

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Daphne, her husband and 3 kids live in Miami.  He is a surgeon and they live in a well-off community. This story follows them as Miami is hit by a category 6 hurricane.  This is set in present day as climate change is starting to effect the US - fires, stronger tornados, stronger hurricanes.  Miami is wiped out and all the refugees are relocated by FEMA to megashelters.  Houston is also wiped out by the same hurricane.  I liked that this story doesn't focus on a global diaster but rather a more realistic US diaster and how the government deals with it.  How prepared are we?  Well written and I cared about the characters.  Recommend.

There There by Tommy Orange

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

2.0

This story is about Native Americans living in Oakland where there will be a big powpow at the Coliseum.   It is a relatively short story but there are 12 characters which are probably too many for the length.  All are struggling either with substance abuse, violence or poverty.  Much of this comes from the struggle to keep their culture alive.  Parts were interesting but parts also fell very flat.  Ending seemed unfinished. 

Desert Creatures by Kay Chronister

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

The story of Magdala and her "pilgrimage" to a relic she thinks can cure her.  Journey starts through the desert with her father and along the way she travels with a disgraced priest.  This take place sometime after an event that is not explained well.  There are hybrid human/plant beings that are also in the desert.  Story is disjointed for me and sometimes I struggled with following along on the plot.  Not recommended.

Anatomy of 55 More Songs by Marc Myers

informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

3.0

This book covers songs from the 1960s-1980s (a couple of 1990s).  There were only 3 or 4 songs I could not recall.  Obviously if you are not familiar with the songs this book is not for you.  Each song has a short few pages that has interviews with the band, singer and songwriters.  Nice back stories on the meaning behind the songs.  Some also go into the song writing process.  Nice vacation read.

North Woods by Daniel Mason

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

1.0

very close to DNF for me.  Series of short stories that are connected by the fact they occur near the same house.  Sometimes related through people from story to story.  I just couldn't get into the stories and the writing style just not for me.

The Women by Kristin Hannah

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I found the story very compelling and therefore a fast read.  It tells the story of Frankie McGrath (Frances) from the time she goes to Vietnam as a nurse to her time readjusting to society upon her return.  I was a huge fan of the TV show China Beach and this is definitely in the same genre and messaging.  The story allows you to see the growth from a naive young women to an experience veteran nurse.  It tackles many of the issue that Vietnam veterans faced as well as the discrimination women faced at that time.  Highly recommend.

Silent Spring by Rachel Carson

challenging dark informative sad fast-paced

4.0

Rating somewhere between 3 to 4.  Published in 1962 Rachel Carson documents the environmental issues with use of insecticides and pesticides, in particular the chlorinated chemicals such as DDT. Many of the issues were known and published but buried in scientific journals and government documents.  At times heavy on science but she does a good job of bringing awareness of the issues to the general public who then pressured Congress to act.  She writes in an easy to understand style.  These chemicals were used heavily in the US and globally.  Many times the insects targeted were not eradicated.  Birds, fish, animals and humans (farmers, gardens, general population) were all subject to side effects including death.  I can't image reading this in the 1960s when most of this wasn't known by the general public.