writesdave's reviews
356 reviews

Gone, Baby, Gone by Dennis Lehane

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.25

Devastating crime novel with... an ending. Read over most of a weekend. Say this for Lehane, he keeps it moving. I got familiar with his work based on episodes of "The Wire," and I saw a couple of familiar patterns (including a character named Cheese).

What to Listen for in Music by Aaron Copland

challenging hopeful informative reflective slow-paced

4.5

Origins of a Journey: History's Greatest Adventures Marked by Ambition, Necessity, and Madness by Daniel Grogan, Daniel Grogan

adventurous challenging informative inspiring medium-paced

3.5

Fully acknowledging the explorers that might or might not have actually explored and the ones that were awful people, along with the ones you know and love and the ones you meet for the first time, I’d call this book a good place to start, a spark for your curiosity to learn more about the ones that count.

The Postmortal by Drew Magary

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani

emotional hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

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

3.5

Tell It True: A Novel by John Pruitt

adventurous challenging dark tense fast-paced

4.5

Quick, entertaining read based on the true murder of a black serviceman in rural Georgia. Pruitt successfully juggles a lot of balls in this tale told from multiple perspectives. You’re also struck by how little has changed in this damned state.

And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful sad medium-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? No

4.5

A Southern Appalachian Reader by Joyce Squibb (editor), Nellie McNeil

adventurous challenging informative reflective slow-paced

4.5

Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

The Practice of Groundedness: A Transformative Path to Success That Feeds--Not Crushes--Your Soul by Brad Stulberg

adventurous hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5

Excellent compilation of data-based, actionable pieces of advice to live more intentionally in a hyper-connected world—without killing your TV and disconnecting the internet (which I've done anyway because... uh... reasons. Nonetheless, Stulberg is a must-follow on social media and a lot of the book looks familiar, but consider the book a worthwhile deep dive on his simple advice.