kcraig73's reviews
43 reviews

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

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reflective slow-paced

2.0

I would eventually like to revisit the Meditations in a different translation. This translation was terrible. Though the notes on Aurelius’ biography and philosophy were interesting, the translation of the actual work was clunky and often difficult to understand. 
Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver by Mary Oliver

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing slow-paced

3.0

Mary Oliver is surely going to be one of the defining poets of the late twentieth and early twenty first centuries. Her work is well recognized and critically acclaimed of course, but I love the way she captures the journey of the human spirit as it drifts back and forth from harmony to worry to mindfulness to death and all the way back again. Her reflections are beautiful. 
Personally, I am a bigger fan of some of her later works. I think she finds a more definitive style in her later works and takes on a more mindful lens. However, her reflections on death in her early works are quite moving and could have benefitted from being revisited again in her later writings. 
3/5 stars - some poems I liked and some I didn’t 🤷‍♀️
What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I didn’t expect to like this book as much as I did. I really didn’t like The Twisted Ones but I’m a fan of Poe and a fan of fungi so I had to give this one a try. I am so glad I did. Easton is absolutely delightful and charming in every way. All of the characters are well put together and very charming in their own rights. A little slow at the beginning but it picks up in the middle and Kingfisher takes us on a wild ride. I am very pleased with the amount of effort and research that Kingfisher put into this book. She really looked into the complexities of fungi, the medical field, and stayed historically accurate to the time period. It shows how much she cared about the work. Overall, very fun and genuinely creepy. 
The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker

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adventurous dark fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A delightful book. Clive Barker’s imagination and wit is on great display here. It’s easy to see why this book became a classic. Very interesting choice to make every character in the book intensely unlikeable but it works here. The Cenobites are enduring, almost charming, characters of their own (actually the most likable of all of them). The action is fast paced but Barker doesn’t sacrifice beautiful prose here. It’s as beautifully written as it is structured and imaginative. 
Brave New World Revisited by Aldous Huxley

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challenging reflective medium-paced

4.0

More excellent work from Aldous Huxley. A close analysis of the methods of control used in Brave New World, this book is slightly terrifying and depressing but shows off some of Huxley’s philosophical work nicely. Huxley’s views on genetic manipulation and eugenics are…dated to be sure. Otherwise, the concepts of the book hold up even today. 
The Doors of Perception and Heaven and Hell by Aldous Huxley

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informative inspiring slow-paced

4.0

A rare non-fiction 4 star read for me. As usual, I find Huxley’s work compelling and, to use his word, transporting. A great perspective on the use of psychedelics and hallucinogens. I can see how Huxley inspired so many to explore the mind’s “antipodes”. Heaven and Hell is a great addition to this work and provides a compelling insight to Huxley’s speculations and ruminations on religion and spirituality. You get a sense from him that he was exploring these options with questions but an open mind to possibility, a perspective that is refreshing in the intellectual and academic community. This works continues to prove Huxley to be one of my favorite writers of all time (fortunate for me that he was so prolific). 
The Case Against Satan by Ray Russell

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challenging dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The pacing of this story is spot on. Ray Russell approaches the matter of exorcism with an air of grace that attracts believers and non-believers alike. The internal conflicts of the characters were very well formed. I also found the relationship between Father Gregory and the Bishop to be delightful. 
Come Closer by Sara Gran

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dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Absolutely thrilling. This book genuinely scared me. The fast paced spiral into complete insanity, along with the insidious and beautiful nature of Amanda’s possession is completely captivating. This book grabbed me by the throat from the first page and it still hasn’t let go. I absolutely loved it. 
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Man, Fuck This House by Brian Asman

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

4.0

Is this book good? No. Did I like it? Yes. Takes an absolute wild left turn in the last 1/4 of the book but still enjoyable despite jumping the shark. 
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The Island of Dr. Moreau by John L. Flynn, H.G. Wells

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

4.0