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Liam's reviews

188 public reviews

Roll the calls: a memoir★ 2.5
Emanuel, Ari
There's an interesting person and story in there somewhere, but it's not in this book. Instead, this is just a history told by an unreliable narrator trying to paint themselves as an artist and an antihero. In a word: inauthentic.
Beast Be Gone, Undead Don't Die A Fantasy Comedy Fiction Book★ 7.3
A. L. Billington
Could have been a bit longer but a fun, lighthearted continuation of the first book
Beast Be Gone★ 7.5
A. L. Billington
Pretty good for a book I bought at the author’s stall at a local craft fair. I think a couple of names and things were a bit too on the nose but was a quick, lighthearted adventure. Felt a bit like ready player one but for fantasy stuff

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Strange Pictures★ 7.3

Uketsu

An interesting premise but writing is a bit simplistic and walks you through the twists a little too step-by-step. I’ll likely read the rest of the series because they are short and simple though, a nice break between more complicated stuff

The Double Helix★ 8.6

James Watson

Less dated than I expected, and an insightful look into a world-changing discovery pretty much as it happened. The outdated remarks about women, particularly in STEM, are counter to that, but are reassuringly walked back by the end.

Crossroads of Ravens★ 8.3

Andrzej Sapkowski

It doesn’t have much impact on the main series but is a fun origin story/standalone adventure

Based on a True Story★ 9.0

Norm Macdonald

Really fucking stupid

11.22.63★ 8.6

Stephen King

Haven’t fact checked this but from my experience so far: Stephen King book >500 pages = good, <500 pages = meh

The Vanishing Act Of Esme Lennox★ 7.8

Maggie O'Farrell

No crazy twists to keep you guessing but I still found myself wanting to keep reading to see how it played out. The calm escalation, and revelations, steadily kept my interest and the ending paid off the slow build.

End of Watch★ 6.8

Stephen King

A round ending to the trilogy but didn’t stand out at all

Thinking, Fast and Slow★ 8.0

Daniel Kahneman

Can’t be bothered to come up with a pun but this did take me a while to get through. Definitely something you need to concentrate on or risk forgetting what he was talking about. Very insightful though, well worth the read even 20 years after the book came out. Prompts you to think about things beyond instinct even in comfortable situations.

Project Hail Mary★ 8.7

Andy Weir

So good, scratches the itch for science and fiction as separate entities in a way that a lot of Sci-Fi doesn’t

Think Again★ 7.9

Adam Grant

Enjoyed this, aligns well with my own values enough that it felt especially relevant when introducing new concepts, ideas, or new values

House of Trump, House of Putin★ 7.5

Craig Unger

I imagine this would have been mind-blowing to read around the time of Trump’s first term but now it is just par for the course. As depressing as that is, it is super interesting to see how the book explains why the USA, and the UK, are in the predicaments they’re in and Russia’s involvement with it. Writing-wise, it’s pretty good and keeps you on the hook as you dive more into Trump’s Russia connections but it can be a bit meandering and can be difficult o keep track of the indirect connections.

The Communist Manifesto★ 7.3

Karl Marx

Can see why it’s still so pertinent today

A Short History of Russia★ 7.5

Mark Galeotti

Book is as described and did make me want to read more around this subject

Rhythm of War★ 7.7

Brandon Sanderson

Not as impactful as the first 3 but still had its moments. Felt much slower paced and seemed to me like a bit of a break for the reader and a bit of a tidy up before the final book in the series

Dawnshard★ 7.0

Brandon Sanderson

Very short in comparison to the main Stormlight Archive series so this was a rapid read. It was a nice break between the bigger books though, both in terms of its length and its focus on a single narrative. Expands/explains the Cosmere universe a bit more as well to make it feel like a worthwhile read in the series.

Oathbringer★ 9.0

Brandon Sanderson

On book 3 now and the series seems to get better and better. I really enjoyed how this one got to the core of a lot of complex characters and had them face their personal issues and overcome them, or learn to live with them. This made the big epic ending feel incredibly satisfying, seeing characters develop into their roles and personalities in a huge way.

Edgedancer★ 7.3

Brandon Sanderson

This was okay, it introduces some interesting stuff in the Stormlight world but the main character is incredibly annoying and the whole thing is written weirdly as a result. Felt a lot like a book for a pre-teen and didn’t really fit with the rest of the series, and I’m not sure even a pre-teen would laugh at any of the shit jokes.

Mistborn: Secret History★ 8.3

Brandon Sanderson

Mistborn is such a good trilogy and had a satisfying ending so I was a bit worried this would Ruin that but this additional story, that floats parallel to the 2nd and 3rd books, is such a great addition and adds some grounded, extra weight to the ending while also expanding the wider universe lore to give a greater understanding of the Cosmere.

Words of Radiance★ 8.5

Brandon Sanderson

I flew through all 1200 pages. The second book in the series, this expands on the lore from the first one in a satisfying and intriguing way, still maintaining enough mystery to keep me engaged with the rest of the series.

The Way of Kings★ 8.4

Brandon Sanderson

I read the Mistborn trilogy a little while ago and have been meaning to read the wider universe of Brandon Sanderson works (Cosmere) ever since. Finally got around to it and now I’m hooked into another ridiculously long fantasy universe but I think it will be worth it as I’ve really enjoyed everything I’ve read of Sanderson’s so far, including this.

Avatar, the Last Airbender: the Legacy of Yangchen★ 8.7

F. C. Yee

Another great additional to the show’s universe. Captures all the good bits of the IP, and expands on it and delves deeper into it at the same time

The Writer's Cats★ 7.2

MURIEL. BARBERY

Short and sweet in the literal sense, a nice cosy book to read between bigger books A great Christmas gift!

Nudge★ 7.4

Richard H. Thaler

Made me think about the way I talk, write and ask questions, and how (not if) I’ve been nudging people unknowingly this whole time Was a bit dry at times but the concept and the Simpsons references kept me entertained enough to finish it

Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults★ 7.3

Robin Wall Kimmerer

The prompts and notes for young people were a bit weird but that’s on me for buying a children’s book Content-wise I enjoyed the sentiment of the book but would have liked to see more applied examples and stuff

The Book of Accidents★ 7.2

Chuck Wendig

Not bad, felt a lot like reading a random Stephen King book

Moneyball★ 8.5

Michael Lewis

I like sports and data so knew I would enjoy this (the movie is also very good) but one of the more interesting bits about this is the theme of challenging the norm

The Outsider★ 8.0

Stephen King

dark,mysterious

Carrie★ 7.7

Stephen King

dark,mysterious,emotional

In Search of Schrödinger's Cat★ 8.2

John R. Gribbin

A good summary of quantum physics, left me wanting to read more contemporary stuff

Seven Brief Lessons on Physics★ 7.0

Carlo Rovelli

Interesting,intelligent

The End★ 7.8

Lemony Snicket

funny,mysterious,dark,thought-provoking,intelligent

The Penultimate Peril★ 7.6

Lemony Snicket

funny,mysterious,dark,intelligent

The Grim Grotto★ 7.4

Lemony Snicket

funny,mysterious,dark,intelligent

The Slippery Slope★ 7.5

Lemony Snicket

funny,mysterious,dark,intelligent

The Carnivorous Carnival★ 7.5

Lemony Snicket

funny,mysterious,dark,intelligent

The Hostile Hospital★ 7.0

Lemony Snicket

funny,mysterious,dark

The Vile Village★ 7.3

Lemony Snicket

funny,mysterious,dark

The Ersatz Elevator★ 7.2

Lemony Snicket

funny,mysterious,dark

The Austere Academy★ 7.3

Lemony Snicket

funny,mysterious,dark

Miserable Mill★ 7.1

Lemony Snicket

funny,mysterious,dark

The Wide Window★ 7.3

Lemony Snicket

funny,mysterious,dark

The Reptile Room★ 7.5

Lemony Snicket

funny,mysterious,intelligent,emotional

The Hobbit★ 8.4

J. R. R. Tolkien

A classic of the genre

The Bad Beginning★ 7.4

Lemony Snicket

funny,mysterious,intelligent

Outliers★ 7.8

Malcolm Gladwell

I think I would give this a higher rating if I’d read it closer to when it was first published but still insightful and has some interesting takeaways

The Big Sleep★ 8.0

Raymond Chandler

The original grizzled detective. A bit dated but still a good read with some Jazz noir in the background

The Righteous Mind★ 8.8

Jonathan Haidt

Super thought-provoking. Challenges a lot of thinking and helps explain the inexplicable with the rise of the political right