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JoeMo

JoeMo

Joined September 2020

I‘ve loved books ever since Lovable, Furry Old Grover‘s The Monster at the End of this Book!
review
JoeMo
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Pickpick

I love Vegas so I was thrilled to listen to this book about being a casino cocktail waitress in the 70s. It was more entertaining than expected between the servers dealing with sexism, harsh work demands, and getting caught up in drama and escapades. My only complaint is she seemed to dish more on dirt involving coworkers than about herself, but it‘s her right as an author and I believe she was trying to keep her this book relatively short. 3.5/5

29 likes1 stack add
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JoeMo
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Pickpick

This is one of those books that ruins the dreams and silly ideas you have in your head regarding if you had made different choices in life. Specifically, it shows the many ways in which being a park ranger is frustrating and at times even traumatic. The book started off as a series of stories conveying how hard the ranger life is. As it progressed, it focused more on the lives of two specific rangers with results both tragic and touching. 4/5

30 likes1 stack add
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JoeMo
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Pickpick

I‘ve always heard references to the Chappaquidick accident as being what derailed Ted Kennedy‘s presidential chances. In reading the full story, I didn‘t expect to be frustrated sometimes angry between Kennedy‘s cowardice and lack of responsibility, local law enforcement‘s ineptitude, and the general lack of consequences Kennedy faced. He should have been sitting in a jail cell for several years for his actions.

33 likes2 stack adds
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JoeMo
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Pickpick

This was a slice of nostalgia from my childhood. The book follows the 87-88 NBA season in which these four titans and their respective teams battled for the championship. I additionally enjoyed the bios and background info the author included about each of these players and many of their teammates! 4/5

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JoeMo
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Pickpick

4/5 - This book was solid, but still had its weaknesses. It‘s not the author‘s fault, as she herself admits nearly all of Hoover‘s private documents were destroyed according to his will. Instead of getting an intimate look on what made Hoover tick, we got something like 36 hours that mostly described how he survived for so long in an appointed position.

#doublespin #bookspinbingo

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 4w
30 likes1 comment
blurb
JoeMo
Untitled | Unknown
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Running late but here‘s my list!

@TheAromaofBooks
#bookspin #bookspinbingo

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 1mo
25 likes1 comment
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JoeMo
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Pickpick

Overall, this was a pretty interesting and engaging story about the history of bourbon and some of the characters who helped shape it. I‘ve been going a bit overboard since having hit the bourbon trail in Kentucky last summer! 🥃 4/5

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JoeMo
Sausagey Santa | Carlton Mellick Iii
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Pickpick

This book is ridiculous from start to finish. It starts strongly as we learn about Sly Guy‘s unique family. The story ends on a somewhat dark high note as the reader learns about the aftermath of this Christmas adventure and its effect on Sly Guy‘s family life. The issue is there was a pretty significant amount of material in the middle that I was just forcing myself to make it through. Overall, it‘s unique enough for a weak recommendation!

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JoeMo
The Trip of a Lifetime | Justin Johnson
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Mehso-so

This novella for kids is about a boy whose spaceship crashes in the North Pole. He ends up being saved by Santa‘s elves and gets to spend the time leading up to Christmas with Santa and his crew, as they‘re too busy with their impending work deadline to get the boy back to his parents before the holiday. This was a cute, light holiday adventure that wasn‘t interesting or inventive enough to read the other titles in the series.

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JoeMo
Small Things Like These | Claire Keegan
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Pickpick

I absolutely loved this audiobook. In this story, a coal merchant sees something that causes him to struggle with his conscience and leaves him wondering what the right thing to do would be. If I have one complaint, it‘s that this novella is too short, clocking in at just under two hours. I believe I‘ll be revisiting this title over the holidays for many years to come!

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JoeMo
Untitled | Unknown
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Pickpick

As far as true crime goes, this is pretty light stuff…but it was fun to find some type of crime related to Christmas. I respect the fact the author researched this case pretty heavily and didn‘t settle for what was already known about the crime. I also learned some odd and interesting things about Texas, specifically it‘s laws and practices towards bank robberies in the past, which probably did more harm than good!

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JoeMo
Christmas at the Amish Market | Shelley Shepard Gray
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Pickpick

Predictable, but I absolutely enjoyed this book. With a book like this, I‘m not really expecting depth or complex characters…but it was sweet and maybe a bit spicy for an Amish romance novel (don‘t expect too much though 😂)!

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JoeMo
Making It So: A Memoir | Patrick Stewart
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Pickpick

This is m absolutely delightfu….I loved listening to the audio version read by Sir Patty Stew himself.

Having finished this a few weeks ago the following still stands out: 1) he‘s been alive a very long time as his early childhood reads like a Dickens novel, 2) actors are really insecure 3) I‘m relieved that he took Star Trek TNG seriously and 4) I give him kudos for admitting he‘s imperfect at various points.

This is a must read for all fans!

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JoeMo
Mexican Gothic | Silvia Moreno-Garcia
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Mehso-so

I appreciated the author‘s effort in his story. I feel she was rather successful in creating a creepy setting filled with strange individuals and mystery. My issue is that the big plot twist and reveal just didn‘t work for me…to the point I just wanted to make it through the final hour or so of the book and move on with my life. I get why reviews are really all over the place for this title.

37 likes4 comments
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JoeMo
Harrow County Volume 1: Countless Haints | Cullen Bunn, Tyler Crook
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Pickpick

This is the story of a small rural town cursed by a witch who was killed by the townspeople.

This is a weak recommendation for me…I enjoyed the story, and even more the artwork overall. However, I don‘t want to continue in with the series beyond volume one. 3/5

#31by31 #SpookOWeen #Scarathlon #promptmaze #TeamCreepinItReal @StayCurious @TheAromaofBooks @TheSpineView @Catsandbooks

TheSpineView 🧡📖🎃 5mo
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 5mo
Catsandbooks 🙌🏼🦇🧡 5mo
36 likes3 comments
review
JoeMo
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Pickpick

Overall, I was surprised with how much I enjoyed this…I have been avoiding this since my teens as it was my sister‘s favorite book when we were in high school, which automatically made the book, and her subsequent half-assed attempt to be a gothy vampire for a year or two, lame! 😂 I see why she enjoyed this at that age, this is much too melodramatic at times. Overall though, there‘s a pretty solid story at its core 3.5/5.

42 likes5 comments
blurb
JoeMo
Untitled | Unknown
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Apologies for the delay…here is my tally for the halfway point for #scarathlon.

#teamcreepinitreal
@StayCurious

StayCurious Great job! 5mo
28 likes1 comment
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JoeMo
Untitled | Unknown
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Pickpick

This was a pretty fun collection of short stories from a variety of authors. A number of them dealt with with Halloween directly and had storylines involving things like trick-or-treating and Halloween parties and such. I appreciated that the stories focused more on plot and suspense than gore and trying to shock the reader (which is pretty common in story collections). My fave of the bunch was Street Lights by Gary Thisbone.

34 likes5 comments
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JoeMo
The Nightmare Man | J. H. Markert
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Pickpick

I finished up the audiobook version of this on Sunday. I found it to be really interesting and increasingly gripping as it barreled towards the ending. I don‘t really read thrillers much, but maybe that will change with books like this. I was afraid the this would be some type of Nightmare on Elm Street rip-off. Although dealing with similar themes involving nightmares, this had its own solid, unique spin on things.

31 likes4 comments
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JoeMo
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Pickpick

I finished my first book for October. I appreciated the variety in this collection. Some stories were as brief as a few minutes long; another story lasted around 90 minutes. Some stories were fun and silly while others were very deep and involved the characters facing really complex and unintended consequences for their actions. The collection was very consistent in terms of quality, as for me there was only one real dud in the lot.

33 likes5 comments
blurb
JoeMo
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Here‘s my list for October BookSpin Bingo!

I‘ll also be using for other awesome October/Halloween events to include the following:
#31by31
#SpookOWeen
#promptmaze
#LittenListen
#Scarathlon

@aperfectmjk
@StayCurious
@TheAromaofBooks
@TheSpineView
@Catsandbooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 6mo
TheSpineView Looks good! 6mo
Catsandbooks Great list! 🦇 6mo
23 likes3 comments
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JoeMo
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Here‘s my bucket list for October and #Scarathlon!

#TeamCreepinItReal. @StayCurious

StayCurious this is a great list! 6mo
27 likes1 comment
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JoeMo
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Here‘s a list of movies I hope to pick from for Halloween and the upcoming Scarathlon event!!

#TeamCreepinItReal #earlybirdpoints
#Scarathlon

 @StayCurious

StayCurious I've never heard of some of these but they sound interesting! Death toilet? lol 6mo
29 likes1 comment
blurb
JoeMo
Beastly | Alex Flinn
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@Pigpen_Reads here are the books I picked for #trappedinaspookyhouse. I hope it ends up being a fun month of reading!

@PuddleJumper

Pigpen_Reads Thank you for the picks! I'm so looking forward to this list :) 6mo
27 likes1 comment
review
JoeMo
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Pickpick

This book was a lot of fun in addition to being informative. My only complaint is that it ended. I‘m sure there are so many more strange and interesting stories about the history of sex to include outdated beliefs, practices, and societal norms!

36 likes1 stack add
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JoeMo
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Pickpick

This was one of the more painful reads or “listens” I‘ve experienced. This is an amazing collection of oral histories from 9/11. It really brought back the sense of uncertainty and panic that was prevalent that day, even for those following the events via radio or TV. I heavily recommend this to those who experienced and recall the day (you‘ll still learn something new) and even more to those who were too young to remember or who weren‘t born yet.

fredthemoose Just finished this a week or two ago and totally agree! 6mo
JoeMo I was impressed with the number of stories that involved the president and the people who were with him that day. It was also an opportunity to learn more about what occurred at the Pentagon and in Shanksville. 6mo
39 likes2 comments
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JoeMo
Untitled | Unknown
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Above is my TBR list (so for) all the things in October to include #Scarathlon, #trappedinaspookyhouse, #bookspinbingo, and so many other things TBD!

#TeamCreepinItReal #earlybirdpoints
@staycurious

StayCurious Great graphic! 6mo
26 likes1 comment
blurb
JoeMo
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It‘s back! 🎃👻👹🧛‍♀️🧙 This was one of the first things I ever did when I logged onto Litsy three years ago. I absolutely love this time of year and this event always adds to the fun, even if I have to use a spreadsheet to track points! 😤🙄 If you love the season and enjoy posting about related books, movies, and all things Halloween, then this event is for you:

https://litsy.com/p/TzRmdTNLT0RQ

#Scarathlon #TeamCreepinItReal #earlybirdpoints

PuddleJumper Spreadsheets are the best part! 😂 6mo
StayCurious Thanks for sharing! 6mo
30 likes2 comments
blurb
JoeMo
The Golden Gate | Vikram Seth
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1. Hell yes I have…as a progressive living in a relatively conservative area, it‘s a good way to meet people.

2. I recommend Golden Gate…a really unique book based in the 80s. One of the characters uses the personal ads to meet someone!

#Two4Tuesday

Yuki_Onna Now I really wonder where you live 🫠 6mo
TheSpineView Thanks for playing! 6mo
JoeMo @Yuki_Onna It‘s the Lancaster/central Pennsylvania area, which is quite conservative for the most part. Some call us the Bible Belt moved north. 6mo
24 likes3 comments
review
JoeMo
HIDDEN VALLEY ROAD. | ROBERT. KOLKER
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Pickpick

This was a heartbreaking work of nonfiction about a family that was devastated by mental illness. In addition to the gripping personal story of the family, I was impressed by how much I learned about the history of how culture and the scientific community viewed mental health. I highly recommend this!

#bookspinbingo. @TheAromaofBooks

currentlyreadinginCO Agree with your review! 7mo
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 7mo
32 likes2 stack adds2 comments
review
JoeMo
The Babysitter Lives | Stephen Graham Jones
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Pickpick

All credit to SGJ for a very creative book. I guess I was expecting more of a traditional slasher story. It ended up being more of a mind-bending fever dream. At times there was a bit too much going on for an audiobook as there were a few times I missed something and was like “what the hell is happening?” I enjoyed the twists at the end though, which definitely resulted in me reviewing the book more favorably than I would have otherwise. 4/5

40 likes1 stack add2 comments
review
JoeMo
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Pickpick

This is an exhaustive exploration of Oppenheimer‘s life. This is truly one of the most impressive biographies that I‘ve ever read. To me it was engrossing to learn so much about the cultural and historical shift in America from when it was once acceptable and somewhat trendy to be a communist or someone with those political leanings to then face the Red Scare which gripped America and ruined the lives and careers of many.

#bookspinbingo

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 7mo
33 likes1 comment
review
JoeMo
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Panpan

1. I‘d have to say Blood Aces by Swanson by the slimmest of margins.

2. I‘m a sucker for old stories about Las Vegas, and the life of Bennie Binion‘s life, to include how he shaped Vegas, fits the bill. I still don‘t understand how he avoided spending the majority of his life in prison! 🤷‍♂️

#Two4Tuesday
@TheSpineView

TheSpineView Thanks for playing!💙📖📘 8mo
27 likes1 stack add1 comment
blurb
JoeMo
Untitled | Unknown
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Here‘s my list for August!

#bookspinbingo
@TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 8mo
27 likes1 comment
review
JoeMo
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Pickpick

I was totally engrossed by this book. It‘s dark and comedic, but it avoids the pitfall of trying to hard for laughs. The format of the book is setup like a journalist writing an in-depth piece regarding the original Roofer killings before going into twentieth anniversary screening and everything that went horribly wrong with that event. This is a fun, brief summertime read with all of the blockbusters that get released this time of year

Reggie I love this book so much! He‘s so funny. 8mo
swynn I agree this one's great! 8mo
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 8mo
30 likes3 stack adds4 comments
review
JoeMo
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Pickpick

I listened to this audiobook before tuning in for the Justified adaptation. Overall, this was some mindless fun. If you enjoy stories where cops square off against overconfident baddies, you‘ll enjoy this too!

#bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 8mo
29 likes1 comment
review
JoeMo
Weird Horror #1 | John Langan
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Mehso-so

I‘ve enjoyed a number of works releases by Undertow Publications and I‘ve found some great authors. Unfortunately, this collection wasn‘t really memorable other than the delightful cover. I loved the idea of a collection of “weird” horror stories…After reading this, I‘m not sure what qualified most of the bunch for meeting this label.

TheAromaofBooks Great progress!!! 8mo
29 likes2 comments
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JoeMo
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Pickpick

I love Vegas and jumped on borrowing this audiobook when I saw it was available. When I used to watch the WSOP, they would talk about Bennie Binion and how he was a gangster who went legit and changed Vegas forever. It‘s unbelievable how much Binion got away with. He should have spent the majority of his life in prison. Instead he built a casino empire. This may appeal to fans of stories about old school Vegas, the mob, and modern outlaws.

38 likes1 stack add2 comments
review
JoeMo
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Pickpick

I started this book several times over the past six years or so. This is truly dense and impressive in terms of all of the information it conveys. I finally stuck it out thanks to a lot of car rides. I learned a great deal that‘s not covered in basic history classes. It gives fair depictions of the founding fathers, flaws and all. It was interesting how the democracy experiment almost crashed and burned or sputtered out on several occasions.

39 likes2 comments
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JoeMo
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Pickpick

This is the third Polly book I‘ve read. The author, being middle-aged and out of shape, decides to learn about and train for a MMA fight. Polly‘s endeavor is filled with pain and hilarity!

#bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 8mo
30 likes1 stack add1 comment
blurb
JoeMo
Untitled | Unknown
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BookSpin Bingo list for this month!
#bookspin #bookspinbingo
@TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 9mo
26 likes1 comment
review
JoeMo
Gutmouth | Gabino Iglesias
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Pickpick

This story is among the strangest I‘ve ever read. It‘s really out there and took some time to warm up to. If nothing else, it‘s definitely creative and fast paced. I‘ll definitely try more of Iglesias‘s work!

#bookspinbingo
@TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 9mo
37 likes1 comment
review
JoeMo
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Pickpick

Based solely on the author‘s memoir Night, I would recommend reading this. His writing in Night is so direct and honest. Dawn and Day are the author‘s first two novels, and they both leave me with mixed feelings. The direct style used in Night is not present on the follow-up novels. It‘s as though the author aimed to have a certain degree of gravitas and depth that just didn‘t work. At least pick up and/or give Night a try.
#bookspinbingo

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 9mo
40 likes1 stack add1 comment
review
JoeMo
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Pickpick

This audiobook served as a breath of fresh air compared to the previous book I read. I never thought I‘d say this about a nonfiction piece exploring the history and science of books bound in human skin. The author never took herself too seriously while educating the reader and busting myths associated with the subject matter. She also kept it mercifully short, which I believe helped with keeping my attention!

#bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Hmm, not sure what to say if a book about human-skin-book-binding is lighthearted fare compared to your earlier book 😂 9mo
31 likes2 stack adds1 comment
review
JoeMo
The Girl Next Door | Jack Ketchum
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Pickpick

I don‘t believe I‘ve ever read a story that left me feeling so uncomfortable and disturbed as this work by Ketchum. The fact that the author based the story on actual events only exaggerated my sense of discomfort. I cannot precisely recommend this book to others, but I give Ketchum credit for telling a truly horrific and gripping tale. Trigger warnings exist to warn prospective readers of books like this.

#bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 9mo
TheLudicReader This is definitely a dark tale, but I remember finding the narrator strangely sympathetic. 7mo
JoeMo @TheLudicReader You‘re right….it was a strange but well-written balance for the narrator. At times I want to explode on the character…but I found myself questioning myself “would you do better?” I hope I would, but you never really know unless you‘re in that situation. 7mo
35 likes3 comments
review
JoeMo
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Pickpick

I borrowed this audiobook to prepare for the upcoming Scorsese flick. I‘m sad I didn‘t know anything about this chapter in US history. This seems to have conveniently been forgotten about by the broader society. This was a very informative book, and if I have any complaint, it‘s tone should have been harsher regarding how the nation‘s treatment and laws regarding native Americans resulted the Osage being cheated of their rights and murdered.

43 likes2 comments
blurb
JoeMo
Untitled | Unknown
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It‘s just about June. Here we go…
#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 10mo
31 likes1 comment
review
JoeMo
Midnight Library | Matt Haig
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Pickpick

This was an interesting concept. I‘ve often wondered what all of the different versions of me are up to throughout the multiverse. Who are leading the craziest versions of my life? What are the more “successful” ones up to? Are there happier versions of me? In this book a woman who has given up on life is given the chance to try on all of the infinite versions of her life in the multiverse….with some interesting results! 3.5/5

#bookspinbingo

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 10mo
41 likes1 comment
review
JoeMo
Tampa (Preview Edition) | Alissa Nutting
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Pickpick

This was a complex read. It‘s the most sensual book I‘ve ever read, but I felt gross listening as it‘s about a middle school teacher preying on students. The teacher‘s relentlessness is absolutely disturbing. I understand readers who couldn‘t make it through the material or who loathed this book thanks to the main character being despicable. I was absorbed by this, as it feels like a horror story that could happen in real life.

#bookspinbingo

TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 10mo
Reggie When I read this I put it on my best horror of the year list that year. I started out laughing because of the sexual hyperbole but the further it goes the darker it goes and then I just felt I was reading something written by the devil. It was good, though. 10mo
JoeMo @Reggie I agree with you…I was telling a friend about this book and I described it as “real horror” in the fact that this kind of stuff can and sometimes happens. The more complex and darker it got, it‘s like I was sickened, but I couldn‘t stop listening! 10mo
43 likes3 comments
review
JoeMo
Smonk: A Novel | Tom Franklin
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Mehso-so

This was a fair modern western novel. It tried too hard to shock the reader with its brutality and ridiculousness. Instead of pulling me in, I found myself avoiding this for days at a time. More than anything, this just made me want to read a better book from the genre.

#bookspinbingo
@TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks At least it's off the list!! 10mo
30 likes1 comment