User Profile

Nerywood

Nerywood@tomes.tchncs.de

Joined 1 year, 7 months ago

I read a variety of books. I'm here to help improve the selection of BookWyrm (including adding new books, descriptions and covers).

I'm always honest in my reviews, and I disclose at the beginning if I got the book for free (and how).

All my reviews (except the quotes from the book being reviewed) are my own opinion and under Unlicense. I don't need to be credited, but that is welcome.

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Nerywood's books

reviewed A Bad Bout of the Yips by Ken Harris (Case Files of Steve Rockfish, #3)

Ken Harris: A Bad Bout of the Yips (EBook, 2023, Black Rose Writing) 4 stars

PI Steve Rockfish's morning meeting was supposed to focus on a case of straightforward harassment. …

Review of 'A Bad Bout of the Yips' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Disclosure: I got this eBook from LibraryThing's Early Reviewers in exchange for an honest review. Nobody (the author, publisher, or LibraryThing) has read this review before I posted it publicly.

This is the third book in the series, if you haven't read the first two then it's highly suggested you do so, as otherwise this book won't make sense.

Content Warnings for the book: violence (including guns, killing and bombs), cops, swearing, alcohol drinking

The prologue provides a nice high-level review of what happened in the last book for those who had forgotten (like me).

The author continues to be a great story teller, it's like you're in the backseat and reading the minds of each character.

"Big girl pants have been acquired.”What the fuck?"

Reading it can get you emotionally involved (which is most likely what the author wants), but there are a number of slow sections. The author …

William Sonn: Something Like Treason (2021, Sunbury Press, Inc.) 4 stars

Not everyone in America was rooting for America in World War II. "Something Like Treason” …

Review of 'Something Like Treason' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Disclosure: I got this book for free from BookSirens (thanks to the author [a:William Sonn|109293|William Sonn|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1638301481p2/109293.jpg]). They hope I would give a review but it isn't required and I have to be honest if I do give one.

Something Like Treason starts out how you least expect it, the foreword actually starts six years later. You would think that it would give spoilers but I can see why the author chose to do this, it helps to give a good amount of context to the story ahead.

In the beginning, they mention a fair amount of camps, but the author doesn't exactly say where. If you are a reader from USA you can figure out where they are located fairly clearly, but if you are an international reader then it's hard. The author may want to mention that this all happened in the United States.

When I started reading I …

Eli K. P. William: A Diamond Dream (2022, Skyhorse Publishing Company, Incorporated) No rating

n a near future Tokyo, every action—from blinking to sexual intercourse—is intellectual property owned by …

Review of 'Diamond Dream' on 'Goodreads'

No rating

DNF for now at 27%. I wanted to really enjoy this book because I've read the first two in this series, and while there are parts I love, there are a couple major things that turned me off from continuing.

First regarding what I loved, it was a continuing of the beloved series. If you haven't recently read the second book then do so as it helps the third book to make more sense. There is a summary but that may not do justice.

The book picks back up from where the author left the character, and many details are included. There are many points where you may not want to stop reading.

"The search operation must have been pricey for you though.”
“Astronomical. With the constant mobilization of our staff and the fines for stalking and mass surveillance, it had to be the costliest wild goose chase in the …

Stuart Canterbury: Shocking Pink (2023, Running Wild) 4 stars

In a hilarious blow by blow account of what goes on behind the scenes of …

Review of 'Shocking Pink' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Disclosure: Got an advance copy of the book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. Nobody has gotten a copy of this review before it went live.

This is a book for those 18+ (21+ in some areas) about the porn industry. If that doesn't appeal to you then don't read this review or book.

Trigger warnings for the book (does contain spoiler): pornography, sex, violence, suicide, hint of racism, courthouse, trial, driving / car decency, funeral, pyrotechnics

[a:Stuart Canterbury|8367483|Stuart Canterbury|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] is the perfect person to write this book, not only does he do a great job of covering the industry within this book, he was an writer, director and producer on many movies so he knows what happens.

The book covers not just what happens in front of (or behind) the camera, but also what happens outside of "action" and "cut". You see that everyone …

Rob Hart: The Paradox Hotel (Hardcover, 2022, Ballantine Books) 4 stars

Review of 'The Paradox Hotel' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Book has trigger warnings of: violence, blood, gore, guns, depression, swearing. If you don't like (or don't want to read) any of those, then don't read this book.

A science fiction, fantasy, mystery, and storytelling book all mixed into one, and a wild story that happens along the way. When you start the book you feel out of place, unsure of what is going on, but as you continue to read it all makes sense. The details in this book allow you to imagine yourself there, being one of the characters, and looking around.

"Breathe deep. Can’t tell Ruby. Can’t tell anyone. Not until I figure out what this is."

There are some places you will feel confused, and many have to read over multiple lines again. It's particularly because it's so weird, but also because there may be multiple characters speaking and you aren't sure who is saying what. …

Valerie Plame Wilson: Fair game (Hardcover, 2007, Simon & Schuster) 3 stars

Review of 'Fair game' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Rating: 2.7/5

"I dared not tell my parents about my latest “job opportunity” — my mother would not have slept for the entire week."

This book does have bias because it's written by the author, about herself and her time. The CIA has reviewed the book so there parts that are reacted. Which does take away from the book, but the publisher explains why, before the first chapter. So you take everything in this book with a grain of salt (read & understand it, but don't believe it 100%).

"had taken the position that [Text has been redacted here.]. In other words, [Text has been redacted here.] "

"the vast majority of people really only want to talk about themselves. Answering a query about yourself, especially if there is not a lot you want to give out, is a matter of providing enough to be polite, then deflecting the question …

Eric Walters: The Rule of Three (Hardcover, 2016, Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), MELIA PUBLISHING SERVICES) 4 stars

Review of 'The Rule of Three' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Rating: 4.6/5

This book continues right off from where the second book in this series finished off. While it does recap a few things, I found it best to read this book right after finishing the second book. This book does have violence in it, so if you don't like reading about that, then don't read this book.

The author continues with the humour, it's not as much as the previous books in this series, as this book is more serious.

“Drink your potatoes or you can’t have potatoes for dessert.”

“Cute makes me sound like a stuffed animal.”
“Keep in mind that I sleep with my stuffed animals.”
“Okay, cute it is, that’s definitely me, cute as a button.”

There are some great reminders that having a group as leaders, is better than just having one person. They all see and think differently.

“Keep on questioning my decisions,” Herb …

reviewed The rule of 3 by Eric Walters (Rule of 3 series -- bk. 2)

Eric Walters: The rule of 3 (2015) 4 stars

"In a world gone dark, life goes on for Adam and his fortified neighborhood--but the …

Review of 'The rule of 3' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Rating: 3.8 / 5

This is the second book in this series, please have read the first book before reading this book (or this review). The book picks back up at the end of an action scene from the first book, but also does a nice recap of the first book.

"What a thought. Did any of us really appreciate something until it was gone?"

Numerous periods of time are skipped over, which could have been done to not bore the reader, but didn't indicate how much time has passed.

"there’s a basic human need for things to be normal and predictable"

It's interesting how many things (like small talk) stop happening when you see someone multiple times per day, when your all trying to survive. And how people can change over a length of time.

“So this wasn’t a social visit.”
“Nope.”

At multiple points, there could have been …

Eric Walters: The rule of three (2014, Farrar Straus Giroux) 4 stars

"A teen's suburban neighborhood bands together for its own survival in a world stricken by …

Review of 'The rule of three' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Rating: 3.7/5

There are three books to this series (which I didn't know until after I started reading) which is why the book may be a slower pace then would otherwise be expecting. This review is for the first book in the series.

The main character whose perspective we read from is a male high school student, which means there are a few times that a high school sense of humour will be written. It isn't disrespectful in any way, but it's something to keep in mind, and at times you may be wondering why the main character decided to do a certain something.

"Funny how much older I felt than these kids. Actually I’d always felt older than everybody who was my age and quite a few grown-ups. Throughout this whole situation I’d been entrusted with information that almost nobody else knew, information that made me feel older, weighed …

Emily Guendelsberger: On the Clock: What Low-Wage Work Did to Me and How It Drives America Insane (Hardcover, 2019, Little, Brown and Company) 3 stars

Review of 'On the Clock: What Low-Wage Work Did to Me and How It Drives America Insane' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Wonder what it's like working at a low-wage job in America? This book explains what it's like, how they sleep, what their life outside of work is like, and how it affects more than just themselves.

"At SDF8, I pop Advil like candy all day, not even bothering to track when my last dose was. I don’t talk to anyone at break or lunch; I’m too tired. My head pounds, and I feel generally dull. By the end of my shift, I’m almost staggering from the stabbing pain in my feet and trying to lean some of my weight on my cart as I push it, as if it’s a walker."

While this book is really centred in America (and American companies), the experiences are applicable for almost any low-wage job in the world. If you don't like American-centred books then skip this one.

"but my smugness fades as I …

Las Hermanas Publishing: Adulting 101 - How Not to Move Back Home with Your Parents (2022, Las Hermanas Publishing) 3 stars

Flying the nest? Here's everything you need to know to spread your wings and make …

Review of 'Adulting 101 - How Not to Move Back Home with Your Parents' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Disclosure: Got this e-book for free from LibraryThing's Early Reviewers in exchange for an honest review of this book. Nobody (the author, publisher, or LibraryThing) had any say or read this review before it went public. The copy I got does contain a QR code for another free book which I did not redeem.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

The e-book I got was not meant for e-readers as it didn't contain links directly to each chapter in the table of contents, and the e-reader didn't show the chapter header at the top. The formatting (with the title of the book) was messed up because of this.

I'm not going to touch on things I disagree with regarding what was said in this book, as the author mentions that you can take from this book whatever you want.

However, if you aren't based in the US you may find this book …

Jamie McFarlane: Junkyard Pirate (Paperback, 2019, Independently published) 4 stars

Review of 'Junkyard Pirate' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Science fiction, meets adventure, and a bit of romance. It does mention the Vietnam war.

The naming of the main character is inconsistent. It does include a little bit of humour which is nice.

Sometimes it's the right people, at the right place, at the right time (with the help of some magical people).

There are times in the book where it skips ahead a period of time without telling the reader which is sometimes confusing and requires the reader to pause for a moment before continuing.

"Yes. You humans have such a whimsical history," she said.

""You might want to step out for this," Stern warned. AJ bit back a response about not being able to step anywhere."

""You really get off on changing your appearance, don't you?"
"I have spent decades pasted to the side of space debris. I find humanity's expression of individuality quite refreshing. Surely, you …

Nick Bilton: I live in the future and here's how it works (2010, Crown Publishers) 2 stars

Review of "I live in the future and here's how it works" on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

This is a review of the book itself, not anything that the author has said outside of this book.

While this is a book that predicts a number of things that could happen in the future, the author forget about the qr codes they included in every chapter and the future of them. Those qr codes are meant to go to the author's website (which doesn't exist at the time of this review) and the app mentioned at the beginning doesn't exist anymore either.

Some of the things the author talked about has come true in 2022 which is very cool.

"Instead of our relying on professional editors to package a home page or produce a printed page, our online friends are now our de facto editors, providing a supply of news and information that is highly personalized and tailored to our interests. As a result, these relationships are much …

Ginger Gorman: Troll Hunting (2019, Hardie Grant Books) 4 stars

n 2013, journalist Ginger Gorman was trolled online. She received scores of hateful tweets, including …

Review of 'Troll Hunting' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

The author spent a ton of time, and energy into this book and there are many great details, but there are some things I wish the author did differently.

"As the saying goes, if it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck."

They don't talk about their experience when they were trolled online, they do cover it a little different, it would have been nice to hear their experience since they tell the story of so many others who were trolled online. I know this may not have been the point of the book, but if there is something who doesn't know their history (before writing this book) it would have been nice to cover it.

Since the author is Australian there were some words that I had to look up the definition of, I'm not sure if …

Lois Lowry: The Giver (2006, Delacorte Books for Young Readers) 4 stars

Given his lifetime assignment at the Ceremony of Twelve, Jonas becomes the receiver of memories …

Review of 'The Giver' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

I first read this book in high school, but I'm glad I picked it up again to read.

At the beginning, the author throws you straight in, which can make the reader feel like an outsider and not sure about anything.

The copy I had (e-book) had a number of missing spaces between words, and weird line spacing (where the line would finish, then the next word would be on the next line). Both of these happen multiple times which sometimes may for some frustrating reading.

There are a number of things that happen in the book that happen in real life,

"But the committee would never bother The Receiver with a question about bicycles; they would simply fret and argue about it themselves for years, until the citizens forgot that it had ever gone to them for study."

There are a couple of times where the author moves forward …