Tag Archives: libro.fm

Review: SINKABLE: Obsession, the Deep Sea, and the Shipwreck of the Titanic by Daniel Stone (2022)

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Genre: Adult Nonfiction
Year Release: 2022
Source: Libro.fm

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Listened to the audiobook
Content warnings: drowning, deaths at sea, maritime disasters, Atlantic slave trade

I was definitely one of those kids with a RMS Titanic obsession as a child, that honestly, had nothing to do with the Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet romance movie (didn’t want that until much, much later). The level of hubris and poor planning in the name of aesthetics is what captured many people’s attention, but for me, it’s the physics and aftermath that fascinated me. Humans are characters, but the focus here rests on shipwrecks in general, as a study, as a phenomenon, as a hobby, and some of the greatest tragedies that befell humans on the regular before air travel rose to prominence.

The specific lens that this book tells the tale of the fated voyage is strictly through the point of view of finding and uncovering shipwrecks. Entertaining, informative, and so focused on the final phase of a ship’s life time, rather than the story of a single ship’s demise.

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Review: THE VIOLENCE by Delilah S. Dawson (2022)

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Genre: Adult Horror
Year Release: 2022
Source: Libro.fm

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Listened to the audiobook
Content warnings: domestic abuse, domestic violence, child abuse, gas lighting, pet death (graphic), violence against animals, threats of suicide

Three generations of woman undergo a journey of healing as a new pandemic sweeps the world. It’s called The Violence, and it makes some people snap and make them kill the nearest living object near them. But there are other forms of violence, namely in the cruelty of the men around grandmother Patricia, mother Chelsea, and teenager Ella. In an effort to survive more common terror, these three go on their own character journeys to find their own strength, whether it’s in the form of tenderness for a grandchild, the improv and support from a wrestling troupe, or getting separated and striking on out on your own in the more desperate circumstances imaginable.

Heart-wrenching and cathartic, with some delightful moments in the form of self-discovery via wrestling and women surviving together and individually.

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Review: MADHOUSE AT THE END OF THE EARTH: The Belgica’s Journey into the Dark Antarctic Night by Julian Sancton (2021)

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Genre: Adult Historical Nonfiction
Year Release: 2021
Source: Libro.fm

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Listened to the audiobook
Content warnings: Starvation, scurvy, depictions of mental illness, animal slaughter

If you thought Arctic exploration had its moments of “why would anyone ever do this,” Antarctic exploration is on a whole other level. This book follows the expedition of The Belgica, a ship from Belgium with a mostly international crew. What makes this account particularly captivating is its wacky cast of characters and a trip that felt mad long before Adrien de Gerlarche and his crew made it to the southern seas.

Told fairly linearly in multiple points of view, the ending really has you wondering just what such journeys do to people, especially when there’s national and international renown at stake.

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Review: EREBUS: One Ship, Two Epic Voyages, and the Greatest Naval Mystery of All Time by Michael Palin (2021)

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Genre: Adult Nonfiction
Year Release: 2018
Source: Libro.fm

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Listened to the audiobook
Content warning: freezing to death, starvation, light cannibalism, frostbite, hunting

HMS Erebus is one of the ships that went missing during the ill-fated Franklin Expedition of 1845. What this book does, however, is tell the whole story of the ship, from her initial build to her Antarctic voyage to the last departure for the Northwest Passage. Author Michael Palin follows this ship’s intrepid voyage while also talking about the litany of captains at her helm and passengers in her hull.

Regardless my fascination with the Franklin Expedition and maritime Arctic exploration disasters, this audiobook is one of the best times I’ve had. There’s music and sound at the top of every chapter and Palin clearly has much enthusiasm for the topic at hand.

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Review: NEAR THE BONE by Christina Henry (2021)

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Genre: Adult Horror
Year Release: 2021
Source: Libro.fm

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Listened to the audiobook
Content warning: spousal abuse, spousal rape (off screen but implied), brainwashing, gaslighting, body horror, kidnapping, and gore

This is by far one of the saddest horror novels I have ever read. In this wintery, mountainside tail, we get deep inside the mind of Mattie, wife to an abusive husband named William and who lives in a cabin with literally no other human contact. Then a mysterious beast leaves behind a mutilated bear, and William will stop at nothing to kill it. Strangers come around in search of the same creature and Mattie’s world might not be all as it appears.

It is a heart-wrenching exploration of reclaiming identity and fighting back against an abusive husband while also opening up and learning to trust strangers and your own instincts. And yes, there is plenty of body horror and gore, but those are not the fears to be found in this game of cat-and-mouse between humans and a beast.

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Review: MUTED by Tami Charles (2021)

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Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Year Release: 2021
Source: Libro.fm

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Listened to the audiobook
Content warnings: abuse (physical, sexual, mental), kidnapping, gaslighting, manipulation, abuse, forced dieting and weight loss, homophobia, sexual assault

A dream turns into a nightmare as Denver sees an opportunity to get into the R&B industry through superstar Sean “Mercury” Ellis. It starts off with the lavish trappings of fame like parties and studio time, but devolves into manipulation and abuse as Merc tries to stamp out Denver’s voice, while also showing the ways she can fight back.

With parallels to the 2019 documentary, Surviving R. Kelly, this novel in verse does not pull any punches, exposing the dark side of the music industry and the ways young women can fight back.

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Review: AMARI AND THE NIGHT BROTHERS (Supernatural Investigations #1) by B.B. Alston (2021)

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Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy
Year Release: 2021
Source: Libro.fm

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Listened to the audiobook
Content warnings: bullying, light fantasy violence

Middle grade fiction is full of wonder and magic, and this book is the cream of the crop. It is a little bit Men in Black, a little bit Artemis Fowl, with plenty of Black girl magic and heart.

Amari joins the summer tryouts for the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs to get answers behind her brother, Quinton’s, disappearance. It has all the enchantment of being part of a secret magic society with references to classic monsters and common mythologies. This book tailored to some very specific interests, and I loved it.

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Review: WHAT GIRLS ARE MADE OF by Elana K. Arnold (2017)

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Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Year Release: 2020
Source: Libro.fm

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Listened to the audiobook
Content warnings: abortion, animal death, attempted sexual assault (author’s note), vomiting

I took Elana K. Arnold’s Revision Season course last fall, so before getting into the book itself, I felt like I had an insider knowledge of its revision cycle. I got my ears into the audiobook and dove right in.

This work follows Nina Faye as she navigates her teenage years with the social pressures as they relate to autonomy and sexuality. Her mother tells her that there is no such thing as unconditional love, and Arnold explores the different modes of love during key moments of Nina’s life. It feels like the contemporary precursor to Damsel, so if you enjoyed the brutally honest way it explored its topics through fairy tale, you will enjoy this.

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Review: WALK AMONG US by Genevieve Gornichec, Cassandra Khaw, and Caitlin Starling (2020)

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Rating: 5/5 stars
Genre: Adult Horror Novellas
Year Release: 2020
Source: Libro.fm

Content warning for suicide ideation, blood consumption, gore, violence, manipulation

Genevieve Gornichec’s “A Sheep Among Wolves” performed by Erika Ishii
A college student looks for companionship and finds it in the unlikeliest of places. I really appreciate how Gornichec approached the recruitment strategy, and laid out a solid framework for that final reveal. The mental health aspect of it was also relatable, plus the general loneliness that comes with being in college. Very atmospheric.

Cassandra Khaw’s “Fine Print” performed by Neil Kaplan
Of the three, I think this one might have been the grossest. Khaw takes the approach of food insensitivities and the paperwork that goes into  becoming a vampire. It also tackles individual interpretations of privilege that are both incisive and has you rooting for the antagonists in the best way. Sometimes the vampires are the good guys.

Caitlin Starling’s “Land of Milk and Honey” performed by Xe Sands
The setpiece of a verfiable blood farm was exquisite in this work. Leigh just wants to have an ethical source of vampire food, and nearly compromises the Masquerade in the process. If you’re looking for some sapphic pining, this novellas also has plenty of that to go around. The women are complex, and the attention to detail regarding animal husbandry is particularly good.

A must-listen for people needing more vampire stories in their life.

 

Review: THE FISHERMAN by John Langan (2016)

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Rating: 4/5 stars
Genre: Adult horror
Year Release: 2016
Source: Libro.fm

Listened to the audiobook

This book is narrated by the kindest-sounding old man, but don’t let that fool you: it is full of folk terror and upstate New York eerieness.

The Fisherman are about two IBM coworkers who happen to be widowers who go on a weekend fishing trip. Things get weird and very cosmic horror from there. There’s not much I can that wouldn’t turn into a spoiler, but I really loved the fishy horror of this one. There’s also a fair amount of the dead walking, all tied to this one stream in the Catskills. The location is absolutely beautiful, and alluring in a way that almost wants you to take up the sport. After reading this tale, however, it’s probably best to leave the restless waters alone.

The book does go on a relevant, but lengthy story of one of the first families to settle in the region. As if tragedy had not been enough, they are also befallen to the tortures of a godly type. It’s a fantastic mix of how people in general are scary, but also with the unsettling that comes with the unexplainable happening all around you. The fish and the location are the constant linking the contemporary tale and history together.

If you weren’t afraid of fish before reading, congratulations! You have ichthyophobia.