J Stryker

Story Sacrificed for Gratuitous Sex

Revisado: 07-24-24

Having read many of this author’s books I expected this to be much better than it was and won’t be continuing the series. This could have been excellent - the premise was interesting and there could have been decent character development and world exploration. Instead, the ratio of sex scenes is off the charts and it seems off balance. In other books, yes, there is sex. However, it’s part of the story progression and there are other elements to the books other than repetitive sex. In this book it was gratuitous and it was difficult to connect with any characters because of the lack of dimension - two characters who just can’t keep their hands off each other and don’t have much else to their personalities. Read the other books, pass on this one.

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Confusing Performance; Unlikeable Characters

Revisado: 06-01-24

Made it 4 hours in and I’m not investing further time. The performance is sorely lacking here. Not only is the accent grating, but there is hardly an attempt to differentiate when other characters are talking. As a result, it’s very confusing to tell who is speaking. Additionally, while I don’t need to fully “like” characters, after 4 hours there should be a character to connect to. The main is fake spiritualist who is opening taking advantage of people and spends all her time ogling what she can steal. There isn’t anything redeemable - she is just a boring petty thief. The premise never became more than meeting new people and was uninteresting. Pass.

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Interesting Topic Undermined By Slog

Revisado: 05-02-24

Was really excited for this book and hopeful for a Mary Roach-ish or other entertaining style of exploration into this topic. Ultimately, made it 2 hours in and it was like reading a dry encyclopedia. Very dull and better books out there.

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Short and Powerful

Revisado: 05-02-24

Really enjoyed this snippet from Madeline Miller. As a fan of her other books, my only disappointment was that it wasn’t longer. Loved her insight and interpretation on this myth - the interview with her at the end was awesome in offering her perspective on underlying themes.

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Exhausting to Listen to and Disjointed

Revisado: 05-02-24

There are some folks who will really enjoy this book and find it resonates with them - I am not that person. I was intrigued by the sample. The quirky attitude, or being “shady” as it was termed here seemed like a unique and interesting voice. But it became tiring very, very quickly as this book morphed into a ghetto-esque complaint session. Yes, I realize the title of the book; however, the sample I feel was misleading as to the content. I made it through the first 2 hours before deciding this was not worth further slugging through. There was no meaningful content - categorizing “types of friends” and “boos” as the author jumps around to various shallow topics. I just couldn’t stand listening to her anymore.

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Interesting Material; Mechanical Performance and Irritating Prose

Revisado: 04-22-24

The stories were interesting and I did get all the way through, but wouldn’t purchase any of the other books or listen to the podcast. Difficult to get past such a mechanical, robotic performance. Additionally, editing is badly needed. Organization is very choppy with the same story frequently interrupted by subheadings - maybe this makes sense in a printed book, but for audio it doesn’t work well. The author needs to be more mindful of his overuse of the same phrases. “For you see” is so frequently repeated that it’s irritating. Overall, this book is like listening to a juvenile camp counselor telling ghost stories. Pass.

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Written by Angsty Immature Teenager Who Also Like History?

Revisado: 03-25-24

The beginning is much better - about midway through, the stories become less interesting and the author even admits at one point that a couple of them probably shouldn’t even be included (if you run out of material, end the book?) The stories themselves are interesting, though the author gives a sermon after each one and becomes particularly preachy at the end.

Performance was good in that the performer perfectly enacted the author’s snarky voice. Made it clear that while this author was trying to connect with the ready through “relatable” snips about viewing parties and sobbing over ice cream, this is not a person I’d want to be friends with. The author comes across as an angsty, immature teenager who has an interest in history. However, because of this she also presents with low credibility for the history. Pass.

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Too In-depth with Irrelevant Details

Revisado: 03-25-24

I purchased on sale because I was intrigued by the sample. The sample is not indicative of the entirety of this book. I went 2.5 hours in and I can’t take another 14 with these mundane, irrelevant details. The book is nothing like the 5 minute sample, which was interesting and included snippets that added to the narrative. When the author went down a 10 minute rabbit hole of the history of the abbess of Martha Jefferson’s school in Paris, I was done. There are many such sidebars that are explored in minutiae that don’t contribute to the book - it’s not boring, but frustrating that we have to stop and examine every single thing. This is an example of a book that does not need to be as long if the author had shown restraint/the editor had put their foot down. There are too many good books out there for me to waste time finishing this one. Don’t get fooled by the sample - avoid.

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More About Addiction Than the Dead

Revisado: 02-01-24

Typically love these type of books, but this is no Judy Melinek. Realizing this is labeled as a memoir, if I’d known how much focus was not on the MLI work and was on the author’s personal struggles with addiction, I wouldn’t have purchased. I appreciate that she has worked through significant challenges, but I wasn’t interested in this book to hear about AA meetings. Definitely felt like a bait and switch.

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Great Topic, Poor Execution

Revisado: 02-01-24

Purchased this book after pet loss left me absolutely devastated. What I appreciated is the author’s dedication to validate grief for pet loss and the beginning of the book which conveyed this very meaningfully was great. However, as the book went on, it became more of a dirge that culminated in the author’s swift retelling of the passing of her parents’ dogs after having spent a ton of time on fish and birds. I nodded off at a few parts and wasn’t interested enough to go back and relisten to what I’d missed. Overall, a strong beginning that just unraveled the more it went on. The more the author revealed about herself, the less likeable she was and the credibility of the original assertions suffered for it. It ultimately became part research paper, part silver-spoon woman lamenting.

Performance wise, it was lackluster. Not horrible, but there wasn’t much polish you could put on this one.

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