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Justin Winokur's Read Books: Blog 2

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Anthony Horowitz - Susan Ryeland 2 - Moonflower Murders

Monday, January 26, 2026, 05:13 PM

Anthony Horowitz - Susan Ryeland 2 - Moonflower Murders (2026-01-26)

Narrated by: Lesley Manville, Allan Corduner
Series: Susan Ryeland Series, Book 2
Length: 18 hrs and 28 mins
Release date: 11-10-20

See Anthony Horowitz - Susan Ryeland 1 - Magpie Murders

★★★★★

I ended up really enjoying it! I liked both the story-within-a-story and the outer story. I also found I really liked the way Susan Ryeland carried herself, flaws and all!

Matt Dinniman - Dungeon Crawler Carl 02 - Carl's Doomsday Scenario

Sunday, January 18, 2026, 11:19 PM

Matt Dinniman - Dungeon Crawler Carl 02 - Carl's Doomsday Scenario (2026-01-18)

Narrated by: Jeff Hays
Series: Dungeon Crawler Carl, Book 2
Length: 11 hrs and 28 mins
Release date: 04-22-21
Language: English

★★★★½

Shirley Jackson - We Have Always Lived in the Castle

Thursday, January 15, 2026, 10:39 PM

Shirley Jackson - We Have Always Lived in the Castle (2026-01-15)

Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne
Length: 5 hrs and 32 mins
Release date: 03-22-10

★★★☆☆

I am sure I am missing something because others love it but I thought it was just fine. Some of the "mystery" was pretty easy to guess and I didn't particularly like any of the characters. I also found the end to leave me not very satisfied.

Part of the problem may be that I found this from asking ChatGPT for "Without saying what they are (No spoilers!!!) what books have the best twist?" It was not really that...

Lisa Unger - Close Your Eyes and Count to 10

Tuesday, January 13, 2026, 11:21 PM

Lisa Unger - Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 (2026-01-13)

Narrated by: Vivienne Leheny
Length: 11 hrs and 34 mins
Release date: 02-25-25

★★★½☆

I was more or less into it. I guessed a few elements and I wouldn't say there was any big surprise I couldn't have seen coming (I even predicted one and noted it). But I was interested and wanted to hear the end.

Mac Barnett - The First Cat in Space (1) Ate Pizza

Monday, January 12, 2026, 12:00 AM

Mac Barnett - The First Cat in Space (1) Ate Pizza (2026-01-12)

The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza
A Graphic Novel
By: Mac Barnett
Narrated by: Shawn Harris, Mac Barnett
Series: The First Cat in Space, Book 1
Length: 1 hr and 35 mins
Release date: 01-10-23

★★½☆☆

I didn't like it, even for a kids book. I thought it was too "graphic" that it almost made it hard to follow. It had some cute moments too to be fair.

Ann Napolitano - Dear Edward

Thursday, January 08, 2026, 10:28 PM

Ann Napolitano - Dear Edward (2026-01-08)

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins
Release date: 01-06-20

★★★★☆

Enjoyed it mostly. Got slow at some points in the middle, though not really ever particularly "fast"

Charolotte McConaghy - Wild Dark Shore

Sunday, January 04, 2026, 08:58 PM

Charolotte McConaghy - Wild Dark Shore (2026-01-04)

Wild Dark Shore
Reese's Book Club Pick (A Novel)
By: Charlotte McConaghy
Narrated by: Cooper Mortlock, Katherine Littrell, Saskia Maarleveld, Steve West
Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins
Release date: 03-04-25

★★★☆☆:

I was enjoying the book but the relationship killed it for me. Even before knowing the real story, I found it hard to suspend disbelief. That feeling didn’t abate either. Honestly, I think a friendship could have worked fine.

I know everyone else loved this book so much but I guess it just didn’t resonate with me the same way

Just generally overrated.

Comment on Reddit.

1:

I recently finished this and found the “love story” part so bad. It just didn’t make sense and made me hate both characters with a passion. For different reasons for each but still.

Then someone asked what in particular turned me off.

2: (Spoilers)

It was just (a) not even a little bit believable (even with suspension of disbelief) including not fitting the characters otherwise and (b) It made the characters so unforgivingly unlikeable.

Dominic: At this point in the book, we didn't know what Dominic did but we knew he did something. Then when you reflect back and you realized he has sex with the wife of the person he had locked in the vault , it just made him irredeemable.

Rowan: She came to the island to find her husband. Honestly, up to about this point, we had every reason to believe they were still in love . And, while she again didn't know what happened, she surely suspected something was up. It didn't fit.

I think what bothers me most is that while it (supposedly) adds to the character depth and the tension, the story really would have flowed just fine if they had formed a very strong platonic bond.

2025 Recap

Wednesday, December 31, 2025, 09:06 AM

2025 Recap

PNG Form (28.8 MB)

This does not include audiobooks with Caroline. For those, see 2025 Collages

By the Numbers

Stars

As of 2025-12-31. I sometimes go back and add/remove/change ratings. I will regenerate and update as needed. Star guide

Audiobooks

Not including kids (Caroline)

Plot

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