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Justin Winokur's Read Books: Blog 5
Tuesday, February 10, 2026, 08:22 PM
By: Steven Rowley
Narrated by: Steven Rowley
Series: The Guncle, Book 1
Length: 11 hrs and 23 mins
Release date: 05-25-21
I thought this was going to be a light-hearted, palette cleanser of a book. Well, it was those but it was also a deep, emotional, and raw exploration of grief. The humor was well done and even when it was, at times, predictable and slow, it had so much heart that you could let it go.
I was also a bit unsure going into it because I DNFed Steven Rowley's other book, Lily and the Octopus. But I may even try that one again!
Update (2026-04-04): I originally had this at 4 stars, but as I think on it more and it macerates, I am revising it to 5 stars. I just find I keep thinking about it and looking back on my time with it fondly.
Thursday, February 05, 2026, 02:38 PM
Narrated by: Morag Sims, Will Watt
Length: 18 hrs and 34 mins
Release date: 08-26-25
It was a fun read and the premise was really fun. But it kind of got a bit slow on some odd philosophical digressions. And felt a bit like the author trying to show how smart she was. Also, it felt a bit "academia self-centered", though I think that was part of the point.
Wednesday, January 28, 2026, 10:35 PM
Narrated by: Lola Tung
Series: Summer, Book 1
Length: 6 hrs
I listened to it because Meredith read it on a friends suggestion; mostly in preparation of watching the TV show.
I was pretty bored with it. I just had trouble (a) getting in to it and (b) really caring at all. For what it's worth, I am almost certainly not the intended audience.
I look forward to the TV show, but I am going to skip the next two in the series:
Monday, January 26, 2026, 05:13 PM
Narrated by: Lesley Manville, Allan Corduner
Series: Susan Ryeland Series, Book 2
Length: 18 hrs and 28 mins
Release date: 11-10-20
Series: Anthony Horowitz - Susan Ryeland
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!
Sunday, January 18, 2026, 11:19 PM
Narrated by: Jeff Hays
Series: Dungeon Crawler Carl, Book 2
Length: 11 hrs and 28 mins
Release date: 04-22-21
Language: English
Series: Matt Dinniman - Dungeon Crawler Carl
Thursday, January 15, 2026, 10:39 PM
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...
Tuesday, January 13, 2026, 11:21 PM
Narrated by: Vivienne Leheny
Length: 11 hrs and 34 mins
Release date: 02-25-25
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.
Monday, January 12, 2026, 12:00 AM
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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
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.