Joe's Notes

Welcome!

This is my blog and I do whatever I want here. I write my thoughts about things and short stories, I take photos, and have lots of book reviews. Make sure to check out the PRODUCTS page to order your edgy t-shirts or the PRINTS page to get prints of my photography! Use the search bar at the bottom of this page to discover more posts. Use the ARCHIVE page to see all my posts. Categorical searches will also yield good results for those who want more of a specific group of posts such as “Photo Journal” or “Book Review”. Check out the OLD BLOG for over 270 posts that go back to 2010 and get your PRINTS at the Prints Store!

Thank you!

Book Review: The Pathfinder by James Fenimore Cooper

December 18, 2024 by Joe Gray in Book Review, Fiction, Western, Reviews, Reccomendations

I recommend this book to hardcore Western genre lovers or those who are interested in reading a book written by a celebrated writer of the 19th century.

Book Review: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

December 13, 2024 by Joe Gray in Book Review, Fiction, Sci-Fi, Reviews, Reccomendations

Hijinks ensue and mysteries abound in this exciting and witty adventure in the high space seas. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a must-read for anyone who enjoys quirky characters, sci-fi shenanigans, and humorous turns of phrases.

Book Review/Rebuttal: Ishmael by Daniel Quinn

November 13, 2024 by Joe Gray in Book Review, Fiction, Philosophy

It's not that I don't recommend this book or that it doesn't offer a philosophical perspective that warrants review. It is worth reading but it fails to persuade as it offers only a simplified and narrow perspective of human behavior. It requires a wholesale acceptance of its premises and provides little in the way of relevant counterarguments. Ishmael by Daniel Quinn is written well and is narrated masterfully by Anthony Heald in the Audible version I listened to. When engaging with this book I recommend being aware of its rhetorical tactics and remaining skeptical of its biased perspective.

Book Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

November 12, 2024 by Joe Gray in Book Review, Fantasy, Fiction

I wanted to love this book. I had high expectations because of my love for Sarah J. Maas’s Throne of Glass series but A Court of Thorns and Roses is very different. It is a more insulated story with a much simpler plot and less action. I wasn’t as invested in the characters who seemed like premade pieces in a predictable puzzle. It seems tailored for a female audience and centers around a romance that is more superficial than the romances in Throne of Glass.

New Book Review YouTube Channel!

September 29, 2024 by Joe Gray in Book Review

I decided to start posting video book reviews on YouTube! The channel’s name is Fictional Fracas because I like alliteration and I’m clever. Use the links below to check it out and if you like it make sure to like and subscribe and share and love and comment and click stuff and tell people!

Book Review: Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman

August 21, 2024 by Joe Gray in Book Review, Fantasy, Fiction, Reviews

This beautifully grotesque accounting of an epic journey rivals those of The Odyssey and Lord of the Rings, with less fluff and more French words. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants a nightmare-inducing ride down an ecclesiastic rollercoaster. Super fun!