DNF

I really loved the writing, the protagonist, the minor characters, and the world building, but I found the main 'friendship' too toxic to be able to enjoy the main premise of the story.

Meh. Lots of name dropping of other authors' works with a strong undercurrent of bookish snobbery. 

It's an easy, throw-away read, for when you're stuck somewhere for three hours and don't have anything better to do.

It's not the book I expected, but it was still interesting.

I didn't know anything about Maud West before this book, and I honestly don't feel like I know much about her after reading it. 

I had expected a biography, but instead, this is more about sleuthing, the general era of crime, the difficulty facing women in regards to careers in policing and similar, and about writing history. There are some bits about Maud, but overall, she felt like a sidenote.

That doesn't mean the book wasn't entertaining and interesting, it just wasn't what I was looking for.

I really, really, REALLY wanted to like this book. I wanted to witness the family come to terms with their grief. I wanted to know about Pog. I wanted to learn about the first ones.

But the story was...plodding. It was slow and mostly uneventful. The story is weighted in grief, but there is no touching or uplifting conclusion.

The story is great in theory, the idea of painful memories having power. But the entire book could have been condensed into a short story a quarter the size of the original text.

Maybe my own history with grief and loss has coloured my views on the story. Perhaps others will find more meaning to it.

I personally wouldn't recommend it, though.

I found the book awkward initially because I just couldn't orient my thoughts in relation to the abyss and ocean and sky, etc.

Once I stopped trying to understand it, it became easier to appreciate the actual story.

The ending was...well, I love a good metaphor and allegory.

A wonderful collection of Scottish folktales and stories accompanied by beautiful illustrations.

A wonderful collection of Scottish tales about mythical creatures accompanied by beautiful illustrations.

DNF

Considering the subject matter, I had expected to really enjoy this book. However, I found myself unable to maintain my interest and focus. 

I can't put my finger on exactly what the problem was, but I ended up not finishing the book as it started to feel like a chore.

Mandatory Lovecraft Warning: Several of these stories contain highly racist depictions of Black people along with racial slurs.

A good collection of Lovecraft's shorter stories.

I like how there was a 'If you liked this story you may like...' section after each story that gave the title and page number for similar stories included in the collection.

Mandatory Lovecraft Warning: Several of these stories contain highly racist depictions of Black people along with racial slurs.

Contains all the Cthulhu Mythos stories in an attractive leather covered book.

I especially like that it included The Horror In The Museum, although I prefer to attribute primary authorship to Hazel Heald.