Book Nook Cafe discussion

Here is the Folder and thread to tell us what your monthly reads for July
2025 were.

Please provide:
~ A GoodReads link
~ A few sentences telling us how you felt about the book.
~ How would you rate the book

Here are mine, overall not a bad month ...


by Stefan Zweig ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


Review : https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


by Mark Kurlansky ⭐️⭐️⭐️


Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


by Tahir Shah ⭐️⭐️⭐️


Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

A nice month, John.

I enjoyed your audio book review of Beware of Pity.

I'm not familiar with Nicholas Boulton, the narrator. I can see from the blurb why he did so well.
"Nicholas Boulton is a British actor, narrator and voice actor of Northern Irish descent, known for his work in theatre, television, and video games. As an actor, he has starred in Shakespeare in Love and Topsy-Turvy and has had minor roles in TV series like Game of Thrones and Doctor Who."

I see he also narrated the The Complete Novels of Charles Dickens: All 15 Novels & The Christmas Stories. I'll have to check him out as there are a few Dickens I haven't read yet.

John wrote:
Beyond the Devil's Teeth .."

"Forty-five million years ago, the supercontinent of Gondwanaland split apart."

I never heard of Gondwanaland before. Learn something new here all the time ! Thanks.

John wrote: "Here are mine, overall not a bad month ...


by Stefan Zweig ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


Review : https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


[bookcover:S..."

This sounds like a good month’s reading, John.

I liked Salt more than you did but it was the first of his books i read.

Your comments on the other two were informative, as far as understanding how you came to rate them as you did.

Thanks for the reviews here.

I enjoyed the three books I read in July.


My Friends
by Fredrik Backman
Format: eBook
Fiction
Rate: 4/5
The story is about four teenagers. They form a close bond that helps them cope with their chaotic abusive home life. One of them is an artist. For a competition he paints a picture of his friends on a pier and becomes famous. I don't want to give away the plot.

The story unfolds with two timelines. One, when the four friends are teens and another, twenty five years later.

For me, this 448 page book was definitely one that it paid not to quickly DNF and to stick with the slow start.

Fever BeachCarl Hiaasen
Format: eBook
Fiction
Rate: 4/5
The plots in Hiaasen's books are chaotic, zany and very funny. This novel isn't as good as Squeeze Me which I gave a top rating 5/5. Still, this was a solid 4/5.

Hiaasen is a liberal writer who pokes fun at Fox viewing Trumpers. If today's headlines make you want to weep, then read Fever Beach to give yourself a break from the madness and enjoy a few hours reading this lighthearted novel.

The Small and the Mighty: Twelve Unsung Americans Who Changed the Course of History, from the Founding to the Civil Rights Movement by Sharon McMahon
Format: eBook
Non Fiction
Rating 5/5
I really enjoyed this wonderful book. It is twelve short biographies about people that history hasn't shined its light on. McMahon corrects this error.

I really liked the way the book was written. It's an easy going fun conversational style that is very readable.

Hello everyone! For the month of July, I read a total of four books.

So I started off the month by reading Save the Cat! Writes a Young Adult Novel by Jessica Brody. My full thoughts on this book can be viewed here.

This book is basically intended to teach the reader how to write a solid young adult book and how they can use the Save the Cat structure.

Yeah, I don't really recommend this. Now, to be fair, for the most part, I think it does a fantastic job breaking down what the Save the Cat structure is and how it can be used beyond structuring one's stories and there's even quite a few solid pieces of writing advice in here.

However, what killed it for me was how the solid pieces of writing advice was just stuff you can find on the internet for free, the questionable examples, the questionable research, and the fact that some important questions were either answered extremely poorly or not at all.

Rating: D

Second up was Lightfall by Ed Crocker. Full review here.

A palace maid named Sam, a werewolf assassin named Raven, some Quantas sorcerers named Sage Bailey and Jacob, and a few others team up to solve the murder of the young son of First Lord Azzuri.

Man was this a huge disappointment for me! Don't get me wrong, though. It had its moments. Like, it does a wonderful job handling its multiple POVs, giving each character enough time to stand out and shine and being very careful not to overwhelm the reader with them. I even found certain bits of the worldbuilding to be cool (like the blood system and using hourglasses to tell time).

I think the main issue is that it really did not have enough time in the oven. Inconsistencies galore, plot twists the reader can see coming from ten miles away, and oh my God the deus ex machinas are so abysmal and so frequent, it makes you want to tear your hair out and purchase every bottle of Excedrin you can get your hands on. I wish I was kidding.

Rating: D

Another book I read in July was I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga. You can read my full review on it here.

Jazz is a kid who doesn't want to become a serial killer like his father. To avoid this fate, Jazz uses the skills he's gained from his dad to try and bring a serial killer named The Impressionist to justice.

Way better than the last two books I read in July by a country mile. One area where I Hunt Killers absolutely excels is with the characters. Jazz is clearly a kid trying his best to be a good person despite everything he's been through and some of the adult characters are genuinely helpful despite their hardassery. To me, I think this type of characterization allows them to come off as believable and easy to root for. I also have to give credit to the pacing, as, for the most part, it doesn't waste the reader's time and keeps things moving while still making everything understandable for the reader.

That being said, while I feel that The Impressionist POV chapters did a great job building him up to be this cunning, legitimate threat, they weren't actually all that necessary because the rest of the novel just conveys this same information just fine. Speaking of The Impressionist, when Jazz and The Impressionist actually meet, it's in such a dumb, out of character way and it's so infuriating, especially considering that the novel had a perfectly good alternative right there for the taking.

Rating: A-

The final book I read in July was Tent for Seven: A Camping Adventure Gone South Out West by Marty Ohlhaut. My review on it can be found here.

A man named Marty takes his family on a vacation. It goes wrong.

If you love National Lampoon's Vacation, you will love this book. From the Clark Griswold-esque narration style to the abundance of great humor and funny characters like Max to the inclusion of actual photos from the family's vacation and whatnot, this was definitely worth picking up from the second hand store I found it at. Honestly, the only real complaint I have is that there's the occasional instance of padding, which is made even more noticeable considering that this book is less than two hundred and sixty pages long.

Rating: A

Overall, July was certainly a mixed bag for me, but I am glad for the books that I did enjoy.

Congrats on the great month, Alias! I've had books that seemed challenging at the time, appreciating them more later.

Awesome reviews, Hailey, a great job explaining what worked for you, and what didn't.

Sorry you had two serious clunker in July, Hailey. Still, you balanced that out by two A's.

Lets hope August is a winner for you.

I read 11 books in July because I ignored other hobbies (except the physical ones, hiking and beach) and because I didn't work:


5 stars:
James: powerful retelling of Huck Finn from Jim's POV; I enjoy Everett's writing
How Proust Can Change Your Life: wonderful combo of literacy criticism, biography and self help, how to have a better life using examples form Proust's novels
So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish and Mostly Harmless: funny concluding books after the uneven 3rd volume but niche reading for Douglas Adams fans


Good 4 star reads:
Sandwich: A Global HistoryL exactly as the title states
The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Impulse realistic YA reads addressing mental health and navigating the teenage years
Hitch 22: A Memoir: the thing that kept out from being 5 start was the emphasis on other people/interactions, I felt I still didn't know Hitchens that well after reading it, prob because it was memoir not autobiography.

Uneven, slightly disappointing but not bad 3 star reads:
The Rent Collector: too long to get to the rent collectors story, some good bits about the power of words
A Passage to India: white woman accuses Indian of assault. Recants. He has to move as a consequence due to doubts about what happened. It takes 300 pages to say this
The House on Mango Street: unattached vignettes that don't quite add up to a whole.

Denise wrote: "I read 11 books in July because I ignored other hobbies (except the physical ones, hiking and beach) and because I didn't work:
.."

It looks like July was a wonderful reading and relaxing month for you, Denise. I hope you have recharged your batteries and now are ready for the new school year.

I have How Proust can change your life in my TBR notebook. I may use if the our 2025 book challenge. I happy to see it is a 5 star book for you.

Alias Reader wrote: "I enjoyed the three books I read in July.


My Friends
by Fredrik Backman
Format: eBook
Fiction
Rate: 4/5
The story is about four ..."

What a rewarding month of reading, Alias. Isn’t that a treat? Well done.

Hailey wrote: "Hello everyone! For the month of July, I read a total of four books.

So I started off the month by reading Save the Cat! Writes a Young Adult Novel by Jessica Brody. My full thoughts on this book ..."

Hailey, you are so fair when you review books. After telling us the premise, letting us know the plus & minuses, helps us decide whether to add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for that!

I appreciate, also, that you share these thoughts on this thread. It’s helping us see how you deem books with a balanced eye. Thanks.

Denise wrote: "I read 11 books in July because I ignored other hobbies (except the physical ones, hiking and beach) and because I didn't work:


5 stars:
James: powerful retelling of Huck Finn f..."

Denise, thanks for breaking the titles into stars awarded categories. Clever idea. Overall, it appears you had no clunkers, which is terrific given your limited vacation weeks.

Thanks for your comments on classics, newbies and nonfiction. Good balance, imo.

John wrote: "Congrats on the great month, Alias! I've had books that seemed challenging at the time, appreciating them more later.

Awesome reviews, Hailey, a great job explaining what worked for you, and what ..."

Thank you, John. I try my best to make sure my points are as clear and concise as possible.

I also try to find at least one thing I liked whenever I read a book, though I admit that this isn't always possible.

Alias Reader wrote: "Sorry you had two serious clunker in July, Hailey. Still, you balanced that out by two A's.

Lets hope August is a winner for you."

It was certainly a mixed bag indeed, Alias. I'm currently reading Fortress of The Damned and The River, so I'm hoping at least one of them is decent.

madrano wrote: "Hailey wrote: "Hello everyone! For the month of July, I read a total of four books.

So I started off the month by reading Save the Cat! Writes a Young Adult Novel by Jessica Brody. My full thought..."

Thank you for your kind words, madrano! When it comes to my reviews, I strive to be honest and fair and I'm glad to hear that I'm achieving that.

These were the books i read in July:
BTW, I rate books "the Goodreads way"
1* = I didn't like it (I usually abandon these);
2* = It was OK
3* = I liked it. These, I liked but I know they won;t stick in my memory long.
4* = I really liked it
5* = It was amazing (I rarely rate books 5*, They must be truly outstanding in my opinion to get 5*)

Fortune Favours the Dead 4*
This was a good solid 4* for me. It was a locked-room type of mystery novel, with 2 interesting female detectives. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but it didn't quite have the originality to qualify for 5*. I've already got the next book in the series on my TBR though. It's worth considering if you like locked-room or traditional (golden-age) style mysteries.

The Girls 3*. This was a novel about 2 conjoined twins. I liked it, but I think the author was trying something quite challenging, and if I am honest, I don't think she quite managed it. It was supposedly the autobiography of one of the twins, who was quite bookish, but she got her sister to write some chapters, since it was also the sister's autobiography. The bookish sister wanted to write good fiction so ahe planned what she wrote carefully and her chapters were pretty lifeless. The other sister’s chapters were a lot more engaging, but there weren’t enough of them to “lift” the book. I liked it because it was a novel idea, but I can’t recommend it.

Portable Magic: A History of Books and Their Readers 1*. I abandoned this partway through chapter 3. The author made various claims that I thought were dubious and others that I disagreed with. Unfortunately she didn’t present any arguments to support her views. I have no problem with reading opinions I disagree with, but if an author doesn’t explain why they hold their opinions then I can’t learn from them, so to my mind, there’s no point reading the book (and I’d think that even if I agreed with the author).

Carrie by Stephen King 4*. This was a book club read. I wasn’t sure about reading it, but I decided to give it a try and see how I got on. To my surprise I finished it, I thought I’d probably wimp out fairly early on. I really enjoyed how sympathetic Mr King was to Carrie and how he portrayed her situation as an outsider. I also liked how he told the story through a mix of eyewitness accunts, newspaper reports and court transcripts etc. which meant he could introducce a lot of different viewpoints without needing a cast of thousands. Better yet, I’ve now found out he writes crime and mystery books as well as horror, so I shall be investigating them once I have my library loans somewhat under control.

Flatland 5*. I really enjoyed this mainly becuase the edition I read had very good explanations of the aspects of Victorian society the author was satirising. Without them I think I would have struggled to finish this as it would have seemed pointlessly cruel. I think it was clever of the author to invent worlds so very different to our own, particualrly because he describes analogies of the aspects of society that he wanted to object to. This means some of his comments can be applied to situations in our society that did not exist in Victorian times.

Murder Mindfully 5*. This was a fast-paced, plot-driven book, narrated by the main character. This meant you only really learned about the main character's character. Normally this would be a problem for me, but as the main character's main concern was himself and he saw the other characters in terms of whether they could help him or were obstacles to what he wanted, the lack of detail about the other characters made sense. The main source of humour was the contrast between the mindfulness techniques the main character employed and the purposes for which he used them. However, Mr Dusse did not poke fun at mindfulness itself. He described genuine mindfulness techniques, with enough detail that you could try them out yourself if you want to. Actually, some sounded interesting so I'll be looking into them.

The Personal Librarian 3*. I liked the first half of this book, but thought the second half dragged a bit. The setting, including Belle's need to pass as white, and the stresses that placed on her was poignant, but even that became somewhat repetitive in the second half of the book. I'm glad I read this and it gave me a lot to think about, but when I started, I thought I'd be giving it more than three stars.

#18KeenReader wrote:

Better yet, I’ve now found out he writes crime and mystery books as well as horror, so I shall be investigating them once I have my library loans somewhat under control.."

Yes. Stephen King does have some very good crime novels.

I do recommend his Bill Hodges trilogy.
Mr. Mercedes

Finders Keepers

End of Watch

In the Bill Hodges trilogy is a character named Holly. I'm now reading one book she is in. Never Flinch

I also read
Holly

I enjoyed them all. No horror. These are crime novels. I would start with the Bill Hodges trilogy. Do read them in order.

The Personal Librarian--Marie Benedict

#18 KeenReader wrote:
The Personal Librarian 3*. I liked the first half of this book, but thought the second half dragged a bit. The setting, including Belle's need to pass as white, and the stresses that placed on her was poignant, but even that became somewhat repetitive in the second half of the book. I'm glad I read this and it gave me a lot to think about, but when I started, I thought I'd be giving it more than three stars.
..."

I read this one in 2023 and I also gave that it 3 stars.

This was part of my review:
I found it hard to like Belle at times because she constantly tells us how brilliant, wily and beautiful she is. I mean in every chapter! I am sure she was but the way she is portrayed in the book made her seem shallow. This made it difficult to like her even though she clearly was an amazing women who was at the top of her profession. I don't think the book does her justice.

I think it was a missed opportunity to explore a really fascinating women, J.P. Morgan, the Gilded age and the world of rare books, art and manuscript collecting. I also wanted to understand more about the racism of the times and how it tore her family apart.

All that said, I thought the book was okay but it did not exceed my expectations. I gave it a 3/5 rating. I did appreciate learning about Ms. Greene and I look forward to seeing the Morgan Library one day

#18 KeenReader wrote: Better yet, I’ve now found out he [Stephen King] writes crime and mystery books as well as horror, so I shall be investigating them once I have my library loans somewhat under control.."

#19 Alias Reader wrote: Yes. Stephen King does have some very good crime novels...


...I would start with the Bill Hodges trilogy. Do read them in order."

Thanks for the recommendation. I've added Mr. Mercedes to my TBR list. Now I just have to get my library loans under some sort of control...

#20 Alias Reader wrote: "The Personal Librarian--Marie Benedict

I think it was a missed opportunity to explore a really fascinating women, J.P. Morgan, the Gilded age and the world of rare books, art and manuscript collecting. I also wanted to understand more about the racism of the times and how it tore her family apart.
"

I agree and I hadn't thought about this before, but I think that's why I thought the second half of the book dragged. I expected them to start digging deeper in the second half and giving us more to think about, but they didn't.

Alias Reader wrote: "#18KeenReader wrote:

Better yet, I’ve now found out he writes crime and mystery books as well as horror, so I shall be investigating them once I have my library loans somewhat under control.."

Y..."

Thanks! Fortune Favours the Dead is something I'd really like!

John wrote: "Thanks! Fortune Favours the Dead is something I'd really like!"

I hope you like it if you try it.

Alias Reader wrote: "The Personal Librarian--Marie Benedict

#18 KeenReader wrote:
The Personal Librarian 3*. I liked the first half of this book, but thought the second half dragged ..."

I didn't read The Personal Librarian according to Goodreads, but I felt certain I had. Not only that, I associated it with New York which I left in the 1980's. Since this book was published in 2021, that simply isn't possible. So it's probably true that I didn't read it. It's very odd that I thought otherwise.

#25 Shomeret wrote:

"I didn't read The Personal Librarian according to Goodreads, but I felt certain I had. Not only that, I associated it with New York which I left in the 1980's. Since this book was published in 2021, that simply isn't possible. So it's probably true that I didn't read it. It's very odd that I thought otherwise."

For me, it's the other way around. When I look over my Books Read journal, I am shocked that I have zero memory of reading some of the books. I take some comfort in the fact that the journal dates back to 1999. So I try to cut myself some slack. But still. :(

KeenReader wrote: "These were the books i read in July:
BTW, I rate books "the Goodreads way"
1* = I didn't like it (I usually abandon these);
2* = It was OK
3* = I liked it. These, I liked but I know they won;t st..."

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the books you read last month, KeenReader. I read & liked Flatland but felt i missed things, which your edition probably avoided. Edwin A. Abbott wrote a sort kinship book, Flatland / Sphereland, as well. I haven’t read it, though.

I avoid Benedict’s historical novels for just the reason you explained. Instead i read An Illuminated Life: Belle da Costa Greene's Journey from Prejudice to Privilege—Heidi Ardizzone. Ostensibly it is a biography, so i trusted it more than a novel. However, the subject kept much of her past hidden, which made her still seem less solid, imo. Her family’s history was very good, as were depictions of her era. For my taste, Ardizzone relied too heavily between love letters between the librarian and her lover. Regardless, i throw the title onto this thread for your reading consideration.

KeenReader wrote: ". I really enjoyed how sympathetic Mr King was to Carrie and how he portrayed her situation as an outsider."

Re: Carrie

I haven't read the original but enjoyed the modern "re-telling" of Carrie called The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson.
Technically YA, but the author modernizes the book by making Carrie a white-passing young black girl in a modern-day small southern town where racism still runs rampant.

madrano wrote: "I avoid Benedict’s historical novels for just the reason you explained. Instead i read An Illuminated Life: Belle da Costa Greene's Journey from Prejudice to Privilege—Heidi Ardizzone. Ostensibly it is a biography, so i trusted it more than a novel. However, the subject kept much of her past hidden, which made her still seem less solid, imo. Her family’s history was very good, as were depictions of her era. For my taste, Ardizzone relied too heavily between love letters between the librarian and her lover. Regardless, i throw the title onto this thread for your reading consideration.."

Sadly, my library doesn't have that book and I am determined to reduce the number of books lurking in my house waiting to be read by the end of this year. Which means I cannot buy any more books at the moment. I've made a note of it, so I can consider it when a few slots have opened up in my bookshelves.

Denise wrote: "I read 11 books in July because I ignored other hobbies (except the physical ones, hiking and beach) and because I didn't work:


5 stars:
James: powerful retelling of Huck Finn f..."

Thank you for sharing your July books with us, Denise!

I've heard of Perks of Being a Wallflower and The House on Mango Street, but I don't actually recall ever reading them.

By the way, your review of A Passage to India was absolutely hilarious! So much insight with so few words. I love it.

I read a handful for July:

I Have a Secret by Cheryl Bradshaw - 5 stars
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Children God Forgot by Graham Masterton - 5 stars.
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Toll by Cherie Priest - DNF
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Boys in the Valley by Philip Fracassi - 5 stars
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

That is my wrap for July. One clunker but everything else was great. :)

A pretty good month for you, Marie.

I have to say you made me smile with your categories: Thriller Killer and Devilish Daggers.

We were on the road in July, so my write-ups/reviews/comments have yet to be written, let alone posted on my Challenge page. Each of these was for the challenge, btw.

The Last Whalers: Three Years in the Far Pacific with a Courageous Tribe and a Vanishing Way of Life--Doug Bock Clark This led me up several alleys. While i liked the book, it was interesting to realize i was rooting for the whale killing tribe. Weird, eh? More in my review.

I, Robot—Isaac Asimov. Well conceived and written, cvering many questions about robots/cyborgs. Part of my '50s challenge.

A Woman in Berlin: Eight Weeks in the Conquered City: A Diary--Anonymous. Powerful account of the 8 weeks when the Russian military was in charge of Berlin, immediately closing the war.

Twelve Angry Men--Reginald Rose. Seen the movie & this was as good. Questions we can still ask today, btw. Also, from '50s list.

The Natural--Bernard Malamud. Not far off what i recall of the film, but with interesting comments. '50s

The Kraken Wakes--John Wyndham. Least favorite of Wyndham's science fiction, as it was mostly dialogue and guessing. 50s.

The Royal Wulff Murders--Keith McCafferty. I found out about this series while in Montana, where it takes place. Main character is an artist, private eye and fishing aficionado. Each title has the name of a fly for fishers.

Junky--William S. Burroughs. I'm still baffled by this one. It's quasi-autobiographical, which is fine, but what i learned about drugs in the late 40s & early 50s was interesting. '50s.

Marie wrote: "I read a handful for July:

I Have a Secret by Cheryl Bradshaw - 5 stars
My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[book:The Children God Forgot|..."

Indeed, one clunker isn't bad, at all, Marie.

Thanks for the good reviews. I agree with you about trying to read series in order. Sometimes the little details shared make a difference later, such as you know one character didn't "do it", or they wouldn't be in the subsequent books. Or they lived. Little details like that. lol

Lindsey wrote: "I haven't read the original but enjoyed the modern "re-telling" of Carrie called The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson.
Technically YA, but the author modernizes the book by making Carrie a white-passing young black girl in a modern-day small southern town..."

Interesting turn of ideas there. Thanks for sharing that, Lindsey.

KeenReader wrote: "I am determined to reduce the number of books lurking in my house waiting to be read by the end of this year. Which means I cannot buy any more books at the moment. I've made a note of it, so I can consider it when a few slots have opened up in my bookshelves..."

I sincerely wish you the best of luck in this regard, KeenReader. I refrain myself from buying until i at least donate the same number of books. OR that's the plan. But it's just wrong (for me) to donate books i haven't read. *sigh*

# 33 madrano wrote: "
Twelve Angry Men--Reginald Rose. Seen the movie & this was as good. Questions we can still ask today, btw. Also, from '50s list.."

I loved the book, movie and the Broadway show. All three are excellent. I saw the Roundabout Broadway production in 2004.

madrano wrote: "We were on the road in July, so my write-ups/reviews/comments have yet to be written, let alone posted on my Challenge page. Each of these was for the challenge, btw.."

You read a lot in July. Well done.

madrano wrote: "We were on the road in July, so my write-ups/reviews/comments have yet to be written, let alone posted on my Challenge page. Each of these was for the challenge, btw.

[book:The Last Whalers: Three..."

Nice variety. 😊

Thank you for the comments.

I meant to add that given my Challenge, i must wait for almost all the books, so my mind isn't always prepared for the books. I don't know why i mention this, other than it's frustrating, so that when i see the collection of titles, i'm somewhat surprised. The themes are the '50s, overall.

Thanks for the followup comments on your July titles! The whaling one stood out to me as I've spent a great deal of time on Nantucket, with its renowned Whaling Museum.

My pleasure, John.

I'm a fan of maritime museums. We've seen a couple which feature whaling. What an industry! I don't think i've seen the Nantucket one but there is always hope.

madrano wrote: "My pleasure, John.

I'm a fan of maritime museums. We've seen a couple which feature whaling. What an industry! I don't think i've seen the Nantucket one but there is always hope."

The island has both the Whaling Museum and the Egan Institute museum focusing on shipwreck rescue.

Cool. We've seen two exhibits about shipwreck rescue, one in OK and the other here in Tx. Both ships were over 100 years old. It's like watching history emerge from the salvage process. Like that!

Thanks for that info, John.

Key West, Florida has a ship wreck museum. I went there years ago. It is a bit hokey.

~~Wiki
Key West Shipwreck Museum
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_Wes...

~~YouTube
The Mel Fisher Museum, Key West, FL - Travel Thru History Show
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIe8x...

~~ Youtube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBz4v...

Thanks for that info & the links, Alias.

I was intrigued by the bezoars stone & found that there appear to be no firm resolution on whether it stops poisons. For arsenic-laced solutions, however, it appears to work. Wow, who knew?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bezoar