Cabinet of Curiosities by Aaron Mahnke is a nonfiction short story collection of unbelievable, unsettling, and bizarre history (3.75/5 stars)

Cabinet of Curiosities by Aaron Mahnke is a nonfiction short story collection of unbelievable, unsettling, and bizarre history.

This is a pretty expansive collection! I’d highly recommend listening to the audiobook, which the author narrates himself along with interview interstitials at the end of each part of the book between Mahnke and fellow author and podcaster, Dana Schwartz.

There are fourteen parts of the book, which range from Wild Coincidences or Bizarre Events to Uncanny People and Puzzling Crimes. Mahnke really has a fantastic way of putting a story together; it’s so enjoyable to listen to.

I especially liked how he would obfuscate who the story was about by using uncommon nicknames instead of the name by which they were more well known. It was really fun trying to figure out who the story was about, based off all the clues sprinkled throughout.

As with all short story collections, I liked some more than others, but this was a really fun read overall! I teared up multiple times throughout the book.

I received a complimentary review copy from Macmillan Audio and NetGalley. All opinions contained herein are my own.

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