I never read this children's novel as a kid. It was amusing, and I enjoyed the illustrations (read an original 1938 copy, don't know if the illustratiI never read this children's novel as a kid. It was amusing, and I enjoyed the illustrations (read an original 1938 copy, don't know if the illustrations have been updated in recent editions)....more
This is a quick but amusing novel about Rafe Katchadorian, a sixth grader who decides to make life more interesting by breaking every rule in his new This is a quick but amusing novel about Rafe Katchadorian, a sixth grader who decides to make life more interesting by breaking every rule in his new middle school's Code of Conduct. The novel is written as if by Rafe himself, as a journal documenting his adventures (and disasters), so it offers an interesting point of view. It is also creatively illustrated, sometimes dropping into comic style for a scene. Finally, the story offers two wonderful twists that were, I thought, expertly concealed and revealed. Each time, these moments of plot revelation really altered my perspective of the main character and kept me turning pages....more
This is an amusing book that contains the best wrong answers to exam questions. Some of the answers are so outrageous or so clever that I find it hardThis is an amusing book that contains the best wrong answers to exam questions. Some of the answers are so outrageous or so clever that I find it hard to believe they are real and not written especially for the collection. The book is a very quick read, excellent for an hour of chuckles....more
I found this graphic novel fun, silly, exciting, and way too short! I can't wait for the next one.
The series follows Leah Taymore (a super hero in trI found this graphic novel fun, silly, exciting, and way too short! I can't wait for the next one.
The series follows Leah Taymore (a super hero in training who can manipulate and reshape atoms to her liking--when her powers actually work as she intends) in her first work at Liberty Vocational, a school specially formed to train new super heroes. But another of her classmates, and that classmate's villainous father have something sinister planned for Leah and her super-powered ability...
**Btw, I do not have enough experience with graphic novels for my star rating to have any relevant weight toward the quality of this work against others in the genre**...more
This book was recommended to me by one of my past Creative Writing professors for the way it skillfully sets the groundwork for the final conflict of This book was recommended to me by one of my past Creative Writing professors for the way it skillfully sets the groundwork for the final conflict of the trilogy. Assassin's Apprentice follows Fitz, the bastard son of Prince Chivalry, from the age of six years old--when his maternal grandfather abandons him on the doorstep of the nearby keep for the boy's father, the prince, to take care of--to about age fourteen. Fitz's sudden appearance causes a scandal across the kingdom that results in his father (the king-in-waiting) abdicating his place as next in line for the throne and then retiring to the country without ever meeting his son. Fitz has no easy time growing up in the king's palace as the prince's bastard son, even once he is taken in by the king's assassin and trained as his apprentice. To make matters more difficult, Fitz has the Wit--an ability to communicate, share emotions, and form close bonds with animals--a skill that would get him killed if anyone found out. Oh, and there's the evil raiders who constantly attack the kingdom's shores each spring and summer, killing, pillaging, and kidnapping only to return their kidnapped victims as murderous, zombie-like shells of their former selves.
Obviously, based on my very simplified summary, this is a complex story in a nicely fleshed out world. The characters are well-developed and easy to sympathize with. I definitely got emotionally involved and, at times, couldn't put the book down. I might have given the book five stars if we had just been shown more of the underpinning complexity of the antagonists.
The other thing I wasn't entirely satisfied with was Prince Chivalry's abdication from the throne (view spoiler)[and his sudden death (hide spoiler)]. It felt too easy a solution to get Chivalry out of the way of the story as well as (for the former) unjustified by character motivations. So I hope his abdication comes up somewhere in the next two books and Chivalry's reasoning is revealed more to my satisfaction....more
This memoir (listened to in audio) was very amusing and thoroughly enjoyable. I didn't want it to end. It's refreshing to read an actor's memoir whereThis memoir (listened to in audio) was very amusing and thoroughly enjoyable. I didn't want it to end. It's refreshing to read an actor's memoir where they're not incredibly whiny and dissatisfied with not being famous enough for themselves. Tina Fey comes across as very down-to-earth with common, real-people concerns about sexism in the work place, breast feed or formula?, and motherhood versus career. She reads the audio version herself, so I would recommend listening to it as opposed to reading it. That way you get the tones and voices that go along with and add so much to the jokes and stories....more
This is a very short book, and yet I got only a third of the way through before I had to set it aside. Whoever directed the audio version of this memoThis is a very short book, and yet I got only a third of the way through before I had to set it aside. Whoever directed the audio version of this memoir from the Comedy Central writer/comedian, failed the author greatly. Patton Oswalt read his memoir so fast that I was never able to get comfortable within the text, and he uses a lot of adjectives, which makes it even harder to get at the meat of his sentences when he's speaking at the speed of light. On top of that, a third of the way through the book I still felt no sympathy or connection to the author. When I got to the part where he was reading his editing notes aloud for a raunchy and tasteless screenplay he had worked on, it became evident that Oswalt did not have enough content to fill this book, even as short a book as it was. I skipped the screenplay tracks (about 15 minutes worth). But whatever came next was as equally uninteresting as what had come before, so I gave up and moved on to listening to something else....more
Andrew Morton, in his unauthorized biography on actress and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie, cuts right to the core of her neurosis. His primAndrew Morton, in his unauthorized biography on actress and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie, cuts right to the core of her neurosis. His primary thesis is that Angelina does the things she does--hoards children, breaks up happy marriages/engagements/relationships, gets married and divorced seemingly dictated by whim, and is a very good actress--because of very early childhood trauma. When Angelina was about one year old, her mother--heartbroken due to her separation from Angie's father John Voight--banished baby Angelina to an empty, all-white apartment two floors above her own, and paid a revolving wheel of friends and out of work actors to feed and care for her. For that year, Angelina was in effect abandoned by her parents, in a white room holding only a white crib, and provided few toys or meaningful social interactions.
It's always interesting to get a sneak peak into an ultra famous person's life, finding out what really motivates them and what their life behind the scenes is really like. This biography certainly provides such insight into Angelina's life, though of course not the deep internal thoughts of an autobiography. One thing I didn't realize before reading this biography was how acclaimed and respected she is as an actress. Not being a big fan of hers, I haven't seen most of her movies. So I think of her primarily as an action movie star--not an acting heavyweight.
Morton's continued efforts to psychoanalyze Angelina throughout the biography grew quickly tiresome. He quoted numerous psychologists providing their take on the motivations behind Angelina's more self-destructive or mystifying actions. These assertions felt highly presumptuous. Morton even went so far as to say, at one point, that though Angelina herself didn't realize this was why, but here was the reason she was doing a certain thing....more
Unbroken follows the story of Louie Zamperini, an olympic track runner who joined the ranks of the Army Air Force during World War II. Hillenbrand cleUnbroken follows the story of Louie Zamperini, an olympic track runner who joined the ranks of the Army Air Force during World War II. Hillenbrand clearly and expertly chronicles Zamperinis harrowing tale of survival after his airplane crashes in the middle of the Pacific as he drifts over thousands of miles of ocean in a life raft--hungry sharks dogging them at every opportunity--and at last washes up on the shores of a Pacific island only to fall into the hands of the Japanese.
This book covers many often neglected details of the war, primarily the incredible dangers of being in the air force at that time (where your airplane was more likely to crash because of mechanical failure than damage from enemy fire) and the brutal life of a Japanese Prisoner of War. And Hillenbrand brings it all together in a well-written, well-ordered, and cohesive tale that reads more like a fiction novel than a biography....more
Helen Keller had a very amazing life and accomplished very amazing things, despite being deaf and blind from the age of two onward. When I was a kid, Helen Keller had a very amazing life and accomplished very amazing things, despite being deaf and blind from the age of two onward. When I was a kid, I read a children's version of her story that stuck with me. So when I saw the original version at the library, I felt compelled to give it a go. I was, however, disappointed.
The children's version I read so long ago felt much more emotional and easy to connect with. Keller brushes off most of her struggles and negative emotions with a shrug and a wave of a hand. And the emotions she does express (the only I can really recall right now are those she felt when it was discovered that her first--and only?--published short story had inadvertently been a plagiarism of someone else's work) are distant and inaccessible to the reader. The only way I was able to sympathize with her was through her handicaps, not through a basic person to person connection.
Moreover, much of her memoir read like a who's who of popular society in her day. This memoir was certainly not written with a broad scope of 100+ years of readers in mind but written more for her own friends, acquaintances, and friends of friends to further marvel at her place in society and accomplishments in light of her setbacks. (Not that I'm saying she wrote it for the express purpose of such attention. But she was encouraged to write it by others for, I think, such purposes.)
One thing that I must say that I did get out of the memoir, however, was a great appreciation for Keller's outlook on life. Nothing got her down--or at least not for long. She was adept at thinking positively and believing that anything was possible.
On the whole, I found that Keller suffered from a little bit of tunnel vision in this memoir, and a work written about her by a third party would be much more revealing and interesting. ...more
Braestrup's writing style is very welcoming and conversational, easily drawing the reader in. Marriage and Other Acts of Charity mainly recounts BraesBraestrup's writing style is very welcoming and conversational, easily drawing the reader in. Marriage and Other Acts of Charity mainly recounts Braestrup's own experiences with marriage, particularly in her first marriage to a State of Maine police officer who eventually left her a widow with four young children.
The work was very interesting and engaging while it lasted. But it felt much too short--more like half a novel--possibly because it lacked a strong narrative arch....more
Rao's work on the philosophy of happiness includes more than thirty lessons on modifying your mindset toward happiness independent of expectation and Rao's work on the philosophy of happiness includes more than thirty lessons on modifying your mindset toward happiness independent of expectation and worldly achievement. It is also the best, deepest, and most powerful book on happiness that I have read so far. It is better savored slowly, read and re-read. The lessons are sometimes dense, and certainly not absorbed perfectly through one reading but rather through prolonged and repeated contemplation. I plan to purchase a copy so I can reread at my leisure -- a permanent new fixture on my night stand. I recommend to anyone interested in removing themselves from the rat race of that next promotion, a bigger house, a boyfriend/girlfriend, fame and recognition will make me happy to do the same....more
Bradbury Thirteen is an audio collection of Bradbury's short stories adapted for the radio--i.e., all is told through dialogue. The stories are compleBradbury Thirteen is an audio collection of Bradbury's short stories adapted for the radio--i.e., all is told through dialogue. The stories are complete with a different actor for each character and abundant sound effects and background noises. I found this collection extremely enjoyable to listen to. It's a very quick listen, suspenseful, and Bradbury really knows how to hook you into a story, even when things don't usually end up how you expect. There were a few stories in the collection that I definitely liked a lot less than others, particularly the ones near the end....more
This is perhaps my favorite of the Temeraire books so far. I absolutely love the way it ends, leaving me dying to read the next installment.
In this foThis is perhaps my favorite of the Temeraire books so far. I absolutely love the way it ends, leaving me dying to read the next installment.
In this fourth book in the Temeraire series, Laurence and his Celestial dragon Temeraire return to England to discover that all the British dragons are afflicted by a mysterious illness. And the disease has already started to take casualties. Desperate for a cure, Temeraire and his crew return to Africa, where they believe Temeraire himself was inadvertently cured of the disease while they were passing through Cape Town on their way to China two books prior.
I listened to this book in audio on this second read-through, as a refresher before I read the next book in the series. The only downside to the audio version is that there are a few parts in the novel where Novik jumps around in time, and I found these moments very disconcerting and confusing. At one point, I actually thought that I was missing several tracks and set the book aside for about a week while I rechecked it out from the library to try and resolve the issue. Only to discover, of course, that I had not missed any tracks. Such leaping through time works well enough in print but not so well, sometimes, in audio....more
This was by far my favorite of L'Engle's Time series. Sandy and Dennys, the Murry twins and most normal of the family, accidentally travel back to bibThis was by far my favorite of L'Engle's Time series. Sandy and Dennys, the Murry twins and most normal of the family, accidentally travel back to biblical times when people lived for 700 years, and seraphim, nephilim, and unicorns walked among men. And God is just about to send a flood that will wipe out the entire human race.
Yes, Sandy and Dennys have landed in the time of Noah and the Ark. And they must help his family during this "time of change" when the future seems very uncertain and the boys aren't sure if they'll ever find a way home.
This fourth and finally installment in the Time series has great characters, a great setting, excellent world-building, and an amazing premise. I love all the creatures of the desert and the triangle dynamic L'Engle creates between the seraphim, the fallen-angel nephilim, and the desert-dwelling humans....more
In this book, Achor outlines his seven principles of positive psychology. In other words, his seven keys to living a happier life. There is oodles of In this book, Achor outlines his seven principles of positive psychology. In other words, his seven keys to living a happier life. There is oodles of scientific data in here about the effects of happiness (or, more accurately, misery) on both our mental and physical health. Have a horrible boss? He/she is probably giving you high blood pressure. Do you buckle down and shut yourself into a quiet room when you're working on deadline? By doing so, you're probably causing yourself to work less effectively than if you were to take an hour to go chill with some friends or family.
Everything Achor offers in this book is fascinating and, ultimately, useful. I definitely recommend to one and all....more
If you're into napping, you should read this book. If you're not into napping, you should read this book.
Sara Mednick, a leading researcher in the stuIf you're into napping, you should read this book. If you're not into napping, you should read this book.
Sara Mednick, a leading researcher in the study of sleep--and napping in particular--lays out her findings on the benefits of napping in this simple, succinct, and useful book. She covers the various stages of sleep and their benefits, as well as strategies about what time of day to nap and for how long, depending on the kinds of benefits you're looking for. Strategic naps can be used to boost memorization and learning, creativity, physical rejuvenation, and fatigue from a too-busy schedule where getting eight hours of sleep per night has become impossible.
With the threat of nuclear war looming, a unicorn appears to Charles Wallace and helps him travel back in time to change the path of history to the "mWith the threat of nuclear war looming, a unicorn appears to Charles Wallace and helps him travel back in time to change the path of history to the "might-have-beens" that will remove the threat of war from Charles's own time.
Without nostalgia to spur me on, I dragged through this book. There was very little plot, no character development, and a whole lot of exposition through dialogue. I found the premise, nuclear war--oh my God!, this crazy warmonger is going to drop a bomb on us tomorrow!--extremely mundane, unbelievable, and rather sensationalized. And then it's not much of a story or journey for Charles Wallace. We mostly just skip through time meeting twenty different Zillas and Brandens and Madocs--the ancestors of the nuclear warmonger--all intermarrying and becoming horribly inbred, in my opinion. With so much skipping through time, there was hardly a moment to settle into the story, develop some characters, and actually give me anything to care about.
I also wanted to mention that I couldn't stand the "like father, like son" message that this book puts forth. In this book, if your father is evil, you are guaranteed to be evil also. The villains had no depth or complication to them. They were evil simply because of who their ancestors were.
I mistakenly thought this was the last book in L'Engle's Time quadrilogy (because it comes after Many Waters in time, but was actually written before it, I guess) and was going to say that I can understand why she never wrote a fifth book, because this one was such a flop. If you're reading this series, consider skipping over this third installment.
***** Addendum 2/9/13 ***** Well well, I've been told there is a fifth book after all. I'm hoping the last book will hold up better than this one did.
I did not read these books as a kid, so my rating is in no way influenced by nostalgia.
In this second installment of L'Engle's Time Series, Charles WaI did not read these books as a kid, so my rating is in no way influenced by nostalgia.
In this second installment of L'Engle's Time Series, Charles Wallace is mysteriously sick and Meg and Calvin are whisked away by a dragon-like cherubim to battle the Xing Echthroi who are assaulting Charles Wallace's mitochondria and therefore his life.
Almost the entirety of A Wind in the Door felt bogged down in dialogue, most of which consisted of Meg being annoying. It didn't help that I listened to the audio version where the author herself is the reader, and she did a very dramatic and shrieky rendition of Meg's belligerent demands. The plot and pacing of this second novel are much weaker than A Wrinkle in Time, the first book in the series.
My other issue with the audio version is that L'Engle has a slight lisp, which was at first difficult to get past....more
This true story of the murder trial of Dr. Linda Burfield Hazzard is, particularly in the first third of the book, seriously disturbing. Dr. Hazzard fThis true story of the murder trial of Dr. Linda Burfield Hazzard is, particularly in the first third of the book, seriously disturbing. Dr. Hazzard founded a sanitarium, in Olalla, Washington (on the Olympic Peninsula) for the treatment of disease by her special fasting cure. What her rich and naive customers didn't realize was that, if you had a wealth of funds, your fasting treatment would likely go well beyond fasting and into starvation and death. While Hazzard would walk away as the executor of your estate and a good bit wealthier than if she had simply charged you for her services. The backwater nature of Olalla and Kitsap County at that time made it very difficult for the county to do anything to stop Hazzard's underhanded dealings.
This nonfiction narrative was interesting, to be sure, also dark and depressing. It definitely ran a bit long and the narrative was very choppy at points, jumping from one character to another with little transition or logic. What I found keenly lacking, though, was a statement from the author about what exactly came from sources and where he elaborated--the book is very much written like a story, talks about people's feelings, facial expressions, intentions, etc. Without a statement from the author, I am left not knowing what to believe as fact. Did those people with feelings and motivations stated in the narrative give interviews where they talked about those emotions? Or did Olsen embellish to add depth to the story? We'll never know....more
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