Nat

This book would have been phenomenal, if the editor had actually done a decent job. There were times when stories swapped from third to first person, not in a creative, I'm playing with this way, buy in a I couldn't remember how I was writing this way. It was painful. Which sucked because the ideas were really good.

This would have been much better if I were either younger or read fewer in-depth science books. Still, for a really top-level, basic overview of a lot of science topics it's good.

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I'll admit that I only picked this up because it was on a list of books by authors from Southeast Asia (which I needed for the Read Harder challenge), was fantasy related, and was cheap as an ebook, but it was really good! I really want to read her other stuff now. All of the stories touched on something Malay, even if it was just in the way people spoke, and she wrote little commentaries for each story. I liked that she also put in possible trigger warnings and a link to skip to the next story if wanted. It was a nice touch for people who might be sensitive to certain things.

Third time is the charm for this one, apparently (at least for me). If you loved The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and are looking for more of the same, this is not that book. It's very much a history, that reads a lot like a textbook, albeit of a fantasy world. I would suggest, if you're struggling, listening along with Corey Olsen's podcast of the book (tolkienprofessor.com). It's a group discussion/lecture that goes chapter by chapter. The best advice was not to worry too much about remembering everyone's many names, but just pay attention to what they mean at the time they're given/taken. Also, the trees and index of names in the back are incredibly helpful when you're trying to keep Feanor, Fingolfin, Finrod, and Finwe separate (to give just one example). Still it's a masterwork and well worth reading if you love Tolkien's writing and the middle-earth mythos he created.

I love Bill's art and make it a point to stop in at his gallery whenever I'm in Cannon Beach. This year I was thrilled there was a dragon book! It's a very sweet story about a little boy who stands up to a dragon and teaches him how to “do game” instead of battle.

Mr. Deutsch didn't lie when he promised me this would be the best graphic novel about a sword-wielding 11 year old orthodox Jewish girl I read all year!

The information in this book is both good and well-written. It is, however, rather disjointed in its presentation. I'm still not sure if this is a book about music or slave history (the title didn't really make me think of either, although both are obviously connected to each other and New Orleans history in general). At any rate, it makes me want to read more about the topics and time period, so I suppose that's a good thing.

I'm a little bummed. I love Dick's short stories, but this just sort of fell flat. It came together in the end; it just didn't feel the same as some of his other work.

so good!!!

Proof bounces around a bit and some of the chapters toward the end weren't exactly in keeping with earlier chapters, but overall I liked it. It handled the science well, walking a fine line between solid information and being overly intellectual.

This book made me want a child, just so I could read it to them.

Good for the nostalgia, but they're all basically the same format and very simplistic. Maybe the grittier, noir-style comics of recent years have ruined me.