Courtney Pyche
I started this book last year and had a bit of a hard time getting through. It’s got a great premise, but it is difficult to follow the organization and the same points are often repeated. However, I did learn a lot about Amazon’s practices and am more empowered to continue quitting Amazon this year, as much as we can. I recommend for anyone who wants to learn more about Amazon as it relates to the book industry.
NPR article (https://www.npr.org/2021/03/09/974893374/roblox-goes-public-whats-roblox-ask-anyone-with-kids ) made me want to learn a little more about Roblox. I work at a library and have seen kids playing it all the time, but I hadn't thought to investigate beyond knowing it was a computer game. I was very impressed with Roblox from everything in this book. I'm wondering how we can utilize Roblox for public library services/virtual programs.
I wasn't able to finish this one–but I did get some nice tips from the the pages that I did read. The two minute rule has really helped me with my email anxiety. The rule is that if you can do it in two minutes, do it now. I also appreciated the whole idea of the value of writing things down to get it out of your cognitive load. It's helped my various projects feel more doable and improved my relaxation times.
I'm not sure that the audience for this story is clear.
The pictures are great; the eyelashes and smile on the acorns and trees reminds me a lot of Disney/Pixar animations. I think the “diary” aspect of this story could have been used more often, and I feel the science came too late.
However, the simplicity of much of the text makes this book a great introduction to a science unit or a family talk about Earth Day, a nature walk, your backyard, etc.
I tried reading the original version for book club, but I just couldn't get past the old sentence structure and vocabulary. I figured a graphic novel and adaptation for children would be quick enough to finish before book club - and I was right, I finished this one in about 15 minutes.
From what I read of the beginning of the classic, this book is very similar. It does feel much more rushed and all over the place - I think it could have been really good if it were longer. I thought some of the illustrations could have been more expressive. Overall, I think I have a good enough sense of the original story to talk about at book club, but this is definitely not a good to do instead the classic for a course
As an introvert, this was the first pregnancy book that I found on my own - so I'm here to say, if you're an introvert and you're pregnant, I highly recommend this book. It's short, it's funny - I often found myself reading parts aloud to my husband (such as the part where she jokes about leaving the country so you don't have to tell anyone you're pregnant), and definitely made me feel a little more comfortable knowing that there are people with lots of the same thoughts and feeling as me. This is also the first pregnancy book that I finished while pregnant - a must read for stressed out introverts!
Caroline Herschel: A brief story that follows Caroline as she goes along with her brother to England, where she becomes much more than was ever expected of her at home. One of the many beautiful parts of this story is how she passes along her knowledge and encourages her nephew to a life studying the stars as well. She is certainly not known well enough.
Florence Nightingale: Florence is probably the one that I knew of the most before this story. This may be why hers was one of the shortest. Her profound impact on the future of nursing - who could imagine it not being a female dominated field before now? Her observations have saved hundreds of thousands of lives by now. I do wish this story had been a little longer.
Hertha Marks Ayrton: “Girls need better education than boys.” I thought it was really neat how she picked her name - what a power move. The story feels a little long, but I'm glad that once again it ended with the hope of a new generation of women leading the way for change.
Marie Tharp: I had not thought about the mapping of the bottom of the ocean or the discovery of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge before. This was a truly amazing story about a scientist who even her colleagues didn't want to believe.
Katherine Johnson: I loved how this story really emphasizes Katherine Johnson's genius from the time that she was very young. It also details how many people helped get Katherine along.
Edna Lee Paisano: This one is short, and sweet. It illustrates how something as “simple” as counting can lead to steep changes for your community. I hope the US Census Bureau reads this one!
Vera Rubin: One of the longer stories - it took a long time to get to the meat of her discovery, but, as with many of these, the point is in the journey. Vera faced many setbacks and obstacles in the teachers who didn't believe in her. She pressed on anyways.
Overall, this is a great narrative non-fiction book. It isn't very exciting, but is very inspirational. When I think of an ideal reader for this, I think of Girl Scout Troops, Girls Who Code organizations, and any girl who loves math and science.
Two O'Clock on a Tuesday at Trevi Fountain: A Search for an Unconventional Life Abroad is a travel memoir that follows Helene Sula as she discovers what she is meant to do. As a teen, she had parents who taught a course that brought her to London every summer for six weeks. It is in London that Helene begins to appreciate the value travel can add to life. However, it will be years before she identifies her goal - of living abroad - and accomplishes it. Helene's story is a funny, uplifting journey on living life to the fullest and being in touch with what will make your life worthwhile. I found her stories invigorating and accessible - I am so ready for my next trip after this book.
More technically, it is a very quick read. Perfect for a 3 hours plane ride or a rainy Sunday afternoon. It is a perfect for any of us who love travel + books + writing.
Great message, but unsure of audience as this is a board book. Mostly great to give parents talking points to help talk to their child
Ok.I liked the Book.
But.
Through the end, when she was messing around with Cross, I just wanted to slap her. Honestly, How stupid can you get? He doesn't talk to her for 3 and a half years. And all of a sudden he wants her??? And why'd they keep it going for so long?? Especially if he said she kissed like a fish. And she was waaayy too easy. Which I didn't like. And the ending was very long. And I didn't like the edition of the Article where she bad-mouthed her school.
Also.
I think Lee was very stupido. It seemed to me like Martha and Cross liked each other, but maybe I'm reading too far into a friend relationship. Yet, doesn't it seem odd that he would buy Martha a flower?
Thirdly, what was up with the names? Was that feeding into an asssumption that rich people name their kids weird stuff? It made it hard for me to figure out which were boys and which were girls.
When I was reading this first book, I knew that all the other books were going to be waay better because this one I didn't really like, even though the whole plot/setting is good. And I was thinking How cool would it be if one of them was MURDERED in the last book so then it transformed into like this mystery thing???Its yet to have happened, But not all the books are out yet, so I can still hope. But all the books seem to get better as you go along with a few exceptions.
From the get-go, you can tell that this is a story not often told before. Lina is a teenager, she's Lithuanian, and she loves to draw. She also fiercely loves her family and ferociously hates Stalin and the communists. Lina's story is what happens when the Soviets invade Lithuania and systematically work to imprison, through hard labor, the people who disagree with them.
The book follows her on her journey to their final destination. Throughout the story, families are separated. People are shot. Children die. There are moments of joy and triumph, but, ultimately, this story is about bringing to light the absolute tragedy these people faced and how the world ignored it, prioritizing the threat from the Nazis.
Ruta Septeys does an amazing job of finding these kinds of stories and helping us remember them. Without a doubt, a new favorite author of mine.
Ok..sooo..I just read that this book is the 5th Blue Bloods novel...I hope I'm right and Wikipedia wasn't lying to me..
I love it. And I can't really explain why.
Unwind is set in a world where there aren't any cures and doctors, just surgeons and replacements. Connor, Risa, and Lev are set to face a fate even worse than death–unwinding. Connor ran away from home to escape, Risa jumped off a bus, and Lev was “kidnapped”. Lev being the only one that wants to be unwounded eventually leaves Risa and Conner, who both end up with an old woman who claims she can help them. But can she really? And can Connor and Risa survive to the magical age of 18, the age when they can't get you? And whatever happens to Lev