Fiona
Cute and funny but I find the text annoying as I prefer traditional hand-lettering in my graphic novels. This is one of those “first in the series” books where the premise is established but it feels like all the sequels will be more plot-driven and more interesting.
A satisfying conclusion. I didn't find it as engrossing as the first book but I have been very moody about my book choices lately so it might just be me.
The writing is good and I liked the interaction of family memoir with political world history but ultimately it was far too long and I skimmed over huge sections of this almost-400 page tome.
A cute story about how summer camp kind of sucks, which jibes with my experiences. I'm unimpressed by the artwork; the limited color palette was a weird choice.
Irrelevant side note: given this is autobiographical, the idea of a military-themed summer camp for children of Russian descent in the US is unsettling and good fodder for a conspiracy story about long-term infiltration.
This is like the Californication of TCM pretending to be a soup cookbook. It will satisfy neither those in search of proper Chinese remedies nor those looking for new soup recipes.
This book is very large and it looks real pretty but it doesn't offer content that is any different to any of the other books on this topic. The second, larger part of the book, where stories and thier illustrators are presented, and the artists discuss thier process, was a novel concept. But an aspiring illusrator would be far better served by reading really good, award-winning picture books than the lame offerings that constitute the bulk of this tome.
Story or Die: How to Use Brain Science to Engage, Persuade, and Change Minds in Business and in Life
The premise is interesting but there's far too much repetition to make this a good read. It comes across as condescending and Cron ignores her own premise by having so few concrete examples to illustrate her points.
Interesting premise but poorly supported. This is an easy read though and Yohashi is engaging.
I can see this becoming a good series. Weird time jump at the beginning where our heroine leaves breakfast in order to meet someone at three in the afternoon.
With very large print and thick paper, this book is a basic primer on Chinese self-care and definitely a good jumping-off point for learning about TCM practices.
I very much like Louise Erdrich's sense of humour and writing generally. But pacing is not good and I was very put off by the meandering of the plot.
Predictable but a fun ride. I found the “real world” parts flat and formulaic; I almost gave up before the kids go through the portal. Arik is a charming character and I'm hoping for more of her in the sequel (which was banned by a Toronto school board, prompting me to read the trilogy right now).
Well-written and engaging. The most interesting bit is about Hill's long-term trauma from the assassination of Kennedy and his guilt that he didn't react faster (which was probably impossible but our brains are funny things).
Very engaging, well-paced and plotted. I wasn't a fan of the muted palette throughout; different colour choices for different eras would have made artistic sense and given a stronger feeling of time passing.
Robertson writes like a plotter (as opposed to a pantser) which means I'm not in love with his prose but he's done something very clever here and made me fall in love with his plotting. Bring on book three!
Also: I cannot understand why the DDSB banned this (briefly). There's just nothing objectionable or risqué in the tale (at least, not any more than other books for this target audience).
When I came across this book, I was compelled to own it; I love Folio Society editions and the movie is one of my favorites (mostly for the fashion and music). I was not disappointed but its quite different from the movie plot. The humour is clearly era-dependent and modern readers need to adapt the right mindset to enjoy this (and most reviewers obvs haven't sadly).
Pretty meh. The plot feels unoriginal and the blank-eyed Lil Orphan Annie-cartoon style does not appeal to me.
Funnier and more engaging than his adult works, this book covers a good chunk of what Harari argues in Sapiens using language appropriate for older children. The illustrations complement the concepts discussed quite well, although there are some spreads that seem uninspired. The text ends in a cliff-hanger-y way, hinting at the second volume. Highly recommended for both kids and thier adults.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for review.