jess

Very helpful book for developing a systematic approach to reading. I love how the different genres are separated with key questions to ask of the text while reading.
This book is good for adults and high school students.

What if you didn't have to feel pain? What if every think you could need was available to you?

There's a lot to enjoy in this story - the idea of a carefree world, the concerns of such a world, what differences we can see, and then...the characters and human drama. Scythe gives us a chance to ponder a world where a benevolent AI maintains a post-mortal world where humans are encouraged to thrive but don't actually have a purpose. Except a few - and their purpose is to kill - to keep the numbers down.

Um, so I have a huge point of departure in which I don't think people would have near as many children if they wouldn't die - so the premise of an ever expanding population seem a little exaggerated, but only in my point of departure. The author has decided it is a problem, and it works for the story.

I struggled with this book. In the beginning, I could follow along. Eventually, I could not keep track of where I was in time and place. Obviously, still Rome..and long ago, but it got fuzzy. I am sure this is a failing on my part, but just a caution to other folks.

Despite getting lost, I enjoyed how the author brought old stories to life - adding depth to events or people that were barely footnotes in my world history education. I especially enjoyed how the author discusses the potential implications, and not, of the words of published speeches and how they may have related to the actual speeches as given and other events of the time. It would be all to easy to quote out of context if you only see the text..er, translated after hundreds of years of transcribing text...as most of us are like to do.

Probably a book that deserves a few separate reads over years or in time with other history texts for scaffolding. Read if you are interested in Rome.

The up close description of what goes on in the body was captivating and dull at the same time. I would be excited to hear a description of an antibody only to tire at the dialogue. Very odd. Parts of the book were great.

This one is probably fun for science fiction fans of all ages. Perhaps with all the great Inside the Body NOVA programs, well learned readers may know more than the characters; however, the miniaturization may hold their attention.

It finished perhaps the best way it could have given where we were.

Bad Monkey? Talk about bad people. Not one of the main or secondary characters in this story is not a terrible person. They are all terrible.

I think folks who like detective novels or somewhat lighthearted crime (is that a genre) will like this.

This is the most captivating and moving non-fiction work I've found in a long time. Isabel Wilkerson takes hundreds of hours of interviews and historical records research and turns them into 3 main narratives following real people starting in the southern US and ending in California, Chicago, and New York. I'd have loved to have each narrative straight through, as the characters were captivating in their own right - a sharecropper and family struggling in Mississippi, a citrus grove worker nearly lynched in Florida, and a doctor who found some amount of freedom in the army and then could not find joy in his Louisiana home or even his wife's Atlanta. However, Wilkerson splits them up into periods, so we meet the characters in their childhood in the south; we watch them each grow up; we see their struggles to leave the south, etc...all in parallel although their trips occurred at different times.

Through the narratives, we can feel the pain and indignity experienced by blacks all across the US (it was not completely isolated to the Jim Crow south) from their point of view. This is a painfully different story than we learned in history class: as it turns out, we did not have the Civil War followed by freedom and joy for the majority of black Americans. We had a Civil War followed by decades of terrible treatment for the majority of black Americans (on or off the books of law). The migration that Wilkerson covers goes into the 1970's - this means that only now do we have a generation of age without their own memory of such a time. Looking at current events suggests that these issues are still not resolved, and America struggles with deep racism. NOTE that many other peoples have integrated into the US during the last century and those with white skin do not face such extensive discrimination.

In addition to the compelling narrative, there are bits of poetry and prose sprinkled throughout from the likes of Langston Hughes and James Baldwin, in just the right places to give those words fresh perspective.

I encourage everyone to read The Warmth of Other Suns. Younger folks may not understand, but high school on up can relate back to their incomplete history lessons and gain a better appreciation for the experience of a huge portion of our society.

This is a quick read on ways the author has found to change and create habits for success.
I like the step layout for each action.

The 7 step method to achieve goals is helpful even though most of this is expected advice. Namely, the idea to list obstacles as part of Step 4. The truly powerful idea here is in what Brian calls the Disaster Report where you proactively consider how you envision failures and how you over come them. It helps to be concrete about fears that could hold you back.

I recommend this book if you want to shake up your goal making routine or be more prepared to push through fear.

Short, motivating book using a relatable narrative to inspire readers to take charge of their lives. I liked it. There is a summary or guide in the back for driving your own energy bus. Advice in this book is not new, but the delivery might help people who relate better to stories than ‘advice straight up.'

A fantastic taste of many tales. I'd recommend this to all Sanderson fans...just be cautious of spoilers if you haven't read the other stories in several series.

Well done story in the mind of a girl...coming of age in college-dealing with all of that + she's a twin...with challenging family dynamics.

Here's the kicker - if you are going to read the Simon Snow series (and you should) —- read that first. This book's POV character writes fan fiction for a fictional series set with the same characters in the same world but also will spoil some of the joy of the discovery in the series.

Just the reminder I needed. Key considerations on pacing, plot, mechanics, and attitude for science fiction and fantasy.

The story is a blend of historical fiction and young man's fantasy. Some of Marco's conquests or experience...I could have done without. Probably a book best loved by adolescent boys. That being said, I enjoyed the story, the characters, and the opportunity to journey with Marco in a world that we can never know again.

Interesting focus on how we spend our time - Laura provides a glimpse into the choices we make and (mis)perceptions we have about where our time goes. She compels the reader to figure out where their time is really going, and separately identify what really matters. The challenge then is to do more of what matters and lose as much of the rest as possible.

I think it was okay. I couldn't really get attached to the characters the way that I did in other books by Funke. I felt like I wanted Jason to succeed, but I didn't really feel his quest was natural...or obviously flowed from the story. Something was missing...maybe we can find it in book 2?

A modern Taoist reader with specific examples for young adults from rich Western countries. I give all of those qualifiers because the book will struggle to impress audiences with s different background. That being said, millions of folks may save themselves some painful learning in the school of hard knocks by patiently taking the advice in these pages.

Biggest takeaway? You are responsible for you - what you spend your time on, what you do not spend time on, how you react to things, and how you present yourself. You are not responsible for anyone else's interpretation, behavior, reaction, etc.

A bit of language. Don't read if you can't get past that ;)

If you are intrigued by the description, read the book.

This story has so much going for it. I enjoyed it. The world and mythology are unfamiliar, giving the reader something curious to learn the whole time. This world is full of tradition and plots within plots. All along, I wanted more. I think the story should have been much longer. I know it is a series and it continues after this book - what I mean is that this part of the story needed more words. The characters needed more time to help readers get to know them. The world and mythology needed more backstory.

Besides there being something missing, there was too much awkward teenage romance - even for an young adult novel. Most was unnecessary - even with love interests and jealousy helping to drive the plot forward.

All of that being said, the story is interesting and worth a read.

Many interesting experiments and results fill this book as anecdotes on our frail minds. The stories woven into the narrative are engaging and help to bring the ideas down into reality. The text between the stories is often dry. I wanted to just dive into this book and extract all its secrets, but it made me tired. I prevailed,- perhaps that leaves me in a better place to expect the unexpected.

I'd recommend this book to determined readers who want to know more about cognitive science. Readers who already read Subliminal may find the anecdotes similar but the text more dense. These books have overlapping but different subject matter. I preferred Subliminal.

This book is a mix of folk tales. I truly enjoyed the imagery and the short stories. The stories of a people give a glimpse into culture. It's a quick read, but it could be extended by focusing on just one story per day or other unit of time.

Worth checking out.

I got it as part of a book bundle focused on local history from my library.

I really enjoyed the details in this book. The narrative was critical to getting from chapter to chapter. The reader can relate to Melanie's research, struggles, and compromises.

This is another book with content that makes me think of what appears to be a failing of elitism. The food processing industrial staff quoted almost all seem to think that they are doing the best they can for those who can not get real food. Are the poor better off? Probably some, but the poorest among us are also more likely to have Diabetes, coronary disease, and other diseases exacerbated by the processed food that dominates cheap (and donated) food.

The notes section is useful, too.

Burn me but I finished this series. Blood and bloody ashes it was long. Light save anyone who starts it.

No, really...the series has good points. I feel a little deflated having finished all fourteen books in a row, but I'm glad I did not have too much time between books to forget the characters.

Nix is passionate, sweet, cringeworthy, and full of naïveté.

Remember all the opportunities to make poor choices you've had in your life, especially in youth? Nathan Hill puts those choices under a microscope for two very different characters, mother and son, in Nix.

The main characters are well developed, and the supporting characters get varying degrees of attention. The overwhelming need to know, more than the action, drives this story forward. The book unfolds back and forth in time and from different perspectives. Hill sets the scenes well, giving enough detail so you can fill in a picture in your mind.

This story, which I read because it is a book club book, is outside of my typical fantasy genre, but I would recommend this book to adult readers who enjoy memoir or believable fiction. Warning: There are sexual scenes, and they may be difficult for younger readers.

The author clearly loves trees and the forest.

I enjoyed learning more about trees from the narrative.

Some of the metaphor is too forced or fake. While I could feel the distance, I think I also understood the reasons the author kept anthropomorphizing trees - to help us understand and feel connected.

My forests -even old growth- are mostly coniferous, and the climate is much different, but I still found the description of forests engaging.

This one was very exciting. Again, new characters, new settings, new races. An interesting drama, this one.

I was so excited to get this book after reading the Maze Runner. However, this installment was harder to follow, and I just didn't care about any of the characters. That made me frustrated.
The plot certainly keeps moving, and I'd recommend it to anyone who read the first book. I'm going on to The Death Cure because I always have to know how it ends.

The writing is engaging and quick. It is full of practical ideas for success in growing your own food without a ginormous farm. Use this book to bring some garden into your imagination in late winter...and come back to it as a reference later.