jess
Creative and compelling.
Adrian makes another whole new world for us. With a far in the future human race along with many completely new alien lifeforms. The story remains a tantalizing space opera - you know there will be betrayals and challenges. Can the rag tag group make it? What will they have to give up to be free? What is freedom anyways? What is loyalty?
The ties that bind our heroes together are as human as we can find in a story - it's friendship and camaraderie. It's trust and faith. Maybe a little bit of hope.
Like any of his works, the reader has to do a lot of work to understand the world - but be patient and give it time. All of the new will seem familiar soon.
Freaking Amazing. This book is real and funny and painful just a little bit.
I think just about everyone will enjoy this book. The stories are told with so much humor that you can't help but laugh and contain tiny intimate glimpses of life with multiple mental illness.
You will laugh out loud and look a little I'll yourself with this book- definitely read it. Or, better yet, listen to the audio book. It is read by the author, so it just feels like she is telling you some wild stories. Good stuff.
This book is short, and it offers a glimpse into the life of one immigrant, her child, and the American who opened her home. It is overall a positive tale, although there is some reality creeping in...as that is life.
The book has so much human experience packed into it: pain, choices, joy, friendship, faith, and rolling with the punches. The characters have such attitude!
After listening to the Undocumented Americans earlier this year, I can't help but think of how many stories started like Tung's but ended up far less happy. How many did not find shelter, rest, comfort, a new family?
MUST READ!! Or, even better, listen!
These sisters are amazing storytellers. You may actually believe what happened to Lacey, but you may not want to. We have been given a gift - because Lacey is such a calm and conflict avoidant person, and Amber is a comic writer.
A witty at times tale of a teenage boy whose world is turned inside out by video game rehab. The story moves quickly. The characters are loosely developed, and the setting is easy to picture. There is a tiny bit of self improvement and growth over the story,and it is very obvious to the reader. While I wanted more detail and engagement, I still wanted to follow the main character through the story and see what happened.
It's a worthy book when you need something to read, but not one I'd recommend to my reading friends (mostly not the right fit for style and content).
The topics and pacing of this book peg it for junior and high school readers, but parents might not like it.
Shenanigans in the book are mostly harmless, but at time a bit risky and illegal. The language and context cover adult topics in unexpected places - it just jumps out at you - although there are no x rated or even r rated scenes.
Author sets up the problem pretty well.
I felt like it could have been more concrete, some how.
Go and get stuff done.
This book is helpful IF you already use python..or are willing to run through a bunch of basic python learning beside learning how to use Python for data analysis. There are some examples, but they are not fully annotated. Wes McKinney has produced a useful package with pandas. I warn readers (especially newbie readers) to be very patient in working out examples and annotating them until you understand what is happening.
I waited for a time to read this book after hearing an interview with the author.
The book is in three parts - and it absolutely had me fascinated and listening closely. It's a nice addition to the popular science literature, and the science is described well by James. Because he is conveying his experience, he makes it easy to follow along. I think some of the breathing techniques would have been very dry or confusing on their own, but the compelling narrative helps.
There are exercises at the end of the book - I'd recommend listening to them - you can listen and follow along. However, I think all of part 3 would require more information before trying - like, don't go holding your breath or breathing out until you are uncomfortable or passing out.
Overall, interesting and compelling. I'd recommend only to adults.
** I listened to the audible version - while running. I'd not recommend doing that because it is hard to play with the breath tricks while also trying to run :)
Funny. Tidy. Weird. NSFW
The characters capture the little things that you love and love to hate about the people you know.
I had a little trouble with the body switching/ghost thing, but it worked out.
From the beginning, this story is gripping. You cannot help but be swept up by the challenges and little victories of the protagonists. The part of the world we get to see if overwhelmingly tragic and dirty, and our protagonists are in that world for reasons that are mostly reasons outside of their control and making the best of their situation. The pacing is delightful, with dramatic moments getting more time to allow your heart to race along with the action.
I particularly enjoy the unfolding of mythology of the different characters, leaving aside that each of the protagonists has a different race/mythology and they stick to it pretty well. That is something that you notice but don't have to notice with many fantasy genre books. The world, from what we can see, provides an interesting setting, the characters are driven and rich, and the plot keeps moving.
Things to note: strong female characters, magic, racial oppression, some violence, strong disabled characters
