jess

This is such a funny and uplifting story of one boy's struggle to love himself.

Being a teenager is hard, being a teenager with an obvious and visible thing to make fun of is even harder.

Our point of view character is fat. (It's not a secret, that's how the book starts.) He has such a sweet sense of humor and connection even while battling the hate of others. Through this book, we get to watch from his perspective as he realizes he is worth loving and maybe he can be brave.

This is a feel good story, and I'm glad that I saw it as a recommendation from the Book Riot Read Harder 2021 challenge. I don't think I would have stumbled onto it myself.

The author's realistic sound and advice make it seem as if you are just having a conversation. She offers guidance, rebuttals, and then backs it up with experience. This is a quick read, and offers an honest approach to wrestling our lives back from our stuff.

The characters are well developed and continue to dominate the show in this second book of the series. The plot is well crafted, and the book ends cleanly.

I recommend these two books - Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom. The combination of characters, backstory, and action in the ever moving plot will keep you interested. This was a perfect escape story.

I had the audiobook, but I think it would be better with the physical book. There are several exercises to engage you in really thinking about how and what you do and want to do at work. Most of the book imagines you can steer your way to an ideal work description within the bounds of your current role or at least without quitting. The advice is clear and easy to follow. I enjoyed the book.

Not my favorite of his, but the characters are real as ever. I enjoyed following them.

This book sets out to show why the 45 admin was wrong - not learning from the outgoers nor propelling science forward. It succeeds, I guess.

The real interesting part, and what drew me to it, was looking at top risks as seen from different lenses.

It's curious to me that the top risks for the three departments covered are all essentially ‘not doing basic science'. Of course, the fifth risk...as laid out in part one is project management. — at least that's what's identified. It's not actually project management that is described though. The real identified risk is abandoning the long term gain for the short term gain. This is a risk we all understand intuitively but still fall into. It's partying instead of studying. It's buying the shoes today instead of the computer tomorrow. It's skipping a workout to watch TV. We watch this play out constantly in our private lives and in the government at all levels. ‘Surely the kids will love me more if I give them money now than if I save for their future.'

The complexity of time travel is a common theme in science fiction; this story builds upon the well-known theme with a bit of adventure and mischief. The concepts and issues related with the time travel make this story a little less about the characters and more about their world. The primary villain, an “extinction-ist”, may be disturbing to animal lovers. I found it difficult to relate.

Two genius Artemis Fowls are hard to deal with in one story. Eoin keeps the adventure moving, but it is not as engaging as previous stories in the series.

I wanted to like this one. The story has some good points.
- middle grade reader
- perky female POV/heroine
- working together, being okay with differences
- dealing with anxiety/ panic / mental health
- little bit of magic and science (but some of the science is wrong on purpose for the story)

Amazing. There is something in this short story for every reader: drama, action, adventure, character, and, most definitely, humor.

I can already picture myself quoting this constantly because so many of the statements are so very perfect for the context.

Do read this book, or listen to it on audio. You will smile constantly, and, almost certainly, laugh at least once. I'd recommend it to adults and young adults as a very easy and pleasant read. Perhaps a nice diversion after or alongside more challenging texts. This story could engage middle grade readers if read aloud...the commentary may be off putting at the beginning otherwise.

In a world where most of our POV characters overcome all odds to become ___ , Barn 8 forges a new path. Things are hard, characters are not feeling or doing well, we are forced to think about motivation and mental illness and hard choices. I walk away thinking I probably have a new perspective on things now, but whatever that is, it is still unsettled in my head.
There is a small little aside story with a chicken as the POV character, and that is another bit altogether. The book has humor, but it also has some real tragic stuff that we get to deal with.

Imagine you meet a charming young man...maybe 12 or 13-ish...and you ask him how it is going, and he just has so much to say and makes connections between legends and myths and religion and his own life and then hours have passed. That's this book.

Daniel's story is heartfelt, tragic, and joyous. His story is magical and terrible. He puts words to the things you thought but never before had words to express. You will want to make the sad things unhappen, but they are in the past.

I loved my time with Khosrou and this book.

I am so glad that I was pointed in the direction of Dread Nation per the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge (and, no, this story is not hard to read, it is a fast-paced action driven historical fiction with zombies). The characters are so real. I wouldn't say things go “well” for the characters, but it seems like their nature drove them through the plot as you might expect. Some excitement and challenge.

The end is left open for possible future adventures.

I somehow forgot to review this when it was “fresh” and two months later, I'm afraid that I might mix up the first and second book events. However, I'm thinking there were some pretty deep undertones here because my book journal entry for this one says: We find ourselves after we find what we thought we wanted. Purpose is more than just direction.

Well done all in all - and I don't even like zombies.

The narration is well done in the audio version as well.

Do not read this first.
If you already love the world where Name of the Wind is set, read this.

Rothfuss lets us into Aria's underthing, into her very true self. It's a short and sweet side story.

It is hard to rate and review this book. You just can not enjoy this book if you have not read the first two. The series does not break up well. As it is, with three books, the many stories that are being told in parallel are not all finished. So much more could be done with these characters and part of the world. There is a bit of the world from Realm of the Elderlings that connects this series to the Assassin series' but it could be separated.

Robin creates characters that have interesting and strong beliefs and behaviors but sometimes does not get to tell enough of their story, enough of their background, enough little arcs, to make this series stand strong. I think it is because there is so much going on. Too many unique characters and communities with their own mythologies. It just can't be tied with a bow after three books.

This story. Wow.

I don't think I've ever rooted more for a character than either Alex or Charlie. This novel makes the pain of being separated, called out, slurred, so very real. It is the end of childhood in all its madness.

I've read quite a few WW2 books, and I've read a few books including the Japanese internment camps in the U.S. This story gives you an impassioned glimpse of the inner struggles of the families in those camps. Unfortunately, this is not a happily ever after sort of tale - it is probably more real for the time and place in that way.

The author gives a little fantasy/magic to this story, but it does not change the world.

I'd recommend this to teenagers through adults.

This book is crazy. Wait, the book, the story, is fine; the characters are crazy. It starts off a little weird, but the plot moves quickly. You just have to find out how it ends.

This story is captivating and enchanting. The characters just sorta creep into your heart and make a nest. I love the regular-man-learns-he-can-do-good trope.

This book is sweet, light reading. A delightful escape.

This is a funny story staring a dragon who really just doesn't care much anymore...or does he. And, a kid who has absolutely nothing going for him. And, a complete ass.
It's got action, adventure, criminal masterminds, lame jokes, and really cool creatures.
...and, a happy ending!

For YA or adults.

This middle grades book has some outstanding mythology and storytelling. Probably a good one to go through multiple times. Once to read and the next to enjoy the story already knowing the world and its gods.

There are a couple of plot surprises that readers might anticipate but are still satisfying.

The detail of this story is strong enough to bring the reader in without getting to weighed down.

Wow - the insight in this book is fascinating if not altogether surprising. If you are interested in social science in America, this story is for you. Simple graphs, clear findings, and a whole lot of explanation of possible whys show up in the pages. The book was published in 2014. I'd absolutely love to see an update to the data, given how fast the world seems to move these days.

Caution to nerds (I'm one). It is a popular science book, so don't go getting your data huffies on if there are no detailed statistics. There are extensive notes in the back, even if the presentation is readable to regular folk.

This one really has ups and downs. Ultimately, I was underwhelmed. As always, O'Rourke delivers the jokes. I was able to laugh, but the book still became tedious.

Interesting, funny, relatable, a little TMI.

Ali has so much to say about growing into her life as a comedian and raising her girls, who the book is clearly written “to”. She is funny and witty and very real.

I love that you can feel the love Ali has for her family through the way she talks about them. That feels rare in books like this one.

This book will probably have you laughing if you can forgive the NSFW parts.

** It's a pretty short book. I listened to the audible version.

This is a sweet book about love and trust.
It also has a well developed world with compelling mythologies, politics, and webs of human endeavors.
The main characters are beautifully developed; Elin sees the world through such hopeful, observant, child-like eyes. Her innocence gives depth to what could be a very dark story.

Generations of magical safety held together by duty. An interesting premise, and enough to keep me reading through to the end.

Little things kept tickling my mind about the way the story was written. It's a different sort of coming of age story with a female heroine. Magic and danger abound, but it stays G rated.

Tilja becomes quite a character by the end and could easily lead many other stories.

This little unassuming book is well organized, compelling, and actionable. The leadership fable offers characters and intrigue, making the key points easy to pull out of the abstraction. Management and leadership books can be so dull, even when the information is useful.

Thankfully, Lencioni saves the boring information - that we are going to need - until after spoon feeding us the key points with a short story.