Kate
Barrett Brown is an astounding writer, and I was flattered to be The Reader for the length of this book. The only downside was that the take-downs of the various columnists started to get repetitive when read one after the other. I suggest reading this in parts at breakfast to start the day off with the recommended daily value of snark.
Really interesting world, but the characters and their interactions were a little one-dimensional.
I've made a big mistake. I started reading this before bed and then had to stay up to finish so I wouldn't be terrified
A wonderful collection of essays from incredibly talented writers. Nothing was trite or already obvious.
Cute! Some of the characters actions didn't seem to ring true in the beginning but the story picked up steam
The premise was interesting, but I had to stop reading. The weight of the argument often rested on psychology studies: studies that are probably not replicable, and thus probably not true. Reading while basically tossing out all the evidence and then trying to figure out what might still be true was a slog.
[Edit: I almost forgot that Jen reveals that Annie Dillard didn't actually have a tom cat rub blood on her, as Tinker at Pilgrim Creek would suggest. That story was taken from someone else (!!)
“But she has also conceded that her tremendous opening line with its heraldic wildness—'I used to have a cat, an old fighting tom, who would jump through the open window by my bed in the middle of the night and land on my chest'—was appropriated. Writes Saverin, When I asked about the tomcat in the first sentence, she told me she'd heard a similar story from ‘some poor graduate student' named Frank McCullough over lunch at the Hollins snack bar.”]
A fascinating look at what editing Fitzgerald and Hemingway was like. Strangely, my Ebook copy had typos, as if it hadn't been edited.
Sometimes the book seemed repetitive, and there were strange quirks, like using both a person's last name and other times their first name in the same section, making it hard to know it's only a single person being referred to.
Fitzgerald and Hemingway come across as sad immature creatures, and I kind of wonder how they were able to be this way for so long. Did fame mean they never had to grow up?
This series was so engrossing that I found myself swearing “Tir's guts” when I accidentally hammered my finger. The main character, Paks, starts off as an ignorant yet smart and capable sheepfarmer's daughter who signs up for a mercenary company. The first book is heavy on military strategy and the details of campaigns and such, but the characters are strong, especially Paks. I really enjoyed seeing her gain skills and learn about her world.
I also loved that Paks was determined to be a soldier, and this doesn't make her any less of a woman. The muscles and scars from her training are simply a fact of life.
The second book begins to build the world a bit more, and we're introduced to the elves, dwarves, and others - probably the best version of these fantastical creatures that I've read so far.
I liked that Paks wasn't “the chosen one” or at least how that storyline usually goes. She isn't important because of her bloodline or fulfilling a prophecy of some sort but rather she has to work extremely hard to do what she does.
I highly recommend!
it was enjoyable but i didn't get drawn into the characters much. I'm still going to read the sequel though!
I loved so much of this, even if the plot was a little weak at times. I loved how at the very beginning, you feel the danger of walking into the contaminated zone. I loved the descriptions of the beautiful but primitive furniture and buildings. I loved getting in the head of a commander trying to make the right decision.
I was listening to this one and probably missed a lot of details, but I didn't find the plot twists very interesting. Not as good as the first, although that one's villain was also not great
ehhh. Not terrible but not particularly gripping either. Had to make myself finish. I think this is the end of the road for this series.
ehh, was not really feeling this one. Sophy is supposed to be “spirited” in an Emma-type way. But she's actually a huge boundary violator, who unlike Emma, never realizes it's wrong. The way she manipulates other people is kinda gross, and I think if Sophy had been a man, we'd think he was dangerously controlling.
Incredible. It's a little like the Doomsday Book, but I actually cared about the characters. And the dialogue! Orson Scott Card is one snappy joke writer.
This book was “recommended” by Goodreads, but honestly, it was straight up terrible. I had to stop at page 26. The reader is constantly told how beautiful and talented the main character is, as well as how handsome everyone else is. In the very first paragraph, the main character is “Adarlan's most notorious assassin.” On the second page: “It was true that she had been attractive once, beautiful even, but – well, it didn't matter now, did it?” A little later, “She was important enough to warrant an execution from the Captain of the Royal Guard himself.” (Thanks for letting me know!)And, “She looked at her rags and stained skin, and she couldn't suppress the twinge of shame. What a miserable state for a girl of former beauty!” (Truly a tragedy!)And others are described thusly: “Yet there was something in his eyes, strikingly blue – the color of the waters of the southern countries – and the way they contrasted with his raven-black hair that made her pause. He was achingly handsome, and couldn't have been older than twenty. ‘Princes are not supposed to be handsome! They're sniveling, stupid, repulsive creatures. This one... this... How unfair of him to be royal and beautiful.'” (How unfair indeed!)That's only up to page 8. Nope, Nope, Nope. Edit: Almost forgot to add books that are actually worth reading. If you liked the idea of this book, read either [b: The Blue Sword 407813 The Blue Sword (Damar, #2) Robin McKinley https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1286927812s/407813.jpg 2321296] or [b: The Hero and the Crown 77366 The Hero and the Crown (Damar, #1) Robin McKinley https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1386642407s/77366.jpg 2321243]
This felt like a transition piece to set up the next story and not a story in itself. I had a few problems: I was confused about the plot at first, so I had to re-read Network Effect and come back. Then the plot only started getting engrossing half-way in, which was a lot of book to get through without enjoying it as much as usual (which is a high bar - I love Murderbot!)
I can't wait to read the next book, and hope that the effort I put into this one pays off.
Seemed very interesting, but a major part of the book was explaining exactly why it is so hard to reform government software, and in the current climate, it made it too depressing to read. Maybe I'll revisit later.