Quinn Tenorio

I decided to read this book after reading Talking to Strangers, also by Gladwell. While I gave Talking to Strangers a four star review, I initially decided I was going to give Blink a 5 star because the topic seemed more interesting to me. However, about halfway or three quarters through the book, everything became monotonous. Ultimately, Blink discusses one topic and can be summed up with one sentence, whereas Talking to Strangers had many topics being discussed, not just one central focus like Blink. I still enjoyed the book and would recommend it to others, especially because it's unique to learn how we function as human beings.

What an amazing book. I enjoyed the playfulness of the story and ridiculousness of it all. Greer really captures issues surrounding gay men. I couldn't help but laugh throughout the book and see the struggles Arthur Less went through. Bravo! I recommend to anyone looking for a ridiculously fun story and heartwarming as well.

Up until July when I read Dune, I had been in a reading dry spell for around 8 years (I am embarrassed to say!). Upon reading the first chapters, I was confused by the immediate thrust into worlds I had not been told of beforehand. But after that I consumed the book quicker than I had in a long time. My partner was even shocked at how enthralled I was with Dune, considering he hadn't seen me read like that since we had started dating. Regardless, I thoroughly enjoyed Dune with Herbert's fantastic world building and creating such amazing characters. This book should be on everyone's must read list. I look forward to reading the next two books in this series.

Typically I don't read memoirs or autobiographies, but after reading Crying in H Mart, I had this on my list to read next. Wow! What a great book. Tara has a way of writing that makes it hard to stop. I definitely could feel her emotions and how she evolved through her time in school. It's also crazy to believe the experiences she was a part of and how that shaped her life. Definitely a solid book and easy to read, despite it being on the longer side.

After finishing up China Rich Girlfriend in no time, I turned to this and was a little disappointed with the lack of continuation of the cliffhanger in the 2nd book. However, I enjoyed this and all three books. I wasn't fully expecting Kwan to cover the stories of everyone in all three books, it seems like there are dozens of characters floating around, I'm surprised how well-tracked most of them were through the three books. I can see the critiques of other reviews, but for something quick and fun, I liked this and the other two. I can definitely tell that some stories were just filler, but he was able to tie them all together at the end.

This book has been on my list for a while. After reading Blink and Talking to Strangers from Malcom Gladwell, I can say that they are very similar writers and thinkers. I thought Haidt was much more academic which is nice, but at times the book dragged. I was still interested in the topics and kept going. However, I couldn't help but feel that the book was quite dense with information, and at times made me not want to pick it up again.

I find this book to be somewhere closer to 3.5 out of 5, and it's clear as to why it gets a low rating (in comparison to Dune, another beloved science fiction series). Ultimately what I struggle with when it comes to Foundation is the different way Asimov handles this futuristic human universe.

[Mild spoilers below]

His exploration of the environment lacks, but is not entirely absent. Additionally, decades and centuries pass which is a detriment to the story in some aspects but not for others. While the large span of time captured is fantastic at capturing the crises and the impact of the decline and rise of the empire, there are too many characters in such short periods of time. As a result, there is no character development or exploration outside of superficial tropes. It's easy to say “ah new characters, no need to get invested in them as we'll have a new set in a couple dozen pages.” But to Asimov's point, how else do you capture the story spanning centuries without having new characters? I don't think there is a great way to do so.

Unfortunately, each “sub story” follows the same pattern throughout the book. We're introduced to new characters, an impending crisis arises, and while the protagonist seems to not have the crisis under control until the very end, it's revealed that there has actually been an elaborate Rube Goldberg machine setup that took place outside of the purview of the reader that turns out to save the day.

I don't discount the enjoyment from the book as a whole and the science fiction parts of the story, but once you get past the first couple sub stories, it's easy to just turn off your brain and read for the sake of reading.

I enjoy movies that play with the mind (see Christopher Nolan) and this was my first foray into books that do the same thing. While the mind bending-ness isn't as pronounced here as in movies, it was still fun to read and a nice book. I have Crouch's newest book Recursion on my list to read and look forward to it.

A fantastically emotional book with a great amount of real world discussions. Life is fleeting, and Kalanithi was able to capture a change from breaking bad news to folks, to being on the receiving side. I shed some tears, yes and was able to understand and connect more about how difficult it is to be in the positions of doctors and nurses.

As with all movies (almost), the book is better than the movie, which is true here as well. Having enjoyed fiction and science fiction growing up, I enjoyed reading Ready Player One as it brought me back to when I was younger.

After sitting on this book for a minute after reading, I think this is one of my favorites in the world of science fiction. There are so many interesting facets to this book that they all work towards one harmonious story. Ultimately, I think it deserves a half point extra.

[Mild spoilers below]

Initially, I did struggle to stay focus and interested in the historical portions, especially coming into the book expecting something more along the lines of Foundation or Dune. But then Cixin starts dripping in a bit of science fiction themes here and there which serves as a decent hook to keep reading. But then there is a back and force shifting of modern day and the past, which made me question, “is this book really going to progress to anything related to science fiction?” The answer is yes, but that theme is really just woven throughout this story of history and society, from the point of view of the “Eastern” world.

By then end I understood what Cixin was trying accomplish in weaving these explorations of science, history, society, internationalization, and so many other topics. After that last page, it leaves you questioning what is and isn't science fiction. This book is certainly more of an exploration of something closer to this moment in time than far far in the future. Plus, I am particularly fond of the non-Western viewpoint of what a more science fiction future holds.

But, this book does have its struggles. The first I mentioned above with the heavy reliance on history and other topics for a large portion of the book. The other is the particular granularity of physics and science jargon. With a background in science and math, I found myself able to follow the story, but at times my knowledge lapsed. I have no doubt that others would struggle with the physics-heavy topics, despite Cixin's delicate hand at explaining them.

I hadn't ever really been interested in autobiographies or memoirs, but reading Crying in H Mart as my first was all that I could ask for. I enjoyed this book more than I thought it would, especially Zauner's ability to make me feel her emotions - sad, happy, stressed - all of them. For anyone curious about reading this book or worried about not enjoying it, dive head first!

I took a utopian studies class in college where we read an excerpt from this book. I decided to read the full book and it was about what I was expecting. While it was great to get Huxley's view on utopia/dystopia, I felt like the story suffered from unexpected pivots from the story. However, given that the entire point of the book is the exploration of utopia (and other topics) it's easy to go along with the story.

I would have liked to give this a 4.5 but it certainly isn't as strong as Dune and Dune Messiah. While it is an almost perfect third book to round off this trilogy, I struggled with the insane amount of internal monologue in this book. I'm not sure if it was just me, but I found myself struggling at times. Additionally, it was rough getting past the first 20 pages. I admittedly had to restart after a hiatus when I couldn't make it past page 20 or so.

As the book progressed, I found myself caught in Herbert's world. And by the time I made it to the end, I was excited to read God Emperor of Dune while ordering it online.

After enjoying and ripping through Crazy Rich Asians, I decided, why not blow through China Rich Girldfriend as well? It was a good book, but I definitely enjoyed it (slightly) less than Crazy Rich Asians. While Kwan does well with ensnaring the reader to continue the story, this book somehow felt less planned out with the story lines chosen, especially some of the characters. I still give it a good review because it's entertaining and nothing more.

I enjoy any of Herbert's Dune books, and this is no exception. The focus on the Bene Gesserit this book is a great follow up to God Emperor. Without spoiling anything, the main plot line on Rakis seems to lack in the importance of the overall story. Additionally, it seemed like Herbert got caught up in fleshing out the story that the last few chapters are full of the resolutions for each thread of the story. As a result, the pacing at the end suffered but not enough for me to enjoy the book. Characters are particularly great in this book. I already look forward to Chapterhouse.

I am only now writing the review of this a couple months after reading and I am curious as to my original star rating of 4. I believe its closer to 4.5 out of 5 but not entirely a 5. Or maybe it should be a 5? That is my struggle with this book. In essence, this book so heavily leans into philosophy and very abstract concepts which is a departure from the previous three. Despite my lack of excitement for philosophy and abstraction, I truly enjoyed this almost as much as I did with the original Dune. At times it is certainly slow and it's easy to lose sight of where the story goes, but something about it just feels right after the previous three; it's almost like a reprieve.

So, the star rating will stay at 4 today, but ask me on other days and I would likely tell you it is a 4.5 or a 5 depending on my mood. It's certainly a favorite and something I will have to return to after a second read.

I found this to be an insanely great follow up to Dune. After the success of our hero in the last book, turning that concept on its head and imposing another point of view was exactly the right direction to take the story. It has been almost a year since reading at the time of this review, so I am struggling to recall all that I enjoyed about the sequel.

[Spoilers below]

One aspect of this novel in particular that I enjoyed was the introduction of the Face Dancers. The concept of such a human is so interesting and I love how Herbert explored it. Additionally, I enjoy his creative nature when it comes to naming/describing particular aspects of this universe (e.g. Face Dancers being used as a name for humans who can change their physical attributes).

Having never read a series of short stores like this before, I enjoyed most of them, and liked the topics/concepts that were explored. Being a fan of science fiction and fantasy, it was nice to be able to read shorter stories where I didn't need to understand lots of information. Chiang also does a good job of providing just enough information despite starting a story in the ‘middle' of the action. As much as I liked some of the stories, a few of them were a bit boring or sometimes difficult to get through.

Having seen the movie adaptation already, I went in knowing well that not everything would be the same and I wasn't expecting some deeper meaning behind the stories being told. This is a fantastic book to lose yourself in and enjoy some drama. Thumbs up for a nice fun book, which is easy to blow through in no time! Kwan certainly has a way with setting up the book, stories, and of course leaving cliffhangers that keeps you returning for more.

Having never read a book by Gladwell previously, I enjoyed this more than I thought it would. I struggled through Sapiens and thought I would with this book as well because of it's non-fiction nature. For the most part I enjoyed the book, but sometimes Gladwell can go on tangents only somewhat related to the topic. Still, I had some good takeaways from reading Talking to Strangers.

A science-fiction novel worth its weight. I don't know how else to describe this book so succinctly. Le Guin knows how to do it all: world building, examining ideas and concepts at a large and small level, knowing when to get into the nitty gritty and when to stay broad. It's such an amazing science fiction novel, despite not being so flashy with the more exciting fare like super futuristic technology. The fact of the matter is that she focuses more concepts like sexuality, government, culture, race and as a result, the book is so much more rich in detail.

As others mention, including Le Guin herself, science fiction is a thought experiment. Most well-known titles of science fiction (Dune, Foundation) tend to explore the “what if” on the macro scale but in The Left Hand of Darkness, the micro is our sole focus. From this focus we get an idea of this world, not different from ours except bone-chilling temperatures, that makes you stop to think about how it relates to current day.

However, it does have some flaws. The most clear example is the misogyny of the main character, as pointed out in the afterword by Charlie Jane Anders in my edition of the book. It's certainly an interesting choice to make, but it does contribute to the story, especially considering it's an exploration of sexuality.

I will be reading the others in this series.

I read Crouch's previous book Dark Matter and ripped through it. The way he writes and the concepts he plays with in his books are so well executed. I then picked up this book from my local library and was so happy to have ready it. A fantastic book just as good as Dark Matter, I highly recommend, especially if you enjoy mind-bending concepts.

My partner read this book and raves about it, and I can see why after reading it. I was a bit lost in the beginning when talking about war and also during the middle where Ocean flaunted his artistic skills, but in all, the book was captivating and a good read. While I may not be the best person to appreciate in fullness the way Ocean writes, I understand why this book has won many awards and why people enjoy his prose so fully.