Todd Warner
Fantasy, but light on the fantastical, this series is a real breath of fresh air. Fantasy for adults, one might say. It has a narrative that evokes Asimov to me for some reason. I really enjoy this series and hope that book 3 is not too far behind. Recommend.
Criticism of the publisher: really wish the publisher would produce hardcovers for books 2 and 3 and not just for book 1. It's just unprofessional. Commit or don't commit, not something in between. Or hell, give the author self-publishing rights to the hardcovers if you won't follow through.
Oh! Not that it matters all that much, but the covers are just bitchin'!
A unique and fascinating premise. Fantasy without being fantasy, and brutal, and intellectual, and clever. ... and fully realized characters for whom you really care about. RECOMMEND.
Really needs a full update and re-edit, but this is the classic that changed a whole industry. Slam full of information. Make sure you take notes as you read or you will never find those nuggets again.
A fascinating look into the world of obsession and the lives of exceptional children and their parents. The prose was more than a bit stilted and cold as was the author himself (my impression), but the story of their lives is engaging and truly very unique.
(Note, the book is a very different animal from the movie. The movie is spectacular, by the way.)
A solid read. I would say a fun read, but fun is probably not the right word. The writing itself is more than a bit sophomoric, though. Especially the first third. The writing really reminded me of Patrick Bateman's internal dialogue in American Psycho. I wonder if this was intentional for some reason, or was this just how the author writes? She does write for Cosmo, though, so . . . It seemed to tone down later in the book. But the story and characters are tremendous, IMHO. I give it 3.5 stars.
Ms. Dupré's second novel tells the story of a set of intertwined families that experience emotional hardship and joy, tragedy and triumph, kindness and cruelty. The author is expert at painting a picture of deep love and connection that only then has the rug pulled out from under it. She is expert at reminding us that nothing is ever black and white. There are good people and bad people –good people that do bad things, and bad people and situations that are, in the end, far more complicated than they seem to be on the surface.
This book touched me with its bittersweetness and humanity. And it's the humanity that is its ultimate strength. The characters are people you know and deeply care about. They are people you have probably run into time and again, and ultimately, they are you and your life experience at some level. I can't recommend this book enough.
Excellent. Excellent memoir that weaves in some high-level advice for writers. Oddly, this is perhaps my favorite Stephen King book. But, I recommend this for both writers and non-writers alike. Half of this book is straight-up memoir, but the half that is focused more on the writing process blends the how-to with King's life narrative and is a great peek inside of an extremely creative mind.
Just remember that it is subtitled, “A Memoir of the Craft”. It is not a “how-to” on writing though it discusses process and whatnot, and it makes you think. As a memoir this is a solid 4 or 5 stars. I removed 1 star because it is often touted and marketed as advice for writers. There are gems in there, but on the whole, I would go elsewhere for that sort of thing.
Recommend. But only as a memoir (as I think King really initially intended it to be). King is a fascinating man.
Awesome memoir.
Kristin captures the passion farmers have for their work both as an outsider (big city hip gal) and then as an insider (farm girl). Nothing is hidden from the reader as she describes their struggles ... and their eventual success on this more-than-organic, very unique CSA operation.
Core to the theme of the book is the farm as the rock on which the author and her husband's relationship stands. Farming, arguably the most noble profession, is also unforgiving - both of their body, spirit, and relationship. But they endure and thrive.
Great book.
As Twain does, he hides social commentary in a quaint story and sneaks it all in before you realize what happened.
This books is funny, of course. Twain is one of those folks that makes you smile on every page. And he skewers major institution after major institution. In particular, he thumbs his nose at monarchies, hero worship, artificial class structures, the superstitious, and wow does he go at institutional religious entities. He also has a lot to say about mankind's infatuation with heroism through violence, blind patriotism, mob thinking, anti-intellectualism. The story applies today as much as it did then. All of this wrapped up in the story of a “modern” dude being transported to the 6th century. Where at first he thinks he is somehow in an insane asylum and then realizes that everyone is just insane (so to speak). Anyway. It's a must read, I think, if you want a complete western literary education but ...
BUT! I didn't love it.
The language is ... just too dated. Huckleberry Finn is one of my favorite novels of all time, but it didn't bog down in the language like this book did. I'm not sure why this was different. And all the 6th century folks spoke in a Twain-ified 6th century dialect that was sometimes quite funny (he was making fun of them) but also ... just too much.
And the book is entirely too long. It needed to be about 1/3rd shorter. Maybe more. It reminded me of Forest Gump and how it just went on and on and on and on. Anyway.
Glad I read it. It is indeed brilliant. But I will never read it again. :)
This book will stick with me. Which should maybe rate it four stars. But... I'm torn with this one. Aspects of it, I loved. Others ... Anyway. I still recommend it even if I didn't love it. The writing is superb. The story unique. But ... torn.
A solid book. Kicks off with some concrete and succinct advice and then becomes a valuable reference book. I bought it looking for more handholding than it gives, but it's really geared to be a reference versus a huge book of examples. Which is probably more valuable long term. This is an excellent resource. I suspect it will be quite dogeared in no time.
Four stars cuz ... well, I only give five stars to certain rare books, or books that mean something exceptional to me. Depending on how much I use this over time, I can see it becoming a five-star book.
Pirates, treasure maps, time travel. Need I say more? What a well-written, fun romp. And kudos to the author for convincingly conveying pirate-speak. Not an easy feat.
Tremendous. Simply tremendous.
””“
‘Are you afraid of the dark?'
I want to say I am afraid but am too afraid to say so.
””“
...
””“
There's a big moon shining on the yard, chalking our way onto the lane and along the road. Kinsella takes my hand in his. As soon as he takes it, I realise my father has never once held my hand, and some part of me wants Kinsella to let me go so I won't have to feel this.
”””
I wanted to like this book: An exploration of utopian societies, the singularity, reincarnation via simulation, AI, the ingenuity of people; even stickin' it to The Man . . . It had the makings of a great novel but ended up being bogged down by its own ideology, overly clever slang and jargon that makes it almost impenetrable (and I am a techno-dork!), and characters archetypes that were far FAR too stereotypical and impossible to truly identify with. It didn't help that all the characters went by nicknames that obliterated their individuality. All of them. It made them semi-anonymous and difficult to envision.
This book is just too much of too much. I wanted to DNF it, but . . . I don't DNF books. I pushed through. An aggressive editor who knew how to say “No” probably could have saved it from itself.
Ugh. Again, I really wanted to like this book and it pains me to write this review. It's a book signed by the author no less. A guy I greatly admire and follow like a fanboy. Alas, this is not a book I can recommend. Sorry, Cory.
...
Hey! In reading the reviews, there are people who seem to like it. So, the audience is out there. That audience simply doesn't include me. :(
Banned in a Florida school on 5/20/2024. I immediately purchased it. Of course.
Excellent middle grade novel about students finding their strength and learning a harsh lesson about the real world and the awful (and not so awful) people who fill it.
The characters are vibrant and relatable and the author teases out a narrative that is so creative and nuanced. I am forever impressed when authors reach deep and somehow find their childhood voice so effectively.
This book touches upon a host of thoughtful topics and I can't recommend it enough.
In a word: Wow!
The first 50 pages or so didn't grab me. A lesser reader would probably have DNFed it at that point or even sooner, or would have seen it for something else entirely. I plowed on, of course, but I am so glad I did. The rest of the novel gave the beginning the context it needed, and that context was better served to be delayed.
The book follows several timelines before and during WWI and in the late 1970s. It's ultimately a soldier's story and exploration of the human condition and what is truly valuable in this world.
The characters are complex, very well fleshed out, and extremely varied. This is a book for a more mature audience, an audience who has experienced complex relationships and perhaps even horrifying trauma in their lives. A younger less experience reader probably will not understand the relationships and the decision characters have made throughout this novel.
A tremendous novel. A tremendously moving novel. Recommend.
McCarthy is the master of description and dialogue. All the Pretty Horses takes you on an incredible journey with a young man and his best friend seeking escape and adventure and a new life abroad only to find all those things and far more than they bargained for.
This is a coming of age story in a sense, a story of a boy searching for a purpose in a world where the life he knew was just turned upside down.
The story is fantastic. The pacing is perfect. The writing though is what sets this apart. The writing is superb. Some of the best stuff I have ever read.
”[. . .] they smelled of smoke and tallow and sweat and they looked as wild and strange as the country they were in.”
Yes. Yes, they did. McCarthy writes poetry on every page. There is no author in recent memory that can paint a picture, paint a mood, like McCarthy. This particular quote captures the texture of the story. For all your aspiring writers out there. This is masterclass stuff.
Saunders is one of those authors whose style is a bit off-putting. I would love to crawl into his brain for a day. Always thought provoking, he looks at the world from a curious angle. I didn't love this collection but I would still recommend it if you are a serious reader who values introspective books that stretch you.
It won the Pulitzer. I can see why. The prose is spectacular. Night Watch is a story of how trauma is experienced in so many ways and how, in the end, we cope. This book was a four star for until the wrap up. SPOILER? It felt like the author struggled and ... forced THE ending. Otherwise, an impressively created story.
Good series. I enjoyed the books because of the solid storyline, great characters and most importantly, because of the social commentary and serious themes.
The criticisms I have, may be a age related thing. The herione is exasperating in her struggles with over-complicating human interactions and misreading situations. Granted, she is 16 and 17 in the novels, but... she is not quite the “role-model” I would have expected. Even with some of her unexpected choices, I would have expected a bit more depth in her analysis of most situations.
Plus the endless “do I love him!?!?” theme throughout the books is maddening. But that is definitely an age thing. For the target audience, it is probably perfect. In fact, it's a teenage gal's perfect storyline, right?: Headstrong tomboy of a girl out-thinks adults and is deeply desired by multiple goodlooking young men. What teanage girl doesn't fantasize about that situation?
The real shocker of this series, though, was the bravery the author had in the choice of endings. Most of the series is a bit repitive and predictable (though still fun) but the ending is not. And I applaud the author for bravely rejecting what was expected and in the process, putting a nice capper on her stream of social commentary.
Not a 3 star. Not a 4 star, but I will round up. :)
Well written. The dialog is a bit too... “juvenile” even though it is aimed at a more juvenile market. The themes are mature, and a nice scathing criticism of society. Anyway... good book, tight storyline, but could use a bit more maturing of the dialog to complement the mature themes.
Outstanding. The best instructional on “structure” that I have read thus far. Take notes. Highlight. And then implement. The book has a nice conversational tone, but so much meat. And maybe most importantly, copious examples. At times the layering upon layer of detail, nuance, and all the different spins of the beat-sheet can feel repetitive, but it's necessary for an instructional book of this type. And, man, oh man, the examples! I can't imagine the amount of work that went into developing this book.
This won the Pulitzer and I can see why. Vast in scope, sprawling even, it's a deep-think that tugs at what it means to be a human in this world and our self-destructive, collateral-damaging place in it. It's also a story of seemingly futile, but important, efforts to right wrongs ... no matter what, by folks who simply care. Folks who noticed.
With my editor hat on, I think this book should have been trimmed down 100 pages, but what an ambitious work. It deserves its kudos and will not be the last book I read from this author.
Wow.
My prediction: next year's National Book Award winner or the Pulitzer. Yes, it's that good.