Meg

Forget who wrote this book, it is one person's collection of their absolute best life lessons and if you're interested in reading/being reminded of that kind of thing, it is fantastic fun.

I listened to the audio version, which I highly recommend, from my local library.

I now have to buy this book so that I can highlight all the sentences I adore and fill every blank space of every page with my own thoughts, comments, and stories. (Because that's what these kinds of books are for.)

Good story. It's a decent and well crafted thriller about a husband and wife who, like many, have their own very special issues. The ending was perfect, the book maintained its flow and stayed true to itself for the vast majority of the time. I did have a problem with Amy's initial finale to her master plan being to kill herself, that didn't seem to suit her survivalist trait of always-coming-out-on-top of her master plans. Still, it's nice to read a book where I can count the number of things I have a problem with on one hand for a change.
I listened to the audio version, which clocks in at over 18 hrs to complete. I can understand some people having a problem with it being wordy. I'm super stoked to watch the movie now, Rosamung Pike is brilliant and I know she is going to be absolutely PERFECT in this role. (Yes, my usual rule is to watch the movie first so as not to ruin it for myself when I find the book story far more satisfying. This time I'm glad I read the book first so that the movie didn't spoil the story for me. I know I would have had a hard time sticking with it in places except to find out what ultimately happened.)

I'm wordy so I'll try to keep this short.

Here is what I can tell you about this book:
This is NOT a self-help book. There are no rules or instructions or laws stating exactly what YOU should do and how YOU should live your life in order to find happiness and peace and love. If you are looking for such things, please look elsewhere.

This IS an autobiography of an artist. It tells the story of how she found love, peace and happiness by taking the chance and asking of people - for the sake of her self and her art. This is the story of an artist who has worked incredibly hard for every bit she has gained, and an artist who has wholeheartedly felt every second of her journey.


My biggest thought throughout was this:
Firstly, you get back what you put into this world. If you are happy, positive, and open then even the bad things that do happen won't feel so bad. People will love to step up to help. If you are negative, antagonistic, and aggressive then the bad things will be all the worse and the good will be a lot harder to hold on to and when you need it, fewer people will be willing to pitch in to help.
Secondly, it's not easy. It takes effort, but with an attitude of love and perseverance - and of course, if you ask for the things you need - you will be amazed at what can happen.

It's not that Amanda has solely had a very fortunate life, it's who she is that made everything possible. For some of us, that is an inspiration.

On a personal note, this story resonated with me for a couple reasons.
First, I know firsthand what it is like to feel so connected to a group of random people who end up involved in a great happening. The incredible energy of a great show and the interactions that follow - it feels amazing and for those few hours no one is alone and no one is a loser and everyone is loved in that shared experience of awesome. It feels beyond amazing, and it's a feeling I deeply miss. There's a lot to be said for the power of shared experience.
Secondly, I have a crippling and utterly debilitation fear of asking. Yet, I offer and give without hesitation, always. I only take the donuts out of absolute near-desperate no-possible-alternative need. I went out and “got a job”. I am a work in progress, always. I take the steps I am comfortable with (and sometimes that i'm uncomfortable with) to get better. Sometimes, when I'm lucky I have awesome people around me who give me a good push (or shove) when I need it. Still, I am not brave enough to trust my art. Someday maybe I will be. This was a nice inspiration to try harder to do better (and to re-read Show Your Work by Austin Kleon, its short and sweet and truth.)

To Amanda: Thank you for sharing.

I've accepted the fact that I sometimes read books I would judge to be “sort of trash” in my obscure internal I-totally-judge-books-by-their-covers mind. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. Either way I like taking risks in the books I choose to read, and this one it seems is maddeningly polarizing in its goodreads reviews. People either love it or hate it wayyyy too strongly (IMHO of course). They're upset that the book isn't written how they would have done things. The author is being so honest in showing her vulnerability and shortcomings that some readers leap at the chance to compare themselves and judge her to be unworthy of their superior choices and attachments.... However, that is to be expected, this is a New York best selling book. To be honest I don't usually read books from that list, mainly because of the fact that just because a book sells well, doesn't mean it's a great book. Being on that list also means a lot of people will both love and hate the titles on it to varying degrees with the fiercest of passions. I held off reading it for so long because of these and so many reasons, primarily being that I just didn't think the book would interest me.
So one day in a Netflix induced chick flick, rom com, wine-drinking stupor... I watched the movie. (My theory that watching a movie BEFORE reading the book being often the safest method of consuming both media may have something to do with why I liked the movie, rather than being disappointed with it.) So a few days ago I decided to read the book, after a particularly funny Big Bang rerun in which Raj most passionately states that “Eat Pray Love changed my life.” reminded me that I did in fact want to read this book.

Ok so I didn't find it mind-blowingly life-changingly magical. It was good. A nice story about a woman who lost touch with herself after years of letting her life “happen to” her and failing miserably to regain the balance
she needed to feel happy and at peace in her soul. She had the means to be able to find herself through travel to exotic places and as a writer, wrote about her experiences. As this was, for her, a journey of self discovery it is understandably all about her and her thought patterns, changes and growth. So it reads the same way as I write my journal entries to myself. Which is to say it reads like you are an observer, reading this woman's journal about her Italian, Indian, and Indonesian journey towards balance between her spirituality and her pleasures in life. Along the way she heals her self (not one word on purpose) and finds things she didn't even know she was seeking.

Overall a good read. Nothing fancy. It's just watching someone else's journey, and yes there are a few words of wisdom throughout, but all in all its just someone's story that they've had the means and opportunity to share with the world.

I got about halfway through.
I didn't actually finish this book.
I don't actually want to finish this series.
I don't want to face that utter disappointment you feel when a series with such strong potential withers and dies in front of you and there's nothing you can do to stop it.
There are far better written things out there worth my time and my curiosity alone is not enough to hold my attention.
I read a few heavy reviews and a summary of the plot, spoilers and all, to see how it ended. I'm not surprised, but I had hoped the writer had more.... I can't think of the word. Just, more.

The themes I had hoped would be prominent in this series are not the themes the author chose to focus on. Too much individual sacrifice and not enough teamwork. I had hoped this would be a journey culminating in a celebration of life and humanity in all its strengths and weaknesses. Ending in a sort of uniting of the factions in people's hearts and minds, you know actually “building better worlds” and all that...
I wrote a short story when I was in high school that culminated in such a sacrifice, remembering that mindset I can understand why YA readers would like these books... I just don't agree that the direction the series took after the first book was necessarily the best possible choice.

John Cleese has a really good talk on Creativity that you can find on youtube and such places everywhere. It's brilliant. In one iteration of this lecture he said that Graham Chapman (a fellow python) was always far funnier than him, but his one fault was that he never took his ideas far enough. He always stopped at the point where something worked well. Which is ok, but John Cleese would work an idea until it was really good, and then work on it more, until it was incredible. That's why he was always the better creator. (Forgive my paraphrasing) I wish more creative people were taught to work that way. This and many other disappointing series may have been brilliant as a result.

In the end, it is what it is. It's not a bad story, it's just not a great story.
The author is young, she's got plenty of years and many more stories to write, some of which I'm sure will indeed be great.


P.S. beacause I'm a huge nerd and “Building Better Worlds” is the Weyland-Yutani Corp slogan, this as a hilarious and ridiculous tie in to the Alien/Prometheus/Predator worlds is pretty funny.

Do not go for the audiobook unless you are incredibly accustomed to non-native english speakers reading english.
Though the narrator does a good job of saying all the words the pronounciations are not clear and often the emphasis is on the wrong parts of the words, the narration does not match the flow flow and is not easily understood. I find this a strange choice for a book like this. If the book were written by someone who was also heavily accented I could understand the choice and as the written word patterns would match the narration and it would likely be quite pleasant to listen to, but this was just unbearable.
I'll have to read this one later instead.

Loved every second of it.
So much so that I immediately read it again.

Chris is one of THE Top Canadians ever and I only wish more of us still held similar morals and values.
This book is worth a read for anyone who wants to know what it really takes to get to the very top of your field, or at least how to be widely respected and valued. His words are true inspiration, and there are some cool stories about space too. =)

I love creative-famous-people-stories. These are fun and span 3 decades of change.
Rob writes well and has some great words, but really, its just a book of fun stories.

The thing that made my insides smile more than anything was that after all those stories, you find out that the music at the beginning and end of the audio version was both written and performed by his son, John Owen Lowe. Very cool stuff.

These are easily the most mainstream-ish books Jeff has written. Comparable to a book version of the frustration of watching Lost. These are not for everyone, though for those that can understand and enjoy them - they are magnificent fun.

Stories like this are not about answers. They're not even about the questions really. They just are, and that's what makes them enjoyable... to those who are ok with that.

I loved it. My favourite of the series.
It's still filled with more questions than answers but you get an origin story of area X along with some different perspectives on the events of the first two books, and of course what “happened” to those trapped inside. Draw your own conclusions if/when you need them. So much fun!

This is definitely going on the re-read pile for many years to come.

This is NOT a paleo book. Nowhere does she advocate the paleo diet. There are guidelines for eating meat and animal products, however it is still your choice. This is not a book that actively encourages or promotes any singular style of eating or a “one size fits all” diet solution.
This is a passion project that honestly and truly just wants to help people. It strives to unveil and explain the sources of our so-called “common knowledge” about healthy eating and offer advice on how to think critically of the vast amount of information we are presented with. The only goal here is to provide people with honest and truthful information that can allow us readers to form our own well informed opinions of how to eat. It really doesn't matter how you personally choose to eat as long as you are thinking critically and finding reputable, honest, and truthful sources of information to base your decisions on.

The only concrete diet message is that humans can thrive on a vast variety of diets as long as a few crucial nutrient requirements are met. (What amazing creatures we are!) The only thing she says for absolute certainty is that you probably should pass on all that processed crap. Otherwise, use your brain and find what works for you. There is enough good information in here to give you some great ideas to get started with and a good lesson on how not to be scammed by whatever misinformation, fad, or super-miracle-cure-all comes up.

It is very hard to find a health person of any kind (doctor, guru, diet movement, research paper, and so on) that will actually be honest and straight up with you. This book needs to be the first piece of required reading for anyone wanting to successfully create a truly healthful diet for themselves.

This was such a FUN ride!!
The research done for the writing of this book must have been incredibly extensive. It is very technical so if you loathe engineering you may want to skip this one. It reads mostly like a captains log of events, with some healthy personality thrown in. Kind of like if the movie Gravity happened on Mars instead.
Still, such a super fun read.

P.S. I just learned. MOVIE!! Ridley Scott!! Matt Damon!! Such awesome awaits.

The “goodness” of this story cannot be judged based on this one part as the story told here is incomplete. This Act 1 of a 3 Act story.

This first book is a personal research journal from an expedition. It contains all the story-limitations that perspective entails. It makes no attempt to be anything else.
The story goes so much further if you have the patience to read the rest....

This is a curious world, and it gives few questions and fewer answers. It can mean so many things, depending on how your mind chooses to see... It is beautiful.

I definitely like the TV series more, it feels far more polished and developed. Also I like the romance portrayals better as it feels less “cheesy teen novel” which i know, is exactly what the novel is but still...
It was a good read, I'm excited for the sequels. Definitely far more excited for Season 3 of the CW series though (if you were iffy on the book I highly recommend giving the show a chance.)

“Some Desperado” by Joe Abercrombie; Read by Stana Katic
- A fighter, trying to survive and take care of her own in the red country. I love Joe's writing. Stana was an amazing reader!

“My Heart Is Either Broken” by Megan Abbott; Read by Jake Weber
- A secret keeper, there are no answers in this story. It is a draw your own conclusions tale. Can't help but think of gone girl if we only had the husband's perspective. A little terrifying this one, well crafted and “thrillery”. Awesome narration.

“Nora's Song” by Cecelia Holland; Read by Harriet Walter
- Do you remember the moment your sheltered childhood ideals of a fair world, and the good and honest people you idolized in it, were shattered seemingly beyond repair? It sucks for girls just as much as for boys no matter what world you live in.

“The Hands That Are Not There” by Melinda Snodgrass; Read by Jonathan Frakes
- The ultimate usurper, the charm of a woman who exploits what for most men is their greatest weakness. Was not a big fan of the subject matter, but it reminded me of watching the twilight zone and that was fun. Jonathan Frakes is amazing to listen to.

“Bombshells” by Jim Butcher; Read by Emily Rankin
- WIZARDS!!!! lol...

“Raisa Stepanova” by Carrie Vaughn; Read by Inna Korobkina
- Lady Russian Fighter Pilots! Awesome... Very good narrator, slight enough accent to add another dynamic to the story's setting and characters but not so heavy as to disrupt listening and comprehension.

“Wrestling Jesus” by Joe R. Lansdale; Read by Scott Brick
- I liked the story about a bullied kid and his mentor. Not so much a fan of the female theme in it.

“Neighbors” by Megan Lindholm; Read by Lee Meriwether
- Very creative and thoroughly enjoyable short story.

“I Know How to Pick 'Em” by Lawrence Block; Read by Jake Weber
- A one night affair. Skipped this one.

“Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell” by Brandon Sanderson; Read by Claudia Black
-I see why Brandon Sanderson is so awesome now... think I shall endeavor to read more of his work.

“A Queen in Exile” by Sharon Kay Penman; Read by Harriet Walter
- Period piece. I'm now officially convinced that “feminists” would not enjoy this collection of stories. (Actually I was convinced of this fact at Lawrence Block's piece. Still not ALL stories in such a collection will be to everyone's tastes.)

“The Girl in the Mirror” by Lev Grossman; Read by Sophie Turner
- Wizard School! Oh how fun.

“Second Arabesque, Very Slowly” by Nancy Kress; Read by Janis Ian
- Post-Apocalyptic worlds can really suck. We should appreciate and hold on to the little things.

“City Lazarus” by Diana Rowland; Read by Scott Brick
- Getting a little tired of all the prostitute, rape, and otherwise sexually violating women in some manner or another, stories at this point. I can definitely tell this collection was edited by George R.R. Martin.

“Virgins” by Diana Gabaldon; Read by Allan Scott-Douglas
- Again with the subject matter... All these prostitution and sex stories from men's perspectives don't really scream “Dangerous Women” to me (no matter how well written they are.)

“Hell Hath No Fury” by Sherilynn Kenyon; Read by Jenna Lamia
- Ah, a breath of fresh air. A good old fashioned ghost story. nice.

“Pronouncing Doom” by S.M. Stirling; Read by Stana Katic
- Post-Apocalyptic future. Dangerous men, and women in positions of power. Back to what seems to be the true theme of this anthology though.

“Name the Beast” by Sam Sykes; Read by Claudia Black
- I enjoyed this one. Thankfully refrained from the discouraging theme of preceding stories. Loved Claudia Black's narration.

“Caregivers” by Pat Cadigan; Read by Janis Ian
- Mystery at the Nursing Home. This one was well crafted and truly spoke to the intent of the introduction. Fantastic read.

“Lies My Mother Told Me” by Caroline Spector; Read by Maggi-Meg Reed
-What a strange world this is... virus and powers and zombies! Yay!

“The Princess and the Queen” by George R. R. Martin; Read by Iain Glen

I like the differences between the book and the movie... they are two distinct stories, both made with such passion.
I loved it - I knew I would. Neil loves words and he chooses them carefully and he has such fun crafting and playing with them it comes through in every sentence of his writing (especially his children's work.) It is brilliant.

Knowing nothing about this book before I read it, within the first couple of pages I thought “Hmmm, my protagonist might be autistic or something.” ... I am both totally ok with and a little ashamed at that thought. The book caters at little to the mainstream autistic stereotype that they're all math prodigy's and though I don't personally know anyone who is autistic (though i've met a few over the years) I know enough to know that they're not all like that. Thing is is when most people think of autism that's the kind of thing they immediately think of, rain man-type people.

Still. It was a really fun story to read.
I used to have a friend who had severe ADD growing up, his family couldn't afford any drugs to treat it but he had a lot of amazing support and people who taught him how to manage himself in order to function in his life and society. Ultimately he grew up better for it because he didn't have a crutch to lean on and learned how to be aware of himself and take the steps he needed to achieve his desired result. I like that the story had those elements in it. Rather than just having symptoms treated the boy had learned how to manage himself and use his own way to deal with new situations and get himself through challenges.

Great book and a fun quick read.

Everything I would ever expect from the son of Stephen King. I kind of have a desire to re-read/watch IT now.
This story was particularly good and I really enjoyed it.
I haven't read any of his other novels but this has a reputation of being one of his best works to date and it would seem these impressions are absolutely correct. If you'd like a good horror to take a chance on give this one your time...

1st book read on my new sony prs-t1 ereader!! (yea i wanted a kobo so bad but santa had other plans... sony never could build an interface to save their lives, a matte frame would have been nice too... I digress. At least it reads well.)
Love this book!! Was on the edge of my seat the whole time! Well crafted plot, love the story being told through the interconnected eyes of only a few strong characters. Beautiful twists and turns, some predictable and some not, enough to keep you pleasantly (sometimes unpleasantly) satisfied and surprised. Must now watch hbo series and hope they dont ruin it for me, I have much faith in them. Can't wait to see if my future theories are correct!! On to the next!

Just a note: the main character has a broken nose throughout the book, the audiobook version does all his dialogue as though he has that broken nose. While technically accurate it's not the most pleasant vocalization to listen to for 14hrs. The narrator definitely has mad skills though for being able to do it.