Chandler

Great story-telling, great audio production, but very little in actual analysis or advice. Gladwell's main points are that we don't know people as well as we think we do. Our natural instinct is to trust that people are being truthful, yet that can get us into trouble.

While I wasn't aware of the details of many of the discussed stories, that wasn't why I was reading the book. I wanted more social science, and less entertaining stories about the atrocities of our day... as I see them already. It is very apparent that we are not good at determining whether or not strangers are who they say they are. From the small, everyday misunderstandings or betrayals to the large and terrifying ones, it is obvious that people are different and do not think the same. This book offers few points of actual advice or solution. These stories are important to hear and understand, but I don't know if this is the right book in which to tell them.

Listened to the audiobook. Definitely felt like a podcast. Good quality.

Abandoned at 45%.

Nonlinear stories are difficult for me. Especially one with very little story. The praise that I hear from this book has to do with the toxic masculinity/white privilege underlying messages. For that reason and that reason alone was what kept me reading for so long. The book was a mess and I wasn't able to get to know the characters except on a very superficial level. The events of one chapter had seemingly nothing to do with the surrounding chapters. I kept waiting for something to happen in the story, and from what I read in other reviews, nothing ever really happens or if it does at all, it is resolved quite disappointingly.

This book was not for me. I enjoyed the few lines and insights about toxic masculinity, which is why this is getting 2 stars instead of 1.

Quotes:

“that they are individuals, rugged even, but in fact they are emptied out, isolate, mass men without a mass, although they're not men, obviously, but boys, perpetual boys, Peter Pans, man-children, since America is adolescence without end, boys without religion on the one hand or a charismatic leader on the other”

“the real men—who are themselves in fact perpetual boys, since America is adolescence without end—had to differentiate themselves with violence,”

Mona Eltahawy gives her manifesto for feminism in a series of rage-filled chapters depicting seven necessary “sins” for women and girls. Eltahawy slams patriarchy and demands that her body is her own and her life is her own. The seven necessary sins allow women and girls to use their existing anger and destroy the patriarchal system in place that oppresses so many.

I didn't always follow the order and it seemed like some points were blended together and she made similar points in a few different places, however, I enjoyed the multi-cultural perspective and the urgency and rage that Eltahawy conveys beautifully.

And just like that, the great plot and characters crumble into nothing more than a stereotypical YA romance novel...
I felt like the story could have ended after Prodigy, but this one was just tagged on there for no reason... after the first book, the characters lost all motives except to be with their “true love.” ridiculous.

An engrossing mystery-thriller with an unreliable narrator. Shutter Island is a mysterious place where we are led to believe bad things are happening, however, much like I Am The Cheese, not all is at it seems and the story the reader has been following is really just the delusions of a patient at Shutter Island.

Enjoyed the reading experience. Not really worth reading again, but it was enjoyable.

Rating: 3.5/5
Rounded to 4 stars

Honestly, reading a book about the historical movements in literature and how to read classic books helped me so much with The Man in the High Castle by PKD.

I didn't understand everything, but I understood and saw more than I would have. This book is filled with postmodernist musings about the self, identity, history, and more. PKD brings in many attitudes and fears that the general audience in the 1960's would have understood.

I want to read this book again in a few years. It's slow and the characters and their lives are filled with activities that didn't interest me much, but I want to see if that changes now that I understand a bit more of the historical contexts within which the book was written and what themes PKD may have been writing about.

Rating: 2.5/5
Rounded down to 2 stars

Summary: On his 5-year anniversary, Nick realizes that his wife is missing and is thrown into a strange plot that seems to implicate him. It is revealed that his wife, Amy, discovered Nick's dalliance with a younger woman and plots a maniacal plan to run away and ruin Nick's life forever

I quite enjoyed part one, where the mystery of where the wife was kept the plot tense and interesting. Once part two started, I did not care anymore about things. I didn't care enough and I really did not like the characters. I really disliked the ending as well. I don't quite get the hype of this book. I felt like the book should have been shorter, but it just kept going and going.

This book is so boring. I do not understand the hype (although, admittedly I don't always love romance books).

Bella is a literal blank slate. She has both everything and nothing unique about her. Her “friends”? Largely annoying to her. She doesn't actually say anything to them or have good moments. Her homework? Easy, because she obviously has read every book already on the reading list. Forks, Washington? The worst place ever and she won't let you forget it. Her parents? Bland. Doesn't really care about them. She has no personality, no actual strengths. She is the ultimate blank slate for readers (primarily women) to insert themselves because she is just so blank. This makes reading the book incredibly boring to me. She just sits around, essentially waiting for Edward to show up.
There is actually no plot to this book other than when Edward shows up. I think that is a problem, personally.

Edward is just perfect. But also, constantly reminds her of how much he can't be with her. Like cool, that's fine at the beginning. Once you are with her though and you say that you are “done trying to stay away,” truly be done. Stop repeating the same lines every 5 minutes. Additionally, he has no personality other than being a hot vampire.

Just no. No. Not for me. 2 stars, because I was able to at least get through it.

Although the movie that was based on this book takes the story in a different direction in some parts, I still found this book to be enjoyable. The pacing was a bit off in the chapters that focused on the author in the present. Regardless, I found this book to be a page turner and one that I wanted to keep reading.

It is rated 3 stars because of those pacing problems and now that I have read the story, it doesn't seem like one that would be a good book to reread.

Read for my 2017 Book Bingo square, “A collection of essays.”

Sedaris delivers a delightful, humorous collection of short essays that follow his years of life. The writing style, which, unfortunately, includes quite a bit of cuss words, is humorous, light and yet, meaningful and satisfying.
This was my first collection of essays and, while I enjoyed it, I wanted more. I didn't want the stories to end or I wanted to know more about a certain situation. I enjoyed the author's thoughts concerning certain life events, but I wanted more.

While yes, this book is just the typical story of a teenager, who is thrust into a strange new world with new powers/talents and discovers others are after him because he is the chosen one... just like dozens of other books and stories. However, this world building is very interesting and I love the guilds and the magic system. Cinda Williams Chima writes a great story and uses beautiful language.
I enjoyed this book as a teenager and still continue to enjoy it. I will be reading the rest of the series.

Quotes:
“Just remember who are you are... The world will try to change you into someone else. Don't let them. That's the best advise anyone can give you.”

“They fought for glory, but not for blood. They were Weirlind, heirs of the warrior's stone. And they always slept better with blades beneath their beds.”

Rating: 3.5/5
Rounded down to 3 stars.

Great content, a few great quotes having to do with living in the gendered world, and the debunking of the age-old myth of male and female brains. However, I struggled with reading this one and I don't really know why. The complex intertwined nature of nature vs. nurture is interesting to me and I agree with Rippon that we can't know how these two concepts make up a person and to assume something is just one of these may not be representative of the whole truth.

An interesting look into early American stories. This book is true male escapism. Overall an interesting look into the historical attitudes at the time, however, I am bored with the shallow character of Tarzan. Maybe I'll try reading this again, but I doubt it. It was fine to read when I was actively reading, but I struggled to want to pick up the book and start after each time I put it down.

Newport makes some great points in this text. I'm always wary of books like this as there are studies that show that social media can be helpful in certain contexts. I really appreciated that Newport acknowledged those studies and those references, while also adding that it is important to consider how and why we are using modern technologies.

I do not believe that technologies are bad, however, as Newport points out, it's all about the deliberate and intentional act of using them that is important. Too much of a good thing is still bad. Great work by Newport and I have added a few things in my own life from this book.

- Spend time alone to gain solitude
- Leave your phone at home
- Take long walks
- Write letters to yourself
- seek leisure activities with real world, structured social interactions

Essentially, make technology work for us to facilitate a more balanced, fuller life instead of the other way around.

Very well written, very factual and straightforward. Doesn't shy away from the horrific acts that these young men had to do to stay alive. I liked the book, but don't feel the need to read it again. I couldn't even imagine having to eat my friend and see them just as meat, but I really like the way that some of them took it: “If it were me, I would want you to use my body to survive.” I would feel that exact same way.

It's interesting how individuals form organization and order from chaos. I wonder if its human nature or if its really really difficult for us, who have been raised that order and therefore jobs and rewards and such are part of our society, to get away from the constructs since we know no other way and it makes us feel safe and that everything is predictable.

Almost all of this book is anecdotal, which is totally fine. It's not my style and I found I had a hard time fully understanding the actionable items hinted at in the text.

I did enjoy some of the points, especially rapid feedback. I think feedback is incredibly important and too often we are afraid of being hurt to ask for it.

Not a great book for me.

This book discusses, as the title says, gods. In a world where there are small gods and large gods, and even microscopic gods, the book uses wit and humor to deliver an interesting tale around the Great God Om, who has taken the form of a tortoise. Pratchett makes an interesting observation on gods and religion–why do humans need gods? Why do they believe in them? Why do gods, assuming they exist, need humans?

To me, this book asks questions, but doesn't necessarily push an anti-religion or even a pro-religion stance. The book is just making observations–Do people actually believe or do they go through the motions? Will people actually follow a god just based on a book and is that enough? Do religion books/prophets say things that are from God or do they use their position and power to push their own agenda?

I can see the connections between the Church of Om with the Catholic church, however, I really think it is meant to connect to any religion, especially any high-demand or old religion. I know I found many connections to the religion of my youth.

This book was great, but the story itself was a bit boring to me and things jumped around without really explaning things, which sometimes made it difficult to follow, but otherwise, fun, witty, and an interesting premise and look at religion and belief.


Quotes:
Belief, he says. Belief shifts. People start believing in the god and end up believing in the structure.

Fear is strange soil. Mainly it grows obedience like corn, which grows in rows and makes weeding easy. But sometimes it grows the potatoes of defiance, which flourish underground.

May as well tell you,' muttered Om. ‘It's not as though we're going to survive... See, every god's a Great God to someone.'

What lolling around all day while slaved do the real work? Take it from me, whenever you see a bunch of buggers puttering around talking about truth and beauty and the best way of attacking Ethics, you can bet your sandals it's because dozens of other poor buggers are doing all the real work around the place while those fellows are living like—' ‘—gods?' asked Brutha.

“Just because you can explain it doesn't mean it's not still a miracle.”

“Gods don't like people not doing much work. People who aren't busy all the time might start to think.”

Le Guin's books really come alive when her characters, chiefly Ged, speak openly about different topics and share nuggets of wisdom. The dialogue is wonderfully done in these moments.

I struggled with this book more than the other two. While I enjoyed the two characters, I just found the majority of the journey and story quite boring. I loved the interaction between the wise wizard and the prince, however, things just felt flat in other instances and was just boring to me. I'd be okay with rereading it to see if it is just my current circumstances that caused me to not enjoy this one as much.

Quotes

“No darkness lasts forever. And even there, there are stars.”

“You will die. You will not live forever. Nor will any man nor any thing. Nothing is immortal. But only to us is it given to know that we must die. And that is a great gift: the gift of selfhood. For we have only what we know we must lose, what we are willing to lose... That selfhood which is our torment, and our treasure, and our humanity, does not endure. It changes; it is gone, a wave on the sea. Would you have the sea grow still and the tides cease, to save one wave, to save yourself?”

“But when we crave power over life—endless wealth, unassailable safety, immortality—then desire becomes greed. And if knowledge allies itself to that greed, then comes evil. Then the balance of the world is swayed, and ruin weighs heavy in the scale.”

“Having intelligence, we must not act in ignorance. Having choice, we must not act without responsibility.”

I actually enjoyed this book better than the first Earthsea book. While it started slowly, the story was tighter and more interesting to me. I enjoyed the messages of freedom, identity, and power in this story. Because the story was much tighter, it was more interesting to me and I was able to stay focused more than I was with A Wizard of Earthsea.

According to Wikipedia, Le Guin said this book was about

Quotes

“Freedom is a heavy load, a great and strange burden for the spirit to undertake. It is not easy. It is not a gift given, but a choice made, and the choice may be a hard one. The road goes upward towards the light; but the laden traveler may never reach the end of it.”

“The Earth is beautiful, and bright, and kindly, but that is not all. The Earth is also terrible, and dark, and cruel. The rabbit shrieks dying in the green meadows. The mountains clench their great hands full of hidden fire. There are sharks in the sea, and there is cruelty in men's eyes.”