Elizabeth Tai
I'm really gobsmacked by how good this memoir is. You keep turning the pages because you're wondering what Susannah is suffering from, and how can you not when the suffering is so painful, so deep, so personal? Which is why, if possible, you should not to spoil yourself about WHAT the illness is. I went into the book believing that it's some other ailment, and was astounded to find out what it is. It goes to show how rare this disease is, and how much the world needs to know it exists.
The book is very well written; its structure is like a mystery novel, with the tension rising as Susannah gets worse.
One thing that stands out for me is the author's experience with doctors. It was a frustrating experience for her as so many refused to acknowledge that she was really ill, declaring her “fine” numerous times. It was not until she had a violent seizure in a hospital that they took her seriously (or her parents, as she was pretty out of it by then). Even then the frustration is not over as so many seemed determined to chase their own theories or refused to give up their prejudices to “think out of the box”.
I had an experience just like that, though my illness is by no means as grave as Susannah's. I do wonder why some doctors think they are 100% right, and how some refused to entertain alternative treatments....
4.5 stars for the art, which was simply spectacular. 2.5 stars for the story cos I have no freaking clue what was going on.
Reason for DNF-ing: The heroine annoyed the frak out of me. And, I'm kinda over pirates + virgin tropes ;)
Readers of weight loss books are an impatient lot - if they don't get a solution to their weight problems, they will be unhappy. Very unhappy, it would seem, judging from the one to two star reviews. This book is a memoir, not a how to book. Still, it was natural to have the question “How did he lose the weight?” answered, and the author doesn't do that very well. He doesn't give detailed food plans, his workout routine etc. When he reached a plateau for one, he rambled on and gave anecdotes on his wife's strict upbringing, his friend's jobless season, which were tenuous examples to the point he was trying to make. He does that a lot, and it does get annoying after a while. Still, he excels in telling us the emotional, social and relational impact being overweight has on a person, though his six month sojourn can be akin to a rich man living in Africa for six months in a hut and saying he knows how is it like to be poor now. Good attempt though.
Fat loss, however, is a very complicated thing to do. Its a complex biochemisty process and he fails to explain that properly.
Finally, after a string of blah reads, I score something truly amazing. I have always loved books about sustainable living, minimalism, and this book combines both of my loves. Montgomery tells us that happiness is not an accidental thing - sometimes it can be caused by design. Urban living has torn apart village living, tossing people into isolated McMansions, taking away their freedom of mobility without dependence on fossil fuels and thus causing a ripple effect of unhappiness throughout society. But as inspiring as this book is, it's also frustrating because - there are so many things that the powers that be are doing wrong! If only Montgomery was in charge of urban planning. Ha!
But the good thing is the author doesn't leave us stewing in frustration, wishing that we lived in Vancouver or Amsterdam.
He acknowledges that a lot of work has to be done before the urban sprawl can be repaired and village life be restored, but there are still ways to bend the city to your needs, or to change your life to get that village life you've always craved.
That's why I identify most with Conrad Schmidt, a man Montgomery interviewed, who changed his life bit by bit by instinct. Like him, I felt strangely unhappy in the urban sprawl that was the Adelaide suburb of Colonel Light Gardens. After visiting New York City in the 90s, I've always dreamed of living in the heart of a city; it doesn't matter what city, I just wanted to live where the action was, and where everything is within walking distance.
When I returned to Malaysia, by happy chance I got the opportunity to live in the heart of a small satellite city, something I've been dreaming about for a while. My apartment is a few blocks away from malls, a light rail transit station, a park, a great gym, a community book exchange and wonderful cafes. I made friends with the cafe owners, I walked daily to get my groceries and took trains to the city - I only drove my car to work, and even then my work enabled me to escape the insane KL traffic as I worked odd hours, so work is only a quick 15-2ominutes drive away.
I've also downsized, got rid of much of my possessions, lived in a much tinier space. All this has a ripple effect in my life. I'm exercising more, spending less, and more content with my neighbourhood. I've never been happier in my life. And now I understood why!
Instinctively, like Conrad, I've re-engineered my life to make myself happier.
This book also made me realise that maybe Malaysia is heading the right direction - at least in Selangor. The popularity of mixed developments, where residential places are above commercial areas, and light rail transits which snake through these neighborhoods makes me glad. Perhaps one day, one of our cities will be one of the most livable in the world too.
4.5 stars. It takes great skill to write a good novella. Many novellas seem rushed and had a threadbare plot. Not this one. I really love both the hero and heroine, and to be honest, I would've loved to read a full-fledged novel of their story.
Why do so many rreaders hide the fact that they read romance novels? Why do people roll their eyes when they talk about the genre? Have you ever thought to question the assumptions and presumptions about the romance genre? I, too, had the same prejudice against the genre, though mine was akin to a betrayal. After spending my teenhood reading romance, I decided I was too “with it” and mature to read romance novels anymore. So I ditched it and joined the eye rolling masses. It's only in my late thirties that I rediscovered the joy of romance novels - how they lift my spirits, how they make me laugh and smile ... so many books have the opposite effect on me. During my twenties and thirties, I had a non-fiction phase where all I read were books on sustainable development, environment, nutrition and politics. Those books, while informative, often left me in a funk because they offered no solutions to our present dire circumstances. Fantasy books were great, but often left me sad by the evil I read inside. Literary books were nourishing but also frustrating ... well, the long story short, romance novels cheer me up like no genre can.
Rodale lists down every prejudice and discusses them thoroughly. Sadly, it would seem this prejudice has very deep roots, and it's roots that are buried in society's regard (or lack of) for women's freedoms, roles, intelligence and acceptance. That discrimination has bled into the genre that is “written for women and by women”. That is why I often feel angry when people snub the genre, because it feels like a snub against my desire to be a woman accepted on her own terms.
A must read!
Probably more suited to artists/writers who are at the start of taking their creative lives more seriously, this book nevertheless contains good advice on how to “steal like an artist” ie, how to have the right mindset to create art without ending up an impoverished, half-crazed artist locked in a cockroach-infested attic room. Okay, I jest, but it's close enough.
Perhaps it's because I have not read a single Spindle Cove novel, but the book felt rushed and the plot implausible.
3.5 stars. It wasn't bad, but I was rather bored at the last half of the novel. I felt that I wanted to know more about the Survivors Club and especially about Hugo's breakdown, but was only given scant details.
3.5 stars. Took me a while to realise that the hero is the brother to the heroine of the Beauty Tempts the Beast heroine. Frankly I wasn't terribly swept up by the couple's love story. It felt like something I've read a 100x times before. In fact, I was set to hate the heroine because she came off as a gold digger in the first few chapters. But once I knew why she had to snag a duke, I was a wee more sympathetic to her. Still, the plot was very common, so to speak, and I was about to give up on page 90 when things picked up a few pages later. That's when the Beauty Tempts the Beast couple makes a brief experience, which perked my interest a wee bit. Now I'm really curious about the fate of Griff's brother, Marcus, who seems like a more interesting fellow ...
It's sad to say goodbye to a good series. And I'm especially sad to have to say goodbye to the characters whom I loved so much! I wish, for one, Berg would give the Scarlet Pimpernal-ish Chevalier an adventure of his own. I do love his character so much!
That said, I think The Daemon Prism is the weakest of the three books, not that I'm saying it's terrible. I felt a little let down by the last few chapters as they seemed rushed and we didn't get to experience the adventure - rather, we were told that it happened. “Show, don't tell!” as they say. Still, a lovely series, though I felt the ending was really rushed. I felt like I didn't have a clear idea what was going towards the end, or what this world tha Dante visited was really like. Also, the resolution of Portier's tale was again, rather rushed, and I wished we had a more clearer understanding what happened.
I can understand why this book seems preachy to some - Daniel Suelo's lifestyle is very confronting; it goes against what many modern folks think is the definition of success: A fat bank balance, property all over the place, and a fancy title at a corporate job. At times, his ideas and opinions about modern life seem too far out and airy-fairy for the average cubicle dweller who has bills to pay; his ideals are far too removed from modern-day realities for many to grasp.
Still, Suelo asks you to consider another idea of success: To live free of the pressures of conformity, the expectations of others and the desire to hoard things - be it money or fancy cars - to feel that you've made it.
Instead, he lives life with a deep respect for nature, daring to risk society's censure, disapproval and hatred so that he can life the life he wants. If anything, this book teaches us that we shouldn't be afraid of having no money as the Earth can provide you enough. It also teaches us that happiness is a matter of perspective, and there's another way to succeed in life besides accumulating money and stuff.
Inspiring.
The characters had great chemistry and I like that Angelique is no simpering miss. She's an experienced woman who knows what she wants. I'm also glad that the book did not spend too long ruminating on Lucien's daddy issues or sad past. Instead, the book is about about two people who had a difficult life coming to an understanding, then, falling in love.
Listened to the Audiobook. I have to say that after listening to Martin's story, I felt very sheepish indeed to be moaning about my life. What do I know about real suffering? Martin spent nearly all of his life, what was supposed to be the best years of his life, trapped in an unresponsive body. He was a “ghost” who was aware but unable to communicate with those around him. However, thanks to an attentive and caring caregiver, he was finally given a new lease on life. The years of being an unwilling silent witness had a toll on his confidence - seeing how he climbed out of the attitude of allowing people to run his life to becoming a full-fledged adult was inspiring. The final half of his book was about his romance with a woman. I found that half a little slow going (maybe I'm just unromantic lol), but engaging in a romantic relationship was Martin's ultimate leap to independence. A great read!
Couldn't really get into it. Heroine irritated me and there was no depth to the hero
I found the first two books of the Scandalous series only so-so but this one was scorching! Penelope hates Benedict because she thinks he's a selfish, arrogant and dishonourable man due to how he treated his ex-best friend (the hero of the last book). She also cannot forget how he courted her sister purely for her money. I thought to myself: Benedict is gonna be tough to redeem, but Caroline Linden did it well.
Benedict is a product of his upbringing - it made sense to marry for money in order to solidify the earldom. He can't stand Penelope's “romantic” ways and yet can't help be attracted to her fiery nature.
Well one thing leads to another as in the way of romance novels - they end up married. And boy is it scorching after that. This one's a keeper! A great novel through and through.
The banter between our couple is hilarious. I find it particularly amusing that Tristan is behaving like a little boy who is purposely mean to a girl because he likes her. Still, to be very honest I found the book a little boring - nothing exciting really happens between the sniping between Joan and Tristan. Their arguments do get tired after a while.
My word. If his name wasn't on the cover in big, bold letters, I wouldn't have known that Crichton co-wrote this. Not that I think he did, to be very honest. I believe that the idea may be his, but the writing is someone else's entirely. The characters are really unlikeable and one-dimensional to the point of being caricatures even if the premise is kinda intriguing. However, there's too much suspension of disbelief going on here - I have a hard time believing that the science is anywhere near realistic!
I wrote a more detailed review for a newspaper: http://www.thestar.com.my/story/?file=/2012/3/13/lifebookshelf/10688357&sec=lifebookshelf
3.5stars. I'm not a biochemist or nutritionist so I can't really verify if everything he said about wheat is true, but I know that wheat makes me feel crap. Almost always after eating wheat, I'd get such intense stomach pains ... yet I eat it anyway, helplessly addicted to it. Davis is great at explaining why this is so, and some of the things he tells you is downright scary. If he is to be believed, diseases like dementia, joint pains, fatigue, cancer and diabetes can be linked to wheat. But how can it be when people have been eating wheat for centuries? Well, the wheat that we're eating has been GMO'ed beyond its ancestral strain (ie dwarf wheat) and Davis does a good job explaining why that has been wrecking havoc with human systems. Also, it's true what he said about how eliminating weight will help you lose weight - a friend of mine eliminated wheat (and other “white” foods) and he shed like a tonne of weight and got rid of his diabetes. Worth a read.
PS: Planning to keep a copy of this book (I read a library copy) just to scare the bejesus out of myself when I'm tempted to head into a bakery and attack its fluffy contents.
What impressed me most about this seemingly typical regency romance novel was the heroine, who was not just strong but unpredictable. she is definitely not a simpering miss. The romance, however, was very typical and the mystery not very mysterious. a slightly above average romance 3.5 stars
Had a lot of trouble keeping up with the backstory, which is full of secret societies, evil villains with mysterious names and supernatural (I think) conflicts. Need simpler tales these days.
This is one CRAZY book, but in a good way! It has twins, identity swaps, murder, blackmail, intrigue and secret liasons. If you're more used to the Mary Balogh, quiet romance variety, this book will probably make your head explode. But I loved it because that's why I read romance novels - to be entertained!
I have a feeling Lynsay Sands was writing novel with tongue firmly in cheek. Everything that happened in this novel was so funny and over-the-top that the reader will probably have two reactions: A) Not take this too seriously and laugh, B) hurl the book across the room in disgust because they dared make light of death, betrayal and love.
Thank God I'm the latter.