Currently reading
Foundation and Empire
Animal Wise: The Thoughts and Emotions of Our Fellow Creatures
The Anthology Project: Volume 1
I think I liked volume 2 (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11233757-the-anthology-project), which I read first, much better. This one was very surreal and very bleak.
A Hole at the Bottom of the Sea: The Race to Kill the BP Oil Gusher
This was a gripping book. It brought back very vivid memories of that summer, and accurately captured the feeling that pervaded the atmosphere - the desperation, the despair, the sickening nausea at the pit of my stomach. Even though I didn't live there, I drove down to the coast myself, to witness a little of what was actually happening - the deserted beaches at the height of summer, the dead fish and globs of oil washing up, the sensation of entering a ghost town of sorts (or several ghost towns, in my case). I have family and friends there that were directly impacted, and even for those that didn't/don't, this story still affects us all.Even with all of the painful parts, this book had the effect of retroactively soothing my soul, in part. There were so many things that were covered that I never had the least notion were occurring as they happened. Numerous scenarios were workshopped; some were attempted, some not. From a political point of view, I can understand them ("them" being the government and BP) not sharing their every plan with the public. However, it definitely made it harder for their image among the public in many ways; because we weren't aware of their plans, it felt like nothing was happening. At the time, I felt like probably someone had to be working on something; the lack of details, however, filled me with doubt and immense frustration. There were many people working around the clock on this issue, and this book goes into detail on them and what they did.
My only real complaint with the book was the sometimes highly technical parts that were sort of skimmed over. I wished that he had gone into more detail at times. He would mention things - machinery, parts, processes - and then move on, without providing a clearer picture for the more uneducated (in drilling) mind. Maybe I just have weak spatial thinking skills, but I had a difficult time visualizing some of the things that he talked about - the machinery, the size of things, the rig itself, certain procedures they used, and so on. I wished that some images could have been included in the book, illustrating the concepts that he discussed. I did a lot of Google-imaging, which helped.
All in all, a highly informative and engrossing read.
I will disclose that I've never been a very avid reader of plays; even when they are fantastic, I have a more difficult time getting into them and sometimes appreciating them. It helps if I see or have seen them performed. Additionally, this book was so unique that it was very hard for me to get a grasp on it. The subject matter, and the way it is presented were not conducive to an immersive reading experience for me personally. Schlitz has somewhat of a theater background from what I've read, so this book is probably a good resource for any wanting to act or read out the little vignettes. It might be a difficult sell for children's independent reading, however. This book has value, I acknowledge; I just don't know how much I myself enjoyed reading it, or who I would possibly recommend it to.
I will say that I have enjoyed everything else that I have read by Laura Amy Schlitz immensely, and this is in no way a reflection on my opinion of her as a writer in total.
The good parts: this book paints with vivid imagery a unique and memorable alternate history; Priest's vision of an alternate Seattle stayed with me. I liked that it was steampunk set in America; most others do tend to be European. The characters were somewhat complex; their very irrationalities were what made them believable humans for me (I don't know about you, but I have witnessed humans making some remarkably crazy and destructive decisions, contrary to common sense and available knowledge). And though it took awhile to take off, the suspense was pretty intense at times. The bad parts: the writing was very choppy and uneven; this made it extremely difficult to get through the book. The very exercise of reading was arduous, and it put me off, causing me to take a long time to finish. Some parts of the book I was able to flow through, but others it was like I'd hit a wall. The plot takes a long time to get started, or so it seems. I felt like the editing could have been stronger. Again, what I take away from the book is a striking sense of setting - the hazy streets, the rotters just around the corner, and a world darkened by chaotic forces. I just wish the plot and characterizations had been as deeply affecting.
***Upon further reflection, I think I'm going to go with a solid 3 stars.
This is perhaps the best young readers' books on evolution I have ever read. It is incredibly clear and concise, very easy to follow, and manages to convey a wide array of complex ideas in a very easy-to-understand format. The pictures are gorgeous, and the overall setup of the book is quite intuitive, while refraining from being too overwhelming or going into unnecessary details. I marveled again and again at the absolute clarity of this book; I can't make enough positive comments about this book, and I would recommend it as an introduction or a refresher for adult or child.
I am having a difficult time doing an overall rating for this book. I really enjoyed the first part of this book, on vampire bats - that gets 5 stars. Having worked with them in the past, I found his observations to be spot-on, and I discovered many more fascinating insights on them as well. Schutt provided anecdotes from his personal career and experience, which I liked. The second part on the specific biology of blood was also very interesting. I was especially intrigued with the historical context and the story of George Washington's last days, which I had not encountered in such medical detail before.
The final part of the book was least diverting for me, but perhaps that is because I am not a huge fan of ticks, mites, and chiggers. While I understand that they are a part of the ecological web of life, I still didn't really care so much for reading about them. Additionally, bedbugs took over a large part of this section of the book, and they have been done to death by the media. Overall, however, I enjoyed the premise of the book. I would love to see him do an entire book on his bat experiences; until then, I plan to look up his scholarly publications, just to learn more about his experiments and conclusions.
Okay, I realize this book was published in 1991, but I have to point out a HUGE mistake. The bats drawn supposedly coming for the nectar of the saguaro flowers are free-tailed bats, which are insectivorous. Nectar-eating bats have a quite different appearance. Seems like it would have been pretty easy to find out.
Hovering between 4 and 5 stars on this one. I watched the documentary Blackfish around the same time I read this, so each sort of reinforced the other, making my overall intake of information more complete (but perhaps hazily combining both in my mind so that I can't tell where one started and the other stopped, or which one I actually got my information from). I would recommend both together; it provides a fuller picture, to actually see some of the footage Kirby discusses and interviews with people followed throughout the book. The book was gripping, the evidence compelling. I will let everyone draw their own conclusions, but I think anyone with the least concern or affection for whales should read this book.
I loved the Japanese gods and monsters. Many of the illustrations were superb. Some were a little confusing. The plot became a little nonsensical at times, and dragged in a few places. I wished there was more explanation/exploration of the tanuki. But I liked the characters and the book overall.
Did I finish this? Honestly, no. And I don't think I ever will. I got more than halfway done, which I think was an accomplishment, considering the writing. I understand that this is important in the sci-fi canon, and that it was a precursor to many other sci-fi developments. But it is basically pulp fiction, and being that I had no nostalgic connections to it having read it the first time this year, I got nothing out of it. The hysterical woman, the "manly" men, the constant psychedelic action - it was simply too much for this reader. Because of its place as a classic on many sci-fi lists and its significance as an early sci-fi read and the first space opera, it gets an extra star and winds up with 2 instead of 1. Will I be recommending it to anyone? No, not ever, I'm afraid.
Another Newbery medal book finished. I am not sure I could have managed to get to the end otherwise, if it wasn't on a specific list that I was trying to complete. Not the most scintillating read.
This book was weird. The characters are baked goods and vegetables - Eggplant, Cupcake, Avocado, etc. Yet, they are eating baked goods and vegetables! Cupcake makes cupcakes - does this seem cannibalistic to anyone besides me?! It wasn't very cohesive, either; there was no resolution. Events occurred, and then the book ended, seemingly in the middle of the story. A number of reviewers said that this book was "hilarious". I did not laugh once, not even a little. In fact, I felt that the entire book was terribly sad and melancholy, leaving me with a hollow feeling in the pit of my stomach.
This is a very sweet book, and a beautifully written one. Lovely illustrations. I liked that it was more of a nontraditional fairy book; Flory makes mistakes and has flaws, and the animals are portrayed with realistic traits as well. I greatly enjoyed this short little book.
Almost equal parts good and bad. The bad: some really cheesy, awful writing (lots of bad similes and metaphors, ugh) at times. I would be sailing along through the story, and then the writing itself would jar me out of it. The romance part (if you can call it that) was also a little irritating because it was so random and a little cliched/ridiculous. The first ~30 pages were difficult for me to get through; I felt the beginning could have used some smoothing.BUT. The good parts: once you get into the story, things really start cracking. Trent built an amazing alternate world. The little details and surprises pulled me in and kept me coming back for more. I did like the strong female lead attempt (although there was a bit of angst-y wallowing). I really liked Syrus as the secondary protagonist. Some of the magical elements leaned heavily on the influences the author mentioned at the end of the book (one scene is all but lifted straight from The Last Unicorn), but some of them were really original and refreshing. Even with the novel's shortcomings, I was still engrossed and managed to get through it fairly quickly. It was such a different and peculiar experience, and for me, that can make up for a lot of shortcomings. Overall, an enjoyment. Not sure who I could confidently recommend this book to, however; definitely a unique read.