Really well-written, if somewhat predictable. Still, I liked it enough that I wished it were longer, and I will definitely check out Cantrell's other Really well-written, if somewhat predictable. Still, I liked it enough that I wished it were longer, and I will definitely check out Cantrell's other stuff.
Merged review:
Really well-written, if somewhat predictable. Still, I liked it enough that I wished it were longer, and I will definitely check out Cantrell's other stuff....more
So, I've read this book several times before, and it was always one of my least favorites of the early Peabody books for some reason. But listening toSo, I've read this book several times before, and it was always one of my least favorites of the early Peabody books for some reason. But listening to it on audiobook sort of made it all fresh and new, and I enjoyed it a lot more than I remember ever enjoying my crumpled old paperback, even though some of the voices sort of annoyed me. I forgot how many recurring characters are introduced in this book--Cyrus Vandergelt, and Kevin O'Connell, and Ramses, and Karl Von Bork, and, of course, the cat Bastet. And I forgot about the Emersons' musings about Tutankhamen's tomb at the end of the book--ho ho! I finished the whole thing in two days and definitely plan on revisiting the rest in audiobook form as well. Yay!...more
I've read this book sooooo many times already, but when I saw the audio version on sale for $5.00, I just couldn't pass it up. Though it took me a litI've read this book sooooo many times already, but when I saw the audio version on sale for $5.00, I just couldn't pass it up. Though it took me a little while to get used to the narrator (she just sounded so much older than 34, which is Amelia's age when she writes her story down, describing events that took place in her 32nd year), but once I managed to distance myself from the voices for the characters that I've always heard in my head, I really enjoyed her delivery. It's a little bit of a different take, on Peabody and Emerson especially, than I'd imagined; it will be interesting to see if any of the audio version creeps into the in-my-head version the next time I read this in print! Anyway, in the end, I think the narrator did a great job, and I had just as much fun listening as I always have reading it. Bravo!...more
This book is gigantic (about 12 x 14"), and absolutely gorgeous! The photography is really, really excellent, and the large format almost feels necessThis book is gigantic (about 12 x 14"), and absolutely gorgeous! The photography is really, really excellent, and the large format almost feels necessary for showing the scale of some of the landscapes. The book also includes a timeline of photography in the Antarctic and short summaries of the expeditions that took photographers with them. It's huge and expensive, but is well worth the price if you're as obsessed with Antarctica as I am!
Really beautiful illustrations--those are kind of my favorite part of this book. The decorating tips themselves aren't terribly original, and a lot ofReally beautiful illustrations--those are kind of my favorite part of this book. The decorating tips themselves aren't terribly original, and a lot of them seem more geared towards rich people than I would like (I should iron my sheets? Really??? Who on earth has the time or energy for that?), and I can't say I loved the writing. But there are a lot of good, solid ideas, and really, the watercolor illustrations are just super pretty! It's certainly worth a peek, if you're looking for some basic home decorating inspiration....more
So, I stumbled across this when looking at the Goodreads ebooks page and figured, why not give it a try, since it seems to have so many good reviews? So, I stumbled across this when looking at the Goodreads ebooks page and figured, why not give it a try, since it seems to have so many good reviews? And at first, it was really pretty fun. I liked the dynamic of the James/Zane/Ralph trio, and the way a couple of the mysteries were set up early on. And the writing wasn't magical, but it wasn't bad either.
Only then I felt like things kind of started to fall apart for me a little. Certain things felt...off. There seemed to be very little regard for age in this story, which was definitely a big difference between this and Rowling's books, where, if I remember correctly, students only shared rooms and classes with other students in their own year. And bringing all the Americans into the story felt awkward, since there didn't seem to be any real reason for it, other than the author wanting it to be so. And the whole Ben Franklyn thing? Beh. I got the idea that was supposed to be funny and clever, but it just seemed obnoxious to me. And then also there's something about how you have to take classes and get certified to fly on a broom now, only, if that's the case, why the heck is Hogwarts letting first years try out for Quidditch before any of them have even had one lesson in school??? Things like that just didn't seem well thought out to me.
In addition, I felt like I couldn't recognize the original characters in Lippert's iterations of them--at least the ones who had grown up since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, like Harry and Neville. They just felt like entirely new characters to me, completely divorced from their young adulthood selves, and I found I had no attachment to them whatsoever.
Anyway, somewhere between the promising beginning and about a fourth of the way through, I realized that I was BORED.
I like the idea behind this, but I just don't like the execution of it enough to continue, though I can understand why a lot of folks are really enjoying it. It's certainly fun to be back in that world, but I think I'll just stick to rereading the Harry Potter books again instead....more
I enjoyed this for the most part--I didn't know a whole lot about Paul Dirac before I read (or rather, listened to) this biography, and I definitely fI enjoyed this for the most part--I didn't know a whole lot about Paul Dirac before I read (or rather, listened to) this biography, and I definitely feel I know a little more about him now. But only a little, despite the audiobook being almost 20 hours long. Somehow, for all that this is a book about Dirac, it seems that I got a much better feel for the peripheral characters in his story--his wife Manci, his BFF Pyotr Kapitza, his mother Flo--than I did for the man himself. I think that part of the problem for me might have been the narrator, who had a tendency toward over-enunciation and mispronunciation, and who read everything in...well, kind of a flat, emotionless way--which is, perhaps, somewhat fitting, but not very compelling. Anyway, in the end I felt far more interested in Kapitza than I did in Dirac. I think that Dirac was a really fascinating person, but I'm not sure that this biography of him quite conveyed that as well as it could have. I'm looking forward to reading Paul Dirac: The Man and his Work to see if that manages to flesh him out a bit more for me....more
I enjoyed this, I guess--at least, enough to read the whole thing. But it also...confused me. The first half is fairly straightforward Holmes stuff, oI enjoyed this, I guess--at least, enough to read the whole thing. But it also...confused me. The first half is fairly straightforward Holmes stuff, only with a character from Rudyard Kipling's Kim taking the place of Watson. But then a little past the halfway mark it becomes more like an adventure novel with mystical elements than a mystery, and Holmes just...doesn't seem much like Holmes anymore. I might have liked this more if I had read Kim, or at least had some familiarity with it. And I might have liked it more if I had known a little better what to expect, since the first half of the book ended up feeling somewhat misleading. I'm not sure. As it is, I give it 2.5 stars--I certainly found it interesting, but in the end I can't say I actually liked it. I'd be willing to give it another try one day though, once I've read Kim (though I've really no idea if that would make any difference or not)....more
Really compelling, well-told story of a sixteen year-old boy who goes to the Canadian Arctic and spends five years working and living with the Inuit. Really compelling, well-told story of a sixteen year-old boy who goes to the Canadian Arctic and spends five years working and living with the Inuit. It's sad and funny and fascinating, and the only complaint I have is that I would have liked to hear about what happened when Maurice left his friends and was no longer employed by Hudson's Bay Company. Did he have trouble readjusting to life away from the Inuit people and the Arctic? What was it like reuniting with his family in New Zealand? I also wondered if there were things he left out of his story, mainly concerning his relationship with Innuk and Rebecca. In any case though, this is terrific, and definitely well worth a read....more
I know, I know, how many copies of this book do I really need? Well, now that I have this edition, my collection just might be complete. The only thinI know, I know, how many copies of this book do I really need? Well, now that I have this edition, my collection just might be complete. The only thing at all I found lacking in the regular paperback version was the lack of photographs, but ba-cha! Here they are! I'm really not convinced that a better version of Shackelton's story exists--although you should still read lots of other ones too, because really, who gets tired of this story? Not me, that's for sure!...more
I love the Pimsleur method of language learning. I've seen folks complain that they are too repetitive, but that's what makes stuff stick, and I appreI love the Pimsleur method of language learning. I've seen folks complain that they are too repetitive, but that's what makes stuff stick, and I appreciate the fact that I can listed to the CDs all the way through and not have to constantly replay the exact same section of dialogue over and over and over again like many other language programs expect you to do. They also teach really practical and versatile basic conversation skills.
My only problem with this Japanese language program in particular is that they teach you to speak in a pretty informal way, which, from what I understand, should only be used with close friends and family and not with just any stranger you might meet on the street, and therefore some phrases seem to have limited application; I will definitely check with my Japanese teacher before I start throwing some of this stuff around.
Still, it's certainly been a huge help in getting the basics down better. I don't have much opportunity to speak Japanese out loud, other than in class, so just hearing it and speaking along with it in the car leads to much improvement in pronunciation and flow. I'll definitely keep going with these.
P.S. My Japanese teacher says that though some of this stuff is a little informal it is still perfectly acceptable to use with strangers and is in no way impolite, so I hereby withdraw my complaint! ...more
I thought this one was pretty good, other than the fact that at the beginning they keep telling you to pause the CD in order to respond--that's kind oI thought this one was pretty good, other than the fact that at the beginning they keep telling you to pause the CD in order to respond--that's kind of distracting and impractical to do while driving. But it's easy enough to repeat the lessons over and over until you've got things down. My only other complaint is that every now and then the speakers are hard to distinguish, so the conversations can get a little confusing at times. But I feel like this teaches you a fairly large number of very practical words and sentences very quickly, and Helen Gilhooly's voice and accent made me feel like I was being privately tutored by Dr. Helen Magnus of Sanctuary--ha (yes, I'm a dork)!...more
I didn't enjoy this issue as much as I did the first one, though I loved Adam Leith Gollner's apricot article and found the Mitchell Davis write up onI didn't enjoy this issue as much as I did the first one, though I loved Adam Leith Gollner's apricot article and found the Mitchell Davis write up on traditional Japanese knives really interesting. I also found what little there was on kimchi and ike jime intriguing, but was less interested in the how-tos and recipes than I would have been in the history and science behind them. But that's just me. There wasn't really anything else in this issue that got my attention though. I guess I'm not entirely sure what these guys are going for here. There's some really great food writing, and then there's some that's decidedly lackluster. And I feel like there's a lot of filler stuff (sorry, Anthony Bourdain) that comes across more as a private joke than anything else. Maybe they're still trying to figure out what it is they're going for as well, I don't know. I'm definitely still looking forward to seeing how the next issue takes shape though....more
So, this was a 2.5-er really--a little more than just ok, but I can't say I liked it enough to read the next book in the series or to bump my rating uSo, this was a 2.5-er really--a little more than just ok, but I can't say I liked it enough to read the next book in the series or to bump my rating up to a 3. Though I did eventually get a little bit sucked in, I had a lot of problems with it.
My main issue was the translation, which felt really clumsy to me. I can't read Danish (though perhaps one day?), so I have no way of knowing how this edition compares to the book in its original language, but I felt that in Hartford's translation a lot came out sounding clunky and awkward. Assad's dialogue especially made me nuts. I get that he's speaking somewhat broken Danish, which has then been translated into somewhat broken English, but something felt really off there, and frequently his speech patterns seemed really inconsistent.
But this translation stuff doesn't seem to be bothering most folks, so maybe I'm just being too nitpicky about it.
I had other issues though, and this one has been mentioned by other reviewers. Things are just so...over the top here! From the situation with Mørck's homelife, to Assad, to the accident that caused Merete's brother's issues, to...well, the whole rest of the book, actually. I just couldn't buy into any of it--it all felt way too far-fetched for me.
Also, Carl Mørck is kind of a ass. I didn't mind his crotchety ways all that much, but all his crotchety ways kind of grossed me out. I felt sorry for every woman that had to work with him. Ew.
Though I did enjoy his relationship with his now paralyzed former partner and I was interested enough to want to find out what would happen with Merete in the end, ultimately this just didn't do it for me. It may just not be my genre (I couldn't even finishThe Girl With the Dragon Tattoo), or it may be that the translation was entirely to blame. I don't know.
In any case, I think I'm done with Carl Mørck. Sorry......more
Man, oh man, do I love this kid! On one level it's a really sad story, though it's certainly not without hope. But I actually felt more inspired than Man, oh man, do I love this kid! On one level it's a really sad story, though it's certainly not without hope. But I actually felt more inspired than anything else at the end of this book, by Zinkoff's innocent, generous heart, his endless curiosity and love of learning, and his joyful exuberance. I think we could all take a page out of his book, yeah? Yahoo! Another A for Zinkoff!...more
This is more like a behind-the-scenes look...er, listen, in my case...to the many documentaries that David Attenborough has made over the years than iThis is more like a behind-the-scenes look...er, listen, in my case...to the many documentaries that David Attenborough has made over the years than it is a true autobiography, as he doesn't really talk much at all about his personal life. It's more like a great travel book. So if you're looking for juicy details, you'll be disappointed. If, however, like me, you just love Attenborough's documentaries and his obvious and absolute delight with the natural world, you'll probably enjoy this just as much as I did. It made me want to go back and rewatch everything he's ever done. ...more
Man, it's been a bad book spell--I think this is the third book I've abandoned in the last week and a half or so. I used to feel really bad about thatMan, it's been a bad book spell--I think this is the third book I've abandoned in the last week and a half or so. I used to feel really bad about that, but now I just feel annoyed that the books I've abandoned weren't entertaining enough to hold my interest. Heh...
Anyway...I think maybe I just don't get this one. I'm about halfway through, and the entire book so far has been the main character thinking about his two "friends" (really none of them seem to actually have liked each other, or anyone else, or anything else) and things they said and did at various points, while he waits for an innkeeper to show up. I think at one point he thought about looking in a window, but the window was dirty like everything else in Austria, so he stopped looking in the window and just went back to waiting and thinking.
It's very, very repetitious, the sentences are really awkward, the entire book is pretty much one seemingly endless paragraph, and the main character and his dead buddy Wertheimer seem like the two grumpiest fellows in the history of ever. And also kind of crazy. So far the only thing I've been able to come up with as far as where Bernhard might be going with all this is that genius is just actually doing something other than quitting and then bitching and moaning for the rest of your life that someone was better than you and so you had to go destroy yourself. Or something. I don't know.
Ah, well. I tried! But clearly I am not a genius when it comes to reading this book......more
Oh, boy. So...there's a lot of interesting stuff in the first half of this book--I especially enjoyed the chapter on language--but I also had some serOh, boy. So...there's a lot of interesting stuff in the first half of this book--I especially enjoyed the chapter on language--but I also had some serious reservations. I felt like Wade said, "must have" and "doubtless" with reference to prehistoric society without backing those statements up in any convincing way a few times too often, and I found the writing really sloppy; for instance, when talking about dogs, he says that people didn't domesticate wolves, wolves domesticated themselves. Then about two sentences later he says something like, "besides the invention of the dog, these people did so-and-so." Whaaat? First of all, you said wolves (dogs) domesticated themselves. And secondly, invention is a very different thing than domestication. Also, as other folks have mentioned in their negative reviews, there are a few too many things that sounded, well...racist. Whether he meant them to or not, that's how they came across to me.
Anyway, there was still some pretty facinating information squeezed in between the awkward bits, so I kept on going. Only then I hit the second half of the book and he just...totally lost me. He started making all sorts of assertions that seemed...absolutely nonsensical to me regarding trust and religion and male/female relationships--again, without giving any real evidence to back those statements up--and it just got more and more absurd from there.
Really, really great Japenese-English furigana dictionary--it's very easy to read and to look things up; sometimes I just flip through it to learn newReally, really great Japenese-English furigana dictionary--it's very easy to read and to look things up; sometimes I just flip through it to learn new words for fun, as there are example sentences for each word to show you how it's used. There are also a bunch of helpful appendices in the back--notes on conjugation, numbers and number counters, city and country names, etc. I'll be getting a whole lot of use out of this book once I actually start attempting to read in Japanese....more
Well, I made it halfway through this, but I think I'm done. I like the idea of two girls making their way in New York in 1929, and I don't feel like tWell, I made it halfway through this, but I think I'm done. I like the idea of two girls making their way in New York in 1929, and I don't feel like the writing is technically awful or anything, but I do have several other issues with it.
First of all, Cordelia! What she does at the very, very beginning of the book seems so absolutely horrible to me that I hated her guts right off the bat. I immediately decided that she was a terrible, selfish, completely immature person and I had no sympathy for or any further interest in her. Letty was a little better, but kind of a whiner. They might both do some growing up over the second half of the book, but at the mid-point I just don't really care enough about what happens to either of them to find out.
Then there's the plot. Most of what has happened so far just seems unoriginal and unbelievable. There's no real conflict so far. Both girls pretty much get what they want right away. There's just nothing going in this story to hook me. At all. Lots of folks will probably really enjoy this one though--the setting alone is probably worth the read for some with more tolerence and patience than I seem to have. I'm out though....more
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