Interesting characters, but not a lot of substance. The story doesn’t go anywhere. The ambiguity is present to such an extent that it ceases 2.5 stars
Interesting characters, but not a lot of substance. The story doesn’t go anywhere. The ambiguity is present to such an extent that it ceases being interesting and simply settles for being vague. There’s also quite a bit of weird stuff that seems thrown in just for the sake of weirdness, and it didn’t seem to fit well in the story. This tale felt a little pretentious to me, like it was trying too hard to be impressive. I didn’t know anything about this story when I borrowed it from the library, but I learned after I read it that its main character is featured in a full-length novel. Perhaps it isn’t fair to judge the story by itself; it may make more sense in context of the larger novel. However, my thinking is that if it’s published by itself, it ought to be solid enough to make sense on its own. This tale sets up some interesting characters, and I enjoyed that, but they don’t do much, and it ends abruptly. I had expected more from Ms. Picoult. ...more
This book contains all five graded German readers from Peter Hagboldt’s Elementary German Series. The volumThis book was amazing. Five big gold stars!
This book contains all five graded German readers from Peter Hagboldt’s Elementary German Series. The volume is a convenient size, and the glossary at the end is easy to access. This series is intended to supplement classroom study of the language. Its organization is incredibly scientific, with vocabulary words selected carefully and introduced at a steady pace in the readings. Hagboldt crafted this book (this series of five readers) specifically to avoid bombarding students with too much at one time. This is meant to be pleasurable, and it is. It is meant to introduce words in context, and it does.
It is not a grammar book. It does not teach German sentence construction or verb conjugation. It assumes that its readers will be studying these things as well, and that they’ll have a teacher to whom they can direct their questions. That was not the case for me, and even so, I was able to read and enjoy this book immensely. I was a little bit taken aback in Reader 3, when things switched to past tense, but I was able to catch on and enjoy the ride.
This volume has an introduction that explains its purpose, and each reader opens with a note to the student and a note to the instructor. Going in, students will know how many vocabulary words and how many idioms will be introduced in each section. Best of all, the words that are introduced are repeated, so that there is little need for intense, specific study; they’ll recur and be remembered naturally.
Each section ends with a review, and that leads me to my only complaint about this volume: there are no answers given for the review questions. If I’m trying to test my comprehension of a story, I’d like to be able to check my answers. Because of this lack, I was hesitant to use the review sections at all, since I’d have no way of knowing whether I was correct or not.
All in all, a phenomenal tool for studying German. I don’t know why readers like this aren’t more common. I would have liked to have something like this for French when I studied it in high school—what a wonderful way to learn!...more
A charming radio production telling the story of two siblings who befriend a stuffed bear and a crazy-quilt dragon and have a magical Christmas adventA charming radio production telling the story of two siblings who befriend a stuffed bear and a crazy-quilt dragon and have a magical Christmas adventure. Each episode tells another part of their story, and sometimes it seems as though they overcome one challenge only to find themselves in yet another scrape. Their main goal throughout is to retrieve the missing silver star for the top of their Christmas tree. This story is a lot of fun, and the different characters they meet are vivid and memorable. The danger never is enough to be scary, and that sense of safety, along with the utopian setting, reminded me strongly of some of the books in the Oz series—magical, delightful, and more about the journey than the destination....more
This graphic novel in 12 installments offered a charming look at Mario, Luigi, and the Princess. Yoshi, ToadThis was wonderful! I am deeply impressed!
This graphic novel in 12 installments offered a charming look at Mario, Luigi, and the Princess. Yoshi, Toad, and Bowser all put in appearances as well. In some respects, it has the feel of one of the video games, but at the same time, it has quite a different vibe. There is quite a bit of humor, some zany action, and some good, old-fashioned fun. I also like that Princess Toadstool is a woman of action here. She makes decisions, she refuses to be pushed around, she leads troops against Bowser, and she is far more than just a person in need of rescuing. She has a backbone in some of the video games, but not many, so this was wonderful to see. There are plot twists along the way. Luigi takes center stage at one point, and his character has a few surprises up his sleeve (so to speak). And of course, Mario has his moments to shine. I also enjoyed the fast pace; a great deal of action was packed into just a few pages, and most installments ended on a cliffhanger. Best of all, everything builds to a satisfying conclusion. Bravo!...more
This was a bit heavy-handed and slightly disturbing. I think I would have enjoyed it more as a child than I did as an adult. This, like some of Dahl’sThis was a bit heavy-handed and slightly disturbing. I think I would have enjoyed it more as a child than I did as an adult. This, like some of Dahl’s other books, features people who do horrid things and who suffer unexpected consequences.
The book opens with a little girl whose anger gives her powerful magic. If she gets upset, she can’t control the rage, and her magic finger goes to work. The main plot of the book centers on this girl’s neighbors, a family of duck-hunters who suddenly find themselves . . . well . . . ducklike. There is enough whimsy here to soften the more disturbing elements of the story, and the two boys who are affected are remarkably positive and upbeat, given their changed circumstances. For them, the joy of flying and the adventure of day-to-day survival shield them (and the readers!) from much of the trauma.
I was very upset reading this because of something that happened early on: (view spoiler)[The girl recounts a time when her teacher corrected her spelling, and that made the girl angry, and she turned the teacher into a cat and couldn’t change her back. This really upset me, partially because the effects were permanent, and partially because the teacher was only doing her job in the best way that she knew how. I kept waiting for this to be addressed in the story, but it is never mentioned again. (hide spoiler)] As for the ending: (view spoiler)[The family reforms, gives up hunting, destroys their gun, and is restored to their human forms. So I like the redemptive elements here, but I was just too traumatized by the earlier cat incident to appreciate it fully. (hide spoiler)]...more
Book 2 in this series is certainly interesting, but it is very different in tone from the first one. The first book was about survival, while this booBook 2 in this series is certainly interesting, but it is very different in tone from the first one. The first book was about survival, while this book is more about Feyre trying to figure out who she is. I don’t want to give too many details here, so I won’t say much. What I liked: more world-building, entertaining dialogue, an ensemble of fleshed-out supporting characters who all have distinctive personalities. What I didn’t like: major changes from the first book (with regard to one particular character), a lot of aggravation between the characters that could have been avoided if they’d just talked to each other, a story that won’t be wrapped up until the third book. Still, compelling and entertaining....more
This is a hard book to rate because it's a collection of short works by different writers. The stories themselves range quite a bit in quality. Some aThis is a hard book to rate because it's a collection of short works by different writers. The stories themselves range quite a bit in quality. Some are very good, but most of them, in my opinion, were not. While I was reading it, at first, I thought it would be between 3 and 4 stars. Then, as I went on and read more of the stories, it was a solid 3. Then 2.5. Then it got worse yet. I was very disappointed overall. One good thing about this collection is that because it's a collection of so many parts, a few bad stories won't hurt the overall experience—it's a celebration of Sherlock Holmes, and certainly the whole can be greater than the sum of its parts. Here, though, there were only two stories that I really liked, two more that were nice, and a fifth that was very good but just not my cup of tea. I'm still counting it as plus, since it was so good, and since my opinions are subjective anyway. But that still only leaves five positives out of 14 stories altogether. Again, this is all just my own reaction, but it was not a good experience. I spent most of the time feeling irritated. Then I'd get to a really good one, and I'd get my hopes up again.
Some stuff I didn't like: • Paranormal. I'm okay with it as a genre, but it doesn't fit well into Sherlock Holmes. Maybe I'd feel differently if the writers had done a better job of integrating it, or if it hadn't been used in SO MANY of the tales. • Non-smart Sherlock Holmes. Usually this happens alongside a perfect other character who outsmarts him at every turn. I've no problem with Sherlock being outsmarted, especially if it's by an Irene Adler figure. After all, her victory was in the VERY FIRST short story of the canon. But in that story, Sherlock was smart and clever, and Irene was cleverer still. Here, I think, some of the authors wanted their own characters to triumph, so instead of writing them smarter, they just diminished Sherlock. They made him jump to conclusions (a far cry from the “Data! Data! Data! I cannot make bricks without clay!” detective of the canon). They made him mild and prone to inaction. There were also some painful scenes of Sherlock meeting an Irene-like character, and falling over himself telling her how wonderful and smart and tough she is. Didn't feel real to me. • Super-perfect non-Doyle characters. Whether it’s a macho tough guy or a badass warrior woman, I would have liked something more interesting than perfect perfection • Gratuitous violence (I know, I know, it’s about a man who solves murders, so of course, there will be murders. It just felt a little over-the-top to me.) • Some of them just felt pretentious.
Some stuff I liked: • The variety. Some of these are stories set in the Doyle-era, starring Doyle characters. Others are set in modern times, still with Sherlock et al. Then there are the ones that have all original characters, but whose heroes assume the roles of Holmes and Watson. And ones where the characters are normal, everyday people who also happen to be Sherlock Holmes fans. And a whimsical Sherlock-is-really-a-bug retelling. And prose. And poetry. And a graphic novel. This is a very rich collection of many different styles and forms. • The humor. A few stories made me laugh out loud. • Whimsy • Fun. Some of these stories had such a nice sense of fun, and they really felt like a celebration of Doyle.
My top 5: Dr. Watson’s Song and The Case of the Naked Butterfly, tied for first. The Case of the Missing Case, honorable mention. A nice origin story for Holmes. Also, they worked music into the plot, so that’s a win. The Adventure of the Six Sherlocks, honorable mention. A lot of fun to read about a mystery at a Sherlock Holmes convention, with a bunch of Sherlock cosplayers as suspects. The mystery element kind of falls apart if you think about it too much, but the story itself was such a hoot that I didn’t much care. Sherlocked. I didn’t care so much for this one, but it was well-written.
All in all, I didn’t enjoy most of this collection. Parts of it were cute, but most of these stories were either irritating or dull. I enjoy a good Sherlock yarn, but this collection just wasn’t for me....more
This moody and atmospheric tale weaves a story of hope and heartbreak across two timelines. Four unwanted children languLoved it, loved it—SO amazing!
This moody and atmospheric tale weaves a story of hope and heartbreak across two timelines. Four unwanted children languish in boarding school in the 1950s, and a modern woman comes to terms with the murder of her sister years before. The connection between them is a single spooky location, a haunted boarding school that is so well-described in this novel that it’s practically another character. This is a ghost story, but it’s also a mystery with flesh-and-blood characters following concrete evidence—in fact, it’s an almost-perfect blend of the realistic and the supernatural. There is some romance, some intrigue, some terrifying villains, some amazing character development, and some strong protagonists, both male and female. The characters are memorable, and I found myself thinking of them long after the story’s end. Fabulous!...more
I enjoyed this book and found it frustrating at the same time. It was hard for me to get into it at first, since so much of the initial “mystery” willI enjoyed this book and found it frustrating at the same time. It was hard for me to get into it at first, since so much of the initial “mystery” will be obvious to the modern reader. (I mean, he’s invisible. That’s not a spoiler: it’s in the title. So why the big buildup?) It was also hard for me to enjoy a book without (at first) any really likeable characters. A little after the halfway point, one of the more peripheral characters steps into the leading role, and that’s when things really start to pick up. The last third of the book is the big confrontation between this new hero and the invisible man. It’s murderer vs. prey in an action-packed chase scene and memorable finale, but getting to that point was a bit rough at times. I’d give it 3.5 stars....more
This was a lot of fun. The author’s cat stars as the hero, his son is the lovable sidekick, and the author appears as the villainous dragon. This is cThis was a lot of fun. The author’s cat stars as the hero, his son is the lovable sidekick, and the author appears as the villainous dragon. This is cute, strange, and quirky. It’s fast-paced and bright, and it seems reminiscent of children’s imaginative play, which I’m sure is the point. I think kids would enjoy this, and I think it would also be fun for parents and other grownups who are used to playing with children....more
This collection works toward two main goals: It provides readers with a sampling of Victorian sci-fi, and it also provides a history of the science fiThis collection works toward two main goals: It provides readers with a sampling of Victorian sci-fi, and it also provides a history of the science fiction genre throughout that period. An introduction briefly describes science fiction’s rise in the 19th century, and each story or excerpt is preceded by an analysis that both describes the author and grounds the work in its historical context. This book is all over the place, but since it’s an anthology, that’s not such a bad thing. Some of the stories are really good, while others are perhaps no longer as appealing as they were at the time of their publication. I like that this collection features such a wide range of stories: Early Victorian and late Victorian, short stories and excerpts from longer works, well-known to modern audiences and practically unknown. I liked some, and I didn’t care for others, but I’m glad that I had the chance to read them. The analyses were rather disappointing, however. They did not seem to be objective, and many opinions were treated as facts. I think that Sims was eager to draw conclusions and trace certain schools of thought through the decades—and that’s not a bad thing—but I am uncomfortable with his methods. It’s as though he was so eager to make his point that he shoehorned some stuff to make everything fit. Some of his assertions about the stories’ meanings did not seem, to me, to be borne out by the text....more
Grimm fairy tales read by some of my favorite audio readers? Yes, please!
This collection is a joy. It features the voice talents of many of my favoritGrimm fairy tales read by some of my favorite audio readers? Yes, please!
This collection is a joy. It features the voice talents of many of my favorite readers, including Jim Dale, Simon Vance, and Jayne Entwistle. (Flavia de Luce reads a fairy tale? How amazing is that?!?) This particular edition is all about the performance, and each reader tackles a different story and breathes new life into it.
As for the stories themselves, I just love them. I admire Jacob’s work with linguistics, and of course, I am impressed by both brothers’ efforts to preserve folklore. I don’t know from which edition these tales were taken, but I think it must have been from one of the later ones. The stories have been edited to make them more appropriate for children: the sex has disappeared from the stories, and the tales carry the reassurance that the evildoers won’t get away with their crimes. As a result, these are, in many respects, the same fairy tales that many of us knew as children. Childlike delight + nostalgia = story magic!
If I could make one criticism of this collection, it would be that it’s too short. It only contains a selection of stories. I suppose a complete Grimm audio would be too much to ask for, and I’m still quite impressed with the level of quality here. Moreover, they did a fantastic job of making their selections. This audio performance includes many of my favorites, including “Snow White and Rose Red,” “The Goose Girl,” “The Six Swans,” and “Hansel and Gretel.” Pure delight....more
An alternate Earth is people by cats. (Catted by cats?) When threatened with an energy crisis, the president (a cat) calls the world's besOh! So cute!
An alternate Earth is people by cats. (Catted by cats?) When threatened with an energy crisis, the president (a cat) calls the world's best scientist (also a cat) who then assembles his top CatStronaut team: more cats, of course! Follow these adorable kitties, Pom Pom, Waffles, Blanket, and Major Meowser as they travel to the moon to save the day!
And, huge bonus points to the author for giving us cats that act like cats. They act like people, too, of course, but they also eat fish and hate water and take naps and in general bring the "Aww" moments of felines into this space story. Funny, gripping, and adorably sweet, this is one sci-fi book perfect for any cat-lover!...more
This was just okay for me. It's an interesting story, and Crichton does a good job of keeping the tension going all the way through. It's intense and This was just okay for me. It's an interesting story, and Crichton does a good job of keeping the tension going all the way through. It's intense and exciting. He also works hard for realism; the suspension of disbelief feels natural because the science fiction in the story is grounded so well in real science. It's hard to see where they're joined. Crichton really strives to make his readers believe (almost) that the dinosaurs have come back.
Despite its good points, I had a hard time enjoying this book. For one thing, I didn't like the characters. John Hammond is power-hungry and loves making money, no matter what. Arnold is completely blind to any danger, and Wu is in denial. Perhaps the nicest guy in the story is Gennaro, the lawyer who is trying to inspect the park and make sure it's safe. He is trying to stop Hammond, who is out of control. Gennaro wasn't involved in the making of the dinos, or the running of the park; he's not an outdoorsman or a hero. But time after time, he goes out to try to fix things, to keep everyone safe, to hunt the dangerous dinos. He is completely out of his depth and knows it, but he keeps at it. He gets attacked by a raptor, but he keeps going. He is surrounded by dino scavengers, but he makes it through. And after he has become wounded keeping others safe, after he has risked everything to restore power, Grant decides to blame him for the park's problems (and not Hammond, for some reason). Gennaro is at fault because of . . . what, exactly? Because he was a lawyer? Because he wasn't involved in the ins and outs of the park's design? He represented investors. That's his job. I know Grant's been under a lot of pressure, and he's scared, and he's reacting emotionally, but that doesn't make it any easier to read. And so Grant slams poor Gennaro (who's been wounded, remember?) into the wall and yells at him, and Muldoon (who has been the voice of reason up until now) forces Gennaro at gunpoint into an underground raptor nest. And these are the two jokers protecting the children? Sheesh!
And speaking of children, I found the kids in this story to be pretty unrealistic. I know Lex is a very young girl, but I have known young children who are capable of understanding that there's a crisis. Do you remember that scene in The Sound of Music when they're hiding from the Nazis, and the little girl is scared, and Maria tells her that she must be very quiet? This is like that, except that when they're hiding from the dinosaurs, and they ask Lex (very nicely) to be quiet, she yells about how she doesn't want to. Then the dinos attack, and Lex is crying about how sorry she is. Then, the next time the dinos come, Lex throws another hissy fit and the dinos give chase again. I didn't expect Lex to be the most mature person in the story—she IS a kid, and a young one at that—but I cannot believe that she'd that oblivious, that stubborn, that obtuse. I would expect a young kid to get scared. (And she does, when the narrative calls for it. And then it passes.) Can you imagine of the von Trapp child had started yelling that she didn't feel like hiding just then? Would we even have been able to take the story seriously? As I was reading this, all I could figure was that either Crichton doesn't know children or he doesn't like them (or maybe he just doesn't like girls—Timmy gets to be pretty heroic all the time). I could suspend my disbelief for the dinosaurs, but it was much tougher with the human. A nice story overall, and I'm glad I read it, but it just wasn't my cup of tea....more
I borrowed this book from the library because I had been told it was a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I had no idea what to expect, which was a veI borrowed this book from the library because I had been told it was a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I had no idea what to expect, which was a very good thing. If I’d known how disturbing parts of it were going to be, I probably wouldn’t have read it, and I’m very glad I read it.
This YA/NA fantasy-action-romance crafts an intricate magical world with interesting and flawed characters. I do not feel particularly well-versed in fae lore in general, so I can’t really address the way it’s treated here. However, this book also borrows heavily from multiple fairy tales and even Greek mythology, and I found those parts to be quite enjoyable.
What I didn’t like: -Some of the disturbing bits were way outside my comfort zone -Tamlin had a few less-than-noble moments, and one in particuar where he seemed selfish and cowardly to such an extent that I thought he would have been declared unfit to rule.
What I did like: -Feyre. She’s tough and strong. She adapts easily. She’s brave. She’s also completely out of her depth, surrounded by a bunch of magical immortal warriors. I love how she doesn’t get any sort of inferiority complex from this. If anything, it just makes her that much more tenacious. -The supporting characters. Several, including Feyre’s family and Lucien, are very well-developed. -The villain. SO EVIL!
For me, the best part by far was the connection to fairy tales. I knew going in that this was a fairy tale retelling, but I was expecting the wrong tale. It turns out that this is NOT Beauty and the Beast. Imagine my delight when I discovered that this is a point-by-point retelling of East of the Sun and West of the Moon, an old Norwegian fairy tale that was one of my favorites when I was growing up. I was thrilled! To be fair, I have to say that Maas did borrow elements from multiple fairy tales, including Beauty and the Beast, but this novel is an expanded reimaging of “East,” and despite its more twisted elements, its plot outline mirrrors that one almost exactly. That fairy tale doesn’t get enough love, so I was glad to see it represented here, albeit in a darker, more disturbing manner. Interesting, to say the least....more
Absolutely stunning. I've read and enjoyed a few books by William Shatner, but none of them comes near to approaching the power and beauty of this eleAbsolutely stunning. I've read and enjoyed a few books by William Shatner, but none of them comes near to approaching the power and beauty of this elegy. Shatner comes off as very down to earth: a charming mix of strength and humility underscores every part of this homage. This book shows how Nimoy's talent, work ethic, and quiet dignity helped shape his career and his life. It doesn't paint a rosy picture of everything. Nimoy struggled with cigarettes and alcohol, and he had a complicated relationship with his family. Shatner, for his part, wasn't always as gracious as perhaps he should have been. I have read books by people who love themselves so much they can't admit to doing wrong, or who put their friends on pedestals, but that isn't Shatner's style. No, this rings much truer, and consequently, it's far more poignant. I recommend it for everyone, not just Star Trek fans. It might be of special interest to photographers or to people interested in Jewish heritage. I don't know what else to say except to read this book. It's part memoir, part tribute, and all heart. 5 stars....more
Beautiful! This collection of memories about the Star Trek television show feels very much like a scrapbook: it’s filled with snippets from throughoutBeautiful! This collection of memories about the Star Trek television show feels very much like a scrapbook: it’s filled with snippets from throughout the show’s run, photographs of people behind the scenes, and quotes from some of the series’ most beloved actors. It’s kind of a memoir, but it’s more a research project; Shatner meticulously pieces together the history of the show and of the people involved. He begins at the beginning, with Gene Roddenberry’s childhood and his love of stories, and he traces Roddenberry’s long and winding journey to sci-fi fame. The book tells, in chronological order, the different events that came together to make the show possible. He shares highlights from each season. He even tells how things began to unravel, and the different events that led to cancellation.
Shatner has also tracked down many of the people connected with the show, not just actors but also people involved with the production, and he’s interviewed them. I like that Shatner takes the time to quote these people directly; huge block quotes abound throughout the book. Shatner uses this to great effect. For example, in one chapter, he describes a series of pranks that he pulled on Leonard Nimoy. He also quotes Nimoy extensively on the same topic. The result is a hilarious back-and-forth, with both perspectives contrasting sharply. At the same time, the warmth and friendship between Nimoy and Shatner comes through loud and clear.
Finally, I admire Shatner’s openness. Some of the people he interviewed had some resentment or even animosity toward him. In one of the interviews, a fellow actor even said, “I need to tell you why I despise you.” Shatner could have left those parts out, but he didn’t. He could have tried to rebut, but he didn’t do that, either. He let them say it all; he gave them that chance to be heard. He even agreed with some of their points. This is freedom of speech at its finest; interviewees are being quoted and even supported, and never judged—not even by the one they’re criticizing. In this book, Shatner doesn’t even try to shield himself. And that may be because this book isn’t really about William Shatner; it’s about Star Trek. It’s a collective project about a group of people. It’s a chance to preserve many of the thoughts, feelings, and memories from the people at the heart of it. Shatner worked really hard on researching this book and writing it—he’s the author, after all—but he is never the focus. I think that takes both strength and humility, and I am quite impressed....more
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