I never need an excuse to read a Star Wars novel! Reading Tarkin by James Luceno was interesting because I learned more about the Star Wars universe as Disney sees it. I always enjoy learning more about the characters that we have all learned to love and grown close too since the first movies came out when I was a child. It was a good enough story, but it centered wholly on a character that I never really cared for. Not that they sold it as anything else since I mean the title is pretty explicit, it’s just that I don’t think anyone really cared too much about this character but here is a whole novel about him. I’m a little lost on what within this novel helped tell the story of the Star Wars universe. It is not a poorly written book, just a book that was written without anyone asking for it. I can’t recommend it but judged solely on it writing it is a good story if you care to read it. I gave this book three out of five stars, but I’m not sure it deserved it.
Yes, I’m a fan of Rick Riordan. Yes, I love YA novels and The Son of Neptune is no different. They are entertaining and I like to read them. Reading my short Goodreads review of this book reminds me of how much I love these novels. Lots of times I will listen to them on audio. They are fantastic and I love to be reminded of how much I enjoy them and that I need to get back to reading the series again. I believe this is as far as I am in this series. One book a year from the series is I guess what I average.
The last four chapters of this book are riveting and some truly great action-adventure writing. I still don’t know if this series is as strong as the first, but it is very good reading!
I hardly remember The Grownup by Gillian Flynn. It was a very short book, 64 pages. Amazon sells it as a Kindle Single. That’s not to say that it is not a good book. Some of the best books I’ve ever read are very short. This is a very good book and I can guarantee you will be riveted to it for the duration.
The short spoiler-free synopsis is a con artist meets her match and you get to know that character and the others in just 64 pages. Some authors have a whole book and still can’t get that done. For $2.99 as a Kindle Single, you really can’t go wrong with this. It made me want to further explore this author’s longer works. I received this book for free as part of my regular Book of the Month monthly delivery.
I really need to keep up this blog better. I hope to have more time to write this holiday break. I hope you and your family are having a wonderful holiday, however, you celebrate it (or don’t).
Follow Roosevelt on the adventure of a lifetime. At times this was slow, but it was written as a biography and a travel novel. There is a lot of detail here. You can tell the author did their homework, but at times the details did come at the expense of the readability of The River of Doubt. I did enjoy this book and for those history buffs who are into the presidents, I would recommend it.
The journey itself is interesting even if it was not a former president. It’s had to believe this was written in 2005. It felt like a much older book, but maybe that’s because the actual trip took place, just after 1912, so much before when it was written. Even with all its detail I did give it 4 out of 5 stars. This one was an audiobook and that’s probably why I read it so fast even though it had all that detail.
Full disclosure: I met Andy Walker and Sean Carruthers a long time ago at one the first podcast conventions. It was an absolute pleasure. They even treated me to lunch. Andy sent me a copy of this book himself. Having said all that my review of this book is my own.
Who should read this book? As the authors themselves say “…there’s a good chance you’re interested in ways to use science to make life better for yourself and your offspring…”
The authors of Super You are Andy Walker, known technology journalist, tv and radio personality, and podcaster. You may know him from Call for Help, a tech television show he starred on with Leo Laporte. Andy writes this book with co-authors Kay Walker, his wife and Sean Carruthers, a long-time friend, and partner in many of his endeavors.
I enjoyed watching their many videos on youtube and listening to their podcast. Even watching their tv shows back when ZDTV or TechTV was still a channel. Speaking about podcasts, check out this interview about the book from Triangulation one of Leo’s many podcasts.
Back to the book. The chapters are mostly about how you can improve yourself through technology for the first portion of the book. Altering the genes of your baby before it is born to make sure you have a boy with blue eyes. The book moves on to discuss beauty hacks like plastic surgery and a few people who are injecting themselves with RFID chips.
Most interesting to me was the bit about living longer through technology and how that is about 30 years away. What happens in 30ish years? By then, the authors say, we should have access to the technology to extend our lives by double what people are living now. It shouldn’t be a stretch to live past 100 if you are younger than the baby-boomer generation.
That’s all great, but will it really happen? And what do we do to ensure that we make it that last 30-year stretch? The book speaks to both of these questions. I suggest you read it, with a glass of red wine, you’ll see why after you read the book! Enjoy!
The Lost Hero is the first book in a series from Rick Riordan. It is a spin-off series from the original Percy Jackson and The Olympian series. There are 5 books in the series. This book reads very much like the books in the Percy Jackson series and for me, this is a very good thing. I liked that series a lot. A lot of action all the time and it is funny as well. This book was a great introduction to a new series. We meet all new heroes but still get to check-in with some of our favorites from the Percy Jackson series. Riordan makes some great calls in writing this new series. I’m hooked.
This is the first book in a series of 6 books by Ursula K. Le Guin. She is an awesome science fiction writer. Not too long ago I reviewed The Lathe of Heaven, another excellent book. I listened to this book and had a hard time pausing it when life got in the way. Just a great story that is very original. Lots of adventure and magic. I can’t wait to read the second book.
Another Dalai Lama book! So this co-author on this one is Shefali Tsabary, who also wrote The Awakened Family which is a New York Times Best Seller and was a book endorsed by Oprah. “Parents . . . you will be wowed and awed by [Dr. Shefali].” —Oprah Winfrey The Conscious Parent won the Nautilus award in 2011. I would recommend this book to any parent. I found it very helpful and trying to slow down and remember that my kids are going to remember things that I don’t think are a big deal. Every time I lose it my kids will remember that and it will go into the idea of who I am in their eyes. I highlighted substantially in this book. Here are some lines I think are worth sharing:
perfection is an ideal of the foolish.
when we are in the grip of anger, we are anything but in control. We are prisoners of ego.
“It’s okay to be bored. There’s nothing wrong with feeling bored. Keep being bored.”
On weekends, my daughter is allowed an hour of television or an hour on the computer.
Not that they will blindly follow your dictates, but that they will seek your counsel
[to our children] I learn how to be a better person from you.
truly hearing what they are saying, without feeling we have to fix, correct, or lecture.
The smallest, “I don’t know, but let’s find out together,” has the power to evoke the most profound of life qualities.
we often don’t take the time or exercise the patience required to get at the why,
For a young child, times to nap and go to bed are aspects of the main rules and as such are non-negotiable.
If the parent is resolute, the child will quickly pick up that there is no argument around this issue.
The traditional dynamic of parent-versus-child would yield to the realization that our children are often wiser than us and able to advance us spiritually just as effectively as we can advance them.
I know that’s a lot but, I thought every one of them was worth sharing. The highest praise I can give a book is buying extra copies to give other people. This is a book that I can defiantly think of buying extra copies for friends and family.
This is a tough review. I really like the story in the jacket sleeve of this. Actually, that was sent to me from the publisher and I liked it so much I requested a copy of the book. When it came I was excited to start it, but as I read I lost interest in the story. IT started out okay, but it kept going on subjects it needed to just move on with. This is another book that it took me a very long time to get through. I kept putting it down to read something else. However, since I hate leaving a book unfinished, I picked it up when I could. 5 months passed and I finally had it done. I gave it 2 stars. I think this book had potential, but it didn’t execute. What makes this review tough is I asked for this book and I don’t want to give it a poor review, but I have. I’m the only reviewer of this book on good reads and the poor thing has a 2-star rating. I hope others will review this book, but I can recommend it.
I like Star Trek. You could even call me a Treky. I really liked the Enterprise tv show. I have watched it on Netflix from start to finish in addition to seeing it live when the show was still airing. I can watch those episodes over and over. When the show was pulled I was bummed. The world without a Star Trek series currently on air makes me sad. I hope it someday makes its way back on the air. In the meantime, there are always books! I started reading the Star Trek Enterprise series back in 2013. The books feel real comfortable to me. Probably because I have watched all the series from the original to Enterprise. I have not read a book in the series that I hated. I’ve read some that I particularly care for, but I wouldn’t call it a waste of time.
The Last Full Measure follows along the story from the original episode when the show was still on. Therefore, I like this one a little less because I already know the story. Having said that I still enjoyed my time reading this book in the series. If you are reading the series and don’t want to read the books that are also an episode you can skip this one. If like me, you enjoy all the Star Trek you can get, this book is a good addition to the ongoing series. I’m looking forward to the next book.
