I DNF'd this at 60%. I just find Ruth grating, and there's way too much of her. Nao is...fine, although I find Jiko and Nao's father much more compellI DNF'd this at 60%. I just find Ruth grating, and there's way too much of her. Nao is...fine, although I find Jiko and Nao's father much more compelling. The earlier sections are well-written and compelling, but it became way too slow with the addition of Ruth and her crushing loneliness. I just couldn't finish it and kept finding excuses to start other books....more
THIS BOOK WAS SUCH A SLOG TO FINISH. I had heard such good things about it that I honestly didn't connect the author to the other book of his that I dTHIS BOOK WAS SUCH A SLOG TO FINISH. I had heard such good things about it that I honestly didn't connect the author to the other book of his that I didn't love (The House in Cerulean Sea). Beyond the flat, two-dimensional characters that make it hard to connect with the creative concept, I also just read that the author wrote that other book based loosely on his (white, cis) interpretation of the Canadian residential schools and the atrocious human rights abuses committed against indigenous children. It took just forever to force myself to finish this and I wish I hadn't....more
I really tried to like this book but it's just not it for me. The characters are basically non-existent and they never develop beyond "lady boss," andI really tried to like this book but it's just not it for me. The characters are basically non-existent and they never develop beyond "lady boss," and "quirky science man" into real people you care about. It doesn't make sense that a high school science teacher is going to be launched into space to save the world until he talks for a few pages, and then you want to launch him there yourself, to save earth or not. If you love science I'm sure the detailed explanations of how things work is right up your alley, but if you read sci-fi less for the sci and more for the fi, you'll be disappointed. I tried, I really tried, but I gave up about halfway through this one....more
Like any good Millennial, I've taken the quizes online to find my enneagram type and thought I had myself pegged. A colleague led a discussion group rLike any good Millennial, I've taken the quizes online to find my enneagram type and thought I had myself pegged. A colleague led a discussion group recently on the theory behind the enneagram and the importance of doing more than just reading memes about it to fully understand your type-and yourself. As someone who is not religious, I was warned in the early pages of this book (by the author) that I could "just ignore the religious stuff" and focus on my type. That's just not possible since the book is so focused on the authors' experiences with Christianity as it relates to the enneagram. Honestly, I think I would have found the stories just as tiresome if it had been about any other workplace--I wish they would have just given straight forward facts about the enneagram without the church stories. The book just wasn't interesting to me and I didn't find it to be well-researched or relatable. But just because it wasn't my cup of tea doesn't mean it won't be yours?...more
I really wanted to like this book. It has all the elements to perfectly fit into the niche I love to read: there's some magical realism, shifting in sI really wanted to like this book. It has all the elements to perfectly fit into the niche I love to read: there's some magical realism, shifting in stories and time, and was recommended by people I really love and trust. I just couldn't get into it. I'd forget about the pirate or another thread in the story and it took too long to get back into the story when they were re-introduced. I never felt anything for the protagonist. They make a point of saying his full name repeatedly throughout the book, and I kind of feel like that's because even the author forgot about him. He's achingly boring. He's not just an introvert, no, no, no. He's anti-social. The only interactions he has with people are because he runs into them. Otherwise he lives in books, including the book that tells the story of the door he didn't open. That should be an exciting twist, but it just isn't. The book is a meandering ode to literature and storytelling that somehow fails to tell a compelling story, which is incredibly frustrating. It felt like the writer focused a lot on details that might be important if this is made into a movie and if it is, I would watch it just to copy the Max gown!
I didn't finish this book, which is rare for me, because I just don't care what happens to Zachary. ...more
Blah. None of the charm of the first book (and all of the insecurity that book lacked). Not even finishing it I'm so bored.Blah. None of the charm of the first book (and all of the insecurity that book lacked). Not even finishing it I'm so bored....more
I liked the opening bits of this book. The main character awakens on a beach with the amnesia, and tries to find himself. The premise is strong and soI liked the opening bits of this book. The main character awakens on a beach with the amnesia, and tries to find himself. The premise is strong and so is the writing, at least initially, but it steadily went downhill on both fronts from there. I truly do not know how this ended up on my to-read shelf. I don't usually like action movies as books as a genre, and found most of the writing in this bad boy to be pretty awful. I spent most of this book hate-reading it and rolling my eyes. There are things other reviewers have mentioned: the weird focus on mediocre cars. Like, what kind of a movie star (or TV star, in this case) drives a PT Cruiser? It strains believably, even back in 2011 when this was first published. The scenes written like movie scripts is a cute idea in theory but don't function in practice and was mostly distracting. This book is like a raindrop--wet, cold, and destined to fall.
Why was this on my to-read shelf? I have no idea, but when goodreads emailed me and said it was available on kindle for like $2 I went for it. It was Why was this on my to-read shelf? I have no idea, but when goodreads emailed me and said it was available on kindle for like $2 I went for it. It was worth every penny (but not a single one more).
I don't even know where to start with this book. For one thing the formatting is funky, so it jumps from storyline to storyline seemingly in the same paragraph. For another there's this religious undertone that maybe God is going to save us all if we just pray (?) that pops up inconsistently and is more distracting than anything deep or meaningful. But maybe "the Darkness" is a metaphor and God saves all the "True Believers" in the end. Overall, the writing's effect is cluttered and disjointed--I can't even keep all the people straight, much less what all their stupid super powers are. Character development is minimal at best, and even the love stories that pop up seem like something that a robot would write about how humans feel.
All I know is that I'm not reading the rest of the series, talking wolves and whips for hands being only the tiniest part of that. Ten bucks says Sam discovers that Love triumphs over Hate and makes his powers stronger....more
Full disclosure: I kind of view audiobooks as cheating, and this was my first audio book. When Goodreads emailed me saying I could have a free audibleFull disclosure: I kind of view audiobooks as cheating, and this was my first audio book. When Goodreads emailed me saying I could have a free audible version of #Girlboss because I had marked it as "to read" I jumped on it. I read Tina Fey's "Bossypants," and still regret not having gotten the audible version so that I could HEAR Tina Fey reading me her book.
This book was not read by Sophia Amoruso, and I cannot imagine what it would take to flawlessly read a book, chapter by chapter, and intone what the author wants to intone into every word and anecdote. That said, while I appreciate the effort, this particular reader mispronounced "ennui," making me question the very fabric of the English language and whether or not I knew how to speak it. I mean, was I wrong all this time and no one corrected me? Where else had I heard it? Could I somehow make someone say it for me? Then she mispronounced Roald Dahl and I realized, no, no. I have a handle on this. SHE doesn't.
All of that is to say, please take my review with the grain of salt that is my resistance to audio books.
The content of the book is a little bit like listening to Britney Spear's "Work B*tch* on loop for the 4 or 5 hours that it takes to listen to this book. At times inspiring, often irritating (sidenote: why does Britney adopt a British accent for just 1/4th of the song?), and, in the end, too much.
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Honestly, I felt like she told her story in the first two chapters and hooked you, but then filled in stupid details (OMG you once wore Abercrombie and believe in magic?) without real content for the next 10 chapters. She quotes a lot of really pithy, overused cliches like Steve Jobs and Leonardo DiVinchi and seems to mock everyone who does things differently than she does. "When I was in high school, I always submitted a real resume for retail jobs..." which is great, because it's obviously worked for her. But it's also just not the only way to do things (when I was in high school and worked retail and some toolbag came in with a printed resume, we laughed at them and thought maybe they weren't prepared for the real world of retail service, and made them fill in our paper application.) For example, after explaining how Nasty Gal grew out of her own feelings of ennui and anarchy, the author preaches positivity as, "your thoughts become your actions." So...#hypocrisy?
Often contradictory (do as I say, not as I do) and often condescending (although, again, maybe that was just the audio version coming across that way to me) I felt all my initial inspiration wane and grow into irritation. It was with great difficulty (and a long plane ride) that I finished this book. My recommendation? Read the first three chapters, watch the Britney video twice, and call it a day.
You know how sometimes you meet a really charming, gregarious, and fun person at a party and think, "I absolutely love this gem of a person! We're goiYou know how sometimes you meet a really charming, gregarious, and fun person at a party and think, "I absolutely love this gem of a person! We're going to be best friends!" But then, after a few coffees or brunches you realize that their wit and sparkle is masking a really selfish, crazy person? The characters in this book are ALL like that. The more you get to know each of them, the less you like them. There are no real relationships (friendships or otherwise) to speak of, and all the characters are so deeply guarded and selfish that they often do really cruel things to one another. They also sing. A LOT. Since my life hasn't turned into a musical number, I am assuming most other people's aren't either. The smattering of French slang (often unexplained) and music that may or may not relate to the situation at hand (and most songs I was unfamiliar with and therefor unable to imagine sung) were distracting. When I read the last few pages and came to understand the amount of work Ms. Donoghue put into making these characters (based on real people and real events) true to life, I think I appreciated the task she had at hand, although still not the characters, much more.
Also, let's talk for a second about the sex scenes. I'm honestly surprised a woman wrote these as they seem like a 13 year old boy's understanding of sex from having recently watched a lot of porn. Blanche gets wet at the drop of a hat and doesn't realize that she's being used by her pimp boyfriend until a cross dresser innocently asks whether she feels that way? Puh-lease. There's no way someone who's being paid for sex loves it each and every time. Everyone hates their jobs occasionally, and I assume sex work is no exception to that rule. Oh and also she goes from being heterosexual to being FISTED by a woman and feels it's just like a penis? WHAT THE HELL WAS GOING ON IN SAN FRANCISCO that a fist isn't significantly larger? Also was this graphic image necessary, given the context of when it happens? These were the least believable of the entire book, and the lady loses her baby several times by simply forgetting he exists, so that's saying a lot....more
So I kind of cheated and saw the movie before I read the book. Part of me is glad that I did because the author doesn't necessarily describe all of thSo I kind of cheated and saw the movie before I read the book. Part of me is glad that I did because the author doesn't necessarily describe all of the technology to a degree that makes sense. All of the sudden Ender is palming doors and I think if I hadn't seen the movie and known that it was some sort of handprint electronic opening device I would just think he was high-fiving all the doors or trying to feel them up or something. But, part of me wishes I hadn't because I kept expecting certain plot twists that either never came or were entirely different or more nuanced than the movie ever was.
I will agree with other reviewers that the first to third person changes are irritating, and that there could be more strong female characters. Valentine, Ender's sister, is rejected from fight club (Battle School) because she's too compassionate (but later plots to take over the world?) and the only chick at school is the first to suffer from "mental exhaustion." The author goes so far as to explain that "centuries of evolution" have made girls unfit for battle school. Nevermind that the school recruits the top minds for strategic thinking, and that at no single point in the book does anyone do anything with either a penis or a vagina, it must be this genetalia and not their brains that make people one way or the other. But, I digress.
Overall this book was a fun read and one that, unlike Hunger Games or other books of the YA ilk, I wasn't able or willing to really extrapolate beyond it's original meaning. This book just is what it is: a book intended to show the underestimated strength in children and youth and a quick read. ...more
I wanted to like this book. I even expected a little kick in the pants to motivate me to lean on in and be the best woman I could be. But after monthsI wanted to like this book. I even expected a little kick in the pants to motivate me to lean on in and be the best woman I could be. But after months of picking up, starting, putting down, restarting, and putting this book back down I am giving up. I just...can't. This is not a book about leaning in and being your best self and embracing your womanhood to gain an edge in the board room. It just isn't. This is a book by Sheryl Sandberg about how great Sheryl Sandberg thinks Sheryl Sandberg is. And maybe that's one small step for a woman but one great step for womankind. Lord knows men write enough tomes declaring their own greatness. It just doesn't translate into actionable items (unless you're Sheryl Sandberg and you've managed to perfect time travel and want to read your own book about how to become yourself. Even then I think you'll find yourself a bit cocky.) That said, the Ban Bossy campaign and other talk/items/campaigns that have arisen because of this book are great, and maybe that's it's best legacy....more
"Minho grunted something; Thomas nodded and gave her a long look, trying to let her know with his eyes how terrible he felt. Jorge just sat there, sta"Minho grunted something; Thomas nodded and gave her a long look, trying to let her know with his eyes how terrible he felt. Jorge just sat there, staring at the floor. Brenda cleared her throat." FOR AN ENTIRE BOOK.
The whole book was a little like Jorge's character: sitting there, staring at the floor. While we're on the topic of Jorge, who is vaguely Hispanic and says things like hermana, hermano, muchacho, and NOT A SINGLE OTHER SPANISH WORD or phrase that a non-Native English speaker of Hispanic origin might use. It's like Dashner realized the only diversity in the book was Minho (Right? He's Asian? Am I being racist because of his name? It never really says, or is in any way reinforced) and wanted to throw in a lil dash of color. I have a better idea what the Maze slugs look like than any of the characters.
These kids are supposed to be smart, the best of the best, but choose TIME AND TIME again to go through life consciously making uninformed decisions. People are constantly telling them, "wait you don't know the whole story/all the facts, let me tell you..." and Thomas is like, "No! NO! I am afraid I may have been mean before and I just don't want to know!" Which, I guess might be true to how some adolescents think and act, but I think when we're talking about someone who can SAVE THE WORLD, you might want to be like "ok ok so I may have been someone in the past that current me wouldn't like, but knowing that doesn't magically make me my past person. Knowledge about the past isn't actual time travel. Since I'm a genius I know that. Ok, tell me what's up so I can do something productive instead of just running from place to place messing stuff up." And all his little friends follow him, because Dashner tells us he's a natural leader and highly intelligent (but he never acts like it so I wonder if Dashner is confusing him with another character? One we didn't meet?)
Dashner's writing style really falls off and I caught a couple of instances where random characters or places would just inexplicably appear. Like when they're in Denver, take a brief ride to the mountains, and then he describes this piney cliff that's been worn away by the sea. Did...in the future is Denver near the sea? Was it a longer journey? Are we near the ocean now? But Dashner never explains things, or fleshes ideas or characters out enough that you care where they are or who lives or dies. I almost didn't finish this book, and I'm mad at myself that I did. OH! And at the end you discover (no spoilers I promise) that there's a PREQUEL that would (supposedly) answer all your burning questions. ...more
GAH! I really wanted to like this book. A book about books; about the joys of reading, of finding that book that fits in so perfectly with your soul iGAH! I really wanted to like this book. A book about books; about the joys of reading, of finding that book that fits in so perfectly with your soul it was always a part of you. But it was SO, so slow. There were select quotes/pieces I really identify with but overall I think this book is very self-indulgent and lacking in substance. Another book to add to the "why finish this when there are so many great things out there to read" section, unfortunately....more
This book was really painful to read. Most people who've known me longer than a couple of months wouldn't describe me as an introvert, so on the one hThis book was really painful to read. Most people who've known me longer than a couple of months wouldn't describe me as an introvert, so on the one hand I liked that this book spoke to me and explained me to me, and in a way that I could help others understand my needs, but on the other hand...GOD was it painful to read. Like ripping duct tape off of a wound. Just...hard truths to face, but then she makes you face them. And face them. And face them. And, I'm all for facing your demons but c'mon move on to the next demon, please. I didn't end up finishing the book, even though I found it fascinating, because it was just like "HEY HERE IS THIS THING THAT YOU DO THAT OTHERS DON'T GET AND ISN'T WHAT WILL GET YOU NOTICED OR PROMOTED, but I swear it's good in a special way" for all the pages. ...more
Oh Jesus. Where to even begin with this one. It SOUNDED like a very interesting premise: "the world's largest experiment," however, is not really an eOh Jesus. Where to even begin with this one. It SOUNDED like a very interesting premise: "the world's largest experiment," however, is not really an experiment but a series of hypotheses. They leave out entire populations (lesbians, apparently, don't exist and there is no disaggregated data on race or really anything outside of W. Europe and the US) and use this terrible analogy of men as Elmer Fudd and women as detectives when describing what motivates men and women to seek out relationships, sex, porn, etc. I got 1/3 of the way through and couldn't do it anymore. I did learn one fun fact, though: gay men have larger penises (on average) than straight men. So the next time someone says something homophobic or makes fun of "effeminate" gay men, whip out this little factoid and watch them squirm. You're welcome....more
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