Court

I didn't like it. I don't usually read this genre, it's labelled chick-lit, but I wanted to read it for two reasons: it was banned and the premise of being a donor baby sounded interesting.

However, there was a lot of angst. Now, I understand that this is from the point of view of a 13 year old, and when the pov switches, from someone that is close to a 16 year old with cancer, so I tried to let my annoyance of it go.

I didn't care about Campbell and Julia's romance. I didn't care. I picked up the book to read about the dynamic between a donor baby and her family after they hear that she wants to make her own choices. I loved the character of the father Brian -- he's wonderful, and I understood him, a little bit of a trope at times, but still likeable.I disliked the character of the mother, I found her to have tunnel vision, and as a mom you can't have tunnel vision. You can have focus on one thing, but you can't let it blind you. The ending was a bit predictable, and I disliked it immensely. But I guess that's the ending that fits the best for things that involve donating an organ.And when we finally hear from Kate, she seems to be in perfect health, which is a little to 'happily ever after' for me, but it's chick lit, so how can there not be a campy ending where everyone's pain is turned inside out such as Jesse getting to be a police officer that is recognized by the mayor, despite his streak as a fire bug, and so on.

I don't normally read books of this genre (it's listed as chick-lit and/or romance). But I found the book by a pool in Thailand, and it had the word star in the title, so I thought that I'd give it a chance as I sunbathed.

I have to give the book four stars due to the pace in which I consumed the book (the short chapters made it so easy to just keep reading). It was funny, clever, Irish. I loved how early on I was invested in the characters. It was a little annoying not knowing the point from which the narrator is coming from, but about 2/3 through the book enough clues are given, so my annoyance waned. Also, I saw as to why Maeve was distressed SO early on that it was a bit frustrating for me to read about her. Also I disliked Jemima's 'death scene', it was a bit too cheesy , but the way the Grudge was wonderfully done.So, overall, quite cheesy, sublimely funny, sad at parts, and an expectedly campy ending.

This book was not as exciting as I thought it was going to be – WWI and treasure hunting. But it's very difficult to pull off the “National Treasure” tone. However, it was a good and quick read. I appreciated Lt. Peakes as a character bound in iron, but I was a bit irked that there was no reason as to why Dulac was so inexplicably lucky.

Originally I had rather enjoyed this book. A while ago I learned that Mortenson had been quiet dishonest.

Here's a refresher for those who might need it:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Mortenson#Controversies

Financial mismanagement
Dishonest accounts of events

My esteem of the story ebbed and flowed between a 3 and 4 star rating. However that sentiment may be due to reading most of it on an 11 hour plane ride. I particularly liked the rabbit lore and the tales of El-ahrairah, also the ending was very well done, earning it the overall 4 star rating.

I think the next animal story that I will read will be Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. I've very familiar with the movie, but have yet to read the book. I bring this up because, Watership Down reminded me of Rats of NIMH because the main characters act slightly out of their natures. I am very happy that in the story Richard Adams has his rabbits admit that they are acting slightly out of character of their rabbit nature, which is one of there reasons why I so admired the story. There's something to be said of unlikely adventures, whether they be Hobbits, mice, reluctant princesses, or rabbits, it's nice to see a character slightly out of their element and how, or even if, they cope and handle it.

Not the most exciting topic, but a comfortable one. I enjoyed the chapter about Amazon, about moving boxed of books (the chapter was about weeding ones collection), and his anecdote about Fahrenheit 451.

Ok, the art is pretty good, but it wasn't consistent. Scarface and The Penguin looked radically different from section to section, which I can respect going from one artist to another, but when it's all in the same book, The Penguin should have the same amount of fingers.

The story line is, as expected, a little frazzled and fractured, but that reflects the content. Would have liked a little more on the “Spoiler” character, but I guess I'll just have to read more.

This book had a great story. I wish that I had read it when it first came out. When it first came out I was in middle school and Anne Frank would have been fresh in my head. Also, I couldn't help but find the narrator a little angsty, something that I wouldn't have minded, or perhaps noticed, then.

I loved the introduction about Science Fiction being a religion. It was very well written, topics were well selected, and it was humorous while still being thought-provoking and explaining the subjects. Many ideas were covered, some already very familiar to me, others new; I highly enjoyed content on both new and old ideas.

I was only vaguely familiar with the realms of the stories. I thought that that shouldn't matter, the storytelling should shine through. Unfortunately, the first story started out really well but then turned overly complex, while the third and fourth didn't fully capture my Interest. The second story was well written, witty, and humorous. The art throughout the book was amazing, I just wish I had found the other stories worth getting into.

Quite enjoyed Kelly Link's Faery Handbag, which is also in a few other collections.

A vast majority of this collection is sub-par. Perhaps, it is because it is framed as “best” that I feel that they fall short. I was appreciative of the variety of styles, but I found many of the comics lacking actual substance.

However, I do recommend that you pick up this volume and read Laura Park's (in my copy it's page 217), as well as Jillian and Mariko Tamaki's section. I found both comics to be wonderfully (and differently) styled, and their subject matters to be compelling. Koren Shadmi'a Antoinette was funny, and Kevin Huizenga's Glenn Ganges that followed was also very good. But after that, it's all down hill again.

The section that I thoroughly enjoyed didn't even last for 100 pages. I was hopeful because I had greatly enjoyed The Best American Comics 2010. Although, I was mostly drawn to that one dues to Neil Gaiman's name.

I really enjoyed it, but my biggest complaint is that I felt that the dinosaurs came out of no where - maybe I missed something.

I liked that it employs a large cast of characters, as well as many different tones.

Not what I was expecting. It was a bit meandering and pedantic. There were some brilliant moments, but often far apart and disjointed.

Good humored, well written, excellent pacing, and the ending lines of the epilogue makes me want to read everything that Kate Coombs touches.

I rarely re-read books. But I was craving this, or maybe I saw it somewhere and remember loving it. I know it's very teenager-y, but I identified with it in that I was like Min, I didn't come with a ‘ready made' label. I did date an athlete (football player) with disaster. His mother wasn't sick, but he was loosing his eye sight; he didn't love me, but he left me because he ‘didn't want to fall in love' with me eye roll – oh that summer before college. I was friends with the band geeks (dated the drum major a few years before the footballer) those in drama, and robotics. I was different, too, not arty, but not much of anything else. I was a fierce friend to those I thought the friendship was worth, and to a few it wasn't, and I had a friend like Al, minus the cliché of ending up with him (although we almost dated). My friends were more likely to throw more glamorous parties rather than ragers or keggers, although there were flirtations with jello shots, but they were classy and thematic.

I love that I had forgotten the ending, it was like new again re-reading it on a hot summer morning before work, having my heart break again for her even though I knew, knew from the beginning, that that was all that was in store for Min.
Min rings true for me and this is probably my favorite Daniel Handler book. I love the analogies and constant references to things I'm too afraid to look up, not wanting to find out if they're not real, because they feel real and not wanting to find out if they are real and possibly not as good as they are in my head. I love the detail rich world in Min's head and of her life.

I read this book ages ago, but I wanted to add that I recall using this book for one of my psychology classes. This book is wordless or nearly so. I had a project for my psychology of language (or something like that) class where I showed this book to three of my young cousins ranging in age from about 3 to 12 and asked them to narrate/tell the story. I then counted their words (and phonemes) used to tell the story.

The main character was too dull and unlikeable; everything happened to him, very little happened because of him. The roommate was a great character whereas the love interest was annoying, but I could accept that. There were some great moments of prose and I didn't mind the world religions class.
Same reader and audiobook style as An Abundance of Katherines, and thus the same complaints: tracks were typically under a minute, the musical ‘outros' (the ending of the CDs) were very cheesy and often dissonant with the content of the story, and the repeated tracks were annoying.

I love a badass witch. Yay for Ancient Greek origins plus she makes a Norse myth reference. Reread because I recently read a Deadboys Detective comic and she made an all too brief appearance.

Read Ursula K. Le Guin's edition which was excellent as well

So pleased to have stumbled on this book without meaning to look for it.
A blast from the past.
I remember it being super helpful for the class & AP Bio test. Also at times interesting.

I need to reread this.

I read this when I was about 16. I don't remember much but I do recall being livid that the ‘resolution' or the answer to the mystery was that it was triplets. I think I also didn't love the writing style for large portions.

I don't recall when I read this (probably around 6th grade). But I am surprised at how much I recall: the value of paper, the surprise of bananas, and at that age I was, a little surprised why her being bald, or the possibility of not ‘finding a husband' was so bad.
I recall it beng well written and caring about the characters.

I remember loving the little intervals that told Native American folk-talks every once in a while as a student, this was my fourth grade social studies text book, so I don't remember too much else besides the broad topics.