David
I know I'm in the minority here, but here goes...
The story started off incredibly strong and really pulled me into this futuristic world. The majority of the book (the battle) reminds me of the Houses of the Harry Potter series...that is, if those houses were inhabited by bloodthirsty maniacs who have no qualms about slaughtering one another. At times it was confusing. At times it was boring. But towards the end it somewhat redeemed itself.
Having said that, I'll probably read the bloodydamn sequel when it comes out next year.
How appropriate I finished this book on Darwin Day! I thoroughly enjoyed the first half of the book and its depiction of 19th century equatorial Africa. Equally interesting was 19th century NYC and London. The hunt for the “mysterious” gorilla (at this point in history, no white man had ever seen) was thrilling, although the depiction of shooting and capturing gorillas was a bit hard to stomach. The bickering and backstabbing amongst the leading scientists of the day became a bit tedious and seemed to go on forever. Paul du Chaillu, the central figure of the story, is an interesting individual who spent much of his life defending his work while at the same time keeping his own origins a mystery.
The final book by the great Christopher Hitchens.
Hitch bares all during his final days and in so doing he happily loses none of his wit or intelligence. He was the Hitch we all came to know right up to the end.
My only complaint is that with each turn of the page, the remaining words of Hitch were dwindling down to zero. “These are his last words” kept echoing in my head like some terribly sad background music.
The final chapter by his widow Carol Blue was as heartwarming as it was heart wrenching. A brief personal account of the man from the woman who loved him and knew him best of all.
A wonderful, albeit sad, final book by a man who stayed true to his convictions to the end. A man who was and is and always will be an inspiration to atheists and secularists alike.
RIP Hitch.
It's been awhile since I've come across a book I literally couldn't put down. The story immediately sets you on an emotional roller coaster ride that you don't want to end. This book is the equivalent of a popcorn movie, it's not highbrow literature, but if you're looking for a fun, easy read and you like thrillers, this one is for you. Without giving anything away, my main gripe with the story is the ending. Regardless, I'd still recommend the book. Now to read her two other books!!!......
When the prose is too lyrical, this is how you lose my attention.
Unpopular opinion: I liked the idea more than I liked the execution. The writing was way too lyrical for my taste. I found myself re-reading passages while a little voice in my head kept saying “WTF are we reading here?” So 60 pages in, I threw in the literary towel.
#DNF
As an avowed atheist and skeptic, I've always considered meditation to be in the same supernatural ballpark as god, psychics, crystals and divining rods. But then I recalled that one of my heroes, neuroscientist and atheist, Sam Harris (who, much to my pleasure, makes a cameo in this book), is a practitioner of mediation. So I decided to give this book by Dan Harris (no relation) a listen. And I am very happy I did!
Harris takes us on a journey of self-discovery into the world of broadcast news, self-help gurus, war torn regions and a retreat full of earthy-crunchy people looking for enlightenment. He strips away the “woo-woo” in order to demystify the practice of meditation whose benefits are backed up by Harvard researchers. With a dry wit that had me laughing out loud (thus making me look like a maniac on my drive to work), he pretty much accomplishes what he sets out to do.
My only complaint is that except for one portion in the book where he describes the breathing process of mediation, I'm not really sure how to go about deepening my understanding of just how to do this thing. I think I'll tweet him and ask for book recommendations. I would guess it would be from some of the authors he mentioned in his own book. No, not talking about you, Deepak!
Now to do what I never do...I'm going to give the book a SECOND listen.... it's THAT enjoyable and dare I say...enlightening?
UPDATE: I tweeted with Dan Harris who informed me that the “how to” section is only available in print form. However, he directed me to this “how to” link that he posted: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/step-brain-hack-happiness/story?id=22466384
Regardless, I will happily buy the hard copy version as well!
Remember loving this book when I was in 3rd grade.
Now...not so much, but I definitely appreciate it and my daughter loved it.
Got the illustrated version for iPad. Amazing, beautiful book. Great for pre-teens and for those who fell asleep in science class. Chapters in include: Who was the first person? What is the sun? What is a rainbow? Why do bad things happen? What is a miracle? Are we alone? When and how did everything begin? Are we alone?
Ugh! Strange syntax by our hero, characters in blackface, endless and confusing descriptions about sleeper cells, the inner workings of Luna and a computer named Mike, all of which leads up to a revolution which I assume happens. Made it to 40%, but just didn't care enough to find out if they were successful or not. I guess this reader is a harsh reviewer.
Really enjoyed Less Than Zero and The Shards but after reading 1/3 of this one, I just couldn't go any further. The endless descriptions of what everyone was wearing and eating...I just couldn't.
Maybe it's me.
Probably is.
By the way, I'm wearing a Perry Ellis Portfolio slim fit blue checked shirt, Kenneth Cole pants in Onyx Black and black Cole Haan loafers. Glasses by Calvin Klein and watch by Apple.
I Have Some Questions too, like, did this overly long book not have an editor?
Sheesh!
I loved The Great Believers. This? Not so much.
100 pages in I was bored, but decided to give it a chance.
Now I'm 60% done and don't feel any different.
I guess I'm now one book further away from my year end reading goal.
I can live with that.
Not what I expected and what I did read wasn't enough to make me want to finish.
I felt the author was trying to prove he can write a story by using 101 words where just 10 would suffice. I'd find myself reading paragraphs and then have to stop and wonder what is this word salad I am trying to swallow?
As for the story itself:
The White Witch story was probably my favorite.
Then we get to the porn store where the language shifts to some kind of faux Knights of the Roundtable banter.
Then I got to the chapter on some Boy king and I peace'd out.