Rachel

Read this a few years ago. I don't remember much about it, but I think I enjoyed it.

This is NOT a bad book, but it's not as easy as others make it out to be.

Most people will pick up a “fairy tale” book because they have kids or want an easy read. Most kids will be bored by this book. Just being honest. The stories are long winded and can take awhile to get to the point. That doesn't mean they are bad. They're actually really enjoyable stories. You just have to be prepared to spend some time reading them.

Now to the point... Wonder Tales is a collection of “fairy” tales told in the french court. They called them “wonder tales” in france because not all stories involved fairies. I actually liked this aspect. I've read numerous “fairy tales” and find the label quit limiting. Folk tales, tall tales, wonder tales, fables.. You get the picture. The labels just depend on the region.

These wonder tales are a blend of famous fairy tale tropes. Enchantments, hidden identities, strange bridegrooms/bedfellows, curses, etc. Each carries out a little aspect of french society. It's easy to imagine a group of people spending the afternoon together reciting one of these stories. The stories would be enjoyable to both fairy tale enthusiasts and history buffs. But again, I do think children will be bored by these stories. There are also some elements that parents may not want their children exposed to. For those reasons, I would recommend the book to anyone 14+.

Solid 4.5

That was a good story through and through. We meet Dream's sister Delyrium, and his long lost brother Destruction. Dream is softening. He is growing a heart and soul. Or maybe now it's just coming to the forefront. Regardless, it was a refreshing change. I also enjoyed how it gave closure to another revolving character.

*Audiobook Review

Appears I'm in the minority here. Let me start off with this: World war II was brutal, and this book covers a very important topic. It is a solemn reminder that non-jews were also affected and persecuted. In this case, it focuses on the Lithuanian people.

So why two stars?
- Audiobook narration. Oh god... where do I start? It was like Barbie narrating the holocaust. There was too much bubbly personality shining through. It was great for the flashback scenes, but completely took me out of their suffering. Made it sound like they were at a summer camp.
- Cliche love interest, hold heroine, artistic, misunderstood enemy, etc. Honestly, felt like the publisher made her include these to qualify as a YA novel. I enjoyed the non YA cliche moments.
- Ridiculous main character. She was outspoken, made brash decisions, stole, fought back. Maybe some real prisoners where like that, but I expect she'd have been shot the first time she spoke out.
- unrealistic. A man with a broken leg survives, while women are murdered for sobbing. Yes, it's eventually explained, but it was far fetched.

Was there any good?
Yes!
- suffering. There were some incredibly heartbreaking scenes. They reminded me of classics like Schindler's List, and The Pianist. I thought they were very strong images that young readers should be more aware of.
- theme/plot/story. The story was strong. I didn't know about the Lithuanian tragedy before this book. I applaud it for brining attention to their suffering.


Overall, The topic was incredibly important, but the YA stereotypes cheapened the story. The audiobook narration was way too bubbly and ruined the book. I know I would have enjoyed it more if I had read it in regular book format.

Love me some scooby doo. This book was creative with some great illustrations, but the story was mediocre. There are stronger ones out there.

I love these collections. They're chock full of nostalgia.

This was a good collection. I didn't know most of the additional characters yet was still able to follow along easily. Harley's was my favorite.

I'm amazed how many fairy tales/folk tales/wonder stories there are in this world.

First of all, the description of this book gives the wrong impression. Bee: The Princess of the Dwarves is the tale of two children. They grow up together as brother and sister. One day, they sneak away from their guards/nannies/whatever you want to call them. George is abducted by some water sprites, while Bee is “rescued”/abducted by the Dwarves. The story mainly focuses on Bee, but also circles back to George. Even without seeing each other for 6-7 years, they develop this unrivaled desire/passion/love for the other. Considering they grew up as siblings, it's a bit bizare. Plus, the passion seems to come out of nowhere.

I did find the story original and cute. It's a fast read. The style reminded me of The Princess and the Goblin and The Princess and Curdie by George Macdonald.

2.25 stars

Well, that was disappointing.

Let me sum up the positives:
- imaginative and original
- beautiful imagery/descriptive settings
- nice illustrations

Now the negatives:
- too fast. One minute they're in Egypt, next they're in Greece or France or Mexico. It was so rushed
- too many kids, and no character development ( I get it, it's a short story/kids book), but seriously who were these kids!? There was Tom, but what made him special
- Sorry, but why should I care that Pipkin goes missing? Would have loved a little more at the beginning to find a reason to care about the characters
- What the hell was going on? Reincarnation? Are we to believe that even stone figures have emotions and feelings?
- too short.

Overall:
This was a very imaginative story. I loved the idea of it, but was disappointed in the execution. I had to force myself to finish it. I heard there's an animated movie/tv special based on this book. I think it would work better in that format. I'm excited to watch that ( and hopeful it's better).

tldr: great idea, poor execution.

3.75

Daymond John is a successful entrepreneur on the ABC show Shark Tank. When I picked up the book, that's all I knew about him. I didn't even know how he became successful, what his business was, nothing. I just knew he had a lot of money, dressed nice, and got even more money by being on tv and investing in more companies.

So why did I get this book? It's simple, my boyfriend was interested in reading it. I don't think I'd have picked it up otherwise. While flipping through it I saw it was filled with names of other famous people. Most I didn't know, but a few I did recognize. That was enough to get me reading.

The writing itself is like a conversation between two people. Some people will hate the format, others will love it. It all depends what you're looking for. If you're looking for a quick book with a how to guide inside, then you've picked up the wrong one. If you're looking for a little pep talk, then you've found it. Personally, I enjoyed it. The majority of the book is dedicated to the success stories of other entrepreneurs. Social media stars, fashion moguls, child stars, musicians, etc. There's an example for almost every career. The people faced a challenge and found a way to make it work. They had to get creative, and they worked their asses off, but they did it.

The book is not a book to binge. It's much better in small reading segments. The stories are a great pep talk for when you're struggling in your own career or business. I did take some good advice and insights out of it.

I can't say it's worth the $13 price tag. I'd say $5 is more accurate. I borrowed my copy from the library. Because I didn't have any money invested in the book, I enjoyed it. If I had bought the book I'd have been disappointed.

I was surprised by this. I didn't expect an actress to have such a real, personable look on life.

When it Happens To You is a story made up of smaller stories. It's like He's Just Not That into You, New Years Eve, etc. You're introduced to various characters and stories, then they're slowly woven together. I personally thought the stories were stronger separately, but enjoyed the final combination. It's a good reminder that everyone has problems and is dealing with something, AND that our actions can greatly impact others.

I found the stories moving and the writing wonderful. I could connect to each character and visualize each setting. I also enjoyed Molly Ringwald's narration of her book. It was simplistic and enjoyable. One of the better author narrations I've listened to.

I listened to the One Voice Recordings audiobook narrated by David Ian Davies.

Narration: incredibly flat. Occasionally Davies would raise his voice, but shouting doesn't help with emphasis. It's just frustrates the listener.

Yes, I've heard the Charles Dance one is great, but BBC took it down. I couldn't find it anywhere else.

Story: from what I could follow, this was a good short story. A bookseller cheats old widows out of money. But now the jig is up.

I'll keep an eye out for the BBC version. I'd like to reread this. I suspect it'd garner a higher rating.

2.5 stars (audiobook version)

It's difficult to rate this.

Plot summary: young girl has a crush on the local boy. Local boy loves her sister, not her. Young girl witnesses a crime. In her frustration/anger she blames her crush. Their lives are forever altered.

Positives:
- I enjoyed the writing and thought it was well done. The descriptions were marvelous and really set the tone.
- the POV of a teenage girl. I was surprised how well done this was. Especially considering it was written by a man
- the moral: Our actions carry great consequences. Jealousy and lies have the opportunity to destroy entire lives.

Negatives:
-Timelines. Having seen the movie first, I knew what was going to happen. Even so, I found some parts confusing as the timeline jumped around.
-Length. The book drags. Entire paragraphs devoted to things of little importance. More than once I thought “ok, where is this going?” and nothing would become of it.


Neutral:
- “The book is much better than the movie!”- Was it? I picked up this book because I expected there to be vast changes that didn't make the film. I didn't see much difference at all. In fact, I felt like the movie followed the book to a T. Yes, in the book the reader can get inside Bryony's head, but the film had some wonderful visuals and music to accompany the story.

This is a top notch coffee table book. Whether you're looking for a solid read on animation, or solely interested in the images, there's plenty of both.

I really enjoyed the behind the scenes images from Disney Studio as well as the various storyboards. The art and styling is a delight. Even though they're rough sketches, you can feel the character's movement. They nearly jump off the page. The imagery itself gets 5 stars.

The story (wording) was a little bogged down. Text parts of this book delve through individual biographies and paint Disney studios on this golden pedestal. Yes, they are a renowned company and have made a drastic impact on both films, stories, and every day life. But they are not the only storyboard studio, nor the only animation studio. I took most of the wording with a grain of salt. Eventually I gave up on the wording (something it appears many other readers also did), and focused solely on the imagery. The imagery is the real selling point, but there's enough wording to keep a person occupied while they're waiting for something.

2.5 stars

This does have some valid points, but this book is becoming outdated. The book itself is short and doesn't take more than an hour to read. I did take away some things from the book examples, but what worked 24 years ago doesn't necessarily work today.

In summary: has some good examples, but shouldn't be your only source of knowledge in marketing.

At times it was 2 stars, other times it was 4 stars. rounding it to 3.

First, I see the historical significance of this book. War is brutal, unforgiving and cruel. World War I was especially harsh. So was society. The men went off to fight a terrible war, while the women fought their own battles back home.

The Return of the Soldier focuses on 3 women. They are the wife, cousin, and ex-lover of a soldier. The cousin and wife live together while the soldier is away. Suddenly a woman shows up claiming she received a telegraph from the soldier. He's wounded and is suffering from memory loss, but remembers this ex-love. The rest of the story follows the women as they interact with each other and the soldier (his name is Chris). Overall I found the story to be heartbreaking. It is a difficult topic, and a sad reminder of what really happened. The writing was more of a challenge. It would fluctuate between third person description and first person dialogue. Some parts were eloquently written, but other times it was hard to follow.

I do think this is an important read. Yes, there may be better books now, but it is good for it's age. I did expect a little more on the ending.

Reviewing the audiobook version.

I thought this was really cute. Jason Segel did an excellent job reading his book. He provided a range of voices for each character (which made it easy to follow) and it was obvious he was having a great time reading it. It carried through into the story.

The story itself was good. I can't say it stood out in any way, but it was cute, fun, and meaningful. I'd describe is as a combination of: A Monster Calls, The Book of Lost Things, R.L. Stein, and The Princess and the Goblin. I think kids will enjoy this book. If you get the chance, listen to the audiobook. It really was one of the best narrations I've heard.

This volume really dragged. The stories were completely random and lacked any depth. It jumped around to various pieces of history with little reason. I got the impression that Gaiman's editor said “We need another comic NOW!” to which Gaiman replied “damn. idk yet how I want to procede with the story. Let me open this history book to a random page, pick a character's name (or event), summarize the character and/or the event, then briefly add in some of the main characters in the last 2 pages of each issue.”

Filled with facts and stories from the golden age of piracy, Pirate Hunters was hard to put down. It was fascinating. Then around the halfway point the book turned away from pirates. Instead it focused on the personal lives and back stories of the main divers. While interesting, it added very little to the story.

Eventually the story circles back for the search, but the journey is short lived. It's hampered with more drama than a teenage movie. It grew boring. It took a solid 4 star book down to a 2. I had to force myself through the second half.

Some interesting takeaways:
Diving is incredibly dangerous. Youth doesn't make you safe.
Wreck diving is also incredibly dangerous.

Pirates didn't bury their treasure, they spent it and lived a life of freedom
Hollywood's portrayal of pirates is mostly incorrect.

Wow. Easily one of my top 5 books from 2017.

The Lost City of the Monkey God is about the expedition and the men who “discovered” the lost Ciudad Blanco. I put discovered in brackets because (as the book states) many native Hondurans already knew the location of the city. These natives generally avoided the area due to a curse on the city.

I don't want to give away too much, but readers should be aware that this is about more than just the city. It's about new technology, history, political upheavals, friendships, dangers, discovery and disease. When I picked this up, I expected something along the lines of The Lost City of Z (A book I eventually shelved as a DNF). Z focused on two parallel storylines, one in modern day and one of an ancient expedition. It asked question after question, yet never answered them. Monkey God asks questions and gives answers. It reiterates the perils, and also the beauty of the rainforest. It reminds us of the cultures that have come before us and how quickly mother nature can erase our existence. It is truly an excellent book.

I enjoyed this book. I've been reading (at least attempting) multiple other investing books. They start off good, but quickly become too technical. This book is much simpler. It's like having a handy Q & A book on what to do. It wont tell you everything, but it is a nice introduction to investing. It gives you a sense of the concepts and the whys behind each action.

If you're looking for a serious and thorough how-to guide, this isn't it. If you're clueless about investing and need a place to start, then this is a good book for you.

I do recommend taking the book slowly. This way you have time to absorb each of the chapters. And keep it handy for reference. There are some concepts that kept going over my head. I'm already planning to re-read this to fully understand the concepts.

Well that was a dud. I thought it had been written in the early 2000s when everyone was fascinated with dual timelines, old letters and lost loves. Then I could have forgiven it. Instead it was written in 2015. That means it had over a decade to read all the other identical stories before being written. If you like the premise, just watch Letters to Juliet with Amanda Seyfried. It's a very similar plot and you can finish it in just under 2 hours.

DNF at 25%.

This book is like a college paper. You have to write a certain number of pages but don't have enough material. You start to add unnecessary words just to make your page count. You ramble. You pull in random unrelated topics. You add fancy words to make it sound impressive.

That is this book. “I love gosshawks. Gosshawks** are beautiful. Gosshawks love to soar. They are hard to train. I collect books on gosshawks. T.H. White wrote a book on gosshawks. He was a sad confused man. Here's his whole life story. I'm including all of that to make my page count. He didn't know what he was doing with a hawk. I love gosshawks.... “ you get the point.

Yes, I see it's the author's way of coping over the loss of her father. I hope writing the book helped her get through it. Maybe she pulled herself free by the end of the book. This was just not the book for me.

** I listened to the audiobook version, so I'm uncertain of the true spelling of gosshawk. The audiobook narrator did a wonderful job. It was only due to her reading that I made it as far as I did.

The illustrations are beautiful. Absolutely 5 stars. (though some of the proportions were off on the mermaids)

The story itself was clever. I thought it could be cleaned up just a little bit. The wording seemed too advanced for preschool/early gradeschool. I would have preferred 2-3 more pages. Why is there SO MUCH sea glass? Have the mermaids cried that much? What about the mermaid who was too young to help? Could she have helped?

I good book for those intersted in content strategy and wondering what it's all about. it's a bit outdated now. I've heard she's working on a new edition. I'm looking forward to that.

Yeah. Don't think this one should have been published. Didn't have the same charm as the other Dr Seuss books. Felt incomplete and left with a cliffhanger ending. Rhymes were unoriginal and he rhymed many of the same words over and over. Shame cause it could have been cute.