jess
This book starts moving right away in a well developed world and with characters that you already care about.
Ultimately, this story is following the characters to see if the people can unite to save the world as they know it.
I was impressed with how this closed out. Absolutely a good adventure. I recommend this series for folks who love fantasy novels.
This continuation of the Book of Ember covers the attempt to assimilate into the surface world.
It was interesting to picture the world and see it fresh from an Ember perspective. However, much of the story felt missing. There is so much that Jeanne has created in this world, and I think I just want more of it to show up in the stories. Perhaps because the book is meant to be a simple quick read for children. I am not sure.
A cute story about the power of imagination and curiosity.
This story will delight elementary students on up. The challenges are unique to the world but are also timeless. There are so many opportunities for discussion - on the value of science, libraries, sharing, etc.
Notes: strong young female protagonist, hardship, poorly behaving civic leaders
There is so much tension in this story. Many of our favorite characters from the series have big things happen to them – both good and bad.
I truly enjoyed the expansion on the world in this second book - we get more mythology, more landscape, more history. Our characters become deeper.
This book ends essentially with a semi-colon for book 3. I dunno if anyone could stop at the end of this book.
Imagine a world where humans had animal spirts and could shift between their animal and human form with nothing more than a thought.
Now, imagine the people express and share the characteristics of their animal spirits.
Add in some intrigue, some existential threat, rebellious teenagers, misinformation, and ancient history.
Mix.
This story is beautiful, exciting, and refreshingly different.
Edit (after second read)
I reread this book in 2020. What a delight. Enough time had gone by that I had forgotten most of the plot twists and could enjoy them again. Truly a delightful story. Take a step into the Warbreaker realm.
**Edit (a few hours after the first review): No Warbreaker#2 :( This book was written in 2009. I thought for sure there would be a #2 by 2016, but I was wrong. It even has reviews on goodreads as “Nightblood”. Turns out that I should read Sanderson's blog more often because he warned us! On the “State of Sanderson 2015” he says that Warbreaker 2 is basically not happening until Elantris is finished and it was a tertiary book (tertiary!!) in priority.I love Sanderson's stories, but I'm starting to think that I need to walk away for about a decade and then try to find them again. Maybe then he will have finished at least one of the series that I've started reading.*****
I opened this one and then didn't have time to start it right away. I am glad I was able to give it some attention. This story has all the trappings - adventure, conflicted characters, plot twists, and a new mythology.
There are a couple of strong female characters, so it would be a great pick for girls who like the genre but often only see male heroes. Not too much realistic violence or other things to keep limit the audience to adults. I'd probably not recommend it to anyone under 13ish anyways because the plot twists may be lost on those without some understanding of governance and policy.
Onward to Warbreaker 2!
Masha draws a powerful connection between historical autocracies and events playing out in near real time/recent history in the United States.
With her background and focus, the narrative is compelling.
I would have liked more clarity on the examples, perhaps with timelines. However, the narrative as given is worth a read. It is incredibly quick to read.
What an exciting sequel.
I did not expect some of the things that Hank set out in the world in this book.
There are layers upon layers of how my mind was interpreting this book after I would set it down. Still now, writing this review months later, I can feel it. The characters grapple with big, big life questions in different ways. While we may not, yet, have Carl influencing our world, we do have the power to change our own stories. Yes, those stories are now influenced by the lightning-fast pace of communication and potential for massive communication for good or ill, but they are our stories nonetheless.
I don't think this book would make sense without reading An Absolutely Remarkable Thing.
These books are very on brand for Hank Green - a little technology and science, a little quirky, and a whole lot of optimism.
At this point, you have to know what is happening with the characters.
I am not super into the awkward romance setup in this series, but I do like the political intrigue, adventure, and the world.
This book goes by fast, but it leaves everything unfinished. The ending is not so much an ending as a pause. You have to read the next book.
wow. David Daley draws a painfully critical narrative on the reality of gerrymandering in historic and much more recent history in the United States.
I first heard about this book on the Politically Re-Active podcast with W. Kamau Bell and Hari Kondabolu when they interviewed the author. It immediately hit my “to read” pile. And there it stayed because it seemed to never be available from my library. I finally picked it up on my own.
This book is worth a listen or read. It covers so much about what political districts mean for us and for our government. Maybe if my district is designed to only include people who are like me in almost every way, I will find representatives that I agree with on many issues. However, history shows that the representatives will come to more and more reflect extreme views within those who are like me. Views that mean the very next street over might have nearly the opposite approach. We'd probably all be better off if the representatives needed to be closer to the middle (most of us are fairly moderate).
My explanations are not nearly as compelling as the author's narrative.
Interesting focus on how we spend our time - Laura provides a glimpse into the choices we make and (mis)perceptions we have about where our time goes. She compels the reader to figure out where their time is really going, and separately identify what really matters. The challenge then is to do more of what matters and lose as much of the rest as possible.
I had the audiobook, but I think it would be better with the physical book. There are several exercises to engage you in really thinking about how and what you do and want to do at work. Most of the book imagines you can steer your way to an ideal work description within the bounds of your current role or at least without quitting. The advice is clear and easy to follow. I enjoyed the book.
The book is on three sections - the first two talk about history and describe regions of the world. The last is the largest and focuses on challenges with our international connectedness. The third section is interesting, inspiring, and a little bit scary. It ends with a long list of suggested further reading - something I always enjoy. So far, I like the daily updates from the Council on Foreign Relations .
Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
by Daniel Pink
What motivates us? Really?
In reading this book, I'm struck by how damn good at conforming I -am- was. As a kid, I quickly grasped the whole - it doesn't matter if it makes sense, just that you do what the teacher/parent/coach/etc wants when they ask. I was super good at school and giving the ‘right' answer even when it was ‘not-exactly-right'. I went on to try to get my kids to follow the whole do A to get B formula. All of this is exactly in line with the thinking BEFORE I was born, entrenched in the systems of adults to this day. Except, in some places. That thinking was that people are like “smaller, slower horses, responding to juicy carrots and painful sticks” (paraphrasing). Thinking this way leads teachers to ply students with good reader awards after x hours of reading, managers to give cash bonuses if you meet the target, and all kinds of other short-term simple minded rewards that change our why. When you are offered a reward, the why is no longer in your heart...it is the reward. There are countless examples in the book.
The stories in DRIVE show us that these reward structures make us less good versions of ourselves. Thankfully, Daniel finds research that shows our minds are moldable (like you may have read in The Shallows by Nicholas Carr). This is the single biggest takeaway from DRIVE, I think - that you can, personally, change your life such that you are working in line with intrinsic (BETTER) motivation like we are wired from birth. He uses the example of babies and toddlers and how they don't need rewards to be curious and busy - they get inner pleasure from actively engaging in their world. Only after we beat our growing and developing selves into automatons with gold stars, right answers, candy, trophies, certificates, etc... do we become slave to external rewards. I also learned that I misunderstood Type A - I am indeed not Type A, yay! but I do have trouble relaxing control of things that I have finished.
I have read several of the scientific studies cited in this book AND I must have a type because I have also read countless books that reference those same studies - mostly about psychology and behavior related in some fashion to economics. I don't mind getting the info again - honestly, that is how I think learning happens, in layers. That being said , there is a lot of material, but Daniel is pulling it all together in a frank and digestible fashion. Thankfully, at the end of the book, Daniel gives a summary of the book, a long list of recommendations for further reading (summarizing each book and giving the reason why it is applicable to his thesis), and a list of questions for further reading. There's also a set of activities for improving the reader's own intrinsic motivation.
I enjoyed this book - perhaps more so because I listened to it right after I finished When (same author). Since the books are both read by the author, the voice is familiar. I dunno about you, but sometimes the narrator gets between me and the content.
Recommended for adult readers - I think middle grades on up could read it, but there are so many references to work life ... and I just don't see kids with the same interest in what drives motivation...or the life history to have seen motivation gone wrong and ‘get' the examples.
Planned to listen? I played this on 2X on Libby and finished it in less than 3 hours.
I listened to this book running > 19 miles on a random Sunday morning for no reason at all, so I am feeling a little smug that I must have some kind of intrinsic motivation. I'm, like 80%. :)
Audiobook Review: When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing by Daniel Pink
When is a book about how timing of things (during the day, during a project, during a season, during any period) matters. Daniel highlights - with short, engaging narratives, a number of interesting findings from research on time. He argues that “when” may need to have a more prominent place in our minds next to “what”.
I found a number of useful takeaways from this book: schedule medical procedures in the morning, don't go to a teaching hospital in the summer, write letters to future you (they will be more meaningful than you expect), schedule actual breaks (no work) ideally with nature, movement, and possibly other people, try a restart if something is not working (pick a day, make it meaningful, start again).
I'm in the process of tracking down the books he recommends for further reading. He says the Roenneberg one is hands down the best reference for chronotypes. I'm pretty sure that the Currey one will not make for good audio because I've seen some images from it - that's a book for paper.
- Laura Venderkam, 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think
- Robert V. Levine, A Geography of Time: Temporal Misadventures of a Social Psychologist
- Mason Currey (ed.), Daily Rituals: How Artists Work
- Till Roenneberg, Internal Time: Chronotypes, Social Jet Lag, and Why You're So Tired
- Edward T. Hall, The Dance of Life: The Other Dimension of Time
- Alan Burdick, Why Time Flies: A Mostly Scientific Investigation
Planning to listen? This book runs just over 5 hours on regular time. I listened to it on 2.8X speed on Libby over two runs.
Our lives are made of stuff...well, in our relationship to stuff.
This very approachable book gives a quick glimpse into some of the stuff that is most prevalent (and largely accepted as background) for modern humans. He helps to connect the dots between the culture and the science with narrative story. Parts of the narrative made me reconsider my own relationship with materials - for example, why do we not celebrate glass and concrete more often? with more exuberance?
I loved Mark's relatable tone - I can see myself in young Mark's lack of interest in the museums, in his fascination with the possibility of a bionic replacement for his broken leg. I can only be thankful that he was taken with a fascination with steel after a traumatic childhood incident, ultimately leading to his study of material science.
As a reader, you know stories have power. Kwame Mbalia gives a refreshing take on that power in this story. This story is about the power of story, sure, but also the power of cooperation, compassion, honesty, and self- confidence.
As a bonus, the underlying myths and legends are African American folk tales that I have not seen in very many other stories.
Great stuff. Would be nice to read out loud to younger kids or put in the hands of middle grades and beyond.
This series was fun and intriguing. Some character development...some worldbuilding. Lots of room is left for the reader to imagine and fan fiction writers to fill in. There are hundreds of years of history with complex political and moral challenges. Without giving out any spoilers it is hard to say what happens - only that Kelsey does find a way to avoid destruction of her kingdom as she knows it. Her method was a bit of a surprise, and the ending is one I did not expect.
Not all neat and tidy, the series tells a good story - where you can get lost in the promise of a better world.
Fascinating bit of historical drama.
There is so much in here regarding national positioning, personal relationships, science, and even baseball.
Be ready to be surprised by the characters... be shocked by the names you recognize for something other than espionage... and be saddened for personal hurts that can never be recovered.
It's a fast-paced and shocking sort of book. And you thought war was just battles. This is on par with Monuments Men for highlighting the efforts taken to address something beyond the battle.
