Katie

This was a fun read. I wasn't too sure how I felt about the surprise at the end, but it more or less worked.

You wouldn't think a book where a woman basically describes the same thing over and over (driving, setting up camp, etc.) would be interesting but I just love Barb Thacker's books. #lifegoals!

This was probably. 3.5 for me. I read it as my “emergency book on my phone when I'm waiting” book, so it took me months to finish. That's probably part of the reason I didn't feel too close to any of the characters. The ending felt rushed, and it was hard to keep track of all the generations in the past.

3.5 for me. I love Curtis Sittenfeld, but this book had a sort of detached feeling to it that made it less compelling.

This was an interesting book, but I couldn't quite grasp what it was. There were touches of memoir. Lots of more traditional scholarly writing. And then all the times when the author was drinking, doing drugs, and partying with his subjects, seeming to get pretty drawn into their worlds. I guess this is why he was able to connect so well with them and learn about their lives, but at times the juxtaposition between his more and less formal actions and writing felt jarring.

Wow. This was a great exploration of some of the most prevalent ideas about motherhood in American society and the “science” behind them. Who knew attachment theory was such bunk? I loved the way the discussion of the studies was mixed with the author's personal experiences. It worked very well.

I finally gave up about 70% through. It wasn't the gore, though there was plenty of that, I just couldn't read “I picked up my camera and framed...” one more time.

This could have been one of those cram-in-every-issue books, but it was long enough that nothing felt crammed and everything felt genuine. The characters were messy in a way that they often don't have space to be in YA books. I enjoyed the different eras, and the way everything came together in the end.

I loved the way this book was written–even though there were plenty of sad/tragic events, you never felt like all hope was lost, and you sort of laughed along with the main characters throughout. The soil/farming issues she raises are important ones, but they felt a bit forced into the story to me.

I'm torn about this book. On the one hand, it is almost impossible to find information for women athletes in this phase of life. On the other hand, the thing I really wanted to know–what to do when–is covered in half a page. As always, there are some contradictions, too, that make it hard to follow the advice (like, all of your beverages should be water. Later, drinking water dehydrates you so be sure to put a hydration solution in your water even when you're not exercising. Or, eat 30-40 grams of protein after a workout. Later, it's easy to get the protein you need after workout–try a slice of whole grain bread with nut butter. And another one. Tabata workouts are the best kind of workout. Do 20 seconds hard 10 seconds easy and repeat eight times. A great way to do tabata workouts is to run up a hill and then walk down. Obviously this gives you way more rest time than work time which is the opposite of the tabata workout she just laid out.)

This was a perfectly fine book. It was just such a white woman book that I couldn't 100% enjoy it. And I say this as a white woman.

This was an interesting book, I guess, but it was rough going and the format was a little strange (two first person narrators, at times). The author drinks a lot–to the point where I cringed at every (frequent) mention of what and how much he was drinking.

Well, this book was a ton of fun, and now I want to go to a neuroscience conference just to hang out with the author and talk bands. It was written in a way that made it easy for the lay-person to understand what he was talking about, and included good examples, anecdotes, and jokes that helped me to learn.

This is the kind of book that you immediately want to talk to someone else about. What did I just read? What did it mean? I enjoyed it a lot in the beginning and a little bit less in the end, but it was still a great read. Sibylla would hate this review.

Maybe 4.5? I love Kate Atkinson and I love Jackson Brodie et. al. This might have veered towards the silly, but I really enjoyed it.

This was probably a 3.5 for me. I've read a lot of Everest books and this one gave good background for what goes on behind the scenes. There were a lot of names, and some chapters felt more like lists than like stories, but it was still interesting.

Whelp, I thought this was going to be the end of the series, but obviously not! As always, it was pretty blood-soaked, but I do love the characters and will keep going along wherever their stories take me.

I listened to this read by the author and it was so great! Robyn Hitchcock is smart, funny, self-aware, creative, and a fantastic writer. The idea of memoir focused on just one year (plus a bit more) in someone's life might sound strange, but he really makes it work. Though I'd like to know more about the rest of his life, I so enjoyed being immersed in his 1967.

I enjoyed the mix of personal stories (about grief, but more than that, too), thoughts and observations about art, and details about what it's like to work at a museum I love.

This was extremely well-written, and not too maudlin or cheesy or hysterical. You definitely feel her emotion, but she has enough distance from it to write clearly and well about an extremely difficult time.

This book seemed interested in cramming too many social issues into one story. It was an interesting perspective and had some good things to think about but felt a little bit forced

I gave up on this book with 10 pages left. I just couldn't anymore. It was so depressing. Also, pretty over the top, and a little misleading in places, though I'm sure things really are as bad as he says. (Sample misleading sentence: “XX percentage of people's diet comes from fish, with the percentage even higher in costal areas.” Well, duh. And lower in non-costal areas!)

I've read a lot about attachment theory but this was hands-down the best explanation I've seen. Highly recommend this book even if you are not poly. There are great recommendations on how to improve your attachment and become more secure in all aspects of relationships–especially with yourself.

This was funny, inspiring, and so interesting. There were a few times where the language or metaphors got a little too flowery for me, but on the whole it was a great read. I hope they're making a movie, because I kept having to stop to go look at photos, maps, etc., but it wasn't enough.

This was a huge amount of fun. A great premise, and really well thought-out.