Read this one with Austin. First Hiassen for kids that I've read. It was good, probably better for slightly older than 9 year olds, although Austin li...moreRead this one with Austin. First Hiassen for kids that I've read. It was good, probably better for slightly older than 9 year olds, although Austin liked it fine, and laughed at some of the situations. Not as outrageously gross or funny as the adult books, but Flush featured a resourceful and brave teenager and his plucky younger sister, as well as some oddball Floridians of various ethical and moral standards. (less)
After reading Moss Hart's memoir, I thought it worthwhile to read the play that he wrote about.
Once in a Lifetime is a cute comedy about NY...moreAfter reading Moss Hart's memoir, I thought it worthwhile to read the play that he wrote about.
Once in a Lifetime is a cute comedy about NY theater types who try to make it in Hollywood. Turns out, nobody knows anything, and people in Hollywood are dumb and shallow.
Tried reading You Can't Take it With You, too, but these plays are unfortunately dated. That said, Once in a Lifetime could be a funny high school production, given the broad characters and jokes.(less)
Obviously popular and very good, dystopian suspense. I read it in one day, if that gives a sense of how compelling it is. That said, if I were to nitp...moreObviously popular and very good, dystopian suspense. I read it in one day, if that gives a sense of how compelling it is. That said, if I were to nitpick, a lot of the world building and plot elements are derivative, and Katniss' cluelessness about her own feelings and about Peeta's feelings are strictly adolescent and got a little tiring for me.(less)
Craig Thompson's art in this book is really gorgeous. The story takes place in an unnamed (and somewhat timeless, mythical, and yes Orientalist) Arab ...moreCraig Thompson's art in this book is really gorgeous. The story takes place in an unnamed (and somewhat timeless, mythical, and yes Orientalist) Arab state and he goes to town not only with the architecture and the settings, but also tesserated backgrounds and Arabic calligraphy.
That said, this is a long book and ultimately I felt the story was there to give him something to draw, but was not in itself that compelling. Dondola is sold into slavery and "adopts" a baby boy named Zam. They manage to escape and grow up together, but are separeted, re-enslaved, raped, mutilated... It's not a good life for them. There are some clever bits, as when Dondola changes water into gold, but ultimately the art shine whereas the story is pretty meh.(less)
Very engaging memoir of the beginning of a Broadway career. I don't know that much about Moss Hart and his career and I still don't. Well, that's not ...moreVery engaging memoir of the beginning of a Broadway career. I don't know that much about Moss Hart and his career and I still don't. Well, that's not true. I now know he's an engaging storyteller who grew up in poverty but had great ambitions in the theater.
How he got his first success is the subject of this book (it's only Act One, after all). There are some funny stories of what Hart had to do as a social director at summer camps for young 20 somethings in the 1920s and 30s.
Overall, great portrait of show biz life in the early 20th century that makes me want to learn more about Hart and his work.(less)
This book turns out to be more about medical ethics than about genetic research. Henrietta Lacks was a poor black woman whose cancer cells were harves...moreThis book turns out to be more about medical ethics than about genetic research. Henrietta Lacks was a poor black woman whose cancer cells were harvested from her at Johns Hopkins. The cells were so robust, they continued to live and divide and provided scientists a line of cell culture to experiment on. However, the family was never told about this research, and when they were, the information they got was beyond their comprehension.
The science story is great and the clash is fascinating -- MDs and PhDs talking with people without GEDs and totally miscommunicating.
I was worried when I heard the book was about the author's research as that sort of metacommentary is very hard to pull off in a credible and entertaining way, but Skloot is a skilled writer and pulls it off.
While reading it, I was a bit uncomfortable about how some fo the subjects were portrayed -- these are people who are in my classes -- but ultimately I think I was more worried about how other readers would react to them than Skloot's treatment of them.
This book fits well with its brethren that sift through psych studies to find cool HBS type case studies and suggestive ways to improve your life. The...moreThis book fits well with its brethren that sift through psych studies to find cool HBS type case studies and suggestive ways to improve your life. The Power of Habit, however, is not particularly new -- this is behavioralism or Skinnerism with a more palatable name. That's not to say it's wrong, but it's not ground-breaking -- do something, get a reward, you'll want to do it again.
The first part of the book describes how habits work, the second gives some case studies and the third suggests ways that habits can be used in social movements. The first section is Psych 101 review. The second part is by far the most interesting. Not so much about insights as to how corporations use our personal habits to help them train employees or predict their customers. The case studies are Alcoa under Paul O'Neill, which reduced its accident rate significantly by inculcating a culture of reportage and instant response. As communication improved, the company's bottom line improved, too. The second example is Starbucks whcih gives extensive training beyond serving coffee to its employees. The third example is Target, which uses data collection to predict shopping habits.
The third section of the book, on social movements, is somewhat reductive. The examples are the Montgomery Bus Boycott and Saddleback Church, both of which have full books written about them, so half a chapter is hardly going to go into any nuance.
Some personal habit takeaways: imagining situations ahead of time can help you react properly when the unexpected happens (Starbucks employees are trained in how to handle irate customers). Making a change within a group, harnesses a kind of peer pressure that encourages you to stick with the change.
I have to admit I was not keen to read this book because I found Morris' blog posts on the NYTimes site kind of tiring to read through. But those same...moreI have to admit I was not keen to read this book because I found Morris' blog posts on the NYTimes site kind of tiring to read through. But those same essays, in book form, are much more engaging and enjoyable. Part of the reason is the design of the book, with illustrations as well placed as an Edward Tufte volume. The readability comes also from the fact that some of the writing is in the form of "dialogue" -- transcripts (edited, presumably) of conversations Morris had with others.
The book is an exploration of photographic mysteries -- a pair of photos from the Crimean war, smiling at Abu Ghraib, a child's toy in Lebanon, among them -- and Morris does a good job of describing what historians, art historians, specifically, do to create history, as well as the limits of that pursuit. Some of his explanations of academic research are rather pedantic for anyone who has engaged in it, but overall, his writing is a lot more readable than 99% of academics.
Given the many illustrations and white space, this is not actually that long a book, but covers a lot of ground entertainingly.(less)
A Spenser book from the mid-1980s. Pretty middling, and the plot depends on previous knowledge of characters, but even middling Parker is better than ...moreA Spenser book from the mid-1980s. Pretty middling, and the plot depends on previous knowledge of characters, but even middling Parker is better than most detective fiction.
A real timecapsule of fashion and attitudes of the time, and I enjoyed not only the regular depictions of the Boston area (including the Ming Garden restaurant, long closed, opposite the Chestnut Hill Mall, whose sign always intrigued me), but also NYC and Portland, ME. Having just spent the weekend there, I was impressed by the geographic specificity and also felt like I could picture how that city looked twenty years ago.(less)
Really enjoyed this, although at 1000+ pages, my wife was not super happy that I would scurry away for hours at a time to read.
Some reviews ...moreReally enjoyed this, although at 1000+ pages, my wife was not super happy that I would scurry away for hours at a time to read.
Some reviews of this book argue that it does not have an overarching theme (like the Baroque Cycle or Cryptonomicon did) but I think that's sort of beside the point. This is an extremely readable thriller with a dozen great characters, many of whom could support their own novel, and filed with dozens of excursions into odd intellectual currents and eddies (eg. all conversations that turn to bears get stuck on bears until the conversation ends -- there is no way to change the subject from bears). There is a certain amount of coincidence to set the plot in motion and even more to have everyone all converge together for the climax but that said, this is one of the more satisfying endings I've read from Stephenson (yes, I'm one of those).
What Stephenson creates is not an alternate present or near future but a wonderful fiction where everyone is competent. There are people who are crazy, but for the most part, the villains, heroes, even the walk-on characters are good at what they do, or more often, good at their job and also good at some odd hobby that ends up being useful. Decisions are made with incomplete information but given what they know, the characters act according to their moral philosophy and general smarts. Maybe that's what makes this a fantasy. It's an appealing one.(less)
This is a great survival story appropriate for kids as well as adults (well, my son is 8).
Brian is stranded in the Canadian wilderness afte...moreThis is a great survival story appropriate for kids as well as adults (well, my son is 8).
Brian is stranded in the Canadian wilderness after a small plane crash and has only a hatchet to help him survive. He builds a shelter, makes fire, and creates tools that help him hunt and keep him alive. But Paulsen stresses that the main thing that gets him through his ordeal is Brian's mental attitude.(less)
Read this soon after Tom Sawyer (both for the first time), so this review is kind of about both of them. I liked this book and felt it had deeper reso...moreRead this soon after Tom Sawyer (both for the first time), so this review is kind of about both of them. I liked this book and felt it had deeper resonance because Huck is a much more soulful and thoughtful character than Tom (despite or perhaps because of his nominal lack of formal education).
That said, I found Tom Sawyer more entertaining on a chapter by chapter basis. I feel like Twain stretched some anecdotes out too long -- I got tired of the Dauphin and Duke very quickly and I felt the penultimate section tormenting Jim in his cell rather than just freeing him was both cruel and totally made me hate Tom.
So: Huck is the better character, and Tom Sawyer the more entertaining book, but perhaps it's ultimately more important for my cultural education to have read Huck.(less)
Story of a black boy raised by natural philosophers around Boston just before and during the Revolution. The story offers interesting information abou...moreStory of a black boy raised by natural philosophers around Boston just before and during the Revolution. The story offers interesting information about slavery in New England and the coarser side of the Enlightenment, but overall, I did not empathize wholly with the boy and I disliked the faux-document style of the writing (faked 18th century journals and letters). But it was okay.(less)
I read this to my 8 year old son. I was surprised at how engaging and funny the book is (although why should...moreNot the edition I read, but...
I read this to my 8 year old son. I was surprised at how engaging and funny the book is (although why should I be, that's Twain's reputation). I guess I was surprised that it held up well for a modern kid. There are some archaic phrasings, and a few uses of the N word, but overall, the tone is clear. The chapters that didn't get a great reception were probably the ones that mocked the pomposity of government and religion; I thought they were funny but the 8 year old didn't (yet).
A quick read of a play about Mark Rothko. Some nice scenes and railing against "the black"; funnier than I expected but ultimately a bit lig...moreA quick read of a play about Mark Rothko. Some nice scenes and railing against "the black"; funnier than I expected but ultimately a bit light. There are details of Abstract Expressionism that are worth discussion but I didn't feel the play had themes that transcended its subject (or rather the themes are so universal as to be banal).
Still, looking forward to seeing a production.(less)
This book is well illustrated and explains the basics of economics, but a lot of it is on the theoretical end of things. For example, it explains why ...moreThis book is well illustrated and explains the basics of economics, but a lot of it is on the theoretical end of things. For example, it explains why supply and demand curves are the same as marginal cost curves, and what Pareto inefficiencies are. Bottom line: I don't care. I was hoping more for a Freakonomics type "real-world" approach. This would be a good supplement to an Econ textbook, but if you're taking the class, why would you need this?(less)
Yes, by THAT Sheila Bair, who recently stepped down as chair of the FDIC. This book is about a girl who wants to buy a doll so she decides to wash car...moreYes, by THAT Sheila Bair, who recently stepped down as chair of the FDIC. This book is about a girl who wants to buy a doll so she decides to wash cars to make money. But she needs to buy supplies so she convinces five friends to invest a dollar each in her business.
Told simply and clearly, this is a neat way for kids to understand basic principles of capitalism. Also, the story is cute.(less)
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