I skimmed over this book. I could tell that the author certainly knew his stuff, but I wasn't that interested in the nitty-gritty details of bicycle p...moreI skimmed over this book. I could tell that the author certainly knew his stuff, but I wasn't that interested in the nitty-gritty details of bicycle parts or the physics involved. Great book if you want to know everything there is to know about bicycles, a bit too much to wade through for a beginning rider who just wants some tips on what to look for in a basic bike, how to tell if it's adjusted properly, etc. The writing was so-so--I found some typos. My favorite part was the historical information.(less)
It jumps around a lot and is dated ("E-Mail is the latest craze to sweep through the computer world" p. 122), but it's a good introduction t...moreIt jumps around a lot and is dated ("E-Mail is the latest craze to sweep through the computer world" p. 122), but it's a good introduction to what sorts of genealogical records are available in different countries. The pictures are pretty, but kind of random.
I was disappointed that in the small section on Jewish genealogy, there was no mention of the Holocaust--a Jewish co-worker once told me that a lot of Jewish people find it impossible to go very far back in their genealogy if their recent ancestors were victims of the Holocaust. That seems like something that would have been worth mentioning!(less)
This book filled in a lot of knowledge gaps for me between nutrition facts that I sort of knew before, such as that people need plenty of serotonin an...moreThis book filled in a lot of knowledge gaps for me between nutrition facts that I sort of knew before, such as that people need plenty of serotonin and other neurotransmitters to maintain a good mood and that low-calorie diets usually backfire. I've tried some of the recommended eating patterns (less sugar, less refined flour, more protein, not worrying about fat) and I do seem to be feeling better. Hubby made me steak with vegetables and potatoes last night and I woke up this morning feeling more alert (after the first few minutes in the dark) and with a better appetite than I have in a while. Normally I would eat more wheat noodles or bread and less meat. In addition, after eating spinach and cheese omelets for breakfast for a few days, we went to a church potluck on Sunday and I was not tempted AT ALL to eat any of the desserts. I felt totally satisfied and my body hasn't been craving sugar like it sometimes would, although I haven't really been a sugar junkie for a long time--more of a wheat flour junkie.
That said, I do want to investigate the claim that eating tons of saturated fat is good for you. It sounds awesome, but it's difficult for me to shed the idea that saturated fat is evil. I also have not tried any of Ross' advice on supplements, which is mostly what this book is about (her food advice is apparently more fleshed out (haha) in The Diet Cure). I frequently feel like I have low energy, am unmotivated, lack enthusiasm, and sometimes can't stay focused. Vitamin D has helped me in the past and I'm still taking it, but I may try some of Ross' suggestions for low-serotonin-sufferers such as taking a 5-HTP supplement. I've also never taken Omega-3 fish oil supplements and I don't eat much seafood, so that's another consideration.
Overall, I found the structure of the book kind of confusing and overwhelming. When I'm reading this kind of thing, I really prefer more of a list-type format for things to try. Granted, I read the whole book through, and it seems like instead it's more meant for the reader to jump around in. There were some lists like the Master Supplement Plan that the reader could use to figure out what they would try and in what order, but I would have liked to have seen a master list of the bare bones content of everything she talked about in the book--more like an outline of what to try if you have which symptoms, in what dosage and how many times per day and WHAT time, in what order, and what to be cautious about right there on the chart. So, I may try some of the simpler, more harmless solutions and see what happens to me, but if I decide to go any further with it (which I probably won't because I don't have tons of time and money to devote to it), I would want to see a naturopath or a nutritionist.(less)
**spoiler alert** I was happy with this ending to the series--the Kings find Mom, kick Taksidian and Phemus back into the portals where they belonged,...more**spoiler alert** I was happy with this ending to the series--the Kings find Mom, kick Taksidian and Phemus back into the portals where they belonged, and accept their destiny as gatekeepers of Time.
Not sure what kind of theory about time travel Liparulo was operating under... I can understand going back to fix the past and then having the present change because of what you've done, but in this book past-Jesse meets a future Xander who tells him David has been stabbed and killed by Taksidian. The Kings spend the rest of the book, more or less, trying to make sure that doesn't happen. It makes for a better plotted, much more engaging book than the last one, but I wasn't sure how that would work. If Xander in the "David Dies Timeline" went back to warn Jesse, then David would never have died in any of the timelines, creating a paradox. David never would have died, which means Xander never would have gone back to warn Jesse, which means David actually would have died, and so on. A feedback loop in time. Similarly, if the series continues and the Kings eventually change the far future so that human civilization isn't destroyed, then why were they able to see the bad future at all in the first place? Liparulo must be working off of some kind of theory that as far as the present is concerned, the future hasn't happened yet and can still be changed--but that only makes sense in a linear timeline, not one in which any event at any point affects any other event, like the ring described in the book When You Reach Me (very cool book, btw--time travel totally made sense in that one to me).
Also, the characters journey to the time of Christ and meet Jesus, who heals them of all their injuries... convenient for the plot, but pretty cool, and some of the most moving writing the author has been able to put together. The Dad had one of the most coherent explanations of what Jesus did that I'd ever read, as to why he would allow himself to be killed so horribly: "Because he loves you ... And this is the price he's willing to pay to make sure you know that." The doctrine of penal substitutionary atonement has never really made sense to me, but that does. Love is really pretty simple.
I finally got the action I wanted out of this series with the women kicking ass and taking names. Once Mom is rescued, she proves to be quite adept at protecting her children. You don't mess with a Mom. Now I forgive you, Mr. Liparulo.
But I don't forgive you for all of the nonsense in the last book. In the back of this final volume is an interview in which the author explains that even though Dad and Toria didn't find out anything about Atlantis that Xander and David weren't already learning, he justifies it by saying basically, "but they didn't know that and so it makes sense for them to have taken the trip to see the linguist, because that's what their characters would do." That may be true, but most authors don't write scenes of characters gardening, watching TV, or sitting on the crapper either if it has no ultimate impact on the characters' growth or the book's plot. It's a waste of the reader's time to include redundant information. At least admit that it was a plot device to get Dad and Toria out of the house.
Overall, good series. It probably could have been compressed into fewer books, but then the author couldn't have had that contest for kids to send in new locations for the Kings to go to. It's all about the marketing. I have to say, though, that the man can write a thriller. As soon as I read that first scene of Xander covered in David's blood screaming about how he was dead, I stayed up late and went at least a hundred pages further just to find out how it happened and if they could stop it.
It's a very fun read, just don't expect it to be too realistic. Invest a week in it if you need a mental break.(less)
**spoiler alert** Another installment of the Dreamhouse Kings series. This book was still fast-paced as the others, but seemed a lot more random and u...more**spoiler alert** Another installment of the Dreamhouse Kings series. This book was still fast-paced as the others, but seemed a lot more random and unnecessary to the overall story. After following Taksidian to his house, David, Xander, and Dad don't really learn anything important there other than that Taksidian keeps a bunch of information on them, which we could have guessed anyway, and that he obtains gruesome trophies from his victims, which is creepy but over-the-top. David and Xander begin to accept their family's role as guardians of history and gatekeepers of the time portals, fixing something that they missed in the Civil War the first couple of times around. The boys accidentally discover the way to jump between worlds instead of back to their house, which unleashes a string of random jumps that develop character a little, but are mostly repetitive. They agree to follow Phemus back to where he came from, which turns out to be... wait for it... Atlantis, an advanced-for-its-time, yet brutal society.
In the meantime, Dad and Toria have taken Toria's recording teddy bear, Wuzzy, to a linguist to analyze Phemus' speech. In probably the most laughable scene I've read so far in the series, the linguist recognizes the language as Atlantean and proves it with a magical computer program that analyzes the sentence phonologically and tracks it back through the ages to a place considered to be the location of that ancient civilization. As a linguistics major, I think I can safely say that's impossible, especially because the program tracks it back beyond "Indo-European"--a completely theoretical language from which some linguists believe all modern European languages descend. I guess that probably wouldn't take a lot of people out of the story as much as it did me, but Liparulo could have left it out and the plot probably would have been better. Dad and Toria didn't need to find out something that David and Xander were already discovering first-hand. It didn't do enough to up the suspense, and it accomplished nothing else other than making Dad and Toria seem extra useless.
As the series goes on, I'm also finding it more and more difficult to believe that the kids aren't dead. Not just that they haven't been killed, but that they've been shot at, almost fallen off of cliffs, run at full-tilt away from countless enemies, and that after all of that they're still able to stand up, let alone continue to venture into other worlds looking for Mom. These are modern kids who haven't exercised much to speak of, and the author is expecting us to believe that over the course of a few days doing this with little sleep they're able to build up the endurance necessary to keep going. I just can't swallow it. Xander observed that David was getting a six pack--people don't develop six packs after just a few days.
Taksidian is getting pretty pathetic as a villain, too... he reminds me of Dr. Evil from Austin Powers: "I'm going to place them in an easily escapable situation involving an overly elaborate and exotic death." I guess it's kind of believable that his pride would push him to play with his victims before killing them, allowing them to escape, but... he needs a gun. Period.
Obviously, though, even though the story is getting completely outrageously unbelievable, it's still fun to read if I'm this engaged in it. On to book six!(less)
**spoiler alert** In this chapter of the King family's journey, they save their grandmother from getting sucked into a portal (Liparulo fooled us ther...more**spoiler alert** In this chapter of the King family's journey, they save their grandmother from getting sucked into a portal (Liparulo fooled us there for a second), end up on the sinking Titanic, escape from some Viking cannibals, meet their uncle Jesse when he was young, and track Taksidian to his house with disastrous results.
Little sister Toria showed some pluck in this installment (finally, some woman-power--what I was waiting for!) and David and Xander continued to make dumb decisions that furthered the plot (which is nonetheless rather exciting).
Altogether another well-woven piece of the tapestry of bizarre King family life. With some obvious, lame typos, that is (who edits these books?)(less)
When Dwight creates a finger puppet that looks like Yoda, the Jedi master from the Star Wars series, at first everyone thinks that he's just being his...moreWhen Dwight creates a finger puppet that looks like Yoda, the Jedi master from the Star Wars series, at first everyone thinks that he's just being his dorky self. But when Yoda's advice seems wiser than anything Dwight could come up with and his answers solve problems in unexpected ways, Dwight's classmates start to keep a record of their Yoda "case files" to try and figure the phenomenon out.
This is a really light read, but a fun and creative school story. I found myself wanting to know what mystery Yoda would reveal next, and would recommend it to Star Wars fans and people who like to make origami (there's a pattern for origami Yoda in the back of the book).(less)
**spoiler alert** The third installment in this series was another one I couldn't put down. David and Xander think that they've found their mother in ...more**spoiler alert** The third installment in this series was another one I couldn't put down. David and Xander think that they've found their mother in the Civil War era, but instead it turns out to be their grandmother, who was taken through a portal when their Dad was a boy. Dad is arrested on trumped-up charges. Meanwhile, Jesse Wagner makes it to the house and explains to the kids that he's their great great uncle, who built the house with his father and brother. Conveniently for the plot, he has to leave after a little while lest the house reclaim him since he had traveled through the portals so much when he lived there. Also, the kids encounter the weird Neanderthal-like giant man again, now given the moniker Phemus, who chases them into the mysterious field in the woods where they fly to get away from him and are subsequently saved by Jesse's nurse, Keal.
Just after I found myself thinking "You know what this story needs? A gun!", a gun was indeed produced, which I thought was hilarious (other than the questionably functioning guns that the kids used to get into the portals, that is). The earlier appearance of a gun probably would have ended the series one way or the other (the kids could have shot the antagonists or vice-versa, which would have meant no more books for Mr. Liparulo, haha).
The female characters in this series continue to be useless. They mostly do a lot of screaming. Toria shows some bravery in agreeing to go into the Civil War portal to try and find their mother herself, but proves to need rescuing by David. Granted, she is nine years old, so that does have something to do with it, but I wish the author would invent a woman who's capable of something other than cooking, being nice, and getting sucked into time portals.
Keal's character is also silly and stereotyped--an example of Spike Lee's "Magical Negro" archetype. He's a huge ex-military black man with abnormally awesome strength, and also happens to be a nurse--convenient that maybe the kids won't have to go back to a normal doctor now who raises questions about their injuries, and also convenient that this magical black man can show up to save them whenever they're about to get creamed. I think the Magical Negro phenomenon was something I originally read about in Library Journal or something, but now that I know about it I see it everywhere. I'm not sure what all of the implications are--does it reflect something as harmless as a sense of "otherness" that white people have about black people? If you are black, what do you think about this phenomenon? Does it just seem silly, or is it offensive? I can imagine that if I were a minority and a bunch of magical white people showed up in stories, that would be pretty weird.
Overall, though, I'm still really intrigued by this world that Liparulo has created. It's kind of a white male-centric world, but it's a thrill-ride and an imaginative story nonetheless. I'm still hoping that one of the ladies is going to "woman-up" and do some beating in one of these books, though.(less)
**spoiler alert** Liparulo gets more into his story in this second book of the Dreamhouse Kings series. Having gone through one of the portals in thei...more**spoiler alert** Liparulo gets more into his story in this second book of the Dreamhouse Kings series. Having gone through one of the portals in their bizarre house, David saves a little girl in a French town during WWII, and later enters another portal with Xander that leads to the Civil War era, continuing their quest to find their mother.
Their family also has to keep up the appearance of being normal during the search, so the kids go to school and their Dad goes to work as the boys' principal, causing David no end of trouble with his peers. As if that weren't enough, the family provokes suspicion from a local doctor when they must take David to have a broken arm set, and encounters an Assyrian assassin from the worlds beyond the portals who will stop at nothing to take their house away from them for his own gain. Meanwhile, an old man named Jesse Wagner wakes up in a nursing home feeling like time has changed, and that he must somehow reach the King family to explain some things about the house to them before it's too late...
...my beef with the first book still stands, which was that there are no strong female characters in the story. This continues in the second book, but frankly, the action moved along at such a clip that I couldn't stop reading. I also appreciate that although the book is published by a Christian publishing house, the Christian elements in the story feel subtle and natural. It's a creepy thriller about a family that just happens to be Christian rather than a creepy Christian thriller, if you get my meaning. The religious element is particular to the characters rather than something the author is throwing in one's face (something that, even or especially as a Christian reader, I can't stand).(less)
Intrigued by the title, I picked this up at a used book sale. After reading a couple of chapters on the bus this morning, I couldn't really handle any...moreIntrigued by the title, I picked this up at a used book sale. After reading a couple of chapters on the bus this morning, I couldn't really handle any more. Some of the puns were pretty funny, but it got to a point where, truly, only a prepubescent boy could like it. I guess I'm just one of "those adults" :(
The idea of people's butts escaping from them and plotting world domination was bizarrely interesting, but their plan to switch all human's heads with their butts sounded like a grotesque sort of modern art. The jokes about the butts stinking when they talked and flinging brown missiles at their enemies got to be a bit much. And this is coming from a woman who normally likes poo jokes. That tells you something. Anyway, I decided I didn't want to read a whole book about it, but if you have a son who likes potty humor, send it his way.(less)
This is really a unique picture book. The author describes the details of Joan of Arc's life and the complex political situation in which she found he...moreThis is really a unique picture book. The author describes the details of Joan of Arc's life and the complex political situation in which she found herself in language that is simple enough for children to understand. The illustrations, patterned after illuminated manuscripts, shine with bright silver and gold. A wonderful way to introduce Joan's story to kids (at least for parents who are ready to tell their kids a tale about a martyred saint...)
A great and lighthearted sequel to Rapunzel's Revenge--we get to learn about Jack's backstory as well as what happened to him and Rapunzel after the e...moreA great and lighthearted sequel to Rapunzel's Revenge--we get to learn about Jack's backstory as well as what happened to him and Rapunzel after the end of the first volume. Very well put-together. It's got Jack and beanstalks and the golden goose and old west-style cities and pseudo-steampunk elements and giants and ant people! It's just that awesome.(less)
We learn about Anne's life before she came to Green Gables in this prequel by Nova Scotian author Budge Wilson. After her schoolteacher parents die of...moreWe learn about Anne's life before she came to Green Gables in this prequel by Nova Scotian author Budge Wilson. After her schoolteacher parents die of fever, Anne goes through two foster homes (both full of babies to take care of) and eventually to an orphanage. Throughout all of it, she uses her imagination and boundless sense of hope to survive in her awful circumstances.
I thought this stood up well as a prequel to the Anne series. When I first started it I wasn't very impressed with the writing (the author used some of the same words a lot and the love between Anne's parents was so perfect that it became tiring). After Anne's parents died, however, and we really got into Anne's own story, Wilson had obviously done her homework and polished things up. She showed keen insight into human psychology when describing the people around Anne, and her portrayal of Anne's younger character seemed spot-on (although it's been a little while now since I read the series). I'd recommend this book to any fan of Anne.
One thing I'd add, though, is that the original series seemed more targeted toward children... this one seemed more like a book for adults about a child. It tackled a lot of issues like alcoholism, domestic violence, and parental fatigue, and often made it clear that the reader might understand things that Anne herself did not. I don't recall the original books being written that way.(less)
**spoiler alert** The King family move to an old Victorian mansion in northern California, and sons Xander and David soon find that all is not as it s...more**spoiler alert** The King family move to an old Victorian mansion in northern California, and sons Xander and David soon find that all is not as it seems in this creepy old house where a father allegedly murdered his wife years before.
I figured out the thing about the Dad about halfway through the book, so that wasn't really a surprise to me. I also agree with other reviewers that the characters were pretty flat. One thing that especially bugged me was that the female characters not only didn't have much personality, but were completely helpless throughout the story. Come on. I can appreciate a story about a strong, together sort of family with a Dad who shows leadership, but that doesn't mean the women have to be so utterly useless. As his mom is being taken through one of the doorways, Xander reflects that it's not just because she's his mom that he doesn't want her to be taken away, but because she's such a wonderful person... we don't really get any picture of her to back that up, other than being good at cleaning and looking at old pictures. I'm not sure that this author understands anything about women.
Nevertheless, the intriguing thing about this series for me is the story itself, the setting, and the house. I was always a fan of haunted houses and ghost stories as a kid, but haven't been into that for a while--this was a nice book to read for a person like me who's no longer much into real horror, but still likes fantasy, travel between worlds, or a chilling mystery. This series combines all of those elements. Despite the lack of deep characters, the story really swept me along and I'll be reading more to find out three things: what worlds the family will enter next, whether they'll ever find their mom and grandmother, and what happened to/in the house that made it so weird in the first place. I'm not sure the author even knows the answer to that last one, but hopefully he can invent some reason that's not totally lame.(less)
April Garnet Rose is angry at her mother for packing her off to her Aunt June's home in Virginia while her mother finds work in Florida. She finds, th...moreApril Garnet Rose is angry at her mother for packing her off to her Aunt June's home in Virginia while her mother finds work in Florida. She finds, though, that life with Aunt June (her estranged father's sister), Uncle Otis, and cousins Avery and Emory isn't bad at all, especially when she meets Silver Shepherd, a local preacher's son.
I really liked most of this book--it's a simple story set in about 1956. The author could have included more historical elements to make the time period clearer from the beginning--it took me a while to pick up on when it was supposed to take place. I did figure out that it was the 50's, though, since the family had a TV, but the station signed off at 11pm, and they had a freezer. April's poodle skirt confirmed the decade, but I didn't get the exact date until April said late in the book that she was born in 1942 (we knew she was 14 years old).
The story dealt with faith in a sweet, subtle, respectful way. April and Silver were both skeptics, but April also had mixed feelings about all of the churches her Aunt June took her to, and about the seeming miracle that happened to June. Still, the author stayed out of the faith argument and let the characters be themselves, which was wonderful and uplifting to read.
What I didn't like about the book was the ending--I won't give anything away, but it was one of those really dumb, sudden endings that's sad for no reason. I hate that. There was some hope too, but it seemed like one of those things where the author might have decided to make it a downer just because she didn't think tying everything up happily would be realistic enough. Reality can be happy and sad, though, so it's too bad that so many authors think they need to end books with a downer to make them seem real.(less)
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