Emily (bradamant) (634 books)

Emily rated a book 1 of 5 stars

The Ivy (The Ivy, #1)
by Lauren Kunze (Goodreads Author)

read in May, 2013

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Since I got a bit of a kick out of Pretty Little Liars, I thought it would be amusing to read the Ivy League version. It was not.

Not only are none of the characters in this story smart enough to make their attending Harvard plausible, you get the imp...more

Emily rated a book 3 of 5 stars

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business
by Charles Duhigg (Goodreads Author)

read in April, 2013

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This book has a worthwhile kernel of information on how habits are formed in our brains and fun diagrams that show how that works. Unfortunately, like so many other books in this genre ("popular science of how your brain works," quite the trend these...more This book has a worthwhile kernel of information on how habits are formed in our brains and fun diagrams that show how that works. Unfortunately, like so many other books in this genre ("popular science of how your brain works," quite the trend these days), it takes a solid magazine article's worth of content and expands it in all sorts of less relevant directions, which both muddies the point and is redundant. At this point I'd estimate that I've read ten accounts of the marshmallow test in the past three years. I generally enjoyed this author's writing and anecdotes even when I didn't fully appreciate their supposed relevance, e.g. the section about the compulsive gambler and the sleep-terror induced murder, but I couldn't really advocate this book if you've already read, for example, Willpower, unless you have a direct, personal reason to seek the maximum amount of information on this topic.

There's an appendix to the book about breaking habits, in which Duhigg describes how he analyzed and changed his habit of going to the office cafeteria to get a cookie every day at 3:30, which is better than any of the examples in the main text of the book. The cue is something that sets you on the path of following your habit, like the time of day or being hungry. The routine is the action that's so ingrained you follow it almost without thinking. The reward isn't a conscious reward (like the cookie) but rather the good feeling that reinforces the habit. One example of a reward is the tingly feeling you get after brushing your teeth, which isn't dentally necessary but somehow satisfying. The reward solidifies the habit. So Duhigg realizes that he gets antsy in the mid-afternoon, and he's not actually hungry but craves conversation, so instead of getting a cookie and running into colleagues in the cafeteria, he gets up every afternoon and visits a colleague for a chat instead. By recognizing the cue and directing it to an equal reward, he breaks the habit.

The biggest tease comes when he describes someone quitting biting their nails without actually explaining how it worked. In the example, the person cures their nailbiting by making a hashmark on a card every time they're tempted and by the end of the week, there are 28 hashmarks. If you are only tempted to bite your nails four times per day, you don't even know what nailbiting is. And he never explains what the reward is or how the hashmarks are equally good at getting it.

Also, while I'm indulging in miscellaneous critiques, I did not agree with the conclusion to the section about the compulsive gambler (who was found liable and had to pay her debts) and the night-terrors sufferer (who was found not guilty of having murdered his wife due to his having been unaware and not in control at the time). Duhigg says that the difference between them is the gambler was aware of her habits and should have taken care of them and that the night-terrors sufferer was not, and that is why their punishments were just. But this seems demonstrably untrue in light of his own account of their stories. The gambler tried to move to a state where gambling is illegal, which seems like a significant commitment to change, if an ineffective one given that the casino started sending her flight and hotel vouchers to get her to come back. And the night-terrors sufferer and his wife were aware of his condition and had made adjustments; she slept in a different room, with the house keys under her pillow, to prevent him getting out. No, the actual difference between these two cases is whether any restitution was even possible. The gambler could, in theory, pay the money back, and so was required to. Nothing the night-terrors sufferer could have done would bring his wife back, and surely he would have done anything if it were possible, so the judge saw no utility in punishing him further. And, at any rate, this chapter on compulsive behavior didn't seem strictly relevant to a book on habits and routines.(less)

Emily rated a book 4 of 5 stars

In the Woods (Dublin Murder Squad, #1)
by Tana French

read in April, 2013

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The prologue to this book is actively bad (faux-poetic summer-nostalgia writing) and the first chapter is awkward, but I'm glad I stuck with it because I ended up finding it a good read--and I don't even like mysteries or police procedurals. It's a t...more

Emily and 2 other people liked Lauren's status update

Lauren is on page 262 of 307 of On the Road: I would like to punch Dean Moriarty in the face. Except he would probably just sweat a lot and find it an exhilarating experience of life. (Also he is fictional.)

Emily rated a book 3 of 5 stars

Gone Girl
by Gillian Flynn (Goodreads Author)

read in April, 2013

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I'm not sure I can review this in an objective sense, since it hit rather close to home. I was impressed by the propulsive writing and perfectly balanced pacing (at several key moments, I noticed that my Kindle was at exactly 34% or 50%). I didn't li...more

Emily made a comment on her review of We Need to Talk About Kevin

"Oops, better edit and get the pronoun right. This book didn't seem to have much to recommend it beyond tropes that are already tired. I dislike novels...more "

Emily added

We Need to Talk About Kevin
by Lionel Shriver

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I couldn't get into this--the typical backwards pacing of would-be literary fiction is on display here, with the author loath to part with any nugget of action that would pique the reader's interest. Instead, she hoards plot and only gives us diarist...more

Emily rated a book 3 of 5 stars

Vanishing Act (Jane Whitefield, #1)
by Thomas Perry

read in April, 2013

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"Cops are dogs. Try to think in rabbit," is the advice Jane Whitefield gives her client early in this novel. Her trade is smuggling people into a new, anonymous, banal life when they have angered ruthless people. The best part for me was the plot twi...more

Emily rated a book 5 of 5 stars

Consider the Fork: How Technology Transforms the Way We Cook and Eat
by Bee Wilson

recommended for: Joanna

read in March, 2013

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This has been described as a microhistory about kitchen tools, but I think that's severely underselling it. While the chapters do coalesce around technologies like refrigeration or mechanical grinding, this is also a series of essays on domestic trad...more

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Emily rated a book 1 of 5 stars The Ivy (The Ivy, #1) by Lauren Kunze (Goodreads Author) read in May, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Since I got a bit of a kick out of Pretty Little Liars, I thought it would be amusing to read the Ivy League version. It was not. Not only are none of the characters in this story smart enough to make their attending Harvard plausible, you get the imp...more
May 20, 2013 04:06pm · see review
Emily rated a book 3 of 5 stars The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg (Goodreads Author) read in April, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
This book has a worthwhile kernel of information on how habits are formed in our brains and fun diagrams that show how that works. Unfortunately, like so many other books in this genre ("popular science of how your brain works," quite the trend these...more
Apr 29, 2013 04:18pm · see review
Emily rated a book 4 of 5 stars In the Woods (Dublin Murder Squad, #1) by Tana French read in April, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
The prologue to this book is actively bad (faux-poetic summer-nostalgia writing) and the first chapter is awkward, but I'm glad I stuck with it because I ended up finding it a good read--and I don't even like mysteries or police procedurals. It's a t...more
Apr 24, 2013 10:14pm · see review
Emily and 2 other people liked Lauren's status update Lauren is on page 262 of 307 of On the Road: I would like to punch Dean Moriarty in the face. Except he would probably just sweat a lot and find it an exhilarating experience of life. (Also he is fictional.)
Apr 17, 2013 10:46am
Emily rated a book 3 of 5 stars Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (Goodreads Author) read in April, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I'm not sure I can review this in an objective sense, since it hit rather close to home. I was impressed by the propulsive writing and perfectly balanced pacing (at several key moments, I noticed that my Kindle was at exactly 34% or 50%). I didn't li...more
Apr 08, 2013 08:48pm · see review
Emily made a comment on her review of We Need to Talk About Kevin "Oops, better edit and get the pronoun right. This book didn't seem to have much to recommend it beyond tropes that are already tired. I dislike novels...more "
Apr 08, 2013 08:19pm · see review
Emily added We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I couldn't get into this--the typical backwards pacing of would-be literary fiction is on display here, with the author loath to part with any nugget of action that would pique the reader's interest. Instead, she hoards plot and only gives us diarist...more
Apr 07, 2013 10:38pm · see review
Emily rated a book 3 of 5 stars Vanishing Act (Jane Whitefield, #1) by Thomas Perry read in April, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
"Cops are dogs. Try to think in rabbit," is the advice Jane Whitefield gives her client early in this novel. Her trade is smuggling people into a new, anonymous, banal life when they have angered ruthless people. The best part for me was the plot twi...more
Apr 06, 2013 06:39pm · see review
Emily rated a book 5 of 5 stars Consider the Fork: How Technology Transforms the Way We Cook and Eat by Bee Wilson recommended for: Joanna read in March, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
This has been described as a microhistory about kitchen tools, but I think that's severely underselling it. While the chapters do coalesce around technologies like refrigeration or mechanical grinding, this is also a series of essays on domestic trad...more
Mar 24, 2013 05:40pm · see review

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