Lisa Eckstein > Recent Status Updates

Such a compelling tension behind the story our narrator is telling.

Just amazing the level of disconnect between OLPC's vision and actual laptop use among children who received them.

Ishiguro's NEVER LET ME GO is one of my favorite books, but I've never read any of his other work. Like NLMG, this one has a first person narrator who immediately pulled me in with the authority and specificity of the voice.

"Why would those involved with the OLPC project believe that a social imaginary that only a very narrow segment of the American population personally identifies with would generalize to entire populations of children across the Global South?" Continues to be a fascinating unpacking of the problems that plagued OLPC. And as I guessed, the book is getting more accessible as it shifts to more concrete topics.

Interesting to read in the Introduction and Chapter 1 about the various philosophies and historical movements that contributed to the ideas behind OLPC. These sections are quite dense with explanations of social theory, and while it's all clearly presented, I found it slow reading. I think the pace will pick up for me as we get into the less abstract sections on the project itself.

"We will see that the same utopian impulses that inspired OLPC had also inspired previous starry-eyed projects in education and development--and they have continued to inspire subsequent projects, from massive open online courses (or MOOCs) to makerspaces, from technology-centric charter schools to coding boot camps." Promises to be a fascinating exploration!

Intrigued to see how the mystical elements are going to play out and bring the storylines together.

Enjoying getting to know these two women and their lives.

Really enjoying this so far. Strong writing and characters.

So much beauty and joy mixed in with the sadness of this story.

Delighted to finally get into this much-anticipated story! So far the world and characters are fascinating.

So anxious and curious to watch the final pieces drop into place!

So many intriguing developments!

So far the mystery seems very well constructed, with all sorts of small details and occurrences that call the different stories into question.

Fascinating scenario, and the story is building a lot of suspense. I hope it pays off!

Tense, horrific opening chapter, and then the start of an exciting courtroom drama!

This section has been heartbreaking, but I'm feeling hopeful for Eleanor!

Pleased and anxious about the various ways things are progressing!

I would love to be doing nothing besides reading this book!

At the beginning, this seems like the story of a quirky and fairly annoying misanthrope, but it's very quickly becoming something much darker and more interesting!

"Graphic design is of no interest to me. I'm a finance clerk. I could be issuing invoices for anything, really: armaments, Rohypnol, coconuts." I'm already a fan of Eleanor!

"It's like how you can't go back in time and kill Hitler or whatever, because he's replaced by Bitler or Zitler." The time travel in this book is fascinating and unusual -- how it works physically, what the constraints are, how much or little it's understood at different times.

A lot that's intriguing in the different storylines that are developing.

So far this book has time travel, feminism, punk rock, and murder -- much intrigue!

"One mage murdered every vampire in Lancashire."
"Beatrix Potter," Bunce supplies.

The expanded worldbuilding is great, the various storylines are great, the characters continue to be great -- excellent sequel!

Enjoying the new character our gang has met, and how this is opening up our perspective on the magickal world!

"Simon's never said it, but Baz has: 'You think you're always right, Bunce.'
So what if I do? I usually am right. It's just good sense to go through life assuming that I am. It's the law of averages. Better to assume I'm always right and occasionally be wrong than to fiddle about doubting myself all the time, saying to everyone, 'Yes, but what do you think?'
I'm very good at thinking!"

I'm loving that this story is about the characters coping with the aftermath of their previous adventures, addressing how traumatic those events were, because I already know Rowell is great at writing about mental health. And on the fun side, they're taking a road trip through America!

"In Trixie's defence... the pixies probably don't go around calling themselves 'pixies.' I mean, you could be a human named Newman or a boy named Roy, and no one would think twice."