D is for Deadbeat: Sue Grafton
Topic: Crime/mystery
Rating: 7/10
Comment: Good train reading; reasonably written detective mystery with satisfying twist at the end. Grafton does her stuff well
Thursday, 26 February 2009
Friday, 20 February 2009
The Gruffalo: Julia Donaldson - Book 10, 2009
The Gruffalo: Julia Donaldson
Topic: Kids/humour
Rating: 10/10
Comments: I don't normally count picture books on my 'read' list but one that is so funny and well written that I go out and buy it even though I don't have kids is a rare thing. A wily mouse evades the attention of various predators by telling them he is going to have a meal with the (fictional) gruffalo. Then he meets the monster of his creation. Wonderfully written with beautiful metre and rhyme.
Topic: Kids/humour
Rating: 10/10
Comments: I don't normally count picture books on my 'read' list but one that is so funny and well written that I go out and buy it even though I don't have kids is a rare thing. A wily mouse evades the attention of various predators by telling them he is going to have a meal with the (fictional) gruffalo. Then he meets the monster of his creation. Wonderfully written with beautiful metre and rhyme.
My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey by Jill Bolte Taylor - Book 11, 2009
My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey by Jill Bolte Taylor
Topic: Science, medical, personal
Rating: 10/10
Commentary: What happens when a brain scientist has a stroke? She gets a unique perspective into her own brain, has what would normally be described as a mystical experience and then strives to repair her brain motivated by the desire to help others access the usually submissive right hemisphere of their brain to also reach 'nirvana' - without having to have a stroke themselves. This book is fantastic on many levels. It gives an intelligent lay person an overview of the wonder and major components of the brain; it provides unique insights on the care and rehabilitation of someone with a stroke, from the perspective of the patient; it highlights the amazing wonder that is our brain; and celebrates life and living it as happily as possible.
Topic: Science, medical, personal
Rating: 10/10
Commentary: What happens when a brain scientist has a stroke? She gets a unique perspective into her own brain, has what would normally be described as a mystical experience and then strives to repair her brain motivated by the desire to help others access the usually submissive right hemisphere of their brain to also reach 'nirvana' - without having to have a stroke themselves. This book is fantastic on many levels. It gives an intelligent lay person an overview of the wonder and major components of the brain; it provides unique insights on the care and rehabilitation of someone with a stroke, from the perspective of the patient; it highlights the amazing wonder that is our brain; and celebrates life and living it as happily as possible.
M Is for Malice: Sue Grafton - Book 9, 2009
M Is for Malice: Sue Grafton
Topic: Crime/mystery
Rating: 7/10
Comment: Good train reading; reasonably written detective mystery with satisfying twist at the end.
Topic: Crime/mystery
Rating: 7/10
Comment: Good train reading; reasonably written detective mystery with satisfying twist at the end.
Monday, 2 February 2009
The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing: Melissa Bank - Book 8, 2009
The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing: Melissa Bank
Topic: Short-stories, chick-lit, relationships, humour
Rating: 10/10
Comments: This is one of the few books where I've found myself emotionally identifying with the protagonist. Jane is an intelligent, funny, caring, self-aware woman who is completely clueless when it comes to most relationships. The short stories span her life from the age of 14 to 28 as both a participant and observer of all kinds of relationships - romantic, family and in the workplace. Both heart rendering and funny, I can't imagine a woman this book wouldn't appeal to.
Topic: Short-stories, chick-lit, relationships, humour
Rating: 10/10
Comments: This is one of the few books where I've found myself emotionally identifying with the protagonist. Jane is an intelligent, funny, caring, self-aware woman who is completely clueless when it comes to most relationships. The short stories span her life from the age of 14 to 28 as both a participant and observer of all kinds of relationships - romantic, family and in the workplace. Both heart rendering and funny, I can't imagine a woman this book wouldn't appeal to.
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