I am a sucker for a book about a group. What reminded me of this was Joanna Smith Rakoff's A Fortunate Age, her homage to Mary McCarthy's endlessly re-readable...
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Raftery's writing is engaging and accessible. Scattered throughout the book are references to song lyrics, inside jokes, and humorous re-telling of his karaoke adventures. There are also more serious an poignant moments, which provide more depth than what one might expect from the book's title and cover. Even if you never feel compelled to pick up the microphone and sing to a room full of strangers (or your friends), this book will draw you in and give you a glimpse of the people and culture that drive karaoke today.
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(2 of 4 readers found this comment helpful)
Writing as his cat, Quasi, Steve Fisher addresses everything that a cat needs to know, from how to get your human to do anything you want to how to get away with unacceptable kitty behavior (unsurprisingly, there is a strong relationship between the two). Cat owners may find themselves viewing their pet's behavior in an entirely different light after reading this book, and may want to lock up their copies so that Fluffy won't paw through it while they're at work.
This book is by no means a serious psychological study of cat behavior or cat-human relationships, but it does provide some insight into the latter. The main thing I took away from this book is that no matter what cats do to irritate humans, most of us easily melt into a puddle of mush when our pets show affection. Think of how much calmer rush hour could be if we all had a purring cat in our laps?
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(2 of 3 readers found this comment helpful)
Each short story provides a different insight into how (in some cases, minor and insignificant) actions and events of now might evolve into the future. Some of the characters in the stories were charged with solving mysteries, but mostly it was left to the reader to figure out what was going on and how humanity got to that point.
The book is a product of its time. The copyright is 1959, and the stories themselves were originally published in magazines in that decade. Understandably, the Cold War and nuclear research play roles in several of the stories. Asimov also explores his (apparent) favorite social science theme of societies where the actions of individuals or the whole can be predicted through mathematical theory.
If you are looking for some bite-sized Asimov, I recommend picking up a copy of this book.
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(3 of 5 readers found this comment helpful)
The stereotype of the tweedy professor — older, male, and white — is one that continues to be the common perception of academics in American culture. The reality is that this stereotype is such a minority, it might be a candidate for the endangered species list. It is this stereotype that prevents the average American from seriously considering the plight of college and university educators. Bousquet blasts that stereotype out of the water with his accurate and thorough descriptions of the true working conditions in higher education.
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(4 of 5 readers found this comment helpful)
There are a few references to characters and events from both Dragon's Kin and Dragon's Fire. Once those connections are made and all the key characters are introduced, this book easily stands on its own with its own tale to tell. If you aren't already familiar with Pern, you might get a bit lost in the cultures, titles, and terms. This isn't a good book to start with, but it certainly is a fine addition to the series.
One thing that is noticeably different about this book compared to others in this series is that the authors have narrowed the range of individuals involved in the story, and have done a better job of making the names more distinct. The last few Pern books have had so many key characters doing all sorts of things that I felt like I needed cheater notes just to keep track of who's who. I did not feel that way with this book, and I hope that future books will also have this balance and clarity.
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(7 of 8 readers found this comment helpful)
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Anna Creech has commented on (17) products.
Don't Stop Believin': How Karaoke Conquered the World and Changed My Life by Brian Raftery
Anna Creech, January 8, 2009
Raftery's writing is engaging and accessible. Scattered throughout the book are references to song lyrics, inside jokes, and humorous re-telling of his karaoke adventures. There are also more serious an poignant moments, which provide more depth than what one might expect from the book's title and cover. Even if you never feel compelled to pick up the microphone and sing to a room full of strangers (or your friends), this book will draw you in and give you a glimpse of the people and culture that drive karaoke today.(2 of 4 readers found this comment helpful)
The World Is Your Litter Box: A How-To Manual for Cats by Steve Fisher
Anna Creech, July 4, 2008
Writing as his cat, Quasi, Steve Fisher addresses everything that a cat needs to know, from how to get your human to do anything you want to how to get away with unacceptable kitty behavior (unsurprisingly, there is a strong relationship between the two). Cat owners may find themselves viewing their pet's behavior in an entirely different light after reading this book, and may want to lock up their copies so that Fluffy won't paw through it while they're at work.This book is by no means a serious psychological study of cat behavior or cat-human relationships, but it does provide some insight into the latter. The main thing I took away from this book is that no matter what cats do to irritate humans, most of us easily melt into a puddle of mush when our pets show affection. Think of how much calmer rush hour could be if we all had a purring cat in our laps?
(2 of 3 readers found this comment helpful)
Nine tomorrows
Anna Creech, June 24, 2008
Each short story provides a different insight into how (in some cases, minor and insignificant) actions and events of now might evolve into the future. Some of the characters in the stories were charged with solving mysteries, but mostly it was left to the reader to figure out what was going on and how humanity got to that point.The book is a product of its time. The copyright is 1959, and the stories themselves were originally published in magazines in that decade. Understandably, the Cold War and nuclear research play roles in several of the stories. Asimov also explores his (apparent) favorite social science theme of societies where the actions of individuals or the whole can be predicted through mathematical theory.
If you are looking for some bite-sized Asimov, I recommend picking up a copy of this book.
(3 of 5 readers found this comment helpful)
How the University Works: Higher Education and the Low-Wage Nation by Marc Bousquet
Anna Creech, May 18, 2008
The stereotype of the tweedy professor — older, male, and white — is one that continues to be the common perception of academics in American culture. The reality is that this stereotype is such a minority, it might be a candidate for the endangered species list. It is this stereotype that prevents the average American from seriously considering the plight of college and university educators. Bousquet blasts that stereotype out of the water with his accurate and thorough descriptions of the true working conditions in higher education.(4 of 5 readers found this comment helpful)
Dragon Harper (Dragonriders of Pern)
Anna Creech, May 18, 2008
There are a few references to characters and events from both Dragon's Kin and Dragon's Fire. Once those connections are made and all the key characters are introduced, this book easily stands on its own with its own tale to tell. If you aren't already familiar with Pern, you might get a bit lost in the cultures, titles, and terms. This isn't a good book to start with, but it certainly is a fine addition to the series.One thing that is noticeably different about this book compared to others in this series is that the authors have narrowed the range of individuals involved in the story, and have done a better job of making the names more distinct. The last few Pern books have had so many key characters doing all sorts of things that I felt like I needed cheater notes just to keep track of who's who. I did not feel that way with this book, and I hope that future books will also have this balance and clarity.
(7 of 8 readers found this comment helpful)
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