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I tore through "Sister Light, Sister Dark" and "White Jenna" and loved them both. They're a blend of pseudo-history, myth, legend, song, and story. I enjoyed it all, especially the story, which is a beautiful and exciting tale of heroism, and the academic infighting in the all-too-short history sections.
Jenna is a wonderful heroine, a child of prophecy but also a real person who, as she puts it, makes wind when there are beans in the soup. Indeed, the brief but potent philosophical discussions around her status as a divine avatar are some of the best bits in the book. I highly recommend "White Jenna" but only after reading "Sister Light, Sister Dark."
This is one heck of a story. It's a first person account of the rescue of refugee Ethiopian Jews by Mossad, Israel's secret service. I had no idea there even were Ethiopian Jews! Shimron was one of the major players in the operation and tells a good story. It's a bit stiffly written, though that may be because it was written in Hebrew and translated -- and anyway, I didn't mind. I was too busy enjoying this real-life spy story. Good stuff!
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(2 of 5 readers found this comment helpful)
This is a fascinating, if slightly outdated (it was written in the mid 90s), look at millionaires in the US: what makes them tick, how did they get so rich, how do they pass on (or fail to pass on) their values to their children. The authors learned a lot while researching this book and they pass it on without much in the way of judgment. The section on passing millionaire-making values on to kids was really interesting. Many millionaires have children who can't live within their means, and it's fascinating to look at how that happens.
The one thing that kind of does stick out is the unspoken bias against going to college -- accumulating debt when you can't pay it off quickly is not a sign of a millionaire in the making, according to them. I think this may be a product of the times. I hope the authors do an updated version -- I strongly suspect that becoming a millionaire without at least a bachelor's degree is very difficult in the modern age.
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(3 of 5 readers found this comment helpful)
I picked this book up because Sars of TomatoNation.com keeps recommending it, and I am now going to recommend it to everyone I can. It's hands-down the best book I've read on intuition and how society trains us to ignore it, and it offers a lot of very practical advice that you can use. He writes about the difference between needless fear and justified fear, and how to tell which one you're feeling. He writes about the cases he's handled as a security consultant. This really is a cross between a self-help book and a psychological thriller, and it succeeds on both fronts. I know I'll be listening to my intuition a lot more -- and knowing when it's sending me signals based on solid information and when it's reacting to the fearmongering so prevalent in our society. Good stuff.
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(10 of 18 readers found this comment helpful)
I really dig the version of Faery in Butcher's books. The fey cannot tell a lie, for example, but don't have to tell you the truth, either, which makes them very interesting characters. This book follows Dresden's efforts to figure out who killed the Summer Knight, the human champion of the Summer court of Faery, and why. He's under pressure from the Winter Court (whose queen stands suspected of the murder) to solve it, and from the White Council of Wizards to broker a deal with the Winter Queen -- they need her as an ally in the brewing war between wizards and vampires.
This is a politics-heavy book, but Butcher balances the politics with humanity very well. Dresden is a good guy who has done some bad things in his time, and he has to come to terms with them. Good stuff. I'm taking a little break from the Dresden Files next - I'm halfway through the series now and don't want to rush through 'em only to find myself whining about how long Butcher is taking writing new ones.
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(12 of 17 readers found this comment helpful)
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Ealasaid has commented on (9) products.
White Jenna: Book Two of the Great Alta Saga by Jane Yolen
Ealasaid, December 17, 2009
I tore through "Sister Light, Sister Dark" and "White Jenna" and loved them both. They're a blend of pseudo-history, myth, legend, song, and story. I enjoyed it all, especially the story, which is a beautiful and exciting tale of heroism, and the academic infighting in the all-too-short history sections.Jenna is a wonderful heroine, a child of prophecy but also a real person who, as she puts it, makes wind when there are beans in the soup. Indeed, the brief but potent philosophical discussions around her status as a divine avatar are some of the best bits in the book. I highly recommend "White Jenna" but only after reading "Sister Light, Sister Dark."
Mossad Exodus : The Daring Undercover Rescue of the Lost Jewish Tribe
Ealasaid, February 28, 2008
This is one heck of a story. It's a first person account of the rescue of refugee Ethiopian Jews by Mossad, Israel's secret service. I had no idea there even were Ethiopian Jews! Shimron was one of the major players in the operation and tells a good story. It's a bit stiffly written, though that may be because it was written in Hebrew and translated -- and anyway, I didn't mind. I was too busy enjoying this real-life spy story. Good stuff!(2 of 5 readers found this comment helpful)
The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy by Thomas J Stanley
Ealasaid, December 3, 2007
This is a fascinating, if slightly outdated (it was written in the mid 90s), look at millionaires in the US: what makes them tick, how did they get so rich, how do they pass on (or fail to pass on) their values to their children. The authors learned a lot while researching this book and they pass it on without much in the way of judgment. The section on passing millionaire-making values on to kids was really interesting. Many millionaires have children who can't live within their means, and it's fascinating to look at how that happens.The one thing that kind of does stick out is the unspoken bias against going to college -- accumulating debt when you can't pay it off quickly is not a sign of a millionaire in the making, according to them. I think this may be a product of the times. I hope the authors do an updated version -- I strongly suspect that becoming a millionaire without at least a bachelor's degree is very difficult in the modern age.
(3 of 5 readers found this comment helpful)
The Gift of Fear: Survival Signals That Protect Us from Violence by Gavin De Becker
Ealasaid, June 18, 2007
I picked this book up because Sars of TomatoNation.com keeps recommending it, and I am now going to recommend it to everyone I can. It's hands-down the best book I've read on intuition and how society trains us to ignore it, and it offers a lot of very practical advice that you can use. He writes about the difference between needless fear and justified fear, and how to tell which one you're feeling. He writes about the cases he's handled as a security consultant. This really is a cross between a self-help book and a psychological thriller, and it succeeds on both fronts. I know I'll be listening to my intuition a lot more -- and knowing when it's sending me signals based on solid information and when it's reacting to the fearmongering so prevalent in our society. Good stuff.(10 of 18 readers found this comment helpful)
Summer Knight: Book Four of the Dresden Files (Dresden Files #04) by Jim Butcher
Ealasaid, June 7, 2007
I really dig the version of Faery in Butcher's books. The fey cannot tell a lie, for example, but don't have to tell you the truth, either, which makes them very interesting characters. This book follows Dresden's efforts to figure out who killed the Summer Knight, the human champion of the Summer court of Faery, and why. He's under pressure from the Winter Court (whose queen stands suspected of the murder) to solve it, and from the White Council of Wizards to broker a deal with the Winter Queen -- they need her as an ally in the brewing war between wizards and vampires.This is a politics-heavy book, but Butcher balances the politics with humanity very well. Dresden is a good guy who has done some bad things in his time, and he has to come to terms with them. Good stuff. I'm taking a little break from the Dresden Files next - I'm halfway through the series now and don't want to rush through 'em only to find myself whining about how long Butcher is taking writing new ones.
(12 of 17 readers found this comment helpful)
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