I don't believe in evil. It's a word I use, certainly, because words are shortcuts and we all take the short way round from time to time, but that's...
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This is a pretty cool compendium of articles from the New York Times about birds: new discoveries, conservation, how birds migrate, etc. They're all written in a fairly newspaperly way, of course, which means this isn't great literature, but it's fun in small doses. The only thing I really didn't like isn't actually the book's fault: I bought this in the early 00's, and all of the articles are from the 90's, so at this point some of the information is almost fifteen years old. So while a lot of the stuff is interesting, I actually have no idea if it's accurate. It ends up being kind of like a time capsule. There are a few subjects I want to revisit and see if I can find more information on, though, so it's not like this was a waste at all. Bottom line: good bathroom or commuting reading for bird aficionados who can read it without the constant nagging question of "is this theory still even current?"
Have you ever joked that someone should be a candidate for "retroactive abortion"? In the world described by Shusterman in Unwind, it's no longer a sick joke, it's a reality. After the United States was nearly torn apart by a second Civil War -- this one between anti-abortion and pro-choice forces -- the government proposed a unique and hideous compromise, fueled in part by advances in organ transplants. Abortion would be outlawed, but once a child turned thirteen, they could be signed over by their parents to be Unwound, their organs and tissues spread amongst hundreds of people.
Fleeing Unwinding is a crime, but if a child can stay free until his or her eighteenth birthday, they are legally an adult and no longer a candidate. This is the only option for Connor, whose parents made him an Unwind due to behavioral problems, and Risa, a ward of the state who is to be Unwound due to budget cuts. Fortunately, the pair stumble into an underground dedicated to hiding and protecting Unwinds -- but this comes with its own dangers from unexpected quarters.
This book was absolutely gripping, and Shusterman has created a novel that will appeal to science fiction fans looking for the next step up from Haddix's "Hidden" series, or to those who loved Collins' The Hunger Games.
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(1 of 1 readers found this comment helpful)
The premise of this book is an interesting one: what would you do if, as a loving parent, your teenage daughter disappeared one day? And, added to that, what if you went to her workplace and they told you she'd never worked there, and they had no idea who she was?
The beginning of the novel, when a father is in just this situation, is really quite good. Unfortunately, it quickly becomes overburdened with a growing cast of characters and dozens of convoluted occurences, and the end result was a thriller with which I just could not get engaged. I actually found myself caring more about the intricacies of selling cars (the father is a car salesman) that I was about the ultimate fate of the characters.
Even if the reader makes it through this novel and enjoys it most of the way, I doubt many will be particularly satisifed with the ending, which is very abrupt and leaves most aspects of the characters' fates completely up in the air. It's barely the false closure that an action movie like "Die Hard" gives us -- it's more like the author just couldn't face the idea of trying to things up in a realistic but satisfying way, choosing instead to just stop writing and give up.
Book two in the Amulet series from Kibuishi. This series hasn't quite grabbed me completely yet. For the most part I really like the artwork (although sometimes there's a certain flatness to the character designs that's a little annoying), and the story seems to be going places -- it's just moving REALLY SLOWLY. I think this will appeal to young fans of Jeff Smith's Bone, but unlike Bone it's not likely to have much cross-generational appeal.
Book two in the Amulet series from Kibuishi. This series hasn't quite grabbed me completely yet. For the most part I really like the artwork (although sometimes there's a certain flatness to the character designs that's a little annoying), and the story seems to be going places -- it's just moving REALLY SLOWLY. I think this will appeal to young fans of Jeff Smith's Bone, but unlike Bone it's not likely to have much cross-generational appeal.
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The New York Times Book of Birds by Nicholas Wade
crowyhead, November 15, 2009
This is a pretty cool compendium of articles from the New York Times about birds: new discoveries, conservation, how birds migrate, etc. They're all written in a fairly newspaperly way, of course, which means this isn't great literature, but it's fun in small doses. The only thing I really didn't like isn't actually the book's fault: I bought this in the early 00's, and all of the articles are from the 90's, so at this point some of the information is almost fifteen years old. So while a lot of the stuff is interesting, I actually have no idea if it's accurate. It ends up being kind of like a time capsule. There are a few subjects I want to revisit and see if I can find more information on, though, so it's not like this was a waste at all. Bottom line: good bathroom or commuting reading for bird aficionados who can read it without the constant nagging question of "is this theory still even current?"Unwind by Neal Shusterman
crowyhead, October 24, 2009
Have you ever joked that someone should be a candidate for "retroactive abortion"? In the world described by Shusterman in Unwind, it's no longer a sick joke, it's a reality. After the United States was nearly torn apart by a second Civil War -- this one between anti-abortion and pro-choice forces -- the government proposed a unique and hideous compromise, fueled in part by advances in organ transplants. Abortion would be outlawed, but once a child turned thirteen, they could be signed over by their parents to be Unwound, their organs and tissues spread amongst hundreds of people.Fleeing Unwinding is a crime, but if a child can stay free until his or her eighteenth birthday, they are legally an adult and no longer a candidate. This is the only option for Connor, whose parents made him an Unwind due to behavioral problems, and Risa, a ward of the state who is to be Unwound due to budget cuts. Fortunately, the pair stumble into an underground dedicated to hiding and protecting Unwinds -- but this comes with its own dangers from unexpected quarters.
This book was absolutely gripping, and Shusterman has created a novel that will appeal to science fiction fans looking for the next step up from Haddix's "Hidden" series, or to those who loved Collins' The Hunger Games.
(1 of 1 readers found this comment helpful)
Fear the Worst by Linwood Barclay
crowyhead, October 13, 2009
The premise of this book is an interesting one: what would you do if, as a loving parent, your teenage daughter disappeared one day? And, added to that, what if you went to her workplace and they told you she'd never worked there, and they had no idea who she was?The beginning of the novel, when a father is in just this situation, is really quite good. Unfortunately, it quickly becomes overburdened with a growing cast of characters and dozens of convoluted occurences, and the end result was a thriller with which I just could not get engaged. I actually found myself caring more about the intricacies of selling cars (the father is a car salesman) that I was about the ultimate fate of the characters.
Even if the reader makes it through this novel and enjoys it most of the way, I doubt many will be particularly satisifed with the ending, which is very abrupt and leaves most aspects of the characters' fates completely up in the air. It's barely the false closure that an action movie like "Die Hard" gives us -- it's more like the author just couldn't face the idea of trying to things up in a realistic but satisfying way, choosing instead to just stop writing and give up.
Amulet #02: The Stonekeeper's Curse by Kazu Kibuishi
crowyhead, October 13, 2009
Book two in the Amulet series from Kibuishi. This series hasn't quite grabbed me completely yet. For the most part I really like the artwork (although sometimes there's a certain flatness to the character designs that's a little annoying), and the story seems to be going places -- it's just moving REALLY SLOWLY. I think this will appeal to young fans of Jeff Smith's Bone, but unlike Bone it's not likely to have much cross-generational appeal.Amulet #02: The Stonekeeper's Curse by Kazu Kibuishi
crowyhead, October 13, 2009
Book two in the Amulet series from Kibuishi. This series hasn't quite grabbed me completely yet. For the most part I really like the artwork (although sometimes there's a certain flatness to the character designs that's a little annoying), and the story seems to be going places -- it's just moving REALLY SLOWLY. I think this will appeal to young fans of Jeff Smith's Bone, but unlike Bone it's not likely to have much cross-generational appeal.1-5 of 686next