The first volume in the Sandman series. Great read. I really really enjoyed it. It was definitely dark at times, and I am not a huge fan of some conventional comic book/graphic novel conventions -- mainly the exploding heads. But it was a fascinating story line. Gaiman has an amazing ability to weave myth and story and characters in new and fascinating ways.
Dream is mistakenly captured and held by a group looking to harness the power of Death. By the time he escapes he is weakened and missing his talismans. In this first volume he struggles to retrieve his power. I am definitely looking forward to reading more of this series.
Dream is mistakenly captured and held by a group looking to harness the power of Death. By the time he escapes he is weakened and missing his talismans. In this first volume he struggles to retrieve his power. I am definitely looking forward to reading more of this series.
My daughter and I saw the previews for this movie, rented it, and really enjoyed it. Funny and poignant and great. I was at a bookstore and saw the book, so on a whim and remembering how much I enjoyed the movie, I got the book. Which was a great idea.
I loved this book. It's about a teen who is seriously depressed after getting into a high pressure high school. One night he decides to kill himself, and ends up checking himself into the local psychiatric ward.
Which could be a really depressing book. Most of the characters are terribly messed up and you know that very probably many of them will never have "normal" lives, but instead will spend their time bouncing in and out of wards like this one.
But it's not depressing. The people are not treated as pathetic souls to be pitied. The voice of the teenager at the center of the story is authentic and real. Mental illness and depression are treated sympathetically. They are real people, and their mental illness is part of them rather than who they are.
I loved this book. It's about a teen who is seriously depressed after getting into a high pressure high school. One night he decides to kill himself, and ends up checking himself into the local psychiatric ward.
Which could be a really depressing book. Most of the characters are terribly messed up and you know that very probably many of them will never have "normal" lives, but instead will spend their time bouncing in and out of wards like this one.
But it's not depressing. The people are not treated as pathetic souls to be pitied. The voice of the teenager at the center of the story is authentic and real. Mental illness and depression are treated sympathetically. They are real people, and their mental illness is part of them rather than who they are.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I finished it within 24 hours of starting it, because I just kept picking it up.
It's creepy at times, but a good level of creepy. It doesn't rely on the creepy. The photos I felt added depth to the story, although the story did not rely on the photos. I loved the fact that the photos are real, for the most part, because I love vintage photos and love the idea that there are people out there who rescue them. The photos and the plot and the writing were woven together -- I didn't feel that the author forced the story or the characters to use a photo.
I didn't know anything about this book, other than the very basic overview I read before deciding to buy it, and I think that added to my enjoyment.
Can't wait for the sequel!
It's creepy at times, but a good level of creepy. It doesn't rely on the creepy. The photos I felt added depth to the story, although the story did not rely on the photos. I loved the fact that the photos are real, for the most part, because I love vintage photos and love the idea that there are people out there who rescue them. The photos and the plot and the writing were woven together -- I didn't feel that the author forced the story or the characters to use a photo.
I didn't know anything about this book, other than the very basic overview I read before deciding to buy it, and I think that added to my enjoyment.
Can't wait for the sequel!
My Crohn's disease is under control thanks to my drug regimen, for the moment, but it is always useful to have a back up plan and I always appreciate understanding more about the disease. I do, however, think it would be quite impossible for me to switch to liquid foods, especially as it seems one facet of my particular form of Crohn's is an intolerance for various food chemicals, preservatives, colorings, flavorings and so on. It's very hard to find liquid supplements that do not have these ingredients. If nothing else, it is great to have another source, another reference for research.
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
I love This Will Kill You, although I find I can only read three or four ways to die at any one time. More than that is simply depressing and creepy.
The Two Minute Medical School in the front gives you a quick guide to various medical terms you will encounter in each chapter. Each chapter has a synopsis of the minutia of the ways we die -- how one is dragged into the water by an alligator that has grabbed your leg or arm or head (!) for example -- and then the statistics, including known by science as, medical cause of death, time to kill, lethality, kills per annum, notable victim, and horror factor.
The book is a mix of ghastly ideas, horrifying realities -- Allan Pinkerton, founder of the Pinkerton Detective Agency, bit his tongue and died three weeks later because the wound developed gangrene. Gangrene makes flesh rot and stink. Yuck yuck yuck. (Stuff like this is why I only read this book in short bursts.). But all the ghastly horribleness is mixed in with a wicked sense of humor, which is really what makes the book worth every penny. The Horror Factor for Hair Dryer in the Bathtub reads "Paralyzed, burned, and naked is a tough way to go."
I just picked up the book, opened it at random, and read the next three deaths: House Fire, Hunger Strike, and Jumping Off a Bridge.
In reading about house fires, the good news is that it's a quick death. In heavy smoke and hot flames, you will die within two to five minutes. So agonizing but not drawn out. But then you discover show more that almost one in five people injured in a house fire die, which amounts to 2,500 to 3,000 deaths in the US each year. (I had no idea it was that high. I guess it's only news if lots of sympathetic victims perish in dramatic fashion.) The Horror Factor is a nine, because "It's fire. Fire!"
Hunger Strike is just depressing. And once again leaves me wondering how anorexics function, since they seem to be on an undeclared hunger strike. But the real awfulness is not in those who think they are too fat, but that 25,000 people die every day from malnutrition, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN. Nothing much funny in this one.
Jumping off a bridge, it turns out, is a lot like jumping off a building. Find a bridge high enough, and hitting the water is very similar to hitting concrete. You are most likely to die from massive trauma. Those at highest risk include "mentally and emotionally depressed people; those who purchase secondhand bungee-jumping gear; tourists who "want a better look" from the bridge."
Reading this book will give you some great if random facts for the next lull in the conversation, like the fact that Jack Daniel -- yeah, of Jack Daniel's whiskey -- broke his toe when he kicked his safe and died when he developed gangrene.
On the other hand, if you are squeamish, depressed, have an overactive imagination, or are a crazy worrier, then I would suggest you read only the fluffiest of deaths. Stick to those deaths that are most easily avoided, like Going over Niagara Falls, Space Suit Malfunction, and Working in a Coal Mine.
Thanks Early Reviewers and St Martin's Press for the book! It's going to be a Christmas present for the more morbid and black-humored of my relatives this year! show less
The Two Minute Medical School in the front gives you a quick guide to various medical terms you will encounter in each chapter. Each chapter has a synopsis of the minutia of the ways we die -- how one is dragged into the water by an alligator that has grabbed your leg or arm or head (!) for example -- and then the statistics, including known by science as, medical cause of death, time to kill, lethality, kills per annum, notable victim, and horror factor.
The book is a mix of ghastly ideas, horrifying realities -- Allan Pinkerton, founder of the Pinkerton Detective Agency, bit his tongue and died three weeks later because the wound developed gangrene. Gangrene makes flesh rot and stink. Yuck yuck yuck. (Stuff like this is why I only read this book in short bursts.). But all the ghastly horribleness is mixed in with a wicked sense of humor, which is really what makes the book worth every penny. The Horror Factor for Hair Dryer in the Bathtub reads "Paralyzed, burned, and naked is a tough way to go."
I just picked up the book, opened it at random, and read the next three deaths: House Fire, Hunger Strike, and Jumping Off a Bridge.
In reading about house fires, the good news is that it's a quick death. In heavy smoke and hot flames, you will die within two to five minutes. So agonizing but not drawn out. But then you discover show more that almost one in five people injured in a house fire die, which amounts to 2,500 to 3,000 deaths in the US each year. (I had no idea it was that high. I guess it's only news if lots of sympathetic victims perish in dramatic fashion.) The Horror Factor is a nine, because "It's fire. Fire!"
Hunger Strike is just depressing. And once again leaves me wondering how anorexics function, since they seem to be on an undeclared hunger strike. But the real awfulness is not in those who think they are too fat, but that 25,000 people die every day from malnutrition, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN. Nothing much funny in this one.
Jumping off a bridge, it turns out, is a lot like jumping off a building. Find a bridge high enough, and hitting the water is very similar to hitting concrete. You are most likely to die from massive trauma. Those at highest risk include "mentally and emotionally depressed people; those who purchase secondhand bungee-jumping gear; tourists who "want a better look" from the bridge."
Reading this book will give you some great if random facts for the next lull in the conversation, like the fact that Jack Daniel -- yeah, of Jack Daniel's whiskey -- broke his toe when he kicked his safe and died when he developed gangrene.
On the other hand, if you are squeamish, depressed, have an overactive imagination, or are a crazy worrier, then I would suggest you read only the fluffiest of deaths. Stick to those deaths that are most easily avoided, like Going over Niagara Falls, Space Suit Malfunction, and Working in a Coal Mine.
Thanks Early Reviewers and St Martin's Press for the book! It's going to be a Christmas present for the more morbid and black-humored of my relatives this year! show less
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
I have made some of the super happy crochet cute items in this book...and I really like them (except that my monkey had legs that were two different lengths. Not a fault of the book, however, but my own carelessness!).
I have been crocheting for a very long time, both following patterns and making my own stuff, and I found the instructions in this book pretty easy to follow for the most part. I love some of the details on the dolls, like the little toes. And the hamburger was fun and easy and quick to whip up. This is definitely a fun book and one that will be staying on my bookshelf.
I have been crocheting for a very long time, both following patterns and making my own stuff, and I found the instructions in this book pretty easy to follow for the most part. I love some of the details on the dolls, like the little toes. And the hamburger was fun and easy and quick to whip up. This is definitely a fun book and one that will be staying on my bookshelf.
Sex in the City, in Toronto. I did not like this book. I just re-read it, and don't know why I kept it after the first reading. There are two characters in the book, plus a dog, that I don't just hate. The main character and her best friend are pretentious and irritating and just ugh.
I don't find talking about bj's and orgasms and such as particularly daring -- so books that are full of self-righteous references to such just bug me. People who are so self-righteously self-aware and so much better than everyone because they wear the right shoes bug me more.
This book just bugs me. I can't believe I read it twice. I will be getting rid of my copy very soon.
I don't find talking about bj's and orgasms and such as particularly daring -- so books that are full of self-righteous references to such just bug me. People who are so self-righteously self-aware and so much better than everyone because they wear the right shoes bug me more.
This book just bugs me. I can't believe I read it twice. I will be getting rid of my copy very soon.
I loved it. I couldn't put it down. I raced through reading it because I couldn't wait to find out what happened.
It's much darker than the beginning of the series, although the "dark" was there in much smaller bits in the first book or two. I really like that the series gets darker and thicker and denser -- the series grows as Harry does.
I thought Rowling did a good job of staying true to the characters throughout the series, although I found Neville Longbottom slightly less than believable in this book -- he was slowly coming into his own, but it seemed too abrupt and sudden a change to the brave and self-confident Neville. (Doesn't change the fact that I love the new Neville...)
As fir the ending -- it's seems like a good set up for the continuation of Rowling's wizard universe. The story could continue with the next generation of Potters, Weasleys, Grangers, and Malfoys at Hogwarts...Although of course there is no longer a Voldemort to deal with. Could JKR create a new villain or as compelling a storyline without resurrecting Voldemort? Dunno. I definitely wouldn't mind seeing her try...
It's much darker than the beginning of the series, although the "dark" was there in much smaller bits in the first book or two. I really like that the series gets darker and thicker and denser -- the series grows as Harry does.
I thought Rowling did a good job of staying true to the characters throughout the series, although I found Neville Longbottom slightly less than believable in this book -- he was slowly coming into his own, but it seemed too abrupt and sudden a change to the brave and self-confident Neville. (Doesn't change the fact that I love the new Neville...)
As fir the ending -- it's seems like a good set up for the continuation of Rowling's wizard universe. The story could continue with the next generation of Potters, Weasleys, Grangers, and Malfoys at Hogwarts...Although of course there is no longer a Voldemort to deal with. Could JKR create a new villain or as compelling a storyline without resurrecting Voldemort? Dunno. I definitely wouldn't mind seeing her try...
This book made me laugh repeatedly. The author follows his girlfriend to a small island apparently populated by an insane asylum. Makes you laugh and also makes you really glad to live in a "civilized" country...
I love this book. It is part of the Dark is Rising series, an aurthurian fantasy in which the Good is fighting the Evil for the Holy Grail, and the fate of the world hangs in the balance. Great fiction for kids, great fantasy story, great series.
I read the first 90 pages and gave up. Just didn't do it for me.
A woman on a plane thinks the plane is going to crash and starts, through sheer terror, tells the man sitting next to her all her secrets. Unfortunately the plane does not crash and the man turns out to be her new boss. Funny and fun chick lit read.
Hmm. I read the first chapters of this book and just could not get into it. I don't know why, exactly, whether it was that I was just not in the mood, or if it seemed like a formulatic book and just not that interesting...
Painfully funny -- Laurie Notaro is one of those people who go through life regularly embarrassing herself. This book made me laugh out loud repeatedly, and buy her other books.
An Assembly Such as This: A Novel of Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman (Fitzwilliam Darcy Gentleman) by Pamela Aidan
A great book...it is Pride and Prejudice from Darcy's perspective. It was written in Darcy's voice, and was true to Pride and Prejudice. I was fascinated to read the author's interpretation of the events in the original.
The second volume got a little gothic for my taste, but on the other hand, I have not read much of the gothic, so I did find it interesting. Plus something had to happen to Darcy during the time he is not present in Pride and Prejudice.
The third volume picks up the storyline of P & P again, and wraps it up nicely...
(I know this is a review of the series rather than just this book, but they really are more a three-volume set of one book than three separate books...some of what happens in the second and third books makes no sense if you don't read all of them.)
The second volume got a little gothic for my taste, but on the other hand, I have not read much of the gothic, so I did find it interesting. Plus something had to happen to Darcy during the time he is not present in Pride and Prejudice.
The third volume picks up the storyline of P & P again, and wraps it up nicely...
(I know this is a review of the series rather than just this book, but they really are more a three-volume set of one book than three separate books...some of what happens in the second and third books makes no sense if you don't read all of them.)
I love this book...It's funny and touching and unexpected. The cheesemakers are two old men, who take in pregnant teenagers who milk the cows. I love this book, have owned it since 2004 and have read it at least three times in those two years.