By Jim Crace
I probably should have guessed from the title that this book would not be easy to read. Indeed, parts of it made me wish I hadn't picked it up. But for the most part, it was a pretty good read. Very knowledgeable and insightful. But seriously, why did the death have to be so horrible (especially for poor Joseph). The descriptions of what happens to the bodies are also pretty gruesome, but again, the fall under the "informative" category. It was nice to share the time between this read and the previous one (Seven Year Switch). These books are so different, it made complete sense to move from one to the other when I couldn't take one of them anymore (Being Dead was the one I couldn't take much of, actually. Especially in the beginning).
Book link
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Seven Year Switch
By Claire Cook
A fun book that is really a page-turner! It's been a while that a reading went so fast for me. It is also informative (culture and wildlife, for example). But there are a few things that bothered me, like putting words in a 10-year old girl that don't make sense for a girl that age to say (criticizing the new star wars movies), and minor common grammatical mistakes (like using "me xxx-ing" instead of "my xxx-ing" in a sentence). They're common and minor, but they still bother me, especially in a book. Also, the end was kind of rushed, like the author tried to squeeze as much as possible in a little bit of space and time. Despite that, I enjoyed reading it. [256 pp.]
Book link
A fun book that is really a page-turner! It's been a while that a reading went so fast for me. It is also informative (culture and wildlife, for example). But there are a few things that bothered me, like putting words in a 10-year old girl that don't make sense for a girl that age to say (criticizing the new star wars movies), and minor common grammatical mistakes (like using "me xxx-ing" instead of "my xxx-ing" in a sentence). They're common and minor, but they still bother me, especially in a book. Also, the end was kind of rushed, like the author tried to squeeze as much as possible in a little bit of space and time. Despite that, I enjoyed reading it. [256 pp.]
Book link
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation
By Olivia Judson
A great review of reproductive strategies in mostly animals, but also plants, fungi, and some obscure creatures. Very interesting, and could be used as a starting point for activities in the classroom, as well as provide lots of anecdotes. Need to get the book! [297 pp. (235 on are notes and literature)]
Book link
A great review of reproductive strategies in mostly animals, but also plants, fungi, and some obscure creatures. Very interesting, and could be used as a starting point for activities in the classroom, as well as provide lots of anecdotes. Need to get the book! [297 pp. (235 on are notes and literature)]
Book link
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Leviathan
By Paul Auster
I read it before, many years ago, in Hebrew. It's one of those books that pass well both in Hebrew and English. I guess it's because the Hebrew translation was done well. (Other times, when the book isn't very good in English it's because it was poorly translated from some other language.) Anyway, not much to say - I like Paul Auster, and I wasn't disappointed. [274 pp.]
Book link
I read it before, many years ago, in Hebrew. It's one of those books that pass well both in Hebrew and English. I guess it's because the Hebrew translation was done well. (Other times, when the book isn't very good in English it's because it was poorly translated from some other language.) Anyway, not much to say - I like Paul Auster, and I wasn't disappointed. [274 pp.]
Book link
Sunday, November 27, 2011
She'erit Hahaim (What Remains of Life) [Hebrew]
By Zeruya Shalev
This book started out very depressing - the three main characters are totally depressed and constantly mourn their life choices. You feel like telling them - come on! do something! Finally, in the end they do decide to do something about it and the book ends very brightly. It ended up being quite a moving book. [334 pp.]
Book link
This book started out very depressing - the three main characters are totally depressed and constantly mourn their life choices. You feel like telling them - come on! do something! Finally, in the end they do decide to do something about it and the book ends very brightly. It ended up being quite a moving book. [334 pp.]
Book link
Thursday, November 10, 2011
On Second Thought
Outsmarting Your Mind's Hard-Wired Habits
By Wray Herbert
A book about heuristics. It's good to know what they are so you can be aware of them and think again before you make a rush decision because of them. According to this book, it's pretty obvious that psychology researchers like to jump to conclusions. They find tendencies in some people to do something, and immediately exclaim: "they do it because of the fear of height hueristic!" For example, the author himself identifies himself as someone with moderate fear of height. He "proves" it by overestimating the height of the porch he's standing on by a couple of inches! Then he goes on to say that all people overestimate it by a couple of inches, even those who do not think they are fearful of heights. There are many examples that don't make much sense, but I don't remember them. You will just have to read it and find out for yourselves. Because despite the rush conclusions, there seems to be some truth to all of it after all, and it is useful to be aware of all of these things that we act upon because of our ancestor's heritage. One important lesson I will take away from this book: when you put your house for sale, don't ask for an exact number!
Book link
By Wray Herbert
A book about heuristics. It's good to know what they are so you can be aware of them and think again before you make a rush decision because of them. According to this book, it's pretty obvious that psychology researchers like to jump to conclusions. They find tendencies in some people to do something, and immediately exclaim: "they do it because of the fear of height hueristic!" For example, the author himself identifies himself as someone with moderate fear of height. He "proves" it by overestimating the height of the porch he's standing on by a couple of inches! Then he goes on to say that all people overestimate it by a couple of inches, even those who do not think they are fearful of heights. There are many examples that don't make much sense, but I don't remember them. You will just have to read it and find out for yourselves. Because despite the rush conclusions, there seems to be some truth to all of it after all, and it is useful to be aware of all of these things that we act upon because of our ancestor's heritage. One important lesson I will take away from this book: when you put your house for sale, don't ask for an exact number!
Book link
Middlesex
By Jeffrey Eugenides
I enjoyed reading the book. It is very detailed in history, anatomy, and emotions, and I appreciate them all. The only thing that bothered me was that I didn't know why the narrator's brother has such a weird name. I am not familiar with the names of US laws. But now that I know where it came from, I find it hilarious. Also hilarious: the facial hair belt (I think I'm paraphrasing it). Anyway, it was very good. [529 pp.]
Book link
I enjoyed reading the book. It is very detailed in history, anatomy, and emotions, and I appreciate them all. The only thing that bothered me was that I didn't know why the narrator's brother has such a weird name. I am not familiar with the names of US laws. But now that I know where it came from, I find it hilarious. Also hilarious: the facial hair belt (I think I'm paraphrasing it). Anyway, it was very good. [529 pp.]
Book link
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