Up front, I liked this book. I liked the pacing and the timescale. I liked the spiders. The ending chapters were exciting and fun.
But is it hard enougUp front, I liked this book. I liked the pacing and the timescale. I liked the spiders. The ending chapters were exciting and fun.
But is it hard enough?
I come to this book with a range of tolerance for "hardness" of sci fi ranging from pure pulp like A Princess of Mars up to fairly grounded books like Red Mars. I am prepared to enjoy books on their own merit, and a lack of science will not prevent me from enjoying a space fairy tale like The Green Book.
In this case, it's a trickier question. Tchaikovsky appropriately tips his hat to David Brin, but a lot of this book reminds me more of Poul Anderson or maybe Vernor Vinge. Because of my experience with those authors, there were a lot of moments where I was looking for something a bit more specific about the science in the book and all I got was "because nanovirus."
I think the most striking part were the passages where the characters were asking the "classicist" to look something up for them and he casually mentioned that they could've just used the index. Really? How is this information stored and processed? The lack of detail took me out of the story a bit.
My other issue was a feeling of anticlimax. Because the book led off with the experiment, that was what I was invested in. Once the spiders contacted the Messenger satellite, my interest drained. It's weird to say this, but the characters on the Gilgamesh didn't sell me on the "future of humanity" as a stake to care about.
I enjoyed this book, but I wouldn't really call it a classic....more
Shout out to this unique book. My children (ages 8 and 6) enjoyed it, although they found it a bit creepy. I loved the unique artwork and the lore froShout out to this unique book. My children (ages 8 and 6) enjoyed it, although they found it a bit creepy. I loved the unique artwork and the lore from Dreamtime....more
This book about Indian boarding schools was okay. It's about a girl who goes and gets a Cree dictionary because her grandfather forgot how to speak CrThis book about Indian boarding schools was okay. It's about a girl who goes and gets a Cree dictionary because her grandfather forgot how to speak Cree in a boarding school. I kind of wonder why the grandfather didn't go to the library himself....more
This is the most tragic of the three picture books I read on the topic of Indian boarding schools. A girl talks with her grandfather about the things This is the most tragic of the three picture books I read on the topic of Indian boarding schools. A girl talks with her grandfather about the things that were lost on an individual and cultural level. It ends with them hoping that those things will come back, but it doesn't give much reason to think they will....more
This is a pretty cool Creek creation story with a helpful author's note at the end. It conveys some of the cultural values of the storyteller- listeniThis is a pretty cool Creek creation story with a helpful author's note at the end. It conveys some of the cultural values of the storyteller- listening, honoring others, having a relationship with nature, and singing....more
I picked up this book because Eulenspiegel was referenced in Eric A. Kimmel's notes in his various Hershel of Ostropol books.
In spite ofA harsh review
I picked up this book because Eulenspiegel was referenced in Eric A. Kimmel's notes in his various Hershel of Ostropol books.
In spite of my strong ethnic ties central/Northern Europe, I am forced to admit that these stories are not that good. It is not Lisbeth Zwerger's fault. Her illustrations have charm, whimsy, and a good use of perspective. It is also not Janisch's fault. His tellings attempt to structure the tales within. It is actually the fault of the source material.
I read this with Paul Oppenheimer's Till Eulenspiegel: His Adventures in my other hand and I compared some of the tellings. If anything, Janisch's retellings have more structure than the originals. The typical structure of a Eulenspiegel story is this: 1. Premise (Till is somewhere or with someone- conflict unclear) 2. Setup (Till does something mischievous or stupid- motivations often unclear) 3. The End (That's it)
The typical structure of a joke (the pattern most trickster stories follow) is: 1. Premise (There is a conflict of some kind that motivates the trickster) 2. Setup (The trickster puts something in motion) 3. Punchline (subversive outcome)
The source material for Till Eulenspiegel just doesn't deliver these basic elements in a satisfying way. I get much more enjoyment out of other tricksters like Coyote, Anansi or Hershel....more
Big fun with Hershel, the Jewish trickster. All of these stories are delightful and charming. Kimmel delivers them at a quick pace with lots of personBig fun with Hershel, the Jewish trickster. All of these stories are delightful and charming. Kimmel delivers them at a quick pace with lots of personality. My favorite might be "An Incredible Story," but really all of them are great....more
This is a very simple hardcover that Gorman read at Biden's inauguration. As a physical book, it's fine but nothing special. The poem is quite short aThis is a very simple hardcover that Gorman read at Biden's inauguration. As a physical book, it's fine but nothing special. The poem is quite short and there is a lot of white space on the pages. As a poem, it is inspiring, positive and constructive. The poem is exactly what we need in this county today. However, I wish I had bought an anthology of Gorman's poetry instead of a tiny book with a poem I already heard....more
This was a very thorough read about Luther's life and is apparently still highly regarded today, even though it was published in 1950.
I think I would This was a very thorough read about Luther's life and is apparently still highly regarded today, even though it was published in 1950.
I think I would have preferred a more recent biography for the following reasons:
1. Bainton assumes a lot of knowledge of the political shifts within the Holy Roman Empire and the structures of power in the German states. More explanation, especially of the relationships between Emperor Charles, Frederick the Wise and various other power players would have helped it make more sense.
2. There are parts, especially the "No Other Foundation" chapter that switch from narrative to expository form and bang on turgidly about theological points. The grace vs. works debate was especially tedious. Anyone interested in Luther has probably already seen this material handled better elsewhere.
3. Bainton is clearly partial to Luther to the extent that I feel like I didn't get the whole story. Although Bainton makes efforts to acknowledge Luther's shortcomings, especially in his later life, I think these were presented as minor exceptions to Luther's perfection rather than a pattern of erratic overreaction.
4. The choice of woodcuts was excellent, but they were blurry and the captions did not explain them enough.
My favorite parts of this book were the quotes from Luther himself, and there were times that I wished it was nothing but a collection of Luther quotes.
"As for schoolteaching, it is so strenuous that no one ought to be bound to it for more than ten years."
This blunt comment about Katherine when they got engaged out of convenience: "God has given her to me, and other women have worse faults."
In general, all Luther's comments about God's presence in nature are beautiful....more
This is maybe my favorite description of the internment camps. It does a great job of weaving a human story into factual descriptions of camp life. I This is maybe my favorite description of the internment camps. It does a great job of weaving a human story into factual descriptions of camp life. I would be inclined to use this as an intro to the topic for upper elementary students, but there's no reason to avoid it with younger readers....more
This is a really sweet telling of the experience of a child being the only Black student in the class during discussions of civil rights and slavery. This is a really sweet telling of the experience of a child being the only Black student in the class during discussions of civil rights and slavery. It emphasizes the importance of seeing people as individuals with their own stories to tell and not as representatives of a cultural monolith....more
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