I didn't really enjoy reading this. It's dark and somber compared to most of the Pan adaptations we know today (obviously Disney being at the forefronI didn't really enjoy reading this. It's dark and somber compared to most of the Pan adaptations we know today (obviously Disney being at the forefront of my mind). From a literary standpoint, it was well-written and the metaphor of a mother losing her son was powerful, especially at the end. But, it was hard to follow at times, with a very loose plot, and dark at times (without much in the way of spoilers, I'm thinking especially of their time on the pirate ship). And, the dated views of women and native peoples is even more problematic in the book than in the Disney film.
I'm still glad I read it; I just didn't like it much at all....more
It's super cheesy but gets the point across in a memorable way. Repetitive as most "self-improvement" books are but not as bad as others due to its leIt's super cheesy but gets the point across in a memorable way. Repetitive as most "self-improvement" books are but not as bad as others due to its length....more
Look, I'm not saying this book is going to make me finish my book, but it was inspirational and had tons of practical tips. I'm actually looking forwaLook, I'm not saying this book is going to make me finish my book, but it was inspirational and had tons of practical tips. I'm actually looking forward to writing again after reading this....more
I would recommend this book to potential puppy owners. She gives a lot of very logical yet probably not common sense tips on making your dog feel loveI would recommend this book to potential puppy owners. She gives a lot of very logical yet probably not common sense tips on making your dog feel loved AND trained. It was written in a very easy-to-read narrative (and this is coming from someone who hates reading informational texts)....more
The Book Whisperer is just Donalyn Miller's love letter to herself.
It is full of self importance quips about how her class is different from others. SThe Book Whisperer is just Donalyn Miller's love letter to herself.
It is full of self importance quips about how her class is different from others. She chides the other teachers in her school (or the next school up) for not being teachers of independent reading as she is, and claims she can't help them. Yet, she wrote an entire book on how to help other teachers do this.
The problem is there is virtually nothing practical about this book. The "tips" can basically be distilled down to:
1) have lots of books available to students 2) read a lot and give recommendations to students 3) give students time to read their choice books in class
That's it. Nothing about how to implement choice reading into lessons that achieve standards (though she claims she does this). Nothing about how a readers workshop class functions. Just a lot of anedotes about how students love her class so much more than any other English class they've had.
Teachers, don't waste your time with this...well, maybe read the first few chapters to get the idea. Her philosophy is solid, and I agree with everything she says about the significance of choice reading. But, once she lays out the gist of her classroom, you won't get much else other than a holier-than-thou indictment of the current state of ELA education....more
This book is so beautifully written. Each sentence felt carefully placed, it was just such a delight to read .
The story itself was slow as it takes a This book is so beautifully written. Each sentence felt carefully placed, it was just such a delight to read .
The story itself was slow as it takes a long time to get to the war, but each phase of Patroclus' life kept me captivated.
Of course, being a tragedy, the ending was gut wrenching and even though I knew roughly how it would end based on The Iliad, I was still amazed at how Miller brought the story to a thrilling conclusion....more
**spoiler alert** DNF: In a rare instance, I am admitting defeat despite being well over halfway through the book. In months of picking this book up a**spoiler alert** DNF: In a rare instance, I am admitting defeat despite being well over halfway through the book. In months of picking this book up and then putting it back down, I finally came to the conclusion that I was only reading it because of the sunken cost fallacy.
Simply put: this book suffers from major pacing issues. The first part where Rin is a poor orphan working essentially as a servant then training to take the test for academy enrollment was interesting and featured strong character development.
Her time at the academy was not only boring, it was not well written or well paced. You learn so much about these characters close to Rin only for them to have little to no significance in later chapters. The only character who plays a prominent role (by the time I quit) was Altan, and he was more of a fantasy in the academy section than someone we get to know intimately.
When the war starts and the action picks up, it's almost too little too late. There are gods now. And Rin has powers. And she joins a rag-tag bunch of misfits who we sort of get to know but then we move on from those characters as well.
Finally, I was reading the back of the book to see what praise this was receiving, to hang on to a shred of hope as to why I should stick it out for another 150 pages when I saw that it's part of a trilogy. That was it for me. There was zero chance I'd read books 2 and 3 and the last thing I wanted was a cliffhanger ending that left me even more unsatisfied than I already was. So, I read the summary on Wikipedia, and I'm glad I did. After reading that and some reviews on here, the book would just me more of the same. Apparently a lot of people loved this one (I did come highly recommended to me), but for those who also disliked it, we have a lot of the same complaints....more
I don't remember who recommended this to me, but I'm so glad they did. Normally I don't read comic book stuff, but this graphic novel was amazing fromI don't remember who recommended this to me, but I'm so glad they did. Normally I don't read comic book stuff, but this graphic novel was amazing from start to finish!
There's a lot of flashback and jumping around from time to time and character to character that was disorienting at times, but otherwise I loved the story, the characters, the art, and the epic scope of the final act and climax....more
I read this because it's modern day Romeo and Juliet in verse. It was fine. I enjoyed it, and it's creative, but I wasn't blown away or anything.I read this because it's modern day Romeo and Juliet in verse. It was fine. I enjoyed it, and it's creative, but I wasn't blown away or anything....more
This book has everything I could possibly want in a book, action, romance (without it being the central focus of the plot), magic, steampunk, and timeThis book has everything I could possibly want in a book, action, romance (without it being the central focus of the plot), magic, steampunk, and time travel. But, I was so utterly bored by this book. It took me months to finish because I'd either fall asleep after one chapter or I'd avoid reading it for days or weeks because I just wasn't interested. So little happened in so much time, both in terms of plot and character development. Zzzzz.
The two main characters are interesting enough but there are so many side characters to keep track of and they're either very flat or just not developed enough for me to care about them. The timey-wimey stuff only really bookends the story and by the time I got back to where Esta started, I had forgotten so much that I was confused (this could be more of a me problem since I kept putting it down).
Without spoiling the ending, let's just say I was disappointed that I'd have to read another book to find out what happens because there is a slim chance I ever get around to it....more
Loading...
