The mystery reader in me loved all the twists in this story. When I read the last line I actually gasped out loud. In retrospect, I realize it shouldnThe mystery reader in me loved all the twists in this story. When I read the last line I actually gasped out loud. In retrospect, I realize it shouldn't have been so much of a surprise but I didn't want to think it so I didn't. Maybe the Second Foundation was influencing my mind....more
The more I read and listen the more I see certain titles come up in reference and Flatland is one of those titles. I finished it in just a few hours wThe more I read and listen the more I see certain titles come up in reference and Flatland is one of those titles. I finished it in just a few hours with a little help from the audio version which was very good. It was different than anything else I've read and really encourages an open mind. It was also humorous at times which is ever so important. Prejudice against isosceles triangles and death to irregular figures? Who thinks of that? LOL. It's ridiculous, yet so is the human prejudice in the world today. And sometimes it's good to shine a light on ridiculous with humor so that people can see how ridiculous it is. This book must have been quite unique in 1884....more
If, like me, you were puzzled by the lack of female characters in the first Foundation, then you will not be disappointed by the second book. A femaleIf, like me, you were puzzled by the lack of female characters in the first Foundation, then you will not be disappointed by the second book. A female character named Bayta has a prominent roll in this story and she stands up with the men and kicks ass in the end.
Also unlike the first book, there was less of a focus on the Foundation itself. Instead, Asimov focused more on developing the characters. Some people may think this was a mistake but I liked seeing this evolution and I liked both books equally despite their differences.
I figured out what was going on pretty quickly but it did not ruin my enjoyment of the book. I wonder if Asimov intended that. There were some pretty obvious clues.
As with the first books in the series, this one starts off really slow. Expecting this, I read speedily through the first chapters, trying to rememberAs with the first books in the series, this one starts off really slow. Expecting this, I read speedily through the first chapters, trying to remember a key item about each of the many characters so I could recall them to my mind when they came on the page later and not caring about where they bar hopped and what they drank.
I was bored all the way to about the middle of Chapter 9 when I read the scene with Marshall. That was about page 190 in my paperback so that's a lot of fairly boring pages. The Marshall scene sucked me in and I stayed sucked in for the rest of the book. That's how this series has been for me. Patience required.
The good thing about this book is that Adam Harrison has more than just a cameo appearance. He's still a mysterious character but he's on the page long enough to have a few conversations. We are not privy to his first conversation with the heroine Gen which is a missed opportunity in my opinion.
There are a couple of other things not to like about this book. It's too long at 410 pages. The hero Thor is often an ass, especially in the beginning. And Thor is a terrible name to have to read for the aforementioned 410 pages. As you might imagine, there were some super hero puns.
There are also some pretty brutal scenes though a lot of it is off the page and/or described in past tense.
So I will go ahead and recommend this book for a Halloween ghost read with the above cautions. Expect half boredom followed by the inability to put the book down.
This book lost a star after I experienced nightmares all night. I guess my subconscious registered more violence than I initially thought. Something to keep in mind if you are a sensitive person....more
The 5 stars is for the prefaces before each story, written by the author. In one case, the preface was longer than the story itself. If you are an AsiThe 5 stars is for the prefaces before each story, written by the author. In one case, the preface was longer than the story itself. If you are an Asimov fan, you are going to want to read these.
The stories themselves are mostly 4 and 5 stars with a few 3's thrown in, at least for me. I'm a huge fan of humor and a lot of these stories ended on a humorous note or with a little twist. Here are a few of my favorites.
Nightfall causes one to think about a planet with multiple suns. If you lived on such a planet, you might not ever see dark in your lifetime. There might not be pressure to invent a lightbulb if there's no real need for one. The eyes might not evolve to adjust to the darkness. So I experimented, leaving one bright room and entering a very dark room to recall to myself what darkness is really like before your eyes can adjust. I can see why it might make someone crazy. The only problem with this story is that it ended too soon and just as it was getting started.
I might be in the minority here but I really liked Hostess. I spent most of the story trying to figure out where it was headed and I was still surprised. It ends with a coincidence and a bit of humor.
C-Chute was another solid 5 star read. An unlikely hero goes on a dangerous mission by himself and saves the day. Who doesn't love that?
Sally...could we be heading toward some version of this future?
It's Such a Beautiful Day is about a kid that learns to go outside the norms by happy circumstance. I could poke some holes in the world created in this story but why do I want to? It ends on a beautiful note.
Insert Knob A in Hole B... HA! A quickie but funny.
The Up-to-Date Sorcerer was full of sarcastic humor and I found it LOL funny more than once.
The Machine that Won the War had a fun twist and a humorous ending.
I really enjoyed the humorous character names. Mrs. McGillicuddy, Mr. Crackenthorpe, Dr. Quimper, Inspector Craddock. When taken together, they make qI really enjoyed the humorous character names. Mrs. McGillicuddy, Mr. Crackenthorpe, Dr. Quimper, Inspector Craddock. When taken together, they make quite a list. AC had a sense of humor.
The mystery itself flowed along quickly with a murder taking place right up front. The family was interesting and of course there was money involved. There's a lot of familiar themes throughout but they all worked together to make this book a unique entry in the Marple series. ...more
I will agree with other reviewers that described this book as a fluffy love letter to math. I tried to think of a better description and cannot. It soI will agree with other reviewers that described this book as a fluffy love letter to math. I tried to think of a better description and cannot. It sort of reminded me of another book that I read about art Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us. The idea is that if we can direct the creativities of people into these artistic studies, then they will experience more happiness and sense of community. It may even be a gateway to helping with racial differences as we endeavor to understand the experiences of others. That's a tall order to ask of any subject, even math. But I get the author's point. Any focus on a subject that is greater than yourself, that requires you to learn and get help from others, is a good way to keep people out of trouble and foster that sense of community.
As the owner of a dance studio that has kids ages 3 to teen, I appreciated the insight in this book that could help me with my kids. Even though it's not math that I'm teaching, the problems are similar. Feeling that you don't belong or that you're not good at ballet or tap is similar to the feeling that you're not good at math.
I also loved the problems scattered at the ends of chapters. I'm still working on one of the sudoku puzzles and have yet to read the solution for the last puzzle. I tried not to read the solutions at the back right away but they are there if you need them.
The letters from Chris are enlightening to say the least. If you are interested in the prison system, you might get the book from the library just to read these letters.
This book is probably best aimed at teachers. If you are a teacher of any subject, or want to be, then the concepts at the head of each chapter should be important to you. To give a few examples: meaning, play, struggle, community, love. It's a good refresher....more
It gave me pause when Mason asked, "What's a detergent?" Apparently, that must have been a new technology in 1942. It doesn't seem like that long ago.It gave me pause when Mason asked, "What's a detergent?" Apparently, that must have been a new technology in 1942. It doesn't seem like that long ago. At any rate, I have learned that if you put detergent in water with a duck, the detergent will get on the duck's normally water-repellant oily feathers and cause them to get wet. The air formerly enclosed in the feathers will no longer be there and the duck will sink. I can promise you I won't be performing this experiment any time soon. As for the book, there is no need to worry, Mason saves the duck before it drowns. The human victims on the other hand....
I was totally absorbed in this mystery. The much loved court scene is back in this one. Highly recommend.
On a side note, I enjoyed Mason's sense of humor in this one, especially when he was discussing the identity of a duck. I also enjoyed that Della was a bit jealous when she found out Mason had gotten someone else to do his dirty work....more
I like when the name of the book means something. There is indeed an empty tin and it takes a role in this story. Secret codes abound and you could deI like when the name of the book means something. There is indeed an empty tin and it takes a role in this story. Secret codes abound and you could decipher them yourself if you have the correct old book lying around. Unfortunately, I don't, but it was still lots of fun....more
This started off really slow. Luckily, I was listening to the audible version (free right now) so I could do other things while I listen. About 20 minThis started off really slow. Luckily, I was listening to the audible version (free right now) so I could do other things while I listen. About 20 minutes in, Pettigrew is introduced to the reader and it becomes bearable but still slow. I think I was several hours in before I really grew interested.
The motive would be impossible to determine unless you are a student of English law. (view spoiler)[If the particular statute of limitations the murderer had in mind was ever mentioned prior to the end of the book, I don't recall it. Though it was mentioned that this was the murderer's area of interest when studying law. (hide spoiler)] I thought it was very clever. Toward the end, I didn't want to turn it off and I tore through the last 2 hours pretty quickly.
I like Pettigrew enough to read more of this series, especially if audible can get recordings....more
I had to really slow down toward the end of this. Mason is usually ahead of me but this time I could not at all figure out where he came up with his sI had to really slow down toward the end of this. Mason is usually ahead of me but this time I could not at all figure out where he came up with his suppositions. Apparently, Tragg couldn't figure it out either so that made me feel better. As with the other books in the series, the ending was a bit abrupt. In this one, that abruptness left me with more questions than answers. As I think about it, my head is filling in some of those answers and I guess there's nothing wrong with a book that leaves you thinking about it after it's end....more
Loading...
