Rift's bookshelf: all en-US Mon, 04 Nov 2024 19:30:08 -0800 60 Rift's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store]]> 65678550
Chicken Hill was where Moshe and Chona Ludlow lived when Chona ran the Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, which served the neighborhood's quirky collection of blacks and European immigrants, helped by her husband, Moshe, a Romanian-born theater owner who integrated the town's first dance hall. When the state came looking for a deaf black child, claiming that the boy needed to be institutionalized, Chicken Hill's residents—roused by Chona's kindess and the courage of a local black worker named Nate Timblin—banded together to keep the boy safe.

As the novel unfolds, it becomes clear how much the people of Chicken Hill have to struggle to survive at the margins of white Christian America and how damaging bigotry, hypocrisy, and deceit can be to a community. When the truth is revealed about the skeleton, the boy, and the part the town’s establishment played in both, McBride shows that it is love and community—heaven and earth—that ultimately sustain us.]]> 385 James McBride 0593422945 Rift 2 2024
This is a story about a community and a community is made of people... I was kind of amused that every time a new character got introduced, we also have to learn about their parents or further back ancestors. But then I realized the history was for white people only. The Black people didn't get a history... and I understand that this is not a story about slavery. But ... just ugh. I have too many amorphous not-good feelings about this and I can't really put a word on it. Except ugh.

The community was held together by one woman. When she dies, the community comes together, one last time... but then the community shatters. [spoilers removed] And that's nice, but the story is about the community, and the community broke and fell to pieces... and I guess that's why I don't like the story very much.]]> 3.84 2023 The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store
author: James McBride
name: Rift
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2024/02/19
date added: 2024/11/04
shelves: 2024
review:
This was an impulse buy from the best seller list... It's an okay story, but I def don't like it as much as so many others do!

This is a story about a community and a community is made of people... I was kind of amused that every time a new character got introduced, we also have to learn about their parents or further back ancestors. But then I realized the history was for white people only. The Black people didn't get a history... and I understand that this is not a story about slavery. But ... just ugh. I have too many amorphous not-good feelings about this and I can't really put a word on it. Except ugh.

The community was held together by one woman. When she dies, the community comes together, one last time... but then the community shatters. [spoilers removed] And that's nice, but the story is about the community, and the community broke and fell to pieces... and I guess that's why I don't like the story very much.
]]> <![CDATA[Losing Our Cool: Uncomfortable Truths About Our Air-Conditioned World (and Finding New Ways to Get Through the Summer)]]> 21796484 While the book proves that the planetOCOs atmosphere cannot sustain even our current use of air-conditioning, it also makes a much more positive argument that loosening our attachment to refrigerated air could bring benefits to humans and the planet that go well beyond averting a climate crisis. Though it saves lives in heat waves, air-conditioning may also be altering our bodiesOCO sensitivity to heat; our rates of infection, allergy, asthma, and obesity; and even our sex drive. Air-conditioning has eroded social bonds and thwarted childhood adventure; it has transformed the ways we eat, sleep, travel, work, buy, relax, vote, and make both love and war. The final chapter surveys the many alternatives to conventional central air-conditioning. By reintroducing some traditional cooling methods, putting newly emerging technologies into practice, and getting beyond industrial definitions of comfort, we can make ourselves comfortable and keep the planet comfortable, too.]]> 274 Stan Cox 1595586024 Rift 3 2012
There are a lot of stats in this book. So many that I want to tease the author: "I'm pretty sure every single sentence in this book has a number in it!" ha.

I was reading mostly for the "Finding New Ways to Get Through the Summer". But it's all common sense stuff, that I already do. And beyond that, there's info about building houses and systems, which is important, but not to me.]]> 4.11 2010 Losing Our Cool: Uncomfortable Truths About Our Air-Conditioned World (and Finding New Ways to Get Through the Summer)
author: Stan Cox
name: Rift
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2010
rating: 3
read at: 2012/08/22
date added: 2024/09/28
shelves: 2012
review:
I currently live in an area with mostly mild weather and I do not have an air conditioner. I was amused that the book opens with info about Phoenix Arizona USA, during the exact time I happened to be living there! I don't remember specifically "July 15-16, 2003, when the city 'cooled' down only to 96° [35°C] by early morning... and hit 117° [47°C] on the afternoon of the 16th"... but I do know that I hated the sun and the heat, and that's exactly why I moved to Oregon!

There are a lot of stats in this book. So many that I want to tease the author: "I'm pretty sure every single sentence in this book has a number in it!" ha.

I was reading mostly for the "Finding New Ways to Get Through the Summer". But it's all common sense stuff, that I already do. And beyond that, there's info about building houses and systems, which is important, but not to me.
]]> <![CDATA[The Song of the Dodo: Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinctions]]> 19035386 The Song of the Dodo, is a brilliant, stirring work, breathtaking in its scope, far-reaching in its message -- a crucial book in precarious times, which radically alters the way in which we understand the natural world and our place in that world. It's also a book full of entertainment and wonders.

In The Song of the Dodo, we follow Quammen's keen intellect through the ideas, theories, and experiments of prominent naturalists of the last two centuries. We trail after him as he travels the world, tracking the subject of island biogeography, which encompasses nothing less than the study of the origin and extinction of all species. Why is this island idea so important? Because islands are where species most commonly go extinct -- and because, as Quammen points out, we live in an age when all of Earth's landscapes are being chopped into island-like fragments by human activity.

Through his eyes, we glimpse the nature of evolution and extinction, and in so doing come to understand the monumental diversity of our planet, and the importance of preserving its wild landscapes, animals, and plants. We also meet some fascinating human characters. By the book's end we are wiser, and more deeply concerned, but Quammen leaves us with a message of excitement and hope.]]> 1128 David Quammen 1439124965 Rift 5 2013, burroughs-medal 4.36 1996 The Song of the Dodo: Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinctions
author: David Quammen
name: Rift
average rating: 4.36
book published: 1996
rating: 5
read at: 2013/05/30
date added: 2024/09/28
shelves: 2013, burroughs-medal
review:
This book is so wonderfully interesting! I actually wished it was longer when I finally got to the end. ha! I loved reading about some of the weird creatures of the world. I'm sad that many of them are going to become extinct within my lifetime: unfortunately this book did not give me hope that diversity will be saved.
]]> <![CDATA[The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change]]> 18624232 The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People was an almost instant bestseller--and became a permanent part of the cultural lexicon. With more than 15 million copies sold in over 33 languages and 75 countries since its first publication, this book continues to help millions of people become more effective--both in their personal and professional lives.





What author Stephen R. Covey advocates is no less than a paradigm shift-a major change in how readers perceive the world. This encompasses time management, proactivity, positive thinking, spiritual life, communication, and more. With compelling anecdotes and penetrating insight on every page, Dr. Covey guides the way to a life lived with integrity, service, dignity, and success-both at home and at work.]]> 384 Stephen R. Covey 0795323433 Rift 3 2012
Yeah, all that and I still love to read self-help books. They amuse me greatly and make me think I can do something with my random life! ;)]]> 4.21 1989 The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change
author: Stephen R. Covey
name: Rift
average rating: 4.21
book published: 1989
rating: 3
read at: 2012/02/25
date added: 2024/09/23
shelves: 2012
review:
I almost enjoyed reading this book... except... oh jeez, the guy gets so preachy about how amazingly wonderful his Habits are. I had to *roll my eyes* a lot during the reading of this book! And then, yeah, Covey is very, terribly Christian, of the white-male-christian variety, and it comes through not just in his examples but in his "domination" world view. It's kind of despicable, and I would have thrown the book across the room, except I was reading on my Kindle and that thing is precious to me. ;)

Yeah, all that and I still love to read self-help books. They amuse me greatly and make me think I can do something with my random life! ;)
]]> <![CDATA[Colored Pencil Step by Step: Explore a range of styles and techniques for creating your own works of art in colored pencils (Artist's Library)]]> 2001786 64 Pat Averill 1560107197 Rift 0 2009 4.07 2003 Colored Pencil Step by Step: Explore a range of styles and techniques for creating your own works of art in colored pencils (Artist's Library)
author: Pat Averill
name: Rift
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2003
rating: 0
read at: 2009/05/01
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: 2009
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Around the World in Eighty Days]]> 54479 252 Jules Verne 014044906X Rift 3 2008 3.95 1872 Around the World in Eighty Days
author: Jules Verne
name: Rift
average rating: 3.95
book published: 1872
rating: 3
read at: 2008/11/24
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: 2008
review:
A fun story. Although I did guess the surprise ending, at the very beginning when I realized which direction they were going.
]]> 60 Second Procrastinator 238163 160 Jeff Davidson 1580629237 Rift 2 2008 3.64 2003 60 Second Procrastinator
author: Jeff Davidson
name: Rift
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2003
rating: 2
read at: 2008/07/14
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: 2008
review:

]]> Endgame, Vol. 2: Resistance 60975 496 Derrick Jensen 1583227245 Rift 5 2008
Jensen loses points for not being vegan. A lot of points, actually. If you are an environmentalist, you have to be vegan. common sense, you know. Jensen's excuse is that plants are sentient too. and so are rocks. uh huh, *smiles indulgently* This is a common response that meat eaters have when they are first confronted with vegetarianism, and IMO one of the more stupid ones. Jensen has turned this response into a religion, tho, and tells us he got permission to eat meat from a tree. It's so cute when humans make up deities who tell them the status quo is okay, there is no reason to change your lifestyle.

But the set of books is good reading. He has gotten me thinking about many things. I am re-arranging my opinions about government and military (including police). And he has definitely changed my mind about pacifism.

Highly recommended.]]> 4.16 Endgame, Vol. 2: Resistance
author: Derrick Jensen
name: Rift
average rating: 4.16
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2008/03/01
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: 2008
review:
Yep, civilization is going to crash. There is no doubt about it. Jensen believes that by helping things along with direct action, we can cushion the crash: More humans will survive, more species of animals and plants will make it and there will be less overall violence. The direct action he is most interested in is taking out dams, but he also mentions taking out cell phone towers, computer hacking to disrupt corporations, disrupting transportation, putting holes in pipelines and disrupting the flow of electricity.

Jensen loses points for not being vegan. A lot of points, actually. If you are an environmentalist, you have to be vegan. common sense, you know. Jensen's excuse is that plants are sentient too. and so are rocks. uh huh, *smiles indulgently* This is a common response that meat eaters have when they are first confronted with vegetarianism, and IMO one of the more stupid ones. Jensen has turned this response into a religion, tho, and tells us he got permission to eat meat from a tree. It's so cute when humans make up deities who tell them the status quo is okay, there is no reason to change your lifestyle.

But the set of books is good reading. He has gotten me thinking about many things. I am re-arranging my opinions about government and military (including police). And he has definitely changed my mind about pacifism.

Highly recommended.
]]> <![CDATA[I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban]]> 18666588
On Tuesday, October 9, 2012, when she was fifteen, she almost paid the ultimate price. She was shot in the head at point-blank range while riding the bus home from school, and few expected her to survive.

Instead, Malala's miraculous recovery has taken her on an extraordinary journey from a remote valley in northern Pakistan to the halls of the United Nations in New York. At sixteen, she has become a global symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest nominee ever for the Nobel Peace Prize.

I AM MALALA is the remarkable tale of a family uprooted by global terrorism, of the fight for girls' education, of a father who, himself a school owner, championed and encouraged his daughter to write and attend school, and of brave parents who have a fierce love for their daughter in a society that prizes sons.

I AM MALALA will make you believe in the power of one person's voice to inspire change in the world.]]> 352 Malala Yousafzai 0316322415 Rift 5 2013
The writing is great: At the beginning, especially, I felt like a teenager was sitting right next to me, telling me her story. A very talkative teenager!! :)
Towards the middle of the book, it got harder and harder to read... the every day violence is terrible.
And then Malala gets shot. I cried and cried and worried, even tho I know she's still alive and is fine. I'd stop reading, okay I'm done crying now, start reading and cry some more!

I'm glad that Malala survived and is still fighting for education. I am supporting her cause and only wish I could do more to help. ]]> 4.25 2012 I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban
author: Malala Yousafzai
name: Rift
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2013/10/23
date added: 2024/06/26
shelves: 2013
review:
oh my gosh, what an incredible story!

The writing is great: At the beginning, especially, I felt like a teenager was sitting right next to me, telling me her story. A very talkative teenager!! :)
Towards the middle of the book, it got harder and harder to read... the every day violence is terrible.
And then Malala gets shot. I cried and cried and worried, even tho I know she's still alive and is fine. I'd stop reading, okay I'm done crying now, start reading and cry some more!

I'm glad that Malala survived and is still fighting for education. I am supporting her cause and only wish I could do more to help.
]]> <![CDATA[Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch]]> 12067
People have been predicting the end of the world almost from its very beginning, so it’s only natural to be sceptical when a new date is set for Judgement Day. This time though, the armies of Good and Evil really do appear to be massing. The four Bikers of the Apocalypse are hitting the road. But both the angels and demons � well, one fast-living demon and a somewhat fussy angel � would quite like the Rapture not to happen.

And someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist…]]> 491 Terry Pratchett Rift 5 2024
In 2023, I became completely enamored with the second season of Good Omens on amz. [Fav episode, #2 with the goats!] It had been ages since I had watched season one and I couldn't remember what happened or even if I had watched all the episodes, and I did a search to see what I had missed... and that was when I discovered that Good Omens was based on a book!!!

Oh my gosh, I was thrilled! I immediately bought the ebook... The trouble was, when I started reading it, I had already started watching season one. And it turns out that season one was lifted directly from the book. Whole scenes are lifted, word for word! So I'd start reading, and all of a sudden I'm hearing the Voice of God in my head. You know, Frances McDormand, damn she's good! And then I'd think, oh I love this scene and I'd put the book down and go watch the episode again!!

Haha! By the end of 2023, months and months after I had bought the book, I was only a little over 30% done reading it!

January 2024, I was determined to finish reading the thing! And Yay, I did!

The ending is a bit different from the tv show. I can kind of understand why the changes were made... and at first I really LOVED the book version of the fight against War, Famine, Pollution and Death. But then I also really LOVE the tv version. I mean, how can you not love Pepper declaring "I do NOT endorse everyday sexism." I am so glad that I can have both endings, the show and the book!

And then the very end of the show [spoilers removed] is not in the book. But the show is just amazing, and I'm almost kind of glad it wasn't tackled in the book, it would not have been the same.

Overall, a great book! Very fun to read. I'm rather glad that I watched the show first, so that the pictures in my head of all the characters didn't have to change. Altho... if it had been the other way around, I'm pretty sure I would have said that I was glad to read the book first! *laughs!*

]]> 4.27 1990 Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
author: Terry Pratchett
name: Rift
average rating: 4.27
book published: 1990
rating: 5
read at: 2024/02/07
date added: 2024/05/11
shelves: 2024
review:
So. :)

In 2023, I became completely enamored with the second season of Good Omens on amz. [Fav episode, #2 with the goats!] It had been ages since I had watched season one and I couldn't remember what happened or even if I had watched all the episodes, and I did a search to see what I had missed... and that was when I discovered that Good Omens was based on a book!!!

Oh my gosh, I was thrilled! I immediately bought the ebook... The trouble was, when I started reading it, I had already started watching season one. And it turns out that season one was lifted directly from the book. Whole scenes are lifted, word for word! So I'd start reading, and all of a sudden I'm hearing the Voice of God in my head. You know, Frances McDormand, damn she's good! And then I'd think, oh I love this scene and I'd put the book down and go watch the episode again!!

Haha! By the end of 2023, months and months after I had bought the book, I was only a little over 30% done reading it!

January 2024, I was determined to finish reading the thing! And Yay, I did!

The ending is a bit different from the tv show. I can kind of understand why the changes were made... and at first I really LOVED the book version of the fight against War, Famine, Pollution and Death. But then I also really LOVE the tv version. I mean, how can you not love Pepper declaring "I do NOT endorse everyday sexism." I am so glad that I can have both endings, the show and the book!

And then the very end of the show [spoilers removed] is not in the book. But the show is just amazing, and I'm almost kind of glad it wasn't tackled in the book, it would not have been the same.

Overall, a great book! Very fun to read. I'm rather glad that I watched the show first, so that the pictures in my head of all the characters didn't have to change. Altho... if it had been the other way around, I'm pretty sure I would have said that I was glad to read the book first! *laughs!*


]]> Emergent Properties 61884954 Emergent Properties is the touching adventure of an intrepid A.I. reporter hot on the heels of brewing corporate warfare from Nebula Award-nominated author Aimee Ogden.

A state-of-the-art AI with a talent for asking questions and finding answers, Scorn is nevertheless a parental disappointment. Defying the expectations of zir human mothers, CEOs of the world’s most powerful corporations, Scorn has made a life of zir own as an investigative reporter, crisscrossing the globe in pursuit of the truth, no matter the danger.

In the middle of investigating a story on the moon, Scorn comes back online to discover ze has no memory of the past ten days—and no idea what story ze was even chasing. Letting it go is not an option—not if ze wants to prove zirself. Scorn must retrace zir steps in a harrowing journey to uncover an even more explosive truth than ze could have ever imagined.]]> 126 Aimee Ogden 1250866812 Rift 3 2024 3.43 2023 Emergent Properties
author: Aimee Ogden
name: Rift
average rating: 3.43
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/01/23
date added: 2024/05/09
shelves: 2024
review:
This was an okay story. I picked it up because the top blurb said "If you're missing your Murderbot fix, Emergent Properties is a worthy successor"... Sheesh. No. I went in with impossibly high expectations, and I feel like I probably would have liked it more without the comparison. But, it was compared, and meh.
]]> <![CDATA[The T in LGBT: everything you need to know about being trans]]> 62217119 256 Jamie Raines 178504429X Rift 5 2024 I have enjoyed the Jammidodger YouTube channel for a very long time... Jamie has a gentle humor that I love, and he has taught me so much. So when he wrote a book, I wanted to support him! I bought the hardback from England and had it shipped to me on the west coast of America! *** He's mentioned that the book will be available in the USA in May 2024 ***

Anyway! Great book! I am highly amused that he says "ha-ha" on a regular basis, thru the book... For Example: "Well, firstly, I'm trans - surprise! Ha-ha." *laughs* I do that in my own writing, tho I usually type it as "haha" or "bahaha" or *laughs*. But from now on, I'm def saying "ha-ha" :)

The book is informative and seems to cover all the bases for trans people, and there's some information for ally's as well. Jamie's wife Shaaba chimes in with some of the ally info, and it's invaluable for her unique perspective. They make a good team! :)

Towards the end, Jamie is talking about trans people as activists, and he said something that I want to emphasize... The "thing to remember is that for every transphobe that exists in the world, there are even more allies." Yes! Definitely.

]]> 4.58 2023 The T in LGBT: everything you need to know about being trans
author: Jamie Raines
name: Rift
average rating: 4.58
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/01/12
date added: 2024/01/12
shelves: 2024
review:

I have enjoyed the Jammidodger YouTube channel for a very long time... Jamie has a gentle humor that I love, and he has taught me so much. So when he wrote a book, I wanted to support him! I bought the hardback from England and had it shipped to me on the west coast of America! *** He's mentioned that the book will be available in the USA in May 2024 ***

Anyway! Great book! I am highly amused that he says "ha-ha" on a regular basis, thru the book... For Example: "Well, firstly, I'm trans - surprise! Ha-ha." *laughs* I do that in my own writing, tho I usually type it as "haha" or "bahaha" or *laughs*. But from now on, I'm def saying "ha-ha" :)

The book is informative and seems to cover all the bases for trans people, and there's some information for ally's as well. Jamie's wife Shaaba chimes in with some of the ally info, and it's invaluable for her unique perspective. They make a good team! :)

Towards the end, Jamie is talking about trans people as activists, and he said something that I want to emphasize... The "thing to remember is that for every transphobe that exists in the world, there are even more allies." Yes! Definitely.


]]> <![CDATA[System Collapse (The Murderbot Diaries, #7)]]> 65211701 Am I making it worse? I think I'm making it worse.

Everyone's favorite lethal SecUnit is back.

Following the events in Network Effect, the Barish-Estranza corporation has sent rescue ships to a newly-colonized planet in peril, as well as additional SecUnits. But if there’s an ethical corporation out there, Murderbot has yet to find it, and if Barish-Estranza can’t have the planet, they’re sure as hell not leaving without something. If that something just happens to be an entire colony of humans, well, a free workforce is a decent runner-up prize.

But there’s something wrong with Murderbot; it isn’t running within normal operational parameters. ART’s crew and the humans from Preservation are doing everything they can to protect the colonists, but with Barish-Estranza’s SecUnit-heavy persuasion teams, they’re going to have to hope Murderbot figures out what’s wrong with itself, and fast.

Yeah, this plan is... not going to work.]]> 245 Martha Wells 1250826977 Rift 5 2024, 2023
So. Oh my gosh. SecUnit is NOT OKAY. Like, really not okay. Like, SecUnit is so not okay, it's giving me anxiety! The little nudges that ART gives, "hello? SecUnit? Don't just stand there!" are just... ugh, give me anxiety! ha!

As the story gets going and we discover that, yes *redacted* is definitely and obviously about what happened in #5, but also something else happened... ugh!

This is a great ending to MurderBot #5... and it makes me want to re-read #5 or maybe just all of them! But my New Year's Resolution: stop re-reading so much! :)
]]> 4.19 2023 System Collapse (The Murderbot Diaries, #7)
author: Martha Wells
name: Rift
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/01/08
date added: 2024/01/09
shelves: 2024, 2023
review:
I was so looking forward to this book, but then I didn't buy it right away, and then I didn't read it right away. I was prolonging the anticipation! *laughs*

So. Oh my gosh. SecUnit is NOT OKAY. Like, really not okay. Like, SecUnit is so not okay, it's giving me anxiety! The little nudges that ART gives, "hello? SecUnit? Don't just stand there!" are just... ugh, give me anxiety! ha!

As the story gets going and we discover that, yes *redacted* is definitely and obviously about what happened in #5, but also something else happened... ugh!

This is a great ending to MurderBot #5... and it makes me want to re-read #5 or maybe just all of them! But my New Year's Resolution: stop re-reading so much! :)

]]> <![CDATA[World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments]]> 48615751
As a child, Nezhukumatathil called many places home: the grounds of a Kansas mental institution, where her Filipina mother was a doctor; the open skies and tall mountains of Arizona, where she hiked with her Indian father; and the chillier climes of western New York and Ohio. But no matter where she was transplanted--no matter how awkward the fit or forbidding the landscape--she was able to turn to our world's fierce and funny creatures for guidance.

"What the peacock can do," she tells us, "is remind you of a home you will run away from and run back to all your life." The axolotl teaches us to smile, even in the face of unkindness; the touch-me-not plant shows us how to shake off unwanted advances; the narwhal demonstrates how to survive in hostile environments. Even in the strange and the unlovely, Nezhukumatathil finds beauty and kinship. For it is this way with wonder: it requires that we are curious enough to look past the distractions in order to fully appreciate the world's gifts.

Warm, lyrical, and gorgeously illustrated by Fumi Nakamura, World of Wonders is a book of sustenance and joy.]]> 165 Aimee Nezhukumatathil 1571313656 Rift 0 to-read 4.05 2020 World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments
author: Aimee Nezhukumatathil
name: Rift
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/04/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Way Home: Two Novellas from the World of The Last Unicorn (The Last Unicorn)]]> 61080010 The Last Unicorn, from renowned fantasy writer Peter S. Beagle.

Peter S. Beagle's The Last Unicorn is one of fantasy's most beloved classics, with millions of copies in print worldwide.

Beagle's long-awaited return to the world of that novel came with "Two Hearts," which garnered Hugo and Nebula awards in 2006, and continued the stories of the unicorn, Molly Grue, and Schmendrick the Magician from the point of view of a young girl named Sooz.

In this volume, Peter S. Beagle also presents for the first time "Sooz," a novella that sees the narrator of "Two Hearts," all grown up and with a perilous journey ahead of her, in a tender meditation on love, loss, and finding your true self.]]> 216 Peter S. Beagle 059354739X Rift 0 to-read 3.71 2023 The Way Home: Two Novellas from the World of The Last Unicorn (The Last Unicorn)
author: Peter S. Beagle
name: Rift
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/02/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Miss Austen 44280984 Whoever looked at an elderly lady and saw the young heroine she once was?

England, 1840. For the two decades following the death of her beloved sister, Jane, Cassandra Austen has lived alone, spending her days visiting friends and relations and quietly, purposefully working to preserve her sister’s reputation. Now in her sixties and increasingly frail, Cassandra goes to stay with the Fowles of Kintbury, family of her long-dead fiancé, in search of a trove of Jane’s letters. Dodging her hostess and a meddlesome housemaid, Cassandra eventually hunts down the letters and confronts the secrets they hold, secrets not only about Jane but about Cassandra herself. Will Cassandra bare the most private details of her life to the world, or commit her sister’s legacy to the flames?

Moving back and forth between the vicarage and Cassandra’s vibrant memories of her years with Jane, interwoven with Jane’s brilliantly reimagined lost letters, Miss Austen is the untold story of the most important person in Jane’s life. With extraordinary empathy, emotional complexity, and wit, Gill Hornby finally gives Cassandra her due, bringing to life a woman as captivating as any Austen heroine.]]> 288 Gill Hornby 1250252202 Rift 4 2022
But... I can't dislike Cassy, the main character in this book! :) It's a good story, told in the style of Jane Austen. And I look forward to the PBS Masterpiece adaptation!


I do have another complaint, beyond not being convinced by Cassy's motivation regarding the letters... and it's a stupid, petty thing and I'm embarrassed to bring it up, it's probably a typo or something. But I noticed it and it drove me crazy so I have to write about it! [spoilers removed] Yep, one sentence. I told you it was petty!


]]> 3.71 2020 Miss Austen
author: Gill Hornby
name: Rift
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2022/12/02
date added: 2023/01/10
shelves: 2022
review:
I came to this book not knowing that in real life, Jane Austen's sister Cassandra burned most of JA's letters. Even tho that's what this book is about, I still cannot comprehend this terrible and intentional destruction... the loss of so much information! arg!

But... I can't dislike Cassy, the main character in this book! :) It's a good story, told in the style of Jane Austen. And I look forward to the PBS Masterpiece adaptation!


I do have another complaint, beyond not being convinced by Cassy's motivation regarding the letters... and it's a stupid, petty thing and I'm embarrassed to bring it up, it's probably a typo or something. But I noticed it and it drove me crazy so I have to write about it! [spoilers removed] Yep, one sentence. I told you it was petty!



]]> The Spare Man 55077658 368 Mary Robinette Kowal 1250829151 Rift 0 to-read 3.63 2022 The Spare Man
author: Mary Robinette Kowal
name: Rift
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/09/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Prayer for the Crown-Shy (Monk & Robot, #2)]]> 58724593
They hope to find the answers they seek, while making new friends, learning new concepts, and experiencing the entropic nature of the universe.

Becky Chambers's new series continues to ask: in a world where people have what they want, does having more even matter?

They're going to need to ask it a lot.]]> 152 Becky Chambers 1250236231 Rift 0 to-read 4.43 2022 A Prayer for the Crown-Shy (Monk & Robot, #2)
author: Becky Chambers
name: Rift
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/06/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Belonging: The Science of Creating Connection and Bridging Divides]]> 60165404
“This is perhaps the richest book on belonging you’ll ever read.� The inspiration one draws from every page of this book is an enhanced sense of what is possible. It revives the very thing we need most in these hope.� ―Claude M. Steele, author of Whistling Vivaldi Discover the secret to flourishing in an age of belonging. In a world filled with discord and loneliness, finding harmony and happiness can be difficult. But what if the key to unlocking our potential lies in this deceptively simple concept? Belonging is the feeling of being a part of a group that values, respects, and cares for us―a feeling that we can all cultivate in even the smallest corners of social life. In The Science of Creating Connection and Bridging Divides , Stanford University professor Geoffrey L. Cohen draws on his own and others� groundbreaking scientific research to offer simple, concrete solutions for fostering a sense of belonging. These solutions can generate surprisingly significant and long-lasting benefits. Small but powerful actions can bolster belonging―actions such as encouraging people to reflect on their core values before they face a challenge or expressing belief in someone’s capacity to reach a higher standard. A wide range of innovative approaches have been found to boost achievement at work and at school, bridge political divides, reduce prejudice, and even contribute to overall health. Rigorously tested in diverse arenas―from classrooms to disadvantaged neighborhoods to iconic Silicon Valley companies―these methods offer a path forward in these demanding times. Belonging is a compelling read for all who yearn for a more connected world, whether you’re a manager or employee, an educator or student, a parent or caregiver, or simply someone seeking to make the most out of every moment you spend with others. Packed with actionable insights and specific strategies, this book offers hope and practical guidance, serving as both an inspiration and a roadmap to creating a world of inclusion, understanding, and empathy.]]> 448 Geoffrey L. Cohen 1324006188 Rift 0 to-read 3.86 2022 Belonging: The Science of Creating Connection and Bridging Divides
author: Geoffrey L. Cohen
name: Rift
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/06/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk & Robot, #1)]]> 40864002 ASIN B08H831J18 moved to the more recent edition

Centuries before, robots of Panga gained self-awareness, laid down their tools, wandered, en masse into the wilderness, never to be seen again. They faded into myth and urban legend.

Now the life of the tea monk who tells this story is upended by the arrival of a robot, there to honor the old promise of checking in. The robot cannot go back until the question of "what do people need?" is answered. But the answer to that question depends on who you ask, and how. They will need to ask it a lot. Chambers' series asks: in a world where people have what they want, does having more matter?]]> 151 Becky Chambers Rift 4 2022
Especially since there were very obvious conversational holes which would have made for better reading and a longer story. Mosscap's "birth" story is at the top of this list... Mosscap talks about all the previous robots its built from, 16 individuals I think it was. But no mention of the robots who actually put Mosscap together. Does it have one parent or 15? I cannot understand why something as important to include in the TITLE of the book -- Wild-Built -- wasn't completed in the story!!!

Splendid Speckled Mosscap's pronoun is "it". Even after reading Murderbot, and being comfortable with "it" there... with Mosscap, it kind of rankles for some reason. "It" feels more like an insult for me in this book, even after the very excellent explanation about "just an object" and "just an animal". Kind of like in the Ancillary Justice books... technically Breq as a ship ancillary is an "it", but at the end all of her people are all "I would NEVER call you it" because it's an insult. Murderbot as an "it" felt more natural, I think. Mosscap, not so much. I wish it were a they! *laughs!*

But I suppose I only have these little complaints because I love Becky Chambers so much and I have such high standards for her. :) I love the idea of cozy punk, which this def is. [spoilers removed]

This story isn't finished, which is understood -- Monk & Robot #2 has been visible from the beginning. But I'm not sure how another 160 pages is going to close this story!]]> 4.25 2021 A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk & Robot, #1)
author: Becky Chambers
name: Rift
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2022/02/04
date added: 2022/02/18
shelves: 2022
review:
I very much enjoyed this. But to be honest, the only reason I picked it up was because I thought the 2nd book was available. It's not. A Prayer for the Crown-Shy won't come out until July 2022. So I was frustrated by the shortness.

Especially since there were very obvious conversational holes which would have made for better reading and a longer story. Mosscap's "birth" story is at the top of this list... Mosscap talks about all the previous robots its built from, 16 individuals I think it was. But no mention of the robots who actually put Mosscap together. Does it have one parent or 15? I cannot understand why something as important to include in the TITLE of the book -- Wild-Built -- wasn't completed in the story!!!

Splendid Speckled Mosscap's pronoun is "it". Even after reading Murderbot, and being comfortable with "it" there... with Mosscap, it kind of rankles for some reason. "It" feels more like an insult for me in this book, even after the very excellent explanation about "just an object" and "just an animal". Kind of like in the Ancillary Justice books... technically Breq as a ship ancillary is an "it", but at the end all of her people are all "I would NEVER call you it" because it's an insult. Murderbot as an "it" felt more natural, I think. Mosscap, not so much. I wish it were a they! *laughs!*

But I suppose I only have these little complaints because I love Becky Chambers so much and I have such high standards for her. :) I love the idea of cozy punk, which this def is. [spoilers removed]

This story isn't finished, which is understood -- Monk & Robot #2 has been visible from the beginning. But I'm not sure how another 160 pages is going to close this story!
]]> Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell 14201
Proceeding to London, he raises a beautiful woman from the dead and summons an army of ghostly ships to terrify the French. Yet the cautious, fussy Norrell is challenged by the emergence of another magician: the brilliant novice Jonathan Strange.

Young, handsome and daring, Strange is the very antithesis of Norrell. So begins a dangerous battle between these two great men which overwhelms that between England and France. And their own obsessions and secret dabblings with the dark arts are going to cause more trouble than they can imagine.]]> 1006 Susanna Clarke Rift 2 2022
But the length of the book, keeps it just one step above boredom. Which means that it fell below that step pretty often. The war was SO BORING. I almost quit, but then the war was over. And then there was Another stupid war to go off to, and I was all, GAH, WHY?!

And then... does the author SC hate women? Female characters were so lacking that I explicitly noted every time a woman walks in the room. Like the maid who walks in while Jonathan Strange is doing magic and slams the door. And the other maid who is wiping her nose with her hand. What the hell? Arabella and Lady Pole are pretty flat. sighs.

I did like the side story of Stephen Black. That was good stuff. And the last, oh, 200 pages where the story winds up... that's what won awards, I can def see that.

I'm glad I read it, but I will not be reading anything else by this author.]]> 3.84 2004 Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
author: Susanna Clarke
name: Rift
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2004
rating: 2
read at: 2022/01/08
date added: 2022/02/14
shelves: 2022
review:
um... meh. I didn't mind the 850pages, and I didn't mind the slow pace... Those things actually kind of suit me during these times. And the footnotes? okay, I'm a nerd and I loved the footnotes! And I was thinking, the footnotes get so long, it's just a matter of time before the footnote has it's own footnote! *laughs*

But the length of the book, keeps it just one step above boredom. Which means that it fell below that step pretty often. The war was SO BORING. I almost quit, but then the war was over. And then there was Another stupid war to go off to, and I was all, GAH, WHY?!

And then... does the author SC hate women? Female characters were so lacking that I explicitly noted every time a woman walks in the room. Like the maid who walks in while Jonathan Strange is doing magic and slams the door. And the other maid who is wiping her nose with her hand. What the hell? Arabella and Lady Pole are pretty flat. sighs.

I did like the side story of Stephen Black. That was good stuff. And the last, oh, 200 pages where the story winds up... that's what won awards, I can def see that.

I'm glad I read it, but I will not be reading anything else by this author.
]]> <![CDATA[Gory Details: Adventures from the Dark Side of Science]]> 50188782 336 Erika Engelhaupt 1426220979 Rift 4 2022
My favorite chapter was "Would your dog eat you if you died? Quite possibly..." *laughs* It's not what you think... and I agree with her assessment and conclusion about the whys.

"If the Shoe Floats: A flood of feet in British Columbia" was almost local (I'm in Oregon), and how crazy that a foot in a shoe would just wash up on the shore. Many times over! It took great research to figure this one out, and it's so interesting!

Another good one was "Small, but Mitey: what's microscopic, has eight legs, and lives in your face?" about Face Mites!! Teeny, tiny little bugs live in our pores. For real. Everybody has them, it's not a bad thing... it's just ... a thing! Crazy! and Fascinating! :)

And along those same lines, the chapter "The Invisibugs: How delusions work"... oh jeez, I have some serious empathy for the people who think they're infested with bugs. In reality, there are just two bugs who actually infest humans, and they are both quite obvious with their symptoms. But delusions of infestation, just seems like something easy to fall into. You know? Like we've all had a mosquito on our arm, or maybe an ant walking on our hand or whatever. And you KNOW it's a bug. but what if there's nothing there?

Anyway... Recommended! But only if stuff like this is Your Thing! :D

]]> 4.08 2021 Gory Details: Adventures from the Dark Side of Science
author: Erika Engelhaupt
name: Rift
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2022/01/25
date added: 2022/02/11
shelves: 2022
review:
What a fun read!! And I love the science!

My favorite chapter was "Would your dog eat you if you died? Quite possibly..." *laughs* It's not what you think... and I agree with her assessment and conclusion about the whys.

"If the Shoe Floats: A flood of feet in British Columbia" was almost local (I'm in Oregon), and how crazy that a foot in a shoe would just wash up on the shore. Many times over! It took great research to figure this one out, and it's so interesting!

Another good one was "Small, but Mitey: what's microscopic, has eight legs, and lives in your face?" about Face Mites!! Teeny, tiny little bugs live in our pores. For real. Everybody has them, it's not a bad thing... it's just ... a thing! Crazy! and Fascinating! :)

And along those same lines, the chapter "The Invisibugs: How delusions work"... oh jeez, I have some serious empathy for the people who think they're infested with bugs. In reality, there are just two bugs who actually infest humans, and they are both quite obvious with their symptoms. But delusions of infestation, just seems like something easy to fall into. You know? Like we've all had a mosquito on our arm, or maybe an ant walking on our hand or whatever. And you KNOW it's a bug. but what if there's nothing there?

Anyway... Recommended! But only if stuff like this is Your Thing! :D


]]> <![CDATA[Buzz, Sting, Bite: Why We Need Insects]]> 46226357 An enthusiastic, witty, and informative introduction to the world of insects and why we—and the planet we inhabit—could not survive without them.

Insects comprise roughly half of the animal kingdom. They live everywhere�deep inside caves, 18,000 feet high in the Himalayas, inside computers, in Yellowstone’s hot springs, and in the ears and nostrils of much larger creatures. There are insects that have ears on their knees, eyes on their penises, and tongues under their feet. Most of us think life would be better without bugs. In fact, life would be impossible without them.

Most of us know that we would not have honey without honeybees, but without the pinhead-sized chocolate midge, cocoa flowers would not pollinate. No cocoa, no chocolate. The ink that was used to write the Declaration of Independence was derived from galls on oak trees, which are induced by a small wasp. The fruit fly was essential to medical and biological research experiments that resulted in six Nobel prizes. Blowfly larva can clean difficult wounds; flour beetle larva can digest plastic; several species of insects have been essential to the development of antibiotics. Insects turn dead plants and animals into soil. They pollinate flowers, including crops that we depend on. They provide food for other animals, such as birds and bats. They control organisms that are harmful to humans. Life as we know it depends on these small creatures.

With ecologist Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson as our capable, entertaining guide into the insect world, we’ll learn that there is more variety among insects than we can even imagine and the more you learn about insects, the more fascinating they become. Buzz, Sting, Bite is an essential introduction to the little creatures that make the world go round.]]> 272 Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson Rift 4 2021
Humans would not live very long without insects. Pollinating, cleanup crew, and so much more. And yet we are poisoning them to death. The loss is staggering, but no one seems to get it. ]]> 4.17 2018 Buzz, Sting, Bite: Why We Need Insects
author: Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson
name: Rift
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2021/01/19
date added: 2021/01/28
shelves: 2021
review:
So many fun little tidbits! There's so many zillions of bugs, each interesting behavior gets a couple paragraphs and then we are on to the next fascinating behavior! Bugs are so cool!

Humans would not live very long without insects. Pollinating, cleanup crew, and so much more. And yet we are poisoning them to death. The loss is staggering, but no one seems to get it.
]]> The Poisonwood Bible 7244 The Poisonwood Bible is a story told by the wife and four daughters of Nathan Price, a fierce, evangelical Baptist who takes his family and mission to the Belgian Congo in 1959. They carry with them everything they believe they will need from home, but soon find that all of it -- from garden seeds to Scripture -- is calamitously transformed on African soil. What follows is a suspenseful epic of one family's tragic undoing and remarkable reconstruction over the course of three decades in postcolonial Africa.]]> 546 Barbara Kingsolver 0060786507 Rift 4 2021
Great writing, and I will def re-read it, yet again!]]> 4.10 1998 The Poisonwood Bible
author: Barbara Kingsolver
name: Rift
average rating: 4.10
book published: 1998
rating: 4
read at: 2021/01/18
date added: 2021/01/21
shelves: 2021
review:
I enjoyed reading this so much, when I finished, I started re-reading it immediately! I especially loved how individual all the different voices were... my favorite, of course, is Adah, with her play with language and her palindromes and reading books backwards! Rachel's mangling of idioms is pretty funny. And I was happy to learn a bit of history from a different part of the world.

Great writing, and I will def re-read it, yet again!
]]> <![CDATA[The Best American Science And Nature Writing 2018]]> 37570618 Ěý±Ő±Ő> 336 Sam Kean 1328987809 Rift 4 2020, annual-best-of-books
The YES! votes went to The Case Against Civilization, *nods* and Fantastic Beasts and How to Rank Them. There were also a couple of articles about how women are abused and discriminated against in the sciences, and it's good to see some of that coming to the light so we can fix it!]]> 4.16 2018 The Best American Science And Nature Writing 2018
author: Sam Kean
name: Rift
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2020/05/13
date added: 2020/10/09
shelves: 2020, annual-best-of-books
review:
This is a much better collection of articles than the 2017 edition that I just read! 26 total and I gave out 7 "check marks", 2 "YES!", 1 "Good!" and 1 "crying face" for the depressing laboratory animals.

The YES! votes went to The Case Against Civilization, *nods* and Fantastic Beasts and How to Rank Them. There were also a couple of articles about how women are abused and discriminated against in the sciences, and it's good to see some of that coming to the light so we can fix it!
]]> <![CDATA[The Best American Science And Nature Writing 2017]]> 33503528 Lab Girl, Hope Jahren selects the year'sĚýtop science and nature writing from writers who balance research with humanity and in the process uncover riveting stories of discovery across disciplines.

The art of saving relics / Sarah Everts --
Altered tastes / Maria Konnikova --
The secrets of the wave pilots / Kim Tingley --
The billion-year wave / Nicola Twilley --
The case for leaving city rats alone / Becca Cudmore --
The battle for Virunga / Robert Draper --
The new harpoon / Tom Kizzia --
A song of ice / Elizabeth Kolbert --
Something uneasy in the Los Angeles air / Adrian Glick Kudler --
Dark science / Omar Mouallem --
The parks of tomorrow / Michelle Nijhuis --
How factory farms play chicken with antibiotics / Tom Philpott --
The invisible catastrophe / Nathaniel Rich --
The devil is in the details / Christopher Solomon --
The physics pioneer who walked away from it all / Sally Davies --
The DIY scientist, the Olympian, and the mutated gene / David Epstein --
Inside the breakthrough starshot mission to Alpha Centauri / Ann Finkbeiner --
He fell in love with his good student --
Then fired her for it / Azeen Ghorayshi --
The woman who might find us another Earth / Chris Jones --
Out here, no one can hear you scream / Katrhryn Joyce --
The amateur cloud society that (sort of) rattled the scientific community / Jon Mooallem --
The man who gave himself away / Michael Regnier --
Unfriendly climate / Sonia Smith --
It's time these ancient women scientists get their due / Emily Temple-Wood]]> 324 Hope Jahren 1328715515 Rift 3 2020, annual-best-of-books
The smiley face was for Nicola Twilley’s The Billion-Year Wave about gravitational waves... I was just fascinated by the huge and super sensitive detector that got built to prove these waves exist, and then one hits right as they are setting it up? crazy!]]> 3.85 2017 The Best American Science And Nature Writing 2017
author: Hope Jahren
name: Rift
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2020/05/03
date added: 2020/10/09
shelves: 2020, annual-best-of-books
review:
I really enjoy this series, but this collection was a little bit meh. I didn't hate any of the articles, but out of the 24, I only had one "smiley face" and 2 "check marks". The Check Marks were for The Case for Leaving Rats Alone, nice because I like rats! and The DIY Scientist, The Olympian and the Mutated Gene, just an interesting story about two people who meet to talk about this gene that did opposite things to them!

The smiley face was for Nicola Twilley’s The Billion-Year Wave about gravitational waves... I was just fascinated by the huge and super sensitive detector that got built to prove these waves exist, and then one hits right as they are setting it up? crazy!
]]> <![CDATA[The Humane Gardener: Nurturing a Backyard Habitat for Wildlife]]> 34211196 225 Nancy Lawson 1616896175 Rift 4 2020 A New Garden Ethic: Cultivating Defiant Compassion for an Uncertain Future. That book totally convinced me about native plants. But this book is so gorgeous, loads of lovely photos, I wish I had read it first! Which sounds kind of silly... but I do wonder if this book would have convinced me as solidly as Ethic did.

I really like the profiles of the gardens across the US. I'm in the Pacific Northwest, a relatively small region which is likely to be ignored when it comes to our local natives. But an "urban woodland and pollinator garden in Portland, Oregon" was included, and I happily recognized the species in all the photos. :)]]> 4.32 2017 The Humane Gardener: Nurturing a Backyard Habitat for Wildlife
author: Nancy Lawson
name: Rift
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2020/03/27
date added: 2020/07/17
shelves: 2020
review:
This was a follow-up read, after A New Garden Ethic: Cultivating Defiant Compassion for an Uncertain Future. That book totally convinced me about native plants. But this book is so gorgeous, loads of lovely photos, I wish I had read it first! Which sounds kind of silly... but I do wonder if this book would have convinced me as solidly as Ethic did.

I really like the profiles of the gardens across the US. I'm in the Pacific Northwest, a relatively small region which is likely to be ignored when it comes to our local natives. But an "urban woodland and pollinator garden in Portland, Oregon" was included, and I happily recognized the species in all the photos. :)
]]> <![CDATA[The Drunken Botanist: The Plants That Create the World's Great Drinks]]> 16277245
Some of the most extraordinary and obscure plants have been fermented and distilled, and they each represent a unique cultural contribution to our global drinking traditions and our history. Molasses was an essential ingredient in American independence: when the British forced the colonies to buy British (not French) molasses for their New World rum-making, the settlers outrage kindled the American Revolution. Rye, which turns up in countless spirits, is vulnerable to ergot, which contains a precursor to LSD, and some historians have speculated that the Salem witch trials occurred because girls poisoned by ergot had seizures that made townspeople think they d been bewitched. Then there's the tale of the thirty-year court battle that took place over the trademarking of Angostura bitters, which may or may not actually contain bark from the Angostura tree.

With a delightful two-color vintage-style interior, over fifty drink recipes, growing tips for gardeners, and advice that carries Stewart's trademark wit, this is the perfect gift for gardeners and cocktail aficionados alike.]]> 362 Amy Stewart 1616200464 Rift 5 2020
I enjoyed it so much I copied a few pages to send to my parents... My Mom likes Gin and Tonics (which my Dad makes for her!), and the information about tonic was fascinating!!

Some of the recipes looked very inviting! And some I was glad to learn about the non-vegan-ness... some are obvious, some not so. (Be careful about Black Russians!) ;)

Just all the info about plants and the process is so interesting.

For instance, potatoes are associated with vodka, but they actually make the worse kind! Russian vodka makers say the best is made from rye or wheat. Potatoes only became a common ingredient because they were cheap and abundant! ha!

And hops are in the cannabis family... closely related to marijuana! And, like left-handedness in humans, they have a genetic predisposition to vine themselves in a clockwise direction around their trellis. But 90% of all climbing plants twine themselves the other way - counter clockwise!

Love these little tidbits!! Highly recommended to gardeners and naturalists and curious people!]]> 4.02 2013 The Drunken Botanist: The Plants That Create the World's Great Drinks
author: Amy Stewart
name: Rift
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2020/04/23
date added: 2020/07/17
shelves: 2020
review:
Ha! Oh my gosh this was such a fun read!

I enjoyed it so much I copied a few pages to send to my parents... My Mom likes Gin and Tonics (which my Dad makes for her!), and the information about tonic was fascinating!!

Some of the recipes looked very inviting! And some I was glad to learn about the non-vegan-ness... some are obvious, some not so. (Be careful about Black Russians!) ;)

Just all the info about plants and the process is so interesting.

For instance, potatoes are associated with vodka, but they actually make the worse kind! Russian vodka makers say the best is made from rye or wheat. Potatoes only became a common ingredient because they were cheap and abundant! ha!

And hops are in the cannabis family... closely related to marijuana! And, like left-handedness in humans, they have a genetic predisposition to vine themselves in a clockwise direction around their trellis. But 90% of all climbing plants twine themselves the other way - counter clockwise!

Love these little tidbits!! Highly recommended to gardeners and naturalists and curious people!
]]> <![CDATA[Jane Against the World: Roe v. Wade and the Fight for Reproductive Rights]]> 44280840
Tracing the path to the landmark decision in Roe v. Wade and the continuing battle for women's rights, Blumenthal examines, in a straightforward tone, the root causes of the current debate around abortion and repercussions that have affected generations of American women.

This eye-opening book is the perfect tool to facilitate difficult discussions and awareness of a topic that is rarely touched on in school but affects each and every young person. It's also perfect for fans of Steve Sheinkin and Deborah Heiligman.

This journalistic look at the history of abortion and the landmark case of Roe v. Wade is an important and necessary book.]]> 400 Karen Blumenthal 1626721653 Rift 5 2020, reproductive-rights
The writing is great. The information is great. but, Sighs. There is a lot of sexism and racism involved in reproductive rights. It seems like other countries have moved past some of this, but the US is still fully entrenched in misogyny and other stupidity.

I wrote 2.5 pages of quotes in my Reading Journal, from this book, so you know it's good. I'm glad this book exists and I will happily re-read it again, probably soon!]]> 4.33 2020 Jane Against the World: Roe v. Wade and the Fight for Reproductive Rights
author: Karen Blumenthal
name: Rift
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2020/04/09
date added: 2020/07/17
shelves: 2020, reproductive-rights
review:
A history of birth control and abortion in the United States... this book is apparently aimed at young people. But it never talks down, and I enjoyed it without reservation as a very adult person. :)

The writing is great. The information is great. but, Sighs. There is a lot of sexism and racism involved in reproductive rights. It seems like other countries have moved past some of this, but the US is still fully entrenched in misogyny and other stupidity.

I wrote 2.5 pages of quotes in my Reading Journal, from this book, so you know it's good. I'm glad this book exists and I will happily re-read it again, probably soon!
]]> Middlesex 2187 Middlesex tells the breathtaking story of Calliope Stephanides, and three generations of the Greek-American Stephanides family, who travel from a tiny village overlooking Mount Olympus in Asia Minor to Prohibition-era Detroit, witnessing its glory days as the Motor City and the race riots of 1967 before moving out to the tree-lined streets of suburban Grosse Pointe, Michigan. To understand why Calliope is not like other girls, she has to uncover a guilty family secret, and the astonishing genetic history that turns Callie into Cal, one of the most audacious and wondrous narrators in contemporary fiction. Lyrical and thrilling, Middlesex is an exhilarating reinvention of the American epic.]]> 529 Jeffrey Eugenides 0312422156 Rift 2 2020
There was too much violence in this story. Half this book is the history of the narrator's grandparents, who escape the war in Greece/Turkey. There is one scene, when the doctor comes home, that I'd rather not have in my head. The writing style annoyed me a bit, and I felt kind of nitpicky about missing details. I started rolling my eyes, at some point... that's never good!

meh, I guess it was a vaguely interesting story, altogether. And I'm glad to have read it, but only because I like to read a good variety of books. Even books that I don't like so much! :)]]> 4.03 2002 Middlesex
author: Jeffrey Eugenides
name: Rift
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2002
rating: 2
read at: 2020/03/24
date added: 2020/07/17
shelves: 2020
review:
Every year for christmas, I ask for books. I ask for some specific books, and then I also ask for a great book "you read" this year. Not too many family members take me up on this, for some reason, but my cousin in Iowa does a good job of supplying random books! :)

There was too much violence in this story. Half this book is the history of the narrator's grandparents, who escape the war in Greece/Turkey. There is one scene, when the doctor comes home, that I'd rather not have in my head. The writing style annoyed me a bit, and I felt kind of nitpicky about missing details. I started rolling my eyes, at some point... that's never good!

meh, I guess it was a vaguely interesting story, altogether. And I'm glad to have read it, but only because I like to read a good variety of books. Even books that I don't like so much! :)
]]> Chosen by a Horse 91076
The horse Susan Richards chose for rescue wouldn’t be corralled into her waiting trailer. Instead Lay Me Down, a former racehorse, walked right up that ramp and into Susan’s life. This gentle creature—malnourished, plagued by pneumonia and an eye infection—had endured a rough road, but somehow her heart was still open and generous. It seemed fated that she would come into Susan’s paddock and teach her how to embrace the joys of life despite the dangers of living.

An elegant and often heartbreaking tale filled with animal characters as complicated and lively as their human counterparts, this is an inspiring story of courage and hope and the ways in which all love—even an animal’s—has the power to heal.]]> 256 Susan Richards 0156031175 Rift 3 2020, memoir-plus-animals
A major disappointment for me was how Lay Me Down's daughter got treated. She was bitter and wild and uncontrollable, but SR never even attempted to gain her trust or work with her at all. And then she was taken away, and SR let it happen. ugh, so sad.]]> 4.09 2004 Chosen by a Horse
author: Susan Richards
name: Rift
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2004
rating: 3
read at: 2020/01/24
date added: 2020/04/24
shelves: 2020, memoir-plus-animals
review:
A sweet story [spoilers removed] Nice to get a glimpse into equine lives again, and remember how crazy horse people are. Case in point, Georgia is kind of a bitch and SR admits that if Georgia was a human, SR would hate her! And yet, because Georgia is a horse, SR loves her without reservation! *laughs* I suppose horse people have a good kind of crazy. :)

A major disappointment for me was how Lay Me Down's daughter got treated. She was bitter and wild and uncontrollable, but SR never even attempted to gain her trust or work with her at all. And then she was taken away, and SR let it happen. ugh, so sad.
]]> <![CDATA[The Kif Strike Back (Chanur, #3)]]> 998191 304 C.J. Cherryh 0886771846 Rift 4 2020, scifi-good-aliens 4.08 1985 The Kif Strike Back (Chanur, #3)
author: C.J. Cherryh
name: Rift
average rating: 4.08
book published: 1985
rating: 4
read at: 2020/02/27
date added: 2020/04/23
shelves: 2020, scifi-good-aliens
review:

]]> Chanur's Legacy (Chanur, #5) 57107
A game of interstellar politics in which Hilfy Chanur and her vessel Legacy are commissioned to transport a small, mysterious religious object. The price is extremely generous, perhaps too generous.

Praise for the Chanur series:
A tour de force...quintessential SF. (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
One of the best science fiction tales ever. (Minneapolis Star and Tribune)]]> 416 C.J. Cherryh 0886775590 Rift 4 2020, scifi-good-aliens A great and satisfying end to a good series!

]]> 4.09 1992 Chanur's Legacy (Chanur, #5)
author: C.J. Cherryh
name: Rift
average rating: 4.09
book published: 1992
rating: 4
read at: 2020/03/16
date added: 2020/04/23
shelves: 2020, scifi-good-aliens
review:
I very much enjoyed this entire series... But this one might be my favorite? As Hilfy gets to know her Stsho passengers, so do we. The Stsho are unexplainable aliens, but they grow on you and, with Hilfy, I really start to love them at the end! "Wai!" :) If I live a hundred years more, I don't think I will ever forget the scene [spoilers removed]
A great and satisfying end to a good series!


]]> <![CDATA[Chanur's Homecoming (Chanur, #4)]]> 57166 400 C.J. Cherryh 0886771773 Rift 4 2020, scifi-good-aliens 4.15 1986 Chanur's Homecoming (Chanur, #4)
author: C.J. Cherryh
name: Rift
average rating: 4.15
book published: 1986
rating: 4
read at: 2020/03/03
date added: 2020/04/23
shelves: 2020, scifi-good-aliens
review:

]]> Chanur's Venture (Chanur, #2) 531150 320 C.J. Cherryh 0886772931 Rift 4 2020, scifi-good-aliens
This was so fast paced, it actually gave me anxiety. Well, that and the car accident on the space station. good lord. But it's the start of a good story!]]> 4.02 1984 Chanur's Venture (Chanur, #2)
author: C.J. Cherryh
name: Rift
average rating: 4.02
book published: 1984
rating: 4
read at: 2020/02/22
date added: 2020/04/23
shelves: 2020, scifi-good-aliens
review:
This is not a stand-alone story. Chanur #2, 3 and 4 are a single story.

This was so fast paced, it actually gave me anxiety. Well, that and the car accident on the space station. good lord. But it's the start of a good story!
]]> <![CDATA[The Pride of Chanur (Chanur, #1)]]> 1197129 223 C.J. Cherryh 0886772923 Rift 4 2020, scifi-good-aliens
Pretty fast paced story... and when I re-read it right away, I realized CJC assumes the reader understands all the undertones but I didn't really get certain things until I re-read it. Makes for an enjoyable re-read!]]> 3.92 1981 The Pride of Chanur (Chanur, #1)
author: C.J. Cherryh
name: Rift
average rating: 3.92
book published: 1981
rating: 4
read at: 2020/02/20
date added: 2020/04/23
shelves: 2020, scifi-good-aliens
review:
This is kind of a classic in the scifi genre, and a story known for it's good aliens. I'm not sure why it's taken me so long to pick up this series! But here I am.

Pretty fast paced story... and when I re-read it right away, I realized CJC assumes the reader understands all the undertones but I didn't really get certain things until I re-read it. Makes for an enjoyable re-read!
]]> <![CDATA[This Is How You Lose the Time War]]> 43352954 Burn before reading. Thus begins an unlikely correspondence between two rival agents hellbent on securing the best possible future for their warring factions. Now, what began as a taunt, a battlefield boast, grows into something more. Something epic. Something romantic. Something that could change the past and the future.

Except the discovery of their bond would mean death for each of them. There's still a war going on, after all. And someone has to win that war.]]> 209 Amal El-Mohtar Rift 4 2020 an Ultramarine Flycatcher... tho there is a size difference, you can see the obvious resemblance () (), and even better, this flycatcher lives in the Himalayas!

Anyway! The story showcases the pointlessness of war, you never know what is going on. War is confusing and stupid. And yet, the Red and the Blue fall in love in a series of letters left behind. This part was so good, I had to change my rating from a 3 to a 4 star! Watching their relationship unfold in the letters, still brings a quiet smile to my face.

The ending was a little bit predictable, simply because it's a time travel story. That's okay, it was a good ending.]]> 3.87 2019 This Is How You Lose the Time War
author: Amal El-Mohtar
name: Rift
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2020/01/25
date added: 2020/04/23
shelves: 2020
review:
I'd heard this was an epistolary story. Altho I am a scifi reader, I don't particularly like Time Travel stories (Doctor Who, notwithstanding!!!) and I really don't like war stories. The cover attracted me tho... a red Cardinal, an eastern US bird, and (what I thought was) a blue Scrub Jay, a western US bird. humph, turns out it's supposed to be an Ultramarine Flycatcher... tho there is a size difference, you can see the obvious resemblance () (), and even better, this flycatcher lives in the Himalayas!

Anyway! The story showcases the pointlessness of war, you never know what is going on. War is confusing and stupid. And yet, the Red and the Blue fall in love in a series of letters left behind. This part was so good, I had to change my rating from a 3 to a 4 star! Watching their relationship unfold in the letters, still brings a quiet smile to my face.

The ending was a little bit predictable, simply because it's a time travel story. That's okay, it was a good ending.
]]> <![CDATA[A New Garden Ethic: Cultivating Defiant Compassion for an Uncertain Future]]> 34381078 192 Benjamin Vogt 0865718555 Rift 4 2020
I am not a home owner, but I do have a Community Garden plot. This book is not about our food gardens. It's about landscaping and flower gardens. And in those places, we need to avoid the exotics and the invasives. BV puts out the argument, and perfectly convinces me. I have been researching the plants I have in my garden plot...

As a vegan, I thought I was doing good to let the Borage grow wild in my plot. I saw how much it was loved by the European Honey Bees, and the occasional native Bumble Bees! But it turns out, Borage is native to the eastern Mediterranean. Nothing to do with my local US Pacific Northwest region, the occasional Bumble Bees were just a happy happenstance.

And it's the native bugs and the native bees that we need to be supporting. 90% of song birds feed bugs to their babies... no bugs, no baby birds. And humans have been hard on bugs, pesticides galore. Insect populations are crashing, bird populations are crashing.

An example. I recently discovered the Red Flowering Currant, native in my area. The flowers nectar supports hummingbirds and other pollinators and the berries are eaten by several other birds and mammals. The leaves are eaten by 25 different species of butterfly and moth caterpillars! In contrast, the Butterfly Bush, an exotic plant from Asia might attract a few large butterflies but most pollinators tongues aren't long enough to get to the nectar... And Butterfly Bush supports zero caterpillars. It's pretty much useless!

So, native plants support our native bugs! I haven't figured out what will replace the Borage in my garden plot. But I'm learning more and more about native plants. The Pacific NW is a unique ecosystem, the natives aren't really listed at nurseries or seed catalogs. But I'm learning! And will apply what I learn about native plants and bugs!]]> 4.05 A New Garden Ethic: Cultivating Defiant Compassion for an Uncertain Future
author: Benjamin Vogt
name: Rift
average rating: 4.05
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2020/02/05
date added: 2020/04/22
shelves: 2020
review:
This book changed my life. Native plants are so important to our ecosystems that we need to focus solely on native plants!

I am not a home owner, but I do have a Community Garden plot. This book is not about our food gardens. It's about landscaping and flower gardens. And in those places, we need to avoid the exotics and the invasives. BV puts out the argument, and perfectly convinces me. I have been researching the plants I have in my garden plot...

As a vegan, I thought I was doing good to let the Borage grow wild in my plot. I saw how much it was loved by the European Honey Bees, and the occasional native Bumble Bees! But it turns out, Borage is native to the eastern Mediterranean. Nothing to do with my local US Pacific Northwest region, the occasional Bumble Bees were just a happy happenstance.

And it's the native bugs and the native bees that we need to be supporting. 90% of song birds feed bugs to their babies... no bugs, no baby birds. And humans have been hard on bugs, pesticides galore. Insect populations are crashing, bird populations are crashing.

An example. I recently discovered the Red Flowering Currant, native in my area. The flowers nectar supports hummingbirds and other pollinators and the berries are eaten by several other birds and mammals. The leaves are eaten by 25 different species of butterfly and moth caterpillars! In contrast, the Butterfly Bush, an exotic plant from Asia might attract a few large butterflies but most pollinators tongues aren't long enough to get to the nectar... And Butterfly Bush supports zero caterpillars. It's pretty much useless!

So, native plants support our native bugs! I haven't figured out what will replace the Borage in my garden plot. But I'm learning more and more about native plants. The Pacific NW is a unique ecosystem, the natives aren't really listed at nurseries or seed catalogs. But I'm learning! And will apply what I learn about native plants and bugs!
]]> <![CDATA[Handbook for a Post-Roe America]]> 40888575
Handbook for a Post-Roe America is a comprehensive and user-friendly manual for understanding and preparing for the looming changes to reproductive rights law, and getting the healthcare you need––by any means necessary. Activist and writer Robin Marty guides readers through various worst-case scenarios of a post-Roe America, and offers ways to fight back, including: how to acquire financial support, how to use existing networks and create new ones, and how to, when required, work outside existing legal systems. She details how to plan for your own emergencies, how to start organizing now, what to know about self-managed abortion care with pills and/or herbs, and how to avoid surveillance. The only guidebook of its kind, Handbook for a Post-Roe America includes an extensive, detailed resource guide for all pregnant people (whether cis, trans, or non-binary) of clinics, action groups, abortion funds, and practical support groups in each state, so wherever you live, you can get involved.

With a newly right-wing Supreme Court and a Republican Senate, Roe is under threat. Robin Marty observes: "When we say abortion will be illegal in half the states in the nation, we are no longer talking about some hypothetical future—we are talking about just years down the road. We have to act now to secure what access remains, shore up the networks supporting those who need care, and decide what risks we are willing to take to ensure that any person who wants a termination can still end that pregnancy—with or without the government's permission."]]> 192 Robin Marty 1609809505 Rift 5 2020, reproductive-rights
It scares me that this book needs to be written... but Wow, tons of great information!!

I am lucky to live in a state (Oregon) that has no restrictions on Roe v Wade. But, (writing this in April 2020) Texas has banned abortion in it's covid-19 rules, and several other states are following suit.

*shakes head* Abortions happen. They have always happened, throughout human history. And they will always happen, whether or not they are legal. When abortion is illegal, rich women will be able to get abortions. They are able to travel elsewhere to get a safe abortion. It's the poor people who suffer. In the back alleys, or attempting to self-induce. People die when abortions are made illegal. Which is beyond tragic, because abortion is one of the safest medical procedures there is. And it's safer than bringing the pregnancy to term because maternal mortality in the US is terrible.

Okay. That was my soap box. Read this book! It's good!]]> 4.46 2019 Handbook for a Post-Roe America
author: Robin Marty
name: Rift
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2020/01/29
date added: 2020/04/22
shelves: 2020, reproductive-rights
review:
In the past year or so, I've gotten very passionate about reproductive rights. In fact, I took on a project to send a Thank You postcard to each and every independent abortion clinic in the USA... There are just over 100 of them (not including Planned Parenthood) and it took me nine months (heh) to send to them all. And now I'm doing it again, round 2! THANK YOU abortion providers!!!

It scares me that this book needs to be written... but Wow, tons of great information!!

I am lucky to live in a state (Oregon) that has no restrictions on Roe v Wade. But, (writing this in April 2020) Texas has banned abortion in it's covid-19 rules, and several other states are following suit.

*shakes head* Abortions happen. They have always happened, throughout human history. And they will always happen, whether or not they are legal. When abortion is illegal, rich women will be able to get abortions. They are able to travel elsewhere to get a safe abortion. It's the poor people who suffer. In the back alleys, or attempting to self-induce. People die when abortions are made illegal. Which is beyond tragic, because abortion is one of the safest medical procedures there is. And it's safer than bringing the pregnancy to term because maternal mortality in the US is terrible.

Okay. That was my soap box. Read this book! It's good!
]]> <![CDATA[Smoke Gets in Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory]]> 25189315
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes tells an unusual coming-of-age story full of bizarre encounters and unforgettable scenes. Caring for dead bodies of every color, shape, and affliction, Caitlin soon becomes an intrepid explorer in the world of the dead. She describes how she swept ashes from the machines (and sometimes onto her clothes) and reveals the strange history of cremation and undertaking, marveling at bizarre and wonderful funeral practices from different cultures.

Her eye-opening, candid, and often hilarious story is like going on a journey with your bravest friend to the cemetery at midnight. She demystifies death, leading us behind the black curtain of her unique profession. And she answers questions you didn’t know you had: Can you catch a disease from a corpse? How many dead bodies can you fit in a Dodge van? What exactly does a flaming skull look like?

Honest and heartfelt, self-deprecating and ironic, Caitlin's engaging style makes this otherwise taboo topic both approachable and engrossing. Now a licensed mortician with an alternative funeral practice, Caitlin argues that our fear of dying warps our culture and society, and she calls for better ways of dealing with death (and our dead).]]> 254 Caitlin Doughty 0393351904 Rift 5 2020 4.25 2014 Smoke Gets in Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory
author: Caitlin Doughty
name: Rift
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2020/01/17
date added: 2020/04/22
shelves: 2020
review:
I've been watching CD's YouTube channel "Ask a Mortician" for about a year now. I really enjoy it, CD is kind and respectful and has a great sense of humor! This book is the same, with stories she's never mentioned in her videos. Great Read!!
]]> Interference (Semiosis, #2) 43263202 The sequel to Sue Burke's sweeping SF epic debut, Semiosis, continues in Interference as the colonists and a team from Earth confront a new and more implacable intelligence.

Over two hundred years after the first colonists landed on Pax, a new set of explorers arrives from Earth on what they claim is a temporary scientific mission.

But the Earthlings misunderstand the nature of the Pax settlement and its real leader. Even as Stevland attempts to protect his human tools, a more insidious enemy than the Earthlings makes itself known.

Stevland is not the apex species.

Semiosis duology
Semiosis
Interference]]> 320 Sue Burke 1250317843 Rift 3 2020
The book starts out from the perspective of someone on Earth. Earth is bad. Not too bad, but bad. It's needed background, for sure, but I wanted to get to Pax already.

But the character we get on Pax is an arrogant jerk. I seriously wanted to throw the book across the room and then stomp on it, Arthur is such a piece of shit. Except I'm reading on my kindle, so I read on. And it's really a testament that SB can create such a character and still keep me reading. (well, okay, maybe not. it's my kindle after all!)

Loved the chapter from the Queen, so interesting. And wanted more from Stevland, with their multiple points of view.

But the story tries to do too much. Way too much. There are many threads that are just abandoned. And they are disturbing, anyway, so maybe it's better that way...

The corals are communicating, but let's just destroy them all. *shakes head with an understated "damn"*

And worse, so much worse. This part is at 60% of the book, and it's a major spoiler, with cussing (sorry!)...

[spoilers removed]

Yeah, I hate that whole scene, and i hate that SB wrote it because it reminds me that humans will be human -- violent and stupid -- even when they are on a planet called Pax and the residents call themselves Pacifists. ARG! I hate it!

The ending is hopeful, and I love the hope. But we've seen how it is: humans are violent and stupid and there's no changing that.

sighs.]]> 3.89 2019 Interference (Semiosis, #2)
author: Sue Burke
name: Rift
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2020/01/14
date added: 2020/01/20
shelves: 2020
review:
oh. So many issues. So much I need to say. I wanted to love this book as much as the first. but, no, everything changed with this book...

The book starts out from the perspective of someone on Earth. Earth is bad. Not too bad, but bad. It's needed background, for sure, but I wanted to get to Pax already.

But the character we get on Pax is an arrogant jerk. I seriously wanted to throw the book across the room and then stomp on it, Arthur is such a piece of shit. Except I'm reading on my kindle, so I read on. And it's really a testament that SB can create such a character and still keep me reading. (well, okay, maybe not. it's my kindle after all!)

Loved the chapter from the Queen, so interesting. And wanted more from Stevland, with their multiple points of view.

But the story tries to do too much. Way too much. There are many threads that are just abandoned. And they are disturbing, anyway, so maybe it's better that way...

The corals are communicating, but let's just destroy them all. *shakes head with an understated "damn"*

And worse, so much worse. This part is at 60% of the book, and it's a major spoiler, with cussing (sorry!)...

[spoilers removed]

Yeah, I hate that whole scene, and i hate that SB wrote it because it reminds me that humans will be human -- violent and stupid -- even when they are on a planet called Pax and the residents call themselves Pacifists. ARG! I hate it!

The ending is hopeful, and I love the hope. But we've seen how it is: humans are violent and stupid and there's no changing that.

sighs.
]]> Semiosis (Semiosis, #1) 35018907 In this character driven novel of first contact by debut author Sue Burke, human survival hinges on an bizarre alliance.

Only mutual communication can forge an alliance with the planet's sentient species and prove that mammals are more than tools.

Forced to land on a planet they aren't prepared for, human colonists rely on their limited resources to survive. The planet provides a lush but inexplicable landscape--trees offer edible, addictive fruit one day and poison the next, while the ruins of an alien race are found entwined in the roots of a strange plant. Conflicts between generations arise as they struggle to understand one another and grapple with an unknowable alien intellect.]]> 333 Sue Burke 076539135X Rift 5 2020, scifi-good-aliens Love!

I first read this book a few months ago, in 2019 and this was actually a comfort re-read, because I'm down with a cold. I fell in love with the story all over again, and I jammed thru the whole book in two days. Laughed and Cried again, the whole bit.

I really like how the book is divided up into different characters, across different generations. It does feel like a bunch of novellas that make the story go forward... it's easier to skip over the more pedantic stuff: [spoilers removed] Then again, having just finished Ursula K. Le Guin's The Found and the Lost: The Collected Novellas of Ursula K. Le Guin with it's slightly intertwined Hainish stories, maybe I'm just used to the technique!

And of course, I love the aliens... everyone is so very different and the process of meeting everyone is exciting as we get to know new people. [spoilers removed] But the whole book is filled with brilliant scenes, and I just can't get enough of the characters. I only wish this book were longer.]]> 3.85 2018 Semiosis (Semiosis, #1)
author: Sue Burke
name: Rift
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2020/01/05
date added: 2020/01/06
shelves: 2020, scifi-good-aliens
review:
I. Love. This. Book.
Love!

I first read this book a few months ago, in 2019 and this was actually a comfort re-read, because I'm down with a cold. I fell in love with the story all over again, and I jammed thru the whole book in two days. Laughed and Cried again, the whole bit.

I really like how the book is divided up into different characters, across different generations. It does feel like a bunch of novellas that make the story go forward... it's easier to skip over the more pedantic stuff: [spoilers removed] Then again, having just finished Ursula K. Le Guin's The Found and the Lost: The Collected Novellas of Ursula K. Le Guin with it's slightly intertwined Hainish stories, maybe I'm just used to the technique!

And of course, I love the aliens... everyone is so very different and the process of meeting everyone is exciting as we get to know new people. [spoilers removed] But the whole book is filled with brilliant scenes, and I just can't get enough of the characters. I only wish this book were longer.
]]> <![CDATA[The Found and the Lost: The Collected Novellas of Ursula K. Le Guin]]> 29868611
Ursula K. Le Guin has won multiple prizes and accolades from the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters to the Newbery Honor, the Nebula, Hugo, World Fantasy, and PEN/Malamud Awards. She has had her work collected over the years, but never as a complete retrospective of her longer works as represented in the wonderful The Found and the Lost.

CONTENT
"Vaster Than Empires And More Slow"
"Buffalo Gals, Won’t You Come Out Tonight"
"Hernes" by Ursula K. Le Guin
"The Matter Of Seggri"
"Another Story Or A Fisherman Of The Inland Sea"
"Forgiveness Day"
"A Man Of The People"
"A Woman’s Liberation"
"Old Music And The Slave Women"
"The Finder"
"On The High Marsh"
"Dragonfly"
"Paradises Lost"

This collection is a literary treasure chest that belongs in every home library.]]> 816 Ursula K. Le Guin 1481451391 Rift 5 2020
I read this during my December travels to visit family. And there was more than one night that I stayed up late to finish a story. :)

Many of the stories are loosely intertwined Hainish tales. I loved this set of stories! The main character of one story would play a bit character in the next, and the individual stories were excellent. There were also a couple EarthSea stories at the end... it's been a while since I read the EarthSea books, so some of the names and places sounded familiar but that's all. I very much enjoyed these, even without remembering all the back story.

And a couple of random, unrelated stories. I did not like "Hernes" at all, the only story in the book that I didn't like. But "Buffalo Gals..." was amazing. A sweet story of a little girl, lost in the desert and Coyote and the animals take care of her until she's ready to go. I did wish she could stay with the animals forever. :)

Overall, a great book to start off the New Year! ]]> 4.42 2016 The Found and the Lost: The Collected Novellas of Ursula K. Le Guin
author: Ursula K. Le Guin
name: Rift
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2020/01/02
date added: 2020/01/03
shelves: 2020
review:
Wow! I was expecting a standard short story collection: some good some bad. But this book was almost entirely Great!

I read this during my December travels to visit family. And there was more than one night that I stayed up late to finish a story. :)

Many of the stories are loosely intertwined Hainish tales. I loved this set of stories! The main character of one story would play a bit character in the next, and the individual stories were excellent. There were also a couple EarthSea stories at the end... it's been a while since I read the EarthSea books, so some of the names and places sounded familiar but that's all. I very much enjoyed these, even without remembering all the back story.

And a couple of random, unrelated stories. I did not like "Hernes" at all, the only story in the book that I didn't like. But "Buffalo Gals..." was amazing. A sweet story of a little girl, lost in the desert and Coyote and the animals take care of her until she's ready to go. I did wish she could stay with the animals forever. :)

Overall, a great book to start off the New Year!
]]> <![CDATA[All Creatures Great and Small (All Creatures Great and Small, #1-2)]]> 32085
Delve into the magical, unforgettable world of James Herriot, the world's most beloved veterinarian, and his menagerie of heartwarming, funny, and tragic animal patients.

For over forty years, generations of readers have thrilled to Herriot's marvelous tales, deep love of life, and extraordinary storytelling abilities. For decades, Herriot roamed the remote, beautiful Yorkshire Dales, treating every patient that came his way from smallest to largest, and observing animals and humans alike with his keen, loving eye.

In All Creatures Great and Small, we meet the young Herriot as he takes up his calling and discovers that the realities of veterinary practice in rural Yorkshire are very different from the sterile setting of veterinary school. Some visits are heart-wrenchingly difficult, such as one to an old man in the village whose very ill dog is his only friend and companion, some are lighthearted and fun, such as Herriot's periodic visits to the overfed and pampered Pekinese Tricki Woo who throws parties and has his own stationery, and yet others are inspirational and enlightening, such as Herriot's recollections of poor farmers who will scrape their meager earnings together to be able to get proper care for their working animals. From seeing to his patients in the depths of winter on the remotest homesteads to dealing with uncooperative owners and critically ill animals, Herriot discovers the wondrous variety and never-ending challenges of veterinary practice as his humor, compassion, and love of the animal world shine forth.

James Herriot's memoirs have sold 80 million copies worldwide, and continue to delight and entertain readers of all ages]]> 437 James Herriot 0312965788 Rift 5 2019, memoir-plus-animals
Anyway. I am so happy that I've finally gotten around to reading this series! All the stories in this book were utterly familiar since I'd seen them all on tv. I don't read many books by old white men, anymore... but this series has given me comfort during some of my own hard times. This will be one of those books I will re-read in time, and maybe when I come back to it later, I'll give it a good thrashing from a vegan or feminist perspective. But not just right now. :)
]]> 4.30 1972 All Creatures Great and Small (All Creatures Great and Small, #1-2)
author: James Herriot
name: Rift
average rating: 4.30
book published: 1972
rating: 5
read at: 2019/02/17
date added: 2019/04/01
shelves: 2019, memoir-plus-animals
review:
I had watched the British TV show when I was a kid (... possibly when we were living in England? It would have been around 1979 to 1983 (I turned 10yo in 1983), and the show was on at that time. For a long time, I wanted to be a veterinarian when I grew up. Except the sight of blood made me light headed! And never-mind my crush on Tristan / Doctor Who #5... I'm not sure which show I watched first, but I definitely continued to watch (the original) Doctor Who on PBS when we moved back to the States!!

Anyway. I am so happy that I've finally gotten around to reading this series! All the stories in this book were utterly familiar since I'd seen them all on tv. I don't read many books by old white men, anymore... but this series has given me comfort during some of my own hard times. This will be one of those books I will re-read in time, and maybe when I come back to it later, I'll give it a good thrashing from a vegan or feminist perspective. But not just right now. :)

]]> <![CDATA[I'd Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life]]> 38502471
I'd Rather Be Reading is the perfect literary companion for everyone who feels that way. In this collection of charming and relatable reflections on the reading life, beloved blogger and author Anne Bogel leads readers to remember the book that first hooked them, the place where they first fell in love with reading, and all of the moments afterward that helped make them the reader they are today. Known as a reading tastemaker through her popular podcast What Should I Read Next?, Bogel invites book lovers into a community of like-minded people to discover new ways to approach literature, learn fascinating new things about books and publishing, and reflect on the role reading plays in their lives.

The perfect gift for the bibliophile in everyone's life, I'd Rather Be Reading will command an honored place on the overstuffed bookshelves of any book lover.]]> 156 Anne Bogel 0801072921 Rift 4 2019
"You have countless unread books at home, but you can't resist buying one more."]]> 4.02 2018 I'd Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life
author: Anne Bogel
name: Rift
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2019/02/12
date added: 2019/04/01
shelves: 2019
review:
*laughs* This was just a silly piece of fluff. But I did rather enjoy it! :)

"You have countless unread books at home, but you can't resist buying one more."
]]> <![CDATA[The Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West (Heavenly Horse, #1)]]> 891586
Anor the Executioner, monstrous and fanged, is the servant of the Dark Horse. He comes from the Gates of Death—and if he can, he will destroy the Dancer.

Between them stands Duchess, last true mare of the Appaloosa line. With the Dancer, she runs away from the barns of men—but is stalked by Anor and his Harrier Hounds. If they can kill her and her foal, the Appaloosa breed will be ended.]]> 344 Mary Stanton 0671654101 Rift 5 2019, animal-fiction
This was one of those books that "cemented" me as a reader! It was the first time I had cried, reading a book. And that's what I remembered, coming back to it now. But there's humor too, and I wonder if maybe it was also the first book that made me laugh out loud.

Because when [spoilers removed], oh my gosh, I lost it! And I'm giggling right now, thinking about it! :)

Anyway. It's a sweet story. Don't ask me to critique it... it gets 5 out of 5 stars because I'm so sentimental about it. But it really is a good story, and I'm just sorry that they haven't converted the second book, Piper at the Gate to ebook. I do own both of these as paperback (and ADORE the artwork of this book especially!!) but they are hard to get to in my tiny townhouse, and I re-bought this one to read on my kindle.]]> 4.19 1988 The Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West (Heavenly Horse, #1)
author: Mary Stanton
name: Rift
average rating: 4.19
book published: 1988
rating: 5
read at: 2019/02/09
date added: 2019/04/01
shelves: 2019, animal-fiction
review:
I had been thinking about this book because I had mentioned it on my GR PC January postcard. This is a favorite from my childhood... altho, now that I check, I realize it was published in 1988 and I would have been 15 or 16 when I read it. That may be stretching your definition of childhood, but not by much!

This was one of those books that "cemented" me as a reader! It was the first time I had cried, reading a book. And that's what I remembered, coming back to it now. But there's humor too, and I wonder if maybe it was also the first book that made me laugh out loud.

Because when [spoilers removed], oh my gosh, I lost it! And I'm giggling right now, thinking about it! :)

Anyway. It's a sweet story. Don't ask me to critique it... it gets 5 out of 5 stars because I'm so sentimental about it. But it really is a good story, and I'm just sorry that they haven't converted the second book, Piper at the Gate to ebook. I do own both of these as paperback (and ADORE the artwork of this book especially!!) but they are hard to get to in my tiny townhouse, and I re-bought this one to read on my kindle.
]]> Redemption in Indigo 7005878
Unfortunately, not all the djombi are happy about this gift: the Indigo Lord believes this power should be his and his alone, and he sets about trying to persuade Paama to return the Chaos Stick.

Chaos is about to reign supreme...]]> 188 Karen Lord 1931520666 Rift 3 2019 The Best of All Possible Worlds: I've read and re-read that thing!

This story starts out as a retelling of a fable, and to be honest I was annoyed with the glutton and the fable by the beginning of the second um incident. But, knowing it was a fable, I knew I would only have to suffer through three incidents, and then the story moved on to the more interesting part. Which was good! and I loved the ending, and actually re-read parts so that I could take it all in! ]]> 3.86 2010 Redemption in Indigo
author: Karen Lord
name: Rift
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2010
rating: 3
read at: 2019/02/06
date added: 2019/04/01
shelves: 2019
review:
I had gotten this book a while ago, because I loved KL's The Best of All Possible Worlds: I've read and re-read that thing!

This story starts out as a retelling of a fable, and to be honest I was annoyed with the glutton and the fable by the beginning of the second um incident. But, knowing it was a fable, I knew I would only have to suffer through three incidents, and then the story moved on to the more interesting part. Which was good! and I loved the ending, and actually re-read parts so that I could take it all in!
]]> <![CDATA[This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate]]> 21913812
In her most provocative book yet, Naomi Klein, author of the global bestsellers Shock Doctrine and No Logo, exposes the myths that are clouding climate debate.

You have been told the market will save us, when in fact the addiction to profit and growth is digging us in deeper every day. You have been told it's impossible to get off fossil fuels when in fact we know exactly how to do it—it just requires breaking every rule in the 'free-market' playbook. You have also been told that humanity is too greedy and selfish to rise to this challenge. In fact, all around the world, the fight back is already succeeding in ways both surprising and inspiring.

It's about changing the world, before the world changes so drastically that no one is safe. Either we leap—or we sink. This Changes Everything is a book that will redefine our era.]]> 566 Naomi Klein 1451697384 Rift 4 2019
The beginning of the book paints the nightmare that Climate Change is gearing up to be. And then there are a lot of great ideas for making things better, for the most people. But this book was published in 2014, and we haven't really gotten anywhere. In fact, with Trump and other administrations around the world, we are making things worse. So, climate change will be terrible, and only the super rich will survive. sighs.]]> 4.15 2014 This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate
author: Naomi Klein
name: Rift
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2019/01/30
date added: 2019/04/01
shelves: 2019
review:
A couple days after I started reading this book, I was in a pretty bad car accident. I was bed bound with pain, and this is what I was reading. It's not a happy book. But at least I had pain pills. (Not that they worked, but they were there!!)

The beginning of the book paints the nightmare that Climate Change is gearing up to be. And then there are a lot of great ideas for making things better, for the most people. But this book was published in 2014, and we haven't really gotten anywhere. In fact, with Trump and other administrations around the world, we are making things worse. So, climate change will be terrible, and only the super rich will survive. sighs.
]]> <![CDATA[Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang]]> 968827 Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang is widely regarded as a high point of both humanistic and hard SF, winning SF's Hugo Award and Locus Award on its first publication.]]> 251 Kate Wilhelm 0060146540 Rift 3 2019
But when I started reading it, I had forgotten why I got it and had no idea what it was about. Somehow I kept reading until I realized it's a story about the end of civilization. It's a decent story, and not as brutal as the more modern apocalypse books I've read. Thankful for that, but it made the story unbelievable... For instance, there was only one major attack on their community. [spoilers removed] and then I thought, even after disease kills a big percent of people, humans still have 50ish years to think about the fact that they are going extinct, and here's a community where they still have the lights on? There should have been more people just wandering in.

But, that's not what the story was about. The clone society is interesting and thought provoking. And the problem with the 4th generation of clones could be a similar problem in our own world: There's a link between air pollution and a decline in cognitive capacity. sighs.

]]> 3.86 1976 Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang
author: Kate Wilhelm
name: Rift
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1976
rating: 3
read at: 2019/01/15
date added: 2019/01/19
shelves: 2019
review:
Kate Wilhelm died March 2018. There was an article in our local newspaper because she had lived in Eugene Oregon since 2002. I hadn't read any of her books, and I picked this one because it won the Hugo.

But when I started reading it, I had forgotten why I got it and had no idea what it was about. Somehow I kept reading until I realized it's a story about the end of civilization. It's a decent story, and not as brutal as the more modern apocalypse books I've read. Thankful for that, but it made the story unbelievable... For instance, there was only one major attack on their community. [spoilers removed] and then I thought, even after disease kills a big percent of people, humans still have 50ish years to think about the fact that they are going extinct, and here's a community where they still have the lights on? There should have been more people just wandering in.

But, that's not what the story was about. The clone society is interesting and thought provoking. And the problem with the 4th generation of clones could be a similar problem in our own world: There's a link between air pollution and a decline in cognitive capacity. sighs.


]]> Becoming 38746485
In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her—from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world’s most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it—in her own words and on her own terms. Warm, wise, and revelatory, Becoming is the deeply personal reckoning of a woman of soul and substance who has steadily defied expectations—and whose story inspires us to do the same.]]> 426 Michelle Obama 1524763136 Rift 4 2019
The politics is a whirlwind, and her time in the White House is very interesting. But I enjoyed the garden bits the most. She had never had a garden before, but I love how she made the connections in her life and it became important to her. ]]> 4.42 2018 Becoming
author: Michelle Obama
name: Rift
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2019/01/11
date added: 2019/01/12
shelves: 2019
review:
Enjoyed this book. It's funny, but the first section of MO growing up was kind of ... well, boring. It's just so ordinary. And that is the point, which continues thru her story. It made me think that MO is a just a regular person who I might meet one day, randomly, and we would probably be friends after chatting for a few about her White House Garden.

The politics is a whirlwind, and her time in the White House is very interesting. But I enjoyed the garden bits the most. She had never had a garden before, but I love how she made the connections in her life and it became important to her.
]]> <![CDATA[My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me: A Black Woman Discovers Her Family's Nazi Past]]> 23288036 Schindler’s List.

“I am the granddaughter of Amon Goeth, who shot hundreds of people—and for being black, he would have shot me, too.� In an instant, Jennifer Teege’s life turns upside down; the shock of discovering her ancestry shatters her sense of self.

Teege is 38—married, with two small children—when by chance she finds a library book about her grandfather, Amon Goeth. Millions of people worldwide know of him through Ralph Fiennes� chilling portrayal in Steven Spielberg’s film Schindler’s List. Goeth was the brutal commandant of the Plaszów concentration camp—Oskar Schindler’s drinking buddy, and yet his adversary. Responsible for the deaths of thousands, Amon Goeth was hanged in 1946.

Goeth’s partner Ruth, Teege’s much-loved grandmother, committed suicide in 1983. Teege is their daughter’s daughter; her father is Nigerian. Raised by foster parents, she grew up with no knowledge of the family secret. Now, it unsettles her profoundly. What can she say to her Jewish friends, or to her own children? Who is she—truly?

My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me is Teege’s searing chronicle of grappling with her haunted past. Her research into her family takes her to Poland and to Israel. Award-winning journalist Nikola Sellmair supplies historical context in a separate, interwoven narrative. Step by step, horrified by her family’s dark history, Teege builds the story of her own liberation.]]> 288 Jennifer Teege Rift 3 2017 3.92 2013 My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me: A Black Woman Discovers Her Family's Nazi Past
author: Jennifer Teege
name: Rift
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2017/04/08
date added: 2018/04/04
shelves: 2017
review:
The author JT discovering her biological family in a book at the library, was such an emotional scene, I still remember it, a year after reading the book. The book was a page turner, and the two different voices worked for me: JT telling her story and her co-author NS providing historical facts.
]]> Lolly Willowes 937105 Ěý
But it’s in the countryside, among nature, where Lolly has her first taste of freedom. Duty-bound to no one except herself, she revels in the solitary life. When her nephew moves there, and Lolly feels once again thrust into her old familial role, she reaches out to the otherworldly, to the darkness, to the unheeded power within the hearts of women to feel at peace once moreĚý.Ěý.Ěý.]]> 222 Sylvia Townsend Warner 0940322161 Rift 3 2017 3.75 1926 Lolly Willowes
author: Sylvia Townsend Warner
name: Rift
average rating: 3.75
book published: 1926
rating: 3
read at: 2017/03/11
date added: 2017/10/21
shelves: 2017
review:
The first 80 or 90 pages were so boring, I couldn't understand why my friend had recommended it! I only continued reading it because every once in a while there was a new word that I didn't know and I would have to look up the definition. Ha, I love books like that! :) The story finally began, and it continued to get more interesting. I liked the ending, which explained the beginning, but the great writing couldn't quite get my rating up to 4 stars, had to stick with 3.
]]> Her Smoke Rose Up Forever 27059 Her Smoke Rose Up Forever is the quintessential Tiptree collection. These eighteen brilliant short stories reflect the darkly complex world author, Alice Bradley Sheldon, who created and wrote under the persona of reclusive, enigmatic genius James Tiptree, Jr. This updated edition contains revisions from the author’s original notes, offering further insight into the fascinating subjects of her multi award-winning fiction: exploring the alien among us; the unreliability of perception; love, sex, and death; and humanity’s place in a vast, cold universe.]]> 448 James Tiptree Jr. 1892391201 Rift 5 4.19 1990 Her Smoke Rose Up Forever
author: James Tiptree Jr.
name: Rift
average rating: 4.19
book published: 1990
rating: 5
read at: 2007/04/01
date added: 2017/10/20
shelves: tiptree-award-winners, 2007, scifi-good-aliens
review:

]]> Matriarch (Wess'Har Wars, #4) 349733 Eqbas will arrive at Earth to forcibly return the planet to what it once was—as retribution, in part, for the gethes' thoughtless near-extermination of an alien ocean-dwelling species. First, however, another world requires their attention: the crowded, ecologically ravaged planet of the swarming, insect-like isenj. Efforts to drastically reduce the isenj population have sparked a devastating civil war—which may well do the savior/destroyers' work for them. And the human visitors can only watch.

Rendered immortal and ever changeable by a parasite in her blood, ex-cop Shan Frankland isn't content merely to play Matriarch to her two similarly infected mates—one earthborn, one alien wess'har. Her fears for the future of Umeh and the ultimate fate of humankind must be set aside while she tackles an unfulfilled duty that haunts her every waking moment—a mission that must be undertaken for the sake of the future—and pursues a righteous vengeance.]]> 387 Karen Traviss 006088231X Rift 5 3.89 2006 Matriarch (Wess'Har Wars, #4)
author: Karen Traviss
name: Rift
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2006
rating: 5
read at: 2008/04/01
date added: 2017/10/20
shelves: tiptree-award-winners, 2007, 2008, vegan, scifi-good-aliens
review:
2006 Tiptree Shortlist. 4th in Wess'har War series. I've jumped into the middle of this series, but I'll definitely be reading the rest!
]]> <![CDATA[Startide Rising (The Uplift Saga, #2)]]> 234501 Sundiver, Startide Rising, and The Uplift War—a New York Times bestseller—together make up one of the most beloved sagas of all time. Brin's tales are set in a future universe in which no species can reach sentience without being "uplifted" by a patron race. But the greatest mystery of all remains unsolved: who uplifted humankind?

The Terran exploration vessel Streaker has crashed in the uncharted water world of Kithrup, bearing one of the most important discoveries in galactic history. Below, a handful of her human and dolphin crew battles armed rebellion and a hostile planet to safeguard her secret—the fate of the Progenitors, the fabled First Race who seeded wisdom throughout the stars.]]> 458 David Brin 055327418X Rift 5 2009, scifi-good-aliens Re-reading it, this time around, I was kind of disturbed about all the mean things Brin does to his characters.]]> 4.05 1983 Startide Rising (The Uplift Saga, #2)
author: David Brin
name: Rift
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1983
rating: 5
read at: 2009/01/04
date added: 2017/10/20
shelves: 2009, scifi-good-aliens
review:
This is the book that made me fall in love with David Brin... I mean Dolphins! Flying a Space Ship! *laughs*
Re-reading it, this time around, I was kind of disturbed about all the mean things Brin does to his characters.
]]> <![CDATA[The Uplift War (The Uplift Saga, #3)]]> 234489 Sundiver, Startide Rising, and The Uplift War--a New York Times bestseller--together make up one of the most beloved sagas of all time. Brin's tales are set in a future universe in which no species can reach sentience without being "uplifted" by a patron race. But the greatest mystery of all remains unsolved: who uplifted humankind?

As galactic armadas clash in quest of the ancient fleet of the Progenitors, a brutal alien race seizes the dying planet of Garth. The various uplifted inhabitants of Garth must battle their overlords or face ultimate extinction. At stake is the existence of Terran society and Earth, and the fate of the entire Five Galaxies. Sweeping, brilliantly crafted, inventive and dramatic, The Uplift War is an unforgettable story of adventure and wonder from one of today's science fiction greats.]]> 638 David Brin 0553279718 Rift 4 2009, scifi-good-aliens 4.07 1987 The Uplift War (The Uplift Saga, #3)
author: David Brin
name: Rift
average rating: 4.07
book published: 1987
rating: 4
read at: 2009/01/24
date added: 2017/10/20
shelves: 2009, scifi-good-aliens
review:
This is a re-read of my favorite science fiction series. Brin tells an excellent story. But I'm facing this book as a vegan now... and, yikes... Brin has no problems with his characters eating People (the stork-like bad-guy aliens). It says a lot about our society, and not good things, either.
]]> <![CDATA[Brightness Reef (Uplift Storm Trilogy, #1)]]> 25059 661 David Brin 0553573306 Rift 4 2009, scifi-good-aliens 3.92 1995 Brightness Reef (Uplift Storm Trilogy, #1)
author: David Brin
name: Rift
average rating: 3.92
book published: 1995
rating: 4
read at: 2009/02/21
date added: 2017/10/20
shelves: 2009, scifi-good-aliens
review:
A re-read. I love Brin's aliens! :)
]]> Imago (Xenogenesis, #3) 60934 Human and Oankali have been mating since the aliens first came to Earth to rescue the few survivors of an annihilating nuclear war. The Oankali began a massive breeding project, guided by the ooloi, a sexless subspecies capable of manipulating DNA, in the hope of eventually creating a perfect starfaring race. Jodahs is supposed to be just another hybrid of human and Oankali, but as he begins his transformation to adulthood he finds himself becoming ooloi—the first ever born to a human mother. As his body changes, Jodahs develops the ability to shapeshift, manipulate matter, and cure or create disease at will. If this frightened young man is able to master his new identity, Jodahs could prove the savior of what’s left of mankind. Or, if he is not careful, he could become a plague that will destroy this new race once and for all.]]> 220 Octavia E. Butler 0446603635 Rift 5 2015, scifi-good-aliens In biology, the imago is the last stage an insect attains during its metamorphosis, its process of growth and development; it also is called the imaginal stage, the stage in which the insect attains maturity.
Ha, how appropriate! It's not only our main character, Jodahs, who grows up, but the new Oankali/Human species that is growing up as well.

Imago: an idealized mental image of another person or the self.

Ha, yeah?! Even the oldest resisting humans, have become accepting of the "alien invasion"!

The entire three book series is very thought provoking... and even I can see the metaphors in action! Love it! ♥]]> 4.20 1989 Imago (Xenogenesis, #3)
author: Octavia E. Butler
name: Rift
average rating: 4.20
book published: 1989
rating: 5
read at: 2015/07/01
date added: 2017/10/20
shelves: 2015, scifi-good-aliens
review:
In biology, the imago is the last stage an insect attains during its metamorphosis, its process of growth and development; it also is called the imaginal stage, the stage in which the insect attains maturity.

Ha, how appropriate! It's not only our main character, Jodahs, who grows up, but the new Oankali/Human species that is growing up as well.

Imago: an idealized mental image of another person or the self.

Ha, yeah?! Even the oldest resisting humans, have become accepting of the "alien invasion"!

The entire three book series is very thought provoking... and even I can see the metaphors in action! Love it! �
]]> <![CDATA[Adulthood Rites (Xenogenesis, #2)]]> 116249
Nuclear war had nearly destroyed mankind when the Oankali came to the rescue, saving humanity—but at a price. The Oankali survive by mixing their DNA with that of other species, and now on Earth they have permitted no child to be born without an Oankali parent. The first true hybrid is a boy named Akin—son of Lilith Iyapo� and to the naked eye he looks human, for now. He is born with extraordinary sensory powers, understanding speech at birth, speaking in sentences at two months old, and soon developing the ability to see at the molecular level. More powerful than any human or Oankali, he will be the architect of both races� intergalactic future. But before he can carry this new species into the stars, Akin must decide which unlucky souls will stay behind.

At once a coming-of-age story, science fiction adventure, and philosophical exploration, Butler’s ambitious and breathtaking novel ultimately raises the question of what it means to be human.]]> 277 Octavia E. Butler 0446603783 Rift 5 2015, scifi-good-aliens 4.20 1988 Adulthood Rites (Xenogenesis, #2)
author: Octavia E. Butler
name: Rift
average rating: 4.20
book published: 1988
rating: 5
read at: 2015/06/23
date added: 2017/10/20
shelves: 2015, scifi-good-aliens
review:
I really like Akin, even tho I'm definitely not a "baby person". :) ha. OB's writing is so compelling, there's no way I could quit anyway. I was extremely worried [spoilers removed] ... and it just made me eager to read the next book in the series!
]]> Dawn (Xenogenesis, #1) 60929
The Oankali survive by genetically merging with primitive civilizations—whether their new hosts like it or not. For the first time since the nuclear holocaust, Earth will be inhabited. Grass will grow, animals will run, and people will learn to survive the planet’s untamed wilderness. But their children will not be human. Not exactly.]]> 248 Octavia E. Butler 0446603775 Rift 5 2015, scifi-good-aliens
My new favorite author! I found this author on the GoodReads list Most Under-Rated Science Fiction. It's a great list!]]> 4.15 1987 Dawn (Xenogenesis, #1)
author: Octavia E. Butler
name: Rift
average rating: 4.15
book published: 1987
rating: 5
read at: 2015/06/11
date added: 2017/10/20
shelves: 2015, scifi-good-aliens
review:
So. Humans have blown themselves up and the end of civilization has come... but then some aliens happen to drive by in their generation ship and they are picking up the pieces! I love this premise! And the aliens are so very alien! And the story is engaging and incredibly fresh and wonderful.

My new favorite author! I found this author on the GoodReads list Most Under-Rated Science Fiction. It's a great list!
]]> <![CDATA[The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers, #1)]]> 22733729
Rosemary Harper doesn’t expect much when she joins the crew of the aging Wayfarer. While the patched-up ship has seen better days, it offers her a bed, a chance to explore the far-off corners of the galaxy, and most importantly, some distance from her past. An introspective young woman who learned early to keep to herself, she’s never met anyone remotely like the ship’s diverse crew, including Sissix, the exotic reptilian pilot, chatty engineers Kizzy and Jenks who keep the ship running, and Ashby, their noble captain.

Life aboard the Wayfarer is chaotic and crazy—exactly what Rosemary wants. It’s also about to get extremely dangerous when the crew is offered the job of a lifetime. Tunneling wormholes through space to a distant planet is definitely lucrative and will keep them comfortable for years. But risking her life wasn’t part of the plan. In the far reaches of deep space, the tiny Wayfarer crew will confront a host of unexpected mishaps and thrilling adventures that force them to depend on each other. To survive, Rosemary’s got to learn how to rely on this assortment of oddballs—an experience that teaches her about love and trust, and that having a family isn’t necessarily the worst thing in the universe.]]> 518 Becky Chambers 1500453307 Rift 4 2016, scifi-good-aliens 4.15 2014 The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers, #1)
author: Becky Chambers
name: Rift
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2016/11/25
date added: 2017/10/20
shelves: 2016, scifi-good-aliens
review:
Picked this up because I heard it had great aliens. YES! Really reminded me of why I love science fiction.
]]> <![CDATA[The Earth Moved: On the Remarkable Achievements of Earthworms]]> 299960 The Earth Moved, Amy Stewart takes us on a journey through the underground world and introduces us to one of its most amazing denizens. The earthworm may be small, spineless, and blind, but its impact on the ecosystem is profound. It ploughs the soil, fights plant diseases, cleans up pollution, and turns ordinary dirt into fertile land. Who knew?

In her witty, offbeat style, Stewart shows that much depends on the actions of the lowly worm. Charles Darwin devoted his last years to the meticulous study of these creatures, praising their remarkable abilities. With the august scientist as her inspiration, Stewart investigates the worm's subterranean realm, talks to oligochaetologists—the unsung heroes of earthworm science—who have devoted their lives to unearthing the complex life beneath our feet, and observes the thousands of worms in her own garden. From the legendary giant Australian worm that stretches to ten feet in length to the modest nightcrawler that wormed its way into the heart of Darwin's last book to the energetic red wigglers in Stewart's compost bin, The Earth Moved gives worms their due and exposes their hidden and extraordinary universe. This book is for all of us who appreciate Mother Nature's creatures, no matter how humble.]]> 240 Amy Stewart Rift 5 2017
* The invasive species in Northeastern US, now destroying the forests there. The last ice age left zero worms and the forests evolved to make use of the "duff" for seed germination. Now, invasive worms have completely eaten the duff and there are no more baby trees.

* Using worms as bio-monitors... As we learned in Silent Spring (one of my favorite books!), worms can take on massive amounts of DDT. Just Eleven DDT toxic worms can kill a robin, and robins eat 10-12 worms per hour. Worms can also handle other toxins and can be used to measure pollutants, or clean them up. (not vegan, and sad for the worms... but apparently humans can't stop making toxins.)

* There used to be a species of giant worm in Oregon, probably extinct now. :( But you can _hear_ the giant worms in Australia. Giant Worms! ]]> 3.91 2004 The Earth Moved: On the Remarkable Achievements of Earthworms
author: Amy Stewart
name: Rift
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2004
rating: 5
read at: 2017/03/27
date added: 2017/10/20
shelves: 2017
review:
I am caretaker of a few hundred (? thousand?) worms in my home, so this book was wonderfully interesting to me! Here are a few of the stand-outs:

* The invasive species in Northeastern US, now destroying the forests there. The last ice age left zero worms and the forests evolved to make use of the "duff" for seed germination. Now, invasive worms have completely eaten the duff and there are no more baby trees.

* Using worms as bio-monitors... As we learned in Silent Spring (one of my favorite books!), worms can take on massive amounts of DDT. Just Eleven DDT toxic worms can kill a robin, and robins eat 10-12 worms per hour. Worms can also handle other toxins and can be used to measure pollutants, or clean them up. (not vegan, and sad for the worms... but apparently humans can't stop making toxins.)

* There used to be a species of giant worm in Oregon, probably extinct now. :( But you can _hear_ the giant worms in Australia. Giant Worms!
]]> All the Birds in the Sky 25372801 316 Charlie Jane Anders 0765379945 Rift 2 2017 3.57 2016 All the Birds in the Sky
author: Charlie Jane Anders
name: Rift
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2016
rating: 2
read at: 2017/03/19
date added: 2017/10/20
shelves: 2017
review:
meh. This was a GR Deal of the Day, and the premise intrigued me (talking to birds!)... but from the very beginning, I wasn't sure if I wanted to read it after all. The parents were so over-the-top ridiculously horrible, it was painful to read such bad um story telling. But then the assassin comes along, and I decided that's just how the story is. I went with it, but never really enjoyed it.
]]> <![CDATA[A Fire Upon the Deep (Zones of Thought, #1)]]> 77711 Alternate Cover Edition can be found here.

A Fire upon the Deep is the big, breakout book that fulfills the promise of Vinge's career to date: a gripping tale of galactic war told on a cosmic scale.

Thousands of years hence, many races inhabit a universe where a mind's potential is determined by its location in space, from superintelligent entities in the Transcend, to the limited minds of the Unthinking Depths, where only simple creatures and technology can function. Nobody knows what strange force partitioned space into these "regions of thought," but when the warring Straumli realm use an ancient Transcendent artifact as a weapon, they unwittingly unleash an awesome power that destroys thousands of worlds and enslaves all natural and artificial intelligence.

Fleeing the threat, a family of scientists, including two children, are taken captive by the Tines, an alien race with a harsh medieval culture, and used as pawns in a ruthless power struggle. A rescue mission, not entirely composed of humans, must rescue the children-and a secret that may save the rest of interstellar civilization.]]> 613 Vernor Vinge 0812515285 Rift 4 2017, scifi-good-aliens
That said, this is a story about war on several different levels. Planets are destroyed, billions of people lose their lives in a single sentence. And there is the terrible violence of medieval tribal wars and fighting. ugh. The last 100 pages were excessively difficult to read: Who's going to die next? And over a simple lack of information? arg, heart-rending.

I fell in love with several of the characters. Granted, this author has a tendency to kill off the characters I love. GRR. I might just be over-invested in this story, but -- despite everything -- I have to say "It's good." And I'm willing to re-read it soon.]]> 4.14 1992 A Fire Upon the Deep (Zones of Thought, #1)
author: Vernor Vinge
name: Rift
average rating: 4.14
book published: 1992
rating: 4
read at: 2017/01/28
date added: 2017/10/20
shelves: 2017, scifi-good-aliens
review:
I try to avoid sci fi about war because I prefer to protect myself from violence. But this book was recommended for it's aliens. YEP! I love the Skroderiders (and I'm) (maybe?) (not quite horrified) (about their origins) (or maybe I accept, that's how evil is.) And, of course, the Tines are wonderfully intriguing.

That said, this is a story about war on several different levels. Planets are destroyed, billions of people lose their lives in a single sentence. And there is the terrible violence of medieval tribal wars and fighting. ugh. The last 100 pages were excessively difficult to read: Who's going to die next? And over a simple lack of information? arg, heart-rending.

I fell in love with several of the characters. Granted, this author has a tendency to kill off the characters I love. GRR. I might just be over-invested in this story, but -- despite everything -- I have to say "It's good." And I'm willing to re-read it soon.
]]> <![CDATA[The Children of the Sky (Zones of Thought, #3)]]> 10170545 A Fire Upon the Deep.

Ten years have passed on Tines World, where Ravna Bergnsdot and a number of human children ended up after a disaster that nearly obliterated humankind throughout the galaxy. Ravna and the pack animals for which the planet is named have survived a war, and Ravna has saved more than one hundred children who were in cold-sleep aboard the vessel that brought them.

While there is peace among the Tines, there are those among them—and among the humans—who seek power� and no matter the cost, these malcontents are determined to overturn the fledgling civilization that has taken root since the humans landed.

On a world of fascinating wonders and terrifying dangers, Vernor Vinge has created a powerful novel of adventure and discovery that will entrance the many readers of A Fire Upon the Deep. Filled with the inventiveness, excitement, and human drama that have become hallmarks of his work, this new novel is sure to become another great milestone in Vinge’s already stellar career.]]> 444 Vernor Vinge 0312875622 Rift 4 2017, scifi-good-aliens
[spoilers removed] And I cried bitter tears [spoilers removed] I was happy to see GreenStalk again, but sad to see her so crippled without her skrode. I am still incredibly upset about what V.V. did to the Riders in the first book (their origins, etc).]]> 3.63 2011 The Children of the Sky (Zones of Thought, #3)
author: Vernor Vinge
name: Rift
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2017/03/03
date added: 2017/10/20
shelves: 2017, scifi-good-aliens
review:
I read the 1st book for the aliens and I skipped the 2nd book because I hated Pham: there is no reason for me to read an entire book about him. I read this book because it continues the story of the Tines... I enjoyed it even tho V.V. insists on continuing to kill my favorite characters. And I enjoyed it even tho the bigger picture story (about the Blight) has not been advanced here at all (except they may be 10 of the 30 light years closer.)

[spoilers removed] And I cried bitter tears [spoilers removed] I was happy to see GreenStalk again, but sad to see her so crippled without her skrode. I am still incredibly upset about what V.V. did to the Riders in the first book (their origins, etc).
]]> Hidden Figures 25953369 349 Margot Lee Shetterly Rift 4 2017 3.97 2016 Hidden Figures
author: Margot Lee Shetterly
name: Rift
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2017/02/15
date added: 2017/10/20
shelves: 2017
review:
A gift from a good friend who saw the movie and thought I would enjoy the book. She was right!
]]> <![CDATA[Overdue: The Final Unshelved Collection (Unshelved, #12)]]> 34114754 Unshelved entertains tens of thousands of library workers, teachers, and book nerds around the world with tales of what really goes on behind the desk, between the stacks, and in the staff lounge of your local public library. In this, the final collection, you'll find over two years of full-color comic strips including the third Unshelved graphic novella, Lights Out.]]> 200 Gene Ambaum Rift 4 2017
Here are some of my favorites:



]]> 4.22 2017 Overdue: The Final Unshelved Collection (Unshelved, #12)
author: Gene Ambaum
name: Rift
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2017/02/04
date added: 2017/10/20
shelves: 2017
review:
This was a kickstarter I helped finance... I got a signed copy! :) Unshelved was a free web comic for 15 years and this is their last book, sadly. A great book -- I laughed! And I love Tamera the vegan, children's librarian.

Here are some of my favorites:




]]> <![CDATA[The Best American Science And Nature Writing 2013]]> 17165949 368 Tim Folger 0544003438 Rift 4 2017, annual-best-of-books
A couple of stand outs... The Larch - oh my gosh, a beautiful tribute to a loved one! The Last Distinction - the abandonment of Nim the chimp is devastating. Recall of the Wild - about re-wilding places previously destroyed by human activities, my reaction is "cute" and "good try" but extinct is extinct, even for whole ecosystems. ]]> 4.00 2013 The Best American Science And Nature Writing 2013
author: Tim Folger
name: Rift
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2017/01/20
date added: 2017/07/23
shelves: 2017, annual-best-of-books
review:
As usual, all these articles are fascinating! And this book seemed to have much more variety than the 2004 edition that I just finished reading. I enjoyed the animal and nature articles best, of course, but the human, physics and mathematics articles caught my interest as well.

A couple of stand outs... The Larch - oh my gosh, a beautiful tribute to a loved one! The Last Distinction - the abandonment of Nim the chimp is devastating. Recall of the Wild - about re-wilding places previously destroyed by human activities, my reaction is "cute" and "good try" but extinct is extinct, even for whole ecosystems.
]]> <![CDATA[The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2004]]> 31553
Introduction / Steven Pinker --
Genesis of suicide terrorism / Scott Atran --
The battle for your brain / Ronald Bailey --
Fearing the worst should anyone produce a cloned baby / Philip M. Boffey --
The bittersweet science / Austin Bunn --
The new celebrity / Jennet Conant --
The mythical threat of genetic determinism / Daniel C. Dennett --
We're all gonna die! / Gregg Easterbrook --
Far-out television / Garrett G. Fagan --
A war on obesity, not the obese / Jeffrey M. Friedman --
Desperate measures / Atul Gawande --
The stuff of genes / Horace Freeland Judson --
The bloody crossroads of grammar and politics / Geoffrey Nunberg --
Ask the bird folks / Mike O'Connor --
Where have all the lisas gone? / Peggy Orenstein --
The design of your life / Virginia Postrel --
Caring for your introvert / Jonathan Rauch --
All the old sciences have starring roles / Chet Raymo --
Sex week at Yale / Ron Rosenbaum --
The cousin marriage conundrum / Steve Sailer --
Bugs in the brain / Robert Sapolsky --
Through the eye of an octopus / Eric Scigliano --
Captivated / Meredith F. Small --
Parallel universes / Max Tegmark --
In click languages, an echo of the tongues of the ancients / Nicholas Wade --
A prolific Genghis Khan, it seems, helped people the world / Nicholas Wade]]> 240 Steven Pinker 0618246983 Rift 3 2017, annual-best-of-books
The ones that stood out for me: Bittersweet Science about the history of diabetes, rather sad. And Far-Out Television about shows on Discovery, TLC, the History Channel about pseudo-archaeology... funny but probably the precursor of the fake news we have to deal with these days.]]> 3.93 2004 The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2004
author: Steven Pinker
name: Rift
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2004
rating: 3
read at: 2017/01/04
date added: 2017/06/10
shelves: 2017, annual-best-of-books
review:
I love this series. This particular book was heavily human-centric. But most of the articles were so fascinating, I hardly noticed the lack of animals and nature. One article on octopuses, the one about birds was pretty lame, parasites, a cringe-worthy article about zoos (arg!) and a couple of physics articles.

The ones that stood out for me: Bittersweet Science about the history of diabetes, rather sad. And Far-Out Television about shows on Discovery, TLC, the History Channel about pseudo-archaeology... funny but probably the precursor of the fake news we have to deal with these days.
]]> The Frog in the Skyscraper 28152986
The Frog in the Skyscraper is the hilarious tale of one sharp-witted frog's journey to find out where he really belongs - despite a few bumps along the way. It will appeal to children aged 7-9, and fans of Faiz's former books.]]> 56 Faiz Kermani 178589062X Rift 5 2016 3.84 The Frog in the Skyscraper
author: Faiz Kermani
name: Rift
average rating: 3.84
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2016/09/15
date added: 2017/06/09
shelves: 2016
review:
Ha! I love this book! Okay, so I do know the author, and I do love frogs, so I was going to rate this well even if it was terrible. ;) But it's a good story and I actually laughed a couple times. [spoilers removed]
]]> <![CDATA[The Ice at the End of the World: The Longest Journey (Whalesong Trilogy #3)]]> 106761 242 Robert Siegel 0062508067 Rift 5 2016, animal-fiction 4.33 1994 The Ice at the End of the World: The Longest Journey (Whalesong Trilogy #3)
author: Robert Siegel
name: Rift
average rating: 4.33
book published: 1994
rating: 5
read at: 2016/10/29
date added: 2017/06/09
shelves: 2016, animal-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[White Whale: A Novel About Friendship and Courage in the Deep (Whalesong Trilogy #2)]]> 542266 228 Robert Siegel 0062510177 Rift 5 2016, animal-fiction 4.19 1991 White Whale: A Novel About Friendship and Courage in the Deep (Whalesong Trilogy #2)
author: Robert Siegel
name: Rift
average rating: 4.19
book published: 1991
rating: 5
read at: 2016/10/22
date added: 2017/06/09
shelves: 2016, animal-fiction
review:

]]> Whalesong (Whalesong, #1) 542265

Hruna’s voyage takes him to many things. Seals, dolphins and Ala the seagull all guide him on his travels and help him during times of great danger and great joy.

And before his song is over, Hruna is put to the ultimate test when he leads a daring rescue amongst the icebergs, and saves his pod from the whalers.]]> 144 Robert Siegel 0062507982 Rift 5 2016, animal-fiction 4.12 1981 Whalesong (Whalesong, #1)
author: Robert Siegel
name: Rift
average rating: 4.12
book published: 1981
rating: 5
read at: 2016/10/16
date added: 2017/06/09
shelves: 2016, animal-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Seven Brief Lessons on Physics]]> 25734172 All the beauty of modern physics in fewer than a hundred pages.

This is a book about the joy of discovery. A playful, entertaining, and mind-bending introduction to modern physics, it's already a major bestseller in Italy and the United Kingdom. Carlo Rovelli offers surprising—and surprisingly easy to grasp—explanations of general relativity, quantum mechanics, elementary particles, gravity, black holes, the complex architecture of the universe, and the role humans play in this weird and wonderful world. He takes us to the frontiers of our knowledge: to the most minute reaches of the fabric of space, back toĚýthe origins of the cosmos, and into the workings of our minds. “Here, on the edge of what we know, in contact with the ocean of the unknown, shines the mystery and the beauty of the world,â€� Rovelli writes. “And it’s breathtaking.”]]> 81 Carlo Rovelli 0399184414 Rift 3 2016 3.97 2014 Seven Brief Lessons on Physics
author: Carlo Rovelli
name: Rift
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2016/12/27
date added: 2017/06/09
shelves: 2016
review:
I read this book because it was short and I needed something to catch up with my reading challenge for 2016. Ha. It turned out it was WAY TOO short! I wanted to know A LOT MORE about everything! :D
]]> <![CDATA[Anne of the Island (Anne of Green Gables, #3)]]> 77392 This is an alternate cover edition for ISBN 9780553213171

New adventures lie ahead as Anne Shirley packs her bags, waves good-bye to childhood, and heads for Redmond College. With her old friend Prissy GrantĚýwaiting in the bustling city of Kingsport and herĚýfrivolous new friend Philippa Gordon at her side, Anne tucksĚýher memories of rural Avonlea away and discoversĚýlife on her own terms, filled withĚýsurprises . . . including a marriage proposal from the worst fellowĚýimaginable, the sale of her very first story, and aĚýtragedy that teaches her a painful lesson. ButĚýtears turn to laughter when Anne and her friends moveĚýinto an old cottage and an ornery black cat stealsĚýher heart. Little does Anne know that handsomeĚýGilbert Blythe wants to win her heart, too. SuddenlyĚýAnne must decide whether she's ready for love.]]> 243 L.M. Montgomery Rift 4 2016 4.25 1915 Anne of the Island (Anne of Green Gables, #3)
author: L.M. Montgomery
name: Rift
average rating: 4.25
book published: 1915
rating: 4
read at: 2016/12/23
date added: 2017/06/09
shelves: 2016
review:

]]> <![CDATA[When Strangers Meet: How People You Don't Know Can Transform You (TED Books)]]> 27274361 Discover the unexpected pleasures and exciting possibilities of talking to people you don’t know—how these beautiful interruptions can change you, and the world we share.When Strangers Meet argues for the pleasures and transformative possibilities of talking to people you don’t know. Our lives are increasingly insular. We are in a hurry, our heads are down, minds elsewhere, we hear only the voices we already recognize and rarely take the effort to experience something or someone new. Talking to strangers pulls you into experiences of shared humanity and creates genuine emotional connections. It opens your world. Passing interactions cement your relationship to the places you live and work and play, they’re beautiful interruptions in the steady routines of our lives. In luminous prose, Stark shows how talking to strangers wakes you up. Threaded throughout are powerful vignettes from Stark’s own lifelong practice of talking to strangers and documenting brief encounters, along with a deep exploration of the dynamics of where, how, and why strangers come together. Ultimately, When Strangers Meet explores the rich emotional and political meanings that are conjured up in even the briefest conversations and unexpected connections with strangers. Stark renders visible the hidden processes by which we decide who to greet and trust in passing, and the unwritten rules by which these encounters operate. When Strangers Meet teaches readers how to start talking to strangers and includes adventurous challenges for those who dare.]]> 129 Kio Stark 1501119990 Rift 4 2016

Scene: Me walking home on the bike path that runs next to a creek. A guy on a bike rides towards me and notices the camera around my neck.
Guy on Bike: There's an Egret, around the curve!
My Thoughts: Highly Unlikely. I've never seen an egret at the creek.
Scene: I continue walking. Another guy approaches, and also notices my camera.
Next Guy: There's a um, White Heron? around the curve!
Me: Thanks!
And I start RUNNING around the curve, and sure enough, there's an Egret! I get my first photos of this beautiful bird, and I get more photos because the Egret hangs around for a couple weeks. :)

Despite my shyness, I am now open to the possibility of conversing with people on the bike path... and even have a new friend, J. and her little black dog Licorice!
]]> 3.36 When Strangers Meet: How People You Don't Know Can Transform You (TED Books)
author: Kio Stark
name: Rift
average rating: 3.36
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2016/12/19
date added: 2017/06/09
shelves: 2016
review:
I found this book thru a newspaper article. I am excessively shy and highly introverted, and I was curious -- I had had several interactions with strangers on the bike path where I walk on the weekends...

Scene: Me walking home on the bike path that runs next to a creek. A guy on a bike rides towards me and notices the camera around my neck.
Guy on Bike: There's an Egret, around the curve!
My Thoughts: Highly Unlikely. I've never seen an egret at the creek.
Scene: I continue walking. Another guy approaches, and also notices my camera.
Next Guy: There's a um, White Heron? around the curve!
Me: Thanks!
And I start RUNNING around the curve, and sure enough, there's an Egret! I get my first photos of this beautiful bird, and I get more photos because the Egret hangs around for a couple weeks. :)

Despite my shyness, I am now open to the possibility of conversing with people on the bike path... and even have a new friend, J. and her little black dog Licorice!

]]> Ghost Talkers 26114291
Each soldier heading for the front is conditioned to report to the mediums of the Spirit Corps when they die so the Corps can pass instant information about troop movements to military intelligence.

Ginger and her fellow mediums contribute a great deal to the war efforts, so long as they pass the information through appropriate channels. While Ben is away at the front, Ginger discovers the presence of a traitor. Without the presence of her fiance to validate her findings, the top brass thinks she's just imagining things. Even worse, it is clear that the Spirit Corps is now being directly targeted by the German war effort. Left to her own devices, Ginger has to find out how the Germans are targeting the Spirit Corps and stop them. This is a difficult and dangerous task for a woman of that era, but this time both the spirit and the flesh are willing…]]> 304 Mary Robinette Kowal 0765378256 Rift 4 2016 3.84 2016 Ghost Talkers
author: Mary Robinette Kowal
name: Rift
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2016/12/11
date added: 2017/06/09
shelves: 2016
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood]]> 29780253
Trevor Noah’s unlikely path from apartheid South Africa to the desk of The Daily Show began with a criminal act: his birth. Trevor was born to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in prison. Living proof of his parents� indiscretion, Trevor was kept mostly indoors for the earliest years of his life, bound by the extreme and often absurd measures his mother took to hide him from a government that could, at any moment, steal him away. Finally liberated by the end of South Africa’s tyrannical white rule, Trevor and his mother set forth on a grand adventure, living openly and freely and embracing the opportunities won by a centuries-long struggle.

Born a Crime is the story of a mischievous young boy who grows into a restless young man as he struggles to find himself in a world where he was never supposed to exist. It is also the story of that young man’s relationship with his fearless, rebellious, and fervently religious mother—his teammate, a woman determined to save her son from the cycle of poverty, violence, and abuse that would ultimately threaten her own life.]]> 289 Trevor Noah 0385689225 Rift 4 2016 4.48 2016 Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood
author: Trevor Noah
name: Rift
average rating: 4.48
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2016/12/07
date added: 2017/06/09
shelves: 2016
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Closed and Common Orbit (Wayfarers, #2)]]> 29475447
Together, Pepper and Lovey will discover that no matter how vast space is, two people can fill it together.

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet introduced readers to the incredible world of Rosemary Harper, a young woman with a restless soul and secrets to keep. When she joined the crew of the Wayfarer, an intergalactic ship, she got more than she bargained for - and learned to live with, and love, her rag-tag collection of crewmates.

A Closed and Common Orbit is the stand-alone sequel to Becky Chambers' beloved debut novel The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and is perfect for fans of Firefly, Joss Whedon, Mass Effect and Star Wars.]]> 365 Becky Chambers 1473621445 Rift 4 2016 4.35 2016 A Closed and Common Orbit (Wayfarers, #2)
author: Becky Chambers
name: Rift
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2016/11/30
date added: 2017/06/09
shelves: 2016
review:
I liked this book in a completely different way than the first book.
]]> <![CDATA[The Underground Girls of Kabul: In Search of a Hidden Resistance in Afghanistan]]> 23602477 An investigative journalist uncovers a hidden custom that will transform your understanding of what it means to grow up as a girl

In Afghanistan, a culture ruled almost entirely by men, the birth of a son is cause for celebration and the arrival of a daughter is often mourned as misfortune. A bacha posh (literally translated from Dari asĚý“dressed up like a boyâ€�) is a third kind of child â€� a girl temporarily raised as a boy and presented as such to the outside world. Jenny Nordberg, the reporter who broke the story of this phenomenon for the New York Times, constructs a powerful and moving account of those secretly living on the other side of a deeply segregated society where women have almost no rights and little freedom.

The Underground Girls of Kabul is anchored by vivid characters who bring this remarkable story to life: Azita, a female parliamentarian who sees no other choice but to turn her fourth daughter Mehran into a boy; Zahra, the tomboy teenager who struggles with puberty and refuses her parents� attempts to turn her back into a girl; Shukria, now a married mother of three after living for twenty years as a man; and Nader, who prays with Shahed, the undercover female police officer, as they both remain in male disguise as adults.

At the heart of this emotional narrative is a new perspective on the extreme sacrifices of Afghan women and girls against the violent backdrop of America’s longest war. Divided into four parts, the book follows those born as the unwanted sex in Afghanistan, but whoĚýlive as the socially favored gender through childhood and puberty, only to later be forced into marriage and childbirth. The Underground Girls of Kabul charts their dramatic life cycles, while examining our own history and the parallels to subversive actions of people who live under oppression everywhere.




From the Hardcover edition.]]> 366 Jenny Nordberg 0307952509 Rift 4 2016 4.19 2014 The Underground Girls of Kabul: In Search of a Hidden Resistance in Afghanistan
author: Jenny Nordberg
name: Rift
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2016/11/14
date added: 2017/06/09
shelves: 2016
review:
Very interesting, but sad. The thing that really fascinated me [spoilers removed] It's just crazy to think about!
]]> <![CDATA[Stories of Your Life and Others]]> 223380 ]]> 281 Ted Chiang 0330426648 Rift 5 2008, 2016
Nov 2016... Re-read because I heard there was a movie based on the title story. Stories of Your Life is still totally amazing to me, and I re-read that story 3 times over.]]> 4.28 2002 Stories of Your Life and Others
author: Ted Chiang
name: Rift
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2002
rating: 5
read at: 2016/11/06
date added: 2017/06/09
shelves: 2008, 2016
review:
May 2008... The stories in this collection are totally amazing! Each and every one of them is something fresh and fascinating. Highly Recommended!!!

Nov 2016... Re-read because I heard there was a movie based on the title story. Stories of Your Life is still totally amazing to me, and I re-read that story 3 times over.
]]> Whale Talk 49746 224 Chris Crutcher 0440229383 Rift 4 2016, banned-books Read for Banned Books Week 3.97 2001 Whale Talk
author: Chris Crutcher
name: Rift
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2001
rating: 4
read at: 2016/10/12
date added: 2017/06/09
shelves: 2016, banned-books
review:
Read for Banned Books Week
]]> <![CDATA[Beyond Magenta: Transgender and Nonbinary Teens Speak Out]]> 18166920 A groundbreaking work of LGBT literature takes an honest look at the life, love, and struggles of transgender teens.

Author and photographer Susan Kuklin met and interviewed six transgender or gender-neutral young adults and used her considerable skills to represent them thoughtfully and respectfully before, during, and after their personal acknowledgment of gender preference. Portraits, family photographs, and candid images grace the pages, augmenting the emotional and physical journey each youth has taken. Each honest discussion and disclosure, whether joyful or heartbreaking, is completely different from the other because of family dynamics, living situations, gender, and the transition these teens make in recognition of their true selves.]]> 182 Susan Kuklin 0763656119 Rift 4 2016, banned-books Read for Banned Books Week. 3.79 2014 Beyond Magenta: Transgender and Nonbinary Teens Speak Out
author: Susan Kuklin
name: Rift
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2016/10/01
date added: 2017/06/09
shelves: 2016, banned-books
review:
Read for Banned Books Week.
]]> Bloodchild and Other Stories 60930
Appearing in print for the first time, "Amnesty" is a story of a woman named Noah who works to negotiate the tense and co-dependent relationship between humans and a species of invaders. Also new to this collection is "The Book of Martha" which asks: What would you do if God granted you the ability—and responsibility—to save humanity from itself?
Like all of Octavia Butler’s best writing, these works of the imagination are parables of the contemporary world. She proves constant in her vigil, an unblinking pessimist hoping to be proven wrong, and one of contemporary literature’s strongest voices.

Bloodchild
The evening and the morning and the night
Near of kin
Speech sounds
Crossover
Positive obsession
Furor scribendi
Amnesty
The Book of Martha]]> 214 Octavia E. Butler 1583226982 Rift 4 2016 Favorite author. 4.35 1995 Bloodchild and Other Stories
author: Octavia E. Butler
name: Rift
average rating: 4.35
book published: 1995
rating: 4
read at: 2016/10/08
date added: 2017/06/09
shelves: 2016
review:
Favorite author.
]]> <![CDATA[In the Night Garden (The Orphan's Tales, #1)]]> 202769
Every once in a great while a book comes along that reminds us of the magic spell that stories can cast over us—to dazzle, entertain, and enlighten. Welcome to the Arabian Nights for our time–a lush and fantastical epic guaranteed to spirit you away from the very first page...

Secreted away in a garden, a lonely girl spins stories to warm a curious peculiar feats and unspeakable fates that loop through each other and back again to meet in the tapestry of her voice. Inked on her eyelids, each twisting, tattooed tale is a piece in the puzzle of the girl’s own hidden history. And what tales she tells! Tales of shape-shifting witches and wild horsewomen, heron kings and beast princesses, snake gods, dog monks, and living stars—each story more strange and fantastic than the one that came before.

From ill-tempered 'mermaid' to fastidious Beast, nothing is ever quite what it seems in these ever-shifting tales—even, and especially, their teller. Adorned with illustrations by the legendary Michael Kaluta, Valente’s enchanting lyrical fantasy offers a breathtaking reinvention of the untold myths and dark fairy tales that shape our dreams. And just when you think you’ve come to the end, you realize the adventure has only begun�.]]> 483 Catherynne M. Valente 0553384031 Rift 5
March 2008... And the second reading is even more enjoyable!

May 2016... Orphan's Tales #1 and 2 are possibly my most favorite books of all time. The stories are amazing, complicated, the characters are wonderful and I can't wait to re-read and re-read again in a few years! �!]]> 4.02 2006 In the Night Garden (The Orphan's Tales, #1)
author: Catherynne M. Valente
name: Rift
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2006
rating: 5
read at: 2016/05/25
date added: 2017/03/14
shelves: tiptree-award-winners, 2007, 2008, 2016
review:
October 2007... Tiptree Award 2006. Recursive stories, absolutely delightful once you get used to the flowery language. The stories are a little difficult to keep track of, which encourages a second reading.

March 2008... And the second reading is even more enjoyable!

May 2016... Orphan's Tales #1 and 2 are possibly my most favorite books of all time. The stories are amazing, complicated, the characters are wonderful and I can't wait to re-read and re-read again in a few years! �!
]]> <![CDATA[In the Cities of Coin and Spice (The Orphan's Tales, #2)]]> 547448
Her name and origins are unknown, but the endless tales inked upon this orphan’s eyelids weave a spell over all who listen to her read her secret history. And who can resist the stories she tells? From the Lake of the Dead and the City of Marrow to the artists who remain behind in a ghost city of spice, here are stories of hedgehog warriors and winged skeletons, loyal leopards and sparrow calligraphers. Nothing is too fantastic, anything can happen, but you’ll never guess what comes next in these intimately linked adventures of firebirds and djinn, singing manticores, mutilated unicorns, and women made entirely of glass and gears. Graced with the magical illustrations of Michael Kaluta, In the Cities of Coins and Spice is a book of dreams and wonders unlike any you’ve ever encountered. Open it anywhere and you will fall under its spell. For here the story never ends and the magic is only beginning. . . .]]> 516 Catherynne M. Valente 055338404X Rift 5 2008, 2016
Mar 2008... And I am still loving these stories in the second reading. Or maybe loving them even more!

The first time I read this set, there were several months between the time I read the first book, In The Night Garden, and this book. My second reading, I'm reading them straight through and it is much easier to remember the characters names and who they are and what they've done. As well, the cities.

The stories are just incredible, and the weaving is delightful.

June 2016... Yes, definitely: currently my most favorite books ever. This book is much darker than the first one, with enslaved children chopping off their own arms and tails. It's harder to get through. But many characters have returned from the first book and the way the stories all come together is just a joy.]]> 4.40 2007 In the Cities of Coin and Spice (The Orphan's Tales, #2)
author: Catherynne M. Valente
name: Rift
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at: 2016/06/29
date added: 2017/03/14
shelves: 2008, 2016
review:
Feb 2008... Loved it. When I finished it, I put it down, and started re-reading the first one! And then there were all kinds of "oh yeah," moments... remembering where certain characters started out.

Mar 2008... And I am still loving these stories in the second reading. Or maybe loving them even more!

The first time I read this set, there were several months between the time I read the first book, In The Night Garden, and this book. My second reading, I'm reading them straight through and it is much easier to remember the characters names and who they are and what they've done. As well, the cities.

The stories are just incredible, and the weaving is delightful.

June 2016... Yes, definitely: currently my most favorite books ever. This book is much darker than the first one, with enslaved children chopping off their own arms and tails. It's harder to get through. But many characters have returned from the first book and the way the stories all come together is just a joy.
]]> Spaceman Blues 74789 Painted in browns and grays and sparked by sudden fires, "Spaceman Blues" is a literary retro-pulp science-fiction-mystery-superhero novel, the debut of a true voice of the future, and a cult classic in the making."]]> 224 Brian Francis Slattery 0765316102 Rift 1 2008 3.74 Spaceman Blues
author: Brian Francis Slattery
name: Rift
average rating: 3.74
book published:
rating: 1
read at: 2008/11/05
date added: 2017/01/16
shelves: 2008
review:
um. A little too post-modern for my taste. heh.
]]> <![CDATA[Going Postal (Discworld, #33; Moist von Lipwig, #1)]]> 64222
It was a tough decision.

But he has to see that the mail gets through, come rain, hail, sleet, dogs, the Post Office Workers' Friendly and Benevolent Society, the evil chairman of the Grand Trunk Semaphore Company, and a midnight killer.

Getting a date with Adora Bell Dearheart would be nice, too.

Maybe it'll take a criminal to succeed where honest men have failed, or maybe it's a death sentence either way.

Or perhaps there's a shot at redemption in the mad world of the mail, waiting for a man who's prepared to push the envelope...]]> 394 Terry Pratchett 0060502932 Rift 3 2016 4.40 2004 Going Postal (Discworld, #33; Moist von Lipwig, #1)
author: Terry Pratchett
name: Rift
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2004
rating: 3
read at: 2016/09/27
date added: 2016/11/26
shelves: 2016
review:
This was my first Terry Pratchett book, and it was definitely a fun jaunt! Enjoyed it, but not sure if I'll read more from this author.
]]> The Book of T.O.F.U. 29751130
Not only a re-issue of past pieces, the book includes numerous updates and changes to the pieces by the authors, along with a number of introductions by T.O.F.U.’s Editor to explain why he felt specific pieces were representative of some of the best articles T.O.F.U. has published.

Along with these changes, the book itself showcases a new look compared to past issues, which is indicative of where T.O.F.U. will be headed in the future in some ways. As well, for most of these articles, this is their first time available in print.]]> 136 Ryan Patey Rift 4 2016, vegan
(foo. didn't take any notes while I was reading this, so I can't post a review. I wouldn't mind reading it again, soon, though.)]]> 3.75 The Book of T.O.F.U.
author: Ryan Patey
name: Rift
average rating: 3.75
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2016/07/16
date added: 2016/11/26
shelves: 2016, vegan
review:
Kickstarter. Yep, I'm in the acknowledgements and I got a signed copy!

(foo. didn't take any notes while I was reading this, so I can't post a review. I wouldn't mind reading it again, soon, though.)
]]> H is for Hawk 18803640
When her father dies and she is knocked sideways by grief, she becomes obsessed with the idea of training her own goshawk. She buys Mabel for ÂŁ800 on a Scottish quayside and takes her home to Cambridge. Then she fills the freezer with hawk food and unplugs the phone, ready to embark on the long, strange business of trying to train this wildest of animals.

Destined to be a classic of nature writing, "H is for Hawk" is a record of a spiritual journey - an unflinchingly honest account of Macdonald's struggle with grief during the difficult process of the hawk's taming and her own untaming. At the same time, it's a kaleidoscopic biography of the brilliant and troubled novelist T. H. White, best known for "The Once and Future King." It's a book about memory, nature and nation, and how it might be possible to try to reconcile death with life and love.]]> 300 Helen Macdonald 0224097008 Rift 3 2016 3.73 2014 H is for Hawk
author: Helen Macdonald
name: Rift
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2016/09/05
date added: 2016/11/26
shelves: 2016
review:
This is not what I was expecting at all. This is a book about grief, grieving, a bit of madness and then depression. And then there's a goshawk. With the craziness and the obligate carnivore and the hunting -- and killing the little creatures by her own hand since goshawks don't kill before they start eating. ugh -- I honestly don't know what to think about this book. It is good. But it's sad on many different levels, and it's non-vegan on many different levels which also makes me sad.
]]> American Gods 30165203
Together they embark on a profoundly strange journey across the heart of the USA, whilst all around them a storm of preternatural and epic proportions threatens to break.

Scary, gripping and deeply unsettling, American Gods takes a long, hard look into the soul of America. You'll be surprised by what - and who - it finds there...]]> 635 Neil Gaiman Rift 4 2016 4.11 2001 American Gods
author: Neil Gaiman
name: Rift
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2001
rating: 4
read at: 2016/08/20
date added: 2016/11/26
shelves: 2016
review:
Definitely lives up to the hype. I enjoyed it and tried recommending it to my coworkers, but they thought it was too "out there". ha!
]]> <![CDATA[The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn]]> 2956 327 Mark Twain 0142437174 Rift 4 2009, banned-books 3.82 1884 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
author: Mark Twain
name: Rift
average rating: 3.82
book published: 1884
rating: 4
read at: 2009/02/11
date added: 2016/09/27
shelves: 2009, banned-books
review:
A good read, for the adventure and for the historical perspective.
]]> <![CDATA[Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet]]> 3367956 290 Jamie Ford 0345505336 Rift 3 2016 4.03 2009 Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
author: Jamie Ford
name: Rift
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at: 2016/08/07
date added: 2016/09/18
shelves: 2016
review:
Meh. There's a sweet story here. But the writing isn't great.
]]> <![CDATA[The Bluebird Effect: Uncommon Bonds with Common Birds]]> 12770493
The Bluebird Effect is about the change that's set in motion by one single act, such as saving an injured bluebird—or a hummingbird, swift, or phoebe. Each of the twenty five chapters covers a different species, and many depict an individual bird, each with its own personality, habits, and quirks. And each chapter is illustrated with Zickefoose's stunning watercolor paintings and drawings. Not just individual tales about the trials and triumphs of raising birds, The Bluebird Effect mixes humor, natural history, and memoir to give readers an intimate story of a life lived among wild birds.]]> 384 Julie Zickefoose 0547003099 Rift 5 2016 4.46 2012 The Bluebird Effect: Uncommon Bonds with Common Birds
author: Julie Zickefoose
name: Rift
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2016/08/01
date added: 2016/09/18
shelves: 2016
review:
Yay! My new favorite non-fiction book! Love the stories. Love the art work. Love the author so much I immediately subscribed to 2 years of the magazine she writes for! (Bird Watcher's Digest) A song bird rehabilitator, and an artist. wow.
]]> <![CDATA[How to Be Alive: A Guide To The Kind of Happiness That Helps The World]]> 23460911 No Impact Man and founder of the No Impact Project returns with this trailblazing guide to living a meaningful and fulfilling life while also contributing to the wellbeing of our communities and the planet.

When Colin Beavan embarked upon a yearlong experiment to lead a zero net-impact existence in the middle of New York City, he had no idea what a profound effect it would have upon himself and others around him. For Colin, the project—chronicled in a book, a documentary, and an ongoing lecture series—formed the basis of a radical “lifestyle redesign� that reached beyond just environmental activism. And, in the course of his travels and lectures, he encountered scores of people who were similarly breaking from traditional ideas about work, home, and even family in order to take their futures, and the planet’s, in their own hands. In the process they made a startling discovery—a happier way of life that is also having a deeply positive impact on the world.

For most of us, though, even contemplating this kind of transformation is overwhelming and confusing. In How to Be Alive, Beavan shares his insights on finding the path that’s right for you. Drawing on everything from classic literature and philosophy to current science, and combining that with his own experiences alongside those of the many people he has met along the way, Colin explores a broad array of transformational lifestyle adjustments—small and large—that offer security and meaning in a world confronted by ecological crises, economic upheaval, and ongoing war and social injustice. In the process, he helps readers embark on the quest for a “good life� of their own—lives both better for them and the planet.]]> 448 Colin Beavan 0062236709 Rift 2 2016 3.63 2015 How to Be Alive: A Guide To The Kind of Happiness That Helps The World
author: Colin Beavan
name: Rift
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2015
rating: 2
read at: 2016/07/09
date added: 2016/09/18
shelves: 2016
review:
Ha! I got this book because the title intrigued me. I actually know how to be alive, and I happily help the world every day. But I was interested in how someone else does this. um, yeah. Some serious *rolls the eyes*. The premise of the book is to find one little thing in your life to fix, and then ALL OF A SUDDEN! the universe makes it easier to fix bigger things which helps others and the planet and of course makes you happy. gah.
]]> The Neverending Story 27712
The story begins with a lonely boy named Bastian and the strange book that draws him into the beautiful but doomed world of Fantastica. Only a human can save this enchanted place by giving its ruler, the Childlike Empress, a new name. But the journey to her tower leads through lands of dragons, giants, monsters, and magic, and once Bastian begins his quest, he may never return. As he is drawn deeper into Fantastica, he must find the courage to face unspeakable foes and the mysteries of his own heart.

Readers, too, can travel to the wondrous, unforgettable world of Fantastica if they will just turn the page...]]> 396 Michael Ende 0525457585 Rift 3 2016 4.16 1979 The Neverending Story
author: Michael Ende
name: Rift
average rating: 4.16
book published: 1979
rating: 3
read at: 2016/07/07
date added: 2016/09/18
shelves: 2016
review:
One of my favorite movies, I've watched it over and over! The first 150 pages of the book is what the movie is based on, and minus a few characters and scenes, which is to be expected, I was impressed at how well the movie held up to the original source. The rest of the book was... an interesting surprise. [spoilers removed] But the story is good and I'd recommend it to everyone who loves the movie.
]]> Forest of Memory 26883555
But when her A.I. suddenly stops whispering in her ear she finds herself cut off from the grid and loses communication with the rest of the world.

The man who stepped out of the trees while hunting deer cut her off from the cloud, took her A.I., and made her his unwilling guest.

There are no Authenticities or Captures to prove Katya’s story of what happened in the forest. You’ll just have to believe her.]]> 88 Mary Robinette Kowal 0765387913 Rift 4 2016 3.57 2016 Forest of Memory
author: Mary Robinette Kowal
name: Rift
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2016/06/04
date added: 2016/07/03
shelves: 2016
review:
Great near-future story! Others disagree, but I can't wait to have the Internet in my head! :D
]]> The Escapement of Blackledge 29755183 Alternate cover for this ASIN can be found here

When the Duke of Blackledge comes of age, there must be a party even if he is a reclusive inventor of automatons. No one expected that the most appealing young lady would be a thief who was about to steal more than his heart.

For fans of the Glamourist Histories -- explicit content.

This was created as an April Fool's prank and originally presented as being by "Melody Ellsworth."]]> 106 Melody Ellsworth Rift 4 2016 haha! Wonderful and fun. 3.92 2016 The Escapement of Blackledge
author: Melody Ellsworth
name: Rift
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2016/04/30
date added: 2016/07/03
shelves: 2016
review:
haha! Wonderful and fun.
]]> <![CDATA[Daddy-Long-Legs (Daddy-Long-Legs, #1)]]> 1499952 Daddy Long-Legs is a 1912 epistolary novel by the American writer Jean Webster. It follows the protagonist, a young girl named Jerusha "Judy" Abbott, through her college years. She writes the letters to her benefactor, a rich man whom she has never seen.]]> 249 Jean Webster Rift 4 2016, postcards-letters 4.12 1912 Daddy-Long-Legs (Daddy-Long-Legs, #1)
author: Jean Webster
name: Rift
average rating: 4.12
book published: 1912
rating: 4
read at: 2016/04/23
date added: 2016/07/03
shelves: 2016, postcards-letters
review:
Such a sweet book and a great ending [spoilers removed]. It was such an enjoyable read, I started re-reading it right away.
]]> Gulliver's Travels 755011 Gulliver's Travels describes the four voyages of Lemuel Gulliver, a ship's surgeon. In Lilliput he discovers a world in miniature; towering over the people and their city, he is able to view their society from the viewpoint of a god. However, in Brobdingnag, a land of giants, tiny Gulliver himself comes under observation, exhibited as a curiosity at markets and fairs. In Laputa, a flying island, he encounters a society of speculators and projectors who have lost all grip on everyday reality; while they plan and calculate, their country lies in ruins. Gulliver's final voyage takes him to the land of the Houyhnhnms, gentle horses whom he quickly comes to admire - in contrast to the Yahoos, filthy bestial creatures who bear a disturbing resemblance to humans.]]> 157 Jonathan Swift 0361031580 Rift 3 2008 3.40 1726 Gulliver's Travels
author: Jonathan Swift
name: Rift
average rating: 3.40
book published: 1726
rating: 3
read at: 2008/12/31
date added: 2016/06/14
shelves: 2008
review:

]]>