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ghostbird's reviews
364 reviews
The Broken Ladder: How Inequality Affects the Way We Think, Live, and Die by Keith Payne
5.0
This book was engaging and accessible, though it addresses subjects that can often be dense or dull. Speaking as someone with ADHD, this made it a lot easier to read and digest, as did the personal anecdotes, graphs and images that aided in the reader's understanding of the subject. I would definitely recommend this book!
Sick and Tired of Feeling Sick and Tired: Living with Invisible Chronic Illness by Mary E. Siegel, Paul J. Donoghue
4.0
This book was pretty good. The first section went over what an Invisible Chronic Illness is with examples and anecdotes, and how it affects someone not only physically but socially and psychologically. The second section is about learning to cope with chronic illness. I found it very helpful and even took some notes. It reflected some of what I have been learning lately in talk therapy, such as confronting irrational thoughts and learning better ways of communicating your feelings and listening to others feelings. The end of the book includes reading lists and contact information for various associations related to the chronic illnesses in the book.
This was first published in 1992, with an introduction added in 2000 so some of the information and contacts may be out of date. I noticed a lot of the books on the reading lists were older as well. Also, there is a slight Christian/religious slant to some of the sections which I found a bit out of place, but it wasn't very overwhelming and was easy to ignore for someone who isn't Christian or religious.
This was first published in 1992, with an introduction added in 2000 so some of the information and contacts may be out of date. I noticed a lot of the books on the reading lists were older as well. Also, there is a slight Christian/religious slant to some of the sections which I found a bit out of place, but it wasn't very overwhelming and was easy to ignore for someone who isn't Christian or religious.
The Lost Gate by Orson Scott Card
2.0
This is a 3.5 star rating rounded down. I enjoyed the magical aspects and the way that two narratives that seemed to be mysteriously unrelated wound together in the end. I thought that the scenes in the family compound were interesting and I enjoyed learning about the culture around the magic that developed in our world after they were cut off from the great gates.
There were definitely things I wasn't wild about, though. For example, the sexual assault on the main character who was 13 at the time, why was that included? I didn't feel that it was handled great, or the explanation given for the character that did the assault. It didn't seem to serve any purpose to the book other than the straight male point of view and detailed description of a grown woman assaulting this child. I know it isn't a large portion of the book, but the discomfort stuck with me.
I feel as thought the female characters in general left something to be desired, which alienated me as a female reader. I don't know that I like the magic and fantasy aspects enough to continue if this is what the rest of the series is like as well.
There were definitely things I wasn't wild about, though. For example, the sexual assault on the main character who was 13 at the time, why was that included? I didn't feel that it was handled great, or the explanation given for the character that did the assault. It didn't seem to serve any purpose to the book other than the straight male point of view and detailed description of a grown woman assaulting this child. I know it isn't a large portion of the book, but the discomfort stuck with me.
I feel as thought the female characters in general left something to be desired, which alienated me as a female reader. I don't know that I like the magic and fantasy aspects enough to continue if this is what the rest of the series is like as well.
Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
5.0
Once it got its hooks in me I couldn't think of anything else and devoured it. Now I've finished but I still can't think of anything else.