hlau's reviews
115 reviews

The Nerdist Way: How to Reach the Next Level by Chris Hardwick

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4.0

It's Chris Hardwick detailing how he turned around his life, fixed a decade of sloth, empowered himself and rejected the established that judged him.

And of course, he made nerd self improvement into D&D stat sheets.
Shadows in Flight by Orson Scott Card

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5.0

As an end to Bean's story, it is so evidently clear that OSC still has all the talent that so many of us know he has. I have no problem envisioning Bean speaking with his genius children and at last getting the resolution to his long life that he so richly deserves. Perhaps the striking thing is that he manages to tell the story in half as many pages as all the Shadow books but has driven home the points he wants faster than ever before. The dialogue is as vibrant as I expected and the banter just as real. Card still excels at putting the voice and character in each person in his books.

Perhaps most striking is his ability to express a character's vulnerability and help us see through their eyes the distance in emotion and relationship that can happen. And he expresses real joy through his excellent prose. This was a fitting end - except that I dearly hope it isn't.
The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen by Jacques Pépin

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5.0

Subtle and unpretentious, Pepin's memoir is a collection of memories written in such an unassuming style you could easily overlook the epic nature of his experience, skill and journey. It easily transforms the perception I have of the culinary master I think he is and that he surely insists he is not.