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shanehawk's reviews
421 reviews
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
5.0
When I say I don't like fantasy fiction but really enjoyed The Hobbit I feel like those people who say they hate country music but love Johnny Cash. The Hobbit is just really great writing, simply put. Tolkien created a fantastic world here.
What I appreciated most was the lack of filler most books have to extend their total page number count. Every few pages there was something of substance occurring and I never got bored. I liked that for Bilbo not only was it a physically grueling adventure but also a psychological one. He had to battle his mind as much as he battled monsters. I enjoyed seeing him grow.
I read this for my first time now as an adult and like it more than the Peter Jackson film trilogy. Those are still worthy of watching for seeing this fantastical world be brought to life but this novel is a must read for all ages. 5/5
What I appreciated most was the lack of filler most books have to extend their total page number count. Every few pages there was something of substance occurring and I never got bored. I liked that for Bilbo not only was it a physically grueling adventure but also a psychological one. He had to battle his mind as much as he battled monsters. I enjoyed seeing him grow.
I read this for my first time now as an adult and like it more than the Peter Jackson film trilogy. Those are still worthy of watching for seeing this fantastical world be brought to life but this novel is a must read for all ages. 5/5
In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson
4.0
This was the fourth Bryson book I’ve read this year and the second most entertaining—the first being ‘A Walk in the Woods.’ Bryson is as American as he is British so his take on ex-Brit outpost Australia was both refreshing and relatable.
Australia is a massive land of intense wonders in terms of wildlife. Bryson makes sure a number of times you’re aware of how many things can easily kill you down under. He happily covers its history, culture, geology, and zoology all with his familiar sense of humor. His anecdotes are continually hilarious. He uses exaggeration to make points, yet, Australia is such an anomaly exaggeration is closer to the truth. Interesting facts are plentiful. I learned a lot and it inspired me further to visit this amazing country sooner rather than later.
One of my favorite sections of the book was where Bryson criticizes the sport of cricket. As an (American) outsider it was hilarious.
“It is not true that the English invented cricket as a way of making all other human endeavors look interesting and lively; that was merely an unintended side effect. ...It is the only sport that incorporates meal breaks. It is the only sport that shares its name with an insect. It is the only sport in which spectators burn as many calories as the players—more if they are moderately restless.”
Australia is a massive land of intense wonders in terms of wildlife. Bryson makes sure a number of times you’re aware of how many things can easily kill you down under. He happily covers its history, culture, geology, and zoology all with his familiar sense of humor. His anecdotes are continually hilarious. He uses exaggeration to make points, yet, Australia is such an anomaly exaggeration is closer to the truth. Interesting facts are plentiful. I learned a lot and it inspired me further to visit this amazing country sooner rather than later.
One of my favorite sections of the book was where Bryson criticizes the sport of cricket. As an (American) outsider it was hilarious.
“It is not true that the English invented cricket as a way of making all other human endeavors look interesting and lively; that was merely an unintended side effect. ...It is the only sport that incorporates meal breaks. It is the only sport that shares its name with an insect. It is the only sport in which spectators burn as many calories as the players—more if they are moderately restless.”
A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson
4.0
This was read directly after Bryson's "Made In America" book which I grew to love rather quickly. I enjoyed his style and humor so I dove right into this one. Bryson made me want to approach the AT trail myself! Hilarious book.
Bryson does a great amount of research for his books I've come to notice. He taught me a lot more history and technical detail about the Appalachian Mountains than expected.
The book has plenty to love in terms of humor, history, nature and experience. It also reads quite easily. Recommended to anyone even remotely interested in hiking or nature in America.
Bryson does a great amount of research for his books I've come to notice. He taught me a lot more history and technical detail about the Appalachian Mountains than expected.
The book has plenty to love in terms of humor, history, nature and experience. It also reads quite easily. Recommended to anyone even remotely interested in hiking or nature in America.
Emile by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
3.0
Rousseau was a unique Enlightenment philosopher in that he was of the artisan class within the Old Regime's Third Estate hierarchy. Most philosophers were of a much higher class like Voltaire. He also went against the grain by questioning whether knowledge and reason were pertinent--he thought reason could pervert thinking, it was the enemy of virtue. This was entirely against canonical Enlightenment ideas. He also argued education caused people to become more immoral which led to a life of luxury, selfishness and corruption. He stressed men should live in their "natural" world instead of the "artificial" world of the most educated and cultured societies. Rosseau greatly admired the Native Americans and thought they were the most natural and good.
Emile is both somewhat of a treatise and a novel and deals with a number of subjects, but the most talked about have to be education and women.
Rousseau said children were corrupted. He disapproved of children being raised solely by servants and this included swaddling, overprotection, breastfeeding, etc. Rousseau broke down the stages of human life into a few categories each with a different type of education. This was radical in the 17th century because children were mainly just taught memorization with no questions allowed and treated as adults in the classrooms.
Women will read the tail end of this book and think Rousseau was a sexist pig. He criticized women for not raising their children the way he describes. A fun fact is this philosopher, keen on treating children right and raising them to be good people, had four children of his own and put them all up for adoption. He also believed men were more physically strong and capable than women, a traditional view. Men only needed women because they desired them, meanwhile, women both needed and desired men to live. We castigate Islam culture today for treating women as subservient to men, but Rousseau and traditionalists of the religious type believed this to be the way of life as well. Despite some questionable views, Rousseau is not a believer that men were simply superior than women. He was more of a Cartesian feminist which was novel back then. As he grew older he espoused more traditional views however.
Overall, this was a pleasant read for my Enlightenment class. 3.5/5
Emile is both somewhat of a treatise and a novel and deals with a number of subjects, but the most talked about have to be education and women.
Rousseau said children were corrupted. He disapproved of children being raised solely by servants and this included swaddling, overprotection, breastfeeding, etc. Rousseau broke down the stages of human life into a few categories each with a different type of education. This was radical in the 17th century because children were mainly just taught memorization with no questions allowed and treated as adults in the classrooms.
Women will read the tail end of this book and think Rousseau was a sexist pig. He criticized women for not raising their children the way he describes. A fun fact is this philosopher, keen on treating children right and raising them to be good people, had four children of his own and put them all up for adoption. He also believed men were more physically strong and capable than women, a traditional view. Men only needed women because they desired them, meanwhile, women both needed and desired men to live. We castigate Islam culture today for treating women as subservient to men, but Rousseau and traditionalists of the religious type believed this to be the way of life as well. Despite some questionable views, Rousseau is not a believer that men were simply superior than women. He was more of a Cartesian feminist which was novel back then. As he grew older he espoused more traditional views however.
Overall, this was a pleasant read for my Enlightenment class. 3.5/5
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: And Other Clinical Tales by Oliver Sacks
3.0
An easy read despite the medical jargon. Far from my favorite book but it intrigued me to add more neurology/psychology books to my list.
Each chapter introduces a new patient to the reader and how the doctor gets to, or attempts to get to, the bottom of their ailment(s). These types of books should pique the interest of just about anyone as we are all humans and should try to understand all the perplexities of the brains we have. One small thing can trigger a huge problem and these neurologists must detect what the root is to help their patients.
Some of the clients/patients made me sympathetic to their condition because of the way the writer presented the case. I recommend this to anyone with an interest in brain conditions and how they can be handled by a doctor—written in a narrative form.
Each chapter introduces a new patient to the reader and how the doctor gets to, or attempts to get to, the bottom of their ailment(s). These types of books should pique the interest of just about anyone as we are all humans and should try to understand all the perplexities of the brains we have. One small thing can trigger a huge problem and these neurologists must detect what the root is to help their patients.
Some of the clients/patients made me sympathetic to their condition because of the way the writer presented the case. I recommend this to anyone with an interest in brain conditions and how they can be handled by a doctor—written in a narrative form.
The Invisible Man / The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells
2.0
What. A. Bore.
The only reason I finished it and didn’t add it to my “Godforsaken Refuse” shelf was because it was only 100 pages. Might as well test out H.G. Wells’ writing style. The story was probably very provoking at the time of publication but reading it in 2018 produced a yawn. I probably won’t touch Wells again.
The only reason I finished it and didn’t add it to my “Godforsaken Refuse” shelf was because it was only 100 pages. Might as well test out H.G. Wells’ writing style. The story was probably very provoking at the time of publication but reading it in 2018 produced a yawn. I probably won’t touch Wells again.
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
4.0
A quick 30 min read. Published at the tail end of the 19th century. Gilman experienced extreme depression in real life after having a baby with her first husband. She draws parallels from her life to this short work of fiction by showing what understimulation can do to one's mind and being denied sensory information. The narrator (herself) was not allowed to write or express her thoughts whatsoever. The mental health of women was looked down upon and labeled as hysteria. In the 6,000 words Gilman writes here you enter into her mind which slowly slips into psychosis.