Scan barcode
thogek's reviews
417 reviews
The Luminous Self: Sacred Yogic Practices and Rituals to Remember Who You Are by Tracee Stanley
2.0
I think I was expecting more introduction and background on the relevant yogic concepts, nothing extensive, just enough to ground and orient Stanley's stories and practices for those of us not familiar with the field. I didn't feel like I found that here, which I think made some of the advice and practices more difficult to fully grasp and relate to.
The Luminous Self contains a lot of perspective and teachings from author Tracee Stanley and a lot of "practices" (mediations and other exercises) for readers to try out. Personally, I found a lot of the perspective discussions interesting while some parts (especially whenever referring to long-dead ancestors or the Universe communicating with us) difficult to swallow, at least without some sort of background to ground these ideas' in a perspective that I can understand (whether or not I might agree or sympathize with it). A lot of the practices involved lots of symbolic visualization and projection which may or may not resonate for everyone and didn't so much for me, although even so there're a few good ideas in there.
Overall, I suspect that some (perhaps some who're more already-grounded in yogic concepts than I?) might find some or all of this book more useful than I did, but I had a hard time connecting with much of it, and found myself skimming through some of the practice descriptions near the end.
The Luminous Self contains a lot of perspective and teachings from author Tracee Stanley and a lot of "practices" (mediations and other exercises) for readers to try out. Personally, I found a lot of the perspective discussions interesting while some parts (especially whenever referring to long-dead ancestors or the Universe communicating with us) difficult to swallow, at least without some sort of background to ground these ideas' in a perspective that I can understand (whether or not I might agree or sympathize with it). A lot of the practices involved lots of symbolic visualization and projection which may or may not resonate for everyone and didn't so much for me, although even so there're a few good ideas in there.
Overall, I suspect that some (perhaps some who're more already-grounded in yogic concepts than I?) might find some or all of this book more useful than I did, but I had a hard time connecting with much of it, and found myself skimming through some of the practice descriptions near the end.
ESPionage: Regime Change: A Psychic CIA Novel by Tom Easton, Tom Easton, Frank Wu
adventurous
medium-paced
3.0
I like ESPionage: Regime Change's concept: older long-retired telepaths (and other rare abilities) drawn back into deadly national espionage scenarios, and how that might realistically work.
Unfortunately, for me at least, the writing had a number of issues that felt like disruptive speed bumps along the way. Many times I completely lost track of who was where in a scene and who was speaking what parts of dialog (and I backed up to try to reorient myself, not always successfully) due to a frequent lack of cues. And a few times the who-was-where just didn't make sense, including one case of someone entering a building, crossing a lobby, climbing four flights of stairs and approaching a door in the time it took for one character to speak one short sentence. Just lots of clumsy writing moments that too-frequently bumped me out of the story as I backed up to figure out what I'd missed.
The story, overall, was still a mostly fun read, albeit more for the ideas behind what was happening than for the bumpy storytelling. And I did like the fair portrayal of older (70+) protagonists. However, while the end (and the "a psychic CIA novel" subtitle) clearly sets up for more story to come, I'm just not feeling the pull of interest to read them when they do.
Unfortunately, for me at least, the writing had a number of issues that felt like disruptive speed bumps along the way. Many times I completely lost track of who was where in a scene and who was speaking what parts of dialog (and I backed up to try to reorient myself, not always successfully) due to a frequent lack of cues. And a few times the who-was-where just didn't make sense, including one case of someone entering a building, crossing a lobby, climbing four flights of stairs and approaching a door in the time it took for one character to speak one short sentence. Just lots of clumsy writing moments that too-frequently bumped me out of the story as I backed up to figure out what I'd missed.
The story, overall, was still a mostly fun read, albeit more for the ideas behind what was happening than for the bumpy storytelling. And I did like the fair portrayal of older (70+) protagonists. However, while the end (and the "a psychic CIA novel" subtitle) clearly sets up for more story to come, I'm just not feeling the pull of interest to read them when they do.
Battle Ground by Jim Butcher
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
First, note that this follows immediately after and depends heavily on its predecessor, Peace Talks. Unlike most The Dresden Files novels, which contain enough re-introduction of people and concepts that one can more or less slip in anywhere and mostly understand what's going on, that might be more difficult with this one. Read Peace Talks (and preferably the series up to this point) first. That said...
Readers of The Dresden Files novels are likely familiar with how each novel's last 50-100 pages tends toward an increasingly intense rollercoaster of progressively of twisty chaos and peril, stubbornly difficult to put aside for pesky little interruptions like sleep.
Nearly all 500+ pages of Battle Ground is like that. 😮
Remember to breathe.
Because, seriously, "no one expects an orbital-drop grizzly."
Readers of The Dresden Files novels are likely familiar with how each novel's last 50-100 pages tends toward an increasingly intense rollercoaster of progressively of twisty chaos and peril, stubbornly difficult to put aside for pesky little interruptions like sleep.
Nearly all 500+ pages of Battle Ground is like that. 😮
Remember to breathe.
Because, seriously, "no one expects an orbital-drop grizzly."
Cold Vengeance by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The Joy of a Peanuts Christmas: 50 Years of Holiday Comics! by Charles M. Schulz, Don Hall
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
5.0