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I love reading and have always favored science fiction; especially hard sci-fi, aliens, bio-anthro themes, horror, space opera, and philosophical and cosmological themes. I will take the time to read great books in almost any genre.
Currently reading
Edge of Infinity
Blue Remembered Earth
Books of Blood, Vols. 1-3
The New Weird
Jack Glass: The Story of A Murderer (Golden Age)
Use of Weapons
Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic
Centennial
Loved this book and loved the tv series. The tv series made me love the book even more. Quirky and smart.
Although this book was funny, sad, hilarious, and romantic it also had a disturbing thread that ran through it. I have been haunted by it ever since I finished. This earns it a place on my cherished Creepy shelf.
1
Wow, this really kills me. I've been an Adam Carolla fan for so long and I hate to do this. But I had to stop listening to the audio version of this book once Adam declared "Men are smarter than women" and then proceeded to try to support this absurd idea.I am just tired of "us against them" thinking, bias, and prejudice.
I am a woman and I am smarter than Adam Carolla. I challenge him to a "smart" duel any time.
I think he is very smart. But he's not smart enough to be aware of his blindness to his own prejudices. Men are not smarter than women just like caucasians are no smarter than blacks and asians are no smarter than hispanics. These generalizations are ridiculous. For one thing, anyone who thinks long enough about these ideas will conclude that they are ridiculous. And anyone who claims such things is not smart himself or herself.
Now, I would agree that men (certainly white men) have more power than women. Hence, you will see more men in power positions. Someone who doesn't think the whole thing through could conclude: Those powerful men who are so famous and smart, they are proof that men are smarter. However, I have worked (mostly in hi-tech) with thousands of men and women, blacks, whites, asians, gays, straights, muslims, hindus, christians, blah, blah, blah. It doesn't matter how any of these people present, the people who are smartest show up in all forms equally. The power does not show up equally however and that is what is distracting.
I think Adam is hilarious and has helped a lot of people on Loveline, but today I have just had enough of all the prejudice.
Hmmmm.....just some of the good things I can think of about this book:1. I learned how close we are psychologically, emotionally, verbally, and mentally to chimps
2. I learned to view animals in a much more connected way. I mean that I feel closer to all animals.
3. I saw again how susceptible humans are to holocaust/slavery type thinking.
4. This booked messed with my head. I will never be the same. I will forever after think of chimps as thinking/feeling/talking hominids. And I will be more sensitive to the feelings and well-being of all other animals.
5. I learned how speaking with the mouth/tongue evolved.
6. I learned how linked movement is with the ability to speak.
7. I learned about my own speech impediments.
I am really glad for Goodreads. Goodreads suggested this book and I had never noticed it before. And I really missed out up till now.
So many great ideas. Probably too many. It really was a lot of work to keep up. Unnecessarily complicated writing style.
I read this in school. It totally creeped me out, and I still think about it all the time. A lot of books and movies have borrowed the main plot in this short story.
I like books about the plague, probably because they are creepy. I love this author and how she is stuck on time travel. I'm stuck on it too.
I remember really liking this when I read it, but I can't remember anything about it, so it loses points.
Blood Song (Raven's Shadow, #1)
I bumped a star off this book because it had so many great things in it and they were all running at about 90%. I think the only thing missing was a great editor. For instance, the "blood song" idea got a very slow start but once I got the idea I wanted more of it. More! And there was some kind of scary, creepy horror stuff that was just barely there but was a big deal at the end. So by the time it came at the end I was confused by it and I wanted MORE. And based on reading the other reviews, others thought all the story lines were tied up at the end. But it didn't feel that way to me at all. I was really confused at the end. A good editor would have fixed that. One thing I would have done as an editor is say: "This book has story lines with supernatural stuff going on, creepy stuff going on, secrets and other complex relationships going on. We are going to make that stuff happen from the beginning and keep it steadily going until the end."
There are many other great things in the book I haven't mentioned and many other problems I haven't mentioned. A total re-edit could make this one of the great fantasy/scifi books of all time.
Most of all this book is a fun read. The writing is the type that makes you want to turn the page, however mundane the content. The writer wants you to enjoy yourself. Also, there is lots of sex (fun), romance (fun), and time travel (fun), and some secrets (fun). At some points I wondered if people really understood infection and how to treat it (among other ailments) as much as was portrayed. The book takes place in the mid 1700s Scotland (fun). The main character, a woman (yay) was almost portrayed as a genius. She was definitely portrayed as smart, strong, capable, clever, etc. Girl power!
Seven Views of Olduvai Gorge
Fun sci-fi about the fate of the human race. Good aliens. Good mix with bio-anthro.
Kinda slow but I do love to read about food and this was really interesting for a foodie. In addition, fun reading about the different transitions of Chinese culture in the 20th century, classic, to Mao, to current.
I moved my rating up to 5 stars. I just really enjoyed this book and when I look back on it, I get happy thoughts. Definitely a classic.
