Review: Nimona

Nimona by Noelle Stevenson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I purchased this from the Barnes & Noble at Union Square. I didn't know it would be a graphic novel, but I had a feeling it would be when I pulled it out from the Teen Sci Fi/Fantasy section from its weight and paper quality.

Definitely a cute story and interesting character design. Being a graphic novel, it's a very quick read. I like that there is a cohesive story from start to end and not just the characters being exposed to various situations.

There were a few pages towards the end where the printing was blurred. It didn't affect the artwork so much, but it made the text hard to read. I thought it was intentional because a lot of chaos is happening, but then it went back to normal and got blurry again for another two pages. Maybe this is only in certain copies of the book, but it did bother me.

I wonder if there will be a second book?

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Review: Midnight Graffiti

Midnight Graffiti by Jessica Horsting
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I think I picked this book up at a church book sale somewhere in Connecticut. It's been a while, so I don't really remember, but the fact that it contained a Stephen King short story caught my attention.

I probably would never have kept this book around, let alone reread it at least twice, probably three times, if not for the second story in the book, "Say Hello, Mister Quigley" by J. Michael Straczynski. I remember reading it for the first time in the basement of the house where I was living in New Haven, waiting for the laundry to finish. I loved the feeling of being so scared in a creepy setting at night, reading that short story. And then that ending! Loved it.

I felt like the rest paled in comparison, but some of the others I liked: "Murder Mysteries" by Neil Gaiman and "Dark Embrace" by James Van Hise. I had already read "Rainy Season" by Stephen King in his own collection, but I didn't find it all that great. I really did not like "Bad Guy Hats" by David J. Schow and really did not understand "Spike Jones and Reverend Sister Claudine."

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Review: The Lorax. by Dr. Seuss

The Lorax. by Dr. Seuss by Dr. Seuss
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I purchased this book from The Strand. I bought several copies to use for my Environmental Science class at the high school where I taught.

I had never read the book as a child, but I had heard of it and was recommended reading it with the class (even high school!). It went very well, despite the majority of the students being non-native English speakers. One Swedish student volunteered to read aloud, and he did a very nice job, even with all of the made-up words. I wish I remember some of the discussion that followed, but it was four years ago.

I feel like this is considered a must-have children's book for a biologist or anyone who cares about the environment. It's not my favorite environmentalist children's book, but I think it has a good message and is definitely fun to read out loud. Quite heavy-handed, and the Lorax isn't very likable, but maybe part of the message here is you (the child) should listen to people (parents and other adults) who tell you not to do something because it is hurting others.

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Review: The Hedgehog, the Fox & the Magister's Pox: Mending the Gap Between Science & the Humanities

The Hedgehog, the Fox & the Magister's Pox: Mending the Gap Between Science & the Humanities by Stephen Jay Gould
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I purchased this book at Second Story Books in Washington DC.

I usually love Stephen Jay Gould's books, but I just couldn't get into this one. I can't tell if this is because of the lack of editing by Gould himself, the topic, or the writing coming late in Gould's life, but my eyes just glazed over for the vast majority of the book. I enjoyed the essays in the middle that were reprinted from previous works, but I just didn't understand the overarching thesis for this book.

On the other hand, I enjoyed the Note the the Reader at the beginning of the book as so many times I think to myself (and say to other people) how I wish Gould were alive today. Not just so I could read more popular science on more current topics written in his clever prose, but because we need his measured voice and knowledge in our current polemical climate.

I don't think I'll revisit this book again, but I'm glad I read it once.

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Review: Without Rival: Embrace Your Identity and Purpose in an Age of Confusion and Comparison

Without Rival: Embrace Your Identity and Purpose in an Age of Confusion and Comparison by Lisa Bevere
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I started reading this long ago through Prime Reading. This is the one book that I could not finish in my memory.

I started reading it without having any idea of what kind of book this would be. That's how I like to start reading my books, by letting the book tell me what it is, rather than any description written by someone else. So I didn't know that this would be 1) a self-help book, 2) a Christian self-help book, and 3) a feminist Christian self-help book.

All three of those things are strikes against the book, but none of them would have caused me to stop reading, even in combination. The reason why I stopped reading was the way Bevere "quoted" the Bible. I don't know if this is common in Christian self-help books, but it seemed to me that Bevere paraphrased the Bible in whatever way convenient to her message, and printed it as a direct quote. Now I realize the quotes are from the Message Bible from reading some of the other reviews here, but that doesn't make me want to read that or this book.

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Review: Heartless

Heartless by Marissa Meyer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I purchased this book from Kew & Willow. This book was on the NYC Reads 365 reading list for Grade 11-12.

I enjoyed this book considerably more than I thought I would. I read Cinder back in 2013 and wasn't a big fan, but I thought I'd give this one a try.

I didn't know this would be a reimagining of Alice in Wonderland. I read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland &Through the Looking Glass in 2017. They felt too whimsical to me, so they didn't leave a lasting impression. I can't really tell if it was helpful to have read them before reading Heartless because Alice in Wonderland has so infiltrated popular culture that I'm not sure I wouldn't have caught the references without having read the first two stories beforehand.

I was afraid this would be as whimsical as the original, but I was surprisingly pleased.

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Review: Hen's Teeth and Horse's Toes: Further Reflections in Natural History

Hen's Teeth and Horse's Toes: Further Reflections in Natural History by Stephen Jay Gould
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I purchased this book as part of a three-book boxed set at Second Story Books in Washington DC.

I always love reading Stephen Jay Gould essays, and this book was no exception. The topics are quite dated at this point with the essays from around 1980, but it's still wonderful to read Gould's thoughtful prose.

I really wish I knew of someone with a similar style writing about current evolutionary biology topics. My knowledge of the field has been forever trapped in 2012 when I left graduate school, and I would love a way to update it with a guide like Gould. Someone who challenges established beliefs and looks to the past with a kind and understanding eye.

I loved the essay about wheels in nature, which reminded me of Philip Pullman's clever solution in a large animal in The Amber Spyglass.

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