book
Rated Craft in the Real World: Rethinking Fiction Writing and Workshopping 10/10
<div>I want to shove this into the hands of every writer and teacher of writing that I know. So much good stuff in here — inventive, smart ways of thinking about both craft and revision methods. I will be using a lot of this in my own work.</div>
Rated The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook 8/10
Rated A Thousand Brains: A New Theory of Intelligence 8/10
The book is divided into three parts. The first is about the Brain, the second is about Machine Intelligence, and the third about the future existential threats that humanity will face. <br><br>The first part is illuminating. The second one is very interesting: I don’t agree with everything but it is a must read for the future of Artificial Intelligence. <br><br>The third part is a bit at odd with the rest of the bot. It is an interesting collection of discussion point. It is definitely worth reading but there is no real insight. There are a lot of speculations on the far future that should be taken with abundant grains of salt. They are not farfetched, let’s be clear, but every time we try to talk about more than 100 years in the future we are very likely to go in “total speculation mode”. Moreover, I can see that the first two parts came from the expertise of the author, while the third not. <br><br>Anyway, it is a book I really recommended.
Rated A Mist of Prophesies 4/10
Rated Banned for Life 10/10
If anything, <i>Banned For Life</i> is about how one does not have to sacrifice a punk mentality with age, and that punk does not come at the expense of happiness. Yes, punk is a reaction, and often an anger against the perceived wrongs in the world, but it's also this: <i>If we weren't so hellbent on screwing each other over, if we were all able to do what we want, we might be happy.</i><br><br>(My full review can be found on <a href="http://glorifiedloveletters.blogspot.com/2012/04/banned-for-life-by-dr-haney.html">Glorified Love Letters</a>.)
Rated The Master and Margarita 10/10
Really enjoyed this and now sorta want a black cat named Behemoth.
Rated Doctor Who: The Auntie Matter 8/10
<div>Fun one with the first Romana.</div>
Rated Priestdaddy: A Memoir 10/10
<div>Somehow, Patricia Lockwood's memoir had completely escaped my attention when it first came out. I was familiar with (though I haven't read yet) her more recent novel, and of course, "Miette, her eyes enormous[...]" being one of the best all-time tweets. I'm glad to have rectified this gap in my reading. Her gift for description is perfect, and often hilarious. I kept reading bits aloud to my husband. If you have not read this smart, funny (and forgiving) memoir, please do.</div>
Rated The Mysteries of Pittsburgh 9/10
Rated Other Heartbreaks 8/10
Achingly authentic, most of the stories concern families coming together for an event, oftentimes a funeral or a wedding. The women are young and old, straight and not, and the men are just as tough and complicated. One doesn't always like them, but they remain interesting.<br><br>Other Heartbreaks is an excellent portrayal of the journeys we take to feel whole — the process we must recognize in order to do so. Henley's work is honest and resonant, and it is work to which I will return again.<br><br>(Full review appears at <a href="http://glorifiedloveletters.blogspot.com/2011/10/other-heartbreaks-by-patricia-henley.html">Glorified Love Letters</a>.)
Rated Anon Pls. 6/10
<div>This was better than I thought it would be. I mean, yes, the writing is nothing special, and there are almost as many brand name drops as in a Bret Easton Ellis novel, but it IS compulsively readable, much like the IG gossip account itself. I flew through it in just a few days because I wanted to know what happened next. Also appreciated that she names her co-/ghostwriter because more people who use them should admit it. We know you didn't turn around this book that fast on your own, "babe!" So if you follow the account already, you'll probably enjoy this. </div>
Rated The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt 8/10
Obviously, an autobiography is a slightly different animal than a biography, since we only get the facts the subject wishes to present. Eleanor certainly does not volunteer any more information than she wants to here, and the writing can be a little dry and formal, but it’s still an enjoyable, interesting book about a remarkable woman.
Rated Boo: The Life of the World's Cutest Dog 8/10
Short and adorable. Bought this when the e-book went on sale, and both the kids and I enjoyed it.
Rated Doctor Who: The Shadow of the Scourge 6/10
It wasn't love, but I enjoyed this Doctor/Ace/Benny pairing.