Summary: Alec is captivated by the untamed black stallion as soon as he sets eyes on him, on the ship home from India. After a shipwreck leaves them stranded for several weeks, the stallion comes home with him, where Alec longs to race him against other horses.
Comments: This is another book that I decided to reread for some reason. Or maybe I was more interested in one of the other books in the saga. Regardless, it's been long enough that I had forgotten most of the details of the book, so it was almost like reading it for the first time.
I don't think this will ever be counted as among the great works of literature - it lacks the complexity and layers that you seem to find there - but as an enthralling story, it certainly qualifies as worthy of the time it takes to read it. And now I want to find the next book so I can find out what happens after.
Reading the forward of this book, I learned that the author started working on this book during high school and that it was his first published work. That may be somewhat evident from the book itself. One thing that really caught my attention about his writing style is his love of adjectives and exclamation marks. That might be to follow throughout the books - how Farley's skill as a writer develops over the years.
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Hostage in the Woods, by Cynthia Wall
Summary: When Kim is kidnapped by bank robbers and forced to help an injured member of their group, she must rely on her wits, and her ham radio, to rescue her from her predicament.
Comments: This is another young adult book that I reread, but that doesn't disqualify it from being enjoyable once again. Though admittedly, I may have kinda skimmed over the mushy romantic parts.
One thing that I like about the book is that it's from the perspective of a variety of different people - the protagonists, bank robbers, various law enforcement officers, and some random people who only show up briefly. And the various random people seem to have a whole history and be very well fleshed out. The bank robbers also have distinct personalities that a reader can come to recognize.
One thing that struck me this time around is how much technology has changed since the book came out (1990). That was before the internet, cell phones, and email became a thing (I'm not sure if they existed back then, but they sure as heck weren't widely available). And some of their ham radio tools fill basically the same needs. For example, when Marc and Kim almost get run off the road by the bank robbers, they're able to call the police and report it because someone they know who happened to be on his radio at the time has a radio that's connected to the phone system, so they with their radio were able to communicate with the police's phone. I have to wonder how this story would be different if it were set today. For starters, Kim likely would have had a much harder time keeping hold of a way to communicate with the outside world as the bank robbers would have assumed that she had a cell phone and would have taken it away from her almost immediately.
One other thing that I have to mention is that, for better or for worse, this is kind of an emotional roller coaster of a book. Then again, you probably could have inferred that from the fact that the protagonist gets kidnapped and that we get to see the perspectives of other people. For example, her boyfriend.
Comments: This is another young adult book that I reread, but that doesn't disqualify it from being enjoyable once again. Though admittedly, I may have kinda skimmed over the mushy romantic parts.
One thing that I like about the book is that it's from the perspective of a variety of different people - the protagonists, bank robbers, various law enforcement officers, and some random people who only show up briefly. And the various random people seem to have a whole history and be very well fleshed out. The bank robbers also have distinct personalities that a reader can come to recognize.
One thing that struck me this time around is how much technology has changed since the book came out (1990). That was before the internet, cell phones, and email became a thing (I'm not sure if they existed back then, but they sure as heck weren't widely available). And some of their ham radio tools fill basically the same needs. For example, when Marc and Kim almost get run off the road by the bank robbers, they're able to call the police and report it because someone they know who happened to be on his radio at the time has a radio that's connected to the phone system, so they with their radio were able to communicate with the police's phone. I have to wonder how this story would be different if it were set today. For starters, Kim likely would have had a much harder time keeping hold of a way to communicate with the outside world as the bank robbers would have assumed that she had a cell phone and would have taken it away from her almost immediately.
One other thing that I have to mention is that, for better or for worse, this is kind of an emotional roller coaster of a book. Then again, you probably could have inferred that from the fact that the protagonist gets kidnapped and that we get to see the perspectives of other people. For example, her boyfriend.
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
The Fine Art of Small Talk, by Debra Fine
Summary: This book describes various techniques for how to improve your conversation skills, better connect with people, etc.
Comments: I think the other book I read with that description was better. The tone of this one rubbed me the wrong way. The focus of the seems to be "Since I figured out how to quit being horrible at the social thing, it's really easy and you can do it too". While believing in yourself is good, some more (or maybe more organized) tips on what to do would be more helpful. Maybe what not to do also, but what to do instead is more valuable.
Also, am I the only one who hates gratuitous use of your conversation partner's name? Or avoids friendly sounding/seeming stores (or at least judges them differently than she does)? Your examples of how to act aren't helpful when I disagree with how they make people feel!
Comments: I think the other book I read with that description was better. The tone of this one rubbed me the wrong way. The focus of the seems to be "Since I figured out how to quit being horrible at the social thing, it's really easy and you can do it too". While believing in yourself is good, some more (or maybe more organized) tips on what to do would be more helpful. Maybe what not to do also, but what to do instead is more valuable.
Also, am I the only one who hates gratuitous use of your conversation partner's name? Or avoids friendly sounding/seeming stores (or at least judges them differently than she does)? Your examples of how to act aren't helpful when I disagree with how they make people feel!
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
How to Start a Conversation and Make Friends (Revised and Updated), by Don Gabor
Summary: I think the title is a pretty good summary of the book - it's focused on how to have effective conversations and how to make friends.
Thoughts: While I'm inclined to be skeptical about whether self-help books actually have anything helpful to say, I feel like this one actually does. Most of its suggestions are probably obvious in hindsight, but it's helpful to have them in written in one convenient place where it's harder to ignore that that's probably what I should be doing. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who thinks their ability to interact with people could use a pick-me-up. It's probably helpful for other kinds of people also, but I don't have experience to speak from there. Now the next question is whether I'll actually apply what I learned...
Thoughts: While I'm inclined to be skeptical about whether self-help books actually have anything helpful to say, I feel like this one actually does. Most of its suggestions are probably obvious in hindsight, but it's helpful to have them in written in one convenient place where it's harder to ignore that that's probably what I should be doing. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who thinks their ability to interact with people could use a pick-me-up. It's probably helpful for other kinds of people also, but I don't have experience to speak from there. Now the next question is whether I'll actually apply what I learned...
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