Review: The 10,000-Year Explosion by Gregory Cochran & Henry Harpending
Posted on October 21st, 2012
In addition, this book includes an extensive resource list for additional reading and data that supports their conclusions.
While I personally would have liked a little more meat in the identification of specific genes responsible for changes in human DNA, or the selection pressures the authors believe will shape humanity’s future, this book is an accessible resource for armchair scientists.
Full disclosure: where did I obtain this book?
Purchased myself
To buy this yourself from Amazon, click on the image below!
Please note that I make a small percentage of the sales resulting from this link, but this did not influence my review.
Review: The Secret Underground – Natalie Bahm
Posted on October 12th, 2012
What a fun read!
Intense, suspenseful novel for middle grade readers–and adults will enjoy it too! I had so much fun with this book, and didn’t want to put it down, even for dinner!
What did I like? The mystery and suspense introduced by the tunnels, and the wonderful characterization of the main character, Ally, and her female friends. The Gauze Men made wonderful villains, and I loved the conflict surrounding the bank robberies, keeping secrets from parents, and early relationships.
My only issue is that many of the boy characters were difficult to remember–many of them, with the exception of Paul, Eric, and Jake, were pretty interchangeable. I would have liked to see more identifiable characteristics early on. That said, by the second two-thirds of the book, I completely hooked.
Can’t wait to read another book by Ms. Bahm. Well done!
Full disclosure: where did I obtain this book?
Purchased myself
To buy this yourself from Amazon, click on the image below!
Please note that I make a small percentage of the sales resulting from this link, but this did not influence my review.
Spyder by David Fingerman
Posted on November 5th, 2011
Bottom line:
This book is hard to classify, but tantalizingly good. Great read for mature readers–describes sex scenes, drug usage, and violence.
Premise:
A streetwise thug named Spyder struggles to overcome his drug addiction, while the world around him keeps trying to drag him back in.
Likes:
o Lots of plot twists that keep you guessing throughout the story
o As a drug addict, Spyder’s an unlikely protagonist. I found myself sympathizing with him because he took a hard view on all other addicts–thinking they were weaker/whinier than him. Spyder had an outlook on life that I could respect, even as I disagreed with his choices.
o Eye-opening revelation for me on the difficulty of breaking out of the addiction cycle. Excellent consideration on how hard it is to change one’s base character.
o Spyder grows throughout the story, but also suffers relapses as events trigger instinctive reactions.
o Spyder’s voice remains true to the character throughout the story. There was definitely a feeling of “here’s the way I am, whether you like it or not” that made me respect and enjoy the character.
Dislikes:
o Very few. I disagreed with some of Spyder’s decisions, but that’s because those weren’t the choices *I* would make–it was my own bias that got in the way. For his character, they were justifiable, even when the decisions led him to dangerous consequences. And that part I liked: his bad decisions had realistic consequences for him.
I’d recommend this book to mature audiences who enjoy suspense, plot twists, dark humor, and unlikely heroes.
Full disclosure: where did I obtain this book?
Purchased myself
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