caseyreads

This book certainly lives up to its subtitle. I wouldn't recommend this as an introduction (the author has another intro Ayurveda book published), and this certainly isn't a how to practice Ayurveda. Instead, it is a wide view on the history of Ayurveda and an exploration of its different parts.

Ninivaggi takes time to compare Ayurveda to modern science and medicine, as well as Buddhism, yoga, Chinese medicine, to name a few. He doesn't attempt to create a correlation between modern medicine and Ayurveda, but brings up parallels when they occur.

I enjoyed the wealth of knowledge in this book. This would be good as a supplement to other Ayurveda materials. The style of the writing is somewhat scholarly, which may turn some people off. Overall, I would say Ninivaggi explains Ayurveda in a matter-of-fact way.

A great sequel to Heavy Time! I would highly recommend reading Heavy Time before Hellburner to get introduced to the characters.

I thought the buildup to the end was done well. The intensity was great and, as always, I like that Cherryh doesn't explain everything to dumb the story down.

Sometimes it is hard to understand the world Cherryh has created. There's a lot of lingo and references to things that are barely explained. Although I think the world would be richer if she had went into more detail, I like that her focus is on the characters completely.

Although Ben can be annoying, I didn't dislike him in Hellburner. I liked him more than Heavy Time, which surprised me, because at first I wasn't so enthralled with him narrating much of the storyline in the beginning. I think I was able to understand his pov better. He had his reasons for wanting to avoid Dekker. Not everyone can be a saint.

Dekker seemed toned down since the last novel. Sal and Meg were the same, although they get a bit more character development in Hellburner.

I liked how the characters are kept within their bounds of knowledge and experiences. No one is making incredible leaps of logic, but instead, they struggle with their questions, while trying to not crumble under pressure.

Picking up somewhat, but seems rather predictable and simple.

Escape is a great insight into the lives of FLDS. However, this memoir focuses much on Carolyn Jessop's own personal experiences, rather than attempting to portray a complete picture of the community. Carolyn's dynamic, struggling relationships with her sister wives, stepchildren, and other FLDS members brings you into a surreal world.

I thought it was interesting how her husband, Merril Jessop, was one of the most important men in the FLDS community, but in the book, we don't see any of this angle, other than the fact that he personally is an extremely emotionally manipulative man. Is that just a function of himself, the culture of men and wives, or his power?

I suppose I would have liked something more encompassing of the entire community. Yet, I still enjoyed the memoir.

I got the impression that Carolyn never went to any religious services or engaged in much religious activity, other than the praying Merril forced on everyone at night. A little strange considering she is living in a religious community that it was written in a way she had so little involvement.

The reality of the isolation and deprivation of these individuals is heart-breaking. Certainly, it is a personal choice to live outside main society, and the way of one's life is one's own choosing. Yet, the FLDS are completely banished from even attempting to experience the other parts of the world.

Carolyn is a strong woman with a strong mind compared to the women she lived with. The multiple power relationships between the wives was compelling. However, Carolyn comes off too much as a saint throughout the story.

I think this may be because she is writing this retrospectively and it might be difficult to truly go back to that time and relive one's own convictions and experiences, especially suffering from PTSD.

I agree with other reviewers the book needed a better editor. There were a few places were information was repetitive.

There is obviously a large world behind this short story, but there is little explained, and not even the character's relationships are explained well. It seems to be leaning on the paranormal side or urban fantasy.

I wondered if there was a reason the characters were Russian? There didn't seem to be any evidence for why contained within this short bit.

Interesting to see a parallel story to Kimi no Iru Machi about a young boy who falls in love with a young girl who moves in with him. Pastel is quite focused on the young teenage boy - lots of panty and boob shots. So far, doesn't seem like there will be much story depth.

The Curse of Chalion is different from any other fantasy story I had read. It's relatively low on the fantasy, but it is strongly apparent that the story's world is not ours due to the names and places, and the quintet of gods which rule over the world.

The style of the writing is excellent. Although the story is slow and action scenes are limited, Bujold writes with a tone that is reminiscent of literary classics rather than fantasy. There isn't an overabundance of world-building and info dumps or intricate details of clothing and titles.

This is refreshing, but it also makes The Curse of Chalion very different from typical fantasy, due to its realism. There are no dragons or fantastical beasts, no dark wizards or enchanted forests. Although there is magic in the world, the people can't readily verify its existence or understand how it works, as it is tied to the mystery of the gods.

Cazaril is a wonderful character. He was developed very well, although the rest of the cast isn't as much. This may be due to the fact that Iselle and Betriz are young women whose personalities are just beginning and that the story is really Cazaril's story.

I liked how everything fit together and there weren't any gaping plotholes or unnecessary side stories. The story is long, and at times, it did dragged alone, but I was invested in the world and wanted to know the end result.

Still have many unanswered questions about this series, the ending left me unsatisfied!

I wish I could give this book no stars because it was so tortuous.

The story is horrible, the characterization flat, and it drags on forever.

Sweet, virtuous Pamela is just trying to protect her lady jewel and keep her impoverished parents proud. Upon the death of her lady, who she was a waiting maid to, her role in the household is unclear, and she is to be sent either to another noble house or back to her family.

Pamela decides on her family as she is just the sweetest, most innocent thing to ever walk this planet. All of her letters are piously directed to her mother and father, so you can already tell that she isn't a relative of Moll Flanders.

Does Pamela get to go home to dear mother and father? The master of the house, the son of her late lady, emphatically states he is in love with her, and acts all the libertine in fashion: kissing her against her will, chasing after her, lying in her bed disguised in maid clothes, refusing to let her leave the premises, which makes Pamela collapse into a near-death faint every time.

Eventually she does get in the carriage, but the carriage is taken to another location where Pamela is held as prisoner. Against her will for quite a long time. The evil Mrs. Jewkes makes her life horrible and Pamela continues her writing to her parents, hoping to see them again.

Poor Pamela, so sweet, so virtuous, tries to figure a way out, but is unsuccessful.

Once Pamela is able to leave the imprisonment, her master sends her a nice letter, and all of a sudden she has an epiphany that she loves him! No mention or hint of love or interest by Pamela at all during the book. Only sheer terror and maddening depression that builds like a pressure cooker during her imprisonment, and which she must have PTSD because her mind is so shallow and weak to begin with.

And now she loves Mr. B because Richardson is trying to show if you eschew your libertine way and live the virtuous way, you will be rewarded with virtue. So Mr. B gets Pamela. In just a few pages, they are love drooling all over each other.

The parents are happy, all the new fancy friends of Mr. B who meet Pamela fawn over her and love her, and even the mean-spirited sister of Mr. B eventually favors Pamela. The second half of the book is a snooze fest about how much everyone loves Pamela. She's so virtuous and pretty! Blah blah blah.

The story continues to drag on and on and on and on. Richardson attempts to give a backstory to Mr. B at the very end of the book, about the last 30 pages, a half-hearted attempt to give some explanation to him, but it is a little too late, and completely insufficient because Mr. B. is portrayed as a lascivious madman in the first half of the book.

This book is bipolar.

This is a tale of a boring, make me want to hit my head against the wall, main character, that has little enjoyment today.

If my reward for being virtuous was someone like Pamela, I would much rather be anti-virtuous and hang out with all the other sauce-boxes and hussys (terms that Pamela frequently is called and then internalizes as descriptions of herself).

I have never read any Wild Cards books, so maybe this short story is lost on me. The writing was great, loved the quickness of the pace and its ability to portray emotions without too much detail.

On Basilisk Station is a slow journey to a gripping finish. The ending of the story had me on the edge of my seat. However, the exposition was quite tedious.

Honor never makes one mistake. Even if she does make a mistake, it's a small mistake that is overshadowed by resounding victory. She is a rather one-dimensional character.

I was surprised by how little emotional reaction she had to Young - someone who attempted to rape her and she subsequently beat the crap out of - other than hyperfocusing on how she would carry out her duties properly with limited resources. She did have a little anger, but it poofs away rapidly. Very emotionally distant.

At the close of the novel, although she has about two sentences of regret for her dead crew, the pride and commemoration she has received makes it all worthwhile.

I realize that Weber isn't trying to make her all evil and cold and calculating. He doesn't take the time to explain Honor's backstory or give her any emotional torment. We don't know anything about her besides a few short snippets. She might as well be a well-mannered robot. Except for the one time she tells Hauptman off, which I really enjoyed, because it showed something of her personality.

I wondered why Honor was SO sure Hauptman had not been involved in any illegal activities, although his ships were brimming full of contraband. This was never explained.

There is a lot of assuming going on by Honor as to the mystery of what is happening. All of the assumptions turn out to be true. In this way, the exposition really drags on because Weber tells you everything possible that you need to know. Not much left to the imagination.

Weber is extremely detailed with science and military spaceships. Although I kind of glossed over it, I appreciate the time and effort he took in the description, even if sometimes the description popped up in the middle of nowhere.

For being terrible at math, Honor is really good at calculating times in her head.

The ending battle was really awesome, and it bumped the story up a star for me. I was never able to keep track of the secondary characters besides McKeon and therefore not invested/interested in them at all.

I suppose if you like military sci-fi you will get a lot of interesting description and battle scenes. However, the story is actually a very small one, in the corner of the universe. I guess a girl has to start somewhere.

Lastly, the treecat has barely any presence in the book, which I was surprised about. No plot points for Nimitz, even if they would be cheesy.

I have mixed feelings about how much I liked Wool. Knowing that it was written as individual novellas, that were compiled together later, it makes me wonder if I should review each part by itself, or look at it together? I suppose the last parts are really meant to be one complete set, as they revolve around the same character.

I liked the setting and the revelations at the ending, even if those revelations aren't exactly enlightening as to what has truly happened in the world. I am completely fine with that. My mind likes to wander and speculate about possibilities, and in doing so, makes a story more enjoyable.

Juliette was a great character. Additionally, I cared about all the characters and was interested in what happened to them. Wool is mainly character driven. The ending surprised me!

The pace was well done. I got absorbed in the story many times when I needed to put the book down and do something else. However, there were times when I didn't get that so much. I think the style of writing, although plain, never gives us enough backstory and exposition about the world the characters live. I don't need answers to everything! But taking the time to describe how systems work in the silo would have interested me. Or at least skipping the stair climbing descriptions.

I can see how this story or stories, really, has gotten rave reviews. You can sit down with Wool, read through, and never get back up until it's done. I got the feeling it was almost like sci-fi "lite." Heavy on the action, little on description. Maybe in that way it has more mass appeal because nothing is really explained in the nitty-gritty.

The middle part of the Omnibus is the best. I did like Wool #1, although it seems other reviewers didn't like it so much. I thought it set up the world really well, and it's rather short anyway.

About the cleaning....If IT has the ability to manufacture suits that can withstand the outside, and they have all these mechanics in the silo, and all sorts of equipment - a real source of conception and practice - couldn't they have simply made a machine that cleans the lens? Where did this ritual of cleaning come up from? And if cleaning this lens is necessary, doesn't it seem short-sighted to wait on criminals or suicides to have it cleaned? Doesn't that mean there would be long periods were the lens would uncleaned? I would think in that circumstance, if it was necessary to consistently clean, there would be some sort of monthly, annual, etc. sacrifice...or lottery even, to have someone clean it.

Also, I wondered why there would even be an accessible door to leave the Silo. Wouldn't a secret door in IT that leads up to an exit be more apt?

I thought it was intriguing how there was no mention of religion. Although in Wool #1, Holston remembers rituals that he and his wife did to help with the pregnancy, there's no discussion of greater beliefs. I would think people would start coming up with something after being cooped up for so long to explain answers to all the questions that people have. For me, I think this was the missing piece that didn't quite make Wool as great as a novel as it could have been.

Although Wool is interesting, it never goes far enough with the story. We read such a small corner of the larger world. I guess that is what the sequels are for.

As I am sure others pointed out as well, Redshirts reminded me a lot of Galaxy Quest. This story is a parody on Star Trek in which the "extras" aka "Redshirts" realize that something strange is happening on their ship. The leaders of the ship never die no matter how ridiculous their injuries were, and newbie crew are killed off almost instantaneously. This leads to hypotheses regarding how to avoid death, and they work together to try to save themselves from their imminent fate.

I laughed aloud a lot of times during the book and I don't typically do when I read books. However, I just don't think I am personally interested in sci-fi comedy, and I am not a Star Trek fan, so I suppose Redshirts is lost on me.

I really liked the Codas at the end, especially the Third Coda. I thought it was brilliantly done, and kind of wished the whole book was more that way, except I realize that Redshirts is a comedy, not a drama, and that is just my personal preference.

Three-Cornered World, also know as Grass Pillow, is a story of little narrative substance. The main character stays for a time at a country inn. He struggles with the meanings of being an artist and the ability to convey his thoughts and emotions in the written word or on canvas. The innkeeper's daughter is a source of inspiration and intrigue for him.

There are beautiful passages in the story in which Soseki muses about art, and this is the main focus. He published this novel after Botchan. Three-Cornered World is a transition from Botchan to his later meaningful novels. However, in this novel, it seems that Soseki is experimenting with the style and simply letting his thoughts fall onto the paper without trying to organize them in a meaningful way.

I would recommend later Soseki works because starting with this one may leave one underwhelmed by the story.

Nicola knows she will die. She wants to be involved in the process and help deliver herself to her fate. She thinks it will be either Keith or Guy to kill her, and she masterfully attempts to make each of them fall in love with her, thinking she will be killed somehow in relation to this. On the sidelines is Samson, a dying author who is writing about all three of them, and has interactions with them, like little sideline interviews, and his parts don't make much sense and make you confused.

The characters are all stereotypes: Nicola Six, Keith Talent, Guy Clinch, and Samson Young. Amis doesn't try to cover this fact up at all, and it is assumed like a contractual agreement between the reader and Amis that his characters are going to act as stereotypical as possible, and therefore you can't get him on that part, because it's out in the open, but you need to look deeper.

In looking deeper, there isn't much to be found. I would say that London Fields is a book about love. It's not romantic love by far. It's a weird, twisted, sadistic love that each of the characters represent. However, I don't think Amis every goes deep enough. He kept scratching the surface.

The only character that I think Amis got right was Guy Clinch. I don't think Nicola, Keith, and Samson were extreme enough. Everyone, except Guy, seemed like stupid, wooden puppets that Amis was gleefully manipulating, thinking he is getting that characterization perfect, when in fact I get the impression Amis has never met a femme fatale or a lower class person once in his life. All very one-dimensional.

I found the lower class to be written in an unbelievable manner. It's hard to say that for this story since it is about stereotypes and therefore how believable is anything going to be. However, we never really see the true dirt of the working class. Amis hints at a few things every so slightly. It came off as rather boring to me.

I got the impression when he was writing this story, he put down every single cool, interesting thought he ever had in his brain. Now, this makes for some great philosophical consideration, and there are some wonderfully, written portions of prose that are truly excellent. But, where was the cohesion? Where in all these random thoughts does it all come together? It doesn't.

Towards the end I was really drawn in because I wanted to know what happened. The ending was anti-climatic. Why have stereotpyical characters if it doesn't lead to anything?

The beginning of Botchan is truly comedic. I found myself laughing out loud at his childish exploits. However, Botchan as an adult is less humorous and less of the adult you would expect him to be. I thought he was going to be quite mischievous, when in fact he tries to be a mainstream responsible adult; however, seeing his failure at school and general lack of enthusiasm, points to a personality that is hard to please.

Botchan lacks the depth of later works of Kokoro and Sanshiro. There isn't the pang of raw human emotion present. Botchan is far simpler. From what I know of Soseki's life, it almost seems like Botchan is an antithesis to Soseki's serious literary career. Here we have a main character that isn't very bright, barely makes it out of university, ends up in a country school where the children have no discipline, and with a corrupt and inept school staff.

The story is longer than necessary. The underlying plot is Botchan + Porcupine vs. Red Shirt and Clown, although it takes some time to get there. I am disappointed that the novel is particularly straightforward and there isn't a complex meaning behind it all. The ending isn't very satisfying. How can you point out someone's misdeeds in private and this is enough revenge? Possibly, Botchan and Porcupine seem the inevitability of Red Shirt's control over the town.

Overall, I wouldn't recommend this as a place to start reading Soseki because it is rather bland compared to later works.