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blairconrad's reviews
1124 reviews
The Prodigal Tongue by Mark Abley
4.0
An interesting book – I like the discussions of the changes English has undergone and is undergoing and the way it’s affecting other languages. (And all the pop culture references I’m familiar with were fun.)
I especially enjoyed the section on Japan(ese), as I’ve recently returned from there and had been wondering about all the English-derived words that existed, “Really, they had no word for ‘milk’? Or ‘green’?”).
Unfortunately, I didn’t find that the book was formed in such a way as to provide a guided message – it was a little looser, almost (but not quite) an amorphous mass of information about language change. I think a more obvious structure or message would’ve pushed this from a good book to a great one.
I especially enjoyed the section on Japan(ese), as I’ve recently returned from there and had been wondering about all the English-derived words that existed, “Really, they had no word for ‘milk’? Or ‘green’?”).
Unfortunately, I didn’t find that the book was formed in such a way as to provide a guided message – it was a little looser, almost (but not quite) an amorphous mass of information about language change. I think a more obvious structure or message would’ve pushed this from a good book to a great one.
Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card
5.0
After reading [book: Ender’s Game], I was just slavering to get to Speaker. I was worried about the book not living up to my expectations, but I needn’t’ve been. Ender’s overwhelming empathy is again the star of the show, and serves him extremely well in his adventures with the humans, piggies, and hive queen.
I really enjoyed Ender’s interactions with the humans, and how these were used to show in microcosm the larger issues at hand.
Just like Ender’s Game, I found myself yearning to return to the book whenever I wasn’t reading it. Highly recommended.
I really enjoyed Ender’s interactions with the humans, and how these were used to show in microcosm the larger issues at hand.
Just like Ender’s Game, I found myself yearning to return to the book whenever I wasn’t reading it. Highly recommended.
Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman
4.0
Pretty good. Certainly cute and entertaining, in a “book written for young readers” kind of way. The story didn’t have an incredible amount of depth, but did present a few ideas about the natures of gods and ice and rainbows, and some of the dialogue was funny.
Nation by Terry Pratchett
5.0
The quirky, yet insightful, storytelling that Pratchett started continued throughout the book, with enough charm and twists to keep me more than interested.
This novel contains everything that’s good in a good Pratchett story, which surprised me, as I figured that the story would be a little weak without the shared experience of Discworld for he and us to rely on. No worries! The new world works beautifully and the plot and characters draw us in immediately and don’t let go ‘til the very end.
I’d say this is Pratchett best work since (and maybe even including) Night Watch.
This novel contains everything that’s good in a good Pratchett story, which surprised me, as I figured that the story would be a little weak without the shared experience of Discworld for he and us to rely on. No worries! The new world works beautifully and the plot and characters draw us in immediately and don’t let go ‘til the very end.
I’d say this is Pratchett best work since (and maybe even including) Night Watch.
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
5.0
I liked it. Reminiscent of other [a:Gaiman|1221698|Neil Gaiman|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1234150163p2/1221698.jpg]s (which is both a good and a slightly bad thing – I sometimes find that each book has characters that feel like other characters, such as the man Jack and the pair of baddies in [b:Neverwhere|14497|Neverwhere A Novel|Neil Gaiman|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41EJ07XP7SL._SL75_.jpg|16534], but then again, it’s been a while since I read Neverwhere).
As always, Gaiman tells a good story, and well. His conversational tone entertained me and, I thought, would work well for a younger person reading this book.
I enjoyed the progression we saw in Bod, and I became more and more fond of him as the book progressed.
One concern I have is that the opening is pretty intense, and I’d be afraid that I’d traumatize any youngster I gave or read this book to.
I really liked the Danse Macabre treatment.
As always, Gaiman tells a good story, and well. His conversational tone entertained me and, I thought, would work well for a younger person reading this book.
I enjoyed the progression we saw in Bod, and I became more and more fond of him as the book progressed.
One concern I have is that the opening is pretty intense, and I’d be afraid that I’d traumatize any youngster I gave or read this book to.
I really liked the Danse Macabre treatment.