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blairconrad's reviews
1124 reviews
Uncanny X-Men: Divided We Stand by Ed Brubaker, Mike Choi
2.0
Fairly unmemorable. In fact, sitting here 2 days after reading it, I find myself thinking, "what was it about"? Really, it seems like a bridge arc - something that was written just to transition between two larger, heavier arcs (not that I've read anything on either side). The artwork was acceptable - I liked [a:Michael Choi|226995|Michael Choi|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66.jpg]'s style, but not as much as Cassaday's work on Astonishing. I did enjoy seeing Emma and Scott again - for some reason that relationship actually appeals to me, and there was some humour - Angel's code name, for example. But that's about it.
The Icarus Hunt by Timothy Zahn
3.0
An entertaining read - the pacing was acceptable, and there was a bit of a mystery, which was kind of fun. Eventually, though, little things started to nag at me - I found the characters to be very flat (including the narrator) and the writing style didn't really do much for me - too many "presume"s and "small wager"s. Also, the science was much too soft for my liking, and I found I had to seriously suspend my disbelief one too many times. All this combines to make the book acceptable light fare, but nothing to out of your way for.
The Naming of the Dead by Ian Rankin
4.0
A somewhat engaging story - I was actually curious about the main mystery, and anxious to see how the disparate bits would fit together in the end (as Rankin alway seems to have them do). As usual, a little more coincidence than I enjoy...
Also as usual, the characters make the story, and we've been following Rebus, Siobhan, and ... others long enough that just watching their interactions is a joy. I was really sucked in by some aspects of Siobhan's story this time, perhaps appropriate as Rebus gets closer to retirement age. I especially enjoyed learning a little about her past and family life.
Also as usual, the characters make the story, and we've been following Rebus, Siobhan, and ... others long enough that just watching their interactions is a joy. I was really sucked in by some aspects of Siobhan's story this time, perhaps appropriate as Rebus gets closer to retirement age. I especially enjoyed learning a little about her past and family life.
Free: The Future of a Radical Price by Chris Anderson
3.0
An interesting experiment (giving the book away for free in all but its dead tree form) and also an interesting book. In many ways an extension of the concepts explored in [b:The Long Tail|2574|The Long Tail Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More|Chris Anderson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1161107539s/2574.jpg|989032], Anderson continues to explore the ramifications of digital products. Instead of focusing on the effects of near-infinite stockrooms, this time he deals with how companies can survive (and thrive) on a business model based on giving large portions of their "goods" and services away for free.
While the topic was interesting, and Anderson's writing style engaging, I felt let down by the lack of depth in the analyses. I felt that certain topics could have been more rigorously probed, and that only the surfaces were scratched.
Moreover, I was annoyed by the seeming lack of attention paid to details in the book - there were a number of instances where ratios were inverted, quantities miscalculated, and other errors made. Most glaring, Anderson calling [a:Neil Gaiman|1221698|Neil Gaiman|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1234150163p2/1221698.jpg]'s [b:The Graveyard Book|2213661|The Graveyard Book|Neil Gaiman|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51mo4YSDB-L._SL75_.jpg|2219449] The Graveyard. Most of these mistakes were small, but I found they accumulated, causing me to lose a little of my enjoyment.
While the topic was interesting, and Anderson's writing style engaging, I felt let down by the lack of depth in the analyses. I felt that certain topics could have been more rigorously probed, and that only the surfaces were scratched.
Moreover, I was annoyed by the seeming lack of attention paid to details in the book - there were a number of instances where ratios were inverted, quantities miscalculated, and other errors made. Most glaring, Anderson calling [a:Neil Gaiman|1221698|Neil Gaiman|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1234150163p2/1221698.jpg]'s [b:The Graveyard Book|2213661|The Graveyard Book|Neil Gaiman|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51mo4YSDB-L._SL75_.jpg|2219449] The Graveyard. Most of these mistakes were small, but I found they accumulated, causing me to lose a little of my enjoyment.
No One Belongs Here More Than You by Miranda July
2.0
Too many stories from the point of view of stunted (mostly emotionally, although a few seemed intellectually stunted as well) people. Often, I didn’t even find that they went anywhere.
The writing style was fun for the first 3 sentences, then quickly grated.
Toward the end of the book, a couple stories seemed almost worthwhile, but it wasn’t enough to save the book.
Oh, and Ms. July, there are quotation marks on your keyboard for a reason. Please use them.
The writing style was fun for the first 3 sentences, then quickly grated.
Toward the end of the book, a couple stories seemed almost worthwhile, but it wasn’t enough to save the book.
Oh, and Ms. July, there are quotation marks on your keyboard for a reason. Please use them.
The Composer Is Dead [With CD (Audio)] by Lemony Snicket
3.0
Pretty good. I'm not entirely sold on the colour illustrations, but the black-and-white silhouettes are pretty good. The "story" is thin, aimed at giving a very brief overview of the instruments in an orchestra, but there are a few funny bits.
I saw the The Composer is Dead performed by the Kitchener Waterloo Symphony, read by Mr. Snicket, and even had [a:Nathaniel Stookey|2919461|Nathaniel Stookey|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66.jpg] sit next to me. The performance left the book by itself in the dust, and I'll have to reread the book with the enclosed CD to see how that compares - I expect it'll at least bump the rating up to 4 instead of 3.
I saw the The Composer is Dead performed by the Kitchener Waterloo Symphony, read by Mr. Snicket, and even had [a:Nathaniel Stookey|2919461|Nathaniel Stookey|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66.jpg] sit next to me. The performance left the book by itself in the dust, and I'll have to reread the book with the enclosed CD to see how that compares - I expect it'll at least bump the rating up to 4 instead of 3.
Exit Music by Ian Rankin
4.0
Sad. Not a sad story, but sad that this is the end of the Rebus books.
The story was pretty good, but I mostly didn't care about the whole Russian angle. We do get the usual coincidences and big web of connected people, which sometimes is fun, and sometimes grates. What makes this story, like many of the Rebuses, is the interactions of the characters we've come to love - watching Rebus, Siobhan, the other CID members, and even Cafferty deal with John's impending retirement made for an excellent show.
The story was pretty good, but I mostly didn't care about the whole Russian angle. We do get the usual coincidences and big web of connected people, which sometimes is fun, and sometimes grates. What makes this story, like many of the Rebuses, is the interactions of the characters we've come to love - watching Rebus, Siobhan, the other CID members, and even Cafferty deal with John's impending retirement made for an excellent show.