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The Compatibility Gene
Book
Short-listed for the Society of Biology Book Award 2014 Long-listed for the Royal Society Winton...
Postwar Europe and the Eurovision Song Contest
Book
Postwar Europe and the Eurovision Song Contest examines how the Eurovision Song Contest has...
Debbiereadsbook (1539 KP) rated Dragon of Denmark in Books
Jan 18, 2025
these vikings are violent!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarain, I was gifted my copy of this book.
Skarde is the illegitimate son of the Danish King, Harald. Ylva is the illegitimate daughter of the Viking Duke of Normandy, Richard the Fearless. Thrown together in a marriage of based only on political power and sheer strength in numbers, the two are left to navigate the seas of their new marriage. But there are other forces at work, and they must tread carefully.
For the most part, I did enjoy this.
There is much description about how both Skarde and Ylva lived, separately and then together. I liked the way their marriage grew, and how they came to know each other better, in truth, rather than the image they had of each other before.
It isn't overly explicit, but there is violence. These are Vikings, after all, fighting for the things and people they love.
I liked that both Skarde and Ylva have a say, along with some other characters who I did not expect to hear from! So I really did enjoy that, hearing from the bad guy!
There are great descriptions about the runes, and what they mean, along with the herbs and plants, and the Gods that these people pray to. This is what I felt was a bit too much. The explanation of things is repeated, over and over and it really did get a bit annoying being told who was the God of what, and what certain gems did.
BUT
I did enjoy the tale, and it is the first I've read of this author. I liked the way she told her tale.
4 very good stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Skarde is the illegitimate son of the Danish King, Harald. Ylva is the illegitimate daughter of the Viking Duke of Normandy, Richard the Fearless. Thrown together in a marriage of based only on political power and sheer strength in numbers, the two are left to navigate the seas of their new marriage. But there are other forces at work, and they must tread carefully.
For the most part, I did enjoy this.
There is much description about how both Skarde and Ylva lived, separately and then together. I liked the way their marriage grew, and how they came to know each other better, in truth, rather than the image they had of each other before.
It isn't overly explicit, but there is violence. These are Vikings, after all, fighting for the things and people they love.
I liked that both Skarde and Ylva have a say, along with some other characters who I did not expect to hear from! So I really did enjoy that, hearing from the bad guy!
There are great descriptions about the runes, and what they mean, along with the herbs and plants, and the Gods that these people pray to. This is what I felt was a bit too much. The explanation of things is repeated, over and over and it really did get a bit annoying being told who was the God of what, and what certain gems did.
BUT
I did enjoy the tale, and it is the first I've read of this author. I liked the way she told her tale.
4 very good stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Hazel (1853 KP) rated We are All Made of Molecules in Books
May 26, 2017
Contrasting Characters
We Are All Made of Molecules is a heart-rending contemporary young adult novel by the Canadian author, Susin Nielsen. Stewart is a gifted thirteen-year-old who lost his mother to cancer two years ago. Now his father has found a new love and they are moving in with her and her fourteen-year old daughter, Ashley. Stewart is excited at the prospect of having a sister, however Ashley is his polar opposite and is horrified at the idea.
The narrative is shared between Stewart and Ashley, providing two points of view to the story. Stewart, who is most likely somewhere on the Autism spectrum, provides a fairly factual account of the story – moving to a new house, starting a new school etc. Ashley, on the other hand, is a stuck up, drama queen, therefore her side of the story is based upon her feelings – which also reveals how unintelligent she is.
Stewart and Ashley’s relationship is rather strained, with Stewart regularly being called a “midget-egghead-freakazoid” no matter how nice he tries to be. As the story develops, so do both of their characters. Stewart learns how to speak up for himself and Ashley eventually becomes less of a brat.
Ashley gives lots of the characters horrible names that are often hurtful and inaccurate, but although she is embarrassed about the nature of her parents’ divorce – her father is gay – she is shocked about some of the names she hears homosexuals called. We Are All Made of Molecules deals with homophobia in a truthful manner. Nielsen does not try to hide the fact that some people can be cruel and hurtful, but she also shows that although people can be different, there is no reason to treat them badly.
Stewart is a loveable character that makes the book pleasant to read, however Ashley is annoying and makes the story less enjoyable. It is, nevertheless, a humourous yet beautiful story that many teenage readers will enjoy.
The narrative is shared between Stewart and Ashley, providing two points of view to the story. Stewart, who is most likely somewhere on the Autism spectrum, provides a fairly factual account of the story – moving to a new house, starting a new school etc. Ashley, on the other hand, is a stuck up, drama queen, therefore her side of the story is based upon her feelings – which also reveals how unintelligent she is.
Stewart and Ashley’s relationship is rather strained, with Stewart regularly being called a “midget-egghead-freakazoid” no matter how nice he tries to be. As the story develops, so do both of their characters. Stewart learns how to speak up for himself and Ashley eventually becomes less of a brat.
Ashley gives lots of the characters horrible names that are often hurtful and inaccurate, but although she is embarrassed about the nature of her parents’ divorce – her father is gay – she is shocked about some of the names she hears homosexuals called. We Are All Made of Molecules deals with homophobia in a truthful manner. Nielsen does not try to hide the fact that some people can be cruel and hurtful, but she also shows that although people can be different, there is no reason to treat them badly.
Stewart is a loveable character that makes the book pleasant to read, however Ashley is annoying and makes the story less enjoyable. It is, nevertheless, a humourous yet beautiful story that many teenage readers will enjoy.
Why the Wheel is Round: Muscles, Technology, and How We Make Things Move
Book
There is no part of our bodies that fully rotates be it a wrist or ankle or arm in a shoulder...
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated What's Your Number? (2011) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
According to a study published in a ladies’ magazine, the average woman will have a maximum of 10 sexual partners, and apparently, the higher your number of sexual partners, the lower your chances of ever finding Mr. Right. Ally, played by Anna Faris, takes this study to heart and after conducting her own study, masked as a bachelorette party game, she realizes her number is dangerously above average.
After running into an ex who went from disgusting to dashing, Ally decides her number can’t go up if she revisits the exes she’s already accumulated, to see if any others have made similar transformations. However, looking them up, even in the age of Google, proves to be a daunting task. Luckily for Ally, her cad of a neighbor, Colin, played by oft-naked Chris Evans, just happens to be quite skilled in cyber-snooping. In exchange for tracking down her exes, Colin gets to use Ally’s apartment to escape his one-night-stands that are just a little slow to leave.
I’m a sucker for a good romantic comedy, no matter how silly or predictable. I had high hopes for an Anna Faris-Chris Evans pairing. Both are easy on the eyes, endearingly charming and have great comic timing. Together, they provided the majority of the lighter moments and sure, they could both show off their exceptional physiques as often as they want and no one will complain. With slightly tamer glimpses of “Bridesmaids” and a few delightfully awkward moments, Faris proves yet again, she can carry a movie. Unfortunately, the story, based on a book by Karyn Bosnak, felt stretched to fill the running time of 106 minutes, even with a strong but underused cast of exes, that included Faris’ real-life love Chris Pratt, Andy Samberg and Joel McHale.
After running into an ex who went from disgusting to dashing, Ally decides her number can’t go up if she revisits the exes she’s already accumulated, to see if any others have made similar transformations. However, looking them up, even in the age of Google, proves to be a daunting task. Luckily for Ally, her cad of a neighbor, Colin, played by oft-naked Chris Evans, just happens to be quite skilled in cyber-snooping. In exchange for tracking down her exes, Colin gets to use Ally’s apartment to escape his one-night-stands that are just a little slow to leave.
I’m a sucker for a good romantic comedy, no matter how silly or predictable. I had high hopes for an Anna Faris-Chris Evans pairing. Both are easy on the eyes, endearingly charming and have great comic timing. Together, they provided the majority of the lighter moments and sure, they could both show off their exceptional physiques as often as they want and no one will complain. With slightly tamer glimpses of “Bridesmaids” and a few delightfully awkward moments, Faris proves yet again, she can carry a movie. Unfortunately, the story, based on a book by Karyn Bosnak, felt stretched to fill the running time of 106 minutes, even with a strong but underused cast of exes, that included Faris’ real-life love Chris Pratt, Andy Samberg and Joel McHale.
Introduction to Abstract Algebra
Book
Introduction to Abstract Algebra, Second Edition presents abstract algebra as the main tool...
Thinking Trademarks, Symbols and Logotypes: Design by Thinking
Book
This volume profiles 150 trademarks, symbols and logotypes from around the world giving examples in...
Sitting in Bars with Cake: Lessons and Recipes from One Year of Trying to Bake My Way to a Boyfriend
Book
Audrey Shulman moved to Los Angeles with two dreams. One, to write screenplays. Two, to find true...
Pecan: America's Native Nut Tree
Book
Written in a manner suitable for a popular audience and including color photographs and recipes for...