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Complex Ball Quotients and Line Arrangements in the Projective Plane (MN-51)
Paula Tretkoff and Hans-Christoph Im Hof
Book
This book introduces the theory of complex surfaces through a comprehensive look at finite covers of...
Exam Survival Guide: Physical Chemistry
Book
A text- and exercise book for physical chemistry students! This book deals with the fundamental...
Natural Baby: A Gentle Guide to Conception, Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond
Samantha Quinn, Holly Daffurn and Melissa Corkhill
Book
The Natural Baby is a one-of-a-kind fully comprehensive guide to natural parenting, taking the...
Gripping
I'd seen a lot of good reviews about this book and was intrigued to find out why so many people though it was so disturbing and horrific. I think people have over exaggerated some of the darker aspects of this book, but it was still a gripping read.
This is a very well written book. I was hooked from the first chapter and really struggled to put it down. I'm not entirely Lowen is the most endearing of protagonists but she's bearable enough. Verity was by far the most interesting of the characters through Lowen reading her manuscript, and it was that I wanted to read more of. The twist and ending were something I surprisingly didn't predict and actually quite liked due to the rather ambiguous nature of it. I do think people may have overexaggerated how dark and disturbing this book. Yes it's dark and has more than your normal amount of sexual references and descriptions, but it isn't particularly disgusting or out there. Some people may just need to get out more! Overall though this is a rather thrilling and entertaining read and one I'd definitely recommend.
This is a very well written book. I was hooked from the first chapter and really struggled to put it down. I'm not entirely Lowen is the most endearing of protagonists but she's bearable enough. Verity was by far the most interesting of the characters through Lowen reading her manuscript, and it was that I wanted to read more of. The twist and ending were something I surprisingly didn't predict and actually quite liked due to the rather ambiguous nature of it. I do think people may have overexaggerated how dark and disturbing this book. Yes it's dark and has more than your normal amount of sexual references and descriptions, but it isn't particularly disgusting or out there. Some people may just need to get out more! Overall though this is a rather thrilling and entertaining read and one I'd definitely recommend.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2464 KP) rated Her Perfect Life in Books
Jun 13, 2022
This Book Doesn’t Turn Out to be Perfect
Lily Atwood is living a charmed life. A TV reporter with awards and millions of fans by day, she is a devoted single mother to a charming seven-year-old daughter by night. Her fans think she has it all, and Lily works hard to project that. Things take a turn when her latest anonymous source starts feeding her secrets from her own life. Can Lily keep her perfect life?
The book started well, and I was quickly pulled in. The use of multiple narrators and a large chunk back in the past was easy to follow thanks to headings at the start of every chapter. However, as I got further into the book, I started to get more frustrated. A whiney character was annoying, and I felt like some of the book was driven by manufactured suspense. If the characters would just listen to each other, they’d get the answers they wanted. Having said that, one twist got a gasp out of me near the end. The ending was a bit of a letdown since it left me wondering what the point was. All told, this was a mixed bag.
The book started well, and I was quickly pulled in. The use of multiple narrators and a large chunk back in the past was easy to follow thanks to headings at the start of every chapter. However, as I got further into the book, I started to get more frustrated. A whiney character was annoying, and I felt like some of the book was driven by manufactured suspense. If the characters would just listen to each other, they’d get the answers they wanted. Having said that, one twist got a gasp out of me near the end. The ending was a bit of a letdown since it left me wondering what the point was. All told, this was a mixed bag.
The book opens with Gillian Deacon's personal story for why she decided to write this book - when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Even though she believed that she had been living a healthy and sustainable lifestyle for years, she realized that one can never be too cautious. Deacon employs a few new vocabulary terms that help to introduce the reader to what Deacon hopes to accomplish with this book - by teaching the readers to be cautious about what to use in, on, and around their bodies. The first term is pinkwashing, applying to "big cosmetics corporations that position themselves as leaders in the struggle to eradicate breast cancer... [that] are, in fact, makers and marketers of products that contain many ingredients known or suspected to cause breast cancer." This term is related to the next- greenwashing, in which big corporations do the same thing with environmental awareness. She even gives a list of product lines that fall under this heading on page 10.
Deacon's motto throughout the book is "Be your own advocate," and she uses the book to teach the reader how, with multiple resources that can be found both in books and on the internet. The chapter on label reading introduces the reader to the concept of the chemical body burden, which "refers to the accumulation of chemical ingredients in the human body." This chapter was incredibly illuminating, as I am sure most people do not consider the cumulative effect of all of the manufactured products that we use on a day-to-day basis, or even how different chemicals in these different products can react negatively with one another. Governmental bodies such as Health Canada or the U.S. FDA, are also shown to be of little help in curbing the influx of chemicals into the retail market that have been presented to be linked to illness and disease - and are sometimes even prohibited from use in European countries. She gives a list of the 20 worst chemicals to avoid and why on page 31 - a list which had me examining every product in my bathroom.
Each chapter begins with some basic information about the body parts mentioned to illustrate why and how the chemicals found in products can harm the body. Every chapter is supplied with a list of products that can be found on the internet applicable to that chapter's topic along with the pros and cons of each product. If that is not enough, she also supplies recipes for do-it-yourself homemade body care products, such as face masks, hair treatments, and lipsticks.
The book also teaches that many of the common "spin" words that companies use to promote a product as safe or healthy are, in fact, meaningless, without an industry-standard definition: natural, hypoallergenic, botanicals, pure plant essence, herbal conditioning, purifying, and nourishing, to name a few. Other words can be used to hide chemicals, such as fragrance or perfume, as the companies are not legally required to list the chemicals used to achieve them. Even the regulated word "organic" can not always be trusted as anything with less than 60% organic ingredients can not be truly organic.
In short, this book is a priceless commodity for me, and with it I hope to detox both my home and and family, adding years to all of our lives.
Deacon's motto throughout the book is "Be your own advocate," and she uses the book to teach the reader how, with multiple resources that can be found both in books and on the internet. The chapter on label reading introduces the reader to the concept of the chemical body burden, which "refers to the accumulation of chemical ingredients in the human body." This chapter was incredibly illuminating, as I am sure most people do not consider the cumulative effect of all of the manufactured products that we use on a day-to-day basis, or even how different chemicals in these different products can react negatively with one another. Governmental bodies such as Health Canada or the U.S. FDA, are also shown to be of little help in curbing the influx of chemicals into the retail market that have been presented to be linked to illness and disease - and are sometimes even prohibited from use in European countries. She gives a list of the 20 worst chemicals to avoid and why on page 31 - a list which had me examining every product in my bathroom.
Each chapter begins with some basic information about the body parts mentioned to illustrate why and how the chemicals found in products can harm the body. Every chapter is supplied with a list of products that can be found on the internet applicable to that chapter's topic along with the pros and cons of each product. If that is not enough, she also supplies recipes for do-it-yourself homemade body care products, such as face masks, hair treatments, and lipsticks.
The book also teaches that many of the common "spin" words that companies use to promote a product as safe or healthy are, in fact, meaningless, without an industry-standard definition: natural, hypoallergenic, botanicals, pure plant essence, herbal conditioning, purifying, and nourishing, to name a few. Other words can be used to hide chemicals, such as fragrance or perfume, as the companies are not legally required to list the chemicals used to achieve them. Even the regulated word "organic" can not always be trusted as anything with less than 60% organic ingredients can not be truly organic.
In short, this book is a priceless commodity for me, and with it I hope to detox both my home and and family, adding years to all of our lives.
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Seeker (Seeker, #1) in Books
Jan 23, 2020
<b><i>I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i></b>
I was honestly excited to read Arwen Elys Dayton's <i>Seeker</i>, as the idea seemed very promising and the book is set in Scotland and Hong Kong – a rarity in books. Simply put, I thought this would actually go quite well.
Let's face it: Dayton does have talent. The setting of Scotland is richly detailed to the point where it's as though you're there; the book is action-packed, page-turning (in the first part), and intriguing; and the characters seem to be <i>extremely</i> well-developed.
But here's the conclusion: <i>Seeker</i> had a lot of potential to be an amazing book, but somehow, in the execution of the book, something must have exploded and went horribly wrong (because I wouldn't have DNF it if it were THAT good).
The first chapter went pretty well, aside from the hefty load of information about the characters, the setting, and whatnot. Personally I don't mind it that much as long as I don't feel like I'm reading a textbook and reading unnecessary information like a character's weight (unless it pertains to the story).
The second chapter though... I had thoughts of DNFing because throughout the most of the chapter (if not the entire chapter), John wouldn't stop yapping about how he's had a crush on Quin since he first arrived on the Kincaid estate in Scotland, and his desire for her, blah blah blah – all in all, John is quite cringe-cheesy in the romance department. I could have sworn at one point there was going to be a scene that I would feel very awkward reading about and would absolutely hightail out of the book with my tail between my legs as soon it happened.
<blockquote>But she and John had daydreamed about camping trips across the river, or rooms in an inn somewhere, someday, when they would finally be able to give themselves to each other.</blockquote>
And here's the nutshell version of what happens later: John fails, he gets kicked out of training by Briac Kincaid, there's a centuries old power struggle between "houses." As a result, John decides to attack the Kincaid estate just to get an athame and he and Quin aren't even allies when that happens. All of the characters go on their separate ways or died in the process of the attack and we don't hear any of them make a peep aside from the love triangle (Quin, John, and Shinobu) since forever. Then, when Quin gets to Hong Kong, she chooses to lose all of her memories and doesn't remember anything from the last fifteen to sixteen years, Shinobu makes a living by searching for artifacts in Victoria Harbor with a dude named Brian and they spend their money from that on "drug bars" and looking like gangsters. Then John makes an appearance in Hong Kong and makes an attempt to win Quin's heart back after shooting her in the chest and nearly killing her during the attack in Scotland.
Tell me that isn't a bit questionable, because between the end of Part 1, the Interlude and Part 2, my brain got horribly scrambled and I became overly puzzled.
Simply put, <i>Seeker</i> didn't turn out well – it crashed and burned.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/dnf-arc-review-seeker-by-arwen-elys-dayton/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
I was honestly excited to read Arwen Elys Dayton's <i>Seeker</i>, as the idea seemed very promising and the book is set in Scotland and Hong Kong – a rarity in books. Simply put, I thought this would actually go quite well.
Let's face it: Dayton does have talent. The setting of Scotland is richly detailed to the point where it's as though you're there; the book is action-packed, page-turning (in the first part), and intriguing; and the characters seem to be <i>extremely</i> well-developed.
But here's the conclusion: <i>Seeker</i> had a lot of potential to be an amazing book, but somehow, in the execution of the book, something must have exploded and went horribly wrong (because I wouldn't have DNF it if it were THAT good).
The first chapter went pretty well, aside from the hefty load of information about the characters, the setting, and whatnot. Personally I don't mind it that much as long as I don't feel like I'm reading a textbook and reading unnecessary information like a character's weight (unless it pertains to the story).
The second chapter though... I had thoughts of DNFing because throughout the most of the chapter (if not the entire chapter), John wouldn't stop yapping about how he's had a crush on Quin since he first arrived on the Kincaid estate in Scotland, and his desire for her, blah blah blah – all in all, John is quite cringe-cheesy in the romance department. I could have sworn at one point there was going to be a scene that I would feel very awkward reading about and would absolutely hightail out of the book with my tail between my legs as soon it happened.
<blockquote>But she and John had daydreamed about camping trips across the river, or rooms in an inn somewhere, someday, when they would finally be able to give themselves to each other.</blockquote>
And here's the nutshell version of what happens later: John fails, he gets kicked out of training by Briac Kincaid, there's a centuries old power struggle between "houses." As a result, John decides to attack the Kincaid estate just to get an athame and he and Quin aren't even allies when that happens. All of the characters go on their separate ways or died in the process of the attack and we don't hear any of them make a peep aside from the love triangle (Quin, John, and Shinobu) since forever. Then, when Quin gets to Hong Kong, she chooses to lose all of her memories and doesn't remember anything from the last fifteen to sixteen years, Shinobu makes a living by searching for artifacts in Victoria Harbor with a dude named Brian and they spend their money from that on "drug bars" and looking like gangsters. Then John makes an appearance in Hong Kong and makes an attempt to win Quin's heart back after shooting her in the chest and nearly killing her during the attack in Scotland.
Tell me that isn't a bit questionable, because between the end of Part 1, the Interlude and Part 2, my brain got horribly scrambled and I became overly puzzled.
Simply put, <i>Seeker</i> didn't turn out well – it crashed and burned.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/dnf-arc-review-seeker-by-arwen-elys-dayton/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated The Postmistress in Books
Feb 15, 2019
I have tried for about three months to read this book and I just cannot get into it, so I've finally decided that after reading more than half and still not liking it, to finally give up. For the most part, the writing is technically good, but it lacks depth and I could really do without the author switching viewpoints with no notice. One second I'd be reading one point of view and then the next paragraph would be someone else; I don't like that type of writing, I'd rather have individual chapters or at least stopping points in the chapter. Also, I didn't care for any of the characters, and perhaps if they had more personality or any life whatsoever in them, I could carry on with the book, but it's too late now. Probably the biggest problem I have with the book is that I was suckered into the book by the so-called letter that is supposed to be pocketed by the postmistress; 191 pages in and it still hasn't happened! Since it appeared to be the main storyline, and the prologue had a teaser about this letter, I thought it was going to feature more prominently in the book. Obviously not. To sum it up: writing is okay, but annoying, characters are flat and unsympathetic, the plot meanders, so overall the book is duller than dishwater and a chore to read.
Strategic Management: Theory and Application
Adrian Haberberg and Alison Rieple
Book
Strategic Management: Theory and Application is an undergraduate student-focused text which provides...
Occupational Health Psychology
Irvin Schonfeld and Chu-Hsiang Chang
Book
Occupational Health Psychology (OHP) is a rapidly expanding interdisciplinary field that focuses on...