A charming picture book that honours independent and solitary kids while still recognizing the value in connecting with community, asking for help, and helping others.

This is not a book on the neuroscience of reading. It is poorly written, generic writing advice with a sprinkle of science.

 

Douglas uses research in neuroscience and psychology to explain why her writing advice works, but she incorporates the research so infrequently that it doesn’t stand out. And, you can get similar insights on reader habits from other writing books. What makes this book stand out is Douglas’s horrible writing style. Every paragraph, there’s only one or two sentences explaining the advice. The rest of the text is filled with quirky, obscure metaphors and references that are annoying at best and nonsensical at worst (see example below). She is also inconsistent in her explanations, either not explaining terms at all or simplifying them too much to be useful.  

 

You may like this book if you have a good understanding of English but are new to writing advice. I do not recommend this book to professionals or people learning English. 

Example of writing style:

Poorly written, simplistic, flat, unsubtle, and completely detached from reality. There were some compelling plot points, but Korn lacks the skill (and maybe understanding) to have developed them. 

With Yours for the Taking, I found the writing weak but the concept wild enough to entertain. This book has the same weaknesses but with an uninspired premise. 

Note: This is a sequel, not a companion novel. You may feel lost if you haven't read Yours for the Taking.

TW: child sexual abuse.

In the beginning, a side character mentions their experience being abused as a child which serves as one of two incidents that drive a main character’s story forward. The side character never returns and it doesn’t come up again in a meaningful way

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This was fine. The world gets much bigger, to the story's detriment, and the writing feels less creative and clever. Still engaging enough that I'll pick up vol 3.

Great resource for those interested in understanding different flavours in cooking and how to use that knowledge to improve your cooking (e.g., how do you balance something that's too spicy or sweet, bring out a certain flavour). 

Also great for those interested in meal prepping --- there's a whole section on meal building blocks you can prep then mix-and-match for different meals throughout the week. 

A wonderful adaptation that remains true to the source while leaning more into Cyrano's flaws and Roxanne's experience. The writing is rhythmic. Modern ideas don't feel 'cringey' but aren't always fully developed. 

Solid read. A much slower start, but the action is exciting once you get to it. Still heavy on the scientific and moral lectures and musings.

One thing I love about the Wild Robot series is the relationships and community Roz builds. There is less of that in this installment. The Wild Robot Protects follows Roz on an undersea journey to the arctic; she meets many new and quirky friends but there's more focus on her journey and the wonderful and unique world of the ocean. Though, there's still strong theme of community, family, and caring for each other.

Brown continues to gently explore serious topics, offering nuanced takes on mining, technology, and violent action. Brown doesn't shy from depicting the damage of resource extraction but he also highlights the necessity of mining for modern tech and takes care to humanize labourers and their families. He also explores the value and consequences of both violent and nonviolent action. 

Appropriately, we get a relatively happy ending.

Once the mining stops, Brown depicts a quick and relatively thorough cleanup facilitated by high tech robots. He balances this by showing lasting damage. Parents of older children may want to use this ending to start a bigger conversation with their kids about the limitations of technology and complexity of cleanups.

 

I've never read a book that's so informative yet so unreliable at the same time. This book is a good jumping off point to start your own research or discuss with your doctor, dietitian, or naturopath, but approach it with caution and skepticism.

And I mean serious CAUTION:

You may learn a lot. The text is readable and informative. Briden goes into great detail on how hormones change over the course of your cycle, how they work and interact in your body, and how this might influence any symptoms you may have. There's also sections that look at specific period symptoms, menstrual conditions, and tips for talking to your doctor.

But not all the claims are reliable. Briden often makes unbacked or exaggerated claims and supports some claims with debunked or iffy research. If you filter the bad reviews on Goodreads, other readers have flagged some errors but still fact check all her claims if you're acting on them.

And the solutions are largely terrible. I'm sure there is some good advice in here, but Briden's two solutions for every situation are (TW: eating disorders)

1. completely eliminate certain foods and behaviours from your diet and 2. introduce supplements.

Although, she does emphasize it's important to eat enough calories, carbs, fats, and proteins. 

It may be good to reduce certain foods from your diet (and maybe eliminate them entirely if they are causing serious medical problems), but

Briden recommends extremes that are most likely unnecessary and I doubt would be recommended by most professionals. Some supplements are necessary and have great health outcomes, but they're expensive, unregulated, and have many unknowns. If you find yourself wondering, "do I need to take this supplement?", please ask yourself, "am I eating enough of X" or talk to a professional before you go the supplement route. There are supplements she recommends that have the same doses as a single serving of food (e.g., brazil nuts for selenium, turmeric latte or curry for curcumin). If you do take the supplement route, go one at a time, watch carefully for improvement, and make sure other lifestyle changes aren't responsible for the results --- save your wallet if you can!

Repetition not so bad. It can be repetitive reading cover-to-cover because Briden pulls from the same suite of solutions for most issues, but the repetition will make referencing back easier as you tackle individual challenges. 

Informative and entertaining.