kailey_luminouslibro's reviews
3794 reviews

This book gives a step-by-step guide to writing your memoir, including different styles of writing and organizing your memories. You could write a journal style, epistolary, narrative, or even a scrapbook. There is a whole section dedicated to just researching and remembering your past. There are different things you can do to jog your memory and bring the details into your memoir.

I found the section on writing expressively to be especially helpful. This book analyzes how to write yourself as a character in your own story, and how to direct a plot and develop a theme. There are sections about writing descriptions and dialogue. There is even an entire section just about food and the importance of food in your memories.

The sections about getting published and digitizing your work are outdated since this book was published in 2006, but everything else is really useful. 

This book gives random facts about science, the earth, the universe, animals, trees, and the ocean. We can learn about astronauts, sloths, weird plants, tennis, rabbits, polar bears, and new technology. The illustrations and photos are eye-catching and colorful. Each factoid is short; just one sentence that tantalizes your brain to learn more! The factoids are arranged so that each fact leads into the next with one small thing in common.

However, I have to wonder just how much of this book is true, and how much is just guess-work and theories. The book does not always make it clear which factoids are theories and which are backed up by empirical data. It makes me wonder how far the reader can really trust the information when it is not presented clearly. There is a page that says that the universe is billions of years old. It is worded as if that statement is a fact, but it's really just a theory. One theory among many other theories regarding the origins of the universe. So what other things in this book are being worded as statements, presented as facts, but they aren't?
It seems like every science book that I read these days has this same problem. Stick to the facts, people! Or word the sentence so that it is clear what is theory and what is fact. You would think that scientists would care about being clear and truthful.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

This book gives a lot of details about the author's writing workshop with his students, examples of their work, and how he advised them to edit and revise their memoirs. It includes a lot of writing prompts and writing exercises that the reader can use as well.

I did not find anything useful in this book. It's too long, too convoluted, and I didn't care about reading the lengthy excerpts from his writing students. I quit reading after page 81. The author just takes forever to get to the point. He went off on this rabbit trail about traditional essays that was excessively boring.

The writing is also crass in some places. There are a lot of vulgar jokes and innuendos, not only in the excerpts from the students but also from the author themselves. It's so out of place for this type of book and served no purpose.

Dr. Watson is searching London for affordable rooms and his old colleague mentions that Sherlock Holmes is looking for rooms too. They are introduced and decide to become roommates at 221B Baker Street. Watson quickly discovers that Holmes is eccentric in many ways, and they are soon hot on the trail of a murder mystery. Holmes has a unique way of tracking down clues, and Watson is eager to help.

I love this introductory story of Holmes and Watson! It's the perfect beginning for the famous duo. The mystery is very strange and Lestrade of Scotland yard can't understand any of it. Watson is amazed at how Holmes examines every tiny thing at the crime scene and arrives at seemingly wild conclusions that invariably turn out to be correct.

I think that a lot of people expect Holmes to be very arrogant, but actually he's quite humble and sensitive. Several times when Watson admires his work, Holmes responds humbly and quietly. He is the perfect gentleman and it would not be manners to appear to brag. When Scotland Yard steals all the credit for solving the mystery, Holmes is not proud or hurt. He politely shrugs it off with an air of modesty.

I love the straight-forward writing style in the Holmes mysteries! Doyle really has an amazing way of weaving a bunch of random clues into a knot, and then carefully unravelling them in the most logical fashion.

However the structure of this book is ridiculous. We start out with the story being narrated by Dr. Watson in the first person. Holmes and Watson spend the first third of the book going after clues and having adventures. Then Holmes declares that he has captured the murderer, but the mystery is still unexplained.
Then the narrative completely switches to a massive flashback from 30 years ago told by an omniscient narrator about an old man and a little orphan girl who are dying in the desert when they are rescued by Mormons. It's like a completely different story.
There are small hints as to how this new story might connect with Holmes' mystery, but for a long time we are stuck in this other story.
Then we are finally dropped back into Holmes' story with Dr. Watson narrating, the mystery is explained and we get a confession from the criminal and a long explanation from Holmes' about how he knew most of it from the beginning.
That's terrible structure for a novel! And yet... it works. Doyle is just such a genius at capturing your attention that the other story, instead of killing the pacing, just ramps up the suspense and mystery even more.
Any other author who tried this would have a dead story right in the middle, but Doyle manages to make it shine. Still... even though it does work, this stupid structure just makes me shake my head every time I reread it.

This time rereading it I read the edition that is illustrated by Vincent Mallie, and I loved the artwork so much! I loved the use of orange tints and shadows to create a sense of drama in the illustrations. The designs for Holmes and Watson are wonderful, and you can see the energy in Holmes' demeanor. This artwork makes for a really special edition of this favorite classic story.

In this second book of the Gilded duology, Serilda and Gild are both trapped in the Erlking's castle. Serilda is forced into a sham marriage with the Erlking, so that he can claim her child as his own. Gild knows that if he could just remember his true name and find his body, they would be able to free themselves of their curse, but none of their plans against the Erlking succeed. He is too wily and too powerful. Serilda tries everything she can think of to find a weakness in the Erlking, some way to trick him or defeat him. But at every turn, he laughs in their faces and continues to terrorize humans, ghosts, and every magical creature in the realm.

This second book is just as ghoulish and brutal as the first book. Just about every side character is dead at this point, so there weren't many people left for the Erlking to kill, but he keeps things horrific by torturing the ghosts of those who are already dead. There is a big battle against some magical folk, and plenty of them die gruesome deaths.

The lesbian couple who were flirting in the first book get married in this book. And there is a legend of a prince and a peasant who have a gay marriage, and rule a kingdom as two kings.

I liked the main romance better in this book, since Serilda does not spend so much time overthinking every little aspect of their relationship. Serilda and Gild grow a lot closer on an emotional level in this book, which I enjoyed. I liked that the focus was more on their emotional connection rather than just their physical attraction.

They also have some good character development. In the first book, Gild is just a mischievous prince, playing pranks on the Erlking. By the end of their story, Gild is ready to protect his family and sacrifice his own life in order to secure the safety of others. Serilda is full of fears and doubts in the beginning, but she gains courage and discovers that there is something worth fighting for.

However, I did get tired of the way the narrative constantly retells the motivations of the characters. We already know that this character wants that thing, but can't tell anyone because of this secret reason. You didn't need to tell me three times.

The middle of the book gets really slow. They just keep trying this and that to defeat the Erlking and their plans always fail. By the time the ending came around with a new plan to defeat the Erlking, I was just ready to be done. I couldn't even appreciate the clever ending, because it just felt like another plan like all the other plans that slowed down the plot in the middle.

The writing style itself is really good, but the structure of the book could have been condensed. This duology should have been a stand-alone.

Ranofer's only dream is to become a goldsmith like his father was before his death. But Ranofer's half-brother, Gebu, beats and starves him, and won't allow him to be apprenticed to a goldsmith. Ranofer is allowed to work for a goldsmith as a lowly errand boy, but he is not allowed to learn the trade as an apprentice. He begins to suspect that Gebu is involved in some kind of thievery, but he has no proof! He must change his circumstances if he ever wants to become a master goldsmith someday.

I loved the interesting setting in the ancient city of Thebes. All the artisans work to make beautiful jewelry and ornaments for the royal house of pharaohs. There is a definite hierarchy in this society from the lowliest beggar to the greatest prince of the land. Ranofer is just a poor errand boy, and he feels powerless to get help from anyone or to stand up to his abusive half-brother.

We learn about the social traditions and religious beliefs of this time period in Egypt. Ranofer is terrified of ghosts and spirits that he thinks roam around the streets at night. He recites a charm and carries a talisman to ward off evil spirits. But every time he thinks something supernatural is happening, it turns out to be the wind or a cat or a bird. Haha! I thought that was really funny.

The plot is adventurous and mysterious as Ranofer begins to investigate Gebu's evil plans. But it did drag slower in the middle. I was glad when the action picked up again at the end. There are a lot of little twists and turns in the details of the plot, but the basic plot is pretty straightforward with no major surprises.

There are two important side characters in Ranofer's story. His new friend Heqet is an apprentice at the goldsmith's shop, and there is an old man who harvests reeds by the river. They simply call him "Ancient One." The boys befriend the old man, and together the three of them hatch a plan to stop Gebu from stealing gold. I especially loved the interactions between the two boys, Ranofer and Heqet. Heqet is talkative and friendly, while Ranofer is more quiet and cautious. It was lovely to see how Ranofer warms up and relaxes his guard when he is with Heqet.

Overall, a good book and a very interesting setting with some great characters!

This book about insects will teach you all about how insects are different from other creatures, and how to spot them in the wild. We learn the different body parts of insects, the different categories of insects, and how they feed. We learn about their habitats, how they build their nests, and how they develop from eggs to larvae to an adult insect that will bite or sting you.

There is a whole section about how insects camouflage themselves to avoid predators, and another section about some insects who migrate, like monarch butterflies. There are a lot of entries for butterflies in this book, and those were my favorite. But we also learn about the praying mantis, moths, bees, ladybugs, common mosquitoes, termites, ants, and the walking stick insect. From aphids to water striders, this book has a lot of interesting facts about insects!

I love the beautiful illustrations! Each page is awash with color and vibrant energy. There is even a graph at the back that shows the relative scale of all the insects included in this book.

However, the book does not always make it clear which factoids are theories and which are backed up by empirical data. It makes me wonder how far the reader can really trust the information when it is not presented clearly. There is a page that says one of the insects evolved millions of years ago. It is worded as if that statement is a fact, but it's really just a theory. One theory among many other theories regarding the origins of the universe.
It seems like every science book that I read these days has this same problem. Stick to the facts, people! Or word the sentence so that it is clear what is theory and what is fact.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

The history of flags is fascinating! As countries interacted and their cultures blended together or grew apart through hundreds of years, their national flags were designed to represent those connections. Different symbols and colors on flags represent specific places, religious beliefs, ethnic heritage, or special moments in history that influenced each nation.

I liked that this book talks about some difficult topics in history (such as war, religion, and colonization) without biased commentary for either side. It's just a bald statement of the facts, which is how history should be.

The illustrations are excellent, and there are cute little characters who explain the history to the reader. Each page is organized in a way that makes it easy to read, and the flags are grouped in categories by region. Then you can see the similarities in flags from the same region of the world!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone. 

This book is full of beautiful illustrations and eye-catching graphics with thousands of facts about space, earth, humans, and animals. We learn about space travel and black holes. We learn about volcanoes and how we can track wind and weather patterns. We can read about the neurons in our brains and the global economy. The fastest cars, the oldest instruments, the greatest athletes, the biggest wars, the tallest trees - you can learn about it all in this book!

However, I have to wonder just how much of this book is true, and how much is just guess-work and theories. The book does not always make it clear which factoids are theories and which are backed up by empirical data. It makes me wonder how far the reader can really trust the information when it is not presented clearly. There is a page that says "Life on Earth began between 3.5 and 3.7 billion years ago, with simple, single-celled organisms called microbes." It is worded as if that statement is a fact, but it's really just a theory. One theory among many other theories regarding the origins of the universe. So what other things in this book are being worded as statements, presented as facts, but they aren't?
It seems like every science book that I read these days has this same problem. Stick to the facts, people! Or word the sentence so that it is clear what is theory and what is fact. You would think that scientists would care about being clear and truthful.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

These beautiful portraits of flowers make you really stop to appreciate the delicate beauty of each petal. You can see the details of the stem and pollen and blossoms in a new way. This whole book is so enchanting! Each lovely page is a reminder of how precious creation is. I love that each flower looks both vulnerable and soft, but also strong in its own delicate way.

This book is soothing to read. Something about the artwork is just so peaceful! We learn a little bit about each flower and where it grows. The text includes ancient legends about the flowers, and the symbolism of each flower in different cultures around the world. And there is a little note from the artist about how they painted that flower and what it means to them personally.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.