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ninetalevixen
Not yet ready, I suppose. Admittedly I gave up after just the meandering first chapter; I'll probably try again later on. In the meantime, I'm reserving judgment.
I received an advance review copy through Netgalley; all opinions are my own and honest.
I do my best to go into so-called "self-help" books with an open mind, but I found this one so scattered and generic as to be at least a bit patronizing and not very helpful. (Caveat: if you're reading this with no prior knowledge on the subject, you might find it more informative — but I would also seek out other sources, because the "scientific evidence" cited isn't super credible, and some claims regarding mental health in particular are just inaccurate: anxiety and anxiousness/stress aren't the same thing, and just because they're unfortunately prevalent doesn't make them "part of the human condition.")
Speaking as a college student who already tries to be generally mindful of my life choices, I really didn't learn much from reading this. The mindfulness exercises are good starting points, but I was already aware of them (or similar practices) just from browsing the internet or trying out meditation apps. Some of the anecdotes seem like the author is trying very hard to be #relatable, but they tended to be either extremely generic or just the opposite: so specific and unique that I'm not sure what point they served.
Most importantly, I was annoyed by the fact that the book presents "mindfulness" and the "normal" state of being (i.e., overwhelmed, stress eating, socially anxious) as polar opposites, and the pervading implication is that just being mindful will cure you of stress and anxiety, give you the "perspective" to make difficult large-scope life decisions (like picking a major and career path), and generally magically fix your life. I don't disagree that mindfulness can dramatically improve one's quality of life, but since my baseline doesn't remotely resemble the standard state the author illustrates, this book clearly wasn't for me.
I do my best to go into so-called "self-help" books with an open mind, but I found this one so scattered and generic as to be at least a bit patronizing and not very helpful. (Caveat: if you're reading this with no prior knowledge on the subject, you might find it more informative — but I would also seek out other sources, because the "scientific evidence" cited isn't super credible, and some claims regarding mental health in particular are just inaccurate: anxiety and anxiousness/stress aren't the same thing, and just because they're unfortunately prevalent doesn't make them "part of the human condition.")
Speaking as a college student who already tries to be generally mindful of my life choices, I really didn't learn much from reading this. The mindfulness exercises are good starting points, but I was already aware of them (or similar practices) just from browsing the internet or trying out meditation apps. Some of the anecdotes seem like the author is trying very hard to be #relatable, but they tended to be either extremely generic or just the opposite: so specific and unique that I'm not sure what point they served.
Most importantly, I was annoyed by the fact that the book presents "mindfulness" and the "normal" state of being (i.e., overwhelmed, stress eating, socially anxious) as polar opposites, and the pervading implication is that just being mindful will cure you of stress and anxiety, give you the "perspective" to make difficult large-scope life decisions (like picking a major and career path), and generally magically fix your life. I don't disagree that mindfulness can dramatically improve one's quality of life, but since my baseline doesn't remotely resemble the standard state the author illustrates, this book clearly wasn't for me.
I received an advance review copy through Netgalley; all opinions are my own and honest.
I’m not sure what I was expecting, but this wasn’t it. The premise and worldbuilding had potential — I love fairy tale retellings; I’m intrigued by the island setting, and their polytheistic belief system — but as a whole the novel seemed scattered, and the plot felt awkwardly paced too.
It certainly doesn't help that there are so many characters: I know it's based on the 12 dancing princesses so there's a reason there are so many sisters, but even our narrator (Annaleigh) wasn't as fleshed-out as I would have liked. The romance subplot felt like it was ticking boxes off a checklist rather than developing organically, so honestly I wasn't for or against it because it barely registered for me.
For the first half or so I was drawn in by the atmosphere, the desire to get to know each of the Thaumus sisters better, all the creepy goings-on. But ironically, by the time the story was in full swing I found myself a little disengaged, even bored. And around the 2/3 mark the narrative suddenly became really plot-heavy with reveal after twist after reveal, so although I appreciated finally getting answers, they weren't as satisfying as I had hoped; the epilogue in particular was disappointing in its predictability.
I’m not sure what I was expecting, but this wasn’t it. The premise and worldbuilding had potential — I love fairy tale retellings; I’m intrigued by the island setting, and their polytheistic belief system — but as a whole the novel seemed scattered, and the plot felt awkwardly paced too.
It certainly doesn't help that there are so many characters: I know it's based on the 12 dancing princesses so there's a reason there are so many sisters, but even our narrator (Annaleigh) wasn't as fleshed-out as I would have liked. The romance subplot felt like it was ticking boxes off a checklist rather than developing organically, so honestly I wasn't for or against it because it barely registered for me.
For the first half or so I was drawn in by the atmosphere, the desire to get to know each of the Thaumus sisters better, all the creepy goings-on. But ironically, by the time the story was in full swing I found myself a little disengaged, even bored. And around the 2/3 mark the narrative suddenly became really plot-heavy with reveal after twist after reveal, so although I appreciated finally getting answers, they weren't as satisfying as I had hoped; the epilogue in particular was disappointing in its predictability.
I received an advance review copy through Netgalley; all opinions are my own and honest.
To be quite frank, I felt like this book is only nominally about Lucy, or "a mother's love." It's really about Ginny and her privilege and narrow worldview. I can muster a bit of sympathy considering how sheltered she's always been, how she grew up knowing she was going to be a housewife and mother; the world is a scary place, especially when you've never actually prepared to face it. But only a bit, because the primary focus of the narrative seems to be Ginny's safe little bubble being popped as she "has to" do dangerous things for Lucy.
The actual writing and storytelling are fine, engaging even, but I took issue with the morality. The narrative, through other characters, repeatedly insists that Ginny can do no wrong, even if she's breaking the law or endangering both her children; while I do believe that her good intentions count for something, they don't justify her every decision.
To be quite frank, I felt like this book is only nominally about Lucy, or "a mother's love." It's really about Ginny and her privilege and narrow worldview. I can muster a bit of sympathy considering how sheltered she's always been, how she grew up knowing she was going to be a housewife and mother; the world is a scary place, especially when you've never actually prepared to face it. But only a bit, because the primary focus of the narrative seems to be Ginny's safe little bubble being popped as she "has to" do dangerous things for Lucy.
The actual writing and storytelling are fine, engaging even, but I took issue with the morality. The narrative, through other characters, repeatedly insists that Ginny can do no wrong, even if she's breaking the law or endangering both her children; while I do believe that her good intentions count for something, they don't justify her every decision.
Truthfully, I tend to roll my eyes whenever the protagonist is especially *special* even though I get that that's probably why they're the protagonist. The story was okay; what I really liked was the creepy photos.
Getting the Best Out of College, Revised and Updated: Insider Advice for Success from a Professor, a Dean, and a Recent Grad
Anne Crossman, Sue Wasiolek, Peter Feaver, Mike Krzyzewski
I actually took notes on this book; it seemed fitting, considering the subject material (and the fact that it's a skill I want to improve), but I probably won't be referring back to them since the vast majority of the information presented is common sense and/or common knowledge, or at least can be figured out easily. The advice seems good-intentioned, though, and it's helpfully presented in a collection that covers various aspects of the undergraduate experience.
An admirable message of course, and some pretty engaging anecdotes and thorough research. But the presentation felt very dry, even a little preachy.
I really like the way this is structured: each tip is its own chapter, with some explanation of the underlying rationale and how to implement it in your own life. That makes it easy to follow and to plan which changes to use in my own life. (Of course they're not all applicable or helpful, but that's the case with every personal development, let alone college-specific, guide.)
