pineconek's Reviews (816)

I love Bradbury's voice and his flair for excellent stories. This book of essays (or intros or interviews) is a bit of a grab bag - some bits made me nostalgic in the best of ways, some bits genuinely inspired me, and some bits I was annoyed that he enjoys writing this much when it's so tough for the rest of us.
I wouldnt recommend it if you haven't at least read f451 and martian chronicles.

I wanted to like this book so much. There were so many elements of things I like - some of the passages reminded me of Richard Siken's poetry, while the ones exploring the intergenerational effects of war trauma were right up my alley.
And yet. I agree with many of the other low-star reviews: this book is overwritten. Each sentence is crafted with such intensity and focus that nothing feels natural. If everything is emphatic and highly emotional, then nothing is. I believe there's a raw and unique story in these pages, but the execution really didn't do it for me.

Amazingly written and researched book on nutritional psychiatry i.e. how the food we eat affects the health of our brain. I'm biased because I loosely know the author and have heard her speak a few times, but she's a shining star in the field for a reason. I highly recommend listening to the audiobook, which she reads herself. Five big stars and recommended to anyone interested in healthy (i.e. not prescriptive, restrictive, or maladaptive) eating.

This was the first King book I ever read. Some of the stories are ludicrous and memorable for all the wrong reasons (what is with that lawnmower story?!) while others were an absolute delight. By the end of the book, I grew increasingly impressed with King's range and his ability to build distinct characters quickly. Overall, I was still a little iffy about whether I liked his work, but it encouraged me to pick up a few of his novels.

I listened to about 60% of this book, and read the rest. I think I prefered it as an audiobook, but it's also possible that it's because I found the beginning stronger than the ending.
It was really cool to re-experience myths that I remember from either my childhood or early high school and haven't thought about in over a decade. The reflections on womanhood (desirability, power, belonging, agency) were the icing on the cake.

I love this movie and had probably seen it about a dozen times before reading the book. The book is extremely different - same general idea, same general plot, completely different focus. I appreciated how much the book dove deeper into how society at large (outside of the refugee crisis, resistance, vandals, or elite rich) was behaving. The book is more personal, less of an epic, and focuses more on religion and morality.

I remember loving this when I read it in the 7th grade, so I picked it up again over a dozen years later. A quick, enjoyable read. Whenever I go back to childhood stories, I'm always surprised at the simplicity of the narrative arc and often feel like the stories end rather abruptly. In spite of feeling that here, I found comfort in revisiting this.

Hesitating between 2 and 3 stars. I'm profoundly annoyed with this book, largely because it had some really interesting ideas and great chapters...dispersed between filler. I respect what Robinson was trying to do, and the book is definitely an achievement. The achievement just didn't resonate with me.

I wanted to like this book so much but struggled to connect with it. This happens a lot with classic books that lay foundations of thing we're now we'll familiar with. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys reading dialect and following a character over decades.

What to say about this book that hasn't been said before? I read it in secret in my highschool library for the first time, and then twice more in my early 20s. I love it and am glad it's getting the recognition of a modern classic that it deserves.