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thecaptainsquarters
Ahoy there me mateys! I received this sci-fi eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .
This novel contains six interconnected stories that showcase the possibilities and potential problems that could result from medical science. Apparently the author's first thought when reading about gene editing was "This is it! We'll be able to eradicate disease, extend our lives, turn humans into superhumans!" Her second thought was "We will definitely find some way of messing this up in a spectacular fashion." She uses this novel to explore the space between the two thoughts.
This was an engrossing read whose beautiful writing kept me captivated. The six parts explore organ transplants, synthetic organs and robotic parts, religious questions surrounding medical ethics, genetically designed children, cryonics, and body modifications. But this list does not do these stories justice.
Because behind the background of the medical and scientific marvels posed by each chapter, ye also get a brilliant look at the human morals, personalities, and conflicts involved. Each section poses new questions. All questions are challenging. The answers are unexpected or non-existent or both. This book makes the reader think and feel. Each jump in time and technology is plausible because of what came before. And yet when the end is reached, the landscape seems unfathomable. And possible at the same time.
I highly recommend this book. Part four was me favourite though all of it was so very good. Words don't really do it justice. It has to be experienced. A fantastic book that the whole crew should read.
So lastly . . .
Thank you Random House Children's / Delacorte Press!
Side note: much thanks to me matey, Paul @ paul'spicks for making me aware of this book's existence. Arrr!
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
This novel contains six interconnected stories that showcase the possibilities and potential problems that could result from medical science. Apparently the author's first thought when reading about gene editing was "This is it! We'll be able to eradicate disease, extend our lives, turn humans into superhumans!" Her second thought was "We will definitely find some way of messing this up in a spectacular fashion." She uses this novel to explore the space between the two thoughts.
This was an engrossing read whose beautiful writing kept me captivated. The six parts explore organ transplants, synthetic organs and robotic parts, religious questions surrounding medical ethics, genetically designed children, cryonics, and body modifications. But this list does not do these stories justice.
Because behind the background of the medical and scientific marvels posed by each chapter, ye also get a brilliant look at the human morals, personalities, and conflicts involved. Each section poses new questions. All questions are challenging. The answers are unexpected or non-existent or both. This book makes the reader think and feel. Each jump in time and technology is plausible because of what came before. And yet when the end is reached, the landscape seems unfathomable. And possible at the same time.
I highly recommend this book. Part four was me favourite though all of it was so very good. Words don't really do it justice. It has to be experienced. A fantastic book that the whole crew should read.
So lastly . . .
Thank you Random House Children's / Delacorte Press!
Side note: much thanks to me matey, Paul @ paul'spicks for making me aware of this book's existence. Arrr!
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
Ahoy me mateys! I recently reviewed the Yesterday’s Kin trilogy in me 3 Bells segment and very much enjoyed it. The First Mate and I were discussing her writing and he told me about beggars in spain, a Hugo and Nebula winning novella back in 1991. I was very intrigued by the idea of people who didn’t sleep and so I thought I would give it a try. This is actually the novel that expanded on the ideas of the novella.What this book seemed to suggest is that the author has a theme of genetic testing/research being a method for changing the fundamentals of human society. Those themes were lightly present in the other trilogy I read as well.
In this novel, it starts with following Leisha Camden whose father decides to genetic modify his daughter in vitro in order to make her have a longer lifespan, excellent health, and the ability to not need sleep. Unbeknownst to him, his wife also decides to keep an unmodified child as well. While the twin girls share a birthday, their fundamental differences make them lead completely different lives. The juxtaposition of the two is fascinating.
But the author doesn’t stop there. She also explores the questions of how the Sleepless population changes society. Except it doesn’t go the way ye think. Sleepless end up being a marginalized population while also being fundamental to Earth’s functioning on many levels. I would have thought that people would fight to have such advantages for their children. I enjoyed that the author kept me guessing in terms of ramifications of the genetic switches.
The novel does follow subsequent decades of Leisha’s life and reflects most of the commentary through her eyes. That said, the world does branch out with the use of different perspectives as the time progresses. It is broken up into four parts in over eighty years. This is where part of the flaw of the book came for me. I just didn’t like where the story diverged.
The Sleepless are bound in a philosophical war with one sect being a faction that wants to remove itself from regular society and found its own nation-state. I found a lot of this part of the plot to be rather lackluster and boring. The bad girl, Jennifer Sharifi, is too cliche and stereotypical and was frankly annoying. This conflict ends up being the majority of the second half of the book and I just didn’t care.
In fact most of the characterizations of this novel were starkly in the black or white categories. I would have liked more shades of grey and nuances. I absolutely hated the entire “dreaming” subplot with Drew. I didn’t like the plot points around that topic and despised the his character. I did like the Sleepless’ continued foray into genetic testing and especially the introduction of the next phase of humanity. Miri, a Super, and her compatriots were lovely.
I think that overall the ideas were better than the execution. While I did enjoy it, I do not see meself picking up the rest of this trilogy. I think readers interested in these ideas could just pick up the novella and have a potential better reading experience with none of the drawbacks of this novel. Arrr!
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
In this novel, it starts with following Leisha Camden whose father decides to genetic modify his daughter in vitro in order to make her have a longer lifespan, excellent health, and the ability to not need sleep. Unbeknownst to him, his wife also decides to keep an unmodified child as well. While the twin girls share a birthday, their fundamental differences make them lead completely different lives. The juxtaposition of the two is fascinating.
But the author doesn’t stop there. She also explores the questions of how the Sleepless population changes society. Except it doesn’t go the way ye think. Sleepless end up being a marginalized population while also being fundamental to Earth’s functioning on many levels. I would have thought that people would fight to have such advantages for their children. I enjoyed that the author kept me guessing in terms of ramifications of the genetic switches.
The novel does follow subsequent decades of Leisha’s life and reflects most of the commentary through her eyes. That said, the world does branch out with the use of different perspectives as the time progresses. It is broken up into four parts in over eighty years. This is where part of the flaw of the book came for me. I just didn’t like where the story diverged.
The Sleepless are bound in a philosophical war with one sect being a faction that wants to remove itself from regular society and found its own nation-state. I found a lot of this part of the plot to be rather lackluster and boring. The bad girl, Jennifer Sharifi, is too cliche and stereotypical and was frankly annoying. This conflict ends up being the majority of the second half of the book and I just didn’t care.
In fact most of the characterizations of this novel were starkly in the black or white categories. I would have liked more shades of grey and nuances. I absolutely hated the entire “dreaming” subplot with Drew. I didn’t like the plot points around that topic and despised the his character. I did like the Sleepless’ continued foray into genetic testing and especially the introduction of the next phase of humanity. Miri, a Super, and her compatriots were lovely.
I think that overall the ideas were better than the execution. While I did enjoy it, I do not see meself picking up the rest of this trilogy. I think readers interested in these ideas could just pick up the novella and have a potential better reading experience with none of the drawbacks of this novel. Arrr!
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
Ahoy there mateys! Me prior idea of Washington was basically a line of a Jonathan Coulton song about presidents which states, “Washington came first and he was perfect.” And truly that is what I thought about him. He didn’t seem to have a stain on him and people talked about him like they wished he could live forever and be president forever. When I first saw this title years ago, I was immediately interested. Who in the world was Ona Judge?
Ona Judge was a slave who escaped slavery to live life on her own terms. And the Washingtons were pissed. When Washington had to live in Philadelphia, then the nation’s capitol, he was warned that the law stated that if a slave lived in the state for more than six months, they had to be set free. So Washington and his wife made a plot to make sure none of their slaves were freed. They purposely sent their slaves back down south right before the six month expiration period to prevent freedom. They put a rotation system in place to achieve this. Ona Judge was Martha’s personal servant and had “privileges” that were expected to make her happy. Instead, at the age of 22 she ran away to New England to freedom.
Of course that freedom came at a cost. She was always poor and always in danger of being taken back into slavery. The Washingtons found out about her whereabouts pretty quickly. Washington severely abused his position of power trying to get her back. It was disgusting to read about.
Just be aware that unfortunately the author does repeat herself frequently and rehash facts over and over again. Not much is known about Ona’s life, so those looking for an in-depth portrayal won’t find it here. There just aren’t that many primary sources about her. Additionally the author likes to give feelings and motives to Ona and other figures where there are no historical facts to back them up. I didn’t care to know what Ona might have thought. I wish all of that nonsense would have been removed. But still, Ona deserves to have her story remembered and the less-than-positive portrayal of the esteemed Washingtons is important and worthy in its own right.
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
Ona Judge was a slave who escaped slavery to live life on her own terms. And the Washingtons were pissed. When Washington had to live in Philadelphia, then the nation’s capitol, he was warned that the law stated that if a slave lived in the state for more than six months, they had to be set free. So Washington and his wife made a plot to make sure none of their slaves were freed. They purposely sent their slaves back down south right before the six month expiration period to prevent freedom. They put a rotation system in place to achieve this. Ona Judge was Martha’s personal servant and had “privileges” that were expected to make her happy. Instead, at the age of 22 she ran away to New England to freedom.
Of course that freedom came at a cost. She was always poor and always in danger of being taken back into slavery. The Washingtons found out about her whereabouts pretty quickly. Washington severely abused his position of power trying to get her back. It was disgusting to read about.
Just be aware that unfortunately the author does repeat herself frequently and rehash facts over and over again. Not much is known about Ona’s life, so those looking for an in-depth portrayal won’t find it here. There just aren’t that many primary sources about her. Additionally the author likes to give feelings and motives to Ona and other figures where there are no historical facts to back them up. I didn’t care to know what Ona might have thought. I wish all of that nonsense would have been removed. But still, Ona deserves to have her story remembered and the less-than-positive portrayal of the esteemed Washingtons is important and worthy in its own right.
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
Ahoy there mateys! This was another fantastic audiobook. This is the story of the Hemings family from their 1700s beginnings in Virginia to what happened to them when Jefferson died in 1826. Sally Hemings was Jefferson’s mistress. She was first mentioned in a newspaper in 1802. And yet, the Hemingses were systematically erased out of history because of the problems that arose with the glorious Thomas Jefferson having fathered children with her.
I actually remember readin’ a book for young adults back in the day where it hinted that Jefferson had a young mixed daughter who passed for white and escaped Monticello. I had visited Monticello and had fallen in love with the history and architecture and mystique of the place. And yet the Hemings were not mentioned in this tour at all. It wasn’t until much later in 1998 when DNA evidence linked Jefferson’s male line to the Hemings male line that I first heard the name of Sally Hemings. After that I always wanted to know more. So when I saw that this book had come out and that the focus was on the Hemingses as people in their own right and on their family as a whole, I knew I had to read it.
It is a very powerful and frustrating portrayal. Sally Hemings was 14 and Jefferson was 44 when their relationship likely started in France. She was free under French law but chose to come back to the US with Jefferson. This book goes through the generations of Hemings and how the relationship with the Jeffersons began. In addition, it paints a stark and alarming picture of race relations in the United States and how convoluted and insane it has been since the beginning.
In fact, one of the highlights of this book was the insight into the changes in Southern law, and Virginia in particular concerning slavery. The author is a black professor of law at New York Law School. She knows her stuff. I found the law discussing riveting. It is full of contradictions that show how ridiculous the viewpoints on slavery were and how self-serving white men were. This book makes it clear that for all of his brilliance, Jefferson was actually narrow-minded and selfish and ran Monticello like a king in his little fiefdom. Seriously, this book should be required reading for all Americans.
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
I actually remember readin’ a book for young adults back in the day where it hinted that Jefferson had a young mixed daughter who passed for white and escaped Monticello. I had visited Monticello and had fallen in love with the history and architecture and mystique of the place. And yet the Hemings were not mentioned in this tour at all. It wasn’t until much later in 1998 when DNA evidence linked Jefferson’s male line to the Hemings male line that I first heard the name of Sally Hemings. After that I always wanted to know more. So when I saw that this book had come out and that the focus was on the Hemingses as people in their own right and on their family as a whole, I knew I had to read it.
It is a very powerful and frustrating portrayal. Sally Hemings was 14 and Jefferson was 44 when their relationship likely started in France. She was free under French law but chose to come back to the US with Jefferson. This book goes through the generations of Hemings and how the relationship with the Jeffersons began. In addition, it paints a stark and alarming picture of race relations in the United States and how convoluted and insane it has been since the beginning.
In fact, one of the highlights of this book was the insight into the changes in Southern law, and Virginia in particular concerning slavery. The author is a black professor of law at New York Law School. She knows her stuff. I found the law discussing riveting. It is full of contradictions that show how ridiculous the viewpoints on slavery were and how self-serving white men were. This book makes it clear that for all of his brilliance, Jefferson was actually narrow-minded and selfish and ran Monticello like a king in his little fiefdom. Seriously, this book should be required reading for all Americans.
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
Ahoy there me mateys! This is going to be an unpopular viewpoint to some of the crew and if ye feel ye cannot be on me crew any longer after it then we shall part ways. This book made me angry and I feel the need to explain why. Part of this arises from the fact that before readin’ this book, I read two other books about Jefferson and slavery. Part of this was the narration which was odd and will be explained further in a moment. Part of it was the lack of details in the narration. This anger made sense once I learned a single fact after readin’ the book.
Now this book was recommended to be by my maman who knows me fascination with both history and pirates. She has not read it but had it recommended to her and thus me. Despite me crappy American history class, I knew nothing about the Tripolitanian War or the pirates of same. So I approached this book with more than a little interest. I borrowed the audiobook from the library and began listening to it with excitement. This started out odd from the beginning.
Perhaps some will laugh but I had no idea who the authors were. Others who do know them will already guess the punchline. When the book began, I was informed that one of the authors was the narrator though I didn’t know which one. This usually makes me wary and I prefer it doesn’t happen except for a few exceptions. So already I was nervous. Then the book began. I usually listen to books on 2x the speed but he talked so fast that had to restart the book four times in order to find the correct speed for me (1.4x). And while he was readin’ the narrator had an odd cadence of almost shouting while emphasizing strange words. In fact, it seemed to be that any word with racial connotations or Muslim hatred or American superiority were the focal point of the sentence no matter what the rest of the sentence structure. The overall tone was strange. But I did eventually get used to enough that the curiosity of the history took over me attention.
The story itself seemed not only skewed but also distorted. I did think it was odd that the book was so short. And this lack of detail was apparent throughout. One part that irked was the discussions on how barbaric the Barbary States were. The author talks about how awful it was that good [white] Americans were being enslaved by the Muslims. No mention of slavery of blacks in worse conditions back home. Most of the emphasis seemed to be that the Quran lets Christians be slaves and how that is a horrible justification. Of course Christians keeping slaves is fine because they are Christians. Ugh.
For a book on the formative of the American navy, there was no real discussion of ship design or naval tactics. I thought I was going to get a lot of specifics. Plus the book seemed happy to suggest the Barbary States particular focus was on harassing Americans. No substantial mention was made of the fact that these pirates were the scourge of anyone and everyone who sailed on the Mediterranean. One fact I read elsewhere stated “between between 1 and 1.25 million Europeans were captured by Barbary pirates and sold as slaves between the 16th and 19th centuries.” This piracy was a substantial part of those nations wealth and power. Practically everyone paid tribute for safe ship passage.
During the same time frame of this book, Sweden had already declared war on the pirates. The whole cause of the American war was not because the pirates had enslaved American men, many of whom were slaves for 5 years or more. The war was because Jefferson no longer wanted to pay the vast sums of tribute to the pirates that the new nation couldn’t afford. Jefferson wanted open trade routes and money not morals led to his decisions. One only has to look at his policy on slavery in American to see that. This book claims to make this a war about American ideals and morality. It was about money and disruption of trade. It was about looking powerful in the eyes of the rest of the world.
Which brings me to me last point. The narrator turned out to be Brian Kilmeade, a Fox News personality. Me idea of listening to a bad news story actually turned out to be true! I have never seen him before or watched his show. But suddenly the oddness of the whole readin’ experience made sense. I was getting a white-washed version of this war where the Muslim people were psychos who continue to be a major problem for poor little America. Weird quotes like the one below suddenly made sense:
“Tired of Americans being captured and held for ransom, our third president decided to take on the Barbary powers in a war that is barely remembered today but is one that, in many ways, we are still fighting.” ― Brian Kilmeade, Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates: The Forgotten War That Changed American History
So while I enjoyed some of the new facts of the story, I cannot in good conscience recommend this book due to the racist, elitist manner in which it was told. And in fact, I cannot in good conscience even say that this history happened in this fashion due to the lack of depth of the narration itself. This War does not seem to have been “forgotten” as there are many works previously written on the topic. In looking at other reviews of this book, I did come across an excellent review on Amazon which I will put here in its entirety for me own later recollection and for those who may want to read books on this interesting but maligned topic. Here be MWRNR’s review
"Thomas Jefferson wrote hundreds of letters each year. So, with his name in the title, you would expect an in-depth study of the wars from his perspective and letters. However, that is not the case. Instead, this book appears to be a general history of the wars written for Middle School students that need a quick read for a book report. For a much better history of the squadron, ship, and Marine actions during the US wars with Barbary Pirates, I recommend “Dawn Like Thunder” by Glenn Tucker. To put the wars in context and a correct history of the creation of the navy by President John Adams and the Federalist Party with its opposition by Thomas Jefferson and the Republican Party, I recommend “Six Frigates” by Ian W. Toll. For a very good discussion in the context of religious and political beliefs of the Americans at the time, I recommend “The Barbary Wars” by Frank Lambert. For shorter versions of the wars (that are still more informative and superior to Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates) included in a broader context I also recommend “The Forgotten Wars” by Howard P. Nash and “Edward Prebble” by Christopher McKee."
I wasn’t going to read more on this war but now I feel like I should give this historical period another look from another perspective.
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
Now this book was recommended to be by my maman who knows me fascination with both history and pirates. She has not read it but had it recommended to her and thus me. Despite me crappy American history class, I knew nothing about the Tripolitanian War or the pirates of same. So I approached this book with more than a little interest. I borrowed the audiobook from the library and began listening to it with excitement. This started out odd from the beginning.
Perhaps some will laugh but I had no idea who the authors were. Others who do know them will already guess the punchline. When the book began, I was informed that one of the authors was the narrator though I didn’t know which one. This usually makes me wary and I prefer it doesn’t happen except for a few exceptions. So already I was nervous. Then the book began. I usually listen to books on 2x the speed but he talked so fast that had to restart the book four times in order to find the correct speed for me (1.4x). And while he was readin’ the narrator had an odd cadence of almost shouting while emphasizing strange words. In fact, it seemed to be that any word with racial connotations or Muslim hatred or American superiority were the focal point of the sentence no matter what the rest of the sentence structure. The overall tone was strange. But I did eventually get used to enough that the curiosity of the history took over me attention.
The story itself seemed not only skewed but also distorted. I did think it was odd that the book was so short. And this lack of detail was apparent throughout. One part that irked was the discussions on how barbaric the Barbary States were. The author talks about how awful it was that good [white] Americans were being enslaved by the Muslims. No mention of slavery of blacks in worse conditions back home. Most of the emphasis seemed to be that the Quran lets Christians be slaves and how that is a horrible justification. Of course Christians keeping slaves is fine because they are Christians. Ugh.
For a book on the formative of the American navy, there was no real discussion of ship design or naval tactics. I thought I was going to get a lot of specifics. Plus the book seemed happy to suggest the Barbary States particular focus was on harassing Americans. No substantial mention was made of the fact that these pirates were the scourge of anyone and everyone who sailed on the Mediterranean. One fact I read elsewhere stated “between between 1 and 1.25 million Europeans were captured by Barbary pirates and sold as slaves between the 16th and 19th centuries.” This piracy was a substantial part of those nations wealth and power. Practically everyone paid tribute for safe ship passage.
During the same time frame of this book, Sweden had already declared war on the pirates. The whole cause of the American war was not because the pirates had enslaved American men, many of whom were slaves for 5 years or more. The war was because Jefferson no longer wanted to pay the vast sums of tribute to the pirates that the new nation couldn’t afford. Jefferson wanted open trade routes and money not morals led to his decisions. One only has to look at his policy on slavery in American to see that. This book claims to make this a war about American ideals and morality. It was about money and disruption of trade. It was about looking powerful in the eyes of the rest of the world.
Which brings me to me last point. The narrator turned out to be Brian Kilmeade, a Fox News personality. Me idea of listening to a bad news story actually turned out to be true! I have never seen him before or watched his show. But suddenly the oddness of the whole readin’ experience made sense. I was getting a white-washed version of this war where the Muslim people were psychos who continue to be a major problem for poor little America. Weird quotes like the one below suddenly made sense:
“Tired of Americans being captured and held for ransom, our third president decided to take on the Barbary powers in a war that is barely remembered today but is one that, in many ways, we are still fighting.” ― Brian Kilmeade, Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates: The Forgotten War That Changed American History
So while I enjoyed some of the new facts of the story, I cannot in good conscience recommend this book due to the racist, elitist manner in which it was told. And in fact, I cannot in good conscience even say that this history happened in this fashion due to the lack of depth of the narration itself. This War does not seem to have been “forgotten” as there are many works previously written on the topic. In looking at other reviews of this book, I did come across an excellent review on Amazon which I will put here in its entirety for me own later recollection and for those who may want to read books on this interesting but maligned topic. Here be MWRNR’s review
"Thomas Jefferson wrote hundreds of letters each year. So, with his name in the title, you would expect an in-depth study of the wars from his perspective and letters. However, that is not the case. Instead, this book appears to be a general history of the wars written for Middle School students that need a quick read for a book report. For a much better history of the squadron, ship, and Marine actions during the US wars with Barbary Pirates, I recommend “Dawn Like Thunder” by Glenn Tucker. To put the wars in context and a correct history of the creation of the navy by President John Adams and the Federalist Party with its opposition by Thomas Jefferson and the Republican Party, I recommend “Six Frigates” by Ian W. Toll. For a very good discussion in the context of religious and political beliefs of the Americans at the time, I recommend “The Barbary Wars” by Frank Lambert. For shorter versions of the wars (that are still more informative and superior to Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates) included in a broader context I also recommend “The Forgotten Wars” by Howard P. Nash and “Edward Prebble” by Christopher McKee."
I wasn’t going to read more on this war but now I feel like I should give this historical period another look from another perspective.
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
Ahoy there me mateys! I was looking for short audiobooks that fit certain time restrictions. I was having so much fun revisiting old books from me childhood that when I saw that Judy Blume herself narrates these I just had to give them a whirl. And I am so very glad I did. Judy Blume is a fantastically wonderful reader. I almost wish I had been introduced to these books by listening to them on audio book. Of course I only read books one and three when I was a kid. So I went back and listened to the entire series.
tales of a fourth grade nothing:
I absolutely utterly adored this book when I was a kid. The Hatcher family is silly and wonderful and crazy. I loved Peter’s trials and tribulations of living with a brother named Fudge. This book certainly lived up to me memories of it. I found meself both laughing at the details like the shoe incident and also marveling at how timeless the story seemed at the same time. There is a sweetness to this book that can be missing in newer children’s books. Also there are parents that are present and obviously trying to be good parents. With quirky characters and lots of heart, I still absolutely love this one. And of course the story of Dribble the turtle can’t be beat.
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
tales of a fourth grade nothing:
I absolutely utterly adored this book when I was a kid. The Hatcher family is silly and wonderful and crazy. I loved Peter’s trials and tribulations of living with a brother named Fudge. This book certainly lived up to me memories of it. I found meself both laughing at the details like the shoe incident and also marveling at how timeless the story seemed at the same time. There is a sweetness to this book that can be missing in newer children’s books. Also there are parents that are present and obviously trying to be good parents. With quirky characters and lots of heart, I still absolutely love this one. And of course the story of Dribble the turtle can’t be beat.
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
Ahoy there me mateys! I was looking for short audiobooks that fit certain time restrictions. I was having so much fun revisiting old books from me childhood that when I saw that Judy Blume herself narrates these I just had to give them a whirl. And I am so very glad I did. Judy Blume is a fantastically wonderful reader. I almost wish I had been introduced to these books by listening to them on audio book. Of course I only read books one and three when I was a kid. So I went back and listened to the entire series.
otherwise known as sheila the great:
This book is sometimes considered book two of the series because it follows a side character from book one named Sheila. The story is that Sheila goes on summer vacation with her family to Tarrytown and has to go to summer camp. I had never read it before and have to admit that I didn’t like it. Though it has some good parts, Sheila is a pathological liar who can’t admit when she is wrong or scared. Also there is a sleepover with girl hatred going on in the form of a nasty quiz. There is also a lot of fat shaming. The good parts do not outweigh the bad. Sheila comes across as a nincompoop. She does not seem nearly as awful in the fudge books. I think I will try to eject this from me noggin and go back to me milder version of Sheila from the other books.
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
otherwise known as sheila the great:
This book is sometimes considered book two of the series because it follows a side character from book one named Sheila. The story is that Sheila goes on summer vacation with her family to Tarrytown and has to go to summer camp. I had never read it before and have to admit that I didn’t like it. Though it has some good parts, Sheila is a pathological liar who can’t admit when she is wrong or scared. Also there is a sleepover with girl hatred going on in the form of a nasty quiz. There is also a lot of fat shaming. The good parts do not outweigh the bad. Sheila comes across as a nincompoop. She does not seem nearly as awful in the fudge books. I think I will try to eject this from me noggin and go back to me milder version of Sheila from the other books.
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
Ahoy there me mateys! I was looking for short audiobooks that fit certain time restrictions. I was having so much fun revisiting old books from me childhood that when I saw that Judy Blume herself narrates these I just had to give them a whirl. And I am so very glad I did. Judy Blume is a fantastically wonderful reader. I almost wish I had been introduced to these books by listening to them on audio book. Of course I only read books one and three when I was a kid. So I went back and listened to the entire series.
superfudge:
While book one will always be me favourite, this was also read a lot when I was a kid. This tells the story of when the Hatcher family moves from New York City to New Jersey for one year. Oh the horror! Plus the Hatchers are going to welcome a new baby. Peter already has horrible Fudge to deal with. What in the world is he going to do with a new sibling, a new school, and no best friend? Ye basically get the story of what happens to Peter in his sixth grade year. The antics still made me laugh. I particular loved the section with worms, the halloween night, and the best-friends-pact and how it resolved.
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
superfudge:
While book one will always be me favourite, this was also read a lot when I was a kid. This tells the story of when the Hatcher family moves from New York City to New Jersey for one year. Oh the horror! Plus the Hatchers are going to welcome a new baby. Peter already has horrible Fudge to deal with. What in the world is he going to do with a new sibling, a new school, and no best friend? Ye basically get the story of what happens to Peter in his sixth grade year. The antics still made me laugh. I particular loved the section with worms, the halloween night, and the best-friends-pact and how it resolved.
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
Ahoy there me mateys! I was looking for short audiobooks that fit certain time restrictions. I was having so much fun revisiting old books from me childhood that when I saw that Judy Blume herself narrates these I just had to give them a whirl. And I am so very glad I did. Judy Blume is a fantastically wonderful reader. I almost wish I had been introduced to these books by listening to them on audio book. Of course I only read books one and three when I was a kid. So I went back and listened to the entire series.
fudge-a-mania:
In this book Fudge is now five but Peter Hatcher’s life hasn’t gotten easier. This summer vacation his family is going to share a house with his nemesis, Sheila Tubman’s, family. This book was new to me but I loved it. Basically all the favourite characters are thrown together in one place and shenanigans ensue. I just still couldn’t believe how much these books make me laugh. Fudge wants to marry Sheila. Monster spray is real. Baseball rules. Uncle Feather is hysterical. What a great book this is. I loved that I had been to places in Maine discussed in the book. I love watching the sibling dynamics between Peter, Fudge, and even Tootsie. I just love this family. Period.
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fudge-a-mania:
In this book Fudge is now five but Peter Hatcher’s life hasn’t gotten easier. This summer vacation his family is going to share a house with his nemesis, Sheila Tubman’s, family. This book was new to me but I loved it. Basically all the favourite characters are thrown together in one place and shenanigans ensue. I just still couldn’t believe how much these books make me laugh. Fudge wants to marry Sheila. Monster spray is real. Baseball rules. Uncle Feather is hysterical. What a great book this is. I loved that I had been to places in Maine discussed in the book. I love watching the sibling dynamics between Peter, Fudge, and even Tootsie. I just love this family. Period.
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
Ahoy there me mateys! I was looking for short audiobooks that fit certain time restrictions. I was having so much fun revisiting old books from me childhood that when I saw that Judy Blume herself narrates these I just had to give them a whirl. And I am so very glad I did. Judy Blume is a fantastically wonderful reader. I almost wish I had been introduced to these books by listening to them on audio book. Of course I only read books one and three when I was a kid. So I went back and listened to the entire series.
This may be me second favourite. Judy Blume has a lovely author’s note for this one where she wrote this one for her grandson. The odd part about this series is that Fudge stays the same age while Peter grows up. Fudge is five in this one and his brother is twelve. I didn’t really pay attention to the ages when listening and I don’t care. All the elements that make the Hatcher family wonderful are present. In this book, Fudge becomes obsessed with the concept of money. He even starts his own bank. I was laughing in delight and could listen to Judy Blume sing the money song over and over again. Another great and crazy addition to the Hatcher family is the long lost cousins, the Howie Hatchers. The two branches of the family run into each other in D.C. and their lives will never be the same. I am so glad that I got to learn more of the Hatcher story in the later books. Especially this one.
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
This may be me second favourite. Judy Blume has a lovely author’s note for this one where she wrote this one for her grandson. The odd part about this series is that Fudge stays the same age while Peter grows up. Fudge is five in this one and his brother is twelve. I didn’t really pay attention to the ages when listening and I don’t care. All the elements that make the Hatcher family wonderful are present. In this book, Fudge becomes obsessed with the concept of money. He even starts his own bank. I was laughing in delight and could listen to Judy Blume sing the money song over and over again. Another great and crazy addition to the Hatcher family is the long lost cousins, the Howie Hatchers. The two branches of the family run into each other in D.C. and their lives will never be the same. I am so glad that I got to learn more of the Hatcher story in the later books. Especially this one.
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/