Rift | Lieke Arends

Summary:

Naran Stalwart is a Swedish born, Minnesota resident, scientist who gets invited to live among the Didelians, a nomadic group that performs shows throughout Europe and the United States and accomplish feats that make people question reality. No one has ever been invited to join the Didelians. In fact, very little is known about their culture or how they accomplish such incredible feats. Naran goes on a journey to learn about Didelians and herself.

Review:

There is a lot to like about this book. The characters and the Didelian culture in general are quite interesting. The guided meditations Naran is taken on are effective for readers as well. There is plenty of good natured humor and some cute animals. Most of all, there is a sense of wonder throughout almost every single chapter, especially those describing the Didelian shows. 

I always appreciate when magic and science can work together. While the Didelians use what we would call magic, Naran's training requires science terminology that the Didelians are able to expand on for her. 

My biggest problem with this book is that so much of it felt like an exposition dump. This is not a short book and I get that a lot of the concepts the author wants to discuss are not quickly or easily done. There were so many times, unfortunately, that I found myself skipping ahead a bit because it was just so much exposition., Honestly, there was enough of it that, by the time I had finished the first few chapters of the book, I had figured the two or three "surprises" revealed in the last few chapters. 

If you're interested in a fiction that creates an entire race dedicate to helping people expand their minds using physics-breaking techniques, this is a good story. For me, I won't be picking up more books in the series. I appreciate what the author was trying to do and the Didelians had so much charm about them, but for me, it fell a little flat. 3 hoots!

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Children of the Different | S. C. Flynn

*Book provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Summary:

It's been 20 years since a plague called The Madness spread throughout the world. Many were killed by the plague, others were actually cured by it. Unfortunately, another group turned Feral, so filled with rage that all they could do, or think to do, was kill all those around them. Children born in the post-Madness world all go through The Change when they reach their teens. They go into a coma and wake up either with powers or as Ferals. This book follows the stories of Narrah and Arika, twins born in post-Madness Australia, as they are kidnapped, hunted, and go on dangerous journeys in the real world, and in the Changelands.

Review:

I'll admit, at first glance, this book seemed like it was going to be just another YA Dystopia novel that was just gonna be "okay" at best. What I found, however, was an interesting world with intelligent characters, always an enjoyable combination for me. I appreciate when I never feel the urge to yell at a character for being stupid. Couple that with "super powers" in the real world, and I was hooked.

Overall I found the story to be well written and easy to follow. No part of this book felt out of place, but not everything was predictable. As the book progressed, the world opened up and became more interesting. I appreciated that Flynn included all kinds of survivor mentalities. There were those that felt technology caused all the problems, so all instances of it should be destroyed. Others felt that technology was the only way to save the world. And, of course, there were also the religious fanatics. Each view point was well thought out and fully believed by the characters.

There were also little things that made me enjoy the book. The entire book takes place in Australia, so when the twins encounter an American for the first time, one of them makes note of how the guy was clearly speaking English, but there was something off about how he was speaking it. There was also how Arika used her abilities, getting into the right mindset required a very different kind of thought process.

This book ended up being a much more engaging read than I thought it would. Good characters, good world, good story. I happily give 4 hoots!

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Philosophy 100 Essential Thinkers | Philip Stokes

*Book and Image provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Summary:

From the publisher: 

Philosophy will serve as an excellent guide for those interested in knowing about individual thinkers--such as Plato, Aristotle, Rousseau and Nietzsche, to name just a few--and the questions and observations that inspired them to write. By presenting individual thinkers, details of their lives and the concerns and circumstances that motivated them, this book makes philosophy come to life as a relevant and meaningful approach to thinking about the contemporary world.

Review:

This book is pretty much what you would expect it to be based on the title and the publisher's summary. It is a glimpse into the lives and philosophies of 100 western philosophers. As someone with a BA in Philosophy, I can tell you that this was a pretty pleasant refresher. If you are looking for a place to start in terms of studying philosophy, this is a good book.

I do wish that Stokes had either specified that it would be all western philosophers or that he would have included some alternate philosophies. In the US you don't normally get to study philosophers outside of western philosophy, and I had hoped that this book would introduce me to some new people. Also, while I applaud the idea that all the philosophers get the same number of pages, it was evident the author had problems with this. Sometimes the pages would be dense and you felt much was left out, other times they would be sparse and you could tell things were stretched.

If you're teaching or taking a Philosophy 101 course, this could be a good supplement. If you're wondering where to begin in your own personal philosophy readings, this is a good place to start. Overall, I give this book 3 hoots.

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Wonder Women | Sam Maggs

*Image and book provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Summary:

This book is a collection of mini-biographies of women who did amazing things, against incredible odds, but were almost never acknowledged for any of it. Covering women who contributed to science, exploration, medicine, espionage, and innovation the reader gets an interesting trip through history. Complete with Q&A sessions with contemporary women in these fields.

Review:

I'm always happy to read more books about influential women of history. Generally I stick to the sciences, but I found myself completely enthralled by all of the stories I read. The Women of Espionage section was particularly interesting because of the varied types of personalities encountered (who'd have thought that a party girl would make for a brilliant double agent?) It's actually really delightful to see the varied personalities represented in this book. Some of the women are the born-tough types, others grew into their strength. Some of the women are pure tomboys, others still enjoyed their femininity. Some were brainy geeks, others were physical activity geeks. Some were extroverts, others were introverts. This all adds up to the overall message of this book: you can do whatever you set your mind to.

Yes, it seems like an overly optimistic message, and usually I end up just feeling bad about myself for not living up to the standards these women have set. This time, however, a couple hours after finishing the book, I found myself thinking more positively about myself and my abilities. I started looking at things I could do to use more of my potential so that I actually could follow in these women's footsteps. 

The tone of the book is rather casual. It reads like someone was talking to me over drinks, complete with snarky comments in parentheses. If I had known girl talk could be so informative, I may have partaken in it more growing up. 

Personally, I plan on buying this book for myself and a copy for my Mom, who could've used the message of the book when she was younger, but can still be inspired by it. If you've ever been shot down or told you can't do something because of who or what you are, I think this will be a good book for you. Like with me, it may not hit you right away, but this is an inspiring book that can help you see that everyone can do something great. 5 Hoots!

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All These Worlds Are Yours | Jon Willis

*Image and book provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Summary:

Jon Willis, associate professor of astronomy, takes us on a quest to find life outside of Earth. To do so, he has us start with identifying life on Earth, as well as the history of life on Earth. Then he takes us to look at other planets and moons within our own system, before taking us to look further out. All the while asking us, where should we start in our search for life, while staying within budget?

Review:

When I first picked up this book, I was worried it was going to be a repeat of The Aliens Are Coming! which I reviewed earlier this year. Instead, I got presented with a question I think everyone interested in the search for extraterrestrial life should be asked: You've got a budget of $4 billion, how do you spend it to search for life? Willis admits to asking this question of all of his astrobiology students and he uses this to form the backbone of the book. Each chapter involves talking about the pros and cons of searching here, there or elsewhere as well as determining what it is we'd be looking for.

Each chapter held new-to-me information about the history of each planet, moon and star candidates for exploration. I was especially delighted to learn about how various terrains in Antarctica can, and have been used for learning more about how to get samples or what life may look like on other planets. 

Probably my favorite part about this book is Willis' tone. If he lectures how he writes, I'd be happy to attend his classes. He mixes in humor and relatability with almost every section, increasing the readability of the overall book. The last chapter was especially attention grabbing, giving information on so many planned missions to the places we had just talked about looking for life. I also appreciated that he didn't disown SETI as a possibility. He acknowledges that it's not where he'd put his money, but he likes the fact that so many people are willing to donate computer time/power to the search because, well, you never know.

I happily give All These Worlds Are Yours 4 hoots and encourage anyone interested in the search for extra-terrestrial life to give it a read.

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