The Paranoid's Pocket Guide to Mental Disorders You Can Just Feel Coming On | Dennis DiClaudio | Mini-Review

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

Review:

I saw the title of this book and knew I had to get it. As a former hypochondriac, for physical and mental issues, I knew I needed to read this book. Good news! I was able to tell myself, "Yeah, I don't have this" time and time again. This is likely due to how DiClaudio writes each section. Each disorder starts with a few questions for you, followed by an inner dialogue that someone with the disorder would have, and then the diagnostics and causes of each. That inner dialogue is a great help for paranoids to distance themselves from thinking they have this disorder or that. In the introduction, DiClaudio talks about wanting to present these things in a humorous fashion, while also being respectful to those with mental disorders. I have to say, I think he nailed it! His format made learning about these disorders engaging, without being overly sensitive or overly callous. This was a good read and I look forward to his other book, "The Hypochondriac's Pocket Guide to Horrible Diseases You Probably Already Have". 4 hoots!

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Zed | Joanna Kavenna | Mini-Review

*Image and book provided via NetGalley for an honest review.

Review:

 

This book was promoted as a sci-fi dystopian where everyone's lives are dictated by algorithms, with a strong philosophical and dark comedy bent. I'll be honest, I get why it's listed as science fiction, but it's really more of a drama than anything. I will give Kavenna full credit, this is the first time I've read a book about a dystopian society falling apart from the perspective of those running the dystopia. That was a very nice change of pace and I greatly appreciated that. A lot of the book focuses on the philosophy/ethics of monopolies. Things like people can always choose to not opt into the algorithms. Of course, if they don't, they'll never get into college, will never get employed anywhere and will have to live in squalor, but it's still their choice. The fact that dissenters get drowned out or have some minor criminal activity brought to light is purely coincidence. And, honestly, to me that covers about 80% of the book. It was an okay read, a nice little stretch into the philosophical and, at times, the absurd. 3.5 hoots!

Radioactive Evolution | Richard Hummel

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

Summary:

Jared is a wanderer in the wastelands and, while not desperate for survival, he ain't living as easily as the rich people in the Floating Cities, high above the fallout. This changes when he finds an honest-to-god dragon and bonds with its baby. In bonding with the dragon, Scarlet, he uncovers a long lost plot from the cities, furthering the divide between those in the clouds and those on the ground. Between Scarlet's growing size and abilities and Jared's newfound powers, they have the means to bring justice for the long-lost dragon races as well as the civilians on the ground.

Review:

This was certainly an entertaining read. There was a lot of adventure, a lot of quick-thinking as well as strategy fights. There is a nice blend of action, comedy and even horror, and I'm not talking about the number to times Jared had to find new clothes because his were covered in giant rat guts.

If you're a fan of gaming, you'd probably enjoy several aspects of this book. If you're a Fallout fan, you'll definitely get some fun with this, as well as some of the horror. It gives some actual mechanics to a character's level-up and not needing to eat. It was actually pretty clever how Hummel set that up.

Unfortunately the editing appears incomplete. The telepathic conversations between Scarlet and Jared are identified with her voice in bold and his voice in italics. Throughout the book, or at least my copy of it, there were a lot of mishaps with this. The pacing of the book felt a little disjointed, but that could be Jared's need to sleep through his "power ups". The video game references and comparisons, while occasionally fun, did end up making it feel less genuine.

So, if you're a gamer looking for a foray into books or know of a gamer who's interested in trying some science fiction, this wouldn't be a bad book to start them out with. As for me, it was a nice book but I probably won't be picking up the sequel. 3 hoots!

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Immortal | Nick Lloyd

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

Summary:

The aliens have come, and they weren't subtle about it. Worldwide, every telecommunications device displays the same message: We are 'Aliens' You must obey us in full to survive A Gamma Ray Burst will arrive in 164 Earth days. Humans have no way of verifying the danger or the intent, but they can verify the signal is somewhere past Neptune. The next several months are spent following instructions from the aliens, while still trying to determine their true motives. 

Review:

This book hit on a lot of my own personal worries and unreasonable phobias. We get to read about the risks of trading your personal data for free services, even if some of them are life-saving. And we get visited by aliens who are far superior to us in terms of technological capabilities. Yeah, this one hit a few of my fear sectors. 

 Almost the entire time I was secretly hoping it would end up being an elaborate hoax led by the characters MacDonald (an billionaire with a strong survival instinct) and his right-hand man, Charlie (a programmer who created code that makes NPCs in games capable of independent thought). Not much of a spoiler but, no, the aliens are real. Very real. And they've stationed hundreds of A-Gravs (think Space Storage Container) design to help humanity accomplish the goals of saving Earth.

Then we get the stories of Tim and Sam who developed a program called MIDAS that is capable of disseminating, analyzing and correlating data, in this case, personal data, right down to their DNA. Because she had been a victim of identity theft after her disabling car accident, Sam is very strict about making sure the data is anonymized (even if she never thinks it'll be enough). She even makes sure to set flags in place in case that anonymization is compromised. At the same time, they need to balance this out with MacDonald's demands. Tim keeps pushing Sam to 'play nice' so they can get paid the big bucks. She knows he wants that payout so she can get a surgery to give her back full control of her legs, but she's not willing to risk others going through what she did with the identity theft. It makes for a very interesting back-and-forth. 

I absolutely loved Sam, and not just because she's a gamer girl and we get to see advances in gaming. In this world, virtual headsets are commonplace, and NPCs are way more advanced (I love Skyrim NPCs, but dang they're dumb!). Sam and her team, called "Bruised and Broken Bitches" because they're an all female, all wheelchair bound team, are highly competitive in tournaments. They're even a top tier team. She also gets to show us about the ways disabled people are treated. Some see her in a wheelchair and immediately look for a leg cast, others treat her only with pity, others argue that if she's able to get around on crutches (even if for just a short time) she's not really disabled. And that, coupled with Sam's "screw you, I've got this" mentality makes her, in my opinion, the strongest character in this book. And that's even compared to Colonel Martel who is not someone to screw around with. 

To make things even more interesting and realistic, Lloyd gives us the multiple attitudes towards the aliens that we would expect. There are the people who believe that their arrival heralds a new religious movement. There are people who immediately think that the aliens are there to destroy everyone. He even breaks down the middle group into cautious pessimists and cautious optimists. It really helped to make everything feel more real. 

This book was a very nice read. A very human story in a book about alien arrival. I happily give 4 hoots and encourage you to pick up a copy!

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The Healing Power of Mindfulness | Jon Kabat-Zinn | Mini-Review

*Image and book provided via NetGalley for an honest review.

Review:

I picked up this book because I've recently been trying out mindfulness meditation to help with my anxiety and depression issues. It's been kinda working so I decided to read this book to see if I couldn't get more structure in my meditations and get some guidance. While there is some of that in here, the majority of the book is Kabat-Zinn's history with mindfulness in a professional medical setting. From helping patients undergoing treatment for psoriasis to working with psychologists to incorporate the meditation in their treatments. It was still a highly informative book and had several chapters on what I was looking for. The biggest flaw, however, is the number of paragraph long sentences. Several times I would read a sentence that went on for way too long only to have to re-read it because I couldn't figure out what Kabat-Zinn was trying to say. Maybe it would make sense in an audiobook, but reading it left my brain feeling frustrated. I never did figure out one or two of them, and I had context from the book. Overall, the book is okay and definitely informative. Kabat-Zinn just needs to tone down some of the wording. 3.5 hoots!

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Human Errors | Nathan H. Lents

*Image and book provided via NetGalley for an honest review.

Summary:

Professor of Biology, Nathan H. Lents, discusses the many, many, many failures present in our human bodies that you'd think evolution would've fixed up or never made possible in the first place. The topics go from head to feet and back again.

Review:

This book is clearly meant for lay people like myself. It is written at an accessible level and has plenty of humor to make the reading engaging. If my high school biology class had used this book, I would have learned a lot more. As it is, I feel a lot more informed about human anatomy than I used to be. From the structure of our eyes to the interconnections of the bones in our ankles and wrists. This is a very educational book that keeps your interest and is easy to read.

And it's not just the physical aspects of humanity that are discussed. As interesting as it is to question why our ACL, even after all these years, is still better designed for a species that walks on four limbs, our brains are even more confounding! Lents doesn't have all the answers, but he is really good at explaining the problems and their theorized origins in our evolutionary history. And not just the physical stuff, either. The social and mental stuff  gets discussed at length as well.

I really liked this book and highly recommend it for anyone who needs a refresher on biology or has questions on anatomy. The book is very comprehensible for those of us without a lot of background on the topic. There is an excellent blend of information, theory and humor. I happily give 4 hoots!

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The Uploaded | Ferret Steinmetz

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

Summary:

In the future, death is not a problem. The human consciousness gets regularly copied onto servers so that, once you die, you can join Upterlife, literally a virtual utopia. Of course, there are rules. You cannot get in to Upterlife if you are a suicide, if you are a criminal or if the dead judge you to be unworthy. You prove your worth by serving the dead, who have the greatest political say since there are many more of them than there are living. The living have to suffer through soul crushing work and being under constant surveillance by the dead. Amichai, however, has other plans for his life.

Review:

For being based in a world where the dead are connected to everything and the living can connect with each other easier than ever, this book is all about disconnection. The dead no longer have to breathe, eat or sleep so in the many years they've been dead, they've lost touch with the needs of the living. The highly educated director of Amichai's orphanage has several degrees in adolescent psychology but has no clue how to deal with actual teenagers. The living care more about their Upterlife demo time than they do connecting with other living humans. The Neo-Christians are divided into more sects than contemporary Christianity and do not communicate openly as a precaution against involuntary brain scan interrogation. It's really hard not to see parallels to today's real world concerns. 

I'll admit, there were a few tropes in this book. It takes a rebellious teenager to really set things in motion. You have one guy who's the leader of dead and who is willing to sacrifice the living to meet his goals. You have a mentor who is actually more invested in the rebellion than the main character thought. You even have a love triangle. 

Where this book diverges, however, is much more important and poignant. I actually made a comment on Twitter about how where most books would have ended and set up for a sequel, this book just keeps on going (in a good way). The end of this book is a true ending and I'm not wanting this to have a sequel, for all the right reasons. I really feel that this story line is complete. There are no loose threads or questions that still need to be resolved. I thank the author for this; plot holes and loose threads are pain. 

Best of all, this was a very engaging book. I accidentally had a couple long lunch hours because I just needed to keep reading. The characters are well thought out in their personalities and philosophies. It was really easy to feel for them. The world of this book is easy to get into and understand. Heck, one of the villains from this book was so good he kept catching me off guard because I kept underestimating him.

I really enjoyed this book and, if you're a fan of dystopian books, a fan of books about society, I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy this one. 4.5 hoots!

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Code Breakers: Alpha | Colin F. Barnes

Summary:

Gerry has officially won the lottery! He now has seven days to settle his affairs before he is put to death. When he is kicked out of the building he used to work at, he is found by Gabriel who claims that his AIA, the chip in his head that connects him to the entire city's network, is infected. By a demon. And he needs to get it exorcised. What follows is an adventure that combines dystopian futures, Mad Max meets the Matrix. 

Review:

This book made me think of made-for-tv movies that are entertaining enough to keep your attention and are worth putting up with the ads for, but not really something you get really invested in. I put this book down several times because the pacing was kinda off for me. At times it felt like it was going too fast, other times too slow. Yet 90% or so of the book takes course over just a few days, I think. 

The characters were interesting enough, if a little predictable, but I just couldn't bring myself to get invested in their story. Again, this may be a pacing issue. I certainly can't blame the world building. The world of Code Breakers is easy enough to see and understand. I even appreciate the diversity of types of survivors, even if some of them are a bit stereotypical. I do wish more of the technology used was a little bit better explained. As it was, a lot of it felt more like it was magic than technology (and yes, I know the quote). 

The ending was also very reminiscent of a made-for-tv movie. I read and thought "really?" 

The e-book only costs 99 cents and that's a good deal for its entertainment value. I probably won't pick up the second book though. 2.5 hoots.

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How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe | Charles Yu

Summary:

Charles Yu is a time-machine repair man who spends most of his time in a pocket universe with just his computer, TAMMY (who's avatar looks like a sexy librarian) and Ed, a dog that exists, yet doesn't. Mentally he's been in a kind of stasis since his father disappeared in time. He rarely visits his mother whose retirement plan is reliving the same hour every hour for the rest of her life. Everything gets thrown off, however, when he sees his future self walking towards him.

Review:

I was introduced to Charles Yu via an anthology (Press Start to Play). After reading the entire book, his short story was the one that stuck with me the most, so I knew I had to pick up something else, anything else, that he'd written. When I was at the bookstore, I found this one and bought it. At the checkout, the woman behind the counter even told me "That's a really good book!" So, going in, the standards for this book were set quite high. Yu delivered and then some.

This book is so very different in all the right ways. The combination of scientific, linguistic and narrative terminology to explain time travel was humorous and sensible at the same time. The observations and experiences are poignant and resonated with me long after I finished the book. Though I've never experienced many of the things the main character does, I still felt him to be incredibly relatable. I felt his pain, his dad's pain and his mom's pain. For a book about science fictional universes, this book feels very well steeped in reality. This book made me laugh and almost made me cry. 

I really want to talk about plot points, even jokes, but I'm so afraid of giving spoilers. This entire book is an experience and I don't want to ruin that experience for anyone who may read it. I cannot emphasize enough how beautiful this book is to me. The entire experience of perception versus reality, free will versus fate, I immediately wanted to read it all over again.

When I finished reading, I experienced a kind of high that I don't get from a lot of books. The kind where I didn't want to pick up any other books for hours because I was in such a good mood over how beautiful this book is. I smiled for the rest of the night. I'm recommending it to people with even a slight interest in science fiction. 5 Hoots!

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Binary Storm | Christopher Hinz

*Image and book provided via NetGalley for an honest review.

Summary:

100 years prior to the events in this book, Nick submitted himself for cryogenic freezing in the hopes of at least helping science learn from its mistakes if not actually being woken up in a more hopeful future. It turns out, the future isn't as bright as he'd hoped. There are constant bio-terrorist attacks wiping out hundreds of thousands if not millions of lives. There are also creatures called Binaries, entities that exist in two bodies and have superhuman speed, strength and intelligence. They consider themselves above the human race and are working towards destroying or enslaving the lesser creatures.

Review:

I was nervous about picking up this book as it is the prequel to an entire series. I was assured, however, that the book stands on it own and does not require you to have read any of the other books. For the most part, this is true.

Hinz does an incredible job of building the world and quickly establishing its problems through action rather than exposition. Yes, some of the disasters were news reports, but Annabel directly interacted with Doomers and Nick had to be saved from gangs in the sec region. The character development was also evidenced through actions and conversations, though could, at times, seem to jump with the time skips in the chapters. This is, genuinely, a good book that appeals to my love of sci-fi, intelligent characters and puns. Hinz was even able to give me a couple moments of genuine I-did-not-see-that-coming moments, that were not caused by plot holes but, rather, good writing. 

The one downside to this book is that I haven't read the rest of the series. There were several moments in this book where I thought "if I'd read the series, this [moment/name] would be more profound." There were a number of names, especially towards the end, that I felt would have impacted me more if I'd read even one of Hinz' previous books. Instead, I ended up finishing the book feeling like I was missing out on something. 

If you're a fan of the series, this is a great book for you. If you're interested in the series, I recommend you start with one of the original books. This was a good read, with a good story, but it's best if you know the series' history.3.5 hoots!

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Alien Love Story | A. K. Dawson

*This book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Summary:

Dan, an orphan who lives with his grandmother, has suffered migraines since the day his family was taken from him. He can't do much socially because of the pain. One day, when he attempts to skateboard, he finds himself on his back with another migraine. Then, he meets a girl digging for food in a dumpster and realizes after that, his migraine was gone. The girl looks weird, she has huge eyes, but he must find out more about her and why she helps his headaches. Before long, he's in love.

Review:

By now, you know that I don't like love stories. When the author approached me with this book, I (hopefully politely) asked him to re-read my review policy. He insisted he read it and promised me it would be worthwhile, that it wasn't a regular love story. He was right. 

This was not the kind of story I was expecting. The fact that everything was from Dan's perspective really helped. It kept me in a state of just-enough-information. It's also adorable how much of his thought process is dedicated to his mystery girl, even though she may not exist. After all, why would any sane person believe that aliens exist and experiment on humans? Or believe that he has telepathic abilities?

The book was a pretty fast-paced read, which makes sense given that it's 125 pages. I felt like it ended abruptly, but in a good way, if that makes sense. I got to the end of the book and thought "I need to know more!" Despite the abrupt ending it is an endearingly optimistic story about a young boy in love. I give it 4 hoots and recommend you pick it up.

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Necrotech | K. C. Alexander

*Image from publisher site.

**This book was provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Summary:

Riko, one of the rare people born without a SIN chip permanently installed, is a well known street thug. She's the scattergun of her group, the brawler. When she wakes up, however, she has no idea where she is, when it is, nor why there are sirens blazing throughout the hall she's in. As she escapes, she sees her girlfriend is trapped in the building, too, but she's changed. She's covered in tech gear when, previously, she had nothing. Riko gets out and finds she's lost a few months of her life and, most importantly, the vast majority of her street cred. She needs to find out what happened, when it happened, and get her girlfriend and her cred back.

Review:

This book is definitely not for everyone. There is an intense amount of colorful language, even more colorful metaphors and violence. That being said, I loved this book! I read all 400+ pages in one day, never wanting to put the book down. If I'd had the right soundtrack playing in the background, I probably would have read it quicker. This is one of those books that hooks me in quick and keeps me guessing. Even after completing the book, I'm as in the dark as the main character. I have my theories, but I'll have to wait until I can get my hands on the next book.

I'll admit I'm not as well versed in the cyberpunk genre as I'd like to be, but if the world they're in is like this one, I'm definitely adding more to my TBR. I love seeing all the different ways authors can think of for how technology will integrate itself into our lives, and even our anatomy. The only reason Riko is able to survive as much as she does is because everyone in this world has nanobots in their blood stream that repair damage, provided they're given enough energy to do so.

Of course, there are consequences for having too much tech. At some point (different for each person) a human becomes more tech than human and the tech takes over and turns the person, essentially, into a fast zombie. These are Necrotech and they are scary. Some of the descriptions made me think of Japanese horror movies. At least one or two scenes left me feeling genuinely terrified.

The best part, for me, was that I only knew as much as Riko, the narrator, knew. I have some theories, about what happened and what will happen, but, just like Riko, I have no certainties. I am very eager for the next book to come out to either confirm or rebuke my theories. I was left guessing on a lot of things, in a good way. Plus, by having the book from Riko's perspective, we get to see just how badass she really is. I was rooting for this woman the whole way, downsides to her personality and all.

Once again, this book is not for everyone. Those that are okay with strong language and violence, however, and are looking for a cyberpunk mystery or thriller story will definitely enjoy this. I happily give this book 5 hoots and am already chomping at the bit to get the next one!

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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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Shaken But Not Stirred | Alexander Reed and Dirma Van Toorn

*This book was provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Summary:

A compilation of real-life humorous stories about living with Parkinson's disease written by people with Parkinson's. Each story shows individuals affected by Parkinson's (whether being diagnosed with it or living with someone diagnosed) can learn to see the humor in some of their daily situations. Half of the profits from this book will go to European Parkinson Therapy Centre. 

Review:

I requested this book from NetGalley mainly because my father suffers from Parkinson's disease. He actually had Early Onset Parkinson's before it was an official diagnosis. It wasn't until Michael J. Fox admitted he had Early Onset that my dad was properly diagnosed. Now he is in end stage Parkinson's and, after over 20 years, it's getting difficult to see the humor in his situation. So, when I saw this book, which focused on helping combat the depression and anxiety so strongly associated Parkinson's, I jumped at the opportunity to read it. I was not disappointed. 

Each story not only had me chuckling, but it also had me taking copious notes about life with Parkinson's. It can be difficult to find the humor in a situation where your neurologist gives you a diagnosis and, instead of explaining anything gives you booklets and pills. The first short-story author, Dirma Van Toorn, describes a couple of situations where authority figures/security guards thought she was drunk, high, or acting strange because she was shoplifting. Life with Parkinson's is full of troubles. But it can still be a full life. 

There are so many funny stories in this compilation. Stories about situations that, in that moment, must have seemed like the end of the world, but in retrospect are funny. One of the authors talked about trying to go to the bathroom while conducting a phone interview and he ended up urinating in his pants. He chose to use this story as an anecdote in a speech and was later told by a woman in the audience "thank you!" Because she needed to know she wasn't alone. 

And, really, that's what's at the heart of these stories. If you have Parkinson's or someone you love has Parkinson's, you are not alone. There are groups of people out there who can help you. Parkinson's doesn't mean you can't live a full life. It just means you gotta work a little harder for it. And this book is a good resource for the darker times, when you can't find the light.

If you have Parkinson's, a family history of Parkinson's or are a caregiver for someone with the disease, I highly recommend the book. It's a bit shorter than I would like, but each story is poignant and well placed. There were some minor typos, but I received an advanced copy, so those should be cleaned up by the time the book is published later this year. Shaken But Not Stirred is a heartwarming, informative read and highly recommend it. 5 hoots!

The Aliens Are Coming! | Ben Miller

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

Summary:

In this book, Ben Miller looks at the search for extra-terrestrial life through a scientific lens. By breaking down the Drake Equation and examining all the requirements of it from a physical, biological, geological, mathematical and even linguistic perspective, Miller gives us a realistic picture of the likelihood of communicating with aliens. At the same time, he uses terrestrial examples to show areas we still need more information on. 

Review:

If you enjoy science, this is actually a good book for you. There is little conspiracy theory and hypothetical talk and a significant amount of science. Admittedly, I struggled through the biology of evolution section (used to give a time template for how long it may take life on other planets to become complex) but the rest of the book was an engaging, intelligent read. Miller's humor also helped to balance out some of the drier parts.

I greatly appreciated that this search for extra-terrestrials reminded the reader that there are plenty of things we can learn from our own world to aid our search. The convergent evolution that leads to platypi. The translation of dolphin language. The ripple effects in our understanding of the world from each discovery we make about it. 

There were so many parts of this book that led me to eagerly do some quick Google searches to get a better understanding. This is something that I think all good science books should do. They should light a fire of curiosity in the reader, a need for more information. I happily give 4 hoots!

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Chimera (Book 1 of the Weaver Series) | Vaun Murphrey

*Picture and ebook provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Summary:

Cassandra has been locked up in an empty room since she was 5 years old. She has no idea where she is or why she was taken and has only vague memories of her life before. At age 13 she starts hearing a voice inside her head promising her that she is not insane and he will get her out.

Review:

I almost didn't get through the first chapter. it was that rough for Cassandra, but I'm glad I pushed through. After the first chapter, the book is highly engaging. I have a history of not liking books with teenagers as main characters, but Chimera is an exception. Everyone in this world has their head on their shoulders and is able to think things through. 

Murphrey does a good job of keeping all parts of this world working together smoothly. There is a LOT going on, and there were a few moments where I wanted to go "really? Now this?" But at the same time, nothing seemed too out there for this world. 

The book is entertaining, but I probably won't be picking up the sequel. 3.5 hoots!

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Brain Camp by Susan Kim, Laurence Klavan, and Faith Erin Hicks | Mini-Review

Summary:

This graphic novel follows the stories of Jenna and Lucas, two young teens who are "late-bloomers" as they are sent to a summer camp that promises parents to turn their kids into high achievers. 

Review:

I picked this book up on a whim while visiting my favorite comic book shop. The cover looked interesting and the blurb on the back made it sound like it was going to be a fun, quick read. I got that and a bit more! 

This is a short book, but I still did not put it down until I was done reading. There are so many interesting points in this story that it easily keeps a reader's attention. Don't get me wrong, it's definitely more for young teen readers, but even as an adult I can appreciate the jokes and the science. 

The authors did leave this book open for a sequel and I'd love to see them follow up on it. I happily give Brain Camp 4 hoots!

Hoot!Hoot!

Hoot!Hoot!

ASAP Science by Mitchell Moffit & Greg Brown

This was such a fun an education read! I have never been more happy to pre-order a book! Like many early readers of this book, I first learned about it through the authors' YouTube Channel, ASAP Science.* I pre-ordered the book, hoping it would be as much fun to read as their videos were to watch. I was not disappointed!

While a lot of the topics in this book are also covered in their videos, they are still important to read about. I feel like this book plays an important role in bridging a gap for people between science and practically.** ASAP Science uses illustrations and conversational tone to keep everything interesting, light-hearted and informative. And if there was no clear answer*** they said so and easily explained why there was no answer.

The book does have a lot of illustrations so the reading is very quick. Also, while they do deal with topics related to sex and bodily functions, it is kept at about a PG rating.**** And while everything is in a friendly tone, there is still a lot of good information.

I gladly give ASAP Science 5 hoots and encourage everyone to pick up their own copy!

           Hoot!Hoot!

           Hoot!Hoot!

              Hoot!

*Which I also highly recommend.
**Or everyday life.
***Labor Pains v Kick to the Balls
****Parents dependent.