Book #19: How to Win Friends & Influence People
Author: Dale Carneigie
Pages: 250 I think
Grade: C-
Buyability: 4/10 (because if you're actually going to follow the advice of this book, you'll want to keep it on hand)
Status: I think this was in my mom's collection of books, and it probably still resides there.
Review: I do not need a self-help book folks, this was for pop lit. It was interesting to read cause it is quite famous and was written in 1936 believe it or not...which is crazy cause a fair bit of the advice is still relevant, but a lot of it was annoying and manipulative. I tried out a few of the techniques and found it a bit exhausting to always be this person that Carnegie is suggesting you should be...attentive, ask lots of questions, make people feel happy to talk to you etc.
It was an easy read though - I got through it quite quickly. I'd say if anything you should read the beginning of each chapter, the end, and a couple of examples in between and you'll get the gist. Every example simply reillustrates the point of the chapter! There were some good tips though - say it with a smile, remember people's names, be courteous...stuff that is simple but is nicely reinforced in the book. But definitely not the type of self-help book I'd recommend to someone that needs some help!
Showing posts with label nonfiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nonfiction. Show all posts
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Friday, April 6, 2007
Book #13: Moondust
Book Title: Moondust
Author: Andrew Smith
Pages: about 350
Final Grade: A
Buyability: 8/10
Status: Owned (bought)
Review: Man oh man. As I noted in an earlier entry, I have a fascination with space and our existence. I'm not one to look at the sky particularly passively. When I worked at the BBC last year on work placement I heard about this non-fiction book because it had been picked for Richard & Judy's book club (similar to Oprah's club but bigger if you can imagine) and the BBC happened to be releasing it on audiobook - so I wrote a news release for it. I finally bought it several months ago and sat down to read it a few days ago and was quite impressed.
The book documents Andrew Smith's journey as he tracks down the nine remaining (of 12) men who walked on the moon - and along the way he recounts insider information and other interviews from every facet of the 1960's space era that you can imagine; historical data, societal commentary, presidental scoop, NASA gossip, hoax theories...everything comes into play, not the least of which includes Andrew Smith's own take on everything including his emotional reactions to the interviews he undertakes.
One of the main critiques of the book from other reviews I've read is Smith includes himself too much in the story...but as someone who doesn't particularly like non-fiction, I thought Smith's descriptions and feelings were what gave the story its life, and its purpose. The ending was essentially a big summary/recap/understanding for Smith and what this journey meant to him, which I suppose is a tad bit of a letdown...but at the same time, I really found myself relating to him as a *writer* in that I would have finished my book off the same way he does, with a sense of growth and reflection.
Overall I thought this was a fantastic book, really well-written, interesting etc. My only complaint would be that sometimes it leaps all over the place so you can lose track of who he is talking about or what each chapter is supposed to focus on (each chapter is more or less about a different astronaut but there is sooooooo much more included as well). Still I thought the book did an excellent job tackling a very complex, rich subject by trying to address as many facets of the Apollo program as possible. The emotions Smith was feeling and the questions he was asking were very realistic and matched what I would expect myself to feel in the prescence of someone who has left our humble planet.
If you have any interest in the space program of the 1960's, then do yourself a favoura nd read this fantastic book! I loved it and would highly reccomend it. Also - funny that this is book #13 as one of my fave movies ever (tom hanks yes!) is Apollo 13.
Author: Andrew Smith
Pages: about 350
Final Grade: A
Buyability: 8/10
Status: Owned (bought)
Review: Man oh man. As I noted in an earlier entry, I have a fascination with space and our existence. I'm not one to look at the sky particularly passively. When I worked at the BBC last year on work placement I heard about this non-fiction book because it had been picked for Richard & Judy's book club (similar to Oprah's club but bigger if you can imagine) and the BBC happened to be releasing it on audiobook - so I wrote a news release for it. I finally bought it several months ago and sat down to read it a few days ago and was quite impressed.
The book documents Andrew Smith's journey as he tracks down the nine remaining (of 12) men who walked on the moon - and along the way he recounts insider information and other interviews from every facet of the 1960's space era that you can imagine; historical data, societal commentary, presidental scoop, NASA gossip, hoax theories...everything comes into play, not the least of which includes Andrew Smith's own take on everything including his emotional reactions to the interviews he undertakes.
One of the main critiques of the book from other reviews I've read is Smith includes himself too much in the story...but as someone who doesn't particularly like non-fiction, I thought Smith's descriptions and feelings were what gave the story its life, and its purpose. The ending was essentially a big summary/recap/understanding for Smith and what this journey meant to him, which I suppose is a tad bit of a letdown...but at the same time, I really found myself relating to him as a *writer* in that I would have finished my book off the same way he does, with a sense of growth and reflection.
Overall I thought this was a fantastic book, really well-written, interesting etc. My only complaint would be that sometimes it leaps all over the place so you can lose track of who he is talking about or what each chapter is supposed to focus on (each chapter is more or less about a different astronaut but there is sooooooo much more included as well). Still I thought the book did an excellent job tackling a very complex, rich subject by trying to address as many facets of the Apollo program as possible. The emotions Smith was feeling and the questions he was asking were very realistic and matched what I would expect myself to feel in the prescence of someone who has left our humble planet.
If you have any interest in the space program of the 1960's, then do yourself a favoura nd read this fantastic book! I loved it and would highly reccomend it. Also - funny that this is book #13 as one of my fave movies ever (tom hanks yes!) is Apollo 13.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Book #6: Three Nights In Havana
Book #6
Title: Three Nights In Havana
Author: Robert Wright
Pages: 296
Grade: C-
Buyability: 2/10
Status: Owned (freebie)
This is another book I got through Harper Collins' First Look program. As noted below, I'm not a non-fiction reader so this one took a bit longer for me to trudge through. It wasn't bad but it wasn't great.
This book was a bit of a paradox for me - meaning I'm still not entirely sure what I thought about it. At times I was bored, at others I was enchanted and interested. To be perfectly honest, I'm not a 'non-fiction' reader in general, unless you count biographies, but I was curious to read Wright's tale of Fidel & Pierre -a relationship I hardly knew existed.
Well after reading this book I am still not sure it really existed. There were many questions I kept on asking myself as I read it:
- I have minimal background on a lot of the events leading up to Trudeau's visit to Cuba - but would the average reader picking up this book really want to trudge through the extensive historical background provided in the book (assuming they DO know more about the political climate of the era)?
- Is the book really about Fidel & Pierre or is it about Cuba & Canada (and to a degree the US)?
- Why would you write a book on the premise of Trudeau's visit causing so many shockwaves both personally and politically if the evidence to support either claim is relatively flimsy and speculative?
Ultimately I had to question what Wright's ultimate purpose was in writing this book, and although I applaud his research and the ability to put things in perspective - in particular Trudeau's critiqued foreign policy with Cuba in contrast with the US' policy during that time and since - I found it almost chore-like to make my way through the book at some points.
Overall I think this book has some merit if you are particularly interested in either one of the politicians or the cold war that is detailed in this book. That being said, Wright almost tries to cover too many things at once and therefore doesn't cover anything completely enough to satisfy what I would presume to be a typical reader of his book.
Title: Three Nights In Havana
Author: Robert Wright
Pages: 296
Grade: C-
Buyability: 2/10
Status: Owned (freebie)
This is another book I got through Harper Collins' First Look program. As noted below, I'm not a non-fiction reader so this one took a bit longer for me to trudge through. It wasn't bad but it wasn't great.
This book was a bit of a paradox for me - meaning I'm still not entirely sure what I thought about it. At times I was bored, at others I was enchanted and interested. To be perfectly honest, I'm not a 'non-fiction' reader in general, unless you count biographies, but I was curious to read Wright's tale of Fidel & Pierre -a relationship I hardly knew existed.
Well after reading this book I am still not sure it really existed. There were many questions I kept on asking myself as I read it:
- I have minimal background on a lot of the events leading up to Trudeau's visit to Cuba - but would the average reader picking up this book really want to trudge through the extensive historical background provided in the book (assuming they DO know more about the political climate of the era)?
- Is the book really about Fidel & Pierre or is it about Cuba & Canada (and to a degree the US)?
- Why would you write a book on the premise of Trudeau's visit causing so many shockwaves both personally and politically if the evidence to support either claim is relatively flimsy and speculative?
Ultimately I had to question what Wright's ultimate purpose was in writing this book, and although I applaud his research and the ability to put things in perspective - in particular Trudeau's critiqued foreign policy with Cuba in contrast with the US' policy during that time and since - I found it almost chore-like to make my way through the book at some points.
Overall I think this book has some merit if you are particularly interested in either one of the politicians or the cold war that is detailed in this book. That being said, Wright almost tries to cover too many things at once and therefore doesn't cover anything completely enough to satisfy what I would presume to be a typical reader of his book.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Book #5: Survival of the Sickest by Dr. Sharon Moalem
Book #5
Title: Survival of the Sickest
Author: Dr. Sharon Moalem
Pages: 288
Grade: A
Buyability: 6/10
Status: Owned (freebie)
Do you ever look at your body and wonder how it works? Did you ever stop and think about the connection between body fat, tanning, and sunglasses? How about the links between cryogenics, tree frogs, the ice age and diabetes? Chances are you at least asked yourself the first of those questions, and if so, this book is an excellent (albeit a tad scary) look into just how complex your body really is.
Dr. Sharon Moalem is an expert in an emerging field known as evolutionary medicine - in short, how our bodies have adapted to the environment around us through natural selection and instinct.
The best thing about the book is its constant awareness of the reader. Although Survival of the Sickest could easily be enjoyed by any medical maven, it's just as easily read and loved by an average Jill like myself. The diction is very reader-friendly, with on exception. The chapter "Jump Into the Gene Pool" really turned me off - its style didn't seem to flow as well, perhaps because the subject matter was that much more complicated, but it really stuck out as a difficult to get through section of the book.
One of the ways Moalem makes the book readable is by adapting scientific and medical phenomena to pop culture or layman's terms. This has a mixed effect - in some cases I found it extremely helpful! In others, I found the writing to be cornball, hokey, and distracting. Overall though, Moalem does an excellent job of making the book readable.
Each chapter starts out with one large medical phenomena - either something common such as diabetes or death, or with something not-so-clear-cut which is explained through an anecdote, for example the blood disease hemochromatosis that the author himself is afflicted with. After that the story goes in several different directions, some which you question - where is this going - before wrapping it all up in a big flourishy bow at the end of each section. The book almost functions as a series of mini-medical movies it ties things together so well, at times in a very climactic way that makes you want to keep reading so you can figure out just what ice wine and tree frogs have in common with us. That's not to say the book shouldn't be read in chronological order - Moalem constantly refers back to past topics.
Finally, one thing I really enjoyed about the book was not only the fact it covered such huge topic areas (often combining ancient history with modern medicine in one fell swoop) but it also gave you some practical tips that could help on a day-to-day basis. Among them, limiting iron intake, being wary of sunglasses while tanning, and eating healthy while you are pregnant. These little tips are sprinkled throughout the book, although not explicity stated - which could actually help the reader, perhaps with a list at the end of what you can do NOW. Or it could be posted on Moalem's website for the book.
I was pretty excited to read Survival of the Sickest even prior to being chosen to review it. I'm not a medical person at all, and get kinda squeamish at most medical phenonmena (including a few in here...Guinea worms?) but for whatever reason the book intrigued me. I'm glad to say it continued to captivate me from cover to cover, and I'd highly recommend it to anyone!
Title: Survival of the Sickest
Author: Dr. Sharon Moalem
Pages: 288
Grade: A
Buyability: 6/10
Status: Owned (freebie)
Do you ever look at your body and wonder how it works? Did you ever stop and think about the connection between body fat, tanning, and sunglasses? How about the links between cryogenics, tree frogs, the ice age and diabetes? Chances are you at least asked yourself the first of those questions, and if so, this book is an excellent (albeit a tad scary) look into just how complex your body really is.
Dr. Sharon Moalem is an expert in an emerging field known as evolutionary medicine - in short, how our bodies have adapted to the environment around us through natural selection and instinct.
The best thing about the book is its constant awareness of the reader. Although Survival of the Sickest could easily be enjoyed by any medical maven, it's just as easily read and loved by an average Jill like myself. The diction is very reader-friendly, with on exception. The chapter "Jump Into the Gene Pool" really turned me off - its style didn't seem to flow as well, perhaps because the subject matter was that much more complicated, but it really stuck out as a difficult to get through section of the book.
One of the ways Moalem makes the book readable is by adapting scientific and medical phenomena to pop culture or layman's terms. This has a mixed effect - in some cases I found it extremely helpful! In others, I found the writing to be cornball, hokey, and distracting. Overall though, Moalem does an excellent job of making the book readable.
Each chapter starts out with one large medical phenomena - either something common such as diabetes or death, or with something not-so-clear-cut which is explained through an anecdote, for example the blood disease hemochromatosis that the author himself is afflicted with. After that the story goes in several different directions, some which you question - where is this going - before wrapping it all up in a big flourishy bow at the end of each section. The book almost functions as a series of mini-medical movies it ties things together so well, at times in a very climactic way that makes you want to keep reading so you can figure out just what ice wine and tree frogs have in common with us. That's not to say the book shouldn't be read in chronological order - Moalem constantly refers back to past topics.
Finally, one thing I really enjoyed about the book was not only the fact it covered such huge topic areas (often combining ancient history with modern medicine in one fell swoop) but it also gave you some practical tips that could help on a day-to-day basis. Among them, limiting iron intake, being wary of sunglasses while tanning, and eating healthy while you are pregnant. These little tips are sprinkled throughout the book, although not explicity stated - which could actually help the reader, perhaps with a list at the end of what you can do NOW. Or it could be posted on Moalem's website for the book.
I was pretty excited to read Survival of the Sickest even prior to being chosen to review it. I'm not a medical person at all, and get kinda squeamish at most medical phenonmena (including a few in here...Guinea worms?) but for whatever reason the book intrigued me. I'm glad to say it continued to captivate me from cover to cover, and I'd highly recommend it to anyone!
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