Take a photo of a barcode or cover
michael_taylor's reviews
268 reviews
George's Marvelous Medicine by Roald Dahl
2.5
The first Rhoald Dahl book that I would say I didn't enjoy. Every character is either mean, mischievous or greedy. I bet a small child would laugh at the physical comedy but I found it a bit mean spirited.
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
The Magic Finger by Roald Dahl
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A pleasant morality tale about how humans (ought to) interact with nature.
The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me by Roald Dahl
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
What a fun story about an unlikely trio using their skills to make the world a better place. Nice poem at the end. I liked the pelican that could whistle.
Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones by James Clear
funny
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
3.75
A quick read regarding the power of habits (both positive & negative). The information is to the point, accessible and well presented. There are chapter summaries, checklists and all kinds of nice simple tools in here. It's all presented in such a way that if you chose to follow the advice of the book it would be hard to miss a step. James Clear is a good author in this regard. He makes everything very readable and is very good at explaining his concepts and ideas.
There is a formula in this book that becomes apparent right away. Each chapter starts with the stories of successful people (athletes, journalists, comedians, etc..) that highlight how through the correct habituation, anything is possible. This is nice but it does end up feeling a little bit like padding towards the end. My edition of this book also had several spelling and grammatical errors. Enough that it affected my overall score of the book. One or two would have been strange but there were enough that I took notice and it started to bother me.
There is a formula in this book that becomes apparent right away. Each chapter starts with the stories of successful people (athletes, journalists, comedians, etc..) that highlight how through the correct habituation, anything is possible. This is nice but it does end up feeling a little bit like padding towards the end. My edition of this book also had several spelling and grammatical errors. Enough that it affected my overall score of the book. One or two would have been strange but there were enough that I took notice and it started to bother me.
Ghost of a Chance by Charles G. McGraw, Mark A. Garland
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Ghost of a Chance is the essence of what it is to be a Star Trek: Voyager book. It's a light, quick little adventure with a few of the typical Star Trek moral quandaries thrown in. This one deals primarily with the prime directive and the role of the federation as peacekeepers/protectors.
It's basically an average episode of season one of Voyager which is to say that it isn't bad but it isn't particularly edge of your seat either. It's TV monster of the week stuff. The crew shows up and encounters a problem and then through the use of team work/ingenuity they resolve the problem.
I would not recommend this to anybody who isn't familiar with Voyager. As somebody who watched the show, I could picture most of the characters in my head. But for somebody who wasn't familiar with the source material, I think you'd be confused or miss what a lot of the technobabble is about. Honestly though, I don't think anybody would be attracted to a book like this unless they were already a Voyager fan. In that case, read it in a few sittings on a lazy afternoon and then forget about it later.
It's basically an average episode of season one of Voyager which is to say that it isn't bad but it isn't particularly edge of your seat either. It's TV monster of the week stuff. The crew shows up and encounters a problem and then through the use of team work/ingenuity they resolve the problem.
I would not recommend this to anybody who isn't familiar with Voyager. As somebody who watched the show, I could picture most of the characters in my head. But for somebody who wasn't familiar with the source material, I think you'd be confused or miss what a lot of the technobabble is about. Honestly though, I don't think anybody would be attracted to a book like this unless they were already a Voyager fan. In that case, read it in a few sittings on a lazy afternoon and then forget about it later.
The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Boy oh boy. The Colour of Magic is certainly one of the most imaginative books I've read in while. There is so much going on here. Basically, a tourist shows up in Discworld and Rincewind the bumbling wizard is tasked with making sure he has a good time. It's a fantasy adventure with a frantic energy that I don't think I've encountered before. Almost every other page there are new characters with new names and motivations. Sometimes they'll come back later. Sometimes they won't. You've got barbarians, crocodile gods, dryads, water trolls, imaginary dragons, magic frogs, a sentient treasure chest with hundreds of legs, Lady Luck herself, A'tuin The World Turtle and Death. And the list goes on and on.
It's a lot of fun. It's also totally overwhelming. There's enough creativity and humor here that you could fit it into several other books (which apparently Mr. Pratchett has done over the course of 40+ books). I bounced off this book a few times before. Turns out if you sprint along side it sets about the correct pace.
It's a lot of fun. It's also totally overwhelming. There's enough creativity and humor here that you could fit it into several other books (which apparently Mr. Pratchett has done over the course of 40+ books). I bounced off this book a few times before. Turns out if you sprint along side it sets about the correct pace.
The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less by Barry Schwartz
funny
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
4.0
The paradox of choice is an easy to read book regarding the insidious nature of choice. It taught me that I'm already a satisficer. That's good news for me. I expected as much. It moves quickly and is entertaining as well as educational. For his short it is there is still a little bit too much repetiton. Overall enjoyable read - I would recommend it.