I thoroughly enjoyed this (quite scholarly) book on the history of my all-time favourite: The Hobbit. In this work the published version is compared tI thoroughly enjoyed this (quite scholarly) book on the history of my all-time favourite: The Hobbit. In this work the published version is compared to first and second drafts, and the changes are explained using many references of other Tolkien scholars, letters that Tolkien himself wrote, etc. It's a really interesting insight into the process of how the story is formed, but I don't recommend it to casual readers. It's very in depth. Though I have read a lot on Tolkien's work already, this one definitely taught me new things....more
Pretty unusual collection of four short romance stories, "written by four children" but actually written by Dickens, of course. They are easy to read Pretty unusual collection of four short romance stories, "written by four children" but actually written by Dickens, of course. They are easy to read and quite enjoyable, though I find the premise of the collection a bit weird. I enjoyed the third story of Captain Boldheart the most, probably because it was the most adventurous and featured not so much romance. :-)...more
Tom Grig has a rough day.. or was it all in his head? What seemed to be a nice gathering, with the possibility of a marriage and riches, turned out toTom Grig has a rough day.. or was it all in his head? What seemed to be a nice gathering, with the possibility of a marriage and riches, turned out to be a bit of an occult gathering. Funny short story by Dickens, one of the funnier ones I read. I just wish it was a little longer, it took me 40% of the story to kind of understand what was happening....more
One of my favourite graphic novels so far. This is the story of the Chernobyl disaster told in a different way from what I have seen before. There is One of my favourite graphic novels so far. This is the story of the Chernobyl disaster told in a different way from what I have seen before. There is quite a lot of text for a graphic novel, but that is needed if you want to make it informational. Really love the art style and colouring. I read this as a NetGalley eARC, but I am definitely ordering my own hardcopy as well.
Thank you so much to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC to read & review. These are my honest opinions....more
What a powerful book! This describes the forced relocation many northern Sámi had to undertake in the beginning of the 1920s. The reindeer herding peoWhat a powerful book! This describes the forced relocation many northern Sámi had to undertake in the beginning of the 1920s. The reindeer herding people lived with the seasons, in different parts of Scandinavia, parts that are now Norway, Sweden and Finland. For Norway it was not desirable anymore to have this seasonal migration going on, so they prohibited the people from entering Norway and relocated them to parts of Sweden, with force and a low amount of money to help them. The promised area was often already populated or an obviously less nice area to live. The authorities said the reindeer damage the landscape too much, that more space was needed for agriculture. But from stories and documents it is clear they found the Northern Sámi not fitting in their idea of a modern Norway. In Sweden it also wasn't easy for the Sámi. Reading all this, you realise that these people really had no place to go where they were welcome and valued. Ofcourse you see this pattern with many indigenous people all over the world. And most of it is hushed up, erased from history books.
That's why this book is a gem. It's filled with personal stories, wonderful photography, poems and joiks (Sámi traditional "songs", often addressed to nature). It's wonderfully written and captivating until the end.
Thank you so much to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC to read & review. These are my honest opinions....more
This is a very short read, it's more of a workbook on the Word A Day Practice, that the author set up. It's easy to read and implement, the practice iThis is a very short read, it's more of a workbook on the Word A Day Practice, that the author set up. It's easy to read and implement, the practice is quite straightforward. The journal pages will be helpful, especially to beginners in writing. I found the book not very novel or unique, the techniques applied are commonly known to writers. So for seasoned writers stuck in a rut, this won't be too useful. For beginners, it is a good start.
Thank you so much to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC to read & review. These are my honest opinions....more
Wow, what an unique book. This is geared towards children and explains everything about decay and decomposition in the natural world. The art style isWow, what an unique book. This is geared towards children and explains everything about decay and decomposition in the natural world. The art style is really unique, I don't see anything like this often. There's good explanations of biological processes involved in breaking down material. A quick read, not for the youngest of children, but kids around age 8-10 interested in nature and biology would find this entertaining.
Thank you so much to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC to read & review. These are my honest opinions....more
This was an interesting insight in the big climate conferences that have been happening for the past two, three decades. Most of us know they are a faThis was an interesting insight in the big climate conferences that have been happening for the past two, three decades. Most of us know they are a farce, greenwashing schemes are frankly, just wasting resources. The author gives his own account of some of the COPs he has visited and covered for his work. It's a nice perspective to read, a bit more "travel log" style, as opposed to most books I've read on these topics, which tend to be more on the scientific side.
Thank you so much to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC to read & review. These are my honest opinions....more
I've been on a reading roll these past few weeks! All the traveling really gives me so much more reading time.
So that was the fourth and final part ofI've been on a reading roll these past few weeks! All the traveling really gives me so much more reading time.
So that was the fourth and final part of the Small Spaces series by Katherine Arden, and while this one was better than #3, it was not my favourite. I guess that the novelty and scary-ness of #1 was hard to beat. This book really tries again, by including clowns (I hate clowns), but the storyline is similar to the other books, so it is quite predictable. I also found the writing repetitive and choppy compared to the author's other books. Entertaining, but if I want to reread anything by this author, it would definitely be the Winternight trilogy....more
Unfortunately not as good as the first books.. lots of repetitive writing, especially in the beginning. The story is very random, compared to the otheUnfortunately not as good as the first books.. lots of repetitive writing, especially in the beginning. The story is very random, compared to the others. It was not scary and felt rushed.. I really want to like this book, but it just didn't work for me....more
What an enjoyable read! This book discusses the history of wolves, and mixes it with current-day events and stories. At first I was a bit distracted bWhat an enjoyable read! This book discusses the history of wolves, and mixes it with current-day events and stories. At first I was a bit distracted by the writing, there are a lot of unnecessary unusual words, but as soon as I rolled into the story it worked for me, especially during the myths.
The history and stories of wolves in Britain are told and combined with some of the author's own experiences of working with wolves in captivity. The book touches upon the current state of wolves in Europe and the controversy around them. In the Netherlands, recently a few wolves have settled and packs were formed, which really divided people here: nature enthusiasts embrace the wolves, farmers want them shot. From the book I learned Denmark was in a similar situation, which I didn't know.
Wolves are now no longer present in Britain, but the author explores the possibility of their reintroduction. I hope it will one day happen. If we learn from all the measures taken elsewhere, wolves could coexist with us, in Britain and everywhere in West Europe. Wolves are an important part of the ecosystem. They keep populations of deer, rodents and foxes in check. Most ecosystems in West Europe lack a top predator. The wolf could fill that role, just like it did a few hundred years ago.
Thank you so much to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC to read & review. These are my honest opinions....more
Very interesting insight into fishery history and forming of the Boldt decision, something that I read about during my studies. Its a great example onVery interesting insight into fishery history and forming of the Boldt decision, something that I read about during my studies. Its a great example on how important it is to include native fishermen in these processes, as they are nearly always the ones with the knowledge and experience needed to manage nature healthily. Unfortunately it was quite long, and slow going, so it took me a while to finish. I do recommend it, but more as a text book than an entertaining read.
Thank you so much to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC to read & review. These are my honest opinions....more
Okay these illustrations.. just Wow! This is one of the most beautiful children's story books I have ever seen. I really love the rewilding stories frOkay these illustrations.. just Wow! This is one of the most beautiful children's story books I have ever seen. I really love the rewilding stories from around the world. This is not just entertaining to children, but also to adults. Really loved reading this, and it also inspired me to paint some animals.
Thank you so much to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC to read & review. These are my honest opinions....more
Great collection of biographies of Formula One's biggest legends. Unfortunately my Advanced Reader's Copy did not have all the photos yet, but there wGreat collection of biographies of Formula One's biggest legends. Unfortunately my Advanced Reader's Copy did not have all the photos yet, but there were some amazing old photos shown. The biographies were the perfect length and highlighted all the important achievements of the pilots. Highly recommended for fans for Formula One, old and new both.
Thank you so much to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC to read & review. These are my honest opinions....more
A very useful book to PhD life. I must admit I was very put off in the beginning by all the parenting and family talk. Even though I am quite old for A very useful book to PhD life. I must admit I was very put off in the beginning by all the parenting and family talk. Even though I am quite old for a PhD student, I am totally not in this stage of my life (never will be to be honest) and I know no one in my PhD circle who is, actually. Maybe it's different where the author's from, but in Germany and the Netherlands PhD students are quite young. After a while I could put the annoyance aside, when the focus was more on the actual PhD work aspects. The author did their best to include many tips, basic how-to's and introductions on things that you can encounter during your PhD (or Master's). I especially found the exhaustive resources list at the end very helpful. Most information stays a bit surface level, but then with the additional resources you can choose whatever you want to dive further into. Overall, good read, nice introduction to PhD life.
Thank you so much to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC to read & review. These are my honest opinions....more
This was such a cute read! This book describes the stories and myths behind many beautiful flowers you can encounter. Accompanied by beautiful illustrThis was such a cute read! This book describes the stories and myths behind many beautiful flowers you can encounter. Accompanied by beautiful illustrations (really loved their simplicity and colour schemes!) and mindfulness-related activities, this makes for a nice way to connect closer to nature. If I can have one minor complaint: the accompanying activities were often a bit repetitive, and very generic. But I do appreciate the warnings given regarding for example avoiding the use of some essential oils for epileptics.
Thank you so much to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC to read & review. These are my honest opinions....more
This was an enjoyable read. It's very important that the "lesser-known" eating disorders also get some attention, and this book does that very well. IThis was an enjoyable read. It's very important that the "lesser-known" eating disorders also get some attention, and this book does that very well. I struggled with what we now call ARFID for over ten years, and I rarely read something else about ARFID, even though it is quite common (especially among people with ADHD & on the Autism Spectrum like me).
The short chapters make this very easy to read, but because of that, some stories really miss some depth. I appreciate that the editors made sure the stories won't be triggering for readers, but that also makes most of them shallow. I was also a bit annoyed by the short piece on veganism (how it can worsen eating disorder behaviour) and "ethnic" eating (the assumption that foreign food is less healthy than traditional "white food"). Thankfully, later, one of the stories is from a vegan who describes that veganism doesn't equal bad health, and that a vegan lifestyle adapted for ethical reasons is no bad thing. Of course, there are people who use these lifestyles as a way to restrict certain foods "with permission", but in my experience, those people are in the minority. And everywhere I go, people associate "ethnic" eating with healthy, homemade, fresh food and good meals. So that little paragraph was very different from what I know. But I guess I am no dietician pr psychiatrist, just an "expert by experience".
Thank you so much to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC to read & review. These are my honest opinions....more
A short, well written book on issues of people with disabilities. It's actually bizarre how the modern day world is constantly trying to "fix" disabilA short, well written book on issues of people with disabilities. It's actually bizarre how the modern day world is constantly trying to "fix" disabilities, something I hadn't really realized before.
The book is quite short, and so it glances over quite a few things and explanations that would have been useful for beginners in the topic (various disability-related terms are not really explained). The most important take-away is in my opinion the (very minimal) role of people with disabilities in decisions made to cater to people with disabilities. The disabled people are the experts, and should be listened to, but often the people who try to "solve the problems" have no in depth experience with the disabilities they are trying to fix. ...more
Unfortunately, this book was far from what I expected. Even though it is filled with historical background on fasting, it feels hollow. Empty, like reUnfortunately, this book was far from what I expected. Even though it is filled with historical background on fasting, it feels hollow. Empty, like reading Wikipedia pages. The references are not indicated in the text, which makes it very difficult to fact check, something I felt like I needed to do often. From minor things like the (incorrect) definition of narcolepsy, to the one-sided simplified view of Anorexia nervosa, I feel like the author researched a lot, but can't weave it into a story and connect it to their own experience. The writing is needlessly complicated, with many bloated words. There's constant switching between wether fasting is healthy or not. I understand the research is inconclusive, but that should be properly acknowledged in all chapters where these claims are being made. I feel bad, disliking a work where obviously so much time has gone in to, but this really needs to be said. I actually found the small introductions to each chapter where the author describes their seven-day fasts the most fun to read. And I guess that shows what I had expected and hoped to read.
Thank you so much to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC to read & review. These are my honest opinions....more
Loading...
