My Book Report
I’ll provide reviews of books I have read or am reading. I’ll rate them on the straight 5-star system. No halfsies which I think are ridiculous. My reviews are definitely biased and based on my personal interests. e.g. Given two similarly constructed books, though of different subject, the subject I am more passionate about will most likely get the higher rating.
* (1 star) Didn’t capture my interest enough to finish.
** (2 stars) Finished the book, though wouldn’t recommend.
*** (3 stars) Average merits, good.
**** (4 stars) Enjoyed the book a lot. Would recommend to others.
***** (5 stars) Excellent! Everything I look for in a great book. Will probably re-read and definitely recommend to others.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Once I have my library in LibraryThing.com all my reviews will be relocated there.
Flower Confidential by Amy Stewart
May 2, 2008. The book instantly grabbed me at the Introduction. Interesting factoids and history abound about the cut flower industry. At this point, the book has everything I’d look for in a non-fiction, investigative type of book. Clear language, just the right amount of historical perspective and scientific explanations, and written so you feel like you are really getting to know the people involved and not just their names and what they did/do. Amy Stewart brings the reader along on her tours and interviews and does a fairly good job at remaining objective. I appreciated her opinions where she provides them. ***** (5 stars)
The Science of Parenting by Margot Sunderland
March 20, 2008. My father came accoss this book in the bargain section of Barnes and Noble and said it looked interesting. I have to agree that it is interesting. I’m 112 pages into this book of 267 pages and will probably finish this book today. The cover promises, “How today’s brain research can help you raise happy, emotionally balanced children.” So far I haven’t read anything that has caused me to question my parenting skills and find that I am mostly fortunate to not have had babies who cried much because who knows what I would have done. Probably something to cause emotionally unbalanced children. So my advice with this book is don’t read it after you already have older children as it may cause you to question your parenting. But if you still have some baby time coming up, by all means read this book. Most of the scientifically backed advice it gives is a lot of work for a parent, but seems to make sense. Somehow, I was already parenting in a scientifically proved “appropriate” manner. I guess having stopped working outside the home and treating raising my children as my full time job is one way to go.
*** (3 stars)
