The Sea of Monsters
by Rick Riordan
I finished The Sea of Monsters audiobook. I'm loving the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series--and I know I would have loved it if it had been around when I was in elementary school. I'm thankful that my freshman honors English teacher did a large unit on Greek and Roman mythology, so a lot of the gods are familiar to me. Conversely, if I had read this before high school, then those quizzes and assignments would have come much easier to me. Nonetheless, I'm enjoying reading/listening to this series.
The story line is pretty good, and the main characters are starting to really shine. I wish the lesser characters were less one-dimensional, but it doesn't hurt the story, so I'm ok with it. This is the perfect sort of book to listen to on audiobook, because the storyline is easy to follow, it is entertaining on my commute to/from work, and it is easy to pick back up again. The hard part about audiobooks, is that I can't look back a few pages or chapters to remember what I recently read. Therefore, I have to use my brain to really think about what happened when I last listened. I'm getting better at this with practice--I actually try to summarize the past events in my head while I'm plugging my phone into my car's audio jack to get my audiobook on and playing.
Overall, I definitely recommend this series to people of all ages! Hopefully I can read it to my own kids one day.
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Book 9 - The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby
by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Classic.
I read this back in high school, but all I remembered was the green light in the distance that Gatsby looks toward. Therefore, rereading this book was like reading it for the first time. Of course, I liked the story line. Since I didn't remember it, I kept thinking hard about what I remembered happening, but my brain was empty.
Ok, so I didn't technically read this. I listened to the audiobook. The gentleman who narrated this was absolutely brilliant. He had unique voices for each character, and it felt like I was listening to a play with a narrator. That's not something I could have done for myself if I were reading it. I'm not sure who the narrator was, but I highly recommend him! I found the experience of listening to this audiobook on the way to and from work to be a very pleasant experience.
by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Classic.
I read this back in high school, but all I remembered was the green light in the distance that Gatsby looks toward. Therefore, rereading this book was like reading it for the first time. Of course, I liked the story line. Since I didn't remember it, I kept thinking hard about what I remembered happening, but my brain was empty.
Ok, so I didn't technically read this. I listened to the audiobook. The gentleman who narrated this was absolutely brilliant. He had unique voices for each character, and it felt like I was listening to a play with a narrator. That's not something I could have done for myself if I were reading it. I'm not sure who the narrator was, but I highly recommend him! I found the experience of listening to this audiobook on the way to and from work to be a very pleasant experience.
Monday, February 3, 2014
Book 8 - The Fear Project
The Fear Project
by Jaimal Yogis
This book was recommended to me by a friend. Honestly, I thought it would be more self-help focused. I was under the impression that it would be similar to Gretchen Rubin's "The Happiness Project," coming from a fear perspective, rather than a happiness perspective.
I was impressed with the biological explanations for fear, why it is essential to our survival, and the instincts we still have that do not help us anymore. Looking at fear from a surfer's perspective was note something I could relate to, but something I can appreciate. In fact, it makes me want to take a surfing lesson (since the time I tried, it was not so successful).
Since reading this book, I have tried to self-monitor my own fears. It has worked, but then it has not. I wish there had been more tools and techniques for resolving one's own fears, rather than just focusing on the life of the author. It was more like a science book mixed with a memoir, rather than a memoir with anecdotal advice for readers.
If you're interested in biology, and how it influences your life, I recommend this book. If you have anxiety and are looking for some self-insight, then this may or may not suit your needs.
by Jaimal Yogis
This book was recommended to me by a friend. Honestly, I thought it would be more self-help focused. I was under the impression that it would be similar to Gretchen Rubin's "The Happiness Project," coming from a fear perspective, rather than a happiness perspective.
I was impressed with the biological explanations for fear, why it is essential to our survival, and the instincts we still have that do not help us anymore. Looking at fear from a surfer's perspective was note something I could relate to, but something I can appreciate. In fact, it makes me want to take a surfing lesson (since the time I tried, it was not so successful).
Since reading this book, I have tried to self-monitor my own fears. It has worked, but then it has not. I wish there had been more tools and techniques for resolving one's own fears, rather than just focusing on the life of the author. It was more like a science book mixed with a memoir, rather than a memoir with anecdotal advice for readers.
If you're interested in biology, and how it influences your life, I recommend this book. If you have anxiety and are looking for some self-insight, then this may or may not suit your needs.
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