campbelltaral's reviews
727 reviews

There's a lot we (society) get wrong about memories. So much of what we "know" is myth. The good news is that well-written books like this one are out there and can put a lot of unnecessary worry at ease. One big take away: we are supposed to forget in the same way we're supposed to keep learning throughout our entire lives. It's amazing, really.

This author is a one-hit wonder for me. I loved The Martian but this book and the one before I just couldn't get past the clumsy writing and bad stereotypes. Project Hail Mary is first person with exhaustive internal narrative exposition on the science. It felt more like "look how smart I am!" than any added benefit to the reader. It would have been more relatable if the author accepted that the reader trusts him and simply got on with the storytelling instead.

I knew nothing about the quintuplets born in Ontario, Canada back in 1934, I picked this book up on a whim. It's good but it's so sad and there's definitely not a happy ending. The book is a work of fiction based on historical accounts of what really happened; the author did a boatload of research. Definitely recommend but maybe have an uplifting read lined up afterwards.

3yo and younger: no screen time. There are no social, language, or cognition gains for this age group when exposed to screen-based content, only negative impacts.

People need to people. The more we sub online life for in-person life, the less we're able to function in person which creates a loop that puts us at much greater risk of depression, anxiety, dementia, and early death.

Stop device multitasking. It's destroying our capacity to focus.

A beautiful story within a story within a story within a story. Vivid details and heart wrenching themes that transcend time, this is an ode to books, storytellers, and what it is to be human. It'll make you want to find and treasure that one old dilapidated and quirky book you hold dear.

Overall: good, helpful info. The subtitle is inflated, however. The first two chapters explain attachment theory and the importance of friendship. The rest of the book is all about making and keeping friends. It uses many anecdotal stories to explain the science, making it accessible to a general audience. Take away: tighten up your bonds with friends, the loose "friend" habits of social media are a detriment to your health.

A wonderfully weird story with deep, revealing layers. Surface level: a contemporary fantasy and sci-fi that at times goes off the rails but is pulled back just in time by strong character development. Digging in: the misery unsupported transgender youth endure, long-standing sexism excused by "tradition", and the ever present racism underlying it all. The book does a lot but it's successful with it's charm and honesty.

I liked this one but it did lean more textbook than general reader engagement. If you're interested in learning about neanderthals, you won't be disappointed with the information packed into this book. If you're picking it up on a whim, it's slow material with a lot of details and footnotes.

It's really weird how much I loved A Man Called Ove but can't stand this book. Something about the petulant too-smart kid trope just grated my nerves. I got 20% in and decided this wasn't a book for me.

The intended audience is age 35+ people whose bodies will stop menstruating, but I feel like I learned so much that would have been helpful when I was younger. Post-menstruation is primetime. We need to fight back the notion that it's "cozy, settle into irrelevance" time that is all too common in youth-obsessed society. Respect the many advantages that a brain without reproductive focus has to offer. The transition is rough but the other side is a whole life of exploring, building, and guiding. Hello, business acumen...

Some things didn't resonate with me. I object to the idea that men only feel love and connection through sex. Sure, there are plenty who probably do, but I think it has more to do with societal norms priming that belief by equivocating sex with romance and love. Reducing men to the sum of their reproductive organ is as destructive as valuing women only in terms of their reproductive viability, the whole point of this book. This one quibble aside, I still highly recommend the work.