octothorp – Page 38 – Cannonball Read 17

Yeah, but moments are ephemeral

The Power of Moments by Chip Heath, Dan Heath

March 11, 2019 by octothorp Leave a Comment

I’m a sucker for pop soft-science books that straddle the line between business and economics. I feel the same way about Malcolm Gladwell as I do about Radiohead: I’m so in love with the real thing I’m still here for the knockoffs. Chip and Dan Heath’s Made to Stick expanded on Gladwell’s idea from The Tipping Point that ideas needed to be “sticky” to be successful, and that was a useful topic to explore – what does make certain things memorable? But guys – you […]

Right there with ya

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

March 5, 2019 by octothorp 12 Comments

So after the sarcasm fire of my last review, I need to applaud that this book ostensibly written for young adults had a more realistic picture of romantic relationships than The Glass Ocean – a more “literary” historical fiction – did. Our hero Cath develops relationships that are more complex than “buhh I luhh him,” in ways that are recognizable to actual humans. (Can not stand books that insist that a character loves another without showing the reader why they are. Beauty is not a […]

You’ll root for the missile

The Glass Ocean by Beatriz Wilson, Lauren Willig, Karen White

March 5, 2019 by octothorp Leave a Comment

Boy oh boy, I sure wonder if the attractive people in this story without any other competition end up together? I mean, it’s a complete mystery. Sarah is an author, and she’s described in terms vague enough to know that she’s beautiful, but ordinary enough to be relatable and intimidated by John’s model ex-wife. And John, why he’s so dashing and proper, he couldn’t possibly fall for the woman researching his family’s role in the sinking of the Lusitania. Besides! He’s British! And she’s American! […]

Some wrinkles

Skin Tight by Carl Hiaasen

February 28, 2019 by octothorp Leave a Comment

It’s always interesting to read books like this from a pre-internet era and muse on how different the world was a very short time ago. So many plot points here would just disappear if google existed in Mick Stranahan’s world. It’s almost quaint reading the leaps our hero makes to trap a killer plastic surgeon, the strings he pulls and the traps he sets in 1980’s Florida that would be completely unnecessary now. There’s a cute scene involving an accurate sketch of the doctor’s hired […]

Shut up, Shinji

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.k. Rowling

February 17, 2019 by octothorp 1 Comment

I know, I know. Harry has seen some shit. He’s 15. 15 year olds are not exactly known for their emotional subtlety. But even as someone who was the WORST kind of dramatic teenager that You Just Didn’t Understand Because You Laughed At Us Because We Were Different And We Laughed Because You’re All The Same ™, even at the time… UGGGHHHHH STAHP HARRY. I remembered this as my least favorite entry in the series, mostly because Dolores Umbridge presaged an era where the idiots […]

Ugh, the house elves

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

February 16, 2019 by octothorp 1 Comment

It’s essentially the first time reading these books since their initial release, and this was the first one I had to wait for (I thought HP was a trilogy when I picked up the first book), so I can say for sure it’s been 19 years since I first read what I remembered as my favorite installment. The story has the perfect blend of actual surprises and familiarity in a world with increasing stakes. Rowling has been rightly praised for having the series grow with […]

Zirza on A Gothic Classic for a ReasonIt's one of those wish-you-could-read-it-again-for-the-first-time books. I loved it.
Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.

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