author: Socar Myles
name: Elaine
average rating: 3.00
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2015/01/22
date added: 2015/01/22
shelves: art, non-fiction, wishlist
review:
Books of 2014
I feel like I didn’t read a damn thing in 2014. Between knitting, Twitter, and that architectural design studio class, my reading time got sucked up by other stuff! But it occurs to me that I do have a few really excellent things to recommend, even if they’re a bit all over the place.
Because as it turns out, the few things that I did read last year on Goodreads were all four and five star reads! So I can heartily recommend:
- Throne of the Crescent Moon: amazing fantasy with complex characters, strong plot, vivid setting.
- Going Clear: you think it can’t get any weirder in this history of Scientology…and then it does.
- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks: history, science, and culture intertwining over the course of the 20th century.
I will also recommend with some reservations The Design of Everyday Things. (It’s a bit dry, and TBH I didn’t finish before it had to go back to the library. But if it’s your ball of wax, you should totally read it, if that makes sense.)
In the realm of reads that aren’t really reads, that architectural design class led me in some interesting directions with drawing, and I really enjoyed Sachiko Umoto’s “Illustration School” series. ALL THE CUTE DRAWINGS. On the reference side of the class, Materials, Structures, and Standards by Julia McMorrough was my go-to for everything technical: stair heights, door widths, room sizing, very well organized and illustrated.
I also bought my very first comic books this year. I now have the complete run (so far) of Ms Marvel, and I LOVE it. The story, and the way the art and the story and the writing style all work together…it’s fantastic. (FWIW, check out the recent episode of Rachel and Miles X-Plain the X-Men with G. Willow Wilson. She’s fascinating talking about narrative!) I also picked up Volume One of Rat Queens, and it’s hella fun D&D-esque adventure.
And while I’m not sure if it was purchased in 2014, I definitely read the rulebook for Dungeon World cover to cover this past fall. Check out my post about playing Dungeon World for more on that.
So: reading!
City Without End (Entire and the Rose, #3)
author: Kay Kenyon
name: Elaine
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2011/04/21
date added: 2015/01/20
shelves: fiction, sci-fi
review:
This story continues along in its convoluted way, and I can’t put it down. Lots of big crazy stuff happens in this one, but she manages to hold together a big cast of characters while keeping their personalities clear and distinct.
Prince of Storms (Entire and the Rose, #4)
author: Kay Kenyon
name: Elaine
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2011/05/12
date added: 2015/01/20
shelves: fiction, sci-fi
review:
It took me a while to get into this one; I’m not sure how much was the break between volumes, how much was the feeling of resolution at the end of volume three, and how much was the sheer complicatedness of the story. But once I did get into it, I couldn’t put it down! Compelling and complex story, with interesting growth in all the main characters. I would have wished for a bit more in our world, but other than that it was fantastic.
A World Too Near (Entire and the Rose, #2)
author: Kay Kenyon
name: Elaine
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 2011/04/18
date added: 2015/01/20
shelves: fiction, sci-fi
review:
The story keeps building! Really enjoyed it.
The Design of Everyday Things
author: Donald A. Norman
name: Elaine
average rating: 4.21
book published: 1988
rating: 4
read at: 2014/11/15
date added: 2014/12/29
shelves: non-fiction, psychology, technology, read-again, wishlist
review:
Wanted to finish. Couldn’t finish in time to take it back. Good stuff, and should be on any designer/developer’s bookshelf. But a little dry for what I was in the mood for at the time. I’ll finish it one of these days.
The Design of Everyday Things
author: Donald A. Norman
name: Elaine
average rating: 4.16
book published: 1988
rating: 4
read at: 2014/11/15
date added: 2014/12/29
shelves: non-fiction, psychology, technology, read-again, wishlist
review:
Wanted to finish. Couldn’t finish in time to take it back. Good stuff, and should be on any designer/developer’s bookshelf. But a little dry for what I was in the mood for at the time. I’ll finish it one of these days.
The Design of Everyday Things
author: Donald A. Norman
name: Elaine
average rating: 4.16
book published: 1988
rating: 4
read at: 2014/11/15
date added: 2014/12/29
shelves: non-fiction, psychology, technology, read-again, wishlist
review:
Wanted to finish. Couldn’t finish in time to take it back. Good stuff, and should be on any designer/developer’s bookshelf. But a little dry for what I was in the mood for at the time. I’ll finish it one of these days.
Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief
author: Lawrence Wright
name: Elaine
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2014/11/29
date added: 2014/12/29
shelves: non-fiction, biography, history, religion, sci-fi, ebook
review:
Just when you thought it wasn’t going to get any weirder, it DOES. There’s so much fascinating bonkers stuff in this, I can’t even. Just read it.
Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief
author: Lawrence Wright
name: Elaine
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2014/11/29
date added: 2014/12/29
shelves: non-fiction, biography, history, religion, sci-fi, ebook
review:
Just when you thought it wasn’t going to get any weirder, it DOES. There’s so much fascinating bonkers stuff in this, I can’t even. Just read it.