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lijadora

lijadora@bookwyrm.social

Joined 1 year, 4 months ago

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reviewed The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (The Stormlight Archive, #1)

Brandon Sanderson: The Way of Kings (Hardcover, 2010, Tor) 4 stars

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings, book one …

Review of 'The Way of Kings' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Loved the elaborate introduction of the characters at the start. E.g. Shallan who is witty in an incredibly cringe way - extremely well written!. The world is weird/ novel - but Sanderson doesn't use the trope of the wide eyed ignorant hero - but instead lets the reader discover tidbits on their own. Like there is no soil or grass - except in a small country in the far west. Plants move and react to people (and storms).

Story is solid - character development believable.

Very long but very enjoyable read. Best fantasy novel I've read in a long time. Story is not rounded though - continued in the next book in the series.

reviewed The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn Era One, #3)

Brandon Sanderson: The Hero of Ages (Hardcover, 2008, Tor) 4 stars

To end the Final Empire and restore freedom, Vin killed the Lord Ruler. But as …

Review of 'The Hero of Ages' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

It's high fantasy so didn't completely expect Vin (nor Elend) to die at the end. A riveting read nonetheless.

Some unexpected twists and turns (Sazed being the hero of ages) and late reveals (nature and appearance of the Preservation power/ god) but also things that are kind of expected (once you know piercing somebody with a metal spike binds them to the Ruin power/ god you know Vin's earring is doing exactly that - although it's "revealed" only later).

Brandon Sanderson: The Well of Ascension (Hardcover, 2007, Tor Books) 4 stars

The impossible has been accomplished. The Lord Ruler -- the man who claimed to be …

Review of 'The Well of Ascension' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Well written; kept me captivated throughout. Nothing super deep; it's high fantasy. The main characters do develop, however. And just like the previous volume this one too has a surprising plot twist at the end.

Neal Stephenson: Seveneves (EBook, 2016, The Borough Press) 4 stars

When a catastrophic event renders the earth a ticking time bomb, it triggers a feverish …

Review of 'Seveneves' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

This is a "hard sf" story on how the human race survives an epic disaster by escaping into space (and, as it turns out, below the sea and under the ground in Alaska). The story is told through the eyes of individual people, but it remains a story about the human race. And I loved almost every page of it.

qntm, Sam Hughes: Ra (Paperback, 2018, Everything2 & Things of Interest) 4 stars

Review of 'Ra' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Enjoyable read with some nice twists & turns. It maybe should've started me to think about what real and virtual mean (?) - but it didn't; just enjoyed the read.

If you started the book and get confused because it seems to be all over the place - power through; it all ties up later on.

(read as audiobook with the 'old ending' - apparently)

Most of us have no idea what's really going on inside our heads. Yet brain …

Review of 'Brain Rules' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

A nice introductory overview. If you’ve read into one of the 12 areas the author touches it’s likely there’s not much news for you (although it helps cement remembering stuff in that area).

Did learn a few things - like brains are physically different between people (even twins) as they are shaped over time. Or that the male and female brains differ significantly.

I liked the clear separation of research backed facts and of speculation/ further ideas.

Octavia E. Butler: Parable of the Sower (Paperback, 2000, Warner Books) 4 stars

In 2025, with the world descending into madness and anarchy, one woman begins a fateful …

Review of 'Parable of the Sower' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Well written. Lauren feels real.

The end of this book is more of a beginning. There's much promise in the characters and Lauren's philosophy/ religion and what she calls Destiny - taking root among the stars. Maybe in the second book?

This might be a book that is worth re-reading.

Onze economie ontspoorde al ver voor de coronacrisis. Bedrijfswinsten zijn sinds de jaren tachtig geëxplodeerd, …

Review of 'Fantoomgroei: Waarom we steeds harder werken voor steeds minder' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Nuttig boek - iedereen met stemrecht in Nederland zou dit gelezen moeten hebben. Wat heb je aan groei als je er niet van profiteert? Wat is het andere verhaal achter "disruptors" als Airbnb, Uber, just eats etc? Maken bedrijven alle kosten zelf of hoest de samenleving die op? Hoe is de situatie waarin onze economie zich nu bevindt ontstaan?

Wat ik nog zoek is de andere kant van het verhaal. Ongetwijfeld zijn de economische veranderingen in de jaren 70 en 80 ingezet met de beste bedoelingen. Welke? Hebben de initiatiefnemers de gevolgen die we nu zien voorzien? Zijn ze er tevreden over?