Book Review of The Liberating Arts: Why We Need Liberal Arts Education

 Disclaimer: I received an advance digital copy of this title thru NetGalley.

A bit about me: I am a librarian at a state university which requires students to take courses outside their major (“general education”) so they have a wider range of experiences. I have a bachelor’s and two master’s degrees and am a firm believer in lifelong learning.

It would be great if the people who really need to read this book, The Liberating Arts, would do so and actually consider the arguments put forth, but unfortunately the people who most need to be exposed to the messages in these essays have probably already made up their minds and aren’t open to changing them.

The essay by Rachel B. Griffis titled “Forming Better Professionals and Leaders” in Chapter 8 (“Aren’t Liberal Arts Degrees Unmarketable?”) is one that anyone who even thinks about higher education should be required to read. Even as a naive undergraduate back in the late 1980s I knew that college should be about education and being prepared to adapt to changes, not simply about getting a high-paying job.

I enjoyed, and learned from, most of the essays in this book and will be purchasing a copy for my library. Other passages I highlighted were in essays titled: “Amid the Ruins”, “A History of Liberation” (also examining the idea of education being about more than future financial security), “An Expansive Collection”, “Science as a Human Tradition”, “Why Engineers Need the Liberal Arts”, “Why Liberal Arts Matter in Hiring”, and “Liberating the Least of These”.

Book Review: Starter Villain by John Scalzi

Starter Villain by John Scalzi

Disclaimer: I received an advance digital copy of this title thru NetGalley.

I must confess that I didn’t read Kaiju Preservation Society as neither the premise nor beginning grabbed me. But this one I was interested in immediately: a snappy title and a cat dressed in a suit and tie? Count me in! And Starter Villain did not disappoint, delivering what I consider to be Classic Scalzi: fun, funny, (yes, those are separate qualities) snarky, quirky, fast-paced, with timely topical references, some pauses for thought, and plenty of passages to highlight (I love both Scalzi’s fiction and blog writing). Oh, and, of course, one character who says “F*ck” more than even I’m comfortable with (and I cuss more than anyone I know personally), although which character has the potty mouth may surprise you…

Export Kindle Titles into Excel

I have been typing this query into Google every so often for years now, and I finally found not just one, but two! methods for exporting a list of Kindle titles into Excel and I can confirm that both methods work, although I recommend the first, even though it takes longer. 

The easier "using the cache file" method - for me, at least - resulted in some author names being listed Last Name, First Name and some First Name Last Name so not all the Laurie R. King titles were together, and two left off the R. I was having flashbacks to the early 2000s Waldenbooks database that had 17 different spellings for Shakespeare...

The most difficult part with the method that uses the Kindle Cloud Reader was scrolling all the way down to the bottom of the list and then scrolling all the way up again to copy the titles and author names. And then having to do it again after changing from All Titles to Books to avoid Samples, which didn't have an author listed, which messed up the whole process.

For the curious: 1426, although some of those are duplicate freebies, which I'll have to manually delete. But not tonight...

Review: The Last Orphan by Gregg Hurwitz

 Disclaimer: I received an advance copy of this title thru NetGalley.

I love the Orphan X series, although books 6 and 7 (Prodigal Son and Dark Horse respectively) made me wonder if I would keep reading the new ones. But I am so happy that The Last Orphan (book 8) squashed that notion pretty damn quick: it grabbed me right away (well, after the Prologue) and kept me on the edge of my seat just like the early ones.

If you haven’t read any of these, start now with Book 1 and get ready to root for Evan Smoak, who may have been trained as an assassin but who was lucky enough to have a mentor who ingrained him with a strong code of ethics. Evan fled the black ops program that shaped him and now uses his skills to help those in trouble who need someone who can think quickly and creatively and act decisively to give the bad guys the punishment they’ve earned.

In Last Orphan when Evan tells Tommy, “I’m there…In the hurt.” I realized that Evan has a bit in common with another character I love, Martha Wells’ Murderbot. They’re both socially awkward, but dedicated to doing what they believe is right.

I’ve been fortunate to find several series that I enjoy re-reading and often find some new appreciation for the stories even the second or third (or eighth) time through. Orphan X is now one of those series. And book 8 has convinced me to give books 6 and 7 another chance…

As with most series, you technically won’t miss anything by not reading the short stories, but if you become an Orphan X fan, you won’t go wrong by tracking them down. I had to borrow them electronically from my public library - I’m hoping someday there will be more and they will be gathered together as a single volume.

Series Order: Orphan X

 

    Buy a Bullet (short)

Orphan X

Nowhere Man

Hellbent

    Intern (short)

Out of the Dark

Into the Fire

    List (short)

Prodigal Son

Dark Horse

Last Orphan

Series Order: Murderbot Diaries

    "The Future of Work: Compulsory"

All Systems Red

Artificial Condition

Rogue Protocol

Exit Strategy

    "Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory"

Fugitive Telemetry

Network Effect

Series Order: Dresden Files

 

Fistful of Warlocks (BC)

Restoration of Faith (SJ)

Welcome to the Jungle (GN)

Storm Front

Fool Moon

    B is for Bigfoot (BC)

Grave Peril

Summer Knight

Death Masks

    Vignette, a.k.a. Pub. and Adv. (SJ)

Blood Rights

    Something Borrowed (SJ)

Dead Beat

    Teenage Bigfoot (BC)

Proven Guilty

    AAAA Wizardry (BC)

White Night

    It’s My Birthday, Too (SJ)

    Heorot (SJ)

Small Favor

    Day Off (SJ)

    Backup (SJ) - POV: Thomas

    Warrior (SJ)

    Last Call (SJ)

    Curses (BC)

Turn Coat

    Love Hurts (SJ)

    Bigfoot on Campus (BC)

    Even Hand (BC) - POV: Marcone

Changes

    Aftermath (SJ) - POV: Murphy

Ghost Story

    Bombshells (BC) - POV: Molly

Cold Days

    Cold Case (BC)

Skin Game

    Jury Duty (BC)

    Zoo Day (BC)

    Day One (BC)

Peace Talks

Battle Ground

    Law

Series Order: Mary Russell

 

Mary's Christmas - ????

    Mary Russell’s War: 1914 - 1915

The Beekeeper's Apprentice (1994): 1915 - 1919

    Beekeeping for Beginners: Spring 1915

    Mrs. Hudson’s Case: Oct. 1918

A Monstrous Regiment of Women (1995): Dec. 1920 - Feb. 1921

    The Marriage of Mary Russell: Feb. 1921

    A Venomous Death: 1923

A Letter of Mary (1997): Aug. - Sept. 1923

The Moor (1998): Sept. - Nov. 1923

O Jerusalem (1999): Dec. 1918 - Feb. 1919 

Justice Hall (2002): Nov.-Dec. 1923

The Game (2004): Jan.-Mar. 1924

Locked Rooms (2005): 1906, 1914, May - June 1924

    The Marriage of Billie Birdsong: June 1924

The Language of Bees (2009): Aug. 1924

The God of the Hive (2010): Aug. - Sept. 1924

Pirate King (2011): Nov. 1924

Garment of Shadows (2012): Dec. 1924 - Jan. 1925

Dreaming Spies (2015): Spring 1924, Spring 1925

The Murder of Mary Russell (2016): 1855 - 1881, May 1925

Island of the Mad (2018): June 1925

Riviera Gold (2020): Summer 1925

Castle Shade (2021): Summer 1925

    Stately Holmes: Dec. 1925

Grave Reservations

I finally finished Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest. Not 'finally' as in "this was a slog and I had to force myself to finish" but 'finally' as in I made myself stop every so often and wait a day or two before continuing because I didn't want it to end! It was a super fun read which I enjoyed as much as Bloodshot and Hellbent. I hope that she can take this new Booking Agents series as far as she wants, unlike the Cheshire Red Reports, which should have been a trilogy...

Deodorant Dilemma Dispatched

When I take a shower, I want to be squeaky clean from head to foot. But no matter how hard I scrubbed (Ow!) or what soap I used, it always felt like there was still some deodorant remnant left. Then I read about aluminum-free deodorants and thought, "Aha! That must be the answer!" And while it was better, it still wasn't the cleanliness level I wanted. So I went on the hunt again and found Hey Humans. I was skeptical because the ingredients are so unusual and it was a really low price, but I am glad I took a chance! In this case, "you get what you pay for" turned out to be "you get more than what you pay for." I notice when I don't apply this deodorant  (working around the house), but don't notice it when I wear it, which means it is doing its job well. Now when I shower I don't have to rub my pits raw trying to dislodge the deodorant - regular washing and I'm done! And I find that I don't have to rub on much to have great odor protection all day.

Two arms held high with upraised thumbs for Hey Humans Deodorant! Now I'm headed back to Target to see what other products are available...

Athena Scalzi - Like Father, Like Daughter

Athena Scalzi seems to have inherited some of her father's ability to write exactly what I'm thinking. Her post about being overweight is a masterpiece.

Peace Talks Review

Disclaimer: I received an advance copy of this title thru NetGalley.

MINOR SPOILER INCLUDED.  If you’ve seen the book trailer or visited any official Jim Butcher social media sites (and probably some un-official ones) you already know the spoiler, but you have been officially warned…

There are several long series in various genres which I enjoy enough to collect and re-read: action adventure, fantasy, mystery, science fiction. Unfortunately, they all suffer from a decrease in enjoyment the longer they continue, usually around book 10. I still read the new titles, but I usually don’t collect them, or if I do, I don’t re-read them as often as I do the first ones in the series. And more than one of these series has a book that I actively avoid and try to pretend doesn’t exist.

Except…

Except for The Dresden Files. Don’t get me wrong: this series has its bumps, but far fewer than other series, with no titles on my avoidance list. And this series is still going strong with book 16, Peace Talks. I’ve seen a lot of internet grumbling and whining about how long the interval was between the last book and this one but if the quality is going to remain this high, I’m not going to complain! Of course, now we know that the time was spent writing not one, but two! books.  And we get both within a couple of months of each other!  Mahalo nui loa, Jim Butcher!  At least 2020 won’t be a complete suckfest.

All the Dresden books have plenty of snark and tons of heart, continual intricate world-building, dozens of lines that I want to memorize (“Home … It’s where the books are.”) at least one scene that makes me laugh out loud every time I read it, even if it’s the third or eighth or thirteenth time (Tyranosaurs don’t corner well), and at least one scene that makes my eyes get misty, if not downright teary. Peace Talks upholds all these traditions well.

And I have faith in Jim Butcher that Battle Ground will be just as excellent – he shows no signs of losing the magical gift that I am so grateful he chooses to share with the world.

If you haven’t seen the booktrailer, you really should – I’ve watched it at least a half dozen times and each time my breath catches when I see the words “Followed by” on the screen. Do yourself another favor and watch the April 1^st version – the subtlety in both videos (Marcone’s ear damage in the first and the slowly increasing obviousness of the {redacted so as not to spoil the surprise} in the second) is another indicator of Dresden Files Quality.

I’d also like to note that the audiobook versions add extra value to an already fantastic experience. For some reason when Ghost Story (book 13) first came out it had a different narrator and although I like John Glover and listened to his version twice I couldn’t bring myself to purchase it, to add it to the collection alongside the others narrated by James Marsters. Fortunately, Marsters was able to perform GS later. The moment Audible listed him as the narrator for Peace Talks, I pre-ordered. Because The Dresden Files is still going strong with Book 16 and I’m still a fervent devotee and admirer. And as soon as he is listed as the performer for Battle Ground, I’ll click pre-order again. Because like Butcher, Marsters still has his magic touch as well. Mahalo nui loa, James!

Dear Jim Butcher and James Marsters: Live Long and Prosper! (I know that’s a different franchise. It’s a mashup. Deal with it.)

Double Space

Breaking my 35-year-old habit of typing two spaces at the end of a sentence is turning out to be freakin' difficult!

Blacklist Quote

I've recently been binging Blacklist via Netflix streaming and this line made me hit pause and rewind:

"Is it just me or is the human race, armed with religion, poisoned by prejudice, and absolutely frantic with hatred and fear, galloping pell-mell back to the Dark Ages?"

Most unfortunately, Red, it's not just you...

Island of the Mad by Laurie R. King

Fair warning: this is my first formal book review.



Disclaimer: I received an advance copy of this title thru NetGalley.

Island of the Mad has begun to restore my faith in the Mary Russell books.  I have adored this series for years... up to book 10, God of the Hive.  I re-read (listen to, actually) the books often - they are my comfort listens.

But the last four just haven't been my cup of tea.  I didn't get the humorous bent (so unlike the rest of the series) of Pirate King, felt that Ali and Mahmoud were completely wasted in Garment of Shadows (which also had too many dense blocks of historical background), can tolerate Dreaming Spies, but do my best to pretend that Murder of Mary Russell doesn't exist.  I have given the first three of these multiple attempts but there are few circumstances which could entice me to re-do MoMR even once. I had resigned myself to the existence of only 10 Russell books and some short stories.

So it was with trepidation mingled with my anticipation that I requested a NetGalley advance copy of Island of the Mad. And the more I read, the more I relaxed, feeling like I was reading a traditional Russell novel like the ones I love so much.  I kept making myself put it aside every few chapters so I wouldn't reach the end too quickly. 

I enjoyed the book quite a bit, but was uneasy with the ending.  I won't include a spoiler here (although I can't speak for the comments) - for a typical mystery story, the ending was just right.  But for a story with Sherlock Holmes in it...

I am currently listening to the audio release of this Russell adventure and so far, enjoying it just as much.

Live Action Beauty and the Beast

WANT TO SEE NOW!!!

Disney Movie Trailers

Aegean Blue

It's a lovely color, wouldn't you agree?

Confusion re: Reaction(s)

I had to take some Benadryl today and, reader that I am, I read the package:

When using this product:

• marked drowsiness may occur
• {another warning}
• {and another warning}
• {yet another warning}
• excitability may occur, especially in children

What?!  Should I expect to be drowsy or excitable?  Or drowsily excited?  Or does this mean that the adults, who could probably use a little extra boost, can expect to be more sluggish than usual while the children, who probably don't need it, can be expected to demonstrate an extra output of energy?

Either way, I was instantly wary of this stuff, so it better do its main job really well so I can overlook its contradictory side effects.

Definitions of Height

Highest, Tallest, and Closest to the Stars

Middle Age

I think I've officially reached middle age: I got my first pair of bifocals today.  (Actually, I think they're trifocals, but whatev.)  Several people had shared horror stories and warned me that I'd hate them and should go with reading glasses instead, but my problem wasn't just when I was sitting down to read a book.  It's a little odd where there are blurry patches that used to be clear, but that's completely offset by the joy of being able to read a piece of paper in my hand without having to lift up my glasses and hold the paper up to my nose - that was getting r  e  a  l  l  y tiresome.  I'm able to go down stairs without problem (a warning from the doctor) and even drove from the doctor's office to work.  So far I have no complaints.