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Sam

  • 13
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  • 5
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  • 19
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Repetitive

Overall
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
3 out of 5 stars
Story
2 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 08-21-24

Edgar Allan Poe has a few very good works. Unfortunately, it doesn't hold up after so much time. When reading through the entire collected works, it's disappointing to note how often he borrowed themes and even entire passages from other works. This was a very difficult book to get through. It was interesting to me that most of his writing is very different in genre from what he is best known for.

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Tired

Overall
2 out of 5 stars
Performance
3 out of 5 stars
Story
1 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 07-06-24

I have enjoyed many Agatha Christie novels, but this one reads as though she gave up on revising her early drafts and just turned the manuscript in before it was finished. I had such a difficult time caring much about the characters at all. Usually, Poirot is much more entertaining.

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Vapid, pretentious, and pedantic

Overall
1 out of 5 stars
Performance
3 out of 5 stars
Story
1 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 01-24-24

There is so little to like about this book. It holds up some good principles in service of terrible ones. Altruism is not socialism, and intellectualism is not morality. The speech by John Galt is the worst example I've ever known of repetitive drivel trying to come across as genius.

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Intriguing

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 01-02-23

This is a very intriguing book because of how it links exercise to physiological responses in the body, and especially the brain. It provides some very good reasons for all of us to exercise more. All too often, we get into a mindset that one thing or another isn't valuable if it doesn't help me with whatever goal I'm focused on now. Anyone wanting to lose weight can quickly come to the conclusion that diet can do way more than exercise when it comes to creating a caloric deficit. That's great! But, we should still exercise, and this book explains multiple benefits that many simply aren't aware of.

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Not for me, and I'm Christian

Overall
2 out of 5 stars
Performance
2 out of 5 stars
Story
1 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 01-02-23

There are multiple reviews that talk about how this can be a difficult book for anyone who isn't a Christian or at least religious. I'm both a Christian and very religious, but I didn't get anything out of this book. His stories didn't resonate, and I felt like this book was more of a disctraction than something to help me focus on what is most important.

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2 people found this helpful

Difficult

Overall
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
2 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 01-02-23

This book can give many a glimpse into a life experience that could be described as heartbreaking, poignant, noble, or any number of other adjectives. I couldn't finish it. I've tried to find words to describe my reaction to this book. No matter how I try, I've been unsuccessful. In short, I don't feel good when reading this book, and it's not written in a way that I feel a desire to do better personally. I might try to finish this some other time, but it hasn't been for me so far.

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Shallow and vulgar

Overall
2 out of 5 stars
Performance
3 out of 5 stars
Story
1 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 01-02-23

I guess if you're looking for someone to give you permission to fail, this is a great book for you. Those that love this book would obviously take issue with my dislike for it, but as much as I try to like every book that I read, I just couldn't get behind this one. It is incredibly commonplace in our world of people screaming that we should just do whatever we want. Some might argue that carefully curated social media posts have created a toxic atmosphere, and this book is great medicine. I would say that arguing two extremes is ridiculous. If social media is making you feel like a failure because so many people make every effort to create a picture of perfection that doesn't really exist, turn it off. On the other hand, it's okay to do the dirty jobs and take pride in it even though we don't always love doing them.
For me, this book was a rambling diatribe with occasionally witty commentary. It seems to have been cathartic for Mr. Cease, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

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Fun story

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 09-23-22

I really enjoyed this book. Brandon Sanderson is probably most famous for epic fantasy, but books like Skyward demonstrate his capacity to tell a good story in multiple genres. It's much lighter than his usual fare.

Characters are likeable and believable. It is somewhat predictable, but that is suitable for a younger target audience, and it doesn't take away from the enjoyable story.

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Alice

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 08-08-20

super awesome book totally recommend it, the book is so good and very fun to read 😊

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Better for Russians?

Overall
2 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
1 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 08-20-19

I thought the narrator was very good, but the story was very dense. I couldn't appreciate the story. It just kept going, and I struggled to finish. I only kept listening because it's supposed to be a classic. I didn't feel enlightened or challenged. I only felt depressed.

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1 person found this helpful