Summary
Janelle and I watched the movie way back in December or November. It was so good, so suspenseful, had such great characters, that we desperately wanted to read the book.
So, we bought the book. And the next book. This is the first of seven books in what is called the 'Tomorrow' series.
Ellie and her six friends, Homer, Corrie, Robyn, Kevin, Fiona, and Lee go out to the mountains for a week long camping trip. When they get back, their country has been invaded, their families and neighbours have all been pressed into concentration camps, and they've got nowhere to go but back to the mountains.
Until, that is, they decide to fight back...
What I liked
The characters were very well developed. The plot was very interesting, action packed, and suspenseful. And the writing was really good.
In addition, the characters grapple with some very deep issues and come up with some profound thoughts.
What I didn't like
Nothing.
Conclusion
This is a great young adult book. I can't recommend it enough. 5/5 killer lawn mowers.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
The 250 Job Interview Questions by Peter Veruki
Summary
Since graduating from University, I've been looking for a job. My aunt lent me The 250 Job Interview Questions You'll Most Likely Be Asked ... and the Answers that Will Get You Hired! to help me with my job interviews.
The book begins by giving advice on researching prospective future employers, contacting them, and landing a job interview. Next it explains how to best prepare for an interview. The middle part of the book gives two hundred fifty interview questions and explains what the best kinds of answers to each question are. The end part of the book is about how to follow up an interview, how to handle rejection positively, and how to negotiate salary and benefits once a job offer is made.
What I liked
The book is very well written, it stays on topic, and it's short. I got through the book in just over five hours including the time I took to come up with my own answers to the interview questions.
The middle part of the book explains the interview questions very well. The question is printed on the page in bold typeface, under it the writer supplies a sample answer, then explains what concerns lead the interviewer to ask the question and what kind of answer would best alleviate those concerns.
The author also stresses that professionalism is important in any job hunt.
What I didn't like
Only one minor issue. The book's target audience is people looking for professional jobs. The questions and explanations reflect that. There isn't much in this book directed at people looking for non-professional jobs. That's not to say that the book isn't helpful to those people, though, because it can be.
Conclusion
A great help and a great confidence booster for any job seeker. 5/5 nervous job hunters.
Since graduating from University, I've been looking for a job. My aunt lent me The 250 Job Interview Questions You'll Most Likely Be Asked ... and the Answers that Will Get You Hired! to help me with my job interviews.
The book begins by giving advice on researching prospective future employers, contacting them, and landing a job interview. Next it explains how to best prepare for an interview. The middle part of the book gives two hundred fifty interview questions and explains what the best kinds of answers to each question are. The end part of the book is about how to follow up an interview, how to handle rejection positively, and how to negotiate salary and benefits once a job offer is made.
What I liked
The book is very well written, it stays on topic, and it's short. I got through the book in just over five hours including the time I took to come up with my own answers to the interview questions.
The middle part of the book explains the interview questions very well. The question is printed on the page in bold typeface, under it the writer supplies a sample answer, then explains what concerns lead the interviewer to ask the question and what kind of answer would best alleviate those concerns.
The author also stresses that professionalism is important in any job hunt.
What I didn't like
Only one minor issue. The book's target audience is people looking for professional jobs. The questions and explanations reflect that. There isn't much in this book directed at people looking for non-professional jobs. That's not to say that the book isn't helpful to those people, though, because it can be.
Conclusion
A great help and a great confidence booster for any job seeker. 5/5 nervous job hunters.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
Summary
Having captured Semirhage in book eleven, Rand al'Thor now has her tied up in the mansion he's living in in the back woods of Arad Doman with his army. Cadsuane, Nynaeve, and Min, meanwhile are concerned about his mental health.
Semirhage gets loose, though, and comes after Rand with a vengeance, putting a domination band on him and forcing him to strangle Min. Min and Rand escape, just barely, and Rand determines to become even harder, even meaner, so that no one can take advantage of his weakness again.
That leads his friends to be even more concerned about his mental health. They come up with a plan to fix him.
Meanwhile, the world is getting worse and worse. Food is spoiling randomly. Even though spring has come, the trees don't blossom, the grass won't grow.
Egwene still thinks she can fix the White Tower but after a confrontation with Elaida, she is imprisoned and accused of being a darkfriend. They might execute her! And then the Seanchan attack.
What I liked
This book balances Rand's internal drama and his descent into madness with plenty of action and suspense. There's even a middle of the night killer zombie episode. The end is surprising and happy and I really liked that. The character development was fantastic.
What I didn't like
It was long. I got the feeling that Brandon Sanderson thought that Robert Jordan's original draft was somehow sacred or something and shouldn't be cut. So there were pages and pages of writing that didn't add much to the story--too much description, too much explanation--especially in the first half of the book. It gets much neater towards the end. There was some pointless drama--I felt like Egwene should torch Gawyn with balefire to fix the pointless drama problem of the series--but it wasn't as bad as it could have been.
Conclusion
A great addition to the series. It builds a ton of suspense, many of the developments are surprising. It's good, and mostly well written. My favourite part, though, is Rand's character development in this series. So here's 4.5/5 violent patricidal temper tantrums.
Having captured Semirhage in book eleven, Rand al'Thor now has her tied up in the mansion he's living in in the back woods of Arad Doman with his army. Cadsuane, Nynaeve, and Min, meanwhile are concerned about his mental health.
Semirhage gets loose, though, and comes after Rand with a vengeance, putting a domination band on him and forcing him to strangle Min. Min and Rand escape, just barely, and Rand determines to become even harder, even meaner, so that no one can take advantage of his weakness again.
That leads his friends to be even more concerned about his mental health. They come up with a plan to fix him.
Meanwhile, the world is getting worse and worse. Food is spoiling randomly. Even though spring has come, the trees don't blossom, the grass won't grow.
Egwene still thinks she can fix the White Tower but after a confrontation with Elaida, she is imprisoned and accused of being a darkfriend. They might execute her! And then the Seanchan attack.
What I liked
This book balances Rand's internal drama and his descent into madness with plenty of action and suspense. There's even a middle of the night killer zombie episode. The end is surprising and happy and I really liked that. The character development was fantastic.
What I didn't like
It was long. I got the feeling that Brandon Sanderson thought that Robert Jordan's original draft was somehow sacred or something and shouldn't be cut. So there were pages and pages of writing that didn't add much to the story--too much description, too much explanation--especially in the first half of the book. It gets much neater towards the end. There was some pointless drama--I felt like Egwene should torch Gawyn with balefire to fix the pointless drama problem of the series--but it wasn't as bad as it could have been.
Conclusion
A great addition to the series. It builds a ton of suspense, many of the developments are surprising. It's good, and mostly well written. My favourite part, though, is Rand's character development in this series. So here's 4.5/5 violent patricidal temper tantrums.
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