An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth: What Going to Space Taught Me... by

Over the holiday weekend I listened to this audiobook while traveling.  The audiobook is narrated by the author whose speech patterns are somewhat like Walter White.

Pros

• Fascinating -- about space and the author's career path to get to there
• Interesting technical descriptions that aren't loaded with jargon
• Describes the role his family plays in his career
• Takes lessons learned from space exploration and applies to daily life
• Hadfield's sense of humor adds a levity to the text

Cons

• Regional use of on vs. in is distracting
• Some content is mildly repetitive

I'd love to read Hadfield's review of Andy Weir's The Martian.

Book-themed Baby Shower

Warning: This is not a review.

I recently co-hosted a book-themed baby shower.  It was a pleasure to celebrate an addition to my extended family and to exercise some book-inspired creativity.  Here are the highlights.

Book-themed

• Invitations

Modified invitation and bookplate template from MarthaStewart.com

Information card with instructions

• Book wreath based on this YouTube video

Flattened the pages for a more angular look

• Food

Bamboo-inspired ants on a log with a print for Hi, Koo!: A Year of Seasons by Jon J. Muth

Green deviled eggs for Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss

Cupcake caterpillar for The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Not book-themed

• Christmas diaper cake centerpiece

• Onesies and socks on a line

Refinery29: Style Stalking by Barberich and Gelardi

Christene Barberich and Piera Gelardi successfully translate the essentials of style in their book Refinery29: Style Stalking.  

• Useful fashion guidance on a range of topics
• Focuses on uniqueness and self expression
• Engaging web-inspired layout
• Addresses useful topics in modern ways (e.g. blacks, brights, denim)
• Zoom lens features highlight details
• Profiles leaders fashion experts and leaders

All the Rage by Courtney Summers

All the Rage is a solid YA read with all the expected emotional baggage.  

Pros

• A suspenseful page-turner
• Complex main character with unclear motives
• Realistic small town setting

Cons

• Much effort devoted to the sequence of events
• Overly dramatic central character

A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler

The plot travels through several generations of a functioning dysfunctional family.  Overall, it as a very enjoyable literary fiction read.

• Intriguing realistic characters
• Plot covers a range of decades
• Explores each how difference characters experience the same events differently

The Vacationers by Emma Straub

Over the summer I'd heard that The Vacationers didn't live up to the hype.  I tried not to bring high expectations to this novel and give it a try.

Pros

• A cast of characters at a variety of stages in life
• Beautiful setting evoking opportunity and change
• Fun, yet realistic action

Cons

• At times overly light and whimsical
• Cliché supporting characters

The Visionist by Rachel Urquhart

Given that all the pros could be cons depending on preference, there is only one list.

• A soft literary-styled read
• Character-focused novel
• Gentle and predictable plot turns and twists

Furry Logic by Jane Seabrook

This quick read gave me insight into the inner workings of my pets.

Pros

• Very light and quick read
• Lends itself to being a coffee table book
• Realistic and accurate in descriptions of animal behavior

Cons

• Content not new or unique
• Not innovative or fresh

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Boring Patient by R. David Lankes

This is a book about what it is like to experience cancer and cancer treatments.  

Pros

• This is not another victory speech from the finish line by a cancer survivor.
• The combination of humor, criticism of the medical system, and description of an emotional cancer experience make this text multidimensional, and a quick read.

Cons

• There are few references to the time frame in which the events occurred causing events to run together.

Overall, The Boring Patient is an overview of one patient's experience with cancer, but it doesn't read like the typical cancer memoir.

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.