Tracy W - aNobii

Books (130)

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- Superfreakonomics
- By Steven D. Levitt
- Finished in 2009
  
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Superfreakonomics

1 person find this helpful

This is my most anticipated book in recent months besides Malcolm Gladwell's What the Dog Saw. Unlike the latter, however, this is a disappointment.
Maybe because Freakonomics was such a pioneering and groundbreaking work on behavioural economics, I thought its sequel would be equally fascina ... (continue)

This is my most anticipated book in recent months besides Malcolm Gladwell's What the Dog Saw. Unlike the latter, however, this is a disappointment.
Maybe because Freakonomics was such a pioneering and groundbreaking work on behavioural economics, I thought its sequel would be equally fascinating and would change the way we look at things. It doesn't work this time.
In Freakonomics, Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner asked a number of interesting questions about every day's life and answered them via explaining how people make decisions/choices by responding to incentives. The analysis is all based on hard facts and data. The answers to questions like why New York City's crime rate fell drastically in the early 1990s (because of the legalisation of abortion - Roe vs Wade in 1973) are very convincing.
The authors apply the same formula and methodology in SuperFreakonomics again, but none of the stories is memorable. I think the problem with this book is that the questions have not been clearly framed at the outset. Hence, after reading chunks of analysis and figures, I still don't know what problems they are trying to tackle.
The only story that may be worth reading is the last one: the chapter on using geoengineering to tackle global warming.

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— Nov 16, 2009 | Add your feedback
- What the Dog Saw (2)
- and other adventures
- By Malcolm Gladwell
- Finished in 2009
  
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What the Dog Saw

1 person find this helpful

This is a collection of articles written by Malcolm Gladwell and published in New Yorker since 1996. Selected by Gladwell and categorised under three themes, these articles are Gladwell's favourites and a showcase of his exemplary insights and investigative reporting at its best.
I enjoy ever ... (continue)

This is a collection of articles written by Malcolm Gladwell and published in New Yorker since 1996. Selected by Gladwell and categorised under three themes, these articles are Gladwell's favourites and a showcase of his exemplary insights and investigative reporting at its best.
I enjoy every single article with topics ranging from Ketchup, hair dye, dog whisperer, Enron, homelessness, criminal profiling to job interview etc. Gladwell has a flair for asking questions, identifying a pattern or interesting phenomenon from the common or ordinary, and spinning a good yarn backed up by meticulous research. All of his articles start from a banal premise, but they all end up in a good story. Maybe this talent of looking for great ideas and telling stories is what makes Gladwell tick.
Another question for Gladwell to think about: if all these articles are freely downloadable from his website, how come this collection is still so much sought after and has become a bestseller?

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— Nov 3, 2009 | Add your feedback
- The Secret Scripture
- By Sebastian Barry
- Finished in 2009
  
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The Secret Scripture

This is a creative and ingenious piece of work, with two haunting and poignant narratives from Roseanne, a 100-year old mental patient, and her doctor criss-crossing and combining into this story.
It has a good plot with a shocking ending (though somehow I guessed it correctly after reading 30 ... (continue)

This is a creative and ingenious piece of work, with two haunting and poignant narratives from Roseanne, a 100-year old mental patient, and her doctor criss-crossing and combining into this story.
It has a good plot with a shocking ending (though somehow I guessed it correctly after reading 30 pages). However, one thing is never clear to me (and maybe some other readers): what made people around Roseanne so bent on driving her insane? Maybe it's in the story, but I couldn't get it. And this made it one of the most unsatisfying reads I have ever encountered.

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— Nov 3, 2009 | Add your feedback
- Black Dogs (3)
- By Ian McEwan
- Finished in 2009
  
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Black Dogs

The reason why I don't like this book is because the story itself, a past encounter of the narrator's mother in-law with two black dogs, takes up around 10 pages of the book, and it appears near the end of the book. The rest is descriptions and recollections of the narrator that gradually build up ... (continue)

The reason why I don't like this book is because the story itself, a past encounter of the narrator's mother in-law with two black dogs, takes up around 10 pages of the book, and it appears near the end of the book. The rest is descriptions and recollections of the narrator that gradually build up to the "climax" - the revelation of what happened.
If the incident were more terrifying or exciting, it might be worth the trouble of reading all the unnecessary details. But it is not.
The result of this style of writing is nothing but disappointing.

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— Nov 3, 2009 | Add your feedback

- Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the (54)
- By Stieg Larsson
- Finished in 2009
  
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Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the

1 person find this helpful

I never knew before that the Swedish have such talented writers. This book 1 of the Millennium trilogy is really an eye-opener.
Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is like Robert Ludlum meets with James Patterson and Dan Brown. The plot is very complicated with murder, commercial ... (continue)

I never knew before that the Swedish have such talented writers. This book 1 of the Millennium trilogy is really an eye-opener.
Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is like Robert Ludlum meets with James Patterson and Dan Brown. The plot is very complicated with murder, commercial crime, computer hacking and investigative journalism weaved together. Larsson took readers through one mystery after another and eventually to some answers, but not all and hence, leaving readers craving for more.
Looking forward to Book 2. Sadly, Larsson died from a heart attack in 2004, after delivering the Millennium trilogy manuscripts to his publisher. He did not live to see the worldwide phenomenon he had generated.

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— Oct 1, 2009 | Add your feedback
- The Host (103)
- By Stephenie Meyer
- Finished in 2009
  
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The Host

1 person find this helpful

This is a roller-coaster-ride-like page turner with a very original and plausible plot.
Based on the premise that there is an alien invasion of the minds of all but very few human beings in the world, The Host is about the final human outpost's resistance against the aliens, which are creature ... (continue)

This is a roller-coaster-ride-like page turner with a very original and plausible plot.
Based on the premise that there is an alien invasion of the minds of all but very few human beings in the world, The Host is about the final human outpost's resistance against the aliens, which are creatures injected into the human bodies, replacing the minds of the hosts. Melanie's mind, however, is very strong, and she refuses to be wiped off by the alien, Wanderer. As the story unfolds, the two minds fight, tolerate and cooperate to survive, in Melanie's host body, in the horrible futuristic world.
Utterly stunning and exciting, The Host is not like anything you have ever read and is sure to thrill and amaze all readers alike.

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— Oct 1, 2009 | 1 feedback
- Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (20)
- The Classic Regency Romance - Now With Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem!
- By Seth Grahame-Smith, Jane Austen
- Finished in 2009
  
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Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

2 people find this helpful

I don't like Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice much. Maybe it's because the English is too ancient and difficult to read. But Pride and Prejudice And Zombies, an ingenious plot concocted by Seth Grahame-Smith, is hilarious.
85% made up of Jane Austen's original novel and 15% additional mater ... (continue)

I don't like Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice much. Maybe it's because the English is too ancient and difficult to read. But Pride and Prejudice And Zombies, an ingenious plot concocted by Seth Grahame-Smith, is hilarious.
85% made up of Jane Austen's original novel and 15% additional materials on zombies wreaking havoc on the quiet English village of Meryton, the formula works.
Sheer entertainment and fun. No wonder the book has been optioned for a movie. Keeping my fingers crossed.

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— Sep 30, 2009 | 1 feedback
- Art of Racing in the Rain, The
- By Garth Stein
- Finished in 2009
  
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Art of Racing in the Rain, The

1 person find this helpful

As a dog lover, I cannot refrain from loving this book.
Told by Enzo, a Labrador, "The Art of Racing in the Rain" is the story of Denny Swift, a race driver, and his family which almost fell apart. Enzo the dog stayed with them and gave them whole-hearted support and loyalty through thick and ... (continue)

As a dog lover, I cannot refrain from loving this book.
Told by Enzo, a Labrador, "The Art of Racing in the Rain" is the story of Denny Swift, a race driver, and his family which almost fell apart. Enzo the dog stayed with them and gave them whole-hearted support and loyalty through thick and thin.
Readers may sometimes wonder whether Enzo could understand and express such complicated things in the human world, let alone "write" them out. There are many chapters on car racing which are highly technical and professional. However, you will forgive the author for being a little bit carried away when you find out that Enzo is a car racer at heart.
Dogs are humans' best friends and this book proves it. Enzo's love for Denny is complete, absolute and unwavering. I have lost count of how many times the book brought me almost to tears.
Moving and touching, this is a wonderful book that must not be missed.

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— Aug 22, 2009 | Add your feedback

- The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (29)
- By Mary Ann Shaffer
- Finished in 2009
  
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The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

1 person find this helpful

This book is absolutely amazing. I love it mainly for three reasons:
(i) the way it is presented, i.e. in a string of correspondences in 1946 between Juliet Ashton, a writer in London, and her friends and a group of new acquaintances in Guernsey, which had just been liberated from the Nazi o ... (continue)

This book is absolutely amazing. I love it mainly for three reasons:
(i) the way it is presented, i.e. in a string of correspondences in 1946 between Juliet Ashton, a writer in London, and her friends and a group of new acquaintances in Guernsey, which had just been liberated from the Nazi occupation. It reminds me of "84 Charingcross Road", but this one is even more interesting and fascinating.
(ii) the wonderful characters of the book, especially members of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Their lives, revealed through the letters, are a celebration of human courage, compassion and dignity in times of extreme oppression and dire straits.
(iii) the story behind how the author, Mary Ann Shaffer, came up with the idea of the book, saw it to fruition and passed away shortly after the book was published. The fact that Shaffer, an American, could write in such a British style and know so much about the very English Channel Islands is astonishing.
Highly recommended.

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— Aug 20, 2009 | Add your feedback
- Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World
- By Bret Witter, Vicki Myron
- Finished in 2009
  
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Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World

1 person find this helpful

I am a dog person and never like cats. However, I cannot imagine anyone, be it a dog or cat person, not loving Dewey after reading this gem of a book.
Dewey, a stray kitten adopted by the public library of Spencer, a 10,000-person town in Iowa, was such a special and adorable angel that he to ... (continue)

I am a dog person and never like cats. However, I cannot imagine anyone, be it a dog or cat person, not loving Dewey after reading this gem of a book.
Dewey, a stray kitten adopted by the public library of Spencer, a 10,000-person town in Iowa, was such a special and adorable angel that he touched not only those in Spencer or Iowa, but also people across the States and around the world.
I shall leave it to readers to find out how Dewey did that. For me, I am particularly moved by the 19-year relationship between Vicki Myron, the library director, and Dewey. Dewey was like a son to Vicki. Reading the last chapter of the book almost brought me to tears.
A must read.

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— Jul 28, 2009 | Add your feedback
- Battlefield of the Mind (5)
- Winning the Battle in Your Mind
- By Joyce Meyer
- Finished in 2009
  
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Battlefield of the Mind

This book suits me as I have recently become a Christian. Joyce Meyer selected some very good, insightful and inspiring scriptures from the Bible and gave her objective and reasonable interpretations. It helps me learn more about His teachings, wisdom and love and strengthens my belief in God.
... (continue)

This book suits me as I have recently become a Christian. Joyce Meyer selected some very good, insightful and inspiring scriptures from the Bible and gave her objective and reasonable interpretations. It helps me learn more about His teachings, wisdom and love and strengthens my belief in God.
Whether you are a Christian or not, this book will help you lead a more positive and fruitful life. Many of our troubles spring from our convoluted or corrupt mind and if we can get our mind right, we can make it. The mind is really a battlefield and His Word is our weapon to win this war.

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— Jul 28, 2009 | Add your feedback
- A spot of bother (16)
- By Mark Haddon
- Finished in 2009
  
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A spot of bother

Fans of "The Curious Incident of The Dog in The Night-Time" may be disappointed by this second book of Mark Haddon.
The plot is alright. In fact, this tale about a dysfunctional family preparing for the second wedding of their daughter, Katie Hall, is quite hilarious and with lots of drama. ... (continue)

Fans of "The Curious Incident of The Dog in The Night-Time" may be disappointed by this second book of Mark Haddon.
The plot is alright. In fact, this tale about a dysfunctional family preparing for the second wedding of their daughter, Katie Hall, is quite hilarious and with lots of drama. However, maybe too much focus has been placed on the father, George Hall, a retired former executive who suspected that he had skin cancer. There are detailed descriptions of the state of mind of George who is going insane, and his convoluted mind made my head spin when I was reading it.
I found it quite difficult to get through the book. Not recommended.

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— Jul 6, 2009 | Add your feedback