non-fiction Archives - Page 7 of 7

Yzabel / January 1, 2016

Review: Adulthood Is A Myth

Adulthood is a Myth: A “Sarah’s Scribbles” Collection by Sarah Andersen

My rating: [rating=4]

Blurb:

Are you a special snowflake? Do you love networking to advance your career? Have you never wasted a fresh new day surfing the internet? Ugh. This book is not for you. Please go away.

Sarah’s Scribbles — casually drawn, perfectly on-point comics by young Brooklyn-based artist Sarah Andersen — confront head-on the horrors, anxiety, and awkwardness of modern adult life. From the agony of holding hands with a gorgeous guy to the yawning pit of hell that is the wifi gone down to the eye-watering pain of eating too-hot pizza because one cannot stand to wait for it to cool down, Sarah fearlessly documents it all.

Like the work of fellow Millennial authors Allie Brosh, Grace Helbig, and Gemma Correll, Sarah’s total frankness on extremely personal issues such as body image, self-consciousness, introversion, relationships, and bra-washing makes her comics highly relatable and consistently hilarious.

Review:

[I received a copy of this novel through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.]

A very light, fluffy and enjoyable little book, and at the same time, one that also makes you think and ponder about what is supposed to define us as “adults”… versus what adulthood really means. Because in my opinion, it does have a lot of meanings, and one of those is “being old and knowing what you’re doing aren’t the same thing.”

The panels often dealt with situations that made me laugh, because they rang all so true. Sniffing books. Procrastination. Staying up late for no reason. People asking you about when you’re finally having kids. Why it’s so hard to go out early in the heart of winter. Doing things that suck because we have to. Finding ourselves in embarassing company. And so on.

And it was spot on, as far as I was concerned, and made me think after I was done laughing, because, really, even at 36+, I’m still not sure what “being an adult” is. I pay my bills and my rent on time, I perform pretty well in my job, I don’t cause harm to myself or others through engaging in dangerous behaviours. I can safely say I’m “responsible”. Yet I’ve more than once been with people who still said that I wasn’t a real adult/a real woman because I didn’t want kids. That I should “grow out of video games”. Sometimes, peer pressure will make you question your choices, and the “stories” in this book often pinpoint those very situations leading to those questions, while underlining in turn another question: “But do we HAVE to change? Should we? If we remain the way we are, and we’re happy enough like that, why should we give in and conform to a certain idea of ‘adulthood’?” Does anyone hold the truth, the exact truth, the one definition here? Is there even one?

So yeah, I found myself in many of these comic strips. Whether this makes me an “adult” or not… Frankly, at this point, I just don’t care. Still, as I said, it reminded me of quite a few encounters and conversations I had. Also, I’m positive that no matter what, I’ll never have all the answers, and I’ll keep wondering if it’s normal, if I shouldn’t know 100% what I’m supposed to be doing right now. And… it’s alright. We’re all different, after all.

The drawing style itself was very simple, and not entirely to my taste; however, it worked well for that kind of comic-strips and for the artist to exaggerate facial expressions and other positions. Now, I wasn’t looking for the next masterpiece that would eclipse Renaissance painters, so I didn’t care much, to be honest. Simplicity probably works best when it comes to humour here.

On the downside, you can likely find all this on the artist’s website and the book is a bit redundant. This said… I don’t care either!

Yzabel / September 13, 2015

Review: Pop Sonnets

Pop Sonnets: Shakespearean Spins on Your Favorite Songs by Erik Didriksen

My rating: [rating=5]

Blurb:

The Bard meets the Backstreet Boys in Pop Sonnets, a collection of 100 classic pop songs reimagined as Shakespearean sonnets. All of your favorite artists are represented in these pages–from Bon Jovi and Green Day to Miley Cyrus, Beyoncé, and beyond. Already a smash sensation on the Internet–the Tumblr page has 50,000+ followers–Pop Sonnets has been featured by the A.V. Club, BuzzFeed, and Vanity Fair, among many others. More than half of these pop sonnets are exclusive to this collection and have never been published in any form.

Review:

[I received a copy of this book through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.]

Clever, very clever.

And in proper rhyming structure *and* iambic pentameters (yes, I counted; not for every single sonnet, but I still counted, just to make sure).

This collection of 100 famous songs—some dating back to the mid-20th centuries, some much more recent—revisited as Shakespearian sonnets was very funny to read, as well as interesting: the poetry does respect the form, appropriates some lines from actual plays (“the winter of our disco tent”), and translates modern concepts into Elizabethan wording. Guitars become lutes, cars become coaches… However, the content of the songs is very easy to recognise. Here’s an example from Roxanne by The Police:

“Pray, do not put those bawdy vestments on
or paint that vulgar rouge across thy face;
thou needest not those wanton garments don
nor with that ruddy brush thy cheeks debase.
I beg thee to this sordid life forego:
turn not a trick, but prithee turn the page!
O, dear Roxanne, thou dost not need to go
into that den of sin to earn thy wage.”

Compare with the song’s lyrics, and there you have it. In general, although the sonnets don’t include *all* lines (Bohemian Rhapsody, for instance, would be hard to translate in only 14 lines), mostly they really fit their songs counterparts.

Of course, the “downside” is that, to fully enjoy this book, you have to a) be a Shakespeare geek of sorts, and b) know the songs and their lyrics. Without that, odds are it won’t be as amusing, or at least not more than “heh, nice”. On the other hand, it’s also a good opportunity to go and discover/listen to the songs one knows less.

I spent a merry good time reading this book, and I highly recommend it to whoever likes Shakespeare, famous songs, and wants to have a laugh. Not to mention to have fun with friends and/or try to find the real Shakespearian lines in there.

Yzabel / September 8, 2015

Review: Write Your Novel

Write Your Novel! From Getting Started to First Draft by Maggie James

My rating: [rating=4]

Blurb:

Have you always longed to write a novel? In Write Your Novel! From Getting Started to First Draft, I aim to inspire you with the confidence to do just that. With this book, I’ll be your cheerleader, your hand-holder. We’ll work on your mind-set, find sources of support, and deal with procrastination issues. I’ll help you carve out the time to write and together we’ll smash through the excuses that are holding you back.

What else? Do you need help in finding ideas? Worried where to start? Unsure whether writing software is right for you? Confused how to plan your novel? No problem! We cover all these issues and more. Every section ends with an action plan so you’re raring to go!

Review:

[I received a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.]

3.5 stars. Short and to the point, although on a basic level: in other words, this will likely be a useful and motivating read if you are quite new to writing and/or looking for motivation, but will not bring anything new to someone who’s already studied several books about writing in general.

I think the author liked putting up this guide together, and you can feel it, as she puts the finger on exactly what one should take into account when writing a novel. Battling procrastination, finding a writing software (links are provided), not letting anyone kill your desire to write, how to start looking for ideas, the “hero’s journey”, planning or not planning, writing environment, self-publishing, advice about adverbs and active/passive voice, etc… A lot of aspects are covered, along with examples from the author’s own stories, thus allowing to actually see how her thought processes went and how she got from her initial ideas to the finished novels.

(Side note: the author mentions the Scrivener sofwatre, as well as NaNoWriMo, a yearly “event” that has personally motivated me a lot in years past. For anyone who’d like to take part in November, “winning” (completing 50k words) entitles you to a 50% discount to buy Scrivener. It’s a great software, and the discount makes it dirt cheap.)

As said above, while it’s probably nothing new to someone with experience in that regard, this book’s main interesting feature, in my opinion, is that it covers a lot of essential things to keep in mind. Someone with very little knowledge can easily start from any chapter, motivate themselves, then expand and look for more resources later, using this basis to delve deeper—either using the links provided by the author, or researching on other websites and in other books. As for more experienced writers, since it’s a short read, it can still be useful if you’re finding yourself into a writing slump and are looking for a nice reminder about how to get back to work.

A more developed version would definitely be a good addition. As it is now, I’d say 3*stars for me, but 4* for someone who hasn’t started writing yet and needs to find a good place to start.

Yzabel / August 29, 2015

Review: Classic Human Anatomy in Motion

Classic Human Anatomy in Motion: The Artist’s Guide to the Dynamics of Figure Drawing by Valerie L. Winslow

My rating: [rating=5]

Blurb:

This highly illustrated reference book provides artists and art students with an understanding of human anatomy and different types of motion, inspiring more realistic and energetic figurative art.

Fine-art instruction books do not usually focus on anatomy as it relates to movement, despite its great artistic significance. Written by a long-time expert on drawing and painting human anatomy, Classic Human Anatomy in Motion offers artists everything they need to realistically draw the human figure as it is affected by movement. Written in a friendly style, the book is illustrated with hundreds of life drawing studies (both quick poses and long studies), along with charts and diagrams showing the various anatomical and structural components. This comprehensive manual features five distinct sections, each focusing on a different aspect of the human figure: bones and joint movement, muscle groups, surface form and soft tissue characteristics, structure, and movement. Each chapter builds an artistic understanding of how motion transforms the human figure and can create a sense of expressive vibrancy in one’s art.

Review:

[I received a copy of this book through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.]

This book took me more than a month to finish, not because it was boring, though: because there’s so much to get out of it, and a couple of sittings just isn’t enough. Incidentally, it is definitely worth having a paper copy, as a PDF is not the most convenient format to use it to its full extent.

The author goes methodically through anatomical fundamentals, along with plenty of illustrations to show how bones, muscle and sinews “translate” into once put on paper. While this can be read from front cover to back, I think it’s not the best way to approach this book, and it will probably be much more interesting to start with a specific chapter, learn from it, and/or observe first the drawings and then read the anatomical “lessons” related to them. I had quite a lot of fun observing myself, trying to make a note on every detail (where a bone is apparent, etc.) and then compare with the written information (“so that’s why there’s this little justting parth ere: it’s [bone X]”).

Another interesting element is how some of the illustrations likens the body to objects (for instance, the condyles of the femur to a pair of casters): it provides another kind of reference, especially useful for people with a visual mind and who are more likely to learn from visual cues in general, as they can recall such references in order to draw those very parts later. Additional tidbits are provided, among which the reasons why this or that body part was named in such a way, something that in itself I always find good to know.

Last but not least, it one needs to understand processes to learn better, then this book goes exactly into that: if you understand how limbs are articulated, how muscles are tied to bones and then work together, how the vertebrae allow the spine to bend… then after a while, you can draw pretty much any position. And this, to me, is something I neglected for far to long, and wish I had realised sooner: to base one’s drawings on realistic information and then only find one’s style, instead of doing the contrary and learning from bases that aren’t necessarily strong enough.

In other words, I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn seriously about how to draw the human body and be able to draw it later without using (many) models and references.

Yzabel / November 18, 2014

Review: Hacker, Hoaxer, Whistleblower, Spy

Hacker, Hoaxer, Whistleblower, Spy: The Many Faces of Anonymous by Gabriella Coleman

My rating: [rating=3]

Summary:

Here is the definitive book on the worldwide movement of hackers, pranksters, and activists that operates under the name Anonymous, by the woman the Chronicle of Higher Education calls “the leading interpreter of digital insurgency” and the Huffington Post says “knows all of Anonymous’ deepest, darkest secrets.” Half a dozen years ago, anthropologist Gabriella Coleman set out to study the rise of this global collective just as some of its adherents were turning to political protest and disruption (before Anonymous shot to fame as a key player in the Arab Spring and Occupy Wall Street). She ended up becoming so closely connected to Anonymous that some Anons claimed her as “their scholar.” Hacker, Hoaxer, Whistleblower, Spy brims with detail from inside a mysterious subculture, including chats with imprisoned hacker Jeremy Hammond and the hacker who helped put him away, Hector “Sabu” Monsegur. It’s a beautifully written book, with fascinating insights into the meaning of digital activism and little understood facets of culture in the Internet age, such as the histories of “trolling” and “the lulz.”

Review:

(I got a copy courtesy of NetGalley, in exchange for a honest review.)

An interesting read, but one that I found rather hard to read all at once—probably because it felt pretty dense and dry, with a lot of information that seemed to meander at times. I guess this was kind of unavoidable, because there is just so much to learn, to research, to take into account when studying such a broad subject, involving so many people, whose approaches and means of actions are as different as each individual in the lot. Nevertheless, I only managed to read it little bits by little bits.

The book allows for a better understanding of some of the best known cases in which Anonymous (as various groups) was involved, like Chanology and WikiLeaks, among others. This is a double-edged sword, though, in that it is useful if you know at least little… but if you know nothing at all, it’s going to be very confusing.

On the other hand, the author appeared as genuinely fascinated by her research. She made a point of trying to get in (well, as “in” as possible—clearly she couldn’t “get” everything, especially not what predated the 2006-2007 years) to get a better understanding of her topic, and to cast a more critical eye on a lot of tricky aspects surrounding Anonymous as a whole: people who got access to sensitive data and exposed it, people who dabbled on the fringes, people who supported the actions labelled as “Anonymous”, etc. I was expecting more bias, but she also took care of mentioning some of the (official, governmental) moves made against certain participants in the movement, without necessarily endorsing them as “the thing to do against the Bad Hackers (because that’s what I’m supposed to say to be on the right side of the law)”. Granted, she didn’t avoid all the pitfalls; however, her research in general could have been much more biased, and fortunately wasn’t.

Yzabel / October 7, 2014

Review: The Infographic Resume

The Infographic Resume: How to Create a Visual Portfolio That Showcases Your Skills and Lands the Job by Hannah Morgan

My rating: [rating=5]

Summary:

The STANDOUT guide to creating a stunning resume Applying for a job used to require two pieces of paper: a resume and an application. Times have changed.

Infographic resumes are in, and they’re not just for designers. Free online tools are popping up every day to help anyone create a dynamic, visual resume-adding panache without sacrificing substance for style.

“The Infographic Resume” provides essential tips and ideas for how to create visual resumes and portfolios that will make you stand out from the crowd. Richly illustrated in full color and including lots of inspiring examples, the book will teach you how to: Create a powerful digital presence and develop the right digital content for your goals Build your self-brand and manage your online reputation Showcase your best work online Grab a hiring manager’s attention in seconds

Packed with dynamic infographics, visual resumes, and other creative digital portfolios, “The Infographic Resume” reveals the most effective tools, eye-catching strategies, and best practices to position yourself for any job in any kind of business.

Review:

(I received a free copy courtesy of NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.)

To be honest, reviewing and rating non-fiction books is always difficult for me—akin to walking into uncharted territory. I can’t judge them according to my usual standards (plot, atmosphere, characters, etc.), and so I don’t really know what criteria to apply. In the end, for this specific book, I went with “is it going to be useful to me?” The answer is definitely “yes”, considering I’ve been looking to go back to a more creative job than the one I’ve held for the past few years. Is this a biased view? Certainly. Only I have to start somewhere, haven’t I?

The Infographic Resume is a nest of ideas, or at least, of ideas waiting to be born and developed. Not only does it hand out useful advice about what may attract the attention of potential recruiters, it also provides a lot visual examples—alright, this was to be expected, but it still deserves mention. From actual CVs to social networks platforms (LinkedIn, Pinterest, Behance…), job-seeking readers are bound to find something that will help and inspire them.

Maybe some of the job-landing stories in it will seem too good to be true: “the kind of thing that happens once in a lifetime, and always to other people, never to me.” Maybe. On the other hand, I must admit that this book sparked renewed interest in me, and prompted me to get my creative joices flowing when it came to reworking my CV after I got a couple of useful comments about it. I can’t remember when was the last time I had so much fun designing something that, all in all, is utilitarian stuff. I really liked the idea of being able to get all gung-ho, all the more because I was growing seriously tired of stale, traditional CVs typed in Word and full of grandiloquent vocabulary that doesn’t mean much anymore in the end. (Hello, French administration CVs. I loathe thee.)

I honestly think the book can provide inspiration to many job-seekers: graphic designers, of course, but also people like me, who are somewhat creative yet not one hundred percent “in it”, and need some prompting before they’re able to unleash their (probably untapped) potential. As for those who don’t have any graphic design software and/or training, the author also provides links to websites where one can enter information (either manually or pulled from LinkedIn and the likes); this won’t make for fully original resumes, but can certainly help in coming up with something at least somewhat different and eye-catching.

In the end, what I regret most is not reading my ARC sooner, because it would certainly have helped me more, and earlier!

Yzabel / August 29, 2014

Review: Return to London

Return to London by Terence Jenkins

My rating: [rating=3]

Summary:

Full of entertaining bite-size chunks of London’s history, this book tells tales that will inspire you to explore a place you thought you knew.

In this historical handbook, author, journalist and London guide Terence Jenkins hopes that the tales of England’s capital city will inspire readers to explore this unique part of our country. It is a place rich in history and known for its extensive culture. Following the success of Another Man’s London, he gives us an idiosyncratic look in bite-sized chunks of London’s exciting history that are fascinating and easy to read.

Amongst other characters you will meet Bulbous Betty and the Black Prince who had a surprising effect on the course of London’s history. Discover why 100 shrouds were requested and what really happened to that polar bear in Piccadilly… Find out who was exiled in SE19, and what was all the fuss about a fig leaf?

The book was written to follow Jenkins’ trilogy of London books, Another Man’s London, London Lives and London Tales, and also as a return to the city following his explorative book Further Afield. Not just an entertaining read but also an educational pocket guide, Return to London covers some of the unique facts about London’s history that have largely remained unknown.

Review:

(I got an e-copy through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.)

3.5 stars. A fast and interesting read, with plenty of little details and usually unknown facts about quite a few places in London. As someone who’s visited this city a couple of times only, but likes learning about it, and is always looking for a “quirkier” kind of tourism than the basic monuments and museums, this is definitely going to be useful at some point. Another good thing here is the author’s tone, who clearly loves this city, as well, and it shows (in a positive way, that is).

The book might not hold as much appeal to a reader who’s never foot in London, though, because it rests on unspoken previous spoken knowledge of the various districts: some details can only be fully understood when you know a bit about this or that borough, how it came to be, and so on. I wouldn’t recommend it as a “London 101” introduction book.

Also, I would’ve liked a few more pictures. There’s usually one per chapter, while said chapters deal with so many more places than just a couple. (Granted, I read it on the Kindle app on my small-screen Smartphone; not the smartest move ever—no pun intended.)

Pick this one if you’re planning a trip to London, want to discover more about its history, and are interested in seeing less travelled places there.