“Beyond the Body Farm: A Legendary Bone Detective Explores Murders, Mysteries, and the Revolution in Forensic Science” By William M. Bass Review

There is no scientist in the world like Dr. Bill Bass. A pioneer in forensic anthropology, Bass created the world’s first laboratory dedicated to the study of human decomposition—three acres of land on a hillside in Tennessee where human bodies are left to the elements. His research at “the Body Farm” has revolutionized forensic science, helping police crack cold cases and pinpoint time of death. But during a forensics career that spans half a century, Bass and his work have ranged far beyond the gates of the Body Farm. In this riveting book, the bone sleuth explores the rise of modern forensic science, using fascinating cases from his career to take readers into the real world of C.S.I.

I need to admit that I wanted to read this book for a while now, because I was always interested in how forensic stuff is used to catch killers and how the forensic team can tell how long ago the person died. But in way this book didn’t live up to the hype I had for it. But I’m gonna discuss everything about this book in this review, so if you are interested then keep reading. 

First of all, this book talks a lot about the career of Bill Bass, which I found myself to not be interested in so much. Especially those parts which didn’t involve the creation and running of the body farm. Since I never was a fan of Bill Bass personally, I only was interested in his work at the body farm. 

At times this book feels like reading a medical textbook because of all the medical terms this book uses and those medical terms used in this book made me feel like an idiot because I had absolutely no idea what they meant so I needed to google them to get an idea of what those fancy medical words meant.

The writing style in this book feels very much like a textbook at times because of all the difficult medical terms this book uses. In my opinion this book would have been much better if it used like a simple everyday language for readers as myself who have absolutely no understanding of medical terminology and practices besides going to the GP every 2 or 3 years.

But I really liked the fact that this book talks about the rise of modern forensic science which I found to be very interesting and fun to read about. 

I also liked a lot the fact that this book talks about how the forensic teams are able to say the time of dead and what the person died from solely based from the dead body. I found it to be very interesting and it solved a lot of the questions I had about how the forensic science now on days work and how much we as humans have learned about bodies and death.

This book also talks about some cases which Bill Bass have worked on, where he needed to work on dead bodies to find out the cause of death. Which really helps us understand how the modern day forensic science works in practices and not only in theory. 

We get a lot of details and fun facts in this book about the forensic science, which at times feels like reading a medical textbook because of how this book tells us the details and those “fun facts”.

But if you are interested in true crime and how the forensic science works like I am, then I think you will learn a lot from reading this book even thou it tends to be pretty heavy at times. 

I Give This Book 3 / 5

“The Sun Also Rises” By Ernest Hemingway Review

The quintessential novel of the Lost Generation, The Sun Also Rises (Fiesta) is one of Ernest Hemingway’s masterpieces and a classic example of his spare but powerful writing style. A poignant look at the disillusionment and angst of the post-World War I generation, the novel introduces two of Hemingway’s most unforgettable characters: Jake Barnes and Lady Brett Ashley. The story follows the flamboyant Brett and the hapless Jake as they journey from the wild nightlife of 1920s Paris to the brutal bullfighting rings of Spain with a motley group of expatriates. It is an age of moral bankruptcy, spiritual dissolution, unrealized love, and vanishing illusions. First published in 1926, The Sun Also Rises helped to establish Hemingway as one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century.

I wanted to to read this book for a very long time now, and now I read it. I gotta admit that this book is much better than I expected it to be which really surprised me a lot. But of course I will explain everything in this review so if you are interested than keep reading. 

The plot in this book is very comfy. Which really made it so fun for me. At the same time the plot in this book is very engaging, interesting and enjoyable. Because in a way the plot makes it seem like we as the readers are a part of the journey which the characters take in this book. 

I found the plot to be very compelling and fun to read. Because the plot gives us a vivid portrayal of the “Lost Generation” and their search for meaning in a rapidly changing world which I loved a lot in this book.

I got so hooked into the plot of this book that I read this book in one sitting which shows how engaged and interested in the plot I was as I was reading this book. 

The characters in this book are very good, because they felt like real human beings which I would be friends with in real life without any problems. The characters here are very good because they are very complex and memorable characters. 

The interactions between the characters is very realistic, the interactions is also pretty rich with unspoken tension and emotional depth. The characters’ flaws and desires are intricately woven into the narrative, providing a realistic and poignant exploration of human relationships

The only downside to this book is that it is very short, and I wish that it was longer than it is because I was so hooked in this book that a part of me didn’t want the book to end. 

The writing style in this book is very minimalistic. Which I don’t tend to like a lot, but this book offers us minimalistic writing style which gives the storyline in this book strength in a way. At the same time the writing style effectively captures the emotional undercurrents and sense of disillusionment which I loved a lot.

This book in my opinion is a must read, for everyone who loves to read books and wants to get into the classic books. This book is the perfect start into the classic books category because of how good it is.

This book gives us the themes of love, identity, and the search for purpose are central which is the main aspect of this book. The themes are very well explored in this book through the characters’ experiences and interactions,  which offers us a nuanced reflection on the human condition. Which I gave this book some extra points for doing.

I Give This Book 4 / 5

“Red, White & Royal Blue” By Casey McQuiston Review

First Son Alex Claremont-Diaz is the closest thing to a prince this side of the Atlantic. With his intrepid sister and the Veep’s genius granddaughter, they’re the White House Trio, a beautiful millennial marketing strategy for his mother, President Ellen Claremont. International socialite duties do have downsides—namely, when photos of a confrontation with his longtime nemesis Prince Henry at a royal wedding leak to the tabloids and threaten American/British relations. The plan for damage control: staging a fake friendship between the First Son and the Prince.

The reason why I bought and read this book is because I watched the movie adaptions of this book and I liked the movie. And this book is very hyped up on the internet and I wanted to see if this book was worth the hype. And I gotta admit that this book doesn’t deserve the hype it but of course I’m gonna explain everything in this review so if you are interested then keep reading the review.

This book has a sweet and uplifting story in it, which I really enjoyed reading because when I read this book this year I was in a reading slump and this book helped to get out of it.

As I have seen above the story in this book is pretty good but it does have some moments which I found to be boring or uninteresting. Which means that I cant give this book a perfect rating. And I know that my opinion about this book might be very unpopular.

The first 40% of this book was really interesting for me personally but the deeper I got in this book the more and more I began to be very bored because for me personally the deeper I got into this book the more the story in this book started rolling down the hill faster and faster.

The romance part of this book is not that great in my opinion because it is the haters-to-lovers romance which I personally don’t like the most of all the romance sub topics because I find it to be very unrealistic and cheesy. And this book wasn’t as cheesy and cringe as I expected it to be but still there are quiet a few cheesy moments which got me rolling my eyes at. 

However I really enjoyed the political aspect of this book because I’m a political drama junky and “House of cards” is my all time favorite series. So because of the political aspect of this book, I gave this book some extra points for because the political aspect in this book was really good and enjoyable.

This book talks about self-discovery because Alex is confused about his sexuality and if he is straight, bi or gay. And I really like this aspect of this story because I really like the self-discovery aspect in books.

The writing style in this book complements the storyline of this book very well. Because the writing style is very simple and easy to read which really works well with he simple storyline of this book. 

The writing style is simple and easy yes, but it isn’t too simple like in some other YA books I’ve read in my time. The best way to describe the writing style in this book is that its like on the everyday conversion level. 

The characters in this book are very good, they are very relatable and likable. Both of the main characters are in their early 20s if I remember correctly. Both Henry and Alex are very good main characters because they feel like real human beings and thats what makes me like time a lot.

I Give This Book 3 / 5

“How the World Really Works: A Scientist’s Guide to Our Past, Present and Future” By Vaclav Smil Review

We have never had so much information at our fingertips and yet most of us don’t know how the world really works. This book explains seven of the most fundamental realities governing our survival and prosperity. From energy and food production, through our material world and its globalization, to risks, our environment and its future, How the World Really Works offers a much-needed reality check – because before we can tackle problems effectively, we must understand the facts.

I need to admit here that the only reason why I read this book is because I’ve heard a lot of good things about the author, and this book was the first book from the author which I found in the bookstore I usually buy my books at. But without making the intro longer than it already is, lets get into this review. 

First of all I need to admit here that this book makes some very good points through out this book. Which really made like this book a fair share. And the author does give us some good fun facts through out this book

But at the same time this book is more of a statistics book rather than a normal nonfiction book. Because of how many numbers and constructs this book talks about and how much the author tries to connect those numbers into what the author is talking about in this book.

This book talks about climate change and that we cant decarbonize as fast as we imagine we can. Which is a very good point because most of the climate change books and articles I’ve read are always too optimistic about how fast we can decarbonize the planet and our lives.

The thing which I didn’t like the most about this book, was the fact that the author is very skeptical about humanity becoming multi-planetary species because the author claims it is far-fetched and too much like a Sci-Fi movie. 

The writing style in this book is very like a high school textbook, which really didn’t help me to be interested in it or find the book to be enjoyable. 

If you want to read a book about climate change and what we can do about it, then this book isnt a good choice because this book bombards us as readers with a lot of numbers, statics which really makes this book hard to understand. A better choice would be the climate change book Bill Gates have written rather than this one.

I Give This Book 3 / 5

“Snaponomi” By Lene Drange & Tore Løchstøer Hauge Review

Hva gjør du når du står med din første lønnsslipp i hånden og lurer på hvorfor staten skal ha flere tusen kroner? Hva skjer hvis du lar være å betale regningene dine? Og hvordan kan du spare til det du virkelig ønsker deg når du alltid ender opp med minus på konto?

At the time of writing this review, this book is only available in Norwegian. So if you are Norwegian or understand Norwegian then this review will be just for you. 

I gotta admit that this book is sort of a Norwegian version of “Personal Finance for Dummies”. Because of how easy and simple this book is. 

I gotta admit here that this book is very fun to read because it has a lot of illustrations which makes it even easier to understand what the book is talking about. But at the same time the book offers us very good tricks and tips at how to improve our wealth and finances. Like one of the tips this book gives us is when you are renting an apartment / house or buying an apartment/ house with a friend, sibling or your boyfriend / girlfriend. No many how good your the other person relationship is, its always better to write a simple contract between the two of you. The contract should be about everything, who pays what, who paid more in deposit, who has a bigger apartment/ house loan etc. the contract really makes everything simple because if you and your friend or boyfriend / girlfriend if you two stop being friend or you or the other person wants to move out. 

This book has other very good tips which it talks about, but I’m not gonna reveal more of them, because this book is really worth reading if you are interested in improving your personal finances and become better at using your money. 

The thing which kept me from giving this book the perfect score of 5 out of 5, is the thing that this book is very narrow and specific. At the same time it keeps the topics it talks about very brief and avoid going into the details of those topics. Which for me personally wasn’t enough to give this book a higher rating than 3 stars which I gave this book.

At the same time this book feels like a very quick summary of much better personal finance and wealth books which I have read and talked about in the past. Because this book touches on the subjects most other personal finance and wealth books talks about, but this book makes it much more shallow and brief because it doesn’t go into the details of anything it talks about.

But if you are getting started with the personal finance and wealth books then this book is a good choice. Because as I’ve said above this book is very simple and easy which makes it very easy to understand and get the hang of. And a lot of the better personal finance and wealth books aren’t as easy and simple to understand as this one is. Which makes this book a good start if you are interested in books about how to improve your personal finance and how to get smarter using the money you earn from your job.

At the same time this book has a very good structure, because each chapter has its own theme. Like one chapter is about loans, the other is about what loans you should avoid, the next chapter is about how to save money and so on. Which really makes it easy for you to pick where you want to start reading the book. 

The writing style of this book is very good, because it really uses the day to day language most people use. And in a way this writing style makes this book to be a quick read, since the writing style makes it feel like you are having a coffee shop conversation with the author rather than reading a book.

I Give This Book 3 / 5

“Thrawn: Alliances” By Timothy Zahn Review

Ominous words under any circumstances, but all the more so when uttered by Emperor Palpatine. On Batuu, at the edges of the Unknown Regions, a threat to the Empire is taking root—its existence little more than a glimmer, its consequences as yet unknowable. But it is troubling enough to the Imperial leader to warrant investigation by his most powerful agents: ruthless enforcer Lord Darth Vader and brilliant strategist Grand Admiral Thrawn. Fierce rivals for the emperor’s favor, and outspoken adversaries on Imperial affairs—including the Death Star project—the formidable pair seem unlikely partners for such a crucial mission. But the Emperor knows it’s not the first time Vader and Thrawn have joined forces. And there’s more behind his royal command than either man suspects

I need to admit here that this book is easily the best star wars book I’ve read so far this year. But of course I will explain my thoughts and opinions about this book in this review, so if you are interested then keep reading. 

First of all, I need to admit here that I am such a big fan of Thrawn, because for me he is such an underrated character in the star wars universe. And I would personally love to see him in future star wars movies or shows and not only in books or comic books. 

This book follows two timelines. But both involve Thrawn, the first timeline involves Thrawn and Darth Vader in the present and the second timeline involves Thrawn and Anakin in the past during the clone wars era of star wars. 

To be honest I found the second storyline in this book to be more interesting than the first storyline. Because even thou I’m a huge Darth Vader fan, I find the clone wars period of star wars to be very very interesting. 

But both of these storylines in this book are very interesting, enjoyable and engaging. Which really made me give this book some extra points for doing. 

The biggest thing which I loved about this book is that it has the 1970s Star Wars feel to it like the original star wars trilogy. Which I remember watching on repeat as a 8 year old kid in 2010, so it was very nostalgic for me and huge aspect why I feel in love with star wars in the first place. 

The writing style in this book is very good, because it plays very well with the storylines of this book and it is very fitting for the star wars universe.

I need to also admit that Timothy Zahn is easily my favorite star wars author so far at least. And just reading his star wars books gives me a huge nostalgia to my first time watching star wars movies. 

The characters in this book are very well written. Because they have the things which makes them unique and they have all those things which made me at least fall in love with them in the movies. Which again made me give this book some extra points for doing. 

We can also very easily feel the tension and the back and forth between Darth Vader and Thrawn which really shows how much these 2 hate each other. But also we see that Darth Vader and Thrawn are in a competition with each other constantly and trying to outdo each other in front of Darth Sidious.

This book a lot of action, suspense, intrigue and character development which really makes it so good in my opinion and is the reason why I said at the beginning of this review that this book is easily the best star wars book I’ve read so far this year. At the same time this book has a lot of backstory because part of this book takes place during the clone wars so it servers as a little extensions of what happened during the clone wars.

I Give This Book 5 / 5

“Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration” By Ed Catmull & Amy Wallace Review

From Ed Catmull, co-founder (with Steve Jobs and John Lasseter) of Pixar Animation Studios, comes an incisive book about creativity in business—sure to appeal to readers of Daniel Pink, Tom Peters, and Chip and Dan Heath. Creativity, Inc. is a book for managers who want to lead their employees to new heights, a manual for anyone who strives for originality, and the first-ever, all-access trip into the nerve center of Pixar Animation—into the meetings, postmortems, and “Braintrust” sessions where some of the most successful films in history are made. 

This book is about Pixar and how it risen up to be one of the most well known animated movies company in the world. This book talks also about all the challenges Pixar faced as well as all the issues they had like when they are creating Toy Story or the mistakes they had.

I found this book to be very interesting because it gives us all the behind the scenes information on Pixar which I personally didn’t know about. Even thou as a kid I loved their OG movies like Toy Story, Cars, Wall-E and Monster Inc. 

This book also talks about the way artists behind the Pixar movies are taught to really see things, which I found to be very interesting. Because it really shows that at times the artists behind the Pixar movies aren’t the best at what they do, even thou it looks like they are the best at what they do. 

I personally found this book to be very interesting and enjoyable. Because of how well this book is told to us.

The writing style in this book, is very simple and easygoing which I really liked. Because it felt like having a chat with the author of this book rather than reading a book.

This book also gives us plenty of anecdotes and insights in Pixar, which I really liked because we really got a glimpse of how the Pixar company works from the inside.

But I need to admit here that I found some parts of this book to be boring and uninteresting. Because there are parts of this book, where it goes on way too long in my opinion about specific things which really made me annoyed and uninterested at times. 

This book shows at times how very passionate about animation the author of this book who is also the co-founder of Pixar really is. Which really made me like him a lot because you can very easily and clearly see his big love and passionate for animation.

I Give This Book 4 / 5

“Poor Unfortunate Soul” By Serena Valentino Review

The tale of the sea king’s daughter, Ariel, is a beloved one of losing— and then finding— one’s own voice. The story has been told many times and in many ways. But always the mermaid wants more than her world can offer, and her father demands that she live within the confines of his domain. Her rebelliousness costs the little mermaid her voice and nearly her soul. But the power of good prevails, and Ariel emerges proud and unchanged.

This book is the third in the “Disney Villains” book series. I need to admit here that the deeper I get into this series, the more I find myself enjoying the books in this series and the series as a whole in general. But without making the intro longer than it needs to be lets get into the review.

As you can guess from the cover of the book or the summary of the book, this book is about Ursula from the story of The Little Mermaid. To be very honest here, I was never a fan of that story as a kid because I found it to be very boring and uninteresting. But after I read this book, I fully stand by saying that The Little Mermaid story should have been told from Ursula’s perspective. Because I found her perspective to be very interesting, and for me personally, Ursula’s perspective gave the story more depth and made the whole story so much more interesting. 

The plot in this book is very complex, but at the same time very interesting and at times very sad and tragic. As I’ve said above, Ursula’s perspective adds more depth and complexity to The Little Mermaid story, which really made the whole story more enjoyable and interesting for me personally. 

But for the most part, the plot in this book is very easy-going and simple. But at the same time, it gives us a lot of complexity and a fun aspect. 

The characters in this book have a lot of depth to them, which I personally thought was missing from The Little Mermaid Disney story, which was one of the main reasons why I disliked the story as a kid. 

Some of the characters from book 2 in this series have pretty big parts in this book as well. And this book is more or less what happened right after the events from book 2 in this series, named “The Beast Within”.

The characters we got in this book, which were also from book 2, had a huge character development from book 2, which really made them so much more complex and good characters than they were in book 2. 

As of Ursula and Ariel in this book, Ursula is a very badass and fucked up character because of all the things she does in this book. Which, in a way, gives her more layers than what she got in the Disney movies. In a way all of the fucked up things Ursula does in this book makes her feel more human because of how complex character she is in this book. 

When it comes to Ariel, we don’t get to spend much time with her. Because this book focuses on Ursula and her journey and story. Which made this book so much better for me, because I always found Ariel to be a very annoying character even as a kid watching The Little Mermaid animated movie. 

The writing style in this book is very YA typical, which of course means a simple and easy writing style, which makes this book a quick read. But even thou the writing style is simple and easy, it plays well with the easy-going plot of this book, making the plot and writing style in this book play together very well. 

I Give This Book 4 / 5

“The Beast Within” By Serena Valentino Review

A cursed prince sits alone in a secluded castle. Few have seen him, but those who claim they have say his hair is wild and nails are sharp–like a beast’s! But how did this prince, once jovial and beloved by the people, come to be a reclusive and bitter monster? And is it possible that he can ever find true love and break the curse that has been placed upon him?

This book is the second book in the Disney Villains book series by Serena Valentino. I gotta admit here that the deeper I get into this series the more I love the books in this series and the whole series in general. But of course I will explain everything in this review, so without making the intro longer than it needs to be lets get into the review.

First of all I need to mention here that this book diverges a little bit from the original beauty and the beast story. But it still was very good and interesting. The reason why this book diverges from the original story is because this book is told from Beast’s perceptive. 

This book is written form the Beast’s perceptive and we see the story unfold from his perspective which makes us see different aspects of the story than we do in the original version of the story. Which I personally loved a lot, because having this story told once again but from Beast’s perceptive really adds more depth to the original story and it makes the story more fun in my opinion at least. 

This book starts with telling us how the Prince changed into the beast and why he changed into the beast. Which in my opinion adds more backstory and information to the tale. I personally found it to be very interesting and enjoyable to actually get the backstory of why and how the prince Prince changed into the beast. Because ever since I could remember I always to know what got the prince to be changed into the beast. And this book tells us exactly what happened to make the prince change into the beast and what were the requirements for the beast to change back to his normal self.

The characters in this book are very good and well written. Because the characters in this book are very relatable and likable at the same time the characters in this book feel like real human beings in a way because of how much depth and personalities they have. 

The characters in this book doesn’t have anything new to them which they didn’t have in the original story of Beauty and The Beast. But at times those characters feel somehow different but thats because we get to see those characters from Beast’s perspective rather than Belle’s perspective.

The writing style in this book is very YA typical, because it is very simple and easy to read. Even thou the writing style is easy and simple it complements with the storyline in this book very well. The writing style really nicely captures the storyline in this book which really made me give this book some extra points for doing. 

I personally found the writing style in this book to be very hypnotizing because of how the writing style truly grabbed my attention and didn’t let it go until the very end. 

But there is one thing which annoyed me with the writing style in this book. And that thing which annoyed me in the writing style of this book is the fact that at times the writing style tried way too hard to sound very poetic and musical. Which at times really made me cringe and make me annoyed. 

Because of the easy writing style this book is a very quick read, it could very easily be read in one sitting because of how interesting it is and how it grabs your attention right from the start and doesn’t let it go until the very end of this book. 

In my opinion the story feels pretty rushed at times, because there are certain paragraphs in this book which move very fast. Which in a way made me disappointed because I wanted this book to be longer and go more in depth into the Beast’s perceptive which it didn’t.  And this for me personally is the only downside of this book. 

I Give This Book 5 / 5

“Fairest of All” By Serena Valentino Review

For anyone who’s seen Walt Disney’s Snow White, you’ll know that the Wicked Queen is one evil woman! After all, it’s not everyone who wants to cut out their teenage step-daughter’s heart and have it delivered back in a locked keepsake box. (And even if this sort of thing is a common urge, we don’t know many people who have acted upon it.) Now, for the first time, we’ll examine the life of the Wicked Queen and find out just what it is that makes her so nasty. Here’s a hint: the creepy-looking man in the magic mirror is not just some random spooky visage—and he just might have something to do with the Queen’s wicked ways!

I gotta say that I’ve heard a lot of good about this series, and at the same time, I was very interested in reading this series ever since I found out that it was a thing. And now I finally did read it. So if you are interested in hearing my thoughts about this book, then continue reading this review.

First of all, the plot in this book was interesting and enjoyable. I had very high expectations for this book (and this series as a whole), and I gotta admit here that this book didn’t live up to all of my expectations I had for it. 

The plot was interesting, as I’ve said above, but I felt like there was something missing in here. Because we only see a very little of the Wicked Queen’s backstory and her transformation from being the good stepmother to being the Wicked Queen. Which in a way disappointed me in a way. I wanted to see more of her transformation into the Wicked Queen. 

But overall I really liked the plot because I found it to be very engaging and fun to read, even thou it had some downhill moments throughout this book. The plot itself is very depressing, and said that really made me very depressed at times because of all the sad things that happen in this book, which really made me give this book extra points for. Because when the transformation for Wicked Queen arrives, she is completely justified for turning into the bad guy because of all the depressing things she faces in this book.

The characters here felt shallow and very one-dimensional if you compare them to the characters we got in the snow white movies (not including the Rachel Zegler snow white movie because that movie was a dumpster fire of everything snow white stands for). 

The characters we got in this book didn’t feel like the same characters we got in the snow white movies, which in a way disappointed me. But I really liked the Wicked Queen in this book because the author was able to really make Wicked Queen really likable and not only the “bad bitch” which we got in the snow white movies. Which really made me like this book more.

The writing style is very easy and simple. In a way, it felt way too simple and easy for my liking. Goodreads says that this book is a Young Adult book, but the writing style in this book aims more towards middle school readers rather than young adult readers. 

But the writing style really played well with the plot in this book, because both of them are very simple and easygoing. Which really made me give this book some extra points for doing. 

However, this book tends to change perspectives mid-chapter, which really annoyed me a lot. I found it to be very confusing and annoying. Which really made me not like this book as much as I wanted to. 

I Give This Book 3 / 5