Tag: 3 Star Reviews

All 3 Stars Reviews In One Place

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

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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

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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

“Raise Kane: Preview” By Hans Rodinof Review

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10-Page Preview! Dutch intends to remake Citizen Kane with “all the blood, sex, and death that Orson Welles originally intended”. In other words, a snuff film. Billy has just signed on to play what may be the last role of his life. The time has come to Raise Kane!

Let me start this review by saying that this one is just a preview for the entire comic book. And I read it because I wanted to see if the full comic book was worth the money and time I would spend on it. And I’m gonna give you the answer for that at the end of this review.

This preview sets up a compelling narrative centered around a gritty, action-packed environment which I found to be fun and enjoyable to read because you don’t need any brain power to read it if you are looking for something you can turn your brain off while reading.

The concept of this preview is pretty engaging but it also hints at deeper layers of intrigue and suspense in the full version of this comic book.

The storylines in this comic book is pretty interesting. But it also feels very basic like it is holding out then details and action for the full version of this comic book. 

The main character in this comic book, is introduced to us with hints of complexity and a strong presence without revealing all of his personality to get us interested and curious to read the full version of this comic book. 

This preview touches on the main character’s motivations, personality and further development which I guess we would see in the full version of this comic book. 

When it comes to the side characters in this book they are somehow good even thou I wasn’t a big fan of them. The side characters add some depth to the narrative and storyline of this preview. But for the most part, they feel pretty weak and their personalities are very limited in this preview which didn’t help me liking them. 

The artwork in this preview does effectively captures the intense and moody atmosphere of this preview which I really liked and which made me give this preview some extra points for doing. 

The illustrations in this preview contribute to the overall tone of the story in this preview, which in return enhances the narrative’s sense of urgency and suspense which this preview tries to give us. 

This preview tries to give us the themes of justice, moral ambiguity, and action which are noticeable. But for the most part they felt pretty shallow like the creators of this preview didn’t develop them fully and only left them at the basic and shallow versions of the themes. 

So will buy and read the full version of this comic book ? Yes I will. It might take some time for me to actually read the full version of this comic book because I have been way too optimistic when creating my TBR list for this year and I don’t know if I get the time to read the full version of this comic book this year. But I will read the full version of this comic book at some point in time.

I Give This Book 3 / 5

“Fairest of All” By Serena Valentino Review

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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

“The ZooHunters: Preview” By Peter Steigerwald Review

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Check out Aspen’s FCBD offering of The ZooHunters in addition to exclusive sketches and character designs for Aspen’s space action-adventure series from Peter Steigerwald!

Let me start this review by saying that this one is just a preview for the entire comic book. And I read it because I wanted to see if the full comic book was worth the money and time I would spend on it. And I’m gonna give you the answer for that at the end of this review.

This preview sets up a fascinating universe where hunting exotic creatures is the norm. Which remind me a little bit of star wars and the creatures we find in the star wars universe  which made me give this preview some extra points for.

The concept of this preview is creative and intriguing, and in a way it had engaged me in the expansive world filled with potential adventures which this preview presents us.

But I gotta admit here that the storyline feels at times pretty basic and introductory. Because this preview leaves some plot elements unexplored because this is only the preview of the full version of a comic book. But still it annoyed me a little bit since the plot elements I was interested in, in this preview were left unexplored at the end of this preview. 

The characters we are introduced to in this preview have a lot of potential to be very good characters in the full version of this comic book. 

All of the characters we get in this preview hints of having a lot of complexity and depth in the full version of this comic book, which in a way got me interested in the full version of this comic book. 

However this preview annoyed me a lot because this preview doesn’t give us the characters’s backgrounds or personalities. Because I really wanted to see that in this preview to see if the characters in the full version of this comic book was worth reading the full version of this comic book.

The artwork in this comic book is pretty vibrant and detailed which effectively capturing the exotic and fantastical elements of the narrative.

In a way the artwork in this comic book enhance the immersive quality of the story, bringing the unique setting to life.

This preview gives us the themes of exploration, survival, and discovery which are very well woven throughout the narrative, which are adding layers of intrigue to the main storyline of this preview. While these themes are compelling, their exploration remains surface-level in the preview, likely to be expanded in the full series.

So will buy and read the full version of this comic book ? Yes I will. It might take some time for me to actually read the full version of this comic book because I have been way too optimistic when creating my TBR list for this year and I don’t know if I get the time to read the full version of this comic book this year. But I will read the full version of this comic book at some point in time.

I Give This Book 3 / 5

“The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business” By Charles Duhigg Review

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A young woman walks into a laboratory. Over the past two years, she has transformed almost every aspect of her life. She has quit smoking, run a marathon, and been promoted at work. The patterns inside her brain, neurologists discover, have fundamentally changed. Marketers at Procter & Gamble study videos of people making their beds. They are desperately trying to figure out how to sell a new product called Febreze, on track to be one of the biggest flops in company history. Suddenly, one of them detects a nearly imperceptible pattern—and with a slight shift in advertising, Febreze goes on to earn a billion dollars a year.

The only reason why I’ve read this book was because I’ve heard a lot of good about this book and the majority of reviews of this book on Goodreads are very positive in the 4-star and 5-star categories. But after reading this book I gotta admit that it wasn’t as good as a lot of people on Goodreads claim it is. But of course I’m gonna explain everything in this review so lets get into it.

This book is interesting and enjoyable. Because it talks about how to actually change our more negative habits like lets say smoking, drinking or whatever else you classify as a “bad habit”. 

But I need to admit here that this book seemed to me like a mix between “Thinking, Fast and Slow” by Daniel Kahneman and “Atomic Habits” by James Clear. Because this book talks a lot about the same things those 2 books talk about. But this book says very similar things which “Thinking, Fast and Slow” by Daniel Kahneman and “Atomic Habits” by James Clear say but in different way. 

After reading this book I gotta admit that if you have read both “Thinking, Fast and Slow” by Daniel Kahneman and “Atomic Habits” by James Clear, then you can easily skip this book because those two books I’ve mentioned explain the process of replacing bad habits with good habits.

This book has a fair share of anecdotes and at times those anecdotes don’t support or go along with a particular arguments the author attempting to tell us about. Which really made me think about whats the point of having those anecdotes if they don’t go along with what the author is trying to tell us. 

The other thing which really annoyed me, is that the author explains everything painfully clear like the readers of this book are a bunch of toddlers who are only learning how to form coherent thoughts. Which is the main reason why I said that the 2 books I’ve mentioned above are much better than this book because they dont treat their readers like some idiots who need to have everything explained on a toddler level.

The thing you have to know about this book is that it is not a self-help book as Goodreads claim it is. The author doesn’t give us any tips on how to actually change / improve our habits. instead this book is more of an analysis / essay about habits and how companies like target use habits to influence our lives. So keep that in mind, because if you are looking for a self-help book on how to improve your habits then reading “Atomic Habits” by James Clear is a much better choice than this book is.

The writing style is okay for the most part, but when the author tries to explain something to us the writing style almost drop to an toddler level but I’ve already said that above. 

At the same time this book takes over 350 pages to explain something which could be done in 2 or 3 pages. The thing which the author is trying to tell us in those 350 pages is that if you want to change or make new habits you should be consistent with what habits you want to make. Like if you want to go to sleep at 10 pm each night then you should try to go to sleep at around 10 pm most nights rather than hope you will fall asleep at 10pm. 

But this book makes some good points here and there, which really is the only thing which made me give this book a 3 star rating instead of a 2 star rating. 

I Give This Book 3 / 5

“Spidey And His Amazing Friends Halloween Trick-Or-Read 2024 #1 (Spidey And His Amazing Friends)” By Various Review

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Marvel Trick-Or-Read is back in 2024 with 5 new titles! Swing into reading with Spidey, Ghost-Spider, and Spin as they face classic villains and more in this spectacular special filled with all new fun activities and stories from the MY FIRST COMIC READER.

Yet another comic book in the “spider and his amazing friends” series we are talking about. I gotta admit that this comic book is much better than the previous comic book in this series I’ve read. Even thou it is very far from actually being good. But without making the intro longer than it needs to be lets get into the review.

The storyline of this comic book is set against a Halloween backdrop, and we yet again follow Spider-Man and his friends but this time they are navigating spooky adventures. I gotta admit that this was very fun to read because of the spooky element.

The concept of this comic book is pretty engaging because it is blending superhero action with Halloween themes. And if you read some of my reviews you will know that I love all Halloween themes so of course I liked this comic book a lot. 

The storyline is very straightforward, it effectively captures the festive spirit, making it a delightful read for kids which of course this comic book is meant for. 

The characters in this comic book are still very charming and energetic which they also were in the previous comic book from this series I read and talked. 

The characters in this comic book stays pretty much true to their iconic personas. But the characters don’t get a lot of depth to them because this comic book (and the whole series) focuses more on the action rather than deep character development. Which is understandable since this comic book (and the whole series in general) is meant for 5 to 7 year olds. 

The artwork in this comic book is very vibrant and colorful. And the the artwork is perfectly matching the playful tone of the comic. The artwork is very lively and engaging, drawing you into the Halloween-themed adventures. 

I gotta admit that the style of the artwork in this comic book in a way enhances the festive atmosphere, making it visually appealing for us as readers.

This comic book gives us the themes of friendship, teamwork, and courage which of course are the central to the narrative. And the exploration of them is very light and playful which makes it very good and understandable for the younger readers this comic book (and series) is meant for.

I Give This Book 3 / 5

“This Poison Heart” By Kalynn Bayron Review

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Briseis has a gift: she can grow plants from tiny seeds to rich blooms with a single touch. When Briseis’s aunt dies and wills her a dilapidated estate in rural New York, Bri and her parents decide to leave Brooklyn behind for the summer. Hopefully there, surrounded by plants and flowers, Bri will finally learn to control her gift. But their new home is sinister in ways they could never have imagined–it comes with a specific set of instructions, an old-school apothecary, and a walled garden filled with the deadliest botanicals in the world that can only be entered by those who share Bri’s unique family lineage.

I gotta admit here that the only reason why I read this book is because I loved the previous book I’ve read from this author so I decided to give her other books a go to see if they are just as good as “Cinderella is dead” which I already talked about on this website a few months back. But without making this intro longer, lets get into this review.

I personally didn’t have a lot of hopes or exceptions for this book or the plot in this book. But I gotta admit that the plot is pretty good and interesting. The plot is actually pretty unique, very enjoyable and very interesting. It had unique premise and I personally had a lot of fun with the plot.

But at the same time the plot has some moments where the plot starts rolling down hill very fast. One of those things is the author trying to squeeze as many black culture things into the book that it became very stereotypical and cringy. A good example of this is where Bri would say the most black phrases you ever heard in conversation where it made no sense at all for Bri to say those phrases. Which made me personally feel like the author was forcing the book to have as much of black culture and black phrases / sayings that it really took the whole book down a lot for me at least. 

The second things which annoyed me a lot of this book is that the book is 350+ pages long and the action is very minimal. Because around 30% of this book is about nothing relating to the main plot, it was the main character exploring the town she moved into, making new friends for it to turn to point where the new friends and the places she been to in the town being forgotten in the next chapter. I personally don’t understand it when authors introduce places or characters in their books to completely forget about those places and characters for the rest of the book.  

When it comes to the characters in this book, they were pretty good. I really liked the main character in this book and I also liked the main character’s parents. Because they have very good relationship with each other and you could very easily see how much the main character’s parents really cared about their daughter. 

When it comes to the rest of the characters, I didn’t like them that much. Because for me they felt very shallow and they had very minimal personalities / character. Which really disappointed me, because a lot of this side characters had the potential to be as amazing as the main character and her parents. But in the end the side characters were very forgettable and the majority of the side characters were introduced to be forgotten later on in this book.

The writing style in this book was very good. Because it was simple and it played very well with the plot in this book. The writting style was just like the author knew exactly what words to use to completely grab my attention and to not let it go until the very end of this book. Which of course made me give this book some extra points for doing.

The ending of this book leaves us as a big cliffhanger, which really made me want to read the second book in this series. Which of course I’m gonna read at some point in the near future.  

I Give This Book 3 / 5

“Spidey And His Amazing Friends Free Comic #1” By Various Review

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IT’S SPIDEY TIME! Swing into adventure with Spidey, Ghost-Spider and Miles as they face Green Goblin, Doc Ock, and more! This FREE promotional comic features all new stories from MY FIRST COMIC READER, an easy-to-read comic book that is perfect for young Spidey fans ages 5-7. We promise you, kids will LOVE this not-to-be-missed sampler!

I need to make an confession here. This comic book is meant for kids ages between 5 and 7 which means it is very simple and easy to read. But I couldn’t help it but like this comic book more than I expected I would. But without making the introduction longer than it needs to be, lets get into the review. 

This comic book is about Spider-Man teaming with Ghost-Spider, and Miles’s Spiderman to tackle the villains and save the day. I gotta admit that the comic book is very simple and easy going but at the same time fun. 

The concept of this comic book is pretty engaging and fun, because it provides us a blend of action and humor. Even thou the action is very soft, there is no fighting action but rather the Spiderman team talks to the villain with something cheesy as “don’t do that, it is bad” and the villain just stops.

The one thing I didn’t like about the storyline of this comic book is that the storyline is very straightforward which means it lacks the complexity which really annoyed me.

The characters here are portrayed with charm and energy which was okay for the most part. The character developing is very minimal in this series, because it focuses more on the action than on deeper narratives. Which is understandable since this comic book is meant for 5 to 7 year olds. This approach works well for the intended audience but might not satisfy those looking for more depth

The artwork in this comic book is pretty vibrant and colorful. Which I really liked because it perfectly captures the playful tone of the comic book. 

The artwork is pretty dynamic and engaging. At the same time the artwork is appealing and well-suited for the target demographic, enhancing the overall experience.

This comic book gives us the themes of teamwork, friendship, and heroism which are central to the storyline in this comic book. These elements are effectively conveyed, offering positive messages that resonate well with younger readers which this comic book is intended for. But the themes of this comic book are pretty unexplored if you are someone older reading this book.

I Give This Book 3 / 5

“Monster Me Vol. 1: No Fair” By iPOP! Labs Review

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This 3-issue edition includes All Phone & Games, Body Chemistry and Newmon. Join in on the adventure as Newmon and his fellow classmates experience cyberbullying, learn about nutrition and tackle bullying together.

I gotta admit here that this comic book series is kinda fun to read for me. Because it is very simple and easy which means it doesn’t take brainpower to read it. So I decided to read this one, so if you are interested what I have to say about this comic book keep reading.

The story of this comic book, as always follows a young protagonist who navigates the ups and downs of adolescence through fantastical transformations. Which is pretty fun and engaging to read.

The concept of this comic book is kind of creative, because it uses the metaphor of monsters to explore themes of identity and self-acceptance. Which are pretty good themes for the younger reviews which this comic book (and the whole comic book series) is meant for.

While I liked the premise of this comic book I gotta admit here that the narrative in this comic book is pretty inconsistent. Because at times the narrative rushed through parts of this comic book while at other times the narrative drags on and on. Which makes some plot points underdeveloped while other plot point overdeveloped. 

The protagonist is relatable, capturing the confusion and excitement of growing up. But at the same time he makes some stupid decisions throughout this comic book which really annoyed me a lot because of how stupid they were. 

The side characters in this comic book add some charm and humor to this comic book. But they don’t have a lot of depth or personalities to them. Which really makes them look like the creators of this comic book didn’t give a shit about the side characters. 

The interactions between the characters in this comic book is for the most part engaging but at times those interactions seems very cringy or lacks the emotional resonance which would make readers more interested and engaged in the storyline of this comic book. 

The artwork is pretty vibrant and playful. Which in a way effectively conveys the whimsical tone of the storyline of this comic book. 

But for the most part the artwork does complements the narrative perfectly in this comic book. Which made me add some points to the overall rating I gave this comic book. 

As ive mentioned above, this comic book gives us the themes of self-discovery, acceptance, and friendship are woven throughout the comic book. These themes seem for the most part explored and they offer both entertainment and meaningful storyline for the younger readers which this comic book is meant for. 

But there are times where the themes of this comic book could have been more explored and developed to make those themes more fun in this comic book

I Give This Book 3 / 5