This book is part of a series of mysteries starring the same detective. In that way, it’s formulaic and like many other mysteries. On the other hand, this book prominently features real facts from the TWA Flight 800 crash. It’s where fact meets fiction that’s sometimes unclear. I’m not sure how I feel about present-day novels that mix fact and fiction so freely. Somehow it seems less of an issue with historical fiction since history is somehow more fixed and known, but I think that’s just an illusion anyway. So, easy mystery to read and enjoy? Yes. Expose about TWA 800? No.

Like James, I read this as an audio book and I agree Gladwell was a good reader. I also agree that it warranted all the attention I could give it, which can be difficult with audio books since I usually listen to them while multi-tasking or falling asleep. In fact, I might listen to the last chapter again since I was distracted.

Anyway, this book was fantastic. I even wished it was longer. The diversity of examples made it a really interesting read. The downside I guess is that there wasn’t a strong, cohesive takeaway (unlike The Long Tail). When the book is done, I know that intuition and thin-slicing are critical and can provide a much more reliable basis for decision-making than we give them credit form. But it’s clear that these techniques don’t apply in many, many cases and I’m not certain where to apply them. I guess what I know is that I should not apply them to the way people look and that thin-slicing is most valuable in an area where you are an expert, whether that’s professionally or personally.

Regardless of all that, Blink reaffirmed my need to consider intuition heavily in a decision I need to make this week. I am very happy about the timing of the read. :)

Caveat: I read this book in one afternoon at the hair salon, so I would have to say I perused it more than I read it. However, the book consists largely of a collection of visual examples and evaluations of grid types, so that was an effective way to consume the book.

I am not sure if this book is the best primer if you’ve never used or read about grids in graphic design before. But if you know how grids work, then this is an excellent way to expand your ideas about them and see real-world design examples of many grid types, along with their underlying structure and a discussion of their components.

This is a book I’ll consider buying as a reference for myself. I can imagine revisiting it periodically for inspiration and ideas when designing with (or without) grids.

This was an enjoyable novel without a ton of depth. It’s a typical Nora Roberts book-a mixture of intrigue and romance that is better than a typical romance novel, but is still fairly predictable. You can be sure that the romance will come to fruition eventually and that the heroine will prevail in the end. And yet, I enjoyed it. Sometimes my brain needs a break from stress and deep thought. ;)

This is the series we’re currently watching at our monthly anime nights.

For some reason I believe this book was good even though I am somewhat indifferent to it. I think it’s trying to make a significant statement about veganism and animal rights, but it got lost for me. Or maybe it’s as simple as “don’t let your passion to protect animals or eat a certain way overshadow the needs of your loved ones and compassion for humankind.”

Benjamin bought a copy of this DVD at Starbucks on Sunday because he knew I wanted to see it and that I needed an uplifting movie on Sunday to prepare me for a big week. We watched it Sunday night and enjoyed it. I can’t say it’s one of the greats, but still it was worthwhile.

This wasn’t my favorite Scottoline mystery to date and hers aren’t the highest caliber to begin with. However, it was a brief entertainment and a nice break from my other reads. I like light mysteries and this fit the bill. It’s annoying that much of the mystery stemmed around her being a slut (sorry, but that’s how they make it out), but it’s not bad nonetheless.

This book was very interesting to listen to and had a ton of great, unexpected information. In a few cases I wanted more supporting data to convince me of the argument or I wanted an argument taken to the next logical step (for example, adding a comparison of homes sold by the owner to the real estate agent section) but overall it was a very worthwhile read.

This was an interesting view into the life of Chinese women and history. Although I read it many years ago and the specifics have long since left me, I am left with the impression that the book ‘Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China’ was a better book. For what that’s worth.