July 11, 2014

Book Review: Neil Armstrong

Katie July 11, 2014 0Comment

Neil Armstrong is the most recent biography about the aviator and astronaut. While I feel like most of his books focus more on the astronaut aspect, this book actually seemed more well rounded focusing on all of his achievements.  This book is also written by someone Neil trusted with his stories, so it is the most thorough representation of Neil’s life.  Throughout the book there are a lot of photos of Neil and his various adventures – from flying to the moon, to his time spent in the war.

This was a personal look into Neil’s life and one I am very happy to have read. I learned a lot that I didn’t know from reading other things about him and loved looking at all the photos.

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

To date, everything written about Armstong’s life and flights has been written from the outside looking in; Barbree is the only person whom Neil Armstrong trusted to share close personal details about his inspiring life story.

Working from his years of notes, and with the full cooperation of the Armstrong family, Barbree has written the definitive biography of America’s most famous astronaut and one of our greatest modern heroes. Much has already been written about Armstrong and the major players who helped him fly to the moon, but he wanted this book to emphasize his two passions—family and flight.  Barbree and Armstrong discussed everything, from his two marriages and the death of his baby daughter, to his love of flying, the war years and of course, his time in space. The book, timed to coincide with the 45th anniversary of the Apollo 11 launch and full of never-before-seen photos, includes many personal details that have never before been written, such as what Armstrong really felt when he took that first step on the moon, what life in NASA was like, his relationships with the other astronauts, and what he felt the future of space exploration should be.

Book Review: How To Write Anything

Katie July 11, 2014 0Comment

How To Write Anything – is a complete guide by Laura Brown.  It is broken down into 3 sections – The Writing Process, E-Writing and the Technology Revolution and The Entries.

The Writing Process tells you about how you can write anything. And Finding your process.

E-Writing explains how to Choose Your Weapon and the process of e-writing.

The Entries is all the ways you can write – Announcements, Invitations, Apology, Thank Yous and is also broken down even more to writing at School and Writing at Work.

The author has been teaching writing for nearly 30 years.  She says that there is no one who “can’t write”, only those intimidated by the process.  I have to say, sometimes I am intimidated myself. With a blog there’s a lot of times when I want to write something or have to write something and just have no idea how to tackle it.  While I like to think I’m a “writer”, I am always looking for new ideas and tips which is why I decided to read this book.

The E-writing chapter gives a lot of tips on how to differentiate between Instant Messaging, Testing, Emails, etc. Each has its own purpose and should be used as such.  There is also a checklist included (and each item explained) on what you should be looking for when you revise.  I think this is where I fall short. I write things and then often don’t take the time to go over what I’ve written again to try and make things make more sense or correct spelling or grammatical errors. The author suggests making this a habit – and I think I need to print out the check list and stick it to my computer monitor just to make sure I am doing this!

The 3rd part of the book came across as more of a reference.  While I read through everything in order to write this review, it might be best to pick up this book and review the section depending on what you are writing. There are tips and examples included which are great guidelines for what you should and shouldn’t be including in your writing.

Additional information can also be found at http://www.howtowriteanything.com/

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

A practical guide to everything you’ll ever need to write — at work, at school, and in your personal life.

With more than two hundred how-to entries and easy-to-use models organized into three comprehensive sections on work, school, and personal life, How to Write Anything covers a wide range of topics that make it an essential guide for the whole family. You want your boss to fund a special project. How can you write a persuasive email that will win his approval? It’s time to apply to college. How can you write an essay that will stand out? The mother of one of your co-workers has died. What’s the best way to express your condolences?

Grounded in a common-sense approach, friendly and supportive, How to Write Anything is Internet-savvy, with advice throughout about choosing the most appropriate medium for your message: e-mail or pen and paper. At once a how-to, a reference book, and a pioneering guide for writing in a changing world, this is the only writing resource you’ll ever need.

Author Bio
Laura Brown, PhD, author of How to Write Anything: A Complete Guide, has taught writing to just about everyone — from corporate executives to high school students. Her expertise encompasses instructor-led training, individual coaching, classroom teaching, and e-learning development. She has more than twenty-five years’ experience providing training and coaching in business writing, and she has also taught composition and literature at Columbia University. She lives in New York.

Book Review: What Einstein Didn’t Know

Katie July 11, 2014 0Comment

What Einstein Didn’t Know is a book about all sorts of scientific questions and their answers – like why is the sky blue? Why are bubbles round? And lots of other things that you’ve probably wondered but never known the answer to.  The book is written in a really easy to understand format and has a lot of great tips and bar bets that you can make with your friends based on what you learned in the book.  The book is just over 200 pages but is a relatively quick read – if you don’t stop to do some of the experiments included.  If you do try them, it’ll probably take a bit longer – but will probably be worth your while!

I’m a big fan of science so I really enjoyed this book although I probably could have gone without the details about what jello and gummy bears are made out of.  It’s not like I didn’t know already, but it’s just something I choose to not really think about!

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review, I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

Discover how cricket chirps can tell us the temperature, why you can’t unburn a match, why ice floats, and a host of mysteries of modern living — including some riddles that maybe even Einstein couldn’t solve. From the simple (How does soap know what’s dirt? How do magnets work? Why do batteries die?) to the more complex (Why does evaporation have a cooling effect? Where does uranium get its energy?), this book makes science more understandable and fun.
Author Robert Wolke provides definitive and easy-to-comprehend explanations for things that we take for granted, like the illumination behind neon signs and the mysteries of beverage carbonation. Wolke also dares readers to explore and conduct their own experiments with food, kitchen utensils, and common household products. This fifteenth anniversary edition of his bestselling popular science classic has been completely revised and expanded.

Book Review: Netwars

Katie July 11, 2014 0Comment

Netwars: The Code is the first episode in this series. The book is short, only about 60 pages so it was perfect for a quick read! There was so much action and drama going on in it though, you wouldn’t think so much could fit into just a few pages, but it did!  The book is about Anthony Prince and Strider.  Prince is a big shot at a high-tech security firm and Strider is a hacker.  I of course love any high-tech based book so I was certainly into this book and I love thrillers as well.  I can’t wait to read future episodes!  If they are all this short but this jam packed with entertainment as this first one – I am sure to love them!

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

Netwars: The Code. A high-tech serial thriller from the dark side of the net. Episode 1.

Welcome to the Deep Web. Those parts of the internet no search engine explores. The place where you can buy anything. Drugs, children, weapons. 
Anyone can do it. And get away free. 

Anthony Prince, head of PrinceSec, a firm which provides high-tech security for the government and major corporations, dies in a plane crash when crossing the English Channel. Responsible for Prince’s death is a hacker named Strider. His real name is Scott Mitchell and in his day job at the National Cyber Crime Unit he uses legitimate means to get the bad guys. As Strider, his means are less legal. On the same night, PrinceSec is the target of a cyber-attack. When the NCCU is called to assess the damage, a link is found between Prince and a criminal hacker group called Black Flag. The race is on for Mitchell to protect his identity as Strider and to stop Black Flag before it’s too late.