Review: Headstrong: 52 Women Who Changed Science and the World by Rachel Swaby

Title: Headstrong: 52 Women Who Changed Science-and the World
Author: Rachel Swaby
Source/Format: Blogging For Books, Paperback
More Details: Nonfiction, Science
Publisher/Publication Date: Broadway Books, April 7, 2015

Goodreads     Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Book Depository

Summary from Goodreads...

In 2013, the New York Times published an obituary for Yvonne Brill. It began: “She made a mean beef stroganoff, followed her husband from job to job, and took eight years off from work to raise three children.” It wasn’t until the second paragraph that readers discovered why the Times had devoted several hundred words to her life: Brill was a brilliant rocket scientist who invented a propulsion system to keep communications satellites in orbit, and had recently been awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. Among the questions the obituary—and consequent outcry—prompted were, Who are the role models for today’s female scientists, and where can we find the stories that cast them in their true light? Headstrong delivers a powerful, global, and engaging response. Covering Nobel Prize winners and major innovators, as well as lesser-known but hugely significant scientists who influence our every day...

When I first saw this book available for review I was more than excited for it. I previously knew about a few prominent female figures like Sally Ride, and I was looking to expand my knowledge. I wanted to know more about the accomplishment of women in the scientific field.

Headstrong: 52 Women Who Changed Science and the World by Rachel Swaby offers a brief look at 52 woman who changed the fields they worked in—offering summaries of their accomplishments and general facts about them. This book covered subjects from Medicine, to Genetics and Development.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, despite the fact that only a few pages were dedicated to each woman and her major accomplishments. Headstrong does a great job highlighting each person by offering facts about their upbringing and schooling, even some of the hardships they faced in their respective workplaces before—sometimes even after—achieving acclaim for important discoveries. It was everything from opposition coming directly from prominent colleges refusing to admit them, to their names being omitted from work they spent their life on.

My only real complaint is as I said above, that the profiles were a little short, and I would have liked to know more about each person. But overall, I really liked Headstrong, and I read the book in a few days. I definitely recommend picking it up if you’re looking for a way to get introduced to more female scientists beyond what you might already know.

Top 5 Favorite Profiles...

• Jeanne Villepreux-Power "the mother of aquariophily" (p.52).
• Rita Levi-Montalcini "In 1986, she and Cohen were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology for their work." (p.107).
• Rosalyn Sussman Yalow "Over the course of conducting their insulin research, Yalow and Berson measured the antibodies generated as a result of the hormone." (p.149).
• Yvonne Brill "Her electrothermal hydrazine thruster was still used in satellites when she died in 2013." (p.171).
• Florence Nightingale "Through observation and statistical analysis of census data, Nightingale designed a curriculum for nurses that would provide them with adequate training for the very first time." (p.187-188).

I received this copy of the book from Blogging for Books for this review, thank you!

Rachel Swaby is a freelance journalist. Her work has appeared in theRunner’s World, Wired, O, The Oprah Magazine, New Yorker.com, Afar, and others. She is a senior editor at Longshot magazine, the editor-in-chief of The Connective: Issue 1, a former research editor at Wired, and a past presenter at Pop-Up magazine. She lives in Brooklyn. Visit her website HERE

Release Day: Dragons Are People, Too by Sarah Nicolas

Today I'm excited to take part in spreading the word about the Dragon's are People, Too by Sarah Nicolas, release day. Find out about the book below and don't forget to read the first chapter and get more info at Entangled Teen's homepage! And follow along with the blog tour for excerpts, reviews, and an awesome giveaway!

Synopsis...

Never judge a dragon
by her human cover...

Sixteen-year-old Kitty Lung has everyone convinced she’s a normal teen—not a secret government operative, not the one charged with protecting the president’s son, and certainly not a were-dragon. The only one she trusts with the truth is her best friend—and secret crush—the über-hot Bulisani Mathe. Then a junior operative breaks Rule Number One by changing into his dragon form in public—on Kitty’s watch—and suddenly, the world knows. About dragons. About the Draconic Intelligence Command (DIC) Kitty works for. About Kitty herself. Now the government is hunting down and incarcerating dragons to stop a public panic, and a new shape-shifting enemy has kidnapped the president’s son. Kitty and Bulisani are the last free dragons, wanted by both their allies and their enemies. If they can’t rescue the president’s son and liberate their fellow dragons before getting caught themselves, dragons might never live free again.

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iTunes | Signed Print Copy

Humans think it's painful when their heart breaks – try having two of them. It's a perfect description: heartbreak. Everything inside me feels like it's shattering into a million pieces, like the pain's too much to be contained by a single piece.  

About the Author...

Sarah is a 30-something YA author who currently lives in Orlando, FL. She believes that some boys are worth trusting, all girls have power, and dragons are people too.

She's a proud member of the Gator Nation and has a BS in Mechanical Engineering, but has switched careers entirely. She now works as an Event Coordinator for a County Library. She also blogs at YAtopia.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Tumblr | Goodreads

Weekend Tidbits {#2}: Review Copies, Homemade Things, & Waterfalls

When I originally thought of doing some kind of occasional weekend post, I already knew that it wasn’t going to be a weekly thing. It’s going to be, as I said above, occasional. All this post is about is the things I’m currently doing or maybe even look forward to. And at the very end I’ll name a place that I wish was a book setting and my choice of tea for the day.

Earlier this week I received two books for review. The first was Headstrong: 52 Women Who Changed Science and the World by Rachel Swaby—a finished review copy from Blogging for Books. And the second was an eARC of A Book of Spirits and Thieves by Morgan Rhodes from Penguin First to Read. I decided to dive into Headstrong first, because occasionally I use nonfiction books as something like a palate cleanser in between so many works of fiction.

Another notable aspect of this past week is that I tried homemade peppermint patties made with coconut oil, and I have to say that I’m entirely a fan of them. The coconut oil was a bit expensive, but I did enjoy them. Here is the recipe that was used: Peppermint Patties.

My pick for the setting this week is Barron Gorge National Park in Queensland, Australia, specifically Barron Falls. I like the overall look of this location, and think it would make a great setting for a novel.

Today’s tea is Vanilla Chai.

Review: Landry Park by Bethany Hagen

Title: Landry Park 

Author: Bethany Hagen

Source/Format: won, paperback

More Details: YA, Dystopian

Publisher/Publication Date: Speak, February 4, 2014

Goodreads     Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Book Depository

Summary from Goodreads...

Sixteen-year-old Madeline Landry is practically Gentry royalty. Her ancestor developed the nuclear energy that has replaced electricity, and her parents exemplify the glamour of the upper class. As for Madeline, she would much rather read a book than attend yet another debutante ball. But when she learns about the devastating impact the Gentry lifestyle—her lifestyle—is having on those less fortunate, her whole world is turned upside down. As Madeline begins to question everything she has been told, she finds herself increasingly drawn to handsome, beguiling David Dana, who seems to be hiding secrets of his own. Soon, rumors of war and rebellion start to spread, and Madeline finds herself at the center of it all. Ultimately, she must make a choice between duty—her family and the estate she loves dearly—and desire...

I went into Landry Park by Bethany Hagen without reading the synopsis first. My first impression of the book was that it was a historical novel, the first few pages certainly read like one. However, Landry Park is set in a very different, futuristic/dystopian version of America that seemed to get some of its ideas straight from the Victorian Era.

To be fair, I gave this book more of a chance than I usually do for others that don’t immediately get my attention. I read on past the first one hundred pages—I even finished it. Madeline Landry’s story was one that I couldn’t get into. I wasn’t interested in all of the parties that happened in the first part of the book. There were small hints of a plot, but the whole conflict in Landry Park was almost…typical. And it wasn’t just Madeline either I hardly cared about any of the characters or their part in the story.

The ending was just alright, but there’s nothing much that I can say on it. The writing style was ok, it had a nice flow to it and I could visualize the setting. However, that didn’t overshadow my disappointment. Landry Park was a dissatisfying read that left me wanting so much more, and I don’t think I’ll be reading anything else by this author unless it’s available at the library.

Cover Reveal & Giveaway: Eternal Sacrifice by Stacey O'Neale

Today I’m excited to be taking part in the cover reveal for Stacey O’Neale’s Eternal Sacrifice! Stick around till the end of the post for a giveaway from O’Neale. But first, if you haven’t read The Shadow Prince or Mortal Enchantment, you’re in luck! From April 24th to the 28th, The Shadow Prince & Mortal Enchantment will be FREE on Amazon. It’s a limited time offer so get it while you can. Just follow the link: Stacey O’Neale’s Amazon Page. Now, moving on to the cover reveal…

Comments...

Tada, here is the cover and I have to say that I really like it. The color choices complement each other, and the overall style fits with the previous ones for the series. Right now there's no synopsis for it, but you can add the book to your Goodreads TBR by visiting the page HERE. 

And don't forget to visit Stacey O'Neale online...

Goodreads     Twitter     Website     Facebook

Below you can enter for a chance to win a $100 Amazon or Barnes & Noble Gift Card from O’Neale, winner’s choice. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Reading Habits Book Tag

Today I'm participating in the Reading Habits Book Tag created by TheBookJazz. This one has been around for a while, but it seemed like it might be fun to answer the questions anyway. As always, don't forget to check out the original video HERE

Do you have a certain place at home for reading?

I usually just read at my desk since its closer to where I keep the majority of my books. Plus I have a lamp there that provides the perfect amount of light for reading.

Bookmark or random piece of paper?

Sometimes I'll use a bookmark, but I hardly do.  Most of the time I just dog ear the tops of the pages.

Can you just stop reading or do you have to stop after a chapter/ a certain amount of pages?

Honestly, I can stop reading at any point of the book. It doesn't have to be at the start of a new chapter or after a certain amount of pages.  It depends solely on when I feel like putting the book down or need to stop and do other things.

Do you eat or drink while reading?

I sometimes drink water, but I usually leave the book behind if I'm about to eat. The last thing I want to do is spill something on it. Food stains on a book would be a pretty terrible thing.

Multitasking: Music or TV while reading?

I actually like to listen to music while reading. TV is a little more distracting, but I've done it before and there's a high probability that I'll do it again in the next few days.

One book at a time or several at once?

Oh, definitely one book at a time. In fact, I like to give myself at least a week to finish a book and the review before moving on to something else.

Reading at home or everywhere?

At home—I don't like reading when I'm out since there's too many things that would end up distracting me.

Reading out loud or silently in your head?

Mostly I'll read silently in my head unless I'm reading parts of a book to someone else during a discussion or something like it.

Do you read ahead or even skip pages?

What?  Read ahead?  Skipping Pages?  I'd like to say no way. However, its a little more complicated than that. I won't skip ahead especially if its a book that I'm enjoying.  Now if its something that's failing to get my interest I might skip a number of pages to see if I want to even continue on with the book in question.

Breaking the spine or keeping it like new?

Uh, I really don't care about the spines of my books, so breaking them isn't a problem for me.

Do you write in your books?

Uh-uh, no. I don't write in my books under any circumstance.  I might dog ear the pages but writing in them is a big no for me. I'd rather use Post It's to stick little notes in the books if I really needed to.

Who do you tag?

I tag anyone who wants to participate.

Don't forget to visit TheBookJazz over on Youtube. Happy reading!

Musing Mondays (27)

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB(Jenn) at A Daily Rhythm, that asks you to muse about something book related each week.

My Musings for the Week...


Its Monday again, so I decided that I would participate in Musing Mondays this week. So today I’m musing about cover art. This year I have seen some spectacular cover art for serval books, like Ten Thousand Skies Above You by Claudia Gray and Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman. (I haven’t read these books, I might not, but the covers are nice.) It got me thinking about some of my favorite artist. Some of which include Michael O, John Harris, and Stevie Lewis.

John Harris has done some of my favorite covers, because honestly I like his style of art. Some of his art has been featured on novels by Ann Leckie and John Scalzi.

This next one shouldn't come as much of a surprise, but I had to mention her. You know, Mary GrandPré, she illustrated Harry Potter. I don’t even think I can further explain this one, so I’ll leave it at the fact that her art is fantastic.

The next artist that I want to mention is Adam S. Doyle. I actually really like his covers for The Raven Cycle Series & the Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater.

Stevie Lewis illustrated one of my favorite books this year, Finding Serendipity, so it’s easy to see why I’m a fan of her artwork.

Really, I could go on and on, so I’m just going to leave it at that for today. So what are some of your favorite books covers?

Weekend Tidbits {#1}: Music, Movie Teaser Trailers, & Mint

When I originally thought of doing some kind of occasional weekend post, I already knew that it wasn’t going to be a weekly thing. It’s going to be, as I said above, occasional. All this post is about is the things I’m currently doing or maybe even look forward to. And at the very end I’ll name a place that I wish was a book setting and my choice of tea for the day.

So for this first post I’m going to talk about what I was doing last weekend. From Friday the 10th, all the way through Sunday the 12th, the music festival Coachella had a live broadcast on Youtube. I have to say that I genuinely enjoyed all of the music, and I got some reading in. I’ve discovered a lot of new artist that I probably wouldn’t have otherwise.  Needless to say, I've made a few purchases to add some of my new favorite songs to my playlist.

Visit Coachella’s youtube page HERE
You can find out more about Coachella on their website HERE

On another note, besides Coachella, the Star Wars the Force Awakens teaser trailer released on Thursday…oh my god, what can I even say about that? Well, it brings up a lot of memories and all I can really say is that I am looking forward to December.

You can check out that teaser trailer HERE

Grüner See (Green Lake) is a lake in Styria, Austria. I really do like this lake and I think it would make an interesting book setting.

It just seems like a mint kind of day. So Mint is my choice of tea for today.

Series/Novels I Want to see on the Screen

Today I thought I would talk about something different rather than posting another review. I’ve read a lot of good books over the past few years, which got me thinking about book adaptations. There are the movies, but what about TV shows? Sometimes I think some novels would do better with a long running series rather than trying to condense the book down into a single film. But keeping on point with this post, I’m just going to move on to why I’m really writing it. I wanted to share some of the series/novels I would like to see on the screen—doesn’t matter which screen—and below is that list…

Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer: Overall I like this series and would like to see any adaption of it.

Finding Serendipity by Angelica Banks: This book surprised me by how much I enjoyed it, and like with the Lunar Chronicles, I would love to see this novel on the screen.

Scarlett Undercover by Jennifer Latham: Yeah, movie or TV, but what I really want is a sequel.

Any Brandon Sanderson Series: no further explanation.

The Archived series by Victoria Schwab: I like the characters relationships with one another as well as the interesting concept, which makes me wonder what a movie would be like for this one.

Double Vision Series by F.T. Bradley: I love this trilogy and wish there were more books—movie or TV.

Leviathan Trilogy by Scott Westerfeld: I love this series so much, the alternative history setting was done so well, and the concept was just awesome. Movie or TV for this one, I don’t care which, I would just like to see it adapted.

Gravity & Hover by Melissa West: I would say the last book too, but I haven’t read it yet, though I did enjoy Hover more than I did Gravity—it’s a good series.

The Spiderwick Chronicles by  Tony DiTerlizzi & Holly Black: The movie for this one wasn't so great, but when I saw it I noticed all of the changes and things that were removed from it. I would actually like to see this series as a TV show instead.

What books would you like to see on the screen?