Athena's Reading List 2015

[Nollaig]

So. Many. Books.

[Anna Begins]

I've never read either of those, but when you do buy those books, I hope she enjoys them! It's great she is enjoying the school library. I was slightly older than her when I first went to my school library and it really sparked my love for reading on my own. So I hope she enjoys the reading .

We had never heard of Dogzilla before either, and had to read it 3 times to her     But that is ok.  Apparently, this weeks book is about a rose.  Little House on the Prairie is a coming of age story of a pioneer girl that is well known in the US, I thought other places too though or that you might have heard about it from here.  It was written by Laura Ingalls Wilder and is about her life. 

Edit: it is a collection of 9 books.

Edited January 26, 2015 by Anna Begins

[Kylie]

I'm another one who loved Charlotte's Web. It's a lovely book! I think we read it at school when I was young, but I've read it a couple of other times too.

[Athena]

So. Many. Books.

 

Yes, I went a bit mad . Though in my defense, most of the books are library loans so they didn't cost me a thing (other than me having to carry them ). 

 

We had never heard of Dogzilla before either, and had to read it 3 times to her     But that is ok.  Apparently, this weeks book is about a rose.  Little House on the Prairie is a coming of age story of a pioneer girl that is well known in the US, I thought other places too though or that you might have heard about it from here.  It was written by Laura Ingalls Wilder and is about her life. 

Edit: it is a collection of 9 books.

I hadn't heard of Dogzilla either! I'm glad she enjoyed it though .

 

I have heard about Little House on the Prairie, there was a group read for it on BCF some time ago, but the book wasn't available for free on Kindle and I wasn't sure if I'd enjoy it (it was a bit pricey at the time) so I didn't buy it in the end. I might read it at some point though, maybe the library has it. 

 

I'm another one who loved Charlotte's Web. It's a lovely book! I think we read it at school when I was young, but I've read it a couple of other times too.

I'm glad to hear that !

[Marie H]

I bought a few books last Saturday. The total cost was pretty low, as they were all second hand books at the charity shop (they do a deal with 2 books for 1.50 euros lately. E. B. White - Charlotte's Web (Colour Edition) (this copy is huge, I wouldn't have bought a huge copy like this for myself, but as a library loan it's okay. The illustrations look nice and colourful, and I've seen the film and liked that but I've never actually read the book as I've not found it before. So hopefully this will be nice.)

Great book haul Athena!  Charlotte's Web is one of the my favourite books from my childhood, so I hope that you like it too.  

[Little Pixie]

Ooh, another great book haul ! Hope you enjoy them. 

[Athena]

Great book haul Athena!  Charlotte's Web is one of the my favourite books from my childhood, so I hope that you like it too.

Thanks ! I have good hopes, with all the praise it got from you and others here.

 

 

Ooh, another great book haul ! Hope you enjoy them. 

Thanks Sarah !

 

P.S. Review coming up.

[Athena]

Chrissie Manby - Proper Family 1: A Proper Family Holiday

 

 

Genre: Chick-lit

Age-range: Adult

Format: Paperback

Pages: 389

Date read: 23-01-2015 <-> 27-01-2015

ISBN: 9781444742732

Synopsis (GoodReads):Sisters Chelsea and Ronnie Benson haven't spoken to each other in two years when their mother announces she wants the whole family to go on a week-long holiday in Lanzarote for her sixtieth birthday. Both sisters dread the holiday for different reasons. Sophisticated singleton Chelsea, a fashion journalist, dreads a week in the 'chips with everything' world she left behind when she moved to London. Ronnie, now a mother of two, is feeling fat and frumpy. The last thing she wants is to strip down to a swimsuit alongside her super-thin super-chic sis. The week begins badly and gets worse, as underlying tensions and secrets are exposed. And then their mother drops a bombshell on the group. Will the holiday bring the sisters closer or blow the Benson family apart?

 

My thoughts: Once I had finshed book 2 in this series, A Proper Family Christmas and really enjoyed it, I wanted to read book 1. I was given this book for Christmas and I didn't want to wait too long after reading book 2, which I read in the beginning of December, before reading book 1.

 

This book, like book 2, is written from multiple perspectives. I realise it's weird comparing it to book 2 when this one is meant to come first, but that's the way I read them so that's how I'll do it . I quite enjoyed reading the story from multiple points of view. Most of the chapters are either Chelsea or Ronnie but there are a few of the other characters too.

 

There were several plot lines going on in this book (like in book 2). Of course, I knew a few plot twists and where certain things would lead because of book 2, but this didn't mean the book wasn't enjoyable. I didn't know how things were going to happen and it was great to read how they did. There were also several plot lines that weren't mentioned much in book 2 or perhaps that I simply forgot about or weren't as important anymore in book 2, so these were completely new to me.

 

There is quite a bit of depth to this book, like book 2. Yes, I classified it as chick-lit, but it's not a romance story without any depth. It's foremost about a family and the problems they have with each other and with life. Though it should be said, there is more focus on the women than the men as you read mainly from their point of view (but there is nothing wrong with that, in my opinion! There are a lot of books that have solely male point of views so..).

 

I really liked the characters in this book. Of course, I knew a lot of them from book 2, but it was great to read about them. I'm not sure which character I'd like best. Chelsea and Ronnie were both main characters and I don't think I can choose between them! They are both very different and I thought all of the characters were well written.

 

I also quite liked the writing style. It flows well. I also liked the plot twists in the book and the descriptions of the holiday area. Most of the book takes place while the family is on their holiday in Lanzarote. It might be strange to read that while it's winter right now, but I found it didn't matter so much. Somehow I find it easier to imagine more sunshine and warmth in the winter than I find it to imagine ice and cold in the summer. I don't know if that makes sense. Neither winter nor summer are my favourite seasons, so I don't know why this is.

 

Anyway.. because I've been ill and quite tired, it did take me a few days to read this book (see the beginning of the review). Several days I didn't read much at all because I did other things and after doing those things I was very tired. I really enjoyed the book though, and I'm glad I did find some energy and time to read it amongst my illness and such. Overall then I quite enjoyed this book, and I definitely plan to read more books by the author. I've read six books by her now, and I've got a few more on my TBR. Overall I'd definitely recommend it to those people who like chick-lit books with a bit more depth to them. If you're just looking for a uncomplicated romance read, this isn't it. But if you like to read about love and family love, this might be nice.

 

Rating: (*****) (10/10)

[Athena]

Brandon Sanderson - Alcatraz 3: Alcatraz versus the Knights of Crystallia

 

 

Genre: Fantasy

Age-range: Young-Adult

Format: Hardback

Pages: 229

Date read: 27-01-2015 <-> 28-01-2015

ISBN: 9781444006704

Synopsis: (no synopsis because this book is book three in a series)

 

My thoughts: When I saw book three of this series at the library, I jumped at the chance to borrow it and read it. I've previously borrowed and read books one and four, and really enjoyed them. I was hoping they would have book two and book three soon, and what luck that I found number three! I might have to place a reservation for book two, if it doesn't turn up in a little while, since I enjoy them so much .

 

I started this book straight away after finishing and reviewing my previous read. Because it was so soon after, that book was still a bit in my head so the first few pages of this book I had some trouble getting into the story. Gladly after a chapter or such I was totally into the story. Things are briefly explained in a non-invasive way, which helped me since I didn't read book two and did read book four so I had to work out where exactly I was in the story.

 

Like books one and four, I also found this book pretty enjoyable. The characters are great. Some new ones are introduced and it is of course nice to see the ones I know well, too. I really liked the writing style. There was again great fourth wall breaking stuff in there as well as lots of funny bits. The book was suspenseful throughout. I finished it pretty quickly, reading some in it yesterday late afternoon and evening and this morning and afternoon.

 

Overall then I quite enjoyed reading this book, just like books one and four. Of course, if you have the opportunity I do recommend reading the books in order, but I was still able to enjoy the story reading them out of order. I knew of course a bit about where a few plot twists might lead, because I've read book four, but it was still a really enjoyable read.

 

Rating: (*****) (10/10)

[BSchultz19]

Yes, I read it a couple of times as a kid, I think it was one of the first books I read on my own.  I was pretty young, but I always thought it was sad!  My mom thinks it is a positive story lol  Such different opinions. 

I don't think you can make it through the American school system without reading this book at some point

 

I really enjoyed it as far as I can remember. That was years ago...

[Signor Finzione]

Funny you ladies should mention Dragon Age, I am currently playing through Dragon Age Inquisition on my ps4 and am loving it! 12hours lost so far just doing side quest stuff. Love the story so much that I went and just bought all five books based off the games. Going by some comments, maybe I shouldn't of?

 

Glad you're enjoying Inquisition! I definitely plan on giving the books a go one day. I'll probably try the latest one first, as (I think) it's about Celene and Gaspard in Orlais, which is relevant to one of the plotlines in DA:I.

 

I finished Dragon Age: Origins and got half way through Dragon Age: Awakenings. I only played the demo of Dragon Age 2, which I then bought when I saw it cheap but I never started it.

 

It's well worth playing, although not as good as Origins.

[Timstar]

I haven't played DA in ages, I loved Origins, then got half way through the expansion pack and lost all interest in it I played the demo of DA2 but it was awful so I never bought it. Would like to play the new one but need one of the new consoles.

[Athena]

I don't think you can make it through the American school system without reading this book at some point

 

I really enjoyed it as far as I can remember. That was years ago...

 

That's good to hear, that you enjoyed it .

 

It's well worth playing, although not as good as Origins.

Good to know !

 

 

I haven't played DA in ages, I loved Origins, then got half way through the expansion pack and lost all interest in it I played the demo of DA2 but it was awful so I never bought it. Would like to play the new one but need one of the new consoles.

I did the same thing!

 

I think the newest one is also on PC?, though I guess if you have a Mac then that doesn't work for you. I don't have a PS4 nor an Xbox One, either.

 

(will post a review now)

[Athena]

Liam Creed - Puppy's Hebben Ook ADHD: Hoe Ik Mezelf Herkende in het Gedrag van een Jonge Labrador (A Puppy Named Aero: How a Labrador Saved a Boy with ADHD)

 

 

Genre: Biography

Age-range: Adult

Format: Hardback

Pages: 303

Date read: 28-01-2015 <-> 29-01-2015

ISBN: 9789044344189

Synopsis (GoodReads):Struggling with ADHD and always in trouble, Liam felt like a lost cause. Until a puppy called Aero turned his life around.

 

Liam Creed seemed like a lost cause. He was excluded from school more times than he can remember, his outbursts got him into trouble, he faced a constant struggle with medication, and his family were driven to despair. All because he was born with an inability to sit still and concentrate: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Liam thought his life was destined for failure. Until, one life-changing day, he met a mischievous bundle of energy called Aero. Aero and Liam developed a special bond. As Liam struggled to train the mischievous dog, for once he didn't feel useless and afflicted. Against the odds, Liam made an inspirational breakthrough in his own condition and learned to believe in the future.

 

My thoughts: Last Saturday I decided to explore the non-fiction section of the library (for the first time since I became a member). Since autism and AD(H)D are two of the subjects I find quite interesting, I decided to start in that section. This book has a cute puppy on the cover that I couldn't resist. Also, a book on ADHD and dogs? It sounded like a book I might quite enjoy.

 

I wasn't quite sure what to read after my previous read and first nothing seemed that interesting. Once I had processed my previous read a little bit more, I decided to just read a page in several books and see if any of them interested me. I wanted to pick from my library loans since I borrowed quite a lot of books and they're due in a bit. I read the first few lines of this book and knew I wanted to read more. I loved the writing style of this book. It was so engaging and beautifully written and.. I don't quite know what to call it but I really liked it. This is a translation that I read, so kudos also for the translator doing an excellent job (sometimes I find translations can sound a little off).

 

So the writing style pulled me in. I really liked reading this story. First we get to know Liam as he tells about his childhood and his problems. Then we hear about the proposition. Liam is asked if he wants to train a puppy, one day a week at a centre, to become a guide dog for physically disabled people. The whole thing will be filmed by the BBC and broadcast as a documentary. He will be doing this with four other teenagers, who all have their own problems. Liam decides to try it and most of the book is about his experienced with Aero (the puppy) and how it affects the rest of his life.

 

I found it understandable how Liam felt. Obviously I can relate to his concentration issues, because of my ADD. I don't have the hyperactivity part. I've never had such tantrums and aggressiveness that Liam showed. Yet I found he made it very understandable, how he felt and also how his environment felt.

 

I really enjoyed reading about Aero and his training, too. It is amazing what these guide dogs can do in the end. It was also nice to read about the other people in the book, the other teenagers who also trained dogs, the people at the centre, one of the people at Liam's school, etc. Some of them seemed some really nice people. I'm really glad Liam was given this chance. It really turned his life around.

 

The ending was a bit sad, of course, as because once Aero really becomes a guide dog, he will be placed with someone so Liam won't see him much any more. This was a very emotional part of the book for me. I mean, the whole book is emotional and a heartfelt and interesting story, but this part in particular. I know it's what Aero trained for (btw, it's such a great name for a dog), and it really helps the person he goes to of course, but I could totally imagine that Liam struggled at first with this.

 

Overall then I really enjoyed this book. I loved reading about Liam, I loved reading about Aero, it was very interesting more about guide dogs (in the UK at least, though I assume things go similarly in the Netherlands) and I loved the writing style. It is a hopeful book, because Liam meets some really nice people and it shows that sometimes things can get better even when there seems to be little hope.

 

Liam found something to be passionate about, something that doesn't cost him as much energy and something he can more easily concentrate on. This is very admireable. It also makes me think. I liked studying chemistry, but it's not what I'm passionate about. That would be books. Books and reading, that's my hobby, and it's so important to me. That said, because of my autism I'm sure I often miss hidden meanings and social cues in books, and I don't like thinking about these things too thoroughly (like I had to do for Dutch and English class at secondary school). Studying literature or such, would definitely not be my thing. Anyway..

 

I really enjoyed this book and would very much recommend it to anyone who is intruiged by the synopsis of the book and all the things I've just written down.

 

Rating: (*****) (10/10)

[Devi]

Yeah the new Dragon Age Inquisition is on pc too.

[Athena]

Yeah the new Dragon Age Inquisition is on pc too.

I might have to look into it!

[Athena]

I bought a book at the charity shop:

 

Godfried Bomans - Erik Of Het Klein Insectenboek (I'm pretty sure this book was mentioned in my Dutch class and / or that I read it. I don't remember it exactly but the title sounds so familiar. I didn't own a copy of it though so I thought for little money I can (re?)read it myself now . Apparently it was written in ~1940 originally (this copy is a re-release). Also, inside the book the price given was €0.75 but at the counter they charged me €0.50.)

 

And after handing in three books, I also borrowed three new books from the library:

 

Brandon Sanderson - Alcatraz 2: Alcatraz versus the Scrivener's Bones (I am totally excited to have found this!!)

Jacqueline Wilson - The Worst Thing About My Sister

Jacqueline Wilson - Clean Break

Obviously I will read the library loans first that are due sooner than these three . But I couldn't help myself and borrow these three. I'm particularly excited about the Brandon Sanderson book as I loved books 1, 3 and 4 of this series.

[Nollaig]

How many books are you allowed borrow from the library at a time? As in, how many can you have taken out in your name?

[Melodious]

Nice review of the Liam Creed book Athena. Must be hard letting go of the dog at the end.

 

I think my library allows 7 books out at a time. 

[Anna Begins]

OMGosh!!  You found #2!  You know you just want to get to it RIGHT NOW

[Athena]

How many books are you allowed borrow from the library at a time? As in, how many can you have taken out in your name?

 

25 , I borrowed 24 (mostly children's reads with pictures for the read-a-thon) then brought three back and borrowed another three. 

 

Nice review of the Liam Creed book Athena. Must be hard letting go of the dog at the end.

 

I think my library allows 7 books out at a time.

Thanks ! I can imagine that yes, I know I would find it terribly hard (Liam did, too, but it got better when he saw how well his new owner and Aero got along). 

 

OMGosh!!  You found #2!  You know you just want to get to it RIGHT NOW

I do but I can be strong and wait until I've read the ones that are due sooner (or not read some of them if I don't want to, I'm not sure yet if I'm in the mood for a few).

 

I received a message that a pre-order will be send to me soon! It's the third book in the Magic 2.0 series by Scott Meyer, An Unwelcome Quest. So hopefully that will be send in a few days and I'll have in a week and a half or so later.. so I should be able to read it in a few weeks which is exciting !

 

I will be posting two reviews now.

[Athena]

Tony Atwood, Temple Grandin and Others - Meisjes en Vrouwen met Asperger (Asperger's and Girls)

 

 

Genre: Information

Age-range: Adult

Format: Hardback

Pages: 149

Date read: 30-01-2015 <-> 01-02-2015

ISBN: 9789077671221

Synopsis (GoodReads):Winner of the Gold Award in the 2006 ForeWord Book of the Year competition, this groundbreaking book describes the unique challenges of women and girls with Asperger’s Syndrome. In it you’ll read candid stories written by the indomitable women who have lived them. You’ll also hear from experts who discuss whether “Aspie girls” are slipping under the radar, undiagnosed; why many AS women feel like a minority within a minority (outnumbered by men 4:1); practical solutions school systems can implement for girls; social tips for teenage girls, navigating puberty, the transition to work or university, and the importance of careers.

 

My thoughts: I borrowed this book from the library. I hadn't read a non-fiction book about autism in a while, so I borrowed several from the library when I visited the non-fiction section for the first time. I haven't read any books that are about women and autism in particular, so this one seemed interesting. I also borrowed another book with the same theme, called Rudy Simone - Aspergirls: Een wegwijzer voor meisjes en vrouwen met het Syndroom van Asperger (Aspergirls: Empowering Females with Asperger Syndrome). I decided to read this one first, since it was shorter and it has some famous names attached to it.

 

This book consists of 10 chapters, all written by different people. Tony Atwood has written the first chapter, which is more of an introduction really. Temple Grandin has written the last chapter. The other chapters are written by 8 other people, whom I didn't know (so really, various authors for the book would've been better rather than lifting on two famous names, whose chapters weren't that long compared to some of the other ones). The chapters varied widely in quality and how interesting they were to me. I was about to give up after I'd read a couple of chapters, because they contained very little new information to me. A few times it was mentioned that 'more research is needed'. The book was originally written in 2006 (this Dutch translation published in 2008), so by now I think we do know a bit more.

 

Just as I was about to give up, the chapter I read then was really good and interesting (I would rate this particular chapter on its own pretty highly). It contained new information for me and I enjoyed reading that one and learning what it was about. It was about social rules between teenage girls and I was quite impressed by it. I didn't recognise any of it from my time at secondary school but I do recognise it in some American high school films. I don't know if it is a difference in culture (the book is written by American authors), or whether I just didn't really notice it at my school. The social rules seemed very tiring and kind of odd to me. A girl in a group of girls can fulfill one of seven different roles. In the chapter the author encouraged the girls with autism to be a part of that. Personally, but this might be just me, it sounded so stupid that I wouldn't want to be a part of that, of such a cliquey group. I'm certainly glad I never was. Also, in that chapter the author encouraged teenage girls with AS (Asperger's Syndrome) to read up on things that other teenage girls find interesting, such as pop stars, boys, sports, because girls with AS are often not interested in these 'usual' things but in other things. But to me, is someone really a friend if you are forced to talk a lot about all these different things that don't interest you.. if you have to pretend to be someone you're not? To be honest, this was kind of confusing as some of the other chapters said that the person with autism should stay true to who they are and not try to change themselves a lot to fit in with the world's stereotypes and expectations. So that seemed a bit of a mixed message of the book. I had a few friends in secondary school but I was not part of any big groups (and I didn't want to me). The popular kids didn't interest me for the most part, and they didn't seem to like me much either.

 

After that chapter there were some lesser chapters again. One chapter was about parenting a teenage girl with autism. I didn't agree with a few things in this chapter. Some things were definitely good and useful, but I don't agree with making the girl wear make-up if she doesn't want to (as far as I know, a lot of people with autism really don't like the feel of it on their face, me included), making her shave her armpits if she doesn't want to (I personally find that society is really stupid about these things. There is nothing wrong with a bit of hair under armpits, men have it too so why shouldn't women, it's totally natural yet I always feel and felt the odd one out on a summer day in my bikini or bathing suit, if I happen to be with lots of strangers who might find me weird because I have a bit of natural hair under my arm pits.), nor did I agree with telling the teacher that the girl's period has started (I mean.. seriously!).

 

A lot of the chapters seemed to be mainly written for the parents of a girl with autism, and not for the people themselves. Most of them were about teenage girls, too, and not much about adults (in English this isn't a problem, as the book is titled Asperger's and Girls, but the Dutch translation means Girls and Woman with Asperger's thereby implying it is about women too). I never understand why there seem to be more (popular? / marketed) books for the parents of autistic children than there are books for adults with autism. Children do grow up! And we do need help. It just annoys me. It would've been better if they had put it more clearly in the synopsis on the back of the book (in the Dutch one at least, it is not there).

 

One of the later chapters is autobiographical, about a woman with AS who also has some children with AS (not all of her children have it). I quite enjoyed reading her story and her experiences. This chapter was really good (again I would rate this chapter on its own pretty highly).

 

While there were a few chapters I really enjoyed, most of the chapters in the book didn't contain much new information for me, they weren't that interesting to me, the writing style in a few seemed a bit off (that could be the translation), and I didn't enjoy these chapters all that much (and again some of them written for the parents, which is okay but not too interesting to me).

 

Overall then I didn't think the book was a waste of my time because of those few chapters I did really enjoy. However, most of them weren't that good and I don't feel any better for having read them. Unfortunately then I can't give this book a high rating at all.

 

It should be noted that I finished this book and before I wrote this review, I started to read Rudy Simone - Aspergirls: Een wegwijzer voor meisjes en vrouwen met het Syndroom van Asperger (Aspergirls: Empowering Females with Asperger Syndrome), which I mentioned above. It is too early to compare the two as I haven't finished the latter one yet, but I can say that so far at least, it is a lot better than Meisjes en Vrouwen met Asperger (Asperger's and Girls). I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone as I'm sure there are better books out there. There are some useful things in there, but there is too much not-so-interesting stuff in its 149 pages, to really recommend it to anyone interested.

 

Rating: (**) (4/10)

[Athena]

Andy Weir - The Egg

 

(N/A)

(free from website: link)

 

Genre: Science-fiction

Age-range: Adult

Format: Website

Pages: 4

Date read: 01-02-2015 <-> 02-02-2015

ISBN: N/A

Synopsis: This is a short science-fiction story that's maybe 4 pages long. To say anything about it would be spoiling it, really.

 

My thoughts: Kate (Pontalba) on BCF linked to this story. Since it's only short, I thought I'd read it after Anna told me about it and said she liked it (I hadn't yet read the topic with the link).

 

This is a short story, written in the second person. This is unusual, there are very few books and stories out there written in the second person (and usually for good reason). However, in this case it does make sense, as you'll see later in the story.

 

I thought the story was pretty nice, particularly the second half of it and the plot twist near the end. I liked the writing style, though the second person took me a few moments to get used to. The story is only a few pages long. I can't really say much about characters or world building or anything like that. I thought the story was enjoyable to read.

 

Overall then I enjoyed reading this story and am glad I did. It only takes a few minutes, though I have to admit since I was feeling so tired yesterday (to also write a review after or to take notes) I read half of it yesterday and half of it today . Since this story is free, I would definitely recommend to give it a try, if you are interested at all in a science-fictiony story.

 

Rating: (****) (8/10)

[Athena]

Rudy Simone - Aspergirls: Een wegwijzer voor meisjes en vrouwen met het Syndroom van Asperger (Aspergirls: Empowering Females with Asperger Syndrome)

 

 

Genre: Information

Age-range: Adult

Format: Hardback (Library Format)

Pages: 240

Date read: 01-02-2015 <-> 02-02-2015

ISBN: 9789079729289

Synopsis (GoodReads):Girls with Asperger's Syndrome are less frequently diagnosed than boys, & even once symptoms have been recognized, help is often not readily available. The image of coping well presented by AS females can often mask difficulties, deficits, challenges, & loneliness.

 

My thoughts: After I read Tony Atwood, Temple Grandin and Others - Meisjes en Vrouwen met Asperger (Asperger's and Girls) which I didn't like so much, I decided to give this book a go. It's about the same subject so I thought I'd compare the two. I borrowed both on them from the library. I decided if I didn't like this one much either after a while, I could abandon it.

 

Surprisingly though, this book I liked much more than the other book. There was more interesting and useful information in it, for me, and I felt more understood and recognised things from what the book said. The author has AS and she also interviewed a lot of women with AS, so in between the text there are bits from what other women with autism have said. I liked reading about all these personal experiences. While I couldn't recognise myself in everything (I do have HFA though and not AS), there were a lot of things I recognised.

 

The book has 23 of chapters, the last two are written specifically for parents so I just skimmed those. The other 21 though are written for both the women with autism as well as their parents. Each chapter first has some pages of text about the subject, and the last few pages of the chapter contain first advice for the AS woman, then advice for the parents. I loved how this book then was written in part for the women themselves.

 

Of course, some of the information was similar to the previous book I read about the subject but this one contained more information and I liked the writing style a lot more of this book. The book is from 2010, so 4 years newer than the other one too, so this might make a difference in the information, too.

 

There was just one chapter I didn't like, which is the one on autism and the digestive system. While I agree that a lot of people with autism have problems with it, as do I, I don't believe that it's the cause of autism. The author though of course is free to believe what she wants and eat what she wants to. I just didn't find the chapter all that interesting, also because some of the tablets and supplements mentioned are things that are I think US only. I am however all for healthy eating and I'm not saying I wouldn't ever try anything experimental like she mentioned, but I don't believe in the theory that errors in the digestive system cause autism. Many years ago some people had theories about vaccinations causing autism, I did not believe in that either. That theory was finally disproved some years ago after years of arguing between for and against people. Anyway, I'm not saying this digestive thing couldn't be true, I'm just saying that personally I believe I was born with HFA, and ADD, and I believe genes are a large part of it. I didn't care much for this particular chapter.

 

However, that was just one chapter out of 20+ and I quite liked most of the rest of the chapters. I found it very interesting to read the experiences of other women, including the author, and their points of view. Overall then I'm glad I read this book and I liked it a lot more than the other book.

 

Rating: (****) (8/10)

[Weave]

Great reviews Athena as always, you read such a wide range of books