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Solveig S

Solveig S

has 28 followers and is following 28 people

My interests include ancient history, legal history (ancient, preferably, but that is hard to find), some science fiction, English lit., poetry, mythology, gardening, renovations, sculpture (mostly ceramic sculpture), parenting of boys, psychology, economics, pure escapism, animals, animal research, and animal welfare.

Most of the... more »
  • member since May 13, 2009

Reviews

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Displaying 41-50 of 87 reviews
  • Little House on the Prairie
    • Rated 5 stars

    This book conveys a quite extraordinary sense of an age long gone, captured in the simple details of everyday life.

    Solveig S wrote this review Wednesday, April 14, 2010. ( reply | permalink )
    • Rated 4 stars

    This is a very nice little book and very enjoyable to work through the various exercises while commuting. A good mix of technical information and a sense of the emotional impact of poetry.

    Oddly, I feel that reading this helped my ceramic sculpture, too; I became more aware of the emotional power of ambiguity.

    Solveig S wrote this review Wednesday, April 14, 2010. ( reply | permalink )
  • Pride and Prejudice
    • Rated 5 stars

    Perfect writing, with every character and event and every sentence leading on to the next, no wasted motion, like a very elegant dance.

    Solveig S wrote this review Wednesday, April 14, 2010. ( reply | permalink )
  • The Challenging Child: Understanding, Raising, and Enjoying the Five "Difficult" Types of Children
    • Rated 5 stars

    This book is likely to be of help to parents generally, not just parents of little horrors.

    Solveig S wrote this review Wednesday, November 11, 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • Killing Monsters
    • Rated 5 stars

    A sound and thoughtful take on pretend weapons, war games, video games, and other things that we blame and avoid without good reason.

    Solveig S wrote this review Wednesday, November 11, 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • Nanofuture: What's Next For Nanotechnology
    • Rated 4 stars

    A very fine and readable exploration of a future in which molecules are shaped into useful machines. Tends towards optimism, and helps explain why concerns that nanotechnology will melt the world into grey goo are overstated. My chemistry is college-level (albeit very good college-level : p) and I am able to follow most of the technical explanation most of the time; I suspect I could get all of them if I slowed down a bit.

    I suspect no author can be right about everything all the time; I do think and hope that the author's prediction that the United States will lag behind in nanotechnology is likely to miss the mark. He compares the United States to that of France before the Industrial Revolution--France had all the leading scientists, but the Industrial Revolution ended up happening in England instead. Alas, he doesn't explore WHY the Industrial Revolution didn't happen in France. I suspect if one did a number of factors would come to the forefront, such as war (England was involved in wars too--but not in England itself), revolution, a legal, social, and economic system that tended to be more rigid than the common law. The United States shares rather few of these retarding factors, and I think we will do all right.

    Solveig S wrote this review Wednesday, November 11, 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • Orkneyinga Saga
    • Rated 4 stars

    Well worth reading for those who appreciate the contemporaneous historian. A lot of viking about in boats. A lot of sneaking overland to catch people unawares and set fire to their houses; letting women and children outside to escape immolation was the civilized option. A bit of legal reform. A good bit of farming. Trickery, deception, ambition, early Christianity and pagan traditions elucidated. Occasional details add warmth, such as author's noting certain offspring were "lovingly raised."

    Can be hard to follow because everyone is named Harald, Sveign, or variations on Thor or Ingi. Footnotes would have been helpful here and elsewhere. Also, phonetic information about the poetry that would give some indication of the original meter and rhyme scheme. I will have to look it up.

    Solveig S wrote this review Wednesday, August 26, 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • Country Series: English Cottage Interiors (Country Series)
    • Rated 5 stars

    An excellent collection of images and historical notes on the English cottage. I had expected decorator sentiment--which I do not care for--but much of it was social history, underscoring the brutally squalid living conditions of past centuries (and still present in much of the world today). And yet they were lovely, too.

    Solveig S wrote this review Wednesday, August 26, 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian
    • Rated 4 stars

    A very fine read for relaxing. This edition has some fine commentary sandwiching the stories.

    But yet another author who later committed suicide; it saddens me.

    Solveig S wrote this review Saturday, July 18, 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • The Everything Potty Training Book
    • Rated 5 stars

    I picked out this book when it was "time" to train the youngster ... and I had the little imp with me at the bookstore at the time, which usually leads me to make bad decisions, as he can be a bit distracting. I lucked out, I think this must be one of the best.

    There are a lot of potty training books out there that are based on some person's theory, or personal experience... This one is research-based, with a good measure of the author's sound judgment to add value. It covers several different methods, including the early training methods, and troubleshooting tips. One has the freedom to learn about several methods and pick one that seems to be the best fit, or combine methods.

    And it worked like a charm.

    Solveig S wrote this review Friday, June 26, 2009. ( reply | permalink )
Displaying 41-50 of 87 reviews