natalietracy

natalietracy

My name is Natalie. I like to paint. I like to draw. I hide behind a camera. I'm 23. A registered nurse. I eat chocolate more than I should. I would love to be a professional cat hugger. Books are my friend. The end.

My favourite kinds of books:
- True crime
- Mental illness
- Psychology
- Biography/Memoirs
- World...more »
  • Melbourne, Australia
  • member since Thursday, July 26 2007

Profile: Reviews

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  • Shot in the Heart
    • Rated 5 stars

    It was incredible to read just what Mikal and his family went through. I really enjoyed that it went through the entire family history and left no pieces missing. Very personal and a book that I couldn't put down. I definitely recommend it.

    natalietracy wrote this review Friday, July 27 2007. ( reply | permalink )
  • The Last Victim
    • Rated 4 stars

    I read this book a couple of years ago and I remember it being one of those books that you couldn't put down... I was itching to know what would happen next.

    The book is essentially about Kevin writing letters to various murderers, one of whom he finds himself having a regular correspondence with, John Wayne Gacy. It's very fascinating to read the letters and really kind of get inside their minds about what they think and how they think.

    I really enjoyed this book.

    natalietracy wrote this review Friday, July 27 2007. ( reply | permalink )
  • A Sniper in the Tower: The Charles Whitman Murders
    • Rated 4 stars

    Great book that details the life of Charles Whitman and the event that took place from a number of perspectives. It was extremely detailed and quite personal, which I really enjoyed. It also has some photographs throughout the book as well.

    natalietracy wrote this review Friday, July 27 2007. ( reply | permalink )
    • Rated 4 stars

    Without giving too much, if anything, away if no one has ever really heard much about the Black Dahlia case, I thought it was extremely well written and presented. The book progresses through the evidence, and gradually outlines to the reader what is known, what isn't known, and the history behind the key people involved. I think that's what I liked most about it, that it didn't really straight out exclaim things immediately, but kind of let you figure out and put the pieces of the puzzle together along the way. I also liked that it shared a lot of back story about not only Elizabeth, but other people that played significant roles. The fact that it was very to the point and didn't really exaggerate anything beyond what it was, made the findings very convincing and believable. I also liked that it included dozens of photos, maps, messages, and really involved you in the evidence... it also gave a clearer picture of what was actually going on. I think the occasional visual goes a long way in painting a picture in your mind about what happened.

    I think I started it not even 2 weeks ago, and already finished it... it was one of those books that keeps you wanting to read to find out what happened. The only downside was the many, many names mentioned, and at times it was hard to keep up with who was who, but I found that the book often referred back to information to remind the reader, and the photos helped putting a face to the names as well. A fascinating story, it's unfortunate that it will probably always remain 'open and unsolved'.

    natalietracy wrote this review Thursday, July 26 2007. ( reply | permalink )
  • Sickened: The Memoir of a Munchausen by Proxy Childhood
    • Rated 3 stars

    A good book! I recommend it to anyone that enjoys memoirs or has a fascination anything related to mental health :) It's a very easy book to read, and doesn't really get caught up too much at all in the medical jargon, as it's written from her perspective. It's one of those books where you can imagine and put yourself right into the situation and story. I just wish it had been longer, that is really often the only fault I find with books... wishing that went on just that little bit longer to answer my questions.

    natalietracy wrote this review Thursday, July 26 2007. ( reply | permalink )
  • My Life Among the Serial Killers: Inside the Minds of the World's Most Notorious Murderers
    2 of 2 members found this review helpful.
    • Rated 3 stars

    I enjoyed the book in terms of reading about what people have done, their responses and ideas as to why they feel they have done what they have, and their childhood and upbringing. I also enjoyed reading about Dr. Morrison's theories. The one thing that bothered me, is that she seems to have a somewhat blind eye and almost complete disregard for life events that can turn a person's world upside-down. Her theories tend to be based solely on genetic, already predisposed before birth, conditions that determine that someone will kill a number of people. Although I'm no expect, I still think it's slightly far fetched to assume that someone's life will be pre-determined for them even before birth. You aren't solely what your genes make you, it's a number of things... it's nature and nurture, not just either-or. I think it's ridiculous to assume that just because, for example, let's say 10 people experienced war and suffered abuse and saw abuse, that just because 1 person and not all ended up inflicting similar abuse on other's that that wasn't the reason or part of the reason for their behaviour. I think that life experience really shapes a person, as has been shown in studies with twins in different environments.

    Anyway, overall I think the book was good because it made me think, and I enjoyed reading the personal accounts. Unfortunately, towards the end I didn't feel like it wrapped everything up well enough, and that it was a lot of "I want to do this" and "I want to do that" in relation to MRIs and fMRIs and what they might show without having actually done it, whilst talking down in regards to other professionals. Otherwise, it was well documented.

    natalietracy wrote this review Thursday, July 26 2007. ( reply | permalink )
  • Diary: A Novel
    • Rated 3 stars

    The best piece of advice I can offer when recommending this book, is don't let the blurb fool you into it being dull and straight forward. I have to admit, at the beginning of the book I felt like I was somewhat struggling to get through, waiting and wondering when it would really get into the story. It's one of those books that if you stick with it, you're well rewarded. Also, I was initially confused with the format of writing... I actually forgot that it was a diary by Misty, and thought that it was by Peter, simply by how it was written, but once I read the blurb again and it clicked, the story made much more sense. It's a very non-traditional diary format, but I like that it combines both 3rd person narration and personalised comments, experiences and feelings.

    The book contained a lot about art history, which I found extremely fascinating and interesting from a personal perspective, seeing that I've always loved art and am not as familiar with general art history as I'd like. I think that's another reason why I enjoyed the book, and maybe another person might not, I could appreciate and relate to the comments about art. I knew (know!) exactly what it was like to be absolutely stumped and lacking any drip of inspiration to get creative.

    natalietracy wrote this review Thursday, July 26 2007. ( reply | permalink )
  • Nineteen Eighty-Four
    • Rated 4 stars

    Overall, I really liked this book, and it was a fresh change from my usual reading. It was extremely well written, but I think some level of understanding of basic sociology is important in being able to understand how their society works (or doesn't work). There were parts of the book that I didn't quite get a good grasp on, and I felt it went a little too in depth without answering the real questions of the story. Having said this, I think it painted a very thought provoking picture of the future, considering it was written well over 50 years ago and is well past the year 1984.

    The ending was expected yet somewhat unexpected. Parts of it I saw coming and others were surprising. I suppose it was a good ending, but mostly a realistic one I would say. It just... ended. Although, it kind of confused me as well,... ahh.. I will explain too much otherwise :P I guess you have to think back to what was previously said and apply that to the ending. Sorry for the wonky train of thought :P ... Basically, I think the best way to sum it up is that it provided a grim but I guess hopeful ending, at least, you'd like to hope.

    natalietracy wrote this review Thursday, July 26 2007. ( reply | permalink )


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