Definitely worth reading, even if it's borrowed from the library.
921295
It's very interesting to see the direction that Himekawa is going with this particular story. I wasn't expecting a verbatim retelling of the game, but the new aspects that are being introduced in each volume is making me love the world and the story of Twilight Princess all over again. And I find it doubly interesting that Himekawa is already over the amount of volumes they've done for prior games like Ocarina of Time. And Himekawa's art style is so pleasing to look at.
1950646
It's worth reading.  It's worth passing on to any other students in your group.
417929
It's definitely worth the read.  The characters are likable and well-written, and the plot is revealed in a well-laid out fashion.  I didn't listen to the podcasts, so I can't compare, but I enjoyed reading this clever detective story written from the viewpoint of a species not particularly well-thought of in either our world, or theirs.  All in all, a completely enjoyable read.  I'd definitely get a sequel if it came out.
1139880
"The Seer and the Sword" is, at the very least, original. The description of the plot is accurate so I won't speak on it, but there are other considerations when picking up a novel. The relationship between the protagonists is fresh and genuine. The story will surprise you, particularly the second half, but the novel does suffer from pacing difficulties in a few places. It almost feels as though the story should have been told in two books to give it time to spread out.

That being said the pacing isn't as bad as it could have been and the story is engaging. The end is wholly satisfying. Definitely worth a read. Possibly even two. ^_^
1011046
Well worth the read. It was like revisting old friends that you've not seen in a while (high school for most of us). The Illiad being retold through the eyes of Patroclus, however different than the source material--there are plenty of liberties taken with characterization and relationships--still is compelling and proffer an idealized love story against the famous Trojan War backdrop.
2521217
I finished this book a month ago, but I still find myself thinking over much of the information I got from it, and to me, that's the sign of a good book. Its take on the relationship between the witch and the familiar is unique, in my experience. For instance, Wilby shows that familiars were by no means "fetches" for witches and did not act as slaves or pets. They were equals in the relationship and could even act to the detriment of the witch. For me, the concept of moral ambiguity that Wilby posits for the familiar shows the familiar's depth and independence, its realness. It also fits with the position of the witch or cunning folk in their community - they were depended upon for medical help, communicating with the dead, or help in finding things, but they were also feared for the trouble they could cause to someone if they were antagonized.

The treatment of the fairy folk is also unusual. These are not Victorian Tinkerbells flitting around the garden like a bunch of beneficent mosquitoes. These are a powerful people with their own agenda, recognizable to those who've read British folklore or even stories by Arthur Machen. Wilby makes a pretty convincing argument that the fairies served the same purpose for early modern witches that guiding spirits have done for shamans in traditional societies. Like those spirits, fairy familiars helped witches acquire practical knowledge, like where a stolen cloak might be or how to cure (or hex) someone, and they were often friends and companions as well. Witches generally first encountered a familiar while being under extreme stress - broke, family members sick, overworked, hungry, fearing the worst - and Wilby compares this to the sort of deliberate preparation to encounter a guiding spirit that shamans in traditional societies engage in - fasting, depriving themselves of sleep, and creating other physical extremes. This interesting parallel fits with assertions made by Carlo Ginzburg in his work on the Sabbat, Night Journies. Wilby also argues that the concept of traveling to a sabbat is basically the interrogators' interpretation of the witch accompanying a fairy to fairyland, where for instance they might learn how to use plants or feast and dance with the fairy folk.

I was surprised by some of the information given in simple asides, such as that people at this time kept toads for pets or the average number of cats per household in Britain at this time was five. Something that really stuck with me, though, was how often witches described their familiar as being like an animal but not of any recognizable type, such as "something like a rabbit" which appeared in a witch's bed at night and asked him to love it. Even the pictures of them were somewhat disturbing. Other familiars appeared as humans but often wore old fashioned clothing.

This isn't the most engaging book ever written - the writing is just serviceable, and the book feels like it began life as a dissertation. But it does present what in my experience is a unique perspective on familiars. And the information here also goes far to bust up preconceived crusty notions about the good, wise hedgewitch who wouldn't hurt a fly, the Burning Times, Disneyworld-style fairies, and so forth. It presents a world much more complicated than that. The footnotes and bibliography also provide a number of directions for further reading about cunning folk in other countries as well as some interesting books on fairy folk in Britain.
783676
I found this book to be an enjoyable read even though I'm a bit more advanced in years than the intended audience.  It's well written and fast paced, and I like the fact that it centers around a library, which may impel children to get interested in what goes on in such places.  Physical books assume importance here even though this is an ebook. The title contains a little bit of a double meaning - the book itself has a scary plot, while the book with the clues in it is also a scary good object.  As for plot points, I wonder if making the villain of the piece the person that he is might encourage distrust of such people (don't want to create a spoiler), but then that may not be such a bad idea given the state of the world today.  Personally, I liked the author's "Earthling Hero" better (I'm a science fiction person), but this one also makes a good read for middle schoolers.
2197818
Very good story and the narrator is good.  Sometime, I donate books once I finish them, but this one is a keeper for my library.  I'll probably reread it i a couple of years.
3179047
I am a huge fan of libraries. I love that we can borrow a book and read it to find out if its any good or not and then return it so someone else can read it later. When you find that there is a long line of people waiting for a particular book, its usually means that the book is pretty good. When a book is as new as Michael Vey, prisoner of cell 25, most libraries don't carry the book. I heard Glen Beck talking about this book this morning and thought, OK, I'll check it out. The glowing review made me think that it would be worth the money to buy this book. So I did. I downloaded the Kindle App for my computer (really cool by the way) and then downloaded this book to read.  I wish I would have waited for the library to get the book.
It's not the worst book I've ever read by far. I've read the two books from the witch and wizard series by Patterson and this is better than those. In fact, it was pretty enjoyable. I just don't think it deserved the glowing reviews that are on this site and that came from the radio.
Oh well, $10 down the drain. Wait, that's the price to go see a movie these days! I guess it was on par with that. Maybe it wasn't a complete waste of money.
1425762
We borrowed a copy from the library and quickly decided this was one for us to own.
1505663
I've been collecting free kindle books for a while now, and this summer have been finally reading through some of them.  Most have been mediocre, but this book stood out as being very interesting and something I'd actually buy the sequel to.

I was very impressed; definitely worth reading.
2408658
I'm not much for watching TV these days and I'm totally unfamiliar with the TV series, but the book is definitely worth reading and I certainly recommend it.  Other reviewers have said it all and there's little I can add.
3278933
This is a great book. I first read it by borrowing it from the library, but I knew it would be a book I'd want to read again and again, so I went ahead and purchased it.
1994436
To be completely honest, I read this mainly for Section 1: Libraries and Their Collections, Now and In the Future. Overseeing circulation in a small, academic library, these particular chapters seemed the most relevant to me and my career. These essays are actually a collection of previously published essays, and normally I dislike buying a book when everything in it is available elsewhere but 1) I borrowed the book from a public library so I didn't pay a dime for it, and 2) there were so many great essays in this book that having them all bound in one collection actually saved me a lot of work having to track down individual essays.

Everything in this collection was well worth the read for me. Anderson covered everything from patron privacy in chapter 7 and analyzing your librarys spatial and temporal reach in chapter 9 to - my favorite - starting off in chapter 1 by discussing how being essential is not longer enough. While reading, it was interesting exactly how many points/arguments/examples Anderson gave that hit close to home, even hitting the target dead center. Anderson writes from a larger research library perspective, but many of these chapters could have very well been written from a small, academic library perspective.

Anderson has the knack to write not just for his large-library peers, but for anyone thinking toward the future and wondering how collection management, working with your institutions, and the growing world of open access will all come together in the future.

Libraries, Leadership, and Scholarly Communication was an excellent read (I even took notes so I can keep referring back to it). Theres an essay for anyone from circulation, to reference, to electronic services, to director. Highly recommended read for my library peers.
1411708
Very interesting (just a little too short), like its 'twin' "A Library Miscellany".
3831286
In the early 1980s, Dartmouth English Professor Perrin was asked by the Washington Post to write a book review column called "Rediscoveries," in which he could review and tout his favorite obscure books. His rules were that the book had to be at least 15 years old (so that nothing from after the mid-1960s qualifies) and that no more than three of his colleagues could have read it. These were to be books he loved and wanted to reintroduce to the world. This collects those reviews of forty works (38 books and 2 poems), and from what I can tell, the essays are largely unrevised from their original publication.

I love the concept behind this book, because it's easy to find lists of acclaimed authors and titles, but by sheer probability, one has to acknowledge that there are lots and lots of volumes of buried treasure out there awaiting rediscovery. Indeed, part of the appeal of the book is that some of his selections require a bit of effort to track down (although thanks to the internet, not nearly as much as when the book first appeared). I found myself dipping in and out of this book as I found books that appealed to me and skimmed those that didn't. Perrin does an excellent job of explaining what makes each of his selections special, although he does tend to offer a good deal too much plot summary for my taste.

Still, this is a book well worth checking out by any open-minded avid reader, as it is likely to send you looking for 3-4 books to add to your "to read" list. Of course, personal taste plays a large role in whether or not you find this book useful. And while I skimmed the entries concerning memoirs and collections of letters, there were plenty of other things for me to dig into, such as comedy, and even science fiction. On the whole, good fun for bibliophiles.
2232581
Thanks for asking, I found that all the snipets I have come across regarding this book pretty much was the book. Still enjoyed it though.