Very satisfied with blend of stories and useful details
341613
My purchase was a Kindle download.  Based on the number of notes and highlights I made, this will be a "keeper" for future reference. In addition to lots of useful references, there is enough personal trip narrative to keep the book readable.  I recommend this as a good addition for your "how-to" travel library.  Be sure to read through the very end.
2741567
I believe that this book is really interesting and useful so long as you appreciate it for what it is. It is not an intense study of neurology - there is really a bare minimum of scientific detail. Also, a number of studies mentioned are not always balanced by contradictory studies or by more detailed mentions of other materials backing up the argument. Finally, the book does not always focus on creativity itself, but builds to a surprisingly didactic ending and goes through a lot of seemingly unrelated places to get there, that are nonetheless interesting to read.

Having said all that, I really enjoyed this book. It is full of wonderful stories and anecdotes, with a lot of handy ideas on how to enhance creativity in your workplace, your art studio, and even your family. It is well written, never dull, and well worth the investment.
1215970
As one of the characters in "Late Early Man" says, "I'm more Drama than Documentary." As a reviewer I seldom read fiction and almost never read collections of short stories and that puts me squarely in the Documentary, nonfiction, non-drama part of the quote, so these tales by Ralph Lombreglia were a pleasant surprise for me. As an ex-documentary filmmaker from Boston I particularly enjoyed the "Late Early Man" because of the subject and the Boston locale that is so perfectly captured.
 The author has a unique way of summarizing feelings and events and seeing both the truth and humor in them.  After reading these stories the reader will never again forget the adventures in birthing that came while filming the "Great Power Sander Races."
 All of these stories had previously been published in magazines such as "The New Yorker" and "The Atlantic" which pretty much guarantees that the author had something useful to say in a highly professional and entertaining manner.
 This collection is nine fun reads. And the reader may see themselves as well as their friends, family and co-workers in some of the story portraits.
3819071
I have enjoyed Mr. Brooks's blog for a few months, and picked up a copy of Story Engineering because I respect his approach to storytelling.  I am also stepping into the realm of writing fiction, and looked for a concise book that would lay out the essentials for me. This book is excellent, and a core resource for me in learning to write, no strike that, engineer stories.

Mr. Brooks provides very good explanations of each topic. Along the way, he highlights how his topics are essential to good story writing, and how the pieces work together in a solid story.  He has good discussions on the relevance of each competency, backed by plenty of examples from published works, which helped me to conceptualize the ideas.  He also explores nuances of each competency, and how they relate to each other to help make your work stronger.

I scored this a "4" for two main reasons.  First, I think he excessively repeated the reasoning for needing story structure, throughout the book.  I should acknowledge that I am just stepping into writing, and the approach made sense to me right away (even though I grew up thinking of writing more like a continuous flow of expression from the author's mind than a set of principles or process). I just found some of the explanations repetitive and sometimes wordy, where the pages could have been better spent getting to the point.  Since I was reading this on my Kindle, in many cases where I saw the book starting to re-explain the necessity of story engineering, I just paged ahead until the subject changed to the "meat" of the chapter.

A second issue was that the flow of the book reminded me somewhat of reading a compilation of the blog. I think it flowed pretty well, but in other cases it reminded me of someone gathering notes and blog entries, arranging them, then rewriting the materials to make it flow better.  This is just my opinion, and overall, it was much better than an obvious "blog to book" writing.  So, if you like his style, disregard this.  Also, it is quite likely that a person who has shared so much thought about this subject on his blog, over many entries, would have a book that sounded similar.

I would download the sample chapter to your Kindle, and if you like the appetizer, then stay for the main meal. There is important, meaningful, and pertinent information in it, written passionately, and it delivers what it promises.

One thing I wished for after I was done, is for a couple of "extras" (these don't affect my rating).  The first is a template in Scrivener, SuperNoteCard or other writing software that has a reference to the essentials from this book.  Maybe a one-pager, a skeleton, etc.  The second item would be a PDF diagram of the essential story structure, the purposes at each stage for plot and character arc, and other relevant points.

All in all, I believe this book will help me (and you!) to write stories that people love to read, and that it will help me write them more easily.
1202574
I enjoyed the stories and illustrations that really brought the topic to application in a practical and personal way.  I could see myself in the author's shoes and identify with his experiences.  Steve does a good job of blending illustrative stories with the topic being covered which makes for a highly readable book with a lot of deep insights interwoven.  I have enjoyed his past books and this one as well.  It is a very practical book at addressing so many of the lies and misconceptions that are out there concerning the gifts of tongues.  Steve presents a healthy balance of practical life applications and Biblical references for those insights.  I would recommend this book to anyone who is curious about the gifts of tongues and anyone who wants to be stirred to exercise those gifts.  I learned a lot from the book and enjoyed it thoroughly.
4113859
I received a copy of this book from a friend and decided to read it though I typically like novel length stories. It was the perfect piece for reading during my daily train commute because each story is self-contained. It is the type of book that you can pick up and put down around your schedule, but it still holds your interest and many stories give you something to think about after setting it down. I appreciated the breadth of story themes and plot lines while the overall book had theme of it's own that helped unify the separate pieces. Reading the stories in each section gave me a feeling of "a day in the life" books because the settings vary around the world and cover a range of backgrounds and experiences. I was surprised how many of these short 1,000 words or less stories packed a punch. I enjoyed it very much.
1687518
Additional resources to thoroughly enjoy this story were exactly where needed:  several clear maps, pictures with people, places and things described in the text, a recipe for a favorite peanut stew, a list of references on the complicated political and military history of Sierra Leone, and side bars with the author's reflections of changes over the 50 years since this experience.  One such reflection is about the many animals that were part of the author's household and how differently animal interactions are viewed.  The chapters are logically arranged and there is a list of the side bar items, similar to an index.  There is a brief account of the Ebola virus outbreak from 2013 - 2015.
 The author was an exceptionally young volunteer, only 19 years when he departed the U.S.  He seems both intelligent and wise, recognizing that it was his status as a white foreigner which gave him credibility with construction projects on which there were always more experienced local personnel.  He notes that his decision to avoid all alcohol caused the unforeseen consequence of 14 dental fillings.  When returning home, traveling through Italy, he describes wine as a "graceful complement" to meals and reversed his abstinence!
Although the author's experiences are mainly with other foreigners, what a busy schedule he maintained, despite considerable challenges with vehicles and living conditions that included at least 4 different cooks for the compound of 3 - 5 mostly male volunteers....one cook was sent to jail for a year.  The cast of characters includes a variety of foreign aid agencies, Lebanese merchants, American military pilots who emergency land near his home and take the author for aerial views (a picture provided), and foreign missionaries as well as dozens of incoming and departing Peace Corps volunteers.
The reports of his vacation through Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon are tributes to youthful enthusiasm and endurance.  He traveled mostly alone and shares experiences from locals as well as other travelers in central Africa.  Readers have an exceptional treat with the additional story of his friend, Jeff Mareck.  It includes a particularly poignant account of the simple funeral service for Dr. Albert Schwitzer in Lambarene, Gabon.  Readers are given a follow-up of the author's 50 years as an architect who learned to listen to clients and assist in the construction of communities, as much as buildings.  Respectful personal and professional compliments to his architect wife and his parents are refreshing, as are his appreciations for the donated photos of fellow volunteers and their continuing friendships.  There is a little overlaps, mainly in mentioned administrators, with David Gerald Mill's "My Heart Is Like a Cabbage", also published in 2015, by a Peace Corps volunteer in Sierra Leone in 1962 - 1964.  Both author's were fortunate to survive incidents when volunteers were provided vehicles inadequate to the conditions.  This memoir was a delight - heavy with details, but structurally sufficient to glimpse an idealistic attitude that thrived on practical experiences.  Those experiences both grounded and enhanced a life of service in several communities, over many decades.  Read this and be inspired.
1866779
As a Titanic buff, I really enjoyed the stories presented here that I didn't know. Very little time is spent going over what happened to the ship. The book almost immediately jumps into the couples' stories. And other than the Astors, I doubt most people have ever heard of the other 12.

Each story includes photos of the couple, the story of how they met, how they ended up on the boat, how they spent time on Titanic, what happened to them when it went down, and what happened AFTER the sinking.

None of the stories is very long, but it breaks down a huge tragedy into individual's stories, and that makes it more meaningful, at least to me.

This book is also beautifully made with a great layout and wonderful pictures. There are also sidebars about interesting Titanic facts, and while most of these I already knew, they were nicely placed and interesting.
2584197
This collection of short, spirited essays is a collaborative venture by seventeen guides at London Walks, a renowned and award-winning walking tour firm.  As David Tucker writes in the introduction, London Stories aspires to be "something different from the bog-standard walking-tour guidebook" (4).  Each themed chapter contains a sidebar with suggestions about the most atmospheric cafe, pub, churchyard, or parkbench to sit in or on while reading it, and some chapters contain maps as well.  The Jack the Ripper chapter, for example, will help you locate the site at which each of the Ripper's victims was found, even though the street scene has changed slightly in the intervening years.

London Stories is London Walks' first publishing venture, and it shows.  The essays are uneven in quality; the book badly needed some professional editing to eliminate improper puncutation, sentence fragments, and the cloying hyperbolic prose that mars some otherwise interesting chapters.  Some essays are rich in information and purposeful in their storytelling; others jump around from anecdote to anecdote without giving a comprehensive sense of the neighborhood on which they focus.  Some chapters have helpful footnotes, with suggestions for further reading.  Some chapters needed footnotes and didn't get them.

That said, I'm still glad I bought this book, and I would definitely recommend it to the literate London tourist.  At just over $10, it offers excellent value; small and light, it fits easily in a backpack or even a large purse for a day of roaming about the city.  Chapters such as "The Origins of London" and "The Old Palace Quarter" gave me fresh insights into familiar neighborhoods, and the "Where to Read This" suggestions are often excellent.  London Stories is a book I'll keep to read at home long after my vacation is over and will take with me on future trips.
1703192
I gained a lot from these diverse and inspiring stories of ex-pat women working in Muslim countries.  Each chapter is a new woman with a new story, and each has a lesson that I personally was able to apply to my own over-sees experience.  Highly recommended!
1121176
I am enjoying this book. I like that I can just jump to the stories about the areas I am interested in, without having to read from start to end. Reading the stories written by individual expats who live in the different areas is so much better than relying on the author's opinion of each area without first hand experience. Good job!
388668
very informative with good side stories of personalities and happenings,a great read both technically and historically
4702950
We spent three weeks traveling in England, Scotland and Paris after months of planning, including reading many different tour guides.  Steves' books are as thorough and detailed as you could possibly want and include many personal commentaries about how to smartly spend your money and in some cases how to not waste it on some over hyped tourist traps.  We found his recommendations/opinions to be accurate in almost all situations.  Another big benefit is that his guides are more compact and lighter weight due to the paper and fonts used so are great for carrying around in a small shoulder bag.  For the first time, we stuck to his advice to use only one carry-on piece of luggage per person and are glad we did because we depended solely on public transportation which is far better developed in Europe due to the many differences between there and the US.  He includes directions, hours and prices for many of the available sites which helped greatly in our daily planning, giving us the flexibility to make changes on the fly as opportunities presented themselves.  We bought his guides for Scotland, England and London and were completely satisfied.  We did not buy a Paris guide as we spent only a couple of days there for a teaser trip in hopes of a longer tour of France in the future.  As Steves' states, most planning can and should be done on the Internet to take advantage of significantly lower tickets prices for advance purchases for transportation and specific sights.  The drawback here is lower pricing is often due to non-refundable fares and non-changeable times so allow some flexibility in your scheduling for unanticipated delays.  Our trip went very well due in part to Steves' many suggestions and insights.  His sense of humor in many of his commentaries is delightful too.
2712695
It's real good with stories, examples, and hands-on activities.
4447612
This book is a great one to pick up and put down in between doing things or reading another book. It would be great as a coffee table book addition or it is best for young women looking for role models. This book is a combination of tales about 52 miraculous women in history from all over the world. They have done awesome things for the furthering of women's rights and just for the heck of it.

Each woman gets a two-page spread with an illustration of her on one side and a page about her life and accomplishment. The spreads are concise and easy to read and adult and younger readers will all really enjoy them. I learned some amazing things from this compilation and I loved reading through all of them. I can't wait to pass this one to a friend.
3881354
I liked the numerous anecdotes and stories, as well as the practical frameworks I could apply to myself and my team.
4729818
I really enjoyed reading this book and following the routes. Richard Jones is a compelling storyteller and his eyes for  direction and detail is excellent. I purchased the book prior to my recent vacation in London and read it cover to cover on the plane over. The first route I followed was the Jack the Ripper Walk and I found it spinechilling. Whitechapel seems as eerie and crime-ridden now as it did back in 1888. I took Jones's suggestion and purchased the A-Z of jack the Ripper before setting out and so was well prepared with the additional information required. I found the Tower of London walk a superbly laid out route around the old fortress. It kept me well away from the crowds and in some of the towers I was totally alone (at least I hope I was.)The text captured perfectly the ambience of each section of the tower's towers.
Yes a lot of the stories are short, but this they are crisply written, are extremely well told and cram a lot of detail into the space. And with 25 walks plus a detailed index crammed into its 160 pages it offers extremely good value for money. The book is first and foremost an "on the hoof guide" and is not a detailed investigation into ghosts and hauntings. It is fun and informative and the directions are very detailed but also, and this wasn't the case with several other guides I had purchased, accurate. Jones's directions across Hampstead Heath for example, were extremely easy to follow. In short this is a boook that will appeal both to the armchair walker and the avid wanderer.