June 28, 2015

Carly's Voice

Carly's Voice: Breaking Through AutismCarly's Voice: Breaking Through Autism by Arthur Fleischmann
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Carly's Voice is an amazing account of Carly Fleischmann's early life. Carly has Autism, and is non-verbal. The book provides an inside view of the incredible love, courage, determination, and hard work required of the parents, siblings, teachers and therapists to provide a healthy and successful environment for a child and teen with ASD. Carly's story is told by her father in a style that feels much like his diary of life with Carly. The transparency and honesty in telling the story provides a view into the immense dedication and love required to raise a child with Autism. The title speaks of Carly learning to express her internal voice to others by typing on a computer or smart device. The internet based services of e-mail, instant messaging, Twitter, and Facebook were among the technologies that allowed Carly to speak to others, including her immediate family. This story gives helpful insight into the life of a family with a child with Autism. Carly's internet presence can be found on Twitter, Facebook and her blog.

https://twitter.com/carlysvoice
https://www.facebook.com/carlysvoice
http://carlysvoice.com/home/

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June 19, 2015

Lisbeth rocks

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (Millennium, #3)The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest is an interesting, albeit slower moving, conclusion to the 2nd book in the Millennium trilogy, The Girl Who Played with Fire. While it resolved all of the major hanging plot threads in the previous book, it was not done in as interesting and engrossing way. I'm glad i read through the end of the trilogy, but the first two were much more satisfying. If you read #1 and #2, then you probably want to read #3 as well to find closure, but be prepared for a book that is a bit more effort to get through. I still love the character of Lisbeth, she is a very interesting personality. She rocks.

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June 12, 2015

the complicated life of Lisbeth Salander.

The Girl Who Played With Fire (Millennium #2)The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Girl Who Played With Fire (Millennium #2) is another fast moving mystery-suspense story that takes the reader deeper into the complicated life of Lisbeth Salander. It is a great ride, with a tense ending that leaves room for the third in the Millennium trilogy, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. I'm looking forward to continuing my journey through the Swedish language film trilogy fresh from reading the book!

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June 4, 2015

living with autism and working with animals

Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal BehaviorAnimals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior by Temple Grandin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the second book i've read by Dr. Temple Grandin. I enjoy her insights and wisdom, coming from the perspective of living with autism and from working with animals all her life. But i especially love her compassion and humanity towards all animals. We can learn so much by allowing her to share her view of the world with us. This is not a scientific text, nor is it non-scientific. The author mixes academic research and knowledge with many personal anecdotes which help illustrate her views and message. I enjoyed this book very much, and learned a lot about animals and about myself. I'm looking forward to reading more books by Dr. Grandin.

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engaging and fast paced suspense - mystery

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, #1)The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This suspense / mystery is an engaging and fast paced read. I had heard of this series for quite a while, and then stumbled upon the Swedish film of the story on Netflix. I watched it twice and loved it, albeit a dark and troubling story. I especially loved the casting of Noomi Rapace as hacker researcher Lisbeth Salander. So after watching the film twice, i wanted to read the book. I am glad i did, as it helped tie together many plot connections which i had missed in the subtitled film. I plan to continue the trilogy, reading the second book "The Girl Who Played with Fire" before i continue the second in the film trilogy. I recommend this book, it's a great read.

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