Book Set Review: Harry Potter Paperback Box Set (Books 1-7)

 

This is the full set of the original Harry Potter novels in a paperback version. It is much more than just a mass-market paperback, however. The books are just a bit smaller in size than the hardcover versions, and they have the same kind of quality illustrations and look great. They also come in a collector box that you can either store them in on a shelf, or the box can be displayed separately if you are one of those who goes all in decking out a bookshelf.

Harry Potter is, of course, the massive series that consisted of these 7 books, which were ultimately adapted into 8 movies, and then spun off the Fantastic Beasts franchise that is currently still going strong. The books are set in the 1990s at a time when a ten-year-old Harry learns that he is a wizard, and starts attending school at Hogwarts school for witchcraft and wizardry. The theme throughout the series of books is the looming threat of the dark wizard Voldemort who tried and failed to kill Harry as an infant. The author JK Rowling, wrote the books with the intention that kids about Harry's age could start reading them and then age with the characters in the books. So, they do get progressively darker and more "adult" as the series goes on. The first couple of books are easily appropriate for 10-11 year-olds, but the later books are probably more appropriate for those in the 13-15-year-old (on up) age range. Even though they are technically kids' books, they can easily be enjoyed by adults. The books also get longer as the series goes on, so if you have seen the movies, there is a lot that happens in the books, especially books 3-6 that get cut out of the movies. I do think, on the whole, the books are better than the movies, but I think there are some things that the movies tweaked from the books that worked better.

Overall, it is a great book series. The story is unique in that, as opposed to a lot of other books in the sci-fi/fantasy genre that set their stories on made-up worlds that have little in common with our reality, it sets the world of magic in the "real" world in contemporary times, just making it clear that people without the magical ability (called muggles) are largely unaware of the existence of magic. If you are one of the few who have yet to read the books, I highly recommend them.

Product Review: DLO Jam Jacket with Cord Management for the 80/120 GB iPod classic 6G

 

This is a cover for the older, "classic" iPods. I have a Sixth Generation 160GB iPod classic and this fits it fine. It is not for an iPod nano or one of the thicker iPods. It is basically a piece of Silicon in the shape of an iPod classic that slips over it. I would classify this as good for "everyday" use to keep your iPod protected. Everyday use being things like carrying it in a bag and then putting it on a dock (such as a radio that has a 30 pin connector) at your office or in a bedroom, or hooking it up to an aux connection in a car, this is fine. I would not, however, use this if you want to take your iPod with you when you go jogging or something like that where there is a risk of it falling on the pavement. It does not have any screen protection at all, so if it falls on a hard enough surface at the right angle, it will still get broken. But, if you generally use it in a situation in which the hardest thing it is likely to fall on is a carpeted floor or the floor of your car, then this will be fine to keep it protected and keep it from getting scuffed up. The wheel on the iPod can be a bit hard to turn when you first put this on, but once you get used to it and figure out how hard you have to press as you are turning, it is not that hard.

Workout Update: Chalean Extreme Day 25

Day 25 was Burn Intervals. I did it in the morning on an empty stomach, which is definitely the best way I have found to do the workout. I did have to keep modifying the jumping/higher impact moves to protect my left knee, but I still got a good workout. I must say I am sorely tempted to mute the TV during this workout just so I do not have to listen to Skip. That aside, the workout went well. 

Supplement Review: Natrol Melatonin Fast Dissolve Tablets

 

I would not say that this really helps me fall asleep, but it definitely helps me to stay asleep once I have fallen asleep. I rarely ever wake up once I have fallen asleep and do not seem to toss and turn in my sleep as much when I use this on a regular basis.

Book/Study Aid Review: How to Ace Calculus: The Streetwise Guide

 

This is a book that I used mostly to help teach myself calculus before I had to take the class. The first handful of chapters (about the first 30 pages or so) deal with things like choosing the right teacher, study tips, exam taking, etc. Then, it gets into the meat of the material that you will learn in class. It covers all of the major topics from the first semester of calculus and most of the material in the second semester. Of course, that depends on how your school structures the calculus curriculum, but if it is a standard split where the first semester deals with derivatives and their application, and then introduces integrals, and the second semester focuses on all of the various integration techniques and their applications, then this will get you through that. Some second-semester calc classes also cover an introduction to differential equations, and if your school does that, this book will not cover that material.

The book is not what I would call a problems repository. It is more like the explanatory material that comes before the problem sets in the textbooks and provides some examples. The explanation of the theory and how to work problems are better than you would get in a lot of textbooks, but if you would need to get something like one of Schaum's guides if you want something that just has a ton of practice problems. One of the very helpful things the author does is give tips for things to look out for when working with different problem types and point out common mistakes that people make. If you can internalize those concepts quickly and do a lot of practice problems you will learn the material and avoid unnecessary mistakes. So, if you can learn from a book, which is definitely hard for some people, this one is a good resource to help you learn the material. I would read this in conjunction with the textbook to help make sense of what the textbook is trying to explain.