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[ [ "a sweeping story of friendship, glory, betrayal and redemption, Lew Wallace' epic novel Ben hur is an enlightening read about Jesus and the struggle of ben-hur to regain his lost honour. thoroughly enjoyed this epic tale.", "95" ], [ "Ruskin bond at his best in this heart touching memoir of his father. This nostalgic book recounts the two years that Ruskin bond spent with his father. Full of nostalgic episodes and an emotional ending that will soak your eyes in tears, this book is one of the best books on child and father relationship. I highly recommend this to everyone. Looking for the rainbow is worth the read. finished this book in one go. this book was worth the read.", "28" ], [ "The Promise written by Danielle Steel is a promising novel on love, togetherness and vows. No one knows that this book was adapted and made into Bollywood motion picture - Yeh Vaada Raha in 1980's. I am looking forward to read this book as the movie is very close to my heart.", "52" ], [ "For people, the cinema actors are larger than life. They are demigods who adorn the wall of every cinema lover. The craze of fans for stars is hysterical. Legendary star Raj Kapoor was one star who took nation by storm with movies like Awaara, Boot Polish, Mera Naam Joker, Aag etc. The legacy started by Prithviraj Kapoor was continued by his next generation kids - Raj, Shammi and Shashi. Among the crowd of these star studded family, a small kid made his work noticed in Mera Naam Joker. Though Mera Naam Joker flopped, the kid aspired to make it big on silver screen one day. \n In the 70's a chocolate boy debuted on the silver screen with his romantic venture - Bobby. Rest was history. He was Rishi Kapoor, son of the legendary Raj Kapoor. Bobby's success made him an overnight romantic hero and heartthrob of generation. His debut in movie was a fairy tale story, but his struggle-some journey to maintain his success in Bollywood was not a bed of roses. Every Friday, a new movie releases and a new star is born. Rishi Kapoor's debut movie - Bobby made him a talk of town. But his second movie 'Zehreela Insaan' was a disaster. \n Here his real journey began to sustain his image in the unpredictable Bollywood. In his official biography 'Khullam Khula' Rishi Kapoor recounts his early years, his rise to stardom, break up, cold vibes with Amitabh & Rajesh Khanna and his second innings as character actor in Agneepath, Kapoor and Sons, Student of the year etc. \n What intrigued me to read was the prologue written by his son Ranbir Kapoor, the current heartthrob of today's generation. In the prologue, Ranbir reveals his strained relationship with his father but still respects him as one of the great actors of the Indian cinema. \n The prologue conveys a lot about Rishi Kapoor as a human, caring husband and a doting father. What makes this biography worth reading is its friendly tone that breaks the ice between the star and the reader. Here Rishi Kapoor is more of a human and less of a star who recounts his childhood days, his first movie as a toddler in Shree 420 and second movie as a teenager in Mera Naam Joker. Through this biography, we learn a lot about the legendary Raj Kapoor and his passion for cinema through the eyes of Rishi Kapoor. It is a treat to know about Raj Kapoor's fondness for movie making and his fascination for leading ladies of his movies. Post the success of Bobby and his fairy tale wedding with actress Neetu Singh, Rishi's career witnessed a dark phase when his ambitious movie - Karz didn't fare up to his expectations. He literally went into depression and was unable to face camera. It took him a plenty of time to come out of his dark phase and re-emerge as an actor. This biography is not just about Rishi Kapoor, it is also the story of his family, his co-stars, music directors, choreographers and the big movie banners that supported him through his journey. Apart from talking about his successful journey in Bollywood, he also spills the untold stories about his breakup with his girlfriend Yasmin Mehta, his cold arguments with his close buddies - Jeetendra and Rakesh Roshan. He even admits about the rejecting the negative role in Darr which eventually went to Shahrukh Khan. \n What left me tear eyed was the story of R.D.Burman whose music was getting unnoticed due to the entry of new generation music directors in 90's. He once requested Rishi Kapoor to get him some work. Though R.D.Burman was financially stable, it was the idleness that was bothering him. Sadly R.D.Burman couldn't make a second innings and died a quiet death in 90's. What a sad phase for this legendary R.D.Burman. Rishi Kapoor was miserably written off every time a generation of actors arrived in movies. Despite the stiff competition, Rishi Kapoor survived in the race. The epilogue is written by his wife Neetu Kapoor about her journey with her husband. It is very heart touching to read that epilogue. To the world, he is a star, but for the family, he is a difficult man to handle who lives by his own terms. We knew Rishi Kapoor as a star, but now we know him personally as a human who is eccentric, outspoken and a reserved gentleman. \n His second coming in Do Dooni Chaar, Agneepath, Student of the year, D-Day, Kapoor and Sons fetched him lots of praises. Among all the movies, Karz and Yeh Vaada Raha are my favorites which were based on English Novels. Karz was based on Reincarnation of Peter Proud while Yeh Vaada Raha was based on Danielle Steels' novel - The Promise. \n The biography 'Khullam Khula' is an honest effort by Rishi Kapoor to write down about his journey as an actor. It is really worth the read to know about the 70's star whose legacy is been continued by his son Ranbir Kapoor.", "6" ], [ "Nestled in the vicinity of Dehra's snow mountains is the residence of Rusty, a melancholic dreamer who aspires to live life on his own terms. Through Rusty, Author Ruskin Bond has recounted his own boyhood days in Dehra, Shimla and Mussoorie. 'Rusty Runs away' is story of every kid who is deprived of parental love and craves for a heartfelt tenderness. The incidents happening in the memoir - Rusty Runs Away will tug your heart and compel to go back to your boyhood days. \n Have you every bunked school to visit the cities, relish on street side food and watch cinema? This is one childhood fantasy every kid has craved to and fulfilled by playing rookie. I have done it countless times and got a good thrashing from my parents. \n There is a 'Rusty' hidden in every person who wants to break free from his daily chores and hectic responsibilities. Today we are so entrapped in web of fake desires, expectations that we have stopped living the real life we aspired for. We are no less than a money earning robot. The nostalgic episodes in this book will encourage you to pursue your dreams even in the toughest times. The most interesting episode in the novel is the escape of Rusty and his friend Daljit from their boarding school - Arundel. This escape adventure takes them on interesting locations till they finally reach the sea port only to face delay. Read this to personally experience the journey that is a roller coaster ride of happiness, joy, exploration and imagination. \n The other story in this memoir is the friendship between Rusty and Omar which blossoms in Shimla. Set during the backdrop of pre-independence Rusty and Omar strike a bond and enjoy the best moments of friendship - playing hockey, discovering tunnels and sharing their emotions. Like Rusty, even Omar is an orphan. The heart breaking partition tears apart their partnership and Omar has to leave India. After 18 years, Rusty receives the news that Omar has died in air crash during the Indo-Pak War of 1972. This is one of my favorite chapters in this novel. If you have disconnected from your long lost colleague then you will definitely relate to this story of Rusty and Omar. \n The most nostalgic episode in this novel is the friendship of Rusty with Somi, Ranbir and Suri who help him to break free from the cage of melancholia and enjoy the life to the fullest. Rusty not only enjoys food on road side stalls, but also discovers the color of happiness by celebrating Holi with his friends. This friendship gives Rusty the courage to rebel against his tyrant guardian. Rusty not only rebels, but also thrashes his guardian black and blue, putting an end to the strict tyranny imposed on him. \n 'Rusty Runs Away' is celebration of friendship, togetherness, love, freedom and nostalgia. This memoir is one of the best works of Ruskin Bond which will touch your heart's string. The scenic descriptions, travelogues will inspire you to take a trip to your favorite destination. As a social human being, we are so concerned about people that we suppress the 'real person' in us. We care about other's opinions but never heed to the inner voice of our conscious. I hope that after reading this book - Rusty Runs Away, you will definitely look out for your inner self.", "6" ], [ "A nostalgic masterpiece by Ruskin bond who scores high in memoirs and reminiscences of his hometown dehra. I saw dehra through writings of bond. It tugged my heart. more brilliant than night train at deoli. simply loved this memoir.", "180" ], [ "lanka's princess is brilliant story of vengeance and redemption. A brilliant read, lanka's princess is highly recommended book of 2017. Thoroughly enjoyed each and every moment of this novel. A refreshing perspective on Ramayana.", "188" ], [ "Lest we forget' \n Ladakh is not just a location on world map for travelers to visit, but a shrine which has witnessed the sacrifices of countless war heroes who died defending the battle posts during 1948, 1963, 1971 and 1999. No one knows about Major Shaitan Singh and his troops who were pitted against 1000's of Chinese soldiers at Rezang la in 1962. Has anyone heard of Famagusta tank which was used by 2nd Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal in 1971 war? Very few know of Yogendra Singh Yadav's dare devilry in Kargil war of 1999 where he battled the invaders and survived despite getting hit with 14 bullets. \n The Brave (Paramvir Chakra stories) penned by Author Rachna Bisht Rawat is a tribute to the war heroes who were bestowed with the highest honour - Paramvir Chakra, a honor every soldier aspires for. I really appreciate the efforts of Rachna Bisht Rawat for coming up with this book on Indian army and the unconditional sacrifices the soldiers made while defending for our borders. The author has recorded every event of wars starting from 1948, 1962 to 1971 and the 1999 Kargil war. Every single story of soldier is inspiring. Whether it is story of Jadunath Singh who battled against 100's of soldiers in Indo-Pak war of 1948 or the courage of Flying officer Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon who destroyed the enemy's war planes in 1971, every soldier is a legend in his own. \n Through this book, the author has highlighted the emotions of soldiers during the war front. Far from home, these home-sick soldiers battle every adversity - chilling cold, scorching heat, hunger and melancholy. When we watch cricket matches, we cheer for our players, showing our patriotism and excitement. But for these heroes, there is no one to cheer up. On the contrary, soldiers are labeled as killing machines by politicians and media. No one knows the inside story of soldiers stationed at war posts. Here movie heroes earn crores of rupees while on other side, the war heroes even don't get sweaters and food rations during peak times. During Kargil war, Captain Manoj Pandey was more concerned about ammunitions than food rations. \n He was ready to face hunger but couldn't see any soldier dying due to lack of ammunition. Such was the fervor of Captain Manoj Pandey. History is witness that every soldier has taken bullet on his heart to save his comrades and one such soldier was Captain Vikram Batra. Risking his own life, he entered crossfire to rescue one of the young soldiers from his team. Captain Vikram took bullet on his chest for sake of friendship and humanity. Very few have the guts to do that. \n The survivors of Rezang la war in 1962 are the witness to the horrifying aftermath which left the Indian soldiers dead on the battlefield. Even in death, the soldiers lay motionless holding weapon in their hands. These fallen heroes are forgotten. No one cares to know about the families of soldiers. \n I am hopeful that at least one person will take a time out to read this article on a soldier who is posted on a battle front, guarding the Indian post without blinking an eye. \n After writing this article, I will definitely travel to the freezing landscapes of Ladakh and pay respects to the forgotten war heroes. In the mountains of Kargil, I want to hear the echo of Captain Vikram Batra's victory signal - 'Yeh Dil Maange More'. \n Irony is that soldiers will be forgotten and so will be my story on these war heroes.", "138" ], [ "Not a quite easy read, Agatha Christie's novel - Murder on the orient express is an edge of the seat suspense novel that keeps you glued from start to finish. This novel is unarguably the best novel that made Christie a celebrity in world of literature. I am a big fan of Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. But now I have become a fan of Christie's belgian detective - Hercule Poirot. 12 suspects, 1 detective are left stranded on orient express which is stuck up due to snow. In this midst, a passenger named Ratchett is mysteriously stabbed to death in his compartment. Now the railway authorities seek the help of Poirot to intervene and solve this baffling mystery. As Poirot starts investigating, he discovers that the victim was once a kidnapper who had killed a baby girl - Daisy Armstrong after abducting her. Poirot starts interrogating each passenger on the train and to the shock he suspects that each passenger is hiding something from him. I won't reveal the story more. Just read this novel and your wits will put to test. Especially the climax will leave you baffling. You will wonder 'Oh I never thought in that way'.", "182" ], [ "funny, hilarious, romantic, spooky and creepy, a face in the dark and other hauntings is a scary collection of ghost stories that are worth reading. enjoyed the trip to this ghost town. My full review on this book \n Link - https://prashantb.wordpress.com/2017/...", "152" ], [ "A brilliant literary triumph. this novel was on my wish list for long time. this is my first novel of agatha and she really didn't disappoint me. ten people invited to an island far from civilization. all of them slowly started getting killed. when you reach the climax, you are baffled with a shocking revelation about the identity of the killer. the novel plays mind games with you and you keep guessing, doubting and figuring who the really killer is. but the moment you suspect a person in the story, he is already slain. seeing is believing. read to experience the thrill and the eerie settings created by agatha christie. I am keen to read the story once again. it is highly recommended.", "95" ], [ "very few literary characters have that magic to jump from the pages to take you on a timeless journey to live their story and such character is Rebecca from the book Rebecca of Sunnybrook farm written by Kate Douglas Wiggin. her journey from maple to riverboro and her quest to find happiness even in the heart breaking struggles is worth praising. I highly recommend this book.", "53" ], [ "we all know about emperor asoka, chandragupta maurya, paurus during magadha times. but school textbooks have described very little about the great king bimbisara whose legends are equal to asoka and chandragupta maurya. he was one king whose life was tragically cut short by his son ajatshatru. as per prophecy, bimbisara was destined to be killed by his son. but bimbisara didn't pay heed to the prophecy and brought up his son lovingly who unfortunately went on to become his biggest enemy. as predicted, bimbisara was killed as per the orders given by his son ajatshatru. ajatshatru realized his folly but very late. he had lost his father and country had lost a great king in bimbisara", "188" ], [ "A brilliant historical thriller in lines of da Vinci code, Krishna key and Angels and demons, this book is a result of extensive research. author Doyle has made this book easy to read with small chapters that make reading more enjoyable. apart from the spy part, I loved the unknown facts about Alexander and his quest to become a god. I found this book more interesting than da Vinci code. I rate it 9/10. I am keen to know more about Alexander history. A must read thriller by Doyle.", "179" ], [ "Krishna Key is a roller coaster ride of thrill and chases while the legend of krishna moves parallel in this fast paced story line for syamantak gem. But I hoped a good climax that would bring antagonists to justice, but it ends getting them arrested. Morever, it was a great thrill ride and there was never a single dull moment. I hope there would be sequel to Krishna Key with the protagonist Ravi Mohan Saini taking on a new case of mythological mystery similar to Robert Langdon in Da Vinci Code.", "188" ], [ "Those small and lil things in life and love is an everyday story of every loner who is always in look for a sweet company in his life. It is not your regular novel, but the incidents that happen in the story are close to the things that happen in our life everyday. It is a story of love getting blossomed, misunderstood, broken up and separated. If you have encountered emotion called 'love' in your school, college and office, then you definitely connect to it. If you are keen to read a sweet, light-hearted story with lots of wit, then I recommend this one to everyone.", "166" ], [ "\"You have the Best Of Me....\" - Quote from novel \"Best of me\" \n The first love is always memorable. It really is. The emotion never dies, It stays in your heart forever with passing times. Like everyone, Dawson Cole hasn't forgotten his first love, Amanda. Separated for 20 years due to a tragic misunderstanding, Dawson and Amanda re-unite again on the funeral of their mentor for whom they had held high respect and regards. Now in mid-40's, Amanda and Dawson are on different tracks of their life. They have a hope to ignite their emotions, but the tragic past of Dawson returns to haunt him back. Will fate give them a second chance to re-unite? What has future kept in hold for these star crossed lovers? If you have lost your first love,then this book will definitely enthrall you with its story line.", "125" ], [ "Abraham Lincoln : From log cabin to white house is the new graphic novel by Campfire Comics, a Delhi based publication. This graphic novel covers every episode of life right from his birth in log cabin to his oath as the 16th president of united states of America. But his journey towards presidency was not a easy path, but a path of adversities, challenges, heartbreaking incidents that made him more firm towards his goal of uniting a divided nation. He was the first president to be assasinated, the president who good deeds were tragically cut short by John Wilkes Booth, the assassin. Today the world really needs a great leader like Lincoln. Will there be a next Lincoln? Only time well will reveal the truth.", "88" ], [ "alexandre Dumas at his best !!!!! this thrilling periodic revenge drama has everything - romance, emotions, treachery, suspense, action, adventure. all packed in one. this novel came in my hands in 2002 when I had started reading novels of American literature. count of Monte cristo is story of Edmond dantes, a sailor who is accused in a conspiracy he didn't commit and is imprisoned for 14 years. seeking a help of a prison mate father faria, how Edmond dantes escapes and seeks revenge is best to be read. reading this novel is living adventure of a lifetime.", "95" ], [ "Little Women is one of my favorite novels which I read in summer of 2006 without any expecting it to be good. And to my surprise, this turned out to be the most beloved book I have ever come across and appreciate the writings of Louisa who made the story so close to heart. The March Sisters - Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy win your heart in one go and you really fall in love with these characters. I highly recommend this book to everyone.", "53" ] ]

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[ [ "As Whitman says, \n \"Have you felt so proud to get at the meaning of poems? \n Stop this day and night with me and you shall possess the origin of all poems, \n You shall possess the good of the earth and sun, (there are millions of suns left,) \n You shall no longer take things at second or third hand, nor look through the eyes of the dead, nor feed on the spectres in books, \n You shall not look through my eyes either, nor take things from me, \n You shall listen to all sides and filter them from your self.\"", "26" ], [ "The Part of debate on Justice as the derive is one of the most important debates regarding the subject, they both nearly make their point of view crystal clear. \n It's a joyful reading.", "190" ], [ "hn lsrd Hythu 'nt, S`b bny adm yqrh wmyrj`hsh lshkhS m fy Hytuh Glban ms'lsh `lyh bqluh ftr@ \"qryb mn ldrj@ lthny@ `l~ l'ql\", mrW bnfs ttly l'Hd, whylqy nfsh byqrr yzwrh. \n dy qr@ mmkn tsmyh \n regular reading to restore something that your soul abandoned involuntarily :)", "193" ], [ "To talk or argue about this we have to put many things together first .. is it Erotica or Pornographic, is it Allowed to use \"pervert and incest\" fiction ideas as a fiction in fiction?.. \n or you just can do what am doing and enjoy Genius nature of this masterpiece ..", "124" ], [ "Reading Classics in Comics illustrated Form is one of the best experiences you can ever have.. Gives new Dimensions to the text and gives it more it can carries.. \n visuals with words gives you the perfect feeling of involvement.. \n You shoulda try this, people.. :)", "36" ], [ "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, Prelude: absolutely Total Joy When You explore such world with a bold lines and strong constructions, always loved Eliot's work and always been one of my totally special awesome fascinating experiences.. I share my love for coffee with him, his perspective in drawing Loneliness.. Eliot is not Just a poet or a case .. I definitely have no accurate word to put him into!.. He is Just Himself!.. Hysteria in The Rhapsody of a windy night.. builds and destroys.. I know really that i'll never be fair reviewing Good Poetry Eliot Particularly..", "181" ], [ "It's a very Simple and also Important Intro to Nude photography and Photography in general, talks about basics of shooting and using light or as he called it Painting with light.. \n I think It's pretty useful but you can't depend on it only if you wanna advance more in Photography, you need to explore art color theory contrast and light and many other elements and study them will to be photographer not just a camera owner.. To be A photographer you should develop a photographer Eye .. \n Recommended For Those who bother themselves about visual arts ..", "83" ], [ "Just finished , What is Economics Part For the Third Or Fourth time .. Simplifying Simplicity itself ! .. I donno How someone can read a pretty long article on economics without getting Bored tired and irritated , but Rosa Luxemburg can take you there .. =)", "78" ], [ "Focusing On Jesus Galilean ministry, including the surrounding regions of Phoenicia, Decapolis, and Caesarea Philippi (1-9); the Journey to Jerusalem (10); and the Events in Jerusalem (11-16). \n I liked they way it's narrated in ..", "168" ], [ "Edgar Allan Poe .. You Are Amazingly Super Natural ! .. \n The Raven Is One Of Its Kind .. Never read Something Wrote With Passion Like This .. I think It takes me years , to wrie A phrase like His .. \n Edgar Allan Poe , I am A Big Fan !!! =]", "82" ], [ "It was Really enjoyable to me , but some times I had to go over so pages .. too much of senseless Details , or may be this is of The Translation .. After All , Deserves Time ..", "110" ], [ "To me It's A poor One .. It's just like making fun of things you don't believe in .. There's No really what we can call - Discussion - .. Just Alot of Jokes about Non Christian and Jews - When it ever possible - side by side on jokes on Non-Religious Liberals ..", "66" ] ]

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[ [ "-1 star for excessive description of Rishi's eyes as \"honey-colored\" or \"melted honey\". \n -1 star for cliche ending ~ still waiting for the day when a YA girl can follow her dreams and not drop everything for a boy she met a month ago ugh", "2" ], [ "Meh? The climax of it all came way to early in the book and all of the declining action felt like it took forever. Book probably should have ended 150 earlier than it did.", "162" ], [ "Updated (7/11/17) \n I was initially drawn to this book as it was marketed as a \"breakfast club\" cast of characters meets murder mystery. Whoever was in charge of marketing and writing the blurb on the inside cover did not seem to read the book at all. The \"breakfast club\" description of the main characters held true to an extent; the baseball jock, the valedictorian, the criminal, the beauty, and the criminal. The murder mystery aspect held up until about 1/3 of the way through the book when the main character's secrets started to reveal themselves, one by one. The reveal of each secret felt a bit forced, ending a chapter and then quickly changing to a different character's point of view. \n The book touched on topics like suicide and school shootings. The topic of school shootings felt a bit too soon and a bit insensitive just as it was so casually written about. Simon wanted to use his suicide and framing of the group to leave the same impact as a school shooting would have on someone's life. Um...not quite the same. At all. \n Overall, this book could have been so much better if there weren't so many elements involved (secrets, murder mystery, multiple subplots for every. single. character. It had so much potential to be a great YA novel, but it fell short.", "70" ], [ "\"...what if that particular goldfinch (and it is very particular) had never been captured or born into captivity, displayed in some household where the painter Fabritius was able to see it? It can never have understood why it was forced to live in such misery: bewildered by noise, distressed by smoke, barking dogs, cooking smells, teased by drunkards and children, tethered to fly on the shortest of chains. Yet even a child can see its dignity: thimble of bravery, all fluff and brittle bone. Not timid, not even hopeless, but steady and holding its place. Refusing to pull back from the world.\"", "42" ], [ "\"...he began to leave a little more of himself at the dinner each day, so that the man who returned to us seemed less and less present, a kind of robot who carved turkeys and filmed holidays but who wasn't really there at all\" \n holy shit.", "47" ], [ "Currently writing this review while I am still sobbing . This book could easily become the next \"The Fault In Our Stars\" with the right promotion and audience. . Although there were a lot of characters in the novel, most being introduced within the first few chapters, they all had unique and diverse personalities, making them realistic and relatable. As a theater kid in high school, I can easily relate to the competitiveness and lifestyle described in the book. \"You In Five Acts\" did involve some sensitive topics that are relevant in today's society (drug use, police brutality) and was able to handle them with maturity without overloading the reader with a \"preach-y\" approach. Una LaMarche's writing style was flawless and made the characters seem real, almost as if the characters were talking to me about their friends. The POV of the character speaking in first person and then involving another character as \"you\" was a bit confusing in the beginning, but gave the characters another added layer of depth and realness to them. Overall I enjoyed the book immensely and cannot wait for others to read it. \n I received a digital advanced reader's copy for free through Penguin's First to Read program (http://www.firsttoread.com).", "28" ], [ "I don't even know where to begin with this book. The overall tone of the book was very manipulative and narcissistic as basically this book was a long manifesto of all the women he has \"loved\" in the past. The first page was intriguing and gave the book some potential, but after page four, the book's true intentions were revealed. It's a short book, so it's good if you need to fill up some spaces for your reading challenge, but other than for that purpose, I wouldn't even bother with this.", "151" ], [ "Please don't judge me, I work at a children's bookstore and sometimes the mainstream adult fiction just gets too real. Thus, I resort to children's board books. Just going to make this one plain and simple, this book was cute. It illustrated the life with a new child comparing the child to a demanding corporate boss, which was hilarious. If I had baby/toddler-aged friends to recommend this book to, I totally would.", "172" ], [ "Yet another great find while working at the children's book store. I had seen this book on amazon and put in an order with the store's publisher ASAP. The art was super cute (baby shirt that says \"I can't read\", could it get any more adorable?) and the story was simple to follow, as it is a children's book. After finishing it, I just really want to know what happened to Queen Baby. Awaiting the sequel.", "172" ], [ "I enjoyed the art style of this book but disliked the narrative. The author's attitude to the people living in NK (guides, citizens, co-workers, etc.) seemed like he was far superior to those around him, almost arrogant. If it weren't so biased and blatantly rude towards their culture at times, I would've rated it higher. Somewhat disappointed.", "157" ], [ "If I could sum up this entire book into one word, it would be 'meh'. The entire book was cute and charming, much like Jojo Moyes's other works. I adore her writing style so I keep on coming back to her novels. The two alternating storylines were pretty good on their own, but towards the end the flipping back and forth between them got a little confusing. The ending seemed kind of rushed and just thrown together and of course everything turned out perfect for her in the end, so it was very Disney-movie like in its ending. I absolutely love Jojo Moyes's writing style, but if it weren't for that, I wouldn't read any more of her books.", "200" ], [ "It took me a few days to process this book after finishing it. The writing in this book is absolutely beautiful. I knew it was going to become one of my favorite books after only reading twelve pages. Stasha and Pearl were beautifully written with dynamic personalities and fantastic, natural character development. I can easily say that this book has become my all-time favorite novel, topping 'The Book Thief'. Konar's writing made me genuinely care about the girls and the various other characters met along the way. The plot was beautifully written out and had me clinging to every aspect of this story. \n I cannot wait to read more from Konar and cannot wait for people to read and treasure this novel. I believe it will easily become an absolute must-read for historical fiction fans and the WW2 era genre.", "46" ], [ "I was surprisingly disappointed by this book. I had seen all the hype around it and saw it on a multitude of best seller lists and could not wait for the paperback to be published. I was so excited to read this kind of book with a female perspective, in comparison to all of the male-centered and driven plots. This book had such a great premise, but 50 pages in I realized you can't really do much with a 14 year old in a cult. The descriptions of daily life within the cult were uninspired and dry, with not much change in the daily routine of drugs and sex. The changing perspective of Evie from a teenager to a much older perspective was a little confusing and introduced unnecessary characters as a part of the latter. The ending of the book did not wrap up much of the novel's plot and left me wanting something more completing to the story. Overall, disappointed with the subpar execution of such a good concept.", "162" ], [ "I absolutely adored this book! I finally put it in my TBR pile for September after purchasing a copy back in July, and I don't think I could have made a better decision. The cast of characters in this book were snobby and very upper-class suburbia, but weren't obnoxious and over-exaggerated. The characters and their personalities in this book reminded me a lot of my suburban neighborhood and the personalities seen around there. The plot got a little funky towards the end, the last 100 pages or so, but it was built up nicely, not being rushed or dragged on. The title itself doesn't make sense until the last 1/3 of the book, which kept me intrigued throughout the book. \n Overall this was a lovely book and I cannot wait to read more from Maria Semple.", "200" ], [ "Definitely not one of the best books I've read, but it is one of the most influential books when thinking about crime and the death sentence. Susan Kuklin's style of having multiple perspectives from multiple people and their families who are on or were on death row provided a unique perspective into their crimes and the sentencing given. I really enjoyed how the book went through all stages of the crime from the committing of the crime all the way to the sentencing and, in one case, the final words.", "179" ], [ "** spoiler alert ** \n A great book about dystopian \"future\" with the over-controlling Party and the invasive Big Brother. I personally preferred Brave New World in comparison to 1984, but both novels were good. 1984 highlights how the government uses torture and fear to regulate their society.", "95" ], [ "Disclaimer: I received this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways. \n I just received this book in the mail yesterday morning and from the moment I opened the package to the last page, I couldn't put it down! The entire narrative was cleverly written with fast-paced back and forth between the characters. Each character is unique and multifaceted emotionally, making the characters seem real and had real depth that resisted a typical archetype label.", "46" ], [ "I had to read this book for my contemporary literature class and I read it a month ahead of everyone else. No regrets whatsoever on that decision. Wonderfully written book with amazing characters.", "99" ], [ "I absolutely couldn't put it down! I had heard about it from a friend of mine, loved the concept, ordered it off of amazon (paid for express shipping) and finished it in a little less than seven hours. But oh my goodness gracious, those were probably the best seven hours I will ever spend on a book. The book had me crying within the first thirty pages and left me bawling so hard in the end I had my mother read me the last few pages since my vision was so blurry from all the tears. \n Would highly recommend :)", "101" ], [ "Throughout my childhood, I always thought of people who worked in mortuaries or 'funeral homes' to be old with dark hair and deep-sunken eyes but Caitlin Doughty's book, Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, really changed my childhood thoughts on the profession. Doughty's upbeat narration of her childhood, daily happenings working at a crematorium, and historical explanations kept my mind entertained with witty commentary while feeding my (probably unhealthy) interest in the territory of 'people who deal with death'. The book's pace was relaxed, but not to the point of falling asleep. \n Even though I may never work in the business of death, Doughty's book taught me many previously unknown things about the business, both historical and psychological. I would recommend this book for anyone who is looking for a light, entertaining read while simultaneously learning about 'taboo' topics. \n 4/5 Stars", "38" ], [ "I really disliked this book. For me, I felt like it had no plot. The only way I got through this book was to borrow the audiobook from the library to keep me going, and even then I got bored. It's definitely not a page-turner, but has some decent characters. Overall, it's a nice concept, but it just wasn't executed very well.", "150" ], [ "I wasn't very impressed with this book. I went in with moderate expectations and came out very disappointed. \n A very short read, only taking two days to finish. \n I felt the main character, Junior, was very flat & basic. Yes, there were some atypical characteristics, but the character and storyline just weren't believable for me.", "150" ], [ "Such a lovely contemporary book! It took me a little over a week to read this book and I enjoyed every minute of it! The characters were very relatable and the situations were very realistic, which is what I look for in a book. Rainbow has become one of my favorite authors after reading this book.", "28" ] ]

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[ [ "A really cool story, but way too little narrative. Plus, author keeps jumping around in time. Really confusing. I already knew all the stories he mentioned, and I had even memorized portions of some. Definitely for kids, and for kids who haven't heard these stories their whole lives, and for kids who aren't already mission oriented. Would be cool if author wrote another, separate book about his adventures with Hoops for Hope and in Africa.", "162" ], [ "The author is surely a nice person, but she spends way too much of this book quoting other people. This book is a nice overview of the philosophy behind the unschooling and free, 'risky' play movements, but as a story, it's only so-so. The author jumps from the past to the present a lot, and while she makes it clear what she's doing so it's not confusing, it is annoying. I just wanted to read the story of the company school, that's why I picked this book up again. Unfortunately, that is only discussed briefly. Not worth the time it takes to straight-read it, I skipped all the philosophy stuff this time.", "109" ], [ "This book was published at about the same time as several other books on this topic. This isn't the one you should read. Other books, such as Igniting a Passion for Reading, The Book Whisperer, and even the much older Parents Who Love Reading, Kids Who Don't, are much more practical. In what I read of this book, (the beginning) the author (who is male, by the way, not that you could tell from reading) identifies problems, but no solutions. When he does propose solutions, they are half baked and unready, and they don't work for the reasons he says they should. \n I didn't finish the book, so perhaps it gets better. And perhaps not.", "109" ], [ "This book is depressing. You clearly live Isabelle's hurting life, but it ends without clear proof that things will actually get better, that anyone has truly changed. You leave in a worse state than you entered. :( This book gets 2 whole stars because the author successfully brings you in close to her world, and how isolated Isabelle feels.", "91" ], [ "It doesn't really matter how good this book was. I could have given it anywhere from 3-5 stars. I chose 5 because this book for me was a portal to someplace special I didn't know existed; a place where teachers use regular old games to teach real stuff, the same games that parents, teachers and media experts bemoan as wastes of time. This book is a portal to a place where other people see the potential for games as teaching tools, more than they already are, and agree with me that almost everything on the 'educational games' market is completely useless, if not harmful. This book is a portal to a world where someone else has had my ideas for games and simulations, and made them. (!!!!) This book is a portal to a world where dedicated teachers and game designers are working together to make the world a more fun place. This book is a portal to a place where games literally change the world, and the people who play them. But the best part? The place where this book happens, the stuff of dreams and nonsense? It's real.", "35" ], [ "Wonderfully wacky, almost creepy but not quite. A collection of short stories that are thought provoking and woefully incomplete, though it's also obvious there could never be any more to them. \n Great for days when you just need to turn your brain upside down.", "166" ], [ "The colors are wrong. In the book, grey=1 and hero, yellow=2, 3=green, 4=purple, 5=orange, 6=blue, 7=red and bully. If you see any colors at all with numbers, you probably won't like this book. Because the colors are WRONG. \n Besides the fact that the plot is bland. Nothing happens. But then, I'm biased. It was hard to even read this book because of the colors.", "10" ], [ "A cute book about a square who gets destroyed repeatedly and finds good from it. We read this book to the reading club and they enjoyed guessing what the square would do next. This book seems more fun to write than to read, though. It would be cool to mess around with the shapes personally.", "172" ], [ "You'll either like this or you won't. Each two page spread is split into four boxes, each with it's own story. I was finally able to intuit the connection between the four stories, though it took some work, but Mom couldn't. I had to tell her my interpretation, because she couldn't make any sense out of it. This is an interesting book for an adult to read alone. Not sure how much a child could get out of this. Maybe they'd pick up on the connections, maybe they'd just think there were a bunch of unconnected stories shoved together. It would be very difficult to read with more than one person at the same time. \n It is a funny story, but very difficult to understand.", "172" ], [ "A book with quiet beauty. Hana loves the sound of her grandfather's violin. He could make his instrument sound like rain, crickets, frogs... music. Hana wants to play in the talent show, but only has had three lessons. I particularly love the stage drawings, and the crowd scenes.", "163" ], [ "This is a very beautiful book. The illustrations are stunning. There is no plot. It's about rocks. It rhymes. At the end, there's a dictionary of sorts that explains how a rock can be all these things. (Perhaps it would be better if the explanations were on the page that references them, instead of collected at the end.)", "46" ], [ "The majority of this book is Nancy categorizing things according to shape, color, use... it looks okay, but is very boring. Then again, I'm 17 and the target audience is obviously much younger than I am.", "109" ], [ "This is not a book about the Enigma. It is not about Turing's work in general. It's about Turing being homosexual, about Turing being misunderstood, about Turing being just like the rest of us except for his environment, which this book presents as unreasonably hostile. Perhaps it was, perhaps it wasn't. \n This book is not a biography either, but rather a book about all of Turing's biographies. \n This book has very little reason to exist. The only one I can think of is that some schools don't allow their students on Wikipedia.", "109" ], [ "I wish I had read this series three or four years ago. I would have loved it. Unfortunately, book one establishes a pattern, and every installment I've read (not in order) keeps it. Lunch Lady is the protector of a school, someone attacks it, she is overheard by the kids, the kids decide to help her, Lunch Lady tells them to stay home, she's wrong and they save her, she then saves the day. It gets old, but I would have loved it a few years ago. \n My only issue is this: why is the story about a lunch lady? Why not about kids? Kids hear that they're not as good as adults constantly, and even Lunch Lady herself upholds this 'truth'. Why doesn't she ever admit that the kids are better at her side than away?", "31" ], [ "This is not a book about the Navajo Code Talkers, or their code. It's a book about WWII with an eye to the sufferings of American Indians. It's told from the POV of an old man telling his grandchildren about his youth. The voice is stale and boring. It covers many battles of WWII, so it would be a good supplement to an American History curriculum, though it doesn't talk about every battle. Between the constant death and boring narrative, it's too heavy to read for fun. As my inner child said, 'If this is a good book, I'm a bad reader.'", "157" ], [ "Absolutely beautiful illustrations, chock full of color and texture, are what make this story exceptional. Shy wants to talk to a certain bird, but he's afraid. I had to flip through this twice just to see all the art again. Story is okay.", "36" ], [ "A little girl does what she can to brighten her neighborhood, by passing out art and taping it on walls, but it's not enough. Then, one day an artist comes to town. She want to know what he's doing. \"Can I help?\" she asks. \"Absolutely,\" the artist says, and hands her a brush. The art style in this book is fabulous, if not fascinating. Story is okay.", "102" ], [ "This is a concept book. It's more about the possibilities than characters, setting or plot. The theme is boring, and the ending is predictable. However, this story captured my imagination right from the beginning, and I couldn't help but see the possibilities. It's a nice looking book, too, though not particularly stunning on most pages.", "120" ], [ "The extrovert's guide to teaching reading in the classroom. The author repeatedly tells teachers to stand up and make a fuss for books and reading. Has some very good ideas which even introverts could adapt and use. For a quieter approach, see The Book Whisperer.", "17" ], [ "An inspiring story of a Jewish father and his son with autism, Following Ezra is funny and charming. It can be really hard to follow, as the author jumps back and forth in Ezra's lifetime with very little warning. (Also, for the first chapter or two, I thought this book was written by Ezra's mother, not his father, as I hadn't done any research into this book prior to reading it, and his wife has a name more commonly given to guys.) \n The most remarkable thing about this book is the author's attitude toward his son. When a therapist first suggested that he and his wife should grieve for the child Ezra never would be, the author admits that he had very few, if any, expectations for his young son. It is mentioned only once, but affects the whole book in subtle ways. Where many memoirs of this type spend chapters discussing depression, mourning and marriage problems, this book does not, mostly because they did not occur. The 'search for answers' and the 'desire to confront those who are subconsciously biased' are parts of this book, though small ones. Mostly, this book is about Ezra and his various obsessions. This would be a perfect book to give to a child, as it is very upbeat, though they might be confused by all the jumping around. (I know I was.)", "30" ], [ "This book basically tells what happens in all of the books, very briefly, as well as what was changed in each subsequent edition. It also mentions many sources of inspiration for Herge, and displays some of them. It contains some biographical information on Herge as well. All in all, for a Tintin book, a very boring read, however, the pictures make it worth it. I gasped aloud at many of the inspiration photos; \"That's the Thom(p)sons!\" I thought, when I saw a black and white picture of two European detectives, and \"Professor Calculus is real!\" Many of the characters were based on real people, as this book reveals, and it also tells of many instances when the author drew himself into crowd scenes or made other little jokes. Delightful to flip through, but somewhat boring to read cover to cover.", "79" ], [ "In this installment of the wildy funny Tintin series, Tintin and Snowy get mixed up in an oil sabatoge scheme, and go with Captain Haddock, Tomson and Thomson, Professor Calculus and his assistant, Wolf to the moon! Will they ever return?", "69" ], [ "I really wanted to read this book. The concept is so ripe with potential. Era: 1960s, Setting: NASA, Protagonists: Black women scientists, Plot: Overcoming prejudice with talent. I imagined a real page turner out of this one. Four women, dreaming of the stars would come to NASA and take the place by storm. There'd be wit and drama. You'd laugh at the comebacks these fabulous women came up with and their workarounds, you'd cry when their lives took a wrong turn, and most of all, you'd cheer when man finally landed on the moon. \n This is not the story this book tells. This is not a book about space, or about NASA, though both come in near the end of the book. It actually starts back before WWII, and covers the history of NASA's predecessor, NACA, and the town it created. It talks about the women who did calculations before computers, and how some of them went on to be engineers. The lives these women led were certainly remarkable, if not fabulous. The author did a fabulous job researching everything, and spared no detail in this book, from the names and work of other women 'computers', as they were called, both black and white, to the engineers whom they calculated for, to the friends, parents, siblings and other significant figures in the lives of these extraordinary women, to the math ideas for everything from supersonic flight to rocket calculations. \n I used this one as a go-to-sleep book, because it was so dry. The facts are there, real and interesting, but laid out in the most straightforward, boring way possible. If you were to try to fit this into a traditional three act story structure- or any story structure, you would have a hard time. It jumps around between women and skips back in forth in time. I had a really hard time telling the women apart and establishing an order of events for the narrative, which is really sad, because they really did lead such fascinating lives. There were no stakes established, and the characters were very difficult to keep straight. I am certain that these women were of very different temperaments and personalities, though from reading this book it's hard to think of them as anything but clones of each other. \n I understand that when one is writing a book that spans four women's lives and forty years, it is difficult to make it anything but dry. I commend the author for bringing these stories to light, and for being so thorough in her research. She also did a wonderful job of telling us about the work these women did, and explaining it in layman's terms without turning the biography into a math textbook. This book also briefly covers the highlights of the Civil Rights movements and the narrative of the black race in general from the 1940s to the 1970s.", "199" ], [ "An inspirational story of a girl who broke through autism and shared her voice with the world. \n The first third of the book is somewhat depressing, as the family didn't have much hope during that time, and they were constantly exhausted with no good options. (I recommend reading the first half of the book in one sitting, if at all possible.) The last third is very inspiring, as Carly overcomes many challenges to share her voice with the world.", "30" ], [ "It's hard to read these books, because when I'm done, I am stuck experiencing things the way Taylor does, and it's maddening. But I suppose that's the mark of a well written book. They are certainly fun to read.", "110" ] ]

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[ [ "This book is more relevant today than one would care to admit. I think everyone should read it. Some will be enlightened, some will be enraged and some should be ashamed. Having read the Sellout by Paul Beatty recently I thought there was a lot of parallels. The Sellout was a parody but it also had a powerful message.", "174" ], [ "Highly recommend. Some parts were disturbing and most was scary. It basically talks about how misogyny became a part of our culture. Funny story, true story, I was talking about the book and someone walked in the room and said your going to need to get over it. And I said I need to get over misogyny? And he said he thought I was talking about the president elect. Hmm, that's weird, why would you think I was talking about him? Hmm", "41" ], [ "** spoiler alert ** \n This is a story of an independent woman doing what she has to do to survive. The story was interesting and sometime enraging. A lot of things that happened to her would not have happened if she were a man. Additionally, why is it a love story?, when a smart, brave woman in every other way has to take care of some alcoholic man that treats her like sh!t and lives off her \"without a promise\". That is not romantic. Then she spends her twilight years thinking about how she should have been more tolerant of his addiction. I had to look again to see if a man wrote this. Shame on you Mary Keene for making a story about an empowered woman into some kind of beauty and the beast fairy tale. Where spoiler alert................................................................./.........................................................,,,,,,,,,,, they did not live happily ever after.", "191" ], [ "** spoiler alert ** \n So I feel like I missed something. When did Sean Duffy become a bad guy? I mean for reals even Stuart Neville's Fegan wouldn't walk away and let wee ones be killed.", "5" ], [ "I really loved the storytelling in this novel. I can't wait to read the second one. I like the unreliable narrator aspect of it. It adds to the fantasy and magic of it all. I always enjoy the stories written by Rothenfuss", "46" ], [ "Love the Royal Spyness it always has some connection with historical rumors. I also love the way Georgie is a strong independent woman but her boyfriend is such a cad or is he?", "191" ], [ "This book was actually better than the first. It is a Young Adult novel ( which I am not) but I like to readYA because I like supernatural and/ dystopian but adult books of this genre sometimes are exploitative. Anyway I thought the first book might have been more children's than YA but this book kicks it up a notch. I listened to the audible and at the end was a narrative by Orson Scott Card about the problem of exposition in sci fi. It was very interesting. I like this story, it had a beginning, middle and end but I see another book is coming out so more on this world.", "197" ], [ "Cute story probably for kids but I enjoyed it too. I kept picturing Mike and Molly as Hans and Gretel. Or the actors if they did a movie I probably will read more in the series it was cute and funny and I needed an escape", "172" ], [ "There were a lot of stories to help people with loss or illness that are very good. There are some stories that take a long way to get to an abrupt ending.There are a few stories that you didn't really know what is going on. That is because those stories were probably excerpts from larger stories. I usually pick anthologies with a theme because they are usually complete stories. They may be in the world of the authors but a complete story. Then if I like that world I might start reading the series from the author. But if it is just an excerpt from a novel, I find it a bit unsatisfying.", "110" ], [ "I promised myself I wasn't going to give George incentive to do other projects besides the next book of Song of Ice and Fire. I enjoyed it so much. I enjoyed Dangerous Women and Rogue was equally enjoyable. It had all different genres and types of stories everyone could find something to enjoy. I also like reading anthologies because It gives a sample of other authors and genres that I might want to read while waiting for the Winds of Winter to be written", "107" ], [ "** spoiler alert ** \n Not what I thought. It reminded me more Death as She Is Truly Lived than Good Omens. Maybe I was thinking of Inferno. Anyway it had all the elements you can see why it is a classic.", "21" ], [ "I like to read sci fi written in the 50s because all the forward thinking in the world cannot wrap their mind around women in the workplace lol. In this future, women did work but his love interest longed to be a housewife of the 50 s. lol", "165" ], [ "Angus and Dominica get married,Cyril has an adventure, Mathew contemplates life, Big Lou goes viral, And Bertie is still 6. This is seemingly mundane but not as told by Alexander McCall Smiths Angus's poems always make me sad because that means this chapters of Scottland St. Is over and we have to wait until next time.", "191" ], [ "Every time I read a book by John Scalzi it is my favorite book by John Scalzi. What a brilliant mind to think of a world that we are one virus away from living on. How could he have known how timely this book would be with the recent spread of Ebola virus. This was not at all what I expected. It was actually a murder mystery set in what could be the very near future. I really was pleasantly surprised. Which is good because I was expecting this book to be very good and it was even better.", "179" ], [ "I loved every story. It was quite the array of genres and authors. Not surprisingly, I loved the stories by Gabaldon,Sanderson, George RR Martin the best. Surprisingly I was very engaged in the stories by Lawrence Block, Jim Butcher. Not because I don't like the authors I just didn't expect the stories to go in the direction they did. I loved every minute of this book but George please stop with the side stories and get on it. Ever heard of nanowrimo pretend that's now. Let winter come already.", "45" ], [ "Let's call this installment a boy and his dog. I can't believe I can't wait until the next installment. This book was very long and a lot of places I found myself thinking yeah yeah you love Molly get on with it. The reason being that his love for Molly had very little to do with the plot. As far as I can tell it did not motivate him to the task at hand so why dwell on it. I know he was motivated by his love for the King and his obsession to get revenge for the things Regal did. That was enough motivation. But other than that it was a good story about people I liked and it was kind of soapy so I want to know more so I will read the Fools Assasin but I might skip over the pages that Fitz pines for Molly.", "127" ], [ "I really enjoyed this book. It had a lot if personality. I am confused why these authors are being compared to Hiassan. Maybe because of the \"beta male\" characters. Anyway this is a completely unique story about a \"death merchant.\" And the trouble he goes to avoid the apocalypse. The reason it was on my currently reading list so long had more to do with the format of my book. My brother bought it for me in paperback, (huh how do those things work?) I have gotten so spoiled with kindle and audible that it was hard to find the time or place to read it. Lol. Anyway, I did like his selection and I will probably read Lamb soon. But I just got book 5 of Burton and Swinburne so I can't wait to read that.", "134" ], [ "Story about murder and living through \n Told through the eyes of Justin Chase, who became a bartender because he wanted to check out of life. This was a very good point of view. He had been in a mental hospital after finding his mother murdered. As a bartender he watched people live their drunk lives from behind \"the wood\". He was very detached until Bernie Crackle came into his bar claiming to have killed his mother. That is where the mystery starts. As Justin finds bits and pieces of the puzzle, he is forced to be present in his life. He can no longer just be an observer.", "29" ], [ "Loved this book. The whole concept of a world created by a guy obsessed with the 80's made it more campy and believable at the same time. It was as if John Hughes directed the matrix. In case your still on the fence I say read and have your children read it", "95" ], [ "I enjoyed this book, as I have enjoyed all of Kinsey Millhone's adventures. I wish I wouldn't have read the reviews criticizing the chapters in third person narrative because although it detracts from the first person narrative and perhaps not even necessary, I was enjoying the whole experience. Then thinking about it distracted me. Anyway I still liked the story and can't wait for the neXt.", "22" ], [ "I really liked this story. It showed how people could survive anything. I still laugh when I read sci fi written in the 50's and the women are still a subclass. However the main character of this book did not see it that way. Also it is unclear when this takes place. It is during a nuclear war not necessarily the future. I put a more in depth review on audible.com.", "22" ], [ "I got this because I usually enjoy Karin Slaughter in a lot of anthologies that I read. She has a dark humor. Martin Misunderstood was like a secret life of Walter Mitty if it was directed by Quentin Tarantino. So that kind of humor. This book however, not funny. It was good though. I fell like this author could write any kind of genre. These short stories gave me the feel of Flannery Oconnor. Some of the stories were too disturbing and or sad for me especially since I was expecting it to be funny. That's my take on it", "187" ], [ "Probably not for chicks \n This is a humorous book aimed at frat boys. I got it because I am a fan of How I Met your Mother. Some secret codes are probably better left secret.", "197" ], [ "I enjoyed the stories of young men in space academy. Funny in that future people still smoked in the office and they don't talk politics to the little ladies they wouldn't understand. Lol", "144" ], [ "I can't wait for the next installment. Poor Bertie will he ever be seven? It looks like he might be able to wear blue jeans soon. Best couple Angus and Cyril. Will they survive when Domenica is thrown in the mix.? Second best couple Bruce and his hair gel, although I fear that relationship is becoming dysfunctional. Finally will Mathew and Elsbeth and the boys find harmony? This and more hopefully soon to come. Since All My Children was cancelled this is my new soap opera.", "119" ], [ "I really love the way McKinty uses time and place as a character in his novels. Like this one New York in the 90's. As if in another time and place these events would not have unfolded as they did. But the culture and atmosphere as described really adds richness and credibility to the fiction. I really like the way he tells a story", "108" ], [ "I call this series CSI 1700's. Harriet Westerman and Gabriel Crowther solve mysteries using scientific methods. And the mystery unfolds like a CSI episode. There is also a lot if story about the characters as well. They both have interesting histories and also the way they support each other. Justice is served. And the stories are great and emotional at times.", "45" ], [ "Steam punk in its purest form. What's not to like. I will probably review on audible. This was not my favorite of the series and yes you do need to read the others. Unlike book 4 this story does not stand alone. And the time jumps and Burton's consciousness gets kind of confusing. More later", "127" ], [ "This started out as a fun post apocalyptic comedy of errors and turned into a sad morality story where history repeated itself. I think I might have missed something because I don't remember when or how things began to go awry. However the story did span at least one century if not more. Either way it was a compelling story that I would compare with the writings of Voltaire", "144" ] ]

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[ [ "How you spend your life will always be trial-and-error. Your past experiences may affect your life choices and your choices may not be the best ones that you can have. But at the end of the line, what's important is that you learned something out of these choices.", "26" ], [ "I've always been fascinated about the idea of time travel. That's the main reason why I started to read this book (plus I enjoyed My Name is Memory, same author). \n This book is an easy read. And the plot seems promising at first. But somehow, the story didn't progress like how I expected it to be. Weak story. Weak character development.", "162" ], [ "Heartwarming novel. This book has taught me: \n 1. that we should never settle anything less for ourselves \n 2. that we should have the courage to go away from a situation we're not happy with even if it seems so difficult to do so \n 3. that every decision we made might have some serious consequences \n 4. that regrets will only be realized in the end \n 5. that bad decisions maybe inevitable sometimes but it will not hurt if we can admit that we're wrong and ask for forgiveness", "193" ], [ "I picked up this book randomly from Powerbooks (I just like the cover and I'd like to read a chick-lit that time), not knowing that there's a hype over this book in the internet. So I don't really have high expectations over this. \n The book had my interest for a while because it somehow reminds me of my teenage years. And I like how the characters cite songs from different artists (I sometimes play the songs that they mention while reading). And also, the narrative is okay. I had some good laugh on the first half because of the writer's humor. \n IMO, the book is only popular because it feeds the imagination of people on how their first love should be like, especially for teen readers. But their love story, for me, is very unrealistic. And too cheesy. I sometimes cringe when the characters say some weird lines (eg. I want to eat his face). =/", "120" ], [ "I recommend this to people who have zero or little knowledge in stock market investing. First, it explains the terminologies and concepts related to stock market. Then the author presented the methodologies used by those people who made it big on the business. He showed what he thinks are the traits that we can pick up from them that can serve as guide when we invest in the market. He also showed good measures that we can use to know if a stock is a good buy.", "83" ], [ "Basically, this book presents four ways on how you can earn income: (1) as an employee; (2) as self-employed; (3) as an investor; and (4) as a business system owner. The book iterates why you could never be financially free if you are only on category 1 and 2. \n I was inspired to read another Kiyosaki because of Rich Dad Poor Dad. But I find this book as only a more detailed explanation of the ideas presented on the former so I will not recommend this book if you have read Rich Dad Poor Dad. Also, if you're looking for a book that will tell you explicit information on how to be rich, then this is not the right one, find something else. But if you're looking for a book that will help you create a mindset on why being an investor or a business system owner is way better than being an employee, then read Rich Dad's Cashflow Qudrant.", "75" ], [ "** spoiler alert ** \n Highschool life is getting better and better for Sawako. Chizu and Ayane have invited her to hangout at Ryuu's on a Saturday night, Kazehaya followed since Sawako invited him through phone. \n There was also a hint of Ryuu's feelings for Chizu when she asked him what is Ryuu's type of girl. \n The two girls also challenged Sawako to call them by their first names, which Sawako finds hard to do (in Japan, only those who are close enough use first names, they usually call their colleagues with their last names). \n A new character was introduced, Kurumi-chan, the role model for Sawako. At the end of the volume, Kurumi revealed that she likes Kazehaya and asks for Sawako's help. She refused by the way, said she can't. :)", "159" ], [ "** spoiler alert ** \n I first learned about Kimi Ni Todoke through its live-action movie and I liked it so much. I tried to watch the anime but I got bored so I stopped. A few days ago, out of boredom, I tried to read the first chapter and got hooked again with Sadako and Kazehaya. What's nice about this couple is their innocence. ^___^ I just love the scenes when Kazahaya blushes everytime Sawako stares at him. Kyaaaa! Fan-girl mode on. :))", "54" ], [ "** spoiler alert ** \n Like Water For Chocolate depicts the struggles in life and love by Tita, the main protagonist. The story entails a repressive mother, rivalry between sisters for a man, and forbidden love, among others. Reading it feels like watching Mexican soap operas which were very popular in my country back in the 90s. \n -------- \n I like how each chapter starts with a recipe and how it connects with the story. I don't know much about cooking, though. I have to keep on checking my dictionary so that I can visualize how Tita prepared the ingredients and cooked the dishes. \n -------- \n Magical realism is also incorporated in the story, which I enjoyed. I'm quite a newbie when it comes to reading novels with this genre, and sometimes, I'm still confused if I have to undermine the hidden connotations beneath them or just take the magical events as is. ^^", "73" ], [ "** spoiler alert ** \n It's my first time to read a journal-type novel and I enjoyed it. I love Charlie's humor as he writes his letters for the unknown stranger. \n \"If I were in his shoes, I wouldn't have acted like he did.\" \n \"If I had the opportunity to be with the person I like, I'll never waste the chance like he did.\" \n \"If I didn't like how my friend treats me, I'll always be honest with how I feel. I'll not go with the flow like he did.\" \n These were my thoughts while I was reading Charlie's letters. I didn't like Charlie's character because even though he likes to read books and write essays, his personality is too weak for a guy. But when I found out his history, that's when I have come to understand him. I judged him right away without even considering the factors that might have affected how he behaves. And I felt guilty. \n A person may act in a way that we can never understand, and sadly, people just judge. \n It stayed on my mind long after finishing the book. Each person is unique - each one of us has a different set of family, a different place where we spent our childhood, a different upbringing. There are a lot of environmental factors that can affect who we are. Thus, each one of us has a different personality. If a person acts in a manner that we don't understand, try to OBSERVE first, LISTEN, don't be a sponge but a FILTER - just like what Charlie did to his friends.", "31" ], [ "It was my second time to read a full-length comic book (the first one I've read was an illustrated version of The New Testament when I was in elementary, by the way). At first, I was having difficulties reading it since I am used to reading manga (Japanese comics), where images/dialogues are sequenced from right to left. ^^ \n I've never finished the original novel. For some reason, I've always been stuck on the part of the story where Santiago met the English man on the desert and found about the alchemist. But a colleague of mine recommended this graphic novel so that I can finish the story so here I am. :) \n On this novel, Coelho presented the notion of \"Personal Legend\" - the path a person must go through to achieve happiness. Santiago, the main protagonist, tried to follow his personal legend. The path wasn't easy. He went through a lot of things: betrayal, disappointment, discouragement. He has experienced to hope, to love, to trust again, and to be determined no matter what. He also learned that though achieving his goal is important, he should also take the time to enjoy other things (small or big) that he sees/experiences along the way - the \"secret of happiness\" according to the \"wisest of wise men\".", "61" ], [ "** spoiler alert ** \n I like this book because: \n (1)It tackles cancer and its side effects not only on the person who have it but also on the people surrounding the person with cancer. I can relate so much to the situation because I have someone (very close to me) who used to have cancer. \n (2) The protagonists (Hazel and Augustus) are both very passionate about reading. I like how they have been attached to a book called 'The Imperial Affliction'. They are so hooked that they keep on discussing about the book and ponder what happened next on the characters since the book's ending is hanging. \n (3) A lot of metaphorical resonances have been presented.", "28" ], [ "Like the first book, the author had caught my attention with this book for the past week that I've been practically racing through the pages just to finish the novel. I share the same adrenaline rush with the protagonist (Blomkvist) as he unravels the truth behind the murders. \n Salander is amazing as always. I don't understand Salander's behavior on the first book but after learning what she's been through (during her teenage years), I somehow understand already where she's coming from and why she acts that way. To some extent, I can say that I admire her for her tenacity and her morality (though I might not agree with some of her methods). \n I enjoyed reading this novel (I'm really into suspense/detective-themed novels). :)", "179" ], [ "While reading the first few chapters, I thought that this is a true-to-life geisha story so it made me more excited to follow Sayuri's life. But while researching the characters, I came across a review that mentioned that this is just a fictional story. That made my interest on this book a little lower. \n Nevertheless, the story is well-told, as if a real old Japanese woman is narrating. \n The book also allowed me to learn more about geisha and the Japanese culture, though some are claiming that not all geisha rituals mentioned are accurate (I still have to research about it).", "104" ], [ "Interpreter of Maladies is a collection of short stories where most of the characters are Indians who either live in India or in America. Most of the stories give us a glimpse of Indian culture and how they adjust on a land faraway from their home. When this book was lent to me by a friend, I was hesitant to read this at first since I was not familiar with the writer and I'm not really into Indian culture. But surprisingly, after reading the first story, I looked forward reading the next one. Each story is like a pandora box for me, I started to get excited about what the next story would offer me. I love almost all of the stories but my favorite one is entitled [A Temporary Matter] which shows how a couple recovered a long-lost intimacy between them by discovering something new with each other. \n What makes Jhumpa Lahiri a good writer is that she has the power to immerse her readers to her short stories thoroughly. I assume it is quite difficult to write a short story because unlike writing novels, a short-story writer is only given an ample amount of time (or word count, sorry, I don't know how to call it) to develop his/her characters enough to make them connect with the readers. I think Lahiri has done it in flying colors. :)", "192" ], [ "** spoiler alert ** \n I haven't read any article or review when I read this book. It was only recommended by a friend as a good read. The only thing I know about the book is that the author was inspired by Twilight when she wrote it so when Christian Grey brought Anastasia to his home to reveal a secret, I honestly thought that the secret would be something that involves magic. Hehe. \n The book is too erotic in my opinion. I try to read most of it since I don't want to miss any passages that might be crucial to the story but it came to a point where I literally don't understand what they are doing already so I just skip those steamy scenes.", "89" ], [ "** spoiler alert ** \n Suzanne Collins is an amazing story teller that you will keep on reading and reading until you reach the end. The plot is very much alike to Battle Royale (a Japanese novel turned into a movie) where a group of students are contained in an island to kill each other until only one survivor remains. \n I was hesitant at first to read the book because I'm afraid that the author would write about the killings in a morbid way (I don't like gore/morbid stuff) but she didn't.", "52" ], [ "** spoiler alert ** \n What an engaging story! I salute Florentino Ariza for the everlasting love that he have for Fermina Daza. I admire his tenacity to wait for his chance to show how he loves Fermina even if it took him almost 50 years to do so. \n Though I feel sorry for the women that he has been with, for no matter what they do, Florentino Ariza can never belong to them, because his eyes are only set to Fermina Daza. \n Meanwhile, I don't understand why Fermina suddenly dismissed Florentino when they were young. Is it because of how he looks? Is it because of his clothes? She accepted Florentino's love, she even agreed to marry him and she can never imagine Florentino's happiness when she agreed but she changed her mind in a snap. \n Even when she is already old, she still insisted that what she and Florentino had when they were young is not love. Even if she eventually liked Florentino after almost 50 years, I think it's more because she just wants company in the last years of her life. \n But I'm still happy for Florentino, for the only thing that he hoped for is eventually granted to him. :)", "191" ], [ "Mind-boggling and intriguing. I can't help but mull over each character's story as I finish each tale. Each story feels like a mystery.. My favorite is Honey Pie, simple yet compelling. For some reason, Junpei's passiveness reminds me a lot of Toru's (protagonist of another Murakami's novel: Norwegian Wood).", "53" ] ]

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[ [ "Love this book! Amano and Gaiman collaborating in this story is just gorgeous! If you are an 80s fantasy fan, this book is for you! It has goth, Japanese and Christian lore, and the mystery of dream between realms. A MUST READ!", "46" ], [ "It's a fun read when you know that it's suppose to be an ironic statement against the mistreatment of the poor during his time, and the outrage that spurred during the government's treatment over laborers and children. Without that knowledge, this book would be off putting.", "8" ], [ "** spoiler alert ** \n A fantastic read! Lightman captures the beauty of Einstein's thoery in a dreamscape wonderland of moments-in-concept -- delivering a euphoric sympathy in the dramatized version of the \"Relativity of Time.\"", "95" ], [ "This is great if you're trying to create a website from scratch; so for those who are just using templates and plugins, don't bother -- just pay for a registrar and host, and use the new plugins to make your stuff look pro. The plugin instructions update every year, so please read their info before applying it to your wordpress site. \n For the beginners out there, just read the Dummies for WordPress.", "83" ], [ "Don't be fooled by the title, this book will help you understand Joomla properly. As a novice to Joomla, I found that working with the steps they've provided insightful...eventhough the example was on GoDaddy. I'd like for programmers to get into this, as it is in demand to know! \n If you know how to function Joomla already, then move on to the advanced stuff. Otherwise, this is all you really need to create a proper CMS.", "83" ], [ "It was insightful, and had lots of options I didn't realize were there for me in WordPress. I was able to read the 3rd edition, so please check if the copy you got was the newest version, as some of the features will not appear in the prior versions. \n You could practically guess everything you read in this book by dabbling with WordPress by yourself, but some of the chapters have interesting details you might want to look at. I recommend this to anyone interested in looking into little features you want to master in WordPress templates. Nothing all too special. Just borrow it from your local library and return it when you're done. \n For those looking to create your own WordPress templates, please move on to WordPress Web Design for Dummies. This is going to waist your time.", "83" ], [ "This was a wonderful book, until the critiques stopped being constructive, and became a flame fest against modern philosophy. There are a lot of good points here, but the attitude just gets you down. I find it intriguing, as it brings up points about what books took part in the destruction of World War 2. It's a devilish delight for me to read books that have collaborated in an orchestra of infamy. Reading Machiavelli and Rousseau wasn't as fun as reading them with this book. It gives a deeper reasoning behind the psyche of sadistic leaders, like Stalin. \n I recommend this book for the strong willed, as it touches some sensitive notions that can be bias for the non-Catholic.", "8" ], [ "At first, this book gave me a very opinionated perspective against the reality of 9/11 and the problems of the human condition. It was too real for me, when I started reading, but after you finish book one of two, Shawn becomes a sympathetic character as a middle class liberal artist/writer/actor. \n Make your conclusion about this book after you finish it, because it may sound like ranting, at first, but the after the last chapter - everything is justified.", "187" ], [ "I can't get enough of Seamus Heaney's translations. The idea of following the language as a verse in comparison is not only intriguing but addicting. I find that reading this version will not only let one follow the story better, but see what they're language had to offer. Such a beautiful book! \n I love the story, it's too much testosterone awesomeness!", "180" ], [ "Never thought I'd read Sandman again. As a teenager, I seriously thought this was the best! But now all grown up, and all read up on not only the DC Universe, but all the comic book worlds and then some, I seriously cannot stand it. I'm not going to ignore the significance of this saga, but I must admit, Druggies and gruesome mutilation is really not my thing. \n I love Gaiman, but these stories from his early years are just too much for me.", "44" ], [ "I love the story and the humor behind the philosophy of Pratchett. You can tell who wrote what in this book, so do be patient in the writing style of each Author. Otherwise, this is a funny and lovable adventure of the science of prophecies and the idea of destiny.", "39" ], [ "I enjoyed the read, and I feel that many could benefit from the preface - explaining the purpose and passion behind Shaw's intent in writing this piece. Although, I do discourage for the reader to continue into the epilogue of this book, as it was so unnecessary, and, personally, a little insulting to both the Play and the reader. A good ending needn't an advocate after closing curtain. \n It was a good read, enjoyed the Musical much more: My Fair Lady.", "161" ] ]

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[ [ "This book has taught me so much about my cat and helped me become a more wiser cat owner. I didn't have to fork out a whole wad of cash for a vet check up because this book taught me how to check on my kitties health myself. I have also learnt to become more sensitive to Ebony although I think that she hasn't inherited old lady health problems yet. I think she has been aging gracefully and I hope the same for Mushu (my kitty) when the time comes. I am glad to have this book and the RSPCA pet first aid guide but I would still love to learn more. Excellent book! I would recommend it to any cat owner.", "195" ], [ "I finally finished this book! It was a really good book. A sad story but I had higher expectations of it. Nontheless it was a good classic read and I enjoyed it. I would of read it faster but sometimes holidays keep you too busy to read. I would like to see the movie to accompany this.", "52" ], [ "This book is very philosophical and makes you question your own sentience and self awarness as a human being, the future and whether cyborgs can become new humanlike beings with a sense of awarness. It makes you seriously ask yourself the question: Are you truely free? Is freedom part of the human condition? I could this book absolutely delightful!", "174" ], [ "** spoiler alert ** \n Such a beautiful book about the beauty of animals and if we don't try to protect them, take them for granted, then we could blink and they'd be gone. I recommend you hug your furbabies after this book.", "195" ], [ "I thought this book was excellent. There was so much happening in it and I loved the complex motivations of the characters. Daniel Pennac is a brilliant storyteller that really creates colourful characters in storylines with magnificent twists!", "46" ], [ "This was a pretty clever book. Gillian Flynn keeps a poker face with the storyline of this not giving too much away. So by the end of the book your still surprised but find an odd sense of peace. Some kind of closure. It can't be a typical happy ending, but this book will gosh darn try.", "179" ], [ "I thought this was a very thought provoking story which alludes alot to mystery and unanswered questions. I really look forward to rewatching the Tim Burton film version of this and really want to get into the TV series of this. I can understand why there was a TV series made of this as it unlocks your own personal imagination and makes you come up with your own scenarios of what might of happened and what happened next. I look forward to other interpretations and wonder more about the history of this legend. I would really love to go to sleepy hollow one day and check out what other haunted legends they might pass around the town. The place would have alot of history and possibly even musuems dedicated to this I presume.", "52" ], [ "This book is quite a clever work of fiction. Gillian really plays with the complexities of family relationships here, and really puts to question the motives of kindness and relationship with self. Her poetic language that she uses dances with the story line as if telling a very dark and twisted joke until......bam! The ending hits you unexpectedly like a tonne of bricks. A must-read for your list of Halloween literary indulgences.", "180" ], [ "I didn't like some of Appendix B because it labelled some legit religions as cults but I loved the postscript. I learnt heaps and that was the main aim of the book I believe. That the world of Christianity, too can be as diverse as the many different types of people in the world.", "190" ], [ "** spoiler alert ** \n I am going to try and apply the secret to every aspect of my life that I can....starting now. Everyone needs to read this book or another book about the law of attraction. Its an important life skill to learn. You attract what you feel and you attract what you think.", "17" ], [ "I'm not going to give this a proper review just yet. This is a book I pick up and put down quite frequently. Almost like a bible. It explains a lot about religions and about the pantheist movement. I find it too intense to read all at once but I highly recommend it to others to read whom are interested in spiritual beliefs and teachings.", "190" ], [ "This book was soooo moving! It made me cry uncontrol-ably. Even now I feel emotional and teary. It pierces my heart and very soul and even though it didn't have a typical happy ending, this ending was enough for me. Bless the soul that wrote this. :')", "101" ], [ "It was good to catch up with my crimson petal friends. Sophie turned out pretty cool. I wish I could find out more of that story. I really wanted to find out what became of Sugar. I will always like the Crimson Petal and the white though. The original is often the best.", "119" ], [ "My favourite was the Hundred and Ninety Nine Steps. I liked the tension between Sian and Mack, Sweet little Hadrian the dog and the plot twist with the murder story. Brilliant! Not a huge fan of the courage consort but I enjoyed it ok.", "105" ], [ "I did quite enjoy this book. It is written from a male perspective of mental hospital and it's set in the 60's. When I was reading through this I was like, yeaaaAh mischief! But I felt so bad for how the patients were treated back then. I mean people with mental illness still get treated badly but the nurses in hospital are generally actually pretty good. I guess everyone has a different experience. I personally do not agree with electro shock therapy or lobotomy's. I really liked how Ken Kessey put a real psychiatric drug in the book because it gives the book more authenticity. I would like to read a book like those from a females perspective too tho. Can't wait to see the movie with my Grannie! :)", "57" ], [ "This book was like Law and Order crossed with Sherlock Holmes. A real page turner. Hard to put down. Twists and Turns! Quite a fun book to read! My boyfriend is really good at choosing books.", "46" ], [ "Ive found this book extremely helpful and theraputic. I now feel I have the tools to create great healing in my life and end suffering some people very close to me have caused. I am enmeshed no more.", "156" ], [ "Wow! What a book! I am seriously lost for words on how great this book is! Although the ending was very open and abrupt it was the best kind of ending I could have possibly imagined! I am definitely going to read the Apple. Ok! I am going to have to say that this is my most favourite book of all time. It has so much to offer. It really puts mental illness in perspective to some degree and it is very educational about Victorian times and the sex trade! I don't want to say anymore because I don't want to spoil it for you! I also really enjoy the discussion questions.", "101" ], [ "** spoiler alert ** \n Ok, So I've seen the movie and read the book. The book is nothing like the movie. It is a very interesting book but I have to say I liked the movie much better. The movie was a masterpiece. I was very disappointed about the dog though, she should have taken the dog home, it was the least she could do since she killed the owner.", "196" ], [ "I thought this book was very interesting. It really delves down into the mind of a paedophile and his conflictiona with breaking the law. It also reveals a lot about victims of sexual violence and the emotional trauma they go through but at the same time the writer doesn't really try to make you sympathise with any character too much. It's all quite objective and in that sense it is sort of surreal because you think you should be rooting for someone but in actuality you sort of wish that not only the perpetrator gets caught but also that the little girl might be taught some manners by society in some sort of way. It's definitely not a Dexter type scenario and the fact that the protagonist is in now way innocent or relatable, would make it difficult for some to read and even make some sick to the stomach. I did find some parts of it where I could feel my strong moral objections but in a way that was what I liked about it. It reminds you of your morals and that society and television hasn't made you immune to them. That you still care about these things and that there's lines that people can still cross.", "179" ] ]

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[ [ "Absolutely fantastic! I read through all three books in the Bones series in three days. And I want more. More Dylan, more Chris, more Ery, more Karl, and more and more of all the wonderful secondary characters. \n We must get back to the farm where rainbow unicorns and werewolves and bigfoot roam. Please, Ms. Fielding, give us more :)", "76" ], [ "This was a fantastic mid-point story, telling us a little more about Walter's proposal and I laughed my way clear through it. The whole Disney thing cracks me up. Kelly, you naughty boy!", "105" ], [ "(Spoiler alert) \n I loved Harvey & Jay in book 1. Liked Todd and Tucker, but I have to say, Ricky and Alex are my favorite couple. I love Ricky's past and hope we learn a little more about it at some point. Watching Alex give in to his baser instinct and having the two go at it in the supply closet? Priceless! IN part II we are promised to watch as Alex introduces his new boyfriend to his parents. Now...won't that be fun? And I can't help but wonder if they might end up in one of his parents' closets? \n A definite must read! \n I received a complimentary copy for an honest review.", "119" ], [ "Okay, I will admit when I first started this book, I was disappointed that it wasn't a continuation of Harvey & Jay. But that disappointment quickly left. Tucker and Todd were amazing together. From their long friendship to the power balancing act they have been going through their entire lives and go through in the book. \n I loved the way the author pulled in the character for the next book as a possible 'boyfriend' for Tucker. Thankfully that didn't work because Tuck and Todd are meant to be. Their scene was hot, loving, and I can't wait till part II of Hot Toddy! \n I received a complimentary copy for an honest review.", "28" ], [ "(Spoiler alerts) \n First off, what a great way to start the series. I loved that one of the two heroes was 45. That was a splash of genius. Having him come for a blind date, not sure the blind date would arrive only to have WOW! Look who he now has a date with! \n I am glad there is a part II coming because, voyeur that I am, I have to know what happens with Harvey and Jay. Will Harvey's ex make another play? Do we find out why he is such an incredible jerk? Can we hopefully see Jay punch the ex where the light doesn't shine? Oh, wait. Where was I? \n As for my rating. I gave it 4 stars because the story seemed too rushed in getting to the climax. It went from one moment of Harvey almost raped to wham! He and Jay were going at it. Not that I minded the scene. I didn't. I just wish we'd had a little more timing between the two scenes. As attracted as the two were, it seemed like not enough for how things happened. But this is a story I will be reading and re-reading, thus the 4 stars. After all, I adore Harvey :D \n I received a complimentary copy for an honest review.", "105" ], [ "I absolutely love the Falls Chance Ranch series and this little gem was amazing. I mean, Tom is someone you want to get to know in the main stories, but he stays elusive at first. But here, we see his thoughts as he and Jake meet and start their relationship and you really get to know the man behind the mask. \n Highly suggest reading all of Falls Chance Ranch, but this is a wonderful short story that should not be missed.", "45" ], [ "Absolutely one of the best books I have ever read. Read it for the first time when I was like 12 or 13. I have no idea how many times I've read it since - zillions? Zany, fun, lots of dry humor. Add in the world ending, Vogon poetry and the Restaurant at the End of the Universe, and you have one hell of a book. \n A must read.", "46" ], [ "Exceeded my expectations \n I read the first in the Coursodon Dimension series and absolutely loved it from cover to cover, so when the author asked me to pre-read the sequel I was cautiously excited. Cautiously because in any given series, the second book never lives up to how wonderful the first book was, right? \n Wrong! Special Rewards met and even exceeded my expectations. It kept me riveted to where I did not want to put the story down. \n Hailey is the same person she was in Special Offers - cooky sense of humor, strange dreams, and overall loveable heroine; only she now has to deal with some residual magic leftover from her time as a temporary human host for Sebastian Kess, a magical being from another dimension. Sebastian is his usual charming (*cough* full of himself) self; Alex is as in love with her and as charming as he was in the first, if not more so; and Hailey has become somewhat of an animal whisperer. Or at least an animal Pied Piper. \n In Special Rewards, we meet some more individuals from the Coursodon Dimension; from government officials, to the head of the Xyzok, to members of a royal family. I don't want to give anything away, but I must encourage you to read Special Rewards. Make sure and read Special Offers first, because while things are explained well, they will make even more sense if you have read the first book. \n For those of you like me, who love the ever irascible Sebastian, never fear, he might not inhabit Hailey's body anymore, but he still manages to steal the show whenever he shows up. Such a drama queen, but don't tell him I said so. He would probably lecture me for hours about how he could not possibly be one. \n Do you enjoy romance with a paranormal twist with a splash of humor that will make you snort Pepsi out of your nose if you take a drink at the wrong moment? Then this book is for you.", "76" ], [ "Okay, this is one of those books that I was riveted to, will re-read, and yet was so unsettling that afterward I was left with my mouth hanging open. Tons of great sex and a lot of revenge.", "41" ], [ "** spoiler alert ** \n I thought this was a great, imaginative story, except the end left me unfulfilled. If she is still human and he is a ghost... at some point their love will 'die'. That's just sad:( I was hoping until I found out that he did in fact die, that he wasn't actually dead and would be able to come alive. \n I guess we can hope that when she dies that they can be together forever.", "21" ], [ "This is the first of Cherise Sinclair's books that I lost interest in half way through. That has never happened before. I may re-read it at some point to see if I can finish it, but I think this was a fluke - because I absolutely love the other stuff of hers that I have read.", "18" ], [ "Definitely one of my favorite Cherise Sinclair novels - probably because I just adore the Shadowlands and Master Marcus? Yum. \n The Masters of the Shadowlands series takes place mostly in a fetish club outside of Tampa Florida. The dominants are dominant and yet also caring, the subs feisty so they can keep their doms on their toes. \n Read them all, but this one is definitely one you should have on your reading list.", "108" ], [ "This was the first story I read by Cara Bristol, but definitely not the last. I stopped counting how many times I've read this book. \n If you are intrigued by spanking, this is a great book to start out with. Emma thinks it is a bit laughable and horrid that men spank their wives, thus why she has gone 'behind the scenes' to get the scoop on a secret DD society. \n She had no plans on meeting Dan, but the moment they met, they connected. Nor had she ever planned on being spanked. The moment his hand met her behind, a whole new world was opened for her. Suddenly, her behind the scenes scoop which would help her journalism career doesn't seem like such a good idea. \n When the story breaks, all hell breaks loose. \n How can she get Dan to trust her again after that? Read False Pretenses to find out. It is worth a 1st, 2nd, and one hundredth read.", "32" ], [ "Redemption is an amazing love story. The fact the two main characters are male just ads to it, imo. But then I love to read and write m/m stories. \n Jason has been through 'something', though it is only alluded to for most of the book. That 'something' causes him to sell himself as a bondmate. \n Devin is rich and doesn't have time to date. He elects to purchase a bondmate to fill the small hole in his life. \n These two are dynamic right from the start. You will fall in love with them. Jason who is still running away from a past he doesn't even understand and Devin who has been searching for something and did not realize it until he found what he needed in Jason. \n Buy it, devour it and read, read, read it again. \n One of my absolute Favorite books.", "28" ], [ "While not one of her best, The Dom's Dungeon is still a good read. Dominant hero, submissive heroine who has a past she continuously fights against. \n Add in lots of fun scening and a love for animals and I say this is a must read.", "76" ], [ "I'm not going to write much, but I detest The Story of O. To me, this is the most degrading 'pictures' of BDSM out there. O is a horrible heroine. I just could not stand her. \n There is the possibility that in the original French that the story sounds better. I've only read the English translation and, well, like I said. I couldn't stand it.", "147" ], [ "This was my first Cherise Sinclair book and the first in the Masters of the Shadowlands series. \n From the moment we meet Master Z, I was captivated. He is strong, intelligent, with a great sense of humor. \n Cherise is very good at that, defining her characters by what they do rather than actually defining them. \n Z sets Jessica aflame and she had never even known about BDSM before she stumbled onto the Shadowlands one rainy night. \n If you are looking for a nice, sensual read, Club Shadowlands is it. You won't be able to stop with the first one. Each Master is worth reading and you will fall in love with each one. \n Who's your favorite?", "53" ] ]

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[ [ "set in post-World War 2, the book had a slow start, but once it took off the suspense almost became unbearable (stayed up til 1 AM (i started at 11 but only PLANNED to read a few chapters). Evie is a 15-year old girl who feels like she's still being treated like a girl from her WW2 vet stepdad, Joe, and elegant mother. one a whim, Joe decides to take her mother and Evie to Florida. there, they meet the Graysons, Honeymoon couple, and Peter.", "167" ], [ "Since my mom has been diagnosed with cancer, she's been reading for those optimist, meaning-of-life-type books. Since she had this one lying around the house, I decided to give it a try. \n First of all, Charles \"Tremendous\" Jones has the right idea. My favourite chapter is \"Leaders are Readers\". It talks about how he convinced his own son to read inspirational book for $10 per book, and how it changed both him and Jere (his son). I wish my parents would pay me for reading, I'd be rich! Ahem, back to the chapter. It offers amazing books like \"I Dare You\", \"Your God is Too Small\", and \"A Woman's World\". \n This book is pretty old, so try to ignore some of the sexist comments. I just hope people don't misinterpret that you're supposed to just suck it up and pretend that life is \"tremendous\" when it NEVER is %100, it's a matter of perspective.", "125" ], [ "even thought its kind of depressing that edna kills herself (oops,sorry*wasnt supposed to tell), in a way it is almost a happy ending.her suicide displays independence. its her final act of rebellion against her life of repression. \n the thing amazing to me is that it isn't preachy.most modern girl-power novels just sort of jam down your throat the whole girls-first-and-men-suck mantra. It's a really personal work. it leaves whoevers reading it free to recognize the little bits of edna in all of us, and although the we may not choose Edna's course{committing sucide}, it gives you hope that freedom like hers is possible, even after the fact.", "7" ], [ "The Last Lecture: I know it sounds like I'm having a mid-life cricis when I tell people I'm reading the Last Lecture. I know that Randy is dying, and I accept that. This book isn't so much as dying as it is on living live to its fullest. One of the first reasons I picked up this book was (not because I thought I was going to die like Randy, which is what most of my friends assumed)Randy is a professor @ Carnegie Mellon Universtiy in Pittsburgh, where I want to go to college. but anyway, back to the story. He talks about his dreams, his hope for his children, and his wife Jai. Randy loves giving lectures. It's his job. This isn't just a book you read when you find out you have a brain tumor, having a mid-life cricis, monumental moment, or whatever (I guess you could still read The Last Lecture then) you can read it just for reading it.", "125" ], [ "i read this book in my 6th grade english class (i think). i didn't remember much about it besides it had three old ladies in it, so went up to the attic (where i keep all my books) and dug it out. this is one of the better books i've read {or reread, i should say} this summer. \n it begins telling the story of a stormy night, when meg (the unpopular, braces, straw hair, self-consious) older sister of 10-year old twins dennys and sandy,charles wallace (who everyone in town thinks is dumb. he is actually really bright, and can almost read people and understand them exactyly) meg has always felt like an outcast, and this feeling deepens when her father leaves. he supposed to be on some top-secret mission in florida or something, but the whole town thinks he went off w/ another woman(SPOILER: he's working on a way to travel time w/ a theory called tessering, which i'll now try to explain). TESSERING is a scientific theory that you might have learned in school at some point (i learned beginning of 7th grade) it basically suggests that you can travel through space and time as an ant would get across a piece of cloth much faster if you brought the ends together. that's all i can explain. the have lots of videos on youtube if it gives you OCD to think that you can travel through time and space (dont worry, no one has done that yet) \n i cant really EMPATHIZE with meg on her feeling left out because (which is something i'm always looking for in a book, being able to relate to the characters) im not, and never really was, an outcast. im not the top 5 popular girls in my school, but honestly, do i want to? theyre all really snobby and rude anyways, so nobody actually likes them as people just for their clothes or money or whatever. but back to meg. \n meg looks up to her mom w/ complete devotion. she thinks she's beautiful, smart, and kind. even though she is these things, she's almost to the point of denial, just pretending that her father's going to come back coming back for her sake, the kid's sake, or maybe both. \n The plot begins with the arrival of Mrs. Whatsit at the Murry house on a dark and stormy evening. Although she looks like an eccentric tramp, she is actually a celestial creature with the ability to read Meg's thoughts. She startles Meg's mother by reassuring her of the existence of a tesseract--a sort of \"wrinkle\" in space and time. It is through this wrinkle that Meg and her companions will travel through the fifth dimension in search of Mr. Murry. \n On the afternoon following Mrs. Whatsit's visit, Meg and Charles Wallace walk over to Mrs. Whatsit's cabin. On the way, they meet Calvin O'Keefe, a popular boy in Meg's school whom Charles considers a \"kindred spirit\"(remember what i said about him being able to read people?). The three children learn from Mrs. Whatsit and her friends Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which that the universe is threatened by a great evil called the Dark Thing and taking the form of a giant cloud, engulfing the stars around it. Several planets have already succumbed to this evil force, including Camazotz, the planet on which Mr. Murry is imprisoned. \n The three Mrs. W's transport the children to Camazotz and instruct them to remain always in each other's company while on their quest for Mr. Murry. On Camazotz, all objects and places appear exactly alike because the whole planet must conform to the terrifying rhythmic pulsation of IT, a giant disembodied brain. Charles Wallace tries to fight IT with his exceptional intelligence but is overpowered by the evil and becomes a robot-like creature mouthing the words with which IT infuses him. Under the control of IT, Charles leads Meg and Calvin to Mr. Murry and together they confront IT. However, they, too, are unable to withstand IT's power; they escape only at the last minute, when Mr. Murry appears and seizes Meg and Calvin, \"tessering\" away with them (traveling via another tesseract) to a gray planet called Ixchel inhabited by tall, furry beasts who care for the travelers. Charles Wallace remains possessed by IT, a prisoner of Camazotz. \n On Planet Ixchel the three Mrs. W's appear once again, and Meg realizes that she must travel alone back to Camazotz to rescue her brother. Mrs. Which tells her that she has one thing that IT does not have, and this will be her weapon against the evil. However, Meg must discover this weapon for herself. When standing in the presence of IT, Meg realizes what this is: her ability to love.IT can't love, it only knows hate and control. by concentrating on her love for Charles Wallace, she is able to restore him to his true identity. Meg releases Charles from IT and tessers with him through time and space, landing in her twin brothers' vegetable garden on Earth, where her father and Calvin stand waiting. The family joyously reunites, and the Mrs. W's visit the happy scene en route to further travels.", "33" ], [ "i read this book about a month ago, and since it was raining buckets where i live, i decided to pull it out today. let me just say rereading this book has definitly made me reget giving three cups of tea: one man's mission to promote peace... one school at a time five stars. \n i feel almost gulity, in a way, because Greg Mortenson is doing an amazing and selfless thing for those kids, building them futures and giving them an education in a place where it would be unlikely. but my feelings aside, this book is just bad. \n it is written by four people, the main character is one of those authors, yet it is told in third-person. all in all, its just a lousy read. \n another thing that makes me wonder what i liked so much about this book the first time around is all this bravado. in the first couple chapters alone, he is mentioned as a hero constantly, and people are always praising. its not like im saying hes doing a horrible thing out there (and if you ask me fighting the war with terror not with weapons but w/ education.it's more rewarding to the future, less expensive, and less violent. way, way less violent) i just think gregs work should have more humility to it. \n don't get me wrong though, this book had a few good attributes in it. first of all, i love reading adventure stories about places i've never been, and learning more about the culture in Islamic Pakistan and various other places where this book took place. I also love reading about determined people with crazy/interesting/hearts-in-the-right-palce missions who stop at nothing to accomplish goals. \n some parts were really beautiful, i was almost about to cry. then i would go to the next paragraph that was so cheesely horrible i felt like crying again. this book definatley would have been better if \n A. it was written by only greg mortenson, since he is the dude helping all these children. \n B. if it was written by someone else(but not more than two people. its like having two artists on one canvas, two singers on a single mic, two cooks at a bakery, two actors for...well, you get the idea) who was a bit more critical *GASP!* of greg. by the end of this book, he ws still being mentioned using his full name , and being called hero in at least every chapter. \n C. there's just not enough material here for a full-length book. Entire sections feel like extra that the editor added while in the subway on his way to give the writing to the publisher; it does nothing more than get the story to book length. there are pages and pages about a failed relationship mortenson had before he met his wife, for instance, that are beside the point of the book itself. \n i recommend this book if you need some sort of an epiphany about what you want youself to do to make this world a better place(but you dont nessesarily have to go to greg mortenson's extremes) and if you can look over its klunkly writing. EXAMPLE: \n \"Suleman sat like a smiling Buddha next to Mortensen, his arms crossed over the beginning of a pot belly.\" \n id would go on to even more ridiculous tidbits, but im nice enough to spare you.", "3" ], [ "written by skating choreographer sandra bezic, this book goes through all it takes to be a prof. skater, different olympians, their parters, and some of the skating tours. it requires dedication, skill, focus, creativity, balance, and, well...passion to skate.", "186" ], [ "** spoiler alert ** \n Wuthering Heights: Heathcliff was a orphan from London taken in by Mr. Earnshaw and his family.He grows bitter as he grows older falling in love with and losing Catherine.He tries to destroy Hindley and Edgar Linton blaming them for losing Catherine.He believes that Hindley caused his loss of Catherine by degrading him.Through her marriage to Edgar Linton, Catherine becomes introduced to a world of materialism. She dies.Her death fuels Heathcliff's rage against Hindley and Edgar. However,Hindley also dies and the Earnshaw estate and Hareton fall into the hands of Heathcliff. Later, Heathcliff wins the custody of his son, Linton. He forces Cathy to marry Linton and plans to steal the Grange from Edgar through Linton.Both Linton and Edgar die and the Grange goes to Heathcliff who now owns both Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange. Heathcliff marries Hareton to Cathy trying to make Hareton fit his image. Cathy is loving to Hareton and when Heathcliff dies, both Thrushcross Grange and Wuthering Heights go to them. It's a really sad story, but it's still a love story.", "146" ], [ "my 6th period creative writing teacher gave me the orginal 1960's verison of this book when we were doing a project on what it means to be a hero, and what attributes a hero has (obviously, courage is one of them). \n i know this is sort of off subject w/ the book itself, but if you are a teacher (homeroom, history, writing, grammar, whatever) i would definitely recommend you make your kids do a project about courage. it taught my friends and i (we worked in groups of 4) alot of important lessons and was a good chance to get to know each other better.first, we had to think of a hero (at first we came up with pathetic heros like superman and spiderman, but after a while we got the message) each of us had to look up different definitions of the word hero, and discuss it. then we had to write down 10 attributes a person should have to be considered a hero (honesty, humility, courage, compassion, ect.). next we had to individually interview someone who we considered a hero. after that was done, we reveiwed the original people we considered heros (like the man of steel) and compared that to people like our grandparents that had served in World War 2, or our founding fathers who fought for our freedom...which brings me back to the book. \n ok, enough about teaching methods! this book is written by john f kennedy (in case you haven't figured that out by now). it's basically a collection of stories from the patriots, members of congress, and others who stood for what they believed in. it's not very long, so it's a nice book to take for a plane ride or a rainy day.", "17" ], [ "maybe i love romeo and juliet because the whole love at first sight thing sounds really interesting to me and my fellow hopeless romantics. or maybe this is a result of my mom's installing shakespeare down my throat {read me romeo and juliet as a bedtime story when i was 5} anyway, even the actions of romeo and juliet are kind of dumb they're in LOVE, and you can understand the emotion the characters have whenever they speak. \n EXAMPLE: \n But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? \n It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. \n Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon {Rosaline}, \n Who is already sick and pale with grief \n That thou, her maid, art far more fair than she. . . . \n The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars \n As daylight doth a lamp; her eye in heaven \n Would through the airy region stream so bright \n That birds would sing and think it were not night. \n \"One fairer than my love? The all-seeing sun \n Ne'er saw her match since first the world begun.\" \n romeo and juliet give out their lives for their forbidding love. under any circumstances, they have faith toward each other. They never let their names stop them or the bad comments from others. later, their parents' deal breaker leads them to death. However, they are the hero and the heroine. They give the liberty and peace for the later generations of their households. The ancient grudge finally comes to a stop. \n its a sad story (have you noticed im into th depressing stories? jane eyre, wuthing heights, ect. maybe it makes me feel better...um, moving on) but my favorite part is the end, when the last line is spoken by the prince (who is the protector of his citys peace): \n \"A glooming peace this morning with it brings; \n The sun, for sorrow, will not show his head: \n Go hence, to have more talk of these sad things; \n Some shall be pardon'd, and some punished: \n For never was a story of more woe \n Than this of Juliet and her Romeo.\"", "191" ] ]

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[ [ "** spoiler alert ** \n Very long, but very good. It's a drama/romance set in the Australian outback that follows Meggie, the daughter of a working class family, who falls in love with her priest. I very likely would have never read it had it not been recommended to me, but I'm glad I did.", "108" ], [ "Sherman Alexie is one of the most prolific Native American authors I have come across. His writing is simple but lyrical. Mistreatment in reservation life is dominant in this book of poems and short stories and his personal experiences (including alcoholism) make appearances in the work. \n My favorite poems are \"Influences\" and \"Tiny Treaties.\"", "181" ], [ "If someone were to make this novel into a drinking game where the reader drinks every time the characters do (and I think someone should), I would be drunk by the third chapter. But that's not the reason why I think The Sun Also Rises is one of the most perfect novels in American literature. \n Before Hemingway was a novelist, he was a journalist. His literary clarity is sometimes deceptively simple, as in this book. \n Hemingway explores the Lost Generation of World War I when there was a loss of optimism and innocence. A group of expatriate Americans travel to Pamplona where they attempt to remedy their lost lives through a number of social distractions -- chief among them love affairs and excessive drinking. \n The fact that the topic of war is rarely brought up -- while it is a main theme in the novel -- provides one of the genius insights by Hemingway: The damage of the war (and all war, for that matter) is not easily recognized on the surface, but rather is deeply woven and interconnected through each of the character's relationships. The physicalness of the war transformed into something purely psychological and something the characters didn't want to confront. This critique is just one reason why The Sun Also Rises is socially relevant today and for years to come.", "73" ], [ "\"This is the saddest story I have ever heard.\" So begins the first line of FMF's novel. \n But it's certainly worth reading. It is a classic, after all. I read this in British Lit but need to revisit it. The book is a writhing condemnation of Edwardian values, made explicit by the unabashed love affairs between two couples -- all told within the frame of a most unreliable narrator who admits to being no good at remembering details. \n Amazingly, the characters somehow become more honorable the more corrupt they become. Although their actions could certainly be considered unforgivable, they remain likeable enough not to be considered evil. That aspect is testament to the complexities (and realness) Ford gives his characters. \n Ford is no Hemingway; his stream-of-consciousness modern narrative style is not easy to get through. But it's a worthwhile experience.", "23" ], [ "I liked this book, but it wasn't one of my favorites and certainly didn't add up to all the buzz (pun intended?). I felt that the storyline was a bit forced and too often predictable -- and I don't usually see anything coming. \n What I did enjoy tremendously were the political undertones. The book was set during 1964, the year that LBJ signed the Civil Rights Act. The book accurately (and heart-wrenchingly) conveyed how whites didn't acknowledge that piece of legislation until they absolutely had to. Those social details made it worth reading and brought the story to life when it would have otherwise relied too heavily on a somewhat dry plot with underdeveloped characters.", "8" ], [ "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time follows a high-functioning mentally challenged boy on his journey to solve two inter-connected mysteries. The narrator, who has Asperger's Disease, chronicles his experiences that are seemingly \"normal\" to most people. \n The book's title originates from a Sherlock Holmes line in Arthur Conan Doyle's short story \"Silver Blaze.\" It brings the narrator's admiration for Sherlock Holmes and detective work full circle, as Christopher's successful \"case work\" ultimately makes him realize that despite his incongruence with the rest of the world, he can accomplish anything. \n This is one story that makes you appreciate the power of perspective. How would it be different if it were told in the third person?", "72" ], [ "It was a gift, OK? \n Despite my better judgment (and behind the backs of fellow English major pals) I read this book in its entirety. (OK, and looked at all the pictures.) But you know what? Jenna's writing (well, Neil Strauss' writing) isn't half bad. I think she even used the word \"discriminate\" once. Hey - it has 4 syllables! \n Her candid story follows her childhood up to becoming the most famous porn star in history (and it really is interesting). She explicitly writes of her many relationships (emotional and otherwise) and doesn't shy away from the details. Bottom line: You will not lose any brain cells, but you will not gain any, either. \n And if only for novelty purposes, you won't find tips on finding the best crack dealer in town or the step-by-step guide titled the \"10 Commandments of Giving Head\" anywhere else.", "153" ], [ "\"No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream. Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within; it had stood so for eighty years and might stand for eighty more. Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone.\" \n The opening paragraph of The Haunting of Hill House is the creepiest opening I have ever read in a horror novel. Not surprisingly, Jackson's novel is arguably the most famous literary ghost story published in the twentieth century. \n I came across Shirley Jackson in a geek phase last October when I set out to read the (unofficial?) Top 5 Scariest Books of All Time, as named by CNN in 2000. After reading, I would argue it's closer to the top of the list. \n One of the scariest things about this book is that nothing scary really happens -- at least not in the Hollywood kind of way. At its core, the book is a creepy psychological thriller, exemplified by the scene in the novel when the protagonist holds hands with something supernatural. Jackson's book is not a \"ghost story\" by most standards, but is scarier than any other I have read.", "152" ], [ "Like most peole, I loved this series. I was never a huge fan of the movies, but I have to say that the books captured my attention twice over. I reread each of the books when the seventh book came out, in part because someone in my thesis class wrote 50 pages on the importance of the series (especially character names) in everyday life. I don't know if I buy that, but anything that framed Harry within a larger social structure was interesting to consider.", "80" ], [ "In my quest to read the Top 5 Scariest Books of All Time (see Dracula), I set off to read this one. According to the (reputable?) source, The Shining is #2 on the list. \n I think everyone knows the story: As Jack's mental condition deteriorates, so does the hotel that inexplicably becomes part of him. \n This was the first (and to this point, only) King book I've read. In R.L. Stine fashion, the chapters are very short with the ending sentences full of suspense. It's worth reading the book. Some detail just can't be incorporated into movies...", "12" ], [ "What to say, what to say. I wrote 40-plus pages on this book, as it was the central piece and argument for my thesis about the New/Gonzo Journalism Movement. For that reason and many others, it is necessary to give it five stars. \n Now for a (very) short summary and critique: \n The story is about a journalist (a somewhat fictionalized Thompson) and his attorney on the road to Las Vegas to cover the Mint 400, a bike and dune buggy race. The novel, written in 1971, examines the American Dream and perhaps all that is wrong with it -- making it a forever socially relevant work. Plus, every kind of drug you knew (and didn't know) existed makes an appearance in the work. Fun! \n Beyond that, Hunter S. Thompson has no comparison. Brilliant.", "108" ], [ "The House on Mango Street is a series of vignettes that chronicles a young Mexican-American girl's experiences growing up in Chicago. The writing is simple but elegant, bringing out complex themes including border culture and identity. \n Bottom line: It is very readable and a good introduction to minority literature.", "102" ], [ "The book is told from the point of view of the Price women, the family of Evangelical Baptist minister Rev. Price. The family embarks on a mission to the Belgian Congo in order to bring the \"word of God\" to the African savages, no matter the cost. Of course, nothing is that easy, and Kingsolver writes of the political, religious and familial unrest within the nearly 500(!) pages. \n The chapters are broken up between each of the women's points of view. Each perspective helps to paint a cohesive picture of Rev. Price, his selfish gains and his family's endless quest for his approval. \n Most interesting was the African history offered in the book that is never taught in school. Set in 1959, Kingsolver writes about the political unrest of the time when the Congo was fighting for independence form Belgium. At its best, The Poisonwood Bible is a piece of postcolonial literature that speaks to Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness.", "100" ], [ "The characters in this series are very engaging, which is why reading the trilogy was a breeze. I thoroughly enjoyed the books and am glad I took the time to find out more about \"that BYU author from Provo.\" I also read this book after finishing Bram Stoker's Dracula, which made for some interesting vampire comparisons. \n Alas, I was disappointed to find numerous errors in the books, something you shouldn't have to encounter even from a small publisher (that made millions just from the first book!). Maybe it's the anal editor in me, but that really took away some credibility from the story. It was obvious that Meyer and the publisher were more concerned about getting the books out for profit without taking time to consider the quality of the work -- even if the books are targeted at (dumb?) young adults. I'm sure I wasn't the only one who noticed the errors. If I become bored enough, I'll go back and post some of the flawed passages so this comment has more sway. \n But who am I kidding? I can't wait to read the final book :)", "127" ], [ "For the most part, I really enjoyed this book. Edwards is a stylistic writer who begins each chapter in the present and works her way through the events that led up to the \"present.\" Overall, it is a very sad story that was primarily character driven. The characters, especially Paul, have stuck with me even after reading the book. \n The narrative made me think about the social climate of the 1960s and how much pressure there had to be on David, one of the main characters. It also makes me think about how far we have come, especially when it comes to people with disabilities. Bree was the story's \"liberated woman\" and her actions -- especially during that time period -- were admirable. \n As a whole, the book wasn't consistently entertaining and took an unusually long time to finish.", "30" ], [ "In a nutshell, The Road is a book that questions the ability to show love when there is little to no hope and the world is (literally) ending. It's not that I don't \"get\" or understand the book's metaphors. But an entire book as an extended metaphor (for 231 pages) did not do it for me. It was only at the last few pages of the novel (subsequently, when one of the characters dies) that I even began to have compassion for the characters. \n Can the \"flame\" really be likened to hope or civilization? Why did the father never become influenced from his somehow very \"special\" son? The book left me with more questions than answers -- which is not necessarily a bad thing. But instead of pondering \"deeper meanings,\" I found myself questioning how many fewer pages McCarthey could have made his point. \n The setting is compelling, the writing is well done, and the idea is a good one. But every time the story got close to a real punch (like when the nuclear Armaggedon-istic \"bad guys\" are seen from the road), McCarthey diverts back to the grim surroundings. \n I will read more McCarthey, but this book was a disappointment.", "70" ], [ "This collection of essays was very similar to Klosterman's Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs. I enjoyed it a little more because the essay topics were more recent and relevant. \n Klosterman's essays -- especially on Britney Spears, the ideology of the Olympic Games and assumptions that pirates rule modern society -- were amusing to read. His commentary is not always accurate, but always humorous and engaging.", "124" ], [ "Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs was a good introduction to Klosterman's writing style, so this book didn't come as too much of a shock. In short, I was able to appreciate the context of this work -- tracking down famous rock star \"death spots\" across the country -- instead of being distracted by plot-jumping and (sometimes confusing) pop-culture referencing. \n He explores what people hate to admit they find interesting: the contemplation of death and suicide. His visits along the country, including the swampland where Lynyrd Skynyrd's plane crashed, are fascinating trivial tidbits, if nothing else.", "1" ], [ "The cover and title of this book could be the best thing about it (after all, both are fantastic). I got a little too worked up about reading it (which is partly why my expectations weren't met), and also think I missed about 70 percent of the social references Klosterman made. If only I were 10 years older... Good thing Wikipedia was my guide throughout the journey. \n That said, I'm glad I read the book and there is reason why I gave it 3 stars. Klosterman is a very talented writer who has a particular affinity for the word fuck. He is sarcastic and engaging, even if his material comes out of left field. \n For example, I literally had to put the book down at one point and try to remember when it was that I became enthralled in a discussion about fictional cereal characters. That's one of Klosterman's talents: he can make anything interesting -- and kudos to him for it. I never thought Sonny the Cuckoo Bird could have such profound social implications. \n There was nothing wrong with this book. There just weren't enough things right about it for me to enjoy it entirely. For me, understanding (and experiencing) his references firsthand would have been the gateway to further enjoyment. Doesn't mean I haven't already started reading another of his books though...", "51" ], [ "Fight Club may be Palahniuk's only saving grace. This book was absolutely terrible -- in its writing and content and I can't believe it was chosen (especially over Fight Club) as one of the \"1001\" must-reads.", "147" ], [ "By my estimates, I am the only person in the world who has not seen Fight Club the movie. But my movie ignorance paid off this time, giving me the unique opportunity to read Palahniuk's book without knowing anything about the storyline. \n Palahniuk's raw writing style was perfect for this book, which in part explores the inevitability and danger of American consumerism. The (completely) unreliable narrator makes us question ourselves, too. \n Wow, wow, wow. Could go on. And will when I have more time.", "52" ], [ "Despite the title of the book and Rob Sheffield's profession, this book wasn't just about music. It was about the connections people make and how something like music can make those experiences real again. \n I would recommend this book to people who really lived the 90s. I was 5 and don't personally remember Sheffield's references. But I can see how people who grew up with the hundreds of songs Sheffield references would find it to be a deeply personal and enjoyable read. \n That said, I enjoyed it and I'm glad I read it. The scope for the book is just more narrow than others I've read.", "117" ] ]

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[ [ "This is the most magical book I've ever read, and not in a 'magic realism genre' way. Instead, everytime you look up from reading, before your eyes readjust, you can see ghosts and tigers trailing behind the other people on their own commutes to work. I kept this book with me for months without reading it through, because I wanted to keep carrying it with me. \n At one point on my ride home I was sitting with it in my lap, closed, untouched. A man was sitting next to me, staring straight ahead, and after a while I saw out of the corner of my eye his hands, rearranged exactly as on the cover, dog-head shadow-casting style, in his lap. He sat there that way quiet and still the whole ride home. \n . \n .", "99" ], [ "I hate quitting a book. I especially hate quitting a book that I was looking forward to reading based on reviews. I absolutely can not continue reading this book. I got to the point in maybe the first or second chapter where the husband is trying to tell his wife that he suffered just as much as she did when he witnessed her rape and I SWEAR to GOD if I hadn't been on publilc transport i would have THROWN the book bodily away from me. As it were I shut it and promised myself I would not make myself keep reading. \n I DONT KNOW if this is the tone of the whole book if this is the author or just the character speaking but honestly just reading that was triggering enough for me that I won't even apologise for such a snap judgment like I normally would. I can read about rape. I knew it was about rape to a degree. I can not read about men cast in anything even close to a sympathetic light entertaining that dialogue no get away get away from me no.", "18" ], [ "I picked this up blind from my library because the title, that title, is A+ enchanting. I had no idea what this was but felt compelled to read it. It's quick, but so powerful. The voices of the different residents of Karachi are so different, but as long as you just give in and not try too hard to piece together how each character is vaguely implicated in each other's stories (I caught myself doing that at first, trying so hard to figure out who/what/where but it's in the isolated experiences that all resonate with each other rather than their links that the strength lies) Read read read .!", "95" ], [ "I wish I enjoyed this more than I did... I think it had more to do with the script format than anything -- I found it hard to immerse myself, and just felt like I should really actually be seeing the play? But I would go out of my way to see the play if it is ever anywhere near me / will look for other Tomson Highway to read!", "164" ], [ "So meh so much name-dropping, it felt honestly like listening to people you didn't go to highschool with talk about their highschool experience, in a boring way, hoenstly. I love Poehler's work in Parks & Rec, but am also jaded against her particular brand of feminism. Some things in this book definitely irked me. (I'm also trying to get used to giving books less than three star ratings! I don't think you ~shouldn't read this, but I was not too impressed.)", "109" ], [ "I've been reading a lot of theory about witches and witch trials and I DONT KNOW WHO TO BELIEVE but honestly what I loved the most about this was the references to the Malificum Maliferis or whatever the witchhunter guidebook was -- definitely lacking in primary sources but the fact that this is a primary source way makes up for it gotta go find that now. Still very informative and loved learning about the historical grassroots women's health organizing. A lot of this echoed in my head something that I read recently, I believe an article, about sexism in medicine and appaling behaviour of male doctors towards their non-male colleges and blech.", "165" ], [ "Good to read if you have ever put stock in those WHY GIRLS VS GUYS or ever thought about gender neutral parenting failures (the most interesting and enlightening part of the book IMO). I'm giving this only 3 stars because i wAS SO BORED reading this, but that was because this is gender 101 and I was like \"yeah ok duh\" or \"ok fine ur basic and cisexist but also this is better than nothing\" like should most people read this YES it's actually really accessible and clever and funny! I definitely learned stuff, and now I have concrete evidence to point to in arguments I guess? But yeah pretty basic wrt gender theory, not queer or trans inclusive at all really.", "120" ], [ "I read this in two big gulps over two days -- unprecedented, when it often takes me weeks to finish a regular sized novel. I've been having a hard time finding interesting books for my \"no white dudes and preferable queer and or trans and or women of colour\" reading goals at my small library (3/4 of the fiction is french) and so I snatched this up when I saw it, being something that I've heard high praise for, and then it snatched up my heart and I haven't been able to work on anything I should be doing because I have been reading and now I have that horrible pit in my stomach when a book guts you and I don't know what to do about it. Bulawayo's characters' voices cut me deep but also held me at arms length, lest I lapsed into the pity-voyeurism of white north american women cornering children in bathrooms to lament about how horrible it is, 'over there'. Like it fixed me with a talking eye, as Darling says, saying, I see you out there, listening, and just because I'm telling you all this doesn't mean you really know how it is. I feel like that is a very personal interpretation on my part, as well, as a white north american, and I can imagine that every reader would engaged with this in really different ways. I don't know, I just, I won't be forgetting this book.", "110" ], [ "OK SO this is the first book I picked up after having consciously decided to pick up the no (white, cis, straight) men authors for a year book challenge, with a particular focus on reading the works of women of colour, trans people, and queer folks. I picked this book because it was in my roommate's library and bc i know alice walker is a heavyweight author not to be fucked with wrt race and sexuality... I was initially not super engaged with the writing of this book but then all of a sudden BAM I was enthralled with the characters and their stories and their arcs of character development and personal learning... If I could liken this book to an experience it would be for me as a white person who is trying to decolonialize their mind and unlearn their racism, it would be like having a black woman who has been through so much sit down with me for three days and just tell me story after story after story of the nuanced experiences of generations of black folks in and being brought to thru slavery to america and ... I think this should be A+ mandatory reading for white people because no black person should have the burden of ACTUALLY sitting with our asses for three days telling us gutwrenching stories so that we can reevaluate our worldviews YET there is so much we can learn from these stories and reading this book is as close as we can get to that... so ... yeah... reading this was an amazing learning and delearning experience for me as a white person. Alice Walker obv. has so much more than just 'stories that can help white poeple unlearn their dickishness' going for her and this novel is a sensitive bulldozer of a thousand things regardless of the reader's race but yeah. I am not the best at writing reviews but I had lots of grateful feelings for this book that I wanted to put down in words! A+++", "30" ], [ "Tolstoy can you just stop toting around Christianity and just say everyone obey the law of love and fuck cares whether Jesus told you to or not... So much of this resonated with me in regards to deconstruction of state, non-violent resistance, harmlessness, etc. (and especially their relation to anarcho-communism/socialism, that made me happy, tell 'em Tolstoy!) but slapping on the labels of 'true Christianity', 'false Christianity' and 'Paganism' rubs one the wrong way. Is my crotchety PC contemporary context blinding me to the essential ideas of this work? Perhaps.", "126" ], [ "I was cleaning a carpet at work today listening to Lana Del Ray when I realized that Mr. Fox reminds me so much of the men in Del Ray's music except with 100% more character and flesh and. ... This was a super seductive and charming and ethereal book. I gave up trying to sort out exactly which was 'real' and which was fiction half way through (something I often struggle with) and my experience of the story went up a lot after that ... this is such a modern day fairytale. Oyeyemi is so so good at blending time and all signifiers of such things ... so that you feel like your drifting in and out of different eras in a single passage. Super eager to read Boy Snow Bird by her next.", "53" ], [ "UUGH. Roald Dahl is RUINED FOREVER for me. So much apathetic animal abuse just thrown in like hey that'll work as a plot device -- LETS ELECTROCUTE RATS, LETS THROW CATS IN BONFIRES, LETS EXPLOIT DOGS cause YA KNOW, it makes for a good story. I don't buy that his writing is misogynistic, not at all, the women and men get an equally bad rap in his stories. I'm down with the focus on unsavoury characters and unsavoury motives. But the portrayal of animals in these stories makes me queezy. Maybe I'm just an over sensitive vegan. But I used to count Roald Dahl as one of my favourites and now that I've read all of his complete works I just can't. He's a great fucking writer, he is, but this just rubbed me the wrong way too many times.", "147" ], [ "Beautifully written. Irritated by the initially pretentious/hypocritical/holier-than-thou Renee&Paloma, and took issue with the embarassingly rampant exotification of Japan/the Orient, offensive use of 'retard' as a slur, an instance of slut shaming on Paloma's part, etc. Almost put it down out of disgust halfway through. Still managed to seriously tear me up by the end though, despite all that.", "105" ], [ "Nooot my favourite atwood. I can't recall a single decent male character in any of her novels but in particular I hated reading about the ones in this one, so, bleh. Not that I want to see more decent male characters, just that this one I found particularly unsavoury. Why do men exist bleh bleh bleh. Meh. Still Atwood though, still good.", "55" ], [ "I can see how this may nbe an affirming book for some people but reading this just gave me sympathetic feelings of these things PSA don't read this in one day if it's January and you're already dealing with depression. This was just too close to home to much of a reminder of the reality of what I'm living and a warning of how far this can drag you and just wow. Yeah. Do read if youve never experienced mental illness for insight because this is so spot on.", "57" ] ]

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[ [ "Healing Maddie Brees, the first novel by Rebecca Brewster Stevenson, explores the internal dialogue of Maddie Brees and her husband, Frank, as Maddie undergoes treatment for breast cancer. Through recalled memories and present tribulations, Brewster Stevenson intertwines theology, divine and earthly love, and the power of residual memories. \n Maddie and Frank have a candid relationship; they frequently speak of high school and college sweethearts and Frank often tells the story of Vincent, Maddie's high school sweetheart, who could heal people. Yet, Frank doesn't know how tightly Maddie's belief and skepticism of this experience is intertwined with her relationship with God. She remembers struggling with sexual temptation and the probability of modern day miracles: What, in fact, is the right way to worship God? How does the character of Vincent align with who God is Supposed to Be? \n Brewster Stevenson does a stellar job of portraying the reservation and rigidity ingrained in Evangelical purity culture and the smashing guilt that comes with taking part in sexual activities, of almost any level, outside of marriage. She articulates additional theology culture points well such as the tendency of Catholics to accept more of the mystery of God, the frequency of Protestant altar calls, understanding God with varying degrees of reverence and friendship. The seamless way in which Brewster Stevenson weaves church culture and theology into the story is magnificent. \n Yet, at the end, readers are left wanting. Brewster Stevenson asks more questions than she answers, and a shocking ending may confuse some readers. Oftentimes Maddie comes across as indecisive and tepid; characters lend themselves almost too well to complementarian stereotypes. Yet, once again, this illustrates Brewster Stevenson's skill, she has so well captured church culture and told such an engaging story that readers can fail to notice subtleties until the very end when they are suddenly left confused, just as, perhaps, often happens in life.", "139" ], [ "I didn't really know anything about post-structuralism and post-modernism before reading this book. Now I do. Provides a brief introduction & summary of theory for Derrida, Lacan, Foucault, Cixous, Kristeva, Irigaray, and how post-modernism shows up in art, architecture, and literature. Frequently compares theories to Marxism and Modernism -would be helpful to have an understanding of those concepts before reading this book.", "49" ], [ "This book is like a mirror. Really interesting to read about the human experience through the \"Devils point of view\". You pay more attention to stuff because it's worded differently from what you're used to.", "58" ], [ "I listened to this book on the way to and from work and let me tell you I have never had wine on my mind more frequently. Every time i drink wine from now on all i'll think is blow the bridge robert jordan blow ze bridge", "193" ], [ "Pessimistic and vaguely elitist. \n Good observation of how evangelical churches focus on self and feeling instead of objective truth. Since was written in the 90s could be updated to notice cultural impacts of internet instead of TV.", "126" ], [ "This book was mostly the hunger games for adult women. \n Also Atwood, or the narrator, is worse with similes than sancho panza is with proverbs. \n The \"academic conference\" at the end, and the essay by Margaret Atwood in the audible edition that explained where much of the \"stuff\" came from made it good though.", "157" ], [ "Don Miller's book was really good - his central idea is that intimacy is achieved when you are yourself, not trying to put on a show or impress people. Told in a simply written, straightforward and personal story, Don discussed his relationship with his girlfriend-->fiance-->wife Betsy and how he learned to grow closer to her.", "156" ], [ "Written in a similar style to 'the Jungle' - story then sermon - but less heavy handed and primarily about race relations instead of class. Provided a perspective into pre-Civil rights America that I hadn't seen before, or rather, read about in this way.", "176" ], [ "Once I finished this book, I felt like I was Hans Castorp. At the beginning, I was interested in all the goings-on and discussions, but about 75% of the way through I too fell victim to the demon Stupor, and almost the rest was just barreling through for the sake of finishing. As the book ended in the literal battle of WWI, I'm sitting here in a quandary of deciding whether I should add it to the \"read again when you've done some more research about what this thing is about\" list or chalk up all the pages and pages of philosophical musing in the middle as a rhetorical device in themselves that is supposed to show readers how the sanatorium people are disconnected from the real world, etc.", "110" ], [ "This book was OK. The story is unfortunately plausible, but offered no hope for the future. In real life, everything changes after graduation, particularly for a smart girl like Hannah. Additionally, I kept waiting for Hannah to have some internal crisis, some moment where she internalizes everything people say about her and begins bullying herself, or thinking she isn't worth anything, etc., but instead she makes her decisions purely based on what other people do and say about her. Here is where I feel the book fails; actually committing suicide probably has to have a strong internal component, such as an actual mental illness or a true belief that you would be better off dead. I felt this was really lacking in Hannah.", "151" ], [ "This book was written in 1989, my dad read it in 2003, and now I've read it in 2017 - almost 30 years from the original date of publication. This is important to keep in mind when reading the book; the Internet has now probably taken the place of many of the author's critiques of television, and television in and of itself is probably less of an issue or addiction than it was a couple decades ago because people are used to it. \n Myers has strong critiques for the 1960's and states that the problem with modern culture is a greater focus on 'form' and less on 'message', 'art today is more about experience and feeling and less about transcendence towards a higher culture (God/eternity/etc.)'. In some ways, this message of this book was an easier to digest version of Harold Brown's \"The Sensate Culture\". \n Perhaps it is because I haven't lived in the 'better times before the Sixties', but unlike Myers, I think there is value in doing something for the experience or because you enjoy it (think running because you like the motion of running vs. trying to beat a time). The world was created to be ordered, experienced, and enjoyed, and there's nothing wrong with that.", "171" ], [ "In \"Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster\", John Krakauer expands upon his article written for Outside Magazine about his trip to climb Mount Everest in 1996. On this expedition, several members of two expeditions, including the guides, became stranded on the mountain in a sudden, late afternoon storm and died. Krakauer briefly summarizes the history of summitting Everest then recounts the events of this particular expedition. He explores the inter-personal and inter-business dynamics between different team members and between different expeditions and how these dynamics may have contributed to the severity of the disaster. However, Krakauer does not fail to incorporate the inherent risks of mountaineering and the respect given to the mountain by locals. \n If I ever considered climbing Everest ima not do it now.", "145" ], [ "In \"On the Road\", Jack Kerouac writes about the Beat Generation. Kerouac details Sal Paradise's multiple cross country trips with Dean Moriarty, friends, significant others, and those met on the road. The writing style and 'party atmosphere' is similar to the Great Gatsby, but without the sarcasm and depression. The book represents impulsivity without abandoning responsibility. Descriptions of the landscapes take the reader along and within the Paradise's travels and the land itself.", "1" ], [ "Bruce Chatwin's \"The Songlines\" details Chatwin's interactions with Australian Aboriginals, a Russian named Arkady, and other whites in Australia. His quest is to understand Aboriginal 'Dreamings', or stories of how the land came to be and how the Australians are connected to and map their land. Chatwin discovers that every point in the song correspond to a point in the land, and oftentimes the melody and rhythm of the song will match the melody and rhythm of the land. \n I also found this book interesting because this idea of the songlines indicates how they crossed the Never Never in the movie Australia with Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman. Important stuff.", "142" ], [ "Does a really good job of explaining reasons for valuing animal life from a Biblical perspective. Different from both most \"pro-vegetarian/vegan books\", such as Eating Animals, and from most \"Christian Articles\" which focus solely on whether or not man can eat animals completely disregard the process by which it goes from birth to death.", "190" ] ]

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[ [ "\"Making the brave choice in your life is going to change the world. At the least, it will change your world. But I dare not limit what you are going to do on this planet, friend. Your life is Jesus' reward for his suffering - your brave yeses, your courageous noes, hanging on, letting go, going there, staying here, all of it.\" \n Thank you, Annie Downs, for being brave and teaching how to be brave. I want to read more from her.", "26" ], [ "*\"God doesn't love you because you are lovable,\" Addy said. \"He loves you because he is love.\" * \n Loved this book! Having read two of the Anomaly books by Krista McGee, I was familiar with the author and her works, but wasn't looking to pick this up until my youth pastor's wife (and good friend) asked if I had read it. (We've also started a summer reading challenge in my youth group.) Yes, it was a little predictable in places and some of the characters were shallow, but they were meant to be that way. Overall it was a story that kept me coming back, wanting to see how it ended. Well done Krista McGee!", "28" ], [ "*\"The good thing is this: although we are broken, we all have the same offer to be made whole again. We all have a God Who wants to lift us up from our dusty, dirty brokenness and piece us back together again, making us something more beautiful than when we began and perhaps even leaving a few cracks so that His glory can shine through.\"*", "26" ], [ "Absolutely loved this book! Chip and Joanna's story is so inspirational and just good! \n \"It all seemed to be working out in that perfectly messy way life works when you trust in God and His plans for your life rather than focusing on your own.\" \n \"It is no easy thing to trust in God, to walk away from a career, to give it all up not knowing if you can ever get it back or even come close. But I did it. I heeded His voice, and somehow I found peace about it.\" \n \"I always thought that the \"thriving\" would come when everything was perfect, and what I learned is that it's actually down in the mess that things get good.\" \n \"I finally realized that life isn't found on the pages of a magazine - life is found in the glass of spilled milk and in the long, narrow hallway filled with socks and soccer balls.\" \n \"Go and find what it is that inspires you, go and find what it is that you love, and go do that until it hurts.\"", "193" ], [ "\"Her reverence for God opens her up to a great adventure.\" \n \"True freedom is the power to do what God wants you to do; it is being free from the control of sinful ways of thinking, sinful attitudes, and sinful behavior patterns. It's knowing that by God's grace, you can say no to sin and yes to God.\" \n \"Truth is not merely an idea or philosophy. Truth is a person - the Lord Jesus Christ.\" \n \"God's presence is a refreshing, miraculous flow of living water that you can pour all over the blazing lies that Satan attempts to set roaring through your life. And that flow of living water is Jesus Christ.\"", "26" ], [ "Would not agree with some aspects of this book (lying and what not) but oh the story. The story, the characters, the growth of Ada. So good. Loved it and looking forward to the sequel!", "107" ], [ "\"Because real life is where you'll begin to create the most important story of this book: your own.\" \n \"Yes, it will be hard. But we're rebelutionaries. We do hard things.\" \n This book was slightly difficult to get through, but also holds a challenge much bigger than what the world wants of us teenagers. Do. Hard. Things. Simple but difficult. Do. Hard. Things.", "193" ], [ "I was thinking about not giving this 5 stars. But Katie Davis is an amazing person. She wants to follow God with her all, even if she has to leave everything behind. She is very encouraging and real. So 5 stars for her realness, her heart for people, and her desire to serve Jesus with everything she is and has.", "190" ], [ "It's been awhile since I finished the actual story part of this book. But just today did I finish the devotions in the back. I'm thankful for Kylie and how she stands up for what she believes in and speaks out about her past and the mistakes she's made.", "7" ], [ "This book was just awesome. Rifqa's faith and courage through Christ encourages me. After all she went through: an abusive home, leaving that home, going to juvie, dealing with all the legal issues, being moved from place to place in foster care, life-threatening cancer......and through it all she trusted God to take care of her. Yes, she was scared and had doubts, but, as she let God take care of her, had peace. Amazing, amazing story. Thank you to Rifqa for sharing it.", "101" ], [ "This was a insightful and thought provoking book with good points. I kinda think that if I was older I could wrap my head around some of the ideas better. But overall an interesting book.", "58" ], [ "\"That's why literature is so fascinating. It's always up for interpretation, and could be a hundred different things to a hundred different people. It's never the same thing twice. \" \n I did really enjoy this book. Downsides were a few curses, a scene that wasn't needed but did show the cruelty of a character, and the violence. This is taking place in a war, but Meira herself did not regret killing in some instances.", "22" ] ]

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[ [ "And so although Queen Mary had placed herself firmly on the throne and strong men and factions surrounded her with the purpose and intention of keeping her there, there were uneasy moments. And the thoughts and hopes of many men and women were turned to the daughter of Anne Boleyn.", "135" ], [ "Reading this book gave me a different perspective on the colonization of Mexico and the Spanish influence in Florida. I have enrolled in courses that focused on Cortes, his experiences in Mexico, and the Aztecs. I've also read Aztec by Gary Jennings, although that was many years ago. \n I've always been fascinated with this part of history and The Moor's Account offered me a new version of the account of colonialism in Mexico and parts of the U.S. The Moorish/African influence has obviously been overlooked. My intent now is to learn more of the reason for this not only to better understand myself but to hopefully give voice to those stories and people who were ignored. I'm not sure how I'll accomplish this yet but reading, researching and discovering more of what has already been written is a start. \n As I grow older, my quest to understand my ancestry in all its rich variety, has become crucial to me. This historical fiction book was an excellent introduction on this subject.", "176" ], [ "Just in time for St. Patrick's Day \n This book was fun to read; I especially liked how the folklore was tied in to the immigration experience-Ireland to America. For .99 on my Kindle, it was well worth the read.", "148" ], [ "This is my first time reading this author. I enjoyed the subtle religious element in this short story. Being raised Catholic, I related well to it. I'm looking forward to reading all of her work.", "39" ], [ "I've never read anything by this author before but I'll definitely be reading more of his work. His writing reminded me a bit of Stephen King-- that way he can tell a story and have you completely invested in the main character. The ending surprised me. I had something different in mind but I appreciate when a book's ending is unpredictable.", "99" ], [ "'Was going to give it four stars but the last paragraph got to me. \"....crowned king and queen in the bridal realm of love, along winding paths fringed with the sweetest flowers that ever bloomed, and over haunted meadows where winds of hope and memory blew.\" LMM will forever be my comfort read.", "53" ], [ "This book fascinated and haunted me. I believe that my reaction to it was partly due to the current political climate here in the U.S. I anxiously await the outcome this week of one of the most controversial elections I've experienced and hope strongly that the result will be that in which this dystopian saga will forever remain fictional.", "41" ], [ "I gained much knowledge about my hometown by reading this. I knew the general history but not all of the details. The recent shutdown of a political candidate's visit made me proud of my city & as I am miles away from visiting there at the present moment, needed a reminder of all I love about the Windy City. This was sufficient....for now. ;)", "148" ], [ "I received this book as an e-book in exchange for an honest review. The writing was fast-paced, kept my interest throughout, and had a compelling storyline. The author had a good sense of how a teenage boy would react in a situation in which he and his family were in grave danger. A year ago, the plot would have seemed far-fetched -- a futuristic government hunting down Hispanic families -not so much lately. 'Frightening to see mob mentality at its worst in the media recently.", "197" ], [ "I picked this novel up at a neighborhood used book store for two reasons -- the PBS series The Paradise, which I have only watched briefly, and the fact that Zola is on my list of classic unread authors. Television can have its uses. It has led me to rediscover authors I once had an interest in and introduced me to contemporary authors I may have otherwise overlooked. Outlanderby Diana Gabaldon is one that piqued my interest after watching an episode of the series on cable TV. \n Finally reading Zola's work was a treat. The Paradise series, from what I've seen, however, does seem more light-hearted than the novel. The book dealt with the rise of the department store and the demise of the small specialty shop owner. It is also a love story which was actually kind of sweet. This book was a perfect introduction to Zola. I'll be looking out for more of his work and can now watch the entire series on Netflix and compare..(I prefer reading the book first. )", "80" ], [ "Jane Austen \n Rereading P&P reminded me of why this was my favorite JA book. It is the one I most connected with as a young girl. It's also made me curious about the plethora of Austenesque books published yearly. 'Debating if I should sample a few or simply read the rest of her work for now.", "80" ], [ "This book was a page-turner! However, I didn't really care for the book's ending. It seems that many writers have such an engaging storyline but don't quite deliver with the ending. I suppose I expected something more dramatic? I will definitely be rereading this one and more of Setterfield's work. It still earns 5 stars from me as the writing is beautiful & includes so many well-researched details.", "35" ], [ "Being one of four sisters, I've always admired Little Women -- the novel, of course, but also the film and TV versions. I haven't seen them all but especially like the films with Elizabeth Taylor, Katharine Hepburn and the latest one, with Winona Ryder & Gabriel Byrne. (Their relationship was my favorite on-screen adaptation.) This was the complete Little Women series, chronicling the story of the March family. I had never read any other of Alcott's work so this was a treat. The writing could be a bit preachy at times but I found it to be a perfect Christmas/holiday book and perfect as a winter read-aloud. \n (Rereading childhood favorites as an adult, I now find myself curious about an author's life & their motivations. I discovered Alcott was, in many ways, a feminist of her time. She helped her family from poverty and through her writing found an emotional outlet for her despair. One would never know this from reading her joyous books. )", "80" ], [ "I discovered this holiday gem while looking for other books written by L.Frank Baum, besides that well-known classic, of course. It is a fun, magical book. I really enjoyed how each aspect of Santa's giving of gifts was explained -- presents under the tree, stockings hung by the fireplace, how does Santa bring presents when there is no chimney? Little believers are sure to be charmed by this little treasure.", "172" ], [ "I remember reading this in high school but didn't recall how depressing it is. I wish at least one of the main characters could have escaped their miserable, monotonous lives. I still give it 4 stars because I think Wharton wrote beautifully polished prose and had a keen understanding of the desperation of men and women confined by society's restrictions.", "35" ], [ "This YA novel earns 5 stars from me for introducing me to Cassie, the resilient main character who is also the narrator of this book. She reminded me of Scout in To Kill A Mockingbird--not to compare the two--this book stands on its own, however I as I read, I couldn't help thinking I wish I would have also read this as a young girl. Cassie is a strong fictional character to look up to, and identify with. I'm glad a new generation of young girls/teens have a lot more choices now when reading & hopefully they will discover someone they can identify with through reading quality literature.", "28" ], [ "This book said so much in so few words. It obviously deals with race issues, but oh so much more-- class issues, identity crisis, marriage infidelity, possibly lesbianism between the two main characters--their relationship, especially in the beginning is subtle, yet intense. I would consider this more of a novella. It was over way too soon & left me wanting to read more of Larsen's writing. Unfortunately, there's not much to read. I know of one other piece by her - Quicksand, and a few short stories. I love when I discover an author that makes me want to devour all his/her work, and research their personal life in the hopes of finding out what inspired them to write. I'm curious as to why this talented author stopped writing or publishing. I truly hope it was her own choice.", "31" ], [ "Perfect light summer read \n Delightful, fun book about a retiree sleuth team living in a retirement facility. 'Loved how the author included descriptive details about seniors' daily lives - felt like I had a visit with that favorite aunt or grandma. I've read one other book by this author and enjoy the settings also. This one took place in NC. Makes you want to take a visit.", "108" ], [ "Upon rereading this as an adult, I'd have to say that the movie was better and I believe that if it weren't for Gregory Peck and the film adaptation, the book wouldn't have garnered so much attention. I was really surprised and a bit shocked that I had read this in my youth and hadn't picked up on all the nuances, or if I did, blindly accepted them. As a parent, I would only let my children read this if it was of their own choosing, but not without some discussion beforehand, throughout, and afterward. As an educator who entered the profession later in life, I was recently made aware this is required or suggested reading in some districts. With all the racial tension in our country presently, I know there are better quality books for use in the classroom by American authors that aim to teach tolerance. One that comes to mind is The Watsons Go to Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis. If I were a writer, (in another life) I'd write an alternate version of TKAM, with Calpurnia as the narrator.", "52" ], [ "The writing started out so promising - got that first chapter free, decided to buy it, but it went downhill from there. Not to mention adult Scout & Atticus's disturbing rants. 'Gave it a second star because some of Lee's lyrical writing shone through, but not as beautifully as it did in TKAM. I understand this book was unrevised, & unedited, which I was aware of when I bought it, so have only myself to blame for being too curious to not read. In my opinion, this is not the same Atticus. It's an ugly Southern stereotype version of him. I did find it of interest possibly for a character or author study on Lee & it has piqued my interest in her life, other Southern writers & racism affected by geographical upbringing, particularly in the American South. \n I wish I would have waited for a library copy.", "91" ], [ "I received this short story/novella as a free e-book; It has a supernatural element in it which I liked & made me want to plan a trip to Spain really soon, preferably to a small village with lots of wine, tapas & good music.", "148" ], [ "As always, S. King pulled me into the story immediately, after only a few paragraphs. His main characters are people I feel I know & care enough about to keep reading to the end. I could have done without the fantasy part of it but it tied into the storyline well & I thought it ended perfectly.", "39" ], [ "I liked this much more upon rereading. I rushed through it the first time before watching the Broadway play so that might explain it. I also think many of us don't like to see our childhood book heroes maligned. On to The Son of a Witch....", "80" ], [ "3.5 stars - Classic Anne Tyler. I was excited to win this book as part of the Goodreads giveaway as Anne Tyler is one of my favorite authors. I really enjoy getting to know the quirky characters in the families she writes about. I discovered her books years ago and after reading her latest, I'm looking forward to rereading my favorites and those I've missed. I truly hope this isn't her last novel.", "35" ], [ ".Dracula is already standing at his favorite post, staring across the water, his hands clasped behind him in a characteristic gesture of thought, of planning. The abbot has seen him stand this way in front of his warriors, directing the strategy for the next day's raid. He looks not at all like a man in constant peril - a leader whose death could occur at any hour, who should be pondering every moment the question of his salvation. He looks instead, the abbot thinks, as if all the world is before him.\" \n ~~Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely---Lord Acton", "26" ] ]

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[ [ "Absolutely my favorite in the series. I loved how each book in the series stood on it's own and they all came together in this final installment. I'm sad I didn't read The Giver as a child and just found out there was a quartet of books. I could have been enjoying these so much sooner!!", "107" ], [ "I really wanted to enjoy this book--I felt like it was building up and building up (and building up...) to something good but it was anticlimactic I thought. Also...was it just me or was there a tremendous amount of tea/coffee drinking going on...I felt like if we put all the coffee and tea making descriptions and mentions together that would be a chapter in itself. Overall, it was just meh for me.", "120" ], [ "I loved it! I never read The Shining but of course have seen the movie a couple of times, but after I read 11/22/63 last year I remembered how much I loved Stephen King. My limited rememberance of the movie helped get me through the callbacks but I like that the story was not a true sequel and it went in a different direction and brought in some new players. I really rooted for Abra and Dan.", "52" ], [ "I have never read this book before but I felt like I could have kept reading it forever. I loved the memory description, the way she described Christmas made me feel warm and tingly inside.", "99" ], [ "This book was amazing. I loved it. I loved the characters and the story. But considering it was written by a guy who also works on Game of Thrones it's no surprise I liked it.", "46" ], [ "Loved it! Read it super quick and am looking forward to starting the next one. Definitely in the same vein as Hunger Games but I almost think I liked this one better, but that's a bold statement.", "107" ], [ "There wasn't anything wrong with this book, I just couldn't get really engulfed in it like I wanted to. It was well written and the story was fine, but that's it...it was just fine.", "120" ], [ "Loved the characters and the sass in this novel. Got a little slow and brow-beating with the class differences in the middle and ended abruptly, but it may be that I just wanted to go on finding out about the characters. Really enjoyed it.", "200" ], [ "Probably my favorite so far of The Cousin's War series. I enjoyed it because it was a different perspective than Elizabeth Chadwick takes with these same characters. Normally you hate Richard and root for Edward and Elizabeth but this story definitely pulls you in the other direction. I enjoyed it.", "105" ], [ "I was not amazed by this book but I stuck with it and I'm glad I did. Many reviewers have said the first few chapters are hard to get into and over written but the author settles into the story and it definitely gets better. I am glad I finished it, although it isn't a repeat read for me I did end up caring about the main character in the end.", "22" ], [ "Maybe I'm just not in a historical fiction mood lately but this one was just ok. I mean I read it, it was an easy read but nothing I couldn't put down. Meh.", "120" ], [ "Liked this book from the very first page, kept me into it, I connected with the characters. I really enjoyed it...although around the last couple of chapters it was a little more \"out there\" than the rest of the book but I went with it and could definitely get lost in it.", "99" ], [ "This wasn't my favorite, but it definitely picked up after about page 600. Of course it ended on a big note so I can't wait until the next one. I've been wrapped up in Game of Thrones for so long I don't know what I'll do now!!", "127" ], [ "This is my least favorite of the series so far. I appreciated the new characters from Dorne but it felt all over the place, literally and figuratively. I definitely missed the \"regulars\" but enjoyed reading more about Jamie. I'm looking forward to A Dance With Dragons!", "44" ], [ "This book was pretty good, I liked the idea but it took soooooooooooooooo long to get to the point. We kept going in circles and saying the same thing. But eventually when we got there it was pretty good. I'm glad I didn't put it down but I wish it had been a book I couldn't put down...y'know?", "110" ], [ "I can't decide what to say about this book. The descriptions alone are worth the reading of it but it was hard to follow in some parts as I felt there was a lot of time spent on these amazing descriptions that truly made me feel like I was at this amazing circus. But there was not a lot of time spent on the development of the story. Or maybe too much time, and she couldn't get to the point fast enough. Overall I enjoyed reading it and it felt like an experience more so than just a book, so that makes it a success in my book.", "22" ], [ "I absolutely loved every book from this series but I happen to find this one on sale and liked the cover. I read it like crazy and moved on to the following books. Some people don't like the way the story moves back and forth between Amy and Eloise but I think it's like getting a whole different novel for free!", "107" ], [ "This was possibly the best book I've read since I can remember. The kind that will change your life. I was completely immersed in the lives of these women, mad when they were mad, happy when they were happy, shameful when they were shameful and I loved every second of it. I was sad for it to end.", "101" ] ]

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[ [ "Overcoming BPD is \"learning how to manage your emotions\". The book is full of wonderful insights and information on how we learn and what we didn't learn if we have BPD. Not only are there ideas on how to accept your emotions, but how to learn to understand what you are thinking, feeling and wanting. \n For the families, friends, and loved ones of those with Borderline Personality Disorder the book helps identify areas that we can help. Yet it also points out that ultimately, it is up to the patient to be mindful of their goals, progress, and behaviors. \n The section on Dialectical Behavior Therapy pointed out the importance of mindfulness and interpersonal effectiveness. Keeping goals for a relationship with each person in your life. And the section on Distress Tolerance Skills were helpful. But the various sections on \"accepting\" were the most helpful. Both accepting the patient but the patient accepting their family as they are, not as they want them to be. That alone can and does make a huge difference in everyday life. \n Perhaps the most encouraging information was the author's comments on the possibility of patients \"getting better\". That with the right therapy treatment and an effort by the patient, they can change their behaviors, and live a more normal life. \n I recommend this book to anyone who has children with BPD, as my oldest daughter does.", "57" ], [ "Just finished The Kennedy Secret. There were a couple of parts I had trouble getting through, but once I got to the meat and potatoes it was a wonderful beef stew. \n Heading on to another of Mr. Richers' books.", "65" ], [ "The last of three books on historic Butte, Montana. All three are well worth the time and money and the historical facts are wonderful. \n It took me a while to get into this last edition. over 15 characters were introduced in 10 chapters and I ended up starting over and keeping track, by name and duty, of everyone involved. Getting old, I guess. Once I did that it was easy reading.", "108" ], [ "I've read a lot of books on writing, but none that has helped me as much as Bill Roorbach's \"Writing Life Stories\", and I've only just begun reading it. \n Read my entire review at www.spiritof13.com", "186" ], [ "Politics isn't unique to Washington DC, this high -powered law firm has it all. \n The story flows nicely and there's sufficient detail to keep you interested without spoiling the outcome. \n The plot was fairly obvious, and a twist at the end would have been nice. Having said that, it's a great weekend read and worthy of 4*s.", "39" ], [ "Historic Fiction comes in all types of styles, genres and themes. The Bone Feud is a story of two \"Professors\" that are in a race to find the most dinosaur bones and get them identified so they can name them. The true story is fictionalized by adding wonderful characters to the tale and making one of the participants the bartender and storyteller. \n I was captured from the beginning of my #fridayread. From P.T. Barnum to Wild Bill Hickok, the authors ability to bring other characters of interest into the story was great fun. His writing style is clear and the story flowed nicely. However, I missed hearing from the storyteller himself in the middle of the tale. He got lost, and so did I, in the middle. Thankfully, he was found and once again took charge at the end. \n For a fun #fridayread, it's great and is well deserving of 4*'s.", "124" ], [ "The Piano Teacher - A Book Review 4/28/2015 \n Another World War II Story that's compelling and authentic. \n I had a hard time following along Park I. It felt cold and disjointed. In Part II I kept asking myself what does this have to do with the Piano Teacher? \n If you stay the course, the author starts to tie it all together in Part III, so pay attention to details in the lead in or you'll be lost. \n Nice emotional writing without too much ooze, but enough to help you imagine the harsh living conditions and lack of nutritious food. \n The story was interesting and the historic links accurate. It's not a must read but it is a good read. \n I'm going to give this book a 4 * rating. It's not quite there, but it's far superior to a 3*.", "98" ], [ "I couldn't put this lovely book down. In fact, I read it a second time before I did my review because there were so many wonderful, factual details that I wanted to be sure I didn't miss. \n She has brought the characters into the story in wonderful ways and it was quite a while before I knew who Daisy was. \n Do go find out for yourself.", "46" ], [ "Having lost a loved one who never regained consciousness I could completely relate to the story of \"If I Stay\". I'm sure he was as torn as Mia. The difference? He was in his late 70's and had experienced a lot of life. Mia was just beginning her adulthood, and chose to take on the rest of her life even under the hardships she knew would face her. \n The writing is clear, the emotions raw, and the approach very unique. I enjoyed it.", "30" ], [ "Living in the area of Wupatki and the many ruins of the Fremont Indians, the book intrigued me. I wondered about it's authenticity and how the author would portray the many cultural aspects of these areas. I was delighted. \n The story depicts the area accurately, and explains the greed of pot harvesters and the lack of respect for the spirits and culture of the Hopi Tribe. She's done her homework and explained it well. \n The three deaths added to the story but didn't seem real, but that could be because I've wondered where the events took place. It drags a little in the middle, but overall it's a wonderful read. \n And if you get the chance you should visit the ruins, they are indeed full of history and spirits of past generations.", "108" ], [ "Gay Hendriks has done it again, so much so that I'm tempted to say it's the best of the lot so far. \n The rule of this part of the story is based on \"unrealist expectations\". Think about how many times we set ourselves up for failure and dissappointment by expecting a certain outcome that we know is unrealistic. He stays on target for the entire story, brings in some wonderful other thoughts during his journey, and left me ready for the next in the series. \n Thank for keeping me up all night so I could finish it and get something else done! LOL", "105" ], [ "The story of ordinary men doing extraordinary deeds is always enjoyable, but this one is exceptional. From the inclusion of historic events and social values of the times to the details of rowing, the story is so well written you are there with them for every beat of the oars. Read my complete review on my blog www.spiritof13.com.", "39" ], [ "The 10 steps are very similar to other motivational books. However, his unnecessary rants and course language spoil the overall message. \n His message may have resonated with others but I cannot recommend it.", "109" ], [ "The Rite of Passage \n A well written story of growing up, learning self-control and respect. It's also the story of bullying and the many lives one bully can affect forever. \n It's a story of teamwork and the importance or working together for a common good and goal. \n And it's the story of one girl in a man's world who set out to open doors and make a difference. It's a story for all young women who are planning to enter the work force, advance through a male dominated and controlled system and be successful. \n And don't overlook the fact that in her success she has a male mentor. Something I believe in and personally benefited from over the years.", "30" ], [ "After watching the trailers for the moved based on his book, I felt I'd like to read the book first (especially since I rarely do movies). \n The story of two people who might have been together but came from different worlds was kind, loving and plausible. \n The author's use of an old friend's funeral to give them one last chance at their dream was well done. \n It's a wonderful story for a cold winter weekend with a cup of tea and a soft blankie, don't forget the kleenex.", "52" ], [ "I write this review out of kindness, with respect for the feelings of the author,and compassion for her age, life story, and desire to share life experiences. \n The book is a simple tale of murder and intrigue but little suspense. We're dropped into the story in 1942 in an alley with a drunk and a naked girl. The story is about Ellie, but is written around her daughter Camille. The background is developed for Ellie, but then jumps to Camille. \n The story doesn't flow and the writing needs to be tightened up. I felt too much of the character development was left for the end. And the mystery twist never developed because the reader was told the entire plot before the main character discovered it herself. \n Overcoming the obstacles placed in the story would require a complete re-write but could make a wonderful \"who-done-it\". \n A possible way to salvage the story, as it is written tastefully, would be to try and market it to the YA genre.", "70" ], [ "An entertaining read about Daymond John's life and his rise to fame and fortune. I enjoyed it for a different reason - his descriptions of black culture. That rated it a 4* \n Read my entire review on my blog http://www.spiritof13.com/?p=315", "35" ], [ "A Kachina Dance started out with lots of information on the Hopi Indians and their beliefs. The Kachina is one of their icons and learning about the various characters depicted is a journey all it's own. \n The Kachina brings harmony of good thought and deed, harmony for the earth. The Hopi ceremonies are for the reverance and peace of the whole world. \n Unfortunately, after the author introduced Jay and the Kachina's she neglected to continue to tell the rich history of the Hopi Nation. The trials of being surrounded by the Navajo Nation and the many stories surrounding the hundred of Kachinas - many on display at the Heard Museum in Phoenix. \n The history of the \"Three Mesas\" they call home could have added in and color to the story.", "142" ], [ "After many years of political activity, I found \"The iCandidate\" intriguing. Could Mikael Carlson really have written a compelling story about politics that was different that so many others? Oh, yes - and then some. \n Not only was it a fun read, it turned out to be my spare time killer for the month of September. Probably because I couldn't stop at the first book in the series. No, I went right into the \"iCongressman\" and \"The iSpeaker\". What a delightful adventure. \n The best part was the quality of his story-telling. I found myself thinking how this entire scenario and all the characters could have been real. For some characters that would be a sorry state of the nation, but oh so possible. \n As for individual books, each has a slow spot or two that might disappoint the reader. But the overall experience far outweighs any faults you might find. And reading on a Kindle made it so nice to acquire the second and third books. When you're sure you want to read on you can have it there in just a few minutes. \n Most worthy of your monthly book budget!!!", "8" ], [ "Art On Fire - A Book Review 9/2/14 \n Life of speudo-realism painter Francesco deSilva -- 13 of her paintings hang side-by-side at the Francesco deSilva Memorial Museum in Turo, Mass. \n An unusual genre for me, I've been exploring various writings with my oldest daughter in the LGBT literary category. Art on Fire is the story of pain, love, art and learning about ourselves and being proud of who we are. \n Author Hilory Sloin used the 13 remaining paintings, after a horrorific fire, to tell her version of Francesca's life as a painter, lesbian and recluse. Francesca lived in the attic of her parents stark home by choice and was always over-shadowed by her younger sister who eventually goes mad. \n Francesca's love life is explained using the author's interpretation of her paintings. A unique way to write with a clear voice, gave me the opportunity to think about art in a different way. It's also a window to the LGBT community and their pain and isolation in society then and now. \n This well written story of life could and should be read by all who wish to understand a different way of life.", "183" ], [ "The First Madam President by Kenneth J Kerr \n If you didn't know better you could believe the election for Hilary Clinton had occurred and you were part of her first term of office. The events, people, and places and their descriptions are current and enjoyable. And many of the scenes are accurately depicted. His writing gives you a clear picture of where you are and what is happening. \n The story portrays a woman without emotion; cold, calculated, and no discussion or input from families of those that lost their lives because of her. There's little feedback from the people that elected her or the relationship with the media. That made it a ittle unrealistic for me. \n Had the potential to be two books. One based around her Chief of Staff and one on the bombing threat. Almost every President, Governor and Mayor has a chief of staff that eventually goes away. That would have resolved the drag in the center of the book when I suddenly found myself saying what happened to the storyline? And a little nosy media guy would have been another element for her to deal with. \n All in all, it was an enjoyable story I can easily recommend to others and I rated it a 4. \n Until next time. . . . . .", "8" ], [ "I was given a copy to review of Book 1 in the Planting Dreams Series by Linda K Hubalek. My parents families came from Kansas and I was interested in learning her perspective on the Kansas plains in the 1860's. I have been researching the same areas for many months putting together the details of our family to do something like she has done. I just hope I'm able to do it anywhere near as well. \n This historical fiction trilogy is well written, full of facts, and her research into the period wonderful. What I enjoyed the most was the method of the storyteller. I could visualize every bit of the Kansas farmlands, her home, her neighbors, and her life. \n The only negative - you really need to start at book one and read all three. I don't believe Book 3 would have the meaning it did without the rest of the story. \n 4 Stars", "108" ], [ "If you have anyone in your life with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), I highly recommend this book. I only wish it had been published in the mid 70's, for the difficult part of TBI is for those that are the caregivers and loved ones of someone who suffers with these deficits. \n The book is full of information about the disorder, but discusses ways for family and friends to get beyond guilt and how to help their loved one move on, even if it's just tiny steps and simple ways to cope. \n You can read my entire review on my blog http://www.spiritof13.com/?p=291", "57" ], [ "The First and Second Rules of Ten were well developed, thoughtful, and reinforced the rules throughout the story. The Third rule was vague, got lost in the story and was not as developed and reinforced. It felt rushed versus the first two. \n However, Ten Norbu is such a unique character, I'll read the fourth rule and hope it follows the lines of the firt two.", "127" ], [ "This book is written in a way that even my 19 yr old Granddaughter can read and implement, if she chooses. So I sent her a copy along with a nice new journal to record her journey in understanding and controlling her anger. It was obvious to me she had an anger management behavior problem that she had developed over time from both her mother and father. It is time to break the cycle and I hope she finds her way out of those behaviors. It makes life so much easier and more enjoyable. \n Thanks Andrea for a great book \n If you'd like to read my full review click on the shortlink below. \n http://www.spiritof13.com/?p=297", "57" ], [ "I Love \"David and Goliath; Undergods, Misfits and the Art of Battling Giants\" by Malcolm Gladwell. I first became aware of Mr. Gladwell and his book through a \"60 Minutes\" segment about him. His comment about those that experience extreme life experiences becoming indifferent to many things was what captured my attention. Maybe my indifference to others minor \"daily drama's\" was normal. \n His explanations to support his thesis are complete and well documented, as you would expect from such a seasoned writer. But the ease of reading makes this educational and spell binding. And, it's one of the best examples of how to write books on sociology without boring your reader. Whether it's in the main text, foot notes, or chapter notes, Mr. Gladwell is constantly having a \"conversation\" with you. \n As for the various premises of his positions, I wrote a blog post as to how exactly he described the BLM during the \"Cattle Battle\" in Nevada. You can read that on my blog www.spiritof13.com", "160" ], [ "You can read my entire review at my blog http://www.spiritof13.com/?p=300 \n I'd like to rate it 3.5, because I don't think it's a bad book, but unfinished. It leaves too many unanswered questions about friends and partnerships. Colm dealt with the family completely, but the side story of being Gay was unfinished, for me.", "91" ], [ "How Am I? do you ask yourself that on a daily basis? You'll be surprised at the answer that comes to you in silence and inner focus. \n Do You Meditate? Do you try and clear your mind of the enormous clutter that can clog the pipes, create stress and divert your attention from what truly matters? \n Do You visit the \"here and now\" in your mind? \n These and other techniqu4es are the focus of Faith Freed's new book written in her folksy style of a different generation, yet with an endearing quality that makes her feel like a young friend by the end. She uses various methods to get you thinking about yourself. What are your desires? Lead with Love. Give love - volunteer based on your \"inspired self\". \n As she takes you through her world, inspired and guided by IS, you'll find many ways to connect with her spirit and the Divine. She clearly defines her perspective and the practice of spirituality as \"an ongoing crative process, because a relationship with the divine is subjective, intimate, and fluid\". She's not concerned with labels as she is with your inner and mental health. \n I enjoyed Faith's book, although it did take me a little while to get \"into\" it. But let your thoughts center around her message and before you know it you'll be working your way through the exercised and guidelines.", "156" ], [ "Stephanie Plum rides again. Before you trash it because #19 is pretty much the same storyline as the previous 18, think about why you read it. Personally, I read it because it makes me laugh. I don't expect great intrigue, sophisticated plot lines or ingenious intrigue. I expect her to make me laugh, and she does. \n Not as much in #19 as others, but it's always great to just laugh out loud at some unexpected description Janet Evanovich dreams up. She's good at it, and if she continues the series my daughter and I will continue to share her next adventure.", "119" ], [ "Some books we read for simple pleasure, some for the message they share. \"Second Rule of Ten\" has both, a mystery and life message for any age. \n Ten's second rule continues the story of Tenzing and his cat \"Tank\". He shares his thoughts and fears and what photographers refer to as Venus' Girdle or the hour of the Seventh Ray, the color of new beginnings - the violet (not purple) band of light at the end of the day. New moons bring on new beginnings and Ten finds one with his father after many years of resentment. \n He struggles with \"Unconscious beliefs\" where we assume we know what you are going to say and do and attempts to \"mentally rearrange fragments of insight . . . into a new quilt of understanding\". His friends in Tibet help him evaluate what is really important and brings him to a path of forgiveness. \n This is a wonderful series of love and hate, joy and sorrow, and Authors Guy Hendricks and Tinker \n Lindsay remind us \"we are all as one, in joy and in grief, in love and in loss\". David Michie, author of Dalai Lama's Cat highly recommended Ten's Second Rule. I completely agree and look forward to the 3rd.", "163" ], [ "This was a read for my local book club. We'll discuss the last Thursday of the month and it was well worth the time. \n The story of a boy who learns who he is, how he came to be orphaned and why and what his new friend means to him. Nicely done.", "197" ], [ "Before Versailles \n Karleen Koen writes the life of Louis XIV during a three month period in 1661. At 22 years of age, he has the opportunity to change the face of the court and its workings by taking charge of departments upon the death of Cardinal Marzarin. Although he is replaced by an equally powerful man, Viscount Nicholas, ultimately King Louis removes him from office. \n The intrigues of court would not be complete without the intrigues of the women that made the court their life. Intrigue, rivalries, jealousies, and outright power struggles between the women were normal and the writing helped to define the role of women in society at the highest level. The dress, help, social mores and values help to clearly define the progress for women from slave and bedmate to business owners and elected officials. \n I found the social aspects of the period colorful, dangerous, and full of intrigue. Written from a woman's perspective, it may not have the swashbuckler of other authors about the King, it has immense value in defining \"the game of court\", the concept of marriage, and the true test of the period - loyalty.", "135" ], [ "Archetypes \n By Caroline Myss \n Psychology, Inspirational, Health & Healing \n 978-1-4019-4108-6 \n Archetypes - might be described as a different approach to defining characteristics and personalities. Wikipedia defines it several ways, including in Psychology, an archetype is a model of a person, personality, or behavior. \n Archetypeme.com is a place where you can answer a few questions and receive a list of those archetypes you match. With life so confusing these days, many have no sense of who they are and what they like. Archetypes, the book, will help you define the answers to the quiz and begin to define who you are. \n I read the book and then took the quiz. Either way works as long as you keep an open mind. I was characterized as a Caregiver, Intellectual, and Visionary. There are those that would question those \"types\" for me and others would agree completely. However, without the book to give it all further meaning it's difficult to decide. \n Author, Caroline Myss believes we are born with life assignments and they are governed by our archetypal patterns. She calls them \"sacred contracts\" and that we have a natural network of life - friends and family - that adds to our greater social arena. She talks about our archetypes coming to us through observations of nature and deep respect for mystical law - with power and constancy not controlled and organized by any earthly politics or theology. She believes we learn from the laws of nature that life is ordered and ruled by cycles that clearly interact with each other. This is much like the Animal Spirits of American Indian traditions and beliefs. \n You must have an open mind when you read this book and take the test. Some reviewed it a waste of time and money, but we don't know where they come from. A majority of those that received it liked it - And I agree. Archetypes may be power trends of our times and they may be a natural outcome from ancient families. Whichever way you believe if you are struggling with identity, consider putting this book in your library. It's one to have on the shelf for future reference. \n FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from Hay House Publishing for this review. The opinion in this review is unbiased and reflects my honest judgement of the product that I read in its entirety.", "17" ], [ "'\"Madame', he said gently. \"You and I understand each other well, I think - better than the rest of the world understands us. You and I see things others do not. Too much for our comfort.'\" The words of Monsieur de Nostredame to Madame la Reine - Catherine de Medicis, Queen, Consort of Henry II, King of France 1519-1589 to Catherine during one of his visits before being removed for an astrologer. \n The Devil's Queen was fond of astrology and much of her life, Catherine De Medici practiced the art whenever possible. Her childhood friend, Cosimo Ruggieri, was the son of Bernozzo a physician and psychic. His date of birth is unknown, but appears to be about the same as Catherine and both are from Florence. Cosimo, the magician, would play a deep and abiding role in Cathrine's entire life. From amulets to spells, Cosimo watched over and loved Catherine from afar for most of his life. \n This version of Catherine's life is uniquely different from any other I could find. And the reviews, for the most part, failed to give Author Kalogridis credit for her unique approach to a much written subject. \n Cosimo gave Catherine a black stone with a bit of greenery - the Wing of Corvus Resing held the power of the raven's star and the wing would shelter her from harm. Although she died before Cosimo, Catherine depended on Cosimo for comfort, guidance, and the necessary spells to provide heirs, escape harm, and keep her family in power. Was the Saint Bartholemew massacre fate, or a result of Catherine's actions? Read The Devil's Queen and decide for yourself.", "135" ], [ "I appreciated all the data and insights into this generation. I consider it a must read for every small business owner that hasn't thought about what the change in retailing means and what it could and should mean to them. \n The information has helped us restructure what lines we offer and price-points. The store has continued to improve because of those changes. \n Well worth your time.", "174" ], [ "This is book 2 of the Oregon in Love Series. Book 1 and 2 are worth the read. Descriptions of places in Oregon take you to a real and pleasant Oregon - from the Saturday market stoll to Pioneer Plaza. These 3 stories are pleasant reads to cleanse your mind and treat you to a good old-fashioned love story. Just don't expect Book 3 to have much to do about Oregon or the previous main characters. That was disappointing, but still not a bad read.", "108" ] ]

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[ [ "bilangan fu inspired me to look back classic indonesian tales-something i never think about. she \"told\" us how to respect nature, origin culture, and i do love her thoughts! meanwhile, the spiritual problem (intolerance, fanatical religious groups), it's not a new things for me. \n well, her unpredictable opinion about something has been amazed me. friends said her previous book is better, i agree. there's no melancholy love story or uniquely politically character, as you find in saman. believe that sophisticated words only \"packaging\", the most important thing is the idea and collecting facts to strengthen the argument. i think she's working hard for that.", "64" ], [ "i always curious with middle east literature or anything based on islamic art, culture, and history. the fictions usually uneasy to be read, this book is one of them. it took several months to finish the book! but it gave me something, important thing to be quoted: the problem between west and east is really complicated, defferent views, different thoughts, different everything.", "113" ], [ "well i admittedly don't like most of comics, especially japanese, but this one is my favorite comic/graphic novel because its unique story and graphic style (some of manga lovers said it was bad drawing!). the novel tells us about thoughts and experiences of young Iranian girl during the country revolution. many funny things happened, also heartbreaking.", "54" ] ]

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[ [ "My favortie part of the book was when he compared a war scene to looking like, \"a Bloom' Onion at Outback Steakhouse.\" I knew right then and there this book was destined for American greatness. \n To my surprise, the entire book wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It was a very easy and quick read...that I didn't hate.", "99" ], [ "I often underline favorite passages or descriptions from books as I read them. I wasn't able to do that with this book because every single word in every sentence would have been underlined. I loved everything about this book, and I don't think I've read one this good for a while now. I can't wait to see what Mr. Harding writes in the years to come.", "110" ], [ "I didn't really like this book. I felt bad for her situation, but it was really hard for me to look past her priviledged life. I coudln't help but think about how so many other people have gone through difficult family illnesses and deaths and done so without money or airfair or 4-star hotels. She came across snobby...maybe she is. I appreciated her words but not really what they were saying.", "151" ], [ "\"Black Sunday, April 14, 1935, day of the worst duster of them all. The storm carried twice as much dirt as was dug out of the earth to create the Panama Canal. The canal took seven years to dig; the storm lasted a single afternoon. More than 300,000 tons of Great Plains topsoil was airborne that day.\"", "142" ], [ "I really loved this love story. This was my favorite part--\"my only grudge against nature was that I could not turn my Lolita inside out and apply voracious lips to her young matrix, her unknown heart, her nacreous liver, the sea-grapes of her lungs, her comely twin kidneys.\" Pg-165.", "53" ], [ "I've heard that you either find this book very depressing or very \"un-depressing.\" I belong to the \"un-depressing\" group. I absolutely loved this book. I found it empowering. Obviously there were extremely depressing parts to this story, but overall, it left me feeling very satisfied.", "101" ], [ "I have been obsessed with Ruby Ridge since I was in the fifth grade when NBC aired a made-for-tv movie on the fiasco. This book was far better than NBC's take on it, and it only furthered my obsession with RR.", "80" ] ]

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[ [ "jean renoir is a most admirable man, always bringing great humanity and depth of feeling to his films. In the recent documentary about Godard and Truffaut \"Two in the Wave\" we see Godard saying than any director cannot go wrong if, when at a loss, they ask themselves: \"What would Renoir do?\" This is a collection of interviews from relatively late in Renoir's life, the most interesting being a long one with the Cahiers du Cinema guys, including Truffaut", "160" ], [ "As short as it is, still seems padded and repetitive -- really the sweepings from a stint teaching at film school. Enough funny direct Mamet-isms to make it worthwhile, and a useful no-bullshit and absolutist summary of the Eisenstein/Bresson approach. The steadicam, and all it represents -- following the action around -- is mentioned a few times as a symbol of all that's wrong with American filmmaking today, because movies are made out of shots, and shots are of simple clear actions that don't try to tell the story -- the story only emerges in the totality of the work. A sail doesn't have to look like a boat, a nail doesn't look like a house, and an actor doesn't have to express anything or do any work to see that the story gets told: they just do simple actions and the film is assembled from them. \"A guy says 'that's a lovely dress'. He doesn't say 'I haven't been laid in six weeks.'\" \n That's all it amounts to, good advice really, but that's pretty much the entire content, so you can skip it now if you like! It's entertaining, though.", "165" ], [ "Zippier, but very similar to the \"Becoming a Writer\" book from the 30's that I reviewed earlier. I could tell from reading this that I probably wouldn't enjoy any of Anne Lamott's fiction books, but this one, about being a writer was useful and entertaining.", "58" ], [ "amazon reviews of this book are hilarious -- pretty evenly divided between 5 stars and 1 star. The one star reviews are all of the form: \"This isn't for dummies!\" It is ridiculous that this is a 'dummies' book ... it's the real deal, and probably over my head like every other serious book I've tried to read on the subject.", "147" ], [ "I've thought about reading this book multiple times in the past, but having no particular interest in -- or rather, an aversion to -- old hippie memoirs, I put it down. But what was I thinking?!-- this is Robert Stone, a fabulous writer, and I can see after a very few pages that this is going to be a very interesting book. \n Boy was I wrong about that. He did start the book out with a well-written account of a sight that moved him from his Navy days, a mass migration of penguins in the water... but what followed was a very lazy disjointed rambling account of the sixties that was most unmemorable. It ends weakly with the line \"my only regret is that we didn't prevail\" although what \"prevailing\" could mean for the disjointed and dissolute adventurers he describes I can't imagine. \n A disappointing and boring book.", "157" ], [ "coffee-tablish book based on the 2-episode tv documentary with scorsese talking about and showing clips of his favorite -- mostly B-type -- american movies, which is a great show, well worth watching. (As is scoresese's similar film about italian film.)", "52" ], [ "found this book too boring to finish. Like too much science fiction, all setup and no compelling story. But in this case, the setup was particularly dreary, a post-oil-crash US dystopia with a hereditary president, widespread ignorance and a mid 19th c. technical culture level. Our hero is a nephew of the prez, who, in the tradition of hereditary tyrants everwhere, is a threat to the dynasty, so his uncle wants to bump him off and he's on the run. eh.", "162" ], [ "i love this guy; I've read several of his books. My favorites of his are his Graham Greenish africa books... of a seedy (and sweaty) englishman in Nigeria and Benin... highbrow english mystery/thriller stuff.", "80" ], [ "This is an extremely irritating book. Read the entry on Bernard Herrmann if you want to see what I mean. In this entry the author, a mysteriously well-respected film writer,describes why he doesn't bother in his 1000-page biographical reference to film people, to include cinematographers, composers and scriptwriters! Discounting the importance of \"the subsidiary arts, he sniffs \"The best cameramen know that many millions can make good pictures.\" He does, however, have a lengthy entry on Johnny Carson, who had pretty much nothing to do with film at all, but he was a celebrity! I think \"starfucking\" is the technical term for this approach.", "157" ], [ "I like this guy. Literate, well-written entertainment. I read some of his \"Berlin Noir\" stories a few years ago, about a (non-nazi) cop in Berlin in the '30s, good stuff... a scan of the shelves at my local library shows he's been writing all kinds of entertaining stuff, some of it near and far future science-fiction... this one is a sort michael crichton type thing about a climber in the Himalayas finding a skull and his Berkeley anthropologist girlfriend figures out it's a missing-link hominoid, AND it's not a fossil! It's Yeti time!", "124" ], [ "one of the greatest comic artists of all, there at the beginning days of superman, etc., creator of The Spirit, arguably the inventor of the graphic novel... right up to his recent demise near 90 years old, he was innovating, with web-based comics, embracing the latest developments in the comics world... this book is a big book, modest autobiographical tales about an old man moving to florida, his parents days on the lower east side, and so on...", "160" ], [ "cool... a little book, with photos on nearly every page with gossipy facts about the strange life of a strange man... going out for sherbet at 4am at his favorite restaurant, where they always kept a small room for him at the 84 degrees F that he required... then to sleep, as he did everyday, from 8am to 4pm...", "62" ], [ "interesting and unusual book, unlike any other self-help writing instruction sort of thing I've seen. Written in 1934, timeless ideas. All about developing a certain kind of sensitivity and channeling it a particular way... especially interesting in advocating a kind of split-personality, an uncensored creator and a harsh critic... keeping them separate, but both healthy, is necessary. \n All in all eye-opening and dis-orienting, in a good way.", "186" ], [ "i met her back around 1980 in berkeley and its fun to see her account of the place and time, and her descriptions of some of the people we both know from those days. I'm not much of a foodie, but she's a very unpretentious and funny writer -- I enjoyed her later book 'garlic and sapphires' as well.", "108" ], [ "Yet another attempt to explain 20th/21st c. physics in a no-math way to a non-technical audience, with the usual less-than-satisfactory results. It's basically an impossible task, but this one seems to do better than most. By which I mean that I was left with the pleasant sensation that I understood....something. At least for a while. \n Like Lee Smolin's \"The Trouble With Physics\" this physicist is a skeptic about String Theory which has become the dominant sub-field in physics in US academia in recent years. And like Smolin's book, it is an interesting blend of non-mathematical discussion of the physics itself, and the problematic sociology of science that has led to what both authors feel is an unhealthy monopoly String Theory and its variations currently holds in the US.", "49" ], [ "you better be very interested in this guy to enjoy this book. It's a self-admitted grabbag of odds and ends, some of which, he admits, may be pretty boring unless you're very interested in the inner workings of the czech govt 20 years ago.", "157" ], [ "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're NOT out to get you! An amazing story, of an 18th c madman whose mad tales about his engagement at the highest levels of the french revolutionary govt and the british government, and his brokering of a (failed) secret peace treaty were absolutely true. Oh, and he also had his mind being controlled by secret govt agents sending pneumatic rays from a giant leyden-jar and wind powered machine hidden in a basement in london..(eh, not true.) \n Great book, and after hearing an interview with the author Mike Jay on a podcast (http://www.techgnosis.com/chunks.php?... also want to read his book on the history of laughing gas (nitrous oxide).", "79" ], [ "You know, I loved this book, and remembered loving Fuller's lurid \"Naked Kiss\"... but after reading this book I went on a Fuller film binge, and... well, he made a lot of terrible movies, there is no getting around that. But what is amazing about him is that he always fought to make HIS movies, even giving up a successful hollywood career to do so. The guy is all integrity, and was always true to his pulpy genius, sticking to his \"ballsy yarns\". \n But watch his 400 Guns and Anthony Mann's The Furies back to back -- both with Stanwyck in her old west dominatrix mode -- and see the difference between great filmmaking and Fuller's pulpiness. \n Still, you have to admire the consistency of a guy who, when he died in his mid-80's, was working on a screenplay called \"Girls in Prison.\"", "52" ], [ "cranky and brainy essays by a wonderful novelist, author of gilead and housekeeping -- A large part of her argument is rehabilitating aspects of christian tradition that are in disfavor in our time: calvin, the puritans, mcguffey readers and the abolitionist christian culture of the 19th c. midwest. She also weighs in against Darwinism, in a surprisingly convincing essay.", "126" ], [ "this is a fabulous little book -- really jottings, one line thoughts and aphorisms, notes to himself really, from the fabulous one-of-a-kind filmmaker. He's got his own terminology and way of working -- in his jargon 'cinema' is bad, \"filmed theatre\" -- and 'cinematography' is good -- making films with all traces of theatrical expression expunged. (He uses the word 'cinematography' in his own way, not what everyone else means by it.)", "186" ], [ "vernant is my favorite classical scholar. Frankly, the french tradition in classical scholarship is much more interesting to me in general than the anglo/american one -- plenty of broad cultural crossover, to structural anthropology, modern and post-modern criticism.", "82" ], [ "A friend of mine who is a brilliant guy, but admittedly has a higher tolerance of semi-cracked new-agey stuff than I recommended this book, so I'm checking it out. (This is Howard Bloom, NOT Harold Bloom by the way.) \n I read it. Don't bother.", "79" ], [ "i've been on a michael powell kick watching some of his great movies from the 40's co-directed with Emeric Pressburger... like Black Narcissus, and \"I Know Where I'm Going\"... Looking forward to digging into his hard-to-find autobiography. \n I got bogged down in it, and after a certain amount of time found the guy extremely irritating! -- that was a surprise.", "66" ], [ "this book not only points out the dangers inherent in current practices of biotechnology -- but it provides a deep view of what is wrong with the entire model of risk that underlies our cultural decision-making about these matters. Understanding how risks can be calculated (or not) is a crucial missing piece in current public policy in many spheres, and this book is illuminating on this basic matter, beyond the particulars of bio-tech.", "75" ], [ "i'm a sucker for these tales of director's early life, and have read several books like this. In fact, I think I already bought a copy of this one with a different cover a few years ago. My fantasy life as a film director gets tickled...", "80" ], [ "I loved this book. I'm a huge fan of Jean Renoir (the film maker), never that crazy about the work of his father the painter, but this book is wonderful. What I love about J Renoir is his menschlichheit (pardon my french) -- his art is great because he's a great soul. In this book, you see where he got it, as well as getting a real feel for regular 19th c life in Paris and throughout France, a broad cultural history of the period.", "148" ] ]

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[ [ "Thirteen little pieces of dark horror, finely crafted and delivered in one convenient book cover. What more could a fan of ghosts and goblins want from a book? \n I don't read a lot of horror, but I found Echoes of Darkness deeply enjoyable. Rob Smales takes conventional monsters and renders them into chilling tales just twisted enough to keep you guessing, or he presents brand-new monsters awful enough to turn your stomach. But with every story, he makes his reader small and vulnerable. He has the ability to make you weak enough to remember what it feels like to fear the monster under the bed. These stories are almost primal. They speak to the hair on the nape of your neck. You might devour this book, but you won't realize how frightening the stories were until they're keeping you up at night. \n Rob is an award-winning horror writer, so besides making terrifying little stories, he also makes well-crafted prose so easy to digest you won't realize how quickly you're reading this book. I got through it in a couple of hours, but I wish I'd spent more time with it. Each story is different enough from the others that you might need to take some time to digest them. \n Five stars from me. If you are interested, you can pick it up here: http://www.amazon.com/Echoes-Darkness...", "152" ], [ "Eagle Eye's father is High King Beager's huntsman. His father has taught him a great many things about surviving at court, and most of those things involve staying away from it and knowing how to fight. He knows how to track animals for the royal table, how to care for hounds, and how to keep his mouth shut. Sure, he's killed a dragon--but that was almost completely an accident. When the crown prince, beautiful Brother Fox, arrives in Eagle's hut, wounded from the most recent of the king's beatings, all father's warnings go out the window. Fox wants to leave home, and he wants Eagle to go with him. Eagle thirsts for adventure, and he thirsts for Fox. How can he refuse? \n Full disclosure: this lady is one of my favorite writers. I grew out of epic fantasy years ago, but every time she puts out a book I squeal like a little kid and snatch that bad boy up. This book is a little bit of a departure for her. It's romance as much as adventure, and though it happens in Rothganar, it's six hundred years before Dingus' time and almost unrecognizable as the same place. But what isn't unrecognizable is the rich complexity of the characters, the beautiful tapestry of words, and the magical feeling imparted by the prose. \n I love when a long-awaited new book by a favorite author is everything I hoped, and that means I loved this book. If you like epic fantasy with a little romance and a whole lot of action, pick this up. Tell 'em I sent you.", "19" ], [ "Naomi was a princess, once. Before her cousin Adrienne usurped the Redwood throne, murdered their family, and threw Naomi into the deepest part of the deepest dungeon, she was heir to the throne of Ffion. Naomi has been there for three years, periodically tortured, nearly starved, and longing for just one glimpse of the sun. When Adrienne's henchman comes to offer her a chance at escape, Naomi can only expect treachery--and she's right. \n Arun is the king of far-distant Koren. His land is prosperous and thriving, and he needs only one thing: a wife to bear his royal heirs. Despite his counselor's insistence, he agrees to marry Adrienne because she's the closest thing he can find to an appropriate bride. But when his people's traditional wedding-night magic goes wrong, it casts both Arun and Naomi into a situation neither expected and a headlong flight for their lives. \n I enjoyed this book. Naomi was my favorite part, and I'll tell you why: she was very real. Many authors would expose their characters to horrible abuse at the hands of their enemies and then have them recover immediately. Naomi is a tough, capable lady, but she's been through horrors, and her behaviors show it. She's cold and angry at times, but she can also be fiercely loving. She's complicated. She's no Sarah Connor, who's lost her femininity in the face of the pressures of war. She's been weakened by pain, and though she's brittle, there's something very relatable about her. Arun is pretty good, too. He's a decent enough guy, but he's internalized a lot more of his society's worldview than he realizes. They have a long way to go before they can be friends, let alone anything more. \n The world, I would say, was pretty standard, the magic system was above par, and some of the imagery was downright great. These things were kind-of a vehicle for the story's message. To tell the truth, that was the only thing I really had any qualms about. Sometimes, the message was so strong it drowned out the story. It's a good message, and one I whole-heartedly support, but I felt like the story was a little subordinate to it at times. \n In short, it was an interesting and enjoyable addition to the fantasy genre. I'm not sorry I paid for this book, and I'd absolutely pay for the next one. So if you love a strong but flawed heroine and a charming but overbearing hero, I'd recommend checking this one out.", "175" ], [ "I downloaded this book for free when it first came out. I do this a lot. I download books and they sit on my Kindle for ages, waiting for their titles to catch my eye. Last night I came across this one. I have just enough time to read a short story before bed, I thought. I am so glad I did. \n I have read a lot of stories where people get super powers. Usually, it is a young person, and usually, it is exciting and an honor. This story flipped those expectations on their heads. What happens when a woman who has built an entire life already, a woman with responsibilities and burdens and a heart heavy from a life lived, is suddenly told her body is going to change? Not only that, but superpowers are a curse and a death sentence. A disease. Suddenly she is dealing with social stigma, with controlling what she can do, with her family's reactions. Can she reinvent herself? Can she use this problem, which is layered on top of her other problems, to become strong? \n The characters in this short were complex and realistic. The world building was so real, so heart-wrenching. Honestly? The most beautiful super hero story I've ever read. No lie. I would say, I wish it was longer, but I don't. It flowed perfectly and stopped exactly where it should have. You don't expect literature out of the super hero genre often, but when you find it, just shut up and pay your ninety nine cents. You can thank me later.", "99" ], [ "Jenny has a secret. \n She's been hiding it for years. When a boy in her English class comes down with pneumonia, Jenny pretends she didn't know before the doctors what was ailing him. When the police are called out to a party, she pretends that she has a headache to get her underage friends out before they arrive. Jenny is psychic, and she can't tell anyone. What would her cheer-leading squad think of her if she said something like that out loud? \n But when a girl she doesn't know goes missing from her school, the visions get a lot more intense, and a lot scarier. A sweaty man with a knife is haunting all her dreams, and he's doing it at the worst possible times. When a blinding vision causes her to fall off the top of the human pyramid, Jenny has to admit that she has a problem, and it's not going away. \n I enjoyed this story so much I read it all in one sitting. It gets intense very quickly, and kept turning pages just to see what happened next. The writing itself is quite good, and the editing was decent as well. I felt like the characters would have used more contractions in their dialogue, but that's such a nitpicky thing I'm still giving the book five stars. The characters seemed so natural, and handled their strange situations like real highschoolers might have. I'd recommend this book to teens or adults who like to read like teens. You'll love it! \n To take a look for yourself, click this link: http://www.amazon.com/Third-Jenny-Cru...", "33" ], [ "An aging wizard, tasked with protecting the world, must find an apprentice to take his place or let the people he has sworn to protect be consumed by darkness and chaos. \n The main character is simply known as 'The Wizard,\" and he's been walking the earth for over two hundred years, trying to keep humanity safe from hungry monsters. I found him a fascinating character study and a really cool dude. \n I really enjoyed this book and would give it five stars. It was a short story that nonetheless managed a complete and interesting plotline. I have definitely never encountered a protagonist quite like the wizard before. So if you're looking for a quick, entertaining urban fantasy read, I'd recommend picking this one up. This is the ideal read for people who love The Dresden Files and Faerie Tales, by Fiona Skye. \n At only 99 cents, this short is quite the deal. Pick it up here: http://www.amazon.com/Wandering-Wizar...", "175" ], [ "'The Bazaar' by Jen Ponce is an indie book about a suburbanite named Devany Miller. She's a wife, mother, and social worker at a domestic violence shelter. But all that changes when she steps into a tent at the local fair. The gorgeous proprietor says he's selling \"magic sugar,\" but Devany never expects the tent to contain real magic. Even if she did, how would she know magic could be so dark...or so dangerous? \n It isn't long before Devany finds herself inexorably changed. She's soon sharing a body with a dead spider, a ghostly witch, and a powerful magic battery that every demon in the world would love to get his hands on. But those aren't the worst of her problems. Her husband, Tom, has more secrets than he's let on, and Devany finds herself sorting out her new powers while her marriage crumbles around her. \n This was a great book. It was a mixture of urban fantasy and horror, entirely peopled by fleshy characters so realistic you could shake their hands. The best part about this book, in my opinion, was the way Devany's magic and reality seem to slide over each other. Watching her interact with her kids while a disembodied spider commands her to kill is quite the kick. There were some spots where the setting was drawn a little thin for a fantasy world, but the characters were rich enough to make up for it. In short, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and can't wait to read the sequel (it's already out, by the way, and called Slip Song.) \n If you like a little grit to your fantasy, take a look!", "33" ], [ "There was a time, long ago, when the land of Faerie and the human realms stood open to each other. Anyone who desired it badly enough could cross. But Morgana, the queen of the Fairies, has had her heart broken one too many times. The best way to protect herself from the pain of loving mortal men is to close the ways between the worlds. If both worlds have grown a little darker because of it, that's not her problem. A least her heart is safe. \n Of course, even a creature as powerful as Morgana cannot close them all--at Renaissance Faires, a place where the Fair Folk are so desperately desired, the ways can be opened by an (un)lucky few. Someone powerful knows it, and plans to use that knowledge to change the worlds forever... \n This book was a hilarious mix of film noir and A Midsummer Night's Dream, with a few fun trips to the Ren Fest thrown in and even a little sidetrack into Tijuana for the stout of heart. It was poignant in places but always entertaining. I recommend it for adult fantasy lovers with bawdy senses of humor. Enjoy! \n Queen Morgana and her minions are available on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Queen-Morgana-A... \n And Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/queen...", "175" ], [ "Only in high school can a girl be nicknamed based on her phobia of water. \n When Genevieve was a little girl she nearly drowned, and she has been dreaming of death under water ever since. Naturally, the sensitive souls at her school call her Watergirl in honor of her greatest fear. But that's not the only thing about Gen that makes her feel like an outsider: she has a strong, uncontrollable obsession with the school's handsome quarterback, Cole. Thanks to his constant snubbing and awful girlfriend Sharkie, Gen has decided to move on to some of the more attainable fish swimming in her particular sea. While she's at the self-improvement, she's also decided to learn how to swim. There's a handsome new boy at school named Oliver, and he seems like just the sort of person to help with her backstroke and help her get over her desperate crush. \n It's not long before Gen realizes there's something unusual about Oliver, as well the swim team's ice- king of a captain, Sean. Could they have some connection to her ability to sing so powerfully she loses consciousness, or to the monster that lives in the lake and seems to protect her from her own watery death wish? And is Sean's mother really as murderous as she seems? \n This book was full of round, interesting characters and constant intrigue. It was an easy read, without much to make it inappropriate for young teens. If you like (clean) paranormal romance with a twist, this is the book for you!", "33" ], [ "Last Week I read Certainty, by Eileen Sharp. It is a YA paranormal romance about a boy named Ren Tanaka. Ren has just moved from California to the east coast. Though he may seem to be little more than handsome and charming, Ren has a secret he can't tell anyone-he can see the future. The moment he meets MacKenzie from two doors down, he knows two things about her: she will be his wife someday, and her little brother is in grave danger. \n This book was very sweet, more romance than paranormal. The characters were very real to me. I spent quite a few pages crying over their fates. I don't read a lot of romance, but this made me think of love the way I did when I was Ren and Mackenzie's age. It felt so full of possibility here, so clean and good. Ren's powers, when they did come into play, were very realistically used. He is afraid of himself and what he can do, but he still manages to love people for who they will grow in to. I wish there was a way I could see into Ren and MacKenzie's future the way they see into their own. I know they'll grow into fascinating people. \n The story and the telling deserve five stars, in my opinion, but there were a few things to point out for readers to whom these things are important. There were some continuity errors, like Steve's name being exchanged for Ryan sometimes. The grammar was good, but in some places this book could have used a second set of eyes. Even so, I am glad I read it and I would recommend it to any person who enjoys a really sweet YA romance.", "33" ], [ "Today's review is of M.A Ray's debut novel, the Saga of Menyoral: Hard Luck. The main character is Dingus, a sixteen-year-old boy with extraordinarily bad luck. Not only was he born a half-breed in a racist backwater, but he has a tendency to lose his temper in a spectacular way. It would be better for Dingus if he could keep his head down-an ability which he quickly proves he does not possess. He only survives a lynching due to the interference of Sir Vandis Vail, a famous knight with orders from a goddess to make poor Dingus his squire. \n I enjoyed Hard Luck more than anything I've read in a while. It reads like an extended beginning, which makes sense because it is the first book of what sounds like it will be a pretty long series. Even so, it kept my interest: the characters were as real as people you'd meet on a bus, even the ones that could fly. There was just a hint of the epic battle to come, but there was enough to keep me rooted in place. I read the whole thing in two sittings and wished I had more. \n This book was a solid beginning and a riveting review. If you have time for a well-written fantasy epic in your life, Hard Luck is for you. Five stars here. \n You can find Hard Luck at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H5IPASW", "12" ], [ "I recently finished reading \"Daughter of Mythos,\" by Melissa Drake. This book is a YA fantasy about a girl named Nora with a mysterious past and an uncertain future. Nora is a foster kid, but she has a bigger problem than most: whenever she gets comfortable in a new home, something terrible happens. An unseen force tears her new home apart, leaving Nora to clean up the mess. Usually, that involves moving to yet another foster home, trying to integrate into another new school, and trying to build a life with people who really don't trust her. When it happens again, she's off to yet another new home, but this time, something is different. The people here know she is something different. Something special. \n It isn't long before Nora has a quest before her: She will travel through a new world, be dogged my demons and wicked sorcerers, and she will be asked to perform tasks she thought impossible. Along the way, she might fall in love, she might make a new friend, and she might even die. Who knew growing up could be so uncertain? \n This book was fun and fast-paced, and the beginning immediately drew me in. The story was interesting throughout, and I kept reading until I got to the end because I wanted to know what happened next. The editing was good and the plotline was easy to follow. It took me a while to read this, though. I think it was because there was a lack of depth: description, dialogue, and character. We are left to make assumptions about creatures and lands we have never seen. We are told Nora is fighting demons, but we are never really told what demons are; what they look like, sure, but not why demons are present in a world that is more Fantasyland than Hell. Mythos is beautiful and has a purple sky, but beyond that I never really got a good image of it in my head. All relationships were a little thin, a little surface-only--I never connected with anyone, even when Nora did. Because of this, emotional impacts didn't hit as hard as one might hope, and I repeatedly put the book down. In short, this book was not true love for me, but it was true like. \n I am giving this book four stars because it was entertaining and I think kids would really enjoy it. My son (who is ten) picked up my Kindle and was hooked. Mythos is a safe world for him to read with Melissa as his tour guide. I have recommended it to a few different young readers. So if you are looking for something light and good fun, you'll like Daughter of Mythos.", "175" ], [ "This book read like the stream-of-consciousness diary of a woman losing her mind. I wasn't sure what I was getting into when I read it, and at first, I wasn't sure if it was fiction or the actual thoughts of someone suffering from mental illness. I thought, there's no story to this, but there is. It's buried in the ramblings. Strange and dark, this book left me with a heavy chill that wouldn't let me sleep even after I put it down. The spookiest part was that some of this madwoman's thoughts echoed feelings I've had myself. It was really frightening because it made me wonder if I was the one losing my mind. It is real horror, and real art. It's the only thing like it I have ever read. If you are a horror fan, this is sure to frighten you, because it's about the darkness that lurks in us all.", "41" ], [ "Irish Mouse Tales is a new short by Violetta Antcliff. This lovely little story was the winner of the Nottingham Short Story Competition, and in my opinion it deserved the award fully. \n Irish Mouse Tales is about three Irish mice indulging in the classic Irish tradition of a story competition. There are technically three stories in one, each a little taller than the last. The characters are warm and homey. In short, though this book is quite short, it is very sweet and appropriate for children of all ages.", "163" ], [ "Troll or Derby by Red Tash is an urban fantasy about a girl named Deb. Deb lives in rural Pennsylvania with her mother, an alcoholic, and her sister Gennifer, a beautiful girl with a big problem: she's become involved with a dangerous meth dealer named Dave. Deb has always felt protective of her sister, so when Dave kidnaps Gennifer, Deb knows she has to rescue her from whatever twisted plan he has in store. \n Everything gets weird(er) when Deb's mother finds out Gennifer's been kidnapped. She goes crazy and kicks Deb out of the house, saying she only took Deb in because she was promised Deb would always protect Gennifer. She sends Deb off on her own with an ultimatum. Until Deb saves Gennifer, she's not allowed to come home. \n It's not long before Deb finds herself caught up in a world below the one she has always known, avoiding dangers she's never been trained to handle. Can Deb rescue her sister, and can she uncover her deeper purpose in the process? And wait just a minute: did somebody say fairies? \n This book was a blast. A truly original fairy tale, it was gory, gritty, and hilarious. Troll or Derby was full of round, interesting characters and a setting that felt crazily real. Go on, ask me if there was a unicorn! Ask me, ask me! All right, you twisted my arm. There was a unicorn. But if you think anything about it was sweet, you're going to have to reassess. If the Unseelie Court was left to run rampant in modern day America, this is surely what they'd get up to. \n If you like urban fantasy with some horror mixed in, this is the book for you. Go on, pick it up. It's loads of fun.", "33" ], [ "Chasing adventure, best friends Jason and Wayne sneak onto private property to play on the way home from school. It's not long before clumsy Wayne manages to get himself stuck down a hole in the ground, and in the attempt to rescue him Jason falls in as well. They discover that the hole connects to a series of underground caves they can't escape. Cold, hungry, hurt, and chased by murderous bank robbers with secrets to keep, the boys have to use their wits to somehow stay alive. \n Sadly, I must admit that I have never had the pleasure of reading the first three Jason stories. When Violetta asked me to review this one I was pleased to try something new. I am very glad I did. I found this story to be a great read for a middle grade kid with a love of adventure. It reminded me of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew stories that I so much enjoyed when I was that age. It managed to be exciting without being inappropriate for the age group. If you are looking for a good book for a young reader, I highly recommend it to you and your children. I'm giving this lovely little book five stars just for making me happy. \n On a side note, I found the British slang really enjoyable. Your children might need to take the author's advice and Google a couple of the more colorful terms, (Like gormless, for example) but a smart kid will have a lot of fun expanding his vocabulary this way.", "33" ], [ "After eighteen years of endless summer, Earth is dying a slow, hot death. Oceans are wastelands of dead fish, deadly heat bubbles threaten to wipe out entire cities, and the soil is so desiccated \n that plants are in danger of extinction. This is Piper's reality, and her domineering, \n overprotective mother makes it even more suffocating. \n Piper's best friend Chloe is her only outlet from the bleak reality within and without. However, \n when Piper rebels by secretly opening a mysterious birthday present and getting a tattoo with \n Chloe, she just exchanges her Global Heating Crisis nightmare for a mythological one. \n Suddenly, Piper's world teems with murderous, deceitful gods, legendary monsters, and \n criminals damned to suffer eternal torments in hell. A creeping moss that only Piper can see \n coats the skin of the people around her, and a woman with fog-filled eyes stalks her, insisting \n that Chloe is about to die. As if all that isn't enough, two gorgeous guys show up at her school, \n both claiming to know her, and they both pursue her. And, strangely, they might be the key to \n this mythical mystery. \n The trouble is, Piper can't resist either of them, even though they seem to be sworn enemies. \n She's falling for brooding, passionate Shayne and for seductive, rebellious Reese. Piper needs to \n make a decision, and the stakes are high in ways she can't even begin to guess. \n Choose the wrong guy, and the uneasy boundary between the mythological world and the human \n world will disappear, Piper will never learn the truth about herself or her family, and ... all hope \n for the future will be lost. \n I actually finished this one a few days ago and didn't write this review until today because I wanted to get my thoughts in order before I started it. To be honest, I beganreading it a long time ago, put it down, and then rediscovered it. When I picked it up the second time, I wondered why I had ever stopped. It was really an excellent read. But there was something about it I couldn't read through. \n The beginning of the book is hard science fiction. The world is post-apocalyptic in a way that my deep fears tell me the world could really end. Piper's life is about heat and fear, with her cloying mother choking her as much as the Global Heating Crisis. When the book changes into a Greek myth based in the future, it happens with the same dreamy unbelievability with which such a turn would happen to a real girl. The setting is vividly built and the mythology is expertly woven. The way P.J used myth to explain trouble in the future the same way people explained trouble in the past was truly phenomenal. I think my real problem is with the boys and Piper's relationship with them. \n At the beginning I could see the appeal. Both gents were physically lovely and Piper's mother was, to say the least, overprotective. A girl like that would love the freedom and attention such boys could promise. It was obvious to the reader, if not to the naive young protagonist, that these boys had something pretty unusual going on. And for quite a while that was interesting and fun. But when one boy was basically using magic to control Piper's mind and the other one was blaming her for having her mind controlled, it left a very uneasy feeling in me. It reminded me a little of a rape victim being blamed for her victimization by the one who should most empathize with her. It is true that Piper got a little angry about that, but not as angry as she got about theoretically being cheated on. This whole thing should have, in my mind, been a lot darker and more outraged. The way she was treated by the villain was unforgivable, but the way she was treated by her \"soulmate\" was, in my opinion, even worse. \n I'm having a hard time scoring this book, and I'll tell you why. Without the romance plot I would have loved this. I can't think of another book that made a modern myth work so well. The world was so, so good, and the twist ending was very well done. But the romance plot and its dysfunction was just about enough to turn me off of an otherwise great read. I want to recommend a talented writer to the world, but I do not want to recommend a sexist message to young girls. This kind of thing was rampant in Greek mythology, but why would we bother to set a book in a modern age if we aren't going to drop some of those distasteful biases? I'm going to give it three stars out of five because of my own internal conflict. \n In conclusion, I guess I will say this: if your kids are going to read this, please read it with them. There is a lot of value in this book, but it is missing one value that is very important to me. That value is a heroine with self-respect. I'd like to think that parental guidance will improve on the entertainment value I found here. \n If you are interested in Solstice, the Amazon link is here: http://www.amazon.com/Solstice-ebook/...", "175" ], [ "Crystal Connor recently sent me a copy of her first novel, The Darkness. In my house it's always an exciting proposition when a book comes in the mail. My family just can't seem to grasp the concept of how this book review thing works. There's always a discussion about it. \n \"You got a book in the mail? Why?\" \n \"She just sent you a book in exchange for you writing about it? For free?\" \n Eventually, after dinner I got my kids calmed down and I settled in to read. There is a warning in the front of the book. It says, \"There are pieces of the magic rituals purposely left out of this book.\" Basically, the gist was, \"Don't try these dangerous spells at home.\" \n I must admit I was intrigued. \n The story I found inside was about two powerful women. One is an alchemist. The other is a dark witch. Between them is a little boy with great power and uncertain origins. Both women use every skill they have to win control of the boy's mind and heart in the attempt to command his special talents. \n At first I thought this book was about two women who shape a great man, but I was wrong. I then had the idea that the book was a little about adoption and the love of two types of mothers, but I was wrong about that, too. For a time I thought it was a retelling of Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein written from a woman's point of view, and for a while it may really have been about that. But at its core this book, which is a mixture of fantasy, science fiction, horror, and suspense, was about power and the pursuit of it by any means necessary. No one in the book is good. No one is the hero. And that is what made this book so very incredible. \n I read the whole book between the time when I finished dinner and the time when I went to bed. I couldn't put it down. It was that good. Do I recommend this book? Yes I do. Pick it up. You'd be remiss not to. \n That being said, I am giving the book four out of five stars, and I will tell you why. To me five denotes perfection, and this one had a little way to go. There are some mistakes in grammar, some tense switching, and the word 'alter' was used in place of the word 'altar' throughout the book. It wasn't bad, not by any stretch. It was enough to distract this particular jack-booted grammar thug from a truly brilliant story. Admittedly every book has mistakes, and I think for a lot of people content is more important than mechanics. Once again, it wasn't even a bad problem, it was just a little distracting. \n In conclusion, thanks for the really good free book, Crystal, and I can't wait to read the sequel. I would even pay money for that one. \n A link to the Amazon listing is here: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_nos...", "175" ], [ "Stopped reading it. Worst. Vampires. Ever. Not to mention how much I hate Bella and how much more I hate Edward. You can tell Miss Meyer I said so. By the time Bella became undead I wanted to introduce them both to Buffy.", "147" ], [ "Great beginning. Awesome middle. Worst ending ever, bar none. The bad ending against which all other bad endings can be measured. Please bear in mind that when I say bad, I mean it left me going, \"Aw, c'mon, Mr. King, THAT'S IT? THAT'S HOW YOU'RE ENDING THE STAND?\" Wait, I'm lying. 'It' had a worse ending.", "2" ], [ "I read this book in the seventh grade and it was so awful I had to force myself through. But I think it's our duty as human beings to read books like this that make us face real atrocities head-on. Was this book well-written? Oh yes. It made me feel like I was inside the concentration camp, which takes an amazing amount of skill as any writer will tell you. Was it a fun or uplifting place to be? No. Would I recommend it to a seventh grader? No. I have no idea what Mrs. Sherman was thinking besides that I had a college reading level. Do I think the rest of us should read it? Yes I do. But don't read it on the bus. I promise you there will be much weeping.", "41" ], [ "So, five stars being gifted to the Bard, it should be said I love Othello more. But who would give four stars to Shakespeare? That would be a set of guts, wouldn't it? He only gets a four in comparison with himself. Romeo and Juliet four, Othello five. But these are stars of the Shakespeare scale, which is sort of like a literary Richter Scale.", "161" ], [ "Someone recommended this book to me with very high praise, so I'm going to give it a look when I get a few minutes and a couple of dollars. I have not yet purchased it.", "87" ], [ "A friend of mine gave her own book five stars, and I thought it was brilliant, so I'm following her lead! Does my book deserve five stars? I sure hope so. I wouldn't be the first to score it that way, and I hope not to be the last! Here's the blurb, for interested parties: \n In a suburban town twenty minutes from the border of Faerie lives a young woman named Karen MacGregor. Though she is the daughter of an exiled Faerie princess, Karen leads an unremarkable life full of homework, punk rock and old science fiction movies. When bloody civil war breaks out in her mother's homeland her life begins to change rapidly. Her brother is presumed dead after his fighter jet is shot down over the Enchanted Forest, and Faerie's royal family, including her beloved godfather, has been executed. Accompanied by a Fey Prince with whom she shares a forbidden love and armed with magic she never knew existed, Karen must lead a rebel force against an ancient and powerful enemy.", "175" ], [ "I read Sabriel by Garth Nix when I was in high school, and it rocked my world. When I was young I read a lot of fantasy, as you can imagine, and since I was too young to know how to differentiate between good and bad I read a whole lot of stuff based on D&D, which is in turn loosely based on the Lord of the Rings series, which I had not even read. Because I had newly discovered the fantasy genre I would read anything that had a dragon in it and say, thank you, sir, may I have another? When I picked up Sabriel I expected more of the same. I got anything but. \n Sabriel is the story of a young girl at a boarding school with a weird talent: she can bring the dead back to life. But this talent isn't specific to her. Her father, The Abhorrsen, is a dignitary from the land beyond the Wall, and though Sabriel doesn't know much about life there she does know that his work involves protecting people from the Dead. When Dad doesn't show up for their nightly meeting in her fireplace, Sabriel realizes that he is in danger and she crosses the Wall to save him. Rescuing her father, even surviving, will take all of her resources and each of her seven magical bells. \n Here's what I loved about this story: The Wall is a physical barrier between a magical land and a real, twentieth century one. Sabriel is smart, resourceful, and powerful despite all of her youthful innocence. And Sabriel had zombies before zombies were 'in'. To this day I have rarely read anything so very original. I mean, bells to fight the undead? \n There was one thing I didn't like about this book, but for me it wasn't enough to decrease my love of it. The romance plot felt strained and tacked on, like Mr. Nix wasn't really sure how an eighteen year old girl would feel as she fell in love. But I forgave it and I hope you will too. \n You may be thinking, wow, Michelle really loved this book and I suspect she's a little biased toward it, and you might be right. I am a giant Sabriel fan girl. It was a huge inspiration for me in my own work and I recommend it to everybody. Five stars, people. Five big, shiny stars. If you are interested, here is a link: \n http://www.amazon.com/Sabriel-Abhorse...", "175" ], [ "In the small town of Raleigh, MO something strange is happening. Local people are hearing music from nowhere. Frightening messages that disappear on their own are showing up in the email inboxes of internet moguls. Voices chant sing-song threats at people who have spent their lives hurting others. Then things start to get weird. A man who has always prided himself on his looks starts to grow beastlike hair. A successful local businesswoman develops scales. And three new friends find out they have more in common than they thought. What can be causing the happenings in Raleigh? How can they be stopped? \n The action in The Turn of the Karmic Wheel starts on the very first page. It is well-paced and exciting throughout. It is also different from many of the books I've read because there is no main character. Instead there's a town full of wonderful, vivid people. As I read through the book I felt connected and invested in each and every one of them. In fact, my only complaint would be that it seemed to end too quickly. I can't wait for the sequel Monica's been promising! \n In short, I thought The Turn of the Karmic Wheel was a lovely, insightful book. If you get a few minutes I would definitely pick it up. It is available both in paperback and ebook. Here's a link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0984...", "108" ], [ "I decided to read Game of Thrones by George R.R Martin pretty much because of the T.V show that is currently airing on HBO. My true love, bless him, didn't want the story spoiled for him and he decided to pick the book up before the show aired. He read the whole series in a matter of days and insisted that I do the same. Of course the first thing he did was tell me the entire plot, so it took me quite a while to actually pick the series up. When we started watching the show and he seemed to know a lot more about the world than I did I decided I had to read the book. I am glad I did. \n A Game Of Thrones is a tale about a man serving a king. Fifteen years ago, Lord Eddard Stark helped his friend Robert Baratheon take a kingdom from the mad monarch Aerys Targaryen. Since that time Robert has let himself go to pot while Ned has become very comfortable at home in Winterfell with his wife and young family. When the Hand of the King, John Aryn, dies under mysterious circumstances, Ned is forced to take over his position so that he can discover what has actually become of his old friend and mentor. All the while, in the North past the great wall that guards the kingdom of Westros from the Wildlings, strange things might be stirring for the first time in millennia. \n It was a gripping tale. I can honestly say that I have rarely enjoyed a book where I wanted to strangle half of the main characters, but that is exactly how I felt. I think it takes a real artist to make you dislike his fictional people as much as I disliked Catelyn and Sansa. That being said, I also thought it was impressive that he made me adore a drunken, spoiled, whoremongering man like Tyrion Lannister. Honestly, he is as wonderful as the others are frustrating. \n The most impressive thing to me, though, was the fact that the majority of the book was a political drama in the vein of Dune, and the bits of magic necessary for a fantasy novel were incredibly subtle and sparse. It made the fantasy elements seem desperately real and more than a little frightening. I would recommend this book to any mature fantasy enthusiast (Read: this is NOT YA. Grown-ups only!) who wants to spend every waking moment for the next few days tearing through a book about politics and zombies. \n For the record, despite a few superfluous boob shots I'm also enjoying the show. Once again, I'd recommend some severe parental guidance if it comes to letting the kiddos watch. This IS HBO, after all. \n If you're interested, you can learn more about Game of Thrones here: http://www.amazon.com/Game-Thrones-So...", "19" ], [ "The Lens and the Looker, a book by Lory Kaufman, is about three teens from the 24th century. In the year 2347, humans have finally managed to create a utopian society-but they did it in the wake of some massive disaster that nearly destroyed humanity and the entire world. Enter Hansum, Shamira and Lincoln: three privileged kids who have never known anything but this perfect society. They are from a world where they are coddled by artificial intelligences that have been created with the singular directive to keep the kids safe and happy. These three kids have been spoiled to the point of downright brattiness. So to solve the problem of their unpleasant attitudes, their parents and schools decide to send them to a History Camp, which is a place where \"hard cases\" like them can go to learn to appreciate all they have by being immersed in the culture of a much earlier time. They're supposed to learn how people lived in the past so they don't recreate the mistakes of their forebears. But History Camp has never met these three. They're not that easy to scare. \n That is, until they're kidnapped by a rogue time traveler and dropped into real medieval Italy... \n If you're thinking that this book sounds like a wild mix of science fiction genres, you would be right. Mr. Kaufman has created a genuinely original world and peopled it with realistic characters. I was fascinated by the A.Is. They were so alive that even though they looked like, oh, a balloon with a crayon face or a long-tailed satyr, they still managed to be round and believable. His description of 12th century Italy was amazing as well, so clear that it felt real. Conversely, I thought the 24th century was pretty sparsely built, but I can see why he did it that way. The kids didn't really learn how to become alive until they were immersed in the grittiness of history. \n The way Mr. Kaufman integrated the children into their Italian family was masterfully done as well. There wasn't a lot of action in the second part of the book, but it drew me in with the layered interpersonal relationships. That being said, The Lens and the Looker took a while to get around to it (it being drawing me in.) In my opinion the book started a little slowly. About thirty pages were spent teaching the boys exactly how people made eyeglasses in ancient Italy. If you ever wondered how this feat was performed, this is the book for you. I will say the book was educational, which in my opinion is always a plus for YA reads. I recommend this book to people that are interested in history and are okay with reading a few chapters of exposition. Also, this was a super clean book. This is a safe read even for younger teens. \n If you are interested in this book, Mr. Kaufman's website is here: http://www.history-camp.com/.", "199" ], [ "Four houses, all alike in dignity, in the town of Sanders where we lay our scene... \n Just kidding. You guys thought I was going to get all iambic pentameter for a minute there, didn't you? How much work do you think that would be, to write a book review in iambic pentameter? And the Bard did whole plays! Sheesh. The Elizabethan era sounds like a lot of effort. \n But to the point. I just finished reading Hotblood: A House of Slide novel, by Juliann Whicker. It is a YA paranormal romance set in a world run by four very different breeds of magic users: The Wilds, theCools, the Hotbloods, and the extinct Hollows. These houses normally don't interbreed, but about twenty years ago a Wild named Helen and a Cool named Alex fell in love and had two hybrid children named Devlin and Dariana. Hotblood opens on Devlin's funeral. He's been murdered, and to solve the mystery of why Helen' s brothers have been sent to help their banished sister. What they find in Helen's colorless home is Dariana, a teenage girl with no soul who isn't long for the world. \n Hotblood is Dariana's story, how she came to lose her soul and how she survives it. Juliann Whicker tells the beginning in an almost dreamlike way that puts the reader into the mind of a girl barely surviving. I was hooked from page 1 and read the whole thing through as quickly as I could. I'm normally not that into Paranormal romance because, frankly, I've had enough warring vampire/werewolf clans and their senseless love for vapid teenage girls. The strange world built in Hotblood was different because it is so unique I had to figure out how it ran. The main character was remarkably well drawn and very believable as we watch her find her first love. \n I give this book a big thumbs-up, and from me definitely a recommended read for anybody who likes a good YA romance with some supernatural flavor. To take a closer look, here's a link: \n http://www.smashwords.com/books/searc...", "175" ], [ "Chameleon's Colors is about a teenage girl named Kaylee who changes color. Yes, I said she changes color. Her father was a distant, brilliant scientist who fell in love with a woman who seemed to have no time for Kaylee. One day dad left his laboratory open, and as a kind of revenge Kaylee drank a number of his compounds. She was imbued with the power of a chameleon. Now, she has run away to join the Masquerade Carnival, and she has never felt so alive. She performs every night and has a secret crush on a handsome townie named Zak. But sometimes, just sometimes, like when Zak shoots down the lion tamer's daughter, Kaylee can't help but regret what she's turned herself into. \n Enter an ancient gypsy with a devil's bargain...she can make Kaylee normal again so Zak will love her. Will Kaylee give up this new life she loves? \n Of Aubrie's work so far, Chameleon's Colors has been my favorite. Aubrie has a lovely way of speaking for and to young women that makes me proud of her. She's one of a number of new fantasy writers that view women as beautiful and magical, instead of just rewards for the male protagonist or symbols for acceptance. And she does all this so subtly that she never preaches. She just tells an intriguing story with an interesting romantic element and moves along. \n To see more of what Aubrie's doing now, visit her here: \n http://www.gypsyshadow.com/Aubrie.htm...", "175" ], [ "n Seer's Destiny, Vira is a fortune teller with a strange gift: she can really see the future. It would be a lot easier for her to tell lies that would make her customers happy, but she's too honest for that. She always tells the truth. Nobody wants to hear that their daughter will never be famous no matter how much money they've poured into acting classes, but Vira's particular brand of morality will not allow her to lead them on. After a bad round of fortunetelling, Vira has a vision for herself: she'll die in an old flame's arms on the night of the new moon. She knows it's true because her visions don't lie, even for her. \n Seer's Destiny is a magical tale about love, predestination, and a little ecology thrown in just for spice. Vira's tale turns down strange and unexpected paths that not even as gifted a seer as she would have foreseen. It left me wondering to the end: will Vira's vision really come true? This story was quite beautifully done and I enjoyed it through the tear-jerking surprise of the finale.", "14" ], [ "Malicifer is actually a short story about a milk-maid named Maylin who is in love from afar with a handsome knight named Castellan. When their homeland is attacked by evil wizards, Castellan takes his tiny army and goes out to do battle...in other words, he takes a dozen guys on horseback and heads out to fight an armada. To say the least our intrepid hero is somewhat outnumbered. Seeing his plight, Maylin runs out to help in any way she can...and finds a cursed sword called Malicifer. A wounded priest warns her that wielding the blade will cost her dearly, but Maylin would do anything to protect the man she loves. \n What I loved about this book was, as I suspected I might, the distinctly feminist feel. It is set in the Middle Ages, which for me makes Maylin's bravery all the more beautiful and unusual. Sure, Castellan is brave. He's literally a knight in shining armor. But he's not the only one, and in my opinion that makes this story worth reading. \n To learn more, here's a link: \n http://www.gypsyshadow.com/Aubrie.htm... \n Looks like Aubrie also won an award for this! Check it out!", "175" ] ]

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[ [ "(I got this book free from the publisher in return for an honest review) \n As with her other novels, Kostova does a skillful job with a moody, atmospheric story, a dreamlike and hypnotic quality (in my case, it got a bit too soporophic in places, where the tale lost the suspense I was hoping for and I broke out of the trance by snoozing off). It is obvious the research of place and history is impeccable, and the reader can learn while being entertained. Some fascinations, escapisms. Take on a long, long plane ride or the beach if you are so lucky. Recommend.", "39" ], [ "A massive book, includes rare photos and letters, primary research documents. Tells the sickening (meticulously documented) truth of the planned murders of 100,000 plus Native Californian tribes in the span of a few decades through a combination of enforced starvation and hunted down by vigilante death squads the author calls \"the killing machine\"", "176" ], [ "As a novelist, I highly recommend this for writers who use - or never use - protagonists (or sidekicks/minor characters) from: cultures/colors/classes/genders/regions/religions/ethnicities/abilities/political stances not one's own. \n With the author's permission, I used a few seminal excerpts of \"Writing the Other\" to teach a class on fiction writing at Kachemak Writers Conference. \n Students found Shawl's suggestions - and warnings - quite useful.", "186" ], [ "Packed with solid science (if science can be \"solid\"); now I am quite curious what Dr. John Sarno - The Mindbody Prescription: Healing the Body, Healing the Pain who has an entirely different hypothesis for chronic pain based on his treatment of thousands of patients, and who also is a favorite of mine - would say to Osborne.", "49" ], [ "A winning combination of practicality and beauty - the practical side being the numerous, well-researched tips, and the beauty of it the gorgeous photos all throughout. It is well-written and answers every question one could think of as a beginner. If I were to \"start packing\" (and the author is quite encouraging), I'd throw this little guide in my bag.", "174" ], [ "Outstanding, brave, meticulously researched and highly readable. Branan delves into hatred and mob action in her own nice-seeming relatives, showing the reader that any society - any family, any individual - is capable of evil when making humans into \"the Other\".", "95" ], [ "An excellent easily read tome, with nearly everything one could want of the history (and economics, anthropology, sociology etc) of modern American adult life. It gave me many profound insights into my own life and behavior as well as society's.", "174" ], [ "An impressive debut by a Sami writer - her rich descriptions of the landscape, wilds, remote farms and culture(s) of the Scandinavian Far North of the 1700s ring true. I read in the afterword that besides extensive research Ekback drew on her childhood memories and interviews with older relatives who remember living off the land and making their own clothes very like the characters in the novel. \n I was fascinated, and if anything, wanted far more of the Sami folk, their reindeer, their spirituality. I suppose that is in part due to my hunger for my own apparent (hidden) Sami roots. Ekback did a great job - but with a light touch, her historical detail not interfering with the plot line - of the forced assimilation of the Sami, the burning of the drums (or the secreting of the drums, pretending they burned them). She also works in the persecution and burning of the more general non-Sami sorceresses/witches. The corruption of the church, the perversity of some of its colonizing clergy. And so much more. \n I found her characters believable and fully fledged with complexity, and appreciated her strong yet fallible women. Bravo!", "3" ], [ "Scary - if you were laid off, don't spend a bunch of time and money to retrain in tech or STEM fields; these near-future jobs will also be taken by the cyborgs. This includes you, myriad liberal arts adjunct Ph.D.-bearing professors grading papers at night...or teaching science or math to undergrads. \n And if you were relying on an aging demography to open up jobs for you, young-un, you are out of luck too. The cyborgs will take all those. Besides, have you seen tons of jobs opening up in Japan, Italy, Spain for the huge underbelly of young 20-40 year olds who can't find work and never will? And if you were thought emerging economies would create more jobs for you as they enter the middle class and start consuming, tough. They will not. Because there will not be a new middle class. The world will be a tiny group of elite humans and a vast army of robots, and everyone else will...well, starve to death. In ten to twenty years. \n Love this book! So well written and researched. But hate, hate, hate the prognosis.", "78" ], [ "happy to see Spengler is off the hook: \n \"As for Hitlerism, Spengler had contempt for the Nazi belief in \"race purity\" and called the term \"grotesque.\" His interview with Hitler at Bayreuth in 1933 disappointed him, and the newly installed Chancellor soon had no use for him either. After the publication of The Hour, public attacks against Spengler were followed by censorship of the work and the banning of his name from the German press. Refusing to participate in the Nazi debasement of German thought, Spengler broke with the Nietzsche Archive in 1935..\" \n https://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/...", "81" ], [ "One of my favorite opuses on the body/mind connection. My most bookmarked dogeared parts: the cutting edge knowledge of the critical role of the Vagus Nerve in how we view (or react to) the world, and best, how to calm it to activate the Relaxation Response so important in healing and peace of mind if not happiness. \n It is as my teachers used to say, \"treat the muscles and nerves like a skittery horse.\" \n van der Kolk is the Vagus Whisperer. \n I write this as a licensed bodyworker (LMP/LMT).", "156" ], [ "Read it (and try to get to an event with Joe live - he is quite an engaging and amusing speaker).Find out why you are poor in the USA in spite of your very hard work, good decisions, excellent grades, moral impeccability, and nice (but poor or middle class) parents.", "88" ], [ "Fantastic, awe-inspiring research done in part by total immersion. Wonderful illustrations too. I like the book very much - a very fun read - but now I am even more certain I don't like the role of women in those times. Not FUN! I can barely breathe, imagining my organs cut off by a whalebone corset. Goodman's book reiterates what my 100-something great grandmother told me of her childhood, always finishing with \"The good old days? They were not the good old days - I'll take modern times, thank you.\" \n Update: Well, there were of course fun times for Victorian women, as Goodman shows (after all the manual labor was done and the cold, arthritic fingers were finally at rest) and one could argue that the soul was fed better by the activities and relationships of those deeper, simpler times. And perhaps I would LIKE to have a wasp waist and huge feminine appendages and all the attention given, thanks to that corset and bustle. And more seriously, I would love to have the archaic \"heritage skills\" that the average Victorian woman knew. \n Though the author (rather heroically) immersed herself as best as one can in an earlier time, it could really only be an immersion at the physical level, for the spiritual-emotional must remain a mystery. The Victorian world is as alien to us now as another planet. A good, empathic writer such as Goodman can make a good guess but it must be a facsimile or work of science fiction. And this latest musing by sci fi writer William Gibson The Peripheral comes to mind: \n Mother Jones Interviewer: \"If you could time travel, which era would you most want to visit?\" \n W Gibson: \"If I could have any information from our future, I would want to know not what they are doing but what they think about us. Because what we think about Victorians is nothing like what Victorians thought about themselves. It would be a nightmare for them. Everything they thought they were, we think is a joke. And everything that we think was cool about them, they weren't even aware of. I'm sure the future will view us in exactly the same way.\"", "38" ], [ "Remarkable, heartrending, fascinating, disturbing (even though we have read so many \"Holocaust books\" they don't stop being disturbing, do they?)- I'm in awe of Wildman's writing and research and her weaving of her deeply personal honest emotional journey with meticulous detective work. A magnum opus.", "180" ], [ "Excellent depictions of Southeast Alaskan landscape, seascape, small towns and characters (I grew up there on a fishing boat, so can attest the author is accurate). Lots of suspense, sometimes unbearably so, with the classic Alaskan cabin fever paranoia syndrome, and ghostly aspects thrown in. Atmospheric, fun.", "108" ], [ "Some of the best historical fiction around, with an unusual protagonist, time period and epic plot. Atmospheric. Feminist (\"feminist\" means \"human\"). Not for those looking for sheer entertainment or a quick easy read, \"Hild\" is serious, well-researched stuff with a gritty unromantic realism, and could be used as a textbook for Dark Ages studies. Highly recommended.", "95" ], [ "Well done, suspenseful and compulsively readable. It's nice to find fresh dystopian (or post apocalyptic) fiction for adults. Author has done a lot of homework - peak oil, climate chaos, societal collapse, gender roles and other pertinent topics. Then she throws in great story telling and characters.", "39" ], [ "Thomas of my favorite authors, and one who was very formative when I was a youth and raided my parents bookshelves for The Harmless Ones and Reindeer Moon (no relation of mine though we share a surname, and it would be an honor to meet in person). \n Her memoir deeply moved and fascinated me. She is honest and funny too, with a warm whimsy. Who knew that lions stood over you while you slept, and stared into your face?", "80" ], [ "I read this when ten and had raided my parents' library as I was wont to do. Ten might be considered by many to be too young to read such a story of gruesome brutality, tragedy, hatred and devastation - how else can you describe the mass gassing that turned the young men blue as they lay in the trenches - but I wanted to understand war, since Americans were at war in Vietnam and I had just seen photos of My Lai in a magazine left on a coffee table and was feeling spiritually traumatized. Why, why, why, I needed to know the answer. This book tried to explain why we hate and kill the Other (or are drafted and witlessly die). I felt it was a good book but didn't want my friends or little brother to read it. I felt they needed to be protected longer. \n Soon after, we went as a family to see the movie on a campus (I understood - without being told - that the old film was being shown as a part of the anti-hatred/antiwar effort. It made me profoundly sad, though no sadder than the book, and I thought they did a very good job making a film from the book, teaching us not to hate the Other, and to resist being sent as cannon fodder to a Capitalist war. These were my opinions as a ten year old.", "87" ], [ "(My review got deleted accidentally so I will add it again, wholeheartedly): \n This is one of my favorite novels set in Alaska. It's also on my top favorites list for any novel set anywhere in the world. It's a scary, atmospheric and unpredictable thriller, while a gritty, realistic look at the modern Arctic in all its beauty, complexity and horror. \n The non-Native Rearden delves with empathy and respect into the Native Yup'ik culture, his roots in the region and deep knowledge of the subsistence or village life showing strong. He juggles his diverse cast of indigenous and outsider characters deftly, with humor and pathos. I loved the underlying \"conspiracies\", the skillful weaving of history lessons, supernatural lore, the onset of winter and graphic details from the point of view of naive schoolteachers. These threads add to the creeping sense of menace that kept me awake all night reading. \n But don't worry; there is hope and faith and love in with all the darkness. If I lend this book out (everybody wants to borrow it, I talk so much about it) please return it; it's a keeper. \n ~ Lesley Thomas, Alaskan author", "108" ], [ "I ate up this evocative authentic coming-of-age-in-Alaska adventure by Deb Vanasse, just as I ate up her earlier YA Distant Enemy A Distant Enemy. \n Cold Spell is a bildungsroman for adults - with a teenaged girl as protagonist - though it would be well received by literary-minded older teens and could be in high school libraries, depending on the school district. \n Into her classic Outsider story or identity quest set in a stunning frontier wilderness, Vanasse skillfully weaves low key and discreet erotic scenes, some truthful northern style grittiness, serious religious, cultural and ethical conflicts or dilemmas, and sprinklings of allusions to Beowulf/Grendel, geeky/poetic metaphors and epigraphs defining ice or glacier science terms. If I were a teenager I'd love all this. \n Vanasse writes with superb authority and insider knowledge of rural Alaska with its quirky diverse characters and lifestyles. She knows firsthand and writes so well about the heartbreak and love of Alaska's tiny, isolated communities that are such stews of differing mindsets and cultures, the stresses of rapid change. I feel I can vouch for her expertise since I grew up in such communities all over Alaska and (at times) my mom was a single mom like the one in Cold Spell. Like the heroine Sylvie I came of age in that land of bears, bibles and bars. \n I also admire Vanasse's depictions of the Land that is not human, and how humans move across this other land. She knows the rule \"less is more\" and skillfully plots with suspense so the text does not become a long stream of nature writing (like so many books set in Alaska, not that those are bad but what Alaska needs is more fiction). What she judiciously describes is powerful. If the filmmakers would agree to film in actual Alaska, I hope to see this story made into a movie. \n Let me end with an excerpt: \n Blood poured through the fur to the floor. Anna twisted out of her mother's hands and scrunched her nose. \"It stinks.\" \n \"You should smell the guts.\" Kenny peeled back a section of skin. A clump of jelly-like fat dripped from the knife. \"Lucky for you, I dumped those in back in the woods.\" \n \"That's enough,\" said their mother. \"It's way past your bedtime.\" \n \"Let them watch,\" Kenny said. \"They might as well see what it looks like before it lands on their plates.\" He handed their mother a butcher knife. \"Start with stew meat.\" He deposited a bloody chunk of meat on the plywood. \"Cut it in cubes, like you get at the grocery.\" \n He peeled back more skin. The carcass looked almost human, all muscle and bones. In the air hung the dank odor of fur, fat, and skin. \"Better get at it,\" he said.... \n As I read this scene I smiled in delight, thinking, \"So true, so true.\"", "33" ] ]

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[ [ "This cat name is \"Koume\", but a lot of people call her \"Koume-san\" like Miss Koume. She understand exactly what people say and people's mind. She is so kind and cute. I want to have Koume-san even I love dogs.", "195" ], [ "Zack Files #16. I read it by Kindle, but Kindle store don't sell #17 & #18 even they sell #19. I know I can read #19 before #17 for Zack Files but I want to read it...", "59" ], [ "The 1st book for Harry Potter Series. This book was little bit difficult for me, but I'd read Japanese version and watched DVD so I could get easily to image. Also, I realized the difficult things of extensive reading for me is difficult name....I mean when I see the words I cannot get what I pronounce it, it is difficult to read fast for me. So in that case, I know a lot of name for in the Harry Potter world so I can read very easily, I guess. \n Even I read this book Japanese version, but it was about 7 years ago, so I forgot a lot. I sometimes thought \"oh were there this episode?\" and these kind of question for me. \n Anyway, I enjoyed Harry Potter world and I'd like to read others!!!", "80" ], [ "No13 of the series \"A to Z Mysteries\". I love this series. The cases are bigger and bigger than before these books, but in this case the way of solves does not make sense for mystery!!! But it's OK for this book, I think.", "127" ], [ "I love this book! This book is a similar with \"Sam, the dog detective\", but not exactly of course. For me, this book can be easily to read and enjoy it. I will read a next book of this series! \n 2010 Edgar Awads Best Juvenile. Read iPad's Kindle version. The first novele of the series of The Buddy Files.", "172" ] ]

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[ [ "I liked the detail and the way it represented the different cultures that contributed to Philippine life. But, I had to give it two stars because on page 20 it includes the Sandugo Festival, a blood cutting ceremony the children might try-- there is no warning.", "10" ], [ "The part about China was written before the borders were open to Americans, and so is dated. Northern Chinese have turned out to be just as mathematically competent as Southern Chinese,a fact which may be due to more the Imperial Exam system and Confucian ethics than rice farming.", "64" ], [ "The world of Palestinian and Israeli spies unfolds as we follow Michel around England, Germany, Lebanon, and Russia. We learn why he took up this dangerous life, and what drives his burning desire to serve his contact, Abu Leila. But despite all warnings, Michel finds himself drawn to a woman he should shake off. Then, the worst case scenario happens. This well-written thriller is surprising as well as even-handed.", "170" ], [ "It's very hard to write and Asian-American semi-autobiographical novel without being preachy. I know because I've tried. This one comes off as funny and bittersweet. I even recognized a lot of the Central NJ locations.", "108" ], [ "The author seems most intersted in Pei's inspirations, rather than the buildings themselves. His most panned building, The John Hancock \n Tower in Boston, is not even mentioned. Curiously, she speaks of the Museum of Muslim Art in Doha Quatar, but this is the only building mentioned in the book of which there are no illustrations. It's not even on the timeline. This work will most interest 6th graders as it is rather advanced in vocabulary and rather dry. It gets plusses for the artful design of the book, and for covering his early years as developer Zeckendorf's architect.", "157" ], [ "CARMELO ANTHONY: SUPERSTAR SCORER ( same series) \n Copyright: 2012 \n Dewey Number: 796.32 \n Dewey Range: 900-999 \n Grade Range: 3-5 \n Language: English \n Number of Titles: 1 \n Pages: 32 \n Reading Level: 3 \n Size: 7.25\" x 9.25\" \n Subject/Curriculum: Biographies \n Interest Level: Grades 2-6 \n Genre: Nonfiction \n Author: Paul Hoblin", "68" ], [ "A preschool girl is adopted from Korea and comes to a city in the US. The couple's cat helps her make the transition. The softly patterned paintings include fabric-like graphics on trucks, Korean characters floating throughout.", "102" ], [ "Could have been subtitled; \"From Elimination to Sex, Everything About Life in Space You Are Curious About But Afraid to Ask.\" She writes with humor and candor, and she does her research. A science backgroud would have helped her write more informatively.", "144" ], [ "A talking tree tells the story of this African American botanist. The tree gives more attention to George's schooling in the segregated South than to his accomplishments. The Wilson-Max illustrations are simple and suited for the very young. PS-2.", "163" ], [ "Theodore Roosevelt and his son Kermit went exploring a river in Brazil on a poorly planned expedition. The author delves into the father/son relationship[, as well as the minutiae of the rainforest flora, fauna and tribes. Fascinating detail doesn't detract from the action.", "198" ], [ "In the beginning, it was too light and fluffy, and I was afraid she wasn't going to face up to the difficulties of interracial, international adoption. But she didn't disappoint. She writes with humor and deftness about finding and mothering her brood of 9 children from her birth children to her Ethiopian and Bulgarian adoptions. She doesn't say how she did get a career boost by writing about this experience, or how much this is all costing her and her husband. Leaving out those two crucial aspects, knocked this book back to three stars.", "30" ], [ "Cute book in which a boy who lives in an extended family with his grandparents from India., He has a particuarly close relationship with his Dada-Ji(grandfather)who adores roti fresh from the frying pan. It's a book partuarly attractive to young boys as its done in a cartoony style and Dada-Ji is a superhero who ties cobras into knots. Hindi expressions are included for which there is a glossary. Contemporary books about Asian Indian Americans are sorely needed. Preschool to 2nd grade.", "163" ], [ "Historical fiction-YA. Peck excels in creating strong, quirky heroines. Delphine is a Southern Belle from New Orleans in this Civil War novel. She comes upriver to a tiny Illinois town and gets caught up in the events of the Battle of Belmont. In a flashback. Peck tells of these dramatic days from the viewpoint of Tilly, her travelling companion. \n I met Richard Peck at a small New Jersey Library where he volunteered to speak at a function honoring a patron who died young of cancer. He was modest and kind. My kind of writer!", "108" ], [ "pre-pub copy. A Chinese American family goes to Taiwan to visit the relatives. Lin does it again! She does Chinese/Taiwanese bathroom humor, food gross-outs, make-up put-downs, sibling rivalry, and Taiwan hot spots for middle-schoolers-- and she does it well.", "102" ], [ "In Frederick, Maryland, 1862, just before the Battle of Antietam, the Confederate Army supposedly marched by the house of elderly Barbara Freitchie. The Union sympathizer waved the flag to Gen. Stonewall Jackson's displeasure. The Whittier poem is ably illustrated for schoolchildren by Nancy Winslow Parker.", "56" ], [ "Such a simple concept-- and that's the genius of it! The little one is told to \"Press here and turn the page.\" A yellow dot is shown. When the page is turned, two yellow dots are shown with the words, \"Great! Now press the yellow dot again.\" Graphics are kept simple. Board book with heavyweight pages. Baby to 3 yrs.", "172" ], [ "This picture book, for 2nd to 5th grade, doesn't sugarcoat war. The child, who has lost a leg in the Iran/Iraq War, is playing soldier with his toy gun. I liked the writing-- all male bravado-- that tells the story between the lines. But the illustrations-- kind of abstract and sketchy-- will be hard for this age group to decipher. This book is best used with children older than the picture book age group.", "56" ], [ "An Asian-American classic I just got around to reading... It was printed in 1957 and was a pioneer in portraying the angst of the Japanese-Americans who did and didn't serve in WWII. It's very dark and I gave it 4 stars for its honesty and bravery.", "104" ], [ "This is a real accomplishment! Clara Lee, her little sis Emmeline, and her Grandpa are all well developed characters. They have their foibles as well as their good points. They are Korean and American but not preachy about the issues they face. In fact, they are funny and touching. The cross-hatched, pen-and-ink drawings add to the light tone. Grades 2-4.", "28" ], [ "I'll review it as popular non-fiction. It certainly succeeds as that! I's a compelling read, written from the gut about a controversial subject, and its a stunning confessional. Now about my reaction to the author as a person: she's not every Chinese parent; she's a very extreme case of \"Asian parenting\". I've never met anyone like her, although there is some of her in me and in a lot of other Asian immigrant and first generation parents I know. I think she is wrong to say her way is the Chinese way. That is a stereotype, and I abhor stereotypes. \n The issue really is The Individual Good vs. The Group Good. Americans believe in the Individual. Asian culture has another view. The family survival and prosperity is more important than any one individual. It is not wrong; it's just different. Where Chua gets on dangerous ground is she's uses extreme measures:threats, lies, shaming, to get what she wants from her daughters. Show me in Asian culture where that is condoned? The Confucian ideal was for a powerful father ruling over and an orderly peaceful family. The family cooperates and accomplishes more than one person could on his own. It doesn't always work out that way, but neither does democracy always live up to its ideals.", "64" ], [ "Vaswaani writes in the modern style, moving back and forth across time and becoming different characters. She is her Irish-American mother, her Asian Indian father. She is a young girl visiting relatives in a teeming Indian city, she is a person between cultures and countries.", "6" ], [ "They were lucky to have the support of each other. This is How to be a Creative Person 101. I wasn't totally taken with the people and their struggles, but I was involved, especially at the end.", "164" ], [ "This is a book in a series of bilingual (Chinese/English) picture books. It's illustrated with a colorful collage of photos, paper cutouts, and drawings. The work seems oddly adult. The child goes around Shanghai from one meal to another with grown-ups. She watches her auntie on her cell phome most of the time. This is supposed to inspire her to bridge her world of the rural island of Putuo Shan and modern China. (Grades K-3)", "102" ], [ "I read part of this. It's a very long book--605 pages, and it's definitely brilliant. A collection of Asian-American voices from the tumultuos 1970s San Francisco. The character's lives are intertwined with the events of the day--the takeover of SF State, and the discovery of poems carved into the walls at Angel Island. (Adult)", "108" ] ]

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[ [ "finished within 12 hours. started reading at 10 in the morning and done read an hour ago. It's my first time with coollen hoover. so because i find myself cried at the last chapter of this book, so i gave 4stars .", "143" ], [ "the story has a similarity with everything everything. and since i love everything everything, i love this one too. my first sophie kinsella book ! and there's also OLLIE in this story, remind me with everything everything. sometimes, we dont need medication or doctor to cure the symptom. love cure everything. love solve everything. love fix everything. am i right?", "191" ], [ "i read this book in 5 hours. 1 hours last nite, 1 hour on my lunch time, and 3 hours from 7 to 10. \n i prefer the first book, this one kinda too long. so many part can be skip, or cut, but i read them all. \n But this time i dont want to discuss about the whole book, nor review it. All I want to type is that I found 3 best part that makes me nod my head in agreement when i read it .. \n First, is the part when Stormy commented about how people wear fashion in airport. Mom definetely told me the same thing. On our last flight, mom shook her head in disbelief to see so many people wear flipflop, short pants, and even almost-look-like-pyjamas. Mom said there's no way people did that such a thing back then . In the past, they all will look flawless, like airport is a fashion show and they all walk in red carpet . \n Second part is when Lara Jean described the sound of Ms. Rotschild's husky laugh is a sexiness that only smokers \n or people with colds get to have. First thing that popped into my head is this guy, my office-mate, he's a smoker, i told him i hate smoker, i ask him to quit smoking, but everytime we take a nap, and he sometimes cough, and i kinda like the sound of it. \n Last part is when Lara jean mentioned about 'Jung'. Like what the book said, Jung is a connection between two people that can't be severed, even when love turns to hate. You still have those old feelings for them; you \n can't ever completely shake them loose of you; you will always have tenderness in your heart for them. Isnt the first time I heard about this Jung word. But this book explained the word to me. It's one of Super Junior KRY's song, have that jung as title , Idk but Elf not only translated it as Jung, but as 'Ing'. And I googling the jung lyric, and the english translation is exactly the same just like what the book said. \n I think that's why we treat Book as a Window to learn about the whole world. How could this novel explain about the song that I sometimes play on my phone, it's one of book's duty to the readers, right? And I'm glad I choose to read PS. I Still Love You, and I'm happy to know the ending is just like what I want. \n Forever, Team Peter ..", "184" ], [ "well back then when i'm not into reading book as a prime hobby, i took this book randomly because it's the thickest on the shelves (i went to the book rental) and hell no my hand picked a perfect book, and i just love the story, and hate the antagonist in this book. i think im gonna re-read this book again ..", "80" ], [ "i love xander. standart chick-lit that took me 5 hours to read. will probably read the other kasie's books . but i just hope that the author could erase the grandparent's story. too cliche .", "55" ], [ "finally done reading this one.. very slow in the beginning but once ursula monkton appeared, i speed up my reading cuz i want to know what will happen to her . fantasy isnt my thing so 3 stars only .", "91" ], [ "i read mostly of nicholas sparks's books, and it's been a long time for not to read the rest until i saw this book brought to theatre. so i went on and last nite i finished reading just to face the fact that it has a sad ending. i cried, ofc didnt expect the sad ending and how much i hate it. so yeah 3/5. i'm so sorry i'm bad giving review and also bad writing in english . but at least i'm so happy this is the first book i finish reading this year. gotta start to read an ocean in the end of the lane after i'm done with my exam.", "91" ], [ "among other john green's books that i alrd read which is lfa, tfios and pt, this one will probably become the book that i will re-read cuz it's so hillarious and yes i love how john green put hassan in this book like it's cool you know . and yes we got it, we got lesson learn from this book. and lot of new a very important information, like the difference between bees and hornets. BEES are producing honey. and HORNETS might kill human. \n BEst part when I find myself rofl definetely this one: \n And sure, it was three on one. But what a one. Hassan's run was met by a body punch that entered \n cartoonishly far into his gut. Hassan started to fall but couldn't, because TOC had his hand wrapped \n around Hass's neck. Colin rushed in then with an overhand right. The punch connected, but (1) Colin \n forgot to close his fist, so he was slapping not hitting, and (2) instead of slapping TOC, he ended up \n slapping Hassan flush across the cheek, whereupon Hassan finally succeeded in falling down. \n Great book. Lovely as well. This is John Green by the way..", "184" ], [ "so the reason why Johnny and Mirren didnt reply Cady's emails is because of ... \n they're all dead already ... \n and im crying in the dog's part . \n so much terrible feeling .", "194" ], [ "Had I know the ending of the book, I mean, I thought since there's sequel, so it'll end happily, but nah, YOU KILL MY FINNICK ! and since I know about euthanasia, my english teacher made us debate about that stuff, even that time I was on Pro-side, and I won the debate, but nah, I DISAGREE with that . so, 1 star from me to ruin the ending. I will never ever watch the movie, I dont want to see anymore teary scene ,just 1 Finnick's death is enough for me.", "44" ], [ "whoa, Wesley Rush you really not that jackass . while Bianca shocked me all the way until the end of the book. Funny and hillarious. I need something light to read, and this one is perfect. I finished in total of 5-6 hours. and I like it.", "200" ] ]

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[ [ "Kept me reading, barely \n Cliches just serviceable enough to keep me reading and plenty trite enough to dissuade me from the series. Almost a waste of my time but saved by snatches of genuineness.", "120" ], [ "\"There is a legend among Mormons that if you meet a spirit, you should ask to shake hands. An evil spirit will agree to shake, and you will feel no substance. A good spirit will refuse to shake your hand. I wished I had had such a simple test for evil men and good men when I had met Aaron.\" \n The bishop's wife blunders through the lives of her ward members, making snap judgments and offering advice which she later has cause to regret.", "42" ], [ "Both more and less than I was looking for. What fit the bill for me the best was the appendix with the practical steps of how to change or instill a habit. Couldn't bring myself to read all the rest, which simply came across to me like filler that was there to sell a book.", "75" ], [ "In a word, disappointing. I was hoping for a romp of a mystery with a jolt of Austen (vice versa would have served too.). Sadly, there was no mystery and the Austen elements mainly provided man pages of review of P&P. Not satisfying in either regard.", "150" ], [ "I bought this book on a lark because I needed something to pass the time. The back cover blurb was what got me, with its promise of violence and corruption. I hoped for something Chandlerian but was disappointed. The detective duo did not engage me, and the male voice of Beaumont just never felt authentic. The plot wanted an engine with more horsepower. Based on this read, I would not buy another book in the series. As a library read, it might pass.", "151" ], [ "I got this book in error for a different book by the same title. The characters did not grab me, nor did the plot until I was about halfway through. I wonder why I kept reading, except that there were some wonderful lyrical passages in which the main character was musing on the meaning of life.", "120" ], [ "This is the first Faye Kellerman book I've read, and I'm pleasantly surprised. The plot was compelling enough and the characters likable. But the thing that surprised me most is the deftness with which she, within the genre of detective/crime fiction, addressed issues of faith. Made more palatable to the reading public, no doubt, by the fact that the faith in question is orthodox Judaism, and so enough outside the majority Christian religion to be comfortable in our pluralistic proselitism-phobic society, it was also refreshing and enjoyable to read of the police detective's struggle to maintain connection to his religious quest while navigating the sordid underworld of L.A. porn and snuff-porn films.", "179" ], [ "Read it because it was touted as a classic in the time management field, though now so much of it has been accepted wisdom that it seems like old news. It helped me refocus on working toward goals with purposefulness.", "87" ], [ "Excellent and seminal book on time management. Especially useful for in-depth guidelines on how to use a day-timer planner. Section on unifying life goals was also helpful. Also really liked the \"100 time management goals\", all really bounded and doable. Finally, the annotated reading list is a great resource, if a little outdated now.", "174" ], [ "The second chapter of Naranjo's somewhat esoteric treatment of meditation lays out intriguing schemas of the space of all possible meditative practices. On the whole, I found the book hard to get through, reaching only the arcane chapter on body awareness. But I would like to finish reading it at some point.", "75" ], [ "Nice update of new ideas in historical linguistics since my college course. New to me were the ideas of borrowings resulting from adult speakers of Celtic and Semitic languages trying to learn to speak English or its ancestor languages. Affected features are \"meaningless do,\" strong verbs, English's relative syntactical poverty, and a large portion of the idiosyncratic vocabulary it inherited from proto-Germanic.", "176" ], [ "A fable that serves to explain core nonsectarian Christian theology through situation and analogy. Marred to a degree by dialog which is forced and unfortunately somewhat smarmy in parts, but the author's wonderful choices for depicting the trinity will stay with me.", "190" ], [ "This may sound trite and obvious, this book made clearer to me that other cultures really are different, even in small things. I cannot count the times when character motivations, once revealed, were completely different than I would have thought.", "41" ], [ "On my first read through this book, I was most struck by Lippe's method of task management: she does what occurs to her when it occurs to her. It seemed impossible for me at the time. Now less so.", "99" ], [ "This book was a collection of tips, very few of which were useful to me. \n I listened to the audio CD version of this book. The reader was the author, and though she is no doubt na effective public speaker, her voice was not well suited to this format.", "27" ], [ "Did not finish because, although it had a lot of interesting information about how important salt was in many of the conflicts and turnings of history, after a while I found the single focus monotonous for my interests as a general reader.", "18" ] ]

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[ [ "Definitely worth a read. Struck me as a bit of a way station between Stephen King and Clive Barker. New England setting with a bit of sex and gore to boot. Starts with our protagonist involved in a kidnapping then flashes back to essentially reveal his motivation which fuels the bulk of the book. Initially I wasn't a fan of the flashback story but it really grew on me. The conclusion leaves a few loose ends and just seems to forget about some characters hence the dropping of a star. It does have a bit of a Graphic novel superhero origin story to it and made me wonder if a sequel was ever planned. Plan on checking more of Clegg after this", "134" ], [ "Mostly out of generosity of spirit, this isn't a one star review. The characters are objectionable to the point that, not only did I not care about whether they lived or died, at points I was completely okay with the idea of the lead character biting the bullet. It can't be a good sign for your novel when a reader really is nonplussed at the thought of your character dying, preferably horribly. I get anti-heroes and unlikable characters as a device, but at some point you have to care to be engaged in the story, and I wasn't. It's a novel about contemptible people doing awful things and that is off-putting enough but the suspense and mystery aspect of it just didn't hold up for me. Anyone with even a cursory knowledge of basic detective and crime fiction will surely see the ending a country mile down the track. It plays out like a beige version of one of those tedious Sunday-evening TV time-fillers so beloved of mainstream British media, like Midsommer Murders, Wycliff or Inspector Lewis. (They are literally countless). I wonder who the readers are that made this the phenomenon it apparently is. I presume it's the type of curtain-twitching, Daily Torygraph reading middle-Englanders who feature within its pages. As you may gather from this review, they are not my sort. The writing is acceptable in so far as it meets what I would consider an acceptable minimum standard for the publication of a novel, but nothing more. There is certainly nothing spectacular about it as its success would lead to believe. Told from the point-of-view of three women with intersecting lives, I found myself going back to check chapter headings to make sure I knew who was supposed to be reading about. The voices are interchangeable, and there is little sense of 'character'. They could all be the same girl. Plus there is a solid 100 pages of filler here. It could happily have come it at a more taught 225-250 pages and been none-the-worse for it. The other half and I thought this would be a cool, exciting book to read together. It was not.", "70" ], [ "Let's call it 3.5 even though the ratings are not set up like that. Gaiman is an outstanding writer, no doubt. I think my trouble with this was the hype. Coming to a book this late is never usually a great idea. My gripe here is the general lack of a compelling antagonist. For something of this scale it just felt a bit lacking in stakes or, put in a way that is meant not to be a spoiler, if you spend hundreds of pages telling me there's going to be fireworks, there better be some effing fireworks. You could as easily have called this Shadow Moon dicks around the Midwest. Nothing wrong with that at all. The third act just rang a bit hollow. If anything it calls to mind Stephen King's The Stand, which is an object lesson in providing an explosive ending to your story.", "70" ], [ "I would make this required reading for like, well, everybody. It's fascinating, tragic, and obviously terrifying in its way. The story of a New York Post reporter who succumbs to a mystery brain illness that provokes disturbing behaviour, blackouts and dangerous mood swings, Susannah Cahalan covers the requisite medical exposition without losing the personal aspect of her own story. It's honest and blunt and will make you think about how you view mental illness, the healthcare system in the US and maybe your own attitudes and opinions towards psychological issues. It's hard to imagine anyone not being able to relate to the fear of being betrayed by their own body, specifically their mind so even though it's not the kind of thing I would usually pick up, I definitely would recommend this. It's not a perfect book but definitely thought-provoking, intelligent, courageous and well-written.", "41" ], [ "As with any collection there are a couple of duds in there but I think it merits the four stars on the basis that another reader might love those stories given the subjective nature of collections. They are a little bit like boxes of assorted chocolates. You'll have your favourites, ones you're keen on and the ones that get left over. This one is no different. It includes one of the best depictions of demonic possession I have ever come across - 'The Old Jail' by Sarah Langan. One of my other favourites was 'The Darkish Man' by Nissar Modi. It's just so beautifully simple and so realistic that it gets right under your skin. Not sure about the 'Haunted City' subtitle, it kind of doesn't really matter and a couple of stories don't really fit the bill but overall the BBoN is imaginative, scary in places and generally well written. Hopefully we get more of this.", "152" ], [ "Basically a thesis on management strained through a filter of David Brent-speak that somehow manages to drain the colour from some of the most charismatic and revered leaders in sporting world. Jose Mourinho features prominently on the cover but you would be hard-pressed to find anything enlightening or of value from the brief space afforded him in the book. Each chapter deals with a different aspect of leadership, ostensibly using a different manager as a case study, but then the writer chimes in with quotes culled from a plethora of other managers so that the point is lost and any sense of the 'subject' of the chapter is diluted. There is a lack of perspective here also, taking the end of Walter Smith's tenure at Rangers as an example. The writer uses Smith's departure after failing to win a 10th consecutive title as being indicative of the cut-throat nature of football, but doesn't afford any context so instead of - Celtic stopped the quest for ten and the emotional, spiritual and physical toll on Smith prompted a need for change and renewal, we get Smith lost once in ten years and was gone. If you are aware of the context, it works, if not you get half a picture. This was written in conjunction with the League Manager's Association and you sense the santizing hand of their P.R or medial relations department. Pick up 'The Management' instead, which focuses specifically on Scottish managers, but is a much better and more educational effort.", "157" ], [ "I read a lot of short stories and collections, or try to, and have never understood the apparent reluctance of publishers to put their faith in them nor readers to buy them. It's always seemed like myth to me that short-story collections don't sell, or appeal to readers. In short, I'm a fan; I love the medium. That said they tend to fall into two categories for me; 'short stories', or stories that are short. Stories that are short happen to be brief, to the point, relevant fragments of a greater narrative, snapshots of characters in a particular moment of importance on their journey. A story that is short, that happens to be short should grab you by both lapels, pull you in the alley and slap you around a little, should have a visceral and instant impact, should be as Stephen King once described like a passionate kiss. 'Gifts for the one who comes after' is none of these. It is a collection of 'short stories' - worthy, vague and portentous. These are 'short stories' of the type that writers are taught to write to fit some idealized version of the structure. They lack authenticity, or heart. Honestly, many of the stories in this collection are boring and predictable, which may be the greatest sins. Don't get me wrong, Marshall can write and the final story in the collection in particular in excellent. But there's not enough here and look; if you are a fan of 'short stories' then great; this might be for you. If you want to be moved, challenged or surprised I wouldn't have this near the top of your list, unfortunately.", "166" ], [ "After the People Lights Have Gone off is a sharp little collection of horror stories. None of them outstay their welcome and, while none of them are revolutionary, they are fresh while feeling familiar. There's a werewolf story and a vampire one, and a ghost one but they are different enough to be unsettling and catch you off guard. This collection has a bit of everything, including an ingenious and bold 'meta' take on a Stephen King story Nothing in here is going to blow you away but everything is good and that might be the higher praise. Usually there's at least a couple of stinkers in a collection. Not here. I sometimes have a bit trouble getting around the vernacular and colloquialism in Jones's writing but that aside it's collection that's easy to devour. I'll credit it enough to say many readers won't need to worry what happens after the people lights have gone off - because they'll leave them on.", "152" ], [ "'The ones that got away' is really interesting title, perhaps unintentionally ironic, for this book, and maybe not in the way the author intended. Many of the stories here feel like they are on the verge of something amazing, but something about them slips agonizingly out of reach, like unnecessary exposition, extraneous characters or additional verbage. Having read the superior 'after the people lights have gone off' I had high hopes for this and, don't get me wrong, it's entertaining but definitely has signs of a writer earlier on his path that the creator of the more complete tales within 'people lights'. I was prompted to write the review by gazing over other write ups because I noticed similar frustrations from other readers. One commented on being underwhelmed by the opening two stories which I tend to agree with. It's like showing up to a stadium show to find the band's going to open with a couple little acoustic numbers on a mini-stage. It's not bad, it just doesn't engage. The intro by Laird Barron really doesn't help. He writes like he just ate a Thesaurus and the intro seems like he's more interested in showing how clever he is than presenting the upcoming book with the result that you are 20, 30 per cent in before it gets going. I also concur with several other reviewers that some of the stories are flat out confusing. I'd worried I wasn't smart enough to 'get in' with some of these, but nope; couple of them are just flat out muddled. (The Sons of Billy Clay, Teeth). \n If you haven't read SGJ before then I'd say this is not a bad starting point, Monsters and Wolf Island are pretty good and overall the collection is certainly unique but I'd steer you more to 'After the People Lights' or certainly 'The Last Final Girl' which I enjoyed a great deal more.", "152" ], [ "Obviously this one is a classic. What I will say is that I thought the language was a bit flowery for the subject matter for me now and again, hence the loss of a star. That minor gripe aside, I loved this story of two small town lads forced to grow up fast in the face of an insidious evil. There is a dreamlike quality to the story that makes it easy to get lost in and the imagery is striking and vivid. I could write a book sized review on this and I'm sure many have, but I'll suffice it to say that my favorite aspect of the book was the redemptive arc of Mr. Halloway and his realization that what is to come matters much more than what has gone before. A lesson we could all learn, I suppose....", "28" ], [ "I may have overrated this one a little, as it's probably more like a 3.5 but hey; let's be generous. It's really short and could have done with being bulked out by a story or two but that said everything in here is very good. The title story is a cool take on a robbery gone wrong, the story of a returned vet and his lost love is heartbreaking in a way most 'horror' or genre fiction is not and the last piece is a more than fitting addendum to Partridge's Stoker winning Dark Harvest tale. It's a perfect collection to read in the build up to Halloween and to revisit. My personal favourite is not a story but an essay on growing up in Northern California during the time of the Zodiac killer. It's the scariest thing in the book and it isn't fiction.", "152" ], [ "I think I wanted to like this more than I actually did. Having said that I flew through it in a few hours. It reads like a screenplay, which I guess is the point but it's honest in its intentions and if you go with it there is really nothing not to like. \n It's like every slasher movie you ever saw except it knows you've seen them and knows just what you want. And gives it to you. Can't say fairer than that. \n The 'final girl' is likeable enough to spend a couple hundred pages with, there are enough red herrings, shocks and twists to keep it clicking and it keeps the action coming. It might not blow your mind but you'll sure be entertained, if you like this kind of thing. And I do.", "105" ], [ "Love soccer, thought the '99 final was one of the most inspiring sports stories maybe ever. However, Chastain definitely comes across as one of those athletes whose natural ability concealed a questionable appreciation of the game they played. This is interesting, a decent distraction, especially to those whom Chastain might represent a role model. But,.....her story lacks a compelling narrative or voice. You come away thinking that this could as easily have been written by 10 other potential 5th penalty takers from that sunny July day in California. Hard core fans of soccer, and women's soccer, only.", "164" ], [ "Well, it was my favourite Bond movie and is now my favourite Bond book also (of the half dozen I've read). \n I think the reason I'm writing this is to address the cries of 'rascism' directed at the work. Initially I thought it was just gloriously un-pc, then got a bit queezy at some of the language and depictions before finally taking a step back and coming to the conclusion that Live and Let Die might be ignorant (innocent?), misguided but rascist? I'm not convinced. How many peers of Fleming have a predoninantly black cast, addressed the issue of race or cast a black character in a central role in this type of work? I'm sure some, but I can't call them to mind off hand. \n Also, there are at least two occassion(including the much parodied 'this is how you're going to die' Mr Bond sequence speech) where Fleming both lauds black achievement and predicts the potential for greatness. Indeed, in the climactic speech, the villanous Mr Big explains that people of his race will one day be leaders, pioneers, equals in every field, and suggests it is only Bond's misfortune that he has come across the pioneer master criminal. That sequence isn't for Bond, it's for the reader. Remember, this was written in the 50's - a very, very different world. \n There is also, the character, Quarrel who is heroic, intelligent and essentially trains Bond, teaches him how to win the day. \n There are complaints in other reviews about the repeated use of the term 'negro' but I'm not sure what the other terminology was available to Fleming at the time? People of colour? non-whites??? Ummm, you realise it's James Bond??? It feels like a product of it's time rather than an indication of a state of mind. \n Anyway, other than that, it's a great action novel, incident packed and as the 2nd Bond novel it sets in place many of the conventions that made the series so popular and are still in place for the movies today. The climactic scences (no spoilers) are as exciting, tense and dramatic as just about anything I can think of in the broad action spectrum. It's nothing more nor less than a great thrill ride and there's nothing better than reading a sequence while your imagination sails to the strains of the Bond theme playing in the back of your mind. New York, Voodo, Treasure, Sharks, Trap Doors, Mines, the Carribean; what more could you seriously want??? I give this five, entirely merited stars. \n One last thing, LALD was a Moore movie but, like all the others I have read, I can't help but picture Connery. Mr Big kind of looks like Yaphet Koto, Solitaire certainly resembles Jayne Semour but, I don't know about you, Connery is Bond. It's part Fleming's writing, part the time period of the book but there is to me, something about the character that no other actor, not the excellent Brosnan, the rugged Craig, the witty Moore, has ever captured anything like Connery.", "45" ], [ "I actually read this in Tarry Town/Sleepy Hollow which gave it an extra atmospheric twinge. Finally finished it yesterday after leaving it half read those many years ago. It's a must read. Short, so it'll take you about an hour or so, maybe less for quick readers but well worth it. It's a well known tale but the pay off and the ending were better than I thought I remembered. Genuinely creepy and very well told. Read it by lamplight or, better still, candle light on a stormy night and you'll see what I mean.", "152" ], [ "I like Benchley, he has a familiar style that is engaging and I think that's important, especially with something like this. No-one likes to think they're being spoken down to. \n This is slight, there's not much in it but it's a lot of fun, a quick read and it gets a bonus star for potentially life saving info about rip currents, drowning and not being eaten by sharks. \n Some cool photos too!!", "58" ], [ "After a couple of completely forgettable entries, at last something of a return to form for the Stackhouse series. Probably the best one since the excellent Dead and Gone. That book carries the series to such a crescendo that it seems a lot like Harris hit a wall hard after it. In a lot of ways it didn't leave the series many places to go. Dead and Gone could easily have been a final entry in the chronicles of Sookie Stackhouse, but there were other stories to tell it seems. And this one is pretty good. It probably won't make the top 5 of the ultimately 13 books there will be in the series, excluding collections and novellas, but it's a solid entry. There are a lot of promising threads in the story that unfortunately wrap together into something of an anti-climactic finale (hence 3 instead of 4 stars). It rounds out a bit to cleanly to be satisfactory. As this is apparently the penultimate book in the series, you might expect some kind of cliffhanger, or foreshadowing but there's really none of that. Deadlocked had the potential to be up there with the best of the series but just kind of fizzles out at the critical moment.", "127" ], [ "Really comes down to a simple question; is it worth $5. Yes. Buy it. It's for a good cause and the stories are all pretty good and some are exceptional, if you like horror obviously. Anyone with a inclination toward reading horror will find something to love in here. There's a bit of everything, all very well done. You really can't go wrong. Established names, newbies. It's a varied collection.", "35" ], [ "It did take me a while to get into this but about a third in, it just flies along. The lead character is engaging and the whole vampire political intrigue hook is a nice angle. The book works as a stand alone and also to set up the rest of the series. Not always my kind of book but this one was pretty good.", "107" ], [ "I read the first edition, 'glory and the dream', but since I know the next part includes Henrik Larsson, a treble and a UEFA Cup final, I'm going to assume the additional chapters are just as good. A definitive history.", "122" ], [ "Hmmm, not sure how I feel about liking a young adult book as much as I did but I think watching the tv show threw off what I expected from this. It's pretty dark for a teen book; not many series do what this does here. Plus it's easy to read.", "120" ], [ "Obviously know primarily as the writer of the Sherlock Holmes novels, it is a sad truth that most are unaware of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's supernatural and horror pedigree. Something of a spiritualist Conan Doyle's open mind on the subject of the supernatural led him to write many compelling and convincing tales of ghosts and the beyond. If you only know Conan Doyle through Holmes, give this collection your time and you will find it well worthwhile as the best of his supernatural stories are up their with likes of Lovecraft and Poe in their prime....", "82" ], [ "I was going to go for a three star on this but the character of Dexter is just so ingenious I bumped it up one. Some of the plotting, including the end, is a bit Scooby Doo and I think with hindsight it benefits from the fleshing out of characters that occured in the tv show but Dexter Morgan is a brilliant creation. Also, kudos to the casting directors of the show; it was hard to read this without picturing the characters exactly as played on screen.", "45" ] ]

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[ [ "\"...it's also important to be aware of how we treat others. Even though someone appears to shrug off a sideways comment or to not be affected by a rumor, it's impossible to know everything else going on in that person's life, and how we might be adding to his/her pain. People do have an impact on the lives of others; that's undeniable.\"", "26" ], [ "This book came into my life at exactly the right time. I didn't know how badly I needed to hear the words that Sophia Amoruso speaks here. I can't recommend this book enough. I know I'll revisiting this one again soon.", "99" ], [ "A really great book makes you think what you would do if you were in the characters' shoes. The thing about this book is it really hits you hard, leaves you breathless, before it drowns you in your own tears. It makes you wonder what is inevitable, whether free will is a choice, if love isn't really enough, if you'd embrace your life or...just accept.", "101" ], [ "I thought long and hard about the right words to describe this. And then it finally came to me. I could never do better than A.J. Fikry's words, \"Every word the right one and exactly where it should be. That's basically the highest compliment I can give.\"", "193" ], [ "Someone once told me that they never could think of plucking flowers. Flowers looked so beautiful blooming on their stems, that to cut them down and stick them in a vase until they withered was a crime. This is how I feel about this book. I can't review it because I fear I'm not able to. This is book is mysterious, magical, melancholy and dazzling, all at once. That's about all the words I can think of to describe it. I will be recommending it to everyone.", "101" ], [ "I ended up liking this book more than I thought I would. The writing is unbridled, raw but incredibly choppy. I just don't understand why \n she \n needed to \n write like \n this. \n But otherwise, the book keeps you on your toes or in this case, turning the pages. Fans of the YA genre will definitely love this.", "101" ], [ "Life, an intensely personal yet universal experience and so is death and grieving. Joan Didion's writing is raw. Reading her words is cathartic if you've known grief. \n If you or anyone you know is going through grief, I suggest you get this book.", "30" ], [ "There is one common thread throughout the writings of Ms. Marjane Satrapi: One must educate oneself. And she just doesn't mean by going to school, she means by reading. That's it, that's the theme. Think outside of the box, question. And don't settle. If there's anything I take away, it's that we shape our destinies. We settle when we don't have to. Our societies limit us and we limit ourselves. But if we take control, and that is very hard, but when we do, we live the kind of life that's worth reading about. \n Or in the words of the great Paris Geller (Gilmore Girls): \n \"I want to live my life so that I'll be able to read an in-depth biography about myself in later years and not puke.\" \n That's how I want to live my life. Bravely.", "26" ], [ "An outstanding book. Once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down. This is a book of innocence, of love, of family, of rebellion, and of justice. Looking forward to reading the second book. This is one book I'm sure I'll be revisiting for years to come.", "46" ], [ "The last time I read a soldier's memoir was years ago. A book about the Gulf War written by soldier fighting in the Iraqi army. What struck me back then as with this book was the soldier's binary thinking and of course his bluntness. While those traits may be important in the midst of war, I find them unsettling. I admit I don't know much about warfare. And reading all the positive reviews on here, I feel a little intimidated. But being an outsider (non American, non military, anti-war), this is my impression. I particularly did not like the harshness with which he described Bahrain, my country. \n That said, my heartfelt condolences to the families of those who lost loved ones on BOTH sides of the conflict.", "98" ], [ "The story is set in the early twentieth century Kolkata. Kabuliwala delicately explores the bonds of friendship, affection and parting in the relationship between a middle-aged Pathan trader and a five year old Bengali girl. It is a simple tale of a father's love for his daughter and the transfer of that love to another little girl. It is a love that transcends the borders of race, religion and language.", "6" ], [ "The worst thing I can imagine is not having a voice. Can you imagine feeling something's not right and knowing something's not right but simply not being able to explain that to people? Or how about this, when you cannot trust the people who are sworn to love and protect you? When you see your doom surrounding you on all sides and knowing that this is the end? How tenaciously would you hold on to who you are if you knew that in a matter of days everything that you are will be erased? \n I think I'll be hating men for a little while.", "164" ], [ "I'm giving it 4 stars because the book is marvelously written. If there's one thing I admire about Bernadette, it's her words. I started reading with interest and got hooked onto the story. But the end disappointed a bit, or maybe that's just me, for some reason I was under the impression this book was a thriller.", "35" ], [ "3.5 stars to be precise. \n I cannot decide if I like this book or not. But I think that's because of the beginning. It's slow and so utterly boring but since I'm committed to finishing my quota for this year, I trudged on. The second part is where the action begins, when you finally see each character for exactly who they are. And that's when the book is nearly impossible to put down. I'd say Gillian Flynn has done a good job with the characters, revolting people but you kind of get where they're coming from. I should also say that this book is a good study in hyperbole. Real people have chinks in their armour and I'd have loved it if Amy had some. Talking about the ending, ah, the ending. It's divisive and risky and I commend Gillian Flynn for taking that route.I personally thought it fitting. An endless gloom, an abyss. No resolution to the story and no justice is served. Thinking about what lies in the long run for Nick and Amy is frightening. \n So, if you're expecting (and love) everything handed to you in a silver platter with a bow on top, don't read this book (no but you really should).", "91" ], [ "The problem is I invariably finish books in the wee small hours of the morning. Like, right now, it's a half past one. So, I'm too tired to write a decent, paragraphs-long review. But I have given this book 5 stars and I believe that that should compel you into picking up this book. I'm not being generous. It's really that good. It's f****** brilliant.", "143" ], [ "2.5 stars really. One of the most fanciful spy stories I have ever read. Richard Hannay spends half the book running all over Scotland. And meets with the most unusually helpful country folks, who provide him with clothes to disguise himself and sustenance. By the third time he runs into a country house, I've just about given up, but mercifully it's the enemies' den he goes into. But of course John Buchan's writing is such that God forbid he should leave Hannay's fate to chance. Hannay's able to create doubt in the minds of his German captors, who in turn lock him up in a cell that's loaded with dynamite and fuses, because really, that's what you do to a mining engineer. So obviously he blasts his way out and then spends a month recuperating at one of the aforementioned country folk's house. It's just unbelievable. Buchan provides such exhaustive detail of every moor, glen, vale that it's just....exhausting to read.", "95" ], [ "A thoroughly enjoyable read. I absolutely loved reading the events of Persuasion through Capt. Wentworth's eyes. And the icing on the cake was definitely reading about the events that happen before the story takes off in 'Persuasion'. I have wondered while reading Austen's novel about how Capt. Wentworth and Anne met and how they fell in love, basically what happened eight years ago and Amanda Grange has provided me with quite a very believable back-story. Kudos to her. The only problem I had with the book was that Ms. Grange provided extensive quotes throughout while it's supposed to be a diary. Not sure if anybody writes their diary like that but I'd gladly overlook it. I highly recommend it to any fan of 'Persuasion'.", "23" ], [ "It's always good to read classic literature after having read so many contemporary ones. Washington Irving's work here is pretty and descriptive. I learned a lot of new words. You will be needing your dictionary for this one. I remember having watched the movie quite a while back. And thought it'd be great to read the book as well. Unfortunately, the book is very different from the movie. But that's all okay, I guess.", "52" ], [ "Ingenious story. Well written. The only thing that bothered me was Fitzgerald completely disregarded how Benjamin's mother felt about the strange events. That said, I have placed the movie version on my to-watch list.", "52" ], [ "I read this book completely when I was in the seventh grade. Of course, I hadn't known back then that I was reading summarized versions of the Bard's plays, and priding myself on \"reading Shakespeare\". All in all, Charles and Mary Lamb's work is excellent. But definitely not any easier to read than Shakespeare's own prose.", "161" ], [ "First of, Northanger Abbey is Jane Austen's least-read novel. I had to tick off all Jane Austen books from my to-read list, so I had to tackle this one sometime. Honestly, the book was a bit of a tedious read, quite unlike Austen's other more popular works. Or I guess I've been too used to abridged versions. Definitely need to fix that. I'll admit I haven't read any Gothic literature. This was my first. The heroine of the book, Catherine Morland, is highly likable. She's presented as intelligent, if naive and is gifted with an unworldly charm and a vivid imagination. Her good heart and good intentions shine throughout the book. The story takes off when she travels to Bath with friends where she is thrown into all the difficulties and dangers presented to her age of 17 . Throughout the book, she must overcome all the caprices of society, which she does with unfailing grace. In the end, she finds love in a presumably unromantic manner. It is with the aid of this love, Henry Tilney, that she gradually progresses towards maturity and self-knowledge. In short, 'Gothic' romances were popular in Jane Austen's days and Northanger Abbey is her amusing and bitingly sarcastic pastiche of it. (Also, would like to mention that self had not known that liking old abbeys and gloomy passages and ancient house-keepers constituted being a goth. Guess that makes me one.:) )", "23" ], [ "'Black Beauty' is my newest all-time favorite book. A timeless classic, this is Anna Sewell's only book and was first published in 1877. The book exposed the ill-treatment of horses at the hands of their owners' and led to a change in people's attitudes towards horses and domestic animals in general. If you, like me, love horses, you'll love this book. The book is endearing and it's simply written and I dearly wish Anna Sewell had written a few more.", "195" ], [ "Johanna Spyri's uplifting story of a young girl whose kindness brings out the goodness in others has had me enchanted from the beginning to the end as it has countless readers throughout the century. This classic story lyrically evokes a young child's growing understanding of poverty and wealth, illness and health and despair and hope and it tugs at the heartstrings. I've always loved mountains and greenery and the descriptions of the meadows and the fir trees and the clear blue skies have only made me crave even more to live in such a place. Lovely book that reinforces that dreams do come true, that God hears our prayers and miracles do really happen.", "30" ], [ "Every book of Dan Brown have been fast-paced and action-packed and this one is no exception. Robert Langdon described as a 'Harrison Ford in Harris tweed' teams up with Sophie Neveu to help catch the man who framed him for murder. They quickly discover they are up against a centuries old, formidable organization. Armed with one of Da Vinci's inventions, a cryptex, they race against time. The book ingeniously combines the detective, thriller, and conspiracy genres.", "182" ], [ "One of the most powerful books I've ever read. On the face of it, a simple children's book, but as you dive deeper, you'll be moved to the core. Jess' friendship with Leslie is regular. Two ten year olds in the fifth grade. but not long after, Leslie introduces Jess to magic and dreaming. And their very own Kingdom of Terabithia. A story of loyalty, love, forgiveness, imagination, and most important of all, courage. Katherine Paterson has written a masterpiece. Lastly, I highly recommend watching the movie version as well. Brilliant and moving performances by both Josh Hutcherson and AnnaSophia Robb.", "180" ], [ "Brilliant account by James Watson of the discovery of DNA. You might think scientists live on a different plane. But when you read this book, you discover similarities between them and the regular people and just what sets them apart is their undying passion and dedication to achieving their dreams.", "160" ], [ "The pace of the book is even. The tension simmers in the background initially but it isn't many pages before the signs are clear and the reader knows that deep trouble lies ahead. There are many characters that Larsson introduced in this second book, and each has been developed to a fault. Sometimes it's hard to remember who's who and this requires some back-tracking. The tension doesn't let up into the last pages and is carried over into the third and final book. Larsson provides meticulous detailing. On a sidenote, I had no trouble making the link between Salander and Zalachenko, her arch nemesis. Quite surprising that some readers didn't see that one coming. I thought it was quite obvious. All in all, the work of a master. And it's worth the time it takes to finish it.", "76" ], [ "So I finally finished reading this book. Overall, it's a great book and an interesting read. The tension that was introduced in the previous book carries into this one and doesn't let up until the last page. Personally, I felt that this book does a good job of tying up every loose end. Of course, some matters are open to scrutiny (such as Lisbeth's twin sister, Camilla. Nothing about her is mentioned in any of the three books other than the fact that she was Lisbeth's twin, she was delusional and Zalachenko's favorite. I half-expected her to turn up at the trial. But no show there.) But it has already been established that Larsson planned 10 books in all, so they would probably have been dealt with in those. Kudos to Larsson on these three books. And I'm truly sorry he didn't live to see these become the phenomenon they have. \n Here are some links regarding the fourth book: \n http://www.theatlanticwire.com/entert... \n http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/bo...", "107" ], [ "Never have I ever read a book where I felt the author was putting down my thoughts, my feelings and my idiosyncrasies to the page. \n Sylvia Plath was a remarkable woman, in every way and her only novel shows her extraordinary grasp on words. I remember reading somewhere once that the great lead turbulent lives. And it was no different for Sylvia. \n I felt dreadfully inadequate. The trouble was, I had been inadequate all along, I simply hadn't thought about it... I felt like a racehorse in a world without racetracks or a champion college footballer suddenly confronted by Wall Street and a business suit, his days of glory shrunk to a little gold cup on his mantel with a date engraved on it like the date on a tombstone. \n From the tip of every branch, like a fat purple fig, a wonderful future beckoned and winked. One fig was a husband and a happy home and children, and another fig was a famous poet and another fig was a brilliant professor, and another fig was Ee Gee, the amazing editor, and another fig was Europe and Africa and South America, and another fig was Constantin and Socrates and Attila and a pack of other lovers with queer names and offbeat professions, and another fig was an Olympic lady crew champion, and beyond and above these figs were many more figs I couldn't quite make out. \n I saw myself sitting in the crotch of this fig tree, starving to death, just because I couldn't make up my mind which of the figs I would choose. I wanted each and every one of them, but choosing one meant losing all the rest, and, as I sat there, unable to decide, the figs began to wrinkle and go black, and, one by one, they plopped to the ground at my feet. \n These are a few of the lines from the book that touched me deeply. \n It is astonishing to me that a book written 50 years ago would resonate with me on such an inexplicable level today. It's not easy to read the book and not think of what happened to Sylvia. \n I took a deep breath and listened to the old brag of my heart. I am, I am, I am.", "38" ], [ "A book of epic proportions. One of the finest crime novels I have ever read. Astounded with the ease with which author, Stieg Larsson, weaved together two seemingly different stories into one. The battle of the journalist, Blomkvist, with the financier, Wennerstrom, Blomkvist's uncovering of the Vanger family's deadly secret of more half a century with the help of a seemingly delinquent but extraordinarily intelligent hacker, Salander, together make for a compelling and gripping read. The book moves at an even pace without falling into that trap of \"The-big-reveal-at-the-end\". I'm so in praise of this book and the author. It's very sad that Larsson didn't live to see the phenomenon that his books have become. Can't wait to pick up the second in Larsson's Millenium series, \"The Girl Who Played With Fire\".", "95" ], [ "'Persuasion' is Jane Austen's last work and one of her lesser known ones. After having read it, I can honestly say that 'Persuasion' is now one of my all-time favorite Jane Austen novels, a close second to 'Pride and Prejudice'. This is a brilliant story of lost love and redemption.", "23" ], [ "I, first, came across 'A Walk To Remember' when I watched the movie. I cried my eyes out for the most part. And since then, I have wanted to read the book. Now I'd heard that the book was set in the late 1950s while the movie was set in 1998 and I had some reservations about it. I'm pleased to say that book affected me as much as the movie did, if not more. This is simply not a story of love-struck teens. It's a story about forgiveness, about redemption and about faith. Rarely, is it the book is in sync with the movie and I was pleasantly surprised to find that some of my favorite lines in the movie were actually from the book and vice versa. The ending, though, was a little unexpected. It is not explicitly mentioned that Jamie passed away as she does in the movie. I read somewhere that Nicholas Sparks had grown attached the character of Jamie Sullivan and wanted to leave her fate to the reader. Here's an excerpt from an interview with Nicholas Sparks where he talks about the ending: \"So what was I to do? I didn't want her to die, and couldn't write those words. Yet, plainly I couldn't let her live, either. I opted for the only solution, the solution that best described the feeling I had about my gravely ill sister at that point: namely, that I hoped she would live. That's the ending, folks. I wanted readers to finish with the hope that Jamie lived.\" I, for one, am glad for that. I like to think that Landon and Jamie got the miracle they so richly deserved and lived in happiness and love to the end.", "52" ], [ "It's a brilliant, simply-written book. I was completely hooked from beginning to end and I understand where its rabid popularity comes from. Suzanne Collins has managed to write a novel that's almost as unique and has created characters almost as unforgettable as J.K. Rowling. I cannot wait to get my hands on the second book in the series, Catching Fire. I cannot wait to plunge myself into Katniss' and Peeta's next adventures.", "180" ] ]

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[ [ "What can I say about this fabulous instalment of the Beast Realm books? Let me see...there's so much! \n Mara and Logan really struggle with themselves and each other in this story -- each one dealing with deep inner turmoil. Mara struggles with the secrets she's been forced to keep from her beloved, and Logan near tears them both apart for good with his deep-seated trust issues. Upon finding out another of Mara's secrets, Logan skips calm-reasoning and jumps right into a nasty pile of conclusions. Mired in the guilt he feels for failing her all those years ago, he can't see that he's falling into the same trap again by not trusting her. \n Mara never does anything without reason. We, as readers know and trust this, but Logan cannot or will not. Whichever is the case, things go from bad to worse, and soon, you're wondering if these two can make it. \n Meanwhile, everybody else's story arc is advancing in tandem, and it all leads to a climax that left me feeling satisfied, yet eager for more! \n I would highly recommend this to fans of Paranormal Romance, or Urban Fantasy, as it has tones of both in action, love, lust, and intrigue. \n Just. Buy. This. Book. lol", "76" ], [ "Take overs and Donations for the release party. Join it HERE \n With one more crook of his masterful fingers, she came undone. And with a look of triumph, he covered her mouth with his other hand. \"That's it, baby. Come for me. But shut the fuck up while you do it.\" \n Using her hair as a handle, he brought her head back around. Feeling himself enter that space of emptiness inside himself, he smiled. \"You have about two minutes to finish me off, Gemma. Make use of them.\" \n Disallowing her the pleasure of speech, he thrust inside her again, hitting the back of her throat, causing her to convulsively swallow. Fuck, that felt amazing. Hitting a rhythm, he fucked her face, slow, languorously. \"One minute, baby.\" \n Eyes frantic, nose pinching together on each inhale, she finally understood. He wasn't afraid of Brycen catching them.", "42" ], [ "Ah, what a beautiful love story. \n Rian meeds Liadh when they are children, and their friendship is so perfect. So innocent and pure. And amazing. He willingly puts himself out there for his best friend. But after a pretty traumatic event in their young lives, they are torn apart...Cue ugly cry #1 \n When Liadh once again returns and takes up residence in her mother's old cottage (coincidentally down the lane from Rian's house *wink wink*) she's not the same person she used to be. She's had a hard upbringing, and it shows in her reluctance to interact with anyone. Of course...Rian is having none of that. \n Rian has never been able to connect with another girl quite like he did with his best friend at five years old. And when he sees that she's back, he's determined that she stay for good. No matter what. \n But with old bitterness still festering, their love is in danger before it even has a chance to sink in. \n As well as the main story, we get to hear more of Granny O'Malley's back story, and let me just tell you right here is where ugly cry #2, 3 and 4 happened. Omg, the feels! \n All in all, another definite 5* read from Ms. McLoughney. She portrays her characters so well as to make them REAL and easy to relate to. They are pure IRISH and unlike so many writers who take on the Irish characters, they are not caricatures, rather they are the type of people who could be your neighbours, so physical is their presence. Kudos to the author. A wonderful read and one I will re-read again and again.", "32" ], [ "At the beginning of this book, we're introduced to the harsh reality of River's (Styx's) life. He's just a child and yet murder and body disposal are nothing new to him. \n At the same time, we see Salome/Wolf Eyes/Mae, curled up in her own world of hurt, who somewhat reluctantly introduces herself as Sin. This is what she knows. She IS sin. All women are sin. \n Two very different world collide as the unlikely pair meet by a tall perimeter fence, and very touchingly make a life-long impact on each other. \n Fast forward a span of years, and after an unhealthy dose of hard living on both their parts, they cross paths again when Salome discovers her sister beaten, defiled and dying at the hands of those who are supposed to take care of them all. At this point I was like.. \n When Styx finds the nameless woman half-dead and curled up behind a dumpster at his compound, his first thought is for the safety of his MC gang, but soon enough he catches a fleeting - and familiar - glimpse of the woman, and decides he wants her to live at all costs. He will stop at nothing to make sure she survives, because he wants - no NEEDS - to know if she is the one woman he's never forgotten. The one he remembers only as Wolf Eyes. \n Though he pushes her away, due in part to his own fear of contaminating her pure spirit and his friend's advice, they are forever drawn to each other. Like moths to a flame. \n And though he pushes her to the very brink, resulting in some confused feelings and crossed wires between her and another of his gang, he simply cannot be with out. And she feels the same. When they finally get their shiz together it's off the chain! \n But enemies old and new are always lurking, within and without, and will stop at nothing to tear this man and his woman apart. With danger lurking around every corner, and a whole new world to contend with, can Mae and River ever find their happily ever after? You'll have to read on to find out!", "132" ], [ "Absolutely seamless sequel. Simon Clark picks up the story years after the Day of the Triffids and takes you on a new journey with the killer plants. Brilliant story-teller and all round amazing author.", "76" ], [ "**NOTE Simon Clark is such an under-appreciated horror writer. I have a lovely hardback collection going. \n Lucifer's Ark is a unique and intriguing story. \n A passenger ship, a cargo ship, a prisoner transfer ship. \n A group of passengers, employees, engineers, prisoners, and terrorists. \n Ten psychopaths and two guards to keep them in check. \n An eclectic group of passengers, and one with a strange agenda. \n All seems to be going well; the prisoners are contained, the guards are maintaining control, the passengers are unaware and the crew is doing a sufficient job. \n All is going well...until it's not. \n The crew disappears, the guard is attacked and the prisoners are released. \n Why? You'll have to read it to find out. \n Murder, mayhem, and madness. \n The passengers are in for the fight of their lives, and the two guards are in for the Quilp Hunt of theirs. \n This is a well-written masterpiece, but I'm biased; I would read Mr Clark's shopping list.", "182" ], [ "Kode and Tria. \n Forever Enemies? \n Tria picked that bar so that nobody would know her. She just wanted to get away from the scrutiny and the constant comparisons to her sister. Come on, now - who wouldn't want to get away from that? But when she spots her nemesis, Kode Sterling in the same bar, it's like she's cursed. \n Kode spots an alluring woman at the bar and he wants a piece of her. It's his modus operandi. See good looking woman, sleep with her. But this is no ordinary pretty face, and even though it disgusts them both, they spend the night together. \n Favorite quote: \"Fuck me like you hate me.\" *swoon* \n Anyhoooo, these two frenemies end up equally lusting after and hating each other. Kode has done so many awful things to her over the years, and to hear him say so, Tria has brought it all down upon herself. \n Can they let go of the past in order to embrace the future?", "42" ], [ "Sweet Lord above. I don't even know where to start with this review. \n Mia hires someone to rape her. Yes, you read that correctly. Her best friend has done it and suggests that Mia might enjoy it. I know! Sounds ridiculous, right? Then again, we all have our dark fantasies, don't we? And if we had the chance to experiment with them in a safe atmosphere, wouldn't we? Would we? I don't know. I probably would, but hey, I'm a freak lol \n So, Mia contacts this rape-for-hire place and sets them up with times and locations to pounce. Only...her submission (pun intended) was not as secure as she thought; someone else spied upon her deepest kink and wants in (again, pun intended :P) \n Cue Tax. Ahhhh I love him so much. He's dirty and dangerous and bossy and crude. But oh, so, tortured. This is why he is redeemable in my eyes. He has a debt to settle with sweet little Mia and he won't quit until he gets his pound of flesh. \n The one thing Tax never bargained on was getting caught up in Mia's magnetic likeableness. He never counted on wanting to protect her, even from his own sadistic self. \n The reason I didn't give this five stars is because I thought him killing his own twin was unnecessary. I would have loved to see Jude survive, full of remorse and find her own happy ending in a future book.", "21" ], [ "Loved, loved, LOVED it! There are so many things I want to rant about, but I don't want to spoil the book for those who have still to read it. And you should definitely read it. Like...NOW! \n We're firstly introduced to someone we know only as \"Boy\", as he is pulled into the world of cage-fighting. We get a sense that this is not the life Boy is used to as he trembles, wide-eyed at the gore and violence that will be his life from then on. I instantly wanted to put my hand into my Kindle and pull Boy out of the situation he found himself in. Connection - Made. \n I felt like crying, and the story hadn't even begun. \n Fast forward many harsh and hard years and Boy is now Prisoner 818, no name to speak of, and no memory of who he was before - who he should have been now. His Gulag (prison) is under riot and prisoners are escaping everywhere. All but he, it seems; nobody has the courage to free the savage beast from his cage. Nobody, that is, apart from 362, the only other fighter who could possibly match him in strength and violence. His friend of sorts. Together they flee the Gulag, and Raze's story begins anew. \n Revenge is what he needs, desires, and above all else, he WILL have it. He doesn't remember the why or the how, but he remembers the who. \n When we meet Kisa, we immediately see that she is in a situation that she desperately needs to be freed from. Yes, it is somewhat of her own making, but knowing nothing else, and fearing the ramifications of leaving, she feels stuck in a life of pain and fear with the one person who should love her above all else - her fiance, Alik. \n Alik is crazy, personified. Let's just say his elevator doesn't go all the way to the top floor; it goes straight to the basement instead. \n Kisa is the manager of a gym. A very special gym. Once a year in this gym, they host a three-day-fight-to-the-death extravaganza, and Alik ALWAYS wins. \n When Kisa finds herself in danger from an assailant on the street, a mysterious stranger comes to her aid. A stranger she can't help feeling drawn to. He saves her life, and in return, she gives him what he needs to get his revenge. \n When she discovers that his revenge means that he's entered the death-fights, and the only thing he wants is Alik's death, she feels torn. One one hand wanting only the best for her abusive fiance, but on the other she feels so protective of this stranger, this Raze, who reminds her so much of the one true love she had, and lost. \n This is a book that I will read and read again. There aren't many of those, I must admit, and when you read it, you will feel the same.", "184" ], [ "Meet Tess -- she dreams of The One (who doesn't?) and just can't seem to find him anywhere. It could be because he's under her nose the entire time, and while she was busy looking around, she forgot to look beside her. \n Meet Burke -- he tragically lost his wife and is raising his little girl alone. He yearns to be everything Tess needs, but just doesn't think he is. \n Get these two alone together long enough and sparks fly. Cue absolute bedlam. The cushion scene made me gigglesnort and shoot coke zero all over my kindle screen. \n I don't want to say too much, since a novella is hard to review without spoilers, but just trust me when I say that this is one little taste of Irish hotness you won't want to end. \n Another truly hilarious and sweet romance by the talented Michelle McLoughney. Keep your eye on this author; I think you'll be seeing a lot of her in the future! \n A firm favourite this Christmas, and one I will re-read. Well done, Ms. McLoughney, little Lily made me ugly cry lol", "32" ], [ "Review to follow \n ### \n I really enjoyed this book, the story was so intriguing. I attended a take over that the author had and one-clicked the pre-order because I just knew it would be a book I would enjoy. \n Livi, poor sweet Livi. She tries so hard to be independent but for one reason or another (mainly her subconscious addiction to Alessandro, I think!) just brought her right back to him. \n Alessandro needed a good smack, in my opinion. He has a secret that he's been keeping from her for six years! Six years! And because of this she's been wandering around with a broken heart and no closure. \n All the supporting characters were well-fleshed out and none of them felt like caricatures, which can sometimes happen when you're dealing in crime fiction. The author pulled them off quite well, I think. \n The reason this is not a five star book for me is two-fold. \n 1) Too much Italian with hardly any explanation of what's being said. \n 2) I would have loved to read the story from start to finish (teen years to present) without using flashbacks as a way to tell back-story, even if those flashbacks were well written. \n I will be one-clicking the second in the series.", "35" ], [ "This story picks up ten years after the first book in the series, and I gotta say, I'm relieved that Sasha and Stephan have finally worked things out, even if it's not how she originally hoped. With their story now complete, it's time for Sasha and Etienne to have theirs. But all is not rosy in the garden of love. \n Etienne is pushy and demanding and doesn't give her a moment's peace until she gives in to his demands. It's a character flaw that I don't know whether to love or hate, but it suits him. \n Sasha is always cautious. Especially around her boys. But when things come into the open and Sasha agrees to accompany Etienne on a trip to France, everything goes belly-up, and not in a good way. \n Enter Marcos, stage right-lunatic and creepy dude! He wants Sasha for himself, and nothing will deter him, least of all her connection to Etienne, who I am more and more convinced is some form of royalty. \n All in all a strong instalment of the series and I eagerly look forward to the next!", "7" ], [ "Ah where to start. \n Rain's \"boys\" had a dynamic going on that just kept you reading in amusement to find out what they would get caught up in next. She was the mother hen of the group, always making excuses for their behaviour and never making them stand on their own two feet, but she enjoyed it in a way; it made her feel like family; Rain has never really felt like family to anyone other than her boys. \n Dane. Ah, Dane. So much missed time, so many lost opportunities. I love this kind of story, and when they're finally back on common ground, sparks fly. They are made for each other, you know this from the very beginning, but due to that letter at the start (and what a sweet story the beginning was!) neither of them were on the same page at the same time, though they were both at least reading from the same book lol \n Hilarious at times, frustrating at others, this entire series is going on my favourites shelf! \n Really can't wait for the next in the series after reading the delightful little preview at the end.", "184" ], [ "Another five star read from this author. I have been officially Tagged, but just as equally Ashed. \n Ms Owens certainly knows how to weave a tale that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The chemistry between Tag and Ash was out of this world, and I loved reading about the big softy that hides behind his reputation - a well earned one! - of a bad boy with the morals of an alleycat. \n Catching up with the other characters of the series is great, as you get a sense of continuation even after they've gotten their HEAs.", "53" ], [ "When the first instalment ended with Cameron being kidnapped, I fully expected this book to be about his rescue - hence the title. It IS about his rescue, but not of himself. Surprising storyline! \n I love how Mara grew as a character in this one (all the characters showed growth, but none more so than Mara) and when she's finally able to open up about her past (after some pretty HAWT scenes) you feel like she has gained strength from it, rather than lost anything else. \n Of course it doesn't hurt that Logan is a truly devoted mate, who loves her completely, emotional scars and all. \n The ending was absolutely intriguing and I can't wait to read the next instalment when it's available!", "107" ], [ "Meet Mara, the damaged but unbroken result of a cruel man and a haunting past. She needs work - and cash - in a hurry, and so decides to take on the job as a cook for a rancher. But the past has a way of rearing its ugly head just when you least expect it, and Mara finds herself tumbling head-first into painful memories and strong arms. \n Logan, the bitter and deserted mate of an impossible to forget woman. When she walks back into his life, purely by chance, he realizes that things aren't always as clear cut as he imagines. \n Together they revisit the pain of the past, and the prospect of the future. But will their future paths collide? You'll have to read it to find out. \n I loved these characters. So relatable and REAL. Nobody is perfect, and everybody has their faults, but with hard work anything is possible to over come. \n This is a tale that you don't want to miss. I can't wait to start the second book in the series.", "32" ], [ "Excellent start to a series. I found myself relating to Sasha quite a bit and as such I didn't know whether to root for her and Stephan or her and Etienne. She is a half-breed in a world of humans, who doesn't find out what she is to become until she is married with children. Awkward! Even more so when she figures out that the vampire who helps her during her transition is her soul mate. *cue frustrations!* \n Etienne is secretive and stubborn, but it draws the reader to him in a way. Sasha has always had her own opinion on everything, but valued peace over happiness -- that is until her vampire side takes over and leaves nobody in any doubt about what makes Sasha happy. I loved this. I can't wait to see her further development in book #2. Sasha is going from cowed little housewife to badass vampire in stages. \n I'm starting #2 today! I'm hooked!", "89" ], [ "This. Ruined. Me. \n You think you know a story from the blurb. You have no idea. The blurb was a delightful little titbit to reel you in. The blurb was the BAIT. \n I must stress that even though I hate this book, I love it too. Blake is just a whirlwind of confusion, lust, confusion again, selfishness, more lust and stupidity. She doesn't know what's best for her, and even if it were pointed out to her, she wouldn't believe you. She's insecure, and damaged and broken inside, and no amount of love can fix that in a hurry, but Casey tries. God love him, he really tries. \n Casey is witty and fresh, and sweet and adorable. I love him so much my heart literally bleeds for him during this book. But then again, he has his stupid moments too. Like not telling her how he feels. Not chasing her down when he wants to. Not making her his like he needs to. \n This book was written so well that even though some of the topics were usually the types of things that would make me throw a book across the room, I didn't. Instead I huddled in the corner of my couch, GLUED to every page, smiling, laughing, crying, screaming. Fits of rage were not uncommon while I read this. I could, not, put, it, down. Not for a second. \n By the end of this book I was screaming, \"nooooo!\" and vowing to never read another word Ms Mabie writes. But I'm a liar and I will definitely read the next one. In fact, I can't wait for it. And you will feel the same. Read this. Just. Read. This. Damn. Book!", "184" ], [ "Review to follow \n ### \n Tatum and Ben. I love these guys. \n Tatum is losing her sight slowly but surely, and to make the transition easier on her, she needs to hire various people to help her in her personal and professional life. A PA is one of the people she needs to hire. \n Cue Ben with his easy charm and his handsome looks. There's an immediate attraction on both their parts, but Tatum doesn't like to mix business with pleasure, and so she goes back and forth arguing with herself over her feelings for this guy. \n Ben has no compunction at all with hopping into bed with Tatum, but he demands that she give him her all, rather than just her body. He wants the whole nine yards, and won't settle for anything less. \n Throughout the story we see hints from Ben that he's not who he says he is, from a grimace to an all-out melt-down. Tatum, too wrapped up in her feelings for him, sees what she wants to see, and we learn that you don't need to be blind to miss the very thing that's in front of your face. \n There were some genuine laugh out loud moments, and some emotion-laden teary ones, and true to form, M. Mabie doesn't shy away from the tougher story-lines. \n All in all a very solid 4* from me, and I'm eagerly awaiting the next book she bestows upon us.", "28" ], [ "This is a gritty and raw story. The writing is fantastic and the flow is perfect. Momentum carries you forward with this book and won't let you go until the very...last...page. Really well written. I would recommend this to all fans of urban fantasy, and lovers of mystery, crime and thriller. Don't let the fact that it's a paranormal book narrow your choices. This story is a huge free-for-all, and I loved every last word.", "46" ], [ "I had the utmost pleasure of Beta Reading this book, and I gotta say, the premise of this saga is wonderful. I found myself alternatively laughing, crying or clenching my fists in rage at some of the scenes in this book. \n Fans of the PNR genre will fall in love with the entire cast of this story. \n I can't say too much without giving things away, but the story concentrates on Lilith, a seemingly hopeless and helpless girl grieving for her recently deceased grandfather -- a gentle and loving man...or so she thought. As the story progresses, she realises that she didn't know her beloved Papa as much as she thought she did. In fact, she doesn't even know herself. Sometimes, the deepest secrets are the ones someone has kept about you, and when the closet door creaks open, there's no way of telling what skeletons will fall out. \n I really enjoyed this book, and can't wait to read more in the series.", "32" ], [ "What a perfectly delectable little slice of writing. Great story premise, and well-rounded characters. I feel sort of sorry for poor Adlai, though, Rowena can be a right snotty madam! This is a great start to a series, and I can't wait to find out what Rowena gets up to next. I would definitely recommend this to readers of urban fantasy and paranormal romance.", "53" ], [ "Whilst reading this, I felt a definite connection to each character, and even before a certain pair of thugs redeem themselves, I loved them. It was great to see an author take on so many different cultures in one book and pull it off. You could tell them apart, but not in a cliched way, if you know what I mean? Poor Lisa was just a complete dupe from the get-go, trusting in everyone to look after her so easily. Sad to say some lessons are learned the hard way, and Lisa definitely finds this out as the story progresses. \n I was glad that she got her HEA in the end, 'cos after all the crap she'd been through, she more than deserved it. I loved Julian and would like to read a story about him, with cameos from Vic and Mason of course! All in all, a good solid read. The story reminded me of a favorite movie of mine -- Snatch. Anyone a fan of gritty gangster reads should check this out!", "28" ], [ "This story had great potential, but unfortunately the set up was rushed, and neither character seemed to know what they wanted at any given moment. One second Lila is wondering why Chase won't take a hint and stop stalking her, and the next she's whipping off her clothes in a drunken-sex-she-doesn't-even-remember scene. I didn't like the fact that Chase slept with her even though he knew she was steaming drunk. It just seems seedy. \n The author relied on telling us what was happening, rather than showing us and letting us be a part of what was happening, and sadly, because of this I felt disconnected from the story. \n I would like to see this re-worked, though; as I said, the story had great potential.", "162" ], [ "I would have given this five stars, but the chapters from Elec's POV seemed a bit rushed. \n I loved this story. I guess I'm a sucker for a bad-boy with a nasty attitude, but I definitely would have kicked him into touch on more than one occasion. Poor Greta made of herself a doormat. \n Even though I had issues with the Elec chapters, the rest of the story was written extremely well. The premise was simply delicious, the characters were very well fleshed out and the dialogue between them both was electric. \n There were laugh out loud moments of pure entertainment, tense angst-ridden chapters where I wanted to reach in and smack their heads together, and moments of pure undiluted lust. All in all, a good read and definitely one I will re-read.", "200" ], [ "Five fantastic stars! And every one of them earned. \n Let me see. In the first few chapters, I sobbed. For the rest of the story I alternated between wild hysterical laughter, deep depression and a raging case of lust! \n This story follows two broken people, both connected by the thread of one young man's death. One little omission makes for broken hearts when a rabid ex opens the closet and all the skeletons come falling out. I wanted to throttle that ex. \n What a fantastic story! I loved it from start to finish. Well done, Ms McLoughney - this is by far one of the best indie books I've read in a long time.", "180" ], [ "A very surprising read, indeed. It was nothing like I expected, and more than once I *gigglesnorted* whilst those around me looked to me in confusion. It was a teensy taste of jocularity that has whet my appetite for more! I will certainly look forward to reading more from this author. \n The author's ability to weave such an intriguing tale, making mock of Creationism whilst doing so, is wonderful. As a Christian myself, but also an intelligent and open-minded reader, I found this hilariously good fun. \n I would recommend it to anyone with a lunch-hour to spare!", "112" ], [ "This story starts off somewhat confusing, with all the different characters to keep track of and the time-jumps and flashbacks going on. It seemed a little disorganized, but I stuck with it. I'm glad I did. I enjoyed the book. \n I did think all the half-finished sentences were a bit much (I'm perfectly capable of speech in the throes of passion lol) and the way they both needed each other to calm themselves down -- it made it seem as though if there were any other choice, maybe they wouldn't be together. But, I did like the chemistry between these two, and there was a really good, meaty story at the heart of it all, which I look for in any romance. \n I will read book two, simply to find out if Ian's dream lover is who I think it is.", "200" ], [ "Great storyline, loveable guys, with added intrigue and danger. \n The only downside to this for me personally, was how Peri went from a strong, independent woman, taking down the bad-guys, wary of strangers and basically self-sufficient -- even if she wasn't getting by very well -- to a soppy, love-struck, hormone-riddled girl. But then again, if I'd just found love for the first time in my life, I think I'd be a bit all over the place, too. \n This is a series, so I will be anxiously awaiting Peri's further development. I will definitely be getting the second book, and look forward to learning more about their world and their woes. Can't wait to find out Josef's depth of power, and Peri's untapped strengths. Between the pair of them, methinks Gabe is going to have to start pulling his weight!", "7" ], [ "How does one review one's own work? \n I could tell you how fascinating I find my own characters, and how proud I am of the world they live in, and the magic that makes them tick. I could tell you of the trials and tribulations that they each have to go through to attain the ever elusive Happily Ever After. I could weave an intriguing net built out of the deceit, the cowardice and downright nastiness of those who oppose my heroes, and the shock-waves it causes not just for them personally, but for everyone connected with them. \n I could tell you how hard they fought me on certain things and how stubborn they became when I tried to reign them in. I could tell you how large and life-like they became as they wrote their own stories, using me as a conduit. I could tell you most anything, couldn't I? \n The only thing I can really tell you is, find out for yourself. \n I will leave you with quotes from certain members of the cast, in case you were wanting to speak to them, instead of me.", "164" ], [ "I didn't expect this book. Honestly. I had read some of the reviews, (no spoilers, though) and thought, \"ok, people are enjoying this, so I'll give it a go\", but honestly, I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did. Nor hate it as much as I did. \n I either loved the characters or hated them, but there were none I felt nothing for. \n There I was, thinking this would just be another tale of forbidden love with a HEA at the end. How wrong I was. And even after I finished reading that soul-destroying ending, I kept thinking, \"no, that's just...no.\" \n I literally sat on my couch for minutes after ward, reeling. Tragic, hopeless and disgusting, yes, but you do -- you REALLY do -- find yourself wishing they could have been together. \n If there's one thing I will take away from this story, it's to never judge anyone. The old saying comes to mind, 'walk a mile in my shoes', and after walking several miles in the shoes of both main characters, I just wanted to gather them up, and find somewhere they could just BE.", "110" ], [ "This was a great follow-up to the first book in this trilogy. While the re-start was somewhat confusing at first, the story-line soon caught up. \n The only complaint I have is, I thought Deidre and Theia were the same person all along, and perhaps that was my own fault for not reading properly...but I don't think it was clear. \n Can't wait to finish the third one and see how it all ends. \n One little annoyance I have is...\"he seduces.\" \"I seduce.\" I could have seen less of that.", "107" ], [ "I downloaded this book from Amazon, while perusing the free ebooks. I didn't expect much from a free read, but sometimes you strike gold, and I feel like I've discovered a nice, deep pool of the black stuff right now. \n Well fleshed-out characters, great pacing and intriguing story. \n I finished it in one sitting and have now bought the other two in the trilogy. \n Well played, \"free section\"...well played indeed haha.", "107" ] ]

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[ [ "When I was 14, I would have given all of these books 5 stars. I will still sometimes grab a mercedes lackey book on the way to the bathroom if I'm between books. I think Ms Lackey got me through some particularly icky patches of adolescence.", "87" ], [ "Now that I think about it. I think this was the first science fiction book I ever read. I had to read this in 7th grade for English class. Strange reading selection for an English class, I think. It set me on the road to reading sci-fi. I think I devoured all of Bradbury's books in short order right afterward.", "87" ], [ "I love this book and have reread it at least twice. I'm always trying to get others to read it and no one ever does. On the surface, it's about a shop where once can barter one part of thier psyche or personality for a new or desired trait. Likewise, they can trade off an undesired trait and take another on in exchange, not always with the desired results. It's an interesting but difficult to explain concept. The story culminates in an iteresting, yet not totally surprising way. I think I remember \"putting the peices\" together about 3/4 the way through the book the first time. The writing style reminds me of Douglass Adams. I've never read anything else by this author but would like to.", "79" ], [ "If you haven't read this, you really should. it's easy to discount because it gets so much hype. it took me a while to break down and give in to the peer pressure but I've read it multiple times since then and for a while even carried it around in my work bag to reread sections during down time. i've never done that before with a \"spiritual\" book.", "87" ], [ "I read these because my 9 yr old niece is obsessed with them. The Grimm sisters are the descendants of the original Grimm brothers and are tasked with solving mysteries within a hidden community of exiled fairy tales, including the mystery of their parents' disappearance. Witty and enjoyable with a strong female heroine for young readers to admire. It's kind of embarrassing but I'm really eager to read the two most recent installments.", "32" ], [ "loved it. can't recommend it enough. fulfilled the comic book loving fangirl inside as well as the thoughtful academic who dreamt she'd teach a course in Feminism and Islam to hung-over liberal arts students.", "28" ], [ "Oh my god. I had no idea it was this bad. The social worker in me screams for intervention. I learned a bunch of LDS history though. It's not like my religion classes spent much (or any!) time on Mormon history.", "66" ], [ "The first new comic book (other than buffy) that's hooked me since my Sandman days. These stories are the adult version of the Sister's Grimm books I also reviewed. Exiled characters from well loved fairy tales living secretly in New York. Snow White and the Big Bad Wolf police their secret society from Manhattan and those who can't appear human (ie. the three little pigs, the billy goats gruff, etc) live upstate on a farm. Sexual intrigue, politics, murder and mayham ensue. Not for children! Well drawn and witty.", "36" ], [ "This is a great book. Not for the faint of heart, though. Made me feel anxious and all itchy inside. Good books can do that. Franzen is good at breaking down the base motivations of his characters as they slowly fall apart on the inside (and the outside, for that matter).", "41" ] ]

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[ [ "I knew nothing about Emily Dickinson before reading this book. Now I feel like I have a good running start. As the title suggests, Roger Lundin sets the book against the backdrop of the religious, political and social events of the times and the extraordinary changes that took place in all those areas throughout the 19th century. Despite the fact that Dickinson was an avowed recluse, she was profoundly affected. Despite seeing people on very rare occasions, she read voraciously, kept up with current events and most importantly, carried on many intimate correspondences by letters with dear friends over years, both men and women. Considered an enigma by many, she left behind an incredible legacy of words through her poetry and letters. \n Admittedly I am completely dense when it comes to poetry. Despite the fact that I have written song lyrics, I just don't understand poetry. And here I choose the most difficult of them all to read! But Emily Dickinson is also considered one of the greatest. \n Lundin's book was a page turner for me. I knew I was hooked the moment I whipped out my pencil and started my customary conversation with this book. Many underscores and notes later, I am sad that my read is over. \n As I had hoped, he devoted a chapter to examining some of the poetry she wrote during her most prolific period which aided greatly in my understanding. Against the backdrop of the Civil War for which she had little first-hand contact save the death of friends and neighbors who fought, she fought her own war within herself, a great turmoil that produced her most brilliant work. \n I was most fascinated by her seclusion and how many in her own family accepted it as normal to her character. Her sister-in-law Susan wrote in her obituary the following which I think sums it up perfectly: \n \"Like a magician she caught the shadowy apparitions of her brain and tossed them in startling picturesqueness to her friends ... who fretted that she had so easily made palpable the tantalizing fancies forever eluding their bungling, fettered grasp.\" (pg. 265) \n From Lundin's description of Dickinson I got the impression that she fashioned her life exactly as she wanted it. She saw her limited options as a mid-19th century woman and made her choices. She was indeed fortunately to have family members, especially Lavinia (\"Vinnie\") protecting that choice and allowing her to live it even if they did not begin to comprehend Emily's genius. \n I can't say that I can now go and read Dickinson's poetry and \"get it.\" But I can certainly try. I can also visit her home in Amherst which is only an hour or so away from me. \n How I do love living in New England!", "38" ], [ "In 1868, a writer desperate to pull her family out of a lifetime of poverty sits down at the tiny half-moon desk in her bedroom to begin work on the book she has dreaded writing. Assigned by her publisher to write a \"girl's\" book, Louisa May Alcott draws upon the lives of the only girls she ever knew: herself and her sisters. Declaring their childhood experiences \"queer,\" she writes a semi-autobiographical account of portions of her life through the characters of Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy, and the brother she always longed for, Laurie. Little Women is an instant bestseller, catapulting this relatively unknown author into fame and fortune. \n The Afterlife of \"Little Women\" by Beverly Lyon Clark documents the stunning and continuing impact of this children's book around the world and throughout history. This book is a sumptuous feast for every devoted Little Women/Louisa May Alcott fan. Clark, professor of English and Women's Studies at Wheaton College and one of the leading authorities on children's literature has put together the go-to book about the impact of Little Women on the world since its publication in 1868. \n Clark takes the 147 years of the novel's life and divides it into four historical periods: \n Becoming Everyone's Aunt, 1868-1900 \n Waxing Nostalgic, 1900-1930 \n Outwitting Poverty an War, 1930-1960 \n Celebrating Sisterhood and Passion since 1960 \n What Little Women shows us \n By peering through the lens of Little Women's aftermath, we get a fascinating glimpse into the thinking of the day and how American society in particular saw itself. Though this lens we witness the evolution of children's literature and its impact on Alcott's standing as a serious writer. One point becomes clear: in the end it doesn't matter whether Little Women is considered \"great literature\"; it is here to stay. \n The \"softening\" of Little Women \n Clark's descriptions of the numerous offshoots of Little Women (including books, plays, musicals, movies and television programs) reveal a reoccurring theme: that of softening the enigmatic Jo March in favor of a focus on traditional home and family. This \"softening\" began with the author, allowing herself to be marketed as \"Aunt Jo\" by her publisher, and Roberts Brothers trifling with the text for a revised edition of the book in 1880. Edited were many of the colloquialisms in favor of a more polished dialogue. Character descriptions were modified to reflect gender ideals (as in calling Marmee \"tall\" rather than \"stout\" and \"noble-looking\" rather than \"not particularly handsome.\") (pg. 24). As a smart businesswoman intent on making a profit, proper marketing was always in the forefront of Alcott's mind, and her publisher's as well. Jo March had to be maintained as a \"safe\" inspiration for girls. \n Fun! \n The Afterlife of Little Women is a must-read on so many levels. Let's begin with the \"fun\" factor: \n Detailed analyses of just about every derived book (including spinoffs and online fan fiction), play, musical (including an opera), movie and television program ever made about Little Women \n Statistics regarding sales of the book throughout the years from countries around the world \n Discussion of famous people influenced by Little Women \n A listing and discussion of adult and juvenile biographies of Alcott \n Translations and interpretations of the book \n Analyses of the various illustrations \n And of course, reviews of the work \n i>The Afterlife of Little Women is a wonk's paradise: every detail you ever wanted (and then some) is included in this thoroughly researched book. It documents not only the public's response to Little Women but also those of scholars, critics and librarians. There are times when the statistical information becomes excessive but overall this does not distract from the enjoyment of this work. \n What role did feminism really play? \n I had two small quibbles with this book. First there seems to be an insinuation of twenty-first century feminism into the discussion, particularly with regards to plays and movies produced about Little Women in the early and mid twentieth century. Perhaps this was unconscious on Clark's part but it appears that fault is assigned to these productions for their focus on the more mainstream themes of domesticity and romance rather than Jo's artistic goals and independent spirit. It's likely the mainstream audience of that era was simply not ready for the more feminist message of the story. It does however demonstrate just progressive Alcott was. \n I was also disappointed that the many adult Alcott biographies that have emerged since the 1960's received small mention (since this is a pet interest of mine). Eden's Outcasts was singled out along with Madeleine B. Sterns' definitive biography. I was however quite surprised that Eve LaPlante's Marmee and Louisa did not warrant a mention; nor did Martha Saxton's controversial work or Harriet Reisen and Nancy Porter's PBS documentary, Louisa May Alcott The Woman Behind Little Women. \n These are hardly fatal flaws; this book was a most entertaining and informative read (engaging this reader in a wonderful \"conversation\" with each page book as evidenced by the numerous comments, questions and underscores). \n Little Women lives! \n Little Women is a work that quite likely was an accident of genius. Clark's book plumbs that genius through the incredible depth of interpretation explored by illustrators, reviewers, teachers, librarians, scholars and devoted fans alike. It is this level of interest that continues to ensure Little Women's viability. The Afterlife of Little Women shows clearly why this fascinating and endearing book continues to be read and cherished as a classic.", "139" ], [ "An open mindset is needed when reading Pedlar's Progress by Odell Shepherd -- do not expect a typical biography. In fact, this book on Amos Bronson Alcott is sometimes quite short of actual facts. It is also seriously lacking in objectivity; the biographer is so smitten with his subject that he excuses all of Alcott's fatal flaws, and there were many. DonaEUR(tm)t expect to see a lot of mention of family members (in fact, I think Elizabeth was mentioned more than Louisa). And finally, Shepherd appears to be antagonistic towards women. He is markedly unsympathetic towards the beleaguered yet also very capable and loyal Mrs. Alcott. He is the same towards Elizabeth Peabody, Alcott's faithful (unpaid) teaching assistant at the Temple School in Boston. \n And yet, I savored this book from beginning to end. Why? Because I realized this was in fact, a history of a remarkable mind, the process of its evolution. Beautifully written (albeit old-fashioned), this book has real heart; I was not only taught, I was moved. For the first time I came to understand and appreciate this conundrum that is Amos Bronson Alcott. \n Shepherd was positively heroic (and perhaps obsessed) to read the voluminous papers of this man aEUR\" fifty volumes of journals along with other manuscripts, written in long hand. Having read some of these pages myself, I can attest to the difficulty. Reading someoneaEUR(tm)s handwriting is hard until you figure out the pattern (and Alcott had several different styles of script!). He also was not a good writer and at times it is hard to understand his meaning. Shepherd did grasp it, all of it, and demonstrates his deep understanding in this book. \n There is a companion volume of AlcottaEUR(tm)s journal entries that Shepherd transcribed. While useful, it is frustrating that there is so much about what Alcott read and thought and yet so little about his family life. The former is of course very interesting but it is frustrating not having more of his thoughts on daily life with his family considering how prominently family figured into his philosophy of life.", "90" ], [ "My husband is a big fan of Whitney Strieber and really likes the way he thinks. While I am not interested in the things Strieber writes about, I do think he is a deep thinker. His wife Anne was too and I really enjoyed her columns on their website. She recently passed away and I know the Striebers had a wonderful marriage -- that was the message of Miraculous Journey. \n This is a hard book to read, especially if you have fresh memories of someone you love in intensive care. Reading this book caused me to relive those times in the hospital with my dad and then my mom. I'm okay with that but it does still get quite intense. \n The Striebers really push the edge of the envelope with regards to spiritual matters, other dimensions, life beyond human life, etc. While I don't agree with many of their conclusions, I very much appreciate their thinking process. Nothing was off the table for these folks and in turn, that makes you think! \n Getting back to the message -- descriptions of their marriage and their devotion to each other was very touching, especially now that she has died (long after the book was written). My husband and I are devoted in the same way and I kept thinking of my husband as I read. It was wonderful to read such a life-affirming portrait of marriage. \n While not an easy read, I would definitely recommend this book.", "30" ], [ "I used this book for research and also because of anorexia in my family. While I did not agree with several points in this book, it definitely stirred the pot and opened my mind to new questions to pose; in that sense the book did its job well. \n My complaint is that at times it seemed the authors were trying to jam a square peg into a round hole. And while I am certain it was not their intention, there was a dismissal of those who have suffered from anxious somatic depression (of which anorexia is a part) who did not fit into their tight profile. I realize men did not figure into the equation but men do suffer from the disease. I was also surprised at the lack of mention of substance abuse (especially alcoholism) for those who suffer from the disease. I have family experiences in all these examples. \n I learned things about myself and my own family that I had not previously considered. I recognized things in myself and particularly in my mother's side of the family which really made sense. \n Definitely a worthwhile book.", "57" ], [ "I was first attracted to this book because of the way the type was set up - double spaced! Really easy on the eyes plus lots of room for notes. Father Papavassiliou writes in such a clear fashion. I read this during Lent and was inspired to spend more time in prayer in a disciplined fashion. He makes the Ladder of St. John understandable.", "190" ], [ "John Matteson once stated during a reading from his recently published Little Women Annotated that writing biography is an intensely personal experience. Referring to his Pulitzer-prize-winning Eden's Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father, the duo biography of Louisa May Alcott and her father, he noticed amazing parallels between his life and that of Bronson, both teachers and \"quixotic\" fathers intimately involved in the raising of strong, \"verbal\" daughters; for one thing, the age difference between himself and his daughter were nearly the same (off by just seventeen days). \n That thought of the personal nature of biography sweeps over me as I consider Anne Boyd Rioux's tour de force, Constance Fenimore Woolson: Portrait of a Lady Novelist. In the course of the reading, it became personal for me too. Lingering over this book for months (typical when I am really into a read), scribbling notes in the margin and highlighting paragraphs, I felt I had a profound encounter with a true artist. Woolson was a writer who, while producing works to support herself, never grew weary of doing the very best work she could do until her spirit and body literally gave out. Refusing to follow the path of typical female writers (that of writing for children) she constantly pushed the edge of the envelope, often writing from the point of view of a male lead character. She was relentless in her realism while maintaining a strong connection with the emotions and passions of her characters. She was bold and courageous while all the while, lamenting the fact that she fell short as a woman in her own mind. She longed for her own home and family but writing came first. \n The suffering that Woolson experienced in the last few months of her life were hard to bear as they so resembled my own mother's suffering at the end of hers. As there was controversy surrounding Woolson's death (was it suicide or an accident). Rioux did a wonderful job of presenting both sides of the issue. I walked away thinking one way but acknowledging that the other way was entirely possible. \n Rioux is passionate about bringing Woolson's writing back into academic reading lists. She has released a book known as Miss Grief and Other Stories which I plan on reading next. With what I know now about Woolson, I am eager for this read. \n Woolson became for me an important literary friend, one who challenged me to push a little harder in my writing. I am currently immersed in research for a biography that is intensely personal to me (the story of Elizabeth Sewall Alcott upon whom the character of Beth March is based in Little WomenLittle Women.) and reading Rioux's words inspires me to continue to push on even though much of the time the task seems impossible. \n Reading Woolson's story inspired me to completely rework my blogs, even physically tearing away my Be as One blog from the marketing of my two books (River of Grace: Creative Passages Through Difficult Times and Louisa May Alcott: Illuminated by the Message) -- I now maintain separate sites, one for the blog, the other for the marketing. I had lost my writing voice on my blog and and am still struggling to regain it. Woolson gave me the courage to do that despite all the technical difficulties of such a move. She has also inspired me to be more open and vulnerable in my writing which I have been trying out in my Spiritual Journal on my website. \n If you are a woman writer looking for a such a friend, I highly recommend Constance Fenimore Woolson: Portrait of a Lady Novelist. If you are looking for proof that biographies are indeed personal (stories that are just as engrossing and powerful as any fiction), try out Anne Boyd Rioux's book (and John Matteson's too). You may too walk away with a new friend.", "139" ], [ "SETTING \n Flight of the Sparrow, set for release on July 1, goes back to the beginning of the Puritan settlement in Massachusetts, using historical fiction to portray the devastating consequences of the epic clash between the English and the Native American. The setting is King Phillip's war, taking place in the mid 1670's; its consequences are played out through one Puritan woman and one Nipmuc man. \n MAIN CHARACTERS \n Mary Rowlandson was the wife of a minister in the town of Lancaster. Brown's main character is based upon a real-life woman whose experiences are documented in a book she co-wrote called The Sovereignty and Goodness of God, Together with the Faithfulness of His Promises Displayed, Being a Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson. This religious memoir of her three months as an Indian captive was the first \"best-seller\" in English America (pg. 329). \n James Printer, also known as Wowaus, came from Hassanamesit, a Praying Indian settlement founded by John Elliot who translated the Bible for the Indians to aid in their conversion to Christianity. The remains of Hassanemesit are located in my hometown of Grafton, Massachusetts. \n James Printer helped to set the type for the first edition of Mary Rowlandson's book. For a time after the war he resided in the sole remaining Praying Indian settlement, Natick, just one town over from my childhood home of Wellesley. \n SUMMARY OF STORY \n After the town of Lancaster is attacked and burned, Mary is taken captive along with her three children by the Nipmuc tribe (her husband Joseph was away at the time). In the course of the battle, her sister Elizabeth is wounded and then killed by fire, Mary herself is wounded, and her youngest daughter Sarah is also wounded mortally; she would die several days later as the captives are led away bound with rope. Mary carries Sarah as far as she can, struggling to ease her daughter's pain, knowing there is nothing she could do to save her. Adding to her burden is her separation from her other daughter Marie and son Joss. \n Living in sheer terror from moment to moment during that march, Mary experiences unexpected kindness from James Printer, who frees her from the rope around her neck. It would prove to be the first of several encounters for Mary with this mysterious, handsome and compassionate man. \n COLLISION OF CULTURES \n During the first half of Flight of the Sparrow, Brown describes Mary's captivity, weaving in detailed, colorful and honest descriptions of Native American life. Presenting the beauty and nobility along with the cruelty, Brown brings us into the increasing turmoil of Mary's mind and heart. Terrified of and angry with her captives one moment, she finds herself admiring their way of life in the next. She gradually accepts Indian ways, from the freestyle way of dress to time spent outdoors, finding solace in the beauty that had before eluded her. She experiences the growing pains of a personal horizon expanding, a heart growing, and the old orderly and rigid ways of her life slowly falling away. In her captivity she discovers a freedom of movement and thought denied to her as a Puritan woman. It is a freedom she will sorely miss when she returns to English society. She is frightened to discover that her rock-solid Christian faith, regimented by spoken prayers and long scripture passages, is failing her. In the end she tries to bargain with James Printer to stay with the tribe when her time to be ransomed arrives. \n PERSONAL INVOLVEMENT \n There is of course one other problem: Mary has developed feelings for James and the feelings are mutual. She is able to talk with him freely, expressing herself in ways she never could with her husband Joseph. She finds herself thinking of him and wishing to stay with him despite her status as a married woman. \n INNER TURMOIL \n Brown does an excellent job of presenting the moral dilemmas Mary faces both in her captivity and her restoration to the English. I struggled with her status as a slave and the cruelty she endured and yet rejoiced too at the unexpected generosity and kindness of the captors towards that slave. I empathized with Mary's painful and yet exhilarating transformation as she grew to accept and then love her life with the Indians. I mourned as she was separated from James, the man she truly loved, having to return to the oppressive life she led with Joseph, whom she no longer loved. I felt her grief over Sarah and her concern for her other missing children, her longing to be back with the Indians and her surprising loss of personal freedom as she returned to her old life of repression, rules and propriety. I mourned the loss of her faith and her inability to transcend her Puritan ingraining which favored the letter of the law over than the spirit. While she was able to embrace that all peoples are children of God thus deserving respect and compassion, she could not see that God himself existed beyond the Bible and spoken prayers. \n TURMOIL OF A NATION \n The empathy did not stop with the individual characters. Brown expands that empathy to an entire nation of people who, because they lost King Phillip's war to the English, had their way of life taken from them. Although Brown is equally honest regarding the horrific actions of both sides in the war, the consequences for the Indians prove to be the most heartbreaking. \n THE VALUE OF THE STORY \n The depth of research that went into the creation of Flight of the Sparrow was evident in the compelling and authentic telling of the story. Brown is not hemmed in by the facts but rather uses those facts as a means of letting her imagination create a multi-layered and emotionally satisfying story. The life journeys of Mary and James not only touch the heart but challenge the mind as well. Just as Mr. Emerson's Wife exposed and expanded my narrow way of thinking, Flight of the Sparrow caused me to search my heart when it came to meeting and knowing people who are not like me. While Brown's aim may have been to tell a story about a period she was not familiar with so that she could learn more about her herself and her New England heritage, she has provided that service to this reader as well.", "86" ], [ "I read this book for a couple of reasons, one, because the last of my two children moved out over Christmas and the other, for research for a book I am writing. I found the essays quite useful in helping me to understand how I feel about the kids being gone. I wish there hadn't been so much emphasis on the college experience because to me that's just the dress rehearsal; there was only really one essay (by Ellen Goodman) that explored the years after college and how adult children and parents relate (this is what I was really looking for). \n Still, I found many things to which I could say \"Yes!\" I walked away with a better understanding of the child that just left. It gave me much to ponder for the chapter in my book that will focus on this period. \n I enjoyed the writing. There was one in particular by Jamie Wolf that showed me just how powerfully sensory description can tell a story. I marked off that chapter for future reference.", "30" ], [ "I havn't known a book to affect me so profoundly as My Name is Asher Lev. The conflict is deep, searing, cutting to the core. It helped me to understand better the nature of being a creative person and the sacrifice it takes to be authentic and honest, even to the point of hurting others. The book is a long, slow burn, every page necessary to set up the final conflict. At the end I was racing through, dreading the end as tears sprung to my eyes and yet terribly curious about how the author would resolve the conflict. How grateful I am that there is a part two, The Gift of Asher Lev, now waiting for me at the library, ready to be picked up in just a few minutes. \n I read this book as a means of priming my own creativity as I strive to begin work on my first book which is due one year from now. It's caused me to journal in a way I haven't done before and I can feel the stretching inside from reading it. \n I am grateful to Chaim Potok for writing such a book. I recommend it highly to anyone who takes the creative life seriously and strives to be excellent and to do something truly great with their art.", "30" ], [ "I just finished reading The Journals of Bronson Alcott. I was fascinated, stimulated and deeply moved. Let no one judge Bronson Alcott until they have done a thorough study of his life (which I have not yet done but I've been reading). This man is far more complex and cannot be summed up in a soundbite. He was a brilliant, original thinker, a lover of life and Spirit and a deeply flawed man. It's impossible to do a blog post on this book, there's just too much to ponder. I can only urge you to read for yourself and see what it offers. I can tell you it is the extraordinary evolution of a long and fruitful life with much penetrating commentary and insight on some of the most brilliant people of 19th century America.", "160" ], [ "Transcendental Wife by Cynthia Barton is a wonderful book, totally devoted to the life of Abigail May Alcott, mother of Louisa May Alcott, the model of \"Marmee\" in Little Women. Barton writes with economy and stays laser focused on her subject which is Abigail. If you want to find out more about Louisa, you won't find it here, at least directly. By learning about Abigail, you will certainly see how Louisa emerged to be the woman and writer that she was. \n I have read Eve LaPlante's book, Marmee and Louisa and while I enjoyed that book very much (especially because of LaPlante's unique perspective as a living relative of Abigail), I preferred Barton's treatment. Barton did not treat Abba as a perennial victim but rather a woman who successfully fought through tremendous adversity to realize great success in her \"girls\": Anna, content and successful in her chosen domestic life, Louisa, world-famous author and dutiful daughter who cared for her dear mother right up to the end, and May, accomplished artist, gracious woman, independent and happy. \n In Barton's description, Abba is, in fact, complicit with Bronson. She loved him to the end. Oh yes, she had many misgivings about his utopian schemes and suffered greatly as a result of his principles which \"prevented\" him from being gainfully employed. But as Barton pointed out during Abba's stint as a social worker, Abba was equally dedicated to HER principles and like Bronson, \"failed\" in her employment because of those principles (feeling compelled to resign her position as a missionary to the poor because her sponsors, a collective of wealthy women did not match her commitment to helping the poor to find work and lift themselves out of poverty). \n Abba did feel it necessary to take over the care of the family and learned to rise as an equal to her husband in every respect - as a human being and as a Christian. I found this evolution to be especially interesting as she worshiped him originally, placing herself pretty much at his feet as a disciple. That she was able to still love him, and love his ideals, and love his commitment to principles is pretty amazing. \n The last paragraph of the book contains a touching line from Louisa's journal which brought a tear to my eye, reminding me of how vested I had become in the life of Abigail Alcott. \n Transcendental Wife is not an easy book to find but if you are seriously interested in the Alcott family, I highly recommend this book as essential reading. LaPlante's book is necessary too but Transcendental Wife definitely presents the more balanced picture. \n As a side note, Barton presents some new information on Elizabeth Alcott including a touching letter to her mother dated August of 1853. If you are interested in Lizzie as I am, you will consider this a find. \n Transcendental Wife is cited by many Alcott scholars and for good reason.", "139" ], [ "I read this book as research for a project and found it to be far more than just a clinical history of a disease. Since anorexia nervosa is a psychological disease influenced by personal family history and societal culture, I got a wonderful overview of the social history of food and women particularly over the 19th and 20th centuries where the disease is prevalent. \n Anorexia was first specified as a disease in the 1870s by both British and French doctors. Freud had not yet hit the scene so anorexia was pretty much discussed and treated as a strictly medical ailment. Often described as a \"wasting disease\" similar to TB in the ravages upon the body due to extreme weight loss, anorexia baffled many with regards to treatment because the mind and the emotions were not yet considered. French physician Dr. Lasegue attempted to discuss the influence of the family dynamic upon the patient and cited unrequited love from a male suitor as a possible cause. \n Dr. Brumberg describes the Victorian culture of the Gilded Age, describing a petrie dish of conditions for the disease. There is way too much to get into here - all I can say is if you love social history, you will enjoy her analysis and find it enlightening. I found myself wondering if anorexia was perhaps at the level it is at today considering the conditions, but it was too new a disease at the time and was not always diagnosed. \n She then gets into the twentieth century with the decline of the religious, self-sacrificing life and the rise of the Cult of Self (my words), describing the rapid changes throughout the century. She describes the growth of the beauty and diet industries, striving to achieve essentially the same goal as the Victorians sought to achieve by different means - attracting the right man. \n You may want to read this book to learn more about anorexia nervosa but I highly recommend it also (especially in the last few chapters) for those interested in an overview of social change for women and society.", "57" ], [ "This book is worth the mental gymnastics! I am pouring over it slowly and am really enjoying it. For the first time I am able to understand what Emerson is saying thanks to the commentary by the author. Although I instinctively understand Emerson's meaning I do have a hard time reading his words. This book really caused me to think and wrestle with what was being said (plus I found myself needing dictionary.com with me at all times to look up words - great way to build vocabulary). I just recently visited Emerson's house in Concord and thought of this book as I could feel the vibe in the house. There was a tremendous sense of tranquility and beauty there; having a better understanding of how Emerson thought made that visit so much more meaningful. I highly recommend this book if you want a better understanding of what shaped Emerson's spirituality which is the essence of the man himself.", "156" ], [ "In my quest to learn more about what goes on in the mind of a sufferer of Anorexia Nervosa, I turned to this book after it was mentioned in Little Girl Blue: The Life of Karen Carpenter. I didn't expect much out of this book but I was quite surprised at candid the author was about her illness. It was the perfect follow-up to Little Girl Blue in that now I was getting into the mind of the person who had the disease. \n O'Neill tiptoed around her parents which was one part of the book I found disappointing. In fact, she gave a tantalizing tease later in the book when she talked about her therapy but again, did not reveal any details. I was not interested in seeing her parents trashed in public (and it's obvious she loves her parents) but family interaction plays such a role in the disease that it was a critical part of the story that was missing. \n I finally understand what an anorexic sees in the mirror. I never understood the whole distorted body image thing but O'Neill explained it very well. And while I was somewhat familiar with the obsessions and rituals that anorexics go through with food (having seen it in my own family), I was shocked at the self-abuse O'Neill imposed on herself. It's a miracle she didn't suffer more permanent health consequences from the things she did. She spared no detail which made for some rough reading. I learned a lot from reading it. \n I was convinced that O'Neill wrote this book to help others. Why else would you lay out your life in that way? It certainly was not going to do her reputation any good for people to know such intimidate details. O'Neill had shared her manuscript with Karen Carpenter hoping it would help her, and she also befriended Carpenter. \n O'Neill's insights are sharp and clear. I never felt like her story was self-indulgent in any way. Her husband came off as human, struggling to understand the disease as she did. They both, however also came off as courageous and committed to O'Neill's recovery. \n Do not be put off because O'Neill is a Christian or because she is Pat Boone's daughter. This is not squeaky clean reading by any means. There is no \"miracle;\" instead there is hard work, failure, and climbing back up the hill yet again to recovery. \n A key factor to O'Neill's recovery was her ability to turn her focus to others and away from herself. A mission trip to Hawaii with her husband that was only supposed to last two months lasted two years and had an amazing healing effect. This was no vacation; there was a lot of hard work involved. But that focus on the welfare of others really made a difference in her life. \n I enjoyed hearing from her parents in their letters at the end of the book, and especially from her husband Dan and her therapist, Dr. Vath. Dan O'Neill employed the use of Elisabeth Kubler-Ross' stages of grief (for death or a terminal illness) to describe his and Cherry's journey through anorexia. It was most enlightening. And Dr. Vath provided much needed medical input which was easy to read and understand. \n I recommend this book if you have a loved one with this terrible disease. I have found it very helpful in deepening my understanding of my family member and our family in general.", "57" ], [ "I am doing research on Anorexia Nervosa for a novel I plan on writing and instantly thought of Karen Carpenter as a place to start. Little Girl Blue turned into much more than just a book for research. Randy Schmidt revealed a life that was was very sad. Here was a woman who supposedly had it all and yet had so little in the end. It is unfortunate that Schmidt could not talk to Karen herself but given the nature of anorexia, he wouldn't have gotten much out of her. Anorexics are masters at deception, denial and lying. It is an addiction not to food but to control over one's body, especially when that person has no control over anything else in their life. \n I also regret that the family would not cooperate but from what I gathered in this book, they were in as much denial as Karen. No one truly understood the nature of this disease. The parents are dead, only Richard Carpenter survives. \n Agnes Carpenter is shown to be a difficult, obsessive-compulsive and cold woman towards her daughter. She greatly favored her son at the expense of her daughter, never giving Karen the credit she deserved for the Carpenters' success. No matter how brilliantly Richard played the piano, chose songs or arranged them, it was the voice of Karen that sold them to the public. To Agnes, it was all about her darling boy achieving success. And Karen was locked into that formula whether she wanted it or not. \n Most times Karen did want it, revering her brother as her mother did. But she was so locked in that she could not break out and lead an independent life. Two chapters in the book were especially heartbreaking. One dealt with Karen's desire to record a solo album, allowing her the ability to explore and expand her artistry. Richard at the time was hospitalized due to an addition to quaaludes so Karen took the opportunity to fly to New York from their LA home to work with producer Phil Ramone. Ramone nurtured Karen in her exploration and together they made a worthy and personal recording. Karen received much encouragement from industry professionals and performers including Paul Simon, Billy Joel and Olivia Newton-John. The return home should have been triumphant but instead was devastating. Her family and her label utterly rejected the album, threatened by its very existence. Fearing that Karen would not wish to resume work with Richard as the Carpenters, the entire family trashed her creation. Her label, A&M, was no more supportive. Agnes and Richard were particularly cruel. This proved to be the first nail in her coffin. \n The second, which followed soon after, was her disastrous marriage to Tom Burris. Surprisingly he was accepted by her family when other men had not, but I believe it was because he was not in the industry and thus not deemed as a threat. They were so wrong. Burris ended up being a gold digger. He deceived Karen about a vasectomy he had had years earlier, telling her just before the wedding. Since having children was a top priority for her, Karen felt betrayed and wanted to cancel the wedding. Instead Agnes pressured her into marrying him for appearances sake, telling her that she had made her bed and now had to lie in it! \n Second nail in the coffin. \n Karen tried to seek help but it was on her terms. She never was able to truly let go and allow someone else to help. A poster child \"good girl,\" she could give it all away but had an impossible time receiving love, affection and praise. She did not feel worthy of treatment. \n Schmidt draws upon close friends and colleagues for the material in Little Girl Blue. Given the resources he had (and lack of access to family), he did a good job of bringing Karen's story to light. \n Schmidt, a schoolteacher by day, is a huge Carpenters' fan who channeled his passion into a fan site for several years. Known for his meticulous the thorough research in the Carpenters fandom world, he earned the trust of Karen's closest associates and ended up writing a book that read like a novel. It was taut, poignant and objective. \n As a singer, I loved reading the description of Karen's voice by industry professionals and had no idea she sang so softly as her voice sounds so full and big on the recordings. I have always enjoyed listening to her singing through headphones because the subtle nature of her phrasing and interpretation would otherwise be missed. Her singing is effortless, nearly perfect and yet tinged with melancholy. \n If you are a fan of the Carpenters, I highly recommend this book. With regards to my research, it aided me greatly and was a good first choice, ushering me into more reading on the subject of anorexia.", "139" ], [ "Don't be fooled by the cover - it doesn't begin to tell the story. This is a gorgeous oversized edition (measuring 9\" x 10\" x 2\") with an elegant choice of typefaces, filled with color plates, letters written by Louisa and her publisher Thomas Niles and commentary on each page which enhances the reading experience. Shealy introduces the book with an interesting essay about the extensive revisions made to the text between its original publication in 1868 and the revised version in the 1880s. In many respects the revisions were a response to negative criticism about the slang Alcott used throughout the book being a poor example for children! Fortunately Shealy uses the original text which is more vibrant and real. A second essay includes photos of each of the main players from the Alcott family. Alcott drew from the deep well of her personal life to bring Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy, Marmee and Laurie to life. Shealy includes analysis of the era, fascinating anecdotes and great trivia. If you love Little Women, you will want this edition as a keepsake to pass down to children and grandchildren.", "68" ], [ "Pat Gohn, writer, speaker and host of the popular SQPN podcast, \"Among Women\" presents in her debut book, Blessed, Beautiful and Bodacious: Celebrating the Gift of Catholic Womanhood a new brand of feminism based upon the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary and writings by John Paul II where he coined the phrase \"feminine genius.\" In her brand of feminism, there is no holding back: \"The most excellent women, the bodacious women, are women who authentically live their dignity and gifts. They don't keep beauty and blessing to themselves. They lovingly lavish it upon others ... their ability to stretch and serve sends positive ripple effects into the world.\" \n This is about power but not the power of domination over men. It's the power to be fully female. And that power is drawn from within, from the Source that created women in the first place. \n Pat also grew up during the women's liberation movement. She was ambitious, wanting to make her mark in the world: \"I was schooled in the cultural cliche that told women that you are what you do. My generation was among the first expected to compete with men - not rely on them or trust them ... There was so much to achieve and I was an eager achiever.\" (pg. 12) \n Pat was also a spiritual woman, devoted to her Catholic faith. She found increasing disparity between grasping for outer achievement and \"living from the inside out.\" It didn't seem to add up. \n Marriage and motherhood only served to aggravate her frustration. She could no longer live for her own desires and ambitions; there were others to consider. Priorities had to be set - what was most important? \n It was here and frequently throughout the book that I kept writing, \"That's me!\" or \"Me too!\" in the margins. Pat's candid sharing of her life experience and how she eventually reconciled it through a growing knowledge and devotion to Mary mirrored my own life. \n Pat's message is especially important to women of my generation and before. Too many times I have witnessed women who have no sense of their own worth, who don't love themselves enough to take time for themselves, to nurture themselves. They spend every last bit of love and energy on those around them and often without recompense. I have seen such women sad, depressed and burnt out. All this even though these same women grew up seemingly enjoying the advantages of women's liberation. \n I long for these women to read chapters 4-7 where Pat spells out the beautiful gifts of women: receptivity, generosity, sensitivity and maternity. \n * Receptivity: the capacity to recognize and receive love. Seeking out and drawing in those around us into relationship. \n * Generosity: the giving of ourselves to others, the natural extension of receptivity - we receive love, therefore we give love. \n * Sensitivity: sensing and discerning things of the heart, those things of God. Sometimes called feminine intuition, sensitivity allows us to read others and attend to their needs as a result. \n * Maternity: giving life, whether literally (as in having a baby) or figuratively in the way we care for others. \n These are the gifts to cherish, the ones that make a true difference in the lives of others. This is what Pat means by \"living from the inside out.\" These gifts must be nurtured from within, connected intimately with the God who gave them. They are what changes lives forever for the good. \n Pat writes often of Mary as the courageous example because of her unwavering \"yes\" to God to bear His son. This \"yes\" wasn't a \"yes\" of duty but one given in trust despite not knowing how it would impact her life. She joyfully accepted her role and couldn't wait to share the news with her cousin, Elizabeth. It was a \"yes\" that would lead to glorious blessings and deep suffering, all of which she pondered in her heart. Pat writes: \"Submission to God's plan is anything but a weak choice ... Being a loving and faithful servant did not demean Mary; it fulfilled her ... Mary helped me find the grace I needed to lay down my old self-centered ways - in exchange for a new a joyful feminine love that embraced others without fear and without having to receive something in order to give.\" (pg. 57) \n Blessed, Beautiful and Bodacious affirms the choices I made for my children back when I was a young mother. It affirms the path I take today, growing in faith and learning how to give away all the love I receive from my God within. Pat's journey was my journey and I believe it may be yours, too. It's a journey, and a book, that I can heartily recommend.", "93" ], [ "I read this book in 6th grade and decided to read it again when I heard that Jean Craighead George had passed away. It's been 44 years since I've read this book and I loved it just as much this time as I did the last time. Sure, you have to suspend belief for this story to work (I mean really, a boy, Sam Gribley. just coming into his teens knows how to survive in the wild and can create interesting meals out of what he finds in the forest and can make his own clothes?) but it's such an engrossing story (and a tempting idea) that it's easy to just go with the flow. \n Of course I thought of Henry David Thoreau as I read this book (Sam is even referred to as \"Thoreau\" by a friend). Unlike Thoreau though, Sam slowly comes to realize he needs human companionship and welcomes his family moving into his forest space (yes, this required suspending belief too, along with his parents never really looking for him except for his father showing up at one point). \n My sister and her husband own 2 primitive cottages in the woods of Ashburnham, MA on Lake Winnekeag - I told her to make sure she reads My Side of the Mountain on the porch of her cottage. It's the perfect summer read for nature lovers.", "100" ], [ "I read this book a long time ago when I was in the 6th grade. I had a major love of horses back then and remember reading this in our school's reading book that had selected chapters from books to get you to read the whole book. It hooked me on The Wild Heart (and on Jean Cleghorn George's My Side of the Mountain too). I remember impatiently waiting for WEEKS for this book to be available to take out of the school library and it was so worth it. If you have a daughter with a fetish for horses and you can find this book (it's quite rare), get it!", "87" ], [ "I was absolutely ga-ga over horses as a kid. The Charleston Chew candy bar had a contest where you could win a horse - I schemed and dreamed of keeping it in our very suburban garage! A Pony for the Winter fed that dream big time! I never won the contest though. :-(", "121" ], [ "I wanted to read this book because I was curious about the Cultural Revolution. Last fall I got to visit the Chinese house at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA http://www.pem.org/sites/yinyutang/ - the entire house was brought over piece by piece - it had been in the same family for over 200 years. There was an audio tour narrated by Amy Tan. I had never heard of the Cultural Revolution before and became quite curious about it. \n Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress is about two teenage boys who, along with hundreds of thousands of others, were exiled to the countryside for \"re-education.\" The crime of the narrator and his best friend, Luo? They were sons of doctors who were considered enemies of the people. In the course of the story, they meet the Little Chinese Seamstress, a beautiful girl full of spirit but lacking in learning whom Luo falls in love with. \n The boys come across a magnificent treasure - a suitcase full of forbidden books, all Western, translated into Chinese. One author in particular, Balzac, captures their fancy and transforms all their lives, most especially the Seamstress. \n The book is short and fast-paced and is very informative. Dai Sijie, the author, writes with clarity. His descriptions were graphic - I could really feel all that the characters were going through from the work detail to the treacherous terrain and travel conditions, to sickness, and to desperation. \n The underlining theme of the book was the transforming nature of reading and stories, how they broaden and stretch the mind and the heart, taking you to new places. As a relatively new reader, this has been my experience so far, especially in the last year. I've come across books that I classify as \"game-changers\" because they altered my thinking. These characters go through a similar transformation. \n Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress transported me to a place and time of great significance and I was glad to be able to visit. For one thing, it helped me to better appreciate all the blessings I have living here in the US where thought and learning are not stifled. \n Thanks to my friend Nancy for the referral!", "64" ], [ "The Glory Cloak by Patricia O'Brien is an historical novel featuring Louisa May Alcott and Clara Barton. It covers the Civil War through the eyes of a fictitious Alcott cousin, Susan Gray, who comes to live with the Alcotts after being orphaned. Susan becomes Louisa's constant companion, confidant and critic. Together they volunteer to serve as nurses in the Civil War where they meet Clara Barton; eventually Susan will work with Clara to continue her service in a most extraordinary way. \n The Glory Cloak moves so quickly that I could have read it in one sitting if the time had presented itself. It was a blessing at the gym, seeing as I hadn't worked out in three weeks. I was so engrossed in the story that I forgot all about my aches and pains! \n The story begins with a 1997 discovery of Clara Barton's office on the third floor of a building in Washington slated to be torn down. This is the office where Barton, with just a handful of volunteers, sought (successfully) to find and identify thousands of missing dead soldiers. This story, based on fact, is crucial to the plot. \n Through her made-up characters (Susan Gray, John Sulie (based on the real life character of John Suhre from Hospital Sketches), Belle Poole, Liddy Getty), O'Brien takes the reader deep into the horror of a Civil War hospital inundated with wounded. She also takes us into the minds of her real characters, most especially Louisa May Alcott and Clara Barton. \n I have never read anything before on Clara so I cannot judge how realistic her portrayal was in the story. However, my interest was piqued and I plan on finding out more about her. \n I do know Louisa fairly well and was intrigued with the theories that O'Brien floated about her throughout the story. I am going to explore those theories in detail on my blog at http://louisamayalcottismypassion.wor.... \n Susan Gray and her family visited the Alcotts for a week or two twice every year. Outspoken and spirited like her cousin, she and Louisa, ten years her senior, became close life-long friends. When Susan's family was wiped out by a typhoid epidemic, she wrote to Louisa, asking to be taken in. \n Susan delighted in Louisa's brash and boyish ways. In one scene, the two girls are sitting in an apple tree; Louisa dares Susan to climb to a high branch and hang upside down by her knees. Eager to please though terrified at the thought, Susan complies and is secretly proud of herself for being so audacious. \n It was this theme of the \"dare\" that would be repeated throughout the book. \n The title of the book refers to a special real-life cloak made for the Alcott girls for their theatricals. Louisa came to use it whenever she wrote (complete with a hat) and while stories abound as to how it came into her possession, it was Lizzie (aka Beth in this story) who bequeathed the robe to Louisa despite her own fondness of it: \n \"Beth laughed, removing the wrap. 'Oh girls, it's too much for me. Lou, you're the only one who can wear this and do it justice. You have the flair for it.' \n 'No -' Lou began to protest. \n Beth was firm. \"It's your cloak, It's your glory cloak. You will do wonderful things wearing it, I am sure of it.' \" \n It continued to be Louisa's costume of choice whenever she would disappear into her vortex of writing. \n Susan came to live with the Alcotts shortly after Lizzie had died. Louisa was establishing herself as the breadwinner of the family through her writing, and Susan, wishing also for purpose, used her talents as a hat maker in the local shop in downtown Concord. \n Susan noticed immediately how duty-bound and somber her cousin had become. Scarred and yet motivated by all she had lost, Louisa was bound and determined to be the Alcott breadwinner and even tried to discourage Susan from working in the local shop, claiming that the Alcotts were \"above\" being merchants. \n As the Civil War began to rev up, Louisa and Susan became restless, eager to become a real part of the action. Hearing that nurses were needed, they volunteered and set off together on their grand adventure to Washington, D.C. (known as Washington City at the time). They had no idea what they were getting into. \n Both sheltered and prim, Susan and Louisa see a much broader view of the world at the Union Hospital. Here O'Brien introduces several colorful characters including the worldly Liddy Getty and the unscrupulous assistant head nurse, Belle Poole. \n The Glory Cloak uses Louisa's Hospital Sketches and greatly expands upon the descriptions of pain, horror and death. Details are gruesome - there is no romanticizing here, especially when the wounded begin streaming in from the disastrous Battle of Fredericksburg. \n It is here that we meet the focal point of the novel, John Sulie. \n O'Brien describes John as Alcott described him: large, manly, exceedingly handsome. But while Louisa's description in Hospital Sketches is that of a noble saint, O'Brien's Sulie is rougher, mysterious and very well-read. Louisa is immediately attracted to him and the feeling is mutual. It begins with discussions of Milton and Whitman (Walt Whitman even makes a cameo appearance) and soon the chemistry between the two is obvious. \n However, Louisa is not the only one attracted to Sulie - so is Susan. John Sulie becomes a major test to their friendship. \n Eventually Louisa is sent home nearly dying of typhoid and Sulie disappears. Both she and Susan are greatly changed by their \"grand adventure\" and the deep sorrow that came of it. Louisa loses herself in her writing and Susan seeks greater purpose. Enter (again) Clara Barton. \n Clara Barton has achieved a noble reputation for her nursing of the wounded in the field. Now she is obsessed with finding all the missing soldiers. \n Susan offers to help but this time Louisa does not follow her cousin. Instead she goes to Europe as a companion to invalid Emma Weld (based on Anna Weld). Duty supersedes adventure for Louisa. \n Clara and Susan, along Liddy Getty and Tom Cassidy, a soldier Susan had nursed who was sweet on her, work to answer thousands of letters from distraught families looking for their husbands and sons. Enter again John Sulie who holds the answer. \n What follows is a breathtaking series of events (some tragic) that test the mettle of Susan's friendship with Louisa. These events also demonstrate the amazing strength of one woman, Clara Barton, and the astonishing things she was able to accomplish. \n I loved this book! I haven't lost myself in a story this much since reading Gone with The Wind. The Glory Cloak is not nearly so epic, but it is powerful. I am so glad I had read Gone with the Wind because The Glory Cloak gives a decidedly northern point of view on the war. I found myself thinking of the southern side as presented through Scarlett O'Hara while reading O'Brien's take. \n The historical details are fascinating, especially the many references to personal feminine life such as hygiene and the change of life. I had always wondered how women in the 19th century dealt with these issues - now I have an idea. \n Susan Gray proved to be a terrific vehicle for getting in the heart, mind and soul of Louisa as well as other members of the Alcott family. It's obvious which members of the family O'Brien found most interesting. Younger sister May was very Amy-like, yet still quite likable. Lizzie was hardly mentioned as if O'Brien didn't know what to do with her. Anna played a small role but was beautifully presented. \n O'Brien's contempt for Bronson was palpable - the man could do nothing right! I found her presentation of Abba to be quite curious at first and couldn't really figure out what she thought of her until I reached the end of the book. \n If historical fiction is meant to tempt us to find out more then O'Brien did her job well. Clara Barton was very interesting to me. The second half of the book focused on her and what a powerhouse she was! She lived the life of an autonomous, fiercely independent spinster woman with nobility and power. All I can say is, \"Wow!\" \n I appreciated that O'Brien could be provocative without openly poking the reader with jabs (which is what I am finding with Geraldine Brooks' March). The Glory Cloak showed this newbie writer just how bold one must be to write convincing historical fiction, especially if that fiction is based upon real-life, well-loved characters. O'Brien's theories were backed up with thoughtful, well-executed and believable scenarios. She reinforced what I've long suspected, that one must dig very deep and set the imagination free to succeed at writing something that will carry the reader away and touch the heart. Writing is not for the fainthearted!", "177" ], [ "The Chosen by Chaim Potok has shot to the top of my list of best books. Although the subject matter is mysterious, maybe even a bit obscure (a detailed look at the life of Orthodox and Hasidic Jews), the theme is universal: friendship, father and son relationships, understanding between peoples. \n The story centers around two fifteen-year-old boys: Reuven Malter, an Orthodox Jew, and Danny Saunders, an Hasidic Jew. Reuven's father is a well-respected scholar and professor while Danny's father is a rabbi and the head of his community (also known as a tzadick). The Hasidic community is walled off from the rest of the world in their own neighborhood in New York City. Their manners of life, dress and speech date back hundreds of years. The men especially are easily identified by the long, curly locks of hair, black suits, black hats and long beards. \n Danny and Reuven meet during an inter league softball game. Danny's team is known for being particularly brutal in competition - this is played out when Reuven, as pitcher, is struck in the head and left eye by a ball batted by Danny, deliberately towards the pitching mound. \n Reuven ends up in the hospital and eventually Danny comes to visit him. At first the two do not get along as Reuven harbors anger against him. Reuven's father, however, encourages Reuven to befriend Danny, an unusual request since Hasids and Orthodox rarely mixed. Professor Malter knows of Danny and feels that Reuven needs to befriend him. The reason becomes clearer as the story progresses. \n Danny is not aware at first that Professor Malter is Reuven's father. Danny, it turns out, is exceedingly brilliant and constantly hungry for knowledge. He spends all of his free time at the public library and Professor Malter has been counseling him on what to read and discussing it with him. Reuven soon takes over that role and becomes Danny's confidant. \n This friendship proves to be a lifeline for Danny who does not enjoy a typical relationship with his own father. Although they love and respect each other deeply, Reb Saunders believes in raising his son \"in silence.\" He only speaks to Danny when they study and discuss the Talmad together (the Talmad is the central core of Judiasm, except for the Torah. Much time is spend in studying and understanding it). Reuven is Danny's confidant, and in some important cases, also the means by which Reb \"speaks\" to Danny. \n The Chosen is set in the 1940s during WWII, beginning when the boys are in high school and ending when they graduate from college. The war and its outcome (especially the release of information about the Holocaust) has a tranforming effect upon all the main characters in the story. In the midst of this, Danny is going through his own transformation, eventually having to make a very difficult and painful decision. \n I wept at the end of The Chosen. The writing was so beautiful, the sentiments so timely and poignant. The ending was unexpected and most satisfying. \n The book took on a deeper meaning when I read Chaim Potok's biography. He himself was an Hasidic Jew and there are autobiographical elements to the story. \n I read the Chosen because I want to learn how to write better. This book had been recommended to me for years by my father who was an avid reader. Potok writes exactly the way I would like to write - succinct with just enough description so that you feel a part of the scene. He tells you just enough, but not all, and the result is the mystery that is added as you wonder about the things he hasn't told you. It made the book a real page-turner. \n Character development has always been the most important thing for me and I fell in love with these characters. They were so real to me even if their life experiences were very different from mine. For example, several times in the book, there are intellectual and theological discussions between characters (Danny and his father, Reuven and Danny, Reuven and his college professor, Reuven, Danny and Danny's father) that are as exciting to me as any action-packed movie. I am no towering genius myself but I appreciate it in others and love to watch true intellects do battle. These \"battles\" in The Chosen are exhilarating and fun. \n Potok's use of description and dialog especially are wonderful and I plan to retype sections of the book so I can better absorb his methods. \n I can't recommend this book highly enough! It now shares first place with Gone with the Wind (the most fun book I've ever read) and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (most exciting)). The Chosen is the most meaningful.", "72" ], [ "I enjoyed this book a great deal. Ms. Atkins took the liberty of fleshing out certain characters who before either had no life or were pretty two-dimensional. One of those characters was the tragic son (William) of Charles Lane, the money and one of the minds behind Fruitlands (along with Bronson Alcott). William deserved a life and Atkins gave him one. She also made saintly Anna, Louisa May Alcott's older sister, seem more like a regular young girl, competitive with her sister, even catty at times. Much more fleshed out. \n The whole idea of Fruitlands is exceedingly complex and Atkins did a very good job of explaining it in simple and concise terms that anyone could understand. \n One episode in the book felt too \"current\" and frankly, a little too grown-up for children's reading, thus the reason for only 4 stars. \n Otherwise, very entertaining and informative book!", "32" ], [ "Reading the last few words, I slowly closed Mr. Emerson's Wife and felt a welling up inside of emotion. I was so tied to the character of Lidian Jackson Emerson that I felt they were her emotions too. \n This is how Amy Belding Brown's book hit me. I lived inside of Mr. Emerson's Wife for the last couple of weeks, crawling inside the head, the skin and the heart of Lidian Jackson Emerson. I loved Mr. Emerson as she loved him, felt the bitter disappointment and anger of promises not kept, and swooned over Henry David Thoreau, sensing the touching of souls as he and Lidian grew closer to each other. \n A growing appreciation for words \n There are times when I am so grateful I am a slow reader! Although this book could be read very quickly, it shouldn't be. I savored every line, for the first time really appreciating the art of writing and how beautifully words could express thoughts, feelings and actions. \n The value of words has been on my mind a lot lately. In my spiritual reading, I read how Jesus Christ is known in the gospel of John as The Word. In a book by Fr. Alexander Schmemann called Great Lent: Journey to Pascha, the Orthodox priest writes about idle talk and how words can be as equally life affirming and devastating, and how we as humans are the only creatures gifted with the ability to make words. It's an awesome gift that carries a solemn responsibility. \n Books like Mr. Emerson's Wife fill me with desire to savor more words, and to commit more words to paper (and computer). I am eternally grateful to Meg North who suggested on her blog that aspiring writers should have their trusty notebook and favorite pen with them at all times. I do (in fact I have separate notebooks for different things I'm researching, and each has its own favorite pen). I love composing on the computer but there's something very organic and cool about writing with a pen and getting the smudged ink on my fingers. \n But I digress. I'd like to offer some final thoughts on Lidian Jackson Emerson and her relationships with Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau as imagined by Amy Belding Brown (with a lot of historical facts to back up her theories). \n Among my top favorite books \n Mr. Emerson's Wife is the most emotionally engaging book I've ever read and ranks right up there with my other top 3: Gone With the Wind, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Little Women. Gone With the Wind was a sweeping epic with fascinating characters and a take on the South by a true southerner which challenged some of my perceptions about the pre and post Civil War South. It was the most fun I'd ever had reading. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was the right book at the right time as my children were the same age as Harry, Hermione and Ron (and my Stephen is like Harry). That synchronicity will unfortunately never happen again. And I reveled in the domestic spirituality, sisterhood and semi-autobiographical nature of Little Women. \n An honest commentary on marriage \n Mr. Emerson's Wife moved me so because Brown made Lidian, Waldo and Henry leap off the pages straight into my mind and heart. They truly were flesh and blood people to me, navigating the complexities of marriage, friendship, life, death and love in Victorian New England. Brown wrote an honest and balanced commentary on marriage which not only applied then, but applies today. Despite the fact that I've enjoyed an unusually happy marriage for the last 32 years, I could still keenly identify with some of the trials that Lidian went through with Mr. Emerson (as she called him). The world still revolves around the man on occasion in this 'enlightened' age. Yet, because of this book, I felt compelled to remark to my husband how truly lucky I was to have him as my lifelong companion; I came to appreciate our marriage even more. \n Awakened feminism \n This book awoke in me a renewed care and concern for women and their place in the world. The political nature of feminism today long ago turned me off to women's issues (particularly the obsession with Pro Life/Pro Choice - I am Pro Life). When I was a young mother, I felt left behind by feminists, feeling undervalued as a mother and wife. While reading Mr. Emerson's Wife, I sensed that my eyes were opening, seeing things around me (even in my own family) that told me the battle for women's rights (particularly in the area of health) is far from over. I feel a much stronger obligation to guide my 22 year old daughter in the right direction, making sure that she is tending to her education and her development. Fortunately she already has a strong sense of herself and does not base her entire existence upon having a man in her life (even though she is in a serious relationship with a wonderful young man). \n Lidian's struggles \n Lidian struggled with a brilliant and revered husband who was often cold and indifferent (and yet entertained the vivacious Margaret Fuller on regular occasions, inviting her to live in their home, and taking long walks at night with her, both lost in discussion). She competed with the memory of a young, beautiful and saintly first wife whom Emerson spoke of frequently in a voice filled with grief and loss. Her own excellent mind and creative energies were subjugated to her husband's whims and demands with little regard to her needs. Suffering much injustice, her frustration at times was very high (especially when she had to hold her tongue) and I felt that frustration keenly. A successful marriage, of course, does take two and Brown subsequently, does not place all the blame on Emerson as Lidian could wield a sharp tongue and could be demanding and unforgiving in her own way. She also made the mistake of being lost in her children at the expense of her husband. Marriage is, if anything, a delicate balance. \n Lidian and Waldo experienced several devastating losses in their married life, beginning with the death of Waldo's younger brother Charles, Henry's brother John, and culminating with the loss of their first-born son Waldo at the tender age of 5. Grief can sometimes bring couples together but in this case, it drove them apart. Emerson's reaction to grief was to shut down and shut out the world, losing himself in intellectual and philosophical pursuits, while Lidian needed to express her feelings. This along with other things caused her to turn to Henry David Thoreau for consolation and friendship. \n Thoreau came across as a much warmer man than I had imagined even though he was also equally brilliant, complex and contradictory. I had always thought of him as so solitary that he never formed really close relationships but he obviously did. And rather than give away too much of the story, I leave you to find out for yourself by reading this wonderful book. \n Ready to read more \n I am not ready yet to leave the world of Emerson, Thoreau and Fuller and plan on reading more about each of them. I am intrigued by Emerson's motivations for abandoning traditional Christianity and the ministry in favor of developing his own way (which did not necessarily lead to God). And I'm getting more and more interested in Thoreau and what makes him tick. I am grateful to any book that deepens my desire to learn. \n Finally, as I continue to read Louisa May Alcott's Moods, I am struck by the irony of how that book is also about one woman loving two men (men based on Emerson and Thoreau). Unfortunately Moods now rings a little hollow as the characters are not so deeply developed and the writing is strained and over-thought. I will still finish Moods but I don't expect it to affect me in the same way. I only wish Louisa had discovered her realistic writing style when she wrote this story. \n Be sure and visit Amy Belding Brown's website - she details how she wrote the book and shares stories about the many influential (and unsung) heroines of Transcendental Concord.", "139" ], [ "Sigh. Another good friend to bid adieu to. That's how I felt when I finished The Little Women Letters by Gabrielle Donnelly. I became very attached to the London-based Atwater sisters (Emma, Lulu and Sophie) and their family and friends and appreciated the guiding hand of \"Grandma Jo,\" aka Jo March from Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. \n \"New letters\" by Jo March \n That's right. In this story, Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy and Marmee are true characters and ancestors of the Atwaters. Lulu accidentally comes upon letters in her parents' attic by a young Jo as depicted in Little Women, and finds solace, guidance, understanding and camaraderie from her great-great grandmother when she needs it most. \n Donnelly obviously loved Little Women and was fully immersed in it as demonstrated by the authentic air of these letters by Jo. It felt like Louisa had written a secret extra set of chapters for Little Women which made these letters seem extra delicious. \n Among the most touching were the letters written to \"Bethie\" after she had died. It struck me as a most logical way for Jo to work through her grief by writing her dear sister letters as if she were here to read them. \n Donnelly uses the letters to set up different scenarios in the plot which covers a turning point year in the life of the three sisters. \n The Atwater sisters versus the March sisters \n Obviously the sisters are fashioned after the little women: \n * Emma is the practically-minded, domestic efficient Meg, who like Meg, has a weakness for the finer things. She is getting married to Matthew. \n * Sophie is the spoiled, blond, curly-haired \"drama queen\" (she is in fact, an actress) modeled after Amy. Her year is, not surprisingly, full of drama both fun and deadly serious. \n * Lulu is the awkward, too-tall, very intellectually gifted one fashioned after Jo, and finds solace in Jo's letters. Although she graduated from university with a first class degree in biochemistry, she had no desire to become a scientist and is groping in the dark, trying to find her career path. \n Donnelly decided not to have a \"Beth\" sister which was probably a smart move. It would have been difficult to conjure up a contemporary Beth that would have been believable. \n Alike but not exact \n Yet, the sisters are not carbon copies. Emma seems less matronly than Meg and keeps some interesting company. \n Sophie's art is in acting, not drawing, and she hasn't yet quite evolved to the gracious womanhood that Amy attained. But she does show signs of it. \n And Lulu has no clue what she wants to do with her life although she is obviously gifted. And no, she is not a writer. \n Meeting more characters \n Fee and David Atwater, the parents, are an interesting match. Fee is more like Abba Alcott than Marmee, a fierce feminist who lived in a collective as a young woman. Now a family therapist, she originally came from Boston and is the family connection to Jo. \n David is a man with the famous British dry wit who swept Fee away from Boston to London for a new life. His long-running joke is to compare her to imaginary wife \"Claire,\" a woman who questions nothing, asks for nothing, and dotes constantly on David. His work takes him to places all around the world. \n There are many entertaining sub-characters, but I will leave it to you to read the book and meet them. Emma's friend Nigel Manolete, an aspiring shoe designer, is my favorite. \n The strength of The Little Women Letters \n Author Gabrielle Donnelly \n Besides the authenticity of the letters from Jo, my favorite parts of the book were the conversations. This is the first book I've ever read where the conversations were so engaging that I didn't miss the narrative. Dialog is always my least favorite part of any book because they rarely seem to move the story along. No so in this case. \n Donnelly has a terrific \"gift of gab.\" Even though she had many brothers and no sisters, the dialog between the Atwater sisters is very real. Lots of teasing, barbs and wit so typical between siblings pepper the conversations. The humor in this story is well placed and very entertaining. \n Perfect summer read . . . any movie plans? \n The Little Women Letters is the perfect summer read. As mentioned in a previous post, it's the one book I've read at the gym that made me forget about the pain and sweating of doing the elliptical. I will sure miss this friend! \n I hope plans are in the works for a movie. It would be perfect for the Lifetime channel. \n Check out Gabrielle Donnelly's website and read the interview - it's very informative. \n Have you read The Little Women Letters yet? What did you think?", "139" ], [ "This book is very deceiving. It looks like an easy read and it is (nice short chapters). I actually tried reading it once before and it didn't sink in. This time I was doing research for a half day retreat that I was presenting at, so I started the book again and outlined each chapter. Wow, that was the key that unlocked the hidden treasures of this book! I lived with this book for several months, going through it slowly and it has really changed my life. The whole idea of surrendering my life to God like the Virgin Mary did is very much a part of my life now and has really changed the way I think. \n There was one other book that was a deceptively easy read full of treasures and that was The 7 Secrets of the Eucharist by Vinny Flynn. Another 5 star read!", "190" ] ]

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[ [ "I was not expecting to like it this much. The suspense was there the entire time and I can safely say that I did not see that ending coming! \n Also, many people complain about the fact that with so many characters, it can get confusing, but it gets way better as it goes, and it's very easy to identify who's who.", "105" ], [ "3.75 \n I was needing a quick and easy to read contemporary, because I felt myself get into a reeding slump.I picked the one that sounded the most ridiculous. \n I don't know if it was because I had such low expectations or if the book is simply good, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. There's amazing character development, not only of the main character but from side characters as well. Secondary characters (most of them at least) had distinct personalities, they were fun and three dimensional. \n Of course, the book was filled with common tropes and cliches here and there, I rolled my eyes a few times, and the plot isn't the most original thing. But if you're looking for an easy, fun contemporary, look no further, this book is perfect for that.", "35" ], [ "This is the best autobiography I've read in a while. She is brutally honest about her mental and physically health, about her progress. She portrays herself in a way that you can see she's broken, even messed up at times, but you don't feel pity, but all you want to do is root for her because she's just simply amazing. Such an inspiring, FUNNY and beautiful woman.", "30" ], [ "3.75 \n This is my first time reading GF & I enjoyed it a lot! Now I am super inspired to pick up Gone Girl. I had some issues with the ending and some parts in the middle, but overall, very good.", "35" ], [ "I've grown to love this book so much... Sara is definitely one of my new favorite female characters. She sets such a good example, not only for little girls but people in general. Positivity and strength are very important themes in this book, and I think these should be reinforced in books more often. I'll be reading this to my kids, and rereading it myself many times for the years to come. \n I recommend this book to anybody that is going through a tough time, and maybe Princess Sara can bring a little light into their lives. Always keep your chin up, and feel sorry for those who are angry at the world.", "28" ], [ "I think I'm being generous with the rating... I hate the fact that I couldn't love this book... I'm usually good at reading \"controversial\" books and enjoying them, while acknowledging the problematic parts, I'm usually able to overlook them and enjoy the story for what it is but I just couldn't bring myself to do that with this one. Thinking about the \"representation\" of illness in this book makes my blood boil, and oh that ending...................its basically everything I stand against put together in a book with a pretty cover.", "151" ], [ "William Herondale, my heart will always and for ever belong to you. [?] \n This book took a little bit of my soul and destroyed it. In a good way. The characters are so wonderfully written, complex and flawed but yet so unbelievably amazing. UGH and the development they ALL had was incredible. \n The scenes, oh the scenes. I've never read anything like them before. Everything happened at once but they were so well written there is no way you could be confused. \n And finally the plot. There is, in my opinion, a perfect balance between action and romance in this book. And it is equally distributed between main and side characters which is awesome. No side of the story falls flat or irrelevant. Every bit of information revealed makes perfect sense, and it is still surprising. \n The only thing that threw me off a little was the love triangle. I'm sort of, kind of, definitely tired of those. But this one was not like the others. You can feel Tessa's pain and she never becomes annoying or clingy, thanks to the Angel. \n Over all, this book was incredible. And I am sort of, kind of, definitely terrified to read Clockwork Princess. \n Once again, William, my heart belongs to you for as long as I live.", "184" ], [ "The characters are extremely interesting, and so is the story. The plot becomes a little slow in the middle, but there are a couple of twists that picks it back up. I didn't really enjoyed this comic version however, and think it would be better to read the actual novel. It was alright though.", "22" ], [ "(3.5*) \n This book is so important. \n I had some issues with the writing and it was kid of slow, but the main plot, and the message that it sends is amazing. It's really an important book.", "35" ], [ "** spoiler alert ** \n There was a point where I literally threw the book to the other side of my room. AMERICA HOW FRUSTRATING CAN YOU GET?! \n I think the selection could've been solved at the end of The Elite & this book could focused on the world building. Sadly that didn't happen... \n Anyways, all those deaths at the end were pretty rushed and some unnecessary (like the Queen's). Overall, it is still pretty addictive & Maxon is still a cutie.", "7" ], [ "3.5* \n This, as expected, was impossible to put down!! I'll have to admit that although I was presently surprised with America on the last book, in this one many times she comes across as whiny and needy. Other that that, I really enjoyed it. Maxon is a sweety, and I'm so happy we got a lot more world building on this one. \n Can't wait for The One!", "107" ], [ "This was simply so amazing! I wasn't expecting much since it is an autobiography but it was defenitley more than that. Amy has such a beautiful soul and learning about her makes me want to be a better person. It was also incredibly funny. It was an easy rate.", "101" ], [ "2.5* \n I'm so sad because I think I can safely say now that Morgan Matson's books aren't for me. I really wanted to love this, but unfortunately I couldn't. I found so many cringe-worthy and cliche lines, I rolled my eyes several times. The plot wasn't very exciting, and the romance was very flat. \n Some positive aspects that I'd like to point out are that Roger is a sweetheart, and I wish his character was developed a bit more in the story. Also, I went to some of the places the book mentions and the descriptions were excellent, the way the author describes the mountains of Utah, and Colorado are fabulous. \n Over all, I don't think this is a bad book, I just think it's more of the same", "91" ], [ "Well, it broke my heart. I knew Sam died, but still, reading how everything happened just broke me. I gained so much respect for Caelena, and much more love, if that's possible. I just... UGH. \n It did make me change my perspective on a lot of things concerning the series now, and I'm dyeing to put my hands on Empire of Storms. \n It was a little slow at some points and emotionally charged so I had to take my time while reading it, but over all, beautiful & painful.", "7" ], [ "Love is represented in such a unique beautiful and different way... \n I didn't know how much I missed reading Rainbow Rowell until I picked this one up. Everything about it is simply cute... so, so painfully cute", "101" ], [ "This book was so, terribly scary. At first, it reads as if the writer is listing facts, and things that happen, but then, the story gets so intense and disgusting at times that you think the author is making it all up. The fact that is a non-fiction book it blows my mind. The fact that all the horrible things did happen in this world, that those people Wiesel mentions were real people, with real feelings it's simply terrifying. \n Works like this are necessary, to remind the up-coming generations that nothing good comes with war and hate.", "41" ], [ "** spoiler alert ** \n Ugh where do I start? Well this totally broke my heart. I seriously cried for a while after I finished. My heart felt heavy. I couldn't stand the fact that Chaol is gonna suffer a lot on the next books, I just know he is going to. And Dorian all evil and stuff", "44" ], [ "This book took me places. Made me feel things, made notice things that I wasn't aware of before. This book showed me love, it showed me pain and panic. This book it's not only beautifully written but the story that it holds is extremely important. This book will break your heart over and over, just to glue it back together later. This book will teach you that the last thing you loose, is hope. \n A masterpiece.", "101" ], [ "It has become my favorite. Every single time that I read it, I take something new from it. \n It is incredible how relatable it is for now days and shows us how necessary and urgent is to take seriously the problems in our world/ society. \n This book as Neil Gaiman says, is a love letters to other books. \n Is a love letter to life. It's a call to change. It's the door to a better future.", "193" ] ]

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[ [ "Belcher's book is a wonderful reference that can be used for anyone looking to publish for the first time in the social sciences, humanities, and education. However, the resources provided in the text such as the weekly writing schedules and the tips for macro and micro editing are relevant and useful even to those authors publishing for the tenth time. With the help of Belcher, writing and editing has become a habit where only a few hours a week blossom into completed texts ready to be sent out for peer review in 12 weeks. Her unapologetic lists of \"if this, then cut that\" force writers to take a much harder look at their work to avoid unnecessary (though often present) side trips in their writing as well as making sure that default phrases such as \"however\", \"showcased\", and \"demonstrated\" do not appear 50 times...per page. She instills those long forgotten grammar rules about the actual use of the semicolon, the splitting of infinitives, and reminds authors that their they're often don't belong there. Belcher's book goes beyond just the writing, and editing and takes you into the world of peer review, rejection letters, revise and resubmits, into journal backlogs, query letters, and the sigh of relief to finally be \"in press\". I'm giving this text 5 stars because Belcher made publication in 12 weeks possible and this book will undoubtedly leave my shelf whenever I have a manuscript that I think is ready to become a published piece.", "186" ], [ "Justin de Quincy hastens to Paris at the request of his former lover (and mother of his child) only to discover that Prince John had put her up to it. The prince has been implicated in a plot to kill his brother, King Richard, and wants Justin to prove the incriminating document false. \n Justin vows that he only serves the queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, but that in this case her son John's suspected treachery may also risk the welfare of the the queen. Old enemies become allies as Justin stumbles upon a murder most foul, and a conspiracy involving both layman and royalty.", "189" ], [ "Mockingjay is the third and final installment in the Hunger Games trilogy. Katniss has survived the games not once, but twice. Panem is on the brink of revolution and Katniss leads the way. However, the games seem like child's play when compared to an all out war.", "84" ], [ "The games change everything. All Katniss wanted was to go home, but after returning she found that her concept of home, friends, and normal had died along with her fellow competitors. Every twenty five years an extra twist is added to the Hunger Games, and this the 75th year promoted the idea that even the strongest cannot beat the Capitol. All tributes were to be reaped from past victors, and District 12 has only three: two boys and one girl. Katniss is forced to return to the arena once more.", "159" ], [ "In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, divided out into twelve districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by reminding them all that they have no power against the Capitol. Once a year, each district is forced to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the Hunger Games, a fight to the death while the entire world watches. Twenty four go in, only one comes out. May the odds be ever in your favor.", "56" ], [ "King Richard the Lionheart lies in a German prison and is held for ransom. Queen Eleanor tries to buy his freedom, while his younger brother, Prince John attempts to ensure his brother's captivity permanently. When the ransom payment vanishes, Eleanor hastily dispatches her man, Justin de Quincy to investigate. In Wales, Justin is tested in every way as an arrogant border earl, a cocky Welsh prince, an enchanting lady, and a traitor welcome him with false smiles and deadly conspiracies. The queen's treasure is nowhere to be found, but assassins are everywhere, and blood runs red in the dragon's lair.", "189" ], [ "Richard the Lionheart is missing, John is planning to usurp the English crown, and Eleanor of Aquitaine is running out of people to trust. Justin de Quincy comes across a bloodstained letter destined for the queen, which will lead him on a hunt to track down a murderer. \n Penman is undoubtedly one of my favourite authors of all time, however, I felt that The Queen's Man fell short of her normal literary brilliance. I suppose part of it has to do with the sheer length of the novel (or rather, the lack thereof). Penman's novels are normally on the order of 800-1000 pages, and this book is a mere 270. Penman's first stab at writing a \"short\" novel isn't bad, but I think her longer works are far more intriguing because they don't feel rushed and bland, as this story was.", "23" ], [ "\"For doctors, care at the end of life is, as this book's title implies, our final exam.\" \n Dr. Pauline Chen composed a series of nine reflections from her experiences in medical school, internship, and residency. Through these stories and reflections, Dr. Chen comments and criticizes how she as a doctor was taught to deal with death of a patient, how to interact with the patient's family, but most importantly, what to do when you know your patient is going to die in a day/week/month and there is simply nothing else that can be done. \n Unless your latin and knowledge of the anatomy of the human body is up to par with that of medical students, be prepared to look up about ten words a page. I found this book to be very heartfelt, in that it tears at your heart in every way, and I can only imagine the difficulty in writing these reflections. To anyone going into nursing, medicine, hospice care, or any profession dealing with the sick and the dying, this a must read book. To all others, this book will give you a little more insight to the doctors that treat you, just be prepared, it's not all good.", "125" ], [ "Teddy Daniels is a US Marshall send to Shutter Island, a psychiatric hospital for the most dangerous criminally insane patients in the country, and one of them has escaped. During the oncoming hurricane, Teddy and his partner Chuck begin investigating when they notice that events are not quite adding up, that certain details seem too rehearsed, and old memories of the war and Teddy's dead wife once again haunt him. \n I don't particularly read mysteries or psychological thrillers, but I did enjoy this book. However, I found it to be very confusing at times keeping track of what was real, a dream, or a hallucination. There was also an obsession with the war, which admittedly does play a part in the story line, but not so big of one that justified nearly 1/4 of the book being devoted to flashbacks of the war, stories about the war, or some reference to the war. I almost felt that this book was torn between being a war book and being a psychological thriller. In addition, I felt a little cheated at the end, not to say the ending was predicable, but that it didn't work as well as it could have.", "67" ], [ "There are three things all wise men fear. Kvothe continues to tell the story of his life to Bast and Chronicler. However, while the Name of Wind was primarily the story of a young boy, Wise Man's Fear is most definitely the story of a young man. Kvothe's studies at the university seem to be almost at a standstill and Kvothe is forced to take a leave of absence from The University. He decides to travel to the east where language, custom, magic, stories, and songs all hold new meanings. \n I give this book 4 stars instead of 5 because half the book lived up to every expectation I had. However, Kvothe's travels away from the university comprise the other half. The characters he meets there I find uninteresting or flat out pointless, and while the events that took place do hold a great deal of importance to his life and reputation, I felt that they could just as easily have been told in 200 pages rather than 500. All in all, this book is still amazing, I would still recommend it to anyone, and in four years when the third book comes out, I will undoubtedly be reading this again.", "3" ], [ "The main character, Fanny Price, is a young girl from a relatively poor family, and is sent to live with her rich uncle and aunt, Sir Thomas and Lady Bertram, at Mansfield Park. She grows up with her four cousins, Tom Bertram, Edmund Bertram, Maria Bertram and Julia, but is always treated as inferior to them; only Edmund shows her kindness. Maria and Julia are vain and spoiled. Over time, Fanny's gratitude for Edmund's kindness secretly grows into romantic love, however, as is the main theme of this book, money influences marriage, not love.", "189" ], [ "With money and good looks, the world is yours, but what happens when the ugliness in your soul takes over your physical appearance? Kyle had everything, Adrian had nothing, one was a prince, the other was positivity....beastly. \n Obviously, if I read the book in one sitting and stayed up until 2am reading it, it was a very good book. However, I cannot give it 5 stars due to my \"differences in style\" from Flinn. I disagree with several elements of this book, which I don't wish to discuss here as it would spoil certain key parts.", "31" ], [ "George Orr is able, through the power of his own dreams, change reality. Fearing this power, he uses excessive amount of dream suppressing drugs and lands himself in trouble with the law. Now he is subjected to the treatment of Dr. Haber, who wants to use Orr's \"powers\" to better the world by hypnotizing Orr and \"suggesting\" the types of dreams he should have. However, dreams are subconscious, without limits, and abouve all...unpredictable.", "29" ], [ "The Physick Book Of Deliverance Dance is a wonderfully quick and exciting read. Connie had one job over the summer, clean out her grandmother's house and get it ready to sell. In an old Bible lies a key with the name Deliverance Dane, and begins a mystery that takes Connie through the archives of Harvard as she follows the story of Deliverance's family, a family of witches in old Salem town.", "32" ], [ "The Poisonwood Bible is unique in that it told from multiple points of view. Narrated by the five women of the Prince family: Orleanna, the wife and mother of four daughters: Rachel, Leah, Adah, and Ruth May. The only member of the Price family not given a narrative voice is Orleanna's husband, Nathan. \n Nathan had taken his family out of the southern state of Georgia and into the heart of Africa where by he attempted (and attempted is the appropriate word of choice) to convert the people of the Congo to Christianity. However, the Price family discovers what was supposed to be a one year mission trip will change their plans, (for better and for worse) about how they will live the rest of their lives.", "100" ], [ "While normally the fantasy genre is not my thing, this book was a pleasant surprise. Kvoth the bloodless, the king killer, the burner of Trebon, the youngest admittance to the University in history, the legend himself was found at the Wayside Inn by a writer of stories. In this, the first day, a silence of three parts was broken as Kvoth tells the story of his youth. As a child,he was greatly wronged. As a teenager, he was deprived of life's most basic needs. As a young man, he learned the ways of society, of academia, of \"magic\", and the non-existent Chandrian. And yet, dispite his wit, his intelligent, and his resourcefulness, women still remain a complete mystery. \n I undoubtedly give this book 5 stars, as I was unable to put it down, and was constantly wanting to know what would happen next. I would not say that The Name of the Wind is one of the best fantasy books I have ever read, I would say instead, it is one of the best books I have ever read, period.", "12" ], [ "The Reckoning is the third and final installment in the Welsh Prince series by Sharon Kay Penman. While Falls the Shadow was primarily devoted to what was going on in England, The Reckoning focuses more on the events in Wales. Llewelyn ap Gruffydd is on the throne and wed to Ellen, cousin to Edward, King of England. Ellen finds herself to be more like Joanna both in the trials of life and death. Llewelyn too must suffer many of the same trials as his grandfather and namesake. A very bloody end to a very long and tragic story about a family that lost everything and the country lost without them.", "132" ], [ "Falls the Shadow continues on the story of Llewelyn Fawr. In his old age Llewelyn has grown close to his grandson, Llelo (Llewelyn ap Gruffydd), and hopes that his son and heir Davydd will name Llelo as his heir. This story however, focuses primarily on England, and Henry's inability to rule it. Simon de Montfort consistently risks his life on Henry's behalf, only to find that most of his trials go without reward. After a massacre, Simon decides that the only ally he can count on in these dark times is Llewelyn ap Gruffydd, Prince of Wales.", "132" ], [ "Joanna is the bastard daughter of Prince John of England. John has arranged her marriage to Llewelyn, a Welsh prince. With this arrangement, Joanna must leave her father's court, her home of England, and the only way of life she had ever known. Joanna and Llewelyn grow to love each other very much, and their relationship together can be described as nothing less than beautiful. As England and Wales war, Joanna must decide with whom her loyalties lie, with her father, or her husband. \n Here Be Dragons is the first of the Welsh Princes trilogy, beautifully written and impossible to put down because the wars, the betrayals, the deaths, and most importantly the love between Joanna and Llewelyn was real.", "189" ], [ "Siddhartha and his childhood friend Govinda set out at a very young age to find the path to enlightenment. Through his journey, Siddhartha experiences many different ways of life, only to find himself pulled back to his pious ways once more. There is beauty in truth, and truth in simplicity. \"I can think, I can wait, I can fast,\" from these simple acts all things are possible.", "188" ], [ "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is the seventh and final installment of the H.P. series. Harry has one mission, destroy the horcruxes. However, as to the idea of what and where they could possibly be, Harry hasn't the slightest idea. Howgarts and the Ministry of Magic are both under Voldemort's Control, and the once powerful Order of the Pheonix is dissolving quickly as the death toll is rising. Along his journey, Harry learns of the three deathly hallows, and how they could possibly be the key to destroying Voldemort. All the questions of the last seven years are answered, all the loose ends are tied, and all the plots twist together in a beautiful finish to a very beloved series.", "40" ], [ "The play concerns an aristocratic Russian woman and her family as they return to the family's estate, which includes a large and well-known cherry orchard, just before it is auctioned to pay the mortgage. While presented with options to effectively save the estate, the family essentially does nothing. The play ends with the estate being sold to the son of a former serf, and the family leaving to the sound of the cherry orchard being cut down. The play presents the futility of the aristocracy to maintain its status around the turn of the 20th century. The rise of the middle class after the abolition of serfdom in the mid-19th century and the sinking of the aristocracy give basis to the storyline as well.", "189" ], [ "Candide is living a sheltered life in an Edenic paradise and has been indoctrinated with Leibnizian optimism by his mentor, Pangloss. The story describes the abrupt end of this lifestyle, followed by Candide's slow, painful disillusionment as he witnesses and experiences great hardships in the world. Voltaire concludes with Candide, if not outright rejecting optimism, advocating an enigmatic precept, \"we must cultivate our garden\", in lieu of the Leibnizian mantra of Pangloss, \"all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds\".", "136" ], [ "One for the Money is the first of several Stephanie Plum novels. Stephanie has fallen on hard times, and the only job in town is working for her cousin Vinny in collections...sort of. Stephanie is a novice bounty hunter who has a \"learn as you go\" approach to the whole situation, and she's after one of the best cops turned best convict in town, Joe Morelli. Now that she works for the law, she has discovered that no one plays by the book, and neither will she. One hijacked car, a .38 special, and three counts of breaking and entering later, Stephanie learns the hard way about the danger and humour of her new found profession.", "9" ], [ "Time is everything and nothing, it is now and then at the same time, but abouve all things, time is waiting. Clare met Henry when she was six, and he met her when she was 20. Henry is a time traveler, often pushed forward and back along his own timeline with no real rhyme or reason to where he goes, or how long he's there. The story is about time travel, but more over, it's about love; the love that one girl can have for a man she's known her entire life, the love that one man can give the one constant person in his chaotic life, and it is beautiful. But as most know, life is not always full of happy moments. Henry is plagued with the burden of knowledge that all things have already happened, and even when you try to change the course of events, you realize that you've set your stage perfectly for the future you already knew was coming.", "191" ], [ "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is the second book of seven in the Harry Potter series. In his second year at Hogwarts things don't seem to be quiet right. People are being petrified, Harry is hearing voices that no one else can, and Lockhart has stolen the heart of every female student in the building. Fifty years ago the chamber of secrets was opened, and a student died, what will happen now, that the chamber has been opened again?", "40" ], [ "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is book five in the HP series, and also incidentally, the longest and most detailed. The wizarding world is in shambles, Voldemort has returned but everyone is so afraid of the truth, their solution is to simply deny it. The Order of the Phoenix has assembled again, along with some young new supporters in an attempt to battle these dark forces. Dolores Umbridge from the Ministry assumes the position as defense against the darks arts teacher, but the students soon find that Ministry interference at Hogwarts has no limits.", "40" ], [ "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is the sixth installment in the HP series. The wizarding world is in shambles, half of Diagon Alley is closed down, and everyone is living in terror that the dark mark will appear over their house next. Professor Horace Slughorn has resumed his old position as potions master, leaving the defense against the dark arts post to Snape. Harry has begun private lessons with Dumbledore, and has discovered one of Voldemort's biggest secret, horcruxes. All this on top of a year of advance potions, though Harry is getting a lot of help in that subject from mysterious Half Blood Prince.", "40" ], [ "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the fourth book in the HP series. Hogwarts has been chosen to host a legendary event: The Triwizard Tournament! While this event is supposed to encourage friendships and international magical cooperation with the fellow competing schools, Harry finds himself constantly feeling alone as he attempts to piece together past events, make sense of haunting dreams, and managing to not get killed by a tournament with a huge reputation of dying competitors.", "40" ], [ "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is the third installment in the HP series. Sirius Black has broken out of Azkaban, a feat never accomplished before and deemed impossible. Both the muggle and magic worlds in a state of confusion and paranoia as they hunt for the mad murder. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are forced to take another look at a course of events that will change old memories and create new perspectives on the past, as well as re-establish who their friends and who their enemies really are.", "40" ], [ "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is the first of seven books which follow the life of an 11 year old boy named Harry Potter. Harry discovered upon his 11th birthday that he is in fact a wizard, and has been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The book follows his first year at school and provides some answers (and several hundred more questions) about how his parents died, how he lived, and about the wizarding world he never knew existed.", "40" ], [ "Sophie's Choice by William Styron is often considered to be one of the best books written of all time, with many people giving it 4/5 or 5/5 ratings. So you may be asking, why did I give it a lowly 1 star? \n S.C. centers around a writer named Stingo, who falls in love with a woman named Sophie, who is in love with a Jewish doctor called Nathan. Sohpie reveals the horrors of Auschwitz as well as many other beyond depressing anecdotes of her past in Poland, the concentration camps, World War II, and her life currently. Every time you thought it couldn't get any worse, it got worse, almost unbelievably so. I found myself drudging through this book. Worse, while I have read stories of concentration camps, and torture that really have shaken me to the core, when I read S.C, I found myself utterly not caring. I would have considered this book to be a success had it made me feel anything (sad, sick, horrified) anything...but bored.", "97" ], [ "Water For Elephants was a breath of fresh air, if one can equate fresh to the smell of elephants, horses, three day old scrambled eggs, and a train full of hundreds of people that are lucky to shower once a week. The book actually has two stories that flip back and forth (but in a very smooth and sensible way). The first story involves Jacob, a 93 year old man in a nursing home who has nothing but free time on his hands. In this free time his mind wanders to remember his youth, which is the second story. When he was young, Jacob, was a boy who had, quite literally, run away and joined the circus...three times. You are walked through a story of what life was like in a traveling circus once the audience has left the tent. The politics, the drama, and the sheer chaos of it all keep you glued to the pages. The one unifying theme in this story is family, and that sometimes the family you want isn't the family you need. Sara Gruen did a lot of research for this novel involving traveling circuses as well as the depression era in the U.S. and it really shows in her writing. The pictures were fantastic as well. If this book were 100% pure fiction I would give it 5 stars, but since Gruen went abouve and beyond to create this fantastic book I'd give it 7 stars if Goodreads would allow it.", "163" ], [ "Fahrenheit 451, or \"The Fire Man\" as was the original title was a classic sci fi dystopia. The story is set in a futuristic world where the reading of books are banned to the point where all written literature must be burned. This is not so much because the government enacted over censorship, but rather because people gave up on reading, and the censorship came later. Many of the people in this story remind me of those in Brave New World, and 1984, they are very....dull. Often these people lack emotion, and while their self centeredness is obvious they also tend to lack any emotion concerning themselves. Overall F.451 is a classic dystopia, and one that belongs right up there with Brave New World and 1984. However, as this was written some two years after 1984, I still have to give George Orwell props for the originality ingenuity of the futuristic dystopia, which leaves my rating for this book at 3 stars.", "199" ], [ "Consider Phlebas is a story of the war between the Culture and a religiously fanatic alien species, the Idirans. It is told mostly from the point-of-view of Bora Horza Gobuchol, a humanoid working for the Idirans. Horza is a Changer, a constructed humanoid species, officially neutral in the Culture-Idiran war, the members of which have the ability to change their appearance over some time to exactly resemble other humans, which makes them excellent spies and moles. \n The novel follows Horza through several exciting episodes on his way to find the lost Mind. (As a Changer, he potentially has access to the \"Dead World\", and in fact his former lover is part of a Changer contingent acting as caretakers of the world.). Along the way, made-up future technology is introduced, in some rather exotic (if space can be exotic) sets. He also spends some time examining the Culture and its foe, the Idirans. Ostensibly Horza is an Idiran advocate though Banks` heart clearly isn`t in it, and the Culture comes off rather better (though somewhat ambiguously and unconvincingly so). \n I found Consider Phlebas to be a so-so novel. I recall only about 40 pages or so, where I found myself actually enjoying what I was reading, rather than just slumming my way through it. While I will admit, Banks is extremely good at creating unique character names and especially ship names. However it fell somewhat short of complete success. The high points are in the interesting ideas presented. The weaknesses are the rather episodic plot, the characterization of the humans other than Horza (especially the Culture agent), and a general failure to integrate the story with any overall theme. For a variety of reasons, the ending, which should have been and could have been profoundly moving, fell a little flat for me. It wasn't bad, and it certainly wasn't wrong, it just didn't work as well as it could have. He also occasionally and rather annoyingly switches POV without warning, the most annoying was in one scene where Horza becomes unconscious and the rest of the scene is told through another character`s POV without any sort of transition. I think Condsider Phlebas had the potential to be better than it was, to me the book feels like a draft, not a complete story, and for these reasons, I give this book two stars.", "118" ], [ "The Physicist was a humorous, although confusing play. There was Einstein, who wasn't really Einstein. And there is Newton, who admits he is not Newton because he is actually Einstein. And then Mobius, a tormented soul who must walk the fine line between morality and science. This play deals mostly with the question: is it the mad who are truly sane? As a personal opinion, those who are sane think that they are crazy, and often have thoughts that would land them in a psychiatric ward should a shrink ever become aware of them. The insane however, think that they are getting better and are fine. So no worries if you think you are losing your mind, because if we weren't all crazy, we would go insane.", "16" ], [ "Poor Alex, all he wants to do is commit acts of ultra-violence. A Clockwork Orange was real horrorshow, whether poor Alex is sipping on moloko or listening to the fifth movement, I found myself unable to put the book down. Many philosophical themes (the biggest being does a reduction in violence justify removing a persons free will) do lurk in between the lines waiting for your glazies to find them. But in the mean time, the story itself is enough to keep you entertained or at least glued to the pages in horror at whatever Alex decides to do next. I found the book to be quite humorous at times, and while I had to read the first page three times in order to understand the lingo, you pick up on it faster than you think. This book carries a reputation for being disturbing and controversial, and I am not going to deny it...it very much is. But at the same time, I find I enjoy reading books that make me uncomfortable, because they force me to take a very hard look at reality. So tomorrow while your eating your eggiwegs and drinking a cup o' chai, put down the gazetta and pick up A Clockwork Orange.", "124" ], [ "I have, with the help of a friend, concluded that while Landsburg's writing is a bit off the wall, he would undoubtedly be an awesome professor to have in the area of economics or philosophy. I disagreed with half of Landsburg's conclusions, and am still a bit baffled at some of the jumps he makes in his arguments, but regardless I did enjoy this book, though I very much doubt it will ever make the re-read list for me. \n Landsburg may call himself an economist, but deep down he is a mathematician who believes that all things can be boiled down to simple idealistic examples. In a way, he is not so different than me and my study of physics. I study simple idealist examples where a hockey puck is traveling on an infinitely long sheet of ice that is totally frictionless such that as long as the puck never hits another object or gust of wind, it will keep going at the same speed and direction forever. Obviously, this cannot happen in real life, but at the same time the model is simple enough for my understanding, yet accurate enough that I can formulate a fairly accurate hypothesis at what will actually happen if you were to throw a hockey puck onto a frozen lake. Landsburg has economic models, simple and idealistic like mine, to model real life situations of cost and effectiveness as well your basic supply and demand (along with some others that I will leave as a surprise if you decide to read it). What ultimately makes my models better or at the very least more accurate even for idealistic cases is that physics lacks what drives all his economic models out the window, the human factor. Humans screw things up like you wouldn't believe, well actually, maybe you would. I found his economic models, particularly his one about pushing a man in front of a trolley in order to stop said trolley from killing five other people, (and other such variants of this model which include a switch, and an evil economist mwahaha). This becomes a question destined for the humanities sector of the philosophy department, not an economics textbook as he implies. If that one man you could push is \"worth\" more than the five people about to get run over, then by all means let the five die, after all, it's all about keeping the general population happy, so says Landsburg anyway. \n There is nothing wrong with trying to make sense of the world, and as humans I think we will be doing that from the moment we open our eyes to the day we close them for the last time and I applaud Landsburg for doing just that, however, he takes his economic principles and attempts to apply them to damn near everything. His models work great for a very few select areas (which is where he should elaborate at which point I would gladly read more of his writing) but after that it gets shady and in some places down right silly, sort of like me using principles of electromagnetism to justify the French Revolution. \n As I said, I did enjoy this book (or rather I just enjoyed disagreeing with it so much) and I would recommend this book only to those who already know how to think for themselves. Giving this book to someone with little to no background in philosophy or science might be a bit disastrous if only for the fact that I truly believe the STD infection rate in America will rise (to understand this rather bizarre conclusion, read the book). I was humored, infuriated, annoyed, and fascinated by this book and give it a very well deserved 4 stars.", "49" ] ]

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[ [ "Algumas frases que eu vou marcar como spoiler, porque ne... \n Near Shepherd's Bush two thousand Beta-Minus mixed doubles were playing Riemann-surface tennis. - pag.42 \n Bernard gave his orders in the sharp, rather arrogant and even offensive tone of one who does not feel himself too secure in his superiority. - pag.44 \n His conditioning has laid down rails along which he's got to run. He can't help himself; he's foredoomed. Even after decanting, he's still inside a bottle-an invisible bottle of infantile and embryonic fixations. - pag.158 \n That's another reason why we're so chary of applying new inventions. Every discovery in pure science is potentially subversive; even science must sometimes be treated as a possible enemy. Yes, even science.\" - pag.160 \n It isn't only art that's incompatible with happiness; it's also science. Science is dangerous; we have to keep it most carefully chained and muzzled.\" - pag.160 \n I'm interested in truth, I like science. But truth's a menace, science is a public danger. As dangerous as it's been beneficent. - pag.162 \n Finding bad reasons for what one believes for other bad reasons-that's philosophy. - pag.167 \n \"Did you eat something that didn't agree with you?\" asked Bernard. The Savage nodded. \"I ate civilization.\" - pag.172", "81" ], [ "Algumas citacoes que eu gostei, ali no spoiler. \n 'Did you know that Scotland's bigger than America?' [...] 'It's all fractal,' said the little man. 'The smaller you look, the more things unpack. It could take you as long to drive across America as it would to drive across Scotland, if you did it the right way. It's like, you look on a map, and the coastlines are solid lines. But when you walk them, they're all over the place. I saw a whole programme on it on the telly the other night. Great stuff.' - loc.125 \n 'You can still find winter snow here, in the shadows, in the summer. Things last a long time, in the shadows.' - loc.236 \n He could hear an old man singing, in a deep gravelly voice, to the tune of 'My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean': \n 'My grandpa sells condoms to sailors, \n He punctures the tips with a pin, \n My grandma does back-street abortions, \n My God how the money rolls in.' - loc.676 \n 'My brother's a missionary worker, \n He saves fallen women from sin, \n For five bucks he'll save you a redhead, \n My God how the money rolls in.' -loc.696 \n Deep rumbles of thunder accompanied Shadow on his journey south: the storm grumbled, the wind howled and the lightning made huge shadows across the sky, and in their company Shadow slowly began to feel less alone. - loc.999", "42" ], [ "Umas citacoes que eu gostei, devidamente marcadas como spoiler. \n It would be a pity, she thought, if he did think about it, if he started fearing that his dignity hung by a dishcloth. - pag.52 \n Despair speaks evenly, in a quiet voice. - pag.63 \n The kindness of the young is cruelty.... - pag.72 \n But even so she did not feel she understood his shame, his agony of humiliation. Perhaps only a man could feel so. A woman got used to shame. - pag.73 \n The doings of the powerful were not to be judged by the powerless - pag.103", "42" ], [ "Eu li tres vezes esse quadrinho! Sendo que em duas delas eu tinha em mente escrever essa resenha, mas estou achando muito dificil! Eu gostei tanto dessa historia que nao estou sabendo expressar. Apesar de tratar de assuntos classicamente tratados em ficcao cientifica com robos, Robinson faz um bom trabalho transportando tais assuntos ao universo Star Wars. Com pouco uso dos outros robos, a historia prossegue com seus sacrificios e uma conversa filosofica entre os dois androides de protocolo. Em algum momento, Omri aponta que eles estao em lados contrarios do conflito por causa de suas respectivas programacoes, nao por diferenca de ideologia; ou seja, Omri afirma que robos nao tem capacidade de fazer escolhas. Mas durante a historia, cada um dos robos faz uma escolha que permite a conclusao da missao, o que faz do final tao pungente quando Omri tambem faz a sua escolha. \n A arte de Harris e igualmente incrivel! Achei muito bonitas as \"expressoes faciais\" dos robos e gostei muito das cores do cenario contrastando com as cores dos mesmos. \n Adendo em 15 de junho: Primeiramente: fora, Temer! Depois de publicar essa resenha, eu pensei em uma coisa que eu deveria ter escrito, mas acabei esquecendo: a voz do C-3PO esta otima! Quando eu lia os baloes com as falas, eu conseguia ouvir a voz do Anthony Daniels e toda a sua entonacao e cadencia de fala. Lindissimo! \n ----- \n I read this comic three times! Two of which with the clear purpose of writing this post, but it is too hard! I liked this story so much, I am finding it hard to convey it to words. Although it discusses things classically discussed in science fictions with robots, Robinson does a good job transporting these subjects to the Star Wars universe. With little use of the other robots, the story proceeds with their sacrifices and a philosophical talk between the two protocol droids. Somewhere along that, Omri makes the point that they are on different sides of the conflict due to their programming, not because of ideology differences; that is, Omri states that robots don't have the ability to make choices. But along the story, each one of the robots makes a choice that helps the conclusion of the mission, and that makes the ending so poignant when Omri makes a choice of his own. \n Harris' art is equally amazing! I really liked the \"facial expressions\" of the robots and the background colours contrasting the ones of the robots. \n Addendum at 15th of June: After publishing this review, I thought of something I should have said, but forgot to: C-3PO's voice is great! While reading the speech bubbles, I could hear Anthony Daniels' voice with his intonation and rhythm. Beautiful!", "118" ], [ "Queria ter escrito de fato sobre esse livro. Mas fui deixando e agora ja e tarde demais. De qualquer forma, aqui estao umas citacoes, marcadas como spoiler. \n It was as if the Archmage had named him son of myth, inheritor of dreams. - pag.19 \n Which is maddest, the lunatic or I, for coming with him? - pag.89 \n \"A king has servants, soldiers, messengers, lieutenants. He governs through his servants. Where are the servants of this-Anti-King?\" \"In our minds, lad. In our minds. The traitor, the self; the self that cries I want to live; let the world burn so long as I can live! The little traitor soul in us, in the dark, like the worm in the apple. He talks to all of us. But only some understand him. - pag.126 \n Yet the truth varies with the man. - pag.131 \n the day had been long, and full of dragons. - pag.145", "42" ], [ "Anandra e Santigo perdem toda sua familia, sao perseguidos pelo Imperio por serem descendentes de Alderaan, e estao tentando sobreviver. Alexander Freed nos leva pela historia desses dois de uma maneira bastante emotiva. Vamos nos envolvendo genuinamente em suas agruras e nosso grau de desespero cresce ate se igualar ao deles. Apesar de nao demonstrarem desespero, percebemos no ultimo paragrafo que e exatamente isso que os envolveu durante toda a historia. \n ---- \n Anandra and Santigo lose their whole family, are persecuted by the Empire for being descendants of Alderaan, and are trying to survive. Alexander Freed takes us through their story very emotionally. We gradually become more involved on their hardships and our degree of despair grows to match their own. Even though they don't show it, we realize on the last paragraph that that is exactly what was defining their story.", "14" ], [ "Como presente para o nosso querido Neil Gaiman, estou lendo Ursula K. Le Guin. Comecei essa serie sem muita pretensao, mas mergulhei num mundo novo e maravilhoso do qual nao pretendo sair tao cedo. \n A protagonista desse livro e Tenar, a reencarnacao da mais alta sacerdotisa dos Nameless Ones, os deuses das Tumbas de Atuan. Acompanhamos Tenar desde sua morte ritualistica, quando ela perde seu nome, adota o nome Arha, e passa a ser a sacerdotisa reencarnada. Sabemos do primeiro livro como e perigoso perder seu nome e o que acontece quando o mesmo e resgatado. Arha prossegue com seus deveres de sacerdotisa porque e o que ela conhece da vida, mas no fundo ela tem uma pontinha de duvida sobre o que ela esta fazendo de fato. Ate que aparece Sparrowhawk em sua vida e Arha muda completamente. \n Esse livro tem pouco menos de 200 paginas, mas tanta coisa acontece. Quando vemos, estamos completamente imersos na historia e nem sabemos direito como chegamos nesse ponto. Alem disso, a escrita e tao incrivel e consegue tanto com tao pouco... e o final e incrivelmente pungente. \n E algumas citacoes, marcadas como spoiler. \n Sometimes the wind whistled a little between the two stones that stood closest together, leaning together as if telling secrets. But no secret was told. - pag.14 \n Penthe might disbelieve in the gods, but she feared the unnameable powers of the dark - as did every mortal soul. - pag.36 \n \"Forgive me. O my Masters, O unnamed ones, most ancient ones, forgive me, forgive me!\" There was no answer. There had never been an answer. - pag.107 \n What she had begun to learn was the weight of liberty. Freedom is a heavy load, a great and strange burden for the spirit to undertake. It is not easy. It is not a gift given, but a choice made, and the choice may be a hard one. The road goes upward towards the light; but the laden traveler may never reach the end of it. - pag.125", "132" ], [ "Eu li uma adaptacao desse livro quando eu tinha uns 10 anos e adorei. Desde entao, eu tinha vontade de ler o texto no mais original e menos adaptado possivel. Qual nao foi a minha decepcao quando peguei esse livro para ler. Os relatos sao secos, o humor nao tem graca, e a leitura nao flui (eu demorei mais de dois meses para ler um livro de pouco mais de 100 paginas...) nao existe desenvolvimento nem de personagens, nem de enredo. Eu resolvi nao largar o livro pela metade, porque eu ainda tinha esperancas de ver o que eu vi nesse livro, tantos anos atras. \n Apesar disso, algumas citacoes no spoiler. Coincidentemente, so uma nao e o Barao falando que o que ele conta e verdade. \n The little regard which this impudent knave has to veracity makes me sometimes apprehensive that my real facts may fall under suspicion, by being found in company with his confounded inventions. - pag.4 \n Some travellers are apt to advance more than is perhaps strictly true; if any of the company entertain a doubt of my veracity, I shall only say to such, I pity their want of faith, and must request they will take leave before I begin the second part of my adventures, which are as strictly founded in fact as those I have already related. - pag.16 \n If any gentleman will say he doubts the truth of this story, I will fine him a gallon of brandy and make him drink it at one draught. - pag.24 \n I know these things appear strange; but if the shadow of a doubt can remain on any person's mind, I say, let him take a voyage there himself, and then he will know I am a traveller of veracity. - pag.46 \n [...] we observed three men hanging to a tall tree by their heels; upon inquiring the cause of their punishment, I found they had all been travellers, and upon their return home had deceived their friends by describing places they never saw, and relating things that never happened: this gave me no concern, as I have ever confined myself to facts. - pag.52 \n I soon paid a visit to my friends, and related these adventures. Amazement stood in every countenance; their congratulations on my returning in safety were repeated with an unaffected degree of pleasure, and we passed the evening as we are doing now, every person present paying the highest compliments to my COURAGE and VERACITY. - pag.60 \n All that I have related before, said the Baron, is gospel; and if there be any one so hardy as to deny it, I am ready to fight him with any weapon he pleases. - pag.61 \n A traveller has a right to relate and embellish his adventures as he pleases, and it is very unpolite to refuse that deference and applause they deserve. - pag.61 \n [...] and if there be any one who doubts the truth of what I say, he is an infidel, and I will fight him at any time and place, and with any weapon he pleases. - pag.103 \n I scorned to defile my sword with their blood, but seized the first that came up, and making her kneel down I knighted her with my sword, which so terrified the rest that they all set up a frightful yell and ran away as fast as they could for fear of being aristocrated by knighthood. - pag.105", "3" ], [ "Algumas citacoes no spoiler. \n He would prevail. He was their minister. He had pulled their teeth and buried their babies and blessed their kitchen pots for years now. - pag.13 \n The cunning old cow, thought Melena. She is trying that rarest of strategies, telling the truth, and making it sound plausible. - pag.53 \n \"I've told you before, I don't comprehend religion, although conviction is a concept I'm beginning to get. In any case, someone with a real religious conviction is, I propose, a religious convict, and deserves locking up.\" - pag.126 \n Well, the family always was bright, and brightness, as you know, decays brilliantly. Madness is the most shining way. - pag.148 \n \"Science, my dears, is the systematic dissection of nature, to reduce it to working parts that more or less obey universal laws. Sorcery moves in the opposite direction. It doesn't rend, it repairs. It is synthesis rather than analysis. It builds anew rather than revealing the old. In the hands of someone truly skilled\"-at this she jabbed herself with a hair pin and yelped-\"it is Art. One might in fact call it the Superior, or the Finest, Art. It bypasses the Fine Arts of painting and drama and recitation. It doesn't pose or represent the world. It becomes. A very noble calling.\" - pag.161 \n \"I do not listen when anyone uses the word immoral,\" said the Wizard. \"In the young it is ridiculous, in the old it is sententious and reactionary and an early warning sign of apoplexy. In the middle-aged, who love and fear the idea of moral life the most, it is hypocritical.\" - pag.200 \n \"To the grim poor there need be no pour quoi tale about where evil arises; it just arises; it always is. One never learns how the witch became wicked, or whether that was the right choice for her-is it ever the right choice? Does the devil ever struggle to be good again, or if so is he not a devil? It is at the very least a question of definitions.\" - pag.263 \n Elphie had come to think, back in Shiz, that as women wore cologne, men wore proofs: to secure their own sense of themselves, and thus to be attractive. - pag.264 \n \"The more civilized we become, the more horrendous our entertainments,\" said Frex. - pag.368 \n \"Well, I pray a lot,\" said Glinda, \"not terribly genuinely, I admit, but I try. I think the Unnamed God would have mercy on me and give me the benefit of the doubt, and release me from a spell if I had accidentally fallen under one. Don't you? Or are you still so atheistic?\" -pag.396 \n She wondered, faintly, if it was immoral to raise children in the habit of hope. Was it not, in the end, all the harder for them to adjust to the reality of how the world worked? - pag.438 \n Nessa can see but she cannot touch: what a curse for a child! (No wonder she believed in things she couldn't see-nothing is provable by touch.) - pag.439 \n Is religion itself- that tired and ironic phrase-the necessary evil? - pag.446", "26" ], [ "Algumas citacoes marcadas como spoiler. \n Women, after all, buy more of the books than men do. They like to read. And there is no X-chromosome-linked inability to read comics, either. - pag.22 \n This volume, published and compiled by Friends of Lulu, is here to help all of you sell more comics. You are selling people dreams and stories and pictures, and there's never been anything gender-specific about them. You have, after all, nothing to lose but fifty percent of the human race. - pag.23 \n There's a mixture of love and hatred here that's heady, weird, and unique: subtle as a gang-rape, gentle as a crowbar shattering a skull, sweet as a dead boy in a bell tower feeding on pigeons. - pag.31 \n Well, yeah. I suppose I'd think it was odd if an adult male's best friend and closest, most constant companion was a twelve-year-old boy. Now you come to mention it. - pag.32 \n people do tell stories in pubs, and all of them, I was assured, were quite true, for they happened to a friend of a friend of the person who told me the tale. - pag.59 \n Lovecraft is a resonating wave. He's rock and roll. - pag.72 \n It is too often a sad and unwise thing to go back and read a favourite book. - pag.78 \n It wasn't those writers or artists who accurately recorded life: the special ones were the ones who drew it or wrote it so personally that, in some sense, it seemed as if they were creating life, or creating the world and bringing it back to you. And once you'd seen it through their eyes you could never un-see it, not ever again. - pag.93 \n \"Neil, dear. I think there's something you ought to know. Listen: to be eccentric, you must first know your circle.\" And I--for once--heard, and listened, and understood. You can fuck around with the rules as much as you want to--after you know what the rules are. You can be Picasso after you know how to paint. Do it your way; but know how to do it their way first. - pag.100 \n Let me say true things in a voice that's true, and, with the truth in mind, let me write lies. - pag.114 \n Before I start I grab a pile of dictionaries, English and American, and a bunch of books on usage--Fowler's, and the Harper Dictionary of Contemporary Usage, and Bill Bryson's lovely Penguin Dictionary of Troublesome Words--and the Chicago Manual of Style, and wade in. - pag.145 \n (Minor side note. If memory serves, \"blurb\" as a word was created by American humorist Gelett Burgess (who also wrote the \"Purple Cow\" poem). It means, basically, the puff stuff on the back of a book that tells you you ought to read it. - pag.176 \n Obviously a strike, like a hanging, concentrates the mind wonderfully. - pag.183 \n The subject I paid most attention to in school was SF. That they didn't teach it made no difference. It was what I was studying. - pag.185 \n Amacker drives a little like a Brazilian taxi driver who took me and my editor from the Rio book fair to the airport last month. The traffic speed was maybe 40. He never drove at less than 70, nipping into tiny spaces, lurching manically from lane to lane. As soon as I was sure I wasn't going to die, it was kind of fun. Amacker would like that taxi driver. I think they went to the same driving school. - pag.258 \n And good evangelism--which means, of course, spreading the good news--should never be fully-baked, anyway, otherwise it gets stale quickly. It should be like those loaves of half-baked bread that you finish off in your oven at home. Half-baked evangelism is the best kind. - pag.314 \n But I'd rather admit that Cait wrote Stardust while I was busy fighting crime off-planet. When you're battling Denebian slime-worms, who has time to write? Thank heavens for the Legion of Substitute Neils. Gene Wolfe wrote Neverwhere for me, while the late Ian Fleming wrote American Gods via planchette. - pag.338 \n I did take it as a cautionary tale, and a reminder: as long as you know who God wants you to hate and to hurt then anything you do to them is justified. - pag.340 \n \"You know, if I don't go, if I just sit here for the next week, I'll feel like those twerps have won. And to the extent that people stop travelling and stop doing things, to the extent that we withdraw from the world, then that's the extent that whoever did these appalling things wins and the rest of us lose.\" - pag.341 \n I ought to post something tonight, but jetlag has caught up with me, like an elephant sitting down on a grapefruit. With me being the grapefruit, I suppose, because I don't feel very elephantine. - pag.348 \n that twilight place where fiction and memory collapse gently into each other, and demonstrates that while things need not have happened to be true, by the same token just because something really happened, it is still not to be relied upon. - pag.350", "139" ], [ "Algumas citacoes marcadas como spoiler, mas antes uma, muito especial, nao marcada como spoiler: \n George R.R. Martin is not your bitch. - pag.84 \n One may assume that there is a moral in there somewhere. - pag.29 \n The lost word hovered at the edge of his consciousness like a hole in a dictionary. - pag.32 \n But I'd look back, wouldn't I? We all would. The ones who can't look back, who can only stare into the sunrise ahead of them, stare into the glorious future, those people don't get to visit Hell. - pag.50 \n I did not believe in witches, not in the daylight. Not really even at midnight. But on Halloween I believed in everything. - pag.52 \n \"It's a fairy tale,\" I told him. \"It's like an ice cream. It's to make you feel happy when you finish it.\" - pag.69 \n much as someone accusing a Beatles song of being three minutes long and repeating itself in the choruses might have missed the point - pag.81 \n It's a story about sexual awakenings, after all, and few of us wake exactly on our eighteenth birthdays (or whatever your local age of consent or representation happens to be). - pag.90 \n The Law is a blunt instrument. It's not a scalpel. It's a club. If there is something you consider indefensible, and there is something you consider defensible, and the same laws can take them both out, you are going to find yourself defending the indefensible. - pag.90 \n Because if you don't stand up for the stuff you don't like, when they come for the stuff you do like, you've already lost. - pag.95 \n the law is a big blunt instrument that makes no fine distinctions, and because you only realise how wonderful absolute freedom of speech is the day you lose it. - pag.95 \n In my experience, most interesting art gets made by people who don't know the rules, and have no idea that certain things simply aren't done: so they do them. Transgress. Break things. Have too much fun. - pag.97 \n Isaac Newton, even as he created the foundations of huge swatches of science, said that if he had seen a little further than most men, it was because he was standing on the shoulders of giants. - pag.98", "81" ], [ "Algumas citacoes, marcadas como spoiler. \n I wrote it in a weekend, a gift from the gods, easy and sweet as anything. Suddenly I was a writer transformed: I laughed in the face of danger and spat on the shoes of writer's block. Then I sat and stared glumly at a blank screen for another week, because the gods have a sense of humour. \n \"Have you got any identification?\" Mrs Whitaker asked. She knew that it was unwise to let unidentified strangers into your home, when you were elderly and living on your own. Handbags get emptied, and worse than that. \n It is not that I was credulous, simply that I believed in all things dark and dangerous. \n Regan was scared of driving in America: it was like driving on the other side of a mirror. \n There are words that do things to people; words that make people's faces flush with joy, excitement, or passion. Environmental can be one, occult is another. Wholesale was Peter's.", "42" ], [ "Algumas citacoes marcadas como spoiler. \n \"What I am telling you now is perhaps the oldest secret that we milkmen possess. And it is this. Milk boils only when you are not watching it.\" \n But there is one substance which can travel faster than light -- boiling milk, when it thinks you're not looking!", "26" ], [ "Algumas citacoes marcadas como spoiler. \n There is a saying on Gont, Weak as woman's magic, and there is another saying, Wicked as woman's magic. - pag.5 \n But need alone is not enough to set power free: there must be knowledge. - pag.8 \n \"When will my apprenticeship begin, Sir?\" \"It has begun,\" said Ogion. There was a silence, as if Ged was keeping back something he had to say. Then he said it: \"But I haven't learned anything yet!\" \"Because you haven't found out what I am teaching,\" replied the mage, - pag.14 \n Manhood is patience. Mastery is nine times patience. - pag.15 \n \"When you know the fourfoil in all its seasons root and leaf and flower, by sight and scent and seed, then you may learn its true name, knowing its being: which is more than its use. What, after all, is the use of you? or of myself? Is Gont Mountain useful, or the Open Sea?\" - pag.15 \n Ged crouched among the dripping bushes wet and sullen, and wondered what was the good of having power if you were too wise to use it, - pag.16 \n And the mage's long, listening silence would fill the room, and fill Ged's mind, until sometimes it seemed he had forgotten what words sounded like: and when Ogion spoke at last it was as if he had, just then and for the first time, invented speech. - pag.17 \n \"The wise don't need to ask, the fool asks in vain,\" - pag.28 \n From that time forth he believed that the wise man is one who never sets himself apart from other living things, whether they have speech or not, and in later years he strove long to learn what can be learned, in silence, from the eyes of animals, the flight of birds, the great slow gestures of trees. - pag.72 \n the nearer he came to it the more sure he was that, for this time at least, for this hour perhaps before his death, he was free. - pag.75 \n He had come to this tower-keep by chance, and yet the chance was all design; or he had come by design and yet all the design had merely chanced to come about. - pag.97 \n She was like a white deer caged, like a white bird wingclipped, like a silver ring on an old man's finger. - pag.98 \n He had almost yielded, but not quite. He had not consented. It is very hard for evil to take hold of the unconsenting soul. - pag.104 \n One had been a boy of eight or ten, maybe, and the other a stout baby princess in a dress of silk and pearls; and they had lived, and lived on alone, forty years, fifty years, on a rock in the ocean, prince and princess of Desolation. - pag.124 \n \"Only in silence the word, only in dark the light, only in dying life: bright the hawk's flight on the empty sky.\" - pag.158 \n they fished, but even when they called out fisherman's charms they caught very little, for the fish of the Open Sea do not know their own names and pay no heed to magic. - pag.158", "42" ], [ "Citacoes marcadas como spoiler. \n He hardly ever spoke of magic, and when he did it was like a history lesson and no one could bear to listen to him. - pag.6 \n They were gentleman-magicians, which is to say they had never harmed any one by magic - nor ever done any one the slightest good. - pag.6 \n The York magicians had all looked over the letter and expressed their doubts that any body with such small handwriting could ever make a tolerable magician. - pag.10 \n (Unless the second passage had come before the staircase or steps? Or had there in truth been a staircase at all?) - pag.15 \n And the French, Mr Tunstall! What will be the feelings of the French when they hear about it? Why! I should not be surprized if it were to bring on an immediate surrender.\" - pag.24 \n he opened his mouth to begin. Then he stopped; he paused; he looked about him, as if those excellent reasons which had seemed so substantial a moment ago were all turning to mist and nothingness in his mouth, and his tongue and teeth could not catch hold of even one of them to frame it into a rational English sentence. - pag.26 \n If they asked Norrell to do magic, there was always the danger that he might indeed do some. They did not want to see magic done; they only wished to read about it in books. - pag.27 \n [...] the pleasant female domestic chat, which the gentlemen of the York society affected to despise so much, and which was in truth the sweet and mild refrain in the music of their ordinary lives, - pag.32 \n Like Mrs Pleasance I always fancy that misers are old. - pag.33 \n As to whether or not Mr Norrell was in fact old, he was the sort of man who had been old at seventeen. - pag.33 \n this speaker seemed to have stood in the Church for countless years and had, presumably, heard a great many sermons and prayers, yet the sweetest of Christian virtues - mercy, love, meekness - were unknown to him. - pag.40 \n The world had changed while the magicians had been inside the Church. Magic had returned to England whether the magicians wished it to or not. - pag.42 \n Mr Segundus discovered a family in Stonegate who were cousins to some people that had a farm five miles from Hurtfew Abbey - and he befriended the Stonegate-family and persuaded them to hold a dinner-party and to invite their cousins to come to it. (Mr Segundus grew quite shocked at his own skill in thinking up these little stratagems.) - pag.47 \n Three tall windows open on a view of English countryside which is tranquil in spring, cheerful in summer, melancholy in autumn and gloomy in winter - just as English landscape should be. - pag.50 \n this is England where a man's neighbours will never suffer him to live entirely bereft of society, let him be as dry and sour-faced as he may. - pag.50 \n magic is a respectable profession - no less than Law and a great deal more so than Medicine.\" - pag.53 \n Mr Norrell (who knew there were such things as jokes in the world or people would not write about them in books, but who had never actually been introduced to a joke or shaken its hand) - pag.53 \n Every body declares it to be entirely insufferable. But if it is all misery for the guests, then what of the wretchedness of those who have not been invited? Our sufferings are nothing to theirs! And we may tell each other tomorrow that it was a delightful party. - pag.56 \n half-hid - ah! what bliss was this! - a bookcase. - pag.59 \n Then the small man smiled in rivalry of the other's smile (these two gentlemen positively jousted in smiles) - pag.60 \n Then Childermass related to Mr Norrell what he had discovered about Drawlight: how he belonged to a certain breed of gentlemen, only to be met with in London, whose main occupation is the wearing of expensive and fashionable clothes; how they pass their lives in ostentatious idleness, gambling and drinking to excess and spending months at a time in Brighton and other fashionable watering places; how in recent years this breed seemed to have reached a sort of perfection in Christopher Drawlight. Even his dearest friends would have admitted that he possessed not a single good quality. - pag.64 \n The moral, as Mr Drawlight explained it, was that if Mr Norrell hoped to win friends for the cause of modern magic, he must insert a great many more French windows into his house. - pag.69 \n but I am sorry to say that this failed to suppress Mr Norrell's mother's relative, who was steeped in villainy, and he had written a second letter to Mr Norrell - pag.76 \n and so on until a chain is formed of promises and obligations. - pag.76 \n How quickly was every bad thing discovered to be the fault of the previous administration (an evil set of men who wedded general stupidity to wickedness of purpose). - pag.83 \n \"I make a great point of never giving advice to any one.\" - pag.98 \n Mr Lascelles whispered to Mr Drawlight that he had not realized before that doing kind actions would lead to his being addressed in such familiar terms by so many low people - it was most unpleasant - he would take care to do no more. - pag.112 \n (Metal ships indeed! The French are, as I have often supposed, a very whimsical nation.) - pag.128 \n Mr Lascelles was one of that uncomfortable breed of men who despise steady employment of any sort. - pag.135 \n Entering cautiously he found the room apparently unoccupied, but with candles still burning. This did not particularly surprize the new manservant who knew that conspicuous among the many vices peculiar to rich, unmarried gentlemen is wastefulness of candles. - pag.157 \n (And if you are at all surprized by all the places into which the new manservant looked, then all I can say is that he had more experience of rich, unmarried gentlemen than you do, and knew that their management of household affairs is often characterized by a certain eccentricity.) - pag.157 \n A bleak, white sun rose in a bleak, white sky like an allegorical picture of despair - pag.161 \n He must look as if he did not know there were such things as grand-mothers and cabbages in the world. - pag.167 \n they used words like goosegogs, sparrow-grass, betty-cat and battle-twigs, when they should have said gooseberries, asparagus, she-cat and earwigs. - pag.167 \n Gentlemen are often invited to stay in other people's houses. Rooms hardly ever are. - pag.177 \n She wore a gown the colour of storms, shadows and rain and a necklace of broken promises and regrets. - pag.182 \n John Longridge, the cook at Harley-street, had suffered from low spirits for more than thirty years, and he was quick to welcome Stephen as a newcomer to the freemasonry of melancholy. - pag.203 \n It is also true that his hair had a reddish tinge and, as everybody knows, no one with red hair can ever truly be said to be handsome. - pag.229 \n She was always very ready to smile and, since a smile is the most becoming ornament that any lady can wear, she had been known upon occasion to outshine women who were acknowledged beauties in three counties. - pag.240 \n \"Can a magician kill a man by magic?\" Lord Wellington asked Strange. Strange frowned. He seemed to dislike the question. \"I suppose a magician might,\" he admitted, \"but a gentleman never could.\" - pag.247 \n And so he died at seventy-four, still imagining he might begin next week, or perhaps the week after that. - pag.277 \n There is another version of this story which contains no magic ring, no eternally-burning wood, no phoenix - no miracles at all, in fact. - pag.294 \n EVERY NIGHT WITHOUT fail Lady Pole and Stephen Black were summoned by the sad bell to dance in Lost-hope's shadowy halls. - pag.295 \n A mitre is a wretchedly uncomfortable sort of thing to wear and not at all becoming.\" - pag.296 \n Poor Stephen was assailed by miracles. - pag.296 \n the dog bore this treatment philosophically and declined to move - pag.297 \n The officer called Dalziel stared at Strange with an expression of surprize, as if he thought that once Lord Wellington had told Strange who he was, it was rather ill-bred of him to insist on being someone else. - pag.353 \n he sat down and wrote a long letter to Arabella describing in great detail the shocking way he was treated. Then, feeling a little better, he decided that it was unmanly to complain and so he tore the letter up. - pag.354 \n \"Can a magician kill a man by magic?\" Lord Wellington asked Strange. Strange frowned. He seemed to dislike the question. \"I suppose a magician might,\" he admitted, \"but a gentleman never could.\" - pag.366 \n this was one of the English magician's roads and was certain to disappear in an hour or two taking everyone upon it to Hell - or possibly England. - pag.368 \n someone of rare perspicacity, with extraordinary talents and incomparable nobility of character. Me, in fact. - pag.382 \n \"Well, I suppose one ought not to employ a magician and then complain that he does not behave like other people,\" said Wellington. - pag.392 \n War is a very topsy-turvy business. - pag.404 \n The thought of having to address Mr Norrell as \"Sir Gilbert\" or \"my lord\" was somehow rather depressing. - pag.412 \n Walking through these narrow streets was, thought Stephen, rather like losing oneself in the folds of an enormous linen napkin. - pag.447 \n Strange made a small gesture with his head which might have meant one thing or might have meant another thing or might have meant nothing at all. - pag.473 \n And so we come to Drawlight's real downfall, for no sooner had he escaped the gallows than his true Nemesis appeared in the already-cloudy sky of his existence, whirling through the air upon black wings to crush him. - pag.495 \n He touched his master's arm to rouse him a little and England's only two magicians took tea together for the last time. - pag.509 \n Houses, like people, are apt to become rather eccentric if left too much on their own; this house was the architectural equivalent of an old gentleman in a worn dressing-gown and torn slippers, who got up and went to bed at odd times of day, and who kept up a continual conversation with friends no one else could see. - pag.550 \n He had a very young man's belief in the absolute rightness of his own cause and the absolute wrongness of everyone else's. - pag.603 \n Parliament was dissolved and the Members of Parliament had all gone to their country houses, the better to stare at the rain. - pag.668 \n \"What about Pale's Invisible What-D'ye-Call-It and Thingumajig?\" asked Henry Purfois. \"I know what you mean,\" said William Hadley-Bright. \"A really remarkable procedure of Dr Pale's,\" Henry Purfois informed Mr Murray. - pag.678 \n And all the nursemaids and kitchenmaids I ever knew when I was a child, always had an aunt, who knew a woman, whose first cousin's boy had been put into just such a box, and had never been seen again. - pag.688 \n The sunlight was as cold and clear as the note struck by a knife on a fine wine-glass. - pag.691 \n I tell you, Stephen, watching this fellow try to do magic is like watching a man sit down to eat his dinner with his coat on backwards, a blindfold round his eyes and a bucket over his head! - pag.698 \n the silence of half a hundred cats is a peculiar thing, like fifty individual silences all piled one on top of another. -pag.704 \n To be more precise, it was the colour of heartache. - pag.738 \n whether the English magician had gone mad because he was a magician, or because he was English. - pag.769 \n Keep him to his task, but shew no surprize at anything he does. That, my lords, is the way to manage a magician.\" - pag.787 \n But it sometimes happens that when one acts quickly and with great resolve, all the indecisiveness and doubt comes afterwards, when it is too late. - pag.812 \n It was no respecter of doors or windows, this wind. - pag.814 \n \"But I am a servant, sir.\" \"Or the King of England! - pag.881 \n \"If nothing else, Mr Strange,\" he said, \"this is an excellent illustration of the need for great preciseness about names in spells!\" - pag.901 \n Both had indulged in, if not Black Magic, then certainly magic of a darker hue than seemed desirable or legitimate. - pag.929", "135" ], [ "Algumas citacoes que eu estou marcando como spoiler, porque ne... \n If you are interested in stories with happy endings, you would be better off reading some other book. In this book, not only is there no happy ending, there is no happy beginning and very few happy things in the middle. - pag.1 \n Perhaps, with the kind Justice Strauss and her library right next door, the children could prepare pleasant lives for themselves as easily as making puttanesca sauce for Count Olaf. - pag.18 \n Then, at the supermarket, they purchased garlic, which is a sharp-tasting bulbous plant; anchovies, which are small salty fish; capers, which are flower buds of a small shrub and taste marvelous; and tomatoes, which are actually fruits and not vegetables as most people believe. - pag.19 \n He wasn't merely an unsavory drunken brute, but an unsavory, clever drunken brute. - pag.48 \n Had Violet signed the marriage contract with her right hand, the law would have made her a miserable countess, but because she signed it with her left, she remained, to her relief, a miserable orphan. - pag.68 \n If you like, you may shut the book this instant and not read the unhappy ending that is to follow. - pag.70 \n They didn't understand it, but like so many unfortunate events in life, just because you don't understand it doesn't mean it isn't so. - pag.72", "51" ], [ "Citacoes! Spoiler, porque ne. \n But he liked to ask; he was pleased by the stability of the answer. He liked having it always the same. - pag.59 \n \"You know the primitive rule-of-thumb test,\" Eckmund said wryly. \"I loafed around on a slum street corner until I got in a conversation with some people waiting for a bus. I started knocking the authorities: complaining about the bus service, the sewage disposal, taxes, everything. They chimed right in. Heartily. No hesitation. And no fear.\" - pag.85 \n [...] perhaps it's the parapsychological power of having the bad luck to make up ballads about people who really exist. - pag.498 \n I guess that is the story of life: what you most fear never happens, but what you most yearn for never happens either. - pag.543 \n This is the difference between life and fiction. I suppose it's a good trade-off. But I'm not sure. - pag.543 \n [...] how a war forces you to become like your enemy. - pag.544", "26" ], [ "Algumas citacoes que eu marquei. Vou marcar como spoiler, porque sei la, ne... \n Maybe all the people who say ghosts don't exist are just afraid to admit that they do. - page 129 \n When it comes to controlling human beings there is no better instrument than lies. Because, you see, humans live by beliefs. And beliefs can be manipulated. The power to manipulate beliefs is the only thing that counts. - page 145 \n What you don't wish for will always be beyond your reach. - page 219 \n \"When that I was a little tiny boy, With hey, ho, the wind and the rain . . .\" As they explained, this had been sung by a human who had visited Fantastica long years before, name of Shexper, or something of the sort. - page 261", "26" ], [ "Algumas citacoes que eu achei melhor marcar como spoiler. \n \"He was not no machine!\" screamed Gloria, fiercely and ungrammatically. - pag.17 \n Like everything else Weston did, this was gone about in an efficient, thorough, and business-like way. Before the month had passed, nothing that could be done had not been done. - pag.20 \n But you know the old saying, 'Set a robot to catch a robot.' - pag.33 \n One, a robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.\" \"Two,\" continued Powell, \"a robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.\" \"And three, a robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws.\"- pag.43 \n Deep, dark, dank, dismal silence! - pag.45 \n Mathematical squiggles on paper were not always the most comforting protection against robotic fact. - pag.53 \n \"There is no Master but the Master and QT-1 is his prophet!\" - pag.61 \n Twelve hours later, sleep was still just that--a matter of principle, unattainable in practice. - pag.70 \n \"You,\" said Powell, slowly, \"make me sick. You've been reading adventure novels.\" - pag.80 \n \"I see,\" said Robertson, who didn't. - pag.157 \n Dr. Calvin coughed and there was a sudden impossible flurry of directionless energy. - pag.159 \n Michael Donovan brushed down his red hair with a violent motion of his hand and a total indifference to the fact that the unruly mass sprang to attention again immediately. - pag.161 \n Slowly the din of the outside voice softened and receded. They called again when it was a whisper, and they called again, hoarsely, when there was silence. - pag.170 \n Powell went on, \"We'll have to . . . die again, Mike.\" \"Well,\" sighed Donovan, \"if we have to, we have to. At least it isn't permanent, not very permanent.\" - pag.178 \n Francis Quinn was a politician of the new school. That, of course, is a meaningless expression, as are all expressions of the sort. - pag.182 \n The news broke upon the city a week before Byerley was to have been nominated. But \"broke\" is the wrong word. It staggered upon the city, shambled, crawled. Laughter began, and wit was free. - pag.198 \n What broke loose is popularly and succinctly described as hell. - pag.198 \n It was what the Fundamentalists were waiting for. They were not a political party; they made pretense to no formal religion. Essentially they were those who had not adapted themselves to what had once been called the Atomic Age, in the days when atoms were a novelty. Actually, they were the Simple-Lifers, hungering after a life, which to those who lived it had probably appeared not so Simple, and who had not been, therefore, Simple-Lifers themselves. - pag.198 \n The Fundies have no real power. They're just the continuous irritant factor that might stir up a riot after a while. - pag.205 \n --It was a thoroughly domesticated fireplace, you see. - pag.211 \n And Capital City stretched out in golden glory under a golden sun,--the newest and youngest creation of Homo metropolis. - pag.226 \n They would be against mathematics or against the art of writing if they had lived at the appropriate time. - pag.232", "171" ], [ "Citacoes que eu vou marcar como spoiler, porque acho salutar... \n ALL THIS HAPPENED, more or less. - pag.3 \n Everything is supposed to be very quiet after a massacre, and it always is, except for the birds. - pag.18 \n This one is a failure, and had to be, since it was written by a pillar of salt. - pag.20 \n \"When a Tralfamadorian sees a corpse, all he thinks is that the dead person is in bad condition in that particular moment, but that the same person is just fine in plenty of other moments. - pag.24 \n She upset Billy simply by being his mother. She made him feel embarrassed and ungrateful and weak because she had gone to so much trouble to give him life, and to keep that life going, and Billy didn't really like life at all. - pag.82 \n So Billy experiences death for a while. It is simply violet light and a hum. There isn't anybody else there. Not even Billy Pilgrim is there. - pag.114 \n One of the main effects of war, after all, is that people are discouraged from being characters. -pag.129 \n Trout, incidentally, had written a book about a money tree. It had twenty-dollar bills for leaves. Its flowers were government bonds. Its fruit was diamonds. It attracted human beings who killed each other around the roots and made very good fertilizer. - pag.131 \n \"I'm afraid I don't read as much as I ought to,\" said Maggie. \"We're all afraid of something,\" Trout replied. \"I'm afraid of cancer and rats and Doberman pinschers.\" -pag.134 \n When Billy saw the condition of his means of transportation, he burst into tears. He hadn't cried about anything else in the war. - pag.156", "42" ], [ "Algumas citacoes que eu gostei, e estao como spoiler porque sim. =) \n The truth, as always, will be far stranger. - pag.1 \n He had no idea of its cause, still less of its cure; but discontent had come into his soul, and he had taken one small step toward humanity. - pag.12 \n He had made, utterly without incident and in little more than one day, the incredible journey of which men had dreamed for two thousand years. After a normal routine flight, he had landed on the Moon. - pag.42 \n It was the mark of a barbarian to destroy something one could not understand; but perhaps men were barbarians, beside the creatures who had made this thing. - pag.55 \n Whether Hal could actually think was a question which had been settled by the British mathematician Alan Turing back in the 1940s. Turing had pointed out that, if one could carry out a prolonged conversation with a machine - whether by typewriter or microphone was immaterial - without being able to distinguish between its replies and those that a man might give, then the machine was thinking, by any sensible definition of the word. Hal could pass the Turing test with ease. - pag.70 \n The tool's internal spring mechanism would absorb the reaction as the nuts were unthreaded, so that the operator would have no tendency to spin around in reverse. - pag.97 \n There was a sense of strain in the air - a feeling that, for the first time, something might be going wrong. Discovery was no longer a happy ship. - pag.102 \n Poole's gesture was an echo of Captain Ahab's when, lashed to the flanks of the white whale, his corpse had beckoned the crew of the Pequod on to their doom. - pag.109 \n Frank Poole would be the first of all men to reach Saturn. - pag.109 \n Since consciousness had first dawned, in that laboratory so many millions of miles Sunward, all Hal's powers and skills had been directed toward one end. The fulfillment of his assigned program was more than an obsession; it was the only reason for his existence. - pag.114 \n \"Your theory is crazy - but not crazy enough to be true.\" - pag.133 \n But no one had ever given the slightest thought to the curious coincidence that the rings of Saturn had been born at the same time as the human race. - pag.138 \n Discovery has become a satellite of a satellite. - pag.142 \n In a moment of time too short to be measured, Space turned and twisted upon itself. - pag.150 \n How obvious - how necessary - was that mathematical ratio of its sides, the quadratic sequence 1 : 4 : 9! And how naive to have imagined that the series ended at this point, in only three dimensions! - pag.171 \n Here, Time had not begun; not until the suns that now burned were long since dead would light and life reshape this void. - pag.172", "199" ] ]

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[ [ "A pity the book was so badly translated to portuguese. Every page or so, you find yourself wondering what the original text really was. Very frustrating, considering the price of books in Brazil. If you have the opportunity to do so, find an English version. Nonetheless, the reading is very pleasant, and James Adovasio is meticulously convincing.", "61" ], [ "Reading this book, and other authors like Murray Bookchin, make me very curious about Vermont. McKibben shows a lot of examples of small-scale projects, social initiatives and local markets actually working quite well, all around the world - with a special attention to the US. The dynamics are growing, and it will be interesting to see the moment when a critical mass will be reached somewhere.", "108" ], [ "Houellebecq is tortuously dreadful. Jed Martin is a contemporaneous artist, specialized in depicting the everyday life aspects of our materiality. Like an Annalist of modernity (in the sense of Tacitus'), he shows us our goods and guts. All the characters present their dilemas and questions about life and death. \n This book is quickly and pleasantly read, in this perfidious prose Houellebecq manipulates so well.", "124" ], [ "An excellent introduction for students or fans. Whitley explains a lot of problems and solutions for rock art research, giving amateurs a good overview of what kind of work has to be done on a site. The book has a large chapter dedicated to neuropsychology, and the relation betwen shaman/paje and rock art - still a controversial interpretation.", "49" ], [ "I liked the way Spook Country is written, many small chapters of just a few pages each. The most interesting character is Tito, the Cuban emigrant and his shadow-like family. Gibson writes about orixas, and other elements of Cuban culture/history, which are all quite different from Japan. Spook Country seems to me like a \"pre-cyberpunk\" novel: all the elements are already there, yet unclear and diffuse.", "134" ], [ "A masterpiece for everything about prehistory in North-Eastern Brazil. Gabriela Martins draws a broad synthesis of all the prehistoric panorama, with a special focus on the Serra da Capivara (Piaui) and Serido (Rio Grande do Norte) sites.", "158" ], [ "It's a pleasant book. It opens sonething like a window on Turkish countryside and small cities. The story is interesting but, and that's a problem, the main character - Ka - is completely empty. Being a poet, you could imagine he was motivated by pure desire of creation, but Pamuk failed to fill him with an real history. He just doesn't seem to be part of the book. Confusing.", "120" ], [ "What makes a novel better than another one? Maybe when the author knows what she's talking about. I was a bit frustrated by the first chapter, but the story quickly jumped on trail. I remembered Kerala on every page, despite the too few months I spent in southern India. It was, well, like the novel. Even the communists! \n It's real, it's full of dirt, it's completely astonishing. And it's marvelous. Now, I can read the rest of her heavy writings.", "192" ], [ "Stories with aliens always bear something artificial, as if the author really looked for a manner to tell something, whatever it is. In a way, we could say that all the authors choose a manner to tell anything - after all, since the collapse of neoclassicism, art unlinked itself from representation. There's no reason why it should go the same with litterature. \n The Crucible of Time proposes a reflexion about long span, an idea coined by the French historian Fernand Braudel. That is, slow - and obviously light - evolutions that finally change a situation, definitely. Most books begin at A with the hero X and end at B with X and possibly Y who fell in love with X. \n Here, every single chapter offers a small adventure, quite uninteresting if they weren't part of a big story. The strength of which is precisely the journey through time. A vegetal civilization tries to get out of the way of an asteroid belt. We follow it since its first discoveries, along centuries, until it's able to see what exactly is surrounding. \n From John Brunner, I preferred Stand on Zanzibar - maybe because it was more human. But I like his mise-en-scene of the long span.", "199" ], [ "Jean Bricmont writes about interventionism in other countries on behalf of defending human rights. He argues that the West (European Empires first, the US then) switched from bringing progress to defending human rights in order to pursue its domination over other countries. The main cases are the Belgian colony of Congo, and the US war in Iraq. \n He gives hints for the antiwar movement when confronted to such question as \"You're against the war in Afghanistan, so you want all women to wear burkas!?\" Bricmont also studies the dubious content of contemporary left and green parties, international NGOs, etc. in relation to the wars in Yugoslavia, Iraq and Afghanistan.", "138" ] ]

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[ [ "Ms. Fulvio has written a very helpful, straightforward, and impassioned guide to healing from binge eating. I say 'impassioned', because she is painfully honest about her own years of struggling with binge eating, and she writes as someone who has walked the walk and has literally devoted her life to helping others to heal. Her treatment is informed not only by her own experience with a devastating disorder, but also by her years of treating patients with eating disorders. Her compassion comes through on every page. I also appreciated her flexible approach to using the book; she provides many exercises and journalling opportunities, but encourages readers to work through the book and the exercises at their own pace, working through the exercises that resonate with them.", "57" ], [ "I really wanted to love, and thought I would love I Am Legend. It's a classic and a granddaddy of one of my favorite fiction genres, good old post-apocalyptic survivor pulp. How could I not love it? Unfortunately, when there's only one human left alive, you're kind of stuck with him, and I learned that I would not want Robert Neville as my only companion in the smoking ruins of the world. \n The character of Neville is a product of a bygone era of over-the-top machismo. I haven't seen \"The Omega Man\", which is based on this novella, but I had no trouble picturing Charlton Heston grinding his jaw through the role. The I Am Legend drinking game would require a drink taken for every one Neville drinks, two drinks for every drink he throws against a wall, three for each time he slams his fist into a wall or onto a table, and you get to slap yourself back to sobriety each time he slaps a woman across the face. Yep, Neville has two encounters with women in the narrative's present time, and he slaps them both across the face. It takes an awful lot for me to get my feminist panties in a twitch, but Robert Neville accomplished that pretty quickly. Ah well, the apocalypse is getting a lot of love from today's writers, so it shouldn't be too hard to find more endearing companions with whom to celebrate the end of all things.", "124" ], [ "I came home after finishing Divisadero and turned on some Leonard Cohen. It occurred to me that Michael Ondaatje is the literary equivalent of Leonard Cohen (and I realize that Cohen is also an author, so maybe he's the literary equivalent of himself, but...work with me here). I read Ondaatje for the same reason I listen to Leonard Cohen: to hear tales well told by a wise old poet. They don't always have a clear beginning or end, but the tune will break your heart. I read his writing and find my own thoughts falling into the cadence of his prose. I find the world quieting around me while my focus narrows down to the present moment, the people I am near, known or unknown. I find a strange comfort in his matter-of-fact, almost fatalistic romaticism, which always seems to be looking back on events from a great distance. Long ago and far away. \n I wish I could write a coherent review of 'Divisidero', but this will do a much better job: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jexNs...", "181" ], [ "I enjoyed reading We the Animals, but I can't quite recommend it. It contains some beautifully sparse language and interesting images, but it simply doesn't add up to very much -- certainly nothing that will stick with me. The only vague semblance of a story is this: the writer was once a child in a poor and colorfully dysfunctional family, and then he grew up and found an identity outside the family unit, as a writer, an adult, and a gay man. The end. The chapters are isolated vignettes, and the narration remains too matter-of-fact to allow the reader to fully connect with the characters. \n This strikes me as a book that Torres needed to write, serving the writer more than the reader. It's supposedly semi-autobiographical, and there is a confessional and purgative element to much of it. Based on the quality of the prose, I would definitely read more by Torres if he were to write more, but We the Animals feels more like a writer's workshop project than a true novel.", "109" ], [ "You may recall, a few presidential elections ago, some discussion of which candidate people would rather join for laughs over a beer or two. It always seemed like a rather specious method for choosing the leader of the free world, but whoever said elections were logical? \n So I'll say this about The Crossing Places: I'd be more than happy to spend happy hour with either the protagonist, one frumpy but plucky Ruth Galloway, or the author, Elly Griffiths, a Brit who peppers this novel with enough Britishisms (\"programme\"! \"lorry\"! \"luv\"!) to make my Anglophile toes curl in delight...I just wouldn't hire either of them to solve a mystery.* The degree to which that's a deal-breaker will probably determine how much you will enjoy this book. \n The setup is promising enough: an old (possible) murder, a REALLY old murder, a new murder, an underdog accidental sleuth who happens to be a forensic archaeologist, plenty of atmosphere in the form of a beautifully and creepily evoked saltmarsh (complete with dramatically timed thunder-and-lightning storms, nach), and a full house of potential murderers and/or love interests. This all builds to the inevitable finale on the salt marsh, and it should be no spoiler to say that the murderer eventually bites it by way of said saltmarsh. Go, Mother Nature, go! \n One problem is that far too much of the action resembles what Roger Ebert once called \"the Idiot Plot\": \"a plot which is kept in motion solely by virtue of the fact that everybody involved is an idiot\". Some examples are Ruth's not remotely clever places to hide from the murderer (her best friend's apartment? her parents' place? seriously?), the incredibly stupid but quite helpful fact that the threatening-letter writer wrote some of them IN HIS OWN HANDWRITING, as well as the forehead-smacking failure of the police to bother sending a car to guard the house of someone who has already been threatened by the murderer, while the prime suspect has suddenly gone MIA. \n But here's a worse problem: NO ONE ACTUALLY SOLVES THE MYSTERY. Our heroine Ruth has one dramatic \"ah HA!\" moment that leads to the discovery of one of the buried bodies. Unfortunately, once the identity and motivation of the murderer are revealed (pretty much by chance, while Ruth is being chased by a character who goes completely bonkers for no good reason other than to be a temporarily homicidal red herring), it becomes clear that Ruth's discovery of the body is pure luck. The line that Ruth detected leading from the abducted girls' homes to the henge was obviously not intentional by the murderer, who says that he chose the burial spot based on something someone said to him years ago. \n So, well done, Ruth, and here's hoping you have the same degree of random luck in your next murder investigation. \n *On the other hand, I might hire Cathbad, just so I could hang out with him. Cathbad rules. I'd read a whole collection of mysteries starring Cathbad as a mystery-solver. I wonder if modern hippy/Druids like beer?", "86" ], [ "Learning SQL is a fine introduction to SQL, with concise & practical practice exercises following each chapter. My only gripe is that even a beginner book should have at least one chapter on query optimization and performance tuning; it's a little too easy for beginners to knock over an entire database with one bad query. So if you do use this to learn SQL, do yourself (and your DBA) a favor and learn some basic optimization & tuning tricks for your own DBMS before you start to write and run queries in a production environment. (For query optimization, it's best to use a book specific to your RDBMS, as each has its own tricks and pitfalls. For MySQL, High Performance MySQL: Optimization, Backups, and Replication is terrific, and PostgreSQL 9.0 High Performance is very good for PostgreSQL.)", "83" ], [ "The plot is fairly predictable, the puzzles uninspired, the writing YA-level (not the good kind), the characters largely caricatures, and the science fiction breaks no new ground (although I liked the image of the skyscraper-high \"stacks\" of dilapidated trailers). However, Ready Player One gets 4 stars from me for its pure entertainment value, which held my attention for a cross-country flight, while eliciting the odd \"squeee!\" of recognition of random bits of 80's pop culture (\"Answer the question, Claire!\"). Yes, the book's appeal rests almost completely on the shoulders of 80's geek nostalgia, which will be highly amusing to some and completely boring and probably alienating to others. Recommended for anyone who's seen all the John Hughes movies, played video games on an Atari 2600, or memorized entire scenes from \"Monty Python and the Holy Grail\".", "187" ], [ "Hero was satisfying, but not great. Through it I learned a great deal about and gained a greater appreciation for the man behind the legend of Lawrence of Arabia. Korda has done exhaustive research, and you certainly feel that it would be hard to find holes in his scholarship or arguments. This biography also benefits from having been written after so many documents both by and about Lawrence, both personal and political, had been released to the public. \n Unsurprisingly, the book shines when Lawrence is in the Middle East, both before and during the war. How could it not? This is a man and a story that have fascinated generations for nearly a century. That Korda falters somewhat in Lawrence's early and later life is hardly his fault; I'd be surprised if anyone could make Lawrence's years of bouncing around between Royal Air Force and British army posts anywhere near as engrossing as his years in the Middle East, or the years after the war, when his fight turned from military to political. (That said, an editor could have trimmed about a hundred pages that no one would have missed.) \n The biggest problem with the book in my mind is that Korda quotes extensively from Lawrence's writings, including letters as well as The Seven Pillars of Wisdom. This is only a problem because Lawrence quite simply writes circles around Korda. Korda's prose is clear and businesslike, but never elegant, and rarely emotional. Lawrence's writing, on the other hand, is crisp, self-deprecating, wise, often funny in his letters, and utterly stunning in every way in Seven Pillars. Once you have read Lawrence's account of the slaughter at Tafas, you'll find the return to Korda's utilitarian prose a rather awkward transition. \n So while I would certainly recommend Hero as a biography, I plan to follow it up with Lawrence's own writing (particularly his correspondence, which has been collected in several books). \n (Side note: Gertrude Bell is cool! Why haven't I heard of her before? Where's the movie???)", "113" ], [ "I'm only just noticing that \"Ysabel\" has the lowest average Goodreads rating among Kay's books. My theory on why this might be? It tries too darned hard NOT to be a Kay book. \n I have swooned over the Fionavar Tapestry, admired \"Tigana\", and enjoyed \"A Song for Arbonne\". If there's a standard criticism of Kay's works, it's that he has a tendency to overdo the epic mythical-ness of everything. I can agree with that assessment, but to me it's a mark in his favor. I adore the Fionavar Tapestry specifically *because* it sweeps me into the midst of a Epically Epic tale, full of deliberately archetypal characters and situations stolen from at least a half-dozen other writers and mythic traditions. \n I do not, on the other hand, read Kay to think about Eminem. Therein lies the central failure of \"Ysabel.\" The main character, Ned, is your basic North American teen, who is swept up in a millenia-old tale. This is a promising dust-jacket premise. Unfortunately, Kay doesn't seem to trust in his own characterization of Ned, and instead relies on CONSTANT reminders that Ned is a 21st-century teen. He likes Coldplay! And Led Zepplin! And chicks who wear Doc Martens and make jokes about blowjobs! He uses \"google\" as a verb! \n Even worse, the plot doesn't even kick into gear until nearly halfway through the book. Until then, we have mostly read about how modern Ned is and endured pages and pages of banter between the various modern-day characters, which I *think* is intended to underline how modern they are, too. Once the plot does get going, it's entirely too clear how much more comfortable Kay is with his fantastic and historic details, rather than his clunky attempts at \"witty\" present-day dialog. \n That said, I'm giving \"Ysabel\" 3 stars, because it did have a satisfying ending, and I did become rather fond of the characters -- even Ned, with his stupid iPod.", "9" ], [ "My favorite quote from Griftopia: \n \"The basic scam in the Internet age is pretty easy even for the financially illiterate to grasp. It was as if banks like Goldman were wrapping ribbons around watermelons, tossing them out fiftieth-story windows, and opening the phones for bids. In this game you were a winner only if you took your money out before the melon hit the pavement.\" \n That gives you a pretty good sense of the style and appeal of Taibbi's writing in Griftopia. It's clear, colorful, occasionally hilarious (not to mention frequently profane), but more importantly, it manages to distill some incredibly complex historical and financial shenanigans into something instantly understandable. (And exploding melons are just funny.) \n Taibbi does an excellent job of zooming into and out of the various contexts involved. He zooms out to examine the big picture of a country divided into blue states and red states, full of outraged citizens who are perpetually sniping at each other along party lines but overlooking the financial \"grifting\" taking place at the top of the nonpartisan food chain on Wall Street. Then he zooms into microcosmic anecdotes about fleeced citizens and chucklicious investment bankers, while shedding light for the layman reader on such obscure financial instruments as \"collateralized debt obligations\". \n In the end, I got what I wanted out of reading this book, which is a much better grasp of what went down (and down and down...) in the financial crises of the last decade.", "79" ], [ "\"Never Let Me Go\" feels like the literary version of one of those \"retro\" photos that are so popular these days. Take a picture of your friends, yourself, an empty sidewalk, and apply the photo filter of your choice. Suddenly your subject not only looks different, but feels different -- more distant, otherworldly, more lively but less real. \n In many ways, \"Never Let Me Go\" is telling an extremely simple story of a few friends moving through their lives, from sheltered boarding school through adulthood. But oh, the filter through which we see those lives. Due to their particular circumstances, the characters' lives, friendships, dreams, loves, meetings and partings are all imparted with a particular, heightened melancholy. And yet, the details that Ishiguro uses to tell his story are so sharp and true that he perfectly captures moments and feelings that weave through our own lives. The effortless and limitless imagination that colored and populated our worlds as children. The hesitant friendships, betrayals and power struggles of adolescence at its most awkward. The way memories tumble back and forth through time, and spawn other memories. The way we selectively process truths and lies to best protect our outlook on the world and people around us. The sacrifices we make without question. \n When I finished \"Never Let Me Go\", I tried to decide whether it was the saddest book I'd ever read. Maybe it is; I'm still trying to come up with another contender. However, sad is very different from depressing, and I'm left with the sense of just how amazing it is that we all live and thrive under the constant burden of reality. The world is a cruel place. This we know. Even so, even with all the knowledge of how much we can lose and have lost in this \"vale of tears\", we keep on living and loving and generally making the best of it. It's a wonder, actually.", "38" ], [ "If you're considering reading The Road, it's unlikely that my review will stop you. The Road, like any number of highbrow lit-lit novels (I'm looking at you, Life of Pi), has an uncanny ability to worm its way onto everyone's \"to read\" shelf that is not remotely proportional to the probability that the reader will actually enjoy the reading experience. \n So, as you already know what you're getting yourself into (gawdawful depressing post-apocalyptic road trip, made more depressing with each single-clause sentence), let me not attempt to encourage or dissuade you, but rather suggest that you augment the experience with a drinking game. It goes something like this: \n * drink for every variation of \"ash\", \"cold\", \"gray\", or \"dark\" \n * drink for every... \n Oh, I'm sorry, you already have alcohol poisoning! And you haven't even made it to that point where you realize there are no chapters in The Road, just walking walking and more walking. In the cold. And the dark. Surrounded by all the cold, dark, ashen ashes. \n Yeah. Drink up.", "79" ], [ "I really thought I would like this book. Unfortunately, my childhood fanatical love of the Oz series translated into a complete inability to make it past the first chapter of \"Wicked.\" It was partly due to the Munchkin sex, which...hey, I can handle Munchkins and I can handle literary sex, but put them together and you're pooping all over my childhood. The other thing that put me off almost instantly was that the author was obviously using the movie as a starting point, rather than Baum's books. Seriously, there's more to Oz than Judy Garland! Fantasy fans out there, do yourselves a favor and have some kids so you have an excuse to read the whole original series. Or skip the kids and just channel your inner munchkin.", "55" ], [ "I wasn't sure I would like this book. I probably wouldn't have bothered, except for the fact that it was given to me and I felt a sense of obligation to read it. \n Mostly, I was afraid that it would read like one long Onion article: a paragraph worth of whimsy stretched out to novel length. So how pleased was I to discover that Mr. Fforde took the pains to craft lovable, well-written characters, as well as an engaging mystery. Yes, it's the mystery of how and why Humpty Dumpty REALLY sat on that wall, and who might have the motive and means to orchestrate his great fall. Yes, it starts with that silliness, embraces it, kisses it on the cheek, and goes prancing down a number of intricate plotlines with it. \n The characters were the most pleasant surprise to me in this book. I was rooting for underdog detective Jack Spratt and his sidekick, Mary Mary, from the word go. I won't be able to resist reading the next book in the series, \"The Fourth Bear.\"", "32" ], [ "Oh, my, this book gave me such a warm fuzzy feeling. The author, Kenn Kaufmann, dropped out of high school in the early 70's to devote himself to his primary passion in life: bird watching, or in the subcultural parlance, \"birding\". Most of the book chronicles his attempt to crack the record for the most possible bird sightings in one year, which involves his criss-crossing (and back and forth and back and forth and back again) the country by hitchhiking. \n He gives the reader not only an appreciation for all those tweeting and twittering and squawking species that he loves so much, but also a glimpse into the subculture of birding in the early 70's (and I dare you to read this book and not wish you had been a part of it -- like you wish you had been at Woodstock). He also devotes some of the book to describing his experiences and mindset as a broke-ass hitchhiker, making it an adventure memoir of sorts. Best of all, he's an enjoyable writer and a likable dude. When you finish this book, you'll feel like you just spent a day-long drive with him in the passenger seat, passing the hours with his tales of staking out birds in fields, forests, oceans and the occasional garbage dump.", "90" ], [ "Oh my dear lord, how I hated \"The Famished Road\". Friends don't let friends read this book. I only finished it because I was trekking in Nepal with no alternative English-language book for miles upon miles. In my personal hell, this is the only book in the library.", "147" ], [ "Ask any Kundera fan which book of his is their favorite, and the answer will inevitably be the first book of his that they read. His unique writing style comes as a revelation at first, but unfortunately can grow irritating the more books of his one reads. \"The Book of Laughter and Forgetting\" is the first one I read, and it holds a special place in my reading history as the one book that I instantly began re-reading as soon as I finished it. If you haven't read Kundera, I would recommend this or the much more famous \"The Unbearable Lightness of Being.\"", "80" ] ]

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[ [ "A fairly comprehensive explanation of the old testament foreshadowing of Christ told through the vehicle of covenants. A bit repetitve at times, but the multiple metaphors (bride bridegroom lamb lion king priest) make that somewhat unavoidable. The notes and sources section was quite good and would lead to other reading.", "190" ], [ "This was a lot of fun. The best line was what Washington said at dinner they day after they signed it. \"the document was executed by 11 states and colonel hamilton\" (hamilton was not an official delegate...but he was there on the last day and signed it anyway).", "88" ], [ "The network as meaning. You really need to know something about the underlying technology to appreciate the implications of what he is saying. Otherwise you'll just be scared or bored. \n While I don't agree with all his projected outcomes, his description of the paper clip AI machine is extremely thought provoking. \n I will say that humans are more like the intelligence that he ascribes to future machines in comparison to other animals. There is a sort of anthropomorphic description of what a too smart machine might do.", "144" ], [ "This was an excellent book. I learned a lot about the wright brothers that I didn't know before. it was wonderful to \"hear\" David McCullough's voice in the background describing the wonder of flight. A bit sad about Wilbur.", "0" ], [ "This was both an enlightening book as well as hard to read. Mostly the description of what Garfield went through because of a quack doctor was hard to stomach. The side story of AG Bell was very interesting", "41" ], [ "This was a great book. Armstrong is presented as both engineer and test pilot and ultimately his quiet way was the way to get to the moon. Along the way in the story we meet a lot of colorful characters, all kinds of light bouncing off of Armstrong, and he never saying much. Just did his job. \n His later life he suffered through crazy fame, conspiracy theories, nuts, and his own depression and failed first marriage. However, he never actually changed. He seemed to be the same guy at the beginning of the story as at the end. As presented in this format, the world changed around him. \n The writing is factual if not dry. The treatment of the Apollo 11 mission was inspiring. I had to go look up the videos of Walter Cronkite from that day and the NASA videos after reading those chapters. \n After reading this I want to go to the moon.", "160" ], [ "Not bad. I'm not sure I agree with the structure (or at least the names of the things you're supposed to do to have influence) but it was a good take. \n I particularly enjoyed the part about Dr. Everett Rogers.", "58" ], [ "I wrote a more extensive commentary on this book and agile methods on my blog. https://mynamemeansflintstone.wordpre... \n but let me say that the late professor had a lot of insight into how things work, and what happens when you try and fix one thing and cause another thing to happen.", "115" ], [ "This was a fascinating book. The only reason I didn't give it a 5 was that it kinda ended funny. The description of swarm or herd behavior for each kind of animal was quite good and the explanation of bees and starlings was excellent. There's also an explanation of how crowds can get out of control and turn higher level thinkers like humans into something not much more intelligent than an ant because the herd takes over. (I read it on the kindle). \n There are also all kinds of lessons you can draw from this about how to manage work/teams if that is something you are interested in...", "11" ], [ "This was a good short take on my kindle. It sort of summarizes the emotional intelligence work that Daniel Goleman writes on extensively in his other works. \n I'd recommend it to anyone looking inward and trying to figure out how to lead people.", "156" ], [ "I read this just after reading Stephen King's memoir. I think I could write a perl script based on strunk and white's criteria to fix all my writing forever and ever. \n I think they do a great job of going through mistakes of usage and form and really show how to reread your own text and fix it. \n I recommend it highly and it is a great reference to just have around. I would have given it a 5 but amazon kindle version was rendered horribly in places where two comparative columns were done. you can't really see where the once sentence fragment begins and ends. The normal text was find, just the side by side compares were bad.", "186" ], [ "I read this on my Kindle. it was awesome and yet strange. I wanted it to end. At times, I felt like herbert spent so much time philosophizing about what it's like to know everything...or mostly everything and still be mortal I got kinda tired. \n At some point I'll get to heretics. Just needed some time off from dune.", "110" ], [ "This was a great book. At first I was getting a bit concerned that it was going to be a story only about author self abuse (through smoking and alcohol). Although his origins and lead up to publishing Carrie were fascinating, King finally gets to the point about a 1/3 of the way through the book. He has some solid advice about how to write and what he thinks about the things taught in a high school literature class. \n He really does a good job. When he finally gets through all the advice, he spends the last several pages describing the accident that almost killed him and the recovery thereafter. I happened to be taking my wife to rehab for her frozen shoulder and was sitting reading that last chapter as she and several other patients were doing their exercises. IF I could have predicted a coincidence of events like that, an ironic twist as it were, that could give me visual feedback to the thing he happened to be describing...amazing. \n Anyway, I recommend this to all who want to write. King is arguably the most successful writer in the last 30 years (His body of work is larger than JK Rowling...and just as many memorable movies have been made and scared more people). \n Anyway, I never been a Stephen King fan. read a couple of things...but this is a winner.", "180" ], [ "This is one of the best books I have ever read. a real tour de force of how the US space program evolved. It covers all of NASA's highs and disasters in the race to the moon.", "174" ], [ "Really a good explanation of the time of Henry II, and his famous and infamous sons. If you've seen \"The Lion in Winter\" or \"Becket\" with Peter O'Toole, this is the real history behind it.", "169" ], [ "The absolutely funniest small book I have ever read. The purported answer to a test question that said that the name of god in the old testament was Yahoo...I still bust a gut.", "79" ], [ "This is the best book on writing I ever read. When he starts to go down the list of common \"mistakes\" people I crack up. If you are a writer of any sort, read it, form your own conclusions and style, but listen to what he says...it was quite powerful.", "174" ], [ "I did read this at the turn of the century. It was quite interesting. you can see all kinds of patterns that eventually show up in nature (why cells reproduce in certain clusters based on factors...et cetera). This book tries to explain it.", "11" ], [ "I had a lot of fun reading this and comparing the \"real\" art world to the one I read about in Robertson Davies Cornish Trilogy. The second half of the book is a little ponderous, but quite good nonetheless", "58" ], [ "Excellent. After reading this, a lot of the references in LotR made sense. It was truly inspirational to me because it was as if the \"religious\" aspects of LotR now all were explained, esp the Valar...", "190" ], [ "Yes it took me a long time, but I read most of it this year. Confirmed many things about Carnegie that I thought. I do agree with some of philosophy on the dissemination of accumulated wealth, but I have issues with some of his ideas on how he was destined to accumulate it.", "160" ], [ "Like all of his works, he throws the whole dictionary, atlas, encyclopedia and thesaurus at you. One page of his books has so much information to get through...it's quite a workout. All his stuff is hard to chew, and yet I worked my way through them...an incredible talent. I particularly enjoyed that one of these characters was Armenian.", "160" ], [ "This was pretty good. I read it on my kindle after 20 years. I have to say that my reaction to the last 5% of the book was mostly the same confusion that I had 20 years ago. Much as I understood that he was now consumed with his own power and no longer human, I didn't get the fascination with Farad'n. In fact I still don't. He was the weakest character yet in the series. The whole ending seemed contrived. \n Anyway it did keep me enthralled and entertained for the several days that it took me to read it.", "22" ], [ "The greatest science fiction novel ever written \n I just reread this on my kindle, probably 20 years after I read it the first time. It is a truly great story and Frank Herbert was able to describe a world so dry...His descriptions of the Fremen rituals and comparing that to the messianic rise of various figures is very compelling. \n If you haven't picked it up in 20 years, its time.", "95" ] ]

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[ [ "I don't know how can I write a review for this book but I must absolutely write something. I loved it! The prose is so good! \"Stoner\" is definitely a classic. I would dare to say that this might be one of the best books written by an american writer. Storyline is simple; it tells the story of the ordinary life of a professor, but it is written so good that I couldn't manage to put the book down. Stoner may seem like a passive character but he is much more than just that. He is me, you and everyone else. \n \"Dispassionately, reasonably, he contemplated the failure that his life must appear to be. He had wanted friendship and the closeness of friendship that might hold him in the race of mankind; he had had two friends, one of whom had died senselessly before he was known, the other of whom had now withdrawn so distantly into the ranks of the living that... \n He had wanted the singleness and the still connective passion of marriage; he had had that, too, and he had not known what to do with it, and it had died. He had wanted love; and he had had love, and had relinquished it, had let it go into the chaos of potentiality. Katherine, he thought. \"Katherine.\" \n And he had wanted to be a teacher, and he had become one; yet he knew, he had always known, that for most of his life he had been an indifferent one. He had dreamed of a kind of integrity, of a kind of purity that was entire; he had found compromise and the assaulting diversion of triviality. He had conceived wisdom, and at the end of the long years he had found ignorance. And what else? he thought. What else? \n What did you expect? he asked himself.\"", "180" ], [ "4.5 stars. \n Daphne du Maurier as always does not disappoint me! This is a historical fiction/gothic suspense book, written as only Daphne can write. This is my third du Maurier, after Rebecca and My cousin Rachel and I'll be definitely reading more from her. I'm not giving the book 5 stars only because somewhere in the between I found there were few repetitions, which at a certain point became boring. The main character, Honor, is indeed a strong one, one of those you can't forget. Actually, after closing the book I felt as though I was leaving behind a good friend. Well, after all that's what a good book is about!", "35" ], [ "3.5 stars \n Overall I did enjoy the book. The writing is good and I thought of giving this at least 4 stars...but somehow I changed my mind, and I'm not really sure why. Although, it is a book much different from what I've read before. I also liked the references on the Greek Mythology. What's obvious is that Beerbohm has his own distinguishing style.", "35" ], [ "an engaging and wonderful book. It is not an easy read, but definitely, Dostoevskij was a genius...I found myself reading what father Zosima says before dying and believing those words were being said to me by a real saint and not a book character. Does God exist or not...this is the question that haunted Dostoevskij all his life and this is the question that haunts the characters of this book too. \n 5 well deserved stars! 800 pages worth the time!", "46" ], [ "If you have read books written during the Victorian Era, it is quite noticeable that this book in general is a represetantion of the social changes and the attempt of the new generation to detach themselves from the old manners and believes. Narrative and writing are good but overall I didn't grow very fond of any of the characters. Woolf tries to get in the depth of these characters in a sort of humoristic way, giving a long description of their feelings, insecurities and thoughts, which I actually didn't enjoy much although I understand this is a social comedy. It started to bore me in the last few pages and I felt like something was definitely missing. Just as the period of time in which it was written this book remains to me a hybrid, neither good nor bad, something neutral.So, 3 stars for me Mrs.Woolf!", "91" ], [ "Who has not, a hundred times, found himself committing a vile or a silly action, for no \n other reason than because he knows he should not? Have we not a perpetual inclination, \n in the teeth of our best judgment, to violate that which is Law, merely because we \n understand it to be such?", "26" ], [ "So, this is my first Gaiman book...and won't be the last one! \n The ocean at the end of the lane reminded me of my childhood fears and struggles. As the main character, all kids see adults as grown-ups who aren't scared of anything and therefore can't understand childhood fears. \n But as we grow up we learn that: \n \"Grown-ups don't look like grown-ups on the inside either. Outside, they're big and thoughtless and they always know what they're doing. Inside, they look just like they always have. Like they did when they were your age. The truth is, there aren't any grown-ups. Not one, in the whole world\". \n And as said in the book, as time goes by, you do not really miss your childhood. What you really do miss is the way you used to take pleasure in small things, even as greater things crumbled. \n To take joy in the thing that make you happy! \n The ocean...the big deep ocean..\"always churning and roiling. And people change as much as oceans.\" \n Will it be the same? \n \"Nothing's ever the same!\"", "51" ], [ "Margaret Atwood might as well be the best female writer of our days. I have only one word to describe her books and that is HAUNTING! I loved how the book follows all the different stages in a woman's life. After reading A handmaid's tale, which I loved, this is the second Atwood's book I'm reading and won't be the last one!", "180" ], [ "3.5 Stars. \n What must I say about this book... Lets start by saying it wasn't exactly what I'd expected. I really enjoyed the first and last third of the book but somewhere in the middle I got a little tired of all the wine and tea stuff. There are chapters and chapters where nothing happens besides Diana drinking tea, eating or sleeping. What I really liked are all the history and the scientific parts. Overall I think there are too many details that don't really serve the story but still this book casts some kind of spell on the reader that keeps you wanting to read more. I'm gling to read the next book in the series and hopefully there will be less tea and wine and more action.", "91" ], [ "Right after I finished the book I was going to give it 4 stars but then I remembered how the first part really got on my nerves. I can say my favorite charachters remain Isabelle and Simon. I really did enjoy the last pages, and Simon's sacrifice with his memories taken from Magnus' father. I really enjoyed the part when they see the flyer for Simon's band's show...It was too perfect. It's one of the best moments of the book.", "7" ], [ "I was going to give the book 4 stars because overall it's quite fun and keeps you wanting to read more but the reasons I decided not to were two. First of all, the drama Jace and Clary, they make up, breake up..come one, it's getting boring. second, I didn't quite much enjoy the ending. Not much of a surprise.", "91" ], [ "\"No other writer has so triumphantly defied classification...She satisfied all the questionable criteria of popular fiction, and yet satisfied too the exacting requirements for 'real literature', something very few novelists ever do\". \n This book is magical!", "180" ], [ "Great and disturbing book! Offred is the narrator and the protagonist of the novel. I found myself experiencing her memories and events as vividly as she does. This is one of those books that will haunt you even after closing it and the writting is so good. What can I say, \"Nolite te bastardes carborundorum\"!", "180" ], [ "I don't usually read urban fantasy books, I'm more into classics but I wanted to try something different. so I can't really say I didn't enjoy the book. storyline is good enough to keep you reading and I'm gonna finish the series since I've already bought all six books. what I didnt really enjoy is the fact that sometimes it seemed that some of the dialogues between the characters were a little out of the context of the situation, trying to keep them sarcastic and funny even when things were really getting bad.", "22" ], [ "3.5 stars \n I have developed a relationship of love and hate with Murakami, mostly because, although I like the way he writes, his books give me this unpleasant feeling of being stuck somewhere. But, I guess that's part of his charm. I can get it why this book is one of Murakami's most highly rated, and if I would have read this before having read others of his books or maybe in a more appropriate time, I would maybe have rated it higher. What I liked most of the book is the character of Nakata. I didn't enjoy as much the other parts of the book where the main character is Kafka. \n The first chapter I think explains very good what this book is about: \n \"Sometimes fate is like a small sandstorm that keeps changing directions. You change direction but the sandstorm chases you. You turn again, but the storm adjusts. Over and over you play this out, like some ominous dance with death just before dawn. Why? Because this storm isn't something that blew in from far away, something that has nothing to do with you. This storm is you. Something inside of you. So all you can do is give in to it, step right inside the storm, closing your eyes and plugging up your ears so the sand doesn't get in, and walk through it, step by step. There's no sun there, no moon, no direction, no sense of time. Just fine white sand swirling up into the sky like pulverized bones. That's the kind of sandstorm you need to imagine. \n And you really will have to make it through that violent, metaphysical, symbolic storm. No matter how metaphysical or symbolic it might be, make no mistake about it: it will cut through flesh like a thousand razor blades. People will bleed there, and you will bleed too. Hot, red blood. You'll catch that blood in your hands, your own blood and the blood of others. \n And once the storm is over you won't remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won't even be sure, in fact, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm you won't be the same person who walked in. That's what this storm's all about.\"", "3" ], [ "First book I've read from Murakami is The wind-up bird chronicle, which actually is more challenging than Norwegian Wood. I think Murakami has his own personal style, all weird and with all those common pieces you can find in his books and that I like. What I don't like is the fact that his books are too sad and they give me this feeling of being stuck in somewhere while I read. In Norwegian Wood almost everyone ends up killing himself. My favorite charachter is Midori, she's like the light in the end of a dark tunnel. Overall I liked the book and Murakami's writting is so good so the only reason I'm not giving this book 5 stars is that I find this book a little too sad and I have these mixed feelings about the ending. We actually all know that Toru made it through because he is the one telling the story. I would have liked at least the end to be a little less disturbing so that the reader could really enjoy the fact that Toru choses life against death. It ends oddly enough but that's just Murakami being Murakami :)", "3" ], [ "Oh my...why Will why (tears running down my face ). I already knew how the book was ending and still found myself hoping Will would change his mind. After all I get what and why he did what he did even though he broke our hearts...Heartbreaker till the end... It's quite an easy read but still I loved the book and found myself thinking of the characters while not reading the book, I enjoyed Lu's character development and the influence Will had on her. Captivating story!", "7" ], [ "when I started this book I had high expectations. and to tell the truth i both loved and hated it. sometimes it just felt like Eco was trying to show how knowledgeable he is. other times I found myself loving this book. but I really didnt feel like giving this less than 4 stars", "35" ], [ "Now this is a book I love, and the main reason why is because Dreiser has made a great great work with the description of human nature. I can say I did hate Clyde and it doesn't often happen to have such feelings for a novel main character. An ordinary man! A complete ordinary man..but what you learn from this book is that human nature is never just black or white!", "101" ] ]

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[ [ "Witness to Humanity \n It is hard today to realize the absolute collapse of ethics and compassion that characterized the Nazi regime and the degree of heroism that was required in the face of legislated evil.", "133" ] ]

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[ [ "Oh was I grateful I got to read the book first before seeing the film! For me, good books come with plot twists that readers aren't able to conceive until the author chooses them to be revealed. And from the two books I've read from Palahniuk, I can say that he's quite good at that. \n I am a fantasy and sci-fi aficionado and usually finds general fiction uninteresting. But Palahniuk has not disappointed me, so far. Also, I want to thank him because I learned a lot about the uses of lye, making soap, diy bombs, and collagen. Ya know, everyday stuff like that. \n Fight Club is my second Palahniuk book. Quite sure it wouldn't be the last.", "52" ], [ "Well I usually do not enjoy books with a romantic twist but holy moly, I could not put this book down! I surprisingly enjoyed it more than I had expected, which isn't a lot. It's a light read, nothing more into what the synopsis says. Nevertheless, it tickled my fancy and I'll be starting the second book pronto!(Hope it doesn't disappoint!)", "200" ], [ "That's one star 'cause it's an HP book. \n Another star 'cause i didn't expect anything and it was still okay. And I like the story but everything's just predictable.. It's like J.K. was just pressured to write another HP book so she produced this.. Sorry to everyone who liked it but this is just.. meh.. It was a little entertaining but.. meh..", "91" ], [ "The ending was hard for me though I have foreseen it somewhere in the middle of the story. Somehow, it just made me adore the book more. And this is quite strange as I don't usually like a book when I've suspected what's going to happen in the plot. Maybe because I fell so inlove with the main character, a boy named Diamond, with his pure, kind and gentle heart. This book reminded me to choose to see beauty in the ordinary and to find joy even in desperate times. And that there's nothing wrong in being TOO kind even if people takes you for a fool for it. There's so much more this book has taught me. And I love how the story is fantasy as it is real. Such a splendid book and definitely makes it on my Favorites list!", "101" ], [ "I think the narrative has minuscule similarities with Ray Bradbury's works in a sense that it's vividly descriptive and poetic. Very different compared to the Narnia series. There are a lot of philosophical ideas that discusses morality that deserves pondering about. And if that was the purpose of this book, then he achieved it. I kinda feel like there's something lacking though, which I can't pinpoint as of now.. \n Also, I realized how further I need to enhance my vocabulary as there were a handful of words in this book that I've never come across before. Quite the sesquipedalian Mr. Lewis is in here. \n 3.5/5", "134" ], [ "Such a perfect Vonnegut book! Though in my opinion, it is the least likely Vonnegut's style of writing. He starts off by saying that the moral of this book is \"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we pretend to be,\" and it is so. I don't have much words for Mother Night other than I find it perfect and it's on a par with Sirens of Titan(scifi as it is), which is my top 1 favorite KVJ book. \n Auf wiedersehen?", "134" ], [ "I don't have anything against the book. I get how a lot of people would like it. But if this is what purists call \"sci fi\" then I probably don't enjoy sci fi as much as I think I do..", "120" ], [ "If this was the first Brandon Sanderson book I've had read, I would honestly be wary to read his other books. It starts very slow and there were parts in between that were a little boring for me.. But it's STILL a great fantasy book. I love the world that he made, original and imaginative.. Sarene is such a beloved and unforgettable book character for me. I guess I just expected a lot from it because Mistborn totally blew me away.. \n All in all, for Brandon Sanderson's first book, it's still more than what other fantasy authors have to offer.. but I wouldn't recommend Elantris as much as I'd recommend Mistborn. Looking forward to reading more of this author's works! He's slowly becoming one of my favorites! \n My rating is 3.5/5.", "134" ], [ "I can say that this book lived up to the first. Though the author seemed to want to draw the readers' interest to the love story happenin', I was more drawn to Sazed's studies about the Hero Of Ages. The main character got kinda stupid letting her guard down somewhere in the middle, but if you think about it, she's really young. A teenager, actually. Teenagers are confused with all the emotions and stuff so I'm letting her get away with it. \n But I'm really happy that the love story happening isn't that strong in the book. I can say that it had less than substantial amount of it. Otherwise, that would've been a let down. \n Also, the last few chapters had me on the edge of my seat! Sanderson is so good at ending stories! Now, on to the third one!", "7" ], [ "I was PSYCHED to read this because I saw so many good reviews about it. It didn't disappoint. \n This is my first Brandon Sanderson book and I am so impressed at how well written it is. I found it hard to put down. And it gave me a really bad book hangover. I don't remember the last time I had that. It easily became one of my favorites. IT'S SO GOOD. \n Highly recommended to everyone who enjoys reading fantasy! \n ---- \n Also, I firmly believe that the actor who played Sawyer from Lost(Josh Holloway) would be PERFECT in portraying Kelsier if there will ever be a movie or tv series.", "45" ], [ "Since I've been watching and reading a lot of scifis, the plot of this book is just too simple for me. The protagonist seems to get his way too easily and the author didn't put much conflict in the story, making it an easy scifi read. I've also guessed a lot of the things that was going to happen so it doesn't deserve much stars. I still did enjoy it though but I personally think it doesn't have a lot to offer. \n 2.5/5 stars", "91" ], [ "Though I love Ray Bradbury a whole lot, this book is a weak collection of his short stories. I only liked a couple of them. I won't recommend this to people who haven't read his other amazing short stories. But definitely recommend the scifi ones. He is still Ray Bradbury, after all.", "109" ], [ "What a gem this book is! I love Kurt Vonnegut so much more after reading these speeches. I love how he could be so witty, cynical, sweet and profound all at the same time. He is like a charismatic character in a book or a movie. I find myself deeply moved reading his views on life, being humane, and his encouragement on being appreciative of the people and things that make life bearable. \n I highly recommend this book. There's so much to learn from this man. I know I'll find myself reading this book over and over in the years to come.", "180" ], [ "One of the reasons I don't like reading thriller/general fiction is because I find it so easy to figure out the plot and how the twists and turns would turn out to be. I easily get bored. \n This is my first Palahniuk book and I rate it 3.5(you can't give a .5 star, I know) because there were so many revelations that I didn't saw coming. Almost all of it, actually. It's quite funny too. And there are a lot of quotable lines that I've saved while reading. (Just quotable lines that I found clever and thought-provoking but don't actually believe to be true, mind you) \n I thought I'll be disappointed because half the time I get disappointed reading general fiction, but it was a page-turner for me.", "120" ], [ "I've actually read this a few years back but I didn't get to finish it because I found it kind of boring. I find the first and second book quite amazing so I re-read them again this month before trying to read this again. Honestly, I don't find this book as good as the first and second of the series and I found myself bored with a couple of chapters towards the middle. It was no wonder I didn't get to finish this years before. But I still liked it. I just don't think it's as good as Restaurant and Hitchhiker's. \n Would try to re-read So Long and Thanks For All The Fish next month, which I've actually read a few years back but didn't get to finish also.", "127" ], [ "I'm mostly into fantasy and sci fi so I easily get bored with stories that doesn't fall in that category but I don't find this book boring at all. I liked it and will be reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn next.", "107" ], [ "I read this right after I've finished the first book two years ago but found myself bored with the romantic thing happening which is 90% of what the book is about. I didn't finish it then because I was disappointed and it wasn't until my friend talked me into finishing it again months ago. So I gave it a second chance. My opinion didn't change. I'm giving it two stars for the sake of the first book and the movie which was, in my personal opinion, much better than the book. \n I wonder if I should give Mockingjay a chance or just wait for the movie to come out since they did a really good job with Catching Fire.", "196" ] ]

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[ [ "I bought this book because, upon hearing deGrasse Tyson promote it on his podcast, I liked the idea of supporting his public life in a concrete way. And besides, I wanted to know more about astrophysics, and I'm in a hurry. \n This short, breezily written book delivers a lot of information, some of which the reader may already know, but in a logical sequence that enables a broad understanding of how the universe works and what astrophysicists do for a living. \n I highly recommend it.", "174" ], [ "Another entertaining, finely crafted tale about Commissario Brunetti, a police detective in Venice. A young woman who recently left her life as a nun tells Brunetti that she is suspicious about a string of deaths in a nursing home where she was an aide. His investigation pits him against priests, nuns, and his boss. Like other books in this series, the novel has a wonderful sense of place and of Venetian family life, as Brunetti, his wife and children share delicious meals and warm conversation while the case unfolds.", "185" ], [ "Some books are classics for a reason. \n One review I read said this book was a comedy of manners clothed in a murder mystery, and that assessment was spot on. \n Like Sherlock Holmes, the reader is as delighted with Nick and Nora Charles and speakeasy-era New York as with the story itself. \n Nick and Nora spend a lot of time ordering room service, mixing cocktails, and riding around Manhattan in taxis, yet they manage to accomplish quite a bit in less than a week. Every word in the 201 pages is well chosen, building character, sense of place, and plot in equal measure. \n My one disappointment is that this is Dashiell Hammett's only novel featuring Nick and Nora. But I guess it's a good strategy to quit while you're ahead.", "179" ], [ "Parot relates the complex struggle within Chicago's massive and mushrooming ethnic Polish Catholic parishes in Chicago in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The fight was between factions within the community and between the community as a whole and the Irish-German diocese hierarchy. They fought each other over whether to pursue Polish life as Americans or to fight for the liberation of partitioned Poland from across the pond, clinging to the dream of returning to the old country once independence was achieved. They fought over laity versus clerical control of church finances and administration. Ultimately, the clergy fought their bishop and to some extent the Vatican for the right to retain their Polish identity within the parish structure. They joined similar conflicts in other cities, forming competing national organizations, newspapers, and clerical societies, all with national headquarters within eight blocks in Chicago's \"Polish Downtown.\" \n And it really was a fight. Brawls broke out during Mass with men swinging clubs and women wielding frying pans. Financial records were stolen. Priests were beaten in the streets. Eventually, one faction actually left the Roman Catholic Church and formed its own Polish National Catholic Church, affiliated with the Old Catholics in Europe. \n Parot does an admiral job describing all the personalities, maneuvers, power grabs, and controversies. The weakness of the book is that he doesn't explain until the last chapter why it mattered so much. It's the most interesting chapter in the book, and it would have given the rest of the story greater context had it come first. The Poles in Chicago comprised the poorest and largest immigrant population in the city, composed almost entirely of working-class families, and the church became their cradle-to-grave support socially, financially, and spiritually. They maintained their unique Old-World peasant religious practices with rites and festivals through the calendar year that anchored their lives. They retained their language, music, poetry, theater, and art through the church. By 1918, Chicago's 38 Polish Catholic parishes had 375,000 members. They formed hundreds of societies devoted to fundraising, church maintenance, culture, prayer, and personal services such as visiting the sick. \n As important as money and politics were to the main combatants, there was a lot more at stake.", "168" ], [ "Nayeli and Tacho are among the sweetest, most delightful characters I have ever met in fiction. Their hometown Tres Camarones, Sinaloa, Mexico, is paradise, but they do not fully understand this until they make their way through countless obstacles to southern California and then set out on a journey for Kankakee, Illinois.", "108" ], [ "Exceptionally well drawn characters, compelling plot, wonderful sense of place. All the ingredients for a great mystery novel worthy of a series. If there is a weakness it is in the suspenseful climax, and this book had two, the snowy woods at night and the railroad trestle. Both described physical landmarks that were crucial to the action but that I had trouble following. Minor quibble", "39" ], [ "This book surprised me. I expected it to be precious and preachy. It was none of that. Otto, a content, suburban family guy, a cookbook editor with epicurean tastes, takes a drive across country with Rinpoche, a maroon-robed holy man who reminded me of a younger Dalai Lama. Rinpoche is delighted with everything, full of belly laughs and generosity. He is positively joyful sopping up the yoke of his poached egg with a piece of toast, bowling, watching miles of Ohio pass by. \n And he is profoundly wise, generously so. During the trip, he introduces a skeptical Otto to yoga and meditation and much more. He explains his spiritual tradition and connects it to such traditions across the globe. \n My one quibble with the book is the plot twist at the end. It felt gratuitous, out of sync with the rest of the book. But it would not keep me from recommending it. \n It was a gentle yet wondrous journey.", "3" ], [ "I hate giving a nice book two stars, especially one by such a delightful author as Alexander McCall Smith. \n But he broke an important rule of cozies, one that he followed beautifully in the Number One Ladies Detective Agency series. \n A mystery of necessity must start slowly as the story unfolds, but during this duller time, the reader needs something to entertain her. It was lovely to sit by the fire with Holmes and Watson at 221B Baker Street as they ate their soft-boiled eggs and rustled their newspapers. One wished to cycle through the lanes of St. Mary Mead as Miss Marple visited her neighbors and tended her garden. And who didn't long to share a cup of bush tea with Mma Ramotswe in Zebra Drive? \n But Isabel Dalhousie held no such charms for me. I tried. I attempted to hear lilting Scottish accents as the lifeless characters went through their paces, but to no avail. The author failed to transport me to Edinburgh in a way that made me check out flights in Travelocity. I had to force myself through chapter after chapter until two-thirds into the book, when the mystery got interesting. \n Isabel was new to this detective stuff, but she left gaping holes from the start. Her first step was to visit the flatmates of the victim. I was furious with her for not asking the obvious question: did Mark go to the concert alone, or did he have a companion? Instead, she asked vague questions about his personality and mental state, which yielded nothing useful. But the answer to that question would have made short work of the story. \n So we have a dull protagonist, no compelling sense of place, and a story that took too long to get going.", "70" ], [ "This is a story of family, love, infidelity, and forgiveness. A man and a woman, each married and with six children between them, meet at a christening party and fall in love. They leave their spouses to be together, creating six ad hoc siblings who unwillingly spend summers together and form a sort of family of their own independent of their parents. As the kids mature, have kids of their own, and enter middle age, they find their places in the world, deal with aging issues of four parents, and come to terms with their unconventional family relationships. \n There is no simple happily ever after for the four parents and six siblings, but each finds a kind of peace on their own and with each other.", "191" ], [ "Pleasant, entertaining book, everything you want in a murder mystery. This is the second in the Rabbi Small mysteries, and I also read the first. A pattern is developing. David Small is a nerdy guy, and some of the congregation would prefer a more charismatic man to lead them. Every time it looks like his job is on the line, someone turns up dead, and the rabbi saves the day by solving the mystery. Who could fire him after that?", "185" ], [ "A thoroughly enjoyable book, weaving Jewish culture into a murder mystery. A self-effacing young rabbi does some sleuthing after a dead body is found on the grounds of his temple. As the plot unfolds, the author describes Jewish life in American suburbia in the 1960s.", "179" ], [ "I read this wonderful book about the first printed book on a Kindle. \n The novel tells the story of the birth of modern printing through the eyes of Peter Schoeffer, Gutenberg's apprentice and adopted son of Gutenberg's business partner, Johann Fust. In this telling, Gutenberg's Bible, the first mass-produced book, was printed under strict secrecy to avoid being stopped through the political power of the Catholic Church, which then held a monopoly on the production of books within its scriptoria. At stake for the Church were both authority and treasure, two sources of its power. \n Schoeffer was a proud, highly celebrated scribe when his father called him from Paris to Mainz to be employed in this new kind of workshop. At first, Schoeffer was appalled by the concept and what it meant to his craft. He exchanged the hushed, sun-flooded atmosphere of a monastic scriptorium for a noisy, smoky, odiferous cellar workshop. But over the years he spent producing 180 Bibles with 11 others who became a band of brothers, he played a key role in refining the craft and fell in love with its beauty and what it meant for spreading the Word of God. \n The project was marred by conflict between the partners over money, authority, and betrayal. Schoeffer was constantly torn between the brilliant master who revealed the magic of the press to him and the father who had adopted him and made his remarkable rise possible.", "168" ], [ "Very interesting book. \n The first half, about 15th century book hunters, and one in particular, on treasure hunts in monastery libraries, was fascinating and almost comical. Theirs was a dangerous world with the Catholic Church in crisis yet still possessing frightening power over Europeans' lives. \n The second part describes one particular ancient text discovered by one of these hunters and the impact it made on the world. The author overstates the case about this particular book but makes a compelling argument for how changing views on religion laid the foundation for the modern world.", "190" ], [ "Gemma Hardy, born in Iceland, is packed off to Scotland to live with her uncle after her parents die. When he dies, she suffers a miserable childhood under a cruel aunt and near-slavery conditions at a boarding school. Finally grown and on her own, she takes a job as an au pair and falls in love with a mysterious man. \n Sound familiar? It's Jane Eyre retold, and author Margo Livesey does it delightfully. Her storytelling and writing style are so pleasant that I forgave some awkward bits in the plot. \n An example of this awkwardness is the love story that supposedly drives the second half of the book. It seems to be just another thing that happens to Gemma rather than any great passion. And the revelation that leads to her flight doesn't seem like that big a deal. \n But it leads to colorful adventures and friendships that are the real charm of this story.", "14" ], [ "The truth is, I didn't actually read this. I listened to an unabridged audiobook from the library. I felt like the last person on earth who had never read a syllable of J.K. Rowling, so in interest of being aware of contemporary culture, I decided to listen to this on a long weekend drive. Nicely done, if one is 12 years old. I don't understand why adults are interested in this tale and the 7 that followed it, but for a kid, it's an exciting adventure, a delightful mashup of Cinderella, Lord of the Rings, and any number of British prep school novels.", "197" ], [ "Set in the Wild West of New Zealand during its gold rush of the 1860s, the book opens with the arrival in a boom town of Walter Moody, an English lawyer seeking fortune and escape. On a rainy night, he stumbles upon a meeting of 12 men in a hotel smoking room. They have gathered in secret to discuss the death of a hermit outside town, the discovery of a huge bonanza of gold bars in his hut, the attempted suicide of an opium-addicted prostitute, and the sudden disappearance of the richest man in town, all of which occurred on the same night. The men suspect the events are connected, and each man has been sucked into the drama. \n For the next 800 pages, the puzzle pieces are gradually brought together. \n A wonderfully written and entertaining book. \n I had trouble getting into it because the first chapter in the hotel, while well written, is gloomy and goes on and on, at times to no apparent purpose. Plowing through and getting to the next chapter is worth it! \n What may have captured the attention of critics and helped Catton win the Man Booker Prize are a couple of devices that to me amounted to parlor tricks. \n 1. The book has some kind of astrological structure, revealed through the chapter titles and calligraphic charts at the beginning of each section. I did not understand these references and had absolutely no interest in figuring them out, which in no way hindered my ability to follow the story or enjoy the book. I realize that this aspect is one of the layers of Catton's great art, but it was entirely lost on me, and the book was complex enough without it. It has nothing to do with the characters or the story, i.e., astrology is never discussed in the actual text. \n 2. Each chapter was half the length of the previous one. I noticed that the chapters were getting shorter, but I didn't catch this pattern until I read about it after I finished. I feel that forcing this literary trick is why the opening is too long and the ending feels too abrupt. \n Nevertheless, a wonderful book fully deserving of 4 stars.", "67" ], [ "On the fence between 3 and 4 stars. A really entertaining book, one that I looked forward to in the evening, but flawed in the way of first-time novels. Some passages were beautifully lyrical, some over-written. \n A college freshman, born in India but having spent most of his life in the U.S., is uprooted from Madison, WI, to India when his father, a struggling, itinerant academic, lands a prestigious job that promises to catapult him professionally and the family financially. The narrator Vikram bears some of the blame for the family move for landing in a police station after a drunken teenage night in Madison. \n One flaw in the book is that Vikram is far too mature and cooperative. But his compassion for his parents, Indian relatives, and new friends is touching. Nothing about the plot is surprising, but the journey is a real pleasure, and that is what good fiction is all about.", "192" ], [ "A personal family history about a European couple who fell in love as refugees in World War II, got married, had a baby, bought a house in southern France, and separated never to speak again. The author is their granddaughter, and the book is as much about her search for her grandparents' truth as it is about the couple themselves. The book spends more time on the author's search than on what she found, and this, at times, is distracting, even tedious. But it is also necessary, because after ten years of research, she still does not entirely understand what happened between her grandparents and the nature of their seeming mutual hatred. And the story of Miranda's quest is also interesting. In the end, she gives her search credit for all of her adult happiness, including a firm and grateful sense of self, as well as extraordinary compassion, love, and respect for her remarkable grandparents.", "30" ], [ "Earlier this year, I stumbled on Donna Leon's Death at La Fenice and was pleasantly surprised to find a likable, non-eccentric character, Guido Brunetti, at the center of the story. This is #13 in the series and the third I have read. Brunetti battles a culture of bureaucratic inertia as he searches for the truth in each murder case, but he can always count on a couple of confederates in the police department who share his interest in the truth and have computer skills that he doesn't to skirt regulations and help him find answers. He also enjoys the support of a loving, brilliant wife and two ordinary teenage kids who keep him grounded as he goes about his grim, often frustrating work. Donna Leon, an American academic who has lived and worked in Venice for 25 years, affectionately portrays the city warts and all as Arthur Conan Doyle depicted 19th century London. In Doctored Evidence, a universally despised old lady is violently murdered, and the Venetian police quickly jump to a resolution of the case with little evidence. When a witness comes forward weeks later with a story that contradicts the accepted resolution, Brunetti sets out to find out what really happened.", "182" ], [ "I had trouble deciding between a 3 and a 4, and if I could, I would have given The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry it a 3.5. It's a very tender book in which a recently retired man spontaneously sets off to walk the length of England to see a dying friend. As he walks, the sorrows and joys of his past keep flashing through his mind as he meets new people and sees new sights. In many ways, he feels alive for the first time in 20 years, but his self-discovery comes with great pain. I don't believe it spoils the plot to say that his walk becomes complicated beyond his control about two-thirds through the book, and at this point it simply doesn't ring true. The handling of this plot twist is what knocked it down to a 3 for me, and if it had gone on much longer than two or three chapters, I might have stopped reading. Once that was resolved, it jumped back up to a 4. My rule is to give a 3 to books I liked, 4 to very good books I will always remember, and 5 to that handful that I consider truly great and would read again.", "79" ], [ "Crocodile on the Sandbank was pleasant enough, but disappointing. While I was totally charmed by the first chapter, the rest of the book didn't live up to it. The characters were cliches, and every plot twist--from the mystery to the love stories --was obvious long before it was revealed. The virtues of the Europeans creepily corresponded with the color of their skin, the pale blond woman being preposterously virtuous, the Latin lover Alberto immoral and greedy, and those who fell in between charmingly flawed. All the Egyptians were superstitious and subservient, and the most beloved was a Coptic Christian, implying that his religion made him almost as worthy as the Europeans. I wondered whether the book was a deliberate imitation of the Victorian popular novel, but there is a reason why no one reads those things anymore.", "55" ], [ "James Rebanks describes the annual work cycle of a mountain sheep farm in England's Lake District, and during the course of that year, he reveals his own biography, the story of his family going back a hundred years, and the history of the Lake District stretching back millennia. The Herdwick sheep he tends are descendants of those who grazed the hillsides nine hundred years ago, possibly brought to England by the Vikings. \n Tending sheep is not the idyllic job one would imagine, lying in the warm grass and listening to the sweet voices of the flock while dozing in the sun. Rebanks does that perhaps 30 minutes a year. The rest of the time, he is giving medication to sick animals, sheering, baling and stacking hay, delivering hay and feed to sheep trapped in ten-foot snowdrifts, resuscitating newborn lambs delivered during a rainstorm and nearly drowned, sorting the flock, bringing his stock to market, buying new breeding stock, entering shows, repairing ancient stone walls, assisting neighbors in trouble, courting his wife, raising his children, and training his dogs, without whom this work cannot be done. \n At the start of the book, he is a 13-year-old wiseguy for whom school is torture and irrelevant. An arrogant headmistress admonishes the students that education is their avenue to escape from their bitter drudgery to a better life. All through the speech, he is impatient for the bell so his can escape school and get back to the important work happening on the farm without him. \n Eventually, Rebanks awakens to the value of education; had he not, this book would not have been written. But he clings forever to the conviction that what he and his family and neighbors are doing, and what their ancestors have done, are vital to his corner of the world, to his country, and to humankind. \n He makes his case in a stunningly beautiful book", "100" ], [ "Every year right after Thanksgiving, the Romp family drives from their Vermont farm to Greenwich Village and spends December amid the bustle of the city, living in a camper and selling Christmas trees at a sidewalk stand. Over the years, they have developed strong friendships in their second home. It is a treasured family ritual and is vital to their economic survival. \n The year recounted in this book, Billy Romp has trouble accepting that his daughter is growing up. The conflict threatens to spoil the season for him but ultimately teaches him \"the true meaning of Christmas\" and, more importantly, what raising children is all about. \n \"True meaning of Christmas\" stories can be treacly and contrived, but this one is charming and unusual. It's a pleasant way to spend an evening in December.", "100" ], [ "Fanny Van de Grift Osbourne and Robert Louis Stevenson fell in love and traveled the world together at a time when the downside of a far-flung journey was not hours confined to a cramped airline seat in coach, but rather months of danger, seasickness, and uncertainty on the high seas. Ever seeking a climate that would restore Louis's perpetually fragile health, they lived in the California hills, the Swiss Alps, the French Riviera, and finally the South Seas. Drawing on primary sources, Horan recounts their 20-year love story in exquisite detail.", "67" ], [ "I kept wishing I liked this book more. Maisie--like everyone else in the book--seemed like a cardboard cutout. The mystery plot, whose conclusion was apparent long before it was revealed, opens in 1929 and is interrupted by a flashback to Maisie's girlhood and World War I experience. The backstory is intended be revealing, but for me, it was tedious. \n The author often resorted to telling instead of showing. Example: As Maisie is about to enter a building where she intends to make a big change in her life: \"Maisie closed her eyes and took a deep breath, as if about to jump from a precipice into the unknown.\" We didn't need the second clause at all, but if it had to be written, we didn't need \"into the unknown.\" The whole book is like that. \n I can't figure out why this series has so many fans. Maybe the second book will be better. I'll give it a try.", "127" ], [ "This is an almost-good book. The first and last three chapters are charming, but the 14 chapters in between seem to just mark time. \n Paul Collins moves with his wife Jennifer and toddler son Morgan from San Francisco to Hay, a town in Wales they had visited many times. Hay boasts a small population of a few thousand and 40 book shops, the perfect place for two writers to settle down. \n About half way through, I wanted to abandon it, but I soldiered on because Collins spent a lot of chapters describing forgotten volumes in the second-hand book store where he worked, and I knew this book was destined for a similar fate. I felt a macabre responsibility to make it to the end. \n This passage describes a book he found in the shop but aptly describes his own: \n \"The frustrating thing about failed books by talented writers is that they have wonderful passages in them that will never be salvaged, never raised up from the water depths of obscurity.\"", "67" ], [ "Maizie Gordon, a single Jewish woman whose best friend was a nun, spent most of her life on the Lower East Side selling movie theater tickets in a ticket booth. From that vantage point she came to love the lively street scene, and when the Depression hit, she took to the streets every night handing out cash and soap to homeless men, many of whom had once been her customers and neighbors. A funny, touching, character-driven story.", "29" ], [ "A thoroughly silly and very enjoyable book. Georgiana Darcy, younger sister of the hero of Pride and Prejudice, comes of age and finds love. Enough detailed descriptions of gowns and ribbons and heart palpitations to fill a few snowy evenings.", "28" ], [ "Simple, beautiful, creepy, and sad. And masterful. A girl grows up in an elite, peculiar boarding school that seems like a gorgeous prison. As she and her classmates gradually come to understand their cruel destiny, she faces it with naive, heartbreaking courage. She tells her story in a chilling, casual voice. Were I to recount the plot, it would sound like a pulpy sci-fi thriller, but in Ishiguro's hands, it is a work of art.", "14" ], [ "I wish I could give three and a half stars. It was very enjoyable with well-drawn characters and a loose but interesting plot. But it was too long and needlessly repetitious. Some reviewers complained about the way the book jumped around in time. I liked that. It was an important device in revealing the plot.", "35" ], [ "For someone else, this would easily be a 4-star or 5-star book. It was masterfully written. It's a gorgeously told adventure story of two travelers in central Asia in the 10th century. It's full of glistening metal, sickening smoke of burning cities, horses, swords, axes, and narrow escapes. \n But I just wasn't interested. I didn't find the characters compelling until at least halfway through the book because it's not about character. It's about time and place. Action. Adventure. A great book, if you like that sort of thing.", "35" ], [ "I wavered whether to give Charming Billy three or four stars and settled on four because the writing is so beautiful. The story meanders through time, always with a strong sense of time and place. It unfolds gently, as memories and retold family stories do, certain bits repeated with new perspective. The smell of bacon, the click of a dog's nails on linoleum, the overheated, welcoming air of a neighborhood bar visited too often, all conjure up the progress of an Irish Catholic family in the city. Billy could not resist poking at his old wounds so they never healed, and the pain became the romance of his life.", "28" ], [ "I like this book a lot, but I didn't adore it as some people have. I had a little trouble understanding the source of the conflict. Griet was a hired hand sitting for a made-to-order portrait. Everything about the enterprise was entirely commercial. Why it stirred such feelings in the household and in the girl herself is a mystery, although the author did her best to explain.", "55" ], [ "A book that was entertaining enough to listen to on long car rides, but I would not have had the patience for it had I actually read it. Pretty good until the last third or so when the quirkiness of the story is lost.", "27" ], [ "I actually listened to the audiobook. It was highly entertaining to fill the hours on the road alone, but I wonder if I would have had the patience for it in print. Certain aspects of the plot were too contrived and did not ring true, and the characters were one-dimensional. There were three threads to the story, representing three generations of a family, set many decades apart. The earliest story, which took place in the 1900s and 1910s, read like warmed-over Dickens without the insight, memorable characters, or marvelous turns of phrase. In the next thread, the heroine's reaction to discovering what happened in the first was utterly unbelievable, even preposterous. And although the rest of the book, how the mystery was revealed, etc., was interesting, it was unfortunately constructed on a foundation of sand.", "27" ], [ "My feelings about this book wavered as I read it. It is over-written and about a hundred pages too long, not unlike some of my favorite, almost-great films. I guessed the book's central secret by page 50. I also agree with some reviewers that unveiling the mystery through an absurdly long letter was a cop-out, and the female characters are cartoons. So why does it get 4 stars? Because the over-ripe language, the mystery, and a few memorable characters make it really, really fun to read.", "35" ], [ "A beautiful, sweetly sad book about deep affection and disappointment. Readers often criticize the book's depiction of Africans and the author's power over them in colonial Africa. But these are objections to a period in history misdirected at a witness to that period. Given the times in which she lived, Dinesen is remarkably honest and respectful of the native people she encounters, no matter how much the details make us cringe today. \n Her biographers suggest that she did not love Africa as much in fact as she did in the telling, that in reality she was homesick there and returned to Europe as often as she could. If that is true, she does a wonderful job telling a different story.", "30" ], [ "This started out as a five-star book, but the guy just wore me out. Things got a bit tedious when he started the magazine. \n I give five stars to very exceptional books that I would read over and over, four stars to great books that are not as dear to me, and three stars to any other book I enjoy.", "91" ] ]

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[ [ "Enjoyed the beginning and the end. Part III and Part IV were very tedious and I decided to skip a big bulk and jump to the 1840s. I think a better 'for dummies' would be Modern Irish History for Dummies for this writer. The events shaping modern Ireland are certainly abbreviated and over-simplified but that's what I was looking for.", "169" ], [ "Required for class. Yawn. I appreciate the landscape southern is trying to paint in the early chapters but the last few were.so.damn.painful. Even though this is one of those canonical works of 12th century european history- skip it. Its been updated by better writers.", "10" ], [ "Great read! Really kept me interested! I didn't know much about 13th century iberian history and this kept all the key figures and places in line. Bianchini takes some liberties with her arguments but I appreciate a historian willing to make bold claims. Berenguela was a FASCINATING woman... more badass than Empress Matilda or Eleanor of Aquitaine. This would make excellent historical fiction without changing many details! Chadwick or Gregory better get on this!", "169" ], [ "This was surprisingly good. I read this book after reading Chibnall's Empress Matilda, obviously, very different books (one strictly thesis-driven history, the other fluffy fiction) but Chadwick's was surprisingly accurate. I wish Chadwick would have explored Matilda's time as Empress more as it is the more interesting part of her life... but Chadwick managed to weave all of the complicated characters of the anarchy together beautifully.", "169" ], [ "It's cute but not for me. A little too predictable, events a little too coincidental, and the inner monologue a little too teeny for me. The pacing was a bit off for me too. There was no firm conclusion in this book. You would def have to read the others.", "162" ], [ "Great read for anyone from Savannah or the surrounding area. Conroy is not the most likable of guys and he's certainly not the most objective narrator but his writing is great. \n Also, the intentional (AND unintentional) racism is a little tough to digest... but I think it is important to the story... and as well as a powerful insight into the changing times. It's just so hard to believe that this was less than 50 years ago.", "108" ], [ "Meh. I loved the idea.... Just not the execution. It took me months to get through it. I read the chapter with ghouls six times. It just couldn't hold my attention. I kept going because it was highly recommended--- but meh. The very last page was delightful though.", "110" ], [ "I initially loved this bc of the variety of recipes in it... But I fell out of love by the overuse of chipotle and soda. Yes soda. None of the recipes I made (5 in all) had any wow factor.", "2" ], [ "I live in the South so maybe I am biased... I was hoping for some fun ideas about quick weekend trips--- but the cities and attractions highlighted were unremarkable. The book also fails to go into enough detail about anything. One of the most disappointing LP books I'v read.", "20" ], [ "Beautiful writing... Lots of quotables... All the characters were so vivid.... A book lovers book for sure. \n But what was Margaret's deal?! Sheeeesh. I just could not get her. Take her out and I could have easily given this a 5.", "35" ], [ "I was gravitated towards the book because of the cover (I know!) I thought it would have a ton of ideas for larger projects like the furniture shown. Instead, most of the ideas were for decorative DIY accessories that are easily found on Pinterest or Tumblr.", "83" ], [ "Beautiful guide to decorating your home. The most useful tidbits are the visual glossary pages. I find it difficult to articulate my preferences to furniture dealers (e.g. Tight back sofa, Pedestal Table) and this came in handy. \n I am really looking for a book that shows you how to adapt the same space over time. This book didn't offer suggestions for that... instead it showed very distinct and separate living spaces. She could have also left out the chapter on Kitchens because it seemed out of place.", "83" ], [ "The second book is a fun read for a Tudor history nerd like me. The characters are not as interesting as in the first but still good enough to keep me wanting to read the third.", "169" ], [ "I read this over the weekend. I needed something a little light after the drain of Khaled Houseeni's latest book. \n This was okay. Just okay. Kaling seems just as shallow as her Kelly Kapoor character on the Office... although she spends entire chapters trying to convince you otherwise. The first few pages are by far the funniest... and she mockingly compares her literary skills with Handler. I say that is spot on... cause I Handler's book is pretty overrated too.", "187" ], [ "Fletcher is the expert on all things Cid and all things 11th century Spain. Reading this was a bit painful(so many tedious footnotes)... but the it is without-a-doubt one of the most well-researched texts of this era. Thorough, thorough analyses of primary texts. Although I prefer the lightness of the Quest for El Cid (Fletcher's earlier publication), it is a must-read for scholars of medieval spain", "169" ], [ "Enjoyed this one. I was skeptical at first but I really appreciate the time Roth took to develop Tris and the way of the Dauntless. The ending was a bit disappointing... felt very, very rushed.... and random. For the most part the book was relatively believable... but took a ridiculous sci first turn towards the end. I will read the others to see if the series has a more satisfying ending.", "127" ], [ "Fletcher is the expert on all things Cid and 11th century Spain. Well-researched, Quest offers an overview of the rich social and economic developments of the iberian peninsula and Cid's European contemporaries. \n Fletcher's prose is cliched at times, but I enjoyed reading it.", "169" ], [ "The lady is bat shit crazy.... but I couldn't seem to stop reading it. Obviously, she makes a few valid observations about 'western' parenting... but really fails to consider the effects of social stratification on parenting. Blagh.", "66" ], [ "This is awesome. Basic guide to core information literacy skills from the perspective of a history student/instructor. I've ordered this for the library. This has already helped me 'sell' library instruction to a history professor. \n I would be very interested in a follow-up. Maybe something a little more advanced? Maybe for graduate students?", "83" ] ]

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[ [ "Got through 10%, cringing through much of the way. The final straw was when the H took the h shopping, and he exclaimed 'They're only eleven hundred dollars' while looking at a pair of heels for her.", "42" ], [ "Didn't like this one - didn't bother to finish it. Victoria Dahl is usually so good, but in this book her main characters are all pretty unlikeable. And I didn't get any sense of chemistry or build-up between the H/h.", "151" ] ]

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[ [ "\"In her closing chapter, Klein cites Belgian cartoonist Jean-Claude Servais, in what stands as a meaningful mission statement for No Is Not Enough and the oppositional movement it hopes to marshal: \"The hour calls for optimism; we'll save pessimism for better times.\"\" \n see \n https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/arts...", "78" ], [ "I almost bought this until I realized that I bought and read the Kindle versions of 3 of the 4 Novellas in this collection for $1.99 each. First Bones, the only new Novella does not seem to be available as a standalone so I will wait until that is offered on its own or I see the book in my library. Amazon or whoever is responsible for the price [insert appropriate insult here]. \n I give Bones on Ice, Swamp Bones, and Bones in her Pocket 4 stars each -- I give this collection 3 stars because of the price.", "59" ], [ "I was just reading a blog post on how to teach reading (see http://dianeravitch.net/2015/09/06/ll... ) and it brought to mind this book that was one of the first that I read that I didn't have to read. I loved it! I know that for me finding out that reading was fun by reading a book that I didn't have to was life changing.", "99" ], [ "Not recommended! I liked House of Silk but this is highly flawed. I guessed the big twist well before the end and kept reading in the vain hope that I was wrong. I would feel much better about it if it had been a short story or novella.", "150" ], [ "The twenty-third installment of this series of seventh century Ireland and the sleuthing couple Fidelma, an advocate of the Brehon law courts known as a dailaigh, and her husband the Saxon (no Angle) brother Eadulf does not disappoint.", "177" ] ]

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[ [ "Oh shit! when did this come out! I was waitting my butt off for the last instalment! And now it's been out for nearly a month without me knowing?! a shame. let's get started! ... as soon as get my hands free of the books I'm reading :|", "59" ], [ "It all started with a bang, a big one... but in my case nothing of that kind happened; it happened with me being an ambitious bibliophile just like the last year. \n First I listed some books and said I'm gonna read this and that and bit of this and why not that one! Challenged myself to a high number of books. But suddenly life happened and gave my wailing determination, to dedicate myself to books, a cold shoulder. And so I lowered the challenge number secretly and right away I deleted the accompanying status so that my friends couldn't be able to see it and give me a rake over the coals! Yep. \n But what I did was to leave myself open to whatever book that finds me. I indulged myself to my ever-changing moods which they were more inclined to sci-fi and fantasy, some of them happened to be gigantic tomes with more than 1000 pages each. That's what bogged me down. However, I realized that I'm more drawn to thick books than to the books with under 400 pages. \n The books I liked best: \n Things Fall Apart \n August: Osage County \n Le Grand Meaulnes \n Fear \n The Post-Office Girl \n Sacre Bleu: A Comedy d'Art \n The Pillowman \n The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy \n Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage \n Memories of Ice \n All You Need Is Kill \n American Gods \n P.S. Last year I tried to write a review for 2014 on Goodreads and it took me several days to write it but at the end it got too... personal. My feeling and experiences were so tied with the books that I couldn't disentangle myself and write a simple clear-cut review. So this year I'm keeping it simple... and I did!", "80" ], [ "3.5* \n Alfred Bester, one of the icons of science fiction (though I didn't know him until a month ago [yep you got me I'm not much a sci-fi guy]), challenges himself by writing an inter-genre novel, The Demolished Man , which is the Hugo Award winner dated in 1953. The novel is certainly one of his best novels but a way behind to best his best Bester novel: The Stars My Destination . Yet it was a pretty entertaining novel with some good old ancient obsolete science. Oh I'm exaggerating; you can leave out the word \"ancient.\" \n Bester mixes two genres: sci-fi and detective, and succeeds in doing so. In a world where murder is nearly impossible, because of a cult of better evolved humans who can read the mind of other people, a man cleverly manages to murder (the first murder in seventy years) a VIP and a dozen more after that. Well how did that murderer got past from those mind readers*** without letting the cat out of the cat? And how did the murderer got away from the murder without revealing the truth that he had committed the murder? Oh well there remains the mystery and my loathsome LINCOLN POWELL, The Perfect, Esper#1, and a detective tries to solve this case. \n ---------------------------- \n *** Or peepers [or Espers] which are of three degrees: Esper#3: Just peeps the conscious. Esper#2: the conscious and the subconscious. Esper#1: the former, the latter, and the unconscious!). I wish I could write with a \"pattern\": the peeper-exclusive way of communication.", "199" ], [ "A poor story BUT a great performance by Galaxy Audio team. All these three stars go to Galaxy Audio which by their theatrical performance kept me company in bloody traffic of Tehran. Next one is: Spy Killer by Hubbard. I wish I had bought more of their audio books from Tehran National Book Fair.", "0" ], [ "One of the best plays I've ever read. especially for its genuine idea of putting shorty short stories in the play. And what terrific stories! The problem is that when I love a piece of literature I get tongue-tied and words fail me. Ugh. I'm going to reread this play some time soon and I'll be back with a thorough review.", "161" ], [ "It must be a good book. It must be! Because 1) it is written by D. S. Wilson, and 2) it is about my favorite subject tackled in an evolutionary way. Of course everything cultural brought under the spotlight of evolution grabs my attention. \n The conversation between Tom Stoppard and D. S. Wilson about altruism, the subject of his latest book (this one I mean), is quite excellent: https://evolution-institute.org/artic...", "11" ], [ "This was my first Bukowski and I don't believe it will be the last. It's good to take a peek at his writing when you get too serious in your head and your brain begins to get hot, it's good to take a glance at his writing to cool it down and get into the life of an ugly old son of a bitch who is, as he describes himself: \"I'm just an alcoholic who became a writer so that I would be able to stay in bed until noon\", a writer who \"write[s] a lot of crap.\" But if you ask me I'd say he writes interesting kinds of crap the ones that are not so disgustingly smelly and the way they are crapped are fun to look at. Yeah you got me. \n Bukowski's writing somehow reminds me of Confessional Poets, or as M. L. Rosenthal also named them as \"the madhouse muses\" which very much suits Bukowski, who shares some of their qualities. The emotions he shows are true to his own feelings. His opinions on world surrounding him are derived from his personal convictions and not from the currency of literary fashion, which there are examples aplenty in this book on his distaste for literary fashion or educated kind of writers and their writings. \n There isn't any barrier between Bukowski's self and direct expression of the self, to write with \"self\" as primary subject; a frank Self, the one with a lack of restraint. But the thing that differentiates Bukowski from confessionals is that he talks through a personae (Henry Chanski) to convey his feelings, thoughts, worldviews, and experiences. But somehow all of us know there is much of Bukowski in that Chinaski guy that we are allowed to see them as one. Like confessionals, Bukowski mythologizes his personal life, but let's not forget that it also has elements of fancy. The facts displayed in his/their writings should not be taken for literal truth. But I'd say he is one lucky bastard if he's telling the truth! \n He isn't afraid of emotions like the writers before him and he doesn't censor his emotions and thoughts or even he doesn't soften it with euphemism. At least he's true to himself, He doesn't put a mask on his face, and accepts himself as pure shit and presents himself as an old man with roaring shit. But of course his writing is not for everyone and he didn't expect everyone to like what he was doing to literature. \n Just as there were no restrictions for confessionals on choosing a subject matter, Bukowski weren't tied up with restrictions either. He wrote about anything he liked and his subject matters were most often himself and the things he intimately knew. \n His writings (at least in case of Women) are a declaration of loss, of dependence, of guilt, of anguish, suffering, and his revenge on life. The themes of this declaration are presented in the form of mental breakdowns, personal failure, alienation, whoring, experiments with drugs, alcoholism, and so on. As Bukowski confesses why he was behaving all through his post-50-year-old life as someone debauched, as someone who is beating the hell out of life to give him back what he has lost all his 50 years of miserable life: \n I had imagined myself special because I had come out of the factories at the age of 50 and become a poet. Hot shit. So I pissed on everybody just like those bosses and managers had pissed on me when I was helpless. It came to the same thing. I was a drunken spoiled rotten fucker with a very minor minor fame. \n BTW, I found it interesting that some of the names in the novel weren't the real names (but mostly they were). So some pseudonyms in Women: \n Lydia Vance: Linda King - one of Buk's longtime relationships \n (Here's the link on Bukowski and Linda king, the mad Lydia! http://www.vice.com/read/meeting-buko...) \n Sara: Linda Bukowski \n (Here's the youtube link when he gets pissed off at Linda (Sarah in Women: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUeGs...) \n Drop On Inn: Dew Drop Inn \n Drayer Baba: Maher Baba - indian guru \n Dinky Summers: Bob Linde - singer/guitarist friend of Buk's \n Dee Dee Bronson: Liza Williams - executive at Island Records - lover of Buk's \n Tammie: Pamela Miller (\"Cupcakes\") - lover of Buk's \n Arlene: Georgia Peckham-Krellner - friend of Pamelas \n Sammy Levinson: Neeli Cherkowski - friend of Buk's \n Tanya: Amber O'Neill (also a pseudonym!) - fan/lover of Buk's \n Mercedes: Joanna Bull - fan of Buk's \n William Keesing: William Wantling - poet & friend of Buk's \n Cecilia Keesing: Ruth Wantling - wife of William \n Bobby & Valerie: Brad & Tina Darby - friends & neighbours of Buk's \n Douglas Fazzick: Douglas Blazek - editor of \"Ole\" & publisher of Buk \n Bart McIntosh: Ted Laturnus - organizer of Buk's reading in Vancouver 1976", "139" ], [ "Although I know almost every thing about Christmas, I have never felt it first-hand. And I must say I'm really unschooled about Wales. But This little book, with its cadenced prose enchanted me with its music of words and powerful visualization so that I could hear \"distant speaking of the voices,\" \"the carol-singing sea,\" \"the muffling silence of the eternal snows,\" and the rumbling and mumbling of aunts and uncles and their music; could smell the two-tongued sea and the scent of a warm crowded house in deep winter; could peek from a corner and see how children patiently waited to throw their snowballs at an unfortunate cat. Could see the four children standing in front of a \"black bulk of a house\" in a moonless night, shivering with cold and fear, but trying to look brave and sing a Christmas carol. Could see the burning living-room, the out-pouring smoke, Jim's aunt announcing the fire \"like a town crier in Pompeii,\" and the three tall firemen standing astounded when encountered with the aunt's ludicrous offer: \"Would you like anything to read?\" Could feel the nostalgic childhood ice-cold snows, the happiness of a unique day that gets mixed with melancholy when the day begins to come to an end and you know tomorrow will be another day like any other day. \n A short work, with a great impact, with a long shadow to cast to embrace us all in its cozy arms.", "38" ], [ "This was a bittersweet read and I can't see why people rate it 5 stars, except the booksellers themselves, and I've worked as a bookseller for some time. A few of the conversations between bookseller and customers were of patronizing nature which was annoying. Saying that you have never heard of James Joyce ... is as shocking as spiting on the floor and announcing your support for slavery and racism, despite the obvious unimportance of your tastes in leisure-time activity to just about anything. Living in Iran and working as an English teacher I've learned not to even expect my students to know who the heck Charles Dickens is, and you expect all people to know James Joyce and the fact that Jane Eyre is the name of a book and not a writer? All I'm saying is that this book was one-sided, naturally. So let me get even by telling a conversation between a customer and a bookseller which I was a witness of: \n Customer: Excuse me, do you have that book... what was its name... ha Nietzsche couldn't cry or something like that. \n Bookseller: What's the writer's name? \n Customer: Schopen Hauer. \n Bookseller: *caught unprepared, gets up and looks for the book in the bookshelves for about 10 minutes* \n And I was observing the bookseller who has been working in that bookshop for more than two years looking helplessly at the bookshelves and didn't know Schopenhauer was way back in time than Nietzsche, so he couldn't write a book about Nietzsche's inability to shed some tears. And let's just forget Irvin D. Yalom's possible role in here. \n Another time was when I decided to slide into a cozy bookshop and just look at the books, you know, relaxation. The bookseller came an stood beside me and suggested some must-read writers to me like Yevsky. (Don't you know Yevsky!? You heathens!) When I told him I don't recognize such a writer, he got so shocked I thought he got a heart attack! And asked in a super-surprised tone \"Don't you know Yevsky? The great Russian Writer?\" and I, kicking myself for being such an illiterate person, meekly asked him what the writer's first name is. He answered \"Dasta.\" Well, my guess was \"Dostoyevsky.\" What's yours? \n But of course some of the conversations in the book were quite fun, like the one who thinks Charles Dickens might be a woman: \n CUSTOMER: It's amazing, isn't it, how little we really know about writers' lives? Especially the old ones. \n BOOKSELLER: I guess the lives of writers have changed a lot. \n CUSTOMER: Yes. And don't forget about those women who used to write under male names. \n BOOKSELLER: Yes, like George Eliot. \n CUSTOMER: I always thought Charles Dickens was probably a woman. \n BOOKSELLER: . . . I'm pretty sure Charles Dickens was a man. \n CUSTOMER: But who's to say? \n BOOKSELLER: Well, he was pretty prominent in society; lots of people saw him. \n CUSTOMER: But maybe that was all a show - maybe that was her brother, whilst Charlene was at home, writing. \n BOOKSELLER: . . . \n Or this one when a thief decides otherwise: \n CUSTOMER: Do you have security cameras in here? \n BOOKSELLER: Yes. \n CUSTOMER: Oh. (customer slides a book out from inside his jacket and places it back on the shelf) \n Or the one who is looking forward to leech some fame without him doing anything: \n BOOKSELLER: Can I help at all? \n CUSTOMER: Yes, where's your fiction section? \n BOOKSELLER: It starts over on the far wall. Are you looking for anything in particular? \n CUSTOMER: Yes, any books by Stefan Browning. \n BOOKSELLER: I'm not familiar with him, what kind of books has he written? \n CUSTOMER: I don't know if he's written any. You see, my name's Stefan Browning, and I always like to go into bookshops to see if anyone with my name has written a book. \n BOOKSELLER: . . . right. \n CUSTOMER: Because then I can buy it, you see, and carry it around with me and tell everyone that I've had a novel published. Then everyone will think I'm really cool, don't you think? \n BOOKSELLER: . . . \n I'm sure there was only one green book in the sixties that made people laugh: \n CUSTOMER: I read a book in the sixties. I don't remember the author, or the title. But it was green, and it made me laugh. Do you know which one I mean? \n A great advice for us customers when we visit an antiquarian or second-hand bookshop if we want to not only escape the fine but also get some discount: \n CUSTOMER: This book has a couple of tears to some of the pages. \n BOOKSELLER: Yes, unfortunately some of the older books have some wear and tear from previous owners. \n CUSTOMER: So, will you lower the price? It says here it's PS20. \n BOOKSELLER: I'm sorry but we take into account the condition of the books when we price them; if that book was in a better condition, it would be worth a lot more than PS20. \n CUSTOMER: Well, you can't have taken this tear here into account(points to page) or this one here (points to another page), because my son did those two minutes ago. \n BOOKSELLER: So, the book is now more damaged than it was before, because of your son? \n CUSTOMER: Yes. Exactly. So now will you lower the price?", "128" ], [ "Zweig, Zweig, and my dear Zweig. All his books have this magnetic captivating nature. If a non-Zweig-reader stumbles upon one of his works and wants to leaf through to check the structure of his writing he/she would probably decide that it's a boring and hyper-energy-consuming book with no chapters and no separating parts, with its long paragraphs and minimum dialog among the characters. But the moment you set your eyes on his magical writing you are drawn into his world and you just keep reading and reading and reading without being able or dare to take your eyes away from the lines since there are no \"checkpoints\" in the story to relieve you, there is only a beginning and an ending. \n Being a friend of Freud enabled Zweig to inject Freud's ideas into his stories, just as his other friend Arthur Schnitzler did. In Fear we see a young respectable upper-class married woman, Irene, living with her fear of getting exposed by a blackmailer who threatens to publicize her adultery. She was only seeing the adultery as an adventure and didn't have any feelings for her lover. The first lines open as Irene is leaving her lover's apartment, already suffering and trembling from the fear of being caught red-handed and anxious to get back to her comfortable and safe life. On her way out the building she is buttonholed by his lover's former beloved, a plebeian woman who accuses her of stealing her man. Scared stiff and ashamed, Irene begins a descent into abysmally insane fear. The woman demands ever larger sums in blackmail, while Irene tries to hide everything from her husband, her children and every one. \n The story, like most of Zweig's other stories, taps on some characteristics of human nature and behavior which goes at odds with what society holds as proper. Individuals indulging their desires in secret and condemn it in facade, in society. In this story, together with Irene, we can feel her beneath that false constructed demeanor and empathize with her, to undergo what she goes through: storms of carnal passion, guilt, shame, rage, and ever-growing fear. \n In one part of the book when she protested against her husband's harsh chastisement for their little daughter, she is faced by the husband's explanation of the whyness of his doing so, which also encapsulates Irene's own psychological condition: \n Don't I feel sorry for her, you ask? Well, I won't say any more about that today. She feels better now that she's been punished, although her punishment seems bitter too. She was unhappy yesterday when she put the broken bits of the poor little horse in the stove. Everyone in the house was looking for it, and she was afraid all day that it was sure to be found. That fear was worse than the punishment, which after all is something definite, and whether it's hard on her or not, it's still better than the terrible uncertainty and cruel suspense she was feeling earlier. As soon as she knew her punishment she felt all right. Don't let her tears lead you astray; yes, they came pouring out, but they'd been dammed up inside her before, and they hurt worse there than on the surface. If she weren't a child, or if we could somehow see right into her mind, I think we'd discover that she is really glad to have been found out, in spite of her punishment and her tears. She's certainly happier than she was yesterday, when she appeared not to have a care in the world, and no one suspected her.\" \n But she just can't bring herself to confess it to her husband and relieve herself of the stifling burden of fear and shame. \n Overall, it was a great read for me, but I might be biased for I love the way Zweig writes and the way Anthea Bell translates it, but after all here is Goodreads, a site for prejudiced reviews, and not an academic circle to claim objectivity (which I believe as impossible). \n Once the most read author of his age, Zweig turns into Mr. Nobody not long after his suicidal death. But I'm so glad to see him regaining some small part of his stance and fame amongst readers. As Salman Rushdie said, \"it's good to have Zweig back.\"", "139" ], [ "The Cooke case is an illustration of a general dictum I read decades ago and that has been confirmed by my experience since then: most books should be articles; most articles should be footnotes; and most footnotes should not be written. But with all the redundancy, diffusion, and repetition, the book was insightful and gave me some food for thought.", "193" ], [ "Traditional view of social scientists has been that over time culture dabs a natural human behavior as moral and another immoral. So morality is an arbitrary notion that can be created and built upon a specific behavior and nature of humanity. In other words, morality is a social construct, thus it is culturally relative. But evolutionary psychologists such as Michael Shermer and sociobiologists like E. O. Wilson argue that there is a \"science of morality\", that is, morality, like any other features of humanity, is emerged over the course of human evolution and it existed before civilization and religion. Shermer argues that humans are not the only ones in possession of morality. \"premoral sentiments,\" as Shermer calls them, are the behaviors that humans share with other social animals, particularly with other great apes: \n attachment and bonding, cooperation and mutual aid, sympathy and empathy, direct and indirect reciprocity, altruism and reciprocal altruism, conflict resolution and peacemaking, deception and deception detection, community concern and caring about what others think about you, and awareness of and response to the social rules of the group. \n These premoral sentiments, according to Shermer, are evolved as restraints. They are evolved in societies in order to restrain individual selfishness and encourage cooperation and altruism. To restrain belligerence, evilness, immorality, non-virtuousness, and encourage peace, goodness, morality, and virtuousness. \n Traditional opinions on human nature are divided into two classes: pessimists and optimists. Pessimists share Machiavelli's version of human nature in which he believes that people never do good unless they are forced to. Optimists agree with the intellectuals of the eighteenth century enlightenment called philosophes, who believed human nature to be benevolent. Or even Marxists can be called optimists, for they believe(d) that if humans get the economic conditions right, class will disappear and people will live naturally in egalitarian harmony. \n Neither pessimists nor optimists, evolutionary psychologists like Shermer believe that humans are, by nature and intrinsically, good and evil, moral and immoral, altruistic and selfish, cooperative and competitive, peaceful and bellicose, benevolent and brutal, virtuous and non-virtuous. \n Shermer argues that moral sense is \"evolved out of behaviors that were selected for because they were good either for the individual or for the group.\" And immoral sense is the opposite of it, that it is evolved out of behaviors that were selected for because they were bad either for the individual or for the group. In terms of \"feeling,\" moral sense is the \"the psychological feeling of doing 'good' in the form of positive emotions such as righteousness and pride,\" as Shermer says. Immoral sense, on the other hand, is the psychological feeling of doing \"bad\" in the form of negative emotions such as \"guilt and shame.\" \n But it is wrong to say that the definition of morality and immorality in every culture and society throughout the history is fundamentally the same. In other words, cultures may differ in tagging a particular behavior as good or bad, as moral or immoral. Although there will always be conflicts between distinct sides of human evolved nature, with some societies and cultures favoring and moralizing one side and some another side, but there is an evolved universality in humans, in all cultures through history that has a tendency toward the moral sense of feeling good or feeling bad about a particular behavior. That is, a sense of right and wrong is a shared characteristic of all human societies, both civilized and pre-civilized. \n Summing up of the main points of the book: \n * Culture is in close relation with nature and is channeled and limited by it. \n * Morality is intrinsic. \n * Morality is evolved through history and selected by natural selection and forces of culture in order to adapt humans with nature; it is the result of gene-culture coevolution. \n * Morality is continuous with animal social instincts. \n * Humans are both moral and immoral, good and evil. \n * Some individuals and people some of the time in some circumstances are more or less immoral and moral than other individuals and people.", "123" ], [ "A very poor work by the Nobel Prize winner. Was this my punishment for semi-defending Mo Yan? I told my girlfriend, who gave 2 stars to this book, that I liked Mo Yan after reading this book's first novella which was somehow fun. But in the second novella Mo Yan got really annoying and still I was hopeful. There were some little beams of hope in my heart telling me it'll get better (and it got better, from unbearable to bearable,) so with an iron will and a puffed chest I struggled to finish the second novella. \n But Can we call it fiction? or was it just a childhood report about sports?! The language was so childish as if written by our little primary school student narrator; so many redundant sentences; filled with unpolished raw emotions, and some rudimentary reports about sports. Perhaps this was really Mo yan's goal, to write like a child and to write matter-of-factly... but seriously he could do much more better than this. \n Some say that this is the book if one wants to start reading Mo Yan, because these two novellas help a (victimized) reader to take a glance at his childhood and get familiar with the lifestyle of that time, which is correct. You get familiar with them - all through the text you feel the shocking harsh life Chinese had, or still have, and some paragraphs make you close the book and think about them - but also you get disappointed in Mo Yan as a writer. Of course I'm not judging him with just reading one of his books, so I'm planning to read his most appreciated works later, see if he can impress me. \n No wonder this book is not translated into English. But I wonder why this book is the first and only translation of Mo Yan in Iran!", "91" ], [ "Ah a poor, stupid, tedious, but necessary book in the series. Now that we are over the delineation of the Silo I know it'll get better in the next books of the series. But Howey could've chosen a better story to show how Silo works. A big applause to Howey, because despite this stupid story he managed to tell us how things are in his world.", "150" ], [ "Ok I think before reading this book I should look up the definition of \"cooking\" in a dictionary, because right now I cooked something that looked like a food - rice, vegetables (I don't know what types, there was a parcel of frozen ground vegetables in the freezer and I picked it up), an egg, and olive oil. That was horrible and now I'm struggling to keep it down. But it was just an experiment and it saved me from starving to death.", "37" ], [ "Not as bad as I expected it to be. It's the story of a no named man known to us just as Old Man, like Santiago in The Old Man and the Sea. Once upon a time the old man was a great \"salvager\", finding useful tools from what's left of the old civilization, to try and form a new life and maybe a new civilization. \n The structure follows the story of the Old Man and the Sea in which instead of the sea there's just a wasteland forty years after the nuclear bombing and an apocalypse that nearly wiped humanity and life from the face of earth. But it seems some people managed to survive, but we don't know how. They escaped bombing and managed to stay alive, but the radiation? we don't know and Nick Cole does little to inform the reader. \n The village in which old man lives is one of the most civilized and humane places I've read in post-apocalyptic books: after forty years of wild tough apocalyptic years they are as civilized and as cultured as we who live before the apocalypse. Of course when we go further in the story, and meet the savages, we see that the villagers are the only or one of the few civilized ones. \n The old man is, what villagers call him, a cursed man because it's been a long time since he last found a salvage. The story begins with the old man deciding to leave the village to the cursed east to find a great salvage and prove the villagers wrong: He is not cursed. \n In the course of the story we'll see he's one of the luckiest humans on earth and survives all the dangers with sheer luck: He survives the loner motel keeper, the drugged savage, the desert... of course he escapes the pack of wolfs with luck plus smartness. I'm not degrading his efforts and intelligence. He is a tough, smart, and experienced old man who knows the way of life and how to stay alive. \n One thing I really disliked about the novel is the political thinking of Nick Cole. The slogans or the laws written on the sewer walls were disgusting. Cole may think he's being wise writing those disgusting childish cheap slogans. One more word: terrorists?! really Cole? \n The story has a poor start. It was losing its nonexistent grip and I struggled not to put the book down hoping it'll get better and it got better, but just to keep you entertained and nothing more. It was a light and a fun read with its entertaining but poor attempt to merge the elements of The Road and The Old and the Sea in a post-apocalyptic setting.", "3" ], [ "\"Well, well\" That was all Mister Tipton murmured, in such a low voice that even GRRM couldn't hear it, when his knife got The Beast in the eye. \n Although Sour Billy Tipton was just one of the characters, but he was the one that I was obsessed with. Despicable old Sour Billy! But I love you for that, for being such a monstrous abominable creature, for waking in me a great deal of HATRED which I didn't know I'm capable of. Oh Billy, whoever will I hate and love without you? \n To despise a fiction character so badly needs a master to create it: Ladies and Gentlemen je vous presente the great creator of all THE BLOODMASTER George R.R. Martin! I haven't experienced such a hatred toward a character in years thanks to GRRM (even if I did I don't remember!), and now all that I can imagine is that one painful death was not enough, and in my mind I go on killing Billy with a thousand ways of torturing to death!!! \n OK OK! I think... I over reacted! I'm still in the Fevre of the novel and I still feel my red thirst to spill Billy's blood is not faded. But...! never mind.", "21" ], [ "It's not fair to say I've read all the entries, but I read most of the related ones to English (I mean ENGLISH!) Literature. And of course I still use it as a perfect reference book.", "80" ], [ "A death sentence: not because he killed a man (an Arab, and that's not much of an importance) but because this act of killing did shed light on his inner thoughts and made them visible for the others to see, to detect and mark him as a stranger, and to accuse him as \"an inhuman monster wholly without a moral sense\" and without a \"soul\". Being a stranger to the sensational society was his chief crime and the cause of his death, not the act of killing which played just as a catalyst.", "26" ], [ "I \"really Liked it.\"Yes. I would've given 5 stars if Suzanne Collins could surprise me and made me wrong every time I anticipated what will happen. \n Story is an overused idea: having some people kill each other while the others on the other side of the arena enjoy watching them do so. There is always a BUT: Collins handled this with so much dexterity that it turns out to be one shinning advantages of the novel: to make worn out ideas shine again. So, She deserves a big silent applause in my heart. \n Very predictable: I always can say what's going to happen. Collins tries her best to trick and surprise her readers but it's not going to work on me!! esp in major turns of the plot I know what will happen, I read on and see: yep I was right, and it some times made me over-joyed with myself and some times dissapointed in Collins. A thumb down to her and forcing me to let the fifth star hollow. \n Cannot sympathize with Katniss a bit... I think I'm the problem here. So, I'll pass this one. \n I loved the depiction of country, it's strange people, and the reaping day and of course the lovely puppets: Mutations!!", "35" ], [ "\"It was ok, let's pretend I liked The Name of the Wind.\" I said, matter-of-factly! \n Was I reading Harry Potter 2nd edition?! It felt like reading HP with a bit alteration. The novel doesn't have a genuine story, too much dialogues and non-actions for a heroic fantasy novel, you could see the shallowness of Rothfuss' words as if he is talking to a dumb child..., and didn't like his style of story-telling. \n But... how did it manage to have the power of being a page-turner novel?! I can say I read it in 3,4 days!", "127" ], [ "Some musings on The Road and the genre of (post-)apocalypse: \n 1) (Post-)apocalyptic genre seems to me a very primal genre, an adaptive one, which is intimately concerned with life and death and the struggle for existence. The genre is crucially dependent on evolved properties of the human nature and mind, such as the emotion of fear which derives from human mind. \"Fear\" is the engine of the genre and the main reason for why genre exists. Humanity's obsession with apocalypse and post-apocalypse is rooted in ancient humans and these roots of modern (post-)apocalyptic are found in the earliest folklore, myths, and religions of all races and cultures. This is naturally to be expected of a form so closely linked with basic emotion of fear. The (post-)apocalyptic imagination is hard-wired into us, it has always existed and it will continue to exist since it is a natural genre, rather than just cultural, and it addresses the greatest fear of humanity: the end of life and fear of death, death of all humans. Man's worst fears come alive in this genre. \n Of course both culture and nature are crucial in shaping human mind but theses shapes that mind takes are limited by nature and vary within narrow bonds, that is, culture has a little room to maneuver, and when it does, it is in relation with nature. Nature can be compared with computer hardware, whereas culture is compared with operating system or software which is installed on the hardware. \n 2) Some causes of apocalypse are man-made such as nuclear holocaust. Humans, through millions of years of adaptation and natural selection, have got installed in their mind some modules to fear some specific factors that endangered their lives, but since, for example, the atomic bomb is very recent, therefore humans need to learn to fear this danger because it is not natural, but constructed, and every fear that needs to be learned is culturally constructed. In this respect, one can conclude that all the cultural constructed fears are rooted in natural intrinsic fears of humanity, especially the fear of death. The popular belief, which derives from historicist approach to the genre, is that (post-)apocalyptic stories are the embodiment of the fears and anxieties of that specific time and, therefore (post-)apocalypse is entirely a cultural construction and invention. This is partly true, but these cultural fears, as mentioned before, are based on the evolved natural fears. \n 3) Human mind, with the help of prefrontal lobes, enables humans to forecast and plan for future. The mechanism of planning and forecasting is dependent on imagery and emotion and also based on past and present experiences. As mentioned before, the emotion of fear is the heart of the genre, and a (post-)apocalyptic author experiences an emotion of fear and anxiety triggered by the environment, such as seeing a violent war or the melting of Antarctica's ice, which in turn triggers in his mind an image of dark future based on this fearful experience. Through his imagination he forecasts what would happen, what the consequences would be, if this fearful event were taken to its most extreme level. The author presents the scenes on the paper in the form of a story, which can be regarded as a warning to all humanity. Apocalyptic thinking is a way people and authors cope with horrible and uncontrollable circumstances on the individual, local, or universal level. Of course, the coping method and forecasted future differ with person to person and writer to writer depending on his genes, environment he or she lives in, and the culture she or he comes from. \n Studying McCarthy's life discloses numerous important features of his novels and the reasons behind creating the post-apocalyptic world. In case of The Road, McCarthy had four experiences that resulted to his imagined apocalypse: 1. growing up in the south and seeing the gory violence of the society and the corrupt culture which made him to be pessimistic toward human nature; 2. his immersion in the science that aggravated his pessimism; 3. the September 11 attacks followed by the Iraq War which yet again made him believe that the world is an unstable place; 4. and being the sexagenarian father of a seven-year-old son in this violent society. These experiences triggered in him the fear of his moral son living in this violent and immoral society, which in turn triggered the image of dark future in McCarthy's mind. \n 4) Those (post-)apocalyptic works that stand the test of time in many cultures push the button of universal fears, that is, the fears that are natural and all humans share those fears and anxieties, or the fears that all the cultures have in common. The Road is not concerned with its local culture and society's anxieties and traumas but mainly concerned with the universal fear of survival in a horrendous world. This will make it a classic. \n 5) Fear-inducing stories like (post-)apocalyptic stories use the element of fear to logically scare and disturb its audience by bringing a calamity upon humanity, using natural and cultural underpinnings, and with this they increase the chances of humanity's survival. In these stories, humans rebalance themselves. These stories directly confront humans with their behavioral universals. The severe environmental disorientation these stories simulate characteristically shocks and sobers up their audiences to re-examine the way they live their lives, to acknowledge their human nature, to contemplate a future possibility, and to avoid present lethal mistakes that may lead to the disaster mentioned in the story. This is, in a nutshell, is the thematic structure of (post-)apocalyptic works like The Road, in which the author simulates a world where survival is a challenge, human values are lost, and today's facilities are no more. This affects readers deeply in the sense that they rebalance themselves and re-examine the life they have now. On the whole, literary and nonliterary apocalyptic texts make a significant contribution to the continuity of human life. \n 6) According to Erik Hage, since the boy is born after the apocalypse, and since the cultural and social beliefs and structure are obliterated, therefore the boy is a blank slate because there is not culture or society in this post-end world and also because the boy is not tainted by the pre-apocalyptic cultural and social beliefs, the ones that brought calamity upon humanity. I argue against the concept of tabula rasa which Erik Hage made use of to show the boy's moral behavior. One of the most important factors in shaping the boy's behavior is the role of stories his father tells him. Adopting Michelle Sugiyama's theory about the function of the stories--stories are sources of vicarious experiences and low-cost sources of information, that they delight in order to instruct-- one can concluded that the boy's goodness derives from the pre-apocalyptic moral stories that his father tells him. \n According to evolutionary psychology, humans are intrinsically both moral and immoral, and some individuals are more moral or immoral than the others based on their genes and environment they live. As the story suggests, the boy is intrinsically a morally superior person. The father also provided him an environment in which helps the boy to remain moral. The father's stories are filled with pre-apocalyptic values and good guys who help other people, which the son bases his behavior on those values and the deeds of the heroes. This is why the boy, till the middle of the novel, tries to help all the life he encounters: because he is both intrinsically and culturally a moral person. \n 7) Studying the role of stories in shaping the boy's behavior also reveals the change in his worldview. When father and son take their journey to the south, the boy gets more exposed to the brutish post-apocalyptic environment. Though their arduous trek, the boy realizes the dysfunctionality of the pre-apocalyptic stories, with their moral values, in this present world, because he sees that practicing these moral traits may endanger his survival. According to evolutionary psychologists, every kind of human behavior is dependent on mind, genes, and environment. Different environments with their different stimulants lead the mind to develop differently and change the way in which the mind causes behavior. Therefore, the main reason for the behavioral change of the boy is the change of environment and its circumstances. The boy's behavior is changed in favor of survival depending on the various environmental triggers. Therefore, his idealistic and chivalric behavior is replaced by utilitarian version of morality. Although the boy's moral behavior is changed, McCarthy accomplishes to show his readers that the boy is still a moral figure, the one who \"carries the fire\" in the face of evil. \n 8) Parental investment is much highlighted in this novel and one can claim that the emotional focal point of the story is the father's devotion to his son. The reason why McCarthy did not much meditate on the apocalypse itself is that he intended to focus on the survival psychology of his characters' and especially the father. McCarthy wrote The Road mainly because of his son and a keen eye can notice that the character of the father is a version of McCarthy himself and the character of the boy is McCarthy's own son. Therefore the novel is mainly focused on the parent-offspring bond and filled with many examples of sacrifice and parental investment. \n The shining example of parental investment is the mother's suicide. She committed suicide to improve her husband and especially her son's chances of survival without her being the burden. In this case, the mother's suicide is an adaptive behavior because she realizes that she has no chances of survival due to her psychological and physical exhaustion, therefore, by committing suicide she can assist the replicas of her genes (her son) and increase the survival of her son and husband by ceasing to use resources so that they could use instead. \n 9) Through the medium of The Road, McCarthy the father tackled two main issues that were giving him pain in his personal life: human morality and parenting. It is inferred that with all the wickedness in this world the father (McCarthy) fears the disability of protecting his son forever and one day the boy should stand on his feet all by himself. He the McCarthy believes that the society is getting worse every day and expresses a deep pessimism regarding humanity's self-destructiveness because of this violent society in which any moral expediency seems justified. His son, though a morally superior person, cannot heal this evilness and, as it is shown in the novel, the boy is reduced to a small child walking on the road but McCarthy believes that one should remain good in the face of evil whatever the circumstances are.", "144" ], [ "2 stars and that's for the idea of the novel. \n although the story, theme, and the feelings Shute TRIES to render (but fails) are good enough (esp the idea of novel is genuine), but I don't understand how come he has become a novelist?! the style, wording, characterization, dialogues, and many more... are awful! you can see the lack of imagination, inability to convey emotion to reader, and a bad and not a bit enjoyable way of creating suspense all over the novel. \n I'm not disputing the idea or the theme of the novel which is perfect, neither am I disputing the impact the novel made on public about the destructive effects of radioactivity on our beloved planet. The way Shute tries to render this idea is my problem: \n Redundant dialogues and events which do not help the plot progression. They are there in the novel for nothing, and that's because of serializing the novel. He fails in creating tangible situations for readers, the way to make you high, but he easily fails in creation. You should get his raw materials from the novel and add some imagination of your own to make (an ending) world (for mortals), and add some depth to characters, to see their feelings throughout the ending months, weeks, days, hours, and minutes of their lives. Shute just sticks to the mere facts and narrates the characters' actions without mentioning their intentions and feelings, and doesn't help the reader to get that from characters. All flat depth-less characters. \n Of course some perfect lines, paragraphs, and even pages can be seen throughout the novel which I really enjoyed and learned some useful stuff. Information. \n Shute Should have given the idea of the novel to someone else to write, because great ideas need great writers with greater imagination and creativity than his.", "91" ], [ "\"Who is this 'we'? Who am I?\" \n Well well finally finished. I should say to you Zamyatin, my known addressee, that you took lots of energy from me... but you deserve a lip-rounded \"WOW!\", 'cause you are great, and you have created a great masterpiece. \n We, the father, or we can say the grandfather, of futuristic dystopian genre and one can see the great influence We had on Huxley (although he denied it), Orwell, and Ayn Rand. \n The book is over-flooded with ideas, and for every idea of the book one can write pages.... So I chose one, the favorite theme: \n \"A revolution never dies, it just sleeps.\" Necromancy \n D-503, our anti-hero, believes that their revolution is the last one, but I-330 - an alcohol drinker and smoker (in a state which Nicotine and alcohol are considered as poison and the sentence is death), the antagonist of Benefactor, the one who I loved and praised, a woman of power, and although D-503 believes that her actions are just like \"putting your hand over the muzzle and thinking you can stop the shot\", but every revolution starts with something and someone-- asks him to tell her the final number, when he confusingly answers that the number of numbers is infinite, she replies \"And how can there be a final revolution? The number of revolutions is infinite. The last one--that's for children. Infinity frightens children, and it's essential that children get a good night's sleep....\" \n Nothing is final. The only reality is change", "12" ], [ "\"So it goes.\" \"So it goes.\" \"So it goes.\" \"So it goes.\" \"So it goes.\" \"So it goes.\" \"So it goes.\" \"So it goes.\" \"So it goes.\" \"So it goes.\" \"So it goes.\" \"So it goes.\" \"So it goes.\" \"So it goes.\" \"So it goes.\" ... \n quoted from Slaughterhouse-Five. \n Oh no, don't ask the page numbers because you can find the phrase in abundance in every single page of the book. I liked the book very much, esp Vonnegut's style of writing, the way he used the language, the cracking plot which does not go in linear shape, and some characters. But the only thing that ruined the book for me was the famous \"So it goes.\" phrase, which you can find it at the end of every paragraph of the book. First it was nothing to me, I didn't notice it that much, but then... I got allergic to it, it distracted me and kicked me out of the novel atmosphere whenever I came across the phrase. . The phrase that ruined the moment, and the pleasure of the book.", "84" ], [ "Well The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a bit different than what I've read so far. There are ideas and strange ways of looking at life, disguised as jokes, which really captivated me. But some of the remarks and jokes of the book were very much based on American and English culture which left me baffled sometimes. Give it a try if you wanna read sth fun and different.", "112" ], [ "Seems like I've been stuck in a nightmare all this time with Flagg haunting me with a never-ending story of a post-apocalyptic world. Not that I didn't enjoy it but damn it took me two years to finish this book! M-O-O-N that spells long.", "110" ] ]

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[ [ "I've taken a lot of time to think about this, because I had a lot of feelings and they weren't all good. \n Even still, I will probably have to read The Cursed Child again before I can come up with a coherent review. But, I have decided that I did enjoy it - a lot. Perhaps not as an eighth Harry Potter book, but definitely on its own. It being a play took away from a lot of the things that make up a Harry Potter book, but the characters and the story were still great.", "161" ], [ "For the longest of times now I have been completely opposed to vampires. Don't ask me why, as my reasoning wasn't all that thought through. It was a big move for me, though, to pick up Vampire Academy - unfortunate cover and all - and dive right in to it. \n The first half or so of the book I felt it moved very slowly and disjointedly. I got that Richelle Mead was trying to set up the story and give you a feel for the situation, but a lot of the story felt incomplete. For me, it did feel like the fact that 50% (give or take) of the characters were vampires was a bit of an inconsequential thing. I also thought that the entire book was not written quite as well as I thought it could have been. This, in the beginning, definitely affected my opinion of the book. Later on, though, this didn't seem to matter so much as the story was just getting insanely interesting. \n There were multiple things that I did like about Vampire Academy. The characters were very good. Each of them had very distinct personalities - some of which made the twist towards the end more shocking. The friendship between Rose and Lissa was not talked about as much as I would have liked, but I definitely got a clear idea of what each character. I also thought that, while some of it confused me, the main ideas and the ending of the book were great. \n I am really looking forward to trying out the next book, if not the entire series!", "89" ], [ "I LOVE THIS BOOK, OKAY. \n I really didn't know what Finding Audrey would be like having never read the author and the blurb really not telling you much about the book itself. I bought it because I loved the cover, the sound of it, and the low price of $7. \n Note: It's safe to assume if a bookshop offering a book for $7, I'm going to buy it. \n I was sort of surprised when I started reading it by how much the family dynamic was similar to mine, and those similarities were really interesting to me. It was also just a very cute and quick book to read, without being sickeningly romantic or anything like that. \n I was slightly worried about the fact that the book covered anxiety, and I did find bits of Audrey's recovery process to be a little rushed. Otherwise, though, it was quite a good representation of anxiety - social anxiety especially- in a normal girl. It's really not something I have come across very often. \n I just really loved Finding Audrey, and I'm glad I bought it so I can read it again!", "28" ], [ "Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars \n I liked this book a whole lot more than I thought I was going to. \n The first couple of chapters did not particularly interest me and it took 4 days of putting it down and picking it up again to actually begin to enjoy the book. Then, I flew threw the last half of the book. \n Admittedly, there were quite a few aspects of the book that I found to be very predictable and towards the end of the book I was hoping for an unexpected plot twist. While I was not given that, as such, the story line was still consistently good, and I am excited to read the next one!", "35" ], [ "For the longest of time I seriously felt like I was the only one left to read these books... Now I've finished the first one and I can't wait to read the next ones!!!! \n (Seriously, the library has taken long enough already. I NEED MORE!) \n I didn't really know much about Throne of Glass aside from the fact that \n a) everyone loves it \n And b) no one can pronounce the characters names. \n What I now know is how amazing the characters are, and the story too! \n Celaena Sardothien? Holy shit, the girl is good. I get the feeling that this is only the beginning with her personality and things (technical terms there). I'm just really really excited know more about her! \n And everyone... \n And everything... \n I'M JUST SO EXCITED!", "76" ], [ "I so wish that I enjoyed The Raven Boys, but I just didn't. I realised the importance of not giving in to book hype on the Internet halfway through reading this, and decided that it really wasn't worth my time right now. Maybe I'll give it a go another day.", "18" ], [ "Okay, hear me out on this. \n It is true that many YA Fantasy/Dystopian novels are very much the same. \n It is true that Red Queen comes under this category. \n I am of the belief though, that for these similarities to catch on in other books, someone would've had to have written this type of a book well. It hasn't always been cliche and cheesy. \n I also believe that, even though this genre has been done to death in the world of YA fiction, it is still possible to find a good book that you would classify as a 'cliche YA Fantasy/Dystopian novel.' \n I would say that Red Queen is an example of that.", "74" ], [ "I'm actually not terribly sure what to think of this book, or if I'm going to read the next one. \n Sure, the story is alright and most of the time the characters are pretty well developed - most of the time. \n I finished this book really quite quickly, it was fast paced and had quite a few twists and turns. I also liked the x-men feel it had to the end. \n So, in theory, what could go wrong? \n Adam/Juliette went wrong. \n Juliette had potential to be a really good character, Shatter Me had potential to be a really good story. But, in the most dramatic of moments, Juliette kept thinking 'Adam.' I mean, I like a good love story as much as the next person and I understand that they love each other, kind of, but this is obsessive. \n So, I'm not sure whether the good outweighs the bad yet...", "7" ], [ "I'm sorry everyone, but John Green said in a video (or was it a tumblr post... I think it was a video) that even though he is currently trying to write something-this is not it. It will not be released in a year either. \n Disappointing, but true", "164" ], [ "More? \n We are getting.... more. \n I'm suspicious and excited all at the same time. Either this will be a sweet novel about life after the selection or it will just be Kiera Cass inflicting more pain on all of us. I'm hoping it is more option number one. \n I just hope that The Heir is good. I don't want it to be that one unnecessary book in a series that could have been a trilogy, or a stand alone book. I absolutely hate that. I reserve all judgement until I read it though. \n PLEASE BE GOOD!", "127" ], [ "I loved this book! The perfect little getaway... \n You see, they're not overly deep, thought provoking books but the Stephanie Perkins books are just the sort of books that take us away for a night out of our busy lives. Sometimes, that's all we need. Well, I know that it's what I need.", "148" ], [ "I was really excited about reading this book, but it was really really disappointing. \n Bogus, as they'd say. \n It took such a long time to get going and even the 'action' it wasn't all that exciting. \n I really didn't like Special Tally either. In comparison to Uglies, which was a very good book, this was terrible. \n I am quite reluctant to read Extras now, despite the different storyline. \n So, obviously, not my favourite book.", "151" ], [ "** spoiler alert ** \n There's not much too this book. I mean, the story line has the ability to be fantastic! But the problem is Jo, the main character. \n As enticing as I found this book, after loving Harry Potter, Beautiful Creatures etc, I thought Jo was the most boring character. She got the guy purely because she got prettier, I don't think that she had to do any thinking throughout the entire book and it was like she showed no emotion at all. Her best friends were more developed characters than Jo herself. When she found out about who cursed her mum and when she thought her boyfriend was one of the Shadows they didn't elaborate on how she felt. When in real life, if these unlikely situations ever occurred, we would be distraught. Right? \n But I loved the magic and the world that they lived in. Showing that everything had a price. \n If only I liked Jo more....", "151" ], [ "When I finished this book I had this sinking feeling in my chest. I thought 'I don't want to take this books back to the library.' It was then I realised that I bought the book and I was extremely excited. \n That pretty much sums up what I felt about this book.", "99" ], [ "How many people are here because they read it in school? *basically everyone raises hand* \n How many people are here because they just found the book one day and loved it? *I raise my hand* \n This is a fabulous book! I love all of it... \n It is so rare that you find a book as real as this one.", "193" ] ]

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[ [ "God, I loved this book! It's almost impossible to believe it is 30 years old - it reads like a documentary of what's going on right now, not just in Mendocino county but all over California and a number of other states as \"budding\" entrepreneurs chase weed riches. The characters were so vivid, so believable, I felt as though they were standing in my kitchen, filthy and frustrated, their dream turning into a nightmare. The richness of Boyle's language and the acuity of his portrayals just slayed me.", "108" ], [ "This book hit home for me as the (former) wife of someone with similar traits to the husband in the book. Not every wife sublimates as much of herself as this one, but then she is from an earlier generation - one that helped give me many of the much-appreciated rights I have now.", "30" ], [ "Probably 12 people actually need to read a book about whether to hire an agent, a manager and/or an entertainment attorney and how to negotiate your screenwriting fee and credit with a major studio. But just about anyone would enjoy living vicariously through the lives and advice of the authors.", "186" ], [ "This book belonged to my grandfather. Published in 1930, the year the author died of cirrhosis at 58, it offers the Earl's wrong-headed but entertaining predictions about the future in such areas as War, Industry, Everyday Life and Woman. \n The Earl was a successful barrister, Winston Churchill's closest friend, a member of the 1924 Olympic Committee (portrayed in Chariots of Fire by Nigel Davenport) and a significant player in the creation of the Irish Free State in 1921. Per Wikipedia, \"An English High Court judge presiding in a sodomy case sought advice on sentencing from Lord Birkenhead. 'Could you tell me,' he asked, 'what do you think one ought to give a man who allows himself to be buggered?' Birkenhead replied without hesitation, 'Oh, thirty shillings or two pounds; whatever you happen to have on you.'\" What a guy!", "135" ], [ "I had to read this for a book club and it made me reconsider my decision to join the club. Weak character development, simplistic writing. I'm no scifi fan and this book validated my avoidance of the genre.", "151" ], [ "LOVED this book. I have no idea how he remembers as much as he does, although he makes it clear he got input from many who were along for the incredible ride. Richards is a musical as well as a medical marvel, in this book he shares how some of my all-time favorite songs came to be as well as his influences and how he developed his unique style. The personal story, from childhood poverty to drug use to the \"birds\" all make you grateful he got it all down and sorry it had to end.", "1" ], [ "Step inside wartime Berlin and experience the terror, betrayal and cruelty that were daily life. This is not a Holocaust tale, although the Holocaust is an enormous background presence. It's the story of \"average\" Germans and what they had to do to survive among their own fellow citizens.", "97" ], [ "Enjoyable story of a Nick Hornby-type character: bad boy who grows up better late than never. Several complex and interesting characters, but the bad guys are SO bad that it's a bit over the top.", "187" ], [ "Must-reading for anyone contemplating or already in the throes of a divorce. Baldwin provides a surprising amount of context for his tale of time in the legal system, especially for a guy who says, \"I blame my ex-wife least of all for what has transpired.\" \n But the meat here is the first-rate advice for divorcing parents, especially those with young children. See my full review here: http://www.lovehowto.com/moving-on/38....", "174" ], [ "At more than halfway through (400 pages) it was barely into the second day. That's a little more detail than I really need. But Dubus gets into everyone's head and creates complex, believable characters who never seem to act in line with the way they see themselves: more careless, less righteous. Just like the rest of us.", "70" ] ]

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[ [ "Bummed because it was nowhere as catchy and fun as the first. It dragged and was too much about the celebrity lifestyle and very little plot or story. Sad to say, I was bored with this book.", "150" ], [ "I liked this book. I recognize it's not the kind of book that rallies up the points and at times it read slow for sure. For one, Drakes descriptions were almost too descriptive too wordy, to the point where I'd get lost in the words and confused as to what was going on. Amidst the descriptive words you'd have to surely read the verb or you'd get lost. Completely. However I liked the story. The insane love story, the outrageous things that don't happen to most people but I identified. I know those people. The story is existential and I dug it.", "22" ], [ "Great read for everyone who has ever experienced jealousy in a relationship. Although the book is about open relationships it's a great exploration into the fundamentals of human nature which is not necessarily monogamous.", "174" ] ]

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[ [ "This was so disappointing. I was so excited to read this. A fantasy saga set in medieval Japan? And published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux? Yes please. I made it 2/3 of the way and put it down because I knew it wouldn't/couldn't get better. The main thing I didn't like about it was the writing itself; the language was cliched, shoddy, and weak. The plot was haphazard and the characters were wooden. All in all it was just hokey and dull. I will not be reading any of the subsequent books in the series.", "150" ], [ "[Review first published in San Francisco Book Review] \n Is there any subject of which the average Westerner harbors more misconceptions and false assumptions than the role of the Middle-Eastern woman? Dr. Nina Ansary tackles these misconceptions directly in her book Jewels of Allah, explaining that the history of women's rights in Iran isn't as simple as we assume. In fact, what is surprising is how women have found methods of liberation through their oppression. Two prominent examples are the mandated wearing of the hijab, and the institution of single-sex education. Ansary explains that with the institutionalization of both the hijab and single-sex education, many conservative Muslim families felt more comfortable sending their daughters to school. Additionally, girls attending an all-girl school flourished more, were more comfortable voicing their opinions, than they had been in the co-educational schools of the Pahlavi monarchy. \n The Pahlavi era was one of rapid social progress. Too rapid, perhaps: centuries of custom and tradition were ousted almost overnight, including the equal role of women. During the Persian centuries, women played a subordinate role, but with the advent of the Pahlavi era, women were allowed to hold political office, become lawyers, obtain divorces, and dress how they pleased. The hijab, however, was outlawed, and many Iranians believed the Pahlavi were mere puppets of the western powers. In 1979 the pendulum of progress swung back with a vengeance, as the revolution under Ayatollah Khomeini ousted the Pahlavi regime and the era's hard won social progress. Women were once again forced play a subordinate role. Yet as Ansary shows, there was and continue to be a thriving women's rights movement despite the oppressive patriarchal laws and regulations. During the Iran-Iraq war from 1980-1988, for instance, women filled many of the jobs left vacant by men fighting in the war, not unlike women during WWII. Ansary also cites the numerous women's magazines and periodicals in post-revolutionary Iran as an impetus and outlet for women's concerns, and devotes an entire chapter to the women's magazine Zanan and its founder Shahla Sherkat. \n One of the most important revelations of the book is that there is not just one type of Iranian woman. Even within the progressive women's movement there are differences. There are devout Muslim women who seek to reconcile and reinterpret the Koran more favorably for women, and there are also secular women who believe no such reconciliation is possible and work for a complete break with tradition. Yet despite their differences both camps work together for the advancement of women's rights. Nina Ansary's book is a must-read for anyone hoping for a fuller understanding of the role of women and the women's rights movement in Iran. It is a much needed antidote to Western misconceptions.", "113" ], [ "Zbigniew Herbert's poetry, even in translation, is remarkably fluid, simple, and subtle. Herbert's poems are typically unpunctuated, giving them a sense of flow and fluidity. There is a gentle surrealist element in his poems that illuminate or extend quotidian experience, as in \"Wooden Bird\". Herbert lived during both the Nazi and Soviet occupation of Poland and themes of violence and oppression crop up throughout his work, as in the striking \"Five Men\" about an execution, and \"The Rain\" about the narrator's older brother's mental and emotional struggle after returning from WW2. There are also many poems on poetry itself and the craft of poetry, as in \"Writing\" and \"Nothing Special\".", "181" ], [ "A collection of prose-poems. The structure of each is associative, almost stream-of-conscious, like Gertrude Stein's Tender Buttons but a little more (but not much) easy to follow. Waldrop uses a collage technique to convey impressions and thoughts. The book is divided into four sections, each with a discernable theme and form. The first, \"Holderlin Hybrids\" is made up of twelve subsections of brief prose-poem meditations on perception and memory. The title section is named for the neurological phenomenon of blindsight in which we can 'see' more than we can technically observe. This seems to be a metaphor for Waldrop's technique, in which nothing is treated or 'observed' directly, but still seen, felt, intuited, through suggestion and impression.", "181" ], [ "Jane Hirshfield's poems in The Beauty are short, simple pieces of every day insight. Several of the titles include \"My Eyes\", \"My Task\", \"My Sandwich\", \"My Weather\", in which personal things are used as metaphors for larger contexts, as in \"My Sandwich\": \"So many things / you'd not have thought of / until they were given,\" used to describe the fleetingness of experience. There is also an interesting section called \"Twelve Pebbles\" made up of twelve short, gnomic pieces: \"A hand holds one power / whose exercise requires the hand be empty.\" And one titled \"Humbling: an Assay\" that simply says \"Have teeth.\"", "181" ], [ "I don't know if I have enough authority to say this is the \"best\" anthology of 20th century American poetry (The Penguin Anthology of 20th Century American Poetry edited by Rita Dove is also phenomenal) but it is hard to beat. For the price and size it is a great sampling of a turbulent century of American poetry. The fact that it was edited by Hayden Carruth, one of the best and most under-appreciated American poets of the last 50 years makes it that much more wonderful.", "181" ], [ "In the title essay, Weil analyzes political parties and the party spirit. She concludes that all political parties, no matter how noble their intentions or how fully they claim to represent the public good at their inception, ultimately \"aspire toward totalitarianism\", that is, complete control and requiring complete and unthinking loyalty from their members. Its sole purpose becomes its own indefinite perpetuation; it becomes about itself: \"Once the growth of the party becomes a criterion of goodness, it follows inevitably that the party will exert a collective pressure on the people's minds. This pressure is very real; it is openly displayed; it is professed and proclaimed. It should horrify us, but we are already too much accustomed to it.\" And it is not just in politics that the party spirit has taken hold: it is palpable in the arts and sciences and, of course, religious denominations, where it has its origins. \n I read the book twice. It's a slim 70 pages, with the title essay occupying less than 40. The rest of the volume contains an essay on Weil by the poet Czeslaw Milosz, and another essay on Weil AND Milosz by Simon Leys, who passed away just a couple months ago (the same day as Robin Williams, I believe) and who translated Weil's essay. I have been wanting to read Weil for years now and this felt like a good introduction to her life and work. I also adore Milosz and Leys, and having all three in this volume was like listening in on a brilliant conversation.", "171" ], [ "This is a great introduction not only to Arab poetics, but to Arabic literary criticism and history as well. Adonis first starts with an overview of pre-Islamic poetry, then goes on to discuss the influence of the Quaran on Arab poetry. There is then a fantastic chapter about poetry and thought which is a fantastic treatise on poetry in general. The collection ends with Arab poetics and modernity where Adonis comments both on contemporary Arab poetry but politics as well. Highly recommend.", "113" ], [ "One of the best books I've read in a long time. It's difficult to pinpoint what about this book so moved me. I do enjoy stories with academic/university settings, but my connection, and that is the best way to describe it, with this book was based on much more than that. The book is about a specific person, William Stoner, living in a specific time and place (Missouri, early twentieth century), doing specific things (going to college, getting married, having a child, becoming estranged from both), but the story of William Stoner is universal. It is the story of a life full of disappointment, stunted potential, and unfulfilled desire. It is a novel not of events, but of an individual life, which always resonate with me more. John Williams tells this story in a lucid, clear, and beautifully simple prose style without cumbersome ornamentation or stylistic gimmicks.", "95" ], [ "Sam Hamill and J.P. Seaton's anthology of Zen poetry is a brief (less than two-hundred pages) but comprehensive anthology of the East-Asian Buddhist poetic tradition. The anthology is divided into two parts: the Chinese Buddhist poetic tradition, and the Japanese Buddhist poetic tradition. Each part begins with an introduction elucidating the names and roles of the various poets and their relationship to both the practice of Zen and the practice of poetry. However, Hamill and Seaton do not limit themselves to a narrow definition of Zen or Zen poetry. Zen is an essence, a characteristic, not a dogma or creed: \"There is nothing intrinsically Chinese, Japanese, Indian, or Korean about Zen beyond its Chinese roots. Its institutions sometimes wear the cultural accoutrements of their countries, but the practice transcends any such distinctions.\" \n Among the many influences throughout 20th century English poetry, the influence of the Eastern poetic tradition is one of the most palpable, especially the Zen poetic tradition. Ezra Pound was one of its first and most vocal admirers. One of his most influential poems, the two=line \"In A Station On The Metro\", is haiku-like in its brevity and juxtaposition of imagery: \"The apparition of these faces in the crowd; / Petals on a wet black bough.\" But the tradition of Zen poetry doesn't come into full conscious fruition until around the middle of the century, with the Beat poets and the poets of the San Francisco Renaissance: \"Monks and lay poets together are the heart and mind of the Zen poetic tradition. Their influence can be seen in the work of many contemporary writers, from renowned poets such as Gary Snyder, Allen Ginsberg, Kenneth Rexroth, W.S Merwin, and Jane Hirshfield, to poets not generally associated with Buddhism, like Denise Levertov, Robert Hass, Jim Harrison, and Hayden Carruth. In America, Zen and Zen Poetry is as American as apple pie.\"", "25" ], [ "Merwin's flowing and unpuctuated style is fitting for his subject matter; images and impressions arrive and vanish, flowing into one another seamlessly. His \"style\", though unmistakable, isn't a gimmick or a schtick, it is an expression of an organic form. A set form is not imposed upon the poem, but arises organically as is needed by the content. Merwin's style may even be considered and absence of style, a stark, denuded language without much ornamentation. I was surprised to see that several of the poems are in pentameter, such as \"Youth\": \n Through all of youth I was looking for you \n Without knowing what I was looking for \n or what to call you I think I did not \n even know I was looking how would I \n have known you when I saw you as I did \n Yet the meter is not forced, but natural, each line giving the reader just enough information to want to move forward. There is almost a breathing rhythm to Merwin's lines. Rhythm seems to be important for Merwin and the poem \"The Long and the Short of It\" may be read as a testament to meter: \"As long as we can believe anything / we believe in measure / we do it with the first breath we take / and the first sound we make.\" Life consists of rhythms and measures, comings and goings, moments and memories. The chief end of language is to capture moments and to restore, as much as possible, memories, though it will always fall short; there will always be something that words do not tell us, as the opening lines of the poem \"What The Bridges Hear\": \"Even the right words if ever / we come to them tell of something / the words never knew.\"", "181" ], [ "Mary Oliver is one of America's most popular poets. So popular, in fact, that if one were to ask a random person on the street who Mary Oliver is, there is a slight chance that person might know. In the world of American poetry, however, her name is almost everywhere, and it is for that reason that I have avoided reading her for so long. But I decided to read Oliver's most recent collection, A Thousand Mornings, which won her the Pulitzer Prize. \n Mary Oliver is a nature poet, although such categories are always suspect. But her subjects are predominantly those of the natural world, trees, the sea, birds, and her dogs. The brief prose-poem \"Foolishness? No, It's Not\" highlights this love of nature, in the form of tree-climbing, with a kind of playfulness: \"Sometimes I spend all day trying to count the leaves on a single tree. To do this I have to climb branch by branch and write down the numbers in a little book.\" But of course nature cannot be cataloged in a notebook, \"Of course I have to give up, but by then I'm half crazy with the wonder of it--the abundance of the leaves, the quietness of the branches, the hopelessness of my effort.\" But there is a hope in this hopelessness; nature is characterized as an intimate acquaintance and often speaks, as in the brief opening poem \"I Go Down To The Shore\": \"...I say, oh, I am miserable // what should I do? And the sea says / in its lovely voice: / Excuse me, I have work to do.\"", "90" ], [ "Pessoa resided for most of his adult life in Lisbon, Portugal and was a highly regarded figure in Lisbon literary circles. Yet he lived a somewhat solitary, lonely life and worked as a translator for some sort of company who did business internationally. Pessoa's \"Book of Disquiet\" is a disjointed, scattered collection of fragmentary thoughts and impressions on life, loneliness, and Lisbon. It is told through the eyes of several alter-egos, which Pessoa adopted throughout while writing. The manuscript was never published in his lifetime, but was found after his death in a trunk, incomplete. \n I recommend this book very highly. If you are looking for a continuous narrative and a story with consistent characters and plot, you will be disappointed and probably a little frustrated. But if you are looking for beautifully written and existentially honest book, I cannot recommend this book highly enough.", "61" ], [ "Probably the greatest spiritual autobiography of the 20th century. Thomas Merton was born in France in 1915. Extremely cultured and intelligent, yet also extremely restless, he converted to Catholicism and then became a Trappist monk. He went on to become one of the most influential and profound religious thinkers and mystics of the century. This is his life in his own words", "160" ], [ "This is a perfect sampling of Borges' oeuvre. It contains his most wellknown and enigmatic works, such as \"The Library of Babel\", \"The Garden of Forking Paths\", \"Pierre Menard, Author of the 'Quixote'\", and my favorite, \"The Circular Ruins\". Borges was also an essayist and this collection contains several, but brief, articles such as \"Kafka and his Precursors\" and \"A New Refutation of Time\". Borges was an extremely prolific writer and his stories, essays and poems fill several volumes. This is a fantastic single volume collection for both the Borges enthusiast like myself, who would have a hard time selecting which volume of Borges they want to take to college with them, or for the one who is just discovering one of the most influential, original and prolific writer of the 20th century.", "82" ], [ "Anton Chekhov was a master of the short story. In his stories people from all walks of Russian life, which also act as types for all walks of humanity, are depicted with a subtlety and tenderness that will make you smile or cry or both. This collection is a survey of Checkhov's entire career, from his earliest light sketches to his more mature portraits of peasant life, life of the nobility, the artist, the soldiers. It would be difficult to find an aspect of life which Chekhov did not touch upon. \n Some of my favorite stories are \"The Kiss\", \"The Malefactor\", \"A Boring Story\", and the classic, \"The Lady with the Little Dog\".", "166" ] ]

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[ [ "Had a hard to believe the main character could be that depressed after a one might stand. It was totally engrossing, but I really wanted her to be tough and get over him!", "105" ], [ "I used this as a building block to do a presentation to pre-service teachers. They loved it as much as I did. Now hopefully they will go out and read it also. :)", "172" ], [ "I, too, thought this would be about vampires, but I really gobbled it up! Maybe I'm just a sucker for teen romances??? Don't think so, but I know my students will love this one! It's out already", "89" ], [ "What an interesting look at the events of 9/11/01 from the point of view of a young Afghani girl! Wonderful- Suzanne Staples Fisher transported me completely to a place I have never been. Great food descriptions!", "113" ], [ "Shannon Hale can turn a fairy tale into an incredible novel! She is now up to her fourth Bayern book (Forest Born) which will be published in the fall. I am reading the ARC right now. Another great addition by Full Cast Audio as well. I've read/listened to this several times now.", "76" ], [ "The tears are still streaming down my face. I hope Gayle Forman writes a sequel because I am so interested to see what happens to Mia next. Beautiful words and story. It touched my heart-", "119" ], [ "Most people do not know that I am a lay Benedictine. I belong to St. Benedict's Monastery in Oxford, MI and I meander up there once a month for prayer services, meetings and formation classes. This book was a beautiful look into the lives of very old and wise Benedictines around the country, some of whom died even before the book was published. Each entry details three important aspects of the lives of these men and women. First, each one tells the story of how they came to be a Benedictine. history- teaching, being an Abbott/Abbess, etc. Lastly, they talk about their favorite part of their lives in the monastery, what it has meant to them to spend their lives as a contemplatives. This was a quiet and reassuring book for me, but I read it over a very long period of time- very slowly.", "108" ], [ "This book will make you want to become a vegetarian. If you are, don't read or listen! It made my stomach churn- and to think that in America we criticize countries who don't treat their workers well! How hypocritical-", "147" ], [ "I really did like this one. I'm not sure what I expected, but I was pleasantly drawn into historical fiction which is one of my favorite genres. I'm anxious to read the rest in the series as I think they will all be time travel to history. I had to do a lot of reading about Richard III, information I never actually researched before!", "107" ], [ "I have to review a graphic novel for an online class and this was perfect! I love Shannon Hale and her humor and gift for embellishing fairy tales is evident again here. Rapunzel has become a long braid wielding, spunky, independent heroine who saves the kingdom and falls for a grown up, handsome Jack (of Jack and the Beanstalk fame). Like Austenland, I laughed through a good deal of it!", "53" ], [ "** spoiler alert ** \n The author did such a fabulous job in portraying the actual death of someone that it was eerily realistic. The emotions were well fleshed out and didn't seem \"teenager-ish\" at all.", "101" ], [ "This was a fabulous dystopian novel that I want to use with my 8th graders for our Science Fiction unit. I loved the suspense as Jenna found out more and more about her past. And, full Thoreau quotes to boot!", "95" ] ]

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[ [ "This book was a great quick refresher to a logic course that I took long ago ... but there are some descriptions that could be further simplified and it doesn't explain some mentioned terms and it doesn't have as many examples as I would prefer ... so I don't think it would be an ideal introduction to logical arguments for teenagers. While I think it would still be good for that purpose ... I will still be looking for something hopefully even better suited as an introduction to logical fallacies for teenagers....", "75" ], [ "By far the most fun I've ever had learning about physics, astronomy, and other sciences. Also a great book on generically analyzing and solving problems. Likely an excellent gift for curious teenagers who could use some excitement in their science studies.", "174" ], [ "** spoiler alert ** \n Even in an alternate universe where the Earth was hallow with a vast ocean inside ... I still can't get past the unbelievable amount of luck it took them to survive and then escape in the manner that they did. Nor did I ever come to accept any of the three main characters as being believable or likely to take the mad risks that they took. Other than that ... it was still a fairly interesting book.", "22" ], [ "The dozens of often interconnected stories, collectively combined far more perspectives than I had expected. What I enjoyed most about this book was the thought provoking analysis of how a pandemic could realistically spread world-wide (even across guarded borders) and then how different governments and cultures might succumb, cope, and then ultimately overcome in different ways ... and each with different degrees of success and with different costs.", "174" ], [ "It's like having a top-notch personal trainer in a short, accessible book. It addresses over sixty popular fitness myths, with hundreds of academic citations. Plus, he helps you to put together a solid, customized fitness plan. Written in 2011 by a doctoral student with six different personal trainer certifications, his writing is practical, motivational, and backed by both extensive research and experience.", "156" ], [ "If you're a long distance runner or cyclist (or thinking about becoming one) ... then this is a must read, five star book. \n If you are a scientist or a scientist at heart, and interested in exercise ... then this is still a five star book. Indeed it seems one of the very few recently published fitness books that rigorously adheres to truly scientific studies. The vast majority of fitness books deal only in personal experience or pseudo science. \n If you are thinking of taking up a new exercise program, or if you are more into strength training ... then this is still a four star book. There are a lot of sections you might prefer to skip over and just read the cheat sheets at the end of each chapter, but you'll still find a few science-backed pearls of wisdom.", "174" ], [ "An excellent introduction to C#, filled with many screenshots, examples, chapter quiz questions, and thirty five challenge projects ... practically the equivalent to taking a course. \n Pros: \n - Lots of screenshots \n - Lots of examples ... and they all work \n - Chapter summaries for each chapter \n - Quizzes for each chapter \n - Challenge projects for each chapter (with downloadable answers) that help to complete the course-in-a-book feel \n - Short and approachable for a technology book \n - Fun and easy-to-understand writing style \n - Well thought out explanations \n - A bargain price at $10 on Kindle \n Cons: \n - Some typos, but nothing serious \n - Just an introduction, skips many topics \n - First of three planned volumes, but at this point it seems that (sadly) the other two volumes have been abandoned by the author", "83" ], [ "A well-written science book with some business case studies. I found it fun and learned a few things, but I didn't really feel that I grew from reading it ... not much seemed applicable.", "75" ], [ "Deeper and more insightful than I would have guessed. This book discusses a diverse set of decisions made by groups ... disecting why some fail, and how to build teams and effectively leverage crowd wisdom to yield better decisions. \n A must read for leaders and managers, many of which may be inadvertently influencing their teams towards bad decisions. \n Book summaries: \n http://www.squeezedbooks.com/book/sho... \n http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wisd...", "115" ], [ "The audio version of this book is an excellent guide on difficult communications and negotiations. The authors are also the narrators, and they act out many of the conversations, helping to make the lessons more concrete and interesting. Great insights with numerous examples to help make them more memorable. \n Note: While the audio book is abridged ... estimating 30 pages per hour ... probably at least 70% of the text should be included. \n Book summaries: \n http://www.frumi.com/images/uploads/d... \n http://www.jimforce.ca/crucial.pdf", "0" ], [ "Whereas something like a Myers-Briggs personality test focuses on 4 traits for 16 possible combinations ... the Strengths Finder has 34 traits for something like 34 million combinations of top-five strengths. \n The advantages of this is that it really helps in differentiating what is unique about every person. I've been on teams where almost everyone had a similar Myers-Briggs type ... but with Strengths Finder it's easy to accentuate what makes each individual shine. This should help in spotting how to best utilize each team member and how to also keep them happy. The book offers an overview of each of the 34 traits, along with examples of how case study individuals describe themselves plus strategies for growth if you have this trait, as well as strategies on how to best best work with others who have the trait. \n I suppose the disadvantage is that the 34 traits adds to the overall complexity, and test results are also probably likely more likely to drift between subsequent test takings. It's also harder to remember how you should try to work with every different type ... but I anticipate it still being a useful reference to consult on individuals that you suspect are strong in a trait that is less intuitive. \n In all I found it a useful framework for thinking about people. It's also helped me to better understand and appreciate some strength that are very different from my own.", "115" ], [ "Insight into one of the trickier parts of life ... saying \"no\" without straining the relationship. It guides readers on setting boundaries that are rooted in core values, and how to calmly defend those boundaries in a way that encourages a better outcome for all. \n I would give this five stars, but I thought there could have been more examples, and it could have been more concise. \n Combined with the author's prior books, \"Getting to Yes\", and \"Getting Past No\" ... these books offer an excellent foundation in ethical negotiations.", "17" ], [ "A great read, but the only real take home lesson is to work very hard (and hope for good luck). It does however have additional applicable ideas in regard to creating or voting on policies.", "17" ], [ "An \"agile\" project management methodology and a general guide for start ups from the original developers of Ruby on Rails. Short and very well written in plain language. Some of it breaks sharply with conventional project management, but for many projects (especially web projects) ... I think there is a lot of wisdom in this guide. \n A few highlights: \n - \"Functional specs force you to make the most important decisions when you have the least information\" ... so keep specs extremely simple, develop in iterations, and develop in ways that makes change easy \n - \"Go from brainstorm to sketches to HTML to coding\" ... in that order \n - \"Prevent excess paperwork everywhere.\" \"Build, don't write. If you need to explain something, try mocking it up and prototyping it rather than writing a longwinded document. An actual interface or prototype is on its way to becoming a real product.\" \n - \"Accept that mistakes will happen and realize it's no big deal as long as you can correct them quickly\" ... the premise being that if your risk tolerance can be a little higher, then you can cut time and costs significantly \n - Keep your team small and each version of your project small. Rigorously guard against non-essential features \n - \"Meetings are toxic.\" Favor emails and IM over meetings \n - Make developers do their own tech support (\"feel the pain\") \n Available for free online at: \n http://gettingreal.37signals.com/toc....", "115" ], [ "Weaknesses of this book include a few issues that are not factored for: \n - Cost of environmental damage \n - Cost of poverty-induced crime \n - Lost opportunity costs by uneducated citizens not reaching their full production potential \n Also, the author limits the book's scope to economics ... purposefully ignoring most ethical concerns. \n However, I still found the book to be an excellent introduction to economics. Its premises are laid out concisely and logically. I also thought it was a wonderful exercise in systems thinking and in looking for all of the short and long-term consequences of introducing a change. \n Bottom line: This book successfully challenged some of my previous economic beliefs. A welcome treasure to an open mind.", "75" ], [ "While the book contains much self aggrandizement and promotion of the mutual fund he started ... I very much respect Jack Bogle's ideas and character. The first half of the book contains a lot of industry jargon ... and seems redundant at times, but the last third contains some real gems.", "75" ], [ "Five years later, a lesson I still remember is the importance of writing down every to do item that comes into your head ... not just to keep track of them, but to alleviate stress and better channel your energy and focus. \n Book summary at: \n http://www.wikisummaries.org/Getting_...", "17" ], [ "I read this nearly 20 years ago, and it helped to shape the way I think about a personal development and also about management. \n Flow is the theory that people are most happy when they are in a state of concentration or complete absorption with the activity at hand. \n In an interview with Wired magazine, Csikszentmihalyi described flow as \"being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you're using your skills to the utmost.\" \n Links for more information: \n http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mih%C3%A... \n http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(ps...", "115" ], [ "My favorite fiction series of all time. I have read (and re-read) every book in the series that has been published to date. A brilliant fantasy world that is wonderfully epic in scope.", "46" ], [ "Probably the best business parable that I have read. The story walks you through the critical thinking process of managing a fictional manufacturing plant into profitability. Then the book discusses how the same bottle-neck isolating-and-fixing methodology can apply to virtually any industry. The story also walks you through use of the Socratic Method as a technique of teaching and influencing people. \n Book summaries available at: \n http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Goal \n http://maaw.info/ArticleSummaries/Art...", "115" ], [ "Long and slightly dry at times, but unparalleled in insight, depth and breadth. \n The late Peter F. Drucker is a must-read author for any studious manager, and this specific title is one of his most recent (updated by a colleague and published in 2008) and broadest in scope. \n Note: While the audio book is reportedly abridged, it is about 20 hours in length, so the abridgment should be very minimal.", "0" ], [ "A core philosophy and distilled collection of uncommon common sense productivity boosting techniques from the author of http://ZenHabits.net/ \n Some readers think it simplistic ... but sometimes the simple ideas work the best. \n Some readers point out that many of his ideas aren't new (and I agree) ... but I think of Leo Babauta as among the newest generation of self development authors ... and naturally his work stands on the shoulders of previous generations. \n I have found myself thinking back on this book more often than most.", "115" ], [ "An excellent introduction to usability. Should probably be considered a must read for all web developers, programmers, designers, and managers. \n Full book summary available at: \n http://www.squeezedbooks.com/book/sho... \n Excellent, 60 minute presentation from the author available at: \n http://network.businessofsoftware.org...", "83" ], [ "A fun and inspiring read. Something of a business classic ... but the research it is based on is likely not academically rigorous.... \n Book summaries available at: \n http://wikisummaries.org/Good_to_Grea... \n http://www.squeezedbooks.com/book/sho... \n Video summary available at: \n http://www.polarunlimited.com/readitf...", "174" ] ]

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[ [ "I picked this book up not knowing that it was part of a series and, so far, as a stand alone, it's going great. I do not feel that any information is missing for me to enjoy this book, in fact it might even be better this way since I had no idea who was who and found myself just as lost as the heroes were.", "107" ], [ "It just came in and I just finished reading it, now it's staring at me. \n I don't really read children's book so I can't very much say how good of a story this is but it seem to contain all the ingredients to entertain the kiddies. Did anyone read the story to their kids ? \n I LOVE that, there, on my desk, stands a tangible children's book that was described to me in a fictional novel. It's like something came to life, or, maybe came from a parallel univers ? After all, there are other worlds than these. \n I think that many people expecting this to be more than a children's book are totally missing the point.", "197" ], [ "** spoiler alert ** \n This is probably one of the worst WoW book I have read. The story development is insanely slow and there is very little \"new\" information to look forward to if you know your WoW lore. \n SPOILER!! \n Wait what Illidan is dead?? WTF!? \n Seriously, that ending is mediocre. Not to mention that it doesn't fit, at all, with the ingame story.", "150" ], [ "This book is fantastic! Its plastic cover makes it very easy to clean when you find it under a pile of dust and miscellaneous stuff somewhere in the dark corner of the garage.", "174" ], [ "This is the first D&D like book I read since I've never been attracted by the genre. Fantasy wasn't really my thing until recently when I picked up a few World of Warcraft books because I was curious about the lore and I did enjoy what I read so I decided to dive into the genre. I have plenty of D&D geek friends who've tried to make me pick it up in the past but it never stuck. \n I could barely put the book down and went through it in just a few day, I've already pick up the next book in line, Exile. \n While i really enjoyed it a few very minor things bothered me. \n The first thing that repeatedly made me frown is that Drow elves are supposedly living for hundreds if not thousands of years yet 5 or 10 year is considered a long time and we are frequently reminded how the hero and other character find those be be a long time to be away from home or in between events. \n Second is the Drow society who is matriarchal but the only difference and reminder of this is with the female Drow constantly insulting the males of the species. It doesn't seem to involve any other characteristic that would differentiate it from a patriarchal society. \n There was also, here and there a few weird time lapse. Some battles who seemed to be playing some part in building the main character were only one paragraph long yet others took an entire chapter. This I found slightly confusing at times. \n Like I said those weren't that major and I still pick up the sequel and will probably keep reading into the 20+ books in between other things.", "70" ], [ "Ayn obviously had to create a world in which every last democrat was clinically insane in order to make the right wing magical thinking sound like a possible solution to a fictional crisis. \n The \"arguments\" being vomited here are of course ridiculous, hopefully a majority of people can see through them, most of them having been debunked many time and many years ago. \n Still some people see this diarrhea of a work as a bible not because it holds truth but simply because they agree with its content (The republican's way being to have argument that sound good over argument that are true.) even though countless evidence to disprove everything Ayn as ever wrote have been shown, in philosophy, science and the actual real world, since that pile garbage came out. \n If you enjoyed the political aspect of Atlas Shrugged I highly recommend picking up the Twilight saga and 50 shades of grey.", "126" ], [ "Got the book in a yard sale (BCID: 712-2093884) Was funny and then dropped it somewhere between Montreal and Houston on a Greyhound bus. It never showed up again. It's also the last time I found a book with a BCID in Montreal.", "79" ], [ "I picked this one up has soon has I finished Prey and by the time I was half through I went and bought 5 other book by Crichton. I'm totally sold. Crichton is absolutely not what I usually find myself reading but I couldn't put this book down.", "80" ], [ "I couldn't let it go. So much of the book is just about that guy talking about his stay at home dad experience with a few hint of technology yet I couldn't stop reading. I was mesmerized by it. \n And then there were nanos... Crichton takes a lot of time to explain a lot of things about this technology - Including a bibliography to back the bits that aren't fictional - and it is fascinating. IMO The questions raised by this book are still relevant today. \n Crichton seems to make it is goal to make every mysteries in the book extremely obvious and easy to solve which will make you feel smart the problem is that the protagonist appears to be clueless for a large part of the novel and that was, personally, a source of frustration.", "179" ], [ "An amazing collection of stories by famous Japanese and international writers. \n A great introduction to Japanese's SF that'll take you away from the usually ever present young adult oriented \"Anime\" style in Japanese SF.", "104" ], [ "I was gonna listen to the audiobook but dear dog, the narrator as less emotions than your high school math teacher. :( I don't know if I'm gonna fall asleep or into a coma.", "27" ], [ "#Nerdgasm \n How much of a fucking nerd am I? I got like every freaking reference in this book! \n #NerdRage \n Not being able to solve any of the riddle before the protagonist was kinda annoying but than again I never read Hallidays' biography. \n This one is going to sit between my Gibson and Sterling books.", "110" ], [ "Contrarily to the advertising the violence was pretty weak. \n Some people say that reading this book was like watching a movie and I agree, it is indeed like watching a very unoriginal Hollywood western.", "52" ], [ "I was mostly curious about the world and technology in which the story is set (USA, Near future.) It's a light and quick read about our society bad habit of over consumption with the usual moral. I would probably have very much liked that story as a teen.", "197" ], [ "I like Bukkake! \n You Like Bukkake! \n We like Bukkake! \n It's worth every pennies, all 499 of them! \n Media Whores was a trilling, sexual tension intense sci-fi story. One is to expect nothing less from 3 story sharing the same cover and Bukkake Brawls delivers! I let go of this book only when I finally reached the back cover. \n Make sure to have a box of Kleenex near by, you'll need it more than once!", "124" ], [ "What would happen if death metal smashed into a truck full of used strap-on and a plane full of Japanese porn actors crashed right in the middle off it and someone sparkled some Mata Hari on top of it.. In the future? \n de Sade Assassins is what!", "106" ], [ "this was originally a twitter fiction and I really wish I could have known and followed it while it happen but I tend to always be late on those kind of events. buying Media Whores had to be the next best thing.. and it was!", "144" ] ]

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[ [ "This book made me both happy and sad, and i'm still trying to figure out how that could be... \n Kidding, i know exactly why, but i ain't telling you. \n Just go read it NOW.", "99" ], [ "\"Culture does not make people. People make culture. If it is true that the full humanity of women is not our culture, then we can and must make it our culture.\" \n So simple, and yet peole are unable to undestand it...", "26" ], [ "\"I don't know when love became elusive. What I know is no one I know has it.\" \n \"Dear moon, we blame you for floods...for the flush of blood...for men who are also wolves.\" \n \"I tried to change. \n Closed my mouth more. \n Tried to be softer, prettier. \n Less...awake.\" \n I know this feelings, they aren't pretty, but her words are...", "42" ], [ "Finally a book that actually deserves all the praise it gets, kept me at the edge of my seat until the end. This is a must for fantasy lovers. \n I'm obsessed with allomancy", "46" ], [ "Dissappointing is the only word that comes to mind, as i've said in my reviews of the previous books they are all about the build up but the ending just doesn't deliver, this series was NOT EVEN close to what it promised to be and that is pretty sad. \n Why am i giving it 4 stars then? because despite the lack of actual climax and BANG, i love the characters and i cared about their story, they are my dear children and i'll love them forever.", "91" ], [ "4 solid stars. \n I'm just annoyed that it took 2 books for things to actually go anywhere, but in general this was an ok book. \n I also want to take the opportunity to express my love and appreciation for Calla.", "35" ], [ "3.5 \n It's a solid first book, very entertaining (i finished it in record time), with a nice world and set of characters; but i just didn't go crazy for it. \n I will pick up the next book for sure.", "35" ], [ "The audiobook narrated by Emma Thompson and Richard Armitage was superb, maybe i gave it one more star because of it? I don't feel confident enough to give a definite rating since i found the language a bit difficult to understand and follow at times. Will try to read it in spanish.", "0" ], [ "I never thought i'd say this words, and i still can't believe i'm writing them, but i think the Grishaverse has become my favorite series OF ALL TIME (beating Harry freaking Potter); if you are wondering how that could be, well is very simple actually, this duology left me 100% satisfied. \n I'm just so grateful that i found Queen Bardugo's books, i had very high expectations on this one and it did not dissappoint; THIS WAS EVERYTHING I HAVE EVER WANTED, no more, no less.", "80" ], [ "PERFECT, just perfect, there isn't anything i disliked about this book. \n Is it better than the books from the original Grisha trilogy? Absolutely. BUT do i like it more? probably, there's only one thing keeping me from picking this one over the original trilogy and that is my dearest little precious sobachka, but if he makes an appearance at Crooked Kingdom then all bets are off. \n Only a month for the next one to come out, and it's still going to kill me T_T", "7" ], [ "At first i gave this book 4 stars, the reason was because i didn't like the ending, you have no idea how frustrated i felt with that conclusion; it was just exactly as awful as i didn't want it to be. \n BUT i loved so many things about it, especially i got to know and adore everyone else that wasn't Alina and Mal, in this book the side characters get fantastic character development and get the opportunity to SHINE AND STEAL YOUR HEART, also so grateful to see a gang with so many badass ladies in it...So yeah, i just want to hug them all cause they're my little babies.", "7" ], [ "I should give this book 3.5 stars, the issues from the first one are still present and now I have even more problems with this series than before, BUT Sturmhond deserves the 5 fucking stars dammit; he just makes me swoon and I'll love him till the end of times...if he is still alive (HE BETTER FUCKING BE). \n I know I should be objective, but I can't, I love this trilogy, I am surprised about the intensity of my feelings but I can't help feeling this feels. \n I am not kidding, actually being completely serious here; this was the one YA that could have made me crazy with anticipation for the next book, should I consider myself lucky for coming late to the party?", "7" ], [ "More like 2.5, i didn't find the characters particularly endearing or interesting. \n Don't read this if you're on a diet, it just makes you crave for all the junk food they eat, i really want to try that cream soda now.", "150" ], [ "This was my first experience with an audio book and it was FANTASTIC! especially since the last chapters are foot notes on the songs and the narration is by Lin Manuel Miranda <3 \n Not sure if i'm just too emotional over this show, but i recommend to have tissues at hand.", "0" ], [ "It was ok, if only because it made me nostalgic about fandom which i miss terribly. \n Tbh i almost cried when they picked up the last Simon Snow book, because i know that feeling and that feeling is very real for me.", "127" ], [ "One of the best i've read so far, favorite without a question. \n Don't let yourself be deceived about this book having no plot because that isn't at all the case, this is a magical story and i just didn't want it to end <3", "46" ], [ "So much better than the first one, i'm so glad for will, i always go gaga for those kind of characters. Also this story is freaking insane, i never thought people were serious when they told me what this books were about, but it is true and is crazy awesome.", "107" ], [ "I knew the characters were unlikable, but i was really not prepared, it was a lot worse that i had imagined. \n I struggled with this book, it takes forever to get interesting since the first half is all about establishing the main players that could be involved in the tragedy. It gets a lot better by the end. \n I still prefer Sharp Objects.", "127" ], [ "Not as good as i thought it would be, one thing is watching Bridget been herself on the screen, it's adorable! But to see what's on her mind? not that cute. \n It's a rare occurrence but i think the film is way better.", "196" ], [ "How do i know i love a book? Easy, because it makes me care. The last time I was so attached to a trio was when I was reading Harry Potter; well now I'm here to tell you that Connor, Risa and Lev stole my heart. \n It's rare to find young adult like this novel, you go to bookshops (at least here in mexico) and all you can find is really old classics and the popular stuff like Hunger Games, Divergent and Twilight; I wonder why popularity has to be determined by teenage fangirls, don't you guys realize we've had enough of love triangles? We want substance! \n And that's exactly what we get here, SUBSTANCE. \n Would it be cliche to say this is dystopian done right? Maybe, but I'm saying it anyway. \n Probably the best I've read all year, will definitely finish these series.", "80" ], [ "I'm not sure if i'm the only one who feels this way BUT: \n Is Fayre a mix of other popular female characters from other YA books? \n I mean, she is a hunter like Katniss, she paints like Karou, she constatly mentions how unattractive and plain she is, just like Bella frikin Swann. \n Just UGH", "55" ], [ "Not impressed by this one, i just never felt conected to the story or the characters, Lyra is the only one who has any sort of depth and development, everybody else is just there to interact with her; i didn't warm up to her that much either. \n I do love the idea of daemons, but mostly because i imagine them like a sort of pokemon or digimon but a great deal more intelligent, and who wouldn't love to have one of those? \n I will try to finish the series since i bought the complete trilogy, hopefully the sequels are better.", "44" ], [ "I wish i could write a brilliant review, but i'm not so very good with words. \n This book is just precious, that is the only word i can find to describe it; the emotions in it, the sadness..", "101" ] ]

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[ [ "I really liked this book of poetry. I loved the alliteration in verses, the empowerment of Black culture, and women culture. I liked the no-holding-back attitude that Angelou always writes in. It was honestly a very powerful, and moving collection of poems. \n My favorites in And Still I Rise: \n \"Where We Belong, A Duet\" \n \"Phenomenal Woman\" \n \"Willie\" \n \"The Traveler\" \n \"The Memory\" \n \"Still I Rise\"", "181" ], [ "This poem was written as a celebration of peace and Christmas and read by Maya Angelou at the lighting of the Christmas Tree at the White House in 2005. \n So I'm not really mixed on this poem, but I have to say a few things: \n 1) Of course the poem sounds good, because when words come together in a well-written way they'll always sound good (hopefully). But that's not enough. There is so much that a writer can do with form and language that can transform a poem from good to SPECTACULAR. This poem falls short. \n 2) I think that because Maya Angelou's reputation as an activist along with her many publications as a poet and author has her held to a certain light, she's able to write in simplistic terms and everyone will label it poetry and/or good writing. Though not bad, I look for more than just words on a page that sound nice when it comes to any form of writing, especially poetry. For me, most of the poem is \"right there,\" meaning I don't have to look beyond the surface for a greater meaning. Yes it's essentially beautiful because it is an all-inclusive poem for different religions and backgrounds and calls for world peace, but that by itself is not enough for me when it comes to poetry. I like to be surprised. I like to feel the words flow through my veins, bumping along the way, causing my skin to protrude outward rhythmically as it makes its way to my heart. So far, Maya isn't cutting it for me. I adore her for all she's done in her life, and for the woman that she was. But the poetry I've read so far, save for the poems during my childhood that are very faint in my memory, just haven't done it for me. The same goes for her writing style in her memoir I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, though the content is powerful, and heart-wrenching.", "181" ], [ "Jellicle Cats come out to-night \n Jellicle Cats come one come all: \n The Jellicle Moon is shining bright-- \n Jellicles come to the Jellicle Ball. \n So cute! How could I not love this book? After all, it inspired one of my favorite musicals, Cats. \n Just now I'm singing \"Memory\" at the top of my lungs.", "163" ], [ "Such an important Volume: teamwork and trust. I love this series for it's creative ability to deliver an exciting narrative while it teaches humanity a lesson or two about living. The dystopian genre is my favorite.", "107" ], [ "Same as the previous reviews. Just obsessed and it keeps getting better. What more can I say without revealing too much? With graphic novels, it's really the art that catches my eye and how crucial art can be in relaying a message and/or story. I find that people often overlook the general purpose of graphic novels and anime when done right. There's an often unspoken importance they can have on society or just a solitary person.", "36" ], [ "The only thing better than reading Bossypants, which I've done, is having Tina Fey read Bossypants to you, which I've also done. I love reading, this is no surprise, but what audiobooks offer to people of our generation is the original form of storytelling--oral deliverance. Though I listen to audiobooks, I always feel awkward, and less focused, if I don't have the actual book in front of me; so it ends up being both an auditory and visual experience. Of course what I expected is what I got: Tina's idiosyncratic appeal, her boisterous humor, and her undeniable gift of letting her freak thang fly, not giving a flying f**k what others think in the process. (Though there are some admittances of media attention, brought on by some of her comedic performances, that she didn't like. But hey, that's natural. LEAVE TINA ALONE.) \n What I find most impressive about Ms. Fey is her talent to turn any idea she has into a masterpiece. I mean Hello! she gave us Mean Girls for christ sake, the movie that defines the millennial generation. She's also won an impressive amount of awards for her writing, which I can only dream of: \n eight Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, five Screen Actors Guild Awards, and four Writers Guild of America Awards and was nominated for a Grammy Award for her autobiographical book Bossypants, which topped The New York Times Best Seller list for five weeks. In 2008, the Associated Press gave Fey the AP Entertainer of the Year award for her satirical portrayal of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin in a guest appearance on SNL. In 2010, Fey was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, becoming the youngest-ever recipient of the award. \n (Thanks Wikipedia, I know I can always count on you for quick and accurate information on any subject known to man and alien kind.) \n Sometimes celebrities let fame go straight to their heads, leading them to become assholes in the public eye and/or slightly less human than one can imagine. Yes, Justin Bieber, I'm talking to you. (And yes, I know media stretches lies and truths to extremes and can never be trusted.) But, no! Not my Tina-banina. If there is one thing that this book does, it's showcasing how normal Tina really is. She's human, who would of thunk? I feel like just because a celebrity has a lot of money, attends fancy parties, wears fancy dresses that are well out of middle-class price range, and gets a lot of free stuff, they are looked at as unrealistic, in-humane, and gods to us broke or at least significantly less well-off fishes at the bottom of the celebrity food chain. Tina battles what every woman battles. What is different is the fact that Tina admits it, and bonus, she does it comically. Who would have thought a woman could be funny? says NO ONE EVER. (Unless you're a Caucasian male in his fifties, working at network studios and regards women as eye-candy accessories to the male comedians. Oh yes! They exist. Evolution has not wiped their prejudice penises out of existence, yet.) \n This book has allowed me the joy to write a review that for once is not latent with professional tones, and allowed to explore, though mildly, my comedic side, which this is only a taste. I assure you I'm much funnier in person. I'm just kidding, I'm really an asshole. Ha! I'm just kidding again. \n 10/10 would recommend.", "153" ], [ "So, I have a three-years-old sister and she's a bit of a brat at times, even to the point where she'll gripe and groan until she gets her way (as all children do at her age). Since this book is free on Amazon in ebook format, I thought I'd give it a read and see if it would suit her. Lo and behold, this is such a cute book about putting positive energy in the world and teaches children to be kind to others. \n I already know the importance of being kind to others, so I didn't think that I, a twenty-three years old adult, would benefit from this book. However, much to my surprise I did. In fact, I learned a word I never saw before. Did you knew that a grouse \"are a group of birds from the order Galliformes, in the family Phasianidae\" (Wikipedia)? Because, I didn't. They \"are [also] frequently assigned to the subfamily Tetraoninae (sometimes Tetraonidae), a classification supported by mitochondrial DNA sequence studies, and applied by the American Ornithologists' Union, ITIS, and others\" (Wikipedia). \n See, you learn something new everyday, even from a children's book.", "163" ], [ "Going into this I was skeptical because of the last gay themed novella I read, Maps. I was skeptical because I saw everything as cliche, the characters were undeveloped and the editing was dreadful. However, though I think the idea of everyone being completely \"attractive\" with no questions asked is cliche and non realistic, I kind of loved this novella. \n I should say this though, I think the main reason why just loved this story so much is because it was an unexpected erotica that was so detailed and completely beautiful that it awoke a certain light within my body, springing an erection. Yes I just told you that I got horny while reading it, after all isn't that what erotica is supposed to do? And I'm far well-developed and confident in my sexuality that I can broadcast my own sexual awakening to the whole world without feeling sorry about it. So yes, I got horny while reading it; I don't regret anything. \n The reason I'm giving this story a 4 instead of 5 stars is because I'm really tired of the unquestionable attractiveness of main characters and the whole jock and geek thing is a bit overplayed. I need creativity! Show me an actual relationship where maybe a stereotypical attractive person falls in love with a less \"desirable\" person. Form a bond that means something other than pure attraction on physical features. I'm not saying that the attraction in this story is purely sexual and/or physical, which is why I'm not rating it lower than a 4 because I actually see a connection that is not just sexual. Well, kind of. Maybe the real reason I'm giving it a 4 is because it turned me on--I don't know, give me a break! In only human.", "200" ], [ "Tin House is a nationally recognized literary magazine, which I had a hard time believing when I read the first story. It wasn't until I got to John Ashbery's poems, which I tend to enjoy, that I started really enjoying the work within this volume. Everything from Ashbery's poems and on was very enjoyable both in language and subject matter, which has deeper meaning than what is read face-value. \n My favorite short story within the volume is by far Josh Weil's \"The Elk-Calf.\" \n I also really liked the \"Lost and Found\" section. It contains novels that have been \"lost\" from the literary realm or haven't had the most appropriate attention as felt by the writer submitting it to the magazine. Each submission contains a reason as to why the novel is a literary gem, and most have a little personal anecdote that goes along with it. I found myself adding some of the novels mentioned to my \"to-read\" shelf. \n Overall, I'm giving this volume 3 stars because it took a really long time for me to get into it, and by long I mean half of the magazine. Once I hit the John Ashbery section, it got 100 times better.", "166" ], [ "I bought this book a while ago because I felt the urge to read a drama; and what better drama to read than a 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Drama winner, right? Well, yes and no. \n What I liked about Annie Baker's The Flick is it's creativity and oddness. It takes place within a movie theatre where three underpaid employees (Avery, Sam, and Rose) clean and operate a thirty-five-millimeter projector, one of the last projector's of its kind within the state of Massachusetts, between each film showing. Each character carries with them emotional weight, which is drawn out during their nightly tasks as crushes are formed, jealousy is brought out, and trust is betrayed. \n What I didn't like about this play is it's inability to keep me entertained at various moments. Now, I know that play's are generally better when acted out and seeing as how I never saw the play live, I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and say that if I had seen it live, then it could've made me laugh in certain parts that are arguably \"comical.\" The overall language is believable, if I'm meant to believe that these characters are illiterate, lackluster, and unknowledgeable. I say this because the dialogue is filled with the repetitive \"like...like...like,\" as well as moments where characters stammer over thoughts and words, which makes the reading (at least for me) drawn out, boring, and non-thought provoking. Of course, this is just my reading of it as I've only read the play and have not seen it acted out on stage where it can be brought to life with a sort of quality that a reader can't get by just reading. \n Overall, as much as I appreciate what I think Ms. Baker was trying to accomplish, I still wasn't able to connect to this novel on any level and had no empathy toward any of it's characters. I'm glad this was a quick read, otherwise I don't know what I would be able to do in order to stay focused.", "31" ], [ "A pleasant quick read as I lay in bed, sicker than a hopping pot covered in warts. (Yes, I alluded to one of Beedle the Bard's tales.) \n This is just a fun, amusing collection of tales retold in Rowling's whimsy imagination. Truly a treat for the brain and heart.", "166" ], [ "OMG, I can't. This has to be the most adorable story I've ever read. I was smiling the entire time. I honestly can't say what it is about this story that is making me give it 5 stars. There's something about this narrative that just made me fall in love with it, even if some things might be borderline \"cliche\" or \"too easy.\" I have to really collect my thoughts later when I'm not dead tired and make a professional review.", "46" ], [ "I wanted a fun, cute, quick read and I sort of got it here, but not entirely. Was it cute? Yes, in a way (kind of). Was it stereotypical, cliche, and underdeveloped? Entirely. \n Maybe because I was an English lit major, have read a lot and deeply dissect narratives almost every day are the reasons why I didn't fall in love or in liking of this novel, which can arguably be a long short story. First of all, my biggest issue is the lack of editing and I don't mean a mistake or two; I mean that there are literally grammar issues and other syntactical or semantic mistakes on every page. \n I've seen this story time and time again, but with little changes. Sure, I haven't seen another character like Maps, but I have seen plenty of characters like Lane (stereotypical boy next door, jock, oblivious of his sexuality character). Yes, Lane's exist in this world, but how many times do I have to read Lane's in a story (especially in a gay themed story). These coming to terms with sexuality stories are becoming cliche. I don't mean that finding one's sexuality itself is cliche, but the way it's told is. \n And these endings? Come on. Many narratives keep faltering on these classic endings. Hello! I'm a flaming homosexual and I can tell you that these types of stories that are in continual production in society is not doing the gay community justice. Yes, we get a cutesie lovey-dovey story out of it and for some of us it's what we need, but at what cost? When are real gay/queer/LGBT problems going to be taken into account? Time and time again I just keep starting LGBT stories with an expectation of accurate portrayal and I'm continually let down. \n I'd like to hypothesize that my bitterness towards this story stems from my own cataclysmic romantic endeavors, but then I look at my other LGBTQ+ friends and I see them also struggling from day-to-day, questioning whether or not they'll find love, as do I, and other more prolific concerns like education, career goals, societal views on our community at large. I just want to see, for once, an accurate portrayal of what many LGBTQ+ youths are going through. For some of us, we don't get happy endings or that \"big beefy jock that just has eyes for us,\" as so accurately portrayed in many LGBTQ+ narratives and even straight narratives. \n I think I choose this book to rant on because it's like my fifth LGBT story that I've read in a row and not one has given an actual portrayal with the exception of a couple (e.g. More Happy Than Not (kind of), and A Little Life (all around encompassing)). \n As my last form of criticism, the characters were extremely underdeveloped. I didn't see a purpose for a couple of them and if there was a purpose then it should have been rendered a lot better for clear intent. I didn't really like any of the characters because they seemed too flat for me and didn't offer any substance worth gawking over.", "70" ], [ "Holy shit! All I can say is that this series gets better and better with each chapter and volume. I'm completely obsessed. \n Still giving it four stars because I find it appealing to my artistic and quirky side than my literary one.", "143" ], [ "All right, I'll first state the obvious. I've seen many Goodreads equivalents reading this series and found the breastfeeding cover to be evocative for women's rights, and thought, I have to read this series, STAT!. At first, the general weirdness took some getting used to, which is never an issue for me because I myself am a very weird individual that finds comfort in the strange, often dark, and outright redolent material. This series is incongruous, highly imaginative, thought provoking, and full of suspense that I've yet to encounter in a graphic novel (specifically). Having said that, I'm hell-bent on reading subsequent volumes as soon as it comes in full contact with my line of vision. I will hunt them down, and bore their imagery into my brain, hoping that I'll be whisked away in this kooky world when I fall asleep. \n I'm not sure if I can write any more about this without revealing, and therefore spoiling, information about this series. I can only say if you are anything like me, based on aforementioned text, then this series is a perfect read. I'm obsessed! \n I'm giving the first volume only four stars because I fell in love after having read three volumes back-to-back.", "36" ], [ "\"What we can see and the true nature of what actually exists are totally different things.\" \n Loved this volume! It added a nice mix of elite Survey Corps with new recruited trainees. It also had a nice touch of Norse mythology with the inclusion of Ymir, a giant slain by Odin and his brothers. \n Overall, the plot of this manga series keeps developing nicely. And the ending?! WHAT A CLIFFHANGER! I can't wait to get my hands on Volume Six.", "54" ], [ "Very nice break from the constant war within the graphic novels, although not a complete break. Majority of the novel focuses on the trainees as a whole and communication between them, which I quite liked. \n AOT, still had me interested; although, I've seen many episodes of the anime, so that could be the reason. \n \"It doesn't matter how terrifying the world is. It doesn't matter how cruel the world is. Fight!! Fight!!\"", "54" ], [ "Volume Three wasn't as thrilling as the last, however, it does introduce one of my favorite characters from the anime show, Captain Levi. This volume had significantly less action and a lot more discussion on battle tactics, which will help benefit the remaining human race. \n One of my favorite moments in the text, without spoiling the volume, is when Armin finally shows readers his true self. I won't say anything else about it so that the people reading this review can read and find out what I mean by this.", "118" ], [ "\"This is a cruel world and yet so beautiful\" (Isayama). \n I love this manga series so much! It's better than the first volume and I have a hunch that the subsequent volumes will echo in improvement. The series is so gut-wrenching in thought, yet so heart-warming as soldiers become, basically, a family fighting against Titans, a race bent on feeding their need to kill humans. \n A common motif, especially in this volume, is character's lamenting the world's sanity, or lack thereof. \n \"This is a cruel world and only the winners survive\" (Isayama). \n One of the reasons I find this manga series appealing, which I mentioned in the first volume review, is that it's part of the dystopian genre. It comments on societal problems, which in this volume revolves around humanity's inability to create a positive and sustaining world. \n We live in a world that contains violence from one country to another and races that believe they're superior amongst others. In many countries, human beings are instilled with a single thought, which also occurs in this series: \n \"If I don't fight, I can't win\" (Isayama). \n Every day, there is a war in some part of the world, where adults and children become fertilizer as bullets echo through villages and land within chests, leaving unresponsive bodies to rot. If people are not willing to fight, then they cannot win or attempt to win. This is seen in everything that we do. If there are certain tasks or goals that people have, they will not achieve those tasks or goals unless they're willing to make the sacrifice, unless they are willing to fight. \n *For more reviews, feel free to add me as a friend. I will be starting my own website/blog within the upcoming months. I love people, especially friends, so feel free to reach out and say hi. Also, I thrive on feedback, so feel free to comment with suggestions on how I can improve my reviews in the future*", "54" ], [ "Well, I like the story, but I thought I would like it a lot more than I do. It's a very interesting concept: plane crash, a fight for survival, the aftermath, the mystery; for the most part all of those elements are interesting and great. However, I wanted a deeper connection between Scott (the protag and plane crash survivor) and JJ (a four-year-old survivor of the same plane crash). They form a special bond because they're the only plane crash survivors, and we see how that relationship works as the story progresses, however, there needed to be a deeper connection (a lot deeper). \n The narrative structurally interweaves between the crash aftermath and the backstories, which works for this story. I can't help but wonder how it would have been if it was written differently, like not going back and forth between aftermath and backstory, but instead have the story written as just the aftermath with flashbacks to the past when a new detail or discovery comes up. But as a whole, the structure didn't bother me. \n The beginning captivated me, the middle was good, the ending was a let down. (I've read similar reviews saying the same, so I'm not the only one that thinks so, thankfully).", "105" ], [ "I'm in agreement with some reviews stating a less of an interest in this novel compared to Flynn's well-known Gone Girl. Having read this right after finishing Gone Girl, I can't help but compare the two: I was less interested in Dark Places, but not completely turned away from it. I found Gone Girl's progression to be more suspenseful and a lot smoother and enthralling. Also, I have an innate fixation on character's name. (Yes, I know it's weird and completely picky. What do you want me to say? I can't help it. OCD! Hello-o-o!) Names like Libby Day, Patty Day, and Diondra, among others, just don't satisfy me. I become so fixated on the spelling or oddness of certain names, overthinking why someone would name their child a certain name or why an author chose a particular name for a character, that I become completely thrown off from the entire novel. I have no idea what my problem is. \n Anyways, for what it's worth, this narrative has some interesting twists to it that I found to be somewhat lucrative, but not enough to have me completely riveted or \"in-love\" with it. This is somewhat a jaded review for a lackluster novel.", "55" ], [ "I feel like I need to explain why I'm giving this book three stars: it's not the story that I had a hard time liking, it's the writing style. I'm absolutely in love with the story, and the movies are amazing. It just so happens that this is one of those series where I enjoy the movies more than the novels. The writing is tedious and doesn't use the sophisticated language that I'm use to reading in many other novels. This is the same issue that I have with the Divergent series. I found most of the characters' language to be forced as well. \n Overall, I love the series, but not the way it's written. I find more enjoyment in the films than I do in the books.", "196" ], [ "The Giver is one of those \"classic\" books that I've seen a lot of people having read during their primary education years. I am not one of those people. In fact, I didn't hear about the novel until after seeing the film, starring the remarkable Meryl Streep. \n I generally find novels incomparable with their movie counterparts; therefore, I thought that The Giver would be much better than the movie (which I found to be kind of atrocious--not Meryl Streep's fault). Well, I was mistaken--to an extent. I've come to realize that it mightn't've been the movie that is terrible (although it is), but the entire narrative. I sense that it serves a general purpose, as most great dystopian novels do, but to me, the purpose is lost. Moreover, I think the general premise just doesn't coincide with my interests. \n I left the novel with unanswered questions like what happened with everyone post climax (which to me was at the end of the novel amid no resolution). Maybe the novel's cliffhanger is intentional for preceding novels; however, regardless of subsequent additions to any franchise, I generally like leaving a novel with a sense of closure in some way. Very rarely will I enjoy a book that leaves me wondering what happens to the characters or setting. I find more satisfaction with the overall message and/or literary presence that novels offer. Maybe I fall within that Literature Major syndrome I hear so much about. \n I'm giving this narrative two stars instead of one because I do find it to offer an overall message, and I see that message to an extent, it's just I don't find the novel to my liking.", "196" ], [ "I was introduced to \"Attack on Titan\" (AOT) when it became an anime series that I had to scour the Internet trying to find and when I did finally find it, it was in Japanese (as I expected); so I watched it with English subtitles. \n Eventually, I bought a few novels in the manga series, this one being the first. As a whole, the content was very interesting. AOT is a dystopian narrative revolving around a dying human race at the hands, more like mouths, of the Titans. The content, even when watching the anime, was very horrific, yet very different from anything I've ever watched or read, which is why I find AOT so interesting. \n While reading, I didn't expect to find a moral that I could connect to. However, I was wrong. \n \"It doesn't matter what anyone says. There's no holding back an inquisitive mind\" (Isayama). \n This world has been constrained by its environment and I can't help but to feel like it's commenting how the human race has constrained individuals from acting upon their inner desire to explore the questionable: whether it be traveling to foreign places, experimenting with sexuality, believing in a religion that is not of the norm, or simply taking risky chances in fear that the outcome would be not what was expected. I humbly believe what Isayama is trying to convey to readers of this manga series is that readers need to question - question the right, question the wrong, question the world. By questioning, we are learning more about ourselves and what we like, as well as learning about others and our environment. Dystopian literature tends to point out the flaws in society to an extreme, which makes this specific genre enjoyable to read while learning about specific issues in society as those issues are seen in an imaginative world with characters that react to these issues. \n Overall, the content is a 4 and the execution is a 4. This graphic novel was interesting and surprising, and the illustration was marvelous. I had no issues keeping up with what was being said in what scene, even if I'm already use to reading novels backwards and from right-to-left. \n My only issue, and for me it's a big one, was that the graphic narrative moved too fast. There's a lot of information jam-packed into only a hundred or so pages. I would've liked to see the material expand and possibly not have too many episodes in one novel (this novel has 4 episodes). Because I watched the anime series before reading, I found that 6 or 7 episodes at the beginning of the anime series was essentially what was covered in the first novel of the manga series. This is really the only restraint I had from giving this graphic narrative a 5 star-rating. \n *For more reviews, feel free to add me as a friend. I will be starting my own website/blog within the upcoming months. I love people, especially friends, so feel free to reach out and say hi. Also, I thrive on feedback, so feel free to comment with suggestions on how I can improve my reviews in the future*", "54" ], [ "At this point, who doesn't know about Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon? \n I remember sneaking around and watching Sailor Moon--the anime--as a child, fearing what my family would think because I wasn't out-of-the-closet and anyone who did watch Sailor Moon was either female or gay. In today's society it's not as taboo as it once was, which I'm thankful for. \n Anyways, I've always loved Sailor Moon because of its romance and powerful kick-ass female characters. Also, I'm endlessly looking for my own King Endymion--absolutely dreamy!", "54" ], [ "First and foremost, I am a poet as well as a writer. (I know there are some that like making that distinction when in reality a poet is a writer, whereas a writer is not always a poet.) Having written, workshopped and read many poems along with taken multiple poetry classes, I can assure you that I hold some merit but am no expert nor claim to be one. \n This book of poetry is unique because it integrates the written word with drawings that only enhance a reader's experience with the text. Rupi Kaur's book of poetry targets themes that I am most passionate about and hold dear to my heart: love, loss, trauma, abuse, healing, and femininity. I found myself pausing at various pages just so I can start at the top of the page or the beginning section of the poem just to reread what I read because it awakened a feeling of reassurance and evoked an element of empathy that I am always looking for in everything I read (poems and prose alike). \n i do not want to have you \n to fill the empty parts of me \n i want to be full on my own \n i want to be so complete \n i could light a whole city \n and then \n i want to have you \n cause the two of us combined \n could set it on fire \n (Kaur 59) \n Kaur's writing is so direct, yet filled with milk and honey language that softens the blow of truth that stings when it hits your face. There are even moments of one liners that seem so simple, yet it's the simplicity that sometimes we need to hear (or in this case read or speak aloud) that awakens a resurgence in the brain: \n loneliness is a sign you are in desperate need of yourself \n (Kaur 153) \n Aside from the many positives of this novel, I did see moments where I felt Kaur either told too much or feigned away from imagery and relied on \"telling\" rather than \"showing.\" For example: \n i am losing parts of you like i lose eyelashes \n unknowingly and everywhere \n (Kaur 135) \n I feel that the lines above is over-explaining the idea of losing someone like eyelashes when really it can be implied by the reader. I am only noticing this because I suffer from over-explaining in my own poetry and have been told many times that I must trust the reader and allow them to interpret what I mean because once a poem is published \"it's no longer yours\" (as said by a previous poetry professor of mine). At some level I agree and on another I disagree, but that is neither here nor there. \n Overall, I recommend this book of poetry to all that find beauty in poetry and feminism. Although I am not female, I relate to many female woe's. The notion of needing to be \"hairless\" is relevant strongly for women, but it is also very relevant within the homosexual atmosphere as I have been asked time and time again, I like hairless men. Are you smooth (implying that area around my penis and ass crack are completely shaven)? I find the idea of one needing to be hairless as what I call a \"self-want-need,\" not a want or need that should be pushed onto a person because of their sexuality or gender, but only because a person has a personal want or need to be hairless. Personally, I don't like my body being completely hairless all the time, but I like always being trimmed. I and I alone should make this decision because that is how I like my body to be. I would never force this upon another individual because that is not my body, nor is it a body for me to control. The ability for women and men to question and obliterate societal prejudices including sexism, gender discrimination, racism, ableism, et cetera is what I am the most passionate about and Kaur does an excellent job at bringing some of these topics out within her poems.", "139" ], [ "I read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn back-to-back in order to fully give my opinion on the two most popular books in this series. I can honestly say that of the two The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is by far my favorite. I find this narrative to be warmer in language, mainly because the narrator has sophisticated diction; whereas, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is told in first person by Huck, the protagonist, a twelve-year-old boy that has a southern twang with uneducated speech. (Growing up in the south, and having some family members with southern drawls, it doesn't bother me very much, but the southern twang/drawl I'm used to is not the same as what is in this novel.) \n Anyways, apart from the narration and language, I find the adventures in this novel to be a lot more child friendly and more of a coming-of-age story than those in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. \n Other than that, I don't see the big hype that I've been lead to believe in both novels. If anything, I can see why Adventures of Huckleberry Finn would be hyped, because it speaks about slavery in the 1800s and is scandalous for its language (natural to that time period) and the idea that a young white male helps a slave escape slavery and be a free man.", "82" ], [ "*3.5* \n \"Life waits for no one. Are you happy with where you are and what you're doing? If you have to search yourself for an answer to that simple question, you probably aren't\" (Franta 204). \n A few years ago, I subscribed to Connor Franta's YouTube channel after a friend suggested that I should watch his videos. I found him cute, funny, bright, and warm--still do. \n When I heard that his memoir was going to be released, I immediately went online to order a copy via Amazon. Then, I heard he was going on a book tour and noted, on my calendar, the day he would be in Orlando, Florida (three hours from where I live now in Boca). \n The day soon came, I found myself venturing out early in the morning to cement my butt on the sidewalk outside of a Books A Million store where he would eventually be for a meet-and-greet with already signed copies of his book. I was elated, nervous, sweating, and bored while sitting on the sidewalk, as I noticed that I was the only adult male (that I could see) among pre-pubescent teenage girls, aside from their fathers. Strange, I thought, seeing as how he is a 22 year-old gay male--coincidentally, so am I. Nonetheless, I waited in a line that wrapped around the building just for a whopping 3 second encounter with Connor--enough time to give him a hug, have our picture taken, say hi, then leave with my signed copy. That was it. \n Although I read the book and was generally pleased with the information and the insight Connor has on life and the world around him, there were some things I just couldn't overlook: moments with grammatical errors, awkwardly phrased sentences, and ideas that weren't rendered enough for a deeper and larger interpretation. \n Overall, I give the novel a 4 star rating for content, as I share similar views, and 3 for execution, because it could have been expanded and didn't wholly offer any new insight on viewing the world in a new way--at least, for me. \n *This is my first review on Goodreads. For more reviews, feel free to add me as a friend. I will be starting my own website/blog within the upcoming months. I love people, especially friends, so feel free to reach out and say hi. Also, I thrive on feedback, so feel free to comment with suggestions on how I can improve my reviews in the future*", "31" ], [ "LOVE LOVE LOVE this book! It lives up to the overwhelmingly positive 5 star reviews. It only took me one sitting to read this novel front to back, and I absolutely loved every second of it. I don't know where to begin. I need to sleep and gather my thoughts once I awaken and write a more coherent review. I keep saying this yet I haven't been able to write reviews lately. I'm glad I chose today, MY BIRTHDAY, to read this entire novel! Happy birthday to me, this has been the best present!", "46" ], [ "Dear Yanagihara, \n I'll never forgive you for officially fucking me up with this novel. I don't think I'll ever want to be in love because I know that I'll react the exact same way Jude did in Part VII, even if my life cannot compare to his. \n Sincerely, \n Ryan", "147" ], [ "I should start saying that I have not seen the film yet. So, my review in completely based on the novel. \n Gone Girl has been a long-awaited must-read that I've officially completed. I've heard praises for the film, some stating that the film either does the book justice or is more superior, and I've equally heard high praises for the book solely on its own merit. \n I was completely involved with the narrative from start to finish, fully aware why it's received wide-spread attention. Often, I have my phone with me so that I can jot down page numbers and my general thoughts or points of heightened emotional charge (on my part), and one thing I can say is that there is so much foreshadowing in both Nick and Amy that was very apparent to me. I knew exactly where the novel was going, and could see the characters developing long before they actually developed or committed an action that I knew would happen. \n My favorite part of the novel in the ending. Not in the \"ha-ha the novel is over\" kind of way, but the \"I'm incredibly happy how Gillian chose to end the novel.\" For the sake of spoilers, I will not reveal how the novel ended, but I will say that I believe many people might be upset with how it ended, whereas I found it to be paradoxical in a way. Well I guess I will reveal it briefly. Nick and Amy remain together because she's pregnant (having used his semen stored in a fertility clinic) after everything that's happened. I'm sorry, but if I were Nick, I would have stayed until the child is born, then lock her ass up and never let her near our child. Her mentality is too dangerous for a child, let alone my child. \n I recently finished a novel, Wallace Stegner's Angle of Repose, in which the protagonist states, \"I suppose in a way we deserve the people we marry\" (Stegner 219). You can interpret that information whichever way you want, but I can't help but find some truth in it, just like I can find some falsehood or room for argumentation. Either way, it does open up some thought-provoking ideology that leaves me still tied to the novel's ending. Is how the novel ends Nick's fate? If so, what a paradox!", "52" ], [ "As daunting as many had led me to believe, I began this series knowing that the novels are strenuous and that everyone and their mother were obsessed with the television series, which I've still not seen. (No joke, I tell people this and they ululate in great surprise, shunning me, as if I've committed the ultimate sin known to mankind.) I wanted to begin this series with the intention to read all of the published novels, thus far, before beginning the television show; however, now that I have finished A Game of Thrones, I find that less likely, and for great reasons. \n First off, before I dive into the reasons why I love this novel, DAENERYS TARGARYEN! What a girl! I knew that she was going to be a kick-ass character from the beginning because of the torment she suffers from her brother and her victimization as a woman; but also her good-hearted nature, and her increasing confidence and strength she gains from wedding Khal Drogo, and taking power as Khalessi, even when Drogo dies. Furthermore, the ending of the book and the emergence of the dragons just sent me over the edge in fangirl mode, as Daenerys becomes an iconic, ruthless soul, sending the men who turned her offer to serve her rushing to her feet, pledging their service. That, my friends, is sexy! \n Besides my love for Daenerys, the general feel of an epic fantasy coddles me like a dream, resting on a cloud. J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, has been an epic-fantasy series where I could escape the mentally draining woes of life to a world completely made up, not having any correlation to our world, as I would either read the novels and/or watch the films in my younger years leading to my, now, adulthood. I mention Tolkien because there is no doubt that his writing has been some form of inspiration for Martin's series. Thus far, Martin's world captivates me, making me feel how I feel for Tolkien's writing, although significantly less. (No epic fantasy can mask my love and devotion to Tolkien's world, but Martin's comes in second.) \n The general progression of the storyline flows pretty nicely, and the different character viewpoints add a fresh and exciting quality that I've never seen before in any novel. I also love the heart-warming moments such as the Stark siblings love for the direwolves and the protection they provide, the loyalty (though blind) of Ned, the intimate moments of Daenerys and Khal Drogo as they grow in love together (even though I hate the moments where she is forced to do anything she doesn't want to do) . \n Apart from storyline progression, this novel deals with the complexities of human life, and the many ambiguities one would not expect, in particular the internal conflicts of the human condition. This is what makes falling in love with characters, as well as despising with wrathful heat, possible for me and others, I suppose. Characters I love: Daenerys, Eddard Stark, Jon Snow, Robb, Bran, Arya, Tyrion (for his humor), the direwolves, Ser Jorah Mormont, Old Nan (her cooky behavior), King Robert Baratheon (to some degree, I did hate to see him die for some reason), and some of the men aiding the Stark family . Characters that I would really like to see die a slow death in novels to come: Cersi, Jaime, their son Joffrey, and the entirety of the Lannister clan (except Tyrion), among others, like the men who rape women and the people working against the Starks . \n Overall, I love this novel, and the series thus far. I can't wait to get my hands on A Clash of Kings and soon! \n 10/10 would recommend.", "76" ], [ "OMG! The best one yet! Can't wait to get my hands on Volume 5 now. How is it possible that this series keeps me wanting more?! It's so amazing, that's how. And the cliffhanger? Very, VERY luring. I absolutely love this series so much.", "46" ], [ "This addition to the Cormoran Strike series is causing me to have mixed feelings. By far, Career of Evil is the most engaging of the three, for me; however, I'm so sick of the entire focus on Strike and Robin's relationship, which this novel, more than any of the others, does. I feel that the falling-in-love-with-your-partner-in-crime is overdone in a lot of detective novels and tv shows; I'm so disappointed that Strike and Robin's relationship, though nothing romantic happens in this novel, falls within that cliche. And I see what Rowling is doing throughout the series with Robin and Matthew's relationship. She's forcibly straining it by adding more and more issues as the series progresses, which to me does not feel organic, just so that Robin goes flying into Cormoran's arms; then, Rowling decides to make it in Cormoran's nature from the get-go, in the first novel, to be a stubborn pain in the ass to where Robin remains with Matthew. This whole love-triangle relationship is full of cliche's. Reading the hidden spoiler will tell you my feelings about the Strike/Robin and Robin/Matthew relationships. Although this novel was a much more intriguing read, which would've lead me to give it 4 stars, it almost entirely irked me because of the strenuous attention on the two main relationships in the book that felt forced and inorganic; therefore, I'm giving the novel a solid 3 stars. I have to say that the only reason I'm reading this series is because J.K. Rowling wrote it. I would've otherwise given up on it after this one.", "84" ], [ "I am at a loss for words. I've been fortunate enough to have read so many amazing stories within the last few months, and Kristin Hannah has just given me another one to add to my heart. This narrative is beautiful, heart-breaking, and historical. I tend to gravitate towards historical fiction as my genre of choice because I always fall in love with history, real-world events, and the creativity, the invention that a writer has when creating a story based on a time period or an important event in history. My most favorite era of historical fiction is WWII era, because it was so devastating, tragic, yet contains a power to showcase love within the people that fought for justice and helped others even when detrimental to their own existence. And that is what this book has done--it has showcased this exact moment in history that's been filled with hatred by Hitler and his followers, and has shown love in the characters of Isabelle and Vianne (two powerfully kick-ass females that are feminists of their time, although they are fictional). The Nightingale is without a doubt a beautiful, gorgeous creation. I'm completely in love and found it hard to put this book down, even though I had to. These are just my first thoughts that I had to spew after closing the book. Hopefully I can think of a more coherent way to address the beauty of this book later on this week.", "53" ], [ "*4 stars* \n What a book! The Argonauts is a vulnerable, bare-all memoir of Maggie Nelson's criticism on identity, sexuality, love and parenthood. Nelson's prose is completely fierce, poetic and non-apologetic, which by far is my favorite thing about this book. Apart from her writing style, I love how she does not shy away from being incredibly descriptive, maybe a little too descriptive, while writing about topics, such as childbirth (which I still have chills from reading). \n \"When all the mythologies have been set aside, we can see that, children or no children, the joke of evolution is that it is a teleology without a point, that we, like all animals, are a project that issues in nothing. But is there really such a thing as nothing, as nothingness? I don't know. I know we're still here, who knows for how long, ablaze with our care, its ongoing song.\" (Nelson) \n My most favorite line of the text, and the closing thought of the memoir, shows Nelson's intellectual thought process of why we're here on this earth and whether or not we have a purpose or if we are just a part of nature amongst all animals. On some level, I agree with Nelson's presentation on the ideology of teleology. I often ask myself what my purpose is on Earth. Why am I here? Do I have a purpose, or am I existing amongst others in a coexisting society; and if so, does that mean I am nothing because I am without purpose? Nelson questions whether or not nothing, or nothingness, is an actual thing, an actual plausible concept. I like to think that everything has purpose, that you, I, and we have a certain purpose while we coexist within a continual evolutionary cycle; therefore, nothing and nothingness is not \"really...a thing,\" and the fact that we as a humanity can think so, means that we have a purpose because we have the ability to question concepts that could not be questioned by another race of animal. \n I mention a lot of what I like about The Argonauts; however, there are some things I didn't like that kept me from giving it a five star review. There are moments within the novel where I felt it to be choppy and this is mainly because she goes back-and-forth between first-person and second-person, as if she is talking to another character within her life (most likely Harry Dodge, Nelson's transgendered husband). Furthermore, Nelson fails to separate her thoughts into chapters or sections. While at first I found this to be an innovative decision, as it takes on a poetic feel, since Nelson is a poet, it did become tedious to dissect what comes next or whether or not she moved on from one topic to another. For the most part, the memoir was consistent and I could follow through; however, being that I am use to order and quite fond of it, I would have liked her to separate her thoughts with section or chapter dividers. \n All in all, this novel was a wonderful work of feminist knowledge and I recommend people to read it.", "139" ], [ "I didn't find this narrative to be as enthralling as its counterpart, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer; however I see its literary value. To save myself from repeating what Ive just wrote in the review for atom Sawyer, if anyone is interested in knowing my thoughts on this book, then look at my review of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. \n I know this is a super lazy review, I apologize. I have an extremely annoying headache and it's hot as hell outside. (Why am I even outside?)", "120" ], [ "I've had this book listed as \"currently reading\" for a few days, when in reality I just picked it up a few hours ago and read it in one sitting. \n This novel is completely adorable and just what I needed during this \"single-lifestyle\" that I'm currently stuck in. The only thing that I didn't necessarily like was that it was \"too perfect.\" Then again, I can arguably say that that is what I liked about the novel, as well: it shies away from the constant theme of heartbreak that is predominate in many LGBTQ* books and films. \n I humbly wish that I shared Simon's experiences with my experiences in high school, however, I wasn't as lucky.", "28" ], [ "One thing I admire most about Hemingway is his concise writing style. I fell in love with him when I first read \"Hills Like White Elephants,\" one of his most famous short stories, and saw how he wrote dialogue. In many ways, Hemingway lets dialogue be the ultimate guide in characterization, which to me is brilliant, leading me to implement it in my own writing. The first full-length novel I read by him was The Sun Also Rises: a book I find to be unfavorable amongst the crowd, yet I loved it. A Farewell to Arms is the second full-length novel I've read from Hemingway. \n Although I've praised Hemingway for his concise writing and technique with dialogue, I found this novel to be a tad lackluster compared to former texts. I couldn't tell if I happened to be tired at the times I picked up the novel, which happens a lot, or if the novel caused me to become sleepy. I found the novel to be an enjoyable read, but nothing iconic or outstanding that would cause me to sit on the edge of my seat or make the pages go flying by. (Please excuse the cliche's.) \n Overall, I'd recommend it if you fancy his other works, or want a good example of a modernist writer (even if there are far better examples of modernist writing). Contrary to what many readers and writers may think, I find him to be a very established and quintessential writer in the English language that every writer and lover of classics must know.", "38" ], [ "This is the best punctuation book, period. See what I did there? \n In all honesty, I love this book; everything about it is perfect. I look back to it every time I have a question while writing short stories, personal essays, or when I had to write analytical essays during undergrad at university. Casagrande delivers the material beautifully through carefully structured formatting. Each punctuation mark has its own section, which highlights the many ways in which the punctuation mark can be used and in what ways to use it, following the guidelines of multiple writing styles (e.g. book-editing, news media, science style, and academic style). \n I recommend checking this book out if you are serious about writing and improving as a writer.", "174" ], [ "So I've completed the book in one sitting and I'm refraining from giving it any stars because I don't necessarily know how to feel about it. I'm elated yet a little disappointed, but that could be because I was expecting something completely different, which disheartened me. \n Also, I find it hard to believe that this book is the \"proper,\" for lack of a better term, continuation from the previous novels in the series because a) it is a script, and b) the novel is not written solely by Rowling herself, to my understanding. Which leads me to think that this is just that...a script instead of a proper new installment. I have to say, Rowling, after reading this, I want a real Harry Potter book next with a natural progression, format, and style that I love so much from the previous seven novels. And I want ALL my characters back. Yes, they're MY characters. Get over it muggles. \n A proper review is forthcoming, I just need time to process...", "127" ], [ "I thought it a good idea to have Amy Poehler read her memoir into my ear while I read along, thinking if it is anything like Tina Fey's audiobook for Bossypants, I would fall into a laughing stupor. I was not mistaken! Yes Please delivers so much more, when listening to Amy read her book aloud, than it did when I read it without audio the first time. I always say that audiobooks are amazing because they're essentially a form of storytelling in its original practice: auditory deliverance. \n I'm not sure why I find pleasure in reading comedians memoirs. I think possibly it's because I want a good laugh and rarely find comedy in the books I read; therefore, hoping that whichever comedian's memoir I choose to shove in my face, will deliver that insatiable giggle that I long for. Poehler is one of my favorite comedians of this generation because I find her comedy to be raunchy, hilarious, and unapologetic. Many of the comedians that catch my eye employ these same attributes: Tina Fey, Robin Williams, Melissa McCarthy, Kristin Wiig, Chelsea Handler (sometimes), etc. (The list can go on and on.) \n Going into this novel, I had no idea how much work and dedication it took for Amy to get where she is today, and how many accomplishments she made during her journey to fame. \n The audiobook offers other beneficial features that the memoir does not contain, other than he auditory deliverance: guest vocal appearances by Carol Burnett, Kathleen Turner, Patrick Stewart, and even a conversation with Seth Meyers. \n I don't just recommend people to read this memoir because it's about Amy Poehler's life. I recommend people to read either while listening to the audiobook, or just listening to the audiobook, because the experience of listening to the author read his or her work is unmatched.", "0" ], [ "I was drawn to this book after discovering that Jack Nicholson was the leading actor in the 1975 film adaption. Nicholson is completely cuckoo in some of his roles (e.g. The Shining, Batman, Anger Management, etc.); therefore, I would expect him to be equally insane, or more so, as McMurphy (maybe not as insane as he is in The Shining). Regardless, I haven't seen the film version of this story, and since I'm a must-read-the-book-before-seeing-the-movie kind of guy, I thought I'd get my hands on the novel as soon as I could. This narrative is amazing! I absolutely love the idea of giving an inside look at what goes on within a mental institution, hospital, or prison facility, even if it's all made up. It illustrates many interesting topics that I find very important in society: mental health and the view it holds in government and society, the treatment of mentally unstable people, crookedness of the justice system, right from wrong, etc. \n I feel that in order to write insanity, one must possess some form of insanity, even if mild. Though I didn't find this novel to be particularly \"more insane\" than classic murder/horror novels, I do believe that it takes a lot of research and creativity to successfully convey characters with mental instabilities, or in other words, crazy tendencies. I'm always attracted to novels housing I'll-minded people, so I found this narrative to be very delightful. I can't wait to see the movie now. \n 10/10 would recommend.", "52" ], [ "\"He's a wallflower...you see things. You keep quiet about them. And you understand.\" \n (Chbosky 37) \n I am the very definition of a wallflower in all its glory and condemnation. In fact, by saying that I am also going to say that I'm a homosexual version of Charlie. I don't mean this to sound like a person that's hopping on The Perks of Being a Wallflower bandwagon because that's not my intention at all. In fact, I was skeptical on whether or not I would even enjoy this book because I'm not one for the majority, meaning I don't find myself liking the same things as many other people of my generation (e.g. most music, television shows, thought processes, general culture, etc.). However, when I say that I am Charlie, more or less, I mean that in the most sincere way possible. \n For starters, I should probably mention the many reasons why I came to the conclusion that Charlie and I are one of the same. Here I go. \n Charlie is an example of a pariah. Now when I say that he's a pariah I don't mean that he has no friends, family or personal connections whatsoever. I'm saying that he is a person of which no one understands: the way he acts, what he says and does not say, how he feels, etc. He has this ability to love the people that matter the most to him (as do I) and still feel that at some level it is not reciprocated when it really is and he even says that he notices it (as do I). This is problematic because it creates social anxiety and is harmful on mental stability. He becomes passive in some instances where he chooses to be silent instead of \"doing things,\" as mentioned by Sam at the end of the novel. \n Charlie also shares a passion for literature as do I, as we've read most of the same novels that have been mentioned in the story (although there are some I haven't read yet, but they are on my list of \"to-reads\"). \n Charlie also has a tender and romantic side of him that allows him to see into a person's heart instead of getting stuck on appearances. I find this is be incredibly hard-hitting because most of the characters in the text get hung up on the physicality of a person, which I see most prominent in the society of today even if this narrative was written over a decade ago. That alone speaks volumes because the key to great literature is a story's ability to remain timeless and relatable even when it passes it's prime. All of the characters in this narrative are completely relatable and I've even seen them disguised as people I've met within my lifetime. \n I also notice how Charlie gives novels as gifts. I do the same. In fact, I believe we do this because when we read a book, we're reading more than just words on a page. We're reading life. A life in which we imagine, feel, and connect with, which makes narratives mean something that only booklovers can empathize with. So, what do I do when I read a novel that has changed me in some way? Well, I pass it along. Well, I buy another copy of the book and then pass it along. In doing so, Charlie and I are passing more than just a book to someone that we care about, we're passing a part of ourselves so that the receiver will always have a part of us with them for as long as they have that novel. \n There are more reasons I can list that will show why I have a deep profound relationship with Charlie (e.g. us both hating our birthdays), but to do so will keep me writing for days, which I don't have time for because there are other books I want to read. \n I would like to end this review with the portion of the poem that is mentioned within the text, but to do so would mean I would ruin the entire poem experience to anyone that reads this review before the novel. So, I won't. Just know that the last stanza is completely relatable to me on a metaphorical/mental level, but not a physical one. \n Other than that, I think now is a proper time for me to watch the film for the first time after having kept the promise I made to myself that I would not see the film until I've read the book.", "31" ] ]

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[ [ "Someone give me a context for thinking about this book. I enjoyed his prose and went right along with him, but what was he going for? \n And Mr. White, if you're reading, the university is Columbia. The country is Colombia.", "73" ], [ "This is definitely a cool series for the art and the overall premise, but it is easy to get lost. Lot's of comic writers now are doing the whole off-page reflective narration by a character who's not part of the drawn action. I often got confused about whose thought bubble it was. Clearer thought bubbles please! \n A fun ride though!", "36" ], [ "I don't get it. Every other page is some god smashing another god's head in. And then the gods come back to life and get killed again. \n And all the women have huge breasts and not much clothing. \n We can do better! Just read American Gods or Fables or something.", "147" ], [ "What can I say? I just really liked this book. I'm a sucker for a large narrative composed of smaller stories from different perspectives... particularly if those perspectives add up to a complex understanding of a single person. It's not easy to juggle this many balls, and Stradal has done it with confidence, particularly at times when he was in danger of being a bit precious. Well done? \n I will say that the final event of the book is a bit, well, precious but I still hung in there till the end and was glad that we got to hang out with that character for a while. I didn't even mind that I knew that I knew, from the the end of the first chapter, that we'd hang out with that character in the last chapter. \n PS. I listened to the audio book which is read by two top-notch actors: Amy Ryan and Michael Stuhlbarg. Definitely worth the listen, especially if you're on the fence about audio books.", "0" ], [ "Remember in wonder boys when she says to Grady that his book is great but he should stop smoking so much weed. This is like that book. Fun read but not sure where we got by the end.", "127" ], [ "Gosh this book is good. Few people know much about this place that seems to have such a hold on the politics and imagination of the U.S. and so much of the world. Delisle has a point of view about what's going on in Jerusalem and Israel but focuses on a careful chronicle of his own experience there. I feel like I know much more about life in Jerusalem and the implications of the occupations and settlements and I'm so glad to have gone a little further on Delisle's personal journey with his family. His books are such a gift to his readers. Go read them... if you are a librarian or a bookseller, push them to your customers.", "148" ] ]

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[ [ "As I expected, the plot, the characters, and the setting was perfectly narrated. Though the book was little long for the kind of plot it featured, thanks to the narration I had a great time visualizing all of the descriptive settings and the intriguing characters. I have enjoyed this book to bits except the parts about Strike's whining about his injured leg.", "22" ], [ "The 5th Wave certainly is not a disappointment, but it is not at all surprising or refreshing either. The plot is highly predictable and the justification for using children as soldiers to kill humans does not give the satisfaction to believe the story when the aliens have the power to kill all humans at once or by themselves with their resources. Child soldiers, typical forbidden love story, and highly predictable dystopian plot is just not my cup of coffee. But dystopian YA lovers will definitely love this book.", "118" ], [ "Dragons! I never get tired of reading about dragons. That love over dragon stories caused me to find most stories somewhat predictable. But Seraphina's world is really intriguing and captivating. Rachel Hartman has marvelously crafted this dragon world; the transformation of dragons to humans, consequences of human emotions, consequences of love between humans and dragons, the half humans and their abilities, and the co-existence of both species. I like almost all the characters, especially Seraphina and Lucian; they both are very clever, brave, and altruistic. The side characters that add colors to the story are also really fascinating. I'm really grateful that there were no confusing thoughts and dramas as we see in most YA novels. Even though there was a smell of a love triangle in the corner, I hope Hartman would be able to craft it without an irksome drama. What glued me into the book apart from the captivating story was Hartman's writing. Her writing's one of the unique aspects of this novel. Seraphina is indeed a page turner and I'm eagerly waiting for the next book to get lost in this beautiful and refreshing dragon world.", "53" ], [ "I like this book very much. The book has a good introduction and practical use of Kanban in personal life, home. I like the way it describes the importance of visualizing work and why we should have thresholds in work-in-process.", "174" ], [ "This was my first Jodi Picoult. It was neither good nor bad. \n \"Imagine: A world without grudges. A world free of guilt. A world where you weren't condemned for the consequences of your actions.\" {Page 81}", "193" ] ]

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[ [ "Desperate Passage was a good, solid accounting of the travels and travails of the Donner Party as they crossed young America to the Sierra Nevadas. What happened after that is spell-binding. I live close enough to Donner Pass and the Sierra Nevadas to have an understanding of what can happen during winter there. In fact, the winter just passed (2016-2017) could be very comparable to what they experienced. It's late July, and there are places where there snow still has highways closed - with mechanical equipment trying to move it out.", "142" ], [ "Quite an enjoyable read. If you happen to hail from the same little hometown as the author, you'll find some insight into the community's early days, extending into the '70's-'80's. There's a little history of Greece and WWII France. Keep a box of tissue handy as you near the end of the book. By the time you reach the closing chapters you'll feel you know the family well enough that their final days will tug at your heartstrings.", "148" ], [ "Another perspective of a case gone horribly wrong. Don't misunderstand.... I supported the outcome because I didn't feel the prosecution did their job. I watched a lot of it at the time, and the prosecution left too many questions unanswered, leading to reasonable doubt. Lange provides answers to most of my \"whys.\"", "164" ], [ "This is the jury's recounting of how they arrived at their verdict and the valiant battle they waged to protect the hearing procedures in order to minimize chances the verdict could be overturned on appeal or declared a mistrial. Poignant behind the scenes disclosure of the impact a trial such as this has on the jury, during and after the verdict and sentence are rendered. \n I am grateful they took on this responsibility with the depth of soul they did.", "98" ], [ "I've been fooling with faux finishes for more than 10 years, and really love the effects. This book has so many finishes and techniques! I'm so excited! The timing is fabulous too...it's time to redo the bath! Woohoo!", "99" ], [ "Rather interesting account of the ladies in the \"entertainment\" industry of the Old West... Shows a totally different side, and probably infinitely more truthful, to their lives. This book would probably be more of interest to people who live in or near the communities that are spoken of in the book, so they're familiar with some of the characters. I find it amusing to be introduced to the other sides of the lives of various women of the history of the area I live in...what happened to them after their popularity faded... While there's a sad side to all their tales, the \"Soiled Doves\" most seemed to come to grips with their lot in Life, and certainly many did play a vital role in shaping the character of the Wild West.", "108" ], [ "While suitable for teenagers, I found this book filled with history that finally connects all the pieces...the reason for Kristallnacht for instance. Although the material will always sadden me, this was a story with a relatively \"happy\" ending. I felt a sense of closure at the end of the story.", "197" ], [ "The tragedy of Laci and Connor Petersen still haunts Californians. This wasn't a particularly moving book, mostly a recitation of the facts. There's no information about the preponderance of evidence collected, and the book ends without much insight into the hearings. It was ok. So far, the book with the best presentation of the case is Catherine Crier's A Deadly Game.", "157" ], [ "I have loved this book for more than 20 years! I went searching for a recipe for Blackened Redfish, and found so very much more! From appetizers to desserts, steaks, seafood, vegetables...it's all here!", "65" ], [ "Neither good nor bad, this book is a collection of short-cut, this is how we'd do it in your kitchen, recipes from prominent chain restaurants. I could relate to about half of them...we're so cosmopolitan here! LOL! Still...I can see me reaching for the quick-few ingredient marinades in some of these recipes!", "65" ], [ "While not a fable for nine-year-olds, perhaps 12 and older with parental supervision. An 8th grade reading if the students are studying WWII and Anne Frank in particular. This is a different side of the story, the innocence of a child on the other side of the fence.", "56" ], [ "A good over-all spectrum that doesn't go too deep, but covers the basic necessities, and some of the pitfalls. Some of the attributes of various breeds and their purposes are discussed, which is helpful.", "83" ], [ "Extremely enlightening. Parallels the movie. It elicited kind of a paradigm shift for me. I don't see \"meat products\" the same way any longer. I find my argument for owning a cow is gaining ground in a sensible way.", "52" ], [ "I'm enchanted...from the apron-strings of the great Marcella Hazan comes her son, Guiliano, with a practical, 21st century approach to Italian cooking and pasta in thirty minutes. These are the recipes that are quickly done, inventive, fresh and fast. He coaches you step by step so pasta and sauce are completed in time for one another. Before you know it, you'll learn the timing for yourself!", "65" ], [ "I love Ree Drummond. I have since the first time I stumbled across PW a couple years back, before she started getting noticed BIG time. I love her honesty, her spirit, her eye for goodness. And bless the gal, she can cook, and she loves sushi...my soul sister! LOL! If you're familiar with her site, the book will be familiar, very familiar. If you've never been to the PW site, get on over there! You don't know what you're missing! These are only PART of the recipes! These are GOOD, but there are more GOOD ones on here site too. This isn't serious fancy cooking, but this is good, solid, ranch food a working man can work off of! Or a woman working with 4 little ranch hands and a team of cowboys. Isn't she the skinniest little thing? LOL! I'd have bought this, but winning it through Goodreads was even better!", "65" ], [ "It's too bad I read this immediately after The Last Chinese Chef... It would have done better in my mind I think. It was a lovely trek through the French countryside though, and while I might wish the author had had a stronger yen, or better timing for other fetes, and yet, we still got an incredible look inside the regions and their various festivals. Definitely worth the time!", "148" ], [ "This book breaks gardening down to inches. Less garden space means less work, and easier work. We love the theory and our ability to succeed. Watch for the recommendations of watering though. He lived in Connecticut when he wrote this. It's not necessarily enough water for every climate. However, spacing, temps, all the rest - spot on! I have this and his original. I'm only sorry there isn't a laminated version! LOL!", "83" ], [ "Haunting is a good term for this book. A work of fiction, based upon realistic situations. I found the material too depressing for pleasure reading. Too dark for comfortability. Tell me about the cause, what my $ can do, where there's a reliable agency and we'll go from there.", "41" ], [ "The writing style here is just like he says it on Good Eats...kind of a difficult read, but if you like his style, you'll slide right into the groove. The information within those covers is straight-forward and easy to understand. What a score!", "58" ], [ "I enjoyed Real Kitchen more. This one was a little more exotic, but not necessarily wholly authentic. That doesn't mean the recipes aren't good. It all depends on how \"real\" you need to be.", "65" ], [ "By far, the most comprehensive recitation of the events, evidence, testimony and over-all presentation of the Laci Peterson murder case. I think I've read them all...or very close to it! Crier notes places in the unfolding events where Scott Peterson made crucial errors in judgment as to how he behaved and treated others after Laci's disappearance, and during the investigation. Very aptly titled!", "129" ], [ "I first read this book in the mid 60's. Our library had 3 copies. For the next several years, one of those copies was always with me. I read it so many times that I almost memorized it. Oh, I read other books too...Misty of Chincoteague, Sea Star, Stormy, Black Beauty, most of the Black Stallion series - well, all that our library had anyway! King of the Wind, however, was far and above my favorite. My mother finally bought me a copy of my own about the time I was 12...I revered that book. \n The story is simply one of the absolute devotion of an Arabian stable boy to the Arabian stallion charged to his care. \"As long as that horse shall live...\" \n Sham is one of the founding fathers of the Thoroughbred racehorse, and is in direct lineage to the great Man O' War. The story is fiction, based on fact. We'll never know the full story of the valiant little stallion because his stable boy was a mute. We do know the stallion finally came into the ownership of the Earl of Godolphin, and Sham became known as The Godolphin Arabian, siring sons and grandsons who would set the racing world on edge for centuries to come.", "80" ] ]

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[ [ "Didn't go into enough details for me -- I'm familiar with Common Core to some extent, and this felt like a repeat with a lot of emphasis on how to be a good parent in regard to schoolwork/homework and not what is different with Common Core. But I may be too picky.", "75" ], [ "Read this in conjunction with taking her online class through Stanford's free online learning. Each can stand alone (the class and the book), but once I went through the class, the book was unnecessary.", "75" ], [ "Eeh gad, can't believe I read, and finished, this book. Soooo poorly written. But it was kind of like really bad potato chips ... complain the whole time until the bag is gone.", "147" ], [ "Some great advice and insight here -- given me lots of ideas for new stuff at home, as well as why things happen they way they do for bread (homemade or otherwise). Still, it's a little difficult to translate into home baking sometimes.", "65" ], [ "The author's story -- of how he left Silicon Valley sales -- and started his own business is fascinating, and his insight into his personal experience in bread making makes this a very readable book, even for a newbie baker.", "160" ], [ "This book haunted me, both while reading it (only took 2 days) and for a week after, or more. Still haunts me. It's incredibly well done, but readers should be prepared -- especially if you have children, or a fear of closed in spaces.", "99" ], [ "Title doesn't quite match the book itself. I mean, this book was written and published before the financial crisis, and Wall Street and Washington wasn't quite scared of \"the people\" as implied in the title. Wall Street and DC got scared with the math -- that 2 + 2 did not equal $160 billion at the end of the day. Who was paying attention to the people he described in the book before the fall of 2008? More appropriate title should be \"my musing on the crap I saw working in politics.\" \n Don't get me wrong -- I agree with most of Sirota's POV and wish that there HAD been an \"uprising\" that he implied in the book. Or at least someone reading the bills in Congress and/or the financial books in Wall Street prior to the economy almost completely collapsing. I also wish that Occupy would continue to include more mainstream people with good analysis than the \"off the grid\" anti-society types it seems to attract. Sirota is one of the mainstream and analysis types, and I'm glad he's out there voicing his insight. But this book ... the title implies something it's not. Maybe he needs a Take 2?", "78" ], [ "The book seems directly aimed at the author's overachieving, money-means-all students in his classes at Harvard. Some people will find his advice common sense (these are probably the ones who are happy with their home life and OK with their job/career). Some will find it an important reminder (and maybe be encouraged to take an vacation day or two to spend with kids, parents, etc.) But I'd guess that the ones who really need this book -- the Smartest Guys and Gals who are running (and at times ruining) Wall Street -- won't think they need the book or his advice.", "75" ], [ "When I first picked this book up, I thought it was fiction, told in a documentary style. Only after reading something online did I realize how truly remarkable this book was as a real account of real people. This deserves award after award -- the amount of time the author spent is truly remarkable, as is her ability to create such a rich understanding of all of the subjects of the book.", "99" ], [ "A satifsying way to wrap up the series and tie the books together. Made me want more -- and see a series. This heroine has so much more depth than Katniss from Hunger Games. That series always seemed a little to wrapped up in shallow romantic stuff, while Claire is incredibly respectable in her wants, needs and actions.", "105" ], [ "Another reviewer made a great analysis, that this financial expert took one view -- that the problem was a bank run and under-regulation in certain fields like housing -- and placed those arguments into a completely different narrative ... one that essentially said it was OK to screw the poor, anyone who studies anything besides computers/engineering/business is a drain on society and doesn't deserve to make a living wage, cheap consumer goods will solve all problems, and CEOs deserve to make a lot of money. I've read a lot about the financial crisis, and this book just made me MAD ... especially since the lack of regulation issue was caused by this entire class of financial experts through bad legislation at the end of the Clinton era that was put into practice during W's time and ignored by regulators. Just ... made ... me ... mad.", "78" ], [ "I find people's reactions to this book quite interesting. The crime/mystery lovers hated it, because this isn't a crime novel. It's more standard straight \"slice of life\" fiction, with both humor and tragedy in it. I myself liked it quite a bit. The only reason why I didn't give it five stars is because the ending wasn't quite as strong as the rest of the book itself.", "91" ], [ "An OK work of sci fi, but didn't really get going in the middle. Characters seemed to do silly things (like long speeches, no action) in order to explain the science. Could have been better, was light beach read.", "109" ], [ "Good macro-econ look at what's going on now in the US concerning financial wall street dictating public policy and creating a \"brazilification\" of the US economy. Lays out some frightening views on where we're headed if things don't change.", "78" ], [ "Relatively quick read, some good advice on what baby advice is based on science and what's based on assumptions. Not and end-all for parents, but gives perspective for all the other baby books.", "58" ], [ "This book gets a 4 not because it's a good read -- it's dry as hell -- but because it's very, very informative about the details of Fannie and Freddie Mac. Some very good advice at the end, too.", "143" ], [ "I found this book to be a serious primer on macroeconomic -- something that I could take notes on, refer back to, etc. An interesting read for an overview of what could be a dry subject. Feel I learned 2 years worth of econ research with this book, although I had to take a lot of notes and supplement my understanding by looking up details and overview of ideas and people on the internet. But Justin Fox is extremely readable and insightful.", "174" ], [ "Great overview of the financial crisis by the gal who brought us \"Smartest Guys in the Room\" about Enron. Some of the basic info was review for me because I've been doing so much reading and research about the subject, but the perspective and tone make it extremely readable. Details about the financial details of deritives, CDOs, etc. can make it hard to read, but all books on the financial crisis suffer from this.", "78" ], [ "Was one of the teen lit books I read when I was recovering from childbirth -- but a pretty good one, about a teen who gets stuck in a massive killer snowstorm. Thriller for teenagers, would recommend.", "197" ], [ "Teen lit book, geared towards girls. Liked the characters, thought the story was a little simple. Good for early teens. Main character is offbeat quirky teenager who's parents get out of urban dodge and buy a farm.", "197" ], [ "Very informative overview of how money and financial markets were first created. Liked the historical overview. Didn't get into the details about current world -- some info on gold standard, Bretton Woods, etc, but anyone looking to understand the current status of $$ needs to supplement with other books.", "174" ], [ "Journey and Within the Whirlwind are autobiographical accounts of what happened to one Russain woman during Stalin's Terror (Journey is the story of being first put into prison and taken from her family, Within accounts for her 20 years behind bars and re-creating her life.) Gulag typically gets more attention in the West as an account of what happened, but these two books are pretty darn compelling. Couldn't put them down; make me furious what people can do to each other.", "15" ], [ "** spoiler alert ** \n This was listed under teen lit on NPR initially, but it's so much more than that. Written in verse (in various styles of verse, actually, depending on character POV) about a young Indian-Canadian who is forced to go back to India just as the country is in complete internal chaos. Her life in danger, she must survive in a completely foreign place alone. A fantastic read, and while the ending is somewhat satisfying, there are some extremely dark moments in the book and the ending is not Hollywood-esque in any way. Should win massive awards, in my opinion.", "14" ] ]

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[ [ "Students in Mrs. Madoff's class take turns sharing how they'll celebrate mother's day. Though there are many diverse ways to celebrate, each activity provides a way to honor and/or make the child's mother happy. Then, each child makes a paper flower to give to his/her mom. \n A simple, clear, and relatable way to explain an American holiday.", "102" ], [ "A family of African descent celebrates Kwanzaa, a seven-day holiday. Each day of the celebration focuses on a specific ideal, and the story features a simple activity done each day by the family to represent that idea. Other traditional activities are incorporated throughout.", "102" ], [ "A witch named Strega Nona is preparing a Christmas feast for her town, Calabria, Italy, without using any magic. Her absent-minded assistant, Big Anthony, forgets to shop for the food but Strega Nona is surprised by a meal brought by the townspeople. This story is told with glimpses of Italian culture throughout. \n Like all of Tomie dePaola's books, the illustrations and story are great!", "67" ], [ "Yoon, a Korean American, learns all about American Christmas traditions at school, though her parents insist her Korean heritage will mean that she can't celebrate Christmas. Ultimately, Yoon celebrates both traditions and teaches her classmates about the Koren New Year. \n This is a fun story that features a strong personality and a mixture of both traditions.", "102" ], [ "A little boy's new dreidel slips out of his hands and leads him on a chase through town, into the country, out to the ocean, and into the sky. He describes the adventure (and many other Chanukah traditions) in a poem. \n t \n Funny and rhyming and awesome illustrations!", "163" ], [ "Gaston the alligator sneaks into New Orleans to celebrate Mardi Gras. He explains each aspect of the celebration that he witnesses, including a parade, a famous float, and a gala. \n A fun way to learn about a cool city and tradition.", "121" ], [ "This non-fiction text introduces the idea of Diwali, the festival of lights celebrated by Hindu and Sikh people. It explains the story behind the celebration and then cites examples of many ways that people celebrate the holiday today. \n A very good non-fiction text for younger kids.", "102" ], [ "I liked it, and it's helpful to have this sort of book because so many others focus on a heterosexual world. However, I think the queen's facial expression indicates a negative reaction, and while that may be realistic, if we're trying to change the perspective that homosexual relationships are among the norm, this is not the reaction I'd like portrayed.", "55" ], [ "This non-fiction picture book tells the story of how St. Patrick's Day came to be and how it is currently celebrated by the Irish and others all over the world. \n It's a complete, good non-fiction text for young kids.", "102" ], [ "Sam and his mother go to Chinatown in a big American city to celebrate New Year's and spend Sam's gift money that he's received for the holiday. Sam experiences a public celebration of the new year and finds a worthy way to spend his money. \n I love that this book focuses on generosity.", "102" ], [ "This book introduces the Day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos as it's called in Spanish. In addition to giving an explanation behind the tradition, it outlines some activities done on each day of the 3-day celebration in Mexico and other places in North America.", "142" ], [ "I think I'm going to like this series! I really enjoyed this modern day perspective on Greek gods and goddesses. I have always liked learning about this subject matter, and this book introduced me to new myths and characters. Percy is a great hero--loyal, daring, unassuming. I am looking forward to reading more.", "107" ], [ "This was my first experience with Nancy Drew, and I found it to be a quick and fun read. I was amused at some of the etiquette lessons that were incorporated (i.e. Nancy held her tongue because she never gossiped), but despite the fact that this has become less of a focus in current media, I could see why these books have remained popular. In fact, I imagined Nancy in modern clothing as I read the story.", "80" ], [ "I liked how this book gave me insight into a variety of cultures, but I don't know that it would be as informative for it's intended audience, a kid. The impressionistic illustrations are beautiful.", "197" ], [ "Jenny helps her grandmother and parents prepare for her little brother's one month birthday (first-moon birthday in Chinese tradition). Through the story of the preparation, readers learn about the traditional decorations, foods, customs, and gifts that are a part of this celebration.", "102" ], [ "This book made me laugh out loud! I loved the illustrations, loved the energetic chickens! I think a kid would really appreciate these features as well as the repetition of the storyline. I also liked that the fun chickens were engaging in a positive activity--helping others. I can't wait to share this recommendation with my nieces and nephews!", "172" ], [ "It was cool to learn about how the Chinese calendar came to be, but I didn't think the cat and rat aspect was as interesting. I did like knowing the rat was first in the race! (I'm a rat) Though the illustrations were lovely, I think some were too dark or abstract for kids to appreciate.", "10" ], [ "One of the things that's starting to bother me about the Percy Jackson series is how many creatures/people that Percy meets are familiar, but he can't put his finger on why. This tecnique is used so often that even the reader can't guess at who he's about to encounter. However, I still found this to be a fun read and a great success for the half-bloods!", "21" ], [ "This is a feel-good book, like Tuesdays With Morry, where you walk away thinking you learned all these powerful life lessons. The reality is, by age 10 you should have had these original thoughts.", "51" ], [ "I don't like it. It didn't leave me thinking like other Anita Shreve books have. It only made me suspect that my parents have possibly cheated, because according to this book, everyone cheats.", "151" ] ]

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[ [ "Have you seen Raquel lately!? At 69 she still looks amazing, which is why I would totally trust the beauty, diet, and exercise secrets that she describes in this book. Plus, stories on her life as a single mother in Hollywood and more...a must read for sure!", "153" ], [ "This book is extremely useful for anyone interested in or needing to use assistive technology. It covers a wide range of disabilities and devices, and offers a ton of helpful advice. It is available in accessible formats, including braille, DAISY, and large print from www.readhowyouwant.com. A huge thanks to the author for writing this important book!", "83" ], [ "Published in 1868, Little Women is the story of the Alcott family. It follows four sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, and their next door neighbor boy, Laurie. The story represents family relationships and issues, including feminism, war, college, and the pressures to find husbands. Little Women has been widely adapted for the theater and screen, and is sure to appeal to a wide audience.", "165" ], [ "Set in the summer of 1273, Royal's fifth historical finds Prioress Eleanor of Tyndal beset by various problems, including the death of a friend and her attraction to a monk. The Midwest Book Review stated, \"The latest Priscilla Royal medieval mystery...is a clever historical whodunit that uses vivid background to enhance an engaging investigation.\"", "167" ], [ "The newly revised and updated, How to Administer an Estate is a step-by-step, self-help resource that guides you through the entire estate and probate process. Find answers to questions such as \"What needs to be done if a person died without a will?\" and \"How do you take inventory and distribute an estate's assets?\"", "115" ], [ "Over 120,000 copies of The Anatomy of Peace have been sold. Steven C. Wheelwright, the Senior Associate Dean at Harvard Business School called it a \"Phenomenal...compelling...vivid...poignant\" book. Through an intriguing story of parents struggling with their troubled children, and with their own personal problems, this book shows us the ways to get past ideas and reactions that keep us from seeing the world clearly and dealing with it effectively.", "57" ], [ "Just finished this last night. Unfortunately, I didn't have a large print copy to read, but it was still a wonderful book! I highly recommend all of Walter's books as having very relatable characters (even though they find themselves in often very strange situations), wonderful, funny dialogue, and insights into contemporary issues that really make me think twice about things I previously thought I understood. (This book deals with the changes occurring in the newspaper industry, stock market crash, etc). Loved it!", "39" ], [ "It's great to have this book available in large print and other accessible formats. The 16 to 24pt fonts allow for older readers to more easily access the useful information on Parkinson's Disease. In fact, large print is just more comfortable for all readers! www.readhowyouwant.com", "57" ], [ "A couple of recipes from this book have been reviewed at www.readhowyouwant.com/blog. The reviewer is a gluten-free eater, so chose recipes that could be made to fit her lifestyle. I like the idea of finding g-free recipes in regular cookbooks! Yum!", "37" ], [ "School Library Journal praised How to Do Homework Without Throwing Up as \"Designed to make kids laugh...a great little paperback for parents and educators to share with those who think homework is the bane of childhood.\" Students of all ages and grade placements will learn valuable homework skills like how to make a homework schedule, how to get help with homework assignments, and more.", "186" ], [ "More than just an adventure, this is the story of a woman's soul. Steph Davis takes risks, trusts her impulses, makes decisions based on what feels right, and never looks back. She is one of the most accomplished female climbers in the world, having made first ascents in Pakistan, Patagonia, Baffin Island, and Kyrgyzstan. Climb Nashville called High Infatuation \"Interesting, well written, humble and sincere.\"", "30" ], [ "Iron Ties was praised by Booklist as being \"carefully researched...a carefully crafted novel that will appeal to readers of mysteries, historical fiction, and genre westerns.\" The railroad is coming to Leadville and its rich Rocky Mountain mines. And who is coming to celebrate its arrival but Ulysses S. Grant, 18th President of the United States. Like other residents in the Colorado boomtown in the summer of 1880, Inez Stannert regards the news as mixed. Find out why!", "108" ], [ "Theologian Roger E. Olson explores the issues raised by the novel, The Shack. How does God act in the world? How is God three people in one, and what difference does this make to us? And more. Book Bargains and Previews states that Finding God in the Shack \"takes the reader on a play by play of William Young's The Shack as he explores the book's many complex and controversial issues. The discussion is illuminating as well as intriguing.\"", "126" ], [ "A raw-foods-diet advocates exactly that: raw foods. No cooking, no grilling, no steaming, no application of heat of any kind. Why? Because eating food closest to its natural state engenders a tremendous exchange of energy between food and body. The result, over time, is a feeling of buoyant, radiant health.", "37" ], [ "From New York Times bestselling author, Eckhart Tolle, Practing the Power of Now shows us how to free ourselves from \"enslavement to the mind.\" The aim is to be able to enter into and sustain an awakened state of consciousness throughout everyday life. Through meditations and simple techniques, Eckhart shows us how to quiet our thoughts, see the world in the present moment, and find a path to \"a life of grace, ease, and lightness.\"", "156" ], [ "According to author Deepak Chopra, \"Affluence includes money but is not just money. It is the abundance, the flow, the generosity of the universe, where every desire we have must come true, because inherent in having the desire are the mechanics for its fulfillment.\" Creating Affluence has sold over 300,000 copies.", "115" ], [ "\"Of all Deepak's books, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success gives a profound outline for conducting one's life at the highest and most integrated level. It is magnificent,\" praises Anthony Robbins, author of Awaking the Giant Within. With over two million copies sold, this book will help you find spiritual ways to approach daily living.", "156" ], [ "Fast-paced, with no fluff, this book shows you how to have a great answer for the most difficult interview questions, social networking mistakes that will hurt your job hunt and career, and more. Jeff Taylor, the founder of Monster.com, praised that Winning Job Interviews \"prepares success-minded people for that crucial encounter with great advice, helpful tips and...a winning attitude.\"", "115" ], [ "Immaculee Ilibagiza survived the 1994 genocide in Rawanda. The triumphant story of this remarkable young woman's journey through the terrors of genocide and into forgiveness will inspire anyone whose life has been touched by fear, suffering, and loss. Publishers Weekly gave it a starred review, praising, \"This book is a precious addition to the literature that tries to make sense of humankind's seemingly bottomless depravity.\"", "30" ], [ "The \"disease\" of self-deception--acting in ways contrary to what one knows is right--underlies all leadership problems in today's organizations. This straightforward book explains how leaders can discover their own self-deceptions, and learn how to escape destructive patterns. Leadership and Self-Deception has sold over 400,000 copies and is a Business Week bestseller.", "115" ], [ "James Sire's The Universe Next Door explains the basics of theism, deism, naturalism, nihilism, existentialism, Eastern monism, and the new consciousness. Nicholas Wolterstorff, author of Art in Action: Toward a Christian Aesthetic says, \"If you are looking for an introductory exposition of prominent worldviews, I know of no better book.\"", "25" ], [ "Want to take charge of your financial future? Investing for Dummies provides you with the latest insights into smart investing--weighing investment options (such as stocks, real estate, and small business), understanding risks and returns, managing your portfolio, and much more. This book has been recommended by finance experts and used extensively by institutional investors, index funds, and exchange-traded funds, and is a Wall Street Journal bestseller.", "115" ], [ "Praised by Paul Weithman, author of Religion and the Obligations of Citizenship, as \"Historically informed and philosophically sophisticated, thoroughly accessible and elegantly written...A shining example of American public philosophy at its best,\" Liberty of Conscience is a historically based argument that equal respect for all citizens is the bedrock of America's tradition of religious freedom. Weaving together political history, philosophical ideas, and key constitutional cases, this is a rich chronicle of an ideal of equality that has always been central to our history but is now in serious danger.", "88" ], [ "Doppelgangers, cuckoo clocks, and angry geese are running amok in the Alps. Not to mention flying cows! Sheldon McGlone's left Australia, he's trying to get used to his new life, and he's even fallen in love. All he wants is some peace and quiet. But when your step-brother is Theo Brain, the world's youngest super sleuth, getting any peace and quiet is highly unlikely. Aussiereviews.com states it's \"full of humor, including multiple puns and absurdities.\"", "121" ], [ "Zoo life, animal lore, and the leaky ups and downs of Central Coast California houseboat living create a thrilling backdrop for murder. ForeWord Magazine praised, \"She [Webb:]...has a knack for scene-setting, and having a zoo as the center stage for a murder mystery, offers an educational opportunity for any reader who loves learning about exotic animals--or who just enjoys smart storytelling.\"", "108" ], [ "Jennifer Lowe-Anker's memoir tells the story of her husband's death in a tragic mountaineering accident, and how she eventually finds solace in an unexpected person. Tom Brokaw calls it \"a beautifully written story of great love, great daring, great loss, and great recovery. Most of all, it is a story of great courage.\"", "30" ], [ "Award-winning author Mary Robison's novel, One D.O.A., One on the Way, tells the story of a troubled New Orleans family in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. This Oprah \"Books You Can't Put Down\" pick is filled with Louisiana heat, humor, and breath-taking language, setting the stage for a beguiling Southern Gothic sure to delight. Kirkus Reviews called it \"a vivid, witty ride.\" The New York Times stated, \"Mary Robison's work has always felt like a glorious amenity, but One D.O.A., One on the Way is a powerful necessity.\"", "67" ], [ "Excuses Begone!: How to Change Lifelong, Self-Defeating Thinking Habits by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer topped The New York Times Bestseller list shortly after its release in May. The book uses easy-to-follow and understand lists to help readers modify their habituated thinking patterns. By analyzing the excuses we all use, including the universal, \"I Can't Afford It,\" Dr. Dyer helps us unearth and remove patterns that hold us back. Excuses Begone! was recently featured on Oprah Radio, the Ellen show, and a PBS special with the same name, marking Dr. Dyer's 10th anniversary as a host of public broadcasting specials.", "115" ] ]

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[ [ "I found the title misleading; it's more of a history book about how the superrich got that way, from some Romans to the U.S. robber barons to the 1% today. They often get credit for thriving amid fierce competition, but in reality they often found success because they avoided competition -- or stamped it out.", "157" ], [ "The subject matter of this book really appealed to me, and I hate to sound like a dullard who wants his history books to be just \"one damned fact after another,\" but for me this book was too much anecdote and not enough big picture overview. I think a good book like this needs both.", "120" ], [ "Very good brief memoir of a few hellish days at the front. \n And I enjoyed the amusing anecdote about party hosts who force food on Bela and won't take no for an answer -- I've been lucky enough to visit Hungary twice, and I can relate.", "97" ], [ "A nice introduction to Hungarian culture. It's written by Hungarians. I'm lucky enough to have been there twice, now, and I'd heard much of this already; but a good quick read for anyone who is not familiar with the country.", "148" ], [ "Four stars, although I disagreed with some of his final assumptions that are quite important to his conclusions. The biggest problem for me was his assumption that absent/irresponsible fathers ignore their children because they know the U.S. welfare system will take care of them; this comes up toward the end. Murray seems to think the welfare benefits available to single mothers are more generous than they are. I think that if all welfare was eliminated, we would still have about the same number of absent/irresponsible fathers; I think there are other reasons that they abdicate their duty. Glad I read the book overall, though.", "8" ], [ "The main character introduced first, Anderson Lake, struck me as a standard-issue short-sighted corporate hack; he wasn't someone I cared to know about. Emiko, while more intriguing, just reminded me of Pris from Blade Runner.", "2" ], [ "A terrific peace story for children. A farmer and a group of crows engage in a humorous \"arms race;\" fortunately a wise owl is watching, and she decides to help. \n I've read this to groups of children and they have enjoyed it. I'm always sure to make the \"fearsome\" kite \"fly\" by holding out my arms and \"flying\" the book in front of my audience.", "163" ], [ "I found it too many trees, not enough forest. I did not get a sense of why, exactly, soccer has become more defensive over the past century. I can take an educated guess about why this has happened, but I could have done that even before I read the book. I think a more accurate title would be \"An encyclopedia of various formations employed over the history of organized soccer.\"", "157" ], [ "A good and not-too-long biography. I would not have minded had it gone into the details/mechanics of his actual astronomic research and discoveries more than it does, but it's a good portrait of the time. Also Repcheck could have spent more time showing how the theory went from ignored by the Church to condemned by the Church (posthumous to Copernicus, it turns out, which is basically why Repcheck does not cover it in depth).", "157" ], [ "This book is a description of the habits of dictators over the ages and around the world, written in the form of a how-to guide for a would-be autocrat. (Something like The Prince but taken even further down the road of brazen scheming.) \n Some of the play-by-play about power grabs will be (sadly) familiar for anyone who pays attention to international news, but there is plenty of real insight into the habits and eccentricities of dictators. Wood and DeLuca point out, for example, that autocrats tend to associate themselves with deceased national heroes, to the point of actual exhumation of bodies in some cases. There is also a list of crackpot dictatorial ideas that have recurred throughout the decades, such as forced migration and misguided wars. \n The material of the book ranges from the grave (such as psychopathic torture methods employed by various dictators) to the humorous (such as advice on picking a nickname: Great Leader and Dear Leader are helpful; The Goat, not). \n The Dictator's Handbook boasts a bibliography of a stunning 502 works cited, everything from a history of Sparta to very recent news of Hungary's Viktor Orban. Whether you want to manage a riot, spy on your populace, or militarize your society, The Dictator's Handbook shows you how it has been done.", "15" ], [ "Fun - this books presents lots of \"evidence\" that seems flimsy, but also much that seems like it could be legitimate. At the very least this book taught me to roll my eyes whenever anyone guarantees that the Vinlanders were the first Europeans in North America.", "176" ], [ "I love this book for the history, and the trivia; I love it for the Ahab-like obsession of some of the characters; I love it because Eco clearly thinks I'm up to the task of reading it.", "99" ], [ "This young adult novel is set on an island just off the coast of Ireland in 350 A.D. Bran, a teenage boy who leaves his inland village to journey to the coast, is taken by a group of outlaws and has to survive among them -- not quite a slave but not quite free, either. \n The historic detail of the novel is convincing and transporting, both in the portrayal of daily life and the relationships of different ethnicities and social classes. Regarding the everyday details, Bran comes from a realistically middling-poor family, is not familiar with glass, and does not know what snakes are, either. (Because snakes are not indigenous to Ireland . . . I learned that myself just a few years ago.) \n Regarding the classes of Fourth Century Ireland and Britain, Romans have subjugated southern Britain, of course; but even among the Irish, neighboring groups do not get along and strangers often try to exploit each other. Irish villagers living just a few days' journey inland are not familiar with coast residents, and vice versa. Furthermore, due to the \"globalization\" sparked by the Roman Empire, other foreigners who are not from the British Isles nor Rome either are preyed upon by the raiders. \n The plot moves along well; Bran is very aware that he is coming of age, and he asserts himself. The engaging characters include a strong young Irish woman, a well-drawn raider, a displaced young Roman, and others. \n My only quibble is the recommended age range for readers; the back cover says 14+, but I think it's fine for 12 and up. \n This book is described as one of a series about the small Irish island; the other volume that has been published to date is far removed in time from this one, and Hounds stands alone.", "167" ], [ "This is a terrific children's book about the entomologist Edward O. Wilson. Wilson is an emeritus professor at Harvard who has written books about diverse subjects including human and animal behavior, but The Boy Who Loved Ants focuses on his youth and his early studies. The book is listed as being for ages 7 and up. \n The writing is very smooth; van Dyck is a former teacher, and it shows. (She has published other books with traditional publishers.) The story starts with Wilson at age 6 and most of it concentrates on his pursuits through and just after college. Most of the stories are about, of course, ants. At age 13, for example, Wilson was the first person to record the presence of the invasive fire ant in the United States. \n This story of Wilson ends with a description of his efforts to preserve habitat, and an explanation of why small animals and insects are just as important to the environment as larger, better-known fauna. The book itself ends with activities for children to learn about wildlife near their homes; these are good, quick, very do-able activities. (I don't know about other parents out there, but sometimes I find myself reading \"Science Projects Your Child Can Do At Home!\" which start off something like, \"First, make sure you have a car battery, 60 feet of copper wire, and half a gallon of silver iodide. Next -- \") \n I previously gave this book only four stars, because it lacked illustrations; but in this new edition Van Dyck has added wonderful color photos (mushroom fight!) Five stars. \n The book is for e-readers only, not in paperback. The image of the cover here is a link to the Amazon listing.", "163" ] ]

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[ [ "Beautiful writing, as usual. Great comical quips by Jean Guy and Ruth, as usual. More unsettling than any to date. Add the troubling aura to a mystery element that didn't work too well for me, and you get a 3 rating. Of course, if you're a Three Pines fan, you HAVE to read it.", "105" ], [ "I've read this classic at last - listened, actually, to the narration by E. B. White, the author himself. What a joy to hear the turns of phrase, the humor, the fantasy in the author's voice!", "0" ], [ "This will be a good choice for early chapter book readers who interested in historical fiction or who have a genre assignment. Although it's Calpurnia Tate #3, it really serves as an introduction to Callie.", "166" ], [ "Although this is the fifth book in the Birchbark House series, it's the first one I've read. It stands well alone, its characters and setting richly drawn. That said, I now want to read the other books in the series to meet the younger versions of characters that I grew to love, particularly Okamyas, Two Strike and Nokomis.", "76" ], [ "Willa is back with all her book-loving, community-serving optimism. She and her parents must leave the Bramble Inn and all she loves on Cape Cod and relocate to Troy, NY, a factory town on the Hudson River. Leaving is hard for lots of reasons, and Willa balks but soon finds new friends, a little romance AND a way to make a difference in her new town. Lots of local flavor for those who know Troy: Frear Park, Russell Sage College, Oakwood Cemetery, Monument Square and more. It's all the Troy references that pushed it to 4 stars for me.", "108" ], [ "I found myself laughing out loud at Beans' many one-liners. The characters are memorable - better than Spanky and the Little Rascals! The fact that it's based on historical fact gives this novel even more kid appeal.", "172" ], [ "Such beautiful prose - wise and gloriously written! \"Reindeer moss 'is patience made manifest.'\" About loss: \"And you realise, too, that you have to grow around and between the gaps, though you can put your hand out to where things were and feel that tense, shining dullness of the space where memories are.\" I read it but mostly listened to the audiobook narrated by the author. Her voice makes the words all the more memorable.", "30" ], [ "Beautifully written with characters that live on in your memory. The mystical, spirit animals add a fantasy component that can be a bit hard to accept. There's so much loss, such necessity for adapting to that loss. Now...what child do I know who will love this?", "172" ] ]

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[ [ "There are five versions of the Gettysburg address. this is the version that appears on the Lincoln Memorial. The Army Chorus performing The Battle Hymn of the Republic in the background adds emotion to this emotional speech.", "88" ], [ "H.P. Lovecraft's The Rats in the Walls takes us to an extremely creepy place, Exham Priory, possibly infested by creepy creatures, rats. That however is only the beginning, it becomes continually even creepier when we discover what is in the subterranean chamber below the Priory.", "146" ], [ "I narrated this as an audio book which will be available on Audible.com in February 2015, and I enjoyed it immensely. This was one of Lovecraft's favorite short stories, and he was a cat lover. I can imagine him writing The Cats of Ulthar as a form of mental revenge on someone he witnessed mistreating a cat.", "50" ], [ "A master hustler and bank robber, befriends a starving gentleman on Market Street in San Francisco. He engages the man who hasn't eaten for three days in a game of dice over a bottle of absinthe. The starving man plays amazingly well as he warms his empty stomach with the liquor, so well in fact that the last hand has $148,000.00 on the table. An interesting little story. I narrated an audio book version that will be available on Audible.com in February 2015", "128" ], [ "Not your typical Lovecraft, but highly thought provoking. Full of symbolism, this 16 minute audio book I just narrated for publication on Audible.com is indeed a life lesson. A night of pleasant dreams followed by a nightmare and awakening to the reality that you can't go back.", "0" ], [ "Recorded this as an Audio Book from the version that appeared in Weird Tales, August 1926 and the Audio Book will be available on Audible.com by February 2015. I Enjoy doing Lovecraft, and this eight minute short story was no exception. Lovecraft was like many of his time quite prejudiced, and he tales aim at \"that new and \n heterogeneous alien stock which lies outside the charmed circle of New England life and traditions\".", "166" ], [ "A brutally real narrative of how many members of my generation passed into manhood through the crucible of war, and half a century later are haunted by the memories. If you haven't been there, this book will give you a window into the 13 months in the life of a warier. If you have been there, it will bring back the memories, and also, help explain and possibly justify the feelings you may have experienced that \"polite society\" would abhor after performing an act the warrior has trained and prepared to do. \n The American Civil War had Ambeose Bierce, my generation has Karl Marlantes. Thanks Karl.", "77" ], [ "An excellent account of how the market is changing from Brick and Mortar to digital to the Amazon model of zero inventory. \n I followed the model when I paid for the e-book which was taking up zero shelf space at Amazon, download it, and will have read it long before the author will be paid. \n A very well written book.", "174" ], [ "Basil L. Gildersleeve was a young professor of Greek at Virginia University when the American Civil War started. Fifty years later he is riding on a train and overhears two old soldiers about the battles they had been in, and he returns in his mind to those days. History is typically written by the victor, but here is a very interesting insight from the losing side by a very intelligent man. I narrated this as an audiobook available on audible.com, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.", "77" ], [ "Robert E Lee never put his memoirs down. John Easton Cook, however was a writer and soldier who survived the Civil War. He knew and admired General Lee. I narrated this as an audiobook available on audible.com, and highly recommended it to anyone assuming a leadership position, or a scholar of the American Civil War.", "98" ], [ "I had the good fortune to narrate this as an audiobook for Tantor Audio, now available on audible.com. Like so many of his contemporaries, Mark Alexander came of age in the depression, and one of the heroes who after participating in one of the most significant events of the last century, returned to civilian life, unassuming, and walked among us. So many of these brave men are now gone, and their stories are also gone with them. thankfully, John Sperry, Mark Alexander's grandson sat with Col. Alexander many hours coaxing his story from him. You can imagine how reluctant these brave men who witnessed the horrors of war are to relive it. If you are at all interested in World War II, this book is a must read.", "98" ], [ "I narrated this as an audiobook now available on audible.com. Interesting things happen when they replaced the Johnson steering system on a spaceship with a man's brain. Interestingly enough they chose an old man.", "144" ], [ "Philip K Dick takes us forward in time, and then back in time as a professional assassin goes back 200 years in time to kill a religious figure. His only source of identification of this individual is the skull he takes back with him. Interesting possibilities abound. I narrated this as an audiobook that is now available on audible.com.", "182" ], [ "In 1953 when this short story was published, war with the Russians was on our doorstep, and Martians were real possibility, let alone life on the moon. Flying cars a possibility indeed, and robots. We didn't have any robots that they were indeed a possibility. Philip K Dick expands on this to the point robots have become self replicating, and each new iteration better than the last until, you can't be sure who your friends are, or if they are even human. I narrated this as an audiobook which is now available on audible.com. A very entertaining story.", "144" ], [ "I read this as an audiobook. It is what it is, a novel of a dystopian future. Ayn Rand grew up in a very repressive society, and planned this as a play when she was a teenager. A short and interesting read.", "197" ], [ "I recorded this as an audiobook, and enjoyed it three stars worth. 1950s anything was possible in the future. Life was possible on Mars, and the Russians were a real threat. Imagine developing a weapon of war that was self replicating, and improved constantly. A robot that was so much like us, we couldn't even trust us because it might be one of them.", "144" ], [ "Ken Lang served over three years as a homescide detective in Baltimore. Ken takes us behind the scenes in the homescide squad as they solve whodoneits and deal with the good old boy network that pervades the department", "154" ], [ "Reading Tom Swift and his Motorboat, is a lot like riding a moped. It's fun,but no real bragging rights. The Tom Swift series is well written, and each chapter is a cliffhanger. It's a genuine feel-good book that requires little thought, that takes you back to a kinder and gentler time. I am narrating this as I read it or upload to audible.com. Here is a link to chapter 2 on YouTube http://youtu.be/4PNAhXY_YA0", "79" ], [ "Tom Swift and his motorcycle by Victor Appleton is the first series of 28 novels between \"our hero\" Tom Swift. My intention is to narrate all 28 of these novels and publish them on audible.com as audio books. The good thing is I am really enjoying reading these cliffhangers where the good guys win, and the bad guys put a jail. Although in this edition, Tom lets the bad guys get away, but we will meet them in his next book where Tom invents an airship.", "50" ], [ "A fascinating story. Will no doubt become required reading for anyone attending business school or entering the workforce. \n Jobs gave Walter Isaacson free reign when he undertook this book. Giving anyone free reign is very untypical of Steve, as becomes especially apparent in the book. \n It can be said, I believe, that Steve Jobs change the world we live in today.", "160" ], [ "There comes a time in the course of battle when a participant casts his fate to the gods of war, and carries on without question, the task at hand. Living, dying, right or wrong, can be contemplated later. The spirit of the bayonet takes over and carries the youth through the crucible of battle to emerge a short time later several ages older. \n Stephen Cranes classic novel gives us a glimpse into the mind of a young soldier as he passes through the experience he will never be able to forget, and possibly awaken him from his slumber in a sweat and panic for years to come.", "38" ], [ "Currently narrating this book as an audio book, and posting the daily readings on youtube. Spurgeon suffered from bouts with depression throughout his life, and there are times when when his mental state is apparent in his writing, but for the most part, I find his writing most inspirational.", "57" ], [ "I narrated this book as an audio book, and throughly enjoyed it. General Lee was an amazing and honorable man. John Esten Cook gives the reader an interesting perspective, as he was not only a Captain in Stuarts cavalry, but also a novelist. There were times when this history read with the excitement of a novel.", "0" ] ]

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[ [ "Delightful, compelling and heartfelt tale of orphaned girls and their adoptive parents in China \n Witness the world of post-Mao's China and the challenges of low income families. Meet the parents of abandoned girls creating love and family among mind-bending poverty. Be inspired by their principles.", "64" ], [ "I can never be grateful enough to the author for telling this story. \n So vividly written and real in telling the history of one woman that mirrors the history of so many women.", "180" ], [ "The most practical path to success is essentialism \n With all the distractions in our world today, focusing on what matters is critical for success. Greg McKeown articulates well the way to eliminate the non-essential and work consistently on the essential.", "115" ], [ "Gotta learn how to live wholehearted. \n Yes, it is that simple. She's got it. The way to live happy and be true and whole. I'm trying to help my kids live this way and it hard but with it. You go, Brene!", "96" ] ]

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[ [ "I'm not sure why i'm still reading this series, but I do want to know where this goes. But out of the series, this one is really going round the bush and basically going nowhere fast. :p", "127" ], [ "argh, what a cliffhanger! but the book was good, really good. I love Rose & Dimitri but Sydney & Adrian is beginning to nudge them off the top spot. and the different elements of Bloodlines are well woven together making for an exciting read.", "7" ], [ "Quite a story there about africa - nigeria, sierra lionne, darfur, etc. but storyline wise was about alex cross trying to chase down the killer of his college sweetheart all the way to Africa. However, all he's really doing is getting himself from one situation into another. And he still didnt know heads or tail of what's going on. The \"real investigation\" really only happens outside the book (after all the 'excitement') & next thing you know he already closed the case. Wished James Patterson had included that in rather than just summarizing it in 1 paragraph.", "157" ], [ "I didnt realised that this was part of a YA series so I thought the opening was rather vague in introducing the characters. interesting concept though where the springfield family was asked to investigate a secret experimental camp for teenage runaways after a boy who managed to escaped the place was murdered. I'd give it a 2.5 coz with a good plot like that it could've been better.", "70" ], [ "Even though the storyline's so so, i'd still give it a three star coz its just so cute. I love how the two main characters teases & tries to out-wit each other at every chance.", "105" ], [ "I only knew about the book based on Richelle Mead's recommendation on her twitter (coz the movie is about to be released & one of the cast will also be in RM's Vampire Academy movie). \n The storyline is quite interesting, about Ethan Wade's intricate connection to the new girl in town, Lena, even before he met her. The two fell in love, in the face of opposition from practically the whole town & race against time to Lena's mysterious fate awaiting her on her 16th birthday. \n However, for some reason the book doesnt do anything for me. It felt rather flat. But given the storyline, it could make for an exciting movie. I hope. We'll have to see.", "52" ], [ "I have to admit, i would have loved to be able to drop everything & travel like these Lost Girls, but i'm not an adventure/backpacker traveller kind. Plus a whole year of travelling is quite a commitment plus requires a hefty sum of funds. But nevertheless, i do agree with the girls in really experiencing your travels & try new things. Those are the kind of memories that you'll carry forever. The book is pretty long but in view of my own upcoming trip, definitely makes me super excited & cant wait to go.", "148" ], [ "The book is about Sophie, who is a successful novelist and a sort-of-inept amateur detective. She recieved a request from her long-time mentor to help prove that her husband is not cheating on her. However the guy got shot right after Sophie's meeting with him. \n I quite like the heroin, although she's no Nancy Drew, and she doesnt really 'investigate' but rather tend to 'fall' into the mystery. Does help that the non-boyfriend boyfriend is a private investigor. :)", "179" ], [ "woohoo.. my 50th book this year! i've completed my challenge for the year, barely. ^_^ \n I've only read one other Melissa Hill novel before, but i really like how she twists the story around, so it never quite goes the way you'd expected it to be. The story revolve around Leonie, who for some reason, ran away from Dublin to San Francisco. She quickly adapted to being in the USA, working at a florist shop and befriended her neighbour, Alex. She then found a box of letters in her new apartment, all addressed to a Helena Abbot, with request for forgiveness from Nathan. She was intrigued by this & made it a personal quest to find Helena & Nathan, roping in Alex's help. While on this quest, Melissa also including the reason behind Leonie's departure, as well as Alex's search for someone, all building up slowly to keep you turning those pages.", "14" ], [ "This book reminds me of that film, blue lagoon except that we're not talking about kids here. TJ who just recovered from cancer was on his way to a family vacation with his tutor, Anna when their plane crashed. They both had to learn to survive on the island, and rely on each other. It was both sweet, yet realistic enough to make you wonder whether they are ever going to leave the island & how they would actually adapt back into civilization.", "51" ], [ "** spoiler alert ** \n A free book courtesy of Kobo.. Not bad actually, considering it focused more on the two lovebirds, rather than the time travelling part or the vampire-with-a-soul who's after them. It also seems a little too easy for the time travellers to adapt into the 1920s, with no money, no identification, no change of clothes and no idea about time travellling rules/ethics etc..", "51" ], [ "Ms Mead definitely didnt disappoint us. It started a little so-so, but then again, it could be just me having a scatterbrain moments. but the twists in the plot are unexpected and i love, love, love the interaction between Sydney and Adrian. I'm still undecided whether i love Rose/Dimitri or Sydney/Adrian better though.. :)", "105" ], [ "It wasnt a bad story. Very typical though with 9/11-ish state of crisis & arabic/muslim terrorism. However, the story has almost nothing to do with the title & the kidnapping-for-no-reason argument was a little err lame (for lack of better word). I havent read much of Patterson, so i dont have much to compare against.", "157" ], [ "Damon, who had just moved to Sea Haven was curious when he started hearing excited whispers about \"Sarah\" coming home. Even the winds were whispering her name. He wanted to keep a low profile and stay away from the others, but somehow drawn by this mysterious Sarah. Unknown to him, Sarah has her own agenda and reasons for returning back. \n Its an interesting book, about magic and prophesies and fate. well written, but a little short for me. i would have loved to have a bit more story on Damon and Sarah. I guess the story will be stretched out across the rest of the series/sisters.", "32" ], [ "Must be something in the air. This is the second story related to bucket list that i've come across this week. Hmm.. \n The story is about Abby, who was pretty devastated after she was dumped by her long-time boyfriend. She started absorbing herself in her work & avoiding family/friends. One day she had an accident, causing injury to the head specifically where the memory function is. At first, she tried to deny it but one day she played the piano without ever remembering learning it. It initially triggered panic in her, but also made her realized that this condition is permanent. After seeing her brother-in-law's memory chest created for his daughter, she decided that she too wants to create a memory chest of her own. Especially when she barely had any memorable memories, given her reclusive behavior after the breakup. So begins her bucket list of things that she wanted to do, plus things that her family & friends thought up for her.", "96" ], [ "The overall story was not bad, although the ending was a little abrupt (that is before i realized that this book is part of a series). \n Cassia Reyes recently turned 17 & living in a \"dystopian\" (what the heck is that again? seems like a \"nicer\" version of communism society to me..) where she will be assigned or matched to her future life partner via some complex calculation/sorting method. Surprisingly she was matched to her best friend, Xander instead of some stranger from another province which is a pretty rare occurance. \n However, when she went over the card-biodata-thingy, the screen changed from Xander to another boy from the same neighbourhood, Ky. Although this supposedly was a glitch in the system, it kicks off a chain of events resulting in Cassia & Ky falling in love. But Ky being an \"Aberration\" means that he was not meant (aka allowed) to be matched to anyone. So Cassia has to decide whether she rather live her life according to society with Xander or to break all the rules to be with Ky.", "14" ], [ "Err.. although i liked the setting & the characters, i find that zombie wars being thrown into the picture slightly too much. Should have just left it at \"gifted\" folks, hexes & curses.", "10" ], [ "One thing for sure, i love rick riordan's humour and how he throws back at you any preconceived ideas that you have of Greek /roman legends, gods, etc.. I think i prefer the greek version of it (percy's stories), but nonetheless i look forward to finishing this series.", "82" ], [ "I'm pleasantly surprised that i like this book. I started reading Wicked Lovely, but it wasnt quite as intesting to me. Could be because the language is too teen-lingo? maybe. \n It started with Laurel's first day at school after years of homeschooling. She's always been different, but never gave it much thought. She met David, a friendly classmate who's into science. She woke up one morning with a bump on her back, which turned out to be a wing-like flower and resulted in the revelation that she is actually a plant/faerie. With the help of a male-faerie, Tamani, she learned about her background & how she ended up being adopted by humans. \n I liked the flow of the story & also how the author weaved in the love-triangle. However, i still ca3nt imagine the wing-like flower, which wilted after a period & the whole faerie-world yet. Maybe the next book will bring some light on it.", "175" ], [ "I Heart New York is about Angela, who ran off to NY after finding out that her fiancee is cheating on her on her best friend's wedding day. In getting over her ex, she found new friends, a new makeovers & a couple of hot guys plus a new job. But is she willing to let go of everything back home for NY? \n The book is cute & enjoyable.. Who wouldnt want to be able to run off to New York to nurse a broken heart.. & plus falling for a Marc Jacobs' handbag, which sadly i can never afford.. haha..", "67" ], [ "Surprisingly i really liked the book.. Initially i was interested in another of Belinda Jones' book, Cafe Tropicana, but somehow never managed to pick it up. By chance i came across this book, so thought i'd give her a try and i was not disappointed. \n The story revolved around Selena Harper, who works on a cruise ship, going from one port to port and loving it. As her latest 2-month leave came around, she finds herself deserted by her newly-engaged best friend. Surprised to find herself feeling homesick, when she has no home to go to in the first place, she agrees to go along with Alekos, to the beautiful island of Crete. She believes him to be a terrible womanizer and only pursuing her because he could not believe that she would reject him. However, the more time she spends with him, she begins to question whether he is truly the person she thought he was..", "67" ], [ "I've been meaning to read Darren Shan books for a while, especially since the movie is coming out soon.. So far the first book is quite interesting.. it's about a boy named Darren Shan and how he got involved with the mysterious Mr Crepsley from the Cirque du Freak.", "50" ], [ "The story revolved around a group of friends from uni whom had plans to meet up after 5 years of graduation. However, lifely rarely follow plan. Robin is in New York, determined never to go back to Dublin. Leah now a successful chocolatier but feeling left out. Olivia is still harbouring guilt but will that affect her new love interest? \n I was unprepared for the twist at the end and left me in awe of these womens' friendship.", "191" ], [ "Lenggok bahasa yang bersahaja, tapi menyentuh aspek2 islamic yang mendalam dan menonjolkan sifat2 kepahlawanan Melayu yang unggul.. kehalusan budi perkerti dan tatatertib Melayu juga terserlah.. \n However, i'm not too keen on the fact that Laksamana Sunan, a sufi, could fall for Haryani, a modern girl, who loves the night life. I mean, i'm all for the you-can't-help-who-you-fall-for line, but as a sufi, i would have thought that he would pick a girl based on Islamic conditions - religion over beauty. \n Also, i think the book could have elaborated on Dani's part. How did he figured out how to contact Haryani? How did he convinced her parents on the fact that he could contact her? Did she recognised him? \n All in all, it was a really good try into this genre. Cant wait to try RAM's other work.", "188" ], [ "I fell in love with Anne of Green Gables after watching the tv series back when i was still in school. I just loved the setting and of course, the main character Anne. However, i never managed to get hold of the book before, somehow.. Better late than never.. \n The story revolves around Anne Shirley, a red-haired orphan who was sent to live with Marilla & Matthew Cuthbert. These elderly sibling originally requested for a boy to help them around their farm, so imagine their surprise when Anne arrived. But Anne managed to charm them with her imagination and love of life despite her origins. This first book in the series follows through Anne's various escapades, along with her \"bosom buddy\" Diana Barry until her return from Queen's. \n Anyway, reading this brought back lots of memories (visuals from the tv series) so i can totally \"see\" some of Anne's hilarious expressions.. my favourite would be of Anne smashing her board over her classmate, Gilbert Blythe's head for calling her \"carrot\", resulting in long-term rivalry between them. Totally hilarious. \n The only setback about watching the tv series first before the book, i tend to skip LM Montgomery's detailed description of the scenery because it was just too long. But i supposed that if i had read the book first, it would have been essential to vividly paint out the storyline.", "80" ], [ "The story revolved around Emily Albright, a 20-something bookstore manager, who after a series of bad relationship, signed up for a Jane Austen literature tour over the holidays. \n During the tour, Emily finds herself in a group of older women & one reluctant journalist assigned to write about why women loved Mr Darcy. Being a huge Mr Darcy-fan, Emily was estatic to find herself face-to-face with Mr Darcy himself. But is it a dream come true after all? \n I was a little skeptical about the book at first, but find that i liked it. It's cute & funny at times, an overall easy reading.", "23" ], [ "This is a story about a man at the end of his life, wanting to leave something memorable for his granddaughter, Emily. He has Alzheimer, which makes this effort even more amazing. He shared his life experiences through poems containing riddles and clues hoping to reach out not only to his granddaughter, but also to his children. \n It's a very touching story and has valuable lessons for all walks of life. Definitely an exceptional read.", "125" ], [ "The story revolved around Charles \"Chick\" Benetto, who tried to kill himself after giving up on life. However, he gets \"one more day\" with his mother, who passed away years ago which turned his life around. \n The book is written as a story told by Chick to a third person (writer), supported by the writer's research on Chick & what happened that fateful day. \n I liked the underlying message of the power of Mother's love in this book. However, something is missing from this story - there's no \"a-ha moments\" in this story that could have made this a great one. \n All in all, i still prefer Tuesday with Morrie to this.", "125" ] ]

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[ [ "Haven't read a delightful, breezy and rejuvenating book for quite a while. Turmoil resulting from breakup in winter would be easier to deal with if I had read this book earlier. \n This book provides an opportunity for me to reflect upon my own journey starting from feeling isolated, gaining love but losing it inevitably, and feeling comfortable with my own skin ( since the dawn of age 30). \n Most of the time, love is fragile. It it either eroded by endless and pointless details or crushed by suppressed anger and frustration. Fortunately, there is at least one chance in life, love serves as an effective way to enter into the most vulnerable version of you, merge with your blood, soul and sweat, and melt into Qin Qing .", "30" ], [ "For all those years I've been deliberately held this book up because I want to lengthen my desire for this special book. I thought the plot would be delicately crafted with unimaginable twists, the retaliation would be beyond redemption, and fierce hatred would make me toothache. Unfortunately, I was totally wrong. The protagonists are just superficial teenagers. I would feel better if I had chose to read it at 16. Now, reading the book feels like meeting an ex-. The plan makes you heart-stirring, but realizes nothing is right and even feels nothing at all in the end...So dull", "151" ], [ "One brave way to enjoy the savor of life is to jump into forbidden love unconditionally. IS the price of salt in household appliance necessarily cheaper than that of salt in holy grail?", "42" ] ]

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[ [ "Opos antilambaneste apo ton titlo, prokeitai gia mia parodia tou Da Vichy Code tou Dan Brown. Dustukhos etan perissotero sakhle para exupne. Ta diarke logopaignia me tis agglikes lexeis (p.kh. cod=God) tha prepei na etan ephialtes gia ton metaphraste pou prospathese na ta metapherei sta ellenika oso kalutera mporouse, alla den mporouse na kanei kai thaumata.", "155" ], [ "Eprepe na akoloutheso to arkhiko mou enstikto kai na apophugo otidepote pherei ten upographe tou Deepak Chopra. Eimai sigoure pos e poiese tou Rumi tha akougotan apeiros kalutere sten authentike tes glossa, (pithanos sunodeuomene kai apo lige oriental mousikoula;) prin tes allaxei ta phota o pseudo-spiritual gkourou Deepak Chopra kai ten metatrepsei se stikhous amerikanikon kapsourotragoudon trites kategorias. \n Apospasma apo to biblio: \n My sweetheart \n You have aroused my passion \n Your touch has filled me with desire \n I am no longer separate from you \n Kai pio kato: \n My cries of longing \n My wails of sorrow \n are tormenting my soul", "155" ], [ "Extremely interesting story of three sisters escaping from an abusive cult, but could have been told better. Each chapter is narrated by a different sister, and they keep changing their names (a cult practice). As a result I often lost track of who was who.", "22" ], [ "Polloi kharakterizoun ta biblia tes seiras autes os chicken soup for the soul, e balsamo gia te psukhe, ki ekhoun apoluto dikio. Oi khalaroi, nothroi ruthmoi tes aphegeses, e aploike (skhedon paidike) glossa ki oi sophes sumboules tes kalokardes kurias Ramotsoue panta kataphernoun na mou metadosoun mia aisthese eremias ki aisiodoxias. An pernate duskoles ores, mia episkepse sten beranta tes Presious Ramotsoue gia na philosophesete te zoe pinontas tsai apo botana tes eremou ki agnanteuontas ton ourano tes Mpotsouana, sigoura tha sas phtiaxei te diathese.", "155" ], [ "There was a Young Lady whose nose, \n Was so long that it reached to her toes; \n So she hired an Old Lady, \n Whose conduct was steady, \n To carry that wonderful nose. \n Panta ethela na diabaso ena biblio me limericks (suntoma saturika poiemata pente strophon). O Edward Lear (1812-1888) etan Agglos poietes kai skitsographos, kai o protos pou kathierose aute te morphe poiematon, ta opoia etan tromera demophile sten epokhe tou. Opos leei kai o titlos, ta poiematakia auta den bgazoun kanena apolutos noema, kai sigoura tha mou phainontan polu pio asteia an akouga na ta apaggellei ena kheimoniatiko bradu dipla ap' to tzaki kapoios methusmenos egglezos aristokrates, meta apo ena kalo kunegi phasianou ki ena gero phagopoti. Diabazontas ta mera mesemeri, xemethuste kai mesa sto liopuri, dustukhos ekhasan megalo meros apo te goeteia tous.", "155" ], [ "It does cover the basics, but I would never EVER take any Lonely Planet information for granted without double and triple checking it online from other sources. In my opinion all travel guidebooks should be conducted with the assistance of locals to eliminate mistakes and gaps. After reading Lonely Planet Cyprus (I'm Cypriot), I realized that this is not the case (lots of mistakes a local would never make, lots of important info missing) and since then I'm more skeptical about anything I read in travel guides. It doesn't matter how long you're visiting a country for and how many expats you talk to. Locals will ALWAYS be more knowledgeable about their own country, and I don't see any Thai names among the writers of this book. \n Plus, I would have liked to know more about transportation options (i.e. ferry and bus timetables and routes), especially for Bangkok. \n Considering I bought it used for only 10 euros I'm quite happy with it, but I would have been disappointed had I paid full price.", "148" ], [ "Oi sunenteuxeis autes pou pragmatopoiethekan ten dekaetia tou '60 meta apo protoboulia tes amerikanidas psukhiatrou Elisabeth Kubler-Ross me astheneis pou paskhoun apo aniates astheneies, eginan e base gia ten prote melete skhetika me ton tropo pou antimetopizoun oi astheneis ton epikeimeno thanato tous kai me tous tropous pou mporoun na boethethoun apo to iatriko prosopiko kai to oikogeneiako tous periballon. Sumphona me ten Kubler-Ross, o asthenes pou mathainei pos paskhei apo kapoia aniate astheneia perna apo 5 stadia: arnese, thumos, pazarema, katathlipse kai apodokhe. \n Breka ta apotelesmata tes ereunas autes akros diaphotistika, kai se polla semeia enoiosa na sumpono kai na tautizomai me tous astheneis kai tous suggeneis tous. Sto kato kato o phobos tou thanatou einai pananthropinos. \n Par' ol' auta, entopisa kapoia semeia pou me enokhlesan, kai pou mallon opheilontai sto gegonos oti to biblio auto graphteke prin apo 45 khronia. To ena einai e khrese oron pou semera theoroume aparadektous, opos \"retarded\", \"colored\" kai \"negro\". To deutero einai e uperbolike emphase ston rolo tes threskeias. Skhedon oloi oi astheneis etan batheia threskeuomenoi (mia malista etan kalogria), eno stis sunenteuxeis summeteikhe kai iereas. Etan polu enokhletiko gia mena na diabazo ta logia 17khrones me leukhaimia pou delone kharoumene pou tha pethanei giati suntoma tha sunantouse ton agapemeno tes theio ston Paradeiso. Epises mou phaneke exophreniko enas giatros na rota ton asthene se poia Ekklesia anekei o idios alla kai o kathe enas xekhorista apo tous philous kai suggeneis tou! \n Me liga logia, e ereuna aute etan men rizospastike gia ten epokhe tes, alla me ta semerina dedomena te theoro xeperasmene.", "155" ], [ "Meta to A Short History of Nearly Everything, o Bill Bryson kathierotheke os o agapemenos mou suggrapheas non fiction. To khioumor kai e zontania sten aphegese tou mporoun na metatrepsoun opoiodepote phainomenika bareto thema opos p.kh. o oruktos ploutos tes Australias e oi diatrophikes sunetheies ton marsipophoron se xekardistika asteies kai exairetika endiapherouses istories pou diabazontai to idio eukharista oso mia sulloge apo anekdota. \n Gia na grapsei ton sugkekrimeno taxidiotiko odego, o suggrapheas diaskhizei ten akhane kai kata to megalutero meros tes agone epeiro tes Australias, gia na mas perigrapsei osa thaumasta kai eutrapela briskei ston dromo tou: exotikes paralies, entuposiaka limania, monadika geologika phainomena, paragnorismena mouseia, ateleiotes eremous, deleteriode zoa, graphikes poleis ste mese tou pouthena kai exairetika philikous topakes. \n To mono mou parapono einai pos tha protimousa na eikha mathei perissotera pragmata gia ten istoria tes Australias, kai eidika gia tous Aborigines, para gia to ntekor ton pamp opou mpekropine kathe bradu o Bryson.", "155" ], [ "\"During the last three decades, neuroscientists throughout the world have probed the nervous system in fascinating detail and have learned a great deal about the laws of mental life and about how these laws emerge from the brain. The pace of progress has been exhilarating, but -- at the same time -- the findings make many people uncomfortable. It seems somehow disconcerting to be told that your life, all your hopes, triumphs and aspirations simply arise from the activity of neurons in your brain. But far from being humiliating, this idea is ennobling, I think. Science -- cosmology, evolution and especially the brain sciences -- is telling us that we have no privileged position in the universe and that our sense of having a private nonmaterial soul \"watching the world\" is really an illusion (...) Once you realize that far from being a spectator, you are in fact part of the eternal ebb and flow of events in the cosmos, this realization is very liberating. Ultimately this idea also allows you to cultivate a certain humility -- the essence of all authentic religious experience.\" (page 256)", "25" ], [ "On a train from Russia to France, filmmaker Luca is immersed into bittersweet memories set off by a female passenger's familiar gesture, whom he thinks might be Anna, a Russian girl with whom he had a brief but intense relationship in Paris when they were both young students. They separated when Anna had to return to St Petersburg to be with her family who were being persecuted by the communist regime. Luca recalls their last encounter in St Petersburg, after which they had lost touch for ten years. A short but very poignant romance story about a long-lost love affair that was nipped in the bud but never forgotten.", "15" ], [ "I give it 3.5 stars, which is the most I would give to a chic-lit novel. I particularly enjoyed having a peak into the publishing world and the long and gruesome process of writing a book, having it published and promoted, only to watch it flop. An easy and enjoyable read, not too light, perfect for reading on the beach.", "35" ], [ "I read this book as a teenager. It was my first book on evolution and I'm guessing the first science book I ever bought. It was very comprehensible and amusing, and I was fascinated by the drawings.", "87" ], [ "\"As the fraction of those affected by cancer creeps inexorably in some nations from one in four to one in three to one in two, cancer, will indeed, be the normal -- an inevitability. The question then will not be IF we will encounter this immortal illness in our lives, but WHEN.\" \n The Emperor of All Maladies is definitely NOT an easy read, even for seasoned science fans. It took me ages to finish, due to the dull writing and depressing subject, but in the end I'm glad I read it. Cancer is a subject that should interest everyone, and for me reading this book was a gruesome but necessary right of passage to what I might have to face in the future.", "110" ], [ "Things I liked about this book: The author can write beautifully, creating interesting characters and an atmosphere of mystery and suspense. It's easy to lose yourself in the story. \n Things I didn't like in this book: The pace is painfully slow. The whole thing could use a good editing as it was way too long. The author got a bit carried away with constructing beautiful images and long descriptions, at the expense of the storyline.", "22" ], [ "Den ekho idea giati e Tamaro den einai pio gnoste sto anagnostiko koino. E gunaika aute diathetei ena leptotato aistheterio tes anthropines phuses. Ta erga tes einai geotreseis sta bathe tes anthropines psukhes, ap' opou exorussei thesaurous alla kai skoupidia.", "155" ], [ "A short but very touching story about the loneliness and isolation that often come with old age. After the death of her unloving husband, a retired teacher finds solace in the company of a parrot that she discovers behind a trash can. Soon she realizes that the bird awakens feelings in her that she thought she had lost forever and gives her a new lease of life.", "125" ], [ "To \"Eros, theros, polemos\" einai to ennato biblio tes Phakinou pou diabazo, alla to proto istoriko muthistorema tes pou pephtei sta kheria mou. Mporo na po oti e allage me ekplessei eukharista. Oi anagnostes tes Phakinou gnorizoun oti sunethos graphei panemorpha, alla ta senaria tes, pou ta kharakterizei entona to phantastiko kai metaphusiko stoikheio, alles phores einai petukhemena kai alles phores \"xepheugoun\" kai katantoun me-peistika. Sto \"Eros, theros, polemos\" omos e Phakinou, akolouthontas tis grammes tou istorikou muthistorematos, bazei khalinari sten phantasia tes kai epikentronetai sto grapsimo tes, ten anaptuxe ton kharakteron kai ten perigraphe tou klimatos kai ton gegonoton tes epokhes. To apotelesma einai ena polu kalogrammeno istoriko muthistorema emploutismeno me olozontanous kharakteres kai endiapherouses perigraphes pou se metapheroun ste Sume, ten Alexandreia kai ten Athena, se mia peridiabase sto khrono pou xekina to 1919 kai katalegei sto telos tou 20ou aiona. \n E istoria tes Marias, kai eidika to telos tes, einai apo tis pio sugkinetikes pou ekho diabasei.", "155" ], [ "Just finished LOP. I know it's supposed to be fiction, but nothing of what the characters do, say or think ring true, especially Pi who sounds more than a 9-year-old British girl than an Indian 16-year-old boy. \n It's pretty tiresome to read long detailed descriptions of events that could have never possibly happened. These lengthy descriptions made the events sound even more implausible, and at times bored me to tears. I felt like a complete idiot lying there reading this book, while the writer was throwing everything at me but the kitchen sink. \n The writing is pretty bad too, there were times I almost gave up. Fortunately the story got better in the last 50 pages or so. But \"a story that will make me believe in God\" it is not! Just pseudo-religious/spiritual nonsense. \n Still, it was mildly entertaining at times and I did learn a thing or too about animals and zoos, so I'm giving it 2 1/2 stars.", "150" ], [ "I really don't get what all the hype is about. \n The writing is wooden and bland. The dialogues were tedious, stilted and awkward. It's painfully obvious even to me (English is not my first language) that the translator is Swedish and unfamiliar with English idioms and slang. I mean, seriously, who uses words such as \"anon\" nowadays? \n As for the plot, it's boring and unconvincing. There is no real suspense or surprises, just the author's attempts to shock the reader with scenes of sexual violence, incest and torture. They did manage to shock and disgust me, and I'm not easily offended. The problem is I didn't give a damn about any of the characters, not even the supposed \"victims\" of the story. The characters are flat and lack any depth. Blomkvist is at best boring and not a very bright fellow. Lisbeth is supposed to be this complicated, strong, independent genius, but the reader can clearly see through all this facade that she's nothing more than an insecure, self-centered and insensitive bitch. I really can't see the appeal in that. As for the Vangers, they could all perish in a fire for all I care (including Harriet). \n And what's up with Larson's obsession with sandwiches and Apple products? \n However, the novel has some redeeming features. I did learn a few things about Sweden and its culture, and the mystery of Harriet's disappearance did hold my interest. Plus, Larsson raises some interesting questions about many social issues such as violence against women, corporate ethics, religious fanatisism, corruption/objectiveness of the press, online privacy etc. \n All in all, it was OK but not as great as I expected. Perhaps I would have enjoyed it more if the translator and editor/editors had done a better job.", "162" ], [ "The characters were well developed, but some of the plot twists, especially the final ones, were a bit far-fetched and a bit hard to swallow. \n Minor Spoiler Alert- \n I know that at that time there was no DNA testing and all that, but seriously the police must have done a really sloppy job with the case, considering the fact that Libby managed to solve it just by asking a few questions around. \n However, it was an easy read and it did manage to pull me in, so I give it 3 1/2 stars.", "35" ], [ "The translation I got was awful. I don't think it was the one for the original version. The more I read, the more I realised the publisher and translator had done a terrible job. I 'm sure I would have enjoyed the original version much more.", "147" ], [ "Dawkins presents solid scientific evidence for evolution in a way that most intelligent people with no scientific background would be able to understand. My only complaint is that, in his effort to make his point clear, he sometimes repeats himself and over-explains things to the point that one wants to cry \"YES, YES I get it, now please move on\". I think Dawkins' literary skills need some honing, but other than I give the book 4.5 stars.", "35" ], [ "Even though the translation in Greek is awful, it still reads like a dream.Thought provoking, educational and touching, like most of Buck's novels. Will be a long time before I get to forget these characters.", "101" ], [ "I think that people who completely trash this book are in fact jealous of the fact that the author got to do what they can only dream of: leave everything behind and embark on a very long (all expenses paid) holiday around the world. Granted, this book is not a masterpiece of literature, and the author is by no means a saint. But I cannot understand why some people seem to hate her and her book so much! Eat, Pray, Love was highly entertaining, and unlike other books, I didn't want it to end and wouldn't mind reading it again.", "101" ], [ "The scene is an Aegean island, Lesbos, where refugees from Anatolia find shelter and built their new homes. The central character is a blonde, green-eyed girl, left as a baby in a fisherman's boat and grown into a woman who has all local boys falling for her. Rumor has it that she is a mermaid's child, and people are both infatuated and scared of her exotic looks and love of freedom.", "14" ], [ "I find most of Hitchen's points logical and (in my opinion) he made a good case against religion. He tends to drift out of the subject sometimes, while other times he barely scratches the surface of subjects on which I would have loved to read more. Some parts were amazing, while others were tedious and boring, made worse by the fact that I had to reach for my dictionary every 5 minutes (some words were not even in the dictionary!).", "126" ], [ "Probably the most easy-to-read book I've ever read (chick lit included). I read it in the car (on traffic lights). I read it at work. I read it at the hairdresser's. It was a pleasure to read, and I never got tired of it. The fact that most of the scientific terms were in greek was a bonus because I'm Greek. In fact, I had no need for a dictionary. I can't wait to read it again!", "99" ], [ "Ok, so the story goes something like this: \"Today I woke up early in the morning, had pancakes and orange juice for breakfast, and then my dad beat me and my brother half to death. Then I mopped the blood from the floor and got ready for church. The sermon was lovely. Oh how I love my dad, he's such a great man blah blah blah\". Something wrong with this picture? Yes indeed. The girl is so emotionless and matter-of-fact about the beatings, that it made me not care about her at all. I mean, come ON, if my dad beat my pregnant mum until she miscarried, I'd want to kill the bastard, not worship him like he was god.", "42" ], [ "This was my first Ishiguro book and boy, was I in for a surprise. This is the first novel I ever read that truly caught me completely off guard and left the thinking \"Ok, what just happened here?\". I kept re-reading a certain phrase, my head spinning, thinking it was a typo, but alas, it was not. It was just Ishiguro at his best!", "99" ], [ "What can one say about Bulgakov's piece de resistance? Is it a masterpiece? Most definitely. Did I understand all of it? No, and perhaps I'm not supposed to. Reading this book was like visiting a strange circus in a foreign country - you can tell there are some wonderful and magical things going on, but you can't understand a single word anyone's saying and all the signs are in an incomprehensible language. Perhaps this is one of the books that cannot be translated without losing part of their charm (hence the 4 stars).", "35" ], [ "The heroine was so stupid I kept wishing for the killer to get her. No idea why this author is so popular. I try not to think about what this says about the average reader's tastes and what is considered \"a good read\" nowadays, it's too upsetting.", "151" ], [ "Definitely not an easy read; probably one of the most difficult and exhausting books I've ever read, and this has nothing to do with the subject which is, of course, unpleasant. There's page after page of detailed descriptions of the politics behind the genocide and not enough emphasis on the victim's stories themselves. Some parts were so boring it took me a whole week to go through them, since I kept falling asleep. Still, a very well-researched book that gave me a good insight of the Rwandan genocide; I'm definitely not going to get it out of my mind any time soon. 4 stars for the subject & research part; 2 stars for readability.", "41" ], [ "The storyline was fine, but the flashbacks of the man's past were so boring that after a while I just started skipping them. From then on, the story flowed more quickly and became more enjoyable for me. All in all, the novel was not bad and I would have gladly given it 3 stars had it not been for those totally incomprehensible and pointless flashbacks, and the fact that the guy was a total prick.", "91" ], [ "That \"twist\" at the end? Worse ever. I had to go back and read all the passages that held any clues as to who the culprit was, and guess what? Not only were they misleading, THEY DID NOT MAKE ANY BLOODY SENSE WHATSOEVER. What a complete waste of time. And you're telling me that this guy Patterson is making millions of dollars out of selling this rubbish?", "147" ], [ "I remember reading this book so vividly. I had just split up from my long-term partner and I was feeling very depressed. This book for me was like chicken soup for the soul. It was a light, pleasant read, simple and full of optimism and hope. It took my mind off the break-up and gave me a break from bouts of uncontrollable crying! Exactly what I needed at the time.", "101" ], [ "I truly feel sorry for the people who think that this is the greatest novel ever written. It means they 've never read a decent book in their lives and propably wouldn't know one if it hit them on the head. \n Seriously, this poorly written novel is full of cliches. I could smell the movie from the first page. I'm only giving it two stars because unfortunately I've read worse.", "147" ] ]

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[ [ "enjoyed ready about the Mars direct program and a fictional version of how it could play out. at times, there was a little to much political nonsense. I understand, however, that this is the way of the modern world, especially as it pertains to NASA.", "144" ], [ "As Americans we need term limits on both houses of congress. It is a call to public service, not a vocation. 2nd Amendment right are important and each hint of changing or diminishing these rights should be viewed very carefully. Tax reform is critical and abolishment or significant reform of entitlements and unsustainable programs must happen. The section by Thomas Paine on the introduction of kings in the bible is significant, especially as it pertains to how Government Heads of State act. God was sufficient for the Israelites and the introduction of a king, which the people wanted, showed the peoples lack of confidence in God. American needs more conformance to its constitution.", "88" ], [ "Benjamin Franklin was quite the American. He was a entrepreneur, businessman, postmaster general, Pennsylvania Congressman, inventor, scientist, diplomat, writer (Poor Richard's Almanac), etc., etc. It is refreshing to read about a man who mostly desires the general good for society.", "160" ], [ "not only was there much historical evidence presented concerning the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus; there was also much history presented concerning the founding fathers of America and their religious beliefs. Only Jesus claimed to be God, no other religious leader claimed this about himself. Only Jesus was raised from the dead and there is an overwhelming amount of evidence to support this historic event. Only by grace do we have fellowship with God through belief in Jesus' death on the cross paid in full our penalty for sin. We do not work for our acceptance, what Jesus did was payment in full.", "26" ], [ "Most of this book is the history of George Wallace's shooting in a Maryland Shopping Center by Arthur Bremer. Interesting information about both lives and the aftermath of the shooting in 1972. If you enjoy history, this short narrative will give good insight into this Wallace campaign stop as he vied for the Democratic Presidential Nomination. It also explains that Bremer's first target was Nixon, who he had earlier stalked in Ottawa Canada to shoot.", "77" ], [ "our country needs more entrepreneurs like Ken Grossman. our country also needs industries that provide a competitive nature allowing entrance and giving consumers lots of choice. after reading several books by owners of craft breweries, there is some commonality with them all being home brewers, however, each of them have contributed to their success in different ways. It seems to me that Ken Grossman was engrossed (no pun intended) in developing equipment and process technology to efficiently and consistently produce Sierra Nevada Beer. Well done Mr. Grossman and thank you for living the \"American Dream\"", "115" ], [ "Written in a different style in that most of the book were comments by family and friends about different aspects of Walter Payton's life. Most of these comments appeared to be unedited and thus relayed in a conversational style that seemed more real. The book gave me a better appreciation for organ donation. Also, what seems to be true of great people, is hard work.", "160" ], [ "I enjoy reading about entrepreneurs and the obstacles they encounter. It amazes me how different entrepreneurs approach starting their business and then managing it. Approaches are not the same and almost always loose some focus that needs eventually to be recalled. America is great in that entrepreneurs who see opportunities differently, can be successful even with completely different paths. One common ingredient however, is hard, persistent work and being right timed.", "115" ], [ "enjoyable book about running a small business, the pitfalls and successes. like many other new small business startups, the owner likes to create a product, but really has to learn over the course of many years, how to run a business.", "174" ], [ "definitely written by an intellect. his defense of government as supremely necessary is notable. his commentary on America and its current form is chilling. America, as we know it and as we know our constitution, will not survive on its current course.", "88" ], [ "America is an exceptional country. God has given us freedom in this land to choose, to speak, to dream, to experience, and to worship. Writing this note on the day after Thanksgiving 2013 (black Friday), thinking about Christmas 2013 and our family traditions, I can not forget the manger and what Jesus has done for me. I pray that our country we will not remove Christ from Christmas. Thank you Sarah Palin for your family Christmas stories and your warnings about what might happen in the future.", "88" ], [ "Interesting reading about the Roman Empire in Britain and it demise. The ruling class in Rome is described as Rome's downfall, which parallels our situation today. They have grown wealthy and fat on the excesses of the country they are supposed to be serving. The book also painted a different path to the legend of King Author.", "169" ], [ "a spy chasing novel that has everything needed in this type book, a war hero, a lovely lady, an inept government, and a turn coat family member. could be me, but I enjoy WWII novels. it seems as if the whole world was on edge.", "98" ], [ "i recently listened to this book on tape after having read it several years ago. quantum physics is beyond my intellectual grasp, although i did enjoy the book again. the 1300's seem brutal by todays standards, I guess we are just more efficient.", "27" ], [ "it does not disappoint with lawyers, doctors, and FBI administration as the bad guys and a rogue FBI agent and country doctor as the good guys. they are outmanned and outgunned, but good can triumph over evil.", "187" ], [ "a jack the ripper fiction. did not know who was eventually revealed as the ripper until close to the end of the book as the author set several men up to fit the ripper's description.", "21" ], [ "this was pleasant surprise, given that I had never heard of the author before. written much like a \"jason borne\" plot in which the government has secret groups that train and dispense assassins. although fiction, it seems very plausible to me that the different arms of intelligence within the government, have no idea what the other branches are doing. and want it that way!", "179" ], [ "set in early 1400's when archers were the most dynamic weapon in the army. they could easily turn the tide of the battle as long as arrows were available. living in time period would have been no picnic, especially for those not royalty. reading this account may not having you wishing for the good ole days.", "167" ], [ "The use of Washington DC, it buildings and symbols made me wonder how many of the actual buildings had the symbols and meaning described in Mr Brown's book. Several scenes in the book were unreal, however, overall it was an easy book to read and provide some American history, should it be true, that was interesting. I did not enjoy the last 20 pages of the book. It seemed as if Mr. Brown had one other symbol that he wanted worked into the novel but did not know how to do so, so he tacked it onto the end of the book.", "157" ], [ "This book had an interesting plot with very vivid pictures of life in Russia prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall. I enjoyed this book thoroughly and actually wondered how much of my life is in Charm School on earth in the US in Alabama.", "108" ], [ "A story about the beginnings of the Marine Corp and the reason for its being. A love story is woven thoughout the book and a young marine must choose between the Corps and a woman. This tale was not the best of Uris and I wonder if his death, some three months before the publishing of this book, left the manuscript in an unfinished state.", "198" ], [ "The book started with a fast pace describing different combat adventures in WWII, Vietnam, and the Bosnian wars. However, the tale bogged down as too much unneeded detail was added to each scene in the story. The Avenger ends up being a hire assasin that takes revenge for the grandson of his friend. I wish the pace and story line from the beginning could have followed through to the end.", "162" ], [ "A spy, mystery thriller. However, the plot was weak and the characters did not seems real or believable. In the end, none of the bad guys are who they are portrayed to be and thus some who you think are trustworthy are not. Again, it seems to contrived to be believable.", "162" ], [ "The childhood of Mary as described by Carolyn Meyer was one of constant rejection by her father, Henry VIII. As he desired Anne Boylen and wanted divorce from Catherine of Aragon, Mary's mother, he designated Mary as a bastard and treated her as such. In fact, Anne made Mary in charge of changing Elisabeth's diapers. Interesting reading about this king and his power of church and state.", "135" ], [ "I like the way Nelson DeMille uses his main character Detective John Corey to investigate major criminal events. Detective Corey is such a smart aleck and flirt that the dialog between him and whoever he is accosting is mostly funny. The setting is one year after 9/11 so you can imagine our desire in this book to snuff out the Islamic threat whether real or imagined. Detective Corey and his wife, FBI agent Mayfield, are the only ones able to stop world history changing events. Fun read.", "179" ], [ "Simenon writes of details in life that all of us have experienced . . . a fly pestering you, smells, people's motivations, etc. This book is no different. His boyhood friend, Florentin, with whom he went to school, was the class clown and a liar. Each of us had this class clown in our class as youngsters so we can identify with Maigret. This Florentin has a horrid life, amounting to little, and culminates with the death of his keeper and lover. Maigret is in perfect character as he stews and thinks through who killed this woman. As always, the characters in this mystery are people that we all can identify with . . . either their physical attributes or more certainly their behavior.", "182" ], [ "Nelson DeMille writes from the fall of man point of view but, in my opinion, is highly entertaining and whitty. He explores terrorism at it relates to TWA 800 flight out of JFK that crashes into the Atlantic Ocean off the Hampton coast. Cover up and intrigue face detective John Corey who continually pisses off those who he works with both professionally and as witnesses. He does uncover truth in the end though. Easy to read and fun.", "198" ], [ "A good book to read in August in AL as the setting is winter in Wisconsin and it is cold and snowy. Story about a sex ring that is uncovered through a magazine photo. Similar in context to many other fictional books I have read.", "108" ], [ "Good introduction to students and parents of students going to small private Christian Colleges. Discusses the need for a liberal arts education that focuses its worldview through Christian principles. Good subject material, but long and repetative.", "190" ], [ "The story and scenery of Afghanistan are wonderful. Michener is also somewhat of a prophet in that he understood the struggle for Afghanistan between the US and Russia long before wars were actually conducted for it. All societies vote for modernization and everyone will recall the \"good ole days\" to some degree. However, caravan life seems to me to be one of simplicity that is still sought after today. Again, we don't associate all aspects of this life with the more romantic notions, that of dullness, uneducated discussion, purposelessness, etc. Maybe caravans today should be only for three month vacations, much like dude ranchs in the west.", "144" ], [ "like all of Iles books, it is easy to read and enjoyable. However, there are several descriptive areas that, in my opinion, don't add to the book and are easy to skim through and not miss any of the story line. Adultry obviously creates problems, in this case it leads to murder. Without Jesus, there is no hope for an eternal future.", "58" ], [ "Disappointed in a Hemingway book. Seems like there was very little story line to the narrative other than massive amounts of drinking alcohol. Characters were not very likeable and really did not like each other that well. Understood better the fiesta surrounding the running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain.", "157" ], [ "Maigret returns to the country city that was his home, where his father worked as the manager of an estate. The countess of the estate is killed by the son of the new manager and Maigret witness the countess son draw out the killer at a dinner mystery murder conversation. The sounds, smells, people, of the town remind Maigret of his youth. Even though I did not grow up in the time frame that Maigret did, Simenon is a master of describing details (like a drafty actic or a past friend's quirks) that everyone can identify with.", "189" ], [ "A story of young Afgan girls and their desire to play soccer in a culture and time in which women sports are not supported in their home country. These eight girls did come to the US for training and then return home in 2005. The book jumps between the US visit and the girls lives before and after the visit. At times the book is difficult to follow and could have been strengthened by following one girl more closely especially the time in the US. The difficulties of sports, dress, religion, government, ruling powers, and war do not allow the development of young atheletes.", "113" ] ]

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[ [ "By Marc Weingarten \n ...Many of the young folks in Leni Zumas' stories are... trying to divorce themselves from burdensome emotional ties and consequent interference with self-actualization. It's a testament to Zumas' skill that the book, which contains dope addicts and stories set in loony bins, doesn't devolve into a Girl, Interrupted for the pitchfork.com generation. She's too smart to fall into that trap. \n The title story tips us off to Zumas' knack for crawling inside the heads of protagonists who feel trapped by circumstance. An unnamed son is living with his two legally blind parents, whom he calls Black and Blue (a nod toward some history of abuse?). This isn't some syrupy Mitch Albom-esque triumph of the human spirit: The handicapped characters, who are usually ennobled in such stories, are creepy and venal here, capable of casual cruelty and betrayal -- as when the son comes upon his mother with a teenage boy he has invited to spend the night: \n Downstairs, a strand of noise from the kitchen -- Blue's voice. Please, she is saying. Oh please. Give me your hand. \n Plum chutney comes up my throat. I swallow it down. \n I don't think so, says the kid's voice. \n Please touch me. Please, here -- \n I run in and hit the light. Yellow pours onto Blue, who is naked except for underpants. Her breasts look like puddles of dough. The kid is backed up against the stove, hands over his face, sweatpants -- thank God -- on. \n Click here to read the rest of Marc Weingarten's review. \n http://www.laweekly.com/art+books/boo... \n More book reviews at \n http://www.laweekly.com/art+books/books", "139" ], [ "By THOMAS PERRY \n In 2001, an editor at Scribner sent me the manuscript of a first novel called TheJasmine Trade by a Los Angeles Times reporter named Denise Hamilton. It was an intriguing, contemporary story built around some Asian teenagers whose parents left them on their own in San Marino mansions while they returned to distant countries to run their businesses. I wrote an enthusiastic endorsement. Since then, there have been four more well-received novels and an anthology called Los Angeles Noir. So I didn't open Hamilton's new book, The Last Embrace,without expectations. \n In it, Hamilton resuscitates one of the great, enduring fictional situations, the one in which a lone, mysterious stranger shows up in a small town and begins asking questions about a missing person. It's the plot of Bad Day at Black Rock and of High Plains Drifter. Only in Hamilton's rendition, both the stranger and the victim are beautiful young women, and the corrupt, cowardly little town is Hollywood. \n It's October 1949. After the long trip from Champaign, Illinois, Lily Kessler steps off a train at Union Station, looking like one of the legion of pretty, naive newcomers seeking an acting career. She's actually something else, a woman who spent the war in Europe spying for the OSS, and she has the skills of an investigator, the persistence of a termite and a sacred trust to fulfill. The mother of her fiance, an OSS officer killed in Europe, has asked her to find her only remaining child, an actress called Kitty Hayden, who left her boarding house one night and didn't return. \n Read the rest of Thomas Perry's review here: \n http://www.laweekly.com/art+books/boo...", "177" ], [ "Review by Marc Weingarten \n Sarbanes, the author of the quietly devastating and mordantly funny collection Army of One, is a writing professor at CalArts; the school's Web site notes that she specializes in \"theory of narrative.\" I'm not sure what that means, but after you read her collection, it's clear that she's got some compelling ideas about story and plot and is not afraid to put them into practice. \n Sarbanes likes to break up her compact stories with elliptical blocks of text, thereby helping to move a story along through time and space without devoting three years of her life to a novel. In \"Dear Aunt Sophie,\" she traces the estrangement of two sisters, as well as the creeping cynicism of adulthood, through a series of e-mail exchanges between a wide-eyed child and her aunt. In one such e-mail, Sophie writes: \n So much of your time is taken up with recovering from the everyday shocks people deliver to you in passing -- those careless little acts of uncaring, like driving a Hummer or spending fifty thousand dollars on a wedding or paying their nanny less than minimum wage. And that makes it so you have to spend more time reminding yourself of the careful little acts of caring people also perform, like offering to let you use their Vons Club card when you forget yours so you can still get the discounts, or picking up a hitchhiker in the desert even though they could get murdered by him ... \n Click here to continue reading the article. \n http://www.laweekly.com/art+books/boo...", "139" ], [ "Steve Erickson: Contortionist supreme \n By NICK MOORE \n www.laweekly.com/special/la-people-20... \n \"I don't even think of Zeroville as a 'Hollywood novel,'\" Erickson says, unassuming and barely audible under the ArcLight sound system, which is blaring Bernard Herrmann from its impossibly high ceilings. \"Hollywood novels tend to be about the movie business, and although there's a bit of that, Zeroville is about loving movies, or being obsessed with movies.\" \n Zeroville is a book so enamored with film that it reads like one -- quick scenes that cut, characters that reappear implausibly, dialogue firmly rooted in place but captured like a dream. Erickson's books are postmodern in execution, not necessarily in message. For all of their tricks -- his time lapses; his miraculous lakes that bubble up from nowhere to submerge Hollywood; and his inclination to suddenly break from the story he's been telling for hundreds of pages to tell another, unrelated one -- his novels are romantic, emotional and unabashedly human. \n \"In my books, when I do anything that might be regarded by others as experimental, it's because I think that's what's going to serve the story. I hope I create this reality in my books that the reader will feel compelled to give him or herself over to. I'll do whatever I need to do to create that.\" \n Click here to read all of LA Weekly's profile of Erickson: \n www.laweekly.com/special/la-people-20...", "124" ], [ "EDNA O'BRIEN: IRELAND'S OTHER LITERARY HEAVYWEIGHT \n By Jim Ruland \n This summer, instead of slogging through all 250,000 words of Ulysses (as well as the shelf-cracking row of books you'll need to decipher it), read Ireland's other modernist prose stylist and genius storyteller: Edna O'Brien. \n The author of more than 20 novels, short stories and plays for stage and screen, O'Brien has had a prolific career spanning nearly 50 years. She has been described as possessing \"the soul of Molly Bloom and the skills of Virginia Woolf,\" and heralded as \"the most gifted woman now writing fiction in English\" by none other than Philip Roth. She has received countless accolades, yet remains one of Ireland's most misunderstood writers. Shortly after the release of her critical study of James Joyce in 1999, one reviewer sniffed, \"All Edna O'Brien's effort proves is that lightweight novelists should stick to what they do best.\" \n O'Brien's relationship with Ireland has always been a cantankerous one. Her first novel, The Country Girls, written in 1959 during a three-week frenzy, was condemned by the minister of culture as a \"smear on Irish womanhood.\" The book, which deals with the sexual awakening of a young woman from a small village in west Ireland, was promptly banned. As were her next eight novels. \n Read the rest of Jim Ruland's article in the LA Weekly here: \n http://www.laweekly.com/art+books/boo...", "139" ], [ "EDNA O'BRIEN: IRELAND'S OTHER LITERARY HEAVYWEIGHT \n By Jim Ruland \n O'Brien's relationship with Ireland has always been a cantankerous one. Her first novel, The Country Girls, written in 1959 during a three-week frenzy, was condemned by the minister of culture as a \"smear on Irish womanhood.\" The book, which deals with the sexual awakening of a young woman from a small village in west Ireland, was promptly banned. As were her next eight novels. \n The problem? O'Brien writes about sex and its repercussions in a way that is graphic, frank and utterly unheard of in conservative, \"priest-plagued\" Ireland. Her first three novels follow the adventures of Caithleen and Baba as they flee their convent school in rural Ireland, find considerably older husbands in Dublin, and confront their failed marriages in London. Along the way, the girls conceive out of wedlock, have extramarital affairs and contract venereal disease. \n Read the rest of Jim Ruland's article on Edna O'Brien here: \n http://www.laweekly.com/art+books/boo...", "139" ], [ "In the latest LA Weekly Literary Supplement, Thomas Perry wrote an essay In a Jam: How Suspense Keeps the Novel on Edge. \n Here's the first part: \n Suspense isn't a pleasant sensation. We go to great lengths to manage our lives in ways that will keep us from having to go through periods of uncertainty -- particularly when it's prolonged, and when the stakes are high. But in reading fiction, especially a novel, we crave this sensation of increasing tension, and the higher the stakes, the better. We love the experience of sitting somewhere in perfect safety with a book while some character serves as our surrogate in facing a world full of danger. What we're enjoying is growing excitement, followed by a tantalizingly delayed cathartic ending. It's a quality of all good fiction, and it's why the reader keeps turning the pages. \n Great suspense writing doesn't have to include a guy with a gun. When the males in Austen's Pride and Prejudice are off to London trying to track down 16-year-old Lydia Bennet, who has eloped with the evil Wickham, the Bennet women are reduced to waiting at home for reports to arrive by mail. By now, they're aware that what Wickham intends for Lydia doesn't include a wedding. If she's not rescued quickly, she'll be lost to the family forever, undoubtedly to suffer degradation, abandonment and a lonely death. Austen's description of powerless waiting and worry, interrupted only by news of leads followed to dead ends, could serve as a model of suspense writing -- properly proportioned, plausible and urgent. When we learn that Lydia has been found, we want to cheer. \n Read the rest of Perry's essay here: \n http://www.laweekly.com/art+books/wls...", "23" ], [ "The latest issue of LA weekly features an article by MARC WEINGARTEN on McSweeney's which published the Michael Chabon book Maps and Legends. \n Click here to read the article. \n More from LA Weekly's WLS 2008 issue", "71" ], [ "An excerpt from Rushdie's book appears in the new issue of LA Weekly, the annual Weekly Literary Supplement. \n Click here to read it. \n In the early morning Mohini the sleepless whore of the Hatyapul brothel awoke her foreign guest. He came awake quickly and twisted her roughly into his arms, conjuring a knife from thin air and holding it against her neck. \"Don't be stupid,\" she said. \"I could have killed you a hundred times last night, and don't think I didn't think about it while you were snoring loud enough to wake the emperor in his palace.\" She had offered him two rates, one for a single act, the other, only slightly higher, for the whole night. \"Which is better value?\" he asked her. \"People always say it's the all-night rate,\" she replied gravely, \"but most of my visitors are so old or drunk or opium-stupid or incompetent that even doing it once is beyond a lot of them, so the rate for a single will almost certainly save you money.\" \"I'll pay you double the all-night rate,\" he said, \"if you promise to stay beside me all night. It's a long time since I spent the whole night with a woman, and a woman's body lying beside me sweetens my dreams.\" \"You can waste your money if you want, I won't stop you,\" she said cold-heartedly, \"but there hasn't been any sweetness left in me for years.\" \n She was so thin that her name among the other whores was Skeleton, and those clients who could afford it often hired her together with her antithesis, the obese whore called Mattress, in order to enjoy the two extremes of what the female form had to offer, first the unyielding dominance of bone and then the flesh that engulfed. The Skeleton ate like a wolf, greedily and fast, and the more she ate the fatter Mattress became, until it was suspected that the two whores had made a pact with the Devil, and in Hell it would be Skeleton who was grotesquely overweight for all eternity while Mattress rattled bonily around with the nipples on her flat chest looking like little wooden plugs. \n Copyright 2008 by Salman Rushdie \n Click here to continue reading the excerpt. \n More from LA Weekly's WLS 2008 issue", "6" ], [ "The Wasteland: Marisa Silver's novel The God of War \n By ELLA TAYLOR \n On the face of things, Ares Ramirez, the 12-year-old at the broken heart of Marisa Silver's elegiac new novel, The God of War, is working through a normal adolescence. His body is changing, his soul is torn between belonging and rebellion and he doesn't know whether to love or hate his single mother, Laurel, with whom he lives in a run-down trailer in the Southern California desert bounded by Mexico and San Diego. But for a boy his age, the pain and possibilities of growing up are complicated by unusual responsibilities. Laurel, who works as a masseuse in a nearby spa, leaves Ares to care for his younger brother Malcolm. Still, the blight on Ares' life is not Malcolm, whom Ares loves with an inchoate love as protective as it is resentful, but a secret connected with Malcolm that Ares shares only with the reader. \n By the time Ares' guilt has done its work and come to light, you will know him and the other players in his unfolding drama with such intimate specificity and sympathy that the casually contemptuous term white trash -- which liberals who would never use the N word toss off without thinking twice -- won't even cross your mind. Marginality is a theme in just about any novel you pick up these days, usually written by and/or about the whiny, alienated children of unhappily prosperous families. Silver gives voice to real outsiders, society's castoffs who eke out precarious livings around the edges of that other failure, the Salton Sea, a river deflected long ago in hopes of creating a desert oasis for tourists, and now so polluted and oversalinated that it washes up trash and dead fish by the thousand. \n \"The desert's plants and animals thrived in seemingly impossible circumstances, against heat and drought and other odds,\" says Ares, now an adult looking back on the savage 1978 summer that would shape his family's future. \"The same could have been said of its people, too.\" \n Read the rest of the review at LA Weekly: \n http://www.laweekly.com/art+books/boo...", "100" ], [ "Review by Alan Rich \n Back in September 1964, Jascha Heifetz, the formidable fiddler, was attempting an ill-advised comeback recital at Carnegie Hall. The crowd out front was enormous, and it naturally included many people with long faces hoping for a turned-back ticket to this sold-out event. I was covering it as a music critic for the New York Herald Tribune of lamented memory. At that time, there was a violinist, 20 or so, nice Jewish boy, reasonably talented, who played in a regular spot in front of Carnegie on most concert nights, with his violin case open to receive coins. I had the idea that this guy would make a pretty good story for my paper, and what better time than after I had taken him to this night of nights? I proffered him my extra ticket; he looked at me the way Little Orphan Annie must have first looked at Daddy Warbucks. \n Come concert time, the seat next to me was fully occupied, not by my grateful minstrel but by a corpulent heavy-breather who had bought my extra ticket, at a fairly inflated price, from the street fiddler. When I came out at intermission, that guy was still sawing away at his sidewalk station. I've never trusted one of those street players since. \n Until, that is, Mr. Nathaniel Ayers began to restore my faith, with help from Steve Lopez. The slice-of-life columnist for the Los Angeles Times comes into the picture where I might have, if that klutz in New York hadn't sold my ticket. Lopez's splendid new book, fashioned from his columns, is called The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music. Lopez discovers Ayers first, a lone fiddler playing astonishingly well, on a downtown street corner. They meet, some bullshit is exchanged for better or worse, they part, they meet again. \"...[Nathaniel] plays for a while, we talk for a while, an experience that's like dropping in on a dream,\" writes Lopez. \n Read the rest of the review at: \n http://www.laweekly.com/art+books/boo...", "128" ], [ "Sex and the Country \n Review by By HILLARY JOHNSON \n The idea of treating American politics as subject matter for erotica tickles the funny bone more than it does any other organ. And Sex for America: Politically Inspired Erotica, edited by novelist, activist and political writer Stephen Elliott, succeeds best where it is ribald and edgy. \n The opening salvo, Jerry Stahl's \"L'il Dickens,\" is a gleeful fantasy in which a hapless narrator finds himself seduced in the back room of a gun shop by a randy Dick Cheney: \"He was overweight, and grunting, and no doubt capable of having me disappeared with a single phone call. But, God, he was sexy.\" It works because Stahl takes so much delight in the wallow -- his Cheney is oddly charming, and so over the top that the caricature transcends mere meanness. [Editor's note: \"L'il Dickens\" first appeared in L.A. Weekly, and can be read here: \n http://www.laweekly.com/news/features... \n More than one writer here reinterprets our political system as a perverted theme park. \"I think everybody agrees that sexual congress with presidents just helps regular folks let off steam, as it also alleviates stress and resentment about politics in general,\" argues the transgendered narrator in Rick Moody's \"Notes on Redevelopment.\" In \"The True Republic,\" Steve Almond imagines a new economy: \"With the crude almost gone and the aquifers sucked dry, porn had become the last, best resort for most citizens.\" \n Click here to read the rest of the review", "124" ], [ "In a story titled \"The Anthropology of Sex,\" a 37-year-old woman broods over a long-ago affair with her literature professor -- the man's wife happened to be 37 at the time -- and commemorates the guilty event by imagining that her own husband is having an affair. This sounds like a recipe for a stilted literary outing, but in writer Martha McPhee's hands, the layers of the story slide together effortlessly like sheets of silk. Still, it's not an erotic story, and not at all what one would expect to find in a collection called Do Me. \n Taken together, the stories in Do Me: Tales of Sex & Love from Tin House, are surprisingly dour, and the decision to collect them under a title that suggests a celebratory romp between the sheets is a bit puzzling. Instead, this anthology seems to want to remind us that not all sex is sexy. \n A few of the stories feel self-consciously literary and picaresque: In Carol Anshaw's \"Touch and Go,\" a woman watches herself conduct a joyless lesbian affair with her mother's gerontologist; in Alison Grillo's \"Phone Sex in Milwaukee,\" a sportswriter watches himself conduct a telephone relationship from various hotel rooms while on the road with the Celtics. Both stories are airless and angst-filled, and don't seem to be about sex or love so much as they are about ego dystonia. \n Click here for the rest of the article.", "165" ], [ "Teaching for America in Crips Territory \n By DIANA WAGMAN \n Reading Relentless Pursuit: A Year in the Trenches with Teach for America is inspiring, frustrating, exhilarating and exhausting. Inspiring because of the students who learn and grow and graduate despite violence, unwanted pregnancy and poverty. Frustrating because the Los Angeles Unified School District and the federal government want to make learning secondary to testing. Exhilarating because the four young teachers profiled in the book struggle, succeed and find joy in the hardest job there is. And exhausting because there is so much to absorb, so many acronyms and dates and names and histories to understand. In fact, reading this book is just like teaching in the LAUSD. \n Teach for America began in 1990 as the brainchild of Wendy Kopp. As a straight-A senior in Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, she recognized the country's desperate need to close the achievement gap between the wealthiest and the poorest students. Kopp saw the statistics: A poor student who makes it to high school has only a 50 percent chance of graduating. If he does graduate, he will likely leave school with the skills of an eighth-grader. Kopp came up with TFA as a way to solve this dilemma. Her idea was to create a teaching corps, not unlike the Peace Corps, where the participants were culled from the best colleges in the country. They did not have to be education majors or interested in teaching as a career. She would offer TFA as a stepping stone to their \"real\" life pursuits, as a two-year term of service that would make them even more attractive to law schools, businesses and industry titans. The program would give the millennial generation a chance to give back while enhancing their resumes. \n Click here to read the rest of the review", "142" ], [ "Review by Nathan Ihara \n In Voyage, a medieval Norwegian bishop named Insulomontanus goes on a mission to a colony in Greenland that has lost all communication with the Catholic Church. He hopes to restore the word of God -- and to collect a heavy tithing. (It's a) seductive and stimulating read, full of the wonders and horrors of distant lands. \n Boucheron's bishop staggers through a sickening nightmare, a frozen Hieronymus Bosch landscape of cannibalism, starvation, torture and hypocrisy. \n The bishop Insulomontanus not only has deeply entrenched values, but he intends to protect and enforce them at any cost, employing as methods of persuasion \"the stake, the wheel, the head vise, drawing and quartering, the slow hanging, suspension from the feet or carnal parts. ...\" His resolve is sorely tested when his mission of mercy (and profit) to the colony of New Thule becomes a gauntlet of abasement and misery. A few pages into the journey, his ship becomes encased in ice, the crew begins to starve, \"the oarsmen's teeth started falling out; their skin peeled off in long strips ... one of the men cut off his own hand, to eat it.\" As the journey continues, the litany of abominations grows: A plague strikes, livestock is eaten alive by maggots, a man builds an igloo to protect himself from the cold and is frozen inside it, and indigenous people are murdered without a passing thought.", "198" ], [ "Review by Nathan Ihara \n Shukman's novel, which opens promisingly with a lone figure walking through a desert, turns out to be something of a trifle. The book's best qualities are those of travel writing: local color, evocative descriptions (\"Against the white sky, vultures turned like tea leaves in a just-stirred cup\") and a sense of mystery and movement. The novel's protagonist, Jackson Small, a troubled young man fed up with military life and the dreariness of England, embarks on the journey made by so many young people -- a search for \"real life\" and \"authenticity\" in a foreign land, all of which he finds with relative ease. He adopts, or is adopted by, an Indian boy named Ignacio who tags along with the silent obedience of a clever dog -- in fact, \"Jackson was reminded of a dog they'd had when he was a boy ... [the boy] stirred the same tender feeling he used to have then.\" He falls in love with a honey-haired American woman named Sarah. The two visit Sarah's uncle Alfredo, who lives on a mountain farm with his two wives and preaches to them about the simple life and the problems of the white man. Finally, Jackson ventures out into the lawless jungle, where he discovers his magnificent ruins, only to get lost and then captured by the philosophical drug lord Carreras, who lectures on the ethics of the war on drugs until Jackson has a chance to escape. \n Click here to read the rest of the review.", "3" ], [ "By MARC WEINGARTEN \n When it comes to mapping the calibrations of the human heart, no writer working today is as exacting a cartographer as Tobias Wolff. Bucking the modernist tide, Wolff writes shapely short stories with structural integrity about ordinary people with desperation haunting their souls. No meditative drift or open-ended conclusions for this writer; he's an old-fashioned storyteller in the best sense of that word. \n As amply demonstrated in Our Story Begins, a brilliant collection of his work over the past 26 years, Wolff's genius comes in grappling with big themes within a modest narrative framework. In Wolff's most searing work, his characters are beaten down by adulthood and all of its attendant disappointments, scratching and clawing for redemption that never comes. Often in Wolff's stories, there's a moment when the memories of an idealized past -- or at least an idea of how one's life might have played out given a different set of circumstances -- clash with the soul-crushing drudgery of the present. It's never a pretty sight. But Wolff obviously has affection for these characters. He's a writer of great empathy and tenderness. \n This anthology reads like the greatest hits of a fiction rock star. With the 1981 publication of his first book, In the Garden of the North American Martyrs, Wolff gave notice to the masters of the short-story form. Subsequent collections have only found Wolff going deeper into his art, finding new ways of confusing, and occasionally abetting, his characters' search for self-worth and meaning. \n Read the rest of Marc Weingarten's review here: \n http://www.laweekly.com/art+books/boo...", "38" ], [ "An excerpt from Billy Mernit's novel runs this week in LA Weekly. Read the the excerpt here: \n http://www.laweekly.com/art+books/boo... \n I step onto a plush-carpeted straightaway and head for the small nexus of offices in the distance. When I'm within the bustling half-circle of brightly lit desks manned by good-looking 20-somethings with matching Mac computers, a lean Asian woman in black jeans and a cashmere sweater carrying a bottle of Smart Water introduces herself as Yuko. She takes me round another bend, knocks on a nondescript door, and ushers me into the outer room of Rumer Hawke's inner sanctum. \n Within, a vista of greenery fills the frame of a wall-length picture window. Rumer's offices are atop a building nestled in the Hollywood foothills. I was wowed on my one prior visit by the impressively parklike view and the sleek Jetsons-style desk that sits before it, but this time I'm distracted by the sound of breaking glass and screams to my left. A huge flat screen dominates this wall, and on it a sexily disheveled Korean woman cowers in the corner of a closet, covering her mouth with a bloodied hand while an unseen monstrous intruder hacks at the door above her with a hatchet. \n Three teenage girls sit rapt on a black leather couch before the imminent Technicolor carnage on the screen, pawing at a small vat of popcorn in the middle of a low glass table. To their right, a young man sits in a chair facing me, hands poised over a laptop. His black button-down shirt and Levi's, close-cropped hair, and requisite phone device covering his left ear say: office assistant. \n \"Dead meat,\" calls one of the girls, indicating the cowering woman on the screen, and the other two giggle. I note the assistant attentively typing in response. \n Read the rest of the excerpt here: \n http://www.laweekly.com/art+books/boo...", "111" ], [ "By Judith Freeman \n One of the many pleasures of Nina Revoyr's quietly powerful new novel, The Age of Dreaming, is the portrayal of its central character, an aging Japanese silent-film star named Jun Nakayama. The novel is set in 1964, and Jun is living in a small apartment in West Hollywood, forgotten and ignored, a dignified and elderly man whose neighbors have no idea he was once a major Hollywood star with an understated acting style that would later influence the likes of Montgomery Clift and Marlon Brando. It's been more than 40 years since Jun made his last picture in 1922, and the question that hangs over the novel is, Why did Jun give up such a successful career only to live out his life in obscurity? \n It's a question that Revoyr takes 300 pages to answer, slowly and artfully leaking out bits of Jun's remarkable past by moving back and forth in time. In the process, she turns The Age of Dreaming into a murder mystery, as she did her last novel, the critically acclaimed Southland, which focused on South-Central L.A. and the intersection of black and Japanese culture, depicting the particularly brutal murders of several young black men that occurred during the Watts riots. \n Read the rest of Judith Freeman's review at LA Weekly: \n http://www.laweekly.com/art+books/boo...", "48" ], [ "Stealing Sherman Alexie \n Identity issues keep Native author tossing and turning \n By Sherman Alexie \n Last night, I dreamed about me. I was showering, getting ready to do a reading at Elliott Bay Book Company here in Seattle. I was hurrying, late as usual, but not panicked. In fact, I knew the crowd would wait for me. They'd grow anxious, sure, and maybe a handful of them would leave if I were to be, let's say, half an hour late. But as I washed my hair, I wondered exactly how long the crowd would wait for me to show. \n A few years ago, I took a train to Eugene, Oregon, to do a reading, but the train was delayed. I was 90 minutes late to the reading, but in the meantime, while I was sweating it out on the train, stopped at some switch, the crowd stayed. In fact, some of the audience members stood and read from my books. They decided to read for me until I could arrive to read for myself. Nobody left. That's what the bookstore employee told me when I finally did arrive. \n \"Nobody left,\" she said. \"I can't believe it. Nobody left.\" \n She was breathless, amazed, maybe aroused. She was very attractive. I wondered if she'd have sex with me simply based on the fact that nobody in the audience had left. As I shamble through my literary life, I often meet women who'd have sex with me simply based on the fact that I'm good with metaphors. No, that's not quite it. Women find me attractive because a lot of people have decided I'm good with metaphors. There's been a consensus reached on my ability with metaphors. Can a consensus serve as an aphrodisiac? I don't have sex with these strangers, but I do revel in the fact that I could have sex with many of them, dozens of them each and every year. \n Still showering, I was now aroused. I'd sexually excited myself based on thinking about how sexually exciting my fans can find me. How narcissistic is that? But then again, doesn't everybody know that narcissism is an aphrodisiac? I didn't have time to masturbate, so I quickly finished my shower, got dressed and drove to Elliott Bay Book Company. \n Read the rest of Sherman Alexie's article at LA Weekly.", "139" ], [ "BY STACEY KALISH \n In her second novel, Rachel Cline tries to unveil simultaneously the complexities of female friendship and ambition in Hollywood -- familiar territory for the author, who worked as a screenwriter in Los Angeles for almost a decade before writing her lauded first novel, What to Keep. \n Meek, mousy film editor Annabeth Jenson has come to Los Angeles from Minnesota to pursue her passion for films and escape her troubled past. After months of unemployment and a hasty move-in with her angsty boyfriend, she meets magnetic indie-film director Laura Katz. The two spark an improbable friendship that leads to collaboration on Katz's second feature, Trouble Doll, a film about an aspiring actress from the Midwest who comes to Hollywood and ultimately ends up an anonymous corpse. \n Read the rest of the review at LA Weekly's website: \n http://www.laweekly.com/art+books/boo... \n and see our updated list of readings in LA at \n http://www.laweekly.com/index.php?opt...", "85" ], [ "LA Weekly's cover story this week is on Laura Albert, the woman behind the author JT Leroy. We hope you enjoy it. \n http://www.laweekly.com/art+books/boo... \n From Nancy Rommelmann's story: \n \"JT's stories made no sense. Sometimes he was Thor's father; sometimes Thor belonged to a woman named Emily, who was threatening to take the boy away. I read a Michael Musto column that claimed Speedie was a transsexual; I looked through the e-mailed photos -- she did have awfully big feet. I was fairly sure the honeyed JT voice on the phone did not belong to the kid I'd met at the party, but I enjoyed the instant intimacy, and the access, however vicarious, to this white-hot corner of the literary world.\"", "177" ], [ "By Holly Myers, LA Weekly \n Like most exhilarating works of copious bloodshed, Toby Barlow's debut novel, Sharp Teeth, begins on a quiet note: with a solitary, mild-mannered figure named Anthony Silvo, flipping through want ads at his East L.A. breakfast table. After several fruitless phone calls, he happens upon a position with the city's animal-control department, which triggers the memory of a puppy he received as a child from a bullishly built but warm-hearted father. It is the only clue we are given to Anthony's background or the roots of his melancholic resignation. A week after the puppy's arrival, he recalls, his father went through a windshield on Sepulveda, his mother became a widow, and the puppy was returned to the pound. \n \"And after that,\" Barlow writes, \"nothing was kind.\" This is not, indeed, a gentle world. The city, for one thing, is teeming with werewolves. They come into focus gradually as the scope of the book expands: a pack in Silver Lake, one in Long Beach, one in San Pedro. Feuds are igniting between rivals; hierarchies are falling to violent coups d'etat; onetime dog traffickers are winding up dead or maimed, and the only cop who cares is little match for the surfer-chick pack leader who's taken to stringing him along. One pack has infiltrated the city's shelter system; another, for convoluted reasons, the Pasadena bridge club. Throw in a heavyweight Mexican meth manufacturer named Goyo, out to avenge the death of his brother, an unsavory band of pound co-workers, and a love affair with a woman who, of course, also happens to be a werewolf -- though Anthony doesn't discover this until later -- and you have a very messy state of affairs for an already ambivalent dogcatcher. \n Click here to read the rest of Holly Myers' review.", "137" ], [ "Hammer Presents readings by Anais Nin - Feb. 12 \n By Rena Kosnett \n Anais Nin would have been 105 this year, and if all the hype is anywhere near accurate, she probably would still be fucking. Every time I overhear or participate in discussions involving Nin, the conversation inevitably turns smutty. Granted, she did submit herself as a cultural galvanizer of female sexual liberation at a time in Europe when there was very little female-authored erotica available; but I've always believed that those diary entries concerning coital relations between her and her father were at best a metaphor inspired by her studies of Freudian psychology, and at most a pretty lucrative insurance policy for keeping her legacy eternally sensationalized. Rumors gold or pyrite, Nin was a powerful and courageous literary figure who happened to make many younger friends during her aging years in Silver Lake. \n Read the rest of Kosnett's pick at LA Weekly's website. \n Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood; Tues., Feb. 12, 7 p.m. (310) 443-7000.", "4" ], [ "\"Dangerous David\" on the wonderful complexities and conundrums of our evolutionary selves \n By NATHAN IHARA \n Barash's line of inquiry, like Richard Dawkins' or Steven Pinker's, does result in bracing and unsettling ideas. Through the lens of evolutionary psychology, we are forced to face our ancient self, that bestial creature that knows nothing of atomic bombs or jihad, marriage or MySpace, but still haunts our body, fuels our emotions and rules our lives -- our genetic identity. For this single-minded creature, monogamy is a myth, free will is doubtful, and so-called altruism is merely a misguided attempt to protect people who might be carrying our genes. (Since humans once lived in small, closely related packs, protecting others made genetic sense.) In a recent article for The Chronicle of Higher Education, Barash wrote about how electrocuted rats develop ulcers and swollen adrenal glands unless they are allowed to fight other \"innocent\" rats. In short: Random acts of violence are never actually random; we are merely obeying a million-year-old code of behavior, a code of displaced aggression that Barash finds in The Iliad, in Sweeney Todd and in our current war in Iraq. Barash's latest book, Natural Selections, published by Bellevue Literary Press (a small press run out of the oldest public hospital in the United States, Bellevue in Manhattan), seeks to follow the concepts of evolutionary psychology and sociobiology to their logical conclusions. \"Many people claim to accept the tenets of evolution,\" he says, \"but few actually look at where these premises lead.\" \n I talked with Barash by phone about his book, his science and his philosophy: \n L.A. WEEKLY: In Natural Selections, you suggest that our genes are almost like host-manipulating parasites (such as the lancet liver fluke that induces infected ants to cling to blades of grass until they are eaten by sheep -- the fluke's preferred host). \n DAVID P. BARASH: It's a challenge to our self-esteem to consider that we are porous to the outside, not to mention invaded on the inside by pathogens and parasites, and even by our \"own\" genes, which get us to behave in ways that serve their interests rather than our own -- whatever \"us\" and \"we\" and \"our\" might be. \n To what ends do you think culture should be willing to go to battle the more disturbing aspects of our genetic makeup? If we could genetically isolate the gene for violence, would you be in favor of altering it? Likewise, do you see the burgeoning market for neuro-pharmaceuticals as a way in which science might be addressing the regressive behaviors of our animal selves? \n I'm skeptical about genetically modifying our seemingly \"normal\" behavior. It's part of what makes human beings human. But I'd be not only willing, but downright eager, to impose upon any particularly dangerous inclinations of world leaders with their fingers on \"the button.\" If I could modify George W. Bush to make him smarter, wiser, more curious, less doctrinaire, more open to alternative views, and generally less thoughtless, selfish and destructive, I'd do it in a heartbeat! \n Read the rest of Ihara's interview with Barash on LA Weekly's website: www.laweekly.com/art+books/", "123" ], [ "By Marc Weingarten \n If Lydia Millet played by the normal rules of social satire, she might have been as large as T.C. Boyle by now. But whereas most satirists are looking for laughs much of the time, regardless of how sharp their knives might be, Millet is more the whimsical polemicist. Her novels are fanciful and surreal; rather than gently nudging everyday life into the realm of fluffy absurdity, she's trying to knock reality upside the head, thus revealing our venal and craven natures to ourselves. \n Consider her last book, Oh Pure and Radiant Heart (2005), in which the fathers of nuclear fusion -- Robert Oppenheimer, Edward Szilard and Enrico Fermi -- rise from the dead and are dragooned by the book's bored librarian protagonist into seeing the damage they've wrought with their nuclear dreams. What follows is a bizarre missionary campaign of sorts for global comity that becomes a lively smack-down between reason and faith, science and God. It's a novel of ideas presented in the appealing guise of a warped picaresque. \n Millet's empathetic and angry new book, How the Dead Dream, takes up many of the themes from Oh Pure and Radiant Heart, exposing as it does the moral rot of America's go-go capitalism. The book's protagonist, T., is a man given to poetic rapture over the restorative properties of enormous wealth. This is no Gordon Gecko wannabe, a venal bounty hunter looking for the big score. Rather, T.'s relationship to money verges on the religiously devout; he feels a deep kinship to his filthy lucre. \"As there was only one intelligence residing in a self, as trees grew upward toward the sun... In the lurch and flux, in all the variation and the same, it was only money that could set a person free.\" \n Read the rest of the L.A. Weekly review here.", "139" ], [ "By Jim Ruland \n Samantha Hunt's second book is a portmanteau of a novel. It's a love story. A father-daughter tale. A historical comedy of manners. A counterfactual autobiography of one of the world's greatest inventors. With time machines. \n Hunt's skillful yet slippery narrative arcs back and forth across time from the middle of the 19th century to the winter of 1943. Louisa Dewell, a chambermaid at the New Yorker Hotel, discovers that the hotel is the permanent home of Nikola Tesla, the godfather of electricity, whose inventions helped usher in the wireless age. \n Read the rest of Jim Ruland's review in L.A. Weekly here.", "177" ], [ "William Vollmann will be reading from his latest - and signing - at Book Soup in West Hollywood on Feb 6 at 7 pm. \n Book Soup, 8818 Sunset Blvd., L.A.; Wed., Feb. 6, 7 p.m. (310) 659-3110. \n William Vollmann's adventurous streak turns to freight-jumping in his new book, his energetic writing as infectious as his output is daunting. Riding Towards Everywhere is a quick sweetheart of a book full of optimism in man's ability to be good without the hope of a reward, even among those possessing nothing more than a sleeping bag and an idea of where the next northbound is headed. For Vollmann, nearing 50 and with bad eyesight, a broken pelvis and a loss of balance from a series of small strokes, the feeling of sneaking onto a boxcar as it leaves a yard for who knows where is worth the discomfort and the danger. \n Continue reading from LA Weekly here \n .", "90" ] ]

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[ [ "Le Chevalier D'eon \n =information= \n Publishers: Kodansha- Delray \n years published: 2005-2007 \n story and art by: Tou Ubukata and Kiriko Yumeji \n My thoughts: \n the artwork though not accurate to 18th-century french attire was superb and very well done, same goes with the story which was very well thought out except what I don't seem to understand is why they call the main character's sister Lia De Beaumont the Chevalier sphinx in the manga when in the anime which is based off, of the manga they just call her either D'eon's sister or they call her by her name. not to mention they even changed quite a few things around adding and subtracting characters, I mean in the manga it's just D'eon, robin and their cat Nell and Lia whereas in the anime they have D'eon, Lia, robin and two of the musketeers, in fact the plot with those characters play's more on the musketeers theme then the original story which does not make any sense to me? but setting that part aside both stories are very, very good. \n Synopsis: Enter D'eon De Beaumont an Agent of Le secret du roi, who is charged by his majesty Louis XIV, to find the mysterious cult known as Palms, and gain information on why they are sacrificing beautiful young virgin women, just like D'eon elder sister Lia De Beaumont was sacrificed. to a demonic force that has promised them the kingdom of France by bringing about a revolution in exchange for the blood of their victims, and in order to find out who killed his sister, D'eon must invoke her spirit and defeat the evil poets who threaten the kingdom of France and to find the mastermind behind the infamous cult. \n interesting information: \n D'eon De Beaumont was, in fact, real \n he was a french spy, and just like in the story a member of Le secret du Roi, who also had a penchant for being the best swordsman in France, and he was also famous for being a well know cross dresser as well which came in handy when he successfully infiltrated the court of Empress Elizabeth of Russia, by presenting himself as a woman for about 33 years, which thereby basically living as a woman for a good part of his life. He also often claimed however to others that he was born as a woman and raised as a man which sparked the rumour on what his actual gender was, he even went so far as trying to convince the french government to legally recognize him as a woman, to which king Louis XIV consented as long as D'eon continued to dress like a woman. \n it was only after D'eon's death at postmortem that his gender was in fact revealed to be male. \n (the history information was found on the internet and various books on the subject)", "175" ], [ "Translucent vol 1 \n Information: \n Publisher: Dark horse Manga \n Year published: 2005-2007 \n story and art by: Kazuhiro Okamoto \n My thoughts: Okay, my thoughts about this manga, is that it is very well done and is a very good coming of age story. \n I also get the feeling that the creator wanted to make the reader feel, when they were reading the story the same way that some children feel when they are going through a phase in their life feeling invisible like they are not being heard, which also explains that some find it as a curse where others might find it as a blessing and so on. but unfortunately when I read this story, I never really got that feeling. not to mention it reminds me of a few other stories that I have read as well. \n Art, however, Best I can say, and it shames me to say this because I normally don't like commenting on others artwork like this, but the artwork was not very well done, I mean while reading the story the artwork on the characters was pretty distracting I mean I did not exactly know if this was directed at 12-year-olds or younger than that. I mean to be extremely seriously honest it looks as though they left the story at the manuscript sketching stages which did not make it at all look professional in my opinion, but though I will admit that I have seen worse, \n all in all, I think the concept of the story was very good but again just in my opinion it was poorly planned out, hopefully, the others will turn out better \n Synopsis; the story is about Eighth grader Shizuka Shiroyama, who is an introvert, dealing with school woes, bossy peers and a medical condition known to everyone as Translucent Syndrome which causes her to periodically turn semi-transparent or completely invisible. Though one of her classmates. the hyperactive Mamoru Tadami is falling in love with her despite her problem and has dogged determination and unconditional support to bring hope into Shizuka's life, as she struggles to overcome her difficulties, as her illness becomes a metaphor in the ordinary lives of her classmates and friends, as they try to work their way through life and relationships.", "54" ], [ "Black Lagoon Vol 1 Information: \n Publisher: \n shogakugan and viz media \n Year published: \n 2003-2008 \n story and art by: \n Rei Hiroe \n My thoughts: \n Black lagoon, is one series whether it be the manga or anime, that I would recommend to anyone. \n but since I am doing a review for the manga I would have to say that the art and the action of the book are very well crisp and detailed, which is something that I could picture seeing as a live-action. \n as for the story I will admit it started out slightly bland at first but as I read on, I started to get even more interested. \n Synopsis: \n The story starts out with Rokuro Okajima who is just an average Japanese salaryman, living a normal life. but all that changes when his company asks him to deliver a disk to another of his companies branch, Wherein the midst of delivering the package to the destination, the ship he was on is high jacked by a rouge courier group named, Black lagoon traders, who were contracted by Balalaika of hotel Moscow, leader of the Russian Mafia. \n While leaving the boat, one of the lagoon traders takes Rokuro as a potential hostage in order to get more money since they were only getting paid twenty grand for the job they were already on. which after stopping off in Roanapur for a break, they later find out from Balalaika that she would like to change the drop off point, and taking Rokuro as a hostage was a waste of time since his company decided to send out a strike team to either retrieve or destroy the disk he was carrying. \n which soon after escaping the strike team's attack, The lagoon traders take Rokuro, now known as Rock back to their ship. while out on the water, now knowing that Rock's company has no intentions of complying to the mafia about the disk, The Lagoon Traders try to contact Rokuro's company to see if they would take him back. which also backfired, as well when the strike team show's up once again. \n trying to escape, rock comes up with an idea to get rid of them once and for all by playing chicken and blowing them to the moon. \n surviving their encounter, the traders make it to the new drop-off point where they meet both Balalaika and one of the executives from Rock's company who actually invites him back to the company. where in turn Rock refuses and ends up joining the Lagoon trader's \n Anyway, in the second half of the manga they introduce Roberta the mercenary maid to the Lovelace family who is in search for her young master who was kidnapped by the drug cartel and handed over to the lagoon traders to be transported elsewhere. \n and in order to find out what happens next I suggest you go out and by a copy of the book Or read it online.", "54" ], [ "Le portrait du petite Cossette vol 1 \n Information: \n Publishers: \n kodansha , Tokyopop \n Page count: \n 168 pages (not excluding advertisements) \n Year published: \n 2004-2006 \n My thoughts: \n the artwork is very well done. The story is also very fast paced which does not take you very long to read, and the only pet peeve I would have to say is that the story is considerably short. It leaves a slight cliff hanger at the end of volume two that makes me want to continue when that is unfortunately where it ends, other than that it is a good story and I would recommend it to anyone who is into ghost story/ drama related stories. \n the synopsis of the story: \n When Eiri Kurahashi, an art student who works part-time in an antique shop, comes across a portrait of a girl named Cossette on sale in the store, her spirit appears in front of him, asking him to save her. Afterward becoming obsessed with her he finds out like all of the other antiques in the store even her own portrait has a gruesome tragic story attached to it: with all of the portraits previous owners being murdered in one bizarre way or another.", "104" ], [ "first off.. \n my thoughts on the book: art work is as per-usual very good, the story is very catchy, which I know to some people that's completely irrelevant, but usually when I am sitting here reading a manga it takes me not long to read, where as with this series so far its taken me half an hour. \n synopsis of the story: \n Ryousuke Akiba or Shuro, or ES (Eternal Sabbath) is a human who was genetically created in a hygenic's lab in order to study eternal youth. \n Ryousuke will live to be at least two decades old, possessing strange mental powers, entering peoples minds, discovering their deepest darkest secrets, and ever rearrange a persons memories for survival instincts, getting people to act as though he were a friend or a family member, as he wanders the streets of Tokyo for reasons unknown only to him, \n no one recognizes him until he meets a woman researcher Dr. Mine Kujyou, a \n determined researcher who challenges everything she knows about science.", "54" ], [ "GhostTalker Day Dream \n Sasaki Misaki,is your garden variety girl, working hard holding down two jobs to make a living, which is fairly normal,considering that she also moonlites as a necromancer, for her father's agency called The Tokyo Metropolitan Quality Of Life Section, and if that isn't odd enough for you she's also an albino and a virgin. \n thoughts on book: the work is very stunning, stories great, but do to the vulgarity I would not recommend it to anyone under the ages of sixteen", "54" ], [ "Your body their business \n The Kurosagi corpse deliver service is a small business, that pertains to the dead and their last request, whether it be conveying their last messages to a loved one or seeking revenge from beyond the grave, as long as it's for a price.", "159" ], [ "deadman wonderland is one of the most interesting manga that I have had the pleasure of reading so far. \n this story is about Ganta igurashi a 14 year old boy who has had a run in with a being he called the red man. Who attacks him and his classmates which leaves Ganta as the sole survivor in the end, who tells them that he knows who the killer is but ends up falsely accused himself of doing the deed. Which lands him in a fully run maximum prison called dead man wonderland which was also open to the public as a carnavel tourist attraction. \n in this volume \n Ganta is thrown into the prison's hold, after being caught he refused to give up the whereabouts or the reason for his friends from the scar chain gang escaping, a week passes, and he is released and sent back to his cell. still reeling from the death of his friend and scar chain leader Nagi,(or in this case Owl.) as he leaves. Mean while Tamaki(the prison's promoter) devises a sick twisted plan by announcing to the world that the dead men exist, while the prisoner health examination was going on, which make's the warden Makina suspicious wondering what Tamaki has up his sleeve by announcing to the world of the dead men and the carnaval of corpse's, so she devises her own little plan. \n mean while we return to Ganta who is now sitting in his cell with shiro who is sitting there trying to cheer him up but to no avail, that is until she seeks help from other dead men. while that is going on Ganta meets up with senji(i.e crow) and expresses his fears only to have senji turn around and give him some harsh cold hearted advice. Which I'm guessing doesn't quiet exactly sink in to his head at the moment?. \n then cutting to another area of the prison( the infirmary) where a new character prisoner 3733 Azami Mido is getting a check up, and a booster shot for some unknown reason. then afterwards she gets called to Warden Makina's office where she let's her in on her plans, and tells her about G ward and that she was the next test subject in a unknown experiment then hands her over a tracking device. \n then we cut to later that night where Ganta wakes up slightly in pain and decides to get up and take a walk out of his cell, while taking a walk out in the hall he notice's a light on in the kitchen and see's Shiro baking trying to make him a snack that would ultimately cheer him up. \n as he stood there watching her he worries about Shiro and then remembers what senji said to him hours earlier then quietly goes back to bed \n the next morning he then wakes up with Shiro sleeping on the floor beside the snacks she made and they both end up eating the snacks together. \n then down in the cafeteria one of the other prisoners complains about his arm being itchy where he got the booster shot, and at the same time we cut back to the infirmary where the doctor is looking at one of the syringes with a small partial of unknown substances in it. \n then a month later Tamaki is talking to one of his colleagues who is explaining that he can only do so much to keep their superior's quiet about the fact that Tamaki revealed to the world of the dead men's existence and then he asks Tamaki what is so funny and Tamaki tells him that he would find out at the next press conference they were having afterwards Makina finds out that G ward is open and the deadmen are out side. \n while outside Ganta be friends Azami which is soon lived because she ends up going back to the infirmary and vanishing which worries Ganta then later on Shiro and Ganta train with Senji which btw this is where Shiro also finds out that she to is a dead man but no one notice's while watching another of Tamaki's sick idea over the T.V screen where he tell's the world once again about the dead men and how they fight every night in what they call the carnavel of corpse then after that he introduce's the existence of the fake Dead men known to everyone as The Ninben. \n after the showing we return back to the infirmary to see the ninben sitting in a chair shivering and the doctor walks up and removes their mask revealing Azami... \n ((this is an update slightly condensed so it might look a bit weird might come back and fix it again one day))", "54" ], [ "honestly I have read both Dante's divine comedy:inferno both in English and it's original format Italian. \n and from the general gist of what I have gotten, Dante's inferno is the first part of his 14th century poem about Dante's journey through hell to save his beloved Beatrice, now in most versions. It is Virgil a roman poet who guides Dante through hell, and in others it is Beatrice who guides him because in life Virgil was a pagan and according to religious believes at that time Pagan's were not allowed to enter paradise. \n now just an add on here if no one was ever told this but it is said that this story is about Dante's love for a woman named Beatrice Portinari who he met when he was nine years old and instantly fell in love with her and remand so even up until the day she died three years after her marriage to another man in June 1290 and most likely up until Dante;s own death in 1321 of September. \n now with the second paragraph that I have written here there is no hard core proof that the story is exactly based on an actual event in Dante Alighieri's life so if you wish to study this hypothesis further then by all means though you will find this guess/fact around the internet and in some books on the subject", "168" ], [ "The green mile is one of the saddest Stephen king books that I have ever read and in my opinion deserves a five star rating, now I know that I'm suppose to write a lengthy review about this book in this little box here but the thing is this book is the type of book that you would have to read you're self in order to understand how really good it truly is and the best I can possibly explain is that this book talks about how everyone walks their own green mile when the time comes for them to go...", "193" ], [ "Love hina is one of my favorite Manga titles its got a little of this and that in it and is really enjoyable to read in my opinion it is one of the best Manga that Ken Akamatsu has created.", "54" ], [ "** spoiler alert ** \n in this installment of black lagoon the story of the Romanian assassins Hansel and Gretel comes to a close as they make a break from the Italian branch of the mafia they say their good byes and head off in different directions one going after balalaika the other into hiding both thinking that they will meet there goal and keep on living together forever. \n but to quote a certain song no one lives forever and they both die one at the hands of balalaika herself and the other by a man that was suppose to help them escape. \n as for the last part of the book the black lagoon traders are hired by Mr Chang of the Chinese triads to deliver documents,and in while doing so rock gets captured and thrown into questioning by some terrorists and as usual revy and a shenua come to rescue him", "132" ], [ "It is one Manga that I would recommend to anyone especially if they are into the Anime as well. \n As for what I think the action is very fast paced, Art of the book is very well done its crisp and detailed something that I could picture seeing as a live action. \n As for the story, I will admit it started out slightly bland at first but as I read further into it I started to get interested. \n Synopsis: The lagoon traders are contracted by a mysterious client, for a retrieval job ( a painting ) on a long forgotten German U boat. \n while retrieving the painting, Revy and Rock have a very interesting conversation about how life generally sucks, which also sag-ways into a bit ,more about Revy's past. \n while they are talking and gathering not only the painting but some Nazi memorabilia as well, some Neo-Nazi's who were also hired by a mysterious client come looking for the painting as well basically to re-kindle their Aryan cause, which ended in a shoot out between the Lagoon Traders as they tried to swipe the painting off of them in the U boat at the bottom of the ocean. \n Which the Lagoon Traders ultimately ended up loosing the painting to the Neo-Nazi's, later the Lagoon Traders sneak onto the skin heads boat to retrieve the painting off them, by killing everyone on board their ship, and as they did so they end up finding out that the Mysterious client that hired them for the retrieval job, had also hired the skin heads as well. \n After the retrieval job Revy and Rock get sent on another assignment, visiting people, picking up somethings, start some fights.. mostly verble. \n Anyway as they continue their errands, they eventually end up visiting the HQ of Hotel Moscow, where Balalaika (the leader of Hotel Moscow), asks the Lagoon Traders as she is going over some\"Erotic tapes\" to go in her place and \n she asks them while going over some \"erotic tapes\" to go in her place and find out what they know about some unusual drug trafficking, which in turn leads them to the Rip Off Church where they manage to link the drug trafficking to the church, by black mailing them into getting what they want and needed out of them(for instants:\"Guns..\"). \n Then in the last part of the book. \n Their is a big problem in Roanapur, people in each of the mob faction's are dropping like files, and Balalaika is getting really pissed off since two of her men turned up dead and mutilated, she issues a bounty on the ones responsible. Only to discover that it was two little Romanian kids by the name of Hansel and Gretel that were responsible and they were contracted to kill her.", "182" ], [ "My Thoughts: Honestly when I started reading this book at the beginning, I thought it was a bit boring, and that's technically saying a lot about Mr Gaiman's work since his stuff to me is never boring, \n But even though I will admit it was a bit boring at the beginning, as you read on it starts to get really interesting and just basically sucks you into the story, \n Synopsis: \n When Richard Mayhew, a regular office worker a soon to be married man, runs into a young woman named Door, who claimed to be from a place called London below, who prior to meeting him was on the run from a bunch of thugs who killed her family for some Unknown reasons. \n though on the day that Richard and Door meet, she is practically unconscious on the street covered in her own blood, which concerns Richard greatly and prompts him to help her but when he does, he has no idea what he is getting himself into. \n Due to the fact that after he does help her, his engagement gets called off, and the thugs Mr. croup and Mr. Vandamar show up at his door step looking for door, which lands him on their next list of targets, not to mention he gets basically hooked into helping door once more in locating a friend known as the Marquis de Carabass, to double as her body guard for her. \n And as Richard procures what she asks for, she then breaks even more bad news to him afterwards that because he helped her, no one in his daily life would remember that he ever existed, even if he tries to talk to them they would not remember it five minutes later, heck the next day his landlord even tries to rent his apartment out while Richard is still living in it, plus losing his cushy office job in the process. \n anyway I would continue this review but then that means I would be ruining the book so if you want to find out about the rest just read Neverwhere:)", "32" ], [ "Coraline \n My thoughts, The book was stunning and in my opinion way better then the movie, not to mention the illustrations were very well done and might I add slightly creepy, which I found very interesting. \n As for what the book is about. \n It is about a young girl named Coraline Jones who's moved into this big Adams like family house, to where after awhile she finds a mysterious door in the drawing room, of the house. \n when she opens it the first time, on the other side its all bricked up. but when she opens it a second time that day how ever, instead of the wall being bricked up, this time it was a portal to another world, entering. she comes face to face with her other mother and father that she thought would replace the ones in her old boring life, that is until she finds out that everything is not at all as she seems when she finds out that her other mother was non other then a witch called the beldam. Who had every intentions of keeping her there in that tiny little world forever, but Coraline manages to out wit the beldam and escape with her parents and the three dead children that came before her. \n [spoiler] \n [/spoiler]", "14" ] ]

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[ [ "So i just finished the book some days ago, i know! Don't give me that look!! Well i was told that the book is too girly bla bla bla, by people who didn't even read the book, because they were told the same thing, but i decided to read the book anyway, and i came to realize i was wrong, so... \n to the person who started this thing: \n Screw you!! \n sincerely, Mounim \n anyways... \n the story is so fucking simple, it's a about two teenagers with cancer, who .............. found....... love in a hopeless place .........aaaaaand ...ammm..... well, that's all!! :) \n but not really! As you see.. as someone who knew how the book is going to end [this is the kind of taxes you pay when you have friends like mine (-_- !) ] but kept reading anyway, and as a not-a-big-fan of drama type of people; saying this book is a page-turner, is something i never thought i would say about a Drama book, the moment you'll find yourself familiar with characters, you won't be able to put the book down!! \n What's so good about the book is that it delivers you all this pain, teenage drama and cancer suffering with a sense of humor which i found so ironically amazing. \n So why i am not giving the book 5 stars?? \n because i think it would be better if the story was told from two POVs, Hazel's and Gus', especially that Gus has a unique personality, and i really wanted to see this world from his perspective. \n Why again?? Because i didn't like the way he was announced dead, let me put you in the picture, \n You just finished a lovely chapter and you're so happy about it, you turn the page to read: \n \"Augustus Walters died eight days after ....\" \n I am Sorry??!!!!!!!! Like, Seriously!!! \n Dude, you could prepare us emotionally!! \n I know what you're thinking right now, \"that's life!! People die just like that....with no introductions\" \n Yeah yeaah yeaaah, but............. \n screw you! You know what i mean! \n And the last reason why i am not giving it 5 stars is because I really really r-e-a-l-l-y wanted to know if the Dutch man is a con man or not. i am not joking! If only Gus wrote her a sequel of an Imperial Affliction! That would be amazing! \n but it's Okay, after all \"the world is not a wish granting factory\"", "31" ], [ "What i like about the book is that it is so descriptive, which will make you live and imagine things as if you are one of the gladers. I like the new characters too, especially Brenda and George. \n But i don't know, there's something about the book that i didn't like, maybe because the concept of the maze is gone, which was the first and the main thing that attracted me to this series. \n Another thing is that the book doesn't answer the unanswered questions of the first book, i was hoping to know more about WICKED, i was hoping to know more about the life of Thomas and Teresa before the events of the Maze runner when they were a part of WICKED, i mean even the main question \"why the gladers are doing what they're doing?\" no one knows, they're just doing it because WICKED asked them to do so, and promised them to get a cure. \n To me, this book doesn't add too much to the story, so yeah i like the first book more than this one. \n i watched the movie right after finishing the book, and trust me when i tell you that the movie adaptation is not an adaptation, it is more like a new story!! \n I thought i was gonna like \"yeah, yeah..yeah i know what's next\" but no they changed the story completely, COMPLETELY!! From the first scene of the movie till the last. \n Throughout the entire movie, i was like \"this wasn't on the book!!\" on the other side my brother was like \"you have just said that..............15 times!!\" \n I would honestly say that the movie is more like a retelling than an adaptation, which was weird but good, the scorch trials the Movie doesn't contain any trials!!! Which is the main thing in the book, idk why they name it \"scorch trials\"!! \n i don't know, to me the beginning of the movie was better than the beginning of the book, but the way the book ended was better than the end of the movie. \n One more thing to say, in the movie, even the epilogue was different which only means one thing, the next movie will also be different to the next book! Because they will start from something that wasn't there in the book! \n Excited? YES!", "84" ], [ "This one was a nice break from YA drama dystopian non-sense for a while, what i can say about the book is that sometimes it was so funny, but other times it was so boring. So yeah it was Okay! \n For those who are planning to read the book thinking that it is a memoir, Kunal tells you in the first paragraph that \"This is not a memoir. I'm not a president, or an astronaut, ....... or a Kardashian\" \n \"This is a collection of stories from my life.\" \n I never knew that Kunal is a Buddhist, had a Muslim friend, an Israeli friend and lived a westernized adulthood!! \n The book will teach you so many things about Indian culture and life, what i liked most about the book is that many things were so reliable, yet sometimes i felt like he was exaggerating, but overall it was reliable. \n Just to give you an example: \n \"in our school we had to actually present our work in front of the entire student body, \n In theory, the rest of the students would listen to the presentation, admire the hard work, and ask insightful follow-up questions to further our understanding. \n In reality, we used this as an opportunity to ask questions to screw up the presenter. We took notes, looked for weaknesses, and tried to figure out the trickiest question that would stump them.\" \n I lost it here, I read these lines in 2 AM and started laughing out loud like an idiot, i don't know about you guys in the other parts of the world, but this was the case when we had presentations too, (and i am not an Indian) \n Anyways, if you are a fan of the big bang theory and want to know more about the real Raj, you will like this book, but don't expect to laugh though out the entire book, there are funny moments, but there are also sad moments, life lessons and i-lived-that-too moments", "192" ], [ "When I read dystopian stories i expect the story to be dark and ........ well, you know... dystopian !! \n But this one was a bit different, yes it was dark but many moments were funny as hell \n The story is about the alien invasion that we all knew it would happen someday (ok not all of us.... Yeah, i don't care about what you think; this is my review....anyways) \n Characters: \n Cassie \"Not Cassie for Cassandra. Or Cassie for Cassidy. Cassie for Cassiopeia, the constellation.\" Cassie is the main character, she's 16, she's very confident, funny and ....................blond (of course it's important, i like blondes :) ) \n Ben parish is her high school crush \n And this is Evan, \"Who are you, Evan? If that's EVAN your name.....Even your name.\" \n Evan is ........ a spoiler, that's what he is and i don't want to spoil anything so :/ , go read the book if you want to know who he is. \n Even though Cassie knows that \"the others\" are wining anyway and the humans have no chance, she refuses to give up, she refuses to break the promise that she made to her brother \"i am coming to find you, i promise\", but what are her chances when \"the others\" know exactly how humans think, when they are always a step ahead and can brainwash humans? \n Cassie has 2 rules to stay alive: \n ********************************************* \n The first rule: Trust no one. \n The second rule: The only way to stay alive as long as possible is to stay alone as long as possible. \n ********************************************* \n But what will happen when she meets Evan, or when she meets Ben parish, can she stop living by her code \"trust no one, and stay alone\". \n Me: what about when someone saves your life or tells you a secret, can you trust him??? \n Cassie -I can trust him. \"Unless he's playing me, getting me to lower my guard--and my weapon ----------------- Which means I can't trust him\" \n Me: Good point Cassie! but what are you going to do? \n Cassie: Anyone can be one of the others, sometimes i think i am the last human being on Earth. \n \"I might be--no, I probably am. But if I'm it, the last of my kind, the last page of human history, like hell I'm going to let the story end this way\"", "175" ], [ "i can't express how much i enjoyed this sampler, these are the first 70 pages of the 5th wave, it was sooo fast to read and gave me an idea of what to expect from the book, and i can honestly say that \"the 5th wave\" wasn't what i thought it would be (in a positive way) \n i will definitely read the whole book", "99" ], [ "ok, so the book is in Arabic, but i am not used to write reviews in Arabic, so deal with it. \n i don't usually read non-fiction but this one was good, i would recommend the book to college students, graduated students or those who are thinking about taking the next step in their job career ,the book takes you on a step by step basis on how to become a Hero from a Zero. \n Full of energy, hope and Positivity \n Full of How-Tos and inspirational quotes \n and beautifully written in a simple and friendly language.", "174" ], [ "life before legend is a prequel to the legend trilogy, since it is a short novella i don't have many things to say about it, generally if you like the triology and want to know more about Day and June, these short stories will tell you a little bit about their lives before any of the main events happen, and will tell you about their younger versions", "166" ], [ "Welcome to a world of colors, a world where Red and Silver are not just two other colors, \n Welcome to a Game of betrayal a game where \"anyone can betray anyone\" \n \"This is a game I don't understand, a game I don't know how to play\" \n So far this is the best book i read this year!! It was full of twists, if you like WTF moments when you don't know what's happening, this is your book! Because this was my face every 10 mins! \n This is the next pretty little liars, except that they're not little................or pretty! \n In a world where it doesn't matter if your blood is O, A, B or AB, what matters is, is your blood red or silver? if it's silver that means you have a special ability like controlling fire, water, earth elements, , wind, reading minds or even controlling them, but If it's red then welcome to club of workers and soldiers........or thieves! \n Mare is a PROFESSIONAL THIEF ( i don't even know if these two words can be together in the same sentence! ..Anyways) Mare is one of the Reds, those who have a red blood, those who have no special ability, at least that's what she thought! Reds are at the bottom of the hierarchy of the society, they are forced to be soldiers and go to the war. \n She hated the silvers for that, she hated that they think that they are Gods, even Mare thinks that they are Gods, Gods who \"have come down from the stars. And they are no longer kind\" \n *********************************************** \n Anyways later something happens and Mare is going to be forced to marry the prince, in a fairy tale that's a dream come true, the poor beautiful girl marries a prince, THE prince. \n \"But this isn't a fairy tale, or even a dream. This is a nightmare. I'm being locked away for the rest of my life, forced into being someone else. Into being one of them. A puppet. A show to keep people happy, quiet, and trampled\" \n \"This isn't a request\" ....\"You will go through with this, and you will do it properly.\" \n I loved the characters, each one of them is special in its own way, even the villains!! Yes, i hated the villains but loved how they are described, and the main character Mare is just so reliable, i loved her, \n I love you Mare, your name starts with \"M\", my name starts with \"M\". you have a special ability, i have a special ability, i can read books and ignore people ........AT THE SAME TIME!! \n Even my blood is red, i am a red too, WHAT A COINCIDENCE!! This is fate, we are meant for each other! \n Ok if you didn't read the book yet, you might want to go away Because spoilers are coming!! \n Ok let's talk about the similarities between this book and the hunger games \n 1- Arena: \n Hunger games: \"The 24 tributes will be imprisoned in a vast outdoor arena.\" \n Red Queen: \"Now they're separated from the rest of us by thick glass, trapped together in a miniature version of a battle arena.\" \n 2-Face of revolution: \n Hunger Games: \"..........you're the mockingjay, Katniss,\" says Plutarch. \"While you live, the revolution lives.\" \n Red Queen: \n \"I think you'll do quite nicely.\" \n My voice trembles, dreading what she might say. \"As what?\" \n \"The face of our glorious revolution,\" \n 3- conscription \n Hunger Games: \"The reaping system is unfair, with the poor getting the worst of it. You become eligible for the reaping the day you turn twelve\"..... \"The reaping is a good opportunity for the Capitol to keep tabs on the population\" \n Red Queen: \"My eighteenth birthday is coming, and with it, conscription. I'm not apprenticed, I don't have a job, so I'm going to be sent to the war like all the other idle ones\" \n 4-Forced to fake love: \n Hunger Games: remember how Katniss was forced to fake love with Peeta in catching fire by President Snow??? \"Hey, Peeta, remember how I told you I was kind of faking being in love with you? Well, I really need you to forget about that now and act extra in love with me or the president might kill Gale\" \n Red Queen: the same thing happens in Red Queen when Mare was forced to marry Maven and pretend that she's okay with it \n \"You will marry my son Maven and you'll do it without putting a toe out of line.\" \n 5- expressions: \n Even some expressions were familiar and while i was reading the book, i was like \"oh, i think i saw this in the hunger games\" but one line was so familiar. \n Hunger games: \n President snow to Katniss \"Oh my dear Miss Everdeen, make no mistake,\" \n Red Queen: \n Julian to Mare: \"Make no mistake, my girl,\" he finally breathes. \n 6-Being a pawn: \n Hunger Games: if there's anything that katniss hated more than president Snow and the Capitol, it would be \"being a pawn is someone's hand\" (president Snow, game makers, president coin...etc) \n Red Queen: this is what happened to Mare too, at the end when she discovered that she was just a pawn in Maven and Elara's hands \n Julian to Mare: \"You are playing the game as someone's pawn.\" \n All in ALL, IF YOU LOVE THE HUNGER GAMES, YOU WILL LOVE RED QUEEN \n *********************************************** \n Speaking of being a pawn in someone's hand, that ending was not expected at all, and i usually see things coming! For example i knew that shade is still alive, I KNEW IT! \n But i never expected that Maven would betray Mare, or as she said he didn't betray her, \"he never was on her side\" and i didn't see that coming, FOR THOSE WHO SAY I KNEW IT ALL ALONG, ARE YOU SILVERS WITH SEEING THE FUTURE ABILITY OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT!!! Because the writing was perfect and he never did something suspicious. \n I can't believe that that this is the first book written by Victoria Aveyard, i will definitely read the next books in the series.", "175" ], [ "Champion takes place a year after what happened in prodigy, and just like the first two books, this one was told from 2 POVs, June's and Day's, i think it would be better if Marie told the story from Anden's point of view too, especially when he's the one facing the pressure of the war, i would love to know how he sees things, how he plans and feels. \n Let's talk a little bit about minor characters first, i liked the new \"Tess\" she grown up so fast, she is more mature, you can sense her maturity in her words, and at the end when you know that she got a job in a hospital, ahhh i'm proud of you! \n Thomas!! OH GOD!!!!!!!! It turns out that Thomas is gay , that was unexpected at all!!!! When you discover that he loved Metias still he kills him anyway!!! He even has a justification for it!!! Thomas explains that he killed him because he knew that if he didn't kill him, captain Jameson will kill him anyway, give him a slow death and make him suffer before dying, so he explains that killed him to give him a fast death, he kills him because he loves him!!! \n I know right!!!! \n Anden, \"I realize that the Republic's current Elector is this young Anden Stavropoulos fellow. \"But come on, both you and I know who really runs your country. And that's you (Day)\" \n yeah!! Anden has no personality here, he's just waiting for Day and June to do everything!! \n ***************************************** \n Ok let's switch to Day and June and that breathe taking ending: \n Spoilers are coming / llhm ny qd blGt hhhh \n Ok at the end Day loses his memory and forgets everything about the past year which means he forgets everything related to June, 10 years later they met each other on June's birthday, he approaches and asked her if he knows her from somewhere, then introduces himself \n \"Hi,\" he says. \"I'm Daniel.\" \n \"Hi,\" I reply. \"I'm June.\" \n Do you know that this is so clever because if you still remember in \"Prodigy\" they wished and wondered what if they met under normal circumstances, under circumstances when they can introduce themselves and go on date normally like any normal couple. \n FROM PRODIGY: \n Day: You know, sometimes I wonder what things would be like if I just . . . met you one day. Like normal people do. If I just walked by you on some street one sunny morning and thought you were cute, stopped, shook your hand, and said, 'Hi, I'm Daniel.' \n June: I close my eyes at such a sweet thought. How freeing that would be. How easy. \"If only,\" I whisper \n So yeah Marie decided to give them what they wish for in a very beautiful way :) \n *********************************************** \n But there's also another reason. \n \"Day is sitting at the living room table with his head in his hands. Even though it's too dark inside for me to make out his features, I can hear him crying. His silhouette trembles with grief, and his anguish is etched into every single crumpled, devastated muscle of his body. The sound is so foreign that it tears at my heart; I've seen Day cry, but I'm not used to it. I don't know whether I ever will be. When I reach up to my face, I realize that tears are running down my cheeks too. \n I did this to him . . . and because he loves me, he can never really escape it. He'll remember the fate of his family every time he sees me, even if he loves me, especially if he loves me.\" \n The other reason why this ending was so good of Marie to think of is that making Day lose his memory is the only way he can forget that June is the one responsible for his family's death (in one way or another), but Day still remembers that he met June somewhere which is also ...good \n But i just never liked an open ending, and i am just like \"ok now what?!!\" what about if there was another chapter of \"another 10 years later\" that tells about their happily ever after \n \"I close my eyes at such a sweet thought. How freeing that would be. How easy. \"If only,\" I whisper\"", "84" ], [ "Ahhhggg drama, drama, drama \n The book is about a girl that does all the b*tchy things and asks herself all the time, does this make me a b*tch??? oh let me think about it. \n You had kissed a guy that disrespected you but i guess that wasn't enough cuz you decided to have sex with him more than one time and tell him that you still hate him bla bla bla ..., you lied to your best friends over and over, you lost your virginity at 14, well................... if that doesn't make you a b*tch i don't what will. \n to be honest i think the book is over rated, i saw many reviews that say the characters are reliable, i just don't get it, so \"having sex with a person you hate and losing your virginity at 14\" is reliable???? WTF!! \n i want to read it because i heard a lot about it, but i was disappointed, i didn't feel the characters at all and that end was sooooooooooooooo expected from the first chapter, to be honest if i was a parent i would not be proud of Bianca, i would not even let my (future) children read this book, it makes teenagers think that having sex over and over and over with a person that disrespected you look as the most natural thing in the world, and yeah there are a lot of \"F\" words, a LOT.", "31" ], [ "OK, so here's what i think, when it comes to humor i prefer audio over paper or ebooks, something about the tone or the voice of the comedian that makes the joke more funny, what makes this book even better is that each chapter is independent which means you can skip chapters that you don't like or even put it down for few days and continue reading it without any problem. \n the book is a collection of essays about Amy's life written in a humorous way, i love the humor in this book, but what i love more is how Amy Poehler makes fun of herself and be ok with it. \n my favourite part of the book is when she talks about the demon, the demon is your fu*king inner voice that tells you \"you're a loser\", she described it as if she knows the demon lives inside my head. and my worst part or parts is that when i was waiting for a loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong time to hear another gag. \n i saw that some people didn't like the book, \n it think because they chose to read it rather than listening to it, to be honest, i tried to read it too and it wasn't that........ funny, i don't know i guess jokes are meant to be heard not read, so if you didn't read it yet, pick the audio version.", "27" ], [ "So i immediately started reading this book after finishing the first installment in the same series because i really liked the previous one, this one was good too, i like the twists in the story and how the author change the direction of things every now and then which kept me reading for hours without being bored, i also like how she went deeper into the characters especially Kaede, i remember i hated her in the previous book but here i understand why she's so bi*chy. \n So here's what i didn't like, the first book ended in a tragic way so i was hoping that this one will have a better ending but Marie Lu was like : NOPE! \n So listen to me \n i still have faith in you and that's why i am going to read the last book, but i swear if it ends in a sad tragic way just like the first two books i will look for you in the entire planet and when i find you i will.....................i will.... \n Well until then i'll think about something", "7" ], [ "I always rate books depending on how much they were enjoyable , so I gave this book 5 stars because i enjoyed the book very much, not because of it was perfectly written, so why it was enjoyable ?? \n Well.... It's young-adult, dystopian, there's action, rebellion, suspense and big-brother (you're being watched by society) pretty much everything i look for in a book, the only 2 problems i can think of are: \n 1-The main 2 characters (Day and June) have almost the same personality (although they came from 2 opposite backgrounds) \n 2-the end was not enough pleasing at least not what i was hoping for as if it was telling me \"i have to save something for Book 2 Prodigy \n *************************** \n Characters: \n Day: \n 15 Years old, republics most wanted for a list of crimes. \n June: \n 15 Years old, the republics prodigy that was hired to hunt down Day. \n Thomas: \n 20 Years old, republic's' solider and .... Well when it comes to Thomas, Taylor knows best \n this is all i think of right now :)", "35" ], [ "mockingjay! finally! i delayed watching the movie for a long time cuz i wanted to read the book first. \n the book is perfectly written i mean we're talking about suzanne collins right! so i am not going to talk about the writing style but i am going to talk about the story itself , the story was good and unputdownable but that ending ahhhhgggg \n WHYYYYYYYYYYY???????????????????? \n i felt like suzanne killed prim just to have a reason to blame it on Gale to break the love triangle and put katniss and Peeta together , but she could do that in many other ways, ok i felt sorry for the death of prim but what was more annoying is that Katniss ended up with peta just because she had to, not because she wanted to.", "84" ], [ "you think you won the hunger games?? But \n i think i said \"MAKE NO MISTAKE\" and what did you do, you became the face of the rebellion!!! \n So, \"On the seventy-fifth anniversary, as a reminder to the rebels that even the strongest among them cannot overcome the power of the Capitol, the male and female tributes will be reaped from their existing pool of victors.\" \n What does it mean? Existing pool of victors? \n Then I get it, what it means. At least, for me. District 12 only has three existing victors to choose from. Two male. One female ... \n I am going back into the arena!!!! \n AGAIN!!! \n YES AGAIN!! \n Catching fire starts Six months after the 74th hunger games, since Katniss won the last hunger games by challenging the capitol, and since \"the 75th hunger games\" is a quarter quell and the capitol change the rules every quarter quell, president Snow took this opportunity and put them back into the arena to take his revenge, and to teach the other districts and the rebels that \"even the strongest among them cannot overcome the power of the Capitol.\"", "42" ], [ "\"GLITCHES\" \n is telling the story of Cinder, Cinder is a cyborg girl (half human, half robot), she doesn't remember anything about her past except that her parents died in an accident and she was lucky enough to survive and to be saved by scientists who replaced her damaged body with cyborg parts. \n Basically this story is explaining how Cinder was adopted by Linth family and how she was left alone to face the cruelty of Adri (her stepmother) and pearl (her step sister).", "159" ], [ "\"Mirror Mirror on the wall who's the CRAZIEST of them all?\" \n That's Levana ta ta ta \n 3/5 stars because i was expecting a better closure \n Why do you need to read this book? The book tells you : \n *why Levana is so....Levean, i mean why she's the way she is. \n *How she became the Queen. \n *How she became the step-mother of \"Winter\" \n *And what happened to Channery and Selene. \n After reading the book i discovered that i feel sorry for \"Levana\" as much as i hate her, the writing style is so amazing, i mean how can Marissa make you feel sorry for someone that you hate!! \n \"Fairest\" also will make you hate \"Channery\" more than any other character in the series, tell you that Levana CAN love as much as she can hate, how she fell in love with \"Evret\", what does love mean to Levana and why she wanted to marry Kai \n the book also contains the 3 first chapters of \"winter\", so go read it", "7" ], [ "I feel lucky that i read the book in this time because \"winter\" is coming in days and i can't wait, i mean i don't have to wait. So.... My main thoughts about the book are: \n You probably noticed that there are so many people saying that \"Cress\" is the best book in the series so far, you know why??? because IT IS. \n You can notice how Cinder changed through the journey as she became more confident, more strong and she knows what she's doing (almost), There is a little bit of everything, there's action, romance, tragedy, suspense and humor, i mean everything you can wish for, many secrets are revealed too, and guess who's starting a rebellion :)", "76" ], [ "NO spoilers \n i can't even stand writing a review for this book, the reason i picked up this book is because i liked the first book of the same serie Matched , and wanted to read this book for so long and now i did, i am so disappointed with Ally Condie , there is no action at all (okay a few.. just to be fair) but the entire book is about flashbacks \n \"I remember the way i felt that time when.........\" \"then i remembered.......\" \"I remember that moment at........\" \" this reminds me of...........\" \"...which reminds me of that time when........\" \n What that....? \n i am serious, the whole book is like that, it was a struggle to finish this book.", "151" ], [ "I started reading this one right after finishing the first book in the same series Cinder i just couldn't wait to know more. \n Just like the first book was a retelling of Cinderella, this one is a retelling of red riding hood but at the same time Marissa Meyer continues telling the unfinished story of Cinder, therefore the story is told from two points of view. \n So just like the original classic tale, Scarlet is going to her grandmother or in fact looking for her, then she meets the supposed \"wolf\" that decides to help her find her grandmother, the question is can she trust Wolf? \n This book is amazing full of suspense, sci-fiction, romance and action so go pick it up", "76" ], [ "Is it a retelling? Big NOOO \n I can honestly say that the book didn't reach even the half of my expectations, i was expecting a dark adaptation of the Classic Alice in wonderland. \n however, aside from her name \"Alice\" and the reference of the white rabbit, it turns out that Alice in zombiland has NOTTHING to do with Lewis Carroll's classic \n So, i convinced myself to forget about this and go with it. Was i right? Big NOOO \n The only thing i liked about the book is the Cover, i think that's why they say: don't judge a book by its cover.", "55" ], [ "It is a story of an African prince and his beloved wife Imoinda, who are captured by the British and brought to Surinam as slaves. \n Because of Oroonoko's high social status as a former prince, superior education, and spectacular physical appearance, Oroonoko is never sent to work. He was asking for his freedom over and over while they feed him with lies, Oroonoko realizes he will never be free... \n I don't want to say more, all i can say is that i had mixed feeling for the book and the character since he was selling slaves himself before ending up a slave", "14" ], [ "what is so attracting about the book is that the author Sylvia Plath has committed suicide just like her main character was trying to do by many ways in the book (The Bell Jar). \n this main character Esther Greenwood was brilliant and successful, but had many reasons to feel like crap, even when she doesn't have a reason she makes one hhhh, this novel is a very depressing material, however it becomes more hopeful by the end of it. i have mixed feeling about this one and i have to say that the book only become famous after the author took her life, so sad she didn't live to see her success (or not cuz some people say that the book is over rated and if she didn't die her book will not receive the same success)", "21" ], [ "an other retelling of \"One Thousand and One Nights (arabian nights)\", that means a lot of short stories in one book, that means i can't wait for it. ;) i hope it includes \n \"sinbad\" \n \"Aladdin\" \n and \"Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves\"", "152" ], [ "\"And they all lived happily ever after\" that's all i am asking for in a fairy tale adaptation, and Marissa Meyer knows better than to ruin a classic fairy tale for her fans. \n My rating: \n \" The young princess was as beautiful as daylight. She was more beautiful even than the queen herself\" , everybody loves Winter (the supposed Snow white) and Levana hated her for that, she believes that she deserves people to love her and only her, she believes that she worked and planed so hard therefore she deserves that throne, this idea blinded her and made her brain justify every evil thing she did and plan to do if this thing means that she will keep \"her\" throne, therefore she felt like \"the fool\" Winter that everyone admires is a threat to her throne, so just like the classic tale she will try to kill her. \n and fail miserably :) .................................... why am i talking to a fictional character!! Anyways \n On the other side we have Cinder, Cinder (the supposed Cinderella) will try to convince the Lunars to defend themselves, to speak up and start a rebellion against Levana, will she success ? Even if she does, will they win over the evil queen??? \n Pick the book and find out yourself. \n *************************************** \n So here's what i didn't like, i felt like Marissa Meyer is being sooooooooooo nice, like over-nice, she wanted to give everyone a happy ending, even the evil ones \n You get a happy ending.................. You get a happy ending................ EVERYONE GETS A HAPPY ENDING \n Well, Levana didn't get a happy ending, but Adri and pearl??. \n Adri and pearl never paid for all the horrible things they made Cinder go through, and now they will become rich from selling the copy right/idea of Garan's device which makes people immune against lunar manipulation! \n It would be okay if they were sorry for what they did, if they apologized, but NO they never regretted doing the evil things they did. So NO they don't deserve what they got, they deserve to suffer \"sadly ever after\" for everything they did. \n Evil and proud :)", "7" ], [ "The series centers around a Yagami Layto who discovers a notebook that allows him to kill anyone by writing the victim's name on it. \n I liked the concept so much, very original, the manga was adapted to a serie and gained a huge popularity, however Death Note \"[turned] Japan's most-popular print medium into an internationally controversial topic that has parents wondering whether they should prohibit their kids from reading manga entirely.\" \n It might be offensive to some people specially religious people, because of that Death Note was banned in many countries", "54" ], [ "unexpected at all, \n i was was waiting for a happy ending. i loved every bit of the trilogy but the last two chapters were \"unexpected\". but it's still a good Book for \"PEOPLE WHO LIKE SHOCKING ENDINGS\"", "22" ], [ "Okay,I really liked the concept of the book, what i didn't like that much are those chapters of \"let's make it longer\". chapters with no action full with descriptions and romance. \n the book reminded me of Jojo's song \"Safe With Me\", it feels like Cassia sings about Xander \n the song Says: \n \"He doesn't know that I'm kissing another man while he's missing me. \n He wouldn't see any difference cause my secret is safe with me. \n I know I shouldn't keep anything from him, but I'm hiding away because I love him. \n I lock the door and throw away the key. \n and it's safe with me. \n He's a good man, he's a good friend. \n He would never do what I be doing. \n Don't deserve him, don't wanna hurt him. \n But if I tell him, he'll leave.\" \n Listen from here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKb6T...", "31" ], [ "Updated : \n I remember reading this book a week before my final exam, i mean when students are supposed to be preparing for exams, i was busy reading divergent, but i got good grades anyway (cuz i cheated in the test) \n No, just kidding :) \n The book: \n Divergent tells the story of a society divided to 5 factions, each faction is known for a certain thing: \n Factions: \n Abnegation: selflessness \n Dauntless: bravery \n Erudite: intelligence \n Candor: honesty/justice \n Amity: peace \n When the members of the society turn 16 years old, they are supposed to choose a faction that defines them best, and you have to leave you family and the faction you were born in if you chose another faction, as the book says: \n \"Faction before blood\" \n but what if ONE faction can't define you, what if you are selfless, smart, brave, honest and peaceful at the same time??? \n Then you are a divergent dear friend, and being one comes with a price, DEATH!! \n The Movie: \n The movie was soooo fast, i have to say that i watched the movie before reading the book and i didn't understand few things, i was like \"why they're doing that\" so i decided to read the book. \n After reading the book i must say that the book was better. There were few things in the book that that were not the same in the movie like the death of The first Dauntless initiate who jumps off the train, and that was a very important thing because it's the first thing that tells you \"hey, dauntless is not a joke\" \n The other thing is that in the book Edward gets stabbed in the eye which is a very important thing, because it describes the character of Peter and the real jerk he is. I mean he's still a jerk in the movie but if you read the book you will hate him more. \n And the last thing is that the directors decided to exclude the character of Uriah which will become a very important character later. But overall the adaptation was good in its own way.", "72" ] ]

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[ [ "Without sensationalizing, Stout describes the 4% of our society that is sociopathic, giving key characteristics, common modes of behavior, and how to recognize these charming and successful people. They are utterly without conscience: no shame, no guilt, no remorse, so they are free to do anything at all. Their main motivation is winning, whether that manifests in their individual personality as making it to the a position of power in an organization, or manipulating others to take care of them so they can coast through life. A common technique of engaging people of conscience is appealing to our sympathy, getting people to pity them in some way, to \"understand\" and forgive their behavior. Chilling and fascinating. We should educate our children about sociopaths, and how to protect themselves from them, as we all come across them throughout our lives -- roughly one out of 25 people we meet.", "26" ], [ "I really identified with a lot of what was in this book, esp. in the first half. It starts off during the sixties or seventies, the protagonist is in college, and the way people bahaved and related to each other just took me back. At one point she says that if a friend of a friend of your cousin's ex-boyfriend was traveling through, you'd put him up in your place for as long as he cared to stay and he'd eat your food, and no one would think anything of it. Ah, those were the days! The book is very funny, not great literature but a fun romp and so insightful re: how some of us think/feel/behave (or did).", "28" ], [ "Much of this is pretty academic, but I'm starting to skim those parts and get to the parts I can digest more easily. We are largely governed by our genes, is the basic message.", "49" ], [ "Not sure what all the fuss is about with this book. It didn't grab me the way some people said it did them. I found the girl to be a little annoying and the basic plot just not engaging enough to be a riveting page-turner for me. Had to force myself to finish it, hoping that the last quarter would be where the good part was.", "151" ], [ "A little repetitive, belabors the points a bit, but really drives home the fact that Americans have been conditioned to eat unhealthy food and we are addicted to it. Food that is sold in chain restaurants (esp.) and packaged food in supermarkets is cleverly designed for maximum appeal to the appetite for fat, salt and sugar, and the more of it we eat the more we want. Food manufacturers carefully engineer this \"food\", layering the deadly 3 for maximum effect. Bottom line, as in all reasonable books and articles these days, is, as Michael Pollan says, \"eat [real:] food, not too much, mostly plants.\"", "114" ], [ "Although I question the recall of events from her earliest childhood, this memoir of a piteously dysfunctional couple and their neglected but much loved children makes you wonder how some people not only survive but go on to great success.", "30" ], [ "Intelligently written, completely engaging story of a nice guy psychotherapist who marries a tough/sweet attorney/single mom. He moves to her home in Scarsdale and practices from the therapy cottage she has built in the back yard for him, then he discovers she is not quite the person with not quite the past she claims. I am enjoying this book immensely.", "39" ], [ "I thought I would like this book much more than I actually do. I am listening to it on CD in my car, the reader is very good. I see a lot of similarities between this book and Middlesex, which I also listened to on CD in my car and I LOVED Middlesex. I'm nearly at the end of the book, but find I must persuade myself to listen to it instead of my usual NPR station. Just not that connected to the characters.", "27" ], [ "Adored this book, glad it was he and not I walking the Appalachian Trail. Humorous, interesting info about the Forest Service and other nefarious government agencies, gorgeous description of wilderness areas I'll never experience first hand. Saw Bryson tonight (4-14-2009) at the Granada Theatre -- he's funny and self-deprecating and very well-spoken.", "79" ], [ "I am loving this book! It reminds me a bit of Kingsley Amis's writing. Academic couple getting involved with the local yokels, torturous self-doubt and silent scheming while maintaining aloof, intellectual attitude. Very funny and a bit complex (discussion of iconology or 17th century Netherlandish art vs iconography of same only adds to the delightfully fraught atmosphere). Excellent writing reflects the scheming mind of the main character who simultaneously is engaging in a swindle and fancies himself fair and a good citizen, only trying to carry off this deception for the general good and incidentally making himself somewhat rich and famous. \n Good fun with some laborious passages of Dutch art and political history.", "179" ], [ "Really interesting but not terribly well written . I listened to book on CD - not good a good reader, either, but subject (man who lost his sight at age 4 in an accident regains it in a short surgical operation in his forties) is so compelling and unique, you just hang in there. All true, too.", "58" ], [ "Five stars might seem excessive, but I don't know how one could have written a better, more comprehensive, better-researched or more enjoyable treatment of the subject of how dead bodies are dealt with. I laughed, I dropped my jaw, I made plans. \n Dec. 2008: my book club chose this so I'm rereading/skimming. Still hilarious and amazing.", "35" ], [ "Gorgeously written, sensitive, I cannot believe this book, written from the point of view of a Japanese woman in the early 20th c. was written by a New York Jewish man in the last years of that century. A genius.", "104" ], [ "I really liked this book, and loved getting into the head of this older Norweigian widower who had a youth of events and emotions that were not spoken about or reconciled. The mood was set beautifully by rather spare description.", "28" ], [ "I thought this was a marvelous book, and very thought-provoking, although I didn't finish it. One key point about \"books you've read\" is that there is a whole gamut of degrees of having read a book: from \"I've never heard of that book\" through to \"I have read it several times, and studied it closely.\" In between are \"I've recently read it completely,\" \"I read it thirty years ago and barely remember it,\" \"I skimmed through it last year,\" \"I read the NY Times review of it,\" \"I read the first half,\" \"I read the Cliffs Notes,\" \"I saw the movie,\" \"I listened to the abridged book on tape,\" etc. etc. \n So, when someone says they've read a book or they are familiar with it, what do they mean? One day I'd like to go back and finish reading it, though it is rather tongue-in-cheek, there are some valid and valuable points made. And, as a reference librarian, I could really use some pointers on talking about books I haven't read!", "87" ], [ "Listened to this on CD mostly in the car. Did not like Hope Davis's voice for this story, and I don't know if it is the annoying voice or the annoying style that annoyed me more. Some of my colleagues read it (on paper) and liked or loved the book. I didn't even listen to the very end. I wanted to liek the book. My book club didn't care for it either.", "27" ], [ "I listened to this on CD, mostly while driving, and really enjoyed having the story told to me. It might have gotten too long and wordy if I'd been devoting all those hours to just reading it. I did not mind the lack of plot, I rather liked getting a little window on a rather ordinary life, especially as the main character is my age (mid fifties). I found I related to many of his feelings and fears.", "0" ] ]

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[ [ "Martin Ott's complex protagonist Norman Kross holds the mirror up to all those who combine raw talent, earned skills, and significant personality flaws. Along the way to learning deeper truths about himself, Kross must first best an enemy with a sinister mastery of misdirection and perception, an enemy that threatens what Kross holds most dear. I read this book in one sitting, for good reason.", "182" ], [ "FABLES: WEREWOLVES OF THE HEARTLAND takes place after the fall of Fabletown, as Biggby Wolf seeks a new home for his fellow Fables. Once again both protagonist and apex predator, Biggby contends in this tale with the secrets and restrictive codes of Nazi Germany and small-town America, tackling old and new foes with the imagination, intelligence, and wit we've come to expect from Bill Willingham and Co. My one criticism is that the artwork sometimes left it hard to distinguish one werewolf character from another. Then again, there were a lot of werewolves to keep straight.", "121" ], [ "This slim volume accessibly introduces readers to the basic tenets of Catholic Christianity, specifically the seven sacraments (e.g., baptism, communion). I think this would be a very helpful book for anyone who has more curiosity about theology than time in which to pursue his or her interest. The book's small dimensions (sixty-four 4\" x 6\" pages) make it easy to take with one and read in spare moments.", "190" ] ]

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[ [ "I read this for my boyfriend who absolutely loved it. I wish I could have related to him in that aspect but I just couldn't. It's probably just my taste, but I'd rather read something else.", "120" ], [ "** spoiler alert ** \n This book was so easy and fun to read. I couldn't put it down each time I picked it up! I love this series and will continue. :) \n SPOILER: \n *The ending is the best part.*", "46" ], [ "** spoiler alert ** \n This book was like nothing I have ever read. The love interests and pace of this book kept me on my toes and made me stay up late every night I read it. I never have devoured a book so easily, especially a book like this. The action and whittiness never stops -- that's the best part about this book.", "46" ], [ "This book began a self discovery of aspergers in me. \n \"Aspergirls\" by Rudy Simone is a book about aspergers, specifically in women. The book includes chapters soley based off topics that are \"symptoms\" of women aspies. \n While I enjoyed this book, there are a couple things that I needed fixing. To me, I feel like a lot of this book showed the negative aspects of aspergers. It felt like Simone was always trying to put the girls down for being an aspie. It's nothing that we can change, and I hope that people know this. \n Thats all for now.", "57" ], [ "** spoiler alert ** \n Lets talk about this book with !!!SPOILERS!!! \n Now, do not get me wrong. I love poetry but this was not anything other than a story created to look like a poem in stanzas. I am so upset that this is so-called \"poetry\" but there was nothing really poetic about it. The black pages were the most \"poetic\" thing about it and they still didn't live up to what I expect. \n Now, talking about the story. All the characters had their own problems and it's easy to say that all of the 600+ pages in this book was complaining about pathetic teenager problems that no one cares about. Topic such as HIV, teen pregnancy, and underage drug usage should not be taken lightly as they were in this book. \n Was I impressed? No. Did I enjoy it? Yes but only at certain points.", "151" ], [ "1st rating: 5/5 \n 2nd rating: 2/5 \n I came back a year after reading this and being much more grown about the topics in the book. Of course, I will learn to become more of a woman through my life but this is not it. The beginning has a couple strong poems that stick out to me after reading it a second time. I originally had tabbed every poem I liked and it came out to about 15-16 of them. Now after rereading it, I have about 5 that are incredibly strong. \n This book jumps around from trying to be a strong woman and then goes back to only having validation from men and if they touch you. I do not enjoy the way it goes back and forth so much. The formatting is not the best and this honestly, doesn't deserve to be a bestseller...", "91" ], [ "I finished this and I just want to say, I didn't really care for this book but the epilogue is what made me like it. **SPOILER** Knowing that her journal helped her stay alive and after she got rid of it, she died was absolutely heart wrenching. Its crazy knowing that writing your thoughts out can help so much, is such a beautiful thing.", "101" ], [ "i read this book, and at many times i cried. i ended up picking it up in fifth grade, while reading another one of jerry's book. i reread this book a couple summers after and fell in love with it. i will always want to reread it. its such a simple but thoughtful book. i can't wait to get time to read the next one.", "87" ] ]

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[ [ "Superb arguments from Amir Aczel, a mathematician and science writer. His point: science have limitations, it cannot possibly know what happened before Big Bang. Thus, it simply cannot disprove nor prove the existence of God. It's forever to remain outside the reach of science, or mathematics.", "49" ], [ "I always looked past this book on the library shelf, just because it didn't look interesting and fancy, no photos, no colored illustrations, etc. And then I borrowed the Mary Thomas's Book of Knitting Patterns, it was a really great book, and so I realized that I really have to read this one too. An amazing knitting reference, that tiny little book. \n Never...never judge a book by its cover, or by its unfancy appearance.", "80" ], [ "There are many books about knitting patterns, and I always chose the ones with good, colored photos, just so it's easier to visualize the end result of the pattern. For that reason, I never thought of borrowing this book, because it's an old book with no photos, only black and white illustration. \n But then I tried to borrow it a couple of days ago, just curious. Oh, I wish I read this one a long time ago. It really opened my eyes about what I thought I knew about knitting. No photos, but all is clearly explained. It helped me understand so much about knitting structure. \n I think I'll buy this book. I've got to find it on eBay.", "83" ], [ "hmmm...I don't know what to think of this book, really. \n At first I didn't like it. I didn't like long sentences with lots of commas in the narration. It's like driving on a bumpy road. \n But I liked Franny, Zooey and all the Glass family. I liked the conversation between them. And of all, I liked the image of Seymour. Oh...and I liked the ending. So sweet. \n One quote from Buddy's letter that I really like : \n \"..that all legitimate religious study must lead to unlearning the differences, the illusory differences..\" \n I think that is so true.", "7" ], [ "I've been interested in learning languages since I was little. For me learning new languages is fun, and it has been my quest to master at least 5 different languages. In learning new languages, I believe everyone has their own method on how to learn them, which system is best suited for them etc. One particular method may be suited for some people and makes it easy for them to understand, but not for others. That's why it is not easy to find the \"right\" book if you want to learn new language by self-taught. And this book by Frank Zambrano is my kind of book. I find this book a great source for learning basic Spanish, and the systematical method it used makes it easy to understand [at least for me]. You'll learn how to pronounce the alphabets, tenses, how to conjugate, full of excercises to practice what you've learned in every chapter. It also provides some Spanish idioms, and also Spanish to English and English to Spanish [mini] dictionary. I had only 3 weeks to read this book, because that's how long the library gave me ;P. Still a long way to master it, but I've already got the basic ideas, thanks to this book. \n But this edition has many errors here and there, be that typographical or editing. Nevertheless, I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning Spanish. I don't guarantee you will have the same opinion, but at least it's worth your time. C'mon, let's learn some Espanol!", "83" ], [ "This is my first encounter with Ian Rankin's work. A friend of mine recommended it knowing that I'm a fan of crime and mystery stories, especially Agatha Christie's. My first impression of the book was \"It's a man's book\", from the rough character of Inspector John Rebus and the mean streets of Edinburgh. The main plot is about a cold case, a 5 year-old case of Central Hotel blaze, and how Inspector Rebus putting pieces of informations together to solve the case beginning from one little note in a black book owned by an injured colleague. The first parts of the book contain too many incidents, but after all as Rebus said \"It's one of those week\". But the last parts are gripping and interesting to follow. \n I can see a little resemblance of Inspector Rebus to Hercule Poirot, of how they both solve their cases. And how they managed to surprise us here and there.. \n Personal notes : \n It would be so helpful if I had a Scotland idiom dictionary with me. And the book reminds me of the posting about Edinburgh in Indres' blog, especially about the vegetarians. Reading this novel was like watching the police series Hunter [Fred Dryer]. It's how I pictured Inspector John Rebus.", "182" ] ]

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[ [ "Kameron Hurley does not write pretty stories. But they are pretty darned amazing. \n Her newest work, the space opera The Stars Are Legion, is somewhat easy to summarize: in a system of decaying worldships known as the Legion, a struggle is underway to take control of the hostile world of Mokshi - the only ship to have broken away from the Legion in a failed bid for freedom. Warring families from the other powerful worldships of Katazyrna and Bhavaja strategize, bludgeon, betray and plot for supremacy, but it is only when warrior Zan and her motley collection of companions undergoes an epic journey through the stronghold of an ascendant world in order to save Jayd, the royal sister bartered to the opposition family, that we learn what really is at stake for the Katazyrna, the Bahavaja, and indeed, the entire Legion. \n While that summary is completely true, it also is absolutely misleading. Well, not misleading, but incredibly inadequate for the tale that Ms. Hurley weaves. \n As with Ms. Hurley's other novels - the Bel Dame Apocrypha (God's War, Infidel, Rapture) and the Worldbreaker Saga (The Mirror Empire, Empire Ascendant, and the forthcoming The Broken Heavens) - you cannot divest her stories from the powerful worlds that she creates. It is imperative that one grasp her characters' realms in order to have even a modicum of understanding of the perils they face and the obstacles they must overcome. \n But these worlds which Ms. Hurley builds are not simple, nor are they easy to embrace. The basic framework may be familiar, but the environment, the creatures, the very trappings of her worlds are bizarre and often uncomfortable. (Bioluminescent bugs, anyone? Multi-headed, multi-limbed witches, perhaps? Oozing, fibrous walls? Tentacles and pustules and bloat, and gaseous bodies and leaking flesh?) Plus, the ethos of her worlds, and the cultural attitudes, can run counter to our standard beliefs and comfortable assumptions, but sans any kind of political agenda or moralizing framework against which we might gain purchase. Kameron Hurley is not making any statements in building her worlds as she does, but that these worlds exist is a statement in and of itself. \n For instance, in The Stars Are Legion, there are humans, but no men - this world is made up entirely of woman. Men simply do not exist, not in thought, word or deed. And yet, pregnancy is an expected condition, a part of their physiology that figures prominently in the world and in the novel. And those pregnancies (which can occur on a cycle, be delayed due to \"treatments\", or controlled for political maneuvering) do not always - in fact, do not often - involve birthing children. Not complete ones, anyway. And while this may sound absurd or even off-putting to a reader, it is such a natural and accepted part of this world that one cannot question it (although it's still possible - perhaps even expected - to find it off-putting). \n There is no \"anti-male\" treatise being espoused in The Stars Are Legion. Nor are pregnancies in the novel any kind of statement of female empowerment or judgment on biological issue. There does not need to be. That the story exists is statement enough, for as powerful as Ms. Hurley's worlds are, they merely mirror the dramatic impact of the stories that take place within them. \n It's pretty powerful stuff. And incredible, strange, thought provoking, and entertaining. I resort to superlatives because I can't even begin to adequately describe this book to you, I couldn't do it justice. But I can urge you to read this book, if you feel open to it. \n No, it's not pretty. But yes, it is pretty darned amazing.", "118" ], [ "With Monday's Hugo Award finalists announcement, I thought I'd revisit a book nominated for Best Novel that has not gotten as much buzz as others in that category, but definitely belongs there. \n Ninefox Gambit is military science fiction unlike anything else I've ever read. Mathematics are a vital part of its military strategy; from the formations the battalions enact, to deployment of ships and weaponry, to intelligence gathering. The aim is to keep calendrical integrity intact in the face of threats from heretics bent on overthrowing the hexarchate's hierology. (Merely trying to function outside of the normal calendar is considered heresy.) \n When Captain Cheris Kel of Heron Company employs unconventional (re: heretical) tactics to claim victory over the heretics on Dredge, she is disgraced. But her quick thinking and mathematical acumen bring her to the attention of Hexarch Shuos Mikodez, who advances her as a candidate to lead forces skirmishing trouble in the calendrical currents at the Fortress of Scattered Needles (located uncomfortably near the hexarchate itself). Charis proposes a solution which gains her the assignment, and is paired with the infamous undead tactician Jedao Shuos who is a genius but also quite mad, having massacred his entire army at Hellspin Fortress hundreds of years earlier. \n Through Charis' mathematical prowess and Jedao's experience as a strategist, their Kel fighting force moves against combatants at the Fortress of Scattered Needles, attempting to reverse the effects of the dreaded calendar rot initiated by their heresies. But eventually Charis realizes there's another game in play, one where she doesn't know the rules or even what the endgame might be. \n Confused? I was. But there's confused, and then there's confusing. I found Ninefox Gambit confusing only when I tried to understand every bit of it, not when I sat back and let it unfold. When I just let go, it was glorious. \n It was like me watching a rugby match. I know very little about the game, but enjoy the sheer physicality of it and can tell when something good is happening on the pitch. So it was with Ninefox Gambit. I understood enough to allow the story to build around me; the cohesion of the environment that author Yoon Ha Lee employs allows for the right emotion and focus to build along with the action, so ideas such as calendar rot fell easily into place. \n And Ninefox Gambit is not limited to warfare. We glimpse Cheris' background, making her more than merely a strategizing commander, not to mention the unfolding of the enigma that is Jedao Shuos. There are passages narrated by random soldiers, which humanize the military precision of the campaign without compromising the fighting unit's overriding sense of obedience. And, unexpectedly, there is a series of communications between two high ranking heretics that is both insightful - and hilarious. \n Simply extraordinary. Absolutely deserving a Hugo Award nod.", "199" ], [ "In 1940, a new pulp science-fiction series debuted: Curt Newton - known as Captain Future - was a young, handsome adventurer as well as a brilliant scientist and intrepid inventor. From 1940 to 1951, Captain Future swashbuckled his way across the solar system, solving problems, righting wrongs and vanquishing foes mainly via the talents of veteran Weird Tales writer Edmond Hamilton. \n In 1969, eleven year old Allen Steele came across a paperback featuring Captain Future, and, even though the stories were already outdated scientifically, a lifelong fan was born. Years later, Allen became a prolific science fiction writer, and his award winning 1996 novella (The Death of Captain Future - which actually was about \"the way a fan's devotion can be carried to the extreme\") had him looking to jump start the hero of his childhood. \n Finally in April 2017 we will get the first of what will surely be a series of books chronicling the adventures of Captain Future. \n \"Avengers of the Moon\" introduces readers to Curt Newton as a young man, not yet Captain Future but years past the trauma that came from his parents' murder and subsequent sequestering on a hidden laboratory on the moon. All of the original players are present in this updated story: the robot Grag, android Othos, and the disembodied brain of Professor Simon Wright (known as, intuitively, as the Brain), who are Curt's only companions and helpmeets from infancy to adulthood; Marshal Ezra Gurney of the Interplanetary Police Force (IPF) and the beautiful (of course!) yet efficient (of course!) IPF Intelligence officer Joan Randall; politician and bad guy Victor Corvo, and Captain Future's nemesis Ul Quorn - the Magician of Mars. \n While attending the public dedication of the Straight Wall System Monument, built to protect the moon's mysterious Denebian petroglyphs, Curt learns that one of the leading proponents of the monument, Lunar Republic Senator Victor Corvo, was responsible for the death of his parents. A vow of justice - or is it revenge? - moves the story forward and introduces us to all the major players, but like with most stories that seem straightforward, complications soon arise that not only muddy the ethical waters, but also unveil a far larger conspiracy that should - but not necessarily will - supersede Curt's personal vengeance. \n Author Allen Steele does a good job of balancing a past-era pulp fiction vibe with today's expanded knowledge of science and the solar system. While the story moves at the slick pace of an old school space rodeo, and while for the most part, the characters are pretty stock and trade, the action has plenty of twists and turns and reveals, keeping it fresh and interesting. The futuristic gadgets and deus ex machina, especially those that Curt & Co develop internally, may be somewhat simplistic and overtly convenient, but they fit in far better and more cohesively into our modern sensibilities than notions of little green men from Mars. And the way that all the pieces of the puzzle hold together are far more, well, cognitive than with the original series, without sacrificing the naivete of an earlier time. Mr. Steele indeed has done an admirable job in updating the sensibilities of Captain Future from his laughable 1940s origins. \n The only stumbling block I saw in this newly upgraded version of Captain Future was the continued subligation of women, with only four female characters of any note; men continue to hold positions of power and authority in \"Avengers of the Moon\". Additionally, all four of these female characters are specifically noted as being good looking, with the main two - Joan Randal and Ul Quorn's cohort N'Rala - described as strikingly beautiful. Like, pull-the-attention-of-the-room-when-they-walk-in beautiful. Over and over again. Yes, efficient and smart, but gosh darn, mighty good looking gals - and don't they know how to use it! Sigh. \n However, in fairness to Mr. Steele, to deviate from 1940s gender roles would have merited a seismic departure from his source material. I can accept that he might have been unwilling to bridge this gap in this first \"origin\" novel. I do hope, though, that in any subsequent books, gender and societal \"norms\" will be given a more enlightened treatment. Much was made in \"Avengers of the Moon\" about not judging a robot, an android and an disembodied brain in ignorant, insensitive ways; let's hope the author includes women in that caveat in future volumes.", "199" ], [ "Thursday 1:17 pm is one of those rare finds; a book that is so good that I simply cannot put it down. The premise is fairly simple: what would you do if one day, the world around you - all of it- simply stops, suspended in a single moment of time? \n That's what happens to 17 year old Jacob (known as \"Duck\" to his friends). It's a beautiful Thursday afternoon - the day before Duck's 18th birthday, in fact - and the residents of Washington DC are enjoying a mild, sunny early summer day. But Duck is reeling; his mother had just died that morning, mere months after being diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor. The young man is angry and distracted when he steps into the intersection at Jenifer and Wisconsin Avenue, completely unaware that the light has changed and he is directly in the path of a car trying to beat the yellow light. \n At first, all he registers is that the music he has been listening to on his phone has stopped. Then he realizes that there is a car bumper mere inches away from him, the driver frozen in place with a look of fear, surprise and confusion on his face. Looking around, Duck sees that everyone around him is also suspended in time: the bike messenger waiting at the curb, the young man with the outstretched arm who appears to have been trying to warn Duck of danger; further away, a food truck vendor is handing a taco to a customer, a homeless man sleeps on a park bench, people are waiting for a bus. All completely still. \n As Duck moves through this frozen world, he comes to the realization that it's more than just people: anything with a motor or a battery or that runs on electricity does not work because no currents are flowing, no sparks are igniting; watches and clockes don't move forward, no breezes blow, no water flows. \n So how does a kid - already reeling from personal tragedy - deal with such a bizarre and inexplicable turn of events? With humor. Not wacky, smart alecky humor, but with a defensive, casual humor that helps to stave off panic and despair - at least for a bit. Author Michael Landweber has created in Duck a believable and likeable young hero, a bright but down to earth kid who foregoes the big questions for the personal ones: how am I going to deal with this, how am I going to keep from going crazy... what the heck? \n As he moves from the moment of Thursday 1:17 pm (without being able to keep track of time - even the sun remains suspended in place), Duck fills his \"days\" first with thoughts of survival, of consequence, and then of untethered purpose. Is there a purpose? He seeks out what used to be those anchors in his life: his friends, his father, places that have familiarity to him, trying to find some clue as to why he is the only one unaffected by the stoppage of time, to seek out some reason for being, even though he knows that all he will encounter is stillness. After all, what else is he supposed to do in this motionless landscape? \n Yet, the narrative refuses to linger in the mundane or the maudlin. There is humor, there is freshness, along with the poignancy and the confusion and the frustration. A trip to the mall is both hilarious and touching. Duck's visit to his institutionalized father is emotional and yet not devastating. The memories evoked in his solitary travels are often crystallized, themselves isolated points in time; his actions are both heroic and ridiculous. And eventually Duck comes to realize that there are consequences to his actions, even if he is the only catalyst and the ultimate collateral. \n The writing in Thursday 1:17 pm is affable, even breezy at times, and yet easily slips into tender and even wistful moments, giving them weight without weighing them down. This is a very fast read, and yet one that satisfies both in context and style. I truly, utterly enjoyed this book, and it gave me a lot to ponder, but in a way that was invigorating rather than dismal, despite there being so much isolation in subject and action. I would heartily recommend it to literally every reader, young or old, of any genre or style.", "33" ], [ "Annabelle \"Annie\" Aster is, by choice, a most singular young lady. Or, \"a sincere woman in every particular\" as she wrote of her hopeful self when she was 12 years old, in an attempt to mimic her favorite author, Jane Austen. By the time Annie was \"twentysomething\"- specifically, by May 17, 1995 - she is \"undeniably lovely, a fragile beauty, possessing a face that looked as though it had been lifted from a cameo.\" Still, it has to be mentioned that Annie is, well, a bit strange - but in a totally charming and often disarming way. \n Annie lives on her own in her childhood home at the western edge of the Mission District in urban San Francisco. Her adoptive parents had died two years earlier, and a somewhat eccentric godmother, who had been a huge influence on Annie as a child, was a distant but still beloved memory. Annie loves all things Victorian, often affecting that era in her personal style, bearing and speech. And she adores Victorian clothing. Oh, she has plenty of conventional clothes; it's not like she is completely off her nut, but a visit to a cafe or a walk in the park might have her \"looking like a ghost from anther age.\" \n However, Annie is not a shrinking violet by any means. She is vivacious, direct, self-sufficient and completely fine with the fact that some might find her eccentric. Although life has not been particularly kind to her (besides not knowing either of her parents and losing her adoptive loved ones, she also suffers from a chronic health condition that she hides from others and which keeps her somewhat reclusive), she refuses to give in to despair, or sink into melancholy. \n In fact, her life instead is brim full of lemoncholy, which means unassailable, or, as author Scott Wilbanks defines it: \"The habitual state in which one makes the best of a bad situation.\" \n So when Annie awakens one day to find a beautiful rose garden in her normally normal back yard, full of blossoms of every conceivable hue and form, she is delighted. When she wades through the frothy flowers to the fence around her property, and sees in the distance a solitary cabin beyond a dusty wheat field, she barely is thrown by the fact that there are no cabins nor any dusty wheat fields in urban San Francisco. Nor is she overly concerned by the sign a ways down the road that says, \"Pawnee County, Kansas. Pop. 673,\" or that when she tries to access the cabin, she is magically redeposited somewhat unceremoniously (if not terribly violently) back into her newly established rose garden backyard. \n But while the Kansas cabin seems unavailable to her for whatever reason, what Annie can access is the antique brass letter box perched on the gatepost of her garden fence, which seems to be a line of demarcation between the two properties. Within the brass box she finds a parched-looking envelope containing a somewhat terse handwritten letter from someone who identifies herself as Elsbeth Grundy, demanding an explanation for why a fancy house with an abundant rose garden has appeared in her wheat field, when there never was one there before. The letter is dated May 17, 1895. \n A hundred years in the past. To the day. \n So what does Annie do? Scream? Faint? Throw a fit or decide to ignore all that has been happening? Not Annie! Instead, she pens a delightful and somewhat saucy reply to her new neighbor. And thus begins a rollicking tale full of bending time, multiple mysteries, magic shows, lots of pick-pocketing, and a curious antique door that seems to hold the key to the overlapping of the two worlds. \n \"The Lemoncholy Life of Annie Aster\" is also full of captivating, unforgettable characters. Besides exuberant Annie and cantankerous Elsbeth, we find the likes of a wise-beyond-her-years street urchin in pigtails, known only by the nickname Cap'n; steadfast Christian, Annie's sweet and incredibly shy true blue best friend who just happens to see angels; Edmond, the personable young man possessing all the confidence that Christian seems to lack, yet who harbors a secret that has kept him a loner for many years; and the sinister, up-to-no-good, fearsome businessman, Mr. Culler, and his vicious hatchet man, Danyer. \n To even try to truncate the action of \"The Lemoncholy Life of Annie Aster\" into a succinct, sound byte-ish few sentences would be incredibly foolish, were it even possible (spoilers or no spoilers). Let me just say that author Scott Wilbanks lets no moss grow under the feet of the characters in this, his debut novel - how could he, with two time periods to contend with, multiple mysteries (not all of which are contingent on the space/time bubble thingy), and - oh yes - murder? I forgot to mention murder before, didn't I? Well, there is murder involved, too, or at least an attempt at stopping a murder. \n And as the action unfolds, so do the burgeoning relationships within and across the time/space anomaly. We start to realize that what at first seemed arbitrary instead may have had some kind of binding purpose - but what purpose, and to what end? Trying to keep up with the whys and wherefores of the story as it unfolds is not advised: this is a book where the reader should just sit back and enjoy the ride; and Mr. Wilbanks is a very entertaining driver. (Just make sure you have your seatbelts securing fastened and that you're holding on to your hat with both hands, especially during the final chapters!) \n And even though I admittedly haven't said much about what transpires in \"The Lemoncholy Life of Annie Aster\", two things are certain. That you will not have read anything quite like it ever before. And when you do read it, that you are going to have a heckuva lot of fun along the way.", "139" ], [ "Alan Cumming - actor of stage and screen (both big and small). Most folks probably know him as Eli Gold on television's \"The Good Wife\", or as Nightcrawler in Marvel's X-Men movie franchise, perhaps as the creepily sexual Master of Ceremonies in the Broadway musical Cabaret (in 1993, again in 1998 - for which he won a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical - and in the currently running 2014 revival) or his ground breaking, critically acclaimed one man show of MacBeth. Some folks might remember him as the childlike Glitch in the TV miniseries \"Tin Man\"; others may know him for his outspoken advocacy for gay rights. \n Not me. I'm familiar with Alan Cumming from a slightly different, but no less appreciated angle: the movies Spice World and Josie and the Pussycats. You see, my daughter's name is Josie, and she was eight years old when Josie and the Pussycats was released - just the age to get caught up in the hoopla surrounding the comic book inspired movie (and the merchandising, with her name splashed all over it). She was also just discovering the Spice Girls at that time, with their silliness and catchy music, and their message of Girl Power. In Spice World, Alan Cumming played the role of a hapless documentarian tailing the British girl group; in Josie and the Pussycats, he was the manipulative Mega Records agent who learns that it's better to be true to yourself than be someone you aren't just to impress others (not a bad message for an eight year old girl to absorb). \n So I was very excited - and a little nervous - to receive an advance copy of Alan Cumming's memoir, Not My Father's Son from HarperCollins Publishers (to be released on October 7, 2014). Excited, because I wanted to know about this performer that I had come to admire, more than could be gleaned from late night television interviews and promotional media features. Nervous, because most of the celebrity memoirs I have read to date have been somewhat vain, vacuous fluff, laborious to read and easily forgotten. \n As it turns out, I had nothing to be nervous about. \n Unlike many memoirs, Alan Cumming does not simply walk the reader through a chronological timeline outlining challenges and triumphs. He does not attempt to garner glancing camaraderie by focusing on humble origins, nor attempt to regale us less privileged classes with tales of the great and powerful (and what they wore and ate). \n Instead, he tells us a story; one he knows well, for he lived it. \n The story unfolds in intertwining sections, from childhood, from the recent past, from the present. They are all centered around an event that did come from show business: the filming of an episode of the BBC's television series, \"Who Do You Think You Are?\", where \"celebrities trace their family trees, discovering surprises from their past.\" It was his acceptance as the focus for one of these episodes that not only promised to address a family mystery surrounding his maternal grandfather, but forced a devastating admission from his father: was Alan truly his son? \n For his entire life, Alan Cumming believed himself to be the son of Alex Cumming, head forester of Panmure Estate, a 21 square mile country estate near the east coast of Scotland, containing fifty farms and thousands of woodland acres. His family, which included father Alex, mother Mary Darling and older brother, Tom, lived on the estate. \n We lived in Nursery House, so called because it looked out on a tree nursery where seedlings were hatched and nurtured to replace the trees that were constantly felled and sent back to the sawmill that lay up the yard behind us. My father was in charge of the whole process, from the seeds all the way to the cut lumber, and everything in between, as well as the general upkeep of the grounds. \n It was all very feudal and a bit 'Downton Abbey', minus the abbey, and fifty years later I answered the door to men who referred to my father as \"The Maister.\" There were gamekeepers and big gates and sweeping drives and follies but no lord of the manor, as during the time we lived there the place was owned by, respectively, a family shipping company, a racehorse owner's charitable trust, and then a huge insurance company. \n I didn't know it at the time, but I was living through the end of an era of grand Scottish estates, as now, like Panmure, they have been mostly all dismantled and sold off. Looking back on it, it was a beautiful place to grow up, but at the time all I wanted was to get as far away as possible. \n The reason Alan wanted to get away was because of his father's violent temper. An extremely volatile and brooding man, Alex Cumming seemed trapped in a marriage he did not want, with children that he could barely stand. Virtually every day, any day, for any given reason (such as his son getting up from the dinner table to get a glass of water) would cause his anger to boil over, followed by shouting, insults, slaps. On any day, tasks would be given to young Alan for which he had no training, no guidance, no aptitude, and he would be belittled and abused when he failed. His mother's nurturing and her attempts to deflect her husband's anger could only go so far to insulate Alan from his father's temper. \n Fast forward to the future, after Alan has left home and made a name for himself in the theater, on film, and on television. He still remains close to his mother, but has been estranged from his father for years. Yet even as Alan draws closer to Mary Darling's family through discoveries made with the filming of the \"Who Do You Think You Are?\" segment, his father manages to reach across the years, the miles, and the mutually agreed upon alienation to once again exert control over his son by calling into question Alan's very parentage. \n It's pretty heady stuff, but author Cumming tells the story in a very open, almost wistful way. The memories of his childhood are achingly painful, but not sensationalized; one can hear the voice of the confused, lost boy who still years later is unsure of what he could have done to have made his father happy, to deserve his father's approval. As an adult, Alan's delight and fear - and amazement - in the pulling back of the curtains that shrouded the knowledge of his grandfather is not only touching (and even suspenseful!), but it brings about our own sense of wonder at all the pieces that came together to make us who we are. That this ability to link with the reader is done as part of a memoir rather than literary fiction is a testament to not only Mr. Cumming's skill as a writer, but also at his willingness to be completely open and utterly honest - which is astounding, considering that as a \"person of note\", his privacy is already often manipulated and compromised. \n Yet it is in Cumming's relationship with his father - not only in the years where he was a victim of his father's capricious temper, but also in the years where he struggled to find purchase with his own sense of value and to push back against the lingering effect of his father - that are the most compelling. The emotional blackmail, which continued to the very end, is hard to read, not only because it existed but also because it was so difficult for the author to comes to grips with it, time and time again. Even when the adult Alan seems to make peace with the abuse of his childhood, it reinvests itself from a different direction, meted out by a man who seems hell bent on taking a legacy of mean-spiritedness and spite to the grave. \n Not My Father's Son is a very powerful book, all the more so because it chronicles a real life, not one conjured up in a storyteller's imagination. It contains little redemption, yet it does triumph. Perhaps the greatest triumph is that Alan Cumming found the guts, and the wit, and the vulnerability to tell it. Through all that he has done, all that he has accomplished, he may never have been able to earn his father's admiration, but he certainly has earned mine.", "128" ], [ "Ms. Okorafor builds a very interesting world and tale in \"Who Fears Death\", and it was very consistent with a lot of action and imagination. Unfortunately, I had a hard time relating to any of the characters in the story (my failing, perhaps, but still...) and I felt that the central character, Onyesonwu, suffered quite a bit from what I call the \"uber leet hero\" failing - too often a new ability or new strength emerges just in time to overcome obstacles. In this instance, sorcery provided the vehicle for Onyesonwu's leetness (as opposed to the standard mighty warrior), but the outcome is the same - about halfway through the book I no longer felt any tension or suspense in the action, because I was sure Onyesonwu would come up with a new aspect of her gifts to prevail. \n \"Who Fears Death\" in in many ways a good read, and Ms. Okorafor writes directly and cleanly. I'm sure others would get more enjoyment out of this book than I did, and I would not discourage anyone from reading it. I simply did not enjoy it as much as I had hoped (for it came highly recommended to me).", "3" ], [ "Eva Stachniak has painted a wonderfully detailed picture of the court of 18th century Russian ruler Elizabeth. One can picture the rooms, the dress, the food, the people who swirl in and out of the life of Vavara, the central character - a bookbinder's daughter who becomes attached to the court as a \"tongue\" for the conniving Chancellor, and then befriends the lonely Prussian princess who would become Catherine the Great. \n By seeing the world through Vavara's eyes, we are a party to both the decadent glamor and the seamy underside of the court. Figures who are larger than life in history become human and compelling when seen not only as rulers, but as people with tender feelings and psyches, as well as huge egos and cunning minds. Stachniak does not try to paint too broad of a picture, focusing on what would realistically appear in Vavara's life, and because of that the views are spectacular. The incredible research she has done to give us these views seems effortless to the reader, which speaks to Ms. Stachniak's talent. \n My only disappointment is that the book dealt less with Catherine than I had been anticipating, covering only prior to Catherine's arrival at the court up until Elizabeth's death and the coup to ascend the throne. At the end of the book, we still had not seen \"Catherine, the Great\", but simply Catherine, Ruler of All the Russias. Apparently, there is another book on the horizon - something I was unaware of when I picked this one up. However, this is a slight in the marketing of the book, and certainly not the writing.", "15" ], [ "Please go to my blog to read my review of Haruki Murakami's book Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World (translated by Alfred Birnbaum): Life As I Know It. \n The link will take you directly to the review. Thanks!", "104" ], [ "** spoiler alert ** \n To read my review of Marie Brennan's fantasy novel, \"In Ashes Lie\", please visit my blog, Life As I Know It. The link will take you directly to my review. Thank you, and enjoy!", "59" ], [ "To read my review of Patrick Rothfuss's first novel, \"The Name of the Wind\", please navigate to my blog, Life As I Know It. The link will take you directly to the review. Enjoy!", "82" ], [ "China Mieville's works are never all that easy to read, but \"Kraken\" was a challenge even for Mieville fans. Delving deep into philosophy and theology, at times it felt like being buffeted by a storm of thought and idea, but the tone was excellent, with militant religious factions taken as the fabric of the world. The protagonist is utterly human, but most of the characters around him are not, with a feel of heretical underpinings of our very existence as only China Mieville can evoke.", "134" ] ]

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[ [ "I read this book years ago, and it is one of those books that stayed in my mind. The details of the story never left me. Enticingly written, The Doctor's Wife takes us from a relativity normal life to a situation of horror. Brundage is a master of storytelling and an expert character developer.", "180" ], [ "I have been a huge fan of Elizabeth Brundage's writing since reading THE DOCTOR'S WIFE. In ALL THINGS CEASE TO APPEAR Brundage brings her ability to weave a multi-faceted tale filled with fear, longing, and evil to new heights. Set in the fictitious tiny college town of Chosen, New York, Brundage spins an eerie rural setting in which a young couple purchase a foreclosed farm in whose house the parents had simultaneously succumbed, leaving three orphaned boys to live in dismal poverty with their uncle. George and Catherine Clare and their toddler daughter Franny may appear to be a typical American family when they move in but George Clare and the house that surrounds the young family are both filled with dismal secrets. \n George Clare hires the three brothers who had lived in the farmhouse to paint and do chores around the farm; he doesn't tell his wife they had lived there. The youngest boy, Cole, becomes a beloved and reliable babysitter to little Franny. We know the fate that Catherine will meet, but not knowing when keeps the reader frantically turning the pages to find out just how and just when. \n After an edge-of-your-seat page-turner, Brundage concludes her book with the fates of all the remaining characters quite unforeseen, and each what each person - Brundage develops characters who become real people to her readers - clearly deserves.", "100" ], [ "I have loved Joyce Maynard's work since her 1972 LOOKING BACK. Fast forward to 2016's UNDER THE INFLUENCE, and Maynard is at the top of her game. \n Having been the single mother of a young son for the first sixteen years of his life, I identified closely with Helen's love of her son Oliver. I cannot imagine the pain Helen endured when she lost custody of her child. This loss led her to make one excellent choice - sobriety - and many poor choices. \n Although I felt Helen's \"adoption\" by Ava and Swift was strange and extreme, I had no inkling until well into the book what their true colors were other than it being clear that Swift was a narcissistic idiot. I identified strongly with Helen's effort to find a decent partner in Elliott. Truly, I found Elliott an extreme nerd. The scene on the boat with him barfing and insisting Ollie wear a life jacket was hilarious. Maynard shows us one need not be cool to be worthy of love. \n The book picks up speed on the day of Swift's 60th birthday - even his name suits his false bravado. \n Maynard is a master author who never ceases to write a book I can't put down.", "139" ], [ "Excellently written story of apparently ordinary people, some of whom turn out to be not chat the reader was expecting. A classic reminder that what we see on the surface is often not what lies beneath it.", "58" ], [ "Angel Sefer's third mystery romance, The Heiress of Santorini, is the charm. Set in the Greek Islands, it is the story of insurance manager Alexandra Stewart who is assigned to the Imperial Resorts Corporation account, and has to travel to the island of Santorini. Alexandra has promised her late father that she will conceal her identity as heiress to a fortune, and will stay away from her maternal grandfather, a Greek billionaire who lives on the island. The new assignment embeds Alexandra in a deadly game of vengeance and greed that threatens to destroy her grandfather's empire. The only one she can turn to for help is Mark Taylor, the seductively handsome Managing Director of the corporation. Will Alexandra be able to trust Mark when he has already lied to her once?", "132" ], [ "Hmmmmm. Well, first of all, anyone getting a million dollar advance for a first book these day must have something going on. That's why I decided to read Matthew Thomas's We Are Not Ourselves. It drew me in because I spent my formative years as an Irish Catholic in another Queens neighborhood, surrounded by a slightly different version of an alcoholic family. I liked Eileen as a child, but I wasn't at all fond of the woman she became - except for her loyalty to he husband. Still, I could not understand how she continued to love her dribbling, drooling husband except to say she must be a better person than me. \n The book was excellently written but it was loooong. I don't read long books. Kindle versions sometimes trick me into buying books that are much longer than books I would buy in hardcover. The fact that I managed to get through the equivalent of a 600-page print book speaks well to Mr. Thomas's storytelling and character development capabilities. He also gave a vivid portrayal of his father's disease - the best I've seen. However, I'm surprised at the number of people (readers included) who hadn't figured out what was wrong with him much earlier in the book - including his wife, an R.N. I diagnosed him in the second sitting. \n I'd like to congratulate Mr. Thomas for this stunning achievement in a constantly evolving publishing world where first time books are usually greeted with rejection slips, not $1M advances.", "51" ], [ "Jeannette Walls' The Glass Castle was one of the best written books I've read. I can't help but compare anything she subsequently writes to it. While The Silver Star was an excellent and riveting story, I felt it didn't come close to Walls' The Glass Castle which was a tough act to follow.", "74" ], [ "Some of the stunts MILs - and I am one - pull in this book are what gives MILs a bad name. It's astounding to me that many women don't accept that when their son marries, his wife and family become his primary priority. Why would there be competition be competition between MIL & DIL. You raised him; he married her. Sure, he'll always be your baby boy, but you no longer have the right to tell him or his family how to live their lives.", "66" ], [ "Just finished Me Before You - the ultimate true love means letting go love story. My only issue was Louisa's hesitation to accept Will's decision when his life was so compromised. A beautiful love story.", "191" ], [ "I so expected and wanted to like this book. How could Meg Wolitzer go wrong writing about creative kids who came of age in the 70s and what life later brought them? What a great topic, sadly, gone wrong.", "197" ] ]

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[ [ "I'm not giving stars. It's Eugene O'Neill. The world does not need my review of this play. \n That said, it was gripping and shocking even though I obviously knew the ending. The mark of a good playwright, I would assume.", "161" ], [ "This book was frustrating. Good, but frustrating. \n You want on some level for every story to have good guys and bad guys, and you want the bad guys to get some sort of comeuppance. In this story, it's really hard to tell the difference between the good guys and the bad guys, and nobody gets any comeuppance. Nobody. I mean, I think we all knew that from watching the news in 2008-2010 or so, but it's something entirely different to read a narrative in which everyone makes money on both sides of the table. \n So that was frustrating. The other frustrating part was that even though I took my time with this book and read it much more deliberately and slowly than I normally do, and even though I read it with Wikipedia and Investopedia open in a browser window right next to me, I still don't fully feel as though I understand what happened. So many times in reading this book I'd have managed to construct a mental model of the financial instruments and transactions involved, only to have that model proved inaccurate by some new piece of information in the next chapter. \n Now, whether that is because the author was unclear in his writing or because literally nobody, including him, understood with clarity the details of what happened... I'm not sure. \n I understand the financial crisis better than I did when I started the book, so I can at least say that. And perhaps there is some value in knowing that my understanding is flawed (as opposed to believing that it is accurate when it is not). \n Teyond that, the characters are compelling and the action is breathtaking, a constant progression from \"No, they couldn't...\" to \"but...they did!\" and then back around again. It was frustrating, but it was also well worth my time. And likely well worth yours.", "157" ], [ "I read this sometime after it was first released, when I was just a kid. \n In between then and now a lot of things happened to me, but most notably for the sake of this review, I read a lot of Gene Wolfe. \n The Gunslinger reminds me now a little of Gene Wolfe. I can hardly think of higher praise. \n And oh, the opening line.", "87" ], [ "Fun read, better than expected for a game tie-in novel. The writing is a bit clunky in places, but the plot zips along nicely. If you're a fan of the Dragon Age series, I'd definitely pick this up, as it provides a lot of great backstory to the Orlesian Civil War storyline.", "76" ], [ "Basically the equivalent of a police procedural but instead of carefully putting the pieces together to find the criminal, the protagonist carefully puts the pieces together to save his own life. \n Some really interesting moments in this and a few scenes of high drama. But no characters that I genuinely cared about. I had a bit of a tough time pushing through to the end - felt like an endless series of \"this happened, and then this happened, and then this happened,\" with no characterization to draw those moments together. \n All that said, overall a quick, fun read.", "120" ], [ "Sometimes I think King shines the most when outside his usual supernatural/horror milieu. Solid characters. Great story. A couple of I-want-to-punch-the-bastard-author moments, some insights into the human condition, and a page-turning plot. You can't ask for much more.", "134" ], [ "This book was so much fun. \n A child of the 1980s grows up to become the Bill Gates/Steve Jobs of the 2030s, developing the virtual reality environment that most people spend all of their living inside. Why wouldn't they? The real world is falling apart, in the middle of a massive energy crisis and a broken government. So everyone jacks into the OASIS instead, with crappy secondhand gear if they're living in the stacks of trailer housing where the majority of people are forced to live; or with first-rate full-immersion gear if they're in the lucky 1%. But either way, everyone uses the OASIS all day every day, and its creator has more money than God. \n Until he dies, and leaves his money to the first person who can successfully navigate the Easter egg hunt he's left inside his creation. In order to find the egg, hunters have to immerse themselves in the 1980s/1990s pop culture that the its creator grew up with and loved. The book is packed with these references, most of which were fun little Easter eggs themselves for someone like me, who also grew up in the 1980s. \n The book was a little bit info-dumpy, especially at first, but as the author hit his stride in the second section, the story began ticking along quite nicely. There was enough suspense and action to more than hold my interest, and the actual pieces of the Easter egg puzzle were very cleverly designed. Too often, when an author devises a game or puzzle that is supposed to be insanely difficult/take years to solve/etc., either: 1, it's way too easy, such that the reader can figure it out within minutes, or 2, it's impossible, and relies on the characters inside the book essentially having god-like powers of deductive reasoning. Neither was true in this book. The puzzles were hard, but given the information that the characters in the book had, they were solvable. I appreciated that. \n I don't know how much this book would resonate for people who don't get any of the pop culture or gaming references in it, but if you were alive in the 80s and 90s, I think you'll probably love it.", "199" ], [ "I was hoping this would be better than it was. The premise was interesting: a super-genius boy who keeps getting into trouble with computers is taken under the wing of a mysterious psychologist who runs an institute seemingly designed to train supervillains. \n But the main character just seemed to be all over the place. One minute he's coldly calculating, and the next he's weepy and emotional. And the supporting cast varied from cartoonish to serious. The tone and characterization were just too inconsistent for me to ever feel like I really connected with the story. \n That said, once the plot gets moving, it does tick along nicely. I wasn't exactly bored by this book, but I'm not compelled to read anything further by this author, either. A solid middle-of-the-road rating for this one.", "70" ], [ "All I can say about this book (by which I mean the Blackout/All Clear diptych; they are really one book, separated into two parts) is that I started it out rolling my eyes a little at the excessively wacky missed connections and miscommunications that plague her characters... and finished it in a white heat at 3:00 in the morning, my hand covering my mouth in alternate horror and elation. \n Nobody can do this like Connie Willis. I re-read the final 40 pages of the novel the day after finishing it the first time, because it was just that good.", "110" ], [ "This was a fun, fast read. I picked it up because a friend mentioned it off-handedly as an example of a book that was much darker than the movie that was made from it. This piqued my interest. \n My friend was accurate. The book is much darker than the movie, although that doesn't keep it from being a lot of fun. It's written as a noir-style hardboiled detective story, set in a world where real-life cartoons exist. I loved the writing. The author has a real knack for the clever, almost-but-not-quite-over-the-top metaphors that this genre excels at. \n I finished this in a few hours; it zipped right past. Lots of fun; highly recommended.", "179" ], [ "This feels like two books wedged together. The first is a gripping story about a major tragedy, going into detail about how a lot of individually poor decisions made by different people over a series of years added up to create a massive disaster. Personally, I would not have thought that reading about the intricacies of foam manufacturing would be particularly interesting, but I was wrong. The author gives details of personal accounts by fire survivors, details on burn trauma and recovery, and a lot of detail about how exactly this fire happened. \n However, the second half of the book is a lengthy description of the post-fire litigation done on behalf of the victims and their families. The author was an attorney representing the plaintiffs, and so his opinions are biased and extensive in this area. It's reasonably well-written, I guess, but I could have done without the fascinating tale of how Budweiser sponsorship of a rock concert somehow makes Anheuser-Busch responsible for a fire. (And so on, and so forth.) \n I'd like to give the first half of the book five stars and the second half one star, so I'm compromising with three.", "8" ], [ "I liked this better than Consider Phlebas, which was the previous (and first) Culture novel I'd read. The story was reasonably engaging and the setting was just more interesting. I got more of a sense of what the Culture is and of some of the more interesting facets of the universe in which it exists. I loved all of the stuff about Shellworlds, and the descriptions of exactly what sorts of body modifications you get as a member of Special Circumstances. \n That said, the characters were all still more or less boring or unlikable or both. When a waterfall is the most interesting character in your book, I think that's a problem. \n I'm still not giving up on Banks, because I love this genre so much, but it may be a while before I get to the next Culture book in my reading list.", "134" ], [ "I wanted to like this book. I really did. This is a genre that I love, and Banks comes highly recommended by a lot of people whose opinions I trust. \n I did not like this book. \n The best sci-fi future history epics have brilliantly-drawn worlds and interesting characters inhabiting those worlds. If the characters are flat and boring, the world had better be insanely amazing to keep the reader hooked and interested, and even then it's a tough sell. And that was my biggest problem with Consider Phlebas: I just didn't care about any of the characters at all. Not even a little bit. Not even in an \"I love to hate you\" kind of way. They were boring, and had opaque motivations, and none of their relationships or interactions felt real. Apart from the two main characters (the Changer at the heart of the story, and the Culture agent he captures early on) I'm not sure I could even tell any of the other characters apart. If someone took this book, rewrote it to shuffle the names of all the secondary characters around, and then handed it back to me, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to tell the difference. \n The glimpses of the universe that we get through these boring characters' eyes weren't really enough to keep the book moving for me. The Culture seems sort of interesting, maybe, but what we know of it we know from one character who hates everything about the Culture (for no logical reason that I can discern) and one character who is an unreliable narrator, having been captured by the Culture-hating Changer who is liable to kill her at any moment. \n I'm probably going to give the Culture series another try, in the hopes that I just picked a bad book to start with. But this one was pretty disappointing.", "150" ], [ "It's hard to find far-future epic sci-fi with characters that don't completely suck, but Alastair Reynolds has managed to pull it off in this book. \n House of Suns concerns the trials and tribulations of a group of humans who are more or less immortal; they don't age, and at the time the story takes place, they have already been alive for millions of years. They are a family of \"shatterlings,\" clones of a single individual who split herself into a thousand parts; they travel the galaxy for 200,000 years, collecting experiences and information and data, and then they come back home for a reunion, during which they share information with each other before embarking on the next cycle of 200,000 years. \n They have seen civilizations rise and fall so many times that they have categories for the different ways that civilizations can fail. They have so many memories that they cannot contain them all inside one frail human mind, and so they offload a lot of them into their data \"troves.\" \n The story mostly focuses on two of these individuals, who have fallen in love with each other even though that is against the rules of their House. We don't see the beginning of this affair; by the time we come into the story they have already been a couple for hundreds, maybe thousands, maybe millions of years, and Reynolds does a very good job of portraying them as such, with a love that burns steady in the background through quarrels and disagreements and separations of distance and attractions to other people. I didn't expect to find writing like this in an epic space opera, and it was a lovely surprise. \n There are twists and turns in the plot that kept me hungry for more; this was one of those books that kept me up until 2 in the morning so I could finish the last few chapters and find out what happens. As usual with Reynolds' books, this one is packed full of interesting ideas about machine races and interstellar travel and the impact of longevity on human minds and culture; but happily he didn't skimp on the fiction in favor of the science. This was a great read. My only complaint, which is a small one, is that the ending felt somewhat rushed; but I've seen an interview with him in which he says he hopes to write a sequel to this book at some point, so perhaps that explains it. \n Still, highly recommended to anyone who likes this genre.", "199" ], [ "Scalzi has an outstanding and fairly unusual talent as a writer in being able to take existing tropes and ideas and execute them absolutely perfectly. \n Reading this book, there were bits and pieces I recognized from a dozen -- a hundred -- other existing sci-fi stories, but somehow rather than diminishing the overall effect, this enhanced it. \n This book starts out as a light-hearted poke at sci-fi cliches, turns into a page-tearing barnburner, and ends... well. It ends well. That's all I'll say. \n Outstanding work from Scalzi and highly recommended.", "134" ], [ "Well-written account of a deadly storm that struck the Fastnet sailing race in 1979. The author was present at that race, and does a very good job of detailing the events of the disaster in a readable, accessible way, giving human faces to those involved.", "198" ], [ "I can't get enough of the Revelation Space universe. I just can't. This future history feels almost as real and detailed and nuanced to me at this point as real history does. \n I've already read most of the novels in this series, and with some trepidation moved on to this collection of short stories. So many authors who excel in longer forms do poorly with short stories, and vice versa. \n I needn't have worried. Reynolds is, if anything, even more skilled at the short story format; perhaps because it forces him to rein in his tendency towards wordiness that affects some of the novels. \n I'm not sure how well this collection would work for someone new to this universe. Possibly it would be fine. But some of the delight for me was in seeing stories filled in for what had been only bits and pieces of incidental plots or characters in the other books. \n This is now my second favorite book in the series, following only Chasm City for sheer enjoyment. Highly recommended.", "166" ], [ "I was hoping this book would be an informative and fun read, but the author's irritating voice kept me from enjoying the material. I could never really get into the topic he was writing about, due to his constant efforts to draw attention to himself in the form of \"humorous\" asides and digressions, often seemingly intended to shock the reader with how outre he is. Can we just assume that someone who is willing to pick up a book titled \"Why is the penis shaped like that?\" is someone who is reasonably open-minded and who won't dissolve into tittering blushes every time the word \"semen\" is mentioned? \n I just couldn't get past the style on this one.", "27" ], [ "This is the sixth book I've read in Alastair Reynolds' Revelation Space series. After so many stories set in the same universe, it's hard to believe that Reynolds is capable of still creating tightly-woven plots, engaging characters, and inventive ideas, and yet he does. \n This is a stand-alone story, like Chasm City; you don't need to have read any of the other books in the series in order to understand it. There are some nice little throwbacks to other stories, but missing out on those won't harm your enjoyment of this story in the slightest. \n The Prefect is set at a time when the Glitter Band around the planet of Yellowstone is still a thriving, bustling jewel of democratic anarchy, in which all citizens directly vote on every decision made by their government, via neural implants that allow them to perform this function instantly. In other books in this series, you'll see the Glitter Band in a far-different form; but in The Prefect we get to see it in its heyday. \n The story follows a prefect of the Panoply, the organization tasked with ensuring that the demarchy functions smoothly, with no illegal vote influencing or cheating. He investigates the destruction of one of the habitats of the Glitter Band, and in so doing uncovers a much greater, more complicated plan that has dire implications for the future of his society. I can't say much more than that without giving away massive spoilers. \n As is typical with Reynolds' writing, there are so many fascinating and inventive details in this book. The way that the Panoply handles distribution of classified information, for example; or the device that forces the head prefect into a sleepless, weightless state for over a decade. Neither of these is absolutely critical to the plot, but they add to the depth of the world these stories are set in; they make it feel complicated, detailed, real. \n As with the other books in the series, I really can't recommend this one enough.", "199" ], [ "I stayed up until 3 AM to finish this book. \n Chasm City is set in Alastair Reynolds' Revelation Space universe, although it is a stand-alone story. You don't have to have read any of the other books to appreciate it. That said, I'd recommend reading at least the first couple of books in the series (Revelation Space and Redemption Ark) first, because I think that will enhance your enjoyment somewhat. \n The first part of this story had almost a film noir feel to it -- a trained mercenary tracks his prey on a dismal, war-torn planet, only to find out that the tables are turned and he is instead the one being hunted. And if the story had remained at that level, you might be able to classify this book as a pretty good hardboiled noir story. \n But it doesn't. Interwoven with the story of the mercenary is the story of Sky Hauptmann, a man who we come to discover committed heinous acts far in the past, and who has a planet named after him. His life history starts showing up in bits and pieces, in the dreams of the mercenary who began the story. And so throughout the book, we follow these two stories, which weave and dance around each other, teasing us with the prospect that they may somehow connect ultimately in some way. \n The plot of this book is tight, and gripping, and full of twists and turns. I sort of guessed one of the main twists about two-thirds of the way through, but then later found out that my guess was only halfway right, and that the real twist was much more clever and complicated than I'd imagined. This really is one of those stories where you just have to keep reading it to find out what happens, until it's 3 AM and you turn the last page, glad you've finally made it to the end but yet still wishing there was more. \n I am perhaps somewhat biased, because I love the Revelation Space series and can't get enough of Reynolds' writing, but I thought this book was just fantastic. Dazzling settings, complicated characters, and a driving, intricate story. Highly recommended.", "199" ], [ "This is the third book in Alastair Reynolds' Revelation Space series. (There's another book, Chasm City, that is technically part of the series, but it's not part of the main plotline.) \n For me, this series was like one of those magic eye pictures; the longer you stare at it, the more complex it becomes, until at last it turns into a coherent three-dimensional picture. The picture was there all along, but you couldn't see it at first; you could only see its constituent parts. \n The Revelation Space series was much the same. The job that Reynolds has done here in mapping out a complete universe, with millions of years worth of history, alien cultures, disparate human factions, and planetary systems, is nothing less than stunning. I found myself putting the book down at regular intervals just to sit and process what I'd just read, fitting a particular scene into the overarching whole. \n Like the best space operas -- and this certainly qualifies as that -- this universe felt real, inhabited, legitimate. It felt like a place you could really go, and the characters in it seemed, for the most part, like people you could actually know. Though certainly you might not want to know many of them. \n The writing is not the easiest or the most accessible. This isn't a quick beach read. It takes some care and thought, and in my case took some re-reading of particularly dense passages. But ultimately everything pulls together and make sense. I am tempted to re-read the entire thing, even though the whole trilogy is about 3,000 pages long, just because I know I must have missed things on the first read, simply because I hadn't put everything together yet. \n And the thread of plot that traces through this universe is original and captivating, with switchbacks and surprises, triumphs and despairs. So many times in reading through this third and final book, I found myself thinking, \"This is so unbelievably good.\" It's the sort of book that you almost dread finishing, because reading it is just so enjoyable and engaging. \n To sum up, I cannot recommend this series enough if you love either space opera or hard sci-fi. It's long, and dense, but very much worth it.", "199" ], [ "This book was about as funny as the less-funny bits of David Sedaris books, which is to say that it often made me smile and was interesting, but rarely made me laugh out loud. Still, though, the taxidermy parts are pure gold and you should read it just for that if nothing else.", "112" ], [ "Fantastic space epic, with characters that have depth and are well-drawn while still unquestionably alien in some cases, gripping action sequences, and a plot that left me hanging on the edge of my seat waiting for more. I'd originally thought this was a two-book series; when I reached the end of this volume and realized it's actually a trilogy, I was at the bookstore almost immediately to buy the third book and finish the story. I'll save a more detailed review for when I've finished that one. Based on the story so far, that review will be glowing.", "107" ], [ "This was a fantastic space epic, with memorable characters and an absolutely ripping plot. Some books in this genre get bogged down in the minutiae of world-building, so that you're left with well-drawn universe but nothing interesting to populate it. \n This was not such a book. It has fascinating characters doing interesting things, and the main secret of the plot is revealed slowly but carefully, like peeling back the layers of an onion. There are unexpected twists and turns along the way that keep you turning pages, and refreshingly there is no treacly romantic sub-plot weighing things down. (I almost always hate such sub-plots in books of this nature; Revelation Space avoided it almost entirely.) \n All in all, a beautiful example of the genre, and highly recommended.", "39" ], [ "This was a fun, gossipy read, with lots of jaw-dropping anecdotes about the characters involved in the 2008 presidential campaign. But I think it's probably best to consider it no more than a work of fiction loosely based on real-life people, due to the authors' decision not to name most of their sources. I mean, there is some really, really juicy stuff in here, but almost all of it came from anonymous sources, so it's impossible to say how much of it is legit and how much is blown out of proportion and how much is made up entirely out of whole cloth. \n Also, the writing style was ham-handed and overblown in a lot of places, often eye-rollingly so. Examples: \"Hillaryland was burning cash at a prodigious rate, her advisers said. If she won Iowa, her fiscal health would be jake -- money would come gushing in to her campaign's coffers.\" \n Jake? Really? \n Regarding Elizabeth Edwards: \"But now here she was, back on the hustings, as feisty and outspoken as ever.\" \n Regarding Hillary Clinton: \"Her midwestern frugality made her a highly nervous Nellie about debt.\" \n \"Plouffe was a man who found the kind of beauty and meaning in a spreadsheet that others saw in a Van Gogh.\" \n Re Hillary again: \"She was like Cassandra, convinced she could see the future, filled with angst that no one believed her.\" \n And again: \"She was somber, prideful, aggrieved, confused -- and still high on the notion that she was leading an army, Napoleon in a navy pantsuit and gumball-sized fake pearls.\" \n Gumball-sized? Also, would you like a few more adjectives to go along with your adjectives, sir? Perhaps a side of adjectives with that? \n Anyway, those were just a few that jumped out at me. The authors have apparently never met a strained metaphor they didn't like. \n As far as whether the book is even-handed or not, it's impossible to say, since the veracity of the entire thing is in doubt. Obama comes off fairly well; Hillary does also, although she's certainly painted in a really negative light for a lot of the parts dealing with the primary season. John Edwards seems like a sleazy douchebag, and Sarah Palin is made to sound like an idiot who can't answer basic questions about US domestic or foreign policy, though to be fair, Sarah Palin also looked like an idiot who couldn't answer basic questions about US domestic or foreign policy during the debates, so I can give the authors a pass on that. \n To sum up, this was a fun read, but I wouldn't put much stock in it as a faithful or accurate account of what really happened.", "8" ], [ "This was really two books, smashed into one. One book is the story of David Hahn, the so-called \"radioactive Boy Scout.\" The other book, much less interesting, is the history of the Boy Scouts of America and the nuclear power industry in the United States. I suspect that most of the Boy Scouts and nuke stuff were added solely to pad the book out and give it some length, because Hahn's story alone isn't really enough to warrant an entire book. \n That said, Hahn's story is fascinating, and I had trouble putting this book down, even when the author meandered off into yet another digression about nuclear reactor disasters in history. Hahn seemed to be almost savant-like in his ability to comprehend chemistry and implement fairly complicated (and, it has be said, dangerous) experiments and reactions from an early age. You have to wonder, and certainly the author makes this point as well, what would have happened to him if he'd had more support, supervision, and oversight. Instead he had family, teachers, and friends who mostly just considered him a freak who liked to blow things up, and left him to his own devices. (Although his apparent lack of common sense in taking basic safety precautions when working with toxic and/or radioactive materials does seem to indicate that he had deeper-seated issues than simply unsupportive family and teachers.) \n I'm giving this book 3 stars mostly because the \"second book\" - the parts about nuclear power and Boy Scouts - is not particularly relevant to the story, and veers into polemicism at times. But Hahn's story is told well and is riveting, so I'd recommend this book based on that alone.", "199" ], [ "This book is unbelievably well-written. Unbelievably well-written. Folks, I just stayed up until two in the morning reading an astronomy book. \n Mike Brown's fanciful title is actually only a little bit hyperbolic. He's the guy that discovered the tenth planet (popularly, \"Xena\", but officially named \"Eris\") which later turned out to actually not be a planet at all. And since it was not a planet, and was actually bigger than Pluto, this raised some obvious questions about Pluto's status as well. \n The book isn't just about Pluto, though. It's about Mike Brown's love of astronomy, and how he met his wife, and his obsessive nerd-style fatherhood. Intertwined with stories about planet-gazing and data collection are stories about his daughter's first year, and about historical methods of telescope usage (I swear as God is my witness that those sections of the book were riveting -- riveting!) and even a little bit of intrigue about an attempt to steal the credit for some of his larger finds. And, of course, there are stories about the new planet that not only wasn't a planet, but that killed Pluto. Or Pluto's status as a planet, anyway. \n There is comedy as well: The chapter in which Brown describes the conference of the International Astronomical Union where the Pluto vote went down was laugh-out-loud hilarious. It's one of those bits that makes you want to call over your spouse or roommate and make them listen while you read parts out loud, giggling the entire time. \n Fun book. Good read. Worth checking out.", "199" ], [ "I can't decide whether to begin this review with: \"Everyone must read this book,\" or, \"Everything you think you know is wrong,\" or, \"I will never believe anything I read in a newspaper again.\" \n So I've gone with all three at once. \n I am a sucker for popular science books, especially the ones that offer debunkery of what I'll describe as \"woo\" - you know, crystal therapy, and homeopathy, and special detox diets and so forth. I thought that's what this book would more or less be about. \n I was right only insofar as those things all do rate a mention, but Ben Goldacre goes so much further than that. His book is a careful and methodical takedown of big pharma, of alternative medicine generally and homeopathy specifically, and above all else, of the news media outlets that completely fail in their responsibility to report accurately or honestly on any of this stuff. A relevant quote from the chapter on nutritionists: \n \"The most important take-home message with diet and health is that anyone who ever expresses anything with certainty is basically wrong, because the evidence for cause and effect in this area is almost always weak and circumstantial, and changing an individual person's diet may not even be where the action is.\" \n So think about that the next time you read a story suggesting that garlic prevents heart disease. \n The chapters on homeopathy, cosmetics, nutritionists, and baby \"Brain Gym\" are informative and enlightening all on their own, but the chapters on AIDS denial and the MMR scare are devastating - this isn't just people flocking to some silly and probably not very effective treatments for their indigestion. This is widescale disinformation being spread to the general public by scientists, doctors, and journalists who really, really should have known better. It has killed people. If you still even have a hint of doubt in your mind about whether the MMR/autism link was real or not, I highly suggest you read this book. \n Actually, I highly suggest you read this book anyway. It will change the way you think about science research and reporting, even if you were already somewhat skeptical of it, as I was. It will likely change the way you think about a lot of things. And also, the part about oxygenating your bowels will make you laugh. (Seriously, it will.)", "114" ], [ "Really fun and clever. This book was a quick read, but still very engaging and enjoyable. The plot was tight, the characters had depth, and the futuristic setting was believable and made sense. Another nice effort from John Scalzi, who for my money is one of the finest sci-fi authors writing today.", "39" ], [ "It is always exciting to find an author who not only is able to create an original, well-imagined, densely-populated universe, but is also able to tell a good story, full of adventure and conflict and suspenseful twists and turns. \n The Skinner is such a story, set in such a universe, written by such an author. \n I won't go into too much spoilery detail, because I wouldn't want to deprive a new reader of the pleasant surprise in discovering the details and nuances of Asher's world(s). I will say that the ecosystem on Spatterjay -- the world on which The Skinner is set -- is, I think, unique in fiction. (And, incidentally, leads to some of the more horrifying scenes I've read in a non-horror novel; there are definitely parts of The Skinner that you might want to save for when you are not eating your lunch. This is in no way meant as a criticism, mind you.) \n My only quibble with the book, and it is a small one, is that Asher relies heavily on reader inference in order to explain the universe of his novel; there are no lengthy explanations of terminology. He just throws you into the pool and expects you to swim. I was well over halfway into the book before feeling that I really had a handle on the setting, and the xenology, and so forth. This is one of the rare books that I enjoyed so much I wanted to re-read it again immediately after finishing it, and on the second time through, I picked up on a lot of nuances early in the story that I'd missed previously. But it is the sort of book that holds up well to re-reading, so this was not a drawback. \n I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes hard sci-fi, cyberpunk, alien environments, and good storytelling. I'm quite excited about reading some more of Asher's novels set in the same universe.", "134" ], [ "This book was deliciously complicated and detailed. I've read sci-fi books with better plots, and I've read ones with better characters, but I'm not sure I've read ones with better universes. \n This book is a sequel to Pandora's Star; the two books are really one giant book divided into two pieces, so you really can't read this one without having read the other one first. Most of the commentary I made in my review of Pandora's Star applies here too: The pace is slow and the characterization is somewhat lacking. But the world is amazing. It's one of those books that I just didn't want to end, because I was so immersed in the universe and all its intricacies and complexities. The Commonwealth doesn't feel like a made-up scifi universe with a few interesting conceits to sustain it and nothing more; it feels like a real place, an interesting place, a place you'd want to go. \n I did enjoy all of the switchbacks and left turns that the plot took through the course of this book; it was tricky and clever without becoming unbelievable at any point. \n If you can tolerate the somewhat slow pacing, particularly of the action sequences, which seemed to go on forever, and the broadly-sketched characters, I think you'll likely enjoy this series quite a bit. Those are minor drawbacks compared to the dramatic and compelling spectacle that Hamilton has drawn here.", "76" ], [ "This book is a commitment. 800 pages, and if you make it through those 800, you will then have to -- yes, have to -- read the sequel, clocking in at an additional 800. \n I haven't yet read the sequel (Judas Unchained) but if the quality is similar to Pandora's Star, it will be well worth the commitment. \n Hamilton's genius is in world-building. Here he paints, in broad strokes, the universe of the Commonwealth, a society consisting of hundreds of planets, all connected by wormholes so that travel between them is instantaneous. Work in Paris; live on a planet hundreds of light-years away. The commute is no longer than people routinely spend in traffic in major cities today. But this is not the type of sci-fi epic that is hung on a single conceit like that; this society is technologically advanced in dozens of ways, major to minor. Some of the most interesting parts of the book are where Hamilton takes you on a side-trip to some new location you've never seen before. Rather than upsetting the flow of the narrative as this sort of thing normally would, you find yourself enthralled by the description of some new aspect of Commonwealth life. \n But in order to enjoy this book, you do have to be patient. The characters emerge only slowly, and the plot even more slowly than that. The first several chapters are spent setting up the rest of the story, and often a character or plotline is left hanging for sometimes hundreds of pages before you get back to them. But the payoff is at the end, when all of those threads and storylines weave together, gradually at first and then picking up speed, giving you a truly blockbuster ending. I could no more understand someone who finishes Pandora's Star without immediately wanting to move on to Judas Unchained than I could someone who can eat a single potato chip from the bowl. Simply unthinkable. \n My one fault with the book is with Hamilton's penchant for long quantitative descriptions; a ship isn't massive or immense, it's 3.5 kilometers in length and 1 kilometer in diameter, or whatever. Sometimes I felt like I should have a tape measure handy while reading. Some of his characters are a bit hastily-drawn as well. His take on love and sex seemed particularly lacking, although to be fair, there really wasn't much of that in the book. \n Overall, though, this is a must-read if you like space epics. Highly recommended.", "199" ], [ "I have a rule about books that have a family tree reference page at the very beginning. My rule is that if by the halfway point in the book I am still having to flip back to the family tree in order to figure out who is who, the book is not very good. \n In The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo I was still flipping back to the family tree in the final chapter. \n This isn't an arbitrary rule. My feeling is that a good author will flesh out the characters so thoroughly and effectively that eventually you don't have to keep checking back to see what the family relationships are, and who is related to who, and which person, exactly, he is talking about right now. You'll know, because he'll have shown you. But Larsson didn't; The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is the equivalent of meeting your spouse's family for the first time and having someone stand you in a corner while telling you everyone's name and relationship, while not letting you look at or meet any of the actual people. \n A lot of people seem to really like this book, but I have to say that it left me cold. The family tree problem -- there is a broad cast of characters in this book, most of them related to each other, and most of them written to be more or less interchangeable -- is just a symptom of the larger issue that I finished the book feeling that I didn't know anything about any of the characters in it. Their inner lives are a total mystery. Their motivations are vague and unclear. \n And these are characters that have interesting things going on in their lives! There's a mystery to be solved, and there are villains to be thwarted, and there is stuff going on. The stuff was sort of interesting. But I wanted to know how the characters felt about it. I wanted to know their thoughts, what drove them, what affected them. I got none of that. It was a very frustrating read in that respect. \n Just as an example, the main journalist character, Blomkvist, strikes up a sexual relationship with another character, partway through the story. Why does he decide this is a good idea? What is he getting out of it? Why does he continue it, and how does he feel when the other person decides to end things? I don't know. Those things would have been interesting to me, but they are left completely out of the story. \n And the dialogue. Oh Lord, the dialogue. I'm going to tone down my criticism somewhat, just in case this is a problem with the translation from Swedish, but dear God, the dialogue is atrocious. It's stilted and awkward and unbelievable. People don't have conversations in this book. They have giant info-dumps at each other. There is nothing natural about any of it. Every time I saw a big section of dialogue coming up, I'd cringe, knowing it was going to suck me right back out of the story again. \n I wanted to like this book more. The character of Lisbeth Salander is undeniably cool. (Although I could have done with about 75% fewer descriptions of how weird and out-there she was because she has, gasp, tattoos. And piercings.) But you've got one cool character stuck in a story with a lot of other flat, one-dimensional characters, and a plot that, while interesting enough, isn't enough to hold the entire story on its own. Particularly not when you are still wondering who is related to whom at the very end of the book. \n Overall, a disappointment, and not particularly recommended.", "70" ], [ "Kim Stanley Robinson's Antarctica is the rare sort of book that can make the walls dissolve around you while reading it, so that you are no longer surrounded by the comfortable environs of your living room, or bedroom, but rather are completely immersed in the world described by the novelist: in this case, the knee-weakening, heartache beauty of the frozen southern continent. \n I was not surprised to find, when reading the acknowledgments at the end, that Robinson has actually visited Antarctica himself, but in some respects it wouldn't matter if he hadn't. His descriptions were vivid and rang true, regardless of how true and accurate they were. (Finding out that they are indeed from his personal experience just adds that much depth.) \n Robinson is known for being a sci-fi author, but this is not a book I would consider to be science-fiction. It is set in the near future, but it took me a few chapters before I even realized that, and only because some of the technology he describes is not quite a reality yet. This is not a book about technology, or futuristic events. It is a deep and probing character study, set in an alien environment that happens to be a part of our own planet. \n The book slowly and methodically introduces us to the handful of characters that form the heart of the novel; a man working as a jack-of-all-trades at McMurdo Base, and the mountaineer tour guide that he is in unrequited love with, and the Washington, D.C. aide who is there to investigate the situation for his world-traveling senator. We meet these people, and see through their eyes, and hear their thoughts, and see them slowly exposed and unravelled before our eyes, so that, as readers, we understand them. We relate to them. We know them; either because they remind us of ourselves, or of someone we've known. \n And this character study is set in a world of ice, and snow, and glaciers, and geological structures you've never seen with your own eyes, but that Robinson will show you. \n It is not a heavily plot-driven book, although there is some eco-terrorist conflict that causes a fairly major crisis, towards the end. But I realized with some surprise, about halfway in, that so far nothing had really happened, per se, and yet I was still riveted. I wanted to find out more about these people and the world they lived in, and what would happen to them. I wanted to know more about their thoughts. \n I think it would be easy to finish this book and think that it was about ecological terrorism, or eco-rights in general, or maybe just a place study about Antarctica, and I think that it is all those things, but for me it was even more of a meditation on thought, and ideas, and how we place and ground ourselves in the world around us. Early in the book, a character muses: \n \"It is eerie sometimes to contemplate how much we create our own reality. The life of the mind is an imaginary relationship to a real situation; but then the real situation keeps happening, event after event, and many of those events are out of our control, but many others are the direct result of the imagination's take on things.\" \n This is no less true in the fictional Antarctica that Robinson is writing about than it is in the everyday life of every human being on the planet. We are all creating our own realities every day, and in Antarctica, Robinson is showing this in action, for a small handful of characters that you will care deeply about by the end of the book. It is a beautiful, perfect piece of fiction, evocative of place and speaking truth about the human condition. Highly recommended.", "199" ], [ "This book is great if you want to make your own baby food. She has an excellent section on preparing your own whole-grain baby cereals, and another excellent section on vegetable and fruit preparation and storage. Those two sections are worth the price of the book all by themselves. \n Ignore everything else. No, seriously. Her breastfeeding advice is either outdated or completely nutty or both, she has lengthy and irrelevant sections on how to throw a birthday party and how to recycle ordinary household items, and it's just not helpful or useful. But the parts on grains and fruits/vegetables are superb. \n So, in a nutshell: Great reference, just ignore the crazy bits.", "37" ], [ "The actual teleplay included in this book is not half bad. Unfortunately, it's only half the book. The other half is Ellison's bitching and whining about he got shafted by Gene Roddenberry and how his deathless prose got mangled and blah, blah, blah. I mostly came out of this thinking, \"Dude, get over it already.\" \n Only worth reading for the most die-hard Ellison fans.", "147" ], [ "This is one of those books that has an interesting premise, but then does nothing with it. The premise and setting were really good, but the plot and characterization frankly sucked. None of the characters made any sense. One was evil and scheming for no real apparent reason. Two hooked up and became romantic partners, again for no real apparent reason. It was just all silly and pointless, and the only thing that kept me reading to the end was, again, the interesting premise/setting. Too bad the author didn't do something more entertaining with it.", "150" ], [ "This is a nice little story about a brave, plucky little girl, but what really elevates it into a true classic are the illustrations. Madeline and her classmates (in \"two straight lines\") have some of the most famous landmarks in Paris as a backdrop for their adventures. My children now know what the Pont Neuf, Montmartre, and of course the Eiffel Tower look like, even if they don't know that they know.", "163" ], [ "More fantastic writing on food and life from Ruth Reichl. This covers the period of time during which she was the food critic for the New York Times. She talks about how being a food critic changed her life, not always for the better. (But not always for the worse.) \n Enlightening, illuminating, and delightful. This is one of those books you can read again and again.", "193" ], [ "This is my second or third time through this book; I've lost track. The first half is an autobiographical meandering through Stephen King's early writing life: How he started writing, how he sold his first stories, his first major book deal, and so forth. The second half is a more-or-less straightforward primer on writing fiction. \n King has a lot to say about the mechanics and structure of fiction, and about living a writer's life, and about the creative process. He says early on that he does not believe he can help a bad writer become a good writer; nor can he help a good writer become a great writer. But he believes he can help a competent writer become a good writer. I think he's right about that. And this is worth reading if you're a writer of any ability who wants to improve your writing. Or if you're just interested about King's creative process and background; those sections of the book are perhaps the least applicable to someone trying to learn how to get their start today, but are also some of the most interesting.", "186" ] ]

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[ [ "It isn't often that I can finish a book and immediately want to flip back to page 1 and start again. In fact, I knew before I'd even finished chapter one that I was going to give it 5 stars and return to read it again some day. Mr. Woodrell makes me proud to be a bookworm.", "80" ], [ "I don't think film novelizations will be coming back into vogue any time soon. I hope not, anyway. I do think that this will be a cool movie, though. Y'know, if you like this sort of thing. Which is to say, a Satanic slaughterfest with lots of death metal and body parts, directed by Rob Zombie. (Though I bet they'll chicken out and not actually put any death metal on the soundtrack. Just sayin')", "103" ], [ "This is not a good book. I like action, and I enjoy Strike Back (the show). The book it was based on isn't even all that bad. But this here is basically war porn. And not even the fun kind. It exists only to list gun names and types of ammo and to give extremely detailed and cheeseball descriptions of bullet wounds and torture methods. Halfway through, I wondered why the hell I was bothering to finish it. It makes me curious if women ever feel the same way about bad harlequin.", "147" ], [ "Aside from a stunningly implausible red herring that takes up most of the book, and not having a whole lot to actually do with Dante's Inferno if you think about it, the place where this book ends up (which I won't spoil) is disturbing and thought provoking. This is Dan Brown evoking Michael Crichton (in ideas, not in writing ability), and the open-endedness of the unresolved issue in the closing pages is clearly meant to pass the conversation to the reader to consider. What would YOU do?", "157" ], [ "The book will always be compared to the movie, and in many ways, I agree with those on here who have admitted liking the film better. Both are sad, but for very different reasons. The personal history of the main character has been completely changed, and with that, what drives his push for survival...if that's what it is. There is a scene at the beginning of both that has Ottway kneeling with a rifle in his mouth, and the burden that pushes him to this place in the film feels somehow simpler; more sorrowful. It is completely different from why he does it in the book. Both the film and the book Ottways are dark, damned, lost souls, but the one in the book is darker, less confident, and less redeemable. I wouldn't dream of spoiling either, as the poetry of how these things gets revealed is part of the joy of the experience. While I enjoy the film immensely, (it was one of my very favourites from this past year, and possibly of any year), I will say this: the wolves in the book act more realistically than the ones in the film. But the film wolves, to me, feel more elemental; they are a force of nature, mirroring the storm that is pursuing him from within. Some of that comes out in the book as well, just not as much. And in the film, Liam Neeson comes across as something of a force of nature himself, whereas the written Ottway is just a man with a troubling past. I do recommend it, though. Especially if you really loved the movie and are interested in a sort of alternate universe version of the story. What you won't find, much to my disappointment, is the poem Ottway recites several times in the film, written by his father. I think about that poem a lot, and was disappointed that it didn't appear in the source material.", "196" ], [ "Holy shit, what a ride! I can't even begin to find words to express how awesome and unpredictable (for me anyway) and creative and shocking this book is because I don't want to spoil anything for you. Just read it. Don't read reviews. Don't even read the book flap. Just read it. You'll read your face off, way into the night. It's the kind of book worth going into work exhausted and red-eyed from lack of sleep over. Wow. Just. Wow.", "46" ], [ "Granted, I'm not the target audience, but, predictably: yawn. There's no point in flaying Shades in terms of poor writing style, inner dialogue, number of times James uses \"cringed inwardly\" or \"for some inexplicable reason\" or \"holy crap/hell/fuck\", not to mention that she seems to argue with her \"subconsciousness\" in exactly the way that non-schizophrenics don't. It's too easy. For me it was just...boring and uninventive. And in the end, it's complete fantasy, because there's no truth to any of all that sex. And I enjoy interesting, and honest, sex scenes. This is hype and marketing at it's most effective, and probably there's some underlying context of sexual repression represented in all the eager giddiness that many people display while clamoring over each other to read it. It's the current opiate of the masses; in a few months there will be a different one. And it probably won't be very good either. But while my opiate analogy is still fresh, I sort of hope this book serves as a gateway drug to better fiction for those who might not have been bookworms before. That would redeem it.", "70" ], [ "Why have I never read this before? What a wonderfully rebellious and funny and sad novel. Chief Bromden has joined Yossarian and Holden Caulfield at the little subversive tea party in my mind, where they sit around paranoid and watching Network and old episodes of M.A.S.H. and endlessly trying to decide how best to get off the carousel. Awesome. Just plain awesome.", "124" ], [ "A poetic, powerful little tale about a writer in the twilight of his life longing to reclaim, or at least capture in words and memory and understanding, his spent youth (and possibly life itself) and tragically coming to terms (or failing to?) with it's ultimate and inevitable loss. If you thought this was a story about a pedophile, then you probably also thought Jay Gatsby was staring at a lamp on a dock, and you likely watch too much television. Though, frankly, I'd be surprised if the owner of such a small-minded interpretation even got through Gatsby, let alone this one. Note: this was the more recent translation by Heim, and it was fantastic and lyrical. I've never read any older translations so I can't comment on those.", "181" ], [ "I almost want to say that this book by the late Christopher Hitchins, along with works by Richard Dawkins, Noam Chomsky, and Naomi Klein, to name a few off the top of my head, should be required reading in all schools by all those preparing to come of age and be passed the torch as curators of the past and stewards of the future, for reasons which should be self evident upon absorbing and thoughtfully considering the ideas contained in each respective work, not the least of which is the value, responsibility, and inherent right to be able to thoughtfully consider all of these things for themselves, however, after reading Hitch, the thought of imposing ANY text on the the impressionable youth and their forming minds frankly makes me terrified and more than a little nauseous. I also want to be angry and sad. Instead, I'm going to go for a walk, enjoy the sun and the breeze in my hair, and think for a while. And I'm going to hope for the best.", "171" ], [ "This is one of the strangest books I've ever read. It's bizarre and spoilery to even begin to describe it, but lets say that it draws comparisons to the Neverending Story and Dante's Inferno. And the book is aware that you're reading it.", "41" ], [ "Great, until you realize how much of it had to have been embellished or just plain made up by the author, at which point you have to set your mind on thinking of it not as nonfiction or true crime, but rather the written down version of a dramatic reenactment. It's good, if you like that sort of thing. For me, I get angry when I'm told something is true when it's just all made up. I blame James Frey.", "164" ], [ "This is a hell of a ride. It is labelled as a collection of shorts, but as others have mentioned in their reviews, they are interlaced in a way that reminded me of Pulp Fiction's interconnected vignettes. Peripheral characters mentioned in some sections come to the foreground in others. The body count is extraordinary, the personalities as rugged as the situations they find themselves in, and the great river of violent desperation flows through every page as these people claw at the drug plagued, eye-for-an-eye mentality that festers on the backwoods underbelly of Frank Bill's south. Lurid, and fantastic.", "152" ], [ "I'd be interested in reading the original diary, before editing, before translation (if I could speak and read it), from the pen of the actual 14 year old. As it exists now, well, it makes me wonder if something might have been lost (or gained) in translation. The three stars are for the current english translation in it's edited form. For the words and aspirations of Anne herself, all stars go to her.", "153" ], [ "Maybe it was the translation, but despite a concept that I was interested in, the book read like amateur fanfiction. The dialogue was lame and the characters were all stereotypes with indistinguishable names. I was so disappointed to realize after only about 20 pages that this wasn't the book for me. Here's to hoping a better translation is eventually offered.", "150" ], [ "This book is hilarious and violent. If it were a movie, it would be a cross between monty python and the cohen brothers. And up until the final third it was a solid 4 star book. Alas, it got scattered and increasingly less funny during the final stretch and had a disappointing fizzle at the end. The voices of these characters will be with me for a long time to come, despite the loss of direction.", "52" ], [ "Those who argue that, though you may disagree with a given war, you should still support the troops, should have a hard time rationalizing their argument in the wake of a book such as this. This book isn't anti or pro, it's just a journalist telling it as he saw it, and he does a great job, with a keen ear for what was said, and a sharp eye for the details that he believes paint a picture of what it was like. But what is that picture? First of all, it wasn't a war. It was an invasion at least, and at most a wholesale slaughter of what amounts to a backwoods third world country whose \"soldiers\" were outmatched in every way. It had nothing to do with Sept 11, other than using that day as a rallying point for vengeful emotions. There's nothing heroic or brave in this book. Rather, you have a stirred up hornet's nest of macho teenagers and young adults and ex-cons with heavy weaponry and a hard-on for killing the shit out of brown people in the desert, and a license to do it at the request of their \"country\". They love this. They jibe about the dead, yell \"Get Some!\" when shit blows up, they brag and high five at great shots that take people's heads off. Civilians, non-combatants, women, children, are mowed down and pulverized and blown to pieces and have mis-targetted heavy munitions dropped on them and are rolled over by parades of tank treads and dismembered by high-powered sniper rifles. The destruction done to the dehumanized \"enemy\" is just as horrific. You have to wonder... how could anyone possibly come home from this and feel proud? Go back to a normal life? Not be inalterably traumatized for life? Can you be a killer, and then just switch it off? The author and the soldiers don't really deal with this question. But by omission, it's the most haunting thing that lingers about this book afterwards. Domestic violence, spousal abuse and murder, and suicide rates among soldiers and veterans who have come home from their tours are an epidemic mentioned only in hushed tones, I suppose because that's the ugly of it all. It's much more cinematic and glorious to whitewash everything and draw portraits of heroes rather than a brotherhood of macho cowboys amped up on killing. Evan Wright doesn't whitewash anything. It's raw, horrifying, and bizarre.From the opportunistic appearance of the insurgency, to the incompetence of the supposed leadership, and the frustrating inability of the tactical engineers and decision makers of the war to do anything right, to the unexpectedly hilarious irony of encountering rush hour traffic in the desert, this book will have you shaking your head, but probably wanting more. And ultimately, it's depressing. For both sides. It wasn't the first war, or the ugliest, and it won't be the last. Go, humanity. Get some.", "77" ], [ "It's a little too good. You have to wonder how so much detail creeps into passages where no one else would have been present. Embellished at best, or made up at worst. I can see why people love this book: they're used to dramatic reenactments of propped up heroes on prime time. There are parts that suck you in, sure, like the POW camp stuff, but to call this nonfiction strains credibility. I'm sure it'll be made into a movie that'll have a tag line to the effect of: \"Based on the incredible true story comes a tale of redemtion\" or something like that. But you know what, I think a lot of this has been given the James Frey polish. But then, people who eat this book up probably fell for \"Million Little Pieces\" also. This was 3 stars until he found god at the end by way of a preacher. Oh, spoiler alert.", "91" ], [ "Hey Joe, where are you going with that gun in your hand? \n A grisled ex con at the rusted end of a hard life who has no legacy to pass on and no kin to pass it on to meets an inexperienced boy with no worthy father figure to look up to. Larry Brown tells a tale about the opportunity for redemtion, and how it can turn ugly through circumstance. It's interesting to consider, at the end, whether anything has been made better by the actions and choices made by the main characters in this book, or if they've just gone from one limbo into another. Joe and his protegee are as conflicted and morally ambiguous as an old Clint Eastwood character, and that's a good thing. His is a tough world where old dogs don't learn new tricks; they're trained to kill and then kept under the house, snarling against their chain, under control, but just barely. Here, violence isn't a solution, it's a fait accompli.", "137" ], [ "Note: this is a review of the audiobook edition. If you are biased against absorbing a book through your earholes, and insist that one can only experience literature through your eyeholes, then you may want to skip to another review. And possibly reconsider everything you ever learned from being read to as a child. Apologies if you were never read to as a child. \n First of all, whoever selected this person, whoever it is, to narrate the audiobook of AHWOSG should be fired. I'm sure there's a type of book out there that is appropriate for what he brings to it, but he is completely the wrong tone for this one. I couldn't stand listening to him. It's like listening to a comedian give a monologue on a television sit-com that thinks everything is jazzy and ironic. But in his defense, I can't think of anyone that would have done a worse job, given the text he had to work with. \n I'm sure there are people who love this book to pieces. There are definitely those who loathe it. I'm neither. I don't care for it, but I can certainly see why some corners of the book-reading public would embrace it. I think the publisher had every right to put a stamp on the cover that says \"Pulitzer Finalist\", because it serves as a warning for the observant: it didn't actually WIN the Pulitzer. Instead it was given a participation ribbon. \n I can safely say that this book goes nowhere, because I listened to the first hour, fell asleep for a bit, woke up, found I hadn't missed anything, skipped to the end listened to the last hour, found I still hadn't missed anything, got a few minutes into the author's preface that was tacked on as an audiobook afterword and then switched it off right about the point where he's telling me I don't actually need to read (listen to?) that part. \n I should note that somewhere around the first half hour mark I paused it and went to Goodreads and looked at some other people's impressions and star ratings, just to see a consensus. I guess I wanted to know... was I missing something? Is this the right book? Does it keep going like this? Don't get me wrong, I can handle a plotless book in which nothing actually happens; some authors are brilliant about keeping your attention anyway. But this... I just don't know. It's not for me, I guess, and remember, my opinion is tainted by the terrible choice of audiobook narrator. Because I know there are fans out there whose brains just exploded and surely their comments will follow below, assuring me that I'm an idiot and that the book DID in fact go somewhere and that I should stop reading books altogether and that I should die already. I'll admit, it DOES go somewhere. And that place is nowhere. Slowly. \n There was a moment in Metallica's carreer when the band members cut their hair and started to wear eyeliner and lost their heavy metal thunder and decided that post-nirvana music had created an atmosphere where guitar solos were passe and unhip and they started to make decisions like invite symphony orchestras and Lou Reed to record and perform with them and generally they started to suck. For some reason, this book gave me the same moment of reflection that that watershed moment in Metallica's carreer gave me, as soon as I was able to admit it to myself, through much pain and acceptance. \n I have gone and looked through a lot of your reviews, Goodreads people... the good ones and the negative ones. One thing really surprised me. I mean, my eyebrows shot straight up when I read this: a lot of you, even the negative reviewers, thought it was funny, at least in part. I began to panic, because I thought I'd missed something. It was supposed to be funny? Did I skip past all the jokes? Out of 14 hours I listened to the first and last hour, so it's possible that Dave Eggers wanted to hide all his funny stuff in the middle and not begin or end with any of it. But I'm not going to go back to it. There's too much else I want to read. So I'll humbly take your word for it. \n Two stars, because the title made me think it was going to be an awesome book, which is what titles are supposed to do.", "27" ], [ "Werewolves who fight crime, lose their iPhones, pray to god, and google themselves. Welcome to Anne Rice phoning it in. \n When I got to the scene when the werewolf rescues the girl and then stays with her to pray a hail mary out loud in a growly wolf voice, I knew I had read enough...actually, too much.", "121" ], [ "I used to love Chuck Palahniuk, but I was younger then and I think less cranky. I've gone back and reread Fight Club recently, previously my favourite, and discovered that everything I thought I loved from that book was actually from the movie adaptation. He hasn't written anything interesting in years, starting with Diary and peaking with Rant (however I immensely enjoyed Haunted, and to a lesser extent, Pygmy). I didnt even bother with Tell-All. Usually my gripe with him is that he takes a great nihilistic, blackly satyrical concept and cops out at the end. I had thought that the only way to end a book worse than \"it was only a dream!\" was to end it with happy characters that discover hope and values in the same society that's he's spent the entire novel poking fun at. As it turns out, there IS a worse way to end it: by NOT ending it. Ok, fine, so he's decided to spend at least one more book with this character. For me, by the end of Damned, it felt more like he's strung together a bunch of crazy, sometimes moderately funny what-if's about hell and then in a panic, realizing he hadn't a clue as to how to end it, just wrote \"To be continued\" instead. That, and the disappointment that came with realizing I hadn't laughed out loud once or retained a single quotable line (and in the past, I found his novels rich with both), leaves me wondering: \"Are you there, Chuck? It's me, your fan.\" I'm giving this three stars only because I hated a few of his other books more, and because none of his books are worse than, say, Twilight.", "84" ], [ "I \"read\" the audiobook of this, narrated by Hodgman himself, with a special musical guest, and it had me laughing and snickering for hours. It struck me as a cross between the hysterical footnotes from \"Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell\", and The Barenaked Ladies. I loved it.", "0" ], [ "Nine oh two is the best character in this book, and it would have been wise to make him (it?) more central. I liked the book because of the \"Freeborn\" robot chapters. Otherwise, it's basically run of the mill \"Rise of the Machines\" type stuff.", "76" ], [ "I read this many years ago, shortly after it was released, and I remember liking it more then. Still, while not my favourite BEE novel, the dialogue crackles and reality warps and it all gets very surreal, which is what I love about Ellis books. It feels very Lynchian (as in David; as in Mulholland Drive or Lost Highway ), and that's a good thing. Lots of reader seem to want to compare this to American Psycho, perhaps because of the violence, or the overlap of characters, or the long lists of things, or the fact that everybody looks like somebody else...but it's a very different novel. It has more of a plot than AP, but goes less of anywhere. AP is a study in accretion; at the end there's a cumulative sense of the world that was just shown to you. There isn't much of that in Glamorama. It's more surface, less depth, a little more insistent on wanting to be more than it is. Like movies. Or hollywood. Or celebrities. Which is probably the point.", "70" ], [ "This book is impenatrable. I've read it twice now, separated by a couple of years, and I still don't get it. Bret Easton Ellis is one of my very favourite authors. Like his other novels, his dialogue is sharp, believable and observant; the imagery is powerful and dark, the interactions feel both ominous and banal; it dips into the territory of surrealism deeply and often; the violence shocking and brutal; the nihilism malignant and poetic. But despite all this, it never feels like there is a throughline. It feels like the literary doodles Ellis drew in the margins of other books. It feels like miles of cliff and no foothold. I would probably read anything Ellis published, because I'd rather read bad Ellis than most other things. But I really hope his next work comes with more of what inspires him, rather than him simply doing what he's good at on autopilot. Books like American Psycho and Lunar Park left me breathless with envy of his skill. This one just leaves me befuddled and disappointed. Maybe it's just me?", "134" ] ]

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[ [ "Thomas Huxley was a leading educator of the 19th Century. His essays are some of the finest written during that entire period and his influence has spread from England to America and back. He was a member of the Royal Society in England and by 26 had already distinguished himself in science. His works, long forgotten by most 21 Century persons, as still well worth taking to heart. This book would be difficult to find unless one went to an antiquarian book store.", "135" ], [ "Mr. Sanderson, an early naturalist, wrote several animal behavior books as well as treasure books. This book details his observations on whaling expeditions around the globe. He also details other whaling voyages by other peoples--the Basques, Yankees, Dutch, and others. Maps are included of whaling grounds and a little prehistoric evolution of the cetacea is hypothesized.", "11" ], [ "This book is designed for young adults and illustrates mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and others in some of their modes of survival. The authors depict how these animals have adapted to often extreme environmental conditions. The photographs are wonderful and the layout easy on the eyes.", "11" ], [ "I love books about specific kinds of creatures, written by professionals who have studied them. This is one of the books I would recommend to animal behaviorists like myself as well as to anyone who loves animals or even finds one of these creatures in their back yard. --Robert William Hult", "11" ], [ "The National Zoological Park is one of the foundation elements to the Smithsonian. This volume deals with the many kinds of animals displayed at the park. Felines, ursines,canines, primates, and other mammals are represented. Fine drawings and early B/W photographs illustrate the animals. It is a good look at an early WW1 type zoo.", "11" ], [ "This is the everything you ever wanted to know about mixing drinks. I used this in the Winthrop Palace Restaurant and bar, while I owned the business. It was the prime useful text on the subject and made me a fair amount of money.", "83" ], [ "Most people have been taught that animals are these automatons wandering about aimlessly. Nothing could be farther from the truth. This books takes us into the lives of creatures who are as emotional as we humans are when they are involved with some aspect of their lives that they can be passionate about. Www.robertwilliamhult.com.", "11" ], [ "Records of everything one can think of are colorfully presented in this amazing book. It also has an exciting 3D cover. Want to break a record? Look it up and try to do better.", "174" ], [ "Wow! Probably the most stunningly beautiful book on animals I have ever seen. The contributors spared no expense in making this book. An alien would be pleased to know that we love our wildlife so much as to compile this elegant book.", "11" ], [ "Since Carl Sagan died, there is nobody out there comparable in my mind to Michio Kaku in putting Physics back into the popular arena. Kaku makes even the most complicated subjects understandable, the true mark of genius.", "49" ], [ "This is one of my favorite books on where to find animals in various locations. You want to go to where they are most comfortable and that is generally where they feel safest. For animals that dwell in holes, you simply locate the hole and wait for the animal to come out. This book enables one to find that hole.", "11" ], [ "Based on a religious context, MacArthur's leadership principles are tried and true since early biblical days. In this day and age some of these principles are not met to the detriment of leadership in general.", "26" ], [ "Great book with the most up-to-date information about felines that I have ever read. This book is bound to save a lot of feline lives, since it gives the reader everything they would ever want to know about their pet cats.", "195" ] ]

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[ [ "Arcadia is the highly anticipated second novel by Lauren Groff, following her critically acclaimed novel The Monsters of Templeton. This promising and poignant story is centered on a small sub-culture population seeking to create a utopian society in the late 1960's. \n In the wooded fields of western New York, a lot of land with a decaying mansion in Arcadia is established by an eccentric man named Handy, along with a caravan of hippies who regard him as their leader. As this land is being built upon, we meet Ridley Sorrel Stone, also known as \"Bit\", the first child to be born on this commune, so-called for his small stature. We are first introduced to Bit in the beginning of the novel, as he recalls a memory while in his mother's womb. Although this suggestion could be rather arduous, it sets the stage for the novel. Arcadia takes place over the course of three generations. It follows Bit's development as well as his emotional growth based upon the mores of his communal family, and the struggles he experiences later in life as he attempts to assimilate into society after things fall apart on the commune. \n There are many reflective and introspective moments of the story as many of the characters strive to reach their idealistic goals. However, reality is inevitable. The communal family breaks up and Bit has to learn to cope in a world that he has never known. The values instilled in him from birth and his struggle to reconcile the ideal from the real is present throughout the course of the novel. The reader observes the life of Bit as he ages- from the womb, to an infant, to a boy, to a man, a husband, and then a father himself. \n There are many magnificent elements that Groff utilizes. There is a prologue, and the book is divided into four parts, City of the Sun, Heliopolis, Isles of the Blest, and Garden of Earthly Delights. Each part is metaphorically symbolic of its representative title. \n As a child, Bit intentionally withholds speaking until he somewhat older; the reader gets to know Bit through his thoughts. At times there was some confusion as to who the speaker was, as Groff intentionally omits any quotation marks. \n As Bit explores the mansion, he comes across an old leather bound book of Grimm's fairytales in which he finds some solace. When Bit is older, it is quite touching to see how he deals with the aging of his parents, and their subsequent death. There is also a concurrent love story between Bit and Helle, adding layers to the plot. \n Arcadia was far from perfect, and in the end the Arcadians were unable to sustain themselves. It became inevitable that Bit would have to enter the real world. How the values of Arcadia shaped him into a man of intelligence, compassion and gentleness is presented. The way he adapts to living in a world which he sees as an increasingly imperfect, dark, scary, and threatening world, is also explored. \n With Arcadia, Groff presents a beautifully written and imaginative world abounding with realistic and believable characterizations. Bit's character makes every effort to find meaning, and comfort in a world that he continues to seek to understand, and yet in the end, he is at peace with himself despite the faults he sees in the world. \"The world is sometimes too much for Bit, too full of terror and beauty.\" \n The beginning of Arcadia is markedly different from its ending. There is a plethora of philosophical themes interwoven into the novel and Groff's talent is exquisitely displayed. The paralleled symbolism of Bit's profession as a photographer and the growth of his conscious mind are brilliant. Groff leaves the reader with many meandering thoughts to ponder. Arcadia has been named on the March 2012 Indie Next List. There cover-art is somewhat psychedelic lending additional realism to the time period in which the majority of the story takes place. I give Arcadia 5 stars and highly recommend it to those who enjoy literary fiction.", "100" ], [ "The Flame Alphabet by Ben Marcus is a dark and haunting novel that explores the power of language, and how society would be affected without it. \n Marcus displays his exceptional talent as a writer as he introduces the reader to a dark and horrific world where the language of children is killing adults. It begins with the Jewish children first, and then spreads to other ethnicities. This apocalyptic plague kills adults not only by the spoken word, but later, even the written word has detrimental effects upon those reading or hearing it. There are various themes explored throughout this novel. Marcus leaves the reader with much to think about with respect to the effect of language on society, culture and individual families. In The Flame Alphabet, adults are forced into quarantine zones and must be separated from their children in order to stay alive. The main characters Sam and Claire leave their young daughter Esther due to this malevolent epidemic which is spreading throughout their land. As they begin to wither away, Sam and Claire are forced to leave Esther behind to save their own life, and he diligently searches for a cure. As he does, there are some interesting discussions about language, The Hebrew alphabet, and the importance of communication. \n Without the ability to communicate, what will become of our society and civilization as a whole? Marcus explores this concept in this imaginative and at times bizarre story The Flame Alphabet. This intellectual thriller is invigorating and certainly makes for an interesting read.", "12" ], [ "Dangerous Ambition: Rebecca West and Dorothy Thompson, New Women in Search of Love and Power by Susan Hertog is an exhaustive biography and account of the lives of these two women, who were also friends with lives that often times paralleled each other. \n I did not know much about West and Thompson when I started reading this book, but was amazed at the significant role these women played in history as well as the literary figures that were amongst their circle of friends. I found it interesting that Dorothy Thompson had a good friend named Rose Wilder Lane, as I grew up reading many novels written by her mother Laura Ingalls Wilder. \n Dorothy Thompson was the first woman to head a European news bureau and had worked as a columnist and journalist with a significant following, making her extremely influential. As was her counterpart, Rebecca West, a notable English literary critic, journalist, novelist and historian. Both of whom exhibited tremendous ambition, achieving legacy status in the male dominated fields in which they strived to excel. \n Their ambitious desires often drove them to seek similarly ambitious men. Dorothy Thompson and her relationship with author Sinclair Lewis and Rebecca West and her love affair with H.G. Wells, both of which resulted in the birth of troubled sons. When reading about the lives of these women, it is obvious that to achieve what they had achieved, not only involved significant sacrifice, but was obtained at great cost as well. Both women had turbulent and toilsome personal lives, including their relationships with the men they were drawn to. \n Hertog presents an impeccable and well developed timeline of events outlining the lives of these women, the effect they have had on the intellectual women of today, and the price each of them paid to attain their mark in history as the ambitious and successful women of their day. A very insightful read.", "93" ], [ "I have to admit I did not know much about J.D. Salinger before reading this biography. However, I have always been intrigued by Salinger ever since I was fifteen and had read Catcher in the Rye. Slawenski remarkably salutes J.D. Salinger, whose full name is Jerome David Salinger. \"It is an invitation to salute. A salute not the memory but to the essence of J.D. Salinger...\" \n J.D. Salinger: A Life is a thorough and well researched biography on the man and author. Being born to a middle-class Jewish family and raised in the Upper East Side of NYC, is in part, what inspired Salinger. There is a thorough accounting of his parents history, along with pictures of his home on Park Avenue, which was reportedly the basis of the Glass family home in Franny and Zooey. \n Slawenski covers Salinger's childhood, and education. It was interesting to read about Salinger's experiences in Valley Forge Military Academy and how those experiences may have contributed to his formulation of the character of Holden Caulfield in Catcher in the Rye. According to Slawenski, Salinger and Caulfield \"shared many attributes\". \n Another interesting fact is that Salinger wrote the class song of 1936 for the Valley Forge Military Academy, and through present day, the song is still in use. \n Salinger lived through war time (World War II) and although he wanted to enlist in the army, he was initially rejected due to a slight heart irregularity. In 1942 some of the classifications were lessened, and he was subsequently drafted. Salinger had five battle stars along with a Presidential Unit Citation for Valor. There were many disenchanting events that Salinger witnessed while in service, a lot of which had contributed to the struggling emotions of his protagonist Holden Caulfield. \"The struggle of Holden Caulfield echoed the spiritual journey of the author.\" \n There were so many rich points throughout this biography; Slawenski does a tremendous job in relating not only the events and ideas that inspired the author, but also gives an in depth look at some of the characters and how they related to the author and vice versa. \n I was unaware of how many short stories and other writings were actually attributed to Salinger. Being from New York City myself, I found myself intrigued by the life this author lived. In his later years, he lived off his own land, grew his own vegetables organically and as much as he could tried to live a self-sufficient life. Slawenski does an exemplary job when he compares Salinger to Dickens \"For all of its unconventionality, The Catcher in the Rye carries on a literary tradition begun by Charles Dickens...\" \"Catcher in the Rye continues an observation of mankind as seen through the lens of an adolescent...\" \n Slawenski spent close to eight years putting this biography together. J.D. Salinger was born on January 1, 1919 and died on January 27, 2010. His work will always be known for its value in classic literature. Aside from Catcher in the Rye and Franny and Zooey, Salinger is known for his novellas Raise High the Roof Beam and Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction as well as Nine Stories. \n This electronic galley was provided to me for free by Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.", "128" ], [ "Based upon true events, Corban Addison makes an impressive debut with first novel, A Walk Across the Sun by Corban Addison. \n After a tsunami strikes the coast of their town, two Indian sisters, ages 17 and 15 find themselves without a home, and orphaned. Most of the relatives and friends have not survived. In an attempt to make their way to a convent school in England, they become victims of human traffickers and are exposed to the world of sex trade. On the other side of the globe, in Washington, D.C., attorney Thomas Clarke is struggling with his own demons. After the loss of his child, his Indian wife abandons him. He subsequently decides to take a sabbatical in Bombay, in hopes of reconciling with his wife. When he begins to investigate the sex trade and human trafficking operation, it becomes his quest to put an end to these horrific crimes. This story really works for Addison. He explores the depths of this issue and brings it to light with beautifully written narrative. His personal research during his travels in India is clearly evident through his insights and character/prose style, making A Walk Across the Sun making the characters believable and reliable. The chapters alternate between the sisters and Thomas Clarke, and ultimately become intertwined. \n For those who like multicultural fiction, Corban Addison's debut of A Walk Across the Sun is a must read, and is certainly an extraordinary and emotionally moving work of literature.", "6" ], [ "Without having read anything by author Jane Smiley in the past, I was pleasantly impressed by the eloquence of this Pulitzer Prize winner's writing style. Smiley easily draws the reader into the life and times of Charles Dickens, and allows the reader to not only get know the man, but also the inner workings of what inspired and influenced some of the greatest novel writing in history. \n Among some of things brought to my attention by Smiley was the fact that Oliver Twist \"was the first English novel to take a child as its protagonist\". \"In some sense, Oliver Twist turned the world upside down and offered a new view of things to Dickens's readers - life at the bottom of Victorian society, as seen through the eyes of a child\". \n Charles Dickens: A Life is by no means a lengthy book. I was fascinated by the magnificence of the material contained in these pages. Not only does the reader get to examine the man, an examination of his writings is inevitable and insightful. The vast philosophical and psychological themes that Dickens sought to explore and capture in his works truly made him one of the most spectacular writers in literature. At 27 years old, Dickens was \"...the most famous writer of his day\". \n Another extraordinary detail Smiley brings to light is the fact that it was not until the time of Dickens that an author was able \"...to support himself or herself through the sales of his or her own work, and in this Dickens was pioneer and exemplar\". \"He differed from all of his contemporaries in that he represented no group, therefore he came to represent all\". \n Smiley does exemplary work herself. Each page is abounding in the author's expertise, intimacy and understanding of Dickens, giving this book credibility and readability. One great truth that Smiley touches upon is the significance of the published written word. \"The new machinery of capitalistic publishing had carried his work far and wide, bringing a single man, a single voice, into a personal relationship with huge numbers of people of whom he had never met, and yet who felt intimate with him, because the novel is, above all, an intense experience of prolonged intimacy with another consciousness\". \n For any person who loves literature, this quick study of Charles Dickens: A Life is one of the most affluent books I would highly recommend. \"Charles Dickens was a phenomenon by any standard\".", "135" ], [ "Tony Iommi is the lead guitarist for the band Black Sabbath. Considered by some to be the father of \"heavy metal\", Black Sabbath has had an enormous influence on the music industry, giving birth to the genre of \"heavy metal.\" In his memoir, Iron Man: My Journey Through Heaven and Hell With Black Sabbath, he recounts the events in his life that lead him to form the band, as well as tells of how certain events impacted and influenced his life. \n From early points in his life, such as the domestic violence between his parents, to events such as the death of former lead singer Ronnie James Dio, Iommi discusses his experiences as well as his struggle with other former band-mates. Some other memorable accounts of Iommi's experiences on the road while the band was on tour, and the struggles each of the band-mates faced during the times Black Sabbath songs were on the charts are also recounted. \n Iommi discusses his intimate relationship with the band members, the effects that drugs had on all of them, his relationship with singer/guitarist Lita Ford, and the bands rivalry with other successful bands of the time, Led Zepplin, Deep Purple. \n On March 13, 2006, Black Sabbath was inducted into the American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. All in all, Iommi concludes, \"I'm really proud of what we've achieved. We spawned a whole new generation of music, of players...It's extremely rewarding.\" \"I enjoy where I'm at now, I really do. It's a good place.\"", "117" ], [ "This is the first book in the Cassidy Jones Adventures. Elise Stokes does an amazing job for setting the stage in this young adult series. Cassidy Jones is a fourteen year old girl who develops special abilities after an accident. With her new heightened senses, strength and abilities, she partners with Emery Phillips, a fifteen year old genius. Together they set out to find their kidnapped parents. The story is quick moving, and leaves you wanting more. \n Elise Stokes is a wonderful storyteller. Her characters are rich, believable, as well as relatable. She eloquently uses descriptive language to convey what the characters are feeling without overdoing it. There is adventure, excitement and overall enjoyment with this read. As the relationship and trust between Cassidy and Emery grows throughout the story, so does the empathy and likeability develop between the reader and the characters. Stokes leaves the reader with anticipation.", "33" ], [ "The Night Circus is the magnificently written debut novel by Erin Morgensten. She eloquently tells the tale of the constantly moving, unique circus that \"...arrives without warning\" beginning at dusk and continuing through the night. Unlike most circus-going experiences, this nocturnal adventure is different. \"He had expected it to be a show. Something to sit in a chair and watch. He realized quickly how wrong he was. It was something to be explored.\" Many tents are available to explore, each with its own theme. \n A competition is underway. For years, Celia and Marco have been training diligently for the challenge for which they were inducted by their trainers, neither one knowing that they were the advesary. A world of mystery, magic and illusion; Morgenstern easily draws the reader into the nocturnal world of Le Cirque de Reves. What the competitors do not know is that in order for a winner to be determined, only one can be left standing. \n The Night Circus provides the venue for this competition to take place. Celia and Marco didn't expect to fall in love with one another, which makes their challenge much more difficult. \n I truly enjoyed this novel, down to the artwork of the book keeping with the color theme. The Night Circus// draws you into its magical world and leaves you with a feeling of hope, and the desire to dream as any majestic fairy tale would accomplish. Completely captivating, mysterious, romantic, and a dream-like fantasy in bound into one book! \n Morgenstern is quite successful in this, her debut novel, craftily written, and providing a truly unique reading experience. It would be wonderful to see this book go to film, for the magical scenes Morgenstern so brilliantly expresses and conveys are vividly seen by the reader. She achieves all of the goals a writer wishes to achieve as she takes you on the journey of The Night Circus. Well done!", "12" ] ]

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[ [ "I can't rate it. \n I love Gideon. I love Eva. I love that beautiful, passionate love affair that began that day when Eva got a load of Gideon in the lobby of the Crossfire building and fell flat, on her backside. I love the man that emerged as each of Gideon's layers were pulled back. I love Sylvia Day's exquisite writing... \n But nothing much happened in this book between the main characters.", "7" ], [ "I 1-clicked this book after a recommendation by Angie of Angie's Dreamy Reads and OMG! It was awesome! I don't regret hitting the 1-click button for this baby at all. I've even pre-ordered the next book...because... Pure Awesomeness! \n This is a fantasy novel. It's also a romance. We have, first of all, a strong female character, like, really strong, admirable, dependable, honorable, fair, and resourceful. Feyre is a young girl whose family lost it's fortune and has been reduced to painful poverty. Deprived of the upper-class life and the education both her sisters received, she has no pretensions of being a lady, and truthfully, she can't afford them. She promised her mother on her deathbed that she would take care of her sisters and father, and she does just that, hunting in the woods close to their village, just to keep food on their table and clothes on their backs. \n On one such hunt, she kills a wolf, a big beautiful animal that she suspects is one of the Fae, the powerful mythical creatures who live separate from humans, their territories demarcated from human territories by a magical wall. She has no qualms about killing the animal, especially since there is no love lost between Humans and Fae, who, in the human world, are rumored to be deadly and evil creatures. \n However, the death of the Fae wolf cannot go unpunished. The next day, while Feyre and her family are enjoying the proceeds from the sale of the wolf's pelt, retribution comes in the form of a beast who demands only one thing, Feyre, in return for the slain wolf. Her only choice, other than death, is to go with the beast. He takes her over the wall to the lands of the Fae, and that's where the story really begins. \n The beast is Tamlin, and unknown to Fae, he's the high lord of the Spring Court, which makes him powerful and deadly. But even as Feyre remains his unwilling guest, she has a lot more than him to fear. There are other creatures in the Fae lands, evil and more deadly, who will not hesitate to harm her. \n The longer Feyre remains in Tamlin's court, the more she begins to see that there's a lot more to Tamlin than what she expects of a high Fae. He too, finds her to be so much more than what he expected a human to be. Their mutual disdain slowly progresses to something like friendship, respect and also, love. \n But, the lands of the Fae are not safe, and there are things that even a high Lord like Tamlin fears and cannot protect Fae from. There is the 'blight,' stealing his powers slowly. The mysterious 'she' that he fears, evil creatures like the Attor, and the high Lord of the Night Court, Rhysand, who is beautiful, powerful, enigmatic and strangely interested in Feyre. \n Just as Tamlin and Feyre seem to find some sort of idyll, things fall apart, and Feyre will have to fight for the man she loves, facing the kind of dangers that should be unimaginable to a human girl. \n ******************** \n So... I am officially a fangirl of Sarah J. Maas. Her worldbuilding is perfect and the imagery is so deliciously on point. Feyre is a lovely character. Tamlin is easy to love once you get to know him. Lucien, Tamlin's emissary, tries to be a bad boy, but I just want to smother him with kisses, and Rhysand... Hmmm. What can I say about Rhysand? Just, you know, read the book. \n When Feyre got that answer to Amarantha's question (Even though I'd guessed what the answer was immediately I saw the riddle, hello?), I was just effervescent with happiness. I was like this! \n What did Rhysand see in Feyre's face at the end? I'm willing to bet that he saw that Feyre was his mate. If they share a mating bond, wouldn't that be a delightful complication? *Licks lips.*", "175" ], [ "This book was beautiful. It was sweet. Drew was sweet. What a guy! The kind of guy you know you should fall in love with. The kind of guy you hope your daughter will fall in love with. He was awesome, sweet without being corny. \n \"I'm going to marry you someday, Catelyn Forbes. And then we'll have babies.\" \n Cate was funny, likable, hardworking, everything I like in a heroine. \n The story is told along two different timelines, the past and the present, with a prologue that shows what seems to be a defining point in the relationship between the hero and heroine, but all I can say, without giving anything away is that, this story is not what you expect it to be. \n This is not a romance novel in any traditional sense, but it's a wonderful, touching and poignant read. It made me cry. It made me sad, and it had so much goodness and sweetness too. I struggled between a four star and a five star, because at the end, I felt like I'd been falling in love with someone, only to find myself in bed with someone else. The five star won, because at the end of the day, it was a lovely story.", "200" ], [ "I first found out about this book through a meme, a funny, ridiculous meme that switched Rob Pattinson and Kristen Stewart's faces, and ridiculed the idea of a male 'Bella' and a female 'Edward.' \n It was funny. I laughed. However, I knew that I was going to read the book, because all those years ago, after I first discovered Stephanie Meyer, I tore through the Twilight series and came out with a desperate hunger to read anything else by her. I read The Host, stayed away from the unedited copy of Midnight Sun, and I have been waiting ever since, for anything! \n So I guess I am the target market for this book, a willing, eager, hungry target market. I bought the book, ignored all the negative reviews and started reading, and right there in the second paragraph... \n \"I stared across the long room, into the dark eyes of the hunter, and SHE looked pleasantly back at me.\" \n I knew I already loved it. \n Beaufort 'Beau' Swan is the awkward Arizona transplant, trying to adapt to life in Forks, with his taciturn police chief father. He has to adapt to a new school, make new friends, and through his eyes, we reprise the first sighting of the most beautiful family in vampire fiction. Yes, the Cullens, but instead of the Cullens as we know them, this is what we have now. \n Edythe Cullen - Bronze haired, small framed, beautiful. \n Eleanor Cullen - Dark Curly hair, tall and strong. \n Jessamine Hale - Honey colored hair, not so tall as the brunette, intense and edgy. \n Archie Cullen - Short guy, hair buzzed so short, it a shadow across his scalp. \n Royal Hale - Straight gold hair, athletic, incredibly handsome. \n I guess this might be the most confusing part of this book, trying to reimagine the Cullens. It was for me, but I got used to it. In case you haven't, here goes. \n Edythe is Edward \n Eleanor is Emmett \n Jessamine is Jasper \n Archie is Alice \n Royal is Rosalie. \n Dr. Carlyle and Esme Cullen are also replaced by Dr. Carine and Earnest Cullen. \n I loved the description of Royal and Eleanor, and I think I liked them much more than I did Rosalie and Emmett. They sound formidable. I could never really get an image in my head for Jessamine, and it was impossible to imagine Archie as anything other than Alice (Ashley Greene). The other character transpositions are along the same lines. The Quileute wolf pack and all the other main characters from the tribe are women. The students too, with Mike Newton becoming McKayla. \n Back to the story, most of the events and action are the same, with little additions and changes. Beau is a really likable guy, and Meyer makes a real effort to make the male angle retelling convincing, while maintaining Edythe's dominance both in physical strength and confidence. When Beau gets nauseous because of the blood in the biology class, he covers it up with humor, a really guy thing to do. \n \"I have a weak vasovagal system,\" I muttered. \"It's just a neurally mediated syncope.\" \n There's also a funny tongue-in-cheek reference to the theme of this retelling, when Beau tries to object as Edythe pays for his meal, and she says... \n \"Try not to get caught up in antiquated gender roles.\" \n Ha! \n The love story is as sweet and tender as I remember from reading Twilight, and Stephanie Meyer gives us a bonus by putting in a little twist at the end. It was unexpected, surprising, it hurt, because yes, I am attached to the original story, but it totally made sense. \n I loved reading this book. The gender swaps were interesting, but the best part is that it IS still Twilight, the story we've loved since we first read it. That being said, I have some observations about the bigger picture surrounding the publication of this book. \n Stephenie Meyer wrote this book not only as a gift to her more loyal readers (like yours truly), but also as a response to people who had criticized Twilight because according to them, Bella was portrayed as a weak female. What I learned is that people love to criticize and condemn, even when you give them, like in this case, exactly what they claimed to want, they will still criticize and condemn. \n I also learned that I'm very traditional when it comes to romance. I thought Beau was sweet and all, but I'm one of those who will always choose an Edward, at least in the fictional world. \n So if you love Twilight and you haven't read this book because of what some people are saying, my own two cents is this. Read it. I loved it, you probably will too.", "175" ], [ "Okay, this was really really good. \n There was no dull moment, no lull. I was engrossed from start to finish. \n Carter and Arizona (I love that as a name!) hated each other in fourth grade. \n But then they became best friends sometime around (or before) fifth grade. They were so close that she was the first person he told when he had sex, and vice versa. He's always been very protective of her, to the extent of cutting his dates short whenever she needs him. Yet, as far as they're both concerned, they're not attracted to each other. \n Until, they are. \n Suddenly they cant keep their hands off each other. \n It's weird, and sexy and totally undeniable all at once. How will they define their new relationship? are they still best friends? how long can they keep the sexual part of their relationship from their friends, and do they want to? And when life interrupts in the form of future and career plans, will they make the right choice? \n I loved this. The characters were so real, and confident and alive! The sex was really sexy (lol) \n Anyway, totally recommend.", "28" ], [ "I understand that some people feel they have to hate this book on principle, just because it's a retelling of an already published story, but they are so wrong. There is nothing awful or repetitive about this book. It is a sweet, touching, and interesting read. \n As most people already know, this is the story of Fifty Shades of Grey told from Christian Grey's perspective. We get to experience Christian's first impressions of Ana, his initial attraction to her, and how, like her, he starts to feel things he's never felt before and becomes willing to try new things as their relationship progresses. \n Christian is not a perfect man, but we already knew that. From his thoughts he can sometimes seem downright selfish, but this series is about how he grows and matures into the man who proves himself worthy of Ana's (and our) love. \n There are more flashbacks to his days with his birth mother, and his early years with the Greys. The flashbacks are sometimes painful, sometimes sweet. The one where baby Mia is brought to the family and Christian speaks for the first time pulled my heartstrings so far, I'm sure they're broken :) We also see his relationship with Elena (Mrs. Robinson) and more of his adoptive family. Also, the sex scenes from Christian POV are just as hot :) ;) \n I hope Ms James writes Christian's perspective to the end of the story as we know it, maybe even beyond. I would love to read on and see how Christian finally learns to love the person in the mirror.", "28" ], [ "Grayson 'the dragon' Hawthorne meets Kira 'the witch' Dalliare \n FAV QUOTES \n \"Sometimes, I supposed, a girl just had to her own hero.\" \n \"There's nothing on earth like the feel of someone who loves you grasping your hand in the dark when you're lost and afraid.\" \n \"If you let it, pain makes more space for love within you. and the love we carry inside makes us strong when nothing else can.\" \n They Give Each Other Strength. \n This was such a nice story. Kira Dalliare is in desperate circumstances. She needs money, not just for herself but for the charities she supports that need her help. She's a heiress, the only child of an influential politician, but for her own reasons, she'd rather not go to her father for money. During a stop at the bank to retrieve the last funds she has in the world from an account her granny opened in her name, she finds someone who is as desperate, if not more desperate than she is. \n Grayson Hawthorne needs money. His vineyard is going bankrupt. The grapes are ripening, with no money or equipment to harvest or process them. He made a vow to his father to make sure the vineyard didn't fail, and he means to make good on his vow, somehow. \n Enter Kira. She might just have a solution for them both, in the form of a trust her grandmother left her. Money she can only get if she gets married. She makes Grayson a proposal, and though it rankles, though he only sees her as a spoiled heiress, not even his type, he has no choice but to accept. \n The odds are obviously stacked against them, but the more time they spend together, the more they start to see past their first impressions, and soon their physical attraction becomes undeniable, especially as it comes with feelings of respect, understanding, and all the other emotions they just can't ignore. \n I really liked this story, especially the theme of first impressions not always being right, as well as the ability of wounded people, if they try, to see past and triumph over the pain in their pasts.", "175" ], [ "I purchased the box-set of all three books in the series and read the first one a few weeks ago. I haven't gotten around to the other two because... frantically preparing for publishing, but I really, really liked this story. Kaitlyn is such an interesting heroine, and her internal dialogue is sometimes laugh-out-loud funny. Martin seems to have some demons in his past, and wow! his attraction for Kaitlyn was really palpable. \n Loved it, and totally recommend.", "107" ], [ "I LOVED Sincerely Carter so of course I downloaded this and DEVOURED it. It's beautifully, wonderfully FREE! \n Anyway, this is the epilogue and concluding chapter of Sincerely Carter, and it rounded up the story very beautifully. I had tears in my eyes at the last scene. Good, beautiful, happy tears.", "101" ], [ "I really enjoyed this book. I've been heavily into erotic romance for a while now, but it was great to read a different kind of book. I'm not very good at spoiler free reviews, so I'm just going to say this story was great, and I was hooked from the first page. \n **As I read, I kept thinking how it would make such a great movie. Seriously.** \n Totally recommend.", "46" ], [ "Did I think it would be possible to like the Originals more? No. But I find myself finding them very appealing indeed, and I already love them so much more than my old crew from TVD. Now I love then the way one can only love book characters. Klaus is so charming! and Klaus in love is swoon worthy. \n Their disregard for human life though... it's the only turnoff. Seems Elijah is the only one who thinks vampires should 'leave them breathing.' \n I bought the next book in the series. Well done Julie Plec.", "7" ], [ "Drawn to You is now available for sale!! I promise you'll all love Landon and Rachel's story as much as I do. \n The purchase links are below. \n Amazon US \n Amazon UK \n Barnes and Noble \n Kobobooks \n Apple iBookstore \n Google Play \n Scribd \n Page Foundry \n Happy reading.", "59" ], [ "That first chapter... oh Blaire! \n Blaire is beautiful, with the kind of face and body fantasies are made of. Men fall at her feet. And she uses them, for their money, the adoration, and the attention. Outside, she's the kind of girl other women hate, but inside, she's the child who had to cry herself to sleep every night while her parents fought, who learned not to love because her parents never gave her any love or attention, who learned to be strong when the other girls in school were mean to her because she was fat, and who has decided never to give her heart to anyone. \n Then comes Ronan. He's charming, not rich, but he loves her, and when she's with him, she feels good and hopeful, and happy. If anyone can teach her to love, it's him. \n And then there's Lawrence, anyone who's ever read anything I've written knows my weakness for rich, sexy men.... and Lawrence Rothschild is definitely that. He understands Blaire, and he's ready to give her what she wants, in exchange for her body. \n Blaire is torn between the two, she makes a choice, but she's not sure it's the right one. \n This book is part of a series, and ends on a WTF note, aka Igottareadthenextone-cliffhanger. But I'm sure it will be worth the wait.", "175" ], [ "It kept my interest. I'm going to read the second book, and probably everything else KA Linde has written because I loved OFF THE RECORD. \n I just want to say to every girl out there that if a guy ever treats you the way Jack treats Lexi, he doesn't love you, he doesn't deserve you, he's an asshole, and you should forget about him. \n 0 points for cheating with her when they were both in relationships, and after her own relationship was destroyed by the cheating, he still didn't want his girlfriend to find out so he could hold on to HIS relationship. \n 0 points for sleeping with someone else when they were together. \n 0 points for being jealous when she got some attention from another guy. Does he want her to always be available for him as a side dish? \n 0 points for the office scene near the end. \"Bekah, ignore her. She's just pissed. I'm getting out of here and you should come too. You don't need this.\"?????? Making Lexa out to be the one with the problem (granted the silly girl does have a real self-esteem problem) when he's the asshole that can't decide what he wants. \n 0 points overall for Jack the Ass. \n Lexa suffers from a mental disorder that's excusable in girls below 21, but unacceptable in any woman who's about to finish Law School. It's called, Loving a guy who doesn't give a fuck about you because you think if only blah blah or blah blah, then you guys would be together because you belong together. Actually, when a guy wants you for more than just sex once in a while, you won't have to wonder, you'll know. \n Wow! It's been a while since I wrote such a long review. I'm just still a little pissed off at the characters. Annoying, but interesting read.", "31" ], [ "This is a fabulously written and haunting mystery set in the Pacific Northwest in the 1870's. Leonie Russell and her much older husband Junius Russell are ethnologists living a very routine life until she finds a very well preserved mummy in the mud by the river in front of their house. With the mummy comes dreams and warnings from a local native American witch doctor, words of caution from Uncle Tom, her Chinook guardian, and her husbands adult son, Daniel, who he abandoned years ago. \n Strangely drawn to the mummy, and also to Daniel, Leonie starts to question what she knows, who she is, and what she really wants out of life. \n I loved this book. I think I guessed the mystery about halfway through it, but it was a good, spine-tingling read nonetheless.", "108" ], [ "UNDENIABLE is now live at the following links - \n Amazon US - http://bit.ly/UndAMUS \n Amazon UK - http://bit.ly/UndeAMUK \n Barnes and Noble http://bit.ly/UndeBrN \n Kobo - http://bit.ly/UndKobo \n Apple iBookstore - http://bit.ly/UndApple \n Google Play - http://bit.ly/UndGgPlay \n Smashwords - http://bit.ly/UndeSmash \n Paperback - http://bit.ly/UndePaBk \n Happy Reading.", "59" ], [ "Perfect! I highly recommend this book. The heroine is focused, hardworking, and intelligent, which I absolutely love, and the hero, Brady Maxwell is just dreamy. I'm really looking forward to the next book in the series.", "46" ], [ "Surrender (A Dangerous Man #4) is now live on the following sites - \n Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1cI8IKM \n Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1eh6LXr \n Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/19mR7GD \n Kobo: http://bit.ly/1csnEbC \n Google Play: http://bit.ly/1fcp39w \n iBookstore : http://bit.ly/1kDvlTB \n Happy Reading... \n :)", "59" ], [ "I'm sad. \n I hate when a book makes me sad... then I hate the book, even if it was soooo good, like this one was. \n I need a good HEA to recover from this book. \n The Husband's Secret tells the story of three seemingly unconnected women, Cecilia, the perfect suburban wife who finds a letter from her husband to be read after his death. Tess, whose husband has fallen in love with her formerly fat, now gorgeously slim cousin, and Rachel who is still haunted by the unsolved murder of her daughter, twenty eight years ago. \n So I kind of guessed the secret in the letter before the author revealed it...;) but I guess Ms Moriarty wasn't going much for mystery. It was more about the emotions of the characters, and how they're affected by the strange, sad, and tragic past and present events in their lives and it's these emotions and events that are so heartwrenching to the reader. \n I loved this book. It has that Elizabeth George, Playing for the Ashes vibe, that sick painful feeling in the pit of your stomach, that all this could have been avoided..... if only. I guess that's the torture we enjoy, the torture of wanting so desperately to go inside the book and tell them, and being unable to.", "177" ], [ "I read this book in about 32 hours. It would have been less if I didn't have work I couldn't avoid or postpone. \n I read John Grisham while growing up, and even though I haven't read any of his books in recent years, I remember books like A Time to Kill, The Firm, The Client, A Painted House, and how much I enjoyed them. So when recently I decided to add a little more variety to my reading material, I chose Sycamore Row from a bestseller list and it was worth every minute. \n ~The Book~ \n Sycamore Row is a sequel to A Time to Kill, set about three years after the Hailey trial. Jake Brigance's brilliant success in that trial didn't parlay into any kind of financial success, so when a new and potentially spectacular case fall in his lap, he embraces it. \n Nobody knows much about Seth Hubbard when he hangs himself on a Sunday morning after church, certainly not how much money he had. His handwritten will, mailed to Jake Brigance a day before his suicide, leaves everything to his black housekeeper, voiding a prior will which favored his estranged children. He appoints Jake as the executor of his estate. This puts Jake in the position of defending the new will against the older one, the lawyers who prepared it, and the family who would have benefited from it. \n Will Jake be able to prove that Seth Hubbard had 'Testamentary Capacity when he prepared this new will? \n And then there's Lettie Lang, the housekeeper. Why did Seth leave her so much? Did she exert 'undue influence' on her boss? Why should she suddenly become one of the richest people in Ford County, a small town in the Deep South still mired in racism? \n Jake has battled race before to get a unanimous not guilty verdict from an all white jury for a black man accused of murder. This time, the case and the jury are different. Will Jake be able to pull it off the second time around? \n ~ My thoughts~ \n Five stars! \n As usual with Grisham, the opening was perfect and had me engrossed from the first page. The story was excellent, and the plot was sustained throughout. The resolution had me in tears, and the ending was just beautiful.", "129" ], [ "\"I wish I could write you as tenderly as I love you and tell you all the good things that I wish you\" \n I loved this beautifully written book about love, music, and relationships. \n A recently divorced writer, Jeanette is trying to write a book about the relationship between the famous musical couple, the Schumann's and their friend genius pianist Johanns Brahms. While writing, she is set up with Hart, a mysterious German millionaire who may have things in his past that he wishes to hide, and who doesn't believe that men and women can ever be just friends. \n I love how Brahms relationship with Clara Schumann was juxtaposed against the modern relationship of Jeannette and Hart. This book was touching and sweet..... and very beautifully written.", "30" ], [ "Thank you all so much for your beautiful reviews. \n Rebellion is live on Amazon at this link \n http://www.amazon.com/Rebellion-Dange... \n and at Barnes and Noble at this link \n http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rebel... \n I'm still waiting for the other sites to come up, but I'll update as soon as they do.", "59" ], [ "This was an interesting book for me, as someone who immersed herself in ancient Greek and Roman mythology as a child. I enjoyed it. The author's style is smooth, sometimes lyrical. There are no surprises in the story for anyone who knows their Greek history. Apart from Patroclus, the characters are not given any real depth. Achilles is confident, he loves Patroclus and never any other, Agamemnon is evil and sometimes foolish, Odysseus is wily, Pyrrhus is mean etc etc. Nothing new. \n I shed a few tears a the end, even though I already knew what was going to happen. I would recommend this book, not as a classic or anything like that.... just as an enjoyable read for people who love their mythology.", "39" ], [ "Publishing is happening much faster than I thought it would... \n Amazon link is already live: \n http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DAK1KYW \n Barnes and Noble is also live: \n http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/awake... \n KoboBooks is live (finally!): \n http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Awaken... \n iBookstore is live. \n https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id66... \n So publishing is finally complete. :)", "59" ], [ "This was a beautiful read. It was totally worth it. \n This book is what happens after the High School 'happy-ever-after'. \n Jacqueline chooses to go to the same college as her High School boyfriend, but he dumps her after a few weeks. Heartbroken, she also has to deal with a would be rapist. Fortunately, a mysterious guy, Lucas, saves her from rape. Lucas is very attractive, but he isn't what he claims to be. \n Lucas is a wonderful H, and his secret is terrible and heartbreaking. Loved it.", "28" ] ]

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[ [ "The writer managed to make me fell in love with my city all over again like I see a whole new side of it but by the end while he was describing the decay of Alexandria I felt so angry to what was supposed to be a way to salvation to all mankind how Christianity a religion of love was reduced to hatred ruining the most beautiful city in the world on the hands who of those who was supposed to inlight the world \n but even that helped a little bit to achieve evolution racism and religion bigotry is a one way to oblivion and that is the lesson we should all remember \n I love Alex \n Of all its merits and downfalls its the my home and the only one I need", "126" ], [ "If I didn't live to see them doing the same shit I would've said that you are a liar \n RIP \n And may god never forgive them for what they did to you and to the entire country", "42" ], [ "I always vote for the western and not that just books \n but that book it just made me realize how wrong I was \n Naguib Mahfouz is one of the most brilliant writers \n I read more than 500 pages in 2 days that I couldn't stop reading \n It was so exiting \n Merged review: \n Imagine a story that you've heard a a thousand times a story that you've heard since you were a child a kill crime story that you've know even before you understand what murder is then come along an old Cairo story teller and he tells that same story one more time and that time while you dive in that same story you knew since a child you get so nervous that you can feel your own heart pounding in your chest your eyes are racing your mind trying to deny the actions of one brother like you can't believe what's happening although you knew from before time what will be . \n For me the most controversial idea of how the story teller ended his story and how he killed the old man was the most admirable and one can't help but to give him all the respect in the world for just putting the idea out there \n This is my third time with that novel it's still my favorite Egyptian novel of all time. \n I'me proud of being an Egyptian just because NAGUIB MAHFOUZ were. \n P.S They still keep forgetting but I promise you I will never forget.", "95" ], [ "John Steinbeck amazing writer \n he knows how to paint quit a nice picture with his words \n I really loved it I guess my favorite part when the family settled in the government camp how the people in the middle of a human crises and slack could act civilized with no need for police no need for any government to rule them around \n this is my first John Steinbeck and I'm sure it won't be the last", "180" ], [ "It touched me like no other novel that explore the subject of racism \n It touched me maybe because I'm christian myself but mostly because I'm an ARAB \n The similar flag is not the only thing that describe Egypt , Iraq and Syria it turn out that we share stuff that social or history book could contain \n I weep for the whole ARAB world one day GOD will hear the prayers of those who where denied their homes and he'll make it all right again \n I heard LADY FAIRUZ singing that before but never sought of the lyrics like I do know \n flykn mwt bnk Hy@ lTlbyh", "113" ], [ "High high in the hills , high in a pine tree bed. \n She's tracing the wind with that old hand, counting the clouds with that old chant, \n Three geese in a flock \n one flew east \n one flew west \n one flew over the cuckoo's nest", "121" ], [ "Good god good novel good musical good movie \n I read Les Miserables in 2015 in the darkest of days when I thought that things could not possibly get worth I guess we were all wrong \n I enjoyed listening to the audio book while reading it which made the experience more amazing with wonderful performance of the narrator doing the voice of Fantine cosette Jean Valjean and javert he was amazing \n Monsieur jean valjean the uncle the mayor the father and the angle he was that kind of characters that made me reflect on my own life and my own choices \n It was uncanny how he kept choosing the right thing to do each time he faced the unjust or the greedy ones \n And I think that's way god kept him alive and longed his nonfictional days \n I don't how or where those revols found the courage to face death and pain and I don't know if they thought in their last seconds that it was worth it but the sure thing is that they choose to live and die with their spine erect \n I teared with Fantine like no other and that's because she wasn't really fiction to me \n The thing about Fantine that character that left early is that I couldn't move on with her death the novel kept moving with time which didn't heel nothing and I stood still cannot process her death actually I couldn't process her life either \n The novel truly give an endless hope to those dream of freedom I read it in \n Hugo's words and I heard it in the musical songs but I can't feel it the current cruel real world all I can feel is her sadness her tears when all what she wanted is to see her child one last time \n It's amazing how some words which were written a couple centuries ago could sum the story of a current reach for freedom \n Monsieur javert shouldn't feel sad at least he had the decency to take his own life \n Finally \n Rest in peace SHAIMAA ALSABBAGH you were my woman my hero and my Fantine I'll never forget you", "38" ], [ "You can't enjoy a novel about illogical injustice while you live it on daily bases but hats off for the writer who captured the human state of mind and feeling like I never read before", "134" ], [ "I could tell follow your dreams and you will go like \"okay\" \n Or I could tell you read The Alchemist and then you will go like \"ammmmm\" \n the novel is one the best novels I've ever read \n best quotes \n \"And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it\" \n \"One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving\" \n \"The secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times\" \n \"Don't give in to your fears. If you do, you won't be able to talk to your heart\" \n \"I don't live in either my past or my future. I'm interested only in the present. If you can concentrate always on the present, you'll be a happy man. Life will be a party for you, a grand festival, because life is the moment we're living now\"", "193" ], [ "this on of the best seller books about current events but I think it sucks after all that's my opinion \n as u would read that the writer tells the stories about the brotherhood before the revolution of the 25th how they betray each other corrupt lie but whatever my point is after the revolution we saw president Mursi and his cult do all that stuff", "8" ], [ "respect all the respect to the that man of honor not just because \n he was the one who planed the war \n he stood against Sadat And Ismael \n for many reasons I respect him but mostly because he admit the defeat at the end of the war \n he just didn't lie like the president \n I believe that the army has done the best it could do but the whole war idea was out of it's league \n my best part of the book is when the Egyptians fooled the Syrians about Invasion the whole desert of Sinai and when they didn't Israel moved some tanks units to the Syrian side and reoccupied Golan after the the Syrians managed to liberate it \n all what I can say about that man is that he was a hero may he rest in peace", "8" ], [ "nice book not great but good \n I guess that the point of that one is how powerful fate could get even the closest , the most trusted couldn't help him \n one can see the wisdom in that but I see the irony", "22" ], [ "In this book the writer judges every king that governed Egypt since Mina to president Sadat \n he categorized them to those who went to hell and those who sat beside the great kings forever and the trifles \n so allow me my writer to but the last Pharaoh Mubarak with the trifles", "113" ], [ "this my Gabriel Garcia Marquez best novel of all time \n I read this one after the 25th January revolution in Alexandria \n how fragile was that dictator in both the novel and reality makes so dump how could we let him treat us like that \n how could we let him get so corrupted \n you can't imagine the similarity between that dictator and those we had in the arabic world \n Mubarak sold Egypt to foreigners \n Ben Ali and that other one before him had all the women in Tunisia \n And of course Qaddafi and that one I don't think I should've even mention him \n I wish my country never face that again", "73" ] ]

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[ [ "** spoiler alert ** \n This is a quick read. It tended to be my \"fall asleep\" book which meant that it took me months of reading 10 pages at a time. Then I dug in and finished it quickly. I also think that it was by my bedside because it was limited and rather one-dimensional and I found myself questioning what I might tell someone about this book. It has a basic plot, which is that a Jewish man who has sworn to his mother to pursue Jewish preservation navigates through his personal struggle. This struggle becomes real, first after a divorce from a Jewish woman who marries a gentile, then after a relationship with a Black woman, Cleo -- in the core of the book -- that results in a child. The book covers many years in 200 pages. Then speeds through the contemplation of whether the main character should \"claim his child\" if he is only half-Jewish and on the father's side. Through it, you get immersed in Jewish traditions and practices, Hebrew sayings, and rabbinical law. I did like several chapters about meeting with a professor of historic Judiasm and his visit to his old rabbi. I took this book as wanting to tell the story of why Jewish preservation is both important and complex through one family's journey, and one Jewish son's agony in a promise to his mother. Yet, it feel well short of offering the texture that one needs to understand why this caused such an identity struggle and rather made you hate the main character. I also felt like the Black-Jewish connection was touched upon in multiple ways throughout the book, but fell short in a way that actually diminishes the very real connections of these communities within the U.S. I was turned off by the scenes of main character revisiting his neighborhood. In one passage the author describes a high school where all the basketball players are Black (the \"of course\" is implied) and she describes one as wearing a nylon cap as intimidating. It's a tinge of racism that - again - added nothing to the actual nature of the book. I'm only glad that the book was a gift and not something I invested money in.", "31" ], [ "Read this book as part of a work book club. It felt like the typical, wealthy family caught up in a murder mystery - that really wasn't all that intriguing or mysterious. The characters were very one dimensional and the story didn't draw me in. It went on way, way too long, for what it was.", "162" ], [ "** spoiler alert ** \n I picked up this book at the US Memorial Holocaust Museum, a place that has a mission to educate people about the Holocaust of WWII, to honor lives lost, to shine a light on the conditions that lead to such atrocities, and to stop such events from happening again. \n The original epilogue provides the lessons of the book (1) an illustration of how easily humans can be...able to suppress their better natures (2) the role of power in genocide \"Power kills, and absolute power kills absolutely.\" (3) the ease at which the mind can accept genocide. \n This is a powerful look in to the events that lead up to the rape of Nanking, an event that is described as deadly as some of the most horrific events of the 20th century. I have read stronger analyses about genocide, however, this was an important story to know. The events of Nanking have been suppressed throughout history - both by groups who have tried to hide the cities history and just because so many lost their lives either literally or through trauma that it was hard to keep the events in the life. Some, including the author, shine the light on the fact that the loss of life was proportionally as extensive as what happened across the rest of Europe in the Holocaust - and that some of the cruelities were bad, if not worse. \n I thought the portions that were best were the first two parts of the book, one told in third person, another which explored the perspectives of individuals who were there in the Nanking Safety Zone. I struggled a bit more with the third part of the book which offered more of the author's opinions, which were important, but also did not hit me in the same way. The epilogue was also wonderful. \n Spoilers start here. \n The second epilogue - available in updated versions of the book - is written by the author's husband and explores her suicide. It is, in many ways, a beautiful tribute and honor, written in love to help people understand more about the author's life and how committed she was to this work. It also gives you a sense of her larger philosophies and how they might have helped to shape the book.", "97" ], [ "A book that delves in to the internment of Japanese-Americans. Told from different perspectives, it weaves a rich tapestry of life just before, during, and after the camps. One perspective is not a mother and her two children as she prepares to leave camp. Another her daughter. And finally her young son. It puts you in the shoes of the narrator. One challenge in this book and others of Otsuka's is the overuse of sentence series that give you robust detail about the diversity of experiences and also breaks up some of the some of the emotional toil that a reader might otherwise go through.", "104" ], [ "** spoiler alert ** \n This book was a disappointment for me. While I truly loved the sci-fi reality potential of a Georgian flu, I found the story quite unfulfilling, left with a lot of unfinished narrative. It's a story where you get the sense that the author is trying to sell a screenplay. She jumps around -- only to not later bring entire pieces of the story together. I smell a gimmick not a literary device. The author waxes on about characters, only to leave their stories unresolved. People who seem central to the stories plot disappear without explanation. Finally, she leaves out the speculative science or the how of a pandemic that leaves only 1% of world's population to live, making it hard to hold on to the story. In addition, for the 1% that remain on earth, they are frustratingly incompetent at bringing the old back -- and it's hard to figure out why. \n I did leave the story with at least one good question. Arthur - whom the story seemingly starts to revolve around -- dies from a heart attack in the first chapter of the book before the flu hits. It does leave you with the question, would it be better to live a life where you die before knowing the collapse of civilization or struggle through it. The book does not quite answer this question, though I think makes a case that the loss for those who remain is both depressing and significant.", "162" ], [ "The book was slow to grow on me, but tells a very meaningful story about the power of love. Ove, a hard-to-love, impossible not to love man captures your heart, for being a decent good man and as the story is revealed about the devotion to his wife. The story is wonderfully told, even through the translation.", "30" ], [ "** spoiler alert ** \n I really enjoyed this collection of short stories that revolve around the Jewish experience, primarily in the U.S. in the era of McCarthyism. The book told important stories, primarily from the perspectives of children and grandchildren of Jewish immigrants from around the world. There are stories of actors who for the sake of their Hollywood identities get politically affiliated in the communist party. There is the story of a young girl coming of age who's father cannot hold a job because of his involvement in the labor movement. I felt that it was an important collection to uplift the and distinguish the many identities that Jews hold in the U.S. or elsewhere. -- and one that goes beyond the simple, one dimensional perspectives that are often told, and instead provide stories about navigating the soul-filling experiences and the heartache of life...in other words the everyday of life. This version provided a discussion guide that was useful to contemplate, even as a solo reader.", "97" ], [ "** spoiler alert ** \n This book is very powerful. Bryan Stevenson tells his stories as an attorney working to free his clients from an unjust legal system. Through individual stories he is able to demonstrate the ills of a system that has put far too many people behind bars. He talks about the cases where people are wrongly sentenced to death row, the growing number of women in prison for minor drug infractions or cases related to domestic abuse and sexual violence, those with intellectual disabilities who are condemned to life or death in prison, and children who may be locked away for the rest of their lives. \n At the center is a story of Walter McMillan, a black man who is wrongly accused of murder. He plays out the absurdities of the case and uses it to link to several dynamics that play out in the criminal \"injustice\" system. Walter is a man who is demonized for having an affair with a white woman, and ultimately accused and convicted of capital murder. He spends years behind bars, while the Equal Justice Institute uses legal action to surface reveals how poorly he was represented during trial and the lack of evidence for his conviction. While ultimately freed due to the work of EJI, Stevenson carefully lays out how Walter is haunted after spending so much time in jail. \n Finally, and most importantly Stevenson spends time deconstructing the historical framework that underpins these cases and the larger system, including the intersections of slavery, the 13th amendment, lynchhings and post-reconstruction terror, Jim Crow, and modern day mass incarceration.", "129" ], [ "I grabbed this book as I was headed out the door for a vacation. I figured that it would be a quick read. This book definitely comes across immediately as a typical \"white savior comes to help marginalized/impoverished communities, learns wisdom from the locals, helps change the world\" story. It is very much that, but also helped inspired me to deepen my own knowledge about the India/Pakistan Balto and Kashmir regions. I have no doubt that there were relationships built and schools built, but had a hard time swallowing the various twists and turns of the stories. After reading, of course, I dug into the work of CAI and was saddened to learn about the various issues realted to the truth-telling the organization/director and the suicide of the co-author of this book. All and all, there are some parts of this story that are extremely resonant, because of our relations in Afghanistan/Pakistan and the overarching ideas about the promise of education, but think there are other much better books out there.", "192" ], [ "Short collection with 2 short stories, a performance speech that provides the origins of the book title, and an interview. Most of the collection focuses on the intersectionality of race. Nalo's interview predominantly focuses on her experience as a black woman, in a white dominant and often white privileged field (the sci-fi/fantasy field). Her speech invokes her talents to provide a performance that helps open up a conversation of race. One short story is a new play on a classic Shakespeare play -- putting important spins on the characterizations of black and white characters. \n A quick read.", "166" ], [ "Interesting book with a title that is somewhat deceptive. While all six women interviewed in the book had interaction with Anne Frank, they varied in their depth of the interaction and the book was really about their own stories. That made it better. Rather than try to reenact the fractured moments to discuss Anne's life there was a rich -- and heartbreaking -- set of stories about the last months of the Holocaust in three camps. All hailing from the Netherlands, some of the women were close friends of Anne's from early childhood, others were women that had moments with her after she was captured, and almost all followed her path to three different concentration camps. \n For those who have learned about the the concentration camps, these are one set of stories about the human condition at a time when there was hell on earth.", "97" ], [ "Based in truth, an incredibly vivid recall of the Hiroshima bomb-dropping and the after effects on survivors. It brings all sorts of questions in to play - the relative calmness of survivors as one might compare it to other countries,the role of government and war propaganda in keeping the peace, the intense sickness caused by radiation exposure and much more. Having previously read the book \"Hiroshima\" I found that both are important but different. I read this book after visiting the A-Bomb site in Hiroshima and learning more directly.", "98" ], [ "A theoretical leap in to the end of times. A mix of sci-fi and not-so-subtle warnings about climate change interwoven with a coming of age tale. It was indulgent and interesting..a good way to feed your own imagination.", "144" ], [ "** spoiler alert ** \n Unlike the author's warning, I think you must start with the preface, which is, in fact, the best part of the book. You also can't stop reading the first hundred pages, but as the author says himself, the rest is uneven. It explores the authors angst after the very tragic death of his parents and gives you some insight of how someone might fare in a similar situation. All-in-all you get the sense that despite some roadbumps, everything will be alright.", "125" ], [ "A good Irish tale as many so often are. I thought the story has a wonderful premise, telling New York's history from pre-colonial days to current times, through the eyes of one man who stays there forever. However, you'll have to stomach Pete Hamill's misogyny. He can't say a good thing about a woman without talking about her body, even for the supposed heroine. \n There's a bit of Gangs of New York and many other bits of history to appreciate. The author notes his extensive research and love of New York history.", "167" ], [ "I'm always turned off from reading books after I see the movie, because I'm so afraid I'll compare them. While I think the movie stays true to the book and vice versa, there's so much to gain from diving into this book. It is an incredibly witty and enjoyable read about some of the most difficult moments in life from coming of age, to love, to death. A quick read, too.", "52" ], [ "I just can't get into Malcolm Gladwell. Though, I think he points out interesting societal phenomena, but is telling the same message in each book: things happen for a reason and we all play a part. Good message, just not particularly profound. I did like the section on the magic number of 120 in companies, more for the reasons of sociology. I also enjoyed his thoughts on smoking in the U.S.", "157" ], [ "I had low expectations, give the previous reviews of my friends. The premise is one that you could do a lot with, but it falls flat throughout the book. If you have to choose between this and her third book; \"Unaccustomed Earth\" is much, much better.", "162" ], [ "I saw the documentary before I read the book so naturally I compared the two. The documentary tells Emmanuel Jal's story through his music. The book focuses less upon his music and more on his experiencies as a child solider during the earlier civil conflict in the Sudan. Because the book directly tackles his feelings directly, it almost feels self-absorbed in a way that does not give you as much understanding about the broader political context. However, I gained a deeper understanding of his own emotional turmoil as a result of being a \"war child.\"", "113" ], [ "This book is an easy read. I enjoyed the author's attempt to get into the head of someone who has a mental challenge like autism that affects their personal interactions. Overall the plot was a little melodramatic, but I became very attached to the Dad. I was rooting for him", "58" ] ]

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[ [ "Slightly tedious but you won't lose the author's train of thought along the way. A very clear and goos read. Highly recommended. As many people as possible need to read this book because of its relevance to everyone.", "58" ], [ "Huxley writes like other people make films eg event 1 being interspersed with event 2 with rapid cutting between the 2 events. This technique, unfortunately, only works visually, not textually. \n Also, is this anti-Keynseian propaganda?", "144" ], [ "Her style is fine (note the use of the word \"fine\" instead of good, beautiful etc) but her stories don't seem to be going anywhere and this is precisely why I'm not going to finish this.", "55" ], [ "Good Old Neon was utterly brilliant and more than made up for the other more unsatisfactory parts of the book. I understand that DFW was rather given to post-modernism but I still find the loose ends in his stories rather irritating.", "134" ], [ "The author has ruined what was a fairly good idea with his style and an excessive number of exclamation marks. I also found the protagonist rather hard to empathise with because he was emotionally all over the place and quite shouty in an annoying manner. This book may have raised some interesting ideas but interesting isn't a synonym with \"worthy\". The protagonist's views on women are considerably objectionable as well.", "151" ], [ "There's a serious lack of emotional engagement in this book. Nothing about it makes the reader care even an inch about any of the characters. There's a severe lack of back story too. One of the few redeeming qualities of this is that there's a certain style which is rather impressive, but beyond this, not much else.", "150" ], [ "4 pages on the trials of hotel portering. 2 whole bloody pages about table top football. Absolutely nothing happening in the first 30 pages. Characters that you don't care about. At all. Was too irritated at the 30 page mark to finish this.", "150" ], [ "Very readable though slightly tedious to get through (it is nearly 1000 pages long). The author could have expounded more on MI5's most recent activities in the post-2000 period. Though I do understand that the information from said period is still classified, I just thought this part in particular was slightly lacking especially in comparison with the previous and more well covered periods of history. Worth all the effort.", "169" ] ]

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[ [ "This changed my life quite a bit. \n I read it about a month ago and am still absorbing the shock of how much I needed it. \n Will write better review after I have fully recovered. \n I'm not entirely sure when that will be.", "87" ], [ "I love this book indefinitely. My favourite story, of the lot, had to be either 'One Life, Furnished in Early Moorcock,' or 'Chivalry,' the latter which tales the tale of an old woman who finds the Holy Grail in a thrift shop. \n Jesus Christ do I love Neil Gaiman.", "80" ], [ "One of my favourite Vonnegut novels. I love it almost as much as my friend, Taylor, loves Bernie Sanders. Speaking of Taylor, I wonder what she knows about the scavenger hunt, eh, Daniel? ;) \n Also: e", "45" ], [ "I think I chose the right time to read this book, what with all the protests going on in Ferguson, and I have to admit I did enjoy it to some extent. However; I had a major problem with Lily. Ohbebejesis, she was so immature, and, as she was the narrator, she made the book seem so immature. Now, I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but in a book so focused on equal rights, I'd enjoy hearing Lily's thoughtful insights and intelligent opinions on what is going on around her. She seems so self absorbed. \n I thought the descriptions and metaphors were beautiful, especially those about the honey (ohmygush), but I felt some things were a little too forced and didn't make much sense. I can't find an example right now, but sometimes a character would just say a bunch of metaphorical things and then BAM you get it now, Lily? I think Monk Kidd was just trying a little too hard with the figurative language(possibly to make the book sound a little more mature?). \n Overall, it wasn't my absolute favorite.", "31" ] ]

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[ [ "I picked this off the New Fantasy shelf at library after removing Magician's Land from Hold shelf. I wondered about Dangerous Women. It does invite a memory of images, real and not. Lev Grossman has a short here and that was the decider, not GRRM. \n Lev's Magician series has a few dangerous women and none of them were given their moment here. I read Magician's Land then The Girl in the Mirror. The niffin has a cameo. This story is an abridged chapter from his novel. Library perhaps just received their copy or sat there for a year and I overlooked its presence. Had I read this 'short' in 2013, I would still let myself feel disappointed. \n A chance to write of another character's dangerous life, definitely the niffin aka Alice or Janet or the female half of The Couple, yet I see only a rough draft of Plum's story. No danger was felt reading this and I ask, \"Why not a snippet of life the novel didn't include or another side of Plum?\" \n Intro to this short suggests The Prank is dangerous and deadly, thus its consequences are dire. The real danger is avoided, \"I ran, I ran so far away.\" Its no good as a teaser to Magician's Land either. The girl in the mirror is dangerous and an appropriate chapter title for the novel but not here in GRRM and Dozois' edited tomb of Dangerous Women. \n I now ask, \"are any of the women dangerous or are they Thelma and Louise?\" Are tired circumstances prodding them on toward danger?", "55" ], [ "There is a resolution to Molly's pregnancy? Is there 500 pages of Fitz's dread and befuddlement over Molly's 'madness?' \n I enjoy Six Duchy, its expansion and growth. The daily routines are shown. It's one page of Fitz dithering and hiding from himself that easily triggers my anger. I am close to spitting. I am audibly swearing at Hobb's choice and mine to read them, searching not for action and his glory, but see him with more awareness, more memory, more access to Skill and Wit. I don't see the proper comportment of a man in his fifties. Stop his questions which create anger in a good relationship. Seventeen years with Molly and these are his responses of concern, for appeasement? He still stumbles, offering thoughtless and ineffective utterances. \n My poor reading comprehension overlooked a clue. Hobb has provided a character with abilities he uses infrequently or ignores to--I don't see the why here. I feel she's excluded the Skill where it can diminish worry and the Wit can offer ready answer. \n \"Years later, I would marvel at my stupidity.\" This is the example to those saying, \"I hate drama.\" If you can't communicate, offer insight, intuit a connection and truly learn from mistakes and errors, I will remove myself from your presence. \n And, he is still defending and explaining his love for Fool and carrying discomfort of Lord Golden. \n Shall I look for an abridged audio version? I want to read of Fitz's competence but am allowed only glimpses of Dutiful's poise. I want to see Fitz as Lord of Withy, not \"tolerated\" for his intrusion upon old shepherd Lin, nor giving \"unnecessary\" commands and accepting disrespect as a consequence. \n I hesitate to abandon her book at page 135. I am disappointed at skimming paragraphs, checking their first and last sentences. I avoid the charade of his relationships. Do I remove my folded slip and jump to 501?", "84" ], [ "my fascination with Andrew's magic and that of his house, dwindled as the story progressed. I abandoned his plight when Baba Yaga arrived, or who ever poured liquor in the lake, some body of water. \n Anneke and the boy traveling with his grandfather seemed good conflicts for Andrew's vision of himself. Anneke has some wit. The boy has natural talent, conceded by Andrew. The Russian dude that had his name returned to him, he had a system in place and a goal. Another decent, interesting, character that was interrupted by Andrew's, \"I have three names,\" story. \n These three shone briefly. I am not upset or disappointed Andrew is an asshole. The lack of care, small concern, for other characters decided my exit. I didn't believe Andrew would be truly humbled or destroyed by Baba Yaga's judgment. I left his house early.", "21" ], [ "Upon finishing Boy Nobody I think of Daniel Craig being allowed to pose in the barrel's path as 007. Boy Nobody/Ben has been given assignments that take months. Here, he has five days. This one is different, accelerated and high-profile. Where Dick Francis and Hitchcock show the average man surmounting difficulties, Zadoff writes about a 16 year-old assassin after four years of indoctrination and training. The cool and collected person in the first 50 pages now faces real vulnerability. \n The Program implements a \"great fight\" for survival, testing Ben's worth. Cliche and or waste of resources? The attrition during BUD/S is high and purposeful. Failing this training or ringing the bell are not an end to everything. It ends the chance to become a Navy SEAL. This action/adventure world seems to demand these extremes, upping the ante until I'm broke of concern, of empathy. \n I am interested in a character's competence, possessing skill and knowledge, then gaining experience through an unexpected adventure: the trial. I don't want the details repeated in their telling when we've been shown them: p.82 \"Tension seizes his voice. He covers it well. There is perhaps a 5% elevation in pitch. A normal person would not hear it. But I can.\" A normal person relating to someone for four years would hear tension. \n Despite a narrator's confident or humble nature, I want the author exact with the action and thought. I follow Zadoff because he writes genuine moments amid struggle and relief. Ben is a departure from the flailing outcast but still has a search for identity. Ben probes his choices and faces their outcomes. There is mom and dad who expect success for him but the missions are more important than Ben. Ben's view of Darius and Howard, what would be Zadoff's main voice in another genre, provided a switch that surprised me, not just an us and them distinction.", "72" ], [ "The tell and not show beginning set up a prodigy on piano. The author bypasses 16year-old marvel for the tedious dialogue of sage old lady to impatient youth. That which you want most and perhaps fears will... \n Never finished chapter one.", "18" ], [ "p.40 Brin uses the philosophical conundrum, \"would you go back in time and kill Hitler as a boy, if given a chance?\" \n A nitpick but, Palpatine is the shot caller here. Vader's master has mentored others. \n Charge #1: The Politics of Star Wars Are Anti-Democratic and Elitist. \n Democratic vote has gone against them (Jedi Order, Amidala and Organa: Rebel Alliance in its infancy). Palpatine's propaganda and sway over the council shows him as a shrewd politician, playing the game to his favor rather than touting his elite status; Palpatine destroys that council for his empire by the opening of A New Hope. \n I favor the defense. \n Charge #2: While Claiming Mythic Significance, Star Wars Portrays No Admirable Religious or Ethical Beliefs. \n During David Brin's cross examination, he asks \"if what you stay is true, why didn't George Lucas give us a hint, a line of dialogue, wink,\" a sledgehammer; he wants Star Wars more obvious with the messages Defense brings forth, otherwise its speculation and interpretation... \n p.131 Brin: ...willing to admit... that Luke winds up defying his Jedi Masters, questioning their authority. Overcoming their mistakes and helping to bring a new Order that might--one can hope--rise above the flaming lunacy that both sides of the old Force represent. \n Which they obviously cannot. The EU is a never-ending roller-coaster of light and dark fluctuations. Standing outside the EU, the Skywalkers remain the lynch pin to imbalance and balance. I favor the Defense and the Prosecution, but SW does portray ethical beliefs. The Courtroom pages fail to delve further. \n Charge #3: Star Wars Novels Are Poor Substitutes for Real Science Fiction and Are Driving Real SF off the Shelves. \n p.147 Anders: The public has no problem with distinguishing the good stuff. \n This undermines his argument that the public cannot find Real SF and Real Entertainment. \n An effort is needed on the readers behalf to find what entertains, not the publishers nor bookstores; they will follow the money but also their own sense of excitement: hand-selling and word-of-mouth. The Internet belies the \"nothing on tv, nothing on the radio.\" Go to the library and truly browse the shelves. \n I favor the Defense; TRUE SF has given way to the 'melting pot' and a dollop of the fantastic has been added; SF cannot be limited to the dour tone of technological doom. \n Charge #4: Science Fiction Filmmaking Has Been Reduced by Star Wars to Poorly Written Special Effects Extravaganzas.p.193 Hemry: Yes, A New Hope resulted in lots of rotten SF movies hitting the screens, but it also inspired some good stuff and it taught a generation of moviegoers that SF and good movies are not incompatible things. \n Now Hollywood 'knows' ... that lousy SF movies with great special effects of can also make good money. \n Studios are seeking and have always sought bankable brands/franchises: Jaws, Planet of the Apes, etc. \n Bethke is skirting the issue that effects overran story in cinema. In the world of Technicolor, Wizard of Oz and its sepia tones contrasting emerald green, big explosions and stuntmen upping the ante, an audience is drawn to the spectacular. He faults Lucas for sci-fi's downfall by using the medium's greatest asset: visual storytelling. \n I favor the Defense. However influential Lucas is, he was inspired by... We choose our delights and they may or may not be monetarily re-enforced or squashed. \n Charge #5: Star Wars Has Dumbed Down the Perception of Science Fiction in the Popular Imagination. \n p.228 Huff: Star Wars was the grandpappy of media tie-ins and has become a shorthand definition of science fiction for an entire generation. It isn't just that Star Wars--simple, sparkly and not exactly cohesive under critical analysis--has wiped out any literary merit science fiction has gained in the minds of the general public; it's worse: there are adults, with children of their own, who have never lived in a world where science fiction wasn't reeling under the weight of Star Wars. There are adults who have never known the science fiction section of bookstores when they weren't dominated by media tie-ins. \n The adults living in a world without this 'weight' grew up before radio, before marketers had a singular and easy platform to reach little boys with lunch-pales and BB guns. The great-grandpappy would be Disney; he grabbed everyone's imagination and then sold them a piece, sold them a day-pass. \n I favor the Defense. If you're facing a dumb perception of SF, then counter it with an intelligent one. \n Charge #6: Star Wars Pretends to Be Science Fiction, but Is Really Fantasy. \n Cavelos: [Leia] remains on the sidelines during ep.IV... a cheerleader. At the awards ceremony, she is in the position of a commander, but she does not wield the power of one. \n She is a valued participant within the Rebellion and award medals are for two New Rebels who performed their task. \n Cavelos: The most serious blow to the coherence of Leia's character comes with the revelation that she is Darth Vader's daughter. From the beginning of the trilogy, we have seen Leia's loyalty to the man she believes is her father, Bail Organa. She goes to Tatooine at her father's bidding, and she shares with her father a love of their home planet and their people, and a hatred for the Empire. Thus the news that Bail is not her father and that Vader is should be a huge blow to her. Yet Leia reacts as if she's on Prozac, saying she's \"always known.\" This is not convincing on any level. \n Unless she's adamantly fighting from the other spectrum, that her hatred and anger has faded into a mind-boggling disappointment over the death and waste. \n p.326 Cavelos: On the Ewok moon, a strong intuition would again provide more motivation for Leia to act. If she has a sense that the Ewoks are key to the Rebel victory, then she should be much more proactive in gathering intelligence... Standing around saying you're lost and eating a granola bar aren't really effective... Similarly, she fails to work toward an alliance once she gets the Ewok village, instead giving herself another makeover. 3PO does more to gain their help--and that's about the biggest insult I can give to any character. \n It's a big insult to suggest that linguistics aren't necessary when creating an alliance; you need an interpreter. Stover snarks about one point of Cavelos's argument rather than debate her on any point. Cross examination is a sham, artless wit and banter. \n p.330 Spangler: Although there have been some definite missteps along the way, strong female characters like Leia have appeared in the Star Wars prequel and in the EU. In addition, she has made an impact on pop fiction as a whole. \n Rather than counter Cavelos's argument he agrees, but asks us to instead 'look at the impact Lucas had!' Spangler sites Lucas's intention of making the saga all about Leia and the 'boys can't hang.' The boy that is Lucas can't hang with that story perspective and admits, \"eventually, I shifted it to...\" \n p.330 Spangler: Now, almost 30 years after A New Hope, seeing a strong woman in an action-adventure film doesn't produce the same surprise that it used to. \n \"Thirty years ago\" Lucas may have been thinking counter to \"jiggle TV\" when he made his heroine tape her breasts down, but we have Sigourney Weaver's Ripley operating a robot forklift, in a 'wife beater,' looking mussed up and sweating; that was a surprise. She was taken seriously and shown how to handle a machine gun. \n Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow, in The Avengers, surprised me; she controls the scene while tied to a chair; she outwits Loki, looking scared and fearful. But she walks away, with a smirk, having him admit his intentions. \n p.339 Brin: In Empire... Yoda and Obi-Wan look woefully at the departing Luke, both of them certain that his rebellious action will result in disaster. (It doesn't.) \n \"No,\" answers the oven mitt. \"There is another.\" \n That statement--so filled with dramatic portent--promised a big payoff. When we learned that the \"other\" was Leia, that was just fine! Our appetites were whetted for her to do something marvelous! Only then... \n ... Do you feel that there was a payoff worthy of this clue? \n Spangler: I don't think that Leia could've suddenly manifested powers in Return... equal to a or greater than Luke's. That would've been a deus ex machina. And I don't think she could've confronted Vader directly. \n Suddenly manifesting powers in Lucas's story yes, but under Cavelos's tightening of the character? I favor the prosecution. \n Charge #8: The Plot Holes and Logical Gaps in Star Wars Make It Ill-Suited for an Intelligent Viewer. \n I favor the Presecution. All the \"plot holes and logical gaps\" should be sewn up, the story should make sense. Does this inherently make it ill-suited for the intelligent viewer? Aside from this remark, George Lucas, \n Mining \"The Courtroom\" pages for interesting debates was tedious and sometimes rewarding. Their banter and acknowledging a robot judge were not fun, not imaginative. Is this an attempt to take the sting out of its critique? It's unauthorized.", "171" ], [ "Quaeryt, as blonde David Duchovny, holds a loaf in hand and will feed the poor. \n I was not troubled by the ellipses. What Orchid Ch'ng and LaserWraith don't say, \"you can flip to any page and find three, even thirty-two.\" \n Quaeryt listen's before speaking, does have the ability to communicate, make decisions, kill, travel unseen and triumph. He performs miracles and achieves extraordinary feats but cannot shake the accusation that he is the Nameless's something. He denies Nameless talents and argues for the mundane and luck; Quaeryt is modest and troubled by his powers but will not become aloof. His goal is improving the image of the Imagers and what will be their school. \n I enjoyed the details of his time in the \"city filled with chaos and corruption.\" With his talent, he favors expedience. Sensing a diminishing time table, he acts and second-guesses afterward. \n p.122 \"If you happen to be right, Commander, then you'll be able to say so to the end of your days, but we need to do something because Lord Bhayar happens to want the situation improved... The only question is what will make matters better, and how we accomplish that. My task is to discover that and bring it about.\"", "86" ], [ "I \"liked\" the comment byRobert, \"The author does not appear to be an expert on science: rather, just some bloke who's been paid to go round the world doing fun things and exclaiming how \"cool\" they are.\" \n I didn't bother staying with the book though. The \"cool\" was buried under Stevenson's tour guide voice.", "79" ], [ "Like all but \"... Brown Oxford.\" \n In his introduction, he states, \"I like to build universes which do fall apart. I like to see them come unglued, and I like to see how the characters in the novels cope with this problem.\"", "82" ], [ "Painting with lights! Adam, that's amazing! \n The high school theater immersion was real, passionate; going behind the curtain and on the catwalk is where Allen Zadoff focuses his story, rather than going to every class of Adam's. In high school world, character is being discovered; integrity glows and dims under peer advantage. \n Derek, thinking he's Quentin Tarantino of theater: writer, producer, director; except he wants all the credit and shoves off error onto others. Adam 'challenged' Derek and is startled when it bounces back at him. \n He thinks to himself, \"I didn't mean to challenge him; it just popped out. Is that what courage does? \n I always thought you had to decide to be courageous, but what if I was wrong? What if courage is just a reflex like fear, and it can come out anytime it wants to?\" p.129 \n Adam's thought process, insights like these, carried me through the story and past my emotional barometer of 'DAMMIT, DON'T DO THAT!'", "72" ], [ "I don't believe his one day/morning of 'investigation' deserved an invite from Anwan Hawkins. It's 'who you know' here and Lucas knows Tom Peterson. I closed the book because Lucas is \"trying to figure things out.\" Since he chose the Marines, he \"missed out on the good part\" of his twenties. He's going after his idea of \"college, going to parties and whatever, being young,\" without attending college. He's \"not ready to make plans\" that concern just one girl. He wants to shoot a \"hot river\" inside many. Courtesy equals no.", "18" ], [ "p.20 \n \"Good night.\" Quaeryt nodded to Voltyr as they stepped out of Amphora. \n \"Where are you going? You said you had work to do.\" \n \"I do. I don't want to keep her waiting.\" \n \"That's not work,\" protested Voltyr. \n \"With all that's expected of me ... it's work.\" \n Quaeryt's mistress is debris beneath harbor piers and old smelters; he is a counterfeiter. He is also a survivor, as depicted on the cover. He is many names to others and a poor orphaned scholar and quartermaster to himself, as befits his obfuscation and doubt. As a secret Imager he deflects queries with wit and with questions. He is intelligent, swift and charming. These are all names but his actions are seen and told, his objections heard: he's competent, promotable and humble. \n Quaeryt is less discreet in battle and linked to his target, which is rather like Rhen. \n The Pharsi are respected here too, a clear sign of preference. So is food; Quaeryt's palate seeks the best.", "159" ], [ "\"...flow, go with the flow.\" \n Watching Quantum Leap or viewing a 'Swap' from theater seat allows some detachment, despite acting abilities. Alex-Flip anguishes over identity and family while I am ready for the chapter of realization and acceptance. Alex-Flip's frustrations are felt, his surprises and introspection and pain; he doesn't have Flip's guile, nor spark off from Flip's sister's sarcasm and watches Flip's parents drink. He cannot relax in Flip's body, can't be what Flip was nor can he start anew without his family of fourteen years. The magic of the situation, the soul's tenacity or merely running away, happens to Alex but the resolution cannot. His decision, the rightness of how Bedford led me there with Alex, is intense, difficult. Our paths would diverge here. The book's ending is forced because it's a narrative, a character's story arc, but I could not have executed Alex's choice to get there.", "31" ], [ "Scram's Recommends \n Curt Boettcher - There's an Innocent Face \n Blue Ash - No More No Less \n Brick self titled album \n Cardinal \"Big Mink\" self title album \n The Chills - Brave Words, \"the Verlains and the Bats came close to their genius\" Brian Doherty \n Look Blue Go Purple, \"Cactus Cat;\" Frantic Jangly Guitar + Killer Female Harmonies = Smiling Music Fan \n Colours - Colours/Atmoshere \n Graffiti self title 1968 \n Hackamore Brick - One Kiss Leads to Another \n Hearts & Flowers - Now is the Time for.../Of Horses-Kids-and Forgotten Women \n The Honeycombs self titled album \n Incredible Moses Leroy - Electric Pocket Radio \n The Individuals - Fields \n The Orgone Box self titled album \n Surprised and happy that Pink Floyd's, \"Final Cut\" is listed here, thanks again Brian. There is plenty more to discover in this book and am checking their blogs too.", "117" ], [ "p.100 \n Bruce Springsteen \n \"You write about what you know. You may not have the same expectations. You're not as open to options. You may have a wife and a kid and a job. It's all you can do to keep those things straight. You let the possibilities go. What happens to most people is when their first dreams get killed off, nothing ever takes their place. The important thing is to keep holding out for possibilities, even if no one ever makes it. There was a Norman Mailer article that said the one freedom that people want most is the one they can't have: freedom from dread. That idea is something at the heart of the new album (The River).\"", "26" ], [ "p.344 ...where I had a sophisticated computer setup to indulge my passion in computer animation and CGI. Few people realized it, but I had been the computer graphics specialist on Diagnosis Murder. In my so-called retirement, I made short films, including some in 3D... I put my present-day self in an old Dick Van Dyke Show episode, and I cut and pasted myself into famous movies... \n This surprising and delightful to know.", "47" ], [ "** spoiler alert ** \n While role-playing, my DM will say, \"you don't hear anything.\" Here, Rothfuss tells me about the sound of silence and quiet that bookends Kvothe's story. \n Kvothe hasn't killed The King, yet. He has discarded Lethani from his Ketan, but Rothfuss writes this away with a comment from Shehyn.", "84" ], [ "p.296 ...his name in Chinese, (Zheng Ping in Mandarin or Chang Pung in the Cantonese pronunciation). For a long time, I had wondered what kind of name \"Apana\" was. Now I can be certain that \"Apana\" is a Polynesian variation of the Cantonese \"Pung.\" The first A derives from the Chinese custom of adding \"Ah\" to a given name as a casual way of addressing someone. The last A is a Polynesian addition, because in that langauge, as Herman Melville reminded us in his first book, Typee, all words end with a vowel. \n ...In Chinese, Ping means \"peace, equilibrium,\" \n Visiting the library, as I could not fathom this book under APANA, I asked the desk for help, \"I didn't see this book on the shelf.\" She did. The title is bold and red. Not quite a misdirect for Yunte Huang does write of Chan and aphorisms and Earl Derr Biggers and Warner Oland as method actor and Hawaii's history. Nothing in the description nor the jacket indicates Chang Apana, a paniolo, a cook, first Humane Society officer and HPD detective. \"Action speak louder than French.\" (Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo) And here Yunte Huang (or Publisher) advertises Charlie Chan, because it is the best bait. With a semi-colon title this long, I would add \"and Chang Apana.\" Also, Charlie Chan and Warner Oland Rendezvous With China.", "64" ], [ "As John Allemang puts it, \"What vegetables need is more of a helping hand.\" (\"Helping hand,\") he promptly reveals, is a polite way of saying \"fat.\" p83 \n A great quesadilla means a lot to me. I don't have quesadilla secrets. A hot pan greased with lard, name-brand Chedder or Jack, and fresh cilantro; that's about it. When I want to get fancier, I slice a sauteed chicken breast, toss the chicken with garlic and lime juice... \n Picky eating may be annoying, but it's not a medical problem.", "37" ], [ "\"in 1931, Ravel wrote his Piano Concerto in D for the left hand. Paul (Ludwig's brother lost his right arm in WWI) rejected a work for left hand he had commissioned from Prokofiev: 'I do not understand a note of it and I shall not play it.' Prokofiev retorted that, musically, Paul belonged on the last century.\" p82", "145" ], [ "\"Teacherhood is laughing at knock-knock jokes you've heard three-hundred times.\" Strongly Disagree with this advice. \n There is a dedicated and intelligent and warm and frazzled teacher behind this book (he devises a way for Rebecca to gain confidence to read aloud) but the greater take-away is the frazzle. Mr. Done hides from and and dodges embarrassing questions asked by his students. He is also a messy. \n \"I am thankful for my brain for making new dreams everyday.\" A student's Thanksgiving quote.", "79" ], [ "Cole is not quite accomplished nor competent, but his struggles are interesting due to Ruben's humor and the commercialized galaxy he creates with its aliens and robots. I want more of Kenneth, Nora, Fred and Peter, Cole's co-stars.", "118" ], [ "If you've forgotten the score, do not Google it! Having never watched the game \n Marx handled the tension and fear of Brian Kinchen's return to his first love wonderfully. What if there is no Zone? Upside-down QB Kinchen faces a new challenge when his second chance calls: how to sustain a dream while surmounting debilitating anxiety and second guessing.", "71" ], [ "First in the Soldier Son series and a wonderful story that a trilogy can achieve. A solid world of unique magic and economy. At what cost do we divest others of their home?", "12" ], [ "There is too much here for me to 'handle,' at this time. I sense a fully realized epic and I am delighted by Gold's words, his sentences, his detail, his history. Despite this, I feel no interest toward the opening and its character. Perhaps I should cheat with audio version.", "27" ], [ "I began reading, then skimmed past interior monologue and am now going to set him down. The dialogue is the intrigue but descriptions are precise and then willfully imprecise: Jones arrives silently, has brown skin and his ethnicity is... he then bargains for a Coke. \n Andy has the timing of a speaker but here it's a tour guide author avoiding detail and emotion that provides a handle to live this 'story' along with its characters. What we need is Travolta's angel Michael, he smells like cookies just removed from the oven.", "70" ], [ "\"Just incorporate already!\" \n This was not a fantastic lunch break read. My concern for the titled character waned. There is some showing to offset the telling and there was much to espouse. Their world is real and I found myself lost by economics and lost in technology. \n Is this a dystopian future? The human misery storyline was accelerated or forced two-thirds in, where the brothers share another plot element; I began skimming well before this and then changed allegiance. \n There are two authors here and perhaps they are dueling through their characters. I prefer plunging into only one POV; multiple POV tends to dilute my investment, except here is a genuine attempt to portray the two leads wholly real rather than wholly evil: both are righteous, but not simply so. \n This book should assist you in discovering where compromise ends.", "51" ], [ "Big Rabbit needs a diversion. Maybe a party? Bad mood is everywhere and there is no blame, only solutions. Big Rabbit decides to get REALLY busy and has a big idea to chase bad mood away. I categorized this as a growing-up event book, but its 'message' took a dog-leg turn into a second ending. Bad mood does not change color or blossom anxiety but bad mood is naked.", "121" ], [ "This is not the best future for Austen's characters for they've reclaimed pride and prejudice continues. The story illustrates the ease with which confusion and frustration occur when communication dwindles or when disrespect is suspected but never confronted. \n Though Mary's last predicament answers plot it did not illicit my concern. \n Ned is like Baum's Great Oz: curtained and smoke-screened; I am left with Elizabeth's hurt and anger for McCullough offers no other view until the conclusion.", "55" ], [ "Dan Rowan and Dick Martin were famous for how they handled unruly audiences. These two comedians were basically one brain because each always knew what the other was doing. \n Once they were playing a hotel in Kansas City and virtually everyone in the crowd was drunk and yelling over the jokes, so Dan said, \"We are now going to take you to the site of the 1954 Olympics. I'll be talking to the world's fastest man, and he will describe to me what thoughts are going through his mind.\" \n Dan and Dick got down on all fours and ran off the stage, through the audience, out of the auditorium, and into an elevator. They didn't stop until they were in their rooms. Meanwhile, the audience craned their necks and collectively went through the thought process of: \"I wonder where they went... I guess they're coming back... They're coming back, aren't they?\" (91)", "71" ], [ "Tom Ryan is the Head of the Culinary Institute of America and this is his list for \"greatness\" in a Chef: \n They are excellent craftsmen \n They are innovators - they do something that no one has done before \n They are \"on-trend\" - innovations perceived to be of value; people buy their stuff; they aren't tragic and misunderstood, appreciated for their innovations after they're dead \n They are influential - others begin to do what they started \n A good phrase, \"on the bus and in the right seat.\" \n Thomas Keller (French Laundry) says perfection is a direction, not an end. Per Se, his newer restaurant, has a kitchen larger than the dining area. Does this read counter-productive? \n \"Perhaps above all, though, what has propelled me back into the kitchen, what convinces me that Answers are there, is the fact that in a good kitchen you can't lie to yourself. It's a black and white world. A truth pervades the restaurant kitchen that is undeniable, impressive in its immediacy and clarity: your food is ready or it's not, you're in control or you're a mess, you're in the dance or you're in the shit. it's plain to see.\" (p28)", "115" ], [ "Love Walked In is no \"silly romance\" novel as Miss Kenton might suggest. There are two perspectives handled superbly, there is love, there are realizations and consequence and change, but it all reads with an honesty that enthralled me. The estranged father must connect with his daughter and his attempts had me dismayed. And this story does not take place in NYC! So, returning to a character can mean new troubles and old troubles or, like Anne in her later years with Gilbert, have confidence disappear. I didn't to read the two steps back doubt-drama.", "30" ], [ "That which creeps out from the cave stalled me. Like Angelou, Robbins has intriguing titles. The voices were authentic and I gave up on their story. \n \"In the haunted house of life, art is the only stair that doesn't creak.\" (p28)", "152" ], [ "A broken heel and some castigation, \"There goes another pair I've broken, clutching this horrible car!\" A quick sense of the past and all those fine shoes ruined, without logic arriving, does not appeal as an intro.", "164" ], [ "In the introduction, fourth paragraph, \"The animals on my farm are simple creatures.\" This first use of 'farm' will not be the last and I looked at Also By and see 'The Dogs of Bedlam Farm.' Seventh paragraph, he mentions Annie, The Bedlam Farm Goddess. Eighth, \"I share Bedlam Farm with...\" Twelfth, \"morning rounds on Bedlam Farm.\" Thirteen, \"rural upstate New York, where the population of my farm, Bedlam Farm, keeps expanding.\" \n Someone's Hit the Jackpot as a dog owner/lover when they meet that special intuitive canine, when the eyes connect and communication happens without words and Katz writes Izzy as his Jackpot. \n Warning, \"and Me\" ends the subtitle. I may not finish their Unexpected Journey. Therapeutic dogs are wonderfully in the now, if they're calm, and the patient reminisces about Buddy or Fido and smiles. I can feel that emotion and need to blink away my overly moist eyes; it's not lacrimation. \n Skipped bulk of the depression pages, though empathize with Jon's deterioration of stamina and youth - of needing assistance, and took to hospice volunteer stories instead. Death creates distance and families find fewer friends visiting. Loneliness and exhaustion and bottled emotions were recurring themes for grieving mothers and wives. Jon checks his need to advise or cheer through training and role-play: listening is the task of hospice, allowing a pause for families bearing down on a finish line with no reward. \n Those dying or loved one left with memories unstrapped their stress and misery far easier in the dog's presence. Just unwinding tension before another person might mean measuring facial expressions, then weigh a continuance of sharing, of unloading, or not. Dogs create bonds quickly by cheating this indulgence and petting is comforting too. \n Though Jon detests analyzing dog behavior in human terms, he succumbs to some guess work while watching Izzy provide joy and relief, far simpler than he does; this realization does not bring jealousy or grudge, but awe from Jon, the hospice volunteers, this reader and every family visited: dogs bewilder and surprise.", "195" ], [ "History of France and Paris gastronomy, restaurants (restorative) and prohibition/suffragettes, and middle-class cookery in MN. Steve's coincidental and haphazard career path is not punctuated by a \"visionary or passionate mind-set that a real chef needs for success today\" but competent supervision, effective purchasing and good security: he's an organizer. He equates the ranting and killing with looks, prerogatives of Chef, to a role played by a Barrymore and felt naked and ridiculous carrying that persona.", "48" ], [ "Despite the title's quick explanation I felt dusty. This was beyond my patience and sincerely thought Erica, a friend of literature, would accept, nay appreciate, Coelho's writing: it's a black mark on my suggestions.", "61" ], [ "** spoiler alert ** \n Well, my nerves are unable to cope with the unwholesome evil that is Trent and much like Stephen King's \"epic evil\" character from The Stand, I cannot continue this story. Perhaps I am tired of the DIY, don't inform the police, English embarrassment and honor, so I quit. Trent arrives with baseball despite loving parents and their loving marriage. He's staying home? They gave him everything he wanted? Spoiled and merciless, Trent will see his downfall at book's near end, surely, but I won't be there.", "84" ], [ "This bear has a super scowl. Thwarting the visitor's uncanny appearances leads to cliche board and nail, but it is a cute co-dependence story: a spot of tea with toesies near the fire. The ending is not quite moral, the desperation. Bear will need a different sign if he wishes to avoid others and see how that draws them in too. A spoiler warning for this book is superfluous.", "121" ], [ "\"Thomas Cochrane was born 14 December 1775. He was in good company that year. Jane Austen was born two days later at her father's rectory in Hampshire; with two brothers in the navy she would take a keen interest in naval affairs, and the life of Captain Francis Austen would cross the path of the future Captain Lord Cochrane on more than one occasion.\" p12.", "135" ], [ "Didn't correlate icons to differing narrator above each chapter immediately. \n Is fear a small part of love? I carry love and its small memories. I want to plant a flag on this planet, a mark, if not celebrity. I want my thoughts and dreams remembered and carried over to the younger and I feel old reading about Leo Gursky. His body is mine, slowing, failing, hanging on by moving pain or excitement away from the heart, until a connection, until proof is recognized, felt...", "164" ], [ "A wonderful time-travel change the world book, but it is a love and longing story too. Ronald Reagan is the nemesis, but the 'hero' of the story meets Dutch, the actor. Set in Hollywood of 1938 and briefly in the 22nd century is out of print, but perhaps can be found at a library. \n Kirkus Review believes it overwrought, but our own lives feel like this occasionally and I don't feel guilty.", "167" ], [ "Tom De Haven takes us to pre-50's America. Clark Kent is far more interesting here and Tom delivers the 1930's accurately. This was a Batman Begins for me; the slate is clean and I can enjoy Superman without up-the-ante super villains. The author is omniscient and deals with every character fairly, delivering them close up for inspection.", "187" ], [ "This, ever so slowly, began to irk my sense of... self-worth. I smacked the inanimate pages and decided on a short break. Fury and frustration near the end as horrible decisions keep this woman from saving herself, but wait there is love! EBB does not save Abby but this was not why the book went into the trash. Mameve created a worthy character of troubles, building the tension, and horrifying my sense of rectitude. Pulling it from the trash, I checked the last paragraph. I smile at the exertion spent twisting this book... it was the second antique which really saved her. I almost love the hatred this dredged up, quite thrilling and then through it back in the trash.", "110" ] ]

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[ [ "I'm surprised Mr Lim Chin Beng is known as Mr SIA. This man should be known as Mr Worldwide. \n Outstanding biography but only four stars because there are several typos in the hardcover edition, just enough to annoy.", "157" ], [ "The seven habits of highly effective people are: \n 1. They take the initiative. \"Be Proactive.\" \n 2. They focus on goals. \"Begin with the End in Mind.\" \n 3. They set priorities. \"Put First Things First.\" \n 4. They only win when others win. \"Think Win/Win.\" \n 5. They communicate. \"Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood.\" \n 6. They cooperate. \"Synergize.\" \n 7. They reflect on and repair their deficiencies. \"Sharpen the Saw.\"", "115" ], [ "FINALLY! \n This a very long-winded read. The author beats about the bush and pace around hot porridge like a cat. It seems like he wrote this book for software designers (that I'm not), and the chapters towards the end were more relevant to me. He would often advise you to skip a few lengths, and I wonder why he bothered to include it at all. It does contain useful information, but it's also a boring book.", "109" ], [ "How do you fight an enemy you can't see? The Viet Congs were indistinguishable from the civilians that were unarmed and vulnerable, so we killed them all! \n This is a horrifying book that made me ponder about the matter of our moral compasses - acute ethical judgement and to remain steadfast in a senseless crisis. \n I disliked the photographer who thinks he's innocent because he was shooting pictures instead of bullets, but he is just as confused as the killers. Choosing to do nothing about the senselessness leads to a consequence of an indecisive action. I quote the wise words of Paul Hawken, \"You can blame people who knock things over in the dark or you can begin to light candles. You're only at fault if you know about the problem and choose to do nothing.\" \n Up the hierarchy, immunity was granted to the important appointments so they couldn't be prosecuted to preserve the perception of the army. \n Morality is clear when the waves are calm, and the skies are blue. But when we've lost a comrade, and the negative emotions overcome us; we feel the hands of time stop ticking, our heartbeat racing and our moral compasses start to deflect aimlessly. We fall into a state of lawlessness. What was unacceptable at the beginning becomes fair, and our judgements impaired.", "26" ], [ "I picked up the 2002 edition, got as far as four pages, found an erroneous lift formula (1/2R + V*2 + S + CL), closed the book, and told the librarian, \"please don't shelve it, shred it.\"", "75" ], [ "I was expecting in-depth reports on air crash case studies and did not anticipate it to be an autobiography because I ignored the synopsis. However, to my delight, this is a wonderful memoir, well written and witty. Mr Soucie is a symbol of hard work and resilience. He is someone whom I aspire to be in the future - an elite in his field of work, professional and ethical, always striving for continual progress and excellence. \n P.S. I want a wife like Jill", "160" ], [ "I spotted an error in the final paragraphs of chapter eight: \n \"Six months later, SIA, the industry's bellwether, concluded a long negotiating process with the rival teams by choosing the 787 over the A350.\" \n In 2006, SIA did not purchase the 787s but thirty A350s.", "71" ], [ "I thought The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was an atrocious book (nonetheless a fantastic film adaptation) but this, on the other hand, is brilliant - a very promising short story. It's beautifully written, very imaginative and poetic, and I only wished it was longer.", "52" ], [ "Here's a hearty collection of testimonials from the people who've worked closely with Dr Goh, the forgotten snapshots of his life as a civil servant are depicted beautifully in this book. It's a privilege to have read this at all.", "160" ], [ "I have always been intrigued by Mr Nathan's contributions to Singapore, and this is a much-needed memoir, covering his early life, the war, and his career leading up to his 12-year term presidency. Mr Nathan is a self-made man who started from the bottom with nothing, literally, lived through the worst of times and emerged victoriously. \n \"I felt I could only return after I had made a success of life.\" \n Mr Nathan decided to leave home at a very young age to atone for his mischief and achieve success. His dedication to do his best in whatever he does is evident in his accreditations and is an inspiration to many. There are many valuable lessons to learn from this story, and it will be an essential read to those who would like to know more about the former President of Singapore and his humble beginnings.", "160" ], [ "This book tells a compelling personal account of Mr Seow's detention in Singapore. He who was mistreated and maligned, exposes the darkest disposition in the Singapore government particularly, the Internal Security Act, which empowers the government to detain suspected insurgents without trial, to prevent subversion. \n The story as well-written as it is, however, is in disequilibrium, heavily one-sided, lacking full clarity and candour of his extraordinary and multi-faceted career. \n What went wrong? \n Even if they (Mr Devan Nair) do not join the politics, they suddenly said and/or did things that were politically incorrect, even critical, to create deep suspicions. Perhaps included in his other books, it indeed ends abruptly after Mr Seow's release from detention, excluding details about his life in exile.", "138" ], [ "This trilogy has been nothing but a goddamn distraction. A complete disaster if you've got work to finish by tomorrow morning. Un-fucking-putdownable! \n It's disheartening that it carries distinct divergence from my miserable, humdrum life but it satisfies my megalomaniacal tendencies - the acute desire of wanting to be part of the three-comma club ($1,000,000,000). Ka-ching! Ka-ching! Ka-ching! \n Ah Ma's Tyersall Park (It exists! Google: Istana Woodneuk) would be today's state Istana. I often find myself picturing this comedy to be behind the scenes of the recent 38 Oxley Road ordeal. \n I hope the adapted movie will not disappoint.", "2" ], [ "Undoubtedly one of the thickest books that I've read hitherto and it wasn't the easiest book to read because the words and phrases used in this book are definitely of its time de facto hardly used today (including the utilisation of some impressive French). However, it was an inspiring read and a must-read for all Singaporeans. \n \"PAP means Partition and Perish.\" - Tun Abdul Razak \n The stories LKY shared plucked at my heartstrings, provoking deep thoughts of the modern Singapore that most of us, hedonists and bon vivants, take for granted.", "41" ], [ "\"There is only one kind of discipline - perfect discipline.\" - General George Patton \n Dr Kern continues where he left off after Redefining Airmanship and returned to basics - the fundamental rule of airmanship: discipline. He discusses the nebulous subject of flight discipline with definitive case studies and review questions at the end of each chapter. \n He atomises flight discipline into 3 factors: \n Personality - No one knows you better than yourself, and it is intrinsic to recognise your character trait. That way, you have a better response to stressful situations. \n Hazardous attitudes - The showstopper mentality and impatience will get the better of you if you're not vigilant. Listen to your conscience. \n Peer pressure - There are positive and negative aspects to this factor. \"Peers can hold an individual to the highest standards or lure them into the gutter. Peers can coax one to honesty or derail one to dishonesty. Peers can keep a friend morally sane and sober, or merrily invite a friend to lose sanity and sobriety along with the rest of the bubbas.\" - Captain R. J. Phillips, US Navy \n There're a lot more useful information and practical examples in the book that I will be revising from time to time. This book is for you if you're seeking to greater understand human factors as it relates to professionalism in the skies.", "17" ], [ "We all fly for different reasons, different aircraft types, in different locations and I'm privileged to have flown as a general aviation pilot and a military pilot. But regardless of what background we bring to aviation, we all have the moral responsibility to each other to practice sound airmanship as we share the same sky. This book is an essential read for pilots, perhaps the first of its kind to write about the nebulous subject of airmanship, and Dr Kern has taxonomically atomised it. \n If you do not have time for this hefty read, here's my biggest takeaways from the book: \n Airmanship is the consistent use of good judgement and well-developed skills to accomplish flight objectives. The pillars of airmanship: \n 1) Discipline \n With sound flight discipline (such as concurrence to the procedures and standard radiotelephony), the pilot develops skills and proficiencies. Do not succumb to the impression of the \"Daredevil\" aviator. Your ego writes checks that your skills can't cash. \n 2) Skills \n Strive to be good enough to be safe, effective enough to accomplish missions, efficient enough to save time and money, precise enough to seek perfection for personal improvement. None of the other airmanship pillars can overcome the lack of skill. It is your individual responsibility and moral obligation to sort your flying capabilities, without it comes unforgiving consequences. \n 3) Proficiency \n All flying organisations have requirements to help pilots maintain currency. While these requirements are designed to keep pilots from becoming nonproficient, they are not safety guarantees. It is our responsibility to track our proficiency and regularly \"chair fly\" to ensure that we get what we need before we take-off into the sky. \n 4) Knowledge (of self, the aircraft, your team, the environment, risk involved, procedures) \n Three things considered most useless to a pilot: runway left behind, altitude left above and inert knowledge. What you don't know can kill you. \n 5) Situational Awareness (SA) \n No one maintains perfect SA all the time, but a consistently high state of SA is another mark of a superior airman. SA is directly correlated to an aviator's attention or lack thereof. A pilot who is less prepared and struggling just to fly the approach is far less likely to handle distractions and simultaneously complete the safe approach. Prepare enough (knowledge) to increase your spare capacity to handle unexpected circumstances. But since any of us can become overloaded, we must also be able to recognise the symptoms of lost SA and have the critical actions for recovery \"hard-wired\" to prevent disaster. \n 6) Judgement \n Judgement is the capstone of airmanship, and it is the ultimate measuring stick of a superior airman. \"Superior Airmen use their superior judgement to stay out of situations where they must use their superior skills.\" The sound execution of effective judgement and decision making are inexorably tied to the individual, and each decision we make is affected by our personal preparation, experience and personality. It is not magic, and it can be taught and learned through disciplined attention and constant self-critique just like any other in-flight skill, it is as good as we want to make it. \n We've all witnessed how inattention has lead to devastating consequences, and this book contains interesting case studies, almost as though you're watching a few episodes of Air Crash Investigation: Military Edition. Above all, flying demands preparation and hard work. The first step to superior airmanship starts on the ground, to be critical, thorough and prepared for your flight. I'll leave you with a quote that has guided me a long way. \n \"The man who is prepared has his battle half fought.\" - Cervantes, Don Quixote", "17" ], [ "Napoleon Hill's 13 steps to success are: \n 1. Desire \n 2. Faith \n 3. Auto-suggestion \n 4. Specialised knowledge \n 5. Imagination and creativity \n 6. Organised planning \n 7. Steadfast decision-making \n 8. Persistence \n 9. Power of the \"Master Mind\" \n 10. Sex transmutation \n 11. Understanding the subconscious mind \n 12. \"Round-table procedure\" - Meditation \n 13. The 6th sense", "115" ], [ "I received this book as a gift from a wonderful friend, and I'm ever grateful. Frankly, I did not expect much from this book, and its odd title sounded kiddish, notwithstanding that I'm a fan of Mitch Albom. It certainly caught me off guard because he pieced this story together in a sensational class of its own. 5 stars would be an understatement. \n Have you ever read a book and just so decide on the spot that it'll turn out to be a fantastic film adaptation?", "52" ], [ "\"Bernard has no money. He only gets about ten million a year to live on.\" \n I would rather cry in my BMW than laugh on my bicycle - fuck I don't even have a bicycle. \n I want rich people problems.", "66" ] ]

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[ [ "Bagombo Snuff Box is a compilation of short stories written by pre-scifi Vonnegut. I enjoyed every story in this book (I imagined them being adapted by Rod Serling) but what really caught my attention was the intro by Lolo Kurt where he discussed the golden age of magazine fiction, admitted most of his early short stories were written for financial gain (he sold his stories to Cosmo!), explained in detail the joys of reading and creative writing, and pointed how prescient Bradbury was with the effects of (watching) TV.", "166" ], [ "\" I felt there was a piece of me missing, a piece that had become so unnerved that it fell away without me feeling it. I didn't even know what piece it was--I just felt the gap, and knew that whatever it was, it must have been important.\"", "164" ], [ "WWZ is the most detailed material about zombies I have read as of yet. This novel, narrated in a form of collection of interviews with people from different walks of life, not only discussed how humanity survived against its near extinction (from half-assed plans and strategies of containing the infection to people finally getting their shit together) but it also presented how unprepared we are if the Zombie Apocalypse actually happens.", "103" ], [ "\"Monsters come in all shapes and sizes. Some of them are things people are scared of. Some of them are things that look like things people used to be scared of a long time ago. Sometimes monsters are things people should be scared of, but they aren't.\"", "26" ], [ "I wonder what the world would be like if each one of us has a painting like Dorian Gray's? And what would you do with yours, are you going to lock it away in an empty room too?", "47" ], [ "I might have appreciated this book more if I read it a decade ago. The idea of genetically altered humans doesn't stir my interest that much as it may have a couple of years back.", "120" ], [ "Enough to keep your mind off things but only for a short while. Try not to devour the 230 pages in one sitting or you could make a new reading list out of this book.", "75" ], [ "\"...and it's getting closer and I'm waiting, and I don't know what I was thinking while I waited other than it's taking so damn long to get here, and I'm tired and I feel like I've been waiting all my life.\"", "164" ] ]

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[ [ "Read 62 %. In the beginning I was intrigued, but now I would like to move on with my life. \n This book is basically about a dude who lives his life in a virtual reality game. If you are into the 80's and pop culture from that time you might like this. If you are looking for interesting characters and story lines, this is most likely not for you.", "120" ], [ "\"There are strong minds in every walk of life that will rise superior to the disadvantages of situation and will command the tribute due to their merit, not only from the society in general. The door ought to be equally open to all.\" \n -- The Federalist No. 36, January 8, 1788.", "88" ], [ "I'm exhausted! Visiting five different universes besides the one you are entering to begin with is a lot. \n This time around the Twins and their friends visit Oz, Wonderland, Neverland and other literary Worlds as part of their quest to once again save the Fairytale World from evil and find their way back. An interesting, but not surprising, way to broaden the Land of Stories-universe. However, I keep associating this with the \"Once Upon a Time\" TV-series, where the same has happened. (traveling to other realms. The actual plots are not the same) and it puts me off a little bit. \n I am slowly outgrowing The Land of Stories and the premise of fairy tale re-tellings and twists. -- It's not as exciting to me anymore. Even parts of the writing is sometimes getting on my nerves. Yet I did enjoy the book. liking most of the new characters from the other worlds; some of which are entertaining. (The scene with the Caterpillar in Wonderland, hilarious.) \n Humor and lightheartedness, as well as Colfer's talent for creating/re-imagining a variety of characters that grow a little bit with time is what makes this series (and this book) worth reading. Colfer's way of putting tiny pieces of life-advice in the stories, which might be useful as you grow up, I like as well. \n Last, but not least, the cliffhanger gets me every time. I don't have plans to continue the series from here, but I'm a little curious as to what adventures lie ahead, especially since there is a hint of less re-imaginings in the following book.", "74" ], [ "Some stories, no matter how they are adapted, you can't do anything but love them. Those stories are usually those that make you feel like they were written just for you. Great Expectations is one of those stories for me. \n I feel I know the story so well, yet I have never read the original novel from start to finish. Every time I open it I get further, but I'm afraid what will happen to me when it ends, so I don't... But this story is for me. And some day I will finish reading it. I promise.", "80" ], [ "I haven't read the original novel, and this doesn't make me want to pick it up in a hurry. Not because the story wouldn't be interesting, but because the storytelling didn't impress me, and in other Manga Classics I found the storytelling to match with the novel. \n I would have liked there to be more show and less tell. There's too many parts that functioned as a 'voice over', for my taste. \n The story itself is about conscience, told by depicting a woman, who is publicly shamed for adultery by having to wear the letter A on her chest for everyone to see. As a reader, there's no doubt who her partner in crime is, but the town doesn't know and the only thing she has left is this (odd) child, which she tries to raise as a good Christian despite the difficult situation she is in. Though she's being mostly isolated from community, she still does good deeds for others, if she can. No hard feelings. \n We also get the story of the Child's father, who, because he is a respected member of the community (and such a coward!) does not speak out about his sin. He struggles with the guilt, which is eating him up from inside. -- or he's poisoned, I didn't really get that part. \n Anyway, I'm sure the novel gives a more complex picture of these feelings and mindsets, but the manga didn't convey that part too well. It didn't make me feel much. \n The artwork, however, is beautifully done. And especially the metaphors underlining characteristics and moods are very clever. I have yet to find a manga where this is not the case. \n If you don't know the story this manga classic will provide an easy way for you to get acquainted with it. If you have read the novel, I have a feeling you would find something is missing, but you get a different way of experiencing the story.", "70" ], [ "I've read 25 % of this book, having tried to read it twice, not being able to complete it. \n To begin with, I found the concept with a book full of questions interesting. Mostly because you can't avoid automatically answering them -- or not having an answer at all, wondering. However, after a while the questioner's voice, and some of the questions, turned out to be annoying, and I started skipping more than I was actually reading, which is reason enough to not finish it. \n Maybe it requires more patience or a complete different mindset to read through this. -- Because I can see how some parts were really smart put together. Others seemed more like a stream of conscious, completely random, which makes sense, but still doesn't make me want to finish.", "18" ], [ "So comic anthologies are a thing and this one is (apparently) published by a company that makes graphics tablets, which I assume were used when drawing these comics, for those of you who are interested in that. \n Anyway. About the actual thing: I didn't like every art style that is featured in this anthology the same, but the stories -- being of different genres -- all had an interesting and/or funny way of interpreting the themes after which the anthology is named. \n Also, I probably had a couple associations to my childhood, which might have added to the rating (the cover alone, anyone?), but I think I would have liked it just as much if that weren't the case.", "36" ], [ "The teenage girl that struggles with just the same things any other teenager does: who to be or not to be according to herself and her surroundings. All the questions Kamala asks herself, I have asked myself. The struggle is real. It's not easy being raised with expectations to follow the demands that go with being raised as a Muslim in the western world while wanting to belong in both worlds equally, and how you deal with it, being true to yourself, is up to you. I think that's what Ms. Marvel is about. \n On the front cover there is a statement, saying this is probably the most important comic published in 2014. I think that's true: this comic is important. Mostly because I have never read a story about a character with this background before that I can remember, but also because this representation is not focused on Muslims being good or bad. Ms. Marvel is not based on prejudice; However, it does touch on the topics of wearing a headscarf out of free will, and similar things. -- But not in a negative way, more as an observation and out of curiosity, I believe. \n The thing about Kamala becoming a super hero is secondary to me, so I don't have much on that. But it does add to the fun a little bit. The reason as to why I would keep reading Ms. Marvel would be to see how the main character figures out how to balance everything, though.", "113" ], [ "When you read the same book twice with only three months apart and enjoy it even more the second time then the only thing you can do is realize there are not enough stars on Goodreads, or like in this case, you realize you should have given it five stars to begin with. \n Laugh-out-loud funny, smart, strong characters and important themes, what more could you ask for.", "35" ], [ "This book is about appreciating simplicity, art and atmosphere; about beautiful things, written in a beautiful way. It's an essay, but sometimes seemed like a well-composed Haiku poem. \n In the beginning I felt like meditating, at least until Okakura went on about how the Western World does not undersand the Eastern world, but not seeming very open to understand the Western world himself; I wanted to make him a cup of tea to relax. After that I went on meditating, and thinking that I should probably brush up on Japanese history and terminology, which there is some of in this book, since it does include how tea, and the tea ceremony, played a role in Japanese and Chinese culture, history and religion. \n Last, but not least, Okakura's views and thoughts on how we view and experience art are not far fetched: even though this book is more than a hundred years old, people have not changed much on that point, and many still depend on their ears (other's opinions) instead of having their own opinions of the experience. This, and the fact that some people used to put onions in their tea, especially stood out to me.", "104" ], [ "I first read this almost a year ago (April 25 2015). And after recently having recommended it to someone, I decided it was time for a re-read. -- and a review, which is on its way...", "87" ], [ "I have been thinking a lot about how to actually review this, without giving too much away. And believe me, it was a tough challenge. You can't really do this book justice doing a plot summary, and mentioning one thing without the other. Luckily for me, I remembered something that would make this book much easier to review without having to give away anything too specific: \n I received this with a note, expressing hopes that I will enjoy this book, but also, that 'enjoy' might not be the right word choice for this reading experience. Knowing nothing about the book before I started reading it made me curious. Now, having finished it, I understand the hesitation regarding this word choice. At least I would like to think so. \n The case is this: 'The World According to Garp' is not a happy-go-lucky story, rather the opposite: it contains a lot of tragedy, causes sadness, as well as anger and angst. Yet I can see myself picking it up to make me laugh. \n Though, I'm sure it's really inappropriate to laugh in many of the bizarre situations portrayed in this book, I won't be able to help it; I couldn't. Even though Garp, his family and friends encounter one unfortunate event after the next, and this novel deals with serious and sensitive topics, such as sexual assault and death, it is written in a way that will make you laugh and see the hilarity in things despite their seriousness. \n Actually, there is a chance you might be offended if you are very sensitive, be it by the imagery or the humour of this book. Personally I was, at some point, slapped very hard in the face by something as simple as an opinion that I disagreed with. I could have decided not to read the rest. However, early on, I knew it was bound to happen when you are faced with very eccentric -- sometimes insane -- characters, who without necessarily intending to, cause a lot of controversy in what they do, say, and otherwise express themselves. You can't agree with everything. \n Irving does handle the topics he chooses very well, and tells the story (well, stories; there are multiple) in a very intriguing way. The characters and the world they live in are all relatable and realistic in some way; they could exist in the real world in some version or another, which they probably already do. This makes it hard to dwell on any disagreement for too long because you know there is some truth to what's written. As a matter of fact, you don't really get much chance to dwell for too long on anything anyway, as there is always something unexpected waiting on the next page that will grab your attention until, eventually, you reach the last. \n 'Enjoy' might not be the first word I would choose to attach to the experience you get out of this novel. Even with the sufficient amount of laughter, no one enjoys being torn to pieces and experiencing grief. On the other hand, I can't come up with a better word. So it's easier to just say it as it is: this is an enjoyable read. It really is.", "51" ], [ "Confession: I didn't actually 'read' this book. Not a single word. Sometimes you just need to appreciate the artwork. Maybe when I'm not busy with that I'll read the words. \n ...Seriously, look at it first, actually read it later.", "110" ], [ "Funny, smart and inventive. I like it! \n The concept and story behind the so-called blackout poems, that consist of blacked out newspaper articles, is very interesting. But As entertaining and interesting as this read was, not every poem had a great effect on me. However I like how simple each poem is. You don't have to think too hard to actually make meaning of blackout poems, which is great if you expect poetry to be somewhat cryptic. \n That said, I'll especially recommend this to people not very familiar with poetry, and who don't know where to begin their reading of it: I think your perception of what poetry can be will be different if you read Newspaper Blackout compared to if you start reading the classics. At least that's my experience.", "181" ], [ "Beautiful art, beautiful story. \n The manga edition follows Austen's story very well and Stacy King and the artists behind this book did a really good job adapting it. \n There are minor things like facial-expressions that were confusing to me: Sometimes when the characters were supposed to be surprised I found them looking scared, which was a little strange. \n Between some of the chapters there are strips that could have been left out as they disrupt the reading-flow and were not really necessary for the story. Of cause they are meant as a comic relief, which is characteristic for Manga. At the same time the reader was given another insight into the characters, which made them entertaining and added to the 'Austen sarcasm' in some way. \n I just realized that Austen really is a good choice when adapting into Manga. \n I feel like I re-read the novel, which I really enjoyed, so my rating will be just the same: 4 stars for this beautiful piece of art.", "36" ], [ "I'm conflicted about this book. It has good parts in it but also more romance than I expected. \n I liked the concept of a world where everyone gets to live over and over, but I also had a lot of questions regarding the world, that I don't feel got answered. \n I didn't always feel like picking up the book to read, but when I was reading I easily found myself reading one chapter after the other. So it's definitely an easy read. \n As for the characters I didn't find the main character, Ana, that intriguing, yet I could relate to her in some ways, and her naivete makes sense (she's a newsouls, It's like being a child - you don't have much experience with anything after just living for eighteen years in comparison to someone who has lived at least a few thousand years) and her identity-crisis and whining about nobody liking her made sense even though it was a bit annoying sometimes. \n The relationship between Ana and Sam definetly took over the main plot. I was expecting more 'soul searching', since that's what Ana's quest was all about. I needed more of that and less romance/relationship-stuff. At times the story felt like it wasn't going anywhere in particular. \n Overall the book is well written but because of Meadows not focusing so much on the main plot as I had expected from what I read in the synopsis I'm going to give this book 2 out of 5 stars. \n I don't see myself reading the sequel (Asunder) or re-reading Incarnate any time soon.", "70" ], [ "If you didn't speak to me for nine years, and then we spend one night together doing crazy things I would probably not come looking for you if you went missing, but I guess that's what you do when in love with someone? \n I still need to figure out what I think of this book besides that, so I can give it a rating. \n By the way, I can definetly see why it's being turned into a movie. (Besides it being a book by John Green that is). \n Update, Dec. 4th 2014 \n I made up my mind, and give this 3 stars: One because it made me feel and think, another because the writing is good, and the third because I must admit it was somewhat enjoyable after all. \n My biggest issue is not understanding Q's fascination with Margo; she's just not likeable to me. Also, the main plot is still not that great no matter how much I think about it.", "196" ], [ "Despite the warnings from the locals, Jonathan Harker - a young lawyer - goes for a business trip to Transylvania to meet Count Dracula. Dracula, who lives isolated in a castle in the mountains, greets his guest with open arms. But the longer Jonathan stays at castle Dracula the more he realizes that something is wrong: Dracula isn't human, and soon Jonathan knows he's a prisoner. Fearing for his life he desperately tries to escape the castle to get back home to his fiancee Mina. \n Meanwhile Mina is with her friend Lucy in Whitby where a mysterious ship arrives. \n Lucy is a sleepwalker and as the story develops strange things happen and Doctor Van Helsing is summoned to help figure things out. When he does everyone helps him in order to free Lucy, and the world, from this mysterious thing that is causing all the trouble. \n Being a fan of the old black and white movie I had to read Dracula some day. First time I tried to read it was years ago and I thought it was very boring back then. The language was old and boring and I didn't make it further than the first chapter. A while ago I rediscovered the book in an app and began to read it again and got hooked. But I didn't like reading it on-screen so I decided to borrow it at the library. My local library didn't have the book so I had to wait for it to be ordered from another library and this is the edition I ended up with and there clearly is a difference from the one I started reading in the app, as the book is a re-edited edition. I will get back to that. \n As for the story, I liked it. In comparison to the edition I started reading, which seemed closer to the original, this edition was obviously simplified. \n In case you don't know this story is written as a collection of reports in the form of diaries and letters exchanged between the characters in the book. This gives you the story from different perspectives over a certain amount of time. \n The word choice is made suitable for the time in which the story takes place (Victorian England). That gives you the feeling of actually being there and it makes the story authentic. \n This edition that I read is illustrated, which at first was all right but then became annoying as every page is framed in red to symbolize blood and a few times there are blood splatters on the pages, too. There are also a few illustrations of scenes in the book. They look nice but to me they seemed unnecessary as I was only interested in reading the story and didn't need the pictures. That's one of the reasons why I am only giving this 3 of 5 stars. \n Despite that I think it's a story everyone should read as it's a great story. But skip editions with illustrations unless you really want them to see them.", "33" ], [ "Diagnosed with cancer at age 13 Hazel Grace is prepared to die, but at a miracle happens and the tumour in her lungs shrinks. Now, at age 16 Hazel is bound to an Oxygen tank, only has three friends, which are her parents and the author Peter Van Houten. Besides she is also forced to attend a cancer support group for kids every Wednesday. \n At one support group meeting Hazel meets Augustus Waters, who being an amputee and in remission, seems to be an interesting person. \n They easily become friends and Hazel starts to reconsider the meaning of life, death and what happens afterwards. \n \"I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once\" (pp. 125) \n That sums up how I feel about this book. The first time I heard of it was in the media where it had gotten really good reviews and I just couldn't get it out of my mind. In the beginning I just thought it would be a book about cancer, which almost made me not want to read it, but since I still couldn't get it out of my mind I bought it and read it. And I must say, The Fault in Our Stars is one of the most memorable books I have ever read. I finished it quickly, because I just couldn't put it down. \n The Story is told from Hazel's perspective - and Hazel has humour. At first I felt like it was wrong making jokes including cancer but I realized that if this book is about something then it's about accepting your illness and what comes with it and to live life in the best possible way. And humour is a part of being alive, so a joke now and then was okay. \n But besides being entertaining and funny this book also is very serious and consists of heartbreaking moments. \n It somehow did remind me of a book I have read back in school called En-to-tre-NU! by the Danish author Jesper Wung-Sung where you get in touch with a lot of the same topics as in Green's book, where the characters as well as the story is lovable. \n I will definitely read The Fault in Our Stars more than just once.", "183" ] ]

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[ [ "This book has taught me several things in life, which i have yet to understand and getting around my problem to see a better light that they seem appearing. It also covers wide areas of negotiating tactics, from purchasing, business, politics to personal loan, tax, fine etc. Some are useful, while others seem insensible to today's contact. \n I intend to finish this book earlier, before 2016 ends, but i know that by reading it slowly and repeating certain important sentences, will allow these words to sink into my brain and relate them better to my life. \n While at stages of reading, i learn to question matters that are out of norm, in this way i will know more information in order to establish a better negotiating ground. I also compel myself to pursuit on matters in details and analyse the situation for negotiation. In the past, i gave up too easily and often left at disadvantages. I kept questioning myself \"why don't I do this and that?\" after conclusion. Arresting situation is crucial and life-changing. \n Take-away of the book's knowledge: \n Power - Feel the empowerment to negotiate things at your position. Giving yourself the confidence by knowing your rights. Negotiate with a person with authority, with power to meet your needs. \n Time - Get other party to invest time in you. Wasting more of their, so that they treasure the business with you and fulfill your needs. Get into a relationship, letting both to know each other's needs and they will recognise you as yourself, not just a consumer or someone unimportant. Never let others know your deadline and victimised by it, know others' deadline for your advantage. \n Information - Getting more information to have a bargaining ground. Try to understand other party's need for a win-win situation and align with the other party's goal and desire for a persuasive approach.", "17" ], [ "Nothing had yet to shake the sharpshooter assassin, Will Robie, until recently, his mind was fogged with uncertainty due to an accidental kill of a child in his assignment. The traumatic incident had triggered his unsettled childhood memories that mined deep within him. \n Later that, he realised his father, Dan Robie, was convicted of murdering Sherman Clancy whose family run a farm, living their life solitarily. It was simply the least possiblility for his father to kill someone with no bad blood. Will took a break to return to his small Gulf coast hometown of Cantrell, Mississippi to visit Dan and hopefully find the missing piece of the crime. \n This one was on a different setting; touching on Will's intimacy and emotion. Never had any of his previous installment mention anything about his parents or childhood, this novel talked all about them, like a Will's history book. More than a decade ago, Will left his hometown, escaped the mental and physical torture from Dan. Over the years, things had changed, Dan was promoted from a respectable lawyer to the town judge and remarried a woman, Victoria, whose age was about the same as Will. They bear a kid, Tyler who was now Will's younger brother. \n The series switched to a totally new angle, from mission-based to an investigation story, which immediately reminded me of my last read, Career of Evil of both protagonists Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott. Will Robie shed off his assassin's skin to become a detective and with help from his best partner, Jessica Reel, they did a good job to peel off layers of evidences towards criminal acts pertaining to pedophilia; illegal sexual activities between adults and children of consanguinity. \n The ending was unbelievable, but certain explanation just seem unconvincing and lacking, leaving some loose ends. Overall, it deserved a higher 3 and rounded up to be a 4 in the rating. Good, but not great.", "137" ], [ "Career of Evil is the third in Cormoran Strike's series. Author's impeccable writing style had again proven this to be better and arguably the jewel of the crown. \n After previous novels, which took place in celebrity and publishing industries, this one was about misogynic. The plot was filled with emotions, hatred and feelings from women and amputees who had been abused, amputed or killed by either their love ones or strangers. \n In this installment, both protagonists encountered difficulties; Robin faced her worse trauma, recalling her unpleasant moment in the past and Cormoran had suffered the misfortune of his poor business again. Both troubles were impacted by the mysterious parcel, the severed leg. To avoid such repeated case, they did their detective work dutifully and traced on three possible listed criminals for evidences of women's murders and amputation of their body. \n Unlike previous books, this story touched deeply on the relationship; Robin struggled with a decision towards her marriage while Strike's complicated relationship with a divorced woman, Elin, got worrying. With investigation of the suspects running parallel along the side stories of Strike and Robin private life, the relevancy of the whole story remained, keeping the readers motivated till the end. I was impressed of how the author have meticulously planned for every detail of the plot. \n Overall the plot was nicely organised and suspenseful. The ending was flawless and culprit was dangerously unpredictable. Deeper background of both Strike and Robin allowed readers to know their protagonists more; like knowing old friends better. It was highly recommended and truly a piece of priceless treasure.", "132" ], [ "This book is narrated by Tilly Bagshawe, a ghost writer of Sidney Sheldon. Tilly was a loyal reader of Sidney's books and greatly inspired by his writing. In this book, she did similar writing style as Sidney's, researched the same way as he did and finished the story with great twists, thrills and excitement. \n The protagonist was an elegant and guileless lady named Grace brookstein who married the Wall Street giant, Lenny brookstein. While the world's businesses collapsed, Lenny's hedge fund, Quorum, remained unaffected. Lenny and Grace could enjoy their life lavishly. \n One day, an unexpected happened, Lenny disappeared during his sail from Nantucket beach estate and his body was found weeks later. Capital of the hedge fund was also found missing and was suspected to be a money fraud. Grace, as one of business owner, was caught liable for the missing seven billions. She lost the court case and plummented her life as a prisoner. \n Grace knew that there was a conspiracy and she wanted truth. Vengeance, betrayal and love had transformed her from a delicate girl into an unbreakable criminal. After her jailbreak, her journey ahead was full of obstacles and alot of unexpected circumstances happened. At each stages of her escape, the story moved to another level of thrill. Non-stop action of her's would accompany readers till the very end and be prepared for a shocking finale. \n A truly page turner, highly recommended.", "177" ], [ "\"The Escape\" storyline is unique and original. The third installment of John Puller series has a great leap over his previous books. David Baldacci has definitely been cracking his brain to craft a new and distinct plot to get John Puller out of Jack Reacher's shadow. This one reveals flawless and a winner. \n The plot commenced with a power failure that out break at a military prison in Fort Leavenworth. The security system in the prison had been breached, backup generators failed and all the jail gates unlocked. All USDB prisoners attempted to escape, creating chao and violence. George Puller, who had a life sentence due conviction of treason, escaped the prison. \n On my initial thought, George triggered his brilliant escaping plan that he had worked on for two years. He had a credit card, under a different name, ready for his usage. This credit card was safe and would not arouse suspicion from the bank due to a special set up. Next, facial makeover kit was available at his hideout, this was part of his plan for a major change to his current identity. His facial features were altered by the skills he adopt during his past experience as an international spy. Everything just looked like a perfect and ingenious jailbreak. However, one thing that keep us suspended is the mysterious dead person that remained in George's jail after his escape. \n John and a female agent, Veronica Knox, were tasked to handle the case. John's ostensible purpose was to arrest his brother alive and investigate George's conviction discreetly. As he dug deeper, more people were silenced, but the truth behind the treason, the conspiracy of George's escape and enormous terrorism act were gradually surfaced, revealing the greatest national security problem. \n This novel has a magnificient, engaging and suspenseful storyline with plentiful twists that blow you away. It is the jewel of the crown of all Puller series and definitely a must-read for all thriller and military espionage fans.", "170" ], [ "The story resided in a town of Florida called Paradise. It was a perfect tourism and retiree area that appeared to be safe and peaceful, but hidden a conspiracy that involved human trafficking. These humans came from the poor in Asia and Africa and were sold as drug mules, prostitutes or slaves. \n In the gulf, there lied thousands of abandoned oil platforms, one of them was used as prisons for the smuggled humans. Mecho, a bulgarian, who had escaped from the captivity at oil platform, arrived at Paradise and worked as a landscaper for the richest man in town, Peter Lampert. His purpose was to eliminate the syndicate behind the operation of human trafficking and find his lost sister, Rada. \n After the mission in West Virginia, John Puller, military CID, was on R&R. One day, he received a mysterious letter from his aunt, Betsy Simon. As he arrived at her house, he found that she had died from drowning at her fountain. Puller predicted this case as an intricate murder, even though the police had concluded it to be a tragic accident. \n While Puller performed his investigation with a local police named Cheryl Landry, Mecho spied on the movement of the syndicate. He gathered information around the town and tracked the timing and location of operation. Both of them were moving parallel along the story till a moment when they met. With same objectives, they joined force with a few others and infiltrated into the oil platform and obliterated an army of hostiles. \n In this novel, everything may seem misaligned at first, but when all information pieced together, it revealed the greatest conspiracy. I like this one more due to a greater twist in the ending that is far beyond my expectation. Puller has done it this time, hence i highly recommended this read.", "67" ], [ "It is a children fable, simple and enriching, of an aviator and a little prince. One day, little prince has decided to leave his planet and explore other planets. During his journey, he encounters six odd people, each of them living alone in their planet. The last planet is the earth, where he met the aviator. Little prince has not known how a world is like, and his mind is pure, innocent and clean. The prince starts to share his encounters and thinkings with the aviator. This slowly tames the aviator, allows him to recall on events during his past and realise the missing element in his life. \n Six people are: King - wants command and superiority. Conceited man - shows narcissism. Drinker - reveals sadness. Business man - greeds for more wealth. Lamp lighter - follows orders with comformity. Geographer - seeks perfection in his job. These six people represent the modern adults personalities. \n Society has changed us, we shed our naive, guileless and childish mind for a new perception for competitiveness and sustainablility. Hence, we, the adults lost our connection, senses, importance in life. We live in the world of control, perfection, narcissism, greed, rules and sadness. \n I have learnt of this quote from the little prince, \"... you can see things clearly with your heart. What is essential is invisible to your eye.\" In modern world, people see benefits, power, wealth as intangible achievements. Remove these perspective and you will see the freedom, love, happiness and true-self. \n Next, i also learn about smile. The power of smiles brings people closer and creates a common ground to link people together. Smiles also create the uniqueness in yourself, and differentiate from the rest of other adults. Easing your stress, energising your body, optimism thinking comes from a positive mind, smiling is a favourable way to achieve that state of mind. \n This novel is originally written in french, i see flaws in direct english translation as there are sentences with structuring issues which make it difficult to understand. Nevertheless, it is an amazing book that will change your perspective and you will see things differently.", "3" ], [ "The book is based on first person narrative of Daniel, a young adult, who attempt to survive in London with financial help from his partner, Mark. Daniel's mother, Tilde, escaped from Sweden to find him. She was alleged to be mentally ill and hospitalised for treatment. She believed that her husband, Chris and a group of Swedish, had kept her in hospital to stop her from revealling their conspiracy. She had nobody to trust except Daniel. She had to convince him with every evidence in her sachet that she had brought from Sweden to expose the mystery behind a missing young lady, Mia. \n You are pulled into her psychotic world: the insane, betrayal, lies and cruelity. Tilde's conspiracy theories were influential while Chris did not explain his situation. This had caused Daniel's uncertainty on who to believe. \n The story is masterful, but the ending just close off too swiftly. Despite that, it is a highly recommended novel for psychological thriller readers.", "32" ], [ "Child 44 was set in 1953, Stalin's Soviet Union. The economic policy of the state was to build a centralised command economy with heavy industrialisation and collectivisation. These radical changes had caused famines and hard labour which resulted in million of deaths. \n The protagonist was an idealistic security officer, Leo Demidov, who served under his great state. His achievements during the war had won a desired status in his career and a better life for his family. However, his colleague who was jealous of him, attempted to set him up, framed him and eventually forced him to exile. Leo gave up his dogmatic belief of his country, surrendered his luxurious life and suffered the life like individual in Moscow. He also realised that romance with his wife, Raisa, was just an illusion and there wasn't any love between them. Their marriage was totally dsyfunctional. Leo had to amend their relationship and concurrently find the serial killer on the loose who was behind the children's multilation. \n This book is a political thriller with murder mystery and dystopia storyline. It tells historical values about the culture of the stalin's Russia and the state's sensitivity towards anti-communism. It is one of the best book which i have read this year, highly recommended!", "15" ], [ "\"Zero Day\" is the first installment of John Puller series. John Puller, special agent CID, reminds me of Will Robie, government employed assassin, protagonist of another David's series. Both of them are military veterans and they are specially skilled in weapon and combat. The difference, is John's strong military connection which gains a lot of support from government, while Robie performs top secret assassin jobs independently, killing traitors and leaders from foe countries. One of the notable item that John has, is his rucksack that contains all sort of guns, biohazard kits and gadgets. It comes specially handy during difficult situation. \n The story commences with a brutal murder of four people in a slaughterhouse of remote coal mining town, Drake, situated at West Virginia. The victim is Matt Reynolds, the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) colonel, his family's murder is prostulated to be the theft of the DIA classified information. Puller teamed up with Samantha Cole to unravel the motives behind the murders. While they dig further into the truth, more people are silenced in attempt to hinder the investigation progress. Eventually, they have discovered the world's most fatal weapon, nuclear explosives, been concealed by a group of ex-military soldiers for terrorism acts. \n David's formulaic approach to this novel, may be pleasant to some, but not others. To me, it is just like another familiar detective story. I feel that the direction towards their investigation works are not focused and sometimes irrelevant which fail to convince me that they are in right track. Hence, my liking to this novel is moderate. Hopefully, the next book will reveal more potential of this rising star and much appealing storyline.", "170" ], [ "Mitch Albom's stories always live to my expectation. This book has no exception, its heartfelt story moved me deeply. Spending one more day with your lost love one is like a dream that never happen, yet to the protagonist, he was given a \"one day\" chance to seek forgiveness from his lost mother. \n In \"For one more day\", main character, Charley \"Chick\" Benetto's life plummeted with regret and anguish. His wife divorced him, he was banned from his daughter's wedding and eventually, he realised that death was his only option. One night, he was drunk and he drove to deliberate a car accident. His suicide attempt had failed, then he went to his childhood's neighbourhood and he found his mother, who had passed away 8 years ago, still staying in their old house. \n His lost mother saw him, cook breakfast for him and then led him through their old town to visit her old friends. On their walkthrough, he had better understood his mother. He also realised sacrifices that she endured and greatness that she had done for the family for all these years. He felt ashamed of not able to show appreciation in the past. Through this \"one day\" encounter, he learnt his greatest lesson in his life. He finally realised the true meaning in life: that is to put his family first and the rest second. \n This is my second read on Mitch's novel, my first read is the \"First phone call from heaven\". Though I realise some resembance between both, however this one is much simplified, yet equally enriching and sentimental. Several accounts of their life are shared, which we can learn and reflect on our daily life, on whether we have stood by our love ones when they are in need. We should also backtrack our life to notice mistakes that we have committed and make adjustment to improve ourselves. \n This book is definitely a winner as it had given tributes to all mothers in the world, highly recommended.", "125" ], [ "\"The Cuckoo's Calling\" is a mysterious and intriguing detective plot. This novel is stimulating and clever with enormous twist in the end. The author as Robert Galbraith is a pseudonym of JK Rowling. Her ability of deep characterisation, detailed environment and rich narrative skill has drawn me deeply into the authenticity of her world. \n The plot commences with a legendary celebrity, Lula Landry, who had fallen to her death from an apartment. Her brother, John Bristow, disbelieves that Lula had commited suicide, hence he employs Strike to investigate on the case. A note, which is left by Lula before her death, is embedded with many secrets. It then gradually escalates into tension that drives us into the truth of the tragic. \n Many characters are involved in the story. They are ranged from wealthy Bristow families to the fashion industry owners such Deeby Macc and Evan Duffield. These people come alive, well crafted and engaging. Both protagonists, Cormoran Strike and Robin, are the most entertaining among all due to their humorous dialogue and interesting investigation. They are also best known to be google proficient. \n Strike was a war veteran who had lost his limp in Afghanistan. He subsequently owned a detective agency but had financial woes and plummeted relationship with his longtime girlfriend, Charlotte. So, he lost his habitation (his girlfriend's house) and lodged into his office. As a detective, he exhibits unusual powers in deduction. Unlike Sherlock holmes, Strike hardly fights due to his disability, however, his ingenious contemplation is profoundly gifted. \n Robin is Strike's sidekick who just got engaged with her boyfriend, Matthew, and moves into the city. Her intelligence, capability and disguising expertise illuminate her personality. Her masking skill amazes me when she can imitate any roles with perfection during investigation. Unfortunately, she is just a short-term employee from a company named Temporary Solution. As time passes, her working lifespan ticked and eventually ended. Robin enjoys her job so much that she chooses to stay and help Strike to complete the case. \n The story flows slowly yet steadily. All investigations are thoroughly carried out and the ending is explained logically. Along with the story, i find that every page is an enjoyment and is never a hassle to read. Rowling has definitely adapted well in the transformation from magical world of Harry Potter to a mysterious crime story in London. This novel is highly recommended and worths for revisiting again.", "182" ], [ "\"Silkworm\" is the second installment of the series. JK Rowling, as author, has signature of having vast characterisation in the story with deep dialogue. Her style of writing is detailed, brilliant and humorous. This time, her plot has shifted from industries of fashion to book selling and readers can dive into the field of book expertises to sense the complexity of both famous and indie book business. \n Strike's fame has escalated over his solution towards the Superstars, Lula Landry's murder and the publicity has led him into the best-known private detective in the metropolis. His tide of business has boost his detective career, settle most of his debt and upgrade his lodging. However, most cases that he handled then revolve around the unmotivated rich family relationships. \n Eight months later, he faces a new challenge. He is been hired by a lady, Leonora Quine, who is seeking for her missing husband, Owen Quine. Owen is a novelist who has narrated a manuscript \"Bombyx Mori\", a latin name of silkworm, with content of discrimination of people he know. Due to this, his agent, Elizabeth Tassel prohibits the publishment. \n Upon days of investigation, Strike finally found the Owen's corpse, with multiple organs removed, in a private house at Talgarth Road. The horrific death of Owen matches exactly the hero in his manuscript. \n As the case becomes intricate, Strike starts to read the manuscript and immerse into the grotesque world of \"Bombyx Mori\" to study the association of the story's characters to Owen's colleagues. He then plans to meet each of them for clues. \n To sum up, this is a terrific novel with good suspense and intriguing story. I am looking forward to the third installment of Cormoran Strike.", "182" ], [ "Simple and casual. It is ideal for quick reading. Three stories move parallel. Belly bomber as one of them that reveals a brilliant idea with great potential into developing a compelling storyline. The ship cruise incident is just another \"Captain Philips\". While Mackie, women's murder club's ex colleague, hunts Lindsay for revenge. \n Belly bombs are developed by soluble micro capsules, with 3 ingredients; magnesium, RDX and oil, that are stuffed into the beef patty. Upon eaten, stomach acid react with magnesium, thus created a flare to ignite RDX and cause huge explosion. The bombing incidents have aroused Boxer's suspicion on the Chuck's employees. Unfortunately, the plot does not seem complete in the end. \n After Brady and Yuki quickie marriage, they embark on their honeymoon. It has oscillated from a romantic cruise experience to pirates attack. Turning from hostages to heroes, Brady and some passengers fight back and free the trapped ship crews. Later, they join to fight against the pirates. \n Mackie's story is a spillover from previous book. She seeks revenge for her husband. Cindy is stalking, catching news on Mackie, so that she can do up a interview with Mackie and make a leap in her career. The whole process is breathtaking and has taken additional hype to the overall. \n Generally, the stories are not polished and ended abruptly. I would only recommend this book as a casual read. The more you expect, the more disappointment you will get. Its simplicity is what i adore.", "67" ], [ "Landline was voted as the best fiction book in 2014. It is a romantic and sentimental story with sci-fi concept. You are in Georgie's perspective, exploring her emotional mind and seeing her in juggling between her career and marriage life. \n Love without effort will not sustain a relationship. Georgie is a tv comedy writer and she was a very career-driven person. Due to her busy work schedule, she had literally neglected her family. Though the couples were loving, her husband, Neal was alone to hold the family together. While Georgie assumed that Neal would carry on with it, their relationship had finally plummeted. Neal had given up and left for his parent's house in Omaha, accompanied by their both kids. \n The story emphasised on the time-travel rotary phone which enabled Georgie to communicate with 1998's Neal. This magical thing had allowed her to correct whatever she thought was wrong in the past. Their time-travelled conversation had spun their love life around, from a miserable marriage to a happy first date. Everything just had become so sweet, like Georgie turn 15 years younger. At this point, the story had become romance language. It was all about their sweetened talks. \n Time-travelled phone was a supernatural twist but it might seem additional at first. This phone logically would not improve their present relationship, however the ending showed otherwise. Neal had been waiting 15 years for the 'right' Georgie and his long wait really worth. \n The gist of the story is to tell us how dynamic a relationship is. Love and effort are elements that keep a good relationship going. When one was depleted, it had to be replenished. Marriage is a bigger comittment than relationship, hence it needed more love, patience and time to nuture. \n This book is unique, intriguing and it is highly recommended for romance readers.", "191" ], [ "The Target, another masterpiece from David Baldacci. The author has done it once again, this time even better. \n This book can be considered as two stories in one novel. Neo Nazi as a sideline plot which told about Reel's story. This second plot may seem unnecessary like a commercial break of a tv show, however, the author has made it really great. It is just like a big missing piece that complete the puzzle left from the previous book. \n In The Hit, the story mentioned about Reel's past. Reel has been mixed with Neo Nazi during her youth days. Eventually, she had informed police and all Neo Nazi were sent to death sentence except one guy. This guy is the leader of Neo Nazi. Now he is been released from prison and attempted a revenge on Reel. \n In The Target, its main plot started off from burner box training to assassination of USA president's family. As compared to previous books, this time its pace in story progression is slow. \n The training of Robie and Reel in the burner box taken about first one-fifth of the main plot. Later, the CIA original mission is scrapped due to the leak of information. A new mission is then introduced to cover up for the information leak but it ended swiftly due to their target commit suicide. Subsequently, both government assassins are mission-free until the first lady and family requested for their accompanies to an island for vacation. \n There are a lot diversion of missions in the story. It may be good or bad about this: good is that you will be guessing of what is up next and the bad is that the main plot appears weak and unfocused and the readers may lose their aim. However, David baldacci still manage to tie up all loose ends that make a perfect ending. \n Several new characters are introduced, the emphasise ones will be Chung Cha and Min. hence the protagonist, Will Robie loses quite of his show this round. Co-protagonist, Reel gains some from her Neo Nazi story and FBI Vance and Julie appearances reduce to almost none. \n Chung Cha and Min relationship is easily most touching that can move any readers to tears. The author have altered his style of writing from thrilling to sentimental for this one. With disappointment in the beginning, Chang and Min story, at the very end, make up for the rest. It brought me back with all my regained interests and touches my heart deeply. Truly a masterpiece!", "170" ], [ "I am glad to complete it on the last day of 2014. \n This is my second book from David Baldacci. My first book is The Hit, Will Robie's second episode, my curiousity want to find out about his first story, The Innocent. After reading, I prefer Innocent over Hit, due to cleverer plot with a bigger twist at the end. \n Robie, a government assassin, failed to comply his mission. He reluctant to kill a woman in the eyes of her kids. He is in serious trouble now and running from attacks of unknown source. During his escape, he met Julie and saved her life. \n Julie is an teenager whose parents have been murdered and she is also been attacked. With help from FBI agent, Vance and Robie, they kept Julie safe, found the murderer and eventually reveal a conspiracy behind it. This conspiracy has caused mass killing of people who know about the ultimate mission from saudi prince, Tahal - to kill the weakest link of united states. Robie, Julie and Vance tagged as three person team and embarked onto this dangerous path to stop the ultimate plan. \n Dialogue between Robie and Julie is particularly interesting. I think author have done extremely well in narrating Julie's story, putting himself into a teen's mind and construct her dialogue that seems right, like a child should talk. \n There is a character who did not appear much during the story but her presence embedded deep into my memory. She is Annie Lambert. She appeared in this book, but not the next episode, which told me that she probably got killed in the story. This may be a spoiler but it is still interesting to find out what happen to her in the end. \n Annie, who is also Robie's neighbour, is an innocent and adorable woman. Robie has been attracted by her and secretly eyeing on her from his apartment. They met coincidently near their apartments couple of times and their relationship grew over short time. Then they start to have dates and subsequently having sex. Their love have created a romance portion within the storyline. \n I would recommend this action-packed thriller. It is addictive and there are a lot of unexpected twists in the plot. The story is narrated with simple wordings, yet enough details to keep the story going strong.", "32" ], [ "It is a beautifully crafted storyline. \"All light we cannot see\" told about the invisible electromagnetic spectrum that passes us daily. In modern days, these lights are both visual and sound deliverers. During world war two, only sound wave was widely used for dissemination of news, music and information through the use of transmitter as sender and radio as receiver. Light can also become the perspective that reflected into our eyes, allowing us to view things differently. So, \"Do we see thing in the light as we want?\" or \"Are we seeing thing in the light as it is?\" \n The novel oscillates between moral uncertainty, misery and natural world that surrounded us with vivid ocean, colourful birds, beautiful organisms and evergreen trees. Every sentence is astounded by precise verbs that make components come alive, and paragraph sounds like a melody. The story is paced gradually, but there are so much details which collectively entice your reading leisurely, to savor every words till the end. \n Stories of two children, Werner and Marie-Laure, move parallel along the story. Werner is motivated by the love of science while Marie is inhabited in the magical life of brallie books. Radio is the object that entwine their lives long before they actually meet. Miniature towns, built by Marie's father, allowed Marie to explore and learn Paris and Saint-Malo easily. Her father's affection, patience and sacrifices greatly touches the readers. \n The whole story illuminates in its own light. It is a special book that allows you to sense, to feel and realise the inner meaning in life. A truly masterpiece.", "38" ], [ "A government employed assassin, Will Robie, is tasked to hunt for his own kind, an off-the-grid, rogue assassin, Jessica Reel. \n Along with the story, the truth slowly revealed. There is a huge conspiracy set up by the CIA and ex members. \n Robie trusted no one during his investigation. Now, he is both an assassin and a detective. With his cool mind and help from Reel's mysterious text messages, he figured out her hints and soon arrived the greatest secret behind the apocaplyse. \n Among the plot, there is this particular scene which i liked. Will had finally located Reel when he tracked her for quite a while. \"Close your eyes, \" Will Robie said while his gun pointed at Jessica's head. Eventually, Will just left quietly while Reel is still closing her eyes. \n All assassins execute their missions without question and emotion. They are just like machine. Something got into Robie's mind to defy his order and pull him back to humanity. His senses has overriden his decision to kill Reel. \n This book is extremely addictive. A page turner that keep you going on till the end. It is easy to read and yet complex within the plot. Highly recommend.", "170" ], [ "Maze Runner is a dystopian novel. People commented that this is same or better than the series of Hunger Games. I have yet to read the Hunger series, so this review will be fair and unbiased. \n I have mixed feelings upon reading. The story is charming but not the ending. The plot is excellent with new elements and happenings introducing at different stages to keep the readers interested till the end. However, the story ended with brief explanation of the maze test from an unknown source. I feel skeptical about the information and incompleted. This book just seemed unfinished and disappointing. I would expect a better one to tie up the loose ends and start afresh on the next book. \n The characters dialogue is simple which is tailored to teens but too shallow for adults. Due to this, older readers may not enjoy the conversation between characters. This lacking of richess and depth in words fail to bring out the characters personality and make the readers feel unattached to the characters. \n There is educational essence within the story: it teaches us to overcome our fear (horrified grievers), explore the unknown areas (mysterious maze) and step out of your comfort zone (Glade). This knowledge is fruitful to people of all ages, encouraging them into trying new things, discovering and strengthening their abilities. \n Successful story makes up for every flaw. Its enormous twists will keep you entertained till the end. Highly recommend to all readers who loves survivor story.", "134" ], [ "I am trying to read books of different author, this time i chose Gillian Flynn due to the success of her story, Gone girl, which is already a movie hitting first place in the box offices for weeks. \n I am impressed totally by plot, an unqiue way of telling story revealing the greatest mind of both characters. The storyline told about Amy, a psychopath, who frames her husband of murdering her. \n The layout of chapters is systematic, the author sets the rule, one chapter, you are Nick's brain (husband) and the other is followed by Amy's thought (Wife).You are in different perception in story flow, switching into their mind in every chapter, it is also like getting yourself into their body and realising their inner thought. \n This book is a first person narrative, which only reveal a person's thinking and view. At times, when the couples are involved in a longer scene, which lasted for more than a chapter, you swap between their mind like your soul being entering another body, taking his or her perception. If you take this idea into real life, you can read your friend's thought while interacting. This is indeed very interesting. \n Reading Amy's diary in the earlier chapters, casted a nice, kind and lovely Amy's image into reader's brain. On the contrary, Nick portrayed to be a sexual abuse, wife bully, mistress seeker and wife's money spender. \n As you sink deeper in story, you will see bigger twists. Impression gained about Amy's character from her diary contradict her real person. Her diary is the biggest setup, in the entire plan, to get Nick into jail. \n Gone girl has a thrilling storyline of psychopathic. It is so addictive, so many guesses and twists that you cannot put it down until the last page. I highly recommend this book.", "33" ], [ "This is my first Tom Clancy's book. I enjoy espionage and military story, hence his plot really suit me. At first, i am still worried about his word glutton and draggy (repeating of events) style of writting, that might lead me to boredom or difficulty to understand, but it seems fine to me after a while. \n In fact, i am amazed by so much details about military weapon and machine that the author put in his book. Information of the counterterrorism operations, mainly from intelligence and special unit, is thoroughly told which drew me even deeper. \n The plot is very organised and new elements are added at stages. It started off by forming counterterrorism unit called Rainbow Six which comprised of two elite teams and lead by former CIA commander, John Clark. These are just bare minimum teams which consists of team leader, snipers, negotiator, technical expert and assault troopers. \n Every detail in missions and even After-Action-Reviews (AAR), which most authors will skip, are emphaised. In the AAR, complete discussion and short-coming are brought up and unit commander will address the issues. \n First improvement is the introduction of a new element, a utility helicopter MH60K night hawk, into the operation. The helicopter increases the unit's capability by its ability to transport troop to short distance, inaccessible area, troop roping which allows roof assault and sometimes it can even distract enemies. \n Subsequently, more state-of-the-art jammed equipment, which disrupted cell phones and disabled terrorist's communication, and tracking system, which able to know the terrorist's exact position, are used in their mission. \n One last point which worth mentioning is the author's perception towards the terrorists mind. His prediction is quite close to real thing. \n Overall, i feel that it is a great accomplishment to complete such a thick book - almost 900 pages. \n I will recommend readers, who enjoy espionage and military stories, to pick up this book as well.", "170" ], [ "Beautiful, i like that part when one story is progressing, while another one is told. I referring to the life of Henry, the history of him. It is told progressively from his childhood till the day that he becomes pastor of a church. \n In the past, he had done a lot of wrong things such as stealing, fighting and smuggling. He believed that god punished him by sending him to prison and not saving his first baby. He did not stop his wrongdoing till one time when gunmen were hunting for him, driving towards his house, about to kill him and his family, he prayed to god that if he survived this, he would be serving the god and miraculously he managed to get away. As promise, he started to work for church, serve under several pastor and eventually promoted to pastor. This demostrates a forgotten belief is realised in life once again and you will treasure it even greater. \n This book teaches us the principle of life. Knowing what is important, and appreciate whatever that you have now. Striving for luxurous life and higher title may be your goal, but never put it above your love ones. Nothing is lasting, leave no regret in life. \n Lastly, follow the six rules from rabbi: always liked people, be patience, love teaching, be gentle, determined in your faith (trust and confidence) and lastly, live good, do good and be blessed. You can find the real meaning in life.", "193" ], [ "It is a heartwarming, comforting and inspiring story from Mitch Albom. This story is about a griefing person, Elliot Gray, who try to make amendment to his wrongdoing. He gives hope to people in Coldwater by creating heaven calls from the eight departed love ones. \n In my opinion, receiving phone calls from departed love one is really touching, and this is the desire that everyone is wishing for as a final connection from their departed love ones. If this is truthful, no people will be fearful of death anymore. \n After reading, the story goes deep into my heart and kept me thinking for few days. I realise the importance of our love ones. Having a heaven phone call is another chance for you make up for your regret and we know it is a dream that will never happen. We should start to shower them with love, so that we will never have regret in the end. \n The plot ended with a guessing. Is Sully's wife phone call really come from heaven or is it make up? This is up to the readers to discuss and find out.", "125" ], [ "This book is one of the best among the \"the monk who sold his ferrari\" series. It is simplified from the main book to 101 chapters which make reading and backtracking easy for learning. \n A lot of quotes from famous people are in this book, which great influential to life. \n I shall list down few beneficial chapters below: \n 1. \"Youth is not the time of life; it's a state of mind.\" \n Spending time to carve yourself is not a selfish act. Making time to care of your inner self, your mind and spirit, so as to remain youthful and enthusiastic. Years wrinkles your skin, but without enthusiasim will wrinkle your soul. \n 2. Decompress yourself. Spend 10 minutes after a day of work, to relax, slow your pace and regain your tired spirit. Give your best to your loves one at home, as equally as your colleagues and friends. \n 3. Take a mini vacation by rejuvenating our mind through mental escape. This allows us to start doing things with freshness. \n This is done by holding all calls, be solitude and stay in a quiet place. \n Close your eyes and breath deeply to visualise yourself in a garden with wind whistling through your ears. \n 4. \"You wept because you have no shoes, until you met someone with no feets\". \n We are so easy in magnifying our problems and forget about being grateful of the things around us. Helping others in needs, allow you to realise what thing they do not have and make you not taking things for granted. To be happy, a person must know to sought and how to serve. \n 5. Build a legacy, starting today. Have a legacy list and the gifts which you want to give so that you can leave the world with no regret. People says building one's legitimacy, striving hard in achievements and gaining status, in the first 50 years and wait till the last 50 years, then build your legacy. This will never happen. \n 6. \"All man miseries derived from not being able to stay alone for a while\". This is true as we are expert in inducing noises in our life. Noises at work and home are nuisances to our life. Have 20 minutes of being alone in a silent place, allows our mind to function properly and improve our focus for every minutes in the whole day.", "17" ], [ "Another great book from Robin S sharma. The main takeback from reading it, is to guide us in seeing the path to living happily and without regret. \n This book makes me feel like travelling around the world, experiencing unique cultures and habits from people of different countries. These people are friends of Julian, who have already realised the happiness in life. \n Jothanan's objectives are to gather all talimans from each of these people and writing journal to reflect himself during each visit. It is ridicuous that career driven person like him to put down all his work and go travelling for weeks, leaving this wife and kid behind. It is hard to believe this as a real story. \n To summarise some of the talimans letters- \n Power of authenticity - having to live a life of your own, without interference from unnecessary source such as work and seduction by social. Living on your own terms, values and objectives. \n Embrace the fear - Overcome fear, and get out of the comfort zone. Only this, you will see your freedom in life. \n Live with Kindness- \n It is important to remember that your words come from your thought , so your deeds are your beliefs. How you treat a person is equal to treating everyone including yourself. Hence, take chances to treat someone with kindness and influences them with humanity. \n Take small progress daily- \n By achieving a little each day, leads to something magnificent. \n Lead your best life, do your best work- \n No matter what you do, always do it with passion, devotion and excellence. In this way, your work will inspire others and have an impact to people's life - making a difference in the lives around us. One of the greatest secrets to a life is to do something that matters a lot. \n Life simplest pleasure is the life greatest joy- Society welcomes and fill us with materials and objects pleasure, but the basic pleasure enrich us and sustain the greatest joy. \n Purpose of life is to love- \n How well you live is measured by how much you love. Heart is wiser than your brain. Trust and believe in your heart.", "156" ], [ "In 2-3 seconds, your unconscious mind determines the impression of certain object or matter, known as thin-slicing. Snap decision can be made upon this point using our instinctive mind but most people will not realise this until their conscious mind comes into action upon verification of the object or matter. \n Too much information interrupts your impression and often delay and mislead the decision making. \n Swift and good decision depends greatly on your deep experience, knowledge and unbiased mind. Your heart rate must be ranged around 120 -130 for optimum result. Heart rate, which caused by anger and fear, affects your judgement. Example is the three police officers who accidentally killed a black guy in wheeler avenue of new york city because they mistaken his wallet as a gun. Due to their inexperiences and race biases, they have already created a wrong impression at first glance and their heart rate increased to 170 during engaging the black guy. At such a high heart rate, your vision and thinking are narrowed, hence it affects what you see. \n Successful decision making is the balance between deliberate and instinctive thinking. Instinctive thinking is thin slicing and snap judgement. Deliberate thinking must have luxury of time and computer research and analysis, so as to set up stage for rapid cognitive. \n As a successful decision maker, learn to reduce complex problem into simplest elements through identification of underlying pattern. Once the pattern is identified, zeroed to the specific feature that will tell you everything that is needed. Example is the experts who identify the sculpture through examination of the fingernails. This because they brushed aside thousands consideration of how it looks like and only focused on the crucial part of the sculpture. \n Less is more. If there is too much information, the mind is overloaded, thus picking signature will be harder, not easier. \n This book does not teach you how to be a good decision maker. Instead, it changes perception towards the way of handling problem through stories.", "115" ], [ "The Hobbit is a nice novel which not merely due to its good plot, but its style of writing uses riddles and songs to spice up the atmosphere and introduce a unqiue storytelling methods. This is really interesting and it can arouse any reader's attention easily. \n The story revealed the ugliness, greediness and selfishness of human beings and you will learn that wealth is the root of all evils, only if you can give it up, then you will gain respect, friendship and trust. \n Hobbit, Bilbo baggins, is a small man, who loves peace, quietness and reluctant to involve in adventures. This time he is being tricked into embarking on a mission to find the legendary dragon in a mountain. \n With the company of drawves and a magician, they encounters several enemies such as trolls, spiders, wolves, goblins and elves. \n Magician, Gandalf lead the way to their destination and saved them several times during their captivity by enemies. \n Gandalf left in the middle of mission which creating a huge turning point of the plot. Without a leader, the company feel insecure and lost in direction. However, Gandalf entrusted his role to Bilbo to lead their company. \n Unexpectedly, Bilbo is able to guide his company with his leadership. With luck, he gains the invisible ring through battles and earn his company trust after rescue them numerous times with his ring. \n I would highly recommend to anyone, as it is a book with interesting, yet twisted plot.", "19" ], [ "Another great story from Percy series. Each series ought to have some victims and heroes. Percy, Grover and Thalia teamed up with the hunters to rescue Annabeth and Artemis so that Artemis can present in the important winter solstice with all the gods. \n As usual, Luke is building Kronos army and trying to free Altas, god of war, by tricking Artemis, goddess of hunters into taking over his punishment. \n New demigods joined the story, Nico and Bianca, which later found out to be Hermes son and daughter. Nico is left in camp, not much of involvement in the story but Bianca joined the mission and ended up missing during a monster fight.", "146" ], [ "Overall, my take-away knowledge from this book is to know my circle of competence. \n Circle of competence implies the area which you know most. Once you identify the circle, you can choose to use intuitive thinking: fast, decisive, logic and spontaneous, to decide on the best way to handle the problem. \n Rational thinking: slow, analytical and often exhaust your brain energy, is used only when the deciding factors fall out of the circle. Draining too much brain energy can affect your next thinking, hence minimise too much of rational thinking. \n Rational thinking is also applied on consequence when impacts of failure is huge. Intuitive thinking is to decide on situation which are not important. \n Below are some other ways which shared by the author of how to eliminate cognitive errors: \n 1. Survivorships Bias - only the successful, large and famous appears on paper and media. Dig into the failure graveyard and be surprise that there are alot of people failure and company bankrupt. Discover their similar failure traits and learn from them. \n 2. Swimmer illusion - having the first impression to decide on something. Do not take up a job which offer a high salary, find out more before getting employed. \n 3. Social proof - doing things which many are doing and think it is right. When millions of people say a foolish idea is good, the idea still remains foolish. \n 4. Sunk cost fallacy - doing thing which incurs alot of time, money and energy that do not see any benefits or profits. With sunk cost fallacy thought, you will continue to do it and hope for better. \n 5.Reciprocity - after recieving favours from people, you will tend to return more than what you get. \n 6. Confirmation bias - Once you have a conclusion, you will filter away new contradicting informations so that your conclusion remain intact. You will deem it as \"one off case\". \n 7. Contrast effect - put a ugly thing beside a pretty thing, and the pretty thing turns out to be prettier than it usually is. Eg. When the share drops 50% of its current price, do not rush into buy it. Buy only when it drops 50% of its original price. \n 8.availability bias - create a picture of the world from information that come to my mind easily. \n The chapters are short which made reading easy, however, there are too many ways which the author recommend that some are too similar to the others. \n To conclude, i will recommend this book to those who wish to upgrade themselves. It makes you understand better in decision making and teaches you to look into different perspective, how to think analytically and logically.", "17" ], [ "Very inspiring book and it is also a good reminder to all workaholics, who have immersed too deeply into their job, to catch up with family relationship and self-development. \n There are several quotes and stories which are inspiring and i would love to share them with others. \n A quote from the writer, \"Never regret your past. Rather you should embrace it as the teacher that it is.\" \n This sentence implies you to learn from mistakes and do not grief over it. \n Another quote, \"The only limits on your life are those that you set yourself.' When you dare to get out of your circle of comfort and explore the unknown, you start to liberate your true human potential. When you push beyond your limits, you unlock mental and physical reserves that you never thought you had.\" \n This quote encourages us to try new and challenging things, so that we are no longer fearful about them. Instead, we would have new perspective when handling the same matter. \n Below are the two inspiring stories: \n First story: \n \"One night a father was relaxing with his newspaper after a long day at the office. His son, who wanted to play, kept on pestering him. Finally, fed up, the father ripped out a picture of the globe that was in the paper and tore it into a hundred tiny pieces. 'Here son, go ahead and try to put this back together.' he said, hoping that this would keep the little boy busy long enough for him to finish reading his paper. To his amazement, his son returned after only one minute with the globe perfectly back together. When the startled father asked how he achieved this feat, the son smiled gently and replied 'Dad, on the other side of the globe there was a picture of a person, and once I got the person together, the world was okay.'\" \n Second story: \n \"Fairy tale known as 'Peter and the Magic Thread.' Peter was a very lively little boy. Everyone loved him: his family, his teachers and his friends. But he did have one weakness.\" \"What was that?\" \"Peter could never live in the moment He had not learned to enjoy the process of life. When he was in school, he dreamed of being outside playing. When he was outside playing he dreamed of his summer vacation. Peter constantly daydreamed, never taking the time to savor the special moments that filled his days. One morning, Peter was out walking in a forest near his \n tired, he decided to rest on a patch of grass and eventually dozed off. After only a few minutes of deep sleep, he heard someone calling his name. 'Peter! Peter!' came the shrill voice from above. As he slowly opened his eyes, he was startled to see a striking woman standing above him. She must have been over a hundred years old and her snow-white hair dangled well below her shoulders like a matted blanket of wool. In this woman's wrinkled hand was a magical little ball with a hole in the center and out of the hole dangled a long, golden thread.\" \"'Peter,' she said, this is the thread of your life. If you pull the thread just a bit, an hour will pass in seconds. If you pull a little harder, whole days will pass in minutes. And if you pull with all your might, months -- even years -- will pass by in days.' Peter grew very excited at this discovery. 'I'd like to have it if I may?' he asked. The elderly woman quickly reached down and gave the ball with the magic thread to the young boy. The next day, Peter was sitting in the classroom feeling restless and bored. Suddenly, he remembered his new toy. As he pulled a little bit of the golden thread, he quickly found himself at home, playing in his garden. Realizing the power of the magic thread, Peter soon grew tired of being a schoolboy and longed to be a teenager, with all the excitement that phase of life would bring. So again he pulled out the ball and pulled hard on the golden thread. Suddenly he was a teenager with a very pretty young girlfriend named Elise. But Peter still wasn't content. He had never learned to enjoy the moment and to explore the simple wonders of every stage of his life. Instead, he dreamed of being an adult. So again he pulled on the thread and many years whizzed by in an instant. Now he found that he had been transformed into a middle-aged adult. Elise was now his wife and Peter was surrounded with a houseful of kids. But Peter also noticed something else. His once jet black hair had started to turn grey. And his once youthful mother whom he loved so dearly had grown old and frail. Yet Peter still could not live in the moment. He had never learned to 'live in the now' So, once again, he pulled on the magic thread and waited for the changes to appear. Peter now found that he was a ninety-year-old man. His thick dark hair had turned white as snow and his beautiful young wife Elise had also grown old and had passed away a few years earlier. His wonderful children had grown up and left home to lead lives of their own. For the first time in his entire life, Peter realized that he had not taken the time to embrace the wonders of living. He had never gone fishing with. \n At first it was fun but now I hate it. My whole life has passed before my eyes without giving me the chance to enjoy it. Sure, there would have been sad times as well as great times but I haven't had the chance to experience either. I feel empty inside. I have missed the gift of living.' 'You are very ungrateful,' said the old woman. 'Still, I will give you one last wish.' Peter thought for an instant and then answered hastily. 'I'd like to go back to being a schoolboy and live my life over again.' He then returned to his deep sleep. Again he heard someone calling his name and opened his eyes. 'Who could it be this time?' he wondered. When he opened his eyes, he was absolutely delighted to see his mother standing over his bedside. She looked young, healthy and radiant. Peter realized that the strange woman of the forest had indeed granted his wish and he had returned to his former life. 'Hurry up Peter. You sleep too much. Your dreams will make you late for school if you don't get up right this minute,' his mother admonished. Needless to say, Peter dashed out of bed on this morning and began to live the way he had hoped. Peter went on to live a full life, one rich with many delights, joys and triumphs, but it all started when he stopped sacrificing the present for the future and began to live in the moment.\" \n What i have learnt: \n 1. Convert all negative thoughts to positive. We should try all things which are fearful to us and becomes fearless. Eg: public speaking \n 2. Discover my inner self. Learn to love, understand myself spiritually, mentally and physically. Instill calmness and focus in myself by meditating: Find an quiet corner at home and practise to focus on a thing for 10 mins. \n 3. Have a life plan. Set weekly, monthly targets and record in a book. On daily basis, spend some time to look into your daily activities. Learn from it and improve yourself. \n 4. Work, life balance. \n 5. love yourself so that you know how to love others.", "139" ], [ "\"A guy called Jodie who will be at your home screwing your wife when you are out for sailing. He will eat your food, drive your car and chugging your beer.\" \n This is one kind of humor that merchant mariners love to joke about and forget the loneliness at sail. \n Cap Philips loves this joke too. During sailing, he will pretend himself as Jodie and called his wife,\" Is your husband home?\" She said,\" no.\" He replied, \"Good, i will be right here!\" They will laugh and enjoy this. \n When Maersk Alabama is hijacked, Cap Philips put his crew's safety as top priority. At tough situation, his calmness allowed him to strategise and free his crews from the pirates. His courage is the model for all americans and the rest of the world. \n On the other side, I felt that his story is exaggerated. Captain Philips make friends with the pirates to gain their trust. Sometimes he even yelled and scold the pirates. These seem like he has gone overboard which unlike any normal person will do. Is he crazy and not scared of been killed? \n Till i finished reading the book, i am not totally convinced. Of course, the ending is accurate as it is published on paper, but no one knows what is happening on the lifeboat. The story might be tweaked to make it more interesting and the main character more heroic like action-pack movie. \n To conclude, i am glad that all hostages are rescued and i wish that all somali pirates can stop robbing and start their life afresh.", "198" ], [ "\"It takes a thief to catch a thief.\" This is a famous phrase from Captain Land when Major asked him on the strategy of capturing the NVA women sniper, Apache. \n This phrase means a sniper will never be at the same hideout when he attack, and it will be tough to locate him. Hence it takes to have someone with the same mindset to predict his next move. \n It is like one of the Sun Tze's strategy: Zhi Bi Zhi Ji Bai Zhan Bu Dai . Its means know your enemies well, and you beat them on hundred battles without losing. This strategy is essential in business, school and work. \n In this novel, it told the story of an American greatest sniper, Carlos Hathcock, who had achieved record of 93 confirmed kills during Vietnam war. Several famous missions, such as elephant valley, killing NVA general and sniper, are told in this novel as well. \n Personally, i enjoy reading this book and specially love the part when he hunts for a NVA sniper who repeatedly kill his snipers from his platoon. It was quite a close call when Carlos finally got him because this NVA sniper was shot through his rifle scope into his head, which means that he is actually aiming at Carlos before he is shot. A second delay of Carlos triggering of the bullet may cause the NVA sniper to take his head. \n Finally, i would like to share an inspiring quote from the author at the last chapter. \n \"... if he wins, knows the triumph of high achievement, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid soul who know neither victory nor defeat...\" \n This quote motivates me to move forward in my life, be strong and face all difficulties and problem confidently. \n I will recommend to those people who enjoy military storys.", "77" ], [ "\"Violet are blue\" is my second novel from James Patterson. \n Not a continuing story from \"Roses are red\". This is disappointing, as i wanted to follow on what that is left behind. \n His writing style consists of short chapters. Other than main story, relationship of Alex Cross and his partner or ex girlfriend will also be talked about. As usual, suspect that have been tailed by the FBI will eventually be killed and caused twist in the story. This becomes repetitive and predictable after first novel. \n The story is told about vampires. The killers adopt vampire culture, wore metal fangs and suck human blood. The worst of all, their chosen victim is random from the street. \n Lastly the mastermind, from the previous novel, is back in action and trying to kill his partner. This time, Cross predicted it, and protect his partner from been killed. In the end, the story, between mastermind and Cross, had marked the end.", "185" ], [ "I wouldn't say this book is great in term of narrative and plotting skill, but its data is definitely informative with high accurate. Weapon, military operation and intelligence are strong emphasis in this book, if you interested, it would be a right one for you. \n I personally like all parts where the author as DEVGRU member shared his experience and feeling. As someone who is non related to this field, i would truly feel how a Navy Seal been like.", "98" ] ]

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[ [ "Wait! What?! How can you tease me this way? The second book in Devon Monks House Immortal series \n left me wailing for more. But what about Abraham and Miranda? Where do we go from here? One of my favorite authors turns her already intriguing new world upside down and then makes me wait to see how the new bizarro world will play out. Disgruntled? You bet. Will I be first in line when Crucible Zero comes out in September? Absolutely!", "89" ], [ "Love, love love Devon Monk! And this book was so different from her Magic series - and yet has her same deft touch when it comes to storytelling. It took me a little time to come to terms with the world she was creating (hello - Neds!), but once I understood where she was going I knew I was in for yet another great ride! I can't wait to see where this series leads.....", "53" ], [ "A dynamite follow up to Written In Red! This is so different from Anne Bishop's traditional works. And while I liked Written In Red when I first read it, I had a whole new appreciation for that story after reading the follow up. A Murder of Crows creates very finely drawn characters with a very compelling mythology. It's a great study of how those who use others, ultimately become prey for those who honor others right to simply be. The characters have depth and the story wrapped up in a very satisfying fashion. I don't know if she has anywhere else to take this story, but it was a great ride. If it goes no further, I'm still very happy that I came along for the ride. And I know this will be one of those books i re-read in the future if only to see how my perspective shifts the next time around. Well done!", "76" ], [ "As a long time fan, I thought this honored the spirit of the original books while being engaging. It was a great precursor to why Anne became the overly serious young girl who wanted to so desperately to belong somewhere. Maybe not perfect - but I still cried at certain parts and felt for the young girl who just couldn't seem to catch a break...", "105" ], [ "My favorite if the dark hunter novels. Great depth, wraps up most if the truly important story lines while setting up future outings. Gritty beginning, happy ending. Al the hallmarks of a great read from this author.....", "39" ], [ "what better place for a respite than in the hidden depths of the Well of Lost Plots, where all unpublished books reside? The Well is a veritable linguistic free-for-all, where grammasites run rampant and plot devices are hawked on the black market. Grammasites are parasites that live in books and feed on grammar. Adjectivores are particularly dangerous as they drain all the description from an object. Intrigued? Read on.....", "81" ], [ "Thursday Next is a Prose Resource Operative of Jurisfiction, the police force inside books. Where people jump into books and a multinational corporation tries to take over the world, dangling participles are an evil to be overcome! Come with an open mind and a sense if fun.....", "124" ], [ "A great addition to the Fae continuum! Dani is a kick-ass superhero. The pace is fast, the humor is unexpected, and the story is gripping. Can't wait for the next installment to find out whether Ryodan, Christian or Dancer win the game. And what has Mac been up to?!", "119" ] ]

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[ [ "I HAVE READ ULYSSES!!!!! Pretty sure my IQ has gone up several notches--and so has my ability to put up with seriously skull-numbing nonsense. Sorry Mr Joyce, I know this is a classic and all, but geez. I think I only fully understand about 30% of this story. I know it's supposed to be all brilliant and difficult and maddening and a little bit crazy, and indeed it was. But I did not enjoy it. Does that mean I'm dumb? Possibly, but I'm okay with that. \n My three-star rating is because I'm feeling pretty neutral. I get why this book is considered a great but it's not ringin' my bells. I didn't hate it, I didn't love it. But damnit, I'm proud that I read it. \n Major thanks to the Serial Reader app for breaking this book up into 10-minute-a-day increments or I never would have pulled through.", "91" ], [ "Eh. I had trouble getting into this one. It was an interesting concept but fell a bit below the mark. I mean, it has witches, which is cool. It has GAY WARLOCKS which is even cooler. So why was I bored? Like another reviewer said, it's a bad book but it had the opportunity to be a lot better. \n What I disliked: \n *\tThe references to age 30 as being 'old'. Come on. \n *\tMuriel and Enne's relationship wasn't very convincing and there wasn't enough explanation about their previous relationship or why they split up. \n *\tNatasha. She was supposed to be evil, however was only slightly evil. \n What I liked: \n *\tThe gloves of satin and bone--I love this analogy and feel that I wear my own set. \n *\tGay warlocks!! \n *\tKylia. It would have been nice to learn more about her and what she chooses to do in the future. \n If this became a series I would probably read the next one and see how it develops. \n Many thanks to Netgalley and Less Than Three Press for the electronic copy in exchange for an honest review.", "55" ], [ "I can honestly say that I haven't fallen in real actual love with too many fictional characters...only two. But after reading Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet I can now bump that number up to three. I LOVE Fyel and I want to marry him and be his lahst forever. \n This book wasn't really what I expected. I thought there would be more whimsy or that it would be a light-hearted read. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was not--it had the air of a fairy tale, but a dark air; and if you know me at all you know I have a morbid streak and like the weird stuff. Maire is the main character and she has the ability to put her emotions into her baked goods, thus infusing the consumer with her feelings. She's sold into slavery and bought by a very strange man that forces her to bake for customers and keep the money for himself. Whilst in his care she is visited by Fyel, a ghostly apparition that is trying hard to make Maire remember her elusive past. \n What I liked best about this story is that it kept me guessing the whole way through and when it all tied together at the end it was all a surprise; I didn't see any of it coming. It was heart-warming and heart-wrenching at the same time and I found myself getting misty eyed towards the end. I also wanted to stuff my face with gingerbread and spice cake. \n Many thanks to 47North and NetGalley for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review.", "175" ], [ "Ooh, this gave me the shivers. What a fantastic concept for a book! I love post-apocalyptic books and this one added an interesting twist that kept my nose firmly lodged in the book from start to finish. \n Zoo wanted one last adventure before she settled down and started a family. Being a contestant on a hard-core survival reality show was the way to get it, right? This particular TV show is similar to Survivor only kicked up a notch. Actually kicked up about 10 notches. This isn't a run-of-the-mill survivor show; this one has a mega budget and wicked effects that ensure that the contestants are never sure what's real and what isn't. So when the worst happens and the majority of the population is wiped out, Zoo thinks it's all still part of the game. She wanders for miles to get back home to her husband, believing that she's still on-camera and that the crew won't let any real harm come to her. As she journeys, the 'props' get more intense and her general well-being begins to deteriorate. She's tired and she's hungry but she's also determined not to let the game get the better of her and she travels on. It very slowly starts to dawn on her that maybe this isn't a game after all. And if it's not a game, where is her husband? \n I think I felt every emotion when reading this with horror and heartbreak at the top of the list. Getting to know the other contestants of the game made it seem very realistic as their personalities clashed a lot of the time. It was a good portrayal of humanity and how people choose to work together or go it alone in order to survive and it blended well with the theme of the book. And I have to mention Brennan--I wanted to hug him and feed him and make everything okay for him. I would have liked to see Zoo's story tied up with a neat little bow, but the ending was very satisfying and I felt a warm glow of hope for everyone. \n Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin UK for providing a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.", "103" ], [ "This book seriously surprised me. I took it for a slightly silly, albeit fun, pseudo-horror story with loads of references to my favourite decade. As far as the 80's quips it didn't disappoint and the story WAS fun and even silly at times. But that ending. I never would have guessed that this would end with one of the most poignant portrayals of friendship that I would ever read or that I would end up sitting on my couch and blubbing like a baby during the final chapter. \n Abby and Gretchen have been best friends since they were 10 when they bonded over a shared love of ET and The Go-Gos. These two are true BFF's and do absolutely everything together. Fast forward six years and the fateful night that everything changed. The girls and some friends decide to give drugs a try and as they're waiting around for the drug to take effect, Gretchen wanders off and gets lost in the woods. When she doesn't come back, Abby frantically searches for her all night. Whilst out traipsing through the trees she finds an abandoned hut type thing that spooks her. She later finds Gretchen there in the morning and though Gretchen isn't quite herself, they assume it's just the aftermath of the drug and they head home. But strange things start happening to Gretchen and it's obvious that something very bad happened to her that night in the woods. She starts on a downward spiral of weird behaviour and alienates everyone except Abby. Abby is the only person that takes these changes in Gretchen seriously and tries everything she can to get her friend help but no one else seems to think there is a problem. Suddenly Gretchen seems to snap out of it--she's radiant and exciting and now everyone wants to be her friend. But Abby can see through it and knows that the Gretchen she knows and loves is gone. She enlists the help of an exorcist to bring her friend back from wherever she is before it's too late and she loses her forever. \n I highly recommend this to readers that like a quick and fun read, campy horror and are like, totally into gnarly 80's references. And if you haven't talked to your best friend today, go and call her immediately. \n A big thank you to NetGalley and Quirk Books for providing a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.", "33" ], [ "I was pretty excited about reading this book. It boasted time travel, a King of Cats and even hinted at a ghost story. I thought it would be right up my alley but was left disappointed. It started out quite promising--teenaged Haley gets shipped off to a snobby boarding school after her parents die and her grandparents want to be rid of her. The school sounded amazing and I was actually a bit jealous I didn't go to high school here, especially when I read there was one building that was supposedly haunted by former students. Haley doesn't believe the stories and is dared to spend one night alone in the building. She readily agrees and settles down in a lounge to wait out the night by watching movies and eating junk food. But soon strange things start to happen and things almost got good. And then....well I have no idea what happened. There were mysterious doors that led into different worlds where there were elves and a homicidal troll thing and a dangerous monster. Each door led into another 'story' and none of them made much sense. I really struggled to understand how it all tied together. The characters weren't great either; the only one even slightly likeable was Tom, the King of Cats. The thing that bothered me the most about this book was all of these little storylines that abruptly ended with no explanation whatsoever--is this supposed to be a series? I think this story has a lot of potential but sadly it didn't work for me. \n Thanks to NetGalley and IBPA for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review.", "70" ], [ "Enlightening read about turning inwards to make yourself happy before working on the outside. Laura Fenamore was abused by her father when growing up and in turn she abused her own body with drugs and overeating. This book is about Laura's journey to better herself inside and out. It wasn't an easy journey but she did it and wants to help others do the same. \n This is an easy read with good advice but I think it would have been beneficial to include exercises for the reader. Personally I love exercises in self-help books because I learn better by doing than just reading and it would have been good to put some of her advice into practice. \n Thanks to NetGalley and Reputation Books for providing a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.", "57" ], [ "This is a very sweet book highlighting very practical solutions to everyday kid problems. What exactly DO you do if you lose one of your shoes? Or if your ice cream starts to melt in the sun? Turns out you have several options and this lovely picture book featuring a little girl and her dog shows how the two of them resolve each dilemma together. I read this book with my four-year old who loved looking at the pictures to see what they would do next. She was pretty quick to pick up that though the girl was cross with the dog at times, he turned out to be a solution. Being a little girl herself with a troublesome dog, I think she could relate. \n Bright, cheerful pictures and a very sweet story about friendship. This is great for little ones who are learning to problem solve and a heart-warming little tale for those who have dogs and understand just how special a friend they can be. \n Many thanks to Tundra Books and NetGalley for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.", "163" ], [ "Me whilst reading The Fireman: \n The apocalypse has arrived in the form of Dragonscale -- black tattoos appear on your skin and begin smoking and smouldering until you eventually burst into flames and end up as a pile of ashes. If you're standing next to something flammable it will probably burn too. And if it's a person next to you? Yeah, they're toast. There is no cure for Dragonscale; if you get it you're guaranteed to burn alive. But then there's The Fireman who has learned to control the fire burning within him. \n This book was awesome. I could write the world's longest review on why I love it, but have decided instead to highlight some of my favourites: \n * Dragonscale. Swirly black tattoos with sparkly gold flecks. How badass is that? \n * JK Rowling being burned alive for the crime of exposing children to witchcraft. I love Jo, but that did make me laugh. \n * The Bright. Creepy and beautiful. \n * Smoke coming out of your butt when you fart. \n * \"Men who love the Stones are fixated on cock\". \n * The woman in the fire. \n * The Portable Mother. I totally want to make one of these for my kid. \n And not so much: \n * Mary Poppins references. It was kinda cute at first but soon went overboard. \n * Harper's relationship with The Fireman. Sorry, but I didn't buy it. \n Many thanks to Orion Publishing and NetGalley for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.", "12" ], [ "One Christmas Eve my mother-in-law hosted a family party in in the main classroom of her very posh dance school. She graciously allowed us to bring our pug, Muggle, with us because we were having some repairs done in our house and didn't want to leave him there with the workmen. Once the party was in full swing, Muggle strolled into the centre of the room and proceeded to take the biggest, fattest dump EVER right in the middle of her newly polished wooden floor, then proudly strutted away. The children present were absolutely delighted, with the giant turd however I was mortified and have since banished Muggle to the house no matter what's happening at home. \n According to A Pug's Guide to Etiquette, pooing on the floor during a party is appropriate behaviour for a respectable pug. I had no idea. Also pug points covered in this book are cushion bull-dozing, the wearing of stupid outfits and the infamous 'pug run' that Muggle practices daily. Honestly, I thought my pug was just a buffoon but now I know that he's definitely not. He is the epitome of gentility. Thank you for setting me straight, Gemma.", "121" ], [ "Of the four of these books, there was only one character that I truly liked as the others were all a bunch of whiny asses. In this last instalment of the series, they killed that character and there it went for me. This series had such a cool premise and started off strong, but now I'm over it. The end of the world is boring.", "44" ], [ "Ever since I first saw Edward Scissorhands, I fell in love with the morbid mixture of Christmas and the macabre. After reading the fluffy chicklit Christmas stories (I only read chicklit at Christmas), I always feel the need to read something dark and twisty that gives me the shivers. I picked this particular book because 1) it has a skull on the cover and 2) it was on the recommended reading rack at the local library, right next to the desk and I just picked it up and threw it on the pile. \n This book is a compilation of terrible things that have happened to people at Christmas: house fires, murders, tragic accidents. This book is definitely well-written and interesting, but I do have my limits--reading about people dying at Christmastime is just awful. I didn't feel shivery, I just felt sad. If you are like me and into reading morbid literature, save this one for the summer when Christmas is miles away!", "152" ], [ "This was great fun, but could have done with being longer. Where were the Popples? And Seawees? And my personal favourite, the Wuzzles? Even without them, this book gave me major warm fuzzies and left me really missing my Lisa Frank unicorn Trapper Keeper that was covered in scratch 'n sniff pickle stickers. Ah, the good ol' days!", "74" ], [ "I won this book in a Firstreads giveaway and was delighted to receive it, autographed and with a nice handwritten note from Gary Bernard. It's an inspiring story with beautiful photos. \n Apparently this book has magical powers for the children that read it and write their own story. My little one is only two, but I hope to cultivate a love of reading and writing in her that I had myself as a child. I will save this book for when she is ready and hopefully she will discover some magic for herself!", "172" ], [ "Whoo-wee! Straight up 18th century sluttery that puts Fifty Shades of Grey to shame. \n Fanny Hill is orphaned at the age of 14 and goes to London with a neighbour to make a life for herself. After her 'friend' ditches her, she goes off in search of work and is offered a job in a household that turns out to be a brothel. Fanny sees and experiences a lot of debauchery in her short time here and instead of being freaked out and running for the hills like most virginal girls of such a tender age, she just gets really horny. One day she sees a handsome young man by the name of Charles sitting out in a courtyard and the two run away together to shack up. After a few years together in bliss, Charlie gets sent away on a ship, not to return for several years. Fanny once again finds herself on her own and her landlady sells her off to a wealthy man to pay the fees and rent she's accrued. And so it goes for a few years and for the remainder of the book Fanny is either having sex or just have had sex or thinking about sex, until one day she randomly meets up with Charles and gets her happily ever after. \n This a quick read and I'm a sucker for happy endings. But my god, is it smutty! The sex scenes are described in graphic detail and most of it made me blush to the roots of my hair. And the silly words to describe those delicate parts of anatomy are pretty hilarious.", "31" ], [ "Did you know that a 'tsunami of beer' once flooded a popular London street, killing nine people by sweeping them away on a tide of beer? Or that some of the strangest items left behind on the Tube have been human skulls, a pair of breast implants and a bag containing nothing but a Rolex and PS10,000 in cash? These are just a sample of the bizarre things you will discover in The A-Z of Curious London; a collection of facts, trivia and strange details that shows London in a new and interesting light. \n This book is a handy resource for the more quirky bits of London, such as where to go if you want to see Winston Churchill's dentures or if you want to go have a look round The First Shop in the World. Nicely set out in alphabetical order from the man that was Arrested for wearing a top hat to the most famous Zebra crossing in the world, it's easy to dip in and out of to get to your favourites tidbits. \n Even if you know London well, you will learn something new in the pages of this book. Gilly Pickup has done an excellent job of finding odd and unusual facts instead of just your run-of-the mill touristy information and history lessons. Touching on history, science myths and the paranormal, this book will enlighten and entertain anyone with an interest in one of the world's greatest cities.", "79" ], [ "I won this book through First Reads in exchange for an honest review--thanks for choosing me! \n I have a hard time looking at this book and not thinking of Napoleon Dynamite. Anyhow, this book is pretty nuts and I'm not really sure what to rate it exactly. I was quite interested in Orestes and his family and what it's like to be 'middle class' in Mexico. I loved that Aristotle's every other word was arsehole and I loved the rich neighbours next door in all their arrogant glory. But the last 5 or so pages...wtf?? Spaceships? Rampant cow sex? What just happened?? The more I think about it, the more I dig it. \n Damn, I want some quesadillas.", "73" ], [ "This book is a very informative guide to chocolate bars and how they are made which was very interesting, but I think what stood out to me the most was the series of people that contacted Steve Almond to tell him about the weird ways they eat their candy. I think I was the most impressed with the guy that would bore a tiny hole into a Whopper, suck out the malt leaving a perfect empty chocolate shell and then put it back in the bowl for some unsuspecting fool to eat. I have a weird chocolate thing too--I used to chew all the chocolate off my Snickers bar and freeze the inner bit before eating. Okay, I still do it. \n I admire Steve Almond's dedication to his passion and recommend this book to chocolate lovers or people who get weird obsessions about strange things. \n PS - How the hell did I live right there in Kansas City for 10 years and never try a Valomilk? I'm ashamed of myself.", "79" ], [ "After reading a few other books from the Haunted Liverpool series, I found this a let-down. These books are supposed true accounts from real Liverpudlians, but this one is more fairy tale than ghost story. For example, there's a man that turns into a giant bird and eats people. And an old woman who claimed that her uncle had a gang of goblins for friends and when she died she remained a child forever, living wild in the woods with the goblins. There was even a captured leprechaun in the early 1900's that was interviewed for the newspaper but instead of speaking would just growl and squeal. Now, I take all ghost stories with a grain of salt--people get scared in the dark and think that branch scraping the window is a ghost trying to get in, etc, etc. But...I found these stories to be too far-fetched and downright laughable. It was entertaining and even interesting, but when I read ghost stories it's for the thrill of spine tingles and wondering what that bump in the night is. Certainly not leprechauns! Tom, please stick with the ghosties!", "121" ], [ "I love a good ghost story! Before visiting a city, I love to get a book about the haunted history of it before I visit some of the places mentioned. This particular series has 20+ books in it, and since this one is the first I read, it's my favourite. It tells the tale of the ghostly harpist in the attic whose music predicts the future, a front door with a window that reflects a murder that took place in front of it decades before and a mysterious dancing apparition that chooses a living man as a dance partner. Every story in this book is captivating and chilling; I devoured it one night. Even without the ghosties, it's an excellent history lesson on Liverpool.", "62" ], [ "Once upon a time, I dated a goth boy. And that goth boy had an unhealthy obsession with Marilyn Manson. I was constantly subjected to his CDs and creepy videos and even had to deal when the goth boy started wearing smudged eyeliner and dying his hair black. \n Of course, he bought this book the day it came out and since I had a bit of a morbid interest in the guy my boyfriend fell in love with, I gave it a read. \n The two things I got from this book: \n 1. Brian Warner is an intelligent man. \n 2. Brian Warner is a total dick. \n He has the potential to be a pretty cool guy, but somewhere along the way he sold out. He's very proud of his image of being one fucked up dude, and he tries way too hard to shock. Lame--I can think of a half a dozen other rockstars that have done more effed up stuff than him. \n The book is entertaining and it was interesting finding out about Brian as a child and how he came to be who he is. But seriously, he needs to get his head out.", "1" ], [ "Remember these hot alien chicks from Dude Where's My Car? Totally all I could think about throughout this whole book. \n Anyway, this book was a fun read. Zelda is a space girl who has come to Earth in order to find Her Chosen One that just happens to be Johnny Depp. Once she has Johnny she will take him back to her home planet. I can relate for sure, I'm pretty sure he's my Chosen One, too. \n David Gerswhin however just thinks she's a nutcase. A nutcase with a killer body and beautiful green eyes. And like most 14 year old boys, if you're hot that's all that matters. He agrees to help Zelda on her quest to find Johnny which entails high-speed police chases, even more hot aliens and expensive vanilla ice cream. Will they find Johnny before it's too late?", "33" ], [ "I have discovered that the English really like to bake with fruit. And I HATE cooked fruit. Aside from those particular recipes, it's been fun trying out all sorts of different cookies and biscuits and we've definitely found some favourites. All recipes are fairly simple and use basic ingredients that you more than likely have in your kitchen.", "65" ], [ "The most morbid cookbook you will ever read. \n I bought this because I happen to be a morbid person and was actually intrigued by reading what certain famous people ate before they died. Surprisingly, the book really isn't all that weird. There's a brief biography about each person noting their major achievements and they how they died, ending with their final menu and then recipes so you can make the meal yourself. These recipes vary from quite easy to pretty advanced. Some I'm interested in trying, like Napoleon's favourite chestnut soup and John Candy's Mexican spaghetti. Others just sound gross, like kid chops and other assorted baby animals. \n Basically, this book is a nice history lesson that makes you a little bit hungry. Until you remember you're eating someone's last meal...", "65" ], [ "This book really does help! I love his lists of pointers and how to do or not to do presentations. I recently took a new job where I'm a trainer for a database. I was absolutely terrified! But, I used Bob's checklists and thought processes and managed to teach my first class without peeing my pants. \n Highly recommended!!", "174" ], [ "I am very angry. This book is complete and absolute crap, and I'm only on page 34. That's 34 pages of dead bunnies and mice and various other small animals whose heads will fit on the top of poles. \n Why is that someone can write a book about some fucked up kid who spends his days thinking up new and horrible ways to kill small animals (AND who just happens to have killed a few small kids in his lifetime) and it's considered this great and wonderful masterpiece? It's not creative or clever. It just says that the author of this book has some serious issues. \n I will finish this book--I'm not going to let it get the best of me. According to other reviews, it doesn't get any better.", "147" ], [ "I won this book from a Goodreads giveaway--thank you for choosing me! \n This book is written by a man who is truly at peace with himself and his life. This book is his attempt to help others reach the same goal. The book contains mainly poetry, but also has a bits of religion, science, history and even glimpses into the author's personal life tossed in. Poetry isn't really my thing so I must admit I just glossed over a lot of it. What I liked the best are the photos. Just like me, Mark photographs everything he sees from trees to bugs to the sky to his own dogs. It doesn't matter what is in the photo, it's clear that Mark has the ability to see the beauty in anything and everything, even if it's something that's considered ugly by 'normal' standards. At the end of the book are a series of Acts of Contemplation that involve prayer and meditation. It made me wish I had the patience for meditation! \n Though I wasn't particularly inspired by this book, I found it very enjoyable and even peaceful. It's a very lovely glimpse into the author's life.", "156" ], [ "Why doesn't Goodreads give you an option for a negative rating? If I could, this one would definitely get one. And I'm a generous rater! This book was so awful it actually made me feel a little ill. Life is a very short little book--the sort that a quick reader could finish in about an hour. It took me TWO WEEKS to read this book because it disgusted me so much that I'd have to put it down and come back to it later. Not only is it very poorly written, but the story is just bland and unbelievable. \n I will say that the concept is kinda cool...I really like the excerpts written by others that are scattered throughout the book. But it is a bit suspicious...these other authors just happen to have the same 'voice' as Mr. Gunthridge. And the girlfriend? Who says that stuff?? Figments of a very hard-up mans imagination, I think. Oh, and the arrogance of this book...ugh. This was one book I was very glad to be done with!", "147" ], [ "I understand why this book has such a large fanbase. I can see that it's clever. I can see that it's unique. There were many parts in it that I found slightly amusing. \n But it doesn't change the fact that in my opinion, space is unquestionably, unconditionally, positively BORING. I would have given the book two stars, but I gave it three just for being one of the few space books I have read that hasn't made me fall asleep before I made it through the first chapter.", "35" ], [ "I like green smoothies. They are indeed tasty as this book states and definitely a health benefit. I did learn quite a bit about just how beneficial they are from this book, which I was glad to know. \n But...Victoria Boutenko is kind of a weirdo. After three months of drinking green smoothies, she claims to salivate over green weeds she sees outside while taking walks with her husband and she mimicks chimpanzees she watches at the zoo by pulling the leaves off of nearly plants to eat them. \n She tends to make out these smoothies to be a miracle drug, curing everything from diabetes to arthritis to grey hair within just a few months. I won't deny that your health would improve from adding these to your diet daily--I've been drinking them myself nearly every morning for several weeks now. I feel better, but I'm not about to go out and run a 10k. \n There are great recipes and fun stats in this book. It's an interesting blend of fact and craziness.", "37" ], [ "These girls are potty mouths. I'm only barely through Chapter 3 and so far I am very intrigued. These girls know their stuff--it does definitely make you think about what you're eating. \n And I LOVE cursing. Here are a few of the sentences I picked up within the first couple of chapters that really caught my attention: \n 1. Coffee is for pussies. \n 2. Say goodbye to soda and hello to a sweet ass. \n 3. In Chapter 11, we provide an \"acceptable junk food\" list that will make your nipples hard. \n 4. You need to exercise, you lazy shit. \n Four stars for now. Right now I'm laughing at the vulgarity, but after an entire bookful of it, it may get old. \n ** \n Halfway through--upped to five stars. Another great line from this book: \n 5. So before you say \"I could never give up meat\", realize that nearly every single vegetarian on the planet has said those same words. Then shut the fuck up.", "193" ], [ "This one took me awhile to really get into...but about halfway through I fell in love with Lestat and couldn't get enough of him. He made his way pretty far up in the ranks of my favorite male fictional characters. \n I had the chance to meet Anne Rice many years ago and it wasn't the best experience--I'd always been a bit reluctant to read her books because of it. Thank you Lestat for changing my mind!", "80" ], [ "The Twilight series so far--eh. They're OKAY. But I'm diggin' this last one! I'm a bit disappointed that Bella does not in fact die due to her mutant vampire baby eating its way out of her belly; I really was looking forward to that. But I'm still fascinated by her weird-ass pregnancy and I still LOVE Jacob. I'm finding it hard to put this one down!", "7" ], [ "I love books about sluts. And Rosie Driffield was a big ol' slut. Everyone who knows Rosie loves her. Everyone that doesn't know her hates her. She's a former barmaid and very much known for her promiscuity. Rosie slept with nearly every man that she met if she took the slightest liking to him, and she didn't feel even remotely bad about it. When Willie Ashenden was a boy, Rosie and her husband Edward befriended him. Many years later, he is asked to give his own personal recollections of Mr. Driffield, a known author of the time, to Alroy Kear who is also an author. Kear is writing a book on the late Mr. Driffield at the request of Edward's second wife. As Willie is reminiscing, he recalls his own affair with the lovely Rosie and comes to discover just how free she was with her favors.", "177" ], [ "I won this book from a Goodreads giveaway and it was definitely a quick, enjoyable read. I'm not a big fan of chicklit normally, but this one wasn't too bad. The storyline was fun, but the three main characters just weren't believable. The story is predictable as well, but it is a FUN story. The story includes bastard men, cheating, lying, bitchy women, dishonesty, divorce, and even a stripper. But underneath it all is hope, and that's what's really important, right?", "22" ], [ "I did like this book...but I know that some people absolutely rave about it and I don't really get why. First of all, I think the author is exceedingly arrogant, which I can't stand. However, he does admit that, several times. That redeems a bit. All of his little 'life lessons' are derived from experiences that he's had, and with some of them it's a good message, but the stories he 'learned' it from don't seem to really match up...I get the feeling that he's either grasping for straws or he made the story up. Also, he is a Disney freak, and throughout the whole book it's Disney Disney Disney. I hate Disney. He's not a good storyteller at all--he talks about his parents, his friends and certain teachers and talks about how wonderful they are and all of the amazing things he learned from them, however when he describes them he just makes them sound a bit mean. I think he's aiming for it to come across as 'tough love', but he doesn't quite make it. \n There are some good points--the 'lessons' and advice are great and his love for his kids and his wife is very touching. The book is also filled with photographs of family and memories from his childhood. So...there you go. It's a quick read with good advice but I'm not jumping over the moon for it.", "31" ], [ "I love bitches! This book is FULL of cursing and tough love, which I really respond to. This book is mainly a recipe book, and I was very pleased to find that these particular bitches are vegetarian. I haven't gotten a chance to try any recipes out yet, but I definitely will this week!", "65" ], [ "I'm not really sure what to say about this series...I like it okay...they're easy reads...but come on. What's with all the hype? I do like the idea of the vampires. They have potential. They just don't have much substance. As for Bella? I hate Bella. Seriously. And if the rumors are true about what happens to her at the end of the series, well, that's the only reason that I'm continuing to read them at all. \n Two down, two to go.", "21" ] ]

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[ [ "I realized half way through this novel that I don't, and never have liked, the characters that populate Three Pines. This story seemed sooooo contrived that my dislike for Penny's characters and the setting of Three Pines finally, simply exploded. It finally hit me that I am simply reading an \"adult\" version of the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew. Her characters have the potential for depth but they turn out to be superficial characterizations by the author to make Three Pines somehow \"special\". And poor Armand.......! He deserves better - Maigret could teach him a lot. So lame!", "44" ], [ "This author wants me to believe that he knows what he's talking about in this coming of age, manly man sort of book while at the same time telling me that his friend Bob has a 12', \"stamped\" aluminum boat with a 60 hp Evinrude that weights 50 pounds which his friend lifts off the boat's transom in the middle of a violent storm and holds in in his lap while he replaces \"the pin\" because it has broken and the motor has quit running. Credibility problem here, Mr. Benjamin. It's obvious that you and your editors/advisors know nothing about boats and probably even less about manhood. Half way into the book and that did it for me.", "198" ], [ "A wonderful, great series. Great characters and great stories. Very sorry to have reached the end but, I think, it was appropriate/timely and well conceived ending. The series does apparently take off on another line and character with young detective Suttle taking the lead and I'll be reading them when I can find them. I find them mostly in UK and Canada on eBay. If you haven't read these, start with #1 and stick to the order - it makes more sense that way and the characters get a chance to grow on you. You might even take up bird watching.", "107" ], [ "A surprise find on the new book shelf at the library. Wonderfully historic and smart fiction. The rest of his quartet of Eberhard Mock novels are definitely on my \"want to read\" list (although I'm not sure all have been translated yet). If you like Phillip Kerr's Bernie Gunther series, you will find this series has a familiar, but darker, feel. The bleakness of pre-Nazi Germany is an incredible source for many fiction writers. In my opinion, this book is one of the most intelligent in this genre. A well crafted, thought provoking and historically enlightening novel - and a great read.", "95" ], [ "An incredibly emotional indictment of the Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld war. As a father of a soldier damaged both physically and emotionally by this horrendous lie, all I can really hope for is that someday these cowardly men in Washington are held accountable for the suffering they have caused so many. \n As a work of art, this ranks with the best of many war novels. Congratulations Mr. Powers.", "98" ], [ "I couldn't finish this one. The characters were just too, too stereotyped and unlikeable and the situations created to begin the story were simply too marginally believable. From the outset,it seemed clear where this novel was going - nowhere. \n I liked the author's first and second books and, based on some good reviews on this site, I'll give his fourth book a shot. I have to say though, that there is a gritty violence to his characters and his stories that gets tiresome, empty and unredeemed. Maybe that's the reality of some people's lives in some places but, as a reader, I don't like getting hit in the face with it hour after hour. Sooooooooo......close the book - turn the channel.", "150" ], [ "Ken Bruen just keeps outdoing himself. If you haven't read any of his writings, you're in for a treat. \n Great plots, great characters and incredibly complex psychological tales. Ireland - what a rat's nest on soooooooo many (enjoyable) levels.", "45" ], [ "Very good read. Glad I discovered this author. Thanks again Goodreads.com! The author (and writing style) has been compared to several others but I saw no mention of Walter Mosley and his Easy Rawlins series in those comparisons. I'd say, if you like Mosley's series, you will most assuredly like this novel. I intend to read more of Sallis's work.", "134" ], [ "Couldn't finish it after making it half way. Author spent way too much time trying to convince me that his story line was credible and that his characters were really much \"deeper\" and \"sensitive\" than he was making them appear. Pedantic and a little too intent on writing a \"thriller\". Maybe it's all in the translation? Hmmmmmmmmmmm. This author has written much better stuff.", "162" ], [ "Almost 4 stars but I couldn't quite get there. I think it was because there just seemed to be an excessive amount of tragedy in everybody's lives - good guys and bad guys. Just not too credible. I'll probably try another tho since this one took place in my state of origin, MN and my home state ND.", "91" ], [ "There is no doubt in my mind that proton radiation therapy is the only way to treat prostate cancer. I had the treatment for my cancer at LLUMC in 2006. My PSA has been at 0.4 since my treatment and I've had no negative side effects. \n If you've got PC or some one you know has it, don't let them do anything until they've read this book.", "13" ], [ "It's a little over-hyped to compare this to Steig Larsson except for the commonality of both authors being Swedish. The author appears to be rather young and her dialogue and characterizations sometimes give away her youth - just some subtle elements of immaturity and inexperience. Overall, however, it is quite an accomplishment for a person of her apparent age to have constructed a book that held my interest as it did. A good summer read.", "197" ], [ "Wow, what an incredible book!! 541 pages of \"couldn't put it down\" reading. The back of the book jacket has seven comments by other popular authors of the genre and every exclamatory comment is spot on. As one of them said, \"This book comes at you like a champion boxer....Aiming for both the head and the gut, it connects solidly with every punch.\" The reality of Winslow's portrait of our country's \"war on drugs\" and the resulting slaughter in Central America and Mexico is truly frightening. A cause gone totally out of control. A case where the active cure is as bad as the disease - maybe worse? Rationality has certainly gone out the window. Wow!", "41" ], [ "I think it is time for Gamache to get out of Three Pines. The village has become incestuous, boring and depressing. I'm done with Louise Penny until Gamache stays closer to home or, perhaps, moves to Paris. Yeah, that might be good. Armand obviously needs a vacation.", "178" ] ]

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[ [ "Room for You is a fun read about single mom Kacie Jensen and NFL player Brody Murphy. I didn't LOVE the book, but did enjoy reading it. Romance and New Adult just are not my favorite genres- I usually find them pretty cheesy. I sure wish I didn't because I know so many of you on here do like them a lot. \n What I liked: The book was set in MN, my home state. I liked the references to places I have been. \n What I didn't like: Why do characters in romances have to have perfect bodies, why are the bad guys (or girl in this book) so one dimensional? Why is there always that one incident (some kind of misunderstanding) that drives the main characters apart for a while, just to be cleared up in time for the HEA?", "31" ], [ "My Sister's Grave is the first installment in the Tracy Crosswhite series. It tells the story of Tracy, who quit her job as a teacher to investigate her sister's murder after she was convinced the police's investigation convicted the real killer. The plot was fast, the murder mystery was great with an ending that I did not predict. There was some romance involved, and I felt Dugoni did a good job of integrating that aspect with the rest of the story. This was a little reminiscent of the Making a Murderer real life case of Stephen Avery in Manitowoc County, WI. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading the next in the series. \n **I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.", "185" ], [ "There was so much to like about this book! Mercy Thompson is a great main character, strong and determined. She's also a walker, which was unique for me. I enjoyed all of the werewolf pack dynamics and how they interacted with Mercy. I love how this first book started and will definitely be reading more books in the series.", "107" ], [ "I absolutely love Jojo Moyes! I have loved all three of her books that I have read. My favorite is still \n , but this one was wonderful as well. I really loved the historical fiction part of this story the most. Sophie's story was fascinating. I don't believe I've read any accounts (fiction or non-fiction) about the first World War. The present day part of this book was also very well done, although I felt that the coincidence that Paul's job was to retrieve stolen art and he just happened to start dating Liv at that very moment was a little too convenient for me. However, after setting that thought aside, I thoroughly enjoyed Liv's story as well. I feel like most people would not have stuck to her guns the way she did, and I admire her for that. Also, Mo was hilarious!", "53" ], [ "Summary: Robert Bratt is a lawyer who has always done whatever it took to win his cases. After twenty years of defending the most hardened criminals, many of whom he knew to be guilty, the only thing he can no longer do is look at himself in the mirror. Loosely based on a multiple-murder that shocked Montreal in the 1990s, this riveting story pulls the reader into the inner workings of a murder trial, and reveals what one lawyer must do when he has to defend \"The Guilty.\" \n My review: The Guilty is a fascinating legal thriller. Even though I instantly disliked the main character Robert Bratt, I found myself hoping he would turn a new leaf. You can tell Boutros has a background in law, as he described the emotions of a defense attorney and the murder case proceedings very well. I really enjoyed the descriptions of Montreal and once the courtroom scenes started, I was hooked!! If you enjoy legal thrillers, I definitely recommend this book to you. \n **I received a copy of this book from the For Love of a Book group in exchange for a fair and honest review.", "182" ], [ "I was really surprised by how much I liked this book! I thought the characters were well developed and I think the authors did a great job of exploring all the feelings and situations that would arise with having a MC who is invisible. While Stephen and Elizabeth did have an electric chemistry (it even mentioned the electricity between them), it did feel a little like insta-love, so that is my only criticism- that, and that it's a standalone and I'd like to hear more about the world and what happens with the characters.", "200" ], [ "What book lover wouldn't love a fantasy story featuring a librarian?! At first glance, the Tournament of Hearts is similar to the Hunger Games but keep reading & you'll see it's so much more. This book was fast paced and unique. Bilyk has done a great job with the magic system & world building. \n I'm looking forward to the next book in this series. I really enjoyed Tournament of Hearts and would recommend it to all fantasy lovers! \n **I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.", "76" ], [ "This book was the captivating story of Wai-nani, the favorite wife of Makaha in Hawaii in the 1700s. Although the audiobook narrator sounded close to an electronic voice, the story was still wonderful. Wai-nani was a fascinating woman- strong, spirited, sensual. I enjoyed reading about her love of the water and her relationship with a pod of dolphins. I feel Ballou painted a vivid picture of old Hawaii with wonderful landscape descriptions, great attention to the old customs of the Hawaiian people and explanation of how change began to occur in their lives. \n **I received this audiobook for free from Audiobook Boom in return for an unbiased review.", "0" ], [ "** spoiler alert ** \n I like this book and the time travel was the best part! A fun read! Some of the parts were a little cheesy for my taste. I think the whole part in the past was a 2 star but once they got to Montana in the present it was more like 4 stars.", "35" ], [ "This book is an unexpected 5 Star book for me! It is my first zombie movie and I was expecting a creepy horror book, but I found this is book is just hilarious! I love Rowland's writing style and Angel is such a great character. I cannot wait to read the rest of the books in the series.", "46" ], [ "The Valley of Horses was another amazing book in the Earth's Children series. It's funny because so much of the book is just Ayla alone with only her horse and cave lion for company, but it was still fascinating! I'm not an expert on prehistoric times, but this felt like Auel had to do so much research to describe daily life as well as she did. You really can imagine yourself living during that time, and what it would take to survive on your own.", "11" ], [ "This series is definitely a guilty pleasure for me...something my dad would call brain candy! But I do love them!! I love the mystery and while I don't love the characters, I still like reading about them. The mystery is great too. I think in this book I really did start to feel more empathetic toward some of the girls. I'm definitely looking forward to the next books in the series!", "107" ], [ "I was really disappointed in this book as it seems to be very popular and a favorite series for many. It just didn't work for me though. I would have preferred a lot more coverage of the serial killer case and a lot less of the back and forth banter between the two main characters. I figured out the killer in the first 1/3 of the book and did not like either Ty or Zane...bummer!", "44" ], [ "I'm having a hard time rating this book because the beginning started off slow, but the story was so rich and the world so detailed. I love how Maia's character developed. I have heard this is not a part of a series, which makes me sad because I'd love to read more about these characters and the Elflands.", "22" ], [ "4.5 stars \n I loved this story from the first minute I started reading it. Wade is a character you can love and you want him succeed, especially with the tough life he has had so far. The 80s and video game references were enjoyable for the most part, except after a while they did get a little tiresome. Cline's descriptions of the OASIS are so good, you really feel like you're experiencing what the characters are facing. A great read!!", "39" ], [ "I have really enjoyed all the books in this series, this one included. Winter is action-packed from start to finish and by book 4 there are so many characters that I've come to love that I couldn't wait to find out what would happen to them all. I appreciate having read Levana's story, otherwise this whole story would have had much less dimension. I really liked Princess Winter's POV...the fact that she has the Lunar Gift but refuses to use it while everyone else does is incredible. I cannot imagine living in a place where you were constantly at risk of someone controlling you.", "107" ], [ "I really enjoyed this story! Werner and Marie-Laure were great characters, the writing style was wonderful and I love how their stories came together. I find books about WW2 very interesting and I liked how they showed characters from both sides of the conflict.", "39" ], [ "I also didn't rate this so low because Tris died in the end . I just thought the writing wasn't very good and I really didn't care a whole lot about the story either anymore. I didn't think Insurgent was all that good either. I didn't like the change of POV from Tris to Tobias...usually I have no problem with this in books, but there was no change in writing style and I constantly kept forgetting from which perspective I was reading. I liked Divergent, but thought the other two books were really disappointing.", "44" ], [ "This is a classic story of the last unicorn who is looking for others of her kind. I thoroughly enjoyed the book! It was creative, funny, and very unique and I thought all the characters were very well done. I saw the animated movie version first and thought that version was very close to the book.", "172" ] ]

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[ [ "This translation by Red Pine - Bill Porter - of the Tao Te Ching in 2009 is among the best available. \n It is a revised version of the edition published in 1996. \n Both versions start with: \n The way that becomes a way \n Is not the immortal Way \n A footnote states that Tao originally meant \"Moon\". This may well be the Moon as pointer to the All-encompassing One, wherein this Moon and pointer are fully encompassed as waves in the ocean. \n Also highly recommended are the translations by: \n - Ellen M. Chen - with different interpretations for several verses \n - Jonathan Star - also including an interpretation per Chinese character", "60" ], [ "This translation and introduction by John Stevens is highly recommended for its beauty. It is also a marvellous introduction to the way of living of the Japanese hermit-monk Ryokan \n One example: after returning to his small hut - metaphor for clinging to his earthly ego? - Ryokan noticed that all was gone, he composed the haiku: \n The thief left behind \n the moon \n At the window. \n Another translation of this haiku: \n The thief leaves behind, \n the ever changeful Moon \n at the firmament \n Moon is often used to refer to Tao; it also indicates the firm belief of Ryokan.", "60" ], [ "In \"Memories of a marriage\" by Louis Begley, a writer - named Philip - in his seventies reconnects with an old friend - named Lucy - whom he met right out of college and hasn't seen for 40 years. Both main characters are from the East Coast privileged class: their capital acquired by their forefathers from one crime (slave-trade) or another. As parvenus their kind spend their life in luxury in places to be in Europe and at the East Coast. \n Lucy once a beautiful woman with the world at her feet, has become a bitter divorce who fully puts the blame on her former husband Thomas. She has married Thomas - the son of a garage owner - after she has lost the opportunity for a good marriage with candidates from her own class after a few too many overtly sexual relations with Philip and many of his peers. Thomas became a very successful and well to do banker in Wall street, but he could never meet the parvenu's class culture in the opinion of Lucy (never wear black shoes before the evening). \n Philip is now a widower - having lost his beloved wife to cancer - and one day he runs into Lucy who is now divorced from Thomas who had died several years before. Lucy starts telling her side of what had happened in her marriage: all very negative toward Thomas. Unable to believe Lucy's side, that is besides his own memory and admiration of Thomas and Lucy, Philip begins an investigation as preparation for a novel by asking questions to Lucy - who gives intimate details of her marriage to Thomas - and by questioning others who have known Thomas and Lucy as a couple. \n Very well written although a small part in the middle - used to speed up the storyline - is slightly out of tone. In case this small part would be fully elaborated in the same style and the plotting slightly improved, this book might deserve five stars.", "177" ], [ "The third volume of \"A History of Religious Idea - From Muhammed to the Age of Reforms\" by Mircea Eliade covers the vast religious area between: \n *\tReligions of Ancient Eurasia including shamanism, paganism, and the \"Celestial God\" \n *\tChristian Churches in the eighth and ninth century \n *\tMuhammed and the unfolding of Islam \n *\tWestern Catholicism from Charlemagne to the start of the Reformation \n *\tJudaism in the Middle Ages \n *\tZwingli, Calvin and the Catholic Reformation \n *\tTibetan Religions \n Similar to the first two volumes, this vast area of religious ideas is described in a considerable depth in this third volume, although experts will certainly notice significant major omissions at once; e.g. the Reformation in Holland is not covered. \n Although I have the impression that Mircea Eliade could not finish this third volume: highly recommended!", "168" ], [ "Michael Agar shows in his book \"Language Shock: Understanding the Culture of Conversation\" the interaction between language, culture and daily behaviour for insiders and outsiders. Insiders know implicit (and explicit) the meaning behind words and sentences that outsiders with only knowledge of a language may not be aware of. He shares his open mind for several environments/cultures wherein he has lived. He makes a strong plea for open mindedness to a foreign cultures otherwise unknown/uncommon behaviour may be regarded as a defect in another culture resulting in rejection or worse. \n Michael uses a organic/lingering style with many personal examples. This style has its merits and its shortcomings. \n Conclusion: recommended - a readable introduction to foreign combination of language/culture and way of living", "17" ], [ "The second volume of \"A History of Religious Idea - From Gautama Buddha to the Triumph of Christianity\" by Mircea Eliade covers the vast religious area between the ancient religions in China (Taoism and Confucianism), Brahmanism and Hinduism, Buddhism, Roman religions, Celts and Germans, Judaism, The Hindu Synthesis: The Mahabharata including the Bhagavad Gita, Iranian Synthesis, Paganism, and the Birth of Christianity and Christianity as official Religion of the Roman Empire. \n This vast area of religious ideas is described in a considerable depth, although experts will certainly notice significant omissions at once; e.g. the Upanishads and the Mahabharata deserve more attention. \n This volume ends with \"Sol Invictus\"; a religious idea taken by the Roman Emperor Aurelius (270 - 275 AC) from Egypt as uniting monotheistic Sun-God principle in the Roman Empire, before his successor Emperor Constantine embraced Christianity a preferred religion within the Roman Empire. The name Sunday - the day of God - originates from \"Sol Invictus\" or Sun-God in the Roman Empire. \n Highly recommended!", "168" ], [ "In volume I of \"A History of Religious Ideas\", Mircea Eliade opens on page 5 with explanation of a ritual of \"mystical solidarity\" from the Stone Age, that I have not read anywhere else. \n In this ritual hunter-gatherers see the blood of the prey as similar in every respect to their blood; and by killing the prey they identify themselves with their prey for two reasons. They seek redemption for the sin of killing their prey, and they identify with their prey to maintain their unique system of survival for both hunter and prey. This ritual - altered, revalorised and camouflaged - is still within our modern society. \n This paragraph shed a different light on the many kinds of charity that captains of industry perform in the later part of their life. \n This first volume continues with an abundance of religious developments of mankind in the Indo-European society until the Dionysiac festivals. \n A must read to get an overview of the religious ideas with one remark: ideas unknown to me are covered in depth, but religious ideas that I have studied before, are described more superficial; but this remark says more about me as a reader than about the content of the book. \n Highly recommended.", "168" ], [ "\"The Mind of Clover - Essays in Zen Buddhist Ethics\" starts with chapters on the ten precepts for Buddhist. \n In the chapter on the second precept \"Not Stealing\", Robert Aitken cites Unto Tahtinen: \n \"There are two ways of avoiding war: one way is to satisfy everyone's desire, the other way is to content oneself with the good. The former is not possible due to the limitations of the world and therefore there remains this second alternative of contentment\" \n And then he cites Mahatma Gandhi: \n \"In India we have many millions of people who have to be satisfied with only one meal a day. This meal consists of a chapati containing no fat and a pinch of salt. You and I have no right to anything until these millions of people are better fed and clothed. You and I ought to know better and adjust our wants, and even undergo voluntarily starvation in order that they may be nursed, fed and clothed.\" \n So true in our contemporary Western world full of abundance. \n This small books continues with essays on the Mind, and Robert Aitken cites from the Diamond Sutra: \n \"Don't dwell upon colours to bring forth the Mind, don't dwell upon phenomena of sound, smell, taste or touch to bring forth the Mind; dwell nowhere and bring forth that Mind\". \n So true: Always at home, nowhere lost. \n Highly recommended.", "25" ], [ "\"Six memos for the next Millennium\" by Italo Calvino is a collection of five Charles Eliot Norton Lectures written in 1985/1986 about what should be cherished in literature with intriguing titles: \n 1 - Lightness, \n 2 - Quickness, \n 3 - Exactitude, \n 4 - Visibility, \n 5 - Multiplicity \n and the never written memo \"6 - Consistency\". \n In my opinion these lectures transcend \"Goodreads\", these lectures are a must-reads for every serious writer and reader! \n The third memo by Italo Calvino - Exactitude - begins as follows: \n \"For the ancient Egyptians exactitude was symbolised by a feather, that served as a weight on scales used for the weighing of the Soul. This light feather was called \"Maat\" (also the Dutch word for measure) - Goddess of the scales\". \n Italo Calvino begins his memo on \"Visibility\" with the verses: \n \"Then rained down into the high fantasy...\". \n According to Italo Cavino: \n \"Rains the \"Visibility\" - or images - down from heaven; that is, God sends them to the people\". \n As clarification of imagination, Italo Calvino quotes the following lines from the Purgatory by Dante: \n You, imagination, that prevented us \n Many times to perceive the world, \n Although around may sound a thousand cymbals \n What moved you, outside our sense? \n A flash of light, created in heaven, \n By itself, or by the will of God. \n This is Italo Calvino's testimony on literature in our Western contemporary world rooted in Christianity. \n Highly recommended.", "49" ], [ "This tiny book \"Zen Words for the Heart\" includes a translation of the Heart Sutra with commentary by the 17th Century Zen Master Hakuin Ekaku in a Zen idiom, e.g. Hakuin's commentary on the line \"Form is no other than Emptiness, Emptiness is no other than Form\" in the Heart Sutra: \n \"A nice hot kettle on a stew. He ruins it by dropping the couple of \"Form and Emptiness\" in . It's no good pushing delicacies at a man with a full belly. Striking waves to look for water when waves are water\". \n Recommended for readers interested in Hakuin's commentary on the Heart Sutra.", "60" ], [ "The summary of the Prologue: \n Twenty-two years after the criminal events described in Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow, Rusty Sabich - former lawyer and now a chief appellate judge - awoke one morning at half past six, and he found his wife Barbara dead in her bed. Rusty remained seated for 23 hours next to the dead body of his wife before calling his family, the funeral home and the family doctor. Serious suspicion arose why Rusty did wait so long before alerting his family, the family doctor and even the police. \n This prologue of three pages had convinced me to buy this book and read it. \n Rusty Sabich is again suspected of murder, because Rusty chose to keep Barbara's death hidden which might allow traces of poison to disappear. \n Although the legal verdict is in the end \"Innocent\", it is at the same time highly debatable if the ethical verdict is also \"Innocent\". \n An excellent sequel to the five star court-room drama/thriller \n \"Presumed Innocent\" first published in 1986. \n Recommended", "182" ], [ "The tiny book \"The Heart Sutra Explained\" (230 pages) includes commentaries by Indian and Tibetan sages. \n These commentaries are very useful to study the Heart Sutra from different perspectives. \n E.g.: a commentary on the first line in the prologue \"Thus I have hear at one time\": \n \"The commentator Vajrapani has high praise for the word Thus (\"evam\" in Sanskrit), the word with which sutras begin. Those four letters are the source of the 84.000 doctrines taught by Buddha and are the basis of all marvels. The meaning of the other words are less clear, there is controversy over the \"I\" who heard them and to the meaning of \"at one time\"\". \n The high praise of Thus - \"evam\" - is quite similar to the commentary of Bernie Glassman who says in \"The Dude and the Zen Master\" that the Heart Sutra begins with the most important word \"Avalokiteshvara\" or even better with the letter \"A\". If this \"A\" is wholly encompassed, the Heart Sutra is all encompassed. \n The controversy over the \"I\" who heard them and to the meaning of \"at one time\" may be seen as Buddhist question (or Koan) in my opinion . \n This example given is only one of the many commentaries. \n Next to this tiny book, a basic knowledge of Sanskrit is very helpful for a further study of the Heart Sutra. \n \"The Heart Sutra Explained\" is highly recommended for a further study of the Heart Sutra from different perspectives, as is a basic course of Sanskrit. \n For a first reading and basic study of the Heart Sutra, Red Pine's translation and commentary is highly recommended. \n For a first reading and more poetic commentary, \"The Heart of Understanding\" by Thich Nhat Hahn is also highly recommended.", "60" ], [ "After the Cultural Revolution in China, no one believed that Chinese hermits still lived in the Chungnan mountains - the traditional place of hermits. \n Bill Porter described in \"Road to Heaven - Encounters with Chinese Hermits\" his journey in 1989 to the Chungnan mountains, where he have met dozens of monks and nuns, who have continued to lead a solitary life in contemplation and faith. \n Next to a report of the journey, this book includes to some extend an excellent study of the history, the sociology and the religious faith of these hermits; but above all, the encounters with the contemporary monks and nuns are impressive. \n One example: \n The author asked a female Buddhist hermit in contemporary China to the core of Buddhist life in calligraphy on paper. She puts the paper aside. A few months later, the author received four words per post: \n \"Benevolence, Compassion, Joy and Detachment\". \n Her calligraphy is strong and clear as her soul. \n Highly recommended.", "142" ], [ "The Heart Sutra - a very brief Sutra - is Buddhism in a nutshell. \n Bernie Glassman says in \"The Dude and the Zen Master\" that the Heart Sutra begins with the most important word \"Avalokiteshvara\" or even better with the letter \"A\". If this \"A\" is wholly encompassed, the Heart Sutra is all encompassed. \n So true, bearing in mind the metaphor of the jewel net of Indra - in the Avatamsaka Sutra (translated by Thomas Cleary as \"The Flower Ornament Scripture\") - stating that every single glass pearl in Indra's Net reflects the whole endless Net, and at the same time every single glass pearl shapes the whole Net. \n In the same way, although the Heart Sutra is Buddhism in a nutshell, it is not so much a summary of Buddhism, this Sutra is the very core of Buddhism (as all is the very core of Buddhism). \n This translation - in English - and the commentary by Red Pine is excellent, and extensive in a tiny book. \n Highly recommended.", "60" ], [ "\"The Accident\" is to some extent a sequel to \"The Expats\" by Chris Pavone (a five stars thriller in my opinion). \n \"The Accident\" is a thriller about the explosive impact that a published manuscript might have on the image of a very powerful - and extreme wealthy - candidate politician: an accident and the ruthless handling of the consequences as teenager will certainly blow the image of the politician. \n During one day a struggle starts to capture all copies of this manuscript and to prevent the literary agent from publishing this manuscript. The author is well hidden as expat in Zurich almost to the end. \n A good thriller, but it might be an excellent thriller with better developed characters; some characters are so schematic that they were not be missed after their death. Also the number of deaths are unrealistic: some characters fall like puppets. And I have the impression that the narrative might be considerably improve with interweaving the information about the author of the manuscript and the literary agent - given in the last pages of this thriller - in the storyline: it will certainly make the author less schematic. \n This book gives also some insight in the book publishing industry and in the selling of books in a local bookshop. \n Well-written and recommended with some hesitation, because with several improvements it might have been an excellent thriller.", "182" ], [ "\"The Expats\" describes a mother, wife and ex-CIA agent who starts spying on her husband how he earns his family salary in the financial world of capital investment in Luxembourg. \n Another couple - from an US Agency? - gets involved in their family life in Luxembourg and they may be after the dark secrets in the past of housewife and/or they may be interested in the way the husband earns his capital. \n Very well-written. \n Chris Pavone describes the atmosphere of European cities very convincingly in one paragraph! \n An excellent plot. \n Recommended", "182" ], [ "\"An Agent of Deceit\" covers the dark world of present-day capital investment by Russian billionaires linked with the government, corporate espionage and money laundry. \n One main character is a lawyer looking after the interest of Russian billionaire linked with the government. \n An investigator - the second main character - looks into the finances and the suspected activities of the Russian billionaire. \n This cat and mouse game results in a dramatic end where the main characters are only puppets on a string. \n Very well-written, frightening and a convincing plot.", "170" ], [ "A sublime, moving and tender novel about love, life, hope, consolation and the foreseen soon death of the bride due to AIDS. \n The main storyline of this small novel tells the story of the two parents of the bride - estranged for many years - travelling \"To the Wedding\" and finishes at the wedding celebration. \n One small example of the many jewels in this novel: \n The mother of the bride meets a co-passenger in a bus. The co-passenger says that the bridegroom has never learned to count. The mother interrupts: \"If he sells clothes at a streetmarket, I'd have thought he could count!\" \"Prices, yes, consequences, no\", says the co-passenger. \n In my opinion the bridegroom is fully aware of all the consequences. \n A second storyline includes a blind man selling \"tama's\" - small tin objects for hope, blessing or consolation - at a streetmarket. The novel ends on the last page with the observation that for this wedding another \"tama\" was needed, made this time not in tin but with voices. Here it is. Place it by the candle when you pray... \n So true. \n This small novel deserves to be reread every year as a reminder what life is, and as one of the answers to the question: \"Why don't people learn to live\". \n Recommended, especially the edition with the introduction by Nadeem Aslam.", "125" ], [ "Thriller with several layers. \n The main layer contains the story of a cold blooded main character who initially has a moderate position as writer within an \"atelier\" of a top best-selling author. By murders and blackmail the main character reverses the roles within this writing co-operation when the best-selling author wishes to close the atelier. \n The second layer includes the separate roles in the writing/publishing industry of top best-sellers. \n The third layer contains the research Philip Kerr has made by reading a library of thrillers and novel: on every page brief excerpts of at least five books are mentioned without causing any annoyance. \n The fourth layers describes how the main character became a cold blooded murderer and blackmailer. \n The separate parts of this thriller show the points of view of both protagonists. \n Very well written: the first sentence already summarises the thriller, the first page sets the scene, both without spoiling the plot; marvellous, this first page may well be included in a course creative-writing. \n My only hesitation: the plot, judge for yourself if you would give this book five stars or four stars as I did. \n Recommended.", "179" ], [ "Impressive study and a must read to understand the life and poems by Rumi (Jalal al-Din) \n By reading this study, I understood that Rumi was born in Balkh (currently located in Afghanistan) in 1207 AC. His family had to flee for the Huns - several years later Balkh was sacked by the Huns. Their journey had led via Mecca and Damascus to Konya (Turkey) where his father and later Rumi received a position as religieus jurist and teacher. Konya was regarded by the Islamic world as part of the Roman Empire: due to this fact Rumi is known under a name referring to the Roman Empire. \n In 1244 Rumi had met the dervish Shams-e Tabrizi. This meeting had completely changed Rumi's life from an established teacher and jurist into an religious mystic poet. In 1248 Shams-e Tabrizi had left Rumi never to be seen by Rumi. \n In 1273 Rumi had died in Konya. \n This study is an excellent introduction and guidance to the mystic poems of Rumi", "168" ], [ "Several \"books\" in one book: a boat journey on the Hudson, a book on ethics. \n One of the several undercurrents: \n All things have equal right to be, but if a choice has to be made then a thing/being of a higher order should have privilege over a thing/being of a less complex order. \n The proposed order of complexity is: \n - Non living organisms \n - Living organisms \n - People \n . Biology \n . Law and regulations \n . Science \n . Quality \n - Complex structures \n .Hardware \n .Software \n . Villages with their own dynamics \n . Cities with their own dynamics \n During a first reading not all \"books\" in this one book are convincing, but after a first reading the separate have their place in this Inquiry into Morals \n Recommended", "49" ], [ "Excellent commentaries on the selected poems by Emily Dickinson. \n Recommended. \n One additional remark on Helen Vendler's commentary on Emily Dickinson's poem \"My life closed twice before its close\": \n Emily Dickinson had been raised in a Calvinist family. Probably she had been influenced by Calvin's predestination doctrine stating that God's grace had already been determined before her birth and will never change because God in his almightiness has settled it for once and always. With the predestination doctrine in mind, the life of Emily would close twice: once at her natural death on earth and once at the end of time, when a third event - the end of time - may include a new parting between God's elect and the others. Before the end of time one may never be certain to be among God's elect ... or among the others in damnation. \n With Calvin's predestination doctrine in mind, an additional meaning can be given to this poem.", "26" ], [ "Excellent introduction to improve close reading (and writing), e.g on using words, structuring sentences and organising paragraphs (which characterises the author according to Francine Prose). \n This is not the best book on analysing/developing plots and on analysing/crafting a story; these topics may be for the most part outside the scope of this book in my opinion.", "75" ], [ "The author states that - although it is full of cheating, aggression and violence - the Mahabharata is in principle a book on peace similar like the Old Testament of the Bible. \n According to the author the Mahabharata had marked a radical shift by moving the mind in daily life from Atman to \"Dharma\" - or world order and duty. In the Mahabharata, the attention shifted from the One/Self to the other/self in relation to the One/Self, wherein nothing can be understood independent of the rest. The Self is a being in relationship with itself and at the same time the Self is itself a being in respect to the other and herewith One's/one's own life is connected to the life of the other. \n One example: \n The battlefield - described in the Bhagavad Gita - between the world order and duty (Dharmakshetra [4]) and human action (Kurukshetra) shows countless horrors. One of these horrors on the battlefield is the death of the beautiful son of Arjuna. The oldest brother of Arjuna - and crown pretender of the five Pandavah brothers - is inconsolable. After this loss, he oversees the battlefield with the many fallen and he says: \n \"This is worth no victory in this war, no kingdom, no heaven and no immortality\". \n He asks Vyasa - the narrator of the Mahabharata -: \n \"Family, teachers and loved ones are lying broken on the Earth with death as their identity. Why are they now known as \"death\"? Who dies here? What causes death? And why does death claim the living?\" \n Hereafter Vyasa tells the story about the origin of Death - Mrtyu in the form of a woman - by Brahman. Mrtyu asks him: \n \"Why am I created?\". \n Brahman tells her that she is created to relieve the earth from \n the intolerable burden of the ever growing population of living beings. Mrtyu begins to cry uncontrollably. Brahman takes her tears in his hands, but some fall on the Earth. From these tears, the diseases are created whereby the bodies of living beings will die. Mrtyu demands an explanation from Brahman: \n \"Why did you create me in this form of a woman? Why am I knowingly engaged in the misery and cruelty of devouring of living beings. By taking away the lives of children, parents, loved ones and friends, their relatives will mourn on the loss and I will be the object of their hatred and fear. But I will fear the tears of sorrow the most. No, I will not be able to extinguish life; save me from this fatal existence\". \n Brahman explains her: \n \"There is dead and there is no death at the same time. All living things cause their own death by sticking to their own delusions in sins and in happiness. In Truth, there is no death. The tears of Death are the tears of our sorrow that cause death and destruction everywhere around us. Just as easily we can create, enrich and preserve a True life for ourselves and for others.\" \n After this explanation Mrtyu - death - asks bewildered: \n \"Why don't you learn to live?\" \n A striking question in our mortal life. \n Recommended.", "188" ], [ "Excellent translation of this collection of classic Zen Koans. \n The commentary is very helpful. \n Recommended for study of Zen koans \n Also recommended as five star rating: \n - Yamada Koun Roshi, Gateless Gate - Translation with Commentary. Tucson: The University of Arizona Press, 1979 \n - Robert Aitken, The Gateless Barrier - The Wu-men Kuan (Mumonkan), New York: North Point Press, 1991", "60" ], [ "Excellent translation of this collection of classic Zen Koans. \n The commentary is very helpful. \n Recommended for study of Zen koans \n Also recommended as five star rating: \n - Zenkei Shibayama, The Gateless Barrier - Zen comments on the Mumonkan, Boston: Shambhala, 1974 \n - Yamada Koun Roshi, Gateless Gate - Translated with Commentary. Tucson: The University of Arizona Press, 1979", "60" ], [ "Excellent translation of this classic collection of Zen Koans. \n The teishos and commentaries are very helpful. \n Recommended for study of Zen koans. \n Also recommended as five star rating: \n - Zenkei Shibayama, The Gateless Barrier - Zen comments on the Mumonkan, Boston: Shambhala, 1974 \n - Robert Aitken, The Gateless Barrier - The Wu-men Kuan (Mumonkan), New York: North Point Press, 1991", "60" ], [ "Good translation of this classic collection of Zen koans. \n In case you can read German, I strongly advise to use the following volume next to the translation of Thomas Cleary: \n Yamada Koun Roshi: Die Niederschrift vom blauen Fels - Hekiganroku: Die klassische Koansammlung mit neuen Teishos. Munchen: Kosel Verlag, 2002 \n This German volume includes extensive Teishos on each koan. \n Also the translation of the Zen Comments by Hakuin and Tenkei is useful: \n Thomas Cleary, Secrets of the Blue Cliff Record - Zen Comments by Hakuin and Tenkei. Boston & London: Shambhala, 2000", "60" ], [ "The texts on the backside cover the content: \n \"About the life of one man, \n and about everyone's life\" \n \"- One long interview - \n The reader is sitting in a chair \n and listening to Man's life story.\"", "160" ], [ "Impressive in all ways! \n The Avatamsaka Sutra describes a cosmos of infinite realms upon realms, mutually containing one another (the jewel net of Indra). The vision expressed in this sutra was the foundation for the creation of the Hua- yen school of Chinese Buddhism - one of the seven branches of Zen Buddhism. \n It took me six weeks to read this sutra. \n Highly recommended for a serious study of the Hua-yen school - one of the seven branches - of Zen Buddhism.", "60" ], [ "One year as one life, as one part from the Heart Sutra in a Nordic Cycle: \n Form is equal to emptiness as emptiness is equal to form; \n Form itself is empty and emptiness is form; \n So also feeling, knowledge, formation and consciousness. \n Thus Shariputra, all Dharmas are empty of characteristics. \n They are not made, nor destroyed, nor defiled and they are not pure; \n And they neither increase nor diminish. \n There is no form, feeling, cognition, formation, or consciousness; \n no eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, or mind; \n no sights, sounds, smells, tastes, objects of touch, or Dharmas.", "25" ], [ "The introduction by the biographer start with: \n As long as I exist, there have been story tellers in my life. At home, \n at school, in the synagogue, in the Church, in books, in the classics \n of antiquity, in the Tanakh - the Bible of Judaism - and in the Talmud, I \n have heard of the experiences of the great storytellers. Next to my \n mother, the most influential storytellers in my life are: Jesus of \n Nazareth as the Christ in the New Testament of the Christian Bible, \n Siddhartha Gautama as Buddha, Muhammad as the Prophet and \n Messenger of God in the Islamic faith, Vyasa as writer of the \n Mahabharata - the story of India, Homer the poet and singer of the \n Iliad and the Odyssey, and Rumi or better Jalal al-Din the poet of \n amongst others Masnavi. \n Before I met Narrator in Istanbul, an extraordinary mathematician was \n the most wonderful storyteller in my life. With only a suitcase, he \n travelled from friend to friend for a few days home. Regularly he \n stayed several nights with me in Amsterdam. He recounted about the \n difference between finiteness and infinity, about prime numbers, sets \n and zero. As a welcome gift he always gave me some of his books on \n mathematics that he exchanged against a few technical books from my \n bookshelfs. At our parting he always sincerely asked if I didn't mind \n that he had to leave now. \n Narrator, I saw for the first time in the Su leyman mosque in Istanbul \n where he welcomed me with: \"Here, Air and Earth are one\". I replied: \n \"This, that we are now\", whereby he swirled with rustling clothes. \n So true, reading the biography of the frictive life of the main character that includes four incarnation as child soldier in Africa, idol in Amsterdam, a man without qualities in the mirror palaces of secret services and wandering monk before he began the quest to \"Who are you - a survey into our existence\".", "6" ] ]

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[ [ "The Interdependency, an Empire of humans held together by the Emprox, Parliament, Church and Merchant Guilds with a web of dependent systems. All of these are sustained by the Flow an extradimensional system of oneway routes between systems. Can Cardenia the freshly minted Emprox take the reigns in a time when stability might only be an illusion?", "135" ], [ "A lovely alterative History/Steam Punk novel set in the year 1813. \n England is at war with Bonaparte and Arabella a young English woman born in the English Colony on Mars goes on a desperate journey to save her family.", "167" ], [ "I really love this world. \n Consider: A millennia old elven empire with a patriarchal, two class society divided in the center by an unbridgeable river. East of this river is the old realm with Houses rich from manufacturing and selling silk. West of the river mining was the main source of income for centuries, but in the younger history companies that builds airships and clockwork guilds sprouted and provide much of the revenue. In this environment a philosophical movement evolved that seems to me like a mix of Marx and Nietzsche and sows discontent. It was conquered by the east somewhen in the past. \n The Empire is in a war against a tribal empire in the north - Mongols *hust- to the west is a Goblin realm where the mother of our protagonist was from. \n Now the Emperor his heir and two of his spares die in a airship explosion and Maia, half goblin half elf ascents to th throne and is met with racial bias. From there the story evolves into a beautiful mix of a coming off age story and a tale of court intrigue with a side of a diverse cast of female and male characters.", "19" ], [ "I am torn whether I liked it or not... but that migh be a general problem of this genre. It wants to disturb and does a wonderful job at it. I is a rather fast read partly because it is only about 200 pages and partly because it is well written. \n You follow a female biologist in an all female expedition into Area X, an area lost to humanity 30 years ago.", "134" ], [ "The Magic is better drawn than in Jim Butcher's Dresden Files: Ghoul Goblin, but I recommend to all of you who had not yet the opportunety to read Turn Coat to not read the last page or otherwise be warned that it contains a mayor Spoiler. \n A quick Sidenote: There is a Penal in whitch we are sopposed to see Thomas wrecking havoc on Harry's appartment and it has a Flatscreen-TV in it...I mean really he doesn't even have electrics...", "187" ], [ "I love the Sejic art of the first chapter but sadly it isn't all Sljic, but the rest of the art is ok... the story continues Tom Judge's quest for \"making the universe how it should be\" and the Ballance has to ballance things out. I liked it", "36" ], [ "Altered Carbon is a SF noir murder mystery featuring a male protagonist trying to solve the apparent suicide of his rich and influential Client. \n THE WORLD \n It is the 26th century. The human race has found a way to store human personalities inside a 'stack' (an implant on the base of the skull). The penalties for crimes are being on storage for the length of the sentence. After this you might get a new body or your old one if you are lucky. This procidure is called resleeving and catholics dont permit it because a stack cannot hold the soul. Earth has set up colonies and is enforcing its protectorate by a miitary organisation called envoys. Envoy soldiers were needlecast (there personalities datatransmitted in some sort of faster than light sortofway) into synthetic bodies to fight, decive and kill. Takeshi Korvacs was an envoy. \n THE CAST \n Takeshi Korvacs: Ex-Envoy, Investigator, Fellon \n Kristin Ortega: Lieutenant of Bay City PD, Body Damage Division \n Laurence Bancroft: Client, Meth, Businissman \n Miriam Bancroft: His Wife \n Curtis: Bancrofts Driver \n Kadmin: Hitman \n Hendrix: Hotel-AI \n Railin Kawahara: Businesswoman, Ex-Yakusa", "159" ], [ "why does forcare and fuego look the same? one is pure force the other should be red fire(it playes after fool moon so neither hell- nor soulfire influenced), but both ar depicted as a white-blue beam of light(?)...", "42" ], [ "In the year 2301 in a world where telepaths are a highpaid minority and premeditated murder is history a CEO strives to kill his economical achrnemesis. \n It masterfuly discripes the struggle in and between the chracters of the book.but it also relies on an outdated freudian psychology.", "170" ], [ "Jim Butcher creates in his shorts equally funny, thrilling, exiting and sometimes heartbreaking tales. Some are a little rough - part of his earliest works. \n I especially liked the beertales and the two stories from a different perspective. I am excited to get my hands on Brief Cases as soon as they hit the shelves.", "166" ], [ "It is an very slow book. The plot purls its way slowly throu the life of the 15 year old Mori in her new school. Mori reads a lot (between 5 and ca 10 books a week) and gives you her oppinion on nearly each of the books. In school she is a pariah as she is a welsh middleclass girl and nearly all other girls are english upperclass. \n On Fairies and MagicI like the concept of the fairies in this book as they are sleightly out of phase and are most of the times not able to interact with the physical world. They are magical creatures and can do magic which indiretly arrange things.This brings us to magic. Most of the magic done in this book is indirect and deniable like when they are throwing flowers in a pool and on the next day the factory near it shuts down. In the end there also are some enhantments (protectionstones), evocations (spears and fire), alterations (cane and fire) and illusions but even they may be unseen to an unbeliever. \n This rises the question: is it all in her head? I'd say no for mainly one reason: the fairy-cane. \n Some fun facts: Jo was born in the same year (Mori is 6 month older), and lived in the same towns, does not speak about the school where she made her O levels, read a lot of SF/F as a teenager and she writes a collum about classic SF/F for Tor.com", "31" ], [ "Soulless is a nice gengre mix of Urban-Fantasy-Romance and Steampunk/alternate History. It's deficides is a rather forseeable conclution to the mystery. But it has witty dialoges, some quite steamy ;) scenes and a bunch of adorable sidecharacters.", "152" ] ]

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[ [ "I am traumatized and at times repulsed by this book, but I can't put it down. Celebrating its 20th anniversary, this Vietnam War story draws you in and demands your attention. An important read if you want a taste of war.", "98" ], [ "Sometimes our bodies simply need to rest and restore. This is a wonderful resource filled with photos demonstrating various restorative yoga poses. Restorative Yoga is mostly done on the floor with props. Your body will thank you for this book, I promise.", "156" ], [ "Often called the father of modern day yoga, Krishnamacharya's teachings live on through his son and author Desikachar. This valuable title is designed for a home practitioner, and even includes Krishnamacharya's translation of the Yoga Sutras Of Patanjali. This is one of my first, most highly recommended resources.", "60" ], [ "I love this book and I refer to it often. I especially like the chapter on pranayama, Peggy Cappy simplifies challenging breathing techniques. I'm also thrilled with the photographs depicting chair modifications for some of the most common yoga poses. Peggy Cappy also has a popular PBS yoga series entitled, Yoga for The Rest of Us.", "156" ], [ "This modern take on Hamlet is steeped in tragedy. Born mute, speaking only in sign, Edgar Sawtelle leads an idyllic life with his parents on their farm in remote northern Wisconsin. For generations, the Sawtelles have raised and trained a fictional breed of dog whose remarkable gift for companionship is epitomized by Almondine, Edgar's lifelong friend and ally. Edgar seems poised to carry on his family's traditions, but when catastrophe strikes, he finds his once-peaceful home engulfed in turmoil.", "34" ], [ "This is another great read if you are interested in making healthy lifestyle changes. She is a medical doctor and shares her knowledge and insight throughout the book. The forward was written by her mentor and my favorite, Dr. Andrew Weil.", "174" ], [ "Eve Dallas is a strong, dedicated, independent NYC homicide detective in the year 2058. While investigating multiple murders, she finds herself annoyingly attracted to her main suspect, a billionaire named Roarke. Robb weaves her magic and makes this futuristic mystery believable and ends with a twist that you do not see coming.", "85" ], [ "Caterer Goldy Schulz enjoys her new gig preparing breakfasts for a lucrative law firm, until the night she arrives late and finds Dusty, the firm's paralegal, dead. \n While catering a party at the home of one of the firm's lawyers, Goldy overhears an incriminating conversation and also discovers a few tasty clues in the kitchen. Before long, Goldy finds herself knee-deep in suspects, and one of them is incredibly dangerous.", "29" ], [ "I was looking for a cozy mystery audiobook to listen to in my car that won't cause me to slam on the brakes when the going gets tough. This title fits the bill perfectly. \n Another helping of murder, mayhem and mouthwatering mystery from the acclaimed author Joanne Fluke. In this story, a monster celebrity lifestyle expert is found murdered at Hannah Swensen's bakery.", "182" ], [ "In this book, Thich Nhat Hanh emphasizes the power of mindfulness to transform our lives. \"Mindfulness is not an evasion or an escape,\" he explains. \"It means being here, present, and totally alive. It is true freedom--and without this freedom, there is no happiness.\" \n I must admit, I absorb everything this remarkable monk writes. I highly recommend any of his titles to those looking for happiness in the present moment.", "156" ], [ "Augie Silver is a successful Key West artist whose work brings a decent price at the finer New York galleries. Then Augie, an avid sailor, disappears into the Carribean. Augie's agent organizes a retrospective exhibit of the Silver collection and the value of Augie's art goes through the roof, prompting the painter's friends to realize that the pictures hanging on their walls, largely gifts from their pal Augie, are now worth a fortune. But, hold everything--Augie is alive! Soon Arnie's life is in danger again--this time from someone trying to protect his or her investment.", "29" ], [ "Carl Hiaasen is more than just an outstanding mystery writer. He is also a comic genius! From his brilliantly black-humored debut with Tourist Season to the scalpel-sharp satire of Skin Tight, Carl Hiaasen's first three Florida-based thrillers create a whole new category of crime fiction. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. ~ Kim", "124" ], [ "If you love audiobooks, you'll love this title. Evie O'Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City. The only catch is Evie has to live with her Uncle Will, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult--also known as \"The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies.\" \n When a rash of occult-based murders comes to light, Evie and her uncle are right in the thick of the investigation. And through it all, Evie has a secret: a mysterious power that could help catch the killer--if he doesn't catch her first.", "85" ], [ "Can't vacation at the beach this summer? Try reading Skin Tight by Carl Hiaasen for a quick coastal getaway. Skilled at balancing hard-boiled mysteries and humor, the author enjoys poking fun at excess in south Florida while romanticizing the beautiful beach backdrop. This amusing story is teaming with ripoff artists, crooked cops, nude sunbathers and corrupt politicians. It all starts with an incompetent Mafia-connected plastic surgeon with butterfingers, a bitchy Hollywood starlet, a remarkably inept hit man and a pompous TV journalist nationally famous for getting beaten up on camera. This is the first title in the Nick Stranahan mystery series.", "67" ], [ "Henrietta Lacks was a poor tobacco farmer who died of cancer at a young age. Scientists worldwide know her as HeLa. Her cells--taken without her knowledge--became the first \"immortal\" human cells grown in culture. HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer, viruses, and the atom bomb's effects. Henrietta's cells helped lead to important advances like in vitro fertilization, cloning, gene mapping; and have been bought and sold by the billions. Sadly, Henrietta Lacks remains virtually unknown, buried in an unmarked grave; her descendants live in poverty.", "183" ], [ "\"TRUE! nervous, very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad?\" And so begins \"The Tell-Tale Heart\" by Edgar Allan Poe. The images and characters that Poe presented are still captivating today. Known for his dark, gothic themes, Poe's work was hugely influential to the short story, horror, and mystery, and genres.", "82" ], [ "I loved this book! Written in poetic style, this extremely short and concise title provides a simple universal guide for the practice of sitting quietly and being yourself. Meditation teaches us to accept life, meet pain, age gracefully, and die without regret. The book encourages sitting quietly every day.", "156" ], [ "I'm handing out Playing for Pizza on World Book Night, and I wanted to read it first. Apparently, John Grisham was in Bologna doing research for The Broker when he met an Italian football player-American football that is, and a brilliant story was born. \n Rick Dockery was cut from his third-string position as quarterback for the Cleveland Browns, and became a national laughingstock overnight. He's all washed up in the NFL, and the Canadians won't touch him either. \n But all Rick knows is football. Against enormous odds, Rick finally lands a job--as the starting quarterback for the Mighty Panthers of Parma, Italy.", "71" ], [ "Ryder is the toughest Montgomery brother. He's surly and unsociable, but when he straps on a tool belt, no woman can resist. \n As the former manager of a D.C. hotel, Hope is used to excitement and glamour, but she prefers the joys of small-town living. With her at the helm, the Boonsboro Inn is finally taking off. Unfortunately, her big-city past is about to make an unwelcome appearance. \n Watching Hope's vulnerability stirs up Ryder's emotions and makes him realize that while Hope may not be perfect, she just might be perfect for him...", "29" ], [ "Alli Tucker separated from her husband after eight years of marriage and a baby. She firmly believes Sam still holds onto his adolescent love for her beautiful, super-model sister, Tessa. Alli still desperately loves Sam but is no longer willing to be \"second place\" in his heart. \n When Alli and Tessa's grandmother suffers a stroke, Tessa returns to the small town and the dramatic conflict begins. Sam is torn between his commitment to Alli and their daughter Megan, and the memories of his unfulfilled love for the gorgeous Tessa. \n This classic romance had well-developed characters, a beautiful coastal setting, and a happy ending.", "191" ], [ "Written by one of the world's leading geneticists from Oxford University, Bryan Sykes has helped thousands find their ancestry in the British Isles. This book resulted from a ten-year DNA survey of more than 10,000 volunteers, and traces the true genetic makeup of the British Isles and its descendants. Starting with ancient paleolithic and mesolithic findings, Sykes takes readers from the Pontnewydd cave in North Wales to the resting place of \"The Red Lady\" of Paviland, to the legend and tomb of King Arthur.", "135" ], [ "Yes, I've read the Stephanie Plum series, and I laughed out loud with each book. In this story, Stephanie Plum finally lands an assignment that could put her financially ahead-for once. Geoffrey Cubbin is facing trial for embezzling millions from Trenton's \n premier assisted-living facility, but he has mysteriously vanished from the hospital \n after an emergency appendectomy. Now it's up to Stephanie to track down the con \n man. Unfortunately, Cubbin has disappeared without a trace, a witness, or his \n money-hungry wife. If you like Stephanie Plum and her crazy cast of characters, you'll enjoy this latest book from the series.", "33" ], [ "Author Juliet Marillier uses Celtic legends to tell the story of a young woman's sacrifice for the sake of those she loves and her own discovery of unexpected joy in the midst of sorrow. Marillier's comprehensive knowledge of Celtic paganism and early Irish Christianity adds texture to this rich and vibrant fantasy novel.", "175" ], [ "I grabbed this book at the library hoping for a quick, fun read. I wasn't disappointed. Set on the Carolina coast, this contemporary romance was heavy on the local culture, including shag dancing, and light on the sensuality. This was a perfect weekend read that left me smiling and dreaming of cool ocean breezes. Enjoy.", "108" ], [ "Wicked Business by Janet Evanovich is just as hilarious as her Stephanie Plum novels. This new mystery stars one of Stephanie's old friends, Diesel, and a new cast of characters. This series focuses on the paranormal, and reminds me of Jayne Ann Krentz's Arcane Society series-it's all good. A fast, fun read.", "85" ], [ "Susan Elizabeth Phillips is one of the best romance writers around. She sticks closely to the romance genre and writes with a quick wit and hilarity. Her characters come alive and develop at an even, natural place. The Great Escape is a fun, lighthearted romance worth reading.", "53" ], [ "A mystery author that writes in the third person. How great! I was confused by the first person internal monologue though, and now I know why IM should be italicized. \n The plot was awesome. I'm impressed with the way she weaved the different subplots through villain, victim, and investigator's POV. \n It was a fun, quick-paced story, and a great read. I'm going to start at the beginning of this series and see what it's all about. :)", "179" ], [ "FBI Agents Dillon Savich and Lacey Sherlock must discover whether Savich's sister Lilly's car crash was a suicide attempt, or a murder conspiracy to gain her extremely valuable paintings. \n After Dillon's friend, art broker Simon Russo, reveals that four of the paintings are forgeries, Lily finds herself hypnotized, mugged, caught in a fire, chased onto a cliff and kidnapped. \n Another exciting title in the Sherlock and Savich FBI thriller series. Catherine Coulter is one of my favorite authors to read while I put together a first draft. She brilliantly weaves mystery and suspense together and her grammar style is flawless.", "182" ] ]

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[ [ "I wish I could say I liked this book, but I just didn't. Perhaps because according to their standards I'm not an 'ethical' vegan, I'm an 'enviro' vegan. I also live in Paris... I know this city like my back pocket, and still find eating out difficult. I can tell you, you will most likely succumb to Peter Singer's \"Paris exception\" knowingly or unknowingly. Here, there is mayo, cheese, milk and butter in strange places, lentilles are usually boiled in beef stock, etc. As far as \"accommodating restaurants\" in Paris, hmmmm, they are few and far in between. And I speak French. One waiter told me, \"This is not Burger King 'have it your way'\" which I found extra odd since we don't even have Burger King here (?). \n Then came the chapter on 'Enviro-veganism', which the authors call a \"fundamental misunderstanding of what veganism is\", and, \"we'd be swimming against a strong tide to suggest that anything done for environmental reasons is somehow not something done for a good reason.\" Indeed. Very strong tide. Where will we all live, humans and non-humans, if we ruin the planet? What will we eat? What about clean water? This, in my mind, discredited the entire book, hence the one star (and only because that one star means \"I didn't like it\", otherwise it would be zero stars). \n Also, I did not like the sentence \"that hot little black 'fuck me' dress'\" as that has some very foul implications to it. I live in Paris : I have an entire closet full of LBDs (little black dresses). None of them with the aim for that sort of attention.", "51" ], [ "The first two thirds of the book were utterly depressing to read ; misery upon misery... Then, it seemed the moral of the story was that the only way out of this misery was criminality. Then, the story turned again, and the moral of the story was to collectively organize and that politics is the answer. Very good book, and not as outdated as many wish it was when it comes to how our food is produced. If you eat industrial burgers, hot dogs etc, I'd read it and think about it every time before taking a bite...", "41" ], [ "I'm a big fan of Mimi ! She is an inspiration and I very much like her outlook on life. As for the recipes, I like many of them but do not use a dehydrator oven as I don't want to use electricity for hours just to make my food. I like most of my stuff raw anyway, so no need to heat or bake to make it taste like the 'real' thing (pizza crust etc).", "65" ], [ "I liked it, but more so in the beginning then towards the end. But that's quite common isn't it... The first few chapters were moving, but then it sort of reads like a commercial for their charity: promising fulfillment in life through the selfish gratification one gets by extending a hand. Which is a good selfish feeling, as it actually does good at the same time. But you do not strive to help others because you want to find meaning in an empty life, or because you long to be a \"role-model\". It's just a way of life", "120" ], [ "Repetitive of the first book and no structural framework presented for social businesses; it should be better supported if we are to be convinced it's the future of capitalism. You can argue better than that!", "109" ], [ "As Gennevieve Sevrin wrote me when adhering, \"Avoir des opinions est une chose. Savoir les transformer en engagement est beaucoup plus rare.\" \n \"Having opinions is one thing. Knowing how to transform them into commitment is much more rare.\"", "115" ], [ "Very interesting discourse regarding the importance of positioning. A product cleverly marketed, even of inferior quality, well packaged and peddled, can be perceived as an item of luxury and a must-have.. Interesting to note how consumers are overly cheap in some areas, to be able to overspend in others. I'm sure you'll find you do the same.", "115" ], [ "Age old discourse that is unfortunately not yet out-dated... The essay deals with the chauvinist assumption that nature is responsible for female \"inferiority\". Reed argues that it is the patriarchal class society that has forced women to \"preoccupy herself with her maternal functions at the expense of the higher values developed in the course of social life.\" I for one fail to see how being the reproducing half of human nature could be inferior; but being cut off from a social life in the process could definitely be considered a handicap. And, yes, this came about by the introduction of the patriarchal class society and it's worship of the 'nuclear' family.", "93" ], [ "Unfortunately a bit outdated, as it was published in 1993; a lot has happened to Yugoslavia since. The potential military intervention discussed did occur, the war has ended, Macedonia, Montenegro and Kosovo has also split from Yugoslavia (which is now really only Serbia). But the book is a good historical background of the crises, covering the earlier revolution, the time of Tito, and roots of the conflict.", "8" ], [ "Not what I expected. From the title I thought it would deal more specifically with fashion, cosmetics, and branding: how businesses create and market an inferiority complex to then feed upon, by showing what perfection is thought to be and what a woman can and should buy (lips, boobs, make-up, creams) to attain this. A few of the letters did deal with these topics, but most stray off the subject and tend to discuss marriage..", "66" ], [ "Very repetitive... And not nearly as fun, fierce or naughty as I had expected. Just a lot of pinche pendejo gabacho and other vocabulary fillers my El Salvadorian friends at high school already taught me...", "2" ], [ "Too much prowling into the history of a family that should be allowed privacy. Digging through every aspect of their family history will not make anyone any wiser.. It seems as though the book tries to explain the \"making of\" a monster. The name Bin Laden has been overly tarnished already. It is so much more than one man, it's as good as a clan; and the one black sheep (that might just as well be a convenient scape-goat and not an actual culprit) is not a good representation of the entire family.", "157" ], [ "I suggest a change of last name if it imposes on your life as much as you claim. Your daughter doesn't seem to mind; her wanna-be pop-star tag-line and claim to fame is \"Osama's niece\"..", "153" ], [ "Read it! Then act on it. Due to a recent Supreme Court reject of the case, he might not be \"live\" much longer. Write a letter to President Obama, ask for his executive clemency! If you need help writing that letter, send me a mail and I will send you a letter to draw from.", "88" ], [ "Haden's perception of the night differ significantly from mine, but the book is great fun; I can depict the expressions on my old boss' face at the door... My favorite stories are of Chic and the horse for halloween ;-)", "152" ], [ "Where are the Tommie Smith's and John Carlos' of our day? When professional athletes are so much more in the spotlight, and hence enjoy greater access to the media and have greater importance in young peoples lives. Role models because of their physical shape and expertise should take their social obligations further, and speak out on behalf of their fans. Not just reap the personal (often financial) rewards of their positions.", "71" ], [ "Sad, sad life, that of a gang banger in LA. Not much depth to the book, just tales of killings and juvenile hall followed by prison. The usual path for people in Monster Kody's entourage. Surprising note: we went to the same high school (!). Though he only lasted a few days.", "31" ], [ "Yet another book on gang banging life in LA. Though this one had more thought to it. The fact that he was still executed appalled many, but his eloquent writing aside; this does not change the fact that he helped bring about a youth 'movement' that destroys many many lives... I can relate to the fact that he changed in jail; that he grew up and realised all the damage he had caused. But too late in the machinery called the US Government Penal System..", "129" ], [ "I like when the author points out that all girls in the murdered ex-wife's family have fake boobs but none have a college education (!). Quite the tell-tale sign of what they find important...", "165" ], [ "Great book! Explains why I got such bad grades in US History... The teacher did not pay attention (rather chose not to) when I pointed out what we were being taight did not match what I'd been taught in Europe.. It is appalling to read all the lies students in the US are being fed on a daily basis. Text books are slanted to make them appear the hero in every situation; this book uncovers a bit of the nonsense.", "8" ] ]

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[ [ "Caitlin is a columnist for the 'The Times of London'. I didn't know anything about her until the title of her book caught my attention. \"How to Be a Woman\" I thought, \"well I'm a woman, hmmm how can I be what I am\". Meaning I'm her target audience. \n The first chapter was difficult to get through. Caitlin was talking, in a somewhat off color humor, about her trials and tribulations, growing up poor, with five siblings, a hippie mom and a father who was trying to be a good father. The book is more a memoir then any kind of manifesto. \n Caitlin has a unique way in addressing some unpleasant issues. She isn't directly addressing the Pink Tax and isn't clearly stating that we women are taking all of this, lying down; instead Caitlin is posing the questions of why? \n \"So. Yes. We're all dying. We're all crumbling into the void, one cell at a time. We are disintegrating like sugar cubes in champagne. But only women have to pretend it isn't happening. Fifty-something men wander around with their guts flopped over their waistbands and their faces looking like a busted tramp's mattress in an underpass. They sprout nasal hair and chasm-like wrinkles, and go 'Ooof!' whenever they stand up or sit down. men visibly age, every day -- but women are supposed to stop the decline at around 37, 38, and live out the next 30 or 40 years in some magical bubble where their hair is still shiny and chestnut, their face unlined, their lips puffy, and their tits up on the top third of the ribcage.\" \n I would have given her four stars but the off color humor made me cringe at times and as I stated the book is more a memoir than a manifesto.", "139" ], [ "Tina Fey is a comedian and actress. I mainly know for her because of her impression of Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live back in 2008. \n Tina's book Bossypants, it is more a personal memoir than an autobiography. It's sometimes funny, sometimes self-deprecating, sometimes empowering. \n The strength of the book were the few times she addresses gender-bias barricades she and other female writers and comedians have had to overcome. I particularly like the career advice she gives.. \n \"This is what I tell young women who ask me for career advice. People are going to try to trick you. To make you feel that you are in competition with one another. \"You're up for a promotion. If they go for a woman, it'll be between you and Barbara.\" Don't be fooled. You're not in competition with other women. You're in competition with everyone.\" \n She also talked about her conflicted feelings about parenting versus work but I didn't speak to me \n Overall the book left me with nothing other the above career advice. Sure, I learned a lot about Saturday Night Live and many parts just appeared to be SNL material re-packaged. Hence, if you aren't a fan of Tina Fey already, after reading her book you certainly knew more about her meaning her fans didn't get much additional insights.", "153" ], [ "Beth Moore is a prolific bible teacher and women's ministry leader. Her target audience are christian women or women of faith and I qualify by 50 percent. \n The title of the book intrigued me. If I would have known who Beth Moore was I wouldn't have picked out the book, I'm glad I did. \n I really like the book until Beth writes in the second chapter how she went on a walk with her I-pod and god answer her questions. Through her Ipod???? \n I put the book away but after a few days I went back and each time Beth wrote \"god spoke to me etc. I instead read \"my gut feeling\". I replaced prayers with \"manta\", ask god for strength with \"find the strength within you\", and so on. \n I really like the part when Beth addresses all the insecurities in the scripts. In addition it was refreshing to hear her say over and over how women should unite and stand together and not let our insecurities tear us and our friendships apart. \n Lost of really good information Four Stars because Beth just preached to much for my liking.", "190" ], [ "Kate White the former Cosmopolitan editor-in-chief, raised two children and I believe wrote twelve novels and four nonfiction books. \n Her book \"I Shouldn't be Telling Your This\" is written in a reference style, broken down in three sections related to success: how to get it, how to go big with it, and how to savor it. In addition, each chapter had bullet points and breaks down the key concepts for you. \n It's broken down in three chunks related to success: how to get it, how to go big with it, and how to savor it. Each chapter has bullet points, breaking down key concepts. Makes it a very fast read and easy to remember the most important bits of information, and there are plenty of important bits. \n This book isn't about being successful at your job or have a stellar career, it is about having a successful life.", "186" ], [ "Shonda Rhimes' is the creator of 'Grey's Anatomy' and 'Scandal'. She starts her book by describing her family dynamics, her being the youngest with two older brothers and three older sisters, she, being the youngest entertained herself in the kitchen pantry, growing up. \n Shonda Rhimes an introverted, obsessive, workaholic control freak realized her sister was mumbling \"you never say yes to anything\" on a Thanksgiving morning while chopping carrots. So one morning between this infamous Thanksgiving and Christmas, in the bottom of a glass of red wine Shonda remembers her sister's words and sets out to change it all. She sets out to confront her fears and for a full year she embraces every new opportunity and experiences. \n At one point Shonda writes \"Losing yourself does not happen all at once. Losing yourself happens one no at a time;\" in the end she realises it also happens with one yes at the time, the key is balance. As she states \n \"Happiness comes from living as you need to, as you want to. As your inner voice tells you to. Happiness comes from being who you actually are instead of who you think you are supposed to be.\"", "183" ], [ "Scribbling on a notepad \"joie de vivre est l'art de vivre\" as I take another bit out of my hamburger, flipping to the next page of this book. There is much we learned from the French, much we forgot in our fast paced American Lifestyle. This book will bring you back and center. \n It reads like sitting cross legged on the floor with your best friend, two giant pizzas, two bottle of the best red wine your current money situation can afford and the realization you have to get up in five hours because you thought it would be a great idea to run a 5K race on a Saturday morning. Your best friend is there to humor you. You know she only agreed because of your \"depths of your despair\". \n You savor each and every moment, comparing the trials and tribulations of times long gone to the once that lie ahead. The patient eyes of your friend ever so often looking over the the time on her phone. \n Memories are what we should hold most dear and this book will remind you, life cannot be enjoyed in the fast lane, slow down, breath live life slowly and you may discover you will accelerate the path to your dreams. \n This book can be your friend of the moment, helping in bring life to some long forgotten memories. \n Also, a great book to pick up if life has thrown you a curveball.", "193" ], [ "Over the last few days I started to read, Griftopia, The New Frugality, Fight for your Money and Life is what you made of it. \n The first three I could not finish. I'm not sure why. There was this somewhat angry undertone. Even in the book \"The New Frugality\" I didn't find the uplifting words I was looking for. The uplifting words I found in Peter Buffett's \"Life is what you Make It: Find Your Own Path to Fulfillment. \n Although, Peter Buffett is a musician he did a great job in bring the concepts together of what it means and what is needed to live a fulfilled life. \n A great book to read on a rainy day, at the coming end of summer with a hot cup of tea.", "193" ], [ "\"The girl who stood up for education and was shot by the taliban\". The words Malala brought down on paper still ring in my ears days after reading them. This is a book that tells the reader what it means to be a \"Good Muslim\" and when Malala tells the story of the Taliban coming into her valley, destroying the Buddha, which guarded the valley for hundreds of years. We need to remember Girolamo Savonarla, the Falo delle Vanita, and so many other dark moments in history, which had come before. We need to remember her words, full of hope, ambition and innocents. We lose the innocents, we become bitter due to the burden of our own guilt. This is a book of hope, hope for a better world after we leave.", "113" ], [ "The stories we create in our head - the monsters we store under our beds - the friends we keep out in the shed. \n Brene Brown has a unique and creative way explaining the turmoil in our head, not only during stressful situation but also the brain circus of everyday life. She bring her own experience to life. Her struggle with the concept of \"do people really always do the best they can\" is one of the many valuable example which provide much inside to the topic. \n We use language to explain our surrounding, the interpretation of these words will determine how we see the world and its inhabitants. Brene Brown goes one step further with \"the stories we create in our head\", because these stories are at times dominated by the monsters we thought had stored safely under our beds or the interpretation and meaning of the spoken words that don't mean the same for the listener. The monsters also keep us from being honest because they moved our friends out into the shed so they will not see us during these weak moments. \n Brene Brown calls this \"rumbling\" and we need to rumble to write our own story, don't be a character in our story be the author of your story.", "26" ], [ "One day in early May 1923, Charles Lindbergh's plane barely scraped above the tree tops surrounding Roosevelt Field on Long Island, NY and 33.5 hours later arriving at Le Bourget Field in Paris France changing the world forever. What I didn't realize until reading \"The Aviator's Wife\" was, this event change the news media as well. True it was the era of the \"Great Gatsby\". The peasant mentality which had dominated the western world for hundreds of years was dying, everyone had the chance to get a piece of the pie. The people, the news everything was changing and Charles Lindbergh was struggling with his newly found fame. Charles Lindbergh had risen Descartes from his grave and what he envisioned was taking fruit. The price paid by Charles Lindbergh's wife and children. The book is a perfect prelude to \"Gift from the Sea\".", "142" ], [ "I didn't know anything about Chris Kyle before I started reading this book. Then I heard about all the controversies surrounding him, and at last I found out there is a movie I haven't seen. \n I don't know what to say, the book was raw and honest, certainly far from politically correct and I'm glad I read it. I will have to watch the movie. I want to know if the movie will give me the same appreciated of his sacrifices as the book had done.", "52" ], [ "I came across a number of negative reviews for this book. A empirical physiologist by training has every right to be annoyed with a journalist trying to simplify things because that is what it is. \n The purpose of this book is simply to point out, trusting your gut instincts isn't always a bad idea. His opening story of the Getty Kouros is a good example. \n A book worth reading.", "58" ], [ "\"Wer nicht von dreitausend Jahren sich weiss Rechenschaft zu geben, bleib im Dunkeln unerfahren, mag von Tag zu Tage leben\" - Johann Wolfgang Goethe \n Simpler put \"not knowing your history is like a tree without roots\" \n Stacy Schiff is known for her extensive research and has won a number of awards. In, \"The Witches of Salem 1692\" Stacy Schiff brings the Salem of 1692 to life, in front of the readers eyes, a life so different to the one today. At times a little mockery slips through the authors detailed accounts of the time. How can it not, being under constant attack from either the French or Indian, the people of Salem where on edge and with limited information from the outside world it became the perfect breeding ground for mass hysteria. \n American history isn't my field but this book certainly helped me understand the psychology of mobs a little better. It appears there hasn't been a change since 1692.", "38" ], [ "I picked up this book, looking forward to something powerful and interesting, it wasn't. There was always the thought 'it will be more interesting on the next page' hence I was skipping through the book, jumping from page to page always searching for the powerful, interesting, enlightening epiphany I had hoped for but it never appear, not this time. At times we are searching for something big and overlook the beauty in the little things. This was the case there, the very thing the book had warned me about.", "18" ], [ "I read the book in one sitting, rapturously turning page after page, captivated yet dreading the well known bitter end. Though filled with all the nauseating cliches \"I can do anything if I have you with me\" or \"did you ever think it would be like this\". Paula McLain introduces Hadley Richardson, a woman we identify with, relate to. We read, we ask 'was it really like this' and if it was why then, dear heavens why?!?! \n Why? Because it is Hemingway. Hemingway once said: \"I would have rather died then fallen in love with Hadley Richardson\". \n Would we have Hemingway without Hadley Richardson?", "28" ], [ "I found this book rather interesting. It was a quick, light read, a lot of information packed into a few pages. Knowing rather little about the Nixon Administration, the story of Alexander Butterfield, White House his days. At first, I thought of Nixon as an odd person, then I noticed how he was dueled and driven by anger and revenge and as the book summarizes this anger was his administrations final demise. I found it somewhat scary to have the president of the free world harboring such a deep seated anger, out to seek revenge, paralleled with such an extreme paranoia.", "8" ], [ "I didn't care for the book. I tried, however the question/answer format could have been great but if the answer is always \"You're not really listening\" or \"You don't understand what I'm saying,\" it is not helpful. \n I didn't finish the book, maybe it wasn't the right time for me to read this book.", "151" ], [ "I was in awe. I read the book in two days, I laughed, I cried and in a stage of amazement watched the story unfold. I wouldn't have had the strength or guts to do what Laura did. It was an act of true courage and commitment. \n The book gave me a different perspective of the world that runs parallel along my own, I know it is there but close your mind and eyes in the sight of its horror. I want to fix it but lack the courage and understanding to do anything.", "99" ], [ "The good, the bad, and the ugly. The author, Dr. Chapman makes a strong case for the benefits of training your brain and continues learning no matter the age. Dr. Chapman also gives a sound explanation why multi-tasking has the same effect as information overload; both detrimental to the ability to think a thought to its end. \n But that was it. After chapter 3, I skimmed till chapter 9. Dr. Chapman has done great work and research however her writing style is almost infomercial like, dry, repetitive and to many references for the books website, www.makeyourbrainsmarter.com, which I did visit after chapter 9. There under Exercises and Tips everything is nicely outlined, hence I didn't finish the book.", "75" ], [ "Read it. Trust me you won't put it down \n Pulls you in quickly and then drags on for a while while it develops the characters and era. Slater Roxton was a great hero, and a wonderful counterpart to Ursula Kern, a top notch heroine. He is an archaeologist and she is the owner of a secretarial agency. A strong woman who get paired with equally strong man who, eventually, will learn how to work with such a woman and appreciate her abilities.", "45" ], [ "I started Gladwell's \"The Tipping Point\" and his approaches to framing ideas and his style of writing wasn't to my liking. \"David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants\" was different, very different. \n Maybe it was my current frame of mind, my own battle with my own opposing giant. \n Needless to say, the book was difficult to step away from, and I finished it within a few busy days. \n The book has a lot of layers, intricacies, subtleties, and great stories. \n It's tempting to think of \"David and Goliath\" as a religious story, already understood. Though one should not forget their own preconceived ideas. Very quickly the book will surprise, with twists and turns in the stories that make one take a new direction and second look on current believes and ideas that may not be as valid as we thought them to be.", "80" ], [ "After Freakonomics and Superfreakonomics, \"Think Like a Freak\" is the 101 on how to see through your every day brain fog no matter how alert you think you are. The book provides a new way in problem solving. Maybe not so entirely new. Still, it provides you the supporting data of why it is sometimes best to put away your moral compass. It actually will give some closure to the Freaks out there, realizing they were not all that wrong. \n In addition you will learn about the Australian doctor who swallowed a batch of dangerous bacteria, the odds of penalty kicks, and many more interesting odds and facts.", "49" ] ]

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