Datasets:

pppereira3

/

categ_classfication_roberta_remainder.hf

like 0

This starts out as a rich, tragic, and almost allegorical story, and while I feel it lost momentum about two-thirds through (which also might have been my fault because I put it down for a couple of days), it's a terrific story and an excellent read. Easter is such an interesting character, and she walks through this story with an anger, sadness, and resignation that could be seen as emblematic of her generation; but it is also so specific to her as a woman, which is the only way a story like this can work. It can't only be a representation, and McFadden knows this, so she gives us a woman who is full and deep and unique, but who also carries the burden of Black womanhood during a time when being neither was easy (not that it's easy now...). In the first third of the book, I drew some comparisons to Jerzy Kosinski's The Painted Bird, primarily because of the way the narrator watched Easter experience horror, and because of the graphic nature of the horrors themselves. The story moves away from this a bit as Easter becomes a more specific character, a real woman within the world of the story. I'm glad of this turn, though it would have also been interesting to see her as a figurehead for the horrors of the time. If I could wholeheartedly recommend anything about this book, it's the narration by Alfre Woodard. I don't think I'd even need to say anything more than it's narrated by Alfre Woodard, because she's pretty amazing, but I'll tell you that whatever amazing narration you're imagining her doing, it's even better. Her voice is low and strong, melodious, and perfect. And her white-woman voice reading Meredith is per-fect-ion.

This book--a book about grieving for her husband after his death of a heart attack in 2003--is exactly what I'd expected from an introspective writer like Didion. It is part memoir, part investigation into the science, the biology of grief, part history of the human grieving process, and part eulogy to John, her husband. Didion is constantly making connections between and among her observations and experiences, and this book, steeped in a specific event with specific, visible effects, illustrates beautifully the way her mind works. However, Didion is likely not for everyone, and this book is certainly not without issues. She writes from a place of white upper-middle-class privilege, and this perspective, which is not relatable, is visible on every page and with each of her moves. Instead of staying with friends in Los Angeles when her daughter is in the hospital, she stays in the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. For weeks. The thought of the bill made me sweat a little. She name drops Hollywood directors, writers, and actors; she talks about her life in an ocean-front house in California, their family trips to Hawaii, Europe, and Asia, the trip her mother arranged for her to tour New York, Quebec, and Boston while Didion was on summer vacation from college at Berkley. She has not lived an "everyman" life, and that's what makes her who she is; but it also makes her a bit distant and hard to like. Her writing, though, is subtle, smart, and nearly perfect, and this is ultimately one woman's specific story of grief. For that, it's beautiful and worth reading.

I wanted to like this book so much more than I did. But I found it--while well written and quite funny in spots--just a surface-skimming collection of anecdotes that are not as well connected as I'd like them to be. Rae touches on a lot of interesting spots in her life--her early foray into chat rooms, her conflicts with being too black and not black enough as she moved from school to school--but none of the stories go very deep. She also leaves a couple of gaping holes in her narrative that drove me crazy when I realized she wasn't going to come back to them. There's a story she tells about lying to her boss and she makes the comment that the lie was something she'd come to regret for the rest of her life. That's a big statement, but she never explains it. She just leaves it there, not recognizing its significance, and never brings it up again. After I finished her book, I thought I might have missed something because I hadn't watched her web series; so I immediately binge-watched it. The series is excellent: well-written, funny, relatable. Rae is a talented writer with a great point of view, and she shines when she's putting her Awkward Black Girl in fictional settings surrounded by other characters. That just doesn't come through in her memoir, though. I'd loved to hear more about the start of the web series and her life at that time--how she developed it, how it went from simple to more complex as it gained popularity. But she doesn't talk much about that. As an audiobook it is successful in its narration. Rae narrates the book herself, and I love when writers do this for their own memoirs. Rae knows what she wants to emphasize; she knows what should be funny and what should be serious. Rae also has a great reading voice, and I could listen to her say "Senegalese" over and over again. If you're already a fan of her series, you'll likely enjoy the book. If you don't know who she is, just watch her series. It's really good.

I'd add a 1/2 star to this review for a total of 3.5 This is an interesting, creepy, and fun mix of true crime, local history (NYC), and popular science. Blum's chronological and elemental structure works well, and the through-line of having Norris and Gettler as characters grounds the book well. It's a great read for anyone interested in toxicology, forensic science, heavy metals, and murder. I didn't mind Coleen Marlo's narration, but she does an East Coast accent whenever she reads Gettler's letters, and it's really dorky. You've been warned.

#GIRLBOSS is a smart read. Amoruso's voice is clear and consistent, and a hell of a lot of fun. Her philosophy and advice are clear and down to earth, and above all she's selling the idea of hard work. There's nothing wrong with that. I hope that all of my female students read this and apply it; and, actually, I hope that all of my male students do, too. And I'm going to buy as many copies as possible to give out for Christmas this year.

I thought this book was going to knock my socks off, but it didn't. That's not to say it was bad or that I didn't like it. It's a well written and interesting book. But it was just something different--much more academically minded--than I'd been expecting. Lepore covers a lot of ground with this book, and a big chunk is spent on the American suffrage movement. Of course this is because women's suffrage is so closely tied to Wonder Woman's origin, and it's a fascinating and infuriating history. But, again, it was just not what I was expecting. Lepore narrates the audiobook herself, and I appreciated that. Her voice isn't the strongest reading voice (it's a little nasal), but I enjoyed the way she read her own book, especially the more personal writings of Marston and Holloway. She inserted a much needed dose of attitude into what felt, all around, a bit dry of a read.

I do not find it surprising that I loved this book. Poehler is able to write about her life, her career, her creativity, and her family in ways that are funny, moving, relatable, and poetic. She digs deep without revealing every inch of her life; she tells stories about motherhood that are wonderful to me, a reader who will never be a mother. (see, Gaffigan, writing about parenthood in very funny and universal way can be done.) She made me laugh out loud every few minutes, and I cried more than once at her stories and observations and, of course, when she played the audio of Leslie & Ben's wedding ceremony. Obviously this book gets my stamp of approval, but I will also strongly recommend that you listen to this audiobook. Poehler turns the audiobook experience into something new and exciting. She invites her parents, friends, icons, and creative collaborators into her "personal soundbooth" (that she built herself and that sits at the foot of Mount Rushmore). And frequently, they just sort of chat for a while. And it's not just the guests who appear in the audiobook; she interacts with them and with the material itself in a way that is quite a bit like a radio program. She and Parks and Recreation creator Mike Schur have some fantastic back-and-forth that simply could not be replicated on a page. Poehler and Seth Meyers also chat before Meyers reads the chapter he wrote for the book, and their conversation is the essence of a great friendship; their mutual respect and love for each other is palpable, and their comedic timing is gold. Poehler also uses multi-media to enhance the audiobook. She does what Tina Fey did with the Bossy Pants audiobook and plays clips from t.v. shows and sketches when they're relevant. But Poehler doesn't stop there: she reads the final chapter at the Upright Citizens Brigade Los Angeles theater in front of a live audience, which turns the experience into something else altogether, like a stand-up routine fused with a David Sedaris-esque book tour. And it's really great. It was also nice to have Poehler's voice in my head for about seven hours. She is so likable and funny, and her favorite show is my favorite show (Law & Order, only the greatest show in television history), and she is goofy and foul mouthed and just the person you want to befriend and have in your head. She talks early on in the book about how hard it is to write a book, but I'm so glad she did because her final product is so worth it.

This is not "a" great American novel; it's the great American novel. If you read this a while ago and are looking to revisit it, listen to Sissy Spacek narrate this audiobook--it's absolutely perfect.

I will only recommend this book to existing Tom Robbins fans--those who know his style and are fully aware that the man cannot write a straight sentence: a sentence without twisting and turning a dozen different times and laying down metaphor as thickly as he lays down the mayonnaise on one of his perfectly made tomato sandwiches. If you are a fan, then you'll enjoy how he can spin a yarn. I found the stories about his childhood the most interesting, but the stories about his mid-life (once he'd become an established literary writer) just plain self-indulgent. This may be because I'd just come off of reading Piper Kerman's Orange is the New Black for the second time, and the styles and moods of the two books could not be more different: Kerman's is a day-to-day account of surviving Federal prison, and Robbins's is a meandering path of anecdotes highlighting his literary, sexual, and hot-tubbing escapades. After Kerman's story (which is a terrific book, quite different and much less dramatic than the t.v. show), the Robbins book just felt gratuitous and silly. A note on the audiobook: Keith Szarabajka does a good job reading this. I've listened to Robbins narrate his own non-fiction (Wild Ducks Flying Backwards) and Szarabajka reads in a close enough style as Robbins to be an homage rather than a mimic. It's gravelly throated and nice.

Hot dog this is a good book! I don't use exclamation points lightly in my reviews (or ever), but I almost used two exclamation points in a row after that last sentence (yes, two). I am in absolute love with this book. Wouk creates an amazing world of both nuance and specificity so that I was fully on board the Caine destroyer but I never felt like the time period or setting was pushing itself too much. That's probably because this was a book written only a few years after the story was to have taken place (and based on Wouk's own wartime experiences). It's so much better than some over researched contemporary period piece that tries too hard (as I find many of them do). The ship itself is a character, and a very good one, and the finale of a tremendous war looms in the background. I can't go into detail about everything that makes this book great--because there are too many--but if you're a fan of stories that are character driven and claustrophobically tense with characters whose choices are morally ambiguous (oh, yeah, and there's courtroom drama [and a love story] too!), then this is the book for you. Not only are the story and characters compelling, but it was enjoyable to read a World War II book that wasn't about land battle in Europe. And since finishing, I have been diagnosing my coworkers as Queegs (which isn't good, I know, and really it's only been about three people [but they're total Queegs; trust me]). It's a long read, but you won't notice. I hated to see it end, and the morning after I'd finished it, I woke up so sad that I almost started it right up again. Kevin Pariseau does a solid narrating job--he's pleasant to listen to and moves smoothly from character to character.

Please add a half star to this rating. I started out slowly with this book, and I know why: I downloaded the e-book from the library, and the text copy includes breakdowns of each major character (there are a lot) at the start of the book, before the story begins. This was daunting; I felt that I needed to memorize all of the names and bios before I could even start the story. I finally got about halfway through (thanks to being stopped on the Metra for two hours one night in December and having ample reading time) but then put it down during the holidays. And there it sat, unread, for weeks, until a couple of weeks ago I made the decision (after finishing The Caine Mutiny and being in the listening mood for more WWII drama) to start over with the audiobook. And this was the best choice for me. The audiobook leaves out all of the clumsy bios and just starts the story. And it is really a good story. There are a lot of characters, but getting them in context rather than in an isolated list makes a huge difference. It's not really a thriller, but an academic adventure with elements of mystery and, of course, war. I loved getting first hand accounts through the men's letters home, and it was exciting to imagine each of them plodding across Europe to track down these treasures. The narrator, Jeremy Davidson, does a solid job and doesn't try too hard to make each character too distinct, which would have ended up with too many put-on and fake voices. His English accent, though, is weak, so luckily there are only a couple minor English characters. It's an emotional but quiet kind of adventure. I'm nervous that the movie will turn it into a wartime Ocean's Eleven and sex it up (this is not a sexy story). But I'll still watch it and laugh at Goodman chewing scenery.

I don't know why I waited so long to read this book, but thank god I finally did. It's a perfect book. Seriously. It's perfect. The story, the conflict, the character growth, the writing. Perfect. Most of the universe has read it, so I don't know what more I can say about it except that everyone, everywhere should read it. And then, they should probably read it again. It's beautiful and tragic and hopeful; it portrays women who are strong because of their circumstances and because of the support they receive from the other women in their lives, and who survive--who not only survive but who succeed. It is complex and difficult, but it is brilliant. It is proof that Alice Walker is one of the most talented writers of her generation. No. Of all time. Yep. I'm happy with that. She is one of the most talented and important writers of all time. Walker narrates this audiobook, and that's just an added bonus. I could listen to her read for another two thousand hours and never get tired of her voice. I am in love with Alice Walker because of this book, and I am a better reader, writer, and person because of it.

I'm just not that impressed by Christopher Moore, and this book was the decision maker for me. He's kind of the poor man's Tom Robbins: not as smart or as funny, and neither his characters nor his plots are ever as good. This book was, at times, interesting, though more so in theory than anything else. But Biff was just a little too "cute" and wise-cracky, and I never really got a true sense of Joshua/Jesus. The speculation was fun, and I liked the premise of raising Biff from the dead to complete this important gospel (although the story could have lived without most of the "present day" hotel scenes with Biff and the angel--they took cuteness to an even more irritating level than the idea of Jesus teaching yoga to an elephant). This book did, however, inspire me to learn more about the Bible. I'm not a religious person, but Moore's explanation in the Afterword about his research made me curious. So, maybe I'll do some research of my own. But I know that I won't be reading any more of Moore's novels.

I am so pleasantly surprised by this book, which, plainly stated, knocked my socks off. I was expecting something typically YA, and probably good. What I got was a terrifically imaginative story with a sophisticated and original narrative style and beautifully drawn characters. There is nothing black and white about this book, and there is nothing easy about this story. Oddly enough, though, it's absolutely easy to read because of Zusak's skill as a writer and as a storyteller. I played excerpts from the book for my creative writing class as illustrations of wonderful imagery (Hans playing the accordion in the kitchen, the mayor's wife's first appearance, Liesel's schoolyard fight), and I hope that my students will try to mimic Zusak's style in their own work (I know I will). The narrator, Allan Corduner, was also a joy. He was a bit of a mix between Jim Dale (I'm thinking The Night Circus) and Neil Gaiman (Specifically The Graveyard Book): soft, English, and a bit sinister when he needs to be. But, really, he's just smooth and wonderful to listen to. I will listen to this book again and again, and I will recommend it to everyone, especially any young readers in my life.

This was so good. I was reluctant to start a relationship with this 30 hour audiobook just a few days before the semester started, but I'm so glad I did. I liked this book for a bunch of reasons, and number one on my list is that it felt like true Stephen King to me, like the Stephen King I grew up reading. And not just because of the great story and likeable characters, but because the voice of Jake/George sounded a bit like King, the man, and the world of the novel--the past especially--felt as though we were viewing it directly through King's own memories. Although that's also in part why I'm not giving it five stars. Sometimes Jake/George sounded a little too much like King: not like a 35 year old English teacher but like a 66 year old fan of rock music from the '50s and '60s. There were no indicators that Jake was a big music buff during his "present" life, but once he gets to the past, he throws band names--popular and obscure--around like confetti. And knowing what I know about Stephen King, that felt much more like him than like his character. It's not bad, necessarily, but it felt a little like a cheat. One other complaint about Jake's character: he'd never used a rotary phone. Really? When the book begins, he's just a year younger than I am, and I used plenty of rotary phones when I was a kid. They weren't uncommon, especially in the '80s. Aside from that really, really picky comment of mine (sorry, I couldn't help myself), this is a great book. The concept is fascinating and the world is tremendously believable, due to King's extensive research. I felt as though I knew these historical characters and the cities and towns, which made the importance of what Jake/George was there to do--and the denouement--so much more intense. The narrator, Craig Wasson, was also great. He had a big job and he handled it perfectly. And I cried at the end. Kind of a lot, actually.

I'm not any great fan of Ernest Hemingway, which might be part of the reason I wasn't crazy about this book. McLain obviously knows how to write, but here she seems to be mimicking Hemingway's pared down style, making her narrator, Hadley, read as passive and, frankly, impotent. Hadley narrates what should be intensely emotional anecdotes--her father's suicide, the birth and life of her child, her husband's betrayals, and the breakup of her marriage--with dispassionate summary. It put up a wall between me and the character and, as a result, I skimmed through like I was reading newspaper headlines. I also got a bit tired of reading one paragraph describing how poor she and Hemingway were and how much they had to scrimp and sacrifice, and then a following paragraph describing her nanny and the extended vacations they took all over Europe. Yep. Poor people have nannies. There were some interesting bits, like hearing about the characters who inhabited France and the Hemingways' lives, and how Hemingway incorporated his friends into his fiction. But so much of it felt like pure conjecture (I'm thinking specifically of the italicized passages [huge passages of italics, ugh] of third-person p.o.v. from Papa Hem himself about encounters with vixens trying to seduce him away from his poor homely wife, and his early suicidal fascinations). I guess I'm not a fan of historical fiction for a reason--I'd much rather just read a solid history or biography instead of something with such pretense.

The Historian is a quiet, literary take on Dracula, and it's really enjoyable. Kostova gives us a story within a story within a story, done with books, letters, and in libraries across the world. She takes our characters to Amsterdam, the U.S., Romania, Wallachia, France, and Budapest. The story spans decades, and while our heroes--the historians, all--work in books, the Librarian himself is a villain. Dracula is real, charming, and deadly. The story is romantic. The ending is perfect. The audiobook is narrated by Justine Eyre (who I'd loved reading Lauren Beukes's Zoo City but who is just okay here [her English accent doing Barley is mediocre--odd because her South African accent in ZC was great]) and Paul Michael; and overall, it was great to listen to. Unabridged, it's over twenty-six hours, so it's an investment; but it's definitely worth your time.

Fey is a funny woman and a capable writer and this memoir was truly enjoyable to read, especially since this audiobook is narrated by Fey herself. I'm a fan of her SNL years and of 30 Rock, and it was great to hear about that, but her childhood, adolescence, and motherhood chapters were just as interesting. She's self-deprecating, honest, and down-to-earth, and that's endearing. She also comes up with just about the best curses and metaphors I've heard, and her dirty wit made me LOL a lot. In fact, I was LOLing all over the place. It's a quick (the audiobook was only about six hours) and very entertaining read, so pick it up.

I really enjoyed this. It wasn't exactly a mystery and it wasn't really a who-done-it, but the characters, dialogue, and setting were a lot of fun to get into. Also, the narrator was excellent. I'll keep old Peabody in mind if I need another retreat.

I read this with a book and writing club I was in about 1,000 years ago, and I remembered only today that I'd even read it. I think I thought it was fine. But it didn't stick out.

I read this for an African Autobiography class at UW, though it was my first year of school and I wasn't exactly a model freshman student...

Winchester choose a great topic, but he really failed on the delivery. His writing is unclear and not very exciting, especially for such a cool story. I found it ultimately disappointing.

A near-perfect collection of essays. Strongly linked through theme, though broad enough not to get redundant. Great sense of humor and very well written. So much better than her "Take the Canolli" collection, and raised the bar that her "Assassination Vacation" didn't quite meet.

A must-read for any writer of short fiction.

Too much of a parable, but it's a quick read.

We started listening to this in the car and got through about 1/3 of it. Terrific so far! UPDATED about 2 years later (not really an exaggeration). It's going back on my to-read list. I'll get to it later, and most certainly start over with it.

Though this reader is good for my students, the excerpts are frequently too short and don't include some important interviews. The excerpt from Race doesn't include the prologue by Mamie Moblie, Emmit Till's mother. It's probably good for Terkel newcomers, but if you're interested in one of the eras or events or topics he covers, I'd recommend reading the full book.

Good read. It took about two years for the whole thing to be published in serial form (I think, I may be wrong on this) and I can see how reading it over the course of a few years would be much more enjoyable than powering through it. Regardless, it's easy to see why it's a "classic". The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was Tolstoy's descriptions and expositions; they went on a little needlessly at times. Oh well, if I was getting paid by the word for everything I published in a magazine, I would write a little bit extra too.

This account is about three prominent people in Victorian England. Effie married a man who was abusive and refused to consummate their relationship. She sued for an annulment which was unheard of at the time. He was an up-and-coming art critic. She and one of her first husband's associates, a famous painter in his own right, fall in love, marry & have 8 children. The book explores these and other close relationships with a watchful eye. The book is also about what it was like to live in Victorian society. I learned several important things. 1. The life of women at the time was repressed, oppressed, and only significant when associated with a man. 2. Most of these people suffered from ill health. Medicine was very backward. Most doctors prescribed behavioral treatments or other superstitious remedies that were ineffective. 3. Many suffered from mental illness (anorexia, depression, and anxiety) but these were often experienced and treated as body maladies. 4. Childbirth was dangerous. For example, Effie's mother had 17 pregnancy and lost 8 of them. Overall, the story was sad and made me glad I was born during a more enlightened time.

I loved this book particularly because it was so suspenseful. This is quite the feat given that most of them s know what happened to the Lusitania. The author does a fantastic job of telling what happened from the American, British and German perspective. We learn the mistakes made, opportunities missed and over 1000 lives lost. The scenes about the sinking are harrowing and I could almost feel the cold, the confusion, and the odd calm of the people bobbing in the ocean waiting to be saved. The after story is also very enthralling.

Across our planet, ancient humans constructed and erected a variety of stones, statues, circles, buildings, caves, pueblos, and pyramids. Speculation about the purpose of these structures has hypothesized the spiritual, astrological, communal, and funereal. The author of this book suggests that sources of memory are yet another. Her premise in that Preliterate humans used the shape, orientation, design, bumps, curvature, location, paths, and color of these structures as memory stations. In other words, these stations were used to help people encode complicated information such as lineage, navigation, agricultural practices, botanical substances. The person only needs to go back to these places to retrieve encoded information. The book does a fantastic job of describing a plethora of these structures. Then she provides evidence for the possibility that humans used them to remember and pass on important information. The book is very well researched, written, and argued. What she says makes perfect sense but it still is just speculation.

This is a boy's gritty memoir of growing up as a Romany gypsy. His life is full of scam, violence, abuse, lack of education, and very little love. Mikey did not fit into the typical macho he-man culture that settles most things with a bare-knuckle fight. His father beat him unmercifully but eventually, he got out, got an education, made a life for himself, fell in loved and married. Sadly, most of his sibs and friends who remained in the life did not fare as well. The writing although not fantastic is good and very suspenseful. An interesting look at an unusual culture which I have always found intriguing.

This is an interesting memoir by a guy I never heard of. He is a well know DJ & television personality. The book is written in segments: 1. Growing up in London and becoming a rocker. 2. Living in a remote village in Alaska working for the Hudson Bay Trading Company. 3. Making it as a DJ in Calgary & Vancouver. What I liked most about the book is that he had a real knack for describing a particular time period by situating in the current, music, television, movies, trends and pastimes. This guy had a fascinating, vagabond, and oddly charmed life. I was left wanting to hear more. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy.

This book is about four things; her illnesses, her relationships, God and food. Sadly, I only found the latter of interest. The text is peppered with mouth watering recipes a few of which I would like to try. However, many of them include latin food items that are not available in my grocery store. Interesting book but it left me flat. Thanks to Netgalley fo the advance copy in exchange for me review.

This is an interesting book about the plight of women in Saudia Arabia and a specific woman who became famous for challenging the rule that women cannot drive. She drove around the street of where she lived and got arrested and thrown in jail. Did you know that Saudi women most always have permission from a male to do anything and must always have a chaperone. Women in labor have been refused a taxi and medical care because a male was not present. Saudi life through the lens of a woman was eye-opening. However, the book itself was not strong, It was a tad boring and the material about her activism only took up a thrid of the book, the rest was about her life. I was hoping for a better written and engaging book. I found myself skipping pages and this is never a good sign. She described her childhood, parents and family life as terrible: mental illness, beatings, redicule, isolation, and unhappiness. However, at the end of the book she expounded on her parent's positive attributes and her great love for them. I found this contradictory aand confusing. Mistreated child-syndrome perhaps.

Lily de Jong is a hapless Quaker girl who gets pregnant after her mother dies, father quickly remarries. and the sire of her baby is no where to be found. These circumstances would be difficult for anyone at anytime but in 1883 they were dire. She goes to a home for unwed mothers with the intent to give up her baby but she changes her mind. She has no options, no rights, no prospects, and is left vulnerable to unscrupulous men. The story is of her struggle. This book makes one very aware of exactly how terribly women were treated. It would be FOURTY more years before women were given the right to vote. Thank you Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Staton.

Phenomenal book. A circuitous tale of a Girl born to Chinese tea farmers. Her culture is superstitious, ritual laden, and old fashion. Her road is a difficult one: death, loss, and deception but eventually she survives and excels. No matter the direction the story always comes back to tea. The look, smell, taste, lineage, science, history, growth, nurturing, and art of tea. A metaphor for life. I could not put it down. Anybody feel like a "cuppa"?

Ariel Levy is a journalist who writes for The New Yorker. She chronicles her early life, her career, her travels, and her tragedies in a whip-smart and in-your-face manner. She is dealt a mighty blow which crushes her only to come back stronger. What I liked about the book is that I did not always like her, her partner, or her parents but I still cared about them. Everyone has their own foibles and none of the people in her life, including herself, are exempt. You see all the characters make huge mistakes and you want to stop them but as in life this is not usually possible. This book delivers without sugar coating and it is a better book because of it.

This is a phenomenal memoir by Trevor Noah the late night comedian who took over for Jon Stewart. I had no idea that Noah was South African and that he grew up under the evils of apartheid. It was illegal for blacks and whites to have sex or relations and since he was a product of such a union, he was "Born a Crime. The work explores race, poverty, abuse, alcoholism, getting by with little, fierce maternal love, and the art of the hustle. I listened to the audiobook narrated by himself, which was a special treat. Loved It!!

Interesting premise and topic but the book was generally boring and read too much like a history text for my tastes.

I have been watching Leah Remin's show about Scientology so I decided to read her book. It was gripping, interesting, horrifying and Scandalous. The leaders of the church are zealots, sociopaths, and megalomaniacs. Stay far far away.

Fictional accounts of actual events seems to be a popular new approach to the novel. Jonathan Lee's book is a prime example. This story is about the IRA's 1984 bombing of the Grand Hotel in Brighton England intended to kill PM Margaret Thatcher and her political upper echelon. She was staying in the hotel for a conference and the bomb had been planted on a long delay. The book opens with an IRA initiation of a young young man named Dan. I was immediately riveted. The book explores his development along with the lives of those connected to the hotel: father manager, his hapless daughter, and staff. I must admit I was not particularly interested in the hotel staff and longed for the book to get back to the action. Without realizing it I wanted a political thriller which this book really is not. The book clicked on for me again when things got closer to the bombing. The author sets the stage for the war between the Brits and the IRA but does not provide great historical detail. The author's intention I think was to describe what it was like to live and breath at that exact time in history from two very different and polarized perspectives. I found myself wanting to find out more which is sign that the book did indeed get under my skin.

This is the best Rock and Roll memoir I have ever read. It is the story of how a poor skinny Italian/Irish Kid from Jersey with lots of talent and ambition becomes The Boss. He describes the thrill of the stage and his visceral depictions make you feel like you are up there with him. Bruce is smart, damaged, humble, introspective, loyal, and funny. The best sections of his book included the following: his struggle to get the top, when he first makes it big, his troubled relationship with his father, his battles with depression and anxiety, his love for his family, and his descriptions of how and why he wrote many of his famous songs. For an added bonus I listen to him narrate the audio book and played his music at the same time. If you have ever had fantasies of becoming a Rock and Roll star (I am afraid I may have missed that boat) this is the book for you.

Did you know that trees communicate with one another using electric pulses? Did you know that when animals nibble on trees they chemically warn neighbor trees? Or that trees will help feed nearby sickly trees? No, I did not either. If you find these facts interesting you will like this book. Reading this revealing account of the inner life of trees makes me realize the movie Avatar is less fiction than I thought.

Gritty, visceral, and not for the faint of heart is this book. iO is born to a mother who is beautiful, artistic, colorful, a drug addict, an alcoholic, verbally abusive and mentally ill. They live in a hovel on the lower east side of Manhattan. iO has no care, no routine, no food, no bed, and no idea how to live. The writing is clever and riveting. She narrates her life from around the age of five up until 25 and the dialogue matures as she does in the story. Once iO is old enough to realize how bad she has it she tells people and is eventually taken from her mother. This does not mean however, that her new life is easy, ordered, or healthy. Her maternal abuse was bone chilling but her love for her mother is still deep. Read the book if you want to know what becomes of her.

This is a fascinating book. It was written by a man who was raised as an "Appalachian Hillbilly" (although raised in Ohio). He speaks of his people with fondness but also criticism. He expertly points out their contradictions: proud but welfare abusers, loyal but also abusive, religious but also drug addicted, loving but also violent. His childhood was a horror but with the love of his grandmother he eventually got out. He discusses all this with candor and places most of the blame on Hillbillies themselves. His book is strongest when he describes his experience and what he knows. When he tries to supplement with data and research the book feels less real and rather wooden. None-the-less an eye opening book.

Susan Faludi, American author and feminist offers us an expansive memoir/biography about her relationship with her estranged father. She had not seen him in 27 years when a card arrives announcing that he had become a woman. Susan visits him in her native Hungary, which begins a decade-long journey to understand the man who once hit her head against the floor. The result is a clever non-linear telling of her father's story peppered with long sections on Hungarian history, Nazi Germany, and transsexualism. I suspect she was trying to nail down all the facts when emotions occasionally escaped her. Faludi's heart and book slowly warm to this new woman she calls Dad. I came to respect her curiosity, tenacity, loyalty and bravery,

Mysterious & other-worldy, warriors & soldiers, adventure & domesticity, the wilds of Alaska & Home sweet home, page-turner & well written, mythic creatures & a dog named Boyo, masculinity & femininity, multi-layered story & intricate, artistry & courage, when is her next book coming out?

This story explores two very different lives that have all things Russian in common. You have Tanya the Russian antiquities art dealer and Catherine the Great. Catherine is the recipient of The Order a pricey imperial award and Tanya handles it's sale. Suprizingly the two women have many things in common: immigrant status, feeling trapped in a role, ethical concerns, troubled marriages, inaffectional husbands, and a quest for something more. I loved this book at first but it dragged near the end and I lost interest.

Do you remember that girl in school who went with all the boys? The loose girl, the slut, the tramp, the whore, the dirty girl. Or perhaps you were this girl. Either way, this book is written by one of these girls. The author opens her psyche and pours it all out on the page. What comes forth is painful to listen to but important. We get to hear the about the insecurities, motives, distorted thoughts, self-destructive urges, and familial dynamics that fuel this behavior. My biggest beef with the book is that the author displays and communicates almost no growth. She does the same behavior over and over again. At the very end she does a 360, finds love, and marries. She claims to be in recovery: I am not convinced. I was so torn on this book that I decided not to give it a rating.

The author was in an all female punk rock band and is now known for her work in Portlandia. She chronicles her life and I loved the first half.. She describes her dysfunctional family, her sexuality, her love of being a fan and the early stages of her band. However, the book then becomes tedious: too much introspection, too much navel gazing, and way too much minutiae about the trials and tribulations of being on tour. She spent one whole chapter talking about her dogs which had me snoozing. Ultimately a disappointment.

Wow. I thought I had family problems. Jeanette Walls, a journalist, writes a clever, moving, and revelatory memoir of growing up with quirky but also extremely neglectful parents. She was scalded while boiling corn at age three, went dumpster diving for food, and much more. But she also tells magical stories of being free, living in the desert, and communing with her odd-ball family. There was love in this family even when there was not always food, shelter, or clothing. I marvel that she never seems bitter nor does she see herself as a victim. The early narrative is written as if by a child. She reports the facts and assumes, as do most children, that everyone lives the way she does. As she ages you can hear the awareness, alarm, and anger as their dire straights begin to dawn on her. Eventually, it becomes her goal to get them all out of there. The resilience of children is powerful.

This is a story about H. M., the world's most famous neuroscience case study. Henry had debilitating epilepsy. In his 20s he had a medial temporal lobectomy to reduce his symptoms. The surgery was a success but H. M., was left with catastrophic amnesia. H. M. could meet you ten different times and never remember the interlude. Henry was studied for decades and the data he produced would revolutionize our understanding of memory. Interestingly, the grandson of the man who did the psychosurgery wrote this book. The book had tons of interesting information but on the whole it was disjointed, repetitive, and often lost its own train of thought. My diagnosis is that the author could not decide what the book was about: himself, his ancestor, H. M., or neuroscience as a whole, I was hoping this was a good book to assign to my students but alas it is not.

I just finished The Girls a fictionalized version of the Mason Murders and then inhaled Patty's Got a Gun: Patricia Hearst in 1970s America an accounting of the Patty Hearst case. The author did a great job of reanalyzing the case through a modern lens. Was Patty a victim, a survivor, an heiress, a feminist, a revolutionary, or all of the above. My next book is going to be Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders. I am however left with a question. Why am I and many others so fascinated with these stories? I can only speak for myself but it came to me suddenly. The answer is terrorism: the use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of social and/or political aims. Mason and the SLA were terrorists. I want to know how and why people do horrific things in the name of a distorted ideology. Perhaps these books will help.

The electronic muscian Moby writes a memoir which I loved for many reasons. NOSTALGIA:Moby is from CT and so am I, we attended UCONN at the same time, and he lived in the same East Village neighborhood a decade after I did. HUMBLE: Moby is a famous musician but he details his meteoric rise and subsequent falls in a straight forward unassuming manner. He seems like a regular guy CONUNDRUM: Moby the veganarian is a sometime Christian teetotaler who strives to stay celibate but hangs out at Raves amongst the drug addled and often falls prey to the allure of alcohol and one night stands. NO NEED FOR A GHOST WRITER: Moby's descriptions of the music scene, his childhood, being homeless, his quest for love, and the joys of playing music for sweaty revelers are stellar. NO COMPLAINTS: Moby grew up poor, had an unavailable mother, suffers from panic attacks, and is an alcoholic. He describes all this without judgment or grievance. CAVEAT If you are unfamiliar with Moby's music scene you may find this book alien and uninteresting. I admit to being a tad bored with yet another Rave description in the middle of the book.

Bill Clegg had it all and he lost it to Crack. He takes you directly inside the frightening mind of an addict on a two-month bender. He makes the power of cravings, the fog of paranoia, the disintegration of reason, the incessant whispers of suicide, and the glow of intoxication palpable. I found myself wanting to reach into the book and block his inevitable fall. The author finally enters rehab and appears to begin again but what comes next is unclear, which is a true reflection of anyone's recovery story.

An achingly beautiful memoir about a deep friendship between two introverted women writers who loved dogs, and had issues. Sadly one is lost to cancer. Books do not often make me cry but this one surely did.

I am a big fan of musician memoirs but not of this book. The writing is self-conscious, self aggrandizing, and overworked. At times I thought I was reading poetry not prose (song writer occupational hazard perhaps). The book is also guilty of gratuitous name dropping and cringe worthy details of her sexual exploits. The second half of the book improves as she chronicles her rise to fame and her storied relationship with James Taylor. Her love for him, their children, and the joys of song writing are vividly and sweetly portrayed. I listened to the audio book, narrated by Carly herself. It was a nightmare, as chapter transitions were peppered with music and she occasionally broke into song. Interesting idea, terrible results.

Read this book and next time you have: a quarrel with a partner, a bad day at work, get a parking ticket, or can't decide what to wear, read it again. This book is about life, death, cancer, living with meaning, gaining perspective, and loving deeply. It made me sad and happy at the same time.

This is a book about books. It is a memoir of a woman who worked at a Manhattan literary agency in the mid 90s. One client was J. D. Salinger or "Jerry" and she chronicles her interactions with him. It is a coming of age story about finding your own voice amidst the cacophony of many others. Most importantly it is about the power of the written word to uplift, shatter, console, irritate and make you laugh or cry. If you have ever fantasized about living the life of a writer you will love this.

This gritty memoir was written by Viv Albertine who was at the epicenter of the London punk rock scene and was in one of the few all girl punk rock bands (The Slits). I loved this book because it was written in a a strong and distinctive female voice. Topics include: crushes on boys, periods, fashion, pregnancy, the quest for the perfect pair of shoes, abortion, finding and losing love, motherhood, domestic malaise, relationship violence, and sexism in many forms. The book captures four time periods: the early days, The Slits, making a family, and rediscovering self & music. I found the part about her band the least interesting. What happens as she ages is much more compelling. My new favorite song is "Confessions of a MILF" an anthem for the unhappy housewife, I've peeled the potatoes, there's not much left to do/ Lovely lemon drizzle cake, heat up the fondue.

This is a gem of a book about a woman who is struck down by a life threatening brain aneurism and then finds healing in food and cooking. The author's writing is superb as she describe the visceral experience of having escaped blood dripping down her spinal cord or the transcendence of tasting a dried sour cherry for the first time. The book's organization is unique: she tells a life story that involves food and in the next chapter she provides an annotated recipe and picture. The recipes are simple, flavorful, sustaining and full of love as is the book.

I love rock and roll memoirs and was a huge pretenders fan but this book did not do it for me. Simply said, Chrissy Hynde presented herself in less than a laudable light. She just did not seem like a good person and her multiple stories that included name dropping, indiscriminate sex, and drug abuse got old. She also offers little growth or introspection. The best part of the book was her descriptions of her early life and her love for the dying city of Akron.

I enjoyed this book. It is a bit uneven in a few places but I found the intermingling of his life, work, and passions to be very interesting. I am familiar with much of his work and it was entertaining to read about the genesis of his various well known and lesser known works. A good read.

This book is not for the faint of heart. The author chronicles how life with an abusive father and alcoholic mother leaves her with no compass. Her life careens out of control moving through alcohol, drugs, men, women, jail and life without a map. The book is gritty, painful, unapologetically sexual, and mesmerizing all at the same time. Her prose is different, fractured, innovative, and anti-chronological. There are a few sections that contain no punctuation, intended I think to illustrate that her life had no rules or direction. This woman went through hell and was eventually able to balance herself. She ends with some advice: " if the family you came from sucked make up a new one." Simplistic and easier said than done but apt.

I loved this expertly written book. I found his account of discovering and living through the unearthing of family secrets both riveting and suspenseful. Great Read

I loved this book. Great blending of two distant but related plot lines: full of fascinating plot twists and turns.

This is a powerful book written by a woman who survived Auschwitz. Interestingly enough she was also my neighbor and I use to hang out with her daughters. It is hard to reconcile this story with the Connecticut mother who made dinner, went to work, and loved her kids. Gripping and horrific story with a happy ending.

This is a book written by a Jaycee Dugard who was kidnapped at age 11 and held hostage for 18 years. I remember this bizarre story when it hit the papers. The story is fascinating but the writing is boring, disjointed, and it lacks a clear voice. These writing qualities may echo her very experience but I found it hard to stay connected to her horrific tale.

Eg

Very, very good. Thoroughly enjoyed. Criticisms: Not much of a mystery and a pro-embalming stance that I HATED, but I liked the character, the story, and the setting. Trent did so much research! Can't wait to read the next one!

Loved everything about it. Slightly longer and more in depth review to come after my Historical Romance Appreciation Video #6 goes live on YouTube the first weekend of August. :) *** Video is live! Real review: Beautiful characters, beautiful writing, beautiful story. World completely engulfed me. Promise of the premise very well met. Excellent pacing. Slow burn. Exceptionally wonderful calligraphy motif.

Extremely enjoyable. So glad I picked it up.

What a delightful read! I loved the characters, the writing, and the subtle humor. Can't wait to read the next Wayward in Wessex.

This is the perfect romance for those going through a rough patch who need need to escape to a simpler time. The conflict is light, most of the characters are very warm, and the world is beautifully wrought. I loved the hero, Vincent. His family coddled and protected him and stripped away his freedoms after he returned home blind, but the heroine does the exact opposite. For me personally, the fixation on the heroine's looks was a bit tiresome, but I still enjoyed the book and can't wait to read my next Survivor's Club selection. Strong, clear, engaging writing.

Adorable. I'll definitely be reading more of this author.

Very cute! A light, fun read. Heroine has just the right amount of spunk. Can't wait to read more by this author.

Incredible. Love the writing. The topic came alive. Exceptional narration as well. Loved, loved, loved.

Fucking incredible.

I LOVED this book! Such a joy to read. With my little one, I get a few minutes to read every few days--if I'm lucky--and it was extra tough to put this one down. I loved Edmund. Gaston is a wonderful writer.

Very sweet. I'm new to the series, so I didn't know some of the characters as well as those who've read more of Terri Brisbin. Enjoyable (if a tiny bit slow in places) and definitely makes me want to read more of her books.

LOVED THIS BOOK SO HARD!!! IT IS TOTALLY AMAZING!!! And the narration is INCREDIBLE!!! One of the best two romances of all time. This one and Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase tie for #1. Duke of Sin by Elizabeth Hoyt is #2. A very close #2.

Holy crap I loved this book.

The book is certainly not for everyone. It's extremely adult, as many other reviewers have noted, while also dealing with some of the most grave issues scarring history. The story is not mainstream romance -- not even mainstream menage a trois romance. The story starts out with the well known and much beloved trope, forced proximity, with a lovely twist (on a ship!) and goes from there to extremely adult adventures for the liberally minded. Janet Mullany pushes boundaries with her storytelling and her writing, and you should like very frank, very earthy details in your love scenes to fully enjoy what the author can offer. She doesn't shy away from what many other writers happily and readily gloss right over. The book pairs two subjects you wouldn't think would work together: very kinky explorations along with a serious eye-opening look at the sugar trade on an island loosely based on Antigua about eight or ten years before the slave trade is abolished in England. (I cringed and my gut twisted while reading many of the passages involving slaves. Not pretty.) You wouldn't think those subjects would mesh at all, but in a weird way, they do. It's not as if modern people don't get up to serious mischief while the problems of the world continue to rage on right in our faces. However, at the heart of it, what holds the whole story together is a remarkable and easy-to-like heroine. All you need to know about her is this quote from early in the book which portrays her character perfectly: "Whenever she wished she had had the moral courage to starve... she was glad she had the good sense not to." And, of course, Janet Mullany has an exquisite ability with words. Her voice is like rustling silk and you can read any of her work for the subtle beauty of her style alone. Her depth of knowledge of the time period is effortlessly conveyed in her writing.

Amazingly unique setting brought to vivid life. Loved characters, loved story, loved writing. Would read ten more set in the same time and place. Thank goodness for all authors writing outside the lines, like Jade Lee and Jeannie Lin. Definitely need to be more among their ranks!

Sweet and charming. Enjoyed this a lot.

In a Twilight-Zone twist, I loved the movie and didn't care for the book.

Un libro fascinante, historico y curioso.

Great, fun read. Makes you feel like Lauren is one of your friends, it's so honest and open... and really funny. She tells it like it is, and takes you along for a raucous, rollicking ride.

I am a rower, so this immediately appealed to me. And, our coach sent around youtube video of the actual race, which was awesome, too! Great to see them in action. So far, Seabiscuit in a rowing shell. Am very much enjoying the read and would highly recommend it if you enjoyed Seabiscuit and The Perfect Storm and that type of thing. Very engaging character-based narration, and it really brings you back to the 1930s with great detail.

FIVE-STAR CLARION REVIEW: "An Ordinary Tragedy weaves a fascinating, tragic narrative about what's underneath the surface of a family." - Foreword Reviews. For the full text of this excellent review, go to ForewordReviews.com, click on All Book Reviews and search for An Ordinary Tragedy.

Too repetitive - could have cut the size of the book in half with the redundancies had been cut. Not well organized. Interesting subject, however.

Great premise, great potential, but not well executed. The characters were not fleshed out sufficiently and the writing was...well, there was a lot of room for improvement. I did like that a book finally shows how everyday people are terrorized by gangs and thugs such as The Black Hand (and by extrapolation street gangs and organized crime). It was refreshing not to have the criminals glorified!

Novelist and magazine columnist Kurt Andersen states (in a Time Magazine piece written in 2007) that "America Came of Age" in the era that followed the California Gold Rush. New technologies appeared, life began to move at an alarmingly fast pace, Wall Street boomed, fortunes were made overnight, the media was scurrilous and partisan, and companies began to manipulate the political environment to suit their monetary goals, introducing marketing spin and advertising into the mix. Echoes of today's headlines and stories. Richard Rayner's "The Associates" makes the same claims, only on a more intimate scale: following the lives of four industrialists (Collis Huntington, Mark Hopkins, Charles Crocker, and Leland Stanford) who, beginning in the early 1850s, helped put California on the political map and themselves on the top of the economic food chain, any way they saw fit. They were among the first to claim that corporations should enjoy the same rights as individuals while hiding behind the corporate facade that protected them as individuals -- they wanted, and got, to have their cake and eat it too. Rayner's style is easy to follow and the history itself fascinating. Some of the reviews claim he got a few of his facts wrong and complain that his research was conducted from secondary rather than first-hand sources, but overall this short history of four teflon-coated titans was a good and informative read.

The TV show The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin was among my most favorite childhood memories. For a short time in the 1950s, my family had German Shepherds as pets -- and I still find them the most regal of dogs. Therefore, when my friend recommended this book to me, I jumped at the chance to learn more about an animal who I both loved and admired. What I liked most about this book was what I learned: (1) that the TV dog was just one in a long line of Rin Tin Tins who began their illustrious career in the 1920s; (2) that the original Rin Tin Tin was not an imaginary dog, like Lassie, but a real-life animal of phenomenal abilities with an unbreakably bond to one man; (3) that the first Rin Tin Tin was born in France in 1918 and brought to the US by a young soldier named Lee Duncan, the man who made Rin Tin Tin his life; and (4) that the dog's life, and the lives of his progeny, represented so much more to the public (both in America and abroad) than could be expressed in film and TV. Rin Tin Tin became a cultural phenomenon whose fame and influence has spanned more than 90 years. What I liked least about the book (and the reason I gave it only 3 stars) was Susan Orlean's presentation, especially in the first 2/3 of the book. She obviously did her homework: trudging through boxes upon boxes of papers and photos, and traveling far to interview as many of the participants in the story as were still alive at the writing of the book (2010). While she expressed a personal interest in her subject (she spent 10 years in the research), I was not convinced of her conviction until the end. The story unfolds in a stilted manner, each fact stiffly laid before the reader without Orlean's usual flair and quirkiness (both of which are evident in her wonderful fiction The Orchid Thief). I was interested in all of the facts, but was not compelled by the writing. It was not until the latter 20% of the book that Orlean's writing style became grafted to the story, pulling me along; only then did I truly believe that Rin Tin Tin meant more to her than a subject for a book. Still, just for the pure joy of knowing and understanding this dog, I recommend the book. I am more in love with Rin Tin Tin than I ever was before.

Not sure I agreed with all of the conclusions (some required a leap of logic that the author did not always summarize well), but the book was easy to read and full of great and sometimes obscure (but well documented) facts.

Although I enjoyed the images of early San Francisco, the writing style is so boring and the characters so one dimensional and unrealistic that, after several chapters, I've opted for the rare gift of not forcing myself to finish this book.

Interesting premise. Excellent fight and arena descriptions. The story really got started when the author switched to the first-person familiar voice. However, the believability of Jesus as a popular gladiator turned healer was a stretch and the modern-day portion of the book had little to offer in the way of intrigue or depth of character. I did like Mr. Canter's writing (once he got to the first-person narrative) and will try some of his other books -- this one just didn't grab me.

As I am the author, I will naturally be prejudiced in favor of the book. However, for independent assessments, please go to ForeWord and Squidoo . Amazon reader reviews have indicated that the book is an "...inspiring story of the spirit of California."

As the author, my review would be prejudiced. However, for independent reviews, please see any of these reviews by The Historical Novel Society, ForeWord Reviews or a contributor to Squidoo. The ForeWord review praises Embracing the Elephant as "...capably written, populated with well-developed characters, and thoroughly researched" as well as "...a journey worth taking." The Squidoo review is more effusive, calling the book "...an inspiring novel of the spirit of California." Best of all is The Historical Novel Society review which praises the writing, the presentation, and the story which has "something for everyone" before closing by highly recommending the book! Embracing the Elephant in a Historical Finalist for IAN's 2015 Book of the Year Award.