http://www.goodreads.com/review/list_rss/166012 en-US Sun, 29 Jun 2008 04:04:56 -0700 60 http://www.goodreads.com/ 200 41 http://www.goodreads.com/images/layout/gr_logo.gif 25809788 Sun, 29 Jun 2008 04:04:56 -0700
author: Steven D. Levitt
name: Benjamin
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2006
rating: 5
read at: 01/07
date added: 06/29/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 25520419 Sun, 29 Jun 2008 04:03:52 -0700
The only real criticism I might make is that while Dawkins is trying to debunk the idea of religion, it sometimes seems that he is doing so because he believes the respect and devotion once accredited to it should redirected towards him. The amount of unnecessary self-advertisement in this book is impressive, both in terms of references to his own books and academic appearances, but also to his prestigious friends and colleagues.

Still, this is a minor criticism, and one for which the author may be forgiven as they can hardly be said to detract from the caliber of his arguments and joy with which one will hopefully read his lucid and often humorous style.]]>
author: Richard Dawkins
name: Benjamin
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at: 06/08
date added: 06/29/08
shelves:
review:
I think that I would recommend this book to anyone to has ever spared more than a minute's time to the contemplation of religion. I don't mean to suggest that Dawkins' arguments are wholly irrefutable or that I have been won over to the camp of atheism by this masterwork of a genius - or vice versa. I would recommend this book simply because it gives its readers something to think about. If a religious person can read this book and rationally answer all of Dawkins' challenges, then he will likely find his faith strengthened. On the other hand, those who doubt or have no faith at all will find a powerful document in their favor. In either case, this is a book to be read carefully and whose arguments should considered thoughtfully. It is not holy book and should not be read as one. Think about it.

The only real criticism I might make is that while Dawkins is trying to debunk the idea of religion, it sometimes seems that he is doing so because he believes the respect and devotion once accredited to it should redirected towards him. The amount of unnecessary self-advertisement in this book is impressive, both in terms of references to his own books and academic appearances, but also to his prestigious friends and colleagues.

Still, this is a minor criticism, and one for which the author may be forgiven as they can hardly be said to detract from the caliber of his arguments and joy with which one will hopefully read his lucid and often humorous style.
]]> 24597279 Thu, 26 Jun 2008 02:04:29 -0700
author: Andrea Camilleri
name: Benjamin
average rating: 2.00
book published: 2002
rating: 2
read at: 06/08
date added: 06/26/08
shelves:
review:
I have to say, I am generally disappointed with this book. To me, a collection of short crime stories that all take place in Sicily offers, if not full-on excitement, at least an interesting view of a place I've never been. This book offered neither. The stories were altogether rather tedious, the endings were anti-climactic, and the main character, the crime-solving Commissario in a thoroughly unsympathetic and in all other ways a dry and uninteresting creation. This is a book that I finished only because of my strange mental tick that almost always requires me to finish any book that I start, and so I suspect that my rating of 2 stars is the result of some kind of literary Stockholm syndrome which I was experiencing by the end.
]]> 24597243 Mon, 16 Jun 2008 02:48:35 -0700
author: Unknown
name: Benjamin
average rating: 3.00
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 06/16/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 21860761 Tue, 20 May 2008 11:08:21 -0700
author: Thomas Bernhard
name: Benjamin
average rating: 3.85
book published: 1988
rating: 2
read at: 05/08
date added: 05/20/08
shelves:
review:
When the text of a play includes no punctuation and whose lines are divided clearly yet seemingly arbitrarily, I generally assume there is a great deal of depth in the artistry. And that it's kind of a pretentious play. That being said, one need not wade out too deep to get to the main thrust of "Heldenplatz (Heroes' Square)," and that is: Austria sucks. When I read the phrase "things are worse now that fifty years ago (i.e. when Hitler annexed Austria to Germany)," it doesn't take a scholar of theatrical literature to see that the author is no fan of the current (the play was written in 1988) Austrian government. Does Bernhard exaggerate in this play? Although the events of the last 20 years in Europe suggest to me that yes, perhaps he did somewhat, I have to profess a great deal of ignorance about the time and place that shaped this play. So, for any scholars of late-80s Austrian politics and culture (or people who just generally don't like Austria) this is the book for you!
]]> 21861132 Thu, 08 May 2008 10:25:35 -0700
author: Michael Crichton
name: Benjamin
average rating: 3.10
book published: 1995
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 05/08/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 21861105 Thu, 08 May 2008 10:25:16 -0700
author: Michael Crichton
name: Benjamin
average rating: 3.43
book published: 1987
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 05/08/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 21794051 Thu, 08 May 2008 10:23:53 -0700
author: Stephen Clarke
name: Benjamin
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at: 05/08
date added: 05/08/08
shelves:
review:
Let me first say that I only read this sequel because one of the teachers I work with was so enthusiastic about how much I would love it. Well, once again, this is a highly readable book, great for long solo trips and such, and the main character is actually almost tolerable in this one. There are brief moments (all too few, actually, but it's certainly a step in the right direction, anyway) when Paul actually seems to have learned that different doesn't necessarily mean bad. Still, he remains a person about whom and about whose (mis)adventures I would normally not voluntarily choose to read.
]]> 21560255 Sun, 04 May 2008 02:44:03 -0700
author: Alfred Komarek
name: Benjamin
average rating: 2.00
book published: 2005
rating: 2
read at: 04/08
date added: 05/04/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 21560230 Sun, 04 May 2008 02:41:54 -0700
author: Pierre De Beaumarchais
name: Benjamin
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2001
rating: 3
read at: 01/03
date added: 05/04/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 21560221 Sun, 04 May 2008 02:40:59 -0700
author: Editors of Larousse
name: Benjamin
average rating: 3.44
book published: 2003
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 05/04/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 21419619 Thu, 01 May 2008 15:34:55 -0700
author: J.D. Salinger
name: Benjamin
average rating: 3.92
book published: 1951
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 05/01/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 21230784 Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:19:21 -0700
author: Hans Bankl
name: Benjamin
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2005
rating: 5
read at: 02/08
date added: 04/29/08
shelves:
review:
An excellent book for anyone who enjoys history and has a sense of humor. Bankl chronicles the Hapsburg dynasty with brevity (thankfully, since they ruled for 700 years) and wit, together with an impressive attention to detail and a wealth of evidently highly obscure sources that pretty much guarantees that just about everyone will learn a thing or two from this book.
]]> 21230696 Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:13:47 -0700
Again highly readable and would probably make a train- or planeride much more tolerable, but if you have the choice, why choose to read about the (mis)adventures of a group of highly unlikable people?]]>
author: Paul West
name: Benjamin
average rating: 3.40
book published: 2004
rating: 3
read at: 04/08
date added: 04/29/08
shelves:
review:
This book is highly readable, the kind of thing that one could read from start to finish if one just had a few hours with nothing to do. However, this is the most positive thing I can say about this book. It's supposed be one of those screwball accounts of someone living in a foreign culture and the wacky mishaps he experiences, but mostly it's about a relatively uninteresting Englishman who tries much too hard at being funny, and who simply didn't bother to find out anything at all about how France works before he decided to move there, then complained at every turn about the ways that France doesn't work like England does. Although he does have to deal with some pretty terrible French people, by the end I wasn't sure who came off looking worse, them or him.

Again highly readable and would probably make a train- or planeride much more tolerable, but if you have the choice, why choose to read about the (mis)adventures of a group of highly unlikable people?
]]> 21230685 Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:07:23 -0700
author: Henning Mankell
name: Benjamin
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 03/08
date added: 04/29/08
shelves:
review:
As a crime novel, I can't say I was particularly impressed with this book. It was interesting enough, but hardly a nail-biter. The main reason I gave this book 4 stars is the fact that in its German translation, the vocabulary is quite limited and it therefore makes a great language learning tool. Bravo, Mr. Mankell.
]]> 5379750 Mon, 21 Apr 2008 00:21:31 -0700
author: Michael Crichton
name: Benjamin
average rating: 3.76
book published: 1990
rating: 5
read at: 01/93
date added: 04/21/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 6004821 Mon, 10 Sep 2007 13:52:21 -0700
author: Stephen King
name: Benjamin
average rating: 3.69
book published: 1985
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 09/10/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 6004671 Mon, 10 Sep 2007 13:50:01 -0700
author: Michael Stewart
name: Benjamin
average rating: 3.33
book published: 1989
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 09/10/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 6004581 Mon, 10 Sep 2007 13:47:51 -0700
author: Stephen King
name: Benjamin
average rating: 3.83
book published: 1987
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 09/10/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 6004543 Mon, 10 Sep 2007 13:47:00 -0700
author: Stephen King
name: Benjamin
average rating: 3.33
book published: 1999
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 09/10/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 6004532 Mon, 10 Sep 2007 13:46:47 -0700
author: Stephen King
name: Benjamin
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 09/10/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 6004514 Mon, 10 Sep 2007 13:46:22 -0700
author: Stephen King
name: Benjamin
average rating: 4.22
book published: 1996
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 09/10/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 6004500 Mon, 10 Sep 2007 13:46:06 -0700
author: Stephen King
name: Benjamin
average rating: 3.43
book published: 1993
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 09/10/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 6004480 Mon, 10 Sep 2007 13:45:49 -0700
author: Stephen King
name: Benjamin
average rating: 3.55
book published: 1994
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 09/10/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 6004451 Mon, 10 Sep 2007 13:45:12 -0700
author: Stephen King
name: Benjamin
average rating: 4.30
book published: 1978
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 09/10/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 6004445 Mon, 10 Sep 2007 13:44:59 -0700
author: Stephen King
name: Benjamin
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 09/10/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 6004360 Mon, 10 Sep 2007 13:42:54 -0700
author: Stephen King
name: Benjamin
average rating: 3.68
book published: 1976
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 09/10/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 6004260 Mon, 10 Sep 2007 13:39:57 -0700
author: Stephen King
name: Benjamin
average rating: 3.68
book published: 1993
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 09/10/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 6004232 Mon, 10 Sep 2007 13:39:14 -0700
author: Stephen King
name: Benjamin
average rating: 3.33
book published: 1983
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 09/10/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 6004089 Mon, 10 Sep 2007 13:36:45 -0700
author: Kahlil Gibran
name: Benjamin
average rating: 4.23
book published: 1923
rating: 5
read at: 01/00
date added: 09/10/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 6003810 Mon, 10 Sep 2007 13:32:04 -0700
author: Anonymous
name: Benjamin
average rating: 3.57
book published: 1957
rating: 5
read at: 03/07
date added: 09/10/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 5683107 Tue, 04 Sep 2007 21:37:05 -0700
author: Alexander Pope
name: Benjamin
average rating: 3.33
book published: 2004
rating: 4
read at: 09/05
date added: 09/04/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 5683070 Tue, 04 Sep 2007 21:36:32 -0700
author: Milan Kundera
name: Benjamin
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2000
rating: 3
read at: 09/05
date added: 09/04/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 5617596 Mon, 03 Sep 2007 22:08:18 -0700
author: Stephen King
name: Benjamin
average rating: 3.52
book published: 1999
rating: 4
read at: 02/05
date added: 09/03/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 5617581 Mon, 03 Sep 2007 22:07:56 -0700
author: Gore Vidal
name: Benjamin
average rating: 3.45
book published: 2003
rating: 5
read at: 06/05
date added: 09/03/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 5423565 Fri, 31 Aug 2007 09:36:19 -0700
author: Daja Wangchuk Meston
name: Benjamin
average rating: 3.43
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at: 05/07
date added: 08/31/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 5423520 Fri, 31 Aug 2007 09:35:18 -0700
author: Ernest Hemingway
name: Benjamin
average rating: 3.55
book published: 1952
rating: 4
read at: 06/07
date added: 08/31/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 5418196 Fri, 31 Aug 2007 08:22:53 -0700
author: Emmuska Orczy
name: Benjamin
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1905
rating: 4
read at: 11/04
date added: 08/31/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 5418066 Fri, 31 Aug 2007 08:20:24 -0700
author: Mark Kurlansky
name: Benjamin
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2001
rating: 5
read at: 06/07
date added: 08/31/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 5417962 Fri, 31 Aug 2007 08:19:07 -0700
author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
name: Benjamin
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2002
rating: 4
read at: 07/05
date added: 08/31/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 5388711 Thu, 30 Aug 2007 17:55:06 -0700
author: H. G. Wells
name: Benjamin
average rating: 3.64
book published: 1898
rating: 3
read at: 06/05
date added: 08/30/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 5388679 Thu, 30 Aug 2007 17:54:24 -0700
author: Ernest Hemingway
name: Benjamin
average rating: 3.72
book published: 1929
rating: 3
read at: 07/07
date added: 08/30/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 5380002 Thu, 30 Aug 2007 14:59:37 -0700
author: Robert S. Miola
name: Benjamin
average rating: 3.00
book published: 1994
rating: 3
read at: 12/06
date added: 08/30/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 5379918 Thu, 30 Aug 2007 14:56:54 -0700
author: Don Kladstrup
name: Benjamin
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2002
rating: 4
read at: 01/04
date added: 08/30/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 5379890 Thu, 30 Aug 2007 14:56:20 -0700
author: Barbara Wertheim Tuchman
name: Benjamin
average rating: 4.30
book published: 1962
rating: 4
read at: 08/05
date added: 08/30/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 5379875 Thu, 30 Aug 2007 14:55:40 -0700
author: Barbara Wertheim Tuchman
name: Benjamin
average rating: 4.03
book published: 1985
rating: 5
read at: 01/99
date added: 08/30/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 5379858 Thu, 30 Aug 2007 14:55:07 -0700
author: Edgar Lawrence Doctorow
name: Benjamin
average rating: 3.92
book published: 1976
rating: 4
read at: 07/05
date added: 08/30/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 5379807 Thu, 30 Aug 2007 14:53:51 -0700
author: Naguib Mahfouz
name: Benjamin
average rating: 3.79
book published: 1985
rating: 5
read at: 01/04
date added: 08/30/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 5379713 Thu, 30 Aug 2007 14:51:59 -0700
author: David McCullough
name: Benjamin
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2001
rating: 5
read at: 08/04
date added: 08/30/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 5379701 Thu, 30 Aug 2007 14:51:28 -0700
author: David McCullough
name: Benjamin
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2005
rating: 5
read at: 05/05
date added: 08/30/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 5379676 Thu, 30 Aug 2007 14:50:29 -0700
author: Robert M. Pirsig
name: Benjamin
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2002
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 08/30/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 5379637 Thu, 30 Aug 2007 14:49:36 -0700
author: Alex Garland
name: Benjamin
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2001
rating: 5
read at: 03/05
date added: 08/30/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 5379602 Thu, 30 Aug 2007 14:48:30 -0700
author: Prosper Mérimée
name: Benjamin
average rating: 3.00
book published: 1972
rating: 3
read at: 01/03
date added: 08/30/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 5379560 Thu, 30 Aug 2007 14:47:30 -0700
author: Gaston Leroux
name: Benjamin
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1910
rating: 4
read at: 06/04
date added: 08/30/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 5379535 Thu, 30 Aug 2007 14:46:52 -0700
author: Jules Verne
name: Benjamin
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1873
rating: 4
read at: 01/03
date added: 08/30/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 5379478 Thu, 30 Aug 2007 14:45:24 -0700
author: Kurt Vonnegut
name: Benjamin
average rating: 4.14
book published: 1969
rating: 4
read at: 01/04
date added: 08/30/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 5379442 Thu, 30 Aug 2007 14:44:44 -0700
author: Kurt Vonnegut
name: Benjamin
average rating: 4.07
book published: 1968
rating: 4
read at: 07/07
date added: 08/30/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 5379392 Thu, 30 Aug 2007 14:43:39 -0700
author: Russell Martin
name: Benjamin
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2003
rating: 5
read at: 07/07
date added: 08/30/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 5379331 Thu, 30 Aug 2007 14:42:45 -0700
author: Joseph J. Ellis
name: Benjamin
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2000
rating: 5
read at: 06/05
date added: 08/30/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 5379259 Thu, 30 Aug 2007 14:41:57 -0700
author: Virginia Woolf
name: Benjamin
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2004
rating: 4
read at: 07/03
date added: 08/30/07
shelves:
re