http://www.goodreads.com/review/list_rss/30987 en-US Sat, 19 Jul 2008 16:20:04 -0700 60 http://www.goodreads.com/ 200 41 http://www.goodreads.com/images/layout/gr_logo.gif 27731537 Sat, 19 Jul 2008 16:20:04 -0700
Though this book is filled with Harry's annoying adolescent rage and a lot of WRITING IN CAPITALS AS HARRY IS SHOUTING, it's one of the most deeply disturbing ones in the series. The reign of terror of Dolores Umbridge, the systematic breakdown of the government, and the oppression of the truth all bring to bear some of the scarier moments of history. Harry also briefly experiences yellow fever... and the issue of making out finds its way to Hogwarts.

Sirius dying is one of the saddest moments of the book and drives home the seriousness of the series. I find myself actually more excited to keep reading.

On a side note, I absolutely love Rowling's idea of nifty characters. I love Ron and Fred and George-- and I love that Hermione is turning into a woman. More than everything, I love Ginny Weasley. Because she effing rocks. I kind of want to be her.

Onwards!

]]>
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Justine
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2003
rating: 4
read at: 07/08
date added: 07/19/08
shelves:
review:
So by many people's estimation, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is one of the two worst books in the series (along with chamber of secrets). However, I like it much more than I did the first time.

Though this book is filled with Harry's annoying adolescent rage and a lot of WRITING IN CAPITALS AS HARRY IS SHOUTING, it's one of the most deeply disturbing ones in the series. The reign of terror of Dolores Umbridge, the systematic breakdown of the government, and the oppression of the truth all bring to bear some of the scarier moments of history. Harry also briefly experiences yellow fever... and the issue of making out finds its way to Hogwarts.

Sirius dying is one of the saddest moments of the book and drives home the seriousness of the series. I find myself actually more excited to keep reading.

On a side note, I absolutely love Rowling's idea of nifty characters. I love Ron and Fred and George-- and I love that Hermione is turning into a woman. More than everything, I love Ginny Weasley. Because she effing rocks. I kind of want to be her.

Onwards!


]]> 26075254 Tue, 01 Jul 2008 20:40:37 -0700
I think this is the book that made Rowling insist that she write the books on her own time line because the quality is worse when she rushes. This is more plot-driven than any of the other books. Action follows action and there is very little introspection along the way. True, Rowling's plot is still air-tight, but it's doesn't carry as much subtlety as others.

I think one of the most wonderful things about fantasy and children's literature is that you can create a world in which there are absolutes-- evil is evil and good is good and you can whole-heartedly root for the protagonist.

The characters in Harry Potter are similarly one dimensional-- however, by presenting things through Harry's point of view, it provides a neat lens for kids to reconsider the way they think and discover along with Harry, how to be brave, make mistakes, and what to stand for.

I the great wisdom and general life tips that
Dumbledore embraces, and that good, wise adults are silly and their world is continually wondrous and strange. I think we all need some whimsy in my life.

]]>
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Justine
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2000
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 07/01/08
shelves:
review:
Halfway through the Harry Potter bender and fittingly so. This is where the series really gets dark and I get kind of nervous knowing what's coming.

I think this is the book that made Rowling insist that she write the books on her own time line because the quality is worse when she rushes. This is more plot-driven than any of the other books. Action follows action and there is very little introspection along the way. True, Rowling's plot is still air-tight, but it's doesn't carry as much subtlety as others.

I think one of the most wonderful things about fantasy and children's literature is that you can create a world in which there are absolutes-- evil is evil and good is good and you can whole-heartedly root for the protagonist.

The characters in Harry Potter are similarly one dimensional-- however, by presenting things through Harry's point of view, it provides a neat lens for kids to reconsider the way they think and discover along with Harry, how to be brave, make mistakes, and what to stand for.

I the great wisdom and general life tips that
Dumbledore embraces, and that good, wise adults are silly and their world is continually wondrous and strange. I think we all need some whimsy in my life.


]]> 25631008 Thu, 26 Jun 2008 21:55:35 -0700
Here, Rowling displays her mastery of plot and execution. In terms of plot, Azkaban is amazingly constructed. Who knew Peter Pettigrew was Scabbers and that the time turner would work out so well? I'm particularly impressed by how seamlessly her narrative works--- hinting at things all along so it all makes sense, but never giving anything away. Brava.

Beyond the technical aspect of her writing, I'm also always carried away by how gutterally it touches me. If there's any indication of why millions of readers have fallen in love with her stories it's this: her character's happiness and sadness is universal and everyone can relate to it because we were all once children, and understand how pure emotion felt and how strong conviction could be at that point. This shit has UMPH.

I'm looking forward to watching (reading?) Rowling develop that into far more adult and sweeping themes (e.g. genocide).


Hurrah.]]>
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Justine
average rating: 4.33
book published: 1999
rating: 5
read at: 06/08
date added: 06/26/08
shelves: favorites
review:
Continuing on the Harry Potter Bender, we've reached what is possibly my favorite book in the entire series. I have yet to read this without crying at the end.

Here, Rowling displays her mastery of plot and execution. In terms of plot, Azkaban is amazingly constructed. Who knew Peter Pettigrew was Scabbers and that the time turner would work out so well? I'm particularly impressed by how seamlessly her narrative works--- hinting at things all along so it all makes sense, but never giving anything away. Brava.

Beyond the technical aspect of her writing, I'm also always carried away by how gutterally it touches me. If there's any indication of why millions of readers have fallen in love with her stories it's this: her character's happiness and sadness is universal and everyone can relate to it because we were all once children, and understand how pure emotion felt and how strong conviction could be at that point. This shit has UMPH.

I'm looking forward to watching (reading?) Rowling develop that into far more adult and sweeping themes (e.g. genocide).


Hurrah.
]]> 20116498 Sun, 22 Jun 2008 18:14:39 -0700
People who know me know how much I love sealife and crustaceans and mollusks and other bivalves. Lobsters are up there on my list of nifty animals.

Corson's book intersects where marine biologists, lobstermen, and policymakers meet and he interweaves their stories wonderfully. I love that people described in this book exist.

Especially cool sections include nerdily awesome descriptions of how ocean biology experiments are conducted, heartfelt descriptions of the Little Cranberry Island lobstermen (and women) and just weird and cool lessons on lobster biology and behavior.

A must read for nerds like me!]]>
author: Trevor Corson
name: Justine
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 06/22/08
shelves:
review:
What a nifty book!

People who know me know how much I love sealife and crustaceans and mollusks and other bivalves. Lobsters are up there on my list of nifty animals.

Corson's book intersects where marine biologists, lobstermen, and policymakers meet and he interweaves their stories wonderfully. I love that people described in this book exist.

Especially cool sections include nerdily awesome descriptions of how ocean biology experiments are conducted, heartfelt descriptions of the Little Cranberry Island lobstermen (and women) and just weird and cool lessons on lobster biology and behavior.

A must read for nerds like me!
]]> 25154781 Sun, 22 Jun 2008 18:11:27 -0700
This certainly isn't my favorite in the series, but it's certainly not bad. I enjoy how you can see Rowling's author-sense coming through early. The plot details hint at the incredibly complex (foresight-full) and well-organized story she has had.

I am particularly touched by some of the moral lessons she has hidden within the books. Something as simple as choosing to be in Gryffindor over Slytherin is described poetically and poignantly by Dumbledore and reaffirms the clear importance of bedtime stories. It makes me proud to be a liberal arts major.]]>
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Justine
average rating: 4.04
book published: 1998
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 06/22/08
shelves:
review:
Number 2 in the Harry Potter bender!

This certainly isn't my favorite in the series, but it's certainly not bad. I enjoy how you can see Rowling's author-sense coming through early. The plot details hint at the incredibly complex (foresight-full) and well-organized story she has had.

I am particularly touched by some of the moral lessons she has hidden within the books. Something as simple as choosing to be in Gryffindor over Slytherin is described poetically and poignantly by Dumbledore and reaffirms the clear importance of bedtime stories. It makes me proud to be a liberal arts major.
]]> 24149219 Tue, 10 Jun 2008 09:53:05 -0700
HP1 shows Rowling's genius. Though it is the beginning and still very school-boy happy, you can already tell hwo well she has conceived of her magical world. Details are layered on effortlessly. Some are resolved in the course of the book, but others take several books to develop.

Wonderful! ]]>
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Justine
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1997
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 06/10/08
shelves:
review:
Inspired by J. K. Rowling's commencement speech, I have decided to re-reading all of the Harry Potters in a row. It's a Harry Potter bender if you will.

HP1 shows Rowling's genius. Though it is the beginning and still very school-boy happy, you can already tell hwo well she has conceived of her magical world. Details are layered on effortlessly. Some are resolved in the course of the book, but others take several books to develop.

Wonderful!
]]> 21904813 Thu, 08 May 2008 21:31:09 -0700
Same of my favorite essays include: a man's intense obsession with his viking stove, an essay comparing the politics of independent restaurants and awesome blossoms (hah!), a man's journey making his own butter, the story of Mario Batali's dad (a man who quit his job to become a sausage maker), and an unbelievable essay entitled: "Travels with Captain Bacon"-- that's right--- a road trip story about a man who is on the quest for delicious bacon (!!). This essay is what alerted me to the existence of the bacon of the month club-- something I will probably buy myself for my birthday.

This year also featured some wonderfully evocative food-based memoirs-- chefs learning how to cook, memories of parents and the food of former social classes, food from homelands far away, and stories of old traditions that people are clinging to (pig killing, anyone?)

Though some of the essays are less savvy than the '06 compilation, this book was chock full of love for pork, and cured meat. Clearly, I'm a huge fan.]]>
author: Holly Hughes
name: Justine
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2003
rating: 4
read at: 05/08
date added: 05/08/08
shelves:
review:
I'm working my way through all of the best food writing collections and this is a much earlier version. It's interesting to see how the compilation has evolved and which writers are on the 2006 version and how the standard of food writing has gotten much higher. The categories have also changed.

Same of my favorite essays include: a man's intense obsession with his viking stove, an essay comparing the politics of independent restaurants and awesome blossoms (hah!), a man's journey making his own butter, the story of Mario Batali's dad (a man who quit his job to become a sausage maker), and an unbelievable essay entitled: "Travels with Captain Bacon"-- that's right--- a road trip story about a man who is on the quest for delicious bacon (!!). This essay is what alerted me to the existence of the bacon of the month club-- something I will probably buy myself for my birthday.

This year also featured some wonderfully evocative food-based memoirs-- chefs learning how to cook, memories of parents and the food of former social classes, food from homelands far away, and stories of old traditions that people are clinging to (pig killing, anyone?)

Though some of the essays are less savvy than the '06 compilation, this book was chock full of love for pork, and cured meat. Clearly, I'm a huge fan.
]]> 18401693 Tue, 29 Apr 2008 06:52:21 -0700
There is something universal and visceral about food writing-- everyone can relate. For what is there more common than what we eat and how we feel about it?

This compilation consists of excepts from food magazines, newspapers, and books, complete with nerdy, nerdy food details, accounts of artisan _______ makers; gluttonous odes to fatty things, and of course, recipes.


Favorite stories include a Jordanian woman's eulogic memoir of a family outing; an Indian woman's description of how she learned to cook; a woman's account of how she steeped her own liquor; and the author's introduction: how one summer she made each of her three children prepare one dinner a week.


Foodies, eaters, and cooks unite. A great read.]]>
author: Holly Hughes
name: Justine
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at: 04/08
date added: 04/29/08
shelves:
review:
I'm a big sucker for food writing-- "food porn" if you will. Whenever I get my Gourmet, I read it, cover to cover, and get really excited about what I want to make and how to describe it. I also sometimes read cookbooks becuase I'm a nerd.

There is something universal and visceral about food writing-- everyone can relate. For what is there more common than what we eat and how we feel about it?

This compilation consists of excepts from food magazines, newspapers, and books, complete with nerdy, nerdy food details, accounts of artisan _______ makers; gluttonous odes to fatty things, and of course, recipes.


Favorite stories include a Jordanian woman's eulogic memoir of a family outing; an Indian woman's description of how she learned to cook; a woman's account of how she steeped her own liquor; and the author's introduction: how one summer she made each of her three children prepare one dinner a week.


Foodies, eaters, and cooks unite. A great read.
]]> 18397116 Mon, 21 Apr 2008 05:07:41 -0700
Brooks himself is a bobo (read, bourgeois bohemian, or the new class of privilege that got here by working hard and being smart rather than being entitled (such as the old WASPS)) so by the golden rule of making fun of people, he's allowed to, because he's one of them. The book is broken into several chapters, each detailing a piece of bobo culture (consumption, intellectual life, etc.). And while mostly I read it for a laugh and a lark, as a bobo in training, there are some larger lessons to be had from the book. The beloved bobos are not beyond Brooks' criticism, most of which probably stems from his own discontent within his life.

Example (from chapter 2: Consumption)

"When a group of Bobos stand together, observers will be awed by the subtle symphony of fabrics. Their mouths will hang open and they will think to themselves, 'Wow, there goes a cloud of nubby people. I wonder if they know where I can get some fresh fava beans.'"
]]>
author: David Brooks
name: Justine
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2001
rating: 3
read at: 04/08
date added: 04/21/08
shelves:
review:
Brooks' work of "comic sociology" is essentially a grown-up, much better researched version of my favorite blog "Stuff White People Like." Unlike the blog, it uses a loose historical basis that is semi-rigorously researched and has a general theory that it espouses. Like the blog, it is hilarious.

Brooks himself is a bobo (read, bourgeois bohemian, or the new class of privilege that got here by working hard and being smart rather than being entitled (such as the old WASPS)) so by the golden rule of making fun of people, he's allowed to, because he's one of them. The book is broken into several chapters, each detailing a piece of bobo culture (consumption, intellectual life, etc.). And while mostly I read it for a laugh and a lark, as a bobo in training, there are some larger lessons to be had from the book. The beloved bobos are not beyond Brooks' criticism, most of which probably stems from his own discontent within his life.

Example (from chapter 2: Consumption)

"When a group of Bobos stand together, observers will be awed by the subtle symphony of fabrics. Their mouths will hang open and they will think to themselves, 'Wow, there goes a cloud of nubby people. I wonder if they know where I can get some fresh fava beans.'"

]]> 11718051 Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:36:52 -0700
It is a very quick history, written in the tone of a well done TV doctumentary rather than a text. The author goes chronologically, picking out the most interesting bits of politics, art, social change, etc., often incorporating some primary sources. Ultimately, it lacked the structure and order I would like, but was still a pleasant read.

3 stars.

]]>
author: Bamber Gascoigne
name: Justine
average rating: 3.20
book published: 2003
rating: 3
read at: 04/08
date added: 04/10/08
shelves:
review:
I've run into some pretty serious problems trying to find a good standard text for Chinese imperial history. I understand that few other places have viewed history as Western Europe has-- and that it's hard to find a good account of what happened (either because concepts of history are different.. or people rewrote it whenever a new dynasty took place)-- point being, I'm still on the quest and this was a good start.

It is a very quick history, written in the tone of a well done TV doctumentary rather than a text. The author goes chronologically, picking out the most interesting bits of politics, art, social change, etc., often incorporating some primary sources. Ultimately, it lacked the structure and order I would like, but was still a pleasant read.

3 stars.


]]> 19570534 Sun, 06 Apr 2008 07:25:21 -0700
So captivating it was finished in 2 days.

Bravo Neil.]]>
author: Neil Gaiman
name: Justine
average rating: 4.09
book published: 1998
rating: 3
read at: 04/08
date added: 04/06/08
shelves:
review:
Yet another stunning story by Neil Gaiman. This isn't earth-shattering in any way, but it's an amazingly creative novel that is well crafted and delightfully twisty. It would take a mountain's worth of hallucinogenic drugs to make me even conceive of the premise in the first place.

So captivating it was finished in 2 days.

Bravo Neil.
]]> 18144729 Wed, 02 Apr 2008 07:12:24 -0700
Either way, it still made me want to sleep with the lights on...]]>
author: Neil Gaiman
name: Justine
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2001
rating: 3
read at: 03/08
date added: 04/02/08
shelves:
review:
An earlier collection of Gaiman's short stories. Not nearly as good as the first collection, but still pretty terrifying. The best is probably the wedding story he wrote in the intro.

Either way, it still made me want to sleep with the lights on...
]]> 18144634 Wed, 02 Apr 2008 07:09:38 -0700
The premise is this: Gods/spirits/anything imaginary from the old countries (yes, folk and myth nerds) came with their people to America-- and are now dying out becuase peopel have forgotten them. They are competing with the new gods (media, cell phones, the market) for mind space and belief. Hijinks ensue.

I've alawys been a myth nerd and think you can learna lot about peopel from what they believe. This dredges up a good global pantheon and reminds us how creepy fairy tales really are.

4 stars. almost 5. ]]>
author: Neil Gaiman
name: Justine
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2001
rating: 4
read at: 03/08
date added: 04/02/08
shelves:
review:
This is one of the most innovative pieces of fiction I've read in a while. Gaiman's brain is unreal and his capacity for story telling that is at once creepy, interesting, hilarious, and enticing is wonderful. This book has the same quality of Harry Potter-- where you will stay up all night just to see what happens.

The premise is this: Gods/spirits/anything imaginary from the old countries (yes, folk and myth nerds) came with their people to America-- and are now dying out becuase peopel have forgotten them. They are competing with the new gods (media, cell phones, the market) for mind space and belief. Hijinks ensue.

I've alawys been a myth nerd and think you can learna lot about peopel from what they believe. This dredges up a good global pantheon and reminds us how creepy fairy tales really are.

4 stars. almost 5.
]]> 18143844 Wed, 19 Mar 2008 19:20:44 -0700
This collection is great-- it mixes a knowledge of all that is folk and myth with a twisted mind and some unbelievable irony and sadness. My favorite stories include the one where Susan from C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia is left on this earth, one that imagines the aftermath of Beowulf, and one that inverts the world of fantasy and reality.

Ultimately, what makes this such a fresh and exciting read is the deftness with which Gaiman blends the well known with wonderfully unique twists. It's a game of 'what if,' in which the 'what if' is so out there I would have never thought of it in the first place. Well crafted, lovely language.

]]>
author: Neil Gaiman
name: Justine
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 03/08
date added: 03/19/08
shelves:
review:
I picked up Neil Gaiman's Fragile Things (short fictions and wonders) while browsing at a bookstore. The praise that it got was enough to find it worth a read. I have never read any Gaiman until now, but recognize him from things he's written and some of the awards he's won.

This collection is great-- it mixes a knowledge of all that is folk and myth with a twisted mind and some unbelievable irony and sadness. My favorite stories include the one where Susan from C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia is left on this earth, one that imagines the aftermath of Beowulf, and one that inverts the world of fantasy and reality.

Ultimately, what makes this such a fresh and exciting read is the deftness with which Gaiman blends the well known with wonderfully unique twists. It's a game of 'what if,' in which the 'what if' is so out there I would have never thought of it in the first place. Well crafted, lovely language.


]]> 18143553 Wed, 19 Mar 2008 19:13:43 -0700
I remember the first time I read Pride and Prejudice in high school I pulled an all-nighter to see what happened. The feeling has not been lost. Despite it being much more moralistic than I remember, and much more gender-biased than I'm used to, I still get caught up in the language.

A favorite. Because I'm a girl.]]>
author: Jane Austen
name: Justine
average rating: 4.32
book published: 1813
rating: 5
read at: 03/08
date added: 03/19/08
shelves: favorites
review:
I'll admit it-- I watch the movie every time I feel all girly and need a fix. Last weekend, I figured, let's just go ahead and read it again.

I remember the first time I read Pride and Prejudice in high school I pulled an all-nighter to see what happened. The feeling has not been lost. Despite it being much more moralistic than I remember, and much more gender-biased than I'm used to, I still get caught up in the language.

A favorite. Because I'm a girl.
]]> 15088678 Sat, 08 Mar 2008 18:31:20 -0800
There were a couple pieces in the book that made me really think-- especially as concerning America's image in the world at large and the potential to have a true revolution in 21st century America.

The other wonderful part of this book is his hypotheticals. He opens the last set of essays with an absurd hypothetical and I find myself wanting to call people and ask what they'd do. For example:

"Q: It is 1933. You are in Berlin Germany. Somehow you find yourself in a position where you can effortlessly steal Adolf Hitler's wallet. This theft will not effect Hitler's rise to power, the nature of World War II, or the Holocaust. There is no important identification in the wallet, but the act will cost Hitler forty Reichsmarks and completely ruin his evening. You do not need the money. The odds that you will be caught committing this crime are less than 2 percent.

Are you ethically obligated to steal Hitler's wallet?"]]>
author: Chuck Klosterman
name: Justine
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at: 03/08
date added: 03/08/08
shelves:
review:
Since I very enjoyed Klosterman's last book, I decided to continue the trend and see how it would stack up. All in all IV was pretty good. It included a ton of articles he had written for spin (largely concerning 80s hair metal) and as a testament to his style, despite the fact that I know nothing about 80% of these groups and dislike 10% of them, I still read all the articles.

There were a couple pieces in the book that made me really think-- especially as concerning America's image in the world at large and the potential to have a true revolution in 21st century America.

The other wonderful part of this book is his hypotheticals. He opens the last set of essays with an absurd hypothetical and I find myself wanting to call people and ask what they'd do. For example:

"Q: It is 1933. You are in Berlin Germany. Somehow you find yourself in a position where you can effortlessly steal Adolf Hitler's wallet. This theft will not effect Hitler's rise to power, the nature of World War II, or the Holocaust. There is no important identification in the wallet, but the act will cost Hitler forty Reichsmarks and completely ruin his evening. You do not need the money. The odds that you will be caught committing this crime are less than 2 percent.

Are you ethically obligated to steal Hitler's wallet?"
]]> 4119450 Sun, 24 Feb 2008 17:25:48 -0800
The best part of the book was the plot-- I was actually enthralled enough to keep reading just to find out what happens. The pacing is almost perfect and the language is florid and British and pretty neat too.

Good read!
]]>
author: Diane Setterfield
name: Justine
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 02/08
date added: 02/24/08
shelves:
review:
I'm going to give this a four star rating because I ended up liking something that I'm pretty inclined to dislike. So I bought this on some recommendation and let it sit for a long time because I didn't seem to be my cup of tea. Too gothic, too chick-lit (bad kind), too Bronte. It ended up being all of those things, but also enjoyable.

The best part of the book was the plot-- I was actually enthralled enough to keep reading just to find out what happens. The pacing is almost perfect and the language is florid and British and pretty neat too.

Good read!

]]> 5695214 Sun, 10 Feb 2008 16:39:45 -0800
The book is structured as a series of unconnected essays all about pop culture things. His voice is similar to that of David Foster Wallace, but in general, h is less intellectual, (I would argue less insightful), and a little darker. While Wallace (to me) keeps a generally positive attitude, Klosterman strikes me as someone who is pretty depressed (but pretty to to boot).

All in all, I very much enjoyed the deconstruction of pop culture to find deeper meaning. Alas, I'm a little too young to really get some of these references.

Fun quotes:

"Why do you keep saying that... apples and oranges aren't that different really. I mean, they're both fruit. Their weight is extremely similar. They both contain acidic elements. They're both roughly spherical. They serve the same social purpose....So how is this a metaphor for difference? I could understand if you said, 'That's like comparing apples and uranium,' or 'That's like comparing apples with baby wolverines,' or 'That's like the early work of Raymond Carver,' or 'That's like comparing apples with hermaphroditic ground sloths.' Those would all be valid examples of profound disparity. But not apples and oranges. In every meaningful way, they're virtually identical."

"Yet according ot the affable robots at google.com, there are 6,250 sites on the Internet that prominently include the phrase 'naked housewives.' There are also 7,110 that include hte phrase 'nude housewives,' which I suppose is technically classier. We have 586 that promote 'housewife whores,' while a solid 2,600 offer a more generic alternative ('housewife sluts')... Since one could assume that all of these sites have-- conservatively-- 50 whores apiece, that's a little over 830,000 domestic sexaholics in English-speaking countries all of which can be located in roughly 90 seconds. Considering how few women are still stay-at-home moms, that's quite an accomplishment."

"Meanwhile, John Kellogg was upset that his brother added sugar to the flake recipe to improve sales, a supplement he believed would liberate the public libido and turn every corn flake aficionado into a raging sexoholic. The Kellogg brothers eventually sued one another... Years later, a trio of Rastafarian elves would promote puffed Rice."]]>
author: Chuck Klosterman
name: Justine
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at: 02/08
date added: 02/10/08
shelves:
review:
So Klosterman is cited as a favorite writer by several people who I respect a lot and Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs was a delightful read in kind of a trashy way. It's billed as a "low culture manifesto"-- so I guess that's okay.

The book is structured as a series of unconnected essays all about pop culture things. His voice is similar to that of David Foster Wallace, but in general, h is less intellectual, (I would argue less insightful), and a little darker. While Wallace (to me) keeps a generally positive attitude, Klosterman strikes me as someone who is pretty depressed (but pretty to to boot).

All in all, I very much enjoyed the deconstruction of pop culture to find deeper meaning. Alas, I'm a little too young to really get some of these references.

Fun quotes:

"Why do you keep saying that... apples and oranges aren't that different really. I mean, they're both fruit. Their weight is extremely similar. They both contain acidic elements. They're both roughly spherical. They serve the same social purpose....So how is this a metaphor for difference? I could understand if you said, 'That's like comparing apples and uranium,' or 'That's like comparing apples with baby wolverines,' or 'That's like the early work of Raymond Carver,' or 'That's like comparing apples with hermaphroditic ground sloths.' Those would all be valid examples of profound disparity. But not apples and oranges. In every meaningful way, they're virtually identical."

"Yet according ot the affable robots at google.com, there are 6,250 sites on the Internet that prominently include the phrase 'naked housewives.' There are also 7,110 that include hte phrase 'nude housewives,' which I suppose is technically classier. We have 586 that promote 'housewife whores,' while a solid 2,600 offer a more generic alternative ('housewife sluts')... Since one could assume that all of these sites have-- conservatively-- 50 whores apiece, that's a little over 830,000 domestic sexaholics in English-speaking countries all of which can be located in roughly 90 seconds. Considering how few women are still stay-at-home moms, that's quite an accomplishment."

"Meanwhile, John Kellogg was upset that his brother added sugar to the flake recipe to improve sales, a supplement he believed would liberate the public libido and turn every corn flake aficionado into a raging sexoholic. The Kellogg brothers eventually sued one another... Years later, a trio of Rastafarian elves would promote puffed Rice."
]]> 9425986 Sat, 29 Dec 2007 12:40:33 -0800 whereas women had to skin the mammoth, turn its meat over the spit, watch the children to make sure they didn't walk into fiery pit over which said mammoth was roasting, and I don't know, erect a tent or something.

Well lo and behold, here's a book that does it with scientific backing. Taking the basic premise of evolutionary psychology (we have 10,000 year old brains and all we want to do is have babies), it looks at modern day patterns and investigates questions under that lens... for example:

Why gentleman prefer blondes
Why religion is a universal human constant?
Why violent criminals are men
Why Larry Summer's statement was... evolutionarily, correct.

Anyways, though it's a little off on certain things and applies the theory too broadly at times, it was still a delightful read. Nothing totally surprising, but neat anyways 9especially the experimental side of things.

Go forth, read, argue.
]]>
author: Alan S. Miller
name: Justine
average rating: 3.19
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at: 12/07
date added: 12/29/07
shelves:
review:
So those who know me know that I like to redux things to mammoth hunting. AKA: boys can't multi-task because in the time of the mammoth all they needed to do was kill the mammoth....
whereas women had to skin the mammoth, turn its meat over the spit, watch the children to make sure they didn't walk into fiery pit over which said mammoth was roasting, and I don't know, erect a tent or something.

Well lo and behold, here's a book that does it with scientific backing. Taking the basic premise of evolutionary psychology (we have 10,000 year old brains and all we want to do is have babies), it looks at modern day patterns and investigates questions under that lens... for example:

Why gentleman prefer blondes
Why religion is a universal human constant?
Why violent criminals are men
Why Larry Summer's statement was... evolutionarily, correct.

Anyways, though it's a little off on certain things and applies the theory too broadly at times, it was still a delightful read. Nothing totally surprising, but neat anyways 9especially the experimental side of things.

Go forth, read, argue.

]]> 8874154 Thu, 27 Dec 2007 14:30:23 -0800
Because I'm horrible at evaluating graphic novels, I'm going to go ahead and rate this a three, not because the story wasn't compelling, but because it wasn't compelling enough to compare it to some of my favorite children's books (at which the language in the book is written).

However, the illustrations are absolutely beautiful and if you are a fan of film, this is a uniquely genre-bending piece.]]>
author: Brian Selznick
name: Justine
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at: 12/07
date added: 12/27/07
shelves:
review:
I bought this book after reading a great review of it on the Times. When it showed up it was gigantic enough to be off-putting-- and then I opened it, and lo and behold, it's a combination of graphic novel, story, and film/photography.

Because I'm horrible at evaluating graphic novels, I'm going to go ahead and rate this a three, not because the story wasn't compelling, but because it wasn't compelling enough to compare it to some of my favorite children's books (at which the language in the book is written).

However, the illustrations are absolutely beautiful and if you are a fan of film, this is a uniquely genre-bending piece.
]]> 5239208 Fri, 23 Nov 2007 13:10:59 -0800
Boudinot brilliant blends the mundate and the pop with the seriously disturbing. The language is marvelously tight (like a tiger?) and his diction is wonderfully chosen and executed. The weird thing about the stories is they are perfectly normal and engaging in their prosaicness in all things but one element. This one thing (whether it be rape, serial killing, violence, etc.) makes itself known with a bang whenever it pops up. The best part is how seamlessly it's blended into the rest of the narrative.

I'm not very good at short stories or at disturbing literature, but after reading an article by David Foster Wallace convincing me that David Lynch is good art (long story, great article), I've been trying a little less hard to avoid the uncomfortable/morally mushy/disturbing.

Please read and discuss.]]>
author: Ryan Boudinot
name: Justine
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at: 11/07
date added: 11/23/07
shelves:
review:
So Boudinot's stories remind me alot of Kurt Vonnegut's collection of the same (Welcome to the Monkey House). Not because I remember much of Vonnegut's stories, but because I remember the same creeped-out feeling I got that almost made me sleep with the lights on last night (no joke).

Boudinot brilliant blends the mundate and the pop with the seriously disturbing. The language is marvelously tight (like a tiger?) and his diction is wonderfully chosen and executed. The weird thing about the stories is they are perfectly normal and engaging in their prosaicness in all things but one element. This one thing (whether it be rape, serial killing, violence, etc.) makes itself known with a bang whenever it pops up. The best part is how seamlessly it's blended into the rest of the narrative.

I'm not very good at short stories or at disturbing literature, but after reading an article by David Foster Wallace convincing me that David Lynch is good art (long story, great article), I've been trying a little less hard to avoid the uncomfortable/morally mushy/disturbing.

Please read and discuss.
]]> 4120258 Thu, 22 Nov 2007 10:09:25 -0800
Reviewers talk about how Unsworth uses the Iliad to draw out some of the inconsistencies of war in light of current events, etc. This is subtly and very well done througout the book-- Unsworth deftly weaves in "modern" thought with the story in a way that makes me wonder, has human nature changed at all? Moreover, I'm shocked by how much empathy he created for his characters in a relatively quick read.

However, the part that impressed me the most is the treatment of the bard-- the singer who creates "The Songs of Kings." As the historian and collective memory, the "writer", if you will, of the story of Troy, this piece of the narrative has the most to do with Unsworth himself. (Whoa, meta). I like that the author treats this as a state before the stories are told, before the Iliad was formed, when everything was propaganda and fresh and not-yet-happened, and the heroes are free to have their own motives and personalities unburdened by Homer. Awesome.

Three stars mainly because reading it through was so easy. 3.5 I guess.]]>
author: Barry Unsworth
name: Justine
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2004
rating: 3
read at: 11/07
date added: 11/22/07
shelves:
review:
So anyone who knows me well at all knows how much I love me some Homer. Naturally, when I saw this well reviewed "prequel" to the Iliad, I had to jump on that.

Reviewers talk about how Unsworth uses the Iliad to draw out some of the inconsistencies of war in light of current events, etc. This is subtly and very well done througout the book-- Unsworth deftly weaves in "modern" thought with the story in a way that makes me wonder, has human nature changed at all? Moreover, I'm shocked by how much empathy he created for his characters in a relatively quick read.

However, the part that impressed me the most is the treatment of the bard-- the singer who creates "The Songs of Kings." As the historian and collective memory, the "writer", if you will, of the story of Troy, this piece of the narrative has the most to do with Unsworth himself. (Whoa, meta). I like that the author treats this as a state before the stories are told, before the Iliad was formed, when everything was propaganda and fresh and not-yet-happened, and the heroes are free to have their own motives and personalities unburdened by Homer. Awesome.

Three stars mainly because reading it through was so easy. 3.5 I guess.
]]> 4119317 Mon, 19 Nov 2007 04:17:40 -0800

This is a pretty neat book. I gave it a low score because i still don't know quite how to address graphic novels, but the plotlines wove together surprisingly deftly (well done) and the text that is there is cheeky and great. I'm impressed by how well the author captured the asian american spirit-- including the story of the monkey king (hurrah) and the idiom at the beginning. This makes me want to go back and look for those stories.

The funny thing is, the moral lesson in this book wasn't as strongly felt as I thought it would be. Maybe because it's delightfully understated?

All in all, quite a fun read.]]>
author: Gene Luen Yang
name: Justine
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at: 11/07
date added: 11/19/07
shelves:
review:
just won an award for youth fiction.


This is a pretty neat book. I gave it a low score because i still don't know quite how to address graphic novels, but the plotlines wove together surprisingly deftly (well done) and the text that is there is cheeky and great. I'm impressed by how well the author captured the asian american spirit-- including the story of the monkey king (hurrah) and the idiom at the beginning. This makes me want to go back and look for those stories.

The funny thing is, the moral lesson in this book wasn't as strongly felt as I thought it would be. Maybe because it's delightfully understated?

All in all, quite a fun read.
]]> 4119160 Wed, 14 Nov 2007 21:13:49 -0800
It's actually shocking to me that one person could write this. Saucy, smart-smart-smart, unique, funny, heartbreaking all at once.

No wonder the Times listed this as one of the 10 best books as the year. wow.]]>
author: Marisha Pessl
name: Justine
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2006
rating: 5
read at: 11/07
date added: 11/14/07
shelves: favorites
review:
Holy brilliant.

It's actually shocking to me that one person could write this. Saucy, smart-smart-smart, unique, funny, heartbreaking all at once.

No wonder the Times listed this as one of the 10 best books as the year. wow.
]]> 6679279 Sun, 04 Nov 2007 19:55:18 -0800

"The lady running the booth's register is dressed like a '68 Yippie but has a hard carny face and wants to know why I'm standing here memorizing T-shirts. All I can manage to tell her is the "HORNEY" on these "2.5 BEERS-" shirts is misppeled; and now I really feel like an East-Coast snob laying judgments and semiotic theories on these people who ask of life only a Republican in the White House and a black velvit Elvis on the wood-grain mantel of their mobile home."

"The scariest spiritual booth is right up near the west exit, where something called Covenant Faith Triumphant Church has a big hanging banner that asks "WHAT IS THE ONE MAN MADE THING IN HEAVEN?" and I stop to ponder, which with charismatics is instant death, becuase a breastless bushy-browed woman is out around the booth's counter like a shot and in my personal space. She says "Give up? GIve up do you?" I tll her I"ll go ahead and bite... She puts her finger to her plam and makes screwing motions. Signifying coitus? (I don't say "coitus" out loud, though.) "Not but one thing," she says. "The holes in Christ's palms,"...

"I am an American tourist, and am thus ex officio large, fleshy, red, loud, coarse, condescending, self-absorbed, spoiled, appearance-conscious, ashamed, despairing, and greedy: the world's only known species of bovin carnivore."]]>
author: David Foster Wallace
name: Justine
average rating: 4.12
book published: 1998
rating: 4
read at: 11/07
date added: 11/04/07
shelves:
review:
Once again, I'm touched, awed, and forced to think by David Foster Wallace. Here is an author who is thoroughly "modern" who understands what it is to be alive now, yet still is able to make me seriously reconsider my point of view and thought processes. This book of essays includes impressions on a 7 night cruise, the point of David Lynch movies, and an Illinois state fair. Also includes some essays about tennis that were even enjoyable to me. What a smart, perceptive, funny, slightly neurotic man. Fun quotes below:


"The lady running the booth's register is dressed like a '68 Yippie but has a hard carny face and wants to know why I'm standing here memorizing T-shirts. All I can manage to tell her is the "HORNEY" on these "2.5 BEERS-" shirts is misppeled; and now I really feel like an East-Coast snob laying judgments and semiotic theories on these people who ask of life only a Republican in the White House and a black velvit Elvis on the wood-grain mantel of their mobile home."

"The scariest spiritual booth is right up near the west exit, where something called Covenant Faith Triumphant Church has a big hanging banner that asks "WHAT IS THE ONE MAN MADE THING IN HEAVEN?" and I stop to ponder, which with charismatics is instant death, becuase a breastless bushy-browed woman is out around the booth's counter like a shot and in my personal space. She says "Give up? GIve up do you?" I tll her I"ll go ahead and bite... She puts her finger to her plam and makes screwing motions. Signifying coitus? (I don't say "coitus" out loud, though.) "Not but one thing," she says. "The holes in Christ's palms,"...

"I am an American tourist, and am thus ex officio large, fleshy, red, loud, coarse, condescending, self-absorbed, spoiled, appearance-conscious, ashamed, despairing, and greedy: the world's only known species of bovin carnivore."
]]> 4119473 Sun, 21 Oct 2007 13:15:06 -0700
Main takeaways
1) Mario Batali of Molto Mario is not hateable (who knew?); in fact, that television persona is just wrong.

2) I don't want to be a chef.

3) Some people have an insane capacity to eat and drink that is WAY beyond me. Vomitorium that.


Fun quote:
"The difficulty was in what you found at the bottom of the sinks-- usually a layered expression of hte restaurant's archaeology, composed of, say, goat cheese (because the tortelloni always leaked), butternut squash (becuase the lune lost a little as well), and tiny bits of everything else, including shellfish (where did they swim in from?). Also, the cooker was hot-- furnace hot. Even when the heating elemeant was turend off, it remained very hot, and hte green abrasive "scrubby" that you used to lcean it steamed on contact, sotened slowly, and eventually started to cook, like a piece of plastic ravioli... At four in the morning, when I finally went ot bed, I continued to radiate heat, my insides a meaty something still cooking, mymind unable to stop the recurrent thtought that this was my life: I'd become a sausage."

]]>
author: Bill Buford
name: Justine
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at: 10/07
date added: 10/21/07
shelves:
review:
Delightful. The humor of a writer of the Times with the intelligence of a writer of the New Yorker-- with the passion of someone who loves to cook. And really cook-- the Italian (real) food that is serious in a way we'd never see it. I found this to be thoroughly entertaining.

Main takeaways
1) Mario Batali of Molto Mario is not hateable (who knew?); in fact, that television persona is just wrong.

2) I don't want to be a chef.

3) Some people have an insane capacity to eat and drink that is WAY beyond me. Vomitorium that.


Fun quote:
"The difficulty was in what you found at the bottom of the sinks-- usually a layered expression of hte restaurant's archaeology, composed of, say, goat cheese (because the tortelloni always leaked), butternut squash (becuase the lune lost a little as well), and tiny bits of everything else, including shellfish (where did they swim in from?). Also, the cooker was hot-- furnace hot. Even when the heating elemeant was turend off, it remained very hot, and hte green abrasive "scrubby" that you used to lcean it steamed on contact, sotened slowly, and eventually started to cook, like a piece of plastic ravioli... At four in the morning, when I finally went ot bed, I continued to radiate heat, my insides a meaty something still cooking, mymind unable to stop the recurrent thtought that this was my life: I'd become a sausage."


]]> 4119866 Tue, 25 Sep 2007 19:45:59 -0700
DFW's style is what I would call "masturbatorily educated." He drops references (both popular and erudite) everywhere and expects his reader to get it. But beyond style, the true brilliance of the book is the way Wallace is able to communicate his insight about bizarre topics (Porn, Dictionaries, McCain, Lobsters, and Dostoevsky, just to name a few) and to generate real, human interest. The main theme of the book: America-- and the odd, gross, and funky things it means to be American.

Sample of quotes below:

"Whether the framers of the US Constitution might, in their very wildest imaginations, have been able to foresee things lke "Anal Virgins VIII" or 900-666-FUCK when they were thinking of expression they wanted to protect is obviously a thorny question and outside this article's purview."

"Ti's a function of the fact that there are so many different well-formed ways to say the same basic thing, from e.g. 'I was attacked by a bear!' to 'Goddamn bear tried to kill me!' to 'That ursine juggernaut did essay to sup upon my person!'...

]]>
author: David Foster Wallace
name: Justine
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2005
rating: 5
read at: 09/07
date added: 09/25/07
shelves: favorites
review:
DFW may have just won a place as one of my favorite writers. His intelligence, sharp observance, and keen wit jump off the pages. At times a little dense and circuitous, the payoff for reading his work is HUGE. There are so many dogears in this book (good quotes) that it doesn't lie flat.

DFW's style is what I would call "masturbatorily educated." He drops references (both popular and erudite) everywhere and expects his reader to get it. But beyond style, the true brilliance of the book is the way Wallace is able to communicate his insight about bizarre topics (Porn, Dictionaries, McCain, Lobsters, and Dostoevsky, just to name a few) and to generate real, human interest. The main theme of the book: America-- and the odd, gross, and funky things it means to be American.

Sample of quotes below:

"Whether the framers of the US Constitution might, in their very wildest imaginations, have been able to foresee things lke "Anal Virgins VIII" or 900-666-FUCK when they were thinking of expression they wanted to protect is obviously a thorny question and outside this article's purview."

"Ti's a function of the fact that there are so many different well-formed ways to say the same basic thing, from e.g. 'I was attacked by a bear!' to 'Goddamn bear tried to kill me!' to 'That ursine juggernaut did essay to sup upon my person!'...


]]> 5239348 Sun, 16 Sep 2007 21:17:51 -0700
Brockmeier has a great premise-- one that made me add this on the list of things to read and one that made me excited to get started. However, like many things with great premises, the execution fell far short of the idea and the ending was mediocre at best. I don't enjoy books that are wrapped up with a vague statement and without decent resolution because the weight of the premise is too heavy to sustain a good ending. Bah I say.

That being said, it is a really intruiging book and the writing is at times beautiful. I love the concept of involuntary memory and he does a great job linking things together. 3 stars, no more, no less.

Final annoying point: bashing Coke. Coke is delicious, lovely, the most wonderful hangover cure in the world. If you want to bash a corporation, how about Pepsi? Jeez.]]>
author: Kevin Brockmeier
name: Justine
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at: 08/06
date added: 09/16/07
shelves:
review:
So I nabbed this off of becky's bookshelf when I mistakenly forgot to bring a book to Boston. It shot so high up in the priority of "things to read" because it was there.. and well, I was bookless.

Brockmeier has a great premise-- one that made me add this on the list of things to read and one that made me excited to get started. However, like many things with great premises, the execution fell far short of the idea and the ending was mediocre at best. I don't enjoy books that are wrapped up with a vague statement and without decent resolution because the weight of the premise is too heavy to sustain a good ending. Bah I say.

That being said, it is a really intruiging book and the writing is at times beautiful. I love the concept of involuntary memory and he does a great job linking things together. 3 stars, no more, no less.

Final annoying point: bashing Coke. Coke is delicious, lovely, the most wonderful hangover cure in the world. If you want to bash a corporation, how about Pepsi? Jeez.
]]> 4011749 Wed, 05 Sep 2007 05:38:46 -0700
This is a great complement to Guns, Germs and Steel. While one talks about the macros of history and largely avoids human agency, this focuses on the actions of one man.

One of the best things about the read is the way it deals with a culture whose values are fundamentally different than western European ones. While the "barbaric hordes" have been ingrained into Western image, this book does a great job in both illuminating how that came to be and bringing out the parts of Genghis Khan's empire that are more civilized than that of their western counterparts.

Now having actually finished the book, here are the cricisms: tone of hte book gets a little preachy at times. I don't like preachy history texts so that's a bit annoying. I'm also unsure about some of the conclusions he draws in the last several pages between Mongol culture and say... Renaissance art and the rest of European history. Connection, yes, sole agency... maybe not. Also, stop with the epilogues people, most of you writers are horrible at that.]]>
author: Jack Weatherford
name: Justine
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2005
rating: 3
read at: 09/07
date added: 09/05/07
shelves:
review:
Obsession with Genghis Khan and Mongolia. If anyone wants to go ride around and sleep in a Yurt, I am there.

This is a great complement to Guns, Germs and Steel. While one talks about the macros of history and largely avoids human agency, this focuses on the actions of one man.

One of the best things about the read is the way it deals with a culture whose values are fundamentally different than western European ones. While the "barbaric hordes" have been ingrained into Western image, this book does a great job in both illuminating how that came to be and bringing out the parts of Genghis Khan's empire that are more civilized than that of their western counterparts.

Now having actually finished the book, here are the cricisms: tone of hte book gets a little preachy at times. I don't like preachy history texts so that's a bit annoying. I'm also unsure about some of the conclusions he draws in the last several pages between Mongol culture and say... Renaissance art and the rest of European history. Connection, yes, sole agency... maybe not. Also, stop with the epilogues people, most of you writers are horrible at that.
]]> 1408881 Fri, 10 Aug 2007 06:54:32 -0700 - Well thought out
- Fascinating look into nerdlicious things I've always wanted to know about (e.g. plant domestication and animal husbandry-- no joke)
- Great introduction and unifying theme of book that establishes a basis for equality of human kind
- Emphasis on non-western history

Cons:
- Like sitting in a series of lectures of a freshman core-- e.g., at the end of each chapter (lecture), he reiterates EVERY single argument that has been reiterated EVERY single chapter (18 times). It's like being bludgeoned over his head with it...
- Length (probably could have been made shorter if he didn't feel the need to make the line of the argument so painfully obvious/repetitive).

Unexpected Pro:
- After said bludgeoning, I will probably remember more of this book than most others]]>
author: Jared Diamond
name: Justine
average rating: 3.98
book published: 1997
rating: 4
read at: 08/07
date added: 08/10/07
shelves:
review:
Pros:
- Well thought out
- Fascinating look into nerdlicious things I've always wanted to know about (e.g. plant domestication and animal husbandry-- no joke)
- Great introduction and unifying theme of book that establishes a basis for equality of human kind
- Emphasis on non-western history

Cons:
- Like sitting in a series of lectures of a freshman core-- e.g., at the end of each chapter (lecture), he reiterates EVERY single argument that has been reiterated EVERY single chapter (18 times). It's like being bludgeoned over his head with it...
- Length (probably could have been made shorter if he didn't feel the need to make the line of the argument so painfully obvious/repetitive).

Unexpected Pro:
- After said bludgeoning, I will probably remember more of this book than most others
]]> 4119510 Sun, 05 Aug 2007 15:27:31 -0700 Makes me want to read Portuguese just to hear it in it's original prose.

Maktub.]]>
author: Paulo Coelho
name: Justine
average rating: 3.80
book published: 1988
rating: 4
read at: 01/02
date added: 08/05/07
shelves:
review:
A simple tale filled with wisdom and love.
Makes me want to read Portuguese just to hear it in it's original prose.

Maktub.
]]> 4119102 Sun, 05 Aug 2007 15:14:47 -0700 my favorite quote.

]]>
author: Walt Whitman
name: Justine
average rating: 4.32
book published: 1855
rating: 5
read at: 01/04
date added: 08/05/07
shelves: favorites
review:
My favorite poetic work,
my favorite quote.


]]> 4119075 Sun, 05 Aug 2007 15:13:46 -0700
author: John Milton
name: Justine
average rating: 4.16
book published: 1667
rating: 5
read at: 01/04
date added: 08/05/07
shelves: favorites
review:
There are no words.
]]> 4118911 Sun, 05 Aug 2007 15:09:39 -0700