http://www.goodreads.com/review/list_rss/38179 en-US Wed, 09 Jan 2008 01:22:37 -0800 60 http://www.goodreads.com/ 200 41 http://www.goodreads.com/images/layout/gr_logo.gif 12042211 Wed, 09 Jan 2008 01:22:37 -0800
author: Paulo Coelho
name: Annie
average rating: 3.81
book published: 1988
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 01/09/08
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]]> 9828186 Wed, 09 Jan 2008 01:22:13 -0800
author: Paulo Coelho
name: Annie
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2000
rating: 4
read at: 11/07
date added: 01/09/08
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My first experience with Coelho was in reading the novel "The Alchemist." I found that I did not agree with the general consensus that the book was amazing but instead found it to be quite preachy and a little contrived. Granted, I did cut Coehlo some slack as I realized I went into reading the book expecting it's grandiosity to change my life. My friend Cassie was the only person I know who agreed with me on "The Alchemist" and in hearing her recommendation to read "Veronika Decides to Die", I decided to give Coelho another shot. My experience was quite different as I found "Veronika Decides to Die" to be neither contrived nor preachy. Although I thought the ending of this book was heading toward my review of "The Alchemist", all and all I deemed this book to have better writing and many interesting ideas. "Veronika Decides to Die" kept me intrigued and although it still contained a little bit of an agenda from Coelho, I think the main points of this book are universal and can be appreciated by everyone. I recommend this book to anyone who struggled with "The Alchemist" and is looking to read something inspiring that still maintains originality.
]]> 11508406 Wed, 02 Jan 2008 21:41:05 -0800
author: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
name: Annie
average rating: 4.32
book published: 1943
rating: 4
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date added: 01/02/08
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]]> 11508368 Wed, 02 Jan 2008 21:40:34 -0800
author: Mary Pipher
name: Annie
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2006
rating: 3
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date added: 01/02/08
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]]> 9828240 Sat, 01 Dec 2007 22:05:23 -0800
author: Brenda Davies
name: Annie
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2000
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 12/01/07
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]]> 9828211 Sat, 01 Dec 2007 22:04:46 -0800
author: Margery Williams Bianco
name: Annie
average rating: 4.35
book published: 1922
rating: 5
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date added: 12/01/07
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]]> 8550190 Thu, 01 Nov 2007 23:05:18 -0700
author: Sophie Furlaud
name: Annie
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2003
rating: 5
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date added: 11/01/07
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]]> 8550150 Thu, 01 Nov 2007 23:02:00 -0700
author: Robin Morgan
name: Annie
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2003
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 11/01/07
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]]> 8550137 Thu, 01 Nov 2007 23:01:38 -0700
author: Karen Casey
name: Annie
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1996
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 11/01/07
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]]> 8550120 Thu, 01 Nov 2007 23:00:37 -0700
author: Chinua Achebe
name: Annie
average rating: 3.69
book published: 1975
rating: 5
read at: 12/07
date added: 11/01/07
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]]> 4024108 Fri, 03 Aug 2007 09:52:00 -0700
author: Bernhard Schlink
name: Annie
average rating: 3.48
book published: 1999
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 08/03/07
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]]> 929829 Wed, 13 Jun 2007 22:28:17 -0700
author: Kurt Vonnegut
name: Annie
average rating: 4.25
book published: 1963
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 06/13/07
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]]> 1911790 Wed, 13 Jun 2007 00:42:21 -0700
author: Charles Karel Bouley
name: Annie
average rating: 3.00
book published: 2004
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 06/13/07
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]]> 1911776 Wed, 13 Jun 2007 00:39:40 -0700
author: Harriet Lerner
name: Annie
average rating: 3.82
book published: 1990
rating: 5
read at: 12/07
date added: 06/13/07
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]]> 736663 Tue, 01 May 2007 11:36:15 -0700 Without taking into account the experience of America's soldiers on the front lines of war, it is easy for the average citizen to make generalized opinions about whether war is right or wrong. Swofford's, Jarhead completely erases all preconceived notions about what military life and war is like. Unlike other media depictions of the military as either glorifying war or villanizing soldiers, Jarhead does neither. Swofford does not attempt to make a broad simplification in order to pass judgment on war and acts of the military. Instead, it is obvious that in Jarhead, young 18- year- old Swofford is terribly confused throughout the whole book and his honest uncertainty about what is right and wrong, gives readers an unbiased look at the experiences of one soldier. Swofford does not patronize the audience by pretending to know all of the answers. Also, as Jarhead chronicles Swofford's experience in the Gulf War, it also chronicles his existential crisis from joining the military, to his lowest point when he holds a gun in his mouth, deciding that his life now means nothing. However, as the book comes to a close, it is obvious that Swofford has been able to make his own meaning in his life, for in writing Jarhead, he is taking action by giving soldier's a voice and doing what he believes is right. I highly recommend!!]]>
author: Anthony Swofford
name: Annie
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2003
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 05/01/07
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Jarhead: A Marine's Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles is a brutally honest account of war through the eyes of a Marine. The book documents Swofford's own experience as a young Marine, both in battle and in the confines of military life. Swofford's story is unique as the American public rarely gets to hear the point of view of the soldier. So often we hear and read about pro and anti- war rallying, however even with all of these conflicting viewpoints, the soldier's voice, the most fundamental to war is lost in the background. Swofford's book Jarhead is important on several different levels. Contextually, with the current war in Iraq, Jarhead is critical as it demands that America pay attention to the needs of its' soldiers that are immersed and returning from war. Swofford provides readers with a true account of what the military is like and the deconstruction of identity that occurs in order to create a group. Thematically, Jarhead tackles ideas that are omnipresent and experienced by many, whether at war or not, such as Swofford's own personal search for meaning.
Without taking into account the experience of America's soldiers on the front lines of war, it is easy for the average citizen to make generalized opinions about whether war is right or wrong. Swofford's, Jarhead completely erases all preconceived notions about what military life and war is like. Unlike other media depictions of the military as either glorifying war or villanizing soldiers, Jarhead does neither. Swofford does not attempt to make a broad simplification in order to pass judgment on war and acts of the military. Instead, it is obvious that in Jarhead, young 18- year- old Swofford is terribly confused throughout the whole book and his honest uncertainty about what is right and wrong, gives readers an unbiased look at the experiences of one soldier. Swofford does not patronize the audience by pretending to know all of the answers. Also, as Jarhead chronicles Swofford's experience in the Gulf War, it also chronicles his existential crisis from joining the military, to his lowest point when he holds a gun in his mouth, deciding that his life now means nothing. However, as the book comes to a close, it is obvious that Swofford has been able to make his own meaning in his life, for in writing Jarhead, he is taking action by giving soldier's a voice and doing what he believes is right. I highly recommend!!
]]> 417603 Thu, 26 Apr 2007 12:16:34 -0700 After the scandal was revealed and Frey's book was found to be less than non-fiction, my immediate reaction was sadness. I view this to mean that Frey has truly not recovered from his addiction, as step four in the 12 -step- program for recovering addicts is to have "made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves." This book is a reflection that Frey obviously still has some work to do. (Not that all of us don't..we just didn't write a book.) To end on a positive note, I will say that "A Million Little Pieces" did give some people a push to seek treatment for their addictions and anything that is able to motivate someone is valuable, no matter the reason behind it.

New thoughts: I have been alerted by another good-reader that Frey refused to follow the 12 steps while he was in rehab (I remember this now..it has been a while since I read the book.) If the memoir was a true story, I would send an emphatic bravo over to Frey and encourage him to design his own program.. However this is not the case and I can only view this as Frey's false promise to other addicts that something other than A.A and the 12 step program will "cure" them of their demons. Sadly, thus far, for the majority of people, the 12 step program is the only successful way to long term recovery and Frey's invalidation of this process does nothing but direct people away from this track.]]>
author: James Frey
name: Annie
average rating: 3.52
book published: 2005
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 04/26/07
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I read "A Million Little Pieces" before the entire scandal broke out surrounding the truthfulness of the "memoir". Even before obtaining the knowledge that the book was not 100% truthful, I found it to be an overdramatized and unrealistic account of what real life drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs are like. In many scenes in the book I felt as though Frey was self aggrandizing and in some parts even glorifying the experience of being a drug addict. He portrayed drug addicts as rough and rugged, people that have been around the block more than once. Although there is definitely some truth to this, the other side of it is that Rehab is an incredibly sad place to visit. It is filled with lost souls who due to their brain chemistry, life experiences and poor luck have no other choice or options but to admit themselves (People rarely volunteer rehab, it usually takes a severe "rock bottom" to get them there.) I feel as though Frey's book would have been a lot more powerful had he excluded the sensationalism that seemed to flood the book, much of this represented in his wriitng style (one word sentences for dramatic effect.)
After the scandal was revealed and Frey's book was found to be less than non-fiction, my immediate reaction was sadness. I view this to mean that Frey has truly not recovered from his addiction, as step four in the 12 -step- program for recovering addicts is to have "made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves." This book is a reflection that Frey obviously still has some work to do. (Not that all of us don't..we just didn't write a book.) To end on a positive note, I will say that "A Million Little Pieces" did give some people a push to seek treatment for their addictions and anything that is able to motivate someone is valuable, no matter the reason behind it.

New thoughts: I have been alerted by another good-reader that Frey refused to follow the 12 steps while he was in rehab (I remember this now..it has been a while since I read the book.) If the memoir was a true story, I would send an emphatic bravo over to Frey and encourage him to design his own program.. However this is not the case and I can only view this as Frey's false promise to other addicts that something other than A.A and the 12 step program will "cure" them of their demons. Sadly, thus far, for the majority of people, the 12 step program is the only successful way to long term recovery and Frey's invalidation of this process does nothing but direct people away from this track.
]]> 739273 Sun, 15 Apr 2007 22:43:15 -0700
author: Jeff Knorr
name: Annie
average rating: 3.00
book published: 2003
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 04/15/07
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]]> 736661 Sun, 15 Apr 2007 18:23:31 -0700
author: Augusten Burroughs
name: Annie
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 04/15/07
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]]> 674708 Wed, 11 Apr 2007 10:19:38 -0700
author: Torey Hayden
name: Annie
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2006
rating: 5
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date added: 04/11/07
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]]> 661000 Tue, 10 Apr 2007 09:34:47 -0700
author: Chuck Palahniuk
name: Annie
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2001
rating: 4
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date added: 04/10/07
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]]> 660996 Tue, 10 Apr 2007 09:34:20 -0700
author: A.A. Milne
name: Annie
average rating: 4.63
book published: 1998
rating: 5
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date added: 04/10/07
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]]> 660984 Tue, 10 Apr 2007 09:33:38 -0700
author: Eric Schlosser
name: Annie
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2001
rating: 3
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date added: 04/10/07
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]]> 491491 Mon, 09 Apr 2007 21:04:47 -0700
author: Justin Richardson
name: Annie
average rating: 4.51
book published: 2005
rating: 5
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date added: 04/09/07
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Yay for ending bigotry in children's books!
]]> 654669 Mon, 09 Apr 2007 18:59:38 -0700
author: John Steinbeck
name: Annie
average rating: 3.88
book published: 1939
rating: 4
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date added: 04/09/07
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]]> 631019 Sun, 08 Apr 2007 09:07:09 -0700
author: Catherine Millet
name: Annie
average rating: 3.13
book published: 2002
rating: 3
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date added: 04/08/07
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]]> 631015 Sun, 08 Apr 2007 09:06:44 -0700
author: Steven D. Levitt
name: Annie
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2006
rating: 5
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date added: 04/08/07
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]]> 491495 Thu, 29 Mar 2007 21:05:00 -0700
author: Harry Allard
name: Annie
average rating: 3.97
book published: 1993
rating: 5
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date added: 03/29/07
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]]> 489112 Thu, 29 Mar 2007 17:06:18 -0700
author: Jeff Groah
name: Annie
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2004
rating: 5
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date added: 03/29/07
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]]> 489100 Thu, 29 Mar 2007 17:04:55 -0700
author: Sue Monk Kidd
name: Annie
average rating: 2.84
book published: 2005
rating: 2
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date added: 03/29/07
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]]> 476877 Thu, 29 Mar 2007 01:12:09 -0700
author: Paulo Coelho
name: Annie
average rating: 3.82
book published: 1988
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 03/29/07
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]]> 476574 Wed, 28 Mar 2007 23:31:14 -0700
author: Laurie Halse Anderson
name: Annie
average rating: 4.10
book published: 1999
rating: 3
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date added: 03/28/07
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]]> 476571 Wed, 28 Mar 2007 23:30:58 -0700
author: Raphael Taffy
name: Annie
average rating: 3.44
book published: 2003
rating: 4
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date added: 03/28/07
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]]> 476566 Wed, 28 Mar 2007 23:29:47 -0700
author: Mitzi Szereto
name: Annie
average rating: 3.33
book published: 2005
rating: 3
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date added: 03/28/07
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]]> 459568 Tue, 27 Mar 2007 21:35:06 -0700
author: Violet Blue
name: Annie
average rating: 3.33
book published: 2006
rating: 2
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date added: 03/27/07
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]]> 441121 Mon, 26 Mar 2007 16:25:35 -0700
author: Jerold J. Kreisman
name: Annie
average rating: 3.55
book published: 1991
rating: 4
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date added: 03/26/07
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]]> 426033 Mon, 26 Mar 2007 06:50:03 -0700
author: Milan Kundera
name: Annie
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1982
rating: 4
read at: 12/07
date added: 03/26/07
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]]> 429698 Sun, 25 Mar 2007 21:41:34 -0700
author: Jim Edgar
name: Annie
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2004
rating: 4
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date added: 03/25/07
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]]> 429684 Sun, 25 Mar 2007 21:40:29 -0700
author: Richard Wright
name: Annie
average rating: 3.99
book published: 1991
rating: 5
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date added: 03/25/07
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]]> 429648 Sun, 25 Mar 2007 21:36:40 -0700
author: Wally Lamb
name: Annie
average rating: 3.68
book published: 1992
rating: 3
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date added: 03/25/07
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]]> 429642 Sun, 25 Mar 2007 21:36:05 -0700
author: Prudence Madden Younger
name: Annie
average rating: 5.00
book published: 1988
rating: 5
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date added: 03/25/07
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]]> 429633 Sun, 25 Mar 2007 21:34:42 -0700
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Annie
average rating: 4.16
book published: 1997
rating: 3
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date added: 03/25/07
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]]> 429537 Sun, 25 Mar 2007 21:32:45 -0700
author: Louise E. Temple
name: Annie
average rating: 5.00
book published: 1999
rating: 5
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date added: 03/25/07
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My grandma is awesome!!!!!
]]> 429604 Sun, 25 Mar 2007 21:30:48 -0700
author: Beatrice Sparks
name: Annie
average rating: 3.62
book published: 1970
rating: 3
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date added: 03/25/07
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]]> 429600 Sun, 25 Mar 2007 21:29:24 -0700
author: George R. Stewart
name: Annie
average rating: 3.00
book published: 1936
rating: 3
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date added: 03/25/07
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]]> 429596 Sun, 25 Mar 2007 21:29:04 -0700
author: Russell Baker
name: Annie
average rating: 3.88
book published: 1982
rating: 4
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date added: 03/25/07
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]]> 429571 Sun, 25 Mar 2007 21:26:43 -0700
author: Deborah Tannen
name: Annie
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1993
rating: 3
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date added: 03/25/07
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]]> 429569 Sun, 25 Mar 2007 21:26:15 -0700
author: John Gray
name: Annie
average rating: 3.24
book published: 2005
rating: 2
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date added: 03/25/07
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]]> 429533 Sun, 25 Mar 2007 21:23:58 -0700
author: Clea Simon
name: Annie
average rating: 3.92
book published: 1998
rating: 4
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date added: 03/25/07
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]]> 429488 Sun, 25 Mar 2007 21:19:42 -0700
author: Sam Harris
name: Annie
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2005
rating: 3
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date added: 03/25/07
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]]> 429441 Sun, 25 Mar 2007 21:15:59 -0700
author: Ann B. Parson
name: Annie
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2006
rating: 4
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date added: 03/25/07
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]]> 429437 Sun, 25 Mar 2007 21:15:34 -0700
author: John Burningham
name: Annie
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2003
rating: 5
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date added: 03/25/07
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]]> 429409 Sun, 25 Mar 2007 21:13:23 -0700
author: Robert N. Munsch
name: Annie
average rating: 4.57
book published: 1995
rating: 5
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date added: 03/25/07
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]]> 429390 Sun, 25 Mar 2007 21:11:36 -0700
author: Shel Silverstein
name: Annie
average rating: 4.41
book published: 1964
rating: 5
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date added: 03/25/07
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]]> 429385 Sun, 25 Mar 2007 21:11:07 -0700
author: Maurice Sendak
name: Annie
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2000
rating: 5
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date added: 03/25/07
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]]> 429383 Sun, 25 Mar 2007 21:10:54 -0700
author: Shel Silverstein
name: Annie
average rating: 4.37
book published: 1974
rating: 5
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date added: 03/25/07
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]]> 429368 Sun, 25 Mar 2007 21:09:29 -0700
author: Orson Scott Card
name: Annie
average rating: 4.34
book published: 1985
rating: 4
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date added: 03/25/07
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]]> 429363 Sun, 25 Mar 2007 21:09:06 -0700
author: Mitch Albom
name: Annie
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2003
rating: 1
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date added: 03/25/07
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]]> 429355 Sun, 25 Mar 2007 21:07:57 -0700
author: Mark Twain
name: Annie
average rating: 3.79
book published: 1876
rating: 4
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date added: 03/25/07
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]]> 429353 Sun, 25 Mar 2007 21:07:31 -0700