http://www.goodreads.com/review/list_rss/63624 en-US Sun, 14 Oct 2007 19:23:19 -0700 60 http://www.goodreads.com/ 200 41 http://www.goodreads.com/images/layout/gr_logo.gif 1058746 Sun, 14 Oct 2007 19:23:19 -0700
author: William Gibson
name: jackalope
average rating: 3.52
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at: 10/07
date added: 10/14/07
shelves: toberead
review:
When I opened this book, I was already a Gibson fan. I'm still a Gibson fan, but not so enthusiastic. The goal of his protagonists is laudable, but there were better, less techno-crazy ways to achieve the denoument. Sci-fi is really missing Gibson and Neil Stephenson right now.
]]> 7727081 Sun, 14 Oct 2007 19:18:57 -0700
author: Sara Gruen
name: jackalope
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2006
rating: 5
read at: 10/07
date added: 10/14/07
shelves:
review:
I'm not going to monkey around in writing this review. This is the best book I've read in two or three years. Great story, great setting, intriguing subplots. I'm a Sara Gruen fan based on this book alone. Read it, you'll be better for it.
]]> 6236081 Sat, 15 Sep 2007 06:48:46 -0700
author: Wing F. Fing
name: jackalope
average rating: 4.20
book published: 1988
rating: 3
read at: 07/95
date added: 09/15/07
shelves:
review:
Most people think this book was written by Tom Robbins. Up to the publication of this book, Robbins had always featured female protagonists, and I guess he ghosted this book to see if he could pull off a male main character. You can see hints of an emerging Switters in Wing F. Fing. This book is long out of print and I'm not going to trade or sell my copy, but if you can find it, it is a fun read.
]]> 3842927 Tue, 31 Jul 2007 07:09:32 -0700
Anyway, at the party, Denyse mentioned that she'd read Elric and found something in the books that she never got out of "The Lord of the Rings."

The title character, Elric, is an evil albino emperor. An evil protagonist! But he has a conscience and the books have to do with how Elric goes through his adventures serving his patron devil, Arioch, and struggling with his evil, sentient sword Stormbringer. I've probably read the original six books over 10 times and now that I've gotten through Harry Potter, I need to recharge my literary batteries. So I went into the attic and retrieved the first book. It is so much more enjoyable than the Harry Potter series. You can buy all six books in one large book. I don't think they are even available separately anymore. They are hard to find in book stores. Your best bet may be Amazon. Good luck, you'll love these books!

There's also a colletion of short Elric stories written by other writers called, "Tales of the White Wolf." It is great too.]]>
author: Michael Moorcock
name: jackalope
average rating: 3.85
book published: 1972
rating: 5
read at: 06/83
date added: 07/31/07
shelves: sciencefiction
review:
I'll never forget the first time I heard about Elric. It was at the high school graduation party of my friend, Denyse Byrd. Denyse was an intriguing figure to me. I never had the courage to ask her out. While she did not look like Morticia Addams, she had a certain dark allure about her, like Morticia. If she ever reads this, I hope she takes this in a good way.

Anyway, at the party, Denyse mentioned that she'd read Elric and found something in the books that she never got out of "The Lord of the Rings."

The title character, Elric, is an evil albino emperor. An evil protagonist! But he has a conscience and the books have to do with how Elric goes through his adventures serving his patron devil, Arioch, and struggling with his evil, sentient sword Stormbringer. I've probably read the original six books over 10 times and now that I've gotten through Harry Potter, I need to recharge my literary batteries. So I went into the attic and retrieved the first book. It is so much more enjoyable than the Harry Potter series. You can buy all six books in one large book. I don't think they are even available separately anymore. They are hard to find in book stores. Your best bet may be Amazon. Good luck, you'll love these books!

There's also a colletion of short Elric stories written by other writers called, "Tales of the White Wolf." It is great too.
]]> 3841150 Tue, 31 Jul 2007 06:57:33 -0700
Be forewarned, however, that if you read "The Half-Blood Prince" right after it came out like I did, you may want to go back and re-read a few of the books. There are references in "The Deathly Hallows" that I've completely forgotten and I'm going to have to go back and re-read most of the series to be able to properly enjoy the book.

I also feel like a sucker on the line for buying the whole "two major characters die" hype. Some may dispute the relative importance of these "two major characters," but I personally didn't think they were that "major."

Good luck with this one.]]>
author: J.K. Rowling
name: jackalope
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at: 07/07
date added: 07/31/07
shelves: generalstuff
review:
I won't reveal anything about the book here. So you can feel better if you haven't read the book yet. First of all, I'm glad that Rowling has finished the series. She's come down with a serious case of Clancy Syndrome (see my writings for more on that) and if the series had continued, I'd have to consider dumping her for that reason. The book, topping out at about 760 pages could've more effectively been written in about 500. There are parts of the narrative that just seem to meander and go no where. The saving grace is that it is still a relatively quick read.

Be forewarned, however, that if you read "The Half-Blood Prince" right after it came out like I did, you may want to go back and re-read a few of the books. There are references in "The Deathly Hallows" that I've completely forgotten and I'm going to have to go back and re-read most of the series to be able to properly enjoy the book.

I also feel like a sucker on the line for buying the whole "two major characters die" hype. Some may dispute the relative importance of these "two major characters," but I personally didn't think they were that "major."

Good luck with this one.
]]> 2913548 Tue, 10 Jul 2007 13:10:28 -0700
author: Chuck Palahniuk
name: jackalope
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at: 07/07
date added: 07/10/07
shelves: generalstuff
review:
As Palahnuik books go, this one wasn't one of my favorites. He did a good job with the oral history concept, including typical contradictions, but as a literary form it leaves a lot to be desired. By the end of this book, I was confused, but not in a good way. I look to Chuck for good stories, but this one needed more work.
]]> 2065983 Mon, 25 Jun 2007 08:09:13 -0700
The weather is temperate and sunny. I'm traveling up the Gulf Coast in a gold Ford Explorer. My dad is at the wheel and my mom or sister is in the back seat, along for the ride. The family has moved north, to Springfield, IL, and we've made a trip down here to retrieve a final load of stuff. We are taking one last scenic drive up through Port Aransas and Rockport. Although we are closer to N. Padre Island, the drive is starting to resemble Galveston Island. Lots of little touristy shops. We drive into nice little coastal parks. Mom has some kind of tourist circular and from that we're able to find all the shops giving away free margaritas and free chicken wings. Then we stop at a small book shop. The shop is in an old house on the beach. It is painted sky blue with rainbow-colored trim. Going into the store, I'm astounded to find the shopkeeper/owner is Tom Robbins.

He is very approachable and seems glad to autograph my book when I retrieve it from the car. I accidently bring back a biography about Hunter Thompson. I feel foolish and return to the car. He seems very understanding of my foibles and we seem to hit it off. When I return to the store, he pulls me aside to show me something out the window. On the lawn is something I can only describe as a Doberman pelican! Tom says it is his pet. It is a pelican, but it has black and orangish-brown (or is it brownish-orange?) feathers. The bird has a huge fish in its bill and it is attempting to swallow it whole. Despite its plumage, the thing that strikes me as odd is the fish is partially rotted and I know pelicans are not scavengers. The pelican manages to jam the tarpon down its gullet by maneuvering it top bill to stuff it inside. I was about to turn and express my amazement to Tom, when I rolled over and noted I was about 10 minutes late for rising. My blissful dream day had crashed. Time to rush through a shower and shave.

DAMN!!!

The bottom line is that this book had a profound effect on me. Regardless of what a book is "about," if a book changes you, that book is important and I definitely think "Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates" is that kind of book.

Enjoy it and let me know what you think of it.]]>
author: Tom Robbins
name: jackalope
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2000
rating: 5
read at: 06/00
date added: 06/25/07
shelves: generalstuff
review:
I read this book at a very low point in my life. After reading it, I had this dream and it helped change my perspective. I wrote the dream in my journal, and the following retelling is pretty much verbatim from that journal. I was living in Crapus Christi, TX, at the time and that is where the dream is set:

The weather is temperate and sunny. I'm traveling up the Gulf Coast in a gold Ford Explorer. My dad is at the wheel and my mom or sister is in the back seat, along for the ride. The family has moved north, to Springfield, IL, and we've made a trip down here to retrieve a final load of stuff. We are taking one last scenic drive up through Port Aransas and Rockport. Although we are closer to N. Padre Island, the drive is starting to resemble Galveston Island. Lots of little touristy shops. We drive into nice little coastal parks. Mom has some kind of tourist circular and from that we're able to find all the shops giving away free margaritas and free chicken wings. Then we stop at a small book shop. The shop is in an old house on the beach. It is painted sky blue with rainbow-colored trim. Going into the store, I'm astounded to find the shopkeeper/owner is Tom Robbins.

He is very approachable and seems glad to autograph my book when I retrieve it from the car. I accidently bring back a biography about Hunter Thompson. I feel foolish and return to the car. He seems very understanding of my foibles and we seem to hit it off. When I return to the store, he pulls me aside to show me something out the window. On the lawn is something I can only describe as a Doberman pelican! Tom says it is his pet. It is a pelican, but it has black and orangish-brown (or is it brownish-orange?) feathers. The bird has a huge fish in its bill and it is attempting to swallow it whole. Despite its plumage, the thing that strikes me as odd is the fish is partially rotted and I know pelicans are not scavengers. The pelican manages to jam the tarpon down its gullet by maneuvering it top bill to stuff it inside. I was about to turn and express my amazement to Tom, when I rolled over and noted I was about 10 minutes late for rising. My blissful dream day had crashed. Time to rush through a shower and shave.

DAMN!!!

The bottom line is that this book had a profound effect on me. Regardless of what a book is "about," if a book changes you, that book is important and I definitely think "Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates" is that kind of book.

Enjoy it and let me know what you think of it.
]]> 2355009 Mon, 25 Jun 2007 07:30:25 -0700
author: Ralph Steadman
name: jackalope
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at: 06/07
date added: 06/25/07
shelves: generalstuff
review:
What can I say? Steadman gives some great accounts of his relationship to the great Hunter S. Thompson. I just wish he would've worked more on his own narrative voice instead of trying to SOUND like Thompson.
]]> 2066636 Sun, 17 Jun 2007 20:13:47 -0700
Until I read this book, I always thought the Dr. Lao story would be supreme fodder for Tim Burton's next "re-imagining," but if he took this text and remained faithful to it like he did "Charley and the Chocolate Factory," then the movie would be doomed.

For men, it is worth seeing the movie just to see a very beautiful, pre-blonde, pre-Jeannie Barbara Eden. I almost never say this, but skip the book and see the movie. Charles Finney never published another novel, and after reading this one, I can see why.]]>
author: Charles G. Finney
name: jackalope
average rating: 3.92
book published: 1983
rating: 2
read at: 05/05
date added: 06/17/07
shelves: generalstuff
review:
First of all, I'm not a Tony Randall fan. Men who seem even a little efeminate (sp?) kind of creep me out. But one of my favorite movies of all time is 1965's "The 7 Faces of Dr. Lao." So when the book upon which the movie was based got republished, I was very enthusiastic. But fans of the movie be warned, Director George Pal took some liberties with the book to make the movie better. In fact, the book has some downright R-rated material that doesn't contribute much to the story.

Until I read this book, I always thought the Dr. Lao story would be supreme fodder for Tim Burton's next "re-imagining," but if he took this text and remained faithful to it like he did "Charley and the Chocolate Factory," then the movie would be doomed.

For men, it is worth seeing the movie just to see a very beautiful, pre-blonde, pre-Jeannie Barbara Eden. I almost never say this, but skip the book and see the movie. Charles Finney never published another novel, and after reading this one, I can see why.
]]> 789673 Sat, 19 May 2007 16:56:00 -0700
author: Greg Palast
name: jackalope
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at: 05/07
date added: 05/19/07
shelves:
review:
I must confess, I didn't finish this one. It SEEMED good, but I seem to be changing. I'm a guy who believes Bush should not only be impeached, but tried on charges of treason. But the pendulum seems to be swinging my way for a change and I'm worn out after seven years of this clown. This might be a good book, I just don't have the heart to read this stuff as much. Good luck and tell me how it turns out if you choose to read it.
]]> 1315507 Sat, 19 May 2007 16:49:38 -0700
I'm not a prude, but this book would have been twice as good if he'd have just eliminated the swearing. It really got in the way of the narrative. That is what I remember about this book, and he seems to have corrected this problem in subsequent books. ]]>
author: Bill Bryson
name: jackalope
average rating: 3.72
book published: 1990
rating: 1
read at: 01/93
date added: 05/19/07
shelves:
review:
This was my second Bryson book, after reading "Mother Tongue." It has a lot of elements that make a book that would grab my interest. Road trip. Small American towns. Good writer.

I'm not a prude, but this book would have been twice as good if he'd have just eliminated the swearing. It really got in the way of the narrative. That is what I remember about this book, and he seems to have corrected this problem in subsequent books.
]]> 1315475 Sat, 19 May 2007 16:45:20 -0700
author: Bill Bryson
name: jackalope
average rating: 3.78
book published: 1996
rating: 4
read at: 01/97
date added: 05/19/07
shelves:
review:
I must admit I am envious of Bryson. He's living the life I wish I could live. Hiking across the British Isle. Damn. Sign me up. Loved this book because he really got out in the country and gave the reader a sense of what England is truly about. I hope to visit the UK sometime. Hope I can have a similar experience.
]]> 1315443 Sat, 19 May 2007 16:42:48 -0700
author: Bill Bryson
name: jackalope
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1999
rating: 2
read at: 03/96
date added: 05/19/07
shelves:
review:
I couldn't wait to read this one. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. The first summer after my retirement (tentatively scheduled for 2021), I plan on hiking the Appalachian Trail. It is a lifelong dream. So when I heard Bryson hiked it and wrote about it, my response was enthusiastic. But he disappointed on this one. And he didn't hike the entire trail. There are better books out there about the AT.
]]> 1315437 Sat, 19 May 2007 16:38:28 -0700
author: Bill Bryson
name: jackalope
average rating: 3.98
book published: 1991
rating: 5
read at: 01/89
date added: 05/19/07
shelves:
review:
This was my first Bryson book. It was great because he made a potentially dry subject interesting and engaging. Even if I didn't minor in English, I would have loved this book.
]]> 1058720 Sat, 19 May 2007 16:33:15 -0700
The only criticism I have is that like Neil Stephenson's "Snow Crash," it came out of the gate like a racing thoroughbred, but finished a little winded. He came up with a great story, but the followthrough was lacking the same punch.

Trust me, read this one.]]>
author: Tony Vigorito
name: jackalope
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at: 05/07
date added: 05/19/07
shelves:
review:
Some people play the lottery. Some people go to the casino. Some people bet on the horses. When I want to gamble, I go to Borders and walk around. I look at books all over the story. And then I gamble on a book I've never heard before. This time, I hit the jackpot. Vigorito's prose is lyrical, flowing and downright funny. I'm having a lot of fun reading this book while taking a break from the king-hell bummer that is Palast's book. A lot of the authors I read rarely do so well on a first novel. But this guy blew me away. I had a lot of fun reading it and am disappointed his next won't be out for another year.

The only criticism I have is that like Neil Stephenson's "Snow Crash," it came out of the gate like a racing thoroughbred, but finished a little winded. He came up with a great story, but the followthrough was lacking the same punch.

Trust me, read this one.
]]> 801226 Thu, 19 Apr 2007 16:40:16 -0700
author: Edward Abbey
name: jackalope
average rating: 3.87
book published: 1991
rating: 5
read at: 08/92
date added: 04/19/07
shelves: edwardabbey
review:
I don't know who has my copy of this book, but I wish they'd return it. Since I haven't seen it in over ten years, I ain't a-holdin' my breath. Selected sayings from my philosophical grandpa. God I miss him.
]]> 801161 Thu, 19 Apr 2007 16:38:03 -0700
I never would've known if it hadn't been for this book.]]>
author: Edward Abbey
name: jackalope
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1985
rating: 3
read at: 03/88
date added: 04/19/07
shelves: edwardabbey
review:
I have something to admit. While I love nature, I find reading nature authors rather tedious. The thing that saves this book is that Abbey, aside from being one of history's most under-rated foolosophers, tells a story of a beautiful place that no longer exists. I recently saw pictures of Lake Powell taken from an aircraft, and I cannot help but think about what we've lost in the name of progress.

I never would've known if it hadn't been for this book.
]]> 801108 Thu, 19 Apr 2007 16:34:01 -0700
author: Jon Krakauer
name: jackalope
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at: 11/05
date added: 04/19/07
shelves: krakauerland
review:
Krakauer could write a book about cutting an apple in half and watching it turn brown. It would still be worth reading. I admit I didn't have much interest in the topic of this book, but Krakauer drew me in and told an excellent tale. I liked his other two books better (never heard of "Eiger Dreams" until tonight), but this one was still well worth the time spent reading it.
]]> 801030 Thu, 19 Apr 2007 16:31:16 -0700
author: Jon Krakauer
name: jackalope
average rating: 3.84
book published: 1996
rating: 5
read at: 10/06
date added: 04/19/07
shelves: krakauerland
review:
The best thing about this book is the depths Krakauer explored in researching this book. I often think that at one point in my life, I was a lot like Chris McCandless. There's still a part of me that wants to run off, burn my money and carry my worldly possessions on my back. The mystery is why Chris made his choice and I made mine. Great book that is sadly being made into a movie. I'll be surprised if the movie is even worth watching.
]]> 800962 Thu, 19 Apr 2007 16:25:32 -0700
author: Jon Krakauer
name: jackalope
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2004
rating: 4
read at: 05/04
date added: 04/19/07
shelves: krakauerland
review:
The only thing wrong with Krakauer is that he hasn't written enough books. For me, "Into Thin Air" was an exercise in voyeurism. I'm a guy who's always wanted to do the Seven Summits, but never will. The idea of climbing Everest has always intrigued me. Krakauer brought it to life.
]]> 789686 Thu, 19 Apr 2007 06:19:11 -0700
author: William Gibson
name: jackalope
average rating: 4.04
book published: 1984
rating: 5
read at: 10/99
date added: 04/19/07
shelves:
review:
Science fiction suffers from an over-abundance of authors long on imagination, but short on story-telling ability. Gibson is one of the exceptions. If Gibson had chosen to write more conventional novels, his writing ability would have launched him into the heady company of Hemingway, Vonnegut and other great 20-th century novelists. In "Neuromancer," he weaves classical allusions, psychology, Steely Dan and Velvet Underground references into a world reminiscent of the dark reality displayed in the movie "Blade Runner." With the exception of Gibson's latest novel, "Pattern Recognition," all his other work came from the world first created in "Neuromancer." Even this book's title has more than one meaning. This was the book that launched an entire sub-genre, cyberpunk, and coined the term "cyberspace." Informally, "Count Zero," and "Mona Lisa Overdrive" complete a trilogy. But "Idoru," "All Tomorrow's Parties," and the short-story compilation "Burning Chrome," all spring from this first great novel.
]]>