http://www.goodreads.com/review/list_rss/63639 en-US Sat, 10 May 2008 18:18:30 -0700 60 http://www.goodreads.com/ 200 41 http://www.goodreads.com/images/layout/gr_logo.gif 3971428 Sat, 10 May 2008 18:18:30 -0700
author: Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at: 05/08
date added: 05/10/08
shelves: knitting
review:

]]> 11489758 Wed, 02 Jan 2008 17:36:24 -0800
author: Milan Kundera
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at: 10/01
date added: 01/02/08
shelves: fiction
review:

]]> 11489612 Wed, 02 Jan 2008 17:34:21 -0800
author: Steve Martin
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.40
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at: 01/02
date added: 01/02/08
shelves: fiction
review:

]]> 11489461 Wed, 02 Jan 2008 17:32:27 -0800
author: Sophie Kinsella
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2003
rating: 0
read at: 05/02
date added: 01/02/08
shelves: fiction
review:
Quite possibly the worst book I have read in my entire life.
]]> 11489267 Wed, 02 Jan 2008 17:28:40 -0800
author: Susanna Clarke
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2004
rating: 2
read at: 01/05
date added: 01/02/08
shelves: fantasy, fiction
review:

]]> 11489182 Wed, 02 Jan 2008 17:27:41 -0800
author: Elizabeth Kostova
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2005
rating: 1
read at: 08/05
date added: 01/02/08
shelves: fiction
review:

]]> 11488615 Wed, 02 Jan 2008 17:19:45 -0800
author: Sijie Dai
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2002
rating: 3
read at: 07/04
date added: 01/02/08
shelves: historical-fiction
review:

]]> 11488520 Wed, 02 Jan 2008 17:17:46 -0800
author: Anita Diamant
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.15
book published: 1998
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 01/02/08
shelves: historical-fiction
review:

]]> 11488331 Wed, 02 Jan 2008 17:15:45 -0800
author: Khaled Hosseini
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2003
rating: 3
read at: 05/05
date added: 01/02/08
shelves: fiction
review:

]]> 11486978 Wed, 02 Jan 2008 17:01:59 -0800
author: Yann Martel
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2001
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 01/02/08
shelves: fiction
review:

]]> 11486797 Wed, 02 Jan 2008 16:59:48 -0800
author: Audrey Niffenegger
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2003
rating: 1
read at: 10/04
date added: 01/02/08
shelves: fiction
review:

]]> 11486412 Wed, 02 Jan 2008 16:57:53 -0800
author: Jeannette Walls
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2005
rating: 0
read at: 01/08
date added: 01/02/08
shelves: memoir
review:

]]> 11486125 Wed, 02 Jan 2008 16:50:48 -0800
author: Dave Eggers
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2000
rating: 3
read at: 08/01
date added: 01/02/08
shelves: memoir
review:

]]> 11485964 Wed, 02 Jan 2008 16:48:30 -0800
author: Erik Larson
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2003
rating: 3
read at: 06/04
date added: 01/02/08
shelves: history, mystery
review:

]]> 4628062 Tue, 25 Sep 2007 06:18:27 -0700
author: Jasper Fforde
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at: 09/07
date added: 09/25/07
shelves: fantasy, humor, mystery
review:

]]> 6756435 Tue, 25 Sep 2007 06:17:18 -0700
author: John Burdett
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2004
rating: 3
read at: 10/07
date added: 09/25/07
shelves: mystery
review:

]]> 4814352 Mon, 10 Sep 2007 19:37:19 -0700 The Da Vinci Code: an interesting-enough story, crappily told.

Oh, and it is entirely unrelated to the film of the same name, other than they both feature a an amnesiac with a gun named Jason Bourne.]]>
author: Robert Ludlum
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.96
book published: 1980
rating: 2
read at: 09/07
date added: 09/10/07
shelves: adventure, mystery
review:
Unintentionally hilarious time-capsule of the 1970s where colored contacts were a novelty, cell phones non-existent, and there was no 24-hour news cycle -- making it impossible for any government to catch up with two guys shooting their way through several major European cities. It falls into the same category for me as The Da Vinci Code: an interesting-enough story, crappily told.

Oh, and it is entirely unrelated to the film of the same name, other than they both feature a an amnesiac with a gun named Jason Bourne.
]]> 3971121 Thu, 16 Aug 2007 04:49:27 -0700
author: Peter Walsh
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at: 08/07
date added: 08/16/07
shelves: organization
review:

]]> 3474515 Tue, 24 Jul 2007 16:15:42 -0700 The Deathly Hallows, however, ably wrapped up Harry, Ron, and Hermione's quest against Voldemort. The book was marred only by an unnecessary epilogue that served only to raise more questions than it answered.]]>
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at: 07/07
date added: 07/24/07
shelves: kid-lit
review:
Sigh. No more new Harry Potter books. The Deathly Hallows, however, ably wrapped up Harry, Ron, and Hermione's quest against Voldemort. The book was marred only by an unnecessary epilogue that served only to raise more questions than it answered.
]]> 2060926 Sun, 17 Jun 2007 15:46:32 -0700
author: Judy Blume
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.77
book published: 1972
rating: 3
read at: 06/07
date added: 06/17/07
shelves: kid-lit
review:

]]> 2060890 Sun, 17 Jun 2007 15:44:49 -0700
author: Beverly Cleary
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.13
book published: 1968
rating: 3
read at: 06/07
date added: 06/17/07
shelves: kid-lit
review:

]]> 2060822 Sun, 17 Jun 2007 15:44:22 -0700
author: Carolyn Keene
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.93
book published: 1933
rating: 4
read at: 06/07
date added: 06/17/07
shelves: kid-lit
review:

]]> 2060859 Sun, 17 Jun 2007 15:44:06 -0700
author: E.L. Konigsburg
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.32
book published: 1973
rating: 4
read at: 06/07
date added: 06/17/07
shelves: kid-lit
review:

]]> 2060737 Sun, 17 Jun 2007 15:39:48 -0700
author: Lucy Maud Montgomery
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.40
book published: 1908
rating: 5
read at: 06/07
date added: 06/17/07
shelves: kid-lit
review:
This was the first of my return-to-childhood-favorites vacation theme, and it was every bit as good as I remembered.
]]> 1670164 Sun, 17 Jun 2007 15:35:03 -0700
author: Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 06/07
date added: 06/17/07
shelves: knitting
review:
I bought this because I wanted the basic sock pattern, but it turned out to be a fun, quick read. I think it will also get a lot of use as a reference book in the future.
]]> 1590584 Fri, 01 Jun 2007 13:20:32 -0700
author: Imogen Edwards-Jones
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.48
book published: 2004
rating: 2
read at: 02/07
date added: 06/01/07
shelves: memoir, nonfiction
review:
A fun, quick read about the inner workings of a luxury hotel -- condensed into one action-packed 24-hour period.
]]> 781421 Wed, 16 May 2007 14:45:40 -0700
While it had some useful tips, I can't imagine anyone having the free time to implement the system fully. Clearly, though, I am wrong in this, just google "getting things done" or "gtd" and check out the millions of results.
]]>
author: David Allen
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2002
rating: 2
read at: 04/07
date added: 05/16/07
shelves: productivity, self-help
review:
This book should have been a 3,000-word article. It was full of useless details (e.g. listing the types of materials out of which an inbox might be made), redundant to the point of making me crazy, and overflowing with multi-step systems for this, that, and the other (seriously, keeping the 3- or 4- or 6-step filters straight would require flashcards).

While it had some useful tips, I can't imagine anyone having the free time to implement the system fully. Clearly, though, I am wrong in this, just google "getting things done" or "gtd" and check out the millions of results.

]]> 1133943 Wed, 09 May 2007 19:07:09 -0700
author: Salman Rushdie
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 10/05
date added: 05/09/07
shelves: political-fiction
review:

]]> 1133255 Wed, 09 May 2007 18:58:58 -0700
author: Julia Child
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 10/06
date added: 05/09/07
shelves: cooking, food, memoir
review:
Julia Child didn't begin cooking until she was 36, and it became the great passion of her life. This book, written just before she died, covers her discovery of that passion -- as well as her love of her adopted home of Paris. It made me want to eat, travel, cook, and embrace life with the same sort of joy.
]]> 1133923 Wed, 09 May 2007 18:58:42 -0700
author: Julie Powell
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.52
book published: 2005
rating: 3
read at: 01/06
date added: 05/09/07
shelves: cooking, food, memoir
review:

]]> 1133905 Wed, 09 May 2007 18:57:29 -0700
author: C.S. Lewis
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.93
book published: 1955
rating: 2
read at: 12/05
date added: 05/09/07
shelves: kid-lit
review:

]]> 1133877 Wed, 09 May 2007 18:55:07 -0700
author: Joan Didion
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2005
rating: 3
read at: 03/06
date added: 05/09/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 1133862 Wed, 09 May 2007 18:54:24 -0700
author: Sarah Vowell
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 04/06
date added: 05/09/07
shelves: history, humor, nonfiction
review:

]]> 1133851 Wed, 09 May 2007 18:53:30 -0700
author: Neal Stephenson
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2003
rating: 3
read at: 06/06
date added: 05/09/07
shelves: fantasy, historical-fiction
review:

]]> 1133707 Wed, 09 May 2007 18:52:07 -0700
author: Jasper Fforde
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2004
rating: 3
read at: 07/06
date added: 05/09/07
shelves: fantasy, mystery
review:

]]> 1133551 Wed, 09 May 2007 18:40:03 -0700
author: Jon Krakauer
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at: 08/06
date added: 05/09/07
shelves: nonfiction, religion
review:
This book demonstrates well that religious fundamentalism is a scary, scary thing -- no matter what the religion is.
]]> 1132836 Wed, 09 May 2007 18:07:02 -0700
I started using the shuffle function on my iPod more after reading this book, because of the author's fascination with it and the concept of randomization in general. I think it's made me enjoy my iPod even more, which is an unusual outcome from reading a book.]]>
author: Steven Levy
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at: 01/07
date added: 05/09/07
shelves: nonfiction, tech
review:
When Alison loaned my this book, she said, "You shouldn't read this because it's [work VP's] new favorite book; you should read it because you love your iPod." And she was right.

I started using the shuffle function on my iPod more after reading this book, because of the author's fascination with it and the concept of randomization in general. I think it's made me enjoy my iPod even more, which is an unusual outcome from reading a book.
]]> 781766 Wed, 09 May 2007 12:05:48 -0700
The story follow Francis Crawford of Lymond, a minor Scottish nobleman, through adventures that take him from his native land to England, France, Malta, Greece, North Africa, Russia, and finally back home to Scotland. Along the way, he tangles with epic figures, both real and fictitious while confronting the darker side of both his own and his family's history.

One warning: the first two books of the series are a bit slow in comparison to the remaining four, but it is definitely worth the time to get through them. I also recommend getting a copy of Elspeth Morrison's The Dorothy Dunnett Companion, which annotates the myriad historic and literary references that are woven throughout the books.]]>
author: Dorothy Dunnett
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.68
book published: 1997
rating: 5
read at: 06/05
date added: 05/09/07
shelves: favorites, historical-fiction
review:
The Lymond Chronicles books are quite possibly my all-time favorite books, or at least as an adult. There are six thoroughly-researched novels in the series, and each outdoes its predecessor in weaving historic details, compelling characters, and gripping plot twists.

The story follow Francis Crawford of Lymond, a minor Scottish nobleman, through adventures that take him from his native land to England, France, Malta, Greece, North Africa, Russia, and finally back home to Scotland. Along the way, he tangles with epic figures, both real and fictitious while confronting the darker side of both his own and his family's history.

One warning: the first two books of the series are a bit slow in comparison to the remaining four, but it is definitely worth the time to get through them. I also recommend getting a copy of Elspeth Morrison's The Dorothy Dunnett Companion, which annotates the myriad historic and literary references that are woven throughout the books.
]]> 781722 Wed, 09 May 2007 12:05:24 -0700
The story follow Francis Crawford of Lymond, a minor Scottish nobleman, through adventures that take him from his native land to England, France, Malta, Greece, North Africa, Russia, and finally back home to Scotland. Along the way, he tangles with epic figures, both real and fictitious while confronting the darker side of both his own and his family's history.

One warning: the first two books of the series are a bit slow in comparison to the remaining four, but it is definitely worth the time to get through them. I also recommend getting a copy of Elspeth Morrison's The Dorothy Dunnett Companion, which annotates the myriad historic and literary references that are woven throughout the books.]]>
author: Dorothy Dunnett
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.51
book published: 1997
rating: 5
read at: 05/05
date added: 05/09/07
shelves: favorites, historical-fiction
review:
The Lymond Chronicles books are quite possibly my all-time favorite books, or at least as an adult. There are six thoroughly-researched novels in the series, and each outdoes its predecessor in weaving historic details, compelling characters, and gripping plot twists.

The story follow Francis Crawford of Lymond, a minor Scottish nobleman, through adventures that take him from his native land to England, France, Malta, Greece, North Africa, Russia, and finally back home to Scotland. Along the way, he tangles with epic figures, both real and fictitious while confronting the darker side of both his own and his family's history.

One warning: the first two books of the series are a bit slow in comparison to the remaining four, but it is definitely worth the time to get through them. I also recommend getting a copy of Elspeth Morrison's The Dorothy Dunnett Companion, which annotates the myriad historic and literary references that are woven throughout the books.
]]> 781688 Wed, 09 May 2007 12:05:02 -0700
The story follow Francis Crawford of Lymond, a minor Scottish nobleman, through adventures that take him from his native land to England, France, Malta, Greece, North Africa, Russia, and finally back home to Scotland. Along the way, he tangles with epic figures, both real and fictitious while confronting the darker side of both his own and his family's history.

One warning: the first two books of the series are a bit slow in comparison to the remaining four, but it is definitely worth the time to get through them. I also recommend getting a copy of Elspeth Morrison's The Dorothy Dunnett Companion, which annotates the myriad historic and literary references that are woven throughout the books.]]>
author: Dorothy Dunnett
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.58
book published: 1997
rating: 5
read at: 04/05
date added: 05/09/07
shelves: favorites, historical-fiction
review:
The Lymond Chronicles books are quite possibly my all-time favorite books, or at least as an adult. There are six thoroughly-researched novels in the series, and each outdoes its predecessor in weaving historic details, compelling characters, and gripping plot twists.

The story follow Francis Crawford of Lymond, a minor Scottish nobleman, through adventures that take him from his native land to England, France, Malta, Greece, North Africa, Russia, and finally back home to Scotland. Along the way, he tangles with epic figures, both real and fictitious while confronting the darker side of both his own and his family's history.

One warning: the first two books of the series are a bit slow in comparison to the remaining four, but it is definitely worth the time to get through them. I also recommend getting a copy of Elspeth Morrison's The Dorothy Dunnett Companion, which annotates the myriad historic and literary references that are woven throughout the books.
]]> 781542 Wed, 09 May 2007 12:04:34 -0700
The story follow Francis Crawford of Lymond, a minor Scottish nobleman, through adventures that take him from his native land to England, France, Malta, Greece, North Africa, Russia, and finally back home to Scotland. Along the way, he tangles with epic figures, both real and fictitious while confronting the darker side of both his own and his family's history.

One warning: the first two books of the series are a bit slow in comparison to the remaining four, but it is definitely worth the time to get through them. I also recommend getting a copy of Elspeth Morrison's The Dorothy Dunnett Companion, which annotates the myriad historic and literary references that are woven throughout the books.]]>
author: Dorothy Dunnett
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.34
book published: 1997
rating: 4
read at: 02/05
date added: 05/09/07
shelves: favorites, historical-fiction
review:
The Lymond Chronicles books are quite possibly my all-time favorite books, or at least as an adult. There are six thoroughly-researched novels in the series, and each outdoes its predecessor in weaving historic details, compelling characters, and gripping plot twists.

The story follow Francis Crawford of Lymond, a minor Scottish nobleman, through adventures that take him from his native land to England, France, Malta, Greece, North Africa, Russia, and finally back home to Scotland. Along the way, he tangles with epic figures, both real and fictitious while confronting the darker side of both his own and his family's history.

One warning: the first two books of the series are a bit slow in comparison to the remaining four, but it is definitely worth the time to get through them. I also recommend getting a copy of Elspeth Morrison's The Dorothy Dunnett Companion, which annotates the myriad historic and literary references that are woven throughout the books.
]]> 781657 Wed, 09 May 2007 12:04:10 -0700
The story follow Francis Crawford of Lymond, a minor Scottish nobleman, through adventures that take him from his native land to England, France, Malta, Greece, North Africa, Russia, and finally back home to Scotland. Along the way, he tangles with epic figures, both real and fictitious while confronting the darker side of both his own and his family's history.

One warning: the first two books of the series are a bit slow in comparison to the remaining four, but it is definitely worth the time to get through them. I also recommend getting a copy of Elspeth Morrison's The Dorothy Dunnett Companion, which annotates the myriad historic and literary references that are woven throughout the books.]]>
author: Dorothy Dunnett
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.51
book published: 1997
rating: 5
read at: 03/05
date added: 05/09/07
shelves: favorites, historical-fiction
review:
The Lymond Chronicles books are quite possibly my all-time favorite books, or at least as an adult. There are six thoroughly-researched novels in the series, and each outdoes its predecessor in weaving historic details, compelling characters, and gripping plot twists.

The story follow Francis Crawford of Lymond, a minor Scottish nobleman, through adventures that take him from his native land to England, France, Malta, Greece, North Africa, Russia, and finally back home to Scotland. Along the way, he tangles with epic figures, both real and fictitious while confronting the darker side of both his own and his family's history.

One warning: the first two books of the series are a bit slow in comparison to the remaining four, but it is definitely worth the time to get through them. I also recommend getting a copy of Elspeth Morrison's The Dorothy Dunnett Companion, which annotates the myriad historic and literary references that are woven throughout the books.
]]> 781509 Wed, 09 May 2007 12:02:56 -0700
The story follow Francis Crawford of Lymond, a minor Scottish nobleman, through adventures that take him from his native land to England, France, Malta, Greece, North Africa, Russia, and finally back home to Scotland. Along the way, he tangles with epic figures, both real and fictitious while confronting the darker side of both his own and his family's history.

One warning: the first two books of the series are a bit slow in comparison to the remaining four, but it is definitely worth the time to get through them. I also recommend getting a copy of Elspeth Morrison's The Dorothy Dunnett Companion, which annotates the myriad historic and literary references that are woven throughout the books.

]]>
author: Dorothy Dunnett
name: Sarah
average rating: 4.36
book published: 1997
rating: 4
read at: 01/05
date added: 05/09/07
shelves: favorites, historical-fiction
review:
The Lymond Chronicles books are quite possibly my all-time favorite books, or at least as an adult. There are six thoroughly-researched novels in the series, and each outdoes its predecessor in weaving historic details, compelling characters, and gripping plot twists.

The story follow Francis Crawford of Lymond, a minor Scottish nobleman, through adventures that take him from his native land to England, France, Malta, Greece, North Africa, Russia, and finally back home to Scotland. Along the way, he tangles with epic figures, both real and fictitious while confronting the darker side of both his own and his family's history.

One warning: the first two books of the series are a bit slow in comparison to the remaining four, but it is definitely worth the time to get through them. I also recommend getting a copy of Elspeth Morrison's The Dorothy Dunnett Companion, which annotates the myriad historic and literary references that are woven throughout the books.


]]> 781787 Wed, 09 May 2007 12:02:32 -0700
author: Diane Setterfield
name: Sarah
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at: 04/07
date added: 05/09/07
shelves: mystery
review:
The Thirteenth Tale pits a fact-obsessed biographer against a secretive storyteller as the latter struggles to share her true life's story after years of deception. The result is an engaging literary mystery featuring a cast of well-drawn characters that kept me guessing right up until the end.
]]>