http://www.goodreads.com/review/list_rss/931557 en-US Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:31:08 -0700 60 http://www.goodreads.com/ 200 41 http://www.goodreads.com/images/layout/gr_logo.gif 27454097 Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:31:08 -0700
Farewell Vonnegut, sorry we were unable to get along.]]>
author: Kurt Vonnegut
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 4.14
book published: 1969
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 07/16/08
shelves: never-finished-reading
review:
This was a bookclub read. I read part of it but couldn't get into it. This is the second Vonnegut book I couldn't get into. I think it is a sign to quit wasting my time on an author I obviously do not like. there is just too much too much out there to read to try and force myself to read somthing that doesn't grip me.

Farewell Vonnegut, sorry we were unable to get along.
]]> 25599201 Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:26:03 -0700
author: Ken Follett
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 4.18
book published: 1989
rating: 5
read at: 07/08
date added: 07/16/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 16112685 Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:23:50 -0700
author: Bret Easton Ellis
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2006
rating: 2
read at: 01/06
date added: 07/16/08
shelves:
review:
This was not as entertaining as I had hoped, especially compared to Easton Ellis' other novels. I usually love anything he writes, but I just didn't dig this. It was to out there and very depressing. I felt like I was just as psychotic as the narrator whist reading this...I guess that is a compliment to the author.
]]> 16941810 Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:19:51 -0700
author: Diablo Cody
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 07/16/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 16426693 Thu, 26 Jun 2008 15:54:09 -0700
author: Tiffanie DeBartolo
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2005
rating: 5
read at: 04/08
date added: 06/26/08
shelves:
review:
I started this book several months ago and planned on reading it, but then a few "better" books popped up on my TBR list so it got bumped down to the bottom of the pile. Then I finally picked it up again and started over. I was very suprised by this book and what it had to offer. I expected it to be a silly little beach read, but it ended up impressing me more than most of the books that I have read this year. The themes that the author tackles could easily be cringe worthy if not delivered in the right manner. Tiffanie DeBartoloe handles them in a way that make them seem authentic and original.
]]> 16044717 Thu, 26 Jun 2008 15:39:16 -0700
author: Michael Lowenthal
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 3.31
book published: 2007
rating: 0
read at: 06/08
date added: 06/26/08
shelves:
review:
I finally broke down andbought this book from Barnes and Noble. It kept me entertained throughout and while it was definitely a great book, I don't think I'd give it any awards any time soon. It was a captivating story peppered with several dysfunctional characters, but the story seemed to lack the depth that I expected and that would have pushed this book to another level.
]]> 17016461 Thu, 26 Jun 2008 15:32:38 -0700
author: Bill Willingham
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2003
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 06/26/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 17016611 Thu, 26 Jun 2008 15:32:33 -0700
author: Bill Willingham
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2004
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 06/26/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 17717150 Thu, 26 Jun 2008 15:28:19 -0700
author: Emma Forrest
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 3.36
book published: 2000
rating: 3
read at: 06/08
date added: 06/26/08
shelves:
review:
I enjoyed this book alright...I judged the book by the cover for sure, it just really caught my eye in the store. It was a very quick read, only took me a few days. There were a few British references that I didn't quite get but it wasn't too hard to understand the context. It would be better to read the book now when the pop cultural references aren't too dated and irrelevent. Readers of a different generation in the future may not get a lot of the references or understand why they are funny. I think I had higher hopes for this book when I began reading it so it was a tiny bit of a letdown in the end.
]]> 22829880 Thu, 26 Jun 2008 15:27:56 -0700
author: Mark Haddon
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2003
rating: 3
read at: 05/08
date added: 06/26/08
shelves:
review:
I read this book for the Brown Bag Lunch Bookclub at SML. I thought it was a pretty cute and quirky read. I really enjoyed the mathematical illustrations despite the fact that I deplore math. The details that are descibed in this book are amazing and really give some insight on what it mihgt be like to be austistic. Mark Haddon is an interesting writer and I look forward to checking out what some of his other books might be like.
]]> 16048243 Mon, 02 Jun 2008 19:43:42 -0700
author: Martha Moody
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 3.05
book published: 2002
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 06/02/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 22830382 Fri, 23 May 2008 13:45:01 -0700
author: Carol Goodman
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 05/23/08
shelves:
review:
This book is compared to Donna Tartt's The Secret History, which is one of my favorite books, so when I saw it I had to buy it. It definitely didn't disappoint. While it does have similar thems to Tartt's book it has an identity of its own. There were times when I wanted to shake the characters by the shoulders, but I love it when characters piss me off!
]]> 22830135 Fri, 23 May 2008 13:41:43 -0700
author: Louise Rafkin
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 3.20
book published: 1999
rating: 3
read at: 05/08
date added: 05/23/08
shelves:
review:
Lousie Rafkin is very comical in this memoir on cleaning. On the surface it is a book about cleaning but there is so much more to it. It also delves into what makes a person happy...I expected more "dirt" on her clients, like a Nanny Diaries or Devil Wears Prada type tell all, but she doesn't divulge too much info, which is alright since that really isn't the book's main focus as I had assumed when I signed up to read it.
]]> 22829915 Fri, 23 May 2008 13:37:28 -0700
Junky didn't hurt me as much as Naked Lunch. It was actually pretty tame compared to what I expected. It was really just a simple, straightforward account that leaves out a lot of the nittty gritty details, which was kind of dissapointing. I guess I'd like something somewhere in between Naked Lunch and Junky.]]>
author: William S. Burroughs
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2005
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 05/23/08
shelves:
review:
With several failed attempts at finishing Naked Lunch I decided go simpler with Junky. I love what I have read of Naked Lunch but it was really painful to read and made me squirm way too much. It's the kind of book that makes you feel as if you are going insane. I'll try again soon.

Junky didn't hurt me as much as Naked Lunch. It was actually pretty tame compared to what I expected. It was really just a simple, straightforward account that leaves out a lot of the nittty gritty details, which was kind of dissapointing. I guess I'd like something somewhere in between Naked Lunch and Junky.
]]> 17452683 Fri, 23 May 2008 13:36:27 -0700
author: Chuck Klosterman
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at: 03/08
date added: 05/23/08
shelves:
review:
This book is basically one long essay that focuses on the pop cultural phenomenons form the 80's and 90's...The Real World, Saved by the Bell, Pamela Anderson, Guns N Roses, etc. He makes a wonderfully intelligent conversation for things that you would never deem worthy of discussion. I loved this book.
]]> 16048047 Tue, 18 Mar 2008 14:29:34 -0700
I did a wild release for bookcrossing with this book but I wish I would have have sent it out to some bookcrossers instead so I would have known people got a chance to read it. It would have made a great bookring.]]>
author: Paul Auster
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2003
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 03/18/08
shelves:
review:
This was one of the best books I read in 2007. I loved it.

I did a wild release for bookcrossing with this book but I wish I would have have sent it out to some bookcrossers instead so I would have known people got a chance to read it. It would have made a great bookring.
]]> 16111429 Tue, 18 Mar 2008 14:25:00 -0700
author: Walker Percy
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1960
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 03/18/08
shelves:
review:
Read this book as a companion piece to Camus' The Stranger. They work really well together.
]]> 16048533 Tue, 18 Mar 2008 14:23:56 -0700
As a side note, Mean Girls, while a cheesy teen movie, did a good job as well....but for obvious reasons could never compare to Atwood. Tina Fey is a great role model for women though and also conveys the same messgae in her screenplay. It may be a teen flick, but I give credit where credit is due despite the medium. ]]>
author: Margaret Atwood
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 3.94
book published: 1989
rating: 5
read at: 01/04
date added: 03/18/08
shelves:
review:
This book really illustrated what it is like to grow up as a girl. I think every woman can read this story and relate to Elaine and the relationship she has with her friends. You are either Cordelia, the one that made everyone's life a living hell, or the one that suffered the psychological torture. It was painful at times to read this because there is just so much truth to it. We as women know how hard it is the be a part of a group of young girls. Even the most popular girl has her moment where she is thrust out of the circle and ridiculed for no good reason. We have all been a part of it in some way, whethere we are the loner, the accepted, or have been on both sides. We have all either been Cordelia's ourseleves or been hurt by her, or have taken turns trying on both roles. It is a nessessary part of growing up and in innate characteristic of being a female whether we like it or not. Insecurity runs through our veins during our youth just as much as our blood. This novel captures it in the most eloquent way I have ever seen outside of real life.

As a side note, Mean Girls, while a cheesy teen movie, did a good job as well....but for obvious reasons could never compare to Atwood. Tina Fey is a great role model for women though and also conveys the same messgae in her screenplay. It may be a teen flick, but I give credit where credit is due despite the medium.
]]> 16046347 Tue, 18 Mar 2008 13:28:29 -0700
author: Lisa See
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2005
rating: 5
read at: 01/07
date added: 03/18/08
shelves:
review:
I read this book when I got on an World Lit/International kick that began with The Reluctant Fundamentalist. This book really opened my eyes and gave me a yearning to read fiction about other cultures, especially asian cultures. I became a bit obsessed with the foot binding tradition, mostly because I just cannot fathom how anyone could out themselves through such pain as a form of beauty. Americans go through pain during plastic surgery which is, in a sense, similar....but with a couple of bottles of pain pills to relieve the pain. These women had nothing and were forced to endure pain that some people will never get close to. It is disgusting, heart wrenching, and fascinating all at one. I had to stop and google some images to satisfy my curiosity. It made me not want to walk on my perfectly health feet...I guess I know now how it feels when a man sees another man get kicked in the balls. You just really empathize at once. The craziest thing to me is that, depsite the fact that this is illegal, some women are still secretly doing this, either to uphold an old world tradition, or (from what I can glean despite my Westernized perspective)just become a sort of novelty for men. I suppose it is no different to the women today who are having these strange vaginal rejuvenation surgeries that are discussed on Dr. 90210. <shudder> I feel a feminsnist-perspective critical essay coming on.
]]> 16048551 Tue, 18 Mar 2008 12:50:11 -0700
author: Margaret Atwood
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1986
rating: 5
read at: 01/06
date added: 03/18/08
shelves:
review:
I have a hard time articulating my love for Atwood novels. Just read it! I swear you will love it.
]]> 16112267 Tue, 18 Mar 2008 12:48:26 -0700
author: Nancy Milford
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2002
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 03/18/08
shelves:
review:
What a sexy rebel poet, this lady!
]]> 16048734 Tue, 18 Mar 2008 12:46:57 -0700
author: Herman Melville
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 3.95
book published: 1983
rating: 5
read at: 01/06
date added: 03/18/08
shelves:
review:
I always planned on reading this book but just kept putting it off until I took an Great American Novels Course. A lot of people think the novel is overrated and while I can see thier point I still have to disagree. There are just so many metaphors and different interpretations of this novel for it not to be one of the greats. You can read it in SO many ways, it is just incredible. I wroThe professor who taught this course is a freudian so you can imagine the kinds of conversations were started during class; they were very entertainging to say the least. I wrote a paper on this novel that I was quite proud of. The more open you are to the imagination and the ablility to read beyond the surface of the plot, the more you will enjoy it. The possibilities are endless in just a few hundred pages.
]]> 16046422 Tue, 18 Mar 2008 12:40:04 -0700
I really enjoyed this book though. It had a nice twist to the ending and kept me curious throughout my reading. I guess the end was a bit predictable but it was one of the more entertaining books I read in 2007. At least in my top 15.]]>
author: Diane Setterfield
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2006
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 03/18/08
shelves:
review:
I chose the book by its cover. What better book to read than a book that has a stack of books on its cover?

I really enjoyed this book though. It had a nice twist to the ending and kept me curious throughout my reading. I guess the end was a bit predictable but it was one of the more entertaining books I read in 2007. At least in my top 15.
]]> 17016445 Tue, 18 Mar 2008 12:36:44 -0700
author: Bill Willingham
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2002
rating: 5
read at: 01/07
date added: 03/18/08
shelves:
review:
I saw this book at my brother in law's house and couldn't resist taking it. It is a graphic novel set in a NY esque city and centers around the lives of fable characters. The Big Bad Wolf, Snow White, Three little Pigs, etc. But these are definitely not the characters we know from our childhood. These fables characters are all grown up and could be on a series for Showtime or HBO. This group of fairy tale rejects show us what the word "graphic" is all about in a graphic novel. I am hoping to read the whole series as soon as possible. This has to be the best fractured fairy tale I have ever come across.
]]> 16112960 Thu, 13 Mar 2008 20:32:25 -0700
That said, I truly did enjoy the book and its theme. I went out and bought another of his books, Before You Know Kindness, yesterday at a used bookshop]]>
author: Chris Bohjalian
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2001
rating: 5
read at: 03/08
date added: 03/13/08
shelves:
review:
I thought Tran-Sister Radio was incredibly interesting. I love NPR and All Things Considered so it was a little bonus to the story for me. The only problem I had was that it seemed like all of the characters' voices, or points of view, were the same. Since it was told from the point of view of different people at different times I felt like I should have been able to discern definite differences in their way of speaking or thinking. It felt like it was told by a general narrator rather than several people. Their voices just got lost within each other. It was a good idea to try and convey each person's unique perspective throughout the book, but to me, it just sounded like it was all told from one person...I guess what I am trying to say is it didn't seem like anyone's unique personality was able to shine through the way I would have liked.

That said, I truly did enjoy the book and its theme. I went out and bought another of his books, Before You Know Kindness, yesterday at a used bookshop
]]> 17472126 Mon, 10 Mar 2008 17:43:03 -0700
author: Lois Lowry
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1993
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 03/10/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 16046143 Fri, 07 Mar 2008 15:20:25 -0800
author: Donna Tartt
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 4.08
book published: 1992
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 03/07/08
shelves:
review:
This is one of my favorites books of all time. The characters' idiosyncracies really make the book. I read Special Topics in Calamity Physics several years after reading The Secret History and must insist on believing that Marisha Pessl must have been influenced by Tartt's novel. There are many similarities and both books were very good.
]]> 16045901 Fri, 07 Mar 2008 15:16:18 -0800
author: Junot Díaz
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at: 01/08
date added: 03/07/08
shelves:
review:
This was on the Times Notable Books of 2007 list. I wasn't sure if I was going to like this book but I ended up really appreciating it. This is not just a story of a young man's life but an entire history lesson. The book is filled with wonderful and witty footnotes that explain the historical context of The Trujillo Era. The footnotes were often funnier than the novel itself. The narrator incorporates Spanish slang into the nvel, but even if you have not been exposed to Spanish it is easy to understand the context in which it is being used. Ifyou do know a little Spanish you will appreciate it all the more.
]]> 16111160 Fri, 07 Mar 2008 15:11:59 -0800
author: Laurence Sterne
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 4.12
book published: 1980
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 03/07/08
shelves:
review:
CRAZY book! Lawrence Sterne was way ahead of his time during the 18th century. Think Mark Z. Danielewsky.
]]> 16112182 Fri, 07 Mar 2008 15:09:58 -0800
author: Claude Brown
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 4.30
book published: 1999
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 03/07/08
shelves:
review:
I read this book for a Critical Theory class. It is an autobiographical tale of Caude Brown that begins with his recollections as a 5 year old child and follows him through his rough Harlem upbringing. It is an inspirational tale of how he rose above his harsh upbringing. It is a truly captivating novel that I could not put down.
]]> 16112613 Fri, 07 Mar 2008 15:07:41 -0800
author: Art Spiegelman
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 4.49
book published: 1986
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 03/07/08
shelves:
review:
The sequel to Maus I. I look at these books as one work despite the fact that they are separate.
]]> 16112616 Fri, 07 Mar 2008 15:06:13 -0800
author: Art Spiegelman
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 4.51
book published: 1991
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 03/07/08
shelves:
review:
I read this book for a Critical Theory class. It was really touching and I really enjoyed the illustrations, some of wich are extremely haunting. Speigelman ilustrates the Nazis as cats and the Jews as mice as well as other animals for other nationalities. The story autobiographical and narrates the process in which Speigelman wrote the book. Not only is it an account of the holocaust, but it also explores the nature of a father/son relationship that is defined by differences in class, national identity and generational issues.
]]> 17260582 Fri, 07 Mar 2008 14:50:46 -0800 ]]>
author: Tom Perrotta
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 3.25
book published: 2000
rating: 4
read at: 03/08
date added: 03/07/08
shelves:
review:
I really enjoyed this book and will definitely read other Perrotta novels in the future. There were may things in this book that I could relate to...not necessarily his college life experience at Yale, but there were so many recognizable scenarios throught the novel. I laughed out lous several times when reading this.

]]> 17260509 Fri, 07 Mar 2008 14:48:58 -0800
author: Charlotte Perkins Gilman
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 4.03
book published: 1998
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 03/07/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 16997532 Tue, 04 Mar 2008 11:47:59 -0800
author: Candace Bushnell
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 3.07
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at: 03/08
date added: 03/04/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 16995930 Tue, 04 Mar 2008 11:25:26 -0800
author: Arthur Golden
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 3.95
book published: 1997
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 03/04/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 16048137 Tue, 26 Feb 2008 11:28:12 -0800
author: Lori Lansens
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 02/26/08
shelves:
review:
I actually listened to this as an audiobook. I really enjoyed the two narrators voices and the way that they portrayed the two sisters differences.
]]> 16426331 Tue, 26 Feb 2008 11:20:06 -0800
author: Joe Hill
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 02/26/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 16112732 Fri, 22 Feb 2008 13:50:05 -0800
author: Bret Easton Ellis
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2006
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 02/22/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 16112713 Fri, 22 Feb 2008 13:49:56 -0800
author: Bret Easton Ellis
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 3.58
book published: 1998
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 02/22/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 16112571 Fri, 22 Feb 2008 13:48:41 -0800
author: Lillian Smith
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 3.78
book published: 1994
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 02/22/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 16112531 Fri, 22 Feb 2008 13:48:16 -0800
author: Claire Messud
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2000
rating: 4
read at: 03/08
date added: 02/22/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 16112304 Fri, 22 Feb 2008 13:46:28 -0800
author: Laura Flanders
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2004
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 02/22/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 16112249 Fri, 22 Feb 2008 13:45:50 -0800
author: Sylvia Plath
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2000
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 02/22/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 16111414 Fri, 22 Feb 2008 13:38:23 -0800
author: Albert Camus
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 3.96
book published: 1942
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 02/22/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 16111332 Fri, 22 Feb 2008 13:37:38 -0800
author: James Frey
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 3.52
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 02/22/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 16111091 Fri, 22 Feb 2008 13:35:48 -0800
author: Joseph Conrad
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 3.53
book published: 1902
rating: 2
read at: 01/04
date added: 02/22/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 16109809 Fri, 22 Feb 2008 13:23:21 -0800
author: M. T. Jones
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2005
rating: 5
read at: 02/08
date added: 02/22/08
shelves:
review:
This book was sent to me from the author on bookcrossing.com. It is part of a trilogy. I would eventually like to read the rest of them.
]]> 16109719 Fri, 22 Feb 2008 13:21:02 -0800
author: Donald McCaig
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 02/22/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 16048630 Thu, 21 Feb 2008 20:08:46 -0800
author: Margaret Atwood
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 3.74
book published: 1993
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 02/21/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 16048586 Thu, 21 Feb 2008 20:08:10 -0800
author: Margaret Atwood
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 3.62
book published: 1970
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 02/21/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 16048581 Thu, 21 Feb 2008 20:08:07 -0800
author: Margaret Atwood
name: JenKazoo
average rating: 3.76
book published: 1998
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 02/21/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 16048574 Thu, 21 Feb 2008 20:08:05 -0800