http://www.goodreads.com/review/list_rss/98505 en-US Tue, 29 Jul 2008 14:30:49 -0700 60 http://www.goodreads.com/ 200 41 http://www.goodreads.com/images/layout/gr_logo.gif 20737351 Tue, 29 Jul 2008 14:30:49 -0700
author: James Howard Kunstler
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 07/08
date added: 07/29/08
shelves: conservation
review:

]]> 3487541 Tue, 29 Jul 2008 14:30:37 -0700
author: Matthew Stewart
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at: 07/08
date added: 07/29/08
shelves: history, religion
review:

]]> 7724007 Tue, 29 Jul 2008 14:30:28 -0700
author: David T. Courtwright
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2002
rating: 4
read at: 07/08
date added: 07/29/08
shelves: history, miscellany
review:

]]> 15837311 Tue, 29 Jul 2008 14:30:15 -0700
author: Eric Hoffer
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2002
rating: 4
read at: 07/08
date added: 07/29/08
shelves: politics, religion
review:

]]> 24112695 Sat, 19 Jul 2008 19:01:38 -0700 I often wonder if it is the unfortunate introduction of "because God made it/us/them/you that way" that begins the gradual squelching of that wonderful instinct for critical thought.

Anyway, this book is exactly what I've been looking for lately: an excellent collection of personal essays from parents along the non-religious spectrum. ]]>
author: Dale McGowan
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 07/19/08
shelves: parenting, religion
review:
A friend of mine was saying how she believed all children to be inherently spiritual. I won't exactly argue that, but what I believe to be more true is that children are inherently little scientists: "why? how come? where? why? how?" A thousand times over until they figure it out for themselves (prepare for damage control) or we satisfactorily explain it to them. Again.
I often wonder if it is the unfortunate introduction of "because God made it/us/them/you that way" that begins the gradual squelching of that wonderful instinct for critical thought.

Anyway, this book is exactly what I've been looking for lately: an excellent collection of personal essays from parents along the non-religious spectrum.
]]> 27698932 Sat, 19 Jul 2008 08:13:49 -0700
author: Clive Barker
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.97
book published: 1990
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 07/19/08
shelves: fiction-is-fun
review:

]]> 27698833 Sat, 19 Jul 2008 08:12:06 -0700
author: Anthony Bourdain
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.44
book published: 2002
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 07/19/08
shelves: fiction-is-fun
review:

]]> 27698821 Sat, 19 Jul 2008 08:11:52 -0700
author: Anthony Bourdain
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 07/19/08
shelves: food
review:

]]> 27698789 Sat, 19 Jul 2008 08:11:09 -0700
author: John Steinbeck
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.24
book published: 1945
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 07/19/08
shelves: fiction-is-fun
review:

]]> 8027739 Fri, 13 Jun 2008 15:43:55 -0700
author: Felicia Luna Lemus
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.43
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 06/13/08
shelves: gender-race-society
review:

]]> 24148568 Tue, 10 Jun 2008 09:43:18 -0700
author: John Evangelist Walsh
name: Jennifer
average rating: 2.86
book published: 2000
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 06/10/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 19544939 Mon, 09 Jun 2008 19:44:07 -0700
author: Alison Bechdel
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 06/08
date added: 06/09/08
shelves: biography
review:
Lovely illustrations, and not nearly as dark as I anticipated.
]]> 20810324 Sun, 18 May 2008 21:49:07 -0700
author: A.J. Jacobs
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 05/18/08
shelves: biography, miscellany
review:
I'm just glad he did it and not me.
]]> 11914133 Sun, 18 May 2008 21:46:40 -0700
author: Linda A. Hodgdon
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.33
book published: 1995
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 05/18/08
shelves: autism
review:

]]> 22526216 Sun, 18 May 2008 21:41:54 -0700
author: Mo Willems
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.51
book published: 2004
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 05/18/08
shelves: bad-meaning-good, childhood
review:
As a bus person, raising bus kids (we're a car-free family) this book resonates strongly with our adoration of mass transit. Especially the violent tantrum part.
]]> 7842645 Tue, 29 Apr 2008 08:56:09 -0700
Update: I've finished, it was a jolly ride, but when it's all said and done I'm once again unimpressed with the lack of attention paid to the other half of the sexes. Granted, he's a guy, but I felt he really glossed over the whole "unclean" concept. Maybe next time A.J. can try living biblically as a woman, I'm sure it would be an entirely different experience.]]>
author: A.J. Jacobs
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 04/29/08
shelves: bad-meaning-good, religion
review:
This is a riot so far - it's great to read something about the bible that is written by someone as secular as myself. I often find that my curiousity of religious matters is quickly extinguished by thick, undeciferable, ancient rhetoric that references even more thick, undeciferable, ancient rhetoric. I get the same sensation when trying to read Pynchon...

Update: I've finished, it was a jolly ride, but when it's all said and done I'm once again unimpressed with the lack of attention paid to the other half of the sexes. Granted, he's a guy, but I felt he really glossed over the whole "unclean" concept. Maybe next time A.J. can try living biblically as a woman, I'm sure it would be an entirely different experience.
]]> 21245502 Tue, 29 Apr 2008 08:34:57 -0700
author: L. Frank Baum
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2001
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 04/29/08
shelves: art, childhood
review:

]]> 21112986 Sun, 27 Apr 2008 13:29:30 -0700
author: Chuck Palahniuk
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.10
book published: 1996
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 04/27/08
shelves: fiction-is-fun, hipster-olympics
review:

]]> 21112930 Sun, 27 Apr 2008 13:28:47 -0700
author: Jack Kerouac
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.71
book published: 1957
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 04/27/08
shelves: hipster-olympics
review:

]]> 21112415 Sun, 27 Apr 2008 13:20:31 -0700
author: Thomas Pynchon
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1973
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 04/27/08
shelves: fiction-is-fun, hipster-olympics
review:

]]> 21112331 Sun, 27 Apr 2008 13:19:16 -0700
author: Dave Eggers
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2000
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 04/27/08
shelves: biography, hipster-olympics
review:

]]> 19543294 Sat, 05 Apr 2008 16:31:56 -0700
author: Jill Goldowsky
name: Jennifer
average rating: 2.60
book published: 2003
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 04/05/08
shelves: bad-meaning-bad, childhood
review:
Please, just kill me now.
]]> 12068738 Sat, 05 Apr 2008 16:17:35 -0700
author: Jack Holland
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2006
rating: 5
read at: 04/08
date added: 04/05/08
shelves: gender-race-society
review:
This is one worth owning. It is astoundingly thorough, thoughtful, and accesibly written.
]]> 11049591 Sat, 05 Apr 2008 16:12:21 -0700
author: Kurt Andersen
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.43
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 04/05/08
shelves: fiction-is-fun, ny
review:
Excellent swarthy mystery set in my favorite city, in a fantastic (well, to read about anyway) era. I picked it up because I noticed the author - Kurt Anderson - and happen to be a regular listener and fan of Studio 360 on NPR. I'm so my grandpa.
]]> 5016690 Sat, 05 Apr 2008 16:08:27 -0700
author: Sara Gruen
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 04/05/08
shelves: book-and-beer-club, fiction-is-fun
review:
This was fun, I read it in a couple of days, loved the seedy circus theme and the fact that she did her research. However I was not taken with the human love story, (no fault of the author, I will always compare grimy circus tales to my beloved Geek Love) and the time frame seemed a little rushed. The portions told from the point of view of the elderly protaganist were quite touching, and seemed the most believable (least contrived?) of all. Overall, an excellent beer and book club choice!
]]> 11972359 Sat, 05 Apr 2008 15:55:08 -0700
author: Sian Rees
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2002
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 04/05/08
shelves: book-and-beer-club, high-seas
review:
As a historical record, this book is a delight. As a fun filled tale of swashbuckling whores, not so much.
]]> 16807795 Sat, 01 Mar 2008 20:31:55 -0800
author: Richard Kern
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2001
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 03/01/08
shelves: ny, ooh-la-la
review:

]]> 8900034 Tue, 19 Feb 2008 15:50:24 -0800
author: Naomi Wolf
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 02/19/08
shelves: bad-meaning-good, book-and-beer-club, politics
review:
Although I was completely aware of all the issues Wolf addresses in this book, I had failed to connect the historical/political dots. Wolf does not, and brings us this very concise, readable, and important little book.
]]> 4155082 Thu, 14 Feb 2008 16:47:10 -0800 ]]>
author: Roy Richard Grinker
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 02/14/08
shelves: autism, parenting, science-ish
review:
Autism through the lense of an anthropologist who also happens to have a daughter with autism. These two qualifications make for a thoughtful, engrossing, global, yet personal read that is refreshingly free of the unscientific rhetoric and rumors that seem to dominate the current media on autism disorders.

]]> 4486530 Fri, 25 Jan 2008 08:59:05 -0800
author: Caroline B. Cooney
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 01/25/08
shelves: fiction-is-fun
review:
Caroline Cooney was one of my favorite authors as a teen. She wrote a fantastic trio of thrillers (The Fog, The Fire, The Snow), so I was delighted to see this copy of her version of Macbeth.
]]> 12676756 Wed, 16 Jan 2008 11:48:01 -0800
author: Sapphire
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.19
book published: 1997
rating: 5
read at: 01/98
date added: 01/16/08
shelves: gender-race-society
review:

]]> 12676620 Wed, 16 Jan 2008 11:46:03 -0800
author: Wil Huygen
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.22
book published: 1977
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 01/16/08
shelves: childhood
review:

]]> 11915063 Mon, 07 Jan 2008 16:43:34 -0800
author: Carol Stock Kranowitz
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2006
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 01/07/08
shelves: autism, parenting, science-ish
review:
This was one of the first, and most illuminating books I read during the process of trying to understand my daughter's developmental and behavioral issues. Very inclusive, detailed, and optimistic.
]]> 11914736 Mon, 07 Jan 2008 16:28:58 -0800
author: Ray Bradbury
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.97
book published: 1953
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 01/07/08
shelves: bad-meaning-good, fiction-is-fun
review:

]]> 3407908 Thu, 03 Jan 2008 21:50:53 -0800
author: Phyllis Diller
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2005
rating: 5
read at: 12/07
date added: 01/03/08
shelves: biography
review:

]]> 11062522 Wed, 26 Dec 2007 21:04:49 -0800
author: Dan Brown
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2003
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 12/26/07
shelves: bad-meaning-bad
review:

]]> 11061641 Wed, 26 Dec 2007 20:47:32 -0800
author: John Steinbeck
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.35
book published: 1952
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 12/26/07
shelves: bad-meaning-good
review:

]]> 11061611 Wed, 26 Dec 2007 20:46:45 -0800
author: John Steinbeck
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.93
book published: 1939
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 12/26/07
shelves: bad-meaning-good
review:

]]> 11061578 Wed, 26 Dec 2007 20:46:14 -0800
author: J.D. Salinger
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.92
book published: 1951
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 12/26/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 11061525 Wed, 26 Dec 2007 20:45:16 -0800
author: Zadie Smith
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2005
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 12/26/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 11061516 Wed, 26 Dec 2007 20:45:02 -0800
author: Zadie Smith
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2001
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 12/26/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 11061475 Wed, 26 Dec 2007 20:44:28 -0800
author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.81
book published: 1925
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 12/26/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 11061385 Wed, 26 Dec 2007 20:43:18 -0800
author: Aldous Huxley
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.90
book published: 1932
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 12/26/07
shelves: bad-meaning-good
review:

]]> 11061316 Wed, 26 Dec 2007 20:42:32 -0800
author: Robert A. Heinlein
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.96
book published: 1961
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 12/26/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 11061259 Wed, 26 Dec 2007 20:41:04 -0800
author: Albert Camus
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.96
book published: 1942
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 12/26/07
shelves: bad-meaning-good
review:

]]> 11061207 Wed, 26 Dec 2007 20:40:08 -0800
author: Samuel Beckett
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.94
book published: 1952
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 12/26/07
shelves: bad-meaning-good
review:

]]> 11061126 Wed, 26 Dec 2007 20:38:44 -0800
author: Franz Kafka
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.80
book published: 1915
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 12/26/07
shelves: bad-meaning-good, fiction-is-fun
review:

]]> 11049029 Wed, 26 Dec 2007 16:22:54 -0800
Edited to add: A little googling revealed why this book felt so Burton-y. Turns out the author directed a little thing called Nightmare Before Christmas, among other works of awesome. Illustrators are no slouches either, having Lemony Snicket, Harry Potter, and Nemo on their resumes.]]>
author: Henry Selick
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2006
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 12/26/07
shelves: bad-meaning-good, childhood
review:
Illustrations are absolutely gorgeous: dark and dreamy with lots of dramatic illumination and cute big-eyed characters. It's like Caravaggio meets Tim Burton meets Miyazaki. There's even a dvd included with the book that features a very short animated version of the story - equally gorgeous, and for even more punk rock points, the score was written by They Might Be Giants.

Edited to add: A little googling revealed why this book felt so Burton-y. Turns out the author directed a little thing called Nightmare Before Christmas, among other works of awesome. Illustrators are no slouches either, having Lemony Snicket, Harry Potter, and Nemo on their resumes.
]]> 6993922 Fri, 21 Dec 2007 12:57:51 -0800
author: Marion Nestle
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 12/21/07
shelves: food
review:
Great book if you don't have a lot of prior nutrition and food industry knowledge.
]]> 2332508 Fri, 21 Dec 2007 12:52:01 -0800
author: Christopher Hitchens
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2007
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 12/21/07
shelves: religion, with-a-grain-of-salt
review:
meh.
]]> 10626797 Tue, 18 Dec 2007 09:22:30 -0800
author: Barbara Ehrenreich
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2001
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 12/18/07
shelves: gender-race-society
review:

]]> 6703481 Tue, 18 Dec 2007 09:21:33 -0800
author: Marcus Rediker
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2004
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 12/18/07
shelves: high-seas
review:
I love that essentially pirates were former government employees.
]]> 4444305 Sun, 16 Dec 2007 21:34:28 -0800
author: Max Brooks
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2006
rating: 5
read at: 01/08
date added: 12/16/07
shelves: bad-meaning-good, fiction-is-fun
review:
So far, a cheery holiday read! Why isn't this one on Oprah's list??
]]> 4832137 Sun, 16 Dec 2007 21:30:47 -0800
author: Stefan Gates
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.05
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 12/16/07
shelves: food
review:
I just can't seem to get enough of arrogant chefs doing kooky things...
]]> 3013594 Sun, 16 Dec 2007 21:29:48 -0800
author: Larry McMurtry
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2001
rating: 3
read at: 12/07
date added: 12/16/07
shelves: yee-haw
review:
too much of the author in this one, though Martha Jane was extremely charming.
]]> 4882174 Sun, 16 Dec 2007 21:28:22 -0800
author: John Emsley
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2003
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 12/16/07
shelves: science-ish
review:
I'm not even going to pretend that I read the whole thing (the library needs it back before 2009). Definitely one to purchase.
]]> 4902339 Sun, 16 Dec 2007 21:23:38 -0800
author: Jared Diamond
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.98
book published: 1997
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 12/16/07
shelves: bad-meaning-good, history
review:

]]> 9151605 Sun, 16 Dec 2007 21:21:50 -0800
author: Audrey Niffenegger
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2003
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 12/16/07
shelves: book-and-beer-club, fiction-is-fun
review:
Extremely fun read, I was pleasantly surprised! I'm usually a total scrooge when it comes to certain bookclub type novels.
]]> 10387240 Thu, 13 Dec 2007 14:55:28 -0800 <