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<![CDATA[Andre added 'Winning Chess Openings']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78114457
to: Winning Chess Openings (Paperback)byFred Reinfeld
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<![CDATA[Andre added 'Me Talk Pretty One Day']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78042547
to: Me Talk Pretty One Day (Paperback)byDavid Sedaris
I've been known to remark that I can't stand when people tell me to watch certain movies because they're "amazing". I take "amazing" from someone to mean that it's literally the best movie ever made, but often I find that it falls way short of the golden bar status it was set at.
Therefore I've asked people to refrain from telling me anything about movies. I can't even stand to watch previews for movies. All the while I'll turn around and tell someone that "Wake Up, Ron Burgundy" is hilarious, and even quote the movie. Giggity Giggity... Alright!
Oh, you wanted a review? Well here goes... in an alternate universe, I would have read David Sedaris long before Augusten Burroughs and felt that Augusten Burroughs was a David Sedaris knock-off. But as it stands now, Sedaris is the Burroughs wannabe.
This book was the first book, in a long time, rather, that I almost quit reading before I finished. It wasn't a bad book, I just felt that I've read it before (well, after reading 3 of Burrough's books). Maybe I shouldn't have purchased two more Sedaris novels without reading one to know that I'm probably not going to like them, but I'm going to read them anyways because I can't stand not finishing things that I've started.
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<![CDATA[Andre added 'Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76313777
to: Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess (Mass Market Paperback)byBobby Fischer
Two things I don't really like about the book are that it's mainly about offensive strategies (there are times where the authors show you how to escape a mate situation) and it's only really about the end game. So after reading this book I'm much better at recognizing the key elements of a mate?, but I have no idea how to start the game so that I don't get myself in a mate situation. But it's an awesome read! Some of the descriptions of the possibilities are amazing. I definitely have much more of an appreciation for the game.
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<![CDATA[Andre added 'Last Exit to Brooklyn']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/70692872
to: Last Exit to Brooklyn (An Evergreen Book)byHubert Selby Jr.
I started reading this book and instantly thought that it read like a Tarantino film. Little did I know that Selby also wrote "Requiem for a Dream" - one of my favorite movies ever (if not one of the most depressing movies that I've ever seen in my life). I find a lot of similarities between Tarantino films and Requiem...
You know, this book ain't no picnic, bitch! (Yes, that was a Malibu's Most Wanted reference.) I swear there's a stretch of at least three pages where there are *no* punctuation marks at all. There are no quotations used to indicate who is talking. And the entire book is written in East-coast slang, from the people who are talking. But it simply contributes to its charm.
What the book has going for it is that it's harsh and brutal. It makes no attempt to hide the realities of so-called "lower-class living". It's probably the realest book that you've ever read, and it covers practically all ethnicities.
The Nation once wrote, in a review, that this book will leave you as a "different person - slightly changed, educated by pain". There's no better description of this book that I am currently aware of. You *will* be saddened, educated on the realities of life and, hopefully, better off for it, for your perspective of the lives around you, if all went according to plan, will be viewed through more compassionate eyes.
"The sun is supposed to light your body and warm it through right to your heart" - Hubert Selby Jr.
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<![CDATA[Andre added 'Cuckoo's Egg']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/69817883
to: Cuckoo's Egg (Paperback)byClifford Stoll
As a result of all of this reading, well, lately I've recently been, umm, learning a lot about myself.
A book is, in a very real sense, simply a mirror... except a highly amplified one that lets you hear your thoughts of what you've read.
I really liked this book (I flied through 330 pages in 3 days)! But the thoughts that I had while reading this book were, 'get to the point!' I found that highly frustrating to have to use logic to fight with myself on why he kept holding back information that the reader wanted to know.
I've long said that when I sit down to watch a movie or read a book, I don't want any knowledge about it. I want to be completely surprised. Well after about a third of the way into the book I accidentally glanced at the rear cover and noticed a mention of the KGB. After that I *had* to read the rest of the description in the back of the book. There was mention of cocaine. I was like, "yo, I'm down with this!"
It was chapter 55ish (out of 56 chapters) and I'm asking myself, "where the hell is the cocaine? where is the KGB?" I thought that if there was cocaine then the strippers wouldn't be far behind. I wanted gossip and drama!
<sigh>
Please, please, please, book writers! Do yourselves a favor and *never* tell any important details of your book in the prologue, or the rear cover of the freaking book!
Umm, ditto to you, film makers! While watching a trailer of a new Laurence Fishburn film, Armored, last week one studio, in its infinite wisdom, decided to show the ENTIRE movie summarized in 3 minutes as an incentive to watch the movie later on in the year.
The ENTIRE movie!
Why even watch? For the plot twists?
For that matter, would you even read this book now?
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<![CDATA[Andre added 'Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/69528203
to: Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex (Hardcover)byMary Roach
I recently found out that Bones Rodriguez, Author of Captain Kirk's Guide to Women (Star Trek), not only read my review of his book, but started following my reviews.
So as I began to wrap up Bonk, the thought crossed my mind whether or not Mary Roach would see my review of her book as well. I didn't know whether or not I'd have the heart to tell it like it is or whether I'd put my tail between my legs and write a good review of her book.
The problem with this book isn't so much the subject matter. The book provides some *really* interesting research in terms of trying to understand sex from a physiological perspective. I can't deny this. There's one study that Roach mentions on the 'focusing' ability of males and females while having sex. She mentions that female humans have the same problem during sex that female rats have, and then provides this awesome Kinsey observation:
Cheese crumbs spread in front of a copulating pair of rats may distract the female, but not the male.
Also, who knew that you can get a 'nasal erection'? Or that paraplegics report that they have orgasms? Do you know the physiology behind arousal?
The problem I had with the book is that every time I started getting interested in the studies, methodology and results, Roach's voice and 'humor' came through and ruined it for me.
It's like your partner having to go to the bathroom right before you get to the good part. Well, for a book on sex, I guess this is an appropriate metaphor.
*Sigh*
If you're not easily distracted then this book is for you. It seems like every other page either contains wordy descriptions of things unrelated to the study or contains footnotes that don't direct you to actual studies but, rather, explain one of her double entendres.
Very annoying for such interesting research.
But, again, that's not to say that this book wasn't interesting! It's just a book that's not written in a way that captivates me. 2 stars doesn't represent how much I learned from this book! Rather it represents the amount of frustration that built up as a result of reading the book.
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<![CDATA[new comment from Andre]]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/67096829
Andre's review of
Captain Kirk's Guide to Women (Star Trek) byBones Rodriguez
I have to admit - I'm shocked that you actually read my review and honored that you'd send me a message about it! Thanks for your message! I'm very interested to see what kinds of stuff you read and what you think of them in return... Thanks for the book! Oh, and you will be happy to know that I've started introducing some of the terminology to some of my friends (about being their own captain) recently...
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<![CDATA[New Fanship update]]>
<![CDATA[Andre added 'Animal Farm']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/68854487
to: Animal Farm (Paperback)byGeorge Orwell
short review: brilliant
long review: b-r-i-l-l-i-a-n-t
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<![CDATA[Andre added 'Like a Splinter in Your Mind: The Philosophy Behind the Matrix Trilogy']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/68779618
to: Like a Splinter in Your Mind: The Philosophy Behind the Matrix Trilogy (Paperback)byMatt Lawrence
This is basically "Philosophy 101" with metaphors from The Matrix to help people figure out what's going on.
I must say that the second "half" of the book was infinitely more interesting than the first half. The treatment of why gender equality is much more complicated than racial equality was awesome. I've become much more sympathetic to existentialism (I'm still not completely sold!, but I'm willing to read more about it...) as a result of the treatment of moral (non)objectivism.
But if you had enough time to read one chapter? Well, you must read the comparison of 'faith' that a) Abraham had in God, and b) Morpheus had in Neo. This section, quite frankly, made the book.
In short, I have two other Philosophy/Matrix books to read. I'd say that my general understanding of topics in Philosophy has grown, but it's not something that I was completely new to (except for the terminology). If you have an interest in Philosophy but could use something familiar to tie it to (and you know a fair amount about The Matrix trilogy) then I think this is an excellent place to start.