false 9 72 66 true 5622722 read 2 true 2667793 currently-reading 4 true 2667792 to-read 38 false 2728727 nonfiction 36 false 2731992 latin-america 30 false 2731998 politics 28 false 2731989 fiction 13 false 2731990 academia 4 false 3746283 set-aside-for-now http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74099173 to: Four Hands: A Novel (Paperback) by Paco Ignacio Taibo II
bookshelves: fiction
I love his detective novels, but this book bored me to the point that I stopped reading. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/68368165 to: Havana Lunar (Paperback) by Robert Arellano
bookshelves: fiction, latin-america
This is an evocative book about Cuba's Special Period. Toward the end, it even takes on the quality of thriller to a certain degree. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/77266389 to: Last Lessons of Summer (Mass Market Paperback) by Margaret Maron
bookshelves: fiction
Quick read, and some good twists, but I did not feel very drawn in and I was constantly confusing the large number of characters. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/75947695 to: Bananas!: How The United Fruit Company Shaped the World (Hardcover) by Peter Chapman
bookshelves: latin-america, nonfiction, politics
I found it rather dry and superficial for such a compelling topic. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/72641728 to: The Lecturer's Tale: A Novel (Paperback) by James Hynes
bookshelves: academia, fiction
Over the top but fun satire of academia (or at least English departments). ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/64585889 to: A Home on the Field: How One Championship Team Inspires Hope for the Revival of Small Town America (Hardcover) by Paul Cuadros
bookshelves: nonfiction
I very much enjoyed the book, and certainly anyone interested in immigration and living in NC should take a look. Cuadros is very positive but does not sugarcoat the problems and challenges of Latino immigration to the rural South. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/62129902 to: The Eagle's Throne: A Novel (Paperback) by Carlos Fuentes
bookshelves: fiction, latin-america
The premise of the book is very shaky, but Fuentes' writing makes you forgot that quickly. The letters reveal all sorts of twists and turns as the characters scheme for the Mexican presidency. Ultimately a sad book, and the last chapter particularly so. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/62042611 to: Dance with Snakes (Biblioasis Translations) by Horacio Castellanos Moya
bookshelves: fiction, latin-america
The book was odd enough to have promise, but was ultimately too odd to really work. It has some interesting things to say about the role of the media in crises, but especially toward the end, too many times I found myself trying to figure out what the point was of the narrative. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/61296458 to: The Library at Night (Paperback) by Alberto Manguel
bookshelves: nonfiction
Each chapter is self-contained, and some are beautifully written and made the book worthwhile (particularly the early chapters). Yet others were quite dry and grasping to make an overall point. I found his love/hate relationship with the internet a bit annoying. But it is worth the read if you are really into books. ]]>