false 7 30 28 true 5776269 read 1 true 261803 currently-reading 1 true 261802 to-read <![CDATA[Chris added 'American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/70095316 to: American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House (Paperback) by Jon Meacham
I didn't know much about this period of American history, so I found it very interesting from that perspective. Not badly written, though sometimes I felt like I was slogging through oatmeal, and it feels a little like I was looking at the era through a gauze curtain. I definitely want to read more about Jackson and his times ]]> <![CDATA[Chris is on page 30 of American Lion: Andre... ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/70095316 Chris is on page 30 of 512 of American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House ]]> <![CDATA[Chris added 'The Bin Ladens: An Arabian Family in the American Century']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/70094890 to: The Bin Ladens: An Arabian Family in the American Century (Paperback) by Steve Coll
Very lengthy, very interesting book about the modern history of the Bin Laden family, starting with Osama's father through 9/11. At times a tad tedious, the most interesting parts are about the hedonistic excesses of Osama's brothers. I knew next to nothing about Arab and Saudi history, and this book will give you a good idea of what happened in the last century. ]]> <![CDATA[Chris added 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/69751133 to: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter, #7) by J.K. Rowling
I had a little trouble getting into the book at first, but Rowling is a great storyteller, and you just get swept in. I was a little afraid it would turn ultra serious, the way the Lord of the Rings or the chronicles of Narnia did. The book is probably the most serious, but it didn't lose its humor. (Not a real spoiler: I cracked up at the vision of the stampeding desks.) ]]> <![CDATA[Chris added 'Blue Heaven']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/69750718 to: Blue Heaven (Contemporary American Fiction) by Joe Keenan
Great beach reading, which is where I read most of it. The friend who recommended it said I would laugh the whole way through, which I did for the most part. All the plot twists and turns and characters are sometimes hard to keep straight, but it doesn't really matter. Reading the book is like watching a good sitcom. It makes for a great escape. ]]> <![CDATA[Chris added 'Bleachers']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/57691642 to: Bleachers (Mass Market Paperback) by John Grisham
John Grisham is an excellent writer, and the story flows easily. I read it in one night. Good summer reading, even if you don't know a thing about football. ]]> <![CDATA[Chris added 'Losing Mum and Pup: A Memoir']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/57691308 to: Losing Mum and Pup: A Memoir (Hardcover) by Christopher Buckley
A very moving account of the author losing his larger-than-life parents. I can imagine that it was a very necessary book for him to write. ]]> <![CDATA[Chris added 'The Red Badge of Courage : The Great Reads']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/49245174 to: The Red Badge of Courage : The Great Reads (Hardcover) by Stephen Crane
Crane writes in a way that is easy reading. Even though it is a war novel, most of the action takes place in the mind of the main character, Henry Fleming. It is amazing how insecure Fleming is, not about the fighting per se but more about what other people think of him. In a way it was like reading a book about mean girls in high school. I found the novel a bit Brechtian in the sense that it seemed like the author was deliberately trying to keep the reader from identifying with the main character. The Fleming wasn't in the least likable until the end of the novel when he redeemed himself.
My favorite passage in the book appears in the middle of Chapter 17. During a battle scene Crane threw in a description of Fleming that seemed to come out of nowhere, since he didn't do it in any other part of the book. Reading the passage I would swear that Crane was gay, though he was supposed to have been heterosexual. Here it is:
"He crouched behind a little tree, with his eyes burning hatefully and his teeth set in a curlike snarl. The awkward bandage was still about his head, and upon it, over his wound, there was a spot of dry blood. His hair was wondrously tousled, and some straggling, moving locks hung over the cloth of the bandage down toward his forehead. His jacket and shirt were open at the throat, and exposed his young bronzed neck. There could be seen spasmodic gulpings at his throat." ]]> <![CDATA[Chris added 'The Way of the World']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/42662863 to: The Way of the World (Hardcover) by Ron Suskind
This is the first book I've read in almost a year. (Shame on me!)
Suskind is an excellent writer and storyteller, so whether you agree with him or not, it is a good read. He explores the United States' place in the world since 9-11 by following different people affected, from an Afghani exchange student, intelligence officials, a lawyer representing a Guantanamo detainee, Benazir Bhutto, and a Pakistani grad student in Washington. He hops around a lot and keeps introducing new people all through the book, which could be confusing but largely isn't in this case.
Suskind's main thesis is that for the United States to reclaim its place as the leading power in the world it needs to reconfirm its adherence to its values of being an open society that cherishes and protects the human rights on which it was founded. The Bush/Cheney doctrine of operating in the "Dark Side," where we try to exert our will through brute force and torture and ignoring our Constitution has been a flop. ]]> <![CDATA[Chris added 'Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/15812029 to: Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone (Hardcover) by Rajiv Chandrasekaran
Reading this book just made you want to cry. All the bungled and missed opportunities. ]]>