false 3 195 174 true 5743858 read 1 true 3602708 currently-reading 20 true 3602707 to-read <![CDATA[Kyle added 'Pirate Latitudes: A Novel']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/79023702 to: Pirate Latitudes: A Novel (Hardcover) by Michael Crichton
While not nearly as disappointing as his previous novel, Next, this is one of Crichton's weaker novels. Pirate Latitudes has a very Pirates of the Caribbean feel to it, clashing with Crichton's more usual realistic and historically semi-accurate approach. While the book was filled with adventure after adventure, I got somewhat bored. Rather than having a main impediment or two, which would have felt more plausible, there were a half dozen outlandish obstacles to overcome. It felt like they kept racing from one problem to the next, leaving me to feel like Crichton put them all in because had a hard time deciding which ones he liked best and focusing on those.

Usually I like Crichton's characters, but all the women in this book fell flat for me. All the females were presented as sex objects for the men, and nothing more. They all kind of ran blandly together and any one could have been substituted for any other. The males fared slightly better, but were also fairly one-dimensional.

Since this was a complete manuscript found at the time of Crichton's death, there's no way to know if it was a final version that he was considering publishing, or if he had major revisions in mind. I would like to think the latter. Sadly, we'll never know what this could have been and it's too bad that this book had to be Crichton's last. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it for what it was and -despite my disappointment- am still a big Crichton fan. ]]> <![CDATA[Kyle added 'David Copperfield']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78893746 David Copperfield (Wordsworth Classics) by Charles Dickens
bookshelves: currently-reading
]]> <![CDATA[Kyle added 'Einstein: His Life and Universe']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/67790322 to: Einstein: His Life and Universe (Hardcover) by Walter Isaacson
Going into this book, I knew little about Einstein other than his scientific contributions. Well written and full of information, I was surprised to find that Einstein was politically active, quite atheistic (despite his claims to the contrary), and not particularly faithful to his wife. I'm sad to say that I lost some respect for Herr Einstein as a person, and seeing his obstinateness in the face of scientific discoveries in the realm of quantum physics, also lost some respect for him as a scientist. Not that I dislike him, I just don't hold him in the same high regard that I used too. An interesting read, letting us see Einstein's all-too-human side, I recommend this to anyone wanting to learn more about the world's most famous scientist. ]]> <![CDATA[Kyle added 'Spyderco Story: The New Shape of Sharp']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/67790235 to: Spyderco Story: The New Shape of Sharp (Hardcover) by Kenneth T. Delavigne
I've always been interested in Spyderco knives as well as their company. So it was with great excitement that I began this book which details their history, the design stories behind the knives, and the inner workings of the company and their contributions to the knife industry. Unfortunately, I was a bit let down. The author provided various photos of some of the knives that he was talking about, but not others (instead describing the shape or mechanisms). Since the author had access to prototypes, the entire factory and workers, as well as opportunities to meet collectors, it seems inexplicable that he didn't include pictures of all the models that he surely had access to.

I also felt that he could have gone more in-depth on the development of the different models and history behind them and the company. When the author did get to covering the company and employees, it seems he lacked substantial material and ended up repeating himself quite often and pushing his personal infatuation for W. Edwards Demming's management philosophy. The book could have been so much better, especially considering the almost unlimited access he had to all involved in Spyderco, but instead the book barely went below the surface. I only justify giving it three stars because it did have some decent material on a well-loved subject of mine, Spyderco. ]]> <![CDATA[Kyle added 'Spent']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/71490482 to: Spent (Hardcover) by Joe Matt
]]> <![CDATA[Kyle added 'The Poor Bastard']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/71490298 to: The Poor Bastard (Paperback) by Joe Matt
]]> <![CDATA[Kyle added 'A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/57101078 to: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (Paperback) by James Joyce
]]> <![CDATA[Kyle is on page 178 of A Portrait of the Ar... ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/57101078 Kyle is on page 178 of 256 of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man ]]> <![CDATA[Kyle added 'Peepshow: The Cartoon Diary Joe Matt']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/48534101 to: Peepshow: The Cartoon Diary Joe Matt (Paperback) by Joe Matt
Joe Matt's Peepshow is a very intimate, autobiographical comic strip that looks at the musings and insecurities that many of us feel, but are afraid to acknowledge. I am amazed at his ability to put his deep, dark secrets out on the page for everyone to read. A lot of Joe Matt's insecurities are universal, making the reader confront their own demons. The many small quirks that are emphasized in Peepshow make his characters come to life. I had the opportunity to meet with Joe Matt over lunch recently (before I had read this book). He is a great all around guy and I enjoyed the brief time I had to converse with him. Having now read this book, I have to say that Joe Matt did a great job of capturing his essence. While the book told me a lot about him that I wasn't able to glean from him over lunch, there is nothing in the book which doesn't ring true to the character I got to know. Honest, funny, and occasionally heart-breaking, Peepshow is a wonderful comic strip that I wholeheartedly enjoyed. ]]> <![CDATA[Kyle added 'Breaking Dawn']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/63088324 to: Breaking Dawn (Twilight, #4) by Stephenie Meyer
As I found with the first book, Breaking Dawn is pretty boring for the first three-quarters, with almost nothing happening. Meyer seems to have felt compelled to pull a J.K. Rowling, lengthening each novel from the previous. The difference is that Rowling's increasing page count corresponded with increased the depth of the main characters while also fleshing out the minor characters. Meyer does none of this. She just manages to take twice as long to get half as much information across. Fortunately, the last quarter of the book picks up the pacing and characters finally get something compelling to do.

I still stand by my claim that Meyer is merely a mediocre author. Her foreshadowing, if you can all it that, is still very heavy handed. Foreshadowing is supposed to give clues that finally make sense when the event/surprise is revealed. Meyer instead basically comes out and tells us what is going to happen before it happens. So I get to experience everything twice -once when she tells me it's going to happen, and once when it actually does happen-. Can't say there were any surprises here. But in the end, I found the conclusion to be mildly satisfying. I still don't see what all the hype was about, but then again the books are geared more toward a female audience -and the gayer male audience- that can appreciate Edward's flawlessly, chiseled features, gorgeous smile and beautiful honey-brown eyes. So was it my cup of tea? No. Was the book horrendous? No. It was OK, and I'm OK with that. ]]>