false 9 550 543 true 5775366 read 0 true 3791022 currently-reading 7 true 3791021 to-read 10 false 4287752 education http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/79081798 to: Wishin' and Hopin': A Christmas Story (Hardcover) by Wally Lamb
It's nice to save five stars for magnificent books--but gosh, this book got me all the way across the state and halfway back today, Thanksgiving, and made me laugh out loud at least a dozen times. Lamb's very good at writing cynical/amusing kid and adult dialogue and pretty good at staying away from slapstick and the Maudlin Moment. I enjoyed every moment of reading this book. And the Epilogue--a take on the classic "American Graffiti" and "Animal House" summaries of Where Are They Now?--pushed a good read over the line to five stars. Happy Thanksgiving. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78540171 to: Hardball (Hardcover) by Sara Paretsky
When I discovered Paretsky's V.I. Warshawski series, I read about six of them in a row. Big mistake. A nice hit of Vic every two or three years is just about right. Otherwise, her hair-trigger judgments and downright boneheaded taste for doing stupidly dangerous things makes you wonder why she doesn't ever seem to progress, as a character. She's the same recalcitrant, flippant know-it-all in "Hardball" but every once in a while, it's fun to read about her adventures.

This is one of the better ones--an interesting blend of racial tensions and corrupt Chicago politics, with a mix of old and new characters and the usual twists. I read "Bleeding Kansas," Paretsky's non-Warshawski novel, a couple of years ago and really liked it. She's a great writer. It's just that a little of V.I. goes a long way. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78229022 to: The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time (Paperback) by Jeffrey D. Sachs
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78229011 to: Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools (Paperback) by Jonathan Kozol
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78228985 to: Little Children (Paperback) by Tom Perrotta
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78228893 to: Franny and Zooey (Paperback) by J.D. Salinger
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78228881 to: Nine Stories (Paperback) by J.D. Salinger
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78228875 to: Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction (Paperback) by J.D. Salinger
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78228772 to: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream (Paperback) by Hunter S. Thompson
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78228725 to: In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto (Hardcover) by Michael Pollan
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