false 28 216 99 true 5997800 read 3 true 576698 currently-reading 114 true 576697 to-read 16 false 1983098 best-books http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4469012 to: Fahrenheit 451 (Paperback) by Ray Bradbury
bookshelves: best-books
This was my first foray into Bradbury's writing. I loved it and couldn't put it down.

My biggest beef with the book is not actually due to any fault of the author--it's the misconstrued interpretation that everyone I talked to before reading gave me of the book. The theme of this book is NOT a criticism of government censorship. Yes, censorship does play a role; yes, Bradbury is against censorship. But the real point of the book is a criticism against people giving up their intellectual rights and allowing government censorship. It's a critique of intellectual laziness and societal apathy, which in turn empowers a corrupt government.

If you haven't read this, please do. Bradbury isn't for everyone--a lot of people don't jive with his prose--but the value of this book as food for thought is really great. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4469014 to: The Martian Chronicles (Grand Master Edition) by Ray Bradbury
It's hard to say whether I like this book or Fahrenheit 451 better. Fahrenheit 451 was my first Bradbury, and I loved it. But the combination of the stories in The Martian Chronicles is so haunting, so imaginative. It's one of the few books I've read more than once.

Like much of Bradbury's work (and much of science fiction), it's filled with social commentary, most of which I'd say is insightful and worth considering. Overall I love the message--though I love the message of Fahrenheit 451 as well.

Read 'em both. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4469029 to: Dandelion Wine (Mass Market Paperback) by Ray Bradbury
I love Ray Bradbury--he has such a conversational way of writing, and his descriptions draw me in.

This book is very different from his usual science fiction/fantasy forays. I loved it because it made me feel like a boy experiencing the freedom of summer again. I would have given it five stars for nostalgic value alone, but I withheld one because the story started to unravel a bit toward the end for me. And at one point one of the final vignettes (it's really more like a bunch of short stories strung together) took a weird, slightly fantastical turn. Not that fantasy is out of the norm for Bradbury--it just didn't really fit in the context of this book.

]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/10657569 Darrell's review of White Fang
by Jack London

This is the best review.... ever! ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/41474357 The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America (Paperback) by Erik Larson
bookshelves: currently-reading
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/39343842 Essays of E. B. White (Perennial Classics) by E.B. White
bookshelves: currently-reading
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/39343820 to: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (Paperback) by Michael Chabon
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/37807157 Best Food Writing 2007 (Best Food Writing) by Holly Hughes
bookshelves: currently-reading
Slowly working through. Some are definitely better than the others. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/37807108 Roll, Jordan, Roll: The World the Slaves Made (Paperback) by Eugene D. Genovese
For class. Loooooooooong... ]]>