false 41 91 70 true 5814322 read 9 true 72226 currently-reading 12 true 72225 to-read 25 false 72372 poetry 13 false 72349 textbooks 11 false 72373 comix 8 false 72424 cookbooks <![CDATA[Mike added 'Easter']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/80487626 to: Easter (Paperback) by Michael Arditti
I ordered this from the library after Ian McKellen recommended it in TIME magazine.

Excellent move on my part.

It's a wonderful triptych that explores issues of sexuality and faith (in the context of the contemporary Church of England) with delicacy and fervor. I feel as if my soul is lifted by it -- how often can you say that. And I'm also filled with laughter; there's a good deal of dry, absurdist humor to be found here. I plan on reading more Arditti as soon as I can. ]]> <![CDATA[Mike added 'How to Ditch Your Fairy']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74999958 to: How to Ditch Your Fairy (Paperback) by Justine Larbalestier
An enjoyable YA caper through a world where everyone has a personal fairy -- be it a finding-loose-change fairy, a clothes-shopping fairy, whatever. Not too deep, and the the Bridget Jones-style diary entries get a little old (of course, they did in BJ, as well), but overall solid and fun. More like 3.5 stars -- Larbalestier has a little bit of trouble wrapping up loose ends, which nags at my brain -- but better to err on the side of praise, eh? ]]> <![CDATA[Mike added 'A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74331142 to: A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge (Hardcover) by Josh Neufeld
bookshelves: comix
Beautifully drawn and expertly written. Neufeld covers a broad range of people's post-Katrina experiences (as he notes, this was an explicit goal), and he weaves them together ably -- he doesn't try to make them 'speak to' each other, but instead relies on simple juxtaposition to make his points about the differences and (more importantly) the commonalities in the experiences of the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Neufeld also has an eye for the telling detail, the tiny note that fully realizes a character or a scene, which is probably part of why I nearly cried a couple times.

Should go on the must-read list of anyone interested in Katrina narratives, yes, but also of anyone interested in literary journalism, nonfic comics, or the pursuit of honest emotion without sentimentality. ]]> <![CDATA[Mike Bierschenk installed the Goodreads Facebook Application]]> http://apps.facebook.com/good_reads/ check it out » ]]> <![CDATA[Mike added 'Rome Has Spoken: A Guide to Forgotten Papal Statements & How They Have Changed Through the Centuries']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/72418916 Rome Has Spoken: A Guide to Forgotten Papal Statements & How They Have Changed Through the Centuries (Paperback) by Maureen Fiedler
bookshelves: currently-reading
]]> <![CDATA[Mike added 'Look Again']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/72418853 Look Again (Hardcover) by Lisa Scottoline
bookshelves: to-read
]]> <![CDATA[Mike added 'The Memoirs of Lt. Henry Timberlake: The Story of a Soldier, Adventurer, and Emissary to the Cherokees, 1756-1765']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/72418805 The Memoirs of Lt. Henry Timberlake: The Story of a Soldier, Adventurer, and Emissary to the Cherokees, 1756-1765 (Hardcover) by Duane H. King
bookshelves: to-read
]]> <![CDATA[Mike added 'Sense of the Faithful: How American Catholics Live Their Faith']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/72418725 Sense of the Faithful: How American Catholics Live Their Faith (Hardcover) by Jerome P. Baggett
bookshelves: currently-reading
]]> <![CDATA[Mike added 'Tell It Slant: Writing and Shaping Creative Nonfiction']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/72418609 Tell It Slant: Writing and Shaping Creative Nonfiction (Paperback) by Brenda Miller
bookshelves: to-read
]]> <![CDATA[Mike is on page 89 of Louis Riel: A Comic-... ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/72418512 Mike is on page 89 of 260 of Louis Riel: A Comic-Strip Biography ]]>