Ben’s Profile

446 ratings (3.80 avg)
188 reviews
Goodreads librarian

http://www.goodreads.com/gombergole

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Ben’s favorite books

The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind 1 by Hayao Miyazaki

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind 2 by Hayao Miyazaki

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Ben’s Bookshelves

read ‎(447)
currently-reading ‎(0)
to-read ‎(63)
ya ‎(227)

fantasy ‎(201)
adultfic ‎(165)
graphic ‎(113)
kidbooks ‎(88)

non-fiction ‎(54)
audio ‎(21)
plays ‎(21)
booktalked ‎(16)

spanish ‎(16)
srm-bookclub ‎(6)

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Ben's Recent Updates

Ben rated a book 5 of 5 stars The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky read in May, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
As good as I thought it would be. Finally got around to this after years of if being on my list. Very sweet narrator, despite the smoking, drinking, and drug use. Still powerful over a decade after its release, which is rare for YA (non-fantasy) fict...more
May 08, 2013 08:28pm · see review
Ben rated a book 3 of 5 stars The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester read in May, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Very entertaining. I didn't really think the story of the man and the story of the dictionary would mesh, and they didn't, but I didn't really mind.
May 06, 2013 08:42am · see review
Ben rated a book 3 of 5 stars Lost Kingdom: Hawaii's Last Queen, the Sugar Kings and America's First Imperial Adventure by Julia Flynn Siler (Goodreads Author) read in April, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I led the discussion on this one for book club. I found it dragged-on quite a bit in sections, but provided a thoroughly researched depiction of the period. I was especially struck by short time frame of drastic change on the Hawaiian islands, both p...more
Apr 24, 2013 10:41am · see review
Ben rated a book 3 of 5 stars The Great Extinctions: What Causes Them and How They Shape Life by Norman MacLeod read in April, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Surprisingly technical for a short book. I have been interested in historical extinctions for awhile, but this is the first book I actually picked up on the subject. I found the illustrations, charts, and tables very good. The use of scientific langua...more
Apr 24, 2013 10:36am · see review
Ben rated a book 5 of 5 stars Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (Goodreads Author) read in April, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Man, I was never a big Will Wheaton fan until now. I mean, I enjoyed his roles in TV, but his sped-up narration of this book was perfect nerd-vana. Also, the never-ending 80s nostalgia and video-game futuristic dystopia is magnificent. Highly recomme...more
Apr 06, 2013 06:06pm · see review
Ben rated a book 4 of 5 stars Countdown by Deborah Wiles read in March, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I liked the audio clips as part of the audiobook, and it seemed a good portrayal of a kid's perspective of the Cuban Missile Crisis with a military family. It could have been a lot more complex, but worked for kids
Mar 28, 2013 10:20pm · see review
Ben rated a book 3 of 5 stars My Antonia by Willa Cather read in March, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Well-written. I found it interesting how much of the story was the boy character idealizing Antonia. I'm definitely not interested in the pioneer chapter of American history, but the characters were enough to keep me interested.
Mar 20, 2013 10:23pm · see review
Ben rated a book 4 of 5 stars Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan read in March, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nice story. I'm glad that it was based on the author's own family. Esperanza is appropriately annoying at first and grows into a responsible and caring young person.
Mar 08, 2013 10:30pm · see review