false 8 121 121 true 5664534 read 0 true 92446 currently-reading 0 true 92445 to-read http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/75959619 to: The Lost Symbol (Robert Langdon, #3) by Dan Brown
OK, maybe it's only 4 and 1/2 stars, but c'mon, it's a real page turner that delivers one of the most interesting, fascinating, compelling villains I've ever enjoyed, along with all kinds of interesting connections between symbols and meanings, for which Dan Brown is par excellence. If you enjoyed the albino with the self-wounding garter belt in The Da Vinci Code, you'll enjoy the character named Mal'akh twice as much.

]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/75594140 to: Bright-sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America (Hardcover) by Barbara Ehrenreich
Even more interesting than I thought it would be. Discusses the problems with the loss of healthy realism in our society; for example, the truly harmful results wrought by corporate captains of the mortgage industry, by their insistence on rose-colored only scenarios from their risk managers; warners and whistle blowers were ignored or fired.



One quote: "Dezenhall [a corporate crisis manager, i.e., public relations disaster adviser:] has often found himself at odds with his own clients: 'A lot of corporate types don't want to hear what I have to tell them.'...When called in by companies to deal with a crisis, he starts by telling them, 'I'm going to tell you something you're not going to like: "A crisis is not an opportunity." ' "

(I've heard that old trope about a crisis = an opportunity too many times, I guess.)



Another quote: " 'Don't think of "thought control" as a repressive tool out of George Orwell's 1984,' John Templeton advised the readers of one of his self-help books. 'Rather, think of it as a positive force that will leave your mind clearer, more directed, and more effective.' "

(Sounds Orwellian to me, Mr. Templeton.) ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74388512 to: The Rich Shall Inherit (Paperback) by Elizabeth Adler
Another book I came close to finishing, but gave up within 100 pages to go, out of at least 500 pages, I think. I can't remember exactly why I stopped reading it, but I think it just kind of was going nowhere fast. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74169346 Chazz's review of Twilight at Mac's Place
by Ross Thomas

Inspiring people to do less....this is my gift!!!

Anyway, sometimes it's a tough call, on whether to finish a book or not, but I guess, to add two more of my cents, I quit either in the first ten pages (and of course, no goodreads review), or much later in the book, if the author is either milking or meandering way too much, in which case I think it's good to vent my displeasure. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74169346 to: Twilight at Mac's Place (Paperback) by Ross Thomas
I decided to now add reviews for books that I don't finish, but read at least half of. This book, by a notable and skilled writer, repeatedly suggested the possible existence of a scandalous diary, which would be embarrassing to highly powerful persons. Over and over the author dangles this carrot of a possible diary. Over and over. And over. I said, "Enough of this crap...you're kicked off the island."

Still, the average rating for this book is high, so, don't take my word for it. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74133169 to: Ben Stein's How to Ruin... Book Collection (Hardcover) by Ben Stein
I didn't finish all three books in this anthology. On the one hand, it's sarcasm piled on top of sarcasm, with a side of sarcasm; after all, that's the premise of the humor, to give terrible advice, tongue firmly in cheek. On the other hand, it most definitely has its moments; for example, from chapter 4 (titled "Save Money only when you feel like it") of How to Ruin your Financial Life:

"You could invest your money in a stock market account...but if you buy several new cashmere sweaters or a new set of golf clubs, you can use and enjoy them right now. And you'll never open a monthly statement that says your Fair Isle sweaters and Big Bertha clubs have gone down the tubes."

In small doses, I enjoy this kind of humor; my problem was reading 50 pages at a time. Even if I had the will to read just 10 pages a day, 400 pages in total of this stuff would still get old.

If you read it, just pick the chapters that sound the most promising and skip the rest. They're titled pretty funny, e.g., from How to Ruin your Love Life, one chapter is titled "Talk about Yourself Exclusively". ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/73432556 to: The Gold Coast (Paperback) by Nelson DeMille
Fantastic!! I finished this book on an autumn Sunday, thinking, "This is soooooo much way better than watching pro football."

Anyway, the protagonist, a tax attorney, is really very funny. That alone is worth the price of admission (five hundred pages of your time). But the surrounding story is also very very strong.

Give it a try. Like me, you'll probably love it, and plan on reading the sequel someday (titled "The Gate House"). ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/73003447 Tim's review of Twilight (Twilight Saga #1)
by Stephenie Meyer

I didn't read the book, but I saw the movie, and was overwhelmed by its chick-flickness. I mean, I was surprised the soundtrack from Mamma Mia wasn't part of the movie.

I had to vent somewhere. Sorry I'm, like, 2 years behind the curve. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/71555751 to: Briarpatch (Paperback) by Ross Thomas
Solid writing; less than satisfying ending. Maybe almost four stars, but I guess I'm not in a generous mood today. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/68168196 to: Last Ditch (Leo Waterman Mysteries, #5) by G.M. Ford
Almost four stars. Skillful writing, quite witty humor at times. Glad I read it, but I think I need to switch from the mystery genre now. ]]>