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August 10
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Ben
gave
to:
Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time (Paperback)
by Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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read in August, 2008
Ben said:
"Astounding!
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August 08
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Ben
marked as to-read:
One L: The Turbulent True Story of a First Year at Harvard Law School (Paperback)
by Scott Turow
bookshelves:
to-read
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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July 13
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Ben
gave
to:
What Happened: Inside the Bush Whitehouse and Washington's Culture of Deception
by Scott McClellan
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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Ben said:
"I finish almost every book I start. But What Happened was simply not worth the struggle. I purchased the book in order to get a behind the scenes look at how the Bush White House operates. But in the first 60 pages, few (if any) details were revealed...more
I finish almost every book I start. But What Happened was simply not worth the struggle. I purchased the book in order to get a behind the scenes look at how the Bush White House operates. But in the first 60 pages, few (if any) details were revealed. The book is essentially a Scott McClellan autobiography mixed with a few American government history lessons. McClellan is not interesting enough to read a full book on and if I feel a desire to learn more about our nation’s history I will look to other sources. Besides that McClellan preaches standard political talking points about how the “Washington way of doing business” (whatever the hell that is supposed to mean) is hurting the country. The primary problem with the Bush White House is its policies and refusal to learn from mistakes. Sure the administration is unusually corrupt, but their policy failures have been far more damaging. ...less
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June 28
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Ben
gave
to:
Brave New West: Morphing Moab at the Speed of Greed (Paperback)
by Jim Stiles
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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read in June, 2008
Ben said:
"For almost the entire book Stiles come off as selfish and whiny. It is clear he has true passion for the uncivilized west and it truly hurts him to see it changed. But he never really offers suggestions for how to prevent this change, with the except...more
For almost the entire book Stiles come off as selfish and whiny. It is clear he has true passion for the uncivilized west and it truly hurts him to see it changed. But he never really offers suggestions for how to prevent this change, with the exception of a few bullets on restrictive zoning measures. He complains that deregulation and regulation both lead to the extraction of different natural resources. And all of these complaints are generated by Stiles revulsion at seeing white lines on the slick rock bike trail and ropes running up his favorite canyon wall. For Stiles, one can only truly appreciate nature by making ones way slowly through it, examining every aspect, and contemplating what lies beyond. He snobbishly dismisses mountain bikers as “true” nature enthusiasts because they don’t stop to take everything in. Besides mountain bikers leave tracks that upset Stiles pristine view of nature and send his world into chaos. Stiles is disillusioned by progress, he yearns for the good old days that will never return.
In the final few chapters Stiles accepts a more sympathetic tone, one that almost acknowledges defeat. As someone who grew up and still lives in areas where there are massive amounts of beautiful country to explore, I sympathize with his view. I can’t imagine seeing the nature in my backyard become developed or regulated. But progress is never easy and Stiles desire to stop it has real life consequences that are far more important than enjoying the bliss of nature. At one point he advocates an economic crash and population control to save the environment. But this idea is ultimately detached from the harsh reality of the world. A reality in which people already live in abject poverty and are more concerned with providing food for their family than with preserving natural lands.
...less
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June 01
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Ben
added:
Heart of Darkness and the Secret Sharer (Paperback)
by Joseph Conrad
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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June 26
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Ben
gave
to:
On the Road (Paperback)
by Jack Kerouac
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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read in June, 2008
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June 01
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Ben
gave
to:
Love in the Time of Cholera (Paperback)
by Gabriel García Márquez
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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May 15
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Ben
marked as to-read:
Gravity's Rainbow (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)
by Thomas Pynchon
bookshelves:
to-read
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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Ben
read and liked
Natalie's
review of Suite Française :
"Slow to get into. But once you are in you're in. So intrigued not only by this story but the author's real life story that happened as she was writing this book. Make sure to read all appendices and epilogue. The book sought out human nature and ...more
Slow to get into. But once you are in you're in. So intrigued not only by this story but the author's real life story that happened as she was writing this book. Make sure to read all appendices and epilogue. The book sought out human nature and responses to military invasion and living in a militarized country. Beautifully written....less
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July 13
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Ben
gave
to:
O Pioneers! (Vintage Classics)
by Willa Cather
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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read in July, 2008
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