false 11 191 175 true 5698427 read 1 true 1807179 currently-reading 12 true 1807178 to-read 3 true 4040113 on-hold 35 false 1987714 manga 14 false 3425116 fantasy 6 false 3425121 fiction 4 false 3425117 autobiography 4 false 3425118 literature 3 false 5399623 young-adult 3 false 3425122 children-s 2 false 3781689 nonfiction http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78749399 The Naked Gospel: The Truth You May Never Hear in Church (Paperback) by Andrew Farley
bookshelves: currently-reading
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/72431470 to: The Diversity Culture: Creating Conversations of Faith with Buddhist Baristas, Agnostic Students, Aging Hipsters, Political Activists & Everyone in Between (Paperback) by Matthew Raley
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78330234 The Lexicographer's Dilemma: The Evolution of 'Proper' English, from Shakespeare to South Park (Hardcover) by Jack Lynch
bookshelves: to-read
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/60303615 to: The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University (Hardcover) by Kevin Roose
bookshelves: autobiography
Don't judge what you do not know.

The story of a sorta Quaker boy who transfers from Brown to Liberty for one semester promises to be highly entertaining.

And it doesn't let you down. Not only does Roose make good points and have deep thoughts, he is an excellent writer and story teller.

This is an enjoyable, light read that makes you rethink and question what you know about evangelical Christians while throwing in humor (and some truly horrible truths). As an atheist with a strange interest in religion, I like to hear what other people have to say, and I think Roose did an excellent job on looking at things with an objective (as objective as anyone can be in life) eye. You may not agree with him or his view points, but it's a story worth hearing, if you care about human beings at all. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/54870929 to: The Lexical Funk (paperback; digital) by Daniel Clausen
bookshelves: fiction
More than a book, The Lexical Funk is a collection of stories and ideas.

The stories aren't meant to be stories, really, from what I understand of them. They are meant to be points of thought, evoking questions and ideas that we may not have considered before. They are so strange that they disrupt us from our everyday and force us to rethink our own lives.

One story makes us contemplate our humanity as robots strive to perfectly imitate people. Another brings to question the meaning of life. Each story makes you pause to see if you got it, or to see if you think you've got it, before continuing.

This isn't a book you should sit through and read straight out. I think it would work best in individual chunks so the stories (and one page "commentaries") stand alone and don't get blended together. Despite its potential for deeper meaning, the book is easy to read (although not necessarily a "fast" read).

I think for what it is, the book is pretty good. It could have used more editing than it probably got (being in the business, this is a pet peeve of mine), but was relatively well written. I enjoyed most of the stories, but not all of them, but that's always a risk with compilations.

I'd mark this one as a "read first, then decide if you want to buy" type of book, because it will not fit all taste buds. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74250675 The Child Thief: A Novel (Hardcover) by Brom
bookshelves: to-read
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/16965993 Brandi's review of Invisible Love (Yaoi)
by Rie Honjou

Sukiyakii wrote: "Actually, June censored the majority of the male anatomy here; even the bodily fluids! The original Japanese manga has it all there, but for some inane reason, June decided to badly edit them all o..."

I notice they tend to do that with alot of their stuff (in America). Americans are all prudes I guess, so they're worried they'll be "labeled" as inappropriate and not be sold in bookstores or something. Thanks for the notice though. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/64657734 to: Bloodsucking Fiends (Paperback) by Christopher Moore
bookshelves: fantasy
A humorous tale of love, vampires and really good friends.

I think that is what it was meant to be. While I enjoyed the book and I finished it, it wasn't one of those that I couldn't put down or I wanted more of (knowing there is a second one).

The leads are a bumbling male who is paranoid about his new vampire girlfriend and his girlfriend, who is a newly turned vampire trying to figure stuff out. They are supposed to be goofy folks who we can relate to while chuckling at their circumstances.

At least, that's what I felt the intentions were. I didn't really connect with either character and found my compassion going out toward the "villain" of the novel.

The book changes perspective often, so we get to see inside the boy's head, the girl's head, the villain's head and that of at least one, if not both, of the cops (two characters I also enjoyed). I didn't mind the jumping around as much as I thought I would, but I think the juxtaposition of the cops and the villain, all who had a jaded sarcasm, to that of the bumbling main characters who had a more slapstick humor, put me on the side of the cops and bad guys.

I don't think the book was poorly written, but just not my type of amusements. My humor tends to run a bit more jaded, british or sarcastic. I also found it to be painfully slow at points, and since I was already struggling through it, that didn't endear me to it. The end finally picked up pace and everything seemed to work out, except for my villain, who really got the raw end of the deal, even if he may have been a jerk who deserved it. I'm pretty sure several people deserved crappy things to happen to them (and only one other guy got it).

So overall, meh. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/67354724 Just Food: How Locavores Are Endangering the Future of Food and How We Can Truly Eat Responsibly (Hardcover) by James E. McWilliams
bookshelves: to-read
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