|
June 20
|
|
Jessica
gave
 
to:
Great Expectations (Paperback)
by Charles Dickens
|
my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
|
| |
read in June, 2008
Jessica said:
"Great Expectations follows the journey of the protagonist, Pip, beginning when he was a poor young fellow to his adult years. After overcoming the fear of a criminal and his sister's constant beatings, he begins to work for an old woman, Miss Havisha...more
Great Expectations follows the journey of the protagonist, Pip, beginning when he was a poor young fellow to his adult years. After overcoming the fear of a criminal and his sister's constant beatings, he begins to work for an old woman, Miss Havisham, and fell in love with her stepdaughter, Estella. From there, he was given a large sum of money from an unknown benefactor and moved from his small marsh-town into London. In London, Pip took advantage of his higher socioeconomic status by educating himself and becoming a gentleman while being blinded by his love of Estella.
Pip's tendency to create great expectations was his flaw. This fact was apparent early in the book which made it difficult for me perservere to the end. I found the beginning of the book in which Pip's expectations were being manifested much more interesting than the latter half, although the plot was filled with more twists as the journey continued. ...less
"
|
|
June 02
|
|
Jessica
marked as to-read:
I Am a Strange Loop (Hardcover)
by Douglas R. Hofstadter
bookshelves:
to-read
|
my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
|
| |
|
|
Jessica
gave
to:
Twilight at Monticello (Unknown Binding)
by William Harwood Peden
|
my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
|
| |
recommended to Jessica by:
Kevin Quinley
read in May, 2008
Jessica said:
"This book was a good reflection on Thomas Jefferson's later years in life. It taught me information I did not already know about one of the greatest American (and Virginian!) philosophers. I enjoyed the author's use of primary sources because it allo...more
This book was a good reflection on Thomas Jefferson's later years in life. It taught me information I did not already know about one of the greatest American (and Virginian!) philosophers. I enjoyed the author's use of primary sources because it allows readers to understand the voice of TJ and the people from that era. The reason it does not deserve more than three stars, however, is the author's tendency to be redundant. This flaw is understandable because of the vast amount of information to include, but I believe a more talented writer could have avoided it....less
"
|
|
June 28
|
|
|
Jessica
installed the Goodreads Facebook Application 
|
|
April 30
|
|
Jessica
gave
to:
AMERICAN SKIN: A Novel (Paperback)
by Don De Grazia
|
my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
|
| |
read in April, 2008
Jessica said:
"This novel was better than I expected it would turn out. It is a contemporary coming-of-age book which follows a life lead by character Alex Verdi. Alex struggles to find a group that he can connect with after his parents are sent to jail and his lit...more
This novel was better than I expected it would turn out. It is a contemporary coming-of-age book which follows a life lead by character Alex Verdi. Alex struggles to find a group that he can connect with after his parents are sent to jail and his little sister to a foster home. He wants to become a good man to impress his father, but finds himself resorting to violence and eventually getting into trouble. His journey takes him through many phases: being an anti-Nazi skinhead, fourth months in the Army, a night manager of a restaurant near Northwestern where he hoped to get into school, then finally, to prison. He is not a refined person, but his love for Ayn Rand's philosophy as well as Buddhism help him to finally climb his way out of the hole he created himself by turning to violence.
I wish I could give this book 3 1/2 stars, but Goodreads doesn't allow half-stars....less
"
|
|
April 21
|
|
Jessica
gave
to:
Velocity (Mass Market Paperback)
by Dean Koontz
|
my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
|
| |
read in April, 2008
Jessica said:
"This was the first Koontz book I read, and it was an exciting, plot-driven novel, about a man who understood that we cannot evade death but with inaction, we may be evading living our own lives. Under a short period of time, the main character was fa...more
This was the first Koontz book I read, and it was an exciting, plot-driven novel, about a man who understood that we cannot evade death but with inaction, we may be evading living our own lives. Under a short period of time, the main character was faced with the challenges of good versus evil in order to save lives. It was a fun read that was hard to put down due to the thrilling story line....less
"
|
|
April 12
|
|
Jessica
gave
to:
Everyman (Paperback)
by Philip Roth
|
my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
|
| |
read in April, 2008
Jessica said:
"This book was definitely thought provoking, but it was too depressing for me to thoroughly enjoy it. It is the story of a man battling old age and loneliness until his death. The reason it is called everyman is because it is focused on the morbid cer...more
This book was definitely thought provoking, but it was too depressing for me to thoroughly enjoy it. It is the story of a man battling old age and loneliness until his death. The reason it is called everyman is because it is focused on the morbid certainty that everyone dies. I'm glad I read it at age 22 because I have some years before the problems of old age orient themselves with me, and from this Phillip Roth book, it doesn't sound very fun....less
"
|
|
April 01
|
|
Jessica
gave
to:
The Corner (Hardcover)
by David Simon, Edward Burns
|
my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
|
| |
read in April, 2008
Jessica said:
"This book was great, staggeringly and depressingly truthful, but nonetheless, a captivating and intense story that left my eyes opened to a world I'll most likely never encounter. It was an account of the events taken place 1993 in a welfare- and ill...more
This book was great, staggeringly and depressingly truthful, but nonetheless, a captivating and intense story that left my eyes opened to a world I'll most likely never encounter. It was an account of the events taken place 1993 in a welfare- and illegal drug-reliant community consistent of only a few blocks in Baltimore, MD. Writers Ed Burns and David Simon wrote this book as a piece of journalism, in which they met, observed, and conversed with the Fayette Street neighborhood's main players for one year: drug addicts, touts and dealers who frequented the corners, the good people in the neighborhood who had hope there was an exit from such a disturbing existence and the children/young adults. On streets like these, people's dreams are quickly broken, forgotten and they are victim to the chaos of the corners and eventually, lead lives of destruction. No one can find a solution to the countless problems of these open-air drug markets, yet it is imperative to not forget about whom most consider as non-taxpaying nameless faces; they are fellow Americans. Burns and Simon shared the interior point-of-view to show an accurate portrayal of the ghetto of America, and I admire and appreciate their bravery for doing so....less
"
|
|
June 25
|
|
Jessica
is currently reading:
Atlas Shrugged (Paperback)
by Ayn Rand
bookshelves:
currently-reading
|
my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
|
| |
|
