false 13 242 210 true 5801785 read 4 true 194317 currently-reading 28 true 194316 to-read 14 false 2712118 summer-08 8 false 3412730 fall-08 2 false 5529772 summer-09 1 false 4072614 winter---08-09 http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74085265 ABC for Book Collectors 8th Edition (Hardcover) by John Carter
bookshelves: currently-reading
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/59345630 A Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes, and the Eternal Passion for Books (Paperback) by Nicholas A. Basbanes
bookshelves: currently-reading
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74085132 A History of Illuminated Manuscripts (Paperback) by Christopher De Hamel
bookshelves: currently-reading
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74085075 From Memory to Written Record: England 1066-1307 (Paperback) by M.T. Clanchy
bookshelves: currently-reading
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/63026322 The Subversive Stitch: Embroidery and the Making of the Feminine (Paperback) by Rozsika Parker
bookshelves: to-read
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74084842 to: Libraries in the Ancient World (Paperback) by Lionel Casson
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/59346523 to: The Last Picture Show (Paperback) by Larry McMurtry
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/61285000 to: Made in America (Paperback) by Bill Bryson
bookshelves: summer-09
As I read this book, I couldn't help but thinking that I'd read it before. Then, I noticed his liberal quotations and references to "The People's History of the United States." In fact, too many references. It seemed like everything was something I'd read about before.

Which...um...is weird because this book is supposed to be about LANGUAGE. Ok, he states in the intro...he likes to digress. But all the digressions serve to be interesting tidbits as well as somehow relating back to language. But some never seem to relate. And as for the actual language discussion, he often does just list words as other reviewers have commented. Near the end, the book gets scattered as history stops moving chronologically and moves in vague theme oriented chapters.

It just seems like most of the Americanisms that he touched on were largely intuitive. As in, the age of the automobile results in new car words. The internet does too. I wanted a bit deeper analysis of the issue...or something.

And the last chapter...well that just pissed me off. Suddenly he feels the need to make some huge overarching point relevant to our everyday lives. Considering that the rest of the book didn't argue for anything rather than presenting anecdotes and facts, this opinion section came out of left field. And he kind of sounded like a self-righteous prick spouting theories of how people should and shouldn't use language. It could have been interesting had this been a major theme running throughout the book. I just don't get the point of this book...at all. So it gets a 2. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/20271148 to: Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found (Paperback) by Suketu Mehta
bookshelves: summer-09
Where to begin?

I'll give this book a solid three. It's interesting and is a rare glimpse into the shady underworld of Bombay.

However, I thought this was supposed to be a memoir. It starts off as one. And the concept is interesting. An Americanized Indian moves back to Bombay where he spent his childhood to see that the always chaotic city has changed in many ways for the worst. This storyline is one of the best. It starts out so completely negative and hateful. But what you find is the love/hate relationship many people have with their childhood homes. Only in Bombay, it seems more extreme.

However, the book quickly goes into the dark underworld as Mehta interviews gang leaders, killers on the loose, and prostitutes. It sounds exciting. However, Mehta is wordy and doesn't always come across as reliable. Here's a guy from America, living with his small children and wife, and flouting around with prostitutes and unstable men who could shoot him at any second. And he's completely unphased.

And...it just drags. Especially the gang wars and Muslim riots section.

In other sections, he captures the life of a city that's quickly growing beyond all control, seemingly heading towards anarchy. He also provides a glimpse into the workings of Bollywood, and how even the movies are tied into the gang network. Thanks to his time in America, the book usually provides extra explanation for things that would be especially foreign to Americans. The one time this is not true is with the Muslim/anti-muslim riots and the politics behind it. Some previous knowledge seems to be assumed making it a bit hard to follow.

Anyways, the only book I've seen on the market that attempts to capture the spirit of Bombay, even though it is only partially successful. The parts that are good are really really good. And you'll also have to forgive him every so often as he comes up with catch phrases that are used in all seriousness but don't quite work.

If you plan on traveling to Bombay, read it. If you saw Slumdog Millionaire and are interested in life in Bombay, also read it. Personally, I found I understand the historical context as well as the slum aspects of the film make so much more sense now that I've read this book. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/63026308 to: Subversive Cross Stitch (Hardcover) by Julie Jackson
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