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Review Date: 4/11/2008
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
"Great book! I felt like I was listening to Billy instead of reading his words. I could hear his intonation, his voice was in my head during the entire reading (one day)! And how profound to put your time with your father in perspective with Sundays. That was the only day the whole family spent together-a time they SHARED each other. My favorite passage was when Billy stated, "Time is a bastard. When you're sad there's too much of it, and when you're happy, there's not enough." This story reminds all of us of how precious time is and how we must not waste it. We only have a limited number of Sundays."
Review Date: 7/8/2012
"I don't understand why the author claimed with was 'fiction' while telling readers who he was writing about throughout the book. His constant reference to "the subject" was so annoying, I had to put the book down several times in order to read something more enjoyable. I'd pick it up again, trying to get in to the story, but finally gave up. I was a teen when JFK was President, so am familiar with many news items of that time; even the speculation of his affairs, but I was so disgusted by JFK's apparent sense of entitlement to have sex because he 'needed' it, I just couldn't finish reading it. What a despicable husband and father. Jackie deserved better. This book was not worth my time."
Review Date: 2/5/2013
"What a peculiar little book. Very well written, this diary starts in the womb. Story of twins, the writer being the underachiever with his brother being the overachiever. Quick read. Gives you an inside look at people we've all met in life that just don't seem to fit in, don't meld with the masses. The kind of person you walk away from thinking, "I wonder what went wrong? What made him/her just give up on their life?" Surprisingly, it was not depressing; instead, it made me open my mind to being more accepting of the losers I've encountered, giving them credit for coping with such a debilitating lifestyle. As Dorothy Parker said, "What fresh Hell is this?""
Angry Fat Girls: 5 Women, 500 Pounds and a Year of Losing It ... Again
Author:
Book Type: Hardcover
4
Author:
Book Type: Hardcover
4
Review Date: 8/27/2012
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
"I adhere to Nancy Pearl's Rule of 50, except I'm a little more forgiving and will read 100 pages before deciding if I like a book enough to continue. I made it to page 111 and am sending it out through pbs.com for someone else to hopefully enjoy.
Angry Fat Girls is about fat women, weight loss, self discovery, etc ad nauseam. Really, in this age of reality shows and internet, we don't know WHY we eat? And I hope you find the humor, as I didn't. Too many great books out there to waste my time on this one:("
Angry Fat Girls is about fat women, weight loss, self discovery, etc ad nauseam. Really, in this age of reality shows and internet, we don't know WHY we eat? And I hope you find the humor, as I didn't. Too many great books out there to waste my time on this one:("
Review Date: 7/2/2011
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
"Interesting subject, and I agree with most reviewers that almost all families have secrets. When the secret holder dies, it leaves the rest of the family wondering. Luxenberg writes well, and is thorough in his investigation so you get the feeling his journalism kicks in when it could have been so simple to let the personal, family snooping take over. I appreciated all of the digging he did, especially in the old country. My impression was that the reason for the secret was not so much shame or embarrassment as it was fear. Fear of not being a viable bride if her family was 'tainted' by defect. Well worth the read!"
Review Date: 7/4/2011
"LOVED this book! It was so much fun to read! Enzo, the dog, is the main character. He tells the story of the family he's living with, loving life with, sharing their stories. I had a cat in my life that reminded me of Enzo; I swear she could understand what we were saying, not only to her but to each other. Enzo will make you laugh, and cry, and enjoy all of it. A quick read, totally delightful."
Review Date: 4/11/2008
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
"A shorter Cornwell novel in the true twist and turn who-done-it style. Quick read, a bit confusing in the middle but the ending was worth it."
Review Date: 6/26/2012
"Very moving story of mining family, kids growing up after WWII, leading up to Vietnam War. As this was timeframe of my childhood, I could relate to the simpler lifestyle these kids encountered.
This story follows the growth of each child into adulthood, with society changing around them, at different levels for each child. A rather dark story - not a lot of laughs. Very well written, makes me wants to read more from author.
Memorable line: "Her hair was wound into a bun at the nape of her neck. In the past year, gray had choked out the brown.""
This story follows the growth of each child into adulthood, with society changing around them, at different levels for each child. A rather dark story - not a lot of laughs. Very well written, makes me wants to read more from author.
Memorable line: "Her hair was wound into a bun at the nape of her neck. In the past year, gray had choked out the brown.""
Review Date: 7/7/2010
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
"What a delight! Enlightening, educational, romantic, and inspiring. This little book mesmerized me. The author's descriptions of the villages, the work these boys were forced to endure, their euphoria in finding Western books to devour.....so well done. Now I want to see the movie."
Being Dead is No Excuse: The Official Southern Ladies Guide to Hosting the Perfect Funeral
Author:
Book Type: Hardcover
34
Author:
Book Type: Hardcover
34
Review Date: 6/3/2012
"A few good laughs, and a few good recipes."
Review Date: 5/22/2012
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
"I slogged through 99 pages and finally gave up. The first essay was witty and fun to read. As I progressed through the book however, the essays became less and less funny, and read like a high school attempt at humor. I'm posting for someone else to try to enjoy."
Review Date: 7/7/2010
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
"Moving story of husband and wife who struggle through the emotional upheaval of the accidental drowning of their twin daughters. How they offer foster care to a young black boy who doesn't fit in their white rural town. The title refers to the black soldiers who served in the U.S. Army during the Westward Movement. There really isn't any tie in to the story, except each chapter has a quote from a Buffalo Soldier, or his wife, at the beginning."
Review Date: 7/15/2012
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
"Made the mistake of not reading the small print "Edited and Introduced by" David Sedaris, and believed the pbs.com listing as "Author" David Sedaris. WARNING: David only wrote the intro, these are not his stories. While the short stories are very well written, and somewhat enjoyable, I was really looking forward to another hilarious Sedaris book. These classics are by Tobias Wolff, Lorrie Moore, Flannery O'Connor, Akhil Sharma, Dorothy Parker, Jincy Willett, Patricia Highsmith, Richard Yates, Charles Baxter, Katherine Mansfield, Alice Munro, Jean Thompson, Frank Gannon, Joyce Carol Oates, Tim Johnson, and Amy Hempel......
all terrific writers. Just set your Expectation Needle to 'Serious', not 'Humorous'."
all terrific writers. Just set your Expectation Needle to 'Serious', not 'Humorous'."
Review Date: 10/20/2010
"I selected this book to help me learn WHY women stay in abusive relationships. While I've never been is such a horrid situation myself, I know that there are intelligent, well-bred women who stay with men who abuse them. So what makes them do that? Reading Leslie Morgan Steiner's account of her love for a man who almost killed her shed some light on how these woman make excuses for their men. It was appalling to read of the small steps her abuser took, gradually escalating to her near-death attack. Of course, both Steiner and her then-husband abuser came from abusive childhoods. Some abuse is not in the physical form, but it is still as damaging. Read this book to help yourself understand what to avoid in relationships. And how to avoid damaging your children with verbal and emotional abuse. An enlightening read!"
Review Date: 4/19/2013
"Such a sweet story. Dewey was dumped into the Book Return box on a cold winter night. Librarian Vickie Myron rescues him and forms a strong bond of love and respect. Dewey wins the hearts of library patrons and becomes a world-wide star. Light, heart-felt story of how this adorable cat spent his life inside a small-town library."
Review Date: 7/6/2011
"I looked forward to reading another Michelle Richmond novel after enjoying The Year Of Fog. Dream of the Blue Room was Richmond's first novel, and you can tell she didn't have the descriptive paragraphs smoothed out. While the novel was interesting, and carried you through Jenny's trip in China with tons of description, there lacked the writing quality that made you exclaim, " Wow, what a great book." as you finished that last page."
Review Date: 5/18/2013
"Whimsical and cute, but not enough to hold my attention. I love a good read, and this was just boring. I understand the concept, but have so many really terrific books in the to-be-read pile that I found I was wasting precious time."
Enslaved by Ducks : How One Man Went from Head of the Household to Bottom of the Pecking Order
Author:
Book Type: Hardcover
22
Author:
Book Type: Hardcover
22
Review Date: 1/4/2013
"While I TRY to understand why some people let animals (or kids, or grandkids) rule their lives, I just can't grasp why anyone lets it happen to them. I'm not a selfish person, but geez, you have to say to this author, "Get a grip! Take your life back!" I had a dog while growing up, then several cats, and a kid, and now grandkids. Love them all, but wouldn't want any of them to take over my life like this poor man. The books was a little funny in the beginning, then I just got annoyed with his spineless character and I gave up. Hope the next reader enjoys it more than I did (not)."
Extra Virgin: A Young Woman Discovers the Italian Riviera Where Every Month Is Enchanted
Author:
Book Type: Audio Cassette
7
Author:
Book Type: Audio Cassette
7
Review Date: 4/11/2008
"Delightful story of two English sisters who visit Italy on holiday and decide to buy a downtrodden house. The story enthralls you with their interaction with the locals; how much they learn the hard way about the whys and why nots of how to live on the mountain, how they are embraced by their neighbors, enjoy the foods and festivals of the area. Warm, funny, a very light read."
Review Date: 3/3/2013
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
"I loved Julia's Chocolates so have tried reading several of Cathy Lamb's other books. Henry's Sisters was another fabulous book. But this book was a difficult read, mostly due to Lamb's writing style. She repeats scenes, she doesn't really develop the characters as well in this book as she has in others. Main character Madeline O'Shea is a life coach, but is damaged goods....so she never thought to seek therapy to heal these childhood wounds? Isn't that what a life coach would recommend to a client? Lamb also goes into way too much detail in describing simple things like clothing; the amount of description reminds me of high-school creative writing class, too simplistic. Overall I was disappointed in this book and cannot recommend it."
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