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Review Date: 11/6/2006
Helpful Score: 1
Dan Brown's plots are a bit contrived, and the romance is downright silly, but the books are worth reading for what you learn about art and religion. This book is better than DaVinci, and it will make you want to go to Rome and explore for days or weeks.
Review Date: 11/6/2006
I am not usually a fan of fantasy, but this book grabbed me with the possibility of a colorful, new world hidden away so close to the drab, colorless existence so many of us experience today in the land of strip malls and bland sameness.
Review Date: 12/3/2006
Book features both Hebrew script and phonetic script, which is very useful.
Review Date: 11/3/2006
This book contains interesting information about Islam and its history, but you should take some of its claims with a grain of salt. My main complaint is that it caters to the very naive reader and is also quite biased in its claims. If you're interested in Islam from an unbiased academic point of view, I recommend Dr. Karen Armstrong's _Islam_ or her other book about Islam entitled_Mohammed_.
Review Date: 11/6/2006
Helpful Score: 2
This is one of Michener's better books. (I think _Hawaii_ is his best. _Chesapeake_ is also worth reading, but nothing M ever wrote achieved the level of excellence _Hawaii_ did, a book which is a work of art as well as an informative history.)
_The Covenant_ is about the Dutch boers who settled in South Africa and their relationship to Blacks and other groups and their strange relationship with the Bible and racism.
_The Covenant_ is about the Dutch boers who settled in South Africa and their relationship to Blacks and other groups and their strange relationship with the Bible and racism.
Review Date: 3/8/2007
Helpful Score: 2
Great book about life in 1960s America. Essentially a travel book a la _On the Road_ and many others.
Review Date: 11/8/2006
Very short kids' version of Swift's story. Easy-to-read style good for 8-12 year-olds.
Review Date: 1/15/2007
This is a map of the Middle East and not a book in case anyone is confused.
Review Date: 11/6/2006
Helpful Score: 1
Anyone with a spiritual bent, Christian or non-, will find Jimmy Carter's books inspirational. Of course, he writes from the perspective of a Baptist, but his beliefs are anything but narrow. Remember, he is a nuclear physicist. This is a very intelligent man with lots of intelligent things to say. If you are struggling to define what role you want religion to play in your life, read this book.
Review Date: 11/26/2006
Interesting historical document of the beginnings of the internet in the 1990s. But the story itself was not enough to capture my attention.
Review Date: 11/6/2006
Helpful Score: 5
Tony Hillerman gives Anglos like me who grew up near the Navajo Nation and other reservations and are curious about these cultures but have no real means of accessing them a way of learning more about them and how members interact with mainstream America in modern times. I've read 5-6 Hillerman titles, and I've enjoyed each one. But this one is an especially good one.
If you like Hillerman's books, try The Shaman Sings and others from the Charlie Moon Mystery series by James D. Doss. These books are set in the Ute reservation of southern Colorado and, to my mind, they portray the Utes and Ute culture in a way that is equally realistic and detailed and respectful to what Hillerman does for Navajos. These books celebrate Native cultures in a way that is long overdue.
In addition, there is a series of novels about a Mayan detective in the Cancun area of the Yucatan Peninsula that are a pretty good read. I tried to track down the name of the author with an Amazon search, but I had no luck. I'll add that name and a couple of titles to this review later if I can track it down.
PS I notice that Hillerman has also published several non-fiction titles. If you enjoyed this book and his other fiction, some of these may be worth checking out, as well. I plan to do so.
If you like Hillerman's books, try The Shaman Sings and others from the Charlie Moon Mystery series by James D. Doss. These books are set in the Ute reservation of southern Colorado and, to my mind, they portray the Utes and Ute culture in a way that is equally realistic and detailed and respectful to what Hillerman does for Navajos. These books celebrate Native cultures in a way that is long overdue.
In addition, there is a series of novels about a Mayan detective in the Cancun area of the Yucatan Peninsula that are a pretty good read. I tried to track down the name of the author with an Amazon search, but I had no luck. I'll add that name and a couple of titles to this review later if I can track it down.
PS I notice that Hillerman has also published several non-fiction titles. If you enjoyed this book and his other fiction, some of these may be worth checking out, as well. I plan to do so.
Review Date: 12/3/2006
Interesting but somewhat simplistic story about an Arab prince who doesn't know he was born a Jew. I recommend it as an entertaining read for an airplane journey or other situation where you have to sit and wait for a long time. It will keep your interest and make the time pass more quickly.
Review Date: 1/13/2007
Book is somewhat slow moving, but that could be a positive or negative depending on the reader's mood. Covers life in a small town from both child and adult perspectives. I felt like a couple of important clashes between various characters/families weren't adequately brought to fruition, but I enjoyed the book and would probably recommend it. Incidentally, I was reading Kingsolver's _Animal Dreams_ at the same time I was reading this one. The mood is very similar, and I don't think either one is better or worse than the other.
Review Date: 1/15/2007
This is a map and not a book in case anyone is confused. It's a laminated fold-out map with a state map, a map of DC, and several city maps.
Review Date: 1/15/2007
This is a map and not a book in case anyone is confused. It's a laminated fold-out map with a state map, a map of DC, and several city maps.
Review Date: 11/6/2006
This book is IN GERMAN!! Lame jokes about a man's relationship with his penis. Mildly humorous in spots, but mostly just dumb.
Review Date: 11/3/2006
This book is a bit dated since the fall of the Soviet Union, but it is still an interesting read. Especially interesting for those interested in the art of interrogation as performed during wartime to gain information about the enemy.
Review Date: 3/8/2007
Helpful Score: 1
Ranks right up there with the best travel writing about the US: (_Blue Highways_, _Mississipi Solo_, _On the Road_ and _Walk Across America_)
Review Date: 1/13/2007
Book contains lectures on the origin of war, how it affects people, and attempts to rid the world of it. Information is fairly basic but useful. Book is only 72 pages long and a quick read. I recommend it.
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