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11 member(s) found this review helpful.
"A sweet old-fashioned story of a boy growing up with frustrations, and working his way through them. A good read."
7 member(s) found this review helpful.
"I hated this book which is a first I had to force myself to read it because I paid for it. I was bored stiff , the author tried too hard to make the main character cute...in the end she made her very annoying, immature and just stupid. Mostly, I disliked the book because the dog had almost no role in the book, they hooked you in by thinking you were going to read about this girl, the dog she stole and her boyfriend. Instead you read mostly about her family, and boyfriend and every conversation was drawn out to inane levels. IF you are getting this book because you like dogs ...don't bother he was too bored to be IN it I think he was mentioned perhaps in passing 15 times...If I could give it negative star I would "
7 member(s) found this review helpful.
"I loved it!!!! The language really takes you back and make you feel like you're living in Brooklyn 100 years ago...she takes you into the lives and struggles of the characters and does an excellent job of creating emotional connections. I would definitely recommend this!"
Sex with Kings: 500 Years of Adultery, Power, Rivalry, and Revenge
Author:
Genre: History
Book Type: Paperback
Author:
Genre: History
Book Type: Paperback
5 member(s) found this review helpful.
"A salacious title but not a naughty read....if you know your world history you will appreciate this book more, but if you don't it is still a good book. A king's mistress led a perilous life. One day she had great power and authority and some mistresses were even the power behind the throne. Just as quickly, she could be sent from court with literally nothing. Genny"
Dead Until Dark (Sookie Stackhouse, Bk 1)
Author:
Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy, Horror
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
Author:
Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy, Horror
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
5 member(s) found this review helpful.
"This is fluff, ladies.
Read this vampire tale if you're looking to escape into a juvenille world of non-stop necrophilliac fornication between flat, boring characters who can leap over plot holes in a single chapter, if you want a protagonist with a junior high school mentality to describe in boring detail what everyone is wearing (blue, scooped-neck tee with jeans and sneakers), and if you don't mind a story blotched with carbunclular cliches.
"Pleased as punch," "lickety-split," "throwing caution to the wind," Harris's writing is awfully stale. Through ditzy Sookie, Harris tells you everything and shows you virtually nothing. One unfortunate example of how Harris disappoints: Sookie tells you what people are thinking instead of demonstrating their thoughts in italics. Only in one instance does Harris show what a character (Bud Dearborn) is thinking and what a pleasant difference it made. Too bad the author didn't continue this writing technique.
I thought I might push on to book two, but the first sentence in that book is yet another cliched similie: "Andy Bellefleur was as drunk as a skunk." Enough!
In a nod to Harris's penchant for using natty, old metaphors, similies and puns: I am moving on to something worth "sinking my teeth into."
"
4 member(s) found this review helpful.
"I thought that it was an excellent book. Though it was a little slow in the beginning it caught my attention and was impossible to put down until I finished reading it. I loved the way the point of veiw was a nine year old boy. The innocense really made the story touching and sad. Its not a book to be easily forgotten."
4 member(s) found this review helpful.
"I really LOVED the audiobook version of MADE IN THE U.S.A. I thought the narrator, Cassandra Morris did a phenomenal job of portraying the voices of Lutie Mcfee and her 11 year old brother Fate.
Lutie is a bristly 15 year old who appears to be an obnoxious, ungrateful brat through a lot of the story. Fate is her bookworm, awkward brother who has a heart of gold and the patience of a saint. They end up homeless in Las Vegas where Lutie struggles to find work so they can eat and have a place to sleep. But where is a 15 year old going to find a job? I couldn't stop listening until it was over, and now I wish there was more. I think I will get the book from our local library so I can read it and live it again. "
4 member(s) found this review helpful.
"I also had a really hard time with this book. I did finish it, but it was a challenge. At first it's interesting to see where charachters, old and new, are headed. But it really doesn't take long to realize that you don't care anymore because it's just *dull* going. I normally love Austen continuations, but this one was a major disappointment. "
4 member(s) found this review helpful.
"The first time I read this book, I had to be ten years old. The message still holds true today: the color of one's skin does not proclaim the content of one's character. I knew even as a kid that what was happening was so unjust and cruel. Perhaps that is what makes this book so memorable, that it stays in your head. Overall, To Kill A Mockingbird is one of my absolute favorite books and one I would recommend to anyone of any age group. Harper Lee truly created a classic."
4 member(s) found this review helpful.
"Loved it! But, I'm a huge fan of the show, so I might be a little biased! And, I loved this in the way that I like brainless reads. Plus, I like the references during the show to the book. It makes me feel like I'm on the inside!
Rook and Nikki Heat have the same type of relationship and undercurrents as does Castle and Beckett on the TV show. It's got much of the same wit and sarcasm. I really enjoyed the book but it was totally forgettable. The case was fun, fast-paced and pretty standard for this type of book. There wasn't much conflict, or anything that really got my heart pumping. I actually laughed more than I frowned in concentration!
Overall, if you like the show, you'll enjoy the book. Otherwise, I don't think that anyone will find this very engaging. It's a light read that is more enjoyable due to it's underlying humor.
"
4 member(s) found this review helpful.
"This is the second book I've read by this author and I have to say, I really like the way she writes. I feel like I'm reading a diary of a long-ago relative (though the book isn't written in diary style). It's a great story about a woman growing up in the "wild west" during the early 1900's, but she's not a "typical" woman of the era. She helps run ranches, teaches school, sells bootleg liquor from under her baby's crib to make ends meet....she just never allows anyone to fit her into a certain role or stereotype. A very entertaining book that makes you wonder how much of it is true and how much is creative writing but doesn't make you wonder why you're reading it."
4 member(s) found this review helpful.
"Loved this book. I learned so much about the hardships in Afghanistan - both for women and men. The information contained in it was amazing yet disturbing. It certainly makes you appreciate the simple things in life. Would highly recommend this book."
4 member(s) found this review helpful.
"I know this book has major hype and I have friends that didn't think it was that great. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is a beautifully written story about a family and the tragic after effects of the murder of a 14 year-old daughter, sister, friend. The author artfully describes how the survivors cope with their loss. This book is a touching account of a family torn apart by one evil act. "
Out of Mormonism: A Woman's True Story
Author:
Genre: Biographies & Memoirs, Religion & Spirituality
Book Type: Paperback
Author:
Genre: Biographies & Memoirs, Religion & Spirituality
Book Type: Paperback
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
"This is a well-written, fast-paced read. The material shows it's age because the material covering the temple ceremonies has since been changed by the LDS church. Experience tells me that the emotional content in the book is accurate also. At times the author is a bit melodramatic. But these thoughts do go through the mind of a mormon struggling with the faith. I would recommend the book as part of a reading list on the subject. I would get a more recent book for the content concerning the temple. This portion is accurate for the time period in reference but outdated. A worthwhile read in conjunction with others on the topic. "
Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America
Author:
Genre: Business & Investing, Nonfiction
Book Type: Hardcover
Author:
Genre: Business & Investing, Nonfiction
Book Type: Hardcover
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
"I came across this book at our library book sale. WOW. It made me realize how lucky my own life has been. After reading about how Barbara was treated when she was dressed as a maid for a house cleaning service, I began to wonder just how these people cope with how badly they are treated.
I think that every middle class American should read this book, and think hard before they make disparaging remarks about the people less fortunate then them. I have heard people in my own family say, "tell them to get a job", while jobs are not that easy to get, and, as Barbara found out, there isn't much energy left in a day after struggling to get by....
"
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
"Warning: This erotica novel contains consensual incestuous relations between father/teen son, between 2 male cousins, between uncle/nephew, anal rape, promiscuous sex, and interricial sex. If ANY of these situations are offensive I would NOT recommend you read this book [or review:].
DADDY's LITTLE BOY is mostly told from Mason's perspective in third person. Mason is 12 [1974:] when the story opens. He knows his sexual attraction is towards men and wants to see a naked man in the flesh. While lying in bed with his uncle, during an overnight visit, Mason not only explores his uncle visually but orally as well. Yeah. This was the first chapter. Mason is a horny little bastard [really!:] and so subsequent encounters happen often. Even though the the sex is oddly innocent [Mason is underage during the telling of the book:] it is also wildly pornographic, punctuated with F-bombs galore. Also sperm is referenced to as spooge or nut cream and the cock, dick meat. There is nothing gentle about this except for moments where Mason felt people where against him and his father's relationship.
Seeing the characters beyond boarders is what helped me understand how Mason could want his own father as his lover. Thier sexual relationship does cause legal reprecussions when they are caught and Mason's father ends up in prison, labeled a child molester, leaving Mason being taunted at school. Hot jock Brett is his worst tormentor.
What I liked about this is that while seducing his relatives there is an initial shock, there is an acceptance and they don't run away from Mason. They actually find they themselves like being with a guy too. The only kind of sort of resistance was from Mason's father. Questioning his desire for his own son after [secretly:] watching Mason with his cousin. I will admit the first scene between Mason and David [the father:] was a bit squirmy with Mason asking his daddy to suck him harder[jeez!:] Take into account the ability to suspend reality and focus on the characters without judging the content. This becomes a highly erotic novel. Forbidden temptation to the nth degree.
I looked forward to reading DADDY's LITTLE BOY because I wanted to see how the author would justify incest. Really he gives forbidden lust over to just being another way to show affection between father and son. Mason does learn to find love aside from being with his father. So I would tag this a tiny bit of a romance [for anyone like me who likes a little plot with their sex:].
I would recommend reading this if you can view this social taboo as pure entertainment, are not personally affected by sexual abuse, and can take the story for what it is.
A love story between father and son."
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
"Kim Edwards’ novel, The Memory Keeper’s Daughter, proved to be an excellent choice. It is a wonderful debut for this promising writer. The story is compelling and the telling well crafted. Fascinating account of a man’s choice one wintry evening, and the unfolding consequences through the rest of his life, and that of his family. "
How to be a Super Hot Woman: 339 Tips to Make Every Man Fall in Love with You and Every Woman Envy You
Author:
Genre: Literature & Fiction
Book Type: Paperback
Author:
Genre: Literature & Fiction
Book Type: Paperback
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
"Are you kidding me??!!! This books is chock full - FULL - of grammatical errors (some of the language pattern suggests the authors are from a foreign country) and just complete and utter nonsense. The woman on the cover isn't even Super Hot! The only reason I gave this book any stars is for the sheer laugh factor involved. "
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
"So heart wrenching it was hard to read every word at times. As other reviewers before me wrote, "I am glad to live in the USA"! Jean Sasson is very meticulous in her research and ultimately in her writings. So much detail, with strong descriptions. I felt like I was in the cell with Mayada. I read a series by Jean Sasson before reading this book, and was not disappointed in "Mayada". It is always good to read about other cultures, and what people do to just survive. "
As Nature Made Him : The Boy Who Was Raised as A Girl
Author:
Genre: Biographies & Memoirs, Health, Mind & Body, Nonfiction, Science, Gay & Lesbian
Book Type: Hardcover
Author:
Genre: Biographies & Memoirs, Health, Mind & Body, Nonfiction, Science, Gay & Lesbian
Book Type: Hardcover
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
"I picked this book up on a whim at a local used bookstore. I'd never heard about the case of David Reimer before, but thought it sounded interesting. I've always been interested in psychology, but I think anyone would find this book to be a quick easy read. The book is really well written, and even though you are reading medical transcripts through out, the book flows like a story opposed to a factual account of something that happened (which sometimes can be tedious). The book is around 300 pages and can easily be read in 1-2 days at a leisurely pace. I was interested in finding out more about the Reimer case after reading this book and found a TLC special that came out a few years ago (on youtube) about what happened. I highly recommend reading the book opposed to just watching the documentary. Although well made, I found the documentary to seem disjointed because the book went into so much more detail. Overall, this is a great story and a well written book. Two thumbs up!"
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
"Roy's "God of Small Things" is almost pure purple prose. Although the writing is pretty and entertaining in itself, it's too frilly, too clogged up with flowery arrangments that it draws attention to itself rather than the story. I found myself admiring all the adjectives and adverbs instead of following the plot.
This distraction along with the nonlinear plot, which is laden with too many themes, makes it an annoying book that I was glad to put down and unwilling to pick up again. Compare it to receiving a fruit cake wrapped up in fancy packaging. Just too much going on so it winds up sitting in the cupboard, or in this case the bookshelf.
An example from the first page:
"May in Ayemenem is a hot, brooding month. The days are long and humid. The river shrinks and black crows gorge on bright mangoes in still, dustgreen trees. Red bananas ripen. Jackfruits burst. Dissolute bluebottles hum vacuously in the fruity air. Then they stun themselves against clear windowpanes and die, flatly baffled in the sun."
Pretty? Sure. But there are reams of pages with this descriptive prose which Roy piles on until it becomes too heavy and collapses on the reader's patience.
"
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
"Touching story with positive values."
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
"This was such a great book that I have ordered more of Karen Kingsbury's novels. I couldn't put it down until I had finished it. Kingsbury definitely paints a picture of the characters and the settings. It was a fast read as she kept the story going throughout the book. I found myself in tears at the end and I don't know that I have ever cried when reading any book. I have told numerous friends about this one but also told them they will have to go get their own copy. I am keeping mine!"
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
"Story Overview
The setting is the small town of Holt—located in the prairie not too far from Denver. The type of town where people know each other's business and papers are still delivered by boys on bicycles. Yet as much as people know you in a small town, they don't really know you or what goes on behind closed doors or closed mouths. In this small community, we get inside the minds and lives of several Holt residents—all of whom are suffering from some form of loneliness, sadness or isolation.
* Tom Guthrie—a teacher at the local high school whose wife has become distant and unreachable
* Ike and Bobby—Guthrie's two sons, who are confused by their mother's distance and looking for a way to recapture her love and attention
* Victoria Roubideaux—a high school girl who finds herself pregnant and cast out of her home by her mother
* The McPheron Brothers—two older bachelor brothers who live on a farm outside of Holt and keep mostly to themselves.
* Maggie Jones—a single woman who teaches with Guthrie and cares for her elderly father and serves as the glue that begins to bind these individuals together.
Each of these characters alone has a voice that is aching to be heard and understood. And as they move ever closer together to form a type of family of their own, their voices and lives begin to intertwine and harmonize together in a way that is true, touching and beautiful.
My Thoughts
At the start of the book, Kent Haruf provides the definition of plainsong:
The unisonous vocal music used in the Christian church from the earliest times; any simple and unadorned melody or air (e.g., Gregorian chant is type of plainsong).
I didn't fully appreciate the meaning of the title until the end of the book. But upon finishing the book, the title just made so much sense and was so fitting. In the book, each of the character's individual lives comes together to become part of a bigger whole—with each voice complementing and harmonizing with the other voices. At its heart, this book is about seeing a new community being formed from lives that were previously lived separately and parallel.
The book is both simple and subtle. It doesn't hit you over the head with things. Rather, it lets you experience the lives of the characters through simple narration and dialogue. Even the dialogue is unadorned with quotation marks (and sometimes attribution). I could see that some readers might find this book a bit slow-paced or even frustrating. But if you stick with it until the end, you'll appreciate the author's skill in giving you much more that you thought you were getting at first glance.
Frankly, I was surprised at how satisfied I was by the end of the book. I struggled to get into the story for a little bit and found the shifting viewpoints a bit off-putting at first. It was almost like drifting from character to character like a ghost—getting a little bit here, leaving for awhile, and then coming back and getting a little more. Once you adapt to the rhythm of the book, though, it turns into a rich and rewarding read.
My Final Recommendation
I don't think this book is for everybody. If you're the type of reader who likes big, loud, obvious books (i.e., ones that read like a summer blockbuster movie like Transformers), I don't think you would care for Plainsong. However, if you're the type of reader who has patience and an appreciation for slower-building, more subtle books (i.e., ones that read like an art house film), then this book would be perfect for you. Think of Plainsong as a cup of tea—it takes time to steep and brew and you drink it slowly but, at the end, you're filled with warmth and satisfaction.
And for those of you who care about such things, Plainsong was a finalist for the National Book Award."
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
"I didn't realize this book was a collection of short stories until i received it. But have you ever wanted to read all those stories in the anthology collections, but didn't really want to get the book? Here's your chance. It's a quick read with cute Sookie stories, that fall between some of the stories in the series. You won't be dissapointed if you are a true Sookie fan."
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