Fiction
Nonfiction
I grew up in the evangelical world. I witnessed first-hand the fanaticism of the believer. This book was interesting to me because it pulled back the curtain on the religious right, particularly in the 80s. Frank Zappa was right, there was indeed "50 million dollars in his heavenly bank account". I just wish there had been more pages devoted to this time in the author's life. Nonetheless, the author was honest and forthright about his upbringing and wrote with charisma.
I really enjoyed "The Snows of Kilimanjaro", "A Clean Well-Lighted Place", and "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber". Overall, the subject matter was a bit too macho for me, but the writing, of course, was excellent.
Jesus, this was a horror story! A bloodbath! A children's book! I was kinda hoping it would end differently, but the ending was still good. Especially the adult perspective at the end. Chilling.
Accounting the death and rebirth of the heroine Natalie's love life, this book grants a portrait of delicacy that is both poignant and awkward--in a good sense. Subtle hints are expertly woven in with seemingly random facts that set the stage and build the characters to their climax. This whimsical and yet realistic tale of romance is a far cry from the brazen romantic novels that litter the shelves. "Delicacy" recovers a classic sense of romance in its honesty and unhurried pace, drawing the reader in to an intricate life story filled with metaphors and tasteful symbolism. Lyrically written and wonderfully charming!
A very unique perspective of North Korea. Kim's descriptions are hauntingly beautiful and poignant. I found this book hard to put down once I started, the suspense of Kim's situation will pull you through her story. I became so attached to the student's stories that it made this book both gut wrenching and heartfelt.
For fans of his series, this novella may be a disappointment. It does not continue the main storyline, but focuses on Auri and her life in The Underthing instead. It is a short, quick read, but is beautifully crafted. It really lets you into the broken mind of Auri as she goes about her life, one day at a time. Rothfuss fully admits this book isn't for everyone, but I think his fans should at least give it a shot.
As an introvert, reading this book felt like coming home. There were many times when I so identified with the feelings and behaviors Susan describes it was like looking into a mirror. Cain examines different facets of personality and why we as a society value certain traits over others. She also looks at what introverts can offer to businesses and in leadership positions. Great read for introverts and extroverts alike!
I put off reading this book because I didn't want to read yet another sad story about someone's rough time growing up. Finally, after seeing all the wonderful reviews about it, I decided to go ahead and read it. I am ever so grateful that I did.
John Elder Robison grew up having Asperger's before it had a name or had been widely recognized. In his book, John tells the story of how he figured out how to fit in with "normal" people without knowing why he didn't see things the way they did. The book is often hilarious, especially in terms of how John worked his way through various phases of growing up not being able to pick up on social cues then mastering self-developed workarounds to succeed in life.
I recommend this book to all adults, those who have Asperger's, who have relatives with the syndrome, or not because sooner or later, you're likely to encounter and try to communicate with someone who does. That's why I'm so glad I read this book. Asperger's isn't a disease, it's a way of perceiving that is different from most just like a left handed person has to learn to live in a right handed world...sometimes things don't fit right and adjustment needs to be made. Try using left handed scissors if you are right handed and see right away what Aspergians deal with in a "nypical" (neurotypical) world. The book is a GREAT read on its own, but has the added bonus of understanding. Such a rare gift in a book these days.
Your Brain: The Missing Manual is the book for "the rest of us" who don't want to or can't take in all the medical jargon that usually infests books about how the "little grey cells" work.
Matthew MacDonald takes the information about how the brain functions and breaks it down into usable chunks. He gives a brief but thorough explanation of several functions the brain performs in simple English, then explains how the brain's owner can make the best use of how the brain works. An analogy would be that instead of someone trying to explain what's under the hood of that great car, he shows you the control panel and HOW TO USE the car. Chances are, you don't need to know how many cylinders there are, what kind of oil it uses etc. because all you plan to do is USE the car and maybe do a bit of maintenance. Matthew MacDonald's approach is that of someone explaining just enough of how the brain functions so that it can be used more efficiently and to the owner's benefit. I heartily recommend the book, especially to staff and teens who could use the problem solving techniques the author includes in the book for learning, school problem solving, etc.
From the technical aspect, it was fantastic. The prose was warm, conversational and casual, yet intelligent. The characters were well developed and complicated, yet relatable and amiable. The plot was marvelously weaving in and out within itself and came together seamlessly. It was an easy read, yet I took so much away from it. From a personal and emotional aspect, it hit every human emotion so directly and so real, I fell in love with the narrator and every person he encountered during the story.
Many times, I felt I was seeing so clearly from Ben's eyes and connecting so well, and the same with many of the other characters. They were all so human.
When I finished, I almost felt like keeping a secret so that I could have the experience all to myself, but I feel like many other people could find something within this story to help them through whatever life is throwing at them.
I am a fan of true crime, but I have never actually read a true crime book. I just watch alot of Investigation Discovery! I read several reviews of "God'll Cut You Down" and they were all positive. So I had to read it. What an intriguing story about a murder in Mississippi. John Safran was able to convey what living in Mississippi is like - the haves, the have-nots, politics,etc. It made me sad and afraid to realize that people are still upset over the Civil War. That really stuck with me. But the story of Richard Barrett and Vincent McGee is still a mystery as to what really went on and what lead to murder. I just wish we could know about their secret lives and if that was the real motive behind the murder. A really great true crime book! I couldn't put it down!
A classic whodunit. Campy but fun. I'm not really a mystery person, which is probably why I didn't give it 5 stars. I found myself getting bored with the whole process about 2/3 of the way through. But I really liked the ending.
Once I finally got a hold of the Irish dialect, it just ended, leaving much to be desired. I don't feel like there was any resolution, or even a point to the entire story.
Glad to have stuck with Palahniuk after reading the Pygmy atrocity. This one was classic Chuck. Shocking, slightly disturbing, darkly humorous, unexpected.
Murakami's quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. This story was exactly what my soul needed. It was so human and it kept me out of my head. When it ended, it left me with so many questions, but as much as that usually bothers me, it was the most perfect of an ending as it could be. Because that's what life does, it leaves you with unanswered questions.
It was an easy read, very down to earth language and kept me interested the whole book through. But when I finished it, I didn't feel accomplished at all. I don't think I really took anything away from it. And that was a little disappointing. I do love how Darnielle's songwriting style transfers over to a novel; Darnielle is a great writer and I loved lyrical way that his story came together.
Not even close to some of Palaniuk's best works. The voice was irritating and childish. Couldn't connect to any of the characters or the storyline. Even though I'm used to Palahniuk using shocking themes, but it was like he was trying to justify the use of rape and really pushed the humor of the dildo to the point where I didn't care anymore. I just wanted to get to the ending in hopes that he would redeem himself (since my favorite thing about him is the crazy endings in his writing) but this was so saccharine and Disney-esque I disliked
I was excited to read this book when I found it on the shelf. The excerpt on the back of the book had beautiful descriptive language, and it indicated a storyline full of dragons and adventure. Unfortunately the best part of the entire book was on the back of the cover to tempt in readers, but the rest of the book did not live up to it's promise. The author was attempting to write a fantasy novel, but it read like a romance. The characters were flat. They behaved in ways no person outside a romance novel would behave. Many of the conflicts set up to create tension and plot lines just fell away with no challenge to the main characters, as if the author was not sure how to resolve them in one books time. The jacket indicated that the author holds an MFA and a phD. She doesn't write like it. Stay away from this one unless you are a fan of sappy romances.
The epitome of classic mysteries. A thoroughly enjoyable whodunit. Generally, mysteries aren't my thing, but I very much enjoyed this book.
This book is perfect for any fan or sorcery, adventure, and a great medieval setting. It takes place in an interesting world that has as much detail and character it would rival that of Lord of the Rings and Dune, but in an easier to read way. (We all know Dune is practically six hundred pages long and Lord of the Rings is a collection of three books with three hundred+ pages. Deryni Rising is shorter and a real page turner.) Deryni Rising combines a sword/ sorcery era with fascinating characters and plot twists. Katherine Kurtz brilliantly writes in a way that compels you to keep going and she invites you to a world that should have been. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves to enter the world of a book!