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 | Passages Through Recovery: An Action Plan for Preventing Relapse |
 | "another recovery book" | 2009-10-02 |
This is simply another recovery book, no better or worse than so many others I have read.
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 | The Man Who Was Thursday (20th-Century Classics) |
 | "unimpressed" | 2009-09-07 |
I found this book to be very unimpressive. I know that it's supposed to be this great allegory and whatnot, but they story was mediocre and the ending, well I'm not sure that I'd call it an ending. In fact, I'm still not sure of what exactly happened at the end. Perhaps if I had read a better edition than the one I did, it would have explained it for me. Maybe I'm too dense for this book.
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 | Elephant Rocks: Poems |
| "not all its cracked up to be" | 2009-08-26 |
I know Kay Ryan is the next big thing in poetry, but I found her poetry to be lacking in substance. Her style I loved. I found it to be fresh and invigorating, it is more that the poems didn't seem to contain anything within them. Oh there were a few gems here and there (I especially liked "Wooden"), but not for the length of the collection.
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 | The Prayer of Jabez: Breaking Through to the Blessed Life |
 | "1 Chronicles 4:10" | 2009-08-06 |
This is a quick little book on prayer, a specific prayer found in 1 Chronicles 4:10, prayed by a litle known character in the Bible. It's an interesting prayer that should bring strength, blessings, and keep you from evil. Try it.
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 | The Prayer of Jabez |
| "1 Chronicles 4:10" | 2009-08-06 |
This is a quick little book on prayer, a specific prayer found in 1 Chronicles 4:10, prayed by a litle known character in the Bible. It's an interesting prayer that should bring strength, blessings, and keep you from evil. Try it.
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 | Jesus I Never Knew, The |
 | "Yancey's best" | 2009-08-04 |
And that's saying a lot. Yancey takes his formidable skill and tackles a difficult subject, that of the real Jesus. Who was he and what did he mean to the world. Yancey gives a well rounded overview of Jesus and makes you think of our Savior in ways you may never have before. This is a definite must have for any Christian's bookshelf.
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 | Jesus I Never Knew, The |
| "Yancey's best" | 2009-08-04 |
And that's saying a lot. Yancey takes his formidable skill and tackles a difficult subject, that of the real Jesus. Who was he and what did he mean to the world. Yancey gives a well rounded overview of Jesus and makes you think of our Savior in ways you may never have before. This is a definite must have for any Christian's bookshelf.
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 | Basic Christianity |
| "for the new christian" | 2009-07-30 |
I don't know what it is about this book, I just didn't find it, as a new Christian, to be very helpful. I understand it is a classic and all, but it just seems there are better books out there. I'd recommend C.S. Lewis, John Piper, Yancey, MacArthur, and of course studying a good translation (like the NASB) of the BIble itself.
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 | Love Poems (Everyman's Library Pocket Poets) |
| "lovely love poems" | 2009-07-28 |
This is a small collection of just exquisite love poems divided into seven sections: Definitions and Persuasions; Love and Poetry; Praising the Loved One: Pleasures and Pain; Fidelity and INconstancy; Abscence, Estrangment, and Parting; and Love Past. Each piece is first rate and contributes to our understanding of love and love poetry. Some of the excellent pieces you'll find inside are: Michael Drayton, Christina Rossetti, Catullus, C.P. Cavafy, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Valery, Bhatrhari, Swinburne, Whitman, Marlowe, Roethke,Thomas Wyatt, Pushkin, Apollinaire, Dorothy Parker, Robert Frost, Arthur Gorges, Byron, Robert Graves, Pierre de Ronsard, Poe, Shakespeare, Neruda,Zenodotos, Andrew Marvell, Donne, Herrick, and selecections from the Song of Solomon. All in all, a beautiful collection.
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 | The Men's Health Hard Body Plan : The Ultimate 12-Week Program for Burning Fat and Building Muscle |
| "looks like a good workout" | 2009-07-04 |
I haven't yet tried this workout, but I'm going to. It looks like a good one. And the book goes in to great detail about the work out, both weights and cardio as well as nutrition and other tidbits of information. It looks like it is a great workout, and I've heard great things about it.
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 | The Everything Zen Book: Achieve Inner Calm and Peace of Mind Through Meditation, Simple Living, and Harmony (Everything Series) |
| "great intro" | 2009-04-19 |
If you are interested in Zen, you can't go wrong with this book. It's a great introduction to Zen--I learned a lot from it.
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 | Valis |
 | "I couldn't get into it" | 2008-08-25 |
I really love PKD. A Scanner Darkly is one of my absolute favorite novels, and I've enjoyed everything else I've read by him (though some of his short fiction is a little weak), but I just couldn't get into this book because of the writing style. I get why he wrote the way he did, all disjointed and surreal/postmodernistic, since it is a story of mental illness, addiction, theology, paranoia, conspiracy, and philosophy. But I've never been able to get into this style of writing (I really tried to read Burroughs). I need more of a storyline or at least something more linear.
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 | Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said |
| "should be highly regarded" | 2008-08-21 |
Philip K. Dick led American science fiction in innovation and daring. This novel has Jason Taverner world famous one day and a nonperson the next day, ie, someone who never even existed. It's a twisted tale as Taverner tries to put it together. It ends a little too easily pat, almost to a cop out, but man, leading up to it is Dick at his crazy best.
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 | The Man in the High Castle |
| "Hugo winning classic" | 2008-08-21 |
Dick's novel is set in an alternative present where the Axis powers won WWII and the Japanese have taken over the Pacific states. Dick's eerily believable world is full of paranoia, which is what Dick does best. The only problem I had with the novel is that it is really about a group of people who are only loosely connected and their stories never converge.
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 | Interview with the Vampire |
| "an instant classic" | 2008-08-19 |
This is a lyrically dense book, very sensuous and beautifully written. And quite disturbing. Rice's love for New Orleans shines throughout and for the most part, it's a quite believable tale. It's one of my favorites.
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 | Interview with the Vampire : Anniversary edition |
| "an instant classic" | 2008-08-19 |
This is a lyrically dense book, very sensuous and beautifully written. And quite disturbing. Rice's love for New Orleans shines throughout and for the most part, it's a quite believable tale. It's one of my favorites.
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 | Towing Jehovah |
| "bound to be a classic" | 2008-08-19 |
This somewhat sacriligious but definitely thought provoking book takes the premise that God has died and fallen into the sea. A two mile long body that Anthony Van Horne, a disgraced sailor, is commissioned to bury in the artic circle. You can imagine the hilarity and calamity that ensues. It's a dark comedy that makes you laugh the same way Fight Club does. It's an award winning book that I hope new readers will discover for centuries.
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 | LOVE OF THE LAST TYCOON |
| "incomplete" | 2008-08-10 |
Gatsby is one of my favorite books, and I enjoy reading Fitzgerald, but I just couldn't get into The Love of the Last Tycoon. I understand Fitzgerald died while writing this book, and it is a shame because it had much potential, but as it stands it is incomplete and quite frankly, it reads like a rough draft. Still, a good edition for Fitzgerald scholars. And it truly is a shame that he didn't get to finish it or even polish it up a bit.
|
 | The Poisonwood Bible |
| "I can't say enough good things about this novel" | 2008-08-10 |
I love the Poisonwood Bible. It's easily on my list of favorite books. It's a heartwrenching story of the disintegration and survival of a family. Kingsolver rotates the pov through the four daughters and you learn to love them all, even the shallow Rachel. And that takes a great deal of skill to turn a character like Rachel into an interesting and lovable person. Even the chapters told from Ruth May, the baby of the family, manage to hold my attention. Great novel, one that everyone should read.
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 | The Poisonwood Bible |
| "I can't say enough good things about this novel" | 2008-08-10 |
I love the Poisonwood Bible. It's easily on my list of favorite books. It's a heartwrenching story of the disintegration and survival of a family. Kingsolver rotates the pov through the four daughters and you learn to love them all, even the shallow Rachel. And that takes a great deal of skill to turn a character like Rachel into an interesting and lovable person. Even the chapters told from Ruth May, the baby of the family, manage to hold my attention. Great novel, one that everyone should read.
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 | The Buddha in Your Mirror: Practical Buddhism and the Search for Self |
| "the basics" | 2008-07-04 |
This book gives the basics of Buddhism, sort of a beginner's how-to guide. I unfortunately didn't quite get to finish it before I had to return it to the practicioner I borrowed it from, but I'm sure they last fifty pages or so didn't somehow negate the rest of the book. IF you are curious or interested in Buddhism, it's a great place to start (as is Asma's Buddha for Beginners).
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 | How to Read Literature Like a Professor : A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines |
| "great book for students" | 2008-05-10 |
This is a lively, friendly, entertaining book that is great for students. It discusses how to read, to to really read literature. But as a practiced reader I found that it didn't teach me much, though it would be great for a freshman or sophmore.
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 | Dark Knight Strikes Again by Frank Miller, ISBN 1563898721 |
| "weak" | 2008-05-08 |
First I should say that Miller's the Dark Knight Returns is one of my favorite pieces of literature. It is exquisite, but the sequel is rather weak. The art isn't anywhere near as good as the original. The story had some good moments but was overall way too heavy handed. Miller felt the neeed to beat us over the head with the point he was making. I prefer to forget about this graphic novel and end the Batman saga with DKR.
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 | Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again (Batman (DC Comics Hardcover)) |
| "weak" | 2008-05-08 |
First I should say that Miller's the Dark Knight Returns is one of my favorite pieces of literature. It is exquisite, but the sequel is rather weak. The art isn't anywhere near as good as the original. The story had some good moments but was overall way too heavy handed. Miller felt the neeed to beat us over the head with the point he was making. I prefer to forget about this graphic novel and end the Batman saga with DKR.
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 | Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again |
| "weak" | 2008-05-08 |
First I should say that Miller's the Dark Knight Returns is one of my favorite pieces of literature. It is exquisite, but the sequel is rather weak. The art isn't anywhere near as good as the original. The story had some good moments but was overall way too heavy handed. Miller felt the neeed to beat us over the head with the point he was making. I prefer to forget about this graphic novel and end the Batman saga with DKR.
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 | Zondervan NIV Study Bible |
| "my primary bible" | 2008-04-17 |
I've found the NIV to be the easiest translation to read, and at times quite poetic. But more importantly (for poetry I'll hit up the King James) it helps bring the Word to me. ANd the study Bible is a valuable tool.
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 | Zondervan NIV Study Bible |
| "my primary bible" | 2008-04-17 |
I've found the NIV to be the easiest translation to read, and at times quite poetic. But more importantly (for poetry I'll hit up the King James) it helps bring the Word to me. ANd the study Bible is a valuable tool.
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 | The Good Heart: A Buddhist Perspective on the Teachings of Jesus |
| "I found it lacking" | 2008-03-28 |
I like what a reviewer below said, that this book is written with a you are holier than thou attitude. It's very accurate. My problem with the book is that there was little substance to it. Everyone was so excited about the Dahli Lama (sp?) speaking on Christianity that they missed the fact that he taught little in his speaking. And there was so much extraneous commentary that I found it distracting. I'd like to see his Holiness do a serious book on Buddhism and Christianity since I see that the two have much in common. I'm sure Christ achieved Buddhahood.
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 | Good-bye, Mr. Chips |
| "sentimental drivel" | 2008-03-19 |
The real problem with this book is that there is no substance to it. I wouldn't even call it fluff because there is no fluff to it either. There's nothing to this book at all.
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 | Spark Notes And Then There Were None |
| "a classic" | 2008-03-09 |
arguably Agatha Christie's best work. And it is good, and my favorite of hers, but upon rereading I found that the ending was slightly cheapened. There truly was no way to solve this mystery other than being told at the end just how it happened. And I felt the death of one of my favorite characters at the end was just not fitting. But it is a great premise (and I correctly identified the killer, though not the way but somewhat of the reason). And it is one of the finest mystery writers at her finest.
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