Reviews Written By: AD2K876KX228Yprovided by Amazon.com |
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 | Apple 60 GB iPod 5G (5th Generation) with Video Playback - White | |
 | "Watch Out for Used or Refurbished Models" | 2009-10-28 |
| I bought my 60GB Video IPod over the internet, "refurbished." While I was satisfied with most of my IPod's attributes initially, it took awhile before I realized how poor the battery life was. Most frustrating was the fact that the battery was drained of all power after a few days even when it was off. If I actually played the thing, it also didn't match the promised 20 hours battery life, more like 3-4. What surprised me the most was how difficult the Ipod was to use compared with my previous MP3 player, a Creative Zen Jukebox. There is no way to browse through a playlist or other category, which I missed a lot. I think Apple has a good product, but one that it has brilliantly (and falsely) marketed as being so much better than its competitors. | ||
 | The ICU Book (3rd Edition) | |
 | "Highly Readable" | 2009-10-27 |
| What marks this book apart from peers in its field is its readable nature. Believe it or not -- and I was surprised myself by this -- I virtually finished this 1000 page behemoth off in a week's intensive reading. I have never done that with any textbook on any subject. Marino brings his subject matter down to earth and uses wit and style to cut through jargon that marks most other ICU texts. Notably, I think this book should be read by generalists in internal medicine as well as ICU specialists as its clinical pearls and at times iconoclastic views of matters are needed in all medical wards, not just in critical care units. | ||
 | Thinks | |
 | "Between 3 and 4 stars" | 2009-09-29 |
| Lodge writes with assurance and wit but unfortunately his characters are 2-dimensional in this standard academic romance novel. He has also done an admirable amount of homework in regards to advances in the field of cognitive sciences and artificial intelligence -- yet the creaky plot and juvenile use of student parodies of famous novelists (to allow him to skewer their famous styles) doom this novel to a sophomoric destiny. | ||
 | Saturday | |
 | "Beautifully written but the message is muddled" | 2009-09-29 |
| While McEwan is a gifted writer, his message here is either too subtle for me or else he is not entirely sure himself whether we are engaged in a titanic struggle against Islamic extremism or the "GWOT" is a giant sham. His presentation of the protagonist Harry Perowne, a neurosurgeon with a near picture-postcard life, appears to be designed to get a reaction from his reader but only caused me to view the whole plot as a piece of fantasy. Beautiful writing it might be but realistic it ain't. | ||
 | The Piano Shop on the Left Bank: Discovering a Forgotten Passion in a Paris Atelier | |
| "Not terribly memorable" | 2009-09-28 |
| While the author has an engaging style, this book seemed quite padded with extraneous material that leaves you with little to remember at the end. There are some childhood memories sprinkled in, some interesting history on the evolution and culture of the piano but the actual scenes in the atelier in Paris are lackluster. Such a book might be enjoyed by piano or classical music devotees or expats wanting to relive their time in France. But for the general reader, I would keep browsing... | ||
 | Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood | |
| "What a strange childhood!" | 2009-07-27 |
| For the average American, nothing could be more alien than the idea of growing up as a young girl in colonial and post-colonial Africa. But Alexandra Fuller does a wonderful job making us right at home as we follow her family's peregrinations in southern Africa as they seem to be constantly on the move. The beauty of her prose and evident affection for Africa illuminate every page. And of course the tragic events of her childhood are sensitively rendered even if she has a subversive humorous streak that pops up in surprising places - quite cheeky, this one! | ||
 | Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight : An African Childhood | |
| "What a strange childhood!" | 2009-07-27 |
| For the average American, nothing could be more alien than the idea of growing up as a young girl in colonial and post-colonial Africa. But Alexandra Fuller does a wonderful job making us right at home as we follow her family's peregrinations in southern Africa as they seem to be constantly on the move. The beauty of her prose and evident affection for Africa illuminate every page. And of course the tragic events of her childhood are sensitively rendered even if she has a subversive humorous streak that pops up in surprising places - quite cheeky, this one! | ||
 | Case Histories : A Novel | |
| "Fun Book with Dark Matter" | 2009-07-27 |
| This book is like a song with a catchy hook as well as moving lyrics - she can do it all. Atkinson writes like a dream, with fully fleshed-out characters who all have dark pasts but that does not stop them from being terribly entertaining. One gets the satisfaction of feeling sufficiently "literary" in reading this novel, but also get caught up in an engrossing tale that will surely get made into a movie one of these days. | ||
 | The Health of Nations: Why Inequality is Harmful to Your Health | |
| "A Book Every American Should Read (but probably few will)" | 2009-07-27 |
| At this point in American history, as we are debating health care "reform" this book is a crucial tool we can use to educate ourselves about the overall context of our health care system. The authors persuasively argue that extreme income inequality in and of itself can negatively affect a nation's health.
This means that apart from talking about doctors and nurses and hospitals, we should be (but aren't) talking about inequality in this country. Of course, that is such a hugely taboo topic that a chorus of "class warfare" shouts will be raised if one even mentions the idea that our tax system is far from progressive and that extreme disparities in wealth are not just unseemly but unhealthy. Don't be put off by the few graphs in the text. There is little wonkishness in these pages; the authors do a commendable job summarizing research in the field and making positive suggestions on what implications their research has for our struggling medical system. | ||
 | The Zanzibar Chest: A Story of Life, Love, and Death in Foreign Lands | |
| "Great read!" | 2009-07-27 |
| In brief: this a fantastic read, beautifully written and full of honest raw love for his beloved continent of Africa. Hartley writes lyrically and with great attention to detail, making this more of a novel than something one would expect from an ex-reporter. Having grown up there, the author has both an insider's familiarity and connections with history as well as an ability to connect with citizens of the various East African countries he visits. His experiences of the horrors of Somalia and Rwanda, searing though they are, never shake his affection for the region's long-suffering peoples. A wonderful book. | ||
 | Song of Haiti | |
| "Inspiring Yet True to Life" | 2005-04-04 |
| Truly an engaging read that reminds us that we can choose to turn our lives around at any time. Larimer Mellon did just that at age 37, first going to medical school, then founding a hospital in Deschapelles, Haiti, that is running to this very day. The author does well to follow their project and show how their lives were intertwined by others similarly interested in Albert Schweitzer's ethos. This idea of "Reverence for Life" has led to the existence, in the middle of poorest rural Haiti, of a thriving band of expatriates, native Haitians, short-term volunteers, and visitors of various sorts dedicated to humanistic ideals. Hospital Albert Schweitzer lives on, and you can be a part of it if you choose. | ||
 | The Suicide Club (Dover Thrift Editions) | |
| "Par but not his best" | 2005-04-04 |
| RLS is a fabulous writer. These stories are not necessarily his best but they give a flavor of his obsessions with the dark side of the puritanical Victorian soul. He catalogues the trials of men in demanding circumstances, often self-imposed, with a 19th century sensibility that oozes subversion. He winks at us with glittering language. | ||
 | You Shall Know Our Velocity | |
| "Add to your collection" | 2005-04-04 |
| It's hard to write about an Eggers book without dealing with all the hype that his works engender. But the truth is, this is a stiffeningly good jolt of a novel. He takes the same care with language, ability to juggle comedy with tragedy, eye for bizarre detail from his famous AHWOSG and takes it on the road in a brilliant travelogue that feels authentic. I resisted for much of the book, wanting the author to trip up, but he committed not a false step. With American literature rudderless and amorphous, he carves out an area of light. | ||
 | Terrorism: Theirs and Ours | |
| "Too Brief But Densely Packed With Ideas" | 2005-04-04 |
| Wonderful prescient, but all too brief. Serves as a good introduction to the ideas of the dear departed Ahmad who would be a valuable contributor to the worldwide debate on what exactly consititutes terrorism. The way he shows that the term "terrorism" is construed to eliminate any links to state-sponsored violence and torture demands our attention and respect. This is a courageous and intelligent book. | ||
 | A Fortunate Man : The Story of a Country Doctor | |
| "A Rewarding Book" | 2005-04-04 |
| John Berger is know around the world as a Renaissance Man, one who can write criticism, plays, novels, short stories, and can even paint the occasional work of art. But I humbly submit that this may be his best work, one that examines the relationship between a country doctor and his community. Sadly the time period of the piece, the 1960s, are gone and the entire institution of the general practitioner, complete with house calls and lollipops for the children. But the questions he asks are searching ones that hinge on the very fundamental human relations that modernity is radically changing. What is a human life worth? He won't give you any answers, because he trusts you to think about all this for years to come. An exceptional work. | ||
 | Safe Area Gorazde: The War in Eastern Bosnia 1992-1995 | |
| "A Graphic Documentary, Not a Comic Book" | 2005-04-04 |
| A tremendous achievement. As he did with the Pulitzer-award deserving "Palestine," Sacco again journeys into a people's culture and history with an unerring eye and ear. This time he focusses on Bosnia in the mid-1990s and he relates the horrific genocidal actions against the Muslim Bosnians in the enclave of Gorazde beautifully. This is a gem of a book that demonstrates that graphic novels (and documentaries) can pack as powerful an emotional punch as any piece hanging in a museum or exhibited in a thetaer. Bravo! | ||
 | Safe Area Gorazde: The War in Eastern Bosnia Nineteen Ninety-Two to Nineteen Ninety-Five | |
| "A Graphic Documentary Appropriate For Teenagers and Adults" | 2005-04-04 |
| A tremendous achievement. As he did with the Pulitzer-award deserving "Palestine," Sacco again journeys into a people's culture and history with an unerring eye and ear. This time he focusses on Bosnia in the mid-1990s and he relates the horrific genocidal actions against the Muslim Bosnians in the enclave of Gorazde beautifully. This is a gem of a book that demonstrates that graphic novels (and documentaries) can pack as powerful an emotional punch as any piece hanging in a museum or exhibited in a thetaer. Bravo! | ||
 | Casanova Was a Book Lover: And Other Naked Truths and Provocative Curiosities About the Writing, Selling, and Reading of Books | |
| "Great Ride" | 2005-04-04 |
| This work appeals on many different levels. With the author's sparkling wit a constant companion, the reader is taken on a veritable Aeneid through the literary world. Everything from vanity presses to coming-out parties to the hype machines that drive sales to the overloaded Library of Congress make appearances. The breezy style lulls you into enjoying every little tidbit until you look up to realize that the ride is at an end. | ||
 | The Twenty-Seventh City : A Novel (Bestselling Backlist) | |
| "Not Worth It - Try Another Novel Instead" | 2005-04-04 |
| Jonathan Franzen is an accomplished writer. However, that doesn't stop this book from being a clunker. Having started and stopped several times, I finally got stuck at page 215 and have not had the energy or willpower to go further. His plot is bizarre and the characters arouse little sympathy; the prose does little to propel you on. I would recommend The Corrections for anyone intrigued by his style but unwilling to take a chance on this early poorly-received work of his. | ||
 | Interpreter of Maladies | |
| "Lives Up to the Hype" | 2005-04-04 |
| I thought the best story by far was "Sexy," notable for the chill cast throughout the entire story by the gusts of infidelity that blow through the characters. This was one of the great strengths of the stories, that they were tied together with this theme of loyalty, love, and allegiances betrayed. Yet it also the disparate natures of the protagonists, whether ABCDs in America or penniless charwomen in India, that stimulates us to read on. We want to see what a slender thread of heritage, born to the subcontinent, can lead to in so many places around the world. We do not have to be Indian or even Asian to be proud of how resilient our ancestors were and the ways we are bound to them and our children. | ||
 | Casanova Was a Book Lover: And Other Naked Truths and Provocative Curiosities About the Writing, Selling and Reading of Books | |
| "Great Ride" | 2005-04-04 |
| This work appeals on many different levels. With the author's sparkling wit a constant companion, the reader is taken on a veritable Aeneid through the literary world. Everything from vanity presses to coming-out parties to the hype machines that drive sales to the overloaded Library of Congress make appearances. The breezy style lulls you into enjoying every little tidbit until you look up to realize that the ride is at an end. | ||
 | Cyclist by Viken Berberian, ISBN 0743222830 | |
 | "How Did This Ever Get Published?" | 2005-04-04 |
| Amazingly bad prose combined with an anemic plot, an unsurprising denouement and fuzzy characters, this book isn't worth the paper it's printed on. It does absolutely nothing to elevate one's understanding of the forces at play that lead to suicide bombings in the Middle East. I had hoped to gain an understanding of those last-minute chaotic thoughts that rush through the mind of someone carrying out such a terrible mission, but this novel was a pure waste of time. Perhaps the worst element? His habit of rhyming within sentences which made me wonder whether his book had received any editorial guidance whatsoever. | ||
 | Palestine | |
| "Read It and You'll Grow" | 2004-09-29 |
| Fantastic, eye-opening, hilarious at times and yet fundamentally disturbing. A priceless primer on the roots of Palestinian dispossession. His descriptions of Israeli torture techniques and the methods used to humiliate and control a subject population eerily echo the events recently publicized regarding present American methods in Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib prisons. | ||
 | Platform | |
| "Buy it, Read it, Pass it on" | 2004-09-20 |
| Brilliant follow-up by Houellebecq to his earlier "Whatever" and "Elementary Particles." It is clear at this point that that author has carved out a niche for himself that has been wildly successful in Europe. He remains still unknown and unappreciated in the United States. This may be due to the misanthropy and celebration of hedonism that he seeks to provoke with, a combination that sits poorly with Puritanical America. Regardless, his ideas are profound and deal with the soulless harried spiritually-shrivelled lives that Westerners live. Buy all of Houellebecq's books if you want provocation, new ideas, another French filosofer that has come round the bend to shake things up. | ||
 | The Dressing Station: A Surgeon's Chronicle of War and Medicine | |
| "Top-Notch Book for Doctors in International Medical Work" | 2004-09-20 |
| This is a surprisingly well-written book that is an exhilarating journey with the surgeon-author who has been to most places on Earth and has remarkably vivid stories to tell. This book is a must for anyone in the medical professions who has any interest in working or volunteering abroad. It lays to rest many of the myths of international relief work; in addition, Kaplan does well to strip romanticism from what can be grueling and brutal conditions. Highly recommended. | ||
 | Club 8 - Friend I Once Had | |
| "Smashing" | 2004-09-19 |
| Beautiful, touching, sublime. Her voice makes you fall in love and their music is stripped down to the essential elements without a single pluck or chord struck that is unneeded. | ||
 | Before She Met Me | |
| "Brightning Work" | 2004-09-19 |
| A look at the heart of jealousy - how it can rise from improbable circumstances to become a gripping nightmare world. One of Barnes' better books, nice balance of the comic and horrific. | ||
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