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Review Date: 5/19/2008
Helpful Score: 3
This book starts off slowly and does have some explicit scenes, which were a bit disturbing. It picks up pace when Sancha actually gets to Rome, which isn't for a little while. Characters change wildly and I found some of these extremes to be unsupported rather unapologetically (particularly Lucrezia). I am very interested in the Borgias and found this book to be an interesting story and unique point of view.
Review Date: 7/23/2008
From back cover: Irresistable to most, this book is a must for the chocoholic! Combining your favorite, most chocolatey dishes with some exciting new ideas for those who like to experiment, this fantastic new cookbook contains recipes that are simple and fun to make at home.
All the recipes are illustrated in full color with step-by-step photographs to help with the preparation stages. Each recipe is complete with calorie counts, a difficulty rating and an indication of how long the dishes will take to prepare. With an emphasis on visual appeal, this selection of chocolate recipes is sure to impress family, friends and the most discerning of dinner party guests.
All the recipes are illustrated in full color with step-by-step photographs to help with the preparation stages. Each recipe is complete with calorie counts, a difficulty rating and an indication of how long the dishes will take to prepare. With an emphasis on visual appeal, this selection of chocolate recipes is sure to impress family, friends and the most discerning of dinner party guests.
Review Date: 9/17/2008
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is the story of an autistic boy who is a genious in math, but cannot grasp many human emotions. The story begins with the mysterious death of a neighborhood dog which sends Christopher into an investigation. The whole novel is written from Christopher's point of view and begins as his attempt to write a murder mystery. Of course, there are some mysteries that you figure out right away, but the point is to see the world through Christopher's eyes, which is frustrating, but fascinating. Seeing his inability to touch or communicate love to his family is the most heart-wrenching part of the book.
Curious Incident is a very quick read, but there are still some of Christopher's tangents that you will find yourself skimming through. Those can be annoying, but the book is definitely worth it to get in the head of this boy. I think this story is a must-read for anyone who is interested in autism, or anyone who would like to read something from a unique narrator.
Curious Incident is a very quick read, but there are still some of Christopher's tangents that you will find yourself skimming through. Those can be annoying, but the book is definitely worth it to get in the head of this boy. I think this story is a must-read for anyone who is interested in autism, or anyone who would like to read something from a unique narrator.
Review Date: 9/17/2008
Helpful Score: 2
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is the story of an autistic boy who is a genious in math, but cannot grasp many human emotions. The story begins with the mysterious death of a neighborhood dog which sends Christopher into an investigation. The whole novel is written from Christopher's point of view and begins as his attempt to write a murder mystery. Of course, there are some mysteries that you figure out right away, but the point is to see the world through Christopher's eyes, which is frustrating, but fascinating. Seeing his inability to touch or communicate love to his family is the most heart-wrenching part of the book.
Curious Incident is a very quick read, but there are still some of Christopher's tangents that you will find yourself skimming through. Those can be annoying, but the book is definitely worth it to get in the head of this boy. I think this story is a must-read for anyone who is interested in autism, or anyone who would like to read something from a unique narrator.
Curious Incident is a very quick read, but there are still some of Christopher's tangents that you will find yourself skimming through. Those can be annoying, but the book is definitely worth it to get in the head of this boy. I think this story is a must-read for anyone who is interested in autism, or anyone who would like to read something from a unique narrator.
Review Date: 11/30/2009
Helpful Score: 5
I don't want to say that "Diary" is the worst book I've read in recent memory, but it is. I wanted to like it *really bad*, as I have quite a few friends (mostly males) that rave about Palahniuk, including this book. I've never read his work before (though I mildly enjoyed the Fight Club movie), and thought this one sounded very interesting.
I put up with a very slow start to the book, became really engaged (and a little scared, in a good way) during the middle, and then I came to the horrible realization of where this book was going. And boy, was it horrible. Obviously I won't spoil the plot for you, but I felt so outrageously cheated when I knew what was going on. Not only was the last quarter of the book totally predictable and soulless, but then all of the author's quirky little plot devices just seemed lame. It seemed to me like Chuck did quite a bit of research on both anatomy & carpenter's legends that he decided to repeatedly and tediously insert them into the book 'just because'. My final gripe is that the book started off as Misty's diary to Peter and somewhere along the way just turned into Chuck writing the book, occasionally throwing in "This is what Peter said. You said." to remind himself that he started off trying to write in the first person. And then out of nowhere for a second he throws in "John here" (example) and you never realize when "John" started or stopped talking.
And the characters. Palahniuk thinks that saying "poor white trash Misty Marie" 100x will make you feel sorry for her. But you don't. Instead you don't feel anything for anyone, and while the book unfolds you keep reading only for it to be over.
I don't even know if my review makes sense at this point, but I just had to let the average reader know not to start your foray into Palahniuk with this book. Or the only thing you might be afraid of is wasting your time again. If you are still interested, read the wikipedia entry for this book. The plot summary will reveal just what you think you are missing.
I put up with a very slow start to the book, became really engaged (and a little scared, in a good way) during the middle, and then I came to the horrible realization of where this book was going. And boy, was it horrible. Obviously I won't spoil the plot for you, but I felt so outrageously cheated when I knew what was going on. Not only was the last quarter of the book totally predictable and soulless, but then all of the author's quirky little plot devices just seemed lame. It seemed to me like Chuck did quite a bit of research on both anatomy & carpenter's legends that he decided to repeatedly and tediously insert them into the book 'just because'. My final gripe is that the book started off as Misty's diary to Peter and somewhere along the way just turned into Chuck writing the book, occasionally throwing in "This is what Peter said. You said." to remind himself that he started off trying to write in the first person. And then out of nowhere for a second he throws in "John here" (example) and you never realize when "John" started or stopped talking.
And the characters. Palahniuk thinks that saying "poor white trash Misty Marie" 100x will make you feel sorry for her. But you don't. Instead you don't feel anything for anyone, and while the book unfolds you keep reading only for it to be over.
I don't even know if my review makes sense at this point, but I just had to let the average reader know not to start your foray into Palahniuk with this book. Or the only thing you might be afraid of is wasting your time again. If you are still interested, read the wikipedia entry for this book. The plot summary will reveal just what you think you are missing.
Review Date: 8/3/2008
Helpful Score: 1
I was looking forward to this book, since I am interested in the Borgia family & Renaissance Italy, and I figured that Mario Puzo would treat it well. I have to say I was a little bit disappointed. Once I read the afterword, it seems that Puzo's wife finished this novel after his death. Perhaps that is why I kept stumbling over the phrase "And so it was..." CONSTANTLY...not too well written.
The characters are very well drawn and even minor characters in the Borgia world are fleshed out, which enhances the story. I also found the treatment of Cesare and Rodrigo (Pope Alexander) to be very forgiving, but that is what makes this novel different from most.
If you are a Puzo fan or are very interested in the Borgia clan, I would recommend this, otherwise I would pass.
The characters are very well drawn and even minor characters in the Borgia world are fleshed out, which enhances the story. I also found the treatment of Cesare and Rodrigo (Pope Alexander) to be very forgiving, but that is what makes this novel different from most.
If you are a Puzo fan or are very interested in the Borgia clan, I would recommend this, otherwise I would pass.
Review Date: 9/12/2008
Helpful Score: 4
This book does contain a lot of great information for working coupons to their full potential. I have been using Nelson's website for years, though, and think that all of this information is available on her site. If you are looking for it all in one place, however, this book would be good for you.
Review Date: 9/1/2008
From the back cover:
What lay in the shadow of the white rose? A dream house...or a house of horrors?
When beautiful Amanda Farris saw the weathered gray house at Deserter's Creek, she had to buy it. But the county clerk said no house had existed on that land for more than fifty years...
What had Amanda seen? A mirage or...evidence of an unseen power? Amanda believed it was the spirit of Lucretia, who had died tragically more than a hundred years ago.
If it really was Lucretia, what dark secret had she been hiding all this time? In the process of finding out, Amanda discovered more than she bargained for.
Wanda Luttrell is also the author of The Legacy of Drennan's Crossing.
What lay in the shadow of the white rose? A dream house...or a house of horrors?
When beautiful Amanda Farris saw the weathered gray house at Deserter's Creek, she had to buy it. But the county clerk said no house had existed on that land for more than fifty years...
What had Amanda seen? A mirage or...evidence of an unseen power? Amanda believed it was the spirit of Lucretia, who had died tragically more than a hundred years ago.
If it really was Lucretia, what dark secret had she been hiding all this time? In the process of finding out, Amanda discovered more than she bargained for.
Wanda Luttrell is also the author of The Legacy of Drennan's Crossing.
Review Date: 9/30/2008
Helpful Score: 5
I imagined this book to be very different from how it was. I thought this book would be an intriguing story of what it would be like should America implode and we start to live without electricity, gas, and the very real threat of antibiotic resistant viruses. Instead the author glosses over what has happened in ways that just feel like a cop-out. The characters are already very far removed from society, and the fact that they pretty much don't care what is going on in the outside world isn't even believeable, it is just lazy writing.
But what made this novel fail to take off for me were the characters. For over half of the book I didn't care at all about the narrator or her family, because she didn't really care either. Selfish and shallow characters whose lives revolve around very 2-dimensional hopes and dreams. Eva is one of the two sisters, and even at the end of the book all you really walk away knowing about her is that she loves ballet.
There was one really cool scene, when the family first goes to town and tries to shop at a Sam's club-like store. There is a 'provocative' scene, which was predictable and cheap and probably just what you are imagining. I loved the premise, and almost wish a better author could rewrite the book that I was hoping for.
But what made this novel fail to take off for me were the characters. For over half of the book I didn't care at all about the narrator or her family, because she didn't really care either. Selfish and shallow characters whose lives revolve around very 2-dimensional hopes and dreams. Eva is one of the two sisters, and even at the end of the book all you really walk away knowing about her is that she loves ballet.
There was one really cool scene, when the family first goes to town and tries to shop at a Sam's club-like store. There is a 'provocative' scene, which was predictable and cheap and probably just what you are imagining. I loved the premise, and almost wish a better author could rewrite the book that I was hoping for.
Review Date: 8/3/2008
I found this book to be a really fun and interesting read; I love the uniquely Mexican style of the story. It is well paced until the end, when it suddenly speeds up and throws in a twist ending which was confusing enough for me to read back a few pages to realize what was going on. The recipes are not really useable, since they call for things like "3 grams of salt pork, 1 gram of pork brain or other scraps" and then the story weaves in and out of the recipe, making it near impossible to follow, but it does make the story more colorful.
Review Date: 8/3/2008
Helpful Score: 1
Overrated? Yes, but still worth reading. The good: the Depression-era circus is fascinating and the story of the animals & good-hearted people breaks your heart. I particularly liked the main character & the perspective of him recounting his circus days from the nursing home was well-written. The not-so-good: I was never too convinced of the love story between Jacob & Marlena and I found the ending to rush up very fast and be a little over the top.
My opinion is to give this a chance, but not have the sky-high expectations that I had after reading so many glowing reviews.
My opinion is to give this a chance, but not have the sky-high expectations that I had after reading so many glowing reviews.
Review Date: 8/28/2008
Helpful Score: 4
I have to say I am disappointed in this book. I *loved* Sedaris' "Dress Your Family in Corduroy & Denim" and "Me Talk Pretty One Day" so I jumped at his newest. I found myself bristling at more of the stories than really enjoying them. There was a very long story about spiders (which I hate) and plenty of stories about his experiences being gay, the awkwardness of befriending a child molester, etc. Perhaps I was just alienated by this book. If this was your first David Sedaris book, however, don't be put off, a lot of his stories are much sharper.
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