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Joseph L. - Reviews

1 to 15 of 15
Alexander Graham Bell (History Maker Bios)
Alexander Graham Bell (History Maker Bios)
Author: Stephanie Sammartino McPherson
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3/5 Stars.
 1
Review Date: 7/3/2020


A concise biography of the inventor for school-age children which provides useful basic information about his life & influence. Doesn't mention Bell's controversial opinions on deaf sign language.


Allegra Maud Goldman
Allegra Maud Goldman
Author: Edith Konecky
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
 5
Review Date: 6/25/2012


I did not find it believable that a girl between 10-12 years old in the 1930s would think/act as she does. Also many of the characters were stereotypes.


Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West
Review Date: 9/30/2015


This is an absorbing detailed book which reminds us of the human cost of Communist ideology. North Korea may currently be the most extreme manifestation of what Communism leads to but all communist societies were cruel and nightmarish places to live in to one degree or another.


Hands of Light : A Guide to Healing Through the Human Energy Field
Hands of Light : A Guide to Healing Through the Human Energy Field
Author: Barbara Brennan
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.6/5 Stars.
 16
Review Date: 2/4/2016


This ISBN is a paperback book.


The Jewish Crossword
The Jewish Crossword
Author: Michael Isaacs
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 1
Review Date: 7/16/2013


A fun crossword puzzle book in which the clues are all about Jewish culture, religion, history, and individuals etc. Every page also has amusing, pithy, and/or profound sayings which adds to the enjoyment of doing the puzzles. Has the solutions at the back of the book.


Mind of My Own: The Woman Who Was Known As "Eve" Tells the Story of Her Triumph over Multiple Personality Disorder
Review Date: 10/7/2012


Very interesting book especially because it is so detailed.


My Life with Bob: Flawed Heroine Keeps Book of Books, Plot Ensues
My Life with Bob: Flawed Heroine Keeps Book of Books, Plot Ensues
Author: Pamela Paul
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 3.4/5 Stars.
 6
Review Date: 5/23/2024


Expected a story with more depth. Was amazed at the shallowness of the author despite the large number of books she claims to have read.
An example of the shallowness is seen (pg. 207) in the section about the book "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" - she writes of how she was unable to stop crying, dampening many tissues, while reading it on an airplane (she constantly boasts of her extensive traveling) & how this attracted the attention of 2 passengers & the flight attendant. However, a more sophisticated, less adolescent, review of the book, which is to be expected from a lifelong book-lover & book-reviewer, would have noted those more problematic aspects of the novel such as the many stereotyped characters & the sentimentalized portrait of political corruption.
An example of her surprising ignorance about certain classics is seen (pg. 193) where she quotes J.G. Ballard's quote about how he was affected as a child when reading the "childhood tales" such as "Treasure Island" & "Robinson Crusoe" & how this shows the "power of children's literature". If Ms. Paul had actually read these 2 classics, she would have also noted that although there have been many adaptations for children, they are NOT REALLY children's books - they are great classic literature for adults.
Much of the book is "virtue-signaling" of her political opinions & lifestyle - one example is her uncritical gushing about The New York Times newspaper, her then-employer (pg. 203).
Lastly, she shows she can be quite spiteful when it comes to the Acknowledgments page: she never mentions her mother on the Acknowledgments page despite noting her mother's help in several chapters in the book. She acknowledges the help from her current mother-in-law, old friends, her late father, her brother Roger, "my family", her current husband & children (all, except for her current mother-in-law, also mentioned in various chapters of the book) BUT NOT her mother. Not very nice.
These are just a few of the reasons for giving a rating of only 1 star.


My Search for Patty Hearst
My Search for Patty Hearst
Author: Steven Weed
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 1
Review Date: 10/18/2012


A very personal,compelling, and detailed account of the Patty Hearst kidnapping in 1974 from the point-of-view of her fiance at the time who was beaten by the kidnappers. It is a historical document, too, in that it records so many aspects of what happened.


Pleasant Hill and Its shakers
Pleasant Hill and Its shakers
Author: Clark, Thomas
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 1
Review Date: 10/11/2015


Though brief, it's a very interesting book about these Shakers of Kentucky - their beliefs, their lifestyles, their work ethic,their accomplishments, and also their problems and failures.


The Pocket Hawaiian Dictionary, With a Concise Hawaiian Grammar
Review Date: 8/13/2012


Very useful for looking up Hawaiian words which I might come across in my reading


The Secrets of Midwives: A Novel
The Secrets of Midwives: A Novel
Author: Sally Hepworth
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 21
Review Date: 1/13/2018


Didn't like the book at all, there's no genuine emotions only "politically correct" ones.


The Street Lawyer
The Street Lawyer
Author: John Grisham
Book Type: Audio Cassette
  • Currently 1/5 Stars.
 1
Review Date: 12/31/2021


Although a well done Audiobook abridgement, nicely read by Michael Beck, the story itself is filled with cardboard stereotyped characters, unsubstantiated partisan political opinions, and bad dialogue in many chapters masquerading as (poor) imitations of Hemingway. And the "happily ever after" ending was over-the-top and not believable at all.


Toy Story 2 (Disney's Wonderful World of Reading)
Toy Story 2 (Disney's Wonderful World of Reading)
Book Type: Unknown Binding
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 21
Review Date: 1/10/2013


Hardcover book. Nice story.


Uncle Dad
Uncle Dad
Author: C. W. Smith
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 1
Review Date: 7/19/2015


The cover of the book quotes the Anniston Star newspaper's review that the book is "honest and deeply moving" and this, in a nutshell, is my opinion, too.


The Vanished Library (Hellenistic Culture and Society ; 7)
The Vanished Library (Hellenistic Culture and Society ; 7)
Author: Luciano Canfora
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4.3/5 Stars.
 3
Review Date: 7/27/2014


This book is an academic study of the subject of the Library in Alexandria and also has some information about other ancient libraries. The audience for this book is those who specialize in the study of ancient history.


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