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Review Date: 7/10/2009
Helpful Score: 1
This was an entertaining, quick read. Tom Perrota writes about modern American suburban families. He points out the flaws and contradictions of this lifestyle without being overly satirical or snarky. This book focuses on sex education and religion in public schools. I found this book to be funny and thought provoking.
Review Date: 6/21/2009
Though this story was a bit cynical and gritty at times, it was a satisfying read. It gives you a little taste of Wall Street in the 80's complete with a greedy stock broker who gets his comeuppance.
In Defense of Food: The Myth of Nutrition and the Pleasures of Eating
Author:
Book Type: Hardcover
145
Author:
Book Type: Hardcover
145
Review Date: 6/21/2009
Helpful Score: 5
Pollan makes some good points around his "eat food, mostly plants, not too much" theme. I learned a lot about the history of the business of food in America, and how most of our food is crap as a result. It gets a bit too technical at times, but if you are into the local/whole food movement you will get plenty out of this book.
Review Date: 4/2/2010
Enjoyable read. It urged me to look into the actual life of Kinsey.
Review Date: 7/6/2009
Helpful Score: 2
I thought this book could have been 100 pages shorter. I put it down several times to read other books. There is a lot of stream-of-consciousness writing that does not lend a hand to the story. The main character is not likable which made it hard to care about her plight. I can't believe this book got so many rave reviews.
Review Date: 6/21/2009
This was an intriguing story. I wished there was less back story and more flesh to the actual subject of the book. Overall a very entertaining read.
Review Date: 6/21/2009
This book made some interesting points about science and ethics in our society even if it was a bit paranoid and over-the-top. There was a jumble of characters each as wooden as the next. It was an entertaining enough story with some food for thought thrown in.
Review Date: 4/29/2010
Great story, very intense. I think this is one of Barbara Kingsolvers richest novels.
The Professor & the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity & the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary
Author:
Book Type: Paperback
295
Author:
Book Type: Paperback
295
Review Date: 6/21/2009
This was probably a fine newspaper article, but as a novel, it was a stretch. The making of the Oxford English Dictionary was an awesome feat and there were some interesting facts in the book about the long process of amassing all of the information. The way the author treated the life of the "madman" was tedious at best and tacky at worst. He then wraps it up with some generic speculation about mental illness in general which read as something to simply fill up space in the book. I would love to see somebody take this story and turn it into a great work of fiction. This book was not it.
Review Date: 7/7/2009
Helpful Score: 1
This book was a pleasant surprise. I don't like musicals or the Wizard of Oz movie very much, but I was intrigued about the back story of the Wicked Witch of the West. You don't have to be a fan of either to really enjoy this book, although familiarity with the story helps add to the fun of this book. The book makes some good points about faith, religion and our perception of good and evil. Overall a very satisfying read.
Review Date: 7/4/2009
Helpful Score: 4
This novel is based on actual events in the personal life of Frank Lloyd Wright. It is at times salacious, hilarious and sad. Its a very good read. If you want to know about Wrights life as an architect, this is not your book. What it does offer is a look into what did and might have happened when Wright was hounded by the press and sometimes the law over the decisions he made with his romantic relationships.
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