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Review Date: 7/15/2006
Helpful Score: 1
This is a gritty look at the world of forgotten gods, who must resort to lives as cab drivers and such, because they are not worshipped anymore. The down-on-his-luck protagonist stumbles into this world and finds himself a willing pawn in an endgame. It's an odd juxtaposition of modern real-world life and fantasy. To enjoy the book, you have to suspend disbelief to accept the fact that the lead character takes this all in stride, and just goes along with everything. A more realistic character would have struggled with doubts about his mental health or at least put up bit of a fight. That was my only problem with this book. I think that journey into fantasy could have been handled more effectively without losing the impact. But that's being extremely nitpicky. This will probably appeal more to those who are into dark comic/adventure books. Sort of a guy thing. My husband is loving the book. I knew he would.
Review Date: 1/15/2009
Highly recommend any of her books even if you aren't a quilter. She's a gem and a true artist.
Review Date: 4/5/2009
Helpful Score: 9
I hate to be the lone dissenter, but here goes. I love dogs. I love books about dogs. Did not enjoy this book at all. It is emotionally manipulative; plot lines are contrived and not believable (and I'm not talking about the suspension of disbelief at the end...I was actually ok with that piece). There was just not one thing in this book that rang true for me. I'm ok with sad books. But there's a difference between poignant and heartwrenching. It is possible to write a book that is very moving without being maudlin or manipulative. This author didn't hit that note for me.
That being said, there was a kernal of a good story here to be told. The author needed a good story editor (or perhaps he needed to stop listening to a bad story editor). It could have been told in a way that was much more believable and certainly more subtle. Also, I could have lived without the car-racing minutiae. While I'm not a fan, I can read about and appreciate things I don't generally find interesting if it is presented in an engaging way. This was not. It was like a friend who becomes obsessed with something and proceeds to bore you by talking about nothing but the "thing".
In closing, if you love car-racing, and you're a fan of books that drag your heart through the mud by any means readily available, you may enjoy it. Many did.
That being said, there was a kernal of a good story here to be told. The author needed a good story editor (or perhaps he needed to stop listening to a bad story editor). It could have been told in a way that was much more believable and certainly more subtle. Also, I could have lived without the car-racing minutiae. While I'm not a fan, I can read about and appreciate things I don't generally find interesting if it is presented in an engaging way. This was not. It was like a friend who becomes obsessed with something and proceeds to bore you by talking about nothing but the "thing".
In closing, if you love car-racing, and you're a fan of books that drag your heart through the mud by any means readily available, you may enjoy it. Many did.
Review Date: 1/7/2009
Helpful Score: 1
It's difficult to improve upon Mike's review, but I feel that I'm duty-bound to try.
This easily makes the top 5 worst books I've read. It's preachy in a hit-you-over-the-head-obvious parable sort of way. Imagine being held captive in a room full of Precious Moments figurines. You're tied to a chair and forced to watch sappy country music videos that involve someone visiting a gravestone at the end (surprise! not.) Wait...you have to listen to the Christmas Shoes over and over and over until you are driven to a Clockwork Orange-type madness. Then throw in Jesus, except he's not Jesus; he's an imaginary horse whisperer named Russell. And of course a surprise ending that you can see coming a mile away. Oh...wait...don't forget the evil cornfield (Stephen King, anyone?). Don't worry. I'm not giving away any spoilers. It is not possible to spoil this book. That was already done by the "author" who has clearly never had an original thought.
Do yourself a favor. If you need a Christmas feel-good fix, watch "It's A Wonderful Life". If you need something with religious foundations that make you feel warm and fuzzy about being a Christian, read Jan Karon's Mitford series. It's religion done right. And if you need to unload some guilt about blaming everyone else for your problems, go to an AA meeting.
But skip this book. Seriously. Do not encourage this author financially or otherwise. He might try to write again. If you want to support the cause he is supporting with the profits, just donate directly. A tree will thank you.
PS...I am neither a liberal, nor an atheist, so my review does not come from there. It's just a truly bad book.
This easily makes the top 5 worst books I've read. It's preachy in a hit-you-over-the-head-obvious parable sort of way. Imagine being held captive in a room full of Precious Moments figurines. You're tied to a chair and forced to watch sappy country music videos that involve someone visiting a gravestone at the end (surprise! not.) Wait...you have to listen to the Christmas Shoes over and over and over until you are driven to a Clockwork Orange-type madness. Then throw in Jesus, except he's not Jesus; he's an imaginary horse whisperer named Russell. And of course a surprise ending that you can see coming a mile away. Oh...wait...don't forget the evil cornfield (Stephen King, anyone?). Don't worry. I'm not giving away any spoilers. It is not possible to spoil this book. That was already done by the "author" who has clearly never had an original thought.
Do yourself a favor. If you need a Christmas feel-good fix, watch "It's A Wonderful Life". If you need something with religious foundations that make you feel warm and fuzzy about being a Christian, read Jan Karon's Mitford series. It's religion done right. And if you need to unload some guilt about blaming everyone else for your problems, go to an AA meeting.
But skip this book. Seriously. Do not encourage this author financially or otherwise. He might try to write again. If you want to support the cause he is supporting with the profits, just donate directly. A tree will thank you.
PS...I am neither a liberal, nor an atheist, so my review does not come from there. It's just a truly bad book.
Country Living Crafting Vintage Style: Charming Projects for Home & Garden
Author:
Book Type: Hardcover
2
Author:
Book Type: Hardcover
2
Review Date: 1/17/2009
Helpful Score: 1
Not a bad book. The projects are pretty simple and the instructions are fairly sparse. However, there's nothing you couldn't figure out for yourself. Nicely photographed. Probably better as an idea book rather than a project book.
Country Living Decorating Vintage Style: Using Romantic Fabrics and Flea Market Finds
Author:
Book Type: Hardcover
1
Author:
Book Type: Hardcover
1
Review Date: 1/15/2009
Helpful Score: 1
I'm a sucker for vintage linens, and this book features some lovely ones. Overall, the style is a little more romantic than I tend to enjoy, but it's tastefully done with an editing eye. Country Living always does really nice books.
Review Date: 1/17/2009
There is some overlap here from her book "Vintage Fabric Style", so you you might want to look at them both and choose one or the other. Personally, I'd pick the other, but that's because I'm more interested in vintage fabric than things like teacups and jewelry. If your taste runs in that direction, then perhaps this book would be the better of the two for you. Either way, nice pictures, and cool ideas.
Review Date: 11/7/2008
Helpful Score: 18
First novels are tough. Many haven't mastered the art of "show, don't tell" in their story-telling. Mary Lawson does a beautiful job of getting you to feel the emotions of the characters and their varying reactions to the tragedy that occurs near the beginning of the book. This is especially hard, since the setting is a small farming community where you are not supposed to show your emotions. You are supposed to be stoic in face of anything and everything, although stoicism can easily lead to feelings of martyrdom.
Perhaps this novel captivated me, because I grew up in a household where words of anger were not spoken, but certainly the anger was there. She described very well what it's like to swallow that anger and keep it down throughout your life.
The ending is quiet, and will disappoint those who want some large explosive fanfare ending. But I found it very intense, even in its quiet realization. It's a fairly quick read and will be of interest to those who like to know what makes people tick.
Perhaps this novel captivated me, because I grew up in a household where words of anger were not spoken, but certainly the anger was there. She described very well what it's like to swallow that anger and keep it down throughout your life.
The ending is quiet, and will disappoint those who want some large explosive fanfare ending. But I found it very intense, even in its quiet realization. It's a fairly quick read and will be of interest to those who like to know what makes people tick.
Review Date: 1/15/2009
This is my least favorite of the "Flea Market Style" books out there. This one, for me, was a little too girly or frilly--romantic style, I guess. Way too much tchotchke in a lot of the pictures. Rooms tended to have a cluttered, overdone look. That's not my taste, but if it is yours you may enjoy this edition.
Review Date: 1/15/2009
Helpful Score: 1
This book does have some good tips on how to repair or restore flea market finds. As with all books of this name, it's an idea book, simply because you are not going to find the exact same items out there in a flea market. Pictures are good.
Review Date: 1/9/2009
This book is ok as a coffee table book, and it does have some information about cleaning and restoring flea market finds. Most of the pictures were not something I hadn't seen before and done better in a book of the same name by a different author. Meh.
Review Date: 11/8/2008
Helpful Score: 5
Stunning book. I don't know where to start, except to say that this book is one to read with a friend and then discuss afterward. There are so many things to comment on.
Part of me wanted to hate the father for uprooting his family in the middle of the night repeatedly. It is not clear whether he was just paranoid, or whether he really did get in some deep trouble on a regular basis that made it prudent to disappear. Maybe it was a little of both.
The other part of me wants to celebrate the sense of wonder and awe he inspired in Jeannette. He was certainly brilliant, but also mad and an alcoholic.
I do recommend the book, whether you think the story is entirely true or not. It is well-written and, most importantly, thought provoking. Whether you like it or not, you will almost certainly be thinking about it long after reading it.
Part of me wanted to hate the father for uprooting his family in the middle of the night repeatedly. It is not clear whether he was just paranoid, or whether he really did get in some deep trouble on a regular basis that made it prudent to disappear. Maybe it was a little of both.
The other part of me wants to celebrate the sense of wonder and awe he inspired in Jeannette. He was certainly brilliant, but also mad and an alcoholic.
I do recommend the book, whether you think the story is entirely true or not. It is well-written and, most importantly, thought provoking. Whether you like it or not, you will almost certainly be thinking about it long after reading it.
Review Date: 7/10/2007
Helpful Score: 6
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy meets Monty Python in a very amusing version of the biblical apocalypse. Will probably only appeal to those who enjoy this type of humor. On those grounds, your mileage may very. Two thumbs up from me!
Review Date: 1/17/2009
Helpful Score: 1
Now, I'm not a big fan of bedazzled wardrobes or attaching lace to everything. But I like Lucinda Ganderton's taste, so I peeked in this one. Not bad. Most of the projects are fairly hip--not too fuddy duddy.
Review Date: 1/15/2009
Well done book with lots of great pictures, but it's really not my taste. If you like mod or retro casual styling, you may enjoy it more than I did.
Review Date: 12/5/2008
Helpful Score: 4
Order this book only if you are interested in the recipes talked about in the previous ECQ books. There is very little in the way of any story here.
Each chapter begins with a brief conversation between Anna, the new EC chef, and Sylvia as they clean out the kitchen in preparation for the renovation. Then there are several recipes relating to the conversation. It usually revolves around something they dug out of the back of a long-neglected cabinet. The book stops when she runs out of recipes without a renovation even having been started. I'll give 5 stars for the recipes, but only 1 star for the story. She either should have just published a recipe book or written an actual story.
Each chapter begins with a brief conversation between Anna, the new EC chef, and Sylvia as they clean out the kitchen in preparation for the renovation. Then there are several recipes relating to the conversation. It usually revolves around something they dug out of the back of a long-neglected cabinet. The book stops when she runs out of recipes without a renovation even having been started. I'll give 5 stars for the recipes, but only 1 star for the story. She either should have just published a recipe book or written an actual story.
Review Date: 1/3/2009
Helpful Score: 1
Hmmm. This is a good first novel, and I will probably read others he may write in the future. The storytelling is engaging, and you can certainly feel yourself inside Edgar's head. In fact, Wroblewski does a good job of getting you inside the heads of all of the characters, even some not so likeable.
It is gripping, especially as it nears the end. I could not put it down. But, I'm going to have to agree with the others about the ending. I am not one who needs a happy ending to recommend a book, but this was probably the second most unsatisfying ending book I've read (the top award for that goes to Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood). It's difficult to discuss without giving it away, but the general feeling is that the book stops rather than ends, and it does so ambiguously. I had to read the last couple of pages again to see if I missed some clue about what the writer was saying. I'm still not sure what the author intended readers to understand. While I dislike authors who hit you over the head with explanations of the obvious, I equally dislike authors who write ambiguous passages assuming you are following their train of thought and will arrive at the proper interpretation of what happened. I'm not usually so thick-headed as to miss these cues, but I did on this one. Still scratching my head and feeling unsatisfied.
I'll give it 5 stars until the last couple of chapters. I'm backing it down to a 4 overall.
It is gripping, especially as it nears the end. I could not put it down. But, I'm going to have to agree with the others about the ending. I am not one who needs a happy ending to recommend a book, but this was probably the second most unsatisfying ending book I've read (the top award for that goes to Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood). It's difficult to discuss without giving it away, but the general feeling is that the book stops rather than ends, and it does so ambiguously. I had to read the last couple of pages again to see if I missed some clue about what the writer was saying. I'm still not sure what the author intended readers to understand. While I dislike authors who hit you over the head with explanations of the obvious, I equally dislike authors who write ambiguous passages assuming you are following their train of thought and will arrive at the proper interpretation of what happened. I'm not usually so thick-headed as to miss these cues, but I did on this one. Still scratching my head and feeling unsatisfied.
I'll give it 5 stars until the last couple of chapters. I'm backing it down to a 4 overall.
Review Date: 1/10/2009
Interesting book in that I'm not sure how I feel about it. Is it brilliant? Maybe. Is it half thought-out? Maybe. I had a hard time getting into it, but the curiosity about what happened to her face kept me going. That is not revealed and can't really even be guessed at until the very end. The author was one of the few I've read who successfully foreshadowed an event, but did not give it away by bits until you had pretty much put it all together before it was revealed. That's not to say that there's a huge surprise twist at the end. The story just takes a natural progression. Technically, she is a good writer, and she is obviously intelligent. I think, perhaps, she needs to be a bit more linear in her story-telling in order to be more accessible.
The description of the story is pretty accurate. Told simultaneously in current day and flashbacks, it is the story of a girl whose mother largely ignores her. She latches on to the mother of a neighboring family who belong to a very strict religious sect/cult and ends up going on a religious retreat with them to disasterous results. As an adult, she is researching the founder of the sect to try to make sense of where the beliefs came from and how it ended up changing her life.
It is not a light read, but it is not lengthy--about 230 pages. If you don't mind concentrating on a book, then you might enjoy it.
The description of the story is pretty accurate. Told simultaneously in current day and flashbacks, it is the story of a girl whose mother largely ignores her. She latches on to the mother of a neighboring family who belong to a very strict religious sect/cult and ends up going on a religious retreat with them to disasterous results. As an adult, she is researching the founder of the sect to try to make sense of where the beliefs came from and how it ended up changing her life.
It is not a light read, but it is not lengthy--about 230 pages. If you don't mind concentrating on a book, then you might enjoy it.
Review Date: 1/15/2009
Helpful Score: 1
This is one of the better decorating from a thrift store or flea market type books. Emily Chalmers has a taste level that I enjoy, and her ideas are always funky, but not in an over-the-top way. The pictures are beautiful, and the ideas are lovely. The book I checked out from the library had a different cover than the one pictured in this link, but it was the same ISBN. Same book, though.
Review Date: 9/11/2009
(NOTE: I am a volunteer reviewer for newly published books. You may see my reviews posted on multiple websites, but it is my review, and I am posting it here as well.)
Charlotte "Sugar" Kane is, according to author Jane Adams, a woman of a certain age who is swimming against the has-been tide of show business. Just as her latest idea moves into development for a pilot, Sugar is stricken with a potentially fatal heart condition. Add to that, the fact that her first grandchild is on the way, and she is beginning to feel the financial pinch of not having a show in the works, and her stress becomes unmanageable. Her life begins to move in fast-forward just as she finds she needs to slow down, and she struggles to keep her condition a secret from everyone.
The show is picked up, but not without a little backstabbing from her assistant, the grandchild is born, the heart condition is temporarily at bay, and she bumps into the man of her dreams--Alex Carroll. Alex, as it turns out, has a little secret of his own. Their relationship develops, or rather, waxes and wanes over months of production schedules and secret hospital stays for her, and numerous business trips for him. Will they have a relationship left by the time they are honest with one another?
Perhaps the bigger question is, will we care?
Adams is certainly a serviceable write with an appropriate amount of wit and intuitive character development. The pace and prose are well-managed. I did grow tired of the very long sentences, often subdivided by dashes, but that is a small complaint. This novel falls squarely into the "your mileage may vary" category by virtue of the fact that it is about "the Biz". If you are a sucker for name-dropping, references to current hit shows, pseudo behind-the-scenes jargon, and naming everything from perfumes to lingerie to shoes ad nauseum by brand, then you may enjoy this novel. If you are more interested in plot development, you may be underwhelmed. It is curious enough to note that the most interesting character in the novel, Sugar's mother, Frances, appears only in referencial conversation or thought--never in person. That is something a good editor would have spotted and discussed with the author. Perhaps it was, in which case, the author should have listened.
Charlotte "Sugar" Kane is, according to author Jane Adams, a woman of a certain age who is swimming against the has-been tide of show business. Just as her latest idea moves into development for a pilot, Sugar is stricken with a potentially fatal heart condition. Add to that, the fact that her first grandchild is on the way, and she is beginning to feel the financial pinch of not having a show in the works, and her stress becomes unmanageable. Her life begins to move in fast-forward just as she finds she needs to slow down, and she struggles to keep her condition a secret from everyone.
The show is picked up, but not without a little backstabbing from her assistant, the grandchild is born, the heart condition is temporarily at bay, and she bumps into the man of her dreams--Alex Carroll. Alex, as it turns out, has a little secret of his own. Their relationship develops, or rather, waxes and wanes over months of production schedules and secret hospital stays for her, and numerous business trips for him. Will they have a relationship left by the time they are honest with one another?
Perhaps the bigger question is, will we care?
Adams is certainly a serviceable write with an appropriate amount of wit and intuitive character development. The pace and prose are well-managed. I did grow tired of the very long sentences, often subdivided by dashes, but that is a small complaint. This novel falls squarely into the "your mileage may vary" category by virtue of the fact that it is about "the Biz". If you are a sucker for name-dropping, references to current hit shows, pseudo behind-the-scenes jargon, and naming everything from perfumes to lingerie to shoes ad nauseum by brand, then you may enjoy this novel. If you are more interested in plot development, you may be underwhelmed. It is curious enough to note that the most interesting character in the novel, Sugar's mother, Frances, appears only in referencial conversation or thought--never in person. That is something a good editor would have spotted and discussed with the author. Perhaps it was, in which case, the author should have listened.
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