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RE: Book Reviews - 5/30/2008 2:41:15 PM
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ta_mosquito
Posts: 11157
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From: from MN, now in Ontario :D
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Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
The book was written in... the 1950's, I think, and is a futuristic story about an America in which books are banned by the will of the people. Guy Montag is a fireman. However, he doesn't PUT OUT fires since all houses are fireproof. Instead, the firehouse gets calls from people reporting their neighbors, friends, etc. who have books. The firemen burn the books (and usually the house). Montag meets a teenager who thinks differently than he does - in fact, she THINKS. This leads him to start reading some of the books he's supposed to burn and questioning the society in which he lives.
It's an intriguing look at political correctness (before such a term came to be), censorship, and lack of rigorous scholarship which leads to a dumbing down and a rise in the self-centeredness and cruelty of society. It's a look into the future if current trends continue.
There is a lot of swearing in the book - I was reading it out loud on a road trip and had trouble with the characters using God's name in vain and other such oaths. In the version I read, the author had an afterword talking about how people want to sanitize the book or make it more PC - take out the language, or adding characters of other races, or whatever - which is highly ironic since the book is anti-censorship and anti-PC. For this reason and for the adult level issues raised in the book, I don't think it's suitable for children. (The issues would probably go over their heads.)
I give the book an 9 out of 10, the docking of a point due to my sensitivity to the language. I do recommend this book.
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Tricia
"There's a fine line between being open-minded and empty-headed." ~Michael Coren
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RE: Book Reviews - 6/2/2008 7:58:58 AM
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babbred
Posts: 571
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Auben
How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill
An easily read history about the dark days of Rome's fall and Christianity's ebb and flow through the Europe. It begins with an interesting look at the author's view of history and then segues into Classical learning, the fall of Rome, Augustine, pagan Ireland, saint Patrick, the Irish monastary tradition, missionaries from Ireland, and his subsequent thoughts for our future.
Most often the author flows easily and humorously from subject to subject (expounding on Augustine or Patrick) using quotes and tidbits. I greatly enjoyed some of the sections and how he worked various thinkers together. He obviously has a love and respect for the Church which made me enjoy this book a lot.
Where he falters is in detailing the How of the Irish Renaissance. His information is often vague and his reasoning a little too simple. His grand overview runs dry in detail. Ok, so Irish monks headed for Scotland, England, Gaul, and Italy. Where is the information of how they accomplished the conversion of the peoples in those areas? How did they touch them? Where is the proof that coptic (egyptian and syrian) texts and scholars came to Ireland and where is the documentation that none were left in Europe? I became a little frustrated. Hopefully his wonderfully descriptive bibliography will be helpful but I became skeptical near the end. It was all a little too laudatory.
An excellant book with a wonderful style. I highly recommend it for understanding part of that historical time (the Dark Ages) which rarely gets taught in school. I'll probably seek out his next in the series The Gifts of the Jews.
Grade: 8 (loses points for vagueness)
When I was at university, I had an Irish friend. I tried to give him a copy of this book as a gift but he politely turned it down. He said the book was too skinny so probably didn't have much in-depth information. I nearly LOL when I read your review, Auben. Looks like my friend was right! 
I have read most of the other books in Cahill's series. While they are generally good, they also tend to be thin on details.
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My Name is Russell Fink by Michael Snyder - 6/7/2008 1:48:27 PM
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kate_paints
Posts: 11
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Published by Zondervan. Very funny. Odd ball characters. Christian message slightly weaved in including the posers as well as the Christ-followers. If you like off-beat humor, Russell, the I-hate-my-job, hypocrodriac sales guy, his Christian actress, bossy girlfriend, his debunked and restored Christian pastor Dad, his "bottled-up" (literally) mom are a hoot. As a Christian, I "got it". I wonder what non-Christians would think of this book. 9
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Thank you God, for all the blessing I so don't deserve. That alone is proof enough for me.
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What a Girl Wants by Kristin Billerbeck - 6/7/2008 1:51:09 PM
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kate_paints
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Funny read by a 30+ Christian lawyer hoping for a "good Christian guy and a Prada bag". The characters are funny. The plot is not always as obvious as you guess. The support for a "different lifestyle" than seen on TV is huge. Very good, light entertainment read with a strong message. 10
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Thank you God, for all the blessing I so don't deserve. That alone is proof enough for me.
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RE: What a Girl Wants by Kristin Billerbeck - 6/7/2008 11:36:03 PM
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uponeagleswings
Posts: 1849
Joined: 4/12/2005
From: Out here in the desert
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Did I miss the titles for the last 2 reviews posted?
I just finished listening to The Last Juror by John Grisham. Its been a while since I've read one of his books, but I think this is one of the best. The story doesn't revolve around the main crime, but he weaves the details of it through the story. I loved his descriptions of a small town in the 70's, and its characters. They felt very real to me. I did bawl like a baby at the ending though (yes, in the car on my way to an appointment).
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RE: What a Girl Wants by Kristin Billerbeck - 6/8/2008 9:18:09 AM
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ta_mosquito
Posts: 11157
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From: from MN, now in Ontario :D
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The poster put them as the title of the post.
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Tricia
"There's a fine line between being open-minded and empty-headed." ~Michael Coren
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RE: What a Girl Wants by Kristin Billerbeck - 6/8/2008 12:33:34 PM
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uponeagleswings
Posts: 1849
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From: Out here in the desert
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Ah, I did miss that. Thank you.
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RE: What a Girl Wants by Kristin Billerbeck - 6/26/2008 2:55:30 PM
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Auben
Posts: 1632
Joined: 4/13/2005
From: Where pines tower and cranberries float
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Honeymoon in Purdah by Alison Wearing
Canadian writer vists Iran with a male friend. Told with good humor, adventure, and compassion. Highly recommended, a very complex and interresting account,
Grade; 9
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Tamara
~Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time~
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RE: What a Girl Wants by Kristin Billerbeck - 6/26/2008 6:33:48 PM
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uponeagleswings
Posts: 1849
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From: Out here in the desert
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Seabiscuit- I forget the author and its gone back to the library already. I really enjoyed this book- I loved learning about the history of horse racing, as well as the history of this particular horse. The descriptions of races were so good I could almost picture them happening.
9/10 nothing objectionable that I remember, but possibly some light cursing.
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RE: What a Girl Wants by Kristin Billerbeck - 7/6/2008 1:47:43 PM
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Auben
Posts: 1632
Joined: 4/13/2005
From: Where pines tower and cranberries float
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The Italian Secretary by Caleb Carr (subtitled The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes).
Disappointing. Holmes, Watson and Mycroft (Sherlock's older brother who works for the government) head up to Scotland to investigate some strange deaths at one of the Queen's ancestral estates. The situation surrounds the ghost of Queen Mary's (Mary, Queen of Scots) Italian Secretary and minstral who was murdered in her chambers. It's not that Carr can't write. I enjoyed the first third and read through it quickly enough. He also brings up one of my favorite side characters, Mycroft, but he spends too long on some scenes (without any reason) and cuts past other scenes that needed to happen with a short explanation. The ending seemed silly.
Grade: barely a 5
Me, Myself, and Bob by Phil Vischer
The Vischer's biography about his life and work with the Veggietales. Very light and fun in the beginning. Interesting technical and business details in the middle. I wasn't as interested in the moral at the end but I know Vischer felt the need to explain himself. I'm sure the mishandling and bankruptcy of Veggietales was very embarrassing for him and he had to wonder where God was during that time.
Interesting in a light way, especially if you like Veggietales or are interested in Christian ministry or business.
Grade: 7.5
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Tamara
~Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time~
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RE: What a Girl Wants by Kristin Billerbeck - 7/31/2008 12:27:47 PM
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Auben
Posts: 1632
Joined: 4/13/2005
From: Where pines tower and cranberries float
Status: online
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Dogwatching
A series of 1-2 page question and answer segments about dogs and their wolfly habits. I felt like I knew much of it but a few things surprised me. Good material for very short reading periods but otherwise only of interest to dog lovers.
Grade: 7 (dogs well explained but questions lack some originality)
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Tamara
~Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time~
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RE: What a Girl Wants by Kristin Billerbeck - 7/31/2008 7:46:07 PM
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uponeagleswings
Posts: 1849
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From: Out here in the desert
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Crashing Through by Robert Kurson. Its the true account of Mike May, a man who was blinded in a freak accident at age 3, lives a very full life for 40 years as a successful blind man, then has an operation at age 46 that restores his vision. Reading the risks involved in the operation (cancer, illness, losing the restored vision, etc) I'm not sure that I would have gone through with it. It sounds odd to say, but Mike had accomplished everything in his life while blind. He was married to a sighted woman, had 2 children, travelled the world, and was working on a business venture. He had no real memory of being able to see. Mike compared it to a "normal" person being offered the chance to have a 6th sense. Would you want the ability to read minds? I don't think I would. At any rate, this book was a neat glimpse into the world of a blind man who spent his life crashing through any barrier he could find. It also included some cutting-edge science about vision and the nature of how we see. Of course, there were some parts of the book that I could have done without- descriptions of women befitting a hormone-crazed teenage boy being the biggest one. However, the science and the story were enough to convince me to overlook the flaws and keep reading.
8/10, some overly enthusiastic descriptions of women's bodies, mention of non-married intimacy, and an overly descriptive scene of him looking over his wife's unclothed body for the first time.
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RE: What a Girl Wants by Kristin Billerbeck - 8/4/2008 3:38:46 PM
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Auben
Posts: 1632
Joined: 4/13/2005
From: Where pines tower and cranberries float
Status: online
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Comfort Me with Apples by Ruth Reichl
More tales from the table. Reichl remembers her years as a food writer for New West, California, and The LA Times. Along the way we meet famous characters like Wolfgang Puck, Alice Waters, and Danny Kaye. Honestly, I didn't enjoy this as much as Tender at the Bone, her memoir of her childhood or Garlic and Sapphires her memoir of food critic for the New York Times. For one thing, Reichl engages in a few affairs (as does her husband) and a lot of the story centers around those. For another there isn't enough of the wonder and madcap humor found in the other two books.
Grade: 7
The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean
A historical novel of a old woman remembering the siege of Leningrad during WWII as she forgets her present day family. She was a tour guide at the Hermitage (the great museum of art and culture with millions of exhibits) and lived there during the starvation time. A meditation on memory and survival with the beauty of art thrown in.
Not too depressing and I loved the setting (I love Russia) but I didn't feel the story fulfilled itself. I felt there was more to remember, more to know. It needed the right note to end on.
Grade: 7
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Tamara
~Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time~
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RE: What a Girl Wants by Kristin Billerbeck - 8/4/2008 3:46:24 PM
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Auben
Posts: 1632
Joined: 4/13/2005
From: Where pines tower and cranberries float
Status: online
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The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters
Famed Berkley chef Alice Waters is one of the originators of the 'fresh revolution,' a way of cooking and eating aimed at using fresh, local ingredients for cooking. This is a very simple, very basic text on ingredients and simple dishes. A wonderful start for learning to cook. These foods are basic eating building blocks.
Sometimes vague in reasoning, but I liked her choice of foods and sauces.
Grade: 8.5
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Tamara
~Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time~
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RE: What a Girl Wants by Kristin Billerbeck - 9/1/2008 8:38:03 PM
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Auben
Posts: 1632
Joined: 4/13/2005
From: Where pines tower and cranberries float
Status: online
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Wild Swans: 3 women of China by Jung Chang
Biography and autobiography of a grandmother, mother, and daughter raised in China over the last hundred years. The grandmother lived at the end of the 'old time' and was the concubine of a warlord general. The mother was raised during the Japanese invasion and the rise of the Communists. The daughter was raised during the cultural revolution.
This is a fascinating book if you're interested in Chinese history. Chang's parents were high communist officials in Sichuan during the '50s and '60s so she has a lot of the inside scoop on the why the Cultural Revolution was started, how it was kept going, and how it effected the people of China. Definitely more understanding of the background of the CR then Bette Bao Lord's anecdotal Legacies (although I loved that as well).
Grade: 9
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Tamara
~Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time~
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RE: Book Reviews - 9/8/2008 1:59:46 AM
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Nocturnalux
Posts: 195
Joined: 6/17/2006
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quote:
ORIGINAL: ta_mosquito
Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
I loved this book so much that I cannot be coherent about is so I shall not even try.
Recently finished "Confessions of a Mask" by Yukio Mishima. It tells the story of a young boy growing up in WWII in Japan. A first person narrative, it dwells on the narrator's experience as he fights highly violent homosexual tendencies with a war background providing a liberation through death that he hopes for. Mishima has been hailed one of the best Japanese writers and I can now understand why it is so. I will be starting Japanese classes soon so perhaps one day I can read this in the original.
This is his first book and it already has enough complexity to get across a very twisted game of deception upon deception to the point that the narrator is a bundle of despair. I usually tend to be more technical regarding books but the best way to describe this is: oozing despair rendered art. Every page drips despair and the end provides to sense of closure, it is as if the account was a bit snatched from a whole and needs no follow up.
Issues are not sugar coated. Despite the subject matter there is hardly any graphic conduct, instead it is a tour de force into a person's twisted mind and a journey into emotional suffering heightened by the fact the nation is on the brink of utter collapse.
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I am an agnostic but I mean no harm.
*Lux et Veritas*
Light, where art thou.
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RE: Book Reviews - 9/8/2008 10:12:47 AM
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Auben
Posts: 1632
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From: Where pines tower and cranberries float
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Hello Nocturnalux! Nice to see you again.
Have you read other Mishimas? What do you think of him?
I read his Sailor Who Fell From Grace From the Sea last year and its stuck with me.
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Tamara
~Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time~
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RE: Book Reviews - 9/8/2008 11:35:16 AM
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Nocturnalux
Posts: 195
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Hi there Auben *waves*
I tried to read some Mishima when I was younger but the translation was somewhat dubious so I ended up giving up. So "Confessions of a Mask" was the first book of his that I actually did read and I am quite happy I did so. Mishima's life seems something straight from a novel, culminating with a ritual suicide and all. He clearly was an interesring personality at any rate and I am looking forward to reading more of his works.
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I am an agnostic but I mean no harm.
*Lux et Veritas*
Light, where art thou.
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RE: Book Reviews - 9/11/2008 6:34:02 PM
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Auben
Posts: 1632
Joined: 4/13/2005
From: Where pines tower and cranberries float
Status: online
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Becoming Madame Mao by Anchee Min
A historical novel of the life of the infamous wife of Chairman Mao who led much of the Cultural Revolution. Lunhe/Ping/Jiang was an interesting character, an actress, with a strong will and a need for strong men. She definitely found her match in Mao and lost herself a bit in the role. I found a lot of this interesting after reading Jung Chang's Wild Swans, but the constant shift between first person and third person narration here gave me a headache. I kept wondering if the difference was in the author's source material (diaries and journals vs. history books). Handy bibliography in the back.
Grade: 7.8
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Tamara
~Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time~
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RE: Book Reviews - 9/21/2008 1:26:00 PM
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Auben
Posts: 1632
Joined: 4/13/2005
From: Where pines tower and cranberries float
Status: online
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Angry Housewives Eating BonBons by Lorna Landvik
Another of Minnesotan writer Landvik's chick novels, this one concerns a book club that meets for 30 years from the '60s-90s. Births, deaths, raising kids, smoking, drinking, sex, politics...you name it. At first it seemed very much like a rerun of Fowler's The Jane Austen Book Club (the different members, their various problems, the lesbian daughter vs the different members, their various problems, the gay son), but after reading 2/3 of the book I thought Landvik was getting a bit more in depth with the characters.
It was a decent book, written in an easy to read style. The characters were interesting and fun. At some point it occurred to me though that anyone not like the title characters was boring or just plain wrong. I had to shake my head. Bonus points for a difficult coming out (gay son telling his mother) scene that I thought was somewhat realistic and for having an interesting take on religion (very liberal but still important to many of the characters), but I couldn't shake my disappointment somehow.
Grade: 7.5
So Brave, Young, and Handsome by Leif Enger
Enger's second novel, the first being the very popular Peace Like a River, one of the few mainstream literary novels to include an obviously Christian message. Highly recommended. If you haven't read it, give it a try.
Despite the title this is not a love story, unless you count a love for the idealized world of cowboys and outlaws. Enger focuses on a young writer with a family in the 1920s. He had great success once but can't seem to do anything new. He meets an older man with a boyish temperment. Turns out he was an outlaw long ago and left his young wife Blue to escape the federales. So starts a cross-country trip to find remarried Blue and gain forgiveness.
There are many themes of forgiveness and grace in this novel. Also a lot of the male temperment, full of action and boast, hope, courtesy and idealism, and how it can fall into sin accidentally and grow sadder and more inflexible through the choices that are made (even for the best reasons).
A gentle novel despite gunfights, horse roping, water pirates, and other feats of daring-do.
Recommended, although it's not as amazingly written as PLaR. It took me a bit longer to get through this. I had a harder time getting into the characters.
Grade: 8.75
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Tamara
~Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time~
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RE: Book Reviews - 9/24/2008 9:29:22 AM
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Auben
Posts: 1632
Joined: 4/13/2005
From: Where pines tower and cranberries float
Status: online
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Kon-Tiki by Thor Heyerdahl
Young student Heyerdahl spent his honeymoon living on a South Sea island for a year and doing everything by hand. As part of his time there he learned many of the stories and myths of the Polynesian people and noticed a marked similarity to many cultural tales and traditions of Western South America. After WWII he theorized that some of the original Polynesians came for SA by balsa raft over 4000 miles of ocean. Basically he was laughed at. So he gathered a group of 6 men and set to work building a raft of the old style and materials and sailing across the Pacific. This is the story of that journey.
It's a great tale. He certainly had me convinced. My only critique is that Heyerdahl underplays every danger and humorous moment. In the hands of another writer this would be a grand adventure tale, instead it's a dryly humorous recounting of a major undertaking. Worth the read if you enjoy adventure or anthropology.
Grade: 8
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Tamara
~Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time~
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