LibraryThing reviews of books in chriscarlson's library)

Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver [reviewed by beata]

Sun, 30 Dec 2007 20:02:00 -0500

beata's review: "too sentimental, about females (not only human) who can live without males"
Harper Perennial (2001), Paperback, 464 pages

The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien [reviewed by TheWellRegarded]

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 23:48:40 -0500

TheWellRegarded's review: "true story - i didn't get it."
Dalkey Archive Press (2002), Edition: Second, Paperback, 200 pages

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller [reviewed by tkraft]

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 23:13:58 -0400

tkraft's review: "Couldn't finish it the author's intention is to confuse and befuddle the reader. One of the books where I just can't understand why it is a classic. I think that nobody wants to admit that they don't understand, so they just say it is a great novel. Don't bother."
Simon & Schuster (1961), Paperback

The Lost Boy: A Foster Child's Search for the Love of a Family by Dave Pelzer [reviewed by itsALIyo]

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 16:07:26 -0500

itsALIyo's review: "this book was good."
HCI (1997), Edition: Revised, Paperback, 250 pages

Pride and prejudice by Jane Austen [reviewed by AnneOtkjaer]

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 08:13:35 -0500

AnneOtkjaer's review: "Min yndlings Jane Austen bog."
London : Gramercy, 2006.

Bait And Switch: The (Futile) Pursuit of the American Dream by Barbara Ehrenreich [reviewed by brianinbuffalo]

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 07:00:11 -0500

brianinbuffalo's review: "The author's undercover pursuits offer some valuable insights, chronicling the challenges that face millions of displaced white collar workers. There are a few truly hilarious anecdotes, sprinkled with some practical advice for folks who find themselves on a job-hunting safari. Unfortunately, Ehrenreich's work becomes almost as tedious as an excruciatingly long job search. She spends far too much time making the same points about the perils of "networking" and career coaches. As an expanded essay or a three-part magazine feature, "Bait and Switch" would be a great resource. But it just doesn't seem to have enough material to justify its book-length girth."
Metropolitan Books (2005), Paperback

To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Perennial Modern Classics) by Harper Lee [reviewed by canarylampshade]

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 08:42:56 -0500

canarylampshade's review: "Without a doubt, my favorite novel. Great pieces of who I am and how I think and feel have their roots in this piece of fiction."
Harper Perennial Modern Classics (2006), Paperback, 336 pages

Utopia (Dover Thrift Editions) by Thomas More [reviewed by JeroenBerndsen]

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 20:08:19 -0500

JeroenBerndsen's review: "Erasmus, misschien wel de grootste humanist uit de geschiedenis, droeg zijn Lof der Zotheid op aan Thomas More. Zo erg was hij onder de indruk van de dosis scherpzinnigheid, eelijkheid en pragmatisme dat in More's hoofd zat. Dat hoofd werd er later afgehakt omdat more er openlijk tegen inging dat Hendrik VIII de kerk van Engeland 'overnam'. Ik vond het heel erg interessant. bedenk maar eens even een ideale maatschappij. Ik zou niet durven... klik beschrijvingen voor de inhoud."
Dover Publications (1997), Edition: New, Paperback, 96 pages

Lord of the flies by William Golding [reviewed by JeroenBerndsen]

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 19:53:32 -0500

JeroenBerndsen's review: "Lord of the Flies heeft een status als klassieker... is dat wel helemaal terecht? Absoluut. Lord of the Flies is een van die zeldzame boeken die je op het puntje van je stoel houdt en je later nog eens in de vorm van angstdromen over de grilligheid van de menselijke natuur komt bezoeken. Golding schets een beeld van aardige op een eiland aangespoelde schooljongens die na na verloop van tijd gaan verwilderen en groepen vormen. Het verhaal is even afgrijselijk als interessant en geloofwaardig. Als je te lui bent om hem in het engels te lezen, lees hem dan in het nederlands. De films die ervan gemaakt zijn halen het in de verste verte niet bij het boek (maar dat is meestal zo)."
Groningen : Wolters-Noordhoff; 232 p, 21 cm; http://opc4.kb.nl/DB=1/PPN?PPN=086853317

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell [reviewed by JeroenBerndsen]

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 17:58:06 -0500

JeroenBerndsen's review: "Gelukkig wordt dit boek nog steeds gelezen op de middelbare scholen, het zou zonde zijn als niemand het meer zou kennen. Het beeld dat orwell schets van een mogelijk toekomstige maatschappij lijkt af en toe even dicht bij te komen. 'Big brother is watching you' gaat tegenwoordig steeds meer op, ook in Nederland. Dit boek is een pamflet voor het niet teveel inleveren van je vrijheid aan de regering en schetst een angstaanjagend beeld van hoe een maatschappij eruit zou kunnen komen te zien...."
Plume (2003), Edition: Centennial, Paperback, 368 pages

Anna Karenina (Oprah's Book Club) by Leo Tolstoy [reviewed by chelseacreature]

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 17:46:05 -0500

chelseacreature's review: "this book needs no testimonial - maybe one of the most perfect works in history. all i want to add is that, although it also does not need oprah's testimonial, i would recommend getting her "version" because it's translated by, in my opinion, the best translators of russian literature, richard pevear and larissa volokhonsky. i would look for their translations of any tolstoy, dostoevsky, or other major russian body of work."
Penguin Classics (2004), Paperback, 864 pages

Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt [reviewed by JeroenBerndsen]

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 17:41:46 -0500

JeroenBerndsen's review: "Misschien was ik te jong of niet in de stemming, maar ik was niet zo onder de indruk, om eerlijk te zijn. dan lees je reviews als 'If this doesn't move you, nothing will' en vrees je even dat je dood bent van binnen. Maar ja, ik vond Amelie ook niet bijzonder goed en zie mezelf wel als filmkenner. Er zijn blijkbaar uitzonderingen die je op de een of andere manier niet aanstaan..."
Simon & Schuster Inc (Paperback)

The Culture of Fear: Why Americans Are Afraid of the Wrong Things by Barry Glassner [reviewed by DevourerOfBooks]

Sat, 09 Jun 2007 15:36:59 -0400

DevourerOfBooks's review: "I first heard about this book in "Bowling for Columbine". No matter what you think about Michael Moore and his politics, however, you should read this book. Glassner looks at how trends and reality are misrepresented by media and politicians and how we are fearing the big, glamorous things that are, in reality, very unlikely to hurt us."
Basic Books (2000), Paperback, 276 pages

The catcher in the rye by J.D. Salinger [reviewed by JeroenBerndsen]

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 16:24:48 -0500

JeroenBerndsen's review: "The catcher in the rye behoeft eigenlijk nauwelijks een introductie. het is een van de meesterwerken van de moderne engelstalige literatuur. Ik weet nog heel goed hoe verbaasd ik was na die eerste bladzijde, 'dit is bepaald geen Dickens!'. Een boek wat je gelezen moet hebben, ik heb er nog weken daarna over na lopen denken, Holden Caulfield (de protagonist) was echt een mysterie voor me geworden. Het boek heeft echt iets met me gedaan (in the non Mark David Chapman sense of the word)... Vertellen waarover het gaat is lastig, maar dat wil ik ook niet.... Een meesterwerk."
New York : The New American Library; 159 p, 19 cm; http://opc4.kb.nl/DB=1/PPN?PPN=056752733

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire [reviewed by DevourerOfBooks]

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 19:22:51 -0400

DevourerOfBooks's review: "In my opinion, Wicked is by far Maguire's best book. The beginning is a little bit slow, but overall it is a very engaging read. Reading Wicked is like reading a different historical perspective of the events of Oz. We see the Wizard of Oz mainly from the point of view of Dorothy, an outsider who has no knowledge of prior events that have taken place. Wicked turns The Wizard of Oz almost into a cautionary tale that many people and nations would be well to heed: you cannot come late into a situation and make accurate assumptions about who is "good" and who is "wicked". Situations are complex and not always what they seem to be."
Regan Books (1996), Paperback, 406 pages

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy [reviewed by mouse612]

Fri, 23 Jun 2006 00:44:21 -0400

mouse612's review: "I thought this was one of those books I should read, however, I couldn't bring myself to care about Anna or any of the other characters by halfway through. I found the writing rather tedious as well. I'll stick to the Russians short stories, I can make it through those."
Signet Book (1985), Mass Market Paperback

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger [reviewed by WrathofAchilles]

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 16:47:21 -0500

WrathofAchilles's review: "I agree with almost every hysterically enraptured youth who discovers this, so I'll not add my two cents."
Back Bay Books (2001), Paperback, 288 pages

Anna Karenina (Signet Classics) by Leo Tolstoy [reviewed by WrathofAchilles]

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 15:18:42 -0500

WrathofAchilles's review: "To say this isn't as good as War and Peace is to have no opinion; to say nothing. In other words, duh. Tolstoy is the grand master of proving the macro by demonstrating the micro."
Signet Classics (2002), Paperback, 960 pages

Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal by Eric Schlosser [reviewed by klg19]

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 18:56:32 -0500

klg19's review: "A great book to read while on a week-long fast."
Houghton Mifflin (2001), Paperback

The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls [reviewed by clik4]

Sun, 05 Nov 2006 19:17:22 -0500

clik4's review: "Hopefully reading this book will allow even dysfunctional families to feel joy in their good fortune. Jeannette tells her story of upbringing by two questionable nomadic and abusive parents; her mother -a free spirited disconnected artist and her father -a brilliant and irresponsible alcoholic. This is a story of remarkable survival by children who are mostly left on their own while the parents uproot the family on whims or paranoid illusions. Jeannette tells of cooking her own meals at age three which result in burns and a hospital visit. She tells the horrific story of being pimped in a bar mixed with the tender memory of her father’s attempt at Christmas gifts by walking each child into the desert and allowing them to pick their own star. Miraculously the book is about the love of a child for her parents regardless of circumstances or their substantial shortcomings and the survival and success against all odds by the children in this family. Published in 2005, The Glass Castle remains on Library Journal’s most checked out top five books."
Scribner (2006), Edition: Reprint, Paperback