for the chicks; happy ending for the heroine

the cliffhanger literary device is excruciatingly overused, distracts from an otherwise engrossing story

I think I read/looked through it 10 times in a row and haven't seen it since, but I still remember the pictures

a good resource but results depend on the effort invested--currently none on my part

Book 1, eh? Engaging but too much from left field.

the subject matter is hard to read, a bombardment of abuse of the main character, ugh; incites the same reaction as Bonfire of the Vanities did; a favorite scene: Emma vs. Mrs. Machado, too bad it was only about 2 pages long; I didn't like this book but decided that it warrented 2 stars for the massive size, partial credit to the author for effort

although the main position is simplistic in its assumption by glossing over practicalities of execution the supporting research is fairly solid in itself, should be required reading for dudes

The fiction was okay but more interesting was the historical fact upon which the fiction floats. We learned nothing in elementary school history of the slavery & suppression Spaniards subjected upon the civilizations they met on this continent. What would their world be like if Cortez' force had been at all sensitive to preserving culture and life?

This book described the PCT-crazy people I was surrounded by at the time. All the little nutty details like comparing the weight of everything down to the last ounce...they're true! Hilarious.

I haven't read the Secret Sharer portion yet but for the Heart of Darkness part...plodding. Very profound, very deep, but maybe I watched too much tv while still in my malleable childhood and have too short of an attention span; man, this was hard to finish. I was more moved by the impression that J. Conrad was trying so hard to describe an indescribable sense of something, than the actual something he was describing. I think many other books present the same subject while also being entertaining - does that make me uncivilized? So many people loved this book. Why don't I?

Ah, the Orson Scott Card style, the nearly stream-of-consciousness narration describing every thought and hidden motivation. A very nice fleshing-out of the Biblical tale.

really clever and chuckle-worthy. wish i'd pursued this author when i was younger because it would've made me laugh out loud.

a disappointment. the author's intricate sci-fi gave me high hopes for her fantasy (bujold jumps between the genres with astonishing skill) but this series clunks.

I know an author! I have the author photo credit!

wow. some descriptions hit a little close to home....

starkly written but beautifully fleshed. with sensitivity for the plight of the female pro/antagonists, a bit surprising and endlessly hopeful to me that it was written by a man from this culture. although written as fiction, evidenced by the too-nice ending, i have no doubt it represents the true brutal stories of countless women.

all 3 main characters desire a trusting intimacy but 2 are thwarted. the first wife is betrayed by her husband, the husband sabotages himself. he is a product of his culture. i think...better to be in this dr.phil-everyone-an-amateur-psychoanalyst than to have to stumble along solo as many patriarchal societies force their increasingly aging patriarchs to do, who wonder why their base is crumbling around them and unable to bring themselves to adapt.

hilarious! a memoir of a time that must be cringe-inducing for the author now but at the time was so serious and important to him, all with dry british wit, interspersed with a metal primer. i now know the correct way to dress metal, and the 6 steps of putting on a metal show (actual playing is last).

This is even better than the excerpts from NPR. Such a bitter/sour perspective, had me laughing

This author is wonderful. A tale set long before the events of her Alanna series. She doesn't shy from some unlovely aspects of life but since this is for teens, her heroes are quite noble and her villains are quite despicable.

A good sequel with its own twist/surprise.

notions of honor, friendship, love, justice, gender

I have the same impression of Heart of Darkness, where it's highly regarded and profound but I don't quite grasp.

No mention at all about the most famous tragic occurance associated with the Donner party, but fascinating in its own right as a quick memoir of a very difficult journey. It was originally written as an article for some journal or newspaper.

Wonderful, historical. Provides context for so many defining objects, people, places, events. It made the next walk through downtown Chicago into a neck-craning, wondering experience.

Perhaps I was too harsh with Manhunt since this author used the same device of inferring the crime scene through the eyes of the criminal. Larson's sparing use made it much less irritating.

starts out as flip as Bone in Throat, but takes a sudden hard right into Hamlet. same as BinT, beach-towel skimmer

fun to read, similar to Hell Bent for Leather but without the dry British wit (slightly heavier American humor) and no actual instrument. looking back on it, I was surprised at how little actual story there was because I was engaged enough to zip through. there could be more about the psychology behind his persona.

Bonus!: the little dude in the bottom right corner of the right hand pages does a flip-book show

my memories of this story has faded gently, like a quilt after many washings, but I still remember the surge of conscientious patriotism it evoked. of course she should walk to DC with a flag whose very condition symbolized the country! of course she'll defeat those arrayed against her, all with peace! U-S-A! U-S-A!

i don't recall the flag being magical, just that it inspired through visions...which could be called magical...I guess. if only there really was a magical flag hanging in the Oval Office that reminded leaders of their duty....

love the premise, magic acting through spices. the heroine is supposed to use her training and powers for her own people but compassion leads her to help all who come to her--a lesson in diversity? a dreamy lilt to the tone of the writing, charming word arrangement (is English the author's second language?), an ending that reminds me of that one Batman villain from the animated series who wants to destroy the world so it can heal itself over (Razul?). the love story part is on the verge of silly but silliness does seem to be inherent in the most touching love stories

i couldn't get into it. so acclaimed, so popular, so unread by me.... i loved 1k splendid suns - identify more with the women's plight than the difficulties of friendship between two young boys.

the author's my buddy!

12/2/08 I just saw the movie and I liked it quite a bit better than the book. The dialogue wasn't terrific, Edward wasn't quite as suave as I'd imagined, plenty of cheese...but they cut most of Bella's whine, Edward's push/pull coy act, trimmed down the story to the more touching bits. One scene that I really liked - a little montage sequence showing them talking until Bella fell asleep...awwww.

8/08 The cover illustration caught my eye first, cheers to the publisher Little, Brown and Company. Then I began seeing raving review after rabid review on goodreads. Then I hear of midnight release parties for the 4th book in the series. I'm wondering what the heck is going on...then I learn it's teen fiction. Rad. I've been rediscovering the teen fic section (with the occasional "whoa, too much sex!, this doesn't belong in the teen section!"). Then I read this standard human/vampire love story and winced, because I can see myself as a teen just loving this book. Ugh.

My inner teen adored Twilight's unrealistic description of sudden, raging passion. One function of fiction is to present what we might be wistful for...like unreasoning perfection of love without effort or compromise, outside trials to overcome together that reinforce the bond, learning you're somehow special or have special powers (in this case both - Bella smells enticing to the boy/man of her dreams and turns out to be resistant to other vampires' special powers).

But, butbutbut, Bella is so WEAK! She may be clumsy show more but does she really have to be rescued every time? How about rescuing herself sometimes? I also got the impression that she was mentally deficient, incapacitated by her obsession with Edward. It wasn't love, it was stupid. I really wanted to like this story. It seemed like every little quality that might be endearing or story-enhancing (her clumsiness, his beauty, her supposed selflessness, their attraction to each other) was exaggerated and draaaawwwwn out to the point of having to put the book down to take breaks from the ridiculousness. It could have been salvaged by throwing in the little things that give the foundation to actual love instead of trying to keep it so dramatic and gaspingly humongously achingly disgustingly romantic (and failing). It's like...trying to erect the house without first putting down any foundation.

I have hopes for the movie. Time limitations will tighten up the tale and the previews look promising. The actors look as wide-eyed and chiseled-featured as described in the book. As for actually reading the rest of the books, I might stick to the flaming goodreads reviews - the rants have to be more entertaining than the rest of the series. My favorite so far rants about the inevitable love child's name and offers a few alternatives (Bedward, hahaa!). show less

sad story!