The 4th installment of the John Carter/Barsoom series. I continue to be entertained by each and every tale Burroughs tells. I think this one has been The 4th installment of the John Carter/Barsoom series. I continue to be entertained by each and every tale Burroughs tells. I think this one has been my favorite so far!
This story branches away from John Carter and Deja Thoris to focus on Carthoris and Thuvia - each played parts in the earlier stories. What was great is that it was not that hard to jump right into. The last two installments took much longer for me to get comfortable with.
I love Burroughs' imagination. His creations hop off the page effortlessly and without feeling forced or silly. Also, the plot points throughout are clearly allegories for life on Earth at the time he wrote it (race, social status, wealth, bravery, ego, etc.) It's like each character is a parable our cautionary tale - this has been a part of every book so far. Very fascinating!
If you are a sci fi fan and want to read the classics - this is it! Read this series! ...more
Steinbeck does it again. All my experiences with his writings have been fantastic. Every word, every description, every plot point, every twist - perfSteinbeck does it again. All my experiences with his writings have been fantastic. Every word, every description, every plot point, every twist - perfect!
The Pearl is very short but very amazing. It is a tale of greed and how people around wealth or who come upon sudden wealth are affected. Many of us think our life would be perfect if we won the lottery, but I think all of us could benefit from the lessons in this story.
I picked this book now because I am on vacation in Hatteras, NC, and the locations along the sea seemed like they would blend well with my surroundings. I was correct! Many key scenes occur at or in the ocean, and reading this while my toes were in the surf added so much to the atmosphere.
Do yourself a favor and take a quiet afternoon, get away to somewhere (a beach if possible), and read The Pearl. Your literary senses will thank you!...more
The Alchemist is an interesting little spiritual fable. A little bit of several religions have an influence on the journey to enlightenment. 3.5 Stars
The Alchemist is an interesting little spiritual fable. A little bit of several religions have an influence on the journey to enlightenment. Not a whole lot of exposition as the author gets right to the point throughout. It should be a quick read (unless you don't care for it - and I have seen many less than satisfied reviews).
When I read this I was reminded a lot of Siddhartha. I read that one earlier this year so I have it fresh in my brain. Both of them are short novels (novellas, really) that tell about a simple and fairly unremarkable boy going through many encounters to find ultimate enlightenment. With this being the case, if you liked Siddhartha, I think that not only will you like this, you should read it for sure!
With that, I will end my review - leaving it short, just like the book!...more
This has to be one of the best and most complete books I have ever read. Each element - plot, characters, twists, suspense, climax - all of it, perfecThis has to be one of the best and most complete books I have ever read. Each element - plot, characters, twists, suspense, climax - all of it, perfect! If I had one criticism, it might be a slightly slow start, but with the awesome payoff, that is hardly worth mentioning.
The plot - I have to be honest, I judged a book by its cover and title. I thought, okay, "Rebecca", an elegant woman, a curly font, probably another cheesy classic romance. I'll read it because it is one you are supposed to read, but I doubt I will think it is great. I have never been so wrong. Mystery, intrigue, deception, subterfuge, twists, turns, misunderstandings, accusations, threats, etc. etc. etc. So much is happening in this story, and it is great!
The characters - each character plays their part very well. Because of the nature of the plot, you may not quite ever be sure who some of them really are - and, perhaps, you will be left to make some judgements on your own. Also, this book has two characters that are the essence of love to hate - one because they are a total a-hole, and the other because they are creepy as hell! I don't know what it is, but I often feel like authors frequently have a hard time getting easily hateable characters right. That is far from the case here - they are perfect!
Suspense and Mystery - I will keep this short to avoid spoilers. This book has about 7 big climaxes/revelations. Every second between those will have you on the edge of your seat. Others will catch you completely off guard. I can guarantee you will catch yourself holding your breath.
So, in summary, I loved it! It was great! Read it! Don't be like me and think "meh, a classic named Rebecca - probably boring" It is not! It is awesome!...more
Today is the first full day of my Beach vacation. Here is my view:
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Today I finished reading Jaws and this is all I see:
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So . . . Maybe notToday is the first full day of my Beach vacation. Here is my view:
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Today I finished reading Jaws and this is all I see:
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So . . . Maybe not the best timing!
Jaws is an easy and cheesy read. I have seen the movie before and figured it would mainly be suspense. But, there is a whole lot of melodrama and naughty romance, too. Also, it is very dated and you can just feel the 70s oozing out of the dialogue.
In some cases, the things I mentioned in my previous paragraph might be considered bad. But, in this case I think they add to the charm, entertainment, and sometimes silliness of the book. Combined, it is just a fun and easy getaway. Like going to a Ripley's Believe It Or Not museum: your are appalled, you are terrorized, you are scandalized, and all you want is more!
Read it for a fun getaway - if you want deep meaning, you will want to look elsewhere....more
Finally read this classic. Glad to be in the know!
I can see why this has stood the test of time. The story is easy to get into and keeps your attentioFinally read this classic. Glad to be in the know!
I can see why this has stood the test of time. The story is easy to get into and keeps your attention throughout. It seems like any person, young or old, rich or poor, popular or outcast could empathize or sympathize the themes. Finally, the key climax points are done very well and hit you right in the feels!
Another thought I had while reading is this is another one of the young adult fore fathers. We now take for granted that every week there will be 10 new YA titles to pique our interest. Back when this came out, the YA gems were few and far between. Reading this should be a right of passage for YA fans everywhere....more
Have you ever seen something noted because it is a representation of a specific thing? For example, a building might be marked with a plaque as a perfHave you ever seen something noted because it is a representation of a specific thing? For example, a building might be marked with a plaque as a perfect representation of a type of architecture. Well, this book should be marked with a plaque as a perfect prose example of America in the late 50s/early 60s. The thoughts, ideas, acceptable social standards, treatment of women, etc. are so vivid and strongly represented, but soooooo dated!
The book is very interesting, but mainly held my attention the way a trainwreck would. I spent most of the book exclaiming "NO, Rabbit, NO!", "Why would you do that, Rabbit!?", "How can anyone put up with you, Rabbit!?", "Do you really feel like none of this is your fault, Rabbit!?", etc. Needless to say, Rabbit is a guy that needs some serious help!
This is not a book for everyone - especially if you don't like uncomfortable relationships. I spent some of the book thinking it is great and some of it thinking it is terrible. In the end, the terrible only made me want to see more (again, trainwreck), so I settled on the 4 star rating.
Also, I am looking forward to seeing what insanity Rabbit gets up to in the rest of the series as so much is left unanswered....more
This was a 4 star book based on what it represents, the history of the genre, and my enjoyment of travel.
From the get go, this is a stream of conscioThis was a 4 star book based on what it represents, the history of the genre, and my enjoyment of travel.
From the get go, this is a stream of consciousness romp through North America. It seems like almost every city in the United States is mentioned at least once as Sal Paradise tells of his travels, the people he meets, those who join him, and his wild vagabond companion Dean Moriarity. I don't feel like the style of this book will appeal to everyone and I can easily see many losing interest part way in. But, if you are a fan of travelling in America, a scholar of literary genres, a hipster, and/or grew up in the 50s travelling the great American highways before interstates, you will find something in here for you.
There is also a lot of jazz influence in the writing. Several times the writing comes to a stop for an onomatopoedic side trip to a jazz club. This was especially interesting as I was listening to the audio.
Dean Moriarity - if nothing else, this book is worth it for Dean. The fact that Dean was based on a real person (Kerouac's friend Neal Cassady) makes his hijinks and destructive personality even more interesting. I am sure that he is a character that is idolized by some who read this, which is a bit scary! (Reminds me of those who idolize Alexander Supertramp from Into the Wild)
An interesting thing that happened while listening to this is twice I thought "this is reminding me of Hemingway" and less than a minute later, Hemingway is mentioned. It really reminded me of The Sun Also Rises and Wkipedia mentions that Kerouac did intentionally use the style of that book for On The Road.
Finally, as mentioned above, Kerouac based this on his life While listed as fiction, up until the final draft, the main characters had real names. The draft the Kerouac used was on long scroll without formatting or paragraph breaks. I mentioned the jazz influence and Kerouac apparently used the scroll in this way to mimic improvisational jazz. Sometimes the scroll can be seen on display - see photo below:
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All in all a very interesting book with very interesting characters and a very interesting history....more
It is not possible to write a review for Finnegan’s Wake like I normally write my reviews. Instead, I will do a list of bullet point thoughts I had alIt is not possible to write a review for Finnegan’s Wake like I normally write my reviews. Instead, I will do a list of bullet point thoughts I had along the way and after finishing.
- First, I can already tell this is one of those books that some are going to be really into for its classic cultural impact and relevancy. Because of this, my two stars might “offend” or cause some to reply “you just don’t get it!”. Well, that’s true . . . I didn’t get it and I don’t mean to irritate fans of the book. This is all just based on my experience. - The book is completely unreadable. See my various status updates. - I consumed every word in this book. I understood very few. - The first, and maybe only fully cohesive and meaningful sentences were on page 614. I did a double take because I understood all the sentences! “What has gone? How it ends? Begin to forget it. It will remember itself from every sides[sic], with all gestures, in each our word. Today’s truth, tomorrow’s trend. Forget, remember!” - Occasionally during the book, some parts would kind of make sense and then I would stop and look in the sentences around them for context – I could never find it. - My auto-correct and spell check hate me after all the status updates I did. Almost every word I had to tell it to ignore autocorrect so that I could quote the actual “words” from the book. Also, since Auto-correct and predictive text use machine learning, I now get some pretty odd suggestions when typing! - I get the impression that maybe if I had a grasp of some Irish dialects, I would have understood parts of the book more - Why not 1 star? 1) I am impressed that Joyce managed to convince someone to publish this 2) I am impressed with the amount of dedication he put into this book and making something that at least made sense to him. - I cannot imagine what editors thought when they first saw this. I also wonder what happened every time this had to be put into print or transcribed into a new format. - If I turned in this exact same manuscript for publishing, I would be laughed right out of the publisher’s office. - I see there is an audiobook version – I am not sure how that is even possible. - At first, I tried to read online study guides along with my progress. When I have done that with other books, I was able to correlate the two. With Finnegan’s Wake, nothing in the study guides looked even remotely familiar – it was like I was reading a completely different story. - I do plan some follow-up research on this to see if I can figure out “why?” and make some sense of this book. - Part of me really thinks that this was a big joke by Joyce – i.e. “I bet I can give them this load of nonsense and they will publish it!” - I only recommend this book if you are on some sort of mission to complete a must-read list or to just be able to say “I READ ALL OF FINNEGAN’S WAKE!” I am kind of in both of these categories. ...more
I cannot believe I just realized now I did not have this book marked as read! I read this back in high school and loved it!
For those thinking about trI cannot believe I just realized now I did not have this book marked as read! I read this back in high school and loved it!
For those thinking about trying Ayn Rand, this is a good intro book considering it is only a little over 100 pages and her other popular titles (mainly talking about Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead) are quite daunting in their length.
Now, in the past I have had trouble reviewing Ayn Rand because she is controversial. Usually this leads to people not being able to separate a review of a book from a political statement. Since I don't like arguing politics and figure everyone is entitled to their opinion, I will again attempt to avoid putting any sort of political spin on this one - but it may not be completely avoidable.
For me, this book is in the same category as 1984 and Brave New World. It is a commentary on where we might be going if we are not careful. In this book, the main issue is loss of self in forced servitude to the larger governmental machine. The writing is creative and riveting enough that it is very easy to finish this in one sitting.
Check out Anthem and read it with an open mind (even if it doesn't match your politics) and I think you will find an interesting, enjoyable, and thought provoking classic....more
The Incredible Shrinking Man is just okay. When comparing it to some of the other Matheson I have tried, it is not my favorite. There are parts3 Stars
The Incredible Shrinking Man is just okay. When comparing it to some of the other Matheson I have tried, it is not my favorite. There are parts that are very good and thought provoking, but generally it felt slow and repetitive.
The Good and Thought Provoking:
What would it be like if you were the same person, but started to shrink? You feel the same, but others start to see and treat you differently. You are an adult, but now you are being bullied by kids who think you are one of them, become the prey of pedophiles, lost intimacy with your spouse because now you are the size of a child, become a sideshow act for society, etc. As the protagonist was dealing with each of these scenarios, I wondered myself how I would handle it in his shoes.
The Slow and Repetitive:
There is time jumping between current time where the protagonist is trapped in a basement back to reflections on his phases of shrinking. Most of the basement scenes brought the narrative to a halt for me. While they were right on the edge of being suspenseful, they felt a bit stale to me (kind of like the crackers he spends a lot of time trying to retrieve). While the story of his shrinking progresses nicely, the story in the basement did not feel like it had progressed much at all by the time I got to the end of the book.
I am sure some of you may enjoy the basement scenes more than I did, but for me the book was definitely worth it for the thought-provoking “what ifs” caused by the protagonists increasingly diminutive stature. If you like Matheson and dark sci-fi in general, it is worth giving it a try. ...more
I enjoyed it. I did not like it quite as much as some of the other big classics I have read, but it was veryOver 1200 pages of suffering and revenge!
I enjoyed it. I did not like it quite as much as some of the other big classics I have read, but it was very good. The two things that brought it down a bit for me were:
- It felt a bit more drawn out than it needed to be. At a couple of points I was ready for Dumas to get to the point. - Some of the plot was very convoluted. While this did lend itself well to the Count's intricate plotting, I would occasionally get to a chapter and say, "Wait, what!?" A few times I tried to reorient myself with chapter summaries online, but stopped after it became difficult to avoid spoilers.
With all the negative out of the way, I will say that is was definitely a great book. At times it was riveting. At others it was clever. At pretty much all times it was dark and seemingly hopeless. The unabridged is great because it has everything as Dumas wanted it, but it does require quite a bit of commitment.
Final judgement: A must for those who want to read all the classics, but probably a bit much for the causal reader. ...more
This review is being posted mainly because of the awesome backstory. I actually had to read this twice in high school and didn't care for it much eithThis review is being posted mainly because of the awesome backstory. I actually had to read this twice in high school and didn't care for it much either time.
But, here comes my great story!
When I was a sophomore in high school I went out with this girl who eventually dumped me and gave the reason that she was only going out with me until the guy she really liked showed interest in her. A real downer!
Fast forward to senior year . . .
I was in theater and I just so happened to do shows at the all girls school where the aforementioned girl went. After a performance (I was Albert Peterson in Bye Bye Birdie), she came up to me and said that she needed to talk to me and that she was interested in me attending prom with her!?? WHAT!?? I hadn't talked to her in a couple of years . . . my mind was blown!
I said yes, but I was skeptical . . .
While at prom she sat me down for "the talk". She said that she felt terrible for what she did to me. She said that while reading The Awakening, she started to realize that I was really good to her and being the place holder for this other guy was not fair to me. *VINDICATED!* She wrote an essay about what she had done to me and how the book had opened her eyes (an awakening, perhaps???). This essay ended up winning some sort of state-wide competition. *Feeling pretty great by this point!*
Epilogue
She came up to me at the end of the prom and asked me if she could leave with another guy who she has been kind of interested in for awhile . . . (you can't make this stuff up!) So, I got my vindication, but history repeated itself - at least I wasn't officially dating her this time!...more
Misery, duplicity, revenge, unhealthy family relationships - Wuthering Heights has it all!
Whenever I hear the name Brontë, I start thinking about clasMisery, duplicity, revenge, unhealthy family relationships - Wuthering Heights has it all!
Whenever I hear the name Brontë, I start thinking about classic books, with ladies and gentlemen courting each other . . . but, I guess I need to stop confusing Brontë with Austin.
This book is brutal. Every page is an argument, a dark plot, a deathly ill character, or an actual death. There is no joy in Wuthering Heights!
Writing wise, it was pretty good. Not my usual style, but I like to knock out a classic every now and then....more
Entertaining little story. I know I am not the intended audience at this point in my life, but it takes me back to when I was a kid and read Charlie aEntertaining little story. I know I am not the intended audience at this point in my life, but it takes me back to when I was a kid and read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, and Danny Champion of the World. I used to really enjoy Dahl's books and it has been a long time since I have read one.
This one was less story and more silly wordplay and fantasy. Towards the end it gets into a storyline, but at least the first half is mainly just a conversation between the BFG and Sophie. It is fun, but gets a bit repetitive.
Also, I noticed that there was quite a lot of violence and racial stereotyping that would probably be controversial in a children's book by today's standards. This is just an observation, not me being the book police!
All that aside - it was silly, it was fun, it was a romp through the imagination. I definitely enjoyed this little fantastical getaway, even if it isn't my favorite Dahl book....more
So, this is going to be my most confusing review to date and I am going to need some help from people who read this, Updated 8/26/2016 - Update at end
So, this is going to be my most confusing review to date and I am going to need some help from people who read this, so please reply if you know! (see below)
I read this for my Completest Book Club. I am glad I did because it is a classic I hear about all the time. If you take the Never-ending Book Quiz on Goodreads, it seems like every other question is about Little Women. While for me this book was just okay, I can see why it is a classic and enjoyed by many.
My confusion is this. I am only about 50% of the way through my audio copy of Little Women. As I was posting my status update last night I was noticing some comments that led me to believe I am now in what is considered the second book "Good Wives". My audiobook does not say anything, other than that I am in Part 2. In doing some research, I found that frequently audiobooks combine the first two books. My goal was only to read Little Women, so if I am truly in book 2, I am ready to stop.
See spoiler for details about where I am: (view spoiler)[Meg just got married, and it is my understanding that is how Good Wives starts (hide spoiler)]
Update: So, I did finish part two (Good Wives). It definitely had a different feel. Almost like Little Women was meant to be read by 8 to 12 year olds and Good Wives was meant to be read by 12 to 19 year olds. While my star rating did not change, I did like getting a chance to "finish" the story of the little women. It felt like there was less filler, and that was either because there was, or because I was getting used to the writing and the story.
I probably would have rated this higher if it was the type of book I would normally be into. But, I am glad that I now have this classic under my belt!...more
"This damned burg's getting me. If I don't get away soon I'll be going blood-simple like the natives."
One man vs a town mired in corruption where the "This damned burg's getting me. If I don't get away soon I'll be going blood-simple like the natives."
One man vs a town mired in corruption where the only answers can be found with gunfire and explosives. Action packed from page one while keeping the reader guessing how each of the plethora of interesting characters is involved in the shady goings-on. A really great crime drama - easy to see why it has classic status.
I listened to this one and it is the perfect way to take in these classic crime dramas. The narrator does the stereotypical hard boiled detective delivery of the dialogue which enhances the experience ten-fold. I am not saying I don't think this would be a great reading experience, too, I just really enjoy hearing this type of narration.
Lots of really great quotes in this book. I have included a couple here, but it is worth looking at the quotes page on Goodreads to see more.
"Be still while I get up or I'll make an opening in your head for brains to leak in."
Also, after reading this I did some research on the background of this book. It is interesting to see that it was based on some of Hammett's experiences with actual events. In addition to that, the book has had an influence on a wide variety of films, tv shows, and other stories; a true pop culture origin point.
Be sure to give this one a shot it might blow you away. (Puns fully intended)...more
As someone who grew up in the 90s, this was in my head the whole time I read this:
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I have never seen the movie (update: I finally did see the moAs someone who grew up in the 90s, this was in my head the whole time I read this:
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I have never seen the movie (update: I finally did see the movie shortly after reading the book), so the only idea I had in my mind is this iconic image of Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly:
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But, what I actually got was this:
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Holly is crass and obnoxious with really no redeeming qualities. She is rude to her enemies, and even worse to her friends. She smokes to excess, drinks to excess, is promiscuous to excess - she is just wild, crazy, and destructive.
Reading this was like watching a train wreck - but I kind of liked it. I couldn't look away!...more
Fantastic storytelling. A great classic Western. All the elements needed:
- A dark and mysterious stranger - A passionate narrator - The oppression of thFantastic storytelling. A great classic Western. All the elements needed:
- A dark and mysterious stranger - A passionate narrator - The oppression of the little people - The evil cattle Baron - Gunslingers - Clever one liners - Riding off into the sunset
Even if you don't like westerns, if you enjoy a good, well-written story I think you will enjoy this one. (also, it isn't very long so it is a nice quick read)...more
Holy cow! I am done! Not sure what to say . . . I feel like I should write a 1000 page review, but I will keep it short.
I finished the book while a pHoly cow! I am done! Not sure what to say . . . I feel like I should write a 1000 page review, but I will keep it short.
I finished the book while a passenger in a mini-van stuck in horrible Atlanta traffic.
The book was not quite as readable as some other BIG books I have read, but still pretty good. What amazed me is how few specific events occurred during the 1000+ pages - Tolstoy was just really detailed in describing the events. Only a few times, though, did I feel like it was too much.
This book may not be for everyone, but it sure feels cool to be able to say "War and Peace? Yeah, I read that!"...more
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