Years ago (a long time before the movie which I never saw), I got Garland's "The Beach" from the local library and was completely blown away by it. ThYears ago (a long time before the movie which I never saw), I got Garland's "The Beach" from the local library and was completely blown away by it. That book had a tremendous meaning to me, for reasons that I would be happy to explain if I were reviewing "The Beach" (which I don't even own, shame on me, I shall remedy that immediately).
Because of how much I loved "The Beach", I just had to buy this book when I came across it in the bookstore. And it didn't disappoint me, though it doesn't have the personal meaning that "The Beach" had to me.
The Tesseract is intensely written. From the first scene on, in that sticky and hot hotelroom in Manila, Garland kidnaps the reader into a story that you can almost smell and feel. So yes, it's a good book. But none that had any lasting effect on me, not even one that I can remember much about six years after I first read it, except that I liked it. You won't miss anything if you don't read this book. However, if you do read it, I'm almost certain you won't regret reading it. ...more
Gift from a friend. I never quite get why people would give away books about wine. I mean, you can only learn about wine by drinking it, so wouldn't iGift from a friend. I never quite get why people would give away books about wine. I mean, you can only learn about wine by drinking it, so wouldn't it make more sense to give away the wine? ;-)
Anyway, no one needs a wine guide to be able to "judge" wine. Here's the wine tasting instructions for dummies:
1. Swirl wine in glass. Do it really fast (it's not like you know why you are doing it, so you can enjoy the pretty colors moving instead). Try not to swirl it iout of the glass, though. Pretend that doing it really fast is THE way to do it by looking very blasé at your neighbours.
2. Drink. Make terrible slurping noises and move wine inside your mouth as long. Make more noises.
3. Say: "oh, the barrique" (this is a MUST, no matter where the wine is from), and "and the [insert random other pretentious words, like "sandalwood":], with a hint of [now it's time for the fruits, you can never go wrong with berries, though cherries will do fine to. Lemon, if you are feeling adventurous (and are drinking white wine)
People will be so impressed.
As for us others, the people who like wine and actually enjoy drinking it, not snobbing around talking about it: let's throw the books away, visit some vineyards and drink as many different wines as we can stomach, far far away from the people who follow the wine tasting instructions for dummies above....more
Ok, I'm going to do a standard review for the rest of the Mrs. Murphy books I read, because I really can't think of something smart to say about everyOk, I'm going to do a standard review for the rest of the Mrs. Murphy books I read, because I really can't think of something smart to say about every single one of them. Actually, it's hard to come up with something smart to say about any one of them, because they are not really smart books.
Though, no, that's not true. They aren't trivial as such, they aren't too easy - or, in other words, they don't hurt my brain while I read them. But I think we can all agree that they are also not "great literature", and certainly not intellectually challenging, and as such, they are a bit of a guilty pleasure for me. (that and the talking animals, of course)
But they are pretty straight-forward crime stories, not overly complicated, but also never boring. They live from the interaction of the characters and the settings, both of which Brown handles brilliantly. That she also manages to make the reader fall in love with the characters, not only the familiar ones, but also the new ones she adds in each book, shows that a master she really is.
And so I have no problem admitting that I have read and loved every single one of the Mrs. Murphy books, and I'm convinced that I'll continue to love them for as long as she continues to write them, which I hope will be until forever. ...more
Hmm. I'd have to read it again to remember what was going on, but I'm sure it was good. It's Kathy Reichs. Read my reviews of her more recent books toHmm. I'd have to read it again to remember what was going on, but I'm sure it was good. It's Kathy Reichs. Read my reviews of her more recent books to know why I love her....more
And yet another Kathey Reichs novel where I fail to remember the plot!
I'm so sorry, but I guess it's best that I write down my "reviews" of her novelsAnd yet another Kathey Reichs novel where I fail to remember the plot!
I'm so sorry, but I guess it's best that I write down my "reviews" of her novels in one go, because it sure won't get any better if I wait! *searches evil-anti-gay-overlords at amazon for plot description*
Oh, I think it's the one with the beach and the island and the sex on the boat. Anyhow, I liked it....more
I have no idea how this book ever got into my shelf. Since it is oh-so-cleverly called "All aphorisms", I can now oh-so-cleverly say that I hate "all I have no idea how this book ever got into my shelf. Since it is oh-so-cleverly called "All aphorisms", I can now oh-so-cleverly say that I hate "all aphorisms". I like anecdotes, I like quotes, I like wit - the aphorisms in this book, however, I don't like, because unlike good quotes, anecdotes and other witty sayings, the are annoyingly "educational", in a complete "look what I said/wrote, look how smart I am!" way.
Oceana2602
>
Books:
2003
(7)
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