Reviews by chuckmuck

I enjoy books like this, the ones that take you to a different time & place and make you feel a part of it. I loved that the tone seemed to stay light even though the subject was dark and heavy. It was very well balanced it was serious and upbeat at the same time, it could have so easily began to drag but it never did.

I saw a lot of my own attitude in Francie and even her family seemed much like mine, the strong characters and links of her female relatives. The way it was the women that pulled together and got through, so very like my own family.

Bryson gives a quick, funny, nostalgic glimpse into his 1950s childhood. I saw a review comparing this book to Jean Sheperd's, A Christmas Story, and would agree that the two are very similar in style. Full of familiar (even to those that came along later like me) items and events from the 50s.

I liked the concept of this book very much, twins are born one is perfect and one is not, what do you do? How does your decision effect your life? your family's? The story was good, although to me, there were places where it seemed to stretch the bounds of normal human reactions. It was a fast read, I finished it in 2 sittings.

Another, quick, easy book. It was a good story, if typical of this genre. It was my first time reading a Tess Gerritsen book and I liked it, she set a spooky tone, it was not too far fetched and it was very easy to get into.

It is a dark, sometimes gory adventure through many familiar fairy tales with new twists. Although it was somewhat predictable I enjoyed it and it was a quick, easy read.

It came close but didn't quite do it for me. I can't put my finger on exactly what put me off, there was much about the book I did like but somehow I did finish not caring much for the book. Maybe I should have started with a different Murakami book, I've heard so much about him and was very curious about his books. I did not have any issue with the writing itself, I think mostly I didn't care for the main character Kafka Tamura, although I really enjoyed many of the other characters, Oshima & Nakata were really the ones that captured my attention and pulled me through the story. I will definitely try more Murakami books but was less than thrilled with this one.

I did not like this book as much as I liked the Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go, I did not feel interested in the story until I was nearing the end, I don't think I would have continued on had I not enjoyed his previous books I'd read.

I really didn't care for the main character, Christopher. at all (I don't think you were supposed to) seemed he wasn't as well liked by the other characters either but they more or less humored/tolerated him and he did not see it this way (there were hints at his mistaken perception of himself and his relationships with others) and so while I do think Ishiguro intended for the characters and story not to be liked in the traditional sense, I don't think that it worked for me and the whole thing dragged and slightly annoyed me.

I enjoyed it. I thought it was an amusing, quick, easy read. I enjoyed the characters and snickered at several of the scenes of family drama. I don't know if I'd read it again or consider it a favorite but I was not disappointed by it at all, it was just as I had expected it to be.

This book deals very bluntly, vividly and honestly with the tough topic of the author's rape during her freshman year of college. Sexual assault has touched the lives of so many and yet so few will talk about it or truely listen to those that do share their experiences. I think Sebold did a remarkable job of sharing hers and it will resonate with many.

I really wanted to like this book, being a plant person with some interest in orchids and a small knowledge of their history. The book did have some interesting information, too bad it was buried in all the filler or repeated so many times you wondered if the book had an editor and if that editor bothered to read it or just skimmed through. I would think 1/3-1/2 could have been trimmed off and not taken any of the story away. It was as if whole paragraphs were copied & pasted again and again throughout the book.