| büke title |
arthur |
date red |
knotes |
| Holidays on Ice |
David Sedaris |
12/2003 |
Part uproarious, part tongue-in-cheek, completely over-the-top.
Once you've tired of gifts, eggnog and holiday cheer, read this little number for the more
commercialized and dysfunctional side of Christmas. If for no other reason, read this for Sedaris's take on life as an elf working for a Macy's department store Santa. |
| Bleachers |
John Grisham |
12/2003 |
Hmm... On a number of occasions while reading this book, I found
myself asking questions like, "Why do I care?" and "Is there a point anywhere in our midst?" I didn't hate it, but I guess I just didn't *get it*, as the saying goes. When you are in High School, it seems like everything you do is going to make or break your future; every step you take is going to have a permanent impact on the rest of your life. And some folks never escape that time of their life. If you are a die-hard Grisham fan, you will probably enjoy this venture into non-legal fiction. If you are like me and start feeling like this book is a thinly written, commercial stop-gap to keep his name on the Best-Seller's list, you can skip ahead to pages 149, 158 and 159, as that's where Grisham finally blurts out the point of this story...with all the preachy subtlety of a right hook to the face. That way, you can skip the other 160 pages devoted to small town folks trying to determine whether or not a High School football coach is a hero. Otherwise, you can probably just wait for the inevitable movie adaptation. |
| The Hanged Man's Song |
Josh Sandford |
12/2003 |
I guess my problem here is that I don't like books wherein everything goes just right for the main characters. A little bit of luck is fine, but I could
handle a bit more realism than what is inside The Hanged Man's Song. This is not to say
the book is *bad* by any means or that I did not enjoy it. Quite the contrary; I enjoy Sandford's
writing style and he presents the reader with a wide array of intriguing characters. This one just
didn't weigh well on the believability scale. Maybe I just don't give the government and
middle-aged hackers enough credit, or maybe my personal experiences with human nature involve a
lot less logic and a lot more unpredictability. |
| The Dogs of Babel |
Carolyn Parkhurst |
12/2003 |
Brutal, yet hauntingly beautiful. This marks the first time I've ever read an entire book in two days. |
| Depraved Indifference |
Robert K. Tanenbaum |
12/2003 |
Never mind that last review wherein I made the comment about Mr. T.'s writing not being as complex as it is now. This, his second book, is a maze of characters and
plotlines that span the globe and its political organizations. I found myself re-reading pages
several times and almost resorting to drawing flow charts just to keep up with what goes on. This
book also describes one of the single most original and downright hilarious bedroom scenes I have ever read. You will never see grape jelly in quite the same light ever again. |
| No Lesser Plea |
Robert K. Tanenbaum |
11/2003 |
Reading this book -- which is Tannenbaum's first -- right after
reading Resolved: A Novel -- which is Tannenbaum's latest -- illustrates just how far
Mr. T. has matured as a writer. While certainly a great read, No Lesser Plea is not nearly as complex and layered as his later works. It's fun to see Butch Karp and Company running around
acting like kids, though. |
| Resolved: A Novel |
Robert K. Tanenbaum |
10/2003 |
Feels like it runs out of gas a little at the end, as the "Now Again" section seems more like an Epilogue. Otherwise, it's your typical, well-done Tanenbaum novel. It's amazing how much mileage he gets out of his central characters. |
| Absolute Rage |
Robert K. Tanenbaum |
9/2003 |
Makes me thankful that I don't live on this side of the cultural warp... |
| Enemy Within |
Robert K. Tanenbaum |
8/2003 |
I enjoyed this all the way up until they went into the tunnels after the "street people". Then, Tanenbaum went and killed off Sweetie. I'm still pissed. |
| True Justice |
Robert K. Tanenbaum |
8/2003 |
My first Butch Karp novel...and I was instantly hooked. There is
just something about the completely sarcastic dialogue that I love. |
| The Lake House |
James Patterson |
7/2003 |
This book was on the best seller list for weeks. Why?! I read this months ago and I'm still aggravated that I wasted my time with it. Talk about a complete lack of character and plot development. This is translucent, easily-digestible, luke warm chicken broth for the brain. |
| Chalktown |
Melinda Haynes |
7/2003 |
It took me almost 3 months to read this book, but I was bound and
determined to finish it. Not a *bad* book, just a tough read. Ms. Haynes tends to get carried
away with the details. |
| Naked Prey |
John Sandford |
6/2003 |
A well-done murder/mystery. |
| The Bugspit Chronicles |
Doc Markin |
5/2003 |
Let's put it this way: the plot of this story revolves around an enormous bass named "Biggun". 'nuff said. |
| The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon |
Stephen King |
4/2003 |
One of the last Stephen King novels that I actually enjoyed. |
| Man of the Hour |
Peter Blauner |
3/2003 |
Bought this in hard cover for $5.00. Turned out to be a great
bargain as I enjoyed the story immensely. A little too much jihad at times and the ending is a little tongue-in-cheek, but still a good read. |
| Looking for Mr. Goodbar |
Judith Rossner |
2/2003 |
Before there was a movie called Thirteen... |