Susan's bookshelf: all en-US Sun, 29 Jan 2012 02:18:31 -0800 60 Susan's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[Next of Kin: My Conversations with Chimpanzees]]> 325779
Fouts is a professor of Psychology.]]> 448 Roger Fouts 0380728222 Susan 5 One of the chimps in the book, Booee, is a chimp that I took care of in California (which is why I read the book in the first place). And yes, he will do anything for a rasin!]]> 4.47 1997 Next of Kin: My Conversations with Chimpanzees
author: Roger Fouts
name: Susan
average rating: 4.47
book published: 1997
rating: 5
read at: 2005/01/01
date added: 2012/01/29
shelves:
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This book is amazing. If you have a heart, you will cry often. But if you know what I want to do with my life, you will understand exactly why after reading this book.
One of the chimps in the book, Booee, is a chimp that I took care of in California (which is why I read the book in the first place). And yes, he will do anything for a rasin!
]]> The Lovely Bones 12232938
So begins the story of Susie Salmon, who is adjusting to her new home in heaven, a place that is not at all what she expected, even as she is watching life on earth continue without her -- her friends trading rumors about her disappearance, her killer trying to cover his tracks, her grief-stricken family unraveling. Out of unspeakable tragedy and loss, The Lovely Bones succeeds, miraculously, in building a tale filled with hope, humor, suspense, even joy.]]> 372 Alice Sebold 0316166685 Susan 5 3.87 2002 The Lovely Bones
author: Alice Sebold
name: Susan
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2002
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2011/08/09
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]]> <![CDATA[American Mania: When More is Not Enough]]> 4381795 352 Peter C. Whybrow 0393059944 Susan 5 3.86 2005 American Mania: When More is Not Enough
author: Peter C. Whybrow
name: Susan
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2005
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2010/05/09
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]]> BBC/Discovery: Chimpanzees 1139975 Tamsin Constable 0789471531 Susan 2 2.67 2000 BBC/Discovery: Chimpanzees
author: Tamsin Constable
name: Susan
average rating: 2.67
book published: 2000
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2010/05/08
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]]> My Ishmael (Ishmael, #3) 17022 Ěý
“Enthralling, shocking, hope-filled, and utterly fearless, Daniel Quinn leads us deeper and deeper into the human heart, history, and spirit. InĚý My Ishmael , Quinn strikes out into entirely new territory, posing questions that will rock you on your heels, and providing tantalizing possibilities for a truly new world vision.”—Susan Chernak McElroy, author ofĚý Animals as Teachers & Healers

When Ishmael places an advertisement for pupils with “an earnest desire to save the world,â€� he does not expect a child to answer him.ĚýĚýBut twelve-year-old Julie Gerchak is undaunted by Ishmael’s reluctance to teach someone so young, and convinces him to take her on as his next student.ĚýĚýIshmael knows he can't apply the same strategies with Julie that he used with his first pupil, Alan Lomax—nor can he hope for the same outcome.ĚýBut young Julie proves that she is ready to forge her own spiritual path and arrive at her own destination.ĚýĚýAnd when the time comes to choose a pupil to carry out his greatest mission yet, Ishmael makes a daring decision—a choice that just might change the world.
Ěý
Explore Daniel Quinn’s spiritualĚý IshmaelĚý trilogy:Ěý
ISHMAEL •ĚýMY ISHMAEL •ĚýTHE STORY OF B]]> 293 Daniel Quinn 0553379658 Susan 5 4.10 1997 My Ishmael (Ishmael, #3)
author: Daniel Quinn
name: Susan
average rating: 4.10
book published: 1997
rating: 5
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date added: 2010/03/09
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]]> Middlesex 2187 Middlesex tells the breathtaking story of Calliope Stephanides, and three generations of the Greek-American Stephanides family, who travel from a tiny village overlooking Mount Olympus in Asia Minor to Prohibition-era Detroit, witnessing its glory days as the Motor City and the race riots of 1967 before moving out to the tree-lined streets of suburban Grosse Pointe, Michigan. To understand why Calliope is not like other girls, she has to uncover a guilty family secret, and the astonishing genetic history that turns Callie into Cal, one of the most audacious and wondrous narrators in contemporary fiction. Lyrical and thrilling, Middlesex is an exhilarating reinvention of the American epic.]]> 529 Jeffrey Eugenides 0312422156 Susan 4 4.03 2002 Middlesex
author: Jeffrey Eugenides
name: Susan
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2002
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2009/12/04
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]]> <![CDATA[A Thrice-Told Tale: Feminism, Postmodernism, and Ethnographic Responsibility]]> 572013 166 Margery Wolf 0804719802 Susan 0 currently-reading 3.57 1992 A Thrice-Told Tale: Feminism, Postmodernism, and Ethnographic Responsibility
author: Margery Wolf
name: Susan
average rating: 3.57
book published: 1992
rating: 0
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date added: 2009/12/04
shelves: currently-reading
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]]> <![CDATA[American Mania: When More is Not Enough]]> 1068671
Peter C. Whybrow, director of the Neuropsychiatric Institute at UCLA, grounds the extraordinary achievements and excessive consumption of the American nation in an understanding of the biology of the brain's reward system offering for the first time a comprehensive and physical explanation for the addictive mania of consumerism.

American Mania presents a clear and novel vantage point from which to understand the most pressing social issues of our time, while offering an informed approach to refocusing our pursuit of happiness. Drawing upon rich scientific case studies and colorful portraits, "this fascinating and important book will change the way you think about American life" (Karen Olson, Utne Reader ).]]> 360 Peter C. Whybrow 039332849X Susan 4 3.70 2005 American Mania: When More is Not Enough
author: Peter C. Whybrow
name: Susan
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2005
rating: 4
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date added: 2009/12/04
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]]> <![CDATA[Twice Dead: Organ Transplants and the Reinvention of Death]]> 44097
In addition to an analysis of that professional literature on and popular representations of the subject, Lock draws on extensive interviews conducted over ten years with physicians working in intensive care units, transplant surgeons, organ recipients, donor families, members of the general public in both Japan and North America, and political activists in Japan opposed to the recognition of brain death. By showing that death can never be understood merely as a biological event, and that cultural, medical, legal, and political dimensions are inevitably implicated in the invention of brain death, Twice Dead confronts one of the most troubling questions of our era.]]> 429 Margaret M. Lock 0520228146 Susan 3 3.94 2001 Twice Dead: Organ Transplants and the Reinvention of Death
author: Margaret M. Lock
name: Susan
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2001
rating: 3
read at: 2009/12/04
date added: 2009/12/04
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]]> Diseases and Human Evolution 516548 ;
Ethne Barnes offers answers to these questions, using information from history and medicine as well as from anthropology. She focuses on changes in the patterns of human behavior through cultural evolution and how they have affected the development of human diseases.
;
Writing in a clear, lively style, Barnes offers general overviews of every variety of disease and their carriers, from insects and worms through rodent vectors to household pets and farm animals. She devotes whole chapters to major infectious diseases such as leprosy, syphilis, smallpox, and influenza. Other chapters concentrate on categories of diseases ("gut bugs," for example, including cholera, typhus, and salmonella). The final chapters cover diseases that have made headlines in recent years, among them mad cow disease, West Nile virus, and Lyme disease.
;
In the tradition of Berton Roueché, Hans Zinsser, and Sherwin Nuland, Ethne Barnes answers questions you never knew you had about the germs that have threatened us throughout human history. ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????]]> 496 Ethne Barnes 0826330665 Susan 5 4.00 2005 Diseases and Human Evolution
author: Ethne Barnes
name: Susan
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2005
rating: 5
read at: 2009/12/04
date added: 2009/12/04
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]]> <![CDATA[Jaguar: A Story of Africans in America]]> 505638
Faced with economic hardship in Africa, Issa has left his home in Niger and his new wife, Khadija, to seek his fortune in America. Devout Muslims, the couple has entered into a "modern" Khadija is permitted to run her own business, and Issa has agreed not to take additional wives. Issa quickly adapts to his new surroundings, however, and soon attracts several girlfriends. Aided by a network of immigrants, he easily slips through gaps in the "system" and extends his stay in America indefinitely. Following a circuit of African-American cultural festivals across America, he marvels at African-Americans' attitudes toward Africa, and wonders if he'll ever return to Niger. Meanwhile, Khadija also struggles to make it—to become a "Jaguar"—as she combats loneliness, hostile in-laws, and a traditional, male-dominated society. The eventual success of her dry goods shop and her growing affection for a helpful Arab merchant make her wonder if she'll ever join Issa in America.

Drawing on his own decades of experience among Africans both in Niger and in New York, Paul Stoller offers enormous insight into the complexities of contemporary Africa. Alive with detail, Jaguar is a story of triumph and disappointment, of dislocation and longing, and of life lived in a world that no longer recognizes boundaries.]]> 213 Paul Stoller 0226775283 Susan 3 3.46 1999 Jaguar: A Story of Africans in America
author: Paul Stoller
name: Susan
average rating: 3.46
book published: 1999
rating: 3
read at: 2009/12/04
date added: 2009/12/04
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]]> The Archaeology of Disease 1510895 352 Charlotte A. Roberts 0801473888 Susan 5 4.40 1995 The Archaeology of Disease
author: Charlotte A. Roberts
name: Susan
average rating: 4.40
book published: 1995
rating: 5
read at: 2009/12/04
date added: 2009/12/04
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]]> Doctors' Stories 558080 238 Kathryn Montgomery Hunter 0691015058 Susan 0 currently-reading 3.25 1991 Doctors' Stories
author: Kathryn Montgomery Hunter
name: Susan
average rating: 3.25
book published: 1991
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2009/11/19
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal]]> 49234
With fascinating facts and his unparalleled readability, Diamond intended his book to improve the world that today’s young people will inherit. Triangle Square’s The Third Chimpanzee for Young People is a book for future generation and the future they’ll help build.]]> 407 Jared Diamond 0060845503 Susan 0 to-read 4.08 1991 The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal
author: Jared Diamond
name: Susan
average rating: 4.08
book published: 1991
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2009/11/19
shelves: to-read
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]]> Next 7661 Fast, furious, and out of control.

This is not the world of the future --- it's the world right now.

Is a loved one missing some body parts? Are blondes becoming extinct? Is everyone at your dinner table of the same species? Humans and chimpanzees differ in only 400 genes; is that why an adult human being resembles a chimp fetus? And should that worry us? There's a new genetic cure for drug addiction --- is it worse than the disease?

We live in a time of momentous scientific leaps; a time when it's possible to sell our eggs and sperm online for thousands of dollars; test our spouses for genetic maladies and even frame someone for a genetic crime.

We live in a time when one fifth of all our genes are owned by someone else, and an unsuspecting person and his family can be pursued cross-country because they happen to have certain valuable genes within their chromosomes ...

Devilishly clever, Next blends fact and fiction into a breathless tale of a new world where nothing is what it seems, and a set of new possibilities can open at every turn. Next challenges our sense of reality and notions of morality. Balancing the comic and bizarre with the genuinely frightening and disturbing, Next shatters our assumptions, and reveals shocking new choices where we least expect.

The future is closer than you think. Get used to it.

]]> 431 Michael Crichton 0060872985 Susan 0 have-not-finished, to-read 3.54 2006 Next
author: Michael Crichton
name: Susan
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2006
rating: 0
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date added: 2009/11/19
shelves: have-not-finished, to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[I, Rigoberta MenchĂş: An Indian Woman in Guatemala]]> 233292 252 Rigoberta MenchĂş 0860917886 Susan 3 3.83 1984 I, Rigoberta MenchĂş: An Indian Woman in Guatemala
author: Rigoberta MenchĂş
name: Susan
average rating: 3.83
book published: 1984
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2009/11/19
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]]> <![CDATA[Mama Lola: A Vodou Priestess in Brooklyn]]> 258014 440 Karen McCarthy Brown 0520224752 Susan 3 4.03 1991 Mama Lola: A Vodou Priestess in Brooklyn
author: Karen McCarthy Brown
name: Susan
average rating: 4.03
book published: 1991
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2009/11/19
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]]> Amazon Journey 1748452 Dennis Werner 0130254533 Susan 5 4.00 1984 Amazon Journey
author: Dennis Werner
name: Susan
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1984
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2009/11/19
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[From Cuenca to Queens: An Anthropological Story of Transnational Migration]]> 1748434 247 Ann Miles 0292701713 Susan 0 currently-reading 3.94 2004 From Cuenca to Queens: An Anthropological Story of Transnational Migration
author: Ann Miles
name: Susan
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2004
rating: 0
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date added: 2009/11/19
shelves: currently-reading
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]]> Hunger and Shame 1234250
Discussing the moral and practical dilemmas posed by the presence of malnourished children in the community, the authors explore the shame associated with child hunger in relation to social organization, colonial history and the global economy. Their discussions challenge the reader to ask fundamental questions concerning ethics, the politics of poverty and shame and social relations.]]> 296 Mary Theresa Howard 0415916143 Susan 4 4.00 1997 Hunger and Shame
author: Mary Theresa Howard
name: Susan
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1997
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2009/11/19
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]]> <![CDATA[Fixing Men: Sex, Birth Control, and AIDS in Mexico]]> 2140043 280 Matthew C. Gutmann 0520253302 Susan 2 3.57 2007 Fixing Men: Sex, Birth Control, and AIDS in Mexico
author: Matthew C. Gutmann
name: Susan
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2007
rating: 2
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date added: 2009/11/19
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]]> <![CDATA[The Hold Life Has: Coca and Cultural Identity in an Andean Community]]> 1231935 283 Catherine J. Allen 0874742552 Susan 4 3.71 2002 The Hold Life Has: Coca and Cultural Identity in an Andean Community
author: Catherine J. Allen
name: Susan
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2002
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2009/11/19
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Illness as Metaphor and AIDS and Its Metaphors]]> 52375 Illness as Metaphor, a classic work described by Newsweek as "one of the most liberating books of its time." A cancer patient herself when she was writing the book, Sontag shows how the metaphors and myths surrounding certain illnesses, especially cancer, add greatly to the suffering of patients and often inhibit them from seeking proper treatment. By demystifying the fantasies surrounding cancer, Sontag shows cancer for what it is--just a disease. Cancer, she argues, is not a curse, not a punishment, certainly not an embarrassment and, it is highly curable, if good treatment is followed.

Almost a decade later, with the outbreak of a new, stigmatized disease replete with mystifications and punitive metaphors, Sontag wrote a sequel to Illness as Metaphor, extending the argument of the earlier book to the AIDS pandemic.

These two essays now published together, Illness as Metaphor and AIDS and Its Metaphors, have been translated into many languages and continue to have an enormous influence on the thinking of medical professionals and, above all, on the lives of many thousands of patients and caregivers.]]> 183 Susan Sontag 0312420137 Susan 2 4.00 1989 Illness as Metaphor and AIDS and Its Metaphors
author: Susan Sontag
name: Susan
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1989
rating: 2
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date added: 2009/11/19
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]]> <![CDATA[Number Our Days: A Triumph of Continuity and Culture Among Jewish Old People in an Urban Ghetto]]> 546095 Here Dr. Myerhoff records the stories of a culture that seems to give people the strength to face enormous daily problems -- poverty, neglect, loneliness, poor health, inadequate housing and physical danger. The tale is a poignant one, funny and often wise, with implications for all of us about the importance of ritual, the agonies of aging, and the indomitable human spirit.]]> 318 Barbara Myerhoff 0671254308 Susan 4 4.00 1979 Number Our Days: A Triumph of Continuity and Culture Among Jewish Old People in an Urban Ghetto
author: Barbara Myerhoff
name: Susan
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1979
rating: 4
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date added: 2009/11/19
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]]> Assassination Vacation 3110 Assassination Vacation, she takes us on a road trip like no other—a journey to the pit stops of American political murder and through the myriad ways they have been used for fun and profit, for political and cultural advantage.

From Buffalo to Alaska, Washington to the Dry Tortugas, Vowell visits locations immortalized and influenced by the spilling of politically important blood, reporting as she goes with her trademark blend of wisecracking humor, remarkable honesty, and thought-provoking criticism. We learn about the jinx that was Robert Todd Lincoln (present at the assassinations of Presidents Lincoln, Garfield, and McKinley) and witness the politicking that went into the making of the Lincoln Memorial. The resulting narrative is much more than an entertaining and informative travelogue—it is the disturbing and fascinating story of how American death has been manipulated by popular culture, including literature, architecture, sculpture, and—the author's favorite� historical tourism. Though the themes of loss and violence are explored and we make detours to see how the Republican Party became the Republican Party, there are all kinds of lighter diversions along the way into the lives of the three presidents and their assassins, including mummies, show tunes, mean-spirited totem poles, and a nineteenth-century biblical sex cult.]]> 258 Sarah Vowell 074326004X Susan 3 3.93 2005 Assassination Vacation
author: Sarah Vowell
name: Susan
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2005
rating: 3
read at: 2009/08/26
date added: 2009/08/26
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]]> <![CDATA[In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto]]> 315425 The Omnivore's Dilemma, launched a national conversation about the American way of eating; now In Defense of Food shows us how to change it, one meal at a time. Pollan proposes a new answer to the question of what we should eat that comes down to seven simple but liberating words: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. Pollan's bracing and eloquent manifesto shows us how we can start making thoughtful food choices that will enrich our lives, enlarge our sense of what it means to be healthy, and bring pleasure back to eating.,,,]]> 205 Michael Pollan 1594201455 Susan 4 4.07 2008 In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto
author: Michael Pollan
name: Susan
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 2009/08/26
date added: 2009/08/26
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]]> <![CDATA[Will the Circle Be Unbroken? Reflections on Death, Rebirth and Hunger for a Faith]]> 171691 –The New York Times

Whether it’s Working or The Great War , the legendary oral histories of Studs Terkel have offered indispensable insights into all areas of American life. Now, at eighty-eight, the Pulitzer Prize winner creates his most important work on a subject few can comfortably death.

Here, in the voices of people both esteemed and unknown, are wise words, meaningful memories, and compassionate predictions about the experience of life’s end–and what may come after. A grad student explains how her two-year coma convinced her of the existence of reincarnation . . . A Hiroshima survivor reconciles her painful memories with the stoicism of her Japanese culture . . . Actress Uta Hagan expresses how her art is her religion and will be her legacy . . . Oscar-winning cinematographer Haskell Wexler relives his World War II ordeal, after a torpedo left him in a lifeboat among injured and dying comrades . . . An AIDS counselor reveals why healthy gay men may require the most crucial psychological help . . . and a retired firefighter admits he “never felt so alive� as when he was doing his dangerous job.

From the sheer physical facts to the emotional realities to spiritual speculations, all aspects of death are openly expressed in this wonderful work, the stirring culmination of Studs Terkel’s brilliant career.]]> 448 Studs Terkel 0345451201 Susan 3 4.13 1996 Will the Circle Be Unbroken? Reflections on Death, Rebirth and Hunger for a Faith
author: Studs Terkel
name: Susan
average rating: 4.13
book published: 1996
rating: 3
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date added: 2009/06/05
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]]> Naked 4138 Naked, Sedaris turns the mania for memoir on its proverbial ear, mining the exceedingly rich terrain of his life, his family, and his unique worldview—a sensibility at once take-no-prisoners sharp and deeply charitable. A tart-tongued mother does dead-on imitations of her young son's nervous tics, to the great amusement of his teachers; a stint of Kerouackian wandering is undertaken (of course!) with a quadriplegic companion; a family gathers for a wedding in the face of imminent death. Through it all is Sedaris's unmistakable voice, without doubt one of the freshest in American writing.]]> 304 David Sedaris Susan 4 4.10 1997 Naked
author: David Sedaris
name: Susan
average rating: 4.10
book published: 1997
rating: 4
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date added: 2009/06/05
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]]> <![CDATA[Superstud: Or How I Became a 24-Year-Old Virgin]]> 95531
Like any other red-blooded, straight young man, Paul Feig spent much of his teenage years trying to solve the mystery of women. Unlike most red-blooded, straight teenage boys, however, Paul Feig was sadly at a considerable disadvantage. He was tall and gangly. He had a love for musical theater. And, perhaps the death knell for his burgeoning sex life, Paul was a tap dance student. (And we have the pictures to prove it—see the front cover.)

Infused with the same witty and infectiously readable style of his first book, Kick Me, Superstud chronicles the trials and tribulations of Feig’s young dating life with all the same excruciating detail as an on-air gastric bypass—and you just won’t be able to tear yourself away. Feig’s series of shudder-to-think but oddly familiar (come on—we’ve all been dumped by someone we didn’t even like that much) anecdotes include: his first date, at an REO Speedwagon concert with the most endowed girl in school, who leaves him sitting next to a puddle of puke; his first breakup, accomplished by moving across the country; his mortifying date with his secretly bigoted girlfriend; his discovery of a new self-love technique that almost lands him in the hospital; and his less-than-idealistic “first time,� which he nevertheless elevates to biblical proportions.

In Superstud, Paul Feig tells all in a hilarious but true testament to geekdom, love, and growing up.]]> 295 Paul Feig 1400051754 Susan 5 3.78 2005 Superstud: Or How I Became a 24-Year-Old Virgin
author: Paul Feig
name: Susan
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2005
rating: 5
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date added: 2009/06/05
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]]> <![CDATA[Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America]]> 1869
Millions of Americans work for poverty-level wages, and one day Barbara Ehrenreich decided to join them. She was inspired in part by the rhetoric surrounding welfare reform, which promised that any job equals a better life. But how can anyone survive, let alone prosper, on $6 to $7 an hour? To find out, Ehrenreich moved from Florida to Maine to Minnesota, taking the cheapest lodgings available and accepting work as a waitress, hotel maid, house cleaner, nursing-home aide, and Wal-Mart salesperson. She soon discovered that even the "lowliest" occupations require exhausting mental and physical efforts. And one job is not enough; you need at least two if you intend to live indoors.

Nickel and Dimed reveals low-wage America in all its tenacity, anxiety, and surprising generosity -- a land of Big Boxes, fast food, and a thousand desperate strategies for survival. Instantly acclaimed for its insight, humor, and passion, this book is changing the way America perceives its working poor.]]> 240 Barbara Ehrenreich 0805063897 Susan 3 3.65 2001 Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America
author: Barbara Ehrenreich
name: Susan
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2001
rating: 3
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date added: 2009/06/05
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]]> <![CDATA[Son of the Shadows (Sevenwaters, #2)]]> 13927 608 Juliet Marillier 0765343266 Susan 4 4.33 2000 Son of the Shadows (Sevenwaters, #2)
author: Juliet Marillier
name: Susan
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2000
rating: 4
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date added: 2009/06/05
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]]> Slaughterhouse-Five 4981 Slaughterhouse-Five, an American classic, is one of the world’s great antiwar books. Centering on the infamous World War II firebombing of Dresden, the novel is the result of what Kurt Vonnegut described as a twenty-three-year struggle to write a book about what he had witnessed as an American prisoner of war. It combines historical fiction, science fiction, autobiography, and satire in an account of the life of Billy Pilgrim, a barber’s son turned draftee turned optometrist turned alien abductee. As Vonnegut had, Billy experiences the destruction of Dresden as a POW. Unlike Vonnegut, he experiences time travel, or coming “unstuck in time.�

An instant bestseller, Slaughterhouse-Five made Kurt Vonnegut a cult hero in American literature, a reputation that only strengthened over time, despite his being banned and censored by some libraries and schools for content and language. But it was precisely those elements of Vonnegut’s writing—the political edginess, the genre-bending inventiveness, the frank violence, the transgressive wit—that have inspired generations of readers not just to look differently at the world around them but to find the confidence to say something about it.

Fifty years after its initial publication at the height of the Vietnam War, Vonnegut's portrayal of political disillusionment, PTSD, and postwar anxiety feels as relevant, darkly humorous, and profoundly affecting as ever, an enduring beacon through our own era’s uncertainties.]]> 275 Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Susan 4 4.10 1969 Slaughterhouse-Five
author: Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
name: Susan
average rating: 4.10
book published: 1969
rating: 4
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]]> The Stand 149267 For hundreds of thousands of fans who read The Stand in its original version and wanted more, this new edition is Stephen King's gift. And those who are listening to The Stand for the first time will discover a triumphant and eerily plausible work of the imagination that takes on the issues that will determine our survival.]]> 1152 Stephen King Susan 2 4.35 1978 The Stand
author: Stephen King
name: Susan
average rating: 4.35
book published: 1978
rating: 2
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]]> Carrie 2365120
Schmerz, Enttäuschung, Wut treiben Carrie zum Äußersten, die beseelt und besessen ist von einer unheimlichen Gabe: Mit schierer Kraft ihres Willens entfesselt sie ein Inferno, gegen das die Hölle ein lieblicher Garten Eden ist ...
]]> 331 Stephen King 3404260570 Susan 3 3.67 1974 Carrie
author: Stephen King
name: Susan
average rating: 3.67
book published: 1974
rating: 3
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]]> It 18342
The adults, knowing better, knew nothing. Time passed and the children grew up, moved away. The horror of It was deep-buried, wrapped in forgetfulness. Until the grown-up children were called back, once more to confront It as It stirred and coiled in the sullen depths of their memories, reaching up again to make their past nightmares a terrible present reality.]]> 1090 Stephen King 0451169514 Susan 4 4.11 1986 It
author: Stephen King
name: Susan
average rating: 4.11
book published: 1986
rating: 4
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]]> The Shining (The Shining, #1) 11588 497 Stephen King 0450040186 Susan 5 4.28 1977 The Shining (The Shining, #1)
author: Stephen King
name: Susan
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1977
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Dead Until Dark (Sookie Stackhouse, #1)]]> 301082
Maybe having a vampire for a boyfriend isn't such a bright idea.]]> 292 Charlaine Harris 0441008534 Susan 4 3.98 2001 Dead Until Dark (Sookie Stackhouse, #1)
author: Charlaine Harris
name: Susan
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2001
rating: 4
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date added: 2009/06/05
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]]> <![CDATA[Annual Editions: Violence and Terrorism 08/09]]> 2993181 240 Thomas J. Badey 0073397768 Susan 0 0.0 2002 Annual Editions: Violence and Terrorism 08/09
author: Thomas J. Badey
name: Susan
average rating: 0.0
book published: 2002
rating: 0
read at: 2009/06/05
date added: 2009/06/05
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]]> <![CDATA[Annual Editions: Developing World 08/09]]> 2418286 240 Robert J. Griffiths 0073397563 Susan 0 4.00 2007 Annual Editions: Developing World 08/09
author: Robert J. Griffiths
name: Susan
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2007
rating: 0
read at: 2009/06/05
date added: 2009/06/05
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]]> <![CDATA[Annual Editions: Global Issues 08/09]]> 3043373 208 Robert M. Jackson 0073397636 Susan 0 3.00 2008 Annual Editions: Global Issues 08/09
author: Robert M. Jackson
name: Susan
average rating: 3.00
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at: 2009/06/05
date added: 2009/06/05
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]]> <![CDATA[Working Hard, Drinking Hard: On Violence and Survival in Honduras]]> 2613706 272 Adrienne Pine 0520255437 Susan 3 3.00 2008 Working Hard, Drinking Hard: On Violence and Survival in Honduras
author: Adrienne Pine
name: Susan
average rating: 3.00
book published: 2008
rating: 3
read at: 2009/06/05
date added: 2009/06/05
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]]> <![CDATA[Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers]]> 32145 Stiff an oddly compelling, often hilarious exploration of the strange lives of our bodies postmortem. For two thousand years, cadavers—some willingly, some unwittingly—have been involved in science's boldest strides and weirdest undertakings. In this fascinating account, Mary Roach visits the good deeds of cadavers over the centuries and tells the engrossing story of our bodies when we are no longer with them.]]> 304 Mary Roach 0393324826 Susan 5 4.06 2003 Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
author: Mary Roach
name: Susan
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2003
rating: 5
read at: 2009/06/05
date added: 2009/06/05
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]]> Into the Wild 1845 Librarian's Note: An alternate cover edition can be found here

In April, 1992, a young man from a well-to-do family hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. His name was Christopher Johnson McCandless. He had given $25,000 in savings to charity, abandoned his car and most of his possessions, burned all the cash in his wallet, and invented a new life for himself. Four months later, a party of moose hunters found his decomposed body. How McCandless came to die is the unforgettable story of Into the Wild.

Immediately after graduating from college in 1991, McCandless had roamed through the West and Southwest on a vision quest like those made by his heroes Jack London and John Muir. In the Mojave Desert he abandoned his car, stripped it of its license plates, and burned all of his cash. He would give himself a new name, Alexander Supertramp, and, unencumbered by money and belongings, he would be free to wallow in the raw, unfiltered experiences that nature presented. Craving a blank spot on the map, McCandless simply threw away the maps. Leaving behind his desperate parents and sister, he vanished into the wild.]]> 207 Jon Krakauer 0385486804 Susan 4 4.01 1996 Into the Wild
author: Jon Krakauer
name: Susan
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1996
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2008/12/17
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]]> <![CDATA[What We Believe But Cannot Prove: Today's Leading Thinkers on Science in the Age of Certainty]]> 109502
Scientific theory, more often than not, is born of bold assumption, disparate bits of unconnected evidence, and educated leaps of faith. Some of the most potent beliefs among brilliant minds are based on supposition alone—yet that is enough to push those minds toward making the theory viable.

Eminent cultural impresario, editor, and publisher of Edge, John Brockman asked a group of leading scientists and thinkers to answer the question: What do you believe to be true even though you cannot prove it? This book brings together the very best answers from the most distinguished contributors.

Thought-provoking and hugely compelling, this collection of bite-size thought-experiments is a fascinating insight into the instinctive beliefs of some of the most brilliant minds today.]]> 252 John Brockman 0060841818 Susan 0 to-read 3.70 2005 What We Believe But Cannot Prove: Today's Leading Thinkers on Science in the Age of Certainty
author: John Brockman
name: Susan
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2005
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Death's Acre: Inside the Legendary Forensic Lab the Body Farm Where the Dead Do Tell Tales]]> 15251
In Death’s Acre , Bass invites readers on an unprecedented journey behind the gates of the Body Farm where he revolutionized forensic anthropology. A master scientist and an engaging storyteller, Bass reveals his most intriguing cases for the first time. He revisits the Lindbergh kidnapping and murder, explores the mystery of a headless corpse whose identity astonished police, divulges how the telltale traces of an insect sent a murderous grandfather to death row—and much more.

INCLUDES PHOTOGRAPHS]]> 320 William M. Bass 0425198324 Susan 0 to-read 4.22 2003 Death's Acre: Inside the Legendary Forensic Lab the Body Farm Where the Dead Do Tell Tales
author: William M. Bass
name: Susan
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2003
rating: 0
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date added: 2008/12/17
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[Book of Peoples of the World: A Guide to Cultures]]> 2569349
At once a comprehensive reference, an appreciation of diversity, and a thoughtful look at our instinct to belong, this uplifting book explores what it means to be human and alive.]]> 384 Wade Davis 1426202385 Susan 5 4.11 2001 Book of Peoples of the World: A Guide to Cultures
author: Wade Davis
name: Susan
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2001
rating: 5
read at: 2008/09/30
date added: 2008/09/30
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]]> The Covenant 12663 1240 James A. Michener 0749311614 Susan 0 have-not-finished, to-read 4.20 1980 The Covenant
author: James A. Michener
name: Susan
average rating: 4.20
book published: 1980
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2008/09/30
shelves: have-not-finished, to-read
review:
I'm about 1/3 of the way through this book. It's 1238 pages of small print, so it's going to be a while. It was really slow after the first chapter so I put it down for a bit. But as I continue through the book it keeps getting more and more interesting! So far, I'd recommend it!
]]> The Dobe Ju/'hoansi 25329 249 Richard B. Lee 0155063332 Susan 3 3.60 1993 The Dobe Ju/'hoansi
author: Richard B. Lee
name: Susan
average rating: 3.60
book published: 1993
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2008/09/30
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]]> Me Talk Pretty One Day 4137 272 David Sedaris 0349113912 Susan 5 4.01 2000 Me Talk Pretty One Day
author: David Sedaris
name: Susan
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2000
rating: 5
read at: 2008/09/08
date added: 2008/09/08
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Nim Chimpsky: The Chimp Who Would Be Human]]> 2120344 384 Elizabeth Hess 0553803832 Susan 1 3.77 2008 Nim Chimpsky: The Chimp Who Would Be Human
author: Elizabeth Hess
name: Susan
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2008
rating: 1
read at: 2008/08/01
date added: 2008/09/02
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Don't bother with this book, I was very disappointed in what I read. From the very beginning she mixes up what is fact and what is not, for example when talking about the genetic similarities between chimps and humans, she states "In 2006 Harvard geneticist David Reich discovered evidence that we share a common ancestor, the product of sexual relations between humans and chimpanzees."(pg. 9) This is speculation, but she is stating it as fact. It is also total crap. There has never been any cross breeding between humans and chimpanzees, it is not genetically possible. There has, however, been possible cross-breeding between different species of early man (eg. homo sapiens & homo neandertalensis). Maybe she was simply mixed up? We evolved from common ancestors, that is why we're so similar. And to believe that (and write in a book!) we're the result of an ape-man mating tells me that she is completely uneducated in the process of evolution. And her reference for this "fact"? An article from the New York Times. She also goes out of her way to bash Roger Fouts repeatedly, even straying from the story for pages at a time to do so. She has never, to my knowledge, met or even talked to him. She repeatedly praises William Lemmon, a man well known for his cruelty to chimps and other animals. I could not figure out why she was making him out to be a hero and Fouts to be a jerk, but then in the back I found that many of her photos and references came from Lemmons son. It is obvious from the beginning that she has no background in biology, genetics, animal husbandry, or chimpanzees. And if I were just a random person reading this book, I wouldn't know how much of what she is claiming is actually untrue -I would have taken it as fact (as it is presented as such). This upsets me greatly because her false ideas and views are now in the hands of many people (the book was promoted in magazines including Cosmopolitan as a "must read"). I have been studying and working with animals including chimpanzees for over 11 years, and this is the first time I have read a book about primates where I have had to mark multiple pages to research on my own because I knew the statements made could not possibly be true. She should have used the classic line "story based on real events" rather than non-fiction, for this would excuse her mess of a story. She has written the book based on accounts from people, and we all know everyone sees and remembers events differently from others who have experienced the same event- especially 40 years later. Please, if you have read this book, read others that are based less gossip and more on research, like "Through A Window" by Jane Goodall, and "Next of Kin" by Roger Fouts.
]]> <![CDATA[The Tao of Physics: An Exploration of the Parallels between Modern Physics and Eastern Mysticism]]> 10238 366 Fritjof Capra 1570625190 Susan 0 have-not-finished 3.97 1975 The Tao of Physics: An Exploration of the Parallels between Modern Physics and Eastern Mysticism
author: Fritjof Capra
name: Susan
average rating: 3.97
book published: 1975
rating: 0
read at: 2008/08/18
date added: 2008/08/18
shelves: have-not-finished
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]]> Optimism: The Biology of Hope 1381682 318 Lionel Tiger 156836072X Susan 0 to-read 3.71 1979 Optimism: The Biology of Hope
author: Lionel Tiger
name: Susan
average rating: 3.71
book published: 1979
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2008/08/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values (Phaedrus, #1)]]> 629 Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is an examination of how we live, a meditation on how to live better set around the narration of a summer motorcycle trip across America's Northwest, undertaken by a father & his young son.]]> 540 Robert M. Pirsig 0060589469 Susan 1 3.78 1974 Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values (Phaedrus, #1)
author: Robert M. Pirsig
name: Susan
average rating: 3.78
book published: 1974
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2008/08/12
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]]> Tigers in the Snow 283501
Peter Matthiessen brings to the Siberian tiger the deep knowledge of and feeling for the natural world that have made classics of his previous books. Accompanying researchers into the field, he allows the reader to participate vicariously in the battle for the tiger's future. Along the way, he tells how the species evolved and evokes its crucial, often totemic role in human cultures and mythologies. He has made of the tiger's dilemma a drama-underscored by Hornocker's one-of-a-kind photographs-that conveys powerfully what a loss to our collective imagination the disappearance of these great cats would be.]]> 208 Peter Matthiessen 0865475962 Susan 4 3.82 2000 Tigers in the Snow
author: Peter Matthiessen
name: Susan
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2000
rating: 4
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date added: 2008/08/12
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]]> Atlas Shrugged 662 This is the story of a man who said that he would stop the motor of the world and did. Was he a destroyer or the greatest of liberators?

Why did he have to fight his battle, not against his enemies, but against those who needed him most, and his hardest battle against the woman he loved? What is the world’s motor � and the motive power of every man? You will know the answer to these questions when you discover the reason behind the baffling events that play havoc with the lives of the characters in this story.

Tremendous in its scope, this novel presents an astounding panorama of human life � from the productive genius who becomes a worthless playboy � to the great steel industrialist who does not know that he is working for his own destruction � to the philosopher who becomes a pirate � to the composer who gives up his career on the night of his triumph � to the woman who runs a transcontinental railroad � to the lowest track worker in her Terminal tunnels.

You must be prepared, when you read this novel, to check every premise at the root of your convictions.

This is a mystery story, not about the murder � and rebirth � of man’s spirit. It is a philosophical revolution, told in the form of an action thriller of violent events, a ruthlessly brilliant plot structure and an irresistible suspense. Do you say this is impossible? Well, that is the first of your premises to check.]]> 1168 Ayn Rand 0452011876 Susan 3 3.67 1957 Atlas Shrugged
author: Ayn Rand
name: Susan
average rating: 3.67
book published: 1957
rating: 3
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]]> Prozac Nation 227603 368 Elizabeth Wurtzel 1573225126 Susan 1 3.64 1994 Prozac Nation
author: Elizabeth Wurtzel
name: Susan
average rating: 3.64
book published: 1994
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2008/08/12
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]]> <![CDATA[Witnesses to War: Eight True Life Stories of Nazi Persecution]]> 2602614 Michael Leapman 0606203818 Susan 3 4.00 1998 Witnesses to War: Eight True Life Stories of Nazi Persecution
author: Michael Leapman
name: Susan
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1998
rating: 3
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]]> The Memory Keeper's Daughter 10441 401 Kim Edwards 0143037145 Susan 4 3.70 2005 The Memory Keeper's Daughter
author: Kim Edwards
name: Susan
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2005
rating: 4
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]]> The Fountainhead 2122
This modern classic is the story of intransigent young architect Howard Roark, whose integrity was as unyielding as granite...of Dominique Francon, the exquisitely beautiful woman who loved Roark passionately, but married his worst enemy...and of the fanatic denunciation unleashed by an enraged society against a great creator. As fresh today as it was then, Rand’s provocative novel presents one of the most challenging ideas in all of fiction—that man’s ego is the fountainhead of human progress...

“A writer of great power. She has a subtle and ingenious mind and the capacity of writing brilliantly, beautifully, bitterly...This is the only novel of ideas written by an American woman that I can recall.”—The New York Times]]> 704 Ayn Rand Susan 4 3.87 1943 The Fountainhead
author: Ayn Rand
name: Susan
average rating: 3.87
book published: 1943
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Too Fast For Love: Heavy Metal Portraits]]> 79725
In 2000, Yellen drove more than 30,000 miles across America in his red Nissan 300 ZX—from Michigan to Miami, from Pennsylvania to Omaha—to relive a treasured part of his past, a time of innocence and rebellion when women had big hair and rock stars stood on stage as if they were Greek he traveled back to the glory days of the “Hair Bands.� In Too Fast for Love , Yellen captured a moment frozen in hairspray chock-full of mullets, bleached perms, spandex cat suits, denim cutoffs, more pleather than you can imagine, leopard, tiger, and snake prints, ripped fishnets, bare breasts and hairy chests, studded belts and bracelets, G-strings and platforms, pierced nipples and tongues, raccoon eyes, press-on nails, and hyper lip liner. Bang your head to this!]]> 144 David Yellen 1576872157 Susan 5 4.05 2004 Too Fast For Love: Heavy Metal Portraits
author: David Yellen
name: Susan
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2004
rating: 5
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It's a book of portraits from various heavy metal concerts across america. Totally full of white trash. And I'm in it!
]]> <![CDATA[Killers: the Most Barbaric Murderers of Our Times]]> 2569960 276 Nigel Cawthorne 1567318258 Susan 5 3.33 2006 Killers: the Most Barbaric Murderers of Our Times
author: Nigel Cawthorne
name: Susan
average rating: 3.33
book published: 2006
rating: 5
read at: 2007/01/01
date added: 2008/08/12
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]]> <![CDATA[The Bridge Across Forever: A True Love Story]]> 29948 400 Richard Bach 0061148482 Susan 5 3.90 1982 The Bridge Across Forever: A True Love Story
author: Richard Bach
name: Susan
average rating: 3.90
book published: 1982
rating: 5
read at: 1998/01/01
date added: 2008/08/12
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]]> <![CDATA[After the Darkness: Reflections on the Holocaust]]> 11169
In his first book, Night , Elie Wiesel described his concentration camp experience, but he has rarely written directly about the Holocaust since then. Now, as the last generation of survivors is passing and a new generation must be introduced to mankind’s darkest hour, Wiesel sums up the most important aspects of Hitler’s years in power and provides a fitting memorial to those who suffered and perished. He writes about the creation of the Third Reich, Western acquiescence, the gas chambers, and memory. He criticizes Churchill and Roosevelt for what they knew and ignored, and he praises little-known Jewish heroes. Augmenting Wiesel’s text are testimonies from survivors, who recall, among other moments and the establishment of the Nurembourg Laws, Kristallnacht, transport to the camps, and liberation.

With this book—richly illustrated with 45 photographs from the U.S. Holocaust
Museum—Wiesel proves once again the ineluctable importance of bearing witness.]]> 48 Elie Wiesel 0805241825 Susan 5 4.39 2002 After the Darkness: Reflections on the Holocaust
author: Elie Wiesel
name: Susan
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2002
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time]]> 1618 226 Mark Haddon 1400032717 Susan 0 to-read 3.89 2003 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
author: Mark Haddon
name: Susan
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2003
rating: 0
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date added: 2008/08/12
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[The Commitment: Love, Sex, Marriage, and My Family]]> 25079 In a time when much of the country sees red whenever the subject of gay marriage comes up, Dan Savage-outspoken author of the column "Savage Love"- makes it personal.

Dan Savage's mother wants him to get married. His boyfriend, Terry, says "no thanks" because he doesn't want to act like a straight person. Their six-year-old son DJ says his two dads aren't "allowed" to get married, but that he'd like to come to the reception and eat cake. Throw into the mix Dan's straight siblings, whose varied choices form a microcosm of how Americans are approaching marriage these days, and you get a rollicking family memoir that will have everyone-gay or straight, right or left, single or married-howling with laughter and rethinking their notions of marriage and all it entails. BACKCOVER: "Hilarious, heartfelt."
-Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"As funny as David Sedaris's essay collections, but bawdier and more thought-provoking."
-Publisher's Weekly (starred review)

"Most of all, a book about creating and appreciating family."
-Seattle Times

"I think America would be a better place if everyone on every side of the gay marriage debate would read this book."
-Ira Glass, host of the public radio show This American Life

"The strongest argument here, which [Savage] brilliantly plays down, is that family means everything to these people: married, not married, blended, gay, straight, whatever."
-The Washington Post]]> 304 Dan Savage 0452287634 Susan 0 to-read 3.93 2005 The Commitment: Love, Sex, Marriage, and My Family
author: Dan Savage
name: Susan
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2005
rating: 0
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]]> Go Ask Alice 46799
Read her diary.

Enter her world.

You will never forget her.

]]> 213 Beatrice Sparks 1416914633 Susan 0 to-read 3.75 1971 Go Ask Alice
author: Beatrice Sparks
name: Susan
average rating: 3.75
book published: 1971
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2008/08/12
shelves: to-read
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]]> La ciudad de la alegrĂ­a 126163 503 Dominique Lapierre 8432216739 Susan 5 You'll never think of India, or poverty, the same way again.]]> 4.23 1985 La ciudad de la alegrĂ­a
author: Dominique Lapierre
name: Susan
average rating: 4.23
book published: 1985
rating: 5
read at: 2007/01/01
date added: 2008/08/12
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This book was required for my cultural anthro class last fall. It was made into a movie with Patrick Swayze at some point, but from what I hear they really messed it up. It's a beautiful, eye-opening book telling a true story that sounds so impossible you want it to be fiction.
You'll never think of India, or poverty, the same way again.
]]> The Red Tent 4989 The Red Tent combines rich storytelling with a valuable achievement in modern fiction: a new view of biblical women's society.]]> 324 Anita Diamant 0312353766 Susan 0 to-read 4.21 1997 The Red Tent
author: Anita Diamant
name: Susan
average rating: 4.21
book published: 1997
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2008/08/12
shelves: to-read
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]]> The Secret Life of Bees 37435 The Secret Life of Bees tells the story of Lily Owens, whose life has been shaped around the blurred memory of the afternoon her mother was killed. When Lily's fierce-hearted black "stand-in mother," Rosaleen, insults three of the deepest racists in town, Lily decides to spring them both free. They escape to Tiburon, South Carolina--a town that holds the secret to her mother's past. Taken in by an eccentric trio of black beekeeping sisters, Lily is introduced to their mesmerizing world of bees and honey, and the Black Madonna. This is a remarkable novel about divine female power, a story women will share and pass on to their daughters for years to come.]]> 302 Sue Monk Kidd 0142001740 Susan 0 to-read 4.10 2001 The Secret Life of Bees
author: Sue Monk Kidd
name: Susan
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2001
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2008/08/12
shelves: to-read
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]]> Mere Christianity 11138 191 C.S. Lewis 0684823780 Susan 2 4.32 1952 Mere Christianity
author: C.S. Lewis
name: Susan
average rating: 4.32
book published: 1952
rating: 2
read at:
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]]> <![CDATA[The Camino: A Journey of the Spirit]]> 141044 This is the story of a journey. It is the eagerly anticipated and altogether startling culmination of Shirley MacLaine's extraordinary -- and ultimately rewarding -- road through life. The riveting odyssey began with a pair of anonymous handwritten letters imploring Shirley to make a difficult pilgrimage along the Santiago de Compostela Camino in Spain. Throughout history, countless illustrious pilgrims from all over Europe have taken up the trail. It is an ancient -- and allegedly enchanted -- pilgrimage. People from St. Francis of Assisi and Charlemagne to Ferdinand and Isabella to Dante and Chaucer have taken the journey, which comprises a nearly 500-mile trek across highways, mountains and valleys, cities and towns, and fields. Now it would be Shirley's turn.
For Shirley, the Camino was both an intense spiritual and physical challenge. A woman in her sixth decade completing such a grueling trip on foot in thirty days at twenty miles per day was nothing short of remarkable. But even more astounding was the route she took back thousands of years, through past lives to the very origin of the universe. Immensely gifted with intelligence, curiosity, warmth, and a profound openness to people and places outside her own experience, Shirley MacLaine is truly an American treasure. And once again, she brings her inimitable qualities of mind and heart to her writing. Balancing and negotiating the revelations inspired by the mysterious energy of the Camino, she endured her exhausting journey to Compostela until it gradually gave way to a far more universal that of the soul. Through a range of astonishing and liberating visions and revelations, Shirley saw into the meaning of the cosmos, including the secrets of the ancient civilizations of Atlantis and Lemuria, insights into human genesis, the essence of gender and sexuality, and the true path to higher love.
With rich insight, humility, and her trademark grace, Shirley MacLaine gently leads us on a sacred adventure toward an inexpressibly transcendent climax. The Camino promises readers the journey of a thousand lifetimes.]]> 320 Shirley MacLaine 0743400739 Susan 4 3.59 2000 The Camino: A Journey of the Spirit
author: Shirley MacLaine
name: Susan
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2000
rating: 4
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She's a nut, but it's a great read!
]]> <![CDATA[A Primate's Memoir: A Neuroscientist's Unconventional Life Among the Baboons]]> 32289
“I had never planned to become a savanna baboon when I grew up; instead, I had always assumed I would become a mountain gorilla,� writes Robert Sapolsky in this witty and riveting chronicle of a scientist’s coming-of-age in remote Africa.

An exhilarating account of Sapolsky’s twenty-one-year study of a troop of rambunctious baboons in Kenya, A Primate’s Memoir interweaves serious scientific observations with wry commentary about the challenges and pleasures of living in the wilds of the Serengeti � for man and beast alike. Over two decades, Sapolsky survives culinary atrocities, gunpoint encounters, and a surreal kidnapping, while witnessing the encroachment of the tourist mentality on the farthest vestiges of unspoiled Africa. As he conducts unprecedented physiological research on wild primates, he becomes evermore enamored of his subjects � unique and compelling characters in their own right � and he returns to them summer after summer, until tragedy finally prevents him.

By turns hilarious and poignant, A Primate’s Memoir is a magnum opus from one of our foremost science writers.]]> 304 Robert M. Sapolsky 0743202414 Susan 5 4.37 2001 A Primate's Memoir: A Neuroscientist's Unconventional Life Among the Baboons
author: Robert M. Sapolsky
name: Susan
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2001
rating: 5
read at: 2008/04/01
date added: 2008/08/11
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Such an amazing book, and written by a man with a great sense of humor. This book made me love baboons!
]]> The Sleep Ponies 2002306 32 Gudrun Ongman 0967720400 Susan 5 3.73 2000 The Sleep Ponies
author: Gudrun Ongman
name: Susan
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2000
rating: 5
read at: 2005/01/01
date added: 2008/08/11
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My friend Lissa's mother wrote this book and I was given a copy, which is why I have read it so late in life!
]]> To Kill a Mockingbird 2657 "Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."

A lawyer's advice to his children as he defends the real mockingbird of Harper Lee's classic novel - a black man charged with the rape of a white girl. Through the young eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores with exuberant humour the irrationality of adult attitudes to race and class in the Deep South of the 1930s. The conscience of a town steeped in prejudice, violence and hypocrisy is pricked by the stamina of one man's struggle for justice. But the weight of history will only tolerate so much.

"To Kill A Mockingbird" became both an instant bestseller and a critical success when it was first published in 1960. It went on to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and was later made into an Academy Award-winning film.]]> 323 Harper Lee 0060935464 Susan 5 4.25 1960 To Kill a Mockingbird
author: Harper Lee
name: Susan
average rating: 4.25
book published: 1960
rating: 5
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]]> A Dry White Season 65249 A Dry White Season, is an unflinching and unforgettable look at racial intolerance, the human condition, and the heavy price of morality.

Ben Du Toit is a white schoolteacher in suburban Johannesburg in a dark time of intolerance and state-sanctioned apartheid. A simple, apolitical man, he believes in the essential fairness of the South African government and its policies—until the sudden arrest and subsequent "suicide" of a black janitor from Du Toit's school. Haunted by new questions and desperate to believe that the man's death was a tragic accident, Du Toit undertakes an investigation into the terrible affair—a quest for the truth that will have devastating consequences for the teacher and his family, as it draws him into a lethal morass of lies, corruption, and murder.]]> 316 André Brink 0061138630 Susan 0 to-read 4.05 1979 A Dry White Season
author: André Brink
name: Susan
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1979
rating: 0
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]]> Fat Girls and Lawn Chairs 284348 With self-deprecating humor and compassionate insight, she remembers the time she hit her baby sister in the head with a rock, how her father taught her to swim by throwing her into deep water, and the day when -- while weighing in at 300 pounds -- she became an inspirational goddess at her local gym.
Filled with universal stories about a daughter's love for her parents and the eternal quest for finding meaning in it all, this book reveals many seemingly unremarkable moments that make up a life -- the weighty events that, like fat girls sitting on lawn chairs, just won't let go.]]> 256 Cheryl Peck 0446692298 Susan 0 to-read 3.38 2002 Fat Girls and Lawn Chairs
author: Cheryl Peck
name: Susan
average rating: 3.38
book published: 2002
rating: 0
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date added: 2008/08/11
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]]> Great Escape 513034
This is the unknown chapter of World War the tale of nine men who grew up in Budapest's brief Golden Age, then, driven from Hungary by anti-Semitism, fled to the West, especially to the United States, and changed the world. These nine men, each celebrated for individual achievements, were part of a unique group who grew up in a time and place that will never come again. Four helped usher in the nuclear age and the computer, two were major movie myth-makers, two were immortal photographers, and one was a seminal writer.

The Great Escape is a groundbreaking, poignant American story and an important untold chapter of the tumultuous last century.]]> 288 Kati Marton 074326116X Susan 0 to-read 3.87 2006 Great Escape
author: Kati Marton
name: Susan
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2006
rating: 0
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]]> A Million Little Pieces 1241 Before considering reading this book, please see the BookBrowse note on the book jacket/review page.

BookBrowse Note: January 9th 2006: An article in the Smoking Gun claimed that James Frey (author of A Million Little Pieces and My Friend Leonard) fabricated key parts of his books. They cited police records, court documents and interviews with law enforcement agents which belie a number of Frey's claims regarding criminal charges against him, jail terms and his fugitive status.

In an interview with the Smoking Gun, Frey admitted that he had 'embellished central details' in A Million Little Pieces and backtracked on claims he made in the book.

January 26th 2006. Frey's publisher stated that while it initially stood by him, after further questioning of the author, the house has "sadly come to the realization that a number of facts have been altered and incidents embellished." It will be adding a a publisher's note and author's note to all future editions of A Million Little Pieces.]]> 515 James Frey 0307276902 Susan 5 3.68 2003 A Million Little Pieces
author: James Frey
name: Susan
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2003
rating: 5
read at: 2005/01/01
date added: 2008/08/11
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Even with the controversy surrounding this book, I loved it. I found out it was a fake when I was about 3/4 through it, and I was pretty disappointed with that. He could have sold it as fiction and I would have loved it just as much. Great book, too bad.
]]> <![CDATA[Literary Companion Series: One Flew Over the Cukoo's Nest]]> 74396 204 Lawrence Kappel 0737701846 Susan 4 4.08 1999 Literary Companion Series: One Flew Over the Cukoo's Nest
author: Lawrence Kappel
name: Susan
average rating: 4.08
book published: 1999
rating: 4
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]]> I Know This Much Is True 227711
One of the most acclaimed novels of our time, Wally Lamb's I Know This Much Is True is a story of alienation and connection, devastation and renewal, at once joyous, heartbreaking, poignant, mystical, and powerfully, profoundly human.]]> 897 Wally Lamb 0060987561 Susan 5 4.21 1998 I Know This Much Is True
author: Wally Lamb
name: Susan
average rating: 4.21
book published: 1998
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[The Perks of Being a Wallflower]]> 22628 offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see
what it looks like from the dance floor.

This haunting novel about the dilemma of passivity vs. passion marks the stunning debut of a provocative new voice in contemporary fiction: The Perks of Being A WALLFLOWER

This is the story of what it's like to grow up in high school. More intimate than a diary, Charlie's letters are singular and unique, hilarious and devastating. We may not know where he lives. We may not know to whom he is writing. All we know is the world he shares. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it puts him on a strange course through uncharted territory. The world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends. The world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that the perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite.

Through Charlie, Stephen Chbosky has created a deeply affecting coming-of-age story, a powerful novel that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller coaster days known as growing up.

(back cover)]]> 213 Stephen Chbosky Susan 4 4.24 1999 The Perks of Being a Wallflower
author: Stephen Chbosky
name: Susan
average rating: 4.24
book published: 1999
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Shabono: A Visit to a Remote and Magical World in the South American Rain Forest]]> 155920 305 Florinda Donner 0062502425 Susan 4 3.87 1982 Shabono: A Visit to a Remote and Magical World in the South American Rain Forest
author: Florinda Donner
name: Susan
average rating: 3.87
book published: 1982
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[The Serpent and the Rainbow: A Harvard Scientist's Astonishing Journey into the Secret Societies of Haitian Voodoo, Zombis, and Magic]]> 31490
In April 1982, ethnobotanist Wade Davis arrived in Haiti to investigate two documented cases of zombis—people who had reappeared in Haitian society years after they had been officially declared dead and had been buried. Drawn into a netherworld of rituals and celebrations, Davis penetrated the vodoun mystique deeply enough to place zombification in its proper context within vodoun culture. In the course of his investigation, Davis came to realize that the story of vodoun is the history of Haiti—from the African origins of its people to the successful Haitian independence movement, down to the present day, where vodoun culture is, in effect, the government of Haiti’s countryside.

The Serpent and the Rainbow combines anthropological investigation with a remarkable personal adventure to illuminate and finally explain a phenomenon that has long fascinated Americans.]]> 304 Wade Davis 0684839296 Susan 5 3.93 1985 The Serpent and the Rainbow: A Harvard Scientist's Astonishing Journey into the Secret Societies of Haitian Voodoo, Zombis, and Magic
author: Wade Davis
name: Susan
average rating: 3.93
book published: 1985
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution]]> 17977
Dawkins's brilliant, inventive approach allows us to view the connections between ourselves and all other life in a bracingly novel way. It also lets him shed bright new light on the most compelling aspects of evolutionary history and theory: sexual selection, speciation, convergent evolution, extinction, genetics, plate tectonics, geographical dispersal, and more. The Ancestor's Tale is at once a far-reaching survey of the latest, best thinking on biology and a fascinating history of life on Earth. Here Dawkins shows us how remarkable we are, how astonishing our history, and how intimate our relationship with the rest of the living world.]]> 688 Richard Dawkins 061861916X Susan 0 to-read 4.13 2004 The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution
author: Richard Dawkins
name: Susan
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2004
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal]]> 1097
Schlosser's myth-shattering survey stretches from California's subdivisions where the business was born to the industrial corridor along the New Jersey Turnpike where many fast food's flavors are concocted. Along the way, he unearths a trove of fascinating, unsettling truths -- from the unholy alliance between fast food and Hollywood to the seismic changes the industry has wrought in food production, popular culture, and even real estate.
(back cover)]]> 383 Eric Schlosser 0060838582 Susan 4 3.75 2001 Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal
author: Eric Schlosser
name: Susan
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2001
rating: 4
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]]> Sprinkle Brigade Vol 1 2884504 68 Sprinkle Brigade 1601670516 Susan 5 4.57 2007 Sprinkle Brigade Vol 1
author: Sprinkle Brigade
name: Susan
average rating: 4.57
book published: 2007
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[National Geographic Encyclopedia of Animals]]> 296406
You'll meet more than 1,000 animals as you explore the pages of National Geographic Encyclopedia of Animals. This comprehensive volume introduces the entire animal kingdom: mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and all kinds of invertebrates, from sea squirts to worms and spiders.

Your tour of the animal kingdom will take you to every corner of the planet—from rugged mountain slopes to ocean depths and from steamy jungles to baking deserts and icy polar regions.

First, you'll find out just what an animal is, where animals live, how they behave, and why some are endangered. Then the parade of animals begins, each group in its own color-coded section. A lively introductory essay pointing out each group's distinguishing features is followed by page after page of stunning illustrations, engaging text, fun facts, maps, and more about the amazing range of animals within each group. The vibrant illustrations seem to crawl, chatter, screech, growl, and jump off every page. There's also a glossary to help with all the new terms you'll be learning, and a comprehensive index makes it easy to find just the animal you need for that report you're writing or just to satisfy your curiosity.

You'll find: More than 1,000 species vividly illustrated Fascinating facts at your fingertips Range maps for all major groups of animals Cross-sections and cutaways Photo essays that show animals in their habitats The latest conservation data Features on scientific discoveries and breakthroughs Scientific and common names for all animals Size listings for all illustrated animals Contents prepared under the direction of an international authority on animal sciences Comprehensive glossary and index

The animal kingdom is the greatest show on Earth, and National Geographic Encyclopedia of Animals puts it all at your fingertips.]]> 192 Karen McGhee 079225936X Susan 5 4.35 2006 National Geographic Encyclopedia of Animals
author: Karen McGhee
name: Susan
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2006
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[The Encyclopedia of Animals : Mammals, Birds, Reptiles, Amphibians]]> 1753200 Book by 686 Harold G. Cogger 1877019879 Susan 4 4.47 2001 The Encyclopedia of Animals : Mammals, Birds, Reptiles, Amphibians
author: Harold G. Cogger
name: Susan
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2001
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Annual Editions: Anthropology 02/03]]> 1696517 0 Elvio Angeloni 0072506326 Susan 5 4.50 2001 Annual Editions: Anthropology 02/03
author: Elvio Angeloni
name: Susan
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2001
rating: 5
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]]> Memoirs of a Geisha 930
In "Memoirs of a Geisha," we enter a world where appearances are paramount; where a girl's virginity is auctioned to the highest bidder; where women are trained to beguile the most powerful men; and where love is scorned as illusion. It is a unique and triumphant work of fiction - at once romantic, erotic, suspenseful - and completely unforgettable.]]> 434 Arthur Golden 0739326228 Susan 5 4.07 1997 Memoirs of a Geisha
author: Arthur Golden
name: Susan
average rating: 4.07
book published: 1997
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham]]> 343614 205 Esther Hicks 1401917593 Susan 4 4.13 2006 The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham
author: Esther Hicks
name: Susan
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2006
rating: 4
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]]> Year of the Tiger 2182740 160 Michael Nichols 079227377X Susan 4 4.12 1998 Year of the Tiger
author: Michael Nichols
name: Susan
average rating: 4.12
book published: 1998
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Gutsy Women: Travel Tips and Wisdom for the Road]]> 640931 124 Marybeth Bond 1885211155 Susan 4 3.50 1996 Gutsy Women: Travel Tips and Wisdom for the Road
author: Marybeth Bond
name: Susan
average rating: 3.50
book published: 1996
rating: 4
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]]> One 265264 320 Richard Bach 0330311735 Susan 2 3.98 1988 One
author: Richard Bach
name: Susan
average rating: 3.98
book published: 1988
rating: 2
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]]> <![CDATA[Skinny Bitch: A No-Nonsense, Tough-Love Guide for Savvy Girls Who Want to Stop Eating Crap and Start Looking Fabulous!]]> 196613
If you can't take one more day of self-loathing, you're ready to hear the truth: You cannot keep shoveling the same crap into your mouth every day and expect to lose weight.

Authors Rory Freeman and Kim Barnouin are your new smart-mouthed girlfriends who won't mince words and will finally tell you the truth about what you're feeding yourself. And they'll guide you on making intelligent and educated decisions about food. They may be bitches, but they are skinny bitches. And you'll be one too--after you get with the program and start eating right.]]> 224 Rory Freedman 0762424931 Susan 4 3.33 2005 Skinny Bitch: A No-Nonsense, Tough-Love Guide for Savvy Girls Who Want to Stop Eating Crap and Start Looking Fabulous!
author: Rory Freedman
name: Susan
average rating: 3.33
book published: 2005
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[The Ten Trusts: What We Must Do to Care for The Animals We Love]]> 135487
Combining her life's work living among the chimpanzees with her spiritual perspective on the relationship between humans and animals, legendary behavioral scientist Jane Goodall sets forth ten trusts that we as humans have as custodians of the planet:

1. Respect all life

2. Live as part of the Animal Kingdom

3. Educate our children to respect animals

4. Treat animals as you would like to be treated

5. Be a steward

6. Value the sounds of nature and help preserve them

7. Do not harm life in order to learn about it

8. Have the courage of your convictions

9. Act knowing that your actions make a difference

10. Act knowing that you are not alone.

Filled with inspirational stories, The Ten Trusts provides lessons Jane Goodall has learned from a lifetime of experience, with the warmth and emotion her readers have come to expect from her. Marc Bekoff, cofounder of the Roots and Shoots program with Jane, also contributes his profound insights and research, which Jane has come to rely on. Together, they share their hope and vision for humanity and all the earth's creatures, distilled into ten eloquent spiritual lessons. Within these ten trusts, Goodall reveals how we can gain true enlightenment by living in harmony with the animal kingdom and honoring the interconnection between all species.]]> 224 Jane Goodall 0060556110 Susan 2 4.25 2002 The Ten Trusts: What We Must Do to Care for The Animals We Love
author: Jane Goodall
name: Susan
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2002
rating: 2
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]]> <![CDATA[Don't Shoot the Dog! : The New Art of Teaching and Training]]> 31052
In her groundbreaking approach to improving behavior, behavioral biologist Karen Pryor says, “Whatever the task, whether keeping a four-year-old quiet in public, housebreaking a puppy, coaching a team, or memorizing a poem, it will go fast, and better, and be more fun, if you know how to use reinforcement.�

Now Pryor clearly explains the underlying principles of behavioral training and reveals how this art can be applied to virtually any common situation. And best of all, she tells how to do it without yelling threats, force, punishment, guilt trips—or shooting the dog. From the eight methods for putting an end to all kinds of undesirable behavior to the ten laws of “shaping� behavior, Pryor helps you combat your own addictions and deal with such difficult problems as a moody spouse, an impossible teen, or an aged parent. Plus, there’s also incredibly helpful information on house training the dog, improving your tennis game, keeping the cat off the table, and much more!

“In the course of becoming a renowned dolphin trainer, Karen Pryor learned that positive reinforcement…is even more potent that prior scientific work had suggested…Don’t Shoot the Dog looks like the very best on the subject—a full-scale mind-changer� (The Coevolution Quarterly). Learn why pet owners rave, “This book changed our lives!� and how these pioneering techniques can work for you, too.

Karen Pryor is a behavioral biologist with an international reputation in marine mammal biology and behavioral psychology. She is a founder and leading proponent of “clicker training,� a training system based on operant conditioning (isolate wanted behaviors and ignore the unwanted) and the all-positive methods developed by marine mammal trainers. Pryor is the CEO of KCPT/Sunshine Books, Inc., a publishing, training product, and online company. In addition to her bestselling Don’t Shoot the Dog, Pryor wrote Nursing Your Baby (more than 2 million copies in print) along with several other books and many scientific papers and popular articles on learning and behavior. She has three grown children and lives in Boston with two clicker-trained dogs and a clicker-trained cat.]]> 202 Karen Pryor 1860542387 Susan 4 4.26 1984 Don't Shoot the Dog! : The New Art of Teaching and Training
author: Karen Pryor
name: Susan
average rating: 4.26
book published: 1984
rating: 4
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]]> The Story of B (Ishmael, #2) 214579
Father Jared Osborne has received an extraordinary assignment from his superiors: Investigate an itinerant preacher stirring up deep trouble in central Europe. His followers all him B, but his enemies say he’s something else: the Antichrist. However, the man Osborne tracks across a landscape of bars, cabarets, and seedy meeting halls is no blasphemous monster—though an earlier era would undoubtedly have rushed him to the burning stake. For B claims to be enunciating a gospel written not on any stone or parchment but in our very genes, opening up a spiritual direction for humanity that would have been unimaginable to any of the prophets or saviors of traditional religion. Pressed by his superiors for a judgment, Osborne is driven to penetrate B’s inner circle, where he soon finds himself an anguished collaborator in the dismantling of his own religious foundations. More than a masterful novel of adventure and suspense, The Story of B is a rich source of compelling ideas from an author who challenges us to rethink our most cherished beliefs.]]> 352 Daniel Quinn 0553379011 Susan 3 4.14 1996 The Story of B (Ishmael, #2)
author: Daniel Quinn
name: Susan
average rating: 4.14
book published: 1996
rating: 3
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]]> <![CDATA[Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit (Ishmael, #1)]]> 227265 Librarian's note: An alternate cover edition can be found here

TEACHER SEEKS PUPIL.
Must have an earnest desire to
save the world. Apply in person.

It was just a three-line ad in the personals section, but it launched the adventure of a lifetime...

So begins Ishmael, an utterly unique and captivating novel that has earned a large and passionate following among readers and critics alike—one of the most beloved and bestselling novels of spiritual adventure ever published.]]> 266 Daniel Quinn 0553375407 Susan 5 3.99 1992 Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit (Ishmael, #1)
author: Daniel Quinn
name: Susan
average rating: 3.99
book published: 1992
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Through a Window: My Thirty Years with the Chimpanzees of Gombe]]> 135490 THROUGH A WINDOW is the dramatic saga of thirty years in the life of a community, of birth and death, sex and love, power and war. It reads like a novel, but it is one of the most important scientific works ever published. The community is Gombe, on the shores of Lake Tangganyika, where the principal residents are chimpanzees and one extraordinary woman who is their student, protector, and historian. In her classic In the Shadow of Man, Jane Goodall wrote of her first ten years at Gombe. In Through a Window she brings the story up to the present, painting a much more complete and vivid portrait of our closest relative. We see the community split in two and a brutal war break out. We watch young Figan's relentless rise to power and old Mike's crushing defeat. We learn how one mother rears her children to succeed and another dooms them to failure. We witness horrifying murders, touching moments of affection, joyous births, and wrenching deaths. In short, we see every emotion known to humans stripped to its essence. In the mirror of chimpanzee life, we see ourselves reflected. Perhaps the best book ever written about animal behavior, Through a Window is also essential reading for anyone seeking a better grasp of human behavior.]]> 272 Jane Goodall 0618056777 Susan 5 4.28 1990 Through a Window: My Thirty Years with the Chimpanzees of Gombe
author: Jane Goodall
name: Susan
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1990
rating: 5
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]]>