en-US Fri, 31 Jan 2025 00:41:27 -0800 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 563798 Naked Lunch is the unnerving tale of a monumental descent into the hellish world of a narcotics addict as he travels from New York to Tangiers, then into Interzone, a nightmarish modern urban wasteland in which the forces of good and evil vie for control of the individual and all of humanity. By mixing the fantastic and the realistic with his own unmistakable vision and voice, Burroughs has created a unique masterpiece that is a classic of twentieth-century fiction.]]> 232 William S. Burroughs Kate 2 3.29 1959
author: William S. Burroughs
name: Kate
average rating: 3.29
book published: 1959
rating: 2
read at: 2008/06/01
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves:
review:

]]> 50739740
In the 1950s, Ellie and Brick are teenagers in love. As a basketball star, Brick has the chance to escape his abusive father and become the first person in his blue-collar family to attend college. But after Ellie learns that she is pregnant, they get married, she gives up her dream of nursing school, and Brick gets a union card instead.

From there, this riveting novel tells the story of Brick, Ellie, and their daughter Samantha. It illuminates the issues facing working-class families and their communities, as it chronicles the evolution of women's lives in America. It also explores how much people know about each other and pretend not to, and the secrets that explode lives.]]> 416 Connie Schultz Kate 0 to-read 3.90 2020
author: Connie Schultz
name: Kate
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/01/31
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 2085161 Wander the lavender fields of Provence, climb the steps of the Eiffel Tower, and bite into a perfect croissant: France is yours to discover with the most up-to-date 2021 guide from Rick Steves! Inside Rick Steves France you'll find:

Comprehensive coverage for planning a multi-week trip to France

Rick's strategic advice on how to get the most out of your time and money, with rankings of his must-see favorites

Top sights and hidden gems, from the Louvre and the Palace of Versailles to neighborhood caf�s and delicate macarons

How to connect with local culture: Stroll through open-air markets in Paris, bike through rustic villages, and taste wines in Burgundy and Bordeaux

Beat the crowds, skip the lines, and avoid tourist traps with Rick's candid, humorous insight

The best places to eat, sleep, and relax with a glass of vin rouge


Self-guided walking tours of lively neighborhoods and incredible museums

Vital trip-planning tools, like how to link destinations, build your itinerary, and get from place to place

Detailed maps, including a fold-out map for exploring on the go

Useful resources including a packing list, French phrase book, historical overview, and recommended reading

Updated to reflect changes that occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic up to the date of publication

Over 1,000 bible-thin pages include everything worth seeing without weighing you down

Coverage of Paris, Chartres, Normandy, Mont St-Michel, Brittany, The Loire, Dordogne, Languedoc-Roussillon, Provence, The French Riviera, Nice, Monaco, The French Alps, Burgundy, Lyon, Alsace, Reims, Verdun, and much more
Make the most of every day and every dollar with Rick Steves France. Planning a one- to two-week trip? Check out Rick Steves Best of France.]]> 732 Rick Steves 1566918553 Kate 4 4.00 2000
author: Rick Steves
name: Kate
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2000
rating: 4
read at: 2008/06/01
date added: 2017/08/07
shelves:
review:
My husband and I are pretty much Rick Steve's groupies. This is the second time we have taken a trip using Rick as our guide and he has (almost) never let us down. This book is full of a lot of useful advice on how to maximize your time/money on a trip to France. Since this book covers the whole country, we also used the Provence book and the Paris book for when we were in those parts of the country.
]]> 19501
Around the time Elizabeth Gilbert turned thirty, she went through an early-onslaught midlife crisis. She had everything an educated, ambitious American woman was supposed to want—a husband, a house, a successful career. But instead of feeling happy and fulfilled, she was consumed with panic, grief, and confusion. She went through a divorce, a crushing depression, another failed love, and the eradication of everything she ever thought she was supposed to be.

To recover from all this, Gilbert took a radical step. In order to give herself the time and space to find out who she really was and what she really wanted, she got rid of her belongings, quit her job, and undertook a yearlong journey around the world—all alone. Eat, Pray, Love is the absorbing chronicle of that year. Her aim was to visit three places where she could examine one aspect of her own nature set against the backdrop of a culture that has traditionally done that one thing very well. In Rome, she studied the art of pleasure, learning to speak Italian and gaining the twenty-three happiest pounds of her life. India was for the art of devotion, and with the help of a native guru and a surprisingly wise cowboy from Texas, she embarked on four uninterrupted months of spiritual exploration. In Bali, she studied the art of balance between worldly enjoyment and divine transcendence. She became the pupil of an elderly medicine man and also fell in love the best way—unexpectedly.

An intensely articulate and moving memoir of self-discovery, Eat, Pray, Love is about what can happen when you claim responsibility for your own contentment and stop trying to live in imitation of society’s ideals. It is certain to touch anyone who has ever woken up to the unrelenting need for change.]]> 368 Elizabeth Gilbert 0143038419 Kate 3
Definitely a fun read though and I would recommend it mostly to other women around my age (the author is 34 when she goes on her trip and I found it easy to relate to her attempt to find balance in her life and to stop beating herslef up over her mistakes) but I think that others would enjoy it as well.]]> 3.64 2006
author: Elizabeth Gilbert
name: Kate
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at: 2007/09/01
date added: 2011/08/08
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review:
I did really like this book, I just didn't love it. It is divided up into three parts where the author is visiting Italy, India, and Indonesia. I definitely liked the first part best, but maybe that is because I can relate to going to Italy and eating myself silly a lot more than I can relate to going to and Ashram in Italy and waking up at 3am to meditate :)

Definitely a fun read though and I would recommend it mostly to other women around my age (the author is 34 when she goes on her trip and I found it easy to relate to her attempt to find balance in her life and to stop beating herslef up over her mistakes) but I think that others would enjoy it as well.
]]> 334176 419 Mary Doria Russell 0449912558 Kate 5 4.13 1996
author: Mary Doria Russell
name: Kate
average rating: 4.13
book published: 1996
rating: 5
read at: 2007/09/01
date added: 2009/12/17
shelves:
review:
While this is technically a science fiction book I think it definitely has a broad appeal - even if you don't normally like sci fi, give this book a chance.
]]> 136251
In this final, seventh installment of the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling unveils in spectacular fashion the answers to the many questions that have been so eagerly awaited.]]> 759 J.K. Rowling Kate 4 4.61 2007
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Kate
average rating: 4.61
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at: 2007/07/01
date added: 2009/12/17
shelves:
review:
I admit that I was waiting in line at midnight for my copy of Deathly Hallows. Unfortunately, the line was too long and I ended up heading home before I got my copy - too old for 4 am these days. I bought it the next morning on my way to the aiport and basically didn't stop reading until I finished late that night. While I had some issues with the way some things wrapped up (no spoilers here) I can't give Harry Potter anything but 5 stars.
]]> 9416
Her job writing at Successful Savings not only bores her to tears, it doesn't pay much at all. And lately Becky's been chased by dismal letters from the bank –letters with large red sums she can't bear to read–and they're getting ever harder to ignore.

She tries cutting back. But none of her efforts succeeds. Becky's only consolation is to buy herself something ... just a little something....

Finally a story arises that Becky actually cares about, and her front-page article catalyzes a chain of events that will transform her life–and the lives of those around her–forever.]]> 368 Sophie Kinsella 0440241413 Kate 1 3.71 2000
author: Sophie Kinsella
name: Kate
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2000
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2009/03/12
shelves:
review:
I was in an airport in a small town and the book selection was fairly limited, so I purchased Shopaholic. I wish I had stuck with the DaVinci Code.
]]> 3109 What should we have for dinner? For omnivore like ourselves, this simple question has always posed a dilemma. When you can eat just about anything nature (or the supermarket) has to offer, deciding what you should eat will inevitably stir anxiety, especially when some of the foods on offer might shorten your life. Today, buffered by one food fad after another, America is suffering from what can only be described as a national eating disorder. The omnivore’s dilemma has returned with a vengeance, as the cornucopia of the modern American supermarket and fast-food outlet confronts us with a bewildering and treacherous food landscape. What’s at stake in our eating choices is not only our own and our children’s health, but the health of the environment that sustains life on earth.
The Omnivore's Dilemma is groundbreaking book, in which one of America’s most fascinating, original, and elegant writers turns his own omnivorous mind to the seemingly straightforward question of what we should have for dinner. The question has confronted us since man discovered fire, but according to Michael Pollan, the bestselling author of The Botany of Desire, how we answer it today, at the dawn of the twenty-first century, may well determine our very survival as a species. Should we eat a fast-food hamburger? Something organic? Or perhaps something we hunt, gather, or grow ourselves?
To find out, Pollan follows each of the food chains that sustain us—industrial food, organic or alternative food, and food we forage ourselves—from the source to a final meal, and in the process develops a definitive account of the American way of eating. His absorbing narrative takes us from Iowa cornfields to food-science laboratories, from feedlots and fast-food restaurants to organic farms and hunting grounds, always emphasizing our dynamic coevolutionary relationship with the handful of plant and animal species we depend on. Each time Pollan sits down to a meal, he deploys his unique blend of personal and investigative journalism to trace the origins of everything consumed, revealing what we unwittingly ingest and explaining how our taste for particular foods and flavors reflects our evolutionary inheritance.
The surprising answers Pollan offers to the simple question posed by this book have profound political, economic, psychological, and even moral implications for all of us. Ultimately, this is a book as much about visionary solutions as it is about problems, and Pollan contends that, when it comes to food, doing the right thing often turns out to be the tastiest thing an eater can do. Beautifully written and thrillingly argued, The Omnivore’s Dilemma promises to change the way we think about the politics and pleasure of eating. For anyone who reads it, dinner will never again look, or taste, quite the same.]]> 450 Michael Pollan 1594200823 Kate 4 4.18 2006
author: Michael Pollan
name: Kate
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2009/03/12
shelves:
review:
I really enjoyed this book and its approach to looking at where our food comes from. I appreciated that the author acknowledged how hard it can be to make decisions about food - especially compared to other books I have read on this subject that were more judgmental. You get to see his struggles to understand his relationship with food which I could definitely relate to. This book made me simultaneously want to become a vegetarian and to go hunting.
]]> 128940 196 Sandra Dallas 0312147015 Kate 2 3.77 1995
author: Sandra Dallas
name: Kate
average rating: 3.77
book published: 1995
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2008/08/03
shelves:
review:

]]> 16793 Alternate cover edition can be found here

Young Tristran Thorn will do anything to win the cold heart of beautiful Victoria—even fetch her the star they watch fall from the night sky. But to do so, he must enter the unexplored lands on the other side of the ancient wall that gives their tiny village its name. Beyond that old stone wall, Tristran learns, lies Faerie—where nothing not even a fallen star, is what he imagined.]]> 248 Neil Gaiman 0061142026 Kate 4 4.11 1999
author: Neil Gaiman
name: Kate
average rating: 4.11
book published: 1999
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2008/08/03
shelves:
review:

]]> 16047 The Sparrow and Children of God.

It is September 8, 1943, and fourteen-year-old Claudette Blum is learning Italian with a suitcase in her hand. She and her father are among the thousands of Jewish refugees scrambling over the Alps toward Italy, where they hope to be safe at last, now that the Italians have broken with Germany and made a separate peace with the Allies. The Blums will soon discover that Italy is anything but peaceful, as it becomes overnight an open battleground among the Nazis, the Allies, resistance fighters, Jews in hiding, and ordinary Italian civilians trying to survive.

Mary Doria Russell sets her first historical novel against this dramatic background, tracing the lives of a handful of fascinating characters. Through them, she tells the little-known but true story of the network of Italian citizens who saved the lives of forty-three thousand Jews during the war’s final phase.

The result of five years of meticulous research, A Thread of Grace is an ambitious, engrossing novel of ideas, history, and marvelous characters that will please Russell’s many fans and earn her even more.]]> 442 Mary Doria Russell 0449004139 Kate 5 4.00 2005
author: Mary Doria Russell
name: Kate
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2005
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2008/08/03
shelves:
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]]> 592091
Portrait of an Unknown Woman is historical fiction at its best, rich in detail and observation that dares to choose as its setting the household of More. It is a novel that unfolds from an oblique angle, revealing itself not through More's eyes but through the eye of his young ward, Meg Giggs -- the unknown woman. Meg is a wholly realized creation, a young, headstrong woman schooled from childhood in the healing arts. A woman who, in time, will be torn between her loyalty, duty, and devotion to the More family and the call of her passions and conscience. Two men will vie for the heart and mind of young Meg: John Clement, her former tutor, a quiet man with a past shrouded in mystery; and Hans Holbein, the famous artist who twice painted portraits of More and his family.

In Portrait of an Unknown Woman, Bennett has penned a suspenseful family drama with countless twists and turns, a revealing lesson on art and painting, and a most satisfying love story, all set against and within the rich historical time and tapestry of Tudor England. A remarkable debut novel.]]> 423 Vanora Bennett 0061251836 Kate 3 3.68 2006
author: Vanora Bennett
name: Kate
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at: 2008/07/01
date added: 2008/07/30
shelves:
review:
This book is brain candy - with a little bit of history mixed in.
]]> 37470 This is an alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780743227445

Two sisters competing for the greatest prize: The love of a king

When Mary Boleyn comes to court as an innocent girl of fourteen, she catches the eye of Henry VIII. Dazzled, Mary falls in love with both her golden prince and her growing role as unofficial queen. However, she soon realises just how much she is a pawn in her family's ambitious plots as the king's interest begins to wane and she is forced to step aside for her best friend and rival: her sister, Anne. Then Mary knows that she must defy her family and her king and take fate into her own hands.

A rich and compelling novel of love, sex, ambition, and intrigue, The Other Boleyn Girl introduces a woman of extraordinary determination and desire who lived at the heart of the most exciting and glamourous court in Europe and survived by following her heart.]]> 661 Philippa Gregory Kate 2 4.08 2001
author: Philippa Gregory
name: Kate
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2001
rating: 2
read at: 2008/07/01
date added: 2008/07/30
shelves:
review:

]]> 99664 The Painted Veil is the story of the beautiful, but love-starved Kitty Fane.

When her husband discovers her adulterous affair, he forces her to accompany him to the heart of a cholera epidemic. Stripped of the British society of her youth and the small but effective society she fought so hard to attain in Hong Kong, she is compelled by her awakening conscience to reassess her life and learn how to love.

The Painted Veil is a beautifully written affirmation of the human capacity to grow, to change, and to forgive.]]> 246 W. Somerset Maugham 0307277771 Kate 4 3.95 1925
author: W. Somerset Maugham
name: Kate
average rating: 3.95
book published: 1925
rating: 4
read at: 2008/07/01
date added: 2008/07/30
shelves:
review:
I actually didn't know there was a movie, I bought this book because I have enjoyed reading Maugham in the past. But after reading the other reviews I will definitely have to Netflix the movie! I enjoyed reading this book. Although it is a little "lighter" than a lot of Maugham, it still makes you think - both about the human capacity for change and about the significance of any individual person/people in a world full of much bigger issues. My copy of the book had a forward from the author explaining how he came up with the story idea that I thought was interesting as well.
]]> 9712 348 Gabriel García Márquez 140003468X Kate 5 3.92 1985
author: Gabriel García Márquez
name: Kate
average rating: 3.92
book published: 1985
rating: 5
read at: 2008/06/20
date added: 2008/06/20
shelves:
review:

]]> 498835
More than a century later, Meredith Martin, an American graduate student, arrives in France to study the life of Claude Debussy, the nineteenth century French composer. In Rennesles-Bains, Meredith checks into a grand old hotel-the Domain de la Cade. Something about the hotel feels eerily familiar, and strange dreams and visions begin to haunt Meredith's waking hours. A chance encounter leads her to a pack of tarot cards painted by LĂ©onie Vernier, which may hold the key to this twenty-first century American's fate . . . just as they did to the fate of LĂ©onie Vernier more than a century earlier.]]> 550 Kate Mosse 0752860550 Kate 2 3.80 2007
author: Kate Mosse
name: Kate
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2007
rating: 2
read at: 2008/06/01
date added: 2008/06/20
shelves:
review:
This book promised history! suspense! mystery! But there wasn't really much of any of those ... although there were a lot of pages. I only made it through all of them because I was on a nine hour flight and the screen on my seat was broken.
]]> 823 Quicksilver is the story of Daniel Waterhouse, fearless thinker and conflicted Puritan, pursuing knowledge in the company of the greatest minds of Baroque-era Europe, in a chaotic world where reason wars with the bloody ambitions of the mighty, and where catastrophe, natural or otherwise, can alter the political landscape overnight.

It is a chronicle of the breathtaking exploits of "Half-Cocked Jack" Shaftoe--London street urchin turned swashbuckling adventurer and legendary King of the Vagabonds--risking life and limb for fortune and love while slowly maddening from the pox.

And it is the tale of Eliza, rescued by Jack from a Turkish harem to become spy, confidante, and pawn of royals in order to reinvent Europe through the newborn power of finance.

A gloriously rich, entertaining, and endlessly inventive novel that brings a remarkable age and its momentous events to vivid life, Quicksilver is an extraordinary achievement from one of the most original and important literary talents of our time.

And it's just the beginning...

(back cover)

This P.S. edition includes 16 pages of supplementary materials.

Cover design by Richard L. Aquan
Cover illustration from the Mary Evans Picture Library; painting of Great Fire of London on stepback]]> 927 Neal Stephenson Kate 4 3.91 2003
author: Neal Stephenson
name: Kate
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2003
rating: 4
read at: 2008/06/01
date added: 2008/06/20
shelves:
review:

]]> 13657
This method - changing planes - enables Sita to visit fifteen societies not found on Earth. She will encounter cultures where the babble of children fades over time into the silence of adults; where whole towns exist solely for holiday shopping; where personalities are ruled by rage; where genetic experiments produce less than desirable results. And many other exotic landscapes whose denizens are fundamentally human...]]> 239 Ursula K. Le Guin 0441012248 Kate 4 3.85 2003
author: Ursula K. Le Guin
name: Kate
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2003
rating: 4
read at: 2008/06/01
date added: 2008/06/20
shelves:
review:
I read this book in an airport which just made it all the more fun. The premise is that people have figured out how to change planes (as in travel to different worlds) while waiting to change planes (as in stuck at the airport). The rest of the book is a series of sketches of different planes. In describing the different worlds, LeGuin makes a few points about ours.
]]> 847635 448 Ken Alder 0743216768 Kate 4 3.93 2002
author: Ken Alder
name: Kate
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2002
rating: 4
read at: 2008/06/01
date added: 2008/06/20
shelves:
review:
When my husband bought this book I was like "400 pages about the meter?? You have got to be kidding me" but then I picked it up and couldn't put it down. A great story of not only the origins of the metric system but also about revolutionary France and the evolution of science.
]]> 4407
Together they embark on a profoundly strange journey across the heart of the USA, whilst all around them a storm of preternatural and epic proportions threatens to break.

Scary, gripping and deeply unsettling, American Gods takes a long, hard look into the soul of America. You'll be surprised by what - and who - it finds there...

This is the author's preferred text, never before published in the UK, and is about 12,000 words longer than the previous UK edition.

]]> 635 Neil Gaiman Kate 3 4.10 2001
author: Neil Gaiman
name: Kate
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2001
rating: 3
read at: 2008/03/01
date added: 2008/04/28
shelves:
review:
I thought that the premise of this book was cool. I'm just not 100% sure of how I feel about the execution. I need to think about it a little more ... I'll update my rating/review later
]]> 48303
Ten years ago a young Brooklyn chef was making a name for herself by dishing up amazing vegan meals -- no fuss, no b.s., just easy, cheap, delicious food. Several books -- including Veganomicon , Appetite for Reduction , Isa Does It , and Superfun Times Holiday Cookbook -- later, the punk rock priestess of all things tasty and animal-free returns to her roots-and we're not just talking tubers. The book that started it all is back, with new recipes, ways to make those awesome favorites even awesomer, more in-the-kitchen tips with Fizzle--and full-color photos of those amazing dishes throughout.

With tips for taming your tofu, doing away with dairy, and getting rid of the eggs, you'll find recipes for:

"Fronch" Toast; Biscuits and White Bean Sausage Gravy; Chile sin Carne al Mole; Apple Pie-Crumb Cake Muffins; Three Kinds of Knishes (Knish Madness!); Revolutionary Spanish Omelet; Tempeh Reuben; Braised Cauliflower with Three-Seed Sauce; Ethiopian Seitan and Peppers; No-Bake Black Bottom-Peanut Butter Silk Pie; Coconut Heaven Cupcakes . . . and more. So much more.]]> 280 Isa Chandra Moskowitz 1569243581 Kate 4
I have only made one recipe from this book so far, but I am willing to highly recommend it based on that recipe alone: The Fauxstess cupcake. This is a vegan cupcake that honestly looks and tastes just like the real deal Hostess cupcake - right down to the little squiggle on top. It is a little labor intensive but SO worth it. Even my non-vegan friends request these cupcakes now.

I'll post more when I've had a chance to try out some of the other recipes]]> 3.69 2005
author: Isa Chandra Moskowitz
name: Kate
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at: 2008/01/01
date added: 2008/04/04
shelves:
review:
So I am not actually a vegan ... or even a vegetarian ... but I bought this book because one of my really good friends is a vegan and I wanted to be able to cook for her when she came over. I really like the fun tone of this book, and it is full of great tid-bits of information - like a whole page of different things that you can substitute for eggs. I also like that the author is really up-front that vegan doesn't necessarily mean healthy and that not everything vegan needs to be whole-grain, etc.

I have only made one recipe from this book so far, but I am willing to highly recommend it based on that recipe alone: The Fauxstess cupcake. This is a vegan cupcake that honestly looks and tastes just like the real deal Hostess cupcake - right down to the little squiggle on top. It is a little labor intensive but SO worth it. Even my non-vegan friends request these cupcakes now.

I'll post more when I've had a chance to try out some of the other recipes
]]> 101247 336 Alton Brown 1584793414 Kate 0 currently-reading 4.25 2004
author: Alton Brown
name: Kate
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2004
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2008/04/01
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 9516
Persepolis paints an unforgettable portrait of daily life in Iran and of the bewildering contradictions between home life and public life. Marjane’s child’s-eye view of dethroned emperors, state-sanctioned whippings, and heroes of the revolution allows us to learn as she does the history of this fascinating country and of her own extraordinary family. Intensely personal, profoundly political, and wholly original, Persepolis is at once a story of growing up and a reminder of the human cost of war and political repression. It shows how we carry on, with laughter and tears, in the face of absurdity. And, finally, it introduces us to an irresistible little girl with whom we cannot help but fall in love.]]> 153 Marjane Satrapi 037571457X Kate 4 4.27 2003
author: Marjane Satrapi
name: Kate
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2003
rating: 4
read at: 2007/12/01
date added: 2008/03/20
shelves:
review:

]]> 9517 Persepolis, heralded by the Los Angeles Times as "one of the freshest and most original memoirs of our day," Marjane Satrapi dazzled us with her heartrending memoir-in-comic-strips about growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. Here is the continuation of her fascinating story. In 1984, Marjane flees fundamentalism and the war with Iraq to begin a new life in Vienna. Once there, she faces the trials of adolescence far from her friends and family, and while she soon carves out a place for herself among a group of fellow outsiders, she continues to struggle for a sense of belonging.

Finding that she misses her home more than she can stand, Marjane returns to Iran after graduation. Her difficult homecoming forces her to confront the changes both she and her country have undergone in her absence and her shame at what she perceives as her failure in Austria. Marjane allows her past to weigh heavily on her until she finds some like-minded friends, falls in love, and begins studying art at a university. However, the repression and state-sanctioned chauvinism eventually lead her to question whether she can have a future in Iran.

As funny and poignant as its predecessor, Persepolis 2 is another clear-eyed and searing condemnation of the human cost of fundamentalism. In its depiction of the struggles of growing up--here compounded by Marjane's status as an outsider both abroad and at home--it is raw, honest, and incredibly illuminating.]]> 187 Marjane Satrapi 0375714669 Kate 5 4.22 2001
author: Marjane Satrapi
name: Kate
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2001
rating: 5
read at: 2007/12/01
date added: 2008/03/20
shelves:
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]]> 9526
Embroideries gathers together Marjane’s tough–talking grandmother, stoic mother, glamorous and eccentric aunt and their friends and neighbors for an afternoon of tea drinking and talking. Naturally, the subject turns to love, sex and the vagaries of men.

As the afternoon progresses, these vibrant women share their secrets, their regrets and their often outrageous stories about, among other things, how to fake one’s virginity, how to escape an arranged marriage, how to enjoy the miracles of plastic surgery and how to delight in being a mistress. By turns revealing and hilarious, these are stories about the lengths to which some women will go to find a man, keep a man or, most important, keep up appearances.

Full of surprises, this introduction to the private lives of some fascinating women, whose life stories and lovers will strike us as at once deeply familiar and profoundly different from our own, is sure to bring smiles of recognition to the faces of women everywhere—and to teach us all a thing or two.]]> 144 Marjane Satrapi 0375714677 Kate 4 3.92 2003
author: Marjane Satrapi
name: Kate
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2003
rating: 4
read at: 2007/12/01
date added: 2008/03/20
shelves:
review:

]]> 9525 84 Marjane Satrapi 0375424156 Kate 3 3.88 2004
author: Marjane Satrapi
name: Kate
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2004
rating: 3
read at: 2007/12/01
date added: 2008/03/20
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]]> 18116
These thrilling adventures tell the story of Lyra and Will—two ordinary children on a perilous journey through shimmering haunted otherworlds. They will meet witches and armored bears, fallen angels and soul-eating specters. And in the end, the fate of both the living—and the dead—will rely on them.

Phillip Pullman’s spellbinding His Dark Materials trilogy has captivated readers for over twenty years and won acclaim at every turn. It will have you questioning everything you know about your world and wondering what really lies just out of reach.]]> 1088 Philip Pullman 0440238609 Kate 3 4.26 2000
author: Philip Pullman
name: Kate
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2000
rating: 3
read at: 2008/02/01
date added: 2008/03/20
shelves:
review:
These books were ok - they were a fast read and fun for the adventure/fantasy part. The symbolism/message/whatever you want to call it bordered on obnoxious at times (just in case you didn't get it the first time, it is often spelled out for you in detail). Also it was a little annoying the way the books ended on total cliff-hangers (especially the first book). It would have been nice to have a little closure - so warning, you should buy/borrow the second book before you finish the first one.
]]> 796829
From strip clubs to gambling halls to swingers clubs to porn sets--and then back to the strip clubs, but only because he left his glasses there--Sagal explores exactly what the sinful folk do, how much they pay for the privilege, and exactly how they got those funny red marks. He hosts a dinner for three of the smartest porn stars in the world, asks the floor manager at the oldest casino in Vegas how to beat the house, and indulges in molecular cuisine at the finest restaurant in the country. Meet liars and rich people who don't think consumption is a disease, encounter the most spectacular view ever seen from a urinal, and say hello to Nina Hartley, the only porn star who can discuss Nietzsche while strangers smack her butt.

With a sharp wit, a remarkable eye for detail, and the carefree insouciance that can only come from not having any idea what he's getting into, Sagal proves to be the perfect guide to sinful behavior. What happens in Vegas--and in less glamorous places--is all laid out in these pages, a modern version of Dante's Inferno, except with more jokes.]]> 272 Peter Sagal 0060843829 Kate 3 3.43 2007
author: Peter Sagal
name: Kate
average rating: 3.43
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at: 2007/12/01
date added: 2008/03/20
shelves:
review:
I was pretty excited to read this book (so excited that I bought it for my brother for Christmas and then read it before I wrapped it). The first chapter didn't disappoint ... but unfortunately the rest of the book kind of did. One thing that is amazing about this book is that you can hear Peter Sagal's voice while you are reading it (assuming you are a public radio junkie). I was just disappointed by some of the "vices" that Peter chose - they were pretty safe vices really. I especially thought that the gluttony chapter was fairly lame. Anyway, good for a quick, light read but could have been soooo much better.
]]> 268963 What to Eat has been praised as welcome relief. As Nestle takes us through each supermarket section—produce, dairy, meat, fish—she explains the issues, cutting through foodie jargon and complicated nutrition labels, and debunking the misleading health claims made by big food companies. With Nestle as our guide, we are shown how to make wise food choices—and are inspired to eat sensibly and nutritiously.]]> 624 Marion Nestle 0865477388 Kate 2 4.03 2006
author: Marion Nestle
name: Kate
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2006
rating: 2
read at: 2008/01/20
date added: 2008/03/20
shelves:
review:
I think that this was just the wrong kind of food book for me to read. I am more of a "live to eat" type person and this is definitely a "eat to live" kind of book. Each chapter in this book covers a different food: bottled water, seafood, baby food, etc and the author talks about the environmental and health benefits/drawbacks. I found the coverage spotty and the organization confusing - some information is repeated over and over while some stuff is never mentioned. For example - the chapter on bottled water doesn't mention the environmental impact of all those plastic bottles. Also, I found some of the author's editorializing obnoxious. Clearly a rich person living in Manhattan who assumes all of her readers are in the same boat. Some of her suggestions just aren't realistic - only buy bread baked by hand in artisan bakeries. Really? There was some useful information though - especially about things like which seafood is safe to eat. I read this book because I kind of felt like I should. I think next I'll need some MFK Fisher to detox - now THAT's my kind of food writing. :)
]]> 28116 44 Million Words
10 Billion Years Of History
1 Obsessed Man

Part memoir and part education (or lack thereof), "The Know-It-All" chronicles NPR contributor A.J. Jacobs's hilarious, enlightening, and seemingly impossible quest to read the Encyclopaedia Britannica from A to Z.

To fill the ever-widening gaps in his Ivy League education, A.J. Jacobs sets for himself the daunting task of reading all thirty-two volumes of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. His wife, Julie, tells him it's a waste of time, his friends believe he is losing his mind, and his father, a brilliant attorney who had once attempted the same feat and quit somewhere around Borneo, is encouraging but unconvinced.

With self-deprecating wit and a disarming frankness, "The Know-It-All" recounts the unexpected and comically disruptive effects Operation Encyclopedia has on every part of Jacobs's life - from his newly minted marriage to his complicated relationship with his father and the rest of his charmingly eccentric New York family to his day job as an editor at "Esquire." Jacobs's project tests the outer limits of his stamina and forces him to explore the real meaning of intelligence as he endeavours to join Mensa, win a spot on Jeopardy!, and absorb 33,000 pages of learning. On his journey, he stumbles upon some of the strangest, funniest, and most profound facts about every topic under the sun, all while battling fatigue, ridicule, and the paralysing fear that attends his first real-life responsibility - the impending birth of his first child.

"The Know-It-All" is an ingenious, mightily entertaining memoir of one man's intellect, neuroses, and obsessions, and a struggle between the all-consuming quest for factual knowledge and the undeniable gift of hard-won wisdom.]]> 388 A.J. Jacobs 0743250621 Kate 5

]]> 3.76 2004
author: A.J. Jacobs
name: Kate
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2004
rating: 5
read at: 2007/09/01
date added: 2007/11/04
shelves:
review:
This book is the hilarious account of the author's attempt to read the encyclopedia brittanica from cover to cover. But it is about so much more at the same time - the author and his wife trying to get pregnant, the author and his relationship with his father, etc. It is written like encyclopedia entries which are in alphabetical order so you can track the progress through the encylopedia as you read. Great read.



]]> 79791 257 David Sedaris 0316010790 Kate 4 3.92 2004
author: David Sedaris
name: Kate
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2004
rating: 4
read at: 2007/09/01
date added: 2007/09/12
shelves:
review:
So, this is a book of short stories and as with most books of short stories I really liked some and I really didn't like others. I kind of wish I could give this book a 3.5. I settled on 4 because as a general rule, I like David Sedaris. Just when I would start to not like the book, there would be a great story like the Santa Claus one :) I definitely finished this book and felt glad I was not a Sedaris - nothing that happens in his family is off-limits and I'm not sure I would want my issues on display in a published book. Thank goodness my brother doesn't want to be a writer :)
]]> 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 Kate 4 3.65 2001
author: Barbara Ehrenreich
name: Kate
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2001
rating: 4
read at: 2007/07/01
date added: 2007/08/06
shelves:
review:
There were definitely some problems with the way the author carried out her study of low wage life. However, she acknowledges many of these herself. This book is a great conversation starter about the state of poverty in this country - it definitely made me stop and think. I definitley recommend it to anyone.
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