en-US Fri, 15 Mar 2024 01:47:30 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 17125 The only English translation authorized by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

First published in the Soviet journal Novy Mir in 1962, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich stands as a classic of contemporary literature. The story of labor-camp inmate Ivan Denisovich Shukhov, it graphically describes his struggle to maintain his dignity in the face of communist oppression. An unforgettable portrait of the entire world of Stalin's forced work camps, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich is one of the most extraordinary literary documents to have emerged from the Soviet Union and confirms Solzhenitsyn's stature as "a literary genius whose talent matches that of Dosotevsky, Turgenev, Tolstoy"--Harrison Salisbury

This unexpurgated 1991 translation by H. T. Willetts is the only authorized edition available, and fully captures the power and beauty of the original Russian.]]> 182 Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Patrick 0 to-read 3.98 1962
author: Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
name: Patrick
average rating: 3.98
book published: 1962
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 38140833
What can a makeable monster do?ĚýThey motor, inflate, wobble, drool, soar, and one of them can even do push-ups. Add a pair of wings,Ěýsubtract a tentacle...the best thing about these monsters is that they're part experiment , part imagination , and 100 percentĚý customizable . Author Sam Haynor draws on his experience with the San Francisco Exploratorium, Oakland Toy Lab, Goldieblocks, and designing STEAM curriculum to create projects packed with features. While, on the outside, most appear to be built completely from common craft materials, they containĚý circuits , levers , projectile-launchers , puzzles , and much more. The projects areĚýsafe and fun for younger kids working with adults, and most of them can be tackled by middle-graders with minimal adult help.
Ěý
Every land is filled with ThisĚýunique project book built forĚýopen-ended exploration is perfect for crafternoons, homeschool activities, and parties.]]> 120 Sam Haynor 0760361010 Patrick 5 4.86
author: Sam Haynor
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.86
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2022/08/10
shelves:
review:

]]> 49116
Now he has escaped, leaving only two clues as to where he might be headed: Harry Potter's defeat of You-Know-Who was Black's downfall as well. And the Azkaban guards heard Black muttering in his sleep, "He's at Hogwarts...he's at Hogwarts."

Harry Potter isn't safe, not even within the walls of his magical school, surrounded by his friends. because on top of it all, there may well be a traitor in their midst.

(front flap)]]> 435 J.K. Rowling Patrick 4 4.57 1999
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.57
book published: 1999
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2020/04/25
shelves:
review:

]]> 2547 The Prophet, is one of the most beloved classics of our time. Published in 1923, it has been translated into more than twenty languages, and the American editions alone have sold more than nine million copies.

The Prophet is a collection of poetic essays that are philosophical, spiritual, and, above all, inspirational. Gibran’s musings are divided into twenty-eight chapters covering such sprawling topics as love, marriage, children, giving, eating and drinking, work, joy and sorrow, housing, clothes, buying and selling, crime and punishment, laws, freedom, reason and passion, pain, self-knowledge, teaching, friendship, talking, time, good and evil, prayer, pleasure, beauty, religion, and death.]]> 127 Kahlil Gibran 000100039X Patrick 1
As the great Prophet has done before me, I shall tear off the shroud of mystic truth which has become my body and mind and shed it upon the streets where the needy walk, so that they might find compassion and knowledge in the tattered cloth of my foolish youth. For the Prophet offers his own words as truth for others and in turn so shall I lay the same trap, in the hope that the darkness in which I wrap you shall make you forge your own dagger with which to cut yourself free from the books you once called teachers. Because I will not deny anyone that truth; all things are teachers. But all teachers lie, by accident or intention, to make others see the world their way. And of course you will blame me for doing the same, but I will try my best not to impose any other doctrine than to not be led astray by the nectar of another's truth. The wine tastes fine until it is drunk in full, and then one cannot find their way home. Allow me to sober you many who have lavished Gibran with 5 stars. His is the work of dreamers and that is what everyone loves, but dreamers do just that, wasting their lives into the infinite circles of their mind, calculating the perfection of time and space. I would rather you lower yourself to the plain of human excrement, so that you one day exclaim in great truth, "The Prophet is a shit stick! Good for nothing more than wiping away reality." Because that is what Gibran wants you to do. Wipe away reality, and live in a fantasy that cannot exist.

In truth Gibran oscillates a great deal in his tackling of his subject matter, life. In some regards he appears dead on because of his continued juxtaposition of opposites often claiming things embody their "other," saying each is to be taken in measure. "For even as love crowns you, so shall he crucify you." As much as I would agree with this sentiment (no one could really ever disagree with it), it is too general, like most of his assertions.

He excites his audience to be good, as if this were an inherent part of our nature, just bursting though the seems of our mortality. There just really isn't anything to disagree with, and that is what makes his statements so dangerous and a plague on the unwary. He gives us hope beyond measure, and humanity, in all its desire, fills its tiny cup with all that it can hold. Gibran gives us too much and consequently too little. What would one do with boundless love? Quit their job, leave home, become a traveler on a distant shore whom others beg for knowledge and truth. Though we all may have the capacity to become prophets, it is likely most of us won't. The children of god are fed with food, not promises of the eternal.

Ah, so much to write, but not all is bad. Gibran does say some nice things here and there, but I just happen to take issue with religious folk who don't think the dissemination of their message is harmful. What is harmful? The incomplete is harmful. To knowingly give someone a jigsaw puzzle with pieces missing or withheld is a dangerous business. At which point you will want to ask me, if their is no accessible truth that can be put into words, they why not go to the philosophical fish mongers and beg for scraps at the end of their business day? The only answer I can give, ironically, is to become your own paragon through the study of books and then the burning of them. Gibran will set you on a path with a happy ending, and as I've said I find it hard to disagree with some of his more choice observations, "He who wears his morality but as his best garment were better naked."

But as one of my favorite philosophers said "There are no happy endings, because nothing ends.(Schmendrick the Magician). Gibran offers us daily peace, and life and death in one hand, and the promise of the wandering life of the spirit in our daily toil, a place to recline when the world overwhelms. I commend his attempt to sooth the mind of his listeners but we have all received a lolly from the dentist or doctor, whose truth fades quickly in the passing of sugary time. And at the end we are left with the stick of truth, as the Prophet's listeners are left with nothing, because they cannot stand on their own. He leaves them with a host of unfinished dreams and unrefined motivations. They have inherited an unwieldy burden, one they cannot overcome if they take the Prophets words as truth.

The problem is that this is a philosophy book masquerading as a beautiful story...which is the poison in the ear. It's easy to gobble up "truth" when it's coated in confection. So just be careful out there and remember what the Prophet said.

"If the teacher is indeed wise, he does not bid you enter the house of his wisdom (even if you beg), but rather leads you to the threshold of your own mind"

Gibran gets a second star just for that line.]]> 4.27 1923
author: Kahlil Gibran
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.27
book published: 1923
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2020/03/21
shelves:
review:
Of course I remember almost nothing of this book, except that it was an arduous journey through the elementary and unspecific explanation of religious doctrine that tries to be open and liberal, but is actually very conservative and full of ideology that I feel is unrewarding mostly due to the difficulty in actual application. If anyone reads this, although I see no reason why they would, listen to my words. The truth, however you define it, however you need it, is simple. When you see it you know. When you don't, or can't, there is doubt. Do not fill yourself with the doubt of uncertainty. Know thyself, and be good to others.

As the great Prophet has done before me, I shall tear off the shroud of mystic truth which has become my body and mind and shed it upon the streets where the needy walk, so that they might find compassion and knowledge in the tattered cloth of my foolish youth. For the Prophet offers his own words as truth for others and in turn so shall I lay the same trap, in the hope that the darkness in which I wrap you shall make you forge your own dagger with which to cut yourself free from the books you once called teachers. Because I will not deny anyone that truth; all things are teachers. But all teachers lie, by accident or intention, to make others see the world their way. And of course you will blame me for doing the same, but I will try my best not to impose any other doctrine than to not be led astray by the nectar of another's truth. The wine tastes fine until it is drunk in full, and then one cannot find their way home. Allow me to sober you many who have lavished Gibran with 5 stars. His is the work of dreamers and that is what everyone loves, but dreamers do just that, wasting their lives into the infinite circles of their mind, calculating the perfection of time and space. I would rather you lower yourself to the plain of human excrement, so that you one day exclaim in great truth, "The Prophet is a shit stick! Good for nothing more than wiping away reality." Because that is what Gibran wants you to do. Wipe away reality, and live in a fantasy that cannot exist.

In truth Gibran oscillates a great deal in his tackling of his subject matter, life. In some regards he appears dead on because of his continued juxtaposition of opposites often claiming things embody their "other," saying each is to be taken in measure. "For even as love crowns you, so shall he crucify you." As much as I would agree with this sentiment (no one could really ever disagree with it), it is too general, like most of his assertions.

He excites his audience to be good, as if this were an inherent part of our nature, just bursting though the seems of our mortality. There just really isn't anything to disagree with, and that is what makes his statements so dangerous and a plague on the unwary. He gives us hope beyond measure, and humanity, in all its desire, fills its tiny cup with all that it can hold. Gibran gives us too much and consequently too little. What would one do with boundless love? Quit their job, leave home, become a traveler on a distant shore whom others beg for knowledge and truth. Though we all may have the capacity to become prophets, it is likely most of us won't. The children of god are fed with food, not promises of the eternal.

Ah, so much to write, but not all is bad. Gibran does say some nice things here and there, but I just happen to take issue with religious folk who don't think the dissemination of their message is harmful. What is harmful? The incomplete is harmful. To knowingly give someone a jigsaw puzzle with pieces missing or withheld is a dangerous business. At which point you will want to ask me, if their is no accessible truth that can be put into words, they why not go to the philosophical fish mongers and beg for scraps at the end of their business day? The only answer I can give, ironically, is to become your own paragon through the study of books and then the burning of them. Gibran will set you on a path with a happy ending, and as I've said I find it hard to disagree with some of his more choice observations, "He who wears his morality but as his best garment were better naked."

But as one of my favorite philosophers said "There are no happy endings, because nothing ends.(Schmendrick the Magician). Gibran offers us daily peace, and life and death in one hand, and the promise of the wandering life of the spirit in our daily toil, a place to recline when the world overwhelms. I commend his attempt to sooth the mind of his listeners but we have all received a lolly from the dentist or doctor, whose truth fades quickly in the passing of sugary time. And at the end we are left with the stick of truth, as the Prophet's listeners are left with nothing, because they cannot stand on their own. He leaves them with a host of unfinished dreams and unrefined motivations. They have inherited an unwieldy burden, one they cannot overcome if they take the Prophets words as truth.

The problem is that this is a philosophy book masquerading as a beautiful story...which is the poison in the ear. It's easy to gobble up "truth" when it's coated in confection. So just be careful out there and remember what the Prophet said.

"If the teacher is indeed wise, he does not bid you enter the house of his wisdom (even if you beg), but rather leads you to the threshold of your own mind"

Gibran gets a second star just for that line.
]]> 61975
To the nobles who live in Benden Weyr, Lessa is nothing but a ragged kitchen girl. For most of her life she has survived by serving those who betrayed her father and took over his lands. Now the time has come for Lessa to shed her disguise-and take back her stolen birthright.

But everything changes when she meets a Queen dragon. The bond they share will be deep and last forever. It will protect them when, for the first time in centuries, Lessa's world is threatened by Thread, an evil substance that falls like rain and destroys everything it touches. Dragons and their Riders once protected the planet from Thread and the blood-red star, but there are very few of them left these days. Only the gigantic, golden Queen can breed new dragons. And the Queen is fading... dying...

Now brave Lessa must risk her life, and the life of her beloved dragon, to save her beautiful world...]]> 299 Anne McCaffrey 0345484266 Patrick 0 to-read 4.09 1968
author: Anne McCaffrey
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.09
book published: 1968
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/01/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 1971304
By turns insightful and funny, thrilling and terrifying, City of Thieves is a gripping, cinematic World War II adventure and an intimate coming-of-age story with an utterly contemporary feel for how boys become men.]]> 258 David Benioff 0670018708 Patrick 1
I was thoroughly dumbstruck when I finally put down this book. It wasn't until the last half of the novel, that I began to formulate a picture of what was so deeply disturbing and disappointing about this story, so I want to be clear.

This book is a tour de force of misogyny, objectification, an incomprehensible reduction of the male psyche, and, of course, narcissism.

Much like the now derided phrase uttered by our hopefully soon to be un-president, - "the telephone conversation was perfect" - I found the imagination of the main character (the author in disguise?) to be derived of a similar, incongruous nature. For example, upon falling to sleep in the middle of the freezing cold, in a shack, surrounded by Nazi's, the MC's final thought is of "a sky raining fat girls." Now, can you imagine writing that? In defense of the narrative, the MC is tired of all the skinny girls, exhausted skeletons of their former selves - a result of starvation and rape - and is just wishing he'll stumble across some lovely young woman with a bit of meat on her bones, so he doesn't break off his, well, c*** is probably what the author would say, when he finally gets his first chance, because, spoiler alert, he's a virgin!

Which brings us to our two protagonists, Incel and Casanova. Perhaps needless to say at this point, women are only for sex, ridicule, and affirmation of the male ego. Fortunately, these two caricatures of stereotypes drown out all female perspective, so we don't have to get into what women actually think or, heaven forbid, want. Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dumb bumble their unassuming, supernatural way through one blunder into the next, sometimes with grace, sometimes with cowardice, but always with a dash of fear that if they somehow fall entirely out of the frying pan and into the fire, they won't get to have sex any more, or for the first time, depending on which faux character you identify with.

And whom do we have? An angry young man, eager to prove himself, and jealous of men who get women, and frustrated by women who don't recognize him. And his jaunty companion Casanova hopping alongside, recounting his seemingly endless conquests of every sort of woman. Don't worry, he doesn't seem to discriminate, as prostitutes are more than fine, as long he gets off, which puts the pep in his step towards the next lady on his list. However, if you are looking for that rare female lead, we have tom-boy McRedhead, who can shoot and cuss just as good as the good ole boys. She's rough and tough, with a killer's grin and a heart of gold. Too hard for Casanova and too precious for Incel. Dream girl made flesh, for a time, the vanishing reminder that Incel will never get what he craves...or will he.

Impossibly, (spoiler alert) Incel doesn't get to sleep with anyone in the end, even though he accomplishes his goal of proving he is a man in front of the woman he loves at that particular moment - I think there are about half a dozen in the same number of days. Guess he'll just never live up to Casanova, the soft, extroverted intellectual who knows women so well, he gives lessons on negging them. "Calculated neglect!"

So, what did I think of the book. Great premise; two guys go out to find a dozen eggs in war torn Leningrad . Terrible story; incomprehensible misrepresentation of men and abuse of women, with some action thrown in to keep you going. Much like the Kite Runner, everyone wins in the end, impossibly! Except for the people the author doesn't care about. They die, and who cares, it's not Incel and Casanova. I can only imagine this is how the author imagines what men and women are like, two dimensional planks, designed mostly for f***ing, and the occasional scuffle with cannibals, oh yes, there are cannibals!

Outgoing Warning: You're going to want to defend this book because you gave it 5. But before you do, just think. Would you suggest this to your son or daughter, assign it to a student, suggest it to a friend? Go and look at the one star reviews, by women, and get some perspective.]]> 4.28 2008
author: David Benioff
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2008
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2019/10/17
shelves:
review:
Warning: Includes adult themes.

I was thoroughly dumbstruck when I finally put down this book. It wasn't until the last half of the novel, that I began to formulate a picture of what was so deeply disturbing and disappointing about this story, so I want to be clear.

This book is a tour de force of misogyny, objectification, an incomprehensible reduction of the male psyche, and, of course, narcissism.

Much like the now derided phrase uttered by our hopefully soon to be un-president, - "the telephone conversation was perfect" - I found the imagination of the main character (the author in disguise?) to be derived of a similar, incongruous nature. For example, upon falling to sleep in the middle of the freezing cold, in a shack, surrounded by Nazi's, the MC's final thought is of "a sky raining fat girls." Now, can you imagine writing that? In defense of the narrative, the MC is tired of all the skinny girls, exhausted skeletons of their former selves - a result of starvation and rape - and is just wishing he'll stumble across some lovely young woman with a bit of meat on her bones, so he doesn't break off his, well, c*** is probably what the author would say, when he finally gets his first chance, because, spoiler alert, he's a virgin!

Which brings us to our two protagonists, Incel and Casanova. Perhaps needless to say at this point, women are only for sex, ridicule, and affirmation of the male ego. Fortunately, these two caricatures of stereotypes drown out all female perspective, so we don't have to get into what women actually think or, heaven forbid, want. Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dumb bumble their unassuming, supernatural way through one blunder into the next, sometimes with grace, sometimes with cowardice, but always with a dash of fear that if they somehow fall entirely out of the frying pan and into the fire, they won't get to have sex any more, or for the first time, depending on which faux character you identify with.

And whom do we have? An angry young man, eager to prove himself, and jealous of men who get women, and frustrated by women who don't recognize him. And his jaunty companion Casanova hopping alongside, recounting his seemingly endless conquests of every sort of woman. Don't worry, he doesn't seem to discriminate, as prostitutes are more than fine, as long he gets off, which puts the pep in his step towards the next lady on his list. However, if you are looking for that rare female lead, we have tom-boy McRedhead, who can shoot and cuss just as good as the good ole boys. She's rough and tough, with a killer's grin and a heart of gold. Too hard for Casanova and too precious for Incel. Dream girl made flesh, for a time, the vanishing reminder that Incel will never get what he craves...or will he.

Impossibly, (spoiler alert) Incel doesn't get to sleep with anyone in the end, even though he accomplishes his goal of proving he is a man in front of the woman he loves at that particular moment - I think there are about half a dozen in the same number of days. Guess he'll just never live up to Casanova, the soft, extroverted intellectual who knows women so well, he gives lessons on negging them. "Calculated neglect!"

So, what did I think of the book. Great premise; two guys go out to find a dozen eggs in war torn Leningrad . Terrible story; incomprehensible misrepresentation of men and abuse of women, with some action thrown in to keep you going. Much like the Kite Runner, everyone wins in the end, impossibly! Except for the people the author doesn't care about. They die, and who cares, it's not Incel and Casanova. I can only imagine this is how the author imagines what men and women are like, two dimensional planks, designed mostly for f***ing, and the occasional scuffle with cannibals, oh yes, there are cannibals!

Outgoing Warning: You're going to want to defend this book because you gave it 5. But before you do, just think. Would you suggest this to your son or daughter, assign it to a student, suggest it to a friend? Go and look at the one star reviews, by women, and get some perspective.
]]> 18739426
The Bands of Mourning are the mythical metal minds owned by the Lord Ruler, said to grant anyone who wears them the powers that the Lord Ruler had at his command. Hardly anyone thinks they really exist. A kandra researcher has returned to Elendel with images that seem to depict the Bands, as well as writings in a language that no one can read. Waxillium Ladrian is recruited to travel south to the city of New Seran to investigate. Along the way he discovers hints that point to the true goals of his uncle Edwarn and the shadowy organization known as The Set.]]> 455 Brandon Sanderson 146686267X Patrick 5
Ok, so this book was freaking amazing. Seldom has a story struck such a powerful chord of mystery, magic, and mayhem that I literally had to put it down several times between chapters to make it last just a bit longer. Much like great crafters of fantasy, including Tolkien, Staveley (Unhewn Throne), and Rowling, Sanderson brings the reader to brink of the impossible and back, straddling the blurry line between life and death, as his heroes manipulate the powers of a world entrenched in a medley of ever winding history and tantalizing futures. When one Hero of Ages falls, another rises to take his or her place. Sanderson possesses, without a doubt, one of the more fun-loving and fantastic imaginations, spicing his novels with just the right amount of adventure, action, and romance.

In the Bands of Mourning our protagonists continue their search for stability in the ever fracturing world beyond the basin. Unfortunately, the gears of destiny no longer turn with the assurance they once seemed to exude. Wax's search for himself and (spoiler) derail the well formed lines of the horizon, as the possibilities of the Mistborn world open into a deeper, darker, abyss that threatens to undermine the foundations of metallurgic lore and unmake the world in the image of a sinister and looming chaos.

So, what are you waiting for...to learn the name of the wind? But that probably won't happen, so go and grab a copy of The Final Empire (Mistborn #1) and begin a journey where metal and mind entwine.
]]> 4.42 2016
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/10/12
shelves:
review:
A to the M to the A to the Z...

Ok, so this book was freaking amazing. Seldom has a story struck such a powerful chord of mystery, magic, and mayhem that I literally had to put it down several times between chapters to make it last just a bit longer. Much like great crafters of fantasy, including Tolkien, Staveley (Unhewn Throne), and Rowling, Sanderson brings the reader to brink of the impossible and back, straddling the blurry line between life and death, as his heroes manipulate the powers of a world entrenched in a medley of ever winding history and tantalizing futures. When one Hero of Ages falls, another rises to take his or her place. Sanderson possesses, without a doubt, one of the more fun-loving and fantastic imaginations, spicing his novels with just the right amount of adventure, action, and romance.

In the Bands of Mourning our protagonists continue their search for stability in the ever fracturing world beyond the basin. Unfortunately, the gears of destiny no longer turn with the assurance they once seemed to exude. Wax's search for himself and (spoiler) derail the well formed lines of the horizon, as the possibilities of the Mistborn world open into a deeper, darker, abyss that threatens to undermine the foundations of metallurgic lore and unmake the world in the image of a sinister and looming chaos.

So, what are you waiting for...to learn the name of the wind? But that probably won't happen, so go and grab a copy of The Final Empire (Mistborn #1) and begin a journey where metal and mind entwine.

]]> 23995336 A Constellation of Vital Phenomena—dazzling, poignant, and lyrical interwoven stories about family, sacrifice, the legacy of war, and the redemptive power of art.

This stunning, exquisitely written collection introduces a cast of remarkable characters whose lives intersect in ways both life-affirming and heartbreaking. A 1930s Soviet censor painstakingly corrects offending photographs, deep underneath Leningrad, bewitched by the image of a disgraced prima ballerina. A chorus of women recount their stories and those of their grandmothers, former gulag prisoners who settled their Siberian mining town. Two pairs of brothers share a fierce, protective love. Young men across the former USSR face violence at home and in the military. And great sacrifices are made in the name of an oil landscape unremarkable except for the almost incomprehensibly peaceful past it depicts.

In stunning prose, with rich character portraits and a sense of history reverberating into the present, The Tsar of Love and Techno is a captivating work from one of our greatest new talents.

The leopard --
Granddaughters --
The Grozny Tourist Bureau --
A prisoner of the Caucasus --
The tsar of love and techno --
Wolf of White Forest --
Palace of the people --
A temporary exhibition --
The end]]> 332 Anthony Marra 0770436439 Patrick 5 4.27 2015
author: Anthony Marra
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/09/30
shelves:
review:

]]> 25499718
WHO WILL INHERIT THIS NEW EARTH?

The last remnants of the human race left a dying Earth, desperate to find a new home among the stars. Following in the footsteps of their ancestors, they discover the greatest treasure of the past age—a world terraformed and prepared for human life.

But all is not right in this new Eden. In the long years since the planet was abandoned, the work of its architects has borne disastrous fruit. The planet is not waiting for them, pristine and unoccupied. New masters have turned it from a refuge into mankind's worst nightmare.

Now two civilizations are on a collision course, both testing the boundaries of what they will do to survive. As the fate of humanity hangs in the balance, who are the true heirs of this new Earth?]]> 608 Adrian Tchaikovsky 1447273281 Patrick 5 4.29 2015
author: Adrian Tchaikovsky
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/09/30
shelves:
review:

]]> 15819028
Ahmad is a jinni, a being of fire born in the ancient Syrian desert, trapped in an old copper flask, and released in New York City, though still not entirely free.

Ahmad and Chava become unlikely friends and soul mates with a mystical connection. Marvelous and compulsively readable, Helene Wecker's debut novel The Golem and the Jinni weaves strands of Yiddish and Middle Eastern literature, historical fiction and magical fable, into a wondrously inventive and unforgettable tale.]]> 486 Helene Wecker 0062110837 Patrick 2 4.11 2013
author: Helene Wecker
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2013
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2019/09/30
shelves:
review:

]]> 16065004
Three hundred years after the events of the Mistborn trilogy, Scadrial is now on the verge of modernity, with railroads to supplement the canals, electric lighting in the streets and the homes of the wealthy, and the first steel-framed skyscrapers racing for the clouds.

When family obligations forced Waxillium Ladrian to forsake the frontier lands and return to the metropolis of his birth to take his place as head of a noble House, he little imagined that the crime-fighting skills acquired during twenty years in the dusty plains would be just as applicable in the big city. He soon learned that there too, just being a talented Twinborn � one who can use both Allomancy and Feruchemy, the dominant magical modes on Scadrial � would not suffice.

This bustling, optimistic, but still shaky society will now face its first test by terrorism and assassination, crimes intended to stir up labor strife and religious conflict. Wax, his eccentric sidekick Wayne, and brilliant, beautiful young Marasi, now officially part of the constabulary, must unravel the conspiracy before civil strife can stop Scadrial’s progress in its tracks.]]> 376 Brandon Sanderson 0765378558 Patrick 5 4.27 2015
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/09/30
shelves:
review:

]]> 10803121
Kelsier, Vin, Elend, Sazed, Spook, and the rest are now part of history—or religion. Yet even as science and technology are reaching new heights, the old magics of Allomancy and Feruchemy continue to play a role in this reborn world. Out in the frontier lands known as the Roughs, they are crucial tools for the brave men and women attempting to establish order and justice.

One such is Waxillium Ladrian, a rare Twinborn who can Push on metals with his Allomancy and use Feruchemy to become lighter or heavier at will.

After twenty years in the Roughs, Wax has been forced by family tragedy to return to the metropolis of Elendel. Now he must reluctantly put away his guns and assume the duties and dignity incumbent upon the head of a noble house. Or so he thinks, until he learns the hard way that the mansions and elegant tree-lined streets of the city can be even more dangerous than the dusty plains of the Roughs.]]> 325 Brandon Sanderson 0765330423 Patrick 2 4.20 2011
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2011
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2019/09/30
shelves:
review:

]]> 2767793
Who is the Hero of Ages?

To end the Final Empire and restore freedom, Vin killed the Lord Ruler. But as a result, the Deepness—the lethal form of the ubiquitous mists—is back, along with increasingly heavy ashfalls and ever more powerful earthquakes. Humanity appears to be doomed.

Having escaped death at the climax of The Well of Ascension only by becoming a Mistborn himself, Emperor Elend Venture hopes to find clues left behind by the Lord Ruler that will allow him to save the world. Vin is consumed with guilt at having been tricked into releasing the mystic force known as Ruin from the Well. Ruin wants to end the world, and its near omniscience and ability to warp reality make stopping it seem impossible. Vin can't even discuss it with Elend lest Ruin learn their plans!]]> 572 Brandon Sanderson 0765316897 Patrick 5 4.54 2008
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.54
book published: 2008
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/09/30
shelves:
review:

]]> 68429
The impossible has been accomplished. The Lord Ruler—the man who claimed to be god incarnate and brutally ruled the world for a thousand years—has been vanquished. But Kelsier, the hero who masterminded that triumph, is dead too, and now the awesome task of building a new world has been left to his young protégé, Vin, the former street urchin who is now the most powerful Mistborn in the land, and to the idealistic young nobleman she loves.

As Kelsier's protégé and slayer of the Lord Ruler she is now venerated by a budding new religion, a distinction that makes her intensely uncomfortable. Even more worrying, the mists have begun behaving strangely since the Lord Ruler died, and seem to harbor a strange vaporous entity that haunts her.

Stopping assassins may keep Vin's Mistborn skills sharp, but it's the least of her problems. Luthadel, the largest city of the former empire, doesn't run itself, and Vin and the other members of Kelsier's crew, who lead the revolution, must learn a whole new set of practical and political skills to help. It certainly won't get easier with three armies - one of them composed of ferocious giants - now vying to conquer the city, and no sign of the Lord Ruler's hidden cache of atium, the rarest and most powerful allomantic metal.

As the siege of Luthadel tightens, an ancient legend seems to offer a glimmer of hope. But even if it really exists, no one knows where to find the Well of Ascension or what manner of power it bestows.]]> 590 Brandon Sanderson 0765316889 Patrick 4 4.38 2007
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2019/09/30
shelves:
review:

]]> 68428 What if the whole world were a dead, blasted wasteland?

Mistborn
For a thousand years the ash fell and no flowers bloomed. For a thousand years the Skaa slaved in misery and lived in fear. For a thousand years the Lord Ruler, the "Sliver of Infinity," reigned with absolute power and ultimate terror, divinely invincible. Then, when hope was so long lost that not even its memory remained, a terribly scarred, heart-broken half-Skaa rediscovered it in the depths of the Lord Ruler's most hellish prison. Kelsier "snapped" and found in himself the powers of a Mistborn. A brilliant thief and natural leader, he turned his talents to the ultimate caper, with the Lord Ruler himself as the mark.

Kelsier recruited the underworld's elite, the smartest and most trustworthy allomancers, each of whom shares one of his many powers, and all of whom relish a high-stakes challenge. Then Kelsier reveals his ultimate dream, not just the greatest heist in history, but the downfall of the divine despot.

But even with the best criminal crew ever assembled, Kel's plan looks more like the ultimate long shot, until luck brings a ragged girl named Vin into his life. Like him, she's a half-Skaa orphan, but she's lived a much harsher life. Vin has learned to expect betrayal from everyone she meets. She will have to learn trust if Kel is to help her master powers of which she never dreamed.

Brandon Sanderson, fantasy's newest master tale-spinner and author of the acclaimed debut Elantris, dares to turn a genre on its head by asking a simple question: What if the prophesied hero failed to defeat the Dark Lord? The answer will be found in the Mistborn Trilogy, a saga of surprises that begins with the book in your hands. Fantasy will never be the same again.]]> 541 Brandon Sanderson Patrick 5 4.48 2006
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.48
book published: 2006
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/09/30
shelves:
review:

]]> 204042
UZUMAKI NARUTO

Twelve years ago the Village Hidden in the Leaves was attacked by a fearsome threat. A nine-tailed fox spirit claimed the life of the village leader, the Hokage, and many others. Today, the village is at peace, and a troublemaking kid named Naruto is struggling to graduate from Ninja Academy. His goal may be to become Hokage, but his true destiny will be much more complicated. The adventure begins now!]]> 187 Masashi Kishimoto 1569319006 Patrick 5
Just finished Naruto, the entire 700 comics, online. Basically it has everything you want in a series, with the exception of strong/steroetypical female characters. That aside, it's an amazing story of friendship, betrayal, and more ninja jutsu than is probably reasonable. If you're still a 7 year inside, you're going to love the crap out of this.

From near death ice-mirror prisons and lightening dragon strikes, to shadow clones disguised as shuriken, this series has it all. Between the pictures and pages of this long ranging saga, our titular hero, Naruto, relies upon his inhuman ability to never give up on himself, his friends, and his goal of ultimately becoming Hokage of the entire Leaf Village Alliance. However, what starts out as a classic tale of tom-foolery, accidental victories, and quirky childishness, evolves into a harrowing journey through a dark past where friend and foe become hard to distinguish.

It keeps you on your toes as you expectantly await the next new, and more impressive ninja technique and Kishimoto never fails to deliver something magical and often out of left field. So stay sharp, and dig in if you enjoy the tender timeless story of the struggle for power, the choices that bind us, and the nature of what drives us. ]]> 4.41 2000
author: Masashi Kishimoto
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2000
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/09/30
shelves:
review:
Phew. Long time since I've reviewed anything, but here goes.

Just finished Naruto, the entire 700 comics, online. Basically it has everything you want in a series, with the exception of strong/steroetypical female characters. That aside, it's an amazing story of friendship, betrayal, and more ninja jutsu than is probably reasonable. If you're still a 7 year inside, you're going to love the crap out of this.

From near death ice-mirror prisons and lightening dragon strikes, to shadow clones disguised as shuriken, this series has it all. Between the pictures and pages of this long ranging saga, our titular hero, Naruto, relies upon his inhuman ability to never give up on himself, his friends, and his goal of ultimately becoming Hokage of the entire Leaf Village Alliance. However, what starts out as a classic tale of tom-foolery, accidental victories, and quirky childishness, evolves into a harrowing journey through a dark past where friend and foe become hard to distinguish.

It keeps you on your toes as you expectantly await the next new, and more impressive ninja technique and Kishimoto never fails to deliver something magical and often out of left field. So stay sharp, and dig in if you enjoy the tender timeless story of the struggle for power, the choices that bind us, and the nature of what drives us.
]]> 35187179

Sholeh Wolpé re-creates for modern readers the beauty and timeless wisdom of the original Persian, in contemporary English verse and poetic prose.]]> 384 Attar of Nishapur 0393355543 Patrick 0 to-read 4.28 1177
author: Attar of Nishapur
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1177
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/08/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 29780253
Trevor Noah’s unlikely path from apartheid South Africa to the desk of The Daily Show began with a criminal act: his birth. Trevor was born to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in prison. Living proof of his parents� indiscretion, Trevor was kept mostly indoors for the earliest years of his life, bound by the extreme and often absurd measures his mother took to hide him from a government that could, at any moment, steal him away. Finally liberated by the end of South Africa’s tyrannical white rule, Trevor and his mother set forth on a grand adventure, living openly and freely and embracing the opportunities won by a centuries-long struggle.

Born a Crime is the story of a mischievous young boy who grows into a restless young man as he struggles to find himself in a world where he was never supposed to exist. It is also the story of that young man’s relationship with his fearless, rebellious, and fervently religious mother—his teammate, a woman determined to save her son from the cycle of poverty, violence, and abuse that would ultimately threaten her own life.]]> 289 Trevor Noah 0385689225 Patrick 0 to-read 4.48 2016
author: Trevor Noah
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.48
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/07/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 3394373 Here is the novel that will be forever considered Frank Herbert's triumph of the imagination.

Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, heir to a noble family tasked with ruling an inhospitable world where the only thing of value is the “spice� melange, a drug capable of extending life and enhancing consciousness. Coveted across the known universe, melange is a prize worth killing for....

When House Atreides is betrayed, the destruction of Paul’s family will set the boy on a journey toward a destiny greater than he could ever have imagined. And as he evolves into the mysterious man known as Muad’Dib, he will bring to fruition humankind’s most ancient and unattainable dream.

A stunning blend of adventure and mysticism, environmentalism and politics, Dune won the first Nebula Award, shared the Hugo Award, and formed the basis of what is undoubtedly the grandest epic in science fiction.]]> 510 Frank Herbert 0450035697 Patrick 4 to-read 4.32 1965
author: Frank Herbert
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.32
book published: 1965
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2019/04/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 108379
In the thirty years since its original publication, Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind has become one of the great modern Zen classics, much beloved, much re-read, and much recommended as the best first book to read on Zen. Suzuki Roshi presents the basics—from the details of posture and breathing in zazen to the perception of nonduality—in a way that is not only remarkably clear, but that also resonates with the joy of insight from the first to the last page. It's a book to come back to time and time again as an inspiration to practice.]]> 208 Shunryu Suzuki 1590302672 Patrick 3 4.29 1970
author: Shunryu Suzuki
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.29
book published: 1970
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2017/09/02
shelves:
review:

]]> 7045 1090 Murasaki Shikibu 0394735307 Patrick 3 3.90 1000
author: Murasaki Shikibu
name: Patrick
average rating: 3.90
book published: 1000
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2017/07/09
shelves:
review:

]]> 1617416 340 R.H. Blyth 459001131X Patrick 5 5.00 1966
author: R.H. Blyth
name: Patrick
average rating: 5.00
book published: 1966
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2016/09/01
shelves:
review:

]]> 231614 --back cover]]> 109 Elie Wiesel 0553272535 Patrick 3 4.29 1956
author: Elie Wiesel
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.29
book published: 1956
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2016/05/03
shelves:
review:

]]> 75303
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700Ěýtitles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust theĚýseries to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-dateĚýtranslations by award-winning translators.]]> 456 Anonymous 0140449205 Patrick 3 3.52 632
author: Anonymous
name: Patrick
average rating: 3.52
book published: 632
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2016/04/20
shelves:
review:
My what to say. A religious text with lots of the necessary repetition to impress the dogmatic beliefs of Islam. Interesting to read, although I feel the religion is very personal and intensely historical making it more alive in the minds of it's followers rather than the books, even though there is intense devotion to both. I liked the text, but it was really long and went on and on about this and that. A bit to wade through.
]]> 2657
Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, "To Kill A Mockingbird" takes readers to the roots of human behavior - to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, humor and pathos. Now with over 18 million copies in print and translated into forty languages, this regional story by a young Alabama woman claims universal appeal. Harper Lee always considered her book to be a simple love story. Today it is regarded as a masterpiece of American literature.]]> 323 Harper Lee 0060935464 Patrick 3
In the end, it's hard to say what Harper Lee is trying to say about good and evil. Or rather, what she is trying to say about how to stop it. On the one hand it is very clear that Atticus represents a sort of uncompromising goodness that is never wrong because it believes in the necessity of morality buried in the heart of all people, no matter how evil. However, this stringent view leads the narrator and her brother into grave danger and Atticus must ultimately admit he is blinded by his hope and reservation. In fact, it is Boo who becomes the hero of another often overlooked story that culminates long after Atticus has stood his ground and proved that justice is for everyone and everyone is equal.

Yet this sort of logic cannot protect his children in the end, and a madman, intoxicated by hate and booze, demonstrates that evil unchecked has no boundaries. It is at this moment that Boo appears, a sudden manifestation of his spectral self, and saves the day, though not through any code of morality. Instead, in his Forest Gump sort of way, Boo feels what is right and acts accordingly. He has placed those in peril of losing their freedoms -their equal standing as living human beings if you will - above all else and strikes at the evil which would seek to deny them that life which has been given them by an unknown fate, or the hand of god.

So I ask you, how does one stop evil...?]]> 4.25 1960
author: Harper Lee
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.25
book published: 1960
rating: 3
read at: 2016/01/01
date added: 2016/03/18
shelves:
review:
Classic. And for a reason.

In the end, it's hard to say what Harper Lee is trying to say about good and evil. Or rather, what she is trying to say about how to stop it. On the one hand it is very clear that Atticus represents a sort of uncompromising goodness that is never wrong because it believes in the necessity of morality buried in the heart of all people, no matter how evil. However, this stringent view leads the narrator and her brother into grave danger and Atticus must ultimately admit he is blinded by his hope and reservation. In fact, it is Boo who becomes the hero of another often overlooked story that culminates long after Atticus has stood his ground and proved that justice is for everyone and everyone is equal.

Yet this sort of logic cannot protect his children in the end, and a madman, intoxicated by hate and booze, demonstrates that evil unchecked has no boundaries. It is at this moment that Boo appears, a sudden manifestation of his spectral self, and saves the day, though not through any code of morality. Instead, in his Forest Gump sort of way, Boo feels what is right and acts accordingly. He has placed those in peril of losing their freedoms -their equal standing as living human beings if you will - above all else and strikes at the evil which would seek to deny them that life which has been given them by an unknown fate, or the hand of god.

So I ask you, how does one stop evil...?
]]> 139253 The House on Mango Street is the remarkable story of Esperanza Cordero.

Told in a series of vignettes � sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes deeply joyous–it is the story of a young Latina girl growing up in Chicago, inventing for herself who and what she will become. Few other books in our time have touched so many readers.]]> 110 Sandra Cisneros 0679734775 Patrick 3 3.69 1984
author: Sandra Cisneros
name: Patrick
average rating: 3.69
book published: 1984
rating: 3
read at: 2015/01/01
date added: 2016/03/18
shelves:
review:
Mango Street was well crafted and an excellent book for teaching how to imagine a world outside one's own. Its merit clearly lies in its ability to weave a childhood narrative that reveals only bits and pieces of understanding as they take form or are reformed by the ever growing consciousness of the author. A quick read which reminds us that our individual experience is often light years apart from people who live just down the street.
]]> 2165 Librarian's note: An alternate cover edition can be found here

This short novel, already a modern classic, is the superbly told, tragic story of a Cuban fisherman in the Gulf Stream and the giant Marlin he kills and loses—specifically referred to in the citation accompanying the author's Nobel Prize for literature in 1954.]]> 96 Ernest Hemingway 0684830493 Patrick 1
You ever read a book and then say to yourself, "Hey, I could have just read the title!" In the Old Man and the Sea, you get a heavy dose of bad ass Manness, and then a bunch of stuff about being
Old and falling apart (but still so much MAN that you can hang on), and finally a ton of Sea that's like all around ya, and extends into forever, and seems like something you could never entertain in your limited human mind, or overcome with your weak hands; but you're a MAN and you got like all this MAN power, so you go out into the Sea and show that Sea who's boss, which mostly entails killing big fish and then stabbing sharks in the eye with a knife and then you're a MAN....whoops! That's it. Now you don't have to read it. However, if you do see Hemingway around, tell him people get really bored of metaphors that go on for a hundred pages. Wikipedia describes his writing style as "economical and understated" which is confusing, because I can't understand how this book could possibly be so impossibly long. Also the word Lonely should be appended to the title: The Lonely Old Man and the Sea.

PS: There is a totally sweet arm wrestling scene too! ]]> 3.81 1952
author: Ernest Hemingway
name: Patrick
average rating: 3.81
book published: 1952
rating: 1
read at: 2015/01/01
date added: 2016/03/18
shelves:
review:
Spoiler Alert...It's about a REAL MAN!

You ever read a book and then say to yourself, "Hey, I could have just read the title!" In the Old Man and the Sea, you get a heavy dose of bad ass Manness, and then a bunch of stuff about being
Old and falling apart (but still so much MAN that you can hang on), and finally a ton of Sea that's like all around ya, and extends into forever, and seems like something you could never entertain in your limited human mind, or overcome with your weak hands; but you're a MAN and you got like all this MAN power, so you go out into the Sea and show that Sea who's boss, which mostly entails killing big fish and then stabbing sharks in the eye with a knife and then you're a MAN....whoops! That's it. Now you don't have to read it. However, if you do see Hemingway around, tell him people get really bored of metaphors that go on for a hundred pages. Wikipedia describes his writing style as "economical and understated" which is confusing, because I can't understand how this book could possibly be so impossibly long. Also the word Lonely should be appended to the title: The Lonely Old Man and the Sea.

PS: There is a totally sweet arm wrestling scene too!
]]> 25622780 Wide Sargasso Sea, a masterpiece of modern fiction, was Jean Rhys’s return to the literary center stage. She had a startling early career and was known for her extraordinary prose and haunting women characters. With Wide Sargasso Sea, her last and best-selling novel, she ingeniously brings into light one of fiction’s most fascinating characters: the madwoman in the attic from Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre. This mesmerizing work introduces us to Antoinette Cosway, a sensual and protected young woman who is sold into marriage to the prideful Mr. Rochester. Rhys portrays Cosway amidst a society so driven by hatred, so skewed in its sexual relations, that it can literally drive a woman out of her mind.

A new introduction by the award-winning Edwidge Danticat, author most recently of Claire of the Sea Light, expresses the enduring importance of this work. Drawing on her own Caribbean background, she illuminates the setting’s impact on Rhys and her astonishing work.]]> 176 Jean Rhys 0393352560 Patrick 4
A powerful story of the darkness of men and the struggle of women against all odds. Check it out if you want an intense experience that leaves one feeling empty and grasping at the ghosts of the unknown past for meaning.]]> 3.63 1966
author: Jean Rhys
name: Patrick
average rating: 3.63
book published: 1966
rating: 4
read at: 2016/01/01
date added: 2016/03/18
shelves:
review:
Not sure why I read this book. It just happened to be laying there. The experience, however, turned out to be quite enjoyable. Rhys is a good writer and keeps the story fast and focused. Before long you are caught between two worlds battling for a woman's soul, and eventually come to realize that her only escape is a faltering midpoint where magic, dreams, and sanity collide and fall apart as the world moves forward and the past looms forever on the horizon.

A powerful story of the darkness of men and the struggle of women against all odds. Check it out if you want an intense experience that leaves one feeling empty and grasping at the ghosts of the unknown past for meaning.
]]> 38447
Funny, unexpected, horrifying, and altogether convincing, The Handmaid's Tale is at once scathing satire, dire warning, and tour de force.]]> 311 Margaret Atwood 038549081X Patrick 5
I love it when I find a book out there that totally blows my mind. The Handmaid's Tale is one such novel. There's really not much to say about the book itself other than that the writing is singularly captivating and the story is doled out in such a manner that the reader is constantly searching for the next clue that will put together the puzzle of this bygone world's fate...

The one thing I would like to touch on is how I'm a bit miffed, or rather, I smidgen pissed off that only now am I aware of what may be the best dystopian novel ever written. Thanks to school curriculums with entire courses of literature which contain not a single female author this gem has been hidden from me for years. Step aside Brave New World, here is a work that rivals if not surpasses 1984 as a stand alone work that incredibly preempts the natural and social disasters of our modern world, and opens a window into our own modern world that refuses to change at the cost of sharing power and treating others with the equality they deserve. 5 stars is not enough.

*Note: The Handmaid's Tale may or may not contain material that is inappropriate for hard-line Christians who lack an open mind and have failed to evolve with the current era (or at least the open-minded parts of the current era :) ]]> 4.15 1985
author: Margaret Atwood
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.15
book published: 1985
rating: 5
read at: 2016/01/01
date added: 2016/03/18
shelves:
review:
Holy rusted metal Batman!

I love it when I find a book out there that totally blows my mind. The Handmaid's Tale is one such novel. There's really not much to say about the book itself other than that the writing is singularly captivating and the story is doled out in such a manner that the reader is constantly searching for the next clue that will put together the puzzle of this bygone world's fate...

The one thing I would like to touch on is how I'm a bit miffed, or rather, I smidgen pissed off that only now am I aware of what may be the best dystopian novel ever written. Thanks to school curriculums with entire courses of literature which contain not a single female author this gem has been hidden from me for years. Step aside Brave New World, here is a work that rivals if not surpasses 1984 as a stand alone work that incredibly preempts the natural and social disasters of our modern world, and opens a window into our own modern world that refuses to change at the cost of sharing power and treating others with the equality they deserve. 5 stars is not enough.

*Note: The Handmaid's Tale may or may not contain material that is inappropriate for hard-line Christians who lack an open mind and have failed to evolve with the current era (or at least the open-minded parts of the current era :)
]]> 49130
And in his case, different can be deadly.
--jacket flap]]> 734 J.K. Rowling Patrick 5 4.57 2000
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.57
book published: 2000
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2016/01/06
shelves:
review:

]]> 170453
The ship sinks. Pi finds himself alone in a lifeboat, his only companions a hyena, an orangutan, a wounded zebra, and Richard Parker, a 450-pound Bengal tiger. Soon the tiger has dispatched all but Pi, whose fear, knowledge, and cunning allow him to coexist with Richard Parker for 227 days while lost at sea.]]> 326 Yann Martel 0156027321 Patrick 3 3.88 2001
author: Yann Martel
name: Patrick
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2001
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2015/06/06
shelves:
review:

]]> 10357575 The year is 1984 and the city is Tokyo.

A young woman named Aomame follows a taxi driver’s enigmatic suggestion and begins to notice puzzling discrepancies in the world around her. She has entered, she realizes, a parallel existence, which she calls 1Q84 —“Q is for �question mark.� A world that bears a question.� Meanwhile, an aspiring writer named Tengo takes on a suspect ghostwriting project. He becomes so wrapped up with the work and its unusual author that, soon, his previously placid life begins to come unraveled.

As Aomame’s and Tengo’s narratives converge over the course of this single year, we learn of the profound and tangled connections that bind them ever closer: a beautiful, dyslexic teenage girl with a unique vision; a mysterious religious cult that instigated a shoot-out with the metropolitan police; a reclusive, wealthy dowager who runs a shelter for abused women; a hideously ugly private investigator; a mild-mannered yet ruthlessly efficient bodyguard; and a peculiarly insistent television-fee collector.

A love story, a mystery, a fantasy, a novel of self-discovery, a dystopia to rival George Orwell’s � 1Q84 is Haruki Murakami’s most ambitious undertaking yet: an instant best seller in his native Japan, and a tremendous feat of imagination from one of our most revered contemporary writers.]]> 944 Haruki Murakami 0307593312 Patrick 1 1 Q 8 4?
I do not like them.
Critic-What-For?
I just don't want
to read any more.

Shame on you Murakami, and shame on all of you who gave this book a rating above 2. A book is a story, and although some stories are designed to impart a sense of incompleteness, often to great effect, Murakami has finally achieved the failure of a book he has hinted at for years. I mean, I love Murakami. His writing is good, his ideas are good, and his characters sometime boggle the mind (in a good way). But this book was an exercise in mental torture. It was like a relationship doomed to collapse into nothingness. A bright spark, the intrigue of novelty, and then bam! 500 hundred pages of a plot so stagnant, that when Murkami finally writes the final lines, you're wondering if he just handed a draft to a middle schooler and asked them to paraphrase the first half of the book and then write their own ending, which is impossible, because, spoiler alter, Murakami just made up the Little People, and no one else is going to be able to explain what they are...or ( I know, this is a long sentence) Murakami actually died about halfway through the book (until which point the story is fantastic) and someone decided to attempt an ill conceived opus to memorialize his end. Or, more likely, Murakami engaged in the obsessive habit of many adolescent boys and famous male authors; whale books, of course, being longer than they are wide.

And to preempt your post, yes you, don't tell me the Little People represent the unfathomable struggle between the eternally unbalanced, opposing forces in the universe. Yeah, I get it, but what the hell are the Little People. Fiction is not designed to leave the imagination to the imagination. That sort of ontology leads to insanity, which is why I finished the damn tome, hoping there would be something more valuable than an awkward, large paperweight leftover at the end. I mean write an ending for god sake. The first half of the novel was brilliant, and then we all had to suffer through what I can only assume was a re-printing error made in production which duplicated the first half of the book, albeit from the ever so minutely different perspective of secondary characters. At least there was some relief when Tamaru showed up and started killing those characters so their internal dialogue could no longer spew forth the repetitious drivel that might help put a baby to sleep, but left me infuriated that I wasted a solid chunk of my life.

Please don't get me wrong. If there's one thing I love it's a good dose of magical realism. I even rush to the kitchen to make baked goods every time I start crying now. But it must said that Murakami is definitely hit or miss, and this was a big miss. Read the first half and be satisfied. The rest may serve as kindling. Pick up Norwegian Wood or Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. Much better choices for Murakami fans.

]]> 3.94 2009
author: Haruki Murakami
name: Patrick
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2009
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2015/03/24
shelves:
review:
Do you like
1 Q 8 4?
I do not like them.
Critic-What-For?
I just don't want
to read any more.

Shame on you Murakami, and shame on all of you who gave this book a rating above 2. A book is a story, and although some stories are designed to impart a sense of incompleteness, often to great effect, Murakami has finally achieved the failure of a book he has hinted at for years. I mean, I love Murakami. His writing is good, his ideas are good, and his characters sometime boggle the mind (in a good way). But this book was an exercise in mental torture. It was like a relationship doomed to collapse into nothingness. A bright spark, the intrigue of novelty, and then bam! 500 hundred pages of a plot so stagnant, that when Murkami finally writes the final lines, you're wondering if he just handed a draft to a middle schooler and asked them to paraphrase the first half of the book and then write their own ending, which is impossible, because, spoiler alter, Murakami just made up the Little People, and no one else is going to be able to explain what they are...or ( I know, this is a long sentence) Murakami actually died about halfway through the book (until which point the story is fantastic) and someone decided to attempt an ill conceived opus to memorialize his end. Or, more likely, Murakami engaged in the obsessive habit of many adolescent boys and famous male authors; whale books, of course, being longer than they are wide.

And to preempt your post, yes you, don't tell me the Little People represent the unfathomable struggle between the eternally unbalanced, opposing forces in the universe. Yeah, I get it, but what the hell are the Little People. Fiction is not designed to leave the imagination to the imagination. That sort of ontology leads to insanity, which is why I finished the damn tome, hoping there would be something more valuable than an awkward, large paperweight leftover at the end. I mean write an ending for god sake. The first half of the novel was brilliant, and then we all had to suffer through what I can only assume was a re-printing error made in production which duplicated the first half of the book, albeit from the ever so minutely different perspective of secondary characters. At least there was some relief when Tamaru showed up and started killing those characters so their internal dialogue could no longer spew forth the repetitious drivel that might help put a baby to sleep, but left me infuriated that I wasted a solid chunk of my life.

Please don't get me wrong. If there's one thing I love it's a good dose of magical realism. I even rush to the kitchen to make baked goods every time I start crying now. But it must said that Murakami is definitely hit or miss, and this was a big miss. Read the first half and be satisfied. The rest may serve as kindling. Pick up Norwegian Wood or Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. Much better choices for Murakami fans.


]]> 17333324
On a remote, icy planet, the soldier known as Breq is drawing closer to completing her quest.

Once, she was the Justice of Toren - a colossal starship with an artificial intelligence linking thousands of soldiers in the service of the Radch, the empire that conquered the galaxy.

Now, an act of treachery has ripped it all away, leaving her with one fragile human body, unanswered questions, and a burning desire for vengeance.]]> 386 Ann Leckie Patrick 0 to-read 3.98 2013
author: Ann Leckie
name: Patrick
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2015/03/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 148471 "Here's a book to crack the happiness code if ever there was one. Forget about self-improvement, five-point plans, and inspirational seminars that you can't remember a word of a week later. Tarrant's is the fix that fixes nothing because there is nothing to fix. Your life is a koan, a deep question whose answer you are already living--this is the true inspiration, and Tarrant delivers."--Roger Housden, author of the "Ten Poems" series
"Every life is full of koans, and yet you can't learn from a book how to understand them. You need someone to put you in the right frame of mind to see the puzzles and paradoxes of your experience. With intelligence, humor, and steady, deep reflection, John Tarrant does this as no one has done it before. This book could take you to a different and important level of experience."--Thomas Moore, author of "Care of the Soul" and "Dark Nights ofthe Soul"
""Bring Me the Rhinoceros" is one of the best books ever written about Zen. But it is more than that: it is a book of Zen, pointing us to reality by its own fluent and witty example. John Tarrant has the rare ability to enter the minds of the ancient Zen masters as they do their amazing pirouettes upon the void and, with a few vivid touches, to illuminate our lives with their sayings."--Stephen Mitchell, author of "Gilgamesh: A New English Version"
"This book's straightforward honesty, clear writing, and destabilizing insight have a profound effect. John Tarrant does indeed bring on the rhinoceros and a host of other powerful but invisible creatures, ready to run us down when we refuse to acknowledge the fierce, awkward, and beautiful world we inhabit"--David Whyte, author of "Crossing the Unknown Sea"
"John Tarrant's talent for telling these classic Zen tales transforms them magically into a song in which, as you read, the words disappear as the music continues to echo in your mind and make you happy. Mysteriously, like koans." --Sylvia Boorstein, author of "Pay Attention, for Goodness' Sake]]> 176 John Tarrant 1400047641 Patrick 0 to-read 4.15 2004
author: John Tarrant
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2004
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2014/11/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 2146297 400 Winston L. King 0895819996 Patrick 0 to-read 4.60 1986
author: Winston L. King
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.60
book published: 1986
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2014/11/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 40745 A newer edition of this book can be found here.

After decades of research, world-renowned Stanford University psychologist Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D., discovered a simple but groundbreaking idea: the power of mindset. In this brilliant book, she shows how success in school, work, sports, the arts, and almost every area of human endeavor can be dramatically influenced by how we think about our talents and abilities. People with a fixed mindset � those who believe that abilities are fixed � are less likely to flourish than those with a growth mindset � those who believe that abilities can be developed. Mindset reveals how great parents, teachers, managers, and athletes can put this idea to use to foster outstanding accomplishment.

In this edition, Dweck offers new insights into her now famous and broadly embraced concept. She introduces a phenomenon she calls false growth mindset and guides people toward adopting a deeper, truer growth mindset. She also expands the mindset concept beyond the individual, applying it to the cultures of groups and organizations. With the right mindset, you can motivate those you lead, teach, and love � to transform their lives and your own.]]> 276 Carol S. Dweck Patrick 1

I was asked to read this book as a way of enhancing my teaching. The only thing it enhanced was my incredulity that such books are still published. I mean just because you have a PHD doesn't mean you can claim that your personal anecdotes are hard evidence for the ways in which the mind works. This read was Timothy Farriss for educators. Dweck can't help but call attention to herself every other page. Did you know she once emasculated a group of men by catching a fish when they could not? Clearly her mind is fixed on sounding like she has something important to say when all she does is drone on and on about the same thing without any delving into deeper meaning, application, or the vast complexities beyond her grossly oversimplified 2 mindset system. In the meantime she ends up writing a self help book to help herself, including letters from fans of her work who say absurd things like, "Your chapter helped see myself in a new light."

I'd like to go on, but I don't want to waste much more time on this. There is absolutely nothing novel about this book. In fact anyone who has gone through at least one breakup can skip most of the book, because if you didn't know already, putting people on pedestals is a good way to be let down and to let them down (which is apparently the thesis of this trite work). Fortunately Dweck did not put herself on a pedestal by having the cover of the book covered in statements like "Everyone should own this book" and "Will prove to be one of the most influential books ever about motivation." Oh wait, she did. Well at least if she embraces the growth mindset, she'll be able to put this all behind her and learn to become a writer who has something worth putting the pen to the paper for.

Also the average height of Basketball Players is 6 feet 7 inches. Muggsy Bogues is a terrible example.

And when is Ĺ·±¦ÓéŔÖ going to add the "zero star" category? How in God's name does this book have a 4 overall rating? Has the world gone mad?]]> 4.09 2006
author: Carol S. Dweck
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2006
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2014/08/31
shelves:
review:
Disclaimer: Carol Dweck is not going to like this review...


I was asked to read this book as a way of enhancing my teaching. The only thing it enhanced was my incredulity that such books are still published. I mean just because you have a PHD doesn't mean you can claim that your personal anecdotes are hard evidence for the ways in which the mind works. This read was Timothy Farriss for educators. Dweck can't help but call attention to herself every other page. Did you know she once emasculated a group of men by catching a fish when they could not? Clearly her mind is fixed on sounding like she has something important to say when all she does is drone on and on about the same thing without any delving into deeper meaning, application, or the vast complexities beyond her grossly oversimplified 2 mindset system. In the meantime she ends up writing a self help book to help herself, including letters from fans of her work who say absurd things like, "Your chapter helped see myself in a new light."

I'd like to go on, but I don't want to waste much more time on this. There is absolutely nothing novel about this book. In fact anyone who has gone through at least one breakup can skip most of the book, because if you didn't know already, putting people on pedestals is a good way to be let down and to let them down (which is apparently the thesis of this trite work). Fortunately Dweck did not put herself on a pedestal by having the cover of the book covered in statements like "Everyone should own this book" and "Will prove to be one of the most influential books ever about motivation." Oh wait, she did. Well at least if she embraces the growth mindset, she'll be able to put this all behind her and learn to become a writer who has something worth putting the pen to the paper for.

Also the average height of Basketball Players is 6 feet 7 inches. Muggsy Bogues is a terrible example.

And when is Ĺ·±¦ÓéŔÖ going to add the "zero star" category? How in God's name does this book have a 4 overall rating? Has the world gone mad?
]]> 11297
A magnificent blending of the music, the mood, and the ethos that was the sixties with the story of one college student's romantic coming of age, Norwegian Wood brilliantly recaptures a young man's first, hopeless, and heroic love.]]> 296 Haruki Murakami 0375704027 Patrick 4 4.01 1987
author: Haruki Murakami
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1987
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2014/08/03
shelves:
review:
Great writer. I mean he just nails it. The style is of his own making and it just feels good to read the words he puts to the page. Another tale of human nature, though not as crazy as usual, Norwegian Wood is set in a small world that expands exponentially as the characters become more themselves and bleed into the universe of their little lives. It takes a deep breath and some letting go to enjoy some of the madness of this book, but in the end, it makes you wonder what your are doing, what it all means, and which train you are supposed to board at the station.
]]> 590349 The Book of Jhereg follows the antics of the wise-cracking assassin Vlad Taltos and his dragon-like companion through their first three adventures: Jhereg, Yendi, and Teckla. From his rookie assassin days to his selfless feats of heroism, the dauntless Vlad will hold readers spellbound and The Book of Jhereg will take its place among the classic compilations in fantasy.]]> 471 Steven Brust 0441006159 Patrick 3 4.19 1983
author: Steven Brust
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.19
book published: 1983
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2014/08/03
shelves:
review:
Brust is interesting. Definitely engaging and fun, a good writer, but not amazing, he takes his stories in and out and around the world he has created. In my mind he could create an amazing epic with all the time he has put into the books, but I still need to read more. Different characters, sometimes surfacey, sometimes deep, there is always someone out to get someone else and it's hard to tell who will come out on top. Read for pleasure and watch the world unfold.
]]> 17851885 I come from a country that was created at midnight. When I almost died it was just after midday.

When the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley in Pakistan, one girl spoke out. Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education.

On Tuesday, October 9, 2012, when she was fifteen, she almost paid the ultimate price. She was shot in the head at point-blank range while riding the bus home from school, and few expected her to survive.

Instead, Malala's miraculous recovery has taken her on an extraordinary journey from a remote valley in northern Pakistan to the halls of the United Nations in New York. At sixteen, she has become a global symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest-ever Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

I Am Malala is the remarkable tale of a family uprooted by global terrorism, of the fight for girls' education, of a father who, himself a school owner, championed and encouraged his daughter to write and attend school, and of brave parents who have a fierce love for their daughter in a society that prizes sons.]]> 327 Malala Yousafzai 0316322407 Patrick 3 4.15 2012
author: Malala Yousafzai
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2014/08/03
shelves:
review:
A very real read. You get a sense of how the world is, and what it is, and it hits you between the eyes. It feels close to home, but also far away. It makes you want to change the world. But the only way to do that is to is to go out and find it. Malala is the boss. She just roles over fools like they can't hurt her...because they can't. Pick up her book to boost your spirits and regain faith in the good things you have in your own life.
]]> 375802
But Ender is not the only result of the experiment. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway almost as long. Ender's two older siblings, Peter and Valentine, are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. While Peter was too uncontrollably violent, Valentine very nearly lacks the capability for violence altogether. Neither was found suitable for the military's purpose. But they are driven by their jealousy of Ender, and by their inbred drive for power. Peter seeks to control the political process, to become a ruler. Valentine's abilities turn more toward the subtle control of the beliefs of commoner and elite alike, through powerfully convincing essays. Hiding their youth and identities behind the anonymity of the computer networks, these two begin working together to shape the destiny of Earth-an Earth that has no future at all if their brother Ender fails.]]> 324 Orson Scott Card 0812550706 Patrick 4
Read it when you're young and it will blow your mind. ]]> 4.31 1985
author: Orson Scott Card
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.31
book published: 1985
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2014/08/03
shelves:
review:
Really good. I wanted more... in the sense of complexity and length, but it was a really great read and had fantastic characters. In fact I was most drawn into the book at the end, in which there is an amazing turn of events and a wonderful picture of of undreamed futures...Kudos to Card for making me think, keeping me entertained, and creating a world of minds and matter that collide in an epic of strangely unique proportions.

Read it when you're young and it will blow your mind.
]]> 34510
But what is the dark secret of Holy Wood Hill?

As the alien clichés of Tinsel Town pour into the world, it's up to the Disc's first film stars to find out...

THRILL as Victor Tugelbend ("Can't sing. Can't dance. Can handle a sword a little") and Theda Withel ("I come from a little town you've probably never even heard of") battle the forces of evil and cinema advertising...

SCREAM as Gaspode the Wonder Dog nearly saves the day...

EAT POPCORN as you watch the filming of "Blown Away," the oddest Civil War picture ever made...

A Passionate Saga Set Against the background of a World Gone Mad!

This Will Amaze You!

With a Thousand Elephants!

("And afterwards, why not dine at Harga's House of Ribs, for the best in international cuisine; only two minutes from this book...")]]> 396 Terry Pratchett 0552152943 Patrick 1
Instead of reading this book watch Tommy Boy. Your life will be better for it. ]]> 3.97 1990
author: Terry Pratchett
name: Patrick
average rating: 3.97
book published: 1990
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2014/08/03
shelves:
review:
Oh god...Again, I wish I could give a book less than one star. Reading Moving Pictures was a downright waste of my life. An entire book directly mocking modern movie making culture, with absolutely no attempt at intelligent or original humor, Moving Pictures contains almost no story and nothing of interest, save a silly fight scene with an amorphous inter-dimensional enemy at the end. I mean...how does Terry Pratchett get these things published? To quote Tommy Boy, "Hey, if you want me to take a dump in box and mark it guaranteed, I will. I got spare time."

Instead of reading this book watch Tommy Boy. Your life will be better for it.
]]> 59142 "Who is going to marry Eugenie Grandet?"

This is the question that fills the minds of the inhabitants of Saumur, the setting for Eugenie Grandet (1833), one of the earliest and most famous novels in Balzac's Comedie humaine. The Grandet household, oppressed by the exacting miserliness of Grandet himself, is jerked violently out of routine by the sudden arrival of Eugenie's cousin Charles, recently orphaned and penniless. Eugenie's emotional awakening, stimulated by her love for her cousin, brings her into direct conflict with her father, whose cunning and financial success are matched against her determination to rebel.

Eugenie's moving story is set against the backdrop of provincial oppression, the vicissitudes of the wine trade, and the workings of the financial system in the aftermath of the French Revolution. It is both a poignant portrayal of private life and a vigorous fictional document of its age.]]> 240 Honoré de Balzac 019280474X Patrick 2 3.81 1833
author: Honoré de Balzac
name: Patrick
average rating: 3.81
book published: 1833
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2014/08/03
shelves:
review:
I am slowly coming to appreciate the genre of realistic fiction, and, as you can see, my rating of 2 stars is more than generous for the trite, molasses paced novel about falling in love with someone your miserly father hates. In the end nothing really happens, which is much like the beginning and middle of this story. I've heard Balzac's name so many times I was expecting something a little more readable, but clearly he spent a solid week putting together the story and writing it. Anyway, if you love reading about low level emotions like anxiety and greed, and stories with a predictable ending, this one is for you. Nice try Balzac, better luck next book.
]]> 3173125
Pietro "Bearclaw" Brnwna is a hitman for the mob, with a genius for violence, a well-earned fear of sharks, and an overly close relationship with the Federal Witness Relocation Program. More likely to leave a trail of dead gangsters than a molecule of evidence, he's the last person you want to see in your hospital room.

Nicholas LoBrutto, aka Eddy Squillante, is Dr. Brown's new patient, with three months to live and a very strange idea: that Peter Brown and Pietro Brnwa might-just might-be the same person ...

Now, with the mob, the government, and death itself descending on the hospital, Peter has to buy time and do whatever it takes to keep his patients, himself, and his last shot at redemption alive. To get through the next eight hours-and somehow beat the reaper.

Spattered in adrenaline-fueled action and bone-saw-sharp dialogue, BEAT THE REAPER is a debut thriller so utterly original you won't be able to guess what happens next, and so shockingly entertaining you won't be able to put it down.]]> 320 Josh Bazell 0316032220 Patrick 4 3.80 2009
author: Josh Bazell
name: Patrick
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2014/08/03
shelves:
review:
So, Beat the Reaper is not for everyone. It is quite crass, has a good deal of language, though often used comically, and revolves around a ex mafia, martial arts expert who flies by the seat of his pants maiming and killing as he goes. So if you love a fast paced ride, that keeps you on the edge of your seat and makes you laugh once in a while, this is it. If you're not into being a sweet ninja dude, who wins the day in a pseudo fictional environment, then perhaps this is not the tale for you. Boys will love it!
]]> 1 652 J.K. Rowling Patrick 5 4.57 2005
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.57
book published: 2005
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2014/04/28
shelves:
review:

]]> 89369 257 Benjamin Hoff 1405204273 Patrick 1 When it comes down to it, Hoff doesn't convey the real meaning behind Taoism. He gives a watered down version of what he likes about it. He doesn't tell you the important things that make the religion/ thought experiment so exciting. The Tao of Pooh and the Te of Piglet are cheeky self help books that can be put on the same shelf as How to lose 50 pounds in a Month, or Feel Good Today. They sound great, but there's no real substance. How do you lose 50 pounds in a month? Run 5 miles every day and don't eat 5000 calories a day. How do you meld your being with the flow of all life? Practice like a motherfucker to teach yourself how to deal with the shitty reality of an existence that is essential meaningless, but simultaneously beautiful and miraculous. Hoff tells you to chill out and let the good times roll. He forgets about all the people that do get hurt from half-assing a way of life that can change the world when practiced with patience and concentration. Just look at Kerouac and his ridiculous lifestyle in Dharma Bums. They missed the point, they took what they wanted and through the rest away, and that doesn't work. If you teach people incorrectly, they won't learn, and they'll hurt themselves and others.
That is my beef. Stick to the Lao-tzu and the Chuang-Tzu. Those stories are great and hilarious and insightful. It is not easy to change, and no one says you have to. If you change you change, if you don't you don't. Forget every day... every second is another chance to begin again.

And remember, we're all on the Path, unfortunately not everyone can see it.


]]> 3.78 1992
author: Benjamin Hoff
name: Patrick
average rating: 3.78
book published: 1992
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2014/04/26
shelves:
review:
All I can say is Hoff is so full of himself, and full of shit, I can't believe it. The only thing that is good in his two books is when he refers to actual stories from taoist history. Everything he fills in is half right and half wrong and as a good friend of mine always says, "If you're Buddhism (Taoism) is half right, then it's all wrong.
When it comes down to it, Hoff doesn't convey the real meaning behind Taoism. He gives a watered down version of what he likes about it. He doesn't tell you the important things that make the religion/ thought experiment so exciting. The Tao of Pooh and the Te of Piglet are cheeky self help books that can be put on the same shelf as How to lose 50 pounds in a Month, or Feel Good Today. They sound great, but there's no real substance. How do you lose 50 pounds in a month? Run 5 miles every day and don't eat 5000 calories a day. How do you meld your being with the flow of all life? Practice like a motherfucker to teach yourself how to deal with the shitty reality of an existence that is essential meaningless, but simultaneously beautiful and miraculous. Hoff tells you to chill out and let the good times roll. He forgets about all the people that do get hurt from half-assing a way of life that can change the world when practiced with patience and concentration. Just look at Kerouac and his ridiculous lifestyle in Dharma Bums. They missed the point, they took what they wanted and through the rest away, and that doesn't work. If you teach people incorrectly, they won't learn, and they'll hurt themselves and others.
That is my beef. Stick to the Lao-tzu and the Chuang-Tzu. Those stories are great and hilarious and insightful. It is not easy to change, and no one says you have to. If you change you change, if you don't you don't. Forget every day... every second is another chance to begin again.

And remember, we're all on the Path, unfortunately not everyone can see it.



]]> 228665
Moiraine Damodred arrives in Emond’s Field on a quest to find the one prophesized to stand against The Dark One, a malicious entity sowing the seeds of chaos and destruction. When a vicious band of half-men, half beasts invade the village seeking their master’s enemy, Moiraine persuades Rand al’Thor and his friends to leave their home and enter a larger unimaginable world filled with dangers waiting in the shadows and in the light.]]> 800 Robert Jordan 0812511816 Patrick 2
I have given three stars. This book, nor the series it seems is a masterpiece. He can definitely write, but it's not the most original thing out there, and the writing dictates a very deliberate pace, that carries forward without much variation. It meanders like a stream of details, some of which may unnecessary.

Fantasy fans will enjoy this work and have fun with it for however long it engages them. Others, perhaps looking for a masterwork, will be better served placing the Name of the Wind, or Jonathan Strange in their hands.

But you don't have to take my word for it...

...take a look, it's in a book...]]> 4.19 1990
author: Robert Jordan
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.19
book published: 1990
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2014/03/22
shelves:
review:
Ok people. Here's the deal. You can't give a book 1 star unless you can accomplish what the author did. You'll notice that most of you can easily write something akin to The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, who clearly started and finished most of his works in 4th grade. Now, on to the Eye of the World. First, yes, he lacks self inspiration. The number of times TOLKIEN flashed through my head is literally uncountable. However, for all that, he does weave the stolen elements into a pretty good fantasy novel, and as far as the first book is concerning, I was pretty excited all the way through, waiting to see what they would find in the infinite stairwells of parallel worlds, or what sort of different destiny was laying its hands on the various characters. And I mean come on. A boy who gains the power to communicate with feel the spirit of the wolf. Solid idea, well done, not one star material. Also, it's fantasy. If you're reading 20 minutes a night, this is not going to do it for you. Build a fire, curl up, an get lost in fantasy for a few hours. I mean no one has sex for 20 minutes, right? Only several passionate hours, caught in the throws of magic and mayhem are acceptable before judging the final outcome.

I have given three stars. This book, nor the series it seems is a masterpiece. He can definitely write, but it's not the most original thing out there, and the writing dictates a very deliberate pace, that carries forward without much variation. It meanders like a stream of details, some of which may unnecessary.

Fantasy fans will enjoy this work and have fun with it for however long it engages them. Others, perhaps looking for a masterwork, will be better served placing the Name of the Wind, or Jonathan Strange in their hands.

But you don't have to take my word for it...

...take a look, it's in a book...
]]> 2389 6 Herman Melville 0143058096 Patrick 3
I would like to give special regard to the vocabulary of the book, which blew me away. Around page four hundred, Melville used the word magic and I realized I could not remember its use earlier in the book. I can only assume that Melville too was able to remember every word he had used and placed them in their perfect places, ravenously extracting thousands of unique words from the unlimited English language. It was an astounding to see the how many words flew from the page.

Moby Dick is for people who love literature, words, deep meaning and find solice in a story that seems to move ever forward even after the last page has been turned as we reflect on our own mortal selves hurling toward the endless depth of the fathomless void. ]]> 3.47 1851
author: Herman Melville
name: Patrick
average rating: 3.47
book published: 1851
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2014/02/11
shelves:
review:
Ah Moby Dick. Now I can say that I've read it, including the technical chapters. I am almost never a fan of long books. I feel that authors, for instance Nabokov, that write too much often begin to lose their hold on their message and meaning, and ultimately the reader. However, Moby Dick needs to be taken in stride with an understanding that Melville did not simple write a book, but a tome that immortalizes the whale, the ocean, and the madness that drives us all to the end of our own diabolical devices. The book is rather long, and descriptions of how the differents elements of the book work can sometimes be hard to pour through and don't always seem to carry the story along. However, the story is heightened by the depth of immersion the reader has in the world upon the sea that begins to separate their experience from one who once held out hope of returning to land. Keeping this in mind, Moby Dick is not a book, but rather an experience of life, which is perhaps a form of literature that is rarely chanced upon.

I would like to give special regard to the vocabulary of the book, which blew me away. Around page four hundred, Melville used the word magic and I realized I could not remember its use earlier in the book. I can only assume that Melville too was able to remember every word he had used and placed them in their perfect places, ravenously extracting thousands of unique words from the unlimited English language. It was an astounding to see the how many words flew from the page.

Moby Dick is for people who love literature, words, deep meaning and find solice in a story that seems to move ever forward even after the last page has been turned as we reflect on our own mortal selves hurling toward the endless depth of the fathomless void.
]]> 964223 329 Bruce Thomas 1883319250 Patrick 3 4.16 1994
author: Bruce Thomas
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.16
book published: 1994
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2014/01/04
shelves:
review:
Pretty sweet crazy book for people that are into martial arts and want to get a little more insight into the life a this amazing man. The text reveals a little more of his real life, the struggles he dealt with and his inability to control his drive to be the best, which fueled his other desires, like his pain and anger, all of which overwhelmed him in the end. The book does however make it clear that he was probably the fasters son of bitch ever and could hit you 5 times before you know what was happening.
]]> 119790 158 Benjamin Hoff 0140067477 Patrick 2
These are Lao-Tse's opening words. The great mistake of course is that we do speak of it, and write of it, and attempt to pontificate upon the nature of all things as though an understanding of the Way entailed an understanding of all things. It is rather that an understanding of the Way encompasses all things. To understand, to judge, to see the faults in one and not the other is a common mistake in the interpretation of various Buddhist and Taoist texts. In The Tao of Pooh, Benjamin Hoff makes the partisan effort to promote the Way as something that ironically defeats science and many other branches of human endeavor with the cleverness he condones them for. He says for instance that Science is "Looking for answers it will never find." and regulates scientific discoveries such as the complicated and intricate systems of magnetic internal navigation used by mirgratory birds to simple, patronizing terms like "Instinct." Pooh is praised for his forget-fullness and lack of self interest, two things that can, at most times, be more useful than an existence motivated by irrelevent factors like the acquisition of knowledge for the sake of knowledge of knowledge, or strength to defeat your opponents. Hoff does a great job choosing Buddhist and Toaist stories that illustrate how the Way is truly something we should all strive after, instead of being caught up in our own petty problems. However, his translation lacks somewhat of the truth behind the Way. The Way is great, and therefore, in a sense, demands greatness. There are few who are ready or willing to take up the eternal flame that burns in the hands of long dead mountain sages.
We are all already on the path. Rabbit, Owl, and Tigger are no different than Pooh. In fact Pooh has his own flaws. He is always eating everyone elses' Honey, which turns out, in Hoff's example to be a boon for Eeyore, who needs an empty jar to put his burst balloon in. It would be nice if everything in life turned out this way, but the truth is that people are unwilling to meet others and themselves half way to see the benefit and good in all things. That is why those who are complete ignorant of self forget the importance of their immediate relationship to everyone and everything around them. This lack of presence may save you when you fall in a river, but won't help when the reality that life is full of illusions that snag the desires of real people with real problems. To truly let go does not involve the apparently foolish, non-thought action of pooh. One would be surprised to find how much action there is in Wu-Wei. That action however is the art of life which must be pursuit by constant attention to breathe and void.
Anyway, the book is ok. It's an interesting introduction behind some Taoist ideas, but don't get too caught up in the passive underplayed strength of Taoism to move mountains and run oceans dry. ]]> 4.01 1982
author: Benjamin Hoff
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1982
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2013/12/15
shelves:
review:
The Way that can be spoken of is not the one we tread.

These are Lao-Tse's opening words. The great mistake of course is that we do speak of it, and write of it, and attempt to pontificate upon the nature of all things as though an understanding of the Way entailed an understanding of all things. It is rather that an understanding of the Way encompasses all things. To understand, to judge, to see the faults in one and not the other is a common mistake in the interpretation of various Buddhist and Taoist texts. In The Tao of Pooh, Benjamin Hoff makes the partisan effort to promote the Way as something that ironically defeats science and many other branches of human endeavor with the cleverness he condones them for. He says for instance that Science is "Looking for answers it will never find." and regulates scientific discoveries such as the complicated and intricate systems of magnetic internal navigation used by mirgratory birds to simple, patronizing terms like "Instinct." Pooh is praised for his forget-fullness and lack of self interest, two things that can, at most times, be more useful than an existence motivated by irrelevent factors like the acquisition of knowledge for the sake of knowledge of knowledge, or strength to defeat your opponents. Hoff does a great job choosing Buddhist and Toaist stories that illustrate how the Way is truly something we should all strive after, instead of being caught up in our own petty problems. However, his translation lacks somewhat of the truth behind the Way. The Way is great, and therefore, in a sense, demands greatness. There are few who are ready or willing to take up the eternal flame that burns in the hands of long dead mountain sages.
We are all already on the path. Rabbit, Owl, and Tigger are no different than Pooh. In fact Pooh has his own flaws. He is always eating everyone elses' Honey, which turns out, in Hoff's example to be a boon for Eeyore, who needs an empty jar to put his burst balloon in. It would be nice if everything in life turned out this way, but the truth is that people are unwilling to meet others and themselves half way to see the benefit and good in all things. That is why those who are complete ignorant of self forget the importance of their immediate relationship to everyone and everything around them. This lack of presence may save you when you fall in a river, but won't help when the reality that life is full of illusions that snag the desires of real people with real problems. To truly let go does not involve the apparently foolish, non-thought action of pooh. One would be surprised to find how much action there is in Wu-Wei. That action however is the art of life which must be pursuit by constant attention to breathe and void.
Anyway, the book is ok. It's an interesting introduction behind some Taoist ideas, but don't get too caught up in the passive underplayed strength of Taoism to move mountains and run oceans dry.
]]> 15808474 Under Heaven, Guy Gavriel Kay told a vivid and powerful story inspired by China’s Tang Dynasty. Now, the international bestselling and multiple award-winning author revisits that invented setting four centuries later with an epic of prideful emperors, battling courtiers, bandits and soldiers, nomadic invasions, and a woman battling in her own way, to find a new place for women in the world � a world inspired this time by the glittering, decadent Song Dynasty.

Ren Daiyan was still just a boy when he took the lives of seven men while guarding an imperial magistrate of Kitai. That moment on a lonely road changed his life—in entirely unexpected ways, sending him into the forests of Kitai among the outlaws. From there he emerges years later—and his life changes again, dramatically, as he circles towards the court and emperor, while war approaches Kitai from the north.

Lin Shan is the daughter of a scholar, his beloved only child. Educated by him in ways young women never are, gifted as a songwriter and calligrapher, she finds herself living a life suspended between two worlds. Her intelligence captivates an emperor—and alienates women at the court. But when her father’s life is endangered by the savage politics of the day, Shan must act in ways no woman ever has.

In an empire divided by bitter factions circling an exquisitely cultured emperor who loves his gardens and his art far more than the burdens of governing, dramatic events on the northern steppe alter the balance of power in the world, leading to events no one could have foretold, under the river of stars.]]> 639 Guy Gavriel Kay 0451464974 Patrick 0 to-read 4.12 2013
author: Guy Gavriel Kay
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2013
rating: 0
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date added: 2013/04/24
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]]> 9777
Armed only with the invincible innocence of children, they fashion a childhood for themselves in the shade of the wreck that is their family—their lonely, lovely mother, Ammu (who loves by night the man her children love by day), their blind grandmother, Mammachi (who plays Handel on her violin), their beloved uncle Chacko (Rhodes scholar, pickle baron, radical Marxist, bottom-pincher), their enemy, Baby Kochamma (ex-nun and incumbent grandaunt), and the ghost of an imperial entomologist's moth (with unusually dense dorsal tufts).

When their English cousin, Sophie Mol, and her mother, Margaret Kochamma, arrive on a Christmas visit, Esthappen and Rahel learn that Things Can Change in a Day. That lives can twist into new, ugly shapes, even cease forever, beside their river "graygreen." With fish in it. With the sky and trees in it. And at night, the broken yellow moon in it.

The brilliantly plotted story uncoils with an agonizing sense of foreboding and inevitability. Yet nothing prepares you for what lies at the heart of it.

The God of Small Things takes on the Big Themes—Love. Madness. Hope. Infinite Joy. Here is a writer who dares to break the rules. To dislocate received rhythms and create the language she requires, a language that is at once classical and unprecedented. Arundhati Roy has given us a book that is anchored to anguish, but fueled by wit and magic.]]> 321 Arundhati Roy 0679457313 Patrick 4 3.97 1997
author: Arundhati Roy
name: Patrick
average rating: 3.97
book published: 1997
rating: 4
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date added: 2013/03/10
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]]> 10538
Bill Bryson was born in the middle of the American century�1951—in the middle of the United States—Des Moines, Iowa—in the middle of the largest generation in American history—the baby boomers. As one of the best and funniest writers alive, he is perfectly positioned to mine his memories of a totally all-American childhood for 24-carat memoir gold. Like millions of his generational peers, Bill Bryson grew up with a rich fantasy life as a superhero. In his case, he ran around his house and neighborhood with an old football jersey with a thunderbolt on it and a towel about his neck that served as his cape, leaping tall buildings in a single bound and vanquishing awful evildoers (and morons)—in his head—as "The Thunderbolt Kid."

Using this persona as a springboard, Bill Bryson re-creates the life of his family and his native city in the 1950s in all its transcendent normality—a life at once completely familiar to us all and as far away and unreachable as another galaxy. It was, he reminds us, a happy time, when automobiles and televisions and appliances (not to mention nuclear weapons) grew larger and more numerous with each passing year, and DDT, cigarettes, and the fallout from atmospheric testing were considered harmless or even good for you. He brings us into the life of his loving but eccentric family, including affectionate portraits of his father, a gifted sportswriter for the local paper and dedicated practitioner of isometric exercises, and OF his mother, whose job as the home furnishing editor for the same paper left her little time for practicing the domestic arts at home. The many readers of Bill Bryson’s earlier classic, A Walk in the Woods, will greet the reappearance in these pages of the immortal Stephen Katz, seen hijacking literally boxcar loads of beer. He is joined in the Bryson gallery of immortal characters by the demonically clever Willoughby brothers, who apply their scientific skills and can-do attitude to gleefully destructive ends.

Warm and laugh-out-loud funny, and full of his inimitable, pitch-perfect observations, The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid is as wondrous a book as Bill Bryson has ever written. It will enchant anyone who has ever been young.]]> 288 Bill Bryson 076791936X Patrick 3 3.92 2006
author: Bill Bryson
name: Patrick
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2006
rating: 3
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date added: 2013/03/10
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]]> 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 Patrick 0 to-read 3.65 2001
author: Barbara Ehrenreich
name: Patrick
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2001
rating: 0
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date added: 2012/12/02
shelves: to-read
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]]> 11472345
Once described by Mao Zedong as a “needle inside a ball of cotton,� Deng was the pragmatic yet disciplined driving force behind China’s radical transformation in the late twentieth century. He confronted the damage wrought by the Cultural Revolution, dissolved Mao’s cult of personality, and loosened the economic and social policies that had stunted China’s growth. Obsessed with modernization and technology, Deng opened trade relations with the West, which lifted hundreds of millions of his countrymen out of poverty. Yet at the same time he answered to his authoritarian roots, most notably when he ordered the crackdown in June 1989 at Tiananmen Square.

Deng’s youthful commitment to the Communist Party was cemented in Paris in the early 1920s, among a group of Chinese student-workers that also included Zhou Enlai. Deng returned home in 1927 to join the Chinese Revolution on the ground floor. In the fifty years of his tumultuous rise to power, he endured accusations, purges, and even exile before becoming China’s preeminent leader from 1978 to 1989 and again in 1992. When he reached the top, Deng saw an opportunity to creatively destroy much of the economic system he had helped build for five decades as a loyal follower of Mao—and he did not hesitate.]]> 928 Ezra F. Vogel 0674055446 Patrick 0 to-read 4.43 2011
author: Ezra F. Vogel
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2011
rating: 0
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date added: 2012/11/20
shelves: to-read
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]]> 12117847
In While America Sleeps, Russ Feingold details our nation’s collective failure to respond properly to the challenges posed by the post-9/11 era. Oversimplification of complicated new problems as well as the
cynical exploitation of the fears generated by 9/11 have undermined our ability to adjust effectively to America’s new place in the world. This has weakened our efforts to protect American lives, our national security, and our constitutional values. Ranging from institutional failures to “get it right� by Congress, the executive branch, and the media to the way we have spoken of the war on terror, the nature of Islam, and American exceptionalism, too often we have not made the best choices in confronting, in Churchill’s words, the “new conditions under which we now have
to dwell.�
Senator Feingold explores the way in which the American public has been fed inadequate information
or mere slogans to explain 9/11, Al Qaeda, and related events. This compares unfavorably with the candor often associated with, for example, FDR’s fireside chats during World War II. Lumping Al Qaeda into a catch-all category known as “bad guys,� failing to make it clear that Islam itself is not a threat to our way of life, and underestimating the extreme difficulty of fully invading individual countries as a way to root out international terrorism are examples of this misdirection. Moreover, our general inability to keep our eyes on the international ball seems to have grown
even worse in the years following 9/11.
More than ten years after one of the greatest wake-up calls in human history, our nation seems to have again grown complacent about the issues that suddenly seemed so urgent immediately after 9/11. While America Sleeps suggests ways in which we can awaken a new national commitment to engage with
the rest of the world and one another in a less simplistic and more thoughtful way. Feingold’s hope is that when the history of this era is written, it will be said that our country was taken off guard at the height of its power at the turn of the century and stumbled for a decade in an unfamiliar environment, but in the following decade America found a new national commitment of unity and resolve to adapt to its new status and leadership in the world.]]> 320 Russ Feingold 0307952525 Patrick 0 to-read 3.73 2012
author: Russ Feingold
name: Patrick
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2012
rating: 0
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date added: 2012/11/20
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]]> 12694000
A thoughtful and surprising argument for American tax reform, arguably the most overdue political debate facing the nation, from one of the most respected political and economic thinkers, advisers, and writers of our time.

The United States Tax Code has undergone no serious reform since 1986. Since then, loopholes, exemptions, credits, and deductions have distorted its clarity, increased its inequity, and frustrated our ability to govern ourselves.

At its core, any tax system is in place to raise the revenue needed to pay the government’s bills. But where that revenue should come from raises crucial Should our tax code be progressive, with the wealthier paying more than the poor, and if so, to what extent? Should we tax income or consumption or both? Of the various ideas proposed by economists and politicians—from tax increases to tax cuts, from a VAT to a Fair Tax—what will work and won’t? By tracing the history of our own tax system and by assessing the way other countries have solved similar problems, Bartlett explores the surprising answers to all of these questions, giving a sense of the tax code’s many benefits—and its inevitable burdens.

Tax reform will be a major issue debated in the years ahead. Growing budget deficits and the expiration of various tax cuts loom. Reform, once a philosophical dilemma, is turning into a practical crisis. By framing the various tax philosophies that dominate the debate, Bartlett explores the distributional, technical, and political advantages and costs of the various proposals and ideas that will come to dominate America’s political conversation in the years to come.]]> 288 Bruce Bartlett 1451646194 Patrick 0 to-read 3.80 2012
author: Bruce Bartlett
name: Patrick
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2012
rating: 0
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date added: 2012/11/20
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]]> 104089
Tigana is the magical story of a beleaguered land struggling to be free. It is the tale of a people so cursed by the black sorcery of a cruel despotic king that even the name of their once-beautiful homeland cannot be spoken or remembered...

But years after the devastation, a handful of courageous men and women embark upon a dangerous crusade to overthrow their conquerors and bring back to the dark world the brilliance of a long-lost name...Tigana.

Against the magnificently rendered background of a world both sensuous and barbaric, this sweeping epic of a passionate people pursuing their dream is breathtaking in its vision, changing forever the boundaries of fantasy fiction.]]> 676 Guy Gavriel Kay 0451457765 Patrick 3 4.07 1990
author: Guy Gavriel Kay
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.07
book published: 1990
rating: 3
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Writing good fantasy is tough, writing anything good is tough, but I think Kay is one of the few fantasy authors I've ready that really strikes the middle. Usually I get recommendations for authors who are compared to Tolkien and then their books turn out to be useful primarily for kindling. Kay, however, does not sink into the nether of trashy sci-fi or worn out magic. Instead, Tigana has its own charm and originality. He's not the best writer our there, but he can deliver a good story, with twists and turns that are simultaneously predictable and surprising. In any event he's fun to read, although I wouldn't put him in the same class as Patrick Rothfuss or Paolo Bacigalupi. If you need a new fantasy book and don't want to be crushed by the same ole same ole, then pick this guy up and enjoy his world.
]]> 9717 The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera tells the story of a young woman in love with a man torn between his love for her and his incorrigible womanizing and one of his mistresses and her humbly faithful lover. This magnificent novel juxtaposes geographically distant places, brilliant and playful reflections, and a variety of styles, to take its place as perhaps the major achievement of one of the world’s truly great writers.]]> 314 Milan Kundera 0571224385 Patrick 3 4.12 1984
author: Milan Kundera
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.12
book published: 1984
rating: 3
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]]> 77522
Problems are cropping up at Hogwarts, too, where government officials are meddling in just about everything. And just because Voldemort and the Death Eaters are threatening open warfare does not mean that fifth-year students get out of their exams. Meanwhile, Harry's powerful connection to Voldemort seems to be growing even stronger, as he realizes that he has direct access to the Dark Lord's mind. It's time for Harry and his friends to take drastic action, but the course they choose will have terrible unforeseen consequences.

Truly dangerous times have arrived in the fifth Harry Potter novel, but it never loses the trademark fun, excitement, and wonder at the possibilities of magic.]]> 870 J.K. Rowling Patrick 4 4.54 2003
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.54
book published: 2003
rating: 4
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date added: 2012/07/18
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]]> 9361589
But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus performers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.]]> 506 Erin Morgenstern Patrick 0 4.00 2011
author: Erin Morgenstern
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2011
rating: 0
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date added: 2012/07/03
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]]> 64081 368 Shane Claiborne 0310266300 Patrick 3 4.02 2006
author: Shane Claiborne
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2006
rating: 3
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date added: 2012/05/03
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]]> 179744 602 Roger Penrose 0192861980 Patrick 0 to-read 3.91 1989
author: Roger Penrose
name: Patrick
average rating: 3.91
book published: 1989
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2012/03/30
shelves: to-read
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]]> 495916


The volume

The Sayings of Buddha
The famous collection of 423 verses of Buddhist wisdom that has been profoundly influential in every Buddhist school.

The Buddhist I Ching
The translation included in this volume is the only full-length interpretation of the I Ching by a Chinese Buddhist meditation master.

Stopping and A Comprehensive Course in Buddhist Meditation
A monumental work written by sixth-century Buddhist master Chi-i. One of the most comprehensive manuals written on these two essential points of Buddhist meditation.

Entry into the An Introduction to Hua-yen Buddhism
An introduction to the philosophy of the Hua-yen school of Buddhism, one of the cornerstones of East Asian Buddhist thought.

Buddhist A Comprehensive Course
A landmark translation of the classical sourcebook of Buddhist yoga, the Sandhinirmochana-sutra , or "Scripture Unlocking the Mysteries," a revered text of the school of Buddhism known as Vijnanavada or Yogachara.]]> 848 Thomas Cleary 1590302222 Patrick 3 4.39 2002
author: Thomas Cleary
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2002
rating: 3
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]]> 327658


The volume

Transmission of Zen in the Art of Enlightenment
This first complete modern translation of the classic Denkoroku illustrates how to attain satori.

Unlocking the Zen Koan
This translation of the koan classic Wumenguan also includes Cleary's selection of comments by great Chinese Zen masters.

Original An Anthology of Rinzai Zen
An anthology of Japanese Rinzai Zen from the thirteenth to the eighteenth centuries.

Timeless A Soto Zen Anthology
Contains sayings, informal talks, and public cases of important Soto Zen masters.

Zen 100 Stories of Enlightenment
Unlike many of the baffling dialogues between Zen masters preserved in koan literature, the stories retold here are pointedly simple but with a richness and subtlety that make them worth reading again and again.

Record of Things From the Treasury of the Eye of the True Teaching
This Zen classic is a collection of talks by the great Japanese Zen Master Dogen, founder of the Soto school.

Sleepless Verses for the Wakeful
Among the greatest masterpieces of the secular Buddhist poetry, these verses mock the folly of tyrants and celebrate the indomitability of life.]]> 912 Thomas Cleary 1590302214 Patrick 3 4.71 2001
author: Thomas Cleary
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.71
book published: 2001
rating: 3
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]]> 336380


The volume

The Sutra of Grand Master of Zen
Hui-neng was the sixth patriarch of Chinese Zen. His teachings are characterized by their striking immediacy and by their concern with direct insight into the essential nature of awareness. The Sutra of Hui-neng is accompanied by Hui-neng's own commentary on the Diamond Sutra .

Dream Conversations on Buddhism and Zen
A collection of a renowned Japanese masters' written replies to questions about the true nature of Zen.

The Heart of Zen
Included here are some of the important texts focusing on the profound subtleties of this essential Zen awakening and the methods used in its realization.

Rational The Mind of Dogen Zenji
Contains selections from Dogen's two masterworks, Shobogenzo and Eihei Koruko . Cleary's commentary and compendium of authentic source materials enhance the reader's insight into Dogen's methods.

Zen and the Art of Insight
Thomas Cleary has gathered key selections from throughout the Prajnaparamita literature, accompanying each selection with commentary, to present the key teachings as exercises in learning freedom.]]> 720 Thomas Cleary 1590302206 Patrick 3 4.75 2001
author: Thomas Cleary
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.75
book published: 2001
rating: 3
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date added: 2012/03/30
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]]> 238871


The volume

Teachings of Zen
This anthology presents talks, sayings, and records of heart-to-heart encounters to show the essence of Zen teaching through the words of the Zen masters themselves.

Zen Reader
This book is a collection of quotations from the great masters of Zen. The masters talk about the practicalities of Zen realization and primarily about waking up, seeing for yourself, and standing on your own two feet.

Zen Teachings of Yuanwu
Presented here are the teachings of the great Chinese master Yuanwu in direct person-to-person lessons, intimately revealing the inner workings of the psychology of enlightenment.

Zen Essays by Dogen
Dogen, the founder of Japanese Zen, presents a thorough recasting of Buddhism with a creative ingenuity that has never been matched in the subsequent literature of Japanese Zen.

The Ecstasy of Enlightenment
An inside look at the spiritual world of tantra, revealing noteworthy parallels between tantric Buddhism in old Bengal and the original Zen Buddhism of China.]]> 560 Thomas Cleary 1590302192 Patrick 3 4.60 2001
author: Thomas Cleary
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.60
book published: 2001
rating: 3
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]]> 327653


The volume

Zen The Art of Leadership
This guide to enlightened conduct for people in positions of authority is based on the teachings of several great Zen masters of China.

Zen The Science of Freedom
Drawn from the records of the great Chinese Zen masters of the Tang and Song dynasties, this collection represents the most open and direct forms of instruction in the entire Zen canon.

The Five Houses of Zen
These writings are widely considered to be preeminent among Zen literature.

Minding A Course in Basic Meditation
The meditation instructions in this book focus on attaining a state of true objectivity that enables the practitioner to use all other forms of meditation freely and consciously, without becoming fixated or obsessed.

Instant Zen
Presented here are the teachings of Foyan, who offers simple exercises in attention and thought designed to lead to insight into the real nature of self.]]> 608 Thomas Cleary 1590302184 Patrick 3 4.58 2001
author: Thomas Cleary
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.58
book published: 2001
rating: 3
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date added: 2012/03/30
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]]> 726715
Izutsu begins with Ibn 'Arabi, analyzing and isolating the major ontological concepts of this most challenging of Islamic thinkers. Then, in the second part of the book, Izutsu turns his attention to an analysis of parallel concepts of two great Taoist thinkers, Lao-tzu and Chuang-tzu. Only after laying bare the fundamental structure of each world view does Izutsu embark, in the final section of the book, upon a comparative analysis. Only thus, he argues, can he be sure to avoid easy and superficial comparisons. Izutsu maintains that both the Sufi and Taoist world views are based on two pivots―the Absolute Man and the Perfect Man―with a whole system of oncological thought being developed between these two pivots. Izutsu discusses similarities in these ontological systems and advances the hypothesis that certain patterns of mystical and metaphysical thought may be shared even by systems with no apparent historical connection.

This second edition of Sufism and Taoism is the first published in the United States. The original edition, published in English and in Japan, was prized by the few English-speaking scholars who knew of it as a model in the field of comparative philosophy. Making available in English much new material on both sides of its comparison, Sufism and Taoism richly fulfills Izutsu's motivating desire "to open a new vista in the domain of comparative philosophy."]]> 493 Toshihiko Izutsu 0520052641 Patrick 3 4.38 1983
author: Toshihiko Izutsu
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.38
book published: 1983
rating: 3
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date added: 2012/03/28
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Years ago, in my youth, I stole this book from a library, thinking that it might give me some great insight into the Way. Fortunately, like many other books I will one day burn, it was a stepping stone, and is a great investigation of a variety of principles concerning the Way in both Daoist and Sufist thought. Though I strayed over some areas, as I am now concerned primarily with finding inaccuracies within mystic traditions that promote the idea of separation or annihilation as positive, optimal or unattainable states (though I agree that such states are in a sense unattainable), in terms of analyzing and explaining the works of these three existentialist thinkers Izutsu does a good, albeit dry job. He really lacks a spark of life and this academic work reflects his sense of purpose, rather than a sense of awe and grandeur. So, if you are interested in starting to grasp the fundamentals of some of the aspects of eastern thought, this is a good place to start. He dissection is good, though very focused and repetitive, and as always it is not good to accept what is fed to you. I'd use this book to get a good sense of things and then go back to the primary texts themselves to interpret as you will. More or less this is a book for hardcore studiers and is full of things like being, non-being, no-non-being, absolute Absolute, and so on. Don't get bogged down. Be light like a feather on the back of the great bird DaPeng.
]]> 6178648 Nothing to Envy follows the lives of six North Koreans over fifteen years—a chaotic period that saw the death of Kim Il-sung, the unchallenged rise to power of his son Kim Jong-il, and the devastation of a far-ranging famine that killed one-fifth of the population.

Taking us into a landscape most of us have never before seen, award-winning journalist Barbara Demick brings to life what it means to be living under the most repressive totalitarian regime today—an Orwellian world that is by choice not connected to the Internet, in which radio and television dials are welded to the one government station, and where displays of affection are punished; a police state where informants are rewarded and where an offhand remark can send a person to the gulag for life.

Demick takes us deep inside the country, beyond the reach of government censors. Through meticulous and sensitive reporting, we see her six subjects—average North Korean citizens—fall in love, raise families, nurture ambitions, and struggle for survival. One by one, we experience the moments when they realize that their government has betrayed them.

Nothing to Envy is a groundbreaking addition to the literature of totalitarianism and an eye-opening look at a closed world that is of increasing global importance.]]> 316 Barbara Demick 0385523904 Patrick 4
Nothing to Envy is a snapshot of several lives that were transformed by a simple choice; to leave North Korea and defect South. And even that choice was often loathsome to the survivors in their own minds, before years of acclimatization drew them into a new reality. In their former lives, these North Koreans gave up their humanity as well as their freedom. The rest of the world accepts that a few have freedom and the majority don't. The world would, however, be unable to digest the idea that the oppressed are losing their humanity, their consciousness, the very thing that separates them from beings who cannot recognize good or evil. And that is the tragedy. When North Koreans walk by their fellow comrades, swollen with hunger, dying by the the thousands in the street, they see them as people, and their sanity, their humanness, is driven from them like so many cattle, prepared their whole lives for hardship, and a final purifying death.

But we let this world continue, hidden from our own. You need only pick up a book to find that you love the lies we live, thinking the world is growing better, that war is on the threshold of extinction, that humans are no longer treated like animals and experiments, and that tomorrow will shine all the brighter.

Read Nothing to Envy, and try to imagine any of it, try to form an emotional connection. You won't, because you can't know what it's like to starve for years on end, to find your love ones dead in their homes or taken to labor camps where they are beaten to death. For those of you who have had terrible experiences, I do not mean to say you cannot imagine their lives, but it is not just death and tragedy that await newborns in North Korea. It is an existence unlike any other, in which all thought, living, and even dying are mandated by a cruel dictatorial state. They die loving the ones who kill them, every day, perhaps every hour.
]]> 4.43 2009
author: Barbara Demick
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2012/02/20
shelves:
review:
It has recently come to my attention that the world does not revolve on a single axis. Most people, however, are concerned with only one or two, the first being themselves and the other perhaps extending toward immediate family or general acquaintances. We are taught that this is the way to live, and it is not a bad way to live. The reality however, is that many people are not able to live life this way. They cannot even do good for themselves because their life forbids it. Consider the starving man, woman, or child. It is better to steal and live, than be selfish and die. It is not there fault, but it is definitely someone's.

Nothing to Envy is a snapshot of several lives that were transformed by a simple choice; to leave North Korea and defect South. And even that choice was often loathsome to the survivors in their own minds, before years of acclimatization drew them into a new reality. In their former lives, these North Koreans gave up their humanity as well as their freedom. The rest of the world accepts that a few have freedom and the majority don't. The world would, however, be unable to digest the idea that the oppressed are losing their humanity, their consciousness, the very thing that separates them from beings who cannot recognize good or evil. And that is the tragedy. When North Koreans walk by their fellow comrades, swollen with hunger, dying by the the thousands in the street, they see them as people, and their sanity, their humanness, is driven from them like so many cattle, prepared their whole lives for hardship, and a final purifying death.

But we let this world continue, hidden from our own. You need only pick up a book to find that you love the lies we live, thinking the world is growing better, that war is on the threshold of extinction, that humans are no longer treated like animals and experiments, and that tomorrow will shine all the brighter.

Read Nothing to Envy, and try to imagine any of it, try to form an emotional connection. You won't, because you can't know what it's like to starve for years on end, to find your love ones dead in their homes or taken to labor camps where they are beaten to death. For those of you who have had terrible experiences, I do not mean to say you cannot imagine their lives, but it is not just death and tragedy that await newborns in North Korea. It is an existence unlike any other, in which all thought, living, and even dying are mandated by a cruel dictatorial state. They die loving the ones who kill them, every day, perhaps every hour.

]]> 6463967
Michael Lewis creates a fresh, character-driven narrative brimming with indignation and dark humor, a fitting sequel to his #1 bestseller Liar's Poker. Out of a handful of unlikely-really unlikely-heroes, Lewis fashions a story as compelling and unusual as any of his earlier bestsellers, proving yet again that he is the finest and funniest chronicler of our time.]]> 264 Michael Lewis 0393072231 Patrick 4
Anyway, enough of my sarcasm pie. This book is a great way to understand both the financial crisis, and what it is that happens when you give money to someone that has no idea of how to handle money. On top of that, some of them did, and they swindled the poor into floating rate interest packages and defrauded millions of people just to line their pockets with Unobtainium* It's a great read, it gets your ire up, and makes you seem way smarter than you are. It's also as hilarious as it is disturbing.

My advice. Take your money, bury in a hole, eat rice and beans, shower twice a week, and enjoy the work of your mind and hands.


*Avatar]]> 4.20 2010
author: Michael Lewis
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2012/01/28
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For those of you who don't understand terms like loan, bond, CDO, or subprime mortgage taunche, welcome to the club. Fortunately there is an answer, and it's fun and fast, and filled with the terrible story of how America's trusting, ignorant masses (yes, I mean you) were duped into pouring their hard earned money into financial institutions, investment firms, and brokerages who willfully squandered it without having the slightest idea they were creating the worlds greatest financial meltdown. In their defense, they were just trying to make a few million more dollars a year to get their kids through college. I mean, these guys are almost all still on top, so obviously there are many people shedding tears for them, unlike those communist protesters in Zuccatti Park. At the end of the day, those Wall Street money-men must have had our best interest in mind. Why else would the government have bailed them out with our tax dollars. We gave them our money once, why not do it again. The question, "Is God too big to fail comes to mind." The answer, yes. In this metaphor, God is money. Will the housing market go up, inexplicably forever? Of course it will.

Anyway, enough of my sarcasm pie. This book is a great way to understand both the financial crisis, and what it is that happens when you give money to someone that has no idea of how to handle money. On top of that, some of them did, and they swindled the poor into floating rate interest packages and defrauded millions of people just to line their pockets with Unobtainium* It's a great read, it gets your ire up, and makes you seem way smarter than you are. It's also as hilarious as it is disturbing.

My advice. Take your money, bury in a hole, eat rice and beans, shower twice a week, and enjoy the work of your mind and hands.


*Avatar
]]> 10664113 Alternate cover edition of ASIN B004XISI4A

In the aftermath of a colossal battle, the future of the Seven Kingdoms hangs in the balance—beset by newly emerging threats from every direction. In the east, Daenerys Targaryen, the last scion of House Targaryen, rules with her three dragons as queen of a city built on dust and death. But Daenerys has thousands of enemies, and many have set out to find her. As they gather, one young man embarks upon his own quest for the queen, with an entirely different goal in mind.

Fleeing from Westeros with a price on his head, Tyrion Lannister, too, is making his way to Daenerys. But his newest allies in this quest are not the rag-tag band they seem, and at their heart lies one who could undo Daenerys’s claim to Westeros forever.

Meanwhile, to the north lies the mammoth Wall of ice and stone—a structure only as strong as those guarding it. There, Jon Snow, 998th Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, will face his greatest challenge. For he has powerful foes not only within the Watch but also beyond, in the land of the creatures of ice.

From all corners, bitter conflicts reignite, intimate betrayals are perpetrated, and a grand cast of outlaws and priests, soldiers and skinchangers, nobles and slaves, will face seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Some will fail, others will grow in the strength of darkness. But in a time of rising restlessness, the tides of destiny and politics will lead inevitably to the greatest dance of all.]]> 1125 George R.R. Martin Patrick 4 4.33 2011
author: George R.R. Martin
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2012/01/19
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]]> 6638829
Hopes and Prospects is essential reading for anyone who is concerned about the primary challenges still facing the human race.

"This is a classic Chomsky work: a bonfire of myths and lies, sophistries and delusions. Noam Chomsky is an enduring inspiration all over the world—to millions, I suspect—for the simple reason that he is a truth-teller on an epic scale. I salute him." —John Pilger

"In dissecting the rhetoric and logic of American empire and class domination, at home and abroad, Chomsky continues a longstanding and crucial work of elucidation and activism...the writing remains unswervingly rational and principled throughout, and lends bracing impetus to the real alternatives before us." —Publisher's Weekly

"Chomsky’s commentary is razor sharp and offers a compendium of facts that make a well-supported—and undoubtedly controversial—claim of the incongruity between US actions and the democratic ideals it professes....A valuable resource for both academics and everyday concerned citizens." —F´Ç°ů±đ°Â´Ç°ů»ĺ

Professor emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Noam Chomsky is widely regarded to be one of the foremost critics of U.S. foreign policy in the world. He has published numerous groundbreaking books, articles, and essays on global politics, history, and linguistics. Among his recent books are The New York Times bestsellers Hegemony or Survival and Failed States.


]]> 336 Noam Chomsky 1931859965 Patrick 3 4.06 2010
author: Noam Chomsky
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2010
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2012/01/17
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review:

]]> 13497 Crows will fight over a dead man's flesh, and kill each other for his eyes.

Bloodthirsty, treacherous and cunning, the Lannisters are in power on the Iron Throne in the name of the boy-king Tommen. The war in the Seven Kingdoms has burned itself out, but in its bitter aftermath new conflicts spark to life.

The Martells of Dorne and the Starks of Winterfell seek vengeance for their dead. Euron Crow's Eye, as black a pirate as ever raised a sail, returns from the smoking ruins of Valyria to claim the Iron Isles. From the icy north, where Others threaten the Wall, apprentice Maester Samwell Tarly brings a mysterious babe in arms to the Citadel.

Against a backdrop of incest and fratricide, alchemy and murder, victory will go to the men and women possessed of the coldest steel and the coldest hearts.]]> 1060 George R.R. Martin 055358202X Patrick 4 4.16 2005
author: George R.R. Martin
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2012/01/05
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]]> 2767 Zinn portrays a side of American history that can largely be seen as the exploitation and manipulation of the majority by rigged systems that hugely favor a small aggregate of elite rulers from across the orthodox political parties.
A People's History has been assigned as reading in many high schools and colleges across the United States. It has also resulted in a change in the focus of historical work, which now includes stories that previously were ignored

Library Journal calls Howard Zinn’s book “a brilliant and moving history of the American people from the point of view of those…whose plight has been largely omitted from most histories.”]]> 729 Howard Zinn 0060838655 Patrick 3
The other issue I have is that Zinn loses a sense of the real progress that took place over time. He begins with the invasion of the American continents as a destructive and world ending senario for the original inhabitants. He puts historical figures in their place, and takes care to make sure we know the atrocities and justifications the explorers used to take what was never rightfully theirs. However, as the beginning of the 20th century roles around, Zinn is still on the warpath and gives the US little credit for how fast civil liberties were acquired in comparison to the modern era. Yes, woman and blacks are still repressed, but our country, as a whole has provided more freedom for those idividuals that almost anywhere else, and those liberties continue to grow.

Anyway, if you want a tighter work, which also approaches a slightly less daunting time frame, take a look at American Colonies, because Taylor does a much better job of delivering information and making a cohesive work. ]]> 4.07 1980
author: Howard Zinn
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.07
book published: 1980
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2012/01/05
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review:
A peoples history is a long book. Not so much because of it's length, but because it tries to cover too much material. It is a good introduction to the formation of America and the idea of America, but it's a lot of numbers and stats, and other easily forgetable information.

The other issue I have is that Zinn loses a sense of the real progress that took place over time. He begins with the invasion of the American continents as a destructive and world ending senario for the original inhabitants. He puts historical figures in their place, and takes care to make sure we know the atrocities and justifications the explorers used to take what was never rightfully theirs. However, as the beginning of the 20th century roles around, Zinn is still on the warpath and gives the US little credit for how fast civil liberties were acquired in comparison to the modern era. Yes, woman and blacks are still repressed, but our country, as a whole has provided more freedom for those idividuals that almost anywhere else, and those liberties continue to grow.

Anyway, if you want a tighter work, which also approaches a slightly less daunting time frame, take a look at American Colonies, because Taylor does a much better job of delivering information and making a cohesive work.
]]> 95225
Dropping the usual Anglocentric description of North America's fate, Taylor brilliantly conveys the far more vivid and startling story of the competing interests--Spanish, French, English, Native, Russian--that over the centuries shaped and reshaped both the continent and its 'suburbs' in the Caribbean and the Pacific. It is one of the greatest of all human stories.]]> 526 Alan Taylor 0142002100 Patrick 4 4.06 2001
author: Alan Taylor
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2001
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2011/12/20
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]]> 33600
So begins this epic, mesmerizing first novel set in the underworld of contemporary Bombay. Shantaram is narrated by Lin, an escaped convict with a false passport who flees maximum security prison in Australia for the teeming streets of a city where he can disappear.

Accompanied by his guide and faithful friend, Prabaker, the two enter Bombay's hidden society of beggars and gangsters, prostitutes and holy men, soldiers and actors, and Indians and exiles from other countries, who seek in this remarkable place what they cannot find elsewhere.

As a hunted man without a home, family, or identity, Lin searches for love and meaning while running a clinic in one of the city's poorest slums, and serving his apprenticeship in the dark arts of the Bombay mafia. The search leads him to war, prison torture, murder, and a series of enigmatic and bloody betrayals. The keys to unlock the mysteries and intrigues that bind Lin are held by two people. The first is Khader Khan: mafia godfather, criminal-philosopher-saint, and mentor to Lin in the underworld of the Golden City. The second is Karla: elusive, dangerous, and beautiful, whose passions are driven by secrets that torment her and yet give her a terrible power.

Burning slums and five-star hotels, romantic love and prison agonies, criminal wars and Bollywood films, spiritual gurus and mujaheddin guerrillas—this huge novel has the world of human experience in its reach, and a passionate love for India at its heart. Based on the life of the author, it is by any measure the debut of an extraordinary voice in literature.]]> 936 Gregory David Roberts 192076920X Patrick 0 to-read 4.27 2003
author: Gregory David Roberts
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2003
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2011/12/09
shelves: to-read
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]]> 11088769
This book provides a brief synopsis, background and information on the release and reception of the book "4 Hour Body" and it's author, Timothy Ferriss.

Breve Books offers short stories and summaries of your favorite books and series. Look for you favorites with Breve Books today!]]> 9 Timothy Ferriss Patrick 0 3.71 2000
author: Timothy Ferriss
name: Patrick
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2000
rating: 0
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date added: 2011/12/09
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Bad is the wrong word to describe this book. It goes to another level of baseness for which I don't have words. In truth my feeling is that if an individual wants to lose weight and gain muscle they can do it quickly and with surprising results. Stop eating sugars and carbs, start lifting weights. Or if you just want to lose weight, stop eating. I recently didn't eat for three days and lost about 6 pounds. It's that easy. I was fasting, don't freak out. What I do take issue with, however, is that Ferris is making the world a worse place by telling people that they can everything they want and more, without any effort. Then he writes a "600" page book that defines the extremes one needs to go to in order to achieve those goals. It's a lie, based on clearly presented contradiction. Just four hours a week...more like four hours a day. He trained and worked hard to alter his body, and you'll have to too. It's just the way things are. Castles in the sky are just that. You're going to need to build a ladder out of clouds, and it's going to take a lot longer than 4 hours a day. But relax america, you can be thin and successful and happy without ever having to lift a finger.
]]> 219205
Yet the Land tempted him. He had been sick; now he seemed better than ever before. Through no fault of his own, he had been outcast, unclean, a pariah. Now he was regarded as a reincarnation of the Land's greatest hero--Berek Halfhand--armed with the mystic power of White Gold. That power alone could protect the Lords of the Land from the ancient evil of Despiser, Lord Foul. Only...Covenant had no idea of how the power could be used!

Thus begins one of the most remarkable epic fantasies ever written...]]> 480 Stephen R. Donaldson 0345348656 Patrick 0 3.73 1977
author: Stephen R. Donaldson
name: Patrick
average rating: 3.73
book published: 1977
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2011/11/29
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review:
If you like high fantasy, or any type of fantasy, or just enjoyable, non-predictable, original reads, completely avoid this book. I'm sorry Mr. Donaldson, but you can't write. Nor can you create an interesting story. The anti-hero? Please. The only sympathy I have for your main character is how badly he is crippled as he acted out your story in my mind. And a white-gold ring...psst...we've all already read the LoTR. Oh god, I really can't say any more, but I will in case you don't believe me yet. The entire work was completely overwrought and unoriginal. The story leaves one empty, and it's not worth your time, no matter what anyone says. Avoid this book at all costs. There are plenty of other fantasy books to leaf through. You have been warned.
]]> 62291 An alternate cover for this ISBN can be found here

Here is the third volume in George R.R. Martin's magnificent cycle of novels that includes A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings. Together, this series comprises a genuine masterpiece of modern fantasy, destined to stand as one of the great achievements of imaginative fiction.

Of the five contenders for power, one is dead, another in disfavor, and still the wars rage as alliances are made and broken. Joffrey sits on the Iron Throne, the uneasy ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. His most bitter rival, Lord Stannis, stands defeated and disgraced, victim of the sorceress who holds him in her thrall. Young Robb still rules the North from the fortress of Riverrun. Meanwhile, making her way across a blood-drenched continent is the exiled queen, Daenerys, mistress of the only three dragons still left in the world. And as opposing forces manoeuver for the final showdown, an army of barbaric wildlings arrives from the outermost limits of civilization, accompanied by a horde of mythical Others—a supernatural army of the living dead whose animated corpses are unstoppable. As the future of the land hangs in the balance, no one will rest until the Seven Kingdoms have exploded in a veritable storm of swords...]]> 1177 George R.R. Martin 055357342X Patrick 3 4.54 2000
author: George R.R. Martin
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.54
book published: 2000
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2011/11/16
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]]> 15997 Paradise Lost is one of the greatest epic poems in the English language. It tells the story of the Fall of Man, a tale of immense drama and excitement, of rebellion and treachery, of innocence pitted against corruption, in which God and Satan fight a bitter battle for control of mankind's destiny. The struggle rages across three worlds - heaven, hell, and earth - as Satan and his band of rebel angels plot their revenge against God. At the center of the conflict are Adam and Eve, who are motivated by all too human temptations but whose ultimate downfall is unyielding love.

Marked by Milton's characteristic erudition, Paradise Lost is a work epic both in scale and, notoriously, in ambition. For nearly 350 years, it has held generation upon generation of audiences in rapt attention, and its profound influence can be seen in almost every corner of Western culture.]]> 453 John Milton 0140424393 Patrick 0 3.83 1667
author: John Milton
name: Patrick
average rating: 3.83
book published: 1667
rating: 0
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date added: 2011/10/26
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]]> 113436 An alternate cover edition for ISBN 9780375826696 can be found here.

One boy...
One dragon...
A world of adventure.

When Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his family meat for the winter. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon soon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself.

Overnight his simple life is shattered, and he is thrust into a perilous new world of destiny, magic, and power. With only an ancient sword and the advice of an old storyteller for guidance, Eragon and the fledgling dragon must navigate the dangerous terrain and dark enemies of an Empire ruled by a king whose evil knows no bounds.

Can Eragon take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders? The fate of the Empire may rest in his hands.]]> 503 Christopher Paolini 0375826696 Patrick 3 3.96 2002
author: Christopher Paolini
name: Patrick
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2002
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2011/10/26
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]]> 839223
Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have just saved the rebel state from destruction by the mighty forces of King Galbatorix, cruel ruler of the Empire. Now Eragon must travel to Ellesméra, land of the elves, for further training in magic and swordsmanship, the vital skills of the Dragon Rider. It is the journey of a lifetime, filled with awe-inspiring new places and people, each day a fresh adventure. But chaos and betrayal plague him at every turn, and Eragon isn't sure whom he can trust.

Meanwhile, his cousin Roran must fight a new battle back home in Carvahall - one that puts Eragon in even graver danger.

Will the king's dark hand strangle all resistance? Eragon may not escape with even his life . . .]]> 682 Christopher Paolini 0552552119 Patrick 3 3.94 2005
author: Christopher Paolini
name: Patrick
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2005
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2011/10/26
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]]> 7332 386 J.R.R. Tolkien 0618391118 Patrick 5 3.99 1977
author: J.R.R. Tolkien
name: Patrick
average rating: 3.99
book published: 1977
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2011/10/26
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]]> 19542 48 Maurice Sendak 0060254920 Patrick 4 4.51 1963
author: Maurice Sendak
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.51
book published: 1963
rating: 4
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date added: 2011/10/26
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Max, who I think is King of the Wild things has a pretty amazing adventure doing the royal rumpus in the jungle, but misses home in the end and their returns.
]]> 41865
First, Edward was a vampire.

Second, there was a part of him - and I didn't know how dominant that part might be - that thirsted for my blood.

And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.

Deeply seductive and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight is a love story with bite.]]> 498 Stephenie Meyer 0316015849 Patrick 1 3.66 2005
author: Stephenie Meyer
name: Patrick
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2005
rating: 1
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date added: 2011/10/26
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I read Twilight because all the kids in 7th grade were eating it up. It's good no doubt, but the writing is pretty elementary. Harry Potter is a much more engaging and diverse read. Twilight just gets you excited about Vampires and some of their intricacies. I think most adults wouldn't be too entertained, but anyone looking for some cool ideas about what being a vampire might really be like and how to address inter-species relationships should totally check this out.
]]> 6597651
Emiko is the Windup Girl, a strange and beautiful creature. One of the New People, Emiko is not human; instead, she is an engineered being, creche-grown and programmed to satisfy the decadent whims of a Kyoto businessman, but now abandoned to the streets of Bangkok. Regarded as soulless beings by some, devils by others, New People are slaves, soldiers, and toys of the rich in a chilling near future in which calorie companies rule the world, the oil age has passed, and the side effects of bio-engineered plagues run rampant across the globe.

What Happens when calories become currency? What happens when bio-terrorism becomes a tool for corporate profits, when said bio-terrorism's genetic drift forces mankind to the cusp of post-human evolution? Award-winning author Paolo Bacigalupi delivers one of the most highly acclaimed science fiction novels of the twenty-first century.]]> 359 Paolo Bacigalupi 1597801577 Patrick 3 3.75 2009
author: Paolo Bacigalupi
name: Patrick
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2009
rating: 3
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date added: 2011/10/26
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]]> 52036 152 Hermann Hesse Patrick 3 4.07 1922
author: Hermann Hesse
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.07
book published: 1922
rating: 3
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]]> 7996 A quest to recover a legendary lost weapon by bumbling young apprentice monk, mouse Matthias.

Redwall Abbey, tranquil home to a community of peace-loving mice, is threatened by Cluny the Scourge savage bilge rat warlord and his battle-hardened horde. But the Redwall mice and their loyal woodland friends combine their courage and strength.]]> 352 Brian Jacques 1862301387 Patrick 3 4.14 1986
author: Brian Jacques
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.14
book published: 1986
rating: 3
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date added: 2011/10/22
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]]> 78503 This edition presents the originalĚýtwelve poems from Whitman's premier 1855 publication of Leaves of Grass . Included are some of the greatest poems of modern times: "Song of Myself," "I Sing the Body Electric," and "There Was a Child Went Forth" (which in the first editions ofĚý Leaves of GrassĚý were still nameless),Ěýworks that continue toĚýupset conventional notions of beauty and originality even today.]]> 128 Walt Whitman 0486456765 Patrick 4 to-read 4.17 1855
author: Walt Whitman
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1855
rating: 4
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date added: 2011/10/22
shelves: to-read
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]]> 43641
Beautifully written, Water for Elephants is illuminated by a wonderful sense of time and place. It tells a story of a love between two people that overcomes incredible odds in a world in which even love is a luxury that few can afford.]]> 368 Sara Gruen 1565125606 Patrick 0 to-read 4.11 2006
author: Sara Gruen
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2006
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2011/10/22
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]]> 86147 Bright Lights, Big City in 1984, Jay McInerney became a literary sensation, heralded as the voice of a generation. The novel follows a young man, living in Manhattan as if he owned it, through nightclubs, fashion shows, editorial offices, and loft parties as he attempts to outstrip mortality and the recurring approach of dawn. With nothing but goodwill, controlled substances, and wit to sustain him in this anti-quest, he runs until he reaches his reckoning point, where he is forced to acknowledge loss and, possibly, to rediscover his better instincts. This remarkable novel of youth and New York remains one of the most beloved, imitated, and iconic novels in America.]]> 208 Jay McInerney Patrick 2 3.80 1984
author: Jay McInerney
name: Patrick
average rating: 3.80
book published: 1984
rating: 2
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date added: 2011/10/22
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]]> 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 Patrick 3 3.67 1957
author: Ayn Rand
name: Patrick
average rating: 3.67
book published: 1957
rating: 3
read at: 2011/10/22
date added: 2011/10/22
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]]> 3153910
Through Denny, Enzo has gained tremendous insight into the human condition, and he sees that life, like racing, isn't simply about going fast. On the eve of his death, Enzo takes stock of his life, recalling all that he and his family have been through.

A heart-wrenching but deeply funny and ultimately uplifting story of family, love, loyalty, and hope, The Art of Racing in the Rain is a beautifully crafted and captivating look at the wonders and absurdities of human life ... as only a dog could tell it.]]> 336 Garth Stein 1554681723 Patrick 2 4.22 2008
author: Garth Stein
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2008
rating: 2
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date added: 2011/10/22
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]]> 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 Patrick 3 4.10 2001
author: Neil Gaiman
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2001
rating: 3
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date added: 2011/09/28
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]]> 1215032 There are three things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man.�

My name is Kvothe.
I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep.
You may have heard of me.

So begins the tale of a hero told from his own point of view � a story unequaled in fantasy literature. Now in The Wise Man's Fear, an escalating rivalry with a powerful member of the nobility forces Kvothe to leave the University and seek his fortune abroad. Adrift, penniless, and alone, he travels to Vintas, where he quickly becomes entangled in the politics of courtly society. While attempting to curry favor with a powerful noble, Kvothe uncovers an assassination attempt, comes into conflict with a rival arcanist, and leads a group of mercenaries into the wild, in an attempt to solve the mystery of who (or what) is waylaying travelers on the King's Road.

All the while, Kvothe searches for answers, attempting to uncover the truth about the mysterious Amyr, the Chandrian, and the death of his parents. Along the way, Kvothe is put on trial by the legendary Adem mercenaries, is forced to reclaim the honor of the Edema Ruh, and travels into the Fae realm. There he meets Felurian, the faerie woman no man can resist, and who no man has ever survived ... until Kvothe.

In The Wise Man's Fear, Kvothe takes his first steps on the path of the hero and learns how difficult life can be when a man becomes a legend in his own time.

]]> 994 Patrick Rothfuss 0756404738 Patrick 5 4.55 2011
author: Patrick Rothfuss
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.55
book published: 2011
rating: 5
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Holy Hannibal. If you liked the first one, then you'll love the second. Learning the secrets of the Taoist like Adem, sleeping with tons of ladies, interwoven stories of the mysterious past, and a whole lot of naming. Follow our hero as he learns the dark secret of his existence, realizing that he is equal parts destroyer and creator, unable to handle the magic he wields. Rothfuss blows the reader away with his page turning brilliance, and the end comes far too soon. Only a man of his talent could write such engaging, accessible stories, within stories, within a tale of childish delight and heart wrenching grief. But one theme runs solid, through and through, on and on...names, which lie hidden in all things and gives them their ancient and enduring power.
]]> 884646 268 Saree Makdisi 0521586046 Patrick 3 3.50 1998
author: Saree Makdisi
name: Patrick
average rating: 3.50
book published: 1998
rating: 3
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]]> 10572
It is a tale in which brother plots against brother and the dead rise to walk in the night. Here a princess masquerades as an orphan boy; a knight of the mind prepares a poison for a treacherous sorceress; and wild men descend from the Mountains of the Moon to ravage the countryside. Against a backdrop of incest and fratricide, alchemy and murder, victory may go to the men and women possessed of the coldest steel...and the coldest hearts. For when kings clash, the whole land trembles.

Here is the second volume in George R.R. Martin magnificent cycle of novels that includes A Game of Thrones and A Storm of Swords. As a whole, this series comprises a genuine masterpiece of modern fantasy, bringing together the best the genre has to offer. Magic, mystery, intrigue, romance, and adventure fill these pages and transport us to a world unlike any we have ever experienced. Already hailed as a classic, George R.R. Martin stunning series is destined to stand as one of the great achievements of imaginative fiction.]]> 1009 George R.R. Martin 0553381695 Patrick 4 4.42 1998
author: George R.R. Martin
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.42
book published: 1998
rating: 4
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]]> 13496
Sweeping from a harsh land of cold to a summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, A Game of Thrones tells a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens. Here an enigmatic band of warriors bear swords of no human metal; a tribe of fierce wildlings carry men off into madness; a cruel young dragon prince barters his sister to win back his throne; a child is lost in the twilight between life and death; and a determined woman undertakes a treacherous journey to protect all she holds dear. Amid plots and counter-plots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, allies and enemies, the fate of the Starks hangs perilously in the balance, as each side endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones.]]> 835 George R.R. Martin 0553588486 Patrick 3 4.44 1996
author: George R.R. Martin
name: Patrick
average rating: 4.44
book published: 1996
rating: 3
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]]> 1975116 The bestselling author of The Sex Lives of Cannibals returns with a sharply observed, hilarious account of his adventures in China—a complex, fascinating country with enough dangers and delicacies to keep him, and readers, endlessly entertained.

Maarten Troost has charmed legions of readers with his laugh-out-loud tales of wandering the remote islands of the South Pacific. When the travel bug hit again, he decided to go big-time, taking on the world’s most populous and intriguing nation. In Lost on Planet China, Troost escorts readers on a rollicking journey through the new beating heart of the modern world, from the megalopolises of Beijing and Shanghai to the Gobi Desert and the hinterlands of Tibet.

Lost on Planet China finds Troost dodging deadly drivers in Shanghai; eating Yak in Tibet; deciphering restaurant menus (offering local favorites such as Cattle Penis with Garlic); visiting with Chairman Mao (still dead, very orange); and hiking (with 80,000 other people) up Tai Shan, China’s most revered mountain. But in addition to his trademark gonzo adventures, the book also delivers a telling look at a vast and complex country on the brink of transformation that will soon shape the way we all work, live, and think. As Troost shows, while we may be familiar with Yao Ming or dim sum or the cheap, plastic products that line the shelves of every store, the real China remains a world—indeed, a planet--unto itself.

Maarten Troost brings China to life as you’ve never seen it before, and his insightful, rip-roaringly funny narrative proves that once again he is one of the most entertaining and insightful armchair travel companions around.]]> 382 J. Maarten Troost 076792200X Patrick 3 3.77 2008
author: J. Maarten Troost
name: Patrick
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2008
rating: 3
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]]> 6334
Within the grounds of Hailsham, Kathy grows from schoolgirl to young woman, but it’s only when she and her friends Ruth and Tommy leave the safe grounds of the school (as they always knew they would) that they realize the full truth of what Hailsham is.

Never Let Me Go breaks through the boundaries of the literary novel. It is a gripping mystery, a beautiful love story, and also a scathing critique of human arrogance and a moral examination of how we treat the vulnerable and different in our society. In exploring the themes of memory and the impact of the past, Ishiguro takes on the idea of a possible future to create his most moving and powerful book to date.]]> 288 Kazuo Ishiguro 1400078776 Patrick 2 3.85 2005
author: Kazuo Ishiguro
name: Patrick
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2005
rating: 2
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