Cautionary tale about the thin line between order and a police state, and how easily politicians can manipulate our fears. Movie is great. Was glad the misogynist sub-plot about the politician's wife... more

Cautionary tale about the thin line between order and a police state, and how easily politicians can manipulate our fears. Movie is great. Was glad the misogynist sub-plot about the politician's wife was dropped from the movie, always found that a bit off. Fans of movie will find even more to chew on and admire in the graphic novel.

My girls squealed with laughter. Must look for more of this series.

Hardly a traditional movie star. Maybe something Glue needs to refine in their search engine? [Update: Glue now lists Rushdie as a "Great Writer," which is what he is, as well as a "Top Movie Star/"... more

Hardly a traditional movie star. Maybe something Glue needs to refine in their search engine? [Update: Glue now lists Rushdie as a "Great Writer," which is what he is, as well as a "Top Movie Star/" Oh well, progress... ]
Probably my favorite writer. His stories feature wonderfully crazy/real/human characters grounded in recognizable history. It helps if you know some of the history, but it's not essential. Start with Midnight's Children or The Moor's Last Sigh if you're interested in Indian history. The Ground Beneath Her Feet is a fun, sprawling rock 'n' roll saga that's very accessible to westerners. Haroun & the Sea of Stories is a great fable about intolerance and imagination to share with your kids.

First two thirds are great: cool art (although focusing a bit too much on Moiraine & Siuan naked), true to the story and carefully written. The last third feels rushed: the art becomes inconsistent... more

First two thirds are great: cool art (although focusing a bit too much on Moiraine & Siuan naked), true to the story and carefully written. The last third feels rushed: the art becomes inconsistent, the story is compressed and it's a little unclear what's going on. The lack of attention to detail is very apparent in the glossary, which gets some things wrong.

For the Wheel of Time fan it's worth it for some of the imagery (the Aiel war, the trollocs) and for the insight into the process provided by the emails from Robert Jordan. But, overall it feels like a project that could have been realized so much better.

The Great Hunt takes the little we (and the protagonists) know of their world after the Eye of the World and expands the canvas to reveal the other major players. In contrast to the first book, Great... more

The Great Hunt takes the little we (and the protagonists) know of their world after the Eye of the World and expands the canvas to reveal the other major players. In contrast to the first book, Great Hunt is slower-paced, but much richer in lore, detail and intrigue. The pace picks up in the second half, leading to a strong climax in the first pitched battle of the series.

Not really a standalone. You should aim to read the first three back to back. (I believe Jordan originally saw them as one novel.)

Pics and text are a little dated, but advice is sound.

Essential, easy-to-use reference.

The perfect gift for huge fans of Anne McCaffrey's Pern books. Wood actually succeeds in capturing the characters as McCaffrey describes.

Very dark, but beautiful coming-of-age novel set in small-town Ireland. Author has great touches of phrase and real sympathy for his damaged characters. Very real and atmospheric.

This is one of the most-interesting books I've read in a while. It's about one-third fascinating insight into how design decisions influence (i.e. limit) how we use technology, one-third polemical... more

This is one of the most-interesting books I've read in a while. It's about one-third fascinating insight into how design decisions influence (i.e. limit) how we use technology, one-third polemical argument about why and how we should be using technology, and one-third confusing jargon that'll send you to wikipedia to peruse somebody else's partial and/or manipulative definitions of those terms (and Lanier isn't happy about the pervasiveness of anonymous opinion masquerading as fact all over the internet).

It's a book you'll write all over and frequently argue with, re-read sections from and ponder until you form your own conclusions, which may be very different from the author's -- and I expect that's what Lanier set out to do. This isn't an easy-to-read-&-agree-with book about technology--and in that sense it's a breath of fresh air. But it's a book that anyone who wants to understand how technology affects our lives (whether to manipulate it or stop it manipulating us) should read.

One of the first novels about India I read. Shares the same fabulist gene Rushdie has, but stays away from the allegorical sagas. Good book about the culture clash of East & West, with a great... more

One of the first novels about India I read. Shares the same fabulist gene Rushdie has, but stays away from the allegorical sagas. Good book about the culture clash of East & West, with a great narrative frame.

Great stories. Fully fleshed characters in just a few pages. Several of these felt like novels fighting to burst out.

Loved this book in school. Should re-read without the pressure to parrot the professor's opinions.

Crooked is sold as a book featuring beautiful art, lyrics and short essays about each song. The album can be downloaded once you purchase the book. The track "Flooding" is one her most-haunting songs... more

Crooked is sold as a book featuring beautiful art, lyrics and short essays about each song. The album can be downloaded once you purchase the book. The track "Flooding" is one her most-haunting songs in years, and there are plenty of great rocking numbers, too. I think "Mississippi Kite" is one of the best, but I change my mine every time I listen.

One of my favorite books by Chris Bohjalian.

An other awesome book from Martin Millar. Both funny and foul in equal measure, and heartbreakingly real. A tale of small dreams and narrow horizons set in and around the squats of mid-nineties... more

An other awesome book from Martin Millar. Both funny and foul in equal measure, and heartbreakingly real. A tale of small dreams and narrow horizons set in and around the squats of mid-nineties Brixton. Millar writes about what is it to be young, "gifted" and completely clueless. A novel of sex, drink, drugs and the pursuit of idiosyncratic dreams.

Fantastic! Each story takes a further leap into the future, and each extrapolation is fascinating. The far-future where corporations and legal contracts have human rights to equal any living being ... more

Fantastic! Each story takes a further leap into the future, and each extrapolation is fascinating. The far-future where corporations and legal contracts have human rights to equal any living being chilled me on first reading, but seems to have taken another step closer to fact lately.

My review for the February 2010 Indie Next List: www.indiebound.org/book/9780061536090/Louise-Erdrich/Shadow-Tag

'Knowing her unstable husband has been reading her diary, a desperate woman... more

My review for the February 2010 Indie Next List: www.indiebound.org/book/9780061536090/Louise-Erdrich/Shadow-Tag

'Knowing her unstable husband has been reading her diary, a desperate woman uses it to manipulate him, creating a false tale, obscuring her true motives, and pushing him ever-closer to the edge. Shadow Tag is Erdrich's most compelling novel in years; a gripping portrait of an unstable marriage stumbling towards its inevitable, yet shocking dissolution.'
-- Rich Rennicks, Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe, Asheville, NC
www.malaprops.com

A fabulous, funny book about a collection of eccentrics living an idyll life on Corfu in the 1930s. Great armchair travel -- does much to put Corfu on my "must visit" list.

There was a fabulous... more

A fabulous, funny book about a collection of eccentrics living an idyll life on Corfu in the 1930s. Great armchair travel -- does much to put Corfu on my "must visit" list.

There was a fabulous film made of this a few years ago. Available through Masterpiece Theater in the US. Purists who read the book first will be afforded an opportunity to scoff and complain that the book was better; those of us who saw the film before reading the book will discover many hilarious stories & characters not included in the film.

Read Gerald's brother Larry's account of the same years in Prospero's Cell. Not as funny, but full of beautiful writing and equally capable of inspiring your own trip to Corfu.

My review of the books & film: wordhoarder.wordpress.com/2009/07/11/my-year-of-armchair-travel/

Much derided, but really a useful idea. Criticism tends to focus on long tail's unsuitability to produce bestsellers from the long tail misunderstands the concept. Long tail is using... more

Much derided, but really a useful idea. Criticism tends to focus on long tail's unsuitability to produce bestsellers from the long tail misunderstands the concept. Long tail is using cataloging/search to make it easier to find items in backlist and then sell more of these items without having to invest in marketing afresh. Book has no real methodology to exploit backlist, but provides examples and case studies of companies that have done so. Thought-provoking, but not a how-to.