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Books (62)

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- 2666 (136)
- A Novel
- By Roberto Bolano
- Finished on Aug 17, 2009
  
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2666

National Reading 2666 Month

From the New Yorker magazine website:
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/national-re…

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— Jan 26, 2009 | Add your feedback
- The Ghost Writer (46)
- By Philip Roth
- Finished on Aug 5, 2009
  
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The Ghost Writer

The first Zuckerman book. The young Zuckerman was visiting his idol - a recluse write, E. I. Lonoff, and the stories were streaming out from all his encountering, the writer, and wife, and ex-student/lover.
Roth has habitually mixed the reality and imagination together into the story. The reader co ... (continue)

The first Zuckerman book. The young Zuckerman was visiting his idol - a recluse write, E. I. Lonoff, and the stories were streaming out from all his encountering, the writer, and wife, and ex-student/lover.
Roth has habitually mixed the reality and imagination together into the story. The reader could foresee an inevitable crashed from his wildest dream to real life.

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— Feb 1, 2010 | Add your feedback
- Montana 1948 (16)
- A Novel
- By Larry Watson
- Finished on Jul 30, 2009
  
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Montana 1948

Still Shocking in Montana 2010

A poignant story about a family secrets become struggling between betrayal and justice. The place and time from the title has said it all for the vindication of the crimes. The violation in a different time and place could mean different justifications.

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— Feb 1, 2010 | Add your feedback
- The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (280)
- By Mary Ann Shaffer
- Finished on Jul 21, 2009
  
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The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Very delightful reading! The story was witty, sad, warm and sympathetic. Julia and Elisabeth, live and dead, are the two persons in one character that strings the whole story together.

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— Feb 1, 2010 | Add your feedback
- The Book Thief (1045)
- By Markus Zusak
- Finished on Jul 11, 2009
  
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The Book Thief

More Like "The Life Thief"

The dead has said it all. The war had impacted all people, and everyone was a victim, even the killers themselves. When sympathy became a fatal habit, the world started falling apart.

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— Jan 24, 2010 | Add your feedback

- Calling Mr. Lonely Hearts (1)
- By Laura Benedict
- Finished on Jun 28, 2009
  
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Calling Mr. Lonely Hearts

I cannot comprehend the story until I realize it is about super natural power. The characters are vivid and twisted in personality. It was hard to make sense of it.
The three girls made a sin to seduce a priest when they were 13, which came back to haunt them after 20 years or so. In a sense, this ... (continue)

I cannot comprehend the story until I realize it is about super natural power. The characters are vivid and twisted in personality. It was hard to make sense of it.
The three girls made a sin to seduce a priest when they were 13, which came back to haunt them after 20 years or so. In a sense, this is a religious based story that all the sins were paid off. But it seems giving more sympathy to the girls than to the set punishment. Even the priest himself felt helpless on his account. Strange!

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— Jan 24, 2010 | Add your feedback
- The Eight (91)
- By Katherine Neville
- Finished on Jun 16, 2009
  
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The Eight

Quite An "Eight Ball"

The author was having fun to include all the figures from the past to modern.
Though the story has its creative plots, it still leaves traces and felt the plots were forcefully glued together.

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— Jan 24, 2010 | Add your feedback
- A Briefer History of Time (71)
- By Stephen Hawking, Leonard Mlodinow
- Finished on Jun 12, 2009
  
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A Briefer History of Time

Briefer But Not Simpler

This book has revised from the previous one with more Quantum Theory development. The human brain has developed based on its curiosity and wanting to predict future with a simple set of rules.
It seems the theories are getting more complex since Einstein had his General Theory of Relativity, which ... (continue)

This book has revised from the previous one with more Quantum Theory development. The human brain has developed based on its curiosity and wanting to predict future with a simple set of rules.
It seems the theories are getting more complex since Einstein had his General Theory of Relativity, which he wanted to find a unified theory and insisted the rules that guide the regulation of the Universe should be simple.

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— Jan 24, 2010 | Add your feedback
- Einstein (73)
- His Life and Universe
- By Walter Isaacson
- Finished on May 29, 2009
  
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Einstein

Quantum Life of Einstein

I have picked up this book at the same time while I was reading "A briefer History of Time." These two books make a good companion.
No doubt it is difficult to write Einstein's Biography with his most famous "Special and General Relativity Theories." Though these theories are famous, there are sti ... (continue)

I have picked up this book at the same time while I was reading "A briefer History of Time." These two books make a good companion.
No doubt it is difficult to write Einstein's Biography with his most famous "Special and General Relativity Theories." Though these theories are famous, there are still few people can fully grasp the essence of them. Einstein has given us not just the theories that help us decipher the secret of the universe, it also enforces the philosophical meanings of fulfilling human's curiosity that differs our beings from others.
Issacson continued his comprehensive natural of his biographical works. A lot of information and materials are revealed in the book that support facts for Einstein's life. Like the one for Benjamin Franklin, I see a thick book with abundant information, but I cannot feel the soul of the person from the biographer tried to depict.

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— Jan 24, 2010 | Add your feedback
- The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsene Lupin, Gentleman-Burglar (1)
- By Maurice Leblanc
- Finished on May 12, 2009
  
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The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsene Lupin, Gentleman-Burglar

French Gentleman Burglar

If you don't mind reading online, here is a free copy from http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/6133.
This is a French series constantly mentioned to be compared to Sherlock Holmes. On the contrary to Holmes, Lupin is on the other side of laws, which is tinted with some mystery regarding the identi ... (continue)

If you don't mind reading online, here is a free copy from http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/6133.
This is a French series constantly mentioned to be compared to Sherlock Holmes. On the contrary to Holmes, Lupin is on the other side of laws, which is tinted with some mystery regarding the identity and character of Arsene Lupin.
Of course, Arsene Lupin is no regular burglar, but a Gentleman-burglar. He had his own principles (usually quite noble) of dealing with injustice matters. The ways he rectified those inequity were to issue a preannouncement that the target owner should surrender the object without any protest, or he would remove it at certain time and place. Eventually he became a hero from acting on those social injustices.
One exciting moment is when Arsene Lupin met Sherlock Holmes. Of course, trying not to infringe the sacredness of Sherlock Holmes, there was no winner per se of their encounter, if it counted as one.

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— May 25, 2009 | Add your feedback

- Genghis (13)
- Birth of an Empire
- By Conn Iggulden
- Finished on May 9, 2009
  
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Genghis

Pastoral Empire

12th Century Mongolia on sea of grass, Temujin (aka Genghis Khan) was the first person to bring Mongolian together and out of Mongolia. Through their great skill of battle, they quickly conquered the territory that no one had done before.
There are a lot of fighting and battle that are quite e ... (continue)

12th Century Mongolia on sea of grass, Temujin (aka Genghis Khan) was the first person to bring Mongolian together and out of Mongolia. Through their great skill of battle, they quickly conquered the territory that no one had done before.
There are a lot of fighting and battle that are quite entertaining, but I would like to see more on the sentimental side of the people to their heritage, ponies and belief.

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— May 26, 2009 | Add your feedback
- My Sister's Keeper (1187)
- A Novel
- By Jodi Picoult
- Finished on May 3, 2009
  
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My Sister's Keeper

Don't Do This At Home

Jodi Picoult used the first-person narrative style similar to Yukio Mishima's "The Temple of the Golden Pavilion." Each party has their own says, which collectively weave the story together. Every time, when the character is switched, a totally different landscape and perspective is shifted that cre ... (continue)

Jodi Picoult used the first-person narrative style similar to Yukio Mishima's "The Temple of the Golden Pavilion." Each party has their own says, which collectively weave the story together. Every time, when the character is switched, a totally different landscape and perspective is shifted that creates strange sympathetic
sensation and, sometimes, confusion.

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— May 8, 2009 | Add your feedback
- The Great Train Robbery (87)
- By Michael Crichton
- Finished on Apr 23, 2009
  
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The Great Train Robbery

English "Arsene Lupin"

Like a lot of Crichton's fan had said, this book might be the best (not the most famous) book he has ever written. Though I still think Crichton's talent is more on entertaining readers with sci-fi thrillers, you can almost feel his enthusiasm to the historical legends.
The story is kind of l ... (continue)

Like a lot of Crichton's fan had said, this book might be the best (not the most famous) book he has ever written. Though I still think Crichton's talent is more on entertaining readers with sci-fi thrillers, you can almost feel his enthusiasm to the historical legends.
The story is kind of lending itself to be a fascinating myth of “Great Train Robbery.” Crichton has used the leisure from a fiction, while he has added a lot of facts in the background, to cover up his speculations without getting reprimands of inaccuracy. Same technique is borrowed by other books, like State of Fear and other historical fictions.

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— May 3, 2009 | Add your feedback
- The Terminal Man (132)
- By Michael Crichton
- Finished on Apr 13, 2009
  
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The Terminal Man

Another Crichton's Anti-Science Fiction

Similar style of his recent sci-fi thriller, Prey. His sci-fi works were most of anti-science. Though he has done some research of the topic (computer), the story Crichton has provided somewhat extreme and in many ways that are against common senses. Through stirring the fear of the abuse of new sci ... (continue)

Similar style of his recent sci-fi thriller, Prey. His sci-fi works were most of anti-science. Though he has done some research of the topic (computer), the story Crichton has provided somewhat extreme and in many ways that are against common senses. Through stirring the fear of the abuse of new scientific advancement, there aren't much persuasive facts but the crazy people that misuse the technology. Though it was written in 1972, it is still entertaining in a way that makes people have second thought about mind-control computer chip implant.

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— May 3, 2009 | Add your feedback
- Benjamin Franklin (36)
- An American Life
- By Walter Isaacson
- Finished on Apr 3, 2009
  
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Benjamin Franklin

Not So Franklin

This is a (too) serious book about Benjamin Franklin. The author has used a very conservative perspective (though very comprehensive) to write about Franklin's life. There are so many speculations about Franklin's love affairs, which were discredited by the author with lacking of evidence.
I ... (continue)

This is a (too) serious book about Benjamin Franklin. The author has used a very conservative perspective (though very comprehensive) to write about Franklin's life. There are so many speculations about Franklin's love affairs, which were discredited by the author with lacking of evidence.
I thought it was quite a boring book comparing to the Franklin's exciting and interesting life.

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— May 3, 2009 | Add your feedback