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rkaufman13's reviews
501 reviews
The Turnaround by George Pelecanos
1.0
"If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."
All I'll say is I almost didn't finish this book.
Maybe when I'm less steamed about wanting those hours of my life back, I'll edit this review. Until then, all I'll say is that Pelecanos makes me appreciate GOOD books all the more.
All I'll say is I almost didn't finish this book.
Maybe when I'm less steamed about wanting those hours of my life back, I'll edit this review. Until then, all I'll say is that Pelecanos makes me appreciate GOOD books all the more.
The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Sterne
5.0
I don't give many books five stars. But oh my god, if ever a book deserved 5 (or more), this would be it.
I could not stop laughing while reading this. Even though most of my reading is done in the early morning hours while I commute to work via train, and I'm usually too sleepy to really appreciate a good book, I could NOT stop laughing.
This is not an easy book, and I found myself wishing for my English teacher so he could explain some of the jokes (I totally missed the first joke about the clock the first time around), but I was also impressed with myself for understanding as much as I did.
Plus, the book isn't *all* silly. Sterne mangles words in a brilliant way to sort of conflate the sign with the meaning--heady stuff. The only stuff I didn't completely love were the overly sentimental scenes, but my edition notes in the introduction that the Victorians felt Sterne ruined his sentimentality by throwing in humor. How quickly culture changes.
Mostly, though, I loved the book for its humor. I think I scared my boyfriend last night while cracking up in the last few pages at the amours of Toby and Widow Wadman.
Seriously, you can't read this book and not laugh, no matter how straight-laced you are.
I could not stop laughing while reading this. Even though most of my reading is done in the early morning hours while I commute to work via train, and I'm usually too sleepy to really appreciate a good book, I could NOT stop laughing.
This is not an easy book, and I found myself wishing for my English teacher so he could explain some of the jokes (I totally missed the first joke about the clock the first time around), but I was also impressed with myself for understanding as much as I did.
Plus, the book isn't *all* silly. Sterne mangles words in a brilliant way to sort of conflate the sign with the meaning--heady stuff. The only stuff I didn't completely love were the overly sentimental scenes, but my edition notes in the introduction that the Victorians felt Sterne ruined his sentimentality by throwing in humor. How quickly culture changes.
Mostly, though, I loved the book for its humor. I think I scared my boyfriend last night while cracking up in the last few pages at the amours of Toby and Widow Wadman.
Seriously, you can't read this book and not laugh, no matter how straight-laced you are.
Get a Life That Doesn't Suck: 10 Surefire Ways to Live Life and Love the Ride by Michelle DeAngelis
4.0
This is very much just another self-help book, but Michelle DeAngelis's methods clicked with me more than any other "here's how to be happy" book I've read. (Not many, but I've skimmed tons. Keep thinking the answer is somewhere out there..)
I can't say "highly recommended" because what works for one person may not work for others, but I feel happier already. This is not sarcasm. I even have found myself repeating some dorky positive affirmations, out loud, because this book told me to.
Isn't that sick?
I can't say "highly recommended" because what works for one person may not work for others, but I feel happier already. This is not sarcasm. I even have found myself repeating some dorky positive affirmations, out loud, because this book told me to.
Isn't that sick?
Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
Did not finish book.
Did not finish book.
Perhaps I'm missing something, or maybe this book is much better in Spanish. The chapters were very episodic (a byproduct of the book's original serial form, I guess), and the language clunky.
The appearance of magical realism in the book, as others on Goodreads have mentioned, is done with complete disregard for subtlety or originality. Come on, what's more interesting, aphrodisiac food or the swarm of yellow butterflies that follows Mauricio everywhere?
My inner feminist cringed at some of the descriptions of women and sex. Must be a cultural thing because this stuff probably wouldn't fly in America even in 1989.
I guess people who enjoy this book like it because it's a one-handed read, but aren't there other books--Harlequin Spice, perhaps?--more suited to this purpose?
Not my cup of tea, I guess.
The appearance of magical realism in the book, as others on Goodreads have mentioned, is done with complete disregard for subtlety or originality. Come on, what's more interesting, aphrodisiac food or the swarm of yellow butterflies that follows Mauricio everywhere?
My inner feminist cringed at some of the descriptions of women and sex. Must be a cultural thing because this stuff probably wouldn't fly in America even in 1989.
I guess people who enjoy this book like it because it's a one-handed read, but aren't there other books--Harlequin Spice, perhaps?--more suited to this purpose?
Not my cup of tea, I guess.
Them by Nathan McCall
3.0
Started off strong but kind of crashed midway through.
This book, written by a former Washington Post reporter, covers the very sticky subject of gentrification in a poor Atlanta neighborhood. McCall gets into the heads of characters on both sides--both the poor blacks and the slightly-less-poor whites buying up the cheap property.
The problem, I thought, was while Barlowe seemed like a decently well-rounded character, the white characters were all so stupid. Sandy and Sean didn't seem like real people--nobody's that dumb! Early on in the book (not a spoiler), one of them says to the other something to the effect of "Don't worry, I'm sure our new neighbors will be over to share a glass of Chardonnay any minute." Puh-LEEZE. Nobody, I mean nobody, is that dumb. The references to the whites listening to jazz were clever at first, then became annoyingly transparent.
As an interesting look at how unintentionally racist we all are, a fascinating read. McCall is very good at subtly pointing out all the little mannerisms and ways of thinking that bely our xenophobia. But as a story, the book was less successful.
This book, written by a former Washington Post reporter, covers the very sticky subject of gentrification in a poor Atlanta neighborhood. McCall gets into the heads of characters on both sides--both the poor blacks and the slightly-less-poor whites buying up the cheap property.
The problem, I thought, was while Barlowe seemed like a decently well-rounded character, the white characters were all so stupid. Sandy and Sean didn't seem like real people--nobody's that dumb! Early on in the book (not a spoiler), one of them says to the other something to the effect of "Don't worry, I'm sure our new neighbors will be over to share a glass of Chardonnay any minute." Puh-LEEZE. Nobody, I mean nobody, is that dumb. The references to the whites listening to jazz were clever at first, then became annoyingly transparent.
As an interesting look at how unintentionally racist we all are, a fascinating read. McCall is very good at subtly pointing out all the little mannerisms and ways of thinking that bely our xenophobia. But as a story, the book was less successful.
Zulu: The Heroism and Tragedy of the Zulu War of 1879 by Saul David
Did not finish book.
Did not finish book.
I really wanted to like this, but I guess I just can't stomach history written in this old-fashioned way. Give me narrative or give me death!
Subwayland: Adventures in the World Beneath New York by Randy Kennedy
5.0
You'd think there wouldn't be enough to write about the subway to fill a book, but you'd be wrong.
Randy Kennedy, as writer of the "Tunnel Vision" column in the NYT, here collects his finest columns into an anthology. And yet leaves room for more.
Here are stories of underground musicians, magicians, missionaries, and plain old panhandlers. Here are the stories of transit police, token booth workers, sanitation workers, track engineers, and the guys who keep the subway system from flooding with the 13 million gallons of water that enter the tunnels every day. Randy shows us the best way to sleep on the train, read on the train, get a date on the train, and stand on the train (hint: not in front of the doors). And we learn about the animals of the system--cats, rats, pigeons, and the occasional blind donkey.
This guy is good at making even the most mundane subjects interesting. He's got an ear for dialogue and a subtle wit. Though this is a collection of newspaper columns and therefore gets a tad repetitive in parts, it's not distracting.
Highly recommended.
Randy Kennedy, as writer of the "Tunnel Vision" column in the NYT, here collects his finest columns into an anthology. And yet leaves room for more.
Here are stories of underground musicians, magicians, missionaries, and plain old panhandlers. Here are the stories of transit police, token booth workers, sanitation workers, track engineers, and the guys who keep the subway system from flooding with the 13 million gallons of water that enter the tunnels every day. Randy shows us the best way to sleep on the train, read on the train, get a date on the train, and stand on the train (hint: not in front of the doors). And we learn about the animals of the system--cats, rats, pigeons, and the occasional blind donkey.
This guy is good at making even the most mundane subjects interesting. He's got an ear for dialogue and a subtle wit. Though this is a collection of newspaper columns and therefore gets a tad repetitive in parts, it's not distracting.
Highly recommended.
1984 by George Orwell
3.0
I'm glad this was a thin book, to be honest. I grabbed it because I was going on a long Metro ride and didn't want to bring my huge backpack, so a book that fit in my purse was crucial. Yet while reading this on the train I didn't feel intelligent. I felt like I was in a remedial high school literature course.
Yes, so sue me--never read 1984 in high school. We had the option of taking a class that covered 1894 or the Iliad. I don't know what I was thinking, because a 20-something reading the Iliad on the train looks like a clever scholar.
I'm glad I can now say I read this, but many successors to 1984 did the same stuff but better. I kept wishing I was holding [book:The Handmaid's Tale] instead. Heck, it wasn't a book, but Brazil, I thought, was a much better treatment of dystopia.
I also have to admit that I skimmed over most of "the book" in the middle. Come on, Orwell, you don't have to spell out what you've been talking about.
And really. Rats? Rats? Are you kidding?
Yes, so sue me--never read 1984 in high school. We had the option of taking a class that covered 1894 or the Iliad. I don't know what I was thinking, because a 20-something reading the Iliad on the train looks like a clever scholar.
I'm glad I can now say I read this, but many successors to 1984 did the same stuff but better. I kept wishing I was holding [book:The Handmaid's Tale] instead. Heck, it wasn't a book, but Brazil, I thought, was a much better treatment of dystopia.
I also have to admit that I skimmed over most of "the book" in the middle. Come on, Orwell, you don't have to spell out what you've been talking about.
And really. Rats? Rats? Are you kidding?