In his own words
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The Great Gatsby
Review: Perfect. Like if Edith Wharton got high on coke. At once thoughtful, funny, provoking, sentimental. Just a great novel that deserves to be called a classic. Overall rating: How I discovered or acquired this book: — Noteworthy experiences while reading this book: Adding herring to taquitos is not as good as I thought Check…
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WWI British Poets
Review: Excellent anthology. Just can’t get enough of the war poets. Overall rating: How I discovered or acquired this book: — Noteworthy experiences while reading this book: — Check out author’s other books? Recommend this book? To whom? — Ratings (1-10, 10 being exceptional):
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Hope: Entertainer of the Century
Review: A great read. An excellent journalist researched and wrote an excellent biography. You see the skull beneath the skin. The brand that Bob Hope developed became the man himself. It was a wild ride in a century-long career. A fascinating glimpse into early vaudeville all the way through to the modern age of Hollywood…
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The Mammoth Book of New Jules Verne Adventures
Review: Superb selection of Jules Verne pastiches. Some very thoughtful, some very modern, all very well written. Will check out some of the authors’ other works. Especially Peter Crowther, that story and the name of that bar. Gotta see more of that. Overall rating: How I discovered or acquired this book: Finishing half-read books Noteworthy…
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Autobiography of William Butler Yeats
Review: A fascinating glimpse into Victorian literary life. Dinner with Oscar Wilde. Wow. Lots of Irish politics which are still contemporary. Lots of mystical and magical commentary which was and is fascinating. Yeats was a fascinating individual, and this was a great way to get to know the man behind the poems and plays. Overall…
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A Doll’s House
Review: So good! Short, fast, engaging, emotionally complex, thrilling. Real people in terrible situations. Begun, acted and ended in one room. Brilliance! Overall rating: How I discovered or acquired this book: RNG4LRP Noteworthy experiences while reading this book: Return of the pepperoni snackers Check out author’s other books? Y Recommend this book? To whom? —…
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Sons and Lovers
Review: An excellent example of transitional literature, from Victorian to more modern sensibilities. There was not one person in the whole novel that I liked or admired. They were all dysfunctional in one way or another. The pace was solid and dependable, but it did drag in parts, nothing too bad, just got a bit…
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WWI Definitive Visual History
Review: A complete, definitive, visual history of the Great War. The book is a triumph of visuals and text that tell in general and in detail the epic story from Sarajevo to Versailles. Overall rating: How I discovered or acquired this book: Noteworthy experiences while reading this book: Check out author’s other books? Recommend this…
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The Penguin History of the World
Review: A superb achievement. From prehistoric man to the rise of civilizations, right through wars and famine and religion and science, all the way up to the world reacting to climate change. Fascinating yet challenging, you have to pay attention closely, as three pages could take in a century or two dynastic changes. A hard,…
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Klondike
Review: An outstanding record of an unusual and fascinating period of Canadian history. It races along, just like the stampede itself. You start in the silence of the forest, and go right through until it’s silent again after one of the most peculiar mass migrations in modern history. It has made me want to learn…