In His Own Words

Tag: 5 stars

  • The Decameron

    The Decameron

    Review: Called a masterpiece, and deservedly so. 10 young people, 7 women and 3 men, set out for their country villas to escape the plague in Florence. They elect one of their number as King for the day and he or she sets the rules of the day and the subject of the tales they… Read more

  • The Giver

    The Giver

    Review: A Newberry Prize winner and for good reason. Heartbreaking, heartwarming, dystopian, utopian. A book written for children that will challenge every adult that reads it. I won’t even summarize it here (sorry Brant 🙂 ), it just needs to be experienced. Will definitely check out the author’s other books. I award it the rare… Read more

  • The Name of the Wind

    The Name of the Wind

    Review: Superb! Finally an epic fantasy series that is not a hack reworking of LOTR! Magic is not magical, more like science and a bit of alchemy with a little bit of supernatural thrown in to make things glow a little. Thought it was going to devolve into Harry Potter for a bit, but it… Read more

  • One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch

    One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch

    Review: Read this in one day, just like the book is a journal of one day in the life of a Russian imprisoned under the Soviet regime in 1951. A brilliant, terrifying document, but captivating and gripping. I could relate to so many aspects of the prison experience, conditions for my incarceration were improved by… Read more

  • The Beautiful and Damned

    The Beautiful and Damned

    Review: A rare gem of a book. All the glory and drama and sadness of the end of the Gilded Age. Exploring the ephemeral nature of the present moment, of each generation discovering its youth and beauty, and then slowly seeing it pass away. The slow descent into alcoholism was like looking back on my… Read more

  • Song of Solomon

    Song of Solomon

    Review: Outstanding. A work that is so good it kept me reading for hours. Could not bear to put it down. 5 stars If I had to have a quibble, it would only be that Guitar Bains turns into a ninja near the end, but that helps to move the plot forward, if a little… Read more

  • The Great Gatsby

    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… Read more

  • WWI British Poets

    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): Read more

  • Hope: Entertainer of the Century

    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… Read more

  • A Doll’s House

    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? —… Read more