jeannes

• Rated 4 stars

“I could not put this book down! A reviewer from Time magazine suggested that this memoir documents a life lived entirely for kicks, which both does and does not encompass the story Kiedis tells. He did live for kicks, but also paid some awfully high prices for those choices. The fact that he's alive to tell the tale is testimony both to his determination and the advantages rock stardom brings. The memoir chronicles his involvement with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, his heroin addiction (and recovery) and the people he knew along the way.”

jeannes wrote this review Monday, July 14 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“Brilliant analysis of the sixties, the American Dream, the drug counterculture. Thompson has a twisted mind, but maybe that's what it took to get inside the story.”

jeannes wrote this review Monday, July 21 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 3 stars

“This book should appeal to any high school student who feels like they don't quite fit in. My primary complaint is with her poor representation of educators. Undoubtedly there are teachers who repeatedly fail to intervene when students bully others, but this is NOT the norm. The average teacher struggles against incredible odds to create a productive learning environment and generally succeed in doing so. Picoult's portrayal of the "Sterling" school district wrongly suggests otherwise. The ending comes as a bit of surprise, probably too much of one; Picoult fails to establish the background necessary for the final twist. ”

jeannes wrote this review Sunday, July 20 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 2 stars

“If this book were half as long, it would have been just as good. It also would have benefitted from an alternate narrator--possibly one of the vampires who was not enamored with Bella. Regardless, Meyer has creates a captivating set of characters and the storyline that finally picks up pace about three-quarters of the way through the book. If her writing skills improve as she goes, perhaps there's hope for the next in the series. ”

jeannes wrote this review Sunday, July 20 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“I'm struggling to find adequate words to describe this work. It is that good. The scope of Erich's imagination apparently knows no bounds. Her characters are fresh and authentic, her writing nuanced and sure, the storyline captivating. Prepare to be dazzled.”

jeannes wrote this review Tuesday, June 3 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 3 stars

“Interesting premise, but Mukherjee fails to convince me it might actually happen. I did enjoy the America/India connection and my curiousity is sufficiently piqued that I will read Desireable Daughters at some point in the future.”

jeannes wrote this review Sunday, July 20 2008. ( reply | permalink )

0 of 1 members found this review helpful.

• Rated 1 stars

“Interesting idea that unfortunately went downhill from there. I was disappointed with the self-serving protagonist (I can't kiss you because I must remain pure but I can string you along by being a flirt) and the utterly unrealistic and utopian ending (spoiler alert): we won the debate, my friend is united with her mom, my plus-sized friend has a date, and the boy I have the hots for but won't kiss is friends with me again! Yay! (Yes, that is sarcasm.) Save yourself the time. Read a different book.”

jeannes wrote this review Tuesday, July 1 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“This book was so much fun to read! Though the authors claim it has no theme, but each scenario they examine is done so by applying economic theory to unlikely data. So, while what they discover has little to tie it together, their method remains consistent throughout. I think one of the most valuable aspects of this book is its reminder that there are multiple ways to examine anything and perhaps "convential wisdom" is anything but. Fascinating, thought-provoking read. I recommend it highly.”

jeannes wrote this review Friday, March 21 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“Vonnegut is so smart. This book succeeds at describing the impossible, not only the fire-bombing of Dresden, but the less than heroic human behavior in wartime and peacetime. All of us are Billy Pilgrim, coming unstuck in time, stumbling through the events of our life, trying to find meaning in it all. Slaughterhouse-Five is black humor at its finest and most scathing. ”

jeannes wrote this review Thursday, February 21 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“As denizens of the 21st century culture, it's probably impossible to appreciate the frankness with which Stephen Crane wrote this short novel. Living in a Brittany world makes it difficult to be shocked by anything anymore. However, the tale remains compelling. Crane tells the story of the inevitable fall of a young women left to her own defenses on the streets of Chicago at the turn of the 20th century. Maggie represents the sordid underbelly of the beast that was industrial expansion. She and those around her represent what was sacrificed, ignored and pushed aside in the rush toward economic growth.”

jeannes wrote this review Thursday, February 21 2008. ( reply | permalink )