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Michael S

Michael S

I live and work in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. I'm by no means a book worm though I do like to read when I go to bed and when I sit outside in the summer. If a book grabs me I can finish it in two days (like the last Harry Potter book) but sometimes I only read at a snail's pace and it can take a year to finish something (see the Ken... more »
  • DC, Wa, USA
  • member since January 1 2008

Reviews

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  • Cell
    • Rated 3 stars

    This was my first Stephen King book (other than Faithful which he co-wrote) and I thought it was definitely creepy. Some of the dialog really was unbelievable (especially the notes left by his son!) but I was definitely freaked out at parts. Will have to read more of his earlier work.

    Michael S wrote this review Thursday, June 12 2008. ( reply | permalink )
  • The Areas of My Expertise
    • Rated 0 stars

    I really loved this book. If you look up non sequitur in the dictionary you should see a picture of John Hodgman. There is so much information crammed into this book that it might take months to read it all. Or maybe a few days if you can handle that much random stuff at once. About 100 hobo names is a favorite. Do you know what a hobo nickel is? I didn't before I read this book.

    Michael S wrote this review Tuesday, March 11 2008. ( reply | permalink )
  • The System of the World
    • Rated 5 stars

    This is the third in a three book collection that is set in the late 1600s-early 1700s. Some of the historically famous characters are Sir Issac Newton, Gottfried Leibniz and others (King Louie the XIV, King Charles the I [more of a cameo really] his son Charles the II and others) The best characters are the fictional ones, Daniel Waterhouse, Jack Shiftoe and Eliza (last name not known). They really make the 3 thousand odd pages fly by. Well, it took me about 3 years or so but I took breaks between books. Check out Quicksilver, the first in the bunch and make sure you give it a solid 400 pages before you quit. You won't be sorry. If you make it though this trilogy you will want to read Cryptonomicon and Snow Crash. Cryptonomicon is loosely connected to The Baroque Cycle. Stephenson was born in Maryland!

    Michael S wrote this review Thursday, February 7 2008. ( reply | permalink )
    • Rated 3 stars

    It might only take an hour or two to read but the 80s Destroyer series books are a hoot to read. By #41 "The Firing Line" is repetitive, predictable and as violent as hell. And I think those are all positives! To give you an idea of the violence, I went to find a couple of the books I didn't have at the library in Maryland. They had a couple of them in the system but they were all at the prison library. Nice. But I think that is part of it's charm. If you like mindless violence with a sense of humor you will like Warren Murphy's The Destroyer. The relationship between Remo and Chiun is, as always, the best part of any Destroyer story. Funny and sometimes touching, it's the glue that keeps these books from being just another pulp fiction story. Only three stars because I liked the fist 20 books a lot more but still worthwhile if you can find one at a used book shop or if you happen to be serving time in Maryland.

    Michael S wrote this review Monday, January 7 2008. ( reply | permalink )
  • The Immortals
    • Rated 3 stars

    I thought that this book was going to be different than it was. I did like the idea that there are people who have a blood that is a cure-all and are hunted down for it by rich powerful men. Nice. I'm there. But then the book seems to take a weird turn and rages against the health care system and ends with a villain who reminds me of Jaba the Hut or perhaps that gross fat bastard in Dune. Either way, the book was OK but nothing to write home about.

    Michael S wrote this review Friday, January 4 2008. ( reply | permalink )

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