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Steve W

Steve W

I'm an Instrumental Music teacher at a public school in Howard County, MD. I am married and have 2 sons. As you can no doubt tell from looking at my bookshelf, I'm either interested in a lot of different things, or not really interested in anything. I guess it just depends on your point of view! Honestly, I didn't really care much for... more »
  • Columbia, MD, USA
  • member since January 1 2008

Reviews

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Displaying 31-40 of 67 reviews
  • Grace Before Meals: Recipes for Family Life

    Grace Before Meals: Recipes for Family Life

    by Leo E. Patalinghug, Stella Snyder
    • Rated 5 stars

    “I went to high school with Father Leo. But that has no bearing on my review of this book. I agree with Fr. Leo that sitting down to enjoy a family meal and discussing important issues as a family are, in too many instances, artifacts of a bygone era. Looking around, it is painfully obvious that our entire society is paying the price for the breakdown of the family.

    Father Leo provides a solid base for "re-focusing" your family on what's really important... your family itself. I have taken much of Father Leo's advice and feel that my bonds with my parents, wife, and children have strengthened as a result.

    This book is rooted in the Catholic faith, but I feel it is a benefit to families of any or no religious belief. Although Fr. Leo uses spiritual topics and celebrations as a framework, his concepts and the family bonds that he advocates are not a religious unit. I would highly recommend this book to anyone with a family. My kids are young and I want to strengthen the bonds and keep them strong as they grow older. This book is definitely a great place to start.”

    Steve W wrote this review Wednesday, March 12 2008. ( reply | permalink )
  • Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon
    • Rated 2 stars

    “This book is about as ridiculous as you would think it is. My best friend killed at "Back to Bacon" when we were in college, so I got him this book as a joke. Of course, I lost it long before I gave it to him. But, then it resurfaced and I read it myself. (Although, I don't honestly know if you could count it reading any more than you could count David Letterman's book of Top Ten lists reading.)”

    Steve W wrote this review Wednesday, February 13 2008. ( reply | permalink )
  • Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai
    • Rated 3 stars

    “This is interesting if you are into Samurai and the Samurai code. It's not a story, so don't expect that... more like a book of rules and guidelines for the way of life. Very inspirational, though, if you're looking for a solid way to live your life... except for the frequent instances where you should commit sepuku. Aside from that, which was culturally sensible at the time but not socially cool today, it still provides a good path.”

    Steve W wrote this review Saturday, February 9 2008. ( reply | permalink )
  • Dynamic Sumo (Bushido--The Way of the Warrior)
    • Rated 3 stars

    “After watching a documentary on Sumo, I became interested in the ritual and ceremony. This book is a great overview of the ritual and history of Sumo as well as many other interesting aspects of the sport. I felt that this book was helpful in providing an overview, but it was originally published in 1994 and re-published in 2000, so, although it has a lot of information on specific rikishi (wrestlers), it is lacking information on current, or even recent Ozeki and Yokozuna. Basically, since the history and ceremony don't really change, the book's good for that (which, fortunately, is why I got it in the first place), but it's not the best if you're looking to stay "up to date" on the current major players.”

    Steve W wrote this review Friday, February 8 2008. ( reply | permalink )
  • UFOs, JFK, and Elvis: Conspiracies You Don't Have to Be Crazy to Believe
    • Rated 3 stars

    “Since conspiracy theories are interesting to me, my friend recommended this book. It was definitely an interesting read. After all, it's a conspiracy theory book written by a stand-up comic who plays a detective on TV. How could it by anything but interesting.

    I certainly think many of Belzer's ideas are a little far-fetched, but he does back them up! Personally, I don't care too much about the true facts of the Kennedy assassination or the existence of alien life, but I did find the book interesting enough to be thought-provoking and enjoyable enough to keep me reading.”

    Steve W wrote this review Wednesday, February 6 2008. ( reply | permalink )
  • 4th of July
    • Rated 3 stars

    “I don't know... I liked this book, just like I have all the "Women's Murder Club" books so far, but I didn't find myself enjoying it quite as much as 1, 2 or 3 (haven't read 5, 6, or 7 yet). I thought the Patterson-esque twist in this one was actually better than some of his others, but I felt the story as a whole was a bit slower than some of the others have been. Still recommend it, though!”

    Steve W wrote this review Tuesday, February 5 2008. ( reply | permalink )
  • Jack & Jill
    • Rated 3 stars

    “Before I read this book, the only James Patterson books I had read were "1st to Die", "2nd Chance", and "3rd Degree" (or as my son calls them, "The Big Number 1", "The Big Number 2", and "The Big Number 3"). I really enjoyed these "Women's Murder Club" mysteries so I was optimistic when I picked up "Jack & Jill" (admittedly because it was the least expensive book on the "Thriller" rack).

    I was a little disappointed by this book. It was enjoyable, but thought it was slower than the "Women's Murder Club" books. I enjoyed the twist at the end, but felt like I was more than halfway through the book before it really started to get interesting. It was definitely a quick and easy read, but I wouldn't rusk out to get another Alex Cross mystery.

    I had never read any of the Alex Cross series before and therefore wasn't sure of the correct order (or whether order mattered at all) when I picked this one up. Only after I started reading "J&J" did I learn that, even though each book stood well enough on its own, starting with the first Alex Cross mystery and going forward would probably make the books more enjoyable.”

    Steve W wrote this review Tuesday, January 29 2008. ( reply | permalink )
  • The World According to Mr. Rogers: Important Things to Remember
    • Rated 2 stars

    “I don't exactly remember why I bought this book, but I know I held out great hopes for it. Maybe it was because I watched "Mr Rogers' Neighborhood" as a kid... who knows. At any rate, I wasn't very impressed by the book. There were some witty anecdotes, but I didn't really enjoy it that much or take very much away from reading it.”

    Steve W wrote this review Friday, January 25 2008. ( reply | permalink )
  • Whoever Fights Monsters: My Twenty Years Tracking Serial Killers for the FBI (St. Martin's True Crime Library)
    • Rated 4 stars

    “Robert Ressler was one of the pioneers in the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit, which has gotten more press recently through "Silence of the Lambs", "Criminal Minds", etc. I thought the book was fairly interesting, although, since it is a little older, most of the information "revealed" in the book seemed to me to be fairly common knowledge. It's still an interesting read, though, if you're interested in the topic and you can get past Ressler's massive ego.”

    Steve W wrote this review Friday, February 22 2008. ( reply | permalink )
  • 3rd Degree
    • Rated 4 stars

    “I enjoyed this book, just as I enjoyed "1st to Die" and "2nd Chance" by James Patterson. This is the third in the "Womens' Murder Club" series and I found it just as captivating as the previous two. There was enough intrigue and suspense to hold my attention, but it was an easy enough read that I could finish it quickly and without engaging too many precious brain cells in the process.”

    Steve W wrote this review Friday, January 25 2008. ( reply | permalink )
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