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hairstyles of the damned
joe meno
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| I just want to say I LOVE LOVE LOVE this book and I think you would too. It follows the brutal High School years of one awkward adolescent boy who falls in love with his best friend. The boy – Brian Oswald – is a thin, geeky, Catholic school boy who loves Guns n Roses. The girl – Gretchen – is an overweight, pink haired, punk, Catholic school girl that loves to pick fights. The setting is a suburb just south of Chicago in 1990. It follows Brian through his last years in High School and his never-ending quest for some “trim”. This book even gives the 8 rules to making out and step by step instructions on how to properly dye your hair pink. Oh and by the end you will be thinking about making the perfect mixed tape for your special someone. Read this book now! |
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reviewed by: kelly |
November 2004 [link] |
recommend 1 thumbs up
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hamlet
william shakespeare
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| If you haven't read this, do so (well in my opinion). In my youth, I was so entranced and moved to tears when I first "got" the to be or not to be passage. I can still memorize 80% of it I think...to be or not to be that is the question, whether 'tis nobler in the mind to live a shitty, meaningless, darkened life, or shake of this mortal coil. Would it be better to toss the dice and put a knife in your heart and maybe the next life would be a dream or are we supposed to be living in obscurity of our meaning on earth? (paraphrased har har har). Monetarily speaking, I often quote the "neither a borrower or lender be for loan oft loses both self and friend and borrowing dulleth the edge of husbandry". Just a pretty freakin great body of words. Every time I've SEEN this play or movie, I've never thought it lived up to the way I read it. |
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reviewed by: kristen |
July 2000 [link] |
recommend 2 thumbs up
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happy all the time
laurie colwin
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| Since becoming hooked on Colwin's food writing, I decided to take a look at her fiction and I wasn't disappointed. "Happy All the Time" takes a look at Vincent and Guido, third cousins and best friends that grow up together and once they're established with careers in the city, they start looking for serious love. Colwin really gets down to the nitty-gritty of relationships - all our fears and jealousies and gives Vincent and Guido complex and wonderful women to marry. There's so much wonderful humor (like the guy who speaks "British Nautical World War Two slang") and the time that it is set in is wonderful too (people smoke in their offices!). I'm going to be brave and say that I found the characters and their eccentric little nuances a bit Salingerish (which is a good thing) which made the whole novel just brilliant and cozy. |
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reviewed by: lisa may |
August 2006 [link] |
recommend 1 thumbs up
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harry potter and the deathly hallows
j.k rowling
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| Honestly, even if I wanted to give away what happens in the book, I hardly could. There are so many twists and turns and double-flips in this final installement of Harry Potter that even as I just finished the hefty book I'm still not sure of what the hell totally happened. It's complete genius, of course; Rowling really honed her writing with this one - the descriptions are even more magical then ever and the storyline is just brilliant. I haven't yet read if she had this ending in mind since beginning the series but there is some stuff that happens that is so surprising and incredible - I never really get surprised by books anymore - that I truly feel sad that the series is over. It was worth the wait, worth reading all six and worth pondering whether Rowling can top the beloved 'arry Potter. |
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reviewed by: lisa may |
July 2007 [link] |
recommend 3 thumbs up
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harry potter and the order of the phoenix
j.k. rowling
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| good christ. 870 pages. i could hardly hold this book up to read it! at this point, i've read the other four so now i HAVE to find out what the hell happens to this kid. yes, someone dies in this book (i wasn't all that surprised about who bites it) and harry is approaching adolescence - he's a bit moody and tells plenty of people off. while most of the action takes place in the last 200 pages of the book, i really saw this entire novel as a set-up for the final two books. but i have to say that if this is the type of literature that has kids clamoring for an 870 page book well, then, bravo! |
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reviewed by: lisa may |
June 2003 [link] |
recommend 3 thumbs up
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having our say: the delany sisters' first 100 years
amy hill hearth
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| This oldie but goodie, was first published in 1993 when the Delany sisters were 103 (Sadie) and 101 (Bessie). Told from their point of view in alternating chapters, the Delanys recount their upbringing on the campus of St. Augustine's school on Raleigh, NC and their subsequent life experiences as educated and well-off African-Americans. Having never married, they had pretty much spent their entire lives together. The secret to their longevity seems to be equal parts spitfire, sweetness, common sense and one mashed garlic clove every day. When Bessie passed away at age 104, Sadie went on to write "On My Own at 107: Reflections of Life Without Bessie". Sadie passed away in 1999 at the age of 109. They just don't make them like that anymore. |
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reviewed by: lisa may |
June 2009 [link] |
recommend
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heart of darkness
joseph conrad
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| This book was assigned to me way back in high school. I still remember it (good sign as I'm late twenties now). I should re-read it soon. I just remember as a relative child recognizing that this book was way above my head, but that I bet it contained a meaning of life. |
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reviewed by: kristen |
September 2000 [link] |
recommend
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heartburn
nora ephron
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| This ia semi-autobiography of a cooking book writer that discovers her husband is having an affair when she is 7 months pregnant with their second child. Apparently, this also happened to Ephron. This was originally published in 1974 and was a big hit with the New York and Washington crowds. Ephron went on to write the screenplay for When Harry Met Sally and she obvioulsy drew heavily from Heartburn - specific lines, scenes and characters are practically word for word. Recipes are intermingled with the text and offer a brief respite from the women-who-love-jerks theme. |
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reviewed by: lisa may |
February 2004 [link] |
recommend 3 thumbs up
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hell hath no fury: women's letters from the end of the affair
anna holmes
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| a delectable book chock full of letters from women scorned. the volume is divided into chapters detailing different kind of break-up letters, i.e. the "just friends" letter or the "other woman/other man" letters. and then there's the letters that just rip men new a-holes. quite amusing. the book is better digested by skipping around mingling some of the oldies (anne boleyn, pre-beheading) with the more comtemporary e-mail disses (the author shares one of her classic dumpee letters). a couple of the letters are downright embarrassing - one woman claims her lover will never find anyone that "makes mac and cheese or chocolate milk" like her - i wonder if those were code words for anything? hmmm. |
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reviewed by: lisa may |
May 2003 [link] |
recommend
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here if you need me
kate braestrup
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| Here if You Need Me is such a kind book - spiritual, without being religious and just nice (and a bit sad; I cried twice by page 42). Kate Braestrup is widowed at the age of 40 when her Maine state trooper husband is killed by a drunk-driver while on duty. Her husband always had dreams of becoming a chaplain and so, Braestrup takes over that dream and goes to seminary school to become a chaplain. She then gets a job with the Maine Warden Service. She counsels wardens who find dead bodies, she counsels parents looking for lost children and she tries to make sense of her husband's death and her life (and the life of her four children) without him. It's really a lovely story, funny at times and bittersweet, since some of her of her stories do not have happy endings. |
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reviewed by: lisa may |
July 2008 [link] |
recommend
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high fidelity
nick hornsby
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| I remembered that I read this book when I saw the previews for the movie. This is a fine book. It's set in London which is a plus for me as I love to travel to exotic locales in me head. The thing I remember most about this book is that it had a lot of zingers/observations on female/male relationships. There's one that I remembered for the longest time, but I've forgotten it. This was also the first book I read with good music references. Groaningly, I would call this book one reminiscent of a story about a hip, normal-bodied, English Woody Allen. |
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reviewed by: kristen |
September 2000 [link] |
recommend 1 thumbs up
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him her him again the end of him
patricia marx
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| The witty Marx brings us a funny little tale of love unrequited as the female Holden Caulfied-ish main character spends an eternity in love with the formidable Eugene. The narrator tries to make us like Eugene but his whoring around (even while married to Margaret, not the unnamed main character/narrator) makes him despicable and even "the end of him" brings us no closer to love. The narrator often addresses the reader directly and at one point, professes that while she doesn't like to give out descriptions, she will make an exception if you email her. An appendix at the end of the book, including postcards from some of the characters, is funny yet random. This is book not everyone will love - the humor is dry and smart; if you're familiar with Marx's writings in The New Yorker, you will "get" this book. |
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reviewed by: lisa may |
May 2007 [link] |
recommend 1 thumbs up
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hobbit, the
j.r.r. tolkein
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| This naturally was a book that I was told an infinite number of times to read (weren't we all). Finally in sixth grade, I read it. While the world created is still memorable to me to a startling degree, I didn't like the tone/quest of it. I had been used to reading Anne McCaffrey, Robin McKinley, Lloyd Alexander, Isaac Asimov (if I wanted to go a little hard), and this was just such a physically dirty book -slimy, underearth dwellers… The book was paced so smugly. The plot didn't hold me. I frankly found the book ponderous and annoying. Now, in my late twenties (ouch), I have been told to re-read it and I will catch it on so many different levels. Maybe later. It would be a perfect book for autumn if you were feeling the need to escape from the world and how much it sucks. |
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reviewed by: kristen |
September 2000 [link] |
recommend 1 thumbs up
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home cooking: a writer in the kitchen
laurie colwin
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| Colwin was hip to the food writing scene way before anyone else was. She wrote essays for Gourmet for a long time and in addition to a few novels, she published two books about food and cooking. There are just no words to describe how lovely her writing is. Whether she's talking about how much she hates grilling out (her take on it is that if it's nice enough to eat outside, it's nice enough for bugs) or writing about awful meals she's had (like a casserole served to her by a "genuis" which was comprised of crunchy half-done rice, pineapple rings and breakfast sausage. she was happy there was only enough for one helping) her writing voice is soft and sweet and her food musings are comforting and delicious. She says she is not a fancy cook nor an ambitious one, just a plain old cook but i find that her recipes look divine and her writing is so simple but strong. The saddest part is that she died at the young age of 48 from heart failure in 1992 so it's hard to believe she's not contributing her candid thoughts to the food world anymore. I am looking forward to devouring her other food book as well as exploring her fiction writing. |
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reviewed by: lisa may |
June 2006 [link] |
recommend 1 thumbs up
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honeymoon with my brother : a memoir
franz wisner
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| Wisner gets ditched by his fiancee just a few days before his wedding so he does the cool thing and still has a blow-out party complete with ceremony and great reception afterward. A few weeks later, he gets a demotion at work and really decides to party by taking his brother on honeymoon to Costa Rica. They have such a good time that they decide to chuck it all when they get back and travel the world for a year. Descriptive and entertaining, this is a great travel read. Also, Wisner turned me on to the program offered by Saab Motors where one can order a new Saab, pick it up at their plant in Sweden and Saab will give you travel money, allowing you to drive it around Europe. When you're done, Saab ships the car back to the States for free. (Well, a Saab IS like $30k so it's not really "free".) Cool! |
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reviewed by: lisa may |
June 2005 [link] |
recommend 1 thumbs up
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house of cards
some guy
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Soooooo, my husband bought me another "joke" book for my birthday. As with the others (Dr. Who, Vulcan's Pride, and Spock), I read it. It was like reading a par tv-show. Oh by the way, this book is about my new love, Farscape. There were no new character revelations, deeper insights, nope just another "episode" of the kids' adventures. It was the worst of the joke books (the Dr. Who one was the best). I'm not even glad I've read it except for the fact that now my curiousity is satisfied. The book was full of "see, I, your author, KNOW every nuance of the show" moments, but nothing new. nothing deep.
Great! Now I've done a book review (my first in ages, and I should really be working on my schoolwork - tis true). |
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reviewed by: kristen |
November 2001 [link] |
recommend
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house of sand and fog
andre dubus iii
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I've been afraid of this book for so long - it's an Oprah Book Club selection and it was made into a movie with Jennifer Connelly - see why I'd be scared of it? But I finally read it and could not put it down until I read every word on the last page. I found the book to be very well-written and to have characters with amazing depth. The narration goes back and forth between three characters which is usually annoying to me but here it works and is done effortlessly.
In the beginning we meet Behrani, a former General in the Iranian army who fled Iran under death threats and took his family to CA. They've been living on their savings in a very opulant in order to marry off their daughter. In reality, they're running out of money and while Behrani wears a suit to "work" every morning, he's really working for the Highway Department during the day and a mini-mart at night. He takes a chance on a property that is being auctioned off and hopes to make three times what he paid. Enter Kathy Nicolo who inherited the house from her father and has no idea she owed any taxes on it (turns out to be an accounting error). Her husband has just left her and she's a recovering coke head and alcoholic. She starts a romantic relationship with a married police officer who tries to help her get her house back and there's just one tragedy after another as they attempt this. It's not a happy book. At its core it's about greed and money and regret. and the clash of Middle Eastern and American culture. The shocking turn of events will keep you up past your bedtime eager to finish this book. |
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reviewed by: lisa may |
August 2006 [link] |
recommend 2 thumbs up
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how to be a domestic goddess
nigella lawson
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Now, I don't know nothing about being no domestic goddess (said in my best fake Brooklyn accent) but I will tell you that this book is food porn. Just the photographs alone made me want to lick each and every page.
Nigella cooks up lots of yummy recipes like baby bundts flavored with lemon and yogurt, chocolate pound cakes and savory pies like the supper onion pie that calls for a bazillion onions. Yum! Also included is a recipe for a cake that takes an entire jar of Nutella. Now, I pretty much would call anyone a goddess that served THAT to me.
I've gotten this out of the library so much that it's time I just got my own copy (or at least put it on my amazon list for future book binges). |
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reviewed by: lisa may |
July 2004 [link] |
recommend
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how to cook a tart
nina killham
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| i love any book about cooking and this fiction-murder mystery book is yummy. the main character is a delictable cookbook writer and chef. she ain't afraid of using 12 pounds of butter in one cake - you gotta love a lady like that. lots of sensual food descriptions, an anorexic daughter, a cheating husband and one dead tart - an enjoyable and wacky read. |
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reviewed by: lisa may |
January 2003 [link] |
recommend
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how to stop time: heroin from a to z
ann marlowe
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| A few summers ago I read a triad of books about drugs and drug addiction. This one has remained my favorite so far. Told as a series of interrelated dictionary entries / short stories, we see the very normal world of a functional heroin addict emerge. The protatagonist makes no apologies for her drug use, and her descriptions of what that high felt like have often made me wish I had the guts to try it. |
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reviewed by: liz |
November 2002 [link] |
recommend 1 thumbs up
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