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.The Lucky One
City Travel Guides > Books > Authors- A-Z
by: Nicholas Sparks

September 30, 2008
After seeing this book was #2 on the NYT bestseller's list, I read the jacket and dove in. The book starts extremely well with a modern and interesting narrative. The flashback scenes are well done and at no time lose the reader.

About 2/3's of the way into the book, the characters become well defined and start to gain a mild complexity. Unfortunately that is where the development stops. In an attempt to create a dramatic ending the book takes on a sit com like aspect. The characters become one dimensional, the story line predictable and you feel the author racing to create a tidy ending.

If the author had further developed the auxiliary characters and ending, it could of been on par with similar books in this genre ... Read More:
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.The Graveyard Book
City Travel Guides > Books > Authors- A-Z
by: Neil Gaiman

September 30, 2008
Imagine Rudyard Kipling's "Jungle Book"... but replace the animals with ghosts, ghouls, werewolves and other such supernatural creatures.

Such is the concept of "The Graveyard Book," which cleverly turns Kipling's classic story into an exquisitely-written, darkly witty fantasy. While it starts as the assorted supernatural adventures of a young boy raised by ghosts, the story slowly evolves into a beautifully ghastly confrontation between Nobody Owens and the people who want to do him harm.

"There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife." A man named Jack kills an innocent family at night -- except for a baby boy, who toddles out to the graveyard.

With the approval of the Lady on the Grey, the Owens ... Read More:
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.Infinite Jest
City Travel Guides > Books > Authors- A-Z
by: David Foster Wallace

November 13, 2006
Sadly, IJ will forever now remain as DFW's crowning piece of work. We'll always have to wonder how many more IJs and beyond he had in him.

That said, this book is incomprehensibly fantastic. I'm not sure many, if any, could understand the full breadth of it. But, there is something here for every reader. Stephen Hawking, as well as your fourteen year old sister could read it and recognize part of their existence in it. That's part of its majesty.

The real majesty is nothing more than Wallace, himself. His mind was a tormented, brilliant, colossal thing...and much of it is laid out for us here. A must read for everyone. Even if you don't finish the footnotes.
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.Nothing to Be Frightened Of
City Travel Guides > Books > Authors- A-Z
by: Julian Barnes

September 02, 2008
The nothing of which Mr. Barnes is frightened is death, I found out after selecting the book based on the title and the author's photograph on the cover--a tightly framed head shot of a middle-aged man looking directly into the camera with his head slightly turned to the side, with a a faint smile that might signify cool cynicism, a private joke, or a knowing wisdom. I had never read anything by the author before, but found this essay on death deep, readable, and witty, even when I disagreed with him.

Barnes, it turns out, is a British writer (so his wit is by turns subtle, ironic, and scathing) who is an agnostic obsessed with death--as a philosophical subject, of his parents, of famous writers, and more personally, his own. He is often awakened ... Read More:
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.Nights in Rodanthe
City Travel Guides > Books > Authors- A-Z
by: Nicholas Sparks

July 01, 2003
First off let me start by saying I love Sparks and own all of his books. I just read this one, and it was awful. I knew what was going to happen after the 5th page. The book was too short, and there were not enough pages devoted to the weekend at the Inn. BORING!

Of all books of Sparks to make into a movie, I can't believe they chose this one. There are others that are much better, such as A Bend in the Road or At First Sight.
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.The Road (Oprah's Book Club)
City Travel Guides > Books > Authors- A-Z
by: Cormac McCarthy

March 28, 2007
If you're prone to hopelessness, this may not be the book for you. If you're the sort of person who goes to the worst case scenario, deals with that, and figures that any step up from that is an improvement, you might like this book. I did.

Some people keep fighting no matter what. They can't bring themselves to give up, no matter the size of the obstacle they face. For some people, they would rather go down fighting than give up. I didn't realize I was one of those people until I read this book. It's not a pleasant read, but it's one you will never forget or regret. Go for it.
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.Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life (P.S.)
City Travel Guides > Books > Authors- A-Z
by: Barbara Kingsolver, Camille Kingsolver, Steven L. Hopp

April 29, 2008
Interesting book. It inspired me to spend more time working on my own (small) garden. I learned new things about lactose intolerance and cheese making, and I'll probably try my hand at making cheese sometime soon. I also learned a bit about slaughtering fowl, which I haven't had the opportunity to do.

However, I found the main premises of the book annoying. The author wants all our food to be generated locally, by independent small farms. She opposes the long distance transportation of food, primarily due to the general wastefulness and energy/pollution expense of the process. She opposes corporate farms because they are involved in questionable GMO practices, pollute, and are leading toward reduction of species diversification.

All of these points are valid, ... Read More:
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.Consider the Lobster: And Other Essays
City Travel Guides > Books > Authors- A-Z
by: David Foster Wallace

July 02, 2007
If your a Professor of English this book might be up your alley. Otherwise, stay away!

The first essay is about an adult film awards show. it's lengthy and rather hilarious. But the rest of the book is a snoozer.
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.A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again: Essays and Arguments
City Travel Guides > Books > Authors- A-Z
by: David Foster Wallace

February 02, 1998
foot-note boy is a dud.
The essay about a cruise ship is not funny, not well-written and speaks volumes about the immature personality of the writer.
His much touted powers of observation are nowhere in evidence.
Hunter Thompson and Tom Wolfe did this sort of thing so much better.

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.Just After Sunset: Stories
City Travel Guides > Books > Authors- A-Z
by: Stephen King

November 11, 2008
foot-note boy is a dud.
The essay about a cruise ship is not funny, not well-written and speaks volumes about the immature personality of the writer.
His much touted powers of observation are nowhere in evidence.
Hunter Thompson and Tom Wolfe did this sort of thing so much better.

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