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.Brief Interviews with Hideous Men
City Travel Guides > Books > Literature and Fiction
by: David Foster Wallace

April 01, 2000
I am still absorbing the news that David Foster Wallace apparently took his own life this weekend. He was 46.

I vividly recall my experience reading "Brief Interviews with Hideous Men," because these short short stories are both insightful and laugh out loud funny. Wallace had a keen understanding of the often reptilian and repellent motivations of human beings. He knew that for all our intelligence compared to other animals, we are maddeningly flawed. I would have loved to read his take on recent political news, such as the claim by a presidential candidate that his opponent called his running mate a pig. Wallace's insight will live on.
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.What Is the What (Vintage)
City Travel Guides > Books > Literature and Fiction
by: Dave Eggers

October 09, 2007
Dave Eggers' writing is superb and really allows the voice of Valentino Achak Deng, one of the Sudanese Lost Boys, to really come out. It's a very touching story and gives you a view on a part of Africa most people know nothing about.
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.Shantaram: A Novel
City Travel Guides > Books > Literature and Fiction
by: Gregory David Roberts

September 29, 2005
I read Shantaram about a year ago and hands down it is the best book I read all year, maybe in the past five years. It is really memorable. The prison scenes, life in Mumbai, the characters, stay alive long after I stopped reading. The book is long, but I never wanted it to end. A year later, I miss it.
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.Dead Heat
City Travel Guides > Books > Literature and Fiction
by: Joel C. Rosenberg

August 13, 2008
Joel has done it again. This novel is so prophetically linked to what is happening in our time. Everyone will be intrigued and challenged to compare what Joel is saying in his novel with what scripture says will be happening in the last days. I recommend this read to everyone!!
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.Brave New World
City Travel Guides > Books > Literature and Fiction
by: Aldous Huxley

October 17, 2006
I purchased Brave New World after reading 1984, and while I must confess that I enjoyed Orwell's book just a little bit more, Huxley's work was still an immediately compelling read. I think what I liked best was just how "british" this future was, by which I mean, everything seemed so very posh and hip and how we Americans would tend to see the British, as opposed to (sorry to keep drawing comparisons) 1984, whose depictions of England were much more how they might be viewed by say, South Africa.

Another thing I liked about the story was that I didn't particularly care for any of the characters that much. I actually enjoyed the disappointment of having each character let me down just when I thought their basic goodness would shine through. Initial protagonist ... Read More:
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.Icarus at the Edge of Time
City Travel Guides > Books > Literature and Fiction
by: Brian Greene

September 02, 2008
This is an excellent rework of the ancient story of Icarus and Daedalus. There is very little science in this; but after introducing them to the old tale, mixing in some Einstein and special relativity, then reading about the new Icarus, my 7th grade science class was amazed.

Greene does a great job and the illustrations are beautiful. Suitable for small children too.

Highly recommended.
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.Playing for Pizza
City Travel Guides > Books > Literature and Fiction
by: John Grisham

July 22, 2008
I got through this book in no time. Nothing serious, just some nice, entertaining fiction.
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.Beloved
City Travel Guides > Books > Literature and Fiction
by: Toni Morrison

June 08, 2004
Having read the book as one of many for my American Literature studies, it left me absolutely confused and caught in the cobwebs of a shadowy, almost unfathomable plot. It simply made NO SENSE for me at all. How much ability of clairvoyance and anticipation does Morrison expect? How much can an author expect a reader at all? More, than an intermediate reader like me can take, I'd like to state.
...
Of course, as a Pulitzer winning book, it must have been a feast for critics, but it was an agony for me.
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There might be readers who are apt to shed light beyond the ever-so-tightly-woven interactions of the characters, but me, as a not-so-profound knower of Morrisons works, her intention to make people think and act doesn't work out, as BELOVED, rather than makes one act, leaves ... Read More:
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.The Broom of the System
City Travel Guides > Books > Literature and Fiction
by: David Foster Wallace

May 25, 2004
David's early book titles apparently have little to do with the subject matter, much like a song from REM, whose lyrics have nothing to do with anything at all, other than they sound good. Don't expect to learn what is 'The Broom of the System' by reading this book.

What you should expect is a Douglas-Adams like treatment of the near future, full of quintessential midwestern humor (David is from Urbana, Illinois), which consists mainly of Satire, Irony, and Social Comment. These are his major strengths. They are brilliantly displayed every so often in a 3-20 page satirical rant or manic expository piece.

If you want an example of his brilliance, search inside this book for 'vanity' and read what it says. This book-within-a-book - only 3 pages long, and starting on page 20 - will "up" ... Read More:
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.Duma Key: A Novel
City Travel Guides > Books > Literature and Fiction
by: Stephen King

January 22, 2008
Stephen King once said that his works were the literary equivilent of "a Big Mac and fries". I could not disagree more. In the long run, I think Mr. King will be considered one of the more important writers of our time. He is a master at suspense, character development, and pacing. Duma Key ranks up there with some of his other masterpieces (the Stand, the Shining, It...)

The characters in Duma Key are so well developed. In some cases, Wireman and Elizabeth Eastlake may be the best King has come up with. I totally was hooked by them, cared about them, and genuienly wanted to find out what was coming. The setting of the Florida Keys in a breath of fresh air, considering most of King's works are set in Maine and New England. I love the ending at the delapidated mansion....just wonderful! I can't recommend ... Read More:
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