Highly Recommended | You Rated |
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| Britten and Brulightly (by Hannah Berry) | "Beautifully illustrated and engrossing.…"
"Beautifully illustrated and engrossing. I loved the tragic tone of the story. Very interesting graphic novel."
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| Chinese Herbal Secrets: The Key to Total Health (by Stefan Chmelik) | "An excellent book on total health…"
"An excellent book on total health that approaches the subject from a truly holistic perspective. It is centered on the Eastern philosophy of preventative health practice rather than the Western approach of "waiting until it's broken to fix it".
The book covers all aspects of health, from diet to exercise to herbs. Also notable is the fact that the book is quite stunning. It's fully of wonderful pictures and diagrams."
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| Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion (by Gary Vaynerchuk) | "I just finished reading this…"
"I just finished reading this book, and it's a tremendous kick-in-the-butt for anyone who wants to really live their passion but isn't.
I really admire Gary Vaynerchuck for his honest, authentic, straightforward approach. He's inspired me to really build a legacy around my passion. And he's also given me insight into some of the tools that can help me do that."
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| Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability (by Steve Krug) | "A fantastic, must-read for anyone…"
"A fantastic, must-read for anyone building a website. The title says it all and becomes your mantra when making every user-interface decision.
I've tried to implement as many of Krug's tips as possible when building A Better Opinion.
Even advanced developers can benefit from the fundamental lessons stressed in this book. In fact, perhaps they more than anyone else need to heed this sage advice."
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| Don't Sweat the Small Stuff...and It's All Small Stuff: Simple Ways to Keep the Little Things from Taking Over Your Life (by Richard Carlson) | "A fantastic guide on how to maintain…"
"A fantastic guide on how to maintain a harmonious life. So easy to read, there is no excuse not to."
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| Hey! White Boy! (by Henry Riekena) | "What an exciting read! I couldn't…"
"What an exciting read! I couldn't put this book down. Henry Riekena's first-hand account of life in a drug-ridden slum was eye-opening, depressing, and at times terrifying.
He's a terrific writer, and makes some really poignant observations on life."
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| How to Win Friends and Influence People (by Dale Carnegie) | "Written a long time ago (and…"
"Written a long time ago (and it's apparent in the expressions and style Carnegie uses) yet still so poignant!
This is a must-read if you want to understand the fundamentals of human interaction. Even if you just read the first section "Fundamentals of Dealing With People" you will gain invaluable insight that you can apply anywhere from the office to the home.
The main point to take away from this book is to "speak ill of no man, and all the good you know of everybody"."
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| Into the Wild (by Jon Krakauer) | "A fascinating tale for anyone…"
"A fascinating tale for anyone with a vagabond spirit.
Krakauer delivers insightful lessons about life and youth by paralleling his own experiences with that of McCandless, the books main character.
Tragic, beautiful, and inspiring."
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| Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) (by George Orwel) | "Excellent book! I can't believe…"
"Excellent book! I can't believe I missed reading it in High School, but was blown away when I finally did read it. Very scary at how real of a possibility it is."
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| Pride of Baghdad (by Brian K. Vaughan, Niko Henrichon) | "A touching and sad story about…"
"A touching and sad story about the horrors of war and the costs of freedom, personified through animals. Beautiful illustrations as well."
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| Stone of Tears: The Sword of Truth #2 (by Terry Goodkind) | "Fantastic sequel to the excellent…"
"Fantastic sequel to the excellent "Wizards First Rule". I may have even liked this one better than the first."
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| The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich (by Timothy Ferriss) | "Incredible book that helped set…"
"Incredible book that helped set me on the path that I've always dreamed about.
Not just a business book, but a book that helps you take ahold of your destiny and lead the life you want to lead."
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| The Alchemist (by Paulo Coelho) | "I really loved this book! It's…"
"I really loved this book! It's an easy, inspiring tale of a young man having the courage to follow his heart, despite what others may say.
It's spiritual, adventurous, and meaningful. It instantly became one of my favorites."
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| The Art of Learning: An Inner Journey to Optimal Performance (by Josh Waitzkin) | "This book really blew me away.…"
"This book really blew me away. Waitzkin is such an incredibly gifted individual. He is able to connect concepts on a mental level that I could only dream of.
This book is a great read for anyone, whether you are at any stage of learning a particular art, or even wanting to gain a deeper insight into some fundamental principles of excellence."
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| The Catcher in the Rye (by J. D. Salinger) | "Wonderfully written story of…"
"Wonderfully written story of a young man struggling with growing up, leaving the shelter of youth, and becoming part of a world full of "fake" people. A definite classic that I can personally relate to."
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| The Eye of the World: The Wheel of Time #1 (by Robert Jordan) | "Probably my favorite fantasy…"
"Probably my favorite fantasy book, loaded with colorful characters and a very in-depth story. It's a great start to a very good series by Robert Jordan.
I especially like it because it's no "Harry Potter" or "Lord of the Rings". While some of the characters exhibit childish characteristics, the book is written for a more mature audience."
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| The Magic of Thinking Big (by David Joseph Schwartz) | "Helps you to truly believe in…"
"Helps you to truly believe in yourself, and to know that you can accomplish anything you put your mind to."
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| The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment (by Eckhart Tolle) | "The most powerful, life-changing…"
"The most powerful, life-changing book I've ever read."
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| The Power of One (by Bryce Courtenay) | "A very magical and touching story…"
"A very magical and touching story that took me through a life and a land I've known little about. While the book wasn't perfect or mind-blowing, it was full of inspirational wisdom and colorful characters. And it wasn't completely predictable, leaving me satisfied and with a belief in "the power of one"."
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| Wizard's First Rule: The Sword of Truth #1 (by Terry Goodkind) | "My first Fantasy book that got…"
"My first Fantasy book that got me hooked on the genre! Goodkind's got a great style that keeps you very excited and drawn in to the story."
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Liked | You Rated |
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| Animal Farm (by George Orwell) | "Very interesting look at the…"
"Very interesting look at the greed prevalent in humankind (personified through animals)."
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| Batman: Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth (by Grant Morrison, Dave McKean) | "I'm not a fan of superhero comics,…"
"I'm not a fan of superhero comics, however I enjoyed this book. It doesn't focus so much on the superhero and their costumes as it does the man behind the mask. (although I did notice the Joker wearing high heels!) It's more of a psychological study. I almost went a little "insane" myself reading this novel and getting into the troubled and conflicted minds of mad men.
This was one of the turning-point graphic novels to come about during an era of change in the industry. More chances were taken with stories and layout. The genre began to break out of it's usual constricts.
The most enjoyable thing to me about this novel were the visuals; it's stunning. Dave McKean was a true ground-breaker, combining illustrations with pictures and objects to compliment this story with a dark scene of chaos that comes across as artwork."
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| Blood of the Fold: The Sword of Truth #3 (by Terry Goodkind) | "Really cool book with great action." | |
| Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (by Jonathan Safran Foer) | "I loved the main character, this…"
"I loved the main character, this witty little boy with a vivid imagination and a strong spirit.
It's a sad story, but definitely a good read."
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| Griffin & Sabine (by Nick Bantock) | "What a unique book, different…"
"What a unique book, different than anything I've read before. It's very intriguing, romantic, and mysterious."
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| Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster (by Jon Krakauer) | | |
| Light Years (by James Salter) | "Salter writes with such texture…"
"Salter writes with such texture that you can feel the emotion of the scene he's describing."
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| Lord of Chaos: The Wheel of Time #6 (by Robert Jordan) | "Could have been much shorter.…"
"Could have been much shorter. Lots of time wasted on extraneous details. But still enjoyable, and it left off with exciting promises for the next book."
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| Losing My Virginity: How I've Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way (by Richard Branson) | "This is a really fun book full…"
"This is a really fun book full of crazy decisions and daring adventures. Branson is truly a model of success, and this book is a very interesting look into how he built an empire.
I will say, though, that the book starts to slow down half way through when it becomes more technical about the deals he structured. His early years growing up are the most fun!"
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| Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History (by Art Spiegelman) | | |
| Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began (by Art Spiegelman) | | |
| Meg: Meg Series #1 (by Steve Alten) | "A silly, fun read." | |
| Northlanders Vol. 2: The Cross and the Hammer (by Brian Wood, Ryan Kelly) | "Cool art, pretty scenery, and…"
"Cool art, pretty scenery, and great action. But I didn't like the ending. Not that it wasn't well done, but it's not the ending I would have preferred, which keeps me from Highly Recommending this."
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| Of Mice and Men (by John Steinbeck) | "A very sad, but good book." | |
| On the Road (by Jack Kerouac) | | |
| Red Dragon (by Thomas Harris) | "Loved the movie, so I got this…"
"Loved the movie, so I got this book when it was on sale. Definitely a cool thriller / mystery, but not for the faint of heart."
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| Requiem for a Dream (by Hubert Selby Jr.) | "A very dark and consuming novel.…"
"A very dark and consuming novel. It's written in a very run-on style, with no quotation marks or separation between character dialogue. This confusion and disorder brings you closer to how the characters feel on their drug binges.
I still think the movie is more powerful, though, because of the incredible acting and hair-raising orchestration."
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| Sabine's Notebook: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine Continues (by Nick Bantock) | | |
| Temple of the Winds: The Sword of Truth #4 (by Terry Goodkind) | | |
| The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change (by Stephen R. Covey) | | |
| The Count of Monte Cristo (by Alexandre Dumas) | "Exciting tale of revenge." | |
| The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: A Graphic Novel (by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Kevin Cornell) | "I really enjoyed this short,…"
"I really enjoyed this short, easy-to-read tale with great illustrations. It's a sad story about the inevitability of the passing of time. Whether you live it forwards or backwards, all things must come to an end."
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| The Da Vinci Code (by Dan Brown) | "I really liked this novel. I…"
"I really liked this novel. I don't read many like it, but this one was very thrilling, and kept me very interested with the many historical references."
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| The Dragon Reborn: The Wheel of Time #3 (by Robert Jordan) | "Very enjoyable. …"
"Very enjoyable.
It starts to get tedious hearing about Nyneave "pulling her braid" for the hundredth time, or any of the women calling the men stupid and mule-headed for that matter. Certain elements like those get old.
But overall, the adventure is great. And the story is holding together very well. When I began reading it, I felt that the same enemy (the Dark One) was being fought over and over, which turned me off. But by the end of the book I realized that was not the case. I look forward to reading on."
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| The Five People You Meet in Heaven (by Mitch Albom) | "Touching." | |
| The Giving Tree (by Shel Silverstein) | "As the description says, a classic…"
"As the description says, a classic book for all ages. A touching and simple tale of life."
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| The Golden Mean: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine Concludes (by Nick Bantock) | | |
| The Great Hunt: The Wheel of Time #2 (by Robert Jordan) | "Very good second book in the…"
"Very good second book in the Wheel of Time series. Not quite as fantastic as the first one, but still very good."
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| The Magician's Nephew: The Chronicles of Narnia #1 (by C. S. Lewis) | "Although more of a book for children,…"
"Although more of a book for children, it's still well-written and imaginative."
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| The Neverending Story (by Michael Ende, Ralph Manheim) | "I loved the first half of this…"
"I loved the first half of this book. It was almost as good as the movie that was made from it, although the book dove deeper into the philosophy of The Neverending Story.
The movie ends after the first half of the book, and I think the book itself should have ended there too. The second half is full of imagination, but without purpose. It just sort of carries on from one place to the next randomly. Even the protagonist becomes unlikeable.
All in all still worth the read."
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| The Perks of Being a Wallflower (by Stephen Chbosky) | | |
| The Sandman, Volume 1: Preludes and Nocturnes (by Neil Gaiman) | "I enjoyed this collection of…"
"I enjoyed this collection of the first eight Sandman comic books... especially "Sleep of the Just" (#1) and "A Hope In Hell" (#4).
The story was interesting in that it dealt with history, mythology, the occult, and more. This book is a cohesive story in that it follows Dream as he is captured, escapes, and must reclaim what was taken from him.
Furthermore, the artwork and coloring is beautiful.
All in all, though, this story wasn't spectacular. For all the praise it receives, I expected more. And the later comics start to become very fragmented."
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| The Shadow Rising: The Wheel of Time #4 (by Robert Jordan) | "Very long but still very good.…"
"Very long but still very good. The book could have been hundreds of pages shorter if they cut out a lot of that bickering that Nyneave and the other women do. I get it already, they think they are smarter than the men, blah blah blah.
Anyhow, I'm going to pick up the next book in the series right away."
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| The Tell-Tale Heart and Other Writings by Edgar Allan Poe (by Edgar Allan Poe) | | |
| The Trench: Meg Series #2 (by Steve Alten) | | |
| To Kill a Mockingbird (by Harper Lee) | "Really nice story with fun, witty…"
"Really nice story with fun, witty characters. I like it because it paints a nice picture of a small southern town from the early 1900s."
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| Treasure Island (by Robert Louis Stevenson) | "A fun, simple adventure tale.…"
"A fun, simple adventure tale. Set the standard for just about everything we know and hear about pirates today."
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| Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson (by Mitch Albom) | "Touching." | |
| Walden, or Life in the Woods (by Henry David Thoreau) | "A wonderful perspective on what…"
"A wonderful perspective on what matters in life (hint: the simple things)"
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Disliked | You Rated |
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| 300 (by Frank Miller) | "The movie was way better and…"
"The movie was way better and more intense. After seeing the movie and then reading this, I was disappointed."
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| A Briefer History of Time (by Stephen Hawking) | "Starts out very interesting.…"
"Starts out very interesting. But then gets way too scientific to be enjoyed by someone without a strong knowledge of the subject already. I'd prefer a more "laymans" version for those who are interested in history of our existence."
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| A Farewell to Arms (by Ernest Hemingway) | "Read it awhile ago, but remember…"
"Read it awhile ago, but remember not really having much feeling for it.
In my opinion, Hemingway's writing is pretty dry."
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| A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose (by Eckhart Tolle) | "Mostly just rehashing ideas from…"
"Mostly just rehashing ideas from The Power of Now. There was no need to read this one."
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| A Short History of Nearly Everything (by Bill Bryson) | "Got through about 80 pages of…"
"Got through about 80 pages of this huge book before returning it. His idea seemed interesting, "to see if it isn't possible to understand and appreciate - marvel at, enjoy even - the wonder and accomplishments of science at a level that isn't too technical or demanding, but isn't entirely superficial".
What he ended up with, though, was a couple of "oooh, that's interesting" and a lot of "so what". He talks A LOT about the people that made certain discoveries. I'm reading this book for a biography of the earth, not of it's scientists.
I wanted to be fascinated, to gain a colorful picture of this world. But I wasn't, and I didn't. Instead, he should have included illustrations, and kept the text down to the minimum bit of information.
It's only fair to mention the book "A Really Short History of Nearly Everything", which is an abridged version of this one with illustrations. Sounds perfect, right? Well, I just downloaded a PDF sample from Amazon, and it's made for little kids. The illustrations are just cartoon-y and silly. Oh well, I'll just have to find a legitimate science book, I guess."
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| Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (by Lewis Carroll) | "A very imaginative tale, and…"
"A very imaginative tale, and one I would love to read to my children one day. But at this stage of my life (28 years old), it doesn't do much for me. It really was just a lot of her shrinking and growing and interacting with various animals (all of this in the girls imagination of course), but nothing much more to it than that."
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| Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (by Frank Miller) | "I'm not much into superheroes.…"
"I'm not much into superheroes. Frank Miller did add his own twist on things, and it resulted in an interesting struggle for Batman to decide whether or not to reclaim his course of destiny. But overall it's still the typical fights."
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| Everything Is Illuminated (by Jonathan Safran Foer) | "The writing style/dialect of…"
"The writing style/dialect of this book made it very hard for me to get past the first few pages."
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| Faith of the Fallen: The Sword of Truth #6 (by Terry Goodkind) | | |
| Love Story (by Erich Segal) | "I didn't feel for the characters…"
"I didn't feel for the characters and their humor. I thought they were trying too hard to be cute and witty."
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| Outliers: The Story of Success (by Malcolm Gladwell) | "Didn't like Gladwell's other…"
"Didn't like Gladwell's other work, but took a chance again with this one. I put it down after a chapter of learning nothing useful (did you know that you are more likely to succeed as a Hockey player if you were born in January! Wow, that's great to know, thanks).
Oh wait, I suppose I did take a lesson away... the more you practice at something, the more likely you are to succeed. Mind blowing work, Malcolm."
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| Slaughterhouse-Five (by Kurt Vonnegut) | "Didn't like Vonnegut's "I'm…"
"Didn't like Vonnegut's "I'm so eccentric and quirky and that makes me really hip", self-stroking style."
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| Soul of the Fire: The Sword of Truth #5 (by Terry Goodkind) | "I read this awhile ago, but remember…"
"I read this awhile ago, but remember not liking any of the books past the first four. I felt like the author was just trying to come up with books to continue the story without any real cohesiveness."
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| The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living (by Dalai Lama, Howard C. Cutler) | "This book seems like it took…"
"This book seems like it took the word "Happiness", which everyone envies, and the Dalai Lama, which everyone respects, and wrote a book around that.
Cutler tries to translate the Dalai Lama's message into too basic of a message. I really didn't dig this one.
I'd highly recommend reading something more spiritually significant but still easy to grasp, like The Power of Now by Tolle."
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| The Fifth Agreement: A Practical Guide to Self-Mastery (by Miguel Ruiz, Jose Ruiz) | "Just like "The Four Agreements",…"
"Just like "The Four Agreements", this book comes across as pure gibberish.
Within the first few pages they totally contradict themselves. The book claims that this "ancestral wisdom" is finally being passed down to us after having been preserved by a secret society who protected this spiritual knowledge from those who could misuse it for personal gain. They literally even call these agreements "magic". But a couple pages later they say that these principles reach everyone because they are "pure common sense".
To me, this book is just trying to market to the masses by shrouding its ideals in mystery, but then claiming it's accessible to everyone. I didn't have to read much further through the book before putting it down.
If you really want to read something powerful and legit, read "The Power of Now"."
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| The Fires of Heaven: The Wheel of Time #5 (by Robert Jordan) | "Overall, this book was not very…"
"Overall, this book was not very enjoyable. The majority of pages are filled with women whining and complaining, and it gets very, very tiring. It just goes on way too long. I got the point of it in the last book. The women think men are stupid and brainless. They like ordering around other people. They have a crush on a boy but can't tell anyone. It's almost pathetic. The author has really emasculated certain characters.
The story is also really dragging. There is less action and more conversation. Jordan just puts way too much emphasis on matters that are either trivial, unexciting or already covered.
The Dream World (where the characters spend a lot of time) is also really lame. I think it's a poor excuse for giving the girls a way to communicate, as well as a way to have access to information they normally wouldn't.
The battles between Trollocs and Fades are becoming really repetitious, with the humans always driving them off. I think a few of these main characters need to get killed (can you guess which ones I'd prefer?) so that this doesn't turn into a children's story where the good guys win every battle.
All in all, I'd prefer this series to touch more on the history/legend behind these characters and this world, as well as the battles between good and evil, rather than fill up so many pages with bickering and bantering.
What started out as an exciting tale of adventure and legend has really become laborious and unpleasant. The same themes repeat themselves over and over, and the story seems to be drawn out unnecessarily just to fill multiple books. I understand where it's going, but it's taking forever to get there. Although I hear the next book, Lord of Chaos, is pretty awesome, I'm not going to continue the series now. I'm just sort of over it."
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| The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (by Miguel Ruiz) | "Pretty generic. Didn't move…"
"Pretty generic. Didn't move me in any way."
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| The Great Gatsby (by F. Scott Fitzgerald) | "The writing style and vocabulary…"
"The writing style and vocabulary makes this book not very enjoyable to read. As well, the story is depressing."
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| The Hobbit (by J.R.R. Tolkien) | "A tale written more for younger…"
"A tale written more for younger children."
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| The Last Lecture (by Randy Pausch, Jeffrey Zaslow) | "Not that i'm insensitive to his…"
"Not that i'm insensitive to his plight, but this book was more of a biography meant for his children.
The book does remind you that life is short and to make the most of it, but simply knowing what the book was about was enough to deliver that message. Reading it did not add much to that feeling."
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| The Pillars of Creation: The Sword of Truth #7 (by Terry Goodkind) | | |
| The Road (by Cormac McCarthy) | (S) "I read this one because it was a…"
(S) "I read this one because it was a Pulitzer Prize winning, New York Times Best Selling, Oprah pick of the month.
Half way through, I thought to myself "this guy better do something fantastic at the end to make all of this slow-paced dredge worth it."
Guess what? NOPE!"
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| The Sandman, Volume 2: The Doll's House (by Neil Gaiman) | "I really started to lose interest…"
"I really started to lose interest as these comics progressed. Whereas the story was clear in the first volume, I'm not sure what Dream is up to in this one. It's very fragmented with seemingly unrelated stories put together. Maybe there is a reason for all of it, but I didn't care enough to keep going with this series."
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| The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference (by Malcolm Gladwell) | "Reading this book was like reading…"
"Reading this book was like reading a news article. It's basically like, "Did you know this didn't happen until this happened?" Great.
Or did you know that outgoing, social people spread messages well. Or that memorable messages are more likely to be...remembered?
This book could do with skipping all of the examples and giving you a one-page summary and you would still learn the same amount of helpful information."
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| Where The Wild Things Are (by Maurice Sendak) | "I thought I remember liking this…"
"I thought I remember liking this book as a kid. In fact, I love the idea of it. I was a kid with a big imagination too.
But I just re-read this one while browsing through the bookstore. It's really disappointed. The young boy's playfulness is stifled by his strict parents. They send him to bed without supper.
But when he visits the land of the Wild Things, he doesn't treat them as he would want to be treated. He instead treats them as he WAS treated. He is mean-spirited, and abandons them even after they say they love him. Poor twist to a very promising childrens tale.
I am looking forward to the movie, however, which seems to be all the things I hoped the book was going to be."
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| Who Moved My Cheese?: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life (by Spencer Johnson, Ken Blanchard) | "The story could have been condensed…"
"The story could have been condensed to a couple paragraphs and the message would have been the same."
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| Women (by Charles Bukowski) | "Not my kind of writing. Too…"
"Not my kind of writing. Too much "Look at me, I'm cool because I drink and write poetry"."
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| Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values (by Robert M. Pirsig) | "I was really liking this book…"
"I was really liking this book in the beginning. But towards the middle it started to really lose me with tons of technical jargon, going on and on about pointless little details.
I wasn't able to finish it, but I can sense it is a powerful book. It deserves another attempt when I have the time and patience."
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