You know, I'm not exactly sure just what I thought of this book. It's very strange and I wasn't always exactly sure what was going on - what was real,You know, I'm not exactly sure just what I thought of this book. It's very strange and I wasn't always exactly sure what was going on - what was real, what was delusional, who was who, even. It reminded me of my reaction to the movie Vanilla Sky where I stopped halfway through and all but shouted (in my otherwise empty apartment) "What the Hell is going on?!" The writing is good - I think the author has some talent with word play and descriptions, and would recommend the book for that alone. As far as plot, I really don't know -- I'll have to turn it around more in my mind before I decide....more
Excited though I was about reading this book, I almost didn't finish it as I was constantly appalled at the the author's irresponsible behaviour.
RightExcited though I was about reading this book, I almost didn't finish it as I was constantly appalled at the the author's irresponsible behaviour.
Right off the bat we meet Misha, a friend's intact male husky whom the author allows to roam his self-determined 130 square mile "territory". She seems to try and defend this inexcusable behaviour by bragging about the dog's ability to avoid being struck by a car and by stating that she never observed him mating with any female dogs. There is no doubt in my mind that her little car-dodging husky made numerous attempts to populate all of Cambridge with his offspring. She mentions a St. Bernard, almost in passing, whose owners surrendered him to an animal shelter/hospital where he was used to supply blood for transfusions before being put to death. (The dog was surrendered because of his behaviour, blame for which she seems to place on the dog himself and not the people who had rasied him.) Her last comment on the dog is that his blood is being used for "dogs more fortunate that he, dogs who were wanted by their owners". She obviously does not see the irony in this statement -- Misha undoubtably fathered numerous unwanted pups, many of which may well have would up in the same animal shelter as the doomed St. Bernard. Later in the book she describes how a roaming spaniel leaped over her fence and forceably mated with another one of her dogs. (Nonmating drugs did not prevent the unwanted pregnancy; spaying her dog definitely would have.) Does the author honestly think her darling Misha was not out doing the very same thing? The author does have a chance to observe the behavior of wolves in their natural habitat and I found that to be much more interesting and responsible. I'm glad I hung in there to read those parts.
Also, I must agree that quite a lot of her conculsions involved a large amount of common sense. ...more
This was a faster read than I expected and I did enjoy it, though not as much as I thought I would. Abagnale comes across as very cocky, though I admiThis was a faster read than I expected and I did enjoy it, though not as much as I thought I would. Abagnale comes across as very cocky, though I admit he may have some reason to be - what he did was rather impressive. I also tired very quickly of all of the talk about his many women and his constant yearn to bed even more of them.
He was a brilliant young man, to be sure -- how many seventeen years old do you know that could pass the bar? It's a pity he couldn't have focused his intellegence on something worthwhile right from the start. Just think of what he could have accomplished....more
When I first picked this up, I thought it wasn't really for me. I'm not that "hip" on pop culture, nor do I care much that I'm out of the loop. In facWhen I first picked this up, I thought it wasn't really for me. I'm not that "hip" on pop culture, nor do I care much that I'm out of the loop. In fact, I couldn't quite remember why I'd signed up for this ray in the first place -- probably because someone whose opinion I respect recommended it. Anyway, ocne it arrived, I figured I would give it a go. I read the first few essays and, though I enjoyed them well enough, I still kept telling myself "this isn't really my thing, I doubt I'll finish it." I kept giving the author "just one more essay" and next thing I knew, I was halfway through the book and really enjoying it.
I laughed a lot while reading it, and nodded my head even more. I agree with so much of what he says, sometimes against my wishes. (I dated a soccer player for the better part of a year, for example, and didn't really want to admit that I agreed with a lot of what he says about soccer players, but I really do.) I do have to admit that I skipped over the entire essay about the NBA because I really, seriously, couldn't care less what anyone has to say about the NBA or basketball in general. It may be another brilliant essay, but I'll never know, and I'm okay with that.
I agreed with most of his thoughts, particularly those on the Sims, Pamela Anderson, modern country music (which I like), the fascination with serial killers, and most movies. Especially Vanilla Sky, which I personally enjoyed so much that I bought a version for myself. His final essay, on the Left Behind series, made a couple of points so thought-provoking I found myself writing them down to think on later.
This book was so much better (and deeper) than I expected that I'm ashamed to admit I almost didn't read it....more
This book wants to shock you, to horrify you, perhaps even to scare you. Unfortunately, in this day and age, Katie's story is common, rather than shocThis book wants to shock you, to horrify you, perhaps even to scare you. Unfortunately, in this day and age, Katie's story is common, rather than shocking. Any parent who doesn't believe that their 13-year-old daughter may be preyed upon online is living in an amazing state of denial. Katie's story is from quite a few years ago, though, so her story was breaking news then, a fact which becomes more and more obvious as the story progresses.
It is easy to see how profoundly and deeply this experience affected Katie, though I think a large percentage of that has to do with her friends' and family's responses. As horrible as her experience with "Mark" was, I find her parents' reactions almost as bad. This book definitely tells parents what NOT to do when faced with this sitiuation.
The book did not shock me, unfortunately, though I wish we lived in a world in which behaviour like this WOULD be shocking. Katie was very, very lucky to have escaped as children are abducted and killed every year by online pedophiles. Any parent who, inexplicably, is not monitoring their child's internet use should definitely read this book. Also recommended for young people as a wake-up call....more
Oh, what a yummy book! One almost feels naughty reading it as there is some pretty hardcore "candy porn" within these pages! Almond does an excellent Oh, what a yummy book! One almost feels naughty reading it as there is some pretty hardcore "candy porn" within these pages! Almond does an excellent job of mixing facts, humor, personal experiences, and, yes, almost pornographic candy descriptions. I laughed a lot, craved candy A LOT, and found myself growing more and more nostalgic as I read. When I was in high school, I worked in a small, family-owned candy shoppe. I was actually encouraged to sample everything so that I could "speak intellegently" about the products we had. Oh joy, oh rapture! The only downside is that I am now a bit of a candy snob -- I was spoiled by some wonderful candies the shoppe purchased from small wholesalers -- and find it difficult to satisfy my now rather discerning tastes. After all, how can one settle for a common Reese's peanut butter cup when one was accustomed to large, rich cholocatey ones which an almost liquidy peanut butter center? (The "snap" of Reese's cups puts me off now, I must admit.) I also got to sneak pieces of my personal favorites (dark chocolate honeycomb, also called "sponge candy", and apple flavoured sour belts) right out of the wholesale, airtight packages. They were so fresh and perfect, a difficult state to find them in as bulk shoppe bins are not airtight and the candies tend to harden up.
All that experience with candy made me appriciate Almond's book even more, I think. I found myself nodding along with his descriptions which often sound like someone describing wine or coffee due to his use of words and concepts such as "bite", "texture", "mouthfeel", "finish", etc. I also absolutely agree with the nostaglic properties of candy. The shoppe I worked in (Sweet Reflections) had a good stock of "nostalgia" candy and our older customers almost always exclaimed gleefully at what they had found....more
I enjoyed this. It is not just about caving, not merely "I went into some caves and this is what I saw/did there". There is much, much more to this a I enjoyed this. It is not just about caving, not merely "I went into some caves and this is what I saw/did there". There is much, much more to this as the author draws parallels between her caving experiences and numerous other things in her life. It's like reading about her spiritual response to caving. She is a talented writer who presents both beautiful prose and some chilling images. Her description of "squeezes" are simple, yet they affected me deeply - making me slightly uncomfortable, even driving me outside at one point just to put more space around me....more
This is a short, quick read, but very powerful. Kaysen definitely pulls no punches. She is extrememly critical of her doctors and, to an extent, of heThis is a short, quick read, but very powerful. Kaysen definitely pulls no punches. She is extrememly critical of her doctors and, to an extent, of herself and her friends. Frustratingly, it takes her a while to be as critical of her assholish boyfriend, who plays a major role in this story. Not for the squeamish this is an excellently written, blunt, and frightening account of what happens when a part so personal seems to rebel against its own existence....more
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