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Arianna S. (arianna) - Reviews

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An Egg on Three Sticks
An Egg on Three Sticks
Author: Jackie Fischer
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 55
Review Date: 5/26/2006


A cute & very quick coming-of-age read; I think I'd recommend it, although it was read quite a while ago (maybe a year or 2).


Angels & Demons (Robert Langdon, Bk 1)
Angels & Demons (Robert Langdon, Bk 1)
Author: Dan Brown
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 354
Review Date: 9/7/2006


I don't really remember much about this book besides the neat wordplay designs (I read it a couple of years ago), but I definitely preferred it over The Da Vinci Code. It's a very riveting story, I remember that much!


Review Date: 8/27/2006
Helpful Score: 3


A really fun & funny read! I enjoyed it, especially the way Lancaster could laugh at herself so well. And I really enjoyed how the book turned out. I intend to check out her website; I like her writing!


Confessions of a Recovering Slut : And Other Love Stories
Confessions of a Recovering Slut : And Other Love Stories
Author: Hollis Gillespie
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 2.5/5 Stars.
 9
Review Date: 11/20/2006


It was fun, and funny. The stories really stick with you, and it's great how Gillespie can pull everything together into this circular, neat little package in just a few pages. The chapters are quick morsels that make the book easy to pick up & put down often.


Cryptonomicon
Cryptonomicon
Author: Neal Stephenson
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4.1/5 Stars.
 109
Review Date: 6/20/2006
Helpful Score: 2


Simply my favorite book ever. Stephenson shares his intricate knowledge of so many things in the world. I am ever his loyal fan.


Dream Boy
Dream Boy
Author: Jim Grimsley
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 27
Review Date: 5/26/2006


A very disturbing book, but also beautiful & well-written, I think. I read it quite a while ago and remember it being tense and upsetting, unsettling... but not necessarily in a bad way.


Election
Election
Author: Tom Perotta
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 40
Review Date: 6/4/2006


funny, fun book. i liked it better than the movie, but i read the book well before i ever saw the movie, and by the time i saw the movie i had forgotten most of the book, so i'm not quite sure if my judgment was accurate... still, a very fun, quick read.


Everyone Worth Knowing
Everyone Worth Knowing
Author: Lauren Weisberger
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.6/5 Stars.
 405
Review Date: 6/17/2006


A fun, light summer read.


Fresh Lipstick : Redressing Fashion and Feminism
Fresh Lipstick : Redressing Fashion and Feminism
Author: Linda M. Scott
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3/5 Stars.
 1
Review Date: 7/3/2006


Very very interesting; I learned a lot about the history of feminism and why fashion is (pretty wrongly, I think) seen as the antithesis of feminism and its goals. A great & comprehensive look at fashion & feminism and the clashes over the years. Kept me engaged the entire read.


Grassroots : A Field Guide for Feminist Activism
Grassroots : A Field Guide for Feminist Activism
Author: Jennifer Baumgardner, Amy Richards
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.3/5 Stars.
 8
Review Date: 11/29/2006
Helpful Score: 2


A great resource, and a very interesting look at how activists can be effective and actually "activists" without having to dedicate their entire lives to causes. A very good book for young women feminists/activists, particularly.


The Handmaid's Tale (Handmaid's Tale, Bk 1)
The Handmaid's Tale (Handmaid's Tale, Bk 1)
Author: Margaret Atwood
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 698
Review Date: 5/23/2006
Helpful Score: 1


A great concept and a neat story, although I think I kept trying too hard to figure out where this was happening, or discover hidden secrets, when there weren't any. Atwood presents a chilling view of a potential future, and does it very straightforwardly and engagingly. I definitely recommend this book.


I Am Charlotte Simmons
I Am Charlotte Simmons
Author: Tom Wolfe
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.6/5 Stars.
 100
Review Date: 5/19/2006


A pretty fun & amusing read, but I didn't think there was much to it. Wolfe really knows his youth of today, though. It kept me entertained, but I felt like it lacked any real direction, for the most part. Still, I'm glad I read it (I know it doesn't sound like it).


Idoru (Bridge, Bk 2)
Idoru (Bridge, Bk 2)
Author: William Gibson
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 119
Review Date: 5/19/2006
Helpful Score: 2


Great book! A very fun sci-fi adventure. Very computer- and future-Japan-oriented. A bit of edge-of-your-seat thriller involved. Definitely enjoyed it. Good Gibson, as per usual.


Midnight's Children
Midnight's Children
Author: Salman Rushdie
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 79
Review Date: 6/4/2006
Helpful Score: 1


beautifully written, with very explicit detail. perhaps sometimes too intricately detailed, but a dream of a story.


The Mists of Avalon (Avalon, Bk 1)
The Mists of Avalon (Avalon, Bk 1)
Author: Marion Zimmer Bradley
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4.2/5 Stars.
 625
Review Date: 5/26/2006


A beautiful book, a well-woven tale from such an interesting perspective! The story of King Arthur, told from the view of a druidic woman. Very engaging and endearing, in its way. Magical. Epic.


Nobrow : The Culture of Marketing, the Marketing of Culture
Nobrow : The Culture of Marketing, the Marketing of Culture
Author: John Seabrook
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 2.9/5 Stars.
 8
Review Date: 6/8/2006
Helpful Score: 2


"Eh." That was largely my response on finishing this book. It contained a lot of interesting cultural references, and I really enjoyed the chapter on George Lucas, but for the most part, it didn't grab me. It cast an interesting light on how culture & advertising have really merged into one these days, and so I believe I learned a bit, overall. But I doubt I would pick up another of Seabrooks' books.


One Hundred Demons
One Hundred Demons
Author: Lynda Barry
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4.3/5 Stars.
 10
Review Date: 6/8/2006


Interesting perspectives, fantastic art & beauty in this book, but it wasn't one of my favorites, and I can't put my finger on why, exactly. I was really impressed with the art & expressiveness & collage work (especially), but it didn't really grab ahold of me like some other graphic work (Blankets, V for Vendetta) has done. Barry writes AND draws with such beauty, though, and really sees the world for what it is, which is impressive in & of itself. I'd recommend it, but only if someone asked -- for some reason, it's not memorable to me. And yet I still loved it. Help me figure that one out, please!!


The Pollen Room
The Pollen Room
Author: Zoe Jenny
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 1.8/5 Stars.
 3
Review Date: 5/19/2006


This is a quick read, and somewhat interesting. Definitely not one of my favorites, but it's got a good story to tell, I think. Please be aware, this copy does have a BookCrossing sticker on the inside cover -- it came with the book when I received it. That in no way requires you to register the book at BookCrossing.com, but I don't think it's really removable.


There and Back Again : An Actor's Tale
There and Back Again : An Actor's Tale
Author: Sean Astin, Joe Layden
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 2.6/5 Stars.
 20
Review Date: 1/15/2007
Helpful Score: 4


I don't know what I expected from this book, but I was surprised at how much Sean Astin really wanted to talk about himself & his own journey, for some reason -- even though that's exactly what the book is about! I really enjoyed reading about his interactions on the set & his personal journey & struggle with his own ego (in the Freudian sense, not the selfish one, necessarily), but I guess I had expected more of an in-depth look at the actual filming, and I'm not sure I ever got that. It seemed to be more of a superficial look at how Mr. Astin interacted with the other characters & big players. He has led an interesting life & it certainly made me appreciate the filming of the LotR films even more than I had before! So I say it's worth the read, but not necessarily what someone should look for if they want some kind of "expose" into the creation of the film. It's a much more personal book, which I did enjoy.


Vegan Virgin Valentine (V Valentine, Bk 1)
Vegan Virgin Valentine (V Valentine, Bk 1)
Author: Carolyn Mackler
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 3.1/5 Stars.
 15
Review Date: 9/2/2006
Helpful Score: 2


WOW, have young adult books changed even from the 10 or 15 years since I was technically part of that "niche"! This is a really great young adult book -- I believe I read about it in Bust magazine, though, so it definitely can be considered adult material, as well. It certainly deals with topics that Beverly Cleary and her ilk didn't talk about back then. Not say say Clearly isn't still very relevant -- I think she's fabulous, and in a class all her own. I don't think I would put Mackler into the same category except for that they write for "young adults". VVV is a really bright, fresh look at a teenage girl's life, though, and how she grows into her own, into adulthood. Very cute, very fun, definitely recommended -- to any age.


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