|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Play Ball!, Jul 16 2004
A short but thorough history of baseball as seen through the development of signs, sign stealing and tip-off reading. Includes some delightful photographs, numerous anotations, a lengthy bibliography and index. Paul Dickson's approach to baseball makes me wonder if the recent homerun records aren't more a case for renewed talent in sign stealing / tip-off reading than for new technology for bats or performance inhancing drugs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Haunted Lady
|
de Mary Rinehart
Édition : Paperback |
| Availability: Currently unavailable |
|
|
|
|
|
Disjointed but entertaining, Jul 16 2004
All in all I enjoyed the book. I was suprised that so late in the book the crimes happened. The detecting part of the story seemed more disjointed than the set up of the crimes. For a book published originally in 1942, I found the characters and plot rather modern. There are of course some pieces that show the book's age but I don't want to ramble on and risk giving away spoilers.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Great Gatsby
|
de F. Scott Fitzgerald
Édition : Paperback |
| Availability: Currently unavailable |
|
|
|
|
|
Green Eyed Monster, Jul 16 2004
F. Scott Fizgerald took inspiration from his wife Zelda. He wrote an essay that explains how the various colors relate both to her and to the important themes in his novels. The Great Gatsby is the perfect distallation of these themes and codes.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Golden Apples
|
de Eudora Welty
Édition : Paperback |
| Price: CDN$ 11.64 |
|
| Availability: Usually ships in 3 to 5 weeks |
|
|
|
|
|
Short Story collection mascarading as a novel, Jul 16 2004
Golden Apples is a novel by Eudora Welty that reads like a series of bizarre short stories with the same recurring characters set in a fictional town in Mississippi. Some readers may find it difficult because of its use of language (...). Others may find it difficult just for it's odd prose. The chapters are not linear nor are obvious segues ever used to cue the reader in that a jump in time has taken place. There are also lots of characters with similar names making it easy to lose track of who has done what, when. If I were more drawn into the book I'd want to reread it to get the pieces I missed or misunderstood but frankly I'm just not captivated enough to want to do that right now.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A page turner, Jul 16 2004
I enjoyed every word of this book. It was the perfect post Christmas book for me. I always enjoy Stephen King's works. I'm honestly suprised that I haven't read more of his books and short stories than I have.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rather dry, Jul 16 2004
The Fantasy Factory is a rather short and rather dry look at the behind the scenes of the Sex Phone industry and in particular, one company. As there are only a couple dozen real life accounts of what it is like to work as an operator, the book is rather anecdotal. In tone and approach the book is similar to Nickel and Dimed but is more academic. At just under 130 pages, there isn't much room for deep analysis. I would have liked to read more about the business aspect of it, the history of it and the social ramifications/taboos from the callers' points of view.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I don't like Alexander, Jul 16 2004
It started off strongly and at first I was enjoying the book with the same sort of enthusiasm I had enjoyed Arrows of the Queen some ten years ago. Then Alexander happened and I yelled at the book and contemplated tossing it across the room. From about page 200 to about page 275, I couldn't help but picture Donkey from Shrek and I found the whole experience very distracting.My husband told me that the book got better and every time I growled about Alexander, he reminded me, "But he's important to the story." Things fortunately did get better and I could enjoy the last third of the book although with not quite the same way as I had the first third. I am waiting now for zombiebooker to get back to me with an address. If I don't hear back in a day or two longer, I'll send the book onto Eskielover.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ethics Of Star Trek
|
de Judith Barad
Édition : Paperback |
| Price: CDN$ 12.78 |
|
| Availability: Usually ships in 3 to 5 weeks |
|
|
|
|
|
Plot summary does not equal analysis., Jul 16 2004
Plot summary does not equal analysis. This book falls into the trap of using plot summary to pad an otherwise shallow and poorly thought out book. The writing style waffles between flippant and unneccessarily reverent for Roddenberry. The Ethics of Star Trek would be a much stronger book if it approached the series in terms of the times they were made. Does the Orignal Series reflect the ethic debates of the late 1960s? Why did post cold war 1990s produce a series as dark as Deep Space Nine and what sorts of cultures and ethical questions are represented by the B'Jorans, Cardassians and the Dominion? How are these ethical questions brought to the screen? How does film editing, writing, music, etc. work to build up the ethical theses? How do these same elements work against the theses?None of these topics are covered. Instead there are simplistic retellings of the classic foundations of ethics and logic. The chapter on the Cave, for instance, is laughable. I am now just waiting to hear back from the person after me for an address. Then I'll get this book back into the mail.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Not as entertaining as 1 & 2, Jul 16 2004
I see that Colfer has left himself a wee opening for an Artemis Fowl #4 and if there were one, I would read it. The Eternity Code's pacing is slower than books #1 and #2 but it's just as tight and almost just as entertaining. While on the one hand I was glad to see Butler make it through to the end, the book would have been stronger in many regards if he hadn't. I was also suprised to see Artemis' parents suddenly absent after they were Artemis' raison d'etra in books #1 and #2.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cute, Jul 16 2004
I think my husband would rate this atlas a 5. His response was "A map of Discworld? AWESOME!"I'll have to go with cute, rather than awesome. I wish there was a little more to it. I'm a map and atlas junkie and this one just doesn't follow through enough for me. It's still a must for Pratchett fans, though.
|
|
|
