"Little Earthquakes" is easily one of the most groundbreaking albums in music history. Poetic and melodic at times, vengeful and wild at others. Rarely if ever has a musician depicted such talent and such an amazing emotional range in one album. Tori Amos, a very intriguing personality of our times, expresses herself here with unforgettable impact. Exploring themes such as depression, family, education, relationships, sexuality, politics (especially on b-sides), change, loss, healing, metaphysics, individuality, death, violence and rape, all of which are partially or wholly based on her personal experiences, she exposes herself completely with her complex and emotional poetry, her only weapon being her piano (Amos is a professional pianist) and her versatile voice (listen to the touching ballad "Winter" and then to the howl of anger that is "Precious Things"). Amos is truly a fearless artist. She is also a very intimate one. Writing is a healing process to her and the astonishing exhibitionism of her work may annoy some. Her albums may certainly not appeal to many people. As she herself has said: "It has crossed my mind maybe that the public doesn't want my ultimate. But I can't censor or contrive."
One cannot highlight songs here, because they are all very different, and very special each in her (as Tori insists thay are female) way.
An achievement, a work of art and power.
Also recommended: Under the Pink, Boys for Pele, From the Choirgirl Hotel, To Venus and Back, Strange Little Girls, Scarlet's Walk, Tales of a Librarian, albums by Radiohead, Cure, Fiona Apple

Even though I've been a Tori Amos fan for only the past two years, I own many of her works. I can't help saying that Amos's work is beautiful and unique and each of her CDs is a journey on its own.So, I have always thought it unlikely that Tori Amos would ever compile a Best of collection. This is a collection of songs which were released by Atlantic Records. Even though it features many of her best songs, I was surprised to see that "1,000 Oceans" and "Hey Jupiter" are not included and the original album version of "Professional Widow" has been replaced by Armand Van Helden's dance remix. There are 2 new songs included here: "Angels" and the touching "Snow Cherries from France", which has the style of her latest album "Scarlet's Walk".
Most of the other songs have been re-recorded and they all bear a few changes in lyrics, rythym and quality of sound. (Some of which you will notice after listening closely many times) What I most enjoyed about this compilation is the booklet it contains, which features lyrics for all the songs, as well as a classification for each one, based on the Dewey Decimal Classification system used in many libraries. Thanks to those classifications the buyer has a better understanding of some of the songs. The songs Tori has altered most here are: Mary (completely different, and the style is that of a folk ballad. Not so aggressive, but equally if not more beautiful, in my opinion), Spark(a more electronic sound and some new lyrics), Bliss(her voice plays much more of a part here, while the role of the instruments has been diminished), Sweet Dreams (more mellow, but still agressive). Also all the songs from "Little Earthquakes" have improved sound quality. One should also notice the changes in Playboy Mommy, Jackie's Strength and Precious Things.
If you're a longtime Ear with Feet and already own most of these songs, I cannot guarantee that you will find everything you want in this compilation, but I believe collectors will be happy with it. If you're a beginner on Tori, this collection is a must for you.
Enjoy!

The Hours is one of my favorite films and books, as well. The music composed by Philip Glass is indeed beautiful. But you cannot listen to it without being fully concentrated. You have to be dedicated to it and allow the delicate music into your ears and possibly into your souls. Initially, the music may seem rather "cold" or "distant". But if you listen closely there is a journey hiding, a journey in notes. Of course, some of the tracks are more appealing to the listener (in my case "Morning Passages", "The Kiss" and the title track)but as a whole, it is a remarkable piece of work.

"About a Boy", is a story about growth, maturation and the beauty in friendship.
It also is about sadness and how people face the hardship in their lives.
Marcus is a boy whose life forces him to become prematurely old, while Will is a playboy of thirty-years old, with the attitude and lifestyle of a teenager.
When the two of them meet, the change that enters their lives is remarkable.
This book is really touching and often very funny as well.
It is very quick (like all Hornby novels), and definetely worth your time.

This is Joanne Harris's best so far. It is the story of the seclusive Framboise whose memories and traumas from the war awaken when she returns to the French village she once lived in and inherits her mother's diary and cookbook.
The flashbacks here occupy whole and separate sections of the book, as does the present, a clever idea of Harris, since her last book "Blackberry Wine", was so tiring in that field (and others).
Harris describes the times and places in every detail, which is good when it creates a very real atmosphere and bad when it occupies whole pages with the description of trees.
There are some very original ideas here (Old Mother, the wish, Tomas Leibniz's relationship with Framboise's family, the revelations in the mother's diary), and some very surprising, and multi-aspected characters, my personal favorite being Mirabelle Dartigen.
War, love, relationships and a bit of good old French cuisine.
The first half of the book may be a bit tiring and occasionaly pointless, but it evolves to something truly magical and somewhat darker than her other novels.

This sequel to "Bridget Jones's Diary", is one that exceeds all expectations, being that it is far better than the first one.
In this book, Helen Fielding cleverly gives her character a whole bunch of new experiences, some of which are truly ingenious (e.g. jail).
Most of the other characters appear and a few new ones as well, while the book offers more pleasure, being thicker than its prequel.
You will definetely enjoy this!

I kept listening to people recommending this book to me, for one reason or the other.
Thinking that Well's book would at least be fun to read during the summer, I bought it and began reading it.
First of all, the book is terribly slow. it goes on and on and on about evry single detail and the characters are pretty much cliched and stereotyped.
It is not even an entertaining read. Rebecca Wells does have some nice ideas, and there are some very nice bits in it, when Sidda remembers her mother's habits and thoughts.
However, there are many other parts where the book reads like a Harlequin, describing intimate moments between the couples for whole paragraphs, to the point where the reader starts feeling sick.
The sudden, inexplicable twists in the characters' behaviours, are so abrupt and pointless that the heroes are almost cartoonish.
There are some hilarious scenes (the Shirley Temple lookalike contest/ Vivi's trip to the "Gone With The Wind" premiere/ some of the correspondance).
There are also some terribly melodramatic scenes, a mystery which gets solved in half a day's time and everyone's happy afterwards, a list of torturing nicknames for every character
and Rebecca Wells does not manage to have a specific writing style.
Really, it doesn't live up to expectations.

First of all, this is not a memoir. It is not a collection of experiences. It is not even a book on addiction. It is Elizabeth Wurtzel's thoughts and opinions on everything (which mind you, does include TV shows, snacks and everything else one could imagine.
Second, this book is not about addiction. Wurtzel's addiction is not the pointt and it occupies so little of this book that one feels as if he has been robbed.
Even though the author does write in an entertaining way, her attempts on cynicism fail triumphantly because all she cares about is claiming how good she is, how much better than anyone else she can get, how stupid everyone around her seems to her. There is actually quite a few bits in the book where Wurtzel proudly announces her very modest ideas on herself and others, some of which are more than annoying: they are abnormal and strange, and sometimes astonishingly selfish and spoiled (e.g. Wurtzel accuses the families of victims of a terrorist act of being too sentimental, and exaggerating about the goodness of their dead!).
I don't know how the author's friends felt about her book, but I 've got a few guesses. She is actually speaking of everyone around her as if they are worthless trash and enjoys being the diamond in the rough.
But the worst thing about this book is that it is totally pointless. Nothing important actually happens to Elizabeth Wurtzel. We do not see what addiction is about. Nothing justifies writing this book.
Things that show why her addiction was terrible do not appear here. The most dramatic thing that happens to Ms. Wurtzel is missing a photoshoot she had scheduled. In fact, all we get is a bit of information on Elizabeth Wurtzel's tastes in general.
But drugs? No. They do not play a part in this book. It is not a confession or even an account.
This book concerns only its author's need for attention, her narcissism and her ego.
If you want to know about drug addiction, this is not for you.

There is so much to say about this trilogy. It is a story with many philosophical elements in it, including man's search for the divine, the awakening consciousness and the maturation of each person, the impulses and secret cravings of the soul, the definition of good and evil.
Children's literature? No. This book can be read in many levels, and children's book would be the merest and most simplified of them.
Pullman's trilogy reads like fine poetry, and the plot is that of a true epic. Dark, exciting, mysterious, touching.
Each book is special, and when it comes to fantasy, whether Pullman aspires to allegory or simple adventure for the plot, the creations of his imagination are remarkable.
However, I was irritated when I heard people accusing the books of being "religiously offensive" and "explicit"!
About the religious elements, read Pullman's interviews. He explains that some things that have been done in the name of God, have been brutal and terrifying.
So, the author is being hypothetical. (if they can do things like that in His name, then...)
"Explicit"? Elements that might prod such accusations, are strictly symbolic and are used to show that nothing can be defined as solely good or evil etc.
The plot is fantastic, and the reader gets the chance to observe the change that takes place in each character's soul.
Read it, you won't regret it!

This book by J.Randy Taraborelli is a quite interesting biography of Madonna, providing information on her personality in various levels. We read about her relationships with her parents, her friends, love partners and collaborators, about her views on many issues, her growth as a person and an artist.
If you want to know about her, then this book is definetely worth your time.
Madonna is certainly an important personality of modern culture, and this book is fast and enjoyable and cleverly the author does show Madonna's negative aspects, and does not try to create her psychological profile.
The book is simply based on facts and accounts of Madonna's acquaintances.
I just gave it 3 stars because I found it was interesting, but it simply isn't a favorite of mine.