Review:Jugs of red wine, the first ever poetry reading for Ginsberg's epic "Howl", Zen Buddhism and mountain climbing...
What more could ANY Dharma Bum EVER dream of?!
I first read this in my early teens and found it a much relaxed less stressed read juxtaposed to "On the road" which Kerouac wrote in a flourish of cracked vicks inhalers rolled up into little balls and tossed into coffee in three weeks.
Gary Snyder is also a "centered" character in the novel (Japhy Ryder). I have ALWAYS suggest... Read more

Review:A well written first person narrative of childhood abuse told through beautiful language and, at times, over the top storylines; but the author takes care in bringing the psychological manipulation of the abuser and the internal struggle, the confusion and convictions, of the abused to light.

It's a grotesque but captivating story.
Well worth the read, but it will not be received the same across the board... Hence the mixed reviews. Read more

Review:I thought Dodger was a good read, a little simplistic at times but still well written. I always enjoy his books and I'm a huge fan. It was a little corny though when Mr. Dickens would "write something down for later". Looking forward to the next one. Read more

Review:If you've read The Long Earth, you might expect this book to carry on the plot thread about the major existential threat that is introduced near the end of that book. You will discover quickly in The Long War that that idea has been all but forgotten.

The Long War expands the cast of The Long Earth, bringing back nearly all the supporting characters and introducing a few new ones. Like its predecessor, The Long War doesn't really do anything with most of them. There are some subplots that... Read more

Review:Sir Terry Pratchett's entire Disc World series is worth a read. By the time he wrote "The Truth," the tone had been shifting from straight-up comic (often snort-out-loud) fantasy to include political and social commentary. I read through the entire series in order of publication and plan to start all over again some time soon. Read more

Review:If you enjoy Sci-Fi and love to laugh this is a great series for you. Thief of time is part of the Discworld Series. It's full of chuckles and makes fun, tongue-in-cheek, of all the elments of Sci-Fi. This is the first book in the many available books in the Discworld Series that I've read. I can't wait to get my hands on the others! Read more

Review:What else is there to say -Terry Pratchett's wit and wisdom, the wonderful witches Mistress Weatherwax and nanny Ogg- humour that may suddenly slip into deeper water - Terry is only getting into his stride with this book, they just get better and better to an infinite value of better.... Read more

Review:I'm re-reading the Discworld series and each one gets better as I go along. Terry Pratchett has created such a rich tapestry of imaginative, witty, and humorous prose that I just can't stop reading them! Read more

Review:Great book. Good pictures. Lousy sticker.

The book came with an Amazon barcode sticker on it, covering up the ISBN barcode. This would've been OK if it were a quality sticker, like Borders uses at retail; but it was a cheap sticker, which has left nasty crud behind. If I ever see one of these stickers on a book I buy from Amazon again, I will return it as defective, and go buy the book at retail. Read more

Review:The midwinter holiday on Discworld is Hogswatch rather than Christmas, and the Hogfather is the Discworld's counterpart of Santa Claus. He climbs down chimneys, gives presents, says, "HO-HO-HO," and drives a sleigh pulled by four flying pigs. Many children of the Disc believe in him, which is why he exists. (This is a fundamental characteristic of the magical system in Terry Pratchett's Discworld books.) Belief causes the thing believed in to exist, and when belief stops, that existence stops. T... Read more