Review:My kids watch GMM all the time, so this was on both their lists for Christmas. I gave it to the 15 year old instead of the 9 year old after reading some of the reviews and content. So glad I did. Even the 15 year old suggested it was probably a bit mature for the younger one. Read more

Review:Given the history of Southeast Asia (the former "French Indochina"), it's interesting that Greene has chosen a Brit to square off against an idealistic American.

Is that because the British world view is Graham's professional voice? Is it because of the "Special Relationship" between the United Kingdom and the United States to which politicians on "both sides of the pond" constantly refer, making Fowler's reactions to Pyle and his ultimate decision all the more riveting? Is it due to the ... Read more

Review:I wanted to review this book just after I finished it, but I could not. The Wind Up Bird Chronicle is just too much, and I mean that in the best way. Still, I really want to try and capture my feelings for this text (now six weeks past).

Murakami's story is actually dead simple: the main character's (Toru Okada) wife (Kumiko) leaves him and he spends the remainder of the book trying to get her back. At its core, this is just a love story. But this simple narrative is really a vehicle to d... Read more

Review:Bitch Planet is more of a collection of comics than a graphic novel. The story is one where women who are non-compliant are sent to live at the Auxillary Compliance Outpost, otherwise known as Bitch Planet. It's smart and snarky and feminist, and although the format isn't really my thing because I much prefer regular words on a page books, it's definitely worth picking up. Read more

Review:I've been longing for Pynchon's take on the internet. Wonderful and worth the wait. All of his trademarks are here - paranoia, delightful wordplay, onomastic cheekiness, esoteric subjects combined with pop culture. And, something Pynchon knows how to do better than any writer, living or dead, an ending that leaves you with a sense of fulfillment. For all of you who ignorantly feel the need to review the voice on the audio version here, please go back and retract your comments and ratings. T... Read more

Review:Jack Gladney is a college professor in the middle of a mid life crisis. He has no idea of who he is. He hides his emptiness behind thick, dark framed glasses, a scholarly university instructors' robe, and mastery of his academic interest of choice, "Hitler studies". He sees death everywhere he looks and attempts to thwart its inevitability in obsessive compulsive ways. He hoards old, worthless, sentimental objects. He memorizes the most minute trivial facts about Hitler. He to strives for ... Read more

Review:Lot 49 is a unique book, and one of my favorites of all time. I read it for the first time years ago in a class which had T.S.Eliot's Wasteland as central theme, and it was in this context that I came to explore its different levels of meaning. The most fascinating quality of Lot 49 comes from its weaving a highly colorful tapestry, where comical anecdote, subcultural jargon, social satire, historical revelations, and philosophical discourse on moral values are all entertwined. The result is... Read more

Review:This is one of my favorite stories by one of my favorite authors. So glad they created an audio version. Good listening for long road trips. Just a good book period, breaking down the different avenues used to destroy our souls. Read more

Review:I'll admit this was probably my least favorite of the Murakami novels I've read, but that doesn't mean it's a bad book. Though it may not stack up favorably against the author's best efforts, "Hard-Boiled Wonderland"--like lesser works by DeLillo, for instance--still ranks above most other writers' work. Murakami's books have a certain sense of universality that isn't so much temporal as geographical. While set in Japan, they seem as though they could occur anywhere. Partly this is due to Muraka... Read more

Review:I am an author so probably somewhat more critical than the average reader. I found the subject to be interesting, but not the hilarious page turner it was purported to be. I read it in a couple of days, and found it to be a reasonable selection of first person news stories. This was not David Sedaris, or Tom Robbins by any measure. Read more