Reviews (486)

Compelling story for a non-historical fiction reader
I do not typically enjoy historical fiction especially if the book focuses too much on the historical facts than on creating a story.However, this book changed my thinking.The story was extremely compelling in its description of life in the Royal Court as well as family ambitions and gender roles during that period.I forgot that I was actually learning about history because I became so involved in the story.Also, the book included many surprises which I did not imagine.Just an incredible read overall.

good fictional read but not history
This was the first novel by Ms Gregory that I've read and I did enjoy it.
The best of Philippa Gregory!
By far the best book of all 20 of her books!Riveting in every way...The characters are very well developed and played out.I felt like it was fairly historically accurate, however I don't believe both of her children were Henry's and I don't think there was even much dispute about that. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1491-1547    2. 1508-1543    3. Boleyn, Mary,    4. English Historical Fiction    5. Fiction    6. Fiction - Historical    7. Henry    8. Historical - General    9. King of England,    10. Mistresses    11. Romance - Historical    12. VIII,    13. Boleyn, Mary    14. Fiction / General    15. Historical fiction    16. Modern fiction    17. Romance: historical   

Editorial Review

Lumberjacks, pirates, and Chuck Norris all agree that there is but one arbiter of manliness, and he has but one name: Maddox. The longtime proprietor of the absurdly popular website, The Best Page in the Universe, Maddox has thoughtfully collected his vast masculine wisdom for the first time in a useful reference work, The Alphabet of Manliness. Since men of course communicate with others only under duress, this book may be the sole resource for those starved for answers about basic manly subjects such as urinal etiquette, road rage, and beef jerky.Read more

Reviews (147)

Awesome, bro, I hope the new Maxim is out
Yeah, this isn't funny - at all.
Bow-down, you supplicant pussies
Holy beaver biscuits... I've been in a Jim Beam-soaked kidney buster of a dream for the last 5 months, ever since Maddox sent me his book and I celebrated by bagging the entire PAC 10 cheerleading collective... the smelly skanks deserved it.
Get ready to laugh out loud!
My Goodness, he is an incredible guy and this book is one of the funniest I have ever read. I was wondering why he has so many fans but now I know. He really delivers great, original and very funny content that I read and reread wherever I am not in good mood. I have to agree that the author knows how to entertain and keep you turning the pages. If you missed your Manliness 101 and 202 then you will want to get a copy and even pair it with scientfically guaranteed male multiple orgasms and ultimate sex for even greater score with the ladies. Some of the guys here claim that due to the humor in this outstanding book you will grow extra hair. Well I didn't observe such "side effects" but at a few times I could hardly stop laughing. This book is incredible and I highly recommend getting a copy. Cheers. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Conduct of life    2. General    3. Humor    4. Men    5. Satire And Humor    6. Topic - Adult    7. Humor / General    8. Humour   

Features

• Audiobook
• Unabridged

Reviews (1)

A literary phenomenon that transcends cultures...
This classic American novel of the South could not be better performed by none other than Sissy Spacek-star of the movie "Coal Miner's Daughter" about the life and times of Loretta Lynn.The novel by Harper Lee, an Alabama native, is truly an American treasure-rivaled by few other American novels in the past century.This is a spectacular introduction to the book if you have never had the opportunity to read it.This is a purchase you will truly enjoy for a long time! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Abridged Audio - Fiction/General    2. Audiobooks    3. Classics    4. Fiction    5. Lee, Harper - Prose & Criticism    6. Literary    7. Unabridged Audio - Fiction/General    8. Fiction / Literary   

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - General    3. Literary    4. Fiction / Literary   

Reviews (74)

I don't think they have souls
For me, the moment for reflection came in the assertion that the culling and display of the Hailsham students'art projects was to prove to the outside world that clones had souls. And reflection led me to the conclustion that clones don't have souls.
Please..., Let it go
Absolutely pathetic.I held out hope right up through the last four pages, thinking somehow there would be something there at the end to make up for such a tortuous read.Here's the deal - there is nothing here to care about - the writing (especially the dialogue), characters, and story all come in under the column-heading TRITE.The comparisons with Margaret Atwood are unfounded.Save yourself - this is a dud.And, a wet one at that.

Suspensful, intelligent sci-drama.
Never Let Me Go is the story of Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy, a trio of kids who grew up at Hailsham, an exclusive and mysterious English boarding school. More specifically, the novel is the story of the strained, bizarre, and sometimes torturous friendship that grows between the three. Against the austere, unsettling background of Hailsham, their relationship twists and turns, simultaneously bringing out the best and worst in all of them- Ruth, we see, is capable of both great affection and seemingly bottomless spite. Tommy, meanwhile, is innocent, insightful, and yet hopelessly naive. Kathy, the story's conflicted, regretful narrator, is a bundle of contradictions, simultaneously strong willed and spineless, loving and bitter, moralistic and utilitarean. The interactions and struggles of these three make for a surprisingly touching, at times cathartic, character study.
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Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - General    3. Literary    4. Psychological    5. Fiction / Literary   

Editorial Review

Kurt Vonnegut's absurdist classic Read more

Reviews (573)

Great, though beware of seizures
Really, the best word to describe this book is, "WHAT?", because once you finish reading it, that's pretty much what you're feeling. While reading the book, everything seems strange and confusing, and even when you're done, it's still very strange and confusing. Keeping track of the time and situation is especially hard, and very often you'll totally forget what story within a story within a story you're reading, which can be even more mind numbing and baffling.
Slaughterhouse-Five
Slaughterhouse-Five is a satisfying novel by Kurt Vonnegut.what happens in this story is a boy named Billy Pilgrim gets abducted by aliens from the planet Tralfamadore who send him in the past of world war 2.When billy goes into the past he becomes a prisoner of war and he talks about life in the concetration camps.Some of the parts in this boook are sad and some are funny.And the characters are mostley violent but some are not.If you like to read novels about war or sci-fi this would be a good beook to read.overall the book was good and it had a message about how he took his life in the past day by day.and how to live in such harsh conditions in the camps.I was vaery surprised on the theme of this book.From the title called Slaughterhouse-Five.I thought it would of been on animals at a butcher shop.I did not expect to read about World War 2 or about concentration camps.All of the other books that this author has written must be good if this book was.
The Children's Crusade: A Duty Dance With Death
Slaughterhouse-Five was, to say the least, one of the most interesting literary works I have ever read. The way Vonnegut presents the life of Billy Pilgrim is amazingly symbolic - everything has another meaning aside from its literal representation. The prose of the book is fantastic, it really fits the content of the book really well.
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Subjects:  1. Classics    2. Fiction    3. Historical - General    4. Literature - Classics / Criticism    5. Science Fiction    6. Science Fiction - General    7. Fiction / Literary   

Reviews (49)

I LOVED this book!
I thought that this book was one of the best i have ever read. It is good for all ages. I couldn't put this book down- it got you hooked- and after you were done i wanted to read other books by Shannon Hale. I love the action and romance in Princess Academy. Another great book of her's is Goose Girl.

Cute book for it's intended audience and others as well
I plan on purchasing this book some day. I think it will be a fun book for my daughter(s) to read when they're a little older (my oldest girl is three). The book is fun, easy to read and very enjoyable. This book contains everything, action, innocent teenage romance, drama and intrigue.
Great book!
This book was awesome! I read it in one day and it was very meaningful. It was also suspenseful, and fun to read. I really enjoyed this book and I'm looking forward to read more of Shannon Hale's books. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books - Young Adult Fiction    2. Children: Grades 4-6    3. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)    4. Fiction    5. Fiction - General    6. General    7. Girls & Women    8. Juvenile Fiction    9. Mountains    10. Princesses    11. Royalty (kingsqueensprincesprincessesknightsetc.)    12. School & Education    13. Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic    14. Self-confidence    15. Social Issues - Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance    16. Telepathy    17. Fiction / General   

Subjects:  1. Action & Adventure    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - General    4. Fiction - Science Fiction    5. Human-alien encounters    6. Science Fiction - Adventure    7. Science Fiction - Military    8. Space warfare    9. Fiction / Adventure   

Editorial Review

Has any comic been as acclaimed as Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' Read more

Reviews (327)

Truly deserves the honor it holds being in the Top 100 Novels of all-time.
In 2004 Time magazine came out with the Top 100 novels of all time.In the top 25 was the only comic book/graphic novel in the bunch called The Watchmen. Up to that point I had only heard of the book.I had never had a desire to read it until I saw it was on this top 100 list.
The change...
Alan Moore, at the the point that this book was written, had already started changing the face of comics with his writing on Swamp Thing and the Marvelman and V for Vendetta series in Warrior magazine in England.This book, along with Frank Miller's Dark Knight added a certain darkness to the genre that had't been seen since the advent of the Comic Code Authority during Fredric Werthams campaign against comic books and what he considered their adverse affect on the youth of the time.
=Perfection=
I bought this book 20 years after I read the first three comics.
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Subjects:  1. Comics & Graphic Novels    2. Fantastic fiction    3. Fiction    4. Graphic Novels    5. Graphic Novels - General    6. Fiction / Graphic Novels   

Reviews (782)

Definitively Polarizing
For those of us who have been in the rat race of modern culture long enough that we have stopped thinking, this book is a reawakening.
if a gorilla can see it then why cant we?
i read this book last year during my archaeology class and never go to write a review of the book. this book is a series of conversation and lessons that take place between a gorilla and a man who has an "earnest desire to save the world". the concept of the book is intriguing because all of the lessons that this man must learn are coming from the mind and the mouth of a gorilla. it's interesting to think that we as human do not see the destruction that we are causing in our environment and what we need to be shown needs to be seen through the eyes of those who are actually affected by the destruction of their natural habitat and environment. while humans for the most part are like cockroaches and can survive through just about everything anyone or anything can throw at us, it is nature and all life in nature that can not survive. it takes an outsider to show us the path that we as human have taken, which will ultimately lead to the demise of the entire earth. the leavers and the takers are the basis for much of the gorillas references when discussing how we human came to be. this book is a magnificent and easy prose about the life we have all lived and the inevitable suffering that will come from the continued actions that we take against our earth. yes, interpretation is in the eye of the beholder and what you take from the book, or what you do not take, is totally up to you. what daniel quinn expresses through his characters is truth and if we cant understand from the spoken words of others like you and me, we need to look at the unspoken words of nature and all that reside there before it is too late.. this book has the potential to change your life and to open your eyes to a new kind of understanding and hopefully with this understanding you all can see the truth and do something about it and change the path that we all have chosen before it is too late.

Keep the book in contest: food for thought
I won't argue with detractors. Literarily, Ishmael is laughable. The narrator is an undoubtable caricature, and Quinn is some impressed with his anthro-philosophical platform that he's failed to present a well-formed narrative. In a way, the book reads likea draft. It is too impressed with its premise, and is too eagerly shouting its message to really be taken seriously as a work of fiction.
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Subjects:  1. Fantasy    2. Fantasy - General    3. Fiction    4. Fiction - General    5. Literary    6. Psychological    7. Fiction / General    8. Modern fiction   

Subjects:  1. Capgras syndrome    2. Ficiton    3. Fiction    4. Fiction - Psychological Suspense    5. Literary    6. Medical novels    7. Neurologists    8. Psychological    9. Suspense    10. Fiction / Literary    11. Modern fiction   

Reviews (225)

ONE OF MY ALL-TIME FAV. BOOKS!!
I am engaged, and like to browse through any books that relate to the subject (a little strange, I know... but my friends do the same!) Anyway, I came across Something Borrowed, and although not a typically flowing love story, it was SO much better than I expected-- which was a lot based on previous reviews! I literally couldn't put it down! I finished it in 3 days, and one night stayed up so late reading this page-turner I slept through my alarm in the morning... and was late to work! (It was worth it!) I just purchased Emily Giffin's other 2 novels and cannot wait to read them! I would recommend this book to any woman-- engaged or not. Although I can't wait to marry my fiance, I felt myself living vicariously through the character of Rachel and her steamy love affair! Giffin is able to so acurately put into words things women feel and think, and make points we never would have thought of ourselves! I was never bored as her descriptions led me to form a clear picture of the characters and situations in my mind. AMAZING!!

Prequel for Something Blue
This book is suppose to be a prequel for Something Borrowed but I don't think it matters if you read it out of order.This is the same story as Something Borrowed but from the perspective of Rachel, the smart, hard working, good girl that was best friends with Darcy the pretty popular girl.Rachel is a devoted friend and also a little naive to Darcy.Rachel sets up Darcy with one of her male classmates at law school and watches them get engaged and on the verge of marriage.Then, on Rachel's 30th birthday party, she has a fling with Darcy's fiance.It is shocking to her but she doesn't want to stop.She struggles with her loyalty to Darcy or following her heart for a guy she liked but never had the confidence to go for him herself, but rather set him up with her pretty friend.

Amazing Book!!
I agree with everyone else.This book was amazing, I could hardly put it down.
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Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - General    3. Fiction - Romance    4. General    5. Romance - Contemporary   

Reviews (30)

Superb, Fast-Paced, Entirely Plausible
I just finished reading "Copper Scroll", the fourth Joel Rosenberg novel.The novels build upon one another and are best read in order.
Makes me think. . .
Although this may not have been the most well written of the series, The Copper Scroll was still an enjoyable read.I think the biggest benefit of Joel's books are the references and the opportunity for further research into the subject.
the plot was intriging, but
sometimes the characters were difficult to keep straight. I had to repeatedly refer to the cast of characters in the front of the book which was distracting. Overall, it made for very interesting reading especially in light of the prophesies of the Bible and the soon coming rebuilding of the Temple. Guess we'll see what the truth is then. Israel will prevail. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Copper scroll    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - Religious    4. International relations    5. Middle East    6. Popular American Fiction    7. Religious - General    8. Thrillers   

Editorial Review

Rancorous political infighting surrounds the selection of a successor tothe dying head of the CIA just as Mitch Rapp, the agency's top operative,embarks on a dangerous mission to take out a well-known German industrialistbelieved to be supplying Middle East terrorists with highly sensitive equipmentcritical to constructing a nuclear bomb. When Rapp's ultimately successfulmission is compromised from within, ailing CIA director Thomas Stansfield putshis imprimatur on the efforts of his chosen successor, Irene Kennedy, directorof the agency's Counterterrorism Center, to identify the powerful interests bothinside and outside the agency that wanted Rapp to fail. Read more

Reviews (85)

Fairly good
At the beginning when the book tells us about Saddam Hussein I thought that this'll be as many books written about him. When the book turns out to be an internal affair is when you get thrilled. The book has some pages that said nothing about the main plot but you'll get hooked till the end. This is my first book by VF and I'm looking forward to read more of him.
Good continuation of the series, but not enough action
As a political thriller, this book was heavy on the "political" and not so much on the "thriller".The prior two books, Term Limits and Transfer of Power were more action packed.As a fan of the series, however, I do recommend this third book in the series.There are a large number of characters returning from the prior two books, so I'd definitely recommend reading the series in order.
Good books
I have just finished this book. I have read all of Vince Flynn's previous books and I have enjoyed all of them. If you are looking for a good book pick this one up. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction - Espionage / Thriller    2. Espionage/Intrigue    3. Crime & mystery    4. Fiction / Suspense    5. Political    6. Suspense    7. Mystery/Suspense    8. Fiction   

Reviews (20)

I expected more from Marvel
I don't know if it's me, but this book was is not what I expected. The artwork in my opinion was not that great. The stories were somewhat bland and flat. One story is completed made up of splash pages (all art) and with nothing written on it. You figure with Marvels stable of talented artist, they artwork would have been better. The only halfway decent story was the last one in which the media, along with government, manipulates the news in order to give the people war propaganda news in which the human are winning, and not disclosing the casualties nor suffering that are being endured by mankind. If you truly want to read a gripping graphic novel with amazing artwork, check out Pride of Baghdad.Now that's a great graphic novel.

Opinion of a bigtime game/comic fan
Halo is a great game, and some of these artists have done other work which is awesome.But I have to say that this book didn't do it for me.I'm not a very analytical person when it comes to comics.I read them, and then I just ask myself if I had a good time.I didn't.
HGN
The best representation of the halo universe yet! Accounts for how Sergeant Johnson escaped the flood, and the day the covenant found earth ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Comics & Graphic Novels    2. Graphic Novels    3. Graphic Novels - Horror    4. Graphic Novels - Media Tie-In    5. Graphic Novels - Science Fiction    6. Movie-TV Tie-In - General    7. Science Fiction    8. Science Fiction And Fantasy    9. Comics & Graphic Novels / General   

Reviews (66)

All said and done, I'm glad I read it
I read the prequel trilogy as the books came out.Dune: House Atreides was a worthwhile effort, but things got progressively worse with House Harkonnen and House Corrino.To get to the meat of the story, you have to suffer trite cliches and a penchant for extreme violence.Honestly, it was almost as pathetic as Left Behind.
A Workmanlike Followup to Frank Herbert's Dune Novels
I read Frank Herbert's Dune books many many years ago an while I remember the broad strokes of the expansive stories, many of the minute details have slipped away over the years. As such, I was able to approach Hunters of Dune without any conceits about comparing it to the original novels. All I wanted was an entertaining story that picked up the major threads from the previous books and brought some closure to the cliffhanger like ending of Chapterhouse Dune. On that level, I was satisfied with what Hunters of Dune gave me.
They shouldn't have bothered!!
I have been excited about this book for quite some time, despite my reservations.I read the prequels and wished I hadn't bothered.I didn't even bother with the Butlerian Jihad prequels.But this I had to read because it was based on his outlines.This book was written for twelve yearolds who have never even read a Dune book.I'm tired of people saying that Brian should be given a break.He is not a good writer period.I read thisthing so fast because I didn't want to waste any more time than I had to. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Dune (Imaginary place)    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - Science Fiction    4. Life on other planets    5. Movie-TV Tie-In - General    6. Robots    7. Science Fiction    8. Science Fiction - Adventure    9. Science Fiction - General    10. Science Fiction And Fantasy    11. Fiction / Science Fiction / General   

Reviews (7)

Another gem
I have loved Klosterman's work for a while now, and IV does not disappoint. Funny, sad, cynical, bitter, but a wonderful reading experience. I don't think I understand what anyone is talking about any more, but I come closer to understanding Chuck than anyone else.
Don't waste your time...
Read all of Chuck's other books and this is the worst of the bunch.SD&CP was funny.This is just a bad collection of articles that he has written.If you want to read about femal cover bands, or the scene in Fargo ND when he was 23, go right ahead.It feels like you are reading the Village Voice cover to cover...one crappy article at a time.Torture.

Chuck's Common-Sense Is In Short Supply In the Culture
The title of "Chuck Klosterman IV" hearkens back to Led Zeppelin's classic untitled, "Stairway to Heaven" album.It's typical of Chuck's approach, which is to examine our significant pop culture landmarks with ironic, self-deprecating wit.This book collects some of the highlights of Klosterman's journalism over the past decade.He has been hailed as the successor to Hunter Thompson, but I think he has a quality that Thompson lacked (as much as I admired the work of the Good Doctor).That quality is American common-sense, in abundance.Klosterman's method is to examine pop culture with the close reading usually reserved for so-called "high culture."And then he takes the contrarian view, which can yield some surprising insights.A lot of these icons have been only worshipped their whole careers, so the combination of Klosterman's ruthless scrutiny and heartland human sympathy produces strange and wonderful new wisdom.
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Subjects:  1. American - General    2. Essays    3. Literary    4. Pop Arts / Pop Culture    5. Popular Culture    6. Popular Culture - General    7. Social Science    8. Sociology    9. Social Science / Popular Culture   

Editorial Review

Mark Haddon's bitterly funny debut novel, Read more

Reviews (1218)

The Curious Incident of a Book That Is Wonderful
This book is partly a mystery, but mostly it's a vividly painted portrait of the view from someone else's head.Christopher is our narrator, and he is wonderfully candid and frank with the readers as he takes us all on a journey through discovery.A dog has died mysteriously in his neighborhood, and he wants to find out who did it.Along the way, we discover more about the adults in his world than even he knows, since he lacks the ability to read expressions or fully understand what's going on around him the way a "normal" person would.
A Book with a unique perspective and perhaps a lesson
Having never read or heard of Mark Haddon, I picked up his book "The Curious Incident" solely because I had previously worked with a young man diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. I was curious to read how one would depict the world as seen by a person with the disorder, as I constantly felt both alienated and inadequately prepared to deal with a child whose view was so different from my own.
Interesting topic, but not the most satisfying read
It seems like a novel that's popular because of its strange narrative style and its large number of random facts. Although its interesting to see the potential perspective of an autistic child, it's painful to see how much discomfort he causes to his parents, and from his point of view he isn't seeing their discomfort and trying to amend the situation. It's very difficult to enjoy a novel that's narrated through the eyes of child who is, though understandably so, a selfish person. The author seeks to lower this discomfort by riddling it with so many random facts and pictures, things that serve to make the narrator more amiable. The author tries to make a small adventure look paramount, and it doesn't convince me. A cute book, but not that great. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Autism    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - General    4. General    5. Literary    6. Savants (Savant syndrome)    7. Fiction / General   

Subjects:  1. Ancient and Classical    2. Literature - Classics / Criticism