Wow great reading and wonderful collection of essays.
929776
This has been a fabulous read. Wonderful collection of essays and reflection s about the Canal during Midi. Thanks for the pleasure.
145843
I kept getting funny looks as I was listening to this at work and would randomly laugh.  It is wonderfully funny as well as deeply touching.  These are great essays from a great writer.
4832637
An excellent set of essays. I'm happy that I bought it as a hardback but I wish a future edition would be in paperback as  well.
4064664
An excellent thought provoking collection of essays on a wide range of topics from antipasta to assisted dying. The rate and quality of the output of this author throughout his career has been astonishing.
921592
This is a very enjoyable collection of essays, mostly about writing and the life of a writer. The title essay was probably the best one, but it's really the only one about her marriage. The rest could be considered a metaphorical marriage, in the sense that writing is a life-long passion for her and her longest-term commitment, but it was not what I expected from reading the jacket and some of the other reviews. Still, she's a good writer and I'm very glad I found this. I've read two of her novels but nothing of her nonfiction writing before. I found her thoughts on what education and true creative thinking are most inspirational.
1865291
An anthology of science and nature based essays can intimidate those of us who failed all the sciences at high school. This collection though is so well written, engaging, informative and surprisingly funny at times, that I enjoyed the book very much. The introduction by Amy Stewart covered all the bases, the place of such writing in history, the need for the journalistic articles as well as the more lighthearted all serve the readers. The goal of this book, of science writers, is to make us look outside of our own spheres, to see beyond the obvious, and to learn about the bigger world. It's a fascinating collection of stories.
Some of the essays are pretty light, such as Amy Leach and the Modern Moose. Others are heartbreaking, the final essay ever written by Oliver Sachs reminds us all of the fact of our own mortality.
Please read this. I'm glad I did. It's thought-provoking in the best way, and yes, I did laugh out loud at some of the images and experiences.
<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Bring-A-Chainsaw-and-other-stories-from-my-solo-travels/dp/1523359854/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Bring A Chainsaw: (and other stories from my solo travels)</a>
2130037
Jonathan Dobrer's newest collection of essays showcases his gift for extremely engaging, often humerous and always thought-provoking writing.  Who can resist delving into an essay that seems to be a confession of a crime "I just got back from making a drug run to Mexico."? It's not a confession nor a crime--but I leave it to the next lucky reader to discover the truth! His essays explore and address seemingly insurmountable social concern; separation of church and state, Sept. 11, the situation in the middle east, corporate fraud, immigration, racism, and national security. And whether or not you may agree with his observations, these essays will make you think and rethink your own observations. These are essays born to spark lively group discussion. The essays here also show Jonathan Dobrer's strong ability to write deeply moving essays such as the one on the death of Daniel Pearl, delightful whimsical pieces such as "Murder Most Vowel" and local interest pieces such as "Irony-Free in Anaheim" that address the issue of immigration in an intelligent, straight-forward manner done so well it could apply to any community in the U.S. This book is a delight to read, talk about, and read again.  I look forward to Jonathan Dobrer's next collection!
461644
I really don't read v. many essay collections but I would if they all promised to be as good as this one. This book of essays makes me wanna read more essays and makes me wanna write my own, which is a big deal for me. Reading this book felt like the best parts of honest late-night conversations. "Channel B" was just so good. I'm a mama and a writer too, so I esp. loved the mama stuff. And also, all of it. I loved "Who Wants the Shot" and "82 Degrees" and "Dragons So Huge." Also, all of them. I loved "NICE." I laughed out loud @ "Those Who Were There." I underlined things and starred things and teared up at things b/c of feelings. Beautiful collection. Collection, I love you.
4746791
This book is a mind bending pleasure on so many topics of urgent importance. Part of the book's great attraction is that the reader can open it to any subject of personal interest or curiosity without having to follow the essays in any particular sequence.  The only caveat here is that some of the essays are clearly  in response to a previous writer's thoughts and it makes the reading even more fascinating to be aware of what went just before.  Even so, each entry is a treasure in its own right. May the essays continue to flow.
380556
Joseph Epstein's personal essays revealed much about the man that I did not know.  Wonderful, biting essays about famous writers  and philosophers, together with laugh-aloud humor--what more could I ask for?  I highly recommend In a Cardboard Belt.
977438
I was extremely surprised to find this collection of essays not reviewed here.  The title essay alone, "Yellow Woman and a Beauty of the spirit," carries more weight than most books in total, given the  revelatory descriptions of traditional Laguna Pueblo culture.
Also,  Silko's essay "The Border Patrol State" and other notes on border  militarism and race related discrimination are important and timely, and  increasingly relevant.
4565746
WOW! I'm thoroughly enjoying this book. The various essays cover a range culinary topics that fulfill my interests in history, sociology, anthropology, religion, and of course food. Well written and engaging.
1541753
This is a superb collection of personal essays reflecting the beliefs of Philadelphians in the 1950s and in the early 21 century. It continues the This I Believe book series that were initiated in the early 1950s and captured a CBS audience of 39 million listeners weekly. I find striking the contrast between many of the early and current This I Believes. Initially, essayists often seemed more formal. The current essays frequently are stories that are a snapshot of one aspect of the authors' beliefs. All are worth reading, preferably aloud. The book makes a marvelous gift to old and young--whomever is interested in personal beliefs and, perhaps, in trying their hand at writing their personal beliefs.
73469
This collection of essays is superb. Margot Livesey is a master teacher and writer who understands the difficulty of learning how to write from reading literature; she navigates skillfully between craft, biographical, and literary issues in a natural and lively manner. Her essay on character will enthrall anyone who loves writing and reading fiction.
4892376
With Bad Feminist, Roxane Gay establishes herself as one of the best voices of our generation. These essays are witty, thoughtful, and powerful. More importantly, they are highly readable, unlike many essays about "important" topics strewn about the internet these days.

Bad Feminist runs the gamut of modern topics: gender, race, sexuality, politics, entertainment, and much more. There's no topic that Gay is afraid of, but her essays also show a vulnerability that makes the writing even stronger. Gay does not claim to be the foremost expert on race relations. She doesn't have all the answers regarding politics or sexuality. As the title suggests, she doesn't hold herself up on a pedestal as the supreme spokesperson for feminism. Still, her writing is flawless, and each point she makes is thought-provoking (even if the reader won't necessarily agree with everything).

Full disclosure: I'm a white male. On the surface, many of these essays don't "relate" to me. On the surface, I am not Gay's target audience. But the beauty of the essays in this collection is that they are for everyone. If you can't relate to what she's saying, then you simply don't want to listen.

This collection is not without faults. The essays on entertainment felt repetitive at times, and Gay's obsession with the Hunger Games trilogy left me questioning her taste. However, the collection is ultimately loaded with gems, not duds.

Whether you are a hardcore feminist or a raging misogynist, a right-wing nut job or a liberal freak, this collection will give you something to ponder for a long time. These essays are a must read.
1136991
The essays are wonderfully translated and easily readable.  Montaigne is called a philosopher but his essays are a self-exploration, and very individualistic to him.  There's not attempt to make some overarching system of life, just humorous observations of what makes people tick, and honest evaluations of our many imperfections.  And since he wrote essays (Heck, he created the essay) its easy to read one or two than put it down, and come back later.  Lot of good stuff in here.

The travel journals at the end are fun, but not up the the same level of his essays.  You get observations of 16th century German and Italy, and a large amount of Montaigne talking about his various ailments and bodily functions.  Definitely not what you normally expect readying a four hundred year old book.
1450315
I thoroughly enjoyed this book consisting of multiple of the "best" essays. Many of them were only a few pages long and able to be read in one sitting which was very convenient.  The essays were very entertaining which made it a pleasant read and I recommend this to everyone of all ages.