Compulsively readable
355054
What does it take to be human? This book explores that question in an eerie, imaginative, and original way. The author's skill in creating compelling characters will engage and drive you to the very unexpected end. I really can't peg this into any one genre , and that's one of the things I liked about it . Recommended .
3113347
This is a  remarkably readable novel by a talented and prolific author who knows his stuff.  I intend to reread my copy if I have not passed it on to a friend.
2719765
A superbly well-written, tiny tome about not over-decorously populating your sentences with tendentious and unnecessary modifiers.
4940341
The reviews for this book are all true. "Electric," "page-turner," descriptions about the language and more. Here's the short deal--let me break it down: you will be happy for the money spent. 1)  it IS a page-turner 2)  it's filled with graphics and visuals so it MUST be a print book you can touch and hold.

below is my whirling weaving review
"Where does the body end and ideas begin? At the edges of skin?" Anna Joy Springer lays before you the multiple levels and consciousness of time and life/death and language in a galvanizing set of hurdles called page-turning or poetry called love or memories or maybe prophecy. Her laces of cartoons and drawings and pages typed with typos crossed out looping through. Vicious Red Relic Love has that elusive quality that good poetry has (by definition one cannot get enough so the poem is re-read re-visited and sashays through one's dreamscape), a good food dish that you have to keep tasting, not trying to define the taste but so wishing to re-feel them, maybe even capture them, but worth the trying. For me personally I was in SF in the 1990s, I am grateful for her the time-machine (which by the way is NOT like any other and is not at all at times and the is that.)
4869964
In this collection of humourous essays, Umberto Eco exemplifies my most favourite literary character: the lovable curmudgeon.  Only he happens to be a curmudgeon blessed with world class wit, an encyclopedic knowledge of history and art and literature, and the reputation as the world's leading expert on semiotics.  I enjoy his writing best when he's not wielding all of those swords at once.  During those pieces the humour gets tangled up in the academia, causing migraine headaches for his less nimble-minded audience (an example of this is the long piece 'Stars and Stripes', which in the interest of full disclosure I'll admit to not understanding).
The better pieces are quick, to the point, and almost existential.  They are also very accessible.  'On the Impossibility of Drawing a Map of the Empire on a Scale of 1 to 1' takes that wickedly mischievous proposition to its logical conclusion, and skewers the pomposity of academics who feel equipped to offer a truthful representation of the world.  Eco himself knowingly gets caught in that crossfire, much to his own delight.  My favourite piece is entitled 'How Not to Use the Cellular Phone'.  In it, he rationally categorizes cell phone users (ranging from those so important they need to be on-call 24 hours a day, to those living lives so lame they must constantly be in contact with people who might be doing something interesting).  Upon completion, I felt justified in my desire to never own one of those horrendous little gadgets.
Once again, a funny little book that makes you look at the world your living in just a bit differently.  What more can you ask?
4824711
The translation here reviewed is lucid and readable, yet never deviates from the spirit of a text in transition, from scattered tablets to complete work. However, George does a wonderful job of maintaining the flow within this patchwork epic. In some sense it feels as though you're reading the tablets themselves under his guidance and assistance. There is also a great introduction to basic Near East culture and history, as well as an interesting appendix on the creation of an ancient Babylonian translation. The illustrations are also interesting.

Footnotes were nonexistent (though they were usually unnecessary--George has an introduction before every chapter). Also, the repetitive, partial fragments that George has translated after the epic are bit needless in an exoteric translation, though the poems were a nice touch.
1633538
It took me almost two months to read a 204-page book. I literally read three pages a day, and re-read my favorite passages over and over. I just didn't want to leave. I felt like Sean and I had some sort of understanding; so many of his thoughts and experiences in WIWV resonated with me (which, now that I think about it, should be worrisome).

I'm sure anyone who sees this cover in person has to admit that it's gorgeous (it definitely pulled me out of the Cloud and brought me back to physical books). But the content contained within may not be for everybody. How you feel about this novel will be largely dependent on what you expect to get from the experience of reading a book.

This book throws linearity out the f*cking window. The narrative jumps from past to present, from present to memories, from real to imagined, and it usually does all this seamlessly. If that's a problem, then this is not the book for you.

There is some structure--Darnielle seems to have taken great care with the way his story is mapped out because he knew it would be told in reverse-- but there isn't really a plot. I feel Darnielle's wordplay was enough to keep me interested, but if you need for there to be a clearly defined point/lesson to the 200+ pages you've read...this is not the book for you.

I thought about the fact that Imaginary Girls (by Nova Ren Suma) drove me nuts because there was no real plot; just a writer stringing words together nicely on the page. Yet, now faced with a similar issue, I didn't just look past it, I loved it. I can't explain why, but WIWV is just different, better, more filling.

The narrator, Sean, isn't telling you a story so much as he's letting you wander around his thoughts. He's an unreliable narrator, because he clearly suffers from some type of mental illness--perhaps schizophrenia or psychopathy or, at the very least, delusional thinking--but he still came across as open and trustworthy, and I liked him. And even though Sean's not trying to be misleading, his implied pathology leads you to believe that his view of things is probably skewed.

I would have loved for Sean to share everything--to confess once and for all why he did it--but I imagine that would have opened a door he couldn't close, and, well...I accept that.

And also: lots of colons.

Random Question: Does anyone understand why Sean talks about being filled with like indescribable joy in the beginning (which I guess is technically the end)?
2772165
Far too often, I choose light-weight reading as I read to escape the everyday. Not always, however, and this week I fortunately plucked this novel from my ever-growing list of must-reads.  One of the attractions was its pleasing, engrossing length. It is very well-constructed--so well that one feels it is the only way the story could be, and I found myself surprised quite far in to recognize the parallels. The experience of war here is sufficiently harrowing to allow the experience without being so dreadful that one cannot read it.  The lives unfold as lives do, with sweet moments in the midst of dreadful circumstances, and the wise among us choosing to make the best of the good while putting aside the rest. Poignant.
2056730
This is a hugely enjoyable, very readable book... despite the fact of the author being just a tad "too cool for school."  He does talk frankly, though, about the panic attack he experienced on national TV... and he's not afraid to let many skeletons out of his closet to share with his readers.  He finally finds a tool to help tame the critical voices in his head... meditation... set in a framework of what the author calls Jewish Buddhism.  He's also funny and writes with an appealing self-deprecation.  Check it out, you'll like it!
1775758
I am rarely thrilled by anything I read. This is both a function of having read all the good stuff, and a downright dearth of anything new worth reading.  At last, I am able to report that I found my thrill, not on Blueberry Hill but in the obscure pleasures offered up by the ethereal Carmela Ciuraru in her brilliant (HarperCollins, thought so!) NOM DE PLUME: A (SECRET) HISTORY OF PSEUDONYMS. The adjective ethereal was not chose lightly. There is a photograph of Carmela on the back flap of the book cover.  I am sure you would agree that hers is a face from Botticelli, a unique beauty, something deliriously ethnic in her face, and cerebral in her sweet, cynical smile.

It must be serendipitous that I should find this book within days of the breaking July, 2013 news of J.K. Rowling.  Apparently she published her last novel--The Cuckoo's Calling--under the pseudonym John Galbraith. The story, of course, is probably a publisher-conceived media stunt.  Each day it has built itself "legs" and the pundits & analysts are slicing & dicing as I write.  It would be a great injustice to their viewers should the 24-hour news mavens not invite Carmela as a guest commentator on the issue of pseudonyms in general. The author is undoubtedly an articulate, charismatic, camera-ready treat.
I strongly advise whoever is scheduling guests to get on this right away

Her book is a nuanced analysis of various motivations behind an author's use of a pseudonym for publication. In addition to being a fascinating read, particularly for writers, NOM DE PLUME, it sets each story--and they're all there: Twain/Clemens, Blair/Orwell, Carroll/Dodgson, Dinesen/Blixen, Plath, Simenon, and Highsmith--sets each episode of literary schizophrenia in historical context.  Quoting Carmela:

"At its most basic level, a pseudonym is a prank. Yet the motives that lead writers to assume an alias are infinitely complex, sometimes mysterious even to them."

The book is a gem and fun to read.
1753180
"The God Patent" not only tells an obsessively readable story, but it is also remarkable for how it tackles that old religion vs science debate head-on.

Because concepts from physics, calculus and computer science play such a crucial role in the lives of the characters and the mystery they are attempting to resolve, scientific semi-literates (like me!) might be tempted to avoid this book for fear of being exposed to the full extent of our ignorance, but Stephens has devised a number of very effective strategies to keep us engaged--and even learning--as we read.

The characters in "The God Patent" are both quirky and memorable, the plot has a tidal pull, and ending will leave everyone with many new ideas to ponder.
2534200
I like this book. Its pervading flavour is of having a lot of fun - and it's nice to be put at ease and invited to come and play. It's much easier to glean insight when you're at ease, rather than wrestling with the zillion imaginary things the anxious mind wrestles with.

The book's only potential stumbling block could be a compromising of nondualistic precision in favour of all-inclusiveness (the book covers a very broad, eclectic spectrum of narratives - Shakespeare, Einstein, Lao Tzu...). However, as it happens, this stumbling block doesn't materialise, because whenever slight imprecisions are indulged - the over all strongly nondualistic message of the text re-appropriates the deliberate "slur" in its real precise terms. And anyway, the hole in the centre of the book (which in keeping with the all-pervading playfulness of the text re-constitutes the book as a sort of board-game!) is the ultimate expression of this text: forget the words... fall into the void - it says!

And, along the way, the dipping into all manner of cultures and forms creates a warm, affectionate feeling of communal intimacy - which is its own appeal and beauty.

All in all, it is a lovely, imaginative, gently informative read. "Hillig" never gives the impression of being high-and-mighty, superior, he just sounds like he likes to play and make friends - friendships constituted in ecstatically sharing truth. The narrator-reader relationship in this text IS a friendship - and that's so valuable when trying to share something ineffable.

Thanks for the lovely book Chuck,

With love to you and anyone else who cares to read this meandering, relaxed, happy, summery review,

Guy xxx
884400
I could get more than five pages into this book at any point without wanting to nod off.
3711649
The deliciously subtle, nuanced musings of "Robin Cooper" in his 2007 diary made for one of the more enjoyable books I've read in years. Ostensibly a journal, this lighthearted character study constructed from Cooper's naive ramblings are lovingly fine-tuned, well beyond the early introduction to Robin through his Timewaster Letters, the sheer abundance of which have resulted in him getting sacked from his job.
Meanwhile his interactions with his long-suffering spouse Rita (literally, what with all the ankle injuries) and fair-weather friend/"best mate" Tony are detailed, consistent and inspired glimpses into our main character's many, daily lapses of reason... balanced by Cooper's perpetually resilient sense of idealism and ambition.
Not exactly sure how a simple but useless closing phrase like "I wish myself luck!" has become an infectious carry-over into my own personal life, but such is the book's impact that I suspect others will find this book joyous and refreshing like I did.
4635829
This book is a tightly-crafted blend of memoir, love letter and war story (in more ways than one). It's incredibly readable while plumbing the depths of emotions that come with any worthwhile relationship. Totally worth the read.
1802839
There are certainly imperfections in Ms. Gabaldon's writing (overuse of adverbs, occasional cringe-worthy dialogue tags, a tendency to get bogged down in details at the expense of plot movement) that have made her novels uneven over the course of the saga, but with Written in My Own Heart's Blood (MOBY as dubbed by the author), Ms. Gabaldon is at her full power as a storyteller. MOBY is a compulsively readable tour-de-force; a roller-coaster ride with more adventure, romance, mind-bending time paradoxes, family ties and complications, heart-rending tragedy, and laughter than should be possible in a single novel.

Turn off your phone and order pizza for your family, because you're not going anywhere while you're reading this book!
1262281
I found this book hard to put down, and even when I did rest from it for a while, the images and characters stayed with me.  The sympathy one feels for Mattie is effortless, and Sedia's writing flows so easily that it is easy to find yourself reading and reading, without wanting to stop.  The balance of alchemy and clockwork, and the introduction of the homunculus reminds me of the writing of China Mieville, without some of the darker aspects.  The world that Sedia has created here is both magical and repellant, but completely intriguing.  Great book!