The most interesting aspect of this book was how life ...
580587
The most interesting aspect of this book was how life really was lived in rural and small village pre-ww1 England.  The characters were well developed  and showed the strict mores of society at that time and also showing the levels of society very distinctly.  Though slow at the beginning, I found it enjoyable.
4779725
This book was a fascinating look at something which is a part of our everyday life: Noise. I've heard the term "noise pollution before" and I've been diligently reminded to wear hearing protection when called for, but I never really understood the impact of noise on health. While the book's title explains the negative side of noise, the contents of the book cover so much more. It cover positive treatments resulting from certain kinds of noise, it talked about protection methods, and exposed potential negative health impacts from noise you wouldn't expect (i.e. traffic, snoring, etc.).  This is a book pretty much anyone could enjoy, but I would highly recommend it to those of you who are into health books.
2323844
This book tells, in a very pleasant way, about both the routines and the adventures of everyday life. The book describes how some specific and almost meaningless life situations, push the author to do a sort of auto analysis through some of the stages of the author's life.

As a result of these deep and totally spontaneous reflections, the author arrives to the very important understanding that precisely because of the very low self-esteem that was a prominent personality trait in most of the author's life, the author lived life based on what other people thought and suggested about how life should be for the author. This caused a deepening of sadness, depression, and lack of self-esteem.

The book is very inspirational and easy to read and understand. And conveys the clear idea that Love, and more precisely love of self, is very fundamental in gaining our self-esteem back.
3925742
Perhaps my favorite part of the book is its underlying theme of the fragility yet perseverance of life.  How human kind has excelled in its development yet failed abysmally its stewardship of the planet really resonated too. Great book!
3929780
A very interesting approach to the story of a modern young woman in the throes of cancer, surrounded by her support system consisting of those suffering from varieties of the same death sentence.  It is a young adult novel, which I don't often find myself reading save for this being a choice in a community-wide read that I am on a committee for.

The best part of this book is its semi-sweet cynical humor found without - a very morbid, realistic view of life at the end of life and at the beginning of life, the young narrator brings us along her journey of love and self discovery, all the while trailed by the expiration date they all must face eventually.

I liked the pacing and the friendly language, but the true art in this piece is Greens portrayal of the narrator and how she tells the story.  Brilliantly written and engaging for young audiences - and I could easily see how this did (and continues to do) so well.  I have a few complaints about the believability of a few things - namely the way the characters used profanity (didnt seem as natural where it occurred to me, for some reason) and also the authors work who is a centerpiece to the novel.  He was a believable character, but the work wasn't for some reason - i.e. as a writer I don't see someone writing a book that doesnt have an ending even getting published, and the plot outlined in the book is significantly less believable in the language it is written, even though the one in your hands as you read is believable.

While I saw the ending coming from a mile away, I could see how everyone who read it reviewed it as an absolute tear jerker.  There were some gorgeous lines interspersed in the overall piece of popular fiction, but it was a good read, and I will be recommending it to the rest of the committee.
1082765
This is the most interesting book that leads the reader through an introspective look at his/her behavior.  I highlighted many parts and there were certain areas that definitely hit home.  The phrase, when being right or nice, choose nice, really caught me.  Also the concept of surrounding yourself with nice people so that it is easier to be nice all the time.  So many times it is easy to get dragged into the nastiness of society and being conscious of mimicking the others rings true in so many circumstances.  Certain kinds of behaviors and attitudes are red lights for getting sucked into nastiness.  This book highlights the feelings that are to be avoided to improve one's attitude and kindness level, thereby improving one's own quality of life.  The book is not large in size, but enormous in good advice.
974894
This is a very interesting, personal account of living with Turner Syndrome, a problem I wasn't sure of the particulars of. To be factual yet interesting in a book of this type is quite an achievement, and this one is most highly recommended.
493129
The Survivors Club by Ben Sherwood is one of the most informative and interesting books I've read in a long time. Always intrigued by who survives disasters and who doesn't, what makes a person resilient, and what factors determine our longevity, I was captivated by the stories and research provided by Sherwood. In fact, I read it on my Kindle Fire and have highlighted so many passages that it's ridiculous.

I've learned that surviving doesn't depend on a single factor.  Several, including age (younger is better for brain injuries), faith in a higher power, resilience, sheer will power, and plain old luck are involved in beating the odds. Sherwood also addresses the ultimate survival, the one that determines how long we live.

What determines how long we live? While nature and nurture are both important, the author feels that our longevity depends largely on our daily decisions and reminds his readers to exercise, wear a seat belt, get enough sleep, and SMILE. Where you live makes a difference too; people who live in Andorra and Japan live decades longer than those living in Swaziland and Angola.

The book's tagline, "the secrets and science that could save your life" is s great summation of its contents. Fascinating stories combined with scientific data presented in an interesting format make this book one to read and re-read.
538766
What I enjoyed the most about this book was the detailed entries surrounding a successful relationship/marriage. I gained a real perspective of how some men think and feel.
4867531
This book is very interesting, it kept my attention.  It is a historical view of how some people have viewed the different stages of life with a little of the author's own viewpoint mixed in.  The emphasis is fairly heavily weighted towards the beginning and the ending stages or parenting.  There is really not much covering that large span of middle-age where many of us will spend decades without children.  It doesn't quite read like a comprehensive book upon a single subject and this puzzled me as I read it.  It didn't have an overall narrative arch that I would have expected.  I discovered why when I reached its end.  The author says most of the chapters started out as essays in The New Yorker (she's a staff writer there).  These reasons are the only reasons why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5.

Having said all of the above however shouldn't take away from what is there.  Each chapter usually focuses on the thoughts or ideas of one or two important people involved in something related to that stage of life.  The individual chapters taken as such are simply excellent.  Lepore is an excellent writer and if you like excellent writing then you will probably like this book.  It is for thoughtful people who might be thinking about life.  This book has Amazon's excellent "Search Inside" feature which allows you to view the table of contents and get a taste for the writing in the book.  There are a lot of pages of this book previewed and you should take advantage of that.

Recommended.
1378378
The most intriguing part of this book was the author's explanation of how she intertwined fictional characters and fictional events with true life individuals.  Read an interesting novel that developed into true life drama to explain the mindset of Puritans of the past.
4932746
Written from the stories, perspectives and realities of life for the longest lived, this book was heart-warming, which I did not expect. The critical differences of habits of the long-lived and the majority of us are made clear. They are reiterated in the last chapter for those of us who wish to try to move in that direction.
2583934
As a McPhee it was interesting to learn about the history of the Island.  It was also interesting to see how people could live so simple and without the convienance that we take for granted an still be happy. On the other side it almost seems like a welfare state.  I enjoyed the book, it was different reading than I usually read.  It was like taking a breath of fresh air.
40358
This book gives you some insight as to the life of a physician.
Many of us wind up in hospitals to undergo some procedure or another and our life is in their hands.  It was so interesting to read about their side of the story and the effects it all has on them.  The influence of friends and family plays a part in all our lives and so often we forget how much help that can be, too.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.
291135
This was an excellent read, but much more interesting if you take 15 minutes to find out all about the life of the author.!
Ive loaned this book to several neighbors, my daughter, mother read it and everyone thought it was an interesting perspective, and gives the opportunity to be in others shoes and see what they go through with special needs children and other cases. Most importantly it reminds us all, not to judge ,generally we do know know what it is like to have to care for seriously ill children There are other cases , which are all uniquely challenging and life altering for the people who live them, and once you read this book I imagine you will no longer view people the same way.
781894
What an interesting book. Author Demos, an expert on colonial and early American society, brings  insights gained from a long career to illustrate how everyday life was impacted by the absence of things we now take for granted and depend upon. Anyone who lived through last October's New England snowstorm can relate, because, although it was only for a week, life was rather primitive for those of us without electric power. Demos describes how dark it was outdoors in the absence of artificial light sources; as a result, life constricted at night, as people retreated to their own firesides for comfort and safety. It's hard to imagine today going to bed at 6 PM on winter evenings and not rising until the sun appeared 10 hours later. Your house was your world for those hours. With respect to lifestyle, there was no conception of adolescence or middle age. People were young, kids treated like small adults, and after 40 or 50 years, if you were fortunate, you'd be old. These are just a few examples of how our views and expectations have changed, radically, over the centuries. Circles and Lines is a scholarly work but eminently readable and appealing. Recommended for anyone with an interest in American history and the evolution of everyday life.
1804016
I enjoyed the book much more than I thought I would given the title, which now as I ponder Jim Goods writing is quite interesting.  I assumed it might be a push on religion but there was none of that.  It was a well written view from a young boys point of view growing up in a poor southern family with an overzealous father in regards to religion.  The author did not try to push a religious point but let the reader have insight how his own religious views formed.

The story was very insightful about growing up in the 1940s and having to move so many times.  In the world we live in now with all our possessions, I would find it impossible.  I admire his mother for having to start a new life so many times with nothing.  It was a clear piece of history that we tend to forget in this era of abundance.