Fantastic...except for a bad habit of simile...
592279
My review will be brief, as I have only one bone to pick with the author.  What I thought was first an issue that demonstrated a sexist and dehumanizing behavior within third person limited narrative, I was dismayed to discover that this "bad habit" (of comparing women with animals) was a offensive crutch Caputo leaned on throughout the novel.  My evidence:

Her black skin sparkled with sweat, and when she pressed down, the muscles in her arms and along her ribs stood out, like those in a slightly underfed leopard. (196)

Oh, and the way she would whisper 'I am here,' and then turn over on the sleeping mat and arch her back, presenting herself like a lioness in heat... (197)

She made some animal-like croaking sound. (251)

Her skin was as black as a panthers and she moved like one... (310)

"I don't think so.  I looked at you and thought, 'she has the legs of a gazelle.'" (396)

She rose to her knees in a feline crouch, sighed through clenched teeth as he penetrated her... (424)

They made love like wildcats... (528

There was something about Yamila that Quinette sensed intuitively--she was an implacable natural force, as unconscious as a lioness seeking a mate. (540)

There she stood, all feline sinew, leverage in her braided muscles... (542)

Yamila's demeanor and expression underwent a dramatic change whenever he was near, the she-leopard domesticating herself instantly into a demure kitten. (557)

Women are consistently dehumanized to animals--particularly large cats--in this novel, especially when they are in a sexual situation (either complicit or forced) and when two women interact.  Because this happens with regularity in ACTS OF FAITH, I find it to be an unforgivable habit of Caputo's.  I nearly stopped reading this book because of this regular crime of comparison, but was unable to because of the compelling and significant subject matter.  It's unfortunate that such a fantastic book (and writer) has stooped to such a level.  I hope that Caputo, writers, and readers are able to see this damaging clich for what it is.
1895338
I love the Three Kingdoms. However, having read Brewitt-Taylors masterful exposition, this translation seems lacking, in my opinion.

First, I must confess, I hate the modern Pinyin system of romanization. I cannot abide in a system where letters do not have the proper values. I mean, an entire generation of Americans (and God help the ignorant French!) will pronounce names like Cao Cao as "Cow Cow", or the Qin dynasty as the "Kwin" dynasty. The Brewitt-Taylor translation uses the old Wade system, and while it can be hard on the eyes, the reader gets a sense of at least the rough pronunciation (Cao Cao is rendered Ts'ao Ts'ao, Qin is rendered Ch'in, etc).

Also, Brewitt-Taylors translation is nice to listen to. "Empires wax and wane, states cleave asunder and coalesce"; the sound itself is beautiful, and yet still renders the sense clearly. The Roberts translation certainly succeeds in the latter, but the beauty is lost. However, Brewitt-Taylor requires a very great vocabulary, whereas Roberts is more tame in this regards. Still, this was a book for scholars, and the translation should at least reflect that.

Again, if you have no familiarization with the events of this tale, the complete rainstorm of names is daunting indeed. Always keep in mind the three separate forces (Cao Cao of Wei, Liu Bei of Shu and the Sun family of Wu) as well as a few of the other players (Zhang Jiao of the Yellow Scarves, Dong Zhuo, Lu Bu, Yuan Shao. Liu Biao and Liu Zhang) and you'll do fine. The book itself, in my opinion, is the greatest book ever told, succeeding in being at once a work of strategy, psychology, government, warfare, and human emotion, and there is nothing like it in the lexicon of Western literature. Enjoy!
2834661
Edgar Sawtell is a wonderful story, the author does a great job creating the backstory and the tension as the plot develops.  I recommend it and it's one of the few books i've read twice to see if I missed something or intrepreted phrases differently the second time which I have.

Now , my one complaint....I bought it used in "very good " condition.
Everything was find until the last third of the book where the boy and his uncle are headed for a collision....the former owner of the book decided to use a pen to mark out any words which refer to God or Christ where swearing is the intent. In one chapter, an entire sentence is crossed out.  I would like to know what the author intended...not what some self imposed censor did not want to read.

Amazon, please check your resale books for words and sentences missing becuase someone decides HE should be the editor.  thanks.
4431070
I enjoyed this book--the story line, the characters, the mystery...even with all the Hawaiian slang. What I didn't enjoy, and why I gave it only 4 stars instead of 5, was the frequent use of the "F" word. That is a definite turn-off for me.  I feel that someone who makes their living with words, should be creative enough, to not have to use that word so often. And I especially find it distasteful for someone who gives glory to God at the end of their acknowledgements. But that's just me.
4387059
I'm a huge fan of the original. Loved the concept of adding zombies, and some passages did make me laugh out loud. The zombie action is interwoven with the original text quite brilliantly in parts. And the reader's discussion questions are very clever. I even found myself wishing for more zombie mayhem in some parts of the narrative. So I really wanted to give this 5 stars. However, some of the characters (including Lizzy) are now painfully inconsistent. And some of the new scenes are just silly (and not in a good way). That said, I'm buying copies for all my fellow English majors for Christmas.
1524614
This book was very good, probably the best in the series. However, the constant use of the word hissed got on my nerves. The author uses it constantly to describe the way her characters respond or talk.
3208244
Not usually a Sci-Fi reader, I really enjoyed the plot idea and the characters in this, smarty pants, fast past, on-going trilogy.  However, the author loses a couple stars because the over use of cliches and similes almost killed me, like volcanic lava oozing out my ears (see how unnecessary my example is?).

Tightened up, this story would be five stars.
1273303
Excellent but harsh!  I'd swear to put it down and read something else, yet I'd go right on to the next one suffering all the way.
4023685
Hanford Dixon is a great guy, a near Hall of Famer. Some wonderful stuff in here about his family, I really admire Hanford Dixon for what he has accomplished on and off the field. And some really nice stories from a great period of time for Browns Nation.
But way too much gratuitous profanity--I assume in the name of frankness and realism--it really isn't necessary. One device in particular is incredibly annoying. Every time the Steelers are mentioned, and they are mentioned incessantly, they are referred to as "The Goddamned Pittsburgh Steelers." OK, once, kind of clever. Dozens of times, really annoying.
3657481
I have read all of the Little Britches books many times over the years, including reading them aloud.  I recommend all of them heartily.
Now I have some real problems with the audio books versions.  Mispronounced words!  And I checked everyone I questioned, just a few listed here.  Cameron Beierle, the reader, should check a dictionary.
This may seem nit picking, but I wince every time I hear one of the many mispronunciations, and I think of those who may not understand what he is saying, or worse, might think he is right.
Victuals -- it is not pronounced as it is spelled.  It is vit'ls.  We may mock what we consider illiterate pronunciations, but it is correctly vit'l (vittles)
Mow -- you moe - long o - the grass or the hay, but you then store the hay in the mow -- to rhyme with cow.  Over and over the reader says moe.
Row -- same objection.  Things grow in a roe, long o, but when you have a fight or a quarrel, you row -- again rhyming with cow.  It may be a back formation from rouse, and that gives a key to how it should be pronounced.
My comments apply only to the books as read by Cameron Beierle.  The books are wonderful, but I should have read them aloud myself and recorded them.
3326424
I'm a great fan of Michael's work. It is fun, quirky and to the point. I've been collecting his "Provocations" by email for the past year and it is great to have a whole book of them! Each page provides a focus for the day - poignant, appropriate and thought provoking. I think the font and overlarge text size makes it hard to absorb the message at a glance. I actually found it a bit jarring and felt it detracts from the purpose of the book.
2982690
I'm loving this great novel, but along with that and not trying to sound too picky: I have found two "errors" or please someone tell me if I'm wrong... First is at the begining (first 4-5 chapters) after it's stated and clear that the cat is lost, like 30 pages later Okada narrates about the cat as if it would be with him... (Might be a matter of translation of course...) and the second is: the story is situated in 1984 and when Murakami writes about Okada and Kumiko using a computer chat... well, chat and internet developed properly until the end of the eighties-early nineties, right? I'd wish to be wrong, otherwise is PERFECT! So perfect that these 2 issues jumped out to me... but, however read it, you will not regret, a future classic indeed.
4946428
Another fun story and well developed characters from a really good author.  I'm looking forward to finding out what happens next which is an important quality to me in any series.  BUT (and this is a big BUT), the overuse and misuse of commas nearly drove me out of my mind.  It made the book much less enjoyable to read.
1727253
I love this book, except that the kindle version is SO full of typos and nonsense words it drives me crazy.  I actually have switched to a borrowed printed copy because it's so annoying.  As for content, can't put it down--fascinating look at Africa and the baboon goofballs.  The language is very like speaking language, very casual, and easy to read.
269651
I was rather excited about The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart  coming out on audio. It's excellently written and the audiobook is excellently performed by Christopher Lane who was given ample opportunities to show off his skills.

But the only parts of The Sad Tale I liked were those in which no action occurred -- when the brothers were sitting around arguing with each other about philosophical topics such as Christianity (e.g., is it cannibalism to take communion, how Mary could have been a virgin, etc.). These blasphemous conversations were truly clever and funny, as were the brothers' regular assertions that they were good Christians and their illogical justifications for their reprehensible behaviors.

But other than these bright (sort of) moments, the rest of the plot was full of horrid violence, lots of gross bodily emissions, and various other unpleasant items. I'm sure I had a look of disgust on my face the whole time, with occasional bursts of laughter during the dialogue.

I quit half way through chapter 7 when I realized that I was just not enjoying myself. However, I wouldn't want to steer others away from this clever book, because I think it was unique and well written and likely to be enjoyed by those with more fortitude than me. And for them, let me recommend the excellent audio version of The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart.
2248850
I've listened to quite a few of Patterson's books on Audio, and I enjoy the little background scenarios that are sometimes created with music, or various sound effects; the stories are solid and I feel something is lost by dissecting them or their characters. We enjoy and return to Patterson's books because we know they are reliable and we won't be let down. That said, I have one issue which relates ONLY to the audio versions and not the books themselves: PLEASE make sure your pronunciations of unusual-sounding names or places is correct! The Long Island town of Ronkonkoma, for example; to see it in print is no problem, but to hear it repeatedly mispronounced made me crazy and truly detracted from the moment. (The accent belongs on the 2nd syllable, not the 3rd...)
2844284
Normally I just rate stories with 1-5 stars and no text, but this one demands that I write something about it. First the bad.  Occasionally and *very very* jarringly, the author goes into current tense.  This usually occurs during the 'action' scenes, where it was especially distracting.  Sometimes tense were so bad it felt like I was being kicked in the head.  (I'll let you read the book rather than give you an example, because despite it, I *really* liked this book.  However, if you are pained by the 'were' in the previous sentence yet still continued to read, this book is for you.)

 The good is that this book is awesome.  Awesome technology, awesone characters, awesome ideas.  Author took a scientific idea and explored the hell out if it.  So, Mr McWilliams, *please* keep on writing, but perhaps consider a different editor.  I really can't wait to read what awesome idea you play with next.