Dữ liệu người dùng, đánh giá và đề xuất cho sách
Sách được viết bởi Bởi: Darren Shan
Toru Watanabe sits on a plane. His head rests against the seat in front of him as an orchestral rendition of Norwegian Wood by the Beatles. He is instantly taken back to his freshman year in college where he found his first love. The memories rush back to the harmonies of the melody, as if calling in a requiem to his past - one which he feels deeply sorrowful for. He begins to piece back together his past together through their significance. He tells himself "Everything was too sharp and clear, so that I could never tell where to start - the way that a map shows too much can sometimes be useless." This quote essentially paves the way for the rest of the novel. For Watanabe in this moment he begins to realize the significance memories that he once lived. Norwegian Wood, is a touching tale of love and despair. The center theme of it all is simply about the mistakes that we make as we grow old, and how we allow loves to slip. The novel is written beautifully with vivid imagery and language. Murakami vividly describes what it's like to feel in love and what it's like to feel lost. The book never feels like it is indulgent, it is instead very real, very raw, and believable. Most of the time, Watanabe describes his memories very normally, all carry importance, but they all seem very real and not overtly dramatic. However, when he speaks of the moments that caused great impact on him, he explores them in a way that only an adult could. Not in the sense of maturity, but rather because he has had the time to reflect on it and to understand the moments in his life. I loved every page of this book. It often became too difficult to read for it's realistic depictions of the life that Watanabe is living. He admits to his mistakes in a way that only a man who has pondered on them could. The story never feels redundant but rather transcendent since it never dwells in the parts that feel unimportant. There is certainly a lot of symbolism here since he recounts them in a fashion that isn't necessarily factual but rather similar to a conversation. There is empty windows in the past, yet I found myself filling them with the emotions he could not bare to right. This is human. The book spoke on a level that I have never seen done so well. The book is so rigid it was difficult to hold up, but I continued since I wanted to understand his pain. I wanted to know what was important to him. This is something I wish to emulate someday, but for now I must grow and see the world in the intensity of the now, only to hope that my memories will show me an honest reality. A reality of either sorrow or warmth.
Sách được viết bởi Bởi: Lê Ngọc Bích
About three generations of mothers and daughters, dealing with the trauma of sexuality and immigration. For a debut novel, it shows a lot of promise; ending is awkward and badly structured. (For Professor B; 300 pages)
Sách được viết bởi Bởi:
This is the book that changed my life - prompting me to quit my job as an advertising copywriter and write fiction, instead.
The only book I read that made me cry. It is also one of the books that helped shape my relationship with my older brother.
‘Patriotism’ became a clarion call for conservative political commentators after 9/11. Conservatives used it to marginalize political competitors who expressed doubts about the prudence of national security policy. How did ‘patriotism’ have such rhetorical power in the aftermath of 9/11 when political debates in America are more commonly dominated by the language of individual rights? Why is patriotism a value in a political system founded to protect citizens against an abusive government? Paul Kahn writes Putting Liberalism in its Place to tackle just this problem: how can the American government both have the authority to exert a claim of sacrifice on its citizens and be founded to protect individual rights, most essential of all the right to life? A traditional response to this question would rationalize this seeming paradox by arguing that a state to protect individual rights cannot exist unless citizens are willing to defend it. Citizens should thus be willing to sacrifice their lives if they want to live in a state that protects their individual rights. Kahn instead avoids this rationalization and insists on a radical alternative. He argues that people understand the state as the popular sovereign, as the manifestation of a transcendental ideal of communal self-governance. Kahn understands this popular sovereign as a mirror in which citizens see themselves and thus understand themselves as part of larger, historical project that extends backwards and forwards into time. Through this self-identification, citizens become willing to sacrifice themselves for the state because they derive substantial meaning and purpose from the historical, state project. To the citizen, this derivation of her purpose from the state makes the state’s death worse than her own death. Kahn boldly refutes liberalism in its description of the American state as an entity separate from the citizenry that exists to protect individual rights and instead insists that the American state exists as the manifestation of the body politic; the American citizenry. Under Kahn’s explanation, patriotism, not individual rights, is the ultimate value of the American state. His theory argues that the American Constitution is valuable not because of any particular system of government or set of individual rights that it enumerates, but because it is the American Constitution; our Constitution. Kahn radically places the state above the individual by not merely equating the state with the individual, but by rendering the state as a source of ultimate meaning for the individual. In Putting Liberalism in its Place, Kahn subtly but dramatically argues that America is not a culture that places individualism above all other values. For Kahn, patriotism, love of self-governance by the popular sovereign, first defines American politics. The strength of Putting Liberalism in its Place rests in the multiple analytical frameworks that Kahn pulls together from historical, literary, biblical, philosophical, and legal sources to radically revaluate the practiced values of American politics. Although this approach results in a somewhat fragmented, non-linear argument, it also results in a series of thought-provoking re-castings of the American political experience. The book is highly recommended for anyone tired of the standard political speak of contemporary commentators and in search of a new lens to view American politics.
Good- I read it quickly, but I guess maybe I am getting a little tired of the human/vampire/werewolf love triangle. I will read the next book, but I guess sequels never seem to be as good as the first in a series. I do understand the fascination and popularity of these books though! I just don't want Bella to become a vampire though - as a mother, the thought of Bella choosing her boyfriend to spend eternity with and leaving her family behind with little explanation breaks my heart. I guess I will see how this pans out in book 4.
Sách được viết bởi Bởi: Nhiều Tác Giả
3.5 stars http://threedollarbillreviews.com/201... Dominic Abernathy is the host of cooking show Midnight Gourmet with the gimmick that he is a witch, mixing magic and cooking together for the show. The real trick is that Dominic actually is a witch, and uses magic in his everyday life as well as during the taping of the show. Along with his familiar, stuffed tiger Blaise, Dominic has created a successful show. When the man playing the "witch hunter" on the upcoming show backs out due to illness, Dominic's agent hires cookbook author Carter Brooks to replace him. The only problem is that wherever Carter goes, witches end up dying and the last thing Dominic wants to do is invite a possible witch hunter into his home. When they are attacked at a book signing by the actual witch hunter, Dominic can't deny being drawn to Carter, the last thing he ever imagined would happen. This story is based on quite an interesting mix of witchcraft and cooking. Not often are these combined and it was a premise that I enjoyed. The writing is clean and economical, with the dialogue between characters fast-paced and quick witted. At times there was a bit too much internal responding to what another character says or asks, which got a bit frustrating as I would have preferred to see the character actively speaking or responding. The story overall is a quick and easy read, though it was a bit jarring for me in the very beginning as we're dropped so quickly into the story. It almost felt like starting to watch a show already in progress, or that I should have known these characters from a previous story. This is a story based around cooking and so it's not surprising that there are some recipes including throughout the story. The recipes are very tongue-in-cheek with a lot of humor and snarky comments in the directions, but what really puzzled me was their placement. Although they relate to what is going on in the text when they are included, they seem to suddenly appear out of nowhere. At one point you're reading the story and next you're thrown into a recipe. Though the recipes came at the end of chapters, it felt a bit jarring to me to suddenly be reading a recipe, especially when the recipes were sometimes written from another character's perspective than the one that was active just prior in the story. The recipes add an element of humor, which I definitely enjoyed, but for me they were more distracting than they were worth. Of the secondary characters, Simon is presented as a bit crazy and way too obsessed with his work, rightfully so. He truly believes in his family's destiny and sees the elimination of witches as justified. Dominic's brother Justin is intriguing but his role in the story is a bit weak. He's there to challenge Dominic, especially when it comes to choosing a partner, but we don't know much about his abilities or background. There are details about Justin meeting a man at a crime scene, and the time they spend together, but since this has no bearing on the story it felt out of place. Justin's presence in the story felt like it was laying the groundwork for another story to focus on his character. I enjoyed his character enough that I wish he had played a more central role. Absolutely my favorite part of the entire story is Blaise, Dominic's familiar. Of course Dominic created his familiar when he was eight, so Blaise is in the form of a treasured stuffed tiger. Yes, my mind immediately thought of Calvin & Hobbes as well, though Blaise is much more proper with an slight English accent and strict attention to manners and instead of getting into trouble all the time is usually looking out for Dominic, despite how much it might annoy him. Blaise's dialog is witty and humorous while at the same time his genuine care for Dominic always comes through. I easily could have read an entire book based only on the interactions between Dominic and Blaise. Overall this is a fun and quick story, well worth the read for the fabulous Blaise. If you enjoy stories with magical elements, you should pick up this story.
Sách được viết bởi Bởi: Tô Ngưng
4.5 out of 5 rating Born at Midnight had me hooked pretty much from the beginning. For some reason, the way the story was written just flowed nicely for me. The characters were all so great! I loved Kylie! She reminded me a lot of how I was at her age. I drifted between groups and while I was not the type to date a bunch of guys or party, my close friends were. And I loved her humor! I totally identified with her. The love triangle was another great part of the story. Sometimes I feel that I get tired of the love triangle, but I didn't in this story. And I can usually easily pick out which boy I would choose, but Derek and Lucas are way too hard to chose between! The nice, safe guy or the hot, passionate guy--who to choose? And I can't wait to see who Kylie does choose! The other secondary characters are great too. Kylie's roommates are fun. Miranda and Della definitely provide their own entertainment in the story and Holiday, the camp leader seems like the older sister I always wanted to have. There are so many questions I have left, in a good way. Just what is Kylie? And what's up with Lucas? And who will Kylie choose--Derek or Lucas? I can't wait for the next book in the series, Awake at Dawn to come out in October!!
Sách được viết bởi Bởi: Trần Chiến
I liked this book, it was one of those you needed to curl up in front a fire in a cozy room to read. Great characters and I like the way the author writes. Looking forward to reading more from her!
Sách được viết bởi Bởi: Đỗ Biên Thùy
I automatically associate this poem with Anne of Green gables, and the scene where she almost drowns. But it is a lovely work, really.
Người dùng coi những cuốn sách này là thú vị nhất trong năm 2017-2018, ban biên tập của cổng thông tin "Thư viện Sách hướng dẫn" khuyến cáo rằng tất cả các độc giả sẽ làm quen với văn học này.