Rants, Raves, and Rhetoric v4

Tag: book review

  • Review: The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man and Other Writings

    The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man and Other Writings by James Weldon Johnson My rating: 4 of 5 stars As a mixed race man, though much darker of skin color, some people easily identify me as Black. Others have no clue and try to figure it out with, “Where are you from?” as though no…

  • Book Review: Attila: King of the Huns: The Man and the Myth

    Attila: King of the Huns: The Man and the Myth by Patrick Howarth My rating: 3 of 5 stars A woman asked me about a quarter into this book, “What is the one thing about Attila that I should care?” Now that I have finished, I still do not know the answer. Go read about…

  • Review: The Souls of Black Folk

    The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois My rating: 4 of 5 stars I read this during the George Zimmerman trial for his shooting of Trayvon Martin. What disappoints me while reading this book is how the central problems of that time still somewhat exist. Sure, the overall is much better. But this…

  • Review: Howl’s Moving Castle

    Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones My rating: 4 of 5 stars I enjoy Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli movies. I first saw the movie on video and again recently during a Studio Ghibli series by the local independent movie theater. So when my Kindle showed an advertisement to buy this book for $1.99,…

  • Review: The American: A Special Edition of A Very Private Gentleman

    The American: A Special Edition of A Very Private Gentleman by Martin Booth My rating: 4 of 5 stars As a fairly private person, I identified pretty well with this quote on page 16. Not so much in a truly dangerous sense but in a I am not very good with people sense. Pretty sure…

  • Review: Seven Viking Romances

    Seven Viking Romances by Hermann Pálsson My rating: 4 of 5 stars A couple girls gave me funny looks and asked about “Romance” in the title. So I explained this is romance as in heroic sagas of mighty warriors committing supernatural deeds. (Okay, so I glossed over these same warriors impregnating every woman in their path.) Not muscular…

  • Book Review: Single & Happy: The Party of Ones

    Single & Happy: The Party of Ones by J. Victoria Sanders My rating: 4 of 5 stars Back in late 2011, I ran across the Single & Happy blog. WordPress.com had drawn me in, but I started looking at various tags including dating. Lots were people talking about current dates and especially the horror that is online dating web sites.…

  • Review: Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West

    Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire My review: 2 of 5 stars It was okay. The book seemed more about the philosophy of religion and politics and their intermixing than I expected and without a clear point. It was more Xenocide than Ender’s game. Scarily, the…