Finished? BOOK TITLE AUTHOR YEAR # PGS DATE STARTED DATE READ RATING
Improving Your Vision Without Glasses or Contact Lenses Dr. Steven M. Beresford, Dr. David W. Muris, Dr. Merrill J. Allen, Dr. Francis A. Young 1996 117 03/2007
The Painted Drum Louise Erdrich 2006 304 03/2007 04/2007
Vegan Freak: Being Vegan in a Non-Vegan World Bob Torres and Jenna Torres 2005 196 02/2007 02/2007
Dominion: The Power of Man, the Suffering of Animals, and the Call to Mercy Matthew Scully 2003 448 01/2007
The Red Tent Anita Diamant 1998 336 12/2006 02/2007
Reading Lolita in Tehran Azar Nafisi 2003 343 12/2006
Living Among Meat-Eaters: The Vegetarian's Survival Handbook Carol J. Adams 2003 336 11/2006
La Loca De La Casa Rosa Montero 2004 256 10/2006 11/2006
The Secret Life of Bees Sue Monk Kidd 2003 336 10/2006 10/2006
Beautiful and well-written coming of age story, set in the racially charged South in 1964. However, the story is not so much about divisions based on race as it is about how individuals can rise above whatever oppression and prejudices may surround them. It also demonstrates the power of sisterhood for women, as well as the full lives that women can live if they choose to fully act on their dreams rather than blindly following society's twisted path of expectations. Very inspirational for independent women! Highly recommended!
Nombre Del Torero Luis Sepulveda 1994 223 09/2006 10/2006
Muy interesante! Y fa'cil que leer, para mi'. Creo que Luis Sepulveda es mi autor favorito de ficcio'n en espan~ol!
Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague Geraldine Brooks 2002 336 09/2006 09/2006
A great story, well-written and not depressing at all! The author does a wonderful job of creating suspense. And the characters are happily quite multi-dimensional. And the details appear well-researched, so you feel like you're LEARNING ABOUT HISTORY while reading. Plus, it's a quick and easy read. What's not to like? Highly recommended!
The Way We Eat: Why Our Food Choices Matter Peter Singer and Jim Mason 2006 296 08/2006
Sobre Heroes y Tumbas Ernesto Sabato 1974 465 07/2006
The Constant Gardener John Le Carre 2001 556 06/2006 08/2006
I liked the plot and some of the writing was good, especially at the end. But looking back, I don't know how the author managed to tell this story in so MANY pages! Although I haven't seen it, I'm thinking the movie is probably a lot better than the book ... there are so many other good books out there to read, I don't really recommend this one.
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay Michael Chabon 2001 656 05/2006 06/2006
This book started out really slow, and it was very hard to connect to at first. But the second third of the book was really good. I liked the story about Sammy Clay and Tracy Bacon, and the story of Joe Kavalier in Antarctica. Unfortunately, the book didn't stay good, as the last third went back to "disappointingly dull." I can see that it was the product of thorough historic research, and some parts of it were artistic and beautiful to read (and I guess that's why it won a Pulitzer), but I'd say that at least 60% of the book was a real chore to get through. So I'll have to give this a MAYBE. There were some good things about it, but given the amount of time one needs to invest to read the whole thing, I wouldn't whole-heartedly recommend it.
The Flowering of Nirvana Shinjo Ito 2001 117 03/2006 05/2006
This is a book of magazine articles written by Shinnyo-En founder Shinjo Ito and first published sometime between 1976 and 1979. I found it more accessible and easier to read than other Buddhist texts. Most of it still doesn't make much sense to me; I'm hoping to read more religious books to get a better understanding of the philosophy behind religions.
The Time Traveler's Wife Audrey Niffenegger 2003 518 03/2006 04/2006
Intriguing, well-told story. The ending is a little lackluster, but I'm only talking about like the last 3 pages. Other than that, it was a GREAT READ. Two thumbs up!
My Sister's Keeper Jodi Picoult 2004 432 02/2006 02/2006
Good story and a fun read. I thought the ending was a total cop-out on the part of the writer, but at least it made for some interesting discussions! Recommended as a fast and fun, light read.
Animal Liberation Peter Singer 1975/1990 352 02/2006 02/2006
The Kite Runner Khaled Hosseini 2004 400 01/2006 02/2006
Reina de America Nuria Amat 2002 237 12/2005 01/2006
Un viejo que leia novelas de amor Luis Sepulveda 1993 144 12/2005 12/2005
The Pig Who Sang to the Moon: The Emotional World of Farm Animals Jeffrey Masson 2004 304 11/2005 12/2005
If Not Me, Who? What One Man Accomplished in His Battle for Equality Wendell Baker 2004? 155 10/2005 10/2005
The Long Emergency James Howard Kuntsler 2005 09/2005 09/2005
The Perfect Play Louise Wener 2003 342 08/2005 09/2005
Meat Market: Animals, Ethics, and Money Erik Marcus 2005 261 07/2005 07/2005
Find the Constellations H.A. Rey 1954 64 06/2005 06/2005
Mi Pais Inventado: Un paseo nostalgico por Chile Isabel Allende 2004 224 06/2005 07/2005
The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood Rebecca Wells 1997 368 05/2005 05/2005
Sideways Rex Pickett 2004 368 04/2005 04/2005
Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six MIT Students Who Took Las Vegas for Millions Ben Mezrich 2003 272 03/2005 03/2005
Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them Al Franken 2004 448 02/2005 02/2005
La Ley Del Amor Laura Esquivel 1997 288 06/2004 not yet!
Ignorance Milan Kundera Original French: 2000. English tr. by Linda Asher: 2002 195 01/2004 2004
Howard Dean In His Own Words Ed. by Lisa Rogak 2003 154 01/2004 not yet
How to Make an American Quilt Whitney Otto 1991 254 01/2004 01/2004
Seabiscuit: An American Legend Laura Hillenbrand 2001 347 08/2003 09/2003
The Whale Rider Witi Ihimaera 1987 150 07/2003 08/2003
Animal Husbandry Laura Zigman 1998 301 07/2003 07/2003
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone J. K. Rowling 1998 309 07/2003 40% complete, 07/2003
Legacy of Luna: The Story of a Tree, a Woman, and the Struggle to Save the Redwoods Julia Butterfly Hill 2001 256 05/2003 07/2003
The Two Towers JRR Tolkien ? ? 12/2002 60% complete 01/2003
Spiritual Housecleaning ? ? ? 12/2002 80% complete 02/2003
The Brothers Karamazov: Book 2 Fyodor Dostoyevsky, translated into English by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky (1991) 1880? x/796 11/2002 95% complete 12/2002
The Geography of Nowhere: The Rise and Decline of America's Man-Made Landscape James Howard Kunstler 1993 273 08/2002 10/2002
Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal Eric Schlosser 2002 400 08/2002 08/2002
The Brothers Karamazov: Book 1 Fyodor Dostoyevsky, translated into English by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky (1991) 1880? x/796 06/2002 07/2002
She's Come Undone Wally Lamb 1998 465 05/2002 06/2002
Shopgirl Steve Martin 2001 130 04/2002 80% complete 05/2002
The Pleasure of His Company Paul "Red" Burgess Fay, Jr. 1966 120? 04/2002 04/2002
Climb On! Skills for More Efficient Climbing Hans Florine & Bill Wright 2001 144 03/2002 Not yet!
Autobiography of a Yogi Paramahansa Yogananda 1946 569 11/2001 04/2002
The Flight of the Wild Gander Joseph Campbell 1951 226 08/2001 Not yet!
Dune Frank Herbert 1965 489 07/2001 10/2001
Strip Tease Carl Hiaasen 1993 418 06/2001 06/2001
Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain Betty Edwards 1989 207 04/2001 Not yet!
The Fellowship of the Ring JRR Tolkien 1954 432 03/2001 05/2001
Kent State: What Happened and Why James A. Michener 1971 559 12/2000 03/2001
Blott on the Landscape Tom Sharpe 1986 346 12/2000 12/2000
The Hobbit JRR Tolkien 1937 304 10/2000 12/2000
Girl, Interrupted Susanna Kaysen 1994 168 09/2000 09/2000
Watchers Dean Koontz 1989 483 01/2000 02/2000

The rating system is 0, 1, or 2 cascarones.
0 - Not recommended.
1 - OK. Recommended, with reservations!
2- Definitely recommended, if you're in the mood for this type of book!

NOTE: Click on the rating to read my comments on the book.