New York (State)

Dry - A Memoir

5 stars (Not So Dry After All) - Perhaps the most astonishing thing about this powerful memoir is its essential kindness and good feeling for humankind, an attitude sustained through a series of dizzying life experiences which could have soured the Dalai Lama. Burroughs' cheerily ironic point of view encompasses his terrifying childhood,his surreal career in advertising, and, most powerfully, his experiences in rehab. While on this journey with him, you experience his growth through a process of discovery, as layer upon layer of denial is peeled back and his true history and true self are revealed to him and to us. The dryness of the wit lies entirely in his refusal to feel sorry for himself; and the final phase of his recovery begins when he is at last willing to open that hardest of all human doors, love. Once I started this book, I couldn't put it down, and read entranced on the bus, at the lunch counter, and through one very dull concert. It will certainly offer you several of the more entertaining hours of your life. 4 stars (Excellently written) - Mr. Burroughs has done an excellent job in communicating his experiences of alcoholism and the struggle of rehab and the 12 step programs. He has been able to share the reality of his experiences and at the same time show a great deal of humor and sophisticated irony. A very good book and one that I will read again. 4 stars (Very Good) - I started this book yesterday and read about 3/4 of it in one sitting. It's an interesting read - and the subject matter is a little less uncomfortable than "Running with Scissors". I can't help but compare this to "A Million Little Pieces", which also deals with someone going to rehab. I feel that James Frey's book was more upsetting but geniune. There were times that I had to put the book down because it was so graphic and heart rending. Anyway, "Dry" is a good read, and if you liked "Running with Scissors" or books in the vein a la David Sedaris, read it. ...
Picador :: Reading Group Guide :: Biography & Autobiography & General :: United States :: Personal Memoirs :: Novelists :: American :: New York (State) :: New York :: Literary :: :: Dry - A Memoir

Hamptons Havens - The Best of Hamptons Cottages and Gardens

Hamptons Havens : The Best of Hamptons Cottages and Gardens...
Bulfinch :: Architecture & Domestic :: U S Architecture - General :: New York (State) :: Interior decoration :: Interior Design - General :: Home Improvement & Constructio :: Hamptons Havens - The Best of Hamptons Cottages and Gardens

The Last Shot - City Streets- Basketball Dreams

5 stars (For Any One Who Truly Cares) - This book was the best written and best depicted book I have ever read. From the beginning it was raw and real. For any one who truly cares about and loves basketball this is a must read. This is as raw and real as it gets in the basketball world. 5 stars (Four inner city kids looking for a way out) - This is probably the best book i have ever read. What it lacked in description in made up for in plot. I never wanted to put this book down! I was amazed at some of the hardships these kids go to, and reading this book can really onpen ones mind. You will be truly inspired and facisinated as i recommend this book to even people with little interest in basketball. I also must say that Stephon Marbury was not a character that was portayed with detail in this book, and you were not overly intersted to know what would become of him. 4 stars (Good story, could have been a great book with better writing) - I found this to be an interesting story and a pretty good book. I thought the descriptions of the coaches' recruiting antics were very enlightening and well written. Being able to use some of the real names, particularly very well known ones such as Stephon Marbury and Jim Boeheim, added a lot to the credibility of the book. Where I found this work to be lacking was in the descriptive writing. Really good writers construct word pictures that are vivid and allow the reader to better experience the story being told. I didn't find the writing quality in this book that would have made me rate it a 5 star effort. This author's style seemed to me to be more like a newspaper reporter's - limited to a fixed amount of space and more focused on the basics than the aesthetics. Outstanding books also need to deliver the aesthetics in the form of well painted word pictures. I wish this book had been stronger in that area. ...
Mariner Books :: Sports & Recreation & Basketball :: Youth :: Sports & Recreation :: Sports :: Social aspects :: Recreation :: New York (State) :: New York :: Basketball - General :: Ba :: The Last Shot - City Streets- Basketball Dreams