A Second Chicken Soup for the Women's Soul

A Second Chicken Soup for the Women's Soul
By Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen
1558746226 381p

8/10

Jesus Freaks

Jesus Freaks
By dc Talk and The Voice of the Martyrs
1577780728 361p

The stories of the past were horrible, but then the descriptions of countries today were even worse.
9/10

The Red Queen

The Red Queen
By Philippa Gregory
12 hours (book on CD)

Didn't always like her, but she was an interesting figure!
8/10

It's Only Temporary

It's Only Temporary
By Evan Handler
9781594489952 223p

Liked it, even the times I didn't like him. Sometimes he seemed to do things just to make more drama in his life (maybe to feel alive), and I was almost rolling my eyes. But he's not the only one. I know many people who seem to do things just because they think they're in their own romance novel/reality show/ horror movie/etc and want more drama. At least he's an actor, so it's more natural for him!
8/10

Chicken Soup for the Parent's Soul

Chicken Soup for the Parent's Soul
By Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen
335p

Touching and moving, as usual.
9/10

Canterbury Tales

Canterbury Tales
By Jeffrey Chaucer
translated by J. U. Nicolson
21 hours (book on CD)

Some of the stories were good, others dragged on and on. Averaged out, I give the whole thing:
7/10

Dashing Through the Snow

Dashing Through the Snow
By Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark
9781439129173 226p

Cute, fast read.
8/10

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
By Mark Twain
396p (via PlanetEBook.com)

Of course, hysterical! More and more improbable, yet so believable.
9/10

Lost Towns of the Hudson Valley

Lost Towns of the Hudson Valley
By Wesley Gottlock and Barbara H. Gottlock
159p

Interesting. Wish it had been more than photos. They were good, but more text would have been good too.
8/10

Chicken Soup for the Soul at Work

Chicken Soup for the Soul at Work
By Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen
155874921 417p

8/10

Valley of the Dolls

Valley of the Dolls
By Jacquelin Susann
500p

Fast read, interesting characters. Ending seemed out of character, though. Like the ending was written that way just so it could be a sad ending.
8/10

Katharine Hepburn: Star as Feminist

Katharine Hepburn: Star as Feminist
By Andrew Britton
0231132778 260p

Disappointing. I've had this book on my list to read for awhile now, it's always worse when I dislike a book I've been looking forward to reading. Some specifics:
pg 41- Linking her to leading men and trying to get information about her and Spencer Tracy is because the men are stars, not because she has to be seen in relation to a man like the book asserts. We only care because they're both stars, look at Brad Pitt/ Angelina Jolie. Stars married to "commoners"/non-stars don't get much notice because we don't that she's seeing her childhood friend or he's involved with an attorney from Boston. Gender isn't what matters, it's the star status.
pg 42- Unemployment after autumn of 1947 until State of the Union came out! Horrors, when did State of the Union come out? Book doesn't say, turns out if was in 1948. She she was out of work for a few months, at most? Wow, guess her pro-Progressive Party speech didn't hurt her as much as the book pretends.
pg 52- Lesbian theme in Little Women?!? Speechless at that assertion. Reading on, any same-sex friendship in a movie is homosexual apparently, I had no idea.
pg 160- "with 3 exceptions, the first {film} in which so plays a mother"- so it's the *4th*! That's quite an exception to make to prove a point.
pg 180ish- Hepburn/Tracy films, in this book, means more than just the films the two did together. Which is bizarre. How can it be a Hepburn/Tracy film if only one is in it?
pg 206- Ah, well the author doesn't really like Hepburn/Tracy films, maybe that explains it.
pg 241- Talking about one movie "the film merits a marginal distinguishing note- it *is* possible to watch it withought *consistent anger and embarrassment." Meaning what? That the author watches all her other films with anger and embarrassment? Why did he pick Hepburn to write about if he can't stand her work?

Interesting idea here, to take Hepburn films and show how she what? Was ahead of her time? Pushed politics of her time to be more liberal? Encouraged other pioneering women through the roles she chose? All of the above? Would have liked to have read that book.
6/10