Jon's Book Reviews

Welcome!

August 7, 2008 in Uncategorized by admin | No comments

Welcome to Jon’s Book Reviews. If you are new here, why not take the Reading Speed Test? Or, if you would like to know who I am and why I created this site, click here to find out. To read my latest review, just scroll down. You can also browse reviews by title, author, category, or date of post using the navigation links on the left. If you think someone you know might enjoy a particular post, feel free to share it with them using the “Share This Post” button at the bottom.

If you’ve been here before, you’ve probably noticed that the site has a new look. I changed to a new template that automates some things for me so I can focus more on writing good reviews. The list of most recent book reviews is now on the left sidebar under “Recent Posts.”

Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo (Guest Post)

March 2, 2009 in Uncategorized, Young Reader Fantasy by admin | No comments

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This is a Guest Review by Mrs. Sneakyreader

Subtitle: The First in an Unfoogettable Series

Author: Obert Skye

Genre: Young Reader Fantasy (9+)

Rating: **** (4 Stars)

Summary:

Leven Thumps is a fourteen year old orphan living in a trailer home with his aunt and uncle, who don’t really want him around but feel obligated. Unknown to Leven, he lives near a gateway to a magical world called Foo. Foo is threatened by the malevolent Sabine, who, if victorious, will destroy not only Foo, but our world as well.

By Fate, Leven meets three messengers from Foo, who tell Leven about Food, and explain that Leven alone has power to save it from the forces of Sabine.

This is the first of a series of books describing Leven’s efforts to save Foo.

Tags: Brandon Mull, gateway to foo, leven thumps, Novel, Review, Young Reader Fantasy

Fablehaven Book 1

March 2, 2009 in Uncategorized, Young Adult, Young Adult Fantasy by admin | 2 comments

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This is a guest review by Mrs. Sneakyreader

Author: Brandon Mull

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Rating: ****(4 Stars – as rated by Mrs. Sneakyreader)

Summary:

Seth and Kendra are spending time at their grandparents farm, Fablehaven. While there, they are given a set of strict rules. Seth becomes curious, and ventures into the nearby forest without permission, where he begins to learn about the magical creatures that inhabit the forest.

The children find out that their grandfather is the caretaker of the magical forest and is tasked with maintaining the balance of good and evil among the creatures who live there.

As Kendra and Seth explore, they accidentally break a protective spell, and their grandfather is abducted by mysterious creatures. Seth and Kendra must rescue him and restore the balance of power at Fablehaven.

Twilight

March 2, 2009 in Uncategorized, Young Adult, Young Adult Romance by admin | No comments

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This is a Guest Review by Mrs. Sneakyreader.

Author: Stephenie Meyer

Genre: Young Adult Romance

Rating: *** (3 Stars)

Summary:

Isabella (“Bella”) Swan is a high school student who moves Arizona to Washington State to live with her father, Charlie. On her first day at her new school, Bella catches a fellow student, Edward Cullen, staring at her. He is in one of her classes, but gives her the cold shoulder and tries unsuccessfully to transfer out of the class, causing Bella to think she has offended him somehow.

Later, Edward pulls Bella out of the path of a speeding car, then saves her from a group of men who are harassing her. They become aware of their mutual attraction and begin spending lots of time together.

The Enemy Within: 2,000 Years of Witch-Hunting in the Western World

December 26, 2008 in History, Nonfiction, Uncategorized by admin | No comments

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Author: John Demos

Genre: Nonfiction, History

Rating: **** (4 Stars)

Summary:

John Demos is a professor and scholar of history. The Enemy Within is “the end product of an almost half-century engagement with witchcraft study” dating back to a term paper he wrote as a grad student in 1960. Demos observes that “witch hunt” is a widely used metaphor in today’s world, and sets out to compare and contrast modern metaphorical witch hunts with the literal witch hunts of the past. He begins with the Roman persecution of Christians in the 2nd century A.D., continuing up to the Salem witch trials in 17th century Massachusetts. Demos notes consistent patterns in events leading to accusations, people who were accused, and how witch-hunts sometimes spiral out of control as the accused name others in attempts to save their own lives.

Tags: accusations, History, john demos, mccarthy hearings, Nonfiction, red scares, salem witch trials, witch hunt

Why Beautiful People Have More Daughters

December 23, 2008 in Nonfiction, Uncategorized by admin | No comments

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Subtitle: From Dating, Shopping, and Praying to Going to War and Becoming a Billionaire- Two Evolutionary Psychologists Explain Why We Do What We Do

Authors: Alan S. Miller and Satoshi Kanazawa

Genre: Nonfiction

Rating: ***** (5 stars)

Summary:

Why Beautiful People Have More Daughters is an insightful look at how natural selection has influenced how we behave, asserting that certain behavioral tendencies made our ancestors more likely to survive and reproduce, and that we, as their descendants, have the same tendencies, which, taken together, constitute “human nature.” Many of these tendencies are better suited to a world that existed thousands of years ago, rather than the present day, and result in many of our social problems of today.

Tags: alan s miller, evolutionary psychology, human behavior, natural selection, Nonfiction, reviews, satoshi kanazawa

Killing Floor

December 19, 2008 in Detective, Thriller, Uncategorized by admin | No comments

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Author: Lee Child

Genre: Thriller, Detective Fiction

Rating: ***** (5 Stars)

Summary:

Jack Reacher is a former military policeman who lost his job to military downsizing. He is living off his severance package and drifting from place to place without much of a plan. On a whim, he gets of a Greyhound bus and walks into the small town of Margrave, Georgia, where he is falsely arrested for murder.

Reacher is interrogated by the town’s only detective, a man named Finlay who formerly worked in Boston. Reacher convinces Finlay of his innocence, and because of his military police background, ends up helping the police department with the case. He learns, to his horror, that the murdered man is his own brother, Joe, who was working for the Treasury Department investigating and prosecuting counterfeiters.

His Panic: Why Americans Fear Hispanics in the U.S.

December 16, 2008 in Nonfiction, Uncategorized by admin | No comments

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Author: Geraldo Rivera

Genre: Nonfiction

Rating: **** (4 Stars)

Summary:

His Panic is, as the title suggests, about immigration, immigration reform, and the prevalent negative attitude of Americans toward Hispanic immigrants. Geraldo Rivera sets out to to address many of those perceptions and make a case for a more liberal immigration policy.

The author compares the current wave of central and south American immigrants to the past migrations of Europeans, including the Irish after the Potato Famine. He cites the example of violence toward Irish immigrants in New York City, and suggests that current attitudes are simply history repeating itself with the hatred focusing on a different group.

Geraldo addresses a number of negative perceptions surrounding Hispanic immigrants, asserting that most immigrants are law-abiding, hardworking, patriotic and benefit the United States by their presence here. He also accuses certain radio and TV commentators of spreading misinformation to sway public opinion against immigration reform, citing and refuting several examples.

Tags: argument, book, geraldo rivera, immigration, immigration reform, misinformation, Nonfiction

Announcement: Time Off

November 14, 2008 in Uncategorized by admin | No comments

Due to an extremely busy schedule with school and job interviews, I haven’t had time to update this site for a while. I’ve decided to take a sabbatical from book reviews until things relax a bit. I have no intention of taking down the site. All published reviews will still be available even though I won’t be adding to them for a little while.

Enjoy!

Permanent link to this post (66 words, estimated 16 secs reading time)

Blob Jump Video

October 6, 2008 in Uncategorized, Videos by admin | No comments

If you don’t know what blob jumping is, watch the video and it will become obvious. This looks fun… and painful… and fun.

Permanent link to this post (25 words, estimated 6 secs reading time)

Tags: blob jump, fun, Video

« Older entries

This is a Guest Review by Mrs. Sneakyreader

Subtitle: The First in an Unfoogettable Series

Author: Obert Skye

Genre: Young Reader Fantasy (9+)

Rating: **** (4 Stars)

Summary:

This is a guest review by Mrs. Sneakyreader

Author: Brandon Mull

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Rating: ****(4 Stars – as rated by Mrs. Sneakyreader)

Summary:

This is a Guest Review by Mrs. Sneakyreader.

Author: Stephenie Meyer

Genre: Young Adult Romance

Rating: *** (3 Stars)

Summary:

What is BookCrossing and how does it work?

Author: John Demos

Genre: Nonfiction, History

Rating: **** (4 Stars)

Summary:

Subtitle: From Dating, Shopping, and Praying to Going to War and Becoming a Billionaire- Two Evolutionary Psychologists Explain Why We Do What We Do

Authors: Alan S. Miller and Satoshi Kanazawa

Genre: Nonfiction

Rating: ***** (5 stars)

Summary:

Author: Lee Child

Genre: Thriller, Detective Fiction

Rating: ***** (5 Stars)

Summary:

Author: Geraldo Rivera

Genre: Nonfiction

Rating: **** (4 Stars)

Summary:

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