The best of book reviews [S. Worthen

You're viewing

owlfish's journal
Create a Dreamwidth Account Learn More

Reload page in style: site light

←

→

Apropos of what I'm grading right now: Do you have a favorite book review (or album or play or movie etc.), one of brevity or depth, of insight or revelation, or hilarity or profundity? Recommend it (or them) to me, please!

←

→

There are 14 comments on this entry. (Reply.)

I'm lastingly fond of "House Beautiful is play lousy."

[link] [reply]

I once read a review of Parmesan cheeses in Cook's Illustrated. They finished on a review of the stuff in the green can (Kraft, I believe), and after spending a paragraph extolling its sawdust-like texture and aroma of salt and bikini place, they finished with "This makes me miserable." For some reason, that absolutely cracked me up.

[link] [parent] [reply]

That's a charming review! I'm glad they tackled the full range of cheese options properly.

[link] [parent] [reply]

The thing I love about the Cook's Illustrated reviews is that they always do, and they're fair about it - for example, they rank the cheap Good Cook cookie sheets you get at Walmart or the grocery store among the best you can buy, rather than going for the Chicago Metallics ones (which are annoyingly heavy and tend to burn the bottoms).

[link] [parent] [reply]

Roger Ebert's review of "Expelled" is truly a masterpiece of biting wit. It may not be appropriate for the classroom, but it's well worth reading.

[link] [reply]

That's an impressive review in the sort of non-traditional way which demonstrates how well you can break rules once you know them. I wasn't soliciting reviews for the classroom so much as my own entertainment and education.

[link] [parent] [reply]

Tony Grafton's review of Eisenstein's "The Printing Press As Agent of Change" is one of my all-time favorites.

[link] [reply]

*downloads*

*admires that it is an article-length review*

[link] [parent] [reply]

I liked this review of two recent books about Bonnie and Clyde. Excerpt: "It’s difficult to say where this book goes wrong, but one might start on the first page..."

[link] [reply]

It's such a well-constructed review! I love how noise effects from the second book are steadily interspersed among the attention given to the first.

[link] [parent] [reply]

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1182548.html

[link] [reply]

I approve of all poll-based reviews! Thank you.

[link] [parent] [reply]

Ursula K. LeGuin's pseudonymous review of The Book of the Dun Cow is one of my favourite pieces of snark.

[link] [reply]

The Cincinnati Enquirer's review of Interview with the Vampire...

"...an UNMITIGATED TERROR TRIP NOT MEANT FOR THE WEAK OF HEART."

*emphasis is mine

[link] [reply]

Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8	9	10 1	11	12	13	14
15	16	17	18	19	20	21
22	23	24	25	26	27	28
29	30	31

S. Worthen | Weblog

The best of book reviews

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

Amusing

October