Book Review

The Names by Don Delilio

I had high expectations for this book. I initially thought that it was about language and semantics; about travel and murderous cults. To an extend it was all of these things yet the promise of the back flap never delivered. While very well written the story never managed to rise above its own pretentiousness. Every Character delivered the most poignant lines, grand and all-encompassing soliloquies which, in the end, were all for not. The majority of the time I was unable to tell who was who and by the end I could not have cared any less about the story, the characters, or the pointless grandiose writing. For a book with (seemingly) such potential it ended up being nothing more than an exercise of wordy masterbation.


Freakonomics by Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner 

Hate numbers but enjoy sociology? Me too. If you haven't read this book, you should. Though I read The Tipping Point first I was still able to appreciate and enjoy this book of social issues and consequences/outcomes. Engaging, informative, and at times controversial Freakonomics will most definitely leave you thinking about the world in ways you have never imagined, and perhaps more importantly, you will walk away with a different vantage point than you had when you first began the book. A must read.

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien

A well-crafted and beautifully written novel. Set mostly during the Vietnam war the story details the experiences of a small group of soldiers and the realities and absurdness of war. Not preachy or condemning, the story is about people, and for lack of a better description,  it is about people's baggage, both physical and emotional. Touching and poignant to everyday life I was completely surprised by how much it was not a story about war and how much it was a story about everyday life and what is truley important. A surprisingly touching and important novel.