theresidentbookworm's reviews
3261 reviews

Let me start by saying that I love Ayn Rand's work. I love her novels, particularly We the Living. I usually try to ignore the crazy philosophy aspect and concentrate on the story and the characters. Rand was a truly great wonder, and there's a lot to be found in her work, but her whole Philosophy is crazy. She's basically an extreme Republican, which I can understand coming from Soviet Union, but still. I still can't believe that so many people flocked to her and basically turned over their lives to her. I felt so bad for Frank. His wife overshadowed him, and yet he still tried to love her and live a peaceful life. I hated her view on religion since I'm a strong Catholic. In Ayn Rand's world, you should work for what you want and screw everyone else. People who try to do things for someone are selfish. Seriously? Society could never realistically function like that. Hate to burst any bubbles, but it's true.

Still, a very interesting insight into Ayn Rand. It's definitely a good read.

Here's my dirty little secret: I was never into Nancy Drew mysteries. I was ten or eleven by the time I read the first one, and I was already beyond that reading level. I've never been one for mysteries, and after the first four I figured out the formula to the books. Needless to say, I didn't finish the series. Still, when I spotted this at Bargain Books for a ridiculously low price, I had to get it. Regardless of my opinion of her, Nancy Drew is a part of literary history.

I was more enthralled with the history of Nancy Drew than I ever was with her mysteries. Melanie Rehak takes you from the late 1800s when Edward Stratemeyer, the founder of the Startemeyer Syndicate, was born to 2002 when Mildred Wirt Benson, original ghostwriter of Nancy Drew, dies. This is not just a history of Nancy Drew and the women who created her as the title proclaims. It is a history of the women in America: their struggle to earn the vote, their adventures in the '20s, their emergence in the workforce during World War II, and their renewed interest in women's rights in the 1960s. It is also a history of juvenile fiction publishing, how the market worked, and how the Startmeyer Syndicate operated. I found all of this extremely fascinating. I knew Nancy Drew was written by various authors, but I didn't know much else. Two women are key to Nancy: Mildred Wirt Benson and Harriet Startemyer Adams. Of the two, I preferred Mildred. She was spunky, hardworking, and unwilling to compromise Nancy's independent spirit. I was interested in hearing about the University of Iowa's journalism bachelor degree and how it got started. As a writer, I felt frustration along with Mildred when she didn't get the credit due to her. I liked Mildred so much I was mad when I read that her second husband died. I thought to myself, "How many times can a kickass woman like that be widowed?" Still, Harriet did play a crucial rule in Nancy Drew's history, and I have to give her props for running a company at a time where it was taboo for a married mother to work. She guarded her father's work and his company fiercely, which is admirable no matter what you think of her management skills.

I enjoyed Girl Sleuth much more than I thought I would. I definitely recommend, and I just might have to go back to the original 1930s Nancy Drews for a reread. Maybe I'll see her differently now.

Long story short, this book is well-written and researched by someone who clearly knows what they are talking about, but it holds absolutely no interest for me. It's more of something I'd like to read in a quick newspaper article than a 300 page book. I did learn some interesting tidbits though. I'll share some with you.

1. Franklin Pierce, our 14th president, was good friends with Nathaniel Hawthorne. In fact, he was with him on a trip when Hawthorne died.

2. Hawthorne and Herman Meville were also friends for a time.

3. Many writers from the 19th and 20th century would probably be diagnosed with some kind of mental illness, social phobia, or Asperger's syndrome.

4. TB probably killed all the Brontes.

5. Ezra Pound had some kind of really weird three way relationship with his wife and mistress and was also a huge Fascist.

Okay, moral of the story in Manson? Charles Manson was always going to be a f-ed up psychopath, and sympathy for him is really wasted. Guinn does a fabulous job of taking you through all the stages of Charlie's life, and it reads more like a novel than a biography at times. He weaves in entertainment history along with drug use history and other fascinating tangents into Charlie's story seamlessly, immersing you in the time period. It is a little tough to read emotionally, and I had to put it down once or twice. The actual murders aren't described too graphically so don't worry about being freaked out by them. In fact, the scariest thing about this book is the actual psychology of Charles Manson and the total manipulation and brainwashing he implemented on his "Family". Definitely a great read if you are interested in head cases and serial killers. Just be warned that you will need a nice really light novel to read afterward to clear your head.

I discovered Furious Love through a People's book review. As soon as I saw the review, I knew I had to read this. It was a few weeks later when I was at the bookstore and convinced my mom to buy me it. I practically devoured the thing.

Furious Love tells the in-depth love story of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, a relationship that is famous for being the first ever "It" relationship, not to mention the scandal that followed it. The couple married, split, and remarried, splitting again shortly afterwards. Still, they always loved each other through it all. Sometimes they weren't a perfect match. Both were alcoholics, and they fought constantly. Still, there was passion, and things were certainly never boring. Even though the relationship couldn't last, the love always did. A few days before his death, Richard Burton mailed a love letter to Elizabeth said that home was where she was and that he wanted to come home. Pictures of Elizabeth at Richard's grave after his death were all over the media. She was asked by Richard's wife Sally not to attend the funeral, which she didn't. Still everyone was talking about Liz and Dick. Elizabeth Taylor would never talk about Richard Burton in any interview the rest of her life. She kept that letter he sent her by her bedside the rest of her life.

Though Elizabeth Taylor did die after this book was published, I don't think much was different. She married once more to a construction worker, but it didn't last. She once said that every man after Richard was just someone to carry her bags. It truly was a love story for the ages, and one I immensely enjoyed reading about.

Extremely recommended! Go get a copy now!

My favorite old Hollywood actresses are Marliyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, and Elizabeth Taylor. Out of the three, however, I think I would've gotten along best with Elizabeth Taylor. She had that same compelling Marilyn Monroe did, but she was more down to earth. Well, not down to earth, but she certainly didn't live in the clouds like Monroe did. I found Taylor's life fascinating. She was definitely a woman with passion, and she knew what she wanted. She tried not to regret too much, which I can appreciate. Favorite Taylor quote: “I don't entirely approve of some of the things I have done, or am, or have been. But I'm me. God knows, I'm me.”

J. Randy Taraborrelli did an excellent job with this biography. It was well reasrched and well structured, and all his information seemed fairly accurate. Mostly, he kept it interesting. The great thing about writing about Elizabeth Taylor is that there's not much need for embellishments. After all, the woman was married six times. She was gorgeous practically her whole life, but she was also smart. (In addition, we have Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton to thank for the first real "it" couple. Take that Bragelina!) I've come to enjoy and trust Taraborrelli's work, and this is no different.

Definitely recommended if you're interested in Elizabeth Taylor or even old Hollywood.

Now here's a quality Marilyn Monroe biography! *cheers* I just read Goddess by Anthony Summers, and I forgot what a quality biography looked like. J. Randy Taraborrelli, unlike Summers, doesn't focus on the sex, scandals, and conspiracies surrounding Marilyn Monroe. Instead, he focused on the person, the girl who'd never had a stable family, who just wanted someone to love her. Here is Monroe at her best and worst, smartest and dumbest, and everything else in between.

Taraborrelli, whose writing and research are always impeccable, packs a real punch with this biography. He carefully unfolds all of Monroe's family drama and her relationships without sensationalizing anything. It's easy to read and follow, and more importantly enjoyable. It shows Monroe as a normal person. I especially like the perspective offered on her relationship with DiMaggio. I've always held the opinion she truly did love him, but the relationship just couldn't work. They just wanted different things. Nothing wrong with that, of course. DiMaggio was someone she could count on or call when things got tough. And of course, the fact he had roses delivered to her grave once a week just like she had wanted is so freaking romantic! *swoons*

Ultimately, this biography is eye-opening and kind of sad. Marilyn Monroe died too young, and it's a shame we never got to see more for her. It's a shame she couldn't see more for herself. May her soul rest peacefully in heaven. I'd totally recommend this as the ultimate Monroe biography!

This was surprisingly informative for being a Magic Tree House Research Guide. It was the base of my Ancient Egypt obsession, providing me with what I needed to learn more. It's not really about mummies and pyramids than it is about the ancient Egyptian culture and lifestyle. It provided kids with an excellent look into a time period somewhat forgotten in history. And while there aren't really any specific time periods mentioned, that didn't detract from the quality of the book. Most of the times given for events that happened in ancient Egypt are vague estimates anyhow. This also has pictures and other tidbits to keep children introduced, though I can't figure out for the life of me why they don't these thinks in color. Stupid publishers!

Picked up in the Lincoln Memorial bookstore, I was surprisingly disappointed in this book. I mean, some of the lists were funny and interesting, but it was more of probability factors than anything else. This was so cut and dry that I couldn't even get through all of it. There has to be some motive to read presidential history: it should either be interesting, informative, or both. This completely missed the mark.

This is not my usual read, but I read it for two reasons. First, it was on sale on iBook. Second, Thomas wrote an excellent review of it, and he has never lead me astray as far as recommendations go. This was not just a psychology book. That word is too narrow. It is self-help and history and just a wealth of information on introverts and extroverts. Some stuff I did skim over (like the brain-wave stuff), but Cain clearly did her research, and it shows. She took us everywhere from church to Harvard Business School to back to our childhoods. I am looking to go into education so I found what she had to say about working in groups during school particularly interesting because I myself have never liked group work. Though sometimes the excessive details are too much (there are studies that could've been cut just to make it flow better), Cain makes an excellent logical argument for introverts all over the world. We salute you!