Widgets are Wonderful !!

Wow, check out the new Shelfari display to the left!! Cool, huh? Now I can feature all the books read in 2008!! (I will also count audio books).

Schulz and Peanuts by David Michaelis

This was an awesomely researched piece, and I agreed with most of the author's speculations. However, I think he was a bit too kind, mostly due to the fact that some of his children agreed to be interviewed for the book. I really think the man hated his own children, and this was only hinted at in the book. Was this a strange carry-over from the animosity he felt towards his wife? Denial that he was an adult and no longer a child himself? The author notes he was delighted at the birth of his first child, but then later noted the anger he displayed when playing hockey with a son. I guess that was pretty much the thesis of the whole book: duplicity and enigma. Excellent psychological study. B+

The Adventures of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson

I would buy this man's "History of the Paperclip". He's that good! Just proof positive that nothing has changed in 50 years here. We are still facing the same challenges, only worse. B+

The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman (Audio, narrated by Philip Pullman)

Now that I know he used Paradise Lost as his means to create this title, I'm waiting for the big letdown. This was good, but not a stand-alone. Please don't disappoint me Phil! I'm moving on to The Amber Spyglass next.