Customer Comments

Ailana has commented on (5) products.

The Map Thief by Heather Terrell

Ailana, May 15, 2012

This creative historical mystery focuses on the discovery of a history-changing Chinese map of the oceans. Heather Terrell combines a current struggle over the map with stories of the Chinese map maker and a Portuguese navigator. And there's even some international intrigue woven in. I sped through the book, thoroughly entertained, and learned some history at the same time.

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Moby-Dick in Pictures: One Drawing for Every Page by Matt Kish

Ailana, May 15, 2012

If you love Moby Dick (or even if you don't), this is a must-buy book. Matt Kish created a drawing to illustrate one phrase on every SINGLE page of MD. The art is amazingly creative and varied...in a wide range of mediums. This is a keeper and something you will never want to purchase as an e-book. You won't believe how fantastic this book is.

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Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl

Ailana, May 27, 2010

Don't be put off by the very scientific title: Special Topics is about a teenage girl and is part social critique and part mystery. The very clever author annotates all the ideas and books the main character writes about, in first person, which adds an element of fun and reality. A brilliant father, a mysterious teacher, and a group of four unusual high school friends--this book has it all and more. I loved it.

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(1 of 1 readers found this comment helpful)

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The Engineer of Human Souls by Josef Skvorecky

Ailana, August 9, 2008

Slipping through time from war-torn Czechoslovakia under the Nazis, to Communist rule, on to Canada in later years, The Engineer of Human Souls is both humorous and tragic. Skyvorecky was unknown to me until I heard him recommended on a TV show, but I'm so glad to have found this book.

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(1 of 3 readers found this comment helpful)

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Too Loud a Solitude by Bohumil Hrabal

Ailana, January 4, 2007

Though brief, this is a powerful, compelling book. The details of the paper recycler's life and art are vivid and will remain with me. Hrabal focuses not only on books but also on the motivation and obsession of the worker/artist and society's response to them. The book is symbolic on so many levels.

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(7 of 11 readers found this comment helpful)

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