Customer Comments

J T has commented on (9) products.

Embroideries by Marjane Satrapi

J T, February 24, 2007

Reading 'Embroideries' allows the privilege of eavesdropping upon a gathering of feisty, smart, experienced Iranian women as they gossip, challenge traditional gender roles, & 'talk shop' with honesty & excitement. So much insight & humor! And the perfect ending.

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One Hundred Demons by Lynda Barry

J T, February 24, 2007

Brilliant, bittersweet, captivating, funny, deep, & insightful, this collection of demons is worth dressing up for parade. Lynda Barry at her finest! She even closes with an unpretentious how-to of Chinese brush painting, encouraging you to grind your own inks to get your own demons onto any available page. Now if I could just capture some of my immigrant mom's half-crazed premonitions and stories as perfectly as Lynda depicts the Aswang, or recollect my dear friend's suicide the way Lynda sees those nectarines on the windowsill.

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(10 of 18 readers found this comment helpful)

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The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

J T, February 24, 2007

Richly layered, beautifully wrought, achingly told, & perfectly realized, this is my favorite of Murakami's many masterpieces. It's far more ambitious & epic than most of his other tales. I also appreciated the historical details. A must read!!

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(17 of 29 readers found this comment helpful)

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The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

J T, February 24, 2007

One of the best-written & most intelligent novels I've picked up in years, 'The Time Traveler's Wife' completely defied my expectations & left me aching to buy copies for everyone on my list, even the cynics & stoics. It's far deeper than sheer sentimentality, and far richer than a simple love story or metaphysical tale. I'm also a huge fan of Haruki Murakami, & I can easily see other Murakami fans (there are indeed many of us) also loving this one.

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(21 of 40 readers found this comment helpful)

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The Seven Daughters of Eve: The Science That Reveals Our Genetic Ancestry by Bryan Sykes

J T, February 24, 2007

Accompanying my intensive research into mDNA & matrilinealism in Austronesian societies, I read this book hoping to get a better overall picture of how maternal clan lines are traced. My highest hopes were surpassed. Sykes not only pioneered the field, he is an excellent writer, & he reveals his enthusiasms well. There's not a dry moment in the book. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed learning about the quite recent history of DNA analysis in archaeology. Like others, I wasn't too awed by the Eurocentrist aspect, but I sense that if Sykes had the time/space, he could have delved even deeper into the genetic history of all the continents. Fascinating & compelling!!

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(13 of 22 readers found this comment helpful)

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