The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde

Synopsis:
After having his portrait painted, Dorian Gray is captivated by his own beauty. Tempted by his world-weary friend, decadent friend Lord Henry Wotton, he wished to stay young forever and pledges his very soul to keep his good looks. As Dorian's slide into crime and cruelty progresses, he stays magically youthful, while his beautiful portrait changes, revealing the hideous corruption of moral decay. Set in fin-de-siecle London, the novel traces a path from the studio of painter Basil Howard to the opium dens of the East End.


My Thoughts: (Orginally Reviewed August 5, 2003)
This story was really good. It's about Dorian Gray who is about 18 at the time his friend Basil paints a portrait of him. Gray prays that his portrait would age and he himself would remain young, and of course his prayer is answered.
Having been written in the late 1800's, it's hard to get past some of the vocabulary in this book, and also there are endnotes which makes it hard to read because you have to flip to the back and find what that part meant and then go back to reading. Another thing that I didn't like was when the author went on and on about jewels and embroidery - it was so hard to follow and it wasn't necessary the story at all.
Overall I liked the story, but it was a tough read, and although it's not a very long book (a little over 200 pages) it is not a light read. I think you should read this book if you're into classic literature, but otherwise I would pick something else.

Rating: C

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - J.K. Rowling

 

Originally Reviewed June 22, 2003

Wow!! Yet another great installment of Harry Potter! Harry is now in his third year at Hogwarts and faces new adventures as well as new dangers. Ms. Rowling does a wonderful job of taking us through another year in Harry's life. I loved this book as much as the first two. I think it's beautifully written, and there are always twists and turns that take the reader by surprise! All of the Harry Potter books are complete page-turners, and the "Prisoner of Azkaban" is no exception. Bravo Ms. Rowling!

June 23 2009:

This is probably one of my favorite books in the series. No matter how many times I reread these books, they always entertain, and I never am bored!

Rating: A+

The Wisdom of Big Bird (and the Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch): Lessons from a Life in Feathers by Caroll Spinney

 

Reviewed June 11 2003:

This book is more of an autobiography rather than "The Wisdoms of Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch". I feel that some chapters really had nothing to do with their title. The book was also somewhat repetitive, and I thought the ending was good, but a big cliche.

However, I grew up watching Seasame Street and really enjoyed hearing behind the scene facts about the show, puppets, and the people who worked on it. There were also some very heart-warming moments in the chapters. It's a pretty easy read with short chapters. This is definitely a read for any Seasame Street or Jim Henson fan, but don't expect a lot of actual "wisdom", just fun stories about the show and the puppets!

Rating: C+

The Sweet Potato Queens' Book of Love by Jill Conner Browne

Orinially reviewed June 11th, 2003:

I had heard this book was very funny, and it looked like it would be a fun book to read. My first opinion after I started reading this book was that Ms. Browne was obviously not in with the popular crowd in her school days. Throughout the book she goes on about how her and the "Tammys" are superior and the "Wannabes" have to wait on them hand and foot and will never be an actual "Queen"....PUH-LEASE!!! Get over yourself! I should have stopped, but no...i pressed on and finished the book.
Sure there were some humorous parts and some good recipes, but for the most part it was repetitive and sad rather than funny. I do give the Sweet Potato Queens credit for having lots of fun, (even though our definitions of fun are two totally different things)because having fun in life is so important! However, my lasting impression of the Sweet Potato Queens is that they are 30 and 40-somethings that are really 20-something wannabes, and act like trailer trash in the process.
If you want a real fun book (although dark at times) about true friendship, read "The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" by Rebecca Wells. The Ya-Ya's have fun too, but, unlike the Queens, they have class!

May 5th, 2009:

Needless to say that I have not re-read this book or read any others by this author as of yet.

Rating: D

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

 

Originally reviewed June 9th, 2003:

"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" is another great hit in the Harry Potter series! I loved this book just as much as the first one. There are some new characters added, another mystery for Harry to solve, and some unexpected twists in the book.

"The Chamber of Secrets" kept my attention throughout the whole book, as did the last one. I couldn't put it down. I also found that Ms. Rowling gave enough details in the 2nd book to where one could read it without reading the 1st book and still be able to follow along; and it also wasn't too repetitive for the readers who have read the 1st one. Yet another great book for readers of all ages!

May 4th, 2009:

This is actually probably my least favorite of the series, but not at all saying it was bad. I love it just as much as the other books. While reading it, you can tell its a bit darker than the first book, but picks up nicely where the first one left off.

Rating: A

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

 

Original review June 6, 2003:

I finally decided to read the 1st Harry Potter book because of all of the hype of the 5th book being released. I had heard this book was great, but I wasn't too excited about reading it because I'm not into science fiction involving wizards and magic and such. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was a fun, light-hearted read, and I think that is because the Harry Potter books are typically children's books. Of course there were dark moments in this book, but I loved every word of it! The characters were so realistic and believable. This is one of the best books I've ever read, and I can't wait to read the others! I would recommend this book to ANYBODY! :) I couldn't put this book down! It kept my attention the whole way through, and the ending was amazing!


May 4, 2009:

I've re-read this book a few times now, and I love it just as much as I did the first time I read it. J.K. Rowling has done such an amazing job of creating this magical world and these amazing characters.

Rating: A+