Epinions Recent Reviews for jrk

The Art of Racing in the Rain: Zen packs a wallop

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:50:27 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author jrk - So, there I am, waiting for my iced caramel macchiato in one of those ubiquitous establishments that specialize in blending smooth music with caffeine jolts, and it beckons me -- a tastefully calming midnight blue cover with a hint of yellow lab and its...

PsychoBible: If you can’t take the truth, get out of the Bible

Tue, 22 Feb 2005 09:14:23 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author jrk - If the Bible offered a simple, clear-cut message that everyone could understand in the same way, there would be little need for a book like Armando Favazza's PsychoBible: Behavior, Religion & the Holy Book (Pitchstone Publishing, 2004). But the...

The Christmas Troll: Gag Me with a Goblin's Stick

Mon, 8 Nov 2004 10:04:20 GMT

rating: 1/5 by: Epinions Author jrk - Several years ago, I wrote a children's book. It was a good story, even if I do say so myself. My sister illustrated it, and her watercolors were wonderful (and, no, I'm not biased – much). The book has never been published. Finding a publisher...

Dial-a-Ghost: Dead Folks, Dead Folks Everywhere

Tue, 3 Dec 2002 22:05:34 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author jrk - What with all the demands upon your time, you may never have stopped to consider the grave problem of homelessness amongst the dead. (Who knows, you may not find much time to ponder the crisis as regards the living either.) But Eva Ibbotson thinks about...

It’s a Pulitzer Prize Entry? You’ve Got to be Kidding!

Fri, 1 Nov 2002 10:17:26 GMT

rating: 1/5 by: Epinions Author jrk - The jacket of Edward Mooney Jr.'s The Pearls of the Stone Man proudly announces, right at the top, "Pulitzer Prize Entry."

I was prepared, even before cracking the cover, to be wowed. Previous winners of that award include William...

You, too, can be overworked and underpaid with the help of this book

Tue, 1 Oct 2002 21:46:22 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author jrk - Epinions Made Me Do It

It’s a funny thing, life. When you’re not working, you have all the time in the world to do all sorts of interesting things. Of course, some (actually, quite a lot) of those interesting things cost money...

Getting Near to Baby: Snake Oil for the Soul

Fri, 19 Oct 2001 15:24:22 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author jrk - I admit it. I'm a big fan of instant gratification. It's those impatience genes of mine, I guess. I'd far prefer to dine in a fine restaurant than spend an entire day in the kitchen working miracles. I'd rather buy a skein of yarn, or, better yet, a...

The Amber Spyglass: Establishing the Republic of Heaven

Tue, 9 Oct 2001 01:44:47 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author jrk - "'Well, where is God . . . Is he still alive, at some inconceivable age, decrepit and demented, unable to think or act or speak and unable to die, a rotten hulk? And if that is his condition, wouldn't it be the most merciful thing, the truest proof of...

With Liberty & Justice For All, Except . . .

Thu, 4 Oct 2001 06:02:56 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author jrk - When Japanese bombs rained upon Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the American public was shocked, outraged, grief stricken, and afraid. Predictably, shock and grief gave birth to desires for revenge and a patriotic zeal to smash the enemy responsible for...

Parents, Teachers, Librarians, and Book Reviewers, Listen Up!

Thu, 23 Aug 2001 18:41:17 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author jrk - If you don't already have a copy of Kathleen Odean's Great Books About Things Kids Love, here's my invitation to rectify this glaring omission. For parents who want to encourage their children to become lifelong readers, for teachers on the...

When Kambia Elaine Flew in From Neptune: Uneven Flight From This New Pilot

Wed, 15 Aug 2001 15:50:21 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author jrk - There are writers who weave their tales in such a way that you're never all that aware of the language they use. It's unobtrusive—competent, even brilliant, but understated. The words flow, the ideas crystallize, the characters all come to life, and...

The Prince of the Pond: From Riveting to Wretched

Thu, 19 Jul 2001 21:14:17 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author jrk - Ever go into someone's home and suffer a gag attack as you're suffocated by cute? You steel yourself for the onslaught of pink carpets and hearts & flowers drapes. You consciously avoid looking at the kissing ducks and Love Is light switch covers...

If This is Hoboken, What is Frankenstein Doing Here?

Sat, 14 Jul 2001 09:19:15 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author jrk - Ah, those summer vacation days of my youth! Long, hot days to run barefoot through the sprinklers or sit nursing a fudgesicle under the magnolia tree. Games of hide and seek, trips to the beach, maybe a little skating just before dark, when the sparks...

The Drowning of Stephan Jones: Drowning in Didacticism

Thu, 21 Jun 2001 05:50:24 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author jrk - Homophobia is alive and well in the land of the free. If you doubt this at all, just look at the antics of champions of hate-mongering like the Westboro Baptist Church and Fred Phelps waging their nationwide campaign to win converts to their...

Polanski's Pirates: Scuttling a Swashbuckler

Mon, 11 Jun 2001 16:26:46 GMT

rating: 1/5 by: Epinions Author jrk - Roman Polanski is living proof that there is such a thing as a Muse. He is also proof that Muses can be very fickle and fleeting—at least his appears to be. Here is a director who created Repulsion, a film of such disturbing imagery that decades...

The Messenger: On a Mission From God?

Tue, 8 May 2001 17:59:20 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author jrk - Very frequently, despite however many reviews I may read, I come upon films that scarcely resemble what I've been led to expect from them. Only seldom, however, do I see something so overwhelmingly different from what I anticipated as occurred with Luc...

Crusader: Memoir of a Survivor

Fri, 4 May 2001 05:11:10 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author jrk - Nightmares, repressed memories, hate crimes, drugs, political corruption, media lies, suicide, murder, and more—Edward Bloor's Crusader is not a cheery tale, but it is, oddly enough, inspiring and uplifting.

Readers already familiar...

Heroine of the Titanic: A Dry History

Wed, 25 Apr 2001 20:44:36 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author jrk - Mention the name Margaret Brown or Mrs. J.J. Brown, and chances are that almost no one will have any idea of whom you're speaking. But say the name Molly Brown, or better yet, the Unsinkable Molly Brown, and just about everyone's eyes will spark with a...

Felicia's Journey: Everygirl and the Psychopath

Tue, 24 Apr 2001 04:28:45 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author jrk - When a film makes no pretense of being a serious character study, I can be the epitome of generosity in suspending my disbelief and accepting whatever plot contrivances the writers care to throw my way to spin a tale. On the other hand, when a film...

I am Mordred: Rooting for a Villain of Yore

Wed, 18 Apr 2001 21:44:50 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author jrk - In the ongoing case of JRK v. THE CONCEPT OF FATALISM, the jury is still out. I was thus able to fully enjoy Nancy Springer's reworking of Arthurian legend in I am Mordred. Readers who steadfastly reject the idea of fate dictating results...

The Secrets of Ms. Snickle's Class: Just Call Me a Blabbermouth!

Tue, 17 Apr 2001 04:14:45 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author jrk - Psstt! I know something that you don't know. Bet you wish you knew what it was, huh? Well, I can keep a secret with the best of them—usually. Except sometimes secrets are just too good to keep to myself. This is that kind of secret.

I can...

8mm: Or, How to Fashion Tragedy into a Far-Fetched, Action-Adventure Flick

Mon, 9 Apr 2001 04:09:05 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author jrk - Unless you have no imagination at all, you'll know exactly what's going to happen to most of the major players by the time you've watched the first 15 minutes of 8mm. So, if you want to blame someone for spoilers, look beyond me to the real...

Night Hoops: Not Exactly a Slam Dunk

Wed, 4 Apr 2001 17:46:29 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author jrk - Almost nothing else gets my adrenaline flowing like watching a good game of basketball. Come observe me courtside at any of my son's basketball games and you'll be amazed at the transformation. Normally soft-spoken, I become a screaming banshee—"Go,...

Garden of the Finzi-Continis: A Shattered Memory

Mon, 26 Mar 2001 20:40:34 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author jrk - Toward the end of this film, one of the characters says words to the effect that love is now impossible and is a lesser thing than memories. Though I recently guffawed at this bit of strained and pretentiously philosophical dialogue, in retrospect, it...

Charmed Life: Sometimes More is More

Thu, 22 Mar 2001 20:00:25 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author jrk - The Plot in a Cauldron

Our story begins when a terrible accident claims the lives of most of the petticoated and serge-suited passengers aboard a rickety, overcrowded paddle-steamer. The whole of England is stunned by this tragedy,...