Epinions Recent Reviews for kchowell

Terri Jentz - Strange Piece of Paradise: Strange Piece of Paradise: Terri Jentz's Unique Investigation

Wed, 21 Mar 2007 15:53:14 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author kchowell - It’s a tale fit for a cold, dark night around a campfire… a man with an axe descends on an isolated tent, attacking the occupants, and leaving them badly wounded and barely able to seek help. Except that for Terri Jentz, it’s her real-life camping...

You Remind Me of Me: Dan Chaon’s Debut Novel of Identity and Connection

Tue, 23 Jan 2007 16:57:45 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author kchowell - Dan Chaon’s first novel is haunting me. In a good way. It’s an infrequent occurrence for me to finish reading a book and find myself continuing to think about the characters afterward, but that is exactly what happened with You Remind Me of...

TIGI's Shine Junkie: Superior Shine in a Creative Spray-Cheese Can

Wed, 6 Apr 2005 16:44:32 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author kchowell - Until recently, I had a love/hate relationship with TIGI’s Bed Head Shine Junkie. It had won my heart – or more accurately, my hair – a few years ago, due to its unparalleled ability to help me achieve shiny, shiny hair. Maybe not...

Andrew Sean Greer Explores Loneliness and Introspection

Thu, 24 Mar 2005 13:25:18 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author kchowell - The cover of Andrew Sean Greer’s short story collection, How It Was For Me, is simply an understated blur of cloudy white, with speckles of barely perceptible blue framing a small figure. You have to peer closely to see that the inch tall...

The Real Deal: Phil Gordon's Take on the Poker Lifestyle

Wed, 23 Mar 2005 16:43:09 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author kchowell - There’s nothing quite like a dissenting opinion to bring a lapsed Epinionator out of the woodwork. Although I haven’t posted a new review in nearly a year, I still make it a habit to check the out the Epinions of others whenever I finish a book...

Trading Up: The New Luxury Recipe Lies Within

Thu, 25 Mar 2004 16:38:47 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author kchowell - According to the data that I have dutifully entered into Microsoft Money, in calendar year 2003, my expenditures on reading material exceeded the costs associated with my automobile. This may sound ridiculous, but when you consider that my car...

Poker Face: Life As Seen Through Green Tortoiseshell

Mon, 1 Mar 2004 17:52:46 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author kchowell - Katy Lederer’s memoir, Poker Face, provoked conflicting emotions within me before my eyes had even glimpsed its opening page. Since I grew up in a card-playing family myself, and still make both casino poker and home-game poker a regular part...

The Alexa On Royal: The Alexa: A New Orleans Hotel, Tucked Away, But In The Center Of Everything

Thu, 12 Feb 2004 19:09:49 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author kchowell - A few times a year, the members of my immediate social circle find themselves getting a bit restless, and yearning to get out of the Metroplex for a quick weekend away. Our destinations have included Memphis and Vegas, but more often than not, we end up...

What Was She Thinking?: Zoë Heller’s Scandalous Sophomore Novel

Tue, 23 Dec 2003 14:07:26 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author kchowell - After reading Zoë Heller’s debut novel, Everything You Know, I began watching the national reviews for any sign of the publication of her sophomore effort. I did so with mixed emotions, however. With each repeat reading of Everything You...

Interesting, Thought-Provoking, But Not Really Enough

Fri, 6 Jun 2003 17:04:41 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author kchowell - Every so often, you may be sufficiently fortunate (or unfortunate, should you be the type inclined to envy) to meet someone whose talents provoke awe. And I don’t mean someone that you simply see on television, or watch from the stands in a sports...

Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones: Like Peppermint Stick Ice Cream in Heaven

Sun, 21 Jul 2002 21:40:10 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author kchowell - This summer hasn’t been the best for me in terms of summer reading. I kicked things off with the interesting and slightly stomach turning (but not sufficiently disturbing to convince me to shun beef) Fast Food Nation, then moved on to Melanie Rae...

Bryan Sykes and the Seven Mothers of Europe

Fri, 31 May 2002 19:32:41 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author kchowell - In an alternate universe, I’m a geneticist. And in this alternate universe, geneticists don’t need to be competent in chemistry, and they don’t have to spend hours and hours slaving away in labs. I’ve always been fascinated by genetics, ever since I...

Like Pride & Prejudice, Only Raunchier: Everyone Goes Home Happy in American Pie 2

Sat, 11 Aug 2001 16:53:50 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author kchowell - All summer, I’ve been flipping pages of quality contemporary literature while sipping iced tea on my patio, and yet nothing really inspired me to write. It took a silly teen sex comedy… forgive me, a sequel to a silly teen sex comedy, to push me...

Pobby and Dingan: Lose Yourself in Lightning Ridge

Sat, 16 Jun 2001 18:24:18 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author kchowell - One of the things that makes me browse again and again through the bookstore fiction section is the surprises that lurk within it. There's the thrill of picking up something by an unfamiliar author that you believe you'll enjoy, only to discover that...

An Adventure In Vanity, Marketing Manipulation, and Taming Unruly Freckles

Thu, 7 Jun 2001 18:11:03 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author kchowell - When it comes to freckles, I’m not an individual who feels compelled to cover them up or try to eradicate them. Overall, my freckles and I coexist in peace and harmony; I’m diligent with my usage of a high SPF, and they respond by keeping their...

My Misspent Youth: Finally, Someone Put Meghan Daum's Essays In One Convenient Package!

Sat, 2 Jun 2001 23:02:55 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author kchowell - So, here's the question... can I compose a truly objective review about Meghan Daum's debut collection of essays, My Misspent Youth? Is it absolutely necessary for me to mention that I was so confident that I'd enjoy the slim paperback, I...

Mystic River: Three Men Caught in the Swirling Currents of the Past

Thu, 31 May 2001 23:05:57 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author kchowell - It’s not often that I find myself craving a crime novel, but after listening to an interview with Dennis Lehane on NPR’s Fresh Air, I knew that Mystic River had to be on my summer reading list. A kidnapping, a murder, young love, painful...

Origins Sheer Stick: The Basis of Lipstick Optimism Needn't Be Sheer Terror

Fri, 18 May 2001 16:42:09 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author kchowell - When it comes to my lipstick preferences, I’m not one to make a bold color statement. Being fairly pigment-challenged, I generally prefer a more natural look, and tend to gravitate toward sheer, soft lip colors. I like glosses and moisture rich...

Swell: How to Be Stylish While Emptying Your Bank Account

Wed, 9 May 2001 19:03:35 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author kchowell - I probably should be the perfect audience for Cynthia Rowley and Ilene Rosenweig’s Swell: A Girl’s Guide to the Good Life. It’s aimed at urban single working women who travel and entertain frequently. Hmmm... that sounds like me, so why don't I...

Augusta, Gone: Screaming Daughter, Hysterical Mother

Thu, 19 Apr 2001 19:21:25 GMT

rating: 1/5 by: Epinions Author kchowell - I have no idea what possessed me when I decided to read Augusta, Gone: A True Story. I’m not a parent, so I really have no need to study a parent’s perspective on how to handle a teenager who’s leading a life that’s a worse mess than David...

Nick Hornby Puts Together a Dream Team of Emerging and Established Writing Talent

Wed, 18 Apr 2001 18:59:12 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author kchowell - Even though the time restraints imposed upon me by my company’s annual budgeting process have kept me from doing much reading lately (or doing anything, for that matter, beyond working and sleeping), I made it a priority to pick up a copy of Speaking...

Abe: This Novel of Young Lincoln Was Disappointing

Fri, 6 Apr 2001 18:59:01 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author kchowell - Salon.com named Richard Slotkin’s Abe: A Novel of Young Lincoln one of the best novels of 2000. So when I saw it sitting on the shelf at the library, I took it home, expecting a captivating read.

About halfway through the novel, I...

The Sweet Hereafter: An Eloquent and Moving Story of Loss and Blame

Fri, 6 Apr 2001 13:28:55 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author kchowell - On a snowy morning in a small town, a bus full of children veers off the road and lands in a mangled heap. When the wreckage is cleared, nearly all of the children of Sam Dent, New York, are dead. The loss of young lives leaves the community broken and...

The Bluest Eye: Violence, Poverty and Self-Loathing.

Thu, 15 Mar 2001 01:08:02 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author kchowell - I’m embroiled in an ongoing quest to establish precisely how I feel about the Oprah Book Club. I read a few of her early picks and found myself dissatisfied. Then I picked up Drowning Ruth before it was Oprahfied, absolutely loved it, and...

Take The Day Off: Cosmetic Removal Bench Strength

Fri, 9 Mar 2001 17:17:35 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author kchowell - I’ve been using Philosophy’s real purity combination facial cleanser / makeup remover for several years now, so I generally don’t need to use a separate makeup remover like Clinique’s Take The Day Off. However, I do keep a bottle in my...