***** unique, fascinating, well-written, memorable

**** one of his better efforts; lots of fun facts; interesting approach

*** memorable

*** literary page-turner

**** "gap yah" chatter from an earlier era; very funny

*** a weird one, different from his previous ones yet similar

**** henry james + proust + beckett + noir thriller; great title

*** based on the website

*** string theory explained

*** some great moments; one too many uses of "purchase"; poets should not mention the brand name of pens

***** eça is the flaubert/tolstoy of portugal! amazing!

** how jazz musicians play together

*** good suggested reading

* a dirda recommendation; odd, amusing

***** mysterious and mesmerizing

**** witty and fun

** a commonplace book...lots of good quotations, more books to buy

*** lots of good tips on obscure books to read

***** great book, especially for ingnorant me; gread CDs to go along with it

one of the worst books every written; this one has it all: predictable plot, clichés, pretentious allusions, you name it, it's got it.

*** very well written "campus novel"; nothing happens

* readable, not as good as "the ask"

*** why we need big government

* more engrossing than i would like to admit

*** very funny

*** good main thesis; too much time spent on details not directly related to his main point

* some fun facts; preaches to the converted and unconvertable re: evolution

*** meditations on the novel

***** great stories, great slang

* raymond-queneau-ish, at best

**** kawabata-esque

***** absolutely amazing, outrageous, convincing, sweeping, mind-blowing...

**** another great one...pokes holes in libet's notorious experiment...whew!

**** thought-provoking

* entertaining