I’m recommending this to everyone I know who likes short stories or natural science. A very worthy National Book Award winner – I picked it up off my cousin’s shelf and hurried to finish it before my visit ended. Otherwise I would have savored these beautiful, thoughtful stories. My favorite was “Rare Bird,” but the title novella was amazing in its depiction of an epidemic.

It depends on how the tetralogy ends. I’m working my way through the Rabbit series, and I hear the 3rd and 4th are the best. I certainly hope they’re better than this one. It had its moments, but the Skeeter section drove me completely crazy. And I know Updike loves to write about sex, but I’m not sure why he was compelled to use the word “cunt” on nearly every page.

The best part of this book is references to other books. They talk about “the kid from LA” from the first page on, and if you haven’t figure out it’s Clay from “Less Than Zero” by halfway through, a teacher calls him by name. One of the main characters, Sean, is Patrick Bateman’s younger brother. My favorite reference, though, is to “that weird Classics group (and they’re probably roaming the countryside sacrificing farmers and performing pagan rituals).” Donna Tartt and Bret Easton Ellis went to Bennington together, and her book “The Secret History” is much better than this.

I should have written this book, but Caroline Lawrence beat me to it. Instead, I’m glad it’s out there so my Latin students can read it. The details about Roman life are fantastic. I like any book that starts with maps of Roman houses (complete with impluvia) and a map of Ostia, circa 79 AD.

Up next, they go to the Bay of Naples. Hmmm… I hope nothing bad happens to them there.

Blarrrrrrrrrrrrghhh.

In some tiny town in Texas, Rachel orders a cheeseburger without mayonnaise. They bring her one with mayonnaise. “But I ordered it without mayonnaise,” she tells the carhop, and the woman just stares at her and says “but it has mayonnaise.” Though this conversation seemed stuck at an impasse, Rachel eventually got an additional, mayo-free bun.

I watched the first 6 episodes when I had free HBO, then Netflixed discs 3 and 4. I only watched disc 3 and sent 4 back without watching it. I figure if I don’t want to consume the rest of it, it counts as not worth consuming. It really doesn’t compare to Rome, The Wire, Lost, etc. It does have its moments though.

Only because I really love Uma Thurman. It’s pretty terrible otherwise.

They’re Latin lovers like me and they’re Anglophiles. My boyfriend’s dad, who is both, gave me the book and we had a good email conversation about the vocative case.

The problem with this book is if you’re an American like me, it’s full of references you really don’t get. Plus all the cases are in the wrong order (the British order!) But it’s quite enjoyable even if you just wish you were British.

I admit, I got tense when things were exploding and people were running across highways and sliding down buildings. But this was just too extreme. It kept raising the bar too high with the action sequences and then going back to Tom Cruise and his wife blowing kisses at each other and calling each other schmoopy. There was no substance, just empty action sequences.