Author Archives: jonhen

2666: A Novel

Posted on April 13, 2010 by jonhen

2666 by Roberto Bolaño (2004) (translated from the spanish by Natasha Wimmer, 2008). 898 pages, Farrar, Straus and Giroux. The first thing I’ll say is… it took me a very long time to get through this book. Usually I read … Continue reading →

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NUMMI Nova

Posted on April 2, 2010 by jonhen

This is a little personal story about the American car industry, as well as a review of a great episode of This American Life . The episode in question is “NUMMI”, episode #403, available for immediately listening or download here. … Continue reading →

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American Idol 2010: Top Twelve… Eleven… Ten… whatever.

Posted on March 29, 2010 by jonhen

My last few posts have been way too serious. Time for some candy-flavored pop culture treacle! At its best, American Idol is the pinnacle of that classic American standby, the talent show. Most of us have seen talent shows in … Continue reading →

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Skeptical Me

Posted on February 11, 2010 by jonhen

I have always considered myself to be a realist, ever since I was old enough to understand the concept. I don’t put much stock in superstition, blind faith, or jumping on the bandwagon. When I first started this blog, before … Continue reading →

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The Publishing War

Posted on February 9, 2010 by jonhen

Since I wrote my review of the Kindle DX in the previous post, quite a lot has happened in the little world of electronic books and publishing. Namely, one large publisher and one large retailer seem to have lost their … Continue reading →

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Kindle DX: 7 Months with the Amazon Giant

Posted on January 25, 2010 by jonhen

Kindle DX Wireless Reading Device. 9.7″ display, global wireless, $489.00. Ever since I got my Kindle DX back in June 2009, I’ve been meaning to write up a review of it. But I never got around to it – mainly … Continue reading →

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The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart

Posted on January 12, 2010 by jonhen

The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart by Jesse Bullington (2009). 464 pages, Orbit Books. I have the Amazon Daily blog to thank for bringing this book to my attention. A few weeks ago, author Jesse Bullington was the guest-editor … Continue reading →

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Under the Dome

Posted on January 1, 2010 by jonhen

Under the Dome by Stephen King (2009).1088 pages, Scribner. There is no author alive who can write a page-turner like Stephen King. None. I have read almost every single book he has ever written. And the vast majority of them … Continue reading →

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Alligators in the Wild

Posted on December 29, 2009 by jonhen

Everglades National Park – Shark Valley. U.S. 41 (Tamiami Trail) 25 miles west of the Florida Turnpike from exit 25 (S.W. 8th St.). Phone: 305-221-877. Hours: 8:30am – 5:00pm, 365 days a year. I’ve lived in South Florida for over … Continue reading →

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Avatar

Posted on December 21, 2009 by jonhen

Avatar (2009). 162 minutes, Twentieth Century Fox. Written and Directed by James Cameron. When I first went to college in 1980, I started out in Tech. I was going to major in Computer Science. But after a year learning hard-core … Continue reading →

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