Literary Criticism and Reviews: Goodreads Reviews
Now, Goodreads.com of course is not a peer-reviewed academic journal or a venue for work contracted by a publishing house. Most of my writing, after all, is, well, “professional” like that—either an article for a journal vetted by professors who are experts in a given topic, or something a reference publisher like Salem Press specifically asks for and then pays for. These are things that go on a curriculum vita, whereas Goodreads is not.
Moreover, I have to confess that my attention to Goodreads really waxes and wanes. That is, sometimes I get on a great streak and am really good about doing reviews of the random things I happen to be reading. Other times I mean to, but I may get behind, and then I grow a little too stale on the piece and hence end up posting nothing—highly frustrating. And occasionally I just forget altogether, and it ends up being a year or two between reviews...
Oh, yes— And the chances of my doing a Goodreads review of anything by Ray Bradbury or Robert A. Heinlein, or any other author I have read for pleasure prior to 2013 or 2014 when I first got on the site, are just about zero. I suppose it could happen after a more recent reread, though. But definitely not common.
However, my website helps me keep track of my writings, and my Goodreads reviews are somewhat entertaining on occasion, so here goes anyway--
The Axmann Conspiracy: The Nazi Plan for a Fourth Reich and How the U.S. Army Defeated It, Scott Andrew Selby: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2081645276
Beau Geste, P.C. Wren: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2062359734
Becoming Ray Bradbury, Jonathan R. Eller: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1142232577
Berlin 1961: Kennedy, Khruschev, and the Most Dangerous Place on Earth, Frederick Kempe: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2053455709
The Big Clock, Kenneth Fearing: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3463008583
Blitzed: Drug Use in Nazi Germany, Norman Ohler: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3594421634
The Caine Mutiny, Herman Wouk: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1281337606
Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety, Eric Schlosser: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2265684448
Confessions of a Crap Artist, Philip K. Dick: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/985909012
The Crossroads of Time, Andre Norton: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3481008236
Damey & Grandpa Tutor, Larry Webb: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/980617335
The Diaries of Adam and Eve, Mark Twain: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1072845438
The Dog Stars, Peter Heller: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3678748346
The Drowned World, J.G. Ballard: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3508149187
The Familiar Dark, Amy Engel: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3516753722
Fatherland, Robert Harris: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1502761931
Firefox, Craig Thomas: www.goodreads.com/review/show/3580047821
Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said, Philip K. Dick: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3630749342
Glory for Me, MacKinlay Kantor: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3589568071
Grammar without Tears, Tabitha Ormiston-Smith: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1142035368
Hide and Seek: The Untold Story of Cold War Naval Espionage, Peter Huchthausen and Alexandre Sheldon-Duplaix: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3567879637
Hold On!, Peter Darley: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/995034110
The Human Stain, Philip Roth: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1555242731
The Hunt for Red October, Tom Clancy: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3574369336
I Am Legend, Richard Matheson: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3499619641
The Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Jack Finney: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1034719193
Khrushchev's Cold War: The Inside Story of an American Adversary, Aleksandr Fursenko and Timothy Naftali: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3542154543
The Legion of Space, Jack Williamson: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/988149834
The Lost Weekend, Charles Jackson: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1147722336
The Lost World, Arthur Conan Doyle: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1042538401
The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, Sloan Wilson: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1009625789
A Martian Odyssey, Stanley G. Weinbaum: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1028584906
A Matter of Morals, Joseph Gies: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1282859634
Natives of Space, Hal Clement: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1036418510
Operation Storm: Japan's Top Secret Submarines and Its Plans to Change the Course of World War II, John J. Geoghegan: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2048502335
The Penultimate Truth, Philip K. Dick: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3646567758
Planets Three, Frederik Pohl: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/986232680
Player Piano, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3489521194
The Pocket Book of Dog Stories, Harold Berman, ed.: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3511238215
Pstalemate, Lester del Rey: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1031264524
Ray Bradbury Unbound, Jonathan R. Eller: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1051331889
Red Harvest, Dashiell Hammett: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2226874943
Restless Legs, Tabitha Ormiston-Smith: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1260133793
Robert A. Heinlein: In Dialogue with His Century: Volume 1 (1907-1948): Learning Curve, William J. Patterson, Jr.: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1186185286
Robert A. Heinlein: In Dialogue with His Century, Volume 2: The Man Who Learned Better, William J. Patterson, Jr.: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1222027415
Rocket to the Morgue, Anthony Boucher: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1022796955
A Scanner Darkly, Philip K. Dick: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3603326596
Secret Commandos: Behind Enemy Line with the Elite Warriors of SOG, John L. Plaster: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3717281759
The Sirens of Titan, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3499453751
A Spy in the House of Love, Anais Nin: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1097665436
Two Years before the Mast, Richard Henry Dana, Jr.: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3475197769
Ubik, Philip K. Dick: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3612618180
The Ugly American, William J. Lederer and Eugene Burdick: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1016746356
Undersea Quest (Undersea Trilogy #1), Frederik Pohl and Jack Williamson: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/981489525
Undersea Fleet (Undersea Trilogy #2), Frederik Pohl and Jack Williamson: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/985896201
Undersea City (Undersea Trilogy #3), Frederik Pohl and Jack Williamson: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3487372853
When Worlds Collide, Philip Wylie and Edwin Balmer: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2225388142
After Worlds Collide, Philip Wylie and Edwin Balmer: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2231438849
Who?, Algis Budris: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/986810102
Moreover, I have to confess that my attention to Goodreads really waxes and wanes. That is, sometimes I get on a great streak and am really good about doing reviews of the random things I happen to be reading. Other times I mean to, but I may get behind, and then I grow a little too stale on the piece and hence end up posting nothing—highly frustrating. And occasionally I just forget altogether, and it ends up being a year or two between reviews...
Oh, yes— And the chances of my doing a Goodreads review of anything by Ray Bradbury or Robert A. Heinlein, or any other author I have read for pleasure prior to 2013 or 2014 when I first got on the site, are just about zero. I suppose it could happen after a more recent reread, though. But definitely not common.
However, my website helps me keep track of my writings, and my Goodreads reviews are somewhat entertaining on occasion, so here goes anyway--
The Axmann Conspiracy: The Nazi Plan for a Fourth Reich and How the U.S. Army Defeated It, Scott Andrew Selby: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2081645276
Beau Geste, P.C. Wren: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2062359734
Becoming Ray Bradbury, Jonathan R. Eller: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1142232577
Berlin 1961: Kennedy, Khruschev, and the Most Dangerous Place on Earth, Frederick Kempe: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2053455709
The Big Clock, Kenneth Fearing: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3463008583
Blitzed: Drug Use in Nazi Germany, Norman Ohler: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3594421634
The Caine Mutiny, Herman Wouk: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1281337606
Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety, Eric Schlosser: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2265684448
Confessions of a Crap Artist, Philip K. Dick: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/985909012
The Crossroads of Time, Andre Norton: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3481008236
Damey & Grandpa Tutor, Larry Webb: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/980617335
The Diaries of Adam and Eve, Mark Twain: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1072845438
The Dog Stars, Peter Heller: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3678748346
The Drowned World, J.G. Ballard: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3508149187
The Familiar Dark, Amy Engel: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3516753722
Fatherland, Robert Harris: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1502761931
Firefox, Craig Thomas: www.goodreads.com/review/show/3580047821
Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said, Philip K. Dick: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3630749342
Glory for Me, MacKinlay Kantor: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3589568071
Grammar without Tears, Tabitha Ormiston-Smith: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1142035368
Hide and Seek: The Untold Story of Cold War Naval Espionage, Peter Huchthausen and Alexandre Sheldon-Duplaix: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3567879637
Hold On!, Peter Darley: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/995034110
The Human Stain, Philip Roth: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1555242731
The Hunt for Red October, Tom Clancy: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3574369336
I Am Legend, Richard Matheson: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3499619641
The Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Jack Finney: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1034719193
Khrushchev's Cold War: The Inside Story of an American Adversary, Aleksandr Fursenko and Timothy Naftali: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3542154543
The Legion of Space, Jack Williamson: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/988149834
The Lost Weekend, Charles Jackson: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1147722336
The Lost World, Arthur Conan Doyle: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1042538401
The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, Sloan Wilson: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1009625789
A Martian Odyssey, Stanley G. Weinbaum: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1028584906
A Matter of Morals, Joseph Gies: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1282859634
Natives of Space, Hal Clement: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1036418510
Operation Storm: Japan's Top Secret Submarines and Its Plans to Change the Course of World War II, John J. Geoghegan: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2048502335
The Penultimate Truth, Philip K. Dick: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3646567758
Planets Three, Frederik Pohl: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/986232680
Player Piano, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3489521194
The Pocket Book of Dog Stories, Harold Berman, ed.: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3511238215
Pstalemate, Lester del Rey: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1031264524
Ray Bradbury Unbound, Jonathan R. Eller: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1051331889
Red Harvest, Dashiell Hammett: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2226874943
Restless Legs, Tabitha Ormiston-Smith: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1260133793
Robert A. Heinlein: In Dialogue with His Century: Volume 1 (1907-1948): Learning Curve, William J. Patterson, Jr.: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1186185286
Robert A. Heinlein: In Dialogue with His Century, Volume 2: The Man Who Learned Better, William J. Patterson, Jr.: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1222027415
Rocket to the Morgue, Anthony Boucher: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1022796955
A Scanner Darkly, Philip K. Dick: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3603326596
Secret Commandos: Behind Enemy Line with the Elite Warriors of SOG, John L. Plaster: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3717281759
The Sirens of Titan, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3499453751
A Spy in the House of Love, Anais Nin: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1097665436
Two Years before the Mast, Richard Henry Dana, Jr.: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3475197769
Ubik, Philip K. Dick: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3612618180
The Ugly American, William J. Lederer and Eugene Burdick: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1016746356
Undersea Quest (Undersea Trilogy #1), Frederik Pohl and Jack Williamson: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/981489525
Undersea Fleet (Undersea Trilogy #2), Frederik Pohl and Jack Williamson: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/985896201
Undersea City (Undersea Trilogy #3), Frederik Pohl and Jack Williamson: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3487372853
When Worlds Collide, Philip Wylie and Edwin Balmer: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2225388142
After Worlds Collide, Philip Wylie and Edwin Balmer: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2231438849
Who?, Algis Budris: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/986810102
