A Beginner’s Guide to Tibetan Buddhism
Rating: A Beginner’s Guide to Tibetan Buddism: Notes from a Practitioner’s Journey, by Bruce Newman. Snow Lion Publications (2004), 212 pages. This is the must-have manual for any Westerner trying to understand the Vajrayana path. In the...
Pot Bellies and other Miniature Pigs
Rating: Pot Bellies and other Miniature Pigs, by Pat Storer. Barron’s Educational Series (1992), 64 pages. This book was a huge disappointment. I was looking for some basic information on pot bellies—what it’s like to live with them, how to...
Life of Pi
(This review first appeared in May 2003) Rating: Life of Pi, by Yann Martel. Harvest Books (2003), 336 pages. The zebra’s broken leg was missing. The hyena had bitten it off and dragged it to the stern, behind the zebra. A flap of skin hung limply...About Us
The Book Shark began as an independent book review website created by Cindy Pinto and Donna Long in 2002.
From the beginning our goal was not only to write great reviews, but also to recognize the most well-written books we read each year with an award...
Gustine Awards
The Gustine Awards were named in honor of the main character in one of our favorite books—The Dress Lodger, by Sheri Holman. Awards have been given out yearly since 2002 in three categories: fiction, nonfiction, and memoir...
Cover Art
A book’s cover is as important as the writing within it. We are aware that this may offend some authors who have toiled for years on their books and believe their words are the only thing that matters...
Reader Reviews
What’s the best or worst book you’ve ever read? What’s the most recent book that you’ve had a strong reaction to? Send us your thoughts, and we’ll post them in this spot.