Dmitri's Garden: Book Log 2004

Note: Rating is out of 4 stars (****):
* - Worthless, or actively painful to read/listen to.
** - Enough redeeming factors to finish; some useful information.
*** - Pleasant, informative. One-time reading, only.
**** - Excellent. Beautifully written, or moving, or inspiring and eye-opening. I plan to purchase it (or already own it).

You might notice that the ratings will tend to be in the 4-star and 3-star category, for the most part. This is not because I am generous with my ratings; on the contrary, I'm very demanding of my books. The explanation is simple: I try, as much as I can, to determine the quality of the book before I read it (through reviews, other people, leafing through it). Consequently, the books that do make it through my filters tend to be of higher quality.