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debunking the climate warming warning
Long before the recent exposed fraud among some of my fellow "scientists" Michael exposed the fraud with FACTS buried in a fictional novel which made for easy and fast reading | 45 stars
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Fabulous
This was one of the best books that I have ever read! I was deeply touched by the story of Dinah and her relationships to her family and friends. It is simply written and wonderfully captivating. You will need a box of tissue toward the end. | 45 stars
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Definitve Railway Dining History and Recipes
Here's what I said having bought the book from Amazon UK and had it sent to me in Australia....Firstly, this ignores as do many American books the rest of the world and makes of course no claim to do otherwise. This is its only flaw really; otherwise it covers the subject in unbelievable detail.Second, it's two books in one, with history more or less chronologically presented in the first half and with recipes and some information boxes in the second.Third, Porterfield trawled 7500 recipes to select 350 (I think it is) and lists them by Railroad and indexes them by type & Railroad. He has also selected recipes that are more akin to current food trends (i.e. leaving out those running in rivers of fat and oil or excessively heavy, I also suspect he has tried to keep the complexity down).He claims to have tried everything included and the 1 or 2, I have tried or modified and tried have been workable - i.e. they work like Delia Smith's do! I have made Strawberry & Rhubarb Pie, though with bought pastry or as a turnover/crumble and followed some of the recipe for Roast Turkey (substituting a corn fed chicken as its only September) but omitted the rice stuffing as we tend to eat rice with our mains for convenience. The Railroads potato recipes are interesting though we seldom eat potatoes so haven't tried them yet but the idea of 2 different types, one used to stuff another is indicative of the care even baked potatoes got from the Railroad. There are several French Toast recipes as it seems it was a breakfast favourite on most lines.Fourth, as you read the first half you'll wonder into the second half and want to cook something or at least get a snack so this is a warning to you!Fifth, lovely jacket with the railroad logos in raised shiny white...Definitely a book to love, treasure, read and then make things from.Note: it says nearly 400 pages but I was surprised by the larger than pocket book size and it is full not only of text but excellent B&W; drawings and illustrations and...I just went wow when I took it out of the mailer - its mind blowing value and detail and if you have any interest in food and/or Railways you really should have this one!NOTE: all measures in American though cups are used frequently and temperature conversions are easily found on the web these days. Not yet spotted any cilantro (coriander) but there may be a need to understand the difference between spring onions & scallions & small onions but the example I glimpsed made it obvious it was English style spring onions.Enjoy - I am going to contemplate what the Railroads did and maybe try it out with our discount Porterhouse steak from the supermarket for dinner tonight! That's as fresh as I can get most days!Whilst my mind pined for Brown Windsor soup, the staple of British Rail in the 60's, which I remember from a trip to Edinburgh from London at the age of 19, I can make that and the roast that followed without help, it wasn't bad on BR either as I recall! I have tried German and Swiss Railway cars food but none have come anywhere near what you could recreate from this book if you have time, the mind and the stomach for...can't remember when I last had 3 courses, oh yes I can, on holiday in the States last year, naturally! | 45 stars
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"home is home and that's that
I bought this book several years ago to give to my nephews but ended up keeping it myself. This is the poinient story of a cat and dog abandoned by the family that owned them. They stay at their"home." The rest of the story is about the new owner of the house,his family and the cat who knows that "home is home and that's that." This little book is full of values. | 45 stars
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A mystery of twists, turns, and a surprise ending.
Sometimes I can figure out "who done it," but not this one. It keeps you hooked until the end. A monk who has been with the order for 18 years is seriously injured, and given Last Rights. He wants to give a final confession: That he killed his former lover and their unborn child! Alas, he eventually recovers from his injuries, although permenantly crippled. He goes in search of the girl's mother to confess to her and ask forgiveness. He goes on foot, with crutches, accompanied by Brother Cadfael. The story doesn't become an strange mystery until he arrives at his destination. Then, you're on the edge of your seat until all the questions are answered. A very good book, as are all of Ellis Peters' Cadfael stories. | 45 stars
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Great book, usefull and informative
The book is full of highly priced details which make you able to prepare properly for travel and enjoy your travel. Well written, easily readable and much more informative then most other guides for Ethiopia. It should be a "must have" for anybody going there by himself. | 45 stars
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My personal Favorite!!
I have read numerous HTML books and I must say, this is my favorite by far! Every single HTML tag is covered in this book. All material is presented in a clear and concise manner. I recently added an internet programming section to my Visual Basic book reviews web site and wasted no time adding this book to my list of recommended internet programming books. A must have book for anyone wishing to create web content! | 45 stars
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Get out of my head!!
I wish I had never read this so I could read it again for the first time.Be prepared to sink into a bizarre semi-conscious possibly hallucinogenic semi-reality mystery.I read this about a year ago, but it keeps popping up in my head. I just don't know how to describe this book...expect the unexpected... | 45 stars
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A modern inferno
This is the sort of book that can be seen as rather gratuitously violent and mildly satirical of a recent period and so not much worth the effort, or as a book whose message cuts to the bone, so to speak. I had assumed the former, but luckily having seen the movie, which commendably quoted the key message ("I simply am not there"), I became hopeful and read the book, and found the latter.The satire on superficiality is not the central message of the book but is used as a device which ultimately is used to turn the tables on the reader. For Bateman everything that _we_ think has importance, life, love, identity, is a fabrication and has collapsed, "where there was nature and earth, life and water, I saw a desert landscape ... devoid of reason and light and spirit". This allows Bateman to see nothing in the people he kills to satisfy his homicidal urge, and the graphic depiction of violence and body parts represents this.In the first sentence of the book Ellis gives us a warning we are about to enter hell, but he leaves it until the end to tell us there is no Virgil to lead us out. The book portrays the inescapable conclusion of our modern culture. Luckily, even if we may see truth in the book's message, most of us could not "live" it the particular way Bateman does. | 45 stars
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troubles for andy
Andy Russell is a young boy who's life is full of troubles. His mom is going to have a baby soon. He's not sure if he will like the changes in his family. His foster sister is really missing her family and starts to feel sad a lot. And to top it all off his teacher gets sick and his class has a substitute teacher. Andy starts to get blamed for all the things that go wrong in his classroom. Will his troubles ever end?This is the third book in the Andy Russell series. Kids will enjoy this and look for the others that follow it.I would recommend this book. I feel that kids can relate to the characters in the book well. | 34 stars
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You Won't Be Disappointed - by AJS
20,000 Leagues Under the Seaby Jules Verne20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, by Jules Verne is an exciting novel told in the first person view of the French Professor Pierre Aronnay. He starts the book when a "large marine mammal" has damaged several freighters. He and his servant Conseil, accompany Ned Land, master harpoonist to find this large mammal. After chasing this "monster" the three of them are thrown over board and are picked by the "monster." However, the "monster" turns out to be a fish-shaped submarine, the "Nautilus". The luxurious submarine houses the mysterious Captain Nemo. Imprisoned on the submarine they explore the ocean depths visiting, Atlantis, a path beneath Suez, fighting squid and discovering the South Pole. They escaped the Nautilus but only to find themselves in the midst of a maelstrom. Will they survive? Read these 424 pages and you won't be disappointed. | 45 stars
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Recommend it but did not love it
I loved the premise of this novel from its description. It seemed an interesting way to connect with people from different walks of life and to show how easy it can be to create a great adventure.The book was interesting and due to the book I have even tried to "googlewhack". It was also interesting that so many people were open to meeting the author in his googlewhack search.However, the book was not quite as humorous as I would have expected. There were some great lines, but not enought to hold my interest.Worth a read nonetheless. | 23 stars
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Another excellent work by the master of mystery
Cat Among the Pigeons is really a delightful book. The ending is really a turn around, and you'll never guess the solution ahead of time. Plus, this book was extra good for me because I didn't think Poirot was in it but he was! It was a good surprise. | 45 stars
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Very funny, Judy Blume does it again
One of the things Judy Blume does in her writing is that she makes characters kids can easily and fully relate to, and this brilliant feature of her writing isn't missing in this funny novel that is a must read for all young readers. | 45 stars
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great plot, presented in the worst possible way
The plot is great. At the same time the novel does not generate even the smallest level of credibility to be entertaining: the characters act like stupid zombies and the historic background is full of ridiculous projections of 70-s/90-s realities into 1952. Funniest thing is that both USA and USSR are presented with the same ridiculously low quality. | 01 star
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Highly Recommended
This book represents a honest and genuine attempt by a lifelong Mormon to build relationships with Protestants and other Christians based on love and mutual respect. It's not an attempt to promote or even defend the Mormon religion but rather to help Mormon Christians and Protestant Christians understand, respect and love one another. To be sure, it's not a literary masterpiece and the writing at times is a bit choppy. However, the real value of the book is found in the insight that Andersen gives regarding some of the most controversial points of Mormonism. Clergy as well as lay persons from all Christian faiths (including Mormons) will benefit from this book. | 45 stars
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Don't miss reading this!!!!!!!!!!!!
I read Quo Vadis when I was in school, chose it at random from the library, didn't know what the title meant and I didn't have any idea what the author would be writing about but this is one of the best books I've ever read. Let Quo Vadis be one of the books you read during your lifetime. | 45 stars
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My little boy loves this book!
My son is almost a month old, and absolutely loves this book. When we hold it up in front of him, he just gazes back and forth between all the pages. It really keeps his attention very well. I will buy this book for any future baby showers I attend to give as a gift. | 45 stars
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J.R.R Tolkein
What's not to love! It has been several years since I originally read this book. Having watched the movies countless times, it was nice to go back and reacquaint myself with the original story. | 45 stars
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finally a novel!
A well written book with all the fundamental elements of a novel that catch you deeply and bring you through the mysterious world of the geishe. At the end you will wish to be a geisha even if only for one day! | 45 stars
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Great overview
This book brings Sitting Bull alive and takes into account many of the considerations that went into the life of Sitting Bull and the Nation Building ambitions of the emerging United States. The beginning seems slow as Sitting Bull's early life is largely intertribal warfare with Crows, but once the railroad starts intruding on Indian lands it becomes much more interesting as the complexity of diplomacy and war is examined from all angles.The best part is the end where the tension between modernity and Plains Indians creates a conflict between Sitting Bull and the Indian agent assigned to him. The by-no-means inevitable death of Sitting Bull at the hands of tribal police chiefs echoes in eery ways the handling of Pine Ridge by Dicky Wilson in the 70s when assassination was commonplace.I have a test for any biography. If the biography is over and you feel like you know the subject then it's well written. I rank Robert Utley up with Alison Weir as one of the best historians of our time. | 45 stars
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Excellent Guide for Beginners and Intermediate Investors
"Multiple Streams of Income" is the course on money we never had in high school. For those of us in the "middle class" and "lower class," Robert Allen offers a ray of hope about our financial condition. With some discipline we can get out of debt and not only become financially healthy but also have the opportunity to reach for financial freedom. He sheds some light on a truth that, with a little discipline and persistence, we can participate in the American Dream.In the first four chapters Robert Allen introduces us to some key concepts. He starts off showing us that $1 a day with enough time and invested in the right place can grow into $1,000,000 in less than a lifetime. He then teaches us seven essential money skills and introduces us to the concept of money streams (income) that can pour into our cash reservoir and the leaks (expenses) that can dry up that reservoir. In the third chapter he explains the difference between linear and residual streams of income and how all of us need to develop residual streams of income. He offers his concept of the Money Tree formula, 9 characteristics that a stream of income must have in order to help us out in the long run. In chapter four Robert Allen introduces us to another concept - the three great money mountains - investment, real estate, and marketing. Ten streams of income flow from the mountains that can - with discipline, persistence, patience and wisdom - lead us to financial freedom.The next section of the book focuses on those ten streams of income that flow from the investment, real estate and marketing mountains. In these chapters Robert Allen introduces us to ten different ways we can create wealth. Each way deserves a book of itself, and indeed, Allen does highly recommend that you study further whatever strikes your interest. I really found it refreshing that an author would recommend in his book others who had areas of expertise where he did not.The last section of the book focuses on taxes, shielding your wealth legally and how to create time to work on the streams of income you choose to develop.Those who have long been involved in the different streams of income Robert Allen introduces in his book will find "Multiple Streams of Income" elementary in flavor. But for those of us who find ourselves living paycheck to paycheck and having "too much month at the end of the money" can really learn a lot from this book. Bob Allen introduces us to a new world we didn't know existed and tells us that we can participate in that world too.A note about the web site.... In his book Robert Allen does encourage you to visit his website where there is a ton of other information as well as the opportunity to receive a newsletter and join in on a seminar. The website is an extention of his book. Though some may find this offensive, this provides the reader with an additional opportunity to explore streams of income that can enhance one's financial health.This book is a great graduation gift, wedding gift, anniversary gift, birthday gift. | 45 stars
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Indispensible reference
This small volume, literally pocket-size, packs an incredible amount of information into a remarkably small space. Thousands of wines are rated, described, and listed with coding indicating which vintages are preferred and which are ready to drink. Indispensable! | 45 stars
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Maybe 3.5 stars; dark comic take on overpopulation pre-Paul Ehrlich
Anthony Burgess' "The Wanting Seed" appeared exactly 50 years ago, and its theme of overpopulation seems prescient now, given the strain that the current, expanding human population is placing on the planet and its resources. Rather than taking a bleakly preachy view, however, Burgess gives the theme a rather snarky treatment, such as using the the time-honored satirical tradition of having future personages ridicule then-current "cultural norms" with a "huh???" attitude. The story centers on Tristram Foxe and his wife Beatrice-Joanna, who is having an affair with Tristram's brother Derek, a high-placed government bureaucrat. During the affair, Beatrice-Joanna becomes pregnant, in contravention to the population policies of the society depicted there. Other quirks of the society include the apparent encouragement of homosexuality, or at least the appearance of homosexuality by heterosexuals, to try to cover up dalliances like Derek's with Beatrice-Joanna. The plot also touches on recycling human corpses into fertilizer, and engineering phony wars to try to cut the population down, not to mention engineering inedible nutritional foodstuffs.In principle, this novel should fall into the dystopian literary tradition such as pioneered by "We", "Brave New World" and "1984". Yet I'll admit that I didn't know about this book until I randomly stumbled across it. Given the need for humanity to address overpopulation and the correlative despoilation of the environment, I thought I'd give this a read, to see if a literary work might have more impact than a sober academic study. After reading this, I can understand why this book isn't ranked among famous literary dystopias, like Huxley, Orwell, or Zamyatin. "The Wanting Seed" is OK reading, but pales in comparison to the other 3 authors and respective books mentioned here. "TWS" lacks the resonant literary images or atmosphere of the other books. It certainly lacks the fame of "A Clockwork Orange", although the latter's fame may be as much due to the movie as the book itself.The more obvious literary point of comparison for "TWS" would be Harry Harrison's "Make Room! Make Room!", the original source for the movie "Soylent Green". However, I have not read Harrison's book, and thus I cannot compare Burgess with Harrison.So if you come across this book and are interested in Anthony Burgess beyond "A Clockwork Orange", my overall rating is 3 stars. I mention the extra half star in the title, simply for bringing up the issue. | 23 stars
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Perils of Pauline aka Mariah
If you are looking for a vintage 70's-80's bodice ripper with a TSTL H/h you will definitely find it in this book. The plot was riveting and kept me turning the page. It started in 1834 Montana Territory with the attack of a young girl during an Indian raid on her ranch, the h of the story is Mariah her daugther. From the first moment the h is introduced you know she is in for a world of hurt. There were so many stories in this one book, they all would have made an excellent stand alone book. The h mother Lil was the ultimate Mommy Dearest. At the age of 17 Mariah is sent to live with Lil after a family disagreement thus starts her downward spiral into betrayal and hurt more than the average person can endure. Our h meets Jared the H(?)of this book when he is sent by Lil to escort Mariah to the ranch. Of course sparks fly and the initial reaction is hatred. Back at the ranch Lil has hatched a plot to get rid of the h that when played out will cause Mariah to be hurt in many ways. And this is just the beginning of her troubles. The couple will face much hardsips and plenty of misundestandings before their HEA. The H also has a back story, that will cause the H/h to trvel to England where more trouble awaits.While in England our H goes to fight in the Crimean War as part of the charge of the Light Brigades during the Battle of Balaclava which results in his capture. The author did a good job of retelling that moment in history. This would not be a Bodice Ripper without the h enduring one more final act of utter degradation in obtaining the release of the H. The end of the this book wants you to believe H/h found their HEA...... I don't think so due to how easily they were both manipulated by individuals that even Stevie Wonder could see meant them harm.If you are squeamish and do not like rough treatment in any form this is not the book for you. IMO what made this a good read was in spite of the harshness it was well written and a interesting story. It spanned several years and took the reader to various locales. There was a bit of history thrown in and the author used real historical people as minor characters. The H/h were both TSTL which was a change, usually it is just the h. When I was younger I devoured books like this and was not bothered by the h lack of fighting back, I was caught up in the adventure and struggle to find love. Now that I'm much older a book with a wimpy h would not interest me. If you want to experience true villians and a H/h that will make you feel every emotion this book is for you. | 34 stars
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A personal favorite
Panned by critics and written strictly to make money, I still find the story compelling and Faulkner's treatment of it excellent. | 34 stars
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The Father of Vampires
The book condition was moderate. I bought the bargain price hardcover and I know why it costed so little. The spine was detached from the pages and the red color on the pages was more faded than the other books I purchased, Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. I just had my school librarian put some book glue in the spine and everything should be good as new tomorrow. The subject matter is amazing. It is the basis of all vampire stories, once you read it, I believe you would be amazed at how it was originally written. | 23 stars
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More relevant than ever
1984 is one of those books you're supposed to read in school, the kind that all the weird, geeky kids with Chuck Taylor All Stars and too much acne read while ranting about The Man. It's a well-known manifesto of those playing at anti-government, anti-establishment, brandishing about their membership cards for the Society for Creative Anarchy. This isn't for the kids that read trashy romances or pulp novels: it's not for the Collins, Grisham, Crichton, or Clancy fans out there, and it's definitely not something a Harry Potter kid is going to pick up in a few years. 1984 is depressing, it's dark, and as most devotes will tell you, it's happening right now. After all, this is the book that defines what "Orwellian" means-a word so specific in its meaning, even a spin doctor being interviewed on The Daily Show couldn't put it in a positive light.Considering my choices of literature, it probably comes as some surprise that this is only the second time I've read this book, and really I wouldn't have even been motivated to do so if I hadn't picked up a copy of the movie version of 1984 on DVD. I read the book back when I was a senior in high school-this and Metamorphosis were two works that the teachers at my otherwise fine high school just couldn't be assed having us read. I protested after reading both books myself between Junior and Senior year, and in the end talked the English literature teacher into allowing me to teach "The Hunger Artist" but it was a rather one-sided compromise, especially when you look at recent statistics. According to one report, the majority of students do not understand or value the first amendment, think that freedom of speech is too unrestricted, that the press has too much say, and that in effect, Americans are too free.It is in this environment that 1984 is more relevant than ever. Look at the National ID cards passed last week without the main media outlets blinking an eye or raising a voice. (Dan Rather, oh distrustful ally of the anti-Bush liberals and libertarians, where are you now!?) In a world where we can go from being at war with Afghanistan to Iraq in the blink of an eye (Er, I mean, we were never at war with Afghanistan. We've always been at war with Iraq. We were never not at war with Iraq. Big Brother Bush says so) and where September 11th is brandished about like a giant banner to take away every freedom known to man, the only difference between the Republicans and Ingsoc is the extent of power and religiosity. While Bush follows a god only he can hear (and really, isn't that signs of a mental disorder, having an imaginary friend that only you can hear that tells you to do things and then acting on that friend's word?) he has yet to understand that to captivate all power, he needs to be God.Of course, the United States isn't the only country with gross miscarriages of justice and invasion of privacy. In addition to China's censorship of the internet, the uniting of England with the US against the unifying European Union (read: Eurasia), there's the almost-but-not-quite-telescreen announcement system in Japan known as "The Box" to some residents and "Off Box" to others. Technology was meant to make our lives easier, but as Orwell predicted, it is only being used to impose class systems more rigid than they were fifty-years ago.On the way home from work on Wednesday, David and I were walking past Hyde town hall when we heard the bell begin to chime. He mentioned to me that the bell was given to the town by Joshua Bradley, an Industrialist and self-made man who worked his way up from a mill worker to owner. Rags to riches, the kind of JP Morgan and Andrew Carnegie American dream where hard work pays off if you pull yourself up by the bootstraps and put your axe to the grindstone-it doesn't exist in twenty-first century America. Michael Dell, Bill Gates, Richard Branson: they were born into the world they've simply modified. There was never a chance they'd be a factory worker somewhere, watching over robots as computers were assembled or working as a flight or train attendant. Donald Trump was never going to be a bartender in a casino. They were born into their class and remained there, entrenched in their wealth.In the past, this would have sent up a cry through the students and middle classes, charging the revolutionary-minded among us to action, to take our piece of the pie, to work harder. Instead, we see lawsuit after lawsuit as people who feel they deserve something for nothing become litigious instead of industrious while the rest go on with the drudgery of the world in which they live. We've become sedated by our technology, dependant on mass media and the Internet for our information. How many Americans first believed we were going to war with Iraq because of Weapons of Mass Destruction? How many people still believe that? More importantly, how many of those Americans still believe Saddam Hussain was responsible for 9/11? How many media outlets bother pointing this out?In the end, we have to look back at Orwell and realize that he knew this. He saw it all happening, saw where we were going, and gave us a picture of a world in the not-to-distant future that is depressing, bleak, and immanent. His book is more important than ever, and if you cannot believe it, take a look at the film version of the book. Admittedly, it was four years after reading the book for the first time that I happened upon the movie, so my memory of the book was foggy at best. So I picked it up and watched it with some skepticism. Surely, so much of that was changed to meet modern standards. Surely, as it is with Hollywood, the only thing it had in common with the book was the title and characters. It was for this reason I put 1984 on my list of books to read-to see how much had been changed. And to my surprise, not much is different at all, to the point that I could see scenes in my mind not because the movie colored my perception (as the film version of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest did, so that reading the book is nearly impossible) but because it was so accurate.In the end, there was no need for them to change, modernize, or update 1984 because it was spot-on. This is a book that is too important to change, and far to relevant to be relegated to dusty bookshelves in the unused school libraries of the United States, or anywhere else in the world for that matter. It is a book that needs to be read, not banned as it has been in some places. If you didn't read this in school, I urge-no, implore-you to read it now. Even if you did read it in school, a good re-read is always enjoyable and considering the way technology and government are evolving, there's no better or more pertinent time than now. | 45 stars
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I loved this book!
This book was an amazing true account of life in Montana when it was still being settled. The author(s) paint a vivid picture of the "new" West at the time and how men and women lived. I was surprised to learn that it was not all hardship and toil, to the contrary, there was much fun and merriment had. There's an amazing cast of colorful characters that Nannie met as a new young bride on a ranch. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves American history, the Old West, or authobiographies. | 45 stars
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Modern classic
This is a modern classic. Subtle and eloquent,this book was masterfully written. It is hard to believe the author is not a woman, Japanese, and did not live in the early part of this century. Having read the book, you have visited another world--experienced another life. I must admit, I resisted reading the book because the topic was not compelling to me. Memoirs of a Geisha has reminded me that it is not the topic but the quality which makes a book compelling. Read it. | 45 stars
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I Love Classic Literature
Authors from that era wrote with a style that doesn't seem to exist anymore. I always enjoy reading old books. | 45 stars
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A fanciful flight of fantasy
Bradbury by his own admission has always deemed himself to be more than a SciFi writer. And this book has stood the test of time. Written so long ago that the calendar dates 1999 or 2001 seemed soi distant and perhaps not attainable by Americans living in the Cold War.These are a collection of vignettes about the early exploration and human settling on Mars. The novel's Mars is radically unlike the one we know now so much about. To wit, the real Mars is a place where humans could only live in enclosed climate controlled domes akin to what we saw in the Schwarznegger film "Total Recall".These are great and timeless stories. I think I read the book as a teen and a few years later with the first images transmitted back to earth from the Viking Mars lander the news actually cut away to interview Bradbury himself.When the book was adapted into a screen play with Rock Hudson and other prominent actors the opening scene plays homage to the Viking lander. We see the lander excavating a small amount of martian soil from the lifeless surface of that planet. And then a voiceover announces "..however, had the craft only landed a mile or so away it would have seen the remnants of a once vibrant civilization!!" and sure enough you see just over the immediate horizon all manner of structures suggesting intelligent life and habitation.One story in the collection involves a post nuclear war, fully-automated house. The computer that runs the house has somehow managed to survive and function even though all its residents were fried in the nuclear blast. In our own era of programmable this and that (coffee makers, household thermostats etc) the automated house does seem prophetic! A voice announces wich bills are payable today and having had to pay online at the last minute, I know I'd pay to have such a feature. | 34 stars
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The restless energy of a fine writer
Southern literature tends to be stamped with the obsessions of William Faulkner: doomed and crazy families, legacies of guilt and grudges. The Quick and the Dead maintains that tradition. Wilson chronicles tribal hatred in an Alabama hill-country clan headed by a self-taught itinerant preacher, Robert Treadwell, who speaks in earthy parables and commits self-mutiliation. The book begins and ends with fireball confrontations between the evangelist and his firstborn son, recalled by another son, Luke. The rest, rich in incident, sounds the depths of sexual betrayal and despair. Treadwell calls himself a storyteller, a term that provides a sly, apt link between novelist and revivalist. Each, Wilson suggest, is trying in his way to explain the randon nature of fate. In both the father's febrile sermons and, in the son's cool observations, there is no justice, no fairness. There is, however, the restless energy of a fine writer. | 45 stars
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Classical Literature
Great Expectations was the greatest book that I've ever read. The way that the book was put together always left you wanting to know more. The book was told by a young boy named Phillip Pirrup, that falls madly in love with a young lady name Estrella. He ends up being sent away to England to become a young gentleman, and strays away from the love of his life. A great deal of scandal goes on, and if I tell you anymore than you'll know what happens, but I will tell you this. If you like a dramatic sope-opera filled with love, suspense, and action than you will find this book astounding. I can tell you I loved this bok, and I'm sure you will too. | 45 stars
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Worst Book I've ever read
I hate not finishing a book that I've started, but in the case of this incredibly long, drawn-out, and boring novel, I had no qualms whatsoever. The characters are as unsympathetic as they come, with the 2-D Maria who has probably never entertained a thought in her head, she is so stupid and empty, except to please Robert Jordan, who spends hundreds and hundreds of pages just thinking random thoughts, and walking from place to place. I thought that Anna Karenina was long and drawn out, but even at 800 + pages that book was less drawn out than this wprthless piece. It was completely unnecessary for it to be so long--one of Hemingway's short stories, about an old man on a bridge during the spanish civil war, at less than 3 pages is ten times more movign and poignant than this book. And it doesn't even really paint the Spanish civil war all that well--if you really want a glimpse of what it was like, go rent and watch the classic movie "La lengua de los mariposas" or "Butterfly" in English, which will give you a better idea and much mroe enjoyment at the same time. This book also isn't really that action-packed at all for a war book--I'd say fighting and battle takes up maybe two-fifths fo the book at the most, it's mostly just talking, long stories, long ten page thought streams of RJ, or just walking from place to place, describing things with some of the longest run-on sentences I've ever seen (anyone who tells you that Hemingway's style was just short and simple sentences is full of it in regard to this book).In short, this book is not worth your time--read one of Hemingway's short stories if you must, but not this long, drawn out, boring yarn. | 01 star
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Bought from Amazon for my kindle
A classic book I never read. Totally enjoyed reading or perhaps re-reading it. I saw the movie many times, and several different versions. A joy to finally read the real story as written. Even after all these years I could not put it down and intend to re- read it often! | 34 stars
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Romance writ large: a tour de FORCE, indeed.
THE HENLEY PRIMERI have reason to believe that you will either worship this book or strongly dislike it (with Virginia Henley's classics, indifference is not an option). To determine into which camp you will fall, you'll need to learn if VH is a writer whose style and recurrent themes will compel or repel you. Thus, a Henley primer:>>>You may dislike Henley if:--you favor subtle, subdued writing styles in a romance--you favor quiet, thoughtful, and emotionally reticent lead characters (If this is the case, the only Henley heroine you will love is Jane in A Year and a Day, and the only hero you will love is John in The Decadent Duke.)--you dislike Alpha and Gamma heroes who are "too much" Alpha and "too much" Gamma, who have taken the state of being a blazing Aries charger or a dangerous, dark Scorpio and turned them into art forms.-- you prefer heroines to be on the "average" and "normal" side of physical appearance, skills and talents--you prefer slow-burning relationship development, or romances where the hero and heroine have a lightly flirtatious courtship-- you dislike large age differences between a teenaged or young heroine and a thirty-something hero-- you dislike historical romances that are Historical with a capital "H." (you dislike romances where the history is an integral part of the action and where kings and queens, dynasties, war and plague are all detailed within an inch of their lives.)-- you prefer subtle sensuality and dislike erotically-charged, plentiful sex described in graphic detail--you cannot tolerate reading descriptions of the hero's sexual escapades before getting together with the heroine-- you demand innovation in romance plots; you are constantly looking for a plot or character types that have never been done beforeIf you fall into this first camp, Godspeed to you, and enjoy the many romances out there that will not send your blood pressure sky high, as Henley's likely will.>>>You will thank your lucky stars for Henley if:--you crave high-octane traumas and dramas, with dramatic roller-coaster-high loves and swooping-low, full throttle hate between the hero and heroine-- you adore saucy, devilish, clever, physically courageous, naturally imperious, persevering, "I will survive" heroines with rapier wit, a towering temper, and a righteous sense of justice that they WILL see served...or serve themselves.--you adore...well, authoritarian, clever, physically courageous, naturally imperious heroes, as well!-- you rejoice in seeing said heroine truly meet her match--but never be bested--in a powerful male version of herself (here, like attracts like!)-- you delight in the outrageous antics of said heroine and her Alpha-lion or Gamma-panther counterpart-you love "down and dirty" historicals that showcase the stuff left out of your history textbook (homosexual gentry; child rapist kings; a non-virgin Virgin Queen; the misery of prisons and asylums; the horrors of plague and war)-- you can tolerate the hero's high-handed behavior and sexist actions because the heroine doesn't let him get away with it and because both sides end up equalized--"Over the top," "high drama," and "outrageous" are all positive, not negative, descriptors for you--------------------------------------------------------------------------Reader, I fall into the latter camp. Joyously.Let me take you into the world that Henley has created in TEMPTED, a volatile, epic-scale romance novel that I guarantee, if you fall into the second Henley Primer camp, will knock your socks off.PLOT. Vibrant Lady Valentina Kennedy sacrifices herself for her family's political alliance with their longtime enemies, the dread clan of Douglas. She becomes handfasted to the dangerous laird known as Black Ram Douglas, on whom she has secretly vowed vengeance for his capture of her young brother. Their love story unfolds against the epic drama of 16th century Scotland/Tudor England, including the devastating battle at Flodden.HEROINE and HERO. What dynamite protagonists these two are. They are second-to-none in historical romance: fully realized and so vividly drawn, they will remain in your head for years to come.Valentina is a surprisingly complex character. Because she was raised in a household of men, she is both instinctively adept at sexual byplay and flirtation, and can hold her own fighting, raiding and playing along with her brothers. In the patriarchal culture of highland Scotland, she has earned a (false) reputation for being a sexual temptress. This piques the powerful Black Ram, a hero who is super-Alpha, yes, but whom Henley also masterfully characterizes as, deep down, a funny and basically lonely man, searching for his equal.Henley is an absolute wizard at getting readers to empathize with a powerful female lead. This is no small feat in a society that even today demonizes take-no-prisoners women who go after what they want. From the very first pages, we are drawn into the character of Tina, for whom our heart aches when we see the way she is disfavored by her mother and forced to sacrifice herself for the good of her clan. Courageous, loyal and fighting on the side of justice, Tina's a superhero with a vulnerable streak.RELATIONSHIP DEVELOPMENT. Grab your safety goggles; sparks are about to fly. Yes, the "hate at first sight" storyline in romances is as old as Pride and Prejudice, but boy, can Henley light the page on fire with it. Tina has sworn vengeance on Ram, and the lady means it, so get the heck out of her way! The most wonderful thing about their "courtship" is that we, the reader, can recognize these two are essentially the separated-at-birth twins of each other, but they at first don't see it; what fun watching them come to realize this, and, later, articulating it. Towards the end of the book, when evil abounds in the castle and the political situation devolves into war, Tina and Ram are placed in situations that will bring a lump to your throat over the poignancy and tenderness of their newly found love and that which threatens it.STYLE. Henley is a storyteller who, at her best (Tempted), can spin a web around even the reader who swore they were going to stay up reading Chekhov tonight. She is blunt-talking, bawdy, and manages to create richly detailed historical tapestries that don't bog down the romantic narrative. Yes, the love scenes lay it on thick, and the villains are always Pure Evil and the heroines are generally brimming with umbrage and fire, but you know what? It works. It gets your blood up. It sweeps you up and squeezes you close and makes you forget all the mundane stuff you left unfinished on the kitchen table. How many books--not just romances--do that for you?SEXUAL SCENES. Plenty of them, and hot, hot, hot without being erotica. Anyone who finds Henley to be erotica has obviously not read that genre. Her stuff is graphic, but always relationship-based.PROFANITY. Plenty of it, but well-used to develop character.CHEATING. None. Ram has mistresses before Tina, but never after. She never strays. (His mistress does pop up now and again to cause trouble, though).THE EVIL MAN. (!!!!Spoilers!!!!) In many historicals and in almost all of Henley's, there's an evil man who lusts after the heroine, gets his paws on her, and, in some books, rapes her. The evil man in Tempted is a very famous historical personage but he does NOT get a chance to actually rape the heroine.SEXUAL VIOLENCE (!!!!Spoilers!!!!!)There is a scene in this book in which the hero forces sex onto a heroine who deep down does not want sex but who bravely resigns herself to it because she knows it is her "duty." I think this sort of resignation for political reasons borders on lack of genuine consent, and lack of consent=rape. But, in both books, I was able to get past the assault and even grow to approve of the hero because:(1) the circumstances demanded a sexual consummation: Ram has to consummate the handfasting in order to fulfill the terms of the political alliance between the clans. He expects her to acquiesce because the very purpose of the handfasting was to create a consummated clan bond and produce a child of that alliance. (Normally this would make him a victim, too, however, he still wants to have sex with Tina for his own pleasure purposes.) In this sense, the initial "rape" is in fact the handfasting of Tina by the patriarchal clan elders.(2) Crucially, and the thing that made me able to accept this where I could not accept the rapes of the 1970's and 80's romances, is that the hero admits very clearly that he raped the heroine and that he was wrong to do so. He thinks the actual word "rape." He then spends quite a bit of time allowing the heroine to heal and showing his regret over hurting her. I've come to consider this to be a fairly subversive treatment of rape in books aimed toward heterosexual readers. There is still a strong belief amongst some that, if the man tries to arouse the woman and they are married and the woman is otherwise attracted to him, forced sex is not rape. Well, Henley blows that argument right out of the water. Her hero realizes that he has done rape (even if he was compelled to for political reasons and even if Tina had resigned herself to it) and clearly articulates that it is unacceptable. I can appreciate that. And I think it will cause readers to in the future more clearly see sexual assault for what it is.NEGATIVES: the afore-mentioned assault, a rather insignificant subplot about a creepy member of the Douglas clan; fairly one-dimensional villains; stereotypes about Gypsies (and for that matter, Scots and redheads!).TWO WORDS:Tina: Courage and FireRam: Action and IntegrityVERDICT: The cream of Henley's considerable crop, Tempted has everything and more for lovers of high drama and history. This book, unlike many romances, will convince you over and over again of this couple's once-in-a-lifetime bond. Their larger-than-life personalities leap off the pages and draw you into their world. Is the book flawed? Undoubtedly. But at the last page, you exhale, you wipe your brow, you think: "Now, THAT'S a romance!" | 45 stars
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A Great Book For Everyone!
Two months ago I started reading Anne of Green Gabels. I imidently fell in love with that series, and now I'm on Rainbow Vally! I couldn't resist Anne Shirly, and all her friends and enimies, such as: Diana Barry, Fred Write, Jane Andrews( how could anyone forget the way she proposed for her brother!) Ruby Gillis, Susan Baker, Rebbeca Dew, Aunt Chatty, Josie Pye, and al her children. I think that everyone should read this book, and the person who put a six has no taste at all! | 45 stars
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Heart-breakingly exhilarating...
Enough has already been said about this book. Needless to say, it transcends any preconceived notions or expectations a reader might entertain regarding novels in general. The incestuous scene toward the end is a master-stroke. No other plot option could have reported the anguish and dysfunctionality of the twins more efficiently. I just hope Roy doesn't write another novel though; she has obviously wrung her own self into this book, and anything following this will probably be painfully forced and stink of greed for more commercial success (which May, or May Not revisit her). | 45 stars
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Poetic, confronting, deep
This is one of those novels that I found difficult to critique without a good deal of reflection. As other reviewers have explained, this novel is set in a key moment in Western history - Classical Greece during the Peloponessian War. It is a coming of age novel in a society that is as different from ours as many a fantasy or science fiction society, and yet plagued by the same human weaknesses. I loved it.Why?Firstly, as a middle-aged heterosexual Christian male born and raised in the Anglo-Celtic tradition I found the love aspect of this novel to be quite confrontational (notice I say love, not sex). Athens was a society where pederasty (love between an older man and a youth) was a normal stage in development. Once past that step the older man would then fall for and marry a girl in her teens. As a coming of age story, the protagonist experiences this stage of development. The novel does not portray this love in any lurid manner, but with the same sensitivity as any other love story. This was confrontational to me because in modern Western societies the adult-with-youth relationship is both distasteful and illegal as pedophilia (NOTE: please don't interpret this as me saying the novel is about pedophilia - its not). I should also point out that I have friends and relatives who are gay and as such never thought people's personal gender preferences to be an issue, and yet this beautiful portrayal of male-male love disturbed and unsettled me more than I expected. I suppose this can be interpretted as my heterosexuality expressing itself, but nevertheless I was really surprised. Any novel that can challenge your beliefs about yourself and make you feel uncomfortable is a good one. Please note that this is just a part of the novel, not the key aspect, and I have probably dedicated more words to it than it rightly deserves due to my own emotional responses.Secondly, the novel brought several philosopical questions to bear, questions that I believe are still relevant. For example there were various questions about the nature of democracy and its relationship to fairness. There also were questions about the situations in which people find themselves and how they subsequently respond. Every question raised was approached in a manner that fitted well with the story and in no way seemed "preachy".Thirdly - ancient Athens!!!! (Yes, four deliberate exclaimation marks). In my teenage years I consumed Herodotus, Plato, Thucydides and any Greek legends I could find. Imagine listening to Socrates, or watching a fleet of triremes, or walking the acropolis at its prime. This is a pure travelogue to a long lost world.Fourthly - the characterisations are rich and wonderful and each is unique. Individuals behave in a realistic manner.These things aside, the author's approach is interesting. It is a first person novel in the form of an autobiography. She really captures the form of a memoir, meandering on the brink of key historical events while always keeping focus on the character's own priorities. At times I simply broke out the history books to find out more about things that in this novel were treated as a periphery. I loved it. Having said this, I can easily imagine complaints of boredom from those readers who like their novels more direct. But this novel is about the journey more than the destination (sorry for the old cliche).Yes - read it. | 45 stars
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My thoughts on George R.R. Martin's A Clash Of Kings.
All around I liked this book very much. It was less sad then the other one but continued and hightened the already great story line. My biggest complaint is the more heavely introduced magic in this one. Although it still plays an extreamly minor role. | 34 stars
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Who doesn't love Heathcliff!
There is little I can add to the body of work devoted to this excellent novel. But who doesn't love Healthcliff - the prototype for all tortured, romantic souls after him. A wonderful read that should be required for all. Bronte, like all great authors, is as much psychologist is she is an artist, and her writing could even be placed quite neatly, if one so wished, under the mantle of the attachment theories that came after her time. | 45 stars
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As human and true as a book gets!
I have read few books as touching, as moving, as thought-provoking, and as terrifying as "On The Beach". Needless to say, the message in this book will ring and resonate to everyone as long as we foolish, unwise humans have the power to destroy everything at our finger tips. Anyone that proclaims to be human must read this book. Although the scientific part is fairly incorrect, the human feeling of the book is as far-reaching as many other master pieces of literature have been. Absolutely magnificent! | 45 stars
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Death by fire!
Another brilliant mystery by Michael Innes. His characters are wildly eccentric, incredibly erudite, and bizarre beyond all imagination! In this book, a mystery author, Priscilla Pringle, and a headmaster of a boys' school, Captain Bulkington, meet. They discuss collaborating on a book...or are they really collaborating to murder Sir Ambrose? John and Judith Appleby stumble on the scene, and solve the mystery. But wait? Was there really a crime? When you read this book closely, you will realise that even that question is not readily apparent.Michael Innes is one of my favorite mystery authors. His books can be difficult to find, due to the lack of availability. Take advantage of e-shops, and buy them here. You won't be sorry. The New Sonia Wayward is the most famous, but this is as good an offering as you'll find, although my favorite so far is Hare Sitting Up. | 34 stars
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1984
Although the images are not profound and the grammar and language usage rather basic, what holds this novel together are its plot, intelligent ideas, and unique, beautifully flawed characters. I loved the fatal relationship between Julia and Winston, mostly because it was unsentimental and virtually realistic. I don't think Orwell romanticizes anything, alluding perhaps to the bleak style of life led in the book. (The denouement between the two is stunning, yet tragic). The novel ends on a melancholic, similarly unhappy note, which epitomizes the main idea presented: there really are no happy endings, and sometimes there is no winner. Winston, our anti-hero, already dull at the beginning, goes full circle, culminating in a conclusion full of Orwellian grace and sadness. Perhaps the ending was the best part of all, as it leaves the reader feeling like the world of 1984 is, in fact, real and never-ending. Clearly, that was Orwell's point. | 34 stars
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Finally, some needed balance
I would highly recommend this book to science tearchers that are concerned that their students have not been given a sense of the number and type of problems that the current state of research into the origin of life has failed to solve. Its also a great resource to help someone without previous knowledge of the field get an idea of what types of articles to follow to determine how things are going in the major areas of origin of life research. There is an extensive bibliography. The book is a first attempt at comparing a scientifically integrated (general in addition to special revelation) biblical model with the evolutionary models for the origin of life. While it is a high level non-rigorous approach, it does however awaken one to big picture tests that should be taken seriously before quickly discounting the possibility of a supernatural designer. It was good to see that the simplistic probability arguments used by creationists in the past have become more sophisticated. While still not perfect (e.g. the allowed protein sequence space reference used to support Yockey's Cytochrome C analysis only considers the space of alternate side-chains and their conformations without allowing the backbone conformation to change), it still carries substantial weight. | 34 stars
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Loved it
This is similar to Georgette Heyer's "The Masqueraders" and was very well written. I have read it twice now and enjoyed it. It's in my favorites collection now! | 45 stars
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The First L'Amour Book I ever read
I really enjoyed this book. Tap Duvarney is a good protagonist and the showdown in the thunderstorm storm at the climax is particularly exciting. This is a good starter book for those new to L'Amour! | 34 stars
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awful book for 7th graders
One of our children was assigned this book to read for 7th grade honors English class.This is ridiculous for 12 year olds to be reading a book like this; the language, adult situations, anti-semitic portions, use of 'the N-word', and general tone made it TOTALLY inappropriate for children to be reading. | 01 star
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Justice Hall
There is much to like in "Justice Hall"--evocative descriptions of English landscape and English architecture, domestic and grand; an education on the country house shooting party; the curious overlay of transportation, ancient and contemporary, which marked the post WWI years; the brutal circumstances of trench warfare. But, as with all the Mary Russell novels, a willingness to suspend disbelief is essential--especially if you are a dyed-in-the-wool Sherlock Holmes fan. The plot and characters will otherwise spoil what is in many ways an enjoyable romp (except when King is on the "Shot at Dawn" soapbox, or the overabundant symbolism of the Hall and its beautifully painted dome). Ms. King does her best to instruct readers new to the series on past relationships, but this leads to rather too much backstory. Nevertheless, there is a lot of atmospheric fun to be had keeping Holmes and Russell company. | 23 stars
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An anti-glacier classic
Well, as a protagonist says, it might as well be an anti-glacier book, glaciers being somewhat easier to stop than war.This is an odd little book, full of wry humour and unaccustomed association of ideas. While presenting a picture of the sheer, stupid, murderous futility of war as a backdrop, it pursues a partly science-fictional narrative of a man lost in the skein of his own time-lines and thus explores some fairly intractable philosophical territory. The two lines of inquiry make an odd mixture.The central character is lost in time. What this means - what, indeed, it can mean - is part of the philosophical can of worms that this book opens. Billy Pilgrim has been abducted by aliens and placed on display in a zoo. At least, we are told this - if Pilgrim has lost his ability to construct a linear subjective time then hallucinations about aliens may be the least of his worries. Slipping through a time warp to reach their home and then learning from them that humans are unique in not being able to perceive the whole of time as if viewing it at right-angles, Pilgrim has at some stage come unmoored in his own subjective time-line. The story follows his staccato perception of time as it lashes back and forth from one part of his life to another.The Tralfmadoreans find it amusing that humans believe in "free will". Seeing time as a dimension, in its entirety, they also see it as a completed causal whole. To us, chained to the railway wagon of time and only able to view the passing landscape down two metres of fixed, narrow pipe, the future is open and free will a going concern. Seeing the entire causal landscape, they know free will to be a delusion, and now so does Pilgrim. For him, those who died remain alive in a different part of the landscape, and all that will be is as it always was.Being able to see time backwards might have its compensations for a Dresden survivor. Rivers of burning human fat flow back, cooling, to reconstitute young women's bodies and blocks of ghostly, translucent soap stamped "RJF" are sucked up by the shower and sent back to camps to bring murdered Jews back to life. Anti-aircraft batteries suck damage from planes that reverse overhead, hoovering up bombs and quenching fires. Horrors undo themselves, and the world can rejoice that a war will soon roll backwards across Europe and Asia, building cities in its wake as the graves empty and millions reawaken to life.Here, chained to the track, time racing with glacial inevitability past the end of our pipe, horrors remain, forever beyond any undoing. What is done will not be undone. This, I think, was Vonnegut's message. | 34 stars
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Child/Adulthood classic
WOW!!! never read this book as a kid or even seen the movie, but as an adult i absolutely loved it. So much going on its hard to keep up, but it does a great job at keeping one's attention. Both stories were great, but i liked the original one a little better than the sequel. | 45 stars
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One of the greatest books of all time.
Dinotopia is a book I discovered about 3 years ago . I picked it up from the library on my way home the last day of Summer vacation. I never expected to love it so much. It's got the best visuals and storyline then almost anything you'll see in the movies, and it gives you this incredible urge to actually go out and find this place. Dinotopia is an awesome book that everyone should read. The mystery that surrounds this place really makes you feel like you're getting a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see something no one else is seeing. There's no way to explain how happy this book made me feel. Read it now. | 45 stars
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Practical Wisdom That really helped me.
Dear Friends,This book is really an astonishing read of how as a young boy Sogyal Rinpoche was recognised as the incarnation of an enlightened Master. It tells of his life as student to the most accomplished meditation masters of this era, and gives prctical instructions on how we can integrate this healing wisdom into our modern lives. I have to tell you that this book has helped me a great deal and i know i will refer to it again and again as a guide to help me in my life today. | 45 stars
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Best Book In My Collection
I have to agree whole-heartedly with others who have given top recommendations for this book. It was recommended to me while I was at a training seminar and has fast become the most used book on my shelf. It really has something for every occaision.One of the very best things about the book is that it is more than just a collection of trainer games (not that there is anything wrong with those books), but it has a million tips and ideas that can be added to any training. I think this is a must have for any trainer. | 45 stars
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Wonderful
Charlotte Bronte did a wonderful job of creating a strong female character, the strongest I've read, with a good heart and unbreakable morals. Jane is smart and witty, and her dialogue makes for a very enjoyable read. The language, however tricky it may be, is wonderful and wraps around you, taking you back to 1800. The romance between Jane and her master Mr. Rochester is a classic, and Jane's story is one that all should be a part of. | 45 stars
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Great love story
I loved this book and I'm going to start next one as soon as I finish this. Buy it you'll enjoy it. | 34 stars
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Love it
Read this when I was in high school, and really enjoyed reading it again.Enchanting book that is easy to read and follow all the characters. | 45 stars
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Awesome!
This is an extraordinary debut from Ms. Lehman! The characters are very well written, and feel like they could be anyone around you (or even YOU, if you happen to be single and from Long Island). It's too hard to pick a favourite story. I look forward to more from this author! | 45 stars
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Pieces from Another Time
American photographer Bruce Davidson was born in 1933 in Oak Park, Illinois to a single mother, who worked in a factory. At age 10, his mother built him a dark room in their basement and Davidson began taking photographs; as he was given the freedom to wander the streets of Oak Park alone. Soon after, he approached a local photographer who taught him the technical nuances of photography, in addition to lighting and printing skills. In his mid-teens, Davidson began to ride Chicago's elevated train system into the city, exploring neighborhoods and the Chicago Loop, observing wide varieties of people, and most importantly developing skills and interests that would be seen in his later photographic works. His works have always been on the leading edge of seeking out the sources of social unrest in the ghettos and in all the civil rights movements, and his ability to non-objectify the people he photographs has made him one of the most realistic of contemporary photographers.In 1986 the original book SUBWAY was published by Aperture, a collection of images Davidson captured in the subways of New York, focusing on the 'outsiders of society more than the white collar commuters. That award winning book has since become unavailable and this current release is a re-print edition published by Aperture in September of 2011. It is well to examine these startling images again - and this edition adds 25 images not previously published. The gritty, seamy images found in this collection allow us to examine from a safe distance the seamier side of the subway riders. This documentation of another time - with characters who were active in the culture of New York's underground - reminds us that times have not changed all that much: perhaps the costumes and paraphernalia have altered but the discontent of the faces has not.There is an informative introduction to the times and the topic by Fred Braithwaite and the book ends with an Afterword by the now deceased famous art critic Henry Geldzahler. Best to buy this edition new before it too goes out of print. It is a keepsake and an art piece. Grady Harp, November 11 | 45 stars
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a complex masterpiece that still holds up...
There's not much left to be said that you won't find in the other reviews on here. If you read a couple of them you'll know the premise and have a pretty good idea of the plot and mood.One thing that constantly amazes me about DKR is how it works on so many different levels. On the surface, it's a dystopian reimagining of a superhero that had long become stale and boring in the eyes of pop culture and comics fandom. It's also a psychological, noir-ish thriller that foreshadowed Miller's later work on Sin City. It also satirizes everything from politics (on both the right and left) and empty-headed pop culture to the comic book industry of the 80s (the "Mutant Gang" that dominates Gotham through mindless violence is pretty clearly a dig at the X-Men, who were creaming every DC book on the sales charts at the time with some pretty mindless stories). If that's not enough, ultimately it turns out to be a dignified, elevated exploration of comics as modern mythology: heavy stuff to have been written at a time when comics were supposed to be simple-minded entertainment for kids.A few other people have griped about the art not being to their taste (Miller has a unique style, you either love it or you don't) or they read it now and find the "grim and gritty" feel to be cliched--not understanding that this is the book that Spawn-ed generations of weak rip-offs that were basically just plageurized from this groundbreaking masterpiece. Personally, I still find something new every time I read it.Oh yeah, and if you liked Batman Begins, you'll love this. Definitely still a must-read for any fans of Batman or comics in general. | 45 stars
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Timeless Delight
I first read this when I was a child, and remember crying buckets when it finished because I thought there was no more - in fact I was wrong, there are eleven more books, all wonderful. These stories are full of joy, inoocence and adventure, and are a tonic in our dark and uncertain times. I visited the scenes of some of them in England, and was surprised at how geographically exact they are. The characters are real, the stories believeable, and, with the various illustrations by the author, they create a truely magic world. They are also books about how to do things. You can, for example. p[ick up quite a good education in sailing and seamanship from reading them, along with how to smelt gold, burn charcoal, survey tidal mudflats, and all manner of other things. Hal GP Colebatch's book, "Return of the Heroes," which I have reviewed in its own page, sets out a good deal about Ransome, and among other things indicates some relationships between him and Tolkien. If you love sailing, and the innocent, sunny golden days of childhood, buy these books and do yourself a favour. If you have hildren, buy these books for them! | 45 stars
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Fishing for Compliments
I can't begin to remember all the nice pieces of fish that my wife and I had collectively sent to the Badly Cooked Place in the Sky. Talk about being clueless! We're trying to eat healthier but when it came to seafood, forget it. Something had to be done. After scanning the seafood cookbooks on Amazon I quickly narrowed it down to Leslie Revsin's book, GREAT FISH, QUICK. Written with easy to follow directions, utilizing readily available ingredients, this is THE book for fast and incredibly delicious meals using fillets and shellfish. Your personal fears about cooking such entrees will disappear as the words of praise pour in. Most main courses take under 40 minutes to prepare and since many of the recipes can be made by interchanging different types of fish there is a great diversity of possible dishes. What's also nice is that you don't need exotic cookware or mysterious ingredients. Leslie offers sound advice in choosing the healthiest pieces of seafood and avoiding frozen and chemically processed junk. Also included are sensible cooking and preparation techniques, sauces, garnishes, marinades, serving advice, party and grill specialties, etc. Her writing style is pleasant and highly readable and so far, according to my wife, I'm batting 100 on successful dishes. What more could you possibly ask? | 45 stars
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Holt Lutraaaa!!!
This book is really good. Action, riddles, drama...this book has it all. In my oppinion its one of this best in the Redwall series (a series with animals as animals as main characters). Also if you like this book read the Long Patrol so you can see Tansy,Craklyn and others again. | 45 stars
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Incredible, but flawed
Everyone else has touched on the explosiveness of the material--it really is amazing. I'm a big fan of McGowan's other books and his website, but I think this book could have really used an editor and a different approach.Clearly the strongest parts of the book are the first and last few chapters. The stuff in between represents the bulk of the text, but the way McGowan wrote it made it both confusing and ineffective. While the facts of each case were interesting, I felt buried in the details and missing out on the bigger picture. I can get all the gory facts from any number of "true crime" titles, what I wanted to know is what McGowan thought was really going on. There's just too much recitation of facts and tangential wanderings and not enough analysis.I think a better approach would have been to explain exactly what McGowan thought was the common elements among some or all of the "serial killers" highlighted in the book and then flesh that out with some details about each case. But since the book is still so original in its arguments and the remainder of the book is excellent, I give it a well-deserved 4 stars. | 34 stars
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Keno's Game
I like mainstream fiction. Seldom do I venture into the morbid world of Literary Fiction where self-pity and amorality hide behind artsy verbiage. Steinbeck is about as far as I can go-a tame Literary Lion. I don't sense in his works the pretentiousness and elitism that is so prevalent among his peers. Steinbeck's writing style and themes are accessible, and thankfully lack the dark, labyrinthine prose of Joyce, Faulkner, et al. John Steinbeck achieves with words what Mozart does with music. They are both masters of taking ordinary ideas to extraordinary heights, transforming the common into a higher, creative realm.As I much as I like The Pearl (especially Frank Muller's splendid audio rendition) the practical-realist in me is stubbornly put off by its high-handed preaching against materialism. The book's main character, Keno, wants to sell his pearl and secure a better future for his family, exactly what my Irish ancestors sought when they traded potato patches for Streets Paved With Gold. A fundamental problem I have with this book, and Literary Fiction generally, is that it paints such a bleak picture of humanity. I agree that rampant, unchecked greed and materialism is bad, but give poor Keno a break! He only wants what my Irish immigrant ancestors wanted-a way out of grinding poverty. Would it have been better if Keno had passively accepted his lot in life? Millions of immigrants who came to America were looking for their pearl. Were they wrong too? | 34 stars
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A Must For Researchers
As Continental forces and Virginia militia units were engaged in winning independence, American quartermasters and provisioners struggled to provide these units with all the necessities of life, from meals and guns to meat, fodder for horses, the horses themselves, firewood, and every other type of material. Much of this was requisitioned from the civilian population and certificates were issued payable in either continental or state funds, depending on the units supplied, upon presentation to court authorities. Thousands of these certificates issued to Virginians were duly entered by the courts, and they provide a fascinating insight into the period of the Revolution. These "Publick" Claims booklets contain interesting and useful information about the contributions of ordinary people to the Revolutionary War. They provide some details of people's service in the militia or as guards for prisoners of war; they indicate where some bodies of troops were at particular times; and they identify providers of horses, wagons, cattle, grain, or other supplies. Much of the information in these booklets cannot be found anywhere else, which makes the surviving records particularly valuable. Also remarkable is the fact that records survived from virtually every county in the state at that time with the exception of the newly formed Kentucky counties. This makes the collection even more valuable in covering areas which heretofore in this time period have suffered from a lack of personal data. The "Virginia Publick Claims" are published by counties. In addition to a faithful transcription by Janice Luck Abercrombie and the late Richard Slatten, a complete index is provided for each county booklet. This series is an extremely important genealogical tool for searchers in Revolutionary-era materials. | 45 stars
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Still kind of a one of kind sci-fi book
I've come to start with four stars as I note that no book is perfect; considering this is just a story, it can't be perfect. My giving a book much less this one four stars is no knock on it.Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clark are considered the beginning of 'hard' sci-fi. It's not strictly true as there were guys like H.G. Wells Jules Verne and might I add Johannas Kepler? There's also the Frankenstein story. A point I want to make here is that it seems that nobody has been able to follow in their footsteps! Why? They didn't necessarily mean to just be scientificaly accurate. Their message was scientific humanism. It's the philosophy of being scientific that is portrayed in their books and not just robots and spaceships.Something else that needs to be pointed out is the difference between Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke. Some would suggest that Arthur C. Clark was more technically sophisticated than Isaac Asimov. Was Arthur C. Clark really all that technically sophisticated in his books? He had guys shooting through a vacuum to get to an A.I. computer gone haywire! Isaac Asimov has faster than light travel by means of space folding in his foundation books(a prediction that may not be so far off . . . in either technical accuracy or time; meaning it could happen sooner than you think!); he has mind reading; we have the ability to plus computers into brains and read what they're thinking and saying now; it's not mass produced(yet); but, it's there. I for one only liked Isaac's first volume of his foundation books because he has this mind-reading which I didn't like; well, what do I know?What seems to continue to set Isaac Asimov's Foundation appart is that of a galactic empire and how it dies(human neglect of rationalism). It should be noted that Isaac managed to connect his foundation books with his empire and robot books; so, he shows how intelligence really grows to dominate a galaxy, and then shows social ways that it can crumble(inspired by the fall of the roman empire).Despite Isaac's reliance on nuclear power as the high technology of the day, his foundation books symbolizes the real issues facing humanity and not what you get on the news channels(actual politics channels; they just call them news channels); they seem to argue for the same things each election year but never solve the same problems! Meanwhile, the science world keeps on chugging(word?lol!) along. | 34 stars
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A good reference
I bought the "Complete Idiot's Guide to Project Management" first, then found this title on the shelves. So I bought The Dummies book and gave The Idiot's book away.The Dummies book is a good reference for people dabbling in project management. It is well structured, well laid-out, and well written. At the same time it cuts the (...)found in so many heavy-duty management books.Particularly useful are the templates found all through the book - and the CD with digital copies of them all. I have introduced many of these templates into my workplace, with slight modifications.Negatives? The absence of UML and Object Oriented development processes. | 34 stars
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Wanted to love this book but felt it too outdated...
I went into this book knowing its a beloved classic therefore I really wanted to love it; for the first half of the book I really did. I felt connected to the characters and thought the author's ability to capture both time and place was supurb; she really made the Australian Outback come alive. I truly felt the Cleary family hardships, their bitterness and secrets. However, after awhile I found it somewhat outdated. I can't put my finger on precisely what made me feel this way, but perhaps it was the unrealistic and weak dialogue that finally did me in. Or perhaps Father Ralph's somewhat obsessive feelings towards the young Meggie made me feel uncomfortable. Regardless, despite its cult-like status, I simply can't recommend this one. | 01 star
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Nice size print. Easy to read.
Nice large print. Easy to read. Great hard cover. My child uses this one at school and it stays in great shape in the book bag. | 45 stars
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New Version of Old Classic
Valuable up-to-date morning and evening devotions for Christians who want depth in their relationship with God. Changed from original test to modern day language makes it more easily readable. | 45 stars
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baldwin makes isolation and a search for self beautiful
in this book. i am neither male nor gay, yet i identified with the main character. baldwin shows what it is like to leave america for europe looking for something, only to discover that you can neither find what you are looking for nor return home. his style is sparse, like hemingway, and like hemingway you can tell he knows what it is like to be an expat. this book touched me and i give it to everyone i know who is searching... | 45 stars
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Pleasurable and delightful
This little book amazed me the first time I read it, for it is a delightful mix of erotica and story-telling in olde English. Sensuality with style and elegance, without being vulgar or hackneyed, or boring. With an excellent portrayal of the title character, this book deals in detail a very sexual theme, taking you to a different time. Shows how love, passion, and pleasure survive every age and time. Delightful. | 34 stars
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2 precious daughters later and this is STILL the best book!
I know that because of the information in this book that I was able to get pregnant TWICE, within the first 2 months of trying and without having sex every other day (although I wouldn't have been complaining). I still use what I learned in this book to keep from having child no. 3 before we are ready and for determining my cycle. I recommend this to every woman and will definitely make sure my daughters know about the information presented in this book! | 45 stars
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Big question: big hearted answer
I admire authors who set out with a big question, and then bring lots of helpful material together to answer it fully and honestly. To achieve such books successfully usually means that the author has spent most of their life wrestling with a particular question.In this book Timothy Radcliffe tackles answering his question with a combination of learning, enthusiastic but disciplined passion and many stories and examples. You sense he has a long open hearted experience, which has seen many people and problems. Reading his text it becomes clear that he has not rushed to judgement, nor sought refuge in doctrine, but has sought to understand people and their predicaments.This is an excellent book that shows exactly what the point of being a Christian is. It is a great book for Christians reflecting on their faith and practice. For those who want to understand more about Christianity and its potential then this book is a good starting point.It's one of those starting points that we may only recognise fully after some exploration, and as T.S. Elliot says,"And the end of all our exploringWill be to arrive where we startedAnd know the place for the first time."My thanks to Timothy Radcliffe for writing this book which will help many of us to know our faith more deeply. | 45 stars
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The Greatest Western Ever Written
Without a doubt Riders of the Purple Sage is the best western ever written. And Zane Grey is the best author to have ever penned the story of the American West. Along with Heritage of the Desert these two rank one and two. Some would say Zane Grey is old fashioned and out of date, but this is not true, if one wants to read good romance, good action, good socialological and psychological stories, with excellent and brilliant descriptive backgrounds as to the time and the place and the area where these stories take place. This particular edition I found unique in its design and lay out which makes for easy reading. I highly recommend it to anyone, especially to the women out there, as ZG writes a lot of this story from a woman' perspective. Buy it today and begin a life long love of the Old West as only Zane Grey could tell it. | 45 stars
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A wonderful childrens tale for people of all ages.
The Hobbit, Or There and Back Again, is the wonderful prequal to the Lord of the Rings but, standing alone it still remains one of the best tales ever told. The adventure of Bilbo Baggins is the classic treasure hunt, complete with elves, dwarves, goblins, trolls and fire breathing dragon. Also, for the first time the reader meets such characters as Gandalf the Gray, Elrond Half-Elven, Balin, Gloin, and of course Gollum all who play either larger or lesser roles in the Lord of the Rings. Perhaps most importantly, is the account of the finding of the Ring of Power. Therefore, while clearly written with a younger audiance in mind, The Hobbit appeals to readers of all ages, for in it, the master of fantasy can clearly be seen honing the storytelling skills that have won him the praise of millions readers around the world. I can not wait until my neice and nephew are old enough for me to share this incredable tale with them. | 45 stars
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My all time favorite!
This book is the only book that I have read twice and I WILL read it again and again over my lifetime! There are so many great quotes. | 45 stars
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The usual life
It was a truly captivating novel. Never expected theending. Jane gives us a full account of who and what she was and hasbecome. | 34 stars
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My favorite book!
I couldn't believe how great a book this was. I read it last week and I was amazed by how good it was. My friend had told me it was a great book, and I thought it was only going to be OK. It turned out great. I absulutly loved it. | 45 stars
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Jamberry Rocks!
I wonder why it took 3 people to "write" this book when the "chicka boom" is borrowed from an old Van Morrison song, who borrowed it from an old chidren's chant; and the "illustrations" are no more than letters cut out from colored paper! | 23 stars
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Superficially Comic but Grim and Hopeless Beneath
Mr.Polly is one of H.G. Wells' novels of contemporary society, albeit with a comic dimension, detailing the escape of an archtypical "little man" from a life of quiet desperation. It is splendidly read by Clive Swift, an inspired choice, who by his voice inflexions and range of accent conveys brilliantly the ethos of precarious respectability and suffocating normality in which the anti-hero lives. This reading of the novel conveys the very feel of that lost lower-middle class, pre-World War I, world of minute social gradations, of stifling conformity and of emerging awareness of the potential for change through education and science. Hearing it some nine decades on one is very uncomfortably aware that this entire world is about to be scorched away and that the young shop-assistants and tradesmen who populate it have an appointment with destiny in the Pals' Battalions they will flock to when Armageddon looms. Wells' portrayal of the nuances of this world is sharply delineated, reflecting direct personal experience, and the frequent comedy never obscures the accuracy of the observation. Despite the humour - bordering on the farcical in Mr.Polly's confrontation with the dreaded Uncle Jim - there is a hollow centre to the story. Mr. Polly may escape one round of futility, but the liberation he discovers is scarcely more life or spirit-enhancing than that which he left behind. The book ends with Mr.Polly (it is notable that one still cannot drop the Mr., that defining badge of respectability) achieving a degree of animal contentment but still oppressed by a sense of the futility of existence. In this, as in his Science Fiction, Wells' vision is barren and hopeless. He was capable, as almost no other writer before or since, of visualising material progress with uncanny accuracy, but he missed any sense of the potential and grandeur of the human spirit. It is this that makes this story, though superficially enjoyable, finally so unsatisfactory. | 34 stars
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What Not to Name Your Baby
I would not really recommend this book. It was dumb and did not have enough variety. Where the author sees humor, I see bad writing. Do not buy this book. There are plenty of other name books out there that will be more enjoyable. | 23 stars
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One of Conrad's best novels, if not one of his best known.
Victory is the story of a man named Heyst who leads an isolated life in the South Pacific. However, he is drawn out of his isolation when he brings a woman to his island home. A chance encounter between a dishonest German who dislikes Heyst and two criminals sets up the dramatic ending. Conrad's style is as fluid as in his better known books, such as Lord Jim, and it is amazing that someone could write English so well who did not learn it until later in life and who always spoke it with a heavy Polish accent. Victory is similar to Conrad's other works in that the plot flirts with melodrama, but always is rooted in realism. Those who read the book will find the title apt. | 34 stars
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Don't read when you're home alone!!
Excellent book!!! The fact that it was all true stories made it impossible to read at night and not have nightmares. Mr. Ressler spoke at my university last year and his lectures are as facinating as his novels... if you ever get a chance to hear him speak, take it! Definately a wonderful book... if you can handle the truth!!! | 45 stars
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Comprehensive, updated, great book of simulation systems
Banks revised his great book with updated simulation package and information. Several new issues, such as, tools/softwares, random-variable generation, simulation termination, how to use Simulation to analysis and design computer system, many downloadable examples. Sufficient theories, to understand Simulation, are given, for instance, the Statistics and Queueing theories. Two chapters are dedicated for random-number generation. One chapter is dedicated for verification and validation of simulation models. Although it's only one chapter, several references are given for further study. IE or logistic practioner will enjoy since one chapter is for manufacturing and material handling system (wow!). Very good reference and practice. | 45 stars
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Everything I needed to know I learned from the Toltecs
As a Spanish teacher I am always interested in cultural beliefs and practices of the ancients. I think much can be learned by going back to simple things such as these four things.Ruiz has a nice style, but the only drawback I found was the first couple chapters took away somewhat from the impact of the rest of the book. The stars are lights, lights are stars, etc was kind of out there. I found myself putting up with that part to get to the wisdom I found later in the book.I found these four agreements useful and I loved the book overall. I just think some people won't get to the good stuff because the first part is so abstract.It's only my opinion. :) | 34 stars
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I loved this book!
Hare left the countryside and moved to a small house at the end of a street. He loved his new home but didn't like his wide expanse of short green grass. Not to worry! He would fix it so that it looked like the countryside.Everyone on Hare's street worked very hard on their carefully manicured lawns and expected him to do the same. But Hare allowed the grass to wilt and turn brown and he waited and waited. Soon the yard became filled with weeds. When the winds blew and the rain fell, magical things began to happen. Soon wildflowers bloomed and flourished. The neighbors, Skunk, Bobcat and Raven, noticed that Hare's lawn didn't look weedy or messy anymore. It looked like a beautiful meadow!Hare and the Big Green Lawn is an educational book for children that helps them understand that there are different ways to view beauty. The illustrations are filled with wonderful animal friends that children will enjoy.Armchair Interviews says: With spring's arrival, Hare and the Big Green Lawn is a great way to introduce children to the growing season, conversation, new birth and beauty. | 34 stars
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A Very Impressive Read
I read this book over two days. It's definitely a page-turner in the same league as The Andromeda Strain or Jurassic Park. But best of all, it gets down to the science of "science fiction" in ways I think some of his other novels (Disclosure, The Lost World) seem to have neglected. While it's not "hard science fiction" (e.g., the sample computer code in the novel doesn't even make an attempt at looking like a recognizable programming language), it has enough scientific detail to keep the SF fan interested. The characters are also surprisingly well-thought-out, especially for a Crichton novel (where the characters are normally not nearly as important as the concepts). All in all, I would recommend this book to SF fans who were interested in a good read, or any reader who is interested in being introduced to Crichton's writing. | 34 stars
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Earth is very distant from here.
I bought this book new in 1987 and it has stayed on my bookshelf for more than two decades. It's my favorite type of science fiction--it presents a mostly positive view of the future of humanity. There is no invading alien race that wants to destroy us. There is no evil empire that we must fight to survive. Instead, this is just a story about what might happen when humanity is spread across the galaxy and loses touch with one settlement or another, and what happens when two separately evolving cultures come in contact with one another. The book is not violent. It's ponderous. I do not mean to imply that the plot is boring. It is not. Instead, there are plenty of twists in the plot to keep the reader engaged. Some of the pleasure that comes from reading the book comes from an appreciation for the simple yet desirable Thalassians, a human population that has developed over a couple centuries of isolation on the planet Thalassa. Appropriately, Thalassa is a planet of vast ocean, and its only landmass is a small island chain where these people live. This is an interesting metaphor for humanity as a whole--how we live in one place surounded by a vast ocean of space.Clarke's Thalassians are mostly naive but a few are politically savvy; all are skilled in one field or another (ranging from art to science) but none are really hard-working; these people remind me of the quirky towns in forgotten places in rural America (or elsewhere) that other authors have come up with--the TV show "Northern Exposure" comes to mind. Even if these people have a small-world mentality, they live a life that any one of us might look for. Thus, the reader can't wait to learn what new challenges will come about and how the Thalassisans endure.There is an interesting allusion to "intelligent design" on page 256 (Chapter 46). But an interesting twist is that Clarke has described a group of Thalassians as "expounding the wonders of Nature as proof that [creator God] was, if not supremely evil, then utterly indifferent to human standards or morality and goodness." This of course is opposite of what present day people on Earth who support intelligent design are doing. Clarke is an athesist. I am not. I still like the book a lot. | 45 stars
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Without Fail - succeeded!
These book was great! I could not put it down. Jack Reacher is my hero, the guy is unbeatable.His brother Joe's former girlfriend, who is Secret Service guarding the VP elect, seeks Reacher out to infiltrate her team to find holes in their security and does he ever!After the boring part about questioning the cleaning crew, this book takes off. Reacher and his friend Neagley are pros of the first order (how does Lee do it?). This time Lee is a little kinder to the FBI. The other reviews of this book are right on. Such a good read. So worth the $. | 45 stars
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Good info
Bought for a promotion study, and helped very much.Great book if you need it. Also look for the study guide! | 34 stars
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The Alchemist
this is abook which has been used 7 times, but it is still new. The story is interestingAnyway, it was worth buying it | 45 stars
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Best book I ever read-Jamie
I really like the book Misty because I really like horses and colts. I think the book was good also because Marguerite Henry was a good author. The climax is: Will Paul and Maureen ever get to get the Phantom to her colt at Penning Day? My first opinion is I think Misty is the best for kids to read. My second opinion is: People that love horses should read the book Misty. My last opinion is: Misty was the best book I have ever read. Jamie | 45 stars
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a much clearer image...
I remember attending those youth camps during the summer where the preacher preached a terrifyingly convicting message on sin, and afterwards we all realized how awful we were in the eyes of God. We were given a piece of paper and told to write down all of our transgressions, and then come to the front and nail them to the cross.I understand that theology, and I understand that without the cross of Jesus we are depraved and hopeless. But what Jerry helps us to better understand is that what Jesus did was ONCE and for ALL. And now God sees the believer in Jesus in a new light. We are no longer under the curse of sin. We are no longer depraved. God's House of Mirrors helps the troubled Christian see himself/herself in the image that God sees him/her. It is HIS very image.A much needed teaching in the church. Beautiful. | 45 stars
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What's all the fuss.
I heard an interview with the author and decided she was quite an interesting individual. Although this book has received many over-the-top reviews, I was disappointed. The book has sections which are long lists of people she met, worked with, or admired. But often she provides no information about the individual. She clearly accomplished a great deal but how? There is a tone of self-pity throughout the text and she seems loathe to give people, including herself, credit for their achievements. Very Irish that way. | 12 stars
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One of the Best Books I Ever Read!
I could not put this book down. It is perhaps the most gripping novel I have ever read. My wife is reading it now and feels the same way. It is MUCH better than the DaVinci Code. You will not regret buying this book. | 45 stars
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My favorite piece of literature
How can I put into words how much I love this book? I read it for the first time when I was 12, and at 26, it still has the power to stir me as it once did. It has everything one could possibly want in a book. Romance, lust, horrid relatives, a brooding hero, near-death experiences, and to top it off, a mad woman in the attic. I have read literally hundreds and hundreds of books, some more than once, and still Jane Eyre remains my favorite. It is , in my opinion, a must-read in everyone's lifetime. The best of the Bronte sisters work, let alone Charlotte's, you cannot possibly be disappionted at reading this book. | 45 stars
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Excellent Info on Lewis, the Books, the Movie and Other Adaptations
"Beyond the Wardrobe: The Official Guide to Narnia" is a complete and detailed companion book for major fans of Narnia, or those who just want to know more.In this book, you'll get a detailed look at C.S. Lewis and his life. You'll learn not just about Narnia, but also about some of his background and a little about his other works. You'll learn what influenced him, who his friends were and his family.The exploration of the books is wonderful --- but be warned, if you haven't read the entire Chronicles yet and have only read "Wardrobe" / seen the movie, then probably don't wanna read this yet. This is a complete exploration of all the characters, locations and details of the plot from all seven works in the "Chronicles."These are all very detailed, with subsections and sidebars featuring additional info. There are various pictures --- from the movie, classic illustrations, photos, you name it.There is also a brief look at various past television projects related to "Narnia" and thoughts on what's coming.Overall, a great book to read if you want more background on this excellent series of works. | 45 stars
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