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This third installment in the beloved Anne series is one of my favorites. Having just completed two years of teaching in Avonlea, Anne, along with friends Gilbert and Charlie, is ready to leave the Island and make her way to Redmond College. Her four years there offer quaint-seeming insights into college life a hundred years ago. After spending her freshman year in a boarding house, Anne and chums Priscilla, Stella, and Philippa move into a little house called Patty's Place. Even though they are committed to their studies, life is never dull. Anne has no lack of suitors, turning down no fewer than five proposals during the course of the story. And her summers are full of adventure, whether it's back in dear Avonlea or teaching as a country schoolmarm.

I've read Anne of the Island each year I've been in college, and as I finished it this time, I couldn't help but relate to Anne's excitement for the future, mingled with regretful nostalgia about the college life she was leaving behind. College is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Having attended a small Christian university, I relate to Anne's old-fashioned values and the safe, wholesome environment of Redmond.

Montgomery has such a pungent writing voice, alive to the quirks of human nature and the beauties of outdoor nature. She brings spice, optimism, and a touch of cynicism to the story and the characters. Anne's most personal experiences are recounted with poignancy, and are rooted in reality, although they may seem whimsical to modern readers. The ending is sweet and satisfying. I just love Anne, and especially this tale of her college experiences. Don't miss it.

Anne of the Island is the third installment of the smash Anne of Green Gables series. The book begins with Anne leaving for college to further her education the second time. When she arrives, she encounters a slew of minor domestic problems, a new group of friends, and Love. All of which she deals with using that famous atypical personality of a "Kindred spirit"



Although the book deals with more serious subject matter than the preceding books, as a reflection upon Anne's growing older, the book starts with the lighthearted catchy fun that made Anne famous in her prequels. Most of this fun is centered on the Anne's encounters with her roommate cats Rusty, Joseph, and Sarah-Cat. Anne's exclamations of fear at being stalked by the docile house cats is classic Anne and delicious fun.



The Book also dives into more serious matter, with Lets be friends-Lets be more than friends-Lets be friends-I hate you-Marry me! Gilbert abandoning his indecisiveness and aggressively courting Anne. Although this relation is of little interest to male readers, it is made a key plot element, most likely because it is attractive to the books target demographic, pre-teen girls. Luckily, most of the content on Anne's romance does nothing to affect other parts of the story much and as a result are harmless to skip when they become drab.



Anne of the Island is a solid installment in the Anne series. Although not equaling or surpassing Anne of Green Gables, "Of the Island" leaves little to be desired besides not having a near constant usage of the word "eh". If you an Anne fan, pick up her third book. Eh.

"Anne of the Island" is my favorite Anne book, and the last chapters of my copy are worn and torn because I have read it so many times. I loved it as a young girl, and I loved it again when I read it from my college dorm room (in fact, I think it's time for another rereading!). Plus, of course, a college education makes many of the literary references more relevant than they were at age 11.

Anne fans already know how wonderful are these chapters of Anne's life. This book outlines an important epoch in the series and answers the all important question of whether they will or they won't--a turning point on which the next five books hinge. And since you must start at "Anne of Green Gables" to appreciate any of it, this review cannot convince to you read just book three. It is just one more love letter to "Anne of the Island" added to this review panel.

this book never gets old. i've had it for so long and now i'm off to college and i still enjoy reading it cover to cover. anne is a great character, one who is easy to love and who explains herself well. the other characters are also quirky. something about this book is very universal, which i think explains why even in this century i still find myself being able to relate to Anne. the plot, while essentially a love story, is not overly sappy. and while most people would probably expect the ending, the twists and turns throughout the novel keep you entertained and engaged.

The story of Anne continues with this work and the author stays true to her style, story line and character developement. This, like the other books in this series, have a rather timeless nature about them and a comforting charm. The reader, of course, must remember the time they were written and the style and syntax used at that time. From my own point of view, this is great. I enjoy this type of writing and certainly enjoy Ms. Montgomery's story telling abilities. In this work, Anne goes off to Redman College and her adventure continues. Recommend these books for readers of all ages. Wish there were more works out there like it.

i really loved this book if i was born around his time i would have been his friend i love how he stood up for his beliefs and went back to school in stuff even though he didn't get to gradulate, but he still lived a great in fun life it was short but he did things with it i'm young but my aunt past away with AIDS and after reading this book it really touch me i was crying because i felt so bad what ryan went though but he didn't let it get to him. He was so strong he got people believing again.

In fifth grade we were introduced to an illness called AIDS. We also learned about a boy named Ryan White. I took an interest to this story because I have an illness called diabetes and have to deal with how different people react and treat me because of it. Just like Ryan and AIDS diabetes is not contagious and there are no know ways to prevent or cure it. I have heard many different reactions when they find out that I have Diabetes. The most commom being "Did you eat too much sugar or something?" Most of the time I just laugh at this and explain that you have no control over getting Diabetes. I took an interest in school that year and by doing so I found myself a role model...Ryan White.

When I was young I remeber a copy of People magazine that my mom had lying around with Ryan White on the cover. For some reason I always took an interest to him, and his life, and all the article that I could find on him. In high school I remeber reading part of it to do an exta credit project. Finally 2 year out of high school I decided to reread the story of his life. It is amazing how people really are. It really hit home, not living too far from Kokomo, Indiana where he was from, that people in my community would treat people this way. It is also amazing how much determination he had to be who he was and not let anyone or anything get in the way. This book is great!!!! Everyone should read it and put themselves in this families shoes!!

Today is World AIDS Day and each year I remember my childhood friend, Ryan White. His sister and I were both Rollerskaters and skated in the same skating rinks. Knowing Ryan personally and having his book for years now, it is still a story that resonates with me. It is true, thoughtful, and in his own words.

I'll never forget the hatred the spewed from the city of Kokomo against him. It was such a devastating blow to his well being. Not only did he have this death sentence, but the entire town was treating him worse than what you would treat a pig going to slaughter. I am not joking. I remember seeing him at the skating rink one day, it was a time when he wasn't as sick so he was able to be a kid. I went up to him to give him a hug because I hadn't seen him in so long and he said, "You want to hug ME?" He was shocked that someone would want to touch him. That's how bad it was.

Read his book. He is the reason people with AIDS are accepted now. This friend of mine had more courage than anyone I have ever met.

I read this book upon entering seventh grade. Ryan's story was so empowering and so honest that I often feel the need just to sit down and read a chapter by random. Everytime I read it I cry. This auto- biography has inspired me to help in the relief and research for AIDS. I have done reports on the disease and Ryan and teachers often comment about how passionate I am about the subject. This book changed the way I veiw life; a treasure that should'nt be wasted. Thank you Ryan.

Not one of the worst books I've ever read but pretty close. Sorry I bought it and am not passing it on to friends. Perhaps it was the subject matter that first intrigued and in the end alienated me but I had to force myself to finish because I couldn't believe the plot. I kept hoping for some relevant message. Mary Magdalene, the original feminist and Mary the Mother of God, the worn out, bitter, stay at home Mom? I won't even try to describe her take on Jesus. Not my cup of nectar. I'll certainly make every effort to keep this book a "secret".

It's embarrassing to say this, but I was told to read this book by a friend who gushed about it. Normally, I run away from books that are gushed about. But I had to read it. She stood over me until I did. Now it's my turn to gush. Read this book. If you're looking for everything in a book: a great read, beauty, real characters, adventure, action, secrets, and deep meaning, well, you've found it. Now I'm gushing.

Though the cover states "What the DaVinci Code only hinted at, this brings to life" is only partially true. Yes, it shows Mary Magdalene as Jesus's companion and intellectual peer, but no, it doesn't reveal any more of their relationship. In fact, it shrouds in diffucult prose what their relationship was, how they spent their time together (other than walking everywhere silently), and how they collectively orchestrated Jesus's resurrection to fulfill prophesy and give the people the Messiah they so desperately needed and sought. Through Mary's voice, it turns the miracles, the parables, and the events described in the Bible as basically misunderstood by the disciples, and therefore calls into question their historical and spiritual validity. This viewpoint, though creative and well-composed, made it all too convenient for me. I'm no Biblical scholar, but I do know some of the pivotal points in the Gospels, and what's more miraculous to me is how Mary Magdalene, whether clothed as herself or as John the Less, is at every one of them and has an explanation as to how they each came to be that's at odds with what's recorded in the gospels. I would agree with an earlier reviewer who found the ending a disappointment. I won't go into it, in case there's a reader out there who doesn't want me to give it away, but be prepared - it will let you down. DaVinci code went further than this, without going into all the details of Mary's (Miriamne's) life. Read it for the interesting perspective, but don't read it for salacious and informed details regarding Mary's and Jesus's relationship.

I can't count the times I cried reading this book. Or the times I laughed. Or the times I wondered at how the author made such perfect sense of all the stories, interpretations, arguments, historical events, warring religious factions, as well as getting under the skin of each and every rich and delicious character. My understanding of what might very well be a true "Truth" as I read got clearer and clearer and if I wasn't crying or laughing, I was going aha! yes! could be! why not? never thought of it that way! wow!

The theology is brilliant. The philosophy is brilliant. But it's also a brilliant read. This is a historical novel so it has all that those who read historical novels could want: an Alexandria, Egypt when the Great Library still beckoned, the Holy Land when the temple was the center of Jewish belief, Rome when Tiberius was emperor. It has adventures and quests and love and despair and thrill and danger and derring-do and, best of all, Meaning. The story means something that will stay with you long long after you close the book.

I've read a few reviews that loved the book but said they had a little trouble at first with the style of writing. But that's perfect too. It's like reading Gone With the Wind, the King James version. It's literature on a high level but in no way does this mean "difficult." It means this is a real writer telling a real story that needs to be told.

Although well written, this book takes all the writings of the New Testament regarding Jesus the Christ and his followers as not only ordinary, but, provides a story line that discredits any miraculous happenings, including the resurrection of Jesus. The book provides information on the times and geographical areas mentioned in the New Testament and develops the personalities of various followers of Jesus in ways that are most interesting. However, I would caution anyone planning on reading this book to know that all miraculous events will be given a non-miraculous context.

Dr. McConnell is extremely knowledgeable about animal behaviors and is able to intelligently and humorously help people to better understand their animal companions. I found this book to be her best ever.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a dog in their family. You will be amazed at how much it will help to know what your dog is trying to tell you.

For The Love Of A Dog
Patricia McConnell is an absoltely brilliant woman. I've been a breeder/owner/trainer of German Shepherds for most of my life as well as a trainer/behaviorist of different breeds for many years. This is the most complete information compiled I have ever read. I would even go so far as to say it's my "Bible" for truly understanding how dogs perceive all of life. To make it even easier to comprehend, Ms McConnell even gives analogies relating to human behavior. If I could've given it a hundred stars in the evaluation, I would've! A must read for ANYONE who desires to have a real connection with their canine companions.

Patricia McConnell is now my favorite writer. This book helps us to understand your dog more. Isn't that what we all want?

Obviously written by a new Author. The amount repetition in this book can become overwhelmingly irritating. The information it does give is certainly worth knowing, and is why I gave the book two stars.

Forget Caesar...Patricia McConnell has written some of the best, most informative books about dogs, language, and behavior you will ever read...hands down. Every dog owner should read this book, and even those who don't have dogs...a lot can be learned.

I purchased this book for my grandson who is just beginning to read. This Dr. Seuss book has become a classic. It's whimsical story line will quickly grab the attention and interest of any child. It's impossible to improve on great literature like this! I highly recommend it.

If you haven't seen "Suessical the Musical" by all means do so. This clever adaption of Suess books and characters is just wonderful. The Horton books are primarily the source of this children's musical. Horton again shows what a fine elephant he is by standing fast to his ideals. Children can learn a lot by reading this rhyming, entertaining book.

Very pleased with quick shipping, a quality product as described, and would do business again with Amazon. Saw the movie and read the book with grandkids. What a joy for them and me. Satisfied customer. psw - S.E.Oklahoma

The kids saw the movie and really enjoyed the book as well. What more can I say, it's Dr. Seuss!

Horton Hears a Who is a masterpiece. Often heralded as a book on friendship, it is much more than that. Theodor Seuss Geisel was an outspoken critic of Hitler and Mussolini, and Horton Hears a Who has been said to have been Geisel's call to support the fledgling democracy in Japan after World War II. But Horton is much more than that. Horton Hears a Who is a reminder of the importance of protecting those weaker than we and a timeless call for people to unite and speak up for themselves.

I ordered about 40 over the past year for an associate director of my company. He uses a Chapter in his monthly global meetings. They read it and discuss how they can implement it. I read it & ordered more for various other managers. The book is excellent, easy to understand, and easy to put in practice. I believe every manager and employee should read it and practice what is on the pages.

Every company has those take-them-or-leave-them dead end employees - but then there are those employees who are truly special, and who make the company run as it should. "Love 'Em Or Lose 'Em: Getting Good People to Stay" is a guide for managers to making sure they keep these star employees happy and productive, so one's company can stay happy and productive. With countless tips to keeping the cream of the crop producing for your crop, "Love 'Em Or Lose 'Em: Getting Good People to Stay" is an essential read for any manager and for community library business collections.

Well worth the purchase. In addition to sound "theory" provides very practical application. If you subscribe to the concept that BEING BRILLIANT AT THE BASICS will get you to the next level, this books is clearly for you. We bought one for all our HR Managers around the country whereby they can utilize the practical application ideas as bet fit their facility.

As a busy professional, it's easy to fall into the trap of tending to the task and not so much the relationship. This book brings me back to that important balance. Chapter six, "Family", was extremely useful and helped me understand that employees have needs that, many times, surpass their pay check. I was better able to work with an employee who had special family needs. This book is filled with practical, relevant, and usable advice on keeping employees engaged. This book is an essential read for leaders today. If you care about developing your people you will understand them better after reading LOVE 'EM or LOSE 'EM.

Unlike the hundreds of management books out there that can be rather philosophical and academic on how to create a productive work environment (with many of the concepts capable of being covered in three, not three hundred, pages), this book focuses on 26 strategies with countless practical actions under each strategy that a manager can take to make the work environment (read: "people") highly productive.

Best yet, the authors' strategies for employee engagement and subsequent retention don't cost big bucks to implement. And if you haven't figured out how much payroll dollars you lose by disengaged employees who ultimately leave, you're missing a big chance at improving your bottom line.

If there was ever a phenomenal return for money spent, it's in implementing Love 'Em or Lose 'Em's s6 strategies. But that means you have to first invest in the book! Buy it!

I'm only halfway through the book but I can already give it 5 stars. It's not really a tale where the ending matters, but more like a narrative of the day to day grind of being a homicide detective. The book has ruined my ability to watch Law and Order and similar shows as watching a show where murders are solved (seemingly one at a time) in a one hour show week after week seems silly now. David Simon is a great writer. I am also a big fan of "The Wire" television show.

I had seen the the Homicide: Life on the Streets TV series before. Also was a big fan of David Simon's "The Wire".

This is an excellent book and I am looking forward to reading his other book, The Corner.

Homicide is one of the better of the crime reporting novels I have read. Simon was definitely at the top of his game.

He manages to write the book with more of a novel feel then a biography of the people involved. Other similar books, such as 'Homicide Special' try for the same thing, but you still feel the writer in their presence. Simon makes the reader feel as if they are there without feeling that the writer is intruding on anything.

The cases the officers work on are all interesting, and not all are slam dunks or even solvable. Many authors would feel a need to make their book have cases with endings. I applaud Simon for not giving in to that temptation.

Baltimore definitely plays a role in this book, and you get a real feeling for the city. You can see in this book the seed that would eventually sprout the series 'Homicide'.

If you are interested in detective work this is an excellent read. I highly recommend this book.

great book - heard David Simon on NPR and he knows the streets of BMore

I read this book after watching - several times over - David Simon's most recent work, The Wire. I have always been interested in detectives and was drawn by this book because it is non-fiction. As well as being a highly enjoyable read, I would say there were three main takeaways. First, the detailed first-hand account of actual cases and methods of investigation (including related disciplines such as interrogation, medical examination, ballistics, trace evidence, etc. as well as the legal processes and challenges that lead to conviction) have made me much more familiar with the actual process of solving murders. Second, a basic understanding of the structure and organization of a homicide unit within the police department and how the system is incentivized to solve crimes. Third, an appreciation of how these detectives - through late-night drinking sessions and office humor - manage to make their lives livable when they are not dealing with the darker side of their profession. Simon's first book is really special, I look forward to reading it again someday.

The idea for this story is really interesting, but the writing felt flat--serviceable, certainly, and accurate--but the scene didn't really come alive to me. In the second chapter, the boat trip to Hawaii, the transitions from past to present were smoothly done and fleshed out the course Laura's life is about to take against what she so suddenly lost with the deaths she left behind. Still, her grief mixed with fear for what lay ahead, weren't palpable. Given the fascinating premise for this story, I can only hope the writing style becomes more emotional, even florid, when Laura reaches Hawaii, to match the lush tropical setting, but somehow I doubt it. This arm's length rendition doesn't do the subject justice. It reminds me of how Arthur Golden related that readers of an early manuscript of Memoirs of a Geisha considered it interesting, but dry. He rewrote the story in first person--and you know the rest. Perhaps that same approach would breathe life into a story with the great potential this one has.

This from the few chapters I read it appears that this novel will be a an excellen addition to the many manuscripts written about Hawaii and picks up some unkown information that is illuminating for those of us that love the Islands. I would recommend this to others once completed.

I was immediately engaged! A wedding dress is a great way to start a story! Additionally, I got an instant picture of Laura as someone who is more interested in comfort than in style. The author tells us a lot in just a sentence or two.

I wondered just how Laura thought she was going to control her pregnancies.

"hard for ships to reach there, like trying to sail to stars in a vast, dark sky." beautiful.

Great descriptions of San Francisco and the teeming populace.

"Laura felt a sense of coming to a crossroads, turning in a new direction where way leads into way and what was, got left behind, distorted by shimmering time ... like a mirage." Another beautiful description.

Wonderful details!

I loved how the boy kept asking another question every time his mother said, "Please, no more questions."

And I was glad how Laura realized she had lost her chance to get to know her father better, and would never know about his experiences.

I felt like the line "What would it be like to live a missionary life among the savages of Hawaii?" Should have its own paragraph, because this pushes the story forward and shows just how much everything is changing for Laura. It's really important.

Aww, that was sad where Laura remembers seeing her mother's coffin.

Darn! The excerpt ended! I wanted to read on! Darn it!

Thoroughly enjoyed this expert writing and the developing story. Hope it makes the upcoming 100!

The first chapter and a half of Gaellen Quinn's "The Last Aloha" has captured my interest and imagination. It promises a great story which satisfies the double purpose of entertainment and enlightenment about a past that was veiled in misconceptions by the colonizers of Hawaii.

The very first line of the story, where the heroine stands in front of the mirror, promises the reader an adventure into the unknown which will lead young Laura, and hopefully the reader as well, towards increased self-awareness and maturity. To emphasize this theme Laura comes across "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass" in the library on board the steamer which will bring her to the shores of Hawaii. She knows nothing about her destination and very little about her father's missionary family with whom she is going to live. Incorrupt by prejudice as she is, we sense that she will meet her new experiences with an open heart and allow herself to be affected by them.

The reader becomes immediately aware of a discord between Laura's personality and her traditional social environment. About to get married, she is a strong and independent woman who is determined to shun society's expectations that she put marital life and motherhood first. However, her dream of going to medical school is shattered on the very first pages of the book when her father and fiancé die in a street accident and she is left without resources to pursue her goal. Thus she is forced to fulfill her father's last wish and go live with her relatives on the Hawaiian island Oahu, missionaries from Boston with whom she has had no relationship and who we suspect are not going to receive her with a warm and loving heart.

The story is set in the latter part of the nineteenth century. The historical setting and the ambiance of the time are rendered in delicate detail, often revealed through dialogue, or as seen through the observing eyes of Laura. The language is beautiful and descriptions are frequently imbued with a poetic aura. The astute use of symbols and forebodings lends depth to the narrative that I find satisfying.

When it comes to painting word pictures, Gaellen Quinn is Michelangelo. There's a deft touch for the telling detail and a grasp of the big picture as well. As we meet Laura Jenning's she is trying on her wedding dress and making plans to go to medical school--tragedy intervenes and she finds herself on a ship for Hawaii, heading for a place and relatives she doesn't know.

In addition to creating a lively character, the author has melded research and imagination to bring the full sense of her historic era to life. From the street scene in San Francisco to the shipboard library, a complete era is recreated. The scholarship of the author is a gift to the lazy reader, who is educated with no effort. To have your fun and then be able to sound intelligent afterwards is just paradise for a reader.

This book is a classic, and the illustrations are magical. I was disappointed when I received my latest copy--the pictures are all washed out, as if they've been reproduced with a cheaper process or something. I suggest not buying a new copy--try to find an old one with the richness of the original illustrations.

First, let me mention that this is a pretty wordy book. Maybe a bit too wordy, because it does seem to drag on in parts. I'm constantly cutting out a paragraph here or there because it doesn't add much to the story and I really want to get on with things anyway.

And, you know, it is a nice story - about a woman who "makes the world more beautiful" by planting lupines - but there just isn't much to it.

It's not very compelling to me. We read it only occasionally.

A co-worker talked about this book at an event and after previewing it, I took it out from the library for then four year old. A few months later, when we are at a book store, she spotted it and had to buy it as a present to herself for turning 5 - with her own birthday money. I think that says volumes to the books lasting power. The story is sweet, the drawings are excellent, and the message is lasting. Nice read for a parent to a child at the end of a long day.

This is a great story about giving back something in life. Great gift idea when combined with a real Lupine plant or seeds. Then the story and flower will be remembered forever.

I just left home and school to live on my own as an intern in DC. I've been doing lots of responsible adult type activities, cooking, waking up early, cleaning etc and was feeling a little strange about feeling so old. As I was walking to work this morning, I took a slightly different route that had a house with lupines just covering their yard. They looked so beautiful in the morning. I immediately thought to myself "what was that book with these flowers??" and called up my lovely mother. It felt like a long lost dream. I could remember the symbolism, but not the specifics. When I was young, I think I was enthralled with little Alice being able to paint the clouds and even more so when she becomes a librarian and transforms the landscape by the sea. This is a truly amazing book. I'm going to walk to the library tonight and check it out again. It definitely made me appriciate beauty in the world as a child, and through my memory of it, as an adult.

I love the message of this book, but it is sad when we look around at our world today and see so much "country" turning into city. Loved this one as a child and am reading to my son now.

This was my favorite book when I was little and still is one of my favorite books for children. I add this book to every gift I give at baby showers. A good book with a good lesson!

This was one of my favorites as kid. Then, sadly, I forgot about it until stumbling across it in the school library. It is once again one of my favorites. Cynics might roll their eyes at this tribute to good ol' days gone by, but I personally appreciate the nostalgia and the house with its subtle face parts is adorable. You feel so bad for the cute little house! It is also an observation at the change of time. I don't know how intense that is as a theme, but I found it touching and Burton tells the tale with such heart and care.

We live in a very old house in the country and this book was such a cute story about just that. We enjoyed it.

Another timeless classic by this author. It's an amazing story about appreciation. Completely entertaining and like the other books in this series, the artwork is phenominal!!!