H Books


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H Books sorted by Average customer review: high to low .

H
Phantom Soldier: The Enemy's Answer to U.S. Firepower
Published in Paperback by Posterity Press (2001-08-09)
Author: H. John Poole
List price: $14.95
New price: $8.80
Used price: $5.99
Collectible price: $20.00

Average review score:

Outstanding Explanation of Effective Small Unit Tactis
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-01
Excellent book, but I am not sure the distinction is between Western and Oriental tactics. I suspect that American Indians, frontier scouts, the British SAS, U.S. Special Operations community, etc...would be very familiar with, and skilled at, these tactics.

A classic dilemma that resurfaces every time we go to war. Militaries, at least in the West, prepare to fight the last war and not the next one. As a free society, the public tends to forget the hard lessons learned and shuns warriors during times of peace. The end result is that we constantly are reinventing the wheel after every war/generation.

Victor Davis Hanson, in a recent editorial in the City Journal called Why Study War, gave a perfect example from the Post-Vietnam era; "The public perception in the Carter years was that America had lost a war that for moral and practical reasons it should never have fought--a catastrophe, for many in the universities, that it must never repeat. The necessary corrective wasn't to learn how such wars started, went forward, and were lost. Better to ignore anything that had to do with such odious business in the first place"...."A wartime public illiterate about the conflicts of the past can easily find itself paralyzed in the acrimony of the present. Without standards of historical comparison, it will prove ill equipped to make informed judgments."

A well-written and important book that provides an in-depth analysis of small unit tactics.

DANGER, DANGER, WILL ROBINSON
Helpful Votes: 13 out of 15 total.
Review Date: 2006-01-22
Danger, danger, is very much the message put forth in this book and it should be heeded before it is too late. Some reviewers have mentioned Sun Tzu and his rules of warfare. Sun Tzu puts forth a very reasoned and systematic set of rules that define a nations path to victory or defeat. By definition, our present leadership has us solidly on the path of defeat. Our people in the field have to both fight our Eastern enemies as well as carry a great weight of poor leadership at the highest levels. This book is very informative and is for the most part, completely accurate and frightening.

The idea that hardware superiority alone can replace common sense is ludicrous and this book digs deeply into this. I remember seeing news footage of our troops in Afganistan heading up into steep mountainous terrain encumbered with huge heavy packs and body armor. They could barely move. They should have had only their clothes, rifles, ammunition and food and water and some good lightweight footwear. If you are going to fight an Apache you have to be an Apache. It seems at times to me that our soldiers are forced simply to carry as much weight in useless (and expensive) contractor equipment as a mule. Small unit combat and the tactics that win in this arena will be the deciding factor. Something also needs to be done about our so called free press. This game is for blood not for profitable commercial air time and these people should be subjected to the sort of censorship that our country used in WWII and the sooner the better.

I feel also that some of the opinions voiced on China are a bit over the top. The Chinese wish to better themselves and are not necessarily motivated by a desire to hurt us per se. It is very possible that in future that the Chinese could help us. They should not be blindly antagonized. They think and plan in a fashion that is very, very, long term. Our own leadership is cripplingly shortsighted in strategic planning.

I have lived and worked in the Mid East for a number of years and my personal opinion of the Iraq war can be summed up as follows:

1. The US leaves Iraq now and the country will dissolve into a bloody civil war.

2. The US leaves later and Iraq dissolves into a bloody civil war.

This book documents many of the reasons why this is so. Anyone who cares about the future of our country and indeed the world (China included) should read this book.

Great Wisdom Simplified
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-21

A sure test of talent and knowledge is the challenge of taking a very complex subject, explaining it in understandable terms and then offering solutions along with the understanding. My very brief stint in the Army ended long before Vietnam called the younger brothers of my generation. From the news reports it appeared that we suffered so many casualties only because the enemy was "sneaky" and prepared to die. How could the US lose to people who could not afford shoes?

Poole does a great job of bridging the gap from Sun Tzu to the muddy jungles of Vietnam and the significance of the lessons to our maneuver warfare. It is no accident that Boyd associate Willian Lind wrote the preface.

Poole finished the book just before 9/11. Our experience in Iraq and the Israeli experience during the past year show that we have much to learn. After 50 plus years of victories over various armies, the Israelis lost to what most consider a rag-tag army. Other than their heritage, they are as unlikely to defeat the Israelis as the sandal clod Vietnamese.

Poole's book is a gift to the small unit soldier and perhaps a greater gift to those in higher command who will order soldiers to assault targets with little understanding of what they may be facing. It may be at a distant command post or in the case of Somalia the commander flying overhead at 2,000 feet but unable to understand the river of lead flying down the street as he instructs troops to consolidate their positions.

This is a great aid to understanding current events and history from the comfort of your easy chair while balancing a martini on the arm. However, my sense is that it is far more valuable as a gift to a young trooper. In addition it should be mandatory reading ( along with Sun Tzu and Boyd's briefing slides) for every reporter who covers wars and "low intensity" conflicts.

Reading the book makes you appreciate Poole but feel uncomfortable with the contents. A great contribution.



Excellent Analysis on the Eastern Warfighter
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2006-11-24
As with all of Poole's works, we are treated here to an excellent analysis of the tactical sphere of war. This time, from the eastern fighter's perspective. Written, I believe, pre-9/11, the work itself is a thorough offering of actual techniques and wartime practices used by small units against western forces, but it is most remarkable in that it outlines in a concise and friendly manner what most analysts still fumble over on MSNBC.

In the world of tactical operations and small unit tactics, we can not ask for a better teacher than John Poole. Keep a close eye out for any and all of his works, for they have a lot to say about how and what western forces will fight for the next fifty years.

NOTE: This work makes a perfect companion to the author's "The Tiger Way," which outlines the ideal western method for combating such tactics.

Inside Out
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 12 total.
Review Date: 2006-01-17
I read all these reviews and in the main agree with them. However, the real "way of western combat" is exemplified right here: we -- AT THE BOTTOM LEVEL -- are discussing all this and implementing it as we go. And as another reviewer mentioned, our soldiers are getting at it and learning from this NOW. Here's the clincher: does the oriental soldier or citizen do this. No way. It's not in their culture. Hasn't been for thousands of years. Unlikely to be unless huge changes occur in their citizenry. West = democracy / more free / BOTTOM-UP APPROACH. East = tyrrany / less free / TOP-DOWN APPROACH.

SUMMARY: I'd much rather be in the West facing the Eastern way of war rather than be in the East facing the Western way of war. Let's be data-driven: what is the kill ratio of WW2, Korea, and Vietnam? 40-1? 10-1? And yet, Poole's talk about Japan in WW2 making "infantry the most valued weapon". What?! Americans (and all European armies before them all the way back to Alexander) don't line up rows of infantry and charge across open fields to be mowed down. Doubt it? Guadacanal. Korea. etc. That's the "cultural" difference highlighted here: we value life, even a single soldiers.

Further reading: Carnage & Culture, by Victor Davis Hanson.

H
Polar the Titanic Bear
Published in Hardcover by Little, Brown Young Readers (1994-09-01)
Author: Daisy Corning Stone Spedden
List price: $17.95
New price: $16.42
Used price: $1.29
Collectible price: $26.95

Average review score:

Book still not here after a month!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-08-14
Amazon asked me to review this book, which is funny, considering I still haven't received the copy I ordered more than a month ago! If you really want this book, you might try getting it elsewhere.

Great Book
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-02-20
I found this book to be a wonderful book that takes you into the world of a passenger on the Titanic and his journey through the disaster. It was a wonderful book with great illustrations that really helped my students look into the events of the Titanic.

Polar the Titanic Bear
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2002-11-07
I liked the story because when Polar was lost he was reunited with his owner at the end of the story. The person that read me the story said that this story was true because the granddaughter of Polar's owner found this story in her attic and wrote a book about it.

polar the titanic bear
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2005-03-09
the name of this book is polar the titanic bear.It was a very,very good book. IT IS A TRUE STORY.I is about a stuffed bear that is "alive" and has a very good connection with his master.His master's family was a very rich family,so they traveled alot.The two were on the titanic,& this book has real pictures of the titanic & his family.(masters family)

A book with so much to offer!
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2003-02-26
This book has much to offer, for young readers and for adults. It is a wonderful glimpse into history, told from the perspective of a Steiff polar bear, who is very much a part of the life of young Douglas Spedden. His family's travels and his young life unfold in a beautiful text that is illustrated with sensitive illustrations and historical photographs. The Speddens traveled on the ill-fated Titanic. The incredible drama of that event unfolds in the most personal narrative. The magnficent beauty of the ship is conveyed as the family enjoys its commodious luxury. The drama of its sinking is compelling as well as touching in the describtion of the heartbreaking separation of Polar from young Douglas. This is how a young child would remember such an event. Fortunately, Polar is found and reunited with his friend.

The story behind the story is as wondeful as the book itself. Leighton H. Coleman III found this wonderful manuscript in his grandfather's barn. It was written by his cousin, Daisy Spedden. How brilliant of a mother to convert a traumatizing event into a story for her little boy! Her tender insight, the wonder of discovery and the perfect blending of history and narrative--ocean liners, wonderful bears--all of these components make this a perfect children's book that is both educational and entertaining (for parents, too!). I have given scores of copies to my friends with children and to my many adult friends who are fascinated by ocean liners and the Titanic. The book is well-crafted with much to offer.

H
Ranch Boy
Published in Hardcover by RB (2002-06)
Author: H. Steven Robertson
List price: $22.95
New price: $3.87
Used price: $3.87
Collectible price: $22.95

Average review score:

Ranch Boy
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-30
Good story--could not put book down after I started--easy reading book...I really injoyed it...

Holy Cow Ranch Boy
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2003-01-09
Holy Cow Ranch Boy this is amazing. I now know more about Sebring and ranching than I ever knew before. Like many of your readers I was raised in Sebring too. I am a little nervous because I had a very nice female cousin who was raised on Crescent Drive where and when Ranch Boy was -- her name wasn't Jane but I'm still wondering.

The book is very graphic. There is some plain talk which is not for the young. On the otherhand the pictures done by the author are outstanding. All in all a rowdy ride through a time and a town. My time in Sebring was a little earlier but our coming of age wasn't so much different. Bet the kids there today are doing the same things!

A tremendous contribution to everyone young and old.
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2003-01-29
H. Steven Robertson takes us on a journey. For some, a journey revisited, for others one that was / is needed. There are many
a written word about love, life, and triumph or tragedy. But, I
have never seen it delivered in such a riveting way. This author
reaches you with his superb descriptive prose. The story line is
novel, but it takes you much further than just the growth of the
lead character; it strikes to the heart of character in each of us. The book delivers to you a social fabric that once predominately existed in this country, genuine simple hard times.
It makes you laugh, it makes you cry and invokes the reader's emotions. It warms your heart and touches your soul. I wish I were there again, and it is my goal to recapture as much of it as I can. This book is a tremendous contribution to everyone young and old. I hope they make a movie. I would give it 6 stars if I could.

A moving & thoroughly entertaining story of personal growth
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2003-02-09
Set in rural Florida, Ranch Boy by H. Steven Robertson is a story about coming of age, as a young man by the name of Robbie Duncan matures and yearns for freedom from his father's stern and absolute control. Fulfilling his dream of becoming a cowboy, Robbie soon learns that the reality of ranch work is far harsher than the dreamy illusions he once held, as tending to animals and laboring in orange groves is physically exhausting work. Yet satisfaction and independence come of a job done well, in this moving and thoroughly entertaining story of personal growth and accomplishment.

A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE, FOR SURE...
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2003-02-02
Steve Robertson and I both grew up in Sebring. He was the handsome jock; I was the martial arts geek who didn't play team sports. He grew up with a militant, demanding father. I was sort of a "preacher's kid," but no less demanded of.

Those insignificant differences in background aside, I loved Ranch Boy. Steve has a simple style of writing that draws you right into the world of the teenage protagonist. His descriptions of the town, the people, (many identified by their real names), the work on the ranch, his neighborhood, and especially the boy's relationship with "Jane," are so accurate and poignant that no one who grew up in that place and time could possibly do other than identify strongly.

I knew Steve at that age. I knew the people he writes about, the teenage doubts (although he doesn't admit to many), the ideals and mores of the time, the young people he grew up with, dated, palled around with, played ball with, worked on the ranch with, and loved. He's got it dead on. If you remember the early '60's...if you were an adolescent in those far more innocent days...then you owe it to yourself to read Ranch Boy. If you don't, obviously you won't be sorry...but you'll sure as hell be missing a wonderfully nostalgic experience, and a good tale as well.

H
Replacement operations: The use of CONUS replacement centers to support the warfighting CINC (USAWC Military Studies Program paper)
Published in Unknown Binding by U.S. Army War College (1992)
Author: James H Etheridge
List price:

Average review score:

Excellent reference book, love it.
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-09
I saw a smaller version from a local bookstore, bought the large version from Amazon, the fonts are much more comfortable to read. I am using the book as a reference, feel very satisfied. The book is also good for random browsing, the paper and printing are both of very high quality.

AWESOME
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-13
THIS IS GREAT BOOK WITH A LOT OF INFO. MY TEENAGER LOVES IT AND SO DOES MY HUSBAND

Coffee Table Reference
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-29
This book was a Christmas request from my 6th grader who is very curious about earth sciences. He was genuinely excited to see it when he opened it. In some ways it is more like a coffee table picture book than a reference book. It is lavishly illustrated with detail-captioned photos and charts. This is not the kind of book you're going to sit down and read cover to cover, but instead are going to use like a good encyclopedia of earth science. My older child, who is interested in astronomy, received the companion book "Universe" and the two make a beautiful pair of additions to the reference library.

Excellent book with minor flaws
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-03
The book is chock full of pictures and explains many concepts in a very easy to understand fashion. However, it has many typos and factual errors that should have been remedied before it went to press. Overall, I highly recommend it as a reference book and as an introduction to geology and various aspects of earth science.

Best all rounder
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-04
A great book with a nice balance of pictures (including some full page) and informative text about, well...about nature!

H
Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Published in Hardcover by Williams & Wilkins (1990-12)
Authors: Richard H. Williams and Thomas Lathrop Stedman
List price: $38.95
New price: $7.00
Used price: $0.14

Average review score:

great price and item
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-17
great product, great price and i really like. a great way to get the book on a student stipend.

Must have Doctors
Helpful Votes: 16 out of 18 total.
Review Date: 2004-03-05
As both doctor and founder of a EchoScribe Inc, a leading internet based medical transcription company, (www.echoscribe.com) I must recomend Stedmans as the dictionary that all physicians must own. There is also the PDA version that is also a good carry. It not only provides a quick reference, but in writing medical letters, and transcribing documents, this book is a "medical must have."

Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-03-23
I am a transcriber and Stedman's Medical Dictionary is necessary for my work. It is invaluable. I also love the illustrations for clarification.

Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2006-02-09
This medical dictionary provides simple definitions on key
terminology in the field of medicine. Some simple definitions
include the following:
- antigen involves the immune response
- a virus is incapable of growth beyond living cells
- bacterium multiply by cellular division

The volume contains the human anatomy in full color pictures.
For instance, the following parts are depicted:
- skull
- head and neck
- musculature
- cerebral hemispheres
- disc anatomy
- heart anatomy
- classic fractures and radiography depicting the events
- foot joints i.e. interphalangeal joint, tarsometa tarsal
joint, ankle joint

This medical dictionary is perfect for the science student
in your house. In addition, the book will complement the
existing personal library of medicinal acquisitions.

Excellent
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2005-03-10
A great resource, I recommend the CD version for saving a lot of time and effort ... only if you can have a computer on while you're studying.

H
Stephen's Moon: A Mother's Journey Through Grief
Published in Paperback by Black Sands Enterprises (1999-10-15)
Author: Marcia H. Carter
List price: $9.95
New price: $9.95
Used price: $0.01
Collectible price: $10.00

Average review score:

a wonderful book, a wonderful author..
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2000-12-14
Three cheers for this author!! She gave me hope, she gave me courage. She's not bitter or defeated by her tragic loss and she is so willing to help others. It seems to be a God given mission she is on and she is carrying it out well. This book hits you in the heart in a very positive way.

a ray of hope
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2000-12-10
The first ray of hope after losing a child is a wonderful thing. I found mine in this book.

stephens moon review
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2005-08-21
an excellent grief book, i highly recommend it to anyone who has suffered a tragic loss, especially the loss of a child. it was written with honesty and compassion for others who are suffering, by a mom who understands the awful grief process. as a bereaved parent who is always looking for comfort and ways of coping with the loss of my child, the book was excellent.

Uplifting and Wonderful
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2001-06-22
This book was wonderfully written. I am glad that Marcia was able to write her experiences and feelings to help others like me deal with our pain of loosing a child. I lost my child May 10, 1998 and I can't explain the pain, but having someone out there to share helps to know that I am not alone and there is someone who cares and understands.

I give her alot of praise for all she has been through and how she turned it into a positive instead of a negative. I too made the death of my son into a positive helping others dealing with the same loss. I am the Outreach Coordinator for The Compassionate Friends, Fredericksburg, VA Chapter. With out TCF and people like Marcia, I wouldn't have made it as far as I have.

Thank you Marcia and God Bless you!

Not just a grief book...
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2000-12-13
This book transcends a mother's grief and is applicable to all the varied losses we experience in life - loss of innocence, loss of a relationship, loss of purpose, as well as the death of a loved one.A must read for everyone.

H
This Time of Darkness
Published in Paperback by Puffin (1985-05-07)
Author: H. M. Hoover
List price: $3.95
Used price: $1.74

Average review score:

Like an old Friend
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-27
It was day 157... and it was raining... or at least Amy hoped it was.

Thats how the story unfolds, and I have to tell you seeing this book again after all these years is like seeing a friend I haven't seen in a long long time.
The story is great. Listen, ya'll don't know me, but if you are looking for a book to let your kids read, or to read to your kids, this is it. I read it often in 1981 I also recommend two other books, "The Children of Morrow" also by HM Hoover, and "A Wrinkle in Time" by Madeline L'Engle.

A wonderful book - one of my all time favorites
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-04-11
This book was the first book I felt I could not do without. I checked out this book from my elementary school library in the 5th grade.. and never took it back. I didn't want to let it go. I was so nervous that I saved my allowance money and bought the book from the library when I told them I lost it.. when I was 10. I am now 32 and still have that book on the shelf. It is a truly wonderful story and will help your (or your childs) imagination run wild.

A Scary Future
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-02
All her eleven years, Amy has lived in the dim underground City--eighty levels deep in the earth with its endless expanse of crisscrossing halls. The "Outside," as everyone knows, is polluted, barren and hostile. No one can go out and no one wants to.

Reading is not allowed in the City (or even taught), but Amy got hold of a book once about the Outside and she's very curious. Axel, a "psycho," says he's from the Outside--that's why he's a mental case. But Amy believes him. And together they secretly plan and execute a haunting and terrifying escape to the Outside.

A Hard-to-put-down book from beginning to end.

[Juvenile science fiction suitable for the intermediate grades and up.]

A Non-Workbook, Non-Textbook Approach to Teaching Language Arts: Grades 4 Through 8 and Up

A Book You'll Remember For Life
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-11-12
I first read this as a child, and it was one of several books that really made an impression on me. Every couple of years I would hunt it down through the local library, and it never lost its impact, even reading it as an adult! Finally, through Amazon, I was able to buy it for myself, and it will always have a place of honor on my bookshelf.

The story may have been labeled for young adults, but don't let that stop you from reading it! The writing is excellent, the plot is intriguing and moves swiftly. The ideas presented are thought-provoking and will have you thinking about the book long after you've finished it.

It's vaguely science fiction, set on a futuristic Earth, in a crowded, self-contained city -- one with no sunlight, no grass, no flowers, no beauty, no hope. Intelligence is frowned upon, reading is forbidden, life has little meaning. Then a boy appears and claims to have come from somewhere else, somewhere with bright sunlight and wide open spaces! Only one girl believes him, and together they set out to escape the dismal walls of her city, to find the impossible freedom of his home. Along the way they make some startling discoveries about the world they live in and the choices their ancestors made.

Tales from the Underground!
Helpful Votes: 9 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2004-01-25
In a far-flung future, the people are told the air above is too polluted to breathe-there is nothing left on the surface anymore. All that exists is the crowded underground city. Eleven-year-old Amy has always been the curious sort, but she has learned to hide her curiosity-and the fact she can read-from the adults who watch her. Until a strange boy tumbles into her world, claiming he is from the outside-and together the two of them must uncover old secrets and new worlds.

This is a rollicking preteen SF tale by H.M. Hoover that I found back in the eighties and was one of my favorites. Though this was originally published in the eighties, Hoover's ability to conjure up a another kind of world, to tell the kind of stories that speak to the reader and spark their imagination still shines through-so it's unsurprising that so many of her books are being reprinted for a new generation of young readers to discover and enjoy. Hoover herself confesses in her bio that she wrote the kind of stories she enjoyed reading as a child-what better way to capture an audience? THIS TIME OF DARKNESS encapsulates the idea of a strange, oppressive future society with appealing preteen protagonists. Readers journey with them as the discover the way out of the darkness, but will the watchers allow them to find freedom and hope in the world?

Many will want to pick this book up out of nostalgia-having read this when they were kids-to revisit the story they remember, and maybe to share with their children who are just encountering science fiction for the first time.

This story is perfectly tailored to its audience, and while some of the future technology may feel a little dated since publication, the overall themes hold up well, and deliver their message of hope and perseverance admirably. If you are encountering Hoover for the first time, look for some of her other SF classics, like THE WINDS OF MARS, ORVIS, or my favorite, THE LOST STAR. For books in a similar vein, you might also check out THE CITY OF EMBER by Jean Duprau and DEVIL ON MY BACK by Monica Hughes.

Happy Reading! ^_^ Shanshad

H
VIOLET HOUR H
Published in Hardcover by William Morrow (1998-06-01)
Author: R. Montanari
List price: $15.95
New price: $24.95
Used price: $7.14
Collectible price: $40.00

Average review score:

A must-read
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2005-10-28
I've now found another author who I will have to schedule, like I do with Stephen King. When I get a new King book, I have to leave it alone until I have time to sit down and read the whole thing in one sitting. Obviously, I will have to do the same thing with books by Montanari.

This book is spell-binding. I knew who the killer was... three different times. But I didn't get it right until Montanari was ready for me to know. There are many different stories going on in this book, but they all tie together neatly at the end. The killer keeps asking his victims "What happened that night", but the reader doesn't know the big answer until the very end. And it's startling.

The final wrap-up answers question I didn't realize I had, and gave the whole story a very poignant twist. I had to ask myself how much better the world would be if people focused on love and healing instead of revenge. That simple decision by the killer would have made this story not even happen.

A terrific novel! Held me until I finished it at 2 am, though I had to get up at 6 am. Richard, you're stealing my sleep.

I'm Blown Away
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2002-01-20
One word Awesome. I was totally blown away by this book. Richard's style is very similar to James Patterson. Fast Paced and full of suspense.

Excellent!
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2001-06-29
This book was a heart-stopper. It grabbed me right from the beginning. Then for a few chapters it did jump from character to character and you had to read carefully to keep them straight. But it was well worth it. My mind was working through this whole book trying to figure who was doing the murders and also who was responsible for what happened 20 years ago. Just when I thought I knew who it was I would read something that would make me go "Whoa" and I had to rethink my ideas.

I have read several books where someone is getting revenge on a group of people for something they did years ago. But none of them were written quite this way. New characters kept popping up to challenge my thinking. At times I suspected everyone. And even when you think the story is over there is still a surprise. I will be going out to buy Richard Montanari's other books. He is a great writer.

Very Exciting Plot!
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2006-03-13
After reading Montanari's excellent fourth and latest novel of suspense, The Rosary Girls, I decided to read his second thriller, The Violet Hour. The Violet Hour is a tale of serial terror and revenge that is mostly chilling and powerful. It is a very good book and clearly demonstrates the potential that was fulfilled in The Rosary Girls. The plot is exciting and well developed and moves along at a steady pace, which will make you want to keep turning the pages. The characters, however, are somewhat thinly deveolped and, without going into detail, some of the situations that occur are a bit implausible. Nevertheless, these criticisms are far overshadowed by the suspense generated by a very talented writer. I'm looking forward to reading Montanari's new book, The Skin Gods, which will be in the bookstores tomorrow.

Violets are Red
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2000-10-01
Wow! This is one fantastic novel! Richard Montanari has created a complex, suspenseful and frightening look at a serial killer. "The Violet Hour" opens with a shocking beginning, and then just moves on, page to page, with one twist after another. It's almost Jeffery Deaver-like, but Montanari's twists are a little subtler and not as "unbelievable" (but don't get me wrong, Deaver is one of my favorite writers!).

The story centers around this killer getting revenge on five people who twenty years earlier did something awful to the girl he loved.

There are many good clues in this book, but he has camouflaged them so well, you only remember then once the book is read. One of the most amazing is this: you won't get one of the clues unless you say a particular word out loud to yourself. Great plot device there!

The identity of the killer is surprising, yet if you read back, you can see all the evidence pointing to them. There are also some great subplots, and an ending that floored me! I wasn't expecting it.

The characters are well-developed, and interesting. Nick Stella is a compassionate hero, who sheds his "scoop of the century" mode to assist in a bizarre series of deaths. Amelia Saintsbury is a good heroine, and her private dilemmas are intermingled well with her potential doom.

All in all, can't say too much, would not want to give anything away! But, this is a GREAT book and I eagerly await Mr. Montanari's next. Am also going to go back and read "Deviant Way." If it's half as good, it's worth the bucks!

H
Why Christmas Trees Aren't Perfect
Published in Hardcover by Abingdon Press (2006-10-30)
Authors: Richard H. Schneider and Elizabeth J. Miles
List price: $18.00
New price: $9.89
Used price: $0.01
Collectible price: $18.00

Average review score:

Why Christmas Trees Aren't Perfect
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-30
This is a heart warming story about a small Christmas tree that is not perfect, because it shares from the heart.
This story was read to my child at school, and it was liked so much that she wanted one for Christmas.

Why Christmas Trees Aren't Perfect
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-23
The little book impresses children (and adults) with the true spirit of Christmas, giving of one's self. The illustrations are beautiful and the text well written. It has become one of my favorite Christmas stories.

A Wonderful Holiday Tale about Giving
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-17
This book has a great message for young and old alike! This is a book for anyone who has performed acts of service and wondered, "Does it count for anything?" And the answer is yes. Every act of kindness has a lasting impact on the giver as well as the receiver.

This story is beautifully told and illustrated. This book is a great addition to any home library--it is the kind of book you want to own not just borrow from the public library.

Also recomended:Christmas Gifts, Christmas Voices--another poignant story about the rewards of giving...

Pleasantly Surprised
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-13
I wanted a Christmas tree book to read to my kids when we went to cut down our tree. I had never heard of this book, but I chose it from the library because it was about a Christmas tree. It is a wonderful heartwarming story. It has everything my fou-year-old (and me) loves. It has animals, a queen and castle, and a touching ending. I am going to purchase one for our family to make it a tradition on the day we go get our tree and I will likely purchase a few more as gifts as well.

Beautiful, Wistful Story...A Christmas Classic in My House
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-30

A simple answer to the question in the book title -- because in imperfection you find beauty and grace and wonder. The this story is full of such things.

This book is one of our family favorites -- a classic we return to and will carry with us in memories. Reading this book together gives us the chance to stop in a very busy season and wonder about things bigger and more important than wrapping and running. The message that defines perfection is a life lesson we all need.

I will be purchasing this book to give to my children's families as they marry and begin their own Christmas traditions.

H
1964 H.S. Yearbook
Published in Hardcover by Rugged Land Books (1974-07)
Author:
List price: $2.50

Average review score:

the kernel of truth makes this corn worth popping
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2004-02-27
I purchased a copy of this book when it was first published and laughed myself silly over and over again...what makes it so funny? It perfectly captures the absurdity of yearbooks of an era long gone by: group class pictures taken at such a distance as to render the faces tiny specks with names like "Lotta Zits"; pictures of teachers in their classroom situations: the shop teacher smiling widely at the camera next to a student whose face wears a very surprised look because lower down in the picture his fingers have been separated from his hand by the band saw they are ignoring while the picture is taken! The fun goes on and on--a description of the class trip to D.C. wherein the author takes every opportunity to use the adjectives and adverbs based on the school's mascot the kangaroo. And who could forget the mottoes accompanying the Senior Pictures: the leering face of the school "bad girl" over the phrase "I guess I missed that period!" I haven't seen this book since I loaned it to a friend in the early 1980's yet the material is fresh in my mind. Please, please bring the book back into print so that we fans can share it with a new generation.

The funniest thing I've ever read!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2003-05-08
If you have any knowledge of the sixties then this book will have you crying and your sides will ache from all of the laughter. I have shown my old copy to a half dozen people and everyone of them had the same reaction. You can read this book for weeks and still discover something new each time.

Please Reprint!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2002-11-14
Will the world listen to the plea of thousands and reprint this masterpiece of 60's parody!!! I cannot face the future without seeing Ms. Armbruster one more time! Also, I need to see the Dacron, Ohio newspaper parody too! Please, dear lord, to see the joy in my teenage children's eyes as they read these wonders for the first time would hearten my soul forever!!!

All Time Comedy Sensation
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2003-07-30
I've had at least a half-dozen copies of this Yearbook over the years and they've all been swiped. Thankfully, it looks like we'll soon have it in print again!

This is easily one of the funniest books I've ever seen in my life. Meticulously fashioned after a real yearbook (right down to the ads and classmate autographs), the National Lampoon yearbook is a comic masterpiece to be enjoyed over and over again.
I'd read that it was so successful that Hollywood wanted to make a film of it, but the Lampoon humor was a little risque for a high school setting. So they moved it to a college setting and that's how we got ANIMAL HOUSE.
Fans of ANIMAL HOUSE will spot familiar names in the yearbook: Larry Kroger, Coach Vernon Wormer, etc.

I can't wait until I get another copy--and I'm hanging on to this one!
Definitely CHECK THIS OUT!

BACK IN PRINT
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2003-02-23
This book will be republished in fall 2003 with an addendum - where are they now? I can't wait...


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