Non-fiction Books


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Non-fiction Books sorted by Average customer review: high to low .

Non-fiction
Iced
Published in Paperback by Penguin (Non-Classics) (1995-09-01)
Author: Ray Shell
List price: $15.00
New price: $87.76
Used price: $2.64

Average review score:

Harrowing
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-26
Looking through some old books in my Attic, I happened upon this novel; first released back in 1995.It chronicles the down-ward spiral of a young Man with hopes an dreams, into a never ending slide towards his worse nightmare, a walking, Zombie. This is a harrowing depressing read, which I've often thought would make a great movie. It written in a very matter of fact way (Mr. Snell is an actor by profession, and it tells) but once you get used to his style, the novel opens up to you. Harrowing.

Brilliant
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-04-20
I read this book about four years ago and still think that it is the best book I have ever read, and I still cannot get the story out of my mind i think it is one of the most compelling and real novels I have ever come accross and feel that it should be re-released to show people exactly what it is like to be in a situation like the character in the book.

Well done to Ray Shell!

het neemt je mee op een reis....
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2003-02-24
Het verteld een verhaal van een drugs verslaafde persoon.
Het verhaal is ten einde als je het boek begint te lezen, Cornelius (en niet de schrijver!) neemt je mee naar zijn wereld, zijn gedachte zijn parionide wereld. Heel erg vlak geschreven, heel erg simpel, maar o zo puur naar voren gebracht. Het item drugs speelt een rode draad in het boek.
Hij beschrijft zijn wereld in fases, periodes, van die heel goed gingen en die hel waren.
Het einde van het boek is een beetje zwak, maar dat moet je op de kop toenemen. Want het is de moeite waard om het te lezen en te BELEVEN!

Life Changing???
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2002-11-08
This was a good book. Change your life good? Not mines. It's about a crackhead and you see things how he see and feel thing. You really have to get use to the writing style because some may call it artistic but for me it was mumble jumble. As you get into the book it become more coherent. It's always amazing the roads people choose to walk and what can be at the end of it. After wading through the mind of someone so grimy you actually look at your self and realize that could easily be you. As in life not all things are what they appear and this book is a prime example. This book also spoke a lot of truth concerning black people and why they not as together as they should.

Very real
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2002-09-15
I read the book a few times, because it really got to me. Out of own experiences with drugs I know that it is so authentic and it describes exactly how the selfdeceiving and -destruction works. And the pain you have inside and you can just not deal with. I never read somebody which came so close.

I saw friends going the way Cornelius did over the years and the book is very close to reality (besides the extreme ending) and that is why it touched me deep. It describes the life of a junkie how it is without that "social" touch.

Considering the biography of the author, it can hardly be his own experience and I keep wondering how he got this inside.

Non-fiction
If I Ran the Circus-Pa
Published in Paperback by Random House Books for Young Readers (1980-08-12)
Author: Dr. Seuss
List price: $3.95
Used price: $6.95
Collectible price: $10.00

Average review score:

Dr. Seuss at the Circus
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-07
This is a great book. The girls of my girlfriend love the book. As soon as I sit down, they grab a book and jump in my lap.

The remarkable foon!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-07-29
I stumbled on this with my daughter one night and she quickly fell in love with it.

It's one of the lessor known books but I think it's a great story. Dr. Seuss did a great job with with his words as it easy to get into a flow while reading and it also allows the story teller to play ring master and have fun.

This is a great bed time book and my daughter declared that only I can read it to her.

the potential in every thing
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-04-04
"If I ran the circus" starts off with a boy and an empty lot. I had a lot similar to this near my childhood home. This book played perfectly into my wild imagination of what one could make out of a seemingly uninteresting place. It made me see things in a different way, the possibility that was in every place and every thing. This book is wonderful. Calm Sneelock is worked into the plan. (Isn't it just typical that kids think of shopkeepers as friends?) This book is a big part of my childhood and now I am happy to share it with my kids to help them see the potential in everything. One just needs to use a bit of imagination -- a lesson for young and old.

Wonderful, Imaginative Book!!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-15
My daughter and I love love love this book. It is so creative and everytime we read it (which is seriously twice a day) she finds something new in one of the pictures. The cadence and flow of the sentences is almost mesmerizing. Really delightful to read!

great kids book
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2005-12-10
this book is great for kids because they get to see whats at a crcus. it broadens their vocablary. its an easy book to read with great pictures and fun rhyming!

by:
laura r.

Non-fiction
India Fan
Published in Hardcover by Doubleday (1988-07-01)
Author: Victoria Holt
List price: $18.95
New price: $2.49
Used price: $0.01
Collectible price: $18.95

Average review score:

my very first VH book!!!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-12
My friend gave this book to me because the book was "thicker" than what she used to reading, and till this day I still thank her for giving me this book for it is a GEM!!!! I tried reading it on a whim and was hooked by midway through the 2nd chapter. The story was soooo addictive that I neglected my school works to read it; I read it in class while my teachers (I was in high school) lectured. I think what made this story different and why it has made a lasting impression on me was the way Holt expland the time the plot takes place. Other stories have their main characters married or fell in love by 6-8 months (some sooner and some later) but Holt takes you through a journey that took years to happen, and she gave all her secondary characters dimension and depth. I may or may not be making sense in my fascination w/ Ms. Holt's work, but other Holt fans would understand me (i hope :D). I also loved how Ms. Holt created the air of romance without (too much of, if at all) pre-marital sex. Call me crazy but i was sooo into her characters that long after finishing the book, i sometimes wondered how "Fabian and Drusilla are doing now, or how many children did they end up having...etc"

Loved it!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-06-29
I rank The India Fan as one of Victoria Holt's best. Drusilla is an excellent narrator and as in Holt's best, the romance doesn't blindside you out of nowhere, nor does the "hea" seem incongruous because we're shown Fabian's growth and love for her through their interactions. And as is apparent in most of Holt's novels, The India Fan doesn't stint on the lush, vivid descriptions of Indian life and the massacre at Lucknow.

My Second V.H book!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2005-06-17
This is my second Victoria Holt book and it is so beautiful. Although I don't get why saves Lavinia so many times , although she does get rewarded. It's a good thing that Lavinia dies anyway.She defineitly deservered that.But this is a pretty story but not as 'The Silk Vendetta', which is a 10 times better than this . But still it is addicting. I recommend this to anybody who likes romance and mystery . But this one has more mystery and doesn't really tell about the Indian culture that well.

** Highly Recommended **
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2004-09-18
The central character of the book is Drusilla Delany. From her childhood Drusilla's life had been dominated by the Framling's - Lady Harriet, her son Fabian and her daughter Lavinia.

As a child Drusilla had played with Lavinia, and later they are sent away together to a finishing school in France. There Lavinia's wild and wayward behaviour leads them both into trouble.

After marrying, Lavinia leaves England for India, and later Drusilla accepts an opportunity to join her there as governess to Lavinia's children.

Arriving in Bombay Drusilla finds that Lavinia has not learned from her previous disasters.

The story moves between England, France and India and covers the period of the Indian Mutiny against the British in the mid 19th century. It is written mainly in the 1st person.

I didn't think this story would interest me, but I was enjoyably surprised; I think because the story is so well written.

Victoria Holt was one of the pseudonyms of Eleanor Alice Burford. After marrying she became Eleanor Alice Hibbert. Others she wrote under included Jean Plaidy, Ellalice Tate, Kathleen Kellow, Elbur Ford, Philippa Carr. She wrote almost 200 books under these names!

Her books are VERY addictive!

Sadly, most of her books are out of print at the date of this review. Some can be purchased on the Internet or from second-hand bookshops.

I luved the book!
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2002-07-09
This book is AMAZING! Ms. Holt did a wonderful job decribing Drusilla's feelings and the setting in which the book takes place. It's about a vicar's daughter who gets forced into becoming friends with selfish Lavinia Framling and helps her out in many ways ( like helping Lavinia through her pregnency of an ilegimate daughter ). Drusilla is faced with many problems throughout the book. One problem, deciding if she loves Fabian Framlimg ( Lavina's older brother ) who has admitted his feelings for her! This is a book that you will only find once in a life time. If you like Victoria Holt and romantic suspense and mystery than this book is for you! I will read this book probably 100 times and NEVER get sick of it! Yes, that's how good it is! READ THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Non-fiction
Island of the Swans
Published in Mass Market Paperback by Fanfare (1989-02-01)
Author: Ciji Ware
List price: $4.95
New price: $4.50
Used price: $0.01
Collectible price: $10.88

Average review score:

no title
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2005-12-24
Long novel about the life of Jane Maxwell, Duchess of Gordon (Scottish), born in 1749; died in 1812. Book was fictional romance of her life and times - heavy on the romance! Sexual scenes were almost laughable in Ware's studied avoidance of any hard terms - just skirted porn. But story was good - 529 pages - if somewhat overwritten to keep it going. Very romantic.

Awesome!! Definite Page Turner!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2004-10-08
I read romance novels all the time, and usually finish them within a day or two. With this one, I couldn't put it down, and I read it faster than any other book I own. This is the first book I've read by Ciji Ware, and I loved it. Not only was the romantic story line grat, but the history was great too. After reading it, I couldn't wait to find out more about Jane Maxwell, Alex Gordon, and Thomas Fraser. Unfortunately there isn't alot out there to be found about Thomas Fraser, but there is tons about Jane and Alexander. My only wish is for Ms. Ware to write a sequel and let us all know where Jane, Alex, and Thomas go from the end. Definitely a must read for anyone who believes in love lost and rekindled!!!

Great storytelling
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2004-02-05
Great storytelling; I wonder how much of it is true and how much of it is romantic fiction. Still, it was fun reading. There are some "sexy" parts", so dont read if you mind explicit descriptions of sex. Too bad she didnt make a sequel.

Wuthering Heights meets Diana Gabaldon...
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2005-02-23
What a great book this was. I never expected such meat from a romance novel, but I was enthralled with the tale. From start to finish you get a real feeling of real people. The heroine, Jane, is flawed, not perfect like most cookie-cutter romance novel heroines.
I liked the ending. It was enough to know for me that they found each other.
As I read the pages of Island of the Swans, I was reminded of Wuthering Heights and Diana Gabaldon's Dragonfly in Amber, as well as the triangle between Rhett, Scarlet & Ashley Wilkes in Gone With The Wind. But Jane is much more a woman of honor than Scarlet O'Hara ever was, and Thomas Fraser more of a man than Ashley Wilkes. Although Thomas Fraser is not quite as dramatic a love interest as Healthcliff, he is sweeter and definitely manly.
I will being running out to get more Ciji Ware novels! I stayed up well into the night to read the ending of this one and I haven't done that in a LONG time.

Well done Ms. Ware!

Where's the sequal to this excellent book?
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2004-03-12
I adored this book up until the ending. Like other reviewer's comments there was no real closure. This did not bother me because the factual history of the Duke and Duchess is rather disappointing and not at all in harmony with the potential for love this author has imbued in her telling. Knowing the history of Jane Maxwell and Alex Gordon and still spinning a beautiful fantasy of the posibilities in that relationship takes unparralelled imagination and a true romantic heart.

It's a very emotional tale of being torn betwen duty and love and settling for what you can have or reaching for what you really want. The conflict was very realistic and I may be the only person who understood Alex's complex feelings of love and jealousy and insecurity. But he was truly unlikable at the end and this disappointed me.

This book made me laugh and cry and stay up all night to finish it. My only wish is that the ending where either more conclusive or the very opposite of what it was. I had a soft spot for Alex. But Ms. Ware's ending is hamronious with the history as I understand it.

It's a great journey even though the ending sort of halts abruptly and leaves you wishing for more.

Non-fiction
The Judas Kiss
Published in Mass Market Paperback by Fawcett (1982-12-12)
Author: Victoria Holt
List price: $3.50
New price: $57.88
Used price: $0.01
Collectible price: $10.00

Average review score:

I LOVED this book!!!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2005-08-27
On my top 2 list of favorite Holt books. This was great! I couldn't put it down! The entire plot was fascinating, and I loved it from beginning to end. A must-read!!

Judas Kiss
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2005-07-03
I may get bashed for this but , I think this book is really pathetic . I really books when girls get seduced and the guy just runs off. And how he is next in line to be king really makes me made.It really was good book and probably a really good fairy tale story but just not for me.

The Mask of the Enchantress
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2002-06-07
This book was the best of hers that I have read so far! i have read 10 of her books and i have been pleased with every single one of them! This one i liked becasue it keeps you waiting the whole entire book to find out whats going to happen next! i couldn't put this book down i kept on trying to predict what was going to happen next and than you would be surprised with something else! When I read this book i felt like i was actually their watching everything take place! Its a great book taht i think everyone would enjoy! i let some of my friends read it and they thought the exact same thing!

Excellent and Romantic Reading
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2004-07-12
Of course, Victoria Holt never disappoints, and this book is no exception. While it is not my favorite novel of hers (On The Night of the Seventh Moon and Bride of Pendorric are) this is a wonderful book with an interesting, intelligent heroine. Worth reading for the elaborate descriptions of the Bavarian forests, the mysterious secondary characters, as well as the romantic hero Conrad. This will sweep you off your feet -- like a fairy tale for older readers...enjoy!

good romantic suspense
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2003-05-19
Victoria Holt truly lived up to her reputation as the queen of romantic suspense. This story combines nicely a romance with political intrigues and murders. What i like about a VH book is that the setting is always done so well i can even feel the real world in the book.
Some complaints about the story, though.(1) Conrad professes to love Philippa, yet never shows any hint of trust in her in the matter of her sister's marriage. (2)Only after seducing her does he let her know he can only keep her as his mistress and never even ask how she feels about it. That looks like cheating to me.(3)The story gets very redundant and repetitive halfway through. Whenever they meet, Conrad is forever whining that he loves Philippa, that he can't live without her; and Philippa is always busy thinking of how she is affected by him and whether she should stay with him or not.
Despite those problems, overall this book is still very enjoyable.

Non-fiction
The Listener
Published in Mass Market Paperback by Bantam (1984-07-01)
Author: Taylor Caldwell
List price: $3.95
Used price: $17.62
Collectible price: $41.01

Average review score:

A New Favorite!
Helpful Votes: 12 out of 12 total.
Review Date: 2005-05-19
This book has become a favorite of mine - it's a classic! I plan to recommend it to many of my family & friends - & I highly recommend it to you too!

The chapters in this book are actually categorized as "souls" - each one dealing with 1 person who came to "the Listener" in a broken state, and left healed (in more ways than one).

This book has the potential to really hit home - showing that we ALL have problems (no one is immune), and that we are NEVER really alone - a concept that is so easy to forget these days.

I don't want to spill the beans re: who the listener is, but after you read the first chapter you'll instinctivly know (if not by the first chapter, then definitely by the second). Once your realize who it is, it will serve as a reminder that we all have a "listener" - available any time, day or night.

for a Hindu, it`s a beautiful way to understand Christ
Helpful Votes: 26 out of 27 total.
Review Date: 2000-04-29
I am a Hindu believer by birth, The Listener is one of those few rare books that opened up my horizon to the truth and suffering of Christ (and human beings. In fact, this book gives me watery eyes every time I read it, and I read it often. The New Testament was written by The Apostles in The Apostles` words, while The Listener is The New Testament written by and in the laymen`s words.

Badly needed in this time of religious and political hatred
Helpful Votes: 36 out of 37 total.
Review Date: 2004-06-04
This book, published in 1960, tells the story of 15 "souls" -- people from many walks of life -- from judges and doctors to a humble, devout cleaning lady. Each person goes into a sanctuary like building to spend time with "The Listener."

I won't tell you who "The Listener" is. You might guess, and you might not. But one thing I can guarantee -- your life won't be the same after you read this book. You can be Catholic, Protestant (with all the variations therein) or even a Hindu, Moslem or Jew, and be challenged by reading this book.

Through these 15 stories, Taylor Caldwell expresses more about the real essence of Christianity than all of the "Doctrinal" books I have read -- and as a PK (preacher's kid) I've read a lot of them. This describes more than a "religion." It is a relationship with the real originator of Christianity.

We have a lot of garbage being promoted in the name of religion today -- and a lot of it is in the name of religion, and trying to be carried out politically. It's easy to forget that Jesus Christ Himself was notoriously apolitical. He was about REAL spirituality -- something that starts in the innermost part of a person and spreads outward.

The message of this beautiful book is as important today as it was when it was written. The fact that circumstances and cultures have changed is irrelevant -- human nature hasn't changed at all.

Read this story. It will be among the most worthwhile time you've spent.

A timeless message for our secular times...
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2007-06-07
I began reading Taylor Caldwell as a teenager in the 1980s. I thought that she was just another romance writer at the time. However, as I have grown and my literary tastes have evolved, I find myself coming back to Taylor again and again. There is something far more than simply a good story or interesting characters in Taylor's writing. She is a spiritual writer, a woman with great insight and depth who understands the suffering of humanity, and the hope that lives beyond this ephemeral world. At the ripe old age of 40 I am reading The Listener for the very first time. I feel like I have reconnected with a long lost friend. The writer's kind and knowing voice serves as a kind of spiritual guide.
The story is quite simple. People go to a quiet sanctuary to meet with a "listener" in private. At first, the individuals are timid and uncertain of the listener's identity. Is he a psychiatrist, a physician, a clergyman? The troubled individual bears his or her soul to the listener and gradually experiences a sense of peace, grace and forgiveness. At the close of the session, the individual encounters "the listener" beyond the blue curtains and is overwhelmed by what he or she sees. It is a mystical experience, what one imagines to be a vision of Christ.
Taylor's main message is this: we can go through our entire lives, if we will it so, in a virtual fog of ego and delusion. Then, if we are lucky, "blessed" some might say, we will be given a single moment of grace in which the scales fall from our eyes and all at once, we see the truth of who we are and the purpose of our existences as mortals on this earth. That moment is both humbling and painful- and yet it brings us tremendous meaning and joy. Read this book as you would read sacred script of any religion- with reverance and gratitude.

Never felt like someone ever really listened to you?.....
Helpful Votes: 8 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2005-04-04
If you never felt like anyone ever really listened to you, then come here and enter The Listener's unique chamber. He doesn't say a word. He listens to all your problems or perceived threats, jealousies, sins, resentments, guilts or whatever devil is hounding you, without judgement or condemnation. You will leave the chamber with deep reflection about your life, maybe relief, at the very least understanding human frailities and man's often vicious and petty nature and how love transcends and lets you feel like you are not alone. I have read his book many times through different stages of my life, passed it on to a few
in times of trouble or fear, or just out of pure joy. You will not regret picking up this loving novella of short stories within the big chapter of life.

Non-fiction
Live A Little! (Blaze, 19)
Published in Paperback by Harlequin (2001-12-01)
Author: Nancy Warren
List price: $4.50
New price: $4.00
Used price: $0.01

Average review score:

LIVE A LITTLE!-Jake and Cynthia/Cyn-SPOILERS
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2003-03-11
Favorite scene with Cynthia/Cyn-
Discovering the password and being caught and all that follows.

Favorite scene with Jake-
Emotional, thinking Cynthia/Cyn may be dead.

Together-
Hiding behind the crates and making love while trying not to get
caught.

A fantastic, hot read!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2002-01-21
LIVE A LITTLE--Nancy Warren

Cynthia Baxter decides to spice up her life, so she buys a copy of Raunch magazine's fantasy issue and surprises her fiance with handcuffs and a fantasy. Unfortunately, her fiance--soon to be her ex-fiance--gets a call and rushes out, forgetting her. That's how Jake Wheeler comes to find her naked, handcuffed to her bedposts. Jake needs help...a sexy little account is just what the FBI needs. And Cyn? Well, she might be just what Jake himself needs.

Nancy Warren's Blaze Romance, Live a Little, will occasionally have you laughing more than a little as she spins a hot tale of love.

Winner of the WordWeaving Award for Excellence
Helpful Votes: 14 out of 14 total.
Review Date: 2002-01-13
Accountant Cynthia Baxter would like to learn to live a little. Her six year engagement to a doctor more concerned with patients than his personal relationships drives her to desperate measures. She purchases the September issue of Raunch Magazine, which categorizes its fantasies into Boudoir Beginners, Intimate Intermediates, and Erotically Advanced. She'd even highlighted her favorite fantasies. But Walter leaves her naked and handcuffed to the bed while he leaves to deliver a baby. Hours later, a neighbor finally comes to the rescue. But meeting FBI agent Jake Wheeler under such conditions does not fulfill her fantasy.

At first, Jake Wheeler assumes Cynthia's prone position resulted from a working girl's day gone bad. Her trash looks juxtapose an oddly innocent expression in her eyes, driving his libido over the edge, even if he has sworn off wild women with revolving bedroom doors. However, when he realizes that Cynthia's an accountant, Jake convinces her to volunteer to help him crack a drug smuggling operation by accepting a new job with his quarry. Cynthia leaps at the opportunity for change and excitement. She transforms herself into Cyn the Bold and prepares to plunge into the world of black ops, spies and danger. Even as Jake suspects that the sophisticated sex-pot routine is fake, it's too late to withdraw from a very dangerous situation-both undercover and under the covers.

Now this is what a Blaze should be! Sexy, daring, and bold with a dash of levity, LIVE A LITTLE! lives up to my highest expectations. The heroine doesn't waste time protesting her innocence, the hero doesn't struggle over needless issues, and the plot never slows. Indeed, the dangerous plot echoes the dangerous eroticism of a handcuff fantasy, resulting in a terrific read. Pleasing, tempting and erotic, LIVE A LITTLE! comes very highly recommended.

Sexy, fun romp!
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2002-01-24
Cynthia Baxter decides to spice up her life, so she buys a copy of Raunch magazine's fantasy issue and surprises her fiance with handcuffs and a fantasy. Unfortunately, her fiance--soon to be her ex-fiance--gets a call and rushes out, forgetting her. That's how Jake Wheeler comes to find her naked, handcuffed to her bedposts. Jake needs help...a sexy little account is just what the FBI needs. And Cyn? Well, she might be just what Jake himself needs.

Nancy Warren's Blaze Romance, Live a Little, will occasionally have you laughing more than a little as she spins a hot tale of love.

Not my choice for an award winner
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2002-07-12
I was surprised to read all of the wonderful feedback for the book. I'm all for fairy tales but this was so way out there even I couldn't believe it. I am fairly certain that no FBI agent would enlist the services of a complete novice because they hoped said novice would sleep with the boss and discover his secrets. Nevermind that the FBI agent has completely misjudged Cyn, the main character, forming the opinion that she is faast and loose simply because he had to rescue her while she was handcuffed naked to her bed (OK - that was good). I enjoyed reading about Cynthia's change from reserved to sexpot, that was fun. Unfortunately, the context in which it played out was ridiculous. Igave this 3 stars for the well written sex scenes (and there are quite a few) but the plot? 1 star would be pushing it.

Non-fiction
Look Out Pirates B22
Published in Hardcover by Random House Books for Young Readers (1961-08-12)
Author: Iris Vinton
List price: $9.99
Used price: $19.88
Collectible price: $47.00

Average review score:

Great early reader - wish they'd reprint
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-10-19
This was my favorite book as a youngster. I "re-discovered" this gem in August sitting on a bookshelf at my mom's house. Of course, I immediately read it to my 4 year-old, who absolutely loved it. Loved it so much, in fact, that he begged his grandma to let him bring it home. Since then, we've read it at least 4X/week, including the last 10 days in a row.

It's simply written, yet very compelling, with wonderful illustrations. This should definitely be a candidate for re-printing.

Great Early Reader - Exciting Plot and Vivid Pictures
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2005-02-07
This is the best early reader I've found for my 6-year-old son. (Actually he found it himself in the school library.) Unlike the Cat in the Hat and its ilk (which he loved hearing when he was younger but gets bored reading himself) this has a real plot and a subject that he loves: pirates! and engrossing, exciting pictures. I hope it gets reprinted, and I wish there were a whole series of beginner readers like this!

literacy tutor likes this book
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2003-02-21
I am a literacy tutor for a second grade boy who is really struggling with reading. Look Out for Pirates! captured his interest and imagination right away. Like magic, he WANTED to read (something that he previously was reluctant to do). I recommend this book for tutors to use with reluctant readers. It is a wonderful book and I wish it was still in print.

Ditto - Need to have this reprinted!
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2001-08-03
This was our firstborn's favorite early reader. Now that his brother & sister are getting ready to read, I have searched high and low for our own copy. The words are simple but the story is fascinating so that our son read on page after page when he usually would have tired out. It outclasses the other early readers on the market.

Longing for old times
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2000-12-20
I searched for this book not knowing the author or anything about the book except the title and a load of childhood memories. I like the others, can vividly remember the tale of a treasure chest lost and the courage to outwit the pirates. Now with a son of my own, I hope I can find this treasure to share with him. I was encouraged to discover so many other wistful searchers like myself. Perhaps together we will see this in print once more!

Non-fiction
On Beyond Zebra-Paper
Published in Paperback by Random House Books for Young Readers (1980-08-12)
Author: Dr. Seuss
List price: $3.95
Used price: $0.45
Collectible price: $16.00

Average review score:

Best of Seuss
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-03-08
A fun book for kids, with some deeper insight as well.

"When you go beyond Zebra,
Who knows...? There's no telling
What wonderful things
You might find yourself spelling!"

Awesome...its the Dr.
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2005-10-12
Actually got this for my new tat, but I love this art

Altered perspectives for life
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-20
This book introduced "paradigm shifting" into my intellectual vocabulary before I even knew what such a thing was.

Many, many, many years ago (Nixon was President, I think) I read this and was changed. I can remember the the images, the textures, the smells (Ah! The ditto machine and its purple perfume!) and all my surroundings. I was sitting in the elementary school library, facing northwest toward the door. Lured by the title and the premise, I had taken the volume to my assigned seat ("Library" was a class back then, as it should have been) and quickly devoured it.

The concept - that our 26-letter alphabet was an arbitrary collection and not a universal constant on a par with gravity - had never entered my cartoon-addled mind. It sparked an awareness of similar cultural and philosophical constrictions that I have expanded and retained to this day.

Hats off to the Dr.!

Left quite an impression...
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-04-05
Loved this book as a child. Fast-forward thirty-some years, I am a computational linguist with a fascination for exotic writing systems. Coincidence? In think not.

A frequently overlooked Seuss gem !
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2005-10-19
This was my favorite book as a kid & still is. I now have ownership of our family's 'ancient' copy (copyright date 1955, Mom's written inscription: Christmas 1962 for my oldest brother who was age 6). I recently read it to my 6 year old son and he also was taken with this book. I am getting a new copy for him for Christmas as the original is pretty fragile now. This book belongs in every family's collection along with The Lorax, The Sneeches, Bartholomew Cubbins, Horton and the rest of the classic/original Seuss stories.

Non-fiction
Prince of the Godborn
Published in Mass Market Paperback by Laurel Leaf (1987-07-01)
Author: Geraldine Harris
List price: $2.50
Used price: $1.50
Collectible price: $15.83

Average review score:

It begins........
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2001-11-27
Kerish-lo-Taan, third prince of the emperor, and one of the Godborn, has been chosen to fulfill the ancient prophecy of releasing the savior of Galkis. Seven keys held by seven sorcerers will unlock the seven gates imprisoning him. With the five kingdoms of the south united, and corruption within Galkis, it seems hopeless. With the help of his half brother, Forollkin the warrior, can the seemingly frail and childish Kerish complete his destiny?

Prince of the Godborn
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2001-11-19
I read the series of four books when an impressionable teen. They stuck with me for a very long time. My mum and I used to discuss who would play the titles roles as surely they would make a movie out of this fantastic series of books. Prince Kerish touched me in ways other books couldn't, you read, entranced as he turned from a spoilt boy into a man. There are still scenes I can relive in my head now. My particular favorite is Lihlanee the marsh cat, rescuing the prince as they enter the Dead Kingdom, so sad I cried. As others have written, the books are far too complex to explain easily. It took me some years to track them down too. I even used the books as a basis for my English exams! You have to read these books!

wonder why it was never reprinted
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2005-06-28
This is a suprisingly good series, though each of the four books is a short 200ish pages and could have just been sold as one 800ish page doorstopper in the current style.

It is about a fascinating central and ancient empire, the rulers of which are descended from gods, but have fallen into decadence. The empire itself is threatened by barbarians who have recently united.

The story focuses on half brothers, their relationship and personal growth, and their quest to fulfill an ancient prophecy that could save the empire.

The world Harris has created is particularly interesting.


I wonder why this was never reprinted, as it appears there are no copies available past the early 80's edition.

Full of Magic
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2002-12-31
This novel was full of all sorts of magic. Through the use of her skills of describing Mrs. Harris brings to life a world of magic, adventure, and action. I can tell that this is the first in a line of spectacullar novels.

One Hidden Treasure of a Novel!
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2002-01-21
I hadn't heard of Geraldine Harris when I found volume three of this series in a Lexington bookstore. The title impressed me, however-The Dead Kingdom, and I bought the book based on a nice comment printed on the dust jacket. Over the next couple of years I accessed the internet and scoured stores for the other three installments by Harris. They proved elusive, or available but expensive buys on the net in those days. Persistence pays, however, and I found them. I began reading with the first volume, this book: A Prince of the Godborn. Godborn sets up the story, filling us in on Harris's world, providing an image of the main character, the godborn prince of a besieged kingdom. It seems some neighboring warrior tribes are threatening attack, and the Prince of the Godborn must act heroically, undertaking a quest that'll by no means be easy: to recover the keys to 7 ominous citadels, scattered pell-mell across Harris's landscape. The quest expands across the four books, the Prince encountering the kingdoms and citadels one by one, until the final, sobering encounter, as he ascends the enigmatic seventh citadel. FYI- The four books that tell this story are the following: A Prince of the Godborn, The Children of the Wind, The Dead Kingdom, and the Seventh Gate. A great series in my estimation, and a story I completed in back-to-back readings of the four books.


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