Non-fiction Books


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

Non-fiction
Scam-Proof Your Life: 377 Smart Ways to Protect You & Your Family from Ripoffs, Bogus Deals & Other Consumer Headaches (AARP)
Published in Hardcover by Sterling (2006-04-28)
Author: Sid Kirchheimer
List price: $19.95
New price: $3.75
Used price: $0.77
Collectible price: $19.95

Average review score:

Review of "Scam-Proof Your life
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-11
I found the book Scam-Proof Your Life to be very thorough in covering all catagories noted in the Table of Contents.I especially liked the "go-to" sources for filing complaints. I found, however, that the inserted information in each catagory interrupted the flow of the commentary and disturbed my "train of thought". Overall, there is a wealth of useful information in this book.

Buy This Book
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-23
What a find -- everyone needs this book! It's filled with pages and pages of great information that can save you money and aggravation. Many thanks to this author.

Scam Proof
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-20
So informative. I was unaware of all the ways I could be scamed. I hightly recommend this book, very educational for young and old.

An Informative Book... Leand to Protect Yourself Against Scams
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-28
Scam-Proof Your Life is a really good book with lots of information that will teach you ways to protect yourself against the scams and frauds we face everyday. It seems like we are constantly faced with people trying to cheat us out of our money. This book is both fun to read, and very informative, and will make you aware of some of the scams used by these criminals to steal your money!

Nervously peeping out my window!
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-04-25
This book should be required reading for the entire country. A crisp and invigorating read, 'Scam Proof,' by Sid Kirchheimer, is packed with information on topics ranging from Telephone Service to Identity Theft; chapters 3, 7, and 8 are especially informative. The length to which the credit card companies will go to fleece Americans borders on the criminal. Furthermore, the similarities that exist between the unfair but legal practices of some of America's most powerful institutions and the ambitious professional conmen of the day are unsettling. Get ready to feel paranoid and disappointed, because this book is an eye opener.

Non-fiction
SEAL It with a Kiss: In Uniform (Harlequin Superromance, No. 833)
Published in Paperback by Harlequin (1999-03-01)
Author: Rogenna Brewer
List price: $4.25
New price: $0.01
Used price: $0.01
Collectible price: $10.00

Average review score:

A few hemlines above all the other Harlequin romance novels I've read
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-04-17
I was beginning to lose faith that the Harlequin company would publish anything worthy of more than three stars (even my favorites, or the best of the bunch, aren't worthy of more than that).

I still cannot fathom giving any category romance more than four though. Perhaps I liked the military angle (being the daughter of a veteran of Operation Desert Storm and living half my early childhood in Rota, Spain, I feel right at home) or the hot guy on the cover (who just exudes masculinity, but isn't over the top obvious, like Fabio, who reminds me of the Biblical Samson), but whatever the reason, it was a very good story with a tight, exciting plot (no inane dialogue, which is a calamity in the Steeple Hill line, but perhaps this is because Christian bookstores carry them, and you have to be so careful not to offend) and likeable characters with chemistry (the "heroes" and "heroine"--still not sure why, just because they are the main characters, why they are called that, this story is about some real heroes and heroines--in the Christian novels are so sweet, you can't imagine them making mad, passionate love.

Unfortunately, I bought up as many Love Inspired titles as I could find on her in new condition for a penny, so I could learn how to write for the "clean" line, but I've not even read twenty, and I'm not sure I could get through twenty more. I couldn't put down this book, whereas the Steeple Hill books I could put down for a week (the few I did like were only because I connected with the heroine, not because the story was very interesting).

Anyway, it seemed like not a line of dialogue was wasted (sort of like the snappy repertoire in those old movies)--it snapped, crackled and popped with electrifying emotion. The characters' names were perfect, and it was the little details that made them unique, like Miller keeping a drawer full of Tootsie pops instead of cigarettes and Chapel (as a child) dressing Barbie in G.I. Joe's clothes (thus becoming, with the exception of the long locks, G.I. Jane). These are interesting details, not just (using an example from another book) that Mary Kate's nickname is MK.

I do think the adoption of a refugee orphan was a little contrived. Why not just let Marc and Tabitha be all the other wants or needs right now, and then leave the rest to the reader's imagination?

Marc's past could have been a little less tragic in this otheriwse lighthearted romance tackling a serious issue--women in the SEALS, but other than that, this was great fun chick lit and I finished it in a day.

I give this book a twenty gun (is it twenty? I don't know, it's been a long time) salute.

And to those who do not believe in pre-marital sex, I suggest they stick to the Steeple Hill Love Insipid (I mean Inspired) line. Pre-marital sex (i.e. fornication) is not adultery and just because people engage in it doesn't mean they are immoral, and these two characters were in love (so it wasn't just a sex thing with them, it was a deeper expression of the feelings they had for each other) and they did get married pretty soon after.

Wonderful Story
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2002-08-11
"Seal It with a Kiss" is certainly a must read. After reading all the reviews i decided to give this book a try. And i'm certainly glad i did! It's a great story with compelling characters. It's a keeper!

KEEP FOR A SECOND AND A THIRD READ!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2001-12-18
"IN UNIFORM" is a great series and well worth keeping. This one is so easy to understand and fast paced enough to keep you reading to the end.
Commander Marc Miller did not want any woman in the SEALS. This I could understand - men and women are disruptive around each other. Sex and emotions are next to impossible to keep out of the equasion.
Lieutenant Tabitha Chapel had a burning desire to be a SEAL. From a Navy and SEAL family she acted like she had to prove herself. [I have problems with these kind of women] -- She was a rare one to make it through Hell Week? Dedicated? Maybe.
But she still wanted the "Commander". Compromise? Not hardly.
In the sack before marriage! Not ethical. No strong moral character. Failed to understand "the Stratigests" objections.
But then -- it made a great story -- [I can not like women who will put men's lives in jeopardy because of their own ego.]
R. Brewer wrote a great story with lots of emotional tension - great characters - wonderful family participation - true heroine with a hang-up -- wonderful character growth of the hero - all tied in nicely to rate an Excellent + and a keeper recommendation [even with my pet peeve]
WELL DONE BREWER! give us some more "In Uniform" books.

This is as god as it gets
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2000-05-08
It's about time someone wrote a book about real people. The romance never overtakes the story, and the characters are strong. No simpering virgins or commitment phobias here. This book makes you feel like you want to be a part of the powerful world it represents, to be the cream of the crop- en elite navy SEAL. And it does it without corny dialogue or a sense of unrealism that is so prevalent in other romantic novels. Bravo!

Great! Awsome!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 1999-09-30
This was a great romance noval. It is the first novel that I have read and it has me hooked. I love the way it mixes love with the SEALs. I liked the charicters in the book. If you want a good romance novel heres the one!!!

Non-fiction
Sharpe's Sword (Sharpe)
Published in Paperback by Penguin (Non-Classics) (1987-08-04)
Author: Bernard Cornwell
List price: $12.00
New price: $5.75
Used price: $0.05

Average review score:

My favorite so far....
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-06-15
A friend referred to the Sharpe series as literary opium...he may be right. They are guilty pleasures, for sure....and I worry what will happen when I have read them all.

The thing is, drug or not, Cornwell is a wonderful writer. I laughed out loud a couple of times, was riveted by a love scene, and ran to the computer to look up the actual battle and scenes described. Great stuff.

And then I had the misfortune to read the new McMurtry novel....

Not bad but not my fave Sharpe novel
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-04-01
"Sharpe's Sword" is a decent entry into the Sharpe series, but I happen to tend to prefer the Sharpe adventures that are primarily military rather than the ones with espionage plots. And, for my taste, "Sharpe's Sword" is a bit heavy on the spy angle and a hair light on the battles. But the book's action scenes, while failing to rival those in, say, "Sharpe's Rifles," "Sharpe's Eagle" or "Sharpe's Company," are still pretty satisfying. "Sharpe's Sword" is far from the weakest of the generally very strong Sharpe series (of the ones that I've read so far, I'd say that "Sharpe's Prey" my least favorite), but it doesn't quite rank among the very best, either.

The best Sharpe novel
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2004-10-21
I've been reading through the entire series chronologically and up until now i've been hard pressed to pick a favorite. After reading Sharpe's Sword however i have a clear choice.

In Sharpe's Sword, Cornwell gives the reader his true best - putting together a plot so interesting that one can even claim that in this novel it trumps his ability at "battlefield writing" where i believe Cornwell is the best living author- and that's saying something.

If you want a good introduction to cornwell's writing ability and you don't mind starting most of the way through a series i highly recommend Sharpe's Sword.

A Great Series
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-08-15
This is another entry on the Sharpe series. It is fun, entertaining and very readable. Cornwell's research is as excellent as usual. He takes some licenses for the shake of the story and continuity, but this is OK. Some people are outraged by the portrait of some of the real historical characters, but historical characters are rarely depicted accurately in historical fiction, so I think this can be forgiven. Besides, usually a more serious account of these characters is given at the end of the book on the Historical Note.

Many people insist in compare this series with Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander. I don't think this is fair for any of the series, they are different entities. What they have in common is that once you start you may get hooked and devour one book after another...

And in the literary world today that is a rare and marvelous thing.

Magnificent episode in the Sharpe saga
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-04-05
Bernard Cornwell's Richard Sharpe series is one of the most beloved collective works in the sub-genre of historical fiction. Spanning over twenty novels (and counting!), Cornwell has treated his readers with thrilling battlefield and bedroom exploits from Flanders to India to Spain and France. While the novels have a definitive formula, they never grow stale.

"Sharpe's Sword" is among the best of the Sharpe novels. Sharpe is a captain of the 95th Rifles, attached to the South Essex regiment as a light company. As fans of the series know, Sharpe has made himself indispensable to the British army (including his patron, Lord Wellington) by being the most lethal rogue in an army full of cut-throats and vagabonds. But in "Sharpe's Sword," Cornwell has created a foe worthy of Sharpe - the French spy-hunter Leroux, a lethal aristocrat whose charge from Napoleon is to topple the British spy network.

Leroux is captured by Sharpe early in the novel, but takes advantage of a foolish British officer's notion of "parole" (in which a captured officer may keep his weapons and freedom if he gives his sworn statement that he will not try to escape). Acting quickly, Leroux murders his way back to freedom, but in doing so he earns Sharpe's undying hatred . . . and envy. Sharpe hates him for being a backstabbing liar, but Sharpe envies him because Leroux has the most magnificent sword Sharpe has ever seen, and Sharpe wants it.

And so Sharpe and Leroux are caught in a duel to the death while the French and British armies slug it out in the gorgeous city of Salamanca and also on the plains of Spain. "Sharpe's Sword" has it all - humor, romance, intrigue, friendship, betrayal, and battles. And what battles! Nobody writes a better battle scene than Bernard Cornwell, and he tops himself when describing a suicidal, insane cavalry charge by Wellington's German heavy cavalry against formed French squares. The reader is flung into the wild madness that is Napoleonic warfare, and it is a glorious madness indeed.

Well-researched and lovingly written, "Sharpe's Sword" exemplifies all that is good in the Sharpe series.

Non-fiction
Tales From the White Hart
Published in Mass Market Paperback by Del Rey (1986-10-12)
Author: Arthur C. Clarke
List price: $3.95
Used price: $2.35
Collectible price: $10.00

Average review score:

Not Free SF Reader
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-29
In a similar setup to the Gavagan's Bar stories, but, as Clarke says, set in the UK, not the USA.

His bar actually features John Christopher, John Wyndham and 'George Whitley' in small cameos in the tall tales recounted by Harry Purvis. So a haunt of the literary types someone under a newspaper building or thereabouts, is what he says, so maybe pointing out a real pub somewhere he liked?

Anyway, all from around the 1950 mark, these. All they are intended to be is fun stories, and the author pretty much succeeds at that, in general.


Tales from the White Hart : Silence Please! - Arthur C. Clarke
Tales from the White Hart : Big Game Hunt - Arthur C. Clarke
Tales from the White Hart : Patent Pending - Arthur C. Clarke
Tales from the White Hart : Armaments Race - Arthur C. Clarke
Tales from the White Hart : Critical Mass - Arthur C. Clarke
Tales from the White Hart : The Ultimate Melody - Arthur C. Clarke
Tales from the White Hart : The Pacifist - Arthur C. Clarke
Tales from the White Hart : The Next Tenants - Arthur C. Clarke
Tales from the White Hart : Moving Spirit - Arthur C. Clarke
Tales from the White Hart : The Man Who Ploughed the Sea - Arthur C. Clarke
Tales from the White Hart : The Reluctant Orchid - Arthur C. Clarke
Tales from the White Hart : Cold War - Arthur C. Clarke
Tales from the White Hart : What Goes Up - Arthur C. Clarke
Tales from the White Hart : Sleeping Beauty - Arthur C. Clarke
Tales from the White Hart : The Defenestration of Ermintrude Inch - Arthur C. Clarke


Negative feedback showstopping blowup.

3.5 out of 5


Giant Squid control lacking.

3 out of 5


Sensation register commerce.

2.5 out of 5


Captain Zoom gun prop death ray.

3.5 out of 5


Bee ooze.

3.5 out of 5


Stuck in a hit pattern.

3 out of 5


War program insults.

3.5 out of 5


The number of mad scientists who wish to conquer the world, said Harry Purvis, looking thoughtfully at his beer, has been grossly exaggerated.

3 out of 5


Whiskey making case a bomb.

3 out of 5


Submarine getaway extraction.

3.5 out of 5


Wellsian hothouse epic coward.

4 out of 5


Iceberg towing bet interruption.

3 out of 5


Antigravity flameout.

3 out of 5


Snoring cure insomnia reversal.

3.5 out of 5


Word count loop cheat pushover.

3.5 out of 5





3.5 out of 5

Needs About 40 Stars for a fair rating
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2005-10-18
Absolutely Hilarious. A must have. I shouted for Joy when I saw it was in print again.

I Still Have My Copy From '69!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2005-11-07
I wouldn't throw it away! This is one of the most entertaining collections of stories in the sci-fi genre. At the White Hart, a British pub, are an odd assortment of patrons from the literary and scientific fields, as well as laymen interested in the discussions going on around them. One Harry Purvis inevitably manages to dominate the talk with his incredible tales of wondrous scientific romance, which he insists are true. He will often find a good reason for leaving just as a flaw in his story starts to become obvious to one or more of his listeners, and they wax suspicious that the tale truly is incredible. The way Clarke weaves real science with interesting and hilarious short fiction makes this one of my favorites of all his works. I would especially recommend it to readers who are new to science-fiction. Unlike a lot of such works, this one only gets better with age.

Great Short Stories!!!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2001-07-05
I couldn't put this down. I'm a new comer to science fiction, but if all the sci-fi writers can do what A.C. Clark does in this book, I am really looking forward to reading them. Each short story in the book relate to one another. They basically build up to a climax and then you're left wondering, "Is that it??? I want more!". Even though this book was written circa 1957, it is a "way out" read and very enjoyable!

Stars and bars
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2003-09-21
If you can think of one set of SF short stories involving tall tales told in bars, it's probably Spider Robinson's "Callahan's' series. But if you can think of two, this is probably the second.

Although never as big a Clarke fan as I've been of Asimov and Heinlein, I still have fond memories of several of Clarke's books. _Rendezvous with Rama_ is probably his best novel and it's been one of my favorites of his since it was first published. His short stories, too, are generally of high quality (remember e.g. 'The Nine Billion Names of God'?).

The series of tales collected herein is a bit different (for Clarke). For one thing, they're _funny_ -- Arthur C. Clarke funny, that is, not Douglas Adams funny, but funny all the same.

They're on the light side and they're deftly executed. But don't expect guffaws; in order to appreciate Harry Purvis and his stories, you pretty much have to be the sort of person who thinks 'The Defenestration of Ermintrude Inch' is a funny title.

If you've read Clarke but you haven't read this book, grab a copy and see what you think. The 'White Hart' isn't Callahan's, but it's a pleasant place to hang out and listen to some tall tales.

Non-fiction
To Serve Them All My Days
Published in Hardcover by Simon & Schuster (1972-09-25)
Author: R. f. delderfield
List price: $9.95
New price: $40.59
Used price: $0.01
Collectible price: $14.00

Average review score:

I lost an old friend
Helpful Votes: 10 out of 11 total.
Review Date: 2004-02-04
Now that I've finished "To Serve Them All My Days" I feel that I've lost an old friend. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, savoring it and rationing my reading so as not to finish it too quickly. A must read for those interested in teaching, education in general, and in understanding children. This story is a study in the trials and tribulations life offers us, and how one person not only overcame these setbacks but also flourished in spite of them. Although I watched and enjoyed the Masterpiece Theatre series on TV in the early 80's I did not really appreciate it then, as I would now if it were to be rebroadcast. I have exhausted all possibilities in trying to obtain a copy of a WGBH tape of this series. If anyone knows how to obtain a tape please let me know. I highly recommend this book.

For Mark Albert (Review of To Serve Them All My Days)
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2004-03-24
This is one of my favorite books, too. You may purchase a copy of the DVD from "Deep Discount DVD" which has a web page
http://www.deepdiscountdvd.com/index.cfm ..the price is $49 but
no shipping charges. I just finished viewing all 4 disks (rented from Netflix) .. good luck

I lost an old friend
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2004-02-04
Now that I've finished "To Serve Them All My Days" I feel that I've lost an old friend. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, savoring it and rationing my reading so as not to finish it too quickly. A must read for those interested in teaching, education in general, and in understanding children. This story is a study in the trials and tribulations life offers us, and how one person not only overcame these setbacks but also flourished in spite of them. Although I watched and enjoyed the Masterpiece Theatre series on TV in the early 80's I did not really appreciate it then, as I would now if it were to be rebroadcast. I have exhausted all possibilities in trying to obtain a copy of a WGBH tape of this series. If anyone knows how to obtain a tape please let me know. I highly recommend this book.

Beautiful
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2004-03-29
I love this book. It has been quite a long time since I've read a book with such depth and realistic characters. The people in this book ARE REAL. I am having trouble putting into words how much I loved this book. It made me laugh and cry, and I was very depressed when I had finished it. If you like Dickens, I think you will enjoy this author's style.
The mini-series is now out on DVD. I will be getting it soon, and it is hard for me to think about much else. I can't wait to see it; eleven hours! Excellent.

A Man Battered in Spirit Finds the Way Back to His Best Self
Helpful Votes: 8 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2003-08-07
I ran across this book by chance in a hospital lending library, and it was just the thing to read during a tedious recouperation. This is an enobling book, it reminded me of how people can rise to wonderful levels of caring and integrity, it showed a person wounded in body and spirit who found that concentrating on the details of teaching the schoolboys under his care was, in a sense, a healing meditation. I am slightly sceptical that anyone can be that free of ignoble impulses; it seemed that none of the characters in the book did anything at odds with their personality or with a base motive. However, I don't care: I'd RATHER that people's best selves were always visible. And I'd like to believe that the everyday world can be a healing place, and that I too can go forward with courage, confident that I would be able to show the truest part of my personality. -- In addition, I appreciated the book's description of the changing political mood in England during the two world wars.

Non-fiction
Voice of the Eagle
Published in Audio Cassette by Random House Audio (1992-07-01)
Author: Linda Lay Shuler
List price: $15.99
New price: $3.43
Used price: $1.29

Average review score:

A good read, but many errors
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-19
This book was an excellent read, the best in the series, and I have read it many times. I have a huge problem with a few holes in the story line however, and if you are like me, the magic of a good book can be ruined by careless editing.

A) Several times throughout the book, characters names are interchanged. Antelope becomes Kwani, Yatosha becomes Tolonqua, characters names are changed from what they were in "She Who Remembers"

B) Acoya discusses his love for WhiteCloud.... before he meets her.

C) Characters that are killed or die of natural causes will occasionally re-appear in the book.

D) "Lapu" is used as an insult by Kwani directed at Owa. It is said to mean the shredded bark used as diapering and toiletry. It is said by the author to be highly insulting, and would never be used as a name. Yet a few chapters later, she introduces a character, a young boy in the Eagle Hunters, named Lapu.

E) Antelope names her baby daughter Kwani, after her mother. However, in the next book in the series, Antelope's daughter's name is Skyfeather.

All in all, if you can close your mind to the errors, this is a wonderful work of fiction, and by far the most engaging and entertaining book in the series.

Step back in time....
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-19
This is a great read, wonderful adventure and intimate characters. If you have already read "She Who Remembers" this tale will further the story and you'll be sad when the journey must come to an end.

A COMPELLING BOOK ABOUT NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2004-04-17
Once I started reading this book on my way to work while riding the bus, I couldn't wait until I could ride the bus home, so I could pick it up again. Ms Shuler does a fantastic job with detailed description of Native American culture and artifacts,an exciting plot line,and very interesting characters. There is love, pain, joy, faith, terror, friendship, paranoia, sadness, hope, disappointment and passion in this book, showing us that the Native American people in the 12th century experienced all the emotions that we still experience today. One of the best books I have ever read!

Wish the story didn't have to end, 6 stars!
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2002-01-30
I travel to New Mexico every year to visit my in-laws and every
year I fall in love again with the land, the people, the history, the turquoise jewlery.... and the stars. And every time I leave I am heartsick of the big sky, beautiful mountains, exotic plants and sweet air. Reading Voice of the Eagle is the only cure for my "desert seperation". Mrs. Shuler's talented storytelling and compelling characters make this book one of the best in pre-historic fiction. This book is sweeping in its plot of love, duty, and ceremony among the ancient Towas of Cicuye.
I can close my eyes and see again the vast landscapes, the endless blue sky. I love this book!

Vivid, Entrapping,Wonderful Novel
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2001-03-19
I bought this novel over 5 years ago. I read it 3 times, and recently was entrapped again for the 4th time. I love this book! The story, natural settings, characters are so real it fells as if you are alive in there village. I'm looking forward to reading the third novel from Linda Lay Shuler.

Non-fiction
Animorphs
Published in Paperback by Scholastic US (1998-12-31)
Author: Scholastic Press
List price:

Average review score:

Great!!!!!!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 1999-04-14
The Calander Shows a picture of each character every month and Info on them. Beggining half-way through the year they start giving you some hard Animorph questions. There is a hidden message from the animorphs on one page if you want to know what it is ... BUY IT!!!

P.S. If your not hooked maby you're not human.

Great!!!!!!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 1999-04-14
The Calander Shows a picture of each character every month and Info on them. Beggining half-way through the year they start giving you some hard Animorph questions. There is a hidden message from the animorphs on one page if you want to know what it is ... BUY IT!!!

P.S. If your not hooked maby you're not human.

An Animorph Every Month!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 1999-02-17
First came the books, then the TV show. And now, be blasted away with the ANIMORPHS CALENDAR! Every month, it's information on each Animorph (Jake, Rachel, Marco, Cassie, Tobias, and Ax) plus pictures. There's even a secert message hidden somewhere between the pages. Wanna know what it says? Get one and take a leap into the first Animorphs Calendar 1999!

Simply Great
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 1999-01-22
A thrilling and intense book/Calendar. I would Suggest it to Anybody. Not only because I'am The BIGGEST Animorph fan Ever but because it is great. No..It's not great. it's better than great. it's Animorphs!

A must get calaender!!!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 1999-01-20
If you are crazy about Animorphs, this is deffently for you. each month has a different person. The art work is great of course. Its a great idea for a secrat message hidden in the pages. One question. Where is the picture of David. Even if he isn't in there it is still the BEST calaender I have.

Non-fiction
Borges: Selected Non-Fictions
Published in Paperback by Penguin (2000-11-01)
Author: Jorge Luis Borges
List price: $20.00
New price: $10.38
Used price: $9.78

Average review score:

Like Always, No surprises, Borges is the man.
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-02
A must read. A great selection of non-fiction material. If you know and like Borges you know you'll be pleased, if this is your first time reading Borges I guarantee that it won't be your last, you'll keep buying all his work. Borges wasn't a man, he was a library, a portal to knowledge and wisdom.

Enjoy

The supreme chef of Literary-Philosophical Delicacies
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-17
To read Borges, you become Borges. You see yourself in his mirrors, you regard the books you read as the books he reads. You appreciate what he appreciates, loving the literature he has absorbed, finding your way through the complex interweaving of his passions: Romantic English Poetry, Shakespeare, H.G. Well, Edgar Allan Poe, Dante, Icelandic Sagas, German Idealism, the Kabbala, Schopenhauer, Bergson, English Empiricism, Sufism, etc... All literary roads lead to Borges.

He lived a long, rich life. He is the Librarian you might meet in heaven. If only he were still alive to guide the reading public. If only he lived today and had a website, to think of all the books he might recommend. And wouldn't it be wonderful, to learn about his opinions on modern writers.

With the Collected Fictions, this book is a testament to the literary critic/philosphical wanderer in us all. Each essay is a delicate delicacy. This book is for you if you're a gourmand of good writing, great thinking and the pleasure of exploring the vast expanding world of literature. This book is rich, complex and wondrous. His writings on Dante and Shakespeare, his reviews, his philosophical essays... just read the book and become Borges becoming you.

What a great and most interesting writer
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2006-05-08
Eliot Weinberger has done a real service to the world of literature by selecting, and translating these pieces. They show the range of interest, the incredible ability to make inventive creative cross- connections of one of Modern Literature's true masters, Borges.
Borges covers worlds in his writing, worlds of Literature , worlds of the Argentinean society he and some of his ancestors grew up in, worlds given in a universal encycopediac reading, which seems to cover all continents and all cultures.
Borges greatest work is considered to be his ' Ficciones'. But his signature is present in all , in a single page of a book- review or a philosphical meditation.
For him worlds mingle and combine, and are retranslated in such a way as to reappear as Literature.
He also in this work reveals himself to be a decent and courageous opponent of Fascism.
He confounds and surprises us at times with these strange mixings of things, but the poetic and parable- like element is so strong in this work that it engages us, and forces us to question our own small pictures of reality.
What a great and interesting writer. What a pleasure to have this work to enrich our minds with.

Something for everyone and some things for no one
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 15 total.
Review Date: 2005-08-11
Because Borges lived and worked in Argentina, few have heard of him in the English-speaking world. Those that have are probably most familiar with his fiction stories. This book of non-fiction essays shows the vast knowledge and wide variation of interests of Borges. Therefore, this collection really does have something for everyone. Unfortunately, there are also many essays that are unreadable, some annoying repititions, and some essays are just plain dull.

So, what does Borges write about? He covers some metaphysical ground on the nature of time and infinity. He defines heaven as an infinite library, and then goes into the nature of infinity. On the more mundane end, he reviews movies and gives capsule biographies of authors - King Kong, Citizen Kane, and more obscure (and not necessarily Hollywood) films. He writes on contemporary (at the time) politics - Nazi Germany, the curators of the national library, etc. He gets intensely personal - there is one essay on the progression of his blindness. But if there is a main theme that permeates these pieces, it's his love of literature in all languages - Spanish, English (old and modern), German. He has an abiding love of the Greek classics (Homer, Virgil) and great admiration for Joyce, Poe, and Chesterton.

Unfortunately, those of us with a less classical education cannot keep up to everything that Borges says - I, for one, will never have the time to learn ancient Greek! - which makes certain essays difficult. There are other essays (especially early on) that are simply unintellegible (this may be the fault of the translators, especially since there are times when two or three essays cover the same ground with increasing degrees of murkiness). But it always happened that a real gem would appear just when I was getting frustrated with a series of uninteresting essays.

On the balance, about a third of the essays are not interesting (or badly translated, or repetitions), a third are interesting if not spectacular, and the final third have at least one moment of sheer brilliance. It's well worth buying, but it's unlikely you'll read it from cover to cover without taking a break - I took many breaks to read other things, and it took me over 1.5 years to complete the whole book. But you know what? - on the balance, I like his non-fiction better than his fiction

A True Lover of Books
Helpful Votes: 7 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-03
Borges claims in one of these articles that he was "more proud of the books he has read than the books he has written." I imagine I would feel the same way, had I written any books! And I think this statement captures the unifying theme of this compendium. Herein Borges will astonish and charm you with the breadth, variety, and whimsy of his literary taste.

The book is a compilation of critical essays, social commentary, reviews of the fledgling film art, and other oddities published in various media from throughout Borges's literary life. Each offers you new horizens for literary pursuit and further reading, and all are executed with Borges's renowned concision.

What I like most of all is that Borges is more interested the kinds of books people really enjoy reading, such as Bradbury, HG Wells, Lord Dunsany, and Kipling, rather than the fossilized academic "classics." One of my favorite features are the several recommended reading lists, in which Borges passes on his own most pleasurable reading experiences. There is also a refreshing eclecticism in Borges's taste--for example, this book lead me to Mathematics and the Imagination, a fun popular math book. Another personal highlight is the essay on Edward Fitzgerald.

This volume is not something one would read from cover to cover in several sittings, but rather a treasure trove to be mined from time to time, like the famous cave discovered by Ali Baba in that book so dear to Borges's heart!

Non-fiction
Chickenhawk: Back in the World: Life After Vietnam
Published in Paperback by Penguin (Non-Classics) (1994-05-01)
Author: Robert Mason
List price: $20.00
Used price: $31.12
Collectible price: $62.22

Average review score:

Great follow-up to Chickenhawk
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-14
Thankyou Mr. Mason for helping me understand the Vietnam war and it's impact on those who fought. I was born about the time that you were touching down at your first LZ, and only grew to know the war from television and from my uncle, who was a helecopter pilot as well in vietnam. This book is a must-read sequel that will also shed light on what soldiers returning from the Gulf area must be going through. Congratulations on such a contribution, and Jerry Fowler is right, God is working through you without a doubt. You're an inspiration, I am just sorry that you and your family had to suffer so much.

Why isn't this book in print?
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-09-07
This is a great book, as you can see by the previous reviewers!

What I want to know is why this book has been out of print for so long?

Truely Moving
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2002-07-19
This book was recommended to me by a veteran that flew with the First Air Cavalry. He commented, "This book described my life in Vietnam".

The book is vivid in it's descriptions and extremely well written. I have read the book twice and both times have been moved by the ending. If you enjoy reading about flying, the Vietnam conflict, and people, this book is for you.

Chickenhawk
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2002-05-03
I have read this book three times. I know what an extraordinary story this is and have tried to turn others on to it.
Bob Mason's transformation from eager pilot trainee to jaded combat veteran/burnout, while probably not anymore remarkable a story than any other pilot's is well written and that is what makes it great! After reading the book I felt as though I know Bob Mason. Not a bad thing.
When Mason describes the deck inside the chopper,covered in blood you can almost smell it.
Serious life and death stuff with some of the funniest stories of human screw ups wrapped up in a truly memorable account of one
helluva chopper pilots' experience in Vietnam.
It's like I say:" 'Chickenhawk' is the best damn war movie they never made!"

excellent sequel
Helpful Votes: 7 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2002-01-06
unless you stumbled onto this book somehow, you probably picked it up because you had been through the "chickenhawk" experience with him in his first book by that name. this book is the perfect sequel to his vietnam story. mason's deeds in the war were heroic, and yet,he ends up struggling for his life even more as soon as he is "home". he is brutally honest about his own misdeeds--to his wife and son, his friends and associates, and to himself.you feel that you are trying to claw your way upward with him, as his life spirals downward.his salvation lies in his ability to tell his story, and you become part of it as you read this book

Non-fiction
COME OVER TO MY HOUSE B44 (Beginner Books)
Published in Hardcover by Random House Books for Young Readers (1966-08-12)
Author: Theodore Le Sieg
List price: $3.95
Used price: $28.87
Collectible price: $28.88

Average review score:

Come Over To My House
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2005-09-20
A great classic that each child should have in her library.

I literally bawled when I located this book at Amazon.com!
Helpful Votes: 12 out of 13 total.
Review Date: 1999-09-03
I've been searching for this book since the birth of my first child. It was my all time favorite book. My mother read it to me night and day. Upon my learning to read, I remember taking this book to bed with me during nap time and reading it over and over again. I never grew tired of seeing how children in other countries lived. This book went every where I went. I'm estatic this book has been reprinted and I can share it with my children.

If you can find it, get it! A great book!
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-24
In typical Dr. Suess fashion (LeSieg is backwards for Geisel...Dr.Suess' real last name) this book carries the poetic rhyme that kids love. It tells the story of how homes are different everywhere, but how "they're all alike when a friend asks you in." The pictures are bright and interesting. Young children will be filled with curiosity with the amusing pictures of homes in far away lands.

I read this book to a group of first graders and they hung on every word. None had ever heard the book before. It truly is delightful! It is a shame that this fabulous book is no longer in print. I got my copy nearly 30 years ago. It is still my favorite!

Excellent Book, My Son's favorite.
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2002-11-02
This book is amazing. I found it at a thrift store for .25 and put it away for the birth of my first child. I am an American living overseas, so for my son to see all the different cultures familiar and unfamiliar, it great. He is 18 months old and just wants to look at the pictures and hear me read it over and over and over again. I never tire of reading it either.

A Valuable Find!!
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 1999-05-04
I have been "hunting" for this book for years! I loved it as a child, going all those different places, and now am anxious to share it with my nieces! Thank you for allowing us to do some "traveling" together!! Ronda


Books-Under-Review-->Arts-->Literature-->Authors-->Non-fiction-->35
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