Clubs Books

I found Dressed For Murder and outstanding mystery. The plot was well thought out and put together superbly. It held my interest and the ending surprised me. I hope Earlene Adkins Wetherbee comes up with more mysteries. She is in a genre that was made for her style.

Oh, the things that go on in a small Texas town! The secrets, the conniving, the intrigue. And, of course, the romance. A psycho killer is on the loose, and his next target is a sitting duck. So much packed into a few short days. Did I say short? Certainly not short for the detective who is targeted to die.

This was a great book! It keeps you guessing and has a wonderfully twisted ending! Dressed for Murder is destined to be a classic. This novel is full of twists and turns and I never expected the plot to play out that way.

I was glad to find out about this book from a Parade magazine review. I've heard some real scary stories from friends about their emergency room experiences. This book tells how to get the best care possible in the ER and what to do to protect yourself from mistakes, long waits, and other ER problems. For anything life threatening, call for an ambulance as you are likely to get attention faster when you arrive at the ER. For a cough, any chronic condition, really push your regular doctor to squeeze you in. That's better than sitting around for hours being exposed to flu and diseases in the ER waiting room.
Don't go alone, as you need someone to be an advocate for you. Their help can make a difference, since you aren't in the best of shape to fight for good care.

Hospital emergency rooms are typically understaffed, overstuffed, and manned with inexperienced doctors and nurses rendering them potentially hazardous to patients. This is the persuasively argued premise of Dr. Joel Cohen's ER: Enter At Your Own Risk. Dr. Cohen goes on to recommend a solid plain of action to avoid real and perceived dangers inside contemporary hospital emergency rooms that will enable non-specialist general readers on how to get treated by experts rather than the inept; how to provide children with the best care; and how to decide when and where to seek emergency professional care. ER is a welcome and invaluable compendium of sound advice in dealing with doctors and medical personnel on call so that when an emergency strikes, they will have all the facts and strategies in hand for being healed and not harmed in a hospital emergency room environment.

If you're like most Americans, it won't be long until either you or someone you love becomes a patient in an emergency room. And, if you're like most Americans, you will blindly trust the doctors and other ER personnel to provide optimal care. That might be a reasonable expectation in a perfect world, but we don't live in a perfect world. We live in a world in which the quality of emergency care is considerably variable from one hospital to another and from one practitioner to another and even from one minute to another. Are you willing to cross your fingers and hope that everything goes well?

Fortunately, you need not leave your fate to chance. If you follow the advice given by Dr. Cohen, you can become an intelligent participant in your care and proactively take steps to reduce a myriad number of risks, any one of which may put you at increased risk of death or disability. Or you can play the blame game, in which you or your survivors point fingers in a courtroom. That's great for lawyers, but is it good for you? Obviously not, if health means more to you than money. Malpractice attorneys like to justify their existence by believing that they're performing a useful public service: namely, punishing doctors for real or imagined errors and thereby enhancing the quality of medical care. In theory, that sounds great. In reality, that system just isn't effective.

If everyone read and followed the advice in this book, Dr. Cohen would do far more to enhance the delivery of first-rate emergency healthcare than every malpractice attorney in this country. Collectively, Dr. Cohen's advice could save billions of dollars and an untold number of tragedies. I don't know of any other book that offers so many helpful ER tips. If you don't read this book, some day you will probably wish you did. Even though I'm an ER doc, I learned some helpful things from Dr. Cohen. His splendid advice could help so many people in so many ways. Do yourself a favor, and read this book.

Review by Kevin Pezzi, M.D., author of "Believe It or Not! True Emergency Room Stories."

I actually used to work at Harrah's. I saw this book in one of the casino bookstores while heading into work one day. I was enticed to read it because these events took place in my backyard. This area has grown much over the years and it's always changing. From my understanding the book is only published by the Nevada history center(UNR) so it might be hard to find a copy. I understand Bill's passion for this industry, but even if you don't it's still a great book. There are very entertaining anecdotes. There is one in particular about the Jerrari that I found hillarious. I've seen the Jerrari but the description doesn't even begin to explain how it looks in person. I would think that anyone who has heard of Harrah's or has an intrest in Casinos would enjoy this.

This is a fascinating story told in the words of a great collection of people who "were there." Former wives, dealers, PR types, executives, many from the '40s and '50s offer candid insights and memories that illustrate the complexity, and at times the profound sadness, of Bill Harrah's life.

Casino cheating (by owners, employees, and customers!), evolution of gambling machines, promotional stunts, big name entertainment, and the famed auto collection are covered extensively.

My only reservation (a minor one) is that Harrah's subsidized some of the production costs of the book which probably had some editorial impact. For example, embarassing or critical material is typically played down. (No interviews here of disgruntled competitors or former employees) Please do not let this comment keep you from reading "Every Light", it is great!

This oral history about William Harrah is excellent. I believe the manner in which Kling interviewed all of the people gives you a inside edge to understanding more how the gaming business was run in the early years, and how Harrah help to create a successful industry. This book is definitly worth reading!

I first found this book in a college library over 16 years ago. I've since seen only 3 other copies of it. This is a great pity, as it is surely one of the best written novels any where in the world. Dmitry Merezhkovsky has recreated the conflicted life of Leonardo: genius on one side counter balanced by the pagan world in conflict with the fanatical religous climate in which he lived. If you want to submerge yourself in Leonardo's world, I highly recommend this book for doing so.

This book is mostly unknown, although it is, in my opinion, one of the greatest novels ever written. The accuracy and depth of the historical reconstruction give a keen insight into the times of italian Renaissance, providing an extraordinary and original portrait of the great genius and his lonely wanderings through late 15th century Italy. The insight the author manages to give on the artistic and scientific thought of Leonardo are unique, and rival any scientific text. The sublime reading pleasure is hence greatened by the wealth of knowledge which can be extracted from this wonderful book. A pity the author is greatly unknown, not only in this but also in all his other works.

I have never picked up a book and been touched as I have been with this one. The other reviews are accurate, this book is one of the the greatest novels I have ever read. The insight into the mind of Leanardo is amazing. I will cherish this book forever.

I first encountered this book when I was expecting my son (born in 1975). The format was easy to read, informative and positive in its approach. I passed copies to my younger sisters, and (most recently) my sister-in-law, so that they could benfit from the information it contained. The book is well-written, clear and factual--after all, Dr.Llewellyn-Jones IS a respected physician! There are sketches and explanations throughout. This is one book which is a "must read" for any mother-to-be (and her husband). I highly recommend it.

Its a great book for newly married couples.. This book gives them a very good insight of the physical relationship between the 2 spouse. It also details the entire process of child birth, right from conception to delivery and child care.

Its a great book for newly married couples.. This book gives them a very good insight of the physical relationship between the 2 spouse. It also details the entire process of child birth, right from conception to delivery and child care.

Want to get outdoors and be active in the Boston area? Start by buying this book. Lee Sinai describes, in wonderful detail, many of the rides and hikes one can take within a thirty-five-mile radius of Boston. The author has organized the forty trips around geographical areas, north, south or west of Boston, so selecting one is easy. Maps of each destination are included. Each trip description includes what's important to an outdoor enthusiast.... availability of restrooms, closest access to food, degree of difficulty, directions for getting there, and a historical background of the area.
Using this book, I discovered Dogtown, a mountain biking haven in Gloucester. I also experienced Cameron's, home to the best lobster roll in Massachusetts. The author led me to Great Brook Farm in Carlisle for cycling and then to Kimball's for a memorable ice cream treat.
As a guidebook, I give Exploring In and Around Boston on Bike and Foot the highest rating.

Lee Sinai has taken a group of varied and unusual hikes and trails around Boston and compiled them into an informative and accessible guide. We refer to her book often when looking for interesting, new places to explore, and have found it invaluable in "rediscovering" Boston.

Right from the get go I found this hiking and biking guide to be a miracle of organization and indispensable information. This book not only groups locations by geographical location, but also with respect to hiking, road biking and mountain biking. I found the handy reference guide towards the beginning of the book extremely useful while including not only difficulty ratings, but also mileage for each trip, something not always available in one specific location in a guide book. The maps accompanying each site are extremely easy to follow and the descriptions really do fit the terrain perfectly, whether or not you chose to take the book along on your journeys. I found the directions to each location to be extremely useful and especially appreciated the public transportation options that help those city dwellers who lack automobiles. Other handy features include locations and descriptions of local restaurants, attractions and even restrooms. This book included an very helpful mix of locations both in the greater Boston area, as well as highlighting several gems in the neighboring suburbs. I especially appreciated the handy reference map showing the location of all the spots, as well as the ever present tips to find geater enjoyment in your outdoor adventures!

What at first seems to be a prophecy come true, and a frightening one at that, in turn surprises me in what has got to be one of the freshest new voices in the genre to come along in quite a while.

To me this book is a wise and insightful examination of the highest and lowest reaches of the human psyche. When we bottom out, will we be capable of pulling ourselves up again? Far from being weighted down by this true-to-life quality, EXTERMINANCE COMETH is a lively page-turner. It seems destined for a big-screen interpretation...and I'm looking forward to it!

Complete with eerie prophecies, as well as heroic, devious, and ordinary everyday characters, Exterminance Cometh describes in detail what may happen in a world not too far removed from our own. A catastrophic natural disaster hits the Earth at a point in time when we are least equipped to deal with it. However, through mankind's resiliency and belief in its future, the fight between good and evil begins. The ending will surprise you.

I do not want to tell much of the story, as the unfolding is part of the intrigue. However now that houses are fire proof the purpose of firemen is performing a service by burning books to maintain the happy social order.

Naturally one fireman goes awry after several emotional incidences from someone burning up with the books to a young neighbor with strange ways, which run counter to his carrier. This leads to all kinds of deviant things like reading. What are you doing now?

One big rift between the book and the movie [Fahrenheit 451 (1966) -- Oscar Werner, Julie Christie] is that in the movie the "written word" was completely removed (even from the credits); where as in the book the state was against was literature and not technical writing.

Books are just symbols of ideas that could have been on the screen also. There is deference between training and education. Among other reasons the book was a symbol of one mans superiority over another in a world of equals.

Montag is a fireman, whose main duty is not extinguishing fires, but starting them: he burns books. In Ray Bradbury's vision of the future, social order and peace are maintained through the suppression of thought and through inundating the populace with mindless trivia and frivolous television. This is a variation of Karl Marx's "religion is the opiate of the masses" idea: "absorption in trivia is the opiate of the masses." The fireman, Montag, runs into a problem when a neighbor girl, who loved books and their ideas, disappears. Montag begins to hoard books himself, and his world begins to fall apart as his mind opens up to new but dangerous ideas.

Bradbury has addressed, in many of his short stories, the idea that television, commercialism, and trivia, if allowed to overwhelm reading and thoughtful debate, will lead to a stable but stagnant and mindless society. In "Fahrenheit 451," this theme reaches its full and bleak expression. Montag is a hero who strives against social order in order to restore life to the minds of its people. Ray Bradbury tends to be melancholy in his writing, but no one writes better, and he is unafraid to tackle any subject. "Fahrenheit 451" is named after the ignition temperature of books; it is a masterpiece of speculative fiction and, in a very quiet way, a true horror story.

I taught "Fahrenheit 451" as the example of a dsytopian novel in my Science Fiction class, although it is certainly one of the most atypical of that particular type of narrative discourse. Compared to such heavyweight examples as George Orwell's "1984," Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World," Yevgeny Zamiatin's "We," Ray Bradbury's imaginative meditation on censorship seems like light reading. But the delicious irony of a world in which firemen start fires remains postent and the idea of people memorizing books so they will be preserved for future generations is compelling. Of course, there have been more documented cases of "book burning," albeit in less literal forms, since "Fahrenheit 451" was first published in 1953, so an argument can be made that while all the public debate was over how close we were the Orwellian future envisioned in "1984," it is Bradbury's little parable that may well be more realistic (especially in terms of the effects of television).

The novel is based on a short story, "The Fireman," that Bradbury published in "Galaxy Science Fiction" in 1951 and then expanded into "Fahrenheit 451" two years later. However, those who have studied Bradbury's writings caw trace key elements back to a 1948 story "Pillar of Fire" and the "Usher II" story from his 1950 work "The Martian Chronicles." Beyond that, there is the historical record of the Nazis burning books in 1933. The story is of a future world in which everyone understands that books are for burning, along with the houses in which they were hidden. Guy Montage is a fireman who has been happy in his work for ten years, but suddenly finds himself asking questions when he meets a teenage girl and an old professor.

"Fahrenheit 451" is not only about censorship, but also about the inherent tension in advanced societies between knowledge and ignorance. Reading this novel again I am reminded about Pat Paulsen's editorial on the old "Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" (a series well acquainted with the perils of censorship) about how we might enjoy freedom of speech in this country but we do not enjoy freedom of hearing because "there is always the danger of something being said." Censorship, in practical terms, is the effort of those who do not want others to hear what they find offensive, for whatever reasons, basically because it leads to people thinking thoughts they do not want them to be thinking. Through the rambling diatribes of Captain Beatty, Bradbury makes this point quite clear to his readers.

Even though this is essentially a novella, Bradbury's work retains the charm of a short story. The recurring use of animal imagery throughout the story, the use of the mythic ideas of the salamander and the phoenix, make "Fahrenheit 451" more poetic than any other dystopian work. Even if it is predominantly a one note argument regarding censorship, it is impossible to deny that Bradbury makes a clear and convincing case for his position. Besides, there is something to be said for any work that insures that beyond the point at which water freezes the only other recognizable number on the Fahrenheit scale is the point at which book paper starts to burn.

Big hearted Jim falls in love with Hilda, a Swedish blonde, but he losses her from his life. Jim the hazel eyed, college student, shows what he can do with real life dating. Based on a true story, a life filled with more ladies than he knew what to do with. How a man can get away with murder with the ladies, is a very strong message coming across. No neeed to spoil the ending.

A very funny, witty, and charming love story.

FOR A FICTION ROMANCE NOVEL IT WAS VERY NICE TO READ. IT WAS SO GOOD THAT I WOULDN'T HAVE ANY PROBLEM READING IT AGAIN TO EXPERIENCE THE JOY AND LOVE IN THE STORY. IT WAS DOWN TO EARTH, AND THE PEOPLE MAKE YOU THINK IT WAS REALLY HAPPENING. THE COUPLE GO THEIR SEPERATE WAYS, BUT JIM IS SO STRONG AND DETERMINED TO WIN, HILDA, THE SWEDISH BLONDE BACK. HIS FIRST TRUE LOVE WAS ALL HE HAD. WITH THAT IN MIND HE KEEPS THE FAITH IN HIMSELF, THAT HE IS STRONG ENOUGH TO FIGHT HIS WAY BACK TO THE LOVE HE ONCE KNEW.

An overall good story, very enjoyable, an interesting read. I recommend this book.

The lessons learned by the characters in the book apply to all of us, child and adult alike. You'll enjoy it, and maybe never look at your family and friends the same way again.

The "Far-Away Hearts Club" is a delightful, heartwarming, and entertaining read. This book will make you think more about your relationships...its beautiful imagery and descriptive language makes it a compelling and powerful story.