Historical Books

I did not realize when I bought these books that they were for young adults, I still thoroughly enjoyed reading about Alanna's adventures, friends and family. Alanna proved to the men again and again that "anything you can do I can do better". A great message to put out there for young girls. And even though it took me 1 day to read each book I just couldn't stop until I was done!

When I first picked up this book, I was the typical bookworm. I knew every corner of my middle school's library. Most often, I'd find myself in the mythology section or classic plays. However, one day, I took a fateful journey into the fantasy section.
I was 12 years old, timid and accepting of even the worst opinions of me.
When I read it, I was enlightened. A whole five foot one, (four foot eleven at the time), I was keenly aware of her height issues and the jokes her friends made.
The way she shaped her own life made me feel as if I could do the same. And I have. I took control -- or as Alanna would say "rode the tiger" and I've made my own way in the world and I don't think anyone would call me timid now.
I'm in college now, and I know if I start to feel down or like I'm losing confidence in myself, I can just pick up my old worn out copy of Alanna (or any of the subsequent sequels) and feel better, feel like a stronger woman because of it. Tamora Pierce was a saint for writing this book. Sometimes I even feel like she wrote it just for me!

Is no one bothered by the essential lack of values in this book? Getting what you want is more important than honesty or respect for others. The main character threatens others with horrible, supernatural punishment, tricks her father, lies outrightly, and that's just in the first chapter.
What about integrity, justice, truth as foundations of doing right?
Compare this heroine with Jonas in The Giver, Frodo in The Lord of the Rings, Andy in Wolf Rider, or Karana in The Island of the Blue Dolphins.

I thought this book was wonderful. However, it is not appropriate for children under 14. The reading level is not that difficult, but the content is for upper grades. This book inadvertently appeared on my daughter's third grade reading list. She did not understand why Alanna's sheet were "smeared with blood" She also had lots of questions about fertility cycles, sleeping with men and getting pregnant.

This book started with a great IDEA. I liked the idea of Allana becoming a knight in her brothers place. It sounds like a book that can have SO MANY possibilites. However, the auther's choppy writing and typing errors were just sad. The author moves from one scene to the next, with no flow whatsoever, and simply skims the surface of the character's identity. There is no depth, and no description. It is almost a simple statement of facts throughout the whole book. Though I really want to know what happens in the series, and HOPE very much that the auther's writing has improved, I think I'll just look at the library for the rest of the series.

... "On June 4, 1960, the Big Creek Missile Agency, fresh from its medal winning performance at the National Science Fair, is sponsoring a day of rocket launches at its Cape Coalwood range. Everyone reading these words is invited..." This quote can be found on page 356-357 of a book called Rocket Boys; this statement showed me that the success of the main characters was a result of personal hard work and teamwork.

"Rocket Boys" by Homer H. Hickam, Jr. is a nonfiction account of a group of friends from Coalwood, West Virginia in the early 1960's who have a fetish for making rockets. Homer and his friends have a dream to shoot a rocket up into the clouds. This story gives the reader a message that dreams really can come true.

Rocket Boys is one of the strongest books I have ever read. The author accomplished his goals to tell people that team work is one of the most important things to know in your life. This book is recommended for people that like space and rockets and who want a hopeful book to read. Reading Rocket Boys really gets you thinking about team work and how far you can get with it.

I was a little disappointed by the ending and the fact that Homer Hickam gave John Kennedy the idea to go to the Moon but other than that I couldn't help but root for the band of misfits.

I bought this book and the audio tapes and my son and I listened and read this amazing book together. Our plan was to read for 30 minutes a night...however it was sooooooo good we listened and read for 5 hours!

We are now going to rent the movie that was made from the film! All systems go....we enjoyed the adventure!

Children in West Virginia mining towns became coal miners. They did not become rocket scientists. But it did not matter how well-known this was, for Homer "Sonny" Hickam, Jr. there was only one way out. He was the right age and had the right amount of ambition when the United States and Russia became entangled in the Space Race and as far as he was concerned, his fate was sealed.

Hickam's writing carried the comfort of conversation with an old friend. It was remarkable how easily I became nostalgic for neither a time nor a place that I had ever known. The story drips with the passion of a man who if he had to do it all over again, probably wouldn't change a thing. He understood and appreciated the importance of everything that happened to him and helped him on his way.

One thing that I found particularly fascinating was how closely this book resembled the old proverb that It takes a whole village to raise a child. And I mean no disrespect to Mr. Hickam when I point out how amazing his circumstance was in that he could not have done it alone. The stars seemingly aligned perfectly so that one boy from West Virginia could capture the hearts of so many people that he would be able to get such invaluable assistance. There was probably no way anyone else could have done what he did. And that is to his credit. (The way his path was guided by fate, or something like it, reminded me of how Ruth Reichl became a food critic in Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table.)

I loved this book for Hickam's ability to transport me from my favorite reading chair to a West Virginia high school in the late 50s. I found myself hanging on every word wondering what would happen next. There is something special about an intelligently written story about a successful man who takes no credit for himself, but rather gives it to each person who helped him make his dreams come true. Rocket Boys may now find itself among the short list of my favorite books.

Homer Hickam grew up in a rural isolated mountain town but went on to win the National Science Fair.

This book is his story and how he was successful.

I bought 24 copies of this book to inspire my advanced 6th grade Reading class. They loved the book. In our discussions they mentioned never giving up. Homer and his friends kept trying until they had success.

Thank you for sharing your life with us, Mr. Hickam.

What a great, great book! I just finished it and told my daughter when she finishes reading it, I am going to read it again. So many life lessons. You could feel God's presence throughout the whole read.

I could not put this book down. It was really a compeling story, but did get tired of the main character continueing leaving to find herself, and the last time it really was unbelievable she got herself mixed up with "Duke" again, but guess the author had to do that to bring the book to a close. I read alot of Christian historical fiction and found this one a little more "suggestive" than most. But all in all a entertaining book.

This is such a beautiful book based on biblical principles. I really do recommend it to all who are having trouble in their marriage. It really shows us so clearly how GOD wants us to love and how an unconditional love transforms each of us into the image of HIS dearly begotten Son Jesus. A must read for Christians and Non-Christians alike. GOD created us and HE has certain spiritual laws we must follow. Some follow them unconciously some read the manual which is naturally the Bible.
The book is fast paced and next to impossible to put down. Be very very blessed.

WOW! I could not put the book down. I read it in three days and it only took me that long because I have a 1 year old that consumes so much attention. This book was amazing. I have my mother in law reading it now. It reminded me of the way we treat God. This book can be enjoyed by anyone.

MY SISTER PLEADED WITH ME TO READ THIS BOOK, SHE HAD AND ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!!! I DIDN'T THINK THAT I WAS GOING TO BECAUSE, I'M NOT AS SPIRITUALLY MATURE AS SHE!!!!! I GOT THE BOOK ( JUST TO SHUT HER UP!!), AND LITERALLY WAS SHUT UP AND DOWN UNTIL I FINISHED IT!!! IT WAS SO INTERESTING AND CONSUMING THAT I LITERALLY LAUGHED ,CRIED, GOT ANGRY, MY HEART SWELLED AS MICHAEL CONTINUALLY SHOWED HER UNCONDITIONAL LOVE TIME AFTER TIME!!!!! THE SIZE OF THE BOOK DID INTIMIDATE ME IN THE BEGINNING, NOW I WAS THAT THERE WAS A SEQUEL!!!! THIS ONE IS FOR MY LIBRARY DEFINITELY!!!! THE PERFECT STORY OF GOD'S UNCONDITIONAL LOVE!!!!!! THIS BOOK IS ANOITED BY GOD HIMSELF!!!!!! ENJOY!!!!!!I TRULY DID!!!!!!

except for the Bible, this is the best.
It is the full and undiluted version from the first english translation.
read it, learn it,live it.
j

The book is excelent reading but please get a different version.
This version only has 580 or so pages where as other versions have over 1,300 pages. That means that this version is only half the story.
So much gets lost in translation already don't cheat yourself even more.

Although the story is well known to me, the editing of this audio book was so confusing. I absolutely could not follow it. Too much is cut out.

Story has good twists, but there are too many French places and people which makes the audio confusing.

This book is long out of copyright and so is available free for your Kindle elsewhere on the net.

(Great book though!)

the lives of retired rangers their story, on a journey on the trip to montana, the lost of one of them. and story of the other taking him home.

The best novel I've ever read! You'll fall in love with the characters to the point in which road trips out west will never be the same.

Get past the first 50 pages and it will pull you kicking and screaming to the very end, where, when you close the book, you'll feel the loss of a good friend.

I too read the book after watching the made for TV series, and as far as the made for TV series is concerned, I can't imagine it ever being any truer to what McMurtry's literary intentions may have been than what Bobby Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones did with it; even if John Wayne and Henry Fonda were its original intended cast.
Regardless, people will always tell you the book is much better than the movie and after reading this book you will no doubt agree. Though the series proved to be absolutely compelling, the book proved to be even better, dispite your knowledge of the novels outcome.
The wit and depth of constitution these old cowboys possess will make you realize what an exciting, enchanting and downright wild period in Americana history it truly had to be.

Great movie, and absolutely captivating book.

This is my second reading of this contemporary classic. I generally disapprove of long books, but this was one tome I regretted closing for the last time. It is truly an awesome accomplishment. LONESOME DOVE was written at a time when popular culture had recently abandoned the Western as too hackneyed and bathetic to entertain. Then comes this massive novel opening up numerous unforseen perspectives about the American West a mere 130 years ago. This is the novel future generations will read when they want to know how it was on the high plains in Custer's time.

The characters are given huge latitude to capture your imagination, and even the minor ones are impressive. You will come to know them better than most of your family. You will dream about them. And, unless you're as hard as Blue Duck, you'll shed a tear over their destruction.

Both a prequel and a re-imagining of Gaston Leroux's "Phantom of the Opera", PHANTOM tells the story of how Eric came to haunt the Paris Opera House and how he grew from a disfigured but brilliant child prodigy into the cruel and maniacal, if not sympathetic, Angel of Music.

Susan Kay's treatment is fantastic and done with the utmost respect for Leroux's characters, settings, and tone. This book will make you laugh, cry, burn with righteous indigation and suffer at the cruel hands of unrequited love.

I would HIGHLY recommend purchasing this book if you are a POTO phan desiring a deeper look. This book is riveting, dark, and moving. Never have I read a tale so exquisitely written about my favorite character: Phantom.

The only thing I disliked about the book was the fact that there was a smattering of language throughout. 'D**n' and 'h**l' were used frequently, and the 'f' word popped up once. For someone desiring a clean book, I would recommend "Through Phantom Eyes" by Theodora Bruns over this book.

Overall though, this book was wonderful, and I wouldn't trade it for the world!

~Laura

This is an amazingly well written book. It holds your attention and is just a work of genius. Obviously I was very impressed.

What a touching portrayal of the beginning of the Phantom's life! Society has changed for the better in many ways but this shows the real picture even if it is fiction. Bravo.

This is an amazing book. Ms. Kay has successfully filled in the missing pages of the Phantom's life, and I know that M. Leroux would only applaud her effort. For anyone starting on the road of Phantom Phandom, or anyone that is on the journey already, this is a must book. Not only do we see Erik growing up as a lonely,forlorn child, but we see his character develop as he is driven mercilessly on the road that will bring him to the Opera House in Paris. The 'lost' pages from Leroux's book are found here as Erik is caught up in a hopeless attraction for a young woman, and her frightened reaction to him. What is it about this forlorn man that has Christine coming back to him? All is explained here, with passion, love, and understanding. No one is treated unkindly, as all are flawed human beings, and that in the end, is enough to make tears flow. A MUST have!

An absolutely fantastic biography. McCullough not only gives us an incredibly in-depth account of Truman's role in such momentous events as the decision to drop the Atomic Bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Potsdam Conference (Truman's only face-to-face meeting with Stalin or Uncle Joe as he called him), the Truman Doctrine, The Marshall Plan, the Berlin Airlift, the Korean War, the firing of General MacArthur and so on, but he also succeeds wonderfully in injecting joviality into this rather thick tome through his unsurpassed ability to recount the human side of Truman, the quirkiness, the common trials and errors of a human being and the like.

I am not an American, but I always tell my friends that if I were Truman would be my favorite president. This book only serves to reinforce my view. Overall, one of the best biographies I've read. If I ever became famous one day, I'd really love someone of McCullough's caliber to write my biography. Highly recommended.

Truman dropped two atomic bombs on Japan to end World War II. He did what he had to do and what had to be done to end the worst war in the history of the planet. He was essentially carrying out the policies of Roosevelt, who died in office. Truman passed the buck when he sent troops to Korea to contain Communism. He fired General Douglas MacArthur, who wanted to nuke the Chinese. Limited war as policy set a precedent for Vietnam. Korea is still a problem. Peaceful reunification is the only solution.

You might think it odd that I would call a nearly 1,000 page biography incomplete- particularly after giving it a five-star review- but for all the detail McCullough supplies about Truman's life, he misses some very important details. More about that in a minute.

I very nearly did not read this book, as my previous experience with David McCullough's biographyies was his book on John Adams- another very detailed, very well written work that is obvously the work of a man who fell so in love with his subject that it not only blinded McCullough to Adams' flaws, it led him to depict such great men as Franklin and Jefferson as Adams saw them- a vew quite at odds with the portraits painted by other historians.

Nonetheless, I went ahead and plunged into this work, and found it far superior to the Adams biography. The picture McCullough paints of Truman clearly shows the admiration McCullough holds his subject in, yet it also includes many of Truman's flaws- his temper, at times, his lack of education in many areas, his poor judgment and downright naiitivity in his dealings with Stalin, and some of his appointments. At the same time it does a great job of showing how Truman's family and business background and his experience in local Missouri politics shaped his later career as president.

What's lacking, first and foremost, is any discussion of post-WWI economics, and Truman's roll, and the role of Congress, in shaping the postwar economic system. An ecomist friend, noting that I was reading the book, asked me if there was any discussion of James Byrnes in the book. There is a great deal, but none of it regarding Brynes' role in setting policy, either as FDR's Director of Economic Stabilization or later under Truman. Another important player- Henry Walllace- gets short shrift as well. There is much discussion of the political machincations behind replacing Henry Wallace with Truman in FDR's third run at the presidency, but not enough on exactly what made Walllace both an object of admiration to his supporters and a dangerously
naiive successor to FDR to his enemies. Also lacking is a real discussion of how Truman, like FDR before him, had no problem in using, and some would argue abusing, the executive powers of his office to threaten both unions and businesses into compliance with his aims.

But what McCullough does provide is a superbly constructed narrative that is, I think, more complete, more accurate, and more interesting than any of the previous popular biographies of Truman. It's a first-rate read and an excelllent education for both Truman fans and critics.

I really enjoyed this book. The book gets better as you get further into the book (that is not to say the start of the book is lacking anything). It does a great job staying focused on the man and not events of the time. WWII, The Atom bomb and other big events could have easily taken over this story and while the man of course had a big role to play in these things the book does great job staying focused on Truman and his life.

For anyone who has ever cheered for an underdog or bet on a longshot, this is a great read. HST had no money, no family position and no formal higher education--but he did great things for America. McCullough gives us his best story yet, with all the rich detail and factual substance we have come to expect from today's greatest political biographer. If I could read only one political biography again-this would be it.

I could probably write a book about this series of books! In fact, my book club just finished talking about the second one last night! These are great Christian fiction literature. Rivers ties the characters together so well, and really does NOT make the characters too "fictionalized". You can really see the struggles that they go through, it could be real.
I really love all three of the books... probably my favorite Francine Rivers books.

This series is amazing! Could not put them down. No one would be disappointed with this read, for sure! Francine Rivers takes a fictional story and makes it tug at your own Faith! Reminds you of God's amazing Grace and Love. Worth the read!

This is one of the best Christian Trilogies I have ever read!!!

In order, the books are:
(1)"A Voice in the Wind"
(2)"An Echo in the Darkness"
(3)"As Sure As The Dawn"

If you are looking into these books for the 1st time, my advice is... stop everything and go get them right now! I ABSOLUTELY INHALED all 3 books in record time. (I'm talking, so intense that I was up till 3 & 4:00 in the morning more than a few times!) I can not say enough about how great these book are. I am so sad that I am finished with them! All three books are so well written and I feel like I know the characters personally.

I feel like I can read about Hadassah to no end. I LOVED her character development and you can truly FEEL her love for Marcus and you can FEEL her pain through her trials. I borrowed these books from my friend, and I now plan to go out and buy a set for me to own, re-read & share. They were just too good not to pass around and recommend to others. In the last book, I was surprised that I became just as attached to the relationship of Atretes and Rizpah as I did with Hadassah and Marcus.

Francine Rivers is now one of my new favorite authors, and I am on my way to read Redeeming Love, which I have heard SO MUCH ABOUT!

God's Blessings to Miss Rivers- I look forward to many more of her books!

A friend gave me the first book "A Voice in the Wind" and I literally could not put it down once I started. I finished it in about 2 days. While reading that one,I knew I HAD to have the remaining two books. These are the absolute best I have EVER read, and I've read hundreds of books. The characters are ones that will stay with you a lifetime, they are so real. I never thought that a fiction book would impact my Christian walk the way these books have.

These books are a must read for anyone.

The first time I read this series, I stayed up all night to finish the first and second books. In the second book I cried until my eyes were puffy and my throat was sore the next morning. The second time I read the series, I discovered so many things I had missed, cried until my eyes were puffy and my throat was sore the next morning. The third time I read the series, I skipped straight to my favorite parts and cried some more. If I had another boy, I'd name him after Marcus...
Even though Hadassah is so close to perfection, her character is an inspiration to me.

It is by far the best read, I loved it, it goes to show you that a woman such as Katherine could play a vital role in the history of england, and her love afair with a Prince! Her and John of Gaunt's love affair has been immortalised as one of the greatest love affairs of all time!

I just completed this novel last night and I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is well written and does a more than adequate job of holding the reader's attention despite the fact that it is a lengthy novel. I was touched by the love story Ms. Seton creates for Katherine and John of Gaunt and was impressed that the novel still felt fresh to me, even though it was written in the 1950s.

The one complaint I have is in regard to the ending. I don't want to deny anyone the pleasure of discovering the entire novel for themselves, so I won't give anything away. However, I think I can at least say that I was disappointed in the final scenes that took place between Katherine and John. I was eagerly awaiting the denouement but was left feeling like it fell a little flat.

Regardless, if you are a fan of historical fiction, you will enjoy this book!

One of the reason historical romantic novels were so popular in their day. Lots of story, and history to enjoy, plus being well written.

This is one of my very favorite books! If you like historical fiction you will really enjoy this book.

Found it to be very lengthy and therefore dull in many sections. Lost some interest throughout.

This is one of the best romance novels I've ever read if not the THE best. I loved both Matt and Meredith and all the supporting characters are special. I couldn't even hate her father even though it's more than warranted.

This my go to book when I'm feeling down. I recommend that everyone that loved contemporary romance read this book

Although this book was first published in 1991, I only recently purchased it and read it. I stayed all night and a good part of the early hours of the morning reading Paradise and it was a paradise reading..I did not feel the time as I kept turing page after page. This is a keeper.

I absolutely loved this book. This was the first Judith McNaught book I have read but it certainly won't be the last. You just fall in love with Matt and Meredith from the beginning. This book made me laugh out loud and as another review mentioned...have your kleenex box handy as well. I couldn't put it down and my family barely saw me for the two days it took me to read it. I would recommend this romance novel to anyone with no hesitation!

Fabulicious! Romantic and funny and a little sad in between. Still don't quite buy Meredith's mother, but we'll let that slide because the rest of the book was such a treat.

You will love this book. It is such an enjoyable read - as are all of McNaughts other reads.

I am looking forward to my re-read already!