Clubs Books

This book is a magnificent addition to our book club! Reading through it I found many great ideas to implement into our group. I love the recommended reading with the reviews, and the recipes. I was especally thrilled with the ideas on how to turn the book club meetings into events that everyone really looks forward to.
I started using the book right away and it comes along now to every meeting! If you have a book group, this is a must have!

I bought this book a few years ago while browsing for book group picks at my local book store. I have to say, it has become a great source for suggestions for my book groups. While I may not actually use the grups for the meetings, a group meeting in members' homes might really wear this one out--with its recipes and themed meetings, and even tips about pet behavior!
I often just pick this one up when I need something to read myself. Indispensible.

I love books about books. I love books about book clubs. Fiction, or non-fiction. Diana got everything perfect in this Book Club Companion. I've been in a book club for 5 years. She addresses everything we've encountered except what to do when my birds want to sing through our discussion! I could not put this book down. The book reviews/suggestions are very helpful. I know this because my group has done many of the suggested titles and I have read even more of them on my own. Her handling of book group problems is candid and gracious. The questions she asked the authors were more unusual than most. Her scrapbook/keepsake suggestions are the only things at which I truly excel ~ I've been keeping a scrapbook since my group began and have just started a 2nd one because the 1st one popped its binding! What is really wonderful about this book is that I will never forget a title I'm interested in reading; all I have to do is pick this up. Thank you, Diana! I look forward to meeting you when you come to my library!

When I thumbed through this book, I discovered that many of the suggested titles were among my favorites. So I have been reading a number of books from Loevy's lists, some familiar and some unfamiliar, and I have grown to trust her suggestions. Although I belong to a book club, I am less interested in the recipes and some of the articles about book club etiquette, such as whether to have pets present at meetings or not. The entry on pros and cons of knitting during discussion brought chuckles from the knitters in my book club. They did agree that if a famous author were one of our guests, the knitting would stop!

This informative and interesting book is a great guide to many different books that most book clubs will love, especially if they have eclectic tastes. It also includes an amusing feature that lists what books were popular in book clubs in various decades past. Many books are profiled very well, and some are books that have recently come back into print.

Want a beach book? Vincent Joyce's novel about intrigue in and around Istanbul is a gem. Fast-paced, loaded with humor, tragedy and insights, it's a romp thru the shadow world of international chicanery. It will appeal to anyone with an interest in a humorous glimpse into the world behind the scenes in the mid-east.

It's a joy to read a well written story about an area that the author obviously knows well.

Like Le Carre's Berlin, Vincent Joyce's Istanbul is a Cold War crossroads -- only without the checkpoints. Nothing is as it seems, no one is who he or she pretends to be, and the stakes couldn't be higher: the balance of thermonuclear power. Rich in atmosphere, this cloak-and-dagger tale will take you to the Istanbul of the late 60s-early 70s, when the skyline was still a forest of minarets and the city was undoubtedly crawling with U.S. and Soviet agents. Apparently, one of them -- one of ours -- wrote this novel. Joyce has given us a fascinating glimpse into what it must have been like to get caught up in a great game between superpowers. Well-written, well-paced.

I really enjoyed the book. The setting is great, and the author knows the territory. I could see the Bosphorus waterfront and hear the sounds and smell the smells. Author Joyce, in taut prose, paints word pictures while telling a gripping story of intrigue, deception and daring. The love story is there, too, and delightful. I recommend this book.

It's rare in a spy/adventure novel that a male author gets his female lead character right, but Mr. Joyce made Suzan Lokman as real as any fiction heroine can be.

Loved this book! Makes me want to visit Turkey. Who has the movie rights? Can I be the casting director, please?

Our book club selected Both Hunter and Hunted as a light summer read (of course, there's neither light nor summer in San Francisco). It's a bit off the usual type for us, but this spy novel was appreciated by the group as a refreshing change. The characters are realistic and engaging -- even when not necessarily admirable. The principal character and narrator reflects a combination of unabashed ego and awkward humility that rang true as a genuine and complex personality. One example is the narrator's generous use of sexual imagery (who knew about brushing ones teeth?) while demurely cutting away from actual love scenes ("...and he tasted the sea on her lips."). While we most enjoyed the character development, the rather intricate plot also makes for fun, with at least one surprise twist that genuinely surprised the whole (jaded) lot of us.

Claudia is a member of the bsc. In this book Claudia gets her guy she has a new boyfirend. Alan Gray. It was a mistake but Alan thinks it was to him. Alan Gray is a very joking boy. Her friend Kirsy Maryanne Jessie Mallory ect. think she is crazy. I loved this book! Great for reading and laugter! But they are not for everyone!

BSC BOOKS RULE!

The Cupid's Arrow Dance is coming and Cluad wants to ask Jeremy...since he and Stace are broken up! This is her chance to ask him...but how? Well she writes a letter to him(which took her forever)and put's it in his locker the next day in school.Or at least she thought she did. Instead she put it in Alan Gray's locker(BSC doesn't like him,mostly Kristy). She tries to get it back but no luck. Alan reads her note and said yes,he would go to the dance with her. Jeremy finds out and he kind of hates Cluad. He is heart-broken. The end of the book was a twisting ending.

Claudia has the chance to get her guy and making up with herBFF, Stacey! But,while on her way to getting her man, somethingunexpected happen. Claudia wrote a letter for Jeremy meaning on "More than Friends", and slipped into Jeremy's locker, but it turns out it wasn't his locker! And the guy who reads it falls for Claudia! This incident brought Stacey and Claudia together as friends again, Jeremy left behind, and Kristy Very disgusted! I won't tell you who the mystery guy was, only let you read it and be surprised, but I will tell you two more things, Claudia realizes Jeremy wasn't the guy of her dreams, but her "mystery guy" maybe is what her heart is really for......

Finally, Claudia gets a guy and not Stacey! Stacey has been acting pretty nasty and mean during these Friendship BSC books. Well, Claudia wants to tell Jeremy how she feels about him by slipping a note in his locker, bu it ends up in the wrong locker! Even though Claudia didn't except it to be this guy, there will still be love. Find out "who" by reading this book!

Yes! Jeremy- the guy that ruined the friendship of Stacey and Claudia- is FINALLY out of the picture! In the last book he broke up with Stacey, and then in this book Claudia writes a note to him stating her true feelings and asking him to the dance, but she stuffs it into the wrong locker...

I won't tell you who the guy is, but it's definitely surprising... he showers Claud with gifts, if best friends with Kristy's "arch-enemy" and is the guy of Claudia's dreams...

A great book, and another good plot! I like this series a lot more than the baby-sitters club series.

I can't believe that there are not more reviews here for these books, since they are among the best popular novels ever written. I first read them in my dim and far away past, lead to them by my love of historical novels. I believe these three were written in the late 1930s while England was under the shadow of the Nazi march to dominance. Naturally tales of the war against Napoleon would resonate, but the books have lasted because of the quality of the plotting and the characters. Forester excelled at setting up unsolvable problems for Hornblower with clever solutions that keep suspense high and satisfy the intellectual needs of the reader. The interplay of the characters is excellent. When I was reading these books, my father told me that some of the stories appeared in the Saturday Evening Post, and that he remembered people talking about them all over town. These are great books if you like history and a good plot. I doubt they will ever go completely out of fashion. (Note: These books are much better than the video series about Hornblower. While interesting, that series has some laughable period details and has elevated Hornblower to almost superhuman status. It's the Hollywood version. Compare that to the production value and details in the movie Master and Commander and you will see what I mean.)

This is a great book and definately one of the best Hornblower books ever. All the ingredients for a great adventure story. Exotic locations, a mad dictator, romance, hardship, friendhsip and the big ship to ship dual with the Natividad is one of the best action scenes I've ever read (and I read a lot of Action/Adventure).

The whole Hornblower series is brilliant and I would recommend them to anyone who enjoys good rattling yarns.

Captain Horatio Hornblower is a collection of three short novels originally published in 1937 and 1938 as "Beat To Quarters", "Ship of the Line" and "Flying Colours". All are set during the Napoleonic wars roughly between 1807 and 1811. The great success of these stories led Forester to write a number of Hornblower prequels and sequels, all of which are still read widely. It also spawned a long list of successors, some of which are excellent although none fully measure up to Forester in my opinion.

Beat To Quarters introduces Hornblower taking HMS Lydia into the Pacific Ocean to insight a rebellion against the Spanish. The story takes a number of twists including Hornblower finding his ally is a madman, a change in the political situation and the introduction of Lady Barbara Wellesley, the fictional sister of the Duke of Wellington.

Ship of the Line finds Hornblower commanding HMS Sutherland for a cruise in the Mediterranean. Hornblower not only must face the French but he must deal with a superior officer who would like to see him fail.

Flying Colours begins where Ship of the Line ends. Hornblower is a prisoner in France and must find a way to escape.

I thought that I knew these stories fairly well having seen the 1951 film Captain Horatio Hornblower staring Gregory Peck. However the novel is quite different in several areas. Perhaps what surprised me the most was the level of violence, sex and swearing that was included in the novel. I hadn't expected the violence to be as graphic, the sex to be as obvious or the swearing to be present at all. The novel has a gritty realism that was not matched in the genre until the 70s.

Captain Horatio Hornblower was written when Forester was in his thirties and before he had thoroughly polished his craft. While it might have a few rough edges it is a tremendously powerful, action-filled novel. The shy, self-doubting, self-deprecating but outwardly implacable Hornblower is one of the great characters of adventure stories. If one were restricted to reading only one novel of "wooden ships and iron men" then that novel should be Captain Horatio Hornblower.

I first read this book back in 1975. I read the entire series (in order), and couldn't wait to get my hands on the next one. It took tremendous fortitude not to read one in hand while searching for the next in line. C. S. Forrester also wrote a book named "The Captan from Conneticutt" which is equally good reading fun. Five stars??? I think not!!! I rate the entire series of Hornblower books seven stars!!!

"Captain Horatio Hormblower" was first published as "The Happy Return" in 1937. It was then renamed "Beat to Quarters." These books, unfortunately, stop on the return to England. But "Beat to Quarters" is available on Amazon.com. There are more reviews there.

This is my favorite book of all time because it has a great amount of adventure and laughs. Marco and Polo are so cute and since I am a cat lover that gave me a plus in rating this book 5 stars.

The things I like about Carlotta`s Kittens are that it has passion, drama and the kittens are so cute you're going to love it. I think that Carlotta`s Kittens is for all ages especially grades 2 through 5. The things I dislike about the book is the cat named Steak Knife. I did not like him because he was going to chew off one of the character's (Catnip`s) tail. The other thing is I don't know why I didn't mention this before but he has a tail collection! The two things about Carlotta`s Kittens is 1:The Neal Family adopted Jumper and Spinner.2:I also enjoyed when Carlotta said, "You may be big and you may be strong but you've all got the brains of a banana!"

Carlottas kittens are here! 5 little adorable kittens! When they come to the club of mysteries the he casts know there is going to be trouble. Like they could get eaten up by this do bertrem the bad. Od steak knife a cat who collects tails from his victims. And worst of all Carlotta's Owner who will take them to the pound if he finds them. They msut find a home and fast before it's to late.

There are more books in this trilogy. If you have ever read or seen shiloh this is by the author. If you like long hard books you will still like this.

Carlotta's Kittens is an awesome book! It's exciting, adventurous, and hilarious! I rented it from the library and once I started reading the first and second chapters, I started loving it! I haven't read the first two books of the "Club Of Mysteries" series, but I still think it is one of the greatest books I've ever read! My favorite characters are Carlotta, Polo, Catnip, and Elvis. I loved all the characters, actually...but anyways, why don't YOU read it? I think you'll love it too!

Carlotta's Kittens by Phyllis Reynolds Nichols

Read this book. It's a mystery about cats and kittens and tails. This book is about a girl cat who has kittens and her friends from the alley. When she got back with her kittens her friends taught the kittens to do cat stuff, until one of the kittens got kidnapped by a one-eye cat. And some of Carlotta's friends go rescue the kitten by tricking the one eye cat.

I liked this book because it was funny. This book kept making me laugh. When I was reading this book it reminded me of a cat that fell off a tree and landed in my dad's arms.

I think the author wrote this book so that kids should find baby animals a home so they could know some animals are in danger.

I first read this in a library but brought home all of the series that they had. When I was home, my husband and I read the books I brought home. We both laughed so hard, I fell off our porch and into the flower beds. This is truly one of the ROFLMAO books. I have all of the books now.

... The entire series is absolutely magnificent and not just for children. The Church Mouse stories are all imaginative and the illustrations are so funny and captivating you can enjoy them again and again. Graham Oakley is extraodinarily talented and his books are truly magical!

I remember reading these fanatastic books over and over and over again from our local library when I was very young. After I had my daughter, I began thinking about these books, but I had forgotten the titles!
After years of searching and asking around, I FINALLY found someone who knew what book I was talking about.
Overjoyed doesn't even begin to describe my emotions over finding these books. I'll just say that if this book is wonderful enough for me to remember from reading as a 5 year old, and now want to spend all the money tracking down the entire series, you WON'T be disappointed!
BUY the books! BUT ALL OF THEM, LOL!!!
5 stars just aren't enough for this one!

My husband and I each read this book to our granddaughter who had gotten it at a library in their city. We both enjoyed it so much we have spread the word and are looking to purchase it for ourselves. The characters are so delightful that you find yourself getting caught up in the story. You can read it again and again and see more ways in which he artfully blends words with a wonderful sense of humor. Some of the nuances might be lost on younger children but there is so much there for all ages to enjoy.

I reviewed this the first book of The Church Mice series in 1998. Since then, I have gotten hold of ALL the books in the series by ordering them online from England. Absolutely worth the time, trouble, and money. These books are hilarious and will be read and giggled over MANY TIMES by the young and not-so-young in your house. I am sorry that the series is relatively unknown in the US; it is very popular in Great Britian. Do yourself and your kids, friends, or grandkids a favor and GET THESE BOOKS. At this date, November, 2000, "Humphrey Hits the Jackpot" is the newest book in the series. I don't know if Oakley is going to write anymore for this series--I sure hope so!

In every BSC book I've read so far, Martin has always tended to write the main story with a secondary story that runs somewhat parallel and ties in at the end. This book doesn't seem to have that secondary story, which was too bad - I thought there were several chances for it, especially with Cathy, Claudia's hospital roommate. It didn't detract from the story, though.

When a call comes in to the BSC from a new client, the girls voice some suspicion - the Sobak's live in an area where people usually use other sitters - so Claudia, who has taken the job, asks around. Told by other sitters that Betsy's a handful, and a practical joker, Claudia believes she's prepared. She has no idea! A practical joke goes badly and Claudia ends up with a badly broken leg.

Missing a lot of school is not a good thing for a student like Claudia, who has to work hard just to keep up. With little to do, Claudia's mind dwells on her accident and she begins to wonder if babysitting is too dangerous. What if she had broken her arm or hand and couldn't do her art anymore? Prepared to quit the BSC if necessary, Claudia turns to her grandmother Mimi, who believes that her fear is really of not being in control.

The girls set out to teach Betsy that practical jokes are not always funny - and they go a few rounds with the girl before she finally gets it. Betsy does learn, and Claudia does heal but will Claudia really quit the BSC?

The practical jokes battles were amusing, and it was good that the girls were aware that they probably shouldn't be engaging Betsy in them. It was also nice that Stacey hasn't been forgotten. Martin always seems to do a very good job with those details.

Ann M. Martin brings together books that only a imaginitive person could. The book, CLAUDIA AND THE BAD JOKE, brings forth problems in everyday, human life. Practical jokes, babysitting, and the common teenager problem:study-or-fail are combined in this fabulous book. So read read read it!!!!!!

I liked this book. Claudia was my favorite of the original quartet, so naturally I enjoyed this book. I love the descriptions of Claudia's cleverly put together ensembles and her appreciation for art. That speaks to sensitivity and creativity.

Betsy Sobak, Claudia's young charge is a virtuoso in the fine art of practical jokes. Her jokes are hostile and are always at the expense of another person. During Claudia's first sitting stint with Betsy, she falls from a tire swing and breaks her leg. Luckily for Claudia, her trio of sitting pals come through like the Cavalry by out-joking Betsy (in a safe way, of course) to teach her an object lesson in how to treat people in a humane fashion. Lesson: It is only kidding or funny if all sides are enjoying it, but if one side is not having fun, it is no longer kidding, it is mean.

I liked Betsy. The description given of her sounds like a cute kid with a vivid imagination. Ann Martin has a real gift for descriptions, dialogs, character development and I like the way the charges have a parallel plot running to the central plot the sitters are contending with. Ms. Martin has a real gift for the voices and feelings of kids.

Claudia's not worried when she hears her newest baby-sitting charge, Betsy Sobak, is a great practical joker.After all, how much harm can one little girl do? Plenty. Claudia breaks her leg as a result of one of Betsy's mean jokes...and now she's talking about quitting the club. "Baby-Sitting," she says, "is too dangerous." Kristy thinks Betsy needs to be taught a lesson. She also thinks the Baby-Sitters are just the ones to do it. Wath out, Betsy Sobak! The joke war is on!

When Claudia has to baby sit for a practicaljoker nemed, Betsy, Claudia has nothing to worry about. Until it becomes bad...

I liked this book a lot. I think that it was very funny and the book taught you a good lesson. I think Haley was a good charcter to use in this situation becuase she isn't shown much. It would be hard to see Charlotte Johansson doing this.

This book was preaty good. I thought Hally's lies were funny the way they where so ridiculous. No one could really believe them. Once she admitted why she had been lying you felt bad.

The Story Of This book happens in Halley Broddock's house. When Claudia baby-sits for Haley, Haley starts lying about her homework. Can Claudia make Haley stop making lyings about her homework?

I think that this novel is one of the greatest pieces of literature of our time. Claudia's exposé of "the little liar" is symbolically exposing modern man's deluded preconceptions of ethics and delves deeply into attempting to define what "truth" really is.

It all starts when Claudia baby-sit's Haley Braddock, one of the B.S.C.'s client's. Haley starts lying about her homework. Cann claudia fix the homework problem? Read this book to find out!

This is the classic guide book for the Tetons. Many pictures and topos are provided to help route finding, however most topos are for the more difficult routes. The text is very descriptive. The book is heavy so be prepared to make photo copies before your climb.

exactly what I was looking for. All the detail I needed and more. Please send my thanks to the authors for the great beta.

Excellent book. Clearly describes hundreds of routes with climbing topo's and ratings. Highly recommended.

If you are looking for a comprehensive, detailed, easy to understand reference guide to the history, approaches and routes of the peaks of the Grand Tetons...look no further. Complete with Topos, black and white Arial photographs, and hand drawn route diagrams, this guide is a "must have" in any mountaineer's quiver of guide books. The book opens with a history of the Grand Teton Range and introduces readers to the men and women who explored and developed many of the modern routes enjoyed by all today; particularly the "bold" first accents of the early Teton pioneers Paul Petzoldt and Glenn Exum. The meat of the book can be found in the remaining pages covering everything from, recommended equipment, mountain safety, to detailed accounts of the climbs and approaches on all the jagged peaks of the Teton Range.
As a climber of 20+ years, I found this book to be extremely helpful on my trips to the Tetons and highly recommend this guide to anyone entertaining the possibility of climbing or hiking in the Teton Range. Whether you are a seasoned climber, or are considering cutting your teeth in one of the most spectacular mountain ranges the United States has to offer, consider this resource a must!

A good climbing guide is a personal friend. You spend hours reading about possible climbs, adventures awaiting for you. There is much pleasure in browsing a climbing guide, remembering the climbs you have made, those climbs not completed due to severe weather or other reasons, and all those climbs you have yet to try.

My Teton guidebook has particular value as I always inscribe notes about my climbs: the date, my companions, the weather, route finding tips (or conversely, where I went astray), elapsed time, and other items of interest.

This third edition, 1996, is more than four hundred pages. It is much to bulky and heavy to carry on a climb. But it is a remarkable reference of virtually every climbing route in the Teton Range. The descriptions are detailed and well-written. I have not encountered any climbing guide that is comparable in detail and scope to this work by Leigh Ortenburger and Reynold Jackson.

The number of routes and variations on the favorite peaks can be overwhelming. The most commonly used route is highlighted. Route descriptions range from easy scrambles to difficult climbs requiring substantial technical skill on ice, snow, and rock. Numerous excellent black and white photos with climbing routes overlain are scattered throughout the texts. Also, there are many detailed ink drawings of more difficult climbs.

For climbers new to the Tetons, the authors have listed more than 130 of their favorite routes ranging from easy scrambles to severe climbs 5.12 in difficulty, as well as difficult technical ice climbing routes.

The introduction, some sixty pages, is quite good. Major topics include a history of Teton climbing, descriptions of great climbs and traverses, details on the national park service policy, and a discussion of the difficulty rating system. The section on Teton weather and climatology is both helpful and sobering. Also, on more than one occasion I had reason to appreciate Ortenburger's and Jackson's bushwacking hints for those canyons without maintained trails.

I have used A Climber's Guide to the Teton Range for many years beginning with the first edition dating back to the 1960s by Leigh Ortenburger. In the intervening years a condensed version, an extended version (volume 2), and a second and third edition have been published.

This third edition is really quite exceptional and I highly recommend this guidebook to anyone planning to climb in Grand Teton National Park.

I purchased this book for my daughter's 9th birthday. She wanted a book with lots of real dog pictures in it so she could draw them correctly. I saw this book online and since it's from the American Kennel Club, knew it would be a good representation of the most popular dog breeds around. Boy was I right! This book has great color photos of each breed and interesting facts too. My daughter loved this book! She is also using it to draw dogs from (drawing is her passion). Anyway, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone buying for children because the photos are big and bright and the text is child-friendly.

I loved every single part of this book. I loved to look at the pictures of dog breeds, and try to see what my beagle mix is mixed WITH. After I looked through it, I read about how train your dog, and all that information. people think that part is boring. They are just like 3 year-olds, never looking at the words of a picture book, just looking at the pictures. I loved it. I keep on checking it out the the library! I check it out so much, my mom gets frustrated when I do check it out anymore!

My kids absolutely love this book. Every time they see a dog they don't know, they ask what it is and look it up in the book. There hasn't been a dog they haven't been able to find yet. The color photographs, not illustrations, are great. I highly recommend this book, especially to kids who love dogs.

This book is great for dog lovers. I thought that the part about training your dog and such is dull because the pictures and accrual description of the dogs of the book is the best. It is great for someone who wants to get a dog and find which one is perfect for you. People whom already have a dog would not be board in this book. I had already had a dog before I got this and it was fun trying to find my dog and my friend's dog in this book. I think that this book is great for all ages because just looking at the pictures if fun. Anyone who says this is an awful book must be wrong only thing is there are more dogs in the back that do not have a description which means you my not find you dog in this book.

My five year old is a huge dog fan. I wanted to find a book for her that really fit with her interests and her level. This book really fit the bill. It has fantastic photos of real dogs, shows where the dogs' origins are from, and gives average size along with a small graphic that shows the dog size in comparison to an adult. The index is easy to read so my five year old can look up a certain dog in the index and easily find it. It has a lot of information about each dog and has kept her interest for hours on end. My only complaint would be that the cover is not holding up to the usage demands! A fantastic book for any young dog lover of any age!