Literature Books


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Literature Books sorted by Average customer review: high to low .

Literature
Dear Mr. Blueberry
Published in Hardcover by Margaret K. McElderry (1991-09-30)
Author:
List price: $15.95
New price: $19.99
Used price: $0.63
Collectible price: $21.95

Average review score:

Love this book
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-13
This book is sweet and educational. It is one of our favorites to read.

Perfection!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-01
An absolute treasure! Emily is adorable and Simon James perfectly captures childhood innocence and love for a special friend.

book
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-09
This is an all time favorite in our preschool. Had trouble finding it until now. Great service. Good book.

Endearing for the young child/ Instructional for the classroom teacher
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-11
Wow! This book serves a plethora of functions... From the very young they will be enchanted with the beautifully jewel toned colours on the pages... If your child likes ocean animals they will learn all about whales in this beautifully told tale of the growing bond between a young student and her teacher as Mr. Blueberry teaches and corrects her misconceptions of whales habits and habitats. It is a great vehicle to use in the classroom to teach letter writing, writing notebook, and several other writing workshop minilessons. Great literacy selection... My son who is 6 as well as my class of aged 10 and 11 year olds adore this book on many different levels... ;)

A lovely children's book
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2005-11-13
I've been using this book with my kindergarten and first grade to introduce text illustration. They absolutely love it. I get applause every time I read it.

The illustrations are beautiful watercolors inspired by Emily's view of what is going on in her back yard.

My favorite part of the book is that readers are not told conclusively whether there was actually a whale in Emily's pond. It preserves a bit of the magic of believing that Arthur the whale was real.

A wonderful book for boys and girls.

Literature
Derrida For Beginners
Published in Paperback by For Beginners (2007-08-21)
Author: Jim Powell
List price: $14.95
New price: $8.92
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Average review score:

Only Book on Deconstruction That Has Made Sense to Me
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2004-10-10
I think deconstruction is important but have difficulty understanding it. This book is the only lucid explanation I've seen of it's basic principles.

very helpful
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2002-02-11
If you are beginning to read derrida, this book will be very helpful. Now if they only made one for Judith Butler! (Skip the Foucault, his theories are not that complex.)

If your new to Derrida, here is your introduction.
Helpful Votes: 23 out of 25 total.
Review Date: 2000-11-03
Derrida is my favorite philosopher. I don't think that his 'Deconstruction' is holistic necessarily but the gist of it explains the inherent problems of doing philosophy better then anything else I've read.

Unlike the greats of Science who simplify complex ideas (i.e..Stephen Hawking, Richard Feynman), the guru's of philosophy take fairly straight-forward ideas and shroud them with such mysterious sounding proprietary language that their work becomes nearly impossible to decipher. Derrida is no exception. This is a shame because his underlying message is brilliant...and really not not all that abstract.

So until philosophers realize that less words does not directly translate to less intelligence, we should be very glad to have commentators like Jim Powell around.

"Derrida For Beginners" concentrates on developing the key concept of "differance" and defining the necessary Derridian terminology used to communicate its meaning. The book clearly defines, "binary opposites", "texts", "logocentricism" etc.. and has plenty of diagram's to help you get the idea. While I can't say the artwork did much for me, the cartoon setting does force the message to be carried accross succinctly...no babling. The first book I read after failing miserably to tackle "Of Grammatology" was "Derrida" by Christopher Norris. While his was an excellent introduction..I will say that after I read "Derrida for Beginners" I went back and read most of Norris' book again and got a lot more out of it. Try this: read "Derrida for Beginners" as many times as needed until you have all the words in bold print at your fingertips..then, read Norris' book "Derrida". With this few hours of investment, do some online searches and read some of the commentaries and criticism of Derrida. You will be surprised at how badly he is misunderstood by so many who have studied him a lot more then you, and should feel good about your knowledge in comparisom. Of course you then need to get humble again so start reading "Of Grammatology". :)

Accessible. Important. Powerful knowledge for any human.
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2002-01-02
This book is concerned with making accessible the often inaccessible Derrida. Derrida's philosophy will help you develop a healthy sensibility and cynicism for 'knowledge' and 'representation.'
Do not be fooled by the 'for beginners' title; it is not simply an introduction, it is a hands-on intepretation of several his 'major' works. The book has any value for anyone interested in learning about the world in which we live.

Accessible. Important. Powerful knowledge for any human.
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2002-01-02
This book is concerned with making accessible the often inaccessible Derrida. Derrida's philosophy will help you develop a healthy sensibility and cynicism for 'knowledge' and 'representation.'
Do not be fooled by the 'for beginners' title; it is not simply an introduction, it is a hands-on intepretation of several his 'major' works. The book has any value for anyone interested in learning about the world in which we live.

Literature
Divorcing Dwayne: A Novel
Published in Paperback by Cumberland House Publishing (2008-04-01)
Author: J. L. Miles
List price: $14.95
New price: $9.04
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Average review score:

Hold On To Your Funnybone!!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-01
Francine will steal it along with your heart. Divorcing Dwayne, from beginning to end, is a delightful, satirical, action-packed story. The characters are real and believable, never caricature, and often quite touching. The satire is good-natured (never cruel) and the madcap storyline is laced with plenty of suspense, a consistant level of humor, and unexpected turns in every chapter.

A Hilarious Page Turner
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-01
With lines like the following ,"An alligator showed up at our wedding, other than that, everything went off without a hitch" I knew I was in for a fun ride. Divorcing Dwayne is the story of Francine. Francine met her husband at the Pickville Springs pork pull. And it was love at first sight. Who can resist a man with good teeth! Things were going great until Francine discovered Dwayne in bed with Carla, the town's exotic dancer and then chaos ensued. As Francine tells her story, you will meet her best friend, Ray Anne, Trudy, her stepsister, Francine's grandma, Nanny Lou, who thinks that her dead husband is having an affair with the neighbor and is not really dead, and a whole bunch of other characters you will fall in love with! Loaded with arrests, strippers, the mob and a topless barbershop this is a laugh out loud page turner. I had to look up the author right away and was delighted to find this is the first book in a series about the hilarious adventures of Francine. I would categorize this book as Southern Chick Lit but true to the authors humor I have to quote her as saying it is Southern Grit Lit. I haven't laughed at a book like this in a while, so I suggest you pull on your britches and haul yourself over to the bookstore to pick this book up.

Hang on Y'all!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-28
If you try to speed-read this one, you'll miss a bushel of laughs. Instead, savor every Southern line of it as Francine does the things the rest of us just wish we could cut loose and do. This gal is almost as trashy as her nemesis Carla the stripper, but she'd be highly offended if you said so. If you don't have much class either, you'll be able to identify with many of the characters. If you happen to be refined and cultured, you'll delight in feeling superior as you read. Either way, I'm willing to bet you'll get a kick out of this zany fast-paced work of fiction (Gosh, I hope it's all fiction).

Hilarious chick-lit with a touch of every genre
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-22
If maintaining a marriage is this hard, I ain't never gettin' hitched.

Divorcing Dwayne (which gives part of the story away in the title - it would've been more appropriately called "Dealing with Dwayne") is one hell of a ride. Francine Harper's trying to hold her marriage to Dwayne together, but finding him in bed with town hussy Carla and discovering his plans to open up a topless barbershop with her (because you can never have enough of those in your town) puts quite a bit of strain on Francine's trust. Even more, when his band, the Rocky Bottom River Boys, suddenly go from independent demos to big-movie soundtracks with perhaps a little involvement from the local mobsters, Francine really goes crazy. Put a gun in her hand during all this, and we've got a story fluidly combining a menagerie of genres (chick-lit, suspense, mystery, action, comedy, law) with ease.

Miles' characters are well developed with their unique and catchy personalities (Nanny Lou is a riot), and the plot, though occasionally confusing, is entertaining and filled with twists and turns. Any fan of Sophie Kinsella will enjoy Miles' slang-filled writing in this book.

- T.C. Robson

Funny enough to make me laugh in the dentist's chair
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-03
"Divorcing Dwayne" is the first in a three-part humorous series based on the marital trials of Georgia girl, Francine Harper, that the author labels as `grit-lit'.

When Francine first met Dwayne, her mama told her that man `wasn't worth losing her pants over,' and her Daddy just rolled his eyes and went back to his newspaper. If only she'd listened, she would not have ended up in jail for trying to shoot Dwayne and his stripper girlfriend, Carla, when she caught them in the act.

The antics get crazier from there. Francine, backed up with her best friend Ray Anne and her step-sister Trudy, who really isn't a step-sister, she just lived with her family, get into antics from "Backyard Bridal" organization of a wedding, which `wasn't too bad save that a 12 foot crocodile showed up,' to dealing with the mob, the FBI, and various nefarious locals in between.

Probably the funniest character in the whole novel is Nanny Lou, who's a cross between Grandma Mazur and Maxine (of the Hallmark Shoebox card fame). This purple haired granny's got a few bricks shorter than a load, but she's always into something and she's funny enough to make me laugh in the dentist's office, which trust me, is pretty darn funny.

The formula here isn't original. We've got our heroine with her crazy sidekicks, nutty grandma. Throw in some man trouble and some criminals, and you've got a `Plum' of a tale. What keeps this story from being just another knockoff is the writing itself. If I'm laughing when I'm scared witless, you're going to have a great time on the beach or in a plane--and people will stop you and ask you what you're laughing so much over.

Rebecca Kyle, June 2008

Literature
Draw Cars
Published in School & Library Binding by Topeka Bindery (2001-10)
Author: D. C. DuBosque
List price: $18.15
Used price: $18.14

Average review score:

A challenge for drawing enthusiasts!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-16
The book shows you step by step how to draw cars.

This is a helpful book whether you are drawing for the first time or have been doing it for years!

It goes from simple shapes and line structure all the way through shading and adding detail.

Definitely a must for anyone who wants to add cars to their visual story telling or even an automotive design student.

Just remember to be patient with this book.

It takes a while to get the hang of it.

Once you do, you'll be fine!

My nephew loved this book
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-14
This was a 9th Birthday present for my nephew. It kept him entertained for hours! He loved the book and still uses it almost daily after 8 months.

Good for those interested in drawing
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-05
This book has many examples of step-by-step drawings. The only drawback might be that there is very little explanation. You learn mainly by copying the examples. It has a great selection of different cool cars and vehicles to draw. Equally good for young teens or adults.

An Amazing Book !!!!!!!!!!!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-06-10
I have the 1993 publication of this book, and it's amazing. It teaches you how to draw cars in general, not just the ones shown in the book.

Worth Spending Money
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2005-10-17
Hi!!The book is wonderful for beginers.It helps you get the basic right.Almost all aspect are covered so that you can start sketching cars on your own like side view,3d view.Gives detail information for drawing tyres.This book has helped me a lot and I would recommend this book to everyone without any hesitation.

Literature
The Edge of Sadness
Published in Hardcover by Resources for Christian Living (1991-02)
Author: Edwin O'Connor
List price: $17.95
Used price: $2.10
Collectible price: $25.00

Average review score:

O'Connor = Giant
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-03
Superb. Simply. Great literature. The character of John, the main character's friend was the best and most gratifying of all. Please obtain and let your eyes go to work. To think the author died short of fifty. Man, we get burned sometimes.

My favorite book
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-03-13
I am thilled to see this book being available in hardcover and paperback as well. I read this book about ten years ago and I read it regularly every couple of years. The story is very compelling and the scene of the protagonist walking home through a run-down community is a classic of American literature.

What this book and O'Connor's other novel, The Last Hurrah, apart is the writing. In an era where writers seem to challenge one another to be more like Faukner and less comprehensible to the average man, O'Connor wrote very well and his language is beautiful. From this fine prose arises really deep characters which are flawed and so easily identifiable to us all.

Great read
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-12
I found this to be a wonderful novel and a great pleasure to read. I have been trying to find this for years and could not in any bookstore. While this could not translate to the movies as easily as Last Hurrah, I found this to be so much more interesting. A truly Catholic novel, it is a joy to find something that takes spiritual issues seriously and yet is hardly preachy. And if you are Irish, the dialogues of the "friends" of the family will make you laugh outloud while reading. This brought back the charms and frustrations of my childhood and my own family of Irish aunts and uncles. Long but worth the effort. A great find.

A Contemporary Catholic Classic
Helpful Votes: 18 out of 18 total.
Review Date: 2006-09-28
As I was reading THE EDGE OF SADNESS, I couldn't help but think that in 1961, when this Pulitzer Prize winning novel was published, it must have been rather controversial. It dealt with the humanity of priests, noting flaws but in a respectful manner. While some writers such as Georges Bernanos dealt with such issues in his DIARY OF A COUNTRY PRIEST, American audiences were still used to the Hollywood Big Screen concoctions of Spencer Tracy--Father Flanagan/Bing Crosby--Father O'Malley models of priesthood. While the priest in THE EDGE OF SADNESS may be worthy of the warmth and love given to his movie counterparts, he's hardly perfect.

The novel tells the story of an alcoholic priest named Hugh Kennedy beginning again in ministry in an older, run down parish. Readers get a sense he's not the priest he once was, and throughout the novel we learn of his early ministry, the ramifications of the death of his father, the struggle with alcohol, and the loneliness that is a real part of his life. The book is written in the first person, and we hear the story of his life as he tells of his rekindling of a friendship with the Carmody family: Charlie, the patriarch, his son John the priest, Dan, the ne'er do well, Helen, the outspoken sister married to a doctor and Mary, the daughter who remains at home to care for the aging but still independent and at times ruthless Charlie. We also meet a host of minor characters: Helen's husband Frank, their son and daughter-in-law Ted and Anne, Charlie's longtime friends P.J. and Bucky, Roy, the maintenance man who works at Fr. Kennedy's church, and Fr. Stanley Danowski, the endearing yet naïve and at time nerdy young curate at Fr. Kennedy's parish. As the events of the novel unfold, we see changes in Fr. Kennedy as he discovers his love for God and his vocation.

This is an older style novel in many ways. O'Connor is not short on words and he gives a number of details, yet the novel flows and is a fast read for a volume of nearly 650 pages. The issues of struggles in priesthood, vitality of parishes, older priest verses younger priest, unstated yet real competition between clergy people, and a hunger for God are all present in this book. In some ways if some historical details were changed in the book, it could be about modern day Catholic life. Perhaps this is the power of this book and why it can seem timeless. While it tells a story from an earlier day, it's not an invitation for nostalgia, at least for Catholic readers. Instead it will remind readers of what truly matters in life: the importance of faith, and the importance of having people who love us and people we love in return. While it may seem dated in some ways, readers will agree that the editors at Loyola Press were correct in reissuing this book as a classic.

A Moving and Engaging Story
Helpful Votes: 8 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2006-06-25
This simple but beautiful bittersweet story of life among the Irish-American citizens of an unnamed eastern city is a joyful and beguiling tale. O'Connor's characterizations and dialogues are engaging and from my personal experience utterly authentic. I feel as though I have met all the main chacters and could give them names among family and acquaintances. The set piece of Father Kennedy' battle with alcoholism is tastefully done.

Literature
February House
Published in Hardcover by Scribner (2005)
Author: Sherill Tippins
List price:
New price: $37.80
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Average review score:

February House
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-12
For me this was an amazing discovery. I read a review of it in a literary magazine in the waiting room of my optician and when I got home I immediately ordered it from Amazon.
What caught my eye in the review were the names of the inhabitants of the February House - Auden, Britten,McCullers... in that amazing year. I knew of their work individually but to read of them living under the same roof was a revelation.What a cauldron of creativity! All against the background of the war in Europe and the period leading up to Pearl Harbour.As I read the book I felt as though I were there. I hope that someone will make a documentary about it or better still a dramatised reconstruction. The two Truman Capote films have blazed the trail.

What a great read!!!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-18
A friend just recommended this book to me and it's fabulous!!! I live in an artist bldg and it's nothing compared to the energy of Middagh Street. The book is a great read and the research is most impressive. I cannot wait to read the one she's writing about the Chelsea Hotel!

That House on Middagh Street
Helpful Votes: 10 out of 10 total.
Review Date: 2006-09-03
Thomas Wolf once famously said "only the dead know Brooklyn." There might be some truth in that, but some of us know Brooklyn, N.Y.,U.S.A., pretty well,and are still very much alive. Quite a few people are aware of Brooklyn's brownstone belt, that swath of historic houses stretching from the East River to Prospect Park and beyond. Many of these people would declare Brooklyn Heights the ultimate Brooklyn brownstone neighborhood. It's beautiful, and gets scenic views of Manhattan. It's got history galore--an important Revolutionary War battle was fought here;and it's been, and still is,home to a lot of well-known important people.

One little-known fact is that a number of celebrated people shared a house on Middagh Street, in 1940-41, right in the middle of the Second World War. That house, which came to be known as February House-- a number of its residents had February birthdays-- has long since been torn down to make room for the Promenade that provides storied views of Manhattan. But among occupants of February House were poet W.H.Auden, writer Carson McCullers, writers Jane and Paul Bowles,composer Benjamin Britten, and stripper Gypsy Rose Lee.

Writer Sherill Tippens has produced an interesting, pleasantly gossipy book about the house's residents and their accomplishments. Jane Bowles began "Two Serious Ladies," her only completed novel here. The young lesbian Carson McCullers had just tasted, at the age of 23, great success with her novel "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter." She began two other great successes, "The Member of the Wedding," and "The Ballad of the Sad Cafe," between drinking bouts, right here on Middagh Street.

Auden and Britten, both homosexual, but not involved with each other, were being raked over the coals at the time by the British press for choosing to sit out World War II in the U.S. But they were working: they collaborated on the opera "Paul Bunyan,"not critically well-received. Auden who continued to live in the Heights, on his own, to pursue his lifelong, unrequited love for the young American Chester Kallman, was working hard in the interstices of his personal soap opera: He produced "The Double Man" in February House. Britten produced "Peter Grimes;"considered one of the great masterpieces of 20th century opera. Meanwhile, he pursued his own personal soap opera: many critics believe this opera echoes developments with his partner, tenor Peter Pears, at the time.

The most unexpected resident of February House would have to be Gypsy Rose Lee, burlesque artiste. She was talked into joining the fun by George Davis, homosexual himself, fiction editor of "Harpers Bazaar" magazine, whose idea February House was, and who worked hard to keep it alive. Davis had published some of his own writing, but he was best known for the talented writers he kept on discovering.

In Gypsy Lee's case, she brought some money, a lot of common sense,and a cook to Middagh Street. The house's residents needed all the above. Her reward for her support: George Davis, great editor, midwifed her book, "The G-String Murders," a publishing sensation for many years.

George Davis continued to live at 7 Middaagh Street after its time as an artistic commune had passed. After Kurt Weill's death, Davis married his widow, Lotte Lenya, and devoted his life to introducing America to Weill's great works,such as "Three Penny Opera,"from which we get "Mack the Knife."

There are some informative photographs, extensive notes and acknowledgements in February House. Tippins evidently did a lot of primary research, but she managed to organize the voluminous results in a very readable style. February House well rewards the reader.

The bump and grind of a literary bawdy house
Helpful Votes: 13 out of 13 total.
Review Date: 2005-10-14
Sherill Tippins has done an amazing job of finding the significant narrative threads in the chaotic convergence of creative lives that occurred in the months before Pearl Harbor when Harper's Bazaar editor George Davis and British expatriate poet W.H. Auden rented a brownstone on 7 Middagh Street in Brooklyn Heights and actively recruited other creative artists to live with them. Among the co-renters were Carson McCullers who had recently published her highly acclaimed first novel, "The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter," soon-to-be famous British composer Benjamin Britten and his parnter, singer Peter Pears, unpublished novelists Paul and Jane Bowles, Broadway set designer Oliver Smith, writer Richard Wright and his wife, and burlesque sensation Gypsy Rose Lee, who it turns out was the most reliable in the rent-paying department and joined the little "creative commune" on the condition that she could bring her own cook and maid. Her fiscal reliability and drive along with Auden's willingness to take on the unpleasant role of house disciplinarian (collecting rent and other "dues" and establishing and enforcing many house rules) are probably sufficient explanation for why this menage managed to last the two or three years it did.

Tippins wisely focuses her attention on the leading figures (without neglecting to name the many others who partied but did not reside at 7 Middagh--Salvador and Gala Dali, Lincoln Kirstein, George Balanchine, Erika Mann and her brothers Klaus and Golo, to name a few). One passer-through, Anais Nin, christened the dwelling "February House" because so many of the residents had February birthdays. Tippins has a good knowledge of the works of these creative people and is able to see how one of the artists intentionally or inadvertantly influenced a subsequent work of one of his or her co-residents. For example, McCullers was struggling with the novel that would later become "The Member of the Wedding" when she was able to appropriate an experience from Chester Kallman's childhood to explain her heroine's profound sense of alienation and abandonment (Kallman was Auden's lover).

Tippins other great achievement here was her ability to slice through history and palpably recreate the political atmosphere in pre-war New York and to do so in a way that reflects on both British and US perspectives. She takes a good hard look at the criticism expatriates like Auden, Christopher Isherwood, Britten, and Pears faced from the British press and fellow artists who chose to remain in Great Britian during the war. She is similarly insightful in her analysis of the role the Mann family had in trying to get an apathetic America to respond to the European crisis. A lesser writer might not have bothered with these issues and chosen to report only the salacious and saleable anecdotes about the goings-on of the February House residents.

I highly recommend this book to anyone even passingly interested in one of the artists who lived at 7 Middagh Street (you're sure to learn something new), to anyone who ever wondered how great works of art come about, or to anyone interested in knowing how history and art intersect. I'm sure I'm going to use Tippins's Selecte Bibliography as a basis for future Amazon.com purchases.

Timely and beautifully written
Helpful Votes: 9 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2005-09-08
Sherill Tippins' volume fills a tantalizing gap that fans of Auden, McCullers, Britten, and Gypsy Rose Lee have long wished could be filled. Most overdue is Tippins' portrait of George Davis: failed literary wunderkind; editor extraordinaire (who "discovered" McCullers and got much-needed writing jobs for her and W. H. Auden in the lean months before Pearl Harbor); husband to Lotte Lenya and the catalyst that re-invented her for American audiences in Marc Blitzstein's staging of Weill's "Threepenny Opera"--the list goes on and on. Davis and Auden are central to Tippins' account and to the amazing colony of artists who called 7 Middagh Street in Brooklyn Heights their home in 1940-41. But Tippins gives everyone in that circle his/her due. Her depictions of Auden's rocky romance with Chester Kallman, of Benjamin Britten's coming to terms with his artistic destiny in England, not America, and Gypsy Rose Lee's ability to charm and disarm everyone she met are more than engaging--they are extremely moving.

Tippins' research is exhaustive and impeccable, and she lets her characters speak naturally and eloquently. I could not put this book down and practically read it at one sitting. I was hungry for the kind of information Tippins delivered, and I finished the book with the deepest satisfaction. Gracefully written, carefully organized and researched, and extremely relevant: this book wins on all counts.

Literature
Flambards (Oxford Children's Modern Classics)
Published in Paperback by Oxford University Press (1999-09)
Author: K.M. Peyton
List price:
New price: $85.08
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Average review score:

Mt Bestest Book
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2003-03-23
It was a timeless story.I was quite upset cause it wasn't all about horses.

make this one a classic.
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2004-12-20
This is a very good book. Although it features horses it is not completely about horses. It is a strange--in a good way--study into human nature, from Uncle's disturbing rage to Will's defiance.>>Summary<<Where will Christina fit in at Flambards, the once-prominent foxhunting stables? After riding a horse named Sweetbriar, she loves foxhunting, but life at Flambards isn't easy.}This book is excellent, for anyone. It is not a novel for children young than YA, for some scenes are mildly violent, and contains mature situtations. This is not to say the book is bad, it's just a warning. ;)...ps, I'm really 15, the adult form doesn't work.

wonderfully written, timeless story
Helpful Votes: 13 out of 13 total.
Review Date: 2001-12-25
I first read this trilogy 18 years ago, shortly after I had seen bits and pieces of the series of the same name on PBS, and I was unable to put it down. Although the books are geared towards young adults, do NOT let that hinder you--adults of any age will find these novels appealing because they are well-written, the characters are fully developed and engaging, and the storyline, with its triumphs and tragedies, is timeless. They are the stories of Christina, a young orphan who is sent to live with her uncle because she is an heiress and he needs her money to continue the lifestyle he is accustomed to living. The story progresses as Christina grows up, learning to both love Flambards, the ancestral home, and yet despise the backward-thinking ways of her uncle and his eldest son, Mark. It tells of the rivalry between Mark (the favorite) and William (the second son) not only for their father's love but for Christina's as well. It illustrates how life was changing in England at the time (just before WWI), and the hope that those changes brought to many who felt restricted by hide-bound Victorian (& Edwardian) rules. I think that readers will be able to relate to Christina, William, Mark, Dick, Sandy, and Dorothy regardless of their age, or where you grew up. I do suggest reading them in their proper sequence, beginning with "Flambards", continuing with "Edge of the Cloud", and finishing with "Flambards in Summer". I have read these novels again and again, and have loaned out my copy of the trilogy so many times. The author has a rare ability to truly take you back to an Edwardian county estate and to draw you into that world through Christina and her cousins. The books are very emotional, and have touched me in ways that other books depicting this era do not. I think that the best word for them is "haunting". It is too bad that they cannot be rated as 10 stars.

My Favorite Book
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2002-11-22
I'll admit it....I'm a Flambards Fanatic. I read this book in the early 80's, after seeing the series on television. I found the book at a local bookstore, loved every word, reread it immediately, ordered so many copies that the bookstore owner started calling me "The Flambards Lady". I was thrilled to be able to get another copy here at Amazon. This book is sometimes considered to be a child's book, but I think adults enjoy it very much. It's a marvelous, unforgettable story of love, loss, and picking up the pieces (or reins) and moving ahead. The series is available on VHS and DVD. I own both but prefer the DVD.

the most emotional book i have ever read
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2001-09-03
This moving story of the struggling relationships between Mark, Christiana, William and dick will touch the hearts of anyone who reads it. I finished reading the whole series a few days ago and i cannot forget the effect that these books had on me, i admit that i did cry at times. The book tells the story of christiana, an orphan, who is sent to live at the crumbling Flambards. It tells of her life and loves in the old manor. An excellently written story and a must read, especially for a country lass like myself!

Literature
Flight of the Reindeer: The True Story of Santa Claus and His Christmas Mission
Published in Audio Cassette by Audio Literature (1997-06)
Author: Robert Sullivan
List price: $17.95
New price: $1.99
Used price: $2.25

Average review score:

Capture some of the spirit of Santa Claus and appreciate the strength of the man and his mission
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-28

Wonderful is too weak a superlative to describe this book. Written in a factual style and incorporating historical events such as Peary's trek to the North Pole, it is one of the most delightful stories about Christmas ever written. There is also a detailed account of the land expedition by Will Steger, the only man to actually see Santa's village at the North Pole.
The chapters are:

*) The reindeer by the river: It was a wondrous thing. In which the author tells of his search for the true Santa Claus.
*) The echo of hooves: Searching for yesteryear's reindeer. In which Santa's history is detailed, past adventures are recounted.
*) The North Pole today: On the roof of the world. In which the kingdom is visited, the elfin life is described.
*) The miracle of reindeer flight: Mysteries explained, science revealed. In which the way he does things he does is discussed.
*) Eight tiny reindeer (Plus one): Santa's starting team and his helpers. In which a host of heroic animals and people are met.
*) Like down on a thistle, evermore: Work that never ends. In which the future of Santa Claus and his mission is pondered.

The spirit of Santa Claus within the concept of Christmas is a powerful one, in this book you can capture some of that spirit and appreciate the strength of the man and his mission.

Cannot confirm or deny
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-12-25
I have this book, with some handwritten annotations. The author got a couple facts wrong, but then I used to be in the Air Force, worked in many. many different command posts and operational centers, and well somethings are still classified. Some good guessing and all!

Cute book, I love it, my husband, a "Santa Helper" loves it, our teens liked it (really!) and the few copies I have given as gifts were very well received.

If you have older kids this is a great book.

Not about the book but the movie
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-12-20
I have the movie with Bridges and Thomas and I love it. It is called "The Christmas Secret" it is suppose to be taken from part of the book "Flight of the Reindeer" I don't know if that is true or not. Because I did not buy the book yet.

Yes, Virginia, and Everybody Else.....
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2005-12-12
There is a Santa Claus! This is an amazing book, written in documentary style about the existence of Santa and his reindeer. It is a delightful addition to anybody's coffee table at Christmas time or any time. I really love his description of how he found Rudolph, and how he guided the team that one year, a small reindeer with a big heart. The description of the reindeer's year is fascinating!

This book will warm the hearts of Virginias everywhere. Yes, there is a Santa Claus!

looking for christmas inspiration
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-12-23
I found this a long time ago in a bargain bin for $2. I *love* this book--it's one of my all-time favorite books. Although I haven't put up a tree in years, it's now a tradition to read this book every year. It puts me in the Christmas spirit--and adds realism, proof and perspective to the Christmas mission.

Buy it and make your own family tradition.

Literature
Floor games
Published in Unknown Binding by F. Palmer (1911)
Author: H. G Wells
List price:

Average review score:

Where Civ came from
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-01
Maybe it's not the first of the civ building type games, but it's the first rule set for those games. Played between H.G. Wells' kids, with him as moderator, this nation versus nation in combat and comerce game is still fun to play. It's very family oriented and a good way to bond with parents and kids. Since everything is physical there is no ambiguous rules to be misinterpreted, this helps belay blow ups between siblings. A fun fun game for all!

Fantastic genre!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-30
Loved the book and the game! Thanks Skirmisher for bringing HG Wells back to the masses!

A Little Gem
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2006-06-07
I am long-time gamer and also a great fan of H. G. Wells. When this reprint came out, I knew I just had to have it. It is really neat. Thanks to Skirmisher Publishing for making it available again!

A gaming classic from a literary master
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2006-05-25
If you haven't read H. G. Wells's "Floor Games" (and the later but better known "Little Wars") you owe it to yourself to check them out. They're funny, creative, insightful, and elegantly written--a century-old testament to Wells's genius. Kudos to Varhola and Skirmisher Publishing for rescuing these classics from obscurity.

Another "must have" for the well traveled wargamer
Helpful Votes: 7 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2006-12-21
I must admit I had not heard of "Floor Wars" prior to reading "Little Wars". The book predates "Little Wars" but is often considered a companion to the other book. It focuses more on the collecting and building of settings than actual wargaming. The books compliment each other well. "Floor Wars" sparked my imagination even more...taking me back to the little countries and armies that I used to think up in my youth. It was amusing listening to Wells go on about how good figures for certain periods and ranges were not available. I guess nothing really changes after all!

Literature
Fly Like A Butterfly: Yoga for Children
Published in Paperback by Sterling (1999-06-30)
Author: Shakta Kaur Khalsa
List price: $14.95
New price: $8.79
Used price: $6.59
Collectible price: $14.95

Average review score:

Fly Like a Butterflly
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-23
Brilliantly photographed. The sheer joy of yoga shows on all of the little faces. I plan to use it as a teaching tool and hope my little yogis find joy in my classes.
Namaste

My 3 year old LOVES this
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-05-24
This book is great! I like to do a lot of fun things with my kids and this book helps me to "instruct" the under 3 crowd in my house. The kids love it and everyone laughs when we do it! A definite must buy!

Captivating and Exhilarating
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2002-05-04
"Fly Like a Butterfly" is truely exhilarating and simply FUN! The photos are absolutely beautiful.
I have nine nieces and nephews and practice yoga with them weekly. They LOVE the "Frog". Because of your book we have a new found love.... YOGA!
Thank you Shakta for bringing "Children and Yoga" into my life.

Great ideas to incorporate into children's yoga practice
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2003-05-08
This was my first children's yoga purchase which I still use today when teaching young ones. This book gives many different stories to tell as you are teaching children to move their bodies and breath within the poses. A great tool for educators and parents of children preschool through elementary age.

Easy Breezy Fun Yoga Book
Helpful Votes: 7 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2004-11-17
Out of three Children Yoga books I bought off of Amazon, this was far the best! it gave me a lot of ideas to work with and was able to build up a lot of lessons to teach the children. Children love the chanting meditaions and acting like the animals in the jungle story.


Books-Under-Review-->Kids and Teens-->School Time-->English-->Literature-->66
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