Ball Books

Few and far between is there a required reading during my academic courses that can actively keep my attention and provoke genuine thought. This book has managed to do just that, which was initially most surprising to me.

Geared for use in the classroom by writing professors and students, Signs of Life offers quite a large selection of readings regarding contemporary American popular culture. Dispersed throughout these readings are thoughtful semiotic analyses of themes, products and other icons of popular culture that we as consumers and forced listeners usually don't pay much attention to. There is a strong emphasis placed on why and how modern advertisements work. Such attention to detail has caused me to recently do double takes on ads I've seen in passing, just to think about why the darn thing looks the way it does.

The authors' aims were to aid in generating atmospheres for lively class discussions, and for demystifying the sometimes terrifyingly foreign lingo, reasoning and thinking used on students by writing professors. Although this "foreign" language is usually just regarded with a sort of "grin and bear it" attitude by students abroad, it really doesn't have to be dealt with that way afterall. Amazingly, the more inviting world of non-academia and the academic world itself can be easily merged, courtesy of the insights provided by this book. I certainly think that the authors have succeeded in their goals with Signs of Life, and my writing skills have grown stronger because of it.

It's also a delightful read on all accounts, and it doesn't necessarily hold all of its appeal solely for professors and students. In hindsight, I would have read this book anyway, student or not.

John Semper's life-long love of all things Sherlockian led him to create this wonderfully amusing and clever storybook. It is fully illustrated in color and the character designs are perfect. This book is suitable for young readers, but its main appeal will be for Holmes aficionados who will find it a unique addition to their collections. Whippet owners will enjoy it, too. It's unfortunate that Amazon and their competitors no longer stock it, but an on-line search should help you track down a copy. I recommend it highly!

In his first novel published in 1982, Mr Galgut tells the tragic tale of three boys of about 16 who are sent to Bleda Reformatory in South Africa, a correctional facility for under-age delinquents, the principal of which is Mr Eugene Hall. There is Joseph Hamilton, a rather plump boy of unsubtle features and of nervous composure. Scott Berry, a shy brown-eyed boy. Raoul Dean, slim and indifferent. Although the three boys were raised in different social backgrounds, they used to spend a great deal of time together. Their deviant behaviour started with small theft, breaking shop windows and resisting their parents' authority. That is why they were convicted by a children's court to stay at Bleda Reformatory until the age of 18. But to Mr Hull's great disappointment it soon transpires that the three boys are unwilling to settle into the quiet and reverential attitude which is expected of the residents at Blenda.
A harrowing account of three teenaged boys growing up in violence, resentment and vengeance, their life completely devoid of peace, joy and contentment. Once again, a South African author shows us that life in that part of the world is more a matter of survival than of living. Mr Galgut's achievement can easily be compared to some of his compatriots like André Brink, Nadine Gordimer or J. M. Coetzee.

Great story about a man named Razi with the ability to alter his appearance. He isn't a shapeshifter in the vein of werewolves, more like a chameleon who can have any hair color, facial features, etc. However, he is ashamed of his "natural" state and never lets anyone see him that way. Until he meets Dannen.

Dannen is a law enforcement officer in this futuristic world. Dannen comes to investigate a crime. Naturally, Razi is suspect simply because of his abilities. Dannen believes he's innocent and comes to love Razi during his investigation. But, can Razi let go of his fear enough to let Dannen see the real him? Can Dannen make a commitment to Razi? Very good SciFi novella with lots of hot sex, interesting world and likeable characters. Highly recommended.

I first find out about this book because there is a sublime hint in my all-favorite movie Antonioni's "The Passenger". David Locke, a hero, is about to succumb to a deep unconsciousness calling to embark on the journey towards his destiny of loneliness and death - there, by a shade of his reading lamp, is the "The soul of the Ape".

Eugene Marais, was a South African lawyer, physician and journalist, and the semi-professional etiologist. After the devastating effect of the Boer war on his country, Marais and companion retreat to the remote canyon in Transvaal to study the behavior of the troop of baboons. The books main thesis that there are 2 types of memory - the philetic, e.g. instinctual genetic memory, and the experiential, intellectual memory reinforced by learning. Those two parallel trends follow the aspects of the life of the baboons - hunting, orientation, and the supremely human trends such as drug addiction and elaborate sexual behavior. Marais concludes, that there are so much more in the "soul" of the ape, which resembles the traits of our own species.

Overall, the book is a fascinating read, and was a very forward-looking research in his strange time of hesitation, after the disallusement with Freud and before Lorenz and Watson.

A modern practical book which contains information for successful forage production in the Southern U.S. and other areas. The book is written in a readable, understandable style. Though the book is most applicable to the South, many of the forage species discussed can be grown in other regions. Forage livestock principles covered in the book have no geographic boundaries.

Further, the array of information in this book is useful to the experienced and inexperienced forage-animal producer, horse raiser, and to the wildlife enterpriser. The information lays a foundation to appreciate and to understand the interplaying soil, plant, animal, and environmental factors which lead to both a joy and profitability in managing the forage-animal-wildlife complex.

This is a fine book, lots of good information, great photographs; but it is not hardcover. It is not available in hardcover. Amazon needs to fix this.

Rick Ball has written a well researched, practical and entertaining book on living in tight spaces. The book covers a wide range of styles, from Japanese homes with sliding doors and tatami mats to ultra minimalist concrete bunkers, from both an historical and architectural perspective. Ball illustrates his text with copious pictures throughout; Laurence of Arabia's simple monastic like room to Alessandro Ferrari's Milan apartment with the bathroom under a platform bed with the kitchen wrapped around the outside.

Space Craft contains a wealth of information on room functions, dealing with architectural issues, storage solutions and space saving gadgets.

Based on the UK's Channel 4 1980's series of the same name.

Reviewed by Brianne Plach (age 10) for Reader Views (7/08)

Have you ever wanted to be an astronaut? Imagine traveling in a small spacecraft with four others. Your fellow space travelers are really adults, even though they only look like Earth kids. You aren't only traveling from country to country around the world. You are traveling from time period to time period. This is one space odyssey that you won't be able to forget.

By hopping aboard "Space Travelers Land at Buckingham Palace" you will find yourself seeing the City of London. You will see for yourself if the London Bridge is really falling down. You will visit Big Ben. The Space Travelers find themselves arriving just in time to enter the Oxford-Cambridge boat race. Horse-racing fans will find themselves along with the Space Travelers at the Epsom Derby.

Perhaps the most exciting is when they find themselves at the opening ceremony of the Valpon games. The Valpon games are somewhat similar to the Olympics. It's complete with even the backdrop of a green, red or yellow sky.

If you like science fiction, you will love "Space Travelers Land at Buckingham Palace" by Peter Lancaster Walker. This book has something that will appeal to most any young reader. It has adventures, traveling to famous places, animals and lots of funny moments. Your seat is waiting for you on the spaceship, so climb aboard today!

I bought this book for my grandfather, who was also in the Pacific, during WWII and he loved it. He said he could relate to alot of the humourous and serious anecdotes the author shared. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good gift for their grandparents, or anyone interested in learning more about their wartime experience.