Boone Books

The Draper Interviews provide insight into the life of Boone, free of the myth and larger than life stereotype that has always surrounded this remarkable frontiersman. Nathan Boone's recollections of his father also gives us a glimpse of how Daniel himself viewed the world in which he lived and allows us to more clearly understand the man from which the legend sprung. Though many books written from similiar interviews are dull and rather boring, the Draper Interviews are arranged so that they make for rather stimulating reading and keep the reader eagerly in longing for the next chapter. Truly a "must read" for anyone interested in Daniel Boone or early Kentucky history.

Nathan Boone and his wife, Olive van Bibber Boone, had the kind of memories most people wish for. They remembered virtually all of the early history of Commonwealth of Kentucky. When Lyman Draper came to visit them for two months in 1851 he found them full of the most interesting and detailed memories of Daniel Boone. Not only had the elder Boone lived with them and shared his own memories, they had also lived through many of the incidents themselves, and knew many of the old pioneers -- old van Bibber was one of the earliest settlers in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Enjoyable, highly readable. I highly recommend this book.

If you like Pat Boone and who doesn't, then this book is for you.

I enjoyed the book, as did a colleague I loaned it to. It's Pat's philosphical statement using his career in pop music as a vehicle. There is some historical perspective and interesting stories along the way. Pat Boone is a genuinely good guy. Someone who stuck to his values despite the opposition. We need more like him, especially in the entertainment world. Lots of pictures illustrate the narrative. A good read.

The wry wit and evocative description of the characters and places while solving a well-plotted mystery have made Allison Gordon one of my favorite crime writers.

The story takes place in 1994 at the beginning of the baseball strike and baseball reporter Kate Henry has no games to cover.She is at home in Toronto contemplating the strike.She and two teenage friends share some concern for an apparently homeless woman,Maggie, who lives in an alley near their apartment. Their is some racial unrest in Toronto since the shooting of a black man by the police...This is a well written,well plotted and fascinating study of the homeless,the difficulties of policework, and the affects of trauma on relationships. A very enjoyable read with an active, intelligent, and capable heroine.The other characters are believable and fun.

This book has a main character, Craig, who's a professional baseball player who has hit a major slump in the major leagues and takes some time off. While soul searching and trying to maintain some semblance of sanity, Craig takes the reader through his abnormal childhood and reflects on the antics of his mother who was mentally insane. Although the ending leaves much to be desired, the content of the book will make you laugh, and say, "WHAT!" several times. Craig and his mother will stay with you long after you've finished this novel. The most memorable scene for me was the baseball game with the mother being an unofficial coach to Craig by showing him how to run the bases while wearing a full length mink coat. Happy reading.

Equally impious and improbable, Percival Everett's story of Craig Suder's sacrificing his baseball career to (inadvertently?) end up pursing an unacknowledged life-long dream is likely to disturb respectable folk. Those with delicate sensibilities need not open this wonderfully instructive and sometimes comically funny work. Nevertheless, Everett's finely detailed chronicle of a slumping professional third baseman's journey to self-awareness is an affirmation in the best sense of the word. Bringing in a diverse cast of characters- -including a taxidermically-obsessed baseball manager, an abused run-away sub-teen, and a long-suffering elephant who finds happiness in the Oregon hill country- -Everett leads the slumping pro ball player to an epiphany of the soul which concludes with a satisfying Icarus-like journey that is also a moving tribute to the jazz of Charlie "Byrd" Parker.

Have fun!

I visited Savannah this summer & then read the book. I had seen the movie when it first came out & remembered that is was a good one, but I forgot so much of it. After touring the Mercer House & confusing several timelines, I borrowed my sister's book & could hardly put it down, and I am a seldom reader. I only read Non-fiction, but this book seems so full of interesting subjects, that it is more like reading fiction. If you like southern history or if you like The southern style that has all but disappeared, then this is a must read, especially if you were not very familiar with Savannah as I was.

This is a great book. It's a truly engaging story. For all those who enjoyed it, I just read another book that is similar in certain ways and also very evocative and compelling - Saving Savannah. What I found particularly interesting was reading both and then thinking about some of the parallels and divergances that emerge. Savannah during the Civil War never ceases to be a fascinating topic...!

Unfortunately, I was disappointed with this book. I was really looking forward to reading it because of all the positive reviews I had read. The only reason I gave it two stars is for the authors descriptions of Savannah and its residents. The book was very slow moving and there were characters introduced that were extensively discussed in the beginning but never reappeared in the book near the end. I also purchased the City of Falling Angels for my husband and he said the same thing about it. Nice description of the city but definitely not worth recommending to someone.

I enjoyed "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil," John Berendt's 1999 blockbuster about the underside of Savannah's genteel lifestyle. But though I enjoyed the story and the characters, I'm not entirely sure why it took off as it did to top the NYT Bestseller list for 200 weeks.

The story is lots of fun and kept me engaged till the end. The story is narrated by a New York journalist hoping to write a story about Savannah. In the first third of the book, he manages to stumble across just about every Southern type, from dueling renovators of old buildings to drag queens, to good ol' boys, to voodoo priestesses and everyone else in between. The collection of roustabouts and ragamuffins is endearing and mostly harmless. They inhabit a dreamy world of quaint customs, elaborate parties, petty rivalries and jealousies, and grand old Southern houses. Then suddenly, a character is found dead in the elegant study of another. The rest of the book traces the intricacies of the trials related to the death.

I was less impressed than some by Berendt's handling of the trials. He breezed through these, leaving out details in one in order to use them for shock value in another. His use of Chablis, the memorable drag queen, seemed added more as comic effect than anything else. Take her out of the book and the plot would not have suffered an iota -- I am *serious*, child!. One wonders whether the fascination for readers is the novelty that the book purportedly features real Savannah houses and landmarks.

"Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" is a fun read that probably won't hold up as a classic. Enjoy it anyway.

Just read the book - you can't help but enjoy the characters and the irony.

I first picked up a stand alone novel by Robert Crais, Hostage, and enjoyed it very much. I then found out he has a running series, the Elvis Cole novels, and bought the Monkey's Raincoat and the rest is history! I love his novels and have since started buying and reading the novels in sequence. Great writer and I am looking forward to the rest of his novels. Robert Crais reminds me a lot of John Sandford and Harlan Coben, with the wit, humor and action of Lucas Davenport and Myron Bolitar. And now I have Elvis Cole! Outstanding writer and I look forward to each novel that he writes. Highly recommend this author!

Since I've read all Mr Crais novels that didn't feature Elvis Cole and Joe Pike, I thought I'd go back to the beginning and see what I've been missing. I've missed really good stories involving these two. They're really good at what they do. Very entertaining.

This is my first Crais novel and was told in a newspaper review of his latest Elvis Cole book to go back and start with the first Cole adventure. I am so glad I did. It was a great introduction! I will now read every one of them.

Just as I titled this review--this item arrived when promised and is in good condition.I'm only on cassette #2 but the story is as good as I'd hoped.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable book. The plot seems a little strained toward the middle, but the author ties it back together satisfactorily. The outstanding characters make up for the minor plot weakness. I was quite surprised to see how well the author pulls off the juxtaposition of the taciturn Pike and the facetious and loquacious Cole. It is also nice that the book is not overly burdened with political correctness: One of the female characters starts as a fairly helpless character who strengthens under the pressure of the situation while another starts as a pain in the rear and remains so, realistically. A very enjoyable story.

Most of us, if we lost our job and our livelihood, would react with grief and anger. Hopefully, we would eventually find a new job or career without succumbing to lasting despair. Very few of us would turn to murder.

The anti-hero of Donald E. Wastlake's novel, Burke Devore, dares to think the unthinkable--and to act on it. His rage against the system has turned him ice cold. He's calculated the odds, see, and he's decided that only a few of his highly-qualified professional colleagues stand between him and re-employment. Now he's got a list of people to eliminate, and he's going down the list one by one, literally killing the competition.

The amazing thing is that through the course of the book, we come to like Burke Devore, and even (heaven help us) to want him to succeed. We can thank Mr. Westlake for this; his characterization is masterful. He gives Burke's character added depth with sub-plots involving his wife and son. As the consequences of Burke's insane obsession become increasingly horrendous, they spill over into his family life in chilling ways.

But even better than the characterization is Westlake's famous plotting. The plot flies along like a roller coaster, with new and unexpected thrills around each curve. Nothing is settled until the last page.

It all feels so real that in the end, we can only marvel at Donald Westlake's remarkable imagination and ability to create one man's whole twisted world. This is noir writing at its finest.

Although first published in 1997, "The Ax" remains relevant ten years later as the downsizing in corporate America continues unabated. The downsizing of white collar jobs is still topical and should continue to be for years to come. Dark, satirical, and surprisingly moving, "The Ax" is the crown jewel of Westlake's bibliography.

I saw this movie by Costa Gavras a couple of years ago at the TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL. The movie moved me so much...that I decided to buy the book a year later. I loved reading it but it was so much like the movie that I knew what was going to happen...I probably should have read the book before the movie...I don't know. The MOVIE is simply excellent. I couldn't help seeing excerpts from the film as I read the book. It's a scary dark noir thriller of what could happen with outsourcing jobs to other countries and how one's home country could falter for it...very interesting reading.

This is the best book I've read in years for one reason: You almost become the main character, an out of work psychopathic murderer. Now, you may be asking yourself why you'd want to become a out of work psychopath, but trust me you'll like it... in a weird way which makes you worried about yourself when you finally put it down. The book is written in the first person with very little dialogue, due to this you get such an intimate bond with the character, through his thoughts, that you don't want him to get caught... because your so involved you feel like your at risk of being found out too. You sympathize with this guy to a degree that I didn't think was possible to feel for a killer, but you want him to succeed, you want him to kill again... It's a strange sensation that is wonderful and scary at the same time, like you're doing something you're not supposed to. If you want a read that you'll never forget, this is it. Westlake at his very best.

This was my first Donald Westlake novel and surely not my last. I picked it up after reading Stephen King's much praised "On Writing". At the end of King's book, he gives a list of his all-time favorites and this was one of them. I am a huge King fan so I checked this one out at the library and will be adding the hardback to my collection.

This is a story that hits close to home, being that I'm currently on the market for a decent job after being laid off from a promising career.

I could not put this book down. I brought it to doctor's visits, restaurants, read it in the car when my husband was driving (feat in itself!) and into the bathtub with me.

Westlake succeded in fleshing out a man on the verge of losing everything in the wake of being laid off from a sixteen- year job and brings to light the corporate swine that ultimately makes those kinds of decisions. In a world of tough competition in the job market, Westlake gives new definition to the term "Dog eat dog world".

The pace was fast and had you rooting for the main character which in this case was the killer. A very difficult thing to do for any writer but Westlake does it flawlessly.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good dark comedy-thriller.

Before Hannibal Lecter became his franchise character, author Thomas Harris delivered a 1975 thriller, which could plausibly be pulled out of media reports today; an angry and bitter American citizen works with a terrorist cell to commit murder and mayhem on the international stage, the Super Bowl.

In a race against the clock, an Israeli security agent and the FBI attempt to put the pieces of the puzzle together before it's too late. Harris weaves the plot between the two scenarios, which gives added meaning to the two-minute-warning, with no more timeouts.

Harris aptly shows what happens when the raw emotions of hatred and jealousy grips the mind and how it ultimately eats away at the soul.

Excellent book by an excellent writer. Having read several other books by Thomas Harris I think this one does please. Suspense, action, drama, and well crafted characters make for a great read.

BLACK SUNDAY is Thomas Harris' first novel, and is the only one that doesn't feature the character of Hannibal Lecter. This novel instead deals with a terrorist plot to blow up the Superbowl. Unfortunately, this book is not as exciting as the plot would suggest.

This is definitely not the best novel by Thomas Harris. I thought the character development was rather weak, largely due to Harris' decision not to have a central protagonist. He instead presents a large cast of characters in BLACK SUNDAY, and none are sufficiently developed enough for the reader to emphasize with any of them.

This book is also pretty tedious in spots. Harris obviously did a lot of research for this book, but he includes way too much irrelevant detail that doesn't move the story forward. BLACK SUNDAY therefore ends up being a rather slow paced read, a serious problem for any thriller.

There are moments of stylistic brilliance in BLACK SUNDAY, because Harris is a very fine writer. But it doesn't really add up to a very exciting story. If you've never read Harris before, my advice is to read the book he wrote after this one, RED DRAGON. That novel, in my opinion, is one of the finest thrillers ever written.

Thomas Harris' first novel "Black Sunday", is, as all of his works are, very well written and told in an enticing and convincing way. The characters are three dimensional and realistic. You'll never question whether or not the thoughts or actions of the characters are plausible, and you'll not think that this or that is out of line. It has a sense of realism to it, that really makes it scary almost.

Highly recommendable

It is hard to believe this book was written thirty years ago. This story of an American madman hooking up with Palestinian terrorists to blow up the Superbowl is very relevant to today. I just saw the movie Munich and so the terrorist organization Black September was fresh in my mind. Just like Munich, the Mossad is operating in this novel to hunt down Black September. Clues bring them to the US, and without the help of the Israelis, the incompetent American intelligence services would never have known that Palestinian terrorists were planning mass murder inside the US.

I found a few unbelievable elements to the story. Namely, how the Palestinian terrorist organization Black September allowed a beautiful female into its upper ranks. And furthermore, how she then fell for the Vietnam vet plotting to blow up the Superbowl. It is obvious that she was using him for murderous ends, but Harris leaves hints that she was beginning to fall for him.

The plot proceeds at a quick pace and is very tightly and well written. It does not take long to finish this book. Best part: the bad guy gives his ex-wife tickets to the Superbowl he was plotting to blow up.

This was SUCH an enjoyable read. Very fun. I have really enjoyed reading Hispanic culture fiction and this is one of the best I've read. The first one of this genre I read (that this reminds me of) is "Like Water for Chocolate" by Laura Esquivel. I highly recommend both to put a smile on your face.

"Esperanza's Box of Saints" is a novel that, despite its digestible lenght, not once failed to deliver all the heart, laughs and depth one would wish to see in such a spiritual telling.

With an uncanny ability to weave dimensional characters in just a matter of paragraphs, Maria Amparo Escandón tells us a tale that explores a woman's struggle with her faith, and a journey which touches not only the lives of the characters she meets (be them pimps, prostitutes or angelical wrestlers), but also the hearts of the readers.

Told with simplistic prose, clever touches of humor amidst the drama and the heartfelt magic of Mexico's culture to add spice to its already unique mood and the intelligence and responsability of a fully realized author, "Esperanza's Book of Saints" should be a novel read by everyone.

Our reading group read this book. It was a wonderful story for discussion!! Esperanza has lost her daughter and believes she is still alive. Her faith combined with the traditions of her culture lead her on an adventure in an effort to find Blanca. She relies on her saints to guide and protect her. Eperanza meets many people who are of questionable reputation but in thier own odd way assist her on her journey. It is a story of grief, faith, superstition and sheer determination. Tragic in some ways and very funny in others.

What a great and fun book! Takes about 50 pages to get you hooked because it is just so odd you can't tell what the heck it is! But - keep reading! A quick read, lots of fun, nice to share. Read this one first, then read "Gonzales and Daughter Trucking Company," which is just incredible! ////
(My only cavil is the "Box of Saints" title doesn't really capture the full meaning of "Santitos" - I guess there's no translation.. The story is more about "protective deities" than just any old box of saints....)

"Esperanza's Box of Saints" is a sweet, poignant story. The plot is fast-based as it follows Esperanza across Mexico and into the US as she searches for her daughter who she believes has been kidnapped and sold into prostitution.

The novel is billed as being in the magical realism vein, but those elements are very subtle. There are brief episodes of Esperanza's saints talking to her or otherwise giving her signs, and there is the sense that she is somehow protected, or charmed, as she is able to remain relatively unscathed while undergoing some potentially dangerous or degrading experiences. Otherwise, the story seems very grounded in an everyday world which is pious, sordid, beautiful, and freaky.

For me, the main thing that kept the book from achieving 5 stars is that the characters throughout are fairly superficial - which is something that is common to most "picaresque" novels. Even Esperanza, who undergoes some life-altering events, doesn't really experience any character development since she doesn't take time to reflect on what is happening to her even during her confessions to her priest. Actually, I felt that the priest was the most complex, and even compelling, character of the story and was a little disappointed that there weren't more interactions between him and Esperanza, or at least that there wasn't more depth to the interactions they did have.

One of the strengths of the novel are the descriptive narratives. Ms. Escandon really brings to life the world Esperanza inhabits, from the tropical sights and smells of Veracruz, to the barrenness of Tijuana, to the weirdness of LA. If you read this book you'll never be able to look at dirty ovens or rust stains, or smell tamarinds, in the same way again.

Borderliners by Peter Hoeg is one of my favorite novels. I've read it several times and every time I am newly amazed by the writing and the story. I would describe it as a psychological thriller perhaps but that doesn't give it credit for its complete originality. I have also enjoyed Hoeg's other books, particularly Smilla's Sense of Snow, but I think this is his master work so far (although I haven't yet read his newest).

I can't emphasize enough how important it is that an audio book have the correct narrator. George Guidell seems able to "own" almost any story, and this one by Danish author Hoeg is no exception. This is the story of Pater, a boy caught up in an odd experiment in the 1970s by the Danish Ministry of Education wherein the idea was to re-integrate problem children into the normal school system - in very strict circumstances - in the hope they could be blended back in and "ennobled." This is a very odd story, filled with a variety of teachers with quirks and ticks, students with light to heavy mental imbalance, and a running monologue on the nature of time. This monologue overpowers the story itself at times, but it's well worth the trouble to make it through. The characters in this one, their reactions, and the reasons for them, will stick with you. The ending is a little ambiguous, and I wasn't totally enamored of the conclusion and the end that the protagonist came to, but there is deep thought in the pages of this book, and I'd recommend it to anyone, particularly those who are interested in the concept of linear vs. cyclic time.

No emotion, no real plot, and nothing but theories on time and the concepts around it. The characters seem to have no feeling, and the plot is boring rather than suspense filled. I wanted to like this book because it is so well written, but it just doesn't keep one intrigued. Sorry, but I cannot give an obviously intelligent and talented writer like Hoeg the rating his style deserves.

I chose this for my most recent book club selection, based on the synopsis, the high rating, and the fact that I'd seen and loved the movie Smilla's Sense of Snow.

I don't wish to belabor points already raised by so many reviewers before me, so I'll just comment on how I experienced it. To be candid, I didn't like it very much the first time (though I wouldn't have said it was bad). Because I had to lead the upcoming book club discussion, I read it again, and the second time through I really enjoyed it.

So what was the problem the first time? I think I did have expectations based on what I'd read "about" the book that caused me to be looking for things that weren't there. I think I thought it would be more of a thriller, and I also thought the adults and institutions would be more sinister. Instead, I think the book points out the sinister aspects of things that many of us are already familiar with to some extent. So it wasn't as shocking as I expected.

Another issue that discolored my initial read, was the structural combination of jumping chronologically, jumping to different settings/characters, and the sparse style. Hoeg doesn't use much detailed descriptions, and the flow seems to be mostly guided by the narrator's stream of consciousness. I felt confused much of the time - Who ARE these people? WHERE are we? WHEN are we? Yet, on the second read, I would not have changed any of these points. The sparse style is part of the beauty of this book. To paraphrase one of the characters, you have to listen to the pauses between Hoeg's words. What he doesn't say, his decisions on what to leave out, or leave to the reader's imagination, is just as important as what he does say.

The final problem, of course, is the discourses on the nature of time, which are strewn lightly throughout Parts 1 and 2, but seem to make up the bulk of Part 3. (There are three "Parts" total.) As others have said, at times these are interesting and seem pertinent, but often they are tedious, boring, and severely interrupt the flow of the story. The only excuse I can imagine for keeping them is that they are "true to the character".

Despite these difficulties, I have to rate this at 4 stars, which is high on my personal scale. During my second read, since I knew what to expect (or what not to expect) and I was no longer confuse, the many positive points of this novel came through. The book deals with a long list of topics which are relevant to our times. The characters are interesting and sympathetic. The style is beautiful in its apparent simplicity. I expect that, like many great works of art, each succeeding experience will reveal new depths.

I would recommend it, but note that it is not for everyone. Although I found it to be uplifting in the end, many of my fellow book club members found it to be too sad and depressing throughout. If you are looking solely for entertainment, you might skip this one. If you enjoy something that makes you think, definitely give this a chance!

"Borderliners" tells the story of three young adult Danish students: the narrator (and author stand-in) Peter who has been orphaned since birth, recently-orphaned Katarina, and August, who has killed both of his abusive parents. Peter has been the target of physical and sexual abuse from his foster families, from the other students in the various institutions he has lived in, and from the administration of these places. Their current school is called Biehl's, and Katarina begins to suspect there is something sinister going on. The plan eventually revealed is to take in "borderline" or troubled students and raise them up to the standard as the rest. When August cannot cope, despite everyone's efforts, tragedy strikes.

The only problem with this novel were the digressions into the nature of "time." Some were pertinent and tied in with the book's themes. Others, however, just seemed pretentious and pointless. Still, the book is worth a read.