Boone Books

Douglas Anderson's "First and Ten" is a hackneyed mystery, with the only interesting twist being that the sleuth is a pro football player. The revelations of how players act aren't unexpected, and the villian is fairly obvious, and we learn who he is early, although the hero is at first shocked to see how close the villian is to him. Then, they go to Texas to find the truth about a death from long ago that will tie everything together. Very unsympathetic to "scrabs" and fairweather fans.

This book is a nice sketch of the life of Daniel Boone, first published by the University Press of Kentucky in 1978. While it does not compare with the larger and more valuable biographies of Draper, and Bakeless, and lacks the primary value of Boone's own account of himself in Filson's "Kentucke" (1784), it is a nice survey, and may be more appreciated by younger readers, or by those new to the subject, than the larger volumes.

This book was way to general. We wanted more information on Daniel Boone. It might be good for young children to get them interested in him and want to learn more.

Too bad that the editors of this collection have featured themselves more prominently than the excellent writers who contributed to this "anthology" and aren't even featured. If you glanced at the cover, you'd never know that the book includes such well known writers as Sue Ellen Case, George Chauncey, and John Rechy, whose lucid essay is a highlight of this collection that all too often bogs down in "queer-theorizing" jargon, relieved by some excellent vintage photographs, drawings, and reproductions of posters and relevant documents. More of the same editorial attention might have been applied to some of the dense pieces.

Running Mates tells the story of reporter Bobby Kelleher, a political beat writer whose ordinary day in the Maryland capitol is shattered when assasins attack the governor during a speech. Kelleher and his colleague, Maureen McGuire, chase the story over the next few days as it twists and turns and ends in a dramatic climax.

Kelleher is a likeable reporter, and Feinstein nails the dynamics of newspaper politics. Editors, publishers and assorted staffers are described perfectly, and he gives a real sense of competition among daily papers and the reporters out digging for new leads. Some elements of the plot strain the reader's credulity, however, and the various conspiracies take a lot of concentration to track. Nonetheless, it's an interesting and fast-paced thriller.

At times the writing seems a bit awkward, with maybe too many inane details and sexual situations. But overall, it's a great first work of fiction from a talented writer. A sequel would be interesting, now that Kelleher's character is established. It would be fascinating to see what he covers next, and how long his editors' happiness with him lasts.

"He is the son of a king, heir to a warrior people. But when a net woven of love, intrigue and loyalty closes around him, neither his lineage nor his spirit can keep him from the grim fate decreed for traitors. His mind and body stretched beyond endurance, he wills himself away-and awakens to the gentle voices of another time. Its people, whom he learns to love, cannot imagine the agony of the rack, the fierce battles of man and monster, or the magic that is Stephen's daily fare. Although it is among them that he finds comfort, his own century keeps calling him back to face the increasingly terrible consequences of his noble silence-until a climactic moment of violence shatters the chains of time forever!"

Secreast's first book, THE RAT BECOMES LIGHT, was a witty and sometimes mystical exploration of the heart of small-town Appalachia, but this second book falls far short of that mark. Secreast's style has become ponderous for this second collection, and he seems to have lost some of the fundamental compassion for the characters. The people in this book have lives with little contour, less texture, and their stories are told without much deftness or vivid, memorable imagery.

I found this book at a used book store. I have seen better books written by elementary students. The rhyming schemes in the book are juvenile and are very forced. The worst part are the illustrations. They look like they are done by, again, elementary students. This looks like something that was a school project and somehow got published. Had one of the 16 people in the acknowledgements (why do you have to acknowledge 16 people for a poorly written book?) come forward and saved Melvin Boone Jr. the embarrassment of this mess.

When I traveled in the Soviet Union, I had the opportunity to visit a couple of elementary schools. I was surprised to see the hallways lined with posters of mushroom clouds, gas masks, and emergency procedures. The Soviet era propaganda was crude and obvious. It was sad to see that it was targeted towards children.

Not since then have I seen such an egregious attempt at siezing the minds of young children.

This book is poorly done. The art is hackneyed.

The book was brand new, just as stated, and in perfect condition! And a great price too!