Cameron Books

Anne Cameron accomplishes the impossible - capturing all the blood and tears of a heart-breakingly disfunctional family with the complexity of Indian shaman legend and good old fashioned urban myth. This author can spin a tale that by turns stands your hair on end and forces out a tear or two of helpless remorse. Regardless of the wild ride, the ending is one of hope and unconditional love with a little help from the gods...I'm waiting for the sequel!

Excellent book, written in the 1920's. Main focus is biology, but 20 to 30% relates to hunting, which is my primary interest. Having only hunted red deer on three estates, the author's observations seem very accurate, based on my limited experience. It would seem to be time for someone to write an updated version, adding the knowledge gained more recently.

What it is not: A book for teenagers about current teen stars or a critique of current actors/actresses in hollywood. What it is: A 223 page hardcover book with biographies, filmographies and pictures of young actors/actresses. Starts with Patricia Arquette and ends with Billy Zane. I feel that this book is a good addition to the library of people who are interested in the lives of young (20's to early 30's) actors and actresses.

I'm a 15 year old female, who was assigned to this book by a group of, suprise suprise, 3 males of my same age.
Now, I'm a big TC fan, I loved Red October, and I'm fairly up-to-date with my techno-jargan, but honestly...
Without reiterating what many have so eloquently posted, my copy (which I bought used for $1, a bit over-priced if you ask me)now sits half burned, torn to bits in a corner of my room where I flung it against the wall.

*headdesk*
Really Tom?

If you've read any of Tom's books, you would know that he can sure write a good thriller. In fact, he's considered one of the best thriller novelists in the modern era, often mentioned alongside names such as John Grisham and Michael Crichton.

Rainbow Six is a great testament to that.

Rarely did I stop turning the pages in this one. The prose was flowing, the action was fast and the plot was engaging. Being someone who had served in the army before, I was attracted by the details of the mechanics surrounding the anti-terrorist team named RAINBOW. It's clear Tom knows his stuff. All the facts on the weapons were spot on, and the plot was very believable; with the US government being a part of a bio-terrorism scheme to exterminate the world's population, holocaust style. The multi-national team RAINBOW took center stage in this one, and for much of the book, we learn about their members, their individual roles in the team and their many characteristics. Which is good; having the members of RAINBOW drive the book was a good move by Clancy.

The plot moves on in many threads, much like Ted Bell's SPY where we see many threads moving on in a chronological sequence. It has a very gradual build-up that many thrillers typically employ. RAINBOW started off being formed in the first few chapters to being a serious threat to the main problem (the bio-terrorism problem) in the end. The book moves in and out between the team, the bad guys (Popov and the terrorists), the US government and the many external forces influencing the situation itself. And the plot threads move at a very fast pace, making it very enagaging and urgent.

All in all, I found it a very exciting read. And I recommend it to all looking for a good thriller to plunge into.

I was disappointed in this book. It was too drawn out and too many subplots. Hard to keep all the characters in mind. Actually, if I hadn't read any of Vince Flynn's books, I might have been a little more excited about this book. I have read some other Clancy books and enjoyed them, but this one dragged on.

This gift hooked its' new owner the first time he read it. Adventure, well written espionage and keeping the attention are just some of his mentions. Obviously a plot and book to enjoy.

Extremely boring... The first Clancy book that was not a constant page turner for me. What happened Tom?

A wonderful book although I am late in reading it based on the publication date.
It kept me up late reading it and the characters were well written.
Slightly disapppointed in the late Rollie appearance which I thought Lee was tied to but never the less Sam protected his family and I sort of liked him at the end and felt bad for him.
The beginning of the book was quick moving and I enjoyed the pace.
Hats off to John Grisham.
Staci

If your idea of a good book is one where there is lots of action and fascinating twists and turns of plot complications pop up on every page, you shouldn't go anywhere near The Chamber. If, however, you would like to gain a visceral sense of the issues around capital punishment, The Chamber is a well-constructed fictional treatment. It won't be a pretty or a pleasant experience, but neither is capital punishment.

I remember as a youngster carefully following the case of Caryl Chessman, a convicted robber and rapist who was executed in California's gas chamber. Reading The Chamber brought back those visceral memories of thinking through my reactions to the death penalty. I became an opponent. Most people who read this book will too.

John Grisham does a good job of making the book about the death penalty, rather than the general flaws in the legal system. He also explains the reasons why gas chambers were an awful way to execute criminals.

The condemned man in the story is clearly guilty, by his own admission, in the book; but Grisham makes him somewhat appealing: Grisham wants us to think about what should happen to this old white man, Sam Cayhall, a KKK member who participated in terror bombings in the South during the Civil Rights era. Grisham's clever idea for this book is to have Sam's grandson Adam Hall, who doesn't know his grandfather, handle the last few weeks of desperate appeals. Hall becomes a surrogate for a neutral observer in a situation where there can be no neutral observers.

I was impressed by the plotting and character development in the story. Murder creates more victims than most people realize, even among the killer's family. Grisham adds those dimensions in persuasive fashion.

The book's main weakness is that he pushes our noses a bit too much into nitty gritty of defending Death Row cases. Unless you are a lawyer (which I am), you won't find a lot of this very interesting. But if you are lawyer who hasn't been near a capital case, you'll find this book to be quite startling in terms of describing a situation for defense lawyers where they have little hope to win . . . but lots of chances to experience a broken heart.

If you want a shorter look at Grisham's views on the subject, you might enjoy the non-fiction The Innocent Man more than The Chamber.

i love grishams books and his style of writing but the chamber was boring and not very interesting

This book was a very pedestrian effort. It was a straight line through a death penalty case. No plot twists, nothing really that interesting at all. At over 600 pages it was too long. You can spend your time and money better elsewhere

I have read many JG books and love him. This book is long, boring, predictable and just plane stupid. I absolutely hate the plot, characters and even detest the paper that it is printed on. I can not say enough bad things about this book. It should be titled "The Torture Chamber".

Scribner has created a beautiful book in this edition. The illustrations are on heavy glossy paper and are magnificent. There are very nice, free readings of this work online, and so I purchased the book for my young children to enjoy - to read while listening to the narrator. My only complaint is the book is abridged. This is not evident from the description. I think most editions of this work are abridged. When the book ended, I was left wondering what became of Friday, as he is not mentioned again after the final battle. The author did not seem like one who would leave out that detail, and so I discovered the unabridged story is longer. Still, the quality of the book and the beauty of the illustrations are so very nice that I cannot knock a star off my review.

"I came on shore here on the 30th of September, 1639." These words, these few words signified the beginning of a new life for Robinson Crusoe. In the timely classic Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, a young boy becomes a man, after living alone on an island for 35 years. Set in the 1600's, our protagonist, Robinson Crusoe, is stranded on an isolated island after being shipwreck by a terrible storm. He has to learn anything and everything in order to survive on the island. At first, Robinson Crusoe struggles with the need of food, shelter, and protection. But most of all, Robinson Crusoe battles against the desperate need of company. Slowly, Crusoe starts to fall into a pattern: he built a sturdy fortress, raised up a good crop, managed to satisfy all his need with his own to hands, and took the Bible to his heart. Defoe wonderfully creates a realistic mental scene of all Robinson Crusoe dealt with while, the illustrator, N.C. Wyeth, visually portrays the moments of Crusoe's life vividly. The style of Robinson Crusoe switches between first person narrative and dairy format. The book is fast-paced, skimming years, while writes in detail on only the most important parts of his island survival. Defoe neatly described all aspects of Robinson Crusoe's life from religion to family. Finally, Defoe puts in, in my opinion, a theme of never giving up, no matter what the circumstances, for if you stack up the good against the battle, you will find the good shall always outweigh the bad.

Note: Your "helpful" votes are appreciated. Thanks.

There are a lot of psychological and social theories about "Robinson Crusoe," but I just take it as a grand adventure. I loved all the details of how he survived after being shipwrecked on that island. Just remember that it was written in the seventeenth century so you have to get used to writing.

I have a warm place in my heart for Robinson Crusoe. Some fifty years ago in the second grade, my teacher read it to our class. Decades later, I told my wife about it, but she said that it was impossible. Robinson Crusoe is too difficult for a teacher to read to second graders.

Well, several years went by, and I was proved right. In a used bookstore, I bought a copy of "The Story of Robinson Crusoe in words of One Syllable," with "Colored Illustrations." The book was published in about 1900, and when my teacher read it to her class, the book was over fifty years old.

Since then I have collected paperback editions of "Robinson Crusoe" for their neat covers, and this one is really nice.

If you like shipwrecked-on-an-island stories, read Richard Laymon's "Island." It's a page-turner of a modern murder mystery.
Island

Everyone knows the story...so the issue is who can read the
literature in a compelling way. Clearly, Martin Shaw has the touch. My only criticism is that this audio Cassette should be made into an audio CD for most modern listeners.

The century in which Robinson Crusoe had his adventures was a time of exploration and colonialism. Daniel Defoe's story is famous for many reasons. For one thing, it is one of the first books to be written in modern English. Secondly, the adventuristic appeal has won the hearts and interests of generations of readers. And thirdly, it is an affirmation of the culture and society of the times (in comparison with Gulliver's Travels, a book that was more a satire of the times).

The book is set up in three parts, those being Crusoe's exploration of the world, being cast away on the island, and the providential return to society. The three parts are used to establish the world he exists in, to defend the world he exists in, and then to return to it after he's been able to properly exist outside of it.

Many readers may find a lot of comfort in his story. His ingenuity, perseverence, and industry combine somewhat melodramatically with his humbleness and self-discovery of God, which he defends mightily throughout. The story on a whole is hopeful and endearing: work hard, respect God, and even the most unlucky of man will abide.

Unfortunately, his tale hasn't aged well. The use of cannibal savages, slaves, and the like throughout the novel might offend some people. The constant care for divinity is at first really refreshing, but becomes tedious as the book starts to fall into a pattern of comfort-discomfort-speculation-God-comfort which may have been very enriching on the time, but today gets tedious. I don't want to intone that piety and response to the Bible is bad, I'm just saying it's out of place in modern vernacular.

Defoe himself shows a comprehensive understanding of the language, the characters, and the times. It is, really, a remarkable piece of writing structurally. However, its themes have aged, making it less than Universal, and for that matter somewhat misunderstood with modern-day audiences.

I'd say get this, the Dover Thrift edition. It's cheap, unabridged, and includes a quick introduction that makes the reading experience vastly more enriching. Otherwise it may be time to set this story to rest.

--PolarisDiB

The interwoven stories of two married couples--Cam and Allie versus Jamie and Maggie. Love and betrayal are major themes that weaves around the main story of a man who loves his wife so much that he kills her.

Jamie MacDonald's wife is dying from multiple cancers and is in a gerat deal of pain. She does not want to suffer anymore, but refuses to kill herself. Instead, she asks Jamie to kill her. Jamie honors maggie's wishes and then is overcome with grief and remorse. He confesses to her murder and is subsequently arrested and put on trial.

Cam MacDonald, who happens to be Jamie's cousin, is the Chief of Police in Weelock who arrests Jamie. Cam feels trapped in his life and doesn't appreciate Allie, the wife who worships him and will do anything for him. Cam goes looking for excitement in the arms of Mia, a drifter who is befriended by Allie, and turns their quiet lives upside down.

I have read many of Jodi's books and have always been amazed how she can take real life and touchy subjects and seem to make sense of it all. However, in this book I think she lost her focus with many things. I don't know if it was a product of too much pressure to get another book published or just a lapse on her part. All the characters suffer from some form of stupidity whether it be selfishness, or just plain lack of common sense. I don't feel that any of them were realistic except for maybe the police chief who was just conceited and selfish. I had to finish it just so I could see how she brought it all together but even that didn't really happen.
If you have never read a Picoult book then please don't start with this one because I don't think you would read the ones that deserve your time.
Thankfully I am a quick reader and didn't waste too many precious days on this one.
I hope Jodi takes a breather for a while so she can go back to writing like she used to and doesn't turn into another John Grisham and loses her focus.

This one wasn't her best. OK, maybe was a good one, for sure, but I've read several and "Plain Truth" was far better, among others. I did like it. I'm not saying I didn't.....but Cam's affair really just threw me for a loop, and I LOVED how his wife dealt with it! LOVED IT! So much I wish my hubbie would cheat on me so I could do that!!! FYI, if this is your first Picoult book, try another one too, because several others are better.

My husband got me this book for my birthday last year. I loved it!! It's one of the few books I actually cried while reading. I passed it onto a few other people who also loved the book.

If you like Piccoult, give it a try.

A fan of Picoult ever since I read The Tenth Circle, I couldn't wait to get into this one. I wasn't disappointed. The subject matter is a touchy one, so read with an open mind. Judging won't get you very far with this book!

This is a pretty decent book. It's not completely non-fiction but the author does state that its a compilation of his experiences. It's quite amusing and kept me interested, though the title is much more exciting than the actual story.

Some of the other reviewers have described this book at "exhilirating," but I didn't find much excitement or action in the book, rather it is a very accurate portrait of life as a young associate at a law firm, which is seldom exciting or interesting. Though the job promises a lot of money, prestige and future opportunity, it also demands a lot of unpleasant grunt work and very long hours. Stracher does a great job detailing his emotions throughout the time at the firm (and his initial decision to join the firm) as well as the tasks he was asked to perform on a day to day basis and in doing so provides a very honest example for people thinking of doing big law. The writing itself is sometimes a little too flowery, but the story does move along very well and is very insightful, so I would recommend it to anyone considering a career at a big firm or people who just want to see what a big firm is really like (as opposed to the depictions you usually see on tv or in John Grisham novels).

Double Billing is a fairly good representation of the life of a junior litigation associate in a large New York law firm. For all practical purposes, the firm described in the book may as well have been CS&M or S&C. I agree with some other reviewers that the title and subtitle for the book are a bit misleading, but the book is worth reading nonetheless for anyone interested in "BigLaw" and the money and prestige that come to the select few. Stracher shows that he is a talented writer in this entertaining tale and did a good job of portraying large firm life, the never-ending hours, the demanding partners and senior associates and the gradual loss of one's life and friends outside of work. Yet, despite knowing all of this, there are numbers of law school students ready to kill for a coveted summer associate position with one of these firms and the job offer at the end of the summer that usually accompanies it. Although I'm currently working in a New York law firm, the constant thought I had while reading this book was that I am glad I stayed away from litigation. I recommend this book for anyone interested in large law firm practice or civil litigation.

I disagree with the reviewers who state that this book is a "must read" for anyone considering law school, lawyers, etc. The book could not hold my attention. Stracher likes to complain. He complains about is frustration about the doors a Harvard law degree opens yet boasts on the same page about his elation of getting in, and the opportunities that await. He can't write or hold the reader's attention. Skip this book, and pick up something better.

Stracher's book is a fairly boring whine-fest. He comes across as a silly young man, who went from college to law school without stopping to take the time to determine if law school was right for him. Then, after law school, off he immediately went to take a job as an associate at an enormous law firm, and was ultimately surprised to find himself miserable. Stracher's insights into the world of law are mundane and simple. It takes him three years to figure out he took the wrong job. He (and the reader) would have been much better served if he had engaged in some introspection prior to applying to law school, and again prior to taking a job, instead of thoughtlessly following a path, and then whining that he doesn't like where he has found himself.

well, i've read so many how to books, i've read tips and traps, the idot's guide, and the dummy's guide. the owner builder book surpases them all!

it taught me so much about being my own contractor to build my house myself. i've had a lot of friends who custom built homes, and one thing i noticed about all of them is that the builder didn't really build. he just managed the building project but made $50,000 or more for his management!

this book broke down everything you need to know to begin this process. it especially focuses on the planning stage which is the most important stage in building a custom home.

if you are considering being an owner builder, this the book for you!

While the book tries to convince you to be a owner-builder, it doesn't give you what you need to make the decision. A book that was far better and more closely resembles what you want to know about is Contracting your Home. I bought them both and was ready to discard this book and fell in love with that one.

I've just started in on this book, so my review may change after I've read the rest; but my initial opinion of this book is that while it contains a lot of useful information, it also contains information that is based on favorable chance events and optimism; these should be toned down or at least balanced with conservative planning. One instance shows how to "trade up" or "flip" houses to use the equity of the flipped house to get better properties at lower mortgage payments. This is an optimistic assumption, as is apparent in todays real estate market as of this review, there are a lot of home buyers who thought they could do this and are now stuck in expensive properties they don't want. Information presented like this reminds me of those "get rich" books. Many of the other reviewers have said the same thing: Too much junk information thrown in trying to make you feel good about the book and what you are doing. This space could have been eliminated, shrinking the book, or filled with more useful information.

Optimisim and "can do" spirit is definitley necessary to build your own home, by all accounts it is a very trying process. When using this book as an element in your DIY homebuilding planning, I'd follow the author's suggestions, plan like crazy, plan for the worst and hope for the best. The information in the book is very good. I'd still recommend it.

I bought this book last year before I started my first building project and it was very useful. While I agree with some of the negative reviews that there are too many testimonials and some strange justifications discussed on why to build your own home, I think overall it's helpful.

Here are the things you can get from this book: a plan showing you how to get started, understanding the different steps and trades to build, understanding the planning time required, an idea of the commitment that is required, a structure to set-up your budget, tips to secure your bank loan and ideas for some custom home features to consider.

You will not get much information on the following: details on building techniques, detailed cost saving tips or useful price information.

This book is garbage. Nothing more than motivational fluff and a complete misrepresentation of the homebuilding business and process. The Author convinces readers that they can't control or trust an individual contractor to build a house for them but can easily control dozens of individual subs and suppliers without being cheated. Yeah right. The book is chock full of statistics and statements that have no support or reference. It is not surprising that the book is self-published because no reputable publisher would publish a book with so many unsupported facts and figures. If you need motivation and someone to tell you you can do it and you are the king of the world and contractors are the skum of the earth, buy the book. If you want real guidance and grounded advice on how to build your own home, look elsewhere.

I couldn't put it down except when I had to. The twists and turns are complete surprises. This is the first book by Tim Green that I have read and it isn't 'literature' but it is fast paced, exciting, and great entertainment.

This was my first Tim Green book, and although it's a quick read, I did not like the story. This makes the second not-so-good book in three days for me.


Aside from the computer stuff, did anyone else notice the "Law for Dummies" vibe of the book? Some of the lines read like a "we lawyers do THIS for THIS reason."


Just bad. I agree with previous reviewers about how characters change for absolutely no reason. Shouldn't Sales have been charged for kidnapping? Or did Casey have to press charges in order for that to happen? Either way, there were too many gaps in this book. I thought it was interesting to reveal the killer in the middle of the book, but I lost interest after a view unbelievable conversations.

Books like THE LETTER OF THE LAW continue to show how dangerous and risky it is to seek companionship on the Internet. The opening chapter of this tense little thriller is ample proof. How it relates to the main gist of the novel takes a long time, but it does make sense.
Green's novels are well crafted, even if sometimes he becomes a little too cinematic in the way the story unfolds. Casey Jordan is not the most likeable of heroines...she's ambitious, always concerned about the way she is perceived; she likes her rich life, her uncaring husband and her notoriety. Once she takes on Eric Lipton, her former law professor, however, things start caving in on her.
Lipton is a demonic character, full of pride and arrogance, and the reader will doubt his innocence from the start. Once his trial is over, Casey must face Donald Sales, the father of the victim whom she intimated may have been more than just a daddy. Meanwhile, Bob Bolinger, a crusty older detective (think Lee J. Cobb) is convinced Lipton is a serial killer.
Green twists the plot for some interesting surprises, particularly in the relationship between Sales and Casey.
An involving and engrossing legal thriller, which despite its flaws, is one of Green's more intriguing novels.

This is my first Tim Green book and I was delighted. After putting off reading this book for months, I have to kick myself for not reading it sooner. The book is about a lawyer named Casey who is asked to represent her law professor. He is accused of killing a student by cutting her up and removing her gall bladder. Pretty disgusting.

The whole premise of the book is how Casey manages to get the professor acquitted to then find out that he may have done it. In order to free the professor, she had to attack the character of the dead girl's father on the stand. In freeing her professor, Casey is now stuck between a serial killer and the dead girls father's hatred.

What makes this book unique is that Casey is not that likable for heroine. She is shown as being very materialistic and doing whatever she can to win a case. However that all changes when she sets a killer free and she starts questioning where she went wrong.

Good book and Tim Green does a great job of laying out the plot.

The Letter of the Law opens with the murder of a cyber sex addict, a killing whose significance only becomes apparent near the end of this tense, taut tale of perverted morality and the law. It then segues to a grisly crime scene, a scene change which signals the beginning of the main action of the novel. Here, readers are introduced to police Detective Bob Bolinger, who, despite being a twenty seven year veteran of the force, has never seen quite so brutal a crime scene--the victim, law student Marcia Sales has been eviscerated, her internal organs strewn over the floor of her apartment.

Searching for suspects, Bolinger briefly focuses on Donald Sales, the girl's father, who, in his grief, went berserk at the crime scene. Bolinger's finely honed instincts soon lead him, however, to law professor Eric Lipton, with whom she was romantically involved. Upon learning he is the chief suspect, Lipton, famous for "The Letter of the Law," a treatise and course on how to manipulate the legal system, flees, only to be captured by the police in short order.

A la the O.J. Simpson or the Claus Von Bulow cases, the case attracts national attention, becoming more of a media circus with each passing day. Dismissing his first attorney, thearrogant, eccentric Lipton hires one of his brightest students, up and coming attorney Casey Jordan, to defend him. Anxious to make a lasting mark in the legal community, the ambitious Jordan accepts the case. Using all the weapons in her considerable arsenal, she proceeds to secure a verdict of not guilty, attacking Bolinger professionally, and Donald Sales personally, even going so far as to suggest that Sales may have had an incestuous relationship with his daughter.

The jury verdict is only the beginning of the action, however, as, seconds before it is announced, Lipton whispers something to Casey that turns her world upside down. His revelation triggers a truly bizarre sequence of events that ultimately lead to an alliance between Casey and her former adversaries, Bollinger and Donald Sales. Together, the unlikely trio stalks the killer even as he stalks them.

Upon hearing of the basic elements of The Letter of the Law --appalling violence, a genius criminal, an ambitious professional battling seemingly insurmountable odds, a relentless veteran cop searching for the truth--veteran readers might conclude that the book is riddled with clichés, the type of thing we've all become familiar with through the works of authors like Grisham, Cornwall, and Turow. While that's true to an extent, it would be unfair to brand the book that way. Green shows great assurance for a first time novelist, putting his characters through paces that even some of those veterans might blanch at. For instance, he's not afraid to show the dark sides of his characters, at the same time examining the pitfalls and consequences of taking the law into one's own hands. He also makes some telling points about the cost of ambition, as to whether the quest search for the brass ring is worth the rationalizations people are often forced to make as they climb the ladder of success . Green's characters, besides being interesting, are also human, capable of abrupt about faces and unexpected actions.

Filled with tension, and packed with telling insights about our legal system, The Letter of the Law combines solid writing and a well developed ability to surprise readers to create a memorable, fast paced work of fiction, a perfect fix for all you legal thriller addicts out there.