Field Books

Denise Mina is without peer in her detailed portrayal of the underbelly population of England's cities. Hers are the bluest-of-blue-collared people with whom we avoid eye contact if we notice them at all. And if we do notice, we look quickly away, likely without any curiosity. She uses our stereotypes of the underclass to introduce us to her stories and then smacks us down with brilliant characterizations. Unlike a previous reviewer, I think it is absolutely essential that her settings are British and that she doesn't always provide a regional thesaurus for our ease of comprehension. In fact, there isn't any pandering to the audience in any of Mina's books; she seems to write for herself without a shred of coyness or trickery and if she catches us unawares, it may be because we weren't paying attention.

In "Field of Blood", Mina uses a sensational true murder as her departure point: In 1993, two 10-year-old boys murdered a toddler in Liverpool and the resulting trial was predictably sensational, even by British standards. In her similar story, Mina delves into the background of not only the boys and their families but also the community from which they arose. Our guide is Paddy Nelson, the new copygirl at the Scottish Daily News who has visions of a life as a tough, incisive reporter but a reality that is much drearier, even in its complexity. The story weaves through the official investigation, Paddy's hit-and-miss investigation, and Paddy's fractured personal life. Perhaps this would be a good time to mention that I was initially repulsed but then truly captivated by the slobby, sophomoric girl who grew and matured over the course of the book.

Make no mistake, Denise Mina writes very tough books with mature subject matter and unflinching plotlines and these books aren't for everyone, but they are for me. In fact, she's one of a new breed of lady writers coming out of the British Isles who write big, beautifully plotted, very dark psychological thrillers. That club includes Mo Hayder, Minette Walters, and my favorite (favourite?), Val McDermid, who provided Denise Mina with the detailed workings of a regional newsroom.

I own a country store and am a serious book junkie. I put all my stuff on the shelves, free for the taking, and encourage others to do the same. I just happened upon this book in this fashion, a dog-eared paperback left by a stranger.

For reference I am a Michael Connoly, Robert Crais, James Lee Burke sort of a person. Denise Mina is right up there with the best of them.

I always feel like apologizing for the time I give up to mysteries...but I have to say that I love the writing, the characters, the insights these authors bring to the table....it is not just plot and action.

Denise Mina writes about Glasgow. Her heroine is an Irish Catholic girl from a working class family....not an upwardly mobile LA male. Her heroine is quiet, self deprecating, subtle...and so is the writing. This was something completely different.....but I loved the characters, the insights, the writing.....Enough to drop everything and go out to Borders and buy the hardback of her new book.

Highly recommended.

Absolutely stunning, riveting throughout. I just could not put it down. Ms. Mina is a first class writer of crime drama. The only drawback is it's having been written for a British audience. The characters are incredibly real, the crime horrific, but not garishly told. The story flows from the first page, and has a well thought out excellent ending.

This is a satisfying, well-written, dark and violent example of "tartan noir," beginning with a child's murder (based on the 1993 James Bulger case).

Paddy Meehan is overweight and insecure but deeply ambitious and verbally holds her own with the men at the newspaper where she works as a gofer. Paddy is perfectly willing to lie, break the law-- or shove a rival's head in a toilet-- as a means to a just end, or to jumpstart her career.

Paddy is shunned by her family, ridiculed by the police, rejected sexually by her staid Catholic boyfriend, and inadvertently causes one gruesome death while investigating another. She grows up a bit in the course of the novel; her desire for justice and her natural talent for journalism make her sympathetic in spite of her continual bad judgment.

This is a terrific read but a graphic and dark one.

I loved it. What a great story line. I'm usually not a person who likes these epic family books, but this one was interesting. I wanted to find out more as to what happened to the rest of the women and men.

It details the history of the war wonderfuly and the hardships that the women and men endured to build this country. Excellent.

I will now pass it to one of my friends in the book club. I am going to suggest we all read it for our book club.

The authors attention to detail of historical facts are impressive. The five generation of women's strengths are encouraging. This is a book you must read.

A masterful interweaving of five generations of women. The strength of these women in deftly captured by the author. A warm and insightful story.

"Well-behaved women seldom make history (Laurel Thatcher Ulrich)." The author of Field of Generations would make Ms. Ulrich proud! As a contemporary woman, I can relate to the struggles of these strong women as they assert their independence, fight for what they believe in, and seek personal fulfillment. I want to befriend the characters. I want to support and sustain them. This novel has won my heart. This author has won my loyalty. I impatiently await the sequel...

This book has been very helpful to us before getting our field spaniel and even better now that he is here. My 8 year old daughter has even read it several times.

a must for anyone who knows little or nothing about this rare breed, covers almost every thing and gives a sound and through coverage of all material available.

Field Spaniels are a rare breed with characterics much different from their close cousins, cocker spaniels and Springer spaniels. As a result, there is not a lot of information available about the breed. This is the book to study if you are interested in a Fieldie. It is written by a respected breeder and Fieldie enthusiast and well thought of by those who love the breed.

Great informative book. The author includes the cons as well as the pros of owning a Field Spaniel. They're great dogs for the right people. You'll know after reading this book if this breed is right for you.

I first heard of the book in a newspaper. I couldn't put this book down. It was great. The chapters were short, but suspensful. Its a never ending train of suspense and action. The book is great! It also has a deeper meaning and that makes the book even better. The best part is the change in point of view; you hear the point of view of every main character. Its not tedious and all fits in. Buy this book!

Written unlike any author which makes the book unique and cool! Read this book and get satified!

Lots of action, lots of the supernatural, the book flat-out rocks!

Have you ever read a book that made perfect sense and was so completely entertaining that you couldn't put it down? Be honest with yourself, for I was overwhlemed at how far this book took me. I had only planned to read the first five chapters and ended up reading the whole thing, and when it was over, I was disappointed. Not because it was a disappointing book, but because I wish it was a thousand pages longer!

"Old ploughsocks gorge the subsoil of each sense / And I am quickened with a redolence / Of the fundamental dark unblown rose." In the face of such mastery, we cannot comment or explicate, for fear of impertinence; we can only quote, and hope that something of the maker's joy communicates itself.

This was the third book of poetry that this reviewer purchased as a youth, the first two being Eliot's Four Quartets and Rimbaud's Illuminations. This book remains a favourite of ours, fifteen years after its purchase.

The Glanmore Sonnets occupy a central position in this slender but rich volume, as is fitting; it is perhaps Heaney's masterwork. The Elegy to Robert Lowell, the "welder of English" who composed "heart-hammering blank sonnets of love for Harriet and Lizzie" is also noteworthy.

There is much about the sectarian warfare of the troubled six counties of Northern Ireland, but like Dante (who appears via epigraph and translation in this book) Heane!y can transfigure the sins of his land into glorious language that is an exemplar of poetry's redemptive potentiality. "I think our very form is bound to change ... Unless forgiveness finds its nerve and voice."

There is much here about love, nuptial, natural, sexual. At the end of "The Guttural Muse," there is a couplet of exclusion from the joyful earthiness that the poet observes: "I felt like some old pike all badged with sores / Wanting to swim in touch with soft-mouthed life."

There is warfare and loss, violence and bliss, the joys of the flesh and the crucifixion of a country. But after reading the poems in FIELD WORK, the reader will doubtless share in Seamus Heaney's faith that "the end of art is peace."

This was my first exposure to Seamus Heaney and his work (other than seeing the portly fellow with his unkempt white hair walking purposefully around campus here in Cambridge.) It is still my favorite collection of his work. Like all previous reviewers, I will not critique any particular poem, but only give the volume what can be one of my highest forms of praise: The poems have such a resonance that they have stayed with me long after putting the book down. That is a rare feat, in any artistic genre.

With "Field Work" the metaphor of "digging" with which Seamus Heaney began his first volume of poetry ("Death of a Naturalist") has become a succinct and overarching symbol of his entire literary endeavour. In that poem "digging" comes to connote the agricultural roots of his childhood (and of the Irish people) but also the search for word-fodder that his poetry enacts. "Field Work" continues to explore these concerns in a powerful collection of poems. Here the deeply personal ("Glanmore Sonnets"), primarly poetic ("Elegy") and cautiously political ("Triptych", "The Toome Road") sit comfortably alongside one another. While Heaney (as the most famous voice in contemporary Irish literature) has been repeatedly criticised for his silence on the Ulster situation, this volume shows that (as in "North") he is able to deal with its complex issues without taking sides. Always his concern is for the impartial victim (the position he himself assumes, that of the "unmolested orchid" ["Triptych 1"]) and the place he or she occupies among the combatants. "Casualty" describes a friendly but laconic pub drinker (apolitical and an acquaintance of Heaney's) who was killed by the British for defying curfew. "Triptych 1" includes the description of "Two young men with rifles on the hill" - we do not know if they are Unionists or I.R.A., they are two sides of the same coin. Heaney's continual "digging" allows him to move beneath the emotive surface of events and to unearth their common history, culture, landscape, experience. In "Field Work" the very poetry with which Heaney draws these moments is itself a tool to pare bloody and partisan politics back to its single seed, the common root of the Irish field and furrow.

Seamus Heaney, in "Field Work" makes accessible what is best about poetry and, especially, modern Irish poetry. Heaney's impact on modern poetry will certainly extend on into the centuries as he lays down his words in beautiful rythmic language, a language forgotten by many contemporaries, but coming back with many new poets. Heaney's protrait of Irish life, the "troubles", and just his love of people and the land makes this a must read not only for those who love good poetry, but wish to understand the beauty, people, politics, and history of a great people to be free. Heaney writes no bad poems, remains accessible to the occasional reader, and offers more than enough solid food for the critic and student of poetics to keep all happy for long after the read.

It covers all fields of virology. Perfect and wonderful ! Easy to understand. I really recommend this book to who is involved in biology

The book pictured on this site is the Fourth Edition of Fields Virology. However, the "Book Description" in the "Editiorial Reviews" section on this site is for the Third Edition of Fields Virology. I hesitate to purchase the book because I am unsure which edition you will be shipping. Before I place my order, I want assurance that I will be receiving the Fourth Edition.

My take on this two-volume set is that if you are going to put out as much money as this set costs, you should get a lot for it. This two- volume set is simply the best I have found for MAMMALIAN virology, with a close second being 'Fundamental Virology'. I stress the mammalian virology, as it omits a good bit (if not all) of the plant- associated virii. The basics of all virus structure are in there, regarding plant virii, but beyond that, there is information lacking. Despite this, when purchased as a graduate-level or upper-undergraduate level text or reference guide, there simply is no other text of this scale. There is a lot more text than graphics, but this does not (in my opinion) deter from the value of the text. If I could, I'd give a 4.5 star of 5, only for the lack of plant virii information and my personal desire for more graphics. i will say that the CD-Rom has more than enough graphics to make up for the book's seeming lack of graphics. As a 'financially- burdened' Pathology trainee and Virologist by employment, I will say that this is worth the price and effort to read. Note that it is written to the biologist who has some knowledge, albeit foundational knowledge, of biology.

There is hardly any significant fact about viruses that missed-out in this edition of "Fields Virology". Page after page, this sound all-inclusive reference doles out authoritative information on both viruses and viral syndromes. From taxonomy to etiology, metamorphosis to replication; the analyses of this text is grand. The same applies to its attached CD-ROM. Its practical outlook was intended to benefit both microbiologists and pathologists. Bernard Fields and his colleagues made their mark with this book. It is a great effort.
However, most botanist may not be pleased to know that little attention was paid to plant viruses. Again, many potential buyers may be demoralized by the rather high price that this virology-set demands.

I read Tito Perdue's LEE some years ago and was fascinated with the character of Lee Pefley, which is both malicious, sympathetic, and funny. When I saw that his new book, FIELDS OF ASPHODEL, picked up where LEE leaves off, I couldn't resist. I had to see what misadventures would befall the Lee after his death. I was not disappointed. This is another beautifully written book, which describes the trials and tribulations of Lee Pefley as he wanders through the afterlife searching for the wife who predeceased him. Perdue portrays the characters and scenes Lee encounters with his usual wit and humor. The finale moved me to tears, but I won't reveal it here. This is a charming, disturbing, but always well-written story. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys the novels of Cormac McCarthy. Lee

In FIELDS OF ASPHODEL, Tito Perdue picks up Lee Pefley where he left him at the end of LEE, dead. He then goes on to describe his curmudgeonly character searching through the afterlife for the wife who predeceased him. Along the way he is subjected to the things he hated while alive: cold weather, crowds, and some extremely unpleasant tortures. As harsh, jarring and outrageous as some of the torments Perdue inflicts on these dwellers of Lee's Purgatory, the book is quite witty and pointed - funny actually. A fine extension of the Lee series. Anyone who enjoyed Lee will love this one. Opportunities in Alabama Agriculture: A Novel Lee: A Novel The New Austerities The Sweet-Scented Manuscript

Fields of Asphodel is the most recent installment in Perdue's cycle of novels detailing the adventures of one Leland (Lee) Pefley, a problematic southerner whose nostalgia for the 1950s and 60s and abhorrence of modernity have established this writer as one of the most astringent critics of present-day American life. This book, following in the trajectory of Lee (1991), The New Austerities (1994), and The Sweet-Scented Manuscript (2004) examines the protagonist's ordeals and, finally, his absolution in the hellish place to which he is assigned following his death at the end of Lee.Opportunities in Alabama Agriculture: A Novel The New Austerities The Sweet-Scented Manuscript


The quality of Perdue's prose has been noted by others, and it remains only to say that in Fields he has lived up to the standard set in his earlier work. The plot itself is inventive and frightening, and represents a unique mixture of realism with fantasy. Not just another generic novel in search of medium grade readers, Perdue's new book is stranger than strange and comes to us from a very strange place.

With "Fields of Asphodel" Tito Perdue has done it again, following up his terrific "Lee" with another extremely dark, extremely funny book. In "Fields," Lee Pefley, who dies in the eponymous "Lee," comes to find himself in the afterworld - a place not unlike the earth he's just left, only colder. This makes perfect sense, of course, as Lee probably belongs in a fairly unpleasant place, given his behavior while living, and his afterworld pretty much sees and raises his unfavorable view of earth. Although Lee does get some enjoyment as a spectator of the punishments inflicted on some of those he himself feels deserving of punishment. As in "Lee," Perdue manages to make dark subject matter very funny. But there is an almost impossible-seeming sweet streak in his character Lee, and that is his love for and yearning for his deceased wife Judy, who Lee searches for with little hope of finding - after all, she was a much better person than he was; she will surely be on a higher plane, and she also had a good head start. The emotional uplift that concludes this tale is nothing short of magic, achievable only by an incredibly talented writer. If you have never read Tito Perdue, read "Lee" first. "Fields of Asphodel" is a fine dessert!!

Fields of Fury: The American Civil War is extremely well organized and extremely well written. Sparkling writing and compelling reading create a moving account of the Civil War. There are very good time lines, pictures, maps, illustrations and quick facts. This is the kind of writing to which all of our children need to be exposed. The book could be an excellent reference for children who are writing papers about this historical period. The author, James M. McPherson, PhD. is an expert on the Civil War. He is a Princeton University professor and the Pulitzer Prize winning author of the book Battle Cry of Freedom.

James M. McPherson won the Pulitzer Prize for "Battle Cry of Freedom," so he certainly brings impressive credentials to this history of the Civil War for younger readers. "Fields of Fury: The American Civil War" is done as a series of two-page spreads. The right side is a full-page photograph, map, painting, or other illustration; the left side contains 3-5 paragraphs of text, a sidebar of Quick Facts, and some smaller illustrations. After background section on the origins of the Civil War, the slavery issues, and Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis, the rest of the book is structure around the major battles of the war from Fort Sumter to Appomattox. In between there are looks at both the military side of the war (e.g., the Anaconda Plan, Andersonville prison) and civilian life (e.g., Women at War). The book concludes with a look at Reconstruction, which is followed by a Glossary, decent Bibliography, Civil War Sites on the Web, and Index.

"Field of Fury" touches upon a lot of Civil War topics in a concise manner, using not only descriptions of the battles but personal anecdotes from the soldiers at the battlefront and the civilians at home. Major politicians and soldiers are profiled as well. The result is a solid introduction to the topic of the Civil War. McPherson's narrative is accompanied by black-and-white photographs by Civil War photographers Mathew Brady and Timothy O'Sullivan, period oil paintings, and key campaign and battlefield maps. The result is a nice little introduction to the Civil War with excellent production values, although this is a lot of information for young readers to absord. If a student was looking at a particular topic like the Emancipation Proclamation or a specific battle like Vicksburg, then "Fields of Fury" provides some basic information. You will not get a lot of depth, but you will get some sense of context. This book can also work as a supplemental text to a juvenile history of the Battle of Gettysburg or Sherman's March to the Sea n providing that sort of context as well.

Although this book is geared towards 9-12 year olds, it is easily educational for kids five times that age. The pictures are fantastic and present emotions and details that I have not seen in many other Civil War books. Although we bought this book for my son, I would easily have bought it for myself. It really does put you smack in the middle of that time period. Very impressive.

It's a great book that everybody should read. It has got lots of facts about the Civil War. It tells a lot about the people that were involved. I learned that there was a plan named Anaconda Plan where the Union surrounded the South and then they would cut off all their supplies and that John Wilkes Booth had a brother.

Please see my review of 'Dream of Fair Horses' which I believe must be the same book!

Probably the best horse book I have read in a long time. She somehow managed to get the true essence of horses and is so sad, not only the human crises, but also the realizations of the rider (Gillian Caridia) that the horse belongs to no one but herself...

This story is a true, sometimes saddening account of how a young, poor girl attains her dream of riding a refined show pony at the huge English show, Wembley. Along the way, Gillian realizes her dreams and the ultimate realities that go along with those dreams.

After reading "The Fields of Praise" I sat with it in my hands knowing I held tangible proof that the impetus which draws us to horses is as real as the sun is bright. Like a kindred soul Ms. Leitch recognizes the sun which dances within horses. She bottles its substance and sprinkles it on every page, but not before shaking it all together with life's hardest lessons. More than a tale of a horse crazy girl, this is about the death of childhood dreams. I first read it 18 years ago and to me it is a classic; what "Black Beauty" is to the cruelty and kindness of humanity, "The Fields of Praise" is to truth and beauty.

Quinn, who grew up in one of the small suburban towns that dot the meadowlands, really captures the essense of this wilderness in the middle of the megalopolis. I never knew about how many people used (and still use) the meadowlands for hunting, trapping, fishing, etc.

While other authors deal with the cultural significance of something like the meadowlands, Quinn takes the position of a passionate naturalist and friend of the meadowlands, describing in detail wildlife, regional ecology and geology, history of the area and the many pressures the meadows face today.

A must if you're a fan of urban ecology, New Jersey, or just well-written nonfiction.

To all caring and compassionate environmentalists out there, Fields of Sun and Grass, the latest offering by gifted naturalist, writer, and artist John R. Quinn, is a glorious cry of victory via a remarkable portrayal of some of the most durable and stubbornly determined survivors in the faunal and floral kindgdom.

The setting is the New Jersey Meadowlands, a wild and reedy tract located a mere six miles west of New York's Times Square. It is considered by many as nothing more than a "toxic wasteland," but is in fact home to a dazzling array of often overlooked plants and animals. While there is little doubt that many of the life forms that once thrived here are long gone, many others remain, and these are the primary focus of this book. Many, many species are discussed; far too many to list here. Suffice it to say Quinn leaves no stones unturned.

The book has three central parts, respectively called "Yesterday," "Today," and "Tomorrow." Each covers a different time period in the ecological life of the Meadowlands. There also is an "Introduction," a "Starting Point," an "Epilogue," a bibliography, an index, and an interesting sort of "hands-on" chapter called "Exploring the Meadowlands." This will be of particular interest to anyone who lives within traveling distance of the region. It gives helpful and experienced advice on enjoyed the Meadowlands firsthand through boating, fishing, hiking, and the visiting of local parks.

Quinn's text is thorough, complete, and offered in a beautifully poetic yet pragmatic prose, making the read that much more pleasant and inviting. A memorable example can be found right at the beginning of the introduction-"Six miles-and ten thousand years-to the west of Manhattan's Times Square lies one of the grandest environmental paradoxes on Earth. Here, beneath a sun often obscured by smoky industrial exhalations, a river of many bends makes its way to the sea." It is peppered throughout with the occasional personal anecdote, like the touching retelling of an experience an eight-year-old Quinn had with his beloved grandfather in the summer of 1946 called "Grandpa and the Red Herring" (page 36). The paperback version is 348 pages in length, and much to Quinn's credit, a great deal of it is made up of his thoughtful and well-researched text.

The author's artwork is perhaps the aspect of the book that most effectively haunts you. It is simple black-and-white ink sketches, but there is an emotional complexity to each that is hard to describe, yet easy to appreciate. Quinn's clever focus on the wildlife while making sure to almost always include some image from man's industrial intervention does a marvelous job of hammering the book's point home. A glaring example of this can be found on pages 124 and 125, where we see a lone kestrel perched on the peak of a weed, while in the background looms the vague but unmistakable figure of a pair of tractors and a group of hard-hatted workers. Somehow the lack of colorization adds to the feeling of both positive and negative, of humankind's destructiveness (both intentional and inadvertent), and of the wildlife's determination to go on.

John Quinn is no stranger to the region, having been born and raised in the Village of Ridgefield Park, which rests on the Meadowland's northern edge. According to the author bio, he has published ten other books on nature and science. A potential reader can be comforted and assured by the fact that Quinn's experience and sincerity are deeply invested into every word and every drawing. In this age of the slipshod, assembly-line product, here we find an honest and lovingly crafted work by a man who genuinely cares about what he's doing.

As a proud and concerned naturalist myself, I strongly urge you to pick up a copy of Fields of Sun and Grass.

I have come to treasure Fields of Sun and Grass - it is worthy of a keepsake box like those reserved for special shells and rocks. Mr. Quinn has created a labor of love as well crafted as any story quilt, full of fascinating animal and landscape sketches; historical reenactments on a personal scale; and easily read, well-researched passages on the human and geological history of a forsaken, not forgotten, ecological wonder. One comes away exposed to a deeply stirring portrait of the meadows that dares you not to care about their future.

L. Charkey, Co-Director, Bergen Save the Watershed Action Network (Bergen SWAN); Administrator, Hackensack River Watershed Fund

The first time I met John R. Quinn was a few years ago he was deeply involved in the gathering of stories that make up the Soul of the New Jersey meadows. His journalistic background was in control and he wanted to present as complete a picture as possible regarding the current controversey surrounding the future of the Meadowlands. At the time I was assisting the New Jersey Audubon Society by providing boat rides to conduct a migratory bird habitat inventory of the Meadowlands( published by NJAS and available to the public). We invited John to join us for a day on the River and he honored all of us by chronicling the trip in Fields of Sun and Grass. Now I can relive the personal experiences of that glorius day any time I want thanks to Johns eye for detail and his skill at turning a day of field research into a story about our adventure in the Urban Wilderness. Putting controveresy and advocacy aside I recommend this book to teachers througout the Hackensack River Watershed Everytime I take their students out on the Boat or go in to their classrooms to "talk to the children". As Riverkeeper I am contacted frequently by people who are requesting information about the Meadowlands thanks to John I have a ready reference and I have learned a lot about the estuary of the Hackensack that allows me to be a more effective advocate and a better Riverkeeper Captain Bill Sheehan Hackensack Riverkeeper Inc.