Green Books

This book takes you to a place where you can feel the passion of Anne Rices works.he is brilliant. What woundn't a person do to meet the creater of the Vampire Chronicles And The Lifes of the Mayfair Witches.She is incredible.

The gothic world of Annne Rice is an absolute must have for both fan of the gothic, vampirism or scholar. The anthology is A direct rout into the marvellous world behind the authour. Not only does it convey an unchartered depth of her literature, but is also A direct approach to A more academic criticsim. This book is of universal appeal because it charts A thought provoking desent through her key best sellers. For any reaserching vampirism especially, or just fasinated by this tallented writer this book is essential. It provides integral essays which traverse themes of anthrapology, in which is discussed how |Rice's characters assume A place in modern society, through to her more historical novels. But more invaluable are the essays which discuss her infamous vampire characters. In these essays is disclosed the intrinsic roots of vampirism and the gothic, linking back to writters of the Romantic epoch. They also provide A rich source of information, which deals with the more academic side of the gothic as well as A direct insight into the novels themselves. It is well researched, astute and perceptive. With Rice's work rapidly becoming recognised for its academic appel this book provides A critical idiom of her work and deserves A place on the shelf of any avid fan of the gothic, vampirism, or who is just enchanted by the pen of this literary sorceress.

I first read this when I was about eleven, the same age as the character of the title. The story, style and characters are all tough, vivid and unsentimental. The main character is a disruptive, bullying loner from a broken home who's let down by everyone except his pet rat and a new girl at school called Rosie, a deeply compassionate African-American who befriends and helps him.

There's a particular bit in the book where Gowie is being caned on the hands by the headmaster for the latest in a long line of misdemeanours, and although the headmaster stops after one lash and dismisses him, sensing that the punishment will make no difference anyway, Gowie asks, "Aren't you going to cane me any more?" The headmaster says, "You want to be caned?" to which he replies, "No, but I don't want not to be." The headmaster continues to thrash him, and when he goes out, he says he was "crying for a lot of things that have nothing to do with having hands that hurt." It was written in 1979 but it's timeless stuff, like all great writing.

Rebecca Taylor

Gowie Corby is a tough English schoolboy who is enemies with everyone: Stuart, the self-important captain of the football team, Johnathan Johns, the brainy, prissy teacher's pet, and especially the odious and sniveling Heather. Then one day a black American girl named Rosie comes to school, and surprisingly, she and Gowie become friends. They are complete opposites; Rosie is brainy, hard-working, and optimistic, while Gowie is unstudious, rebellious, pessimistic, and fascinated by fictional horror. Gowie is able to confide his family troubles to Rosie and her friendship helps teach him how to get along with the people he despises. This book is written from Gowie's point of view, and his humorous narration of events and adept characterization of his teachers and schoolmates makes for a very interesting read. Viewed by another person, Gowie would just be another bully, but by reading his retelling of events readers can sympathize with him.

As with "B Karem", I must admit to a bit of nepotism in my accolades for this book. However, my great-aunt Chris brought back to me a clearer version of the hazy childhood memories of my great-Grandma Karem. Yes, I remember the blue sweater. And how she always wore her hair in those two braids up on her head, but let them down at bedtime. One of my favorite parts of the book is how the author captures the subtle, poetic flavor of the Arabic language when Gram tells Rafe "sachtine" (usually followed by "yu ulbe"). What does it mean ? You'll have to read the book. . .

I admit to a certain amount of bias as we're talking about a story written by a member of my family about a member of my family.

But, my Aunt Chris really got it right. I bought it and read it to my kids and my three-year-old gets a delightful kick out of it.

May your children enjoy it as much as my own.

Depicted in early twentieth century rural Norway, this novel is perhaps the most sympathetic and sensitive depiction of a farmer's life that I have read.

Even as a young farm boy our central character, Per, has a life as deeply rooted to the soil as a tree is to the Earth. While other people travel freely from place to place, the routine chores and immeasurable demands of the farm preclude lackadaisical outings. Isolation is measured in the paucity of folks he meets, beyond the odd tramp who wanders by in hopes of spending the night in the hayloft. Reconciling the contradictions of farm life pits Per conscientiously against his father. If dad is so good to animals, as everyone says, how can he so summarily slaughter them? Vessas poignantly lays bare the harsh realities of life and death in the country. Most of us have no contact with the animals we eat, other than jockeing shiny carts through sterile aisles, choosing from the wide assortment of choice cuts, wrapped in their neat cellophane packaging. What it must be like to be affectionately nuzzled by the very creature that will the next day be served up to us on a dinner platter. To Per as a mature adult, the act of killing is always dreaded and pushed-off; it is an act born with a solemn sense of responsiblity---not with a cavalier flippancy, or as a sort of macabre sport!


Beyond a rather condescending suburban attitude I held as a youth that demoted farm culture to the lowest tier, Per's struggles allowed me to empathize with a way of life that was largely foreign and misunderstood by me. It is ironic that we are so removed from a rural heritage that a little more than a century ago most of us found hope and comfort in.

For further information about Tarjei Vesaas see: 'Columbia Dictionary of Modern European Literature' (Second Edition) pgs. 848-849

This is possibly Vesaas' main work, and at least among his 5 best tales. The book is about Per, the farm he is born on, and everything that comes from that. It is simply put the classic European tale of pre-modern rural life. The family is large; their lives revolve around the different seasons and not much decadence at all is to be found. You could call this an epic tale, since it spans Per's entire life; from childhood to old age. He has no desire to take over the farm from his father, but as the time passes by, he realizes that he too is part of the great cycle, hence the title. I can't recommend this enough; the only annoying part I can think of is the fact that I'm unsure if the follow-up novel has been translated to English. Although, don't let that be any reason to keep you away from this book, because if you want to read one of the North's greatest author at his best, then this is the place to start. Two thumbs up!

(I read a different edition of the book)

I spent most of yesterday afternoon reading Doug Riston's Great White Duck Hunter, I laughed so hard, I nearly ripped the stiches off my hernia operation. The work is an insightfull, thought provoking novel. A joy to read.

The Great White Duck Hunter is reminiscent of Ken Kesey's novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, in the relationship between the two main characters, Riston's Norman Powers & Angela Nicoletti juxtaposed with Kesey's R.P. McMurphy & Nurse Ratched. Norman Powers, despite his drinking and slightly seedy notions of romance, is a hero. Powers is a free-spirited creative soul seeking recognition, if not approval, in the antiseptic, domineering world of his live-in girlfriend, Angela. Angela Nicoletti, like Nurse Ratched, obsessed with cleanliness and order, is determined to squash the bohemian spirit of Norman. In the hysterical scene where the "great white duck hunt" actually transpires, Norman's tenacity can be best described by McMurphy's philosophy "But I tried didn't I, God-damn it. At least I did that." I enjoyed this book immensely, the characters are real, people that you meet sitting next to you on a barstool, or watching the ducks in the park.

What a great book! Davis' crafting of fiction with legal practices took me back to the days of watching "Paper Chase". Shortly after reading the book I found myself Tarpon fishing in Boca Grand. I was amazed that my reality met my imaginations from the book. I hope there will be more... books as well as tarpon trips!

I read a LOT of books, and I just didn't expect a first-time author--especially one with no background in writing or journalism-- to be able to produce something of this caliber.
Maybe that's his secret--he doesn't try to "write". He just tells his story, and develops his characters through their internal/external dialogue, rather than inserting too much description and background in the narration. (I don't read a whole lot of books in this particular genre, but when I do, I find that I'm often distracted from the plot by this very thing--probably the most recent example I can think of is The Da Vinci Code. It was all I could do not to throw that book across the room, and I would have, if I wasn't so anxious to get to the next "clue"...) It's refreshing to not have our protagonist's life story and physical description shoved down our throats in the first two pages of the book--we get to know Anderson by his thoughts and actions, but even at the end of the story, there is still much we don't know about him, which is good. Even the villain, Justin Cartwright, is rendered in such a way that makes him not just a bad person, but also a fascinating one, truly a guy you love to hate. I hope we see more of both characters!
As for the plot, I thought it was interesting and amazingly well-paced, and, although there was no mistaking that this was pure fiction, I felt like I was getting a privileged glimpse into the real litigation process. I was also impressed with how nicely the book was put together--the cover art and printing is top-notch, and the editing is flawless! (Seriously, I was kind of looking for errors or bad sentences, and there just weren't any!) Again, not what I expected from a first-time author and what I thought was a small press.
I'm not a writer or a literary critic, but, as I mentioned, I do read voraciously and I found Green 61 to be a very enjoyable little book. It's short enough to read in one sitting, and I'm sure that's how most people will read it, as it's definitely hard to put down. At the very least, Green 61 should be a staple of every Florida beach house bookshelf, alongside the Grisham and the Clancy! But I think it could do well anywhere. I'm looking forward to a second book in what I think could be a great series!

From start to finish this book hits the target. As cheesy as that sounds, this Green Arrow Adventure shows you the extent to which a man is willing to go in order to fight for a cause.
The once Green Arrow was a Robin Hood-like hero who used an array of trick arrows and a right hook to fight off a world of criminals. Yet conviction and a boxing-glove arrow can not stop all of them. GA decides that if he, Speedy and his son Connor are to continue to fight the good fight, they need more. This book explains to you how easily it was for GA to defeat his opponent (without ruining it for those that haven't read)in Crawling From The Wreckage, and why his uniform and attitude have drastically changed.
If your a fan of the GA or just a first time reader, from beginning to end Road to Jericho is a refreshing and new start to the Oliver Queen/Green Arrow legend.

ROAD TO JERICHO contains issues 66 to 75 of the current ongoing series. Judd Winick, Andy Owens and Scott McDaniel have delivered another masterful story arc about the opinionated, but loveable Oliver Queen, a.k.a. Green Arrow, who has become my all time favorite DC character.

This time around, another opinionated hero, the Dark Knight, Batman, shows up in Star City , supposedly to lend his philanthropic support as Bruce Wayne to help Oliver Queen out. But of course, there's other reasons as we soon find out that a former protege of his - turned psychotic villian, has also arrived, with the intent of taking out Green Arrow's new adopted sidekick, the young female Speedy. But all this fun is preceded by a flashback as the Green Arrow contingent, supposedly blown up at the end of the preceding graphic novel, go through rigorous and tortuous survival and fighting training on a secluded island.

All in all, a great book, filled with all the passion, action, humor and thrills that have become associated with this wonderful character! Any book that throws together the Green Arrow and the Batman characters, so alike and yet so opposite at times, is always worth your time and your hard-earned sheckels!

Favorite scene: Green Arrow & Speedy are discussing their dislikes of Hawaiin Pizza (ham & pineapple on top), which they've retrieved from some thugs...and some panels later we see them chowing down on some slices while they're watching Batman in action from a nearby rooftop. Hilarious!

Putting three women with the same name in a small town at one time may sound quirky, but Stewart manages to make it work. The eerie proposition of three husbands who could quite possibly be willing to commit murder kept me guessing until near the end. Marmalade, the library cat, manages to save the day and still stay a completely believable feline throughout the book.
I'd say this one is a definite to put on your reading list, even if you're not a cat person.
And don't forget to read the other colors in the series, too. Fran Stewart is a winner.

Fran Stewart does it again. I'm beginning to sound like a broken record, but each of her "Rainbow" series delights and entertains. I was introduced to her novels recently, and they've simply charmed my socks off. Or if I were wearing socks, they would. As far as what I think of the series as a whole?

Fran Stewart has created a thoroughly endearing character in Biscuit McKee--fallible enough to be undeniably human and feisty enough to be thoroughly lovable. Biscuit wants nothing more than to live quietly in the small Georgia town of Martinsville with her husband and her Marmalade cat, but fate and family don't always cooperate. Biscuit faces each challenge life throws at her--and there are plenty of those--with determination and a little help from her cat.

Fran Stewart's Biscuit McKee stories are beautifully written, incorporating a blend of down-home wisdom and humor guaranteed to both charm and entertain.

Thank you, Fran, for your wonderful Biscuit McKee series!

Ms. Mozahn has done a great deal of research on a team whose histoy is legendary. She shows us the importance of the team to the community and its inspiration to individuals.

This book is about the Green Bay Packer players and the teams that have won 12 National Football League Championships and 3 Superbowls. There are interesting stories about players like Brett Favre, Reggie White, and Don Hutson who helped to make the Packers a winning team. There are many colorful action pictures and exciting stories of the Packers 3 Superbowl wins and other great games. This is a book young and old football fans would love to read.

Designed and photographed by relatives of Mel Knoke, the first inductee into the Packers Hall of Fame, Green, Gold, And Proud: Portraits, Stories, And Traditions Of The Greatest Fans In The World is a stunning photo documentary of and tribute to fans of Wisconsin's football team, the Green Bay Packers. Exploring the enthusiasm of fans who come to the Packers' training camp and summer practices, and filled with candid essays and testimonials as well as gorgeous full- page color photography of fans at home or dressed up in pro-Packers regalia, Green, Gold, and Proud is unquestionably a labor of love, revealing the bonds of excitement and enthusiasm that come from cheering the efforts of a beloved home state team. An accompanying 80-minute DVD chronicles the history of Lambeau Field, sharing the players, games, coaches, and moments that have marked the Packer's path to victory. A visually appealing giftbook, perfect for Packers fans.

Green, Gold, and Proud sets new standard for books about Packers fans

Many books have tried to capture what it means to be a Packers fan. Few, if any, have actually succeeded.
Until now.
Green, Gold and Proud: Portraits, Stories, and Traditions of the Greatest Fans in the World by Curt and Kyle Knoke is sure to become the standard by which all future books about Packers fans will be judged.
If it's true that a picture paints a thousand words, then this book with its hundreds of vivid, full-color photographs speaks volumes. Never before has the panorama of fans comprising Packers Nation been captured so colorfully and in such exquisite detail.
This labor of love incorporated the talents of both men on a scale never before attempted. Curt, 65, is the co-founder of Image Studios, Appleton. He retired in 1996 after a long and prosperous photography career spanning more than three decades and now lives in Gresham, Wis. His nephew, Kyle, 38, is a creative director with Allen/James Design, also of Appleton.
Since Curt's retirement, the two have teamed up to produce books that celebrate people, enviroments and community.
One of their joint creations, a composite of "environmental portraits" featuring Shawano County, helped raise more than $50,000 for the Shawano Area Community Foundation. Curt shot the photos while Kyle did the graphic design.
Their second book, The Art of Labor, used high quality black-and-white photos to turn the spotlight on the craftsmen, ironworkers and masons who labored to produce the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center.
In the fall of 2003, Kyle and Curt began deliberations that would lead to their greatest and most challenging project yet: a book about Packers fans, arguably the greatest fans in the world. Notably, it was Mel Knoke-Curt's uncle and Kyle's great-uncle-who was the first fan to be named to the Packers Fan Hall of Fame.
The project began simply enough in 2003 with a few sample photographs taken during training camp and in the stadium tailgate area. Having inherited Mel's tickets, they also took photographs at two regular season games, capturing an historic moment when the Packers won the divisional title thanks to an improbable come-from-behind victory by the Arizona Cardinals in the final game of the season.
Fortune seemed to be on their side. With a few sample photographs and concept for a book in hand, they approached the Packers' marketing department, which was looking to promote the team's fans now that the stadium construction project was drawing to a close. The Knokes presented their subject matter-the fans-against white, seamless backgrounds that were indeed eye-catching and clearly thought provoking.
"We really wanted to focus and celebrate the fans, their personalities and their enthusiasm," said Kyle in explaining the white, "sweep" backgrounds that comprise perhaps 75 percent of all the photos in the book. "By stripping away the environmental distractions the focus falls squarely on the fans."
The Knokes sold their idea to the first publisher they approached, Triumph Books of Chicago, Ill. Virtually within five minutes of sitting down and explaining their concept to Tom Bast, the company's editorial director, "it was a done deal," said Kyle.
"We felt so good about them (Triumph Books) right from the start," said Kyle. "They were genuine, good people; we didn't look any further."
Having received their marching orders, the Knokes set up shop in a stairwell at section 109 with the start of the 2004 season.
"We started shooting photographs a couple of hours before game time, in the tailgating areas, and continued right through halftime within the stadium," said Curt. "A couple of people helped us by recruiting fans in the parking lot and surrounding area."
More than a hundred subjects were randomly selected at a typical home game. "We were looking for people who could represent the full scale and breadth of the Packers fan base; there were fathers with sons, mothers with daughters, friends and groups of people from every conceivable demographic," said Kyle.
"Although they were randomly selected, it's amazing how many fans came from such places as far away as Australia, Switzerland, Germany and others; probably half of the states are represented as well," said Curt.
The Knokes gathered hundreds and hundreds of exposures per game over the course of an 8-10 hour period. Multiple that by eight home games and, well ... the math speaks for itself. (Curt actually built a foam box complete with a heating pad to protect the photo equipment, as the weather grew cold later in the year.)
"Editing was a challenge but it was really rewarding," said Curt. "I would edit first and Kyle would do the final edit. Every different subject or groups of subjects would invariably bring a smile to my face and Kyle's too.
"They were all there to celebrate the same event and there's a certain commonality among them," Curt continued. " They were all eager to have their photographs taken and extremely cooperative. In 33 years of business, I've never worked on a project where I photographed so many happy people!" (In one shot, a woman can be seen literally doubling over in laughter.)
"It was really a beautiful experience," added Kyle. "I've been in marketing for some time and never seen people so natural and at ease in front of the camera ...there was nowhere else on earth these people wanted to be. These were not professional models and yet it happened so naturally; it's really a testament to Curt's personality and his ability to shoot great portraits, he makes people feel so comfortable."
During road games, the Knokes took their cameras on the road to favorite Packer hot spots and in the homes of Packers fans, many of who are members of Packers Partners. They call these photos "location portraits." Here again they sought fans that were broadly representative of Packer fans worldwide. Some photos were taken in a fan's favorite Packers room or, in one such case, next to a favorite green and gold car in an empty stadium parking lot.
Fans in the location portraits also provided short testimonials in response to an open-ended question: "What does it mean to be a Packers fan?" These are included with the photos and are full of revealing anecdotes.
"The beauty of this book, really, is in the random selection of subjects. Our goal was not to feature the most well-known, eccentric or celebrated fans," said Kyle. "The point of the book is to celebrate fans everywhere. Hopefully, everyone can see a little bit of themselves in these pages."
Words often come up short in explaining the magic of Lambeau Field, for as the poet full knows, the objectification of the subjective is not necessarily achievable with a few well-chosen words. Photographs can come a bit closer, however, to capturing the mystique, the drama and the sheer depth of human experience evident on a Sunday afternoon in Green Bay.
"It's uncanny how much personality is in these photographs; many of these fans wear their personalities on their sleeves. It's a little glimpse of who they are. The stadium is conducive to making people feel comfortable; people can be themselves and it really shows in these photographs.
"Packer fans come together from all walks of life-from every social, economic and ethnic background-and all their differences are sort of stripped away. It's a collective celebration," Kyle said.


-by Bill Van Lannen