Hall Books

Seabiscuit is a great story, book, and movie. If you have not read it, buy it today and start reading. You will not be disappointed.

This book is a true American legend at its best. "Seabiscuit" was written by Laura Hillenbrand based on a true story of one horse and jockey's incredible life. This biography is set in the 1930's and 1940's and takes you on a journey with someone and something that no one believed in until they were given a chance to prove themselves. The perseverance of these two characters is admirable; they never give up, no matter what. The jockey, John Pollard, was struggling in life until given the shot to show he was more than just an average jockey. Seabiscuit, on the other hand, is my favorite character; he never accepts the possibility of losing. Pollard and Seabiscuit's relationship started when trainer Tom Smith paired them together out on the racetrack. I love that they were given a chance to prove everyone wrong by winning race after race with odds stacked against them; both had been injured numerous times. Read about how they smashed people's disbelief and made history, performing one of the greatest comebacks in all of sports. The theme of "never giving up no matter what" would most likely interest people who enjoy sports novels. "Seabiscuit" is truly the greatest sports story of all time.

This narrative leaps out of the first paragraph in the same way Seabiscuit learns to bolt from the starting gate. From the start, Laura Hillenbrand draws the reader into the story with colorful, taut writing. There are no meaningless side stories in this book - each detail weaves itself back into the tale of a horse who beat the odds to become one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century.
This story is gripping even if you have no interest in horseracing.

I loved this book !! It made me feel as though I was there watching the drama unfold as the unknown underestimated horse rose to champion status. The characters are real and the story is built piece by piece. If you like rooting for the underdog and enjoy the thrill of competition, this book is for you. The large print of this edition was easy on the eyes as well.

This book follows the life of Seabiscuit, an incredible racehorse in the 1930's, and the three men who were entwined in his life: live-wire owner Charles Howard, taciturn trainer Tom Smith, and reckless jockey Red Pollard. WOW. This is an amazing book. I read it because I had watched the movie and loved it, but I wasn't thinking I would actually enjoy the book. I felt obligated to read it. Well, it's probably my favorite book to read this year. The author sets up each character carefully, going back to the man's birth, or further back, and the reader really gets a sense of what drives each person. The character development for "the Biscuit" is truly great, as well. His personality really shines, and I wish I could have met him! Her insertion of anecdotes is masterful, as well. The era (the Depression), the nation's mindset, the men who loved Seabiscuit, the means jockeys undertook to maintain racing weight are all described and explained wonderfully, without the author ever becoming pedantic or talking down to us folks who don't know racing. One doesn't have to be a "race person" or a "horse person" to enjoy this beautifully crafted book. The rave reviews are well-deserved. It's the story of underdogs achieving great things. It was an exhilarating and enthralling read; better than any fiction I read this year. After reading this, I would read anything this author put out.

What a great, great book! I just finished it and told my daughter when she finishes reading it, I am going to read it again. So many life lessons. You could feel God's presence throughout the whole read.

I could not put this book down. It was really a compeling story, but did get tired of the main character continueing leaving to find herself, and the last time it really was unbelievable she got herself mixed up with "Duke" again, but guess the author had to do that to bring the book to a close. I read alot of Christian historical fiction and found this one a little more "suggestive" than most. But all in all a entertaining book.

This is such a beautiful book based on biblical principles. I really do recommend it to all who are having trouble in their marriage. It really shows us so clearly how GOD wants us to love and how an unconditional love transforms each of us into the image of HIS dearly begotten Son Jesus. A must read for Christians and Non-Christians alike. GOD created us and HE has certain spiritual laws we must follow. Some follow them unconciously some read the manual which is naturally the Bible.
The book is fast paced and next to impossible to put down. Be very very blessed.

WOW! I could not put the book down. I read it in three days and it only took me that long because I have a 1 year old that consumes so much attention. This book was amazing. I have my mother in law reading it now. It reminded me of the way we treat God. This book can be enjoyed by anyone.

MY SISTER PLEADED WITH ME TO READ THIS BOOK, SHE HAD AND ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!!! I DIDN'T THINK THAT I WAS GOING TO BECAUSE, I'M NOT AS SPIRITUALLY MATURE AS SHE!!!!! I GOT THE BOOK ( JUST TO SHUT HER UP!!), AND LITERALLY WAS SHUT UP AND DOWN UNTIL I FINISHED IT!!! IT WAS SO INTERESTING AND CONSUMING THAT I LITERALLY LAUGHED ,CRIED, GOT ANGRY, MY HEART SWELLED AS MICHAEL CONTINUALLY SHOWED HER UNCONDITIONAL LOVE TIME AFTER TIME!!!!! THE SIZE OF THE BOOK DID INTIMIDATE ME IN THE BEGINNING, NOW I WAS THAT THERE WAS A SEQUEL!!!! THIS ONE IS FOR MY LIBRARY DEFINITELY!!!! THE PERFECT STORY OF GOD'S UNCONDITIONAL LOVE!!!!!! THIS BOOK IS ANOITED BY GOD HIMSELF!!!!!! ENJOY!!!!!!I TRULY DID!!!!!!

except for the Bible, this is the best.
It is the full and undiluted version from the first english translation.
read it, learn it,live it.
j

The book is excelent reading but please get a different version.
This version only has 580 or so pages where as other versions have over 1,300 pages. That means that this version is only half the story.
So much gets lost in translation already don't cheat yourself even more.

Although the story is well known to me, the editing of this audio book was so confusing. I absolutely could not follow it. Too much is cut out.

Story has good twists, but there are too many French places and people which makes the audio confusing.

This book is long out of copyright and so is available free for your Kindle elsewhere on the net.

(Great book though!)

Excellent story plot for both the young and old.... A story to be passed down from generation to generation

This book is a childhood favorite and even to this day at the age of 21 I absolutely love this book. The adventure and writing style is absolutely irresistible.

One thing I wanted to mention about this particular book is that although it alternates between worlds (earth and Fantasia) and might seem difficult for young readers to handle...the print color changes depending on which world Bastian is in. Makes it easier for kids to handle...not to mention we adults!

I have been looking for this book for years and finally I have it!

Its a wonderful and enchanting story, you get to meet many charming characters along the way, discovering the fantasy world of Fantastica.

A beautifully written story tale for both young and old.

This is perhaps the greatest - certainly one of the most well-known - works of German juvenile literature in the last century. And it is so much more than simply a fantasy adventure, although it certainly doesn't lack in entertainment value.

The book is actually imaginative literature that makes the imagination itself its main subject. It is about the proper handling of one's imagination and how to SAVE the imagination as an essential part of being human. The English reader might not immediately notice this, but the German reader will. In the German original, Fantastica/Fantasia is called "Phantasien," which is derived from the German word for "imagination." Thus, Fantastica could be called "The Realm of One's Imagination."

For a full appreciation of the book, it is important to recognize this. When Bastian, the main character, steals The Neverending Story from an antique book store and starts reading it, he doesn't enter (within the fictitious world of the story) a real place such as Narnia or Hogwarts. Rather, he enters his own imagination and needs to learn to handle his imagination well.

Being an outsider in school, Bastian is tempted to use his imagination in a bad way, namely for egoistical daydreams in which he imagines himself doing whatever he likes and taking revenge on others. Slowly, he learns that this is not the proper way of handling his imagination - that self-absorbed daydreaming is harmful.

So he learns to save his imagination from the threat of "Nothing," which is eating up Fantastica.

The intended parallel isn't hard to find. Michael Ende was a man deeply concerned about the loss of people's imagination in modern culture (about the "nothingness" eating it up), and both his novel "Momo" and "The Neverending Story" deal with this.

Whether you are young or old, whether you intend this book for yourself or your children, it is ideal for growing one's imagination as well as reflecting on its precious realm.

- Jacob Schriftman, Author of The Crack Beneath the Worlds and Other Books

This is a wonderful story and a great book I was able to share with my students. The only drawback with the book is that the pages are not in color, but the extremely low price allowed me to purchase the books for my students out of my own pocket.

Katherine Woods' translation is the only English-language version of The Little Prince which captures the beauty, simplicity, clarity, and profundity of the Antoine de St. Exupery's classic, penned in French.

(The newer translation is appallingly horrid and bland, mistaken, and frankly perplexing.)

This is really not a children's book, although older children will appreciate it.

Don't measure the value by the thickness of the book. De St. Exupery, himself a WWI pilot, writes with a great economy yet produces here the most beautiful poetry with a delightful playfulness and childlike innocence -- a fresh vision which thus sees clearly and does not obscure the profound.

Mr. Fred Rogers used to quote from de St. Exupery, whose image and illustrations once graced the 20-franc note (in the days before the euro).

There simply is no other work like this one. It is an exceptionally rare treasure, a masterpiece.

Be sure to read Katherine Woods' translation. Read it privately, when you have time to savor each word. And keep a box of tissues nearby.

The Little Prince has often been heralded as a youthful book, required reading in elementary and high schools alike. In delivering it this way I think The Little Prince is missed by the only audience that is likely to truly appreciate it, that is adults. It is not an uncommon misconception that this is a children's book. Indeed, I keep the pictures stored on my computer, and am often asked where they came from. I reply that they are from one of my favourite books, and without fail the response is along the lines of, 'I don't mean to be rude but is that a children's book?'. 'No', I explain, 'it is not'.

The Little Prince is most needed, I think, by adults. It is easy to be caught up in, as De Saint-Exupery describes it, 'matters of consequence' and forget that it is not these matters which bring meaning to life. By pointing out the futility of professions practised endlessly and in isolation of other people, it becomes clear that the Little Prince, with his rose, is the only character with a life of consequence.

This book is beautifully written and translated by Katherine Woods. It speaks volumes through its simple tale, strange though it seems that matters such as these only become clear when they are somewhat removed from reality. Matters such as love, innocence, imagination and priorities. The Little Prince is a gentle and stirring reminder to never forget to see the boa constrictor from the hat.

I was an adult when i read this book, and i really appreciated the lessons in life that Saint-Exupery shares through the Little Prince.

A great book, full of beautiful illustrations, easy to read, while fun and sad at the same time.

I personally read it as if Exupery is sharing with us the conversations he has with his own inner child, in the image of the Little Prince. That is why the Little Prince would ask many questions, but rarely answer the ones he was asked. Like all our inner children he's been hidden inside and kept silent for a long long time, and now that he was given his chance, he will speak. And we better listen, for he is an integral part of our psyche, who will take us through the most unbelievable adventures.

I popped in to a bookstore to buy this book and noticed that it was a new translation. New translation? Fortunately I had the foresight to thumb through it. I promptly left it behind and went straight to a second hand bookstore to buy a copy of the original translation. How could the publisher eliminate the wonderful poetic language? I read The Little Prince as a child ( which by the way wasn't so long ago) and I loved the language. Antoine De Saint-Exupery's work is all about painting pictures through language. This watered down mess is no better than an edition of Cliff Notes. I actually apologize to Cliff Notes. At least with Cliff Notes would have explained the intention and nature of the language. I am sorry to see that this publisher allowed the dumbing down of this beautiful classic.

A really inspiring look at my generation, the generation of the Great Depression. It shows you what one determined and truly caring individual can do in a world seemingly without hope.

Highly recommended. It has the power to convert the most determined sceptic among us.

Second only to the Bible, Same Kind of Different As Me is the most outstanding book I have ever read. Thanks to Ron Hall and Denver Moore for sharing their beautiful story about the activity of God in all of our lives. Gentlemen, you are to be commended for putting on the printed page the mighty works of the great I AM. Proverbs 2:1-5 speaks to our search for understanding and that when we search for it as for treasure, we find it. You, gentlemen, have found it! Your book testifies to that fact. May God richly bless you and your families as you continue to follow Him.

I read this book in just a few days. It was unpredictable, inspiring an a great read.

Recommended by a friend, this book actually surprised me. I initially wondered whether the story would get "sappy" or "preachy," but my fears were unfounded. Instead, I found it to be a rather straighforward, personal chronicle of how authentic Christianity impacted the lives of an unlikely trio - a homeless black man who deeply distrusts Christian "charity," a Christian woman who persuades her reticent husband to volunteer with her at a homeless shelter, and her husband, a man who finds in the experiences that ensue much more than he ever expected. The writing is heartfelt and candid, and the story is compelling without being pontifical. The lives of all three are forever changed, and as a result, the lives of countless homeless persons continue to be changed as well. Buy it, read it, and I think you'll recommend it to your friends, too.

I started this book while eatting lunch on a Thursday. I picked it back up on Sat. and did not put it down until I finished it. Being from Ft Worth TX myself, I could really connect with the 1st part of the book. I did not know much about the book (picked it up for book club), so I was not prepared for the 2nd half of the book. It really touched me. Warning: Have tissues ready!!! Being a Christian, it made me reflect on how God's plan for us may not be exactly what we had in mind, but we just have to trust HIM that "Father knows best." Christian or Not - Texan or Not, I think everyone can enjoy this book. There are so many subjects cleaverly intertwined into this book, that it is thought provoking - - - Racism, Prejudice, Poor, Rich, Infedelity, Grief, Self-Doubt, etc. That's what I thought of the book, now for a brief synopsis of the book itself...

You have Denver, who worked most of his life virtually as a slave in a cotton field, until he escaped only to find himself homeless and a slave within his own self doubt. He isolates everyone around him and set a boundry of fear around him as a survival technique. Then there's Ron who is very successful and enjoys being so. He travels with the "right" kind of people; enjoys fancy cars and doesn't have much use for those below him. Ron is married to Deborah-a loving Christian woman, who really does not care for the rich fancy lifestyle. She wants to be a good mother, wife, person and serve God. Ron has an affair. Deborah forgives him and their marriage becomes stronger, however to try to appease his wife, Ron reluctantly follows her to work in a homeless shelter. Through Deborah's persistence, Ron learns to let go of his prejudice and Denver learns how to escape from his self prison and they both learn to trust people again. But nothing comes without a price and Ron & Denver learn to work together and with the love of God to overcome a great tragedy. As a result they become best friends and even closer to God.

I am a divorce attorney. I order ten copies of this book at a time and give copies out to people who are hurting. You can read this book in one night, and I recommend that you read this book over again during the next days as needed.

When my own girlfriend/partner had a sudden stroke, I was devastated. One of my divorce clients who I had given this book to, told me, Gary, there is this book.... I read this book again that night, and found it to be quite helpful as I supported my Marilee with her stroke and then a painful death from cancer that was discovered.

This is an excellent book for anyone who is experiencing a loss, be it due to divorce or separation, or any other loss, such as a sudden illness of a loved one, or even the loss of your own employment, etc. Also, people who initiate a divorce are also suffering from a loss, albeit a less sudden loss. They are faced with the loss of the dream that they had when they committed to their partner.

This book walks through many of the steps involved with loss, and the three mega-stages of surviving, healing and growing.

But this book! Dollar for dollar, it will be one of the very best investments you will ever make. When you are next hurting due to an unexpected loss, read this book that day, and the next day or days as you need to. And buy a second copy of this book to give to friends who are devastated by loss.

THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I HAVE EVER READ!! ITS SO POWERFUL FOR YOUR HEART, BODY, AND SOUL!!

This is one of the best Self-Help books ever written! Even though it is a little corny and uses bad poems, I use it every time I have had a major loss and it has served me well. It defines loss and the stages of grief, and helps you work your way through them.

My younger sister gave this to me 15 years ago when I was going through of very painful divorce. She was reluctant to give a book to me and told me so. However, the type of book it is gives you little bits of stuff to hold onto as you go through the emotional roller coaster of losing someone you love, be it from divorce or death.

I have purchsed several copies of this book over the past years to help others. There were days I didn't know how I was going to get out of bed. So, I'd pick it up and skim through it and it really made a difference.

My latest purchase was form the widower of the sister that first bought it for me. She died of leukemia at only age 50 in April 2007. I thought that perhaps if he knew she had bought this book for me, that it would also help him.

I recommend that one keeps extra copies for those times when we don't know quite what to say to someone who is hurting. This book says it for us.

This is a great book. Although a lot of the book centers around divorce, it is a great help for those who have suffered a death. Although don't get most of the poems it is a great help and makes you realize you are not going through this alone, there are people who feel the same as you.

What a wonderful story this was. I love to watch skating and have not missed watching an Olympics since I was a kid. I am familiar with a lot of the skaters mentioned in this book. I thought this story was so touching and full of emotion. Katia considers her life with Sergei almost too perfect. They were so in love and their life together was indeed a fairy tale. I commend Katia for being able to pick herself and go on with her life no matter how difficult after Sergei's unexpected death in 1995. I thought the comparison between Russian and American customs was very interesting. This was an enjoyable and heartwarming read.

I remember watching this pair when they were competing. I wasn't an ice dancing fan, but they were so incredible to watch, I started watching any competition they were in. When Sergei died, I was devastated for Ekaterina. When her book came out, I read it, and cried all the way through. But really, it isn't a sad ending. I find it to be very inspirational to see how Ekaterina faced the worst that could happen, and came out on the other side with a wonderful attitude and will to go on. It is now 12 years later, and this book STILL makes me cry, and still inspires me.

I read this book lastyear in the Hardcover edition and I cried. It is such a moving, loving, tragic, and heartwarming story full of love that a young widow had for her husband and skating partner and the child Daria that they had together. It told of their skating years, marriage, how they met, and came to america along with the tragic death of her young husband Sergei. I couldn't put this book down. A great story that you will love. Well written.

First of all, this is a great book. The story is written beautifully, and pictures were added in all the right places. I don't tear up easily, so the book didn't make me cry, but it was touching nonetheless. However, I was surprised to find that this book was also useful in that it gave me some great insights into Russian culture, specifically how it differs from life here in America. This is a great book for a plethora of reasons; I'd definitely recommend it!

I'm really glad I found this book at a library book sale last year. Though this story is no longer current news, I hadn't forgotten about the tragic death of Sergey Grinkov or watching him perform with his wife Katya in the 1994 Winter Olympics. And even though the world has long since moved onto other headlines and stories of interest in the figure skating world, the love story told in this book is truly timeless. As a Russophile and a historian whose field of expertise is Russian history, it was a double joy to read because of all of the descriptions of Russian culture, the differences between Russian and American customs, and what life was like in the late Soviet period and the early post-Soviet period. (Although I have to say that the transliteration style wasn't completely pleasing to me; for example, I don't think I've ever read any other book where a double O is used in place of the letter U, as in Ligooshina or Katoosha, and I'm still trying to figure out how the nicknames Serioque and Katuuh are supposed to be written in Russian characters.)

Though the book begins and ends sadly, in between there's a lot of happiness and love, making this into a beautiful heartfelt love letter to a wonderful person, skating partner, friend, lover, husband, and father. The love between Katya and Seryozha is so pure and genuine, nothing like the type of superficial and problem-plagued celebrity relationships we're used to hearing about. It even made me a little jealous of their storybook love story! All throughout, Katya is very honest and open, about their relationship, the world of young skaters in the Soviet Union, what goes on behind the scenes at the Olympics, the hectic life on the road of skaters, and how difficult it was to constantly have to leave their daughter Darya behind while they skated. While I'm sure there are some things she chose not to write about, overall a very detailed and honest life and love story emerges. She was so lucky to have this wonderful man, who was so much more than just an athletic partner, for (what was then) half of her life.

Because the love story is so beautiful and like a dream come true, the reader can really feel her deep grief and sorrow expressed at the beginning and end of the book. It's a terrible thing to lose the love of your life, the father of your child, the only person you've ever skated with for the past 13 years, when you're only 24 years old. This beautiful love story isn't diminished for me by knowing that Katya has since moved on with her life and found love again. She had a child with Ilya Kulik six years after Sergey died, and married him a year later; it's not like she jumped into his bed soon after this book was published! (And since Kulik is six years younger, he would have been a bit too young for her then anyway.) When you're widowed at such a young age, you should hardly be expected to be in mourning forever, and it may help the more current reader to not feel quite so sad at the end, knowing that this intense pain and sorrow isn't such an overpowering force in Katya's life anymore. And new husband or not, there's no denying that her first husband, her first love, was indeed the greatest love of her life.

There are two duds in this book, the one about a college in the dessert, that I'm not sure even exists, but whatever, and the one about museums. But after that I think it's an intersting twist on what 'essays' mean. okay

Let me preface this by saying I was a classmate of John's at the Iowa Writers' Workshop in the mid-90's. I remember discussing several of the essays included in this collection, and being incredibly impressed with both the work and the author. The time, imagination, detail, obsession, intelligence, honesty and humble nature of both the essays and the essayist should at the very least inspire a more attentive read than several of the other negative reviewers chose to give.

It's time to give the Iowa Workshop a break. Just let it go. I mean, really, whether it's jealousy, or a rejected application, or just some strange anti-MFA vendetta, there seems to be a pervasive, generic attack on all who spent time at the school. People, it's just a school, good or bad. It's not some factory that automatically frankensteins each poetry student into some Jorie Graham/Michael Palmer avant-guardian. We actually have our own minds, styles, and ideas, and some of us even hold onto them well after we graduate. Imagine that.

I can assure you, there are few labels that would accurately portray all Iowa workshop students across the board, especially in the poetry program. You have no idea what it was like there unless you were there, and it varies from year to year. I would be uncomfortable judging people who've just graduated the program on the same standards, attitudes and practices I found during my '95-'97 term.

I'm not saying you have to like it, but review the work itself as it is given to you, not the Workshop or the writer's personal life. Why do people have to dismiss or attack writers and their works simply because they come out of a specific school, or because they are popular, or because the author has some success at an early age? Good writing has come out of Iowa, bad writing has come out of Iowa, just like every other MFA program, publishing house, school of thought, or geographical area.

This is an incredible work. Truly dazzling.

And to the reviewer who slams John for "plagiarizing" Dave Eggers, I can tell you that John had already written several of these essays, and published at least one of them in a journal (the Martha Graham piece)years before "A Heartbreaking Work..." was even published.

John is an exceptionally gifted writer and person, but even with all of his talent and imagination, I don't think he has the ability to steal work that didn't even exist at the time. To that reviewer, do your homework before you use serious words like "plagiarism" - John has clearly done his.

It seems pretty clear that the world has gone insane, since this is in fact the WORST book ever written in nonfiction, instead of what the insane reviews on here are calling the best. So from now on, every good review that this book gets I am going to counter with a negative one. It seems only fair for a book that is not only unreadable but that has copied better efforts by better writers, which has been camoflaged with lots of "experimental" techniques that are neither experimental nor very technically able. John D'Agata is overrated, untalented, and the least informed writer of his generation. These aren't essays, but just masterbatory effects.

Let me give you the scoop on John D'Agata. I am a student of the Writer's Workshop at the University of Iowa. Before I came I made a point to read everyone's books. I haven't had John D'Agata as a teacher and haven't even seen him yet because he's a freak and a hermit. But this is what I think about his "brilliant" book. Halls of Fame is D'Agata's first book, and you can tell it is. Now that the love fest with him seems to be over, I hope people will be willing to think about this book intelligently. It is a waste of paper. And definitely a waste of money. His "essays" ,if that's what you want to call them, are just hodge podges of bits of information and "observations" that are about as profound as a bowell movement. Just because a guy uses some "experimental" styles while writing in a conventinoal form doesn't make him a "breakthrough!" Get with it people. This is not a good book.

Now that the hype is over, please can we finally agree that John D'Agata is 100% the worst writer this country has ever produced!

I am only about half way through this book and already have learned numerous things about the design of Java as a language and about proper usage of said language. This book is going to be a staple in my programming library and a book recommended to anyone I know working with Java. I am also looking forward to the second edition which is slated to be released in May sometime.

An indispensable, insightful, and well written Java book to add to your reference library. The second addition is due out May 25, 2008.

I ask all of the developers I manage to read this book, after having been introduced to it by a coworker. Great tips, and helpful in clarifying some of those "gut feel" things that come up during pair-programming.

It is incredible to read Joshua's insights. Forget about being a Java Guru or something like that. This book is pure joy to read if you are detail oriented, perfectionist or a student of art of programming in general.

I have started this effort of creating a distilled version of this book coupled with my own reflections at: [...]. To any curious reader though, any such effort is not a replacement for the book itself. It is a masterpiece.

- Kedar Mhaswade

I've been using Java since 1995 and have owned this book since 2001 and it's the only Java text I still turn to. I recommend every Java developer, no matter what level you're at, read this book and read it again every year for the remainder of your career. I doesn't matter who you are or how experienced you think you are -- you will learn from this book. I give "Effective Java" my highest recommendation. I cannot wait for the Second Edition.