Hart Books

A wonderful writer - and this is an excellent collection of stories, some short and others much longer but all of them were wonderful to read. You will read '9 minutes' and than read it again and again just to make sure you didn't miss a word. I loved 'Lost and Found', I've read that a couple times too. 'The Lion and the Lamb' was a super story and the ending came as a nice surprise. I can't wait for more books from this super author. 'Postscript' and 'Thursday's Child' were wonderful and heartwarming. Keep them both to read for a rainy day!

from the publisher's web site - Whether you're thirteen or thirty, or past the age when a lady likes to tell, it's an enduring pleasure to enter an ice cream shop and contemplate what to select from the variety of flavours. Some may stick to their tried and true preference; some may pick and choose among established favourites; and some may dare to taste a strange new offering. (Licorice pistachio, anyone?) Whatever a patron's choice, odds are they'll leave the shop with a smile on their face and a satisfied palate.

Assorted Flavours offers up a similarly diverse bill of fare, with stories that range from the whimsical "Flea" and the poignant "Grandmother's Cup," to the suspenseful "Nine Minutes" and bittersweet "Lost and Found." Love is the silken thread woven through all these stories, as one woman picks up the pieces of a shattered heart, another gets her comeuppance after an ill-advised wager, and yet another risks all in an uncertain future where a nation's only hope resides in the courage and tenacity of a few. What would you do if you suddenly had an immense and inexplicable power to change the world? Or if you encountered a friendly vampire with a distinct family resemblance and a penchant for matchmaking?

Enter the world of Assorted Flavours, and encounter a rich assortment of characters thrown into circumstances where love is often the only lifeline. Make your selection, and savour your choice. Whatever your flavour, satisfaction is assured.

Lois Cloarec Hart's Assorted Flavours: A Collection of Lesbian Short Stories is a delightful and engaging read that illustrates the author's talent and range.The ten stories are well written with enough variety for any reader who enjoys terrific fiction.

The fairy tale, Rude, gives us a woman with special powers who goes a little too far with them and it backfires. The story recognizes that what one person may deem a good cause, another may not. It is truly a fairy tale with a moral, but is never preachy. Grandmother's Cup is a touching story of how a mother and daughter's love for each other can overcome prejudice. It is a coming out story that brings together rejection, cruelty and finally acceptance and love. Hart, in just a few pages, makes this turnaround believable. Walking After Midnight includes ghosts and spirits with a setting in a cemetery that creates an eerie effect. This story has a few pleasant surprises that keep the reader totally involved. The final story, Lion and Lamb, is exceptional, inventive, has a sensual erotic ending, and is my personal favorite. Jac and Vic, two best friends, make a bet that within a month Jac can bed Vic's co-worker Christi, who is engaged to be married. The story takes some turns along the way. Jac wants out of the bet, but Vic won't let her. Hart develops convincing characters and a credible plot quickly in Lion and Lamb to hold our attention until the final pages, which is no small feat.

Any one of these stories could be expanded into a novel. Hart gives the reader a delicious taste of her genius for telling charming stories. Each one reveals a love story wrapped with a different setting, time or plot. I highly recommend Assorted Flavours for anyone who takes pleasure in reading wonderful fiction.

What a thoroughly delightful collection of short stories by a talented writer.

This book contains a wee bit of something for everyone. "Grandmother's Tea Cup" is a piece that was included in the Lammy Short-listed anthology "The Milk of Human Kindness". The futuristic "Tenebrae" seems almost foreshadowing and the touching "Lost and Found", a story of elder lesbian love, will melt your heart.

All the stories are wonderful and carefully crafted by this clearly gifted authors

Author Lois Hart, who has two novels under her belt (COMING HOME and BROKEN FAITH), has tried her hand at a collection of short stories and obtained terrific results. Love and relationships, conflict and oddities abound in this well-written collection of thoughtful and interesting pieces.

With a keen eye toward human nature, Hart's new story collection paints a rich and colorful picture of life on the margins. Two of my favorites are about an angry lesbian daughter in conflict with her mother in "Grandmother's Cup" and a frightening and realization-filled flight from Halifax to Toronto in "Nine Minutes." The book ends with a lovely novella, "The Lion and the Lamb."

Because Hart is an old-fashioned storyteller of the very highest order, each offering is solid and engrossing, relying more upon character development, careful plotting, and seamless writing than on stylistic flash. She writes lovely sentences and scenes, at times elegant, at times whimsical or witty, all of which affect the reader in surprising and delightful ways and often with unexpected consequences. The power of most of these ten stories is cumulative. By the time you arrive at the middle of the volume, you will already be regretting that there is an end in sight.

Each of these stories is dazzling and inventive, with the underlying promise of something utterly unexpected waiting just up ahead. Don't miss this short story collection. It's one of the best of 2005. ~Lori L. Lake, Midwest Book Review and author of Stepping Out: Short Stories

What an excellent book for chemists and non chemists alike. Written in a well-done 'British' fashion, the book contains language that flows well and keeps the reader interested.

As for the content, the book is an indispensable document of facts, biographies, and stories behind the development of all types of explosives as we know of them today. This is accomplished by tracking the events caused and experienced by the inventors and scientists of the time.

There are a few mistakes here and there, some dealing with basic physics, but more along the lines of a first draft error that appears accidental.

Overall? I loved this book, both as a chemist and an 'energetic person'.

The book is a thematic history of explosives. The largest coverage is for gun powder detailing the history of its use in guns, bombs, rockets and mining. Then the further advances of explosives are covered up to and including nuclear explosives.

The author presents a technical work easily understood by this non-chemist. He also gives the very human background of the various inventors and users of the explosives.

What was most interesting to me is the fact that many of our most famous chemical producing companies started with the production of explosives.

Also interesting was the history of the development of safe explosives both for war and for mining purposes.

The book is well illustrated and easily accessable for the layperson and for the professional.

THE BIG BANG a History of Explosives was written by George I Brown, and not by Adam Hart-Davis. Adam Hart-Davis is an exceptionally fine presenter, with the BBC. He has a programme called LOCAL HEROES, and is an ex professor of a university, in the UK(I'm sorry I can't remember which one). Adam Hart-Davis writes a foreword of one page long. Mr. George Brown wrote the other 256 pages, and a wonderful piece of work he wrote. If you want to kill people, then your looking @ the wrong book, move along. Other than that the Title says it all really.

A bigger difference than between this book and "History of Greek fire and gunpowder" can hardly be imagined. "The big bang" is written like a history book and therefore much easier to read that professor Partington's book. It describes the history of all explosives, from black powder to the H-bomb. It is surprisingly complete. The book treats, among others, black powder, smokeless powder, cordite, ballistite, nitroglycerin, dynamite, gun cotton, TNT, ANFO, picric acid, safety fuse, detonators, the A- bomb and the H-bomb. It is clearly an historical account, not a recipe book. The writer not only describes the technical- and chemical aspects of explosives but also tells the story of the persons, production methods and companies that have played a role. Also he gives information on the application of explosives in military use, mining, demolition and quarrying and on all the problems that have occurred in the course of time. Even the "gunpowder machine" (predecessor to the steam engine) is mentioned. Obviously the writer is from Britain, which shows in his discussion of the patent controversy between Alfred Nobel and the British government concerning the production of Cordite. Generally, however, he takes a very objective position. The writer has also placed the development of explosives in the broader context of social development and a number of interesting facts are mentioned. It seems that the publication of the Balfour declaration (which led to the founding of the state of Israel) was very much due to the fact that it was a Jewish chemic (Chaim Weizmann, the later president of Israel) who found a solution to the shortage of acetone in England during the First World War, thus helping the war effort. Acetone is essential for the production of Cordite, the main propellant for the British guns. Also controversial characters like Fritz Haber and Robert Oppenheimer feature in this book besides large industries like Dupont de Nemours and Kynoch. The development of explosives is not only important to the war industry and mining but also plays a vital role in the realization of important, prestigious public works like canals, tunnels and railroads. The explosives industry stands at the basis of much of the modern chemical industry. All in all "The big bang" is an excellent book to learn the history of this very specialized and sometimes controversial subject.

I am not a big sports fan, but I was very moved by this book. It actually creates the experience of that last game. The photos are amazing and the book is first class in its design and presentation. I was surprises to find out how little it was selling for. This book is a piece of art.

The book was awesome, it did arrived damaged by UPS, they sat the package outside my office late Friday and it rained on it all weekend - the book was not in plastic so therefore the binding was ruined - I did get my money back from Amazon - the book itself was very much worth the reasonable price, anyone that is a Craig Biggio fan would cherish this book, the photos were so emotional and so clear and vivid that you feel like you are at the game.

I was at this game, and being a displaced Astros and mainly Biggio fan this will be something that I truly treasure forever.

This is an absolutely incredible book. Many thanks to Michael Hart for deciding to put this out. I was at the last game, with standing room only tickets and it was an unbelievable atmosphere to be a part of as everyone celebrated 20 years of grit, hustle, humility, and leadership that is Craig Biggio. Unfortunately from my perspective I wasn't able to see every moment, facial expression, etc that happened that day, but thanks to Hart, I can now enjoy and remember that day on many levels.

A must have for any Astros fan or any true baseball fan in general who wants to let their kids know how the game of baseball once was.

This is probably the best handbook for this discipline I've ever seen. I bought a copy when I was in the States three years ago - and it was swiped ! I plan to prescribe this book for my students from 2001 onwards. Well done !

John Hill ctftvs@netactive.co.za

Of the two major "textbooks" on ACing, this is the best one to start with. It gives enough information to initiate you into what is expected of all members of the camera crew, but is not overwhelming with technical info (not that you are not going to want that info someday, but if you are new, it can be confusing and even discouraging.) After this book, get David Elkin's Camera Assistant's Manual, which goes into much further detail. As you work with different cameras, download the manuals from the panavision/arri/aaton/etc websites so you can feel comfortable with the differences in individual cameras. Lastly, get a used copy of the very expensive American Cinematographer Manual for all the technical bits in one handy portable reference book. This, and tons of set experience, is probably all you need (and keep in mind some of the greatest cinematographers who ever lived worked without any of these aids). Rely on your eye!

This book is a complete and highly insightful manual for motion picture camera assistants and operators. It covers the disciplines, techniques, skills and even the politics of the craft. For anyone involved or wanting a fabulous look into the workings of the film industry, buy this book!

Compiled from years of teaching innumerable students at the International Film & Television Workshops in Rockport, ME, this book supercedes all previous texts on the subject. A former President of East Coast Camera Local 644, Hart writes in a manner as readable as it is thorough. Illustrations and appendices are completely useful. This is the new Bible for the working A.C. and anyone seeking to understand how the camera department really functions.

I read this book this past week. I could NOT put it down. It's the true story of two men hiking the Darien Gap and getting kidnapped by "FARC-ish" geurrillas... The sadness in this book is greatly overturned by the comedy that results from things like lacy underwear, AK-47's, injuries, orchids, worms, and even the occasional fart joke.

I definitely would recommend this book to just about everyone.

This book fell into my possession while I was backpacking around South America, no less. It is, at the very least, a cautionary tale about the foolishness of attempting to cross the Darien Gap. As a middle class white male westerner I could relate to the boredom with conventional travel and recklessness which motivated the writers to try and cross the Gap. The book itself is an insight into a part of the world outside conventional view. It is a window into the life and experiences of Guerillas who own this strip of no-mans land.

I enjoyed the authors style and story, I loved Columbia on my visit and this book reminded me why - the natural beauty, the lawlessness, the adventure. Of course, the authors experience is overlayed with the sense of possible death which they live under. But it is treated with typical English gallows humour.

A great read.

I received this book as a gift, and have found it to be an excellent read. Conversational in style, you feel like your sitting in the pub listening to them tell their story. Their colorful language allows you to share their experience in the jungle - slogging through swamps, sitting in the rain, or even sharing the excitement when Tom discovers new orchids. I laughed and cried and feared right along with Tom and Paul. A great book!

The Cloud Garden is a must read for anyone who likes orchids, adventure, or travel! The authors Tom Hart Dyke and Paul Winder made you actually feel like you were in the jungle with them going through despair as well as outright comedy with the FARC guerrilas. Essentially the book is about botanist/traveller Tom Hart Dyke and adventure traveller Paul Winder (both strangers to each other) and how they meet up and decide to cross the Darien Gap on the border of Panama and Columbia. Six days into their journey they are kidnapped by FARC guerrilas and held hostage for nine months. The authors provide a very descriptive detail of their environment, kidnappers, and impossible situations that had to be overcomed. Highly recommended!

My daughter and I have read tons and tons of books. This one is going on the "great list". BTW, not many go on that list. The story is absolutley perfect for Christmastime or anytime. Written in a diary format starting Dec. 21 through Christmas Day, a young girl, in 1845, tells of her life and wonderful small community and a Christmas miracle. Absolutely wonderful character names include Fliberty Jibbert, Valentine McGinty and Aunt Heddy Peggler. If you are trying to keep plenty of innocent and great literature around for your children to read, this is one to keep around. You CAN judge a children's book by its cover.

I am a 9-year-old boy (mom is typing) and I thought this book was excellent. It's about a little girl who meets a guy named Fritz Klingle, who is looking for his dog named jingle. It's a very good Christmas book.

A great granddaughter discovers a family diary from 1845. The story of a special Christmas in Cobtown unfolds. Art is a cartoon-like character with excellent illustrations in lively colors. A great read - includes receipes for dog soup! I highly recommend this family type, holiday book for students from K through 5 grades.

The Van Nutts bring us instantly back to a lost era full of magic. Somehow they have mastered the art of historical accuracy without boredom or cheesiness- something so few artists can do. The drawings have all the skill of Van Allsburg but more warmth and depth for their genuineness, while the text makes you long to search through your grandmother's closet in search of hidden treasures. It's an instant classic and a must-have for someone who takes kid's books seriously.

This book provides practical tools for implementing a truly peaceful classroom. More importantly, the tools taught in this book stay with the child for the rest of his/her life. In our world of seemingly ever-increasing conflict, both in the home and abroad, this book should be a vital part of every classroom.

This book is written for teachers. The first part of the book focuses on research and background for using positive, non-violent language with children and teaching them how to use it. The authors talk about the difference between what they call naming/blaming language and non-violent, positive language. The last part of the book gives many useful ideas to emplement in a classroom.

With bullying coming - finally - to the forefront in schools, this book is a wonderful, pro-active way to get started.

I have worked in the field of education for over 25 years. I've been a classroom teacher, consultant, trainer, administrator, and state-level bureaucrat. For the last three years, I have been a professor in a teacher education program at a small state university in Pennsylvania. I have provided the above background so that my comments about The Compassionate Classroom may have credibility with amazon.com customers.

I am delighted to agree wholeheartedly with John Zurbrigg's review here on amazon.com. I will add that my interest in The Compassionate Classroom was inspired first by my studies in Nonviolent Communication (NVC), as developed by Marshall Rosenberg. Sura and Victoria have done a masterful job translating NVC to the classroom, staying completely faithful to NVC principles, explaining them clearly, and providing examples and activities for teachers to follow and use. I will be using The Compassionate Classroom as a text in one of my undergraduate classes this fall, and I am applying the principles in all of my classes henceforth.

I simply cannot say enough about The Compassionate Classroom. It absolutely excites me by giving me hope that we can create classrooms where the passion for learning is truly nurtured. My request is that you buy it for yourself if you are a teacher, and give it to every teacher you know as a gift. On behalf of children and our future, let's start transforming education today. This book gives us the tools!

This is a landmark book that all educators of young and elementary aged children deserve to become familiar with. "The Compassionate Classroom" has the power to transform and improve the classroom social scene and learning experiences of children and teachers alike.

Supported by the research and experience of psychologists and educators like Daniel Goleman and William Glasser, the authors' main idea is that education depends on positive relationships and that children and adults need to learn to communicate in a mutually supportive way to achieve this. They draw directly on the seminal work of conflict resolution mediator and trainer Marshall Rosenberg who says, "The objective of Nonviolent Communication is not to change people and their behavior in order to get our way; it is to establish relationships based on honesty and empathy which will eventually fulfill everyone's needs." Sura Hart and Victoria Kindle Hodson masterfully translate the principles of "nonviolent communication" so that children can understand and apply them. Some of the highlights of this book are the numerous practical activities and lessons that teachers can use with their students to improve their ability to listen with empathy to others and make requests that will be sympathetically heard.

Children learn better in a supportive environment where they feel emotionally safe. They need the tools to communicate "from the heart" in order to achieve this. On the contrary, in today's hurried world our students are often exposed to impersonal pressures and models of social interaction that promote indifference, competition, hostility and violent "solutions'' to personal or social problems. "The Compassionate Classroom" provides an antidote to all this and sets a different standard for our children, one that is humane and "life-fulfilling." Along with many fellow teachers I say a heartfelt "Thank you and congratulations!" to Sura and Victoria for this wonderful contribution to our practice.

"Crooked Cross Factor" is a well-written fascinating
novel about the efforts to raise a sunken German World
War II submarine that has been lying in cold waters
off the coast of Iceland for more than 25 years. Not
only has this U-boat been there for all that time, but
it contains an undisturbed load of gold bullion. Into
this scene comes a U.S Embassy security chief, thrust
there by a spiraling sequence of events that have been
spearheaded by a mutinous crew of a Russian submarine.
Looking for lots of action, intrigue, even a gorgeous
female Minister of Icelandic Roads? You've got it with
this very entertaining and thrilling plot line.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was very suspenseful and so interesting to read all about Iceland. I was totally enthralled with the country and would like to visit it one day. But until then, I can picture it in my mind. Derek Hart did a fabulous job with descriptions.

Great book! It was a fun and easy read. Derek has a wonderful gift of story telling that takes me out of reality and makes me feel part of the adventure. It is very easy to get wrapped up and totally into the story. I also enjoy when I can read about strong female characters who can be more than just a pretty face. Two thumbs up and keep up the good work.

I finished Crooked Cross Factor within days after my arrival in Ireland. The more Guiness I drank the more I enjoyed the novel. It was easy and "FUN" to read, shades of John Grisham. I am most anxious to move on to another Derek Hart novel!

This is an EXCELLENT book. I've only had it a week and already have seen my artwork dramatically improve. The thing I love most about Hart's books(I own both, "Drawing Animals Made Amazingly Easy" and "Drawing Human Anatomy Made Amazingly Easy") is that they are simple and easy to understand, unlike many books that feel you need the names/latin terms for every muscle and bone in the body.

This is also a great book for those looking to use basic animal forms to create various monsters/demons/creatures/etc. A must have in your collection!

The book is very well written and has excellent instructions and examples of how to draw animals correctly. Our daughter has really enjoyed using this book.

This is an excellent instructional book. Comparing the drawing of animals to drawing human characters helped immensely. The focus on drawing dogs and cats was also appreciated by my family and I, but rest assured there are lots of monkeys and giraffes! Topics on motion and angles were great as well. Recommended highly!!

A grand book filled with clear & simple step by step instructions, which are easy to understand and follow. The anatomy and the dynamics of each animal is described well in a separate chapter for many animal types. Each animal is portrayed by simplifying its body parts, poses, movements (run, jump, twist etc) and different views: Hart hi-lights each animal's general and specific characteristics (skeletal, muscular and joint placement) which brings life, individuality & personality to the illustrated creature.
many tips and techniques about creating not only a drawing but a feeling as well, makes this a great book for beginners as well as experienced illustrator.

This is an excellent book of postcards of East Orange, New Jersey, many from the era 1900 through 1930. For those who grew up in or around East Orange years ago, this book is invaluable as a reminder of how great a place it was. There is also some text which gives coherence to the pictures. The only possible competition of which I am aware is a Centennial Book of East Orange from 1963 which has many photos (but not as many as the Postcard book) and a longer textual history of the City in its different aspects.

My mother lived in E. Orange during the 1906 to 1938 time period. She attended the Lincoln Elementary & E. O. High School along with my father whom she married later on. The postcards in this book give me a view that my mother would have seen as she grew up. This book gave me a warm and cozy feeling about a town I didnt know before. Many years later as I grew up in Caldwell, not far away, I had no idea of the rich history of E. O. Now I know thanks to this book. Note to Author: Don't ya just love Antique shops?

This well researched and visually appealing book is worth leisurely perusal. A picture is indeed worth a thousand words.

I can't remember when I've enjoyed a book so much! The postcards and narratives shown throughout the pages brought me back to the town I so loved and enjoyed as a child and teenager growing up in a city that I felt was the best place in the world.