John Books

American children went missing before and after Adam Walsh, but his was the first to gain national media attention. His parents were likable, educated and well-spoken, and Adam was kidnapped from the safest place anyone could ever imagine, from inside a Sears department store. The Walsh family's story could have been any American family's story. I remember seeing the original news stories, and the national TV interview of John and Reve Walsh, on the same morning that their son's headless body was found in a Florida canal.

The true story that John Walsh tells is about a family nearly torn apart by the senseless murder of a little boy, and the anger and rage that they turned into positive action and change, establishing the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and later, becoming host of the TV show America's Most Wanted, which has brought home missing children and helped police to solve murders and bring killers to justice.

The murder of his own child remains unsolved, but Walsh believes that he knows the identity of the killer, a homeless drifter who later died in prison, where he was serving time for crimes unrelated to the murder of Adam Walsh.

I've never read a book so gripping or heart wrenching. My condolences to you and your family Mr. Walsh; my heart breaks for you.

John Walsh has decided he is the voice for victims everywhere. The problem is, fewer and fewer people want him to be. Why? Because of things like this book.

He seems to ignore reality in favor of what he wants us to think.

I agree that this book is very sad and heart breaking. I can only begin to feel the sadness and heart break that this man and his wife went through. This book reveal that. I could only somewhat feel his pain because I have never been through it. This book proves that something good can come out of tragic happenings.

This book is more political then I thought. This man has accomplished a lot Worth the buy.

AS A MAN YOUR NOT SUPPOSED TO CRY, BUT I DID, READING WHAT HAPPENED TO HIS SON AND THINKING OF MY OWN SON I JUST COULDNT HELP IT! ITS A GREAT BOOK AND MAKES YOU WONDER WHAT YOU WOULD DO IF IT HAPPENED TO YOU!

My son was able to read an entire book on his first try. These are great. I know it is helpful for teaching reading and that it is helping my four-year olds learn how to read. I would highly recomment this series.

My 5 yr old son starts kindegarden this fall and my goal is to get him to read before school starts. While going through flash cards to get him to know the sounds of every letter in the alphabet, it got boring and he started to get frustrated. To make this experience more exciting for both of us, I brought the the Sesame street "Alphabet Jungle game" and Bob books. He watched the Alphabet Jungle game on Sunday, which reinforced all the sounds of the alphabet to him. On Monday we went through the first 3 BOB books and I couldn't belive it...my son can read the first few book now...only after one sitting.

Wow these books are amazing. Crafty and to the point. My son started these about 1 year ago and began reading 1 and 2 syllable words within the 1st two times of reading through the series. The boos can be colored by children since the drawings are just outlined pictures. I loved them, they beat hooked on phonics for me!

The series has been renumbered yet again. The new ISBN for the first set is 0439845009.

Bob Books come in 5 sets on 3 levels, and they cover the fundamentals of reading through about half of the Kindergarten level, which is lower than either of the other programs. Each set contains 8-12 books for the child to read, with a line or two of text per page.

Unlike many programs, there is little to no direction for the parent. However, they are carefully crafted to introduce the sounds in a systematic and maximally rewarding way, as well as carefully choosing sight words. The very first book requires that the child know the sounds of only four letters (M, A, S, T) and one sight word (on). The rest of the first set of 12 books (12 pages each) introduces the rest of the alphabet and short-vowel sounds, carefully reviewing everything learned, as well as a handful of high-untility sight words. The second set of 12 books (12 pages each) reinforces what was learned in the first set with more text per page, more plurals, ore sight words, and a few blends. The second level begins with the third set, which has 10 books (16 pages each) and introduces more text, more blends, and some compound words, while the fourth set (4 with 16 pages and 4 with 24 pages) has more blends, more sight words, and long compound words. The final set, in the third level (4 with 16 pages and 4 with 24 pages), has longer stories and introduces long vowels.

The thing my son likes most is that I'm not telling him what to do most of the time, and he doesn't have to repeat books!
Some parents find that the level of progression slows after the first set, but we're going to do them all. It helps my son acquire speed and fluency painlessly.

The only bad points: The words are handwritten, which means that despite the excellent handwriting, there is some inconsistency in spacing and letter shapes that will give some readers problems. Also, if your child likes to gaze for a l-o-n-g time at every picture, painless swifty becomes agaonizing. For that case, I recommend McGuffey's Eclectic Readers
This isn't sufficient to bring a child to the end of the Kindergarten level, but it gets them reading basic books very fast! Many people like the later part of Nora Gaydos' series to follow up. I will use an out-of-print series that I got from my aunt for free :-) called Scholastic Phonics Ready Readers (ISBN 0439325099 and others) starting with books 37. Afterwards, there are many classic early reader books that he can read, like Little Bear and Frog and Toad.

Generally I thought these books were good. After months of struggling, my son suddenly "broke the code", and these were the first books he read. Because of their simplicity, he could immediately read them straight through, with very few errors, which felt like a much-deserved and much-appreciated reward after all that hard work. The two of us were both laughing with relief and delight.

However, one thing that bothered us was the occurrence of "words" that aren't really words. What are those for? Examples:

"The vet ran zip zap."
"ZAM!"

When my son read those words, he thought he was reading incorrectly, since the "words" didn't make any sense to him. I was annoyed because the books made him feel uncertain at those points, though he was reading perfectly.

There were a couple of sentences that were unnatural, too. For example, "Dot did nap." Normally we say, "Dot napped," do we not? Of course, "napped" is a more advanced word and would have been unsuitable for the first series. But my son scratched his head over some of these sentences because the wording was not natural.

I thought the downside should be stated, even though the high praise the books have received here is well deserved.

I just purchased this book, and I must say, what I have read so far truely amazes me. The techniques used in this book are some that I would have never thought to ever attempt like bidding nil with the Ace of Spades. Thank you galt for writing this great book. Oh I was amazed by the size of it also, very well put together. Every person playing spades online or offline, young or old should pick up this book and read. Thank you, Now maybe I will be able to win vs you someday LOL

See you at the tables Galt.
Hugs Betty_Boop

When I first read about this book it was at the Gaming Peak spades site. When i was asked if I ever nilled using the Ace of spades I naturally said no. However I was intrigued by the idea and bought the book. I have since read the book, seen my opps pause several times after a card I or my partner have thrown . This book is very helpful on what to play , when to play and what not to play. If you are a beginning spades player or an advanced spades player this book will help you prevent yourself and your partner from making crucial mistakes in the game of spades. The greatest thing I have gotten from this book is the satisfaction of not losing at spades and seeing my opponents say gga, and nice set u2, and seeing them ask each other what happened there? and the one thing we all like to see the opponents ask each other ......you want to report or me pard?

Before I bought this book, I would win sporadically and only when I had "good" cards. After reading How NOT to Lose at Spades, not only did I win more games than I lost, I even won games with "bad" cards. In other words, I would look at my cards and know how to bid and play the cards determined by the situation at hand...for each hand. It has upped my games tremendously, and now the teams that I could never even fathom beating, I now beat. You know the ones I'm talking about. I used to leave the table feeling like a pretzel not knowing what hit me. Not anymore. Do yourself a favor. Buy this book, have your partners buy this book and together you will see the difference. Thanks Jack!
Lori

I've been playing about 2 years now and until I read "How NOT To Lose At Spades" I was basically just flying by the seat of my pants. Learning the risk/rewards system has helped me analyze my possibilities and those of the "pones". This book brings everything down to a level everyone could understand, not technical terms or diagrams as I've found in other books. Jack gives basic strategies as well as advanced. The humor found in this book helps take away the fact that you are truly learning something in the long run. Before I purchased this book, I read all of his monthly columns and we've also developed a friendship thru the game of spades. His mentoring has increased my win percentage dramatically.
I highly recommend this book for all levels of players.
Overture

I am very impressed with this book. You have to read it a little at a time, stopping to put the suggestions into practice as you go along. Why? Because Jack's book causes a paradigm shift in your thinking. You'll never see the game the same again--your ability to analyze not only your own game, but that of your pard and pones, will increase exponentially. Not only is this a great book, but John (Jack) Strichman is a very personable and approachable person, who will go the extra mile for you. I feel as though I am fortunate enough to have two great pards--"The Lady in Red" I am ever honored to have across the table from me, and Jack sitting beside me whispering winning secrets in my ear.

This latest edition of the Merck Manual has been signifigantly updated and refreshed. The breadth is exceptional, and the hundreds of contributors have produced a tight, concise overview of medical coditions. You won't get any hand-holding, so if you are unfamiliar with medical language get a good medical dictionary and before long you'll be off and running. An invaluable reference for medical professionals and patients who like to read it straight up. It's interesting to compare earlier editions and realize that medical knowledge is still incomplete, even with the authoritative tone. The human system is so intricate and amazing. I'm glad that there are people trying to figure it out. Carry on!

I am a nurse and depend on the merck manual for
information and usualy get the new edition when
it is printed.I would not be without the manual.

This is an excellent resource for anyone. I highly recommend it for individuals who want to review major breakthroughs in the health care industry. It provides concise, yet detailed information on many important topics that interest almost anyone.

My parents gave me a copy of the Merck Manual when I was in college. Since then I have used the manual as a practical reference for anything from the slightest rash to much for serious ailments. It makes it a lot easier to have a productive conversation with your doctor when you have a basic understanding of the medical condition and terms.

I just upgraded to the 18th edition and the format is much improved. It's easier to find information and is well organized.

This was a birthday gift for my son who is the T.B. epidemiologist at the Michigan State Health Department. He loved the gift and I loved the price!

I bought this book for my student/athlete son. I had him read the book and find five things that he could immediately apply to his life. The book is written in such a manner that the parallels between sports and life are seamlessly interwoven. By using sports as a platform of relativity, I feel I am raising my son to be a confident and responsible man. This is a must-read for fathers and sons.

This is one of my favorite books of tidbits. Basically coach Wooden gives his ideas on life, hard work, sports and manners. Through different stories of his life and experiences.

It really was a pleasure reading this book and I feel that the philosophy of coach wooden, based on hard work, trust, learning and being a good person is straight forward and a throw back to simpler values.

I have never heard of John Wooden until last Thursday. This book was recommended to me by two friends, as first I thought how is a retired basket coach going to give me some direction and clarity on life? WOW!!!!! Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down! I took to every word and read it in one evening (not a long read, but it makes you ponder over each sentence) and I was really sad that the book was coming to an end. It's an amazing book, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND it anyone no matter where you're at in life. This is a book that I will refer back to time and time again throughout my life (I just know it!).

John Wooden has been blessed with such wisdom and he has used this blessing to build up and influence millions of people, young and old. I have many books by John Wooden and even though I usually buy them sight unseen I know I will never be disappointed...and I never have. This particular book is jammed packed with wonderful, thought provoking quotes and stories. I will treasure this book, along with all his others, forever.

Early in my coaching career, I was looking for a "style" and "philosophy" to call my own. I heard about "Wooden" from a friend - I read it and I instantly connected with Coach Wooden's words and lessons. His approach to coaching as "teaching," both on and off the court, resonated with me and the way I wanted to coach.

When I first read the book, I immediately incorporated Coach Wooden's quotes into all my talks with my teams. They affectionately referred to "Wooden" as the "bible" and many of them all went out and bought their own copies.

Now, I present my players with a copy of "Wooden" as soon as they make the team. The ones that read it all come back with a twinkle in their eyes - its a look of joy and understanding. I don't quote from Coach Wooden as much as I used to - I've found my own "philosophy" and "style" - but, if I ever hit a rough patch, the first person I go back to is Coach Wooden and his teachings.

Jorge Luis Borges was one of those rare writers who can take even a bizarre, utterly unbelievable idea, and spin it into an exquisite little gem of prose.

And this classic writer was at the peak of his powers when he collected together "Ficciones," whose plain name belies the subtle power and exquisite beauty of Jorges' short stories. Even among Borges' many short stories, few of them can rival this little labyrinth of strange ancient cities, fictional histories, and the eerie depths of the human mind.

"I owe the discovery of Uqbar to the conjunction of a mirror and an encyclopedia." An odd old saying from the Middle-East leads the narrator to seek out the long-lost heretical histories of a fictional world known as Tlon. Its beliefs, language, and metaphysical eccentricities increasingly fascinate the narrator, until it's almost a surprise to realize that Borges invented all of this.

The stories that follow are no less engrossing -- the recounting of a strange, haunting novel, a man who attempts to LIVE as Don Quixote, a man who tries to dream a new being into existence, a lottery that determines the way the people of Babylon are to live, an examination of a brilliant and underrated author, an exploration of the eternal Library of the universe, and a labyrinthine spy story.

The second round of short stories is a bit less enthralling, merely because it focuses more on "typical" Borges short stories. But they are still pretty enthralling pieces of work -- the remembrance of the brilliantly eccentric Ireneo Funes, the story of a scar, a series of murders linked to "the secret Name," a condemned man's begs God for a year to perfect his art, a forgotten heretic, a conversation leading to revenge, the Cult of the Phoenix, and a man entranced by the "Arabian Nights."

Mirrors and labyrinths fill Borges' work -- real and imagined, in word, metaphor and reality. You see them in an endless library, a guitar melody, a contradiction in religious faith, a complex plot, and in the mind of a man who loses himself to an obsession. The mirrors show you the sides of people that they would never see themselves, and the labyrinth twists the mind into new places where it would never normally go.

"Ficciones" explores places where normal fiction would never go -- such as a Babylonian lottery for different places in society, corrupted by greed -- even as it imbues its eulogies, metaphysical ponderings and explanations with the tinge of reality. The cults, deaths, and art that Borges describes seem so plausible, and are given such depth and detail, that it comes as a mild shock when you realize, "Hey, he made all of this up."

Part of that is due to his unique style, full of elegant wordcraft and gently luminous imagery ("a round yellow moon defined two leaf-clogged fountains in the dreary garden"). Even a stabbing is made brutally beautiful, and often dialogue is unnecessary -- the most beautiful and striking stories in here are the ones where Borges (aka the narrator) eagerly explores some invented facet of the world.

And woven through these stories are many of the things that fascinated Borges through his career -- a tragic hero, ancient heresies, an elusive God, and people whose lives he could somehow explore through his own imagination.

If you could criticize anything at all, it's that few of the characters -- aside from the Borges "narrator" -- are much more than walking symbols of a murky little message. But hey, you could simply see this entire book as an exploration of Borges' own imagination by himself. He happily recounts countries that are nonexistant, books that were never written, geniuses who never were.

"Ficciones" is about the dullest name you can possibly give to a work of genius -- an intricate little web that is all mirrors and mazes. Absolutely stunning.

Borges is one of the great literary giants of the 20th century, a statement that in itself appears as a graveyard of a word; that his influence is comparable to that of Joyce, Proust and Beckett. I would another name to that list, that of Georges Perec, a French novelist most famous for his works "Void" and "Life, A User's Manual".

I am no authority in much of anything, so I'd advice you find and read as much Borges as you can, but I've found that this collection is a fitting place whence to start and end endeavours of life. Literature works as a way of shaping not only our imagination but expounding our sense of self; this is a phenomenon that does not exclude anyone: most of the time it is merely unconscious as we hone endless miles through the seas of matter, of influence. Reading the great masters not only takes us to the root of what has been shaping and influencing the most intelligent and worthy art created, this reading gives us tools of becoming a self-conscious human being.

But read these stories for fun if you're not a self-confessed pretentious bohemian like me. I do, too, yet for me the other half of the fun is to dwell in the experience and shape an abstractly spatial being of it, place it into my mind as a station between different poles of my being. I theorize because I don't know any better. I keep returning to this book time and again, and to his poems, in themselves undertakings of a genius mind to create a new world, a function which any work of art should consciously yet as lucidly as possible promote. Each of the stories is a labyrinth for the mind, a whole microcosm of wordplays, mirrors, riddles, puzzles, mazes, doubles, self-reflection, catalogues and everything from between. A whole literary life being constructed in these short stories, much in the same way as a word-to-word memorization of a Cervantes. As with that book, everything that we experience in fiction, that feels the same has changed forever.

With best regards,
AK

Borges, a half deaf Mephisto indian from Peru, wrote in the later half of the 20th century when half of his inheritance had been squandered in Bordellos charging full price. His forte into "asylum" literature came about as a result of being incarcerated by accident in a Bolivian prison camp which inspired the film, "Papillon". His days were spent by writing and re-reading a book he carried inside his pocket for 22 years which was titled, "Moth Collecting for Youngsters". Most of these stories deal with tidal waves and rocks but some, deal with the memories of his youth like "Hopping on Empty Books".

Transport the Wachowski brothers to the 1930's and ask them to express their philosophy by way of short stories. You might get something in the same ballpark as Ficciones. The diversity and genius of Borges' work is so unique that if you were to know all the languages in the world and had no word limit, it would still be hard to do a review that does justice. Ironically, this is exactly the kind of challenge that Borges would stand up to. I will attempt to review this work by enlisting adjectives that come to mind.

Surreal, mystic, recursive, sophistic, heretical, philosophical, religious, profound, imaginative, ingenious, circular, open-ended, unorthodox, personal, hallucinational, original, universal, self-referential, concise, contextual, complex, ironic.

Here are a few examples of the complexity of Borges' mind at work.

Borges attributes certain imaginary books and volumes of books to some of the authors that he is most influenced by. In reality, these books are projections of Borges' fertile mind and no more. In the process of critiquing imaginary works of art (let's call this meta-art), he creates an instance of the meta-art in the mind of the reader. It's like me talking to you about the eating habits of a third person you haven't met, and actually does not exist! Borges never fails to leave you with a lasting impression of a meta-art that resonates with your senses. On second thoughts, this is obvious because the meta-art is as much a figment of your imagination as it is Borges'. Every meta-art is a reflection of your own creative mind, while Borges is simply holding a mirror. And talking about mirrors, here's a quote from Borges as attributed by him to the meta-art in his first short story "Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius": "The earth we inhabit is an error, an incompetent parody. Mirrors and paternity are abominable because they multiply and affirm it." And with this we come full circle just like you would in most of Borges' stories.

Borges is fascinated with the idea of god and provides several unorthodox notions of god that might be as appealing to scientists as they would to priests. This is done more so by illustration than by elucidation. In fact, subtle self-references and recursions are an integral part of the entire work. The stories embody the concept that Borges sets out to illustrate, and always come full circle at the end such that appreciating the story is equivalent to appreciating the concept. Whether it is the wizard of "The Circular Ruins", the librarian of "The Library of Babel", the spy of "The Garden of Forking Paths", the teenage boy of "Funes the Memorious", or the playwright of "The Secret Miracle"; the self-referential nature of the work is haunting. Each story leaves you wondering how Borges could convey so much with so little words [This also speaks volumes about the quality of English translation]. Then again, the very topic of brevity and excessiveness is discussed in one of the reviews of a fictional book. It is like Borges does not let anything go. Yet again, the very topic of an all-encompassing book is discussed in the context of a fictional book that aspires to BE god.

There was not a single story of the seventeen that was not profound. There is no chance that you would not re-read this book after reading it once.

Borges never fails to please, to challenge, to entertain, and more importantly make one's brain shift into high gear!
If you are looking for an easy read, don't expect to find it in Ficciones.

However, if you are looking for a little cerebral cortex arousal; grab this book and find a cozy spot...you won't be disappointed!

Reading with his head instead of his heart, Borges looks to fill his mind with all the minutia and information he can possibly hold and release it back in his works with finely crafted and fascinatingly playful philosophical stories.

The sparse, objective writing of Ficciones is a far cry from his earlier lyrical style, of which he says: "In those days, I sought dusk, the outskirts, and unhappiness; now, mornings, the center, and serenity."

Thankfully in the newer center, we are treated to 17 extraordinary stories that are teasingly succinct, yet brimming with imaginative and aesthetic prose!

The scarcity of words requires that the reader pay attention to them all or miss much of the wisdom and subtleness that define the delicate and ingenious style that is this fine master of fiction...Jorge Luis Borges!

This book is deeply moving, inspiring and challenging. Thomas a Kempis lays out what it means to be an authentic follower of Jesus, not just an adherent or a church-goer. The simulated conversations with Christ in the book are especially powerful. Aside from the Bible, no other book has touched and moved me like this. Highly recommended reading.

Why claim trinkets when you can read one of the best devotionals on the market. I use it to keep my daily life in check, to remember to have the right focus and to live what I believe. This is the top of the charts for a "Christian" work. Brother A'Kempis was a great instructor and a wise disciple. So much of todays mediocre fluff is twisted by society, self centeredness and lazy Christianity where the thinking is done for those who don't see the value in meditation and self examination. Next to the Bible, this is my favorite work.

This wonderful book was written by the priest Thomas a Kempis in the 1400's and is very reminecient of the Apostle Paul's writings by encouraging readers to live a simple spiritual life. It recommends that peace is found in the heart of the humble and that in overcoming the ego you overcome the world. Joy is found in a quiet conscience and you are only happy when you have done what is right. This may also be the original source of the advice to choose the less of two evils. It also warns that pleasure and desire carry the seeds of sorrow. This book is spiritual focusing on living the inner life and not getting entangled with the world. A must read for all Christians or anyone on a spiritual path.

This is one of the best books I've ever read. It's a slow read, but not difficult - there's so much packed into these 280 pages that you'll have to take your time to get it all.

This is not a review of the book per se (just got it, have not read it yet), but thought I needed to share this. Book arrived with another book (a textbook) in the usual Amazon box, each laying side by side. It was left out in the rain for most of the day by the local carrier until I brought it inside. The entire box was soaked and ruined, tape fallen off and box literally gaping open, all of the paperwork inside was falling apart in pieces and soaked, my textbook was completely ruined (soaked through, wavy wet pages etc - got returned), yet this book was absolutely dry - not a trace of even a microdrop of water - perfect condition. Take away whatever message you want...

Helaine and Score travel to the nightmare planet of Zarathan, in search of their kidnapped friend Pixel. It's a place where a person's nightmares and fears become reality, and to fall asleep means certain death. John Peel adds some new twists into this installment in the Diadem series by adding some elements of horror with a little science fiction thrown in. Very well done.

This whole series was a hit, it kept me reading and since it abruptly ends at this book (#6) I've been reading the 6 books over and over again, hoping for a change in heart by the author and a real ending, mind you that not rushing an ending in one book would be nice. Yes it is good for us, the readers, to use our imaginations a bit, but this was a complete cliff-hanger. The imagination/creativity is breath taking, never a cheezy moment. Mainly this book takes the story more towards an fantasy/horror story plot. Pixel is in trouble and of course Score/matt and renald/heliene jump right in to save him.... there seems to be little chance for sucsess.... what will happen?

Fun reading, great characters and an interesting twist at the end! John Peel is a good writer. The next books in the series are to be published soon. (...)

i loved the whole Diadem series so much when i was 10 and i started rereading it again and i still definately adore it even though im now 15. i was so mad when i found that this book was his last book in the series. i really want him to make at least one other book i mean he has to the cover picture still isnt complete. i love these books so much.

The Diadem series has been my favorite book since I was ten years old. I am now fifteen and still remember almost every little detail. To bad he finished the series so abruptly, right?

Then again, he didn't. John Peel has written the seventh book and is still working on book eight. The only reason why the series is not sold in stores is because the publishing companies refuse to publish the new books, saying that it did not sell well enough to make more, and they discontinued the already published ones.

I found a website that has a petition that you can sign to put the books back on the market as well as the seventh and eighth. The site is:

Diadem FanZone--The Book Series Lives On

I was loaned this book by a friend of mine who is German. She was given this book by her mother and read it when she was a child in Germany. Years later she found it in a used book sale here in the states (her current residence) and fell in love with it again. She lent me this book, and I have to say it was wonderful. I learned so much reading this book everything from Napoleonic history to early French fashion. Desiree is a delightful character and her life is fascinating. I recommend this book for anyone. It is a light easy read. I was sad when I finished it because I wanted the story to continue.

"Desiree" is the (mostly) true story of Desiree Clary, silk-merchant's daughter of Marseilles, who becomes involved with the Bonapartes, rises with them to the heights of power, survives Napoleon's downfall and ultimately becomes Queen Desideria of Sweden, the first Bernadotte Queen. Desiree herself tells her story in diary form, although it isn't as annoying as the diary form usually is, and the reader experiences events of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries as Desiree did--as a series of domestic events. That these events occur in royal households and that Desiree is a major player in them could be accidental, but one quickly realizes that Desiree is a remarkable woman and these are no accidents.

The tone is intimate, and one feels as though Desiree is confiding in the reader as a friend. Annemarie Selinko is a virtuoso; even in translation not one word of this amazing story rings false. You will find yourself thinking of Desiree long after the end of the book. I read this first at sixteen, and found the historical information invaluable in a college history course (not the reason to read it, but it doesn't hurt).

I've since read the Josephine B. books, and a wonderful novel based on the life of Josephine Bonaparte called "The Emperor's Lady" by F. W. Kenyon (available used on Amazon), which I also heartily recommend, but "Desiree" is the platinum standard by which to judge historical novels/fictionalized biographies.

It is simply wonderful.

I love this book (as well as the movie to this book) and not all of the book is fiction! There was a woman named Desiree Clary she was the first love/fiance of Napoleon Bonaparte. She married one of his marshals, Jean-Baptise Bernadotte whom was elected to become King of Sweden in the early ninteenth century. Desiree's and Jean-Baptise's descandents are still on the throne of Sweden to this day.

I would also like to add that the author has done a brillent job in writing this book! She wrote the book so well, that it's diffucult to distinguish the line between fact and fiction in this book!

Annemarie Selinko's "Desiree" is one of the best novels about France during the first Empire. It is definitely my favorite novel about Napoleon, told from the point of view of his cast-off fiancee, the enchanting Desiree Clary. Selinko's characterizations and descriptions are based on meticulous research, making this book one of the finest of the historical fiction genre. Feisty Desiree becomes a queen in spite of herself, and in spite of Napoleon, through a course of events that are almost unbelievable, but true. Many famous historical figures are brought to life, especially the fascinating, glamorous Josephine. The fortune-telling scene is one of my favorites in the book. Well-written, gripping, romantic and an unforgettable love story, "Desiree" is a book to own and read often. It is goes well with two other novels about the same era, almost as if they were a trilogy, Norah Loft's "A Rose for Virtue" and Elena Vidal's "Madame Royale."

I'm a certified anglophile, when it comes to history. This is probably because I am one-half Angelo Celtic and so the history I read about when I read about England, Scotland and Ireland, is in some sense my own. It is a basic human urge to understand where we come from after all. Anyway, this is my way of saying I don't "get" France. I can't speak French (and so in books when there's some French thrown in I'm just lost) and I don't know anything about French history (except a little where it bumps up with England.) For most of the historical fiction I read about France, which has events that occurred so long ago it doesn't seem to matter that I have no knowledge, this doesn't effect my enjoyment of the book. But when we get into the French revolution and the whole Napoleon thing it seems I have to know something to get the book. Happily, this book explains everything so well that I can report if you know nothing about the after events of the French revolution (like me) you will not only be able to enjoy the book but you will actually learn things!

This is a fake diary kept for about forty years by (real person) Eugenie Desiree Clary, one time fiancée of Napoleon and later Queen of Sweden and Norway (obviously many events happen between the two titles.) I know nothing about the real historical person of Desiree, but the character is an amazing women. Smart, resourceful, bold, courageous, romantic, sweet, funny...kind of a perfect main character. She meets Napoleon's older brother Joseph when getting her older brother out of jail and invites him to dinner to meet her older unmarried sister Julie. Joseph brings Napoleon along with him and soon because of the girls' large dowries and the impoverished state of the Bonaparte's, Julie and Joseph are married and Desiree and Napoleon are engaged.

But we all know that Napoleon marries Josephine. So the majority of the book (told by Desiree remember) revolves around Desiree's own love story with a General Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte (a great character and lovely romance) and of course what happened in France under Napoleon. Like I said this book is an education about what happened to change a republic into an empire (perhaps we could be looking for parallels to today's United States?)

Desiree's life is fascinating but what also makes this book interesting is the portrait painted of Napoleon-a very different one from other view points about him (say as in "The Josephine Bonaparte collection" by Sandra Gulland which presents him as...well as a very different kind of man. Josephine also) The Napoleon of this book is selfish, arrogant and so conceited and entitled he's unbearable (as Desiree says at one point, "can you believe I was going to marry him?") I suppose the view presented in this book is more in tune with the traditional historical view of Napoleon (little-man syndrome and all) but then I don't know much about it.

I want to be clear on the fact that the romance in this novel is NOT between Desiree and Napoleon but between Desiree and her husband Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte. In fact once you past page 100 it's pretty obvious that the only emotion Desiree feels towards Napoleon is some nostalgia and contempt and fear.

Anyway, this is a great book. It has engaging characters, history that's real and understandable (even by one with no knowledge such as me) and an enchanting narrator who has an inspiring sense morality, especially about government. My only complaints are that sometimes the diary entries are very far apart chronologically and there is little explanation of what happened in between the dates and so often times I had to re-read entries a couple time to get a sense of continuity. A history book may have been helpful here but I eventually figured out what was happening/had happened in between the entries. Also there are so many characters, often with similar names that a character index really would have been helpful.

Other than that this book is pretty perfect. It's a real treasure and I heartily thank the kind person who recommended it to me as one of the best of the historical fiction genre.

Five stars.

Sorry, I had to use that title.

Duncton Wood is an entertaining book. It moves slowly in some places, but makes up for it with faster pacing in others. Personally, I have an extremely difficult time accepting naturally portrayed animal characters with human names. Maybe I'm too much of an animal-fiction nerd for my own good, but giving a MOLE a common human name - and one derived from the BIBLE at that - is just a bizarre choice and, I feel, betrays a somewhat sloppy approach in the writing. The sloppiness is borne out in other areas of the book with some plot inconsistencies and general draggy writing that could be tighter and more effective. (Don't take this to mean that I have an issue with profaning the Bible by naming moles after its characters. In my experience, moles are infinitely more real and therefore more important than the characters in the Bible. I just think it's goofy and sloppy to name half your animal characters with appropriately nature-themed names and the other half with Abrahamic names. Whaaa?) The relative carelessness of the writing lowers this from five stars to four.

Still, in spite of slow areas and strange conventions, this is a fun book to read. The ending is quite nice and satisfying, and the relationship between Bracken and Rebecca is pleasant and innocent. I've still got Duncton Wood sitting on my shelf, at least ten years after purchasing it - it has survived at least 120 passes as I weeded through my book shelves to take unwanted book to the local Half Price Books store to trade for credits. So, that says a lot right there.

Not nearly as good as Watership Down, but worth reading.

Rabbits were popular, why not moles?

Or, what other small creatures dig underground in England?

If you are familiar with Watership Down, you will get the idea, here, although Duncton Wood doesn't operate on the same political level as the rabbit book.

A young mole and friend, with guidance from a mentor embarks upon a quest to put mole society back on the correct physical and moral path. (yes, it does get more tedious later on). For a long book about small furry animals, not too bad at all the first installment. Quite good, even.

Duncton Wood is home to one of the seven great systems of the mole world. Many years before the book opens, the system was based at the highest point of the wood, in the shadows of the wood's standing Stone. The Stone was of vital importance at the time, with the system's religious beliefs centred on it. However, in time, the system slowly migrated down the hill - to the point where, now, nomole now lives in the Ancient System. Traditionally, the system's moles travel up the slopes to pray to the Stone on the Longest and Shortest Nights, though few now hold the Stone in any real regard.

Within the modern system, there are a few different districts - each with its own distinct personality. The Westside is home to the biggest, strongest moles while the moles who live on the Eastside are less aggressive, though stockier and better burrowers. The Marshenders, somewhat unfairly, are considered a suspicious, untrustworthy and unhealthy grouping - though the damp soil doesn't make it an ideal area for the average mole. Where the Stone was the natural centre of the Ancient System, Barrow Vale is considered the centre of the modern system. Close to the Elder Burrows, it's free from predators and is considered `neutral' territory.

Life takes a turn for the worse when Mandrake arrives. Originally from Siabod, he arrives from over the Pastures and makes straight for Barrow Vale. Big, strong and vicious, he kills any mole that stands in his way and - when he disposes of one of the Elders - quickly appoints himself as the replacement. Having effectively installed himself as Duncton Wood's leader, the mood of the system becomes a becomes tinged with fear and suspicion. Mandrake more or less operates a system of `divide and conquer' - any contact between the system's different wings is discouraged and movement to the surface is restricted. While some of the elders pledge their support - most notably the malignant, poisonous Rune and the aggressive bully Burrhead - Mandrake doesn't receive full support from the Elders. The ban on the Midsummer and Midwinter pilgrimages to the Stone meets with open opposition from Hulver - an aged mole who is very loyal to the old traditions. Mandrake's constant attacks on the Marshenders, on the other hand, leaves Mekkins unsettled - although he proves to be a little more circumspect than Hulver, he later has a significant role to play.

Things aren't entirely hopeless, though - two moles emerge who may be capable of restoring some light to the system. However, it's maybe a little surprising which two moles provide the hope. One is Bracken, the son of Burrhead. Although physically a little weak, Bracken proves to be not only brave and intelligent, but also a natural explorer - and, from his earliest days, has a great deal of curiosity about the Ancient System. When he eventually leaves the home burrow, he naturally makes his way up the slopes towards the Stone - where he meets Hulver for the first time. Hulver teaches him a great deal about the Stone, the Ancient System and the Holy Burrows at Uffington. The other mole to bring some hope is Rebecca - amazingly, she is Mandrake's favourite daughter. Initially, she isn't entirely popular - many resent her honoured position, and there are those who suffer at Mandrake's claws to make her life a little easier. However, in time, her kindness, patience and love win over all who meet her. Naturally, the pair can't make it alone - and they receive a great deal of help from others - most notably Hulver, Mekkins, Rose the Healer and Boswell, a Scribemole from Uffington.

While the comparison with "Watership Down" is maybe a little obvious, it's certainly a worthwhile comparison - there are certain similarities between some of the characters. Mandrake and General Woundwort have quite a bit in common - as do Comfrey and Fiver, Stonecrop and Bigwig while there's possibly even a touch of both Hazel and Fiver about Bracken. Although a pretty long book, it is an easily read and enjoyable book at the same time.

I find it difficult to reread a book, but I have read Duncton Wood three times and am beginning to reread the rest in the series. I had to order the books from Amazon UK a few years back, but I think now they might be out of print. Do what you can to find every book in the series. You won't be disappointed. I don't know what you can say to convince people to read these books, but they are worth it. Terrific, terrific, terrific. . .

When I started reading the first page of this book 10 years ago, I couldn't put it down. The story takes you on a fascinating adventure, which I can't remember too much about, except that I found some of it very moving. Highly recommended, and I think I'm going to try to find a copy again to have another read...