Nova Books

Well written and fast moving thriller but much too contrived for my taste. The misdirection that provides for the plot twists and confusion on the part of the heroine as to the real villains is much too unbelievable. In this respect it reminds me of the Magus by Fowles which I loved in my twenties but upon revisiting decades later found unbelievably silly.

If you are looking for a thriller, passionate, suspenful, novel this book will definetly fulfill all your desires. With Gini Hunter, a young journalist, and Pascal Lamartine, a photographer, you are driven to a journey of love, deception, and LIES. You will find yourself in the midle of the night turnig each page one by one just to find a clue, a lead, something that will help you recognize the truth from the lie. You have to ask yourself, Am I ready for this book with this magnitude of realism, romance, and suspense? Are you really ready to discover the truth beneath the lies..?

A very good book, something that is hard to find these days.

For those of us who are intelligent enough to follow plot twists and a good story line, this book is excellent. Not really a romance, more of a thriller. Her publishers keep packaging and promoting Sally Beauman as a romance novelist, and she's so much more. Try her novel "Dark Angel" so good in my opinion, as to almost be considered literature.

William S. Crooker has written an extremely interesting chronicle of the public "treasure hunt" on Oak Island, Nova Scotia which dates from the end of the 18th century. This is not a dry scholarly account but the narrative of a man obviously very familiar with the local Nova Scotia situation and acting as advocate for the "powers of the island". From the earliest accidental discovery of antiquated subterranean construction on the island to the modern bulldozer level operations, Crooker describes in detail punctuated with exclamatory, humorous asides the saga of "experts" in sequence who attempted to excavate and probe the mysterious underground structure and lost lives and fortunes in that contest with the unknown.
Notable in this book is the inclusion of unsolved aspects of the Oak Island quest which may relate to the supernatural, other unexplained environmental causes and a larger view of the strangely punishing enigma located there. Mr. Crooker, a trained surveyor and engineer who died of pulmonary fibrosis in 2005, was canny enough to objectively observe the odd subtext of the Oak Island situation. He includes in his book the instance of Harold T. Wilson of London, England who wrote a fictional book about the privateer Captain Kidd published in 1937. Wilson, who later claimed to be the reincarnation of a pirate, had not been aware of the actual existence of Oak Island, NS but had drawn as a book illustration a fictional "pirate map" so close to the actual scale of Oak Island that it was used as a possible source of information for real treasure hunters. In his narrative of this odd dilemma, Mr. Crooker captures, as other writers on the island's enigma have omitted, the sense of supernatural (rather than conspiratorial) connectives extending into social and political contexts beyond the region of Maritime Canada. He was by all accounts the only reporter to date who has been able to obtain unique information on Nova Scotia surveyor Fred Nolan's mystical involvement within a nexus of serendipity and accident involving ownership of a key area of the island. The reader will be most intrigued to contemplate how Mr. Nolan actually came into possession of the Oak Island property by a clerical omission which singularly indicated as free property a certain area of land later surveyed by Nolan as containing significant archeological markers. It seems also from other occurrences as narrated that the island itself may be indicating "areas of interest" and blocking certain excavations in a mysterious way.
Perhaps the fate of maritime explorers who stumbled upon and roundabout Oak Island is closely linked to an unspoken historical subplot in the fate of nations. Whether or not one agrees with Mr. Crooker's recent opinion that an unexplained subterranean structure on Oak Island , NS, relates to intrigues between rival commanders then under the British Crown or his earlier view, detailed in a previous book, that an early civilization with advanced technology wished to conceal something on the island, this book gives an intelligent panorama of the "treasure hunting" situation and should be read by serious scholars. Certainly, the realistic, detailed accounts of underground cavities given in this book have provoked in the present reviewer inquiry related to limestone caves beneath Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia which may figure in the larger enigma.

Crooker's research travels the reader through time; time spent by individuals who lost their resources and lives in search. He is not defiant of those myths and stories that give possibility to what lies below but is observant to these fables as a tool in which to build and solve the puzzle of "the money pit." Crooker's research into the sacking of Havana during the seven year war indicates a keen and logical approach to the "who," "what," and "when." This is a must read for those with interest in lost treasure and the unfathomable chase of their childhood dreams. Edward J. Palmer, VA, USA

William Crooker delves into the ever-deepening mystery surrounding the alleged treasure trove on Oak Island in Nova Scotia. He follows the 200 year history from the discovery of a depression in the ground under a solitary tree to the present devesation and attempted preservation of the most baffling puzzle ever discovered. He adds new insight and debunks some very popular theories about the origins of the "Money Pit." Crooker's native roots lend credibility and authority to his investigation. If you are a fan of mystery and intrigue, this tale of pirates, ghosts, and booby-traps is a MUST READ! The gold foil-embossed cover alone will knock your socks off!

I grew up just down the road from Oak Island (in Bridgewater, N.S.), so have always been passingly familiar with the legend of buried treasure on the island. The folk wisdom in Lunenburg County is that there is a pirate's treasure trove buried on the island, probably Captain Kidd's (as evidenced by the proliferation of that particular buccaneer's name in restaurant and gift-shop titles). That it has an immense value is also "self-evident" because of the booby-traps set up to foil treasure hunters - and the traps have had the upper hand for the last 230 years!

Crooker takes us through the various searches on the island, starting with the original find in the latter 18th century. Interspersed are chapters dealing with the various legends surrounding the island, including some of the superstitions (pirates would bury someone with the treasure so their ghost would guard it, for instance). Oddly, he does not repeat the local legend that the treasure will not be found until 10 lives (I think that's the number) have been claimed, or until all the oak trees on the island are cut down. He convincingly debunks the idea that pirates could be responsible (they wouldn't be disciplined, educated, or have the time to construct such elaborate traps). He then procedes to present and eliminate a host of other theories - conquistadores, Incas, Templars, Marie Antoinette, etc. He eventually settles on a favourite of the English king George III as the most likely suspect - why and how I'll leave for you to discover.

Unfortunately, the book is somewhat dry - Crooker is an engineer and the description of the various digs are analysed as an engineer, complete with the number of holes drilled, depths, distances from landmarks, etc. In addition, the Oak Island mystery is going to leave a reader unsatisfied because the treasure hunt has not been solved, and is currently bogged down with lawsuits and ownership battles. Crooker does his best to make such wranglings interesting, and in fact the last few chapters are by far the best of the book.

Bertulani et al have compiled all of the relative and essential physics of radioactive beams in such a way that is easy to understand. This text also contained graphs that illustrated points and made them much clearer. The pictures of experiments, although somewhat outdated, also were helpful in the learning process. This is an excellent text for any advanced course of study related to nuclear physics.

I liked this book. The material was fairly well-organized, and very clearly presented. Many quantum mechanics and nuclear physics basic notions were presented to guide the reader to understand the physics of rare nuclear isotopes.
Anyone who has had an introduction to modern physics can handle this book. It is very readable and presents much of the history as it covers the theoretical ideas. Also I thought it had a very good looking cover, and the supplements are very useful for guidance.

The book "Physics of Radioactive Beams" by Bertulani, Hussein, and Münzenberg covers one of the thriving fields of nuclear structure and reaction physics, namely unstable ion beams. Due to the immense progress made in this field during the past decade, there is (still) no good textbook available that gives a thorough introduction into the field. Unfortunately, "Physics of Radioactive Beams" does not improve on this deficiency.

The book is very theoretical, which is not a problem by itself, but as motivating thoughts and fundamental definitions used in one of the abundant equations are missing, it becomes very hard to understand for a non-expert. There are, of course, a few exceptions, such as the first and very last chapter of the book that uses more of an experimentalist's approach. From the ordering of the chapters and topics discussed it is difficult to understand what the authors want to convey in a particular chapter. Part of the material is moved to "supplements" which are, however, not indicated as such in the table of contents, and often references in the regular text are made to supplement sections. Thus it is difficult to separate more important information, helpful definitions and results from the mass of unimportant calculations that appear to fill a large fraction of the book.

The book might have its place on the shelves of experienced nuclear physicists working in the field (both theory and experiment) that want to look up a reference or check some details in their favorite reaction model, but as a textbook even for most graduate students it is - all in all - a missed opportunity. Interested readers should rather invest in recent review articles and have a look at the original literature.

This is an essential book for those interested in
the physics of nuclei far from the stability valley.
I strongly recommend it.

The author has certainly had an exciting life!World travel,important achievements and international recognition.And all from a background made difficult by family situations and life at what sounds the equivalent of boot camp.For an oceanographer this book has key insights and information from someone who has explored the ocean by 'going down to the sea in ships', not sitting behind a desk. But the average reader who likes things to do with the sea (me) can enter into the human, sometimes tragic experiences told in a frank and engaging manner. He strikes a chord with all who have had difficulties in life but have managed to make the most of their opportunities anyway. And for a scientist, Parsons has a flair for description that departs from the formality of academic reporting.

I enjoyed The Sea's Enthrall very much. The book reads smoothly and is easy to understand. His personal life includes tragedy and hardship. His career is current with today's environmental issues and he presents an insightful and balanced view. He includes humour in his writing and I found myself chuckling out loud a few times while reading the book on the bus.

Tim parsons is the winner of the Japan Prize for Marine Biology. The Sea's Enthrall: Memoirs Of An Oceanographer is the fascinating story of Parsons life as a marine biologist beginning with his growing up in Ceylon and England, his professional training and international experiences; his audience with the Emperor of Japan; and his retirement contemplations. The Sea's Enthrall is "must read" for anyone contemplating a professional career as a marine biologist -- and is wonderfully informative and entertaining reading for anyone else who appreciations a well-written memoir hallmarked with philosophy, humor, and a cosmopolitan outlook on life.

Easy to read-- the life of a man who has had enormous success but not without his share of pain and regret. Ideas about the way the oceans work will interest those in the field and anyone involved with environmental issues. And everyone can gain from the story of someone who achieved beyond the norm in spite of early difficulties. Parsons dispels the stereotype of the faceless, impassive and fact oriented scientist by a frank description of his personal life and interest in the things for which science alone cannot provide the answers.

This is, indeed a story about a woman and her sheep, and it is certainly not a "tell-all" about Anne Barclay Priest, but after I read it I found myself wondering about her none the less. The sheep are great, but the woman is fascinating, as much for what she doesn't tell you as for what she does. This book gets well received in knitting circles, and it is worth the read for the stories about sheep, but it is really a memoir about a woman from another era who held her course and did well what she had to do and wanted to do. Overall it is a very good read and a book to make you think about how people's lives are changed by little things along the way.

This book isn't exactly what you would expect. It's wonderful and full of great info and such an interesting story. However, the author doesn't get intimate in details truley. She does say things like "I was very close to so-and-so and it hurt me deeply when they passed" but never gets into the WHY's of some things that I wish she did. It is not "intimate" at all, but I loved it all the same. I always wondered what it was like to raise sheep and this gives you lots of good info about a day in the life. It is very much worth the read and to add to your library if your into sheep and weaving or spinning. It is not something anyone would ever make a movie intok, there is no climax, but it is a wonderful account of some of her life expereinces raising sheep.

Trafficking In Sheep: A Memoir -- From Off-Broadway, New York, To Blue Island, Nova Scotia by Anne Barclay Priest is the engaging tale of a working class actress and divorced mother of two young boys as she vacations to a coastal region off of the coast of Nova Scotia. Readers will become enthralled in Trafficking In Sheep as it follows Pries through her increasing passion for Blue Island, leading to her purchase of a serene and beautiful house and the eventual buying of an island in view of her house in vain attempt to preserve her view. A highly recommended memoir that would grace any community library's Biography collection, Trafficking In Sheep is recommended for its creative and entertaining narrative of intriguing stories which are both funny and intimate.

The PW review that accompanies the listing for this book is off base in my opinion. This book is an interesting memoir of one woman's almost accidental involvement that becomes a life time experience of raising sheep. Since she only lives in Nova Scotia for the summer, some of the book touches on her life in NY State where she eventually sets up a sheep farm in NY. Anne Priest is incredibly talented and self sufficient. PW seemed to expect a book about life in Nova Scotia which this book is not. It is a book about Anne Priest's experience and worth reading, although it does wander just a tad.

This book is as fine an overview of science and technology as one is going to find . A fine book on its own . However it really shines as a reference work when reading other more detailed (confusing !)books on specific subjects in the sciences.

While reading this book, I found myself going back to other chapters to relate one section to another chronologically. The book was well written and concise. The author did not dwell too much on one subject, but gave enough detail to make you understand the flow. You will find many interesting tidbits as well as enough information that you will want to read it again.

Many times, reading a book regarding technology, especially, technological advances, can be found to be quite tedious. However, this book, written by Edward Singer shows itself to be a smooth, informative read, offering enough detail to peak your interest, while not drowning you out. I found this book to be highly informative, and extremely well written, making it attractive to people with all interests, from sciences to entertainment. Truly a great read-highly reccommended-

The late Brazillian author Gregory Rabassa' Avalovara is an enduringly impressive work of Latin American Literature (aptly translated into English by Gregory Rabassa), about one man and his three great loves. One seems unattainable despite his pursuit; one is a kindly hermaphrodite who enjoys the fruit of passion; and one goes only by an ideogram for her name. Sensual, meticulous, erotic, with a complex plot and tangled human machinations, Avalovara is a uniquely written, inventive, and original literary experience.

The feeling that remains in any normal human being who stumbles through that passage is one of complete and utter disorientation. In fact, throughout the book, the reader is likely to feel lost more often than not. But, in a twisted sort of way, that is the whole point behind Lins' book. After all, what is life but a journey through which we know no end, no point, no destination? Instead of telling the story of Abel's three affairs in 330 pages of neatly packaged prose, complete with beginning, end, climax and character, Lins takes the reader on a journey that is much more real.
Avalovara will prove to be a colossal struggle for anybody that attempts to "understand" it as he or she is reading it. In short, those looking for plot will, much like Bono, never find what they're looking for. Instead, the beauty of the novel lies in the language. Lins' writing is rambling, Faulkneresque, stream of consciousness at some points, and brilliantly beautiful lyricism at others. At most points, it is a luscious combination of the two. "The smell of dust is dissipated by her presence or by the lukewarm afternoon air coming in through the window," Lins writes on page seven. "Our tongues repeat the game of advance and retreat. Our incisors touch at times and then our muscles retract." On page 223, he writes, "I suck in Abel's mouth, I speak in his mouth, inside his mouth, I say that I love him, with his tongue entangled in mine he says that he loves me, the word "love" rolls between our teeth." The repetition is incredibly simple, but incredibly poetic.
Love, human emotion, human attraction, sexuality: all are among the most common words and phrases in the English language, but all are utterly impossible to define in a sentence or two. They are among the most complex subjects ever studied by the minds of man. They are mysteries, enigmas, riddles. They are, much like the magic square and its accompanying spiral, puzzles for which we may never have the entire answer. Lins writes his book in such a way. Instead of getting lost in people, places, things and events, the readers is lost in a dizzying array of feelings, emotions and desires, the same way anybody involved in a love affair is lost. There are novels that require you to think, novels that require you to follow, novels that require you to decide. Lins' novel requires you to feel, and the answer behind the puzzle that adorns the first page of the novel lies in the way these characters feel - about each other, about the world, about their desire for one another.
Lins' book is not for everyone. There is no quest, no mission, no end. There is no Holden, no Demian, no George. There is, however, a brilliant trip through the minds, hearts and souls of the characters - minds, hearts and souls that take the readers into and through the very essence of human emotion. There is some of the most beautifully poetic prose to ever come out of Latin America. And, by the end of the novel, there is a resounding success by a tremendously gifted novelist.

This gorgeous novel is that chimera, that impossible novel that is both an intellectual endeavor and a magical fiction that seamlessly blends Borges and Garcia Marquez. The book is structured as a spiral, and it recounts the story of a man and the three women he loved. The book is filled with intellectual games, as in the fiction of Borges and Cortazar, yet the writing is as sensual and erotic as in the fiction of Amado and Garcia Marquez. I loved it!

This book is a must read for anyone interested in ghost stories. Unlike the other ghost books that I've read, this one really seems to have some legitimacy. The author is was a respected folklorist who documented and recorded songs and stories from Nova Scotia, and would come across these stories during the course of her interviews. Although there is always the likelihood that the story-teller could have been unwittingly relating tall-tales, there is much to suggest that the majority of these stories are indeed authentic.

Being a native of NS, i can say i like this book. Its perfect for a night when its raining, its dark, and you wanna be spooked. (^^) Well, anyway its a great read, and all the stories are true.(well, sort of) I definitely recommed this book to anyone. -Sheena

Ms Creighton did a very good job presenting the folklore of NS in a way that is very appealing, easy to read, and enjoyable.

Being a NS native, it is very nice to see especially the smaller localities noted. This has been a favourite book of mine since childhood.

A really nice book, but lacking color photos. These works are in beautiful surroundings (primarily Nova Scotia), but not a single color photo.
The text and the drawings are very nice, and include ample information for such a small book with so many projects, but if you have seen any of his work in the architecture periodicals, you will understand why these projects would have been much better presented in color.

An interesting body of work that demonstrates the architect's commitment to vernacular design of the Maritime Traditions in Nova Scotia.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to see a consistent style and language from an architect.

An outstanding summary of the works of Lyons! Similar in photographic quality and descriptive drawings to the Contemporary World Architects or Ten Houses series. The book contains a great biography at its beginning and follows with work that is incredibly well planned and finely detailed. The influence of Glenn Mercutt, Louis Kahn, and Perter Forbes are evident in many places throught his buildings. Lyons draws upon his incredible historical recall to create buildings that are well suited to their social and physical context. Very nice!

This book contains all of the forms and instructions that are necessary to set-up a small business "chapter-C" or standard corporation in any state. The forms on the included CD-ROM make the task of preparing Articles of Incorporation, By-laws, minutes of meetings, etc. a very simple task. Despite what Mr. Hefner states in his review, the appendix of this book contains far more state-specific information about corporate law than merely the addresses of the state corporation departments. It details the specific state statute where incorporation information is contained. It describes the title of the state filing necessary, as well as the amount of any filing fees or other required fees. It also outlines the details of corporate name reservation rules and the fees for name reservations. The number of incorporators, the required language for corporate purpose requirements, the number and residency requirements for corporate directors, any state-specific paid-in capital requirements, any required publication requirements, and details of any other relevant state corporation regulations are all outlined in the very useful state by state appendix of this book. This detailed appendix makes it very easy to tailor the forms in the book and on the CD-ROM for use in any state.

I was pleasantly surprised by the content and structure of this book. I have written business plans in the past, but I still found it immensly helpful to follow the guidelines in this book. I'd tell anyone with a business idea to use this book first, follow the workbook completely and once you have a great business plan, you can then take it to a corporate attorney to get advice on the best business entity to use. Long live Entreprenuers!!

The sub-title of this book is "Everything necessary to set up a small business C-Corporation in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.". That's quite a hefty promise! The book is a good start, but hardly lives up to the claim.

At 286 pages, there is hardly room for a lot of coporate philosophy or specifics about starting a business. More than half of the book consists of forms that are found on the CD-ROM, or explanations of specific portions of those forms. I have to classify this as a bare-bones crash-course in how to start a C-Corporation, as most of it contains generic forms that may or may not be applicable to your specific situation.

The book includes a CD-ROM, which basically just includes MS Word and Adobe Acrobat versions of forms that are printed inside the book. No other software is included, other than the Acrobat Reader. It is impossible to navigate the files without the assistance of the Table of Contents in the book, as the documents are named in a numerical fashion, and no master list of documents exists on the CD-ROM itself. Basically, the CD-ROM will just save you from re-typing the forms contained in the book, although you will likely need to do a LOT of editing for your specific situation.

The book is a bit overpriced..., IMHO. The information and forms are simply way to general to rely upon to start your own corporation, and there is absolutely no state-specific information included, other than an appendix with the addresses of each state regulatory authority in the back of the book.

Basically, I would not advise anyone to use this book to start their own C-Corporation. However, it is a good resource for those who know zero about what is involved in forming a C-Corporation, or who want to use the CD-ROM to save them some time in typing. Compared to what most lawyers will charge, it's a bargain. However, if you rely solely upon this book as the basis of how (or why) to form your C-Corporation, you are simply headed for trouble. It's a decent, well-written little reference though, and for that alone I give it three stars.