Sheridan Books

I was 16 when I read this book. I remember thinking that it would be good but it couldn't be as good as other books that I had read. Iwas wrong!If you havent read this book then you need to. It made me realize how bad killing your baby before its born can be. I also realized that boys can be total jerks and that I needed to really be careful. This book can tell your daugher everything that she ever needs to know. And if you read it with her it will be something that you will never forget.

My 14 year old daughter read this book and she couldn't put it down! She hates to read and this series has opened her eyes to the wonderful world of reading. In addition, it really spoke to her about how one night could change her whole life and the real difficulties facing teenage pregnancy.

It's been a while since I read this book, but I really enjoyed it. It has superb character setup, and a great plot. I recommed it to everyone not just girls who want to read it for support.

I would recomend this book to anyone!It helped me learn a little more about God too.

Knowing that this book was endorsed by "Focus on the Family," I was apprehensive about reading it, fearing that it would give pat, spiritual, band-aid answers to real problems. But it doesn't. Thios book doesn't say, "Jesus is the answer, I'll pray for you, now go away." It follows the life of a young girl as she struggles with the decision of whether or not to get an abortion. For once, people are honest about the yelling and screaming coming from both sides of this issue. What I mean is, it's not just the "evil pro choice baby killers" who are preaching here, it's also the "backward pro lifers" who preach at Nikki. She's caught in the middle of these two opposing viewpoints, unsure of what to do. Meanwhile, her grandparents and her friend Jeff, some of the kindest, gentlest Christians, pray for Nikki, listen to her, and show her Christ's love through their actions. In the end, it's not yelling or preaching that will convince Nikki (or anyone) that abortion is wrong. It's hearing an unborn baby's heartbeat, and finding that it really is a PERSON, another life, growing inside a woman. Not just "pregnancy tissue" or a "fetus" that can be removed, but a real human being, created in the image of God. And this book shows that without being preachy. Halleleujah! I found myself crying at the end of this book, glad that I'd read it and eager to read the rest of the series! And the other books in the series are just as good. Overall, I highly reccomend these books.

We live in a life-care community. I shall try to give this book to our health care center activities person, and to anyone I know who is having difficulties with dementia in a loved one, as well as to the active clergy of our acquaintance. The point Hill makes--requesting equal rights for the demented dying as for those who are in full possession of their mental faculties--is one that had never occurred to me before I read this book. I kept thinking (naturally) of my own mother, who for at least six months, and perhaps longer, didn't know anyone, and who seemed not to have anything at all to "get off her chest." Hill's entertaining (yes, it is) story of her wonderfully eccentric and charming parent made it clear that no matter what is happening, the person it's happening to is still somehow the same as in years past, at least enough so that it is cruel to ignore his or her need for expression. Whether there are old wounds to heal or bridges to mend is really secondary. Read this lovely essay and learn!

This is the most moving memoir I have ever read. The intimacy Sheridan Hill shares with her readers and close attention to details is breath taking. I could not put it down. Astonishing and simply beautiful.

This is a must read for the hospice community and the families they serve.

I could not put this book down, so real, taking us to that uncharted territory, the death of our mother. How do we stay present, how do we understand our relationship, how do we face death and find life?
Sheridan Hill tells her story with such detail and honesty. I am no longer afraid of death, for my parents or myself after reading this book.

Refreshing for the heart -- as eternal family values wait til the end of one's life to come to light. I want my siblings to read this. How I wish I had had time with my own mother before her passing!

I'm one of the "baby boom" generation, we who once shouted "never trust anyone over twenty-five!" And now we are in our forties, fifties, and sixties, often facing alone the crisis of the death of a parent or loved one. Our culture has ill prepared us for this passage, a society that dwells on youth and so carefully hides away death. I lost both of my parents several years back and only wish I had first read Ms. Hill's book, it would have served as a guide, and reaffirmed as well the rightness of decisions I made for the sake of my mother and father. It is not a book about death, it is a book about living and sharing to the fullest one's final journey with a parent.

I will freely admit I wept repeatedly as I read Ms. Hill's beautifully crafted tome which honors and celebrates her mother's final months. Reading it made me realize that so much of what I experienced was valid, that I was not alone in my feelings and gave me new and hopeful insights into my own life and the spiritual journey of my mother and father.

If you just read these reviews and do not buy the book, please heed her advice from this reviewer. Listen to your parents now, talk with them, share and recall all the moments, good and bad, and fight with all your passion to insure their time of passage is a time that is respectful of their dignity. Though I do hope you purchase this work even though the subject might be the last one on your mind at this moment. For someday it will occupy your life front and center and Ms. Hill is a guide you can turn to and trust.

I Love this writer. There is nothing dated about these absorbing tales from one of the English language's greatest adventure writers, regardless of Hollywood's love of his fictative works; and regardless of the time and venue in which men were men and heroes were conquerers of the elements.: M. Gann's achievement has been to see himself, daringly or humbly pick his way up the ladder of seamanship, and evoke,with humour and narrative storytelling, among the fleet of all us fellow lovers of the sea and ships, delightful fascination for the vessels of a now-passing era.

I read as many sea and sailing stories as I can get my hands on. This is one of the best. Read the other rave reviews here of this book--they pretty much say it all.

I would just emphasize that this is one of the few contemporary sailing books that has a lot about sailing square rigged boats.

Also an interesting twist is that Gann's Albatros is the boat that Sheldon lost in White Squall.

Ernest Gann has written a memoir of what happens when you hear the Sirens singing and follow them. I loved this book as the sea-going counterpart to his marvelous memoir of flight, Fate Is the Hunter; there's the same wrily witty, compassionate observations on the vicissitudes of the sea and those who sail upon it, particularly himself, the same amused humility in the face of the perversities and miracles of chance, whether they be a failing engine at the height of a tempest, intransigent bureaucrats of the Panama Canal, a balsa raft costing less than sixteen dollars which can leave a scientifically designed catamaran in its wake, or a wild voice singing in the Greek Islands. Whether recounting desperation in a great storm off the Oregon coast, or the nostalgic reminiscenses of his earlier sailing boats and shipmates, or the languid monotony of a long tropical ocean passage, or the nature and the workings of what he terms the 'Dock Committee' (which has membership worldwide), even the time he was masterfully conned by a crafty old sailor on the wharves of New York, Gann maintains a close and humorously affectionate eye on the sometimes clear, sometimes problematical, but always interesting relationships between the mundane acts of everyday and the greater universe which lurks behind every common act and thought.

Above all, there is in Sirens, as in all his books whether fic or nonfic, a love of the sea, of boats, of living fully in and of the world and of us frail, fallible and funny humans in it. In Fate Is the Hunter, it is the world of the air and those who fly; in Song of the Sirens, the sea. A wonderful read.

I've read several book by Ernie Gann and being a pilot I was in awe of Mr. Gann's story telling ability in "Fate is the Hunter" and thought this is surely the best autobiography ever written. Now having read "Song of Sirens" I have to re-evaluate this opinion. It makes you want to run out and buy a boat!

Ernest K. Gann is, quite simply, a great writer. In Song of the Sirens he writes about his adventures aboard the many ships he has owned. His writing skill takes the reader, even a landlubber like me, along with him to experience what it is like to ride out a storm 50 miles off the coast of Oregon in a fishing trawler or to sail across the Atlantic Ocean with an old, rusty, leaky training boat with a suspect engine. The book is slanted more for the boating afficionado. While he does explain some of the technical terms, a lot of them are obviously for someone who knows sailboats. There are no pictures, either. Pictures of the ships (not boats because, as he explains in the book, a boat is carried by a ship)would have been helpful. All in all, though, this book will greatly appeal to Ernest K. Gann fans, those who enjoy adventure stories, and those who enjoy sailing stories.

Absolutely charming! So true to the personalities and attitudes of Dachshunds that everyone who is owned by a Dachshund will recognize his or her Wieners on every page. My only complaint is that it was much, much too short! Please, Mr. Sheridan, write another one!

This book gives an entertaining and insightful look into the relationship between a man and his dogs. The dogs all have voices and personalities that any dachshund owner can certainly relate to. A great read!

The twist is that the author presents his dachshund trio mainly through his dialogues with them, and these cheeky, irreverent interchanges not only enliven the book but highlight each dog's unique personality. Along the way I learned a lot about dachshunds in general, and the later chapters, in which the dogs explore their new farm, are especially interesting. The couple's delight in and devotion to their canine family shines through on every page.

What an adorable story about 3 rascal dachshunds. Of course I did not really have to read the book to become acquainted with this family. I know the wife of Pat Sheridan from the days when she used to volunteer in our Medical Library in Indianapolis. Diane Sheridan, who is an RN, would keep me in stiches with her stories about their 3 dogs Whoopi, Elvis and Mozart. So the humor, sensitivity and love that flows from this book is no surprise. My family have owned about 4 dachshunds, so I know that they are one of the most loving breeds and they think they are people to boot.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who has shared their lives with a furry angel because that's what our pet are.

Bottle Cap Sundaes offers delightful insight into the tremendous love of the Sheridan family. By the end of the book, I could so clearly picture Elvis, Whoopie and the never-to-be outdone Mozart as if I was sitting in their living room! Patrick Sheridan should be commended for his first entry into the publishing world, and I hope this is not his last. His imagination, wit, and honesty kept me engaged until the last page, and then anxious for more. I hope there is a second volume of stories on these three extraordinary Canine Americans and their wonderful parents.

Another suspenseful erotic thriller by that outstanding author of mysteries, Sebastien Japrisot. This is the third of his books for me, I've read his masterpiece Very Long Engagement and also Women in Evidence, all great mystery/detective stories, all totally different and suspenseful, Mr. Japrisot is an expert at plot twists and keeping the reader surprised.

The central event from the past in One Deadly Summer was a young woman terrorized and raped by three men. Years later the psychotic daughter conceived during the rape becomes obsessed with taking revenge, but is she taking revenge on the right ones or creating more innocent victims? The story is related to us by several different narrators, all with a different take on what it is happening, ultimately after a tragic ending the reader is left to decide who the true victim is. Hard book to put down and unforgettable.

This has instantly become one of my favorite reads. I love to happen upon authors who are new to me. This is the first book of Japrisot's that I've read. I was expecting a murder mystery, and ended up with a classic tragic love story and a heart-wrenching ending. Japrisot demonstrates superior story-telling skills in his revelation of the main characters thoughts and intentions as they speak and act. The dialogue is so well presented even the occasional humorous comment is so natural in its presentation and well-timed that you only realize later that of course even a mentally tortured person has the capacity for comic insight.

While one cannot deny the absolute superiority of A Very Long Engagement, I found One Deadly Summer to be the most enjoyable among the rest of Japrisot's oeuvre. This is one instance where his powers come through with a distinctive flair, upon the themes that echo through all of his work: droplets of truth gathering through a confusion of voices, the sheer blindness of love, the eternal mystery that is woman, the infinite sadness of human error, and the surprises and tragedies that is life itself. How much of the world, and others, do we really "understand"?

The author did an excellent job of weaving the story together, one piece at a time while never losing momentum. Although the main character's desire for revenge stems from events of the past, the reader is never bombarded with backstory and is instead shown backstory through character thoughts when it is necessary and pertinent to the story. Although I cannot say that any of the characters are likable, there are believable and the author does keep us aware of their thoughts and intentions, therefore continuously holding our interest. The ending is surprising, dramatic and certainly well worth the wait.

Get this book if you can find it! A real twister of a plot, an atrocity committed 20 years before, a member of the next generation planning total revenge...every time you think you know what's going to happen, you're taken down another road. A plot skilfully woven with everything gradually revealed, up to a gut punch of a horrifying ending. The ramifications of this story are still occurring to me the next day. It's one of the few books I will keep to reread. The setting of the scene is also wonderful--if your idea of Provence is Peter Mayle's Hotel Pastis or Chasing Cezanne, try a taste of Japrisot for different point of view. If you like contemporary French authors, dont miss it.

Ms. Sheridan really brought this book into my heart. She knew exactly how to make me feel for these brave men and after I was done reading I really wanted to know more because I truly felt connected with them. Excellent book and I do recommend anyone wanting to read a book about the FDNY to read this book first!!!!!

This is a truly heart-wrenching story of the pipers and drummers pf the FDNY pipe band. Written in a strong journalistic style, the suthor really conveys the strength of these men and their close relationships.

While she gets a few details of uniform (shawls for piper's plaids) and piping (puffing on their pipes) wrong, she's really captured the feelings of these men who face danger and death on a daily basis.

From the first page, I was hooked. I felt like I was living that day all over again. This time, I wasn't sitting in my home in Seattle in shock and horror, I was in New York with an emotional connection to the families mentioned in the book and those not mentioned. I have a new found respect for all fire fighters. I already have a great deal of respect for those who put there lives on the line for any job but now it's impossible to put into words the level of respect I have for them.

This book WILL take you on an amazing emotional journey.

This book is very powerful. I picked this book up and thought it would be an interesting read then I could not believe how moved I would become. It is well written and allows the reader to get close to the men and their families. The readers anxiety grows as the date of September 11 approaches. I had to put the book aside a few times and remind myself of the gratitude I feel toward the brave men who gave their lives to save others and inspiration from those who survived and went back to look for family members, friends and complete strangers in order for those who were murdered to be laid to rest properly. The unity and brotherhood of the elite group of bagpipe players is inspirational. Thank you to the author for allowing readers to gain a new perspective of the days following September 11 and what the FDNY suffered. I felt as though I knew these men personally.

Bagpipe Brothers: The FDNY Band's True Story Of Tragedy, Mourning, And Recovery is the true story New York City's Emerald Society Bagpipe Band, who used their instruments to mourn in the and show their respect at the funerals for the victims of the 9/11 attacks, including the 343 firefighters who died and those who were unearthed from the rubble at ground zero. The band itself lost one of its own from the attacks, as well as the brother of a member; Bagpipe Brothers recounts in vivid detail the emotions, experiences, terrible grief and striving to help any way one can in the wake of tragedy. A profound and powerful tribute to both the lost and the survivors struggling to cope.

Crossing an ocean at 5 knots leaves one with ample time to ponder the surrounding world. (What's a knot? See pages 242 and 244). This book was born on such a cruise. Over the course their cruise the authors posed 211 questions "about ships, the sky, and the sea." Upon landfall, Pierre-Yves and Sally Bely sought answers.

Once in your hands, "Do Dolphins Ever Sleep?" is a challenge to put down. Thumb through the book, find an interesting question, and before you know it you've read four more questions. Each question stems naturally from the one before and leads naturally to the next, in much the same way our mind wanders from topic to topic when lost in contemplation.

The authors tackle easy (How are crews distributed on America's Cup boats?) and more challenging (How can a GPS be so precise?) questions alike, providing clear comprehensible answers. Some questions require technical answers. On these it would be easy to slip into highly technical and scientific responses, yet the Belys find ways to answer in terms understandable to most, if not everyone with a grounding in high school science.

Who should own "Do Dolphins Ever sleep?" For starters, every Yacht Club bar should have a copy alongside their Guiness Book of World Records. The rest of us should have a copy onboard to answer questions that arise while contemplating the surrounding world.

Oh, and do dolphins every sleep? Well you'll have to look on page 66.

Dave Lochner
NauticalReads

211 interesting questions are answered for you. You can dazzle your friends with a unique knowledge. The book is well written. There ARE some technical explanations that are above my threshold to know, but this book is fun to read and keep around.

Great read, informative on a variety of topics regarding the sea, weather, boating. Catchy title says it all!

Have you ever had one of those moments when you think to yourself, "Huh, I wonder how that works?" or "I wonder why that is so?" Then this is the book for you. In an accessible and engaging style the author provides concise answers to question such as , "Why is the sea salty?", "how do clouds and fog form?", and "How can the GPS be so precise?" Many people avoid books related to science or more generally technical matters for fear of not understanding them or of being bored to death. This book will quell those fears. While it's technical enough to keep a scientist or engineer interested, the authors deft hand at explaining each topic makes it accessible to the average person.

Very interesting book BUT very sophisticated. Not for the younger grandchildren as I had hoped. A lot of high level science in it.

This book has more information for gaff-rig sailors and builders than other books half of it's size.

My book arrived in excellent condition and in a timely manner.

Assumes basic knowledge of sailing. Great for those who are embarking on gaff rig sailing. Entertaining,easy reading. A how to book rather than a historical one.

A great resource for the person who owns or dreams about owning a Gaff Rigg Cutter. The book details rigging and nomenclature,and charectoristics of sailing gaff riggs.

Tom Cunliffe has written a wonderful book, and I always have a hard time deciding if this is the ultimate resource on the gaff rig, or if another author's]Handbook should take that honor. I have both, and find them very valuable. If you are restoring or building a boat with a gaff rig, you probably will want to get both too. The review I wrote for my boat building site... said:

"At first glance, there seems to be a lot of historical information on boats using the gaff rig, but what Cunliffe has done is describe nearly every imaginable type of craft using a gaff rig. Then, selecting the gaff cutter, he continues on to describe the rigging details of every aspect of that sail plan. Because the cutter has every rigging feature the other types have, you immediately identify those rigging features you need to consider. Its a unique and very readable way of introducing details that otherwise might be dry and frankly, boring, if included again and again in every chapter on a specific type of boat. Cunliffe also includes other information: sail trimming and sailing tips, etc., all with a dose of humor."

At the time I wrote that, Hand Reef and Steer was between printings. I'm pleased to see that it is again available. Highly recommended!

This and the other great book on gaff rig, Leather's "Gaff Rig Handbook" seem to take turns being unobtainable. Grab both while you have the chance. Cunliffe's is the easier of the two to read, with more modern illustrations and color photographs. The text is not so dense, not so richly detailed, but don't sell it short - it contains a tremendous amount of information. Cunliffe covers all the bases, explaining why gaff rig is so incredibly practical, efficient, and safe, why it was so highly thought of, what led to its demise. He covers all aspects of sailing, sail handling, heavy weather tactics, all in a highly readable and enjoyable style. This is a user's manual for working gaff rig, one that will make you ache to be out there. Plus, hopefully, it will lead to the building or restoration of more gaff rigged sailboats, which can only make the world a better place.

If you are new to gaff rig and want to rapidly become a hopeless devotee, then get Cunliffe. Once you are a lost soul and there's no hope for you, get Leather to fill in all the detail you'll be thirsting for.

From an "Old Sea Dog" comes this riveting story of his teenage years in the 'Senior Service'. I read the copy I bought for my brother, an ex RN sailor. It was not my intention, but after reading the first few pages, I couldn't put it down. You will find, as I did, that a very interesting biography has been written by Anthony Dalton about the compelling yarn-spinning Tristan Jones (Wayward Sailor). It appears that Heart of Oak is a mixture of fact and fiction. It does not though detract from the compelling storytelling.

I bought this book many years ago. I greatly enjoyed it, as it had a veracity to its description of lower-deck life. I re-read it recently, and still enjoyed it.

I suppose I should have realized that it was fiction, as I don't think there ever was an E-class destroyer "HMS Eclectic", and no destroyer of that name sailed with HMS Hood and Prince of Wales to intercept the Bismarck (HMS Electra was in that group and picked up the 3 survivors from HMS Hood), as Jones claims. Nor was there a destroyer of that name that sailed with HMS King George V from Scapa Flow, nor did one join the action later from convoys. Some of the details of the action are also inaccurate, but not badly so for a supposed personal narrative (e.g., 6" secondary armament on KGV, when they were 5.25")

Similarly, while there were four O-class destroyers involved in the sinking of the Scharnhorst, there was no "HMS Obstinate" (Jones' ship), nor was one of that name ever commissioned.

Anthony Dalton's biography of Jones seems to paint him as a very interesting, but less-than-pleasant person. It certainly seems to have nailed any notion of Jones' books being other than substantially fiction. The history of the author does seem to add an extra level of interest to the stories. But that said, the stories are good, the feel for characters is strong, and they are very readable.

I needed information re- life on board a British ship during WWII. I found many fascinating details and much accurate information in this book. I found that some of the humor was less funny that announced, but on the whole, I found this book
very interesting. It was in great part a tale based on personal experience, and
it held my interest throughout. I'm going to read more by this author...

It is a terrific book - and I have enjoyed it for many years. However I recently discovered it is - as Anthony Dalton's new biography of Jones shows - complete fiction - in the sense that Jones was never at any of the events he described. In fact he didn't join the Royal Navy till AFTER World War II.

But that is not to diminish the writing of the tale - Jones imaginings make for a "real" perspective of life in the lower decks of the WWII Royal Navy - and I imagne that in his immediate post-was career in the navy he learned enough to set the scene accurately.

But remember - it is a work of fiction - set on a real historical timeline - but still a good read.

Heart of Oak is one the finest war books and sea stories that I have read. I found it hard to put down. Although the intensity of the war and its effects on the men was depressing, I was compelled to keep reading.

Jones' gives the reader a different and personal perspective--that of the lowly, poor, and teenage sailor; looked down upon by everyone else and facing death, boredom, and discomfort constantly.

I agree with another reviewer that it is unlikely that Jones witnessed as much as he claimed, and I cannot attest to the accuracy of his descriptions of life aboard His Majesty's Navy, but there is a truthfullness and sincerity in Jones' narative that I find totally convincing.

This day planner is totally in black and white. There is no photography, just prints and drawings. The paper is thin. The written content is for the most part interesting. For the price, I think photography and color should be included. Nothing can match the beauty of boats under sail, but you won't find that here.

I've been giving this to my dad for the last seven years and he loves it. This book is never a disappointment and is full of tradition and nautical lore. The illustrations are beautiful. My family have all been sailors and have always loved the traditions and lore of the sea. This gets better each year.

My husband, an avid sailor & builder of his own sailboat, asked one year after we were married for this book. It has become a tradition every Christmas to purchase the Book of Days. And no matter how many years have passed, he enjoys each new book as much as the last. If you know a sailor, or someone who simply enjoys sailing lore & facts, this book is a treasure.

As we can all use calendars for the upcoming new year, they often become merely repositories for written appointments and reminders for such events as family's and friend's birthdays, and concert and luncheon dates. The Mariner's Book of Days 2008 Calendar is a much different calendar. One that satisfies those of us who simply use a calendar to keep our busy lives in order and also a calendar that does much more than that. Education, insight, history, technical tips of traversing the sea, humor, family, love, and memories. This special calendar is all that and much more. This very special calendar is dedicated to the late Robb White from Thomasville, GA. Robb, was a very special person who comes from a very special family, a family which I have become a part of over the past year. In spite of my obvious bias for this wonderful calendar, I feel that even if I had never met Robb's family, this is a calendar that would have captured my imagination, my excitement, and my curiosity about a subject that we all have an interest in, from our younger years into out adult lives. My only complaint of the calendar (which has been published for several years) is that each new year brings more fascinating information built upon the previous year's calendar, thus begging for a much longer multi-year calendar (maybe a boxed set?). Although, maybe we should just take life one year at a time, fully enjoying and living that year to the fullest, something that I'm sure Robb White did and would suggest to the rest of us.

If you have an interest in nautical history this is the calendar/journal for you. Have been purchasing for 8 years and have never seen a repeat of information. Fascinating!