Windsor Books

This review refers to the paperback edition. This is a somewhat short collection of five stories featuring Inspector Wexford, a person whose age and position are similar to Inspector Morse (as seen on PBS). Four of the stories are set in England, and one on the Adriatic coast where Inspector Wexford and his wife were on vacation. Three of the stories involve murders, one a case of switched children, and the last an attempt to reopen an older, historic case. The settings seem to be in roughly the 1970's to 1980 time frame.

I personally thought that the plots were quite good for shorter stories. The stories reflect English laws and customs, so guns are not used and the violence is considerably less than in the macho, have-gun-will-travel, type novel often found in the U.S. (perhaps this is why many people like English mysteries). The characters come across well, and the plots are well developed. In one case, a guilty party is identified, but there is some question as to whether the guilt can be proven in court.

This is a very, very good short story collection. Each of the stories within is a little gem of detective fiction./ they are just as ingenious as any of her novels, the crimes just as compelling and the psychology just as accurate. the characters are well drawn and Wexford is on absolutely brilliant form.

They are clever, incredibly enjoyable, and unguessable. They are an excellent showcase of all Rendell's talents, and i would reccomend this short story collection to any fan of detective fiction. Enjoyment is guaranteed.

Miss Read brings us into this warm, simple world and just as we get comfortable death, birth, war and heartbreak makes us see this as a novel that inspires strength and not just escape. As the world encroaches in after WWII and the atomic age lands ungracefully on the small english villages Dolly Clare teaches her students "...to face whatever comes with calmness and courage, to love their families and friends with unswerving loyalty.." This book soothes the soul in this day and age of Jerry Springer.

I have read eighteen of Miss Reads books and will continue on until I have read all of them. This and all her stories take you to simplier times and places you wish you could go to, with characters you wish you could meet. I highly recommend this and all of Miss Read's books to anyone who enjoys a good story which is as relaxing as a cup of tea by a fire in a cozy chair. A+

"Where does the dancer end and the dance begin?"

Great Line for late coffee house discussions and also a fundamental question for new - possibly undiscovered - disciplines. If you are an animator, illustrator, dancer, game designer, film maker, video dude, or an all around artist - then the book's content and attractions are pretty obvious. But there is a LOT MORE...

This book is just a STARTING place for new MoCap related technology waves. If you are an engineer, an athlete, a medical researcher, a medical product developer, or are someone concerned about quality of life issues for an aging population, then you NEED to understand current MoCap technologies and how to use them.

If there are negative aspects - then its a "turn off" that the MoCap process is presented using (very) expensive tools and software. But that is how technology works: something revolutionary starts out expensive and is the province of a "chosen few" - like IT was in the '60s/70s. MoCap software and tools are going to get more affordable: FAST. (It will add some difficulty in absorbing the material if you are not familiar with these tools.)

In the 60s/70s, I wanted to play on the university computing system but the (then) High Gods of University Computing did not let "peon students" have unfettered access to the systems... Well... these days my 9 and 10 year old children do systems and IT maintenance. My last computer purchase was a $599, 4g DDR, Quad (2.1G) core PC that - I believe - would out perform the total of ALL COMPUTERS WORLDWIDE THAT EXISTED in 1970. Point is that MoCap systems cost will drop. The APPLICATIONS will explode - and you MUST start somewhere.....

You should buy this book... Get a sense of where things are headed.... In technology, you come in early - and then start to apply the concepts to an exploding sea of applications - far beyond the immediate artistic implementation. If you are going to techno surf - then this is a good place to start....

You may know all about the Wii... Motion Capture was also used, for example, in the last Olympics to analyze Olympian's bicycle motion - and then provide the DETAIL to make SUBSTANTIAL training improvements... You may be able to use those same MoCap systems as a consumer in the very near future.. the list of applications goes on and on...

As as systems designer, I get to see very early on how some technologies just diffuse everywhere.. MoCap is one of those core technologies that apply to robotics, medical/fitness systems, motion analysis, communications, or even the book's initial target application of entertainment.

This is a great book on motion capture process and is a must read for producers wanting to use motion capture and tech artists and animators that want to understand how to get usable data from a shoot and on to their final characters. Any project that plans on useing or is currently useing mocap should have a copy of this book and make it required reading for all project leads.

The parts of the book that deal with MotionBuilder and the tutorials that take readers through re-targeting and editing of skeleton data are unfortunately out of date and in some places give the reader a workflow that is not practical in production; most of what is show has been replaced completely with tool updates or better editing techniques over last few years.

That said, The ideas for how to pick a blend point and the hows and whys of doing the editing and re-targeting are very valuable. Also the optical cleaning chapter is good with regards to the tools and issues both in and out of MotionBuilder and the rest of the book is well written.

News from Thrush Green is, as are all of Miss Read's books, perfect. It provides relaxed, clean reading, humor and wonderful people. One can't ask for more.

All of Miss Read's books are enchanting and this one is no exception. I only wish that her Thrush Green books and Fairacre books would be republished as sets so I could read them all again and this time in chronological order.

Miss Read has been a favorite for many years, very comforting reading, love for Fairacre pupils and parents is very evident. To read of the "ole time", and yet not that ole when life was simpler is refreshing.
Yvonne

It's hard for me to be completely objective about this book since I am a tremendous fan of Miss Read's books and enjoy every "trip" I make to Fair Acre and environs!

This one is actually a series of stories concerning disparate characters from the past and present who live in the Fair Acre area. Each is woven beautifully into the narrative with rare skill and charm. You'll meet some memorable people and go from laughter to tears ....

I have seen all Dirk Bogarde's movies and read his biograthy
and every book he has written. They are wonerfully written
and a joy to read.

In 1967, a woman thumbed through an English magazine, while getting her hair done in an American beauty parlor. By chance, she noticed an interview with actor Dirk Bogarde, and was amazed to realize that the home Mr. Bogarde was shown in, was the one she and her husband had lived in, prior to fleeing England in 1939. Plucking up her courage, she wrote a letter to Bogarde, identifying herself as a former owner of his circa 1200 home...and so began a fascinating relationship, conducted entirely by mail, between this Englishwoman, now residing and teaching in America, and the film actor. "A Particular Friendship" is comprised of Mr. Bogarde's letters to Mrs. X., as she is identified.We are not privy to her letters, excepting a few lines here and there, but much can be inferred from responses and comments they elicit from DB.

The description I have just given you may seem a bit dry, but the book is far from it. Not only are his letters an incredibly personal, unsanitized time capsule that touches on every subject that weighed on the actor's mind, but also the mind of society in general. Throughout all of it,the reader follows the relationship developing between the two unlikely pen friends. Amidst descriptions of fans tearing the fly out of his trousers,during his days as a matinee idol, descriptions of British and Americans alike, weeping on the street after hearing of the assassination of Robert Kennedy, and his innermost conflicts on what to do with his own life, there is an ongoing sweet flirtation between the actor and the older woman. He saves her letters until he has finished all other correspondences, and takes them away to a room where he can read and enjoy them alone. Although in the introduction he claims that his desire was to give some comfort and amusement to a woman who was in failing health and seemed, to him, to be terribly lonely; if Truth be told, he did not know, for some time, that Mrs. X was ill at all...I suspect she may not have known herself...but certainly, having Dirk Bogarde tell you how much he likes to think of you, sitting on the chair across from him, with the fire roaring, and signing a letter, "Endless Love," would work wonders at distracting anyone!!!He reassures her in his letters, that the Dirk Bogarde she reads about in interviews is not the real him. That world is not his real world; his real world is the one he shares with her.

He shares everything from his household details to his disagreements with directors, and his unflinching observations, as he travels to such far flung locations as Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Tunis, Germany, Rome, Paris, and New York...many of these places standing on the brink of political upheaval. The prose was meant for her eyes alone, so there is much that might offend; but keep in mind this was written for a fellow Brit, and not for you or me. They never meet, never talk on the phone, and she never shares her photograph with Bogarde, but e daily sends her postcards, which he calls his flock of starlings, when she is in the hospital, and sends her copies of books he is reading, some of them containing roles he is considering.
This book is intensely personal, and reveals the uncertainties and worries that Bogarde lived with; his lack of satisfaction with his career, the lack of offers of work in England (he even quotes an English director, "If I hear Dirk Bogarde's name one more time, I am going to throw up!"), his dislike of working with Hollywood types , and the uncertainty of his finances, present and future. When Jane Fonda was stumping for communism, he worried about England becoming a dissipated country that would welcome communism, a repressive state he found so unbearable, when working on "The Fixer," in Czechoslovakia.

He tells all to Mrs. X...having nothing to gain and nothing to lose, when sharing his biting comments, anger and humor, with a woman who was not involved in films or the public life at all. Mrs. X served as Bogarde's sounding board and confessor, from 1967 until 1972; a period of time in which he went from receiving no offers in England, other than for a voice over for the Timber Industry, to moving to Europe and taking on roles like Aschenbach in, "Death in Venice."

Life is full of ironies, and as Mrs. X grows ill from a condition she never completely shares with Bogarde, he finds new life in Europe; taking on challenging roles and restoring a home and property in France. Mrs. X urges him to work on his grammar and punctuation, and to get serious about his writing, and he eventually sends three chapters to her, while she is abed, to amuse her. These chapters would later become part of his first memoir, "A Postillion Struck By Lightning."

Prior to this book, the only thing I had read by Bogarde was a novel called, "Voices In The Garden," which was published in the early 1980s. It had made a big impression on me, at the time, and I recently purchased it on Amazon, to enjoy it, all over again. It was this reading that moved me to order this title...just by chance, but it was truly a serendipitous choice. I am convinced that the character of Cuckoo, in "Voices In The Garden," was inspired by Mrs. X, and that the young man, Marcus, was based, at least in part, onDirk Bogarde himself. I won't say too much more, since I wouldn't want to spoil the reading experience for anyone who might want to read these two books, suffice to say that Cuckoo is an older woman who is still attractive, desirable, and elegant, and who has quite charmed Marcus, who has pulled her out of the sea, when he comes upon her, trying to drown herself. No doubt the stones in Cuckoo's pockets were inspired by Bogarde's childhood memories of seeing Virginia Woolf walking around town, picking wild flowers, and quite oblivious to one and all. He and the other children believed her to be a witch. Like I said, this book is anything but dry. Fascinating writing, fascinating man, and a mysterious woman who I will always wish I knew more about. Definitely recommended.

Without spoiling the plot, just let me say that this book will definitely make you root for the BAD GUY.

Point Blank is a very compeling story which I must recommend to all of my fellow readers such as yourselves. I dont want to spoil the book for you, all I want to say is that it is an excellent book and a true page turner (it was for me!).

This book is short and to the point. It provides the technical details of a old\new method of having sex ("tantra") that helps build a spiritual bond of true love between the 2 partners and gets them both closer to experiencing being one with the universe. The best book I've found of its kind.

Whoever thought the best thing ever could get even better? Wow. The ancient Tibetans had good reason to be happy, what with these little secrets to work with. Fantastic!

Although this book has nothing jumping out at you, it's storyline is good and quite entertaining.

Set in Glasgow Scotland in the Depression Era we look into the life of Lizzy Conway, a poor widow whose husband is Missing In Action during the war.

Lizzie has a load on her shoulders as she tries to make ends meet. She is indebted to the Italians through her husband's Frank unpaid debt and only managing on a small wage, it isn't easy. She has to care for three teenage daughters whom she keeps her protective eyes on, hopeful as they grow that they will find decent spouses to take them out of the slums into better living conditions and security.

Lizzie Conway the good mother and fighter takes a last chance on life for the good of all....but will it work out as planned? Read this refreshing book....a wonderful book for women of all ages..

Her husband probably died during World War I though officially he is listed as missing in action. For the last decade or so, Liz Conway has raised her three precious daughters by herself. Being a single mother is hard enough, but Liz also owes a lot of money, the debt being the inheritance from her missing spouse.

Liz gives up her life sacrificing everything so that her three children can begin the climb out of poverty. Somehow love blossoms with Bernard Peabody even if Liz is reluctant to allow her heart to call the shots at least until she knows her three darlings are happily settled. Still, the girls follow her lead as they too begin to fall in love with what Liz prays are responsible caring men.

Though there is some romance in PRIZED POSSESSIONS, the story line focuses on life in Glasgow during the Great Depression. Much of the moving plot occurs in slums teeming with abject poverty and hopelessness. Against that backdrop, Liz manages to keep her beloved family safe and secure. She is a heroine in her quiet way, which is why historical fiction fans will have a field day with this leisurely drawn character study of 1930s Glasgow.

Harriet Klausner

There is a lot more info on the Quiller series at www.quiller.net, a fan site.

How Elleston Trevor (aka Adam Hall)would have laughed - so folks who bought this shamefully out of print classic also bought *JK Rowling*? Well, why not and God bless them and God bless the technology that can crunch the stats to come up with that one.

Hall's lone ferret of a spy is one of the great creations of fiction and I think this is the latest one to be essayed by Hollywood to fit on the screen. It'll be the usual fiasco, of course, because Hall's muscular poetry and Quiller's inner dialog simply won't translate and, anyway, it'll have to be dumbed so far down that it might as well be some hack ghoster providing the screenplay, which is probably what it will be.

Of course, you can't actually *buy* any Quillers these days because the publishers are incapable to keeping them in print, but that should end when the movie comes out and Travolta or whoever they get struts his stuff and tries to get the shotokan right. (I hope it is Travolta because Elleston piled such contempt on the Ron Hubbard lot in his lifetime that it'd be poetic justice for one of them to come an artistic cropper trying to take on Hall's elegant storyline and real flesh-n-blood hero.)