Nevada Books

Hunting Season is the second novel I read featuring Anna Pigeon (the first was Track of the Cat). This series, by Nevada Barr, probably has 10 or so books in it now. I was curious whether 1) Barr is still successful with the Anna Pigeon model, and 2) whether you had to have read the previous 9 (or so) novels to enjoy this one.

In Hunting Season, Law Enforcement Ranger Anna Pigeon is in Mississippi, protecting a sliver of National Park Service Land, the Natchez Trace Parkway (never heard of it). She discovers a murder... or is it? As in Track of the Cat, Anna does her normal job while tracking down the human and forensic clues in this case. And as in Track of the Cat, she works with some interesting folk, is still getting over the loss of her husband, and doesn't mind getting dirty. It looks like she has stopped drinking, at least as much as she used to.

I had figured out the cause of death of Doyce about mid-way through the book. But I really missed the boat when it came to "whodunit."

I'll tell you, the pace, action, and employment focus of this series just keeps reminding me of Dick Francis and his mysteries relating to horse racing. Not bad company to be in!

I look forward to my next Anna Pigeon novel.

This was the MOST frustrating Anna Pigeon book I've ever read.

Anna was so incompetent I could have screamed at her over and over, had she been in my living room.
To let Randy Thigpen (among very many others) get away with such insubordination and ineptitude, did not a great boss make!!

And let's not even talk about the deer meat in the trunk!

This book was a DRUDGE to work through...

Like "Deep South," "Hunting Season" is set in Natchez Trace National Parkway. This is one of those units of the National Park system that nobody ever thinks of, but it takes up a 450-mile stretch from southwestern border of Mississippi through the northeastern border and up to Nashville. Because it's a strip of parkway, it is far more a part of the community than many other national parks.

Though she has been there a while now, and is deep in a relationship with a local pastor-sheriff, Anna remains an outsider to this community. She is a Yankee law enforcement officer who finds herself in a world Yankee stereotypes: good old boys, racists, pickup trucks and football. The facts that Nevada Barr loves the region and that Anna is falling in love with a sympathetic local smoothen the rough edges of this relationship between character and place.

As a supervisor, Anna continues to have to deal with some difficult employees. One of her two rangers is a real nightmare, a lazy, sexist, hostile, lawsuit-prone loser. His forms of resistance are so well drawn that they must be based on some people in Nevada Barr's own past as a ranger.

What about the mystery? It's less compelling than most others in the series. In addition, the book has an unfortunate title - - as you may find yourself halfway through the book wondering why it has this name. If you think too hard about this, you'll be in the rare situation of a mystery reader knowing more than the detective knows.

If you're new to the Anna Pigeon series, I'd read a different book first. If you're committed to the series, don't skip this one because there are personal developments that remain important for subsequent books.

I think you either like Anna or you don't. I can't say the plots are air tight. I can't say she's the most intuitive of detectives. I can say she's wonderful to spend time with -- and her insights and descriptions of very real people are, to use a well-worn word, palpable. She's focused, flawed, and fabulous (as a result). This plot is solid, the setting is well used, and the resolution is right there. Maybe not my favorite Nevada Barr, but still an enjoyable ride.

Anna Pigeon has parked her vehicle for a second time on the dark, gloomy Natchez Trace, which allows Nevada Barr time to strengthen characters and develop the atmosphere of setting. HUNTING SEASON treats readers to a return engagement of characters from DEEP SOUTH and allows you to sink deeper into the quagmire of place, local politics and "old friends."
HUNTING SEASON has all of the Barr standards, fast paced, extensive knowledge of park rangers, their problems and duties, great plotting and rapid pace.
You don't become bored with a Nevada Barr, Anna Pigeon novel, no matter where the location.
Nash Black, author of WRITING AS A SMALL BUSINESS and SINS OF THE FATHERS.

This book was fascinating and I couldn't put it down until I finished the last page.
The reviewer who mentioned the author's lack of sourcing is correct and I wish they'd provided more.
I did, however, check out most of the information in this book (I did exhaustive, in-depth research) and found their information to be accurate.

I don't doubt that much of the reporting in this book is accurate. Even so, though the writing in TMATP is decent -- evocative and well-paced -- its reporting leaves much to be desired. TMATP has more than the whiff of conspiracy theory about it, and its authors are, at times, more breathless than dispassionate in their commentary. What is lacking most, in this book, is depth. Denton and Morris draw on numerous sources, to be sure, yet they bring little insight to their task. For a general, and colorful, introduction to Las Vegas and its problematic history, TMATP seems decent enough. For a sophisticated account, one must look eslewhere.

A lot has changed in Las Vegas since this book was first published, but that doesn't change the fact that is remains a stunning read. Learn a little bit about the corruption that created America's playground, the hack "journalist" who started--what is now a media empire in the city--a newspaper to coerce politicians and land developers, and all the shady politics that involve a number of names you will recognize from today's "corporate" Las Vegas.

P.T. Barnum would be oh so proud if he could see what Las Vegas has become to America and the world. And to think once upon a time they used to lure the suckers out to the desert with cheap food and rooms. These days theres not room enough for all the so-called "gamblers" crowding in. I use the term gamblers loosely, because its better than calling all those nice folks losers.

If the movie "Casino" wasn't enough of an eye opener for them, this book should be. It brings together all the elements that created and sustain Nevada's almighty cash cow. From the Mormon's to the Mob, pension funds to junk bonds, it's all on display in this fascinating and well researched historic expose. An illuminated social, economic and crimal perspective, that shines brighter than any neon you'll find on the Vegas strip. The gangsters and the policticians, notice I lump them together along that is with the bankers and corporate tycoons. And if you thought Howard Hughes ended the mob's hold on the casinos, boy are you in for a surprise.

Rat Packers Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and alike, would often reference or joke about their mob bosses all the time, but only they could get away with it. It was no secret, because thats the way business was done back then. And when Hollywood turned its back on Sinatra, he was always welcomed back by the wise guys. The same guys that knew how to treat their customers right. If you didn't really gamble, Vegas was a helluva of a bargain bonanza with it's plentiful buffets, luxury rooms and top live entertainment. The public didn't get to see the cheaters getting beaten to a pulp by casino guards, the state didn't look too closely at what was being skimmed and embezzled. They got their cut and everyone was happy. Of course, if you want to peer behind this sparkling veil, if you really want to find out what really "stays in Vegas", then this is the book for you.

Read this book. Truth does set free. Seems 'conspiratorial' .. but the 'ring' of truth is there throughout .. if one has ears to listen for it.

I've read Trevor before and consider him a master because who wouldn't? But this story was really slow and felt like waiting for hours in antique shop for the rain to stop. Think of when you were a kid and for some reason, your grandmother's friend who doesn't have a TV volunteered to watch you for an early winter afternoon. She brings out a shoebox full of buttons and thimbles and teacups and that's all you have to play with for five hours and you're a ten year old boy. That's how this book felt to me. I think it was written for Trevor's peers and that's fine. The writing is always good, just quite boring and dusty.

Nothing's really great about the story, although it has some surprising elements. The language is quite cumbersome, with lengthy sentences. It might be appealing to some readers, but not exactly me. Ever feel like you're dragging yourself to endure something? That's how I feel trying to complete reading the book.

OK, now I am usually the first to give a novel the benefit of the doubt, especially when I'm picking it up on the recommendation of a friend... I do the "first page test", I read with attention, I finish it if at all possible.

Boy, did I have a hard time with this one.

Let me get this off my chest right away - I don't care for novels written in the present tense. It sounds pretentious in the mind's ear and looks pretentious on the page and most stories just do not benefit from it. This one certainly did not. When nothing happens in a story, it might as well be in past tense - at least you can fool yourself into thinking it's already happened and you don't have worry that anyone is *currently* being bored into a catatonic stupor...

And what is with the stereotype of the cold, emotionally distant English? Every Briton I've known (and I lived there for 5 years) was certainly reserved, but quite emotionally in-touch. Just like anyone else. None of the characters in the book, with the possible exception of the over-drawn and over-wrought potential nanny had any but one gray emotion for the duration. Please.

I'm falling asleep just thinking about this book, so I'll stop now.

And don't you start by buying this snoozer.

With his simple style Mr. Trevor offers a haunting story of the entanglements of human relations. A superb novel, subtle in narrative, with characters that stay with the reader long after finishing the book.

Trevor's "Death in Summer" is a well-written but odd story to which I found myself somewhat indifferent.

Set in contemporary rural England, the outset of the tale revolves around two young people released into the world, recently discharged from a kind of asylum for young people, The Morning Star. We aren't told exactly what kind of institution but I'm assuming it was a mental institution of some sort, based on the characters' memories of it. After living in an abandoned shack following their release, the boy and the girl who have grown up as friends, try to build normal lives in society. Albert, responsible, kind and sensitive, secures a job washing grafiti off walls and boarding with a middle-aged invalid, as her live-in caretaker. While Pettie, impressionable, brooding, flighty, and prone to acts of petty thievery, decides to apply for a nanny position at a manor - the home of wealthy widower Thaddeus Davenant and his small infant daughter. When Thaddeus' mother-in-law decides to move into the manor to care for the child, there is no longer a need for a nanny. Unstable and imagining herself in love with Thaddeus (who she has only met once), Pettie sets out to prove her love and compassion for him and the infant...in a somewhat distorted way. Albert is instinctively protective of his vulnerable friend Pettie, and ultimately tries to help her out of the desperate situation she soon finds herself in.

As the story unraveled in third-person, the reader is afforded a glimpse into each character mind. Since two of the main characters are afflicted with mental infirmities, the barrage thoughts and their purposes can get a bit confusing. The reader may also find the dialogue and certain details a bit puzzling at times, if they are unfamiliar with certain English sayings or allusions.

Aside from it's unique perspective, "Death in Summer" exhibited an over abundance of unnecessary information, thoughts and observations which often detracted from the thought at hand, and diverted any interest I may have had in a current scene or plot turn in the novel. Granted, it was not a "dull" read, but not an overly memorable one either..."lukewarm" comes to mind. I feel the storyline itself had a lot of potential that could have been further developed into something more rich and impressive. It failed to involve and capture me.

To those who didn't 'get it' Sio is an alien, who live several millenia ago. She figured out how to make people/mice etc. Super intelligent with AI chips. She got cheated on by her boyfriend, got mad, killed him, used chips to conquer her world and then millions more. In the time it took, she became Godlike and then turned up on Earth. She was testing Earth's responses by using Cass and friends to see if they were worth her time. Okay lecture over. Brilliant novel by Pike as usual.

yes i agree this book/mystory is the best book/mystory i have ever read and the monkeys in were just exceptioinal and then i was thinking what the hell is going on here and then it all exploded and we fled of our gerbil powered spaceship made from the remains of a dead kitten and it was crazy and we were like omg omg this is crazy and then heaton came and he saved us with his awsome cs skills and the world was saved once again from the like of monkeys and gorilla and omg wow mr.macallum. and then he said to me wow whats going on here tim this isnt what your spose to be writing but i thouight this was just exceptional and then all the people read it and they were like wow u need to be put up to stanford univerity and im like phhhht sif that im better then that and i divised a way to explode the universe and i fled once againest on my dead giraffee powered apple tree and i was all like omg wow this works so well and in the background the universe exploded and i was laughing att it laughing like a dead monkey!! and then this review was found many years later on a distance universe and they thought it was the best thing they ever read and i went down in history for ever and ever and ever and then the world exploded and my review went on another journey to another distant planet and we were like omg wow this is great and the spirt of your mother and me were kept a secret for ever. The book was good too but i think my story was better because it interesting and the world must now know how cool i am and ill go down in history for being sioo cool and then omg the world is going to explode again

In The Hollow Skull, Christopher Pike writes about a lot of interesting and exciting things, which made me want to keep reading. There's an old abandoned mine which only scientists have been down into for about twenty years. Then one day, two teenage couples decide that they want to go down into the mine and explore. While in the cave something happens, and it changes everyone's lives in the nearby little town. Pike gives so much detail that when he ends a chapter, it starts getting better and you feel like you need to keep reading.
It's exciting because Pike, throughout the book, adds something surprising that I wouldn't have expected, especially the ending. I loved this book, because Pike ends the chapter when it's getting better, and that's what made me want to keep reading.

My boyfriend bought this book as a joke from the Dollar Tree. We were laughing in the store at the pathetic opening lines. Anyone who reads this book and takes it seriously without laughing out loud at its poorly, and ridiculously, constructed prose is a moron. For example, "Fred able was her main squeeze, better than fresh orange juidce in the morning, more an extra-large cappuccino late at night." Are you kidding me? I realize that these are teen books, but does that mean the writing must be boarderline retarded? The book is full of disconnected imagery and half-baked ideas. "He had a great toothy smile that made him look gentle and clever at the same time." Huh?

But, if you seriously liked this book, then I envy you. Because any peice of crap will seem like a hemmingway. Your dim mind must be in a whirl of entertainment and satisfaction. Lucky you.

This is not only the worst Chrisopher Pike book I've ever read, but one of the worst books I've ever read, period. If you enjoyed this you must not have read a lot of his books before, because this book rips off of just about every single one of them. Teens trapped in a small desert town? Check. (See "Whisper of Death") Unrealistic confrontation with the military? Check. (See "The Last Vampire 3: Red Dice") A possessed boy killing his girlfriend way out in the desert? Check. (See "Chain Letter 2: The Ancient Evil") Tiny alien beings from billions of years ago who enter the bodies of teens via liquid and turn them into something non-human, then spread? Check. (See "Monster") An all-powerful female who created the race she later destroys? Check. (See "The Starlight Crystal")

Pike must have needed a quick check from his publisher because he obviously reeled this one off in a hurry. In fact it's more like he excreted it from . . . well, you see where I'm going with this. This book is just simply a piece of ****.

It's so badly written that the editors obviously got tired of reading it too, because there are formatting mistakes in the latter half of the book. As for me, I had to keep starting and stopping because it was so bad that at times I wanted to throw it across the room, or pour water all over it. I might have done, if it wasn't a library book. In fact, I'm still not sure why I bothered finishing it at all. This half-baked book is an insult to Pike's readers and a waste of their time. DON'T READ IT!!!

You have been warned.

betting football is neither less nor more "euphoric" than winning at chess, ping-pong, or the stock market: euphoria is absolutely tangential to bringing home the bacon.

as a winning NFL and NCAA football bettor, i can say emphatically, books which emphasize the "inevitability" of losing at the game only promote the mentality of losing to an elevation akin to destiny, or worse, fate.

the fault is not in our stars but ourselves, that we lose thus or thus.

i have known other winning players; i AM a winning player; you, however, are probably not a winner, and the author of this book is CERTAINLY NOT a winning player.

tlt.

I love to read books about gambling and gamblers. A well written book allows me to really get into the heads of the "characters" and somewhat vicariously experience their highs and lows. This book was a disappointment in that regard.

Millman spent far too much time on the "basics" of gambling and gambling history. This may have been informative to the uninitiated, and perhaps he was hoping for broad-based readership and a best seller, but if you're looking to read the book in 2007 chances are you're already familiar with the basics of sports betting.

Millman focuses on two gamblers and the bookmaker for the Stardust casino. We never really get to "know" these three. We get a glimpse into the mind of Allen Boston, a "professional" gambler, but know virtually nothing about the other two. There is not enough detail of the decision-making process that the gamblers go through in deciding on their bets.

After reading Michael Konik's latest book which really DID give me a good view of gamblers and the gambling world, I was disappointed in this one.

After tracing the history of sports wagering, and examining the sports wagerer, this book leaves the reader bewildered, disgusted and bereft of the innocence once had when first encountering sports and athletic events. The gambler is exposed as socio-pathic and lost, but worst of all, aware of their own situation. Unlike narcotic addictions, there is little escape or euphoria, but instead self loathing is reinforced by immediate recognition of folly. It reads quickly and well, but is devastating to the illusion of the glamour of betting.

This is a good/great book for everyone. This is a very well balanced book that deals with both "Action" sports betting as well as the lives of the men who risk it all on the bounce of a ball. The author does a good job of presenting the reader a voyeuristic look into the lives of these three men. You can almost feel your heart pound as you read about the games coming to a close with a one point difference meaning winning or losing tens of thousands of dollars.
Great read for the beach or to keep yourself entertained this winter.

This quick read about what makes the world of sports betting tick from the perspective of the gambler and the casino reads like an extended magazine article (not surprising as the author is a former Sports Illustrated writer and now a contributor to ESPN The Magazine). What I found most enlightening was the world of the sports book managers of the casino's. The devotion to setting the proper line was facinating and speaks to the business of sports book - the odds are set by a person everyday and the books profits or losses are determined by how well the line is drawn. Also of real interest is how the on-line books have taken the major gambling action away from Vegas and is the death of old Vegas. Its not about action its about profits as Vegas has become a corporate entity. Interesting in the end but I would have enjoyed a little more analysis of the structure of what has brought about these shifts in the way money drives sports.

This book is awesome as are the dozen or so books I've read written by William Bernhardt. Mr. Bernhardt is a very intelligent, humorous, and clever writer. I highly recommend reading everything he's written. He's now tied with Jeffrey Deaver as my very favorite author - and that says a lot!!!

I ENJOYED THE SUSPENSE AND THOUGHT PROCESSES OF BEN AND STAFF. I DO
ENJOY THE STORY LINE BUT ESPECIALLY THE INTERACTION OF BEN AND HIS
LEGAL TEAM. EACH OF THEM HAS BECOME VERY REAL TO ME.

I was a Bernhardt "virgin" before this book, and it's made me want to read all his others, in spite of the fact that they'd have different protagonists.

I understand most of his books feature Ben Kincaid,an attorney, and his office staff, but this one features a protagonist named Susan who is fighting many battles, most of them pretty intense.

For one, she is battling depression over the loss of her husband. This one battle is pretty significant, as it either leads to or exacerbates all her other challenges. The reader isn't clued in to how her husband died until really late in the book, and that's just as well because it would be a distracting revelation earlier. When this revelation does take place, there's so much else going on that it loses some of its distracting potential and becomes instead what it really should be: simply an explanation so that we can gauge what Susan is dealing with in her mind and NOT spend a ton of time thinking about the husband himself.

Another battle she is fighting is against her alcoholism, and I must admit that several times I wanted to just toss the book against a wall because I really disliked Susan. I mean, REALLY disliked her. It's tough to like someone who is so firmly situated in a denial phase, someone who not only refuses to acknowledge how much trouble SHE is in, but also how much pain she is causing everyone around her. When she begins to work with Darcy, an autistic savant, I want to yell at him "run fast! run far! she can only bring you great pain and upheaval!" But of course, all of this is pretty much what the family and friends of alcoholics go through: pain and upheaval, to put it very mildly. Susan is at her most frustrating, and her most human, when she (time after time after time after. . .) says or thinks that one little drink will just take the edge off. One little drink won't hurt anything at all. And why shouldn't she drink? After all, she reasons, she's had a bad day. A very bad day.

Her battle to get that niece back after she is removed from Susan's home is one I found particularly heartbreaking, but not because I wanted Susan to get custody of her niece. I found myself cheering each time Susan's attempts to get her niece back failed. An excellent cop and a great person most of the time with Darcy, Susan is a failure as a custodial "parent" to her niece. There are hints of what that niece might have been exposed to during the time she lived with Susan after the hubby's death. And Susan's inability to cope even to the minimal point of understanding the reality of her situation means that she is the worst person to be caring for a teenager who's already experienced loss and needs stability and compassion rather than upheaval and neglect.

You might think I hate this protagonist, but the opposite is true. I hated her blindness and her unwillingness to confront her reality, but that made her an excellent protagonist. I would imagine she is like many alcoholics: blind to the consequences of her actions, very much willing to play the victim, refusing to do what is right for others and focusing only on her own needs and desires. In other words, she's a "realistically-drawn" protagonist.

The story is excellent. It's beautifully constructed and suspenseful. There's enough humor in it to make the tough stuff (and there's lots of tough stuff, as you can imagine) bearable over long periods. I really liked the switching back and forth between Susan, Darcy, and the killer. That gives the reader a chance to understand each character in a way that makes Susan the primary protagonist, but not the only person of interest. I fell half in love with Darcy, and I even found a tiny bit of sympathy in my heart for the killer.

If this one novel is any indication, Mr. Bernhardt has a knack for drawing realistic characters who engage the reader on a more than "Oooo, I love this person" level. I don't love Susan, but I wish her flawed self lots of good luck in the future. That's something, considering how difficult a character she is to like at all.

Kudos, Mr. Bernhardt!

This is a flaw-full book. I'll only write the flaws at the book's beginning so I won't tell you anything of the plot just in case you want to read this book. For example:

1) The killer at the beginning was killing persons which names appear on Poe's books. How does he knows the name of one person who went to Vegas for one night just to swindle the casino?

2) If you go to Vegas for the very first time you'll learn in the first hour or so that for a one-buck-tip you can leave your car at any valet parking any time you want. And if you want to spare the buck you'll park for free in the same place. Now my point. The Vegas scammer was not her/his first time in Vegas, so why he/she parked the car in a gloomy parking lot when it was the valet parking? And within the valet there always is a security detail. So why risk his/her life?

3) How can be that the best profiler in LVPD oozes Scotch at night and at day nobody notices it or pretend not to?

4) Susan was deranged. Why? Because she was literally raped and she liked it. After that she raped her partner and the worst of all she spoke with her late husband all over the book.

5) You can really skip all the pages that includes Susan's niece.

And I can keep writing more flaws but I'll tell you the book's story.

Susan Pulaski is a royal mess. Recently widowed and alcoholic, the Las Vegas Police Department relieved her and the city of her duties as a police psychologist. After all, the dear lady had enough klinkers in her thinker that had to be hammered out first.

A psychotic serial killer is on the loose and it takes a person with savantism, an extremely rare form of autism to help Ms. Pulaski "get into the mind of the killer" and anticipate the killer's next move.

I for one am quite sick of stories that portray autistics as being savants. Since savantism affects less than 10% of the autistic population, it is sadly ironic that it has become such a stereotype. As for the autistic character, being the child of Ms. Pulaski's former boss didn't hurt either. All in all, a ridiculous, implausible tale replete with cliches and stereotypes. Please retire this entire cast and bring Ben back!

"Poker Face," Katy Lederer's well-written but prosaic memoir cannot decide if it is an analysis of her dysfunctional family or a discourse on America's newfound fascination with Texas Hold-'Em. When Lederer focuses on family relationships, her memoir is worthy of a raise; when she rhapsodizes about poker, she is trying to win the pot with a hand that should have been folded after the flop. Either way, we've been suckered to complete a book that should have been little more than an extended magazine piece.

Lederer unearths a fascinating, fractious family, one which consists of an alcoholic mother who yearns to act, a three-hundred pound vegan brother who excels as a gambler, a combative older sister who vaults into the big leagues of Las Vegas wagering and a literate father who toils anonymously as a teacher in an Eastern prep school before becoming a best-selling author. The youngest child in this menagerie, Katy recognizes games as the sole glue cementing her family. She never quite discovers what motivates her peripatetic wanderings, either physically or emotionally. In her life, she is an indifferent student then a grade-obsessed one; she gains employment in professions which capitalize on her obsessive qualities and dabbles herself in the harsh realities of professional poker. Nowhere is there an attachment to any one person, any one idea.

It is this detachment, however, which could have made her a talented Hold-'Em player. Her brother, sister and mother, all of whom eventually call Las Vegas home do not connect; instead they intersect, and none too gracefully. On the cusp of illegal activities, they make big bank, spend it frivolously and lead sterile lives. Aside from the adrenaline rush that poker produces, this is no kind of life for a poet, which, we find, Lederer eventually becomes.

If gambling is a zero-sum game, if for every winner there are numerous losers and if winning requires a dispassionate empathy (as the author so obliquely observes), then "Poker Face" is a perfect metaphor for the pastime Katy Lederer sets out to describe. She invites us to the table, notices our every weakness, makes us believe she has something far better than what we hold in our own hand and then takes us for all we're worth.

This book does not deal the reader a full hand. It tantalizes and teases the reader into thinking that there is something of substance, ultimately failing to deliver anything other than a somewhat disjointed memoir that has difficulty holding the reader's interest.

The author's family is an interesting one, so it comes as a surprise that she deals with them in so pedantic a fashion. Her father is a bestselling author and her two older siblings, Howard Lederer and Annie Duke, are high stakes poker players of renown.

The author's family had its roots in academia, while she was growing up. Her father was an English teacher in an expensive boarding school on the East Coast. Her mother was an intelligent woman who was troubled by alcoholism, which was to have an affect on the marriage and family. By the time the inevitable split occurred between the author's parents, each member of the family seemed to have gone his or her own way. There was a disconnect among its members. The only unifying factor seemed to be a love of words and games.

It is unclear from the book as to why such a family, grounded in intellectual pursuits, should digress from the path that it seemed set upon and turn out as they did. The book is difficult to follow at times, as the author herself seems unsure what path to take, not only in her own personal life, but in terms of writing this book. What should have been an interesting sojourn, as the author seems to have a good deal of material with which to work, turned out simply to be a total bore.

This is an odd book; but it's wonderful.

My review, however, is not wholly objective, though; I read the book already very much aware of the lives of its secondary characters. I'm a poker fan; I love watching the tournaments; I know the a-list players and their - often absorbing - personal stories. so my natural approach to the book was as a neat glimpse into the lives of no-limit goddess and god, Ms A. Duke and Mr. H Lederer - the sister and brother of the author.

But on the other hand, I'm also a more than avid reader - of fiction, criticism, etc., but predominantly of non-fiction, biographies and memoirs. So I can reasonably confirm that, as a memoir, Poker Face fulfills its role thoroughly.

Though the book is obviously discerning, there has been some complaint that because of its wide embrace it only brushes its fingers along each sterling insight. This isn't true. The book is short, indeed; but so are Mr A. Burroughs' memoirs - which latter are certainly never anemic. Despite the extensive temporal span and inclusive storyline of Poker Face, there is a driving core exploration/exposition here, a clear line Ms Lederer pursues. And she pursues it very well. The epilogue - or maybe it's just a short last chapter, I can't remember - nails it all down tight. And we're not talking Becket here; nothing is terribly complex; any mindful reader will automatically hear Ms Lederer's story whispering intensely and lucidly. And listening is very rewarding. The foibles of this family are so amplified and so seamlessly tied tangible representations - to games, like poker; or to the families comparative economic status - that a vista opens wide, and offers us the naked anatomy of any contemporary American family.

I do, however, decline the fifth star in my rating, only because the character's personalities bounce around a bit. Howard is - ironically - very stable as a character, but Annie, the mother - and even the father at times - are not. The characters are not developed enough to keep their portraits `within the lines', in the Crayola sense.

But, all-in-all, very much worth it. Very good.

Katy, thank you so much for writing this book. I found it extremely interesting and enjoyable. I thought it was really interesting to see Howard and Annie's progression from playing card games with the family to being professional gamblers. This book also describes Katy's relationship with Howard, Annie, and her parents. The writing in this book is excellent!

The book trails through Katy's memories chronologically, although selectively. She has wisely chosen to emphasize her relationship with her family and their poker lives, probably a prerequisite in order to get the book published. The reader is taken into the Lederer family home on an east coast campus, beginning with a focus on the mother's alcoholism. Then, Katy recounts her experiences in high school and college, before moving on to Las Vegas, where Howard has made himself wealthy by betting on sports and cards. Finally, Katy returns to the East Coast, and we are left with a feeling of a work in progress- Katy's life story has no climax or summation; she and her family are still in the throes of the issues raised by their unusual choice of occupation.
In general, I liked the book, because it showed the inner workings of a family that is at once familiar and strange. Their various prodigious talents and expressions of genius reminded me of two other genius families I mentioned just a short while ago: the Royal Tennenbaums and the family in The Hotel New Hampshire, right down to the physically frail and emotionally unstable youngest daughter becoming published by writing her memoirs.
The father of the family, Richard Lederer, is also known to me as the author of a series of books related to puns and various commonly made mistakes in the English language. Katy is obviously a serious literary talent, who has grown up around words being used as playthings. Howard, in addition to being a poker genius, is also a chess master. And their mother, who has an amazing rote memorization that helps her as an aspiring actress, has a special talent for puzzles.
Howard in particular is pulled into the seamier side of poker, getting sucked into a gritty lifestyle involving drugs and cat pee in New York City. But the family seems to have made good financially, even though Howard seemed to be in the midst of a police crackdown on his sports betting business as the book wraps up.
What struck me also about the book is how very embarrassing it must be to the members of the family. Howard, continually referred to as overweight, is found facedown in the midst of a drug-induced slumber. The mother is weeping all morning to herself, unaware that her daughter is watching her, and even more unaware that her daughter will eventually write about the episode for the book-buying public. I felt a little uncomfortable to be reading these things, knowing that the subjects are out there, probably not feeling all that great about the exposure.
By contrast, Katy is self-indulgent with her own portrayal, and potentially important but embarrassing episodes in her life, such as a break-up with a live-in boyfriend, are glossed over. Overall, we get a portrayal of a girl who is emotionally fragile, prone to depression and indulging that depression, who writes poetry and moons about in the background of happier goings-on because they are not appealing to her well-developed sense of being.
If you can ignore that, however, she does make interesting comments about how wealth has affected her family, and about the implications that Las Vegas's existence has on the human psyche. Money isn't happiness, she says, which is certainly a well-worn cliché, but which is never too tired a theme to be shown through interesting example, which is what Katy has done.
I guess, when I think about it, there is some self-criticism on Katy's part. She records her compulsive grade-grubbing, characterizing it as petty, and also talks about becoming a hypochondriac, but there's also a sense that these problems aren't her fault, and that they're special problems for a special person.
In the end, Katy's self-reflections and thoughts are far less compelling than the legitimately sordid and interesting tales of her other family members, and it is the portrayals of other members of the family that will stick with me into the future.
Katy is a good writer, although she is a little wordy for my tastes (she manages to use the word esplanade twice, for example). She has told the only interesting story from her personal experiences, and she probably could have told the truly interesting bits in about half the space. But I would like to read something written by her on another topic. She writes at one point that she has extensive notes and writing efforts surrounding her own stint as an aspiring poker player. This could be compelling reading, and I'd like to see more from her about topics other than herself.
Added: I saw Howard Lederer playing poker online at Ultimatebet.com, and I asked him whether Katy's book had made him unhappy in any way, what with all the revelations. He said no, not at all, and that he supported her 100%.

We have anti-gravity, anti-proton particle beams, 140,000 year old space
ships that fly, ans a 1947 space ship that is the same as the first one...
The end leaves it open for another sequel as well.
Rip rips and Charlie flies like an ace.
An anti-gravity weapon is used by a French mad man on moon.
The heroes again save the day as we all hope they will.
It is very entertaining and no science argument has ever harmed the popularity of Burroughs or Bradbury.
I'm wondering how he is going to explain an interstellar drive for the mother ship...

Great '50s sci-fi space opera in the best Heinlein-esque tradition; ray guns, robots and rocket ships. I read it in one sitting as I could not put it down. So, why doesn't Amazon sell "Saucer"? I can't find it anywhere on the site. I went looking for the start of the series but could not find it anywhere. Too bad, lost another sale to Barnes and Noble's.

I found this in a discount bin at Barnes & Noble and couldn't resist. I have never read any of his books before, so it sounded like a good start.

This is classic pulp fiction and as some other reviewers alluded to, it reminds me of the serials from the 30's and 40's. I don't think that is a problem at all and in fact, it gives the story a nice bit of charm. Others have already gone into the plot details so I won't rehash them. Instead, I will give my impressions of the story as a whole.

This book was a lot of fun to read and kept me engrossed. The chapters are not too long and there are plenty of scene breaks where you can take a rest. I read a lot during commercials when watching TV, so the short scenes are great. The story moves fast but not too fast. The science is believable based on my limited knowledge, and even if not realistic, is realistic enough.

In fact, my one criticism is that the story is too real. It takes an alien spacecraft, and makes it a little too much like a regular old airplane. The basis of the saucers are truly sci-fi, but he somewhat kills the fantasy with his obvious real experience as a pilot. So, for an object being so old yet so advanced, it sometimes comes off as just an advanced airplane (okay, jet, to be technical) rather than a real alien flying saucer. However, that is only a minor criticism and it did not dampen my enjoyment of the story.

Overall, this was well worth the time and I am going to look for the first one in the series. Recommended.

The modern military novel has often been compared to science fiction, and I own some technothrillers that have been written by authors known primarily for science fiction, but Coonts' second attempt at the genre shows that he should stick to things more grounded in reality. Not only did it feel like it had been dashed off over a weekend or two simply to fulfill a contractual obligation, it was as if he was under orders to provide some sort of right-wing balance to the material--I saw better French bashing on the Bruce Campbell show Jack of All Trades - The Complete Series. The only real reason to buy this book is to complete a collection.

This book lacks the interesting plots, strong characters, and technical authenticity that I associate with most of Coonts' work. Instead we get an egomaniac intent on reforming the world with a single superweapon,a device that got old while H.G. Wells was still using it. Long before mid book, the outcome is clear and the only motivations to finish are determination, a mild interest in the precise details chosen, and a fading hope that the old Coonts may show up. The characters are not totally shallow, but I never felt very worried about their safety, nor very concerned if I turned out wrong and they got clobbered. Technology in "Saucer" consists of long words and simplistic physics including an antigravity weapon that works backwards when the hero reverses the power leads. This is about as likely as turning the plug around on your air conditioner to heat your house in the winter. If you want to spend money on Coonts, buy any of the Grafton series and leave "Saucer" on the shelf.

These Delorme Atlas & Gazetters are wondeful. They show you many features not available through GPS, maps or other atlases. It is a great feature to have the BLM lands marked as well as the back roads. Good resources are also included in each states atlas. A good addition to anyone's travel tools.

An indispensable addition to your travel planning for Nevada! Buy one and you'll find you'll want more DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteers for traveling in other states!

Great Product! Nearly as good as having a seperate map for every county in the whole state.
I like it best because I can read the text much easier than a state map, especially in low light. My bifocals are OK for reading but not the fine details of most maps.

Took a number of non-roads shown as roads in this atlas and almost became stranded once. Also missed some interesting roads not shown in this atlas. I later reviewed these errors in the other brand atlas of the same size and found them ALL to be correct in that atlas. I continually find errors in the California, New Mexico, and Nevada versions of the DeLorme atlases. I have since converted my usage to the other brand.

I attended college in Nevada and volunteered for the BLM in Nevada. I have traveled extensively throughout the state's rural areas since the 1980's; and several times over.

Those of you who have seen previous editions will notice that the new edition no longer displays bold red lines for heavily traveled unpaved county roads! Why?? At least back then, most of the bolded red line routes were pretty accurate. But now, they have all been reduced to thin red lines - which may be DeLorme's way of trying to get itself off the hook regarding its inaccuracy issues.

Yes it's true DeLorme doesn't have its act together in terms of fully researching its data. And yes, I too have been misled into taking routes that appeared to exist but didn't exist in reality, or, if they did "exist" they were in such bad shape (washed out & rocky outcroppings, super-soft sand & silt) that they shouldn't have been on the map to begin with.

The rule-of-thumb when exploring rural Nevada is: if a "road" appears bad shortly after you begin going on it, turn around immediately. Even if you've already invested a few miles of time on it, turn around and save your vehicle (and yourself) the punishment. I guarantee it won't "get better" the further you go down it, so, resist the temptation altogether. If your inner voice is saying "this road is bad", it is and most likely will only get worse.

Unless you drive a Hummer, stay away from any remote Nevada backroads. The state's rural road maintenance budget has been in shambles for years and therefore these routes are no longer getting any attention or priority.

Regarding the places shown as "towns" - change is constant and not even the BLM can keep up, so, don't rely on any maps. Just keep the following in mind: Interstates 80 and 15 and 95/395 and 50 are always safe bets for services at least once an hour. State routes (paved) in all directions between Reno, Las Vegas, Winnemucca, Battle Mountain, Austin, Eureka, Ely, Baker, Caliente, Tonopah, Hawthorne, Pahrump, Fallon, Gabbs, Elko, Wells, Wendover, and Jackpot are also safe bets. Outside of that, ignore DeLorme.

I have hiked a lot in the Vegas area, and the first thing I noticed is that this book is not for first-timers! It is more useful for locating general spots to hike. It is very tough to follow the text and tiny B&W pictures to stay precisely on the trails. See if your library has a copy, or buy one used. It is worth a look and can be helpful.

Being a local of Las Vegas I have been to Red Rock Canyon several times. There are limited hiking trails. The author covers the trails, but does much more. There are many scrambles to peaks that without this book would be virtually impossible to get to. Unfortunately, the rangers at Red Rock want to ban this book. I guess they would rather be gambling than doing their jobs. Many rangers don't even know where named peaks are in Red Rock. My advice is to buy this book or visit the author's Web site (same name as the book) and forget stopping at the visitor's center for information.

This is the best -most detailed book about hiking around Las Vegas-both in Red Rock and the Mt Charleston area.
He also has a great website- hikinglasvegas.com
He really knows his stuff and has detailed descriptions as well as photos. If you're just starting or serious about hiking this has everything you need!

I tried to use this book. However, the route descriptions are poor, and the author seems to have trouble telling north from south. There are too many errors to be typos. The area has some great hiking, and the book points out some good ideas, but be sure to take your topo map and compass! I thought about selling the book on half.com, but I would feel too guilty selling it to someone with less outdoor experience than I have.

This book provides instructions for many hikes around Las Vegas not described in other guides. I have hiked many of these trails and always find the guide's desciptions inadequate. In fact, while hiking Bridge Mountain, following the Guide's instructions lead my experienced partner and I into a very dangerous situation. I still use the guide, but know that I will have to use my trail finding experience to augment the book's trail descriptions.