K Reviews

The Magic Nesting Doll

Published in Library Binding by (2008-09-18)

Author: Jacqueline K. Ogburn

List price: $15.99

New price: $15.99

Average review score:

The Magic Nesting Doll

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-18

I was looking for an uncommon story for my granddaughter and this book delivered. Lovely graphics and story.

Wonderful Book

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-15

I am delighted with this book, as I have just been to Russia on a cruise and the nesting dolls are what I brought back for everyone! Thank you for making this little book available! Malissa Baugh

Amazing folk tale

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-14

What an excellent book. Both the story and the illustrations are superb. From the concept of the young girl out on her own, with just a small nesting doll her late grandmother bequeathed to her, to the magic the nesting doll contains to help Katya release a spell brought upon by a nasty vizier, to the fairy tale ending with her saving the prince, the story delivers. I have never seen a child's book with such exquisite illustrations. My five year old loves this book and we have re-read it many times; she has also recommended it on her own to friends and teachers. This is a wonderful tale told in an old style, that will endear itself to children, parents and grandparents.

Illustrations filled with magic

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-08-04

I love the illustrations in this, they are sure to fascinate many detail oriented children, they are very much like the art that is painted onto the little nesting dolls. The story is a wonderful sort of reverse Sleeping Beauty, but told from the rescuer's point of view, Katya is a sweet but strong and determined heroine who rides a wolf, a bear and a firebird to save her sleeping prince.

A great gift for a child (or inner child) who loves fairytales.

Best children's book ever

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-11-18

This is the most exquisitely illustrated and delightfully magical book for children I have ever read. My daughter just gazes at the pictures, and she'll never let me read "just a few pages". We always have to read the entire book, and each and every time she is as enchanted as the first time we read it together. This is the kind of story I wish my mother could have read to me as a child. And I'm hoping someday I'll be able to read it to my grandchildren. I intend to keep this book forever. I cannot say enough about the beautiful illustrations...they are more exquisite than any real place on earth could ever be. As a result, they're sure to capture your child's heart and imagination. The facial expressions are haunting and I find myself wishing we could just leap into the page and spend a little time in this world. I am only wondering if Laurel Long has prints available? I would so love to hang one on my daughter's wall in her bedroom. Please read this book. It's just fabulous.

Merlin's Keep

Published in Hardcover by G. K. Hall (1978)

Author: Madeleine Brent

List price:

Used price: $1.65

Average review score:

My Favorite Brent Novel

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-14

Jani is saved from a life in Tibet by Mister, a man she loves as a child. Once in England, Jani saves the life of Mr. Lambert and is invited to become one of his family. Years later, Jani's beloved Eleanor becomes ensnared by a strange man, and Jani is determined to save her. This brings Mister, Adam Gascoyne, back into her life.

This was the first novel by Brent that I read, and it remains my favorite.

The only Madeleine Brent' book translated in french

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-11

These is the only book of MB I have found in french. I have read it almost 20 years ago and I was very happy last year when I discover that there are some over title even if there are in english. I have read this story a lot of time and I like it every times ! A very good one.

Agnes

Real adventure and romance!

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-10-13

This story is great adventure and romance with a plucky heroine, the child of tragedy. She's grows up where she doesn't belong near Nepal or Tibet but a time comes when she and her cockney-speaking caretaker have no choice but to leave. They are pursued on their arduous journey through mountain passes. Jani, the heroine, helps them make good time since she is able to communicate with yaks, mules, etc. But Jani has a mysterious past which we gradually learn about as she does. There are mystics and monks and Shangri-la-type temples, future prophesies and evil in wait. Meanwhile Jani finally makes it alive to England but broke and alone. She soldiers on, stays positive and good despite daunting circumstances and finally gets a lucky break. And where's that manly, mysterious fellow she can't forget?

Touching romance with lots of good suspense too!

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-03

I love Madeleine Brent and wish there were more books out there like hers! This one is especially good. While a little slow to start, the story picks up and I could not put it down. I was so sad when it ended. Jani and her friends are such loveable characters and the novel really made me feel good, as cliched as that is. There were times when I laughed and cried while reading this book. Highly recommended!

**** One of my very favorite books in the world!!!!!!!!!!!

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-14

Before I discovered Madeleine Brent's books, my favorite author was Victoria Holt and I absolutely always said that I couldn't imagine another author ever topping her in my favorite's list but I have to admit that I was wrong, wrong, wrong!! And I am hardly ever wrong, just ask my husband!! Anyway, you can't go wrong with any of the Madeleine Brent books and my two favorites (and it is very, very, very difficult to pick a favorite)are Merlins Keep and The Golden Urchin, the Golden Urchin being my favorite book of all time!! How I wish Hollywood would wake up and make some movies based on these books by Madeleine Brent - I know they would become beloved classics!! Read all of the Madeleine Brent books and you won't find better prices than those on Amazon.com Happy reading!!!

Merrill's Atlas of Radiographic Positions and Radiologic Procedures: Evolve Course Guide for Mosby's Radiography Online : Anatomy & Positioning

Published in Paperback by C.V. Mosby (2003-10)

Authors: John P. Lampignano and Linda K. Wendling

List price: $89.95

Average review score:

great book

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2002-04-08

This is a great positing book. All the postions are demonstrated with visuals along with a radiographic picture to demonstrate what is should look like. It also contains the criteria and evaluation for every position. the book is well organized and easy to follow. i would recommend this book as part of a class book. I learned a lot from it.

Merrill's Atlas of Radiographic Positions and Radiologic Pro

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2002-01-05

This is a perfect book for upcoming radiography students. Covers not only standard position techniques but also the more obscure. The is the perfect book for anyone student or radiographer to expand their knowledge in the field. Stop reading this and buy it already!

INDISPENSABLE

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2000-03-06

AS A FRENCH RADIOLOGIC TECHNOLOGIST, I WANT YOU TO FORGIVE MY ENGLISH, BUT BOTH THE ATLAS AND GUIDES ARE NECESSARY FOR ANY RADIOLOGIC SERVICE. IT'S A REFERENCE, AND EVEN IF YOU CAN'T READ ENGLISH PERFECTLY YOU CAN REFER TO THEM (ANATOMIC DESCRIPTION, PHOTOGRAPHY OF RADIOLOGIC POSITION AND RESULTS WITH COMMENTARY). MY GUIDE IS IN THE ROOM WHERE I'M WORKINK EVERY MINUTE, BECAUSE IT CONTENTS NOW ALL INFORMATIONS NEEDED AND ADAPTED FOR EACH POSITION AND EACH X-RAY TUBE. THEY HAVE TO BE IN EVERY SCHOOL. WAITING FOR THE FRENCH VERSION AND AN INTERACTIVE CDROM.

IMPRESSIVE!

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2000-03-06

We began using this text this fall and have been very impressed with the quality of the anataomy sections and the radiographs are all excellent. The color makes it much easier to learn radiography. It is also very comprehensive. Students can learn many projections and not just the basics. We especially like the Mobile chapter which is very practical and accurate in its approach. The Workbook by Hayes which accompanies the Atlas is also excellent. We can use the 3-volumes for 7 different courses in our school and that makes this text a bargain overall. Our students also began using the accompanying Pocket Guide which they much prefer over the one they were using previously because of the AEC write-in ability. This whole package is excellent for radiography students.

Comprehensive Textbook

Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 1999-08-15

It is easy to see why this textbook has made it to its 50th anniversary edition. The authors have introduced all the latest techniques, including computed radiography. The color throughout is wonderful. This is not only a great student textbook, but a great book for reference purposes. We continue to use this book for 5 different courses in our program and we continue to love it. Thanks for the color !

Monitor: The Story of the Legendary Civil War Ironclad and the Man Whose Invention Changed the Course of History

Published in Hardcover by G. K. Hall & Company (1998-05)

Author: James Tertius Dekay

List price: $27.95

Used price: $3.01

Average review score:

Can't Put Down

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2003-11-06

For Civil War and Naval History buffs, this telling of the Monitor's creation and her campaign against the South's Merrimac is spellbinding.

Excellent Coverage of the Monitor

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2003-02-09

Alot of detailed information well put together and very readable.

The first pre-dreadnought

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2003-11-06

Monitor skillfully holds the reader spellbound about the ship, and her irrascible genius inventor. I also came to realize just how technically advanced this ship was compared to her contemporaries. This book is a quick and powerful read that you don't want to put down, and it conveys the depth and level of accomplishment achieved by John Erriccson in getting her built in the short time he did. An outstanding history replete with circumstances and entertaining anecdotes as well. A highly recommended book.

Most famous ship in US Navy history?

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2003-01-19

This slim volume recounts the history of USS Monitor which, in its famous engagement with the CSS Virginia (Merrimac) on March 9, 1862, rendered all wooden warships obsolete and initiated a naval arms race among world's navies that climaxed 80 years later in the Pacific battles of World War II.

Monitor's creator was a Swedish engineering prodigy named John Ericsson who had supervised 400 men as a canal engineer by age 16. For an 1829 railroad design competition built a steam locomotive that established a land speed record by covering a measured mile in 57 seconds (63 mph). But the contest sponsors changed the rules to defeat foreigner Ericsson and his attempts to provide innovate designs to the Royal Navy were also rejected. In frustration Ericsson emigrated to the United States and in 1837 invented the first practical screw propeller to drive steamships through the water.

In 1861 Union intelligence indicated the Confederates were rebuilding the scuttled former Union warship USS Merrimac as a heavily armed ironclad. If that ship (rechristened CSS Virginia but generally called simply "Merrimac"), broke the blockade of Hampton Roads then US coastal cities, including Washington, DC, would be vulnerable to attack. The Union needed an ironclad quickly, and Ericsson already had a plan!

Monitor's keel was laid in Brooklyn, NY on October 25, 1861, and Ericsson and his numerous subcontractors worked 108 days and nights until on February 9, 1862 USS Monitor was turned over to the Navy. Exactly one month later Monitor faced Merrimac at Hampton Roads. Objectively the battle was a tactical draw, but strategic victory went to the Union. The Union blockade was preserved, the Confederates remained bottled up and Britain and France, who were leaning toward supporting the South, decided to remain officially neutral.

This book tells the story of the design, construction, combat history, demise and legacy of USS Monitor in a well-written narrative format. It provides enough details for general readers interested in naval, engineering and civil war history. It may be too general for the serious buff, but I recommend it as an amazing tale to everyone else who wants to know more about this important historical event.

There are some small reproductions of period etchings and photos and a good map of the Hampton Roads battle area. The only thing missing are good schematics of Monitor's interior design.

JUST LIKE THE SHIP IT PORTRAYS....

Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2001-01-05

....Like the Monitor itself, this book is short and concise and yet it packs quite a wallop. In a little more than two hundred well-written pages, Mr. DeKay manages to cram a lot. The book is all about the first ironclad warship of the U.S. Navy and its duel in Chesapeake Bay with the Confederate vessel Merrimac. The book starts with a biography of the ship's cantankerous Swedish inventor John Ericsson and his efforts to get the government bureaucracies of two continents to show interest in his his prophetic ideas for naval warfare (propeller engines, armor plating, torpedoes, revolving gun turrets). The book then talks about the labyrinthine maneuvers of Ericsson and his financial backers through the government contract process to get the ship built. Finally, the author describes in blow-by-blow detail the epic battle between the "cheesebox on a raft" Monitor and the vastly larger and better-armed Merrimac. Every page crackles with factual gems (e.g. The Civil War really was "brother against brother". The Merrimac's commander rammed and sank a Union ship while his brother was on board). Landlubbers and civilians need not be discouraged from reading this book. Engineering and naval concepts are presented in jargon-free language. The book can be finished in two or three days of casual reading. Great for the bathroom-er, uh, excuse me, head.

Mr Right (Mega Mini)

Published in Paperback by Running Press Miniature Editions (2002-12-30)

Author: Salmansohn K

List price: $8.95

New price: $0.39
Used price: $0.39

Average review score:

He's the life of the party!

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-22

I purchased Mr. Right When You Need Him as a gift for a close friend with a very bad track record in romance.

She was recovering from her latest broken heart, and this gave her (and every other person there) a great laugh.

Get one today for yourself! It's so much cheaper than therapy!

laugh out loud funny and fun!!!

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2004-06-06

Great gift! (Although you'll probably wind up wanting to buy one for yourself too!) I saw it first at a bridal shower...then started buying them as gifts for all my friends...and yes, one for myself!

Karen Salmansohn is the best

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2003-01-03

Karen Salmansohn is the best -- I love her books !! What a great combination of humor (comic relief) and penetrating insight into contemporary life. This one is for those times when you'd rather laugh than cry. And don't miss her new one about doing absolutely nothing as a way of changing -- improving your life. She just keeps hitting the target in the right creative key in her wonderful series of books.

Great gift !

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2003-11-27

Mr Right when you need him is the perfect gift for any woman, single or married. The doll has 4 or 5 phrases that will instantly make this a gift that will be passed around from person to person. However, I must warn you that too much use causes difficulty in squeezing the doll (It was a little too popular with my friends!) The book is light hearted and a fun read. Highly recommend as a gift!!

The Good Life

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2003-01-12

This is a very nice book and doll package containing 'a sweet-talking man-doll and 64-page owner's manual with helpful tips on use and care.' Author Karen Salmansohn is superb. In part of West Africa, people have carved statuettes of their "spirit spouses" -- here is a good contemporary American version. Highly recommended.

Nanosystems: Molecular Machinery, Manufacturing, and Computation

Published in Paperback by Wiley (1992-01-15)

Author: K. Eric Drexler

List price: $69.99

New price: $19.85
Used price: $8.95

Average review score:

An astonishing tour de force.

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-16

It is rare to see an entire new field of study arise in science and engineering. It is even rarer to see it explored so lucidly by a single mind. "Nanosystems" is an astonishing tour de force.

This book is not light weight. It is not going to be readable for people who do not already have a substantial background in the sciences. It is an in depth and extremely careful analysis of the possibility of the creation of molecular machines and the fundamental physical limits that technology faces. The pages are packed with well described calculations and everything is fully footnoted and referenced.

Some people have criticized Drexler's vision, but is rare that the critics have actually read his work. In almost every case, he has already anticipated and discussed their objections in extraordinary detail. It is, in fact, amazing to see all the problems he has anticipated and analyzed, in depth and with great care.

If you are serious about your interest in nanotechnology, you must read this book. It will take you quite some time, but the information you will gain is invaluable, and much of it is available nowhere else.

My only criticism is that it is long past time for a new edition -- much has been learned in the last 15 years and it would be valuable to have it all collected in one place.

Good book

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-03-19

I think that this book clarifies all the aspects concerning Nanosystems, wrote by Mr. Nanotechnology: what is, how it is viewed, its possibilities.

I recommend for every one that wanna go inside the nanosystem's world.

A rare Fifth Star simply for its place in history.

Helpful Votes: 55 out of 58 total.
Review Date: 2000-05-22

Finally we may play with the "building blocks of matter" we've been hearing so much about. Here is an instruction manual, detailing the Elements, and their Interactions, while at the same time suggesting possible Design Models for construcion.

Curious about the subject?
Start with Drexler's Engines of Creation, instead. Maybe some other collections of theoretical applications to whet your appetite. Come back to this when you begin to see a bigger picture.

Know some, want to know more?
Definately read. But be warned, it is quite techincal when it is not being necessarily vague. This is a halmark. The basis of this book was Drexler's thesis for his doctorate in Molecular Nanotechnology, the first awarded (MIT 1991, I believe).

Serious about the topic?
You already have access to a copy...or should.

You might very well be able to download significant portions from Foresight's website (it's an org.anization, not a com.mercial); but I would suggest supporting them with at least the price of the book. They seem to be committed to developing this Potential responsibly.

Excellent Resource for Molecular Nanotechnology

Helpful Votes: 9 out of 11 total.
Review Date: 2003-12-02

This book is highly technical and assumes the reader's familiarity with physics, chemistry and the like. It was worth studying. I highly recommend everyone reading this book as the subject matter is inspiring. This book describes the inner mechanics of our (hopefully not too distant) future.

Thank You

Helpful Votes: 9 out of 29 total.
Review Date: 2000-10-19

Dr. Drexler, I carefully studied your book for the first time in February 2000. I studied it once again in August. I now frequently refer to the notes I have made in my copy of your book.

Your book is an excellent guide. Thank you for inviting me to the field of nanotechnology.

Sincerely,

Kenneth L. Buckingham, Founder Tiny Technology, Inc.

One Was Annie

Published in Paperback by PublishAmerica (2006-01-09)

Author: Lora K. Reiter

List price: $24.95

New price: $22.95
Used price: $13.90
Collectible price: $24.95

Average review score:

This One was Amazed

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-11-02

I started reading this book with much trepidation as I knew the author at Ottawa University. However I quickly forgot about that connection as I was drawn into the story. For me, the beginning was fascinating. I loved the rich background "gossip" of William's character. I also enjoyed the arduous journey that eventually brought them to Brittsville (very loosely based on Simpson), Kansas. (My father was a pastor of the Simpson Church for over 2 decades so I know the area.) The author succeeded in showing me how a person could choose to stay in an abusive relationship and all that involves. Dealing with good lovers/bad husbands, poverty and loneliness, Annie perserves and I fell in love with her character. I would like to know how much of the epilogue is factual. In conclusion, this was a really delightful book and I've already promised to share it with my cousin. (And I agree- it would make a great Hallmark-type movie)

A feast for the senses

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-08-12

I love the images conjured up in this book! Being from Kansas myself, it was particularly gratifiying to see our habitat described with such beauty and a sense of the awesome vastness of our terrain. The people in this book are real and it was good to come to know them over a lifetime. This book was very satisfying on many levels and I I enjoyed every hour I spent with it, reluctant to leave it.

Absorbing Reading

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-03-28

A co-worker, who happens to be a friend and Lora Reiter's niece, gave me One Was Annie to read while on a recent vacation. I was caught after the first chapter, and I continued to read whether I was a passenger in the car, the only person awake in our camper, or while the family was fishing. I was amazed by the vivid descriptions of nature and the landscape of the Kansas prairie as well as the detailed development of the characters. Upon finishing the book, I found myself going back and re-reading sections. Now my only question to Lora is "When will you write a sequel so I know what continued to happen with Edward and Sissie's families and more about Emily's involvement with the right to vote issues?" Thank you Lora for the autographed copy. I will treasure it.

Such a good book.

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-03-14

This story reached in and touched that part of me that is strong, human, Annie. Annie demonstrtates time after time that somewhere inside there is bravery enough, not merely to survive during the post civil war, but to pull herself through the pain of a tormented marriage, face life alone, and to remain kind and loving. She teaches her children and future generations of her family dignity and love. Annie comes out whole. She has great courage and serenity. I admire her.

Annie/Reiter loves nature and is part of it, not seperate from it. I am particularly fond of the images she creates when Annie cares for the family animals in a tough winter and of Annie's observations of nature. I want a crow!

From the beginning...

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-03-18

Three of us who went to college with Lora Reiter have had the honor and privilege of hearing "One Was Annie" from its beginnings. We get together each summer to renew our friendship; about ten years ago Lora began reading us excerpts from her novel about Annie...and we became hooked!!! It was hard to wait til the next summer to find out more about Annie and her family, her exploits, etc. She became alive for us, as she certainly will for anyone who reads about her. Lora's characters are beautifully drawn, and the settings--from Tennessee through the boat trip north and across Kansas--make that period in the late 19th century real and vivid in our imaginations. Readers will fall in love with Annie and, perhaps, even Will! There are moments of great hilarity, as well as tears and a lump in the throat. This book is hard to put down; luckily, readers no longer have to wait til the "next summer" to find what happens next!! You will be glad that Annie was in this world, even in our imaginations, and that Lora Reiter is very much in this world!! Let's hope for another novel!!!

The Orchid Hunter (Silhouette Bombshell)

Published in Mass Market Paperback by Silhouette (2005-03-01)

Author: Sandra K. Moore

List price: $4.50

New price: $6.99
Used price: $0.01

Average review score:

More Suspense than Romance

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-17

With all the 5-star reviews, I truly struggled to get through the first 100 pages of the story. I found the Hero very off-putting in the begining and unattractive. I tend to prefer being attracted to the Hero, but that's just me. However, after the initial 100 page plow, I was pleasantly surprised by a terrific, well thought out story of suspense and sweet romance. By the mid point the author had won me over and I was not putting the book down until I'd finished. All in all, it was a great read.

Originally Posted on Romance Junkies in 2005

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-13

THE ORCHID HUNTER manages to capture the essence of the Silhouette Bombshell line about as well as I've ever seen. A highly charged action-adventure tale with a romantic subplot, Ms. Moore has managed to interweave a ton of separate plot elements into a book that is destined to become a feature on your keeper shelf.

For Jessica Robards, keeping her client supplied with the rarest flowers found the world over is a job that takes dedication, skill, and an unerring sense of survival. Linus von Brutten III expects nothing but success from his employee, and Jessie refuses to fail. This time, however, the job is personal. Von Brutten has promised to save her dying uncle if she brings back him the Death orchid. How her employer knew that her uncle, a honky-tonk owner who suffered horribly from a pharmaceutical research experiment, is dying, and how to cure him, is a question that Jessie can't afford to analyze too closely.

She sets out for rainforests of Brazil, and is immediately faced with trouble on all sides. Local tribes who simply want her to leave them in peace, tough-guy CIA agents with unknown agendas, and even fellow rivals looking for the same Death orchid all hope to watch Jessica fail. But then, she meets Rick Kincaid, an entomologist studying a moth who just so happens to pollinate the same flower she's hunting for.

THE ORCHID HUNTER is wonderfully interspersed with detailed accounts of the landscapes that Jessie and Rick wander through, rich tellings of the rainforest and its inhabitants, and details about flowers that I honestly had never even heard of before. Between the kick-butt action, the steamy attraction between Jessica and Rick, and the bad guys hot on their trail, THE ORCHID HUNTER is Bombshell at its best.

I loved this book!!

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-04-26

I like books with srong women and this book did not disappoint!! Dr. Jessie Robards has dedicated her life to tracking down the world's rarest flowers. If you think this is boring it's not she goes to faraway places, she has to always be ahead of Lawrence Daley, her one serious rival,& she cannot be caught with the flowers (it's against the law). This time she has to find the Death Orchid not only for her employer but also because she was told it would save her dying uncle. To me this book reminded me of Lara croft. Instead of going after artifacts the character went after rare, highly prized flowers. It was more of a adventure story to me with a little bit of romance. Loved it!! Loved the character Jessie Robards she is sassy, independant, strong.

pleasant surprise

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2005-10-25

I held off purchasing this book because I thought it ventured into the paranormal, but I was wrong! This turned out to be a great read and I loved every minute of it! When I finished it, I was tempted to go back and read the first half again. This is a definte keeper, one that I will certainly read again. I really loved the male lead! I can't wait to read her upcoming books.

Too bad we can't give 10 stars . . .

Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2005-09-09

Sandra warned me when I told her I'd bought a copy of THE ORCHID HUNTER that I might not like it because it wasn't the type of book I normally read. Let's see . . .
1) it has a terrific heroine
2) it's laugh out loud funny at times
3) it's packed with edge of your seat adventure
4) it has fantastic descriptions of the Amazon
5) it's tightly plotted
6) the writing is superb
7) and it has a satisfying love story and some really sweet and touching moments

So what's not to like? In fact, I absolutely loved this book and am looking forward to many more by this talented new author. Bravo! VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Over my dead body

Published in Unknown Binding by G.K. Hall (1982)

Author: Rex Stout

List price:

Average review score:

Classic Nero Wolfe

Helpful Votes: 11 out of 16 total.
Review Date: 2003-11-14

Having read just about all of the Nero Wolfe series, I have to say, this one contains all of the elements that make Rex Stout's detective novels wildly entertaining, without most of the elements that make some of them maddening

In this mystery, the utterly unswashbuckling Wolfe is revealed, in his younger, svelter days, to have been quite a romantic. Not only did he fight on the anti-Imperial side in Montenegro during the Great War, but he adopted and may even have actually sired a young girl.

To his shock, this young Yugoslav maiden--whom he had lost track of--reappears in his life, up to her neck in a particularly messy, intricate affair that may or may not include missing diamonds, a dead body or two, international intrigue, and a bellboy's uniform. For all of the peeks into Wolfe's previously unsuspected soul, he remains as crumudgeonly and as immovable as ever. Archie Goodwin, of course, remains the wisecracking, milk-drinking sidekick, flirting with anything in a skirt and even giving a Nazi agent a black eye just for the fun of it.

The joy of these books is their marriage of the American gumshoe attitude and the British cozy focus on character. Where they generally fall short is their plotting. This entry in the series is, without a doubt, the most successfully rounded out of the lot. Stout manages to keep the mystery truly mysterious, and yet never manages to confuse the reader so thoroughly that s/he can't find the exit. The plot actually ends on the last page--many of the Nero Wolfe mysteries fizzle out, wrapping up a chapter or two before the end, leaving nothing but rumination and grumbling for the final pages. Others seem never quite to wrap up all the loose ends. Here, the conclusion is both inevitable and unexpected--utterly satisfying.

Confound it, another great Wolfe novel

Helpful Votes: 12 out of 12 total.
Review Date: 2007-06-03

Over My Dead Body is the seventh in the Nero Wolfe series. A young lady claiming to be Wolfe's adopted daughter from Yugoslavia asks for his help with a charge of stealing diamonds but this quickly evolves into a situation where she is suspected of murder. The case frustrates Wolfe no end, it gets more complicated all the while, but of course he manages to uncover the solution by the end of the story.

This book is a prime example of a Nero Wolfe novel. Archie Goodwin is in top form as a wise cracking pain-in-the-neck. Inspector Cramer is present more than a lot of stories giving Goodwin plenty of opportunities for zingers besides the ones he routinely fires at Wolfe. Wolfe himself is definitely out of his comfort zone dealing with the situation of his adopted daughter and this also adds to the potential for laughs.

This is a very entertaining book and I would recommend it for readers unfamiliar with Nero Wolfe as a great place to start or for established fans.

We Meet Wolfe's Daughter

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-05-10

In this Nero Wolfe mystery-one of the earlier episodes-we encounter Wolfe's adopted daughter, who is in a bit of a fix. Wolfe comes to the rescue and along the way, shares little glimpses into his past: his tumultuous youth in Europe; the origins of his suspicion of all women; how he came to adopt a child. In this book, probably more than any other in Rex Stout's series, do we see the effect that women-especially those from the former nation of Yugoslavia-have upon Wolfe's psyche. It's a good read-a good mystery with a great plot-like pretty much all of Stout's works.

First rate Nero Wolfe

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2007-06-02

This book hits on all cylinders. The plot is excellent, intricate but clear. The characters are well drawn. The atmosphere, New York on the eve of World War II, is almost palpable. The dialogue is perfect. I'm at a loss as to what else to say about the book except, "Read it."

A Britsh undercover agent is murdered at a Manhattan fencing school, skewered by an epee with a gizmo attached that turns it into a weapon sans blunt end. Yugoslav women who are instructors there are possible suspects, one of whom is Nero Wolfe's adopted daughter from his days as an ill advised Austrian agent in the Balkans, pre World War, before we started numbering them. This alone is a startling revelation about Wolfe. Wolfe slender? Youthful? Abroad, outside, involved with people? I was astonished.

As usual, the beer drinking, orchid collecting, erudite, corpulent food lover Nero Wolfe declines, under any circumstances, to leave his brownstone abode with a greenhouse rooftop for his rare flowers. Using Archie, his assistant, as legs, Wolfe solves the baffling case. I knew he would. He's solved all the other mysteries in the Nero Wolfe books I've read.

Mystery fans who have not read mysteries from the golden age (pre-1950) do not know what they are missing. There is no sex to lure the lascivious reader, very little violence, no profanity. What there is (and this book is an excellent example of the sub-genre) is intelligence.
That's a rare commodity in most modern mysteries.

Hvale Bogu!

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2004-10-08

This is, at once, one of the best books in the series and one which translated brilliantly to TV on the A&E series.

Rex Stout decides to deal us a little shock in this one: Nero Wolfe, woman-hater, has a daughter he's not seen since she was a baby. She comes from Yugoslavia to New York, unknown to her pops, and gets into a real tight spot involving murder by "coldymort."

When Archie learns this, he considers resigning on the basis of his boss's morals. You just have to read this one to find out.

Or, again, buy the A&E series - they did a great job here.

Post-Polio Syndrome: A Guide for Polio Survivors and Their Families

Published in Kindle Edition by Yale University Press (2002-09-10)

Author: Julie K. Silver

List price: $18.00

New price: $9.99

Average review score:

Post-Polio Syndrome

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-03-28

Excellent!! A must read for anyone with this diagnosis. Helpful, inspiring and her clinic can help you live your life to it's fullest. She's affilated with Mass. General and Harvard, the best in New England. This book was a life saver for me.

Excellent resource for people with who've had polio!

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2005-08-16

Dr. Julie Silver's book is the best summary I've seen of information on post-polio syndrome. Her explanations are clear, informative, and full of information that is crucial for anyone with a history of polio. I highly recommend it.

Facts are fascinating

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2005-04-18

This book is a must for anyone who is a polio survivor, just as is TO CATCH THE SNOWFLAKES, the story of a polio winner.

Post Polio Syndrom

Helpful Votes: 5 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2003-04-30

An excellent, informative book! If you're a polio survivor, it is a MUST read!

Post Polio Syndrome: A Guide for POlio Survivors & Their Families

Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2005-07-22

I HIGHLY recommend this book for polio survivor and especially for every doctor that is treating a post polio person. It is a MUST! It is very easy to read & understand & not a doomsday downer in any way. I am on my second read as I am sure I missed key points and sure enough there are jewels of knowledge & necessary information WE POST POLIO survivors must do for ourselves and make sure our specialists have full grasp of our ever changing condition. PLan to mark up your copy and buy two copies or more at the beginning as you will want to make sure anyone that is trying to help you or cares about you can be fully informed.

K Books