Breeders Books


Books-Under-Review-->Sports-->Equestrian-->Breeds-->Paint-->Breeders-->6
Related Subjects: Canada United States United Kingdom Belgium New Zealand Australia
More Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200
Breeders Books sorted by Average customer review: high to low .

Breeders
Stud: Adventures in Breeding
Published in Paperback by Bloomsbury USA (2003-04-02)
Author: Kevin Conley
List price: $14.95
New price: $3.98
Used price: $0.40
Collectible price: $22.50

Average review score:

Not bad. Not great, but not bad.
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-25
Kevin Conley, $tud: Adventures in Breeding (Bloomsbury, 2002)

"The most expensive thirty seconds in sports," the single line on the back of the book tells us, pointedly printed over the hindquarters part of a full-jacket photograph of Storm Cat, the most expensive American sire in history. New Yorker writer Kevin Conley takes us on a tour through the wild, weird world of horse breeding (mostly Thoroughbred, but a chapter is devoted to Standardbreds as well), and we get to meet a lot of very interesting people along the way, as well as the horses themselves. For wildness and weirdness, it can't be beat, as far as horse books I've read go; for writing, it's a bit different. I rush to say I may be affected by my recent reading here. I just finished up Bill Barich's most recent treatise on the racing world, and pretty much any racing writer would be hard-pressed to fill Barich's estimable writing slippers; everything else reads like Edward D. Wood, Jr., compared to Evelyn Waugh. Still, if you're interested in what goes on behind the camera (as it were) in the racing world, you could do a lot worse than to check out Conley's book. ***

Interesting, fun read but factually flawed
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-01
"Stud, adventures in breeding" is a well-written book that focuses as much or more on the human stories within the Thoroughbred breeding industry as on the equine aspect. One of the things that makes horse racing interesting is that every horse has a great human story behind it and the author skillfully impliments this fact. While the book is a good source of general, "inside information" and entertaining stories, it is certainly not an entirely accurate reference. Factual errors are common, distressing considering that the author is an editor of the New Yorker and contributes to a number of large publications. Smallish errors are more common, for example, the listing of Secretariat's syndication value as 5 million dollars rather than the actual figure of slightly over 8 million dollars. The bigger errors are more glaring. The most obvious to me is the report of the death during foaling of a prominent Standardbred broodmare. During my tenure as a farm veterinarian at Hanover, Daisy Harbor continued to produce healthy foals - something that would have been difficult for her to do post-mortem.
All in all, I recommend this book as a light-hearted look at what happens when the top racehorse de jour retires "to the breeding shed." There is more to it than girls, grass and money.

Funny,Interesting way to introduce horse racing/breeding
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-01
I don't know much about horses,I live in a place where owning one means you have the space,money, and can accomodate them to the colder climate. Needless to say, I went into this book knowing very little about them let alone what it takes to make a champion racehorse.

However, by the time I got done reading this book I was able to inform other people on horses in general and breeding them. I enjoyed reading it, Conley makes the whole business entertaining and practical for anyone to understand. I couldn't put the book down, everyday when I was finished with what had to be done life-wise I read this book. Despite this factor there are a few things in the book that one had to either know offhand or research. This is the only reason why it didn't get five stars from me.

Fun and Educational
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-04-24
STUD is both fun and a nice overview of the horse racing and breeding industry. One of those rare books you tend to share witty quotes from with your friends.

The writer does an excellent job of telling us about the industry, horses and people - while rarely, if ever, boring us with the "I'm special 'cause I was there and you weren't" flavor common to many horse racing industry books.

A rare find, I was sorry to reach the end.

A great book!
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2003-12-08
This book, in addition to being well written and interesting, covers the oft-overlooked foundation of the racing industry. I loved the portrayls of the horses and the owners!

Breeders
The Big Book of Buds: Marijuana Varieties from the World's Great Seed Breeders
Published in Paperback by Quick American Archives (2001-12-10)
Author: Ed Rosenthal
List price: $22.95
New price: $12.94
Used price: $10.99

Average review score:

Good Book
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-03-08
Simply excellent, Good information, excellent pics. Only, I wonder if all the information there is true.

every ones dreams of the perfect plants
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2005-08-30
if you have one book [if like me you have many ] this will keep you intertained for hours as well as provide a lot background into the make up of some of our favorite strains.

This is 1up for Ed!
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2004-10-28
We liked the book a lot. It almost already seems like a classic. So much more information is being produced in Cultivation books, websites, DVD's etc.

The Seed was definately First...

Perfect coffee table book.
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2004-08-11
What a great book. Can't wait for Vol.2!!! Very informative with excellant photography. Highly recommended!

great coffe table book
Helpful Votes: 7 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2005-08-02
I love the great pictures in this book. The information is very helpful in describing each type of bud. It tells you what to expect from each one. I find this very helpful when researching buds. As a graphic designer I think this layout is top notch. Crisp, clear and easy to understand.

Breeders
Blind Bloodhound Justice (Bloodhound)
Published in Hardcover by HarperCollins (1998-07-05)
Author: Virginia Lanier
List price: $23.00
New price: $10.00
Used price: $0.41
Collectible price: $24.00

Average review score:

Not to be Missed
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2002-07-23
I started the Virginia Lanier series on the recommendations of the customer reviews. I wasn't disappointed. How interesting could a series be that spotlights the raising and using of bloodhounds in the field? I too wondered and happily found out. The only thing I can add to the other reviews is that after having bought all the books, I learned not to read them back to back. Although throughout the books, she earns the love and respect of not only current, but new friends and people she works with, her personal life is not always the most uplifting. Would I still recommend the series? -- it's not to be missed...

I'm surprised and disappointed that no one else
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2004-06-18
is offended by Lanier's outdated, inaccurate, and incredibly ugly stereotyped depiction of a mentally disabled person as a vicious killer who is physically repulsive and morally corrupt. Mentally disabled people are far more likely to be the victims of crimes than they are to commit them, and they are no more prone to physical violence than the average person.

Lanier's having come of age at a time when our society treated the handicapped as less than fully human does not excuse her for having perpetuated such a negative image. Unless she spent her adulthood in social isolation, surely Lanier had ample opportunities to observe people with a variety of handicaps, both mental and physical, going about their daily lives in much the same manner as she herself did.

To resort to a nasty and downright false representation of the mentally disabled as a plot device suggests a serious lack of both imagination and knowledge on Lanier's part. I rather enjoy the other books in her "Bloodhound" series, which makes this offering all the more disappointing. I would like to think that Lanier came to realize that she had unfairly maligned the mentally disabled and regretted having fallen back on a such a negative stereotype instead of coming up with a more creative plotline.

There are other flaws in "Blind Bloodhound Justice." The main story line wasn't much of a mystery this time, with the solution to the three-decades old murder jumping out at the reader almost immediately. A likeable character featured in previous books is done away with and then rarely mentioned again, much less mourned. Further, for a woman who lived in a southern state, Lanier seems surprisingly uninformed about the use and spelling of uniquely southern words such as "y'all" (used as a plural only, please, and written and pronounced as one syllable rather than two as in "you all"). And as always, many of the characters are described in Lanier's trademark stereotypes - though none quite as ugly and false as that of the mentally handicapped woman - which some readers may find at least tiresome if not actually offensive. Aside from an unexpected development concerning one of Jo Beth's dogs, this book in Lanier's series is, unfortunately, not worth adding to the reader's personal collection. Check this one out from the library.

Another great installment
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2003-04-04
Just want to recommend this book, I actually enjoyed it more than the others. Well told, and after reading the other books in this series, you are really feeling like you know the characters and can identify with them. The very end is wonderful, and I can't wait to read the next.

Superb Reading
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2000-08-08
I have read all of Virginia Lanier's books (date of review 8/7/00). All five are full of excitement and suspense as well as romance and humor.

Being a dog lover myself, I was fascinated by the nuances of caring for, training, and working with bloodhounds.

I just finished her last book in the series and I will sorely miss Jo Beth and her adventures into the swamp with her magnificent dogs. I am eagerly awaiting the next one!

House on Bloodhound Lane
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2000-07-09
Virginia Lanier grabbed me by the lease, sent me with Jo Beth and her bloodhounds on many a search through territory I'd never experienced before and she returned me safely to Bloodhound Lane. I've read the 1st four in the series and can't wait for the next edition. May there be many many more. .

Breeders
The Winds of Sonoma (Regalo Grande Series #1)
Published in Paperback by Fleming H. Revell (2005-10-01)
Author: Nikki Arana
List price: $12.99
New price: $1.48
Used price: $0.10
Collectible price: $12.99

Average review score:

Big THUMBS UP from Chadron MOPS
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-12
The Winds of Sonoma is an encouraging story of God's faithfulness and love. This is an inspired story by the author, Nikki Arana's life. This book has challenged me to stop judging people based on the clothes they wear or how much worldly goods they have or don't have. I want to allow the Lord to show me the beauty He sees inside people. Winds of Sonoma is the 1st book in the Regalo Grande series and I look forward to reading the other books. ~Shelly of Chadron MOPS

The Winds of Sonoma
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-03-08
This was an excellecent book. I would recommend this book to anyone. I loved it!

Power and deceit vs. poverty and integrity
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-10-03
When attorney Angelica refuses to accept the assignment of her big New York City firm, she is fired. Not only fired, but blackballed in the entire area. Dejected and yet feeling so right about her decision, she moves back to her California home. Her wealthy parents are mortified that she would trade such an important job for the simplistic and ridiculous job of public defender for illegals and the poor. Antonio, an illiterate Mexican young man, comes to work at their horse ranch just as she arrives home, and she decides to make a difference in his life.

This opening book lays the foundation for a very possible, though highly unlikely love story of the decade. Readers will hate the crooked ranch foreman, love Poppy, and wonder just what makes the Amantes tick.

There is so much intrigue, so much feeling, so much love and hate in this story, I am recommending this series of 3 to all my Christian fiction reader friends.

Finally, romance without the smut and WITH God's Love
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-05-31
I truly couldn't put the book down. Nikki Arana used her love for God to create a magical love story. I used to read romance novels but I got sick of all the lust, sex and smut. The Winds of Sonoma is a romance novel that reveals the love of God, faith and believing and a true love that exists between man and woman.

Thank you Nikki Arana!

Culture Clash
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-02
Angelica is a up and coming attorney working for a big firm in New York City. When she is fired and cannot find a new job due to her refusal to compromise her beliefs she heads home to California. While at home she faces the situation of illegal Mexican immigrants in the area. Her family ranch has hired a new immigrant worker, Antonio. Angelica decides to take him under her wing and try to help him out in every way she can. She also wants to try to get a job as a public defender because she wants give help to those who really are in need of it. As Angelica works with Antonio, she discovers that there may be more than just a charitable feeling shared between the two of them. The two have an uphill climb as they try to figure out their relationship.

I liked this book. It was easy to read and one could relate to the timeliness of the story. Illegal immigration is a hot topic in our country. Many politicians are debating constantly about how the nation should treat the situation. There are lots of people who are prejudiced against Mexican immigrants such as the foreman of the ranch or the people in the church who thought they were "helping" but really weren't. Angelica is a compassionate character who wants to help out Antonio. She also makes the difficult choice of choosing a harder life instead of one that would be easily handed to her. I admire people who can do that. I could also relate to Angelica's issue with not wanting to tell her parents what really happened to her in New York. It's hard to have to tell your parents that you've let them down after they think you've done so well. My parents were immigrants so the story is familiar about being alone and uncertain in a new country. They too were grateful for the people who took the time out to help them get settled in their new life. I'm looking forward to picking up the next two books in the series.

Breeders
Canine Reproduction: The Breeder's Guide
Published in Hardcover by Alpine Publications (1999-11)
Author: Phyllis A. Holst
List price: $32.95
New price: $21.75
Used price: $19.00

Average review score:

Canine Reproduction: A Breeders Guide
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-04
This is a very informative book for any breeder who needs to be prepared for their upcoming litter. As first time breeders we are anxious to be as prepared as possible to help insure the health of both mother and puppies. I believe this book addresses both concerns. This is a highly recommended resource for anyone, experienced or not, expecting a litter of puppies.

Canine Reproduction: The Breeder's Guide
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-30
A good basic book for beginners, but could use an update to include indepth information on progesterone testing and it's application in the breeding process. It could also use an explanation of current and more advanced artificial insemination procedures including transcervical insemination, and intrauterine surgical implant.

I Found this book to be very technical
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-19
This book deals more with the science of breeding rather than practical information. I was looking for specifics on things like How to know my bitch was ready for breeding and What to have on hand when puppies are born and How old are puppies when ready to be weaned. This book was too scientific for what I was wanting.

Educating and calming the first time breeder.
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-18
I am eagerly waiting my first little of Cardigan Welsh Corgi puppies. This book was highly recommended to me and I wish to pass on the recommendation. Helpful to prepare and so much information gained on dogs generally.

Canine Reproduction
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-02
This book was referred to me by friends that have been breeding dogs for many years. They both call it their doggie bible. I ordered it to late to help with the actual breeding and whelping of my dog but it has answered several other questions I have had since the birth on everything from puppy development to other topics such as dewclaw removal. I defintely recommend this book!!.

Breeders
The House on Bloodhound Lane
Published in Hardcover by Harper Prism (1996-06)
Author: Virginia Lanier
List price: $20.00
New price: $18.96
Used price: $1.46
Collectible price: $20.00

Average review score:

great characters
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-02-25
The idea is different enough to rate 5 stars but the stories and characters are also wonderful.I was very glad to find this as a series, which I love reading, and I hope the author continues the bloodhound books.

Great Woman with an Attitude!
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2004-06-16
"The House on Bloodhound Lane," the second in the "Bloodhound series," has confirmed it. Virginia Lanier has just zoomed to the top of "My Favorite Mystery Writers'" list!! (Even better than Evanovich's Stephanie Plum, which is saying a LOT!!)

I can't believe that I have just now discovered Virginia Lanier's great characters! Jo Beth Sidden is a feminist with an attitude and such a wonderful character! I love how she is always trying to improve and "fix" her friends' lives (because her own is so often in such chaos)!

I couldn't put this book down. It has SO many intricate sub-plots and I love the dialogue. It is great to read so much about the dogs as well. I especially liked how Lanier took the readers back to Bobby tracking Mary Ann.

Lanier is such a gifted and intelligent writer to devise methodically the reasoning that spews out of Jo Beth's character.

I've already started "tracking" down the hardback editions of Lanier's books. They are keepers. Other mysteries that I've rated as 5 stars are good, but they don't come close to Lanier's Bloodhound Series! She is THAT GOOD!

Gripping second of series
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2003-02-03
This is *NOTE* the second book of a series. It is well done enough that you can pick up the series here but it will be more enjoyable if you start from the beginning. The books are; 1996-Death in Bloodhound Red, 1997-The House on Bloodhound Lane, 1998- A Brace of Bloodhounds, 1999-Blind Bloodhound Justice, 2000-Ten Little Bloodhounds. I'm not sure why we don't have books for 2001 and 2002, but after you read the first book and then run out and buy the next four that continue without dropping the pace and excitement, you'll mourn the gap in the series. I have a review in on the first book that gives you an idea about the series, which I won't repeat.

In this second book Virginia Lanier develops the themes she began in the first book. As I mentioned she does an excellent job of giving you a wealth of knowlege about the south, the Okenofee swamp, and bloodhounds as trackers (not hunters). You learn still more and critically important, she manages to repeat some of the old knowlege such that you don't lose vital bits if you start at the second book, but is still interesting if you read the first one. Instead of boring solliques you get inserts that go with the action that end before you get bored, such as when she is explaining something to someone as opposed to an off the story line that reminds you that you are reading a book. As with the first book, I not only read it till it was done (about 3am on a night I had to get up and go to work at 7am) even though I swore to myself that really truely I was not going to do this like I did with the first one. Then once I read it through I went back and enjoyed a leisury read to pick up the information and the beauty of the story, after I happily reread the first book for the third time.

I've checked out a lot of the information here with a friend that is from Georgia and so far she is 100% on accuracy. Since just because an author makes something sound believable doesnt mean it is, and I'm primary a science fiction reader so I'm always wary. The only difference is my friend knows bloodhound hunting dogs, but no trackers. But she did verify (and I can't remember which book it was in) where a monster gator was climbing a fence to get at the puppies, that while she doesn't know of any examples of them climbing fences, there are many examples of them getting into fenced yards where no one can figure out how they got in.

Additionally in this book the long feared release of her ex-husband from prison happens, and I really enjoyed Jo Beth's revenge on the prison system for not telling her BEFORE. I'm not going to say what happens or if she found out 'in time' because I HATE a review that blows the plot by telling you the entire book like a bookreport. I'm going to let you wonder.

Good airport read
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2001-05-04
This book made a three hour airport delay tolerable - something that many books can't do. Jo Beth is back with her nice mix of sass and humor. The kennel is growing but there are a few problems - including a vicious ex-husband on the loose and a missing businessman. Romance is in the air for all the ladies at the kennel - or so it seems.

The highlights of the book are two-fold. First, it's always nice to read a mystery that doesn't have a dead body. Second, and most endearing, is Bobby Lee, the brilliant, blind bloodhound.

Bottom-line: Nothing extraordinary but good enough to pass along to my dog loving niece.

Superb reading
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2000-08-08
I have read all of Virginia Lanier's books (date of review 8/7/00). All five are full of excitement and suspense as well as romance and humor.

Being a dog lover myself, I was fascinated by the nuances of caring for, training, and working with bloodhounds.

I just finished her last book in the series and I will sorely miss Jo Beth and her adventures into the swamp with her magnificent dogs. I am eagerly awaiting the next one!

Breeders
On Ice: A Thriller
Published in Hardcover by Atria (2000-06-01)
Author: David Ramus
List price: $24.95
New price: $0.96
Used price: $0.01
Collectible price: $24.95

Average review score:

A Real Page Turner!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2003-05-28
I have met Mr. Ramus in real life. He's a friend of my father's, so when I saw the book on my father's shelf, I had to pick it up. I had been slightly unaware of Mr. Ramus' writing until that point. I usually can tell if I'm going to like a book within a few chapters. Needless to say I couldn't put this book down. I've now re-read it enough times to actually put cracks in the binding. It's a very wonderful piece of work, keeps you on edge. I happen to be a very big horse lover and this book's topic just hit me hard. I LOVE IT!... I've given the book to a few friends of mine to read, and so far they've all liked it. I say give it a try, you'll be surprised at Ramus' writing talent!!

Good read
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2002-01-17
Good Read. One that after you start you do not want to put down. Takes the horse racing scene, the prison scene, mixes them together and comes up with a good story. Nice education of horses and horse semen and makes it interesting.

If you like a good story and a good read this is one to take with you on a trip. Light reading, however after you finish it you have enjoyed it.

ho hum
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2005-10-31
This is not a wretched book; I just could not take to it because of its condescending nature. From the very foundation of this novel, Ramus dumbs down all of his characters. It sort of felt like I was reading a book on the level of Dukes of Hazard. Only the writing, detail, and characters were more adept than the silly plot. Which was kind of odd and sort of sad.

First of all, it is almost inconceivable that the main character would have ended up in prison the way that he did. Secondly, all of the problems that he goes through while in prison were set up with a very insane chain of events. The implausibility of it all just gets you down and it's hard to over look as the book progresses.

I have a soft spot in my heart for Ramus. I have read all three of his novels and will read the next one he puts out. I hope that he lives up to his potential and writes a real taught thriller aimed at the thinking adult rather than brain dead plebe next time.

I am 14 year old reading this novel and I love it
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2001-07-30
I can not put the book down , its wonderfullly written from what I read so far. I am not even barely aware that i am in my room when reading this ,it keeps my attention and it does not stay on one thing for to long. I like the way Mr. Ramus describes the characters. Its got everything I like , the horses , the fights , suspense , and a little bit of romance. I would give it 16 stars if not more. It is worth your money and time.

The Pace Never Lets Up
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2000-08-12
I don't know what got into me. I have never bought a hardcover book by an author I've never read before, but a saw a review in the local paper that praised this book and the premise intrigued me, so I took a chance. I am so glad I did. This book has it all. A fast paced plot that never lets up, delightful dialog and standout characters. I enjoyed every minute spent reading this book and highly recommend it.

Breeders
Cattery Row (Theda Krakow Mysteries, No. 2)
Published in Hardcover by Poisoned Pen Press (2006-08-30)
Author: Clea Simon
List price: $24.95
New price: $11.39
Used price: $5.14
Collectible price: $24.95

Average review score:

Music, Mystery, and cats...
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-04
Cattery Row is, I believe, the second of the Theda Krakow mysteries. The mystery is convoluted and engaging, the cats run the gamut of feline personality types, the characters are fully developed individuals, the relationships realistically confused, the Boston music scene real enough to feel the bass beat and smell the beer, and the action non-stop.

Theda Krakow is a freelance journalist. She quit her job at the Boston Morning Mail, features department, in a righteous snit when the boss wanted to take one of her ideas for a column, give to someone else, and have Theda teach the person how to do the job. Now she's between jobs and worried about getting another one. Luckily, she gets a call from City Magazine about doing a follow up to their "Women of the Millennium" article to see what they're doing now. Theda would do a profile on four of the original ten women and luckily she knew two of them pretty well already. Things were beginning to look up for Theda.

As we know, that's when everything falls apart. Someone is stealing pure breed cats from area catteries while the owners are away at shows. Violet, a friend of Theda's, manages the Lillian Helmhold Home for Wayward Felines, and she's worried even though her cats are strays and of truly mixed and unknown parentage. But Rose of Rose Blossom Cattery and a past 'Millennium Woman', has Turkish Angoras and someone has called to threaten her cats if she doesn't pay. Theda later learns that Jan Coolidge (also a 'Millennium Woman') is also being blackmailed but by someone who wants to ruin Jan's music career.

Things look bleak what with blackmail, threatened cats, a missing sales receipt, Halloween coming up, Theda's boyfriend not particularly liking the same music as Theda, the ex-boyfriend showing up on the scene, missing kittens, and now a body -- a very dead body.

The writing is wonderfully tight even though the narration and dialogue give you ample opportunity to get to know these women and their problems. There's just something about a book where women interact and support each other in their choices that makes me think the world is alright after all and there is hope. I would have like to learn a bit more about the grrrl punk -- maybe have some names of groups or individuals so I could look for the CDs.

Recommended for those who like action, relationships, cats, and a diversity of characters some of whom you wouldn't mind meeting someday. And, you don't need to read the first book (Mew is for Murder) to understand this one but why not get it anyway.

The Cat's Meow
Helpful Votes: 11 out of 11 total.
Review Date: 2006-09-11
Cat lovers will appreciate Simon's second Theda Krakow mystery, with its information about pedigreed cats, kitten mills, and cat shows. But, this book has so much going for it even if you're not a cat lover.

Theda Krakow is confused about her career and her relationship. But, she does understand the importance of her friends and her love of music. These get her through the rough times when her freelance journalism career is slow, and her boyfriend, Bill, doesn't seem to understand her life. It's her loyalty to her friends that drags her into another mystery. When her friend Rose, a breeder of pedigreed cats, is killed, Theda refuses to believe that Rose was involved in a ring of cat thieves who stole pedigreed cats from catteries. She knows that Rose and her cats had been threatened. She also discovers that another friend, a singer, is being blackmailed. As Theda tries to clear Rose's name, and help her other friend, she's dragged further into investigations that truly belong to the cops.

Theda Krakow may be an amateur detective, but it's her friendships that drag her into the cases she works on. She's a fascinating character because of her loyalty and her own insecurities. Readers might pick up these mysteries because of the cats. They'll return to them because Theda is a wonderful, changing character.

Reviewed by Barb Radmore
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-25
Cattery Row is Clea Simon's second entry into the Theda Krakow Mystery series, the first being Mew is for Murder. Both are published by Poisoned Pen Press.

Theda Krakow was a reporter covering the music scene until a disagreement with her boss ended that job. So, with a dwindling bank account, a tangled relationship and aging by the day, she is pleased to get a free lance assignment to follow up on the women profiled in a previous article. She is especially happy to get an excuse to be back in touch with her old friend Cool, a best selling musician who is back in town after a long absence. She is distracted when a series of catnappings start to occur. But the catnappings become her focus when another one of the article's subjects, a cat breeder, is murdered. Theda and her cat loving friends must solve the crimes as more cats disappear and the suspects hit close to home.

This book is seems, at first glance, to be a common addition to the "cozy mystery with cats" that litters the current literature landscape. But Clea Simon has much more to offer. She has created main characters and settings that are evolved beyond the feline fanciers facade. The music setting adds a new, welcomed environment which she is able to bring to a colorful, rich focus. The world of girl bands, music clubs and the alternative Boston music , long known for producing great acts, is a different, interesting venue.

It is tempting to call this a feminist mystery due to its strong female characters; women who find love important but not all consuming, with careers they embrace and expand. They work together as friends and allies, supporting, aiding and abetting each other thorough life and future dreams. Competent female characters are a refreshing addition, cats and all. Theda and her friends, male, female and feline, are all well defined as individuals, each is given a role but not stifled into cardboard portraits.

Clea Simon has been able to combine her knowledge of journalism, music and cats into a strongly written mystery. It leaves hope that Ms Simon is hard at work writing the next entry into this series, two is not nearly enough.

Can Theda survive the tough times and help her friends?
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-04
Tough times have hit Theda Krakow, a freelance journalist. She had a blowup with Tim, an editor of The Boston Morning Mail, which means she isn't writing for them any more. Plus she's not sure about her relationship with Bill, a Boston homicide detective.

Her friends are having their own problems. Rose has received a blackmail phone call. She doesn't have the money they asked for. If she doesn't pay, they will kill her cats. Violet has had some sick kittens stolen from her shelter.

Theda gets hired to write a follow up about 4 women. Her friend Rose is one of those women. When Theda goes to interview her, she finds Rose murdered. She figures the blackmailer killed her. The police figure she was involved in the string of robberies of purebred cats.

To muddy the waters even more, her ex-boyfriend returns. Should Theda get back with him or work on her relationship with Bill?

Can Theda figure out who the killer is and what is really going on without using up her one life?

I really enjoy Theda. She's such a fun character. I love the Boston setting as well. I like this series with cats. The author really knows cats. That comes through in the way she has them interact with the humans. Yet, she doesn't feel a need to make them "talk."

I felt this was even better than her debut novel in this series. I can't wait for the next one to be published. I highly recommend this book.

Boston's Music scene with a little murder
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2006-10-10
Misplaced loyalties, misbegotten relationships, and murder all groove to a heavy underground beat in this fascinating look at the Boston music scene. Simon writes lovingly and well about cats, but the greatest character in her books is Boston and its famous rock-n-roll clubs. I loved the interesting and authentic backdrop which was worth the price of the book alone. Layered on top, though, is a tightly plotted murder mystery that cleverly dispatches a couple of old-wives cat tales.

Breeders
The Cannabis Breeder's Bible: The Definitive Guide to Marijuana Genetics, Cannabis Botany and Creating Strains for the Seed Market
Published in Paperback by Green Candy Press (2005-04-15)
Author: Greg Green
List price: $21.95
New price: $12.95
Used price: $21.79

Average review score:

ok info
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-13
I bought this book with the hopes of learning something about genetics, and I learned that the author should devote some time to reading "marijuana botany" by Robert Connell Clarke. Unfortunately "The Cannabis Breeders Bible" is not a "definitive guide to marijuana genetics" the book is more like recycled garbage from a bunch of other grow books. It does nothing to explain the real deal with breeding like identifying strains that are compatible and in turn can breed. He puts it in a manner saying all you have to do is find a male and find a female and voila you have seeds. Any good cannabis breeder knows this is not the truth. Anyone looking at this book should just buy "Marijuana Botany" and leave it at that. The Cannabis breeders bible did nothing more than waste my time.

Not For The Beginner
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-14
This is an excellent resource on cannabis genetic's and how cannabis genetic characteristic's are utilized from the male and female plants.. IT IS NOT FOR THE BEGINNER wanting to learn how to grown cannabis, it is for experienced growers and designed for the advanced grower or anyone interested in cannabis genetic's to create their own variety of cannabis. If you do not have the time to understand how genetic's work nor do not understand basic chemistry about genetic's, this book is not for you. Verl McCown, GG

The Cannabis breeders bible
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-30
I think this is a really good book for people who understand horticulture and have been growing for a long time and want to expand. It is however no good for the first time or novice who may get confused with the scientific nature of the book.

Serious Marijuana (a book for all plant lovers who want advanced material)
Helpful Votes: 21 out of 21 total.
Review Date: 2006-06-04
To have gone through this book and come out the other side is a profound experience, like some sort of a futuristic biology class that specialized in the stuff that gets you best baked. I would not hesitate to force any kind of plant lover to gravitate towards this book like it was about a rose bush or an apple tree. It is a progressively deeper and meaningful insight into the world of plants and the humans who care for them. On one page we are getting an illustrated history of the evolution of the cannabis plant and on the next page how to use materials to enhance the genes that make flowers big like they where back in the prehistoric ages. It is unparalleled in the way its advanced scientific information is brought out in a practical and applicable manner to your grow. The best part is that we can have it all now. The fact that Greg Green is a cotemporary makes now the best time to repeat what he is advising because you can do it the same way with the same stuff. The evidence is in the book. Nowhere else, anywhere else, has anything, even remotely addressed the kind of topics in this book, let alone experiment and produce consistent results with them. This kind of detail is avant-garde marijuana research. It is influencing and changing the way cannabis cultivation is done on daily bases.

Chapter 1: Overview of the Cannabis Strain Market
Chapter 2: Basic Breeding
Chapter 3: Donor Parents, Pollination and Seeds
Chapter 4: Compatible Breeding Models
Chapter 5: Plant Cells, Growth and Hormones
Chapter 6: The Code of Life
Chapter 7: Evolution and Mutations
Chapter 8: Tissue Culture
Chapter 9: What the Market Wants
Chapter 10: Quarantining Foreign Cuttings
Chapter 11: Breeding Talk
Chapter 12: How to Protect Your Work
Chapter 13: The Breeding lab
Chapter 14: Product Testing and Dealing with the Consumer
Chapter 15: Seed Gender, Plant Gender and Sex-Inherited Traits
Chapter 16: The Effects of Chromosome Modifications In Cannabis
Chapter 17: The Evolutionary Conduit of Dioecious Cannabis Plants on the Outcome of Inbreeding Depression with Cannabis
Chapter 18: Cannabis Plant Morphology and Breeding Traits
Chapter 19: Advanced Floral Traits
Chapter 20: Advanced Breeding Principles
Chapter 21: The Basics of Cannabis Photosynthesis Chemistry
Chapter 22: The Scientific Classification of Cannabis, Cannabinoids and Cannabinoid Receptors
Chapter 23: Force Flowering Concepts and a Correct Approach to Calyx Development

It is thanks to fresh new invigorating material like this that we are finally going to get a pause in the factory pumped out marijuana cultivation articles that get rehashed every year. For anybody who wants to be blown away by a Marijuana book, be blown away by Greg Green.

Very comprehensive!
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2006-08-17
I Lightly read part of this book when i first began to read about cannabis. Boy oh boy was it a handful. This is a very advanced book. If you are simply a toker then i wouldn't suggest this book, but if you are an advanced grower/breeder this is for you.

I would suggest reading other grow material and particularly greens grow bible before diving into this book.

I will have to read it again now that i am a little more knowledgable.

Breeders
Bred to Win
Published in Hardcover by Doubleday (1990-04-01)
Author: William Kinsolving
List price: $19.95
New price: $8.95
Used price: $0.01
Collectible price: $19.95

Average review score:

Loved It!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-18
But I seem to have lost my copy. This really is a good story.

Bred to Win
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2005-07-14
This book was given to my mother by her mother when the book hit the stands. I read it for the first time in 1996. Since then I have read it 3 other times and I am currently starting it again. Even though I have read it so many times and I remember the different ups and downs of the story it is still an awesome book to read in repitition. This is the perfect story in deplicting that no matter what back ground you come from if you want something bad enough and your willing to do what it takes to get there, there is no stopping you. I have to say out of all the novels i have read in my life (quite a few, i love to read anything with termoil) this one remains my favorite and probably always will.

TOTALLY AWESOME
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2004-08-18
I read this book a long time ago and to this day I remember it as my favorite!! Sure wish he would write another!! I still remember riding in the car, reading with tears flowing down my face. Please read this book, you won't be sorry!

Bred To Win
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2000-06-29
This was the best book I've ever read! It's one of those where you can't put it down and at the end of every chapter you want to keep reading to find out what happens next. This book is excellent for students in highschool or even college. When called upon to write an essay on books, Bred to Win will fit into just about any situation!

Not Impressed
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2003-05-16
I'm sorry, I've read wonderful reviews of this book, and I'm not sure why. I kept reading it just because of the racing/horse subject matter, but the plot was so weak. There was more tragedy than I could keep up with and I was never able to like a character. I think in effort to keep the book dramatic, it just became overblown and exaggerated. I would not recommend it if you like an intelligent plot.


Books-Under-Review-->Sports-->Equestrian-->Breeds-->Paint-->Breeders-->6
Related Subjects: Canada United States United Kingdom Belgium New Zealand Australia
More Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200