Clubs Books

A perfect way to become familiar with that famous enterprise which changed the world. In just about two years the Manhattan Project, starting with the basic knowledge about nuclear fission of uranium and plutonium, managed to produce the atomic bombs that ended World War II. The effort was gigantic, involving several hundred thousand people and billions of dollars, conducted in absolute secrecy, at the height American involvement in the war effort. This book uses short abstracts from many sources to describe the Manhattan Project's origins, its activities at centers throughout the country, the dropping of the bombs on Japan, and the impact that atomic energy has had on the world even to this day. A highly recommended source for all things related to the Manhattan Project.

It is just amazing how much declassified material is available to the public at large. The Manhattan Project is an excellent compilation of previously published material and interview with the many scientists who participated in the development of the A Bomb. While book is full of excepts from other books on the subject, it is put together in such a way as to provide a quick read on the subject. Many of the documents contain technical information that I had not previously been aware of. That we, as America, could develop such a complex infrastructure to extract U235 and Plutonium is truly amazing.

Not being a scientist, I did not see why anyone would want to preserve the history of such a terrible weapon. But each selected excerpt was intelligible and elucidating, moving the story forward in a chronolical sequence. I was captivated by it from the start and enjoyed various individual perspectives contained in each segment. The race to build these weapons continues and this book helped my understanding of how The Manhattan Project led up to today's headlines.

I am a babyboomer, born in 1947 after World War II was over. But my father had worked at Aberdeen Proving Ground during World War II and entered the nuclear filed after the war becoming a reactor theorist at the Brookhaven National Laboratory. So the Manhattan Project and many of the physcists associated with it along woth the post-war movement for peaceful development of nuclear energy became a natural part of my life. This book tells the story about how men like Einstein, Szilard, Bohr the British scientists and British intelligence made discoveries about nuclear energy and the potential for nuclear chain reactions to recognize the potential for the development of a superbomb by the Nazis. After Einstein's letter to Rossevelt, cooperation between the US and Britian and the birth of the Manhattan Project began shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The plants at Hanford and Oak Ridge and the research lab at Los Alamos became the key sites for the project. The book shows how the leadership of Groves and Oppenheimer lead to the rapid development of the bomb over a two year period and as the Nazi were defeated how the goal shifted from the urgency of beating the Germans to the development of a bomb to question of whether to use it on Japan to put a quicker end to the war in Japan.

The book tells the story of the lives of the key figures during this time with Oppenheimer and Groves playing the biggest role. But it also relates many facts and opinions out through the highly classified writings and documents of the period that are now public information.

We learn about security, espionage, difficult decisions and controversy. A lot of interesting discussion is presented about the varying views of Truman's decision to drop the bomb on Japan. Was it really to shorten the war and save lives of the allied forces or might it have been intended to cut the war short before a Soviet invasion.

The post-war desire to control nuclear weapons and to harness the power for peaceful purposes is cover in the last two chapters of the book. It includes Eisenhower's "atoms for peace" speech to the United Nations and goes on to present interesting writings about disarmament and the post-cold war threat from small nations like Pakistan and North Korea. The writings of Gorbachev about the meetings with Reagan in Iceland was very enlightening and interesting.

One of the things we want history books to do for us is to give us insight into a world now gone. As we look back on puzzles solved, technologies developed, hardware built--it's hard to recreate the mood when all these challenges lay ahead, and the future was far from certain. How did the people involved view the strange new technology they were creating? This book brings us in their own words, their hopes, their doubts, their fears, their triumphs.

This is not a new approach. Many history books are collections of documents wherein key players describe events or ponder their significance. But Cindy Kelly brings creativity and a deep knowledge of the history and its players, to combine little-known letters and papers with current interviews and brief contemporary notes, to give variety, sparkle and intimacy to this very human story of vast and earth-shaking developments that require our understanding in order to deal intelligently with current events.

We watch, fascinated, as these scientists and engineers work to change the world, while the new world they are creating inexorably changes them.

This book is a unique, factual historical document and, at the same time, a delightfully personal story. A perfect Christmas present.

Why do they even include the library in a mystery book? I like the souns of that, books being burned in the library.

This was the first and the best BSC book I have ever read. Mary Anne works at the local libary and gets in a mystery of fires in the building. In a brief line, Mary Anne mentions that "The Diary of Anne Frank" (aka: "Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl") was a good book. I like the way the author mentions real books. This is the best BSC book for bookworms who love Mary Anne Spier.

I just love Mary Anne & her endearing sensitivity & her incredible courage! She's such a lovely, sensitive person with a strong character! It was a cute, funny opening scene in the beginning when Mary Anne is feeling depressed & watches a sad movie & cries & cries. Trouble is, she doesn't feel much better & goes to the BSC meeting with red, swollen eyes. Mary Anne gets involved in the readathon & THAT lifts her sadness. But, wow, when the fires in the library were happening, it was scary for her! She even has nightmares! Boy, were Mary Anne & Kristy heroes when they finally caught the firebug! Another cute, touching scene is when the librarians are giving out awards to the kids, Nicky Pike whistles when Mary Anne is recognized for her hard work & Mary Anne blushes a bright red! Then to top it off, Mary Anne ends up blubbering in front of everyone! It's so touching how she cries so easily.

When Mary Anne volunteeers to work for the Readathon[ a contest and if you win you get prizes], the library is getting scary. Because at the back door, Someone set a fire and Mrs. Kishi, Claudia's mom was so worried. Who setted that fire and why did he do it. If the Baby Sitters don't find out, Stoneybrook's biggest library may be lost.

Mary Anne volunteers to work at the Readathon (a contest for the little kids to read books for prizes and to get new books for the library) and then fires start being set off! Mary Anne and the rest of the members of the Baby-sitters Club decide to catch the person setting them off! Not only the BSC but Nicky Pike, BSC member Mallory Pike's brother, is helping too because some matches were found in his jacket pocket and he didn't put them there. So who would set fire to some books and why? Is it the protestors who want to ban some of the books? Is it one of the kids that doesn't want to be in the Readathon? Is it actually Nicky? You have to read the book to find out! I rated it 5 stars because it was well written and pretty fun to read. You probably won't guess who's setting off fires...but you will like the ending!

Very sad, but an honest depiction of a part of Guatemala that we were exposed to during our recent visit. The poverty seemed crippling, and children in work roles were very common.

I love this book. Working in a library, I've been happy to be able to show it to so many people. The hero has a hard life and a mother who doesn't love him. But he has a roof over his head at his grandmother's house, and a simple determination to work, to help, and to learn.

There's an indescribable feel to this book, almost a scent, different from any other book. It really is a masterpiece.

I am from Guatemala City and currently living in the US, I read this book with my daughter and she loved it, this book has helped me to explain some of my culture to her. She knows that "anyplace can be the most beautiful place in the world..."

I have read this book aloud to my first and second grade students for years. It is an excellent story, well told, with all the realities of a different culture in a different situation than USA children. However, it is painted with the strokes of deepest, realistic love that a family can have. This is a great story to teach and talk about the struggles of families everywhere, the world and it's differences, and the importance of character "no matter what". It is the book my second graders yearn to read on their own and therefore is a super motivator. It is rich in geography.

The story that I read was really snappy and cool. It's called The Most Beautiful Place in the World By Ann Cameron. There was a boy named Juan and his grandmother. There was also Juan's mom. It takes place in San Pablo, Guatamala. The problem is she leaves him for ever and his mom doesn't let him visit her. He really loves his mom after his dad left them.Some one would want to read this book because its really sad and who ever loves tragedy or not it's a really good book.I recommend this book to people of any age.

I highly recommend this inspirational book to all. I delight in reading about the life that is around us that we do not normally observe. In many cases, the best fiction writers could not compete with nature.

Have yet to see a purple cow? How about a slithy trove? Despair no more. In this lovely book, Cathie Katz transforms the FAMILIAR into passing strange phenomena. Her secret? Attention to detail. Waving her "charming rod" of magnification over the common creatures of everyday life, she presents each one as a wish fit for the gods without sacrificing its connection to Earth and to us. Thanks to Cathie, we can now put away the shadows of childish imagination and embrace the sometimes frightening, always magical, fellow travelers of our own existence.

I will no longer walk by an insect, bird or plant without some new found knowledge and a willingness to share our surroundings. Kind of like living among people, there are some good traits and some irritaing traits but nevertheless we can exist in harmony. The illustrations are talent ladden enhanced by the whimisical little stick figure Larry. If you can read just a day at a time without longing to cancel all on the agenda you are ahead of me but for times when all we can squeeze in is one page our world will become brighter and more alive to us. So enjoy and let that spider make his web without that tidiness gene taking over.

*Nature a Day at a Time* delivers just that, a brief glimpse into common plants and animals while revealing how often overlooked wildlife in our everyday lives actually have strong connections to who we are and how we live. Each page unfolds the days of the year with a short introduction and drawing that illuminates the earwig and the praying mantis, rove beetles and crab grass, bladderwort and giant swallowtail.

Though this book may seem deceptively simple in its approach, it is actually a great way to start off your day as it will open up your eyes and your senses to the natural world that surrounds you - even if you live in a concrete jungle - which will lead you to your own daily discoveries of wildlife in your life. After 365 days of reading this book, you will find that you live in a whole new world.

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A Guide to my Book Rating System:

1 star = The wood pulp would have been better utilized as toilet paper.
2 stars = Don't bother, clean your bathroom instead.
3 stars = Wasn't a waste of time, but it was time wasted.
4 stars = Good book, but not life altering.
5 stars = This book changed my world in at least some small way.

Cathie Katz starts out writing about no-see-ums, crab grass and cricket-frogs and somehow ends up with human nature, life, the universe and everything.

Katz is a Melbourne Beach writer, naturalist and sea-bean expert who fields queries from beachcombers around the world as editor of "The Drifting Seed," a newsletter about sea beans (or more properly, rain-forest drift seeds.)

Her new book, "Nature, a Day at a Time: An Uncommon Look at Common Wildlife," contains 365 mini-essays about 365 forms of life, ranging from viruses to possums. Each day's entry begins and ends with a literary quote and features one of her illustrations. Like her writing, her detailed pen-and-ink drawings are a good balance of factuality and whimsy.

A simple format, but deceptively so. These entries are linked by some profound, half-submerged themes -- our kinship with the natural world, the way our personal nature can be found in daily nature around us, the fascinating natural processes going on immediately around us. And it is this kind of accessible natural world -- worms and viruses and backyard birds -- rather than Discovery Channel-style big and exotic wildlife -- that makes up the days in her book.

"Nature a Day at a Time" is a good year.

I read this book when I was younger as well and then had the pleasure of reading it to my daughter when she was young. Now I have a copy hidden away for her when she has her own children. It has become a family tradition and an enjoyable time spent reading it to your children. It also lets one relive the book as well.

I am a 60 year-old who never forgot this book. We traveled to Florida when I was 9 and stayed in many motels. Now my 1 year old grandson lives in California and I hope that when he is old enough for this book, motels will still exist!

I turned 58 today. I read this book MANY times as a child, when books were just about the only friends I had. To say that the memory of this book has stayed with me all these years should say something significant about the book. I was born and raised in Florida so it was very real to me. My father died when I was six, and that made it more real. I cannot recommend this book highly enough...5 stars is not enough. It definitely rates a 10. It is a book I want my great-nieces and nephews to read.

I first read this book my older sister had gotten through the weekly reader. I identified with the family in this story very much as I was the youngest in a family where the father had just died, younger than Betsy, the youngest in this family. I appreciated it very much because there are so many stories and often I felt pitied for being in a family where the father had died, and I saw these were normal kids having fun and just as smart, capable and full of average strenths and weaknesses as any other kid. I also liked the title very much as we lived in an apartment complex where pets likes cats and dogs weren't allowed. I think reading it helps people see this and realize kids are basically the same regardless of family circumstances.

I loved this book when I was a girl. I remember re-reading it several times. I liked the interactions between the kids and especially was intrigued by the little mystery. This is a wonderful book for both boys and girls.

I don't know if I would classify this book as straight erotica as the heart of it is in the character of Bruce. Yes, it opens with a hot sex scene and has many others after that, but I think it's more of a good story with a lot of sex, which makes it very sexy. Yet, it's also romantic, too, and we see how much Bruce misses and loves his wife who left him. There's a bit of a plot twist at the end that really gives the whole thing a jump and made me happy I'd taken the time to read it. If you like sexy and romantic--but not corny!!!--books, this one might be one for you. It's no Harlequin (thank God).

Now She's Gone isn't just erotica, though it has plenty of those scenes in it. It's a highly comphensive tale about a man's love for his wife who leaves and her past, which he finds out through her diaries. The characters are so real it's like you know them and the story is fast paced and moving. I will definitely read more from this author as this is one of the best literary/erotica stories I've read in a while.

This is the second Kim Corum book I've read and I have to say they keep getting better. The weay she can intertwine two different stories together is amazing and the sex scenes aren't to bad, either. This was one of the best I've read all year.

While this book does indeed have quite a bit of sex in it, it is mostly an erotic novel with a very entertaining and intense storyline which invloves the main character's wife leaving him and him going through her journals, finding out about her past lovers, etc. It read rather quickly and once I was done, I found myself going back through the passages and re-reading certain parts. All in all, it was a nicely done erotic novel.

Now She's Gone was a very smooth read in that the story really moved the plot along. It does have a bit of sex in it as well, but I found myself more intrigued by the overall story.

Now that I have purchased this one as well as Verismo, I have come to love this one even more. I again have many, many favorites and was very difficult to choose just one favorite! But, through reading more and more, I have found one to call my own!
Again, thank you Dech, for making my mind go deep inside my inner souls of souls, and realize the ways of our worlds. I
Love you my friend and I CANNOT wait to get my hands on Puppets mountain!

Decheonbae is a very good writer and he really knows his stuff. Iwas given this book for a gift now I buy this book to give to others!

Pearls of Justice seems to cover everything in a poetical way-life, dreams, and society. This is not your run of the mill poetry book! This is a book of reason and Justice for self and humanity, I am confident that Decheonbae is only going to higher levels in his next set of writing's but somehow I think he did it now. I can only be amazed of what this man do next because he is breaking all traditional barriers! I must say he is a challenging young indivisual with a extreme view on life and I am glad that I finally recieved my book! I must say like the others, this book is definetly 'something new and promissing"-this man got talent and from what I've been hearing "VERISMO" is a must have! I just want to say keep it up Decheonbae Jones, I can tell you have what it takes thus more.

Hello every one I am new to Decheonbae Jones poetry and must say he is a GOD in my book. You can not deny him and the treasure he posses in the meaning behind his works. I am a very shock on the way that he just jumps out on you and really explains the humanity of truth, I swear he is bonafide and gifted in the arts. My job seems so much easier now with his knowledge,I don't see how he can possibilty do better than VERISMO but if he do I will be there. "Hey DECHEONBAE if you write a novel what is it going to be about, I really want to know more of your mind!"

'Love it was robust..."

This is Poetry of an different style, Evil; but sacred genius of description- Possible but Known Humanity, Robust passions in a way of grains, Plus love of non-fictional-bless too beyond mistakes, My pattern yet they are lost into jeopardy- Perhaps I am of who you thought, So Behold I am in danger but Love was Pre-hemp too past tense then Rehearse of cause general, ... - By Decheonbae Thanks you Jones, ...

THE ONLY POET...-:!!!111,

The new book sooner than you think my love "PuppetsMountain,"

Decheonbae Jones- Welcome'

Ohhhh Petunia!!! Believe it or not I found this book for 50 cents at a thrift store in mint condition having never read it before, by far the best deal I ever got with money from the bottom of my purse! Petunia is a silly goose for sure thinking just cause she "finds" a book one day that carrying it under her wing is enough to make her wise, but of course its not and proud, proud Petunia keeps stretching her neck out and butting her big neck into everyones troubles and only making them worse till one day it finally blows up in her face (literally)! But that was the best thing that could have happened to the silly goose cause it humbled her back to where her little neck belonged and teaches her its not enough to just carry a book but to learn to read it and thats the way to be wise in your mind and your heart, and maybe then she can truly help her friends! Absolute Classic!!! A good spoonful of humble pie right at bedtime.

This is a book I remembered vaguely from my own childhood and bought for my son on a whim. He loves it. In fact, he received it on Christmas day and has insisted that it be read at bedtime every night since then. Literally.

So, will your child love it? Probably so. Will you? Probably so, at first. For our part, my husband and I are growing a little weary of it. But in the land of childrens books, that's probably the best you can hope for, right?

The illustrations are fun and entertaining and the language is clear and fun. I'd give this as a gift again, or would certainly recommend it to others.

Petunia is a silly goose who finds a book and believes she'll be wiser if she's seen carrying it around. And the other barnyard animals actually think she *is* wiser because of it. The thing of it is, she's still just a silly goose, who gets her friends into all sorts of scrapes.

"Petunia" is a pleaser but gets a little too philosophical in the last two pages. That's okay-- the first pages and clean 1950s illustrations make up for it. A classic.

Petunia is a goose, she finds a book and suddenly realises that she must be very intelligent. So she carries the book around under her arm. Other animals in the farm come to her for advice which she dispenses, but usually without good results. Then she comes across a box, she thinks she knows what to do - unfotunately her advice is not good for dealing with a box of fireworks.

There is disaster and Petunia has enough sense to realise that she has not gained any knowledge from simply carrying a book around but must read what is within the pages.

An appealing and quirky book. Also try out Petunia's Christmas. Very good child appealing parables.

Petunia was a fourth grade favorite of mine many years ago. Her "wisdom" was so cleverly revealed in the end that I kept the book checked out of the school library all year long.

A very beautiful, very human portrayal of Mary, Mother of God. Houselander steps into the heart of Mary and reveals to us a real, down-to-earth wife and mother with whom we can identify. Catholic and non-Catholic readers alike will be pleasantly surprised: "Mary of Nazareth is not so different from me!"

This beautiful work sat near me on a bookshelf for years before I picked it up to read. Now I've read it again and again and enjoy it more each time. Caryll stirs the spirit and will inspire many reflections. She conveys a deeply spiritual message with a writing style that is simply a joy to read.

Through the words and illustrations of this book what shines through is the beautiful love of a woman for Christ and His Church. It is a devotional work, interspersed with Houselander's poetry. She writes from an early twentieth century English outlook and thus her chapters are interspersed with examples from the war. She doesn't get stuck in this contemporary setting though, but rather effectively uses it to bring the life of the Christian to greater clarity. In the course of the book she accomplishes two things beautifully. First she shows the importance for the Christian of a relationship with Mary. How the example of Mary can inspire and guide us, especially in difficult times, and how we can turn to her as an intercessor and mother. Secondly, she shows how Mary draws us towards Christ, and how ultimately our relationship with Mary is senseless otherwise.

This book, written in 1944 (I believe) is just wonderful. It, more than anything I have read, has brought me closer to Our Blessed Mother, and hence, to Christ Himself. Filled with lyrical prose and touching analogies, Houselander shows how Mary was the "Reed of God" waiting to be filled (with her maternity)...and that we are ALL vessels waiting to do God's work, and carrying Christ within us. Just remarkable.

What a wonderful book! I would highly recommend it to all who are wanting a closer relationship with Jesus and His Mother,It is a very profound book written by a convert!

What a delightful and informative book! As I've been able to do more diving and snorkling in SE Asia the past couple of years, identifying the underwater life has become a hobby as much as my love of birding. But I wanted to know more than just identification. This book is very readable and informative, suitable for adults and older children. The photographs are gorgeous and very clear. I'm reading it cover to cover. Many thanks to the Tacketts!

I have the complete set of books now and I really enjoy having the infromation so when I go diving in Cozumel each year it really helps me identify the different species. This really helps when you are one of the few that does not know it all.

This is a beautiful book with incredible pictures. Additionally it has very informative text. It is a great book for anyone with a serious interest in reefs & reef life.

The Tacketts have achieved something remarkable with this book. Not only is the quality of the photographs consistently high, but the detailed information within the text is logical and accessible to any diver whether they be experts in marine biology or simply curious fish watchers.
This American husband and wife team seem to have lived many divers dream existence. Travelling the Indo Pacific for 13 years, they would camp on a beach with their own compressor and make three dives a day collecting sponge specimens for medical research.
The scientific information is clear and broken down into digestible chunks, enlivened by well annotated pictures - everything from mantis shrimps eating coral shrimps, to frogfish camouflaged against cup corals. Predation, reproduction, camouflage, feeding and mimicry are all wonderfully explained. And, in keeping with the mood of the times there is a final section on reefs in danger - overfishing, cyanide, pollution etc, complete with appropriate photos including a poignant shot of an octopus trying to cover itself with a piece of broken plastic audio-cassette.
A substantial glossary at the end of the book covers everything from allelopathy to zooxanthellae.
The strength and value of this book is that it is not just a collection of good underwater images, I suspect it will become an invaluable primer for any diver who wants to look at reefs in an intelligent way.

I have been waiting for this book! Burt Jones got me focused on the 'one metre' dive a few years back and I've been enjoying macro critters and muck diving ever since. In this awsome new book, the Tacketts bring you their personal experiences with the macro world and incorportate a great deal of useful information which can help all of us better understand the interrelationships amongst all the critters. That understanding is one of the keys to making better images of the critters.

If you are a diver and you really want to get acquainted with the underwater world, stop swimming and start looking. And this book gives you step by step pointers on how to go about looking and helps you understand what you are seeing.