Stand into Danger (Richard Bolitho) (Richard Bolitho Novels) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is the first Alexander Kent novel I have read (I skipped the first one because this one sounded a little better) and it was a very enjoyable read. I have read several other authors in this genre, and my favorite by far is Patrick O'Brian. None of the other authors I have read, including Kent, really even come close to O'Brian's brillant novels. I enjoyed this book, however, and I will definately read more of this series. Life in the royal navy is romanticized more in this novel than in the novels of Patrick O'Brian and Richard Woodman. For example, all of the Destiny's officers are completely top-notch professional men. In reality, a fairly high percentage of navel officers during this time were highly incompetent and owed their positions to the fact that they were born to a wealthy, influential family. The characters in this novel are not developed to any great degree except for Bolitho himself. In general, I suppose this novel is a little cheesy in many respects, but I got drawn into it and really enjoyed it none-the-less. The book's hero is very likable and seems very real; he's no superhero. The best thing about this book are the action scenes. There is a lot of action and it is very well described. We experience the fear and horror of battle through Bolitho's eyes and it comes across more powerfully than in any other sea novel I have read, including O'Brian's. The battle scenes in an O'Brian novel are exciting but they seem to be a little aloof; a little removed from the death and horror that the common seamen experienced. This is not the case with Kent. In sum, I would almost dub Kent's work "O'Brian lite", but his great battle scenes make his work a little more than that.

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The Kingdom Keepers Review

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Five teens are given the opportunity of a lifetime when they are chosen as interactive Disney Hosts (DHIs) at the famous theme park in Orlando, Florida. Disney has teamed up with a company called Daylight Hologram Imaging to create innovative virtual tour guides, using the teens as models.
Finn Whitman, one of the DHIs, falls asleep one night and has a very weird dream. In this dream, he is in the park talking to an elderly park employee named Wayne, who was also one of Disney's first Imagineers. While Finn is having a very odd conversation with Wayne, he begins to observe some unusual activity in the park. He sees Chip and Dale headed toward Toontown and Goofy going to Frontierland. Now this wouldn't normally be odd in Disneyland, but it is after dark and all of the costumed employees went home hours ago. At this point, Finn is sure he is dreaming because he saw the original cartoon characters. Not only that, but he notices that his own body is glowing. Wayne assures him that it is not a dream, tells him that he must locate the other four DHIs for a special mission.
It seems that the Magic Kingdom is in danger from evil forces within its walls. In order to save the park, Finn and the other DHIs must cross over in their sleep into a state where they are not fully human yet not fully light.
Ridley Pearson does a great job of expressing the thoughts and conversations of his young teen characters. Even as their situations metamorphose into the fantastic, the kids remain completely realistic. Although this book is written for a young adult audience, it would appeal to anyone who has ever experienced the magic and wonder that is Disney.


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Out Review

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(More customer reviews)Having read this book in the original Japanese, i was curious about the translation. Some called it bland while others said it was "excellent" and even Amazon's own reviewer calls it "unobtrusive". Well, it does not appear that any of these opinions were rendered by people who could compare it to the original so perhaps my two cents here will not be a total waste.
In my opinion, the English translation of "Out" is a work unto itself. I wouldn't even call it a translation; more like an "interpretation". many things which are stated in Japanese are not stated in English. I mean things like, you know, nouns, verbs, adjectives, perhaps entire sentences... it's not like these are subtle nuances.
I think this was deliberate on the part of the translator, whose obvious aim was to create a very smooth, readable product in English. i think he has succeeded in that respect. I think the publisher's marketing arm should be quite happy with its unobtrusiveness.
However, i'm not so sure that i agree with that approach to translation. maybe if you're translating poetry or something whacked out like Finnegan's Wake, you have no choice but to take some serious poetic license. But geez, this is a novel. There is a lot of descriptive language--Kirino's Japanese is much more challenging than, say, Murakami Haruki (himself a translator) or Suzuki Koji (he of The Ring fame). So, i agree that it would not be easy to do a straight-up translation and make it seem like it was originally written in English. But to me, that's half the fun. why do we need to pretend it needs to sound like it was written in English to begin with?
If there are subtleties (grammatical, cultural, etc.) which are too convoluted to convey in a normal English sentence, would it really hurt the book's sales figures that much to throw in a footnote or two? Perhaps endnotes if that is asking too much? I have read Korean translations of several of Kirino Natsuo's books and they all contain translator's notes. These notes provide valuable information to the reader of the translation. The fact that they are present in the Korean translations but absent from the English translations indicates to me that certain American publishers tend to look down on their readership. They seem to believe their readers do not have a sufficiently long attention span to read even the slightest footnote, as if such notes would be awkward and out of place, overly "scholarly".
In recent years works by the likes of Dostoevsky, Kafka and Natsume Soseki have been retranslated because the old standbys were overly interpretive and people reading the translations actually wanted to know what these guys were saying. Obviously something is always lost in the translation; i just don't think it has to be this much.

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The Divide Review

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(More customer reviews)This was my first book by Nicholas Evans. I know he is an acclaimed author and have seen the "Horse Whisperer" movie. It was the blurb on the book jacket that intrigued me. After I read a few chapters I wasn't sure I wanted to read the rest. I have a daughter that has been missing for 20 years under similar circumstances, and this book really was touching me to the core. But I read on.
Contrary to other reviewers opinions, I think the characters are very believeable. These tragedies do happen to families, good families. Good marriages fall apart for complex reasons. Abbie reacted to her parent's breakup in a very real way. When her world changed she became very insecure and vulnerable to causes and people that gave her a purpose, even if they were wrong. And yes, even kids from good homes and good parents are capable of making grave mistakes that change their lives forever.
I liked Evan's style of writing the ending first, and then backtracking to develop the plot. We know right from the start that Abbie is dead, but we need to know how it all came to be. The story is both compelling and so very tragic. Evan's is a good writer and I plan to read more of his books. Give "The Divide" a chance. You won't be sorry.


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Miss Julia Delivers the Goods: A Novel Review

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(More customer reviews)" ... I hope we're doing the right thing," says Sam Murdoch. "I'm never comfortable interfering in the lives of other people."
Miss Julia agrees with her husband. "Well, I'm not either, and, as you know, I rarely do it. It's only when I'm absolutely sure of what's best that I dare to step in. But this is surely just such an occasion." (pp. 58-59)
As we avid readers know, this will not be the first time -- nor, we suspect, will it be the last -- that Julia Springer Murdoch has taken charge of a situation and has run it her very own way. This feisty Southern senior has seen her share of unusual circumstances. And somehow she manages to survive them all and even maintain a certain amount of dignity and composure in front of the others residents of her conservative North Carolina community. What other woman would make a place in her home for her dead husband's mistress and her illegitimate son?
In this installment, the majority of the plotline centers on Hazel Marie's latest problem. I won't reveal what specific challenges it represents. As usual, Miss Julia does what she believes in her heart to be the right and moral thing to do. What other option is there? Hazel Marie will just have to come around to her way of thinking, that's all.
In the meantime, Julia's second husband Sam is still working on researching the legal history of Abbot County. As a retired lawyer, he's the best person to write a book on the subject. But in the midst of Hazel Marie's dilemma, Sam's home is trashed and vital pieces of information are stolen. Does someone want to stop Sam from publishing the truth about a decades-old case? Or was the break-in merely a coincidence? Miss Julia steps in to help Sam and J.D. Pickens with their impromptu investigation, giving an air of mystery and down-home intrigue to the story. And as usual, Julia's housekeeper Lillian is a willing accomplice in the pseudo-adventures.
Since these novels are always written in first person, we readers are always privy to Miss Julia's perspective, assumptions, and thought processes. If we were in Abbotsville ourselves, we could warn her or even the people around her of consequences to actions taken. But we can't; we're only distant bystanders. And that's part of the fun of it. "Miss Julia Delivers the Goods" is another wonderful episode in the series, with both head-shaking and laugh-out-loud moments. Newcomers need not have read the previous books to get a kick out of this one. But it's a given that they'll want to catch up on the rest, afterward.

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Take a Thief Review

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(More customer reviews)Mercedes Lackey has crafted an interesting series of books focused mostly on Valdemar, a country whose government is greatly helped by spirit horses called Companions. The Companions select and assist Heralds, who are the government's agents in the field and very nearly incorruptible. Since the first Valdemar trilogy, the "Arrows" books, the Herald Skif, a reformed thief, has popped up from time to time, sometimes in minor roles, sometimes in larger ones, as in the "Winds" trilogy.
In her last two Valedmar books, Lackey has abandoned the development of Valdemar and focused instead on specific characters. In "Brightly Burning" it was an historical character, mentioned only in passing in other novels. This time it's a somewhat larger character, although still just a "spear carrier," an important but not a central character.
Anne McCaffrey, whose Pern is in some ways similar to the Valdemar books, in "Masterharper of Pern," did something similar. She took a "spear carrier" who had appeared in many books and wrote his history. And she noted somewhere, perhaps in the introduction, how hard it is to bring off right. One the one hand, it's pleasant to wander through the fringes of earlier stories, recognizing bits and pieces; on the other hand, you absolutely know how it is all going to come out, and the possibilities for inconsistencies are very great.
Lackey does an okay job with the inconsistencies. Reviewers who note apparent problems with the naming of Companions Haven't Been Paying Attention... A few do creep in, but they are minor. And Lackey manages to sneak in a great deal of information about Alberich, the exile from Valdemar's enemy who became a Herald, and about what really happened when Queen Selenay was attacked by her husband.
But it's hard to walk through the very considerable amount Lackey has written about Valdemar and its history, develop any kind of plot suspense, and not baffle readers new to the series.
While it's nice to have a new Valdemar book, I'm looking forward to a return to the larger themes of the "Winds" and "Storm" series, as opposed to the less interesting, less imaginative character studies and personal histories in the "Owl" series, in "Brightly Burning" and now in "Take a Thief."
Overall this is a good yarn. It's nice to wander the fringes of earlier stories - the "Arrow" series in particular - and to see Alberich at his devious best. You can feel Ms. Lackey's wonderful powers of imagination at work, but can also see how they are bound by what she has written before. It doesn't seriously distract from the tale, but it's much less captivating than the "Arrows" and "Winds" series, and far below her peak in the "Magic" trilogy.
Recommended, but not recommended as Lackey's best.

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Down to the Wire Review

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Rosenfelt's thriller is immensely engaging, a young reporter on the scent of one great story after another, as Chris Turley's otherwise unimpressive byline suddenly gains national cachet. But over time and at the expense of many innocent victims, a more heinous plot evolves. None of the shocking events that will rivet the country's attention on New Jersey have yet occurred when Turley receives a tip that puts him in position to break a major news story in New Jersey, the bombing of a medical building. A second tip leads to headlines of a political scandal, yet another coup for Turley, son of a famous journalist who was more iconic hero than loving father. The last thing Chris wants is to follow in his father's footsteps. Then a third incident- the discovery of the body of a missing man- not only puts Chris in the spotlight once more, but leads him to suspect the informant, PT, has an agenda of his own, with Chris a critical component.
The protagonist is likable, irreverent, possessing just enough confidence and self-doubt to make him the perfect vehicle for the revenge of a twisted mind. Blending old-time reportage with the advances of technology and the usual bureaucratic snarls of state vs. federal law enforcement agencies, Rosenfelt crafts a thoroughly chilling tale, more dead bodies piling up as Chris finds himself the star of the meticulously plotted scheme of a perverse psychopath. The author deftly avoids the pitfalls of predictability, sidestepping the obvious clichés, twisting and turning characters and motives in a mad pursuit that leaves the killer on top and Chris dancing to his every tune. Even law enforcement has a personal face, lending emotional nuance to a manhunt that is thwarted at every turn and better than most.
All the world is a stage in Bergen, New Jersey, as a young reporter is thrust into public awareness by his proximity to a killer, but the thrill quickly wears off as random victims die and the final resolution puts the lives of thousands at stake. Written with gritty energy, Rosenfelt's style is more pragmatic than outrageous, more ironic than cynical, as one man holds the country hostage to his demands. Down to the Wire is a thriller worth the read. Luan Gaines/2010.


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Pepperoni Pizza Can Be Murder (Pizza Lover's Mysteries) Review

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(More customer reviews)I have to say I really enjoyed
this second installment of the Pizza Lover's mystery.
Of course the cover of the book had me yearning for
just one slice of a gooey cheesy pizza.
I relished the idea of coming back to see
how sisters Eleanor and Maddy were getting along.
This mystery takes place in a very
small town in North Carolina.
Where everyone knows your name and your business.
This time the crime is committed right inside
Eleanor's pizza making kitchen.
How dare someone use one of her tools of the trade to murder someone.
So, of course Eleanor has a stake in this crime.
The fun comes while tagging along on all the escapades
the sisters do to find the guilty party.
Again, I savored every moment while reading this mystery.
Thanks for the pizza recipes included.

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Dachau 29 April 1945: The Rainbow Liberation Memoirs Review

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(More customer reviews)It was very moving to find my fathers'name mentioned in this book on page 229. The camps he was sent to by the Nazi's and his liberation by the Rainbow Divisions have left a permanent mark on my life. I would like to thank Dee Eberhart for bringing me in contact with this publication of Sam Dann. Sonja Holtz Arendse, Member of the Dutch Dachau Committee.

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On the 29th day of April 1945, the forward battalions of Rainbow Division, 42nd Infantry, were moving swiftly toward Munich. Confident and optimistic, they had survived four months of costly and bitter combat, and soon, it would all be over. But then the road led to Dachau and the worst day of the war. In their collected memoirs, the Rainbow soldiers, almost half of whom were only eighteen, nineteen, or twenty years old, tell how they were confronted suddenly-without preparation, without warning-by horrors beyond human imagination.This book is by and about the American liberators, who have since discovered that no one who was involved in any capacity can ever be truly free of the past that was Dachau. In the most complete eyewitness account ever available, editor Sam Dann, himself a Rainbow soldier, weaves their stories, official reports, other documents, and the reminiscences of several survivors with whom the Division has maintained contact for more than half a century.I have had the honor of meeting some of the veterans of the Rainbow Division…. Like so many of their generation, they simply say, "We had a job to do, and we did it." But in doing it so courageously and so well, they demonstrated that to be human was to be capable of great acts of courage and goodness, even in the face of unspeakable cowardice and evil. -U.S. Senator Joseph I. Lieberman

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Warriors #2: Fire and Ice Review

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(More customer reviews)Fireheart has just become a warrior.And Bluestar has just given graystripe and Fireheart thier first warrior mission.Thier job is to find windclan an bring them home.Also Fireheart is given his first apprentice.While Fireheart and Graystipe potrolled the river Graystripe fell into the icey cold water.A riverclan cat saved Graystripe. Ever sence then he's been disapearing.Graystripe and Fireheart's friendship are in danger.Rouge cats jumped into the camp. Thier was only one warrior 2 apprentices and1 meadacine cat.Fireheart yelled ATTACK and they sprang torwards their opponets......

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Crash Boat : Wartime Missions of the P-399, Guadalcanal to the Philippines Review

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(More customer reviews)Excellent book for Naval Ops Buffs...I own a boat just like this...but found the book written in an informative and egaging style. Filled with interesting items only known by those 'who were there'.

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Brida: A Novel Review

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(More customer reviews)This is one of the worst books I have ever read. I have always enjoyed this author's works, but this was awful. He should stick to writing what he knows, obviously it is not the concepts of Wicca. It is a very misleading book for people who might think they are actually being taught something about Wicca and modern witchcraft. it is strictly fiction and nonsense. Dancing naked around a fire and a woman named Wicca quoting Jesus all the time- puleese!! It's ridiculous, and not only that, but it is badly written and boring. If you want to learn about soulmates and Irish Druids there are many good books that teach the reality of such things. You don't need to dance naked to be a "wise one" which is what wicca means. And you certainly would never want a teacher quoting a bunch of christianity at you if you wanted to learn about the old religion. St Patrick and the church were killing Druids and pagans (the country people who had their own religion) not snakes. This book was just plain silly. I kept reading hoping it would get better, but it got worse.

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Quarterdeck: A Kydd Sea Adventure (Kydd Sea Adventures) Review

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(More customer reviews)Thomas Kydd has survived the Battle of Camperdown, arriving back home as an acting lieutenant. In wartime, men could advance by their abilities. The novel opens with Kydd being examined for a commission. He does have a champion on the examining board. Having obtained his step up to lieutenant, he is taken in hand by his friend Renzi for training to be a gentlemen. In that regard, his sister Cecilia, now a companion of Lady Stanhope, takes a hand. But when Thomas reports back aboard ship, he finds that the captain is an upperclass prig who does not want tarpaulin lieutenants on "his ship." (That upperclass attitude is reflected in the novels of Frederick Marryat, written in the early 19th century, and did exist in the Royal Navy). The captain attempts to have him removed without success (one can wonder what is left unsaid; was the captain told, perhaps, that Thomas was a friend of Lord Stanhope and known to Admiral Onslow?). In any case, Thomas stays on board, for better or for worse.
Action proceeds, and Thomas finds he can no longer be "one of the guys" before the mast and, at the same time, he does not fit in well with the "gentlemen" officers, having no small talk about foxhunting, society, etc. Thomas makes a few gaffes, getting some unwanted attention from the Admiral, but also distinguishes himself in some detached duties.
He finds himself seconded as a naval observer to the fledgling United States Navy, and making some acquaintances that may show up in the future. Returning to the squadron in Halifax, he obtains some detached duty doing a hydrographic survey, and makes a chance acquaintance with a mysterious, very beautiful young woman whom he invites as his companion to a state function in Halifax which he must attend. That leads to some unexpected results and a sudden rise in social status.
We will have to wait for the sequels to see what further adventures the author has in mind for Thomas.
The novel is generally well researched. My main complaint is that the author seems to have Thomas zipping about at a time when transportation was notoriously slow. Perhaps a few too many adventures in too short a time. The late Patrick O'Brien seemed to have that problem in his novels, but perhaps we can give the author a little literary license. Richard Woodman is generally the best in defining the passage of time in his Drinkwater novels. The present novel might have been aided by the inclusion of a couple or three maps of the areas of action.


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Thomas Kydd was promoted to acting lieutenant at the bloody Battle of Camperdown in October 1797. Now, he must sit an examination to confirm his rank - or face an inglorious return before the mast. But this is only the first of many obstacles for a man who was pressed into the King's Service and discovered a calling for the sea. Kydd is from humble origins, yet he attains the lofty heights of the quarterdeck as an officer in His Majesty's Navy. If he is to avoid spending the rest of his career as a tarpaulin officer, he must also become a gentleman. Kydd and his enigmatic friend Nicholas Renzi set sail in HMS Tenacious for the North American station. Aboard the old 64-gun ship, Kydd comes to doubt he will ever match up to the high-born gentlemen officers. The frontier town of Halifax, which is also home to a British prince of the blood, provides a welcome diversion. Meanwhile, the young United States is in dispute with revolutionary France, the Quasi War, and Kydd finds himself in the USS Constellation in the heady days of the birth of the American Navy. On his return to Halifax, Kydd surmounts more hurdles, both personal and professional - will he ever see himself as truly one of a band of brothers?

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The Forgotten Man : A Novel Review

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(More customer reviews)Elvis Cole dwells in the past in this, Robert Crais' 10th novel featuring the "world's greatest detective". And while Crais' readers love the wise-cracking detective, many of us read the series as much for Joe Pike, his scary, warrior-like back up system. Tough turn, then, that Pike is merely an afterthought in this book.
Taking up much of the slack is Carol Starkey, the alcoholic, former bomb-squad detective who starred in Crais' "Demolition Angel" and met up with Elvis in "The Last Detective". Carol's having strong romantic feelings for Elvis, but he's not ready for a new love yet, still licking his wounds from the breakup with former paramour Lucy and her son Ben, who appear briefly.
The story allows the reader to break into the murky past of Elvis, when a man is shot, who has been looking for his son. As a child, Elvis was on an endless quest to discover the identity of his father; his mother suffered from an emotional disorder and his grandparents could hardly restrain his need to wander, to try to find himself. He's had a rough childhood, and the possibility that the dead man is his father draws him out of a depression and into the mainstream of the police investigation. During the track of the novel, a character named Frederick, a paranoid schizophrenic, lurks in the background, convinced that Cole was responsible for the death of his friend Payne.
As his search for the truth about the dead man evolves, Cole starts to shed light on a cold case, rediscovering his power to energetically pursue answers as he buries himself in his work. A little oblivious to Starkey's feelings, Cole is nevertheless drawn to her by mutual need on the case, and by the recognition that she's another tortured soul. Elvis may be the wittiest of today's detectives in this genre, but Crais proves here that he's not just witty, lucky and likeable, he's also the product of his past.
Although "The Forgotten Man" is not nearly the book "The Last Detective" was, Crais continues to disarm his readers and keeps the series alive.
There's some complexity here, and some surprises at the end, and Crais fans will be begging for more Elvis Cole when the story concludes. For my money, any real 5 star Elvis Cole story will also bring more action and reaction with the inclusion of the volatile Joe Pike in the story.
Recommended for fans who like their thrillers in series, but read the earlier books first.


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The Rite: The Making of a Modern Exorcist Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a well-written book by a journalist who covers an American priest's sabbatical in Rome to learn how to administer exorcism. The book lays a solid foundation for understanding both the practical and theological underpinnings of the actions of demons as understood by the Catholic Church and its measured response to claims of possession. One of the things that makes the book interesting is the reserved and often skeptical approach that the Church takes evaluating claims of possession and its insistence that psychiatric and other disorders be ruled out before proceeding forward. Another strong aspect of the book is that it shows the education and apprenticeship that the priest undergoes in becoming appointed as the exorcist for a diocese. The author does an excellent job of describing the personalities of the key subjects of the book and presents descriptions of exorcisms in a very measured way. If you are looking for a book that covers an obscure part of the Catholic Church in a respectful and matter-of-fact manner, The Rite would be an excellent choice.

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Two Years Before the Mast Review

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(More customer reviews)Why should you read this book? Yes, it is a classic. Yes, it documents the wonderful, adventurous time of the clipper ship. But that's not why you should read it.
Richard Henry Dana must have been a most extraordinary man. While attending Harvard as a young man, his eyesight became weak and his health declined. He decided that the austere prescription of salt air and plain hard work would be the cure. Not many would give up comfort and privelege, but for two years, Dana served as a common sailor, given no special treatment as the gentleman he was, and lived in the forecastle of the Alert, eating the mess of salt beef and common hardtack, risking his life and serving under a captain crueler than most.
Dana was able to write in such a way as to re-create the life on board a sailing ship, down to the smallest details and that's what makes this book so real and touching. You can feel the cold of Tierra del Fuego, taste the salt beef, and feel the wind and damp. What's more amazing is that Dana's carefully-kept journal was lost along with his other mementos of his voyage when he landed back on shore in Boston, due to some tragic carelessness of someone he entrusted with his chest of belongings. Yet he was able to recreate his voyage in loving detail and in some very excellent writing.
Dana's later life as a lawyer was far from happy, though he made some critical contributions to maritime law. He died a poor and disappointed man, but left us the richer with his book. I just re-read it again for the tenth time, and it is fresher than ever. Read it along side of Moby Dick. It's American literature and American history and culture at its very best.

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A young man tells of his experiences as a common sailor andprovides a realistic portrait of the brutal life of nineteenth-century seamen.--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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The Manual of Detection Review

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(More customer reviews)For Charles Unwin, the reluctant hero in Jedediah Berry's eloquent and surreal first novel, The Manual of Detection, time is curiously stretched beyond recognition and dreams are labyrinthine and vulnerable to devious invasion. Mysterious femme fatales, surly criminals and singing somnambulants lurk around every corner, each offering more bizarre clues for Unwin who is trying to solve the murder of a famous detective so he can clear his own name and get his job back as a lowly and fastidious clerk at The Agency, a Kafka-esque organization that tracks down villains and protects the city's nocturnal secrets, for better or for worse.
This is a detective story that defies genre. Many of the crimes committed in this tale happen inside people's dreams, which brings to mind a couple films, such as Brazil, The City of Lost Children, and Delicatessen. The book also resonates a little like Borges but in a much more welcoming, ironic and darkly humorous way. It is part film noir, part fabulist-fairy tale, and part page-turner mystery, written in an elegant and restrained style.
I loved the world that Berry created for his readers: a mythic, rainy sleep-deprived metropolis populated by a cast of brilliantly conceived characters. I just didn't want it to end. Read the book and pass it on. And look for the secret bonus---there's a palindrome inside and who doesn't love palindromes?

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