Amazon.com
The old trick of splitting a central character into two very different parts and using the tension to create literary sparks has worked for writers as diverse as Rex Stout (Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin) and Patrick O'Brian (Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin). Nobody in the mystery field does it better these days than Hill, whose down-and-dirty Inspector Dalziel (pronounced Dah-eel in the A&E TV series) jigs and jousts wonderfully with his smart, sensitive sidekick Pascoe. Their latest outing is one of the best in the series, with Pascoe digging up some old bones and family secrets from his own past. (Other Dalziel/Pascoe books include
Blood Sympathy,
Exit Lines,
Pictures of Perfection,
A Pinch of Snuff,
Ruling Passion.)
Book Description
Police Inspector Peter Pascoe has stumbled upon the remains of an ancestor unjustly executed in wartime. As he delves into the mystery of his disgraced great-grandfather's death, his partner, Detective Superintendent Andrew Dalziel, is preoccupied with a shapely animal rights activist. Eight female protesters have discovered human bones on the grounds of a drug company's research headquarters, and the investigation has a shocking connection to Pascoe's own family case.
Customer Reviews:
Great Reading.......2007-08-09
Hill will send you to the dictionary. He will also get you to laugh out loud. This series is required reading for anyone who enjoys crime novels and really good writing. The characterizations are marvelous. The plots are intricate. The jokes are worth retelling. This was the first of the Dalziel and Pascoe mysteries that I have read. Since I have read two more and plan on trying to read them all. One can only recommend this book unreservedly.
Near perfect crime novel!.......2007-05-18
I have been reading my way through the Dalziel and Pascoe series. This is the fifteenth or so book in the series. These books are all good, but this one is as nearly perfect as a crime novel gets. In it Hill weaves two mysteries together with winding silken threads. One of the murders is in the present day, but one dates back to the time of the Great War. And as Pascoe pursues his anscestors' past, he finds that there is a lot to connect his past to the present day, and neither mystery really makes sense until the oldest one is solved first. Hill is a very talented writer, and to my mind ranks right up there with some of the present-day masters - P.D. James and Ruth Rendall. He keeps getting better and better, and his stories become more and more complex. In some respects they are ethereal, but there is always Wieldy to bring things back down to earth. No character in any book has his feet more firmly planted on the ground than Wieldy. And no character is sharper than Fat Andy Dalziel. In this book he loses his way somewhat, but he does find it again, and goes on to solve the present-day mystery. The past mystery is solved by Pascoe on his own, and what he uncovers is devastating to him. Awesome book! Awesome writer!
Fast and human.......2004-01-07
This is my first written contact with Dalziel and Pascoe of tv fame and it certainly won't be my last. When an animal rights group swarms over a scientific complex, human bones are found in a swampy area, giving the police an extra reason to probe deeply into the goings on of the pharmaceutical company who run the place. Mr.Hill is an extremely erudite writer with a splendid command of the English language..it will also help my vocabulary as I have to keep the Oxford at hand to keep up with him. This story returns frequently to the French battlefields of WW1 via the diaries of Pascoe's grandfather who was shot for desertion after a ruling by a kangaroo court, so this connection injects a very personal touch, linking Pascoe with the present case through past generations.
Killing fields, past and present.......2003-10-18
If you are already familiar with Reginald Hill's Dalziel and Pascoe series, recommending this one won't be a hard sell. If not, check it out and discover one of the contemporary masters of the crime novel.
This is an ambitious work; Hill clearly intends to transcend the police procedural genre, and includes a parallel story set in the ghastly killing fields of Passchendaele in the Great War that dovetails with the present-day murder case that is the nominal subject of the book. It must be said that the interwoven story of Pascoe's ancestor (who shares his name and is involved with ancestors of suspects in the killing that Pascoe and Dalziel are investigating), strains credulity; it's a literary construct that doesn't really come off.
But who cares? Hill as a writer is otherwise at the top of his game. It's full of witty dialogue (if only people in life -- myself included -- could set off such a string of verbal firecrackers, how much more entertaining our daily round would be!). Dalziel's Yorkshire dialect is a constant source of delight: I hope expressions like "nowt," "tha's," "lass," et al. aren't dying out. And as usual, the characters, especially the detectives and Pascoe's wife Ellie, are drawn in psychological depth.
The novel can be enjoyed as pure entertainment. But, notwithstanding the parallel story's unlikelihood, it offers a window into the ungodly horrors of trench warfare in 1917 and the savagery of military "justice" in the British army of the time.
Dull and Lacks either humor or suspense.......2003-07-11
This novel is very disappointing. Pascoe's invovlement with his forebears just doesn't make for even marginally compelling fiction. The environmental aspect is doubly disappointing because it reveals a political correctness, which we knew Hill felt close to his "soul", but had wisely jettisoned (except for Wieldy), and Hill tries to have his cake and eat it too. He presents environmentalism as a positive good, but also presents it in such a way that it comes across as absurd. Dalziel is depicted callowly (Was he in the novel?) NO way in world that FAt Andy would go for the girl Hill has chosen for her. Finally, the novel is shrouded in "fog" (miasma) I realize Hill was aiming for something special, but for this reader he missed wildly.
Product Description
In
Acrobat 8 Professional Beyond the Basics, instructor Brian Wood demonstrates how to use Acrobat 8 Standard and Acrobat 8 Professional to fully optimize PDF documents. The tutorials teach users how to collaborate with others to streamline the design and creation processes, and how to import and export images, text, sound, and movies. The training also covers optimizing security, creating interactive forms and documents, and much more. Exercise files accompany the tutorials.
Topics Include:
- Reading, creating, and editing articles
- Collaborating with others and exporting comments
- Working with Acrobat Connect
- Adding and editing sound and movie files
- Designing and creating forms
- Working with LiveCycle Designer
- Adding features with JavaScript
- Mastering security features
- Optimizing files for distribution
- Creating accessible files
Duration: 9.5 hoursOn 2 CD-ROMs
Customer Reviews:
Learning Acrobat 8 Pro.......2007-06-12
When I purchased Acrobat 8 Pro I was offered a month tutorial online
training.
This CD is a complete version of the online training.
Brian Wood narrates and illustrates well. The flow of information
is very well organized.
If you make the investment in Adobe Acrobat 8 Professional you need
to make the investment in this excellent training and support CD.
Average customer rating:
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Beyond the Wild Wood: The World of Kenneth Grahame, Author of the Wind in the Willows
Peter Green
Manufacturer: Book Sales
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0871967405 |
Book Description
"In The Wood Beyond the World, a sea voyage separates the more fantastic realms from the hero Walter's mundane home town, though the land of the Wood sends visions even there--of the land's witchy Mistress, her enslaved Maid, and a hideous, savagely energetic dwarf servitor. . . . Walter defies all advice and reason, abandons his fellows, and sets off through mountains and wastes to the Wood where he can meet the mysterious three . . . the stage is set for triangular games of love and power." -- David Langford
Download Description
But on the fifth morrow the ground rose but little, and at last, when he had been going wearily a long while, and now, hard on noontide, his thirst grieved him sorely, he came on a spring welling out from under a high rock, the water wherefrom trickled feebly away. So eager was he to drink, that at first he heeded nought else; but when his thirst was fully quenched his eyes caught sight of the stream which flowed from the well, and he gave a shout, for lo! it was running south.
Customer Reviews:
Beyond the world.......2006-11-14
The multitalented William Morris is reknowned for many things, but in literary circles he's known for having created the first real fantasy stories, even before Dunsany and Tolkien. Though heavy on prose and light on plot, "The Wood Beyond The World" is an intriguing look at the baby steps of the fantasy genre.
After a disastrous marriage to an unfaithful wife, Walter sails away on a ship, but catches a glimpse of a beautiful queenly woman, a misshapen dwarf, and a lovely young slave girl. When he arrives in a distant land, he encounters all three in a beautiful house in the Wood Beyond The World, where the sexy, manipulative Lady is currently living with a cold-hearted prince.
Walter stays there as a guest, and falls in love with the beautiful Maid, despite her mistress's jealousy. But the Lady has taken a liking to him, and despite his love for the Maid, Walter is drawn in by the Lady's magical charm. And breaking free of the jealous sorceress could be fatal for himself and the Maid -- even if they escape, they still have to deal with the savage wilderness of the Wood Beyond the World.
"The Wood Beyond the World" has the distinction of being the first fantasy-quest novel, although it hasn't had nearly the effect on fiction that J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis have had. However, it is an interesting read, especially when one considers that Morris had no mold to work with -- he thought it all up himself.
Morris chose to write in a very formal style, with plenty of phrases like "then waxed Walter wood-wroth," whatever that means. It's not a light read, and it gives the story the feeling of a half-forgotten myth rather than a straightforward fairy tale. And despite its formality, the book has plenty of exquisitely described moments, such as Walter eavesdropping on the Lady and her boytoy.
Unfortunately, Morris loses his grip on the plot in the last fourth of the book: the Lady and her evil dwarf are dealt with way too quickly. Boom, they're gone. The primitive Bear tribe is an intriguing idea that Morris brings up, and then drops. And the last chapters of the book feel contrived, as if Morris were trying to think up a happy enough ending. And he also seems to forget that Walter is already married, albeit unhappily.
"The Wood Beyond the World" suffers from a rather weak last quarter, but it's an intriguing and often beautiful read. And if nothing else, a literary milestone.
Weird "world".......2006-08-28
The multitalented William Morris is reknowned for many things, but in literary circles he's known for having created the first real fantasy stories, even before Dunsany and Tolkien. Though heavy on prose and light on plot, "The Wood Beyond The World" is an intriguing look at the baby steps of the fantasy genre.
After a disastrous marriage to an unfaithful wife, Walter sails away on a ship, but catches a glimpse of a beautiful queenly woman, a misshapen dwarf, and a lovely young slave girl. When he arrives in a distant land, he encounters all three in a beautiful house in the Wood Beyond The World, where the sexy, manipulative Lady is currently living with a cold-hearted prince.
Walter stays there as a guest, and falls in love with the beautiful Maid, despite her mistress's jealousy. But the Lady has taken a liking to him, and despite his love for the Maid, Walter is drawn in by the Lady's magical charm. And breaking free of the jealous sorceress could be fatal for himself and the Maid -- even if they escape, they still have to deal with the savage wilderness of the Wood Beyond the World.
"The Wood Beyond the World" has the distinction of being the first fantasy-quest novel, although it hasn't had nearly the effect on fiction that J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis have had. However, it is an interesting read, especially when one considers that Morris had no mold to work with -- he thought it all up himself.
Morris chose to write in a very formal style, with plenty of phrases like "then waxed Walter wood-wroth," whatever that means. It's not a light read, and it gives the story the feeling of a minor myth rather than a straightforward fairy tale. And despite its formality, the book has plenty of exquisitely described moments, such as Walter eavesdropping on the Lady and her boytoy.
Unfortunately, Morris loses his grip on the plot iuickly. Boom, they're gone. The primitive Bear tribe is an intriguing idea that Morris brings up, and then drops. And the last chapters of the book feel contrived, as if n the last fourth of the book: the Lady and her evil dwarf are dealt with way too qMorris were trying to think up a happy enough ending. And he also seems to forget that Walter is already married, albeit unhappily.
"The Wood Beyond the World" suffers from a rather weak last quarter, but it's an intriguing and often beautiful read. And if nothing else, a literary milestone.
A literary Waterhouse painting. .......2006-04-14
"The Wood Beyond the World" is many things but let me discuss what it is not. It is not a work of modern fantasy - that is, it does not have a high-paced plot full of swords and sorcery, peopled with rogues, wizards, goblins and elves. There is no attempt at the epic here. The story takes place with a limited cast of characters and only a modicum of natural magic. The lack of sword-play and the slow plot build-up may bore those accustomed to more "riveting" modern tales although patience is rewarded for the more persistent.
The book is also, most definitely, not a fairy tale for children. The hero, Walter, leaves his first wife for unfaithfulness and fares forth on a sea voyage, during the course of which he stumbles onto the wood beyond the world. Here he encounters difficulties of a romantic nature when he falls in love with the maidservant of the Mistress of the Wood. How Walter and the maid escape the Mistress' wiles is subsequently described in fairly adult terms, the Mistress doing her best to seduce the innocent Walter. While C. S. Lewis may have received inspiration for the Narnia series from this book (the Mistress seems an archetype of the White Witch and has Walter slay a Lion at one point) Morris addresses themes of purity and temptation with considerably more directness.
It is also not a typical Victorian novel, dealing with social mores, societal injustice or unrequited love. Rather it is an attempt to create a myth. Walter's entanglement with the Mistress of the wood and his eventual escape play out as a battle between seduction and guile on the one hand, and innocence and honesty on the other. The issue of trust and betrayal is of fundamental importance.
"The Wood Beyond the World" is, however, a splendid little tale, told in a romantic style and written in a pseudo-archaic english (a little practice with a King James Bible might be in order if you are rusty). The plot is full of tension and the descriptions of the Wood, the characters and the rustic scenery are all exquisitely painted. Morris was a founding member of the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood and perhaps the best way to think of this story is as the literary equivalent of a Waterhouse painting - brooding, mysterious and enchanted.
This book seems like a George MacDonald novel written by Howard Pyle.......2006-01-02
How can you go wrong with a title like The Wood Beyond the World? I think it was C. S. Lewis who said that no book could live up to the titles which Morris gave to his books (this and The Well at the World's End), and he is correct. Morris does, however, come close, and delivers an excellent fantasy book, which is even more excellent considering that he had to come up with it on his own. He had no previous fantasy writers to base his ideas upon, for he, in writing this book, became the one from whom others drew their ideas. I came to read this book through C. S. Lewis influence. I was reading one of his books of letters, and in one he mentioned that he was reading this book, and he thought very highly of it. I also read somewhere else that this book greatly influenced Lewis' Narnian Chronicles, and when reading this book I could see what Lewis drew upon for some of his ideas. For example, he probably got the "Sons of Adam" and "Daughters of Eve" bit from this book, as well as the "wood between the worlds" in his The Magician's Nephew.
I think that this book is best described as a cross between George Macdonald and Howard Pyle, for the fantasy and magic seems similar to Macdonald, but the archaic writing style is extremely similar to Pyle's. Since I love both MacDonald and Pyle's works, I was very pleased to find an author who writes like both of them. I am hoping to find a copy of The Well Beyond the World soon so I can read that as well.
One last thing: the edition I have is a reprint of the original novel printed by Morris at his Kelmscott press, and has fancy letters and print, and it greatly adds to the magic of the story. I would hightly recommend finding this version if at all possible.
Into the "Wood".......2005-06-10
The multitalented William Morris is reknowned for many things, but in literary circles he's known for having created the first real fantasy stories, even before Dunsany and Tolkien. Though heavy on prose and light on plot, "The Wood Beyond The World" is an intriguing look at the baby steps of the fantasy genre.
After a disastrous marriage to an unfaithful wife, Walter sails away on a ship, but catches a glimpse of a beautiful queenly woman, a misshapen dwarf, and a lovely young slave girl. When he arrives in a distant land, he encounters all three in a beautiful house in the Wood Beyond The World, where the sexy, manipulative Lady is currently living with a cold-hearted prince.
Walter stays there as a guest, and falls in love with the beautiful Maid, despite her mistress's jealousy. But the Lady has taken a liking to him, and despite his love for the Maid, Walter is drawn in by the Lady's magical charm. And breaking free of the jealous sorceress could be fatal for himself and the Maid -- even if they escape, they still have to deal with the savage wilderness of the Wood Beyond the World.
"The Wood Beyond the World" has the distinction of being the first fantasy-quest novel, although it hasn't had nearly the effect on fiction that J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis have had. However, it is an interesting read, especially when one considers that Morris had no mold to work with -- he thought it all up himself.
Morris chose to write in a very formal style, with plenty of phrases like "then waxed Walter wood-wroth," whatever that means. It's not a light read, and it gives the story the feeling of a minor myth rather than a straightforward fairy tale. And despite its formality, the book has plenty of exquisitely described moments, such as Walter eavesdropping on the Lady and her boytoy.
Unfortunately, Morris loses his grip on the plot in the last fourth of the book: the Lady and her evil dwarf are dealt with way too quickly. Boom, they're gone. The primitive Bear tribe is an intriguing idea that Morris brings up, and then drops. And the last chapters of the book feel contrived, as if Morris were trying to think up a happy enough ending. And he also seems to forget that Walter is already married, albeit unhappily.
"The Wood Beyond the World" suffers from a rather weak last quarter, but it's an intriguing and often beautiful read. And if nothing else, a literary milestone.
Book Description
This classic of film criticism, long considered invaluable for its eloquent study of a problematic period in film history, is now substantially updated and revised by the author to include chapters beyond the Reagan era and into the twenty-first century. For the new edition, Robin Wood has written a substantial new preface that explores the interesting double context within which the book can be read-that in which it was written and that in which we find ourselves today. Among the other additions to this new edition are a celebration of modern "screwball" comedies like My Best Friend's Wedding, and an analysis of '90s American and Canadian teen movies in the vein of American Pie, Can't Hardly Wait, and Rollercoaster. Also included are a chapter on Hollywood today that looks at David Fincher and Jim Jarmusch (among others) and an illuminating essay on Day of the Dead.
Average customer rating:
- One of the finer works of Norway
- Five Stars is not enough for this book.
- It's my favourite book!
- A beautiful epic, my all-time favorite work of fiction.
- Another great Norwegian novel
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Beyond Sing the Woods
Trygve Gulbranssen
Manufacturer: Putnam Pub Group (T)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Contemporary
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ASIN: 9997513053 |
Customer Reviews:
One of the finer works of Norway.......2006-11-12
This book by the "right-wing" anti-liberal radical conservative Norwegian journalist Terje Gulbranssen is beyond words. It chronicles the life on the main farm of the village in the northern parts of an inland forest in Eastern Norway. It consists of 3 different volumes, known mostly by their main title "And beyond sing the woods". The exact time of the story is untold, but it is sometime after the French revolution, during the Napoleonic age.
The story unfolds like a massive intro into a traditional rural view of life and values, I only wish everyone would read this book, they might start to treasure the old values more, something that is desperately needed in this Dark Age. Life on the farm in Bjørndal changes with the seasons and as the years go by, new life blossoms and the old wither away and die. The author brilliantly conveys the importance of family and the high value our ancestors placed upon the fact that we are NOT, as the Frankfurter school and other subversive elements would have us believe, mere individuals in the eternal struggle of everyone versus everyone. We are instead through our blood, a living link throughout time eternally moving from past, present and future, and the big need we have to be more in touch with nature.
The story unfolds with twists and unexpected turns, with breathtaking glimpses of the nature around the farm intertwined in the great story. It is the most lively descriptions of nature I have read, as of yet. It made me want to drop the book, and go hiking right away, but alas, the book prevailed for then. It's one of the most popular works in the radical conservative milieu of Norway, and strangely also one of our most unknown internationally famous authors. For a book translated into more than 30 languages and that's sold more than 12 million copies worldwide, it is rather unknown today, but completely unwarranted.
Highly recommended if you wish to learn of the real Norway and our Germanic rural heritage, from a racialist AND anti-capitalist author, written before the danger of "political correctness" entered the West. Read it!
(I read a different edition)
Five Stars is not enough for this book........2005-06-02
I work at a bookstore and I buy this book every time one comes in, then I give it to someone else to read. I can't help myself, I have to give it to people I love because it is the most amazing work of fiction I have ever read. How is it that this book is so unknown, so overlooked? It IS "romantic and deep", it IS "breathtaking", it is all the wonderful things people have written in the other reviews. Every time I read it I fall in love with it all over again - I am not a big re-reader of books anymore (used to be until working at the bookstore - there are sooo many books and not near enough time for them all!) but I read this one once a year (and I view this as a revered tradition!) It actually grows with me - I get something new from it every time. I have yet to read "The Wind from the Mountains" but I'm buying it for my birthday next month - I'm in for a real treat! So if you're reading this and a copy is available, buy it - you've stumbled onto a real treasure.
It's my favourite book!.......2004-04-25
This book is the best work I've ever read. The story is really captivating and universal (no need to worry that it's out of date). It changes the mood while reading it and makes you feel really engaged with the plot. It's deep, rich and full of surprises. It's also a book that gives you ideas, thoughts and reflections.
It's the book that I still commemorate.
A beautiful epic, my all-time favorite work of fiction........2003-10-17
Basic summary: The story of three generations of an old-lineage Norwegian family making their life in the northern woods (circa 1750's.) Main themes are the struggle between tradition and innovation, the prejudices of pastoral society, and a refreshingly realistic study in human nature and man's ability to make peace with it. Descriptions of the landscape and life in the wilderness are vivid and detailed.
I wish everyone could discover this book - it changed my life the first time I read it sixteen years ago. I read it once every year and it grows with me, I find a new connection to it each time. The prose is straightforward, no flowers, and this suits the grit and glow of the story perfectly. The characters are real and expertly drawn, as are their surroundings. Gulbranssen has a firm grasp on the pain and joy that makes up the human soul. I am serious when I say this book will change something within you, and for the better. It's a masterpiece, absolutely breathtaking - do yourself a favor and find a copy.
Another great Norwegian novel.......2001-09-05
A beautifully written novel, exploring the most basic human passions and spiritual yearnings. A great read for those that appreciate good character development, intense physical conflict, and meaningful dialog. The sequel, The Wind from the Mountains, is the equal of if not the superior to Beyond Sing the Woods and is also highly recommended.
Customer Reviews:
Love is where you find it........2002-12-08
Back Cover description: LANGUAGE OF THE HEART...Rescuing Allie Matthews from the rubble of her home should have been all in a day's work for Ricky Wilder. But her quiet intensity sparked his protective instincts, and unexpectedly, the sexy Latino invited Allie to stay with him during her home's renovations. Soon the feisty beauty had Ricky rethinking his bachelor ways. Yet how could he prove his love when he couldn't find the words?
Vulnerable Allie preferred her life predictable and risk free--until Ricky stormed her heart and coaxed her out of her cautious world. Living with Ricky set Allie spinning in an emotional whirlwind...but could she trust her love to a man who lived his whole life on the edge?
The scene where she is in the rubble waiting to be rescued is tense and believable. If you go with the plot, he takes a complete stranger into his home, the rest of the story works. She is in the hospital being taken care of and has house insurance. Her parents are alive and more than able to give her a loan. This is where I had difficulty--not that she was deaf, or his job, just this part of the plot. Also, his real name is Enrique, why did they have to call him Ricky? If it wasn't for these glitches, I might have given it another star.
I'll Read This One Again..........2001-06-22
I have just recently discovered Sherryl Woods books. Much to my delight!! I have not been disapointed yet. Both of the main characters were strong and all of the characters were likeable. I felt as if I was there and 'part of the family'. Too bad all of the sisters were married, this would have been a great series! I definately enjoyed this book and read it in one sitting.
Very highly recommended.......2001-04-21
With no time to run, hurricane Gwen with her 130 mile-an-hour winds brings Alli Matthews' house crashing down around her. She lies trapped in the debris praying for help. When the search and rescue unit arrives, a neighbor describes Alli as angel--one of those genuinely good people. Rescuer Ricky Wilder's can't help wondering if today's rescue will bring him "face to face with an angel." When he sees her, Ricky can't resist her strength and resilience in the face of danger and pain.
Alli can't help wondering, once she's glimpsed Ricky, if "angels ever come with dancing eyes...and looking like sin." The bond between rescuer and victim is intense, and while it's usually broken by loved ones and friends, Alli's essentially alone. The hospital won't release her without a place to go and folks to look after her. Ricky's invitation to stay with him comes a total surprise, But Alli had been cautious, practical and self-protective for fifteen years. The hurricane had taught her that it's time to live again. Falling for Ricky may have a few drawbacks, however, given what he does for a living.
Ricky usually protects himself from commitment by simply not dating the marriageable type woman. But seeing Alli in the hospital with her faded hospital gown looking battered and bruised, Ricky couldn't walk away. And suddenly the thought of panties and hose drying on the shower rod holds an odd sort of appeal. Bringing Allie home breaks a fundamental rule in Ricky's life: never let a woman move in unless he plans to marry him.
Sherryl Woods has another keeper with A LOVE BEYOND WORDS. The fact that the heroine is deaf lends a strength and a challenge to the tale beyond what I expect from genre romance. Further, Woods has a talent for lending her narratives a sizzle and tension that keeps the pages turning. Very highly recommended.
A unique love story.......2001-03-20
When Hurricane Gwen mercilessly ripped through Allie Matthews's neighborhood, the deaf woman was buried beneath the rubble that had once been her home. She is brought back to safety by firefighter Ricky Wilder and the connection established at the time of the rescue begins a relationship that Allie feels compelled to explore after years of self-imposed seclusion due to her loss of hearing. For Ricky Wilder, life had been full of work and women until he rescued Allie whose strength of character and courage he found incredibly attractive. But after years of dodging matrimonial lectures from his mother and sisters, Ricky finds himself trying to resist taking the fall that his family believes will assure his happiness.
"A Love Beyond Words" is not exactly an appropriate title for this story. Although Allie is deaf, she is perfectly capable of speaking and communicating verbally with others since she was not born deaf. But Sherryl Woods has created two engaging characters in Ricky and Allie who are brought together because of a natural disaster. The story progresses at a moderate and comfortable pace for most of the book and I really enjoyed reading about the friendship that develops between these two characters who seem to have little in common but find that they admire what they learn about each other. Ricky is a laidback guy who is comfortable with his life and his choices. He enjoys a modicum of danger in his life to keep it from becoming dull but he is also deeply rooted in his family. Because of her loss of hearing, Allie is much more structured. She has had to give up one dream in order to find and pursue another. She clearly understands what it means to adjust because of this so I was surprised at her inflexibility when it came to her attitude towards Ricky's job especially since his skills save lives including hers. An only child, she finds Ricky's family both appealing and overwhelming. I really enjoyed how Woods integrated Ricky's family and friends into the story because it really enhanced his relationship with Allie whereas her opinion of the danger that comes with his job diminished some of the progress made in their relationship. Perhaps if Woods had integrated it a little earlier into the story, there might have been more time to work through it. Instead it disrupted an otherwise fluid story.
Book Description
While there is a great deal of anecdotal evidence that significant organizational changes are taking place in academic libraries, the literature suggests that most of these changes take the form of evolutionary, or incremental improvement. But what happens when libraries find themselves in a society characterized by increased information availability compression of time and space, and growing turbulence and unpredictability? These are conditions with which the business world has been grappling for years, conditions that require not an evolutionary approach, but nimbleness and rapid response. One part theory (borrowed from business world), one part practice (including detailed case studies of the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Arizona), one part inspiration, Beyond Survival shows you how the transition tactics and strategies developed by businesses can be adapted to academic libraries. By judiciously adopting the same organizational development tools and concepts espoused by the business world, academic libraries can not only survive in the short term, but can take advantage of emergent opportunities to ensure long-term excellence.
Book Description
Tolkien fans who long for more of the same delight that they get from The Lord of the Rings will find it in the writings of William Morris, for it was he who created the literary style that J. R. R. Tolkien brought to such perfection in his tales. As a young man writing to his future wife, Tolkien mentioned the inspiration he was receiving from Morris:
"Amongst other work I am trying to turn one of the short stories [of the Finnish Kalevala] . . . into a short story somewhat on the lines of Morris' romances with chunks of poetry in between."
Forty-six years later, Tolkien still remembered what he had learned from Morris:
"The Lord of the Rings was actually begun, as a separate thing, about 1937, and had reached the inn at Bree, before the shadow of the second war. . . . The Dead Marshes and the approaches to the Morannon owe something to Northern France after the Battle of the Somme. They owe more to William Morris and his Huns and Romans, as in The House of the Wolfings or The Roots of the Mountains."
As The Lord of the Rings was being written, Tolkien's close friend, C. S. Lewis, wrote that Morris provides his readers with a "pleasure so inexhaustible that after twenty or fifty years of reading they find it worked so deeply into all their emotions as to defy analysis." In words that could apply equally well to Tolkien, he said:
It is indeed, this matter-of-factness . . . which lends to all of Morris's stories their somber air of conviction. Other stories have only scenery; his have geography. He is not concerned with 'painting' landscapes; he tells you the lie of the land, and then you paint the landscapes for yourself. To a reader long fed on the almost botanical and entomological niceties of much modern fiction . . . the effect is at first very pale and cold, but also fresh and spacious. No mountains in literature are as far away as distant mountains in Morris. The world of his imagining is as windy, as tangible, as resonant and three dimensional, as that of Scott and Homer.
If you enjoy what Tolkien wrote about Aragorn, if you admire the bravery of the Riders of Rohan, if you long for more tales of adventure in a vast and unspoiled wilderness, and if you wish that Tolkien had more to say about the courage of women or about romances between men and women, then you will be delighted by these two marvelous tales from the pen of the gifted William Morris.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent bargain.......2005-11-13
This book is a fantastic buy! The Well Beyond The World's End is usually published in 2 volumes, so this edition includes the text of 3 books that would normally cost you about $42 if purchased separately.
The text is printed in two columns, as in a magazine. It's very readable and aesthetically pleasing (don't judge by the unfortunate cover). The only downside is that Morris originally published his books in an elaborate illuminated manuscript style (like http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Kelmscott_Press_-_The_Nature_of_Gothic_by_John_Ruskin_%28first_page%29.jpg). Unfortunately no modern printing of Morris seems to include his gorgeous original format. On the plus side, this edition is definitely more readable.
As for the stories themselves, I think it's fair to say Tolkien (and to a degree C.S. Lewis) retained every innovation Morris made, more or less replacing him. It's likely that only hardcore Tolkien/Lewis fans will find these books worth reading. This and the companion volume are the closest thing to the LOTR prequel.
The text is widely available free online (though it's not fun to read on a screen), so you might test a few pages before committing to a purchase:
http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/authors/m#a107
Book Description
Looking for a Lamb presents a father's eye view of the grief process, told in allegorical form and based upon the famous ordeal in the Genesis tradition. Closer to home, the process is seen through the eyes of the author as he watches his 16-year-old son suffer and die from leukemia. Each stage of the grief process is presented as a potential lamb of sacrifice, but not the one God Himself provided. It is only after meeting the Lamb of Lambs that both father and son find their true purpose and peace.
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