Fire and Rain (MacKenzie-Blackthorn, Book 2)

Book Description

Elizabeth Lowell's favorite family is back in town. Don't miss this reader favorite!

Owner of the wildest, loneliest ranch this side of the Rockies, Luck MacKenzie hadn't laid eyes on Carla McQueen for three years. Not since they day he'd sent his best friend's kid sister storming from the Rocking M Ranch and out of his life -- for what he thought was forever . . .

Now Carla was back, lovelier and even more desirable than in his burning memories. But Luke knew he could never give in to the raging need to make her his woman. For he'd made a vow long ago -- one that he was determined to keep -- that he would never fall in love with Carla McQueen. No matter how badly his body and soul ached for her . . .

Customer Reviews:

I enjoyed it..........2007-07-06

Description from the back of book:

Owner of the wildest, loneliest ranch this side of the Rockies, Luck MacKenzie hadn't laid eyes on Carla McQueen for three years. Not since they day he'd sent his best friend's kid sister storming from the Rocking M Ranch and out of his life -- for what he thought was forever . . .

Now Carla was back, lovelier and even more desirable than in his burning memories. But Luke knew he could never give in to the raging need to make her his woman. For he'd made a vow long ago -- one that he was determined to keep -- that he would never fall in love with Carla McQueen. No matter how badly his body and soul ached for her . . .

* I wasn't a fan of the first book in this series but I have to admit that I enjoyed this book much better. I wasn't big on the hero's reasoning on not wanting to fall in love but I overlooked that & tried to focus on the rest. Looking forward to the next 3 in this series. Although I don't recommend Reckless Love I think I could recommend this book without needing to read the first book. It didn't have hardly anything to do with this book. That being a historical book & the rest of the series being contemporary.

An Interesting Novel Full of Great Literary Devices.......2006-06-07

Based on a love story, Fire and Rain is full of history, funny moments, and love conflicts. The story takes place in the "Rocking M:, a ranch out in the Midwest. Luke, a man destined to love and care for his land is the main character of the novel. His history with Carla (his love), is not all that great. On her trip to the Rocking M, Carla is now 21 and reencounters herself with Luke. A few days stay at the ranch results in a whole 2 months stay as the maid and cook around the ranch. It is during this stay, that the reader finds out the history behind the ranch and both Luke and Carla's life. Through Lowell's use of imagery, characterization, and motif, the reader learns of the main character's maturation and love for one another.
Lowell's use of imagery engages the reader in the beauty of the ranch and the characters. "Her vibrant blue eyes" and the description of Luke's ruggedness with soft edges helps the reader envision the story. Through this description, the reader learns of qualities of each character, Carla's hard working and perseverance, as well as Luke's focus and self-control. Lowell's use of characterization enhances the characters and evolves with the story to show a mature Carla and a more soft-hearted Luke. Lastly, the motif of the rain and the Rocking M adds to the conflicts they both have because the Rocking M comes to symbolize a prison for Luke and a sentence to unhappiness. Reading about both of their struggles to keep their love alive as well as the ranch was very interesting. I would recommend this book to teenagers who like romance stories as well as those who like to read books for its literary elements.

A Great Sucking Sound .......2006-04-13

This book is totally horrible! The "manly" hero spends most of his times treating the woman he supposedly loves worse than most people treat their worst enemies. The totally gross thing is that she keeps coming back for more--a perfect example of abuse! The guy is unlovable & mean, the girl is pathologically stupid, the whole plot line is the usual stupid Lowell pattern of some cowboy getting the hots for an underage girl, holding off long enough to make sure she's still a virgin, seducing her & getting her pregnant & then the frail flower deciding that her life is complete as long as she gets to stay on the ranch servicing her much older husband (usually at least 10 years older, of course) and being thrilled that she gets to have a baby at an age when most people can't even balance their checkbook. This is the type of novel that a patriarchal Afghanistan warlord would hand out by the dozen to his prospective wives to teach them how real women should act. Eccchhhh!

Very good book.......2003-01-08

This is the first in the series. It is a wonderful book, love those Western Love Stories. It is about a woman named Carla who has been in love with her brother's best Friend Luke since she was a teenager.Now she is all grown up and hasn't seen him since he broke her heart at age 14. She ends up losing a bet and has to work for him on his farm for the whole summer. Trying to resist temptation is not easy and Luke loves her, but keeps trying to push her away by being down right rude. It is interesting to see how much they fight to stay away but seem to not be able to.

Not one of my favorites..........2001-10-05

I was not too impressed with Fire and Rain. I didn't particularly like Luke's attitude towards Carla...he almost seemed cruel. Not exactly what I look for in a good hero.

Some of the issues seemed like they weren't explored enough as well. And some of the things that happened were a little redundant. He built a cradle for the child he would never have? Some might say that's sweet, but in the context of this story, it seemed very predictable.

The book was good, but I have issues with some things. I think her longer novels were written better, but Fire and Rain was average and would recommend people read it only if you are an Elizabeth Lowell fan.

Center Field on Fire: An Umpire's Life With Pine Tar Bats, Spitballs, and Corked Personalities
Average customer rating:

Not the most interesting book

an Umpire's life without a theme

one great read

Should Have Been a Lot Better

30 years of an umpires' perspective on MLB
Center Field on Fire: An Umpire's Life With Pine Tar Bats, Spitballs, and Corked Personalities
Dave Phillips , and Rob Rains
Manufacturer: Triumph Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Baseball | Biographies | Sports | Subjects | Books
General | Baseball | Sports | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1572435690

Book Description

Former MLB umpire Dave Phillips was at the center of some of baseball's most unforgettable moments - Comiskey's infamous Disco Demolition Night, Gaylord Perry's spitball ejection, Albert Belle's confiscated corked bat and George Brett's pine tar bat debacle - and he shares with baseball fans the untold stories behind those incidents and many others, giving baseball fans a complete perspective on the life of an umpire.

Customer Reviews:

Not the most interesting book.......2007-09-10

I struggled throught this book. I would recommend almost any other book by any other umpire over this one.If I had not have read Ron Luciano's book beforehand I would have been lost a couple times in the stories Mr. Phillips attempted to tell.Really nothing in here but whining.Save your time and read "You're out and yer ugly too".It is much more entertaining.

an Umpire's life without a theme.......2007-01-01

Dave Phillips is a funny man, and he has many amusing stories, but Rob Rains, the person who should have been helping him write this, doesn't seem to have had any luck in shaping them into a book.
The chapters are almost organized chronologically and are almost organized thematically. Instead the anecdotes, comments, and history of Phillips's life are left splayed across the margins of meandering transcription that appears not to have been edited at all.
I remember Dave Phillips as an excellent umpire- one of the few AL umpires whose name a fan can easily recall who wasn't 'known' to be overly pitcher friendly, overly hitter friendly, or just plain 'on fire' to show-up a player or manager. He brings forth many names and images from one of Baseball's past, and it is clear that he loves the game and the people who have made it. His stories are not "kiss-and-tell" violations of trust, nor are they bland retellings of stale legend, but the lack of organizing principle makes the book painful to read. That is a shame because the great stories seem to be there, just trapped in a melange of unedited recollections, and the missing background and flawed structure of this book really hamper the reader's quest to share them.

one great read.......2006-03-15

if u love baseball this book is for u, from laughter to seriousness this book has all the greatness of baseball in a different perspective, the umpires, i recommend this book to all baseball fans or anyone interested in reading about baseball.

Should Have Been a Lot Better.......2005-01-14

I had so much hope for this book. There are so many problems with this book, I can not possibly recommend it. It is riddled with errors and omissions. How can a publishing company produce something so flawed. There is a reason this book has a low review score, it is bad.

I do not know where to start with the inaccuracies in this book. Phillips says Reggie Jackson's last game was in Boston, when I distinctly remember it being in Chicago. If Phillips thinks he is the greatest clutch hitter he ever saw, you would think he would remember seeing that. He only devoted four pages to "Disco Demolition Night". I know he could have devoted a whole chapter to it. It is just irresponsible to say "the stands were empty" and "center field was literally on fire" when neither is true about the infamous game. It makes me wonder if umpires are blind. Other exaggerations exist, but there is a word limit in these reviews.

The good points of the book include an inside look at the life of an umpire and a number of humorous antidotes. Although I enjoyed this part, I felt many of his stories were very self serving and told to project him in a good light. I do not question whether Phillips is a good man for baseball, but I question his ability to write an accurate book. That being said, I wish I never would have bought this book.

30 years of an umpires' perspective on MLB.......2004-06-19

Many books have been written on sports, some by the players, some by those who watch and some by the people whose job it is to write about them. However, the people who officiate the games have the most unique perspective on the game, how it is played and how it is managed, in the sense of the on-field manager up to the level of the executive. Dave Phillips was an umpire in the major leagues for 32 years and has witnessed many changes in the game.
Two points really stand out in the book. The first is how the umpires get along between themselves, which in many cases, is not very well at all. The stories about members of a crew hating each other so much that they refuse to even speak to each other or making bad calls and blaming others for it were disturbing. The idea that the umpires often do not work well together is a disturbing one, for even-handed officiating is the one thing that no sport can lack.
The second is that baseball really has some serious problems that must be corrected. As Phillips notes, there has been a serious drug problem in baseball for over a decade, with an adverse affect on many careers. The focus has now shifted from cocaine to steroids, but there still appears to be no stomach for tackling the issue. Which is silly, because allowing the players to continue using drugs damages their careers and ultimately their health.
Phillips recounts many of the most memorable events in the last three decades, from Gaylord Perry finally being kicked out of a game for using grease on a ball to George Brett being called out on a home run because there was too much pine tar on his bat. All are presented from the perspective of the umpire, which is an interesting one.
The most disturbing point in the book is when Phillips discusses George Steinbrenner and an incident where Steinbrenner was asking for "special consideration" from the umpires. I found the description disgusting, I have never been a fan of Steinbrenner, but now I loathe him, a position all who care about the game should have.
At the end of the book, Phillips goes over what he considers the fundamental problems baseball now has, from high ticket prices, to the lack of a commissioner tasked with "acting in the best interests of baseball." Clearly, the powerful owners seem unable to learn from other sports. Basketball and football have salary caps with revenue sharing and the popularity of both has soared in the last two decades. In this time, baseball has entered into a state where two players on the Yankees earn more than all the players on some of the other teams. In this environment, some teams simply cannot be competitive, and that destroys a sport.

$Fire And Rain & Outlaw: Fire And Rain\Outlaw (Hqn Romance)$
Average customer rating:

Fire & Rain \ Outlaw

Fire And Rain & Outlaw: Fire And Rain\Outlaw (Hqn Romance)
Elizabeth Lowell
Manufacturer: Harlequin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Romance | Subjects | Books

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$Too Hot To Handle & Sweet Wind, Wild Wind: Too Hot To Handle\Sweet Wind, Wild Wind$ Too Hot To Handle & Sweet Wind, Wild Wind: Too Hot To Handle\Sweet Wind, Wild Wind

ASIN: 037377253X

Customer Reviews:

Fire & Rain \ Outlaw.......2007-05-22

These Blackthorn men and the description of the are make me want to visit the West ( I had read these 2 books ages ago & lost them -nice to find them again)

Average customer rating:

Rain of Fire School Review

Rain of Fire
Marion Dane Bauer
Manufacturer: Clarion Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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On My Honor

ASIN: 0899191908

Customer Reviews:

Rain of Fire School Review.......2005-10-07

October 6, 2005

Steve's life is pretty good until Celestino moves into the neighborhood and starts to control everything. Steve's two best friends, Donny and Kenny, now follow Celestino and leave Steve and his other friend Becca by themselves. Steve feels like he has lost everything. Steve and Becca come up with a plan to make Celestino look bad so Kenny and Donny would come back to them. The plan backfires so Steve started telling lies but Celestino has too much evidence against them. Telling lies keeps getting Steve in trouble and he wonders if he will ever be able to stop telling them. This is a fun story of kids getting into trouble and trying to straighten things out.
This story shows that lying will get you in trouble. For example, in the book Steve lied to the other kids and said that in the war his brother would aim the gun so that he would miss and wouldn't kill anyone. This fake story was so convincing that the other kids tried to turn Steve's brother, Matthew, into the FBI. This just causes more trouble for everyone. Steve lied some more and said that his brother earned a medal in the war. Matthew had no idea that Steve had told that lie so when he was talking to Steve and his friends he told them he never got a medal. Steve was really embarrassed. Another time that lying got Steve in trouble was when Steve and Becca stole Donny's bike and tried to frame Celestino for it. When they were caught Steve denied stealing Donny's bike. For this, Celestino, Kenny, and Donny got revenge by tying them up and leaving them in a foxhole.
This book also has a lot of really exciting scenes. For example, after Steve and Becca stole Donny's bike, Celestino led them through the woods to go play at the foxhole. When Steve and Becca walked into the clearing where the foxhole was, they were ambushed by Kenny and Donny. Donny and Kenny knocked them into the foxhole and tied them up. Then they went home and left Steve and Becca there for hours. Another good scene is when Steve and Becca, under Celestino's orders, had to steal dynamite from the quarry. Steve did not get any dynamite but was able to get away with a blasting cap. They were seen and almost got caught by the workers. Steve knew this would get him in trouble. Another exciting scene is when Donny, Kenny, Becca, and Steve ambush Celestino to get back at him and tie him to a tree. They set fake dynamite a few feet away and lit the stolen blasting cap. They knew when it blew up it would scare him but not be as dangerous as real dynamite. Right before the blasting cap blew up Steve had a change of heart and jumped on top of it at the last minute.
This book also shows that sometimes kids either believe what they want to believe or just have a hard time understanding things. One example of this is when Steve told the story about Matthew aiming the gun so it wouldn't hit anyone. Steve told himself that his brother was missing on purpose because he couldn't stand the fact that his brother was killing people in the war. Matthew's stories about the war confused Steve. Steve didn't understand how people tell you all your life that it is wrong to hurt people and then they send you off to war and tell you to kill people. Also Steve had a hard time understanding why lies kept pouring out of his mouth like when he was telling the other kids about Matthew.
This is a wonderful book about kids who can't seem to stay out of trouble. I would recommend this book to kids of all ages. It teaches some lessons but at the same time is a fun and exciting story that everyone will enjoy.

C. Chapman

Average customer rating:

All history textbooks should be this engaging!
Don't Miss This One!
It may break your heart, but don't let that stop you...
I CAN'T DESCRIBE IT IN WORDS !!!
SUPER STORY

Fire and Rain
Kathleen Eagle
Manufacturer: Avon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Romance | Subjects | Books

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Accessories:

philosophy hope in a jar daily moisturizer

ASIN: 0380771683

Book Description

Priscilla came to the Dakota territories to helpher missionary father "civilize" the Indians. But theMinnesota-bred beauty was enchanted by the ways of theLakota Sioux ... and by a proud warrior calledWhirlwind Rider, who awakened a magnificent passionwithin her -- wondrous, forbidden ... as elementalas the fire and the rain.

In a century-old steamer trunk, journalistCecily Metcalf discovers the diary of a remarkable youngwoman whose words reach out across time -- touchingCecily's heart, leading her back to her handsome, enigmaticfirst love, Kiah Red Thunder .. inspiring them both intheir glorious, dangerous quest to reclaim alost and powerful passion.

Customer Reviews:

All history textbooks should be this engaging!.......2005-07-13

Kathleen Eagle makes history come alive in her Native American stories, and this one is no exception! I love the way the book opens, in current times, with Cecily and her mom at an auction house - the mom is only interested in the antique value of the items, but Cecily very beautifully envisions the history of each piece and the lives that touched it. She purchases an old trunk, much to her mother's dismay because it's not valuable monetarily, but Cecily felt a connection to it that made its value of the sentimental sort.

The story then switches to a century earlier and the young woman to whom the trunk belonged. I liked and admired Priscilla immediately for her independent manner and her compassion towards Indians. Her friendship with Sarah was heartwarming, and the intense attraction that connected Priscilla with Sarah's brother Whirlwind Rider sizzled! The scene where they first met in the stable was so well-written. I absolutely loved this couple and felt the soulmate quality of their love, despite the huge cultural differences and the objections of Priscilla's dad and the white community.

The story switches back to Cecily, who is doing volunteer work in the same region Priscilla had lived, where she falls in love with Native American Kiah Red Thunder. Although Cecily and Priscilla are similar, Kiah is definitely not as likeable as Whirlwind Rider, and I found their romance resonated much less with me. When Cecily finds Priscilla's journal in a secret compartment of the trunk, it helps her to uncover the history of the region and to come to terms with her relationship with Kiah.

Don't Miss This One!.......2001-11-01

Another wonderful American Indian novel by Kathleen Eagle which co-mingles two stories, past and present, into one unforgettable book. Cecily, a kind, young and guileless young woman becomes inextricably drawn into the American Indian movement of the '70's when she befriends a courageous young Indian woman and her world-weary but oh-so-irresistable brother, Kiah.

Cecily acquires a 100-year-old traveling trunk at an auction which contains some artifacts and writings of Priscilla Twiss, daughter of a White Indian Agent sent to educate the "savage" Sioux. Priscilla, drawn to the Sioux, comes to visit her father in the rugged, untamed west, and there she meets and falls in love with the proud warrier, Whirlwind Rider.

Both couples, though a century apart, share similar obstacles of restrictive social mores, racial hatred, and tumultuous circumstances in American Indian history, not to mention a suprising revelation which ties past to present.

Highly recommended reading for unforgettable romance, gripping storytelling, and fascinating American Indian History.

It may break your heart, but don't let that stop you..........2000-03-25

I lucked out and found this book before it went out of print. If you have access to a used bookstore, look for this title; it is one of the best stories I have ever read. Told alternately in the 19th and the 20th century, and spanning several decades, it is a tale of four lovers - two White, two Native American - who cross the boundaries of their respective cultures and give up what is comfortable in order to commit to one another for all their lives. Powerfully sensual, mysterious and somewhat sweetly painful and disturbing (particularly the 19th century story), be prepared to shed some tears if you find this book. Keep it, it can be reread and seen new each time. I've read as many of Ms. Eagle's books as I've been able to locate, and I think that this is by far her best work.

I CAN'T DESCRIBE IT IN WORDS !!!.......1999-07-12

The old story is soooooooo moving , he promised to love and protect her and she gave everything up for him , their love was so pure ........ and the modern one is great ( as usual men are trying to be tough and stronge and love doesn't affect them ) but she made it true , she was able to move his feelings i think if u didn't read it , u missed a very beautiful two love stories

SUPER STORY.......1999-03-20

This book contains the most beautiful blend of past and present I have read. It is my very favorite romance novel of all, and I'm very sorry to see that it is now out of print. No other romance writer depicts Sioux customs and history with such authority as does Ms Eagle. The two love stories, 100 years apart, and how they relate to one another is so movingly told one simply cannot put the book down until finished. Readers should note that this is not a time travel novel.

Fearless Presence: The Story of Lt. Col. Nola Forrest, Who Led the Army Nurses Through Heat, Rain, Mud, and Enemy Fire in World War II

Average customer rating:

An unknown history

Fearless Presence: The Story of Lt. Col. Nola Forrest, Who Led the Army Nurses Through Heat, Rain, Mud, and Enemy Fire in World War II
Eleanor Stoddard
Manufacturer: American Literary Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1561679461
Release Date: 2006-12-12

Product Description

"Fearless Presence: The Story of Lt. Col. Nola Forrest, Who Led the Army Nurses through Heat, Rain, Mud and Enemy Fire in World War II" is a fascinating account of a career Army nurse, decorated for her acts of heroism. Lt. Col. Nola Forrest served in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps (ANC) for more than 20 years, ultimately as director of Army nurses for the Southwest Pacific Area during World War II. She led nurses from two field hospitals into Leyte under enemy attack and later conducted the successful rescue of 67 Army nurses from a Japanese internment camp in Manila. Based on a series of personal interviews and a wealth of secondary sources, author and oral historian Eleanor Stoddard adeptly captures Forrest's remarkable story in this dramatic biographical account.

Customer Reviews:

An unknown history.......2007-04-03

Reviewed by A.J. Cooper for Reader Views (2/07)

"Fearless Presence" is a story of World War II and the years just prior to the war from the view of a nurse, Nola Forrest. She was born in Minnesota but wanted so much more than to stay there. Nola Forrest wanted the opportunity to travel and see the world. She was given the opportunity while in college; she was recruited to go to nursing school against the wishes of her family. They felt it would be a terribly hard life that she was not accustomed to and tried everything in their powers to dissuade her from the path of nursing.

The beginning of Nola's career with the army was when she entered the Army Nurse Corps Reserve in 1924. The nurses' had the same ranks as their male counter parts but received much lower pay. This did not stop Nola from taking the position. The story follows Nola all over the United States and abroad highlighting many of the positions she held in nursing and in administering nurses. Nola is also given a permanent position in the Army Nurse Corps and finally in 1942 the ranks of the woman and men in the Army are equal pay. She was sent to the Southwest Pacific Area to oversee operations and to ensure nurses taken care of properly. What she found was nurses trying to perform their duties in less than manageable circumstances with little or no personal supplies in most areas. During this time period nurses were taken as Prisoners of War in one of history's worst camps in the Philippines, Bataan and Corregidor.

I think anyone that has an interest in history would be interested in this book. Learning of the nurses taken as Prisoners of War was shocking to me. I only remember hearing about all of the men interned but certainly not the women. I took for granted that nurses had always been a part of wars and did not realize that for years nurses did not play an important part at the war fronts to help save the troops. Because of World War II it was shown that women nurses could survive and perform just as well as the men at the front under terrible conditions. They faced diseases that soldiers had not faced before and did everything in their power to ensure every soldier was taken care of.

I really enjoyed this book and was glad that I had the opportunity to not only learn something new, but to learn about an admirable person, Lt. Col. Nola Forrest. She led a full and rewarding life and it took a considerate person to take the time to research and follow-up with the Colonel. I would recommend "Fearless Presence" to anyone and look forward to sharing it with family and friends. This is not only a story of a determined person but a very determined woman who really cared about everyone around her.

Average customer rating:

A Bit Too Reverential
The James Taylor Story? Not!
The best music book of the last 10 years
James Taylor Rules
I enjoyed it!

Fire and Rain : The James Taylor Story
Ian Halperin
Manufacturer: Citadel
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

James Taylor Long Ago and Far Away: His Life and His Music
The James Taylor Encyclopedia
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ASIN: 1559725338

Book Description

Many musicians sing about heartache, despair, and confusion, but few have experienced those feelings more intensely than James Taylor, who rose from a childhood of privilege as the son of an affluent medical school dean to become a modern-day troubadour and pop superstar.

When he was seventeen years old, his demons led him to a Massachusetts mental institution where he confronted them the only way he knew how, by writing his first songs. Thirty years later, Taylor's songs are among the most popular in the annals of music, but the demons are still with him.

But unlike many of his contemporaries who faced a similar struggle, Taylor managed to emerge as an inspirational figure. Fire and Rain traces this remarkable path, including his troubled marriage to pop star Carly Simon and the premature alcoholism-related death of his brother: Taylor's ten-month stay in the exclusive private psychiatric institution where he finished high school; His self-imposed exile to England where he submitted some of his music to the Beatles' Apple Records, which signed him to his first record contract in 1968. Paul McCartney mentored Taylor's early career; The story behind his second album, Sweet Baby James, which contained the song "Fire and Rain" about the hopelessness of mental illness and suicide; As Taylor's fame increased, so did his problems with heroin, alcohol, and mental illness. In the seventies, the singer nearly fell over the edge many times.

Customer Reviews:

A Bit Too Reverential.......2007-08-16

Though there is plenty here about Taylor's well known drug addiction and his tempestuous marriage to Carly Simon, this rock bio still comes off as too fawning. It would have benefited from better sources. Taylor or Simon do not appear to have been interviewed, nor was producer Peter Asher. Instead, we read a lot of boring quotes from fans about how great James Taylor is.

The James Taylor Story? Not!.......2006-05-30

This book isn't worth the paper it's printed on. I hesitate to even put my two cents in because I don't want to encourage anyone else to buy this trash- even out of morbid curiosity- but- this is the stuff of supermarket tabloids- if you really want to gain insight into the life and work of James Taylor- look elsewhere. Halperin can't write and his "quotes" are so obviously made up this "bio" doesn't even pass the straight face test.I feel like I should apologize to Taylor and his family for even reading it. Absolute trash- don't waste you time and money.

The best music book of the last 10 years.......2004-08-12

I cannot express how important and entertaining this book really is. Ian Halperin is a great storyteller, encompassing Taylor's early struggles to his present glory. I have read books about Dylan, Mitchell, Young and Jagger - nothing compares to this tome. A must read for every music fan of the 70s to present.

James Taylor Rules.......2004-01-21

The best tribute that can be paid to any artist is a tribute - that's what this bio is. My only concern was that the author went too out of his way to praise Taylor. I would have like to know more about some of his demons. The book reads more like a tribute. Otherwise, there are many interesting facts about the life and times of one of the greatest artists to emerge from the late sixties and early seventies.

I enjoyed it!.......2004-01-20

Perhaps more of the seventies and eighties should have been featured. But the early part of JT's life is well written. I was referred by a friend to read Fire and Rain. It did not disappoint. I used to live in North Carolina. Thoughts of my childhood sprung to my mind by reading this book. Great memories - great music. This book proves how valuable an icon JT is to the music industry. And, convincingly, the author portrays his life how he overcame lots of demons to become one of music's most notable stars - ever!

Been There, Done That: Through Treacherous Skies

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Been There, Done That: Through Treacherous Skies
Ron Butcher DFC CD (Ret'd)
Manufacturer: Trafford Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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All Amazon Upgrade | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

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ASIN: 1412057973
Release Date: 2006-07-06

Book Description

According to Lieutenant General Bill Carr, an ex-Commander of Canada's Air Command, and himself a decorated WWII Spitfire pilot: "This book contains the most vivid, uncomplaining and honest descriptions I have ever read of what the WWII Bomber Command aircrews went through during the years 1939-1945 when they delivered no less than one-and-a-quarter million tons of bombs on Hitler's empire. From 1943 onward, the US Army Air Corps added a further three-quarter million tons to this total. And those young aircrew suffered incomparable losses."

It is the gripping life story of a decorated Air Navigator who, with his crew in a Lancaster, did a tour of operations in a Canadian squadron of RAF Bomber Command in WWII, spending nine months in the front lines. There are tales of night raids to Southeast Germany and 6 raids to Berlin. This milieu had up to 1 million personnel, 20,625 guns, 6,680 searchlights and about 400 fighters, a formidable barrier across Western Germany and around the targets, all with the prime purpose of frustrating the efforts to bomb, shooting down aircraft and killing crews being their preferred outcome. The tour terminated with bombing raids in France preparing for the invasion of Normandy. There are also interesting details of cultural life on the base, and in wartime Great Britain.

In addition, the life and times of growing up in New Brunswick, Canada in the 1920s are included, as well as stories of pre-war employment. There are also post-war stories of managing the family business, returning to the RCAF as a construction engineer, time as General Manager of the RCAF Association and proprietorship of Unique Decor Unlimited. Stories of retirement include much about worldwide travel.

Once you start reading, you'll find it so interesting you'll be reluctant to put it down!

THE ILLUSTRATED MAN: The Veldt; Kaleidoscope; The Other Foot; The Highway; The Man; The Long Rain; The Rocket Man; The Fire Balloons; The Last Night of the World; The Exiles; No Particular Night or Morning; The Fox and the Forest; The Visitor

Average customer rating:

Novel? I Think Not!
Mixed quality, including some uninspired stories but also some brilliant pieces. Recommend on the basis of the good stories
Hardcore Bradbury Fans Only
Fun reading and good story-telling
solid

THE ILLUSTRATED MAN: The Veldt; Kaleidoscope; The Other Foot; The Highway; The Man; The Long Rain; The Rocket Man; The Fire Balloons; The Last Night of the World; The Exiles; No Particular Night or Morning; The Fox and the Forest; The Visitor
Ray Bradbury
Manufacturer: Panther Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

The Martian Chronicles (The Grand Master Editions)
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Bradbury Stories: 100 of His Most Celebrated Tales
The October Country
Dandelion Wine

ASIN: 0586043594

Amazon.com

That The Illustrated Man has remained in print since being published in 1951 is fair testimony to the universal appeal of Ray Bradbury's work. Only his second collection (the first was Dark Carnival, later reworked into The October Country), it is a marvelous, if mostly dark, quilt of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. In an ingenious framework to open and close the book, Bradbury presents himself as a nameless narrator who meets the Illustrated Man--a wanderer whose entire body is a living canvas of exotic tattoos. What's even more remarkable, and increasingly disturbing, is that the illustrations are themselves magically alive, and each proceeds to unfold its own story, such as "The Veldt," wherein rowdy children take a game of virtual reality way over the edge. Or "Kaleidoscope," a heartbreaking portrait of stranded astronauts about to reenter our atmosphere--without the benefit of a spaceship. Or "Zero Hour," in which invading aliens have discovered a most logical ally--our own children. Even though most were written in the 1940s and 1950s, these 18 classic stories will be just as chillingly effective 50 years from now. --Stanley Wiater

Book Description

He was a riot of rockets and fountains and people, in such intricate detail and color that you could bear the voiced murmuring, small and muted, from the crowds that inhabited his body.

The Illustrated Man

Ray Bradbury brings wonders alive. A peerless American storyteller, his oeuvre has been celebrated for decades--from The Martian Chronicles and Fahrenheit 451 to Dandelion Wine and Something Wicked This Way Comes.

The Illustrated Man is classic Bradbury --a collection of tales that breathe and move, animated by sharp, intaken breath and flexing muscle. Here are eighteen startling visions of humankind's destiny, unfolding across a canvas of decorated skin--visions as keen as the tattooist's needle and as colorful as the inks that indelibly stain the body.

Ray Bradbury's The Illustrated Man is a kaleidoscopic blending of magic, imagination, and truth, widely believed to be one of the Grandmaster's premier accomplishments: as exhilarating as interplanetary travel, as maddening as a walk in a million-year rain, and as comforting as simple, familiar rituals on the last night of the world.

He was a riot of rockets and fountains and people, in such intricate detail and color that you could hear the voices murmuring, small and muted, from the crowds that inhabited his body.

THE ILLUSTRATED MAN is classic Bradbury--a collection of tales that breathe and move, animated by sharp, intaken breath and flexing muscle. Here are eighteen startling visions of humankind's destiny, unfolding across a canvas of decorated skin--visions as keen as the tattooist's needle and as colorful as the inks that indelibly stain the body.

The images, ideas, sounds and scents that abound in this phantasmagoric sideshow are provocative and powerful: the mournful cries of celestial travelers cast out cruelly into a vast, empty space of stars and blackness...the sight of gray dust settling over a forgotten outpost on a road that leads nowhere...the pungent odor of Jupiter on a returning father's clothing. Here living cities take their vengeance, technology awakens the most primal natural instincts, Martian invasions are foiled by the good life and the glad hand, and dreams are carried aloft in junkyard rockets. Ray Bradbury's THE ILLUSTRATEDMAN is a kaleidoscopic blending of magic, imagination, and truth, widely believed to be one of the Grandmaster's premier accomplishments: as exhilarating as interplanetary travel, as maddening as a walk in a million-year rain, and as comforting as simple, familiar rituals on the last night of the world.

Customer Reviews:

Novel? I Think Not!.......2007-09-20

There seems to be one misconception running through a lot of these reviews. The misconception is that The Illustrated Man should be viewed as a novel. It IS NOT a novel. I repeat: NOT A NOVEL. The Illustrated Man is an excellent work of literature, but it is a collection of loose stories. Even those who say that the stories have a loose theme are not stressing the point enough, it seems. The stories are barely tied together at all.

The stories themselves are superb, and classic Bradbury. Among the best are The Veldt, about technology and what can go wrong with it; Zero Hour, about an innocent game that may not be so innocent; Marionettes, INC., a classic sci-fi story also about the misuse of technology; The Long Rain, a psychological roller coaster through the future of mankind; and No Particular Night or Morning, a wonderful philosophical story about space and what it can do to a man's mind.

Again, you should view these stories as ones in a short story collection, not a full novel. But they are essential Bradbury and essential science fiction, like most of his works of literature.

Mixed quality, including some uninspired stories but also some brilliant pieces. Recommend on the basis of the good stories.......2007-09-07

One hot summer day, our narrator meets the Illustrated Man. When the man strips off his stifling long sleeves, he reveals the Illustrations, which decorate every inch of his bare skin. But, as he warns the narrator, they are more than Illustrations: at night, they come to life, change, and spell out stories. That night, the narrator watches these stories--and each becomes a short story in Bradbury's collection. From living houses to ever-raining Venus to the Martian invasion of the commercialized Earth, these often-harrowing science fiction stories range on all topics and all skill levels. Some of the stories are incredible and haunting; others are bulky or uninspired. It is a mixed bag and not as good as some of Bradbury's other collections, but the framing of the Illustrated Man and the golden nuggets sprinkled within make it an imaginative and worthwhile read. Tentatively recommended.

It is particularly difficult to review short story collections because quality can and does vary from story to story, making it hard to summarize and judge the book as a whole. The median quality of this book is not exceptional, and it is not my favorite of Bradbury's short story collections (that would be The Machineries of Joy and The Martian Chronicles, which is not quite a short story collection but is close). The reason for this is simple: some of the stories are uninspiring--neither harrowing or scientific, they're vaguely satirical but without cutting witticism, making them instead simply bland. These uninspiring short stories drag down the overall quality of the book.

Some of the other stories, however, and the framing of the Illustrated Man, are simply brilliant. For me, these include The Veldt, The Man, The Long Rain, The Rocket Man, and Zero Hour, and make up about half of the stories in the book. They range from incredible concepts to haunting ideas to wistful, more personal stories, and are all written in Bradbury's clear, precise, honest prose.

I recommend The Illustrated Man on the basis of these outstanding stories. As a whole, the collection is a bit wanting, but taken individually, there are definitely some stories worth reading. Fans of Bradbury's writing will especially enjoy this book, and the short-story format makes it accessible to all readers. And when it is good--it is very, very good.

Hardcore Bradbury Fans Only.......2007-08-12

If you are not a die-hard Bradbury fan do not waste your time with this book. It is pretty much a campy (ie. rockets, space, mars, etc.) collection of space stories. There are a few stories here with interesting views and/or concepts, but for the most part it's a poorly written, redundant, and slow paced book.

If you are going to read Bradbury for the first time or are new to his writing I would recommend "Fahrenheit 451".

Fun reading and good story-telling.......2007-06-05

Bradbury is a good story teller, though a lot more compelling in a earlier time when one is young. Some of the stories are first rate because they deal with the timeless themes of human nature. The Veldt (the first story in the collection) is the best in the book and I was moved as well by "The Rocket Man", a story about grief and loss beautiful in its simplicity. Also, the device of the Illustrated Man still works on a second read and is a stroke of inspiration.

Some of the stories are not good literature from a writing or character development perspective, but are extremely clever and fun -- neat ideas that would make (or have made) great Twilight Zone stories. My favorite is the time traveler story.

One story (No Particular Night or Morning) is deeply philosophical in nature. The character portrayal is not convincing but the philocophical idea of space travelers who are compelled to question their own existence is about as good and interesting an exposition of a philsophical issue as you'll ever find.

Many stories are clunkers, I'm afraid -- the situations are usually interesting but the characters are wooden and not believable.

Also fascinating is how science ficition ages with time. The vision of the future tells us more about the past than anything else. No one seems to have foreseen cell phones, the internet, and the communications/information revolution (although Arthur C. Clarke in Childhood's End comes close). You can harldy fault Bradbury for this, but it's interesting how the futurists simply extrapolate their current world into the future -- i.e., brute machines are the rage in 1950, so they imagine even better, more brutish machines in the future.

For all his limitations as a writer, Bradbury has written some classic stories that I would include in a literary anthology for this period. I therefore recommend that you read or re-read this book.

solid.......2007-03-16

Very diverse feel here, some scifi, some general fiction and fantasy. The stories are evenly well done.

Average customer rating:

Will ignite you and not let you go!!!
read it!

Fire and Rain
Diane Chamberlain
Manufacturer: HarperTorch
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Romance | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 006109272X

Customer Reviews:

Will ignite you and not let you go!!!.......2002-04-07

I picked up Fire and Rain at my local library, as amazon.com indicated that this was an out of print book. If you are a Diane Chamberlain fan, as I am, and if you have not read this book, I strongly recommend that you do! You will not be disappointed! Chamberlain has provided yet, another suspenseful, romantic, cannot-put-down tale, which leaves her readers in suspense until the very end! The book draws you in, immerses you into the lives of all of the characters, and you feel so very much part of the entire scenario. Chamberlain has the talent of awakening the reader's senses and making them fully present. One feels like they are really in the town of Valle Rosa.

Jeff Cabrio arrives in Valle Rosa with the promise of being able to bring the much needed rains and to stop the fires from destroying the homes and eventually the entire town. Carmen Perez, the ex-wife of the mayor, is desperately trying to revitalize her dying journalistic career and thinks that by doing an expose on Jeff Cabrio is the only way to do it as well as this being her last chance to prove herself. But in the investigation of Cabrio, Perez is confronted with the ghosts of her past and knows that she can no longer run from her past pains and problems and must, indeed confront and deal with the demons. Mia Tanner has her own secrets, which she desperately wants to hide from Jeff Cabrio, but realizes as she is falling in love with him, that they cannot stay hidden any longer either. Jeff Cabrio does indeed have a most painful past, and has done everything possible to run and hide from this past, as well as his identity. But will his love for Mia allow him to reveal the truth even to her and do what he must do, to finally have peace in his life? Meanwhile, the pressure is on Cabrio to bring forth the rain he has promised to save the village. With the media constantly keeping the pressure on him, Cabrio is not dealing with much more pressure than he ever dreamed of.

The suspense will keep the reader guessing on how all the pieces will come together and who will do what and when!!! This book is classic Chamberlain where the unexpected does indeed happen!! The suspense is wound around several of the character's painful pasts, allowing love in to heal them and putting the past behind once and for all, and looking toward the future.

I highly recommend this book and for this reviewer - she stayed up until 4 in the morning until she finished the book!!! Absolutely loved this book! One of Chamberlain's best yet!

read it!.......2000-01-25

_Fire and Rain_ is one of my favorite books of all time. Ms. Chamberlain draws vivid, believable, sympathetic characters and places them in an enthralling plot. You will fall in love with this book.

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