Book Description
Lance Armstrong's War is the extraordinary story of greatness pushed to its limits, a vivid, behind-the-scenes portrait of Armstrong—perhaps the most accomplished athlete of our time—as he faces his biggest test: a historic sixth straight victory in the Tour de France, the toughest sporting event on the planet.
Made newly vulnerable by age, fate, fame, doping allegations, and an unprecedented army of challengers, Armstrong fights on all fronts to do what he does like no one else: exert his will to win. That will, which has famously lifted him beyond his humble Texas roots, beyond cancer, and to unparalleled heights of success, is revealed by acclaimed journalist Daniel Coyle in new and startling dimensions.
We see how Armstrong rebuilds after his near-loss in the 2003 Tour, discovering new strategies to cope with his aging body. How he fills the holes in his life after his painful divorce from his wife, Kristin, and the ensuing time apart from his three young children. How he manages the exceedingly difficult trick of being Lance Armstrong—a combination of world-class athlete, celebrity, regular guy, and, for many Americans, secular saint.
But a saint's life it's not. To function at his peak, Armstrong requires what his friends artfully call "stimulus"—and if it's lacking, he won't hesitate to create some. We see Armstrong operating at the turbulent center of a fast-orbiting cast of swaggering Belgian tough guys, controversial Italian sports doctors, piranha-toothed lawyers, and jittery corporations, not to mention a certain female rock star. We see the subtle mind games he plays with himself and with rivals Tyler Hamilton, Jan Ullrich, and Iban Mayo. We see him through the eyes of his teammates, competitors, and friends, and explore his powerful relationship with his mother, Linda. We see what happens three weeks before the Tour, when he's faced with a double challenge: a blowout defeat in an important race and the release of a controversial book seeking to link him to performance-enhancing drugs. And finally we see it all culminate in the Tour de France, where Armstrong will rise to new and unexpected levels of domination.
Along the way, Lance Armstrong's War journeys through the little-known landscape of professional bike racing, a Darwinian world of unsurpassed beauty and brutality, a world teeming with underdogs, gurus, groupies, and wholly original characters, where athletes do not so much choose the sport as the sport chooses them.
Over the season, Armstrong and these characters collide in raw and sometimes violent theater. From the first training camps to the triumphal ride into Paris, Lance Armstrong's War provides a hugely insightful look into the often-inspiring, always surprising core of this remarkable man and the world that shapes him.
Download Description
"
Lance Armstrong's War is the extraordinary story of greatness pushed to its limits, a vivid, behind-the-scenes portrait of Armstrong -- perhaps the most accomplished athlete of our time -- as he faces his biggest test: a historic sixth straight victory in the Tour de France, the toughest sporting event on the planet.
Made newly vulnerable by age, fate, fame, doping allegations, and an unprecedented army of challengers, Armstrong fights on all fronts to do what he does like no one else: exert his will to win. That will, which has famously lifted him beyond his humble Texas roots, beyond cancer, and to unparalleled heights of success, is revealed by acclaimed journalist
Daniel Coyle in new and startling dimensions.
We see how Armstrong rebuilds after his near-loss in the 2003 Tour, discovering new strategies to cope with his aging body. How he fills the holes in his life after his painful divorce from his wife, Kristin, and the ensuing time apart from his three young children. How he manages the exceedingly difficult trick of being Lance Armstrong -- a combination of world-class athlete, celebrity, regular guy, and, for many Americans, secular saint.
But a saint's life it's not. To function at his peak, Armstrong requires what his friends artfully call ""stimulus"" -- and if it's lacking, he won't hesitate to create some. We see Armstrong operating at the turbulent center of a fast-orbiting cast of swaggering Belgian tough guys, controversial Italian sports doctors, piranha-toothed lawyers, and jittery corporations, not to mention a certain female rock star. We see the subtle mind games he plays with himself and with rivals Tyler Hamilton, Jan Ullrich, and Iban Mayo. We see him through the eyes of his teammates, competitors, and friends, and explore his powerful relationship with his mother, Linda. We see what happens three weeks before the Tour, when he's faced with a double challenge: a blowout defeat in an important race and the release of a controversial book seeking to link him to performance-enhancing drugs. And finally we see it all culminate in the Tour de France, where Armstrong will rise to new and unexpected levels of domination.
Along the way,
Lance Armstrong's War journeys through the little-known landscape of professional bike racing, a Darwinian world of unsurpassed beauty and brutality, a world teeming with underdogs, gurus, groupies, and wholly original characters, where athletes do not so much choose the sport as the sport chooses them.
Over the season, Armstrong and these characters collide in raw and sometimes violent theater. From the first training camps to the triumphal ride into Paris,
Lance Armstrong's War provides a hugely insightful look into the often-inspiring, always surprising core of this remarkable man and the world that shapes him.
"
Customer Reviews:
After "BIKE" Read "WAR"! See Inside & Out!.......2007-09-25
I had just finished "It's Not About The Bike" when my wife -- a keen cyclist -- turned to me and said, "That's only half the story." She handed me "Lance Armstrong's War." "Here's the other half of the story."
You know a good book when you should be doing other things and... you can't put the book down. Bills don't get paid. E-mails don't get answered. You spend too long in the bathroom. "WAR" is one of those books.
Naturally you need to have some passing fascination with the world of professional cycling. For me it was watching the Tour de France and wanting to know more about how it all worked. Daniel Coyle will lead any interested reader into a fascinating world...
An opera needs to be written about the Tour. The melodrama. The characters. The morality plays. The blood. The guts. The insanity. The money. The doping. The journey. The jeering crowds. The test. The human spirit. Victory and loss. It's all there, a nice thick juicy slice of Life! And a huge bite or two of that slice is in WAR.
On the cover of my copy Sports Illustrated has described WAS as a "literary tour de force." A bit of a snob when it comes to writing I noted to myself, (a) What would Sports Illustrated know about literature? and (b) Daniel Coyle's a SPORTS writer for God's sake!
And... the writing is wonderful. Great character sketches. You'll get all the ins and outs of race strategy, sponsorships, training. You'll see France. You'll get a great glimpse of what Bob (Bobke) Rolls calls Eurotrash. You'll love the wry humor and jaundiced eye. Just wait until you meet the Lance hangers-on, "The Dudes" and "The Bros." Be prepared to LOL.
So if you're at all curious about this fascinating world -- but, like me, are either too old or too wise not to join it (!) -- WAR is Highly Recommended. You're in for a good read.
Dr. Kirtland C Peterson
A Different Side of the Story?.......2007-09-15
I was expecting this to be another story TOLD by Lance, but it was not. I found this to be a more refreshing view on Lance and the Doping Scandles that encircled his Tour De France days.
No matter what my opinion is on Lance and the doping, I found this to be a great read. I learned about some of the "players" in the Cycling media community that are attacking lance's position and character (justified or not), and how the Team operates around the Cycling legend.
Superb Sports writing!.......2007-08-17
This book is one of the finest examples of sports journalism that you're likely to encounter. In some important ways, Lance Armstrong and professional bike racing are almost irrelevant to the reaction this book provokes; the writing is so good that it is almost the "star" of the book.
This is because the author did two things that many-- probably most-- sportswriters don't do: First, he immersed himself in his subject, actually moving his family to the Spanish city where Armstrong and a number of other racers train. While he was there, he became part of the bike racing scene. The result is unprecedented insider access. He interviewed and came to really know dozens of people, not all of whom admire Armstrong. Second, he avoided the two worst afflictions of most modern sports writing, the urge to deify the athletes and the contrary urge to drag them into the gutter.
Bike racing as a sport and many of the bike racers themselves are indeed open to criticism; after all, the current flap over doping at the Tour de France is actually pretty minor compared to the rampant cheating in past races. (My favorite incident of cheating: The Tour's first winner was disqualified the following year for hopping a train to take a shortcut during a stage.) However, Coyle resists the temptation to paint the entire sport and all of the athletes with a black brush. They are humans who do human things, both good and bad, and that's how Coyle sees them.
Of course, some of the things they do seem superhuman. These skinny men consume the caloric equivalent of three complete Thanksgiving dinners every day of the Tour de France. They ride for miles and miles, churning out four or five times the power a typical person could produce. They train in horrible conditions, isolated from their families, for months. They suffer fractures, muscle tears, and horrible road burns, then get back on their bikes for more racing. And the vast majority of them do all of this in near-complete anonymity; stars like Armstrong are very rare.
The book contains a HUGE amount of information about bike racing equipment, strategies, and team organization and financing. It also offers deep insight into many of the sport's stars, particularly Armstrong. There's an "I didn't know that!" moment on nearly every page, and reading it is literally an education in an activity that is wildly popular in Europe, but mysterious to most Americans. However, all of that information is woven into a fast-paced, page-turner of a story.
If you are looking for an expose that demolishes Armstrong or bike racing, this isn't it. If you're looking for a book that promotes the "Saint Lance" legend, this isn't it either. This is careful sports journalism at its finest. And it is superb writing that will fascinate you as you are reading and give you a lot to think about after you are done.
Peek inside the world of our sport's greatest legend.......2007-07-10
What a great book this is. After devouring it as quickly as I could, I'm reading it again to savor each morsel. I feel as though I've actually developed a relationship with the great Lance Armstrong--as though I have been granted access to his greatness at a deeper level. What makes this guy tick? Why is he the greatest cyclist the world has ever known? Read this book and you'll be about as close as you can get to the answer. Unless you're lucky enough to actually know him, this may be the next best thing.
Review of Lance Armstrong's War.......2007-06-19
I gave this book five starts because I could think of no reason not to do so. The book is non-fiction. It was very well written and accomplished what is set out to do.
If you are not a Lance Armstrong fan or a fan of professional cycling then this book will probably bore you. If you are looking for a book about the life of Lance with intimate details of his personal life, his family, etc. then you may want to read his other book IT'S NOT ABOUT THE BIKE. This book is a behind the scenes look at the Tour de France and professional cycling in general. The book discusses the scientific methods of training, drug testing and many other interesting things that go on in the sport. The book also gives information about the lives of other notable professional cyclists such as Jan Ullrich, Tyler Hamilton and Floyd Landis just to name a few.
Some quick advice before you start reading the book: read the section in the back of the book entitled "notes on the sport" first. Especially if you are not a fan or not familiar with professional cycling. This section will give you a better understanding of the terminology used throughout the book.
A word of caution if you are a parent and trying to decide if you child should read this book or not: This book contains a moderate about of profanity. So keep this in consideration.
Average customer rating:
- Unexpected Read
- Wow.
- Courtesy of Teens Read Too
- A book of shock
- Not for kids, but a GREAT book!
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Road Of The Dead (Push Fiction)
Kevin Brooks
Manufacturer: Push
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 043978624X |
Book Description
On a storm-ravaged night, a 19-year-old girl is kidnapped, raped, and killed. Three days later, her two younger brothers set out in search of her murderer. Cole, 17, is a dark-eyed devil who doesn't care if he lives or dies, while Ruben, 14, is a strange child who sometimes, inexplicably, experiences sensations above and beyond his own. This is the story of the boys' journey from their half-gypsy home on a London junk lot to the ghostly moors of Devon, where they hope and fear to find the truth about their sister's death. It's a long road, cold and hard and violent. It's THE ROAD OF THE DEAD.
Customer Reviews:
Unexpected Read.......2007-08-26
I absolutely love this book!
When I first started reading this book I must say it was hard to actually continue, not because it was violent or anything, but maybe a tad to slow. When I got over that hump however it was brilliant. Each character is 3 demensional and real. You hate the villians and you love the heroes. What can I say? It's a great read that includes a little bit of romance, finding oneself and mystery.
Wow........2007-07-10
Kevin Brooks, The Road of the Dead (The Chicken House, 2006)
I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting The Road of the Dead to be. Horror novel, maybe. Typical YA coming-of-age tale written well enough to have garnered the attention of critics I trust. Something like that. For some reason, even after reading the jacket copy, what I was not expecting, in any way, was what I believe is the first hardboiled YA mystery novel I've ever read. Being as it's the first, it would be kind of silly for me to also say it's the best. That said, I'm having something of a hard time imagining one better.
The story focuses on Ruben and Cole, two brothers whose sister Rachel has just been killed. Their mother wants the police to release Rachel's body for burial; the police won't do so until her killer is identified. Cole decides to investigate for himself. Ruben tags along, unwanted but valuable; Ruben, it seems, has a sort of low-level ESP that we learn of when it allows him to be with Rachel as she's being murdered. Ugly stuff, that. In any case, the two of them get to the town where she was found--an insular, rural place that will be instantly recognizable to anyone who's seen the movie Deliverance--and find out relatively quickly they're not wanted. Cole, being the belligerent sort, doesn't care. That's when things start getting interesting.
If you've read a few hardboiled mysteries, you should know what to expect. There's a good deal of fighting, a lot of tough-guy speak, that sort of thing. Brooks writes it all wonderfully, with an excellent sense of pace and interesting characters. It may take a while to grab you, but once it does, it won't let go. ****
Courtesy of Teens Read Too.......2007-03-08
Ruben knew exactly when it happened. He was sitting in the backseat of an old Mercedes in his family's salvage yard when the feeling came over him. Ruben often left his own body and could attach himself to others. He could sense their thoughts and emotions. This is what happened when he felt his sister, Rachel, get attacked and murdered. He knew exactly the moment Rachel's life was taken from her.
Even though he knew it had happened and knew that the Dead Man killed her, Ruben didn't say anything to his family. He hoped he might be wrong. He realized he wasn't when the police contacted the family. The details were simple: Rachel, nineteen years old, was visiting an old school friend in the small village of Lychcombe on Dartmoor. After her visit was over, she left and made her way toward London to return home, but never made it. Her body was found the following morning, strangled, raped, and battered.
The most important thing to the family was to get her back. They wanted to bury her and put her to rest. After a trip to the police station to find out how long her body would be held, the family found out that the police would keep her until the case was closed; meaning the murderer had to be caught. The problem with that was, Ruben knew the murderer was already dead and buried and the case wouldn't be solved anytime soon.
Ruben's older brother, Cole, wasn't going to sit around and wait. He planned to go to the village to find out what happened himself and he planned to go alone. He didn't want his younger brother going along to worry about. Ruben knew what Cole was thinking, though, and his mother wanted him to go along to make sure Cole didn't get himself hurt. Cole's temper tended to get him in trouble. He took after his gypsy, bare-knuckle fighter father who was sentenced to a prison term for killing someone.
Even though their mother was worried about Ruben and Cole going away to look into the murder, no one could foresee the trouble in store for them once they started digging into Rachel's murder. As soon as they arrived in the village they knew they weren't welcome. Secrets were everywhere and no one wanted them to be dug up. Secrets that involved the entire village. Secrets that would lead them to pain, torture, death, and eventually the truth.
Kevin Brooks doesn't let us down. He has provided another heart-pounding, deeply emotional story with strong characters. THE ROAD OF THE DEAD is a great place to start if you haven't read any other books by this creative and unique author.
Reviewed by: Karin Perry
A book of shock.......2006-10-29
This book was one of my favourites involving two younger boys in their teens and their murdered sister Rachel which they loved so much.
While their mother is still worried and scared at home thinking about her husband (a gypsy) arrested for beating up and killing another guilty man her two older boys set out to find out how Rachel was killed( a huge mystory)
They find themselves were she was (a small small town) and start investigating.
This book is well described and full of scary adventures leading to danger and possibly death. the adventure is nicely tied in with gohstly tales and chills. It was so interesting and you could never predict what was next.
You can relate to the charactors or atleast understand them.
I cant get over how well it's described and written.
Once you get to the end of the book you will never beleive what happens next.
You find out more about Cole and Ruben's tough family , their friends , their enemies , Why Rachel and how Rachel was murdered , and how it ends up for Cole and Ruben.
At times it was a little gross but not in a disturbing or sexual way. it was just told so talently that you could picture yourself being right there at the scene of the crime.
But, one of the coolest parts of the story that makes you apreciate and understand The charactors so much is their relationship with Rachels and Ruben's Speciol Power.
Buy It, Read it, Finish it!
Not for kids, but a GREAT book!.......2006-08-29
The graphic details of torture and fighting, the acceptance of revenge and violence - these things stop it from being a book appropriate for young men. Any child (aged 11-16) who reads this book would get the impression that revenge and violence are perfectly acceptable ways of dealing with tragedy.
The books itself was awesome! I was hooked from the first page and finished it quickly. At the end I was left wanting to know what else happened, which I do believe makes any book a good one. Kevin Brooks writes with such detail you feel as if you're right in the book with Cole, Ruben, Rachel and the other characters.
More than worth your while, however if you're thinking of this as suggested reading for the YA set, think again.
Book Description
The Christian life isn't always a walk in the park. Children of Christian parents do die. Christian businessmen do lose their jobs. And husbands of Christian wives do cheat. Being a Christian doesn't protect you from the tough punches life throws.
Taking fourteen strategies from the biblical account of the Israelite journey,
Walking with God on the Road You Never Wanted to Travel offers real hope to those on an unexpected, difficult journey. For forty years the Israelites wandered through a devastating wilderness, suffering many losses, and yet learning some timeless lessons. These lessons, presented here as strategies for modern believers, are simply stated, clearly explained, and beautifully illustrated with dramatic and inspiring stories.
Customer Reviews:
Somewhat Helpful.......2007-08-31
The name of this book is misleading. The title leaves the impression that this book will present deep insights into the mind of God on the topic of God and human suffering, when in fact, that is not the subject at all.
The title of this book should be "How to Walk with God on the Road You Never Wanted to Travel". Mark Atteberry makes it VERY plain and clear at the beginning that this is a HOW TO book, only, and not a book that seeks to answer the WHY questions.
The exodus of the Israelites out of the land of ancient Egypt is both the backdrop and the main source of Atteberry's material, which he uses to demonstrate the lessons he wishes to teach. Each chapter contains a mix of biblical scriptures along with his experiences as a pastor/counselor. His biblical discussions were much more helpful to me than his personal experience stories.
One of the important things this book drove home in my mind, is that a lifetime walk with God is a guaranteed certainty that the journey will be on a route no one would ever deliberately choose. Be careful what you ask for.....you just may get it!
On the other hand, it is an irritating turn-off that Atteberry uses the "Devil's gonna get you" mentality throughout his book. Living in fear of Satan is not a basis for righteous living. It is more important to live a life motivated by the love of God.
Words of Healing for the Wounded.......2006-12-18
After reading this book, I knew I must pass it on to others in the Body of Christ who have been deeply wounded and to recommend it to others. From wounds inflicted by unwanted divorce; a child in prison; disappointment in how life has brought sorrow; wherever the path of life took them and they never meant to go -- without exception, each person I passed this book on to has these words "Praise God for Mark Atteberry and this book!" Some have even stated that if this book had been in their hands earlier, they would have been saved some of the anguish they went through.
Great read for those with physical trials.......2006-06-30
I purchased this book for myself and subsequently for two others who had an incurable disease. It is Bible based, uplifting and a rewarding read. I will read it again and again!
I have walked on this road.......2006-04-11
I have used this book to assist my church ministry in divorce care and in my own walk down the road. It is sound from a biblical perspective and filled with common sense solutions. If you find yourself lost, wandering in the wilderness, grab thus survival guide.It works.
For those of you who are hard road travelers.......2006-02-17
I was so impressed with this book that I went online and bought nine copies to give to friends and family. It is appropriate for anyone dealing with loss. Loss of a spouse, a child or dealing with divorce. I read it in one day. I started on a Saturday morning and could not put it down til late that evening. This is a great book to help deal with pain in life.
Amazon.com
In New Iberia, Louisiana, memories are long and dangerous, and the past and present are seldom easy to untangle. Homicide investigator Dave Robicheaux is trying to help Letty Labiche, a New Iberia girl on death row for killing the man who molested her and her sister as children, when chance brings him to Zipper Clum, a pimp and pornographer who recognizes Robicheaux secondhand through a 30-year haze:
"Robicheaux, your mama's name was Mae.... Wait, it was Guillory before she married. That was the name she went by ... Mae Guillory. But she was your mama," he said.
"What?" I said.
He wet his lips uncertainly.
"She dealt cards and still hooked a little bit. Behind a club in Lafourche Parish. This was maybe 1966 or '67," he said.
Clete's eyes were fixed on my face. "You're in a dangerous area, sperm breath," he said to Zipper.
"They held her down in a mud puddle. They drowned her," Zipper said.
To Robicheaux, whose memories of the fun-loving Mae are few and bittersweet, the news comes like a bolt of lightning. Though she abandoned him to the uncertain mercies of a violent, alcoholic father, he loved her, and his desire to find her killers--cops in the pay of the Giacano crime family, according to Clum--is instantaneous and deeply felt. Unfortunately, Zipper Clum meets the wrong end of a .25 automatic soon after his electrifying announcement, but his conversation with his killer is recorded--and Mae Guillory's name comes up again.
The winding trail of evidence connected to both Letty Labiche and Mae Guillory leads Robicheaux almost immediately to Jim Gable, the New Orleans Police Department's liaison with city hall, whose position has afforded him a number of less-than-legal advantages. Gable also happens to be an ex-lover of Robicheaux's wife, Bootsie--formerly the widow of Ralph Giacano. From there the web of connections grows ever wider, and (not surprisingly) incriminates those in high places. These include the state attorney general, a woman who, if photographic evidence is to be trusted, was once friendly with the Labiches' parents, who were known procurers.
But if Purple Cane Road has its share of corrupt powermongers, it's also filled with beautifully rounded characters, like piano-playing governor Belmont Pugh and hit man Johnny Remeta, whose personality slowly begins to unravel as he gets closer to Robicheaux's daughter. The plot converges seamlessly to its climax--the true story of what happened to Mae Robicheaux--as James Lee Burke's trademark of uncompromising justice is brought to fruition. Like Burke's other Robicheaux novels, Purple Cane Road offers a solidly satisfying piece in the picture of a complex hero. --Barrie Trinkle
Book Description
Dave Robicheaux has spent his life confronting the age-old adage that the sins of the father pass onto the son. But what has his mother's legacy left him? Dead to him since youth, Mae Guillory has been shuttered away in the deep recesses of Dave's mind. He's lived with the fact that he would never really know what happened to the woman who left him to the devices of his whiskey-driven father. But deep down, he still feels the loss of his mother and knows the infinite series of disappointments in her life could not have come to a good end.
While helping out an old friend, Dave is stunned when a pimp looks at him sideways and asks him if he is Mae Guillory's boy, the whore a bunch of cops murdered 30 years ago. The pimp goes on to insinuate that the cops who dumped her body in the bayou were on the take and continue to thrive in the New Orleans area.
Dave's search for his mother's killers leads him to the darker places in his past and solving this case teaches him what it means to be his mother's son. PURPLE CANE ROAD has the dimensions of a classic-passion, murder, and nearly heartbreaking poignancy-wrapped in a wonderfully executed plot that surpises from start to finish.
Customer Reviews:
deadly memory.......2007-07-10
I thoroughly enjoy the characters created by James lee Burke in the novel 'Purple Cane Road." These are people I'd like to know or avoid. I like stories of revenge and retribution, and this one is a winner.
I especially like the main character 'Dave Robicheaux." Without a doubt he's the most compelling character today in this genre of novels. I would recommend this novel to anyone who wants a good quick read. I don't think anyone will be disappointed.
One of his best? Maybe........2007-07-03
Many reviewers, both professional and non-professional, say this one is his best. I don't know about that. I've read three of Burke's books, and this one is easily my favorite. But I'll be reading many more of his, and my expectations are high.
I would not recommend this book to every reader. If a reader doesn't relish in violent fiction, please don't read this. You've been warned. But if readers enjoy taking a trip on the dark side once in a while, and they want to see how an author can beautifully describe it without glorifying it, this book is the one to read..
The characters are deep and very unique. Burke has flipped every stereotype around. Victims of molestations become murderers to be executed; criminals have pasts that force the reader to sympathize for them. Cops are evil; prostitutes are gentle and kind. The women in the story are complex and mysterious. Even the heroes in the book are people that one would have to think twice about before inviting them to dinner. This is not the typical "guy in white hat saves damsel in distress" sort of crime fiction.
James Lee Burke wrote a book that is beautiful, disgusting, eloquent, and full of vulgarity...all at the same time. His descriptions of landscapes, storms, and color are so good that he seems to have figured out a way to create watercolor paintings with the written word.
Never Let Anyone "Dis" You' Momma.......2007-04-26
Once again, James Lee Burke, has put together a superb story and carried well from beginning to an end that could only be made plausible by JBL himself. He write like the wind in the trees, he. For me one of the most satisfying parts of his novels is the documentation of a culture that is slowly being subsumes by all that is encroaching around it. Up to now (this book was written in 2000/2001) he hasn't addressed the destruction of New Orleans and the effect on the Bayou Country, but I know it's coming and look forward to what he has to say.
The story itself allows him to dig further into his relationship with Bootsie and his daughter Alafair (don't call me by that stupid name ALF). Bootsie has had hard luck with the two men she was married to before Dave and it comes back to bite both of them in this story. Alafair, who has become a 'very' attractive young woman, is starting to exert her own pull on Dave's world.
The regulars are all here: Batist is only here ceremonially and is used as a device; Clete once again represents the beast inside of Dave, and is at his most uncontrolled and violent drunken rages; Helen is becoming the crusader as she tries to keep both herself and Dave from coming apart at the seams; and the Sheriff who tells Dave he wants him to replace him when he retires, shows a lot more gumpshin' and understanding than he has at anytime before.
The book characters are interesting, especially the an- pro- tagonist Jimmy who is an intellectual style psychotic (he reminds me of a earlier killer in one of JLBs books) who tries to have a good heart. The twins, Letty and Passion, allow us to explore the deeper side of the effects of poverty on blacks in Southern Louisiana. The crooked cops from New Orleans PD, are stock characters right out of a bad police procedural but seem to attest to what everyone says about the NOPD. The governor's character seems to be someone who forgot that Huey died years ago and that no one cares or finds his type especially poignant anymore.
All in all a good read.
Read, Read, Read.......2007-04-10
The Dave Robicheaux series is outstanding. Remember to read them in sequential order, or, if you do audiobook, get UNabridged. See my review of Crusader's Cross for my general view. It really doesn't much matter which individual book you read - it will be good - but sequential is really important. Although each book stands alone well, it will add a lot to have a thread of a saga.
A crush on Dave Robicheaux.......2006-08-30
God help me, it has become an addiction, these David Robicheaux stories. I've long had a weakness for the crime genre, including film noir, Sopranos, Law & Order. This includes some crime fiction, but only a few series have grabbed me: Inspector Morse, Adam Dalgleish, etc. James Lee Burke gets uncomfortably graphic in his rendering of violence, but then there is a music in his writing, a poet's eye to rich detail that grabs me and won't let go. The writerly craft is strong here, and I am only grateful that the list of titles in this series is long!
Average customer rating:
- An unbelievably close look at a child's feelings
- Powerful words
- An excellent read!!
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Help Is On Its Way: A True Story
Jenna Forrest
Manufacturer: BookSurge Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Memoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Motivational | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0979229812
Release Date: 2007-03-20 |
Book Description
Help Is On Its Way is a vivid, nostalgic, and shockingly earnest expose of how one little girl lives day-to-day with overloaded senses and mounting social anxiety. Jenna's heart-wrenching innocence brings each page to life, offering a refreshingly pure perspective on death, divorce, dysfunction and disaster. Remarkable revelations keep this maturing girl functioning in society, but will her faith keep her strong enough to overcome overwhelming odds? Hang on for the ride and hope hard. It might be the only promise that help is on its way.
Customer Reviews:
An unbelievably close look at a child's feelings.......2007-06-23
In this book, Jenna Forrest has really captured a child's view of life in a way that brings us, as adults, back to our own childhood feelings and memories with a clarity most of us have likely lost.
As a parent, it is refreshing to realize how our own children may perceive things that to adults may seem ordinary or important. I hope to take this perspective into my daily interactions with understanding my own children.
A true story, Forrest bravely bares her soul in a memoir that is sure to touch every reader. There were many inspirational messages throughout the book, discovered by Forrest as she matured. My favorite being one that we all can and should bring to our own adult lives... "Being closer to people. I think that's what freedom really is... Realizing with relief that you are at last ready to show people your eyes instead of your back." I think it takes great courage to do this and I know I strive each day to live in just that way.
A fantastic read. Great front cover, but I don't think the description on the back cover does justice to the depth of the story.
Get it. Read it. It was great.
Powerful words.......2007-06-06
This commanding true narrative leaves you hanging onto every word. The author's writing style creates powerful images for the reader, as if you are struggling right along side this young girl.
An excellent read!!.......2007-06-06
I thought this was a great book. So many times, it's so easy to remember childhood as an easy time when all anyone had to do was play and had no responsibilities. Often we forget that childhood is actually a
very tough, confusing time for anyone, especially a deeply emotional and sensitive kid like Jenna. In the book, Jenna Forrest vividly explores the fears, love, anxiety, and wonder of childhood not through the filter of an adult looking back, but through the wide-open eyes of a child. And she nails it. The sights and smells of the world of a child are so real and tangible you feel like you're really living in Jenna's skin. I recommend this book for anyone who was ever a child (and to anyone who ever wants to be a parent.) There are an amazing number of life lessons here, but the tone is never pandering or didactic. She just let's the world unfold and allows us an intimate peek into a time of life that most of us have boxed up and long forgotten.
Book Description
A guided tour of the major sights and features of fascinating Death Valley National Park. A 48 page guide with 50 color photos as well as 20 maps and drawings.
Customer Reviews:
Inexpensive and useful.......2007-08-01
We have used four of the Deckers' national park road guides so far and found them all to be worthwhile--especially at their low price. The guides help ensure that you don't miss the "must see" places. This is especially useful if you have to allocate your time carefully.
Useful Guide.......2007-01-26
I would recommend a guide to get the most from your Death Valley trip. We entered the park from the south, from Pahrump, where the traffic is lighter and the landscape quite fasinating. The guide was very useful and lead us to sites we might have bypassed.
Average customer rating:
- very good book, ESPECIALLY for the JFK limo chapter
- Out of Control !!!!
- Brilliant Cultural Analysis
- Good
- general thoughts
|
Car Crash Culture
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Vintage Car Wrecks: Motoring Mishaps 1950-1979
ASIN: 0312240384 |
Book Description
This book explores the grim underside of America's cult of the automobile and the frequently conspiratorial speculations that arise whenever people die in cars. Looking at fatal celebrity car accidents and other examples of death by automobile through personal memoir and forensic reports, cultural critics ponder people's fascination with car crashes. They explore car crash conspiracy theories, the automobile as a site of murder, car crash films, and the notion of the "accident." The book features original essays by such underground icons as Kenneth Anger and Adam Parfrey. Essays cover the deaths of Albert Camus, Jackson Pollock, James Dean, Jayne Mansfield, Princess Diana, Princess Grace, and Mary Jo Kopechine, amongst others.
Customer Reviews:
very good book, ESPECIALLY for the JFK limo chapter.......2005-12-27
I highly recommend this book for the chapter on JFK's fatal limousine authored by Pamela McElwain-Brown. The rest of the book is good but not great. See what you think.
Vince Palamara-JFK/ Secret Service expert (History Channel, author of two books, in over 30 other author's books, etc.)
Pittsburgh, PA
BEST JFK ASSASSINATION BOOK: ULTIMATE SACRIFICE
BEST JFK SECRET SERVICE BOOK: SURVIVOR'S GUILT BY YOURS TRULY :)
Out of Control !!!!.......2004-07-02
I love this book. It's interesting, scary, disturbing, weird, crazy, and fun. I agree that some of the chapters are heavy, especially the film section, but the others are amazing, the ones in the first section especially. The Kenneth Anger chapter is bitchy-hilarious! The intro is good, too, but my favorite chapter is the one about passengers who've been in accidents. One of the best books I bought this year. Recommended for everybody who drives a car.
Brilliant Cultural Analysis.......2004-01-30
This is a book that is an accessible read, but at the same time seriously engages issues of death, sex, and the fetishization of violence in American culture. An amazing array of top scholars in the field of film and cultural studies, including Kenneth Anger, contribute to this landmark anthology, which is truly the best single volume source on this important series of issues. Recommended for the general public, and also as a source for scholarly researchers. A brilliant anthology.
Good.......2002-09-20
A good book. Fun. Some parts better than others. Other reviews good at pointing of what's best and worst. Recommended.
general thoughts.......2002-06-05
I bought this book because of Julian Darius's essay, "Car Crash Crucifixion Culture", which I'd heard about online on message boards. I thought it was great, and that the book was good overall, though I agree that it was inconsistent.
Book Description
The epic Eberron
trilogy The Lost Mark continues!
The dark and mysterious world of
Eberron continues to expand through RPG products and novels. This is the sixth novel set in the
Eberron world.
Matt Forbeck has written and designed games for more than 14 years, for which he has garnered several awards. His most recent title for Wizards of the Coast, Inc. was Marked for Death, the kickoff novel for The Lost Mark trilogy.
Customer Reviews:
Builds on excitement of Book 1.......2007-01-17
I really enjoyed the first book of the trilogy, and this one didn't let me down. Building on the "chase" from the first book, Road to Death returns all the favorite characters and adds several more. It also continues to introduce readers to the peoples and places of Eberron and drops little tidbits of history that make me hope other countries and cultures are explored in future books.
Forbeck's style of ending most chapters with a cliff-hanger situation keeps me from putting the book down.
I recommend this very highly for anyone who enjoyed the first book in the trilogy and also for those who like Forgotten Realms or DragonLance novels.
Great follow up to book 1.......2006-03-22
The Road to Death is the second in the Lost Mark Trilogy written by Matt Forbeck, the first book is Marked for Death. It needs to be said that the reader needs to read Marked for Death before they attempt this book, or else several things will not mesh. People who regularly read my reviews (not sure how many there are) will remember that I gave the first book a less than stellar review. I still feel the review I gave the first book was well earned, however, this book I absolutely loved! I must say this is the first Eberron book that I have loved. I am eagerly looking forward to December of 2006 when The Queen of Death, the third book in this trilogy, will be released.
This book is both character driven and plot driven. The mix is almost perfect between the two. There is a strong plot element to this novel and one that seems to carry the characters along for the ride. This book fixes the plot problems that I saw with the first book. Mainly the repetitive nature of the plot in Espre getting kidnapped and lost over and over again. This book reveals a much broader brush in which the story is taking place. The motivations of some of the characters are beginning to come through. There is also a twist or two to make sure the reader is paying attention.. As with most books, there is an `end battle' in this one. However, it's not the typical hack `n slash battle which is over and done with. It's a `real' battle that takes time and cunning to survive. Well written.
The character development in this book explodes from the first one. In the first book the characters seemed one dimensional to me. In this book there was so much more about each of the main characters. In fact one of the main `bad guys' from the first book, Te'oma, Forbeck made me care about her, where as the firs book I could have cared less. My only thing about the characters is I would have liked to read a little more about Burch, but hopefully that comes to in the final book. The rest of the character development was stellar.
As I said before, I feel this is the best Eberron book I have red to date. Thus far I have had mixed reviews about the Eberron world, but this book makes me want to keep reading to find the gems that will surface.
I am not a role player in any sense of the imagination, and I think that may be one of the down sides to the Eberron novels. I don't care about gaming rules, stats, and all that. I care about being entertained when I read, that's exactly what this novel did. I would recommend this to people who are curious about the Eberron world and what the novels can bring to the table. Role players will certainly like this book. A definite must read for fantasy fans. Well done Mr. Forbeck!
A bit predictable.......2006-02-23
The book is a bit predictable. As the plot unfolded I could usually tell what was going to happen next. I find it more interesting as it unveils the world of Eberron and adds color to my D&D campaign. The Character Development for the core members is good. I find it a stretch for a few of the characters to be motivated to help the primary character.
The Hits Keep Coming.......2006-02-11
This brief reveiw was initially posted at Essential-Ebberon.com ...
I truly enjoyed the novel and believe that it demonstrates the evolution of Matt Forbeck's style and depth since the first in the series. Matt examines the internal conflicts that plague characters and this is particularly effective in his exploration of theology and the Machivellian issue that questions whether ends justifies the mean. There is a distinctly more sombre tone to The Road To Death, reflecting a shift in the writer's approach to the characters and to the pervasive, and often existential, themes in the campaign world.
Matt Forbeck and Don Bassingthwaite are the forerunners in this campaign novel series!
Surprisingly Satisfying Second Novel!.......2006-02-03
I say in the title of this review that the novel was surprising satisfying, but I should say that I was hoping, nay expecting, this to be a good book, and Matt Forbeck did not dissapoint.
I gave the first novel a 5 star rating, as one of the first Eberron books to come out it got me hooked on the setting. If I could I would give this novel 6 stars.
This book picks up immediately where the last one left off, and is pretty much action all the way. There is a nice part in the middle where everyone gets to come up for a breather, and then we are back into the thick of it again.
It is the last third of the book that did it for me though, with the introduction of an ancient Dwarven stronghold, being the lair of a rather nasty Dragon. Also the action really kicks into 6th gear, and gives you a powerful dramatic ending.
I think that the characters certainly developed more in this book, and Matt Forbeck wasn't restrained as much as he was in the first one (when he had to introduce us to a rather large cast).
The first book ended on quite a cliffhanger, whereas this one rounds off quite nicely, setting up the final novel in this series. The book does raise quite a few questions, which I will pondering over and will only be answered when the final novel, The Queen of Death, is released later this year!
I certainly hope that Matt goes onto to provide us with more wonderful characters outside of this trilogy, in the Eberron setting, as he has a solid grasp of the world.
Book Description
Fiction. "The Road to Tamazunchale is one of the first achieved works of Chicano consciousness and spirit"--Library Journal. Nominated for the National Book Award, this classic, first published in 1987, tells the story of Don Fausto, a very old man on the verge of death who lives in the barrio of Los Angeles. Rather than resigning himself to death, he embarks on a glorious journey in and out of time, space and consciousness with a cast of companions that includes his teenaged niece, a Peruvian shepherd, a group of mojados, and others. Arias is a prolific writer who has written for the New York Times and the Christian Science Monitor. He is currently a senior writer for People magazine.
Book Description
Few life experiences are more demanding than the loss of a spouse. While continuing to cope with grief, the surviving partner must also manage myriad financial details. This On the Road guide treats every fine point, from planning the funeral to claiming life insurance, retirement, and military benefits. Examples and timetables show readers how to develop a spending plan, settle an estate, and file estate tax returns. Here’s an invaluable tool that helps a surviving spouse get organized, cut through red tape, and assertively face the future.
Books:
- Lineman and Cableman's Handbook (Lineman's & Cableman's Handbook)
- Listening for the Heartbeat of God: A Celtic Spirituality
- Micah (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: Book 13)
- One River
- Passage to Dawn (Forgotten Realms: The Legend of Drizzt, Book X)
- Phantom: Chainfire Trilogy, Part 2 (Sword of Truth, Book 10)
- Phantom: Chainfire Trilogy, Part 2 (Sword of Truth, Book 10)
- Physik (Septimus Heap, Book 3)
- Pilgrim at Tinker Creek
- Postcards from Mars: The First Photographer on the Red Planet
Books Index
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