Good Night San Francisco (Good Night Our World series)

Book Description

Many of North America’s most beloved regions are artfully celebrated in these boardbooks designed to soothe children before bedtime while instilling an early appreciation for the continent’s natural and cultural wonders. Each book stars a multicultural group of people visiting the featured area’s attractions—such as the Rocky Mountains in Denver, the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, Lake Ontario in Toronto, and volcanoes in Hawaii. Rhythmic language guides children through the passage of both a single day and the four seasons while saluting the iconic aspects of each place.

Customer Reviews:

Solid Gold.......2007-09-21

This delightful little book is an excellent teaching tool for introducing young readers to the wonderful city of San Francisco, the Gem of the West Coast. Readers get to meet and greet sea lions, Fisherman's Wharf, Golden Gate Park and other delightful sites in the Golden City.

An ideal companion book is Good Night Boston (Good Night Our World series) because it is about the Gem of the East Coast and this one is about the Gem of the West Coast.

Great SF story- it's like a mini travel guide!.......2007-09-01

This is an engaging, yet simple board book that shows different scenes in the city throughout the day, starting with Good morning (sea lions, GG Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf, etc.) and moves onto Good Afternoon, Hello, Good Evening, and Good Night to some other scenes (kites, Cliff House, Seal Rocks, Golden Gate Park, children playing at the beach, submarine, historic ships, fishing boats, Palace of Fine Arts, Coit Tower, Pacific Ocean, city lights, and more). My kids (and 2 and 4) enjoy seeing the sites in the book of this city they know and love. The story asks questions through out that always prompt a response from my kids. When the book says good evening to "The Thinker" it asks, "What are you thinking about?" or at the Exploratorium, it asks, "Don't you love to discover how things work?" The books highlights some of the more popular attractions, but also includes lesser known attractions such as the Conservatory of Flowers, Stow Lake, Exploratorium, Aquarium and more. After many years of living in the city, I have never gone to many of those places, but this book is a great reminder of all the fun places to check out in the city with my kids.

Night+Day San Francisco (Pulse Guides Cool Cities Series)

Average customer rating:

Outstanding Guide
Really know their stuff
Don't come to San Francisco without this book!
The best of the best for SF

Night+Day San Francisco (Pulse Guides Cool Cities Series)
Julianne Balmain
Manufacturer: Pulse Guides
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

North America | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Night+Day New York (Pulse Guides Cool Cities Series)
Night+Day Los Angeles (Pulse Guides Cool Cities Series)
Night+Day Paris (Pulse Guides Cool Cities Series)
Night+Day Las Vegas (Pulse Guides Cool Cities Series)
Avant-Guide San Francisco: Insiders' Guide to Progressive Culture (Avant Guides)

ASIN: 0975902296

Book Description

This sleek guide emphasizes the details that busy and discerning travelers need to know: the very best venues and activities, the prime time to be in every spot, and packed with insider tips. Structured around styles (hot&cool, hip, classic) that make up San Francisco's unique character, the guide's easy-to-use format gives travelers a selection based on the city's array of personalities. With the most accurate information available in any guide, three 72-hour itineraries, insider hot tips and equal billing for both nighttime and daytime activities, Night+Day San Francisco is the quintessential guide to the city.

Customer Reviews:

Outstanding Guide.......2007-05-12

I found the guide to be outstanding. The segementation of cool, hip, and classic really differentiates the guide from others i have seen. We were able to mix our experience among the three different approaches. The 99 best of SF were also very helpful in enriching our experience. While we have been to SF before this guide opened our eyes to places and things we were unaware of. I recommend this guide as well as others in this series.

Really know their stuff.......2006-08-16

The writers of this guide clearly really know their stuff. I've lived in SF, and think of myself as someone who knows the city inside and out, but this book showed me stuff I've never found on my own. It's a lot of fun.

Don't come to San Francisco without this book!.......2006-06-20

This has been the best travel resource for our family. Guests arrive at our bay area home and are given this book before they even sit down. It is easy to use and doesn't require that you already have a knowledge of the area. The information is presented clearly and accurately and has made some of the more difficult decisions (due to time restraints) easier to make. In a city where everything is constantly changing, it is surprising how current the information is. We are sending copies to friends who are in the process of making plans to visit from Europe. We are confident that this resource will insure a great trip!

The best of the best for SF.......2006-06-14

This book contained everything I needed to know about what to do in San Francisco. It covered all types of entertainment for all types of people. And I mean diversity is key here. One of the best things SF has to offer is an cultural melting pot of juicy stuff...from the Day of the Dead to Gay Pride to the Junior League...this town has it and this book says it all! Amen brothers and sisters!

San Francisco Nights: The Psychedelic Music Trip, 1965-1968

Average customer rating:

Informative, but..
Says it all, says it best
Informative, yet lack of skill in writing.
Informative, yet lack of skill in writing.

San Francisco Nights: The Psychedelic Music Trip, 1965-1968
Gene Sculatti , and Davin Seay
Manufacturer: St Martins Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Customer Reviews:

Informative, but.........2006-03-14

Good look at the scene, some interesting remarks and trivia, but the section in the back that purports to be a psychedelic music buyer's guide is simply terrible. I mean, according to that part of the work, Santana is a horrible act, Cream are the most overrated band in history, The Doors were only good for the debut album, King Crimson is totally bad.. etc, etc...music is a subjective thing, true, but come on...

Says it all, says it best.......2003-01-14

For me, this is the most interesting book on the SF music scene. Sculatti (author of Catalog of Cool) was actually there, was a fan, and kept note of all the trivia (and very detailed scrapbooks). So unlike many who rely on published sources or artist interviews, he is a firsthand observer. But also unlike many, he's not an old hippy, and doesn't care about sticking to the 'big names' (to him, the Mystery Trend is as important as the Grateful Dead), so his critical perspective is all the more valuable. Besides all that, you get facts on the pre-hippie SF music history, which you won't find elsewhere. Naturally, this wonderful book is out of print

Informative, yet lack of skill in writing........2000-08-18

This book was pretty sufficient in that it gave quite an exploration of a wide variety of bands. Though the problem is that these authors are too cynical and too snooty to cover this in a full length book. When they are critical of a scene, they use big words but are then able to describe why.

Informative, yet lack of skill in writing........2000-08-18

Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin and Paco DeLucia - Friday Night in San Francisco (Piano-Guitar Series)

Average customer rating:

This is probably well-transcripted but...
Good musical transcription
The great acoustic guitar transcriptions

Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin and Paco DeLucia - Friday Night in San Francisco (Piano-Guitar Series)
Al Di Meola , John McLaughlin , and Paco Delucia
Manufacturer: Hal Leonard Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Songbooks | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Al Di Meola - A Guide To Chords, Scales and Arpeggios
Al Di Meola's Picking Techniques
Al Di Meola Solos
Friday Night in San Francisco
John McLaughlin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra (Mini Scores)

ASIN: 0793512468

Product Description

Artist Transcriptions 21st Century Publications This famous trio of acoustic guitarists is captured live in this matching folio to the Grammy Award-winning album from a live concert in San Francisco. The book contains full transcriptions of every tune including: Short Tales of the Black Forest Mediterranean Sundance/Rio Ancho Fantasia Suite and more. Fantasia Suite (Al Di Meola) Frevo Rasgado Guardian Angel Mediterranean Sundance/Rio Ancho Short Tales Black Forest

Customer Reviews:

This is probably well-transcripted but..........2004-10-22

What's the point? No one is good enough to play the ridiculous songs in this book!

Good musical transcription.......2000-07-28

If you are looking for a good musical transcription of Friday night in San Francisco concert played by Al di Meola, Paco de Lucia and John Mclaughlin this is the book for you. In general I think that it is a great book, specially for those who are really into that music. Although most of the guitarist might be disapointed because there are not any guitar tablatures written, so it is sometimes really hard to read the notes, specialy those 32'nd ones. The transcription is very thorough, has a three seperate parts for every player and also contains chord progressions (rythem accompinent). In the book you will find everything you need to play all the five songs as long you are able to.

The great acoustic guitar transcriptions.......2000-03-29

This book gives you a very pricise transcription of the famous "Friday Night in San Francisco" live show. It's incredible for almost any guitarist to have this book by hand, because, in my opinion, it is the most excellent acoustic session I've ever heard. One practical drawback is that there's no tabulature, but I think that it doesn't make any sense for a true professional. It's really great.

Eat This, San Francisco: Dives, Joints, All-Night Cafes, and Other Cheap Eats in the Bay Area

Average customer rating:

I don't trust him
Zero Stars
I Wish this Book had Been Released in 1995...
Making food an adventure
It's a Gas

Eat This, San Francisco: Dives, Joints, All-Night Cafes, and Other Cheap Eats in the Bay Area
Dan Leone
Manufacturer: Sasquatch Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Budget Travel | Specialty Travel | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
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The Chowhound's Guide to the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bizarro: A Guide to Notorious Sites, Lusty Pursuits, and Downright Freakiness in the City by the Bay
Secret San Francisco: The Unique Guidebook to San Fancisco's Hidden Sites, Sounds, & Tastes
The Underground Guide to San Francisco
Patricia Unterman's San Francisco Food Lover's Guide

ASIN: 157061184X

Amazon.com

You don't have to live in San Francisco or be visiting there. You don't even have to be hungry to pick up this book and laugh away your whole lunch hour. Heck, you could be on a food strike in Tallahassee, and you'd still find yourself cracking up and saying, "Now this is a book to hang onto for the next time I'm in a bad mood." There's a reason why Eat This, San Francisco is one of the most refreshing, hilarious books of the year, even though it's a collection of reviews about San Francisco restaurants where you can dine for under $10, an amusing thought in itself. That reason is author Dan Leone, the pen behind the engaging, if unusual, "Cheap Eats" column in the San Francisco Bay Guardian. The man understands food. He understands that it's either good, great, or blech--and that it comes in two prices: too pricey or darn affordable. Undoubtedly a child who "played" with his food, he sees in it potential for humor and how a meal, good or bad, is a magnet for stories. And you get plenty: tales about his car, his girlfriend Yatee-Yatee-Bing-Eh-Eh-Eh, his friends Haywire, Crawdad, Punk, and Punkess, even his fav Uncle Fatty. Occasionally reviews are more about the trip there, or the fellow diners, or what he was doing when a stranger yelled up a restaurant suggestion, but he ultimately serves up the goods. In an era when the culinary arts have risen to flavor alchemy and metaphor-happy food writers are nearly as important as chefs, Leone's flavors don't marry, his sauces don't embrace, and his favorite foods are ribs, calamari, and eggs. Dan Leone is a huge talent, disguised as a humble reviewer, and he could write a book about paper clips and make it a knee-slapper. You may not want to pull up a chair in one of his hallowed dives, but you will probably want to invite Dan Leone over to dinner. Even if you're on a food strike in Tallahassee. --Melissa Rossi

Book Description

Eat out, eat well, and eat often in the Bay Area without breaking the bank by following the footsteps of Dan Leone, the San Francisco Bay Guardians popular "Cheap Eats" columnist.

Its easy to find a decent herb-roasted quail served on a bed of organic greens that costs more than your weekly bus fare. But what about a perfect bowl of noodles, or a turkey dinner at midnight in July? And for under $7? Here are 200 places where you can eat like a trucker, if not a king, all for a pittance. Dan Leone will tell you if the hash browns are real, if the curry is hot, and if the ambience is fluorescent or candlelit. Thats why his "Cheap Eats" column in the San Francisco Bay Guardian is so popular. Here are eateries for anyone born with a stainless steel spoon in his or her mouth.

Customer Reviews:

I don't trust him.......2007-06-05

As soon as he said he was headed to Chevy's, but stumbled on the reviewed restaurant instead, I tossed the book away and haven't picked it up since. Anyone who would seek out Chevy's over one of the many other SF establishments is not to be trusted as a food authority.

Zero Stars.......2003-09-27

No food critic.

Just a potty mouth who finds cheap places that most folks won't like.

Leone's in-your-face-proud of-my ingornance-stance may amuse some readers.

I Wish this Book had Been Released in 1995..........2001-05-30

because then it would have been only half as annoying.

As a long-time resident of San Francisco, I read Dan Leone's "Cheap Eats" column regularly, so it was natural for me to want the compilation book. Sadly, I discovered that what works well in a weekly column kind of fills you up quickly in larger doses.

When you can compare columns and watch Dan progess over a period of time, it becomes obvious what a one-trick pony he is. He's like a six year old child who's just learned a new bad word and delights in repeating it over and over to shock dinner guests. So many of his columns are a study in scatology, that it makes one wonder how he eats at all with visions of body wastes dancing in his head.

Dan Leone can be funny, in Ferrelly Brothers kind of way, and many of his columns make for amusing reading. But a little of him goes a long, long way.

Making food an adventure.......2000-03-28

This book is for the literate diner who choses to eat well on a budget. The comments are objective. The humor is often so pointed that the reader would have to enjoy reading during the meal

It's a Gas.......2000-03-28

I work with a chap who keeps a box of gourmet jelly beans by his desk.

Each day he calls me into his office and opens the box.

"What shall we have today?" he says.

We each pluck one -- just one -- of the mocha or popcorn or blueberry flavored jelly beans. We let it rest on our tongue. We savor it.

Then he places the cover back on the jellybean box and we go back to work.

Dan Leone's book serves the same purpose to me. In my lavatory, where I keep "Eat This" and where the author suggests it be kept, I am ensured a daily literary richness as I read one Leone review per day.

Am I tempted to read more? You betcher boots. But I won't, because I will savor each lovely tasty and funny review without it clashing another.

Not only that, I just want to stretch it out. It is not a book I want to end.

In short: I've read lots of food books and restaurant guides. I don't live in SF, but I was intrigued by this book, a referral, and read it for its literary value.

Book Description

In a novel that crackles with wit and suspense. Night Biters takes horror to a new, yet familiar place; the inner-city and introduces characters as diverse and complex as their city. Set against the gritty backdrop of Oakland, California Night Biters tells the story of Bay Area teens coping with the dangers of urban living while facing the horrors of the Supernatural. Fasten your seat belts, you're going to a place bustling with hip hop music, drugs, gangs and vampires.

Customer Reviews:

A Great Read!.......2006-03-06

This is a great read.

Great, because it has a common sense idea that is missing from most stories of this genre.

The genre, "supernatural horror," ultimately goes to a war between good and evil (yep, heaven and hell), because these would be the source of power in the story. So the ultimate source of power is on another level--not the level the story is about (our everyday homes and neighborhoods). But hey, the vampires, zombies, and other things have been around for a long time. And we are still here, too. Something we don't usually see in these stories must be equalizing the landscape, or else ordinary humans would have been gone a long time ago. What equalizes a vampire? They have supernatural powers, so regular folks are out-gunned. In any war, if the sides are not matched, the war does not last long. In the literature vampires, zombies, et al., have been around a long time. So what holds them in check? Doesn't have to be a "good" version of the evil creature--just something with power and method of its own that it can use to engage the enemy. That's war. Even a supernatural one would have to have this equivalence of power.

There are popular movies about renegades that have reason to hate the supernatural villains, but vampires alone would have over-run the world before most of these popular characters started. Besides, these stories are usually more about special-effects or martial arts or something--not really horror stories but more like action-adventure-martial arts-horror. Whatever. There's only one movie I've seen recently that is an exception to this, "Constantine." But since this isn't a plug for movies, let's move on... ;)

"Night Biters" revitalizes the role of the church in this type of story! Instead of the lame "Exorcist" angle in which the demons have power that is clearly uncontrollable, here the war could have lasted this long. God is on our side through supernatural beings at this level. That's what I was referring to before, when I said that ordinary humans would otherwise be gone. In run-of-the-mill horror stories a recurring theme is that the heroes are so outmatched they have to sacrifice themselves--and leave this plane of existence--in order to win. So in time they'd all have moved on, leaving us here. There must be something more powerful that fights here and wins often enough to balance the war against evil. This story touches on this with style; it's a story told intelligently in a way that makes sense.

So is it scary? Yeah, because the writer tells the tale in a way that evokes vivid images of what the characters are going through as all of these peculiar things happen. It's not a predictable story. I found myself liking some, and wondering if they'd make it...but it's war. Casualties are inevitable. How does it end?

Check it out! It's a great read!

Night Biters Rocks!!!.......2006-01-16

This is no R L Stien! This book has a diverse group of hip hop characters from the Bay Area that are actully intelligent and not based on stereotypes. The book has teens in the Bay dealing with regular teenage issues, as well as vampires gang violence. The characters are cool, there's African American's, Vietnamese, Latino's, Filippino's, Jews, Goths, ravers, taggers and possibly dirty cops and a guy who eats a rat. If you LOVE hip hop, or you're from the Bay Area you need to read this book. I love Night Biters because it's real hip hop, it's not derogatory or dogmatic, it's just real and entertaining.

The book is written in the style of how Traffic and Crash were made as movies. A ton of individual stories, all intertwined into one explosive plot. Read this book, you won't be disappointed. The story is based on actual events in 1999 leading up to the change of the century in the backdrop of the worlds most integrated group of cities. Two teens come here to spend the summer and find that some of thier friends have become vampires and are dealing with personal issues like abusive stepfathers, drugs, gangs and police (damn taggers!). Doooooood read it!!!

Pinoys get Respect.......2006-01-13

Night Biters is my favorite book, I visited the Bay Area and have saw the old Montgomery Ward building. It was too scary a building for me to enter but not a vampire. I also like that us Pinoy's finally got some recognition and respect in a book. Dragonbrush is my dog I liked the way he and Tioni looked out for one another and how he showed that he really appreciated her. Jamilah is cool but too stuck up for my taste, I wouldn't want my sister taking all my favorite clothes just because she wants them. But in the end they all looked out for one another.

A Clever Premise, filled with Twist and Surprises.......2006-01-04

Adrian Harper's Night Biters offers some fresh ideas to the fantasy genre. The magical compact disc is as effective a talisman as a ring or trinket in other period work of fiction. It also solidifies the effectiveness of hip hop in a way the reader will find appealing. Graffiti spray painting is also featured, skateboarding is taken to new heights and I will never see using a Super Soaker the same way.

The writer skillfully depicts the story's teens as youth who regret some of the poor choices they have made and the impact those decisions have on their families while ably avoiding stereotypes. He also offers some interesting views on vampirism viewing it more to an addiction than a spiritual damnation reminding the reader that there is always hope. Filled with clever twist and surprises, Night Biters is a delight.

Great Book.......2006-01-03

This book puts Oakland, CA on the map. It is filled with suspense and humor. The multi-cultural characters are people we see in everyday life. I loved this book. I can't wait for the next one.

White Nights and Ascending Shadows: A History of the San Francisco AIDS Epidemic (AIDS Awareness)

Average customer rating:

Different Experiences

White Nights and Ascending Shadows: A History of the San Francisco AIDS Epidemic (AIDS Awareness)
Benjamin Heim Shepard
Manufacturer: Cassell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

AIDS | Disorders & Diseases | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

History | Gay & Lesbian | Subjects | Books

General | Nonfiction | Gay & Lesbian | Subjects | Books

AIDS & HIV | Diseases | Medicine | Subjects | Books

Borrowed Time: An AIDS Memoir
AIDS Doctors: Voices from the Epidemic: An Oral History
And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic

ASIN: 0304701262

Amazon.com

History not only moves quickly--it is, in essence, what happened yesterday--but it is also quickly forgotten. This is especially true when many of the people who made it are gone or dying. Benjamin Heim Shepard's beautifully composed, and wonderfully moving White Nights and Ascending Shadows: An Oral History of the San Francisco AIDS Epidemic is a fine and telling history of how one city faced--and still faces--the endless effects of AIDS.

Based in interviews and oral histories with 30 people with AIDS, Benjamin Shepard manages to piece together more than three decades (1968-1998) of gay male life and culture. The interviews here chart not only the progress of AIDS in the gay community, but document the many manifestations of gay culture that occurred before and in response to the epidemic. Alternatively brave, fragile, furious, and mournful the men interviewed here speak their minds and force their visions and politics upon us in unforgettable ways. As a cultural, political, and medical history, White Nights and Ascending Shadows is an important book, and the men who speak throughout it are determined that we remember who they were and what they did to preserve their lives, their families, and their culture. --Michael Bronski

Customer Reviews:

Different Experiences .......2004-08-03

This book is a good read, even though it can occasionally be dry. The book uses commentary from various individuals to cover the many aspects of AIDS, from the beginning to about 1995 in one city, San Francisco. Every group is represented, not just gay men. Overall, a valuable addition to your library.

Open Late SF: Your Guide to Late Night Dining in San Francisco

Average customer rating:

Open Late SF: Your Guide to Late Night Dining in San Francisco

Manufacturer: NiftyGuy, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Map

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0979328101
Release Date: 2006-12-15

Product Description

San Francisco. 11:59PM. It's late and you're hungry. Everything seems closed but you're desperate for something to satisfy that midnight hunger. Look no further! Introducing Open Late SF: a complete map and guide of San Francisco late-night dining eateries, closing midnight or later for at least one day a week, including locations, closing times, phone numbers, recommendations, a full-color collage and other tidbits of information that can help satisfy your late-night gastronomic desires.

Average customer rating:

solid
Incredulous Superheroes
feminism does not necessarily mean man-hating
not really a mystery; not really a character study
An invocation to Laurie R. King

Night Work
Laurie R. King
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Police Procedurals | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Suspense | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

With Child
To Play the Fool
A Grave Talent
The Art of Detection
A Darker Place

ASIN: 0553107135
Release Date: 2000-02-01

Amazon.com

Laurie King's first Kate Martinelli mystery, A Grave Talent, won Best First Novel honors from both the Mystery Writers of America and the British Crime Writers' Association. In this fourth installment in the series, King once again displays her talent as both a prose stylist and a masterful plotter in a case that proves to be personally harrowing for her heroine.

While attending a school play one evening, Detective Martinelli gets what appears to be a routine page about a homicide. The murder victim is James Larsen, an airport baggage handler found in the Presidio, handcuffed, strangled, and with stun-gun burns on his chest. And apparently he had a sweet tooth, given the candies found in his pocket. When it comes out that Larsen was an abusive husband whose wife now lives in a shelter, Martinelli's list of suspects takes a distasteful turn. Could the perpetrator be connected with the Ladies of Perpetual Disgruntlement, the group of secretive women (or men) who've lately been terrorizing abusers and rapists around the city with their humorous, updated version of the tar-and-feather treatment? Could it be Larsen's wife, a mousy woman who, nonetheless, is clearly harboring some secrets? Could it be Roz Hall, Martinelli's social crusading feminist minister friend? In each case, rage would be justified, but not murder.

When two additional murder victims with similar profiles--and pockets full of candy--surface, the San Francisco media takes an interest in this latest instance of vigilante justice. The investigation is further complicated by Roz's very public interest in the case of a young Indian bride who she believes was murdered. As Martinelli and her partner Al Hawkins try to sort through the mire of emotional entanglements, personal politics, and public scrutiny, King deftly maneuvers her tale through several carefully crafted turns. The novel is also threaded with Hindu spirituality and images of the dark goddess Kali, a vengeful figure perfectly appropriate in a novel about victimized women striking back. --Patrick O'Kelley

Book Description

Laurie R. King, creator of San Francisco homicide detective Kate Martinelli, has been praised by The New York Times Book Review for her "taut pacing...air of menace...superb characters." Now the author of A Grave Talent (winner of the top mystery awards on both sides of the Atlantic), To Play the Fool, and With Child continues the series with a crime novel as disturbing as it is riveting.

After her last harrowing case Kate is more than ready for routine police work and a newfound serenity with her longtime lover, Lee, and their circle of close friends. Until one night when her pager summons her to a scene of carefully executed murder. Half-hidden in a clump of bushes lies a well-muscled corpse, handcuffed and strangled, a stun gun's faint burn on his chest and candy in his pocket. The only person who might have wanted airport baggage handler James Larsen dead, it seems, is the wife he repeatedly abused--who recently left him for a women's shelter. But her alibi is airtight, her physique frail, and her attitude less than vengeful.

Kate and her partner, Al Hawkin, are stumped. Then a second body turns up--also zapped, cuffed, strangled...and carrying a chocolate bar. It is that of Matthew Banderas, a software salesman convicted of one rape, suspected of many more.

Yet, despite the newspaper headlines, Kate and Al can establish no personal link between the victims and cannot rule out coincidence. But in the midst of an unpromising investigation, Kate has another cause thrust upon her by her friend, feminist minister Roz Hall. Investigators have already called it an accident, but Roz is convinced the young Indian bride was actually murdered--and when Roz takes up a crusade, no one can deny her. As Kate wrestles with the clash between her personal and professional lives, a third killing draws her and Al into a network of pitiless destruction that reaches far beyond San Francisco, a contemporary-style hit list with shudderingly primal roots.

Winner of the Best First Crime Novel Award from both the Mystery Writers of America and the British Crime Writers' Association for the first book in the Kate Martinelli series, A Grave Talent, Laurie R. King has created a body of work that transcends genre classification and has fully broken out into the mainstream, novels which have the intensity and depth of superb literary work, spiced with harrowing suspense.

Winner of the Best First Crime Novel Award from both the Mystery Writers of America and the British Crime Writers Association for the first book in the Kate Martinelli series, A Grave Talent, Laurie R. King creates novels that have the intensity and depth of superb literary work, spiced with harrowing suspense. -->

Customer Reviews:

solid.......2005-11-08

Solid mystery with believable characters, plus exotic locale.

And this book helped to solve yet another mystery: how people turn to progressive politics.

The answer is simple: first, you have to get a multi-million house free and clear in the center of SF (from parents, from partner's parents or by some other means) and then you can start doing all things progressive.

Incredulous Superheroes.......2005-05-08

The Ladies of Perpetual Disgruntlement are the heroines of tomorrow for battered and abused women. However, their way of dishing out punishment is against the law; Kate Martinelli and Al Hawkins are all over this case. However, it only gets stranger and more unnerving when religion, culture, and friends all find their way into this case. Also, Martinelli's personal life once again gets scrambled into it and the culprits are who Kate would rather not suspect and the people you wouldn't dare expect.

feminism does not necessarily mean man-hating.......2004-07-29

After 100 pages I just quit the book. The author spends 90% of her time creating a world in which all lesbians (and some other women) are beautiful, cool, responsible and intelligent and all men are brutish and destructive.

I wouldn't accept this kind of bigoted generalization in reverse so continuing to read this book would be patronizing and only politically correct. The author should beat her drum more quietly.

Two stars for her sentence structure and spelling.

not really a mystery; not really a character study.......2003-07-28

I found the book quite unsatisfying for two reasons: First, the guilty party is revealed within a few pages of the start,so there is no mystery. This means the reason to read on is either to learn more about the the characters, or about the modus operandi of the killer. It is the authors obligation to provide one or the other. Here we learn neither, despite perservering through some lukewarm action, and some dreadful social interactions. For example, how on earth are these victims lured to their death. Failing to provide this information means the author is not confined by any rules of logic, and in so doing cheats the reader. Second, the dialogue is flat and forced. Do we really neat to create a lesbian relationship that suffers from the same irresponsible cliche behavior attributed to male detectives? I don t think this is a step forward. All in all, I ended the book feeling incredibly ripped off.

An invocation to Laurie R. King.......2003-05-14

The fourth book in the Kate Martinelli series, "Night Work" is a suspenseful, dark, briliantly written mystery. The story centers around a series of murders with only one apparent connection-the victims are all perpetrators of violence against women. However, like "A Grave Talent," the story is far more dense and complex than it seems.

This was the last book I read for a Women's Studies class entitled Murder Mysteries, and the second by Laurie King. The class focused on gender and violence, and I think this book was a fitting end to the class because it focuses on crimes that are specifically gendered, namely rape and wife battering. The book poses a number of hard questions for those of us readers who consider ourselves opposed to violence. First, when, if ever, is violence acceptable? What kind of violence? Perpetrated by whom, and for what reasons? Violence against women is clearly unacceptable, but is violence against those who are violent acceptable? I am 100% opposed to capital punishment and other forms of violence, but I found myself unwittingly tolerating, and almost agreeing with, the vigilante type murders of violent men who escaped the criminal justice system. When I realized this, I was shocked at myself.

I found the use of Kali and indeed the idea of Kali herself fascinating. First, King's use of Kali creates a somewhat mystical, mysteriouis atmosphere to the book, which I found very effective. From reading the Introduction, in which Kali is described, we know that she must have something to do with the novel, but we are not sure what, until the very end of the book. King keeps us guessing, with a quote from "The Invocation to Kali" at the beginning of every chapter. We know that there must be some connection between Kali and the murders, but we are never sure exactly what it is. I was captivated by this book because I wanted to know the truth about the murders, and what Kali had to do with it all. I had a hard time putting the book down, fascinated by this aspect of it.

This book had a profound effect on me. At one point, Kate reluctantly realizes that there is an energy force present in all of us-a force of both destruction and creation. Perhaps that explains why I did not disagree with the violence in this book. Though, once revealed, the symbolism of Kali seems somewhat heavy-handed, it made me question myself, and the nature of violence overall.

At Night in San Francisco
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At Night in San Francisco

Manufacturer: San Francisco Guild of the Arts Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1424318823

Product Description

"At Night in San Francisco" began as a photography show and soon, through the Love for The City, the number of photographs grew. This 200 page book with 188 images of San Francisco captures the spirit and energy of The City. It is not a guide, but a tribute to the familiar and unfamiliar with the images organized in four themes: Bustle, Locales, Signs and Symbols. Enjoy these San Francisco images and get to know The City better and be encouraged to explore her in the day and in the night.

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