Book Description

"Softly he brushed my cheek, then held my face between his marble hands. 'Be very still,' he whispered, as if I wasn't already frozen. Slowly, never moving his eyes from mine, he leaned toward me. Then abruptly, but very gently, he rested his cold cheek against the hollow at the base of my throat." As Shakespeare knew, love burns high when thwarted by obstacles. In Twilight, an exquisite fantasy by Stephenie Meyer, readers discover a pair of lovers who are supremely star-crossed. Bella adores beautiful Edward, and he returns her love. But Edward is having a hard time controlling the blood lust she arouses in him, because--he's a vampire. At any moment, the intensity of their passion could drive him to kill her, and he agonizes over the danger. But, Bella would rather be dead than part from Edward, so she risks her life to stay near him, and the novel burns with the erotic tension of their dangerous and necessarily chaste relationship.Meyer has achieved quite a feat by making this scenario completely human and believable. She begins with a familiar YA premise (the new kid in school), and lulls us into thinking this will be just another realistic young adult novel. Bella has come to the small town of Forks on the gloomy Olympic Peninsula to be with her father. At school, she wonders about a group of five remarkably beautiful teens, who sit together in the cafeteria but never eat. As she grows to know, and then love, Edward, she learns their secret. They are all rescued vampires, part of a family headed by saintly Carlisle, who has inspired them to renounce human prey. For Edward's sake they welcome Bella, but when a roving group of tracker vampires fixates on her, the family is drawn into a desperate pursuit to protect the fragile human in their midst.The precision and delicacy of Meyer's writing lifts this wonderful novel beyond the limitations of the horror genre to a place among the best of YA fiction.(Ages 12 and up) --Patty Campbell 10 Second Interview: A Few Words with Stephenie Meyer Q: Were you a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Angel? What are you watching now that those shows are off the air? A: I have never seen an entire episode of Buffy or Angel. While I was writing Twilight, I let my older sister read along chapter by chapter. She's a huge Buffy fan and she kept trying to get me to watch, but I was afraid it would mess up my vision of the vampire world so I never did. I don't have a ton of time for TV, and my kids get rowdy when I have on "mommy shows," but I do have a secret fondness for reality shows (the good ones, at least in my opinion). I always TiVo Survivor, The Amazing Race, and America's Next Top Model. Q: What inspired you to write Twilight? Is this the beginning of a series? Why write for teens? A: Twilight was inspired by a very vivid dream, which is fairly faithfully transcribed as chapter thirteen of the book. There are sequels on the way--I'm hard at work editing book two (tentatively titled New Moon) right now, and book three is waiting in line for its turn. I didn't mean to write for teens--I didn't mean to write for anyone but myself, so I had an audience of one twenty-nine year old (and later one thirty-one year old when my sister started reading). I think the reason that I ended up with a book for teens is because high school is such a compelling time period--it gives you some of your worst scars and some of your most exhilarating memories. It's a fascinating place: old enough to feel truly adult, old enough to make decisions that affect the rest of your life, old enough to fall in love, yet, at the same time too young (in most cases) to be free to make a lot of those decisions without someone else's approval. There's a lot of scope for a novel in that. Q: What is your favorite vampire story? Fave vampire movie? A: I guess my favorite vampire story would be The Vampire Lestat, by Anne Rice, simply because it's one of the only ones I've ever read. I keep meaning to pick up Bram Stoker's Dracula, because I get asked this question so often and I should probably start with the classics, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. Again, I'm afraid to read other vampire books now, for fear of finding things either too similar, or too different from my own vampire world. Ack! I can't even answer the movie question. I can't remember ever seeing a single vampire movie, outside of clips from Bela Lugosi movies on TV. I don't like true horror movies--my favorite scary movies are all Hitchcock's. Q: What other young adult authors do you read? A: My favorite young adult author is L.M. Montgomery I also enjoyJ.K. Rowling (but who doesn't?), and Ann Brashares. As a teen, I skipped straight to adult books (lots of sci-fi and Jane Austen), so I'm rediscovering the world of teen literature now. Stephenie Meyer's List of Books You Should Read Anne of Green GablesRomeo and JulietDragonflightTo Kill a Mockingbird The Princess BrideSee more recommendations from Stephenie Meyer Amazon.com's Significant SevenStephenie Meyer graciously agreed to answer the questions we like to ask every author: the Amazon.com Significant Seven. Q: What book has had the most significant impact on your life?A: The book with the most significant impact on my life is The Book of Mormon. The book with the most significant impact on my life as a writer is probably Speaker for the Dead, by Orson Scott Card, with Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier coming in as a close second.Q: You are stranded on a desert island with only one book, one CD, and one DVD--what are they?A: The CD is easy: Absolution by Muse, hands down. It's harder to give myself just one movie, but the one I watch most frequently is Sense and Sensibility--the one with the screenplay by Emma Thompson. One book is impossible. I'd have to have Pride and Prejudice, but I couldn't live without something by Orson Scott Card and a nice, thick Maeve Binchy, too.Q: What is the worst lie you've ever told?A: My lies are all very, very boring: "No, you really look great in hot pink!" "My children only watch one hour of TV a day." "I didn't eat the last Swiss Cake Roll--it must have been one of the kids." That's the best I've got.Q: Describe the perfect writing environment.A: It's late at night and the house is silent, but I'm still (miraculously) full of energy. I have my headphones in and I'm listened to a mix of Muse, Coldplay, Travis, My Chemical Romance, and The All-American Rejects. Beside me is a fabulous, and yet mysteriously low in calorie, cheesecake....Q: If you could write your own epitaph, what would it say?A: I'd like it to say that I really tried at the important things.I was never perfect at any of them, but I honestly tried to be a great mom, a loving wife, a good daughter, and a true friend. Under that, I'd want a list of my favorite Simpsons quotes.Q: Who is the one person living or dead that you would like to have dinner with?A: I'd love to have a chance to talk to Orson Scott Card--I have a million questions for him. Mostly things like, "How do you come up with this stuff?!" But, if he wasn't available, I'd settle for Matthew Bellamy (lead singer of Muse).Q: If you could have one superpower, what would it be?A: I'd want something offensive, rather than defensive. Like shooting fireballs from my hands. That way, you're really open to going either way--hero or villain. I like to have choices.

Customer Reviews:

Thrilling romance that will captivate your soul.......2007-10-11

When most people read the back of the book they think vampires "ugh totally sci fi" but there is nothing sci fi about this. When I read this book my mom got mad at me and took the book away because she said that i was reading it too much. I was in tears until she gave it back. When you finish this book it will have captured your heart and soul and it won't let you go.

Sucks you in, quite literally!.......2007-10-11

I have been hearing for a year from various friends that I needed to read this book, but took forever to get around to it. Well once I finally did, I was hooked! I read all 3 books in the series in 6 days. I couldn't put them down. Mind you I am a 28 yr old Mother of a 4 year old and a 2 year old- yes my house got very dirty. I have now gotten my 55 year old mother, 26 and 24 year old sisters, mother in law and sisters in law all hooked on these novels. My favorite thing about how Stephanie Meyer writes these: I feel like I lived it, like I was in every scene of the book experiencing the adventure with these characters. I have never been so involved in a story, it literally took me about 2 weeks to come back down off of the high I was on. Would reccomend to anyone and everyone, even you boys out there. I am currently trying to convince my husband to read them, I know he would love them!

Read this book!.......2007-10-11

I had this book in my bookshelf for over a six month period, and since i have so many books, i did not quite pay attention to this one. But as time went by i read thebook, and smacked myself for not reading it. It is wonderful to know that Anne Rice isn't the only one with the talent of weaving to life an extraordinary world of vampires, and such. Here we have an author that is the master of her own world, and so, if you let her will engulf your very mind with her story of love, and the struggle of two separate lives. Im very proud to say that Stephanie Meyer is one of the best authors of our times, and i hope she continues with her career.As my head line says "Read this book". You will be dragged in, and content to know that all these character, are as alive as you are.

the beginning of the twilight saga.......2007-10-11

i am a 14 year old girl and i ordered all 3 of the twilght books from amazon because i'd heard they were awesome and i knew i'd like them. twilght starts off great and i really felt like i could relate to bella. there were a couple times when she'd say or think something and it sounded exactly like what i would have said or thought. (i'm not going to repeat whole story because i know other people already have.) bella meets edward, who seems like this perfect guy, but there's something strange about him. after he saves her life a couple times she discovers he's a vampire. the story continues with bella and edward falling, a little bit annoyingly, in love. besides being a vampire, there's something a little weird about edward. he's a bit too perfect. (and he wears tight turtlenecks. i'd had a feeling that even though edward was great and really gorgeous, he wasn't the guy for me. when i read the part about turtlenecks i was sure. he's too male model-y.) he cares so much about bella that their relatonship seems a little unhealthy. if you feel, as i did, that talking about bella's scent is a little creepy, then brace yourself. Nevertheless, Twilight is a very sweet love story (there's a few moments where you'll just want to scream "awww!") with plenty of interesting characters, besides edward and bella. don't forget about jacob black!!! he became my favorite person in new moon and eclipse. there's also a some action towards the end of the book, but keep in mind that this is very much a love story. Twilght is an awesome book and i recommend it to any teenage girl.

Twilight, Book 1.......2007-10-10

I loved this book!! I couldn't put it down and read the whole thing in one day. It made me go buy the next two in the series the very next day. I enjoyed all three, but this one was the best. Also, may i say that i am no young adult so it was perfectly appropriate for me. I would think that it would be suitable for older teens more than younger. Edward and Bella are in an extremely obsessively romantic and not particularly healthy codependent relationship. Maybe not what you want your 13 year old to emulate.

Average customer rating: An outsider's insight A Pale Secret Great book about a fascinating country Spain's a Fun Country to Visit The Real Spain

Ghosts of Spain: Travels Through Spain and Its Secret Past Giles Tremlett Manufacturer: Walker & Company ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books Spain | Europe | History | Subjects | Books General | World | History | Subjects | Books Essays & Travelogues | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books Similar Items: The Battle for Spain: The Spanish Civil War 1936-1939 The New Spaniards, 2nd Edition Iberia Paris: The Secret History Once Upon a Country: A Palestinian Life ASIN: 0802715745 Release Date: 2007-02-06

Book Description

Customer Reviews:

An outsider's insight.......2007-05-28

A British journalist who has lived 20 years in Spain, married and raising his 2 children in Madrid, the author investigates, reveals and muses upon Spanish culture, history and the forces of the "two Spains" as they come together, or rub against each other, in forming the modern Spanish world. A fascinating look at Spain, its subcultures from the Basques to the Catalans to flamenco to the Galicians, to drug culture to tourism and the very difficult and delicate process of choosing to forget the differences of the Spanish Civil War and Franco's regime in order to move forward in a country that was once the most powerful on earth.
I like Spain and its history. This is one of the very best insights into modern Spain. Highly recommended.

A Pale Secret.......2007-05-22

A liberal British newspaper reporter's hit and miss attempt at a book explaining Spain (his nearly adopted country) to us outsiders. Some hits (like how modern Spain handles the dark legacy of Franco) are offset by a number of misses.

Historical facts, or guesses as to historical facts, get thrown in as space fillers; events that catch Mr. Tremlett's fancy are highlighted, whether reflective of the whole Spanish society or not; the level of writing is often barely above that of a talented reporter on deadline. The final meandering chapter entitled "Moderns and Ruins", especially, cries out for editing.

Great book about a fascinating country.......2007-05-19

This is a great journalistic account of the social and political changes that have transformed Spain up to the present day. Tremlett discusses the country's past and present in fairly equal measure. He begins by looking at the legacies of the Spanish Civil War, discussing how only in the past decade has the full scale of the atrocities that took place come to light. He discusses how Spaniards whose relatives were killed by the Francoists have pushed in recent years for their relatives to be given decent burials. He also writes an interesting chapter on Franco's overall legacy, arguing that after his death and the country's transition to democracy he has been largely purged from public discourse. Despite this collective amnesia that he identifies, Tremlett points out that the same left-right cleavage that drove the war still lurks below the surface of Spanish society. The book also contains chapters on the Basque, Catalan, and Galician regions. Tremlett provides very insightful analysis of the origins of and main forces behind Basque and Catalan nationalism, while his chapter on Galicia details that region's emergence as a conduit for Columbian cocaine. One of my favorite chapters looked at gender relations in Spain, in which Tremlett provides some very amusing anecdotes that reveal contrasts between Spain and his native Britain. This chapter also discusses Tremlett's quest to understand the paradox of how a country can be so awash in brothels (which, he reports, 1/4 of Spanish men visited) yet relatively conservative in terms of the sexual mores of its people.

Other subjects covered here include Spain's emergence as a global tourism magnet (and the corruption that has often emerged alongside it) and the 2004 Madrid train bombing, which indirectly led to the defeat of the ruling party in the elections several days later. This was an interesting chapter, in which Tramlett looked at the ways in which the main parties tried to capitalize on this tragedy for political gain. Overall, I found Tremlett to be a very keen analyst of social and political relations, and there weren't really any weak chapters. For instance, I considered skipping a chapter on flamenco music, not being particularly interested in the musical form itself, but the chapter ended up including a fascinating discussion of the social history of Spain's gypsies.

Overall, I would heartily recommend this book to anybody interested in Spanish history, culture, and/or politics. I would NOT recommend it to those expecting more of a travel guide type of book; although Tremlett does visit and write evocatively about numerous regions, such descriptions are not the main substance of this book. If I had to make one minor criticism, it is that the chapters themselves were often not tightly organized. For example, the chapter on the Basques jumps from past to present and does not really follow any sort of structure. This wasn't really a problem for me, because Tremlett writes well and never bored me, but it might be a problem to some. Another minor complaint is that the book doesn't include a map, which might have been useful for readers like me who aren't intimately familiar with Spain's geography. Overall, though, I think that this is social and political journalism at its finest, and anybody wishing to learn more about this fascinating country could do worse than to start here!

Spain's a Fun Country to Visit.......2007-04-29

The first time tht I went to Spain the country was still under Franco. When getting off the plane, every arriving passenger was photographed. This set a tone that made you never forget where you were. Now going to Spain is like going to any other country. There is no problem going from one city to another. The people are friendly to Americans. The food, trains, hotels, highways are all good.

This book looks underneath these obvious outward trappings to the held over anguish from the Franco time. He also looks further backwards to the regional conflicts with Basque seperatists, and more recently to the Islamist bombers who killed 190 people using bomb attacks in 2004.

Spain remains a little bit different than the rest of Western Europe. Mr. Tremlett has lived in Spain for twenty years and has done an excellent job of bringing together the history and the current situation to explain the current country that is Spain.

The Real Spain.......2007-04-15

Giles Tremlett has written a highly readable, incisive portrait of Spain today--its problems and its pleasures. His presentation of the manner in which Spain has chosen to deal with the aftermath of Francisco Franco's death is particularly well written and revealing. He examines how the decades of dictatorship and brutal repression have been swept under the rug of collective consciousness by Spaniards choosing not to confront it or attempt to reconcile themselves with this difficult episode in their nation's history. The author's years of closely observing Spain, and reporting on its politics and culture for Britain's most respected newspaper, The Guardian, have given him a wonderful sense of both the large picture and the quotidian details, which do so much to bring this book to life.
Anyone wanting a sense of what today's Spain is all about will find it in these pages.

Average customer rating: Ghost Ship by Mary Higgins Clark Another hit for Mary Higgins Clark! First rate for MHC's First Children's Book Awesome Children's book No younger than 4 year olds for this one

Ghost Ship (Paula Wiseman Books) Mary Higgins Clark Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover Action & Adventure | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books Spine-Chilling Horror | Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books Picture Books | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books Similar Items: I Heard That Song Before: A Novel Laced: A Regan Reilly Mystery (Regan Reilly Mysteries) Santa Cruise: A Holiday Mystery at Sea (Holiday Mysteries) When Day Breaks: A Novel of Suspense Two Little Girls in Blue : A Novel ASIN: 1416935142 Release Date: 2007-04-03

Book Description

"I am so pleased to have written my first children's book and to have my dear friend Wendell Minor illustrate it. I thought it would be a daunting project, but with six grandchildren and eleven stepgrandchildren, I've been telling stories to children for a long time."

-- Mary Higgins Clark

Thomas loved his summer visits to his grandmother's on Cape Cod. He spent hours wondering about the sailing ships of the past and imagining their stories. He dreamed of being on a sailing ship himself. One afternoon after a night of terrible thunderstorms, Thomas finds, deep in the sand, a weathered, old-fashioned belt buckle. When he picks it up, a boy his own age, Silas Rich, who was a cabin boy on a ship called the Monomoy that sailed almost 250 years ago, appears. Suddenly the world of sailing ships is very near as Silas tells his tale.

Beloved and bestselling author Mary Higgins Clark tells a story of mystery and adventure that will transport readers to a time and place beyond their imaginings in her first book for children. Wendell Minor's inspired paintings make a time long ago very real.

Customer Reviews:

Ghost Ship by Mary Higgins Clark.......2007-07-05

My children enjoyed me reading this story to them. The illustrations are beautiful. I had to explain some of the terms in a little more detail, but the story held their attention. It is nice when you find books that also actually introduce a "real" history of what it was like many years ago.

Another hit for Mary Higgins Clark!.......2007-05-22

Mary Higgins Clark is a wonderful storyteller and it is very evident with this children's book. Being an avid fan, I purchased the book to pass on to my granddaughter when she gets a little older. The illustrations are beautiful too. It will be a pleasure to introduce my granddaughter to Mary Higgins Clark, through her children's books!!

First rate for MHC's First Children's Book.......2007-05-14

I have been a fan of MHC for years. I was delighted with her first children's book especially since it took place where I spent many of my summers over the years. Am passing this book on to younger readers.

Awesome Children's book.......2007-05-12

I have be a fan of this author for years. This book surpassed all my expectations. What superb fiction for young readers! As always she uses her talent to spark the imagination without all the violence and gunplay of the modern world. I look forward to sharing the next with my children, too!

No younger than 4 year olds for this one.......2007-05-12

I read this book to my 4 year old granddaughter, who loves books and is beginning to read now. The book held her interest well, and I loved the illustrations! It was great to be reading her a book that had an actually story, instead of the standard children's books. She loved the story, and in fact, after we read it, she wanted to start playing out her own version of the story...."Grandma! Pretend that you find a belt buckle in the sand, and I appear as the ghost of the boy who was given it to." She really got into being on a ship back in the days of big sailing ships, and had so much fun with it!
I love Mary Higgins Clark's books for myself, and loved being able to read my granddaughter one of her books that was written for children. I hope she'll write more.

Average customer rating: A good historic fiction read Powerful One of the best books I've ever read A different view. Spartan Ethos Alive Again

Gates of Fire: An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae Steven Pressfield Manufacturer: Bantam ProductGroup: Book Binding: Mass Market Paperback Horror | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | Anthologies | Authors, A-Z | Books on CD | Books on Cassette | British | Dark Fantasy | Erotic | General | Ghosts | Graphic Novels | Occult | Reference | United States | Vampires Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books War | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books War | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books Similar Items: 300 Tides of War The Virtues of War: A Novel of Alexander the Great The Spartans: The World of the Warrior-Heroes of Ancient Greece Thermopylae: The Battle for the West ASIN: 0553580531 Release Date: 1999-08-31

Amazon.com

Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by, that here obedient to their laws we lie.

Thus reads an ancient stone at Thermopylae in northern Greece, the site of one of the world's greatest battles for freedom. Here, in 480 B.C., on a narrow mountain pass above the crystalline Aegean, 300 Spartan knights and their allies faced the massive forces of Xerxes, King of Persia. From the start, there was no question but that the Spartans would perish. In Gates of Fire, however, Steven Pressfield makes their courageous defense--and eventual extinction--unbearably suspenseful.

In the tradition of Mary Renault, this historical novel unfolds in flashback. Xeo, the sole Spartan survivor of Thermopylae, has been captured by the Persians, and Xerxes himself presses his young captive to reveal how his tiny cohort kept more than 100,000 Persians at bay for a week. Xeo, however, begins at the beginning, when his childhood home in northern Greece was overrun and he escaped to Sparta. There he is drafted into the elite Spartan guard and rigorously schooled in the art of war--an education brutal enough to destroy half the students, but (oddly enough) not without humor: "The more miserable the conditions, the more convulsing the jokes became, or at least that's how it seems," Xeo recalls. His companions in arms are Alexandros, a gentle boy who turns out to be the most courageous of all, and Rooster, an angry, half-Messenian youth.

Pressfield's descriptions of war are breathtaking in their immediacy. They are also meticulously assembled out of physical detail and crisp, uncluttered metaphor:

The forerank of the enemy collapsed immediately as the first shock hit it; the body-length shields seemed to implode rearward, their anchoring spikes rooted slinging from the earth like tent pins in a gale. The forerank archers were literally bowled off their feet, their wall-like shields caving in upon them like fortress redoubts under the assault of the ram.... The valor of the individual Medes was beyond question, but their light hacking blades were harmless as toys; against the massed wall of Spartan armor, they might as well have been defending themselves with reeds or fennel stalks.

Alas, even this human barrier was bound to collapse, as we knew all along it would. "War is work, not mystery," Xeo laments. But Pressfield's epic seems to make the opposite argument: courage on this scale is not merely inspiring but ultimately mysterious. --Marianne Painter

Book Description

The national bestseller!

At Thermopylae, a rocky mountain pass in northern Greece, the feared and admired Spartan soldiers stood three hundred strong. Theirs was a suicide mission, to hold the pass against the invading millions of the mighty Persian army.

Day after bloody day they withstood the terrible onslaught, buying time for the Greeks to rally their forces. Born into a cult of spiritual courage, physical endurance, and unmatched battle skill, the Spartans would be remembered for the greatest military stand in history--one that would not end until the rocks were awash with blood, leaving only one gravely injured Spartan squire to tell the tale....

Customer Reviews:

A good historic fiction read.......2007-10-09

If you enjoy this time era and especially The Spartans, you will not go wrong with this book.

Powerful.......2007-10-01

I don't read much fiction, but a friend of mine bought this book for me. I read it and was impressed by how well written this historical fiction is. Anyone interested in warfare, modern or ancient, should look into this book. Pressfield gives such an authentic account of how Spartans would have acted on a day-to-day basis.

One of the best books I've ever read.......2007-09-25

This book is absolutely amazing. One of the best reads ever. Not only does it describe the battle but it also details the life of a Spartan. I wish 300 was based on the story presented here

A different view........2007-09-21

The story of the 300 is generally limited in scope. "The Spartans had 300 guys who fought to the death to keep the Persians out."
Pressfield gives us the background. He tells us about the politics, the geopolitics, the war, the characters such as Leonidas and his wife. He has vignettes in the words of Spartan warriors.
With Pressfield, we can see the stand of the 300 in its place. I was reminded of something the aviator/writer Wolfgang Langweische said half a century ago. Boulder Dam, he said, is enormous. But when you fly over it, it's in its proper place, like a child jamming a pebble in the narrowest part of a trickle of water. Which, when you think about it, is what is supposed to happen.
Circumstances conspired to put 300 Spartans and several hundred of their tough allies in a tiny mountain pass. They were the pebble, but instead of blocking a trickle, they were trying to hold back a torrent.
Pressfield has Leonidas say that the performance of the Spartans in killing Persians should be such that, although victorious, the Persians will quail at seeing a battle line containing not 300 Spartan shields, but six thousand.
Pressfield gives us glimpses of training new soldiers and the field work of the experienced soldiers. His characters refer to the more or less normal fights between the city states, with enough detail and immediacy to put the reader into the fight.
We learn a lot about classical Greek combat.

It's a fabulous story. The stand of the 300 was very likely one of the few battles which could be said to have preserved the West, matched with Tours and Lepanto.

And yet. And yet. Pressfield has the Spartans nearly as philosopher kings. See, instead, Hanson's "Soul of Battle". The Spartan society was a vicious, fascist slave empire. It was as if a couple of Waffen SS divisions had found themselves a big, fertile valley in the Ukraine someplace and missed the end of WW II, being left untouched and unknown by the outside world.

The demands of war and the bonding of the combat units, in addition to the classical Greek view of man-love, required the distortion of the family and the degradation of women. The necessity of keeping the helots in thrall required routine terror and, indeed, the young Spartan was used to execute those serfs whose deaths might be a salutary lesson, just in case, as a way of blooding the youth for combat.

Vlad the Impaler fought the Turks in Southeast Europe and to him, unfortunately, we owe a bit of our existence. The same is true for the Spartans. It's too bad we couldn't get this lesson of courage and honor from, say, the democracy of Athens. It appears that some of the doomed allies of the Spartans who stood with them, and died alike, came from somewhat more acceptable polities. But they didn't get the ink.

Nevertheless, it's a fascinating book which actually is one of those examples of the cliche about not being able to put it down.

Spartan Ethos Alive Again.......2007-09-17

This is one of the best historical fictions I have ever encountered--certainly one of the best evocations of ancient warfare. Without the benefit of personal experience of either subject, ancient warfare or warfare of any kind, I would also guess that this novel is one of the most insightful anaylses of the psychology of combat. This book is an impressive achievement of the imagination. Steven Pressfield has re-discovered or re-created the Spartan ethos in terms of what it surely was in its time--a spiritual force. And he does it without disguising it origins in a slave revolt and a deliberate policy to crush the resistance of its Helot population. From those ugly and life-denying origins, a way of life--an ethic of sorts and a vision of essentials--emerged and took on a life of its own. Appropriately, this novel is about personal transformations under the aegis of that way of life.

Average customer rating: Dark tunnel to another reality Indestructible Renko survives another bad moment in new Russia Renko strikes again Dozed and confused a great addition to the Renko saga

Stalin's Ghost: An Arkady Renko Novel Martin Cruz Smith Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books Police Procedurals | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books Similar Items: The Secret Servant (Gabriel Allon) The Overlook (Harry Bosch) The Tin Roof Blowdown: A Dave Robicheaux Novel Bangkok Haunts Bad Luck and Trouble ASIN: 0743276728 Release Date: 2007-06-12

Book Description

Investigator Arkady Renko, the pariah of the Moscow prosecutor's office, has been assigned the thankless job of investigating a new phenomenon: late-night subway riders report seeing the ghost of Joseph Stalin on the platform of the Chistye Prudy Metro station. The illusion seems part political hocus-pocus and also part wishful thinking, for among many Russians Stalin is again popular; the bloody dictator can boast a two-to-one approval rating. Decidedly better than that of Renko, whose lover, Eva, has left him for Detective Nikolai Isakov, a charismatic veteran of the civil war in Chechnya, a hero of the far right and, Renko suspects, a killer for hire. The cases entwine, and Renko's quests become a personal inquiry fueled by jealousy.

The investigation leads to the fields of Tver outside of Moscow, where once a million soldiers fought. There, amidst the detritus, Renko must confront the ghost of his own father, a favorite general of Stalin's. In these barren fields, patriots and shady entrepreneurs -- the Red Diggers and Black Diggers -- collect the bones, weapons and personal effects of slain World War II soldiers, and find that even among the dead there are surprises.

Customer Reviews:

Dark tunnel to another reality.......2007-10-06

A good writer creates his own reality. For suspense and action novels the reality is a phantasy or a dark picture or just another world. We all, who love reading this genre, know examples of each. "The Hound of the Baskervilles" serves as a shining example of the dark phantasy with the moor, action in the darkness, enormous hound and a pretty lady (in distress).

"Stalin's Ghost" serves Russia in separate flavors. And the general taste seems real, up to the point of having very Russian memories of the main character, investigator Renko, of his deceased and cruel father General. The General served in the Soviet Army against the invading Germans. This was the Great Patriotic War, of which the Russians are so proud of. The General was waiting for his promotion to a Marshall and only found that he was the cause of his wife's suicide and a killer of two young Afghans during that Soviet war.

The Chechen war serves as the background to this novel but the historic value of the Great War outweighs all others. The villain of the story, former Black Beret captain turned detective turned a Senate candidate during recent Russian elections tries to use grave digging of the Soviet soldiers of World War II as his crowning TV event to push him over the top. In a cruel twist, the diggers uncover a mass grave but instead of the brave Soviet soldiers they find Polish officers murdered on Stalin's orders.

Investigator Renko moves through the story almost like a ghost and the weight of the war stories exceeds any detective focus. His determination to uncover the truth is almost painful, as he sees the former Black Beret captain as the scoundrel almost from the first page. We all know that Renko will find his truth but at what price? Will he keep the woman he loves, a woman who is also the captain's lover? Will he die from a head wound that is just too magical to recover from?

Finally, why is chess so important in Russia? Two supporting characters, both chess masters, add a lot of color to this novel about contemporary Russia, which maybe is a suspense novel as well.

Indestructible Renko survives another bad moment in new Russia.......2007-10-05

"Stalin's Ghost" is right up there with Martin Cruz Smith's best Renko stories. It's a plausible, if extreme, description of what ails nouveau riche Russia socially and politically. As usual, poor detective Arkady Renko is taken to the brink of total destruction physically and mentally before prevailing in the end. Smith's plot zig-zags and other canny surprises fully compensate for the predictable hero-bashing (literally) that comes with these stories. Well, Ian Rankin, Michael Dibdin and others do it to their alter egos, so why not Smith?
An excellent thriller, well worth the time and money.

Renko strikes again.......2007-10-04

I love Arkady Renko: a man of honor in a world of post-communist poshlost', knavery and corruption. And the background in this one, with the uncovering of surprises amid the graves of the war victims. is well thought out. The author satisfies so entirely with hsi sparkling dialong and clever plot twists that I'm willing to suspend disbelief to a ridiculous extent as he pulls it all together at the end. Good job, Mr. Smith!

Dozed and confused.......2007-10-01

I found Stalin's Ghost to be a very boring novel! The plot was confusing with too many subplots to give any main plot substance. I stumbled through it but found it lacking. Why the ghost? I'm not sure how this was supposed to be wrapped up in a rug smuggling scheme. Convenient that his girlfriend and the antagonist's was the same; strange chess boy from ghetto - what's the point? Too convoluted and I thought lazily written. Felt that it was a very forced novel by this author. It sounded so good too....hmmm

a great addition to the Renko saga.......2007-09-27

How refreshing to read another Arkady Renko novel where the main character is not the same standard fare as so many others: the strongest, richest, smartest, sexiest, funniest. Darwin's Blade comes to mind by Dan Simmons featuring a hero that is impossible to digest. On the contrary, Arkady is an impeccably well thought out, complex character where his greatest strength is his intellect. It is a treat to wind your way through the book, as he puts together a framework of clues to flesh out the truths within the case and within himself. I can't wait for the next one. While Gorky Park has the big reputation- both Polar Star and Stalin's Ghost are not far behind.

Average customer rating: Magic Tree House Box Set Great Books for a young boy to read Great books for little boys......... Great Books Great Gift

Magic Tree House Boxed Set of 4, Books 9-12: Dolphins at Daybreak, Ghost Town at Sundown, Lions at Lunchtime, and Polar Bears Past Bedtime Mary Pope Osborne Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Action & Adventure | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic | Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books Paperback | Magic Tree House | Early Reader | Series | Children's Books | Subjects | Books Osborne, Mary Pope | ( O ) | Authors & Illustrators, A-Z | Children's Books | Subjects | Books All Children's Boxed Sets | Children's Books | Boxed Sets | Formats | Books Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Boxed Sets | Formats | Books Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Boxed Sets | Formats | Books Literature | Children's Books | Boxed Sets | Formats | Books Series | Children's Books | Boxed Sets | Formats | Books Similar Items: Magic Tree House Boxed Set 2, Books 5-8: Night of the Ninjas, Afternoon on the Amazon, Sunset of the Sabertooth, and Midnight on the Moon Magic Tree House Boxed Set 1, Books 1-4: Dinosaurs Before Dark, The Knight at Dawn, Mummies in the Morning, and Pirates Past Noon Vacation Under The Volcano (Magic Tree House 13, paper) Day Of The Dragon-King (Magic Tree House 14, paper) Viking Ships At Sunrise (Magic Tree House 15, paper) ASIN: 0375825533 Release Date: 2003-05-27

Book Description

The Magic Tree House adventures continue in books 9—12. Morgan the magical librarian of Camelot challenges Jack and Annie to discover the answers to four riddles as they travel under the sea to the Wild West, the African plains, and the frozen Arctic. If they succeed, they will become Master Librarians! Books in this set include:Dolphins at Daybreak (#9)Ghost Town at Sundown (#10) Lions at Lunchtime (#11) Polar Bears past Bedtime (#12) Magic Tree House Books #9—12.

Customer Reviews:

Magic Tree House Box Set.......2007-10-09

What can I say about Magic Tree House Books? Wow! My eight year old son has been reading them for quite a while now. Our public library does a great job at keeping a variety but doesn't always have the one that he's just dying to read today. I hope that by giving him at least a few of his own favorites that are in this set to keep on hand at home will satisfy his very large reading appetite.

Great Books for a young boy to read.......2007-10-07

It takes a lot for me to get my son to read anything. But with these books he read them with euthusiam and read each one within a week.Magic Tree House Boxed Set 2, Books 5-8: Night of the Ninjas, Afternoon on the Amazon, Sunset of the Sabertooth, and Midnight on the Moon

Great books for little boys................2007-05-13

We read one or two chapters a night to my 5 1/2 yr. old son everynight. He loves all the topics that the books cover....dinosaurs, pirates, ninjas,etc. Great for any little boy!

Great Books.......2007-05-12

My 5 year old son loves the books. They are short enough to keep his attention, but long enough to challenge his imagination.

Great Gift.......2007-05-12

I bought these for my 6 year old grandson for his birthday. He was excited to get them, but they were laid aside for the even more exciting toys that he received. However, as the toys got boring, these books became more entertaining. Currently he is immensely enjoying reading them. They are excellent beginning readers.

Average customer rating: One side of the American Dream A great book that is hard to stomach, but pass the salt Too explicit for my tastes, that's saying something. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of the 80's Gross outs from a flat dimension

American Psycho Bret Easton Ellis Manufacturer: Vintage ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback United States | Horror | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books Ellis, Bret Easton | ( E ) | Authors, A-Z | Horror | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books General | Horror | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books Ellis, Bret Easton | ( E ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books General | United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music Similar Items: The Rules of Attraction Less Than Zero American Psycho (Uncut Killer Collector's Edition) Lunar Park Glamorama (Vintage Contemporaries) ASIN: 0679735771 Release Date: 1991-03-06

Book Description

Now a major motion picture from Lion's Gate Films starring Christian Bale ( Metroland), Chloe Sevigny ( The Last Days of Disco), Jared Leto ( My So Called Life), and Reese Witherspoon ( Cruel Intentions), and directed by Mary Harron ( I Shot Andy Warhol).

In American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis imaginatively explores the incomprehensible depths of madness and captures the insanity of violence in our time or any other. Patrick Bateman moves among the young and trendy in 1980s Manhattan. Young, handsome, and well educated, bateman earns his fortune on Wall Street by day while spending his nights in ways we cannot begin to fathom. Expressing his true self through torture and murder, Bateman prefigures an apocalyptic horror that no society could bear to confront.

Customer Reviews:

One side of the American Dream.......2007-09-22

American Psycho is easily the most graphic and disturbing novel I've ever read, not to mention a brilliant satirical romp.

The beauty of this novel is how Ellis immerses the reader into the setting, a business-frenzied Manhattan of the 1980's. This is a character study that elucidates the shallow and incorporeal existence of an elite New York businessman, Patrick Bateman, who attempts to fill this void by surrounding himself with expensive wears, eating at only the best restaurants, and killing people; mostly women. The latter was the catalyzing factor (aside from the lack of satirical imagination in Feminists) of why American Psycho was met with such strident criticism. Given the idea that the first murder does not take place until well after the first 100 pages should have been ample evidence to Feminists and Humanitarians that the book is not just a catalog of arbitrary violence.


From the get-go, the story follows Pat Bateman as he vaults from one high-class social situation to another, getting air-kisses from his almost equally shallow fiancé and checking his perfect hair and chiseled features in any reflective material available. One thing that I found repetitious, but ultimately essential to the plot, was Bateman's scrutiny of his peer's clothing; a Valentino Couture suit here, a Matsuda blouse there. Another aspect of Bateman's character (in the book and the movie), one that I find to be the most hilarious, is the way he panics when some external and completely trivial situation poses a threat to his inherent perfection: "I am certain that we will not have a good table, but we do... relief washes over me in an awesome wave."


It's apparent that Ellis wanted to exemplify the degree of apathy held by these so-called 'Masters of the Universe.' Women are referred to as 'hardbodies,' the style of business card font and color is indicative of class and ranking, and reservations at the most exclusive of restaurants are seen as the same. One subtlety that is picked up on with a close reading is how all of these New York elites are clones of one another. Not one character can remember who Jack is from Sam. This story also harbors one of my favorite quotes: "Where do you Summer?" A hilarious dichotomy occurs during an extravagant dinner (complete with sorbet, never ice cream) when these Free-Market Capitalists are conversing about massacres in Sri Lanka and how social concern needs to stand against racial bigotry, all the while the word 'nigger' is used liberally by the same characters.


As the plot progresses, Patrick slips further and further into insanity. This is creatively articulated with monologs that comprise half if not most of the book. Bateman is the type of guy whose anger can be set off by anything. The murder scenes, unlike the ones in the movie, are easily x-rated and were hard for even me to stomach. I think Ellis found this imperative in this, his most relentless attack against rich, unsympathetic yuppies.


Between the book and the movie, I found that both have their strengths and their weaknesses. The music reviews (Phil Collins, Huey Luis, etc.) that Bateman meticulously narrates are character-driven and often funny, but hold not a candle to the amount of hilarity and style as that of Christian Bale articulating to a pair of escort girls; or Paul Allen. Where the book is more descriptive and transcendental, the movie is more goofy and amusing. I think Ellis spent a little too much time and effort stressing how completely callous the rich can be at times and could have cut a number of paragraphs out of the book. That said, this is definitely a story that needed to be told.

A great book that is hard to stomach, but pass the salt.......2007-09-07

"American Psycho" is a savage vivisection of society and relationships as portrayed through the depraved exploits of Patrick Bateman. Bateman flourishes in the yuppie-driven mores of the 80's. His wealth and intelligence are the facilities of his deranged obsessions and evil compulsions. Rather than satisfy the blood-lust, Bateman's oblivious victims stoke and embolden his psychotic frenzy.

"American Psycho" is extraordinarily graphic. Sex and violence imagery explode from the pages with Bateman-like fury. However, it is the duality of the character that is truly unnerving. Bateman can be charming, can be ruthless, can be generous, can be vicious, can be insightful, can be shallow, can be elegant, can be disgusting. Bateman's character attracts you with his panache and repulses you with his horrific offensives. It is an emotionally disturbing journey where sanity has no compass.

Ultimately it is clear this Bret Ellis novel transcends time and place. It is an expose of the human condition and how it can be exploited, deceived and imperiled.

Too explicit for my tastes, that's saying something........2007-09-06

I came to this book after thoroughly enjoying the movie adaptation; fantastic movie. In this case I found the book to be a little tedius and quite explicit, at times. I like to consider myself just as decensitized to violence as any North American in the 21st century, but the amount of gruesome detail Mr. Ellis goes into, is too much for tastes.

2.5 STARS

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of the 80's.......2007-09-03

I know this is a satire.
I know this is supposed to be making a point.
I know that the main character is as sad, yuppie who lives for working out, getting laid, having the best stereo system and, oh yeah, one other thing, killing people in the most sick and sadistic ways.
That being said, I really liked the character but I disliked the style.

Patrick Bateman, our lead, is a homicidal maniac who is a day trader by day and by night he is a coke sniffing, club hopping, music lover who gets off on sleeping around and killing people. To top it all off, this all happens at ground zero of the yuppie era, New York City. This alone would make the book interesting, but Ellis takes it one step further in writing the book in an almost stream of consciousness style. Not only do you know what Patrick is thinking about during conversations with his victims, but you also get a se