Murder on the Ile Saint-Louis (Aimee Leduc Investigation)

Book Description

Praise for the Aimee Leduc series:

"One of the best heroines in crime fiction."-Lee Child

"The Parisienne Kinsey Millhone."- Los Angeles Times

"One of the best new writers in the field today."- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Haunting."- The New York Times Book Review

Aimee is faced with a tight deadline on a computer security contract when a telephone call from a stranger leads her to an abandoned infant. She brings the baby to her home and names her Stella. She expects the mother to reclaim the child, but days pass as Aimee tries in vain to discover her identity. Her partner, Rene, urges her to turn the baby over to the authorities, but for Aimee this is too close to her own abandonment by her mother.

The search brings her among ecological protesters and oil company tycoons, newspapermen and would-be actresses, as demonstrators near her home on the Ile Saint-Louis, in the heart of Paris, march against the pollution of the North Sea only to be dispersed by armed police.

Two murders and an abortive bombing keep Aimee running until, in the sewers beneath the Seine, she finds the woman she has been looking for, only to discover that the man she has just fallen for is a cold-hearted criminal.

Customer Reviews:

Got me into Paris........2007-10-06

I first picked up Cara's books when her niece, a friend of mine, suggested I read them. I was never interested in Paris or Europe before then, but her books opened my eyes to the history and intrigue buried there. While this book was not her greatest, it still is one great part of her awesome series that submerges one deep into the heart of each area of Paris, and engrosses one's mind in the twists and turns of Aimee's family history intermingled with murder.

Average customer rating:

Illusion and Escape
Glass Menagerie
hits all the right notes
A sad story that preaches family unity and self sacrifice
more than just readable material

The Glass Menagerie
Tennessee Williams
Manufacturer: New Directions Publishing Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

United States | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0811214044

Book Description

No play in the modern theatre has so captured the imagination and heart of the American public as Tennessee Williams's The Glass Menagerie. Menagerie was Williams's first popular success and launched the brilliant, if somewhat controversial, career of our pre-eminent lyric playwright. Since its premiere in Chicago in 1944, with the legendary Laurette Taylor in the role of Amanda, the play has been the bravura piece for great actresses from Jessica Tandy to Joanne Woodward, and is studied and performed in classrooms and theatres around the world. The Glass Menagerie (in the reading text the author preferred) is now available only in its New Directions Paperbook edition. A new introduction by prominent Williams scholar Robert Bray, editor of The Tennessee Williams Annual Review, reappraises the play more than half a century after it won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award: "More than fifty years after telling his story of a family whose lives form a triangle of quiet desperation, Williams's mellifluous voice still resonates deeply and universally." This edition of The Glass Menagerie also includes Williams's essay on the impact of sudden fame on a struggling writer, "The Catastrophe of Success," as well as a short section of Williams's own "Production Notes." The cover features the classic line drawing by Alvin Lustig, originally done for the 1949 New Directions edition.

Customer Reviews:

Illusion and Escape.......2007-08-23

"Glass Menagerie" provides a surreal tale of the Wingfield family and their diverse struggles with fantasy and reality. Set in St. Louis during the Great Depression, the play revolves around Amanda and her adult children, Tom and Laura, struggling to make ends meet in a St. Louis tenement. Although each cannot grip the realities of the modern world, they seek escape in different ways. Amanda deludes herself into thinking she is still a Southern debutante with many gentleman callers. Laura escapes into her fantasy world ruled by delicate glass animals, her "glass menagerie." Tom, constantly accosted and criticized by Amanda, seeks escape through movies and booze.

Doubtless, the theme of abandonment looms large throughout the play. The presence of their father, although only his picture is seen, plays on all their emotions. Unfortunately for them, he "fell in love with long distances" and abandoned them at an early age. This instills fear in Amanda that Tom would follow the same path and she tries to control his every action. Indeed, her smothering of Tom and her incessant accusations of selfishness lend her an unsympathetic aura.

Williams uses unusual cues and images for a play, as he forsakes the illusion of reality. Indeed, the novel is almost a dream-like existence, as it is contrived from the deep memories of Tom. Although reality may not have a firm hand, the theme of control and a yearn to escape is a biting reality that many people face today. Indeed, Tom seeks to escape the "coffin" of his existence, as he attempts to break away from the iron hand of his mother. Unfortunately for him, this also means abandoning his sister Laura if he chooses this path.

Although it is a short novel and quick read, "Glass Menagerie" provides a powerful message that is applicable today. It has not been lost in a time warp. This, and the fact that it is one of the first plays of Williams, should put this on a short list of "must read" classic American plays.

Glass Menagerie.......2007-06-12

When I first bought the book, the name sounded really interesting, but I didn't understand what "menagerie." After I flipped a few pages, I notice
how dysfunctional, yet almost normal, family the book portrayed. In a way, many people can relate the situation with their personal life.
During the 1940's and after the World War II, many people were in desperation trying to find jobs and create a better life. However, as a result of this mindset, some did not succeed and ended up living in a life of disaster. Such calamity resulted in not only financial misfortune, but also social and mental failure. Everyone seemed to scramble to quickly find a great life, but little did they know, the truth of the reality was that not everyone could succeed at the same time. As a result, many hoped for too much, plunging in a world of delusion. Avoiding reality, several other were just assuming fortunes would find them, creating self-fulfilling prophecies.
In Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams wants to depict exactly that tragedy resulted from constant escapades to fantasy by employing Amanda as the typical woman who just lost her grip on reality. Amanda has lost control ever since her husband had left her, destroying the family. Unable to cope with that reality, she just drifted onto another world. She refused to believe that fact and tried to impose her ideals onto her daughter, Laura. Amanda has always boasted that she was the most popular girl attracting all the find young men. She lived a life of glamour, while everyone stared enviously at her success. However, success took a u-turn and even a crash into the wilderness of failure. Amanda was distraught, devastated by the fact that her husband had left her and her family was filled with shame and quirk. Unable to get a grip of reality, she loses her control and drifts into a fantasy, where everything seems to work out perfectly. She puts too much emphasis on being popular and attracting all the rich suitors. She superimposes all her ideals onto her daughter, Laura, so she could be just like her mother. Unintentionally, she forces her daughter to achieve exactly what she has. Despite Amanda's genuine push, she actually forces Laura off the edge, but she changes and matures into a woman, more open to the world around her. Although Laura grown to be less inclusive and more open to the world, the family has broken apart as a result of Tom's escape. Ultimately, as a result of Amanda's fantasy world, the family has been torn apart into bits and pieces, revealing the notion that the escape to fantasy would only ruin one's life.
Tennessee Williams argues that fantasy is only a false depiction of the world in its most rudimentary image, which causes one to lose control of the complications of reality, inevitably resulting in a disaster.

hits all the right notes.......2007-06-12

3 things make this play stand out as truly spectacular: 1. the stellar plot, 2. the engaging and interesting characters, 3. it's ability to move the reader with its sadness and despair without asking for it. this play is truly a mus read for anyone who loves American literature.

In the story, Tom is a young man given the burden of caring for his mother and sister, Laura. Working at a dead-end job in a warehouse, Tom longs for the day he can be like his father and desert the family, to go on the quest for his own dreams and ambitions. he often writes literature during work and attends the movies every night as a way to escape from his otherwise monotomous life. Tom refuses to accept reality for what it is, and instead dwells in his own wishes, having no regard for his family. Laura, a shy girl who is crippled at the leg, does not interact with anyone outside of her family.

now, i must resist the temptation to say anymore, because i do not want to give away the ending, thus keeping any of you from reading this spectacular play. Set during the Great Depression, Williams oes an excellent job of placing the plot in historical context, because it was a time during which people were depressed and wanted to get out of "the hole", such as Tom. There are many symbols to be found throughout this play, such as the glass menagerie and the unicorn, which makes the play that much more engaging and interesting to read, as you try to decipher them. Williams' tone and style are also very appropriate with each changing character, giving the reader a better view of the characters. All while Williams achieves his rhetorical brilliance in the play, there is an underlying message of the dangers of dwelling in memory and fantasy rather than accept reality and deal with the present. I must recommend this book to anyone who is literate.

A sad story that preaches family unity and self sacrifice.......2007-06-12

This story is a must read! Despite the boring title, it's a true eye opener that questions your ethics and provokes you to contemplate on the troubles of society. Throughout the book, the characters struggle to come to terms of their reality.
One of the main characters is Laura, who is handicapped and is constantly nervous about what society thinks about her and her condition. Her poor understanding of who she is as a person and the exaggerated difference believes she has between others prevents her from ever being fully comfortable around others and even herself .Although Laura believes that society has shunned her from the acceptance that she deserves, Laura has actually shunned herself from the possibility of retaining friendships because of the paranoid thoughts in her own mind. Amanda and the pressure she places on Tom is also a large issue in the play which ultimately leads to Tom's tragic abandonment of the family at the end of the story. Because of her dependency on Tom's paycheck, she placed a huge burden on Tom who soon comes to the conclusion that if he would ever want to achieve his dreams, he would have to completely abandon his family. So, read the book and watch the predicaments unravel in the Wingfield family from Amanda's refusal to accept reality of Tom's dreams , Tom's desperate plea to be free from his obligations as breadwinner of the family, and Laura's personal struggle with being comfortable with her disability. Will Laura ever break out of her shell and lead the normal life she deserves? Read the book and contemplate on the effects of a judgmental society and the dangers of holding on to the past being ignorant of the present.

more than just readable material.......2007-06-12

This book focuses on the individual struggles of the three main characters of the book, but I personally enjoy the story of Tom and Laura who have to cope with problems that many can relate to.

Tom is a young man who has great dreams. This is not hard to imagine because many of us or many of the people we know dream of pursuing great goals in life. This is how we are programmed, what we are taught. But as a young man with a father who has abandoned the family, he must decide between pursuing his dreams or staying home and supporting his mother and sister. Such an interesting situation made me want to sit down and read to see what choice he would make.

Laura is the typical shy girl. However, because she is so self conscious about her crippled legs, she has grown to isolated herself so much that her mother has to worry whether or not she will marry since she refuses to talk to even other women. Instead, she turns to a glass collection for friends and company. Pretty crazy. Now when his hermit of a lady suddenly is forced to meet and converse with a normal human being outside of the household, the conclusion is waiting for you to read and find out. It is not your typical type of ending but it is nonetheless something that was satisfying and compatible.

The play is filled with symbols, which is a real good plus because it make the book all the more interesting to read and dig through. You will notice things like the glass collection, the fire escape, and the unicorn all representing something more than what they are. These are what makes the play more than just a browse through a story--it is more like an adventure or a mystery waiting to be torn apart.

Average customer rating:

Ms. C. Black!!!!!!
Great
CHYNA BLACK
Off The Hook
Eh it was aight

Chyna Black
Keisha Ervin
Manufacturer: Triple Crown Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0976234912

Book Description

There was a time when I didn't care about anybody, not even myself. Oh, and who am I? I'm Chyna, Chyna Danea Black to be more exact. I'm here to tell you my story, but for you to fully understand me, you have to understand my past. You see, I'm every black girl growing up in the hood, and like most, I got caught up in the life. Some things I didn't see coming. Other things were self-inflicted. I don't regret my path in life but I could have taken a different one. So, for all the young girls growing up in the hood, let me take you back to how I grew up.

Here is the Life & Times of me, Chyna Black.

Customer Reviews:

Ms. C. Black!!!!!!.......2007-10-15

This book was off the hook. I just wished that Chyna made better decisions but I guess that's a part of growing up. I loved Tyreik and Chyna's relationship they went through some real stuff.In real life you come across your occasional hater and they did come across many. This is the book right here!

Great.......2007-10-10

this book was amazing..i really dont read that much and i really enjoyed this book and finished it the same day it was delivered..i just got so into it..

CHYNA BLACK.......2007-05-29

Chyna had a little trouble at home with her mother, and winds up being put out. She moves in with Tyreik who becomes her man, the love of her life wich becomes a relationship she just was not ready for. Immature when it came to handling the problems in her relationship, I found her behavior so so childish and found myself at times wanting to wring her neck but, thats what a good read does bring out your emotions, and Keisha has done that .

Off The Hook.......2007-05-18

I loved this book, I was glued to the page from begining til the end. Chyna was a trip, I felt like I was on the emotional rollercoaster with her. The one thing I liked about her was that she made alot of mastikes, but she learned from them and got her Sh** togeather. She wasn't running around doing the some old stuff she matured and learned her lesson. Awesome read I would reccomend this book to all young women. You go Keisha Ervin do your thing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Eh it was aight.......2007-05-11

The first few chapters of this book were hard to get through. Around chapter 4 when her mom puts her out I became more interested. I became even more interested when there was talk of sex with Tyreik. Just because the book needed spice.

Starting off in this piece (I haven't read anything else by her and probably won't), it's obvious that Ms. Ervin's writing skills are not that great. It jumped around too much, the dialogue was ummm I don't even know what to call it...painful will do, and character development was scarce. I didn't get why some family members were elaborated on and not in an effective manner and Pat was barely touched up on. I would have enjoyed some colorful stories about her. Matter of fact, Pat was the only person in the book I could envision as I read besides India.

This book lacked passion and I couldn't relate to the lead character. I am not that hood I guess. Besides that fact I do have people in my life who have lived in the hood. I don't think this book did any justice for telling a story based on the hood.

The only thing I could relate to is her relationship with her mom. The love issues with Tyreik I just couldn't get with. There was no real emotion. It was too much of the stuff on the surface. The same old lines, same old sex scenes, blah blah.

This book is recommended to go with Crackhead by Lisa Lennox. Go with Ms. Lennox instead. As I said, I ain't hood but I could still feel for the main character in crackhead and relate to her. I felt cheated when I started reading the book. I purchased on amazon reader reviews.

Mmph!! I was played.

Guarding the Secrets: Palestinian Terrorism and a Father's Murder of His Too-American Daughter

Average customer rating:

Horrific story
In light of 9/11
Horrifying!
Terrorism's broad inroads
Gurarding the Secrets

Guarding the Secrets: Palestinian Terrorism and a Father's Murder of His Too-American Daughter
Ellen Harris
Manufacturer: Scribner
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Criminology | Crime & Criminals | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0025483358

Customer Reviews:

Horrific story.......2006-04-26

This was such a horrible story of Palestinian parents who murdered there daughter. They called it all in the name of Honor for she was becoming to American. What it's called is murder. The story was not written very well though. The author was all over the place and did not keep the story in one place.

The show forensic files has an episode on this. It gets to the point with out traveling all over the place as the book did.If your curious about the story wait for it to come on forensic files or look it up on line. There is tons of information on line about this tragic story of the lovely , kind innocent girl who did not deserve to die.

In light of 9/11.......2003-01-24

In the wake of the tradegy of 9/11 this book is eye-opening. It goes into detail about how this family/group operated here right under our noses.

Horrifying!.......2002-07-31

This true-crime story is written in the sensationalistic fashion typical of the genre. It grabs your attention right from the beginning and doesn't let go.
The author describes the irony of Tina Isa's life: to any otherAmerican family she would have been cherished as a charming, friendly, hard-working teen...
The author also describes the network of Palestinian terrorist groups living in the U.S. and the role they might have played... This story is gripping and very informative because the author did a lot of research and provides so much background information about the Palestinian culture, the lives of generations of the Isa family, the Abu Nidal terrorist organization and more.
...

Terrorism's broad inroads.......2001-09-23

This book starkly frames the force of hatred which overtook New York City and the world with the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. It relates specifically to Zein Isa's November 1989 murder of his daughter, Palestina. The West Bank immigrant and his Brazilian wife co-conspired in the brutal St. Louis murder of their teenage daughter, whose friendships they believed had endangered their terrorist plans.

In their search for terrorists, the Federal Bureau of Investigation inadvertently taped the actual killing. Zein Isa and his wife were sentenced to death.

The book reveals much about the village life in the West Bank, where most families, according to Maria Zein, belong to radical military groups whose ultimate goal is to destroy Israel. Many West Bank residents are actually "refugees from other countries." According Maria Zein's account, her husband knew "men from Syria, Libya, Kuwait, Saudi." Maria Zein told the author that her husband had traveled from the West Bank village of Beitin, to Jordan, Syria, Libya and Bolivia. He lived undetected for years in the US, and also claimed to have lived in Europe.

The book reveals twisted morals, which condone murder for the sake of family honor. It unmasks intense hatred that evolved into conspiracies to slaughter Jews, blow up the Israeli embassy in Washington and to murder Tina because she posed a threat to these plans.

It also exposes the frighteningly broad inroads that the Abu Nidal terrorists have made into American cities and life. Alyssa A. Lappen

Gurarding the Secrets.......2001-07-25

In November 1989 in St. Louis, the FBI inadvertently tape recorded the entire episode of a teenage girl's being killed by her Palestinian father and Brazilian mother (the Feds were looking for evidence of terrorism, which they also found). In a ghastly eight-minute sequence, Zein Isa stabbed his daughter Palestina thirteen times with a butcher's knife as his wife held the girl down and responded to Palestina's pleas for help with a brutal "Shut up!" The killing ends with Zein screaming "Die! Die quickly! Die quickly! . . . Quiet, little one! Die, my daughter, die!" By this time, she is dead.

Harris, a St. Louis television reporter, has done admirable spade work going through the court transcripts and interviewing everyone connected to the case in an attempt to piece together the interlocking stories of family murder and active support of Abu Nidal's terrorist organization. In addition, she successfully conjures up the small and exceedingly unpleasant world of Zein Isa and his family of rabid anti-Americans living right in the American heartland. The murder culminates their lives of frustration, greed, and vulgarity. Unfortunately, Harris spent more effort digging up information than she did writing the book; so the more-than-casual reader must read and reread its pages to piece together the sequence of events and the scope of the Isa family's involvement with Abu Nidal. Doing so repays the effort, however, for Harris has compiled a treasure trove of materials on two usually elusive subjects.

Middle East Quarterly, September 1995

Average customer rating:

A Great Read

What a great read!

Game of life

Coaching advise from athletic coaches

Overcome Adversity

How to Succeed in the Game of Life: 34 Interviews with the World's Greatest Coaches
Christian Klemash
Manufacturer: Andrews McMeel Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Success | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
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Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, & Priorities of a Winning Life

Quiet Strength: Mens Bible Study

Beyond Basketball: Coach K's Keywords for Success

Leading with the Heart: Coach K's Successful Strategies for Basketball, Business, and Life

You Haven't Taught Until They Have Learned: John Wooden's Teaching Principles and Practices

ASIN: 0740760653

Book Description

What would legendary Boston Celtics coach and 16-time NBA champion Red Auerbach say is the most critical quality for a person to be successful? Would his advice differ from 10-time NCAA championship coach John Wooden's? What would each say to a young person just starting out in pursuit of their dreams? What is the best advice they were ever given?

It took author Christian Klemash more than two years of research, persistence, and original interviews, but now he's ready to pass on the best advice you'll ever get. Only the rare individual has had the opportunity to pick the brain of just one legendary sports coach—let alone thirty-four of the best sports coaches of all time. Klemash gives sports fans a once-in-a-lifetime chance to learn valuable life lessons from the most famous, intelligent, and victorious coaches ever. The legends span the sports world, from gold medal-winning gymnastics coach Bela Karolyi and three-time college football championship coach Tom Osborne to four-time World Series-winning baseball manager Joe Torre and hall-of-fame boxing trainer Angelo Dundee.

These coaches know how to teach top athletes about character and winning, how to manage pressure at crunch time, and how to bring out the best in their players when it matters most. How to Succeed in the Game of Life shares their insights into sports, life, and the most vital keys to sustain success.Featuring Exclusive Interviews with:

Red Auerbach, 16-time NBA World Champion

Bobby Bowden, College Football's All-Time Winningest Coach, 2-time National Champion

Scotty Bowman, 9-time Stanley Cup Champion

Bill Cowher, Super Bowl Champion

Tony Dungy, Super Bowl Champion

Dan Gable, 15-time NCCA Champion

April Heinrichs, Gold Medal Winning Coach of the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team

Bela Karolyi, The World’s Greatest Gymnastics Coach

Bill Parcells, 2-time Super Bowl Champion

Emanuel Steward, Boxing Trainer of 30 World Champions

Joe Torre, 4-time World Series Champion

Bill Walsh, 3-time Super Bowl Champion

Lenny Wilkens, NBA’s All-Time Winningest Coach, NBA Champion

John Wooden, 10-time NCAA Champion

And More!

Customer Reviews:

A Great Read.......2007-08-26

Wow!Could not put it down.An extraordinay self help book.Gave it to my kids they loved it.Don't miss this one

What a great read!.......2007-07-25

I took it on vacation with me and I couldn't put it down. A great book for aspiring athletes and coaches as well as your average Joe who works 9-5. The coaches discuss a variety of topics from their childhood to how they motivate their players. Any easy read for all ages.

Game of life.......2007-07-24

I've read through Game of Life and I enjoyed it very much. There are so many things to take from this book, not just into sports, but also some reflections on life. I would recommend this book to everybody.

Coaching advise from athletic coaches.......2007-06-27

A fun read, especially if yoiu're a sports fan. I read it in search of things that would help my own ability as a coach in my company. Much of it is light stuff but the easy read makes it fun nonetheless and there are few golden nuggets laced throughout the book.

Overcome Adversity.......2007-04-12

Anyone looking for inspiration, either for their own life or to share with others, will find a gold mine of quotes here. This book isn't just for sports fans.

Average customer rating:

Excellent book
Good book; but nothing great
Hours of enjoyable study
A wonder conversation piece
Excellent compilation

St. Louis Then and Now (Then & Now)
Elizabeth McNulty
Manufacturer: Thunder Bay Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1571452435

Book Description

Celebrating America's favorite cityscapes, this series combines historic interest and contemporary beauty. Then And Now features fascinating archival photographs contrasted with specially commissioned, full-color images of the same scene today. A visual lesson in the historic changes of our greatest urban landscapes.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent book.......2007-01-16

This book offers a great view of the then and now of St. Louis. Great photographs and historical reference book.

Good book; but nothing great.......2004-03-13

This is a good book. It has pictures of about 70 locations in St.Louis then and now. Old pictures are from mid-19th century to mid-20th century. It would have been more interesting if a smaller period (may be a decade) in the past was selected and the pictures during that period were compared with now. Also, many of the new pictures are not taken at the same angle as the old ones, so some pictures don't give a good comparison. You can't adjust the old pictures, but the new ones could have been definitely adjusted. Historical narrations of some of the pictures are interesting, but more of that could have been added. All in all, a good book to be placed on the coffee table.

Hours of enjoyable study.......2003-11-20

This book gave me hours of enjoyable entertainment. Born and raised in the St. Louis area, I found myself studying every detail in each contrasted photo. It's remarkable to see how much landscape can change throughout the years as new construction buries layer after layer of history. Great way to preserve what is so often forgotten in the modern world and to get a glimpse of a city's beginnings.

A wonder conversation piece.......2003-08-14

This book has given myself and my family members, as well as guests hours of enjoyment and 'lots to talk about. Thanks.

Excellent compilation.......2003-08-14

Growing up in Saint Louis and having recently moved back, this has made me appreciate my city for what it once was and what it may become. This book is well put together and the research is obviously impeccable. It has no social agenda or views as many historical books do, but it just shows exactly what it says, "then and now". It was very enjoyable. The best gift I can give fellow St. Louisan's for any occasion.

Portuguese Palissy Ware: A Survey of Ceramics from Caldas da Rainha, 1853-1920

Average customer rating:

Portuguese Palissy Ware: A Survey of Ceramics from Caldas da Rainha, 1853-1920
Marshall P. Katz
Manufacturer: Hudson Hills Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Sculpture | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Ceramics | Other Media | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Portugal | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

Pottery & Ceramics | Antiques & Collectibles | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Pottery & Ceramics | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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Palissy Ware: Nineteenth-Century French Ceramists from Avisseau to Renoleau

ASIN: 0933920636

Book Description

The great French 16th-century potter, Bernard Palissy, created a genre of rustic ceramic ware reproducing three-dimensional still lifes of natural objects, flora and fauna of all types, including lizards and fish, rendered in high relief and natural colors. His work influenced a school of artists that flourished in the Portuguese town of Caldas da Rainha, 65 miles north of Lisbon, between 1853 and 1920. This volume surveys the work of the most important artists of the Portugese Palissy revival, including Mafra and Pinheiro.

Average customer rating:

Do you want to be Devoted?
A masterpiece written by the Holy Spirit Himself
Beautiful Way to Enrich Your Spiritual Journey
True Devotion to Mary
A Masterpiece!

True Devotion to Mary
Louis De Monfort
Manufacturer: Tan Books & Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0895552795

Customer Reviews:

Do you want to be Devoted?.......2007-03-03

This is an important book. I am a recent convert to the Catholic Church. I grew up in a protestant denomination and Mary was someone who appeared for a couple of weeks at Christmas and then faded back into the dust of first century christianity. She was just one of many players in the drama of God. This book blows that shallow understanding to bits. Over the past year I have been getting to know my Mother. This book came to my attention only recently and I can not put it down! I will say this, one must read this book with faith. This is a very deep book, yet beautifully simple. It is a love story of devotion and courage. This book is a high calling to know Jesus in a way one may have never imagined possible.

Peace,
Keith

A masterpiece written by the Holy Spirit Himself.......2007-01-18

This is, in my opinion, the greatest single book ever written on the Blessed Virgin. It is, in reality, like a compendium of all that the Holy Catholic Church had taught on devotion to the Blessed Virgin up to that moment, although nothing has really been added since then. In 215 pages it explains everything you need to need about TRUE devotion to the Virgin - it even explains false devotions, such as hypocritical devotees etc - and the crucial importance, by the will of God, of Mary in salvation history. You can clearly get the impression when reading this magnificent book that the author was not really the one who physically wrote down the words, St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort, but in reality the Holy Ghost himself acting through this servant of God. This book is an absolute must for anyone who wishes to better his/her spiritual life. Needless to say, I think everyone should read this book - sinners and saints alike. For sinners, as a way to escape from spiritual ruin, and for saints, as a way to reach perfection which otherwise is very difficult to reach without a deep devotion to Our Lady. This book definitely has the power to change the life of the one who reads it. As St Alphonsus de Liguori stated, "Only God knows the power of reading a good book" and this book certainly falls in this category.

Beautiful Way to Enrich Your Spiritual Journey.......2007-01-09

This book offers a depth of insight into the life of our Lord and the relationship between Jesus and Mary as well as between Mary and ourselves. It discusses her deep love and devotion to us as our spiritual mother, and how she brings us closer to her Son. This book is life-changing and is a wonderful way to deepen your spirituality and to grow closer to Jesus.

True Devotion to Mary.......2007-01-05

This beautiful book is one that I bought many copies of to send to family and friends. It is a wonderfully real way to see Our Blessed Lady and her role as the Mother of our Lord. A book that will not only be in my library forever, but in my bed-side table as a reference.

A Masterpiece!.......2006-12-17

This wonderful little book provides a guide to becoming closer to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, through His Blessed Mother. Contained herein are both explantions as to how and why we can come closer to Divine Intimacy through our Lady and a discipline of devotions to cause this to happen. The writing, though archaic, is timelessly beautiful. And the message could not possibly be more important given the fallen state of our world today. Hail, Mary full of grace!

The Man Who Talks to Dogs: The Story of Randy Grim and His Fight to Save America's Abandoned Dogs

Average customer rating:

Amazing Story
This is one amazing book!
Should Serve as an Inspiration to Anyone who Loves Dogs
The Dog Rescuer
good on more than one level

The Man Who Talks to Dogs: The Story of Randy Grim and His Fight to Save America's Abandoned Dogs
Melinda Roth
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0312331045

Book Description

Go to any unpopulated or abandoned urban area, and you'll find them. Countless thousands of wild dogs-abandoned to disease, starvation, and inevitable death-are leading brutal lives in the no-man's-land between domestication and wildness. A lucky few are saved by dedicated rescuers, and Randy Grim, founder of Stray Rescue of St. Louis, has become one of the country's lead-ing dog saviors. In this book, journalist Melinda Roth narrates Grim's dramatic efforts and describes the horrific and heart-warm-ing cases he encounters, showing how this growing national health problem-controlled by no federal or local laws-can no longer be ignored. This edition includes a new afterword about Grim's rehabil-itation of Quentin, the dog who recently made national head-lines by miraculously surviving a gas chamber.

Customer Reviews:

Amazing Story.......2007-04-17

Randy Grim is one of the most incredible people I have ever read about. His sacrifice of time, money and love during his attempt to save the most unwanted of the unwanted, America's abandoned street dogs, is totally amazing.

The stories are incredible and moving. You face the real drama of dogs living in fear of man yet, Randy Grim goes out on the lonely city streets and into abandoned buildings to reach every dog he can. He saved them from injury, starvation and death, not only during the day but at night as well.

This is a book everyone should read, everyone. Whether you love dogs or not, this book will make an impact on your life. You will do some real soul searching about the need for each one of us to help with this mission.

This is one amazing book!.......2006-07-17

Never has a book had such an impact on me. I am an avowed dog-lover, but with all the dog books I have read, I have never been so moved as I was by the story of Randy Grim and his fight to save stray dogs. I could not recommend this book strongly enough to anyone who cares about animals. Randy is an EXTRAORDINARY human being, and even though he does not want it, he is finally getting the recognition he deserves. And this recognition can only help the cause of his fight for stray animals. You go, Randy! I love you!

Should Serve as an Inspiration to Anyone who Loves Dogs.......2005-11-18

Wonderful book. A real eye opener as to the conditions of some urban areas. Only goes to show that you don't have to be volunteering at Ground Zero to be a hero.

The Dog Rescuer.......2005-08-21

Poignant and disturbing if a bit disjointed. More than talking to dogs, Randy Grim understands their needs and has at times puts himself in harm's way to rescue abandoned, feral dogs from warehouses, abandoned apartments and houses, and fields. He has turned his difficulty communicating with humans into a useful, compassionate, even obsessive need to save these dogs. The stories don't link together very well and I'd like more insight and history into Randy himself, but overall, the book leaves you feeling that you want to help, too.

good on more than one level.......2005-05-18

A good read because I had no clue what the stray/feral dog situation was like, other than the occassional statistic thrown out. I learned a lot about that situation, as well as what often goes on in the dog breeding industry and the pet stores. Worse than I could have imagined. I almost didn't read this book because I was afraid of becoming too sad about the whole stray dog situation, but I read it anyway because I have six dogs and various behavioral broblems. I wanted some insight. I figured that if this guy rescues and rehabilitates those with the worst behavioral and emotional problems, then I could definitely get some insight into my own dogs, all of which were unwanted. But I didn't want to start with the typical sterile information you find in dog training books. I feel that "The Man Who Talks to Dogs" gave me the insight I needed into understanding the behaviors I'm seeing in my own dogs. I have made a few changes in how I relate to them and things are becoming more harmonious. There is also good information on Randy's web site strayrescue.com.

The Betrayers (Lieutenant George Hastings)

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Hunt's hard hitting fourth novel
Good cops and bad cops
fast-paced crime thriller

The Betrayers (Lieutenant George Hastings)
James Patrick Hunt
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Minotaur
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0312362765
Release Date: 2007-03-06

Book Description

Two beat cops are machine-gunned down in one of the most brutal crimes St. Louis has ever seen. Did they simply pull over the wrong reckless driver, or did someone target these two for a more sinister reason? Lieutenant George Hastings is the primary investigator on the case, along with his detective Bobby Cain, an inexperienced but connected detective who is ambitious and impolitic. Hastings and Cain dissect the lives of the two murdered officers, focusing in on one officer after they learn that he did a year-long undercover stint with narcotics and helped put away one of the biggest meth dealers in the area. But what they uncover is much bigger than one dealers revenge, and much more personal.

Customer Reviews:

Hunt's hard hitting fourth novel.......2007-05-05

James Patrick Hunt's hard hitting fourth novel, The Betrayers, begins on a cold November night as two St. Louis beat cops, Deputies Chris Hummel and Wade Childers, sit in their patrol car, discussing how to handle the owner of a Pathfinder they've pulled over. Although all seems normal, there's something about the guy that gives them pause. Suddenly, a black Pontiac Bonneville pulls up behind them; before they can react, machinegun fire erupts from that vehicle, killing them both. The driver of the Pathfinder then leaves with his compatriots in the Bonneville.

Enter Lieutenant George Hastings, saddled with the burden of handling the highly volatile situation. With few solid leads, Hastings is forced to follow tips from any source, no matter how tenuous or shaky. One, which posits that Hummel might have been on the take, leads him down a dangerous path, towards a brutal killer with enemies on both sides of the law.

As you might have guessed from the title, the novel delves deeply into betrayal and its effects on individuals and groups. All of Hunt's characters are driven by the act of betrayal, either committing it themselves, or in dealing with the collateral damage those acts precipitate. His examination of this complex milieu is simultaneously horrifying and uplifting, illustrating the heights and depths law enforcement officials and criminals can rise or fall to. Hunt manages this tight rope act beautifully, expertly evoking his eclectic set of characters, sometimes making you despise the cops, sometimes creating sympathy for the crooks, but always holding you spellbound.

Good cops and bad cops.......2007-03-15

On a late fall evening, two police officers are machine-gunned down on the streets of St. Louis, Missouri. The questions asked by the officers on the scene were: Did the cops pull over the wrong person, or did one or both of them have a connection to something else?

Lieutenant George Hastings 'catches' the case. Because his partner is in the hospital, he's paired with the well-connected detective Bobby Cain. The two police officers focus on the slain officers' lives to determine if one or both was involved with something that got them killed.

Slain officer Chris Hummel did a year-long stint undercover and his work contributed to the arrest and conviction of a big-time career criminal. Cain is not sure that Lt. Hastings' take on the case is correct, but he reluctantly follows Hastings orders. The trail begins to lead, not to Hummel's work as an undercover narcotics officer, but to the women in his life.

The Betrayers is filled with good cops, a bad cop, evil mobsters, an assassin and the women these men are involved with personally. The plot is fascinating and it's a fast read. My criticism is that there are so many characters that it's difficult to get to know them very well. Some of them show up and then disappear. And those that stick around, even the bad ones, weren't well-developed enough to really care about them or dislike them.

Armchair Interviews says: This is a good read, but based on the plot, could have been much better.

fast-paced crime thriller.......2007-03-11

In St. Louis two county deputies Chris Hummel and Wade Childers make what seems to be a routine traffic stop of Jimmy Rizza, only to be killed by Mike Dillon. St Louis Homicide Detective Lieutenant George Hastings leads the inquiries into the murders of the law enforcement officials that have all the cops outraged and in turn concerns the criminal elements who fear mass intrusion in their business.

The first thing George realizes that makes the case seem less random than first thought is the weapon of choice was a machine gun. George wonders if the homicides are drug related with Hummel and Childers lured into a trap. As his superior Captain Karen Brady places increasingly unfair pressure on him to catch the culprits, George also feels unhappy with that young punk son of an affluent lawyer, Sergeant Bobby Cain, assigned to assist him. Ignoring his feelings of being a sandwich meat, he considers who could have set up such an operation including the hit order. Incarcerated drug lord Steve Treats or vicious felon John Zanatelli come to mind but what makes the investigation convoluted are the follow up executions that occur to eradicate the trail.

Though the murder victims are different the fascinating use of a crime thriller to look at dysfunctional group dynamics will remind the audience of Fritz Lang's classic 1930s movie M (starring Peter Lorre). The investigation takes a back seat to the interactivities and relationships within the two prime groups. For instance, George has no respect for or trusts either his direct supervisor or the sergeant; the same holds true within the criminal circles as Jimmy only relies on his brother while Matt has his machine gun. Fans of tense fast-paced crime thrillers will want to read this terrific police procedural.

Harriet Klausner

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