This is the first Hillerman novel I picked up and it won't be my last. The story centres around the unexplained disappearance of an anthropologist who is suspected of being a 'thief of time' or pot hunter. While Lt. John Leaphorn and Officer Jim Chee look for the missing person, recent dead bodies are discovered at plundered sites. It's up to Leaphorn and Chee to find out who's causing all this destruction before they find another body.

As an anthropology student, I liked Hillerman's detailed research and his obvious respect of the Navajo Nation. As a mystery reader, I liked the police story line and how it fit quite nicely with Hillerman's anthropological angle. Great read and I hope to read more from this exceptional author.

Lt. Joe Leaphorn and Officer Jim Chee of the Navajo Tribal Police join forces in Hillerman's imaginative series on crimes occurring in or around the four corners country of the Southwest. Leaphorn and Chee track down a killer and along the way travel throughout the vast Navajo nation imparting arcane data on Native American pots, shards, and rituals.

Leaphorn and Chee's murder investigation touches on the "thieves of time;" those persons who desecrate and often destroy Native American archaeological sites in their fervor to collect ancient artifacts. The officers decipher clues leading to the identity of a killer who leaves bodies at Anasazi sites which have been looted. The interchange between Leaphorn and Chee, both said and unsaid, forms the main contrast in this book. Both men are interesting but Leaphorn is a more complex person; an aging Indian nearing the end of his career.

Known as the ancient ones, the Anasazi have been the subject of numerous studies by academia as to their origin and demise ranging from speculation to sober reality. The end result is conjecture although Hillerman is able to touch on the Anasazi lifestyle and history with a sure and steady hand.

There are more than 140,000 Native American sites registered within the states of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. Registration is required and approval is needed from the U. S. Government before digging can be undertaken by archaeologists at any of these sites. Unfortunately, the vast majority of sites are unidentified and thus unregistered. If they are identified, they are often unprotected and subject to vandalism by anyone.

Many of the unregistered sites are located on private land allowing the owner or others to remove aritifacts under cover of law. Some Indian artifact stores in the Southwest have knowingly bought stolen artifacts but the proof required to convict the owners is often lacking.

Hillerman introduces a reader to more than murder within the pages of his books. The various facets of the investigation opens the door to a reader's mind. Hillerman's main purpose is to educate a reader to the Navajo and Hopi tribes; their rituals, their people, and the gentle pace of their hard won existence.

Read Hillerman's series of books on Leaphorn and Chee. You'll become as addicted as millions of other readers have.

I must admit I'd never read any of Tony Hillerman's novels. Someone said if I liked James Patterson then I would like Tony Hillerman. Reluctantly, I read this book and I was totally shocked on how very interesting this book is. Navajo detectives Lephorn and Lee, one who is old and traditional and another who is young and modern tries to solve a case with a missing archaelogist. The whole indian culture, landscapes, tradition and history were perfect elements in this book. I have never read a fictional book that was deep in a culture that is vastly slowly fading away. Hillerman not only written a cultural quick fast paced story, he added a couple of twist which had thrown me off. I feel if this book had a great effect on me, which by the way, engulf me into a culture I rarely see anymore, I would truely read another Hillerman.

Set against the backdrop of the Wars of the Roses, The Black Arrow is an intriguing look at the life of young Richard Shelton. Richard's life is shaken when he realizes that those he had thought to be his friends are really his enemies, and he is forced to make choices that will determine the course of his life. Although the characters are well-developed and the plot is fascinating, this book is not for the squeemish or lazy reader. The description is not only vivid, it is often gorey. The language is sometimes difficult and a dictionary might prove quite handy. But anyone looking for a well-written, action-packed classic should read this book.

This book is one of the best I've read. It is what every book about the middle ages should be and more, with suspense, action, disguises, escapes, and of course, the occasional love scene. Robert Louis Stevenson lived in the mid-1800s, and is renowned for his many works, includingTreasure Island, Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, andKidnapped. The Black Arrow, written originally for a magazine, was written after a serious illness in Stevenson, and was published right after Treasure Island.

Dick Shelton, a boy of sixteen, is quickly thrust into the conflict of the War of the Roses. He battles against almost any kind of evil - bloodthirsty pirates, a murderous priest, and even his own legal gaurdian - Sir Daniel Brackley. Through the whole book Dick strives to become a knight, and to rescue his true love. The Black Arrow is a sure winner for 6th graders and up.

The Black Arrow is, without a doubt, one of my all time favorite books, just as Robert Louis Stevenson is one of my all time favorite authors. I find it hard to believe that The Black Arrow is probably the least well know of his great adventure novels (the others being, of course, Treasure Island and Kidnapped), as it is certainly the best as far as I am concerned. As far as the story goes, it is one of the most entertaining plots that I have ever encountered. It is filled with more twists and turns than I would have thought possible, but remains very clear and fast paced. The characters are wonderful, as is the description and the writing itself. Granted, some of the language is a bit archaic, but I feel that this adds a lot to the authenticity of the story.
The Black Arrow is not a very easy read at first, but once you get into it it really flies by. It is as entertaining, exciting, and intriguing book as you will find, and I would recommend it to anyone.

I've been catching up on Wells' work lately, and up to this point, I've been fairly impressed. His best work, written at the turn of the century, holds up fairly well: it's entertaining and thought-provoking (The Time Machine, War of the Worlds).

I wasn't very impressed with this book, however. It doesn't read like his other works. The story probably could have been told in 20 or so pages, definitely a short-story candidate. I was amazed that Wells stretched this out to its present length, as the middle 40-odd pages were quite dull and really didn't go anywhere.

The science behind the story (while iffy, of course), is fascinating. Griffin is a great character, but more could have been done with him, besides his spending so much time having to convince people that he IS, in fact, invisible ("I am invisible. I really am an invisible man", etc, etc). It gets mind-numbing after a while. I guess the biggest let-down of the book is the fact that the title gives everything away. Once you've seen the cover, you pretty much have it; no real surprises. Yep, he's invisible, and there ya go.

What a great idea to assemble scifi icons from Star Trek to perform various H.G. Wells's classics! Of the works they've performed are: The Invisible Man, The Time Machine, The First Men in the Moon, and Journey to the Center of the Earth.

This audio recording of The Invisible Man was easy listening, and fun too. It's definitely worth a listen. I'm going to have to check out the others!

One side note, obviously the original work was abridged and adapted for audio drama. You'll still want to read the classic.

Okay, so Wells didn't load the book with the violence seen in the recent movie Hollow Man. Consider when the book was written, and what was comparable at the time. I, for one, was engrossed in the book and read it in about three sittings.

Wells excellently portrayed Griffin (Invisible Man) as a man crossing back and forth from sanity to madness. You may catch yourself considering how you would overcome his difficulties, or how you might abuse his power.

What really stood out for me was the tongue-in-cheek undertones Wells incorporated into the story, such as the cockney dialect and rustic behavior of the people of Iping. Also, consider Wells' narration during intense moments, such as the fight between Griffin and the people of Iping...
"...[Huxter's] shin was caught in some mysterious fashion, and he was no longer running, but flying with inconceivable rapidity through the air. He saw the ground suddenly close to his face. The world seemed to splash into a million whirling specks of light, and subsequent proceedings interested him no more."
Later elaboration of the events included the terrifying realization that Griffin was "smiting and overthrowing, for the mere satisfaction of hurting."

If you find the book difficult to follow, try the version adapted by Malvina Vogel, complete with illustrations by Pablo Marcos. It's not as powerful, but easier to understand.

After I read FOOLS FOR SCANDAL nearly two years ago, I told everyone who would listen that all the voluminous Whitewater investigations would amount to zilch, zippo, nada. With the end of all the GOP led investigations, as well as the culmination of the Starr investigation, with its two mentions of Whitewater, Mr. Lyons was indeed correct.

Mr. Lyons, reviled as a "Clinton Apologist" by the media elite, has been proven not only prescient but courageous in his relentless determination to reveal the truth, no matter what kind of forty million dollar hoax the Washington elitists wanted to propagate.

Don't expect the television punditocracy to recognize or admit that Mr. Lyons was right, they don't have the journalistic integrity or character to acknowledge their failures.

A must read for anyone who wants a roadmap to this four year and forty million dollar boondoggle. Now, this is a fleecing of America!!!!!

After reading Jeff Gerth's Chinese spy stories in the NY Times, and realizing that they were mostly anti-Clinton innuendo with very few facts, I decided to read this book.

Lyons dissects Gerth's "journalism" word by word, innuendo by innuendo, half-truth by half-truth, lie by lie, smear by smear. Any reporter at a self-respecting college newspaper who was as dishonest as Gerth was in his Whitewater stories would've been immediately fired.

Before reading "Fools for Scandal," I was annoyed by Jeff Gerth's "journalism"; now I'm angry at both him and The New York Times, since they have obviously become tools of the most poisonous element in our political culture, the right wing.

When the history of this era -- with its right-wing smear machine and the corrupt journalism that is the machine's partner in crime -- is taught, "Fools for Scandal" should be required reading.

The nucleus of Lyons' book began as an October 1994 article in Harper's Magazine. In it he confirmed what I and others had suspected: There was no there there in the Whitewater story, and that it was a hoax with regard to the Clintons.

Two years later, at around the 1996 elections, Lyons and the editors of Harper's came up with this book. More than just a recounting of the Whitewater saga, this book is one of the most damning indictments of journalistic malpractice ever written. At the core of the book is the behavior of journalists at various newspaper and broadcast media outlets in general, with particular emphasis on the New York Times and the now-discredited reporter Jeff Gerth. Needless to say, Lyons' book got a lousy review in the NYT Book Review, yet nobody has ever refuted anything Lyons wrote. Indeed, his book has stood the test of time.

Breezily written, yet meticulously researched, Lyons' book can be read in a sitting or two. I also recommend the section in the back of the book featuring a discussion with Lyons and a number of other journalists with regard to the lack of journalistic standards in the Whitewater reporting.

This book can also be seen as a forerunner to Lyons' (and Joe Conason's) upcoming book on the so-called Clinton Scandals, "The Hunting of the President." If that book is anything like "Fools for Scandal," it should be very good, indeed. Lyons and Conason will still not be invited to the Georgetown cocktail parties, however.

I am a big Brian Boitano fan. I took this book out of the library hoping for a little more on his personal life. I wasn't too disappointed, but I would prefer if he had mentioned more about his family. There was a lot about his skating in it, though, which is what I love about him. He talks a lot about Calgary, which can get annoying because it happened almost 13 years ago! Don't get me wrong--I loved reading about it, but I've already read a lot about it. My favorite part was the tour scrapbook. That was neat to see. I also liked very much that people wrote their own commentary on Brian and about different things. You can read this book for an enjoyable read, but don't expect too much on skating.

Brian Boitano has always been my favorite figure skater. When I heard that he had written a book, I quickly rushed to get it. I am so glad that I took the time to read this book because it is a masterpiece.
He begins his book with a forward written by Peggy Fleming and then goes on to tell what it was like being at the Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada, in 1988. That was the year Brian Boitano would come home with an Olympic Gold Medalist around his neck. Brian has dedicated pages to skating terms, slang, and how to judge a skating performance. He also talks about costumes, choreography, and on most pages of his book he has a first in skating history (first person to skate to music, for example). Katarina Witt also takes the time to add to Boitano's book. "A Tour Scrapbook" is towards the back with pictures from some of the shows Brian has been in. The back of his book contains the past Olympic and World Champions since the competitions began. In short, "Boitano's Edge" is THE book for the skating fan in your family.

This is an excellent book for anyone who LOVES Figure Skating and Brian Boitano. In this book, Brian Boitano takes you on a journey through the various aspects pertaining to Figure Skating, and gives the inside story of his own personal life of Figure Skating from his childhood up to the present time. As you read through Boitano's Edge, you get a full overview of Brian's career on the ice, while learning more about Brian Boitano. When it comes to pictures of Brian in various Figure Skating stances, this book has a tremendous amount to look at, along with much comment from Brian as well. This book is a MUST to add to your book collection or to set on your coffee table and share with others. A definite recommendation to give as a gift to a friend who also shares a GREAT liking for Brian Boitano. I give this book a DOUBLE THUMBS UP, as it is ONE of my MOST FAVORITE books ever and Brian Boitano is also my favorite Male Figure Skaters too. Add this book to your collection, and you won't be sorry you did...

Harper has good points and empowers women to make wise choices and take responsiblity for their own labor, deliver, births. Unlike the reader who found it to be information not pertinent to today (I wish I had her hospital & doctor in my town), my birth experience with my first (& so far only child) was very much taken out of my control. My child was never in danger, I was never in danger. And despite my "birth plan" and my constantly telling my doctor that I was okay with however long my labor took as long as baby & me were fine,she intervened and eventually I ended up with a c-section. Hospital protocol dictated that I be put in hospital gown, hooked up to iv and fetal monitor despite the fact that it slowed my labor and made the pains more intense. A nurse came in every hour and offered me some sort of pain releif despite the fact that I had expressed that I didn't want it. She'd tell me I didn't have to be martyr. That was agrivating. As a result, I've been looking for hope to avoid this the next time around. Had I read this book before I believe I would NOT have the physical or emotional scars of the cesearean. I know some women are okay with their c-sections and I probably would be too if I knew that my life or my baby's life had been saved. But neither of us were ever in jeporady.

Gentle Birth Choices was my birth changer. I knew I wanted a natural birth, but after reading about the wonderful experiences that other women have had, and also finding out a little more in depth about hospital births, this book has not only swayed my husband and I to indulge in a home birth, but to also give water birth a try. The most important thing to me is serenity. Serenity for me AND the baby - and after reading her book, as well as several others, I have come to the conclusion that this is what we want. Not only does Barbara give you options, she gives you the history. Excellent, excellent book! Highly recommend - as if you didn't know this already. ;+)

because it focuses on the mother-to-be naturally reclaiming the birth process. This book was one of my tried-and-true resources during my pregnancy while I was thoughtfully trying to decide what birth experience I wanted. I ended up making an informed decision to have a midwife-assisted natural homebirth, and it was the most exhilarating experience of my life. There is no other way I would want to bring a child into this world. I challenge any mother-to-be to think for herself, inform herself of all the options, and make the choice SHE (not just her OB/GYN) feels is right. Thank God a medically-controlled hospital birth is not the only option. Blessed are the babies who receive such a warm welcome into the world. And, my heart breaks for every innocent little soul who is yanked from his mother's womb by a pair of cold, latex-gloved hands in a cold, bright, sterilized hospital. Trust me, women...there IS a better way! You have all the resources and strength within you to have exactly the kind of birth you want.

Having read the other Calder stories, I felt this one lacked the character depth of the previous stories. It's obvious that another book is due out regarding Ty & Jessy Calder as neither character developed well in this part of the saga. I wonder when the next will be and if it will tie all the loose threads left by Calder Pride. ie. The results of those shot: Ty, Cully, and Rollie; The birth of Ty & Jessy's child; Sally & Chase's relationship; Emma's part in the kidnapping, etc.

MANY YEARS HAVE PASSED SINCE I READ THE CALDER SERIES.MY SON LEFT CALDER PRIDE AT MY HOUSE A FEW MONTHS AGO AND I STARTED READING IT THE OTHER NIGHT,I FINISHED THE BOOK IN ONE NIGHT AND WAS SADDENED WHEN I GOT TO END. I WANTED THE BOOK TO CONTINUE.AS FAS AS THE CALDERS GO,MS.DAILEY HAS NOT LOST HER TOUCH.MEMORIES OF THE LIVES OF THE CALDERS CAME BACK AND AT SOME POINTS I WOULD SAY OH YEAH "THIS OR THAT HAPPENED".I LIKE THE WAY OLD CHARACTERS AND NEW ONES WERE BROUGHT TOGETHER LIKE SALLY FOR INSTANCE.I HOPE THERE IS A SEQUEL TO THIS BOOK AS WELL.

I read this book in one day! I could not put it down and stayed up until 3:00am reading it. If you like romance and a good story along with it this is the book for you. I have not read the other books in this series but after this book I am hooked. I was worried since I had not read the others this would be hard to follow but it was not. It is a story all its own, One I know I will want to read again.

Being in the business for over 20 years I think this book was long over due. Clients just don't know. I could probably write a better account but as Chairman of a Firm I won't. Many managers could also care less about the client's it's not only the broker fault. The NASD has a big role they are to slow to put these type of brokers & firms out of business. Why not have a contest to see how much money we make the client. I must admit that 11 of my 20 years were at Lehman Brothers as a Million Dollar Producer and the most famous books were the rebuttal books and the book we sent to clients called, The Money Magicians (Chapter 7 Lehman). At Lehman Brothers we had professional, writing stock presentations for us. We even had special meeting about what stocks we were going to pitch that day and how each and every manager was going to allocate the stock and what the commisions were. At 55 Water Street Lehman Brokers parked more stock in one day then Kinney Parking lots Parked cars in their garages in New York City on any given day. The auther is also talking about NET TRADES the motto on Wall Street was & is "if you can't net it forget it". JUST REMEMBER THIS "On wall Street 3 people make money: A-The Client B-The Brokerage House C-The Broker And 2(B,C) out 3 is not bad". Buy the book !

Reading this book was captavating, especially since I am heavily in the market. Several of my friends have used brokers over the past five years, and without exception it was a negative (in hindsight) experience. This book shows why. Their stories struck me deeply, and I always warned others of the dangers of using these financial middle men. If you have a broker or are thinking of getting one read this book first! PLEASE! Very entertaining reading too. You won't want to put it down and can get through it in 2-3 days easy.

No wonder the reviewers who are brokers didn't like this book. True, the bad guys in the book are only a small percentage of the business, but the book also tells a lot about the basic conflict of interest between all brokers and clients. Like the bit about hidden commissions. I'd never known about that, but now it makes sense. My broker, back when I had a broker, never told me about that. They just want to make money for themselves. If they make money for you, fine, but they look out for No. 1.

H.A. Rey's "Curious George" is, without a doubt, a classic children's book which still has great appeal. But the book has certain unsettling elements which may bother both parents and children.

The simple text and colorful pictures tell the story of George, a lovable and mischievous monkey who is abducted in Africa and taken to live in a far-off land. The opening sequence--with George bagged and immobilized prior to being shipped off--sets the tone for some of the disturbing images to follow. George nearly drowning, George imprisoned--rarely have the heroes of children's books been subjected to such frightening treatment.

The whole moral issue of the illegal animal trade is ignored. Parents will also probably not appreciate episodes in which George smokes a pipe and engages in other unhealthy or foolish activities.

Despite these problematic aspects to the book, George is an undeniably appealing character, and the marvelous illustrations really bring him to life. Furthermore, the final section of the book is a real triumph of artistry and imagination. In a way, the curious primate is a precursor to Bart Simpson and other troublemaking heroes of later books and TV shows. My advice? Buy the book. Read it and enjoy it with your favorite child. But be prepared, in an age-appropriate manner, to frankly discuss some of the troublesome aspects of the book with your child.

This famous children's book was the first of seven books by Rey about a monkey who is brought to the U. S. from Africa and who seems to have a penchant for getting into trouble. But, his curiosity keeps leading into new adventures and learning new things. The Ann Arbor reviewer of Oct. 7, 1998, clearly is angry at George. If that is the case, why not use the story to teach about rule breaking? I think it is very interesting to learn that the Reys had arrived in New York in 1940, having fled from the Germans invading France. In a way, they were just like George, forced to come to a new world and a new culture. I'll bet they got into trouble every now and then just because of their innocence and their curiosity.

Nothing is sacred to the spectre of political correctness, so the negative reviews of "Curious George" shouldn't surprise me. The reviews likening George's story to the African slave trade are particularly puzzling: children do not think in those terms. I suggest that the folks who complain that it glorifies illegal animal trade read it more closely. George makes a lot of innocent mistakes, he doesn't mean to be bad, but the world is too fascinating for him to resist. He needs to have an authority figure looking out for him, and although he does try to get around the authority figure everyone knows the man with the yellow hat will save George from himself in the end. Yes, George is a monkey, but he is also a metophor for children everywhere. Every child in the world can relate to George, and that is why the books have remained popular for so long.

I loved Curious George as a child, and I am happy that my children love them as much as I do. If any book in the 4-8 age bracket deserves 5 stars it is Curious George.

WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT. I heard about this book and thought it would be really great. As it is marketed, it's an intriguing story. At first glance. Unfortunately, it takes forever to get to the story. First, Mr McManus engages in a lengthy and melodramatic rundown of the murder of a casino heir, Ted Binion, then tries to transition into his own story. While it's relevant background info since the World Series of Poker takes place at Binion's Horseshoe, JUST TELL ONE STORY, MAN! Even worse, McManus takes great liberties with some of the actual events related to the murder of Binion. He admits this. And then he cannot resist referring to himself and his dark side throughout the book as Good Jim and Bad Jim. A flourish I could have done without.

Perhaps McManus or his editor or publisher lost their nerve in regards to publishing a book JUST about his experiences in The World Series of Poker. Perhaps that was never their intention. HOWEVER, that's the only interesting stuff in the book. The stuff about the death of Binion is, for the most part, [annoying]. Particularly annoying is the clunky manner in which it is bolted on. And it's nowhere near as enchanting as the thought of a writer for Harper's going to Vegas, exchanging his expense money for chips, and then somehow making it all the way to fifth place. Plus, there is some really interesting information about professional poker players.

I thought this book had a lot of potential. A real bummer to not exercise more restraint, and focus on one story.

First, let me say that the story McManus tells is fascinating; a no-name in the world of poker making it big on the game's biggest stage is compelling for even the non-card player. You become addicted to his progress in the tournament and the words don't come quickly enough at times.
It is when McManus wanders from this story that I began to dislike the book; needless and sometimes annoying time is spent on his wife and their fantastic lovelife; awkward attempts to tie in the Binion trial; it all seems like forced filler that nevers gels smoothly with the main story. I would have stopped reading had I not been so intrigued by his Word Series of Poker run...
I congratulate the author on his incredible run in the WSOP but can only recommend this book to those readers with more than a passing interest in gambling.

......

The genesis of POSITIVELY FIFTH STREET occurred when the author, James McManus, was assigned by a magazine to cover the World Series of Poker and the murder of its host, a Las Vegas personality named Ted Binion. POSITIVELY FIFTH STREET begins with a graphic description of Binion's murder by his ex-stripper girlfriend and his best friend, who happens to be the stripper's boyfriend. As the book progresses we learn the back story of the principals involved in the murder and in the tournament and about Las Vegas. We also learn, on a parallel track, about how the lure of the tables proved too much for McManus to resist and how he risked his entire writing advance to play in the poker tournament himself. His initial excuse was that he could effectively write his article only by actually experiencing play at the table. It is McManus's step-by-step account of his transformation from a student of the game to finding himself seated at the final table that is the heart of the book.

This, in and of itself, would be interesting enough. McManus gives an excellent account to the untutored as to what is involved in the game of poker, both in the basics and the advanced strategies, but the book really only begins there. McManus writes with a looseness of association that is at first a bit disconcerting but ultimately reveals its purpose.

POSITIVELY FIFTH STREET delves into such topics as the history of the card deck --- it's fascinating, even if you haven't looked at a deck of cards in years --- and the appeal of what are politely known as "gentlemen's showbars." There are good, strong biological imperatives that these establishments appeal to and there are equally good, strong sociological reasons why they should be avoided. While not everyone who falls in love with a stripper meets the same fate as Ted Binion, there is more than one way and degree to ruin your life. What happens in Las Vegas may stay there, as the commercial goes, but that doesn't mean it won't have repercussions back home.

POSITIVELY FIFTH STREET is a wonderfully kaleidoscopic view of a city, a pastime and ultimately a way of life that entrances without seducing. While you can read it without feeling the urge to jump on a Nevada-bound plane, you'll never look at a deck of playing cards the same way again.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub