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Books to read if you're planning a vacation in "Harper", sorted by average review score:

Nothing Else Matters (Harper Monogram)
Published in Paperback by Harper Mass Market Paperbacks (July, 1995)
Author: Susan Sizemore
Average review score:

Nothing Else Matters?
Although I really enjoy most of Susan Sizemore's work, I have to admit that this is my least favorite. Unlike most of her books, this one is a medieval historical romance with no time travel twist. The heroine is Lady Eleanor, a young woman who has spent much time with her mother at the court of Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, and is versed in the arts of poetry and music and sophisticated flirtation in the Court of Love.

Now under the control of her father, Lady Eleanor and her sister are summarily married to men of her father's choice - her sister is married to a rustic baron, and Eleanor is married to the baron's son. Now Eleanor has to learn to live with her new husband, who doesn't want a wife - he's considered a strange "wild child" by all in the baron's court and runs in the wilderness with a she-wolf that he has raised. In addition, Eleanor must learn to live in a place and with people she regards as countrified and unsophisticated, and to put up with a chatelaine who won't let go of the keys to the castle.

I think the reason I'm not fond of this book is that it just didn't make sense. It's unnecessarily complex, and I couldn't figure out why the baron's son became so wild that he just couldn't fit into their society. There are too many extraneous characters, each with their own stories, so it's hard to keep track of the main plot line. And I couldn't figure out where the title came from!

I'd say don't read this one until you've finished all the others by this author.


Paddles!: The Foibles and Finesse of One World War II Landing Signal Officer
Published in Hardcover by Schiffer Publishing, Ltd. (01 January, 2000)
Author: John A. Harper
Average review score:

Obscenties Obscure Content
I met the author at the Oshkosh airshow this past summer and learned of the book. The Title is too subtle for all but the most knowledgable naval aviation nut. I found the content to be an interesting vantage point of carrier aviation during WWII. While his stories are interesting it is obvious that, unless Mr Harper made extensive diary notes during the war, or has a fantastic memory, the dialogue is contrived. Added to that is his liberal use of obscenties and blasphemies that make the book a real turn-off. I would hope that Mr. Harper might consider reworking the second edition so that I will be proud to have it in my collection.


Returning (Harper Monogram)
Published in Paperback by Harper Mass Market Paperbacks (July, 1993)
Author: Susan Bowden
Average review score:

Susan Bowden's " Returning"
I found that this book's plot was not very interesting, however, the characters are alive and full of human emotions. The plot of the story, which I thought was very English and would probably shock a modern day prude or Victorian, was somewhat lacking. Helen Lawrence, a 49 year old woman is suddenly reunited with her daughter, Emma Turner, after all these years, 30 years to be exact. Her daughter calls her for the 1st time in 30 years in search of her birth mother and birth father. Throughout the story, the story gets a little weaker. The past of the mother is not as shocking. I mean, come on, here! I'm talking about how this woman was unhappy with her parents and like the famous Anne Frank, didn't get along with her mother and therefore lived with her grandmother, her aunt, and their housekeeper, and then gets infatuated with a man who's 8 years her senior, sleeps with him twice in their time that they are together, and gets pregnant and is forced to flee back home to her parents so as to not bring shame upon her loving grandmother and aunt, moves to Canada, gets married and starts a family, while all the while feeling ashamed about what small thing she has done in her past. The abadonment from both her parents in times of her pregnancy was good, her revenge by hating them in turn and never seeing her father until 30 years later was fine, and the shock of her family in Canada when they heard the news from the tabloids was even better. Julian Holbrooke was a very deceptive villian.This type of book is not shocking enough for the average non prude and the average American's reading eyes but will be for any prude and British person because the main character is British. I recommend that if you read it, to make a bad commentry for the romance between Alan Grenville and Emma Turner. If you like romance novels and are a prude, I suggest that you read this book.


Trekking and Climbing in the Andes (Trekking and Climbing Guides)
Published in Paperback by Stackpole Books (October, 2002)
Authors: Kate Harper, Val Pitkethly, and Victor Saunders
Average review score:

Not really a climbing guide; more of a coffee table book
There are several shortcomings in the book that keep it from being a reliable and useful climbing guide. First, it is too bloody large and heavy to haul around, being printed on heavy paper stock so that the photos are pretty. Second, it was not well proofed, and a book that has three authors should have some luck in catching basic information errors if there were indeed three qualified persons involved. Instead, we believe that the errors in many of the simpler subjects point to the possibility of more grave errors in significant details. A modern and serious trekking or climbing guide would include detailed positional data, including topographic and GPS coordinates. These are generally lacking. There are also some fundamentally silly statements, such as "Bolivia is a relatively safe country." Bolivia? Safe? Perhaps compared to Colombia. But Bolivia is fraught with hazards ranging from generally poor health and hygiene, unsafe tourist accommodations, treacherous public transport, and considerable street crime in the cities, even if you don't accidentally end up in one of the coca-growing regions. (There is also a statement that Peru is relatively safe, so evidently the authors' perception of "relatively safe" is not shared with those from the civilized countries). In the Chilean portion of the book there are considerable errors, including one that describes going "clockwise" as a way to make the John Gardner pass "less of an uphill struggle." Anyone who has climbed this pass will attest that the western side is steeper and more slippery than the east side, so this book's recommendation is quite backward. Another part of the same chapter even seems to contradict this observation, leading us to think perhaps one author was not really talking to another. Similar errors persist throughout the book, along with misleading information, misspelling of Spanish words, internal inconsistencies, and then the absence of essential data that should have been included. Pretty pictures, though.


The University That Shouldn't Have Happened, but Did!: Southern Illinois University During the Morris Years 1948-1970
Published in Hardcover by Devils Kitchen Press (October, 1998)
Author: Robert A. Harper
Average review score:

The Rise and Fall of SIU
I found this book of interest for essentially one reason: I was a student at Southern from 1950-60. My studies were interrupted by Navy active duty (1951-53); I received the BSEd (History) in '56 and the MSEd (History) in '60. In a very real sense I lived the heart of the "Morris Years". Dr. Harper has written a book essentially about the administrative history of the university: personalities, policies, struggles, obstacles, politics and, above all, the dominant (and domineering) personality of Delyte W. Morris. Harper traces the rise and fall of a man about whom it may accurately be said: "His reach exceeded his grasp" (and, unfortunately, it may be said about Southern as well). The man and the institution were so closely connected that whatever fate befell one would affect the other. There are I think a number of lessons to be learned from Southern's story during the Morris years, and Dr. Harper has done a good job of providing a narrative history from which may be gleaned both the triumphs and the tragedy. This book could be profitably added to the reading list in a course entitled, "The History of Higher Education in 20th Century America".


What's Going on Here: The Harper's Magazine Book of Annotations
Published in Paperback by Doubleday (November, 1991)
Authors: Colin Harrison and Lewis H. Lapman
Average review score:

Revealing things that you never suspected
I love annotations. I think it's due to an innate curiosity about why things are the way they are--the classic childís question, and I never got over asking it. Iím surprised that annotated editions arenít more popular--think of it as a Cliff's Notes side-by-side edition. While not all books benefit from annotations, certain texts these day require them for all but the experts. The English language has changed substantially since Chaucer and Shakespeareís day, and annotations in these texts often serve as an open dictionary. In Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes series, the annotations can explain aspects of Victorian society that modern readers aren't aware of.

The folks at Harper's Magazine have taken the idea of annotations one step farther. Like their famous Harper's Index, which takes the idea of rating items to an extreme, thus illustrating common misperceptions, Harper's annotations attempt to explain the significance and history of different items by examining both the function and form. Deconstructing a complex item can be educational and intriguing, such as how to read a birth or death certificate; how a Louisville Slugger is made and its place in the industry; and how a picture of John Gotti can tell you about the man and the trial.

I just thought of a new method of annotations that is currently taking off, and that is, of course, the World Wide Web. With its ability to "link" to other sites within its text, it is a perfect example of an annotation. The only thing better would be to search for more information based on any word within a document, not just simply the ones that authors have built links into.


When Midnight Comes (Harper Monogram)
Published in Paperback by Harper Mass Market Paperbacks (December, 1995)
Author: Robin Burcell
Average review score:

Delightful!
I read this book a while ago. The characters were interesting, although towards the end, more could have been done about the hero's experiences. I liked the twist at the end.


Whisky (Collins Gem)
Published in Paperback by Harpercollins Pub Ltd (February, 2000)
Authors: Carol P. Shaw and Harper Collins
Average review score:

Good coverage...
There are a couple of hundred books on Whisky on the bookshelves nowadays but most of them delve too deeply or too lightly into the subject. This book tries to take the middle road by opening with a general process and background and then coverin each region one by one. But in the end this companion falls into the 'Light' category.

Even then it is a great buy for the price as it covers most of the Whisky's you would ever lay your eyes on and covers then in a succinct one page each...


Nicaragua Guide: Spectacular and Unspoiled (1995)
Published in Paperback by Travel Line (May, 1999)
Authors: Paul Glassman and Catherine Harper
Average review score:

Don't waste your time with this one
As an anthropologist working in Nicaragua, I found this book not only inaccurate in many regards, but offensive. To portray Nicaragua as a country "untouched" by change in which "time stood still" is ridiculous, especially given Nicaragua's political history and its contemporary linkages to structures of global finance such as the IMF and World Bank. If you want to visit Nicaragua, there are scores of books that offer a far superior understanding of Nicaraguan history and culture and Lonely Planet gives far more practical info for travelers in their Central America guide.

Fine as a suppliment -- but unexpectedly lacking.
Sorry to say, but living in Nicaragua convinces me that this book is fine as a suppliment, but don't rely upon it as your main guide. I feel Mr. Glassman has missed the mark and his opportunity. Its a good effort for a non-major travel guide, but I always had to refer back to Lonely Planet and the rough guide for reassurance.

A very non-specific book.
I used this book to travel through Nicaragua and found the information provided, or lack there of, to be very dissapointing. The book is full of useless chatter while giving no specifics such as phone numbers, exact directions, or prices. Save your money and buy the lonely planet book.


Stormlight (Forgotten Realms: The Harpers)
Published in Mass Market Paperback by Wizards of the Coast (October, 1996)
Author: Ed Greenwood
Average review score:

This book was a complete waste of time...
... Ed Greenwood has little grasp of plot, charachter development, or suspense. This book reads like a fifth grade book report. It is definately the worst of the Harper series and one of the worst books in the Forgotten Rhealms setting.

I had no clue what it was about. May 6th 2001
I'v read lots Fantasy books and on StormLight I had no clue what was going on. I don't even know Storm's personalty. It's like just reading about some one whos talking in a boring voice. All i got was that her sister was a floting head .

But if you want to read it I think you shouldn't.

flat and predictable, even for Greenwood
If you are among those hoping that Ed Greenwood will develop his characters more as time goes on, Stormlight is sure to disappoint. In it, Storm Silverhand becomes involved in a scheme by a dead god to revive himself. (Those who have read TSR's Lost Gods offerings will find this a familiar theme, though Stormlight is not part of that series.) Despite several interesting moments, Stormlight falls short on at least two counts.

First, Greenwood's characters continue to develop in raw power without any concurrent personality development. Even though she is likely the least powerful of the Seven Sisters, Storm is revealed to be a near-god by the end of this novel: she has lived for centuries; she has allies among the kings and archwizards throughout the land (and drops their names liberally in her dialogue); and, though not a wizard, she exhibits practically undefeatable spell-like abilities. Meanwhile, her personality remains shallow and inconsistent, e.g. bemoaning the fate of a long lost love at times and flirting with various male characters at others. Sadly, we learn very little of her past, or her connection to Elminster, Mystra, or her sisters.

Second, the plot has roughly 75 pages worth of substance, but the author presses the formulaic battle-then-regroup button long enough to churn out the requisite 312 page TSR novel. A potentially interesting secondary villain is quickly introduced then defeated by characters only peripherally involved in this novel, leaving the reader to wonder if interesting subplots have been deliberately clipped out by a sadistic editor.

In short, I recommend Stormlight only to those desperate for a Forgotten Realms story.


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