Books

Average customer rating:

Don't Get Excited Over This...
An early work, but still worthwhile
interesting tale
Interesting Read
Gorgeous landscape

Under the Snow: A Novel
Kerstin Ekman
Manufacturer: Picador
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Blackwater
Detective Inspector Huss
The Glass Devil
He Who Fears the Wolf (Inspector Sejer Mysteries)
When the Devil Holds the Candle

ASIN: 0312200382

Book Description

From the author of Blackwater comes this atmospheric and chilling tale of small-town secrets and jealousy set in the icy northern landscape of Lapland. When an artist named Matti is killed at a mah jongg party, Police Constable Torsson skis to the remote village of Rakisjok to investigate. Once there, witnesses evade the constable's questions and insist that Matti walked off into the wilderness and froze to death. With no clues to go on, Torsson closes his case. Then David, an old friend of Matti's, arrives in town and together with Torsson, he sets out to get at the truth about Matti's death.

Customer Reviews:

Don't Get Excited Over This..........2003-01-06

Contrary to the other reviews I browsed, I did not find this book particularly exciting. And I found the ending somewhat anti-climatic.

I bought it with the hope it would be better. I told my husband not to waste his time reading it.

An early work, but still worthwhile.......2002-04-16

This is one of the few books I've ever read where when I finished the last page I turned right back to the first and started over. Lots of plot and character crammed into a slim volume. It's a thriller that's worth rereading even after you know the plot, to see what you missed along the way. Like "Blackwater," the other of Ekman's books that I've read, it's enormously evocative of the Swedish north country and a great read for that alone. Despite the uniquely Scandinavian milieu, thecharacters are universal, even if not particularly sympathetic.

interesting tale.......2001-05-20

A man is dead and the police are called in to investigate a small isolated Lapland community. The police have to use all their wits to sift through the information they are given from the local people and come to their conclusion. All the locals have something or someone to hide.

It is a very atmospheric novel, with the scent of the birches as glaring as the crunch of snow underfoot. Great to read snuggled up somewhere warm!

Interesting Read.......2001-03-01

There is no doubt that Ekman is adept at creating a simple-but-intricate story, but much of the strength of the novel harbours within the exoticism of its characters and Sweden. Her style epitomizes the "more is less" saying, infusing degrees of complexity in seemingly simple prose that warrants a second read. The novel is richly atmospheric, invoking Sweden and its coldness in relation to the characters; however, the characters are not as well developed as to make the reader care too much about the dead young man, Matti, nor any of the other characters (perhaps with the exception of David, the artist, whose witty lines are some of the highlights of the novel). Not a flawless read, but probably worth a read when the weather's cold and you're snuggling under some blankets.

Gorgeous landscape.......2000-10-31

Beware, because all Ekman's stories are situated in Swedish social environment, which is very different from any other. Her books are as cold and harsh as the climate in Scandinavia. I must go there sometime. Snip: (...)

Average customer rating:

Hopelessly outdated.

Death Under Sail
C. P. Snow
Manufacturer: House of Stratus
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1842324209

Customer Reviews:

Hopelessly outdated........2005-06-04

Roger Mills is a physician and yachtsman. One fine September morning while at the tiller of his boat, The Siren, Dr. Mills is murdered. Shot through the heart at close range. The suspect list is a short one as there were only 6 others on board at the time. All of them the good doctor's invited guests.

Death Under Sail is one of those terribly clever British
"drawing room" murder mysteries. You know the kind of book I'm talking about. Someone is murdered early on and then an investigator with amazing powers of deduction is called upon to identify the perpetrator from amongst a finite collection of suspects. With said investigator usually revealing his or her findings in the course of a lengthy monologue at the novel's long awaited conclusion. The supersleuth in this particular case is known by the name of Finbow. Ian Capel, a friend of the victim, narrates the story and plays the part of Watson to Finbow's Holmes.

Finbow is a great believer in the role of psychology in crime solving and that's all well and good. Unfortunately, the type of psychology he uses is based on totally unproven stereotypic beliefs regarding gender, age, occupation and, above all else, social class.

C.P. Snow (1905-1980) mentions in the book's introduction that he was 26 years old when he wrote Death Under Sail. So this novel dates back to 1931 or perhaps slightly thereafter. Now this brand of "whodunit" may have been quite the rage back then, but there is very little in it to appeal to the modern reader. In other words, it flunks the test of time.

Death Under Sail is just too formulaic to distinguish itself from a host of similarly constructed detective novels. Finbow and the rest of the characters are never fully developed. And the entire narrative comes off as more of an exercise in mental gymnastics rather than a living breathing novel designed to engage the reader in any meaningful way. This book is of historical interest only. Those reading it for the type of enjoyment the author intended will be disappointed.

Huggly's Snow Day (Monster Under the Bed Storybook)

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Huggly's Snow Day

Huggly's Snow Day (Monster Under the Bed Storybook)
Tedd Arnold
Manufacturer: Scholastic
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Huggly's Thanksgiving Parade (The Monster Under the Bed Series)
Huggly's Christmas (Huggly)
Huggly's Valentines (Huggly: The Monster Under the Bed)
Huggly Goes to School
Huggly's Big Mess

ASIN: 0439324475

Product Description

Another Huggly adventure...

Customer Reviews:

Huggly's Snow Day.......2007-04-03

Three montsers that lived under a boy's bed discover how fun snow is, and they take it back home. The monsters that live under a boy's bed think that the people-world is gone because everything is white. They go outside and play in the white stuff (snow). They like it so much that they take the snow from the backyard to their cave under the bed. When the boy wakes up he goes outside and discovers the snow is gone in the backyard. Ted Arnold's book Huggly's Snow Day is ideal for preschool and kindergarten readers.
The author chose words that are ideal for preschool and first graders. The words in teh book are easy to understand. He wrote fun words like "Whap!" and "Yippee!"
Kids will like the pictures in the book. Arnold drew colorful and entertaining pictures. The pictures backed up what the words were saying.
The author gave the book a playful voice. The ending was funny and surprising. "He pulled the door open and ran - WHUMP! - right int the wall of white stuff."
Preschoolers through first graderws will love the fun pictures, the silly characters, and all their goofy experiences with their first snow.

Fire Under the Snow: True Story of a Tibetan Monk (Panther S.)

Average customer rating:

Amazing Story
Simply Stated Story
An Amazing Account of the Brutality to Tibet

Fire Under the Snow: True Story of a Tibetan Monk (Panther S.)
Palden Gyatso
Manufacturer: The Harvill Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1860465099

Book Description

The autobiography of Palden Gyatso, who was arrested in 1959 after taking part in a non-violent demonstration for Tibetan independence. After a failed escape bid he was starved and tortured. Following his release in 1992, after 33 years of captivity, he fled to India and began to reveal the true extent of the Chinese oppression in Tibet.

Customer Reviews:

Amazing Story.......2003-11-28

This book is a story about endurance and perseverance, Pladen Gyatso wrote about his 32 years in Chinese prisions, what is also interesting about this book is to try and understand why and how the chinese communist government gradually invaded Tibet until the unleashed a wave of represion and murder. If we go into the mind of the gatekeeper we will find fanatism and brainwashing as a means to control the citizens.
This is a good book, maybe not excelent but still worth your money, I especially liked that the author went into life in Tibet before the chinese invation, his family and society in general, also the meaning of the Dalai Lama to them.

Simply Stated Story.......2001-11-21

I found the book very easy to read. It took the reader on a journey through the life of a monk in Tibet. His story is told simply and honestly, without the need to dress up the facts. Whilst the events that unfold in the book are horrifing and hard to comphrehend in todays Western Society, the book is still a good read. The story depicts human endurance and how the spirit of life can overcome the most horrible of obstacles. Read it and make up your own mind.

An Amazing Account of the Brutality to Tibet.......2000-10-28

After reading 'From Emperor to Citizen,' the autobiography of the last Emperor of China; I found it interesting how the former Emperor and his family were 'converted' over by the Chinese Communists. I was amazed at how the imperial family went from being insensitive to the people's sufferings, and became model citizens.

But reading 'Fire Under the Snow' gave me another side of the story. Chinese Communism doesn't seem to work in Tibet. And after 50 years, the struggle continues. The people of Tibet were close-knit, and didn't have the strict caste system of classes so evident in Chinese feudal society. This book details how the Chinese have systematically tried to destroy Tibetan culture and society to force-fit it into a Chinese model.

This is a well told story by a survivor of this externally imposed 'revolution.' The author is intelligent and observant, and tells a well-balanced tale. The humorous reactions of the Tibetans to the Chinese rhetoric are sharply contrasted by the angry frustration and eventual cruelty of the Chinese in trying to force Chinese ideas on a non-Chinese culture and people.

The China's current mantra of "Western human rights policies won't work in China" needs to be turned into a new mantra of "Chinese Communist 'Liberation Methods' haven't worked in Tibet." If China wants the international world to stop meddling in it's so-called 'Internal Affairs,' maybe it needs to realize that it has failed in Tibet by virtue of meddling in the internal affairs of a non-Chinese nation -- that is, the free and independent nation of Tibet. This is far from an internal affair -- it is international genocide.

China's hegemony into surrounding countries, and it's destruction of non-Chinese cultures in these areas is little-known in the west. This book demonstrates the fact that Tibet was a free and independant nation with it's own unique culture and language. And it clearly shows the imperialist efforts of the Chinese to force their culture and beliefs on an innocent people, no matter the cost in lives.

Book Description

Bob and his dream machine team travel across the ocean to Bobblesberg, where they will help set up for the Winter Games! But what happens when Scoop decides he can do all the work by himself?

House Under Snow (Harvest Book)
Average customer rating:

One of my favorites

A Powerful Little Book...

Cruel mother

Prose that's proud of itself

Stunning and Tragic

House Under Snow (Harvest Book)
Jill Bialosky
Manufacturer: Harvest Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel

ASIN: 0156027461

Book Description

This first novel by a celebrated American poet is a story of mothers and daughters, of sexual identity, and of a family disintegrating after the premature death of its patriarch. Anna Crane, soon to be married, reflects on her childhood in Ohio during the 1960s and '70s with her two sisters and Lilly, her charismatic, self-destructing mother. Lilly is consumed by memories of her late husband and spends her days dreamily creating paper menageries or preparing for dates with a stream of suitors. Evoking the claustrophobia of small-town life, the novel races toward a chilling conclusion when Anna is betrayed by the two most important figures in her young life.
Not since Alice McDermott's That Night has there been such a telling portrait of first love. And not since Mona Simpson's Anywhere But Here have we witnessed the destructive, seductive nature of a mother who insists on competing with her children.

Customer Reviews:

One of my favorites.......2006-01-26

Being a teenage girl, I identify with most novels that have young narrators. The plot may seem predictable, but it is an awesome book. Nicely written, it definitely held my attention. Throughout it, I kind of knew her boyfriend was using her, but the ending was still tragic for me. I also recommend Prep, another great teenage novel.

A Powerful Little Book..........2005-09-04

This was a captivating read. One that was very difficult to put down. It's the story of love, loss, and abandonment, told through the voice of Anna Crane. The story is told in a series of flashbacks, some when she's a child, others when she's a teenager, and finally when she's an adult.

Anna and her two sisters live with their lost mother Lilly in Ohio. Their father was killed when they were very young and Lilly hasn't been the same since. She's very recluse, and quite, hardly ever leaving the house and only spending time with her three girls. Then one day she decides things need to change. She begins dating, and for the next three years a steady stream of men are in and out of their home.

The girls (still only children) are not happy about this new arrangement, and begin to lose respect for their mother. Years go by, along with a new step-father, and Lilly seems only to be sinking deeper and deeper into herself. The girls at this point don't know what to do with her. Ruthie, the oldest, leaves to live with their aunt, and Anna, and Louise (the youngest) are left alone with her. Meanwhile Anna is struggling with her own demons in a very unhealthy teenage romance with her boyfriend Austin.

The story closes with her mother committing the ultimate betrayal against Anna, and her battle with herself to forgive, and look at her mother for who she is, a lost soul, floating from one day to the next never real aware of her actions. I definitely recommend this book. It's an enchanting look at what tragedy, death, and loneliness can to do the human spirit. I'll most certainly be keeping an eye out for more from this talented author.

Cruel mother.......2004-03-19

Lilly is the epitome of a damaged woman whose actions are cruel and who is not even aware of the sorrow she inflicts on her daughters. I read this in a fit of absorption- I just had to know what would happen to Anna and her sisters. Lilly is utterly fascinating and maddening at once. The author is genius at writing about a time and place, with fantastic details. i do think she writes very self-consciously, in hyper poetic prose. I still think this novel is a treasure.

Prose that's proud of itself.......2004-01-24

It's taken me a while to get through this book partly because I'm not very excited about the plot and partly because the author's self-conscious writing style really annoys me. There are lovely phrases here and there, but there are plenty of others that read like something you'd find in a greeting card--they try hard to impress and fail. The author makes deliberate, almost constant use of foreshadowing, perhaps in an attempt to get the reader to stick with the book and not lay it down for good. I'm contemplating the latter.

Stunning and Tragic.......2003-09-27

I finished reading this book several weeks ago and I find that it still haunts me. I loved it and could completely identify with Anna. There is nothing more horrible than the "ultimate" betrayal. The betrayal of one's own mother.

For those readers who did not give the book favorable reviews because of the editing and grammar....get a life and learn to enjoy things just for the entertainment. It is too bad that you live in a world that is not perfect. You must be exhausted from correcting everything around you!

Giant Under the Snow
Average customer rating:
Giant Under the Snow
John Gordon
Manufacturer: ORION CHILDRENS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1842555227

Silhouette Christmas Stories: Home For Christmas/ Let it Snow/ Starbright /Under the Mistletoe
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Silhouette Christmas Stories: Home For Christmas/ Let it Snow/ Starbright /Under the Mistletoe
Nora Roberts , Debbie Macomber , Maura Seger , and Tracy Sinclair
Manufacturer: silhouette
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Captive Star

ASIN: 0373482078

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