Books

Cultural Amnesia: Necessary Memories from History and the Arts

Average customer rating:

Not persuasive at all
The Opium of the Over-Educated
I had no idea Johnny Rotten
The Mentor I never had
Close, but no cigar.

Cultural Amnesia: Necessary Memories from History and the Arts
Clive James
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0393061167

Book Description

Forty years in the making, a new cultural canon that celebrates truth over hypocrisy, literature over totalitarianism.

Echoing Edward Said's belief that "Western humanism is not enough, we need a universal humanism," the renowned critic Clive James presents here his life's work. Containing over one hundred original essays, organized by quotations from A to Z, Cultural Amnesia illuminates, rescues, or occasionally destroys the careers of many of the greatest thinkers, humanists, musicians, artists, and philosophers of the twentieth century. In discussing, among others, Louis Armstrong, Walter Benjamin, Sigmund Freud, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Franz Kafka, Marcel Proust, and Ludwig Wittgenstein, James writes, "If the humanism that makes civilization civilized is to be preserved into the new century, it will need advocates. These advocates will need a memory, and part of that memory will need to be of an age in which they were not yet alive." Soaring to Montaigne-like heights, Cultural Amnesia is precisely the book to burnish these memories of a Western civilization that James fears is nearly lost. 110 photographs.

Customer Reviews:

Not persuasive at all.......2007-07-01

I expected from the title that this book would provide a canon of people who have contributed to culture and the arts, and explain what these people have done that merits their inclusion in this canon. Unfortunately, that is not the case. The author provides little justification for the people whom he has chosen to include, and does not discuss their contributions in any organized way. It is more a collection of his own private reflections, as though he hadn't intended for it to be read by anyone else at all. I was turned off from the beginning when in the preface he acknowledged that it was sexist to refer to men by their last names and women by their first (but that he was going to do it anyway), and then also by a later comment that such-and-such was a time when it was "prudent" for homosexuals to leave Australia, in a tone that I felt was rather nostalgic for those good old times.

The Opium of the Over-Educated.......2007-06-24

I spent a small fortune having this book flown halfway across the globe so I could read Clive James' insight into the world of arts and history that I, as a "young reader", normally would not be privy to. Now admittedly, I'm not as learned as Mr. James' and I personally can't write a book reciting hundreds of famous and forgotten names of people and text that by their mere mention would make me look like a pseudo-intellectual. I'm just a "young reader" deeply disappointed and a bit alarmed by the praise this man and this book receive.

I guess my biggest problem with "Cultural Amnesia" is that the book itself seems to suffer from lack of direction and purpose. If I'd known the book was merely a collection of ramblings about James' idols of intelligentsia, I could have save myself a fair bit of money.

In some ways, these "necessary memories from history and the arts" are a bit insulting. I can't make any firsthand claims on the greatness of a man like Louis Armstrong, but I feel he's owed more than an essay about how great his rival jazz players, who happened to be white, were. I mean, couldn't James' have said a little something on Armstrong's behalf? Like the fact that the man broke through all sorts of bigoted and racist barriers while being exploited the entire time in order to pursue a career in music and by doing so led the way for other black performers to establish themselves in the industry, versus glorifying Armstrong's mutual admiration of a fellow white jazz musician as the basis for an essay on how great white jazz players are. Out of the six whopping pages dedicated to Armstrong, I believe about a paragraph's worth is actually about the man, the remaining dribble is actually about Benny Goodman.

The rest of the book follows pretty much the same pattern as the Louis Armstrong essay; mention somebody famous, give a brief bio, and then go on to actually talk about some other obscure intelligentsia wet-dream of James'. Mix in at least 20 titles of books in other languages and assume the reader has a clue as to what you're talking about. Use a whole lot of unnecessary verbiage to justify your years of university education and insult everything that isn't left wing, liberal, or "humanist". And pride yourself on your incessant spewing of your vast knowledge of French literature. Or just merely dissect a line of poetry for its use or non-use of a common and rant about how great a book title it would make - he actually does this in his essay about Sir Thomas Brown, instead of talking about Sir Thomas Brown, for a whole seven pages. And Bam!! There you have "Cultural Amnesia" or alternatively known as "I forgot exactly who or what I was writing about".

I had no idea Johnny Rotten.......2007-06-22

was a storm trooper (xvii) or that Trotsky matters only to people who have maxed out their credit cards (748). A fascinating look at egomania, James is able to sprinkle bits of cultural effluvia between mountains of self promotion. He has no arguments but many pronouncements, the main one being that our current system of globalizaton and economic disparity is the best possible way to organize the human species, and we must preserve that system through reflecting on people whom that very same system has thrown on the cultural rubbish heap. This forces James to make Thatcher, among others, a good guy, which might make you, dear reader, throw the book across the room. James' idea of art seems to have stalled around 1956, he out-twaddles French theory and hilariously self-destructs whenever he tries his hand at humor. Well, we all make mistakes. We just usually don't make them in books of this heft. I give the book one star for James' appreciation of Ashley Judd, who really is a fine actress.

The Mentor I never had.......2007-06-10

For me Clive James became the Humanist mentor I never had until I began to read Cultural Amnesia. A kind and gentle, superbly qualified teacher with a gift for using the English language to open new windows on my world. I have had five wonderful visits thus far with Clive James of four hours each reading the entire work. I am a far richer man for investing in the book not only my money but my time. His forty years at this labor of love is not lost
as long as honorable men seek truth through the written word.

Close, but no cigar........2007-06-01

This book is filled with people well worth knowing about. Most are literary folks and some are `personalities' in the best sense of the word. The majority are urbane and literate. The author, Clive James, is very erudite and sophisticated. Yet in the end this book is disappointing. Why should this be the case?

Perhaps it is because James is a bit too taken with his own erudition. This comes through in many of the essays in this book and is sometimes quite annoying. Then there is the simple fact that most of the essays are far too short to really develop their admittedly fascinating subjects. Of those subjects whose writings this reviewer is familiar with such as Albert Camus and Marcel Proust, both were treated in a rather superficial and not terribly original way. In the essay on Edward Gibbon, James treats one of the most monumental historical works in the English language as a literary exercise and fails to note how much fun Gibbon obviously had in writing it. In his essay about the existentialist philosophy of Jean Paul Sartre, he fails to note that Sartre the novelist provided a far more authentic (so to speak) rationale for existentialism than Sartre the philosopher. James may have gone astray by trying to tackle complex individuals too succinctly to do either them or James justice.

Yet James also produced a very sensitive and well crafted essay on F. Scott Fitzgerald which surely adds new dimension to that subject's character. His work on Thomas Mann was also well crafted and original. Interestingly, both are substantially longer than most of the essays in this book. In the end when he is good James is very good, but when he is bad he is indeed horrid much like the cliché which he must abhor.

Average customer rating:

She hit the nail on the head with this one
similar with a surprise
a depressing read
Pick it up, but don't put it down!
Just Okay

Anybody Out There?: A Novel
Marian Keyes
Manufacturer: William Morrow
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0060731303
Release Date: 2006-05-09

Book Description

Marian Keyes has introduced readers to the lives, loves, and foibles of the five Walsh sisters -- Claire, Maggie, Rachel, Helen, and Anna -- and their crazy mammy. In this funny, heartbreaking, and triumphant new tale set in the Big Apple, it's Anna's turn in the spotlight.

Life is perfect for Anna Walsh. She has the "Best Job in the World" as a PR exec for a top-selling urban beauty brand, a lovely apartment in New York, and a perfect husband -- the love of her life, Aidan Maddox. Until the morning she wakes up in her mammy's living room in Dublin with stitches in her face, a dislocated knee, and completely smashed-up hands -- and no memory of how she got there. While her mammy plays nursemaid (just like all of her favorite nurses on her soaps), and her sister Helen sits in wet hedges doing her private investigator work for Lucky Star PI, Anna tries to get better and keeps wondering why Aidan won't return her phone calls or e-mails.

Recuperating from her injuries, a mystified Anna returns to Manhattan. Slowly beginning to remember what happened, she sets off on a search to find Aidan -- a hilarious quest involving lilies (she can't stop smelling them), psychics, mediums, and anyone in the city who can promise her a reunion with her beloved. . . .

Written in her classic style, marrying the darker parts of life with humor and wit, Anybody Out There? is Marian Keyes's best novel to date, a wonderfully charming look at love here and ever after.

Customer Reviews:

She hit the nail on the head with this one.......2007-06-17

Just going thru the loss of a loved one, namely my mom, this book helped me alot. It put into words exactly what I was feeling what I was thinking and what I am smply going thru. I am so glad I read this book. I have read almost all her books and not one so far has disappointed me. She is a great writer and hope she keeps writing.

similar with a surprise.......2007-06-13

I enjoyed this book very much. I read everything from Ms. Keyes. I think her writing is easy to read with some romantic overtones. She never fails to entertain. Although, Rachel's Holiday was a bit heavier fare. This book shares some deeper themes than getting fat and finding a man. It had many little surprises and in the end was a great read. You will not be disappointed. The characters are fun as always but carry a bit more depth than some of her other novels.

a depressing read.......2007-06-09

If you enjoyed M. Keyes's previous books, you probably won't like this one. This is what happened to me. The plot of the story is unbearably simple and it will hurt you to realize that it is painfully static. The book was called "a page turner": well, may be when you can't believe the fact that the author might go on and on about the same emotional (depressing) state of the main character for chapters, you do start turning those pages. There are several story lines and all of them are either primitive or unrealistically dull. There is no wit or exciting turns of events you will find in Marian Keyes's stories.

Pick it up, but don't put it down! .......2007-06-06

Ms. Keyes has put another page turner together with Anybody Out There? Heroine Anna Walsh is very likable and her family relationships are poignant. Walking with her through this difficult situation, readers need to have a box of Kleenex nearby, but there will be plenty of laughs to balance the tears.

Just Okay.......2007-05-23

Not my favorite from Keyes, but it did have its moments. While not everything seemed to come together (i.e. the whole Irish Mob subplot), it was a very entertaining read with a few pleasant twists.

Average customer rating:

Boring and disapointing
Mystical, intelligently shaped novel
She moves in mysterious ways
Are we merely the sum of our memories?
Madeleines and Rosebuds

The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana
Umberto Eco
Manufacturer: Harcourt
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0151011400

Amazon.com

The premise of Umberto Eco's The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana, may strike some readers as laughably unpromising, and others as breathtakingly rich. A sixty-ish Milanese antiquarian bookseller nicknamed Yambo suffers a stroke and loses his memory of everything but the words he has read: poems, scenes from novels, miscellaneous quotations. His wife Paola fills in the bare essentials of his family history, but in order to trigger original memories, Yambo retreats alone to his ancestral home at Solara, a large country house with an improbably intact collection of family papers, books, gramophone records, and photographs. The house is a museum of Yambo's childhood, conventiently empty of people, except of course for one old family servant with a long memory--an apt metaphor for the mind. Yambo submerges himself in these artifacts, rereading almost everything he read as a school boy, blazing a meandering, sometimes misguided, often enchanting trail of words. Flares of recognition do come, like "mysterious flames," but these only signal that Yambo remembers something; they do not return that memory to him. It is like being handed a wrapped package, the contents of which he can only guess.

Within the limitations of Yambo's handicap and quest, Eco creates wondrous variety, wringing surprise and delight from such shamelessly hackneyed plot twists as the discovery of a hidden room. Illustrated with the cartoons, sheet music covers, and book jackets that Yambo uncovers in his search, The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana can be read as a love letter to literature, a layered excavation of an Italian boyhood of the 1940s, and a sly meditation on human consciousness. Both playful and reverent, it stands with The Name of the Rose and The Island of the Day Before as among Eco's most successful novels. --Regina Marler

Book Description

Yambo, a sixtyish rare-book dealer who lives in Milan, has suffered a loss of memory-he can remember the plot of every book he has ever read, every line of poetry, but he no longer knows his own name, doesn't recognize his wife or his daughters, and remembers nothing about his parents or his childhood. In an effort to retrieve his past, he withdraws to the family home somewhere in the hills between Milan and Turin.There, in the sprawling attic, he searches through boxes of old newspapers, comics, records, photo albums, and adolescent diaries. And so Yambo relives the story of his generation: Mussolini, Catholic education and guilt, Josephine Baker, Flash Gordon, Fred Astaire. His memories run wild, and the life racing before his eyes takes the form of a graphic novel. Yambo struggles through the frames to capture one simple, innocent image: that of his first love.

A fascinating, abundant new novel-wide-ranging, nostalgic, funny, full of heart-from the incomparable Eco.

Customer Reviews:

Boring and disapointing.......2007-07-01

Like many other Eco fans I keep looking for books of at least the same quality as the Name of the Rose.
The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana is rather disapointing, except the first third which is well written and promising.
Unless you are a fan of Ialian interbellic media you will find a lot of boring information and the rest is not so satisfying either.

Mystical, intelligently shaped novel.......2007-06-16

An older book dealer suddenly and unexpectedly holds in his hands Shakespeare's first folio from 1623 and the shock of the discovery triggers a coma from which the narrator is attempting to recover his memory and re-discover himself. It's an intriguing premise as the book dealer revisits an attic to dig through boxes of his old books to learn what light they can shed on his remembrance of lost time. The books, dating from his childhood, trigger memories of life in Fascist Italy, as he re-learns who he is by what he has already read, including children's tales, religious works, advertising, comic books, paperback novels and war propoganda. I admire the intelligence of Eco, a scholar whose style is fluid, clear, articulate, erudite and engaging. I also admire the translation of the novel, which reads beautifully and flows naturally. This novel seems self-indulgent in places and has a great many cultural and historical references, which will elude readers outside Italy. Of all the works referenced in this novel, there didn't seem to be enough of the real masterpieces here. Perhaps, that's the tragedy that any reader may risk by overcommitting to reading time squandered upon the works of lesser literary lights. By the way, this novel is masterfully illustrated by the publisher. I was intrigued by Eco and am well into Foucault's Pendulum, which is more impressive for the wit and sheer intellectual luminosity of the writing but that's another story for another day. I may well end up giving Eco's list a run for its money, if the rest of his work is as good as these two very fine but not quite great novels. Time spent reading Eco clearly is time well spent.

She moves in mysterious ways.......2007-06-10

Fictional narrative is a strange thing. It can be changed and re-organized as the writer wants. The reader has the passive role of accepting the pre-arranged. Exceptions exist, such as Cortazar's "Hopscotch" and other books. Come to think of it, Umberto Eco's latest "The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana" is a book about the power of fiction and it handles an unorthodox form of narrative. It is a illustrated novel - for grown-ups.

The pictures come as a bonus and as a curse. The colorful book is easy to the eyes, but at the same time, not always is the writer able to articulate image and text. There is a connection most of the time, but not most of the time the picture is so fundamental for the narrative, it is just a plus.

The plot is about a man who lost his memory and while trying to recuperate it finds the books that were important to him when he was a kid and adolescent. Both writer and narrator, Giambattista Bodoni, try to elicit the connections. On the other hand, they aren't that interesting.

Eco is one of the most important semiotician working today, and this is always there in "The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana". The book is loaded with symbols and messages, and never fails to deliver an essay throughout the narrative. This at the same time is provocative and frustrating. While the readers starts thinking about many topics, one has to recognize that such lectures never come at the right time.

Are we merely the sum of our memories?.......2007-06-08

At first, I had trouble getting into this novel, but once I realized that the narrator is a stroke victim trying to reconstruct his memories and figure out who he is, it was easy to float in the swim of things. His memory is a wild jumble of all the novels, comic books, songs, and movies from his childhood. Once I realized it was not necessary to identify every quotation (We can leave that to the grad students into semiotics), it became an easy read. What makes the novel delightful is page after page of full-color illustrations of the books, comic books, match covers, movie posters, cigarette pack labels, and record album covers that he is discovering in the boxes and closets at his grandfather's old house. (He makes his own Proust references.) If you like Art Deco, you will love all of these colorful little pictures. As the narrator slowly pieces together his past as a boy in WW II Italy, things build to a great climax. Because of all the pictures alternating with short paragraphs, this book quite literally does become a fast page-turner in the final chapter. This is not a light breezy read. It's going to take some intellectual committment on the part of the reader, but the ultimate rewards will be worth it when you hit the payoffs of the final chapters. I certainly will not forget this book.

Madeleines and Rosebuds.......2007-05-31

This is a minor book by a major writer, but a fascinating one. Proust had his madeleine, Citizen Kane his Rosebud; Eco has a treasure trove of period artifacts ranging from cigarette packets to fashion magazines, all reproduced here in full color. On that level, it is like visiting a junk store or thumbing through the catalogue of a museum of popular culture.

The premise is promising. The narrator, Giambattista Bodoni, nicknamed Yambo, is an Italian dealer in rare books. As the result of a stroke, he has lost all memory of things that have happened to him at first hand, but retained all the knowledge he has gained from others, for example in the course of his copious reading. As he attempts to recover his past, he has only his books to guide him, together with various objects salvaged from his youth. Will one of them be the key to unlock all his memories at once, or will he find himself in a series of small ephiphanies, or not at all?

The book falls into three parts. The first is the most interesting in a conventional novelistic sense, in that it deals with his personal relationships: with his wife Paola, his daughter Nicoletta, an old friend Gianni, and his young assistant Sibilla. But it is quite unusual in the way that Yambo juggles references to a vast range of literature in an attempt to make sense of this revewed life. It also raises philosophical questions about the way we tend to "write" our lives as we live them. Yambo has no idea, for instance, whether he has ever had an affair with Sibilla; he can certainly imagine several ways the relationship might have gone, but these are literary scenarios; he has no idea whether any of them took place in real life, or if so whether the "real-life" attraction was not merely the acting out of a previous literary scenario.

In the second and longest part of the book, Yambo goes back alone to his childhood home in the foothills of the Savoy Alps. Looking for his particular Rosebud, he hunts through childhood comics, adventure stories, children's encyclopedias, school readers, and records of popular music. Together they tell the history of Italy from 1935 to 1945. The objects themselves are interesting, and Yambo's discoveries about what it felt like to live during the heyday and fall of fascism may contain much that is new for the reader also. But, even for Yambo, it is mostly a third-party interest; the artifacts seldom elicit the intense emotional reactions that would unlock the past on a personal level. Although we can share experiences that are common to every growing child, such as the discovery of sex, true Rosebuds are personal, private, unique, and non-transferable.

It is curious that the two themes which come to dominate the latter part of the book -- Yambo's search for his first love and his specific memories of the last days of the war --- occur almost without visual correlatives at all. The catalogue approach of the second section of the book (almost exactly half the total) in the end gets nowhere. The final part takes an entirely different tack. It contains some wonderful material, especially a gripping wartime incident with the Partisans, and ends with a beauty of its own. But the illustrations, which had hitherto fascinated by their authenticity, ultimately give way to third-rate montages by the author. Fortunately, this visual let-down is in no way matched by Eco's prose, which remains as virtuosic as ever.

Average customer rating:

ENJOYABLE???
3 1/2 stars.
It's an OK book to read!
Good characters, so-so love story
sensational read

Until You
Judith McNaught
Manufacturer: Pocket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0671880594

Book Description

New York Times bestselling author Judith McNaught sweeps readers from the wilds of America to elegant 1820s London in this unforgettable romantic adventure.

A teacher in a school for wealthy young ladies, Sheridan, Bromleigh is hired to accompany one of her students, heiress Charise Lancaster, to England to meet her fiancé. When her charge elopes with a stranger, Sheridan wonders how she will ever explain it to Charise's intended, Lord Burleton.

Standing on the pier, Stephen Westmoreland, the Earl of Langford, assumes the young woman coming toward him is Charise Lancaster -- and informs her of his inadvertent role in a fatal accident involving Lord Burleton the night before. And just as Sheridan is about to speak, she steps into the path of a cargo net loaded with crates!

Sheridan awakens in Westmoreland's mansion with no memory of who she is; the only hint of her past is the puzzling fact that everyone calls her Miss Lancaster. All she truly knows is that she is falling in love with a handsome English earl, and that the life unfolding before her seems full of wondrous possibilities...

Customer Reviews:

ENJOYABLE???.......2007-06-03

I gave this book 4 stars because I like the parts about Whitney and Clayton. Since reading Whitney My Love I just couldn't get enough of them. Stephen was so much better in that book that I was hoping he would come out in this the same way but I never really felt that. He got mad at Whitney for doing the same things that he did in WML (like trying to get Clayton just to listen to her before he married someone else) So Whitney was going about it the same way. I notice alot of same situations in this book. She never seem to be jealous of the other women they should of had a throw down at that party. The first parts about her past I thought drag on and on. She should of meet up with her relatives in England when she ran away maybe she could of been as rich as him. All and all I enjoyed the book I guess I just think of ways that it could of been better. I really love Judith McNaughts books this is my third so I'm going to read Once and Always and Something Wonderful. Then I am going to reread this one I believe that I read them out of order. After WML I had to find out what happened to Stephen, now I know....

3 1/2 stars. .......2007-05-15

Having read almost all of JM's books, I wasn't impressed with this as much as the others. I found myself skimming through a lot of the dialogue and it just wasn't holding my attention. Some of the romance seemed forced, a lot of the time I felt JM trying to convince us about their love, instead of letting the characters reveal that to us themselves. Here's s run down of the plot...Sheridan, a governess is sailing to Englad from America with a young lady, Charise, who is to wed a Baron. Only, the young lady Charise jumps ship mid voyage to elope with another man. Sheridan is now forced to face the Baron and tell him of the news and is scared he will not believe her and fears she'll be thrown in a dungeon for letting Charise get away. Little does she know the Baron is dead, killed, accidentally by the Earl of Langford, Stephen Westmoreland. (Clayton's brother from Whitney). Stephen shows up at the dock to meet Charise and to guiltily tell her of the terrible news when off walks Sheridan and she is hit in the head and gets amnesia. Stephen, never seeing Charise before, assumes Sheridan is Charise and feels guilty, again, and decides to take her up in his home while she recovers. Only, once she wakes he tells her he is her fiance and that her name is Charise (because he doesn't know any different) so she doesn't feel alone and more scared than she already is having lost her memory. From there the story unfolds. Stephen begins to fall in love with her as does she, as she struggles to remember who she is and she thinks he's her beloved fiance. This story sounds good but there are things that bugged me. For instance, Stephen once and for all decides to put an end to the charade by finding her a suitor and possible husband so he enlists his family to come up with names and they have this elaborate scheme to see that she meets new men. Sounds like a good storyline? I thought so too, because then he'd be jealous and we'd get to see just how tormented he'll become until finally he realizes that he truly loves her and blah blah. Well, the very night of her coming out, he changes his mind and right after the party says you're marrying me and that's that. Where's the drama and the build up and all that makes a romance a romance? Sorry, I'm getting carried away. The point is this had the potential to be GREAT. It was just ok in my book, but that's just my opinion. Don't get me wrong, there are a few tender and poignant moments in the book. I just wish it were cleaned up and edited a bit for better enjoyment and suspense. I guess I'm comparing it to her others that I love so well. Please read it and see for yourself, many others have enjoyed it.

It's an OK book to read!.......2007-04-06

I liked the book but there's just part of the book that is kind of dragging. The misunderstanding between the two people in the book, as i think, can be prevented. I have not experience any temporary amnesia and or have known someone with it so I really cannot know what kind of reaction they will have when they recover their memories but I think, for the heroine instead of running away which in my point of view is a sign of being guilty or have done something wrong, she could've stayed and just deal with whatever consequences may occur. As for the hero, I do not understand why he said or thought in one part of the book that "she's dead to me" and the anger that he felt for her while he is as guilty as all of them are. He pretended, lied to her, have his family lied to her for him and he have some guts to get so angry at her to the point that he cannot stand being near someone that remind him of her - like Burleton's elderly butler so he sent him away to his brother's house to work there instead of his. Anyway, it still is a good book to read, not because I found fault with it does not mean that it is a blah book. Whitney my Love is still better and Kingdom of Dreams the best!!!

Good characters, so-so love story.......2007-02-18

I guess I just hate it when some ridiculous "misunderstanding" crops up near the end of a romance novel that forces the lovers apart, and miraculously all is forgiven and rectified somehow by magic in the end. It's uncharacteristic of human beings, and really flaws the tale. I just couldn't get past it. Plus I was terribly disappointed that all of Sherry's riding & outdoor talents were barely expressed in the experience with Langford. What a waste. It was also disappointing that Sherry's Papa & Rake show up for one little page in the wrap-up. I kind of agree with the other reviewer who said the real Charise Lancaster should have gotten her comeuppance! What a brat.

sensational read.......2007-01-14

this story holds your attention and the characters are interesting enough to want to follow through to the end in this must read novel

Average customer rating:

(2.5)
A Breach of Promise
Disappointing
Rawr!
Another disturbing edition

Panic Snap
Laura Reese
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0312242298

Book Description

Her first novel, Topping from Below, was a cause celebre of erotic fiction. Now, in Panic Snap, Laura Reese once again crosses the boundary between pleasure and pain with a story of extreme sexual obsession and one family's terrible secret.The accused murderess in a sensational trial, Carly Tyler waits outside a California courtroom as a jury decides her fate: Is she the depraved Madame de Sade of the newspaper headlines or the innocent victim of one wealthy family's gothic past? Left for dead by the side of a road fifteen years earlier, she emerged from a coma with no memory and a face completely altered by the plastic surgery need to repair her injuries. Who is she and what happened to her? The trail leads her to a magnificent vineyard and its mysterious owner, James McGuane, a man of wealth and immense sexual charisma who holds the key to her past. But to unlock it, she must risk her life on a terrifying erotic journey that tears apart a dynasty and reveals the truth about an appalling murder.

Customer Reviews:

(2.5).......2006-08-11

I read this one immediately after the author's first novel, Topping from Below. Perhaps I would have liked Panic Snap better if Topping from Below hadn't been so fresh in my mind, because the first thing I noticed was that the plot was pretty much the same. Woman, trying to solve a heinous crime, enters into a Dom/sub relationship with the prime suspect in order to glean clues.

And as before, he doles out the clues slowly, over a period of months, so that he can gradually break down her psychological barriers and make her submit utterly to him. As before, be warned that the sexual scenes are not for the squeamish, though thankfully she mostly left out the bestiality this time.

In addition to the too-similar plot, I also found this novel disappointing on the level of character. I don't know why, but I never felt that I knew Carly, James, and Gina the way I knew Nora, M., and Franny. I believe Topping is by far the better book.

A Breach of Promise.......2005-03-22

This book is one of those clear cases of breach of promise, where the blurbs promise you the world, and you wonder if the learned critics have actually read the book.

The author uses a mixture of suspense, drama and revenge as a vehicle for her clinically described rough stuff, and tries to push as much of it as possible into the story, until the repetition has the reader crying out in pain. Maybe this is the objective, because by the end of the book, I felt like I had been soundly whipped by an amateur.

Following the pattern of B grade porn, the weak storyline tells of a woman who emerges from a coma after having been left for dead, and who, despite suffering from amnesia, tracks down the man who she feels tries to kill her fifteen years earlier. The plot twists can be seen from a distance, so the only reason for reading this would be for the sadomasochism, which to be honest, gets boring very quickly.

No erotic novel should have the reader turning the pages just hoping for the end. As far as erotic fiction goes, this one is a cold shower.

Amanda Richards, March 22, 2005

Disappointing.......2004-08-24

Topping From Below was much more interesting. Panic snap has a slow start and not much to keep the pages turning. Somewhat disappointing.

Rawr!.......2004-02-19

I enjoyed this book and thought it was a pretty creative bend on the whole domination/submission s&m type thing. All in all, the "mystery" got a little tedious...Laura Reese has sort of a Dean Koontz writing style wherein you want to reach in and smack the main character for being such a knob about things that are completely obvious to the reader. The erotic bits of this book were absolutely haunting, however...stuff that sticks with you for a long time, be it good or bad! Unfortunately, I read this book prior to reading Ms. Reese's first book (Topping from Below) and ended up sorely disappointed in that book. If you've read Topping from Below, don't bother with this one at all. They're nearly the same book, with the exception being that "M" or "Michael" in Topping From Below is easily, incredibly hate-able. There's a finer line with the male lead character in Panic Snap. He's less hate-able...but still not terrifically like-able.

For folks who want to make the argument about the portrayal of the s&m lifestyle in Ms. Reese's books, I have this to say: No one said these were MANUALS. They're works of FICTION and last time I checked, FICTION didn't have to follow any rules because it's, well, MADE UP!

At any rate, it's an enjoyable read as an erotic novel. As a mystery novel, well, it really leaves a lot to be desired.

Another disturbing edition.......2004-01-17

I am not straightlaced or prudish (why would I read this book if I were?) but the activities represented in this novel as erotic only made me feel ill. Are there really people that find the use of farm animals in sex play exciting? Okay, maybe I am naive to some degree, but that is just plain icky! Reading this book is like looking at road kill, somewhat compelling but still an unhappy experience.

Average customer rating:

Well Worth Reading
The Perils of Pauline

Mankind in Amnesia
Immanuel Velikovsky
Manufacturer: Doubleday
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0385033931

Customer Reviews:

Well Worth Reading.......2004-11-21

I went to a lot of trouble to locate this book in another town's library. It was well worth the effort.

Velikovsky endured scathing abuse by the scientific community for his unconventional theories merging cosmology, geology, archeology and mythology. Despite his serious research to support his theories, he was proclaimed unqualified to discuss subjects outside his field of medicine.

Well, the ideas set forth in this book cannot be dismissed by similar claims. Velikovsky was, by training, a psychoanalyst trained by a student of Freud, eminently qualifying him to discuss the possibility that our species has repressed the memories of earth-shaking events too terrible and frightening to acknowledge.

It gives one a new perspective on the vicious denunciations of Velikovsky's unorthodox theories by mainstream scientists. Just why did the scientific community find Velikovsky and his ideas so threatening? Read this book and you may wonder if Velikovsky was really onto something.

The Perils of Pauline.......2000-05-09

Mankind in Amnesia, (Doubleday, New York, 1982) by Immanuel Velikovsky

Dr. Velikovsky gave us the controversial best seller "Worlds in Collision" (1950), and sequels on the same theme including "Ages in Chaos" (1952) and "Earth in upheaval" (1955). "Mankind in Amnesia" is the first of several to be published posthumously and it develops the thesis addressed in his other books, namely the catastrophic history of our planet-so traumatic that the human race has rejected it from memory and refuses to face evidence of it. He postulates near collisions between Earth and Venus and other bodies.

Velikovsky, a Russian-born Jewish psychiatrist, uses his theory to justify a literal reading of the Exodus. The miraculous events (the parting of the Red Sea, manna from Heaven, etc.) he ascribes to natural causes.

He was quite a salesman. Although his formal education, gained throughout Europe, was in medicine, obviously his great interest was astronomy, cosmology, geology and the architectonics of the universe. And his writing has had an impact on those who pursue knowledge in those areas. The late Buckminster Fuller, inventor of the geodesic dome, said of the book, "...an extraordinarily important book, beautifully researched and devastatingly true." Or, so he is quoted on the dust jacket. The late Carl Sagan, on the other hand, calls his approach "shoddy, ignorant and doctrinaire," and strongly implies that his scientific understanding is sadly lacking (Broca's Brain, Random House, N.Y., 1974.)

So, Velikovsky's theories, to put it mildly, are not universally embraced by his peers. Nevertheless, this is a good book. He has a good vocabulary and he uses it enchantingly and persuasively to sell his great idea. It is a book for the literate person who relishes new ideas and fresh approaches to old ones.

Joseph Pierre,
Author of THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS: Our Journey Through Eternity

Imperial America: Reflections on the United States of Amnesia

Average customer rating:

I'm a Believer
Thought provoking
In a word...Brilliant !!
"Power Corrupts, and Abosolute Power Corrupts Absolutely
Vidal's Vidal in his most Angered State!

Imperial America: Reflections on the United States of Amnesia
Gore Vidal
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: B000HT2OJY

Book Description

Gore Vidal has been described as the last `noble defender" of the American republic. In Imperial America, Vidal steals the thunder of a right wing America—those who have camouflaged their extremist rhetoric in the Old Glory and the Red, White, and Blue—by demonstrating that those whose protest arbitrary and secret government, those who defend the bill of rights, those who seek to restrain America's international power, are the true patriots.

"Those Americans who refuse to plunge blindly into the maelstrom of European and Asiatic politics are not defeatist or neurotic," he writes. "They are giving evidence of sanity, not cowardice, of adult thinking as distinguished from infantilism. They intend to preserve and defend the Republic. America is not to be Rome or Britain. It is to be America."

Customer Reviews:

I'm a Believer.......2007-06-01

I'm over 55 and I thought I knew about our government and about Gore Vidal. 40 years ago, I dismissed him as a "queer", as he was called by William F. Buckley. Big mistake.

I don't believe everything I read and I'm not easily impressed. But after reading "Imperial America", now I'm a believer in what Gore Vidal has been saying for a very long time- that America is no longer a Republic, but an Empire and that the interests of "The People" do not drive our elected officials.

This book will make you feel like the wool the government has been pulling over your eyes for the past 50 years is 50% dacron!

Required reading for every concerned American- I wonder how many are out there.

Thought provoking.......2007-04-12

It seems almost inevitable that associated with every fact is a level of fiction. So rather than argue "the facts" or regurgitate them, let us instead argue their relevancy to the state of American society today. In that vein, this book was personally very relevant. Although I fail to agree with every problem cited and/or proposals for their solution, I wholeheartedly agree with its overall assessment for our malaise.

This book expresses an intelligent and insightful perspective of our state of American governance. To ignore this message because we do not agree with all it says or how it says it does us a disservice. Even though three quarters of the book is composed of articles published during the eighties, I feel collectively that they are no less relevant today then they were then. Reading this book has broadened my perspective and I encourage everyone to read it.

In a word...Brilliant !!.......2007-03-19

Gore Vidal does a brilliant job at pointing out how our "Republic" has turned into an Empire as expansive and militaristic as Rome in the first century and Britain in the nineteenth. He has a keen eye and is a wonderful observer. It is amazing that more Americans will not wake up and smell the coffee. Face it, America is an Empire! America is the 21st century Rome! And Mr. Vidal does a fantastic job at describing and detailing how we have arrived at as the Empire that we are.
However, there is one discrepancy that I have with Mr. Vidal's thesis. Mr. Vidal, who is very patriotic, does his best to try and explain ways in which the American Empire can return to a Republic. In other words, he does a good job at explaining that the world is round (that America is an Empire)but still has the attitude that it is flat (that is still Republic in spirit and will become a Republic once again). I believe that the American Empire will fall very soon - within a matter of five years - as the Prophet Joseph Smith predicted in Nauvoo. I believe that the only stable institution that can and will survive the coming anarchy (see Robert D. Kaplan's book) is the theocratic Kingdom of God (see my personal portfolio). As Francois-Marie Arouet, Voltaire, said it best, "I disagree with what comes out of you pen, but I would defend to the death your right to write it."
As I said before, I believe that Mr. Vidal does a great job at defining that America is an Empire, but that is it. I think that it is too late for the American Empire. It will crash and burn HARD! Mind you, I did not say the people. I believe completely that the people living in the American Empire, and the people in the rest of the world for that matter, can easily repent and return to Jesus Christ the Lord.
So all in all, a great observation on the American Empire. Four out of five stars.

"Power Corrupts, and Abosolute Power Corrupts Absolutely.......2007-02-22

Gore Vidal's anthology titled IMPERIAL AMERICA is an anthology of essays written between 1980s and c. 2004. While these essays may seem dated to those with short memories,the theme of unbridled power, media lying, and the outer limits of hypocrisy are the same even though the "actors" are different.

Vidal cites historical anecdotes and comments from the Founding Fathers about the perils of political power. According to Vidal, American drive toward imperial power and central power began with the Civil War or the War of Southern Secession or the War of Southern Independence. The basic synamic of this war was that Northern Bankers made considerale money and have ever since became more greedy and powerful.

Vidal's description of the Spanish-American War includes the bloody suppression of the people of the Phillipines who were promised independence in 1898 only to have such promises and oaths revoked. The subsequent war of suppression which probably lasted from 1898 to 1902 costing over 200,000 lives.

Vidal's description of the Cold War is as clear a presentation of trends and events as this reviewer has read. What U.S. authorities could have gained by policy, they tried to get by military force. Vidal explains that the reasons for this use of force was/is to enhance arms executives, oil executives, and bankers at the expense of U.S. taxpayers.

Many times U.S. citizens are not alert to the "Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace" trends because journalists and yes, historians repeat the same distortions and lies. Due to corportate executives controlling newpapers and other media sources, journalists, and academicians have "sold their soul" to please corporate masters and bankers. If one reflects on sensationalist news stories for the past 60 years, he/she will discover that most of these stories were lies, exaggerations, and distoritions. When some honest historians corrected any of these distoritions, the corrections got little or no attention. Or, anyone who made such an honest effort was badly smeared by "offical panals" of liars in the absence of the person in question. In fact, this is exactly what happened to Vidal himself. The montior of the panal was Roger Mudd (Mud?) who made all sorts of accusations against Vidal when Vidal was not on the panal to defend himself. The fact is Roger Mudd is a coward.

Vidal gives clear evidence of unbridled power and hypocrisy. He also suggests means of ending the corrpution of a centralized police state. He suggests a return to the concept of federalism and uses the examle of the Swiss. Notice the Swiss stay out of war and have high living standards. Vidal suggests that U.S. citizens could locate in areas that satisfy their cultural and social preferences.

One feature of Vidal's essays that should catch readers' attention is his criticism of the U.S. Supreme Court justices whom Vidal accuses of giving legal sanction to what is otherwise illegal and unconstitutional. This trend has only accelerated since the 1980s, and Vidal presents brief but concise explanations of these Supreme Court decisions.

While some may think some of these essays are redundant, they need to be. Those with short memories need repeated reminders of serious problems or, as the subtitle of the book reads REFLCETIONS ON THE UNITED STATES OF AMNESIA. Vidals depth of knowledge and writing style make these essays well worth reading.

Vidal's Vidal in his most Angered State!.......2007-01-12

What can one say about the brilliance of Gore Vidal. He has captured the essence of the current American oligarcy and laid it out for all to see! Go Gore Vidal, you are my new hero! Not reccommended for late night
reading.....you won't sleep.

Biblical Amnesia: A Forgotten Story of Redemption...

Average customer rating:

A Much Needed Paradigm Shift
Biblical Amnesia
Biblical Amnesia: A Forgotten Story of Redemption

Biblical Amnesia: A Forgotten Story of Redemption...
Scott W. Gustafson
Manufacturer: Infinity Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0741421755

Book Description

From the Exodus to the crucifixion the Bible records a struggle between two worldviews: the dominator system and partnership ways. God favors partnership ways, but the dominator system is a formidable opponent. Its agents are often the powerful, the rich and the religious. Indeed, an alliance of such people crucified Jesus. The irony is that we cannot understand the Bible because we read it as if God favors the dominator system! Biblical Amnesia corrects this fatal flaw. In the process, we glimpse alternatives to the ways of life we now painfully life.

Customer Reviews:

A Much Needed Paradigm Shift.......2005-11-07

Scott Gustafson brings to light an important and exciting new approach to understanding the Bible that is dynamite. His insights make the biblical message an important social and political statement that confronts the timeless hypocrisy of those in power. It really makes you think. It stirs the soul. It's the kind of thing that puts steel in faith. This author makes it clear how much we have forgotten. But it's not too late to learn that what was forgotten can makes all things new.

Biblical Amnesia.......2005-09-06

President Bush needs to read this book, (or have someone read it to him).

Biblical Amnesia: A Forgotten Story of Redemption.......2004-11-17

Scott Gustafson in clear and easy to read language speaks about some startling ideas that are found in scripture, but which have been forgotten due to our cultural relgion covering up the message of the Bible. The fact that morality comes as a result of the human fall into sin, and is a force for death, rather than life, was a new way for me of seeing the context of the Biblical writings. He makes use of the work of Raine Eisler to define dominator and partnership ways and shows how the scriptures both Old and New Testament are examples of a partnership model trying to survive in a dominator system. This book would be helpful to anyone who is working on models of change both in the church, as well as any political organization. Anyone in a position of power in an organization would find it useful in defining a role that has as it purpose, the fostering of partnerships rather than autoritarian relationships.

Average customer rating:

I finally got through it...
The Bad Place
This is One of Koontz's More Twisted Books
I WANT MORE!!!
3.5 Stars.....Bad.....but not TOO Bad....

The Bad Place
Dean Koontz
Manufacturer: Putnam Adult
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0399134980

Book Description

Frank Pollard develops a fear of sleep because each time he wakes he finds strange and frightening objects in his hands and pockets.

Detective team Bobby and Julie Dakota agree to investigate where Frank goes when he sleeps. They encounter an ominous figure stalking Frank and ultimately learn that bad places exist in the world of the living; places so steeped in evil that, in contrast, death seems almost a relief...

Customer Reviews:

I finally got through it..........2007-04-11

After three or four tries, I finally reached the end of THE BAD PLACE. I found the title to be quite accurate as I felt to be really in a "bad place" mentally. It didn't do anything for me... and this is coming from a RABID Koontz fan. I will drive (and have driven) 100 miles to purchase a copy of a hardback on the day of its release... but I really felt rooked having spent money on the paperback version of THE BAD PLACE.

Koontz's only salvation is his ability to write characters that hold my interest. THey were odd, yes, but I have to admit they were interesting.

The Bad Place.......2007-03-11

A great book by Dean Koontz. Again and again Mr. Koontz does take our imagination and pulls us into his novels and we can not put them down until we finish reading them....

This is One of Koontz's More Twisted Books.......2006-12-27

I'm a big fan of Dean Koontz, and I've read most of his fifty or so novels. That being said, I have rather mixed feelings about THE BAD PLACE. It's not a bad novel by any means, but it's definitely one of Koontz's darker, more graphic efforts.

I won't rehash the plot of THE BAD PLACE, which is a rather unique combination of suspense, horror, and science fiction. Although I thought the storyline was original, it is definitely rather odd. There are also so many bizarre characters and plot twists in THE BAD PLACE that it was hard for me to believe what was going on. You will also need a strong stomach for some of the rather gross things that take place at the end of this book.

THE BAD PLACE starts relatively slow, but the second half is quite exciting. It also features a highly lovable character named Thomas, who has cerebral palsy. Koontz did a great job with this character -- he demonstrates a real gift and sensitivity in portraying a disabled person. In the end, I wish that Koontz had made Thomas the main character in the book. I personally found him more interesting than the private eye characters whom Koontz ultimately chose to be the heroes.

This is a good novel, but I think there are much better Koontz offerings out there. If you've never read Koontz, try WATCHERS, INTENSITY, ODD THOMAS or PHANTOMS first. Those novels will turn you into a Koontz fan.

I WANT MORE!!!.......2006-10-04

WELL I'M NOT MUCH OF A REVIEWER OR WRITER BUT I LOVE TO READ. I LOVED THIS BOOK IT'S TWIST'S AND TURNS MAKE YOU UNABLE TO PUT THE BOOK DOWN. IF YOU LIKED THIS ONE I'D ALSO RECOMEND "FROM THE CORNER OF HIS EYE" BY DEAN KOONTZ. IF ONLY THERE WHERE A WAY THAT WE COULD KNOW WHERE TO FIND MORE BOOKS WITH STORY LINES LIKE THIS. AS YOU COULD TELL I RECOMED THIS BOOK READ IT AND READ IT NOW DON'T PASS IT UP.

3.5 Stars.....Bad.....but not TOO Bad...........2006-10-01

I thought this book started out rather slow. Mr Koontz took quite a bit of time to detail the characters psychee and demeanors. And he did this for each individual character, not all at once, but spaced throughout the book. This is fine and it does help to know where the characters are coming from, but I thought it was just added fluff to make the book over 400 pages.

Now, having said that, I really did like this book. The first half was kinda slow and he took a while to get to the plot line, but once you are there, it is a riveting thriller which is hard to put down. I thought that the balance of power and struggle of protagonist vs. antagonist resulted in a great climax at the end, but I also thought that too many people died in the process. Heart-pounding, I know...but still. I think that if one character in particular could have lived, everything would have turned out the same (not gonna give it away ;)

I am glad to have added one more book to my Koontz library and I am looking forward to the next one.

They Never Came Home (Laurel Leaf Suspense)

Average customer rating:

another great book from Lois Duncan!
Great book
Jack McNamara
This book should never come home
Bored to death

They Never Came Home (Laurel Leaf Suspense)
Lois Duncan
Manufacturer: Laurel Leaf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0440207800
Release Date: 1990-10-01

Book Description

Joan’s boyfriend and her brother are missing and assumed dead. Until the voice on the other end of the phone hints at something more terrible.

Customer Reviews:

another great book from Lois Duncan!.......2005-07-23

This book was really intriguing and kept you wanting more. Some people don't like the fact that this book was slow, but I liked that it gradually went along without too many clues about the ending. It moved along at a comfortable pace and had a lot of character development which has always been important to me. I also liked that it didn't really have ONE climax, but many of them, all leading up to the final part of the book where everything came to a heart stopping ending.

They Never Came Home was about two boys who went on a camping trip and never came back. It told stories of all the charicters that are all tied together in some way, even though in the beginning it looks like they have nothing to do with the others. It tells of the boys even though you don't know it. It tells the stories of both families. Lois Duncan is really good at this and I find it really interesting to read what is happening to each character at the same time and hear things from all different point of views. Simple enough plot, right? WRONG! A whole lot happens and the plot takes many twists and turns involving jewelry, drugs, betrayal, love, and mental breakdowns. But even though some of the other reviewers here think that the plot twists weren't easy to follow, I thought they were relevantly simple, but genius to think up and put together. (perhaps it was harder for them to understand because they are younger than 13. I mean it's a book for teenagers, if you aren't a teenager, then don't read it, and if you do, don't review it because there is bound to be plenty that you don't understand.) :) Sorry, had to blow off a little steam!

OK, so I won't give away any more of the plot and just tell you to READ THIS REALLY GOOD MYSTERY AND ALL THE OTHER CHILLING BOOKS BY LOIS DUNCAN!!

Great book.......2005-04-13

This is a great book! i no a lot of younger teenagers feel that its very slow and confusing.. and the truth is it is! There are questions that u ask at the end of the book but if ut hink about it.. dont all books leave u that way? This is a great book...its based on real life problems where someone goes missing and u have questions espeically if at the end they dont ever show up... This book is about two boys who go missin...and dont turn up....its a slow book but its just like real life....I strongly recomend this book to anyone!

Jack McNamara.......2005-04-05

I read other Lois Duncan books, but this one is the worst. It is about two boys who supposedly go "hiking in the woods" but never come back. This book makes know sense and it is very confusing. First of all, the reason why they go "into the woods" is because they are both involved in a drug smuggling scam and it is destroying their lives, and one of them pushes the other down. One problem, Joan (one of the boys' sister) talks to a girl named Peggy. To Joan, Peggy seems awfully familiar to her. Then, when she gets home she says "Now Joan knew where she had seen Peggy before, she was staring at her in the mirror" referring to herself! What is that supposed to mean?! Also, the ending made no sense, just read it for yourself! I don't recommend this book!

This book should never come home.......2004-05-14

This isn't the best book iv'e read or the worst.The book they never came home is by Lois Duncan and it is about two hikers that disapeered in a mountain.Their family turn frantic but they are still alive.I gve this book a three out of five.At the end you wonder if Lance is going to return for vengence and payback. It makes you wonder why she wrote this book if she can write 'I know what you did last summer but this book still deserves a good score because of the story, character, settings and events but it doesn't wow me. You can live without it because it won't change your life.

Bored to death.......2004-05-14

In my honest opinion "They never came home" by Lois Duncan is the most boring book I've ever read. It's about two boys named Dan and Larry who get lost in the mountain's and never come home. After a through search in the mountain's every one gives them up for dead, including Joan who is Dan's girlfriend and Larry's sister. Joan believes that there dead but some hints prove other wise. If you don't like to read slow and boring books don't read this one. In the beginning it is really boring and the end leaves you asking questions. By the time you get to the middle of the book you don't even care what happened to Larry and Dan.

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