The Shack

Product Description
Mackenzie Allen Philips' youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack's world forever. In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant "The Shack" wrestles with the timeless question, "Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?" The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him. You'll want everyone you know to read this book!

About the Author
William P. Young was born a Canadian and raised among a stone-age tribe by his missionary parents in the highlands of what was New Guinea. He suffered great loss as a child and young adult, and now enjoys the 'wastefulness of grace' with his family in the Pacific Northwest.

Pursuit of Honor: A Novel

Product Description

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR VINCE FLYNN RETURNS WITH HIS MOST EXHILARATING POLITICAL THRILLER TO DATE, A PULSE-POUNDING TALE OF ESPIONAGE, COVERT INTELLIGENCE, AND COUNTERTERRORISM.

The action begins six days after a series of explosions devastated Washington, D.C., targeting the National Counterterrorism Center and killing 185 people, including public officials and CIA employees. It was a bizarre act of extreme violence that called for extreme measures on the part of elite counterterrorism operative Mitch Rapp and his trusted team member, Mike Nash. Now that the initial shock of the catastrophe is over, key Washington officials are up in arms over whether to make friends or foes of the agents who stepped between the enemy's bullets and countless American lives regardless of the legal consequences. Not for the first time, Rapp finds himself in the frustrating position of having to illustrate the realities of national security to politicians whose view from the sidelines is inevitably obstructed.

Meanwhile, three of the al Qaeda terrorists are still at large, and Rapp has been unofficially ordered to find them by any means necessary. No one knows the personal, physical, and emotional sacrifices required of the job better than Rapp. When he sees Nash cracking under the pressure of the mission and the memories of the horrors he witnessed during the terrorist attack, he makes a call he hopes will save his friend, assuage the naysayers on Capitol Hill, and get him one step closer to the enemy before it's too late. Once again, Rapp proves himself to be a hero unafraid "to walk the fine line between the moral high ground and violence" (The Salt Lake Tribune) for our country's safety, for the sake of freedom, for the pursuit of honor.

About the Author
Vince Flynn is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of 11 previous thrillers, including Protect and Defend, Extreme Measures, and Pursuit of Honor. He lives in the Twin Cities with his wife and three children. Visit his website at www.vinceflynn.com.

Les Miserables (Radio Theatre) by Victor Hugo

Product Description

Value priced!

The story that has thrilled millions comes to life in a brand new way in Focus on the Family Radio Theatre's Les Miserables. This audio drama beautifully portrays the redeeming power of forgiveness through the story of Jean Valjean, an embittered convict whose life is changed by a single act of kindness. Recorded in London with some of England's finest actors, it will mesmerize adults and families alike.
Product Details
Amazon Sales Rank: #1404018 in Books
Published on: 2001-07-13
Formats: Audiobook, CD
Number of items: 3
Binding: Audio CD
Editorial Reviews

From AudioFile
Focus on the Family has again pulled out the stops in thisdramatization of the Victor Hugo classic. The production is repletewith excellent acting, crisp editing, and seamless sound production,making the entire program a veritable movie for the mind. BrianBlessed plays Jean Valjean, a criminal of circumstance transformed bylove and kindness at the time of the French Revolution. Blessed readsthe part with tremendous strength and emotion. Other cast membersinclude Geoffrey Palmer as Inspector Javert, Leo McKern as MonsieurGillenormand, and Gina Beck as Cosette, the girl who awakens love andhope for Valjean. Performers, production, and beautiful sourcematerial make this an extraordinary program. S.E.S. Winner ofAudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
Customer Reviews

Magnifique!....Wonderful Performance!
"Les Misérables" is tale I just can't get enough of. There are so many wonderful versions of this beautiful tale, and I try to experience this story in all forms. This audio book is superb.

A brillant cast led by Brian Blessed as Jean Valjean and the wonderful music composed and directed by Jared DiPasqual bring Victor Hugo's powerful tale of the human spirit to life in this stirring radio performance.

Enter the soul of Jean Valjean, an ex-convict,who suffers and sacrifices on his journey to redemption. Experience his love and devotion for his adopted daughter Cosette, who he protects at all costs. The French Revolution, the years of being stalked by Javert,the lawman obsessed with capturing him,and the intense young love of Cosette and Marius are all brought to life in this outstanding performance and will stir your imagination to it's fullest.

Brian Blessed gives a powerful performance. You will know him from his work in several of Kenneth Branagh's Shakespearean productions. He was The Ghost in "Hamlet", Seigneur Antonio in "Much Ado About Nothing" and also portrayed Lord Locksley in the Costner version of "Robin Hood". Geoffrey Palmer("The Madness of King George"/"As Time Goes By") turns in a superb performance of Javert.Also included in this marvelous cast is Tony Robinson,Leo McKern and Gina Beck as Cosette.

This performance is also available on cassette. Enter the ISBN in search 1561799696 for that edition. And if you love this story, I would also recommend "Les Miserables (Original French Version)" on DVD starring Gerard Depardieu(Valjean) and Malkovich(Javert). It's just a little different take, and a most enjoyable view.(ASIN:B0002VJIGY)

Follow the long road to forgiveness with Jean Valjean in this beautiful radio production performance of Victor Hugo's timeless tale.

Enjoy.....Laurie

Skinny Legs and All By Tom Robbins

Product Description

An Arab and a Jew open a restaurant together across the street from the United Nations....

It sounds like the beginning of an ethnic joke, but it's the axis around which spins this gutsy, fun-loving, and alarmingly provocative novel, in which a bean can philosophizes, a dessert spoon mystifies, a young waitress takes on the New York art world, and a rowdy redneck welder discovers the lost god of Palestine--while the illusions that obscure humanity's view of the true universe fall away, one by one, like Salome's veils.

Skinny Legs and All deals with today's most sensitive issues: race, politics, marriage, art, religion, money, and lust. It weaves lyrically through what some call the "end days" of our planet. Refusing to avert its gaze from the horrors of the apocalypse, it also refuses to let the alleged end of the world spoil its mood. And its mood is defiantly upbeat.

In the gloriously inventive Tom Robbins style, here are characters, phrases, stories, and ideas that dance together on the page, wild and sexy, like Salome herself. Or was it Jezebel?
Product Details
Amazon Sales Rank: #65378 in Books
Published on: 1995-11-01
Released on: 1995-11-01
Number of items: 1
Binding: Paperback
432 pages
Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
In a phantasmagorical, politically charged tale you wish would never end, Robbins holds forth--through a variety of ingenious, off-beat mouthpieces--on art (with and without caps), the Middle East, religious fanaticism of many stripes, and the seven veils of self-deception. Salome, skinny legs and all, belly-dances rapturously at Isaac & Ishmael's, a much-molested restaurant located across the street from the U.N., founded by an Arab and a Jew as an example of happy, peaceful and mutually beneficial coexistence. Ellen Cherry Charles, artist and waitress, heir to the most positive legacy of Jezebel, works at the same joint, nursing a broken heart inflicted by Boomer Petway, redneck welder/bemused darling of the New York art scene. Meanwhile, Can o' Beans, Dirty Sock, Spoon, Painted Stick and Conch Shell traverse half the world on a hejira to Jerusalem--where Conch and Painted Stick will resume religious duties in the Third Temple, dedicated (of course) to Astarte. Unless, mind you, Ellen Cherry's boil-encrusted uncle Buddy, a radio evangelist who gets turned on by Tammy Faye Bakker, manages to start WW III first. . . . Robbins's ( Jitterbug Perfume ) lust for laughs is undiminished; this prescription for sanity couldn't be better. 125,000 first printing; first serial to Esquire; BOMC and QPB selections; author tour.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
A painter's struggle with her art, a restaurant opened as an experiment in brotherhood, the journey of several inanimate objects to Jerusalem, a preacher's scheme to hasten Armageddon, and a performance of a legendary dance: these are the diverse elements around which Robbins has built this wild, controversial novel. Ellen Cherry Charles, one of the "Daughters of the Daily Spe cial" in Jitterbug Perfume ( LJ 1/85), takes center stage. She has married Boomer Petway and moved to New York, hoping to make it as a painter. Instead, she winds up a waitress at the Isaac and Ishmael, a restaurant co-owned by an Arab and a Jew. Robbins's primary concern is Middle Eastern politics, supplemented along the way with observations on art, religion, sex, and money. Few contemporary novelists mix tomfoolery and philosophy so well. This is Robbins at his best. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 1/90.
- Lawrence Rungren, Bedford Free P.L., Mass.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Download Description

An Arab and a Jew open a restaurant together across the street from the United Nations....

It sounds like the beginning of an ethnic joke, but it's the axis around which spins this gutsy, fun-loving, and alarmingly provocative novel, in which a bean can philosophizes, a dessert spoon mystifies, a young waitress takes on the New York art world, and a rowdy redneck welder discovers the lost god of Palestine -- while the illusions that obscure humanity's view of the true universe fall away, one by one, like Salome's veils.

Skinny Legs and All deals with today's most sensitive issues: race, politics, marriage, art, religion, money, and lust. It weaves lyrically through what some call the "end days" of our planet. Refusing to avert its gaze from the horrors of the apocalypse, it also refuses to let the alleged end of the world spoil its mood. And its mood is defiantly upbeat.

In the gloriously inventive Tom Robbins style, here are characters, phrases, stories, and ideas that dance together on the page, wild and sexy, like Salome herself. Or was it Jezebel?
Customer Reviews

for pilgrims and frustrated artists; also: foot-fetishists
A passage:

"You are an artist. You know that big picture at the museum midtown, that picture by that fellow Rousseau, it is called The Sleeping Gypsy?"

"Yeah. Sure. That's a very famous painting."

"It ought to be called The Sleeping Arab, that picture. An Arab lies in the desert, sleeping under the crazy-faced moon. A lion sniffs at the Arab, the Arab is unafraid..."

---

The painting is easily found on Wikipedia.

---

I find this to be one of Robbins' better works. By "better" here I mean "more mature" and "fully realized". Which is a bit ironic, I suppose in as much as this (along with Palahniuk's Diary) is in the upper-tier of my pantheon of books about artists struggling with their voice and their craft. (As Cory Doctorow would say succinctly: "Follow your weird.")

There is a lot to take away from this novel in terms of art and politics, in terms of brotherhood and forgiveness, in terms of inanimate objects on pilgrimages. You can skim through this one, sucking out just the gooey humorous center (pun-intended) and find little redeeming in it. But slow down a bit, dive a little deeper, and it's on the cusp of overwhelming.

But if you're not up for the challenge of its depth, you can still extract that hilarity without too much worry. Ease your conscience, I won't mind.

I think I'm in love.
I am in love with Tom Robbins. I've read all of his books & this is among my top 3. Tom Robbins is the only author that I've made a point to read every novel he's ever written. This book stirred feelings in me that I didn't know could be brought about with something as simple & as wonderful as the written word. Mmmm... Tom.

Anthropomorphizing
This was my introduction to Tom Robbins, and while I have read and loved others, this is the best as far as I am concerned. If you are looking for your Robbins starter book, no need to go further - you've found it in Skinny Legs and All.

Even Cowgirls Get the Blues by Tom Robbins

Product Description

Starring Sissy Hanshaw--flawlessly beautiful, almost. A small-town girl with big-time dreams and a quirk to match--hitchhiking her way into your heart, your hopes, and your sleeping bags...

Featuring Bonanza Jellybean and the smooth-riding cowgirls of Rubber Rose Ranch. Chink, lascivious guru of yams and yang. Julian, Mohawk by birth; asthmatic esthete and husband by disposition. Dr. Robbins, preventive psychiatrist and reality instructor...

Follow Sissy's amazing odyssey from Virginia to chic Manhattan to the Dakota Badlands, where FBI agents, cowgirls, and ecstatic whooping cranes explode in a deliciously drawn-out climax...
Product Details
Amazon Sales Rank: #85013 in Books
Published on: 1990-04-01
Released on: 1990-04-01
Number of items: 1
Binding: Paperback
384 pages
Editorial Reviews

From AudioFile
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues is perhaps the ultimate love story. In the hands of master author Tom Robbins, love is found throughout the book; all its main characters devoutly believe in or eventually achieve love's magic. But it is the heroine, Sissy Hawkshaw, for whom love is always present in two distinct forms. With Michael Nouri's narration, Robbins's intelligently wacky credo of love is as wild a success as the last flock of whooping cranes found in the novel. Nouri's decision not to soften his voice for Sissy's lines is an interesting choice (as many male readers do to portray females). There are soft moments in the story, which he reads appropriately, but all in all, Sissy's voice is his own. The result is a smooth, all-encompassing reading that allows listeners to be fully absorbed. Many characters have a vital influence in this novel, and Michael Nouri does a superb job bringing each to life without straying too far from his own personal voice. Listeners couldn't ask for a better guide through Tom Robbins's adventures in love. R.A.P (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Review
"This is one of those special novels--a piece of working magic, warm, funny, and san--that you just want to ride off into the sunset with."--Thomas Pynchon

"The best fiction, so far, to come out of the American counterculture."--Chicago Tribune Book World

Review
"This is one of those special novels--a piece of working magic, warm, funny, and san--that you just want to ride off into the sunset with."--Thomas Pynchon

"The best fiction, so far, to come out of the American counterculture."--Chicago Tribune Book World
Customer Reviews

Not Free SF Reader
This is more of Robbins' whacky silliness, with a woman touring all over the place to find someone compatible and display her jeans to best advantage.

She ends up encountering other odd characters in her quest to find out where she fits in, and what this shagging thing is all about.



on and on and on and on
I got this book because it was highly recommended by a college professor. I thought that it was entirely too wordy. I would skip through paragraphs because it was just too much. I thought the story plot was interesting and could have been fun to read, but Tom Robbins came off sounding pretentious because of his overuse of words. It could have been much better.

Form over Function
The language is beautiful in form. Inspirational is the best way to describe his ability to describe any one moment. The internal mechanisms that move a story from one moment to the next is what was painfully absent. The main driving force of plot was overt sexual tension. Once this aspect had reached its climax early in the novel there was little holding my attention. I put the book down not knowing what became of the Chink or any of the Cowgirls.
Is literature supposed to have a point or not? There are works of art that are beauty in of themselves, and only for themselves, and represent a voice that was never heard of before. Then there are pieces of art and literature whose point is to edify through illustration, explanation or even catharis. This work was absent of any meaningful satire that I could discern. Robbin's strength here was in his unique way of illustrating with words.
I believe an earlier reviewer used the words "literary masturbation." Perfect discription.
Sadly, this was my first exposure to T. Robbins. Doubt if I will try again any time soon. I do get Cinemax afterall.

The Illuminatus! Trilogy: The Eye in the Pyramid, The Golden Apple, Leviathan by Robert Shea

Product Description

Filled with sex and violence--in and out of time and space--the three books of The Illuminatus are only partly works of the imagination. They tackle all the coverups of our time--from who really shot the Kennedys to why there's a pyramid on a one-dollar bill.
Product Details
Amazon Sales Rank: #28901 in Books
Published on: 1988-01-01
Released on: 1983-12-01
Number of items: 1
Binding: Paperback
816 pages
Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher
Filled with sex and violence--in and out of time and space--the three books of The Illuminatus are only partly works of the imagination. They tackle all the coverups of our time--from who really shot the Kennedys to why there's a pyramid on a one-dollar bill.

From the Inside Flap
Filled with sex and violence--in and out of time and space--the three books of The Illuminatus are only partly works of the imagination. They tackle all the coverups of our time--from who really shot the Kennedys to why there's a pyramid on a one-dollar bill.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
THE ILLUMINATUS! TRILOGY

The First Trip, or Kether
From Dealey Plaza To Watergate...


The Purple Sage opened his mouth and moved his tongue and so spate to them and he said:

The Earth quakes and the Heavens raffle; the beasts of nature flock together and the nations of men flock apart; volcanoes usher up heat while elsewhere water becomes ice and melts; and then on other days it just rains.

Indeed do many things come to pass.

-Lord Omar Khayaam Ravenhurst, K.S.C.,
“The Book of Predications”. The Honest Book of Truth


It was the year when they finally immanentized the Eschaton. On April 1, the world's great powers came closer to nuclear war than ever before, all because of an obscure island named Fernando Poo. By the time international affairs returned to their normal cold-war level, some wits were calling it the most tasteless April Fool's joke in history. I happen to know all the details about what happened, but I have no idea how to recount them in a manner that will make sense to most readers. For instance, I am not even sure who I am, and my embarrassment on that matter mates me wonder if you will believe anything I reveal. Worse yet, I am at the moment very conscious of a squirrel-in Central Park, just off Sixty-eighth Street, in New York City-that is leaping from one tree to another, and I think that happens on the night of April 23 (or is it the morning of April 24?), but fitting the squirrel together with Fernando Poo is, for the present, beyond my powers. I beg your tolerance. There is nothing I can do to make things any easier for any of us, and you will have to accept being addressed by a disembodied voice just as I accept the compulsion to speak out even though I am painfully aware that I am talking to an invisible, perhaps nonexistent audience. Wise men have regarded the earth as a tragedy, a farce, even an illusionist's trick; but all, if they are truly wise and not merely intellectual rapists, recognize that it is certainly some kind of stage in which we all play roles, most of us being very poorly coached and totally unrehearsed before the curtain rises. Is it too much if I ask, tentatively, that we agree to look upon it as a circus, a touring carnival wandering about the sun for a record season of four billion years and producing new monsters and miracles, hoaxes and bloody mishaps, wonders and blunders, but never quite entertaining the customers well enough to prevent them from leaving, one by one, and returning to their homes for a long and bored winter's sleep under the dust? Then, say, for a while at least, that I have found an identity as ringmaster; but that crown sits uneasily on my head (if I have a head) and I must warn you that the troupe is small for a universe this size and many of us have to double or triple our stints, so you can expect me back in many other guises. Indeed do many things come to pass.

For instance, right now, I am not at all whimsical or humorous. I am angry. I am in Nairobi, Kenya, and my name is, if you will pardon me, Nkrumah Fubar. My skin is black (does that disturb you? it doesn't me), and I am, like most of you, midway between tribalism and technology; to be more blunt, as a Kikuyu shaman moderately adjusted to city life, I still believe in witchcraft-I haven't, yet, the folly to deny the evidence of my own senses. It is April 3 and Fernando Poo has ruined my sleep for several nights running, so I hope you will forgive me when I admit that my business at the moment is far from edifying and is nothing less than constructing dolls of the rulers of America, Russia, and China. You guessed it: I am going to stick pins in their heads every day for a month; if they won't let me sleep, I won't let them sleep. That is Justice, in a sense.

In fact, the President of the United States had several severe migraines during the following weeks; but the atheistic rulers of Moscow and Peking were less susceptible to magic. They never reported a twinge. But, wait, here is another performer in our circus, and one of the most intelligent and decent in the lot-his name is unpronounceable, but you can call him Howard and he happens to have been born a dolphin. He's swimming through the ruins of Atlantis and it's April 10 already-time is moving; I'm not sure what Howard sees but it bothers him, and he decides to tell Hagbard Celine all about it. Not that I know, at this point, who Hagbard Celine is. Never mind; watch the waves roll and be glad there isn't much pollution out here yet. Look at the way the golden sun lights each wave with a glint that, curiously, sparkles into a silver sheen; and watch, watch the waves as they roll, so that it is easy to cross five hours of time in one second and find ourselves amid trees and earth, with even a few falling leaves for a touch of poetry before the horror. Where are we? Five hours away, I told you-five hours due west, to be precise, so at the same instant that Howard turns a somersault in Atlantis, Sasparilla Godzilla, a tourist from simcoe, Ontario (she had the misfortune to be born a human
being) turns a neat nosedive right here and lands unconscious on the ground. This is the outdoor extension of the Museum of Anthropology in Chapultepec Park, Mexico, D.F., and the other tourists are rather upset about the poor lady's collapse. She later said it was the heat. Much less sophisticated in important matters than Nkrumah Fubar, she didn't care to tell anybody, or even to remind herself, what had really knocked her over. Back in Simcoe, the folks always said Harry Godzilla got a sensible woman when he married Sasparilla, and it is sensible in Canada (or the United States) to hide certain truths. No, at this point I had better not call them truths. Let it stand that she either saw, or imagined she saw, a certain sinister kind of tight grin, or grimace, cross the face of the gigantic statue of Tlaloc, the rain god. Nobody from S'mcoe had ever seen anything like that before; indeed do many things come to pass.

And, if you think the poor lady was an unusual case, you should examine the records of psychiatrists, both institutional and private, for the rest of the month. Reports of unusual anxieties and religious manias among schizophrenics in mental hospitals skyrocketed; and ordinary men and women walked in off the street to complain about eyes watching them, hooded beings passing through locked rooms, crowned figures giving unintelligible commands, voices that claimed to be God or the Devil, a real witch's brew for sure. But the sane verdict was to attribute all this to the aftermath of the Fernando Poo tragedy.

The phone rang at 2:30 A.M. the morning of April 24. Numbly, dumbly, mopingly, gropingly, out of the dark, I find and identify a body, a self, a task. "Goodman," I say into the receiver, propped up on one arm, still coming a long way back.

"Bombing and homicide," he electrically eunuchoid voice in the transmitter tells me. I sleep naked (sorry about that), and Fm putting on my drawers and trousers as I copy the address. East Sixty-eighth Street, near the Council on Foreign Relations. "Moving," I say, hanging up.

"What? Is?" Rebecca mumbles from the bed. She's naked, too, and that recalls very pleasant memories of a few hours earlier. I suppose some of you will be shocked when I tell you I'm past sixty and she's only twenty-five. It doesn't make it any better that we're married, I know.

This isn't a bad body, for its age, and seeing Rebecca, most of the sheets thrown aside, reminds me just how good it is. In fact, at this point I don't even remember having been the ringmaster, or what echo I retain is confused with sleep and dream. I kiss her neck, unselfconsciously, for she is my wife and I am her husband, and even if I am an inspector on the Homicide Squad-Homicide North, to be exact-any notions about being a stranger in this body have vanished with my dreams into air. Into thin air.

"What?" Rebecca repeats, still more asleep than awake,

"Damned fool radicals again," I say, pulling on my shirt, knowing any answer is as good as another in her half-conscious state.

"Um," she says, satisfied, and turns over into deep sleep again.

I washed my face somewhat, tired old man watching me from the mirror, and ran a brush through my hair. Just time enough to think that retirement was only a few years away and to remember a certain hypodermic needle and a day in the Catskills with my first wife, Sandra, back when they at least had clean air up there . . . socks, shoes, tie, fedora . . . and you never stop mourning, as much as I loved Rebecca I never stopped mourning Sandra. Bombing and homicide. What a meshuganah world. Do you remember when you could at least drive in New York at three in the morning without traffic jams? Those days were gone; the trucks that were banned in the daytime were all making their deliveries now. Everybody was supposed to pretend the pollution went away before dawn. Papa used to say, "Saul, Saul, they did it to the Indians and now they're doing it to themselves. Goyische narrs." He left Russia to escape the pogrom of 1905, but I guess he saw a lot before he got out. He seemed like a cynical old man to me then, and I seem like a cynical old man to others now. Is there any pattern or sense in any of it?

The scene of the blast was one of those old office buildings with Gothic-and-gingerbread styling all over the lobby floor. In the dim light of the hour, it reminded me of the shadowy atmosphere of Charlie Chan in the Wax Museum. And a smell hit my nostrils as soon as I walked in.

A patrolman lounging inside the door snapped to attention when he recognized me. "Took out the seventeenth floor and part of the eighteenth," he said. "Also a pet shop here on the ground level. Some freak of dynamics. Nothing else is damaged down here, but every fish tank went. That's the smell."

Barney Muldoon, an old friend with the look and mannerisms of a Hollywood cop, appeared out of the sha...
Customer Reviews

Complete mind f***
There isn't much to say about this book that hasn't already been said. I will say, with regard to my own experience, that prior to this, I went through life in a fog. It took about the first 150 pages or so, and then something clicked and I couldn't put it down. Normally I'm a fast reader, but this took me a week and a half of evenings. As for the after effects, there was something about this book...consider it a mental laxative. I think RAW would see the truth and humor of that.

Had I only read it back in '83 I would have been blown away!
If I had only read this in the '80s I might have been considerably more enlightened nowadays. Or maybe gone to a handful more Grateful Dead shows anyway. This novel, which is sort of an LSD-fueled homage to Timothy Leary and Thomas Pynchon IMO, even now inspires, but to think of how I wouid have been affected back when it was new, well, if wishes were fishes ... I give this novel 4 stars rather than 3 because of its historic value, considering how much it affected some of my favorite artists nowadays.

Written in the real heyday of Playboy magazine by one of its editors, this novel shouldn't surprise you that it contains quite graphic and irreverent depictions of sex, drugs, and rock and roll, from the typical juvenile perspective that Playboy readers (or should I say "viewers") know and love -- or those that are left of them, now that Playboy is a cultural icon and the torch of serious, quality pr0n has been passed to a faceless mass of internet purveyors instead.

I was constantly impressed by how well-versed in history and occult knowledge these two writers must have been. It's at times difficult to sort out exactly where the accurate reporting ends and the fanciful interpretation begins, but that's typical for occultists anyway. These guys knew their stuff, and I wish I had access to their libraries.

Unlike Pynchon's dark, heavy worlds, the Illuminatus! universe is made of (to quote a Vonnegut reviewer) Silly Putty. It titillates, challenges, and over all I think charges you to examine your world and beliefs rationally and skeptically, and for this I praise Shea and RAW, may he rest in peace, or rather, may I get some of whatever he was smoking.

BTW, If you take this novel seriously, you should definitely read the author that clearly was chief inspiration, both stylistically and thematically, but who could compose a more coherent plot outline and stay on topic better. Thomas Pynchon's "V," or "The Crying of Lot 49" (which is, strangely enough, a comical thriller about historical international conspiracies going on to this very day by God :) ) are where a great bulk of inspiration for this novel came from, IMO. And there's the added benefit that since they are more coherent and developed as stories, they can actually be discussed with more "literary" people as well. You will find the same ever-shifting perspectives, maze-like story lines, and immensely well-researched historical fiction. However, you will also find a more coherent plot overall. Pynchon still rules.

You never really see what's coming and it's all over the place.
This book kind of reminded me of that time I went for a ride on a roller coaster while blindfolded with the safety harness undone.

Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins

Product Description

Jitterbug Perfume is an epic. which is to say, it begins in the forests of ancient Bohemia and doesn't conclude until nine o'clock tonight [Paris time]. It is a saga, as well. A saga must have a hero, and the hero of this one is a janitor with a missing bottle. The bottle is blue, very, very old, and embossed with the image of a goat-horned god. If the liquid in the bottle is actually is the secret essence of the universe, as some folks seem to think, it had better be discovered soon becaused it is leaking and there is only a drop of two left.
Product Details
Amazon Sales Rank: #13338 in Books
Published on: 1990-04-01
Released on: 1990-04-01
Number of items: 1
Binding: Paperback
352 pages
Editorial Reviews

Review
"Jitterbug Perfume has a large and exotic cast of characters, all of whom are interested in immortality and/or perfume... Go see for yourself; you'll have a good time."--The Washington Post

Review
"Jitterbug Perfume has a large and exotic cast of characters, all of whom are interested in immortality and/or perfume... Go see for yourself; you'll have a good time."--The Washington Post

Download Description
Jitterbug Perfume is an epic. which is to say, it begins in the forests of ancient Bohemia and doesn't conclude until nine o'clock tonight [Paris time]. It is a saga, as well. A saga must have a hero, and the hero of this one is a janitor with a missing bottle. The bottle is blue, very, very old, and embossed with the image of a goat-horned god. If the liquid in the bottle is actually is the secret essence of the universe, as some folks seem to think, it had better be discovered soon becaused it is leaking and there is only a drop of two left.
Customer Reviews

Not Free SF Reader
An amusing book. Seems to also explain why American sugar/sweetening tastes worse in coke, etc., the use of beets instead of proper sugar cane!

Anyway, lots of silliness and erotic cravings for sensual indulgence, some shagging and a bit of running around by the god Pan. Not too bad.

One of the greatest modern American writers
Still Life With Woodpecker is my favorite Robbins, and this is a close second. If you like the English language at all and if you have any sort of imagination, you simply have to love this guy.
He spins words in dizzying patterns, pulling thoughts and concepts and connections out of thin air like a literary magician. Even when he misses his mark you've got to give him credit for his daring. Not afraid to digress down endless allies of goofiness, Robbins occasionally finds the light at the end of the tunnel and is thrilling at those moments.
The rest of the time his polymath mind teaches you all sorts of things about all sorts of things, while keeping a smile on your face. I still recall this book when I eat beets, even 20 years later.
There's some very real genius in parts of Jitterbug Perfume.
This book will make you think in ways you have never thought before, and learn about your mind in the process; what more can you ask of art?

MUY ULTIMO, DUDE !
WITHOUT A DOUBT, THE MOST FASCINATING BOOK THAT I HAVE EVER READ.

BE PREPARED FOR ADVENTURE. COMING FROM THE WORLDS BIGGEST VONNEGUT

FAN, THATS SAYING A LOT. PLEASE DO NOT MISS THIS ONE.

GENE ADDINGTON

The Shining by Stephen King

Product Description

First published in 1977, The Shining quickly became a benchmark in the literary career of Stephen King. This tale of a troubled man hired to care for a remote mountain resort over the winter, his loyal wife, and their uniquely gifted son slowly but steadily unfolds as secrets from the Overlook Hotel's past are revealed, and the hotel itself attempts to claim the very souls of the Torrance family. Adapted into a cinematic masterpiece of horror by legendary director Stanley Kubrick -- featuring an unforgettable performance by a demonic Jack Nicholson -- The Shining stands as a cultural icon of modern horror, a searing study of a family torn apart, and a nightmarish glimpse into the dark recesses of human weakness and dementia.

Product Details
Amazon Sales Rank: #173189 in Books
Published on: 2005-08-02
Formats: Audiobook, Unabridged
Number of items: 14
Binding: Audio CD
Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Author Profile
Read about the author.

From AudioFile
Little Danny Torrence can read thoughts, and the stories in his father's mind scare him nearly to death. Stephen King's 1977 classic follows Danny's family through a terrifying winter as they care for a deserted Colorado hotel whose history is anything but bucolic. Campbell Scott brings a refreshing perspective to the spooky story. Understated, yet fully engaged, he changes point of view between Danny and his parents, leading the listener effortlessly. Scott colors the secondary characters with slight shades of regional accents, bringing them to life without overperforming them. His detached, choppy rendering of horrors from the hotel's past contrasts with his effusive illustration of its present, wringing every drop of terror from both. R.L.L. 2006 Audie Award Finalist © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Review
Cosmopolitain Guaranteed to frighten you into fits....freezing terror....with a climax tha is literally explosive.
Customer Reviews

HAUNTING
This was my first King novel, I read it over 15 years ago, and I can still remember it. Very good read.

Still "Shining" After 30 Years
2007 is the 30th anniversary of King's undisputed masterpiece "The Shining" (originally titled "The Shine"). While most of King's novels are masterpieces, this one stands above and beyond as a frightening portrait of a man isolated in a Colorado hotel with his wife, son, and, of course, that ominous ax. This was King's first hardcover bestseller, and it still stands up after all these years as one of his best. If you've seen the movie, forget everything you know before embarking down the deserted road with this novel.

Still Shining
I first read this book two decades ago. In the intervening years, I spent most of my time reading reading wonderful fiction and non-fiction, and most ofte the "classics" which, as an adult, I felt I couldn't live without.

Still, through all the years, Stephen King's thrilling masterpiece, evoked with language so pristine and evocative, is absolutely brilliant. There is a point beyond which you cannot stop reading (roughly midway) and a plethora of subplots and cinematic descriptions that far excel the Stabley Kubrick film of the same name.

As one who has taught and represented writing for many years, I would even recommend this to teenagers who are reluctant to read -- because it is so magnetic and irresisitable. True, there is a bit of raw language and imagery, but we live in an era in which life is far more raw and threatening.

This IS King's masterpiece. He took the mantle from Poe and created from it a modern genre. Whatever your reading preferences, you won't be disappointed. This is one rollercoaster of novel with imagery and characters that will remain with you long after you close the book.

The Other Side of Midnight by Sidn

Product Details
Amazon Sales Rank: #251489 in Books
Published on: 1988-11-15
Number of items: 1
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
464 pages
Customer Reviews

Great book!
This is my first Sidney Sheldon book. It was great! I want to read the sequel. Great plot, twists and turns.


Reads like a tv soap opera
What can one say about authors like Sidney Sheldon, Harold Robbins and the like? Their novels, while difficult to classify in a specific genre, would make fantastic made-for-tv movies. The Other Side of Midnight is no exception.

The story of Noelle Page, a humble fisherman's daughter who became one of the most famous, powerful women in the world. A short affair with Larry Douglas leaves her pregnant and desperately in love, waiting for him to return to marry her. Larry, however, has completely forgotten his promise and moved on. Noelle vows then and there to spend the rest of her life seeking revenge against Larry.

This long, sometimes confusing story entwines the lives of Noelle, Larry, and his wife Catherine. The opening scene reveals that Noelle and Larry are on trial for Catherine's murder.... the rest of the book deals with how they got there, starting with Noelle's childhood. It's a gripping read, definitely difficult to put down for more than a few minutes. The worst part, I think, is never being entirely sure who to feel sorry for. None of the characters are entirely evil or without some redeeming qualities, except maybe Larry.

Ironically, this was made into a movie by 20th Century Fox. They expected it to be a hit, while Star Wars (made and released at the same time) was expected to be a dud, so they marketed the films as a package deal (theatres that wanted to book The Other Side of Midnight had to contract to book Star Wars first). Well.... it sort of backfired. Star Wars, as everyone knows, took off like a shot, and The Other Side of Midnight floundered and has long been lost to obscurity. The book was definitely much more poignant than the film. I'd recommend it highly as a distraction-read, but literature it ain't.

Wow!
Excellent, excellent book. This came out when I still a kid, but I remember mom and aunts discussing it. Nearly thirty years later, I finally had a chance to read it, and it really stands the test of time.

Right from the get-go it sucks you in with an interesting cast of characters flying into Greece for a trial of a famous actress. Turns out she's the "whore," and the otherside of midnight for her is, Catherine, the "virgin." How these two end up in each other's lives and what they do to each other...well that's to read and find out. The ending is a zinger as well.

Truly there is nothing bad about this about this book. It's a bit "larger-than-life", but that's just what makes it so fun.

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

Product Description


The story of the tragic decline of an Indian family whose members suffer the terrible consequences of forbidden love, The God of Small Things is set in the state of Kerala, on the southernmost tip of India. Armed only with the invincible innocence of children, the twins Rahel and Esthappen fashion a childhood for themselves in the shade of the wreck that is their family -- their lonely, lovely mother, Ammu (who loves by night the man her children love by day), their blind grandmother, Mammachi (who plays Handel on her violin), their beloved uncle Chacko (Rhodes scholar, pickle baron, radical Marxist, bottom-pincher), their enemy, Baby Kochamma (ex-nun and incumbent grandaunt), and the ghost of an imperial entomologist's moth (with unusually dense dorsal tufts).

When their English cousin and her mother arrive on a Christmas visit, the twins learn that Things Can Change in a Day. That lives can twist into new, ugly shapes, even cease forever. The brilliantly plotted story uncoils with an agonizing sense of foreboding and inevitability. Yet nothing prepares you for what lies at the heart of it.
Product Details
Amazon Sales Rank: #6312 in Books
Published on: 1998-05-01
Released on: 1998-05-06
Number of items: 1
Binding: Paperback
336 pages
Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
In her first novel, award-winning Indian screenwriter Arundhati Roy conjures a whoosh of wordplay that rises from the pages like a brilliant jazz improvisation. The God of Small Things is nominally the story of young twins Rahel and Estha and the rest of their family, but the book feels like a million stories spinning out indefinitely; it is the product of a genius child-mind that takes everything in and transforms it in an alchemy of poetry. The God of Small Things is at once exotic and familiar to the Western reader, written in an English that's completely new and invigorated by the Asian Indian influences of culture and language.

From Publishers Weekly
With sensuous prose, a dreamlike style infused with breathtakingly beautiful images and keen insight into human nature, Roy's debut novel charts fresh territory in the genre of magical, prismatic literature. Set in Kerala, India, during the late 1960s when Communism rattled the age-old caste system, the story begins with the funeral of young Sophie Mol, the cousin of the novel's protagonists, Rahel and her fraternal twin brother, Estha. In a circuitous and suspenseful narrative, Roy reveals the family tensions that led to the twins' behavior on the fateful night that Sophie drowned. Beneath the drama of a family tragedy lies a background of local politics, social taboos and the tide of history?all of which come together in a slip of fate, after which a family is irreparably shattered. Roy captures the children's candid observations but clouded understanding of adults' complex emotional lives. Rahel notices that "at times like these, only the Small Things are ever said. The Big Things lurk unsaid inside." Plangent with a sad wisdom, the children's view is never oversimplified, and the adult characters reveal their frailties?and in one case, a repulsively evil power?in subtle and complex ways. While Roy's powers of description are formidable, she sometimes succumbs to overwriting, forcing every minute detail to symbolize something bigger, and the pace of the story slows. But these lapses are few, and her powers coalesce magnificently in the book's second half. Roy's clarity of vision is remarkable, her voice original, her story beautifully constructed and masterfully told. First serial to Granta; foreign rights sold in France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Italy, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, Holland, India, Greece, Canada and the U.K.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
This "piercing study of childhood innocence lost" mirrors the growing pains of modern India. Twin sister and brother Rahel and Estha are at the center of a family in crisis and at the heart of this "moving and compactly written book."
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Customer Reviews

Brilliant debut for Roy
It is hard to believe that the author of "The God of Small Things", Arundhati Roy, is a debutant novelist. Her experience as a screenwriter aside, Roy's literary genius knows no bounds her first novel. She is able to transform what is a rather ordinary plot, about a pair of twins whose lives are inexorably shaped by family and circumstance, into a haunting tale of struggle, passion, and the search for identity.

The effects of her linguistic skill can be felt in the indelible marks each of the characters leave on a reader. Roy infuses the plot and each of the characters with small, personal details which draw readers into the story. One will feel the humid, languid summer weather of Kerala "suffused with sloth and sullen expectation" and will convulse with anger and shock on behalf of Estha at the depravity of the OrangedrinkLemondrink Man.

This novel has been criticized for having a plot that is too convoluted, but that is, in my opinion, why it is so compelling. The book begins with a sense of apocalyptic doom, and as the story progresses, each layer of the mystery is peeled away with painstaking detail to reveal the causes of a family's downfall. The reader is pulled along through the highs and lows of the plot, often without being braced for what is about to come.

Although the book is set in India and is rich with details about Indian culture, it is by no means esoteric. Roy's writing is too exceptional, the story too heartbreaking and the characters too unforgettable for this book to be limited to any specific readership. After finishing the book, I was left with an importunate urge to go back and re-read it, this time on my own terms, savoring the lyrical prose, this time ready for the twists and turns.

GREAT BOOK
Great Book, I am not going to retell the story or any part of it you wil just have to buy it for yourself to find out, but what a read, I loved it. It was very well written and easy to read, which made it better to follow along.

Review of _The God of Small Things_
Excellent novel for semi-experienced and experienced readers (comp. Toni Morrison's _Sula_, Jean Rhys' _Wide Sargasso Sea_). Poignant, shocking, yet not gross. Beautiful language, mature style. I rate it as one of the 10 top books of my life.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5) by J.K. Rowling

Product Description

There is a door at the end of a silent corridor. And it's haunting Harry Potter's dreams. Why else would he be waking in the middle of the night, screaming in terror?

Here are just a few things on Harry's mind:

• A Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher with a personality like poisoned honey.

• A venomous, disgruntled house-elf

• Ron as keeper of the Gryffindor Quidditch team

• The looming terror of the end-of-term Ordinary Wizarding Level exams

. . . and of course, the growing threat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. In the richest installment yet of J. K. Rowling's seven-part story, Harry Potter is faced with the unreliability of the very government of the magical world and the impotence of the authorities at Hogwarts.

Despite this (or perhaps because of it), he finds depth and strength in his friends, beyond what even he knew, boundless loyalty; and unbearable sacrifice.

Though thick runs the plot, listeners will race through these tapes and leave Hogwarts, like Harry, wishing only for the next train back.
Product Details
Amazon Sales Rank: #2570 in Books
Published on: 2003-06
Released on: 2003-06-21
Format: Unabridged
Number of items: 23
Binding: Audio CD
Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
As his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry approaches, 15-year-old Harry Potter is in full-blown adolescence, complete with regular outbursts of rage, a nearly debilitating crush, and the blooming of a powerful sense of rebellion. It's been yet another infuriating and boring summer with the despicable Dursleys, this time with minimal contact from our hero's non-Muggle friends from school. Harry is feeling especially edgy at the lack of news from the magic world, wondering when the freshly revived evil Lord Voldemort will strike. Returning to Hogwarts will be a relief... or will it?

The fifth book in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series follows the darkest year yet for our young wizard, who finds himself knocked down a peg or three after the events of last year. Somehow, over the summer, gossip (usually traced back to the magic world's newspaper, the Daily Prophet) has turned Harry's tragic and heroic encounter with Voldemort at the Triwizard Tournament into an excuse to ridicule and discount the teen. Even Professor Dumbledore, headmaster of the school, has come under scrutiny by the Ministry of Magic, which refuses to officially acknowledge the terrifying truth that Voldemort is back. Enter a particularly loathsome new character: the toadlike and simpering ("hem, hem") Dolores Umbridge, senior undersecretary to the Minister of Magic, who takes over the vacant position of Defense Against Dark Arts teacher--and in no time manages to become the High Inquisitor of Hogwarts, as well. Life isn't getting any easier for Harry Potter. With an overwhelming course load as the fifth years prepare for their Ordinary Wizarding Levels examinations (O.W.Ls), devastating changes in the Gryffindor Quidditch team lineup, vivid dreams about long hallways and closed doors, and increasing pain in his lightning-shaped scar, Harry's resilience is sorely tested.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, more than any of the four previous novels in the series, is a coming-of-age story. Harry faces the thorny transition into adulthood, when adult heroes are revealed to be fallible, and matters that seemed black-and-white suddenly come out in shades of gray. Gone is the wide-eyed innocent, the whiz kid of Sorcerer's Stone. Here we have an adolescent who's sometimes sullen, often confused (especially about girls), and always self-questioning. Confronting death again, as well as a startling prophecy, Harry ends his year at Hogwarts exhausted and pensive. Readers, on the other hand, will be energized as they enter yet again the long waiting period for the next title in the marvelous, magical series. (Ages 9 and older) --Emilie Coulter

From School Library Journal
Grade 4 Up-Harry has just returned to Hogwarts after a lonely summer. Dumbledore is uncommunicative and most of the students seem to think Harry is either conceited or crazy for insisting that Voldemort is back and as evil as ever. Angry, scared, and unable to confide in his godfather, Sirius, the teen wizard lashes out at his friends and enemies alike. The head of the Ministry of Magic is determined to discredit Dumbledore and undermine his leadership of Hogwarts, and he appoints nasty, pink-cardigan-clad Professor Umbridge as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and High Inquisitor of the school, bringing misery upon staff and students alike. This bureaucratic nightmare, added to Harry's certain knowledge that Voldemort is becoming more powerful, creates a desperate, Kafkaesque feeling during Harry's fifth year at Hogwarts. The adults all seem evil, misguided, or simply powerless, so the students must take matters into their own hands. Harry's confusion about his godfather and father, and his apparent rejection by Dumbledore make him question his own motives and the condition of his soul. Also, Harry is now 15, and the hormones are beginning to kick in. There are a lot of secret doings, a little romance, and very little Quidditch or Hagrid (more reasons for Harry's gloom), but the power of this book comes from the young magician's struggles with his emotions and identity. Particularly moving is the unveiling, after a final devastating tragedy, of Dumbledore's very strong feelings of attachment and responsibility toward Harry. Children will enjoy the magic and the Hogwarts mystique, and young adult readers will find a rich and compelling coming-of-age story as well.
Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public Library
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
Harry is 15, angry and alienated. Gone is the eager, wet-behind-the-ears boy wizard. He's morphed into a surly teenager. The story is slow to start, but a peerless performance by Jim Dale spins even long passages of exposition into gold. Once Harry reaches Hogwarts, the pace accelerates and the fun begins. Voldemort is secretly marshalling the dark wizards for war, the new Dark Arts teacher runs Hogwarts like a fascist state, and Harry learns of an ancient prophecy explaining his psychic connection to Voldemort. More thoughtful, missing the playfulness of earlier adventures, this artful coming-of-age story provides the perfect backdrop for Harry's adolescent angst and awakening consciousness. Dale's wizardry transports listeners to places Muggle and magical, and Rowling's inventive plot shifts and fresh characters make this "must listening" for older Potter fans. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
Customer Reviews

Coming of Age
The darkest Harry Potter so far, The Order of the Phoenix does not disappoint. Harry is 15 years old and goes through everything that the age involves - both good and bad. Rowling does a fantastic job of transitioning Harry into an adult, remembering all the intricacies of that strange and conflicting age we all go through.

Harry is faced with being discredited on the account of the Lord Voldemort sighting, as well as by using magic in the muggle world. Harry is perplexed by the lack of support from Dumbledore, and is full of anger as he traipses through the unfortunate events that are unfolding. Things are not helped by the appearance of Dolores Umbridge, new teacher at Hogwarts, whose sole mission in life seems to be pacifying and subduing anyone who might be a threat to the Minister of Magic, no matter how ill-perceived. And the biggest threats seem to be Harry and Dumbledore.

Another fantastic feat from Rowling, the fifth Harry Potter is a great read requiring full concentration. Instead of making the interest for the topic wane, Rowling whets our appetites even further, and makes us want for more of Harry and Hogwarts. The darkness of the book only exemplifies Rowling's growth. Highly recommended!

Another Fanastic HP Book!!!
The 5th installment of the Harry Potter series is just as great as the other books. Yes it does take a bit of a darker turn but the characters are getting older and discovering how not all adults are good as they appear.
The cursed Defense Against the Dark Arts post is filled by Dolores Jane Umbridge. She is a pink wearing, half-breed hating, minister loving, witch! J.K. Rowling creates a character who everyone will learn to hate almost as much as the students Professor Umbridge teaches.
As if having one of the evilest teachers ever isn't bad enough for Harry; almost all of the wizarding world thinks he and Dumbledore are both nutters. The Daily Prophet and the minister himself are determined to believe that Voldemort is not back; but anyone with a brain knows he is back and proof is all around.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione become rebelious and fight for what's right, and take down everything that stands in their way. It is a wonderfully written book that will appeal to many people.

Good product and value.
This product was a good value, and even though it was used it was in great condition. Would do business with seller again. Quick and easy transaction.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Book 1) by J.K. Rowling

Product Description

Read by Jim Dale
8 hours 17 minutes, 7 CDs

Harry Potter has no idea how famous he is. That's because he's being raised by his miserable muggle aunt and uncle who are terrified Harry will learn that he's a wizard, just as his parents were.

But everything changes when Harry is summoned to attend an infamous school for wizards and he begins to discover some clues about his illustrious birthright.

From the surprising way he is greeted by a lovable giant, to the unique curriculum and colorful faculty at his unusual school, Harry finds himself drawn deep inside a mystical world he never knew existed and closer to his own noble destiny.
Product Details
Amazon Sales Rank: #2176 in Books
Published on: 1999-12-01
Released on: 1999-12-01
Formats: Audiobook, Unabridged
Number of items: 7
Binding: Audio CD
Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Say you've spent the first 10 years of your life sleeping under the stairs of a family who loathes you. Then, in an absurd, magical twist of fate you find yourself surrounded by wizards, a caged snowy owl, a phoenix-feather wand, and jellybeans that come in every flavor, including strawberry, curry, grass, and sardine. Not only that, but you discover that you are a wizard yourself! This is exactly what happens to young Harry Potter in J.K. Rowling's enchanting, funny debut novel, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. In the nonmagic human world--the world of "Muggles"--Harry is a nobody, treated like dirt by the aunt and uncle who begrudgingly inherited him when his parents were killed by the evil Voldemort. But in the world of wizards, small, skinny Harry is famous as a survivor of the wizard who tried to kill him. He is left only with a lightning-bolt scar on his forehead, curiously refined sensibilities, and a host of mysterious powers to remind him that he's quite, yes, altogether different from his aunt, uncle, and spoiled, piglike cousin Dudley.

A mysterious letter, delivered by the friendly giant Hagrid, wrenches Harry from his dreary, Muggle-ridden existence: "We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Of course, Uncle Vernon yells most unpleasantly, "I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!" Soon enough, however, Harry finds himself at Hogwarts with his owl Hedwig... and that's where the real adventure--humorous, haunting, and suspenseful--begins. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, first published in England as Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, continues to win major awards in England. So far it has won the National Book Award, the Smarties Prize, the Children's Book Award, and is short-listed for the Carnegie Medal, the U.K. version of the Newbery Medal. This magical, gripping, brilliant book--a future classic to be sure--will leave kids clamoring for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. (Ages 8 to 13) --Karin Snelson

Amazon.com Audiobook Review
The amazing popularity of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone means that now even Muggles know about the Leaky Cauldron, Diagon Alley, and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Whether or not you've read about Harry, this unabridged audiobook brings his world to life. Reader Jim Dale brings an excellent range of voices to the characters, from well-meaning Hermione's soft, earnest voice to Malfoy's nasal droning; from Professor McGonagall's crisp brogue to Hagrid's broad Somerset accent; and from snarling Mr. Filch to p-p-poor, st-tuttering P-Professor Quirrel. Some of the characterizations are peculiar--why do the centaurs have Welsh accents?--but that's a small price to pay to hear one of the myriad ways to sing the Hogwarts School song. Harry Potter fans of all ages--Muggle or not--will enjoy curling up with a few chocolate frogs, a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans ("Alas! Ear wax!"), and this marvelous, magical audiobook. (Running time: 8 hours, 6 cassettes) --Sunny Delaney

From Publishers Weekly
The breakaway bestseller is now in paperback. In a starred review, PW said, "Readers are in for a delightful romp with this debut from a British author who dances in the footsteps of P.L. Travers and Roald Dahl." Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Customer Reviews

One of the Best books EVER turned into a movie!!
I saw all the movies first so I was kind of worried the movies weren't going to be like the books but they are!!!! I loved it a must read for everybody!!!!

A book needing no introduction...
I started reading this book very hesitantly and for the first time in a decade with a solemn promise to self. I would read all of the Potter books. I would. I would make myself, just to understand the series and constant references...

Okay, okay, okay, and I have to admit -- I liked it. No huge surprise -- any international is pretty much likely to be at least entertaining.

I, for the sake of throwing this out there, HATE reviewing smash hits. Be it film or novel, it's very hard for me, because I know all of the fangs of such work (and so often there are so many) will scorn any criticisms I have. (I'm dreading the next time I watch Titanic. Seriously.)

Anyway, Potter's got all the elements of a good, especially introductory, novel. It's got the engaging plot, great characters, catchy opener, and enough humor, especially for young audiences.

I also have to admit that I am a huge fan of Rowling's world-building. You go, woman. From the perspective of the last time I read Potter, all that really mattered was whether or not the story and characters were entertaining, and the "bigger picture" of the novel was lass important. Now, I have to give J.K.R. credit for far more than just that. It's truly an ideal setup novel for a series like this. Everything's set up so amazingly well.

Now, and I have to admit a lot of styles kept jumping into my mind as I read this book. Rowling has a style and tone that, at times, reads frighteningly much like Roald Dahl, and I kept getting occasional flashbacks to the "Great Brain" books of John D. Fitzgerald. Not that these similarities are a form of criticism by any means. Mere observation.

And really, having finished, I can't find anything... concrete... to criticize. It's a good book. No doubt there. But is it worthy of the entire microcosm universe it spawned in today's pop-culture world? Of that I'm not one-hundred percent certain.

Truly great fun for all ages!
Call me a Muggle, but I'm finally getting around to reading the Harry Potter books. We've seen the movies but haven't read the books yet (well, my husband bought and read Deathly Hallows without having read the rest!). I found the storytelling superb and could see why it would grab the attention and imagination of readers of all ages. The story just flies along and takes you with it. The characters are smartly written, even if they're either a little too obviously good guys or bad guys. Except Snape, of course, who I find the most interesting character so far. If you're trying to get your young ones interesting in reading, these books should do the trick. And if you're a grownup, you should read them, too. Outstanding writing and just great fun.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Book 6) by J. K. Rowling

Product Description

We could tell you, but then we'd have to Obliviate your memory.
Product Details
Amazon Sales Rank: #762 in Books
Published on: 2005-07-16
Released on: 2005-07-16
Number of items: 1
Binding: Hardcover
672 pages
Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
The long-awaited, eagerly anticipated, arguably over-hyped Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has arrived, and the question on the minds of kids, adults, fans, and skeptics alike is, "Is it worth the hype?" The answer, luckily, is simple: yep. A magnificent spectacle more than worth the price of admission, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will blow you away. However, given that so much has gone into protecting the secrets of the book (including armored trucks and injunctions), don't expect any spoilers in this review. It's much more fun not knowing what's coming--and in the case of Rowling's delicious sixth book, you don't want to know. Just sit tight, despite the earth-shattering revelations that will have your head in your hands as you hope the words will rearrange themselves into a different story. But take one warning to heart: do not open Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince until you have first found a secluded spot, safe from curious eyes, where you can tuck in for a good long read. Because once you start, you won't stop until you reach the very last page.

A darker book than any in the series thus far with a level of sophistication belying its genre, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince moves the series into murkier waters and marks the arrival of Rowling onto the adult literary scene. While she has long been praised for her cleverness and wit, the strength of Book 6 lies in her subtle development of key characters, as well as her carefully nuanced depiction of a community at war. In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, no one and nothing is safe, including preconceived notions of good and evil and of right and wrong. With each book in her increasingly remarkable series, fans have nervously watched J.K. Rowling raise the stakes; gone are the simple delights of butterbeer and enchanted candy, and days when the worst ailment could be cured by a bite of chocolate. A series that began as a colorful lark full of magic and discovery has become a dark and deadly war zone. But this should not come as a shock to loyal readers. Rowling readied fans with Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by killing off popular characters and engaging the young students in battle. Still, there is an unexpected bleakness from the start of Book 6 that casts a mean shadow over Quidditch games, silly flirtations, and mountains of homework. Ready or not, the tremendous ending of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will leave stunned fans wondering what great and terrible events await in Book 7 if this sinister darkness is meant to light the way. --Daphne Durham

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Begin at the BeginningHarry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

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Paperback Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

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Paperback Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

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Paperback Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

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Paperback Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

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Why We Love Harry
Favorite Moments from the Series
There are plenty of reasons to love Rowling's wildly popular series--no doubt you have several dozen of your own. Our list features favorite moments, characters, and artifacts from the first five books. Keep in mind that this list is by no means exhaustive (what we love about Harry could fill ten books!) and does not include any of the spectacular revelatory moments that would spoil the books for those (few) who have not read them. Enjoy.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone * Harry's first trip to the zoo with the Dursleys, when a boa constrictor winks at him.
* When the Dursleys' house is suddenly besieged by letters for Harry from Hogwarts. Readers learn how much the Dursleys have been keeping from Harry. Rowling does a wonderful job in displaying the lengths to which Uncle Vernon will go to deny that magic exists.
* Harry's first visit to Diagon Alley with Hagrid. Full of curiosities and rich with magic and marvel, Harry's first trip includes a trip to Gringotts and Ollivanders, where Harry gets his wand (holly and phoenix feather) and discovers yet another connection to He-Who-Must-No-Be-Named. This moment is the reader's first full introduction to Rowling's world of witchcraft and wizards.
* Harry's experience with the Sorting Hat.



Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets * The de-gnoming of the Weasleys' garden. Harry discovers that even wizards have chores--gnomes must be grabbed (ignoring angry protests "Gerroff me! Gerroff me!"), swung about (to make them too dizzy to come back), and tossed out of the garden--this delightful scene highlights Rowling's clever and witty genius.
* Harry's first experience with a Howler, sent to Ron by his mother.
* The Dueling Club battle between Harry and Malfoy. Gilderoy Lockhart starts the Dueling Club to help students practice spells on each other, but he is not prepared for the intensity of the animosity between Harry and Draco. Since they are still young, their minibattle is innocent enough, including tickling and dancing charms.



Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban * Ron's attempt to use a telephone to call Harry at the Dursleys'.
* Harry's first encounter with a Dementor on the train (and just about any other encounter with Dementors). Harry's brush with the Dementors is terrifying and prepares Potter fans for a darker, scarier book.
* Harry, Ron, and Hermione's behavior in Professor Trelawney's Divination class. Some of the best moments in Rowling's books occur when she reminds us that the wizards-in-training at Hogwarts are, after all, just children. Clearly, even at a school of witchcraft and wizardry, classes can be boring and seem pointless to children.
* The Boggart lesson in Professor Lupin's classroom.
* Harry, Ron, and Hermione's knock-down confrontation with Snape.



Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire * Hermione's disgust at the reception for the veela (Bulgarian National Team Mascots) at the Quidditch World Cup. Rowling's fourth book addresses issues about growing up--the dynamic between the boys and girls at Hogwarts starts to change. Nowhere is this more plain than the hilarious scene in which magical cheerleaders nearly convince Harry and Ron to jump from the stands to impress them.
* Viktor Krum's crush on Hermione--and Ron's objection to it.
* Malfoy's "Potter Stinks" badge.
* Hermione's creation of S.P.E.W., the intolerant bigotry of the Death Eaters, and the danger of the Triwizard Tournament. Add in the changing dynamics between girls and boys at Hogwarts, and suddenly Rowling's fourth book has a weight and seriousness not as present in early books in the series. Candy and tickle spells are left behind as the students tackle darker, more serious issues and take on larger responsibilities, including the knowledge of illegal curses.



Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
* Harry's outburst to his friends at No. 12 Grimmauld Place. A combination of frustration over being kept in the dark and fear that he will be expelled fuels much of Harry's anger, and it all comes out at once, directly aimed at Ron and Hermione. Rowling perfectly portrays Harry's frustration at being too old to shirk responsibility, but too young to be accepted as part of the fight that he knows is coming.
* Harry's detention with Professor Umbridge. Rowling shows her darker side, leading readers to believe that Hogwarts is no longer a safe haven for young wizards. Dolores represents a bureaucratic tyrant capable of real evil, and Harry is forced to endure their private battle of wills alone.
* Harry and Cho's painfully awkward interactions. Rowling clearly remembers what it was like to be a teenager.
* Harry's Occlumency lessons with Snape.
* Dumbledore's confession to Harry.




Magic, Mystery, and Mayhem: A Conversation with J.K. Rowling

"I am an extraordinarily lucky person, doing what I love best in the world. I'm sure that I will always be a writer. It was wonderful enough just to be published. The greatest reward is the enthusiasm of the readers." --J.K. Rowling

Find out more about Harry's creator in our exclusive interview with J.K. Rowling.



Did You Know? The Little White Horse was J.K. Rowling's favorite book as a child. Jane Austen is Rowling's favorite author. Roddy Doyle is Rowling's favorite living writer.


A Few Words from Mary GrandPré

"When I illustrate a cover or a book, I draw upon what the author tells me; that's how I see my responsibility as an illustrator. J.K. Rowling is very descriptive in her writing--she gives an illustrator a lot to work with. Each story is packed full of rich visual descriptions of the atmosphere, the mood, the setting, and all the different creatures and people. She makes it easy for me. The images just develop as I sketch and retrace until it feels right and matches her vision." Check out more Harry Potter art from illustrator Mary GrandPré.


From School Library Journal
Grade 5 Up–Opening just a few weeks after the previous book left off, the penultimate entry in the series is, as the author foretold, the darkest and most unsettling yet. The deeds of Voldemort's Death Eaters are spreading even to the Muggle world, which is enshrouded in a mist caused by Dementors draining hope and happiness. Harry, turning 16, leaves for Hogwarts with the promise of private lessons with Dumbledore. No longer a fearful boy living under the stairs, he is clearly a leader and increasingly isolated as rumors spread that he is the Chosen One, the only individual capable of defeating Voldemort. Two attempts on students' lives, Harry's conviction that Draco Malfoy has become a Death Eater, and Snape's usual slimy behavior add to the increasing tension. Yet through it all, Harry and his friends are typical teens, sharing homework and messy rooms, rushing to classes and sports practices, and flirting. Ron and Hermione realize their attraction, as do Harry and Ginny. Dozens of plot strands are pulled together as the author positions Harry for the final book. Much information is cleverly conveyed through Dumbledore's use of a Pensieve, a device that allows bottled memories to be shared by Harry and his beloved professor as they apparate to various locations that help explain Voldemort's past. The ending is heart wrenching. Once again, Rowling capably blends literature, mythology, folklore, and religion into a delectable stew. This sixth book may be darker and more difficult, but Potter fans will devour it and begin the long and bittersweet wait for the final installment.–Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From AudioFile
Art imitates life in the newest, darkest Harry Potter adventure as England--Muggles and Magickers alike--comes under attack from the forces of evil. Once again, Jim Dale's performance casts its spell, bewitching listeners with every nuance. His voice aches with appropriate adolescent longing as Harry, in his sixth year at Hogwarts, deals with Quidditch, love potions, and heartache, and he positively slithers with serpentine menace whenever Severus Snape's around. Dale has developed over one hundred new, fresh, and individual character voices in this Harry Potter series, making it perfect for audio. As Harry faces some of his most difficult challenges and the stage is set for the inevitable confrontation between Harry and He-who-must-not-be-named, Jim Dale's astonishing performance keeps hearts pounding and pulses racing right up to the final words. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
Customer Reviews

Page turner
Slightly disappointed with Rowling's saga, after the relatively boring and story-fatigued "Order of the Phoenix" (OTP), I was truly excited to read "The Half-Blood Prince" (HBP). This book is a turnaround to what seemed to be, in my opinion, an ever winding story.

In HBP, we find a more mature Harry Potter (which was an interesting but frustraing nuance in OTP) in a story with exciting developments:
- Dumbledore's sharing with Harry some "memory snapshots" of Voldemort's past
- A Potions class for which Harry ends up using a used book full of alternative formulas and tips, signed by a mysterious and anonymous "Half-Blood Prince"
- An open-war between the Death Eaters and the Order of the Phoenix (and Ministry of Magic)
- The infamous Draco Malfoy, with less "scenes", but with a mysterious behaviour that obsesses Potter
- Some evolutions in the love scene that put some "spice" into the story

I won't get into more details. This is a must, even for those, like myself, that were slightly disappointed with OTP.

Great Book
Very entertaining. I probably can't say anything that hasn't already been said, but I love the series, makes me feel like a kid again.

Best Harry Potter Book of them all

By far the best Harry Potter book of the entire 7 book series. I wish the final book could have matched the great adventure that was expressed in this one.

Love Story by Erich Segal

Product Description

This is the wonderful, tumultuous, heartfelt story of Oliver Barrett IV and Jenny Cavilleri--the story of a rich Harvard jock and a wisecracking Radcliffe music major who have nothing in common but love . . . and everything else to share but time. Funny and flip, sad and poignant, Erich Segal's magnificent novel will grab you, hold you, and stay with you forever. You, like more than twenty million others, will fall in love with Love Story.
Product Details
Amazon Sales Rank: #1190387 in Books
Published on: 1988-08-01
Released on: 1988-07-01
Number of items: 1
Binding: Paperback
115 pages
Editorial Reviews

Review
"Not just a story--Love Story is an experience. The reader who responds to this little book will feel less like a reader than an unwritten Segal character, living it all out from the inside... In this 'love story' you are not just an observer."--Christian Science Monitor.

"Funny, touching and infused with wonder, as all love stories should be."--San Francisco Examiner

Review
"Not just a story--Love Story is an experience. The reader who responds to this little book will feel less like a reader than an unwritten Segal character, living it all out from the inside... In this 'love story' you are not just an observer."--Christian Science Monitor.

"Funny, touching and infused with wonder, as all love stories should be."--San Francisco Examiner

From the Publisher
This is the wonderful, tumultuous, heartfelt story of Oliver Barrett IV and Jenny Cavilleri--the story of a rich Harvard jock and a wisecracking Radcliffe music major who have nothing in common but love . . . and everything else to share but time. Funny and flip, sad and poignant, Erich Segal's magnificent novel will grab you, hold you, and stay with you forever. You, like more than twenty million others, will fall in love with Love Story.


"Not just a story--Love Story is an experience. The reader who responds to this little book will feel less like a reader than an unwritten Segal character, living it all out from the inside... In this 'love story' you are not just an observer."--Christian Science Monitor.


"Funny, touching and infused with wonder, as all love stories should be."--San Francisco Examiner
Customer Reviews

Love story
This book the Love Story, by Erich Segal shows many aspects of love. The fight of two people who are faced with the life ahead of them and the love for each other. There love is strained in many ways, but they find there way out of that tunnel.

The story of Jenny and Oliver is a realistic story of two young people that come from two separate worlds and are joined together in the most unlikely of ways. Through out the love story different obstacles get put in their way; rich vs. poor, troubled fathers, young aged love. All these circumstances are real and can happen to anyone and you can live with them, but one obstacle might be the end of this odd relationship of the polar lovers. Can there love hold through it or will there love die?

This book held me captive through the two lovers journey. Although they come from totally separate living styles, you can see there love is strong. The thing I like the best about this book is the way Oliver and Jenny show their love to each other. They are like brother and sister; arguing about their constant differences. The family of these two people are important in this story and some times get in the way of there relationship with one another. Through out the book, I was rooting for their love and wished maybe someday this kind of relationship would happen to me. There love is the most exiting, fun, on-going adventure that I have ever read.

I would think this story would be best read by girls who are looking for a good love story that is not impossible. The love is real and the story can be followed. I would not buy the book I feel like it's a one-time read. It's a one read ending, then the excitement is all gone. I enjoyed this book immensely and I'm sure you will too.
If you like this story there is a sequel to this book that continues the love life of the characters.

Love Means Never Having to Say You're Sorry
"Love means never having to say you're sorry" (187). Love Story by Erich Segal was a very emotional book with an unsuspected twist. He conveyed the relationship between the two main characters very well and made them very straightforward with their feelings and thoughts.
This book was about two college students who met and immediately fell in love. They have to go through many emotional struggles, that most young couples go through. Oliver Barrett IV was a jock, and Jenny Calvilleri was studying music. They came from two different worlds; Oliver came from a rich family and Jenny came from a poor family. They were complete opposites in almost everything. Jenny and Oliver met in the school library and from that point on Jenny was straightforward with him and always said what was on her mind. They were always making wisecrack comments to each other, but they were never serious with what they were saying when they insulted each other. Their comments to each other were very comical and will always make you crack a smile. "This is not the official goddamn threshold. Upstairs you turkey" (113). For most of the story they were in college, but later in the book they get married and move in together. They had to go through the struggles of not having much money and trying to get by with what they had. Oliver had a bad relationship with his father so they could not ask for money. Oliver absolutely hated his father and refused to talk to him and visit him. Jenny and Oliver both had to work to earn enough money for themselves. Oliver was going to grad school so that he could become a lawyer, and they had to earn extra money to pay for that. He got a degree and a lot of job good job offers at different law firm. His favorite was the job offer he got from a New York law firm. He took that one and they moved there and he started earning plenty of money for them. Now that they had settled in and had an in come, they wanted to start a family. Oliver and Jenny wanted to have a child very badly, but they were having problems. They went to the doctor and that was when the twists started to happen. If you want to know what happened in the end you will have to read the book.
I chose to read this book for a choice novel for English. I loved this book. I would read it again even though I know what happens in the end. I recommend this book for a good short read. I don't think a guy would like this, but it is perfect for a female that is looking for an emotional filled book. With the wisecrack comments that Jenny makes and the emotional moments you will never get bored with this book.

Love story
This book the Love Story, by Erich Segal shows many aspects of love. The fight of two people who are faced with the life ahead of them and the love for each other. There love is strained in many ways, but they find there way out of that tunnel.

The story of Jenny and Oliver is a realistic story of two young people that come from two separate worlds and are joined together in the most unlikely of ways. Through out the love story different obstacles get put in their way; rich vs. poor, troubled fathers, young aged love. All these circumstances are real and can happen to anyone and you can live with them, but one obstacle might be the end of this odd relationship of the polar lovers. Can there love hold through it or will there love die?

This book held me captive through the two lovers journey. Although they come from totally separate living styles, you can see there love is strong. The thing I like the best about this book is the way Oliver and Jenny show their love to each other. They are like brother and sister; arguing about their constant differences. The family of these two people are important in this story and some times get in the way of there relationship with one another. Through out the book, I was rooting for their love and wished maybe someday this kind of relationship would happen to me. There love is the most exiting, fun, on-going adventure that I have ever read.

I would think this story would be best read by girls who are looking for a good love story that is not impossible. The love is real and the story can be followed. I would not buy the book I feel like it's a one-time read. It's a one read ending, then the excitement is all gone. I enjoyed this book immensely and I'm sure you will too.
If you like this story there is a sequel to this book that continues the love life of the characters.