Book Description
In this, the first volume of Difficulty at the Beginning, John Dupre is a student at Raysburg Military Academy, where his best friend Lyle Ledzinski is training him to be a perfect Socratic athlete: “A sound mind in a sound body.”Together they want to experience all of life — athletics, philosophy, beer, the quest for Truth, and most of all, those mysterious creatures that seem to come from another planet: girls. By their junior year they've taken to hitch-hiking around, fired up on Kerouac, James Dean and St. Augustine, and their horizons begin to expand like an endless sunrise. They're out for experience and suffering, and that's just what they're going to get. Written as though on the back of the pages of Gloria (shortlisted for the Governor General's Award, 1999), Running depicts the lives of young men in late-1950s America with humour, pathos, and muscle. Taken on its own or as the prelude to Difficulty at the Beginning it's a memorable and invigorating piece of writing that shows how the smug, grey culture of the 1950s was shattered forever with three little words.
Customer Reviews:
Devour it in one gulp.......2006-01-19
"Running" is the first part of a quartet of novels tracing the evolution of middle-class consciousness during the nineteen-fifties and sixties. In it, Keith Maillard has revisited some earlier material and folded it into a piece which is to be know as "Difficulty at the Beginning." This entire concept is interesting enough-and even more so if you've read any of his other novels-and "Running" unspools in a deceptively simple fashion.
John Dupre is a military school student who enjoys trying to keep up with his best friend Lyle, who is a talented runner. John seems a low-key kid, academically sure and as socially awkward as most boys his age. Lyle is stronger, more of a leader as well as more of an athlete, and like so many teens of the time, they are eager to take the readings of Jack Kerouac on the actual road.
What makes John different is that up until the age of fourteen, John saw himself as a girl, or a boy-girl, as he called it. His mother tried to shelter him but once his father got wind of what was going on, it was the military academy for his son. Obliging John likes the military school, and considers the "boy-girl" thing as a phase. But why does he fall for two barely pubescent girls in a row? This could be interesting.
Again, Keith Maillard writes with clarity and grace about Raysburg, West Virginia, the settings of "Gloria" and "The Clarinet Polka." "Running" is novella-length, yet it packs a wealth of themes, ideas, and burgeoning character studies in few pages. Readers familiar with Maillard's work will see the seeds of later novels in "Running." This is an interesting project and one that is worth following through the upcoming novels in the series.
the 50's.......2005-09-27
This novel really captures the feel of the fifties in the Midwest, when the perspective was much more that of a small town than a global village. One of the most vivid scenes in the book is when the main character, John Dupre, and his friend Lyle go searching for a Kerouac-style "on the road" adventure, and end up merely hitchhiking to a town in Ohio whose main street can be walked in 5 minutes.
It may be a bit early to evaluate this work, because three more volumes are planned. At this point, for me John Dupre is not as interesting a character as Gloria, the title character from one of Maillard's other novels. That novel also meandered pleasantly. "Running" instead lives up to its title in that it is fast paced. It also is written strictly from the point of view of the main character, so that other characters are not drawn as vividly.
I look forward to future volumes.
Maillard Embarks On His Masterpiece.......2005-09-18
Readers of "Gloria" and "The Clarinet Polka" will be glad to know of this book, the first of a projected quartet--really a single novel being published in four parts. Returning once again to the fictional setting of most of his novels, Raysburg, West Virginia, Maillard traces the development of John Dupre, as he grows into the person he is pretending to be. Maillard is unafraid of what is in the human heart, and he is masterful at communicating emotion--if anything, Maillard's art form must be empathy. He deserves a bigger audience, and perhaps this will garner it for him.
Book Description
A new age has dawned in the kingdom of Eileanan. But the flame-haired twins--Iseult the Scarred Warrior and Isabeau the apprentice-witch--must face their oldest fears...in the epic series that's not only "vividly depicted" (Romantic Times), but "a lot of fun" (Locus).
3rd in the bestselling fantasy series
Customer Reviews:
Try To Stick With It.......2006-01-11
I first picked up this series a few months ago and have been enjoying reading each of the first 3 books. Although the entire series is obviously now available, I haven't read any further than Book 3 thus far.
This book is slightly more laborious than the first two, however equally as good because you get the impression that the scene is being set for the rest of the series.
There are a few little things that are beginning to distract me whilst reading though. Firstly, the way the character of Lachlan is so agitated by the presence of Isabeau. His hostility appears to now be out of proportion to the event that sparked it. Also, he seems to constantly be in a rage about something and although it cannot be easy ruling a kingdom (!), he is in danger of becoming very one-dimensional.
The only other thing that I find a bit distracting in this series, is that there are quite a number of place names and other names that also appear in other fantasy novels. It is hard to say who has borrowed from whom, if indeed that is the case, but sometimes I get the disconcerting feeling that there is not much new under the sun.
Overall though, a very enjoyable read and even though there are some slow places, by this stage you may have developed enough enjoyment of the series to trust that the author is setting the scene for upcoming novels and you will enjoy the series enough to stick with it.
A Solid continuation of the series.......2005-04-15
When I started reading these books, I was slightly worried that they'd blend together and I wouldn't be able to come up with separate comments on the individual books rather than the series as a whole. Fortunately, Forsyth has encorporated enough ideas that the books aren't really running together. I'm a little hazy at times on where one book ends and the next begins, but it's easy enough to flip to the back of the book and check. Each book is semi-independent of the others in that they do all continue the same story, but they have their own rising action, conflict, and resolution.
The first two books in the series dealt with restoring Lachlan to the throne of Eileanan, overthrowing Maya, the half-Fairge witch who ensnared his brother, the current, dying King, and has been forcing her will on the land. The Cursed Towers picks up after that, dealing with the other problems that plague Eileanan: the remaining supporters of Maya who want to put her daughter on the throne with her as regent, the Fairge who want to eradicate the humans from the land that they consider to be theirs, the mistrust and persecution of the Faerie races, and the Bright Soldiers coming in from the one area of Eileanan that never swore fealty to the King.
Of course, it doesn't deal with that all at once. All the problems are there, and they affect the actions of the characters, but only one issue can be handled at a time, and they're not all handled in this book. After all, there are three more books in the series.
I liked how this book divided the main characters not just with distance but also in the matter of their views. The conflicts between the various "good guys" added to the complexity and depth of the novel. I especially liked how Isabeau journeyed off on her own again to find herself, so to speak. Towards the end of the second book and definitely at the beginning of this book, I felt that she was becoming submerged in the fight to right the wrongs in Eileanan and also in her twin sister. I would have hated for Iseult and Isabeau to become mere extensions of each other rather than separate people with vastly different personalities, and I'm glad the Forsyth prevented that from happening. I also liked how she did it, because it was obvious that Iseult was the dominant twin personality-wise, and it wouldn't have seemed right if Isabeau had been able to resist the pull, especially given her emotional state. I thought the way it was worked was quite realistic.
Other than the dialect, which continues to grate on my nerves at times, the one thing that really bothered me about the book was just a tiny nit-picking detail. Lachlan's wings are the result of a spell that was cast upon him, transforming him into a blackbird. The Witches were never able to fully transform him back, and he was left with the wings. However, since they are the result of a magic spell, it doesn't seem to me that they could be passed to his child. There isn't anything in his genetic code that gives him wings; it's the result of magic. Still, the baby has wings as well. I'm sure that Forsyth came up with the baby's wings logically, but I didn't see it and that bothered me slightly.
Still, other than that I really enjoyed the book. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the first books in this series.
not a page turner.......2004-12-02
I puchased this book based on customer rating. I enjoyed the first two book, but this third book is not as good as the first two. It was a slow reading. After I read about 250 pages, I had to give it up. The story is good actually, but for some reason I'm not sure why, it made a slow reading. I agree with Katie's review above that
reading this book was rather a chore than a pleasure.
Recommend for Tad Williams fans, David Eddings/other,.......2004-10-04
As a self proclaimed book connisseur (or bibliophile)I'm ever hopeful when cutting my teeth on the first pages of a new book. With this novel from Ms Forsyth, I was at first repelled by the inclusion of all the o's this and 'o that, but found myself quite innured to it by the last chapters of the book.
In fact I would like to point out that this book can be read on it's own, without first reading bk.1 or bk.2. I had not read either the first or second and came fresh to this book, and did not find it in the slightest bit confusing as long as you suspend picking over the small details which are not particularly important, and wait they will be, lo and behold, revealed to you all in the goodness of time. --SO basically I'm saying, I really enjoyed this book--
It will now be my pleasure to go back and read the first two books in the series, and look forward to the 4th (& final?)novel.
The book doesn't stall and dwelling on boring things such as views and just how perfect the day was and dally on discriptions of exactly what people were wearing, and digress into exactly how people were feeling.
I like to be accorded the intelligence to discern from intelligent prose the mood and humor of the charcters.
Kate Forsyth should be commended on her portrayl of Maya the Ensorcellor because she has made her a truly compelling character.
(...)
Wow!.......2004-04-26
I swear, I haven't slept for days! I could not put this entire series down! The characters are well developed. You feel like you know them! You cry and laugh with them. I couldn't have asked for a better series!
Product Description
Paperbacks
Average customer rating:
|
Rat Trap
Michael J. Daley
Manufacturer: Holiday House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic
| Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror
| Literature
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Fiction
| Friendship
| Social Situations
| People & Places
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Ages 9-12
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0823420930 |
Average customer rating:
|
Rat Trap (Turbo Cowboy, No 6)
Tony Phillips
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
General
| Science Fiction
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0345351274
Release Date: 1989-04-13 |
Book Description
[The author] explores the core and essence of shamanism by looking at its ritual, mythology, symbolism, and the dynamics of its cultural process. In dealing with the basic elements of shamanism, the author discusses the shamanistic experience and enlightenment, the inner personal crisis, and the many aspects entailed in the role of the shaman.
Customer Reviews:
By far, the best book to be found on the subject.......1997-09-24
A fundamental work for those beginning their study of shamanism, as well as an essential volume for the initiated, The Nature of Shamanism offers a singularly thorough and profound treatment of the subject. Densely written and filled with seemingly endless layers of meaning, it can be used as a reference and should be read again and again. Each time I return to this book with a new level of understanding, it is as if I am reading each section for the first time, as new and more profound meanings are revealed.
I could not agree more with this reviewer's comments: "This book is provocative! It is a 'thinking book'; the reader cannot remain passive. It makes one realize that truths are constantly being rediscovered in all cultures throughout time - how we create culture and how culture in turn creates us - the circle of truths, ancient and modern. I was sometimes awestruck by the comprehension of the author. A profound and powerful work, I enjoyed it to the last sentence."
-- Lana Clark
This book is an invaluable contribution to the field, and I would readily recommend it above all others.
Book Description
Bruschetta, Crostini and Other Italian Snacks make perfect antipasti or appetizers before an Italian meal. They can also be served as party food, a light lunch with salad or a casual supper when you come home late. What's the difference between bruschetta and crostini? Bruschetta is good crusty Italian bread, toasted over a wood fire or cooked on an iron stove-top grill pan, then rubbed with garlic and anointed with olive oil. Crostini are brushed with olive oil then cooked in the oven, or sautand#233;ed in olive oil or butter-they make perfect party food. Sample her crostini toppings such as Prosciutto-Wrapped Bocconcini or Tuna, Black Olives and Capers. Maxine's other Italian Snacks are also perfect to serve with cocktails and include recipes such as Parmesan Crisps and Mozzarella in Carrozza. Maxine Clark provides delicious ideas from her extensive knowledge of Italian cuisine to instruct on toppings for bruschetta and crostini. Her Bruschetta recipes include Garlic Mushroom
Book Description
Special updated 25th Anniversary edition - With 40 percent new content and l6 pages of full color photos. Let Cruising in Seraffyn introduce you to a special world. The first of a four book series, it is full of the sights, sounds and people of Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. Read how Lin and Larry built thier wooden engineless cutter and set off hoping for a few months of true freedom in spite of limited finance. Share their excitement as they learn how to earn as they go and sail ever farther afield. These two persuasive sailor/writers set out convincing arguements to get you chasing your dream sooner than you think- be it exploring the world under sail or adventuring toward any new goal.
A favorite of sailors for over two decades, this book is more than a first-rate tale, it is also a carefully thoughtout guide to living aboard a small boat, with fun and economy as the guiding principles.
With its new appendixes, new forward and color photo album showing Seraffyn during her circumnavigation and as she is today, 34 years later, taking her current owners on their first cruising adventures, this edition will appeal to those who enjoyed this book many years ago as well as todays generation of potential adventurers.
Customer Reviews:
Great Adventure.......2006-07-27
As you read this book it seems as though you are right there with Larry and Lin as they build and sail their small boat from California through Mexico, Central America, Jamaica, up the U.S. East Coast to the Chesapeake Bay and finally to Europe. This is the 25th Anniversary edition of this book. It has been updated from the original with pictures and maps. A great book I would recommend it highly for anyone with an adventurous spirit.
Useful.......2004-05-05
Page turner - made me want to drop everything and sail. The combination of this book and Slocum's book gave me the sailing bug. Contains useful information for those that are thinking about buying a boat. As seasoned, adventurous, resourceful sailors, the Pardeys' books are useful for salties or salty-wannabes (like myself).
An exciting, detailed cruising guide.......2001-11-12
Now available in a brand new 25th anniversary edition, Lin and Larry Pardey's Cruising in Seraffyn now sports a new introduction, "Anyone Can Go Cruising," and a new appendix, "Affordable, Attainable Dreams." Cruising In Seraffyn is an exciting, detailed cruising guide with a 16-page spread of full-color photos, making it an adventurous reference for nautical buffs and armchair travelers alike. With its decades of sailor's wisdom and inspirational prose, Cruising In Seraffyn is very highly recommended reading for anyone interested in setting sail for pleasure.
Wonderful color photos make this a real delight.......2001-07-21
As other folks have written, this book is lovely to read and inspiring as can be. The new edition, in its hard cover is not just a simple reprint. It is almost a whole new book - the new introduction gives grand info for sailors today, the appendix puts it all where it is for those who want to sail off in 2002. But best of all are the l6 pages of full color photos - stuff to dream about, ideas to use on your boat. Really lovely. If you have the old edition, you'll still want this one. If you've never read the first book, this is the one for you.
25th anniversary edition is even better.......2001-03-12
I loved the book, but always wished there were more photos. Now I have seen the new edition, in hard cover, published by the Pardey's. It is great. They have done it for the 25th anniversary of this book. Lots of color photos, a really updated discussion of cruising costs and a really nice story about what has happened to Seraffyn over the past 30 years. The pictures of the Pardey's new boat and Seraffyn sailing side by side are worth the $2l.95 price. Unfortunately, the book will not be on the American market until June. I got one from a friend who is a book reviewer. I was told you could wait till june and get it at ..., or you can go to the news letters on thier web site, ... and order one early.
Average customer rating:
|
Cruising in Seraffyn
Manufacturer: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Sports
| Subjects
| Books
| Baseball
| Basketball
| Biographies
| Books on CD
| Books on Cassette
| Coaching
| Extreme Sports
| Football (American)
| General
| Golf
| Hiking & Camping
| Hockey
| Hunting & Fishing
| Individual Sports
| Miscellaneous
| Mountaineering
| Other Team Sports
| Racket Sports
| Rodeos
| Soccer
| Softball
| Training
| Water Sports
| Winter Sports
ASIN: 0671531794 |
Book Description
Featuring seven projects and more than 75 patterns, this guide to scroll saw art and inlay work includes step-by-step photographs and instructions for pieces such as the Pine Candle Shelf and Cowboy Magnets. Western-themed projects for making card holders, coasters, ornaments, and magazine holders highlight techniques for inlay work and shadow effects. Patterns include cowboys, cowgirls, wildlife, and ranch animals of the Wild West.
Customer Reviews:
Enjoying this book.......2007-02-20
I really like this book and am having a great time with the patterns. I still haven't gotten to work on them yet, but I am planning my project carefully at the moment. The pictures are awesome and I am really looking forward to the finished project.
Western Scroll Saw and Inlay Patterns.......2003-12-16
Terrific scroll saw pattern book with lots of very nice Western theme projects such as coyotes, Indians, Cowboys etc.etc...
Lots of patterns and some extremely beautiful projects for those with scroll saws ....
Very pleased ----
Average customer rating:
|
Homes & Gardens Book of Design: A Complete Resource for Interior Style
Matthew Line
Manufacturer: WN
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Crafts & Hobbies
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
Decorating
| Interior Design
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
Decoration & Ornament
| Interior Design
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Interior Design
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1841881899 |
Book Description
Innovative yet pragmatic, here is a unique resource with the authority and expertise of one of the world’s leading interior design magazines. In exploring the keynotes of decoration and design, you can learn what makes an individual room work. Celebrate these contemporary interpretations of classic concepts, which are paired with illuminating explanations of how and why each look succeeds.
Average customer rating:
- In The Sporting Tradition: The Art of Herb Booth
|
In the Sporting Tradition: The Art of Herb Booth (Joe and Betty Moore Texas Art Series)
Herb Booth
Manufacturer: Texas A&M University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Graphic Arts
| Graphic Design
| Design & Decorative Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Printmaking
| Graphic Design
| Design & Decorative Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Artists, A-Z
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Criticism
| History & Criticism
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0890965714 |
Customer Reviews:
In The Sporting Tradition: The Art of Herb Booth.......2000-09-26
If you are into the out of doors and enjoy hunting and fishing then this is a book for you. The art of Herb Booth featured in the edition is outstanding. Not only do you get a fine insight into this artist but are shown the excellent examples of his work as well. The book is filled with oversized high quality color plates showing almost fifty of his pieces. Although wonderful in itself you also get almost 100 black and white line drawings that support the main featured art. These range from fish to birds to hunting dogs. You will also find many of the etchings that Mr. Booth is so famous for. This publication has quickly become a valued addition to my library. I could not be more please with it's quality and content.
Average customer rating:
|
Culture Club: Boy George in His Own Words
Boy George
Manufacturer: Music Sales Corp
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Composers & Musicians
| Arts & Literature
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Entertainers
| Arts & Literature
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Rock
| Musical Genres
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Performing Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0711904022 |
Average customer rating:
|
Boy George in His Own Words
Manufacturer: Omnibus Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0711904863 |
Books:
- Sanin: A Novel
- Season of the Snake: A Novel
- Secresy (Darkhorse Series)
- Seven Peaches: The First Seven Desert Peach Episodes
- Spinoza of Market Street and Other Stories
- Stonedial
- Strong for Potatoes: A Novel
- Summerhouse, Later: Stories
- Synners
- The Aftermath: A Novel of Survival
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- The Price of Privilege: How Parental Pressure and Material Advantage Are Creating a Generation of Di
- The Belgariad, Vol. 2
- Measurement of Cardiac Deformations from MRI: Physical and Mathematical Models
- The Annotated Archy and Mehitabel
- Oral Motor Assessment and Treatment: Ages and Stages
- Soil Mechanics and Foundations
- Polar Bears: Living with the White Bear
- From Art to Politics: How Artistic Creations Shape Political Conceptions
- Pantone Guide to Communicating with Color
- Sherlock Holmes: The Hidden Years
Morgantown (Difficulty at the Beginning)
Lyndon Johnson And the Majorettes: Difficulty at the Beginning
Looking Good: Difficulty at the Beginning
The Clarinet Polka : A Novel
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: A Novel
