Book Reviews » stone

Robert B. Parker’s Killing the Blues (Jesse Stone)

admin — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 01:40:25 +0000

Paradise, Massachusetts, police chief Jesse Stone returns in a brilliant new addition to the New York Times-bestselling series. Paradise, Massachusetts, is preparing for the summer tourist season when a string of car thefts disturbs what is usually a quiet time in town. In a sudden escalation of violence, the thefts become murder, and chief of police Jesse Stone finds himself facing one of the toughest cases of his career. Pressure from the town politicians only increases when another crime wave puts residents on edge. Jesse confronts a personal dilemma as well: a burgeoning relationship with a young PR executive, whose plans to turn Paradise into a summertime concert destination may have her running afoul of the law. When a mysterious figure from Jesse's past arrives in town, memories of his last troubled days as a cop in L.A. threaten his ability to keep order in Paradise-especially when it appears that the stranger is out for revenge.

Cutting for Stone

admin — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 19:47:29 +0000

Amazon Exclusive: John Irving Reviews Cutting for Stone John Irving has been nominated for a National Book Award three times--winning once, in 1980, for the novel The World According to Garp. In 1992, Irving was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma. In 2000, he won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Cider House Rules--a film with seven Academy Award nominations. Read his exclusive Amazon guest review of Cutting for Stone: That Abraham Verghese is a doctor and a writer is already established; the miracle of this novel is how organically the two are entwined. Iâ��ve not read a novel wherein medicine, the practice of it, is made as germane to the storytelling process, to the overall narrative, as the author manages to make it happen here. The medical detail is stunning, but it never overwhelms the humane and narrative aspects of this moving and ambitious novel. This is a first-person narration where the first-person voice appears to disappear, but never entirely; only in the beginning are we aware that the voice addressing us is speaking from the womb! And what terrific characters--even the most minor players are given a full history. There is also a sense of great foreboding; by the midpoint of the story, one dreads what will further befall these characters. The foreshadowing is present in the chapter titles, too--â��The School of Sufferingâ�� not least among them! Cutting for Stone is a remarkable achievement.--John Irving (Photo Â© Maki Galimberti)

Son of Stone (Stone Barrington)

admin — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 06:47:29 +0000

A new addition to the New York Times-bestselling Stone Barrington series. After an eventful trip to Bel-Air and a reunion with his sophisticated (and very wealthy) former love, Arrington Calder, Stone Barrington is back in New York, and he's looking to stay closer to home and cash in on his partnership at Woodman & Weld. But Arrington has other plans for Stone...including introducing him to the child he fathered many years ago.

Magic Tree House #46: Dogs in the Dead of Night (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))

admin — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 03:56:44 +0000

Jack and Annie are ready for their next adventure in the New York Times bestselling middle-grade seriesâ��the Magic Tree House! Beware of avalanches! When the magic tree house whisks Jack and Annie back in time to the highest pass in the Swiss Alps, they discover an ancient monastery filled with monks and Saint Bernard dogs. Annie canâ��t resist offering to train a wild young dog named Barry. Will Barry lead Jack and Annie to the mysterious flower they need to save a friendâ��s life? Or will he only lead them into danger? Before the night is over, Jack and Annie will be forced to use some crazy magic! Join everyoneâ��s favorite brother and sister duo on an adventure that is scary and magical, and more fun than theyâ��ve ever had!Visit the Magic Tree House website! MagicTreeHouse.com

Ultimate Unauthorized Harry Potter Quiz Book: 165 Questions Ranging from The Sorcerer’s Stone to The Deathly Hallows

admin — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 11:56:44 +0000

This is a Harry Potter quiz book like no other. It won't be asking you questions like "what school did Harry Potter go to?" (If you are a Harry Potter fan, then of course you know the answer!) Rather it asks questions which will develop your literary appreciation of the Harry Potter books and your general knowledge of the Harry Potter phenomenon. Some of these questions are easy, quite a few are fiendishly difficult, and several of them really don't have simple answers, but thinking about possible answers is what it is all about. No book achieves anything approaching the success of the Harry Potter series unless it includes something that makes us all think. This Harry Potter Quiz Book aims to draw your attention to some of these big questions. Knowing the name of Harry Potter's school is not likely to change the life of any one of us, but thinking about the moral issues raised in the books might do just that.

The Shelters of Stone (Earth’s Children, Book Five)

admin — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 03:22:26 +0000

Jean Auel's fifth novel about Ayla, the Cro-Magnon cavewoman raised by Neanderthals, is the biggest comeback bestseller in Amazon.com history. In The Shelters of Stone, Ayla meets the Zelandonii tribe of Jondalar, the Cro-Magnon hunk she rescued from Baby, her pet lion. Ayla is pregnant. How will Jondalar's mom react? Or his bitchy jilted fiancÃ©e? Ayla wows her future in-laws by striking fire from flint and taming a wild wolf. But most regard her Neanderthal adoptive Clan as subhuman "flatheads." Clan larynxes can't quite manage language, and Ayla must convince the Zelandonii that Clan sign language isn't just arm-flapping. Zelandonii and Clan are skirmishing, and those who interbreed are deemed "abominations." What would Jondalar's tribe think if they knew Ayla had to abandon her half-breed son in Clan country? The plot is slow to unfold, because Auel's first goal is to pack the tale with period Pleistocene detail, provocative speculation, and bits of romance, sex, tribal politics, soap opera, and homicidal wooly rhino-hunting adventure. It's an enveloping fact-based fantasy, a genre-crossing time trip to the Ice Age. --Tim Appelo

Strategic Moves (Stone Barrington, Book 19)

admin — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 23:18:47 +0000

The new page-turning Stone Barrington novel from the perennially entertaining New York Times bestselling author. Stone Barrington is enjoying his usual dinner at Elaine's when his boss at Woodman & Weld, the law firm where Stone is "of counsel," walks in, sits down, and hands Stone a check for one million dollars. It seems Stone's undercover dealings with MI6 have brought in a big new client for the firm, and they're willing to pay Stone a huge bonus and make him a partner. But almost as soon as he's taken the deal, Stone gets wind of an impending scandal that might torpedo his big promotion: It may be that the lucrative new client whom he's introduced to the firm might be a Bernie Madoff in disguise...

Bookclub-in-a-Box Discusses Abraham Verghese’s novel, Cutting for Stone: The Complete Package for Readers and Leaders (Book Club in a Box: The Complete Package for Readers and Leaders)

admin — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 17:21:46 +0000

Cutting For Stone is very simply one of the best books ever written and read. The narrative begins in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, when twin boys, Shiva and Marion, are born to a nun (who dies) and a surgeon (who runs away). The babies, conjoined at the head, are successfully separated immediately after birth. Despite their ominous beginning, they are raised by two Indian doctors and have a relatively peaceful childhood within the environment of a mission hospital, nicknamed Missing. Their loving community consists of Matron (head of the hospital), Almaz and Rosina (two servants), Rosina's daughter, Genet (born shortly after the boys), and a host of other wonderful and memorable characters. The original conjoinment and separation of the boys becomes the operating theme of the novel and we are given situation after situation in which to consider the concepts of fusion and partition. One day, political troubles with neighboring Eritrea erupt, and one twin, Marion, is forced to escape to America. Thus begins the second half of the novel, a literary doppelganger. The plot is complex, fast-paced, and emotionally moving. Bookclub-in-a-Box looks at all that Verghese provides: history (Ethiopia and Eritrea), medicine (blood and liver disease), psychology (the search for identity), sociology (human relationships) and philosophy (of both science and religion). The narrative's real facts and descriptions are especially interesting for their thematic implications. Every Bookclub-in-a-Box printed discussion guide includes complete coverage of the themes and symbols, writing style and interesting background information on the novel and the author.

Magic Tree House #32: Winter of the Ice Wizard (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))

admin — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 20:28:30 +0000

The bestselling, fan-favorite chapter-book series sends Jack and Annie on a chilling rescue mission!Merlin the magician and Morgan le Fay have disappeared, and in order to find them, Jack and Annie journey with their friends Teddy and Kathleen to the Land-Behind-the-Clouds, a frozen kingdom of ice and snow. There they must overcome their fears and solve the Ice Wizard's riddle, because if Jack and Annie don't complete their mission in time, Merlin and Morgan will disappear forever!Magic Tree House books are New York Times bestsellers. The series' irresistible mix of magic, myth, history, and mystery has inspired a love of reading in countless children all over the world. Find out why with Winter of the Ice Wizard!

Deception, A Jake Stone Thriller (Book One) (The Jake Stone Thrillers)

admin — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 07:01:58 +0000

While representing a wealthy tycoon and his ambitious and devious grandson, hard-boiled lawyer Jake Stone is saved from a vicious beating in a shady alley by a lovely young woman with a knack for the martial arts. Snowflake, she calls herself and quickly latches onto Jake for a wild ride through the underbelly of corporate America and beyond. But is she who she says she is, just a humble paralegal looking for a job, or is she a corporate spy, a gun runner, an assassin, or simply a nice girlÂ on the hunt for a decent man, or perhaps all of the above?The big question is whether Jake will live long enough to find out."At 190 heart stopping pages Deception is a rollicking, action-packed thriller with plenty of bullets, bodies, karate chops, belly laughs and shady characters to enchant even the most demanding reader. I especially enjoyed Snowflake. Now there's a girl who really knows how to kick butt in style! I look forward to reading the next volume in this wild and engrossing series." Theodora K. "There's no question that Peters is a master wordsmith." Gerry B's Book Reviews