James portrays a knowledgeable account of such issues in great details built around a well-developed story set on a ...
935959
This book, Idyll is not just another mysterious sci-fi, but a fascinating read based on real problems on earth as well. On a more practical note, this book would be ideal for all of those living amongst an idyllic surroundings of either a ranch or a farm; animal loving readers and those who care about conservation of the ecology. James portrays a knowledgeable account of such issues in great details built around a well-developed story set on a fantasy land. 'Feral ticks', life constantly threatened by 'fire' or 'bacteria' are all common occurrences on an animal farm. Written so convincingly, that reader would be pulled by a magnetism of this remote world.

However, touches of the unique use of imagery at play warrant my attention more. Russet mountains, for instance, compared to a pile of brown bread is one interesting image that comes to mind. Readers may easily find evidence of unconventional comparisons in John Donne's famously written verse as well. Lovers compared to a pair of compasses being a well-known case in point -"If they be two, they are two so as stiffe twin compasses are two" - A Valediction: forbidding mourning, John Donne.

Inevitably, James Derry's mastery finds its way into a very passionate story. Indelible words leave almost a nostalgic yet tantalizing impression of events, long after the last page has been turned.
2479186
The unfolding story that S.R. Reynolds depicts gripped me from the start.  With every detail she so craftily reveals, Ms. Reynolds paints a vivid portrait of each of the players in this tragic drama.  Most telling is the horrific motivation of the perpetrator and the devastating influence that he had on his victims and their families, all of which is fleshed out in an intriguing and deeply interconnected way.

Tales like these need to be told.  By telling this particular true story in such a compelling manner, Ms. Reynolds provides a great service.  She helps us to understand how social and psychological forces combine to create heinous actions without regard to the unconscionable pain that lies in its wake.  We need to understand this dynamic in order to work to try to prevent similar acts from occurring in other settings.  Expository writing such as this goes a long way toward that end.

In reading this highly-developed informative text, the reader experiences both the bystander's frustration in light of a flawed legal system and satisfaction when that legal system works as it was intended.  It would behoove advocates of justice to read Reynolds' work carefully in order to improve the chances that just outcomes will prevail.  Beyond the fascinating read that Similar Transactions represents, it is a vital piece of research in the annals of judicial history.  This is a book that needs to be read.
3732001
This story intricately weaves the events surrounding the disappearance of a 3-year old boy (Daniel Ray) in 1933 with a journalist's (Claire Aldridge) search for answers in present day. There's a somewhat mystical element in how seemingly unrelated situations converge to help unravel the mystery. The transitions were done skillfully, using Claire's journey as a means for her to confront and face her own paralyzing grief.

I really enjoyed how the story was presented as much as the actual tale. The realities of the divide between the wealthy and poor during the Depression era was realistic and enlightening. It's an interesting story with other very strong themes that give it weight.
4407078
The author has a well developed grasp of historical and technical details, making his alternative easily believable. Coupled with some great character development and he tells a great story!
3869209
I thoroughly enjoyed this story which featured two connected stories that took place in two different times.  The character development and hisoric details were well done.  I have to say that I was hooked quite early in the book.  There were details that did not make total sense to me, for example that the daughter of an obviously wealthy man would be saddled with college loan debt.  Overall the story was well crafted and a powerful read that met an important criterion for me: the author made me care about the characters.
69157
What a great story, masterfully written about a troubling subject in Americas past.
2381239
American Wolf is an in-depth telling of one of the most famous wolves of Yellowstone, referred to as O-Six, and how she survived despite many odds being stacked against her. Along with this story, however, Blakeslee also includes immense background detail on the other wolves released and raised in Yellowstone, the conflicts between hunters, wolves, and livestock, and the many wolf watchers that took part in observing O-Six's life-- along with many other wolves.

Blakeslee tells the story of O-Six in an incredibly compelling manner that at times feels more like I'm reading a fiction story about wolves than I am reading a nonfiction account of the lives of various wolves. It is apparent that Blakeslee has done much research for this book and he takes great care to provide detailed and illuminating information on this subject.

I was particularly fascinated when reading about the different behaviours displayed by O-Six and many others. I knew a somewhat decent bit about wolves coming into this, but there is so much more to learn about them. The way the packs function and how new packs are formed or destroyed is really rather remarkable. They are such fascinating animals with such distinct and familiar traits that sometimes it seemed as if I was just reading about people and royal families.

American Wolf also dives into much of the debate surrounding wolf hunting and the various political and environmental ramifications of those both for and against it, which I was pleased to see, as it helped me to better understand the entire situation. He also discusses many of the specific scientists, wolf watchers, etc. that spend so much time studying the wolves, which I also found interesting. There were a few instances in which I felt that Blakeslee went on slight tangents or just into a bit too much detail of something that wasn't quite relevant, but overall most topics seemed to fall into place with the topic of the book.

One thing that I struggled about a bit with this book was the fact that the wolves didn't have set names, but were instead referred to by numbers or descriptions (i.e. 574, 'Shy Male,'). I understand that this is because they didn't want the wolves to seem like pets, but it just made it a bit confusing at times to recall who is who. I'm not really counting that against Blakeslee, however, because that's not really his fault, but it is something that I felt I should point out.

Overall, I've given American Wolf four stars!
1612761
I feel conflicted pushing people to buy a book about something really terrible that happened, and only jusr recently, but that's the power of this story.  The author doesn't need any embellishment or fancy structuring here, and even if one might miss Krakauer's touch (and comparisons to Into the Wild are appropriate), Kirsten brings a clarity and economy that make for a swift, focussed reading experience.  We seem to get just enough characterization and backstory, applied just when it's needed, while the tragic story moves relentlessly forward.  In the preface, Kisten explains how the incident in the canyon led different people to take different sides, and how on researching the book, he was no exception.  It's certainly to the author's credit that he is able to let the events tell whether, as suggested in the subtitle, the story was ultimately about friendship or murder.
2290601
Kidds retelling of the Grimke sisters and their fight for equality for women and the abolition of slavery is told with sympathy and fact.  Although much of the story is fiction, Kidd manages to remain true to the real life story of Sarah and Angelina Grimke in the days and decades before the Civil War.  A number of big names appear in the sisters ongoing struggle to be heard in a male dominated South and respected in a male dominated North.
The tale loses momentum in the middle, possibly because the sisters actual lives also stalled in their middle years.  The addition of the totally fictional characters of Charlotte and Hetty carry the story well, giving the slave side of Southern life.  The horrors of slavery are graphically depicted.
I can recommend this book without reservation for anyone interested in Southern life, abolition, womens rights, and the life style and treatment of women in antebellum Charleston, South Carolina. Also interesting is the role of the church (in many permutations) in the condoning of slavery and the treatment of women.
5 of 5 stars
1802090
Regis has put together a well-crafted story with engaging and believable characters, laid upon a detailed geographical and historical background.
1412918
Forsyth does a great job of narrating a detailed plot and, at the same time, informing the reader of an ongoing international problem.  Great read.
4944747
The author gives a lot of information that helps the reader understand the issues that were present during the time that the story takes place.
1388853
People who live in Southern California likely have heard of the St. Frances dam disaster. However, the rest of the country likely knows little. Wilkman tells us why we should know about the St Frances dam, and the reasons behind it.

Wilkman does what a good historian should do. He makes a good story out of the facts. Wilkman also introduces the people behind the basic facts, and even stops to give a brief history of Los Angeles. He gives a layered portrait of how the dam and the water issues that caused it to be built affected all parts of southern California society. Often with this kind of history, a reader needs some background knowledge to understand the authors point. Not in this case: Wilkman gives enough background information that a reader will not only understand why the dam was built, and why it collapsed, but also understand the history of an important part of the country and the role water plays in that history.

Wilkman doesn't break any new ground that I could tell. If you know about William Mulholland before reading Floodpath, you will learn little new. Speaking of Mulholland, both the hero and villain of this story, Wilkman is very fair. He gives Mulholland the blame that is his due but no more, and in the end makes Mulholland, rightly i think, a sympathetic figure.

In the end Floodpath is more than the story of the dam collapse. It's the story of the water issues involved in making Southern California what it is today. With the drought issues facing the state today, the story told in Floodpath is still very relevant.
176548
This is a really great book, entertaining and readable, yet also informative and educational.
It discusses both the personal history of King James (of the King James Bible fame) and public perception of homosexuality during 16th and 17th Century England.
For readers not already well acquainted with King James, such as myself, the opening chapter establishes his history. And it does a good job -- not only did it enable me to follow the rest of the book, but subsequent histories I've read of King James didn't add anything surprising, meaning it was sufficiently thorough.
The next chapters examine the evidence that James had sex with his male favorites, what the court and subjects thought about it, along with the various terms, codes and historical analogies that James' contemporaries could discourse about sex between males.
Subsequent chapters discuss the relationship between homosexuality, effeminacy and pacifism vs. heterosexuality, masculinity and war, how James's homosexuality affected the reign of his son, Charles, and what contemporary and later writers said about James's sexuality, concluding with comments on the general history of homosexuality.
Fascinating book. It has an element of the tabloid (with juicy excerpts from James' love letters) while also very thought-provoking. I have purely a layman's interest in the subject, and I had no trouble following the author's language or arguments. For more serious historians and researchers, everything is very thoroughly footnoted and annotated.
I *HIGHLY* recommend it.
3959593
This is indeed a well-told, well-crafted story of a very tangled web.  Both Caroline and Cookie were manipulated by Maria Cole for some very cynical and superficial reasons that were blamed, as usual, on saving Nat's career and reputation.  Caroline shines a powerful light on the pain a woman endures when she gives up her child for adoption.  Her accurate description of Cookie's isolation, of her life-long financial struggle despite her father's fame and wealth, of the distrust between blood sisters implanted by the cold machinations of their frigid mother, combine to allow the reader a look inside a musical dynasty.  I could not put this book down.  Well done Caroline!
2560121
This is a very thorough and well done commentary on James. Written by a scholar who is going her doctoral dissertation on James it interacts with current literature while focusing on the text itself. As is often the case I think Blomberg was more a consultant than a true collaborator, but even so the final product is worth the price.
3016774
I thought I knew a good deal of the story and didn't really care for the characters involved - that is before reading this book. It is really well written, and I admit I became absorbed in this story. Very low on analyses of wrong-doing, and what went wrong where (some people should be TRULY ashamed that their personal greed participated - over many years - in creating the financial crisis); this is more written as a thriller - and it really, actually works. Kudos to the author.

I was left with many questions though - as it is written as a thriller-documentary, the author reports from several conversations between really few people, and puts in many phrases referring to what the participants felt during this and that. It makes me wonder to what degree I am reading 'artistic freedom' and to what degree this and this actually happened. Another thing I didn't quite anticipate was wondering afterwards whether anyone else would have handled the crisis better. In hindsight it is clear something else should have been done at this time and that, but in hindsight everything is simple. The authors shows the conundrum Paulson, Geithner and the others faced underway - not without a certain portion of sympathy.

However, with such detail, and such understanding - I would have liked a discussion also of why the events unfolded as they did, not only a chronology - even though it was masterfully told.