Easter Books

I worked with my 3 grandchildren last year using the picture book and cd, and performed a play on Christmas for the family. It was a great success. I used the youngest child (5) to say at the end real loud "A CAT". Everyone enjoyed it. I highly recommend this.

I bought this book from a sale rack. I thought it would be a really cute gift for my 5 year old granddaughter. Then I got to the last page.
As per the original carol, more and more dogs are added. Then on the twelfth day my true love gave: A CAT!
The poor cat is sitting on a perch terrified of all the dogs.
I did not think it was at all amusing, especially for children.
No wonder it was on the sale rack.

This book is utter junk. It's the perfect dust collector for a coffee table, and that's the best that can be said about it. How it sold 400,000+ copies, I'll never know.

Everybody's 7-year-old should be urged to pick up a pen, pick out a favorite poem, and change the words. Then kids wouldn't have the problem of paying for college anymore, where they might be able to actually learn about literature that really matters.

Be prepared: you will be hearing this song over and over and over...

My daughter has absolutely LOVES this book! So much so, she wouldn't let me put it way in our Christmas box. So far we've been singing/reading this to her since last Christmas. Time & time again she'll go find this book and ask me "read please"! We love the photos of all the dogs and especially the surprise ending!!!! Absolutely delightful book! This young author had a terrific idea in creating this book! It has brought much joy & song into our home! And it's such a cute book that I don't mind reading it all though the year!!!

This is another great Dumb Bunnies title and our family are looking forward to getting more. The Dumb bunnies are really dumb, but they are good hearted - well sort of. This is a play on a whole lot of holidays. It might be a bit harder for kids outside the USA to understand them (we don't do Thanksgiving, or 4th of July for instance) but there is still a lot of great laughs in here - my kids still fall about laughing everytime poppa bunny gets dressed up to go out in the snow!

An appealing and humourous book.

One of my granddaughters at the age of 8 is a very somber, old soul. We have to work hard to try to coax the child out of her.This book is just so dumb that she was smiling,laughing and glowing as she read it aloud to us for the first time as we sat around at the table after dinner. The next night her little sister asked to have it read again because "she loved this book". So far ages 4 through 10, boys and girls, know enough about what holiday traditions should be to 'get' the ridiculous humor.

Simply delightful. We'll have more of Pilkey's books in this family.

I hesitated to give this book a 5 star rating, since it hardly is a work of "fine literature." However, what pushed me into the 5 star category was the sheer delight of seeing my 6 year old son laugh out loud as he read the pages. If the goal of this book was to get my son to really get into a book he was reading, then the goal was met. The Dumb Bunnies' Easter is great for the K-2 crowd - because the pictures are funny, the sentences and word selection is manageable for them, and the jokes are not over their heads. In fact -the jokes are right at their level - which is often hard to find in the "Easy Reader" literature. For these reasons, I rate it a 5 star book - It is actually more clever than dumb. But it still is pretty dumb! Also - FYI, if I had to pick one holiday to break out this book, I'd choose Christmas time - since most of the references are more about Christmas than any other holiday. It definitely has a Christmas-y sort of feel despite the Easter title.

We bought six copies of this book to give as birthday party favors...The invitation says 'They Dumb Bunnies are so dumb, they send the party favor before the party. Read this book, and be prepared for a funny bunny time!'

We love the silliness of this book. It's like Amelia Bedelia for younger kids, and it helps develop a sense of comedy. I only gave it four stars because I cannot make the case for it to be fine children's literature.

It's just fun.

DUMB BUNNIES' EASTER

I purchased this book for my three year old grandson, Colton. Colton says the DUMB BUNNIES are SILLY! He is right! I also purchased it for my ten month old granddaughter, Paige, who is too young to appreciate the humor now but certainly will as she gets older and wiser!

The Dumb Bunnies ROCK. They are for everyone! They are just so dumb that you have to laugh at them! The story line is goofy and the illustrations are great. In this book Easter is combined with every other holiday you can possibly think of. Kids enjoy the humor and the pure happiness of the story, and there is plenty of humor for adults too. This is one book you will enjoy reading over and over and over to your grandkids.

I will definitely be purchasing ALL of Dav Pilkey's books to add to my grandkids book collections. Shh, don't tell anyone! They are REALLY for MY enjoyment!

Thank you!!!!
Pam

This memoir moved me because Steinke is able to convey the complex sense of living, our experiences, thoughts, feelings, and the questions we ask ourselves day by day, hour by hour. I loved this story because I felt it was written humbly and poetically. I admire Steinke's wherewithal and hope to read her other works soon.

Rare is the person who gets through life without a theological hurdle. Whether you clear it or crawl under it or smash into it while knocking it over and landing on your face, most all of us take the finish tape with at least a little sweat on the brow. We all struggle at some point.

It can be kind of lucky for the rest of us when writers do it.

Easter Everywhere is bestselling author, Darcey Steinke's, memoir on how the story of her life (so far) has played out, often spindled on her quest for connection with the Divine. Ms. Steinke's observations and honesty could certainly make many a pilgrim feel less alone.

As a Lutheran minister's daughter, her grounding in Christian tenets contrasted against a home life of privation and some discord. Rebellion and self-discovery drew her out into the world, but Easter Everywhere keeps the spotlight on the tether that reeled her back, sometimes gently, sometimes with a yank, to her certainty of a Higher Power.

Ms. Steinke's lyricism has me looking forward to her novels. Lucky for me, there's a bookstore down the street and amazon.com if I can't be bothered to comb my hair and put on some shoes.

I had a chance to speak with Darcey Steinke about Easter Everywhere and her thoughts on writing. To hear the audio, visit PsychJourney dot com.

I came away from this memoir feeling like the author was lost and confused. It seemed like another one of those 'I had a bad childhood' victim memoirs people write when there is nothing else to write. I think the best advice to give to Darcey is to actually read the bible and meditate - it didn't seem like she had, in any case, there was no evidence of it despite growing up with a father for a minister. If you are looking for insight here you won't find it, but you will live inside Darcey's american shoes for a while.


Darcey, you are a keen observer but for God sakes you need to lighten up! As for suffering - look, each and every one of us has free will. God is not in charge of your suffering - you are. Take care of yourself. You are blessed with a beautiful daughter who is here to teach you about life and find joy in the absurd. Start living!

I was fortunate enough to meet Darcy at a reading done at the College of St.Rose in Albany, NY tonight. She also came and spoke to my English class. While all this is beside the point, I was privy to a closer glimpse of the person behind this engaging memoir and I was very much impressed. I was able to down this book in two sittings because it flows quickly and seamlessly throughout the narrative of her life. Her carefully constructed snippets of memories and scenes enables the reader to focus on the larger scope and purpose of her story--and that is her spirtual development. I was able to see those points in her life that truly defined and shaped her, through her eyes--and it helped me to better understand my own humanity and spirituality. A must read.

Although I can certainly see that Darcey Steinke is a skilled writer, I found this memoir a little hard to understand or follow. It's loosely about her spiritual journey through life, but I would be hard pressed to tell you exactly how that journey turned out, even after finishing the book. I found the writing most vivid when it was about her childhood memories, as there she mostly stayed in the concrete. After that, there were confusing jumps from age to age, and from man to man and city to city. The people we had met in the early pages, especially her mother, seemed little present. This is the kind of writing that infuses small moments with what is supposed to be huge meaning. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I think many readers would find this to be a wonderful memoir, but I am perhaps not as sophisticated as those readers, and like a more concrete telling of a life, with a more clear theme.

When I am researching something I am interested in or is important to me I like to know the truth on things and this book had alot to say and answered some of my questions on different matters. With God and religion there are so many different views and meaning and this is where most people get into arguments because of this but this book told it like it is and paster Joseph Whyte told it like it is in a gental way that's not over whelming and the hardest thing to hear is the truth and I have read different books in this area and i think the way he explains it makes it easy to understand.

To any one that wants to know the real truth about our God Jehovah and Why? and how the other religious denominations have created lies and continue to do so. Yes! It is all about the money and America's so called religion not any thing to do with God the Father and his precious Son's Blood at Calvary. I highly recommend this book to everyone that really and truly wants to understand man made religion and learn the truth. Only by using, you Guess it the Holy Bible. Happy reading to all and God bless each and every one that wants to know the Savior.
Victoria Milano

There are so much struggles ou there, so much distraction, i am 25 years old and all i was searching for is love, love from a father and love from a brother, sin captured my life, my heart and I was basically living a sinful life of homosexuality and lust, there is absolutely nothing outside of god, its the truth my brothers and sisters, reading this books gave me the next step i needed to fulfill what god requires of me,it taught me im forgiven by the blood of jesus, it taught me who jesus is, seeking a father and son relationship with him, hes always waiting and ready, its a practical exercise, filled with knowledge of jesus 2000 years ago and the jesus now. i believe hes working thru me and still, i know i will be healed and be made renewed, anyone who reads the this please pray for me... F. Thompson... god bless

If you are a mature Christian, this book will help you to examine your relationship with Christ as it reveals the truth of God's word. This book simplifies everything from the Sabbath to the crucifixion. If you are a new convert, this book will show you how to build a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. GET IT NOW.

I read this book and it was yet another lack-luster attempt to jab the Catholic Church. It was boring and out of all of the other protestant religions, he did not have to chose the Catholic Faith.

Also, I did not like his style or writing, but that is my own humble oppinon.

For being Ray's first novel I can tell you he is an excellent writer! This novel was right up my alley and I could not put the book down. He has written another novel since The Torn Timeline and let me tell you it is just as good as the first novel. Can't wait to read more from Ray and let everyone know Steven King you have tough competition on this one!

Take care and Ray best of luck with all you do in your writing and publishing of future books can't wait


Kathleen Tenney

The story focuses on Simon, a young, married father-to-be on the verge of his college graduation. Then he starts having weird dreams and inexplicable blackouts. Doctors can't explain it and he thinks it might have something to do with his current stress levels as well as the unsolved murder of his uncle, the priest.



Though he has given up his faith, Simon turns to a pair of priests who knew his uncle, in the hope that they can help him with his bizarre blackouts. Eventually, he discovers that he is a part of an little known prophecy that will have immense implications for Christianity and the world.



I personally love stories that blend Christianity and fiction and LeCara does it well. He creates a wholly believable scenario and then delivers the goods in a superbly written climax that will leave you, like some of the characters, wondering what in the world just happened. And I mean that in a good way!



LeCara writes believable good characters and some unbelievably nasty, evil ones. I'm not certain which is the more malevolent: the man who is possessed or the man who simply wants to use his religion for his own gain. In either case, LeCara creates several truly evil characters.



My only criticism is that in attempting to portray his characters as realistic, they sometimes come off as, well, jerks. But that is a pretty forgivable flaw.



I very much enjoyed The Forgotten Prophecy and I am certainly looking forward to seeing what Ray LeCara Jr. has in store in the future.

I read THE FORGOTTEN PROPHECY in one sitting - that's how fast it moves and how it grips you. LeCara tosses up a number of balls in the air and keeps juggling them to an apocalyptic ending, a mixture of spiritual, horrific and action-packed story telling. That the novel deals with the Catholic Church, a godless pope, ruthless evil and matters on a vast, mystical scale doesn't hurt one bit.

There are many books on the market today with a theme about the end of the world as we know it. None of them are as thought provoking as Ray LeCara's 'The Forgotten Prophecy' It was easy to identify with the characters because they could be you and me. The lapse in faith, the undying hope; the belief that there really could be something bigger than us, these are things we all struggle with. I loved this book because it was scary (don't start it at night!) and amazing.

December 25th 1967: The Pope's Christmas festivities are interrupted by a visit from Sister Maria, a nun who has been condemned as a heretic. Yet she is still granted an audience with the Pope - why? The Pope needs to see her because he knows that what she has to say is important. She warns him of a prophecy - a forgotten prophecy - one that reminds him of the ultimate battle of good and evil that is still to come, and that no one will be safe while it rages.

Thirteen years later, a young man named Simon Free is faced will the usual pressures of becoming a married man, with a child on the way, who is still in college. Thinking that is all that is troubling him, he starts to experience black outs. Assuming the episodes are just from stress due to the prospect of becoming a father without any source of income, he tries to put these black outs to the back his mind, but as they become more and more frequent, he seeks medical advice. Simon soon finds that doctors cannot help him and, being a man who has lost his faith, it is with some reluctance that he seeks the help and guidance of a priest. It is only through regaining his faith that he discovers who he is and what he needs to do in the mighty battle that rages around him.

The Forgotten Prophecy is the debut novel from Ray LeCara, Jr. It is an engaging story with many original ideas. Fans of this sort of fiction will be used to the devil or "The Evil One" trying to force his way into politics and occupy the corridors of power (as in The Omen,) with the ultimate goal of becoming the president of the United States. This is where LeCara's story veers from the norm. After all, why would "The Evil One" try to inhabit the White House? Why would he not try to corrupt from within and infiltrate the Vatican? Think about it - most laws are based in religion, and who do such powers consult, when in a difficult situation - their minister or their priest!

The Forgotten Prophecy, is a gripping and promising debut - in sum, truly a great beginning to LeCara's saga. We have only one minor criticism - the fact that "The Evil One" is trying to infiltrate the Vatican is a wonderful and novel concept, but Spinetinglers felt that it was not exploited to its full potential. Hopefully, this will be corrected in the second instalment and we at Spinetinglers look forward to reading it!

This is a thoughtful and revealing biography of the woman who did the first major study of Easter Island in the early 20th century. Van Tilburg gives us insight into Katherine Routledge's life, passion, and personal struggles as well as providing an indepth sequel to Routledge's own important book. Anyone who has read THE MYSTERY OF EASTER ISLAND, indeed anyone who has been thrilled to walk among the island's magical statues--as well as anyone who has done so in the pages of a book--will find this biography compelling.

This book should top your list of Summer reading. I found that I had to keep reminding myself that this was a true story- it is amazing that all of this actually took place in Victorian times. I commend the author for taking the time to do such in-depth research. I can't wait for Van Tilburg to come out with another book!

This is a fascinating account not only of Katherine Routledge's journey to Easter Island, but her journey through life. For a Victorian woman to graduate from Oxford, live in Africa, organize an expedition to one of the most remote places on earth, and ultimately succumb to schizophrenia is truly a remarkable story. This is a compelling read, full of interesting facts, as well as wonderous parallels. It is a story of determination and frustration, success and failure, love and loss. Great summer read!

This book is a MUST READ! It was very informative and well researched. I was impressed by the obvious depth and care the author took to portray her subjects in a fair and impartial light. She explored all her character's strengths and weaknesses equally, and this made for a compelling read. The author obviously had a great deal of empathy for her subject.

I would love to see this book made into a movie! The author's beautiful word pictures would translate VERY well to the big screen.

I would recommend this wonderful book to anyone who might be planning on traveling to Easter Island or who would like to learn more about this magnificent place!

This book scores highly for the length of its footnotes and its bibliographies - and van Tilburg is to be congratulated on bringing a great but overlooked story into print - but how much do you trust a biographer who mistakes the dates of both the birth and marriage of her subject?

Knowing a little of Katherine Routledge and her times, I found van Tilburg's narrative unconvincing. Perhaps it would be unfair to expect an author working from America to understand the absurd and divisive nuances of British notions of class, though class was a key factor in Routledge's life. I bridled, however, at the author's repeated insistence on Routledge's mental illness. Has van Tilburg seen evidence for this, perhaps from Routledge's surviving family (tracking down descendants, even establishing the fate of the ship Mana, is something van Tilburg does well) that she is not prepared to publish? The suggestion that Routledge's life and work were profoundly affected by schizophrenia is a major charge. It needs more substantiation than this book presents: what we have does not rise above gossip.

The book is also curiously thin, coming from an author with much experience of Easter Island archaeology, on what makes Routledge's Pacific work so special. There are many details here, and much useful material to inspire and aid further research. Too many minor errors, however, warn against taking it all on trust. Read and enjoy, but keep your critical faculties about you.

(For the record: Katherine Routledge was born on 11 March 1866 [not 11 August, though the author has corrected her previously published error over the year] and was married on 8 August [not 6 August] 1906 - she was over, not nearly, 40 on her wedding day. Nit picking? These dates are easy to check. The reader, though, cannot check facts that van Tilburg quotes from inaccessible or ungiven sources)

Given the high concept plot, a munitions dealer contracts a black magician to loose all the demons of hell for one night, surprisingly little happens in this short work. That it is actually enjoyable is due to the skill and craft with which Blish writes his prose.

The author states in the foreword he wanted to treat magic as if it were a rigorous discipline in the mold of science or engineering and he succeeds. However this makes the scenes of ritual magic detail heavy and tedious. Nor is their any real build up of tension in the book as you would expect with such a catastrophic event being asked for.

The reason for this is probably the lack of conflict. Though the forces of good appear, and are even represented with an observer, Father Domenico, at the lair of Theron Ware the magician, due to a Covenant between the higher powers he can do nothing but ask Ware not to do it.

The idea is a good one, the execution Blish chose just wasn't that appealing. However the prose is. Blish writes it tightly, and the characters are actually interesting given the little that happens. You'll be left vaguely unsatisfied though as the book doesn't really deliver what it promises. As one reviewer mentions, it really takes place in only two locations and all the demonic carnage happens off page.

Almost as if this was an outline of a longer work, or a novella with a novel screaming to get out.

1968 was a dark year. Robert Kennedy was assassinated and the world was still in shock over Martin Luther King's senseless murder. Hippies rioted at the Democrat's convention in Chicago, Charles Manson had begun his murderous rage, Vietnam was a debacle, the Cold War was still on and it seemed the world (humanity calls home) was on a downward spiral headed to bummerland.
In 1968, James Blish was writing disposable Star Trek "fan-novels" and was (pretty much) considered the"poor man's" Aurther C. Clark-- when he published the second novel (Black Easter) of his trilogy "After Such Knowledge". "Black Easter" remains a touchstone compendium of that nasty year.
No other sci/fi/horror author, before or since, has captured the paranoia of a particular time with such supernatural, black magic volcanism.
Warning: The book feels dated but why grouse.
Violent, debauched, corny and utterly fascinating, "Black Easter" will give every fan of densely plotted intelligent horror more than a few chills.

This is a thesis novel in the sense that its events seem to have been carefully thought out before Blish even began to write the book - from the first page to the last, he leads the reader towards a powerful and inevitable conclusion. This isn't a work which should be read for `plot surprises', but rather for its tight structure: Blish looks at magic with precise, almost clinical attention; as he set out to do in writing this work, he strips the book of extraneous details and instead confines himself to a select few questions and themes. The four main characters - Black magician Theron Ware, monk and White magician Father Domenico, weapons-maker Baines and his assistant Jack Ginsberg - all play clearly defined roles, each providing the reader a different point of view from which to evaluate what is being said and done. This is a difficult but memorable book.

This isn't a bad book by any means, but it's very period (one gets the impression the author desires to shock, but, almost 40 years later, there's nothing here to ruffle your maiden auntie's delicate feelings, I assure you.)

The book is brief, and tells a simple tale: a gentleman hires a magician to perform a task (after two earlier trials). There, that's it, that's the plot. Nowadays (not that now is better, but we're used to Now) that would be the set-up to the plot ... the book ends just as things are about to get interesting.

There is a sequel, the Day After Judgement, which picks up immediately afterward but which also somewhat disappoints.

Another fault--well, not a fault necessarily, but certainly a less-engaging choice--is that the horrors one might expect in a book about black magic are entirely played offstage, and only referred to. Imagine a Lord of the Rings with passages like "two weeks later they decided to go through Moria, where Gandalf died, unfortunately, fighting a Balrog. Still, with Lothlorien ahead, the Fellowship was somewhat optimistic." It's not a good thing.

There is a demon fashion-show/parade near the end which is worth a chuckle, but it's still not scary.

Blish' A Case of Conscience is much more compelling reading, so go there instead--unless you're a completist, or in the mood for a brief, non-unnerving look at the dark arts, circa 1967.

Note: a 3 star ranking from me is actually fairly good; I reserve 4 stars for tremendously good works, and 5 only for the rare few that are or ought to be classic; unfortunately most books published are 2 or less.

First off, the fact that this is such a brilliant, pithy, amazingly tight little tome is doubly amazing when one realizes that the quite gifted Mr. Blish also wrote novelizations of Star Trek episodes. Ah well, even the best have to pay rent.

Second, there is no finer fictional chronicle of diabolism, either ancient or modern, in English, and none that I know of in most of Earth's other tongues. Each of Blish's characters is deftly crafted with a minimum of prose, a compliment which can extend to the rest of this slight and delicious book; Blish accomplished in a few pages what today's pompous and prolix authors take hundreds of pages to say...Stevie King, though the man can write when he wants to, comes to mind.

Finally---and a mild criticism---while it is delightful that Blish takes care to present Malefica as a discipline, it is (or was, for when I first read this I was merely thirteen) somewhat disenchanting to see that Blish gets most of the Satanic formulae, Latin incantations, and demon summoning paraphernalia hopelessly wrong. I have since found older grimoires to draw upon, though, and Black Easter is a work of fiction, so no victim, no foul.

All in all a devilishly clever and delightful book; for more nastiness pick up The Day After Judgement, which is actually the third in a trilogy (the first of which was After Such Knowledge).

Evertything about this book is wonderful...the illustrations, the message, everything! Set in Russia, Polacco delivers another powerful piece of writing with this poignantly beautiful story about a woman who befriends an injured goose. The illustrations are gorgeous and the words go from Polacco's pen directly to your heart.
I teach third grade and use this in my classroom, although my most recent purchase of this title was as a gift for a friend's child. Don't miss this one....would make a wonderful addition to anyone's Easter basket!

One of the best books I own. I love Patricia Polacco's stories. They warm my heart.

Nice folktale that provides some Russian/Ukranian culture. Book is most suitable for preschool to early grade school children.

Lovely book. A major problem is that the author is confused about the pysanka and the country she is writing about. The pysanka is a UKRAINIAN Easter egg. Russians do not have pysanky (pl.). Surely by now people should know the difference between Ukraine and Russia (you wouldn't confuse Ireland and England). The pysanka is a most special Ukrainian ritual object. The author should have done her homework.

Hey. do you like eggs for breakfast? Do you know what you can do with them instead of throwing them away? Well, then you NEED to read this book. It isabout a woman named Babushka. Each day Babushka would take an egg from her basket and paint it. Will Babushka win the egg contest? Will the bird she rescued stop her from winning the contest? Find out by reading this book.

Zaira

Okay, but nothing special. The text is tight and concise, the illustrations are vibrant. But in this story of barnyard animals racing to see a chick emerge from its shell, nothing was all that remarkable.

my son is 28 months old...loves farm animals (trains more, but...) he can easily sit through longer books, but this is a favorite and gets the 'again, again' rating every night - which amazes me as it is so simple!!!! This is one of Eve Bunting's best although there are many...one of my favorites! Actually my 5 year old doesn't mind sitting through this either! and super easy for my 7 year old to read to either the 2 or 5 year old (who could probably read it to the 2 year old if he wanted to!)

My one year old loves this book. The illustrations are very good, very colorful, and the text is brief. It makes a very good new baby gift as well, since the story is about the excited clamoring of all the farm animals over the arrival of the newest member of the barnyard crew - a baby chick!

Hurry! Hurry! provides a great story line with vibrant art work and limited text. The book holds the attention of my 6 month old grandchild and it is expected it will be a favorite when she is a toddler.

I wish I'd seen this book when my son was younger... at 2 and half he really likes it and memorized it after a couple of readings. Bright illustrations with just one word (repeated twice) per spread - with a couple exceptions at the end. Very cute, simple and very engaging - especially considering the lack of text... would recommend.

While the start of the book is a dash slow being focused on the building of the actual craft and pulling a crew together, it soon picks up and races across the Pacific. The author has an incredible sense for wording which oft makes this non-fiction read like pure poetry. If only we all could be so eloquent, english would then remain a beautiful language.

The book is pleasantly lacking an overload of technical know-how and expertise as so many adventure books can be. Rather than bog the reader down with intricate details, the author keeps the story alive and fresh with emotions ranging from the struggle against the elements while being entirely out of his own element to the intricacies of life aboard a small vessel for two months with complete strangers who don't always mix well but eventually bond enough as a cohesive family and team to survive.

It becomes entertaining after the first two chapters but is inspiring throughout. This book offers evidence to what can be done when one has a dream no matter how silly the dream or how high the obstacles loom. A great account of a fantastic adventure that not many would dare to take or be able to pull off.

A chance remark, and Nick Thorpe bluffs his way onto an expedition to support Thor Heyerdahl's theory that Easter Island was originally colonised by Amerindians prior to the wave of Polynesians.
When he discovers that the crew has no navigator and minimal sailing experience, he is intrigued rather than disillusioned and he throws himself wholeheartedly into the project. The same cannot be said of other members, or the organiser, who couldn't organise a binge in a brewery.
Accusations of cheating from a rival deflate morale so much, they are in danger of missing the favourable winds. The vitriolic attack also undermines his support and funding and endangers the credibility of the whole exercise.

Thankfully, all obstacles are overcome, so there is only the voyage to complete. This is almost a shambles, due to the lackadaisical captain and the gung-ho exploits of some of the crew. Boredom, superstition and deep-seated prejudices provide fuel for some 'interesting' episodes.
The book is more about relationships and experiences than anthropological archaeology, unlike the books by Severin & Heyerdahl, but if you accept this limitation, the result is a rollicking good tale. The humour is low-key and understated, but there is very little technical information; however a couple of appendices partly address that quibble.
All in all, a good read.****

I first previewed this book in an online book club, and the writing and the topic immediately caught my attention. Mr. Thorpe writes with exquisite talent. His style is informative, humorous and very introspective at the same time. The book follows an adventurous group of 8 men who take a reed boat into the Pacific so they can sail it to Easter Island. What really impressed aside from great storytelling, is that way the author draws the portraits of himself and his crewmates.
It's a great book to pick up for a weekend read; I read it in two sittings. :-)

It's an old adage that it's not the destination that matters, but the journey. This much is a cliché, but this much is true, and Nick Thorpe's fabulous, vastly entertaining and thoughtful book `Eight Men and a Duck' is all the proof you need. Thorpe is an English journalist, who while on one of those too good to be true writing gigs when a newspaper paid him to bum around South America happened upon a tall tale about a reed boat about to leave Chile for Easter Island.

So the journalist's mind kicked in - let's investigate. Soon, without planning it, Thorpe found himself becoming more than just an observer, as a place on this incredible journey fell into his lap. Some discussion with his wife (you know, `I love you, I might never see you again, is that ok?') later, and the - let's say `unswarthy' Englishman (look at the photos in the book) was off to sea with a rogue's gallery of shipmates straight out of Captain Pugwash. The book takes us on the journey with them, in the race against time they created for themselves by building a boat out of reeds that will eventually sink. It's a journey that involves the Chilean Navy, good and bad weather, esoteric Frenchmen, weird food, and the very nature of friendship itself.

This is not just a book about the technicalities of ancient sea-travel (though there's enough of that to interest even the most hardy of land-locked readers), or the existential joys and angst of a dangerous and beautiful journey, but a tremendously rich sketch of what men are like when they get together. If you've ever wanted to take a risk, but feel seasick at the thought, then you may just love this book. Witty, self-deprecating, but alive with a thirst for the journey, Thorpe's writing is among the most engaging prose I've ever encountered. He has the wit of Bill Bryson and the eye for detail that Paul Theroux must pride himself on, but the voice is all his own. For duck-lovers, misty-eyed seafarers, religiously sceptic mystics, child-like wanderers and anyone who's ever gone travelling to `find themselves', `Eight Men and a Duck' is a joy from start to finish.

The shadow of the more nobly conceived and executed "Kon-Tiki" hangs over this book, although "8 Men and a Duck" still offers a vicarious opportunity for thrilling and exotic adventure. Many things inevitably go wrong on such a voyage, but this group of fellows were so unprepared, both technically and emotionally, that it was almost a surprise when anything went right. Their ineptitude is somewhat frustrating to read about. Don't they make them like Thor Hyerdahl any more?