Fathers Day Books

It's fair to say I had never heard of Anderson Ferrell before picking out this book, but afterward I had a new found respect for the man. More poetry than prose, if the truth were to be told, the text goes along slowly, romantically. The numerous memory and flashback sequences, not to mention the three "internal" stories of the mother, the grandmother's maid, and the neighbor, are a little tricky to follow at times, but the rhythm of the stories kept me reading. The only real problems I had with the book was the fact that the story begins with one issue, then flashes backward, forward, sideways, and every other way before finally resurfacing at the "present" (i.e.: where the book began in the first place) somewhere about 30 pages to the end. Many of the stories are very good, the rest mediocre. There are a few rather "adult" sections of the book where the narrator gets a little too blunt or says a little too much, but it is all done in the simple poetic flow that is characteristic of the work as a whole. The scene with the father at the cemetery if very upsetting, and the death of the boyfriend is heart breaking. Overall, a very good book worth reading and passing on to friends.

This book was really touching and emotional. It makes the reader interested in reading because it's not one of those fairy tales. It's really more of a real life story. That's also why it's great to read because you can relate to the girl in the book. When you read it you can't help but love it. In my opinion it was really inspiring and I loved reading it. If you love to read you must read this book. Especially teenagers because this book really has some moments that can help you with school problems. So if your looking for a good book, stop here. This book could change your life!

"A Link Among the Days" is an engaging biography of the life and times of the Reverend Doctor W.A.R. Goodwin, the father of Colonial Williamsburg. Dennis Montgomery tells how Goodwin, "the restless rector of an antique Episcopal church," and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller formed a respectful parnership in the 1920s to create a "full-scale restoration of 18-century Williamsburg, Virginia." Montgomery's writing is at once precise, engrossing, and anecdotal. Both historians and lovers of Colonial Williamsburg will certainly enjoy this fiine book.

When Booker and Elizabeth's father is gobbled up by a turkey everyone is dumbfounded. This book takes you through the adventure of the Thanksgiving disaster no one thought was possible. The strange turkey paper makes everyone suspicious and you'll laugh at Booker's humorous stunts. This book may have an odd story line but the wonderful writing makes any preteen anxious to read it!

it's a nice book for a boy or girl that likes to spend time with the father...nice gift to..

Nelson Demille's NIGHT FALL receives Scott Brick's professional, seasoned voice as it tells of a deserted island, video sex, and a terrible blast when an airline explodes.

My husband and I both read this book and neither of us could put it down. My husband actually started reading it late at night when I finished and then he read for the entire night not stopping until it was time to leave for work in the morning. I have recommended this book to so many people and all of them have been just as impressed with it. Definitely one of the best books I have ever read.

DeMille's novel delivers equal parts action and conspiracy theory in a taut plot that involves the possible connection between terrorism and the deaths of 230 people aboard TWA Flight 800, which exploded mid-flight near Long Island on July 17, 1996.

Detective John Corey (from DeMille's "Plum Island" and "The Lion's Game" novels) returns with his FBI agent wife, Kate Mayfield, who's asked him to help look into some questions that have come up five years post-crash. Five years post 1996 brings us to mid-summer 2001, and everyone knows what event is yet to come. The final chapters alone are worth the cost of the book as a lot of loose ends are inconviently tied up permanently.

DeMille slipped with his domestic violence novel "Spencerville" but here he's at the top of his game. I'm not much for conspiracy theories, but DeMille presents information gleaned from official reports, witness interviews and other sources and makes it not only plausible but probable.

John Corey's first adventure, Plum Island, was interesting, and thrilling enough to make me want to try the big Lion's Game which was outstandingly scarey. But, the second book since then has lost it's fire and interest. The ending was trite, unfulfilling and left me ready to say goodbye to John and Kate.

I will try to make this review as helpful as possible without wasting much more of my time thinking about this book. I do, however, feel the need to steer people clear of this one.

I wonder if DeMille had to meet a certain word count for his publisher. It is slow and VERY repetitive, taking its time to (very) slowly deliver the plot. It takes him a good 600 pages to build up to the climax and by the time I got there I was very curious to see how this was going to unfold.

Instead, the author takes such a cheap way out -- none of the loose ends are tied up. Well, maybe one...but barely. It's almost as if he wrote himself into a corner that he couldn't get out of. I am tempted to explain DeMille's incredibly cheap way out but I won't in case you choose to form your own opinion.

DeMille's writing style is decent. Sometimes funny, sometimes juvenile. His narrative is pretty good, but his dialogue can be pretty cringe-worthy (but not nearly as bad as Baldacci's).

The book is a long way to go with virtually no payoff. This is the first book of DeMille's that I have read, so perhaps fans of his will like it.

This book is the antidote to the sugary-sweetness of _Charlotte's Web_ or _Babe_. Perhaps you hadn't noticed that either of these two were amazingly sappy. This book puts them in perspective as sugar-coated froth.

While sometimes melancholy, this book delivers a wonderful meal of a story. This tale is sure to nourish far more - and perhaps more realistically - than any tale of talking animals.

A coming of age story for a young boy in 1920s rural Vermont, as he learns to run the farm and understand his father and his father's role. The book is a series of humorous tales and Robert's growing understanding of his world. He hunts, delivers calves, goes to the Rutland Fair, takes care of his pig, and eventually buries his father. A beautiful, funny, and moving tale. A graphic view of life on a farm might be too much for younger children. Grade: A+

This book is amazing because a boy of 12 years old has to help his father on their farm. The most shocking things happens to this boy. First he gets a pig from his neighbor, Ben, and he names the pig Pinky. Some funny events happen in this book too -- like the time, Robert vomits on one of the judges shoes at the fair. Many exciting things happen in this book that may astound you and your parents. I would recommend this book to children who like fascinating and heartbreaking stories. This book is entirely different than other books you may have read.

Sky, 8 years old and happily homeschooled!

What an eye opener for this generation! Welcome to the Shaker tradition of plain, earthy, reason. No frills. Where a man's word is second to his deed. I found this novel to be inspiring and humbling. Nowadays, we take so much for granted! Here is a family who earns or makes everything they have, and is gracious enough to consider themselves rich. Indeed they are - rich in faith, love, dignity, integrity, and community.
This is an important coming of age novel for many reasons. Robert Peck has to face challenges that many Young Adult readers face: increased responsibility, the wanting of worldly possessions, and death.

I'd give this book zero stars if I could. It sends a message that "growing up" involves butchering pets. There is also dog abuse and a nasty pig rape scene. And this book is assigned to children? We should teach children to respect and care for animals. This book graphically depicts harming and in one case murdering pets.

I enjoyed this book, as I enjoy all of Mr. Patterson's books. This story line was quite familiar to me as it reminded slightly of the movie black widow. If I try to explain it, Ill just give it all away just read the book it was suspenseful and not always easy to anticipate which is always a plus. there were unexpected twists and turns that keep you guessing and glued to the pages. A great read from an awesome writer.

Usual Patterson...hard to put down, enjoyable read, but nothing ground breaking. Nora was a likeable murderer. At times we could predict where the book was taking us but it still left us with enough twists and turns to keep the pages flipping.

This is the worst book I've ever read. I'm not kidding. It would pale in comparison to anything a high school student could write in a creative writing class. It KILLS me that there are TWO authors...two people put their heads together to mastermind this epic trash? Seriously? And what's with all the heinous product name dropping? And why are the chapters so freaking short? I love another reviewer's comment about the sailboat cover...maybe the part where they were on a sailboat was edited out, because that chapter only filled one page, instead of the massive FOUR PAGE chapters us readers are supposed to wrap our puny intellects around. ( phew! I need to take a break after reading ten sentences! Maybe I'll go have a pint of Ben And Jerry's Cherry Garcia Ice Cream while I write this review at my Macintosh Pro G5 With Dual Core Intel Xeon Processor!)

Insert expletives. Lots of them. I hate myself for reading this book.

I have always enjoyed James Patterson and, whomever he is writing with at the time. The character of Nora Sinclair was frightening but human, never enough of a monster to repel the reader, but, just enough of a monster to chill. While, our hero John O'Hara leaves you breathless, he also leaves much to be desired. This novel was JUST RIGHT on all accounts, with a little twist at the end. Poodlums, Boogeymen and Booglers: A Poetry CollectionMy Tongue Fell Out

ive recently began reading james patterson novels and i like how he gives away the killers names in the beginning and not wait til the end of the book to reveal them. with honeymoon I thought at first the tourist was another character and not john o'hara the fbi agent but i picked up on that o'hara was craig reynolds. This part was a little confusing I thought it was too much for one person to play. The blond in the book that was following nora i had no clue who that was til the end shocker! Overall although i like james patterson this isnt one of the books i'd recommend if you like more suspense and murder id give this 3 stars out of 5

Being cautious not to find a book that I wouldn't finish, I downloaded the electronic version from my library. My most favorite book in the world is Nelson DeMille's Charm School, and now David's Total Control shares that title. The 624 pages went FAST. This is a page turner that you just can't wait to find out what the next exciting action packed page has in store! I could not believe the extreme pace, multiple plot lines that were tied together and finally a finale worth the entire read. GIVE ME MORE~!

Have you ever seen anyone with a blood red face? How about whiter than paper? Green? Couldn't help but note these descriptions in Baldacci's novel. His or her face occasionally "reddened," "went pale," "reddened", "paled," "was eggshell pale," "white as a ghost," "carried a red sheen," "turned ashen," "was red with anger," "face flamed red," "was a shade of white," "turned a shade paler," "was now blood red," "flushed," "turned whiter than paper," "grew red," "froze," "went stone cold", "turned green." Are these aliens Baldacci is dealing with? Aside from this, a readable book.

Sometimes Baldacci writes entertaining material (Absolute Power for one) - this is definitely not one of those times. His characters in this overlong novel are absurd - every one of them. The plot is way too convoluted. Just awful stuff - avoid at all costs.

This is more like it. A good exciting book that keeps on moving. It was not as good as Absolute Power but way better than The Winner. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys good non-stop excitment.

I read about 80 books a year, and this one was a TOTAL WASTE of time. The main character, Sydney Archer, is a blonde dingbat. Simpering and helpless one moment, she's Wonder Woman the next, demonstrating unbelievable prowess. A really annoying character, one begins to hope that the bad guy wins. The book goes all over the map with complicated interactions among a host of characters, but none of it is credible. Don't waste your time. Baldacci must have needed the money to write something this bad.

Frank Bascombe takes his son on a road trip to visit sport's halls of fame. Frank's son has emotional issues, and of late has been getting in more than just a little bit of trouble. It would be wise, although not manditory, to read The Sportswriter first. That book will give one a passport into Frank. Frank is a thinker, he is divorced, has two children, is not hurting for money, is a realtor, and is willing to try new things. If one gives Mr. Ford a chance, his character, Frank, will make one either want to cry or cheer for humanity.

The first sentence in this book, which I have read many times, is enough to make some people quit reading. I have read several articles about the way to begin a piece of fiction, and I don't think any of them recommended an approach such as this one. Also, I wouldn't recommend reading this when there are distractions or if one has a headache. This book takes some concentration, but reading it is like earning an award that is many, many times more valuable than the effort invested. Beach reading it may not be, and there are other great books for those times.

We have been waiting a long time for this kind of writing. For me, not since Updike's Rabbit have I read such an engrossing, attractive, masculine character. What makes Frank Bascombe so attractive is his ordinariness, not at all an easy thing to accomplish. Intellectuals are easy for intellectuals to construct, but to find a guy who likes hot dogs, real estate and women is rare, and the reader knows it. This is, in some ways, Hemingway territory, but Bascombe is happy, unlike Mr. Hemingways's anxiety-driven specimens. New Jersey makes for a wonderful setting. Together with Philip Roth, Ford has made certain that Jersey has replaced Mississippi as the center of the American landscape. It's glorious country.

I had high hopes for this book but was sadly disappointed. Read this book if you want to study long long sentence construction. Each sentence was a test of my concentration. The story however did warrant this much effort. Perhaps Pulitzer is a reward for the most number of words with the fewest periods? I gave up.

Many people in America are reluctant to confront authority.
When they say this is a good novel and they are the "authority" , what is then
my natural reaction? This novel reminds me very much of the novel Babbitt
that I was forced to read for English literature and the author seems to be
without the connection to his extreme in materialism. ( He seems to
think he is a liberal.) I got to really dislike the protagonist in the first 100 pages
and even to dread reading more of his overationalizing morbidity.
I was left longing for the sincere freshness of Sinclair Lewis!
Making a point in some worthwhile theme would be good.
Woody Allen makes his points more clearly and maybe
with less name dropping . There is no convincing change ...
the hero doesn't get the point when he allows harm to come to his son.
It doesn't really seem to get through: mowing his lawn isn't a radical
change in behavior. He says a lot without ever saying anything:
he writes well without ever making a point.
He describes much without seeming to be able to find any meaning in what he sees.
I had a very negative reaction to this form of intellectualism.
I suppose that there must be some method here , but for me it is lost in excessive verbiage.
I prefer Tortilla Flats or Sweet Thursday where the point is in the results...
I keep asking the author to actually understand something in his own
reality. Obfuscation with window dressing of intellectualism...
If the protagonist were actually in touch with himself,
he'd put rocks in his pocket and walk into a river ( or someone
else would do it for him?). Calling this novel a literary master piece seems
to me to be a a form of intellectual sadomasochism: a lie.

In "Independence Day", Richard Ford's depiction of post-marital devolution (divorce) parallels the lack of marital (or life) bliss shown in other classics: John Updike's "rabbit run" or John O'Hara's "Appointment in Samarra."

This book's protagonist, Frank Bascombe, is not another Harry Angstrom or Julian English - the respective protagonists of Updike's and O'Hara's novels. Instead of leading a life of self destruction after receiving a perceived dealt "straight flush", Bascombe seeks to improve and repair his life.

In love, he twists and turns about whether he should reignite the flame with his ex-spouse - Ann - or turn on the heat with his weekend f$&# buddy - Sally. After hundreds of pages of his interpersonal thoughts about this ever-present conflict, we do not receive an actual conclusion. At least none is definitively delivered such that he and the "chosen one" lead off to the sunset on a white stallion. But, maybe he has made strides closer to such a conclusion, and that is enough to ask from someone so perplexed and perplexing.

In family matters, his son Paul delivers he and the ex-spouse, Ann, a handful. An adolescent whose faults are not uncommon, Paul has delusions of suicide, derived mainly from lack of self esteem and typical teenage angst. Paul's two-day jaunt with only dear old dad to Springfield, Mass. and Cooperstown, NY - the respective homes of basketball's and baseball's halls of fame - is the subject of another large portion of this book. Frank concludes, "Children, who sometimes may be angels of self-discovery, are other times the worst people of the world."

The writing style of Ford is extremely well done, and includes numerous uses of appositions - where the second element parenthetically modifies the first without changing its scope. These commonly placed parentheticals deliver a "herky jerky" motion to the reader's pace and can make the reader stumble or slow down. If not, the complexities of the writing could well be overlooked and missed. Many of the appositions represent Frank's thoughts which contradict or disagree with the written dialogue.

Ford's rich prose and deeply depressing topic of this book make a not-so-uncommon couple of modern American literature. At first, as someone who does not desire to read about others' nagging problems in love or life, I felt I would trudge slowly and belligerently to finish (if I would even do that) this novel. But, not atypically, I was wrong. I enjoyed this book, and read it in a matter of days.