Irma the Flying Bowling Ball Review

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(More customer reviews)My kids like this book, but really, it's for me. A bowling ball with a name... and a personality... and aspirations. I love that! Not only that... she achieves her goals!!!! Good grief, if a bowling ball can do it, then, darn it, so can I!!!!
It's even better if you live in Wisconsin where kids learn to bowl as soon as they learn to walk and adults only stop bowling when they're dead.


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The Tavernier Stones: A Novel Review

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(More customer reviews)Propelled by a spectacular opening, in which the corpse of seventeenth-century mapmaker Johannes Cellarius is discovered in a bog with a 57-carat ruby clutched in his fist, THE TAVERNIER STONES quickly unfolds into a treasure hunt adventure even more riveting than the real-life story of the jewels which spawned it. With its effortless weaving of memorable characters--each harboring his or her motive for coveting the stones--and intricate subplots, I found this novel to be an immensely satisfying and enjoyable read. While the ingenuous ending left me hungry for more from this gifted debut author whose writing is as accomplished as his storytelling.
Parrish incorporates an impressive depth of knowledge about cartography, cryptology, gemstones, and history, and his technical command of these details lends a precious believability to the hunt that is foundational to the book's success. While tension-filled and plenty thrilling, the action never veers off into the realm of the cartoonish, as Parrish grounds us so believably in his world of maps, codes, Amish culture, German lore, and, of course, precious jewels. I love a book where I learn as much as I'm entertained. Especially when the subject matter is as rich as this.
But none of that stuff would mean much without characters that live and breathe on the page. And live they do. Amish-born cartographer John Graf's struggle between the religious and familial roots he's severed and the worldly quest which becomes his obsession serves as the heart of this novel, and is deftly handled by the author. I was really invested in this character, and was pleasantly and poignantly surprised by where Parrish takes him. While his relationship of necessity with jewel thief David Freeman and his girlfriend, Sarah Sainte-James, crackles with a wit and spark that keeps the pages turning.
To sum up, I tore through THE TAVERNIER STONES in a couple days. And I guess that's the best recommendation of all. Parrish is the real deal.

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Scooby-doo Storybook Collection (Scooby-doo Bind-up) Review

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(More customer reviews)I debated about this book when I first saw it. It's a big hardcover book. I thought my son would lose interest in the stories and I'd have wasted my money. He still loves the stories and we have had the book for years. It's big. That makes it hard to lose. I can almost always find it in my son's messy room. Plus we take it on vacation every time. There are enough stories for a new one to be read each night of the trip and we don't leave the book behind. The stories take about 15 to 20 minutes to read which is about as long as we try to read each night so that is fine by me. If you or your child love Scooby quit debating.

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Wherever there's a mystery to solve, Scooby-Doo is there to crack the case! Follow Scooby and the gang from Mystery, Inc. as they track down spooks of all shapes and sizes in this collection of Scooby-Doo storybooks. It's sure to delight mystery lovers big and small.***Includes eight best-selling Scooby-Doo 8x8s.***

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PiInc.: The Case of the Haunted Canyon Review

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(More customer reviews)This was a really fun book to read. It reads easily and I'm letting my teenage daughter read it now that I'm finished. It's fast paced and full of interesting cases. The main characters are lovable, and I ended up feeling
like they were family. :)

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The Gothic World of Anne Rice Review

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(More customer reviews)The gothic world of Annne Rice is an absolute must have for both fan of the gothic, vampirism or scholar. The anthology is A direct rout into the marvellous world behind the authour. Not only does it convey an unchartered depth of her literature, but is also A direct approach to A more academic criticsim. This book is of universal appeal because it charts A thought provoking desent through her key best sellers. For any reaserching vampirism especially, or just fasinated by this tallented writer this book is essential. It provides integral essays which traverse themes of anthrapology, in which is discussed how |Rice's characters assume A place in modern society, through to her more historical novels. But more invaluable are the essays which discuss her infamous vampire characters. In these essays is disclosed the intrinsic roots of vampirism and the gothic, linking back to writters of the Romantic epoch. They also provide A rich source of information, which deals with the more academic side of the gothic as well as A direct insight into the novels themselves. It is well researched, astute and perceptive. With Rice's work rapidly becoming recognised for its academic appel this book provides A critical idiom of her work and deserves A place on the shelf of any avid fan of the gothic, vampirism, or who is just enchanted by the pen of this literary sorceress.

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Directly and in considerable detail this anthology argues for the serious study of the literary oeuvre of Anne Rice, a major figure in popular literature today. This writer of gothic fiction attracts not only great general interest among readers but also much serious scholarly attention among those who recognize in her work evidence of sophisticated characterization and intricate plotting. Such readers find allusions in Rice's work to that of Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto, to Ann Radcliffe's gothic romances, such as The Mysteries of Udolpho, and to Bram Stoker's Dracula, as do such present-day authors as Clive Barker, Robert R. McCammon, and Stephen King. The essays in this volume assert that Rice goes far beyond the conventions of the formula to examine important contemporary social issues. Like a handful of authors working in the horror genre, Rice perceives in its otherwisepredictable narrative structures a way by which a larger, more interesting cultural mythology can be developed, as theeditors of this volume point out. In short, Rice may be said to search for philosophical truth, examining themes of good and evil, the influence on people and society of both nature and nurture, "the conflict and dependence of humanism and science," as one essayist states.

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