Kakaku：510 saved$5.10
Hoard
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (Chilly, but Compelling) 『I purchased this book after an amazon.com recommendation popped up while I was purchasing a Lapland tour guide for an upcoming winter trip. In a way, the book was off-putting, not because of the cold (which I expect) but because the whole region sounds so dreary in the winter and because she makes my primary destination, Kiruna, sound like a dump of a mining town with little purpose other than serving as a jumping off point to other activities in the region. I started having second thoughts about taking the trip at all after reading this book. Still, her visits and description of the Ice Hotel in Jukkasjarvi were interesting and I learned a great deal of useful historical detail and information about the Sami culture and lifestyle that will make my trip more meaningful. Overall, the book fits nicely into my knowledge-gathering effort before this trip.』
(Cold and Dark Climate, Warm and Bright Book) 『 Barbara Sjoholm tours the European countries of the Arctic Circle in the peak of darkness. She visits the Icehotel, sees MacBeth in an Ice theater, makes a dog sled trip, tours an iron mine and meets Santa Claus at his home. This book is much richer than these travelogs because Sjoholm shares her sensitivity to the indigenous people of the area, the Sami.
The narrative is symmetrical, starting and with Icehotel construction and an introduction to Sami lore and ending with the melting of the Icehotel and thoughts on the economic impact of toursim and the changing economy on the Sami.
Sjoholm has some interesting experiences with the cold. The temperatures are brutal. When its 23F in the ice hotel it may be -23 outside of it. The huts on the dogsled trip are of much colder and humans are more exposed in every way.
The author meets a lot of people, all are participants in various aspects of the life in this area. She adds their observations to her reading, primarily classic travel narratives, to paint a rounded portrait of life in this region.
I looked for other resouces on this area. There is some joiking on You Tube, but accessible contemporary works like this book are hard to find.
』
(A Heartwarming Book About a Cold Place) 『I discovered this book in the new section of the library and immediately was engaged by it. My mother's family was from Norway, so in recent years I've been reading about this part of the world. This particular book was not just about the Ice Hotel but also about the origins of the people in this part of the world and the struggles they have faced. I found the writer's adventures to be quite interesting and her own journey from unhappiness to curiosity, and ultimately to a special fondness for this area inspiring. I told my husband, upon completing the book, that I wanted to visit that area some winter, and he said, "feel free to e-mail me from there." Someday I hope to sleep in the Ice Hotel and experience what she did.』
(Going Into the Cold) 『Sjoholm's book is an intriguing read - part travelogue, part history, and part social commentary about Lapland and its indigenous people, the Sami. Struggling to cope with the breakup of a long-term relationship and post-9/11 anxiety, she decides to travel to this region encompassing the areas of Norway, Sweden, and Finland above the Arctic Circle in the winter of 2001, and again in 2003 and 2004. At the center of her odyssey is the Icehotel, a 60-room hostelry constructed entirely of snow and ice on the shores of the Torne River in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden. The hotel, visited annually by thousands of people from around the world, reminds her of the ice palace in a beloved fairytale from her childhood, Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen." Over her three trips, Sjoholm explores the building as it is being built, spends the night there as a guest, and watches as it starts to shrink and drip and melt into the river. Through the eyes of the workers and artists involved in the project, she demonstrates the fascination of creating an object of beauty not intended to last. The Icehotel exemplifies the drive to promote winter tourism in the area, an effort, Sjoholm soon discovers, that is often at odds with the needs of the reindeer-herding Sami. Sjoholm gives them voice through her thoughtful, empathetic descriptions of their history, their culture, and their determination to survive as a people amidst the march of progress. In so doing, she effectively sensitizes the reader to the plight of indigenous people everywhere. Her lyrical descriptions of light make a forbidding place seem almost appealing, as when she views the sky one morning from a steamer off the Norwegian coast: "suddenly the light was no longer bone gray, but, in the east - blush pink and turquoise, then hot rose, mango orange, the sunrise churning into sunset, all in two hours, with the sun below the horizon, invisible below the iron-hard water." And she never lets the bitter cold stop her from taking advantage of the area's attractions, from riding a sleigh pulled by reindeer and eating fried reindeer meat in a smoky tent, to watching Macbeth sitting in an icy reproduction of London's Globe Theater. I hate being cold, but as I read the book, I could actually picture myself taking the trip she did. My reaction is testimony to Sjoholm's ability to engage readers from the outset and keep them with her until the last page of this fascinating adventure.』
(Bringing the far north home) 『If travel books are about making far away, different, and maybe even unbelievable landscapes accessible to those who will never journey to them, then this book has hit the mark. I found it truly engaging and felt every below zero day and snowy landscape that Sjoholm traveled through. The cold and the colors and the people of the north became alive to me in a way that surprised me given my own penchant for reading about and traveling to more equatorial climes. Fascinating! This book has a bit of everything, from the social to the political to the environmental. And why not? It's a complex landscape, as Sjoholm points out, and not at all the "wilderness" that so many have previously deemed it to be. The writing is vivid and lively, but it is also the exhaustive research that went into the storytelling that I am impressed with. The history of Lapland suddenly comes within reach of the present day because of the ways in which Sjoholm chose to tell her story. I would highly recommend the book to anyone who is thinking of traveling to northern Scandinavia, as well as to those who are not. I admire Sjoholm for doing the work and obviously being completely enthralled with the cold and darkness and people and animals; it surely couldn't have been an easy journey but readers will benefit from her efforts.』 『
A Frequent traveler to Northern Europe, Barbara Sjoholm set off one winter to explore a region that had long intrigued her.
Sjoholm first travels to Kiruna, Sweden, to see the Ice Hotel under construction and to meet the ice artists who make its rooms into environmental art. Traveling to the North Cape, she encounters increasing darkness and cold, but also radiant light over the mountains and snow fields. She crosses the Finnmark Plateau by dogsled, attends a Sami film festival (with an outdoor ice screen), and visits Santa's Post Office in Finland.
Over the course of three winters, Sjoholm unearths the region's rich history, including the culture of the Sami. As Sjoholm becomes more familiar with Kiruna, she writes of the changes occurring in northern Scandinavia and contemplates the tensions between tourism, the expansion of mining and development of the Ice Hotel, and age-old patterns of land use, the Sami's struggle to maintain their reindeer grazing lands and migration routes.
InThe Palace of the Snow Queen,Sjoholm relates her adventures in the far north, and considers how ice and snow shape our imaginations and create, at a time of global warming, a vision that increasingly draws visitors to Lapland.
Kakaku：399 saved$3.99
DK CHILDREN
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (Good book for kids that love Star Wars) 『A lot of nice pictures of the people, places and events that Padme encounters throughout Episode l. Easy enough for kids to read and understand on their own. Very nice, short, sweet... I would recommend.』
(So is she an angel? Yes, but she's so much more!) 『The release of Star Wars books for young people has always been related to a theatrical promotion. In a world that has a seen all six films, a new wave of DK Readers is much appreciated. It gives us comfort that even though the movies are finished, the Star Wars experience isn't completely 'done.' As the title suggests, "A Queen's Diary" looks into the life of Queen Amidala of the Naboo. In the beginning of her diary, Amidala discusses what it's like to be queen. We get to find out who she is as a person as she describes how she feels about her position. Eventually, the book discusses the time when the Trade Federation invaded her planet. Queen Amidala met some Jedi and a boy named Anakin Skywalker. Eventually, she and her people are victorious. The diary ends by the Queen wondering if she'll ever see that Anakin boy again. As with many of these books, Padmé Amidala is the token Star Wars character for girls. As in "Queen in Disguise," she is a humble heroine. Despite depicting a great role model for girls, this title is not 'girly.' The feminine dynamics simply add some balance to the usual testosterone that should make this appeal to both the guysand gals. "A Queen's Diary" offers some redundancy in the Star Wars pantheon. It is remarkably similar to 2000's "I Am a Queen." It also has overlap with Queen Amidala's "Episode I: Journal." Despite such overlapping, it is forgivable when considering that the other books mentioned are all out-of-print. This book keeps the Queen's story alive for a younger generation of readers. In terms of the illustrations, the vast majority were lifted from "the Phantom Menace." While the pictures are high quality, the writing is also good. This new series has books for most levels of elementary readers.Given the length and vocabulary, this title is best suited to readers on a third grade level. "A Queen's Diary" offers a personal look at Padmé Amidala during Episode I.』
Kakaku：699 saved$6.99
Laurel Leaf
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (Really fun to read. And touching, too.) 『This book was excellent. I know the author's wife, so I thought I'd give the book a try for the heck of it. I had no idea how great it would be. I found the characters really endearing. It was a light read without being fluffy at all. I'm definitely going to read his new book ASAP.』
(Keep It In Your Pants) 『I don't know, I got tired of reading about the narrator's d_ck, and i felt like that sort of sums up the depth of the book as a whole. Vanessa was sex, sex was freedom, sex was how he got through school and avoided the police and got out of town. Which makes us, the guy, whose name i can't even remember, a d_ck. Literally. Which is really odd, considering the teen genre exists only for girl readers, and i can't imagine this voice appealing to a girl. Because all the girls in the book just exist to be done by the narrator. What age is this for, anyways? BC my fifteen year old (girl) was grossed out.
I gave the book a couple stars because the writing is fast and the town is funny. But lots of writing is fast and lots of towns are funny. There's no teen market for boys and that's too bad, because then maybe this writer would have more readers.』
(Talented New Author) 『This is a interesting and funny story about the struggles of a teenage boy in small town America. It is insightful and tender in its character development. This is a new author's first published work. I look forward to more.』
(Lively, funny, wistful - great first novel!) 『Frosty Queen engages you from the first few pages - full of eccentric characters, ironic sense of humor, vividly drawn small town life. It is a great coming of age novel, with many unexpected twists. Thoroughly enjoyable - can't wait for the next offering from this talented new voice.』
(Last Dance At the Frosty Queen) 『Wonderfully written book. Almost hard to believe I grew up with and went to High school with the author. It was a great place to grow up in the 70's and 80's. Keep up yhe great writing Rick. I can Hardly wait for your next book.』 『On the dock of a lake in a tiny town at the corner of Nowhere&Nowhere, he sits counting the seconds until his high school graduation—at which point Arthur M. Flood intends to leave his hick life far behind in the brown Kansas dust. That's the plan. Until . . . up from the lake's muddy depths swims a girl. She's not a mermaid, but she is the one who shakes up Arty's life, makes him mad and mad for her, and helps him find a pathway to his past, his future, and where his heart truly lies.
Teens will recognize their own emotional landscape in this steamy, funny, coming-of-age tale in which the heart tries to hide, only to be utterly exposed by love and lust, lost and found.
Kakaku：30 saved$0.30
Kansas City Star Books
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (Murders review) 『Murders on Elderberry Road, A Queen Bee Mystery is an easy book to read with interesting charachers and situations. I believe that many readers will enjoy the ladies of the Queen Bee Quilters.』
(Sewing mystery and murder into a good story) 『I loved this book. It reminded me of the crisp falls in the college town I'd just moved from, just with more intrigue. And I love the ladies in the quilting group; they're caring, quirky, and on a mission. I can't wait for the next in the series to come out!』 『Po Paltrow - writer, quilter and nurturer of the Queen Bees quilting group - jogged quickly through the tree-lined streets of the Kansas college town toward the quaint shops along Elderberry Road. It was an idyllic, autumn morning in the town that she loved ... that is, until a cat's shrill cry tipped her off to a body stretched just inside Selma Parker's quilt shop. A robbery victim? Perhaps .... And so begins the first adventure of the Queen Bees, eight spirited quilters united in a warm friendship - with a surprising talent for sleuthing.』
Kakaku：606 saved$6.06
Charlesbridge Publishing
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (Good for the women!) 『This title highlights those women we seldom discuss: PIRATES! The stories are well written and very useful for everything from Women's history month to unusual biographies. This volume draws the young girl readers into the whole pirate scene. It's a fun read for everyone. Not enough information for reports but definitely great for catching interest to search out more information. Good for school and public libraries and personal collections.』
(Remember the ladies) 『Do you remember that whole Girl Power craze roundabout ten or so years ago? It was the oddest thing. Girls were supposed to seek empowerment in an era of Spice Girls and Ally McBeal on the one hand while appreciating Buffy the Vampire Slayer on the other. The term "Girl Power" has long since faded, but the quest continues to find books for our future female leaders that contain ladies with pizzazz. Now the publishing industry is more than willing to churn out a million pretty pink princess books on the one hand and biographies of people like Harriet Tubman and Jane Goodall on the other. That's all well and good, but you know what the problems with these books are? They're all about the GOOD girls. The ones who took on the bad guys and kicked some serious tuchis (metaphorically, usually). I'm all for strong female characters that are pure as newly driven snow, but what about all the bad girls? Is there something to be gained from reading a book about ladies who killed, robbed, and broke the law with impunity? I think so. If boys get their fare share of true life pirate titles, it should be no different for the fairer sex. So gals, if you want to go out and lead a crew of rough and tumble men across the seven seas to fame and infamy, take a gander at "Sea Queens: Women Pirates Around the World", and see how it's done. Just bear in mind that aside from all the moral implications, nine times out of ten you'll reach a nasty, sticky end.
Thirteen female pirates of varying infamy, villainy, and tenacity are presented in Jane Yolen's chronological listing of various deeds and misdeeds. After clearing up some piratical misconceptions and truths about the women who worked in that particular field (ballads, clothing, vocabulary, etc.) we launch into Artemisia Admiral-Queen (Persia: 500-480 B.C.) and it's smooth sailing from there on in (so to speak). Each section considers the rumors and legends of the pirate women, considering the truth and the things we can never know for sure. Illustrator Christine Joy Pratt fills the book with scratchboard illustrations that resemble woodcuts. The book actually clocks in at a mere 103 pages, and with its large font and copious pictures, sidebars, and notes of text it's actually ideal for kids reading early chapter books who aren't quite ready for 400 page non-fiction titles. A roundup of other female pirates, a five page Bibliography (including websites), and an Index finish up the book.
Jane Yolen is no stranger to the world of female piracy. From her 1963 Pirates in Petticoats to her 1995 picture book The Ballad of the Pirate Queens (both books about Ann Bonney and Mary Reade) to Commander Toad and the Space Pirates . . . wait . . . maybe scratch that last one. In any case she's clearly tread this ground before. What she hasn't done before is research some of the other cutlass bearing lasses out there. Plus I appreciated that at the beginning of this book Ms. Yolen took time to tell us where these "facts" came from. As she points out, few pirates wrote about their own adventures. "But there are trial documents, logbooks of navy captains, and depositions from captured pirates and their victims," which, such as they are, are as close to fact as we're going to get here. With its continual efforts to separate truth from fiction, the fear with this kind of book would be that you'd have a herky-jerky narrative that keeps you guessing. You might worry that the end result would leave you not knowing what, if anything, to believe. Fortunately Yolen has, in a sense, simplified these stories enough that rumors and facts go hand in hand. For example, the section on Charlotte de Berry of England contains a sidebar called "Truth or Fiction?" that draws attention to the fact that not only is this pirate potentially fictional, but may well have begun life as a penny dreadful. The proper text is filled with references to "Another version of the story" and what "supposedly" happened in her life. Kids will have no difficulty distinguishing out the real from the fun stories. The trick is that Yolen trusts them to understand the difference.
The real trouble with sticking to the facts is that you can't go about making stuff up. Looking at it, that is probably one of the more obvious statements I've ever written. But it's true! I mean, I sure do wish there were more women pirates in this book, but facts and the lack thereof make that just bit impossible. Yolen has actually created a Roundup of other women pirates "about whom little is known" which sates my curiosity to some extent. These include everyone from Gunpowder Gertie, the Pirate Queen of the Kootenays to Rusla the Norwegian princess. So while I would have liked to have seen a couple more ethnically diverse women pirates in this book, doggone reality keeps getting in my way.
When Charlesbridge thought about bringing an illustrator into this project I wonder if art that could look like woodcuts was a given right off the bat. The pictures featured in scratchboard format here seem a well suited fit to a swashbuckling work of non-fiction such as this. As for illustrator Christine Joy Pratt, she has several books under her belt but is still a relative newcomer to the world of children's books. Some of her best work has been on such kid-friendly periodicals as "Cricket Magazine" and "Spider Magazine." There are some sections that are a little random, of course. For example, a bit on Illyrian Boats contains a picture of a very odd boat made up primarily of what look to be peculiar triangles and spares. I'm not quite sure what's going on in that picture. But while the illustrations in this title don't have the realism of, say, Dan Burr's work on the book Pirates, in this context and within this format they are nine times out of ten an ideal match.
Jane Yolen makes admirable work of immoral women. I don't know how your female pirate section of the library is looking these days, but mine's a tad skimpy. Backing up her sources all the way, Ms. Yolen's words coupled with Ms. Pratt's pretty pics render this a very readable, visually informative and fun piece of informational... uh... info. If you've a gal or two (or even a guy for that matter) prone to thwacking seafarers (read: siblings) with swords of their own making, perhaps a bit of female piratical knowledge is just what the doctor ordered. A glimpse into a world that will have you wanting more. Arrrrr!』 『Throughout the ages, women from all classes and walks of life turned to pirating out of necessity, desperation, or greed. Acclaimed author Jane Yolen examines the contradictions of these bold women's lives and times. Meet Artemisia, the admiral-queen of Persia in 500 BC; Grania O'Malley, the Irish "pirate queen" who challenged Queen Elizabeth I's British ships; Madame Ching, who sailed the South China Sea in the early 1800s; and then other female pirates on their ships, in battle, and in disguise.』
Kakaku：130 saved$1.30
Kensington
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (Laughing out loud) 『This was the first Jennifer Coburn book I've read, and I really liked it. It took me on so many twists and turns, each one wilder and funnier than the next. The characters are completely odd but very likeable. I actually laughed out loud during a lot of it, which I hardly ever do (unless I'm reading Dave Barry, in which case I usually shoot coffee out my nose).』
(Funny and Fresh) 『Queen Gene follows Coburn's earlier book, Tales from the Crib. Although it shares some of the main characters introduced in Tales from the Crib, it really stands on its own merits. In both books, Jennifer Coburn deftly combines hilarious satire and witty social commentary with poignant and touching moments.
I read a wide range of books (mostly stolen from my wife's bedside table). These include Chick Lit like Sushi for Beginners (Marian Keyes) and Tara Road (Maeve Binchey) and "book club" books like 19 minutes (Jody Picoult). Left to my own devices, I tend toward comic novelists like Dave Barry and Carl Hiaasen.
The Queen Gene appealed to me in several ways. Jennifer Coburn made me laugh at the antics of her outrageous characters (a tiny dog and an elderly Aunt were my favorites). And yet, the main characters (Lucy, Jack, and a cast of supporting family and friends) are very human and appealing. Although this book does not tackle deeply disturbing topics like the school shootings in 19 minutes, it does tap into some deeper themes about love, acceptance, and even (in a very light way) death.
I really enjoyed the Queen Gene and I look forward to reading more of Coburn's novels. 』
(Another Disappointment) 『I've read other Jennifer Coburn books and been sorely disappointed, but I decided to give this one a chance because everyone raves about her as though she is a great author. Obviously a mistake and a waste of money. This book had no plot - none at all. A pushy, self-centered, drama-queen mother does not make for a plot. I had to force myself to finish this book (which I only did because I was on vacation and did not have other readily available options), and when I did, I was kicking myself for buying it. If you want to read a plot-less book with yet again, unlikeable characters, then this is the book for you. Otherwise, I'd recommend one of the other, better chick lit authors such as Meg Cabot, Jennifer Weiner, Jane Green, Marian Keyes, etc... Really just about anyone.』
(I didn't love this...) 『I am usually a fan of Jennifer Coburn - and read The Queen Gene last weekend. It is a fast read, like her others - but not so funny or clever.
Skip this one. There is better stuff out there to read during your precious free time.』
(Easily my favorite Jennifer Coburn book) 『This my second Jennifer Coburn book and, in my opinion, the best so far. The characters are great (Anjoli being my personal favorite), the dialogue funny and the story line engaging. I liked the characters so much, "Tales from the Crib" will be my next read.』
Kakaku：279 saved$2.79
Editions Didier Millet
Not yet published 『A wonderful collection of stories, essays, and articles that explore the unique people, places, and legends of Asia. This superb collection of essays and articles takes readers on an exotic exploration of the unique cultures, places, people, and legends of Asia and beyond. In "The Sultan and the Mermaid Queen" readers will meet the last elephant hunter of Vietnam - who has reached Michael Jordan-like celebrity status through very Asian-accented product endorsement; learn how Alfred Wallace Russell, a 19th Century British naturalist, has a better claim to the theory of natural selection than Charles Darwin; discover a homeless man in Hawaii who has the resume to prove he's the real last Emperor of China; discover how to bargain for good luck on the Philippines 'amulet island'; and hear the Sultan of Yogyakarta talk about his love affair with the Mermaid Queen.』 fetish『 The Fourth Queen 』
Mark Miller
IPhone 3G used's review (Warrior Queens: The Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth in World War II) 『A very well written and researched book. Not only does the author tell the story of the two Queens in WWII. He also gives a nice history of trans-Atlantic shipping up to the point of the Queens construction and to the war. During the war years he tells of the Queen contribution to the war effort and also paints a good over all picture of the war so you can better understand their roll in it. This book is a great addition and read for those who have an interest in this subject.』
(I was there) 『I liked the way Butler filled in the history of the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth.He also told a very good clear picture of life we lived aboard ship. On page 92 second phargaph tells of a March 1945 crossing . I was on that passage and well remember hearing the depth charges explodimg.I still have my white tag and cabin with number on D deck.To verify my memory I checked my discharge and called our coplit yes he remembered hearing the depth charges. This tolded of the vital roll these two great ships played in winning of the war.Many of these things where new to me and I was there.』
(Great story about two great ships) 『Most people will know of the Queen Mary and the Queen Elizabeth as a couple of old cruise liners -- many may have stayed at the Hotel Queen Mary in the ship's now permanent home in the waters of California. For a brief time, these ships were converted to military use in World War II to transport troops. On one occasion, the Queen Mary hit the British light cruiser HMS Curacoa, causing the ship to sink with the loss of hundreds of allied soldiers.
Daniel Butler is a great historian and storyteller and he makes the wartime history of these two ships come alive. He doesn't start with the day the decision was made to use these cruise ships for military use. He sets the stage and gives the readers an understanding of the years leading to World War II -- not only giving a political and military background, but also telling us what was happening in the shipping industry that led to the construction of these two ships.
To me the two most interesting parts of the book came when Butler tells about the most significant event of the Queen Mary's tour of duty (when the Curacoa was cut in two by her), and the most mundane (what it was like for a soldier to be transported on one of the Queens). If there is a weakness, it was here. I wish he could have had more first hand accounts from the surviving veterans who had crossed the ocean on their way to war. But of course, there are fewer and fewer such survivors still with us. Butler wrote this book just in time.』
『Converted from luxury liners to troopships at the outset of World War II, the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth logged over a million nautical miles and carried more than a million military personnel. Drawing from both published sources and Cunard's official archives, the archives and records of the British Admiralty and the U.S. Navy, and the firsthand recollections of soldiers, seamen, and war brides, author Daniel Allen Butler brings this unique aspect of World War II history to life by recounting the histories of the two Queens along with the stories of the soldiers and sailors who served or sailed on them.』
大満足！北国のホタテ・いくら・ボタンエビがぎっしり！
