Kakaku：730 saved$7.30
Scholastic Hippo
Usually ships in 2 to 4 weeks IPhone 3G used's review (Great way to learn about Mary Q. O. S.) 『Even though this book is chaneled to a younger audience it is still very entertaining and educational for older children. The comics were great, and I really enjoyed reading this book.』
(Terrific read.) 『This has intersting facts about Mary, Queen of Scots. Like the other Dead Famous books, this includes cartoons too adding to the fun of reading. Children would love this book and likely become interested in Mary and her world. Mary did not have a very good end though. For nineteen years (!) she was imprisoned in various castles before meeting a very gory end. I recommend this in addition to Elizabeth I and her conquests.』 『Mary Queen of Scots is dead famous for: having terrible taste in husbands, rotting away in Liz 1's prison and, totally losing her head - on the chopping block. But have you heard that Mary: was a six-foot stunner who had a charmed childhood, got kidnapped by a murderous lord - and married him, managed to give her executioner a fright or two? Even though she's dead, Mary's still full of surprises. Now you can get the inside story with Mary's secret diary, read all about it in The Scottish Herald, and discover some Prickly Thistle Facts about the Scottish Queen and her hopeless husbands.』
Kakaku：1249 saved$12.49
Ellora's Cave
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (*SHORT AND SWEET*) 『I really enjoyed this book. I am always looking for short stories when traveling or hanging at the beach. That way I can finish a story and not be aching until I get a chance to pick it up again...kids, they really get in the way! Three great stories! I found in all three there was a tenderness to the story with great steam and HEAT! Highly recommend this book. Hope this helps!』
Kakaku：699 saved$6.99
Del Rey
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (Hambly shows she can think around corners . . .) 『Where the original Dragonsbane was a far more traditional novel of fantasy, Knight of the Demon Queen has blazed a new path in fantasy AND science fiction in general. Her world in these books has become even darker, and introduces a new environment we never expected to stumble upon reading a series originally based on dragons.
My love of Aohila continues in this book, along with the demon Amayon. Like I observed in the previous review of Dragonshadow, Morkeleb continues to be less significant, but hambly has built such a rich world since the original book we can allow this.
Is the book dark? Yes. Is it innovative? Yes. Worth reading? Yes . . . but be sure to have a copy of Dragonstar close by.』
(Knight of the Demon Queen) 『This is among my favorite fantasy novels. Ever.
It does what I want speculative fiction to do: walk over edges. Yes, the characters are tortured. Yes, a happy ending is not (in this volume of the series) apparent. But this is not a nihilist book: always, in the background, we know that love and loyalty have importance to Hambly's universe. And the grit, the horror, provides a wonderful anecdote to all that Pollyannaish pap that's out there on the shelves.
In addition, Hambly's background as a historian gives her the skills to write wonderfully grounded, believeable fiction. Her worlds work, from ecology to economy. Don't miss this one.』
(Hopeless Endings) 『Barbara Hambly has a gritty style that I adore. Even this book's dreary Hell of Walls techno-world is an interesting addition and commentary on our lives. Her characters, John and Jenny, are regular people just trying to do the right thing in impossibly difficult situations. I admire their courage, their sense of humor, their will to do the right thing. I found myself swept up in their adventure and wanting to help.
But at the end of Knight of the Demon Queen, Hambly leaves those characters in hopeless situations. I wish I had known there was another book in the series before I finished this one. As it was, this book left me horribly depressed and feeling it was a mistake to read it.』
(Warning...) 『This book is really, really dark. And, as the editorial review notes, it ends in the middle of the story, with the main characters in a really bad spot. Still, it's a great story. And fortunately the conclusion of the series ("Dragonstar") has just been released. Might as well save yourself some agony and get both at the same time.』
(Where's the love??) 『I started the series in the middle, with Dragonshadow, and absolutely loved it. It was dark and powerful, not a predictable fantasy tale where everything works out sickeningly (and unbelievably) perfect. I found Dragonsbane a little lacking, but still quite impressive. Knight of the Demon Queen, however, made me furious. At the dismal ending of this dismal novel, I got the feeling that something terrible happened to the author, and she was taking it out on her characters. Although I did enjoy the cyberpunk world at moments, overall, this novel should not have been written, unless Dragonstar is somehow able to make it all worth it... Good luck...!』 『Once the most powerful mage in the land, Jenny Waynest is now a broken woman. After being possessed and corrupted by the demon Amayon, she lost everything she holds dear--even the trust of her husband. Yet Lord John Aversin has torments of his own: memories of the beautiful and cruel Aohila, demon queen of a rival hell, whom he'd tricked into providing the help he needed to free Jenny. Now, condemned to death for trafficking with demons, John cannot forgive himself for opening the door to a far greater evil--an evil that still haunts his dreams. And not only his dreams . . .
For a vengeful Aohila needs mortal aid in realms beyond her power, and who better to provide it than Lord John? Blackmailed into cooperating, John must fight his way through unimaginable horrors in quest of a prize that may doom the world he has left behind . . .』
Kakaku：1316 saved$13.16
Piatkus Books
Usually ships in 2 to 4 weeks IPhone 3G used's review (A good present for the people who adored scandals) 『A cheap book full of dirty gossips about Freddie Mercury and lot of mistakes. Nothing new, only old stories from tabloid newspapers and previously released books. A great Christmas present for Queen fans who enjoy scandalous image of Queen and their lead singer.』 『With a career spanning three decades and album sales topping 150 million worldwide, they continue to fascinate fans and music lovers with their stories of legendary parties, outrageous lifestyles, turbulent affairs and outstanding musical achievements. Queen: The definitive biography is a comprehensive history of this important band. Laura Jackson has carried out exclusive interviews with members of Queen, many of their close friends, and several of the world's leading rock musicians including Sir Cliff Richard, Richie Sambora, Gary Glitter, John Peel, Malcolm McLaren, Bruce Dickenson, Peter Stringfellow, Richard Branson, Trevor Francis and Nigel Planer. She turns the spotlight onto the private lives, professional struggles and personal triumphs of all four band members, from Freddie Mercury's reckless affairs and flamboyantly gay lifestyle to the intensely private bass player John Deacon, and from Brian May's emotional excesses to Roger Taylor's sexual scandals. Laura Jackson includes a frank and compelling account of Mercury's illness and eventual death from AIDS and examines the impact this had on his friends and family and what it meant for the band.』
Kakaku：505 saved$5.05
Alluvium Books
Usually ships in 24 hours 『Marie Etienne's first memoir, STORKBITES, was praised by the San Francisco Chronicle Book Review as a compelling memoir . . . Etienne's writing is fresh; her epiphany is clear, her ending is powerful and satisfying. Now she returns with a collection of outrageous true stories that are fast-paced, heartfelt, and brutally honest.
CONFESSIONS OF A BI-POLAR MARDI GRAS QUEEN is filled with thematically connected stories that swing between hilarity and devastation. One of nine children growing up in a well-to-do family in Southern Louisiana, Marie Etienne spent decades risking everything in her search for happiness, sanity, and love. As an adult, her increasingly erratic behavior mirrored the drama of her upbringing and took its toll on her two sons.
At 43, recently diagnosed as bi-polar and on the brink of suicide, her last-ditch hope was to come to terms with her deep-rooted feelings of fear, shame, and resentment by facing head-on who she really was, who she wanted to be, and what she was willing to do to make her life worth living.
Kakaku：599 saved$5.99
Laurel Leaf
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (Really Enjoyed it!) 『This is a good book. You really feel like you know the main character. Almost as if she's your friend. After I read this book I picked up this author's second book, Queen B, but haven't finished it yet. I also picked up another book, Alpha Dog by Jennifer Ziegler, to read during the summer and thought it was great. It's another book about a girl who feels she's never quite good enough.』
(No second place for this book ---- it rocks!) 『Although a little slow at the beginning, Queen of Second Place has become my favorite book. I can totally relate to Cassie; my mom, after reading it told me that she could imagine me saying some of the things that Cassie said. I especially loved the part about how everyone's talent helped Cassie (almost) become Snow Queen. Fitz was hilarious! Overall, a GREAT, easy read.』
(Courtesy of Teens Read Too) 『There's just something about reading stories that you can relate to that make them a joy to read. As someone who grew up feeling like her own version of THE QUEEN OF SECOND PLACE, relating to Cassie Howard was easy. She's pretty, she has friends, she's been on a date or two, she gets good grades--etc., etc., etc. But for Cassie, being a second-bester isn't good enough. She's looking for A-List status, for the admiration of her peers and, maybe more importantly, for her own self-worth.
When she falls in love at first sight--yet again--with the new boy who has transferred to her school, Cassie knows that sophomore year will never be the same. She's determined that this time, for once, she'll be the one coming out on top, at least where Kevin Matthews is concerned. But no sooner does Cassie catch Kevin's attention than her nemesis, Sterling "Fourteen-Karat" Carter, moves in for the kill.
Throughout the story, it's never quite clear if Sterling is as unabashedly vicious as she is out of jealousy or just pure spite. When she learns of Cassie's interest in Kevin, Sterling is, of course, even more interested in landing him as her boyfriend. As Cassie becomes more and more desperate to gain the first place position in this one thing, more important than any that has come before it, her values and morals somehow fall by the wayside. Suddenly she's driving a car without a license, she's plagiarizing parts of a one-act play, she's ditching her friends to work out yet another scheme to get Kevin to notice her.
As Cassie's plans backfire and even second place seems a long way away, it's up to her to realize that people might actually have more than one talent. As her self-assurance and self-confidence both take a tumble and grow as never before, Cassie might just learn that second place doesn't always mean losing, and that good things do come to those who wait.
THE QUEEN OF SECOND PLACE is a thoroughly entertaining, enjoyable read. True to life characters and engaging dialogue make this book a winner, and, if you're like me, you'll be looking forward to reading more about Cassie and her high-school adventures in Queen B, scheduled for release in July 2006.』
(Just for the joy of reading) 『Sophomore Cassie Howard is used to being second place. She has been her whole life. When Cassie meets Kevin Matthews, the new boy, in her sophomore Honors English class, she vows that she will come in first this time. But when her school nemesis, Sterling Carter, decides to move in on her crush first, Cassie decides to take action. Cheating on school assignments, taking her father's car without permission, and betraying her friends all to try and win the attention of Kevin. Sterling, a.k.a. Fourteen-Karat, is of course one of those perfect girls that everyone wants to be best friend of and secretly despises. Through her desperate schemes, Cassie ends up making a mess of everything-including losing her best friends along the way. Will the queen of second place finally win what she wants most? As Cassie tries to solve the problems she created, she learns the meaning of real friends, her own capabilities, as well as self-confidence.
The Queen of Second Place by Laura Peyton Roberts is a great book to read on a rainy day. Although the plot is clichéd and Cassie's antics are not surprising, Roberts makes the novel enjoyable through her creative writing. Even though the reader can predict exactly what will happen next, there's still something in this novel that makes the reader want to read on. If you're the person that enjoys a pointless novel just for the joy of reading, then this is the book for you.
Reviewed by a student reviewer for Flamingnet Book Reviews www.flamingnet.com Preteen, teen, and young adult book reviews and recommendations 』
(Hilarious Fun That Will Keep You Reading Through the Night...) 『Cassie Howard is used to be second best. Ever since she was a small child, she has never been number one. Nope, she's always come just shy of holding the title of numero uno, and has always fallen into number two. And, lets face it, after years of riding someone else's coattails, Cassie plans on being number one at something. Something good. But with Sterling Carter, that dream seems near impossible to ever reach. Sterling Carter is perfect, from her glamorous tresses, right down to her pedicured toes. Sterling has never been second place in anything, which is why Cassie knows that her new endeavor will land her behind Sterling, once again. You see, Cassie and Sterling are both vying for the attentions of the same guy: Kevin Matthews, and while Sterling will do anything sneaky and underhanded to win his love, Cassie is about to take a trip down clueless lane, that is sure to teach her never to try and beat Sterling at her own game.
Laura Peyton Roberts has done an amazing job with THE QUEEN OF SECOND PLACE. Following closely in Meg Cabot's footsteps, Roberts' Cassie could easily be the step-sister of Cabot's Princess Mia. Cassie's story is told in a batch of useless essays written during her stint in detention, and narrated by Cassie herself, who brings readers through a tale of a twisted love affair, a boy who can halt any line - be it the lunch line, or the line at the movies - a girl who rips out the tags from her jeans so no one knows what size she truly is, and a guy who can find a perfect parking spot at the drop of a hat. Hilarious fun. Reading about the highs and lows Cassie encounters each day will make you as giddy as two shots of espresso!
Erika Sorocco Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper』 『No matter how hard she tries, Cassie is always second best—in school, in life, and especially in love. And lately, Sterling Carter is always one pedicured step ahead of her. Cassie is used to it. Mostly. The problem is, right now she and Sterling both want Kevin Matthews. He’s only the hottest new student ever to grace their high school halls. And forthe record, Cassie saw him first. But, naturally, Sterling wants him. So Cassie might as well just give up now.
Except who says Cassie can’t have an equal chance too? Just because she’s been in second place all her life doesn’t mean things can’t change. . . .
IPhone 3G used's review (Mammoth disappointment) 『I couldn't agree more with the one-star review from Sept. 2001. From a quick glance in a store, I was impressed by the book's apparent scope; once I owned it I could see, based on a good general knowledge of British royal history, how poor, undocumented, and second-hand the information was. Ashley gives roughly the same weight to legends as to actual historical figures: perhaps not surprising, now that I find he's published many other "Mammoth" books of fantasy literature but nothing else dealing with historical facts. It's hard to imagine that anyone involved in publishing or marketing it understood that scholarship needs to have at least some role in works of this kind. Because I don't believe in trashing books, however sorry their content, I donated my copy to a local book sale. If you care about history, skip this book to avoid a similar disappointment.』
(The most comprehensiveone volume digest of monarchs of the British isles) 『 This is perhaps the most comprehensive one volume digest of British monarchs and spans 2000 years of rulers of England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and smaller kingdoms withing Britain. There are over a thousand entries. It has a section on LEGENDARY OR SEMI-HISTORICAL KINGS OF BRITAIN which includes the possibilities of who the legendary King Arthur was based on, as well as the King Lear we know from the Shakespeare play. In this section he refers to the History by Geoffrey of Monmouth, whom Ashley does not see as a very incredible historian. According to Geoffrey's History the legendary first king of Britain was Brut or Brutus who was supposed to have reigned about 1100 BCE. But Ashley says that although Geoffrey's is almost certainly a creation of his own imagination, there is no reason to disbelieve the concept of tribes of Celts arriving in Britain at this period and one strong leader emerging.
The first likely British king to have been documented is Beli Mwar (circa 100 BCE). It is possible to trace most British and Welsh rulers back to Mweli. Alfred the Great (871-899 CE), the best known of the West Saxon kings earned the epithet of the 'Great' not only because he held the Saxon nation together against the Dane invaders but because he improved the strength, culture and quality of his realm.
The section on kings of England tells us tat King William I The Conqueror or The Bastard, after his conquest of England, marched in 1069 against the rebels under Swein and Edgar. The author tells us that "harrying of the north was the most extreme example of despoiling and genocide that England has ever seen and for which William was never forgiven. He may have conquered them but he never ruled them".
We learn that the facts about Scottish king MacBeth are not reflected at all in Shakespeare's play. As for Richard III, while Shakespeare may have greatly exaggerated his villainy, the facts bare out that he almost certainly did order the murders of the young princes of the tower, as examined in The Princes in the Tower.
This book is a reference work, and can be referred to whenever reading up on British history, or historical fiction. It is also an interesting read in itself. It is crammed with interesting facts such as the existence of the heredidatary disease porphyria which has infected the English royal family for centuries. The Royal Book of Records in this digest is particularly fascinating. Since this book was written current Queen Elizabeth, now 82, has overtaken Queen Victoria and George III (both 81) as the oldest reigning monarch of England or the United Kingdom. If she is still reigning in 2016 she will have overtaken Meurig of Gwent to be the oldest reigning monarch ever on the island of Britain. Since this book was written Elizabeth (Queen since 1952) has overtaken Henry III of England (56 years), James VI of Scotland ( 57 years) and George III 59 years). If Elizabeth is still reigning in 10 September 2015, she will have overtaken Queen Victoria as the longest reigning British monarch. The digest takes us up to the tragic death of Princess Diana in 1997. The monarchy has been in crisis many times before and while today it is going through difficulty one can only hope that such an ancient venerable institution it will survive. It is up to the new generations to help the monarchy find a new place in the affections of the people. 』
(EXCELLENT resource for anyone!) 『Ashley gives us a mini-history of Europe as well as a chronological listing of its monarchs. An invaluable resource for history students as well as genealogists!』
(BEST GENEALOGY BOOK IN PRINT) 『This book contains more Royal genealogy information in one place that you could search for in a lifetime anywhere else. This book is comprehensive and covers a Royal history of thousands of years that includes the ruling dynasties of almost every European country. I have been tracing my Royal ancestors and until I got this book, I was limited. But reading this book revealed not only thousands more names of my great-grandparents, it includes little tid-bits of information that also covers personal tragedies/triumphs, royal reigns and family life. I HIGHLY recommend this book not only as an interseting read, but ESPECIALLY if you are researching Royal ancestors.』
(more for hobby than work) 『First let me state that I love this book. I read it all the time, though I haven't come close to finishing it due to its size.
I love this book because it is interesting. It has every British ruler you can think of piled in there, from the most recent to the semi-mythological ones of bygone days. And this includes the ruling families of those who came to power in Britain. The most obscure rulers are covered.
The book is incredibly well indexed. I can find any ruler easier than it would be to look his name up alphabetically. Even better than that, I don't have to know the name of a ruler to find him. There are charts, graphs, geneological tables, maps, everything.
However, there is one major flaw with this book. As the "Royal Book of Records" in the beginning might suggest, the book might more be considered gossip than fact. The RBoR is fantastic, listining the Top 10 rulers for all sorts of things...strangest deaths, earliest marriages, most kids, you name it. But the whole book kind of takes on this theme.
I would not have known that the book isn't the most reliable of sources if I hadn't gone and tried to use it on my papers for university (Dalriada, Pictland, Vikings, Anglo-Saxons mostly). Which I did, and subsequently got marked off on. Every point that I cited with this book got marked off. But I still can't help loving it.』
『Now in paperback, the most complete record of Britain's kings and queens ever compiled.
In one compendious volume,The Mammoth Book of Kings&Queensoffers the first royal biographical A-Z, its pages lavish in details on all the rulers of kingdoms within the British Isles, together with their wives or consorts, pretenders, usurpers, and regents. Monarchs from Queen Boadicea of the early Britons to Elizabeth II fill these pages, including various tribal and Saxon rulers prior to 1066, the semi-legendary figures of the Dark Ages, and all those who helped to forge the kingdom of Great Britain.
Author Mike Ashley presents in chronological order all the kings and queens of Britain as well as other powerful nobles and dignitaries; he includes, too, genealogies showing the family descent of all the leading royal families as a further bonus. His resulting superb and authoritative one-volume reference is now available in an affordably priced Trade Paper edition.』
大満足！北国のホタテ・いくら・ボタンエビがぎっしり！
