2 comments about From Arctic Snow to Dust of Normandy.

1. This book was hard as hell to get a hold of. The copy my Mom found (it was for Christmas) was a UK print that had once been part of a UK library's holdings that was later released for sale.
   
   What makes the book itself valuable is the man's perspective. When he rescues his mother from his boat during massive swells on the ocean that threatened to capsized it, she responds with a tepid, "Hmm, I thought the boat was moving a little bit more than usual."
   
   What I want you, the reader of this review, to understand is that Patrick takes after his mother. He is such a proper and modest... so British, really... but coupled with an absolute unawareness of fear. He discovers that things that terrify normal folks, such as being shot at or jumping out of airplanes, he rather enjoys. And it seems to me that these are not so much exhilarating for him, but rather it's the kind of enjoyment a normal person might get out of a good spot of tea at 4PM.
   
   The book is written this way, with so much modesty and fearlessness, such that I found myself having to read between the lines to understand just exactly the magnitude of the feats he was pulling off. The tales are far more exciting when written by others, as given in the Foreword and Afterword. The man spent the end years of the war racing ahead of the battle lines into No-Man's Land with his troops, being shot at by German soldiers defending their home territory, and not suffering even one wounded soldier in the bunch. He evacuated the entire city of Narvik from imminent bombing, facing enthusiastic opposition not just from Germans but from his own command.
   
   His observations on the Allied forces remind me of a quote from Patton, when after a particularly atrocious loss for the Allies, a German reviewing the reports says, "British command and American troops... the worst of everything!" The details of Job's account support that summary, particularly in regard to the British command's blissful ignorance of the realities of war and the way that American bombers, more so than others, don't seem to be too concerned about where their bombs fall.
   
   But the most important thing about him is how he deals with people. This is a man who is genuinely interested and concerned with the well-being of other people. I can't remember a passage where he dwelt on his discomfort, or even mentioned it other than to describe a situation; on the other hand, he goes on at great length about the sufferings of others. He finds others far more interesting than himself. And this, as any devotee of Dale Carnegie knows, is the key to Winning Friends and Influencing People. You can see why he was successful; he had allies and friends everywhere, who would get caught up in whatever he was doing and assist him, because of his concern for their own well-being. You even see it at the end with the respect and concern he has for German soldiers. So when he does insult a man, the weight of the insult is all the greater. And for Ian Fleming himself, I would say he damns Ian's character with faint praise.
   
   One warning. Job quotes a French soldier and a German sign without benefit of translation, and his exploits on the Mary Fortune are given without any glossary or explanation of sailing jargon. You'll probably want to keep a dictionary and/or BabelFish handy to look these up.
   
   So above all, this isn't a book to read for breathless tales of derring-do; this is a book to see the world from an unusual point of view. The tales of derring-do are there and in great number, but no big deal is made of them, because to Job, there's no big deal to be made.



2. Patrick Dalzel-Job served under Ian Flemming during WWII and is said to be the inspiration for James Bond.

   Patrick passed away today (Oct 15, 2003) and in his obit, Yahoo news recounts:

   "Dalzel-Job's real life adventures certainly read like a James Bond novel. In one of most daring exploits in 1940, he disobeyed orders to rescue all the women, children and elderly residents from the Norwegian town of Narvik in local boats just before it was destroyed in a German bombing raid.

   "He only avoided a court martial after the King of Norway sent his personal thanks and awarded him the Knight's Cross of St Olav. Later in the war he commanded a team in one Fleming's undercover units which worked far ahead of allied lines in France and Germany."

5 comments about Nothing Is Impossible: Reflections on a New Life (Windsor Selection).

1. Christopher Reeves will continue to be an inspirtion to all of us, and will influence other genertions with his insight, and courge, of trying to make the public more aware of Spinal Cord Injuries.
   He was indeed, a 'real Superman!'
   God Bless his family for allowing us all to know him better.
   Fran & Dean Johnson



2. I just reread this book, and it brought back how much I admired Mr. Reeve and his bride. I really think this should be required reading to anyone that has had a spinal injury, or an amputation, just to show them that they are NOT the first to feel all these negitive feelings.
   
   A wonderful tribute to the Reeves in general.



3. In this little book, Christopher Reeve principally seeks to show the value of hope. He talks about the surprising progress he made in recovering as a quadriplegic after a terrible accident. (Long after doctors believed recovery was possible, Reeve began to show improved movement.) He also talks at length about the politicization of stem cell research and how that has likely stymied further progress on relieving many human disabilities. Despite his clear feelings on the issue, Reeve is sympathetic to people with deep religious reasons for opposing stem cell research, just not those who do so as political posturing.
   
   Along the way, Reeve talks about his brush with Scientology (a fascinating glimpse of a religion that's been so much in the news), his other religious searchings, his initial thoughts of ending his life after his accident, how he and his family have dealt with his quadriplegia, and his work as an advocate for health research.
   
   This is a quick and enjoyable read. Reeve's insights on the nature and role of hope will be strengthening to people who struggle with any of a range of issues from physical to emotional to spiritual. Reeve himself reads the unabridged audio CD version; I recommend it.



4. I picked up this book at my school's library and started glancing through it. It's possibly one of the most motivational and inspirational books I've seen! Reeve recounts all of his trials and how he learned to function again. Throughout it all, he stayed strong with his wife Dana, who supported him through everything. A must read!



5. Christopher Reeve died almost 3 months ago i am researching him and he fell off the horse and still survived and even though he was real hurt alot he cared of other people he was a good athlete and especially actor.He was a huge survivor.
   In Memoriam,
   Christopher Reeve

5 comments about Never Suck a Dead Man's Hand: Curious Adventures of a CSI (Thorndike Large Print Crime Scene).

1. This was a fast read for me because of the subject. I was transfixed as each story was told. I only wish she'd recorded even more experiences. These tales will stay with me forever and I highly recommend this book.



2. This woman is quite adorable. I found myself surprised at how, even though I picked the book up because I like crime nonfiction, I found it wasn't really a story about crime work at all. Some of the stories were very amusing but the deeper understanding I carried away was what a funny life it is. I greatly enjoyed the story of her parent's reaction to her crime stories and them not wanting to visit her work. I enjoyed the stories about her getting quite a rude introduction to being a crime worker who isn't a police officer and I loved the story of her sneaking home to take care of her dogs and accidentally pressing the panic button that allowed the whole department to hear her dog cooing. If you are looking for a hardcore crime solving book then this might be a little soft for you. If you're looking for a story of how ridiculous the actuality of crime is through the eyes of a quirky young mom then this is probably right up your alley.



3. Dana Kollman is hilarious, and very to the point. True forensics is nothing like it is on TV. Please read this if you are considering! Stories can be somewhat nauseating, don't read during dinner like I did.



4. I LOVED every part of this book. It's fantastically written and incredibly entertaining from start to finish. She has a way with words and is an excellent story teller! She was also my Forensics Professor at Towson University, so I may be a bit biased but I still think that this is probably one of the most entertaining books I've read in a long time.



5. Irreverent (only because we attach such hushed tones to death) and extremely informative for those of us who have only learned about death's aftermath from CSI, Ms. Kollman's book resonates with the writer's personality. It is to be hoped that the relatives and friends of the deceaseds mentioned in the book do not take umbrage with the light-hearted style of Never Suck A Dead Man's Hand. Once or twice I thought the humor was carefully cultured. This is a really useful handbook for writers, beginner CSI operatives or even those who simply like learning about the technical difficulties of collecting evidence from the dead.

No comments about Catherine Cookson.

5 comments about Jane Austen (Camden).

1. Carol Shields' 2005 "Jane Austen: A Life" is a short read at under two hundred pages, but her economical writing style packs an intriguing biography of Jane Austen into those few pages. Shields examines the limited biographical material on Austen from the perspective of a successful fellow writer. Her narrative tracks in parallel the known events of Austen's life and the composition of her novels. Inevitably, Shields must fill in the limited record with informed speculation; the result is an enjoyable and thought-provoking book.
   
   Shields finds that Jane Austen, like many writers, depended on continuity and security in her personal routine to enable her creative skills. Shields thus explains the decline in literary output beginning with the move of Jane's parents to the city of Bath from her childhood home and ending only when Jane and her sister and mother finally settled into Chawton House nine years later.
   
   Shields delves into Jane's family relationships, suggesting that her relationship with her mother was an awkward one. Shields also puts more shades of nuance into Jane's intense relationship with her sister Cassandra than is found in most biographies. We tend to see Cassandra now as an appendage to Jane's story, but Shields suggests the reverse may have been true for much of Jane's life.
   
   Contrary to the family biographies, Shields finds that Jane Austen knew much disappointment in her life. She was unlucky in love. She failed to marry, and never had her own home and family. Her failure to marry also doomed her to a life of genteel poverty as an adult, and an unhappy status as a poor relation within her extended family. Validation of her writing skills in the form of publication came late. The result, Shields surmises, was a woman who was sometimes bitter, feelings not entirely masked by the ferocious weeding of her correspondence at her death.
   
   Shields provides brief but insightful commentary on the men who had a romantic interest in Jane Austen, including Tom LeFroy, Samuel Blackall, and Harris Bigg-Wither. She is frankly skeptical of the story told by Jane's sister Cassandra about a seaside romance with an unnamed young man in either 1801 or 1802.
   
   Shields' narrative notes Jane's evolving writing skills throughout her life. Her status as an innovator in the genre of the novel, still new in Jane's day, is documented, as is her ability to artfully capture some truths about the world in which she lived and so acutely observed.
   
   "Jane Austen: A Life" is very highly recommended to fans of Jane Austen as a short but fascinating read from the point of view of another author.



2. Jane Austen: A Life by Carol Shields is a brief yet comprehensive biography of Jane Austen's life. It is written in a simple and engaging style which few readers will find any difficulty in reading. Not unfamiliar with Jane Austen, I occasionally found myself in slight disagreement with some of the author's conclusions, but overall, I was surprised and pleased by the quantity of information presented in such a clear and concise manner. Carol Shields touches on the major events of Jane Austen's life and uses these events to shed a little light on each of Jane Austen's novels as well as her minor works and some of her juvenilia. I would recommend Jane Austen: A Life by Carol Shields to anyone looking for a non-intimidating introductory biography about Jane Austen.



3. I decided to read Carol Shields' biography "Jane Austen" for two reasons: first, because I knew about and admired the biographer; and second, because I hoped that reading a biography about Jane Austen would help me better comprehend and appreciate her novels. Don't get me wrong; I enjoy reading Jane Austen. I am just not as crazy about her as many bright, highly educated women I know. When I heard that Carol Shields, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "The Stone Diaries" had written a highly acclaimed biography of Austen, I jumped at the chance to reeducate myself.
   
   In the beginning Shields asks many questions. "How does art emerge? How does art come from common clay, in this case a vicar's self-educated daughter, all but buried in rural Hampshire? Who was she really? And who exactly is her art designed to please? One person? Two or three? Or an immense, wide, and unknown audience that buzzes with an altered frequency through changing generations, its impact subtly augmented in the light of newly evolved tastes and values?" (p. 5-6) Throughout the biography, Shields does an amazingly delightful and scholarly job of exploring these themes. In the end, she states: "What is known of Jane Austen's life will never be enough to account for the greatness of her novels, but the point of literary biography is to throw light on a writer's works, rather than combing the works to re-create the author." (p.175) Obviously, this was Shields' intent, and in this reviewer's estimation, she succeeds completely.
   
   This biography was an absolute joy to read. It is short--under 200 pages. I read it in one sitting, never once feeling that the details overwhelmed. My interest never faded. Now, I find myself thinking about the many vivid characters in Austen's novels and wanting to read them again in a new light.
   
   It has been over twenty years since I last read any of Austen's books, so detailed familiarity with her novels is not a prerequisite to understanding this biography or finding pleasure in its remarkable insights.
   
   Shields is an extraordinary author in her own right. Her prose is clear, articulate, creative, often fun, and always on the mark. It is clear that she has a keen appreciation for Jane Austen's literary style and a deep desire to understand the woman who created these magical works or art. I am enthusiastic after reading this biography and recommend it highly to anyone who wants a better appreciation of Austen, her person, her period, and her novels.



4. Carol Shields' excellent introduction to Jane Austen provides wonderful insight into Jane Austen's life and novels -- and the relationship between them. Notable topics include marriage, family relationships, treatament of "current events", character analysis for the Austen heroines, and several insightful sections regarding Austen's men. One very interesting idea posed was to what extent Austen's life (or any author's) informs and shapes the novels, or how much she kept the two separate, or in fact created an "ideal" life, one she never quite realized. The book covers all of this and more, eloquently, and in less than 200 pages. Shields' love of Austen is evident on every page. Discussions of this nature necessarily contain "spoilers" -- if you haven't read Austen's novels, and want to be surprised, read the novels first, then come back to the biographies. You will finish this particular biography satisfied AND hungry for more, starting with another reading of Austen's novels. The list of sources provides an excellent resource for additional reading on Austen's life. Bravo.



5. Carol Shields has an easy writing style and obviously adores her subject, making this biography a very pleasant read. We get a brief overview of her life, education and living conditions. I was a little disappointed that there was not more (more about her writing habit and more about her relationships with friends and family) - and was a little irritated by the many assumptions made ("she must have felt ..."). Doing a little research later I discovered that there is in fact very little information about Jane Austen.

5 comments about The Story of My Father (Random House Large Print) (Random House Large Print (Paper)).

1. A heart-felt memoir that could only be written by someone who has experienced this painful journey. My mother died of Alzheimer's and this book helped me with my healing. Thank you Sue Miller.



2. Parts of this memoir are very moving..I felt a tug in my heart for my father who is in the throws of Alzheimer's Disease.



3. This is Sue Miller's first nonfiction book about her father, James Nichols, who started showing signs of Alzheimer's disease (AD) well before he was picked up by the police after getting lost while driving his car. That incident, however, proved to be the moment of truth for his family yet Miller explains the tendency to repeatedly deny the disease: "It came and went anyway, and so again and again I was able to argue myself out of acknowledging it." Instances of acceptance are described too as she notes, "I found out there were still things I could learn from him, still things he could teach me, things that helped bring him home in my memory from the faraway land of his disease." Miller describes her father's slow progression through the disease and the resulting transitions from home care to different levels of residential care. She has few compliments for professional caregivers, suggesting that staff and families alike did not know how to care for persons with dementia when her father was diagnosed in 1986.
   
   Miller's sad and pleasant memories in the midst of his decline are placed within the context of her childhood and family of origin. She describes in detail many of the ways that her father's personality shaped her own way of thinking and her career as a writer. She recalls the cruel irony of watching her father, a church historian, wrestle with a disease that chipped away at his own history over a period of eight years. She does not write simply about his AD, for he had a fulfilling life before its onset. His life before and after the onset of his disease are examined as a whole. Miller does not wish to remember her father as a man rendered helpless. She tries to reclaim him as the loving parent he was for most of his long life. Isn't this what every caregiver hopes that others will also see in someone who has changed and lost so many abilities?
   
   Miller passionately reflects on her own struggles that are universal concerns among caregivers. "[T]his is the hardest lesson... for a caregiver: you can never do enough to make a difference in the course of the disease," she writes. "We always find ourselves deficient in devotion.... Did you visit once a week? You might have visited twice. Oh, you visited daily? But perhaps he would have done better if you'd kept him at home. In the end all those judgments, those self-judgments, are pointless." Miller's desire to rescue her father from AD is impossible and in the end, she realizes that he did not need rescuing - his life of faith had prepared him for this experience. This moving memoir takes the reader on an intensely personal journey through a daughter's grief over a series of losses that are part and parcel of AD. Her observational skills and literary talent blend together into a poignant story about the special bond that is tested in the midst of caring for a parent.



4. 3/15/05 Sue Miller's ability to show her father's decline from calm and compassionate to defensive ,often combative[ less selflessness :except in the latter section in the book where his concern in his dillusion that children had died in a fire] which had been no more than a "late night" fire drill at the 'Sutton Hill' Retirement Community Center, is a tribute to her as a biographer and an autobiographer (She speaks in "the 1st person").However, Pgs 149-153 , with 1.her father(Professor James Nichols)'s physician estimate that he has only a couple of weeks or less to live, and 2. with the issue and authorization of "DNR"(Do Not Resuscitate) and 3. with the exit of his physician,(she came to see him no more,leaving the "dying to 'the Hospice Service' and the Nursing Homes'nursing services) ,4.the entrance of "the Hospice Service",5.the morphine injections(less injections than Miller wanted for him) to annihilate the pain which he was apparently experiencing",5.the schedules and manner of feeding food or liquids ,6. the rituals of reading (mostly scriptures) or hymn singing by Miller summarizes this "climax" in only 5 pages while elongating from the second half of Pg 153-171 ,a perspective of her retrospects and thoughts(which makes these ending pages(149-171),more a fine essay than a strong epilogue.



5. Perhaps I am a bit jaded; my father-in-law is in the late stages of dementia, and over the years I have read many books written by relatives who watch over a loved one's decline into this disease.
   
   What Sue Miller adds to this "genre" is the general excellence of her writing. (Miller is well-known as the author of novels such as "The Good Mother.") Thus, "The Story of My Father" rises above the sad story of her father's decline (a story whose outlines will be familiar to many of us) and gives us more, a touching portrait of the man her father was throughout his life.
   
   I did not learn anything new about Alzheimer's from reading this book. But I think most of us read books like this not for the medical facts, but for the sense that we are not alone, that other people have been there, too. If that describes you well, you will find "The Story of My Father" a very sympathetic choice.

No comments about Facing the Music (Charnwood Library).

5 comments about Positively Fifth Street: Murderers, Cheetahs, and Binion's World Series of Poker.

1. I still cant' believe the guy made it to the final table. What an incredible feat. He writes really well too. Great story, well written. Ah, the catch is, this is definitely a GUY book, whatever that mean.



2. An amazing book. Somehow the author is simply telling the story of how he played in the World Series of Poker but also weaves in all of the following:
   
   - Murder
   - Adultery
   - The history of poker
   - The history of cards
   - The history of Las Vegas
   - The mob
   - What constitutes "cheating" on your wife?
   - High ethics
   - Discussions of game theory
   - His own family tree
   
   And just about everything else. All of it in brilliant prose that makes it fascinating.
   
   At the same time he brings you to the poker table and you feel the tension of re-raising TJ Cloutier with the author. I felt sick a few times as the author described playing pocket jacks aggressively.
   
   If you love poker or gambling or marriage or reading or life, read this book.



3. McManus has taken several plot lines of varying interest and wrapped them into one messy book. The real-time WSOP diary part of the book is outstanding--funny, gripping, and a great way to live out every small-time rounder's dream vicariously. It's well worth the price of the book. The rest of it... I wasn't nearly interested enough in McManus as a personality to enjoy the insights into his poker-playing youth, and the coverage of Ted Binion's weird life could have been cut without me missing it.
   
   At half the length, this would have been a positively five star book.



4. For decades, I went to the World Series of Poker as a side-game player and a writer. Like so many, I played mostly and wrote a little. All the writers I met over those years just have to be jealous of James McManus. He played well and made the final table and the big bucks AND he wrote a best-seller about it. I am a poker writer, but I do not pretend to have a fourth of the skills of the eloquent Mr. McManus. He is the Dean of American Poker Writers. England has some fancy wordsmiths. This book is not just for poker players. It would make a great gift for anyone. McManus throws in the saga of Teddy Binion, to boot.
   Johnny HughesTexas Poker Wisdom



5. If you look at the reviews for this book, you'll see a wide range of opinions. From 1-star all the way up to 5-stars. I believe the reason for the wide range is because the book cover and descriptions (including the back) fails to manage the reader's expectations. Similar to many other reviewers, I expected a book 100% about poker and related topics. However, it's really 60% about Ted Binion's murder, and 40% about poker. I did realize that Binion's murder was a topic in the book, but I though it was just a backdrop for the poker story. The murder almost dominates the book. If I had that 60/40 expectation I think I would've enjoyed the book more. So i penalize it 1 star because it didn't meet my expectations. I also subtract 1 more star because the author goes off-topic way too often. Other reviewers rant on how off-topic the book goes, so i don't need to again. 3 stars.

No comments about Viva El Vet!: From the Animal Hospital to a Colombian Practice (Charnwood Large Print).

No comments about Eight Bells and Top Masts : Diaries from a Tramp Steamer.