Amazon.com
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni made an indelible impression on the literary world with her first novel, The Mistress of Spices, a magical tale of love and herbs. Sister of My Heart is less reliant on enchantment but no less enchanting as it tells the tale of two cousins born on the same day, their premature births brought on by a mysterious occurrence that claims the lives of both their fathers. Sudha is beautiful, Anju is not; yet the girls love each other as sisters, the bond between them so strong it seems nothing can break it. When both are pushed into arranged marriages, however, each discovers a devastating secret that changes their relationship forever.
Sister of My Heart spans many years and zigzags between India and America as the cousins first grow apart and then eventually reunite. Divakaruni invests this domestic drama with poetry as she traces her heroines' lives from infancy to motherhood, but it is Sudha and Anju who give the story its backbone. Anju might speak for both when she says, "In spite of all my insecurities, in spite of the oceans that'll be between us soon and the men that are between us already, I can never stop loving Sudha. It's my habit, and it's my fate." Book lovers may well discover that reading Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is habit-forming as well. --Margaret Prior
Book Description
From the award-winning author of
Mistress of Spices, the bestselling novel about the extraordinary bond between two women, and the family secrets and romantic jealousies that threaten to tear them apart.
Anju is the daughter of an upper-caste Calcutta family of distinction. Her cousin Sudha is the daughter of the black sheep of that same family. Sudha is startlingly beautiful; Anju is not. Despite those differences, since the day on which the two girls were born, the same day their fathers died--mysteriously and violently--Sudha and Anju have been sisters of the heart. Bonded in ways even their mothers cannot comprehend, the two girls grow into womanhood as if their fates as well as their hearts were merged.
But, when Sudha learns a dark family secret, that connection is shattered. For the first time in their lives, the girls know what it is to feel suspicion and distrust. Urged into arranged marriages, Sudha and Anju's lives take opposite turns. Sudha becomes the dutiful daughter-in-law of a rigid small-town household. Anju goes to America with her new husband and learns to live her own life of secrets. When tragedy strikes each of them, however, they discover that despite distance and marriage, they have only each other to turn to.
Set in the two worlds of San Francisco and India, this exceptionally moving novel tells a story at once familiar and exotic, seducing readers from the first page with the lush prose we have come to expect from Divakaruni.
Sister of My Heart is a novel destined to become as widely beloved as it is acclaimed.
Customer Reviews:
Just don't stop reading.......2007-04-17
It took me a while, the first 100 pages to really get into this book. But, at that point, it got so good, that I couldn't wait to finish it. I think it is really hard to write a book that will draw tears, but this book was so touching, I just couple hold back. The relationships were so real, and I loved how she centered the book around Indian culture, which I know very little about. Highly recommended.
I just bought this book for my mom!.......2007-03-24
I could not put this book down once I started reading it! I now am obsessed with reading everything else by Divakaruni! Her work is beautiful and emotionally satisfying--not your typical "chick lit"!
Another original, heartwarming read from Divakaruni.......2007-01-04
Sudha and Anju are cousins born on the same day - they are as close as the closest of sisters and the best of friends.
Set against a background of tales, traditions and customs of India, `Sister of my Heart' lets us get a glimpse into Indian culture, but as with `Mistress of Spices' it's the author's obvious love for each of her characters that makes this book really shine.
This is a heartwarming, unusual and beautifully written story and I'd definitely recommend taking the time to read it.
Not the best but a very good read.......2006-12-27
Easy & captivating read. Lives of two "sisters" interweaving through life kept me reading to the end although I could see some of the twists coming. Glad everything was left tidy at the end. Enjoyed the ride through Indian culture, myths & stories. I definitely recommend it!
a really good bad drug.......2006-10-31
This book is like a really good bad drug. The characters are never what they seem: one moment, you're happy and moved by one. The next moment, it's as if a rug has been pulled out from under you because that same character has transmorphed. In this book, Divakaruni artfully strings together beads of heartbreaks and joys. One moment, it's as if you will never recover from a heartbreak. The next moment, some happy event comes along. Then, when you're on the brink of fully healing, another heartbreak--more poignant than the last one--takes you by surprise.
The only thing I did not like about the book is that it's such a distraction from whatever work or chore, I need to be doing instead of reading.
Average customer rating:
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So dear to my heart (Harlequin romance)
Susan Barrie
Manufacturer: harlequin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
 General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
| Classics
| Comic
| Contemporary
| Literary
ASIN: B0007KG81S |
Book Description
Straight from the heart of #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts--a trade paperback collection of three of her favorite novels.
With over 85 million copies of her books in print, #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts is one of the most prolific and popular writers of our time. Now, three of her favorite novels--Tonight and Always, A Matter of Choice, and Endings and Beginnings--are collected in a beautiful new trade paperback edition that will find a special place in the hearts of readers everywhere.
"There's no mystery about why Roberts is a bestselling author...she delivers the goods with panache and wit." --Publishers Weekly
"A consistently entertaining writer." --USA Today
"Roberts has a warm feel for her characters and an eye for the evocative detail." --Chicago Tribune
"Roberts is indeed a word artist, painting her story and her characters with vitality and verve." --Los Angeles Daily News
Download Description
New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts presents a collection of her favorite stories, for a whole new generation of readers. Tonight and Always, A Matter of Choice, and Endings and Beginnings are each overflowing with an intoxicating blend of passion and suspense. And each is written just for you . . .
Customer Reviews:
Fun and light reading.......2006-06-13
From the Heart was a nice break from the romance/suspense that NR's been really into lately. I enjoyed reading NR's earlier work. Tonight and Always was my favorite of the three.
Not Worth Buying..........2004-10-13
It's a waste of money. I went through the first story. It was pretty okay to be honest with you. But the characters seem a little...cold. Unfeeling. I realize that the collection of story was her rookie story but c'mon it could have been a lot better than it is now. Gimme a break, I couldn't even tell if it was Nora Roberts! The second and the third story I didn't even bother to finish after the first few chapters. It made me sick. It was corny and unbelievale. I kept on asking myself, 'Is this really Nora Roberts?' or 'Why do I bother reading this?!'
This book was nothing but a disappointment. I thought it would be fun to read the first stories of a fiction phenomenon but it turn out to be a disaster. From now on, I'll just read the new ones, the one from 1990 and up I'll be sure to check out the publish date before anything else. But if you're a person who likes to read old stories from Nora, I suggest Blithe Images. It's pretty good.
This book doesn't diserve a star at all. Period. But if I don't Amazon won't let me review. SO this concludes my review. DON'T BUY IT! IT'S A WASTE OF 8 DOLLARS!
couldn't even finish it.......2003-02-07
All three stories were obvious, with cliche dialogues and simply BORING. I am a Nora Roberts fan and for the first time in my life I couldn't go past page 20 on each story. Nothing against the characters or the plots themselves... they simply didn't catch me at all.
I am glad I got checked out this book from the library and didn't waste money on it.
Good collection.......2002-10-28
I was a bit surprised at the not-so-great reviews this collection of Nora Robert's old romance novels got. I borrowed this book from a friend a couple of years ago even though I don't usually read Nora Roberts as I'm not really into the romance/suspense genre. But when I found a copy at a used bookstore recently, I bought it because I remembered how much I loved the first story, "Tonight and Always" and the third one, "Endings and Begininngs". I can't even decide which of these stories I like better than the other but I have to say they're one of the best stories I've read so far. The only reason I'm not giving this book a 5-star rating is because I seriously did not enjoy the second story, "A Matter of Choice". The plotline, dialogue and characters are predictable, overused and just plain boring.
If you're wondering whether you should buy this book, I'd suggest you scour the used bookstores first to get a real worth for your money or I guess you can find the individual books. One way or another, "Tonight and Always" and "Endings and Beginnings" are MUST-READS for all romance fans.
Good collection.......2002-10-28
I was a bit surprised at the not-so-great reviews this collection of Nora Robert's old romance novels got. I borrowed this book from a friend a couple of years ago even though I don't usually read Nora Roberts as I'm not really into the romance/suspense genre. But when I found a copy at a used bookstore recently, I bought it because I remembered how much I loved the first story, "Tonight and Always" and the third one, "Endings and Begininngs". I can't even decide which of these stories I like better than the other but I have to say they're one of the best stories I've read so far. The only reason I'm not giving this book a 5-star rating is because I seriously did not enjoy the second story, "A Matter of Choice". The plotline, dialogue and characters are predictable, overused and just plain boring.
If you're wondering whether you should buy this book, I'd suggest you scour the used bookstores first to get a real worth for your money or I guess you can find the individual books. One way or another, "Tonight and Always" and "Endings and Beginnings" are MUST-READS for all romance fans.
Amazon.com's Best of 2001
"Sin exists," says Joseph, an immortal cyborg agent employed by Dr. Zeus, Inc., and in this fourth novel of Kage Baker's Company series, it certainly does. The Graveyard Game follows agents Joseph and Lewis as they try to find their missing friend Mendoza, who's been exiled to the Back Way Back as punishment for anti-Company activities.
Dr. Zeus, a time-travel corporation, created cyborgs to selectively preserve artifacts from the past for the edification of the 24th century, when the Company exists. But as the centuries go by for the agents, they hear strange rumors of a "silence" in the year 2355. Ominously, cyborgs who try to investigate disappear forever, hidden away or shut down by Dr. Zeus.
Joseph and Lewis become obsessed with finding Mendoza, and along the way, they uncover evidence of bizarre and dangerous Company deeds. Joseph finds strange underground holding cells, with "retired" agents in vats of preserving fluid. Meanwhile, Lewis researches the activities of Edward Alton Bell-Fairfax, the odd mortal who was with Mendoza when she disappeared. The two get together to discuss their disheartening quest in present-day Ghirardelli Square. Cyborgs get stoned on chocolate, and they order round after round of hot cocoa, even snorting the stuff, until a Company security tech finds them:
On the floor between their respective briefcases was a souvenir bag stuffed with boxes of chocolate cable cars, and the table was littered with foil wrappers from the chocolate they had already consumed.... The security tech scanned them and recoiled slightly at the level of Theobromos in their systems. He surveyed the litter of foil wrappers and empty cups, regarded the cocoa powder in Joseph's beard, and sighed. Two old professionals on a sloppy bender.
The Graveyard Game, the best and darkest Company novel yet, showcases Kage Baker's smart, witty style. She teases readers with enough evidence of Company nastiness to make us root for the sometimes morally shifty cyborgs, while continuing to further the substantial plot. It's an extremely satisfying chapter in an excellent science fiction series, one that sets the stage for the confrontation to come. --Therese Littleton
Book Description
Mendoza is a Preserver for The Dr. Zeus Company, living in the past to collect species for the future. But when she kills six people in California in 1863, The Company makes her disappear.Joseph, a senior Preserver, loves Mendoza as the daughter he never had. Drunk on chocolate and fueled by rage, he's determined to find her however long it takes. Being an indestructible, immortal cyborg gives him an unlimited well of patience.What begins as a rescue mission uncovers a conspiracy stretching across fifty centuries of recorded history. Behind it lie genocide, graveyards filled with Company agents, and the roots of the ominous Silence that falls across the world in 2355.
Customer Reviews:
Still Worth Getting for the World of Warcraft RPG.......2005-12-02
I bought this to go along with my copy of the World of Warcraft RPG, and I don't regret it (especially since, as of this writing, the "Monster Guide" is still months from seeing print).
While there are quite a few omissions that players of the MMORPG will miss (such as Worgen), it covers most of the really distinctive denizens of Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms - and even a few from Northrend. It provides a lot of background information for most of the monsters, and was well worth the read just to fill in some story details that I hadn't yet picked up from the Warcraft games.
Even for players of regular D&D, this book offers some interesting twists on more "traditional" monsters that you might find in the "Monster Manual". And, the monsters here are still usable with the "World of Warcraft RPG" book. (Just keep in mind that "Dexterity" is now "Agility", "Constitution" is now "Stamina", and "Wisdom" is now "Spirit". It's mostly just a change in terminology to match that of the online game.)
My main qualms would be with certain omissions. For instance, there is some fascinating information on various types of Nerubians ... but specific statistics for each type are missing from the book. There's an interesting entry for the "Obsidian Destroyer" - though the description conflicts with the illustration, and there's no background information. (It's of little use to have statistics for an "Obsidian Destroyer" if I don't know what it is or what place it has in my campaign.)
Also, please note that this isn't completely exhaustive, nor is it a complete replacement for the D&D Monster Manual; it only includes monsters unique to the Warcraft setting - or which are significantly different from their D&D counterparts. If you need statistics for an elemental or a worg or a warhorse, you'll have to look in the D&D Monster Manual - not here.
I still hope that a future "Monster Guide" will fill in the blanks for a few of the "missing" monsters (introduced in the online game since the time this book was published), but until then, this is a must-have for anyone planning on running a World of Warcraft themed d20 RPG campaign.
Much better than the RPG book.......2004-01-31
I bought both the RPG book and this book for just the theme info.
I enjoyed this one more. This gives info on all the monsters(history, culture, weapons) and for the famous characters as well. Though this book doesnt have the history of azeroth like the RPG book does, in this book u will find viewer mistakes.
New spin on old monsters.......2004-01-17
The long awaited monster manual for Warcraft. Lets admit it no one wants to run a setting game without its proper monsters, so we all complain and whine when they take 3 months after the setting to release it.
This one is worth the wait if any monster manual is.
The monsters are inovative adaptations of the games monsters, though not always accurate and sometimes the spirit of the monster from the video game loses some.
The details for each monster are abit lacking but they give all the necessary information, just some lack of the added fun details we all sometimes enjoy.
The art is of the same quality as the previous Warcraft books and games, enjoyable for its unique qualities.
Two things shine out even beyond the rest.
The dragonflights are marvelous, five different species of dragons at similar power levels, but that are actually different. Sword and Sorcery/ White Wolf, could teach Wizards that you don't always need to make something stronger to make it different.
The Second asset is the CR range. For once a monster manual actually has lower CR monsters and a good range over the scope. As much as lots of powerful monsters are cool, low level people need something to fight too. Wizards forgot this, and WW remembered happily.
The addition of some major villains stats at the end is a nice touch too, though some hero stats would be a good thought but oh well.
Anyways, some minor faults but a quality manual over all.
A good addition to your dnd library.
Excellent Compendium of Creatures.......2004-01-10
I used this book in addition to the standard core rule book for DnD, I would like to say that this Manual of Monsters really puts a spin on "well-known" creatures of RPG gaming.
Take the Troll and the Quimera for example, they would seemed twitched but actually they are a different breed, a WarCraft breed (they are very nice fitted and adapted from the RTS).
There are several other creatures that can be used for a normal campaign, such as the Nerubian ( a spider like race ) the Tuskar ( a walrus like race ), Thundering Lizards, Wendigos, Murlocs even Nagas ( here is another interesting change from the typical DnD creature) that come all from the RTS video Game.
It comes with a change for dragons, because it actually includes 5 dragon flights or species: black, blue, bronze, green and red, each with historical facts that fit quite well in any campaign or ingoing game.
Finally it includes several heroes taken from the video game, Sylvanna, Arthas (as the Lich King), Mannaroth, Kel'Tuzad, and others, I must say that these are epic NPC that only fit on high level campaingns ( Arthas merged with the Lich King has a CR of 50!!)
The only drewback is that it lacks some monsters from the game, while it appears they included several critters from the WarCraft III Expansion (such as the Dragon Spawn, the Mountain Giant or the Obsidian Destroyer) it lacks others that I think would spice it more: the Coatl, the Spit dragon, the Faceless Ones, the Temptress, the Makruras. Overall is and incredible book and I really recommend it for both fans of the WC Universe and for the Role playing fans.
Average customer rating:
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The Graveyard Game
James C. MacIntosh
Manufacturer: AuthorHouse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Psychological & Suspense
| Thrillers
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 142086050X |
Book Description
Life is good for Paul McCulloch, middle-aged electrician, until he begins to experience a recurring nightmare, in which he finds himself standing in a rustic, old cemetery, confronted by a faceless, hooded figure. Unable to explain the reason for his dreams, Paul turns to an old boyhood friend, who, along with Paul's wife, Mary Ellen, offers some revealing information; the cemetery in Paul's dreams had been the scene of a brutal murder many years before. In his search for an answer to the terrifying nightmares, Paul discovers the startling fact that four young boys once played a strange game in the old graveyard; a game of daring, designed to test one's courage. For one boy, the game turned deadly. Who was the hooded figure and why did he point his finger at Paul in each dream episode? Could there be a connection to Paul's dreams and the brazen abduction of a local woman in broad daylight? Obsessed with finding the answers to these troubling questions, Paul heeds an inner voice and is drawn to the old graveyard one sultry, summer evening, where the nightmare starts to play out, with one big difference; the scenario in which he becomes embroiled, is not a dream and the people there are real.
Average customer rating:
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Map Pack: Graveyard
Manufacturer: Paizo Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Puzzles & Games
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Role Playing & Fantasy
| Puzzles & Games
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0977071979 |
Average customer rating:
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Gaming Guardians (Gaming Guardians Series)
Graveyard Greg
Manufacturer: Keenspot Entertainment
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Comic Strips
| Comics & Graphic Novels
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Comics & Graphic Novels
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| Books
General
| Manga
| Comics & Graphic Novels
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Video & Electronic Games
| Puzzles & Games
| Entertainment
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General
| Humor
| Entertainment
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Video Games
| Games & Strategy Guides
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1932775005 |
Average customer rating:
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Graveyard Game
Manufacturer: MELIA PUBLISHING SER
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GXEPB6 |
Books:
- The Amalgamation Polka
- The Amazing True Story of a Teenage Single Mom
- The Blind Assassin: A Novel
- The Blue Hour
- The Brief History of the Dead: A novel
- The Cairo Trilogy: Palace Walk, Palace of Desire, Sugar Street (Everyman's Library)
- The Cat Who Went Underground (Cat Who...)
- The Cider House Rules
- The Crimson Petal and the White
- The Dogs of Babel: A Novel
Books Index
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