Book Description
Three unforgettable Brautigan masterpieces reissued in a one-volume omnibus edition. REVENGE OF THE LAWN: Originally published in 1971, these bizarre flashes of insight and humor cover everything from "A High Building in Singapore" to the "Perfect California Day." This is Brautigan's only collection of stories and includes "The Lost Chapters of TROUT FISHING IN AMERICA." THE ABORTION: AN HISTORICAL ROMANCE 1966: A public library in California where none of the books have ever been published is full of romantic possibilities. But when the librarian and his girlfriend must travel to Tijuana, they have a series of strange encounters in Brautigan's 1971 novel. SO THE WIND WON'T BLOW IT ALL AWAY: It is 1979, and a man is recalling the events of his twelfth summer, when he bought bullets for his gun instead of a hamburger. Written just before his death, and published in 1982, this novel foreshadowed Brautigan's suicide.
Customer Reviews:
Making the Ordinary Sacred.......2005-07-30
When I was an art student at East Carolina University back in the 80's, a friend gave me a copy of REVENGE OF THE LAWN. As I look back now, I realize Brautigan's book was probably the beginning of my slow change from wanting to be an artist to wanting to be a writer. I had never read anything like Brautigan's work before, and for many years I couldn't understand why his stories and poems moved me so. I now understand it is because of Brautigan's ability to make ordinary details sacred. For instance in the story "Coffee" in REVENGE OF THE LAWN, Brautigan says, "Sometimes life is merely a matter of coffee and whatever intimacy a cup of coffee affords." In this tender story about the end of love, Brautigan reveals that the accoutrements needed to make the coffee are laid out at his lover's house "like a funeral service" and that the cup of coffee is "safely inside me like a grave." Herein is the magic of Brautigan's ability: to raise the mundane act of drinking coffee to a ceremony of death.
This is an especially good volume of Brautigan's works. THE ABORTION begins by describing a bizarre library wherein everyone's books are welcomed and handled lovingly by the proprietors. This certainly evokes the hope of every writer--that his or her efforts would be handled lovingly by readers. However, this was not the case with Brautigan's final book, SO THE WIND WON'T BLOW IT ALL AWAY, included in this volume. The critics panned it, often comparing it to the work that first brought him fame and continued to overshadow his subsequent works: TROUT FISHING IN AMERICA. I cannot express strongly enough how wrong I think critics were in their assessment of SO THE WIND WON'T BLOW IT ALL AWAY. Indeed, I believe it is my favorite of all Brautigan's works. It has all the characteristics of his earlier works--idiosyncratic characters, humor, heartbreaking tragedy--but this work seems especially wistful and wise. It is as though Brautigan looked back over his life and captured the whole of it in this one haunting story.
Brautigan's writing has deeply affected many people. Several years ago, I read in the newspaper that a teenaged boy changed his name to "Trout Fishing in America." In the early years of his career, he had many fans. I think his work is timeless and has the power to attract many new admirers.
Brautigan's the best, but this is not his best.......2004-08-31
I discovered Brautigan recently and have been reading everything I can get my hands on of his. There's three collections of three books. The one with TROUT FISHING IN AMERICA and IN WATERMELON SUGAR is the best one to get if you're only going to get one. But this one is good as well.
REVENGE OF THE LAWN, a collection of short stories, has some great two- and three-pagers that display typical Brautigan wit, humor, and insight. Some, as with any collection, are better than others.
THE ABORTION is one of Brautigan's better plots. And I say this because his style and sense of humor is pretty consistent through all of his work, and you either love it or hate it. If you hate it, you won't like any of his stuff. If you like it, then you'll probably like this one. It seems more original than some of his genre parody stories like THE HAWKLINE MONSTER and DREAMING OF BABYLON. It also seems like it may be a little autobiographical, so the emotion in it feels more real.
SO THE WIND WON'T BLOW IT ALL AWAY eerily forshadows Brautigan's suicide. It speaks to the youth in all of us and carries a great sense of nostalgia. Taken in context with his life and its end shortly after writing this book, it feels like a depressed man looking back at the golden years with complete fondness.
Overall, I'd say this is the second best of the Brautigan collections available.
So totally overblown.......2004-05-25
This guy's is so completely overrated. It's cut-rate stuff, it rings false, it's precious and silly and utterly dull writing. If you really get into this kind of thing, you'd probably be better served to go back to some of the better Tom Robbins material, who, though he's cloying (and can be awfully irritating), at least does this kind of thing more artfully. This is everything that's bogus and annoying about latter-20th-Century California 'Literature.'
Ugh.
So the Wind ... I fell down laughing!.......2003-01-22
I remember reading So The Wind Won't Blow it All Away for the first time. I was riding in a greyhound bus with the scent of blue hair ladies in front of me. Brautigan discussed his childhood love of cheesburgers and Superman and I couldn't stop laughing. The bus driver had to pull over and take me off the bus to ask me to shut up. Brautigan is a master of words. His visions are fresh and celebratory. I could read his work over and over. If this is your first Brautigan book you will not be let down. He hasn't written a book that will let you down. This one is no exception. Probably his finest three books in one!
A very well selected collection of an icon's best work.......2000-08-08
With the possible exception of The Hawkline Monster, Revenge of the Lawn represents Brautigan's best work. It is a collection of wonderfully loopy stories that although they may not focus on developing a specific narrative thrust, instead hone in on capturing a real sense of time, place and experience. Each piece is certaintly idiosyncratic and individualistic only to the unique voice that was the late Brautigan. As a fellow native of the Pacific Northwest, I find his work as collected here sentimental, haunting and vividly descriptive and alive. It is also a fine example of regionalistic literature as his work, while abhereing to the old addage "only the most personal is the most universal", simply couldn't occur in any other region of the world- and that makes it live in all geographical locations. The other stories collected here, may loose some of Revenge of the Lawn's focus, they never the less reflect a sadly overlooked American writer.
Customer Reviews:
Super Fun!!!!.......2007-08-17
It was a super fun read. I could not put it down. It was very entertaining read.
An Entertaining Contemporary That Will Sweep You Off Your Feet!.......2007-03-10
A flick of the wrist, a touch of the palm - the psychic foresees a man for you. Grab-up your wedding dress, tiara and veil, the walk down the aisle has commenced. Now where that leads, is up to you. Marriage - commitment, it could be for you, but the Bride Needs Groom!
Mia Calogera is on a plane bound for Las Vegas, to get married. After Grandpa Junie, wins the New York lottery, Mia's simple life changes overnight. Mia now has enough money to splurge and shop, until she drops. Grandpa Junie is getting close to his eighty-fifth birthday - he wants to see Mia wed, if she does not marry soon, Mia would be out on her, very poor fanny! She takes matters into her own hands, and finds Derek online to marry her, which leads us back to Mia on the plane.
When Dominic "Dom" Chickalini finds his seatmate is a ravishing bride all dressed in white, he thinks it is a sign of things to come. As these two get to know each other throughout the long flight, Mia's entire wedding plans to Derek are turned upside down. When the plane lands, Mia will go one way, and Dom, another. What will Mia do now?
Can she still go through with this farce of a marriage or is Dom truly the one for her?
Bride Needs Groom is the latest release by author Wendy Markham. This is a story of finding your marriage partner, in the most twisted of possible ways. Ms. Markham has a razor sharp voice and tongue to match. She whips-out snappy comebacks left and right - keeping the readers on their toes. Ms. Markham has a flair for mixing in wisdom, personable characters and a touch of magical love into this zipped-up book. This reader never lost contact with the characters or their wacky world. The book is pulled together and delivered with amazing insight of a keen author. This is one whimsical wedding wonder of a read!
Mia is a woman, who had a shaky childhood, when her parents divorce she is left to be raised by her Grandparents. This has all taken its toll on her views of marriage. But, what is a girl to do when a fortune is on the line, and marriage will be the only saving grace.
Dom is a free loving spirit who is not ready to settle down yet. He is closing in on thirty and everyone around him is married, getting married or engaged. Dom feels the noose tightening around his neck. Will Mia be his answer - marriage of mutual convenience or is there more going on here, than meets the eye?
Dom and Mia - a twisted match made in heaven. It is said, that love can move mountains, but can it surmount the twin peaks of these two? Will she, won't she - could he, does he, the list goes on...
Ms. Markham has created thoroughly entertaining contemporary romance that her fans are sure to love. Grab your copy today! Bride Needs Groom by Wendy Markham.
Reviewed by Janalee Ruschhaupt, 2007
Cute Easy Read.......2006-12-30
This book is very cute. Especially if you just want to read a laid back love story.
Good sequel.......2006-11-25
BRIDE NEEDS GROOM starts out with Dom(inic) on a business trip in an airplane to Las Vegas where he meets Mia. Mia is in a wedding dress ready to get married to her mail order groom, which she has to do in order to keep her inheritance and luxury lifestyle.
They get talking to each other and after Mia decides not to get married to Derrek (her mail order groom) she comes to find Dom, who agreed to marry her to help her out. It was planned as just another business deal but of course they can't deny their growing attracting for each other and end up staying together.
Even though this book isn't as good as the first, it was still a nice refreshing fun read with lots of laughs and insides in the characters unusual meeting and way of thinking.
Sequel to "Once Upon a Date".......2006-07-13
In order for Mia to continue to receive a healthy stipend from her grandfather's lotto winnings, she has to get married and settle down. This is an ultimatum, and rather than have gramps bring back a mail order husband from the old country, she decides to find one herself on the internet.
When she arrives for a flight to Vegas, with plans of matrimony, she starts talking to the man in the seat next to her, and soon she is telling him her sob story. Dominic just wants to get to Vegas, have his business meeting and do some gambling. When she propositions him to be her groom instead, he has visions of moving away from his dad, and agrees, despite having an aversion to commitment.
When they return to Queens, everyone is excited about the marriage, and Dom for one feels like a heel because it meant a lot to his family, and they were not there to share in the celebration. Despite intense attractions to each other, their lack of communicating outside the bedroom starts to strain the marriage. Will they both wake up and realize that they care for each other?
Markham's sequel to "Once Upon a Date" and "The Nine Month Plan" has all the old characters back, but this one is not quite as good as its predecessors.
Customer Reviews:
REALLY DECENT ROMANCE - TUGS YOUR HEART!.......2005-05-27
Little, innocent Jenny Blake must be married before her 27th birthday or her grandmother may die.
She heads to Vegas to find a groom. She is still looking for the lightning to strike to prove she has met her soul mate.
Wouldn't you know, bounty hunter Nick Tarantelli arrests her potential groom, Jimmy "the Lip" Baldini. He turns out to be a bigimist among other things.
Nick is the oldest Tarantelli and feels responsible for MaMa and family. Being the nice guy that he is he takes Jenny home to Tarantelli's restaurant and MaMa Tarantelli.
After 3 days at the restaurant Jenny knows she has to find a groom and sets out for the chapel. MaMa bamboozels Nick into going after Jenny.. Jenny in some other man's arms? No way!
Nick offers to marry Jenny and therein start a lovely romance, lots of sleepless nights, bodily tensions, and mind blowing desire. How can he keep his hands off Jenny? When she cuddles against him in sleep.
Can Jenny teach Nick how to recognize love? Can she get him to fall in love with her? Can she make her marriage to Nick real?
Great characters. Meet brother Dino and sister Gina and the little green-eyed monster.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - no reservations -- great all around.
Amazon.com
Tanith Lee, winner of the August Derleth Award and several World Fantasy Awards, is best known as a fantasy and horror writer, but she has written several fine SF novels, two of which, Don't Bite the Sun and Drinking Sapphire Wine, form a duology now available in the single volume Biting the Sun.
The far future has brought freedom not only from material want but also from rules, responsibilities, and risk. You can change bodies and genders like clothes, make love with whomever you want, live forever, and kill yourself as often as you like. You can have everything, except a meaningful life. Then one day a restless soul discovers an act so shocking and terrifying that human society has forgotten its existence. --Cynthia Ward
Book Description
In a world dedicated to pleasure, one young rebel sets out on a forbidden quest--.
Published for the first time in a single volume, Tanith Lee's duet of novels set in a hedonistic Utopia are as riveting and revolutionary as they were when they first appeared two decades ago.
It's a perfect existence, a world in which no pleasure is off-limits, no risk is too dangerous, and no responsibilities can cramp your style. Not if you're Jang: a caste of libertine teenagers in the city of Four BEE. But when you're expected to make trouble--when you can kill yourself on a whim and return in another body, when you're encouraged to change genders at will and experience whatever you desire--you've got no reason to rebel...until making love and raising hell, daring death and running wild just leave you cold and empty.
Ravenous for true adventures of the mind and body, desperate to find some meaning, one restless spirit finally bucks the system--and by shattering the rules, strikes at the very heart of a soulless society....
Average customer rating:
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Biting Sun
Thalia Kosmos Kitrilakis
Manufacturer: Kelsey Street Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
| Ages 9-12
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0932716172 |
Average customer rating:
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Biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) from Kinmen (Quemoy) (Biological bulletin)
Kʻē-chʻin Sun
Manufacturer: Tunghai University
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
| Anatomy
| Animals
| Bacteriology
| Biochemistry
| Bioelectricity
| Bioinformatics
| Biology
| Biophysics
| Biorhythms
| Biostatistics
| Biotechnology
| Botany
| Collection & Preservation
| Ecology
| Ecotoxicology
| Fungi
| General
| Genetics
| Microscopy & Techniques
| Paleontology
| Plants
| Population Biology
| Research
| Taxonomic Classification
| Zoology
ASIN: B0007K2ZK6 |
Book Description
An authoritative book tracing the activities of Jesus' disciples after his resurrection and ascension.
Customer Reviews:
Unbiased work........2006-12-25
I bought this book because of the reviews and cheap price.
Two things about this book stand out.1)It's well written.2)There is no bias whatsoever in this book.A prior reviewer complained of Catholic "bashing".I read nothing of the sort.The Catholic church itself was a valuable source of information regarding the location and movements of relics throughout history.
The author has done an excellent job covering many of the legends of the Apostles' deaths and burials.He covers the movement of related relics(bodies and parts).Mr. McBirnie travelled to many of the sites that were rumored to be burial sites.He saw first-hand some of the final resting places.Some of the legends will probably never be proven,others such as Thomas' mission to India are well-known.Whether he agrees with some of the stories or not,he covers them.The subjects are more than the Apostles.Included are; Paul,Lazarus,John Mark and James the Lord's brother to name a few.I appreciate that the author devoted a chapter to a particular individual.
This is a worthy addition to any library.It's available and cheap.The standard other books on the subject will be judged by.
I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because of it's age.There have been more archaelogical discoveries since this edition was printed.
Enjoyable overview of the Apostles' lives.......2005-03-17
The Protestant theologian who wrote this 312-page book in 1973 provides a highly readable summary of known information about the life and fate of Christ's original twelve apostles plus a number of other important New Testament characters such as Paul, Barnabas and John the Baptist. The is little or no discussion of theological aspects of each character but rather an effort to gather known facts and references from disparate sources about each man (no female characters are covered) in an effort to provide an account of their probable life story, particularly after Christ's crucifixion. It is particularly interesting to learn about the evidence of travel and missions for the lesser known apostles and explanations and theories about Apostolic journeys to India. McBirnie tries to stay with verifiable facts and sources that are considered historically reliable rather than speculate too much about unknown or unknowable matters.
Following 44 pages of general background on the early Christian era and available historic sources McBirnie provides a chapter each for 19 men in 250 pages. That is followed by an appendix listing New Testament references for each character, five-page bibliography and a seven-page index.
I did not find the author is be as negative regarding relics, etc., as some other reviewer do.
I enjoyed this book and recommend it an entertaining read as well as Christian study reference.
The Final Word On The Apostles.......2001-08-24
All other books on the apostles will be judged against this one. This is the definitive account on what happened to the Apostles. Granted, a lot of the material is heresay and legend. But these men lived so long ago that reliable facts about them are few and far between. Sketchy ideas are better than no ideas, and the McBirnie makes it very clear how accurate the theories are. The author delves deep into history to discover the fate of the twelve closest disciples of the lord, and does an incredible job, considering what a daunting task it was.
Don't Judge a book by it's cover.......2000-11-17
I started reading this book and unfortunately it was too irritating when the author "bashes" Catholic traditions and beliefs. At the same time he imposes his religious beliefs concerning relics, saints and the Apostles, which is not what the reader pays to buy this book. This book is written in a very biased point of view and not from a serious and unbiased researcher's point of view. I wanted facts and research , not a lesson in religion. I closed the book empty handed. The book may have an interesting title, but it was too much filled with the author's religious beliefs in a way that a reader that does not share his beliefs might find it a very unpleasent experience.
For a more balanced book I strongly recommend "The Twelve: The Lives of the Apostles After Calvary" by Bernard Ruffin, C. Bernard Ruffin
excellent addition to anyone who loves church history.......1999-03-15
I have read this book many times. It is extremely well written and inspiration to all Christians. As much as possible this book is historically accurate. The author provides information about where the early church leaders went and many of the traditions associated with such people as Mary, Lazarus, and the 12 apostles. He also talks about where they travelled, how they died, and where they are buried.
A truly outstanding book, easy to read, and when you are going thru difficult times...a book which will uplift your spirit.
Product Description
An authoritative book tracing the activities of Jesus" disciples after his resurrection and ascension.
By travelling to the places they once knew, by studying the Scriptures and Biblical history, by listening to local tradition and engaging in original research, a devoted Christian scholar has uncovered the history of the Apostles and their widespread evangelical activities.
Books:
- Sepharad
- Slouching Towards Kalamazoo: A Novel (Phoenix Fiction)
- Somebody's Daughter: A Novel
- Soulmates Dissipate
- Sweet Dreams, Irene: An Irene Kelly Novel
- The Age of Wire and String: Stories (American Literature (Dalkey Archive))
- The Art of Glass: Art Nouveau to Art Deco
- The Book of Lost Tales, Part One (The History of Middle-Earth, Vol. 1)
- The Book of Lost Tales, Part Two (The History of Middle-Earth, Vol. 2)
- The Bright Forever: A Novel
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