Amazon.com
Young Cassie Claiborne, the heroine of Haven Kimmel's egregiously ill-named novel Something Rising (Light and Swift), is a pool hustler. She learns to shoot pool for money when her unreliable father abandons her, along with her shut-in mother and her neurotic sister. Her growing-up is a dark thing: She has funny friends and pot-smoking good times out on country roads, but she's always carrying the financial and emotional burden left behind by her father. A good daughter, she lives with her mother in her small Indiana hometown till she's 30. Finally, after her mother's death, she decides to visit New Orleans to learn about her family's past. Up to this point, the novel is a sensitively written coming-of-age story, a little on the slow side. The book really takes off when Cassie hits the Big Easy. A taciturn, almost compulsively private person, she finds herself encountering enchanting strangers at every turn. A new friend named Miss Sophie grills Cassie about her line of work, and she replies, "I play pool for money. I just announce myself, I say I've come to a place to play their best, and for money, and that person is called. Or I wait for him." Miss Sophie replies "My interest in this is so sudden it feels lewd." The exchange gives an idea of the malleability and strength of Kimmel's style. You believe in both the gruff Cassie and the effusive Miss Sophie, and you believe they could charm each other. Such off-kilter connections are, in a sense, the point of the novel; it's a book about the serendipity of finding someone to like. --Claire Dederer
Book Description
Cassie Claiborne's world is riddled with problems beyond her control: her hard-living, pool-shooting father has another wife; her mother can't seem to move herself mentally away from the kitchen window; and her sister Belle is a tempest of fragility and brilliance. Frustrated by her inability to care for so many, Cassie finds in the local pool hall an oasis of green felt where she can master objects and restrain her emotions.
As Cassie grows up, she takes on the thankless role of family provider by working odd jobs and hustling pool. All the while she keeps her eye on the ultimate prize: wringing suitable justice from past wrongs and freeing herself from her life's inertia. In this uplifting story, Haven Kimmel reaches deep into the hamstrung souls of her fictional corner of Indiana to create an astonishing work of pure heartbreak.
Customer Reviews:
Something's Rising and it has an off smell.......2006-06-15
Compared to Kimmel's brilliant first novel,"Solace..." this reads like a labored Writing Class assignment: "Write a piece about a woman pool hustler, and make her an angry, masculine, drywaller whose redneck mother alludes to Kundera, Randall Jarrell, Marianne Moore, Anne Sexton, Martin Amis in the space of 2 pages."
Kimmel has a thing about frustrated intellectual housewives (the mothers, Laura, here and Annalee in "Solace...") who never went to college yet worship at the alter of Thought and Literature. Usually one kid goes to Bloomington to become a neurotic pointy-head while the other makes meth in the barn or practices tire-iron road rage while Seeking The Absent Father. Throw in some depth psychology and pages of pointless and unbelievable STRIFE, and you eventually get to the end of the exercise.
The pasted-on New Orleans Good Ending is OK only because we can hope that Hurricane Katrina has wiped out Haven's fictional Pool Hall Heaven paid for by deus ex machina. By the way, Cassie, the lumpy heroine whose outlawry consists of having uninteresting pot-smoking friends and never paying income tax, supposedly inherits a $300G stock and insurance settlement and the lawyer hands it over in cash and takes out no taxes?
Haven needs to have people who aren't in awe of her to read the drafts of her future novels. She is way too talented to wing it just because she had a great first novel. She needs better advisors/editors.
I Loved This Novel.......2006-04-09
After reading both of the Zippy books, I decided to give Something Rising a try. I read it cover to cover (with ease) and loved it. The theme is the same (but different) from the Zippy books. Still present is the absent and utterly selfish father, along with the despondent mother, who feels her life has been ruined by her marital union with this man. The main character loves them both but, as she matures, grows to despise her father. A new twist from Zippy is a mentally ill sister, whose mind the reader cannot even begin to follow or understand.
The book was full of deep thoughts and observations and many times I did not completely understand them, but I was impressed by the author's talent for telling this story. Never once was I bored.
I guess the coming of age part is addressed in many ways in this book, but certainly the losing of one's mother is key and was approached so beautifully in this book. As one who has recently lost a mother, I was touched and so much understood the last quarter of the book.
I must disagree with some...this is a wonderful book, by an extremely talented writer. Not one to be missed.
Felt Like Homework.......2005-08-23
For a book about hustling pool, this book contains an awful lot of discussion about the role of feminine mythology in literature. This book felt less like a story than a justification of the tuition money spent on a Lit degree.
Not only is there the bizare out-of-place discussions about the protagonist's sister's college dissertation, but the book is chock-full of ham-fisted literary devices. I actually laughed out loud when Cassie won her father's prized pool que in a bet. Gee, what could that possibly be a metaphor for?
Early in the story, Cassie is instructed to study geometry and physics textbooks in order to understand pool. This made me wonder whether the author had ever seen a pool table or a geometry textbook. Most pool sharks don't need to know how to calculate the area of a tetrahedron. The amount of geometery that one must know to play pool well could probably be written in large letters on one side of a 3x5 index card.
The characters are dull and one-dimensional. Everybody dutifully plays their part without acting like an acutal person. We are treated to road-worn cliche characters such as the gay best friend, the absentee father, and the kindly grandfather. Cassie, the protagonist, is cold and unlikeable. She's like a Holden Caufield without the charm. I found myself wanting bad things to happen to her.
I suspect that my assignment was to analogize the Cassie character to some mythological godess that the author discussed. But it just wasn't worth the effort.
Didn't quite hit the mark for me..........2005-01-12
This was one of the very few books that I was not able to finish. Not because it's awful, or poorly written...actually, I thought it was written quite well, which is why I'm giving it 3 stars. Its just that I didn't get it. After getting more than halfway through this book I realized...I didn't care about any one of the characters, I didn't care what happened to them, didn't fully understand who they were, nothing at all. I skimmed the last 1/3 of the book just to see if it would get a little more exciting...it never did.
Cassie was likeable enough, but I found her to be to hard and empty, and her sister Belle obviously had some serious problems, but what they were I couldn't tell you. And Puck and Emmy...what a bizzare pair. What it comes down to is this book just wasn't for me. The reading is extremely choppy, and difficult to follow in some places. What I got wasn't quite what I expected when I started reading. It's not that I don't recommend the book, I personally didn't take to it, but I really like Haven Kimmel, and have high hopes for the next book of hers I pick up.
Not as good as I hoped it would be...........2004-10-09
I dearly loved Haven Kimmel's first novel, "The Solace of Leaving Early". It was one of those books whose ending was so utterly satisfying on so many levels, I felt lighthearted for the rest of the day after I finished it (having read until the small hours of the morning.) "That," I kept saying to myself, "was a darned good book."
So I was watching and waiting for "Something Rising (Light and Swift," ready to fall in love (or hate) with a whole new cast of characters. And so I read it, finished it, and closed the cover feeling puzzled and morose and saying, "Yes, but...."
I just didn't like it very much. There was an underlying scornfulness, a mocking of people, that I found unattractive, considering Kimmel's smartness and sweetness and gentle prodding humor when describing the weirdness of small midwestern Bible Belt towns in "Solace". One got the feeling that she was giggling slightly at her own solid midwestern core that has been covered over with the shiny veneer of being a Published Author.
But in "Something Rising," I just didn't get that sense. It's a bit hard to define. There was an edge -- and I presume Kimmel meant it to be there -- of razor-sharp ugliness about it. No tenderness. No healing. No comfort. Just desolation and despair.
It didn't make for a happy read. It probably wasn't supposed to. But I really hate the feeling of being left with a partially unresolved plot.
And I wish someone would explain to me the significance of the title. The esoteric meaning has apparently flown right over my thick-as-a-stump midwestern head.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Hawaii Business, published by Thomson Gale on April 1, 2006. The length of the article is 2472 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: The young and the nestless: the rising cost of education and a booming real estate market are weighing heavily on Hawaii's 20- and 30-somethings.
Author: David K. Choo
Publication:
Hawaii Business (Magazine/Journal)
Date: April 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 51
Issue: 10
Page: 51(5)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Average customer rating:
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Something Rising
Manufacturer: HARPER PERENNIAL
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GTB2J8 |
Customer Reviews:
Kids REALLY Can!.......2005-10-11
I teach Pre-Kindergarten and needed a special classroom project for our school auction. We purchased this book, some nice paper and acrylic paints and began making some of the animals in the book. They are so cute!
The book gives facts and fun projects to do for each animal to extend the children's learning. It also offers an "activity level" to portray the difficulty of each animal handprint. We tried all levels in our classroom and have been delighted with the results.
We made a collage of the animals and had it professionally mounted in a black bamboo frame and parents are already making plans about where to put in each of their homes. The bidding war should be fun! I highly recommend this book for teachers and parents and children who like to "get messy".
4 Little 'Quick' Hands.......1999-12-02
This book had many GREAT ideas for various animals. It was easy enough that, my almost 2 year old, and I together did a very nice piece of art. If you like to finger play, it is worth the purchase!
Average customer rating:
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Finger Prints: The Classic 1892 Treatise
Francis Galton
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General | Biology | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
Anatomy | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
General | Science | Subjects | Books
Forensic Medicine | Pathology | Specialties | Medicine | Subjects | Books
General | Biology | Biological Sciences | Professional Science | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
Forensic Medicine | Pathology | Internal Medicine | Medicine | Medical | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0486439305 |
Book Description
Landmark discusses the evidence validating fingerprints as a means of personal identification, permanence of the fingerprint characteristics, uniqueness of an assemblage of ridge details, and the variability and classifiable nature of finger patterns — along with such fundamental investigations as biological and racial variations and the inheritance of fingerprint traits. 34 tables. 15 plates.
Average customer rating:
- THIS BOOK IS AWESOME AND WORTH EVERY DOLLAR!
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Barbara Delinsky, Three Complete Novels: A Woman Betrayed / Within Reach / Finger Prints
Barbara Delinsky
Manufacturer: Wings
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | 18th Century | 19th Century | 20th Century | African American | Asian American | Classics | Collections & Readers | Drama | General | Hispanic | History & Criticism | Humor | Jewish American | Letters & Correspondence | Native American | Poetry | Short Stories | Women Writers
Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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General | Delinsky, Barbara | ( D ) | Authors, A-Z | Romance | Subjects | Books
Hardcover | Delinsky, Barbara | ( D ) | Authors, A-Z | Romance | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0517093839
Release Date: 1993-08-04 |
Customer Reviews:
THIS BOOK IS AWESOME AND WORTH EVERY DOLLAR!.......1999-11-18
I'M SHORT OF WORDS. I CAN ONLY SAY THAT IT'S SUPERB AND WONDERFUL
Average customer rating:
- left it's mark on me
- Check your brain at the door
- Everything was there in place but something was missing...
- So-So
- Romance for the heart
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Finger Prints
Barbara Delinsky
Manufacturer: HarperTorch
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
General | Romance | Subjects | Books
General | Delinsky, Barbara | ( D ) | Authors, A-Z | Romance | Subjects | Books
Paperback | Delinsky, Barbara | ( D ) | Authors, A-Z | Romance | Subjects | Books
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General | Delinsky, Barbara | ( D ) | Authors, A-Z | Romance | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Paperback | Delinsky, Barbara | ( D ) | Authors, A-Z | Romance | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
General | Contemporary | Romance | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
General | Romance | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
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Accessories:
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philosophy hope in a jar daily moisturizer
ASIN: 0061041807 |
Book Description
New York Times bestselling author Barbara Delinsky displays her deep understanding of the desires and fears that move us all in this poignant story, first published in 1984, of danger, love, and trust.
Once upon a time she was Robyn Hart, a journalist who saw too much and wasn't afraid to expose it. But that courage nearly cost Robyn her life. Under the protection of the Witness Relocation program, she now has a new identity -- Carly -- and a new job. But the terror of the past still lingers, and Carly lives in fear that her enemies will find her.
Though she tries to wall herself off from the world, one determined man breaks through her defenses -- successful young attorney Ryan Cornell. And though she yearns to give him her heart, Carly doesn't know if she can. While loving him offers a happiness she thought she'd forever lost, trusting him could cost her everything.
Download Description
"
New York Times bestselling author Barbara Delinsky displays her deep understanding of the desires and fears that move us all in this poignant story, first published in 1984, of danger, love, and trust.
Once upon a time she was Robyn Hart, a journalist who saw too much and wasn't afraid to expose it. But that courage nearly cost Robyn her life. Under the protection of the Witness Relocation program, she now has a new identity -- Carly -- and a new job. But the terror of the past still lingers, and Carly lives in fear that her enemies will find her.
Though she tries to wall herself off from the world, one determined man breaks through her defenses -- successful young attorney Ryan Cornell. And though she yearns to give him her heart, Carly doesn't know if she can. While loving him offers a happiness she thought she'd forever lost, trusting him could cost her everything.
"
Customer Reviews:
left it's mark on me.......2006-08-31
an excellent story right from the beginning. delinsky gives excellent details to ensure that you get the best picture of the story in your head. the way she describes the emotions that carly, ryan, sam, tom, and even greg are feeling are awesome. i love the way carly holds back her true feelings for ryan. i love the way ryan finially accepts them. while under the witness protection program, carly is relocated to boston. while there she runs into ryan, a well known lawyer. carly hates the thought of any lawyers, so there is no way that she wanted to get involved with this one, no matter how handsome he was. but ryan never gives up. he has everything he wants, except carly's trust. and carly doesn't know who to trust anyone. a must read for any fan of barbara delinsky.
Check your brain at the door.......2006-08-03
If you need an easy beach read, without asking any questions about why any human being would respond to intense situations the way these characters do, then this is the perfect novel for you. Fingerprints masquerades as a suspense novel, but in reality it is barely a step up from the typical Harlequin romance. It's just a lot more drawn out without any real reward for the reader. Carly, a frightened and timid schoolteacher in the Witness Protection Program falls in love with Ryan, a dynamic and handsome attorney. Despite her almost ridiculous reluctance to trust him, she falls in love and so does he. Despite his education, background, and brilliance, he is willing to wait while she deals with her demons. Every major problem they face is solved with an incredible sexual experience that allows Ryan to believe that if he just gives her more time, Carly will be his. Just as Carly is about to reveal her past, Ryan learns of it in another way and takes off. Meanwhile, betrayed by a "friend" in the U.S. Marshall's office, who just happens to be the love of Ryan's brother, Carly's life is endangered and Ryan daringly rescues Carly. The bad guys die. Gee whiz. I skipped over many pages of what was supposedly steamy sex just to try to figure out where the story was going. The plot had real potential. The characters had potential, too. The trust issue ran throughout the story, but was sadly undeveloped because the author chose to emasculate her hero. Unfortunately, the real "villian" was not well developed and the many wonderful possibilities were sidelined by the need to incorporate romance (sex) in weird places. If you want descriptions of steamy but tame sex, then this novel can give you that. You just have to wade through a ton of nothing to figure out what really happened.The ending is a little too pat given what the reader is expected to wade through. This book was in a bunch that was given to me. My time would have been better spent on something a little more believable. A total "ripped bodice" novel that ignores real human emotions. Unless you can pick it up for nearly free, don't bother.
Everything was there in place but something was missing..........2003-10-01
Have you ever wondered about the people who have to change their identity in some kind of protection program. Well, while uncovering a story of possible arson journalist Robyn Hart's life is threatened. She receives a new identity of Carly under the Witness Relocation Program and is relocated as a teacher in the Boston area. She lives in constant fear of being found out- the people that want her life are that ruthless. She has become scared of her own shadow. Ryan moves into Carly's apartment building of which Carly literally runs into Ryan one day. Ryan- who has had no interest in dating for so long, is attracted to Carly and decides to persue her, not taking no for an answer. Carly is at first scared to trust Ryan but s..l..o..w..l.. y lets her guard down and a romance buds. But things are difficult because she can't tell Ryan the truth of her past and has never been good at lying. Ryan cares for her and wants to know more about Carly but she seems to be hiding something. And then a strange man shows up and seems to be following Carly. When Carly gets a good look at him she recognizes him to be the one that trued to murder her before. SHOWTIME!
I had no idea when I picked it up what it was about. But I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it! Ryan and Carly are really sweet together. There is suspense and romance and the ending was a surprise to me. Read it and Enjoy it.
So-So.......2002-12-14
I just finished reading this book and though it wasn't a page-turner, it wasn't bad. It was a bit more exciting than the last Delinksy book I've read. Reading her back covers, the stories sound as if they're going to be fantastic, but then the book has a tendency to disappoint. They need a bit more excitement and the characters need a bit more personality. It's not a bad read, but not one of the better books I've read.
Romance for the heart.......2002-01-22
I read this book when it was first published in the late 80's. This was one of Ms Delinsky's first longer stories. I have enjoyed her writing from her Harlequins on thru to today. She was one of those you knew had a shining future. In this story Carly sees a crime and knows too much. She is relocated with a new identity. When Ryan shows great interest in her, she is very wary. Though she is greatly attracted to him, she doesn't know whether or not to trust her heart. Though one could say the story is still formula, the characters are well developed and the reader really cares what happens to them. This is a romance well worth your time.
Average customer rating:
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The blue book of crime;: Science of crime detection,
Thomas Grant Cooke
Manufacturer: The Institute of Applied Science
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
Crime & Criminals | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books | Criminology | Forensic Science | Gangs | General | Offenders | Penology | War on Drugs
Physical | Anthropology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Sociology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books | AIDS | Abuse | Adults | Aging | Children | Class | Communities | Culture | Death | General | History | Leisure | Marriage & Family | Medicine | Men | Occupational | Race Relations | Religion | Research & Measurement | Rural | Social Groups | Social Situations | Social Theory | Suburban | Urban | Women
ASIN: B0007HNTI6 |
Book Description
Captain Edge and the crew of the Daystar are off on another exciting mission, this time to save the crew of the Wellington from certain destruction by the gravitron threads of the Rainbow Nebula.But there is a troublemaker in the ranks. Greedy Hector Jordan has another plan to make himself rich, and this time it means stealing supplies on board the starship to build a virtual reality machine. After enlisting Ringo to help him build the computer that runs the machine, Heck puts the crew's lives in danger by stealing power from the ship's main fuel cells.Join the Daystar Space Rangers and the crew of the Daystar as they make a heroic rescue. Discover how God can give compassion and power to overcome past hurts and teach us to love those who have wronged us. And see how God can use Heck's machine for good even though Heck meant it for selfish gain.
Customer Reviews:
An Exciting Adventure.......2000-03-21
This is such a cool book! I gave up waiting for it from the library and bought it. I liked it as a Christian book with an exciting story line. It kept me guessing right up to the end. I definitely recomend this book. Good on you Gilbert!
Amazon.com
Oswald Chambers, a Scotsman who converted to Christianity in his teens under the ministry of Charles Spurgeon, has been affecting Christians with his devotional words since My Utmost for His Highest was first published in 1935. This acknowledged classic contains 365 daily readings that take heady doctrine and make it practical, realistic, and intensely personal. With humor and humility, Chambers speaks plainly to the common man struggling with devotion to Christ in daily living. Worldly cares and self-serving desires begin to lose their appeal as Chambers aides the reader in transforming his mind by viewing life through the instruction of God's Word. Richard Halverson, former chaplain of the United States Senate, attests to this: "no book except the Bible has influenced my walk with Christ at such deep maturing levels." This is Chambers's chief desire, directing the reader to "shut out every other consideration and keep yourself before God for this one thing only--My Utmost for His Highest... determined to be absolutely and entirely for Him and for Him alone." --Jill Heatherly
Book Description
Featuring the complete, classic text of Oswald Chambers's My Utmost for His Highest, the world's best-selling devotional gets even better as a daily devotional gets even better as a daily devotional journal.
Download Description
One of the most enduring inspirational classics of our time. The all-time best-selling devotional by Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, fills your day with timeless thoughts from a humble servant of Christ.
Customer Reviews:
A Treasured Classic!!!.......2007-08-11
I start out each morning with this book along side of my bible,...& its always so inspiring,..I always "feel" better after starting out my day this way,....This is an awesome book that I find more & more "valuable" to me as time goes by,...L Hampton
amazing devotional.......2007-07-15
This book is a traditional religious Christian book. It has daily devotionals that are based on scripture. It is applicable to many situations and many people would find it inspirational. The readings are short enough to easily commit to daily reading but deep enough to make one think and bring one closer to God.
Thought provoking.......2007-06-08
This is my kind of devotional. No sappy sentiments. Based on scripture, written by one of the most respected theologians ever. I keep a copy of this in my car to bring in to any appointments where I will be waiting. Can read just one day or 10 days at a time. I have bought many copies of this for other people, everyone loves it. I will use this year after year, always something new pops out at me. I love that The Oswald Foundation insists it be sold so cheap so that anyone can afford to own this little gem.
My Utmost for His Highest Journal.......2007-05-16
Very well made. Oswall Chambers hit Holiness on the heart. Journalling allows you to see prayers answered the next year you go though the devotions. I have used one for years. This one I sent to my son.
Inspiring and Profound, Amazing Guidance to Live Our Life According to Gal 2:20.......2007-05-03
My mentor has been mentoring all of his students including myself from this book and it's been the most amazing spiritual growth experience.
For almost 2 years now that this book has been my devotional book and every time I read it along with the Holy Bible, I always found new inspirations every time I read it.
It is a great devotional and mentoring book for those who want to apply Gal 2:20 in their life.
I think, this book is a must read book for every Christian, even non-Christian will greatly benefit from this book.
God bless Oswald Chambers.
Books:
- Somewhere a Song (Daughters of Fortune #2)
- Starman Jones
- Story Cards: Aesop's Fables
- Strange Heaven: The Virgin Mary As Woman, Mother, Disciple And Advocate
- Sweet and Vicious
- Tabula Rasa
- Tales of Beatnik Glory
- Tequila, Lemon, And Salt: From Baja...tales of love,faith - and magic
- Tevye's Daughters: Collected Stories of Sholom Aleichem
- The $64 Tomato: How One Man Nearly Lost his Sanity, Spent a Fortune, and Endured an Existential Crisis in the Quest for the Perfect Garden
Books Index
Books Home
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The Solace of Leaving Early
She Got Up Off the Couch: And Other Heroic Acts from Mooreland, Indiana
A Girl Named Zippy: Growing Up Small in Mooreland Indiana (Today Show Book Club #3)
Orville: A Dog Story (Bccb Blue Ribbon Fiction Books (Awards))
The Used World: A Novel
