Average customer rating:
- Delightfully Silly !!
- Lots of Laughs and a Breeze to Read
- With you in Spirit
- Recommended By A Friend
- Anything but vanilla
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With You in Spirit: A Novel
Steven Cooper
Manufacturer: Alyson Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1555837832 |
Book Description
"My father's body was found floating facedown in the waters off Chappaquiddick. Naturally, everyone assumed a Kennedy did it." Well, perhaps not everyone, as Graydove Hoffenstein, the Native American Jewish heir to a parking meter empire discovers after his mother, Celeste Garrison Hoffenstein, is arrested and sentenced to life in prison for the murder of her husband, Colin Lightfoot Hoffenstein. But Gray believes in his mother's innocence, as does his sister Chaka, who arranges a seance at the family's Martha's Vineyard home with the renowned -psychic Brenda Cloudholder, who arrives in a Yugo driven by her spookily mysterious chauffeur, Derderva. So begins Steven Cooper's rollicking tale of love, murder and ghosts, where skepticism meets spiritualism, ghosts communicate using lemons and Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive," and family eccentricities hold the key to just about everything. As Gray tries to juggle both a police investigation and Brenda Cloudholder's increasingly weird communications with the afterlife, he has problems beyond getting his mother out of jail. His best friend, Stevie, has begun dating Gray's younger sister Skye; his Puerto Rican boyfriend, Pedro, has decided to become a woman named Carmen Cuernevaca; and his sister Chaka has decided to become black. With You in Spirit charms and delights as it races toward a resolution, which is not just rewarding but deeply moving as well. Steven Cooper's debut novel is an uproarious blend of mystery and camp humor that will have you begging for a sequel.
Steven Cooper is an Emmy award-winning television journalist who currently serves as the anchor for the "Problem Solver" and "On Your Side" daily segments for WKMG-TV in Orlando, Florida. A native of Boston, he has been an on-air personality for WGGB-TV in Springfield, Massachusetts, and KNXV-TV in Phoenix. He now lives in Orlando.
Customer Reviews:
Delightfully Silly !!.......2007-09-05
What a fun book!.....There is no pretense here; it is silly murder mystery that taps into all of the gay stereotypes, privileged stereotypes, and whoo-dunit stereotypes. Quick paced, charmingly silly, bitingly witty, and cleverly plotted, this novel will entertain and delight. The mix of characters, dialogue, and situations sometimes remind of George Burns and Gracie Allen, at others, Lucy and Ricky, but will always prove rewarding for the reader.
Lots of Laughs and a Breeze to Read.......2005-02-11
A great read and a real page turner. Steven Cooper's off beat sense of humor makes the book! It is witty and intelligent, even in its occasional silliness. The characters come alive in their relationships to one another. And its a mystery! I'm looking forward to seeing more from this author.
With you in Spirit.......2005-02-09
I didn't think I would like this book when I first started reading it, but when I got into the book I found it very witty and full of surprises. It made me really want to know who done it. It was a quick and easy read, and kept you interested until the end.
Recommended By A Friend.......2005-02-03
Okay, first I want to thank my friend for recommending this book. I wish I had found it sooner. It's one of those books you breeze through with delight. Sure, it's wacky and a little over the top, but it has heart and feeling and it resonates in so many ways. I can't wait to read Cooper's next book. It's already out. I hope it's a treasure like With You In Spirit.
Anything but vanilla.......2005-02-03
First of all... I loved, loved, loved this novel! Steven Cooper has an unbelievable knack of creating rich characters, eclectic storylines, unbelievable humor, wonderful wit and superb satire, and delivers something that is severly lacking in the publishing world today... and that's ...an unbelievable hunger to finish the novel... while resisting the temptation to finish it so soon! Anyone who has anything negative to say about this novel is just a frustrated, jealous writer wannabee who's ticked off at the world because he can't get past the first page. I would highly, highly, highly recommend this novel because steven cooper is anything but "vanilla" ... and if you have half a brain in your head, you should be praising him profusely and checking the bookstores with bated breath for his next novel! hurray steven cooper!
Book Description
A Crazy Mixed-up School.
There'd been a terrible mistake. Wayside School was supposed to be built with thirty classrooms one on top of the other...thirty stories tall! (The builder said he was very sorry.)
That may be why all kinds of funny things happen at Wayside SChool...especially on the thirteenth floor. You'll meet Mrs. Gorf, the meanest teacher of all, terrible Todd, who always gets sent home early, and John who can read only upside down--along with all the other kids in the crazy mix-up school that came out sideways. But you'll never guess the truth about Sammy, the new kid...or what's in store for Wayside School on Halloween!
There was a terrible mistake-Wayside School was built with one classroom on top of another, thirty stories high! (The builder said he was sorry.) Maybe that's why all kinds of funny things happened at Wayside-especially on the thirteenth floor.
Customer Reviews:
Childhood love.......2007-09-30
These books were great when I read them in forth grade now my son will have the chance to also enjoy them!
Wayside School boxed set.......2007-09-28
I remember these books from when I was in elementry school. I loved them then, and can still remember the wacky stories. I loved them so much in fact that I wanted my own son to read, and enjoy them as much as I did.
Wacky, hilarious, and a great price!.......2007-07-22
The humour, wackiness, and strange characters make this such a great book for young readers. The very creative stories are quite strange, but they are also highly loveable, and will be treasured by readers.
super value.......2007-05-09
Great set! My daughter loves these stories (and I do too!), so we probably should have gotten these in hardcover since they will get a lot of wear & tear.
Great book.......2007-03-09
I first read these books when I was about 11. Now I have an 11 yr old and a 9 yr old. Neither of which like to read. They both read the first book, and picked up the others and read them without being asked. Now they are reading all his other books. It definetly gave my kids the joy of reading.
Average customer rating:
- Funny at times, but not what its cracked out to be
- Back to Storytelling
- Hilarious History of the World
- A Frenetic Comedic Science Fiction Masterpiece
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Falling Sideways
Tom Holt
Manufacturer: ATOM
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1841491101 |
Customer Reviews:
Funny at times, but not what its cracked out to be.......2007-09-10
Falling Sideways in an interesting experiment in writing comic urban fantasy, unfortunately while the theory is sound, Tom Hold can't manage to drive the point home.
I've read a couple of other Tom Hold and, unlike other books from the author, Falling Sideways is rather funny and have some hilarious moments but it the more you get into it you start to see the rather coarse seems that attempt to hold the plot together, but eventually fail miserably.
If you're up for a few laughs, Falling Sideways is better then most other Tom Holt's works - but don't expect it to hold a candle to the masters of the genre.
Back to Storytelling.......2003-12-09
In Falling Sideways, Tom Holt has returned to storytelling. He is good at random quipping, but I felt that some of the books he cranked out in recent years- Overtime, Faust Among Equals, and Grailblazers- were long on random quips and short on plot. Falling Sideways is a good yarn- it almost develops like a creepy mystery at the beginning. The funny bits are in service of the plot,and not as fast and furious as in some of the earlier books, which might disappoint some, but I found a relief. The book is perhaps not quite as satisfying as Expecting Someone Taller or Who's Afraid of Beowolf? but does suggest that Holt is past his lazy phase or whatever that was, and bodes well for the future.
Hilarious History of the World.......2003-11-18
Tom Holt is a master of the humorous novel (especially science fiction or fantasy). This book is no exception.
The book follows the a young man who fell in love with a witch depicted in a painting at a local art museum when he was a young boy. Having a decent job in computers and no romantic interests to spend his money on, he frivolously buys a lock of hair reported to be from the witch in the painting. Then the strangeness begins.
First he is approached by another art collector in a local pub. Then, in need of a bathroom, he exits his train at an unfamiliar stop and sees Honest John's House of Clones. But surely cloning isn't possible, or even legal.
Well, armed with his genetic sample, the young man sets in motion events of cosmic proportions. Lies and coverups follow fast and furiously. He, and the reader, are stuck trying to figure out just what the real story is. Was he genetically designed just to clone the witch? Is he the son of God? Who are all of these people who look alike? What is with the bags of sugar? And are the frogs really in charge? These and many more questions are eventually answered amidst a fast-paced story liberally seasoned with intelligent witticisms.
If you are a Tom Holt fan, you will want to read this one. If you are new to Tom Holt, this is an excellent book.
A Frenetic Comedic Science Fiction Masterpiece.......2003-02-01
I was originally drawn to this book because of the rather odd frog on the cover, which is good, because there are a lot of amphibious life forms within, hehe. I was really not expecting the fast-paced, frantic, free-wheeling and fun read that this book turned out to be! From the first page, to the last, you are never sure what is going to happen next, who is who for sure, or what the eventual outcome of all this madness is going to be. It's an absolute joy. I haven't been this entertained by a humourous science fiction or fantasy novel since the works of Douglas Adams, or the b-movie cycle by Craig Shaw Gardner. Now I have to get the rest of Tom Holt's books!
Average customer rating:
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Falling Sideways Uk
Tom Holt
Manufacturer: ORBIT BOOK CO
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000TXMHYA |
Average customer rating:
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Falling Sideways Uk
Tom Holt
Manufacturer: ORBIT BOOK CO
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000SHRE9A |
Average customer rating:
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Falling Sideways
Tom Holt
Manufacturer: Orbit
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000M3N5AW |
Book Description
A disturbing allegory, centered around a planet called Shikasta, which bears remarkable similarities to Earth. Through time, a higher planet, Canopus, has documented the progress of Shikasta and tried to distract its inhabitants from the evil influence of the planet Shammat, but the Shikastans continue to hurl themselves toward annihilation.
Customer Reviews:
Great work of Literature.......2007-05-03
In Shikasta Ms. Lessing writes about a planet's misfortune, that started as a planetary potential for Human Evolution. An experiment that could have gone right or wrong. This book starts with a series of story's about the beginning and present states of a planet called Shikasta (earth ) that fell from grace after a galactic miss- alignment, and a tampering from a malignant force. Canopus ( a civilized planetary intelligence within this sector of the Universe, given permissible action to help stranded Planets gone backwards, or to seed new planets with potential for growth and evolution ) Is overseeing the progress made by their agents being sent to Shikasta in different time periods.
Ms Lessing goes on from Story to Reports to human behavior in a moments notice. Be prepared to jump from one subject to the next just like a student attends a History class at 9:00 AM to Sociology at 10:00 AM to Psychology at 11:00 AM.
Shikasta is a marvelous work of literature, giving us examples of human creation and miscorrelations. Perhaps the biggest impact is the similarity to our own planet earth's history. Makes me wonder is fiction really a meager attempt at explain the little truth we know about our own planets evolution. In my opinion Ms. Lessing comes dangerously close to what really happened on a small little planet called earth.
Like the series, but ..........2005-10-15
Lessing's criticism of the twentieth century is pointed, somtimes funny, and ultimately hopeful. The other four books in her 'Canopus' series are much stronger, though.
Shikasta - the outsider's name for Earth - is presented in a series of vingettes, case studies, and partial exchanges of letters. Perhaps the intent was to create a mosaic from those many pieces. I just found it fragmentary; somehow, it never formed a whole, coherent image for me. Also, this book is longer than the others in the set. In those, Lessing makes her points concisely; this book's increased length just gave more of the poor organization.
I recently re-read the other four books (not the proper order of the set of five), and came away more impressed than ever. Singly and as a set, they are wonderful. I'm glad I read this one last. If I had read this before the others I might not have bothered with them - that would have been a true loss on my part.
I recommend the Canopus series most highly. The other books are among the finest literature I know. It is unfortunate that Shikasta does not rise to their standards, and it would be sad if a new reader judged the series by it's first member.
//wiredweird
Last and first men.......2001-10-22
Shikasta is the first, the largest (in bulk and in scope) and the most epic of the quintet collectively titled Canopus in Argos: Archives. It's a stunning work, one of the very few science-fiction novels to show any awareness of the cosmic perspective of Olaf Stapledon (Last and First Men, Star Maker), let alone adapt it into another, wholly independent vision. Shikasta is the name Canopus use for Earth; the word means broken, wounded, suffering. The book falls into two parts. The first is a science-fiction revision of the Old Testament, an astounding overview of the Canopean Empire's colonising efforts over vast forgotten tracts of time which have come down to us as fossilised, distorted myths. It makes for a breathtaking two hundred pages, rivalled for sheer dizzying cosmicism only by Stapledon, the best of Lovecraft and some of Stanislaw Lem. The second part of the book is the story of the Sherban family during the last days of Western civilisation; and particularly the story of George Sherban, an agent of Canopus who (as many times before) has taken on human shape in order to guide the evolution of the human race. Sherban's efforts, observed through the bewildered but movingly sympathetic eyes of his sister Rachel, and later by a thoughtful and humane Chinese colonial administrator, culminate in a vast show trial of the white races (the natives of what the Canopeans, with a fine sense of perspective, call "the Northwest fringes") for thousands of years of horrific oppression. Despite the glorious writing, admirable originality and a total refusal to settle for easy answers, I'm not altogether sure this second part quite comes off - after the merciless dissection of human frailties in Part One, it just doesn't seem credible for Sherban's scheme to work. And the ending comes perilously close to suggesting that if we could only kill off nine-tenths of the population and live in geometrically perfect cities, all our problems would be over. That said, however, Shikasta remains a great and compelling work, always fascinating and often deeply moving - an amazing synthesis of the cosmic perspective with the political and the personal. Small wonder that it took Lessing four more books to work out the implications as fully as she wished.
far away so close.......2001-06-08
I don't read a whole lot of novels, and truth be told I've never been able to read anything else of Lessing's. Yet this book remains indelible and forever in my heart. Lessing herself said that this work felt born through her as much as from her, and considering the discrimination and intellect of the woman, I take that as a powerful statement.
And truly visionary this work is- it's able to zoom into the heart and process of darkness in our contemporary world without comprimise, then give the reader a view from above without sentiment or easy platitudes, with compassion and true insight.
This is a true work of spirituality- that is bringing the heart and the intellect together, without resorting to easy answers. May each one of us aspire to the dedication and tireless compassion as does Johor in order to benefit beings.
a visionary marvel.......2000-12-13
Shikasta is one of those rare creations that defies classification, a gripping novel which through the medium of fantasy reveals deep truth. For its rich humanity, its scope and its uncanny perceptions of the human condition, this work is sure to last forever.
Customer Reviews:
Cult of State and Cult of Christ become One.......2004-07-16
If you want to know how, and why, romanitas became christianitas, this is the book for you. But make no mistake, this isn't any gloss of the process, this is an in-depth as a how-to discussion of surgery.
I've been through this book twice, and I'm always amazed by Cochrane's ability. It helps me (always) to have a primer on Roman history out as I go through it - to check on some of his references and "name-dropping." A Latin dictionary doesn't hurt, either (my Latin's a little rusty since college).
If you want an extensive examination of the christianization of the Roman empire, get this book!
A pillar of philosophical, religious, and cultural analysis.......2004-02-03
Originally published in 1940, Christianity And Classical Culture: A Study Of Thought And Action From Augustus To Augustine by Charles Norris Chochrane (1889-1945) is a thoughtful, insightful, informative examination of the contrast and sometimes clash between the classical era's culture and struggle to understand the world in purely rational terms, and the completely new understanding of the world developed and spread by Christianity. From divisions of church and state; to the impact that Constantine and the spread of Christianity had; to a technical dissection of propositions concerning sometimes starkly different worldviews, Christianity and Classic Culture has survived the test of time to remain a pillar of philosophical, religious, and cultural analysis.
The Fall of Rome and the Rise of Christendom.......1999-11-28
This is a comprehensive narrative of the decline of the classical pagan world and the rise of the Christian middle ages. It is aptly subtitled, "A Study of Thought and Action from Augustus to Augustine," for those two men stand out as the bookends of the transition. The story begins with Eternal Rome at the end of the Republic, and generally with the claims of pagan Rome to finality and mastery -- perfected science in the classical sense -- over the political order of the world. It ends with the destruction of the Empire and the seminal thinker of the next thousand years, Aurelius Augustine. On the way, Cochrane weaves together military history, theology, poetry, philosophy, law and politics in a prose that is certainly not to be confused with Gibbon, but is nonetheless quite readable. Cochrane's avowed mission is to let the classical authors, pagan and Christian alike, speak for themselves and for their positions, and this he does with remarkable fairness. A principal question of the book is, who won the war of philosophers and theologians? Did Athens conquer Jerusalem, imposing classical pagan or Platonic ideas on a Christianity now lost, or did Jerusalem conquer Athens, replacing the classical ways of thought in a radical way? The answer, as one might expect, is complicated, but intelligible. The book is 500 pages long, but will repay multiple readings.
Product Description
"The theme of this work is the revolution in thought and action which came about through the impcat of Christianity upon the Graeco-Roman world"--preface.
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