Book Description
Bearing W.P. Kinsella's trademark combination of "sweet-natured prose and a richly imagined world" (Philadelphia Inquirer), The Iowa Baseball Confederacy tells the story of Gideon Clark, a man on a quest. He is out to prove to the world that the indomitable Chicago Cubs traveled to Iowa in the summer of 1908 for an exhibition game against an amateur league, the Iowa Baseball Confederacy. But a simple game somehow turned into a titanic battle of more than two thousand innings, and Gideon Clark struggles to set the record straight on this infamous game that no one else believes ever happened.
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful Baseball Fantasy.......2006-03-11
If you love baseball, fantasy, and especially the Chicago Cubs you can't help but love Kinsella's delightful tale. As another baseball season gets ready to start this book will get you into the right frame of mind. Similar in style to the wonderful "The Year It Finally Happened."
Mind-boggling.......2004-09-25
What's so mind-boggling is the drugs that Kinsella must have been smoking in order to come up with this one. Now read this description of the book:
An albino, like his dead father, is convinced that a 3000 inning game took place 80-some years ago between the Chicago Cubs and the Iowa baseball Confederacy All-stars. The albino is somehow able to go back in time and witness the game (as a matter of fact the local hicks use him as a good-luck charm and rub his head before stepping to the plate, allowing him to remain in the dugout) in all its glory. Then Teddy Roosevelt shows up and takesa few swings, telling the pitcher not to patronize him after throwing an easy pitch, and then making a cheap pun about the bat being a "big stick." Soon after that Leonardo DaVinci showed up in a balloon and watches a few innings. Shortly thereafter a giant flood occurs and some of the players spontaeneouly throw themselves in the waters. To fill the vacancies, a statue of an angel plays in the outfield.
There, I think I've covered all the bases, so to speak. Oh, I forgot the Native America named "Drifting Away" who is messing with the reality of this county and eventually plays in the game too.
Look, I don't like to be so completely negative, but the book was ludicrous. To make matters worse, it throws in a fairly gratuitous love interest who is the spitting image of the Albino protagonist's mother (kinda Fruedian) and more seemingly random things than could possibly be mentioned in this review. And bear in mind, reading these things, that I'm a baseball fan.
3/10
Another Classic Baseball Novel .......2004-09-09
W.P. Kinsella is one of my all-time favorite writers, and this is one of his better novels. If you've seen the movie, "Field of Dreams," or read his book "Shoeless Joe," which was the basis for the movie, you know what to expect from Kinsella.
His stories of baseball and magic are written for readers with vivid imaginations. This is a story of a researcher looking for proof of an old league that nobody else can remember. He somehow ends up at a never-ending exhibition game between the 1908 Cubs and the all-stars from this Iowa league.
As usual with Kinsella, the book is about a lot more than baseball. If you're the type of reader who can accept a story that seems totally unbelievbale, and if you like baseball, you should try this one. If you like it, he's written quite a few other books and I haven't found a bad one yet.
Very Disappointed.......2004-06-01
I just finished my sophomore year of college. I have had the Iowa Baseball Confederacy in my room forever but I waited until the semester was over to start reading it because I wanted to give it full attention. I read Shoeless Joe a couple of years ago and it is still my all-time favorite book. I went into this one with high expectations. However, they were not met. I just didn't like the characters, didn't care about them. The Plot seemed like a bunch of short stories together that made no sense.
Magic is a key element in Kinsella stories. However, this one just seemed too fantastic. I don't know how players coming back from the dead in Shoeless Joe seemed more realistic than the time-travel, magic Indian, and the obsession with the game in the Iowa Baseball Confederacy, but it just does.
The book is worth a read if you're a Kinsella Fan but don't waste your time otherwise. Read Shoeless Joe again.
One of the best american novels.......2004-05-19
Its pretty difficult to put this book in a genre. Sports novel? There's a 2,000 inning game in here. Mythology? The characters seem plenty real to me. Lets just say that it belongs in the genre of books that defy classification.
I'm not sure whats so great about this book. I guess its just the fact that when Kinsella says there was this totally fantastic event, you believe him. Who knows why? The man is an amazing writer, and this proves it. By the way, if you are a teacher by all means, assign this book to your class instead of the tired old 19th century british class warfare novel.
Average customer rating:
|
The Iowa Baseball Confederacy
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000I0GJTI |
Average customer rating:
|
The Iowa Baseball Confederacy
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000I0F7ZU |
Customer Reviews:
Someone please print Lydon Hardy's books in hardcover!!!.......2007-01-16
Lyndon Hardy wrote a wonderful trilogy
Master of the Five Magics
Secret of the Sixth Magic
Riddle of the Seven Realms
I highly recommend all three books and I hope someone out there will reprint them in hardcover editions! Hint Hint ;-)
A triumphant conclusion for a masterful fantasy world.......2006-08-16
This was the first novel I ever read that had a demonic hero-protagonist. Years later as I enjoyed the Drizzt novels by RA Salvatore, I'd remember the similar feel in Lyndon Hardy's 'Riddle of the Seven Realms.'
The (multiple) world building, characterization, and settings are wonderfully done. We also learn what happened to Alodar the Archmage from the first book; in a way this is really the triumphant conclusion for this loosely connected trilogy.
I didn't enjoy this as much as the first two books because Hardy is a bit too clever; the interconnections and convolutions are less obvious and more subtle. I found some of the characters journey to a bit slow. The conclusion however, makes the entire book worth it. The ending was magnificent; a true riddle solved.
I highly recommend this book, which can stand alone. It is better if you read 'Master of the Five Magics' first though. 'The Secret of the Sixth Magic' is not necessary, but will add a depth to a couple technical explanations.
A Logical Conclusion.......2005-07-24
I read the first in the series - Master of the Five Magics - as a kid. Liking it so much, I bought the other two (the second being Secret of the Sixth Magic). Looking back I think I stumbled a little on the second book and never got to read this final book, which was truly a shame.
This book is, I believe, the best of the three, with Master of the Five Magics being a very close second.
The author took much more time in this book to examine more closely the characters and personalities of the main characters - Kestrel, Phoebe, Astron and Nimbia....Kestrel and Astron above all.
In a nutshell, Kestrel, a glib (for want of a better word) con man, tries to fob inferior wood onto the wizard Phoebe. While testing the wood, she summons forth a demon like no other - Astron, the one who walks (named so because, unlike other djinns, he has no wings, nor can he hurl bolts of lightning). The demon, however, is on a quest for his prince, Elezar, to seek out Alodar the Archmage, who bested Elezar in a battle of wills years ago. For Elezar is in trouble - if he cannot solve a riddle posed by another demon prince, he must surrender everything...and in doing so, the one agent acting in the interests of humans by diverting the attention of demons elsewhere, would be gone. As such, the Archmage sends Kestrel, Astron and Phoebe on a quest to help solve the riddle.
I found myself wondering, about halfway through the book, whether this was merely the author's excuse to create and describe new worlds and different creatures, whether there really was a solution to the riddle. And yet, I should not have doubted - the author once again leaves subtle clues throughout the journey, and uses the events to expand the characters, making them more endearing, if you will. The dramatic conclusion was exciting to say the least and draws on the understandings of each other for the main characters to struggle against seemingly impossible odds.
A great read, which I'd thoroughly recommend.
But as the other revier mentioned, there is one greater riddle still unanswered - what happened to this author??
Excellent- want more.......1998-05-21
Once again, Hardy displays deep thoughts on the workings of magic.The third in the series flicks the protagonists through a series of parallel worlds, each providing a clue toward solving the riddle.
The characters are appealing and the description of various worlds and their inhabitants is well done.
What has happened to this author? I bought Riddle several years ago and would like to purchase more of his books.
Average customer rating:
- John Lee Peacock come home.
|
San Diego Lightfoot Sue and Other Stories
Tom Reamy
Manufacturer: Ace Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
| Science Fiction
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
Short Stories
| Science Fiction
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0441749569 |
Customer Reviews:
John Lee Peacock come home........2001-10-05
If the title story was the only story collection repeated so that there were 304 pages, it would still be one of the best story collections in the history of science fiction. I stumbled across Reamy, this story actually, at the age of 12. And now at 31, it is still as influential as it was then. In the introduction, Ellison tries not to lament the fact that Reamy died young, producing very little work. This insightful piece by one who knew him, (I'd still like to see a piece on Reamy by Pat Cadigan who is mentioned in the intro) sets the stage for these 11 stories. Ellison's comments do very much to let you know that not all of these stories are masterpieces. Some are in all actuality formulaic, but this isn't to say that there isn't something to be said for all of them.
Althought Ellison lambasts "Insects in Amber" it too is a stand alone story and I do miss the movie that could have been made from it. If you do read "San Diego Lightfoot Sue" be sure to read "Twilla" and "The Detweiler Boy". These stories interact with the novel "Blind Voices" and create a Reamy universe much the same way other contemporary authors string their pieces together.
These stories are written by a nice man Ellison writes, and I personally mourn the fact that there aren't more of them to read. Or jeez more readers who have had a chance to feel this way. Buy this book!!!
Amazon.com
This is not a joke book or a parody. This is a warmly written, humorous, and quite serious cookbook filled with delightful traditional and unusual recipes. It includes wonderful photographs by the author of people and places and food all connected to his fondness and memory of growing up in rural and small town Mississippi. You may not be tempted to try every single recipe in this book, but you won't be able to resist trying many of them!
Customer Reviews:
Superb Regional Cookbook.......2005-10-11
I must confess that I resisted buying this cookbook for many years. I am an avid collector of American Regional and International cookbooks, but found the title of this book offensive. I assumed it was written to mock rural whites, a people I know to be hardworking, self-reliant, and decent. I was wrong about this one. This book actually celebrates these people and their cuisine, and is one of the very best traditional American cookbooks in print. Great recipes for fried chicken, catfish, hushpuppies, collard greens, Hoppin John, cornbread, and biscuits, as well as rabbit, squirrel, and yes, even possum. The book has a folksy humor throughout, and the recipes are authentic. Books like this become even more precious as this and other American regional cuisines disappear under a blanket of bland corporate burger chains, sub shops, and pizza joints. Incidentally, several recent medical studies have shown that rural Appalachians who consume this traditional fare are far healthier than those who embrace the modern suburban diet of chain restaurant food! If you have any interest in traditional American cooking, this book is a must-own.
Redneck cooking at it's best.......2005-09-12
Don't let the title fool you, the recipes are good and the pictures are great. If you've ever lived in the deep south for any length of time , this cook book is a treasure.
Recipe for roast possum.......2005-09-03
Everyone needs a recipe for roast possum. White Trash Cooking has one and the book is dead serious. I had a lot of fun and laughs with this book
Rick Black's Trailer Trash Cookin' is by far a better book! .......2005-01-21
Us folks in the court know our vittles and Rick Black and his Trailer Trash Cookbook knows how to "GET ER DONE" Sorry but Earnies book is Jeff Foxworthy's jokes with recipes.
Writin' and eatin'...Mickler's a pro.......2004-03-20
If you like community cookbooks, you'll love the White Trash Cookbooks. These are not only collections of yummies but also loving tributes to generations of cooks who worked with what they had. Don't bother with these books if "Cheez Whiz" makes you wince. Keep an open mind and an open heart and you'll be richly rewarded.
Customer Reviews:
Southern Cooking as I know it and a little bit I didn't know........2007-08-16
Wonderfully funny and good recipes,too. I have both White Trash cookbooks and will not trade them or lend them to anyone. I just buy them one.
Not just a cookbook -- a sociological foray.......2002-07-05
Just as in the original "White Trash Cooking", there are recipes here, but more of an emphasis on cooking for groups. The various situations that call for group food are presented -- quilting bees, funerals, reunions, obligatory holidays. Each chapter is prefaced by a short story illustrating the heart of white trash. The photos are truly astounding, and as in the first book, a big part of the book's appeal. These people don't ever apologize for being white-trash -- they're simple, unvarnished, and neighborly. So is their food.
The recipes are even more outrageously white-trashy than in the first book -- while there are several recipes I tried from the first, there aren't as many that I'd call accessible in this one. I also find dialect-writing difficult to follow. Still, the last chapter is truly touching: An eloquent plea for people to cook with their own hands, instead of relying on store-bought "mummafied" food. Well said!
What A GREAT Cookbook.......2002-05-19
I have both White Trash Cookin' Books and have given them as gifts. The stories as well as the recipes will have you in stitches. The recipes are good eats too. Highly recommend this book.
Do it again........2001-12-17
If you've seen #1, then this is more of the same. The stories are so good, you'll laugh out loud. The photographs are also great, though I prefer those in #1 by a smidgeon. Oh, yea, there are recipes in this one too. I like the ones that say, "you can mess with this and it will turn out fine." I'm not much of a cook, though my husband is.
No trailer required.......2000-06-21
They aren't kidding when they say white trash. It's a beautiful thing! It's tacky, tacky, tacky and a pure joy. the stuff under "sinkin' spells" has a special fondness in my heart. These are recipes you will return to. You have two choices with this book. Either show it to people and have a good laugh or keep it hidden away and never tell a soul. You can't do anything half way with this book.
Product Description
Filled with all the recipes for the tasty vittles served up by folks in the backwoods, bayous, hills, and sticks of America, The Treasure of White Trash Cooking will whisk you into the farthest reaches of the Deep South and satisfy your hankerin' for its finest fare.
Book Description
With a respectful nod to Ernie Mickler's original WHITE TRASH COOKING, Kendra Bailey Morris pulls open the back door of her Granny Boohler's kitchen to chronicle the next generation of cookin' and socializin' the Southern white trash way. Bubbling over with treasured family recipes, entertaining ideas, and crafty décor suggestions, WHITE TRASH GATHERINGS has the perfect dish for every occasion, whether it's potlucking, just havin' `em ovah, headin' home for the holidays, or creating a holy gatherin' from scratch. Next time the kin sets down to Sunday supper, serve it West Virginia style, and make sure there's plenty, `cause when Maw Maw and Paw Paw come from down `round Possum Hollow, they'll be expecting to leave with a belly-full.
Customer Reviews:
This book brings back memories.......2006-12-28
As a southern girl living in California, this cookbook included some recipes I never expected to ever see in print. From family reunions to Fellowship Dinner at my grandmother's little Southern Baptist church, the book and the stories warmed my heart... or is that heartburn?
Whether you're a Southerner or just enjoy some unpretentious time in the kitchen, this book is a gem.
Great recipes, heart-felt stories.......2006-10-22
The title might lead your expectations down a different road, but this book is truly a gem for cooks and non-cooks alike. It's a cookbook with recipes, yes, but what makes it special is the family stories that surround the creation and consumption of each. Morris' conversational tone paints vivid images of a tight-knit family and how integral food is in expressing their love for one another and their roots.
Beyond the stories are recipes that are easy to make, fun to create and delicious to eat. You haven't lived until you've tried Maw Maw's West Virginia Funeral Cake. Dee-lish.
Customer Reviews:
Great Recipes.......2005-03-21
brings back memories of my childhood. I grew up in the north, but we ate the same cuisine as in these books minus the 'possum, squirrel and cooter. Great stories too! Had me laughing 'till my sides ached. Have all three titles, kept this one and gave White Trash Cooking and White Trash Cooking II to my mother who just enjoys it all like I do. The Pig Pickin' cake is a hit at every potluck.
A Different Kind of Humour.......2002-09-08
This most recent in the White Trash Cooking series is different, almost a parody of the original two books by Ernest Matthew Mickler. There is a real cult following for this book. Not because the recipies are so superb, but because Trisha Mickler has shown a deep understanding for White Trash and White Trash Cooking. If you have memories of family gatherings where the pot luck offerings showed a profound creativity in the use of Miracle Whip, Cheeze-Whiz and Jello, then you will heartily enjoy this book.
Disappointing. This is NOT written by Ernest Matthew Mickler.......2000-05-23
Same cover and look as previous White Trash Cooking books, but not written by Ernest Matthew Mickler. With Ernest's untimely passing, cousin Trisha attempts to pick up the pen and cookin' legacy of Mr. Mickler. She, unfortunately for us, fails. Filled with short, uninviting recipes, this cookbook does not have the same zing or endearing writing flair that her cousin so easily wrought. Skip this one altogether and stick with the original two by Ernest: White Trash Cooking and White Trash Cooking II, Recipes for Gathern's.
Books:
- The Lost Chronicles of Terra Firma (Secret Weavers Series, Vol 10)
- The MacGuffin
- The Matter of Desire: A Novel
- The Music Room: A Novel
- The Night Watchman's Occurrence Book: And Other Comic Inventions
- The Road to En-Dor
- The Seduction of Silence
- The Singer: A Classic Retelling of the Cosmic Conflict
- The Sorrow of Belgium (Tusk Ivories)
- The Treasure of Montsegur: A Novel of the Cathars
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Advanced Industrial Economics
- Survey Of Historic Costume: A History Of Western Dress
- Out From Underdevelopment Revisited: Changing Global Structures and the Remaking of the Third World
- Prime Time: How Baby Boomers Will Revolutionize Retirement and Transform America
- Saving Graces: Finding Solace and Strength from Friends and Strangers
- The Golem's Eye
- Solar Radiation and Daylight Models, Second Edition: For the Energy Efficient Design of Buildings
- Newnes Television & Video Engineer's Pocket Book
- Master VISUALLY Microsoft Access 2000
- 2004 Official Iowa Manufacturers Directory
Shoeless Joe
The Thrill of the Grass
Magic Time (History & Heritage)
Shoeless Joe Jackson Comes to Iowa: Stories
The Universal Baseball Association, Inc., J. Henry Waugh, Prop.
