Myra Sims

Average customer rating:

Loved It!

Myra is real, at least it feels that way when you read this!

Biscuits, butter, and a Bible Belt redhead!

So divine that the pages seem to turn themselves

Excellent book, fills in all gaps left out by Gabriel Catts.

Myra Sims
Janis Owens
Manufacturer: Pineapple Press (FL)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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My Brother Michael

The Schooling of Claybird Catts

ASIN: 1561641774

Customer Reviews:

Loved It!.......2000-01-05

Having read the first novel,My Brother Michael, I could hardly wait for the follow-up! It was well worth the wait. Myra Sims with her intriguing combination of strength and vulnerability is a character well worth the closer look we get in this book. Told from Myra's point of view, this novel fills in all of the blanks left by Gabriel Catts. I was thoroughly impressed by the skill with which Janis Owens accomplished this without even a hint of redundancy. I was moved by this story of tragedy and victory set in a rural south so familiar I felt like it was home. If you read and enjoyed My Brother Michael, I dare to say that you will enjoy Myra Sims even more. If you haven't then I suggest you add both to your reading list today.

Myra is real, at least it feels that way when you read this!.......1999-10-08

This book is a fabulous look into the lives of rural Floridians. You'll feel like a guest in the home of Myra and Michael when you read this, so palpable are the situations depicted here. You'll cry when you read about Myra's childhood, scarred by the abuse of a tyrannical father. You'll share Myra's pain when she is torn between two brothers, Gabe and Michael, who love her perhaps too much. And you'll rejoice when Myra finds the strength to love herself in the end. Be sure to buy "My Brother Michael," a companion piece to this novel, to gain insight into the fascinating characters depicted here. I hope to see more from this fascinating author.

Biscuits, butter, and a Bible Belt redhead!.......1999-06-27

Myra Sims is a girl we think we know and really don't know as well as we thought. Gabe spins out the love of his life, his brother, family members, and himself in My Brother Michael as clearly as can be. But, we find that just maybe he didn't tell it all. Myra returns the favor in her own version of the story in Myra Sims. By reading both books you are able to get closer to the bottom of what might be closer to the truth. Janis Owens can sure tell a story and what's even better is that she can tell a story twice. Readers will devour both books and after doing so might just become confused about which version to believe. One thing is sure, both books move you right next door to a real Southern family. Before you know it you'll have a cravin' for biscuits, grits, fried pork, fresh coffee, and a big helpin' of anything that Janis Owens decides to put on paper.

So divine that the pages seem to turn themselves.......1999-06-25

After waiting two years for this book to come out I can say I wasn't disappointed. Myra Sims is a story of sadness and victory that only Myra can tell. It takes the reader to live with the Catts family and you don't want to leave. Janis Owens has a way of bringing small town USA to everyone.

Excellent book, fills in all gaps left out by Gabriel Catts........1999-06-19

This excellent book fills in all the gaps left out by Gabriel Catts in the previous book, MY BROTHER MICHAEL. It gives Myra's view of the story and makes you understand her a lot more. I loved it!

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With My Little Eye
Myra Sims Shofner
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1929228120

Product Description

murder mystery

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

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Pegasus in Space
Pegasus in Space
Nice book but I have a few gripes with it ...
not greatest book of hers
Another great book!!

Pegasus in Space
Anne Mccaffrey
Manufacturer: Del Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0345434676
Release Date: 2001-02-27

Amazon.com

Anne McCaffrey is best known for The Dragonriders of Pern, but her loose Talents series about superpsychics has been running almost as long. It began with the near-future To Ride Pegasus, continuing a couple of generations later in Pegasus in Flight. Book 2 introduced a crowd of new characters, notably the paralyzed boy Peter whose telekinetic talent can move not only his body without help from his ruined nervous system, but--with practice--even lift payloads into orbit.

Pegasus in Space follows directly, with mayhem and mutiny, at the opening of a manned space station, which Peter and talented friends helped build. Further hassles ensue during his training for space haulage work: obstructive bureaucrats, crooked suppliers, murder attempts, and skillful sabotage. McCaffrey specializes in feel-good adventure SF, full of romance, warm friendships, and hearty meals. Somehow her villains never quite convince, though, and their evil deeds are so rapidly annulled that the story rarely builds up much suspense. Meanwhile, the orphan girl Amiriyah who's adopted into Peter's family has a mysterious, subtle talent of her own, one that we soon guess will change his life. Our young hero's ambitions foreshadow later far-future books in the series (beginning with The Rowan) in which "kinetics" hurl cargo across huge interstellar gulfs. While most people think his talent needs careful conservation, Peter has already teleported supplies to the moon and has secret plans for Mars, the asteroids, and the moons of Jupiter. It all makes for an agreeable, lightweight read. --David Langford, Amazon.co.uk

Book Description

In a triumphant career spanning more than thirty years, Anne McCaffrey has won the devotion of millions of fans. Now she has written the exciting and long-awaited addition to her classic Pegasus series--and the perfect link to her bestselling Rowan saga . . .

For an overpopulated Earth whose resources are strained to the breaking point, there is only one place to look for relief: straight up. With the successful completion of the Padrugoi Space Station, humanity has at last achieved its first large-scale permanent presence in space. But there are those who, for motives of their own, want Padrugoi to fail. Standing in their way are the Talented, men and women gifted with extraordinary mental powers that have made them as feared as they are respected--and utterly indispensable to the colonization effort. Now, as sabotage and attempted murder strike the Station, it's up to the Talented to save the day. Only who is going to save the Talented?

Pegasus in Space is the tale of Peter Reidinger, first Tower Prime!

Download Description

In a triumphant career spanning more than thirty years, AnneMcCaffrey has won the acclaim of critics, the devotion of millionsof fans, and awards too numerous to mention. Her bestsellingDragonriders of Pern series is counted among the masterpieces of modernscience fiction, a work whose popularity continues to grow as newgenerations of readers discover the literary magic only AnneMcCaffrey can provide. Now that magic is back, displayed asbreathtakingly as ever in the exciting and long-awaited addition toMcCaffrey's classic Pegasus series -- and the perfectlinkto herbestselling Rowan saga...

For an overpopulated Earth whose resources are strained to the breakingpoint, there is only one place to look for relief: straight up. Withthesuccessful completion of the Padrugoi Space Station, humanity has atlast achieved its first large-scale permanent presence in space.Additional bases are feverishly being built on the Moon and on Mars,stepping stones to the greatest adventure in all history: thecolonization of alien worlds. Already long-range telescopes haveidentified a number of habitable planets orbiting the stars of distantgalaxies. Now it's just a question of getting there.

But there are those who, for selfish motives of their own, wantPadrugoiand the other outposts to fail. People who will stop at nothing tomaintain their power or to revenge its loss. Standing in their way arethe Talented, men and women gifted with extraordinary mental powersthathave made them as feared as they are respected -- and utterlyindispensable to the colonization effort.

There is Peter Reidinger, a teenage paraplegic who happens to be thestrongest telekinetic ever, his mind capable of teleporting objects andpeople thousands of miles in the blink of an eye. Yet all his powercannot repair his damaged spine or allow him to feel the gentle touchofa loved one... Rhyssa Owen, the powerful telepath and mother hen toPeterand the rest of her "children" -- and a fierce, unrelenting fighteragainst the prejudice that would deny the Talented the right to leadhappy and productive lives... and Amariyah, an orphan girl who loves twothings in the world above all others: gardening and Peter Reidinger.Andwoe to anyone who harms either one of them -- for the young girl'stalent may prove to be the most amazing of all.

Now, as sabotage and attempted murder strike the Station, it's up totheTalented to save the day. Only who's going to save the Talented?

"McCaffrey's world of the Talented is as vivid as that of Pern and itsdragons."
   PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

"McCaffrey continues her fascinating parapsychic chronicle in thisfast-paced, easy read, and readers are sure to care about hermultidimensional, believable characters."
   LIBRARY JOURNAL

"[McCaffrey is] a master of the well-told tale."
   CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

"Few are better at mixing elements of high fantasy and hard sciencefiction."
   THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

Jacket painting by Bruce Jensen
Jacket design by Min Choi

Customer Reviews:

Pegasus in Space.......2007-01-13

All books by Anne McCaffrey are amazing! She makes her characters real, not just words on a page.

Pegasus in Space.......2007-01-10

Great concept to write around. She and her collaborators wrote several of these in a series.

Nice book but I have a few gripes with it ..........2003-03-10

In the first book, To Ride Pegasus, Henry Darrow is a rich man who earns his living as an astrologer. He "discovers" his psi ability through an almost fatal car accident, and from there, is able to fund and help build an independent psi agency. There is no one stopping him, no government(CIA, NSA, FBI)underhandness,and when Henry is tested the first time, with one of his people's psi abilties, his rich partner, George Henner, bails him out and from there, the psi have won, and that leads the way to Daffyd's time (Pegasus in Flight) and Peter's and Rhyssa's time(Pegausus in Space)

Maybe the book would be better if Henry and George had to deal with MIB's or some other "XFiles" stuff. If Henry, George, Rhyssa, Peter, Tirla, or Daffyd had to contend with that, or be hurt or injured or one of them killed due to underhandness, I would believe the books more. How about a story in the very last where, Rhyssa talks about all the racism (ie "XMen") that Henry, and later Daffyd, had to contend with in the early days of the agency and how Henry was shot and George was killed, and how Daffyd had to go into hiding?(think of "The Terminator")

We would all like to believe in an utopian society, but realistically, people can't do it. The books are a nice source of escapism and I wish that people were this nob;e, but sadly, it ain't so.

Ann M is a great writer with vivid imagination.

not greatest book of hers.......2002-04-14

this book came out the same time as the skies of pern and i felt that they were both rushed jobs. Pegasus in Space does close the Pegasus series and gives u the bridge to the Talent series, but it seems to be made of a list of facts then an actual story, there just dosent seem to be ne substance to it. And even though its ment to end a series the book dosent recap/flashback to hardly ne thing from the previous novels except by merly mentioning what happaned and i sometimes was a little lost because i hadnt read the other novels recently.

Another great book!!.......2002-02-16

This book follows streaght on from the events in Pegasus in Flight. This book follows Peter Reidinger as his Talent strengthens and he and Johnny Green decided to set up FT&T.
It forms a bridge between the Pegasus series and the Tower and the Hive series
I would like to see another book were we find out how Peter sets up FT&T and becomes the first Earth Prime

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Pegasus in Space [Talent Series]
Anne McCaffrey
Manufacturer: Bantam Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000J2OBGI

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Pegasus in Space
Anne McCaffrey
Manufacturer: Del Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OM4IHU

Aerothermal test results from the first flight of the Pegasus air-launched space booster (SuDoc NAS 1.15:4330)

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Aerothermal test results from the first flight of the Pegasus air-launched space booster (SuDoc NAS 1.15:4330)
NASA
Manufacturer: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Office of Management, Scientific and Technical Information Program
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Commercial space launch incident launch procedure anomaly Orbital Sciences Corporation, Pegasus/SCD-1, 80 nautical miles east of Cape Canaveral, Florida, ... 9, 1993 (SuDoc TD 1.112/2:NTSB/SIR-93/02)

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Commercial space launch incident launch procedure anomaly Orbital Sciences Corporation, Pegasus/SCD-1, 80 nautical miles east of Cape Canaveral, Florida, ... 9, 1993 (SuDoc TD 1.112/2:NTSB/SIR-93/02)
U.S. Dept of Transportation
Manufacturer: The Board National Technical Information Service [distributor
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B00010HZEI

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Pegasus in Space
Anne McCaffrey
Manufacturer: Del Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OVGVCG

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Pegasus in Space
Anne McCaffrey
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000OEFHA0

PEGASUS IN SPACE, A New Novel in the Saga of the Talents

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PEGASUS IN SPACE, A New Novel in the Saga of the Talents
Anne McCaffrey
Manufacturer: Del Rey, Ballantine
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000VBD95Q

The Pegasus space launch vehicle (SuDoc NAS 1.43:P 34)

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The Pegasus space launch vehicle (SuDoc NAS 1.43:P 34)
NASA
Manufacturer: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Goddard Space Flight Center
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B00010D4TS

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Teens Taken to the Future

A book about heroes

Excellent writer, bad choices

An Insult to Our Youth

A cool science fiction thriller.

David Brin's Out of Time: Yanked! (David Brin's Out of Time)
Nancy Kress
Manufacturer: Avon Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic | Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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David Brin's Out of Time Tiger in Sky (David Brin's Out of Time!)

David Brin's Out of Time: The Game of Worlds (David Brin's Out of Time)

ASIN: 0380799685
Release Date: 1999-06-08

Book Description

It's 2345.

THE FUTURE NEEDS HEROES!

They must reach back in time to find them.

WHAT IF THEY COME FOR YOU?

In 2345 there is no war, no pollution, no disease, no crime--but utopia has a price. . .

Customer Reviews:

Teens Taken to the Future.......2005-01-04

In the twenty-fourth century, the Earth is a happy and healthy place. War and disease have been wiped out. It is a utopia. Humanity has become peaceful and calm. So when mysterious aliens nicknamed Givers came and gave humanity the ability to reach the stars with transporters, humans were no longer prepared to face the dangers of a new frontier. As special problems arise, they search in time for special individuals with "grit" and bring them forward to help out. Because teleporters don't seem to work with adults, teenagers are the ones yanked to the future.

This first volume has two teens from 1999 yanked to the future to join two others from even further in the past. Their mission, if they accept it, is to teleport to a lost colony and find a secret hidden there by a dying ship's captain. Another alien race also seems to know about the secret and are sending their own people.

The secret concerns one of the steps humanity must take before the Givers will convey even more powerful secrets and abilities. It would not be good for the more belligerent aliens to gain the secret first.

A pretty good start to this series with some nice explanations for the story's framework. Interesting aliens and an important deadline add to the mix and make the book move fairly quickly. A very pleasing read that helps recapture some of the wonder of early science fiction.

A book about heroes.......2001-08-17

Yanked! tells an exciting story about teenagers from our time confronted with difficult challenges. Not only do they have to deal with a otherworldly situation (literally), but they also have to cope with people from the past and future who have very different views on life: a boy from the past who is a violent, dishonest fellow who is willing to trade people for property, and a robot from the future that can't deal with anything outside its normal experience. How the heroes from our time manage to achieve their goals in spite of these obstacles makes a fine tale.

Excellent writer, bad choices.......2000-11-30

As a teacher and writer of young adult novels, I have to say that I was very excited by the idea that one of the most brilliant authors of speculative fiction, Nancy Kress, was going to try her hand at a young adult novel. Using David Brin's setup (and when will he get around to writing one, hmmm?), Kress unfortunately populates her story with overly simplistic characters, motivations, and plot events. The novel reads as if she's slumming, and completely oblivious of the revolution in young adult fiction that has taken place in the last twenty years. Anybody who has read Cynthia Voigt's "The Runner" or any of Chris Crutcher's books would know that you don't write down to kids -- you write up to them. What makes it even worse is that within the origins of science fiction YA novels, Robert Heinlein set an example of complexity that makes them classic reads for young and old even today -- and, one suspects, for decades to come. What makes all this still worse is that Nancy Kress is married to one of the masters of today's science-fiction YA form, Charles Sheffield, whose Jupiter novels are absolutely first-rate reading. Having said all that, I do think there are some worthwhile moments in the novel: the rescue scene of the baby is done well, as is the overall tricking of the aliens. The main female protagonist rings a little truer than the male protagonist, although both are thoroughly cliched. The supporting cast is a bit less stereotyped, although not by much. Essentially, I would guess Kress got the novel past an editor who had no clue what YA novels are like these days (which her complaint about the marketing would seem to support). Hopefully, she will either give them up or bring her formidable talent into full play next time.

An Insult to Our Youth.......2000-10-31

If this book is an example of what "Young Adult" readers think is good (see the high marks by Rebecca), I would be insulted. I think young readers of science fiction are more likely to have limitations of attention span than a need to identify with shallow characters and weak plots. I could (and have!) re-read classic "youth" fiction from Heinlein like Podykane of Mars, Starman Jones, and Citizen of the Galaxy as an adult and they still entertain. For other readers to review it poorly, then say it would be great for youthful readers, is unfair to our youth.

A cool science fiction thriller........2000-05-29

Sharon and Jason are two ordinary teens from New York City. Along with a group of kids from the past, and the near future, they are sent to 2339 to combat an alien menace threatening to destroy an Earth that is now made up completely of pacifists. Now, Sharon and Jason must reach within themselves to find the courage to be heroes and save the humanity of the future. This was a page-turner, edge-of-your-seat science fiction thriller that also gives you a lot to think about. Highly reccomended.

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More than a Cookbook, not quite a Classic

You Didn't Expect To Cook With This, Did You?

Great book for the serious cook

Disappointed

Chez Panisse Cafe Cookbook

Chez Panisse Café Cookbook
Alice L. Waters
Manufacturer: William Morrow Cookbooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
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Similar Items:

Chez Panisse Menu Cookbook

Chez Panisse Vegetables

Chez Panisse Fruit

Chez Panisse Cooking

Chez Panisse Desserts

ASIN: 0060175834

Amazon.com

In the 1970s, Alice Waters helped launch the revolution in American cuisine. She inspired a generation of food lovers with her passion for freshness and the best ingredients. Her influence helped infuse menus all over the U.S. with dishes rooted in Mediterranean cooking, often with a sunny, California twist. Dishes at the casual café, located upstairs in the same enchanting house as Chez Panisse, her more formal restaurant in Berkeley, California, include Wood Oven Baked Porcini Mushrooms, Tuna Confit, and Meyer Lemon Éclairs. Waters suggests making the mushrooms in your fireplace if you can, although recipe directions are for a conventional oven. Typical of the ingredient-driven cooking Waters encourages, the stunning tang of the éclairs requires Meyer lemons: a cross between a lemon and an orange, which are now exported beyond their native California. But the fresh tuna steak gently simmered in olive oil with garlic, fresh thyme, and fennel seeds and served with barely cooked green beans and aïoli, a pungent garlic mayonnaise, is sublime even made in an apartment kitchen. Her point is that you should use her recipes as guides, letting them inspire you to make the most of locally produced, seasonal foods in your area.

Alice Waters is an enchanting raconteur and an activist as well as a chef. In The Chez Panisse CaféCookbook, she weaves her beliefs about food as pleasure, sustenance, art, and politics in with over 200 recipes. Bringing you into the community she has been instrumental in creating to preserve the earth's resources as well as to provide great ingredients, Waters tells about the producers who share her passions. They respect the environment, using only sustainable production methods while delivering the freshest possible product, be it free-range poultry and eggs, acorn-fed pigs, impeccable oysters, or organically grown fruits and vegetables.

Jewel-colored Art Nouveau-style illustrations by David Goines give this book the same distinctive look as earlier Chez Panisse cookbooks, including those devoted solely to pasta, vegetables and desserts. --Dana Jacobi

Book Description

We hung the walls with old French movie posters advertising the films of Marcel Pagnol, films that had already provided us with both a name and an ideal: to create a community of friends, lovers, and relatives that span generations and is in tune with the seasons, the land, and human appetites.

So writes Alice Waters of the opening of Berkeley's Chez Panisse CafÉ on April Fool's Day, 1980. Located above the more formal Chez Panisse Restaurant, the CafÉ is a bustling neighborhood bistro where guests needn't reserve far in advance and can choose from the ever-changing À la carte menu. It's the place where Alice Waters's inventive chefs cook in a more impromptu and earthy vein, drawing on the healthful, low-tech traditions of the cuisines of such Mediterranean regions as Catalonia, Campania, and Provence, while improvising and experimenting with the best products of Chez Panisse's own regional network of small farms and producers.

In the Chez Panisse CafÉ Cookbook, the follow-up to the award-winning Chez Panisse Vegetables, Alice Waters and her team of talented cooks offer more than 140 of the cafÉ's best-recipes--some that have been on the menu since the day cafÉ opened and others freshly reinvented with the honesty and ingenuity that have made Chez Panisse so famous. In addition to irresistible recipes, the Chez Panisse CafÉ Cookbook is filled with chapter-opening essays on the relationships Alice has cultivated with the farmers, foragers and purveyors--most of them within an hour's drive of Berkeley--who make it possible for Chez Panisse to boast that nearly all food is locally grown, certifiably organic, and sustainably grown and harvested.

Alice encourages her chefs and cookbook readers alike to decide what to cook only after visiting the farmer's market or produce stand. Then we can all fully appreciate the advantages of eating according to season--fresh spring lamb in late March, ripe tomato salads in late summer, Comice pear crisps in autumn.

This book begins with a chapter of inspired vegetable recipes, from a vivid salad of avocados and beets to elegant Morel Mushroom Toasts to straightforward side dishes of Spicy Broccoli Raab and Garlicky Kale. The Chapter on eggs and cheese includes two of the cafÉ's most famous dishes, a garden lettuce salad with baked goat cheese and the Crostata di Perrella, the cafÉ's version of a calzone. Later chapters focus on fish and shellfish, beef, pork, lamb, and poultry, each offering its share of delightful dishes. You'll find recipes for curing your own pancetta, for simple grills and succulent braises, and for the definitive simple roast chicken--as well as sumptuous truffed chicken breasts. Finally the pastry cooks of Chez Panisse serve forth a chapter of uncomplicated sweets, including Apricot Bread Pudding, Chocolate Almond Cookies, and Wood Oven-baked Figs with Raspberries.

Gorgeously designed and illustrated throughout with colored block prints by David Lance Goines, who has eaten at the cafÉ since the day it opened, Chez Panisse CafÉ Cookbook is destined to become an indispensable classic. Fans of Alice Waters's restaurant and cafÉ will be thrilled to discover the recipes that keep them coming back for more. Loyal readers of her earlier cookbooks will delight in this latest collection of time-tested, deceptively simple recipes. And anyone who loves pure, vibrant, delicious fare made from the finest ingredients will be honored to add these new recipes to his or her repertoire.

Customer Reviews:

More than a Cookbook, not quite a Classic.......2004-01-23

This book is, at the very least, a feast for the eyes due to the hauntingly Art Nouveau woodcut illustrations by David Lance Goines. This, together with Alice Water's substantial reputation sets the bar of expectations very high for this book.

Waters has established a niche for herself in the culinary world, which is not unlike that of Martha Stewart. She is the flag bearer for a culinary style which endorses using fresh local produce for both their health benefits and the economic benefits to small, artisinal farmers, ranchers, and fishermen, followed by a loving handling of these ingredients in the kitchen in order to draw out their best properties. Her similarity to Miss Martha is that both are vocal in their support of their lifestyle choices, yet they are not necessarily the most gifted craftsmen in their chosen fields. Both enhance their own standing by hosting true stars in the culinary world. Martha does it on her TV show with Mario and Eric and Jean-George and Daniel and a long line of other justly famous chefs. Alice does it in her kitchen where she has launched the careers of Jeremiah Tower and Paul Bertolli.

Ms. Waters' efforts may not have been as lucrative as Miss Martha's, but Alice has succeeded in establishing a leader's reputation in her field with no blemishes other than a few for possibly hogging a bit more credit than may be her due for the success of Chez Panisse and the creation of `California Cuisine'.

This book seems to answer one question puzzling me about California Cuisine. I have always wondered whether it was Miss Alice or Wolfgang Puck who first installed a pizza oven and started selling pizza in a distinctly un-Italian venue in California. Alice herein claims that Wolfgang got the idea from a visit to Chez Panisse. If Alice had any regrets about the glamorous Austrian's stealing her thunder, she can get satisfaction in having referred her incompetent German oven bricklayer to Wolfgang.

As I indicate in my title to this review, the book contains much more than you would expect to find in a conventional cookbook. It's content is much richer than Alice's book on vegetables, for example, in that it opens with a little history of the Chez Panisse Café and its style of service, clientele, and suppliers. The level of detail about the ingredients even matches the more specialized Vegetables book. After a while, it starts to read less and less like a cookbook and more and more like a culinary travelogue, the most famous of which is Patience Gray's `Honey from a Weed'. The travelogue aspect adds value for the reader, but it is not enough to carry the book to a full five star rating.

The culinary aspects of the book, the recipes, give a loving treatment of their ingredients, making every effort to respect the attributes of each foodstuff. The book does not, however, spell out every little detail of every technique. It does not, a la Alton Brown for example, give you careful steps for dealing with beets. It's mission is not to teach prepping, it is to communicate a knowledge and appreciation for all of the different types of beets available to you, once you have established your connections with local farmers. I have not found any extremely difficult recipes in this book, but an amateur with a fair level of skill will enjoy the book much more than it will by a rank newbie.

Just as with Patience Gray's book, not having a source of nettles for my pasta will not detract from my pleasure in reading about how nettles are prepared. I am truly amazed at the extent to which foraging for `weeds' continues to this day in some European societies. But back to Alice.

I give this book good marks for giving the name of every recipe, not just chapter titles, in the table of contents. This little feature always enhances the value of a cookbook. This value is further enhanced by listing recipes by major ingredient rather than by course. This fits the style of the earlier book on Vegetables and makes finding an appropriate recipe even easier. This organization is taken to it's logical conclusion in that even pantry recipes commonly put into a separate chapter are slotted by ingredient so that chicken stock is in the chapter on chicken and so on.

The recipes cover the most simple salads to some of the most unusual products such as boudin blanc, a French white sausage of chicken and pork. The range of recipes is simply a result of Alice's staying on message. These are all the recipes made at the Chez Panisse Café, and only recipes made at the Chez Panisse Café.

While several recipes may be beyond the skills, time constraints, budget, or ingredient availability of many readers, the book succeeds in providing great value. As a source of salad recipes alone, the book is first rate. Salads are one of Alice Waters' most passionate subjects. While my title to this review holds back any claim that this is a classic like `Honey from a Weed', it is the equal to the very similar, recent book `The Vineyard Garden' to which I gave five stars. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who shares Alice Waters' ideals. I would recommend it to anyone else interested in food and cookbooks.

You Didn't Expect To Cook With This, Did You?.......2003-12-27

My foodie friends in Berkeley jokingly refer to Alice's books as "food porn". I have actually cooked a couple of the recipes and, while they are correct, they are exhausting. In Berkeley, CA, where the author's restaurant is thriving, it is easy to get the interesting and seasonal ingredients that are described in the book. However, the complexity of preparation of the recipes makes the book less acessible to most readers and home cooks.

The illustrations are lovely, as are the narratives. It is fun to just read the book and fantasize about being a hemp-clad, kinder version of Martha Stewart. However, it is not the most practical cookbook to stick in the cookbook holder when putting the family's meal together.

The real lesson behind this book is that foods that are in season taste better, are less expensive, and are fun to eat. Changing the menu as the seasons change keeps the experience of dining and cooking interesting and entertaining. Also, buying seasonal food is better for the environment than flying foods out of season from another hemisphere.

Take that wisdom, go to your store and get seasonal fruits and vegetables and use an easier and more accessible cookbook like, "The Joy of Cooking". But do keep this one on the coffeetable for those days you want to fantasize about being a world class hippie chef.

Great book for the serious cook.......2003-12-06

I had made many things out of the book, and all have turned out delicious. The success of the dishes depends completely on having the highest quality, freshest ingredients available. If you can't get a hold of any pancetta or prosciutto, you're going to be really limited in what you can prepare from this book. The cookbook is definitely for a serious home cook, who's interested in spending time in the kitchen, making homemade sausages, experimenting with homemade pancetta, etc. If that's you, you will love it!

Disappointed.......2001-06-12

I have a lot of respect for Alice Waters. She plays a positive, constructive role in promoting excellent,healthy food in this country. I wish, however, she had take more care over the quality of the product that has her name on it, The Chez Panisse Cafe Cookbook. Obscure ingredients intrigue me and, because I live in northern California, I'm likely to find a lot of them. What annoys me is sloppy editing that can lead to their wastage. Too many of the recipes are unclear. My complaint has nothing to do with my experience as a cook. The flours in the pizza dough recipe could have been described more clearly. Where was the editor? Why didn't Ms Waters' read her galleys closely? I want to point out one more recipe to show how the small things matter. In the recipe that calls for bottarga (dried tuna or spelt roe that comes in small quantities, costs a fortune and can only be found at an Italian supermarket in Sacramento, as far as I know), saffron and lemon over spaghetti, the directions are to shave the bottarga over the spaghetti. Now that I've made bottarga with spaghetti and lemon (but not the saffron) several times, there is no way that shaving the bottarga (at $40 for a couple of ounces!) helps melt it over the spaghetti. Why wasn't grating called for? It's a minor detail, but when expensive ingredients are involved, I'd like to have confidence in the cookbook writer when I try it.

So, go back to Jean-George, Marcella, Lynn and even Jamie. Leave this one behind. Alice's food is best experienced in her restaurant.

Chez Panisse Cafe Cookbook.......2000-10-11

I was beyond excited to receive this cookbook after my wife and I had the intense pleasure of dining at Chez Panisse for our anniversary. However, while it contains fascinating background information on both the history of the Cafe and its purveyors, its recipes seem unduly impressed with themselves and somewhat precious. The esoteric nature of many of the ingredients provokes a cumulative eye-rolling effect, and to tell the truth, some recipes (Spaghetti with Herb Meatballs) that you would expect to elevate the mundane end up tasting... well, mundane. Great for reading, so-so for cooking. I love you Alice Waters, but I think I'll stick to eating your food.

Average customer rating:

Chez Panisse Cafe Cookbook
Alice Waters
Manufacturer: HARPER COLLINS 7 WOR
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000K1QHS8

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