Blue Books

Grass for His Pillow (Tales of the Otori, Book 2)

Product Review
Lian Hearn's second novel in the Tales of the Otori, Grass For His Pillow continues to enrich and expand his mystical imaginings of feudal Japan. Picking up where Across the Nightingale Floor left off, Takeo fulfills his debt of honor and accepts his heritage as a member of the superhuman cabal of assassins known as "The Tribe," and is thus ingested into their plots. But his heart yearns for Kaede, his one true love, and secretly wishes to fulfill the final wishes of his adopted father, Otori Shigaru. Meanwhile, Kaede returns to her homeland to find her father's estate in ruin and her inheritance in jeopardy. The two each encounter vast political machinations and deadly consequences as they unconsciously move toward their overwhelming urges to reunite and defy (or perhaps embrace) fate.

Hearn's second book into the Tales of the Otori series is a more poignant tale than the first, painfully examining the lines between honor, duty, and love. With its calming and satisfying conclusion, the landscape of Hearn's mythical vision of Japan braces for a dazzling storm in the book to come. --Jeremy Pugh --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly
The pseudonymous Hearn's second thrilling installment of her Tales of the Otori trilogy (after 2002's Across the Nightingale Floor) is once again set in a magic-haunted version of medieval Japan where no one wields unchallenged authority and no one is safe. The swirl of treacherous, shifting clan alliances threatens to overwhelm young lovers and aristocrats Takeo and Kaede. Separated throughout most of the action, the two must develop their talents while trying to maintain their integrity. Takeo possesses superhuman gifts such as the ability to become invisible, project a double image of himself and hear distant conversations; however, he must discipline his skills and control his impetuous temper. He also must work out his relationship with the Tribe, a treacherous secret organization of spies and assassins that saved his life but that may have murdered his father. Kaede, meanwhile, has to escape the powerless role of a woman if she is to protect herself and her family domain from predatory neighbors. Adept at creating vivid natural settings where the supernatural feels unusually plausible, Hearn catches fresh details of trees, birds, rivers and mountains. With quick, direct sentences like brushstrokes on a Japanese scroll, she suggests vast and mysterious landscapes full of both menace and wonder. Hearn shows that middle novels of trilogies don't have to simply fill space between an exciting opening and conclusion.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Grave Peril (The Dresden Files, Book 3)

From Publishers Weekly
Wizard Harry Dresden stars in the third installment of the Dresden Files (following Fool Moon), a haunting, fantastical novel that begins almost as innocently as those of another famous literary wizard named Harry. In the opening scene, Dresden and his knight friend, Michael, battle the ghost of a woman who is terrorizing a local hospital's maternity ward. From there, the novel quickly evolves into an unorthodox tale spiced with sexual innuendo and subtle humor (Dresden carries his ghost-hunting gear in an old Scooby-Doo lunch box). Due to the weakened barrier between the spirit world which Butcher refers to as "the nevernever" and the actual world, obsessive and violent ghosts are on the loose in modern-day Chicago, and they seem to be targeting Dresden and Michael. Horny vampires and possessive demons join the mix as Dresden journeys into the spirit world to hunt down the villains who are terrorizing him and his friends. Butcher narrates Dresden's story in the first person, which limits the amount of detail he can inject into the lives of his secondary characters. Despite this narrow point of view, Butcher successfully lends human dimensions to vampires and spirits through his vivid descriptions and colloquial dialogue. (Sept.)Forecast: A vivid cover showing glowing barbed wire wrapped around a pair of cemetery gates is misleading as is a cover quote appealing to fans of Laurell K. Hamilton and Tanya Huff but it will catch the browser's eye. This over-the-top tale is more likely to entertain young adult readers than fans of the aforementioned authors.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Called to Cook County hospital to deal with an enraged ghost, Harry Dresden, Chicago's resident wizard, is puzzled and disturbed not by the ghost's wrath but by the fact that someone had cast a torture spell on it, goading it into action. Harry's disturbance increases when he discovers that the same spell has been cast on one of his friends. Harry begins to realize that he and his friends may be targets of a vengeful spirit, and as he desperately tries to discover which of his many enemies has it in for him, his friends are attacked one by one. The spirit, whom Harry refers to as the Nightmare, continues to torment Harry's friends until he manages to cast a spell preventing it from harming anyone else until it kills him, which leads to a showdown that Harry might not survive. Harry is a likable protagonist with more than his share of troubles, and Grave Peril will keep readers turning the pages to find out how he overcomes them. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Great Books

Product Review
David Denby, New York city movie critic and journalist, entered Columbia University in 1991 to take the university's famous course in "Great Books." This is the course that, in preserving the notion of the western canon without apology to multiculturalists and feminists, has been an unlikely focus of America's culture war in recent years. Where other universities have caved in and revised or enlarged the canon, Columbia's course has remained intact. Denby's intention as a writer and protagonist in the culture war was to record the experience and the personal impact of the course. He has produced a cry from the heart in favor of the classics of western civilization, relaying with infectious enthusiasm how literature touched his soul. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly
Does a great books canon exist? Left-wing critics denounce the notion of a canon, while right-wingers often use it to assert unquestioned Western supremacy. This superb book suggests an answer. Denby, the film critic for New York magazine, returned to his alma mater, Columbia University, after 30 years to retake the two core curriculum courses, grapple with the world's classics and regenerate his own lapsed reading habit. It is a heartening portrait of (elite) American education and a substantial?sometimes enthralling?read. His teachers are committed pedagogues, the students a diverse (religious faith separates more than does ethnicity) and thoughtful lot. But the students are young, and the book's richest moments are when the mature Denby engages with the texts. Reading the tragedy of Oedipus Rex, he feels anxious, recognizing the ironic truth "[W]hat we avoid, we become." Hobbes's comments on the state of nature lead Denby to muse on insider trading and the time he was mugged. He contrasts Beauvoir's call for female liberty with the "Take Back the Night" antirape march on campus. Denby steps aside to interview academics and analyze the debate about the canon; he acknowledges that white male critics too long ignored the likes of Virginia Woolf, but resolutely argues for the seeking out of all great books, not merely ones that represent excluded groups. Why? Because the "Western classics were at war with each other," and learning to read Hegel and Marx, or the Bible and Nietzsche, is no lesson in indoctrination but the beginning of "an ethically strenuous education" and "a set of bracing intellectual habits." Author tour.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Hal Leonard Guitar Method, Complete Edition: Books and CD's 1, 2 and 3

Product Description
The Hal Leonard Guitar Method is designed for anyone just learning to play acoustic or electric guitar. It is based on years of teaching guitar students of all ages, and reflects some of the best teaching ideas from around the world. This super-convenient Complete Edition features the new and improved method books 1, 2 and 3 spiral-bound together, available as a book only (00699040) or book with three CDs (00697342)!

Halfway to the Grave (Night Huntress, Book 1)

Product Description


Half-vampire Catherine Crawfield is going after the undead with a vengeance, hoping that one of these deadbeats is her father—the one responsible for ruining her mother's life. Then she's captured by Bones, a vampire bounty hunter, and is forced into an unholy partnership.

In exchange for finding her father, Cat agrees to train with the sexy night stalker until her battle reflexes are as sharp as his fangs. She's amazed she doesn't end up as his dinner—are there actually good vampires? Pretty soon Bones will have her convinced that being half-dead doesn't have to be all bad. But before she can enjoy her newfound status as kick-ass demon hunter, Cat and Bones are pursued by a group of killers. Now Cat will have to choose a side . . . and Bones is turning out to be as tempting as any man with a heartbeat.

About The Author


Jeaniene has always been drawn to the strange. As a child, she and her sisters would watch horror movies at every opportunity. At twelve, she began writing poetry. Shortly after that, she read her first romance novel, and it was love at first read! She knew she wanted to write her own novel someday, but figured she had plenty of time. That same “plenty of time” mentality also lingered past her teens and through her twenties, however. It wasnt until Jeaniene was almost thirty that she realized shed either have to start now—or resign herself to never doing it.

She chose the former. When she sat down to write her first novel, she knew it had to have her two favorite elements in it: urban fantasy and romance. Everyone has a favorite “what if they were real?” creature. For Jeaniene, its vampires. The first time she went to Sunday school, her minister pointed to the cross on the wall and asked her if she knew what it stood for. With all of the logic of a five-year-old, Jeaniene replied, “Yes, thats what keeps the vampires away!”

It was just one of the many times she embarrassed her parents in public. You could also say Jeanienes been hooked on vampires ever since.

Jeaniene lives in Florida with her husband, Matthew, who long ago accepted that she swears like a sailor, rarely cooks, and always sleeps in on the weekends. Somehow he managed to cope, and the two of them recently celebrated their 14th wedding anniversary. Jeaniene and Matthew are the proud parents of Gypsy, their very spoiled dog who believes Jeaniene's only purpose in life is to cater to her. Aside from writing, Jeaniene enjoys reading, poetry, watching movies with her husband, exploring old cemeteries, spelunking, and traveling—by car. Airplanes, children, and cookbooks frighten her.

Handbook of United States Coins 2009: The Official Blue Book (Handbook of United States...

Product Description
Since 1942, the Handbook of United States Coins (THE OFFICIAL BLUE BOOK®) has been the annual reference used by U.S. coin dealers to make buying offers. On the fl ip side of the coin, collectors use it to find out what dealers are paying. Its price listings offer a real-world look at the coin market, gathered from dealers around the country.

Hanoi Blues

Product Description
Set in the late twentieth century, Hanoi Blues explores the political fear and struggle for survival and true freedom by the Vietnamese people after the violent upheavals of the earlier part of the century. The reader is placed directly within the disturbing situation created by the current totalitarian regime with its oppressive atmosphere and startling mix of progress, prosperity and poverty. The central characters are a young globe-trotting French journalist and her lover, a radical Vietnamese artist. As we follow their intimate relationship through her eyes, we are progressively confronted with dilemmas of cultural differences in sexual relationships, public opinion, omnipresent manipulative propaganda, varying concepts of freedom, and customs of society with its particular prejudices. The reader shares in their mutual passions, separation and loss with equal intensity. Inspired by the author's own experiences of living in the country, this story resounds with stark authenticity.

About The Author
Jeanne Cordelier, née à Paris en 1944, a débuté en littérature avec son roman La Dérobade, parut en 1976 chez Hachette littérature, roman traduit en dix-sept langues et adapté au cinéma. En 1980, après le succès tant littéraire que commercial de ce premier livre, l\'auteur quitte le milieu parisien de l\'édition et son pays pour s\'installer en Suède où elle a vécu 17 ans. 17 ans ponctués de voyages à travers le monde où elle a accompagné son mari, conseiller de la coopération internationale du développement. De leur union est né un fils Émile, lequel a eu 20 ans en l\'an 2000. Diplômée d\'un certificat d\'étude primaire, Jeanne Cordelier est une authentique autodidacte! Bourlingueuse, Jeanne Cordelier a aussi vécu en Belgique, Italie, États-Unis, Canada, Vietnam, Éthiopie et Albanie. Elle a séjourné dans 14 pays d\'Europe, huit pays d\'Asie et six pays d\'Afrique. Mais là où elle préfère être, c\'est au pays des mots. Un pays qui tout comme la vie exige d\'être remis chaque jour sur le métier. Juste histoire d\'oublier que sous le siège, quel qu\'il soit, y a pas de gilet de sauvetage.

Hard Merchandise (Star Wars: The Bounty Hunter Wars, Book 3)

From AudioFile
[Editor's note: The following is a combined review with STAR WARS X-WING: STARFIGHTERS OF ADUMAR.] -- Anthony Heald is a superb performer for the various Star Wars audiobooks. He slides in and out of distinctive Star Wars characters with such smoothness that the characters are instantly recognizable, as if the original actors were working in ensemble. In HARD MERCHANDISE, the classic antihero, bounty hunter Boba Fett, outsmarts everyone and penetrates the evil designs of a master trickster. In STARFIGHTERS OF ADUMAR, pilot General Wedge Antilles must cope with a sleazy alien government trying to choose sides in the Alliance/Empire wars. High-action, Star Wars special effects, and grandiose music prevail. D.R.W. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

Product Description
Boba Fett fears only one enemy--the one he cannot see.

Feared and admired, respected and despised, Boba Fett enjoys a dubious reputation as the galaxy's most successful bounty hunter. Yet even a man like Boba Fett can have one too many enemies.

When Boba Fett stumbles across evidence implicating Prince Xizor in the murder of Luke Skywalker's aunt and uncle, Fett makes himself an enemy even he fears: the unknown mastermind behind a monstrous deception, who will kill to hide his tracks. Fett also finds himself in possession of an amnesiac young woman named Neelah, who may be the key to the mystery--or a decoy leading Fett into a murderous ambush. Fett's last hope is to run through the list of Xizor's hidden enemies. And since Xizor's hidden enemies are almost as legion as Fett's, the chance of survival is slim--even for someone as skilled and relentless as Boba Fett.



© 1999 Lucasfilm Ltd. and TM.  All rights reserved.  Used under authorization.

HEARTBEATS A Book of Wisdom

Help! I Teach Children's Sunday School (Smyth and Helwys Help! Books)

Book Description
A teacher in a Sunday school program is a valuable asset in a childs spiritual formation. Much of what they do lays the foundation for a childs growth in the Christian faith and life. They are a vital resource to children and their parents. What they do during this crucial Sunday morning time truly matters. "Help! I Teach Childrens Sunday School" is an aid book for these special teachers of infants through sixth graders. This guidebook to teaching excellence in the Sunday school will be a help to beginning and experienced teachers alike.

About The Author
B. Max Price received his M. Div. from Southern Baptist Seminary and his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Oklahoma, Norman. He has been in group private practice of psychology in Oklahoma City since 1977. His specialty is child psychology. He and wife Geri have two children, Tracey and Todd, and four grandchildren.

Here on Earth (Oprah's Book Club) (Oprah's Book Club)

Product Review
Oprah Book Club® Selection, March 1998: Here on Earth is set in motion when March Murray and her teenage daughter travel from their California home to New England. Their stay is to be brief. Judith Dale, her childhood housekeeper-cum-foster mother, has died, and March must set things to right and get out of gloomy Jenkintown as quickly as possible. "Five days tops," she reassures her scientist husband. Instead, she is pulled back into the arms of Hollis, her first love--an avaricious, Heathcliff-like individual who radiates sulfur and cruelty. "She left and didn't come back, not even when he called her, and yet here she is, on this dark night; here and no place else." In this deep fable of loss and control, love and fear, Alice Hoffman allows us into her characters' cores and makes us wish their fortunes were happier. Here on Earth is filled with wisdom, what-ifs, and animals who seem, if not to know more than human beings, at least to know how to shy from danger.

Product Review
You can also check out other Oprah favorites or join the Oprah Book Club.

Historic Flow Blue: With Price Guide (Schiffer Book for Collectors)

Book Description
America in the nineteenth century Victorian age was changing as fast as the engines of the Industrial Revolution could carry it. At every turn, Flow Blue was there, first sparking the interest of the affluent and later the middle class with its rich colors and complete table services. This book puts Flow Blue in its historical context and covers the British, American and European manufacturers who produced it, the exhibitions that promoted it, the people who owned it and what moved them to buy it. Over 500 color photographs present the variety of forms and patterns in these popular wares from the 1840s to turn of the twentieth century.

About The Author
Jeffrey B. Snyder is a writer and editor living in Downingtown, Pennsylvania with his wife and son. He has written a previous volume on this subject, Flow Blue: A Collector's Guide to Pattern, History and Value, for which this book is a perfect companion.