Club

I remember reading The Mad Scientists' Club for the first time when I was only about eight years old. I must have read and re-read that book from cover to cover over a dozen times since. It is a collection of stories about the escapades of six boys in the town of Mammoth Falls who use their wits and scientific knowledge to get in (and out) of all kinds of fun mischief, including "haunting" a house, creating a lake monster, and entering a hot air balloon race. Essentially, these six young men dive head-first into all the kinds of adventures that I longed to have as a young man. Brinley's book influenced my own adventures and ideas as I grew up, and my own stories and writings have been heavily influenced by the memories I have of this book. If you ever get a chance to read this book - DO IT!!! You will discover the adventures you always wanted to have become real in The Mad Scientists' Club.

I remember reading The Mad Scientists' Club aloud with my dad and mom as a child. We'd alternate chapters, pausing only long enough for the laughter to subside. Later I re-read the book in my mid-twenties, simply for nostalgia's sake. I discovered that the humor had lost none of its charm, and that the characters were still the same gang of ornery, creative geniuses that I'd remembered from youth. So much fun, and such a great introduction to reading. It's not tragic or soul-searching or brilliant prose; it's BETTER than all of these things: it's a page-turning series of adventures -- almost a '50s-era Tom Sawyer -- that celebrates intelligence, curiosity, and youthful imagination. Order this fantastic book for every child you know. (And don't miss The New Adventures of the Mad Scientists' Club, either!)

I remember seeing this book as a movie when I was a kid and I would love to find out the name that it was released under. I remember seeing it in school then on TV a little while later. The actors were British or Australian...that type of accent. I don't remember if I saw the movie or read the book first. It was probably around 1974 when I saw it.

Please re-release Song on the South, It was the very best movie in the world.I am 56 years old, and I took my children when they were small, and they remember the film so well. I even still sing Zip a dee do da, to my grandchildren,Please who ever reads this at Disney, Please re-release this film.It is really a classic...Thanks,Diane

This was one of my favorite movies growing up now I don't remember it at all and would give anything to see it again. If any Disney Execs are reading this PLEASE RE-RELEASE SONG OF THE SOUTH. You have the right to. Many people want this movie again please re release it.

Please release Song of the South for all of us who remember seeing this movie as a child. I would love to share this movie with my child. It will always be one of my favorite movies. My mother, my sisters and myself going to see this movie is one childhood memory that I will always cherish. Please consider making this excellent movie available to us. Thank you!!

This is by far the best reference book on all aspects of mountaineering, covering all the possible information a mountain reference book can, from wilderness basics, navigation or rock climbing and to snow geology, survival, rescue and leadership.
It's not the best because it has all these topics covered, but also it has evolved through six remarkable editions, covering a wider range in each one!!

If you have something to do with mountaineering, do not hesitate even for a moment to pick this piece, you won't be disappointed!!

In mountaineering it is far better to be good enough at a lot of things than it is to be really great at just one thing. For instance, a great rock climber can still make fatal mistakes navigating a glaicer.

If you follow the statistics, most mountaineering accidents are caused by two things: the first is ignorance, lacking enough knowledge to properly judge conditions or use equipment. The second is huburis, or taking on a climb that is above ones level.

The solution to huburis lies within us, while the solution to ignorance lies in study, practice, and this book.

Although it doesn't make up for practice and experience, there are scores of chapters covering virtualy everything from ice climbing to meteorology to wilderness navigation. Some may be disappointed that it doesn't cover many advanced techniques, however, successfull climbers are well-rounded, multi-talented ones.

So don't buy this book to just learn about one field that it talks about (such as rock-climbing or navigation) because there are far more detailed books on each individual subject, but instead buy this book to be a safe mountaineer, who needs sufficient knowledge on all the subjects.

In the end, the broad range of skills involved are what make mountaineering both fun and fatal, both challenging and rewarding. It's the broad range of skill covered in this book that make it such a rewarding book, well matched to the breadth and balance of mountaineering itself.

When I first re-entered the world of climbing, about 4 months ago, I went into the local "outdoorsie" emporium (a GREAT store called BackWoods in Norman) and asked for the finest Swiss Seat they had. It only took half a thought for the youngish, very polite woman to have any clue what I was talking about.

"You're looking for a harness." Was her reply. "And you'll want this, too." and she handed me this book. Ahhhh. . . Pure bliss.

If only I'd known about this tome when I got into climbing the first time, I might not be getting "back" into climbing now, but just getting better. This book is indespensible.

I know #131 seems kind of depressing, but I hope there are more books like "The Fire at Mary Anne's House" and this isn't just a fluke.

For the first time, you see the teens in the story step outside of the BSC and take a look at real life. The story was very true to heart and the book made me cry.

I read the next two books in the "Friends Forever" series, and I was amazed. The books aren't like California Diaries or the BSC. There JUST PLAIN GOOD! Not too depressing, but not overly happy either. I loved BSC #131, "Everything Changes" and Friends Forever #1! Keep going Ann! Your readers are coming back!

I've been reading the BSC series for about seven years now. While I like California Diaries, I always knew Ann M. Martin would put some life into the BSC plots again. AND SHE HAS! The Fire at Mary Anne's House was even better then Dawn, Diary Three! In the last book of the BSC series, Mary Anne's house burns down. She has nowhere to live and feels so sad. Even her friends rallying around her doesn't help. Poor Mary Anne! This book made me cry, especially the ending (which I won't give away) Just read the book! I'm telling you that this is better then all of Ann's books combined! I'm pretty sad that this is the last book of the Baby-sitters' Club series. But I'm looking forward to new more young adult changes in the Baby-sitters' Club: Friends Forever series. Who knows? Now we may like both California Diaries AND the BSC. I know I sure do!

In this book Mary Anne's house is burned down by a fire.Which came to a new look for the whole BSC members.And the end of this original series.I love it I read it 17 times.Still good.

Lots of Love,
Fulliem Quach xoxoxo

I got really frustrated with this book because it did'nt say who had Stevie for secret santa! I liked it when they went caroling, but I wish Carol or Lisa would ride the Prancer rather than lead it. I think that would draw more attention. Over all. I would recomend all saddle Clubs to any one! There great!!!

I love the Saddle Club books and I especially liked this one.I liked the idea and the way bonnie Bryant wrote it.I read it three times.I read any horse book I can find but the saddle club or one of my favorites.I think the saddle club books are good for an girl who dreams of having a horse.I really liked how they handeled the problem with the Marine Toy Project. And I enjoyed reading about how they gave their secret Santas. But I have a question to anyone who read this book. I could not find Stevies Secret Santa!! Ot's driving me nuts! Who was Stevie's Secret Santa and what did they do for her?? please reply to Swim86Girl@aol.com

Another rare SADDLE CLUB great. When the girls draw names for Secret Santa's, Max tells them they have to DO something, not give something! Lisa and Carole are fine with who they draw, but Stevie draws...Veronica! Also, the girls are shocked when toys are stolen from Carole's dad's Marine Corps toy drive and they invent an exciting, equine way to raise money for more toys. But will they finish in time? And what will Stevie do for--not TO--Veronica? This is harder than anyone imagined. I loved this SUPER EDITION and I think everyone who loves horses and has friends should read it.

As a teen, I read countless books by Christopher Pike. Most of them have since been packed away in boxes or given to younger friends and relatives to enjoy. The Midnight Club, however, remains on my bookshelf (its cover is nearly torn off from so much use). Pike expands his horizons in this book, departing from his usual themes of horror and death. Though the book is all about kids who are dying, the prevalant theme is life. Pike gives us a great truth in a story told with deceptive simplicity: it is not the number of years we live that makes our lives meaningful, but instead the way we spend those years and the other lives we touch. Don't be dissuaded from picking up this book because of the YA classification--a must-read for all ages.

I have read many books of Christopher Pike's, "Midnight Club" is truly his greatest piece of work. The book has many stories told by kids who have cancer. Pike does a wonderful job illustrating these kids life, you feel their pain and suffering. One story that touched me the most, was the one with the Angel. The book was very easy to read, I finish it in one day. After reading this book, you realized that nobody is perfect. We all make mistakes! The main theme in the book, Pike focuses on is FORGIVENESS. I recommend this book to everyone. It's different than most of his other books. There's less action and gore, but still its wonderful book to read.

Another hit by Christopher Pike. the first time I read this book it gave me the creeps. The way how he described the pains and the sufferings caused me to feel them too. that was the creepy part. It's about kids who are sick and stuff like that. It is a must read (only if you have a strong stomach). you should also read the remember me trilogy, spellbound and chain letter. those are some other good books by CP.

This book seemed to me like sort of a C.S. Lewis's "Suprised by Joy" meets Norman Maclean's "A River Runs Through It." As someone with typical conservative tendencies, when I read how Duncan's book was endorsed by the Sierra Club, I was instantly wary and pondered whether or not reading it would even be worth my time. Well, oh how wrong I was!

"The River Why" has instantly become one of my favorite books. In my opinion, this book would make a horrible film, because everyone who reads it almost surely paints vastly different pictures in their minds, and they come away with their own distinct interpretations. But I have no doubt that all readers will find bits and pieces of Duncan's lively and passionate characters in themselves and their own friends and family members. Some may just love "The River Why" for the obvious...the fishing, others because of his vivid descriptions of the landscapes and the environment, some because of the underlying conservation theme, and still others because of the philosophical quest at the heart of the story. I think what hooked me, though, was Duncan's ability to convey with only words (and quite often unrecognizable ones) emotions and experiences that would be seemingly impossible to express with only pen and paper. While relatively short, "The River Why" will run you through a gamut of emotions and have you yearning to be a part of the story yourself. I just couldn't put the thing down and cannot fathom anyone not falling in love with this closet masterpiece.

I chose to read The River Why because I loved The Brothers K and hoped his first novel had been as well written and memorable. I was not disappointed. The River Why follows Gus Orviston, the recently graduated son of a famous fly-fisherman, who is a fishing prodigy and wants nothing more than to fish every waking hour of his day. In order to persue his passion he moves to an isolated riverside cabin in Oregon with his fishing pole Rodney and the hopes of fishing 14 hours a day, making flies and other fishing related activities 6 hours, and sleeping the remaining six. He assumes that following this plan will lead to "optimum happiness," but quickly realizes it isn't fulfilling. He wants to interact with other people, enjoy his surrounds apart for more than its fishing potential, and falls in love. It is an excellent coming of age/finding a personal religion story.

Besides the main story line, however, the book is excellent for several other reasons. The first is that it has a great supporting cast. Bill Bob, Gus's younger brother, in particular is one of the best child character in any novel I've read, and the rest of his family and neighbors are also developed well. They have great personalities, quirks, and are both insightful and humorous. Duncan also does a tremendous job bringing the environment to life. His descriptions bring the rivers and hills to life and allow the reader to imagine the beauty of the area. It is also a very funny book, so it flies by and is very enjoyable to read.

The River Why isn't a perfect book. Duncan's politics seeped in a little too much in a few instances, which would have been fine except Gus lives in an isolated world with problems to worry about other than the government and it just seems out of place when the Vietnam draft and war come up. The conclusion of the book is also disappointing after Gus marries--there are just too many unnecessary changes in his life. Thateing said, however, these small complaints don't hurt the book's overall impact and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in fishing, the environment, the Northwest, philosophy, or simply great writing. It can be enjoyed by people of all ages and all readers will come away with something new.

This was the best fiction I've read in a long time. Basically, this is a story about a young man named Gus Orviston who strikes out on his own to pursue his love of fly fishing on a river somewhere along the Oregon coast. He believed at first that the amount of time he spent fishing was directly proportional to his state of happiness. Ironically, after he moved away from home and into a small riverside cabin to dedicate his life to fishing, he became depressed. After some soul searching he realized that there is more to life and happiness than the simple pleasure of fishing. There on the river he contemplates religion, philosophy, purpose, and love. Despite the serious nature of the subject, Duncan kept the tone light with an abundant mix of humor. I cracked up through the beginning of the book with the introduction of Gus's eccentric family. I loved the quirky neighbors, and the encounter with "the fishing Dutchman". In many ways the humor reminded me of my grandfather who always had a funny story to tell. I suspect the reason for my grandfather's humor was because in my youth, I was a lot like "Glum Gus". And, I suspect Duncan uses humor just as my grandfather did to remind us that no matter how serious life may seem, love can lift us up. I've always felt that this is done through humor which is the light of happiness which is the product of love.

These days you can read a lot of books on the subject of fishing. Many of them deal with an "obsession". But, I agree with Duncan's comments that his life is not based on an "obsession". It's based on a "love" of fly fishing that took years to develop. Duncan's love of the sport is just as evident in this book as Norman Maclean's famous story, "A River Runs Through It". The only difference being that Norman Maclean's story revolved solely around Christianity. This book takes a more universal approach. Zen, Native American spirituality, Christianity and a handful of other religions and philosophies are explored to help young Gus Orviston find happiness and love in his life. Despite the difference I found them to be near equals in combining spirituality and fly fishing.

Finally, I just want to say thanks to Sierra Club Books and David James Duncan. There's nothing better than reading a warm book about life, love and fly fishing to get me through the long cold winter.

This autobiography read like a novel. Mr. Datcher tells his story of growing up in an adoptive home after being given up by his teenaged mother as a toddler. The author relays the story of his childhood in the 70's, alternately selling Kool-Aid at a stand to robbing houses with his group of friends called the "Money Gang". This book was so honest that I did not like the author, or choices that he made at certain times during the book. He does not sugar coat anything about his life. He discusses having unprotected sex with a girlfriend that he didn't love and then getting mad at her when she became pregnant. He enrolls in UCLA and completes a master's degree, while working as a writer and spoken word poet. Though it is more a story of survival, because of his childhood, the author overcomes every obstacle. It does turn into a love story more than halfway through when the author meets his future wife, novelist Jenoyne Adams.

Reviewed by Sandra Pettiford

"Raising Fences" by Michael Datcher is a mind opening book that allows the reader to gain new perspectives about life. It is a novel about the life of the young black man, Michael Datcher, and his quest for love and his place in life. The novel follows Datcher through his young years living in inner-city LA without a father, his years at Berkley, and his years of writing in graduate school.
Anyone can gain knowledge from this book. As a young white woman living in Midwestern suburbia, I found this novel to be completely mind bowing. Datcher describes situations and images that I could only begin to imagine in my own sheltered life. "Raising Fences" reminds readers that the world is big, and full of many different ideas and perspectives. It is amazing how one thing can bring about so many different feelings from different people. For example, to me the police represent safety, and order. To Datcher, the word "police" evoked fear and hatered.
In writing the novel Datcher included many of his own poems, and the poems of his friends. This writing style allows readers to deeply feel the emotions Datcher is trying to convey. Datcher also makes great use of vocabulary and imagery. He uses words that may be unfamiliar, and they make his writing come alive on the page. He also creates great scenes and images, allowing the reader to feel as though he or she is really there. The only downfall is his tendency to, at times, run on in the explanation of his feelings or events.
"Raising Fences" made me hungry to learn more about the world and the people living here. This book is a teacher, not only about Datcher's premise of black men searching for love, but also of his culture and lifestyle. It reminds readers that this world is a big place and we should try and learn as much as we can. I would recommend this book to anyone on a higher reading level who wants to learn more.

What a wonderful and ultimately disturbing look at inner city life for a young African-American male. And the insights this book possesses are remarkable, almost like some of those in McCrae's "Bark of the Dogwood," though that book is through an entirely different set of eyes. Still, Datcher has given us a heart-felt, yet non-sappy view from "the other side of the fence," and the subtle writing, accompanied by the honest, no nonsense views, make this one of the best reads you'll come across. My only hesitation was with the final chapters which wrapped it up a little too quickly. Other than that, a great read.

Thank you Sarah Bird, thank you Bernie-
Yokota Officers' Club brought back sights, smells and feelings of life overseas for this VietNam era, Cold War Air Force Brat -we were at Tachikawa AFB from '60 through the '64 Tokyo Olympics, very near Bernie's Yokota.
Bernie, her family travels and issues, base regulations, class politics of rank and squadron stature and living in a small American town built around a military airstrip in a foreign country far, far away- it's good to remember. Sweet, and bittersweet.
Not just for Brats, though:
I've given this book to several friends to fill in the 'mystique' of all the Brats they knew but whose past they couldn't really connect with. (some cousins, too) ---They enjoyed the book, and see us (Brats) more completely as the shade of a discrete sub-culture most of us feel like, something we connected with when Pat Conroy wrote Santini. ---Mary Edwards Wertsch's book fills in a lot of understanding and insight, too.

So, thanks, Sarah Bird. For us Brats to remember, and for 'normal' people just to enjoy.

Just when you think you've had enough of novels about disintegrating families, there comes a book as appealing as "The Yokota Officers' Club." Author Sarah Bird whisks you away to the military world of Okinawa in 1968, where Peter, Paul & Mary's "I Dig Rock and Roll Music" passes for real rock 'n roll; where military families fear breaking an unspoken code of behavior and being RIFed, and where Vietnam is still a flicker in the background.

After her first year of college, Bernie Root comes home to Okinawa, the place her family happens to be that summer. Her dad's in the Air Force, and they move around a lot. But things have changed shockingly in her year away from the family. Her parents' marriage has turned ugly, and her off-beat tribe of brothers and sisters are almost too quirky to fit in anywhere. Being back in Asia reminds Bernie of the four happy years in Tokyo, a time made special by the family's closeness and the presence of their Japanese maid Fumiko, whom Bernie and her mother loved very much. Fumiko's name is never spoken now, and Bernie wonders why.

She gets the chance to find out when she wins a dance contest to tour air bases in Japan with Far East Funnyman Bobby Moses, a comic whose creaking act provides pained yucks for entertainment-starved officers clubs. His sidekick doesn't add much. Not with Bernie squeezed into tiny go-go boots halfheartedly jiving to whatever piece of cornball music a local band can come up with. She soldiers on for the chance to find Fumiko.

Her discovery is surprising and disconcerting, and even more so is the role Bernie finds she played in it. Sarah Bird's portrait of Americans in 1950s and 60s Japan makes for excellent reading. Intelligent and funny, "The Yokota Officers' Club" will not disappoint readers who set high standards for their summer reading.

You sure feel like you know that world in the assured hands of Sarah Bird. Wonderful characters, vivid settings, a sense of the times--I loved this book. It's funny, it's sad, it's just so real. You'll want to spend your time at this Club.

This is one of those books that creeps up on you. If asked to summarize the plot -- there isn't one. But it's nonetheless compelling to watch life unfolding for the characters.

Neither of the two main women characters is extraordinary. In that sense, they could be any of my ancestors, the women who lived, loved, bore children without anesthesia, kept house without electricity -- and enjoyed their lives and their families. Reading it gave me a real sense of what life was like in post-Civil War Ohio, and the truth is, it's not so very different now. The main subjects of the book are the things that lives have always revolved around: birth, death, love, marriage, sickness, betrayal, and faithfulness.

This isn't a quick read or a thriller. It does enfold you in a different time and place, and when you finish, you'll remember it.

This book was all the rage back in the early 80's when Book-of-the-Month Club made it a main selection. It was written by a comparatively unknown, elderly resident of a nursing home (who, I believe, died fairly shortly after the book's publication). For a short time everybody was talking about "...And Ladies of the Club". Fourteen years later, not many people remember the hoopla. But if a book is any good, it's still good even after the glitter fades. And this one is GOOD. I finally got around to reading it this year, partly because my wife read it and loved it. It is long (1100+ pages) but NOT difficult. I found the book hard to get "into" for the first one or two hundred pages, because there were many characters, and there hadn't been time to flesh out the personalities and relationships. But I am VERY glad that I stuck it out. Eventually the characters become vividly defined: lovable, hateable, and recognizable. The book is the story of a fictional medium-sized town in southern Ohio, from just after the Civil War to the beginning of the Depression. The story is told primarily through the eyes of a women's book club, and focuses particularly on two of the club's members and their families. All the important themes of life are explored: love, race, jealousy, religion, war, politics, business, literature, education, family relationships, and death. If you read this book, you will be both moved to tears and richly educated in American history. How much more can you ask of one book?

The title of this magnificent book has undoubtedly deterred countless legions of male readers from reading what appears to be a "Chick-Flick" type of book. In actuality it is a fascinating historical novel of mid-America from the post-Civil War era to the Great Depression. Both men and women will find it delightful reading and worth keeping on the shelf for re-reading every 5 years...