literature

Jorge Luis Borges may not be as famous as other latin-american writers such as Octavio Paz because of the lack of the Nobel Prize... but after reading this book one is left to wonder why... Each and every story is unique in its own way, creating shimmering images of reality that blend dreams, illusions, past, reality, misfortunes, eternity, infinity, life, death, religion and more... It is difficult to explain the effect Borges' stories have on the reader... It is like reading an Escher painting... Amazing.

Placing an exagerated emphasis on the 'mind game' aspect of Borges' work - especially when referring to Fictions - tends to make one consider his writings as huge mystifications which, although interesting enough to read, are first and foremost games of no major consequence. This underestimates the ambiguity that Borges knowingly uses and strips his works of their speculations' positivity. The use of the 'what if...?' motif, intrinsic to all fiction writing, is systematically employed by Borges in stories which, starting from axioms (explicitely acknowledged in 'The Library of Babel'), explore themes from multiple viewpoints (cosmology, philosophy, theology, art...) and provide multiple levels of interpretation. Stories such as 'Death and the Compass' and 'The Garden of Forking Paths' are as much about the mechanics of suspense-laden literature as they are, among other things, about the relationship between someone and his/her intellectual and spiritual pursuits; pieces like 'The Library of Babel' and 'Funes the Memorious' are at once fairy tales and fascinating texts on knowledge. Through metaphor and allegory, the stories of 'Fictions' provide a vision of the world devoid of restraining reflexes; reading them, one is forced to question his/her own habits (the same can be said about Borges' reviews of imaginary authors and books). The theme of the double, which was to become even more important later, here surfaces in stories where the notions of hero and villain are reconfigured. 'Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius' and 'Pierre Menard, author of the Quixote' are probably the best-known, but every piece manages to raise questions and problems, not always solving them. Essential reading.

People say that God sends to each nation a blind poet, which will let a trace that nobody will forget.
For Greeks, it was Homer; for Englishmen, it was Milton; for Argentinians, it was Jorge Luis Borges.
Argentinians are the Europeans of the end of the world. They are not latinos, but Europeans born overseas.
Only after understanding this duality can one understand why euro-southamerican literature is so particular, and definitely, not latin-american literature at all.
Borges, a descendant of English, Spanish and Portuguese immigrants, is the best example of this literature. His humour, his impressive erudition, his eurocentric vision, his deep philosophical thoughts are very argentinian and they need readers as cultivated as the writer. A difficult task for us, Spanish university students.
Definitely, "Ficciones" is a must-have for any Spanish-speaking person claiming to be a cultivated one.

This is truly a timeless masterpiece by author Hubert Selby Jr. In fact that's one of the many depressing things about this book is the fact that though it was written in the late 70's, people have not wised up any in the 20 plus years since.

The book isn't so much about drug abuse as it is about people striving to make a dream come true and in effect killing any chance they may have had to obtain it.

The story follows widow, Sara Goldfarb, her son Harry and his 2 friends. Sara's dream to be on television turns into more of a nightmare after she begins taking diet pills. Harry, Marion, & Tyrone's dream is pretty simple- to score some uncut heroin in order to resale it and live off the money. Their plans too go awry when winter comes and their aren't enough drugs to go around.

Some people may not want to read such a devastatingly dark novel but the beauty of it is how real it is. Selby makes you care for characters you shouldn't who put themselves in bad situations that you can see coming, if only they could. Honestly, I can't praise this book enough.

Wow. I am at a loss for words. Never in my life have tears fallen freely from my eyes as I finished a book.

These characters come to life in the readers imagination, and it is hard to believe that such powerful writing is possible from the human mind. This novel is harrowing to read, and while you hope for things to get better for the people inside these pages, it is simply not to be. Completely devoid of cliches, there is not one phony moment in the entire read. The movie really did an admirable job of recreating the story, yet it is when Selby gets into the characters heads that we experience emotions that no movie can really create. It is disturbing and heartbreaking to travel down the dark path of addiction with Sara, Marion, Tyrone and Harry. One can only assume that Selby had some kind of personal experience with addiction, as the writing seems to come from a place of deep understanding and empathy. I have no idea what to read now, as I can't imagine I will ever read anything again in my life that pulls me in so far emotionally. I will absolutely never forget this book, and as someone who also has been through the hell of addiction, I can honestly say that this book pulls no punches, and truly manages to avoid glamorizing drug addiction, while avoiding pedantic or trite exploration of the subject. There is nothing preachy about the book - just brutal brutal honesty and complete tragedy. I cared about these people, and wanted so badly for them to find a way out of their pain. It will be a while before I recover from this one.

I just finish reading this masterpiece and the entire time I was reading it I kept thinking, "I wish I would have read this before seeing the movie." I saw the movie when it first came out about 3 years ago and it left a great impression on me. When I found a copy of the book in my father's library I felt I needed to read it. Hubert Selby Jr.'s writing style captures the feeling of being in an altered state...no indication of who is talking or who they are talking to...none of the usual punctuation found to indicate conversation. very interesting, very profound, and extremely depressing. read this book before you see the movie (which is also great...but not nearly as amazing).

Though I somehow just went a week without finishing any of the books I've been reading (thank you upcoming store inventory, *grumble*), I must say this little gem got me through some of the worst of it! This book is just beautiful.

It is, put far too simply, a collection of letters between an American lady of fabulous wit and sarcasm and a few people of Marks & Co., a British bookstore on 84, Charing Cross Road. The letters suck you right in - what Helen says, one cannot help but read, and the wonderfully phrased return letters from (mostly) Frank Doel always made me chuckle in a "Gosh, I remember living in England," way. This is a correspondance that covers two decades, and though I often felt like some of the letters were missing (there are replies to questions you never see asked), it was a delight to read this.

It's rare I enjoy a nonfiction book that isn't on one of the narrow topics I enjoy, and biographical correspondance isn't normally something I pay attention to. Still, this is fabulous, and I suggest you go grab a copy, a cuppa, and just enjoy!

'Nathan

Charming, witty, and deeply moving without any dripping sentimentality. The correspondence between American writer Helene Hanff and English bookseller Frank Doel is a portrait of an unconventional friendship and a snapshot of postwar England taken by an American friend. Hanff's delight with English history and the bookstore staff's reciprocal pleasure in her interest are brought to life in this lively epistolary account.

I waited too long to finally read 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff and I have no reasonable excuse for it. Someone had lent me a copy and it was the only book in my backpack on the commute to work one morning as I had forgotten to bring the book I was reading, so I started it and had one of the best journeys of my life. I immediately ran out and bought my own copy as I knew that I would read this book over and over again. It is very funny and, in the end, quite touching in ways that all readers will understand and appreciate. The best endorsement of this book is that it will get one to investigate all sorts of old classics and look at reading and writing in new and different ways. I personally will be letting used books fall open just to see what interested a reader from the past and what he or she is trying to tell me. I little trick gratefully picked up from the delightful Helene Hanff.

After reading Hansen's Motoring with Mohammed, I vowed to read everything and anything he writes or has written. So I had to read Orchid Fever (don't get it confused with Orchid Thief), a novel about greed, thievery, skullduggery, incomprehensible gov't regulations, and an underworld of orchid fanciers/growers that rivals the drug trade. Populated with eccentric characters and devoted fanatics, Orchid Fever makes for fascinating reading.

This delightful book charmed me from the first and kept me reading in amazement until the end. More bizarre than the most irreverant satire, Orchid Fever examines the incredible characters, situations and locales that make up the world of orchids. You don't need to know a thing about plants to enjoy this book, for it is the people and places Eric Hansen describes that makes for a fascinating read.

Eric Hansen's Orchid Fever is a quick, breezy and highly entertaining read. I just picked up a copy at one of the Orchid Gardens mentioned in the book, and will never look at the place the same way again. As with any avocation that stirs passion, the world of orchids has produced as many oddball varieties of aficionados as there are varieties of orchids. Hnasen brings them all wonderfully to life and you feel like a friend to many of them (except for the CITES nazis). Being relatively new to the orchid world I was able to appreciate the references to certain species, but by no means do you have to grow or even like orchids to love the book. I read the book in a day and my thoughts today have drifted to wondering about the characters that I had met, such as Xavier in Paris and the Harley-riding guys in the States that have been infected by the Orchid Fever.
The book wraps up with a heartwarming tale of Tom Nelson in Minnesota, slogging through blackfly and mosquito infested roadside ditches to save native plants from destruction. Not out of money but because it is the right and noble thing to do. It is people like him that give a glimmer of hope in a world that can often cause despair. Eric Hansen's book also serves the same purpose and I highly recommend it!

Ten-year-old Emily Starr always felt that she had the most wonderful life. She never felt lonely, as she was blessed enough to live with her beloved Father, her adored cats, Saucy Sal, and Mike, and a collection of fine books for her to read at anytime. It didn't even bother her to have Ellen, her somewhat wicked housekeeper around. But in one quick instant Emily's life is suddenly turned upside down. After having a fine life she receives the news that her Father is dying, and when he does finally pass, 10-year-old Emily is left an orphan, and is suddenly forced to move to New Moon Farm with her mean Aunt Elizabeth, who makes her choose only one of her beloved cats to accompany her during the move. Emily's only solace from her depression of her Father's death, and dealing with her stern Aunt are the new friends she makes: Ilse, a tomboy with an extreme temper; Teddy, a fantastic artist; and Perry, also a newcomer to school, who has sailed all over the world with his Father. Soon, thanks to her new adventures and friends, Emily realizes that New Moon isn't that bad at all, and maybe, just maybe, she'll be able to think of herself as Emily of New Moon.

This is my second L.M. Montgomery novel, and I was very pleased by the outcome of it. Emily is a strong-willed, hard-headed character, with a sense of adventure, whom stands up for everything, and everyone, that she believes in. Her Aunt is an exciting character, even though she is a bit cruel, and her friends are three people whom the reader longs to know and be friends with in reality. The descriptions are so vivid, realistic, and beautiful that you actually feel as if you are with Emily, running along the trails and through the gardens of New Moon. A must-have book for all fans of novels with a bit of history tucked into them.

Erika Sorocco

Since I was a little girl, I have been a devoted fan of Lucy Maud Montgomery and all she has written. I read Anne of Green Gables with enthuasiasm, and gratefully snatched up Emily of New Moon when it was offered. Emily of New Moon is a wonderful book for certain people of all ages. This is so because the book is chocked full of everything wonderful from the world as viewed by a child of one hundred years ago--if your reading style does not allow for whimsy and delight, I do not suggest it. However, I, as have many other little girls of past and present, slowly grew up right along with Emily, and part of what I am is thanks to Montgomery and her wonderful and inspiring characters. Even now, far past the "reading level" posted in Montgomery's books, and especially the Emily books, I read them over and over; each time, finding something new and wonderful to read back on!

After finishing Anne of Green Gables, I decided to pick up another L. M. Montgomery book. I was all set to pick up another Anne book, but then I found Emily of New Moon. I decided to try this book, to see if L. M. Montgomery could capture the beauty of words in another novel. She did.

Emily of New Moon tells the story of young Emily Byrd Starr, who is left an orphan at the tender age of eleven. Her mother's family draws lots to decide who should take Emily in, and the lot fell to the Murrays of New Moon. Stern Aunt Elizabeth, loving Aunt Laura, and simple Cousin Jimmy brought Emily to New Moon Farm, where she had all sorts of adventures and basically just learned the lessons of life. Emily is a young heroine who many can relate to.

L. M. Montgomery has written another beautiful novel. Emily's character is well-developed and lifelike, and New Moon seemed just like a real place to me. For anyone who is looking for a real piece of literature, Emily of New Moon or any of L. M. Montgomery's other works are the books for you!

Mr Caputo (as in TOE) takes the reader on his journey from college to war to military inquiry and part of the power of the work is how well the language illuminates that experience. It begins with clear, concise prose, as the young man is clear in his goals and what his country "stands for" , and rises to poetry of a kind as the narrator descends into a confused hell, where his goal becomes simple survival and he is uncertain about his country and its values. The narrator's journey in his early twenties, is from a sobriety to a delirium and back again but on that return, the open, trusting individual, is transformed into a cold, hardened, and cynical Nam Vet. There is some especially good analysis of "courage" (p.294) and the nature of a patrol by a platoon (p.252). The passage on 240 has a music and power which I could imagine being quoted as a classic piece of war prose/poetry in which the phrase "All secure. Situation remains the same" is echoed five times throughout the piece in a kind of fugue. Great writing which summarises the misery and the exhaustion men suffered on patrol, especially the power of the landscape and climate to overpower.

"A Rumor of War" is a darkly disturbing book. It is set in what was the early, "optimistic" Vietnam in the spring of '65 when we thought we were fighting for "freedom" and before the reality of the place hit home. Vietnam hits Lieutenant Caputo very quickly, as it must have for all Marine Corps platoon leaders. It's all right there-booby traps, mines, trip wires, leeches, foot blisters, jungle rot, constant shelling, dysentery, pigs eating corpses and cold C Rations. As a Vietnam vet, I was surprised the author never mentions RATS!, but we both know they were there too. (THEY were everywhere). Lt. Caputo's transfer to a staff job is worse than the field, so he transfers back to the bush as a platoon leader.It's more of the same-patrolling and repatrolling the same trails, the same hills, the same villes. All watched over by unsupportive and bureaucratic commanders. "RW" offers yet another look at the Vietnam War, one more pessimistic than most because so many of us felt that the years of '65 and '66 were more positive than this. I might suggest reading Joseph Owen's "Colder Than Hell" to compare the Marine experience in Korea with Lt. Caputo's. Reading the late Bernard Fall's "Street Without Joy" will make us aware, again, that perhaps there was never a time to be optimistic about Vietnam. I must admit that I constantly found myself curious as to how I would have handled many situations in "RW". How would I have measured up? What would I have done? How would the men have judged me? While the story of "RW" tends to stray at times, I found no fault since the author is relating a painful part of his past. One small point: "RW" would benefit from better maps-these are so often lacking in military books. The bottom line:"A Rumor of War" belongs on the bookshelf of any serious military book reader or anyone searching for yet another angle to the frustrating Vietnam War that affected so many of us.

For anyone who has ever asked, "What was Vietnam really like," Marine Lieutenant Philip Caputo's book, "A Rumor of War," is a must read. In this autobiographical account of his time as an infantry officer in, "the 'Nam," he describes the experience in authoritative terms enhanced by collegiate English studies and time spent as a combat journalist. The result is the most well written account of life in an infantry platoon in Vietnam that I have ever read.

Phil Caputo could have been virtually anyone in America in the early '60's. A young, idealistic, all-American boy who joined the Marines in search of adventure, and out of a patriotic desire to answer John Kennedy's challenge to, "Ask not what your country can do for you. . ." He and his platoon marched off to war to find glory and honor. What they found was, "death, death, death."

Caputo takes you into the muddy foxhole with him, making you feel the heat and annoyance of the ever-present insects, and the sniper shots that all united to deprive you of the precious commodity of sleep. He takes you on patrol with them down, "Purple Heart Trail," where the main enemies were the heat, the insects, and endless mines and booby traps. The reader can feel the rage of the infantrymen who fought endless battles with an enemy that was everywhere, yet nowhere. Gradually enthusiasm turned to pessimism; pessimism to despair; and despair to rage; rage that ultimately vented itself in mindless violence against anything Vietnamese. They were then left with the heat, the insects, and guilt borne of actions taken that they would never have dreamed of a few short months before.

Caputo and his enthusiastic, young, Marines could have been anyone who has ever fought: the patriots at Lexington and Concord, who later found themselves half starved and freezing at Valley Forge; or any number of Union or Confederate soldiers from Bull Run to Appomattox. They could have been "Doughboys" who went, "Over There," to "Make the World Safe for Democracy," only to find themselves "fighting" immersion foot and mustard gas in the trenches of France; or perhaps even soldiers serving under, "Ol' Blood and Guts" himself, George S. Patton; "Our blood, his guts," as the GI's said. Their stories all verify Gen. Robert E. Lee's famous quote: "War seldom avails anything to those unfortunate enough to have to fight it."

A Rumor of War ranks up there with Gen. Harold Moore's, "We Were Soldiers Once and Young," and Col. David Hackworth's, "About Face." All three show how debates that raged in Washington, Paris, Saigon, and Hanoi were ultimately scored. Whether you were a "hawk or a dove," a liberal or a conservative, a professor or student, you will benefit from reading this book that answers the question authoritatively: "Hey! What was Vietnam really like?"

"How the Grinch Stole Christmas" By Dr. Seuss

Looking quite out of place and very disturbing in his makeshift Santa get-up, the Grinch slithers down chimneys with empty bags and stealing the Whos' presents, their food, even the logs from their humble Who-fires. He takes the ramshackle sleigh to Mt. Crumpit to dump it and waits to hear the sobs of the Whos when they wake up and discover the trappings of Christmas have disappeared. Imagine the Whos' dismay when they discover the evil-doings of Grinch in his anti-Santa guise. But what is that sound? It's not sobbing, but singing!
The story opens with a classic statement of contrast.
Every Who down in Who-ville liked Christmas a lot... but the Grinch, who lived just north of Who-ville, did NOT!
We don't know why he didn't like Christmas, just the things he didn't like about it, such as noise, feasting, and singing.

This story really shows what Christmas is all about. It starts out with Whos' buying presents and having a cheery time, then when the Grinch steals all their presents he expects them to not have a good Christmas. To his dismay they actually have a wonderful Christmas singing around their giant Christmas tree.

This book clearly deserves more than five stars. It has become an important Christmas classic that will probably increase its influence on generations to come.

Psychologists have told us for years that many people are depressed by the thought of another Christmas coming. The more laughter, entertaining, and gifts, the more depressed they get. For some this may relate to the darkness of the season as we approach the Winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. For others, it's related to a sense of inadequacy, a gap between how they would like their life to be and how it actually is. From the first time I ever heard this story as a youngster, I've always thought that Dr. Seuss must have known a few such people.

The story opens with a classic statement of contrast.

"Every Who

Down in Who-ville

Liked Christmas a lot . . ."

"But the Grinch,

Who lived just north of Who-ville,

Did NOT!"

We don't know why he didn't like Christmas, just the things he didn't like about it, such as noise, feasting, and singing. The only glimpse we get as to causation for those reactions is that it "may have been that his heart was two sizes too small."

Unfortunately, his dislike carried over to the Whos. "He stood there on Christmas Eve, hating the Whos."

The primary action in the story is built around the antihero concept of Santa Claus. It makes for good fun, and certainly exercises the reader's imagination in all kinds of humorous ways.

The Whos respond to the Grinch in the true Christmas spirit, which evokes a loving vision of caring that will impress all who read about it.

Then the Grinch has his epiphany.

"'Maybe Christmas,' he thought, 'doesn't come from a store.

Maybe Christmas . . . perhaps . . . means a little bit more!'"

If you don't know how the story ends, I'll leave it to you to read it for yourself or to see the movie.

The great strength of this story is that it is aimed at the child reader or listener. At a young age, it is very easy to be overwhelmed by all of the fuss and potential for receiving gifts . . . and not receive much impression of the spiritual meaning of Christmas. When the Whos wake up on Christmas Day and act as they do, you can ask your child why she or he thinks that the Whos did that. Your child may not know. Then you can take the time to explain what you feel their reaction means in terms of your own beliefs. It's a remarkable way to be sure that the true spirit of Christmas is continually reintroduced to the next group of youngsters.

It is inevitable that people compare this story to Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Scrooge and the Grinch each have their new visions of Christmas. When we read Dickens, we read it as a cautionary tale for adults. When we read the Grinch, we read it as a cautionary tale for children and adults. In the long run, the Grinch may be more influential as a result. But you don't have to choose one or the other. You can read and enjoy both each Christmas.

If you cannot afford to spend this much for the book now, you can buy the coloring book version at a much smaller price. It contains the same text.

How do you plan to tell children about Christmas this year? What do you have planned for the holidays that is in the true spirit of Christmas? How can you ease the psychological burden on someone who does not care for the holiday? How will you give the gift of human warmth?

May your heart be filled with love and kindness for all!

Dr. Seuss's "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" is a story about a character who is miserable and dislikes anything good and happy.
The author believes it is because the Grinch's heart is too small. The Grinch tries to stop Christmas from coming to the Whos down in the village below called Who-ville. He stole all their presents, food, decoratons and everything they owned. He thought they woud have nothing to celebrate without gifts. Instead, he learned a valuable lesson - that Christmas is something much more that presents. It is the spirit of giving and being together that bring joy. Dr. Seuss has a way of teaching a lesson with funny characters and rhyming phrases. I think this is a good story for all ages.

_Narcissus and Goldmund_ by Hermann Hesse is the story of two men: one an ascetic scholar, the other a passionate student of life. The book chronicles their fateful meeting, Goldmund's pursuit of truth and beauty, and a final reunion of the two friends late in life. It is quite simply the best book I've read thus far. In it, I find artfully and poignantly demonstrated the central conflict of my life, perhaps of all life: the struggle between the intellect and the emotions. The book is best read as a juxtaposition of both of these motivators in our lives. Narcissus represents pure intellect and reason, while Goldmund represents pure emotion and passion. Neither one could truly exist in the world, but Hesse creates them as archetypes of these two motivators in all humans. The struggles they encounter in understanding each other, and the struggles Goldmund encounters in making sense of the world, help us to better understand these two sides of our own character. The struggle teaches us of the beauty that aches, and friendship that knows no bounds. In this conflict one can ultimately find the beauty of truth, and the truth of beauty.

This is the third novel of Hesse's that I have had the joy of reading (Sidhartha and Demian are the other two). After finishing it, I wondered why as an educated man and student of literature I had not heard about it years ago. Of the three Hesse novels I have read, this is the best. Like the other two, it is a testament to searching for your own path in life and refusing to be lead by the status quo, but it is so much more.

The story revolves around, as the title implies, Narcissus, a young monk who urges Goldmund, a cloister student, to find out who he really is rather than be bullied by his father's wishes into a life of religious servitude. The novel focuses on Goldmund's journies through the German Empire of the 1300s and his discovery of art, nature, and love. It reveals powerful scenes of plague-ridden Europe as well as introspective conversations between the two men on the nature of reason and imagination. Hesse carefully questions love, life, religion, god, education, and complacency without making his conclusions mere propaganda. This is one of those books that, when all is over, makes the reader wish there were more.

I can't recommend it enough.

I was first introduced to Hermann Hesse through "Demian" which I enjoyed immensely - I felt as though he understood the mind of the artist. Then one day, I recalled a friend mentioning "Narcissus and Goldmund" in the past - not knowing what it was about, I bought it. Call it impulse or instinct - regardless of how I came across this novel...it made a tremendous impact on my life...how I perceived myself as well as those around me. It made me question what my artistic and physical approach to life was.

That was five years ago and to this day, there hasn't been a book that's touched me as deeply nor have I experienced an epiphany as huge as the one I was struck with when I finished the book. The theme that comes across all of Hesse's novels is the road to self-discovery and frankly, having read other popular books by Hesse, none seem to match the profoundness of "Narcissus and Goldmund" or as eloquently written. This book epitomizes the struggle between the mind and the heart. Hesse forces the reader to come to terms with this inevitable conflict and realize that neither is above the other. Actually, both need each other to survive. I will admit that Narcissus and Goldmund are presented as two types of characters - literally. BUT the dimensionality that comes to define the two types as two individuals, are their journeys which, leads to their eventual reunion. It's what wasn't said between Narcissus and Goldmund that allows the reader to analyze and interpret accordingly.

Some reviewers have stated that they found this book disappointing because Hesse didn't delve further in defining the essence of life or that it's didactically written. I strongly disagree with both notions - with this novel Hesse points out the subtleties we often miss and poignantly defines how our creative passion needs to be feed...how the love we develop for those we come across in our lives needs to be nurtured...as well as the necessity to be loved by another human being...but more importantly, the certitude in ourselves - to feed the very passion that drives us and ultimately defines us. In this novel, he punctuates things that most are aware of but don't fully recognize. And as simple as it sounds, I truly believe that that, is the philosophy he is trying to convey - nothing less, nothing more. He executes this theory throughout the book with a delicately intricate voice, but one with a deafening roar that will linger in your mind.

As much as I loved "Demian", I think "Narcissus and Goldmund" surpasses "Demian" mainly because it has the ability to relate to almost every individual, instead of the exclusiveness or isolation that can arise through one's road to self-discovery. This novel manages to juxtapose the intellectual thinker with the instinctual spirit in the simplest manner while evoking myriad thoughts, forcing you to question and engage yourself to your present surroundings.

Ann Rinaldi puts forth nothing but her best in all her books, especially In My Father's House. Rinaldi's main character is Oscie. She is young, free-spirited and interesting. Oscie is trapped between her world of luxury down South and the war taking place on her front lawn. This book is full of excitement, danger and sadness. Evertything from sisters drowning, war happening and Oscie's tutor causing a riot because she was from the North is right in the pages of this wonderful book. I loved it! It was suspenceful, sad , happy,and interesting all at the same time. It tells a lot of truth about the Civil War. If you are a big fan of Gone With The Wind it is inevitable that you will enjoy In My Fathers House by Ann Rinaldi.

In My Father's House was the first book I read by Ann Rinaldi. It got me started on a long string of her books. This book is about a strong-willed young girl named Oscie Mason who happens to be the only one in her family who has the guts to stand up to her strict step-father. And yet, even though they have their fights, it seems that there is a mutual respect that they gain for each other in the end. There is a strong flow of romance throughout the book, (which is ALWAYS good) and I enjoyed the Civil war setting. It depicts the tragedy of the deaths of the war well and throughout the story, the war seems to follow Oscie wherever she goes. So between the war going on outside, there is a war going on in her household and it becomes Oscie's job to hold everyone together. I loved this book, I definitely believe that you will too!

I am a female... and I wanted to say that this book showed me the civil war from a perspective I'd never seen before. It wasn't all history like a school book or something; most of it was plot, but it was educational and a lot of fun to read!

Alright, this is the first of nine books with the femme fatale cyber babe Alita, also known as Battle Angel Alita. It all starts with doctor Ido finding the smashed to pieces cyber body of Alita on a mountain of garbage. He fixes her up, and she awakens. But she remembers nothing. Ido introduces her in the profession of bounty hunting. And she proves to have a talent for it. This is a pretty gory story. Lots of blood. But most of the time the violence isn't performed in the usual hollywood nihilistic fashion "no questions asked: da bad guy is dead". The villains are often portrayed in some sort of humanistic perspective. And the main character is very lovable, developing throughout the series. And she doesn't stay a bounty hunter for the whole time. The books are intriguing and after you've finished the last one, you can hardly wait to start all over again to see how it all could end like that. If you like cyberpunk, action and Manga, this is probably in your taste. The fifth star is lost because of sometimes exagerated violence and some too wierd cybervillains. But its very good.

Battle Angel Alita is one of the best manga I've ever read. Plot, character, action, and art are all sharp. Strong characters and their development are the pillars of the story. In between are instances of dark humor, bizarre science and history references, and the epic struggle of ideas. The series is comprised of nine graphic novels about a woman's epic search for herself and the underpinnings of life, despite, and inspite of, the dystopia she's stuck in.
The first volume is an introduction to the story as a whole, the series write large, and one of the best. In a decaying city a cyberdoctor revives an amnesiac cyborg, "Alita," who remembers only the "Panzer Kunst," a martial art for cyborgs. Deciding that fighting is the best way to regain her memory, she becomes a bounty hunter, squaring off against the brain-eating criminal Makaku.
The three-dimensional characters constantly vie against themselves and each other in the fantastically violent Scrapyard, a life-is-cheap world that drags everyone down, forcing the strong characters to struggle constantly. Above it all is Tiphares, the utopian heaven in the clouds that is a mystery and a destination. Alita represents self-discovery and growth fueled by righteousness and power. Her father-figure, Ido, is conflicted in his role, trying to reconcile his hopes for her with her own free will while dealing with the dark side of his personality. Best of all, Makaku and later evil-doers are complex characters who work evil for more than just nihilism. Here, Makaku represents terror and domination, but with a purpose. His fight with Alita has a touching scene where Alita stops herself from killing him and later realizes that she wants to know what drives him, and eventually feels pity despite his horrible crimes.
Dystopia and giving a powerful character amnesia has been done before, but nowhere have they been done so well, or with such awesome art. Though the story has some inaccuracies in translation (the series is originally titled "Gun Dreams," Alita's real name is Gally, and Tiphares is actually "Zalem," which makes much more sense in the context of the story later), these are minor points that can be cleared up with some Web research. In the meantime, enjoy this post-apocalyptic Odyssey.

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