Fiction Literature Books

One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.
~Virginia Woolf,A Room of One's Own

Virginia Woolf's very intense A Room Of One's Own, is actually a long essay she wrote "with ardour and conviction" on the the topic of women and fiction, that she prepared when asked to speak about this subject at women's colleges. A Room of One's Own was published in 1929, when young women were still discouraged from attending college (due to genuine fear that a good education would make a women unfit for marriage and motherhood), and although it's not angry in tone the essay reflects a society in which severe limitations were put on women and their achievements. Virginia Woolf speaks about the creative process that lead to her talks, of her notebook in which she recorded a multitude of ideas, thoughts, and mental meanderings, and writes about the train of thought that led to her conclusion, that "a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction". In A Room of One's Own (not a simple matter), and demonstrates and expresses the complexity of her thought in her trademark stream-of-consciousness writing. Defying conventions of the time, she talks about the actual food served at the luncheon party, of the soles and partridges and potatoes, and of the importance of food to the artist in a more general sense. She discusses numerous things in this full, layered essay of her thoughts, among them a sense of loss due to the war which began in August of 1914, that changed the underlying current of life--previously filled with music and poetry, with romance--and of the special difficulties women artists face (still relevant today!). Her message is simple (though the means is not), that women must have money (a fixed income) and a room of their own (privacy) in order to have the freedom to create, luxuries that men may take for granted. She imagines Shakespeare's "sister", equal in talent and genius, but because of her sex, never writes a word, never expresses her genius, never lives to old age because she takes her own life in quiet desperation. Her essay is meant to encourage young women, to inspire them to create, as she's sympathetic to their plight. In A Room of One's Own,Virginia Woolf wants the limitations removed, and for women to have the same intellectual freedom that men have had for centuries, so that they, too, may express their genius.

(This is a passage slightly modified from my blog about books, Suko's Notebook, suko95.blogspot.com, which I invite you to visit.)

Transaction went smoothly and got the item quicky in the condition promised. Would purchase again.

after i ordered this book, the distributors let me know instantly that they no longer had the book on shelf, and instantly refunded my account. speedy service is one thing, but keeping the customer informed is another...thanks

I found it tedious to read in spite of the high literary reputation and ability of Virginia Woolf. There must be something lacking in me.

Edward Cook

Virginia Woolf in her best form - personal but not self-centred, concentrated and ready to fight for what she believes is right. This long essay gives her views on the position of women in literature but offers also an overview of their role through centuries - from the imaginary Shakespeare's sister to her contemporaries. A must read for all readers regardless of sex!

A beautiful portrait of purity in a story little boys and girls alike can understand and love.

Great book encouraging boys to be chivalrous and pure. Should be on the shelf of every young family.

I bought this online hoping that it was well written and had a good point. What a pleasant surprise, it is wonderful! I love how it the book progresses without feeling like something has been left out. The Squire is tempted but yields to the scroll (God's Word), since we are scripture training from Don't Make Me Count to Three by Ginger Plowman, it shows how God's Word can and will help you keep your focus on what is important. What a gem!

AS a mother of 3 boys ages 2.5- 5 years old this is great book. They consistenly ask for it to be read at least twice a day. Filled with knights, dragons and a king, this keeps their interest yet gives them clear idea that being virtuous is that which should be rewarded. Great book, highly reccommend. My boys are always trying to be the squire who brings the bad dragon down.

While I appreciate the author's attempt to use allegory to encourage and assist parents in teaching that purity is important to their children, the author does not appear to have the theological skill of Lewis in writing allegory without unintentionally muddying the theological waters.

The representation of Christ as Aslan by CS Lewis is of a different nature than the angle of the Lantern that I see in the story line. In no way did Lewis ever compromise the nature of Christ. If in some way the Lantern is representing Christ, then He certainly doesn't need our protection - it's the opposite, we require His protection. If the Lantern is representing purity, then that is not something to be served...but something that serves us. (See the quotes I have pasted below pulled directly from the book "The Squire and the Scroll").

There is quite of bit of theological muddiness here - it's not as simple as if the Lantern represented Christ...which it can't, because we cannot have Christ stolen from us if we are believers. We dod not have to rescue Christ from the Dragon's lair, for Christ put all things under His feet. He is the victor. So if the Lantern represents Christ (as in a line quote below the Lantern shows the way), then what exactly is going on here? If we are talking about the Lantern representing Purity (which can and should be guarded), we have other issues.... Christ brings peace and joy, not being good. Christ should be honored as opposed to a quality (purity - see again the quoted lines below). The Pharisees honored "being good" (legalism) and were completely missing the mark. The story also talks about *obeying* the Lantern. If the Lantern is Christ, fine, He is honored by obeying the Scroll (Bible); however, if the Lantern is not Christ, but is Purity...then we are honoring "being good," which again, is like the Pharisees. (And in the story line, the characters are rescuing the Lantern which is then to be honored and served. Hmmmm).

So...is the Lantern representing Christ? If so, it's not being done as Lewis did with Aslan - instead, it becomes a idol with a tenuous hold on things that can easily be captured away (as in Old Testament idols). If it represents Purity, then is the idea of "being good brings peace and joy, shows the way, etc" the idea we want to bring across? Are we wanting to say that "acts of righteousness" will show the way?

Some quotes from the story:

It was this good man's charge to guard the Lantern of Purest Light, the lamp that brought peace and joy to his kingdom.

His kind parents were not people of great position, but they had clean hearts and honored the Lantern of Purest Light as the people of the kingdom did.
And the boy promised to honor his parents and the Lantern by living his life by the five truths in the scroll
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and he honored the Lantern by obedience to the scroll in all that he did. The words of the scroll had seen him through many a temptation. But the knight did not remember the words of the scroll.
"For the Lantern and the scroll!" shouted the squire, and he plunged the sword into the dragon's body.

And when the travelers came to the tunnel, it was open, and the Lantern showed the way

"Because of his bravery and his devotion to the Lantern and to the scroll, he will have my daughter for a wife and rule my kingdom one day. For who better would guard the Lantern of Purest Light than one with a heart kept pure?"

A shout went up from the people, for they were in agreement with their king.
Beyond knighting the young squire, the king instituted a new order of protectors; the Knights of the Lantern. The knight who had trained the young squire became its captain. These men dedicated themselves to the words of the scroll and to the defense of the Lantern

And when the two were gifted with a son, the knight taught him from the scroll so that he would one day be ready to defend the kingdom and the Lantern.

Alittle yeast leavens the whole lump. I just can't help worrying about the murkiness of this, especially when teaching impressionable children is involved.

After reading this story of children having autonomy to create a world with what they had around them outdoors, my 7 year old son and 5 year old daughter, on their own initiative, went outside and started creating Roxaboxen in our backyard on a strip of dirt that seemed unusable. They spent about 4 hours creating their own Roxaboxen without fighting and really enjoyed themselves. They expanded it to suit their own interests and renamed it Roxaland. I borrowed this book from a library and now I'm going to buy it for sure. A real keeper that spurs on the imagination.

A celebration of the imagination! If you are building your home library, add to it with this treasure of a book! I cannot say enough about this book! We read and reread this one often! My youngest son is fascinated with it. He sometimes just sits on the couch gazing at the illustrations. We LOVE this one!
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One thing that is really special and unique is that the events in this book really truly happened---to the author's mother! AND the illustrator, Barbara Cooney, actually made two trips to Arizona where Roxaboxen really existed. It was her toughest assignment yet---constructing a magical world out of something that wasnt there. She found a small tan hill dotted with stones and rocks, dessert plants and lots of broken glass. The spirit of Roxaboxen began to emerge!
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Just last week, my boys had an idea-to go outside into our backyard and create our very own Roxaboxen! I created my home out of pinecones. My younger son began creating his home out of logs from the woodpile. My older son decided he wanted to outline his home with rocks! I say all this in hopes that it may inspire you to create a Roxaboxen with your children!
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This book is a favorite at our house. It has inspired variations on outdoor pretend games. Barbara Cooney's illustrations are lovely. The kids love that it is based on a true story. It is a great example of kids who don't suffer from "nature deficit disorder".

I have loved this book since I was a little girl and I cannot wait to use it in my classroom! It really sparks children's imaginations!

This book was absolutely fantastic. I read it to my 5 and 2 year old children, and they each sat through the entire story. In fact, once it was over they grabbed it from me to look at the pictures.

There was one thing I didn't like about the book, and it's only because it provokes a lot of questions from my 5 year old(has to do with the lizard). So, if your child has a tendency to ask lots of questions, you can skip that page. Otherwise, this is an excellent choice, and I'll read it again.

The illustrations are pretty plain, being that they're black and white, and the story even a little lame, but the "chorus" of the book ("Hundreds of cats, Thousands of cats, Millions and billions and trillions of cats"), is what makes the book a standout for me.

After we had learned to read fairly well in grade school we were taken to the school library to pick out a book. I checked out Millions of Cats as the first book I wanted to read. I recently bought a copy here at Amazon and was amazed how well I remembered the story...in some cases almost word for word...and it has been 35 years since I read it. *S*.It will always hold fond memories for me.
Best wishes,
Donald Ryles PhD, CH
Author of Hidden Secrets of Many, But One

One of my most treasured childhood books, this was one of the first purchases I've made for a new niece and nephew. A wonderful story line, which likely played a part in my love for and respect of all things great and small.

Once upon a time there was a very old man and a very old woman. They lived in a nice clean house which had flowers all around it, except where the door was. But they couldn't be happy because they were so very lonely.

A tale of a man who, looking for a cat, finds too many. For any animal-lover, this is a secret dream, an embarrassment of riches. Millions of Cats sends that dream to the glue factory. The laws of nature state that, when a population becomes larger than available resources can support, conflict ensues. In a scene reminiscent of the enormous slaughter at Verdun, acres upon acres of fuzzy, fuzzy kitties flip out switchblade claws and tear each other apart. All for a chance to enter an exclusive Shangri-La: the happy home of the peasant farmer and his sturdy wife. The sole survivor is found hiding under a bush, the last of his race. He is an inverted Jesus, an unblemished lamb for whose sake all of his kind must die. A kitty Anti-Christ, if you will. Who, through his cunning feint, has gained dominion over the feline earth.

And where are the corpses of the slain? How can that hapless peasant keep his shoes dry as he surveys the site of the recent battle? The truth is clear to the careful reader: the Omega Cat has eaten the bodies and drank from the blood. A demonic Eucharist to profane the very soil, the anointing feast for a Dark Prince of Cats. The unwitting peasant knows not what evil he welcomes into his home. And yet, the final scene of domestic bliss offers hope to a world wracked with bloody regional wars: even after death on an incomprehensible scale, life goes on.

Great Christmas gift for your little ones. Goes great with a new puppy.

I bought this for my nieces, ages 9 and 6. The book was very easy to understand, and the 9 year old had them both playing in minutes! There are several versions of the game, and they were playing them all! Highly recommend this book!

My 6-yr old daughter started playing at school - the games have changed since I played as a kid - and she was excited to have one of her own. She really enjoys following the directions to new games that are shown in the book.

These books by Klutz are the best ever! I got this for an 8-year girl and she loved it. I want to play with her; it will surely bring back memories of childhood.

Loved this as a child. My 7 yr. old came home from school with some yarn. They were learning cat's cradle at school. Looked high and low for a Chinese Jump Rope. Finally found this one along with a great book with some other ideas that I had not seen before. Love the Chinese Jump Rope.

This is a great gift for young girls. Not a game that is well known today but was popular when I was young. My neighbor's little girl has had a blast playing this and has shared it with her friends at school.

It seems like it took forever for this book to come out and I loved every minute of it. Deja told a story that only she could deliver. You couldn't tell me that I wasn't in Hollywood turning it out with Tyler, Chantal, Shari, Andre and my man T-Roc. Deja stayed true to her characters and brought home a winner. I felt that I finally got the closure I needed from reading Dirty Little Secrets and Hooker to Housewife. Another winner!

okayyy for such a long wait this book should have been on point. Chantal hit a nerve with the foolish acts and T-Roc is LAME. The ending was a waste. Deja should've hit it out the park with this one.

This was a nice book I really like it. Love the ending too. I am still a King fan 4 life. Though I have not read the first two this one is worthy reading. Almost as good as the Bitch series.

This was an excellent book. I read the 2nd book Hooker to Housewife and I could not wait for Superstar to be released. It was everything that I expected it to be. A good read with lots of twists and turns. I highly recommend this book. It was definitely 5 stars.

Superstar by Joy King ties together the author's previous novels, Dirty Little Secrets and Hooker to Housewife. Chantel Morgan, still bitter about being left at the alter on her wedding day, sees nothing but stars as she witnesses her ex-fiancé and the up-and-coming actress Tyler Blake hugged up together. When Chantel puts her foot on the gas pedal of her car, it is hard to figure out who the intended target is. But does that even matter when she thinks Tyler is a homewrecker and Andre (her ex-fiance') is a misguided fool? And believe it or not, Chantel is not the only one who does not want the couple together. T-Roc slithers his way into the mix via mass deception and Superstar becomes a tale of which secrets are sacred and who done it and why. King weaves lessons of love, loss, forgiveness, and karma that will not easily be forgotten.

Superstar is a fast-paced, high-drama read. There were a couple of scenes that went a little too fast, but when you have a high-strung character like Chantel it should be expected. King did a great job of merging two novels to provide a very fulfilling story that gives readers a definite end to Chantel Morgan and Tyler Blake. The editing could have been more polished, but it was a very enjoyable read. I recommend Superstar to urban fiction readers and Joy King fans.

Reviewed by Darnetta Frazier
APOOO BookClub

I have volume I, and this one is just as classy and handsomely assembled. The great So Long is here, replacing my worn paperback copy. I hope other fans of Anerican lit. will discover this master--one of several sorely overlooked in the 20th century associated with the New Yorker.

Maxwell: Later Novels and Stories is the second volume of The Library of America's quality presentation of author William Maxwell's classic stories and novels. The writings presented were selected by editor Christopher Carduff, who also wrote the extensive notes on text, which are eminently useful for placing references to historical figures or events in context. The stories and improvisations largely come from Maxwell's writing career later in his life, dating from 1957 to 1999; selections include the novels "The Chateau" and "So Long, See You Tomorrow" and stories "The Value of Money", "Billie Dyer", "The Room Outside", and many more. A thoroughly accessible and beautifully bound edition of tales by an author exquisitely skilled at rendering tragedy with a distinctively American cultural style. Also highly recommended for public library and private literature collections is the companion volume, "William Maxwell: Early Novels and Stories" (9781598530162, $35.00).

I found the book to be simple and fun to read to my toddler grandson.

This book was almost too young for my six year old, but she has great fun reading it over and over to her 1 year old brother, and telling me the knock knock jokes in the car. He likes the bright pages, and she loves the play on words coupled with the animal characters.
Sometimes I think if I hear "Wayne wayne, go away" one more time I might scream, though! ;)

My older niece, 6 turning 7, is a serious sort so I wanted to get her joke books for her birthday. Her sister is 3 years.

I checked out a bunch of books from the library and online reviews of those and other books.

Of all I looked at, this one is funny, cute and endearing. The girls think it's hilarious. The pictures are very sweet and add to the jokes for non-readers.

It's missing the tacky qualities of many, many kids books of being so-so jokes, or not so nice jokes, or too scary for little people, or needing whole concept explanations to make sense.

It's got flap pages that you open to see the punchline of the joke. It's for a little younger than most joke books (which would be best for age 7 and up). This was one of the very few good for 4 and up, but actually funny jokes. Many are based on people's names which they didn't know, so on first pass there was some explaining to do, for instance that Duane is a name...but at least I didn't have to explain about Dracula and blood for them to understand.

As other reviewers have commented, it is a small number (10) of jokes, they are mostly name-based (not all), and it's in physical style of a younger age book with thicker pages, bright colored straight forward drawings (see front cover), and flaps.

If you get it - enjoy!

My son loves this book. He gets so much satisfaction out of making people laugh - it makes him laugh and feel good too!

This is a great beginners knock, Knock book. My daughter is a beginner reader, and enjoyed this book very much.

Though many of you would already know this, I think it's important that lay readers realize that this book contains direct translations of these tablets--so chunks of text will be missing from the stories. This is not a transliteration, so you're not going to have a series of stories that read particularly easily.

However, if you need to do research on ancient Mesopotamian mythology this book is a true treasure to behold. I'm writing a novel that requires me to dig deep into everything we truly know about these ancient civilizations, and I feel very confident that the book makes the most truth-preserving claims as the author could make, regarding what we can say for certain. She puts relevant background information as well as brief histories on the studies of each myth, then tells the tales while preserving the poetic style that the mythical originators wrote with.

Revised review: I read the revised edition of 2000 - with 10 new primary sources - of the originally 1989 book. The author chose rather the Akkadian versions over the Sumerian ones. Included are ten stories of variating length: Atrahasis, The Epic of Gilgamesh*, The Descent of Ishtar to the Underworld, Nergal and Ereshkigal*, Adapa, Etana, Anzu*, The Epic of Creation, Theogony of Dunnu, Erra and Ishum. (* = including standard version and older & shorter version). As you see, there isn't a story called "The Flood" as suggested by the title of the book. However, the flood is a recurring theme in several of the other stories.

Usually I detest footnotes, however, it makes perfect sense to use them here, as a translated text by someone else, from a distant civilisation has to be explained. Lost in translation puns and alliterations are pointed out. Also variating translations, which differ considerably. If the Bible translations via various languages have been done in a similar vagueness, I am not surprised that one or the other message has been misinterpreted. This book now uses modern English, which I am very thankful for, as it wouldn't make any sense to indulge in some sort of pretentious antique "translation". Stephanie Dalley is a perfectionist in the sense that she meticulously includes any missing line and lost word. Which sometimes leaves only a word per line extant. That is frustrating for sure occasionally, but unavoidable, if a reliable translation is sought. With some pages I was happy that I still have 99% of human vision, this tiny the text has been printed.

Though at times purposefully repetitious, the stories themselves are mostly interesting or/and indeed worthy to read. Not only for themselves, but also for the origin of some Western-known stories. However, one should be careful to draw direct lines of origin, as for one thing the same subject may be very different or, as the author points out, may variate considerably WITHIN the very long time of the Mesopotamian culture(s). In fact, the longer stories have largely been pieced together from different sources.

What she fails to mention is that the Mesopotamian culture(s) are derived from the Egyptian culture, as she avers the Mesopotamian one would be the first of mankind. That's an old Western urban legend attempting to dissociate from African culture, from Black culture as far as possible. Which is rather futile as Mesopotamia is located in Africa in geological reality for one thing and for the other, these specific ancients had been Black just the same. Which doesn't become clear at all in this book. Read The Africans Who Wrote the Bible or When We Ruled: The Ancient and Medieval History of Black Civilisations among many other books elaborating on that. However, I find it amazing that the derivations of the goddess Ishtar are mentioned, but she herself is presented as the original. Whereas it is long and officially accepted fact, even by the conservative science establishment that Ishtar in turn is derived from the Egyptian "Isis". In other words the Mesopotamian version may just be a sister derivation from Egypt, not the direct source for Western culture. In some instances that sister culture got remarried into the sources for later Western culture.

Speaking of conservatism and pseudo-origins: Elsewhere, the Epic of Gilgamesh is fancied as the first homosexual story in the world. To begin with, again, the Egyptians are able to top that. (For example with the story of Horus and Seth, though of course the concept of "homosexuality" differs from the modern one.) For another, the Gilgamesh story is rather bisexual, using modern Western terminology, as that concept was viewed differently back then and there as well. However, I find it remarkable that Stephanie Dalley isn't including that information in her veneration list. Accordingly, one can almost read this translation without noticing its however homosexual content. Gilgamesh's mother clearly speaks of Enkidu as if a son-in-law, but in the rest of the text he is translated in the like-a-brother routine. Well, maybe a "warm brother" as dated German slang would term him. Personally, I don't care about the translator's or my own view on this issue. It's even fun and safe for me, no matter my personal opinion, as in Rasta terminology, homosexuals happen in "Babylon" anyway (smile)... It's just interesting that she obviously leaves her path of perfectionism as soon as it comes to her bias. As I am a layperson on this, I wouldn't know, where else she missed some points. But maybe the reason for this is that the running gag in this story is that as soon as it turns homosexual, further text has been lost... Sure interesting to read in the ancient text that God made some humans nonbreeders to slow overpopulation. That almost sounds like modern slang.

I do recommend this book. Be sure to get the latest revision or another more recent book respectively.

This is a thorough compilation of Akkadian myths. These are modern translations based on up to date scholarship. While Dalley does a good job of bringing out the poetry of these myths, these are direct translations of the original texts showing all omissions and as yet untranslated words and phrases. This approach gives a very good idea of both the character of the myths and also of the difficulties encountered by scholars in reconstructing these texts from the fragmentary available records. Readers will end numerous echoes of better known myths in these translations. The introductory essays, footnotes, and background information are excellent.

A collection of the major Mesopotamian myths translated by a respected scholar. This is an excellent source for those desiring an authoritative translation. Even so, these myths can be somewhat awkward to read given Dalley's use of square brackets to indicate gaps in the text and omission dots to indicate an unknown word or phrase. No doubt these are accepted academic techniques for translating ancient texts, but I do hope someone will come along and render these myths in a more enthralling format. For just such an example of how ancient texts can be made to come alive for the modern reader, see "Gilgamesh: A New English Version" by Stephen Mitchell . Nonetheless, I give Dalley five stars, but also highly, highly recommend Mitchell's new version of Gilgamesh.

This is an excellent collection of several ancient Mesopotamian mythical stories. The original sources used for these translations were all written in Akkadian (which includes Semitic Babylonian and Assyrian dialects). Included in this collection are "Atrahasis", "The Epic of Gilgamesh" (standard and Old Babylonian versions), "The Descent of Ishtar to the Underworld", "Nergal and Ereshkigal" (standard and Amarna versions), "Adapa", "Etana", "Anzu" (standard and Old Babylonian versions), "The Epic of Creation", "Theogony of Dunnu", and "Erra and Ishum".

This large collection of stories, along with the well written introductions and notes provided, enables the reader to put these epic stories into context, and recognize the parallels within the different stories. I prefer this book to those that concentrate only on the Gilgamesh epic.