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The long-awaited, eagerly anticipated, arguably over-hyped Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has arrived, and the question on the minds of kids, adults, fans, and skeptics alike is, "Is it worth the hype?" The answer, luckily, is simple: yep. A magnificent spectacle more than worth the price of admission, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will blow you away. However, given that so much has gone into protecting the secrets of the book (including armored trucks and injunctions), don't expect any spoilers in this review. It's much more fun not knowing what's coming--and in the case of Rowling's delicious sixth book, you don't want to know. Just sit tight, despite the earth-shattering revelations that will have your head in your hands as you hope the words will rearrange themselves into a different story. But take one warning to heart: do not open Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince until you have first found a secluded spot, safe from curious eyes, where you can tuck in for a good long read. Because once you start, you won't stop until you reach the very last page.
A darker book than any in the series thus far with a level of sophistication belying its genre, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince moves the series into murkier waters and marks the arrival of Rowling onto the adult literary scene. While she has long been praised for her cleverness and wit, the strength of Book 6 lies in her subtle development of key characters, as well as her carefully nuanced depiction of a community at war. In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, no one and nothing is safe, including preconceived notions of good and evil and of right and wrong. With each book in her increasingly remarkable series, fans have nervously watched J.K. Rowling raise the stakes; gone are the simple delights of butterbeer and enchanted candy, and days when the worst ailment could be cured by a bite of chocolate. A series that began as a colorful lark full of magic and discovery has become a dark and deadly war zone. But this should not come as a shock to loyal readers. Rowling readied fans with Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by killing off popular characters and engaging the young students in battle. Still, there is an unexpected bleakness from the start of Book 6 that casts a mean shadow over Quidditch games, silly flirtations, and mountains of homework. Ready or not, the tremendous ending of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will leave stunned fans wondering what great and terrible events await in Book 7 if this sinister darkness is meant to light the way. --Daphne Durham
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Begin at the Beginning
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
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Paperback |
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
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Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
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Why We Love Harry
Favorite Moments from the Series
There are plenty of reasons to love Rowling's wildly popular series--no doubt you have several dozen of your own. Our list features favorite moments, characters, and artifacts from the first five books. Keep in mind that this list is by no means exhaustive (what we love about Harry could fill ten books!) and does not include any of the spectacular revelatory moments that would spoil the books for those (few) who have not read them. Enjoy.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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* Harry's first trip to the zoo with the Dursleys, when a boa constrictor winks at him.
* When the Dursleys' house is suddenly besieged by letters for Harry from Hogwarts. Readers learn how much the Dursleys have been keeping from Harry. Rowling does a wonderful job in displaying the lengths to which Uncle Vernon will go to deny that magic exists.
* Harry's first visit to Diagon Alley with Hagrid. Full of curiosities and rich with magic and marvel, Harry's first trip includes a trip to Gringotts and Ollivanders, where Harry gets his wand (holly and phoenix feather) and discovers yet another connection to He-Who-Must-No-Be-Named. This moment is the reader's first full introduction to Rowling's world of witchcraft and wizards.
* Harry's experience with the Sorting Hat. |
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
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* The de-gnoming of the Weasleys' garden. Harry discovers that even wizards have chores--gnomes must be grabbed (ignoring angry protests "Gerroff me! Gerroff me!"), swung about (to make them too dizzy to come back), and tossed out of the garden--this delightful scene highlights Rowling's clever and witty genius.
* Harry's first experience with a Howler, sent to Ron by his mother.
* The Dueling Club battle between Harry and Malfoy. Gilderoy Lockhart starts the Dueling Club to help students practice spells on each other, but he is not prepared for the intensity of the animosity between Harry and Draco. Since they are still young, their minibattle is innocent enough, including tickling and dancing charms. |
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
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* Ron's attempt to use a telephone to call Harry at the Dursleys'.
* Harry's first encounter with a Dementor on the train (and just about any other encounter with Dementors). Harry's brush with the Dementors is terrifying and prepares Potter fans for a darker, scarier book.
* Harry, Ron, and Hermione's behavior in Professor Trelawney's Divination class. Some of the best moments in Rowling's books occur when she reminds us that the wizards-in-training at Hogwarts are, after all, just children. Clearly, even at a school of witchcraft and wizardry, classes can be boring and seem pointless to children.
* The Boggart lesson in Professor Lupin's classroom.
* Harry, Ron, and Hermione's knock-down confrontation with Snape. |
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
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* Hermione's disgust at the reception for the veela (Bulgarian National Team Mascots) at the Quidditch World Cup. Rowling's fourth book addresses issues about growing up--the dynamic between the boys and girls at Hogwarts starts to change. Nowhere is this more plain than the hilarious scene in which magical cheerleaders nearly convince Harry and Ron to jump from the stands to impress them.
* Viktor Krum's crush on Hermione--and Ron's objection to it.
* Malfoy's "Potter Stinks" badge.
* Hermione's creation of S.P.E.W., the intolerant bigotry of the Death Eaters, and the danger of the Triwizard Tournament. Add in the changing dynamics between girls and boys at Hogwarts, and suddenly Rowling's fourth book has a weight and seriousness not as present in early books in the series. Candy and tickle spells are left behind as the students tackle darker, more serious issues and take on larger responsibilities, including the knowledge of illegal curses. |
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
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* Harry's outburst to his friends at No. 12 Grimmauld Place. A combination of frustration over being kept in the dark and fear that he will be expelled fuels much of Harry's anger, and it all comes out at once, directly aimed at Ron and Hermione. Rowling perfectly portrays Harry's frustration at being too old to shirk responsibility, but too young to be accepted as part of the fight that he knows is coming.
* Harry's detention with Professor Umbridge. Rowling shows her darker side, leading readers to believe that Hogwarts is no longer a safe haven for young wizards. Dolores represents a bureaucratic tyrant capable of real evil, and Harry is forced to endure their private battle of wills alone.
* Harry and Cho's painfully awkward interactions. Rowling clearly remembers what it was like to be a teenager.
* Harry's Occlumency lessons with Snape.
* Dumbledore's confession to Harry. |
Magic, Mystery, and Mayhem: A Conversation with J.K. Rowling
"I am an extraordinarily lucky person, doing what I love best in the world. I'm sure that I will always be a writer. It was wonderful enough just to be published. The greatest reward is the enthusiasm of the readers." --J.K. Rowling
Find out more about Harry's creator in our exclusive interview with J.K. Rowling.
Did You Know?
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The Little White Horse was J.K. Rowling's favorite book as a child. |
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Jane Austen is Rowling's favorite author. |
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Roddy Doyle is Rowling's favorite living writer. |
A Few Words from Mary GrandPré
"When I illustrate a cover or a book, I draw upon what the author tells me; that's how I see my responsibility as an illustrator. J.K. Rowling is very descriptive in her writing--she gives an illustrator a lot to work with. Each story is packed full of rich visual descriptions of the atmosphere, the mood, the setting, and all the different creatures and people. She makes it easy for me. The images just develop as I sketch and retrace until it feels right and matches her vision." Check out more Harry Potter art from illustrator Mary GrandPré.
Book Description
We could tell you, but then we'd have to Obliviate your memory.
Customer Reviews:
The Epic Harry Potter Year 6.......2007-10-10
I have not always been a Harry Potter fan until recently. I have all the movies up until Year 4 and all the books including the last one Deathly Hallows year 7. I recommend buying and reading all the Harry Potter books, the excitement and tension truly does not build until this book "The Half Blood Prince" year 6. J.K. Rowlings never ceases to amaze me with her vivid imagination. As I read her books I instantly feel like I am watching the movie and no longer reading. Now I am sure all the true Harry Potter fans saw the latest movie year 5 "The Order of the Phoenix" that catalyzed the journey. I like to thank Amazon.com for keeping all the Harry Potter fans up to date. Stay stuned for the Harry Potter theme park called "Wizarding World" coming to Universal Studios in 2009. I will be the first in line!
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince .......2007-10-09
This was by far the best of all the books I loved it and read it in 2 days I couldn't put it down.
Starts out with a Bang and Becomes a Real Page-turner.......2007-10-01
I've got to admit, as the Potter series continues, it only gets better. The Half-blood Prince grabs your attention from the start and unfolds into the darkest of the series. This book contains many twists and turns, most of which leave the reader wanting to find out more. What makes this book different from the others is that there are quite a few surprises as characters reveal personalities that may not have been fully unveiled previously and this, in turn, leads to a highly fascinating read. I'm afraid that I have to admit, I was about to put the book down before calling it a night, with about 100 pages to go and simply couldn't - the story became so enthralling that I just had to go on to finish it! I don't think that there is any question (at least in my mind), that Half-blood Prince, is the best of the series so far. As with all good series, this one left with a real cliff-hanger - I'm only glad that I waited until the Rowling finished the series - that way, I don't have to wait for the next one to come out: I've already started the final book. Got to get back to my reading!
Harry Potter book 6.......2007-09-26
Great book!!!
Highly recommended book, however it is not for kids. It is for young adults and up.
A great book!.......2007-09-25
This book will be something to be read for generations. I put this series somewhere between Chronicles of Narnia and Lord of the Rings for greatest series of books of all time. This particular book is mostly an introduction to the final book in the series, "The Deathly Hallows". It is a self contained plot but leaves much to the next book to finish. I highly recommend the entire series.
Book Description
When Silas Heap unSeals a forgotten room in the Palace, he releases the ghost of a Queen who lived five hundred years earlier. Queen Etheldredda is as awful in death as she was in life, and she's still up to no good. Her diabolical plan to give herself everlasting life requires Jenna's compliance, Septimus's disappearance, and the talents of her son, Marcellus Pye, a famous Alchemist and Physician. And if Queen Etheldredda's plot involves Jenna and Septimus, then it will surely involve Nicko, Alther Mella, Marcia Overstrand, Beetle, Stanley, Sarah, Silas, Spit Fyre, Aunt Zelda, and all of the other wacky, wonderful characters that made magyk and flyte so memorable.
With heart-stopping action and a dash of humor, Angie Sage continues the fantastical journey of Septimus Heap.
Customer Reviews:
Great series!.......2007-09-28
Get Magyk and Flyte (Books one and two) Then get this one! Fun and interesting series. Bought them for my daughter but I enjoyed them too.
Falling Flat........2007-09-24
NOTE: I did not like this book, so if you are a die-hard fan of Sage and the sieris i suggest hiding this review.
After captivating you with her last two books. Sage's attempt at a story is laughable.
The writing style that gripped her readers in Flyte and Magick does not appear in Physic. The people seemed to have lost their flames and senses of humors, Snorri and the Queen have no death to either of them. Each has a chapter devoted to them but they are loosely explained and the chapters tell nothing.
Worser still is the fact that most of the Heap family is not even int he book. lovable Silas Heap and Motherly Sarah heap are in the background, the book does not seem complete and the series looks unprofessional.
The plot is confusing and always makes you re read passages and wonder what is going on. The word choice is good but overly done, there is none of the simplicity that was so endearing about Magyk and Flyte.
The book is a real put downer. After Sage's steller novels you would expect something a little more high class and gripping. For fans of the siearies, I suggest pretending that this book did not exist. It si a dissaponment to her fans.
I sincerely hope that Sage recaptures the magyk in next novel.
Physik - A Great Read for Septimus Heap Lovers!.......2007-08-24
This was by far the best of the Septimus Heap series! If you have read Magyk and Flyte then you must read Physik! The plot is very in depth and exciting and new characters are introduced that you will come to love as much as Jenna and Septimus. What a wonderful book and hopefully there will be another in the series!
Keep Septimus Coming!.......2007-06-27
I am a school teacher and my students were all reading the Septimus Heap series of books. I decided to read them as well, and they are FANTASTIC! I was disappointed that Physik was the last of the series(so far), I want to keep reading about him!
Physik - Septimus Heap book 3.......2007-06-08
Angie Sage did a wonderful job continuing the Saptimus Heap story. A quick read, antertaining and very enjoyable.
Book Description
Read it.
You're already living it.
Was diabetes evolution's response to the last Ice Age? Did a deadly genetic disease help our ancestors survive the bubonic plagues of Europe? Will a visit to the tanning salon help lower your cholesterol? Why do we age? Why are some people immune to HIV? Can your genes be turned on -- or off?
Joining the ranks of modern myth busters, Dr. Sharon Moalem turns our current understanding of illness on its head and challenges us to fundamentally change the way we think about our bodies, our health, and our relationship to just about every other living thing on earth, from plants and animals to insects and bacteria.
Through a fresh and engaging examination of our evolutionary history, Dr. Moalem reveals how many of the conditions that are diseases today actually gave our ancestors a leg up in the survival sweepstakes. When the option is a long life with a disease or a short one without it, evolution opts for disease almost every time.
Everything from the climate our ancestors lived in to the crops they planted and ate to their beverage of choice can be seen in our genetic inheritance. But Survival of the Sickest doesn't stop there. It goes on to demonstrate just how little modern medicine really understands about human health, and offers a new way of thinking that can help all of us live longer, healthier lives.
Survival of the Sickest is filled with fascinating insights and cutting-edge research, presented in a way that is both accessible and utterly absorbing. This is a book about the interconnectedness of all life on earth -- and, especially, what that means for us.
Customer Reviews:
Very,very, interesting.......2007-09-21
This is one of those books that is a delightful read, educating, interesting, and entertaining. The author puts forth his theories that many modern diseases are variations of evolutionary traits that were held by our ancestors that enabled them to survive the ice age and bubonic plague. He goes on to describe how viruses cause certain behavior in their carriers to help the viruses survival. The common cold leaves you well enough to stay moving and go to work so you can spread the virus to others, while the parasitic malaria wants you immobile and in bed because mosquitos can continue to carry it even better with you immobile.
The author also presents a case currently making head way in evolutionary science that is challenging the savannah theory. He proposes that we are evolved form aquatic apes as opposed to grassland dwellers, which would explain our hairlessness like other aquatic mammals and being bipedal. We also have fat stored at the skin like water dwellers and our infants have swimming instincts at birth that have been proven by water birthing that is very successful.
And finally I was really fascinated by the finding that what scientists have believed were "junk DNA" is slowly being shown to actually be a creative force that causes mutations in DNA for the benefit of survival of the species. I have always had trouble believing in the evolutionary theory because no mechanism could be created with causing it outside of God, and God would not need it. I also believed that the key was in DNA. Now I have a cause, the DNA itself creates and casues beneficial mutations.
I really can not do this book justice in a review with out making it far to long so buy the book if the above sounds interesting. The book presents an excellent case and has made me a believer.
Evolution in a way you never knew!.......2007-09-08
Everything out there is influencing the evolution of everything else. The bacteria and viruses and parasites that cause disease in us have affected our evolution as we have adapted in ways to cope with their effects. In response they have evolved in turn, and keep on doing so.
There are many dietary diseases that have had an evolutionary advantage in our ancestors but that today do more harm than good. In a person with hemochromatosis, for example, the body always thinks that it doesn't have enough iron and continues to absorb iron unabated. The excess iron can lead to liver failure, heart failure, diabetes, and even cancer.
Why would a disease so deadly be bred into our genetic code? Remember how natural selection works. If a given genetic trait makes you stronger--especially if it makes you stronger before you have children--then you're more likely to survive, reproduce, and pass that trait on. People with hemochromatosis have therefore an evolutionary advantage--protection against the bubonic plague!
On one set of experiments, macrophages from people who had hemochromatosis and macrophages from people who did not were matched against bacteria in separate dishes to test their killing ability. The hemochromatic macrophages crushed the bacteria. They are thought to be significantly better at combating bacteria by limiting the availability of iron than the nonhemochromatic macrophages. So though hemochromatosis will kill those inflicted with it decades later, they are much more likely than people without hemochromatosis to survive plagues, reproduce, and pass the mutation on to their children.
Diabetes also provided an evolutionary advantage to our ancestors by providing superior ability to withstand the cold by eliminating water and driving up sugar levels (like alcohol, sugar is a natural antifreeze). As a theory, it's hotly controversial, but diabetes may have helped our European ancestors survive the sudden cold, including the ice-age.
Malaria is an infectious disease that infects as many as 500 million people every year, killing more than 1 million of them. But not everyone who gets bit by malaria-carrying mosquitoes gets infected. And not everybody who gets infected dies. So what's helping the malaria survivors? People with a genetic tendency for sickle-cell anemia, another inherited blood disorder, had better natural resistance to malaria.
As you've seen with hemochromatosis, diabetes, and sickle-cell anemia, one generation's evolutionary solution is another generation's evolutionary problem.
At the end of the day, every living thing shares two hardwired imperatives: Survive. Reproduce. To achieve this, some organisms have inherited ingenious techniques to manipulate their hosts--the phenomenon that occurs when a parasite provokes its host to behave in a way that helps the parasite to survive and reproduce.
Orb weavers are a family of spiders that experience host manipulation. A wasp bites the spider, temporarily paralyzing it, then deposits its egg in its abdomen. The spider then goes on with his life oblivious to the egg in him. The egg then hatches, and the larva slowly feeds off the blood of the spider. When it is ready to cocoon, it injects chemicals into the spider's bloodstream to manipulate the spider into building a special web for it--instead of building circular webs, it goes back and forth building a rectangular web. Once the web is completed, the larva kills the spider by sucking off all its blood, and then throwing its carcass to the jungle floor below. It then uses the specially built web for it to cocoon by hanging on it.
A worm that infects ants is a classic example of another host manipulator. As the worms being carried by the ant develop, one of them makes its way to the ant's brain where it manipulates the ant's nervous system. Suddenly, the ant behaves in completely uncharacteristic fashion. At night, it leaves its colony and hangs on the tip of a grass, waiting to be eaten by a sheep. If it does not, it returns to its colony only to resume again its journey at night to the tip of a grass waiting to be eaten. Once eaten by a sheep, the worm would have succeeded in its manipulation, and would grow inside the sheep's stomach, its intended host.
The rabies Virus is another interesting host manipulator. It manipulates its host into becoming aggressive, which will make its host bite others and thus also infecting others.
Here is one amazing example of host manipulation: One researcher has discovered that women infected with T. gondii spend more money on clothes and are consistently rated as beings more attractive than women without the infection. Infected women were more easy-going, more warm-hearted, had more friends, and cared more about how they looked. However, they were also less trustworthy and had more relationships with men. Infected men, on the other hand, were less well groomed, more likely to be loners, and more willing to fight. They were also more likely to be suspicious and jealous and less willing to follow rules.
A normal sneeze occurs when the body's self-defense system senses a foreign invader trying to get in through your nasal passages and acts to repel the invasion by expelling it with a sneeze. But sneezing when you've got a cold? There's obviously no way to expel the cold virus which is already lodged in you. The cold virus has learned this reflex so it can infect your colleagues, family and your friends. Your body is actually being manipulated by the virus into sneezing!
The herpes virus may heighten sexual feeling, which will increase the probability of transmission. In other words, sometimes the herpes virus may want you to get some action in order for it to spread to other hosts.
So what if we made it easier for a given type of bacteria to survive in a healthy human than to survive in a sick human? Would this create evolutionary pressure against behavior that harms us? In fact there is an evolutionary advantage for the malaria parasite to push its hosts toward the brink of death. The more parasites swarming through our blood, the more parasites the mosquito is likely to ingest; the more parasites the mosquito ingests, the more likely it will cause an infection when it bites someone else. Cholera is similar--it doesn't need us moving around to find new hosts, so there's no reason for the bacteria to select against virulence. The bottom line is that if an infectious client has allies (such as mosquitoes) or good delivery systems (such as unprotected water supplies), peaceful coexistence with its host becomes a lot less important. In those cases evolution is likely to favor versions of the parasite that best exploit its host's resources, allowing the parasite to multiply as much as possible. Some researchers believe that we can use this understanding to influence the evolution of parasites away from virulence. The basic theory is this: shut down the modes of transmission that don't require human participation and suddenly all the evolutionary pressure is directed at allowing the human host to get up and get out. According to this theory, the virulence of a cholera outbreak in a given population should be directly related to the quality and safety of that population's water supply. If sewage flows easily into rivers that people wash in or drink from, then the cholera strain would evolve toward virulence--it can multiply freely, essentially using up its hosts, relying on its access to the water supply for transmission. But if the water supply is well protected, the organism should evolve away from virulence--the longer it remains in a more mobile host, the better its chance of transmission.
A series of cholera outbreaks that began in Peru in 1991 and spread across South and Central America over the next few years provide compelling evidence that this theory might actually work. The water supply systems from country to country ranged from relatively advanced to seriously rudimentary. Sure enough, when the bacteria invaded nations with poorly protected water supplies, such as Ecuador, the virus became more harmful as it spread. But in countries with safe water supplies, such as Chile, the bacteria evolved downward in virulence and killed fewer people. The implications of this are huge. Instead of challenging bacteria to become stronger and more dangerous through an antibiotic arms race (which we are currently losing), we could essentially challenge them to get along. If mosquitoes didn't have access to bedridden malaria patients, the microbe would be under evolutionary pressure to evolve in a way that allowed the infected person to remain mobile, increasing the opportunity for it to spread.
A series of groundbreaking research has shown that certain compounds can attach themselves to specific genes and suppress their expression. Let's take a look at a few examples. Depending upon the time of year the vole (a type of mouse) is due to give birth, baby voles are born with either a thick coat or a thin coat. The gene for a thick coat is always there--it's just turned on or off depending on the level of light the mother senses in her environment around the time of conception.
One species of lizard is born with a long tail and large body or a small tail and small body depending on one thing only--whether their mother smelled a lizard-eating snake while pregnant. When her babies are entering a snake-filled world, they are born with a long tail and big body, making them less likely to be snake food.
This is a fascinating book and I highly recommend it. I truly enjoyed reading it and I have learnt things I never imagined! Now that's what I call precious reading!
Understanding genetic disease from an evolutionary point of view.......2007-09-01
We really don't "need" disease. This is a bit misleading. It just so happens that some genetic disorders, such as sickle-cell anemia, favism, diabetes, hemochromatosis, the tendency to obesity, etc., confer on the afflicted compensatory advantages. Thus a predilection for getting fat is adaptive if a drought or a long winter beckons, or a person with a genetic tendency toward sickle-cell anemia is less likely to get malaria, and so on. Note that it is only diseases caused by genetic mutations that Dr. Moalem is talking about.
One of the techniques our bodies use when fighting infection is to reduce the amount of iron available to the invaders. Bacteria need iron to reproduce. If there is a lot of it available their numbers can grow quickly. Without iron they can't reproduce at all. Iron is a limiting factor for many kinds of life. Vast stretches of ocean support little in the way of life because the microorganisms that begin the food chain can't grow where there is so little iron. As Dr. Moalem reports in this wide-ranging and eyebrow-lifting book, sprinkle some iron onto those patches of ocean and they will quickly turn green with microorganisms.
So it is a bit of an irony that people who have hemochromatosis, a genetic disorder that causes them to retain large amounts of iron in their bodies, are able to survival infections like the plague. This is because they starve the invading microbes through "iron locking." They have a lot of iron in their bodies, but they keep it away from the bacteria. Other people who have low levels of iron in their bodies are able to withstand bacterial attacks because they also keep what little iron they have away from the germs. In fact, one of the body's initial responses to microbial invasion is to limit the amount of free iron in the system.
Genetic coding for levels of iron in the body is an example of evolutionary adaptation, part of the ongoing arms race between us and the microbes that live in and on our bodies. This is just one of several interesting and new ideas coming from the growing science of evolutionary medicine that I found in Survival of the Sickest. Incidentally, one way to manage hemochromatosis is through donating blood on a regular basis, which explains in part why physicians of old were sometimes successful when they bled their patients.
This got me to thinking about "only women bleed" which led me to think about hemorrhoids (which prove that it isn't only women who bleed). Perhaps bleeding instead of retaining blood, which seems like the more natural thing for our bodies to do, has adaptive value in some people in some environments.
Another interesting idea is this from page 58: "ACHOO syndrome--its full name is autosomal dominant compelling heliopthalmic outburst syndrome." It is a "disorder that causes uncontrolled sneezing when someone is exposed to bright light, usually sunlight, after being in the dark." Dr. Moalem suggests that "way back when our ancestors spent more time in caves, this reflex helped them to clear out any molds or microbes that might have lodged in their noses or upper respiratory tract." Now this may sound a bit far fetched, but I have suffered from low grade allergies all my life, and used to have asthmatic attacks. I came to believe that the buildup in my lungs and the sneezing were signals to me to move on! Of course now I clean and vacuum like a germaphobe, but the idea is the same. My symptoms were adaptive. They more or less forced me to reduce the level of potential irritants and microbes in my environment.
But there is more. I noticed long ago that sometimes the sun in the morning would cause me to sneeze. I never figured out why until I read the above from Dr. Moalem. I am just the kind of person who would need to sneeze those molds out.
Later on in the book Moalem returns to an evolutionary idea that has been kicking around for decades. Beginning with the work of Elaine Morgan from the 1970s the public became aware of the notion that we humans had an aquatic past. She got the idea from marine biologist Alister Hardy. Through such books as The Descent of Woman (1972) and The Aquatic Ape: A Theory of Human Evolution (1982) Morgan argued that some of our unusual adaptations came about because we had an aquatic past. Taking up the idea, Moalem writes, "Every hairless mammal is aquatic or at least plays in the mud--think of hippos, elephants and the African warthog. But there aren't any hairless primates." (p. 198) Furthermore we have fat directly under our skin to help keep us warm just as aquatic mammals do. Also, Moalem notes, "the ability to survive on land and sea" gives us adaptive flexibility. If "chased by a leopard, the semiaquatic ape could dive into the water; chased by a crocodile, it could run into the forest." (p. 199)
These ideas are familiar but what I didn't know was that an aquatic past could have figured in our evolution toward bipedalism. "[S]tanding upright in water allowed...[aquatic apes] to venture into deeper water and still breathe, and the water helped to support their upper bodies, making it easier to support them on two feet." (p. 199)
This is an easy to read book, aimed at a general readership. An earlier, slightly more technical book that covers some of the same territory is Why We Get Sick: The New Science of Darwinian Medicine (1994) by Randolph M. Nesse and George C. Williams, which I also recommend.
Razzle dazzle them.......2007-08-27
This book embodies much of what I dislike in popular cience books, while having few of the qualities I admire in such books. It relies more on sleigh of the hand and razzle dazzle, you-wouldn't-have-thought-of-it than on throughly thought out, well substantiated lines of thought.
Let's start with the subtitle: "A medical maverick discovers why we need disease". That is a clear case of fiction: nowhere in the book does the author "discover" anything; he merely retells the study of others. This, of course, is not a demerit, as many interesting scientists have difficulties in explaining their work in clear terms, acessible to the layman. However, the author must be hyped as the "discoverer", as the center figure in the tale.
Since James Burke's "Connections", it seems that popular science must explore all the crossroads, no matter how irrelevant. So Moalem goes on long tangents that have little to do with the theory he is trying to substantiate. In order to show how diabetes works to protect the body against cold, the reader is taken through the mechanism of an ice age, how ice core samples are removed and so on. If one were to remove all this "extra" material, this book would be thin indeed.
The book seems to revolve around this material and the author's use of jokes. Unfortunately, his sense of humour tends more towards ha-ha than funny, which helped to further fray my patience towards this book.
All of this is indeed a pity, as the subject is very interesting. If more pages had been dedicated to developing a central line of thought and substantiation and to showing the debate behind all these ideas (in a real light, instead of "the thickheaded traditionalists who won't accept new ideas"), it would be well worth the read.
Somewhat difficult subject matter for those lacking a background in science or medicine.........2007-07-08
From time to time I pick up a book on a subject I know virtually nothing about. Ordinarily I devour books about history or politics or current events. These are topics I am well versed in and comfortable with.
Dr. Sharon Moalem's "The Survival of the Sickest: sounded like a fascinating departure from my ordinary fare. So I thought I would give it a whirl. Unfortunately for me the results were somewhat mixed. Although Dr. Moalem and her co-author have written this book in fairly simple language that most should be able to follow pretty easily I found myself overwhelmed at times by the number of terms I was simply not familiar with at all. I'm afraid my lack of education in the sciences was showing. Blame me not the good doctor. Yet in spite of these difficulties I was still able to glean some important information from this book. I now have a somewhat better understanding of the whole business of why disease exists in the first place. I also discovered the important role viruses play in our ability to survive and reproduce. I also found out that the development of diabetes in human beings probably emerged as natures response to people having to cope with conditions in regions with extremely cold temperatures. This makes perfect sense and was interesting to me because a number of people in my family have battled this disease. Perhaps the most fascinating thing I learned in "Survival of the Sickest" is that exposure to the sunshine actually helps to convert the cholestorol in our bodies into the vitamin D we all need to ensure strong bones and help avoid osteoperosis. I had never heard this before and found this revelation to be quite interesting indeed!
For me, attempting to read "Survival of the Sickest" was a little like visiting a foreign country and not knowing the language. I was simply unprepared to get the most out of this book. As you can see, other reviewers continue to heap praise on Dr. Sharon Moalem for her book. I suspect their evaluation of this book is right on the money. In the end I found that reading "Survival of the Sickest" was time well spent anyway. After all, it is impossible to expand your horizons if you never make the attempt.
Amazon.com
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry first published The Little Prince in 1943, only a year before his Lockheed P-38 vanished over the Mediterranean during a reconnaissance mission. More than a half century later, this fable of love and loneliness has lost none of its power. The narrator is a downed pilot in the Sahara Desert, frantically trying to repair his wrecked plane. His efforts are interrupted one day by the apparition of a little, well, prince, who asks him to draw a sheep. "In the face of an overpowering mystery, you don't dare disobey," the narrator recalls. "Absurd as it seemed, a thousand miles from all inhabited regions and in danger of death, I took a scrap of paper and a pen out of my pocket." And so begins their dialogue, which stretches the narrator's imagination in all sorts of surprising, childlike directions.
The Little Prince describes his journey from planet to planet, each tiny world populated by a single adult. It's a wonderfully inventive sequence, which evokes not only the great fairy tales but also such monuments of postmodern whimsy as Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities. And despite his tone of gentle bemusement, Saint-Exupéry pulls off some fine satiric touches, too. There's the king, for example, who commands the Little Prince to function as a one-man (or one-boy) judiciary:
I have good reason to believe that there is an old rat living somewhere on my planet. I hear him at night. You could judge that old rat. From time to time you will condemn him to death. That way his life will depend on your justice. But you'll pardon him each time for economy's sake. There's only one rat.
The author pokes similar fun at a businessman, a geographer, and a lamplighter, all of whom signify some futile aspect of adult existence. Yet his tale is ultimately a tender one--a heartfelt exposition of sadness and solitude, which never turns into Peter Pan-style treacle. Such delicacy of tone can present real headaches for a translator, and in her 1943 translation, Katherine Woods sometimes wandered off the mark, giving the text a slightly wooden or didactic accent. Happily, Richard Howard (who did a fine nip-and-tuck job on Stendhal's The Charterhouse of Parma in 1999) has streamlined and simplified to wonderful effect. The result is a new and improved version of an indestructible classic, which also restores the original artwork to full color. "Trying to be witty," we're told at one point, "leads to lying, more or less." But Saint-Exupéry's drawings offer a handy rebuttal: they're fresh, funny, and like the book itself, rigorously truthful. --James Marcus
Book Description
Few stories are as widely read and as universally cherished by children and adults alike as The Little Prince. Richard Howard's new translation of the beloved classic-published to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's birth-beautifully reflects Saint-Exupéry's unique and gifted style. Howard, an acclaimed poet and one of the preeminent translators of our time, has excelled in bringing the English text as close as possible to the French, in language, style, and most important, spirit. The artwork in this new edition has been restored to match in detail and in color Saint-Exupéry's original artwork. By combining the new translation with restored original art, Harcourt is proud to introduce the definitive English-language edition of
Customer Reviews:
a teacher.......2007-09-23
This is a wonderful story and a great book I was able to share with my students. The only drawback with the book is that the pages are not in color, but the extremely low price allowed me to purchase the books for my students out of my own pocket.
Fit for a Princess .......2007-09-15
I purchased this as a gift for my 7-year-old niece, who lives in a city distant from me. I'm told by her, and her parents, that it is a beautiful edition.
I can add nothing to the comments about this wonderful story, which speaks to the hearts of both children and adults.
So far as I know, it was a hit with my niece and her parents.
heartbreaking, tender.......2007-08-16
As I begin this review I think that there must be tons of reviews out already since it's just a classic. Does anybody still need a summary and opinion? Well, maybe you do. Maybe you're like me who knew about the book, has met many people who love it and could never bring yourself to read it. Well, for you, I will write this review.
He story is a fable: a stranded pilot meets The Little Prince who shares with him his discoveries about the people and things he has met on his journey away from home. The Little Prince is like a child in many ways as he is open, curious, and accepting. But he is wise, too, knowing about what's truly important in life: friendship, responsibility for your friends, and enjoying things for what they are without trying to make them into something that you want.
When parts of the book were read to me in middle school I immediately despised it. A little prince fussing over a pretentious rose, how stupid was that?! I had to turn 38 to be able to read this book about love and friendship and life because I couldn't allow myself to be vulnerable to its message before now. I'm grown-up enough now to mourn the lack of responsibility I've shown towards the people I've tamed. And even harder for me: I'm grown-up enough now to mourn the lack of responsibility that people who tamed me have shown towards me. And I'm working on accepting the fact that I need to let go and try again to do better every day.
Boring, a waste of my time.......2007-08-09
I would rate this book with zero stars but I was unable to do so. Unfortunately I was forced to purchase this book for a class. It was a major waste of money in my opinion. If I had children I would NEVER submit them to this book. I found no point to the story at all. I wish I could get my money back as well as the time I wasted on reading it.
To read and then reread for life.......2007-08-06
This fantastic little prince has taught me, or reminded me, of matters of consequence. This book should be read early in life; then, often reread, for the rest of one's life.
Amazon.com
When Lorenzo de' Medici seized control of the Florentine Republic in 1512, he summarily fired the Secretary to the Second Chancery of the Signoria and set in motion a fundamental change in the way we think about politics. The person who held the aforementioned office with the tongue-twisting title was none other than Niccolò Machiavelli, who, suddenly finding himself out of a job after 14 years of patriotic service, followed the career trajectory of many modern politicians into punditry. Unable to become an on-air political analyst for a television network, he only wrote a book. But what a book The Prince is. Its essential contribution to modern political thought lies in Machiavelli's assertion of the then revolutionary idea that theological and moral imperatives have no place in the political arena. "It must be understood," Machiavelli avers, "that a prince ... cannot observe all of those virtues for which men are reputed good, because it is often necessary to act against mercy, against faith, against humanity, against frankness, against religion, in order to preserve the state." With just a little imagination, readers can discern parallels between a 16th-century principality and a 20th-century presidency. --Tim Hogan
Book Description
Here is the world's most famous master plan for seizing and holding power. Astonishing in its candor The Prince even today remains a disturbingly realistic and prophetic work on what it takes to be a prince . . . a king . . . a president. When, in 1512, Machiavelli was removed from his post in his beloved Florence, he resolved to set down a treatise on leadership that was practical, not idealistic. In The Prince he envisioned would be unencumbered by ordinary ethical and moral values; his prince would be man and beast, fox and lion. Today, this small sixteenth-century masterpiece has become essential reading for every student of government, and is the ultimate book on power politics.
Download Description
Here is the world's most famous master plan for seizing and holding power. Astonishing in its candor The Prince even today remains a disturbingly realistic and prophetic work on what it takes to be a prince... a king... a president.
When, in 1512, Machiavelli was removed from his post in his beloved Florence, he resolved to set down a treatise on leadership that was practical, not idealistic. In The Prince he envisioned what would be unencumbered by ordinary ethical and moral values; his prince would be man and beast, fox and lion. Today, this small sixteenth-century masterpiece has become essential reading for every student of government, and is the ultimate book on power politics.
Customer Reviews:
Good information.......2007-10-10
Many of Macchavelli's principal relate to both the Political world and the business world. It should be in every library.
This could be quite hard for those who lack the concentration, it can a valuable book for those who want to obtain a leadership position.
Accomadation.......2007-10-02
The first item was lost in the mail. I contacted Amazon and they sent me another one right away.
A Truely Overrated Book.......2007-09-19
"The Prince" is essentially a "how-to" guide for royalty durring the 1400's in Italy. I'm not going to make this review very long... a short review for a short book. It gets one star. Why? It's a very out dated classic. The advice and philosophical ramblings handed out in this book is quite specific to its time and place, and unlike, say The Communist Manefesto, for example, are no long relevant to us. In fact, it would probably be downright criminal today to run your country in the way Machiavelli suggests you do. This book would be a good read if you are interested in the history of Italian principalities durring this time period. Other than that, there is really no reason to read it. The morality of the book is actually very objectionable, and on top of that... its REALLLLLY borring.
It's probably considered to be a classic work of literature because it is just old. That's all. If I wrote some crap right now about the mythical underpants gnomes, and it survived for 600 years, people in 2600 BC would probably be saying "FIVE STARS for the Underpants Gnome Chronicals. This a great relic from the year 2007! Such insight into their ideology and beliefs...."
Awesome book.......2007-09-06
This book is for serious philosophical readers.
Machiavelli broke down a raw and ruthless political idea. I read the Art of War before this book, and they are similar. However, Machiavelli is much more aggressive. If you're reading this book for entertainment, it can be dry at times. Nonetheless, the information in this book is timeless, and should be an enjoyment for interested readers only.
Non Fiction.......2007-09-03
How to be in charge, and how to stay that way. At least in an Italian political sense amidst the power structures of the time.
Some of this is of course relevant to a lot of situations. More so if you are a dictator as opposed to being the Minister for Water Supply or the Arts, of course.
An interesting book.
Average customer rating:
- A True Winner: Angie Sage Writes Great Fantasy Fiction
- F A N T A S T I C ! ! ! !
- Ok book
- Don't be hoodwinked by the good reviews
- Like J.K. Rowling... without the imagination or characters
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Magyk (Septimus Heap, Book 1)
Angie Sage
Manufacturer: Katherine Tegen Books
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Flyte (Septimus Heap, Book 2)
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The Amulet of Samarkand (The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 1)
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Ptolemy's Gate (The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 3)
ASIN: 0060577312
Release Date: 2005-03-15 |
Book Description
The seventh son of the seventh son, aptly named Septimus Heap, is stolen the night he is born by a midwife who pronounces him dead. That same night, the baby's father, Silas Heap, comes across a bundle in the snow containing a new born girl with violet eyes. The Heaps take this helpless newborn into their home, name her Jenna, and raise her as their own. But who is this myster ious baby girl, and what really happened to their beloved son Septimus?
The first book in this enthralling new series by Angie Sage leads readers on a fantastic journey filled with quirky characters and magykal charms, potions, and spells. magyk is an original story of lost and rediscovered identities, rich with humor and heart.
Customer Reviews:
A True Winner: Angie Sage Writes Great Fantasy Fiction.......2007-09-17
The entire series Magyk (Septimus Heap, Book 1), Flyte (Septimus Heap, Book 2), and Physik (Septimus Heap, Book 3) by Angie Sage are fast-paced, non-stop fantasy adventures for middle aged readers. Book Four: Queste, will be released in the UK in April 2008. If you miss Harry Potter, you will not be disappointed with the discovery of Septimus Heap and the world of the Ramblings. I would even go so far as to say that Angie Sage is a better writer in terms of plot and pacing. The perfect gift for children ages 9 to 12 (or adults who still miss Harry) and love the world of magic and adventure. Happy reading!
F A N T A S T I C ! ! ! !.......2007-08-16
I liked the characters in the book and what happens
to them in their AMAZING adventure to help save the princess
from the ENEMY.
Ok book.......2007-08-14
Contrary to many of the reviewers, the book wasn't anything special and lacks the magic of Harry Potter. I was convinced by the reviews to buy this book even though I wasn't sure if I really wanted to buy it and readit. However , it is still a pageturner.I found the magic spells abd creatures to be cool. I doubt I will be buying any of the many sequels. This book is about the Heap family, whose adopted daughter is wanted dead along with them since she is the queen's daughter. The Supreme Custodian and his evil servants are hot on their trail.Towards the end of the book, we dicover who is and what has happened to Septimus Heap.
Don't be hoodwinked by the good reviews.......2007-07-06
I bought this book after being persuaded by the dozens of excellent reviews, even though I'd never seen it recommended anywhere else. Magyk is Angie Sage's first novel -- and it shows. If bad writing bothers you, even a little, stay very far away from this book. Even your average fantasy novel is miles ahead of this stuff.
My children (15, 12, 9 and 7) are sophisticated readers and they all had strong negative reactions to this awful book.
Sage is an appallingly poor tour guide. Her prose fails to flow, connections between characters are lacking, the plotting is full of holes, and character development is almost nonexistent.
There are so many great fantasy novels available for young readers, this book does not deserve your time.
Like J.K. Rowling... without the imagination or characters.......2007-06-23
Very two-dimensional. Sage's history of writing picture books is evident in both the writing style and character development. The plot elements are plagarized and don't really hang together well. The climax and denouement don't provide any satisfying drama or surprise. The book would work for poor middle school readers or good ones in the early grades, but I wouldn't recommend it for smart tweens.
Average customer rating:
- Great philosophy behind it
- Amazing.
- Magical journey...
- Classic in any lanugage
- A story for all ages
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Le Petit Prince (French Language Edition)
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Manufacturer: Harvest Books
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The Little Prince
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ASIN: 0156013983 |
Book Description
In 2000 Harcourt proudly reissued Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's masterpiece, The Little Prince, in a sparkling new format. Newly translated by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Richard Howard, this timeless classic was embraced by critics and readers across the country for its purity and beauty of expression. And Saint-Exupéry's beloved artwork was restored and remastered to present his work in its original and vibrant colors.
Now Harcourt is issuing uniform full-color foreign language editions. The restored artwork glows like never before. These affordable and beautiful editions are sure to delight an entire new generation of readers, students, children, and adults for whom Saint-Exupéry's story will open the door to a new understanding of life.
Customer Reviews:
Great philosophy behind it.......2007-09-28
I half-expected this book to be a children's book but it actually contained philosophical ideals people would often ask themselves in life. Highly recommended
Amazing........2007-08-08
I place this on a par, in it's own way, with Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet.
Deeply meaningful, cloaked in a tale of a child. I read part of it at my mother's funeral. Not that it is a sad story, per se. But there was not a dry eye in the house when I finished.
What it has to say on loving and on loss is absolutely worth more than this book costs and every minute you spend reading it.
Magical journey..........2007-06-13
My first book ever was The little prince. It was my dad's first present on the day I was born. Since then I have read it at least 20 times, and every time I read it it delivers a different message. I think this is a book that will be enjoyed by kids as well as adults. This french version is beautiful, and very similar to the one my dad gave me in spanish. Has the original drawings with nice colors. As someone stated this book can be interpreted in different ways and that's why it's so magical. I consider it one of the best short stories ever. A true masterpice.
Classic in any lanugage.......2007-03-12
I've read this book many times, sometimes in English, sometimes in French. I've read it for pleasure. I've studied it. I've taught it. I love it. The fox's secret is an important lesson for us all and one I appreciate being reminded of. I recommend this book to anyone, it's been translated into over 100 languages. (It's been translated more than any book besides the Bible I've heard.) I love sharing it with people which is why I will teach it as long as I'm teaching and I will read it aloud to my children when I have them.
A story for all ages.......2007-02-01
Although I believe that this book is for everyone young or old, I think that "grown ups" will appreciate it more than kids.
The book has passages that remind the adult of the innocent little kid within.
In a lot of ways, the wisdom in the story comes as somehow a reality check.
In depth the book is about life, relationships (the little prince and the rose), friendships (the little prince and the fox) and human caracteristics...
I have read this story so many times and every time I discover something "new". This book is a work of art!
If you speak French, I recommend the French language edition over the English one.
Book Description
Completely updated every year Frommer's Italy features a completely redesigned section of gorgeous color photos and maps of the most of the ancient and modern cities, classical architecture and ruins, vineyards, villages, and gorgeous countryside vistas that await you. Much more detailed and comprehensive than the major competition, this is simply the most reliable and in-depth guide you can buy. It's personally researched and full of candid opinions. Our authors have chosen the very best places to stay, from the grand hotels of Rome and the chic resorts of Capri to charming and affordable inns and small hotels in regions like Tuscany and the Lake District. And of course, we'll make sure that you dine memorably throughout Italy, whether you're splurging on a world-class restaurant in Florence or looking for a little-known trattoria that serves all the classics. Wherever you go, you'll rely on Frommer's for authoritative but fun-to-use coverage of all the historic, artistic, and cultural treasures. You'll get a complete shopper's guide, the latest trip-planning advice on everything from bargain airfares to rail passes, and a complete shopper's guide. Frommer's Italy even features a color fold-out map!
Customer Reviews:
updated?.......2007-09-01
I'm not sure I trust the quality of update in this guide. First, the Rome metro diagram was not up to date...by about five years. It didn't include the Cipro and beyond stops. And, at least one of the addresses in Milan was not correct. I ended up knocking on the business' back door!
Frommers Itally 2007 .......2007-08-03
I received Frommers Itally 2007 book before the seller indicated that it would arrive! It was in excellent condition and has been very useful thus far.
Frommer's Italy 2007.......2007-07-04
This is an excellent book to use if you are planning a trip to italy, in terms of the quality of the information, it is informative and is also up to date, furthermore, the maps are both accurate as well as in proportion; the only fault we found with it, is that it lacks pictures, thus, it is excellent as a guide and planner, but has to be used in conjunction with the net, to be able to view images of the sites.
A lot of SMALL WRITING & hardly no pictures!.......2007-05-14
If you like to read small print and not see any pictures, then this is the guide for you. I was disapointed. I have ordered several different guides for Italy and this was not a good one since I enjoy visual displays to go with great writing. This was a lot of dull small printed writing with no visual effects.
I WOULD SUGGEST "DK Eyewitness Travel Italy"it is wonderful with the visual displays and historic lessons. It was very colorful and had the everything I was looking for.. maps, photographs, area color codes to divide sections, shopping suggestions, survival guide. bus and tram routes mapped out, and historical/travel lessons.
Frommer's Italy 2007.......2007-05-12
No where can I find such good value other than at Amazon. The shipping is waived most of the time, and the prices are fantastic. The delivery is always timely. Even though I can purchase some items locally I try to use Amazon more often than not. This item is for our upcoming Mediterranean Cruise and we are finding it exceedingly helpful for planning our journey.
Average customer rating:
- The Leopard's Story
- Hoyt could become my favorite author
- BEST COMBINATION-Witty, HOT, and a story you can't put down!
- The Leopard Prince
- DELIGHTS LIKE THIS ARE HARD TO FIND!
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The Leopard Prince (Warner Forever)
Elizabeth Hoyt
Manufacturer: Forever
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The Raven Prince (Warner Forever)
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Beware a Scot's Revenge (School for Heiresses, Book 3)
ASIN: 0446618489 |
Book Description
Wealthy Lady Georgina Maitland doesn't want a husband, though she could use a good steward to run her estates. One look at Harry Pye, and Georgina knows she's not just dealing with a servant, but a man. Harry has known many aristocrats-including one particular nobleman who is his sworn enemy. But Harry has never met a beautiful lady so independent, uninhibited, and eager to be in his arms. Still, it's impossible to conduct a discreet liaison when poisoned sheep, murdered villagers, and an enraged magistrate have the county in an uproar.
Customer Reviews:
The Leopard's Story.......2007-08-28
I read one review of this that said Harry Pye (the hero) was awesome but Lady Georgina (the heroine) was boring. I beg to differ. I mean, truly, it is Harry Pye's story. He's even the subject of the title (debatably-- He is SYMBOLICALLY the leopard prince). Still, I enjoyed reading Lady Georgina just as much as reading Harry Pye. I thought she was a compelling heroine, especially given the difficult situation of being gentry in love with a commoner. Great story, lots of politics and class issues, good villains, and even some really great funny moments. I enjoyed it very much!
Hoyt could become my favorite author.......2007-08-13
This is Hoyt's second book but, aside from fresh story lines, you'd never know it. Her writing has a "maturity" to it that gives that feeling that she's been your favorite author for years. She is definitely becoming a favorite of mine.
In this story, George is a rich aristocratic landowner. As such she has no need to marry. Harry is her land steward. He is serious and business minded. But, as the two work together they start to enjoy being together. An attraction starts and Hoyt does a nice job of building the tension between them. When they come together it seems natural, not unbelievable as one reviewer said.
One surprised, though, was that the character actually talk to each other, even after sleeping together. They get to know one another and it is possible to see that they could actually fall in love. Further, one can see how the relationship could work outside the bedroom. Even with the difference in their social standings.
The love scenes are steamy and erotic. But, I didn't feel that the love story was an excuse for a lot of sex scenes. Rather, it felt more like a love story where the sex furthered the relationship.
I really adored THE LEOPARD PRINCE, as well as Hoyt's first story THE RAVEN PRINCE. Her third book, THE SERPENT PRINCE, is due out in a few weeks and I've already pre-ordered it. Her works are a delight.
BEST COMBINATION-Witty, HOT, and a story you can't put down!.......2007-07-17
I first discovered Elizabeth Hoyt with the Raven Prince, and I have to write that The Leopard Prince didn't disappoint me either. The characters have such depth, the dialogue witty, the passion HOT, and plot twists and a story that I just couldn't put down. My only complaint is that I discovered Hoyt's work early in her career I can't go and buy a bunch of her books and enjoy weeks of reading!
The Leopard Prince.......2007-07-08
I don't consider myself a romance reader and only picked up Hoyt's first book, the Raven Prince, under the misconception that it might be paranormal, and yet I fell in love with the characters and couldn't wait to read the Leopard Prince. Immediately, I set myself up to be disappointed, and yet again I was surprised in just how much I loved this story. I simply could not put it down.
The writing flowed seamlessly. The characters were lovable. George, the main character, was very independent for a woman (thanks to her inheritance from her wealthy aunt) and extremely intelligent and witty. Her brothers were adorable in that younger, yet overbearing way that baby brothers could be. I loved when Tony arrived at the scene ;-) (you'll have to read to find out what I'm talking about). I noticed one review trashed this, but I even loved the fairy tale George told Henry. She so obviously was making it up as she went along. And I loved hearing Henry's thoughts about the inconsistencies of said fairy tale.
I would definitely recommend this book. If you haven't read the first (The Raven Prince) don't worry, it won't effect you the least in reading this one. Henry plays a small part in the first book, and de Raaf plays only a small part in the this one. Although, I do recommend you read the Raven Prince, too, it's quite fabulous.
DELIGHTS LIKE THIS ARE HARD TO FIND!.......2007-07-06
I LOVED this book! I never write reviews on Amazon (at least up 'til now - maybe I'm just getting started?), but I'm delighted to write this one.
IMO, a REALLY GOOD BOOK is - plain and simple - one that holds my interest all the way to the end (and I consider this a gigantic achievement!).
The Leopard Prince held my interest and kept me entertained ALL THE WAY TO THE END! I read it in one day! The writing is excellent, the story is engaging, and the romance is sexy, sexy, sexy. In a romance, what I care about the most is the sexiness, and this one's got it! Sexy and fun! What's a crack-up is that the oh-so-sexy hero is named Harry Pye!
Average customer rating:
- Sexy and Brooding Earl!!
- Delicious love scenes!
- The Raven Prince
- Thank heavens for secondary characters
- A Great Read
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The Raven Prince (Warner Forever)
Elizabeth Hoyt
Manufacturer: Forever
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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ASIN: 0446618470 |
Customer Reviews:
Sexy and Brooding Earl!!.......2007-10-07
The book starts off with Anna Wren walking home when all of a sudden she is about to be trampled by a fast running horse. Well the rider who was riding the horse is now sitting in a mud puddle and that is when Anna meets Edward de Raaf. Later on the Earl of Swarthingham(Edward de Raaf) makes Anna his secretary, and that is where the romance begins! Edward de Raaf is not your typical hero he is pox scarred and is said to be ugly by many but to Anna he is her sexy and brooding Earl. Love scenes are very hot especially the brothel scenes...yeah brothel scenes! Could not put it down. Terrific read hence the five stars.
Delicious love scenes!.......2007-09-16
This author was recommended to me recently and this book was my first read. It is a quick and captivating historical romance about two unlikely people who seem destined to fall in love. There are HOT, steamy, love scenes, but the background story and tension are a little weaker. I will continue reading this author.
The Raven Prince.......2007-09-16
I liked it very much. It was very humous. I like that in a book
It was refreshing for a change to see the woman taking the encitive for a a change. I liked also the dog in the book, that was very funny.
Thank heavens for secondary characters.......2007-09-07
Edward makes a very sympathetic hero - all of his actions are understandable and within character, given his sad history and his need to have an heir or have everything revert to the Crown (Anna told him she was barren). All of his actions - that includes going to a brothel for sex. Very much out of character was Anna's trips to the brothel to have anonymous sex with Edward (she wore a mask). Although she knew who he was, to him she was 'that whore from Aphrodite's'. And that was called lovemaking??
The dialogue and the quirkiness and variety of the supporting cast made this a book worth reading, but this is definitely not a keeper.
A Great Read.......2007-08-13
I truly enjoyed this book. It was one of the best I've read since early Johanna Lindsey. The storyline is a different and new historical romance tale. The characters were interesting, intelligent, and made me laugh. Hoyt did a great job of building the tension between the couple. In the end, I really wanted them to get together. Plus, the love scenes really sizzled.
I finished the last page and turned right back to the first to start the book again. (I got part way through the book the first time before I started speed reading. I couldn't wait to see what was gonna happen next.) I loved it more the second time when I actually read the whole thing.
After reading this book a second time I immediately started THE LEOPARD PRINCE. I'm halfway through my 3rd reading of that story and have logged on to pre-order THE SERPENT PRINCE. It's killing me to have to wait a couple more weeks for the book.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this author. I excited to read more from her in the future. HIGHLY recommend.
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