The Blue Viking

Book Description

What in the name of Thor could be making this Viking so blue? --Eating haggis? --Listening to those screechy bagpipes? --Searching for an inept witch? --Wearing a blue face mark? --Traveling through Scotland with the world's worst poet? For Rurik the Viking, life has not been worth living since he left Maire of the Moors. Oh, it's not that he misses her fiery red tresses or kiss-some lips. Nay, it's the embarrassing blue zigzag she put on his face after their one wild night of loving. For a fierce warrior who prides himself on his immense height, his expertise in bedsport, and his well-honed muscles, this blue streak is the last straw. Now he's vowed he'll put his own brand of "mark" on Maire--a man-mark. In the end, he'll bring the witchling to heel, or die trying. Mayhap, he'll even beg her to wed...so long as she can promise he'll no longer be...THE BLUE VIKING.

Customer Reviews:

It's a good read........2006-05-17

I've read the Bewitched Viking and was curious how Ruik would act in a romance. I did like this book and thought the romance between the two main characters was entertaining. I especially like the end of this book as well as the Bewitched Viking where the crazy family gets together and hounds the idiot hero to finally marry the heroine. The family group gets larger with each subsequent book. But I will say the original Ruik of the Bewitched Viking only has looks and sexual experience in common with the Ruik of the Blue Viking. This Ruik claims he never beats women. Of course he does. In the Bewitched Viking he beat Alinor, Tikor's then future wife, and even tried to kill her a few times because of his illogical belief that she was a witch. Other men had to constantly stop him from abusing her. He was pretty mean to all women, and I was pleasently surprized to see by this book that he had a personality overhall or lots of therapy and anger management classes. Something had to give with him.

Always a Riot.......2006-03-27

This is the story of Rurik and Maire and is one of many books in Ms. Hill's Viking series. One thing Sandra Hill is a master of is knowing how to blend comedy, romance, sex, and adventure into impossible to put down entertaining stories. Several years before, Rurik met and took Maire's virginity. Rurik being the typical unfeeling man of that time, Maire punishes him by marking him with a blue streak down his face and then disappears. Rurik tracks her down several years later to have her remove the mark. Rurik is not the brightest and believes Maire to be a witch. He is also surprised to find that she now has a young son, of course everyone but him sees he is the boy's father(they are mirror images). This book is never disappointing, and always a delight.

Best read in a long time.......2003-12-23

I haven't really liked characters in a book in quite a while. Rurik is charming even when being a lout and he's really hard not to like. Maire reminds me of my aunts who roll their eyes at the goofy antics of my uncles, although they are being a bit annoying they are hard not to love. It's a wonderful light hearted charming story. Great read!

My Favorite Sandra Hill Book.......2003-08-18

I have re-read this book at least five times and I still laugh out loud.

Boring, stale storyline.......2002-04-05

I have been reading quite a few of Sandra Hill's books but this is one of the worst she has written. She seems to have run out of fresh ideas for her story and the characters seem rather stilted and totally silly. Definitely not worth reading.

The Big Blue Soldier; the Enchanted Barn; and Miranda (Grace Livingston Hill, 5)

Average customer rating:

Four Stories

The Big Blue Soldier; the Enchanted Barn; and Miranda (Grace Livingston Hill, 5)
Grace Livingston Hill , and Isabella Alden
Manufacturer: Barbour Publishing, Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Angel of His Presence; the Man of the Desert; and Marcia Schuyler (Livingston Hill Collection Series, No.3)
The Best Man; the Love Gift; and the Witness (Grace Livingston Hill, 6)
The Chance of a Lifetime; Under the Window; and a Voice in the Wilderness (Grace Livingston Hill Collection)
Because of Stephen; Lone Point; and the Story of a Whim (2)
A Daily Rate; the Girl from Montana; and Aunt Crete's Emancipation (1)

ASIN: 1577487257

Customer Reviews:

Four Stories.......2003-02-02

Collection 5 contains four stories. I consider this the best of the Collections I have read so far, and I've read most of them.

The Enchanted Barn by GHL is a story of an oldest daughter, Shirley Hollister, who finds herself supporting her ill mother and younger brothers and sisters after her father's death. She works as a poorly paid stenographer, and learns that they must vacate their tiny dark house in the city. She uses her last dime to ride a trolley into the country to find a home, and discovers a beautiful old stone barn in an idyllic setting, with a stream, fresh air, trees, and sunshine. The handsome young wealthy owner, Sidney Graham, agrees to rent it to her -- and then proceeds with some modifications. When the family moves to the country, the mother starts to recover and the children grow stronger. Young Shirley is asked to the city to work with some important governmental papers, and is kidnapped by evil men. Sidney Graham sets out to find her -- and you will have to read the story yourself to learn the ending. The story is pure fun, especially the part about fixing up the barn, and one of the best GHL has written.

The Love Gift by GHL is a story of young milliner living in a cheap boardinghouse, who can make beautiful hats. And of a poor young minister who goes in search of a respectable hat for his older mother. The two become friends after the beautiful poor young milliner sells him a beautiful hat for a very low price, and the minister shows her about Jesus. Do they fall in love? Read the story yourself to find out.

Miranda, by GHL is part of a sequence of stories that began with the book "Marcia Schuyler." It takes the story of Miranda Griscom and her own secret love, young Allan Whitney. Years ago, Allan had been wrongly accused of a crime and had fled out west, with only Miranda believing firmly in his innocence, and helping him to flee. When he returns to town years later after cleared of wrong-doing, will he remember his long-time faithful friend?

Agatha's Unknown Way is a story by Isabella Alden. Young Agatha Hunter grew up in India, and returns to the states to stay with her Aunt & Uncle for health reasons. While in the states, she attends a city missionary meeting, hoping to be inspired and encouraged and to be able to encourage her parents who are still in India. When she discovers only apathy, she is pushed beyond her usual shyness to help change things. A chance encounter and a mistaken identity change not only her life, but the lives of those around her.

Aunt Dimity and the Deep Blue Sea (Aunt Dimity)
Average customer rating:

Atherton does her usual stellar job - a pleasure to read.

Aunt Dimity

Dislike Lori

Everything a cozy reader could ask for

Light but enjoyable mystery

Aunt Dimity and the Deep Blue Sea (Aunt Dimity)
Nancy Atherton
Manufacturer: Viking Adult
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0670034762

Book Description

Another page-turning installment in Nancy Atherton's beloved cozy mystery series featuring Aunt Dimity, phantom detective

Lori Shepherd is no stranger to trouble and intrigue. But when Bill, her high-profile attorney husband, receives a number of chilling death threats aimed at his family, danger hits close to home. With Scotland Yard on the case, Bill decides to send Lori and their five-year-old twins to the safety of a remote island off the coast of Scotland. There, another mystery begins to unfold— Lori suspects that the locals on the island are making a fortune running an illegal smuggling operation. What else could explain their luxurious lifestyles? But after finding a human skull washed up on the beach, Lori fears something even more sinister is going on. With Aunt Dimity's help, Lori begins to piece together the clues, unaware of the growing danger on the island. Will the murderous threats against her family finally catch up with her?

Readers across America have fallen in love with Nancy Atherton's mystery series and its popularity continues to grow and grow. With its wonderful storytelling and characters, and an evocative setting that leaps off the page, Aunt Dimity and the Deep Blue Sea will have fans getting their feet wet as they follow the indefatigable supernatural sleuth once again.

Customer Reviews:

Atherton does her usual stellar job - a pleasure to read........2007-09-29

Lori Shepherd is uprooted and her life turned upside down when her husband Bill Willis receives death threats. Whoever the disgruntled client is, he has taken pictures of the family at close range, which makes the threats far more convincing than an anonymous letter or the like.

Using his family and business connections, Bill has Lori and the boys spirited off to a remote island in the Scottish isles, where the tourists never come and all outsiders are closely scrutinized by the locals. While there, Lori runs into an old family friend, who is traveling incognito. This is surprising, and a trifle alarming. Damien, the bodyguard, is not amused by this coincidental happenstance, and he is also skeptical of the general affluence and xenophobia exhibited by the locals. Lori, as always, is convinced that there are logical and legal explanations for everything. Nobody else is as optimistic as she.

In the meantime, Bill and the police are working their way through his client list, searching for someone disgruntled and crazy enough to want Bill and his family dead. Since Bill's clients are staid upper-class types, and his usual practice involves writing wills and setting up trusts, the search seems futile. Of course it is not.

This is the eleventh in the Aunt Dimity series. Constant readers will not be disappointed; Atherton does her usual stellar job of placing Lori in jeopardy and then getting her out of it. Aunt Dimity (a ghost, for those who are not familiar with the series, who communicates with Lori via an old journal) plays a fairly small part in DEEP BLUE SEA; she is more of a sounding board and less of a sidekick than in some of the earlier books. While I would not suggest starting the series with DEEP BLUE SEA, I've skipped a few and had no trouble catching up on what little back story I didn't already know. As has happened in previous books, some of the plot devices are a little far-fetched, but not totally out of the realm of possibility, especially if the reader can accept the givens of ghostwriting and a telekinetic rabbit.

Aunt Dimity.......2007-08-24

I love the Aunt Dimity stories. They are so well written, as well as exiting. Thanks for a good read.
Mireille McKell

Dislike Lori.......2007-04-04

Enjoy Atherton's writing, but dislike Lori Shepard. I was hoping she'd get killed (isn't that awful). She is obnoxious. Bill deserves better.

Everything a cozy reader could ask for.......2007-01-27

An unknown person calling him- or herself Abaddon is threatening the lives of Lori Shepherd and five-year-old twins Will and Rob, ostensibly to get back at her attorney-husband Bill for some perceived injustice. It seems ominous to Lori that the alias Abaddon has chosen is the name of the king of the bottomless pit in Revelations.

While Bill works with Scotland Yard to go through his case files to determine which of his clients might be Abaddon, Lori and the boys are whisked away to the castle Dundrillin on a remote island off the coast of Scotland - the personal fiefdom of a fantastically wealthy oilman and family friend, Sir Percy Pelham. Guarding Lori is Damian Hunter, a dashing defender who takes his job very seriously. Villains may have found Damian a formidable foe, but he hasn't come up against anyone like the very strong-willed Lori. While on the island of Erinskil, Lori and Damian notice some very strange goings on - not to mention a legendary ghost (?) of a religious brother who died on the island centuries ago.

The Aunt Dimity stories - typically take a familiar route: Lori Shepherd and/or her idyllic life in rural England are imperiled (an actual crime may or may not be involved). Lori takes action, usually in the company of a handsome man and often with her twins in tow. Lori consults with the ghost of Aunt Dimity to resolve whatever problem she faces. All the good people live happily ever after - or at least until the next story - and any bad guys get their comeuppance. Aunt Dimity and the Deep Blue Sea is no exception - it will delight Nancy Atherton's many fans.

I have enjoyed all ten of the previous Aunt Dimity stories and Nancy Atherton's latest book did not disappoint. Aunt Dimity and the Deep Blue Sea has everything a cozy reader could hope for. Readers who are put off by the idea of a ghost among the cast of characters should know that Aunt Dimity has recently begun to play much less of a role in the stories; Lori is very much center stage. She's a strong heroine who is only getting better with age. [...]

Light but enjoyable mystery.......2006-07-15

When her husband receives death threats from an apparently angry client, Lori Shepherd and her twin sons are packed into a helicopter and whisked from England to an island off the Scotland coast. There, with family friend Sir Percy Pelham, and with a couple of bodyguards Pelhan provides, Lori hopes to remain safe--and to protect her children. Surely there is no way the mysterious "Abaddon" could follow them here. Even if he learned where they were hiding, he would have a hard time reaching the island, and a harder time doing it secretly. It seems that the islanders, wishing to prevent developers from ruining their island paradise, have cut off most contact with the outside world. Any strangers are closely observed.

The first night on the island, Lori observes mysterious lights on a nearby rock formation--a formation claimed by the locals to be both cursed and haunted. Could it be that the ghost of a long-dead monk still haunts the rock? Or is it more likely that Abaddon has somehow managed to cross the distance? With the assistance of her notebook, which contains the ghost of a spirit named Aunt Dimity, Lori hopes to address at least the question of lingering spirits. Gradually, though, and with the help of an old family friend, she begins seeing cracks in the too-perfect life of the islanders. Everyone lives comfortably, with the latest conveniences. Yet they distain tourism and the handcrafted tweed industry, said to be the basis of their wealth, simply couldn't generate the level of wealth enjoyed by the locals.

With the help of Aunt Dimity, and a sexy bodyguard, Lori attempts to unravel the mystery of the too-rich island, while simultaneously attempting to ensure that her children remain safe.

Author Nancy Atherton spins an enjoyable mystery. Lori makes a sympathetic sleuth, with the threat from Abaddon combining with the mysterious nature of the island's wealth combining to create interest. The notebook that is Aunt Dimity serves more as a sounding board for Lori's musings than as a major character, but then, most mystery readers would want Lori to solve the mysteries rather than being given the answer by a book.

Mystery traditionalists may object that Lori doesn't actually solve either mystery herself. One she has explained to her and the other leads to a bit of deus ex machina, but Atherton's engaging writing makes the reading worthwhile. I did think that Lori's crime rankings (drugs are bad, despoiling archeological remains and avoiding income taxes are okay) were a bit convenient. Surely a person as inately good as Lori would have more concerns about any type of illegal activity--especially as even morally justified illegal activities tend to create the need for other, more violent, crimes.

If you're looking for a quick light mystery, AUNT DIMITY AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA might just be the story for you.

Average customer rating:

Four lovely stories
A beautiful book that tells 4 wonderful family stories

The Blue Hill Meadows
Cynthia Rylant
Manufacturer: Harcourt Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0152024670

Book Description

Willie Meadow lives with his mother, father, and brother in Blue Hill, Virginia. It's peaceful there-a perfect place for growing up. For the Meadow family, each season of the year holds something special, like puppies born to their beloved dog one summer, a fishing trip on a crisp October day, or the thrill of a rare winter blizzard.

Customer Reviews:

Four lovely stories.......2003-02-20

Who doesn't love Cynthia Rylant? I've been a fan of Ms. Rylant's since I discovered her funny/sweet Henry & Mudge series. I borrowed this charmingly illustrated book from the library, and my six-year-old daughter loved it so much we had to order our own copy once the library' book had to be returned. The four short stories contained in this book are tenderly written odes to a family life well-lived in a little white house in the country, told from the perspective of the youngest boy, Willie Meadows. The stories are well-written and contain nothing objectionable. This is a book that will comfort children, and that is safe to read to even the most anxious child.

A beautiful book that tells 4 wonderful family stories.......1998-12-19

Cynthia Rylant can bring a family to life with just a few simple words. The Meadow family is warm and loving without being sugary-sweet. The stories in this book are delightful and Rylant's prose is wonderful. The watercolor illustrations are a perfect complement to the text. As a mother, I liked the Mother's Day story best, but all 4 of the stories, which correspond with the 4 seasons, had something special. This would be a perfect book to read aloud to children 4-6, or for children 7-9 to read to themselves. I'm a fan of all of Rylant's work. This is one of my favorites.

Television's Second Golden Age: From Hill Street Blues to Er : Hill Street Blues/Thirtysomething/St. Elsewhere/China Beach/Cagney & Lacey/Twin Peaks/Moonlighting/Northern Exposure/L.

Average customer rating:

An essential book for understanding the development of TV in the past quarter century
Memories of Great Television
The case for television dramas as the mediums high art form
the place to start
Required reading for students of television

Television's Second Golden Age: From Hill Street Blues to Er : Hill Street Blues/Thirtysomething/St. Elsewhere/China Beach/Cagney & Lacey/Twin Peaks/Moonlighting/Northern Exposure/L.
Robert J. Thompson
Manufacturer: Continuum Intl Pub Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0826409016

Amazon.com

It's fashionable to assert that television is bad and is inherently doomed to be worse, even evil. However, every now and then, the rabbit ears capture spasms of glory -- and this book makes a reasonably convincing case that shows such as Hill St. Blues, Moonlighting, Twin Peaks, Northern Exposure, and ER are not only good television, but possibly even works of high culture. The flip side of the story is also compellingly reported: that in many cases, these anomalous movements towards quality will be suppressed or even suffocated by the industry, regardless of public sentiment. A good book -- possibly excellent.

Customer Reviews:

An essential book for understanding the development of TV in the past quarter century.......2006-06-23

This excellent book on the development of what is widely known as Quality TV remains one of the finest books published in the field of television studies. Although television has now been around for sixty years, good writing about television shows has only developed in the past twenty years. Not that there wasn't a great deal of writing about television before then; it is merely that most writing was about the medium of television in a somewhat sociological/anthropological mode rather than in a textual analysis mode. Many earlier television scholars were as or more apt to write about the interaction of shows and commercials embedded within them as the shows themselves. In fact, prior to the last fifteen years it is difficult to find many writers who wrote directly about the shows as artistic productions.

The book's greatest strength is in its identification of the qualities that make up quality television shows and the discussion of the development of a series of shows in the eighties and early nineties that encapsulated those qualities. These parts of the book are very, very good indeed and one will be hard pressed to find better discussions of why HILL STREET BLUES, ST. ELSEWHERE, and MOONLIGHTING were great shows. The lead-up chapters that detail the pre-history of quality TV are also outstanding. Most of my review is going to argue with several of Thompson's points, but I want to be explicit that one of the virtues of a good book is that it makes you want to argue with it. Ludwig Wittgenstein told one of his students that a mark of a great book was that it made you want to throw it across a room and yell at it. I think Thompson is very wrong at several points, but he is wrong in important ways, and a reader can learn a great deal by debating Thompson as he or she reads.

One of the parts I want to argue with he is characterization of what counts as a Quality TV show. I'm not quite sure he is correct in dismissing, for instance, STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION, as a quality TV show. I guess my complaint is that Thompson wants to establish a genre, one that would exclude unrealistic shows such as STAR TREK. But what of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER? This is very widely considered to be one of the truly great series of the past decade. Several of the television critics he quotes with approval--in particular David Bianculli and Ken Tucker--were both passionate admirers of BUFFY, lavishing praise on the show unequaled by any other show. Furthermore, Thompson seems to view the way that shows are received on college campuses as a mark of a show's quality. No show comes anywhere close to BUFFY in the way that it has been received by the academic community. In fact, academic papers on BUFFY come close to matching all papers written on all other shows combined in the past ten years. Yet, Thompson clearly states that two marks of quality shows are that they tend to win awards and that they are realistic. BUFFY received vast critical acclaim (and its reputation seems to grow with each passing year), but much to the consternation of the critics that praised it, it failed to receive any Emmys (apart from some minor ones) or even major nominations. And while it was a hybrid show (a blend of fantasy, drama, comedy, romance, and teen genres), one of the marks of a quality show as identified by Thompson, it was a show about vampires, which would clearly seem to violate the realism rule. Perhaps Thompson would have adjusted his criteria with the appearance of BUFFY (and perhaps he already has). My point is that the criteria of quality TV as outlined by Thompson describes no necessary or sufficient conditions, but more in the way of the "family resemblances" of which Wittgenstein (to refer to him again) wrote in his work. There are qualities that shows tend to have, though some will lack. But I suggest the "realism" criterion should be jettisoned entirely.

The book's greatest flaw is in more or less assuming that the age of quality television had ended. In fact, the group of shows that came after this book went to press far surpasses in literateness and intelligence the group of shows Thompson focuses on. If you watch an episode of THE SOPRANOS and then watch an episode of HILL STREET BLUES, you will immediately be struck by how much more complex and intelligent the former is. I recently started rewatching MOONLIGHTING and doing so confirmed how far television has come since that show, both in intellectual complexity and in production quality. The latter is an important point since as Thompson points out MOONLIGHTING was one of the most expensive shows ever produced. But my main point is this: I'll take THE X-FILES, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, THE SOPRANOS, FARSCAPE, SIX FEET UNDER, ANGEL, THE GILMORE GIRLS, DEAD LIKE ME, THE SHIELD, OZ, FIREFLY, SMALLVILLE, LOST, DEADWOOD, WONDERFALLS, THE WEST WING, ALIAS, 24, and VERONICA MARS over Thompson's group of shows any day.

I should note that in the final chapter Thompson does express some hope that the age of quality television has not ended, but there is definitely an overarching "rise and fall" tone to the book as a whole. The fact that he bizarrely finds such shows as TWIN PEAKS and NORTHERN EXPOSURE as harbingers that quality TV has pretty much exhausted its possibilities shows this. Thompson may hope that the era of quality TV is not over, but it is pretty clear that he fears that it is.

How did Thompson get it so wrong? I think the answer comes from his assessment of the effect that TWIN PEAKS had on television. Late in the book he writes, "TWIN PEAKS had an overall negative effect on quality drama." This is an absurd statement and I think it stems from Thompson's missing the overall effect that TWIN PEAKS had on television narrative. Although Thompson writes penetratingly and insightfully about most of the shows he takes up, he neglects one aspect of television that TWIN PEAKS changed. Thompson was a contributor to a book on the soap opera entitled WORLDS WITHOUT END: THE ART AND HISTORY OF THE SOAP OPERA. One thing all of the shows Thompson writes about except TWIN PEAKS is that none of them is structured around a master narrative. ST. ELSEWHERE and HILL STREET BLUES might contain six or seven or more lesser story arcs, but there isn't a real overarching story. There is a sense in which none of these shows is about anything in particular. The closest would be MOONLIGHTING with the ongoing flirtation between David and Maddie. What Thompson misses is that TWIN PEAKS introduced for the first time into a series an overarching master narrative. Although the show itself failed to produce a compelling long story arc in its second and disastrous season, the notion of a show being structured around a very long central story had been introduced. The first show that would profit from this would be THE X-FILES, with its seasons-long narrative dealing with alien colonization. The form would first be perfected in BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER with each of its seven seasons structured primarily around a single main narrative, although there were also a host of smaller arcs as well, some extending over several seasons. This narrative form has been taken to its logical extreme by LOST, which will in the course of its currently projected six seasons tell a single story, very much the way an epic novel would. A substantial number of the shows that I list in the previous paragraph have absorbed the formal structures developed by TWIN PEAKS, THE X-FILES, and BUFFY.

In fact, while Thompson was lamenting what he imagined to be end of television's second golden age, what he was writing about was a group of shows that laid the foundation for an even better group of shows in the nineties and our decade. I have searched to see what Thompson has written since the publication of this book to see if he has repented of his own prophecies, but without success. It is quite possible that Thompson disapproves, but hopefully he has been delighted that television not only did not regress to standards of a previous age, but has actually continued to improve.

The book is out of date in other ways as well. For instance, Thompson speculates that the reason the hour-long drama was fading from the airwaves (a fading away that turned out not to occur) was its poor performance in syndication. This is true, but Thompson was writing before the advent of the DVD and one thing that we have learned is that hour long shows excel on DVD. BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER has dramatically out performed on DVD most half-hour shows (as well as most hour long shows) that out did it in ratings during that show's seven-year run. LOST with its enormously complex plot, has done exceptionally well on DVD. The economics of DVD packaging is still being worked out, but in conjunction with syndication quality shows have a economic life that continues to make them viable in the industry.

Despite my disagreements with the book, this remains essential reading for anyone interested in the development of television in the past twenty-five years. Unlike Thompson, I remain optimistic about the future of quality TV. I have had my heart broken by a number of asinine cancellations (especially on FOX, where I have had to witness the demise of such great shows as WONDERFALLS, FIREFLY, and ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT). I suffer a bit in reading this book about how networks would stick with shows that were doing poorly in ratings to develop and promote them. That happens so rarely now, though I am delighted that the new CW network has stuck with VERONICA MARS, a ratings failure despite being one of the most critically acclaimed shows on TV. But as excellent as the book is, it remains a cautionary tale about prognostication. The unstated theme of the book seems to be the rise and decline of quality TV, whereas actual history has proclaimed the rise and further rise of it.

Memories of Great Television.......2006-06-14

This book is great at enhancing the viewing pleasure of classic TV shows now coming out on DVD. I read this book after viewing the first season of Hill Street Blues and the first three seasons of Moonlighting. I loved reading this and learned a lot about my favorite TV shows.

The case for television dramas as the mediums high art form.......2003-06-26

The title of this book is provocative but something of a serious misnomer. Robert J. Thompson points out early on that the original "Golden Age of Television" took place in the Fifties and was built on the variety shows like "Texaco Star Theater" and "Your Show of Shows," the anthology dramas like "Playhouse 90" and "Studio One," and, of course, "I Love Lucy." Thompson also acknowledges that in the Seventies the situation comedy reached its "literate peak" with "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "All in the Family," and "M*A*S*H." However, the argument for "Television's Second Golden Age: From 'Hill Street Blues' to 'ER'" covers a period from HSB's debute in 1981 to the present, where "ER" continues to be one of the top dramas on television. That is a period of more than two decades and while Thompson devotes a chapter to "The Second Golden Age of Television: "Cagney & Lacy," "Moonlighting," "L.A. Law," "thirtysomething," and "China Beach," essentially focusing on the Eighties, it is hard to say that the following decade, with "Twin Peaks," "Northern Exposure," "Picket Fences," "NYPD Blue," "Law & Order," "Homicide," "The X-Files," "Chicago Hope," and "ER" was not at least as strong (feel free to add to the list). Even if we are talking about the first decade of the 21st century we have "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "24," "The Practice," "Ally McBeal" and short-lived series like "My So Called Life" and "Once and Again" (and that is without dipping over to HBO and talking about "The Sopranos," "Six Feet Under," and the rest of their kind), all of which speak to quality dramatic programming.

That is why in the final analysis I see Thompson's argument as being not so much for a specific time period of great television, but rather advancing the proposition that the hour-long dramatic television series is the chief art form of the medium (yes, even more so than the situation comedy). I would even extend this argument to the mini-series, from "Roots" and "Shogun" to "War and Remembrance" and "Lonesome Dove," because the guiding principle of the extended narrative form remains the common denominator. "24" takes the idea of season-long story arc a unique extreme, but "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" did all of its complete seasons have a first-half story arc (e.g., Spike & Dru in Season 2) that then merged with a second-half story arc (e.g., the return of Angelus) that provided a framework for all of the individual episodes. Then there was "Murder One," which rather successfully devoted an entire season to one sensational murder trial. When a series loses its driving story arc, as when Dave and Maddie consummated their love on "Moonlighting," or when what was supposed to be the hook becomes the line and sinker as well, as when the question of who killed Laura Palmer ultimately derailed "Twin Peaks," the demise of the show simply affirms the principle in the negative.

Thompson's starting point is January 1981 when prime-time television was about to make a sudden and dramatic turn towards quality because of "Hill Street Blues," the show that Steven Bocho did not want to make and that nobody wanted to watch, but which became "television's first true masterpiece." However, Thompson argues that it was "St. Elsewhere" that was "TV's greatest show, ever" (having to do with key notions of "intertextuality" and "self-reflexivity"). Ultimately he is not defining a particular time period (especially since the "golden age" in question is clearly not over), but explaining why in the "vast wasteland" that Newton Minnow bemoaned so many years ago "quality" television is flourishing in terms of hour-long dramatic programming. Within that context Thompson clearly makes his case for much of the best television ever made having appeared on the networks since 1980. The book is half critical evaluation of these programs and half insider's tour looking at the decision-making process as well as the social, economic, and artistic forces that ended up revolutionizing the medium. Thompson also more than adequately proves he knows his television history, which is necessary to help convince those of us who are true students of the medium. Consequently, the fact that the title of this book is not a fair representation of its most significant claim, is not to be held against the author, because he has made in public an argument I have been making in private (okay, in class as well), for several years.

the place to start.......2002-10-07

It's all too easy to assume that simply because we vegetate in front of the TV all day, that we have some kind of understanding of its history and how it works. This book summarises the importance of several landmark shows of the 1980s and 1990s, helping to show how a few select producers (chiefly refugees from The Mary Tyler Moore Show) were able to transform the quality of television, at least for a while. Note that the shows are discussed in their American context -- British viewers may be surprised to hear that anything was innovative about the "MASH without the laughter track", because MASH was always broadcast in the UK without a laughter track. But for placing the history of American TV in its natural home habitat, this remains an important and interesting introduction to quality television.

Required reading for students of television.......2002-02-20

This is a brief but entertaining and convincing argument for the artistic value of one of the most unfairly condemended media outlets -- television. Working from the hypothesis that the quirky dramas that dominated television from the '70s to the '90s (Hill Street Blues, St. Elsewhere, thirtysomething, ect.) actually made up television's second golden age, author Robert J. Thompson actually makes a pretty good argument for taking TV seriously. Each chapter provides detailed (and refreshingly witty) analysis of all the TV shows that we previously took for granted and shows how the writers and producers of those shows were able to create great art in the guise of great entertainment. Of particular worth was Thompson's long and informative chapter on St. Elsewhere, over the course of which he manages to break down a few of that show's intricate inside jokes and show how the show's controversial final episode actually served as a powerful and still-relavent statement on the state of television and American culture today. This book is a must read for anyone who sees television as more than just a distraction.

Stuart Woods CD Collection 1: Orchid Blues and Blood Orchid (Holly Barker)

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Excellent Stories

Stuart Woods CD Collection 1: Orchid Blues and Blood Orchid (Holly Barker)
Stuart Woods
Manufacturer: Brilliance Audio on CD Unabridged
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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Stuart Woods CD Collection 2: Cold Paradise and The Short Forever (Stone Barrington)
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Iron Orchid (Holly Barker Novels)
Dark Harbor (Stone Barrington Novels)

ASIN: 1597377112
Release Date: 2005-11-25

Book Description

Orchid Blues:
Holly is on her way to be married to Jackson Oxenhandler, her steady beau, when her wedding day is shattered by a serious crime that takes place very close to home. A highly disciplined team of men hit a bank in Orchid Beach, Florida, and the waves from this robbery nearly capsize Holly's life. She vows to find these men - who have been careful enough to leave nothing behind except the corpse of a bank customer - and quickly, she discovers evidence that leads her into the midst of what appears to be a politically motivated clan. Her father, Ham, a retired Army chief master sergeant, is her ticket into this strange world, and what Ham finds there stuns both Holly and her FBI contact, Harry Crisp.

Blood Orchid:
This time out, Holly is trying to get her life back together after the shattering loss of her fiancé. With the help of her wily Doberman, Daisy, and her father, Ham, she throws herself back into the job with a vengeance. But before Holly can settle into her routine again, bullets crash into the home of a friend and a floater is found bobbing in the Intercoastal Waterway. Joining forces with a handsome FBI agent, she tracks the clues straight to their source, only to find a scam more lucrative and more dangerous than any this idyllic town - or Holly - has ever seen.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Stories.......2006-08-13

These were excellent stories and a great value as part of a combination package.

Lo, Michael; the Patch of Blue; and an Unknown God (Grace Livingston Hill Collection)

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Lo, Michael; the Patch of Blue; and an Unknown God (Grace Livingston Hill Collection)
Isabella Alden , and Grace Livingston Hill
Manufacturer: Barbour Publishing, Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Angel of His Presence; the Man of the Desert; and Marcia Schuyler (Livingston Hill Collection Series, No.3)
A Daily Rate; the Girl from Montana; and Aunt Crete's Emancipation (1)
The Best Man; the Love Gift; and the Witness (Grace Livingston Hill, 6)
The Big Blue Soldier; the Enchanted Barn; and Miranda (Grace Livingston Hill, 5)
Because of Stephen; Lone Point; and the Story of a Whim (2)

ASIN: 1577488253

The Strange Sound of Cthulhu: Music Inspired by the Writings of H. P. Lovecraft

Average customer rating:

Excellent for Lovecraft or music lovers alike

The Strange Sound of Cthulhu: Music Inspired by the Writings of H. P. Lovecraft
Gary Hill
Manufacturer: Lulu.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Cthulhu Cult
From Beyond (Unrated Director's Cut)
The Art Of H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos
Tales From the Crypt / Vault of Horror (Double Feature)

ASIN: 184728776X

Book Description

Arguably no other author has inspired more musicians than has Howard Phillips Lovecraft. Here, for the first time, is a book documenting the music inspired by the works of this literary genius, with insights provided by the artists. The book features a foreword by H. P. Lovecraft expert S. T. Joshi and cover artwork by Joseph Vargo.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent for Lovecraft or music lovers alike.......2006-10-28

The Strange Sound of Cthulhu starts with an introduction to Lovecraft's life. This provides good background for readers who are there for the musical aspect and unfamiliar with his writing. It is strait-forward, giving just the information needed to understand how he could still have an impact on music today, almost seventy years after his death.

The rest of the book is broken down into the musical genres he inspired. From psychedelic rock to country, groups little heard of all the way to big names, such as Black Sabbath and Metallica, have attributed some of their inspiration to Lovecraft.

Hill analyzes the songs--and even group names--that have roots in the literature of Lovecraft. The book compares lyrics with Lovecraft prose, and touches on music rumored to have Lovecraft ties. He gives details of each song, and in many cases, interviews with the artists behind the music. They discuss how their music ties in with Lovecraft, how they were introduced to his writing, and even their favorite Lovecraft tale.

Though the idea of seeing the music described in words may sound dull to some, Joshi was correct in the forward when he said, "Gary has that rarest of skills among music critics: the ability to describe a song, whether vocal or instrumental, in such a way that readers seem to hear it running through their heads."

Though Hill claims that the book is in no way exhaustive on the subject, it is as close to being exhaustive as it can get. It is designed to snare the readers that are there for the music to start reading Lovecraft, and the readers there for Lovecraft to look out for the music. I found myself getting out my old music to listen for what Hill describes.

Dog Train CD: And 16 Other Improbable Songs

Average customer rating:

Great Music and Book!

Dog Train CD: And 16 Other Improbable Songs
Sandra Boynton , and Michael Ford
Manufacturer: Workman Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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Rhinoceros Tap: 15 Seriously Silly Songs (Book & CD)
Philadelphia Chickens
Dog Train: A Wild Ride on the Rock-and-Roll Side (Book & CD)
Rhinoceros Tap
Philadelphia Chickens

ASIN: 0761144471
Release Date: 2006-08-10

Product Description

Who let the dog out? Out of its book, that is. Announcing the CD-only DOG TRAIN - the funky, fabulous collection of all-out rock music by the team that created the #1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling Philadelphia Chickens. Take directly from Dog Train, the book and CD with 588,000 copies in print, it's the same great music, now in the brilliant format music-lovers love - the handy little jewel case.

Customer Reviews:

Great Music and Book!.......2007-04-18

My 6 yr old and 4 yr old girls LOVE this CD/book combination. The music is fun, the book is colorful. As an adult, this is the best kids music I've heard. Often times I find myself singing the songs without the kids around.

Glencoe Science: Level Blue, Student Edition

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Glencoe Science: Level Blue, Student Edition
McGraw-Hill
Manufacturer: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 007828242X

Book Description

Glencoe Science provides students with accurate and comprehensive content coverage of a balance of the three fundamental science disciplines in each course. The concepts covered are explained in a clear, concise manner that can be easily understood by students. This strong content coverage is integrated with a wide range of hands-on experiences, critical-thinking opportunities, real-world applications, and connections to other sciences and non-science areas of the curriculum.

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