Our Lady of the Lost and Found: A Novel of Mary, Faith, and Friendship

Average customer rating:

Boring!

Heartbreakingly beautiful

Profound at multiple levels.

Not what I expected...

Lost and Found

Our Lady of the Lost and Found: A Novel of Mary, Faith, and Friendship
Diane Schoemperlen
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Schoemperlen, Diane | ( S ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Fiction | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Looking for Mary: (Or, the Blessed Mother and Me)

Meetings with Mary

In the Language of Love

The Camel Knows the Way

Lying Awake

ASIN: 0142001325
Release Date: 2002-07-30

Book Description

On an otherwise typical Monday morning, a middle-aged writer enters her living room and finds a woman standing by her fig tree. The woman is wearing a blue trench coat, white sneakers, and a white shawl over her hair. She is holding a purse and a suitcase. She is the Virgin Mary-and after 2000 years of petition, adoration, and traveling, she's in need of a little R&R. Invited in for lunch, Mary decides to stay for one week, during which an unlikely friendship develops. As our narrator learns the remarkable history of one of the most influential and complex women of all time, she is moved to examine life's big questions and her own capacity for faith. Witty and gently ironic, this inventive novel is an inspiration to believers and nonbelievers alike.

Customer Reviews:

Boring! .......2007-08-05

The premise is interesting, and it could have been the means for exploring (and providing fictional answers to) many interesting questions. However, I could not finish this book. The protagonist is a terribly boring, solitary person, and in the first 150 pages, the holy houseguest doesn't do anything interesting enough to keep me reading. The snippets of Marian history are interesting, but that's about it.

Heartbreakingly beautiful.......2007-06-01

This isn't so much a novel, as it is poetry of the heart. Her writing will make you weep, laugh and ponder the mysteries of life and love long after you've closed this book and replaced it on the shelf. Diane Schoemperlen takes human frailties exposes them to the light, and somehow transforms them into precious keepsakes. Warning: If you are looking for a lighthearted novel, despite its humour, this is not it. But if you want to find yourself truly stirred, please read this.

Profound at multiple levels........2007-04-04

No matter how shallow or deep your faith (even with no faith at all), this book can move you. I would have never picked it up, but my book club chose it. When I saw the cover, I literally laughed out loud. The humorous beginning grabbed my attention. This is a book I'll never get rid of because of the many profound quotes, poignant stories, accurate church history, and the honest, vulnerable exposure of one's faith.

Not what I expected..........2007-01-09

This book was not what I expected it to be. I picked it up thinking I would be reading a light-hearted "chick-Lit" type book that would be an easy read. What I got was a deeply introspective, historical book about the Virgin Mary that I quite enjoyed.

There is a great deal of religious/historical information about Mary that I did not know. Over 20,000 reported visions of her (some quite beautiful, some quite strange.) The author appears to have done a great deal of meticulous research, and I truly appreciate her efforts.

The un-named narrator of the book tells a delightful story of Mary's weeklong stay and there are several humorous moments I enjoyed. I found the narrator to be someone I truly identified with, being that I am also a single woman in my early forties. It's not often that I come across a character like that.

I only have one negative comment about the book and that is the over-use of the "comma." Practically every chapter has a paragraph (or two) that contains a series of words separated by the comma. It was a bit much after awhile. 4 1/2 stars for this one.

Lost and Found.......2006-09-07

If you are one of borderline faith due to the times, the doubt, the lack of conviction, etc., this book just might rejuevenate some faith. Mother Mary comes to visit an author who lives alone. She stays a week, during which time she becomes a friend. The book weaves what Mary does and says during her visit with past and present stories of Marian visitations, who they happened to, what happened afterward, and where they happened and when.

I found this book to be not only entertaining but enlightening in many ways. It was a nice story of friendship, a bit of enlightened ramble about the meaning we put into our lives. It was also a history of Mary with the back listing a host of Mary references should someone be inclined to investigate for themselves.

I thought this was a great book of faith, life, friendship, and miracles should you take the leap to believe.

Average customer rating:

A great imagination!
Entertaining, not great
GREAT book!!!!
Lost and Found, complex characters with interesting twists and turns
New fan of C.P. somewhat disappointed

Lost and Found: A Novel
Carolyn Parkhurst
Manufacturer: Little, Brown and Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Mothers & Children | Women's Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Action & Adventure | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0316156388

Book Description

What do a suburban mom and her troubled daughter, two recently divorced brothers, a pair of former child stars, born-again Christian newlyweds, and a couple of young millionaires have in common? They have all been selected to compete on Lost and Found, a daring new reality TV show. In teams of two, they will race across the globe--from Egypt to Japan, from Sweden to England--to battle for a million-dollar prize. They must decipher encrypted clues, recover mysterious artifacts, and outwit their opponents to stay in play. What starts as a lark turns deadly serious as the number of players is whittled down, temptations beckon, and the bonds between partners strain and unravel. Before long the question is not only who will capture the final prize, but at what cost.

Customer Reviews:

A great imagination!.......2007-09-17

Carolyn Parkhurst has come up with a super plot for her newest novel. Take a reality show, give it a little twist and a few interesting characters and you have an instant bestseller! I have to admit that I picked up this book to see if it was better than Dogs of Babel (it was) and because I am a reality show junkie. (There! I feel so much better now!) The characters of Laura and Cassie had to deal with the typical mother daughter conflict times 10 and Justin and Abby, the ex-gay couple who has now started living the "right way" because of God sometimes made me laugh and sometimes made me very sad.

Lost and Found is a very good book, a light read on a chilly weekend curled by the fire. Not too heavy but very interesting. Parkhurst seems to have a very creative imagination and it shows here. She has definitely capitalized on what is hot right now.

Entertaining, not great.......2007-09-13

This was an entertaining story about the people on two person teams on a tv reality game show quest to find hidden objects in the "four corners of the world". Their relationships with each other were interesting and kept my attention but in the end the book didn't amount to much. The ending was abrupt, anticlimactic, and did not tie up the loose ends, I guess proving that it's all about the journey.

I thought Laura, the mother in a mother-daughter team, was the most clueless and inept well-meaning mother I have seen in literature for sometime. She wants to repair the relationship with her daughter but constantly says exactly the wrong thing.

When I read a book that I really like then I want to keep it on my shelves for future re-reading...this is not a book I need to keep.

GREAT book!!!!.......2007-09-07

This was such a great read. It follows contestants of a reality show, however, the author changes to another contestant's POV every chapter. This book has so much heart. It is a genuine adventure. You will fall in love with her characters and will feel connections to each of them, all for different reasons. Parkhurst delves into many issues without becoming preachy or boring. A book like this comes along only so often, and when it does, you have to truly appreciate it!!!

Lost and Found, complex characters with interesting twists and turns.......2007-08-19

Carolyn Parkhurst uses an interesting technique of introducing the reader to the participants in a reality TV show. You are introduced to the cast of characters one by one as they race around the world on a bazaar scavenger hunt trying to win a million dollars. Meanwhile, the executive producers of the show are putting their own spin on the game, hoping to create enough drama and interest to ensure them of another season.

New fan of C.P. somewhat disappointed.......2007-08-07

I absolutely LOVED The Dogs of Babel for pulling me into a story that had me sympathizing with all the characters of the story, right down to the dog! So with great anticipation, I couldn't wait to get my hands on the author's latest novel.

I just knew I was in store for something great when I started reading the first couple of chapters that explored the backgrounds of each team member of the reality show. It was the fleshing out of each member where some things fell apart for me. I felt the main character of Laura was at times written inconsistently. Initially, she was written as a flawed but sharp person. However, as the story progressed, she was written on more than one occasion as a tactless simpleton. Her comments and actions didn't always successfully come across as acts of desperation, but came across as totally clueless (enough for me to rub my temples on several occasions as I started to become ambivalent to her plight). But what I was most disappointed in ... (spoiler below)
-
-
-
-
-
..was seeing the new writer I was excited about, guilty of perpetuating similar acts of those who had a media platform in the 70's and 80's when they narrow-mindedly portrayed homosexuals in all forms of media as being only flamboyant, immoral, ignorant people. The plotline she set up for the Christian couple was perfect in that she could have realistically demonstrated the struggle for anyone who has chosen the wrong mate for themselves, while both having come from past gay lifestyles. It would have been much more interesting to demonstrate a balance of one having regrets and longings for their old lifestyle while the other truly did find peace with their change. I happen to know many fitting both profiles. To make the writing and storyline strongly sway in only one narrow direction that all whose previously been in the lifestyle secretly long for it over and beyond their current heterosexual relationship and that all are doomed to fail was so limited and typical.
Then to couple it with "casting" in the reality show as well as in this book, the Evangelical Christian male as the bad guy, hypocritical, Bible-thumping lunatic was the most disappointing to say the least. What a great opportunity to truly explore with wit and humor the very real struggle both parties like that would go through when married to someone who realizes they aren't happy to remain in their current married situation because of growing different beliefs and a desire to go back to a lifestyle. I was gravely disappointed to see his character wasn't written with the same type of sincere sympathy as the other characters were, but written almost as if intentional degradation in mind. Instead we were fed a MadTV spoof of his antics.

If there had been a middle eastern contestant would the author have written him/her as a terrorist? Of course not, because although the media loves to mass produce the stereotype, reality is that most aren't and any progressive and informed writer would never consider writing it that way. Why choose to limit or shun her creative genius when it came to writing the Christian character's arc.

As a heterosexual woman of color, a Christian and a bestfriend and confidante to my gay friends (we amicably agree to disagree on certain points and LOVE and RESPECT each other GREATLY), I hate to see a grossly narrow-minded portrayal of a people - any people in any form of media which has a platform to reach the masses. Social commentary was attempted here, but the author ended up being guilty of the same type of judgmental and stereotypical portrayals as the said "majority" of times past IMO.

It's only because of the great writing of The Dogs of Babel and flashes of great writing when it came to Cassie's story in this book, that I give it 3 stars and look forward to the next novel. This one did not do it for me on many levels.

Average customer rating:

Foster at His Best
Fun, Quick Read
A horrible disappointment from a talented writer
Excellent, rousing alien abduction yarn
a boy and a dog go to space...

Lost and Found: A Novel
Alan Dean Foster
Manufacturer: Del Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Adventure | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Space Opera | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0345461274
Release Date: 2005-05-31

Book Description

Ever since his classic debut, The Tar-Aiym Krang, the first of the wildly successful Pip and Flinx adventures, New York Times bestselling author Alan Dean Foster has captivated readers around the world. Now this writer of bold imagination and stunning originality has created an electrifying space epic set in a universe at once strangely familiar and starkly terrifying. Familiar because the universe is ours; terrifying because the human condition might soon be. . . .

Not so long ago Marcus Walker was just another young commodities trader in Chicago, working hard and playing harder. But that’s all in the past, part of a life half forgotten—a reality that vanished when he was attacked while camping and tossed aboard a starship bound for deep space.

Desperately, Walker searches for explanations, only to realize he’s trapped in a horrifying nightmare that is all too real. Instead of being a rich hotshot at the top of the food chain, Walker discovers he’s just another amusing novelty, part of a cargo of “cute” aliens from primitive planets—destined to be sold as pets to highly advanced populations in “civilized” regions of the galaxy.

Even if he weren’t constantly watched by his captors, Walker has few options. After all, there is no escape from a speeding starship. Another man might resign himself to the inevitable and hope to be sold to a kindly owner, but not Walker. This former college football star has plenty of American ingenuity and no intention of admitting defeat, now or ever. In fact, he’s only just begun to fight.

The adventure will continue with two more novels

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

Foster at His Best.......2006-07-10

I love stories where the everyday man is thrown into extraordinary circumstances, and you can't get more extraordinary than being captured by a group of aliens to be sold on the market as a pet. This book is witty and full of suspense, but the key element to this book is Alan Dean Foster's ability to develop deeply flawed, likeable, realistic characters in bizarre yet believable settings. Excellent Book!

Fun, Quick Read.......2006-07-09

Fun, quick read. This sometimes humorous book is different from anything else I've ever read... kind of like a serious HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE UNIVERSE.

Marcus Walker plays the "All American Boy" who gets abducted by aliens while on a solo camping trip in the Sierra Nevadas. He is eventually paired with the "All American Mutt", abducted from a Chicago alley, whom he calls George... the dog is able to speak, due to brain enhancement and implant technology of the "evil" abducting aliens.

While in captivity aboard a giant alien ship, our heros encounter all sorts of strange oxygen-breathing aliens in a Wild Animal Park setting; and eventually work with some of them to plot an exciting escape attempt.

This is the first book of "The Taken" trilogy.

A horrible disappointment from a talented writer.......2006-07-01

Alan Dean Foster has a talent for producing science fiction of the beach reading variety. The protagonists are always shoehorned into their roles as villian, hero, or lovable sidekick, and each character has just enough idiosyncracies to keep them interesting. The plots are always clear clashes between good and evil, and the bad guys always get their butts kicked by the end of the book. However, in this case Foster has neglected the polish and tight plotting that typically make his books fun, and instead produced a dry, unexciting, and utterly predictible book. I read it AT the beach, and I can tell you for sure that it's not suitable.

Problems abound from the very start of the book. Foster's style is unnecessarily verbose. It seems as if he were trying for a tongue-in-cheek parady of those high-falutin writers who aren't happy until they've stuffed several adverbs into each sentence, but he doesn't take it far enough or do it consistently enough to be anything other than awkward. For example: "It did not take the edge off their collective consumate weirdness for George to declare that, insofar as he knew, each and every one of the ambulating menagerie was sentient..." The result is a book that never uses a short word where a long one can be substituted, and leaves far too little unsaid. This style is so annoying that it would probably earn the story a low rating even if everything else were great.

Unfortunately, everything else is not great- in fact practically nothing is. The plot is hackneyed and cliched, and not in the entertaining way that some sci-fi can be. The story can be summed up as "John McClane versus an alien spaceship." Usually this is a great setup, but in this case so little happens for so long that the inherent possibilities are never really explored. Of course, there are plenty of stories of high-tech captivity where the protagonist has to invent ingenious methods of escape and/or retribution. But if an author is going to take on a staple plot of the sci-fi genre, he or she has got to show us an original idea or a new take on the predicament to keep our attention. Foster does neither.

Nor does he provide engaging characters to entertain us through the predictable and overdone plot. The hero comes across as oddly flat, probably because of the wretched prose style already mentioned. The aliens are put together like comic book characters, with loving attention paid to their physical appearance but no plausible inner life. And the one character that should have been more fun than any of the others, a stray dog from Chicago abducted and uplifted to full intelligence, comes across as nothing more than a human wearing a dog suit. In the end, I found myself not even caring what happened to these characters.

I'm certain that Foster is setting up further books in this trilogy, but I recommend that you save yourself the time and money and skip them all, starting with this one. Check out the three books in Foster's "The Damned" series (Starting with "A Call to Arms") for a better introduction to this usually entertaining writer.

Excellent, rousing alien abduction yarn.......2006-01-21

I generally like Foster's books, and this one was no exception. It was in all respects a thoroughly enjoyable, quick read.

I particularly enjoyed the encounters with the many varieties of aliens who were abducted with Mark, the human, and George, the enhanced dog. The gang of four -- Mark, George, and two very dissimilar aliens -- make quite a group of conspirators as they plan and execute their escape from the aliens who are planning to sell them as novelties (i.e., slaves).

a boy and a dog go to space..........2006-01-01

This book reminds me of a Heinlein Juvenile. It a very good read and the first of a trilogy. Having a man and a dog collected for a space zoo is a cool idea and their travails were interesting.

Average customer rating:

Good blend of family drama, humor, and suspense.

Movie Novel (Firehouse Dog)
Michael Anthony Steele
Manufacturer: Scholastic Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Popular Culture | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0439896428

Book Description

Novelization of 20th Century Fox's live-action movie starring Josh Hutcherson (Bridge to Terebithia, Zathura) as twelve-year-old Shane, a troubled boy living with his single father, who is the chief of the local fire station.

Both father and son are down on their luck until they find Dewey, an adorable Irish terrier who they believe is a stray. They take Dewey in without knowing he is really Rex, the most famous dog in Hollywood! Soon, the lives of all three take some very interesting twists.

Customer Reviews:

Good blend of family drama, humor, and suspense........2007-08-05

Firehouse Dog won't go down as one of the greatest family stories in history (like A Dog Of Flanders or A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (P.S.)), but is a good solid story for adolescents, about 12-year-old Shane, who's father is the Captain of the firehouse housing Fire Engine 55. The Captain is a widower who succeeded his own late brother to the job, leaving Shane with very little parental supervision. While ditching school Shane runs into Rexxx, a lost Hollywood movie dog. Shane is caught due to the dog jumping on him, and resents the dog for a while. Rexxx was lost wearing a prop collar so they think his name is Dewey, and can't find the owner; but while trying Shane learns how good Dewey is at tricks and gradually decides he wants to adopt him. So you have a typical dog story situation, the dogs presence helping build the boys character while you wonder if the boy will have to lose the dog if the Hollywood owner ever turns up. But wait there's more: meanwhile Shane learns his father is investigating a series of fires that might be arson -- including the one in which his uncle died. So the plot builds up to a more serious situation with suspense, firefighting action, and a dramatic conclusion. Fortunately this is developed gradually from the more humorous first half of the book, so it works on both levels, and never gets too scary for kids, but never gets dull, with some firefighting action, humor, and a moderately poignant story to hold it all together. Based on the movie starring Josh Hutcherson, who proved his diverse acting skills starring in films ranging from Little Manhattan to Bridge to Terabithia.

The Eyes of the Heart: A Memoir of the Lost and Found

Average customer rating:

The Awesome Brightness of the Depths of the Soul
I need to speak a word for the beauty of this book
Not his best work
Preserving the Magic Kingdom
wonderful, beautifully written memoir

The Eyes of the Heart: A Memoir of the Lost and Found
Frederick Buechner
Manufacturer: HarperSanFrancisco
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Authors | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Religious | Leaders & Notable People | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0062516388

Amazon.com

Unlike some Christian writers, Frederick Buechner has never claimed to have a ringside seat to the truth. "I have seen with the eyes of the heart the great hope to which he has called us," he writes, "but out of shyness ... I rarely speak of it, and in my books I have tended to write about it for the most part only obliquely." This very reticence, however, is one of the qualities that most endears this writer to his fans: we trust him all the more because he does not deny his own doubts. A novelist, preacher, and essayist beloved by the thoughtful (and the doubtful), this new memoir follows the quiet and yet probing style of the three that precede it (Now and Then, Telling Secrets, and The Sacred Journey). Here, as he moves into his 70s, Buechner explores more deeply and with greater personal poignancy his familiar subjects of loss, death, and faith, acknowledging that these three issues still revolve around his own father's suicide when Buechner was 9. Including delightful and honest reminiscences of his childhood friend, the great poet James Merrill, along with rich and loving memories of family members and books, Buechner writes the way many of us feel--with moments of glory that shoot through the grayness. Those who know his earlier work will not be disappointed by this continuation of the journey; those new to him will find a suitable entry point to the path right here. --Doug Thorpe

Book Description

From critically acclaimed author and Pulitzer Prize runner-up Frederick Buechner comes another powerfully honest memoir, The Eyes of the Heart. Full of poinant insights into his most personal relationships, this moving account traces how the author was shaped as much by his family's secrets as by its celebrations. Within the innermost chambers of his consciousness, Buechner, in his characteristically self-searching style, explores the mysteries and truths behind his deepest connections to family, friends, and mentors. Extraordinarily moving, this memoir follows not chronology but the converging paths of Buechner's imagination and memory.

Buechner invites us into his library-his own Magic Kingdom, Surrounded by his beloved books and treasures, we discover how they serve as the gateway to Buechner's mind and heart. He draws the reader into his recollections, moving seamlessly from reminiscence to contemplation. Buechner recounts events such as the tragic suicide of his father and its continual fallout on his life, intimate and little-known details about his deep friendship with the late poet James Merrill, and his ongoing struggle to understand the complexities of his relationship to his mother.

This cast of characters comprised of Buechner's relatives and loved ones is brought to vibrant life by his peerless writing and capacity to probe the depths of his own consciousness. Buechner visits his past with an honest eye and a heart open to the most painful and life-altering of realizations. heartbreaking and enlightening, The Eyes of the Heart is a treasure for any who have ever pondered the meaning and mystery of their own past.

As "one of our finest writers," according to author Annie Dillard, Frederick Buechner provides yet another chapter in the tale of his life in this gripping memoir tracing the complicated roots and path of his inner life and family, with their multitude of intersections." The Eyes of the Heart stands as a touching testimonial to the significance of kinship to the author as well as to the legions of readers who have come to regard him as one of their own.

Customer Reviews:

The Awesome Brightness of the Depths of the Soul.......2007-09-10

Somewhere at the very bottom of your soul, if you are very patient and vulnerable and humble, the eyes of your heart can eventually see the actual substance of faith, friendship, and fate. Our longing to know ultimately, beyond the thin veneer of our time-bound realities, is the final quest of the soul, to express gratitude in the most profound sense. Frederick Buechner illuminates the essence of meaning with exquisite care.

I need to speak a word for the beauty of this book.......2006-12-04

I have been a fan of Mr. Buechner's for a long time and his writings have touched me very deeply. This book was read at a crucial time in my life when my mother was not well. It means more to me than I can say, now that mom is with the Lord in heaven. Mr. Buechner has always touched my heart, but the poignancy of his writing affected me deeply. Just wanted to drop my 5 stars in for this book, seeing how some reviewers didn't value it that much. To me, it is one of his best books. I treasure it.

Not his best work.......2005-08-15

As a fan of Frederick Buechner, I found this volume in our church library and secured it anticipating a summer weekend of ecstasy, reading this book on the back porch while sipping lemonade. I found it disappointing, as he focuses on his collection of Buechner family memoribilia. As hard as he tries to universalize it, making it accessible to all of us, for me, it just didn't work. And it reads like a review of one's summer family reunion. Sorry. Read his other stuff. It's great!

Preserving the Magic Kingdom.......2004-01-05

Sharing intimate details of his childhood and adult memories--in a kaleidoscope of chronology which requires flexibility on the part of the reader--Buechner offers a gentle autobiographical
patchwork of his life. He invites us graciously into the most
hallowed rooms of his heart, describing precious objects whose
existence and display coalesce into his own personal magic kingdom. We are treated as his honored guests, allowed free access into the privacy of sacred spaces: his home, his family archives and his fluid imagination. He reveals the dreams and feelings, labors and heartache of various family members going several generations back. Not because they were noteworthy in the eyes of the world; instead because he painstakingly acquired the knowledge, and now is willing to share their human
experiences with his unknown readers--experiences which just might echo our own.

Mainly the author presents conversations with those dear ones who have gone on before. He, like us, seeks to know what really Happens after death. Endowing his characters with post-terrestrial information and wisdom, he seeks to calm his fear of the great unknown (and ours) by spiritual rationalization as viewed through "the eyes of the heart"--a quotation from Ephesians. We learn much about his family of course, but also about literature and his favorite authors, such as Trollope. Striving to comfort himself and his readers about those who have been Lost, he assures us that they have also been Found in afterlife by a benficient Divinity--a message which offers desperately-needed peace and hope for those who grieve. This plotless book consists of variations on one theme, so it can not be classified as a novel, yet it remains much more than mere autobiography. I recommend this book for introspective readers who seek meaning in this world, especially after suffering the loss of dear ones. Take hope--take heart--as Buechner strives to assuage our pain and our fears about the post-human condition.

wonderful, beautifully written memoir.......2003-01-01

A wonderful, beautifully written memoir of loved ones Buechner remembers and love ones for whom he wishes he remembered more. Basis of books and objects from his library is one part of the charm. The other, however, can not be described without dispelling part of the enchantment of the first chapter.

Average customer rating:

Repetitiously dull
Read it in the chemo chair
Wonderful Debut Novel!
Just didn't grab me too much
Funny, Uplifting, and Full of Life

The Department of Lost & Found: A Novel
Allison Winn Scotch
Manufacturer: William Morrow
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Single Women | Women's Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Medical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0061161411
Release Date: 2007-05-08

Book Description

Natalie Miller had a great life: good boyfriend, great job, a life that was really going somewhere. But then came that dreaded word––cancer. And nothing will ever be the same again. Her boyfriend dumped her, her job as a Senator's aide is going down the tube due to some nasty leaks to the press, and her body has become a slave to the whims of chemo. Natalie is not sure how or why her life has spun out of control, but she's determined to get it back. Even if that means rooting around in her past, starting from the ground up, and finding that maybe––just maybe––giving up control isn't such a bad thing.

Customer Reviews:

Repetitiously dull.......2007-10-05

Repetitious. Nat fights her chemo sickness, Nat endlessly pesters (emails, phones, visits office) Zack, her replacement at work and ultimately screws things up. Nat hounds her boss, the Senator. Nat contemplates all her past failed relationships, Nat keeps a boring diary. DIDO (day in day out).
My Dad is losing his battle with bladder/colon cancer. So I empathize with Nats cancer. But her story is told in a dull fashion. Scotch did not make me feel sympathy for Nat, especially with regards to her work as a senior aide to a NY senator and the dirty, destructive politics Nat engages in.

Therefore I only made it around half way thru, skimmed the rest here and there looking for a toehold but found none.

Read it in the chemo chair.......2007-08-25

I read "The Department of Lost and Found" while undergoing chemotherapy for non Hodgkin's lymphoma, and found it was the medicine the doctor ordered. I found myself getting lost in Natalie's life. Will she go with the rock star or the gynecologist/buddy? Will she tell the Senator off? Will her hair grow back? I couldn't wait for the next chapter. If you, or someone you love, is going through chemo now, get this novel. It's a great pick-me-up.

Wonderful Debut Novel!.......2007-06-21

I just finished this book and it was a joy to read. It's well written and has great characters that you really grow to care about. How cancer touches each person's life is very personal, and the author did a nice job detailing the main character's battle with breast cancer without making it too sad or gloomy. Bravo Allison Winn Scotch, a wonderful debut novel!

Just didn't grab me too much.......2007-06-12

I actually feel really bad doing this because everyone gave it five stars but I just want to be honest. I really liked the first half of the book. But then as it went on I started to find Natalie really annoying. I know she had cancer and all but I just couldn't relate to her (not because she had cancer) but because of her workaholic nature and her general personality. And I guess I had absolutely no interest in her field, which was politics. She was a brave character but maybe too so. I guess I was just looking for more sadness and very emotional moments, which I feel this book didn't really have (for me). Her aloof attitude with Zach was really starting to get to me as well. Once the Price is Right encounter started I said, ok, that's it, I can't read this anymore. So I skimmed ahead to see what happened and that was that. I think the writer writes well but the story just turned me away after 1/2 way through. However, I would still read any future book that she publishes.

Funny, Uplifting, and Full of Life.......2007-06-12

Not to sound cliche, but I literally laughed and cried right along with Allison Winn Scotch's main character, Natalie. It was very relateable to my life in many ways and the writing style pulled me right in. I'd highly recommend this book -- especially to women in their 20s or 30s -- as this summer's must-read.

Average customer rating:

Lost and Found (3 novels in 1)
Cathy Gillen Thacker , and Cathy Thacker
Manufacturer: Harlequin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Romance | Subjects | Books

General | Contemporary | Romance | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0373185170

Book Description

What's a single dad to do . . . ?

Baby on the Doorstep
When Alex Roman found a baby on his doorstep in a heart-shaped basket with a note that read "Own up to your mistakes," he knew he had to find the mother! Baby Andy was adorable, but were finders necessarily keepers?

Daddy to the Rescue
Nine months after an Amish beauty captured Jack Roarke's heart, a baby was left in his arms, and Jack set out to woo the mother of his child. The last thing he expected was to have Rebecca Lindholm refuse his marriage offer and deny the baby was hers!

Book Description

In this second volume of stories about the popular hamster Hamtaro, his owner, Yukari, and the Ham-Ham gang, Hamtaro chews his way into big trouble - he gnaws through Yukari's favorite book, and chews the ribbons off the Christmas gifts! When he can't resist frolicking in a bag of wrapping paper, he ends up getting put out with the garbage! Will Hamtaro ever find his way home? These adventures are color illustrated throughout with extra interesting facts about real hamsters, and a fold-out Ham-Ham Clubhouse plan.

Customer Reviews:

Great Book for Hamtaro Fans.......2003-10-06

Hamha! This book is part of a seris of Storybooks by Ritsuko Kawai and became a great hit in Japan. So great, it become a anime and was shown around the world. I have this book and shown my friends who alos love Hamtaro. They fell in love with it. Sure, it shows pictures of Hamtaro peeing and haveing babys with Momo (Bijou is so much better! Don't you think!). But DUH! Hamtaro's a hamsters and hamsters do that! Children can learn leasons about taking care of hamsters. I have a hamster named after Bijou and this book taught me how to take care of her. This was my frist one and I can't wait to read the 1st and 3rd. From a true Hamtaro fan. Bye-Q!

Come On, Give It A Chance.......2003-09-22

Disregard the prudish review above. My three-and-a-half year old laughed out loud when the hampster peed. The other "situation" suggested to be inappropriate was this: at the ending, Hamtaro was given a wife. All the book says was he "got close" to her. And later, baby hampsters appeared. This book was written to be a primer for real hampster ownership. Anyone with animal pets (or livestock) knows that they poop, pee, and reproduce. Children are alright with that knowledge.

Average customer rating:

Try this one on for size.
Good book found, not lost
A brilliant adventure

TechJacket Volume 1: Lost and Found
Robert Kirkman , and E. J. Su
Manufacturer: Image Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

Science Fiction | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

Image Comics | Publishers | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1582403147

Book Description

In the far reaches of space, past any regions known to man, a war rages on. The Geldarians, a peaceful race, have been defending their home world against the violent and savage Kresh for nearly a millennium. The Geldarians are a race of incredibly intelligent, yet physically weak and fragile beings. To compensate for their frailty they have invented the "Tech Jacket," a vest that every Geldarian is equipped with upon birth. Each jacket grows and matures with its host, specializing in tasks that the host will find most useful. A fully developed Tech Jacket is considered to be one of the most powerful weapons in the universe. Zack Thompson, through an event of sheer chance, has come to possess a Tech Jacket of his own. Now it appears that the fate of the entire universe rests on his shoulders as he learns that with infinite power comes infinite responsibility.

Customer Reviews:

Try this one on for size........2004-04-14

Teenage loser Zach on his way to school one day runs across a crashed alien spaceship piloted by a dying Gerldarian. He passes on to him what is called a Tech Jacket, which is a special biomechanical harness that gives its wearer enhnanced strength and other capabilities, as well as becoming a full covering body armor. Zach then gets abducted by some of the Geldarian authorities who think of him as a criminal, but he gains their trust after helping to fight the warring race known as the Kresh. The Geldarians allow Zack to go back to Earth with the Tech Jacket, since it can't be removed once activated. Once there, Zack leans that six months have gone by on Earth and has to fight the mafia and more Kresh invaders to find his missing parents. This graphic novel collects the first six issues of the hit Image Comics manga-styled series in black and white.

Good book found, not lost.......2003-08-20

I happened to get a hold of a preview copy of this book, and I must say it is pretty amazing. I had read the story in serial format, but seeing it again in this new manga style digest was like seeing it for the first time.

The story is a nice twist on the old teen superhero trope, mixing elements of Spider-Man and Green Lantern, with nice elements of science fiction thrown into the mix for an epic space feel. Not only that, but it is a story accessible to readers of all ages, which is rare for graphic novels these days.

Particularly accessible, I would say, is the art of EJ Su, who should appeal to fans of traditional Japanese sci-fi manga. He mixes Japanese traditions with American sensibilities without relying on the cliches of either. And while Ron Riley's colors were amazing in the original serialized version, EJ's zip screening really brings the book alive.

I would highly recommend this book to someone looking for a great space adventure, or just a book with Silver Age sensibilities with a modern day feel.

Great for all ages!

A brilliant adventure.......2003-08-19

I'm a big fan of Robert Kirkman's recent Image comics. This one, Tech Jacket, is the story of a teenager who ends up with a powerful alien battlesuit. It appears to be a mix of Green Lantern and Iron Man early on but what Kirkman does best is focus on the person, not so much the heroics. There's a lot of Zack, the main character, going through his everyday life. This is where the book excels. There's a knack for dialogue that makes it believable, fun and interesting.

Plus, E.J. Su's authentic manga-styled art is just gorgeous. There are some epic shots of battles and alien architecture that just boggle the mind. It looks like stuff that would take months to draw. Anyway, the first 6 issues serve as an exciting introduction to the character and provide a complete story. If you enjoy stories about coming of age, adventure, or galactic soap operas - well, this mixes it all together and the result is a lot of fun.

Average customer rating:
Lost and Found New York: Oddballs, Heroes, Heartbreakers, Scoundrels, Thugs, Mayors, and Mysteries
James Stevenson
Manufacturer: Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Comic Strips | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
General | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
General | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
New York | State & Local | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0061260630

Book Description

Celebrate the lost histories, unusual people and places, and hidden treasures of New York City's glorious past with this delightful and engaging collection of original illustrations and stories by artist/writer James Stevenson.

Featuring the series of Stevenson's "Lost and Found New York" pieces, originally published in the New York Times, along with never-before-published original artwork by the artist, this handsome volume represents the unique vision of an artist and raconteur of extraordinary talent.

"Until you draw a picture of something," says Stevenson, "You are apt to be dead wrong about what it looks like."

Stevenson's charming illustrations and stories will transport you to Brooklyn's Floyd Bennett Field, New York City's first municipal airport, where Howard Hughes took off on July 10, 1938. You will meet Sadie the Goat—a member of the ladies' auxiliary of the 1870s Hell's Kitchen gang the Gophers—known for butting her victims in the stomach with her head and extracting their valuables. You will discover a popular 1920s Prohibition nightclub equipped with a secret chute that sent bottles of alcohol into the Hudson River (and was later destroyed to build a highway). You will learn about the architect who built the famous Chrysler Building in 1928, then the world's tallest building.

Lost and Found New York will introduce you to hundreds of colorful, intriguing, and wonderful characters, places, and events from New York City's rich and varied past.

Enjoy your trip!

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books