Night Watch

Book Description

The Night Watch series has caused a sensation never before seen in Russia -- its popularity is frenzied and unprecedented, and driven by a truly great, epic story. In 2005 Fox Searchlight announced it had acquired the Russian film adaptation for an American release. Interest in the books here is now set to reach a fever pitch.

Set in modern day Moscow, Night Watch is a world as elaborate and imaginative as Tolkien or the best Asimov. Living among us are the "Others," an ancient race of humans with supernatural powers who swear allegiance to either the Dark or the Light. A thousand-year treaty has maintained the balance of power, and the two sides coexist in an uneasy truce. But an ancient prophecy decrees that one supreme "Other" will rise up and tip the balance, plunging the world into a catastrophic war between the Dark and the Light. When a young boy with extraordinary powers emerges, fulfilling the first half of the prophecy, will the forces of the Light be able to keep the Dark from corrupting the boy and destroying the world?

An extraordinary translation from the Russian by noted translator Andrew Bromfield, this first English language edition of Night Watch is a chilling, engrossing read certain to reward those waiting in anticipation of its arrival.

Customer Reviews:

Innovative and refreshing.......2007-10-03

First, a review for those that want to take the book after watching the movie(s): do it. If you liked the movies, you'll probably like the book even more - the narration is much more coherent, the events are much less chaotic and the character motivations seem better sketched.

Now, a general review: this book is generally put in the fantasy genre. That means many readers might reach for this book expecting some sort of "Harry Potter in Moscow", as I've read in one of the reviews here. This is NOT it. The fantasy setting here is more of a narrative device than a real dedicated setting. For those of you that have read Bulgakov's "Master and Margerita", you'll come to recognize the device quite clearly - it's virtually the same feel, but in recent-day Moscow instead of the early communist-times one.

Lukyanenko has done something quite impressive - he's written a book about a typical Russian person, who seems special to the reader because of his involvement in the epic struggle between Light and Dark. But this is just a ruse - the struggle is nothing but epic, it is more alegorical then literal. One of the reviews here was very critical on the book, saying that the action didn't progress anywhere, that all of our hero's deeds turned out to have changed nothing in the greater view of things. This is not a mistake by the author, it's the intended effect. That's exactly what the book is supposed to present.

Don't be fooled - this is not yet another fantasy novel, not an epic fantasy one, nor a typical urban fantasy one. This is not a fantasy novel at all. This is a book about normal people, everyday choices, everyday lives. It just seems much more interesting when presented in an imaginative fantasy setting. And it is this combination of excellent worldbuilding and great narration that gets this book five stars.

enraptured.......2007-09-21

i picked up this book and couldnt put it down again! a most amazing author and story. he manages to write an unsaid plot and leave a silent ending that is like and explosion of possibity threads in a certain direction. a true inspiration.

Liked it!.......2007-09-15

Entertaining, engaging vampire novel from Russia, first of three. Definitely more comprehensible than the film! I liked this book- Anton, the narrator, is sympathetic and likable and I enjoyed following his adventures in the intrigue-filled world of vampire-Moscow. As someone who does not read a lot of scifi or vampire novels I appreciated that it wasn't very violent

Fantastic and Different.......2007-09-13

The two things that worked the best for me when reading this novel were:

1) Rather than a cliche' Battle between good and evil, this is about a precarious truce between the two and how both sides fight to maintain that truce while still trying to get ahead.

2) The setting of modern Moscow as the backdrop to this epic. The author skillfully paints the setting and makes Moscow almost a character on its own. For someone who has never read a foreign book, this made the already great storyline fantastic and made me feel familiar with a city that's 1000s of miles away simply because the author writes about it like its his own backyard, not as if he's a tourist. That works wonders for the credibility of the story.

I do not like that it is called a horror. While werewolves and vampires might be classic pieces of the horror genre, this is most definitely a modern fantasy epic. Think Mage the Ascension more than Bram Stroker and you've got the idea.

I recommend this book for fantasy readers like myself who don't read much anymore and really want to try something that's familiar yet new. I look forward to reading the entire series!

Very Good Book.......2007-09-13

A very interesting and creative book. It's not a typical vampire , werewolves, and witches type book. It has more of a story with a actual premise and it's a quick read.

Average customer rating:

On a par with the 87th Precinct novels
A Near-Perfect Comic Crime Caper Plot
Thank God and Westlake for Dortmunder
Westlake's Dortmunder and crew may have a tough time making crime pay but are always worth their weight in gold for laughs
The Hot Prufrock

Watch Your Back! (Dortmunder Novels)
Donald E. Westlake
Manufacturer: Mysterious Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Series | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0892968028

Book Description

Hapless criminal John Dortmunder returns in another rollicking tale of disorganized crime from Grand Master of Mystery Donald E. Westlake. It's the score of a lifetime: easy access to a lavish New York City apartment, hordes of valuables, and an absentee owner avoiding the lawyers of his unhappy ex-wives. But before they pull the job, Dortmunder's crew is startled to find their beloved gin joint, the OJ, in the clutches of the Mafia-who consider it perfect for a little fraud, courtesy of a nice big fire. For tactical and highly superstitious reasons, the fate of the OJ is even more important to the crew than the enormous score. Now, Dortmunder and his gang are determined to split their time, fighting the mob and robbing the rich simultaneously.

Customer Reviews:

On a par with the 87th Precinct novels.......2007-08-06

Since Ed McBain's departure, I've been looking for a writer guaranteed to end a reading slump. I think I've found one. Actually the Dortmunder series and the 87th precinct have a lot in common. They're both humorous, they both rely on multiple characters and story lines, and both writers are deceptively adept prose masters.

The biggest difference between the two is that Westlake has us cheering for the crooks. In this one, Dortmunder's fence, Arnie Albright, has set the gang up to rob a venture capitalist, Preston Fairweather, who's hiding from his ex-wives in the Caribbean, making his Manhattan apartment easy pickings. The B-story involves the "Busting out" of the OJ Bar and Grill, Dortmunder's hangout. Busting out is maxing out the bar's credit line, then shutting the place down. Dortmunder and crew waylay the organized crime members behind it.

Certainly Dortmunder and his friends are amusing characters, but I found the minor ones more entertaining in this one. Two of them stand out. Preston Fairweather's ex-wives conspire to kidnap him and bring him back to the states to face litigation. In his attempt to escape their clutches he meets a bone fisherman named Porfiro. The interplay between the two is hysterical. The second one is young Judson Blint who takes a job working for Tiny's girlfriend J.C. His resume is a pack of lies, which is why she hires him. She runs several scams, one of which is taking up too much of her time. Judson is hired to run the others while she's absorbed. Judson will end up being the most valuable member of the gang.

Like McBain whose literary efforts were written under the name Evan Hunter, Westlake can really turn a phrase when he wants to. This is Alan, Preston Fairweather's right-hand man being introduced to Pam Broussard, who is in the employ of the ex-wives: "He shook her hand, a cold hard thing like a falconer's glove." This next example is from Preston Fairweather, describing the Caribbean: "The August sun, God's blood blister, hung midway down the sky."

I've read three Dortmunders now and it's always frustrating that Dortmunder never seems to score the big one, but it's also fascinating to see how he will be foiled this time.

A Near-Perfect Comic Crime Caper Plot.......2007-07-27

Many plots are like gravel pits, full of harsh points that don't fit together very well. Why? I don't know. Perhaps the authors just write without having the end in mind. Or perhaps some authors like messy, pointless plots. Every once in awhile I have the pleasure of reading a book where all of the elements work smoothly together taking me effortlessly and comfortably to unexpected and interesting places. Watch Your Back! is one of those books.

But that's not why you read Dortmunder novels. You want some laughs, some irony, work play, and some straightforward comedy. Watch Your Back! has the expected quota along those lines. Any Dortmunder story that begins with the regulars at the OJ Bar & Grill is bound to have a humorous tone throughout.

The book's theme is about what happens to people when they take on new roles in new places. Everyone is affected, but some change . . . and improve . . . while others stay the same.

As the book opens, Dortmunder and his gang of irregulars are without a scheme. But Arnie Albright, New York's most obnoxious but best paying fence, soon offers one.

It turns out that Arnie's family finally found him to be too obnoxious to stand and insisted he take a trip to Club Med in the Caribbean. While there, Arnie had met the wealthy and obnoxious (in a different way) Preston Fareweather (nominally a New Yorker but on the lam from the talons of his four ex-wives who are legally ganging up on him). Arnie learned that Fareweather has a penthouse in Manhattan full of treasures which he never visits and will probably never visit again. What could be a better set up?

When the gang gets together to plan the caper, there's a problem. The back room at the OJ Bar & Grill is off limits and Rollo, the bartender, warns Dortmunder off. Two creeps in a booth seem to be connected to the problem. Dortmunder tries holding his meeting at home and future meetings in the backroom of another bar, but it's not the same. So he decides to find out what's going on at the OJ Bar & Grill. What he learns sets him into unaccustomed action.

Meanwhile, we get to find out why Fareweather is so obnoxious and become acquainted with a young crook-in-training, Judson Blint, who wants to join the gang.

Before the story is over, the characters have even more surprises than you do as the reader. You come out ahead, though, because their problems become the source of your laughter.

Pick your spot and timing carefully!

Thank God and Westlake for Dortmunder.......2007-06-13

The comic caper novel is a rare genre. Few do it well. Westlake does it magnificently. I laughed out loud, chuckled and guffawed my way through this book. It reads fast and is the appropriate bit of froth and fun to cleanse the palete.

Dortmunder and gang are immortal. My one (very minor) complaint is that I missed May -- I needed to know what was on sale at Bohack's!

Having moved to the west coast I gleefully anticipate Stan Murch's driving directions to bring back all the old memories of dealing with NYC traffic. (He is invariably right as to what is the quickest route, despite his mother's occassionally disagreements)

I also anticipate the technology delighted Andy Kelp's interaction with the reactionary Dortmunder. I await with baited breath Westlake's conversation between these two explaining the camera/ipod/phone and why that is a good thing.

The sub plot with the NJ mobsters taking over the OJ Bar and Grill is inspired. Frankly, that could have been expanded at the expense of the main story and I would have given this 5 stars instead of 4. Dortmunder's plane trip down to Florida was inspired!

So, enjoy -- shoplift some beer and pretzels from Bohack's (plus a salt shaker or two) and lean back and enjoy the wonderful pacing, plotting, dialogue and general craziness of the best gang of professional thieves who have the world's worst luck and yet manage to roll with the punches and never quite go home empty handed.

Westlake's Dortmunder and crew may have a tough time making crime pay but are always worth their weight in gold for laughs.......2006-09-22

Donald Westlake a gift for comic timing. It's the same kind of deadpan humor that you could have seen in an old Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton film, and yet it never degenerates into broad slapstick. The latest Dortmunder comic mystery is no exception. Westlake as always, crafts a villain so slimy, one Preston Fareweather, that you just want something - anything, to happen to him. And it does - John Dortmunder and his merry band of criminal misfits.
As you follow the misadventures of Dortmunder and crew from one catastrophe to another, you find yourself secretly rooting to just once, let them (actually the crooks !) score. Westlake really does prove with this loveable band of hapless bad guys, that while there is a certain amount of satisfaction and laughs along the way, they somehow just can't really make crime pay. In fact I've often wondered myself why they don't all just pack it in and find a nice steady job in a shoe store or flipping burgers. At the end of the day they'd probably be way ahead! But of course then we wouldn't have the pleasure of awaiting whatever calamity will befall them in Westlake's next comic masterpiece.

The Hot Prufrock.......2006-06-26

Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets, the muttering retreats of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels and sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells; streets that follow like a tedious argument of insidious intent to lead you to an overwhelming question ... What rough beast is slouching toward the O.J. Bar & Grill?

Why, who else but John Dortmunder, discount-rack mastermind and Louis Napoleon of Crime? On the first page of "Watch Your Back," Dortmunder enters the O.J. in a perfectly routine way to do what he routinely does, plan a crime. Tonight's proposed caper, though, evaporates before it can even start. (Routine, again, for even if Dortmunder should hear the mermaids singing, each to each, I do not think they will sing to him.) With no crime to plan, it hardly seems worthwhile to stay, so Dortmunder slouches home.

But the next time he steps into the O.J., he meets something unthinkable--change!

"What was going on? Was it a wake around here? Nobody wore a black armband, but the faces on the regulars were long enough. They, all of the them, men and the women's auxiliary, too, were hunched over their drinks with that thousand-yard stare that suggests therapy is no longer an option. In short, the place looked exactly like that section of the socialist realist mural where the workers have been utterly shafted by the plutocrats. Dortmunder looked up, half-expecting to see top hats and cigars in the gloom up there, but nothing."

This disturbing discovery leads by a series of incremental steps including, but not limited to a sojourn at Club Med, an alimony exile, a bust-out, a fence transformed, a younger son attempting to achieve success in the family business, a cabal of ex-wives, a serial betrayer betrayed, and a big-money score with unforeseen result--an all-too routine thing for Dortmunder, alas--that lead the low-rent mastermind and his seedy associates ... to a couple of guys stealing a pig. All this, mind you, with an inevitability even Sophocles or Euripides might envy.

And it's funny, too.

I find myself reading quite a few mysteries these days; it beats measuring out my life with coffee spoons. Oh, they are satisfactory enough, not "Hamlet," nor are meant to be. The average practitioner of the mystery novel form is, well, average. Prose lying between the covers of most mysteries is deferential, glad to be of use, politic, cautious and meticulous; full of high sentence, but a bit obtuse; at times, indeed, almost ridiculous-- But occasionally there is a writer who can write, really write, someone who has mastered the tools of the profession, rhetoric, dialogue, plot development, pacing, characterization--in short, all the things banished from literary fiction during our lifetimes. Donald E. Westlake is just such a writer. In spades.

For proof that Westlake is much more than just a journeyman wordsmith, consider how he puts these thoughts of a bright young man happily embarked on a new career:

"If everything he did didn't happen to be breaking some law or another--mail fraud, misuse of bulk rate, identity theft of the endorsements, plagiarism, sale of inappropriate material to minors, on and on--all of this activity would be very like a job. But it was better than a job. It was a world, a world he'd always believed had to exist somewhere, but hadn't known where to find. So it had found him."

Or these of a not quite so young man less happy with his job choice, one sentence in a breathless, agitated, sub-clausal hurry:

"From the moment Preston phoned him, a little after midnight, waking him from what he had to admit was in any case a troubled sleep, Alan found that Thursday, the nineteenth of August, was the most hellish day of his entire life, as well as the longest, and only partly because so much of the day consisted of travel, which in addition to the normal irritations implicit in the very word 'travel,' was chockablock with extra aggravations, due both to the unforeseen nature of the travel involved and to its abnormalities--leaving a Club Med on a week day, for instance, just to begin with."

I grow old ... I grow old ... I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled. And every new Westlake I shall read, even as in the room the women come and go, talking of Michelangelo.

Five stars ... and a peach for Tom Elliott.

Henry James : Novels 1871-1880: Watch and Ward, Roderick Hudson, The American, The Europeans, Confidence (Library of America)

Average customer rating:

Some great early novels by Henry James

Henry James : Novels 1871-1880: Watch and Ward, Roderick Hudson, The American, The Europeans, Confidence (Library of America)
Henry James
Manufacturer: Library of America
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0940450135

Book Description

The first five novels of Henry James, presented complete in this volume, feature sparkling dialogue, masterfully timed suspense, and the romance of youthful artistic aspirations. The contrast between Europe and America, which gives a special dimension to all of James's cultural observations, is brilliantly deployed in these early works. "Watch and Ward," written when James was 28, is a Bostonian version of the Pygmalion story. In "Roderick Hudson," a headstrong and gifted young American sculptor loses his way among the temptations of Italy. "The American" was written in Paris and dramatizes a confrontation between the expatriate culture of American tourists and the protected world behind the barriers of old families and traditions. "The Europeans," by contrast, places two visiting European cousins in a pristine and conservative New England village. The little-known and charming "Confidence" is a light drawing-room comedy about the romantic entanglements of America! ns traveling through Europe.

Customer Reviews:

Some great early novels by Henry James.......2001-04-26

This book has five complete novels for one comparatively low price! "Watch and Ward," is a novel that James himself preferred to ignore as a youthful indiscretion, but I found it a vastly entertaining and suspenseful love story. Roderick Hudson is a compelling cautionary tale. The American is a gripping story that cries out for a movie version (in my fantasy Peter Weir would direct, and it might star Tom Cruise and Winona Ryder, although I'm sure many others would do just as well). This novel has love, a duel, a frightful skeleton in the closet, blackmail, Carmelite nuns, etc. The ending should be adjusted along the lines of the play version that James later wrote. The Europeans did not grab me, but Confidence is a delightful novel with something James later tended to avoid--a happy ending. This collection provides a lot of great novelistic entertainment for the buck. The way the Library of America does it is that for one they are non-profit, and second they use top quality thin acid-free paper, which allows them to fit five books into the space of something slightly larger than one thick paperback. The book even has a silky little bookmark to hold your place. Classy!

Average customer rating:

Not her best, but I still love her.
I do not understand overall lower customer average rating...
Loved it!!
Mack McCord and Sam Littleton should have been main characters!
Someone to Watch Over Me

Someone to Watch Over Me: A Novel
Judith McNaught
Manufacturer: Pocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Suspense | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Romance | Subjects | Books

General | Romance | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

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

ASIN: 0671525832
Release Date: 2003-10-28

Book Description

#1 New York Times bestselling author Judith McNaught crafts a thrilling tale filled with unrelenting suspense, unforgettable characters, and powerful undercurrents of greed, ambition, and desire.

Leigh Kendall reveled in her stellar Broadway acting career and in her marriage to Logan Manning, scion of an old New York family. When her husband finds the perfect mountain property for their dream house, he decides to surprise Leigh with her first view of the site. Driving upstate on a winter's night, Leigh is run off the road in the midst of a blinding blizzard. When she awakes in the local hospital, seriously injured, the police inform her that her husband has mysteriously disappeared, and Leigh, although obviously distraught, becomes the focus of their suspicions. The more she discovers about her husband and his business affairs, the less she realizes she knew about Logan Manning. Now, Leigh is heading deeper and deeper into unknown territory...where friends and enemies are impossible to distinguish, and where the truth becomes the most terrifying weapon of all.

Customer Reviews:

Not her best, but I still love her........2007-09-11

If there is anyone who is new to McNaught and this has been your first novel and was disappointed (as I), please don't let it be the last from this author. That would be a tragedy. Check out PARADISE and read the 5-star rave reviews on here. All her historical romances are worth reading as well.

I wasn't overly impressed with this one but I honestly can't find myself rating anything she's written below 4 stars simply because I revere her a lot as a writer. Ms. McNaught is a phenomenal author and one can witness it in all of her previous novels. She has penned many beautiful, poignant love stories, and she won't ever change as my #1 favorite romance writer.

...however I felt something for this one was lacking.

Certain parts of the book seemed hastened while certain scenes seemed dragged out. Ms. McNaught is a great when it comes to building up the anticipation of the union between the hero and the heroine but I felt none in the case of Leigh and Michael; it was too abrupt. I was still rooting for Logan and Leigh to be reunited throughout much of the duration and had difficulty processing Michael into the picture until the very end but by then, the story was already ending. In short, their passion seemed somewhat forced, something that I never felt before in any of her previous novels where the flame steathily crept in with burning intensity and swept me right along.

On the positive side, it was a unique, well thought-out plot despite pitfalls along the way. I liked the way how she fused Leigh's and Michael's pasts together when she recognized "Falco" (reminiscent a la "Remember When"). Her secondary characters were brilliant and this is where her trademark JM writing shined. Sam Littleton was a far more intriguing character, who reminded me of a sassier and wittier version of Sloane Reynolds in "Night Whispers" but with the same warmth. And acting twice as a supporting character, Courtney Maitland never failed to amuse me with her no-nonsense humor and sass. What a character. I would love to see her become her own heroine in another novel.

.....

BUT. Most of her other contemporaries are all gems, especially Paradise, Perfect, and Double Standards. ALL her historical romances are treasures ("A Kingdom of Dreams" being my zenith favorite).

Despite some disappointments in this one, I still remain JM's loyal fan for life. She has written many splendid previous novels and I say this without any reservation.

I do not understand overall lower customer average rating..........2007-04-12

I have now read all McNaughts books but Night Whispers. I hesitated reading "Someone to Watch over me" because of the 31/2 star rating, but I enjoy McNaught books over all other writers in this genre, so I figured it was better than most other books out there. This book, from beginning to end, surprised me and I do not understand the customers' overall lower rating. Thanks McNaught for intertwining a plot carefully tied to a love story worthy of reading both, regardless of plausibility...this is romance fiction afterall. I will order Night Whispers today.

Loved it!!.......2007-03-08

A great read, definitely worth your time. The characters are developed well and the story is great all the way to the end! A keeper!!

Mack McCord and Sam Littleton should have been main characters!.......2007-01-06

I've always admired JM for her ability to create realistic characters, but I don't know what happened to Michael Valente and Leigh Manning. Perhaps if Valente had first been introduced to us on his own turf rather than from law enforcement's point of view, he wouldn't have been so difficult to get a handle on. Since he was the obvious 'hero' of the book, I didn't like not knowing if he was good or bad or what.
He and Leigh both had such bland personalities, they never once seemed real; their dialogue, especially Leigh's was so robotic, so boring.
On the other hand, Mack McCord and Samantha Littleton were fabulously paired and both were extremely interesting. Sam was beautiful and her intelligence often came through in her subtle, classy manner. This was my 2nd reading of this novel, and I found that I wanted to reread it for these two secondary characters rather than for Valente and Leigh Manning.
McCord and Littleton make the book worthy of 5 stars.
And I can't forget Detective Shrader; he was great! The author did a great job with this character and Jason Solomon's character as well.

Someone to Watch Over Me.......2007-01-03

The is one of my favorites. I love her characters. I like past characters appearing in her books. They are like family. I like the fact that she doesn't have to use vulgarity in her stories to tell a good, interesting and adult story. I love the mystery and the suspense. Of course, I have all of her books as I have followed her writing since the first historical. I don't know how she could ever top this story, but I'm impatiently waiting!! I hope it isn't 3 years again!

Average customer rating:

Subversive Comedy
Another great addition to the collection
Smart, edgy, controversial...and never dull
I love this strip!

Invasion of the Dykes to Watch Out for
Alison Bechdel
Manufacturer: Alyson Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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

General | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

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

Love, Sex & Marriage | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1555838332

Book Description

Book 11 in the Dykes to Watch Out For series finds Alison Bechdel's beloved cast of characters discovering that nothing but change is constant in our multihued terror alert system world. Mo is working her way through library school by shelving bestsellers at Bounders Books and Muzak, Sparrow and Stuart face parenthood with a mixture of ambivalence and zeal, Clarice and Toni clash over the gay marriage debate while their 10-year-old son Raffi jacks cars and slaps hos on his best friend's computer, Sydney's mammogram yields very bad news, Ginger's love life is finally looking up, and is a Hello Kitty thong really the best gift Lois can give 13-year-old Jonas when s/he becomes Janis? Alison Bechdel is legendary for her ability to examine global politics through the prism of dinner conversations, and this book is no exception. Sydney's doctor insists in likening her malignant cells to terrorists, Stuart's home improvement project develops disturbing parallels to Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Ginger's best student turns out to be her most conservative, resulting in an ideology-busting clash of red- and blue-state values.

Alison Bechdel has been writing and illustrating Dykes to Watch Out For since 1982. Her books have won multiple awards, and she was most recently a finalist for the Ferro-Grumley Award and two Eisner awards. She lives in Vermont and is working on a graphic memoir about her queer father.

Customer Reviews:

Subversive Comedy.......2007-04-09

The graphic novel, Invasion of the Dykes to Watch Out For, by Allison Bechdel, confronts contemporary societal issue such as the "War on Terror," breast cancer, homosexuality, rampant consumerism, motherhood, and popular culture. Bechdel's use of humor challenges authority by refusing to take it seriously. She attacks the deliberate choices people make: hypocrisies, affectations and mindless following of social expectations. The text does not do away with women's feelings of powerlessness; instead it highlights the political nature of women. Invasion of the Dykes to Watch Out For inspires as well as entertains.

Another great addition to the collection.......2006-02-24

My only complaint is that the books don't come out more often! Other than that, Bechdel's humorous social commentary is as fresh as ever. I've been a fan for over 15 years and am always impatient for the next book to come out. Sure, I can go online and read the strip there, but it seems more gratifying to me to read them all at once in book form.

Smart, edgy, controversial...and never dull.......2005-12-19

I had never heard of Alison Bechdel or Dykes to Watch Out For until I was fortunate enough to hear her speak at a diversity conference I attended. She was witty and poignant and I picked up this book and bought it. So I started at the end of a series which I have now gone back and read from the beginning and I love it! This particular book was a great collection (obviously enough to hook me in) that made me laugh, think, and reflected moments in my own life, despite my being heterosexual. What I love about her characters is they are real, smart, interesting women. What I hope for is the day when they are present in the comic pages of national newspapers rather than just liberal lesser known publications. One day we won't have to have a special Lesbian/Gay genre...it will just be incorporated into mainstream media the way the heterosexual experience is today. Support such a world by investing in her work and supporting others like her. Open your mind to new experiences and laugh a little in the process.

I love this strip!.......2005-11-24

This is one of my favorite comics. I love Alison Bechdel! I have all of the books, and I have been a fan for about 8 years. She's always so funny and insightful. It's like reading a soap opera. I can hardly wait for each installment. You really get to know and love all of the characters, and it's hard not to get emotional over the story lines. Everyone should read all of her books.

Average customer rating:

Best DTWOF yet
Dykes grow up
More, more, more
Bechdel's out of the box!
impressive -- major talent

Post-Dykes to Watch Out For
Alison Bechdel
Manufacturer: Firebrand Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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

ASIN: 1563411229

Amazon.com

The further adventures of Mo, her tenure-bound girlfriend, Sydney, and their much-loved friends unfold against a shifting gender landscape: lesbians sleeping with men, lesbians becoming men, Ginger sleeping with lesbians who've become men. As with her eight previous collections, Alison Bechdel covers a host of pressing issues, from the Monica Lewinsky scandal to the decline of the independent bookstore, and pauses to consider whether an online affair qualifies as cheating. "Of course it's cheating!" says Mo, "It would be a diversion of emotional energy." Sydney demurs: "It's more like remote, interactive masturbation." True love survives the gender wars, but monogamy may be on the wane. Don't miss the thrilling details, in the last volume of Bechdel's work to be published by the now-defunct Firebrand Press. --Regina Marler

Customer Reviews:

Best DTWOF yet.......2003-10-30

This is without doubt the best yet of the series. I got hooked on the third book when I "came out" in college, and have kept up over the years. I re-read all of them regularly (the mental equivalent of comfort food-- definitely better than "Friends" re-runs) and enjoy seeing how Bechdel's artistic talent, human insight, and compassion grow over time. For those who are new to the series, it might be a good idea to start with this one (to get hooked on the artist's gifts at their current height), then go back and re-read them all in chronological order, so as to see the development both of characters and of creative talents. The whole series creates an immensely rich and beautiful portrait of human lives. Despite having one thing in common--a non-mainstream life--the characters are nonetheless extremely varied and individual, and their interactions are rich and real.

Like previous books, this one includes an "appendix" of sorts at the end, with extra material about the characters--deeper stories that wouldn't fit into the shorter two-page format. It is the appendix in this book that makes it "the best yet." Jezanna's story-- coming to terms with her mother's death and her Dad's dating--is incredibly moving and extremely true-to-life in so many subtle ways. In graphic art as in film acting, it takes skill to portray a character's emotions, but it takes even more skill to portray a character's emotions that they are hiding from themselves (such as when Jezanna's dad returns from the bathroom and, uncomfortable at catching a private moment of grief, pretends not to notice and tries to return everything to "normal" as fast as possible--don't we all have people in our lives who cope with difficult emotions this way?).

As always, the subtletly, humanity and overall compassion that infuse this strip make it a must-read for anyone of any political persuasion.

Dykes grow up.......2001-02-04

It would have been a major feat for Bechdel to keep the pace of her first books. The novelty bloom has faded some. Bechdel has courageously taken the route of allowing her characters to age. And the series has to pay the price for it. But this is for the best as we do age too and our affection toward Bechdel's cast grows since we can relate to them, no matter whether we are men or women. When Clarice and Toni try to raise their son in suburbia, their life has gotta become duller, even if it is still more exiting than their neighbour's life. Food for thought for us aging homos. It is a tribute to Bechdel talent that she weathers this transition and manages to bring more than the occasional flash of brilliance that she has shown on her previous work. It bodes well for the future as the excitement in the life of her heroines will come back when their progenies start dating, retirement planning becomes a priority, dates are not as easy too find, "remedial" surgery might be considered, etc... I, for one, will make sure that I do not miss a beat.

More, more, more.......2001-01-07

In the latest collection by Bechdel of her award-winning series"Dykes to Watch out for", she chronicles the lives of hercharacters with wit, intelligence, and charm. I am continually amazedat Bechdel's ability to educate readers through her characters,especially about grassroots politics and modern dyke life. My favoritepart of this particular book is about Lois and her attraction to afemale-to-male transsexual. Wait, it's really about how Mo and Sydneyhave... while each is at work. Umm, no, it's... Well, I just can'tpick one! I love it all.

Bechdel's out of the box!.......2000-07-28

Alison Bechdel's characters go beyond binary thinking in this latest DTWOF collection. Transgenderism, bisexuality, and polyamory are all explored...honestly, believably, and as thoroughly as possible in a slim volume like this one.

I've read all of Bechdel's collections (in order no less), and this one is far and away the most impressive. As Mo, Clarice, Lois, Sparrow, Toni, Ginger, Jezanna, and others grow in their relationships, they realize that life is not always as clear-cut as it seems, and they learn to look beyond the surface level to the meaning of words like "lesbian," "woman," "partner." It's delightful to see the explorations and reactions of characters to stimuli such as a male housemate in the Lois-Ginger-Sparrow household, or the struggling-to-understand conservative neighbors in Toni and Clarice's new suburban neighborhood.

As always, the artwork is fantastic, and the stories are compelling. These are simply some of the finest comics being drawn today.

impressive -- major talent.......2000-06-15

Another infusion of Mo and the gang, for those of us who don't get it daily.

(If you're new to DTWOF, I recommend reading all the books -- in chrono order.)

Just maybe the best one yet, as the characters and the issues they face become more mature and multi-faceted.

Terrific artwork.

Among the many impressive, and funny, installments is one ("leadership vacuum", p. 20) in which Mo has to slap Bechdel around a little.

And the long story that closes the book, following all the dailies, is *brilliantly* orchestrated. I think it's the best one of those yet.

Book Description

Change is afoot as the best-selling Dykes to Watch Out For series moves to Alyson. Alison Bechdel continues to illuminate the way we live through the comic strip serial that has become a national treasure. In the tenth book in the series, Mo, the curmudgeonly women's bookstore clerk, blithely rants about Dr. Laura, Donald Rumsfeld, gay Enron execs, and the pernicious effects of Frogger, while her cozy counterculture community is shifting beneath her feet. Her job is in jeopardy as Madwimmin Books's customer base defects to the chains. Her ex, Clarice, is displaying symptoms of soccer mom-itis. Her best friend, Lois, has announced her new name is Louis. And her old pal Sparrow considers whether having a baby with her boyfriend will compromise her identity as a radical lesbian feminist. Meanwhile, Toni doesn't know what do when Clarice's George W. Bush-induced depression lasts long after the inauguration and, in the wake of 9-11, her friends square off on questions of idealism, violence, compassion, patriotism, and dissent. As they hash out their ideological differences, a black-and-white world takes on surprisingly variegated shades of gray.

Alison Bechdel is the author of nine previous Dykes to Watch Out For books, three of which have been Lambda Literary Award winners, as was also her autobiography, The Indelible Alison Bechdel. She lives in Vermont.

Customer Reviews:

Funny, poignant and vividly real.......2004-05-14

This is the latest edition of Alsion's series of "cartoonoramas"(her phrase)following the lives and loves of a series of lesbians who live in a place that looks suspisciously like upsatate New York. The stories are evolutionary-as are lives and focus around "Mo", a woman who resembles Ms. Bechtel herself. Most imprtantly however, the series and this edition especially are laced with sharp wit and warm humor as well as the "zeitgeist' as the reviewer above noted.
When historians review our time 100 years from now, they will find these books and Doonesberry as primary sources.
Buy this book and-the whole series-and you will not regret it.

As always, Bechdel's got the Zeitgeist's pulse!.......2004-03-18

Watching a cartoonist mature over the course of a career can be a real joy, and that's certainly been my experience with Alison Bechdel's most recent "Dykes to Watch Out For" collection. To my mind, it's a real shame that her work isn't syndicated on the comics page of general-circulation newspapers. Calling her work only of interest to the GLBT community means that a lot of folks are missing out on her real-life characters, fascinating plot twists, deft artwork, and wry interpretation of current affairs.

This straightbag het housewife says, Alison forever!

FABULOUS!!!.......2004-01-21

Fun and wacky, as usual. I have her entire collection and can't wait for the next book. If any of you dykes out there want to find a storybook with strong Latino girl characters (could be dykes when they grow up) check out, DRUM, CHAVI, DRUM!/ TOCA, CHAVI, TOCA! Add this book to your Dykes to Watch out For collection or buy it for the children in your family. The feisty little girl isn't allowed to play Congas in the Miami Cuban Calle Ocho Festival because drumming is for boys! She struts her stuff and won't take "no" for an answer... i think this book is a first of its kind with an all Latino cast, written by a Cuban, illustrated by a Cuban and set in a Cuban community. Another super FUN book for all you lesbos out there!

Anyhow, I highly recommend the entire collection of DYKES...

Not just for dykes, feminists, and liberals!.......2003-11-08

Hilarious, true-to-life comic strips for any human, not just dykes or feminists or liberals: Clarice and Toni are trying to raise their six-year-old son and find their sex life again; Ginger's dog is nearing the end of her life; English lit professor Sydney does what she can to try to get tenure; Jezanna is struggling with her independent bookstore Madwimmin and with menopause and with her elderly father; and Mo wonders if her life shouldn't be more than clerking at a bookstore that could go out of business any day.

Go to your favorite indie bookstore, read a few panels, and try to not laugh too loud, then buy it.Or trust me and the editorial reviews and buy it here! Buy 'em all (this is #10, but there are good introductions so you don't have to read them in order). After you're done smirking and giggling, they'll give you plenty to think about. Alison Bechdel is a goddess.

Book Description

Award-winning novelist Ann Tatlock once again lovingly crafts a story that will touch readers' hearts while illuminating a powerful spiritual truth. I'll Watch the Moon is the story of Catherine Tierney, angry at a God whom she no longer believes exists, and her painful journey back to faith. It is also the story of her friendship with Josef Karski, who teaches her how to trust in God as he reveals his own story of surviving the horrors of Auschwitz. And finally, it is the story of Nova Tierney, Catherine's daughter, and the threads that bind their lives together. Ann Tatlock has skillfully and gracefully woven a tale you won't soon forget.

Customer Reviews:

Wow........2006-10-24

This is an incredible story of love and forgiveness. I will recommend this book to everyone I know! I can't remember the last time I read such a moving, touching story.

Great book!!.......2006-08-12

This was one of the best books I've read in a long time. From the first page, I couldn't put it down. It's excellently written and the characters are people I'll forever remember.

A breath of fresh air.......2005-05-27

I enjoyed this book so much! A warm story of family relationships and caring friends. I will recommend this book andthis author to all my reading friends.

Good message and well written........2004-09-02

I love this book and plan to give it (or at least recommend it) to all my friends and family members! When I picked it up at the library, I didn't really know anything about it. And I didn't even notice that it was from a specifically Christian publisher until I had finished reading it. (By the way, I think both Christians and Jews would appreciate this book, and likely those of other faiths as well. I'm guessing atheists will not care for it.)

The storyline was interesting, and the characters very believable. Tatlock has created very real and likeable people. I appreciated that even the most admirable of them had flaws, but that all the main characters had the desire to be good people.

Unlike many religiously oriented works, this one was touching without being sappy, and inspiring without being preachy. On a personal note, when I was reading this, I got some bad news about my mother's health, and felt very depressed. Yet as I continued reading the book, I felt my spirits lift and my sense of life's purpose return.

I will definitely seek out Tatlock's other novels!

Heartwarming and Realistic.......2004-01-27

Heartwarming book dealing with facing the disappointments in life. Deals with the following themes: support of friendship and family, the reality of tragedy in our lives. The characters come alive on the pages. Excellent, captivating and well written book. I can't wait to read other books by Ann Tatlock!

Average customer rating:

Hah.
Watch Your Mouth - Daniel Handler
far surpassed my expectations
at the turn of every page, the daniel handler grin smirks across my face
Thrilling Novel

Watch Your Mouth: A Novel
Daniel Handler
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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

ASIN: 006093817X
Release Date: 2002-02-19

Book Description

Tolstoy wrote that happy families are alike and that each unhappy family is unhappy in a different way. In Watch Your Mouth, Daniel Handler takes "different" to a whole new level....

Customer Reviews:

Hah........2007-02-23

Handler is so good at mastering voice. In this book, it's Joseph's. (In The Basic Eight, it was Flan's.) He flawlessly depicts incredibly interesting and unique characters, which is enough alone to make his books worth reading. Add his characteristic wit, and you've got an amazing novel, as is the case here.

Watch Your Mouth. Was this ever a strange and wonderful book. It had me both raising an eyebrow and laughing out loud many a time. It was sometimes a bit much - one gets a little tired of the narrator and his bizzare, strangely apt sexual metaphors after a while - but then the opera half ends and you're thrown into this crazy self-help book format, and the transition is odd enough that you forget about your weariness. Actually, I think that's pretty much true for the whole novel. It's so ... so weird, and so fresh, and so unique, and because of this, I loved it.

Watch Your Mouth - Daniel Handler.......2006-11-03

"Watch Your Mouth" is an operatic comedy about incest! So if you like weird books, this is right up your alley. I almost found it too weird, too strange, too absurd though. But you know what, I kept reading it. It was disturbing, but not disturbing enough to make me want to give up.

I thought it was confusing with all of the opera tie-in's/references, but I'm not a big fan of opera. Also, the ending was weak and rather predictable.

Character development was good though - I have an idea of what each character is like in my head. Despite it being rather short, it's not exactly a fast read - Handler is a little too wordy for me at times.

Actually, I didn't really enjoy it at all, but I definitely won't forget it. And despite not really liking it, I'm somewhat tempted to read more by Handler just to see what else he can think of!

far surpassed my expectations .......2006-10-23

Since reading The Basic Eight almost five years ago, I have been in awe of Daniel Handler's wit, way with words, and knack at making me laugh even when his characters are in the bleakest of situations. Even I had some doubts about Watch Your Mouth, though, and how he could take the subject of incest (something I was wary to read about, for some reason)and work it into a novel that could compare with the wonders that were his other works (The Basic Eight, Adverbs, A Series of Unfortunate Events).

After finishing this novel, my only regret is that I didn't pick it up sooner. I found myself on the verge of laughing aloud at work -- probably not the greatest thing to happen, especially since, with a Handler novel, you can't explain exactly why you're laughing. Reading this book was like being part of a delicious inside joke. The ways in which the author manages to mention a previous phrase or event in such an unexpected way kept me grinning from ear to ear as I turned each page.

All in all, I loved this book. The only thing that I found ever-so-slightly disappointing was the ending. The series of events seemed to dissolve into nothing...which, come to think of it, maybe have been the intent all along. I just would have liked a bit more closure, I suppose.

at the turn of every page, the daniel handler grin smirks across my face.......2006-08-07

if you've read any of handler's other books, you know what i mean when i say that at the turn of every page, the daniel handler grin smirks across my face. if you have not read any of handler's other books, you would not know what i mean when i say that and have probably already become bored with this review.

to throw you a proverbial bone, this man has mastered the sweet and sour of dark humor, and treats us once again with ridiculous characters in a real world, or real characters in a ridiculous world. if you can't stomach nonsense, or prefer books about happy people doing great things, ditch this book and burry this proverbial bone in your neighbor's proverbial backyard.

if this review were a fortune cookie, it would say: read the book (unless you are afraid of jewish voodoo, in which case, do not). your lucky numbers are 13, 7, 42, & 9.

Thrilling Novel.......2006-05-06

Daniel Handler is a talented writer. How else could he come up with a novel, which is written both in the form of an opera and then written like a self-help book? How can it be deeply erotic, funny, disturbing and scary at the same time? He is a genius that is how.

Watch Your Mouth tells the story of Joseph, a young college student, spending the summer at his girlfriend Cyn's parents' house outside Pittsburgh, while he and Cyn work at a day camp for young Jewish kids, Camp Shalom. The Glass family are a very odd bunch with Mimi, the mother, working for an opera house that's producing a series of anti-Semitic operas; Ben, the father, is a Orthopedic Surgeon recovering from a failure, that resulted in a patient's bone cracking in half; Stephen, Cyn's brother, who a science geek who works at Carnegie Mellon; Then there is, Cyn, the vixen herself who lured our hero into her strange family's house, so Joseph and Cyn could have sex all summer long. That part, Joseph was okay with. I have to credit Handler with writing openly about young lust and sex. He doesn't spare the details.

But Joseph stumbles on the family secret; actually it's not much of a secret because each family member rationalizes to Joseph, how having sex with a family member is okay. Cyn wants Ben, Ben wants Cyn, Stephen wants Cyn and Mimi wants Stephen. Then Joseph starts hearing sounds in the middle of the night and the Glass family has given into their-disturbing-fantasies.

With that, Watch Your Mouth, turns into a thrilling novel where the body count is high due to a wronged family member with a interest an Jewish Folklore (see: Golem) and Joseph is on the run for his life trying to recover from a horrifying summer that once looked so great.
Watch Your Mouth is a great book that can be confusing sometimes, because Joseph doesn't quite believe what's happening in front of his eyes. But Handler, known to the world as Lemony Snicket, is a truly talented author with a wicked wit and a taste for black humor.

Average customer rating:

Not impressed
Not only beautiful, but brilliant
Love it....
waste of trees
Easy adult read

Star: A Novel
Pamela Anderson
Manufacturer: Atria
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Adult Fiction | Erotica | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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

ASIN: 0743493729

Amazon.com

Who knew? Pamela Anderson's debut novel Star is funny, sexy, and utterly compelling--a must read for chick lit fans, subscribers to US Weekly, and anyone with an ounce of curiosity about Hollywood. Still not convinced? Here are three reasons to read Star: it offers a gossipy glimpse into the extravagant lives of the rich and shameless; it's funny--filled with laugh-out-loud memorable moments; and most surprising, it's got a lot of heart--don't be surprised if you find yourself falling for this sweet, naïve, and lovable heroine.

Anyone remotely familiar with Anderson's life will recognize the playfully disguised true story behind Star Wood Leigh's tale--how a tight t-shirt and a football game led to her appearance in Mann Magazine, an accidental audition landed her a spot on the home improvement send-up Hammer Time, and a show called Lifeguards, Inc confirmed her arrival on the Hollywood scene. Anderson's book is delightful--a playful blend of fact and fiction that's a treat to read. The sex kitten with a heart of gold may be a familiar story, but Star offers what even the best chick lit and romance novels cannot--authenticity. Star is a novelization of Pamela Anderson's life, and while it's debatable what's fact and what's fiction (you'll never look at the Hollywood sign the same way again), the point is that it all could have happened to her. Star ends with a bit of a romantic cliffhanger, but anxious readers shouldn't fret--Anderson is hard at work on Star's sequel, a "great exciting romance" featuring the face-licking, impish Jimi Deed. --Daphne Durham

Book Description

There was just something about her...

Like many twenty-one year olds, Star Wood Leigh works two jobs to make ends meet: the day shift at Talon's Nail and Tan Spa, and the night shift at Mother Pearl's Steak & Oyster Emporium. The archetypal tomboy at home in jeans and a T-shirt, Star is guileless but beguiling, a fresh-faced beauty who knows that too much of a good thing is wonderful. A loving daughter, a good friend, and a faithful girlfriend, this Florida native leads a full life with more than her share of sun and fun. And yet, she lives with a spider sense that something is missing.

It was her beloved grandfather, Papa Jens, who urged her to embrace all that life has to offer. Accepting this advice, Star is shocked to learn that an innocent evening at a football game can set off a chain of life-altering events. One minute she's cleaning the tanning beds at Talon's and the next she's being primped and prodded in preparation for the cover of a national magazine.

What a difference a day makes.

Playful, bawdy, and curl-your-toes-sexy, Star is a breathless romp through tinseltown and tabloids. An insider's look at the world of inflated egos and inflated bodies, Star goes well beyond the clichéd air-kisses and casting couches of Hollywood to show what really happens when A-list meets D-cup, when girl becomes goddess.

Download Description

"There was just something about her... Like many twenty-one year olds, Star Wood Leigh works two jobs to make ends meet: the day shift at Talon's Nail and Tan Spa, and the night shift at Mother Pearl's Steak & Oyster Emporium. The archetypal tomboy at home in jeans and a T-shirt, Star is guileless but beguiling, a fresh-faced beauty who knows that too much of a good thing is wonderful. A loving daughter, a good friend, and a faithful girlfriend, this Florida native leads a full life with more than her share of sun and fun. And yet, she lives with a spider sense that something is missing. It was her beloved grandfather, Papa Jens, who urged her to embrace all that life has to offer. Accepting this advice, Star is shocked to learn that an innocent evening at a football game can set off a chain of life-altering events. One minute she's cleaning the tanning beds at Talon's and the next she's being primped and prodded in preparation for the cover of a national magazine. What a difference a day makes. Playful, bawdy, and curl-your-toes-sexy, Star is a breathless romp through tinseltown and tabloids. An insider's look at the world of inflated egos and inflated bodies, Star goes well beyond the cliched air-kisses and casting couches of Hollywood to show what really happens when A-list meets D-cup, when girl becomes goddess. "

Customer Reviews:

Not impressed.......2007-06-02

Though this book dishes some dirt, it was poorly written. Just a vapid look at Pam's life. I had a hard time finishing it. I don't think I'll read the sequel.

Not only beautiful, but brilliant.......2007-01-20

If your a Pamela Anderson fan or if your just looking for a good read, buy this book. It's a steamy and interesting autobiography.

Love it...........2007-01-11

I really enjoyed this book. I'm not really a reader but I couldn't seem to put this book down. For you Pam Anderson fans, you'll love it!

waste of trees.......2007-01-06

I thought that maybe, just maybe, Ms. Anderson would show some hidden literary talent. After all, the book actually got published and there was some hype about it, but I guess I was completely wrong. If an unknown person had submitted this to a publishing house, it would have never gone to press. This may not be the worst book I ever read, but it definitely rates right up there.

Easy adult read.......2006-08-21

I didn't know what to expect when I purchased this book. I found it to be a light, easy read. Perfect for summer time reading. I thought it was so funny to see the similarities between Star and Pam, and see how the names and places were disguised. I thought it ended rather abruptly, until I realized there was a second book out. I will definitely purchase that one as well. As for some of the graphic scenes? No worse than any of the other trashy novels out there, or most of the 'R' rated movies out nowadays. At least she wasn't trying to hide where she came from.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books