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Book reviews for "Blakney,_Raymond_D." sorted by average review score:

A Change Called Death
Published in Paperback by Press-Tige Pub Inc (01 January, 2000)
Author: Raymond M. Fraser
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What A Great Story Line
I sat down to "start" reading A Change Called Death and simply could not put it down. I finally finished it at about 2:30 in the morning. The ending kind of freaked me out because I didn't expect it. Even though I was tired, I couldn't get to sleep right away wondering if it were really possible. If you like a good suspense book, read this one, but don't tell your friends the ending.

You Have Got To Read It To Believe It!
This is simply a neat book. I found myself feeling like a part of the story line, and of course, who wouldn't want to meet Sean Thomas. As a rule, I don't go in for metaphysical mysteries, but this book has caused me to rethink that position. Please, Mr. Fraser, may I have more?

'A Change Called Death'
What a thriller. I couldn't put the book down. I usually read a book over a week or two, but not this one. It is one of the few books that I carried with me until I finished it. It is absolutley 'must' reading for anyone who likes to read while sitting on the edge of their seat. I say......READ IT!


The last lion, Winston Spencer Churchill : visions of glory, 1874-1932
Published in Hardcover by Michael Joseph (1983)
Author: William Raymond Manchester
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Magisterial
William Manchester's first Churchill volume is one of those books that makes you just love to read.

This clearly isn't a book for all those who are fascinated by the mediocre and skeptical of the possibilities for true greatness. This is an unreconstructed and unapologetic look at a leader whose instincts often cut against the grain of the 20th century, but who would emerge as one of the great heroes of it, just when extraordinary leadership was needed the most.

Manchester is the rare gifted writer who has mastered the biographical craft as well as the sweeping narrative needed to succinctly encapsulate the mores and habits of an entire nation at a particular moment in time. He does this brilliantly in his introduction, about one hundred pages long, which sets the stage with a lavish description of Victorian England. This is one of the best parts of the book.

Early on, it is clear that the ambitious young Winston is headed for big things. This wasn't only because he came from one of Britain's most prominent families -- his father rose to become the second most powerful man in the government, and his mother was romantically linked to the Prince of Wales. Despite this, Manchester convinces us, successfully, that Churchill was the best of his generation, that he would have risen even from less auspicious circumstances (admittedly, this interpretation has its limits, since entire social classes were excluded from Parliament at the time).

Churchill made his career as a political maverick, changing parties not once, but twice, consistently taking positions that brought him close to political death. Yet Churchill survived -- and what's more, he turned out to be one of the most enduring political presences any democracy has ever seen. What is striking about Churchill's career is that it didn't simply culminate in 1940 after a plodding journey up the political ladder. No -- Churchill had first been elected to Parliament forty years earlier, and he rose quickly within a few years of his election. But then his career plateaud for about a quarter of a century. Here you had a man who was considered a future Prime Minister at age 30, who was in a position to be considered the heir apparent in governments of two different parties at various points from World War I until the late 1920s, and yet didn't take the next step. What happened?

The Great War and its aftermath, more than anything, foreordained Churchill's postponed "rendezvous with destiny." It was here where Churchill was the most out of step with prevailing political attitudes. Churchill held close to his heart a heroic vision of Britain, and believed deeply in the nobility of a war fought for a just cause. He also believed in the Empire, and did not think that Britain should relinquish what was already hers, even in a time of relative decline vis a vis the United States. Where most saw senseless slaughter in the trenches of France, he saw selfless heroism, a nation at its best.

The nation, or at least the political classes, did not agree with this interpretation. In a time that Walter Lippman proclaimed was "tired of greatness" and where the great fear was that Britain had overextended herself, Churchill defended greatness and Empire. In his view, strength in the service of democracy, and not blind disarmament, would prevent future wars. This view, ascendant in World War II, and in many ways, ascendant again in America today, was seen as discredited at the time, and Churchill in the 1920's repeatedly butted heads with a Conservative leadership over disarmament and withdrawal from India. The trend was so strong in the other direction that Churchill was effectively cast out of his party by the end of the 20's, and looked destined to repeat the fate of his iconoclastic father, who was cast permanently out into the political wilderness for his own apostasies.

But with this son, there would always be a second act.

Volume 2 of the life of Winston Spencer Churchill
"The Last Lion: Alone, 1932-1940," the second of William Manchester's projected three-volume biography of Winston Spencer Churchill, continues telling the story of the life of the 20th century's greatest statesman. This volume covers the eight-year period from the beginning of Churchill's longest period in the political "wilderness," to his rise to power as Prime Minister of Great Britain at the beginning of World War II. I think this book is even better than the first volume, "The Last Lion: Visions of Glory, 1874-1932." Manchester contends that the inter-war years, and not his years as Prime Minister, were Churchill's personal "finest hour." Politically ostracized by two successive Prime Ministers - Stanley Baldwin and Neville Chamberlain, the main architects of Britain's policy of appeasing Nazi Germany - Churchill was one of only a handful of men in Britain to speak out in favor of increased military preparedness as a means of countering the growing Nazi threat in Europe. Only when it became obvious in the late 1930s that the appeasement of Hitler had failed, did the British nation turn to the one man who had consistently advocated standing up to the Nazi dictator: Winston Spencer Churchill

As he did in the first volume of Churchill's life, Manchester provides an insightful historical overview of the times in which Churchill lived. Especially fascinating to me was the account of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's 1938 trip to Munich, where the most infamous act of appeasing Hitler - the sellout of Czechoslovakia - took place, and where Chamberlain believed he had achieved "peace in our times."

"The Last Lion: Alone, 1932-1940" once again clearly demonstrates why William Manchester is one of the pre-eminent biographers at work today. The book is written with obviously meticulous scholarship, insightful analysis, and crisp, sparkling prose; I have yet to find a better account of Churchill's life. Now, if only Mr. Manchester would give us that third volume . . .

A triumph of writing
This, the second (and apparently final) volume of William Manchester's projected biographical trilogy of Sir Winston Churchill, is a triumph of writing style. It will be read for centuries to come, like Boswell's life of Samuel Johnson, as an example of what the English language can be at its best. A biographer of Churchill faces a terrific challenge. He or she has to be able to write, if not as well, at least almost as well as Churchill himself. After a lifetime of journalism and historical writing, Manchester was able to finish this book, the dramatic story of how Churchill came together with the nation that had rejected him. Together, these two forces, Churchill and the British nation - and Manchester correctly personalizes them both, sees them both as equal characters in a dramatic story - forged a partnership to fight Hitler and save the world from disaster.

It would probably be a lot easier for all of us if we all knew what it is like to have courage. I am writing this review at a time when we Americans, and the people of the world, are being called upon to have quite a lot of it. Apparently, the universe is built in such a way that we human beings must try to be courageous whether we want to be so or not. The true reason of history, and of historical books like this one, is to hold a mirror up to courage and the other human virtues, to show us what these virtues are like so that we must follow them if we are able to do so. Like Thucydides said, happiness comes from being free, and freedom comes from being courageous.

It is too bad that this is where Manchester's great biography of Churchill must end, but he has brought the story to its climax. The work of people like Manchester is an inspiration to other writers, and perhaps some other historian will appear some day to finish the work begun and broken off here.


The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, Alone 1932-1940
Published in Hardcover by Little Brown & Company (October, 1988)
Author: William Raymond Manchester
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Freedom's Greatest Defender, Hitler's Greatest Enemy!
Most people today know Winston Churchill at the great British Prime Minister of WWII. But Churchill was 65 when he became Prime Minister and had a public career spanning more than forty years. In this excellent book which is part biography, part history, William Manchester focuses on the period of 1932-1940 when Churchill was out of power, an outcast in his own party and universally derided as a warmongering relic. Churchill referred to these years as his "wilderness years" and they are among the most fascinating of his life because the years of Churchill's political exile coincide with the rise of Hitler and the growth of Germany from defeated power to world menace. Indeed, as Manchester chronicles, Churchill's return from the wilderness was intimately connected to the rise of Hitler because Churchill's relentless public opposition to Hitlerism and British policy towards Germany throughout the thirties is what led to his continuing exile while this same stalwartness preserved him from the mark of shame that infected the rest of the British elite when the policy of appeasement collapsed in 1939.

Manchester has an unrestrained admiration for Churchill. Nevertheless, at no time in this volume does he overlook Churchill's many faults of personality. Many of these faults become clear when Manchester examines Churchill's personal life at his Chartwell estate and his relationship with his family and the servants and secretary's who worked for him. Despite these faults, however, the Churchill of this book comes across as a man touched with greatness and who is well aware of it. But this book is not merely the story of Churchill but the story of the small shabby men whose policy of appeasement in the face of absolute evil laid England low. Most of the government during the thirties fits this bill but in particular Manchester singles out the three prime ministers, Ramsey McDonald, Stanley Baldwin and Neville Chamberlain and Chamberlain's foreign minister Lord Halifax.. The author's contempt for these "Men of Munich" drips on virtually every page. He contrasts their fecklessness with Churchill's steadiness. Certainly Churchill recognized from day one that Germany had been overtaken by a deranged criminal regime and that such a regime would necessarily threaten the peace of the world. The Men of Munich just could not see it. Churchill believed, without once wavering, that a foreign policy built on strength and deterrence could prevent war but that a policy of appeasement could only guarantee it. The Men of Munich believed quite the opposite. Manchester shows the motivation of the appeasers to be more complex than commonly understood. Nevertheless, since, to their mind, no rational human being could want war, any dispute with Germany could be resolved through diplomacy and negotiation. It never occurred to the Churchill's foes that Hitler was no rational human being but rather quite mad or that they were not "negotiating" with him so much as giving in and retreating.

A review of the events of the thirties shows a steady British retreat beginning with the failure to stop the re-occupation of the Rhineland then the failure to halt the annexation of Austria, the infamous betrayal of Czechoslovakia at Munich and finally the failure to prevent the final conquest of Czechoslovakia. Indeed, even after the invasion of Poland and declaration of War, Britain and France held back from aiding the Poles for fear Hitler would "turn west". Not until Churchill returned to power, nearly a year after the start of the war and days before the capitulation of France did the policy of appeasement truly end.

Even without the benefit of hindsight, the policy of the British government during this period defies belief. Churchill stands as starkly in contrast to these appeasers as he does to the criminal Hitler. Churchill's wilderness years contain important lessons for today's policy-makers. Appeasement of evil is not only wrong but foolish. It never preserves peace but only guarantee's war. Manchester is a great writer. His prose is lively and his storytelling ability is excellent. All lovers of history will adore this book. I highly recommend it. What a pity that there will never be a third volume chronicling the war and post war years of Churchill's 90 year life.

Simply the best Churchill biography.
This, the second volume of Manchester's Churchill biography, continues the extraordinary story of the British prime minister up to 1940. And as with the first volume, it is incredible reading, perhaps the best biography written about anyone. Manchester's gift as a writer is absolutely astounding. One feels there is nothing he does not know about his subject or the subject's time. Particularly interesting are the quotes he includes, which when I first read them I had to resist framing for my library wall. And almost as interesting as Churchill are the myriad individuals who surrounded him, exhumed here by Manchester for a final and proper setting of the record. Ultimately, we come to Churchill's greatest contemporaries, Chamberlain, Roosevelt, Stalin, and Hitler, and are drawn with such expertise into the relationships that we are left wondering how it will all turn out. But of course we do know, and it is with growing dismay and sadness that we let Manchester take us to the end of the book, with the detailed recounting of the terrible stumbling of the West's leaders toward WWII and the end of an era. Of course, this is the beginning of Churchll's greatest challenge, to be continued in the as yet unpublished third volume, but we still feel regret for having lost to time such an able and important man. With the last page, our respect for him has us near tears with the knowledge that the world, more than ever, needs more Churchills and will not have them.

A chronicle of courage
William Manchester's first Churchill volume covers the first fifty eight years of Winston's life. His second, "Alone," covers just eight. Assuming that there will be a third, it will cover the final quarter century, including most of World War II and Churchill's two spells as Prime Minister. To the elementary observer, these divisions seem somewhat out of sorts.

It's only by reading that middle volume that we understand just how critical those eight years were. Above all, "Alone" is a morality play -- the best one I know -- about what happens when democracies fail to confront aggression. At no other time in the 20th Century were so many people so wrong about a matter as grave as the Nazi buildup in the 1930s. Only Winston Churchill and a few of his cohorts disagreed at the time.

Early in the book, Manchester briefly lays out a powerful case for Britain's aversion to confronting Germany. Britain sensed the unfairness of the Versailles "diktat," and reacted strongly against it. To a great degree, London was fed up with France's insolence after the war, both in its lust for revenge against Germany, and in the flaccid disillusionment of Paris intellectuals. At the same time, Great Britain was a nation cornered by two bloodthirsty wolves -- Nazism and Bolshevism. In order to defeat the other, one would have to be appeased. Being a country dominated by aristocrats, Britain chose to enlist Hitler as a bulwark against Communism. In doing so, they ignored the basic fact of geopolitical proximity: only Germany, abutting France and a few hundred miles away from Britain's shores, had the capacity to strike at the West. Britain's aristocrats bet wrong, and Churchill, ever the "traitor to his class" immediately recognized it.

Churchill's story also holds valuable lessons for us today. By nature, Churchill was naturally aggressive, and as such, Manchester writes that he saw exactly what Hitler was up to. Pacifists often distrust such assertiveness, even in a democracy. In fact, assertiveness in defense of democratic values is almost always the right foreign policy. One can have assertiveness for good, or assertiveness for evil, and one must choose it for good. In this way, Churchill's "black and white" Manichean worldview has truly stood the test of time.


Dead Again (Beauford Sloan Mystery)
Published in Paperback by McKenna Publishing Group (01 August, 2002)
Author: Raymond Austin
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DEAD AGAIN A WINNER FOR AUSTIN
I picked up Austin's first book The Eagle Heist this summer. I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. It sounded a lot like a Spencer novel, and he's PI is not one of my favorite. I was very surprised when I finished the book in about three days. I've been waiting for Dead Again his next book every since,but I have only just picked it up. It petty much picks up right where the Eagle Heist and Beauford Sloan left off in the first novel.
I think the characters are what makes the books so good. Austin has created a very real bunch,Beauford is very real. Austin's writing is excellant and the pace of the books is good, it just flies. I was hooke in both books from the first page. It never drags like some do in the middle. All over all this is one good read!I'm already waiting for Austin's next, there has to be one?

Dead Again a Winner for Austin
Raymond Austin main character Beauford Sloan is intelligent and Fun. You lose yourself in this book, as I did in his first The "Eagle Heist". This one is a strong contender for Austin's best, interesting characters you care about, fast action, edge of your seat page turner. All cliches, I know, but all true in this case.

A WINNWE BY AUSTIN. "DEAD AGAIN"
I meet this author Raymond Austin while he lectured on a recent cruise. I knew of his work as a television director and found his lecture very interesting and in lighting. I have now read both his books. "Dead again," is a wonderful book two in the Beauford Sloan series for those of us who love a good mystery and hate all the sex and violence that is put into the books for NO REASON. He had a little sex in number one "The eagle heist," but petite. "Dead again," like the first will have you on the edge of your seat and make you feel like you really know the characters. A great mystery, ideal for a stormy night. Why Austin never took to the pen before I know not.


An Introduction to the New Testament (Anchor Bible Reference Library)
Published in Hardcover by Doubleday (01 October, 1997)
Author: Raymond Edward Brown
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A must-have for everyone interested in the New Testament
A thorough and scholarly examination of the New Testament which is entirely accessable to the lay reader. Father Brown lucidly sets forth the social, religious, political and historical context of each book without losing sight of the essential Christian message. His approach is an intellectually-challenging counterbalance to the work of the "Jesus Seminar"; he expounds on the development of each New Testament book without challenging its essential, spiritual veracity. Well done, indeed.

Keep Your Bible Handy
The most important thing to say about this book is that you will want to (infact, you will NEED to) read the New Testament to fully understand much of its content. This is not a bad thing: Brown's intent was that you actually sit down and read the bilblical texts, preferably before delving into his commentary! His format is extremely no-nonsense (his frequent abbreviation may infact be the only off-putting aspect of the book), and the "Issues and Concerns" at the end of each chapter encourage dialogue and critical thinking. I have already read many books by other popular religious authors (J.D. Crossan, John Shelby Spong, Elaine Pagels, etc), and was happy to finally get around to Fr. Brown. I am looking forward to reading his other books.

Excellent introduction, great scholar
The late Raymond E. Brown was a tremendous scholar and a devout Christian. In all he did, Father Brown carefully applied the tools of critical scholarship while never apologizing for his faith. In a scholastic battlefield too often dominated by extremists on the left and the right, Father Brown was a breath of fresh air who drew fire from both sides.

This Introduction first provides helpful background information about the formation of the New Testament and the social and political world that produced it. Father Brown then carefully analyzes each book of the New Testament with consideration for issues such as who the author was, where the book was written, and who the author's initial audience was. More importantly, each book is then carefully analyzed in light of this information for the meaning it conveyed in the social and historical context in which it was written.

As another reviewer has said, you can't read this book beneficially without also reading the New Testament. But for searching, inquisitive readers who are willng to put in that effort, this book provides a truly informative, intellectually honest introduction to the greatest story ever told.


Mysterious Island
Published in Paperback by Airmont Pub Co (June, 1977)
Authors: Jules Verne and Raymond R. Canon
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Adventure Unlimited

Mention Jules Verne, and books that spring to mind are 20,000 Leagues, Around the World in 80 days, and Journey to the Center of the Earth. The Mysterious Island is one of his lesser known works, which is something of a mystery itself.

The book surpasses one's imagination and never fails to surprise. From the initial pages when Capt. Cyrus Harding and his friends decide to escape from a prison camp, the story seizes the complete attention of the reader, and unfolds at a pace and in a direction excelling Jules Verne's characteristic stories. The spirit and ingenuity of man is demonstrated in almost every page, as Cyrus and Co. find themselves marooned on a deserted island, and armed with only their wits, transform their desperate situation into a wonder world of science and technology. The reader is drawn into the adventure and finds himself trying to find solutions to the problems and obstacles that lie in plenty for the castaways, as Cyrus and his indomitable friends surmount myriad problems in their fight for survival. They are aided in their ventures by an uncanny and eerie source that remains a mystery until the very end.

This book cannot fail to fascinate and inspire awe in the mind of any reader. One begins to grasp the marvels and inventive genius behind the simple daily conveniences and devices that are normally taken for granted. The line between reality and fantasy is incredibly thin, and for sheer reading pleasure and boundless adventure, this book will never cease to please.

PS: The book has been adapted into a movie, which is one of the worst adaptations of any novel that I have ever had the misfortune of viewing. It is criminal to even mention the movie and the original work in the same breath.

Remember MacGyver?
How he used to make an engine run with duct tape and a shoe string, or make a bomb from bleach and a rusty nail?

He kept coming to mind as I was reading this incredible book, as the characters, stranded on an island with absolutely nothing, accomplished such amazing feats as draining a lake, making a home, building a ship, making an elevator, and a great many other things. There is excitement, suspense (what IS going on on this mysterious island??), and wonderful, likeable characters. Not a real well-known Verne book, but fortunately still in print, and one of his best and most entertaining.

(Incidentally, if you want a children's version of the same story, try to find "A Long Vacation" by Jules Verne, which is extremely similar in plot, but with younger characters and for a younger audience - very charming!)

By the way, please do read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea first, if you have not already done so. Evidently, Verne assumed that everyone had when he wrote this novel.

Great reading!

Is Mysterious Island Verne's best novel?
Many of Verne's novels have become cultural icons for Americans though Verne was French and we read him in translation. Nevertheless, his philosophy that enlightened good will and scientific advancement would save society is so close to American idealism, he seems much more American than almost any of his contemporaries.

Everyone is familiar with Around the World in 80 Days and 20,000 Leagues. For some reason, The Mysterious Island is not read as widely. Yet, in my opinion, it is Verne's best and most rewarding novel.

The opening of Myserious Island reads a bit like a serious version of "Wizard of Oz." Cyrus, Pencroft, Herbert, and Gideon, and a dog named Neb make a daring escape from a Civil War prison in a balloon, but the balloon is blown way off course to an uncharted volcanic island. These men are worthy souls; Captain Cyrus is an inspiring leader, Pencroft, an earthy but hardworking sailor. Gideon is kind of a "everyman" -- observant, strong and resourceful and loving, and Herbert a young, knowlegeable naturalist. These men and their dog Neb conquer the island's challenges and make the very best out of their isolation on the small island. But are they prepared for the surprises the island has for them--and the ultimate surprise in the second half of the book. The suspense keeps the reader turning the pages through a great deal of descriptive information about nature, chemistry, physics and engineering. This is classic Verne and what really put the Science in Science Fiction.

One reason Mysterious Island may not have developed the strong audience of the other Verne novels is that there is so much detail and scientific discussion. That is rough going if you have little interest in such subjects. There are abridged versions that cut a lot of the description, but frankly, the science is what I love best about the book. How Cyrus and company make nitroglycerin and use it to reshape their island home is one of my favorite chapters in sci-fi literature.

If you liked Swiss Family Robinson as a child, you would surely enjoy Mysterious Island. It's one of Verne's best works and deserves to be read.


Magician
Published in Paperback by Spectra (December, 1993)
Author: Raymond E. Feist
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a CLASSIC you just gotta have!
Fiest's Series of sci-fi books are the best thing that anyone has ever written. Everytime I go to the bookstore i search for new novels out. Fiest brought to life the characters in his book and made them seem real. The plot dragged you inside and made it seem as if you were really involved in the happenings. You feel the pain, the agony, the excitement, and the rush. You feel like your the main character and you have the power of a magician. Fiest truly is a superior writer. I have been addicted to his works for many years and strive to feel that same feeling flowing inside me when I read and re-read his riftwar saga. I truly felt I was involved in his books for even I have caught myself speaking as if I was Pug myself on top of the stadium preparing to use the magic that I have been taught. A truly excellent most have book to read.

A Marvelous Book ! worth buying!
I must say that this book is the first fantasy genre novel I have ever read.Its language structures and words are simple to understand.The story is awesome and I totally hooked to it for weeks as the story of the characters were so lively and real....Pug ,Tomas and Carline many more.I salute Raymond E. feist for his creativity and I am going to be his fan for a long time and going to collect all the Ritfwar novels. Is there any big difference between the two part series of Magician and the single one? The one I just finished reading was the reviewed edition published in 1997 and some 16000 words were ommited. :)

Remarkable Book
Magician (Especially Feist's preferred addition) is a masterpiece of fantasy. The characters, plots and rich descriptions of Midkemia draw the reader in from page one, and never lets you go until the end, no matter how many times you read it. With this book and with the ones that followed, Feist places himself in the elite group of fantasy/sci-fi writer's whose works are nothing short of masterpieces. Buy it and read it, you won't be disappointed.


Student's Vegetarian Cookbook: Quick, Easy, Cheap, and Tasty Vegetarian Recipes
Published in Paperback by Prima Publishing (July, 1997)
Author: Carole Raymond
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Simple and very useful
I have turned to this cookbook many times for easy recipes and tips on some of the basics (how to roast a pepper?) Not all of the recipes were equally satisfying -- but I guess that's true of almost any cookbook, so the point is that some of these recipes really didn't really work for me. In particular, some of the tofu recipes disappointed me. But overall I like the book and would recommend it to people who need help with the basics of vegetarian cooking.

good book
I bought this book over a year ago when my husband & I started eating healthier. We avoid dairy now & most of the recipes that call for milk specify that soy milk can be substituted. (Recipes that call for cheese I automatically sub soy or rice cheese.)

All of the recipes are extremely simple. The ingredients lists are usually very short & the entire book is very practical. If you're learning to cook (or if the idea of heading into a kitchen scares you) this is the book for you.

Here are the sections with some examples of recipes:

Breakfast (french toast, vegan pancakes, scrambled tofu, rice pudding)

Dips & Spreads (salsa-excellent! hummus, guacamole, tahini)

Soups & Stews (miso-happy soup, minestrone, split pea, kale & potato, Moroccan stew)

Salads & Dressings (fruit salad, apple raisin couscous, marinated vegetables, avocado & pear salad)

Sandwiches, wraps & pizza (falafel, crostini with a bean & a green, black bean & yam quesadilla, tacos monterey, pita pizza crust, farmhouse vegetable pizza)

Bean meals (chipotle black bean chili, dal, marinated tempeh)

Grain meals (spontaneous couscous, polenta with black beans, Indian rice, Sicilian rice)

Pasta (with zucchini & basil, with green beans & feta, primavera, spaghetti pancake, peanut pasta)

Vegetables, Stir frys & potatoes (artichoke feast, gingered Chinese green stir fry, Pad Thai, colcannon, scalloped potatoes vegan style)

Desserts & quick breads (dark chocolate pudding, baked apples, baked bananas, banana bread)

There's also a section on coffee drinks-like cafe au lait.

EXCELLENT BOOK--CHANGED MY LIFE!
Yes, this book has changed my life--I've gone from being a glamour girl, living the life of a starlet ("What? Me? Cook?! Yeah right!!!") To becoming a gourmet chef overnight. My family and friends are astounded--they are still trying to regain their speech after tasting my delectable Blueberry, Chocolate and Banana Nut cakes! Who KNEW? I now cook for myself every day and I have never eaten such delicious food. The title is misleading--it should be "Unleashing the Gourmet Cook Within." I am not a student, but a vegetarian girly girl who really had given up all hopes of ever learning how to cook. Everything I'd ever attempted making before this was not suitable for my dog even--until now...I am a Master Chef! The recipes are delicious and simple and the ingredients are all simple to find and inexpensive! I no longer eat out all the time and the change has made my eating habits and lifestyle that much healthier for it. Why grab a can of soup or a frozen food when you can dine on sumptuous delicious warm meals and desserts that you can make from scratch in minutes from whole/wholesome fresh ingredients? Amazing! I use this book daily and there's enough variety to never get bored...a little something for everyone. This is truly cooking's best kept secret.....shhhhh!!!


The Eagle Heist
Published in Audio CD by Blackstone Audiobooks (July, 2002)
Author: Raymond Austin
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Good Book
This book was excellent! You are at the end of your seat the whole way through. I could not put it down and now I am waiting paitently for the 2nd book to come out. I can't wait to buy it!

A Super Read
This Review lead me to Raymond Austin. (It is right it is.)

BOOKLIST AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION Fans of the classic British television series The Avengers and The Saint may recognize the author',s name: as Ray Austin, he directed episodes-of-those serve; as well as many other British and American shows, This is his first novel, and it's ideally suited for the small screen. An armored car is hijacked, seemingly snatched out of thin air, and Virginia's Beauford Sloan, retired-cop-turned-private-detective, is hired to find out whodunit. Sloan, who closely resembles the actor Wilford Brimley, is a remarkably likable character. (The resemblance is no coincidence: Brimley and the author are friends, and Brimley has expressed his desire to play the detective in the anticipated television movie based on the novel. He has also written an introduction to the book.) In fact, everything about the novel is remarkably likable; perhaps because he spent decades in the world of moving pictures, Austin knows how to create detailed characters, dialogue that is both memorable and realistic, and an exciting plot. An excellent debut and a real find.

David Pitt

A Must Read!
I was totally captivated right from the start how the incredible "Eagle Heist" went down. You'll have to read to know what I mean! This book was fabulous! Right until the end I could not figure out who masterminded this incredible heist. Raymond Austin does an amazing job of creating a visual masterpiece in his first book. It must be made into a movie! I'm looking forward to the next in his series, "Dead Again."


The Glory and the Dream: A Narrative History of America, 1932-1972
Published in Hardcover by Little Brown & Company (October, 1974)
Author: William Raymond Manchester
Amazon base price: $35.00
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A Real Glory and A Real Dream
The Glory and the Dream

William Manchester's The Glory and the Dream, paints
a vivid and detailed picture of America from 1932 to
1972. It begins at the height of the Great Depression,
and tells of the New Deal, the events leading to
America's entry into World War II, the prosperity of
the late 40s and 50s, and the militancy of the 60s and
early 70s. The book ends with the growing distrust of
the nation surrounding the Watergate scandal. In his
decription of these forty years, before and after
World War II, Manchester shows how America has reveled
in its glory as the most powerful nation in the world,
yet continues to dream for new heights of power. The
Glory and the Dream is an excellent book, because the
author is able to make many of the characters and
emotions of the time come to life, in his detailed and
engaging style. However, I personally believe that the
author treats some of major figures of the time too
harshly.
Manchester is able to make his characters come to
life through effective use of quotes and actions,
which describe the feelings and concerns those people
had. The desperation and general sadness of the Great
Depression is shown in the lyrics of a song by Rudy
Valee.
They used to tell me I was building a dream
And so I followed the mob.
When there was earth to plough or guns to bear
I was always there right on the job

Once I built a railroad, made it run
made it race against time.
Once I built a railroad, now it's done.
Brother, can you spare a dime?
At that same period, the shame of Americans is shown
in this observation from the Governor's mansion in
Albany at a time Franklin Roosevelt was still
governor, "Professor Rexford Tugwell of Columbia, a
house guest, was summoned to the master bedroom, where
his host lay surrounded by clouds of newsprint. As
Tugwell entered, Governor Roosevelt covered
photographs of the violence against the Bonus Army by
the American army with his hands, as though in shame
for his country."
The author shows that at the same time the American
people felt shame and sadness, there was also a
growing sense of resolve that something should be done
to alleviate the poverty that many Americans were
facing. A quote full of this growing resolve and
determination comes from Franklin Roosevelt address to
the Democratic Convention in 1932 in which he accepts
the party's nomination for President. "I pledge you, I
pledge myself, to a New Deal for the American people."
A quote of Franklin Roosevelt that helps to illustrate
his character and the general feeling of the time come
from his conversation with Tugwell. "'There is
nothing inside that man but jelly,' Roosevelt said
angrily. 'Maybe there never was anything else. Why
didn't Hoover offer the men coffee and sandwiches,
instead of turning Pat Hurley and Doug MacArthur
loose?" This illustrates the generosity of Roosevelt's
spirit in contrast to the rudeness and inattentivenss
of his opponents in the Republican party.
In its 1302 pages, this offers an in-depth portrait
of America at that period. Its lively details and
examples with use of many quotes, strong verbs and
adjectives make you feel as if you were suffering
through the Great Depression, prospering through the
New Deal, fighting through World War II and reliving
the Vietnam war. Unfortunately this lengthy book could
intimidate some. However by splitting the reading into
decades, one may avoid the frustration of reading such
a dense and interminable book at once.
My one reservation lies in Manchester's condemnation
of leaders I believe benefited America, even though
they made some very grave mistakes. His views on
President Lyndon Johnson, for his decision to escalate
the Vietnam war, and for the questionable legality of
the Gulf of Tongkin resolution are concerning. Lyndon
Johnson did escalate the war to far, but his support
of the Civil Rights Movement overshadows in my opinion
his extreme hawkishness towards Vietnam. Without his
support, America would be a very different repressive
place towards race.
The Glory and the Dream is a work of popular history
at its best as it makes history accessible to all. You
can understand and enjoy this book without being a
scholar or a historian. It also covers an important
period of history which is still relevant to our
political, economic, and cultural present. Therefore
in reading this book you widen your understanding of
current events.

Manchester's Glory and Dream
The Glory and the Dream

William Manchester's The Glory and the Dream, paints a vivid and detailed picture of America from 1932 to 1972. It begins at the height of the Great Depression, and tells of the New Deal, the events leading to America's entry into World War II, the prosperity of the late 40s and 50s, and the militancy of the 60s and early 70s. The book ends with the growing distrust of the nation surrounding the Watergate scandal. In his decription of these forty years, before and after World War II, Manchester shows how America has reveled in its glory as the most powerful nation in the world, yet continues to dream for new heights of power. The Glory and the Dream is an excellent book, because the author is able to make many of the characters and emotions of the time come to life, in his detailed and engaging style. However, I personally believe that the author treats some of major figures of the time too harshly.
Manchester is able to make his characters come to life through effective use of quotes and actions, which describe the feelings and concerns those people had. The desperation and general sadness of the Great Depression is shown in the lyrics of a song by Rudy Valee.
They used to tell me I was building a dream
And so I followed the mob.
When there was earth to plough or guns to bear
I was always there right on the job

Once I built a railroad, made it run
made it race against time.
Once I built a railroad, now it's done.
Brother, can you spare a dime?
At that same period, the shame of Americans is shown in this observation from the Governor's mansion in Albany at a time Franklin Roosevelt was still governor, "Professor Rexford Tugwell of Columbia, a house guest, was summoned to the master bedroom, where his host lay surrounded by clouds of newsprint. As Tugwell entered, Governor Roosevelt covered photographs of the violence against the Bonus Army by the American army with his hands, as though in shame for his country."
The author shows that at the same time the American people felt shame and sadness, there was also a growing sense of resolve that something should be done to alleviate the poverty that many Americans were facing. A quote full of this growing resolve and determination comes from Franklin Roosevelt address to the Democratic Convention in 1932 in which he accepts the party's nomination for President. "I pledge you, I pledge myself, to a New Deal for the American people." A quote of Franklin Roosevelt that helps to illustrate his character and the general feeling of the time come from his conversation with Tugwell. "'There is nothing inside that man but jelly,' Roosevelt said angrily. 'Maybe there never was anything else. Why didn't Hoover offer the men coffee and sandwiches, instead of turning Pat Hurley and Doug MacArthur loose?" This illustrates the generosity of Roosevelt's spirit in contrast to the rudeness and inattentivenss of his opponents in the Republican party.
In its 1302 pages, this offers an in-depth portrait of America at that period. Its lively details and examples with use of many quotes, strong verbs and adjectives make you feel as if you were suffering through the Great Depression, prospering through the New Deal, fighting through World War II and reliving the Vietnam war. Unfortunately this lengthy book could intimidate some. However by splitting the reading into decades, one may avoid the frustration of reading such a dense and interminable book at once.
My one reservation lies in Manchester's condemnation of leaders I believe benefited America, even though they made some very grave mistakes. His views on President Lyndon Johnson, for his decision to escalate the Vietnam war, and for the questionable legality of the Gulf of Tongkin resolution are concerning. Lyndon Johnson did escalate the war to far, but his support of the Civil Rights Movement overshadows in my opinion his extreme hawkishness towards Vietnam. Without his support, America would be a very different repressive place towards race.
The Glory and the Dream is a work of popular history at its best as it makes history accessible to all. You can understand and enjoy this book without being a scholar or a historian. It also covers an important period of history which is still relevant to our political, economic, and cultural present. Therefore in reading this book you widen your understanding of current events.

Absolutely Superb History of Modern 20th Century America!
Anyone fortunate enough to read the first few chapters of this terrific work by William Manchester will no longer wonder why he is considered one of the finest historians writing about the 20th century. From the opening description of the tensions in Washington in the early 1930s with the conflict over the so-called "bonus marchers" to the ending essay on the removal of Richard Nixon from the Presidency in disgrace in 1974, there simply isn't a dull page in the book. As for anyone who hasn't experienced this author and his superb prose style, there is no time to waste!

This truly is a masterful and magisterial historical narrative of the period of time from the onset of the Depression to the climax of the Watergate scandal; all the color and detail one would want from a work purporting to cover such a momentous time span in our recent national melodrama is here in spades. His prose style is at once both erudite and immensely readable, and he always seems conversational even when discussing matters that are delicate or controversial. Whether discussing the momentous details of FDR's "New Deal", the daring and cunning of the Japanese in carrying out the attack on Pearl Harbor, the sad and sorrowful political potshots taken by scurrilous swine like Joe McCarthy during the House Un-American Activities Committee or the quizzically vengeful approach taken by insiders during the Nixon years, Manchester consistently steers us knowingly and safely through the rocks and shoals of domestic history, avoiding veering into the controversial reefs and coral that can rip us to shreds with partisan political revisionsim and politically-correct views.

As he does in other books such as "American Caesar" and "The Death Of A President", Manchester always satisfies the reader's curiosity without being salacious, gossipy, or unfair. He takes great pains to be objective and as thorough as possible, and the sources he cites are always impeccable. If I have any criticism of the book at all, it relates to its long length, as I read the two-volume hard cover version a friend gave me as a birthday present. It is really a small quibble, however, for though it was along read I came away from the several week reading adventure feeling much better informed, and with a much better perspective on many of the troubling issues that have transpired in the fabled years since the Depression. I heartily recommend this book, but advise you to find yourself a comfortable armchair to escape to with book in hand. You are going to want to devour it. Enjoy!


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