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Book reviews for "LaPalma,_Marina_deBellagente" sorted by average review score:

A cruising guide to the Maine coast
Published in Paperback by Diamond Pass Publishing (1996)
Authors: Jan Taft and Hank Taft
Amazon base price: $39.95
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They don't get any better than this!
After sailing tens of thousands of miles in the Americas and Caribbean and using dozens of cruising guides I can honestly say this cruising guide is unsurpassed. It contains detailed information about anchorages, approaches and services available in an easy to use format. With numerous anecdotes and historical stories this book is a pleasure to just sit down and read.

One of the best cruising guides around
One of the best cruising guides around, definitely the best for Maine. Well written, organized and easy to use. Great sketch charts and all of the info that cruisers (not tourists) really need, as well as a good bit of local color.

you got the authors listed incorrectly
Please note that the authors of this book are Haft and Curtis Rindlaub


English-Russian Dictionary of American Criminal Law
Published in Hardcover by Greenwood Publishing Group (July, 1998)
Authors: Marina Braun and Galina Clothier
Amazon base price: $94.95
Average review score:

An indispensable, accurate tool for court interpreters.
As an active certified court interpreter, I have found this dictionary a great help. In contrast to anything I had seen before, it is up-to-date, relevant, and practical. The translations of court forms provided at the end of the dictionary are a wonderful aid, not only for an interpreter like me who happens to work in Multnomah County, but for any interpreter or interested party, since the forms are similar in other jurisdictions. The only real deficit is space; there is so much legal terminology one could include, but obviously there were restrictions on space and size.

Great Benefit to Law Enforcement Officers and Investigators
"English-Russian Dictionary of American Criminal Law should be of great benefit to law enforcement officers and criminal investigators in their interactions with the Russian speaking community in the United States. It is critical to our work with Russian crime victims, witnesses and suspects that we have resources to assist us in accurately translating written communications. This Dictionary provides us an excellent reference for interacting with the Russian speaking community.

A legal reference like no other, finally.
I am a criminal defense attorney practicing in Los Angeles, California. I also write a monthly criminal law column for a nationally distributed Russian newspaper.

As a native speaker of the Russian language, I found the inaccuracies contained in other dictionaries quite frustrating at times.

This dictionary is like no other I have seen or used in the past. Finally, someone has put together a collection of accurately translated criminal legal terms. My complements to the authors.

I find this book indispensable whether I am dealing with clients that speak only Russian, or writing for the paper. I wholeheartedly recommend this dictionary.


Fish or Cut Bait: A Pike's Marina Novel
Published in Paperback by Writers Showcase Press (May, 2002)
Author: Dave Bednar
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Bednar is two-for-two with his suspenseful mystery novels!
Dave Bednar did it again! Fish or Cut Bait is just as suspenseful and entertaining as his first novel, Landlocked Sailors, and I was in anticipation of "who dunnit" until the last page! Fish or Cut Bait gripped my attention and I really enjoyed the fast-moving plot, unpredictability and entertaining character development that resonated throughout the novel. After the first few chapters, I felt so well-acquainted with the characters that I could picture them hanging out at Rum Runners, their favorite bar on the Lake Erie Bay. Whether you've visited Erie, PA or not, you'll love the Pike's Marina setting on the shores of Lake Erie. Between Jack, Teague, Beth and Gina, these are characters that you can truly relate to -- with their quirky personality traits, entertaining jargon and humorous quips that will make you laugh out loud. My favorite character is Gina Cachinni -- in my opinion, Bednar's best creation yet. You've turned me into a mystery reader Dave! Bednar's style is creative, fun and clever. Make's me ask the question . . . When's the next book due?

Midwest Book Review - another winner from Dave Bednar
This second in Dave Bednar's Pike's Marina series is a winner! He reprised the characters from Landlocked Sailors, much to my delight, and added a few new wrinkles to keep his readers hooked. And like his first book, the author's writing style is crisp and stylish.

Fish or Cut Bait begins a year from where Landlocked Sailors left off. Thomas Teague is back, still admiring Beth Osgood from a safe distance. Detachment from desire is more difficult this time around since Beth is now the first mate on his fishing boat, The Ancient Mariner. Beth has made Teague her main goal in life and makes it clear, in thought if not in actions, that one way or another she will hook her silent friend. Their rakehell pal, Jack Crevalle, is still wearing oddly decorated boxers everywhere he goes and bedding brunettes on his boat, the Seadawg. Teague's father - the aging, crafty WW 2 hero - has now joined ranks and is part owner of Pike's Marina. It's a draw as to which Pike's owner is the most curmudgeonly and canny - Teague's father or Beth's. All in all, they make a fine mix of characters that play off each other realistically. The Erie PA locales are described so realistically that I could see, feel, and smell the fog and air blown in across the lake.

This book begins with mysterious happenings on Lake Erie. On a fog enshrouded day, a boat is lost and finally towed in by the Coast Guard, minus passengers. Jack Crevalle is troubled by the situation As the Pike's Marina friends look on, hoping for word of survivors, Gina Cachinni appears to them from the fog and sends Jack's carefree life into a tailspin. Gina is the original brunette, Jack's first and only serious love, the one who broke their engagement to marry another, much richer man. To Jack, Gina represents a crack in time, a crack in his soul, a loss from which he never quite recovered.

All passengers aboard the foundered boat, the C-Dog, are lost and turn up dead not long after. Thomas and Ray Teague's suspicious military minds kick in at the obvious similarity between C-Dog and SeaDawg and the thought occurs that Jack may have been the target. Thomas, in particular, fears Gina may not be the sweet devoted long lost lover she pretends.

Gina quickly resumes her old relationship with an unusually reluctant Jack, while flirting with every male around, much to Beth's dismay. The petite and pretty Gina has big plans for Thomas Teague. She'll need accomplished heroes like Thomas and her ever-reliable Jack when the murderous Marvin Gardens aka Biggie Big comes in search of her! Her checquered past is rapidly zeroing in on Pike's Marina, and she knows it.

It's a heart pounder, with Thomas calling in old favors from his military contacts, and coming up against a killer twice his size. Jack also takes part in the battle, in his own inimitable style, as the friends from Pike's Marina work together to survive this latest plot to do them in.

Fish or Cut Bait is a great read, as was its predecessor. Dave Bednar's novels have realistic, wry and witty dialog, sometimes prickly humor, and characters who bring the story home in spades. I hope to see a third in this Pike's Marina series soon. One question begs an answer, Mr. Bednar. Will the more-than-patient Beth Osgood EVER get her man?

Want A Different Kind of Mystery?Have I Got One for You!
Try Fish or Cut Bait if you're looking for a different kind of mystery. A mystery concerning fishermen may not sound interesting to you. But take a good look at this one. It's definitely worth your time.
Jack Crevalle is a fun loving man who takes charters of fishermen on Lake Erie. A former officer with the Coast Guard, Jack keeps his boat the Sea Dawg in a slip in Pike's Marina, Erie, Pennsylvania.
One foggy morning a boat rescues two men found floating on Lake Erie, no ship in sight. Later five bodies are washed ashore, four men and a woman, each body bears gunshot wounds.
The same morning Gina,a sexy brunette who jilted Jack for another man appears out of the fog. Her ex-husband is in jail for drug dealing and Gina's running for her life.
With each page the tension mounts. There are several scenes where you'll feel breathless!
Fish or Cut Bait is full of twists and turns and surprises! I look forward to reading more of Bednaar's titles!
Review by Nancy Madison author of suspense and romantic comedy.


Flight of the Bumble Bee
Published in Audio Cassette by Radio Repertory Co of America (April, 2000)
Author: Marina Sirtis
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Marina Sirtis and the members of the Radio Repertory cast
Lieutenant Nancy Coy serves the Amalgamation, a league of planets threatened by the Consortium. When the planet Quatro Cinco is attacked, Lieutenant Coy is assigned to Kurk Manly, a once famous starship pilot who has become a hopeless drunk. It's up to Lieutenant Coy and Kurk Manly to somehow overcome sinister plots, deadly space battles, and even their own military hierarchy to save the planet and preserve the Amalgamation. Marina Sirtis and the members of the Radio Repertory cast perform wonderfully to provide a thrilling, very highly recommended, science fiction adventure that is heavily laced throughout with humor, action, music and sound effects.

AUDIOWORLD
"This audio has it all---Large Multi-cast with a couple of big name stars, Humor, Action, Adventure, and a fast pace SF script" Bennet Pomerantz,AUDIOWORLD

An Incredible Work of Art!
An awesome experience in audio. You can see the entire story unfold before you... with your eyes closed! The originality of the whole thing from the characters to the sound is wonderful. The original score by Angelo Panetta is a treat for your ears. Don't miss it!!!


Glosario internacional del traductor
Published in Paperback by Lectorum Pubns (Juv) (1990)
Author: Marina Orellana
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'Best ' dictionary i have ever bought !!
If you are an interpreter, this glossary is indispensible in your book shelf, and if you are a translator, it is a MUST to have a copy of this glossary.

Personally, i have to thank Mrs. Orellana for publishing such an invaluable piece of work.

Indispensable!
Don't be fooled by the title of this book. It's not just a dictionary of terms used in international organizations. It's a dictionary of all sorts of everyday terms that are left out of the standard dictionaries. Of all the Spanish dictionaries on my bookshelf, it's the one I reach for the most. I cannot imagine how a person could translate documents from all the different Latin American countries with all their differing terms without having this dictionary. EVERY Spanish translator ought to buy it!

The best choice
If you are a translator and have ever had to understand difficult terminology or to find those words which do not appear in common dictionaries, then this dictionary is a must reference for you. It is a leading reference on the market for bilingual terminology (English-Spanish). I highly recommend you own one. It's worth the investment.


GOOD MAGIC
Published in Paperback by Fireside (October, 1989)
Author: Marina Medici
Amazon base price: $17.00
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One of the best magick books around, for all levels.
When I first started doing magick I found it very hard to find a good book that explained the basics (casting a circle) well. That is actully had them at all and with little religious bias. This book was perfect. it contains all the basics of casting a circle, the elements, and basic tools. It also contains many simple, yet effective, spells for magickians of all levels of experience. PLUS it is in gorgeous full color photos that illustrate easily everything it talks about. Oh, and did I mention the easy to use reference charts for everything from type of spell for a specific purpose to stones to herbs. This book covers a little bit of everything, well! I strongly reccomend this book to beginners, and for the spells therein people of all levels of experience. Teachers try this as a new starter book it works great! Enjoy!

The perfect book on natural and practical magic!
A wonderful book that will tell you all you need to know to get started in a easy, practical, effective, and good form of natural magic. It covers prepartation, moons, winds, elements, herbs, flowers, stones, spells, tarot and other divination. It helped me to realize that magic has nothing at all to do with religion and it is helping me to slowly understand the truth. Very highly recommended!

Excellent. Well written, informative.
Marina has managed to produce in one book the long awaited for "Magic 101 - Primer". For anyone searching for how to get started and actually work magic, this is a must-have book. It does not preach any set religion or philosophy. Marina is clear and precise in what magic is and how it works. Using only the four elements: Air, Fire, Water, Earth and only the simplest of tools: Herbs, Flowers, Stones; She shows you how to call the powers, and create the magic that is alive in all of us and around us.
The book is very well written in easy clear concise instructions. I hope to see more books by Marina in the future.


Landlocked Sailors: A Pike's Marina Novel
Published in Paperback by iUniverse.com (December, 2000)
Author: Dave Bednar
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Review of Fish or Cut Bait - by Warren Thurston
This excellent book shows how one person's deceit can ruin many people's lives. Set in Erie Pennsylvania the mystery starts on the very first page. As the book progresses more pieces are added to the puzzle, to tempt the reader to seek out its ending.
Jack Craville is a guy happy with his lot in life. He is content to take clients out on his boat the Seadawg to catch fish. The messy job of scaling and cleaning the fish he leaves to his mate Mickey.
Getting involved in deep personal relationships has not been a part of Jack's life since his childhood sweetheart Gina broke up with him. The only woman that he had truly loved left him for another man. It was not just an ordinary man either, but rich Steve Sterling Rollins.
Jack thought that he would never see Gina again and that if he did that he would not care about her. He was wrong on both counts that fateful day, when Gina emerged from an Erie fog. It was the day that a fishing boat was towed in from the lake with all its crew missing.
That day Jack and all of those people at Pike's Marina he called his friends began a journey. It was a journey that became more perilous as it progressed. Leading to events that no one in their wildest dreams, could have predicted that they would happen in Erie.
Dave Bednar has written a tale that captures the reader's curiosity from the first page to the last. It flows smoothly as the plot gradually reveals that all is not as it seems. The ending is one that is compliments the novel with its delicate twist.
Those readers, who enjoy their mystery novels with a dash of humor and some hard-hitting action, will delight in Fish or Cut Bait. ...

Midwest Book Review - a hearty recommendation
In this first book of the Pike's Marina series, Dave Bednar establishes himself with a distinct voice as wordsmith and story teller. Landlocked Sailors not only has murder, action and suspense, but appealing prose describing the Erie PA locales. And it's all tied up into a neat package with quirky characters, realistic dialog, and humor.

Thomas Teague is one of the main characters, ex-special agent in the U.S. Naval Investigative Service looking for a quiet place to light. Teague is a wounded warrior, stoically bearing the aftermath of injuries that forced his retirement. All he wants is to charter out his boat to tourist types, admire Beth Osgood from a safe distance, and be left the hell alone. Teague enjoys quiet thoughts about his hero-father's days in WW II and listening to Glenn Miller music. He leads a purposely solitary life in hopes his past won't find him.

Jack Crevalle is the exact opposite of Teague. Crevalle has a heroic background of his own in the Coast Guard, but hides such courage well beneath a devil-may-care facade. Jack lives on his boat, playing loud music that grates on Teague's nerves, raucously enjoying one night stands that keep his boat rocking in its slip at Pike's Marina. Jack drinks too much, happily flaunts his appetite for females, and talks too loud. Still, there's something likable about the guy.

Beth Osgood's father owns Pike's Marina. Recently divorced, she's come back home to Erie to reclaim the safe and stable kind of life she's always known. Crevalle's crass ways turn her off completely, but she's more than just a bit intrigued by the quiet, world-worn Thomas Teague. Beth is a knockout - smart, feminine, athletic, self-assured - but fits into the odd group of folks at Pike's Marina like she's just one of the boys.

When the sweet natured, self-appointed security guard for Pike's Marina is bludgeoned to death for no apparent, this group and their friends set out to find answers. Everyone loved the murdered Liam, especially Beth and Teague. Who could possibly have reason to snuff out an innocent like Liam?

Finding the murderer won't be an easy task. The Great Lakes Sails Festival begins the same day as the murder and Erie is packed with tourists and sailors from around the world. Teague has a hunch that his past has returned to haunt him. He's soon proven right when an old nemesis shows himself. No one is safe from Russell Zurkis, whose history of insanity and murderous inclinations have joined forces to eliminate Thomas Teague and anyone he cares about. The gang will have to go some to escape the crazy Russell's wrath.

I give this book a hearty recommendation, for all the aforementioned reasons and more. Mr. Bednar has a fine beginning here, and I eagerly anticipate the second in his Pike's Marina Series. Look for a review of that second book to follow this one. Count your lucky stars, readers, because both Landlocked Sailors and Fish or Cut Bait have been released as of this writing.

Awesome first book
This book is one of those you won't put down until you are done reading it. It is very well written(not long and wordy like many authors first trys)It's fun, enjoyable reading and has enough twists and turns to keep the reader at the edge of their seat.Anyone who likes any type of nautical theme will thoroughly enjoy this. The murder mystery has an exciting ending. I highly recommend this book.


Little Feet
Published in Hardcover by Chronicle Books (March, 2000)
Author: Marina Drasnin Gilboa
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Pam Lechtman
Sensitive and expertly photographed..a new way to look at children's feet....a global perspective.

MArina inf you read this will you call me...Pam Lechtman

Little Feet is a Great Feat!
I love this book from beginning to end. Each photo brought me back to my childhood memories and now I can't go to a park without looking down at those precious little feet. I reccomend this charming, little book for all my friends and family.

Little Feet captures the joy and innocence of childhood
Simple and understated - Marina's perspective is amazing and is only surpassed by her many other talents. Whether it is with a brush, camera or a handful of flowers, look for great things from this wonderfully talented artist.


From the Beast to the Blonde: On Fairy Tales and Their Tellers
Published in Paperback by Noonday Press (September, 1996)
Author: Marina Warner
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Excellent
Marina Warner's _From the Beast to the Blonde_ is a wonderful and engaging work concerning the cultural history of fairy tales. Warner explores the "stock characters" and stories of traditional tales, and in the process creates an excellent work of scholarship and criticism in an area of literature that has been relegated to the nursery, but didn't start there.

If you love fairy tales..
If you love fairy tales and their backgrounds, buy this book. It's worth the read. Warner is an excellent author, and she makes a very good point regarding the role of women in the passing along of fairy tales to the next generation. This is a terrific book on fairy tales, and folklore in general.

The Truths in Fairy Tales
Why do people pass on fairy tales from generation to generation? The tales are violent and seem sexist to modern eyes. Warner's book sets the truth about fairy tales into an historical perspective.

This contrasts with Bruno Bettelheim's "The Uses of Enchantment" which suggests that there is an opportunity for psychological exploration within each fairy tale if we identify with the various characters. In other words, there is a wicked stepmother, a forlorn orphan and a powerful prince etc within each of us. I found his ideas enjoyable and useful but I think Warner's historical analysis is more realistic.

She tackles such contentious issues as that of the wicked stepmother, pointing out the complex situation that was created for a woman marrying a widow who already had children. The temptation to treat those children badly in favour of her own children was quite real because of her financial dependence on her new husband. Hence the need for tales that warned against women behaving like that. There is a lot of other fascinating material in the book, such as the development of the image of St Anne (reputed to be Jesus' grandmother) into the image of dear Nan, from which we get the name Nana for grandmothers and for nannies as well. I didn't agree with Warner's analysis of the little mermaid and have posted my own one on the Amazon site for Hans Anderson's Fairy Stories.

Those interested in this kind of book might also like to read A.D. Hope's book " A Midsummer Eve's Dream". It is surprising how few fairies and elves there are in regular fairy stories - a case of art imitating life perhaps! But there are some, and Hope's book helps us to understand how the idea of fairies developed in England. It seems that it was the suppression of gods and goddesses by Christianity that gave rise to miniaturised images of them in the form of fairies. Hope regrets this but, from the number of descriptions he gives of midnight cavorts around fairy mounds, followed by sexual excesses of various sorts, I think the fairies were probably doing a lot to promote sexually transmitted diseases!

A book that I've lost but was invaluable was Catherine Brigges? Bigge? "A Dictionary of Fairies". It told you everything you needed to know about the subject. Should you thank a fairy? Not if you ever wanted to see it again. What is glamor? It's one thing with film stars and another with fairies. Planning a visit to fairy land? It's a more dangerous place than most realise. However if you love to wander in the fairyland of our collective imagination, then consider Warner's book or any of the other books that I've mentioned. They are useful guides to help you find your way around.


Voice of the Vanquished: The Story of the Slave Marina and Hernan Cortes
Published in Paperback by University Editions (June, 1995)
Author: Helen Heightsman Gordon
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Bringing history to life.
I got interested in Marina from a Discovery special on the Spanish Conquisitors and sought more information. Voice of the Vanquished by Helen Gordon was one of the few books I found but I'm glad I did. She brings this amazing story to life in such a vivid manner despite so little historical information.
Many times I couldn't put this book down, as often it brought tears to my eyes pondering these people and events. Marina certainly was one of the most facinating and misunderstood women in all of history. If more people heard her story it would certainly be the subject of a grand Hollywood production it is that amazing. I honestly don't know how she has escaped attention for so long.
Read this book and you'll understand.

A little known facet of history comes alive!
I first heard the story of Marina on a Discovery special about the Spanish conquests and was hooked and thirsty for more.
After searching I found this book and ordered it.
What a great read! Rarely do historical charactors come alive and inspire us as much as this one did for me.
I suspected Marina was a facinating woman but thanks to Helen Gordon I know.
How this story of an 18 year old Indian slave girl who was almost certainly singularly responsible for Cortes' success escaped attention I don't know.
Marina had to be one of the most intelligent and clever people who ever lived to pull off her feats.
Get this book and enjoy a story you'll never forget.

A fresh view of Cortes
Author Helen Gordon skillfully inserts us into the pre-conquest days when the Aztecs ruled many subdued tribes in the Valley of Mexico. For me, VOICE OF THE VANQUISHED provided an eye-opening reinterpretation of the conquest of Mexico by Hernan Cortes and his small band. Customs, religion, social order of the indigenous peoples are vividly re-created in the lives of fictional villagers who must endure the arrogant demands of the Aztec priests for human sacrifice and tribute. Gordon's portrait of the historical character Malinalli/Marina, drawn from 16th Century Spanish sources and codices of Aztec artists, shows her to be a young woman of intelligence, beauty and ourage. Following her wise father's admonition: "Never yearn for something you cannot have," Marina grasps at what few options she does have. The astonishing result is that she becomes an interpreter and major advisor for Cortes, helping him to form alliances with enemies of Aztec Emperor Moctezuma II. The portrait of Hernan Cortes, drawn from historical documents including his own reports, reveals him to be much more complex than just a cruel and insensitive conqueror. He becomes an understandable and admirable -- though flawed -- man of his time. I felt a fresh breeze of truth and the warm sun of added knowledge in this history in fiction form.


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