This book is just one of many good books written by John Francome, Decleared Dead kept you on your toes throughout the whole book, with excitment around every corner. John Francome writes about his passion in horses, and we are lucky enough to have a man with such talent sharing it with us. I would reccomend this book to any horse lover or anyone looking for a good fiction/crime.

This is one of the best biographies I have ever read and it is the an incredible work done by authors. They describe in detail all relevant facts about the Pope and, based on these facts, the authors explain his ideas and his influence under the modern church. In this book, the reader will be able to understand many of John Paul II's thoughts and actions that were performed and will be performed by him during his period as a Pope. A book worth reading in order to understand the real man behind the Sant Peters Throne.

The definition of a classic is a book that is read and bought many years after it's publication. The hobbit is a book that thousands of children have been enchanted by all around the world, and will continue to for generations to come.

Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit living a normal hobbit life. Then Gandalf the grey turns his quiet life into an adventure that will impact the rest of his existance. Encoutering races of men, elves, trolls, orcs, dwarves, dragons and goblins, he tries to change the way people forever look at the somber hobbits.

Tolkien will never be forgotten with classic characters that will live forever in the minds of thousands.

As a personal friend of Jim Rosevelt, in later life, the book caught my attention. The book is well written. I wish it could have included some of the first hand stories, he spoke of, during some of our family get togethers. The book portrays the heavy loss of life that occurred during those years to take the pacific islands. I would reread it, and plan to do just that.

While I'd heard lots of wonderful things about McCullough's book, I must admit that I did not know much about John Adams. Most of what I knew stemmed from American history classes or, more recently, studying Abigail in the light of feminist theory. I was truly impressed by McCullough's astounding accomplishment - a thorough portrait of a complicated, interesting, flawed individual who played a pivotal - and under-appreciated - role in the history he witnessed and shaped.

With Adams' own diary as a resource - along with the vast amount of correspondence to which he had access - McCullough ventures behind the history and politics to talk about John Adams as a person. He clearly conveys the passion Adams had for his country, friends and family as well as his frustration at often being misunderstood. While the Adams that is revealed is perfectly human - flaws and all - the fact remains that he saw events and lived a life that few, if any, others of the time did, and McCullough is able to both describe how Adams viewed his experiences as well as, with the hindsight of a couple of hundred years, the long-lasting significance of his actions, significance that Adams probably never even imagined. The result is an impressively vivid and relevant portrait of a man who lived during an amazing period of history.

There's no need to belabor the minor details of the book except to note that it covers an extensive period of Adams' life, one that sees his achievements, struggles and so on. One of the central underlying themes is both the lack of appreciation that Adams experienced and that the the author clearly feels Adams has suffered from. It is this obvious subtext that provides my only point of criticism. While Adams certainly was an extraodinary individual who did not always receive the recognition he deserved, I did feel that others - most notably Jefferson - were treated less than favorably given the application of that particular perspective. While Jefferson is perhaps remembered in a better light than that in which he lived, I did feel some bias in the comparisons between the two, particularly given that Jefferson, whose motives often appear less honorable and more devious than Adams, nevertheless did not experience as much harsh treatment as did the more controversial bu no less worthy Adams.

Still, despite this criticism, I found the book immensely valuable and endlessly fascinating. I am an avid reader of biographies of all sorts, and I seldom have encountered one that renders such a comprehensive and candid appraisal of its subject nor one that brings the individual so much to life - and this includes books about those still living. I could not recommend this book more highly. Perhaps a caveat to consider some of the interpretation carefully is in order, but my concerns over a slight bias have only encouraged me to read - and learn - more. I await Mr. McCullough's next endeavor with a great deal of anticipation and excitement.

When you study American history in high school and even in basic entry level college courses, the names and writings of Jefferson, Franklin, Madison and Hamilton become the most familiar. For some reason or another John Adams gets overlooked, and I never questioned why until reading this book. Clearly Adams is a major figure in the organizing and implementing of the New American Experiment. His ideology is one of a collective group of individuals that carries through the Revolutionary War period all the way through the inauguration of George Washington as the country's first president. With the benefit of a creative and flowing writing style of David McCullough, one can enjoy learning more about the mindset of Adams and other Revolutionary era figures as they struggle with the idea of independence and the establishment of a new government. I can't comment on whether or not this is the best book on John Adams, since I haven't read any other books about him, but I can say that this is a wonderful work that goes beyond the conventional layer that historically we have given to John Adams and his legacy.

David McCullough has written the Adams biography that finally does our second president justice. Adams' reputation as obnoxious, vain, and disliked by his peers has for many years overshadowed the accomplishments of the man. The truth is, the United States owes a greater debt of gratitude to Adams than most people realize. McCullough chronicles Adams' tireless service to the cause of liberty and his considerable role in structuring a representative republic. Without Adams' hand, the United States as we know it today may be a quite different nation than it is. Such was the influence of Adams, and we can thank McCullough for revealing to us the actual greatness of the man.

The John and Abigail Adams union is perhaps the greatest political love story in US history. McCullough understands and appreciates the role that Abigail played in John Adams' life and career, and he devotes a good portion of the book to Abigail's influence on her husband. Abigail was not a highly educated woman, but her common sense and intelligence, as well as her devotion to her "dearest friend", reveal her to be woman ahead of her time. It is difficult to imagine John Adams without Abigail, especially after reading this book.

McCullough is a responsible historian, and in being so he refuses to whitewash his subjects. He does not deify Adams; he shows us his flaws as well as his attributes. Adams was human, subject to the same imperfections as anyone. This truth, however, allows readers to marvel at Adams' accomplishments even more. After all, that which may be simple for a god to accomplish can require a superhuman effort for a mortal to achieve, and Adams' list of achievements is long and impressive.

McCullough's "John Adams" is a well-researched and thorough biography, yet it is anything but dry. The author has the rare gift of capturing on paper all that is exciting about history, something to which readers of his previous books about the building of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Panama Canal can attest. McCullough reinforces the notion that the world's greatest stories are the true stories, and that our great historians can be our best storytellers.

I am not one who usually buys books-on-tape (or CD as in this case) but I have long wanted to obtain the Lord of the Rings so as to hear this incredible story over and over. After having read it several times, my book is in tatters and so I searched for an unabridged audio recording. Many of those that I have seen claim to be "unabridged" but the fact is that they are not complete! They give parts of the books in full but leave out many sections or chapters. This set by Rob Inglis is COMPLETE!!! It is very well read with no drastic voicing of characters. Characters are easily distinguished and thoroughly enjoyable. This set is not full of sound effects and music, so if you are looking for that this is not for you. However, I personally prefer the fact that this is not an over-production and is rather quite focussed on what I wanted in the first place, the characters and the story. Inglis does a marvelous job and I am very happy with this set. Again, not to harp on it but, this is a "complete" package well worth the money!!!

I was just checking this site out for the first time, and I have to leave this comment, those who said this novel is boring should learn the virtue of patience and understanding. The first portion of the book many claim to be boring, in fact it is just slow and is imperative to developing the deep rich story to unfold, much like Stephen King does in his novels(whadda you know he's the most reknowned author of Horror in the world!)so they are quite obviously a key component to the story, while in many novels I read I was left to guess about a character or there were just flat characters. This book will go down in history along with it's other companions. The number of publications Tolkien's many works have recieved is proof of the quality of his work which has set the standard for fantasy writing, which remains unparalleled to this day. Few authors compare to Tolkien, but these in my opinion come closest. Terry Brooks, David Eddings and the duo(Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman). There are many other authors which you already know who write forgettable novels. Tolkien's works are unforgettable and I haven't read this trilogy for 5 or 6 years, when I was in 6th or 7th grade and I only read it once, and I can recall that I did not want it to end, for several days afterward I would just lay flabbergasted on my bed after school and in the morning and dream about the vivid characters and places which Tolkien had unfolded me, I can still remember the entire story after not having turned a page since the years I read it. I have read many other fantasy books and most I found to be the same predictable formula which quickly becomes boring. Sticking through with the remainder of this series you will discover for yourself how Tolkien stands apart.

Out of all the books I have read, The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien, the first book in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, would have to be my favorite book in three ways. To begin with, there is a tremendous amount of action in this book. For example, Frodo, the main character, and all of his companions set out to destroy an evil ring so the evil Sauron won't get his nasty hands on it. If they don't destroy the ring, all of Middle Earth would be doomed. They must battle their way to Mount Doom to cast the ring into its flames. But, there are many enemies on their way like, Sauroman, orcs, and Ring Wraiths. Secondly, I like how Tolkien brings Middle Earth to life by describing it so deeply. For example, I like how he describes The Mines of Moria so well. Last but not least, I love the fantasy and magic in this book. For instance, Gandalf, a great wizard, has many spells and magical powers. If you do not like fantasy, you shouldn't read this book; but if you do this book is spectacular! In conclusion, if you are looking for a great book, get The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien.

If you've never read any other Clancy novel, read "Without Remorse."

In typical Clancy fashion, Without Remorse is a lengthy novel filled with great characters, lots of suspense, and more! But it breaks from the Clancy norm in that it's not as intricately detailed, technically-speaking, which makes it a great book to recommend to 1st-time Clancy readers.

For those who have read other Clancy novels, and therefore may be familiar with the main character, John Clark... or if you've seen the movie "Clear & Present Danger" or the more recent "Sum of All Fears" and recall Clark (played by Willem Dafoe and Liev Schreiber, respectively)... Without Remorse gives you the story behind the deadly CIA operative.

Not that I don't thoroughly enjoy the Jack Ryan series, but the Clark character is mysteriously intriguing and telling his history is Clancy at his best. It's my favorite Clancy novel.

This book was written during Clancy's prime. He exquisitely tells the tale of John Kelly, whom we know best as John Clark. It's gripping, suspenseful, and action-packed, focusing more on personal vendetta and the anger that fuels Kelly rather than on military technology and international diplomacy (don't get me wrong, technology and diplomacy can be thrilling). Through "Without Remorse," we're able to see mystery man Clark in a whole new light. Not just as some CIA spook that appears in ,"The Cardinal of the Kremlin", "Clear and Present Danger"," and "The Sum of All Fears". This story gives Clark background, something that Jack Ryan achieved in "Patriot Games". And Clark deserves it, too. He is my favorite Clancy character, and he makes a great partner with Ding Chavez, his protoge. If you read one Clancy novel, read "Rainbow Six." If you read another, read "WITHOUT REMORSE."

This book was fantastic. Never have I read a book, and become so angry with the villains as I did with this book. After reading what the drug dealers and pimps did to their working girls, and then what the Vietnamese did to the American POW's, I was hoping that Clancy would allow our hero to have his vengeance. Clark (John Kelly in this story) is the definition of nemesis in this book. While he shows his skills as a SpecOps alumni, (ex Navy SEAL, not Marine as told in an earlier review) he also shows his human side, and that he is not some run of the mill mindless killer robot that the CIA has cooked up. He has feelings, and shows that sometimes he does not really like his job, but he knows he has to do it and he does it brilliantly. I like that Clancy took us into a more humane story and not a techno thriller. Clancy also introduces some of his other well known characters, like Admiral Greer. He was a character known in the older Ryan novels, and played by James Earl Jones in the movies. Also, Robert Ritter, one of the made-out-to-be bad people in Clear and Present Danger. In addition, for you Jack Ryan fans, Ryan himself even has a small cameo in the latter half of the story. John Clark is one of the better characters in fiction books today in my opinion. I would love to see a movie made about this. Moreover, I think Liev Schreiber would be perfect for the role. He played John Clark brilliantly in Sum of all Fears. I read this book twice and never get tired of it. It is a fascinating read, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys Tom Clancy.

In the thirteenth Prey book featuring Lucas Davenport, John Sandford continues to deliver one of the most consistently good series in suspense fiction. While not the best in the bunch, it is still good enough to satisfy any Sandford fan.

A follow-up novel to Certain Prey - a couple books back in the series - Mortal Prey has the return of top-notch assassin Clara Rinker. She escaped at the end of Certain Prey, but when her lover is killed and she sustains a wound that kills her unborn baby, Clara is drawn out of hiding to avenge the murders. Lucas, hearing that Clara is back in the U.S., is called in to assist in her detention.

Clara is a challenging contrast to the normal serial killers that Lucas contends with, principally because she is not truly insane and is not driven by some psychosis that forces her to kill. Instead, she is coldly calculating and not likely to make the errors in judgment that often do in other Davenport adversaries.

There are no real flaws in this book except that Lucas himself is a little less interesting than usual. The Prey books are at their best when he is at his edgiest, and he is a bit tamer in this novel. Nonetheless, this is a good book and even a person new to the series should catch on pretty quickly and enjoy the ride.

The best thrillers are the ones where you are both cheering for the cops and the villain. Clara Rinker is an assassin with a very personal and sympathetic mission. She is clever, cold, and sophisticated. She is out for revenge for the killing of her true love and their unborn child. Her goal is to eliminate four mob bosses. Lucas Davenport, the hero of the series, is part of an FBI "study group" out to stop her. She is smart but vulnerable, but he is equal to the task without being omniscient.

Like his other novels, Sandford makes the reader feel like they are really part of a police investigation---all the good bits, without the boring police procedural parts. The story and the writing is perfect for reading. One could almost see a screen play, but so much of the story goes on around the moves of the main characters that any picture inside the reader's head seems more vivid than what can possibly be portrayed on screen. His style and the action is tight, gripping, and easy to follow.

The ending is predictable, but it is so cynical and in line with the tone of the novel and the rest of the series---it is so real---that it leaves the reader feeling very satisfied and wanting more.

The writer just gets better and better. Can't wait for his next story.

Most of John Sandford's "Prey" series work by identifying the killer early and then following the story on both the lines of Lucas Davenport and of the killer, as they plot and counterplot against one another. Sandford returns to the formula here, and it works well because Lucas's antagonist is Clara Rinker, the professional hitwoman from his earlier books. Sandford is careful not to make her a two-dimensional sociopath -- indeed, she is so well rounded that at times the reader can forget that many of the people she has killed in her career were completely innocent. For most of the book, this is not true as Rinker goes after the crime bosses for whom she has worked in the past. The book begins with Rinker almost getting killed, and her decision that the people she worked for (all mob connected) are behind it sets her off to eliminating them, none of whom is too sympathetic. It is a mistake to root for Rinker because a few innocent people are unfortunate enough to wander in to her way, and the result is not good for them.

Rinker is smart, and her killing of well protected hoods who know she is coming for them is for the most part plausible. Only one of the killings, involving a device that has been used in a well known real-life assasination, seems unlikely to have been successful. All in all, she is such a strong character that this book seems to be more hers than Davenport's.

Davenport is one of the few people to have seen Rinker and lived, and so the FBI brings him to St. Louis to help catch her. All but a few chapters take place outside of the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, most of the familiar characters in the Davenport series aren't present, but Rinker more than makes up for them. Read closely, some of the deductions that Davenport comes up with are a little contrived -- all he does is show up from out of town, talk to a few local cops, and he is ahead of the FBI. However, the dialog is as well written as ever, and the dry humor still there. And there are a couple of nice twists in the plot at the end.

I found the last two books in the "Prey" series to be weak; I thought that Sandford may have run out of ideas of what to do with Davenport, and have read some interviews in which he expressed frustration with the series. Mortal Prey is a return to the stong, earlier novels. There is life in Davenport yet.

Cider House Rules ranks as one of Irving's best novels. It is the story of an orphan, his search for love and "usefulness". He grows up in an orphanage with the usual eccentric mix of Irving characters. Despite attempts towards adoption, Homer keeps returning to the orphanage; the place in which he feels useful. Dr. Larch, the ether addict founder of the orphanage, enlists Homer in his personal crusade against unwanted babies; training him as an obsetrician to perform both the "Lord's work and the Devil's work". The story explores the love between Homer and Dr. Larch, unrealized by them both for many years. It also explores the love of a fellow orphan, Melanie, in love with Homer and obsessively hatefiul of his girlfriend, she tails Homer throughout the state; finding love of her own along the way. The story is set against a stark backdrop of rural Maine and spans the first half of the century. A must read, especially for fans of Owen Meany

Before long, John Irving will be read widely at schools and colleges; his books are great and have been compared to the masters of literature. The Cider house rules is a fun and easy novel to read. But what some readers missed out on was the central meaning, the message from the book. Such great writers like John Irving write books for more reasons than just to entertain, but they write books to teach the world something. Some readers have placed John Irving in the group of, "senseless" writers. But reader please be aware that John Irving's books do have themes and messages, I have only read this one and I can see how easily some readers can get lost in the story and miss out on the idea behind the story. What I thought Irving was trying to say is that someone's father does not necessarily have to be biological. Your father doesn't have to be the person that made your mother pregnant. Homer Wells, and Dr. Larsh have some father-son qualities that pointed this out to me, but we must always look beyond the characters problems and think of the UNIVERSAL meaning of the book, and I believe what Irving was trying to say is that things can always be replaced by other things, it is an excellent story and meaning, good and thought provoking, an all around FIVE star book!

Last night I stayed up until 4:30 finishing the epic John Irving novel, "The Cider House Rules." When you read a John Irving novel, you hold life in your hands. When I finished the book, last night, I held something dead---the story was over, and the characters that I had gone through so much with, would no longer experience something new. I would contend that John Irving creates more realistic characters than any other novelist I've read; so much so, that I will remember these characters (and the characters from "Garp") as if I were remembering real people.

Often, when I finish a book, I question what it has done for me. The problem I had with Thomas Harris' "Red Dragon" (which I read before this), is that although the storytelling was brilliant, it left me feeling cold and disturbed. "Cider House" and "Garp" left me feeling full, and excited about life, and aware of the framework that exists in the world. John Irving so often pulls back from his characters, telling you how they die or how they were born, that you often feel the impulse to view your own life that way. You too will have an ending. But before you do, I strongly suggest that you read a John Irving novel. Either "The World According to Garp," "The Cider House Rules," or (the Irving book I will read next) "A Prayer For Owen Meany" (which many contend is his best).

I loved "The Cider House Rules," and I'm sad that it's over. I might even say that "Cider House" will stay with me for a long time, to which Homer Wells might reply: "right."

Perhaps the publisher or Peter Maas was trying to do something new to appeal to the public. By selectively editing interviews this book is written in the prose of Sammy the Bull's slang and jargon, fragmented sentences, non-sequiturs, and poor train of thought. I didn't finish the book. To all others, in my humble opinion it's not worth starting.

Many reviewers have compared this work to Nicholas Pileggi's fine book "Wiseguy" (which was the basis for the movie "GoodFellas"). And rightfully so. "Wiseguy" concerned real life crime figure Henry Hill and how he eventually turned government informant against the mob. "Underboss" likewise tells the tale of a mobster turned informant, except this time the stool pigeon, Sammy Gravano, is a capo (and later a consigliere) in the Gambino crime family, and the mafioso he fingers is none other than John Gotti himself.

As you might expect, "Underboss" is a fascinating read. (Author Peter Maas previously wrote the books "Serpico" and "The Valachi Papers", among others, so he knows how to tell a good crime story). Gravano does not portray himself as a saint. He candidly reveals in horrifying (though not gory) detail crimes he committed in the mob, including some nineteen murders and literally hundreds of burglaries, armed robberies, and kickback/extortion plots. All the major New York crime bosses of the time (Carlo Gambino, Joe Columbo, Paul Castellano, Vincent Gigante, and of course Gotti) figure in the proceedings, as Gavano had dealings with them and others, as well.

Unlike some true crime books where you end up skipping chapters to get to the "good stuff", this book was gripping every step of the way. So much so that I ended reading it cover to cover, all 301 pages, in less than a week. If you're looking for a good insider's book on the Mafia, this is it.

I really enjoyed the behind the scenes look into one of the largest New York crime families that this book gave! The most difficult part about the book is trying to distinguish between fact and Sammy Gravan's version of things. He is thought of as a heartless thug. In the book he seems to be a fairly likable guy who took advantage of the glamourous life of a mobster.

I understand he is now out of the witness-protection program. Don't know how he is still around.