The Beach House

Amazon.com

James Patterson and Peter de Jonge's The Beach House opens with the death of a handsome townie on Memorial Day weekend in the Hamptons, where being a single-digit millionaire is laughable and being poor is unthinkable. Peter Mullen is a high school dropout who parks cars at the private bashes of the superwealthy Barry and Campion Neubauer. When Peter is found dead on the beach, the Neubauers and their friends insist that he drowned, but his brother Jack, a law student who saw Peter's body, knows he was beaten to death. As Jack uncovers evidence of his brother's secret life, he begins to realize that the very rich are indeed different from the rest of us. Revenge is a dish best served cold, and Jack's patiently plotted payback for Peter's death is one that the Hamptons will not soon forget.

There are no big surprises in The Beach House, but it's vintage Patterson, with plenty of action, villains with hearts blacker than obsidian, and a working-class hero who pulls himself up by the bootstraps. Patterson and de Jonge previously coauthored the inspirational golf romance Miracle on the 17th Green, but this new game of money, mayhem, and murder clearly suits them to a tee. --Barrie Trinkle

Book Description

Jack Mullen is in law school in New York City when the shocking news comes that his brother Peter has drowned in the ocean off East Hampton. Jack knows his brother and knows this couldnt be an accident. Someone must have wanted his brother dead. But the powers that be say otherwise. As Jack tries to uncover details of his brothers last night, he confronts a barricade of lawyers, police, and paid protectors who separate the multibillionaire summer residents from local workers like Peter. And he learns that his brother wasnt just parking cars at the summer parties of the rich. He was making serious money satisfying the sexual needs of the richest women and men in town. THE BEACH HOUSE reveals the secret lives of celebrities in a breathtaking drama of revengewith a finale so shocking it could only have come from the mind of James Patterson.

Customer Reviews:

Entertaining, Quick, Suspenseful Read of the Summer.......2007-07-27

I could not put this book down. I especially enjoyed Patterson's reference to real life scenarios and applaud his accounts in multicultural writings and versatility from music references to basketball. The book will keep you on your toes. I wish there could have been a better ending as I really liked 'Tom'. Definitely recommend it especially for the not so serious reader, like myself. I thoroughly enjoyed it and you will too.

Beach House - Not my favorite by a long shot.......2007-07-19

I just never got into this book. I'm an avid fan of James Patterson's books... I've purchased so many at airports across the country it is almost comical.

But this one never really drew my in like most others. There just wasn't enough depth to any of the characters and their relationships to each other were missing something. And the ending just did not make sense. I didn't feel there were enough clues to lead me to say "aha" at the end.

Short story - I was disappointed. I won't quit reading... just disappointed in this yarn.

Great Book!.......2007-07-11

I loved this book! I read it in a day and a half, couldnt put it down. Loved the plot-people taking the law into their own hands. highly recommend!

BY James Patterson & Peter De Jonge?.......2007-06-14

I think Patterson could have done without the help. I like Patterson's style and move-along plots. This plot however, with the autopsy on Peter's body getting passed off as a drowning-suicide, was a disappointment. The rich buy the courts, but not with the kinds of evidence the coroner presented. The ending really frosts the cake when they have their "Kangaroo Court" in the abandoned Beach house over a two-day span. Since it wasn't terrible, I can only give three stars.

J. P. Landry, author of Hazard 666

Hard to believe its a Patterson book!.......2007-06-10

What a waste of time spending that much time, then to have an ending that doesn't make sense at all!! Feel that I wasted my time and money on this one. After recently readingJudge and Jury , hard to believe its written by same person. If you want a good one, pick up Judge & Jury.

Average customer rating:

The Sea will make readers cry and cheer for the love of it.
The Power and Peril of Memory
Fascinatingly repelling and attracting at once
Good read
All Life Is Lived In The Past

The Sea (Man Booker Prize)
John Banville
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0307263118
Release Date: 2005-11-01

From Amazon.co.uk Review

Incandescent prose. Beautifully textured characterisation. Transparent narratives. The adjectives to describe the writing of John Banville are all affirmative, and The Sea is a ringing affirmation of all his best qualities. His publishers are claiming that this novel by the Booker-shortlisted author is his finest yet, and while that claim may have an element of hyperbole, there is no denying that this perfectly balanced book is among the writer's most accomplished work.

Max Morden has reached a crossroads in his life, and is trying hard to deal with several disturbing things. A recent loss is still taking its toll on him, and a trauma in his past is similarly proving hard to deal with. He decides that he will return to a town on the coast at which he spent a memorable holiday when a boy. His memory of that time devolves on the charismatic Grace family, particularly the seductive twins Myles and Chloe. In a very short time, Max found himself drawn into a strange relationship with them, and pursuant events left their mark on him for the rest of his life. But will he be able to exorcise those memories of the past?

The fashion in which John Banville draws the reader into this hypnotic and disturbing world is non pareil, and the very complex relationships between his brilliantly delineated cast of characters are orchestrated with a master's skill. As in such books as Shroud and The Book of Evidence, the author eschews the obvious at all times, and the narrative is delivered with subtlety and understatement. The genuine moments of drama, when they do occur, are commensurately more powerful. --Barry Forshaw

Book Description

The author of The Untouchable (“contemporary fiction gets no better than this”—Patrick McGrath, The New York Times Book Review) now gives us a luminous novel about love, loss, and the unpredictable power of memory.

The narrator is Max Morden, a middle-aged Irishman who, soon after his wife’s death, has gone back to the seaside town where he spent his summer holidays as a child—a retreat from the grief, anger, and numbness of his life without her. But it is also a return to the place where he met the Graces, the well-heeled vacationing family with whom he experienced the strange suddenness of both love and death for the first time. The seductive mother; the imperious father; the twins—Chloe, fiery and forthright, and Myles, silent and expressionless—in whose mysterious connection Max became profoundly entangled, each of them a part of the “barely bearable raw immediacy” of his childhood memories.

Interwoven with this story are Morden’s memories of his wife, Anna—of their life together, of her death—and the moments, both significant and mundane, that make up his life now: his relationship with his grown daughter, Claire, desperate to pull him from his grief; and with the other boarders at the house where he is staying, where the past beats inside him “like a second heart.”

What Max comes to understand about the past, and about its indelible effects on him, is at the center of this elegiac, vividly dramatic, beautifully written novel—among the finest we have had from this extraordinary writer.

Customer Reviews:

The Sea will make readers cry and cheer for the love of it........2007-09-28

John Banville is a crying out loud genius. I am a writer, and this book will carry me through several of my own books on inspiration alone. I have read it four times friom front to back.
Only a consummate genius of spirit, language, and craft could possibly have written this. Reading it requires, I think, an inveterate reader, for its structure is complex. His description of place will take you there and leave you to inhabit the place.
I found it common to read and re-read passages, pages, and, as I said, the entire book it is so beautifully rendered.
The story is touching and real to my inner self, and he is able to paint me, my innermost thoughts, my love for exquisite detail, scene, memories, and people with such solid and true foundation that humanity within me was discovered, illuminated, and honored.
Blue? Lost? Afraid? Grieving? Satisfied with your lot? Think humanity has gone sadly astray? Read this book. I swear you will never forget it.

The Power and Peril of Memory.......2007-08-31

This is a very rewarding book that requires patience and close attention because of the narrative shifts in time and place.

The story revolves around middle aged Max. In the present, Max is grappling with the recent death of his wife. Clearly the pair had long been a "unit" and Max is quite at loss as to what to do next in her absence. Although he loves his adult daughter Claire, she is no substitute in his affection. So Max is drawn back to a place by the shore that he hadn't been for 50 years, a place where he has a typical early adolesent experience with the opposite sex and an untypical experience with tragedy. The past and present are expertly interwoven by Mr. Banville, who deservedly won his Booker for this effort.

Banville does an incredibly good job showing us the power and limits of memory and how things are remembered (or disremembered) lucidly or poorly.

I think only Ian McEwan today writes with quite the same degree of elegance. And actually, as I think about it, I could make an argument that there are interesting similarities between McEwan's "Atonement" and "The Sea". In each case, the narrator sees or thinks they see something that turns out not to be the case and, in each instance, with terrible consequences; although more obviously so in "Atonement".

Read it "The Sea" and see for yourself.

Fascinatingly repelling and attracting at once.......2007-06-04

I would never have picked up this book if it hadn't been on a friend's recommendation but, boy, am I glad I did. Normally I wouldn't want to read about an old man reminiscing but I was hooked from the very first by John Banvilles language.

Max Morden, the main character, alternates between remembering an important time in his adolescence and reviewing his marriage with emphasis on his wife's last months before she dies of cancer.

John Banville's style spellbound me from the first. It's poetry in prose form, every word, every sentence deliberately sculpted and positioned. I refused to be intimidated by his words and made it a challenge to add to my vocabulary.
As I became Max Morden's confidant I was equally repulsed by his honesty and intrigued by his insights. Max speaks about things that happen to all of us but you don't normally hear people admit to them or even mention them: acting out agressively towards a beloved pet, being abusive to other children, having sexual fantasies about adults while we are children or adolescents, hating people close to us just because they are who they are. He shares his regrets and at the same time realistically admits that he'd make the same mistakes again given the choice. He's refreshingly unapologetic.

It took me a while to finish the book and for a while I want to read easier fare; but I want to read more by Banville. He's as much an artist in his field as Gaugin, Goya, Courbet and others. He paints using language.

Good read.......2007-05-31

The temporal layers of the story make it a little bit confusing in the beginning, but by the end you understand this man's grief and search to find himself by going back to the town where he lived as a child, trying to make sense out of his life and who he has become. My book club read this and we all enjoyed the writing and story. Some people will not like this book. It is not a fast paced story, but it is a story full of emotion. Soo.... go read it.

All Life Is Lived In The Past.......2007-05-18

The Sea is a marvel of efficiency; in less than 200 pages, Banville writes a "memoir" that is spare and yet touching and profound.

The Sea is the story of a rapidly aging widower who, after the death of his wife, travels to the seaside resort town where he spent several summers as a child. Taking up residence in a long term boarding house filled with other hurting and lost souls, he thinks about his life; first his childhood summers and the life defining relationship and events of those years, then the days preceding and during his wife's illness and death, and then finally the unkind truth of his present life. These narratives are weaved together throughout the novel until they coalesce towards the end.

I could ramble on for a while about how much I liked this book, how true Banville's observations rung, how deep the sense of loss is, how scary it makes one feel about getting old. I could, but you should just buy the book and experience it for yourself.

Banville won the Mann Booker prize for The Sea. Some quotes:

"On the subject of observing and being observed, I must mention the long grim gander I took at myself in the bathroom mirror this morning. Usually these days I do not dally before my reflection any longer than is necessary. There was a time when I quite liked what I saw in the looking-glass, but not any more. Now I am startled, and more than startled, by the visage that so abruptly appears there, never and not at all the one that I expect. I have been elbowed aside by a parody of myself, a sadly disheveled figure in a Hallowe'en mask made of sagging pinkish -grey rubber that bears no more than a passing resemblance to the image of what I look like that I stubbornly retain in my head."

"When we arrived I marveled to see how much of the village as I remembered it was still here, if only for eyes that knew where to look, mine, that is. It was like encountering an old flame behind whose features thickened by age the slender lineaments that a former self so loved can still be clearly discerned."

"I looked aside quickly for fear my eyes would give me away; one's eyes are always those of someone else, the mad and desperate dwarf crouched within. I knew what she meant. This was not supposed to have befallen her. It was not supposed to have befallen us, we were not that kind of people. Misfortune, illness, untimely death, these things happen to good folk, the humble ones, the salt of the earth, not to Anna, not to me."

"I recalled walking in the street with Anna one day after all her hair had fallen out and she spotted passing by on the pavement a woman who was also bald. I do not know if Anna caught me catching the look they exchanged, the two of them, blank-eyed and at the same time sharp, sly, complicit. In all that endless twelvemonth of her illness I do not think I ever felt more distant from her than I did at that moment, elbowed aside by the sorority of the afflicted."

"[my daughter] understands me to a degree that is disturbing and will not indulge my foibles and excesses as others do who know me less and therefore fear me more. But I am bereaved and wounded and require indulging. If there is a long version of shrift, then that is what I am in need of. Let me alone, I cried at her in my mind, let me creep past the traduced old Cedars, past the vanished Strand Café, past the Lupins and the Field that was, past all this past for if I stop I shall surely dissolve in a shaming puddle of tears."

"Have I spoken already of my drinking? I drink like a fish. No, not like a fish, fishes do not drink, it is only breathing, their kind of breathing. I drink like one recently widowed-widowered? - a person of scant talent and scanter ambition, greyed o'er by the years, uncertain and astray and in need of consolation and the brief respite of drink-induced oblivion. I would take drugs if I had them, but I have not, and do not know how I might go about getting some."

Gringos in Paradise: An American Couple Builds Their Retirement Dream House in a Seaside Village in Mexico

Average customer rating:

I couldn't have said it better myself!
One of the best of its genre
An Epic Mexican Feast That's Wonderfully Nourishing ...
Mexican House Building How-To in story format...sort of
Enjoyable read

Gringos in Paradise: An American Couple Builds Their Retirement Dream House in a Seaside Village in Mexico
Barry Golson
Manufacturer: Scribner
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0743276353

Book Description

A Year in Provence meets Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House in this lively and entertaining account of a couple's year building their dream house in Mexico.

In 2004, Barry Golson wrote an award-winning article for AARP magazine about Mexican hot spots for retirees longing for a lifestyle they couldn't afford in the United States. A year later, he and his wife Thia were taking part in the growing trend of retiring abroad. They sold their Manhattan apartment, packed up their SUV, and moved to one of those idyllic hot spots, the surfing and fishing village of Sayulita on Mexico's Pacific coast.

With humor and charm, Golson details the year he and his wife spent settling into their new life and planning and building their dream home. Sayulita -- population 1,500, not including stray dogs or pelicans -- is a never-dull mixture of traditional Mexican customs and new, gringo-influenced change. Before long, the Golsons had been absorbed into the rhythms and routines of village life: they adopted a pair of iguanas named Iggy Pop and Iggy Mom, got sick and got cured by a doctor who charged them sixteen dollars a visit, made lasting friends with Mexicans and fellow expatriates, and discovered the skill and artistry of local craftsmen.

But their daily lives were mostly dedicated to the difficult yet satisfying process of building their house. It took them almost six months to begin building -- nothing is simple (or speedy) in Mexico -- and incredibly, they completed construction in another six. They engaged a Mexican architect, builder, and landscape designer who not only built their home but also changed their lives; encountered uproariously odd bureaucracy; and ultimately experienced a lifetime's worth of education about the challenges and advantages of living in Mexico.

The Golsons lived (and are still living) the dream of many -- not only of going off to a tropical paradise but also of building something beautiful, becoming a part of a new world, making lasting friends, and transforming their lives. As much about family and friendship as about house-building, Gringos in Paradise is an immensely readable and illuminating book about finding a personal paradise and making it a home.

Customer Reviews:

I couldn't have said it better myself!.......2007-08-16

Having just completed out first year living in a different small seaside town in Mexico, I can attest to the authenticity of Barry and Thia's experiences and appreciate their outlook on living in Mexico. I found myself following my husband around, reading passages out loud to him, i.e., "You've got to hear this!" Golson does an especially good job of describing the naivete with which they (and we) began the experience and the incremental ways they learned to love a side of Mexico you can only experience as a resident.

The hopes and the frustrations involved in building a home here are accurately and humorously described. But for me, the real value of this book is the unpretentious way he describes the development of their deep affection for Mexico and Mexicans. My husband and I have reached the same conclusions, through a series of experiences that are very similar to theirs.

If you are considering a move to Mexico, this is an instructive read - not so much for the information about homebuilding (although it IS helpful and accurate) but more for the story of acclimation to a culture that is SO much more different than you could ever imagine.

Many authors have taken advantage of the growing trend to move south and we have read most of them. Along with Don Adam's book (Head for Mexico), this is the one I would recommend.

One of the best of its genre.......2007-08-14

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Golson writes in a witty, down-to-earth style that engages the reader and leaves you wanting more. So many of the "American moves to paradise" authors come off as either arrogant or complaining know-it-alls. Barry Golson is neither, and his zest for participating in the very life of his adopted second home is refreshing. A great read.

An Epic Mexican Feast That's Wonderfully Nourishing ..........2007-07-23

...and has something for everyone. I can't say enough good things about this book: the writing style is unfailingly crisp, droll, and punchy; it is a love paean to Mexico, its people, culture, and history; it is a wonderful story of a 'boomer' couple's marriage and resolution of the quandary aging couples face over what to do when the nest is empty, but the nest egg is modest and forced retirement looms. It is filled with lots of wisdom about home building and expat living. It builds up hilarious suspense over whether or not the author's 90-year-old father and a bevy of other relatives, all invited to celebrate Thanksgiving at the not-quite-finished house, will be forced to improvise out back for lack of operable plumbing. Even if you're not interested in Mexico, retirement, or homebuilding, you will be utterly charmed by this stranger-in-a-strange-land saga that every human faces sooner or later.

Mexican House Building How-To in story format...sort of.......2007-07-04

This is a great story of how an American couple built their Mexican dream house in Sayulita, Mexico near Puerto Vallarta. While it's not a Mexican house building how-to, it does give you an idea of what you'll have to go through to build an authentic Mexican house on your own. Hopefully, you'll have a good experience as this couple did and not like the one described in God and Mr. Gomez.

Enjoyable read.......2007-05-21

Great story on early retirement in Mexico, especially the pros and cons of buying a home south of the border.

Average customer rating:

74 Seaside Ave.
Great Book
74 Seaside Avenue
Life in Cedar Grove
The Cedar Cove saga continues

74 Seaside Avenue (Cedar Cove, Book7)
Debbie Macomber
Manufacturer: Mira
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0778324850
Release Date: 2007-08-28

Book Description

Dear Reader,

I'm living a life I couldn't even have dreamed of a few years ago. I'm married to Bobby Polgar now (you know, the famous chess champion who just happens to be the man I love!). And we've got this beautiful house with a view of Puget Sound.

Lately something's been worrying Bobby, though. When I asked, he said he was 'protecting his queen' and I got the oddest feeling he wasn't talking about chess but about me. He wouldn't say anything else.

Do you remember Get Nailed, the beauty salon in Cedar Cove? I still work there. I'll tell you about my friend Rachel, who's got two men interested in her (count 'em, two). And I'll let you in on what I've heard about Linnette McAfee, who left town when her love life fell apart. (That kind of trouble I know all about.) Come in soon for a manicure and a chat, okay?

Teri ( Miller) Polgar

Customer Reviews:

74 Seaside Ave........2007-10-03

Debbie Macomber writes about real people in real places you can live in her books; this paticular one is #7 in on goin series and I would suggest go thru Amazon and start with #1 ......If you've not read Debbie Macomber you don't know what your missin!!! I'm just always waiting for the next DM to come out.

Great Book.......2007-10-02

Book arrived sooner than expected and continued the series perfectly. Can not wait for next September when the 8th book in the series comes out.

74 Seaside Avenue.......2007-10-01

I am a huge fan of Debbie Macomber and her books especially her cedar grove collection. This 7th book in the series starts out slowly but by the 75th-100th page, the reading becomes fast paced and the storyline is riveting. As soon as you get into this book, the book ends leaving you panting for more until the 8th book in this series is released next September 2008! Enjoy! Tara from Brooklyn, NY

Life in Cedar Grove.......2007-09-29

I should have been forwarned when an editorial review said it was "gossipy writing." I could not find a central plot to focus on as the story switched from one person to another carrying forward the lives of various people. It is well written, and I would recommend it for soap opera fans, but it is not my type novel.

The Cedar Cove saga continues.......2007-09-26

The characters from Cedar Cove return like old friends. This book centers around Teri and her chess-playing husband, Bobby. Their story is not as compelling as some of the others, because they seem to be an unlikely couple who have very little in common, but the sub-plots are interesting. Rachel has two men interested in her and she has a hard time deciding which one she really loves. Troy Davis meets up with an old friend, but he's afraid to tell his daughter who disappoves of him dating so soon after the death of his wife. Linnette leaves town with a broken heart after Cal falls in love with someone else. Author Debbie Macomber spins these separate stories into an interesting whole and manages to set up intriguing situations for her next book in the series. One other complaint I have about this book is that natural disasters and diseases are thrown into the plot just to encourage some of the romances, and sometimes the situations seem forced and unrealistic. Other than that, the book is a fast read and it catches readers up on the lives of fictional people whom they've come to enjoy.

The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror

Average customer rating:

The Stupidest yet funniest Angel
MY Angle on the Angel
A Wonderful Phanasy
Absolutely hysterical
Great Book

The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror
Christopher Moore
Manufacturer: William Morrow
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0060842350
Release Date: 2005-11-01

Book Description

'Twas the night (okay, more like the week) before Christmas, and all through the tiny community of Pine Cove, California, people are busy buying, wrapping, packing, and generally getting into the holiday spirit.

But not everybody is feeling the joy. Little Joshua Barker is in desperate need of a holiday miracle. No, he's not on his deathbed; no, his dog hasn't run away from home. But Josh is sure that he saw Santa take a shovel to the head, and now the seven-year-old has only one prayer: Please, Santa, come back from the dead.

But hold on! There's an angel waiting in the wings. (Wings, get it?) It's none other than the Archangel Raziel come to Earth seeking a small child with a wish that needs granting. Unfortunately, our angel's not sporting the brightest halo in the bunch, and before you can say "Kris Kringle," he's botched his sacred mission and sent the residents of Pine Cove headlong into Christmas chaos, culminating in the most hilarious and horrifying holiday party the town has ever seen.

Move over, Charles Dickens -- it's Christopher Moore time.

Download Description

Christmas crept into Pine Cove like a creeping Christmas thing: dragging garland, ribbon, and sleigh bells, oozing eggnog, reeking of pine, and threatening festive doom like a cold sore under the mistletoe.

But hold on! There's an angel waiting in the wings. (Wings, get it?) It's none other than the Archangel Raziel come to Earth seeking a small child with a wish that needs granting. Unfortunately, our angel's not sporting the brightest halo in the bunch, and before you can say ""Kris Kringle,"" he's botched his sacred mission and sent the residents of Pine Cove headlong into Christmas chaos, culminating in the most hilarious and horrifying holiday party the town has ever seen.

Only Christopher Moore, the man who brought you the outrageous lost gospel Lamb and the hysterical fish tale Fluke could have devised a new holiday classic that tugs at the heartstrings and serves up a healthy slice of fruitcake to boot.

Move over, Charles Dickens -- it's Christopher Moore time.

Customer Reviews:

The Stupidest yet funniest Angel.......2007-09-02

I had this book on cd and was standing in line at the DMV so I was able to listen to the entire book while waiting. Just kidding. I was laughing out loud and getting funny looks. I told those who were not trying to avoid eye contact with me they have to buy this book is is just too funny.

MY Angle on the Angel.......2007-08-24

I'm a huge Christopher Moore fan, have enjoyed all of his writings to date, and this book met all my expectations of wit, wry humor, and warped storylines featuring many of the eccentric personalities I've grown to know and adore in Pine Cove and from other Moore books. I recommend starting with "Practical Demonkeeping" (the first book in Christopher Moore's series and the reader's intro to Pine Cove) and following his array of books in the order he's written them. All are winners, just some more special than others. Enjoy!

A Wonderful Phanasy.......2007-08-23

Should you wish to be cheered and if you can take off beat humour, then this CD is for you. The presentation and voices are unusually good and the use of slightly weird Christmas music adds to the glow. The story is a joy, prepostorous, wild and it makes fun of so much that is tripe. You'll laugh, even if your alone.

Absolutely hysterical.......2007-07-25

I decided to buy this book after reading half of the first paragraph -- and it just got better from there. I read it twice in the first week. Check out the "Search Inside" function on this one!

Great Book.......2007-07-13

The Stupidest Angel is funny, clever, and surprizing. I got to like the characters; in fact I'd like to be their friend. They are real, vunerable,funny and really screwed up.

The Way We Live by the Sea (Way We Live (Rizzoli))

Average customer rating:

Beautiful images
If The Sea Calls You

The Way We Live by the Sea (Way We Live (Rizzoli))
Stafford Cliff
Manufacturer: Rizzoli
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0847828204
Release Date: 2006-03-07

Book Description

The Way We Live... series of books focuses on the best forms of living and style in various parts of the world. The Way We Live... By the Sea presents wonderfully detailed examples of new and traditional designing and living by the sea. From holiday villas in France and sturdy stone fishing cottages on the Scottish islands to sleek modern beach houses in California and Caribbean cabanas, the book is a comprehensive compendium of every type of residential structure found by the ocean. To complete the picture, the book showcases how seaside dwellers link their homes to the sea via terraces, decks, jetties, platforms and private beaches and then examines the use of colors, materials and textures that bring the seaside theme into interior design. The book offers the best that life near the sea, from houses built over the water to life aboard private boats. The Way We Live... By the Sea is sure to be a source of inspiration for anyone fortunate enough to have a seaside dwelling or for anyone who aspires to incorporate seaside grace and beauty.

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful images.......2007-05-18

This is a beautiful book for anyone who loves the sea. In looking at it I was immediately transported to ocean locations - very relaxing and pleasurable. There is a lot of variety in the book and I enjoyed the ideas for sea based furnishings which can be used as much in the city as by the ocean. The only additional thing I would suggest for future editions would be to incorporate images from a wider choice of countries.

If The Sea Calls You.......2006-07-15

This beautiful book will transport you to the sea of your dreams. The photographs are evocative and dreamlike. Whatever your sea dreams are, you will find them in this book.

A House on the Water: Inspiration for Living at the Water's Edge

Average customer rating:

EXCELLENT !
OK, but not what I was looking for.
Visually Delicious
Architect
A House on the Water- inspiration for dreaming and designing

A House on the Water: Inspiration for Living at the Water's Edge
Robert W. Knight
Manufacturer: Taunton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1561586072
Release Date: 2003-10-05

Book Description

There is a universal longing to live near the water ... and this inspiring book can make that dream come true. What's it really like to live near the sea (or on a lake or at the river's edge)? Maine architect Robert Knight looks at 25 well-designed dream homes that are enhanced by the water around them; and he presents six design themes to help the reader understand what makes a house on the water work well. Over 300 color photos and site plans are featured in this outstanding portfolio of homes filled with inspiration.

Customer Reviews:

EXCELLENT !.......2007-06-29

If you are about to build a home...or just enjoy seeing the details that make other structures a "home" then you will love this book...

Very informative...beautifully executed...homerun all the way...

OK, but not what I was looking for........2007-02-13

I was excited to get this book in the mail, as I thought it would have some real good ideas on how to build a larger home on the water that had some character. I found most of the homes rather odd, homes for people that would name their children Jupiter or Flower. I am back today ordering more books. Also most homes either are RIGHT on the water or set back in rock. Didn't find much in the way of regular 100ft setback from the water, woods, maybe a walkout basement type of MN lakes home. There was one from WI but again, it was right on the water, which you normally can not build now days.

Visually Delicious.......2006-12-28

This book is wonderful at capturing the rare beauty of various architectural wonders through vivid photographs and welcoming text. You never get bored flipping through this book and it is incredibly inspiring. It combines several differently designed homes that will appeal to a variety of readers. Reading this book is like daydremaing on paper. Highly recommended.

Architect.......2006-03-11

I found this book both educational and handsome in content and in photography. As an architect practicing in different regions of the country, I'm always thankful for having opportunities to do design work in Maine. Maine, as a place to live, is simply wonderful and unique, but the sense of peace in these "Houses on the Water" is elevated creating a noble inspiration for the reader.

A House on the Water- inspiration for dreaming and designing.......2004-01-19

As a landscape designer, I was consistenly impressed with how these wonderful houses fit into their site, lifting out the critical views and respecting the nature of the place. Having enjoyed the houses that Robert Knight designs, I was pleased to learn why his houses and those selected for his book are so satisfying to see and experience. O'Rourke's photographs are spectacular and with the plans, really help to visualize the structure and the setting and how they fit together. Design professionals and homeowners alike with whom I've shared this book rave about it. A perfect gift for friends and family!

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Luxury Houses Seaside (Luxury Books)
Cristina Paredes Benitez
Manufacturer: Te Neues Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 3832791094

Book Description

Days by the beach mean relaxation and a chance to swim and sunbathe. It's a laid-back, existence, far from the pressures of modern living. Although life is more casual in the luxury beach houses of this lavishly illustrated volume, it's still very sophisticated. These select ocean-side living spaces show that you really can have it all. A sumptuous array of interiors and exteriors will inspire you to create an idyllic beach retreat, or give your own waterfront abode an overhaul. Of course, this book is also for daydreamers content just to imagine their own castle by the sands…

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Beach Read Supreme
no heavy lifting
He makea me laugh....
SE adventures
save your money

Jamaica Me Dead
Bob Morris
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0312997485
Release Date: 2006-10-03

Book Description

TOO HOT TO HANDLEFormer Miami Dolphin Zack Chasteen had a short pro career, but he's got a long memory. When his old gridiron pal Monk DeVane asks him to help beef up security at Libido, an X-rated Jamaican resort, Zack agrees. But he soon regrets it when he finds the resort owner quite literally on the hot seat-sitting on a bomb that will detonate if he so much as twitches a muscle...Things get even more explosive at the adult playground of Libido, where tourists indulge in sun and plenty of bawdy fun. From Montego Bay to the island's back country, Zack Chasteen descends into Jamaica's heart of darkness and its bloody political scene, bringing along his inscrutable sidekick Boggy, a Taino Indian shaman. With bullets flying and people dying, Zack must seek out the truth and settle some scores before his own life goes boom."Advertised as a year-round summer read, this is exactly that, thanks to smart, polished prose; an affable narrator; swift, straightforward plotting in bite-size chapters; and a fun, exotic setting." Booklist

Customer Reviews:

Beach Read Supreme.......2007-06-27

This book is the follow-up to Bahamarama. It alludes to the first book in a couple of places but it can be read alone with no confusion about the plot. I loved this book. While on a beachside vacation it happily filled my days and my imagination. The characters are the type of people that you'll want to know. Living in Florida, this book is an even a closer tie-in for me. It's fun, it's supenseful, it makes you want to continue through to the finish and after you're done you'll wish there was more. Bob Morris is now on my list of favorite Florida authors - not at the top yet but fast closing in on Tim Dorsey!

no heavy lifting.......2007-04-19

A vacation book. A little sun. A little sex. A mystery that doesn't burden you. The bad guy seen way down the beach. And at the end, it feels good.

He makea me laugh...........2007-03-18

I recently discovered my Jamaican roots and have been devouring anything Jamaican...imagine my delight when I saw this book!! And, the inside was just as delightful as the outside...

I'm a mystery fan, but I haven't ever come across anything quite so ummm...unique.

For a book that scores both with characters and a twisty turny plot, that explodes with originality you have to read Jamaica Me Dead.

SE adventures.......2007-02-06

Bob Morris is the latest author for books based in Florida and the islands in the Caribbean Sea. I read 'Bahamarama' and enjoyed it enough to venture into book two 'Jamaica Me Dead'. Unfortunately, his sophomore book with Zack Chasteen, former football pro, doesn't hold up well. The good part of the book is the chapters are very short and you'll read it faster. The bad part is, nothing really happens in the book. It's lackluster but readable if your "to-read" list is at an end. The entire story/plot of the book is slow paced and the characters just aren't terribly interesting. Barbara is truly annoying and the attempts at humor for all characters are strained. Zack is a bit mamby-pamby and there's just not enough of 'sidekick' Boggy included.

I will probably give his third book a try because I'm willing to give authors/series a chance. I did this with Robert Crais' Elvis Cole books even though I really didn't like the first book or two but have since really enjoyed them. For Florida-based authors, go with Hiaassen, Dorsey, or Parker for better books/characters. Hopefully Morris' book three will be an improvement but this one just wasn't very good.

save your money.......2006-07-03

buying this book is a complete waste of money. weak attempt to be a Robert Parker. could have been written by a high school freshmen.real lame!

Cottages by the Sea, The Handmade Homes of Carmel, America's First Artist Community

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A Bouquet
Memories of my hometown
Best Book Available on Carmel Cottages
Utterly lovey!
Cottages by the Sea

Cottages by the Sea, The Handmade Homes of Carmel, America's First Artist Community
Linda Leigh Paul
Manufacturer: Universe Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0789304953
Release Date: 2000-11-18

Book Description

Carmel, California, has always been a community of artists, writers, and freethinkers. During the early part of its rich history, the area was home to Robinson Jeffers, Mary Austin, Ansel Adams, Charles Greene, Jack London, George Sterling, Upton Sinclair, and Henry Miller, among other great artists of the twentieth century. During the late 1980s, actor Clint Eastwood, a longtime resident, served as mayor.

While much about Carmel has changed since the days when Robinson Jeffers could be seen strolling the beach, the area remains one of America's most beautiful. It is also home to many of America's most charming but rarely seen cottages. In Carmel's residential district-- a very private, heavily wooded area surrounding the shops and tourist attractions of the town's often busy main street-- there are no sidewalks or streetlights. The U.S. Postal Service does not offer mail delivery. Homes have no addresses; they are simply known by name. Here, it is not uncommon for tourists, so intrigued by the uniqueness of the local architecture, to climb the fences of private homes in order to get a closer look or snapshot of the house on the other side. Now, for the first time, 34 of these homes can be seen more advantageously, in more than 270 specially commissioned and archival exterior and interior photographs.

Customer Reviews:

A Bouquet.......2003-06-01

I keep this book nearby, like a bouquet, to look at from time to time for the simple pleasure of it. The pages convey not only the
architecture of a period and place, but the personality of an era.
This is a companion book; to be cherished forever.

Memories of my hometown.......2002-05-26

I'm not sure how attractive this book would be to the general public. For me, it reveals the stories behind many of the houses I grew up with. As a Carmel native, I enjoyed learning the stories and histories of many of our local homes. The photographs are nicely done, and the text tells the information in an interesting presentation. I do wish that a local map had been included, to help pinpoint the location of some of these homes.

Best Book Available on Carmel Cottages.......2001-08-21

I am an architect. I live near Carmel and have a special fascination for these houses. Applause to the author. There are lots of beautiful photographs and the history is facinating. I would always like to see more diagrams, interesting details and floor plans, especially for the house called "Hansel". However, this is an excellent book, the best one available on the subject.

Utterly lovey!.......2001-06-08

I opened this book as one would a box of expensive hand-crafted Belgian chocolates and savored each page. The photos are luscious, the text tart and logical. Interior and exterior views of cottages and Jeffer's stone tower remind one of European villages.

Sarah Susanka's "Not So Big House" and "Creating the Not So Big House" are both good, yes, but nothing in them sets off the same resonate sensation as seeing "Cottages by the Sea." This is what real homes can be: shelters for the mind, body and spirit, places of rest, security and inspiration.

I'd write more, but excuse me---I'm booking a trip to Carmel.

Cottages by the Sea.......2001-06-01

The book was purchased for my wife, Emalie, for Mother's Day, so she is writing the reveiw.

The book, at first glance, was exciting for the photos of the homes in the Carmel area. Since our daughter and son-in-law live on Carmel Heights with a view of Point Lobos, we have become familiar with the Carmel setting. Reading the histories of homes we had seen on our jaunts through Carmel was educational and entertaining. Some of the homes have been redone, but the building and remodeling codes in Carmel are very strict, so we were interested in seeing what could be done and how remodeling changed the setting. I will value the book for the sentiment with which it was given, the content, and our connection with the area.

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