Book Description
What would legendary Boston Celtics coach and 16-time NBA champion Red Auerbach say is the most critical quality for a person to be successful? Would his advice differ from 10-time NCAA championship coach John Wooden's? What would each say to a young person just starting out in pursuit of their dreams? What is the best advice they were ever given?
It took author Christian Klemash more than two years of research, persistence, and original interviews, but now he's ready to pass on the best advice you'll ever get. Only the rare individual has had the opportunity to pick the brain of just one legendary sports coach—let alone thirty-four of the best sports coaches of all time. Klemash gives sports fans a once-in-a-lifetime chance to learn valuable life lessons from the most famous, intelligent, and victorious coaches ever. The legends span the sports world, from gold medal-winning gymnastics coach Bela Karolyi and three-time college football championship coach Tom Osborne to four-time World Series-winning baseball manager Joe Torre and hall-of-fame boxing trainer Angelo Dundee.
These coaches know how to teach top athletes about character and winning, how to manage pressure at crunch time, and how to bring out the best in their players when it matters most. How to Succeed in the Game of Life shares their insights into sports, life, and the most vital keys to sustain success.Featuring Exclusive Interviews with:
Red Auerbach, 16-time NBA World Champion
Bobby Bowden, College Football's All-Time Winningest Coach, 2-time National Champion
Scotty Bowman, 9-time Stanley Cup Champion
Bill Cowher, Super Bowl Champion
Tony Dungy, Super Bowl Champion
Dan Gable, 15-time NCCA Champion
April Heinrichs, Gold Medal Winning Coach of the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team
Bela Karolyi, The World’s Greatest Gymnastics Coach
Bill Parcells, 2-time Super Bowl Champion
Emanuel Steward, Boxing Trainer of 30 World Champions
Joe Torre, 4-time World Series Champion
Bill Walsh, 3-time Super Bowl Champion
Lenny Wilkens, NBA’s All-Time Winningest Coach, NBA Champion
John Wooden, 10-time NCAA Champion
And More!
Customer Reviews:
A Great Read.......2007-08-26
Wow!Could not put it down.An extraordinay self help book.Gave it to my kids they loved it.Don't miss this one
What a great read!.......2007-07-25
I took it on vacation with me and I couldn't put it down. A great book for aspiring athletes and coaches as well as your average Joe who works 9-5. The coaches discuss a variety of topics from their childhood to how they motivate their players. Any easy read for all ages.
Game of life.......2007-07-24
I've read through Game of Life and I enjoyed it very much. There are so many things to take from this book, not just into sports, but also some reflections on life. I would recommend this book to everybody.
Coaching advise from athletic coaches.......2007-06-27
A fun read, especially if yoiu're a sports fan. I read it in search of things that would help my own ability as a coach in my company. Much of it is light stuff but the easy read makes it fun nonetheless and there are few golden nuggets laced throughout the book.
Overcome Adversity.......2007-04-12
Anyone looking for inspiration, either for their own life or to share with others, will find a gold mine of quotes here. This book isn't just for sports fans.
Book Description
Considered North America's most “European” city, Montréal is known for its culture, sophisticated population and its amazing architectural history. The latest title in the hugely popular Then and Now series takes readers to Québec's largest city, Montréal, for an amazing past and present tour which includes the following.
• A rich historical overview written by Alan Hustak (a journalist for the Montréal Gazette) describes Montréal's development from a fur trading outpost on the banks of the St. Lawrence River to its present incarnation as the business and cultural center of Canada.
• Originally named Ville-Marie, the settlement became known as Mont Royal, after the tallest of the hills overlooking the river valley. Readers will marvel at how much this modern metropolis has evolved in its history.
• Dozens of photographs show how some of Montréal's most important landmarks looked long ago and how they look today.
• Fascinating side-by-side then-and-now images of popular destinations like the Windsor Hotel, St. Ann's Market, Christ Church Cathedral, and Montréal Harbor showcase Montréal's finest architecture and views.
Though much has changed since the city was first settled in the 17th century, readers will agree that Montréal's charm will never fade.
Customer Reviews:
Attracting, at first..........2006-07-07
A fascinating juxtaposition of photography, but it appears that Alan Hustak forgot to walk and to take time in a large area of the city: the book concentrates a lot on the Western area of the Montréal where the English culture is more at ease, but goes with timidity on the Eastern side of the St-Laurent street. For instance, the book mentions and shows the two English based university, and Hustak rewards their multicultural aspect, but both francophone universities, UQAM and Université de Montréal, are entirely forgotten.
Although the writer is said to be living in Montréal since 1967, it looks like he had some difficulties meeting with the French culture. The author even tends to diminish the importance and the huge contribution of this culture in the city.
On another aspect, a few camera angles of the contemporary photos are sometime disappointing in relation to the original.
Book Description
Frommer's. The best trips start here.
Experience a place the way the locals do. Enjoy the best it has to offer.
* The lowdown on the newest restaurants, hotels, shopping, and nightlife.
* Outspoken opinions on what's worth your time and what's not.
* Exact prices, so you can plan the perfect trip whatever your budget.
* Off-the-beaten-path experiences and undiscovered gems, plus new takes on top attractions.
Find great deals and book your trip at Frommers.com
Customer Reviews:
Excellent hints.......2007-08-13
We just returned from our trip to the Quebec province and the guide was very useful and informative, not only on the sites, but also on restaurants, activities and others. The only thing it should contain and did not is information on the area's national parks and other nature areas of interest, which info we found locally from tourist info centers.
Overall very good and useful.
Terrific Reference for Travelers.......2007-04-24
We planned a trip and traveled to Montreal and Quebec. While we often rely on our GPSr to give us landmarks, places of interest, and dining spots, we found this guide was indispensable for giving more detail than we could get from the GPSr, and enabled us to make good choices for our eating and sightseeing. We also chose a splendid Hotel in Vieux Quebec that was both a bargain and a delight worth many times the price of a night.
The price of the book will be returned many times over in the quality of experiences you have while visiting Montreal and Quebec!
Good, overall guide, but lacking on dining options.......2007-02-24
This is a great guide for those who haven't yet been to Quebec City. It gives general information on the top sites, hotels and dining in the area. I would have liked to see, however, more dining options and a larger section on traveling to Quebec City with kids. Also, there is a whole vacation rental business in the city, mostly apartments, that is a great way to travel and less expensive than hotels. The guide never even mentions this option.
Book Description
The old-world grandeur and new-world hipness of Montreal and Quebec City will seduce you. Relive history in their cobblestone streets, discover their vibrant neighborhoods, party with their convivial locals, and embrace it all with joie de vivre...and an appetite. This savvy, indispensable guide's Montreal-based author reveals the magic and magnificence of francophone Canada's sparkling crown jewels.
DISCOVER THE GEMS - spend days ambling through neighborhoods like ever-romantic Old Montreal and the uberhip Plateau with our Montreal walking tours, including one just for art lovers.
BON APPETIT! - top tips on indulging in Canada's foodiest cities, where 5200-plus eateries dish up something for every appetite and budget.
LEND AN EAR - Jazz, Quebecois chanson, indie punk, the symphony...our music and entertainment chapters delve into Montreal's best venues and parties.
FIND YOUR FEST - Quebecers celebrate everything - music, comedy, film, food, snow - and our city calendars capture it all.
Customer Reviews:
Very good.......2007-09-06
This guide was invaluable during my recent trip to Montreal- the maps were great- having the reviewed places marked on the maps made life a lot easier. I just wish it were bigger.
Helpful Guide.......2007-07-05
This guide proved to be very helpful, informative and insightful for my recent 9 day trip. Nicely organized and up to date material.
Montreal traveler agrees.......2007-06-12
I'm impressed by the amount of detail, all the stories and know-hows have matched to what a well traveled friend says of Montreal.
Highlights dinning, lodging, and sites for each section of the city.
Average customer rating:
- Fascinating...
- Fatal Voyage
- Positively Gripping
- Reichs is an Excellent Author
- Excellent Read
|
Fatal Voyage : A Novel
Kathy Reichs
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Monday Mourning: A Novel
ASIN: 0684859726
Release Date: 2001-07-17 |
Amazon.com
When forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan joins the Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team mobilized to investigate an airplane crash in North Carolina's Smoky Mountains, she literally stumbles on a body part that doesn't match up with the remains of any of the plane's passengers. The leg she grabs out of the jaws of a coyote feeding on the carnage scattered around the site belongs to an unidentified elderly man, and seems to have no connection with the disaster. But an abandoned hunting lodge near the crash site does, although before Tempe can figure out exactly how they're linked, she's pulled off the DMORT unit and forced to stand idly by as her professional reputation goes up in flames. When Andrew Ryan, a detective familiar to readers of Kathy Reichs's earlier books (Deja Dead, Death du Jour, Deadly Decisions), appears on the scene, another mystery begins to unfold. There seems to be no trace of two men on the plane's manifest, Ryan's partner and his seatmate, a criminal who was being escorted back to Canada via Washington, D.C., the doomed flight's final destination, to stand trial for murder.
As usual, Reichs serves up a solid helping of forensic science as the DMORT operatives do their thing, and Tempe traces the remains of a man killed 40 years ago to a series of ritual murders of senior citizens, and further to those whose influence was responsible for her firing. Reichs keeps the narrative moving along despite the somewhat ponderous technical and scientific information; her pacing is brisk and her series heroine in fine form. Tempe's romantic life gets more interesting with every new adventure. A solid thriller that will please the best-selling author's regular readers and serve as a good introduction to new ones. --Jane Adams
Book Description
KATHY REICHS,
whom Ann Rule calls "in a class by herself," burst onto the publishing scene with Déjà Dead, the international bestseller of which P. D. James wrote: "The strength of her novel is in the insight it gives into the scientific procedures of a murder investigation." Now, with her dazzling new forensic thriller Fatal Voyage, Reichs applies her cutting-edge scientific know-how to the probe of a heartbreaking commercial airliner crash.
Temperance Brennan hears the news on her car radio. An Air TransSouth flight has gone down in the mountains of western North Carolina, taking with it eighty-eight passengers and crew. As a forensic anthropologist and a member of the regional DMORT team, Tempe rushes to the scene to assist in body recovery and identification.
Tempe has seen death many times, working with the medical examiners in North Carolina and Montreal, but never has tragedy struck with such devastation. She finds a field of carnage: torsos in trees, limbs strewn among bursting suitcases and smoldering debris. Many of the dead are members of a university soccer team. Is Tempe's daughter, Katy, among them?
Frantic with worry, Tempe joins colleagues from the FBI, the NTSB, and other agencies to search for explanations. Was the plane brought down by a bomb, an insurance plot, a political assassination, or simple mechanical failure? And what about the prisoner on the plane who was being extradited to Canada? Did someone want him silenced forever?
Even more puzzling for Tempe is a disembodied foot found near the debris field. Tempe's microscopic analysis suggests it could not have belonged to any passenger. Whose foot is it, and where is the rest of the body? And what about the disturbing evidence Tempe discovers in the soil outside a remote mountain enclave? What secrets lie hidden there, and why are certain people eager to stop Tempe's investigation? Is she learning too much? Coming too close?
With help from Montreal detective Andrew Ryan, who has his own sad reason for being at the crash, and from a very special dog named Boyd, Tempe calls upon deep reserves of courage and upon her forensic skill to uncover a shocking, multilayered tale of deceit and depravity.
Written with the riveting authenticity that only world-class forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs can provide, Fatal Voyage pairs witty, elegant prose with pulse-pounding storytelling in a tour de force worthy of crime writing's new superstar.
Download Description
The results are in: Kathy Reichs is "irresistible" (Anne Rivers Siddons), "amazing" (Library Journal) and, above all, "in a class by herself" (Ann Rule). From her prize-winning debut Deja Dead to the blockbuster Deadly Decisions, Reichs has become a fixture on bestseller lists, establishing a matchless reputation for cutting-edge forensic thrillers that resonate with authenticity and power. Now, with this chilling new novel, Reichs proves that she's just hitting her stride. Fatal Voyage is a work of fascinating and deeply atmospheric realism. In the horrific aftermath of an eighty-eight victim commercial airline disaster, Dr. Temperance Brennan rushes to the North Carolina mountains to help identify bodies and search for an explanation for the mysterious crash. Was it a bomb? A callous plot to collect on life insurance? Tempe wants to know, but she has another puzzle on her hands: a disembodied foot that matches no registered passenger. Tempe's investigations lead to more bewildering body parts and, ultimately, to a confrontation with evil that will test her courage and mesmerize her legion of fans.
Customer Reviews:
Fascinating..........2007-07-27
Kathy Reichs is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors, and Fatal Voyage is number four in her Temperance Brennan series. This is the third book I've read by her, and I enjoy each one more and more.
Temperance Brennan is a forensic anthropologist who splits her duties between North Carolina and the province of Quebec. When a commercial plane crashes in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina, Dr. Brennan is sent to the crash site as a member of DMORT (Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team). The plane apparently exploded before the crash, killing all 88 on board. Many other agencies join DMORT to assist with the crash including the "NTSB, FBI, ATF, Red Cross, FAA, Forest Service, TVA, Department of the Interior." Quebec inspector (and possible Brennan love interest) Andrew Ryan also shows up at the scene. His partner was on the doomed flight, escorting a prisoner.
While gathering remains, Brennan discovers a foot that is too old to be from any of the passengers. As she continues to investigate the foot, she is accused of official misconduct and removed from the crash team. It is obvious that someone in power is afraid of what she'll uncover, and they'll stop at nothing to keep her from finding the truth. And what a horrible truth that proves to be!
While some readers might find Fatal Voyage gruesome, I was fascinated by the scientific aspects of crash victim recovery and identification. It is also interesting to read how the different agencies work together to determine the cause of a plane crash. In reading Reichs, I can understand why forensic pathology and forensic anthropology are becoming so popular as career choices.
When I find an author that I greatly enjoy, I'm determined to read everything they've written. Reichs has become one of those authors, and I've already started Cross Bones.
Fatal Voyage.......2007-05-15
Good reading with interesting characters. Keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Positively Gripping.......2007-04-18
When you pick up a book about a forensic medical examiner, you'd better be ready for crime, deceit, and many grossly deceased bodies in various stages of decomposition. You won't be disappointed with "Fatal Voyage," Kathy Reich's latest Temperance Brennan title. Tons of twists and turns, lots of murders, and a continuing romantic plot. All in all, much more approachable and accessible than the Patricia Cornwell series with similar themes. Highly recommended.
Reichs is an Excellent Author.......2007-03-23
I have enjoyed every book I have read by Kathy Reichs. Her stories are simular to the first books that Patricia Cornwell wrote.
Excellent Read.......2007-02-19
Kathy Reichs is a wonderful author and I have never been disappointed in her books. She obviously knows what she is writing about and puts her plots together to make them unable to put down and has just enough of a love story involved to spice them up. I would say that anyone who likes forensic novels will love this one and all of Kathy Reichs books. I do.
Book Description
From the top 10 festivals to the top 10 places to eat, shop and sleep this guide will lead you straight to the very best Montréal and Québec City have to offer.
Customer Reviews:
Clear, uptodate and easy to use .......2006-11-03
I like the small size of this guide you can bring everywhere easily. It is really usefull to have it to choose and see everything important and to find your favorite interests,restaurants or hotels in this place efficiently by looking at the differents sections it proposes. The maps are well done...really, I have also this one for NY city and it worths its price. Enjoy.
Excellent and helpful :-).......2006-02-12
These books are always fantastic. They are choc-full of good information and it's so handy and useful. Inside, it talks about all the top 10 things in different sections. For example, the top 10 hotels, restaurants, shops etc. I also really love all the beautiful colour pages. Some guide books use black and whites etc, but these guys always make the city in question look stunning. Obviously this book is merely a small guide with only a certain amount of information - if you want a lot more depth, you have to get their full bigger books (which are also great). But for someone with a bit of knowledge already about a particular place, this is just a top up of info that comes in real handy. I highly recommend this book (especially since it is dealing with two cities instead of concentrating on only one). A good guide to two beautiful cities.
Overall good guide to accompany your trip to Montreal/Quebec.......2005-08-04
This guide book is filled with colorful pictures and list top-10 tourist spots in Montreal and Quebec, it almost list top-10 tourist spots, dining, shopping, night life etc in different sections of the cities. Overall it's an excellent guide book to accompany one's trip to Monteral/Quebec.
The only problem is after visiting some of the top-10 spots I find myself disagreeing with the choice of the author. While some interesting spots were left out of given less attention. Some information is also outdated or incorrect, such as museum opening hours.
For example, while the cross on Mount Royal has historical significance, the steel structure itself is unimpressive and I doubt whether it's worth walking half-way through Mount-Royal Park just to see the cross.
Another example is the Museum of French America in Quebec city, which houses many interesting exhibits but it wasn't even mentioned in the guide.
Apart from tourists spots, I also find myself disagreeing with some top-10 restaurants picks. For example, the Alphenaus restaurant (in downtown Montreal) recommended by the guide is located in a kind-of-run-down neighbourhood and AAA only gives it 2 diamonds. There are some good picks though, like Le Latini in Montreal.
One last glitch about this travel guide is the inclusion of some seemingly irrelevant information. While it's good to know about Celine Dion or the separatist movement, I'm not sure how useful that information is to my trip.
Summary:
The good:
Clear, concise, numbered list of tourist attractions, restaurants, etc. Also some travel tips. Most attractions lists are show on mini-map and nearest metro station, which makes the job of finding that attraction/restaurant a lot easier.
The bad:
some out-dated information, some top-10 picks questionable
The bottomline:
This is an excellent guide to accompany anyone travelling to Montreal/Quebec city
take this with you.......2004-08-18
This is a great little travel book if you are planning your first trip to Quebec. Not having any idea about what we wanted to do, this book basically planned our trip. It's also small enough to carry with you. It also has maps.
Book Description
People watch from sidewalk cafes, snowshoe through a winter wonderland, attend your first cinq-à-sept, shop at hip Québecois boutiques, or listen to artists at the International Jazz Festival – Fodor's Montréal and Québec City, 2007 offers all these experiences and more! Our local writers have traveled throughout the country to find the best hotels, restaurants, attractions and activities to prepare you for a journey of stunning variety. Before you leave for your trip be sure to pack your Fodor's guide to ensure you don't miss a thing.
The San Francisco Chronicle sums it up best –"Fodor's guides are saturated with information."
- We frequently update our Montréal and Québec City guide, and we make every effort to bring you the most accurate and thorough book. Plus we provide timely updates about the area at Fodors.com.
- Unlike other travel books, Fodor's guides rely heavily on local experts who know the territory best–so you know you're seeing the real Montréal and Québec City.
- We give you the planning tools you need to tailor your trip. We give options for all budgets. You make the choices.
Customer Reviews:
Fodor's Doesn't Disappoint.......2007-09-10
This book was perfect for a weekend in Montreal. I looked through tons and Fodor's just keeps it simple with good maps, recommendation that aren't lacking in any way, and it is well organized. We took a couple of the restaurant recommendations and I had one of the best meal ver (literally) at Toque! and would strongly recommend the mystery meal. Out of this world. This book is a sure thing though if you are debating which guide to grab for an upcoming trip. Have fun!
A must have........2007-06-13
Handy little book for site seeing and dining.
Great Guide.......2007-05-16
Fodor's guide has been very helpful on my trip to Montreal. We were very satisfied with our hotel, which we read about in Fodor. We planned our itinerary around the different areas recommended by Fodor and were able to enjoy and find them all. We also took a side trip to Oka, which was probably my favorite thing we did on this trip. Fodor's explanations of the different places, neighborhoods, and restaurants made our experience in Montreal and its vicinity meaningful and memorable. This is truly a guide of great value.
Book Description
A riveting new Temperance Brennan forensic thriller from Kathy Reichs, the internationally acclaimed forensic anthropologist and New York Times bestselling author...
Temperance Brennan, forensic anthropologist for both North Carolina and Quebec, has come from Charlotte to Montreal during the bleak days of December to testify as an expert witness at a murder trial.
She should be going over her notes, but instead she's digging in the basement of a pizza parlor. Not fun. Freezing cold. Crawling rats. And now, the skeletonized remains of three young women. How did they get there? When did they die?
Homicide detective Luc Claudel, never Tempe's greatest fan, believes the bones are historic. Not his case, not his concern. The pizza parlor owner found nineteenth-century buttons in the cellar with the skeletons. Claudel takes them as an indicator of the bones' antiquity.
But something doesn't make sense. Tempe examines the bones in her lab and establishes approximate age with Carbon 14. Further study of tooth enamel tells her where the women were born. If she's right, Claudel has three recent murders on his hands. Definitely his case.
Detective Andrew Ryan, meanwhile, is acting mysteriously. What are those private phone calls he takes in the other room, and why does he suddenly disappear just when Tempe is beginning to hope he might be a permanent part of her life? Looks like more lonely nights for Tempe and Birdie, her cat.
As Tempe searches for answers in both her personal and professional lives, she finds herself drawn deep into a web of evil from which there may be no escape. Women have disappeared, never to return....Tempe may be next.
With its powerful mix of nail-biting suspense and cutting-edge forensic science, Monday Mourning is the best yet from this superbly gifted, megastar author who, as New York Newsday says, is "the real thing."
Download Description
"A riveting new Temperance Brennan forensic thriller from Kathy Reichs, the internationally acclaimed forensic anthropologist and New York Times bestselling author... Temperance Brennan, forensic anthropologist for both North Carolina and Quebec, has come from Charlotte to Montreal during the bleak days of December to testify as an expert witness at a murder trial. She should be going over her notes, but instead she's digging in the basement of a pizza parlor. Not fun. Freezing cold. Crawling rats. And now, the skeletonized remains of three young women. How did they get there? When did they die? Homicide detective Luc Claudel, never Tempe's greatest fan, believes the bones are historic. Not his case, not his concern. The pizza parlor owner found nineteenth-century buttons in the cellar with the skeletons. Claudel takes them as an indicator of the bones' antiquity. But something doesn't make sense. Tempe examines the bones in her lab and establishes approximate age with Carbon 14. Further study of tooth enamel tells her where the women were born. If she's right, Claudel has three recent murders on his hands. Definitely his case. Detective Andrew Ryan, meanwhile, is acting mysteriously. What are those private phone calls he takes in the other room, and why does he suddenly disappear just when Tempe is beginning to hope he might be a permanent part of her life? Looks like more lonely nights for Tempe and Birdie, her cat. As Tempe searches for answers in both her personal and professional lives, she finds herself drawn deep into a web of evil from which there may be no escape. Women have disappeared, never to return....Tempe may be next. With its powerful mix of nail-biting suspense and cutting-edge forensic science, Monday Mourning is the best yet from this superbly gifted, megastar author who, as New York Newsday says, is ""the real thing "
Customer Reviews:
Good science overwhelmed by a variety of uninteresting details.......2007-08-27
I came to Kathy Reichs' work via the BONES TV show, which while far-fetched has an entertaining quality that I thought might be a bit more grounded in her fiction. Well, it is grounded and not in a good way. After wading through Brennan's love life, with a dilemma about her boyfriend's young companion that has an answer so obvious it is insulting that Brennan doesn't figure it out or at least ask the right questions to deal with it, Brennan's friend going through her own marital crisis, and the contentious relationship with one of the investigating officers that seems so unprofessional that I can't believe it hasn't been resolved at this point in the series.
The saving grace is the science that is well explained and fascinating, without the sci-fi elements present in the TV show. The case dealing with the discovery of three bodies in the basement of a pizza parlor leads to a variety avenues of investigation which is well done until Brennan plays hero and the reality is once again drained away from the book. I don't think it's fair to judge a popular series with one book, but if this is a prime example of Reichs' work I'll stick with the TV version.
Monday mourning: a long week reading Kathy Reichs.......2007-08-20
I have been a Reichs fan since the start. Initially I was relieved to find such great books after tiring of the increasing implausibility of the Patricia Cornwell series. However, Monday Mourning is a disappointment. Reichs' strength is her intellectually challenging plots, dropping tidbits of information at regular intervals that occupy the mind without enabling us to solve too much of the puzzle before she does. The second half of Monday Mourning does not disappoint in this regard, if you are still reading by then. But the first half . . . slow, repetitive, riddled with painfully laboured descriptive allusions. It's like watching paint dry. There simply doesn't seem to be enough story for it to have any pace. And without pace, one is left to contemplate the stilted, flowery writing. Brennan herself is annoying. These kinds of books work well too if the central character is interesting. But Reichs has taken to portraying Tempe as a caricature: she has no depth. Same old mindless hostility at Claudel, the endless emphasis on how fresh and emotionally affected she is by "her girls" (the crime victims) despite years in the job (if this was for real she'd have a nervous breakdown), and a demonstration of the relationship skills of a goldfish in her senseless attempts to terminate her relationship with Andrew Ryan, without actually ever asking him why he's seemed a bit preoccupied lately. The only relationship that felt at all real was the one with her friend Ann. As I said, the last part of the plot unfolds in true Reichs style, but if the rest doesn't pick up in the next book, I'll be reading someone who hasn't lost their edge instead.
Monday Mourning: A Tempe Brennan Novel.......2007-06-06
Book came in the time frame and in the condition specified.
Great book!.......2007-06-01
The Kathy Reichs books are made all the better by the TV series Bones. You can visualize the Dr. Brennan perfectly. Gifted writer whose story was so compelling I just couldn't put it down!
Another Solid Performance.......2007-04-25
thoroughly enough Tempe and the people she surrounds herself with. For this one Tempe finds herself helping Claudel investigate the burial of three skeletons in a pizza-by-the-slice joint's basement. Claudel feels the bones are ancient and that it's a non-priority case; Tempe feels differently. The book has a slow start with a few subplots that don't really add to the book (and in fact seem to be a device to make sure one character is available at the end of the book) but don't detract from it either. I figured out the twist about 30 pages from the end; not bad for me when it comes to these sorts of books. I'm not sure if that means the book was a bit more predictable or if it means that I'm getting better at the sleuthing thing. The little blurb in the back of the book advertising for Cross Bones makes me want to run out and snatch that book up to read next.
I'm happy with the way Reichs seems to be working on her annoying habit of giving too much description. She doesn't lapse into that nearly as much in this book as she has in previous ones. Her writing appears to be getting tighter with a better flow. Another satisfying read.
Book Description
INTRODUCTION
Montréal is by far Canada's most cosmopolitan city. Toronto may have the country's economic power and Vancouver its most majestic scenery, but the centuries-old marriage of English and French cultures that defines Montréal has given the city an allure and dynamic unique to North America - a captivating atmosphere that is admittedly hard to describe. Its ethnic make-up is in truth fairly diverse, what with plenty of Italians, Greeks, Eastern Europeans, Jews, Chinese and Portuguese putting down roots in various neighbourhoods over the last century. But ever since the French first flew the flag here back in the 1600s, the struggle for the city's soul has centred on - and largely set apart - its English and French factions.
As such Montréal has always been a pivotal player in the politics of Québec separatism, the tension between the two main linguistic groups having reached a searing low in the late 1960s, when the Front de Libération du Québec waged a terrorist campaign on the city as the province was undergoing a "francization" that would affect Montréal most of all. In the wake of legislation that enshrined French-language dominance in Québec, English-Quebecers fled in droves, tipping the nation's economic supremacy from Montréal to Toronto. After decades of linguistic dispute, though, a truce appears to have at last settled in, and nowadays it's hard to believe that only a few years ago a narrowly failed 1995 referendum on separation transformed the city into a pitched battlefield over linguistic and territorial rights. It seems virtually everyone can speak French, while the younger generation of Francophones also speak l'anglais - certainly a blessing for English-speaking visitors who should have no problem finding someone who speaks the language. The truce has also gone hand in hand with the city's economic resurgence, which sees Montréal at the fore of Canada's high-tech industry.
The duality of Montréal's social mix is also reflected in its urban make-up. Sandwiched between the banks of the St Lawrence River and the forested, trail-laced rise of Mont Royal, the heart of the city is an engaging melange of Old and New World aesthetics. Busy downtown, with its wide boulevards lined by sleek office towers and rambling shopping malls, is emblematic of a typical North American metropolis, while just to its south, Vieux-Montréal preserves the city's unmistakable French heritage in its layout of narrow, cobblestone streets and town squares anchored by the radiant Basilique Notre-Dame. Balancing these are traces of the city's greatest international moment, Expo '67, echoes of which remain on Parc Jean-Drapeau, the islands across from Vieux-Montréal that hosted the successful World Fair. A few kilometres east stands perhaps the city's greatest folly, the Stade Olympique built for the 1976 Olympics, its leaning tower overshadowing the expansive Jardin Botanique, second only to London's Kew Gardens.
Specific sights aside, it's the street-level vibe that makes Montréal such a great place to visit. Like the homegrown Cirque du Soleil, Montréal has a ceaseless - and contagious - energy that infuses its café and lounge culture, its exciting into-the-wee-hour nightlife, and the boisterous summer festivals that put everyone in a party mood. Nowhere captures this free-spirited ethos better than Plateau Mont-Royal, the trendiest neighbourhood in town and effective meeting point of Montréal's founding and immigrant cultures. Here, the best restaurants, bars and clubs hum and groove along boulevard St-Laurent, the symbolic divide between the city's French and English communities, under the watchful gaze of the city's most prominent landmark, the cross atop Mont Royal that recalls Montréal's initial founding as a Catholic colony.
In some contrast, Québec City, around 250km east, seems immune to outside forces, its walled old town steadfastly embodying the province's French fact. Perched atop a promontory with a commanding view of the St Lawrence and laced with winding, cobblestone streets flanked by seventeenth- and eighteenth-century stone houses, it ranks as Québec's most romantic and beautifully situated city. Closer to Montréal, two other enchanting regions - the Eastern Townships (Les Cantons-de-l'Est) and the Laurentian mountains (Les Laurentides) - provide excellent getaways, along with top-notch skiing, away from the teeming city centre.
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