The Thirteenth Tale: A Novel

Amazon.com

Settle down to enjoy a rousing good ghost story with Diane Setterfield's debut novel, The Thirteenth Tale. Setterfield has rejuvenated the genre with this closely plotted, clever foray into a world of secrets, confused identities, lies, and half-truths. She never cheats by pulling a rabbit out of a hat; this atmospheric story hangs together perfectly.

There are two heroines here: Vida Winter, a famous author, whose life story is coming to an end, and Margaret Lea, a young, unworldly, bookish girl who is a bookseller in her father's shop. Vida has been confounding her biographers and fans for years by giving everybody a different version of her life, each time swearing it's the truth. Because of a biography that Margaret has written about brothers, Vida chooses Margaret to tell her story, all of it, for the first time. At their initial meeting, the conversation begins:

"You have given nineteen different versions of your life story to journalists in the last two years alone."

She [Vida] shrugged. "It's my profession. I'm a storyteller."

"I am a biographer, I work with facts."

The game is afoot and Margaret must spend some time sorting out whether or not Vida is actually ready to tell the whole truth. There is more here of Margaret discovering than of Vida cooperating wholeheartedly, but that is part of Vida's plan.

Margaret has a story of her own: she was one of conjoined twins and her sister died so that Margaret could live. She feels an otherworldly aura sometimes or a yearning for a part of her that is forever missing. Vida's story involves two wild girls--feral twins (is she one of them?)--who would have been better off being suckled by wolves. Instead, their mother and uncle, involved in things too unsavory to contemplate, combine to neglect them woefully. There's also a governess, a Doctor, a kindly housekeeper, a gardener, and another presence--a very strange presence--which Margaret perceives as a ghost at first. Making obeisance to other great ghost stories, there is a deadly fire, a beautiful old house gone to ruin, and always that presence....

The transformative power of truth informs the lives of both women by story's end, and The Thirteenth Tale is finally and convincingly told. --Valerie Ryan

Book Description

When Margaret Lea opened the door to the past, what she confronted was her destiny.

All children mythologize their birth...So begins the prologue of reclusive author Vida Winter's collection of stories, which are as famous for the mystery of the missing thirteenth tale as they are for the delight and enchantment of the twelve that do exist.

The enigmatic Winter has spent six decades creating various outlandish life histories for herself -- all of them inventions that have brought her fame and fortune but have kept her violent and tragic past a secret. Now old and ailing, she at last wants to tell the truth about her extraordinary life. She summons biographer Margaret Lea, a young woman for whom the secret of her own birth, hidden by those who loved her most, remains an ever-present pain. Struck by a curious parallel between Miss Winter's story and her own, Margaret takes on the commission.

As Vida disinters the life she meant to bury for good, Margaret is mesmerized. It is a tale of gothic strangeness featuring the Angelfield family, including the beautiful and willful Isabelle, the feral twins Adeline and Emmeline, a ghost, a governess, a topiary garden and a devastating fire.

Margaret succumbs to the power of Vida's storytelling but remains suspicious of the author's sincerity. She demands the truth from Vida, and together they confront the ghosts that have haunted them while becoming, finally, transformed by the truth themselves.

The Thirteenth Tale is a love letter to reading, a book for the feral reader in all of us, a return to that rich vein of storytelling that our parents loved and that we loved as children. Diane Setterfield will keep you guessing, make you wonder, move you to tears and laughter and, in the end, deposit you breathless yet satisfied back upon the shore of your everyday life.

Customer Reviews:

Several Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.......2007-10-02

This book is overrated. The best thing about it, several references to fairy tales, ended an eighth of the way in: (p 34) "a single lupine exhalation could reduce it to rubble;" (p 40) "[the bed] was so lavishly covered with cushions that there could be any number of peas under the mattress and I would not know it...;" (p 47) "I have cried wolf too often." After an interminably long time, when the contents of the Thirteenth Tale was finally revealed, all I could do was resent the fact that Vida Winter insisted on telling the story in such a painstakingly slow manner (p 52) "beginning at the beginning, continuing with the middle, and with the end at the end. Everything in its proper place. No cheating. No looking ahead. No questions." The result being that readers were forced to trudge through the hundreds of pages of nonsense that made up the story of her unlikely life (which appears to include a major theme from the novel Middlesex and several characters who would have fit right in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's nest). The who's who of the family members was a boring lesson in inequalities, and the mental states of several characters only served to confirm why familial relationships are not generally allowed to stray into the forbidden zone. Far from the end, I was tired of learning the details about the reclusive writer's ultra-dysfunctional family members and their pitiable but uninterestingly messed up lives. Better: Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Emma, Jane Eyre, The Woman in White, The Turn of the Screw, The Wings of the Dove, etc.

Storytelling At It's Best!.......2007-09-29

I've read so many wonderful books by first time novelists this year, and The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield will certainly join the ranks of Audrey Niffenegger and Elizabeth Kostova. This is another one of those unread treasures that has been sitting on my shelf and it makes me wonder what other visionary treats lie there in waiting.

The Thirteenth Tale is a prime example of storytelling at it's top form. Margaret Lea is a young woman who works at her father's bookshop which specializes in rare and antiquarian books. She's been surrounded by books throughout her life and has grown comfortable with the classics such as Jane Eyre, Middlemarch, The Woman in White, etc. and has shied away from more contemporary literature. That is, until she is summonsed by Vida Winter, a top selling novelist with a mysterious past who has requested that Margaret record the story of her life. Margaret is a bit leary of the commission, but accepts and finds that she must face her own ghosts while recording the ghosts of Ms. Winter's past - a past that reveals that the truth is often stranger than fiction.

There are so many things that I loved about this book. The characters are wonderful. Vida Winter is someone that I wish truly existed just so that I could sit in her library in front of her fireplace and listen to her tell me her stories. But of course, the wonderful Diane Setterfield, who wrote Vida Winter's character does exist ;) The storytelling aspect of this novel was just perfect. There wasn't a single moment in the novel when I was bored. There's constantly a hook to grab you and the story is always appealing.

I haven't read Daniel Wallace's book, Big Fish, but much of this novel reminded of a gothic version of the film. It's a tale of a past that's truly bizarre, yet grounded in fact. This novel could easily be translated to the big screen and make a beautiful film by the way. Setterfield paints a very vivid picture in her descriptions of the landscapes, her characters appearances, the libraries, etc.

I'm so glad that I've finally joined the other half of the world that's read this book! I've been saying this a lot lately, but here's another author that I really look forward to following throughout her career. Setterfield certainly has a promising future ahead of her if she continues to turn out novels that deliver as well as this one did.

Loved It !.......2007-09-28

: ) ***** Dark, gothic, absorbing. I just couldn't put the book down. ***** : )

Amazing storyteller.......2007-09-26

Diane weaves a spellbinding story--she is a genius storyteller. You really can't put the book down until the end. When is the next book?

Captivating Listen.......2007-09-24

I listened to this book on the solo end of my carpool drives and was absolutely captivated. The story sinks into your brain and begs you to listen for just a bit longer- just until the next twist or dramatic reveal! The narration gives perfect voice to all the characters (with only two wildly talented readers). I hope Diane Setterfield is hard at work on another novel.

Magic Tree House Boxed Set 1, Books 1-4: Dinosaurs Before Dark, The Knight at Dawn, Mummies in the Morning, and Pirates Past Noon

Average customer rating:

I have not yet received this product
My daughter loves these books
Great for 1st-3rd Graders
my son loves these books!
Good starter book series

Magic Tree House Boxed Set 1, Books 1-4: Dinosaurs Before Dark, The Knight at Dawn, Mummies in the Morning, and Pirates Past Noon
Mary Pope Osborne
Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0375813659
Release Date: 2001-05-29

Book Description

Get ready for a world of adventure with the first four titles in the beloved Magic Tree House series!

Jack and his little sister Annie are just two regular kids from Frog Creek, Pennsylvania. Then they discover a mysterious tree house packed with all sorts of books...and their lives are never the same! Soon they are traveling through time and space in the magic tree house and having amazing adventures. Whether it's watching baby dinosaurs hatch, finding a secret passage in a castle, helping a ghost queen in an Egyptian pyramid, or finding pirate treasure readers won't want to miss a single story!

Customer Reviews:

I have not yet received this product.......2007-09-23

I was accidently sent another book in my mailing package. I sent that one back with a note that it was the wrong product. i have not yet received the Magic Tree House book set.

My daughter loves these books.......2007-08-09

My daugther just could not put down these books after she had received them. She finished 12 books in less than a week! I am going to get the rest of this series for her soon.

Great for 1st-3rd Graders.......2007-07-28

While the writing isn't great, the stories are certainly entertaining, and are great reading for 1st-3rd Graders. The stories follow two siblings, Jack and Annie, who are magically transported to various places, and the various settings set the stage for some very fascinating, to the young reader, tales they will come to treasure.

my son loves these books!.......2007-07-07

I've been reading to my son since he was two weeks old. He just had his fourth birthday, and I gave him this Magic Tree House box set. I thought he'd get bored pretty quick since there aren't illustrations on every page, but I was wrong. We read the first book in an afternoon, and he wanted to move straight on to the next one. We've since finished the first four and I've ordered the next box set, and while we wait we're re-reading the first four. Fantastic books!

Good starter book series.......2007-05-12

Good books to help me and my grandchildren communicate. We started a book discussion club. Great quality time.

The Peebles Principles: Tales and Tactics from an Entrepreneur's Life of Winning Deals, Succeeding in Business, and Creating a Fortune from Scratch

Average customer rating:

Should Be Required Reading!
Must read for ANYONE aspiring to do big deals!
I love the Peebles Principles
Can this genius possibly have more fun?
Real People, Real Stories, Real Lessons

The Peebles Principles: Tales and Tactics from an Entrepreneur's Life of Winning Deals, Succeeding in Business, and Creating a Fortune from Scratch
R. Donahue Peebles , and J. P. Faber
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0470099305

Book Description

Praise for The Peebles Principles

"Don Peebles is an example of what entrepreneurs are all about. In this engaging and witty book, Peebles shares insights from his own success in the world of high- powered real estate. What makes this book different is Peebles doesn't just focus on the positive, he discusses the failures too—something every entrepreneur can expect in his journey to success. This book should be on every aspiring business- person's bookshelf to be read again and again."
—Robert L. Johnson, Founder, BET and Owner, Charlotte Bobcats

"The Peebles Principles provides a fun read and a bird's-eye view of the ever- changing world of a real estate entrepreneur. It is a good gut check for would-be entrepreneurs to ask if they have what it takes."
—Dr. Peter D. Linnemann, Albert Sussman Professor of Real Estate, Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania

"Wow! What magnificent inspiration The Peebles Principles is for anyone seeking to be involved in business. The ground rules found in each chapter are absolute gems, and those alone make the book worth buying."
—Cathy Hughes, Founder and Chairperson, Radio One, Inc.

"This book is a brilliant example of entrepreneurship, creativity, and principles. Peebles walks you through many of his successful deals, from their inception to their completion. Once you start the book you won't be able to put it down until you've finished the last page."
—Dr. Sanford L. Ziff, Founder and Chairman, Sunglass Hut International Inc.

Customer Reviews:

Should Be Required Reading!.......2007-09-24

I can't stop talking about this book! I first heard Mr. Peebles on the Steve Harvey morning show. I was impressed. Then, I had the pleasure of hearing him speak at a Michigan Minority Business Development Council/General Motors event. I was even more impressed. I took home my autographed copy of his book that day and began reading it. I was addicted! I could not put it down! Every spare moment I had, I was in this book! He literally becomes your mentor. This book is a practical application manual. He shares what went wrong and what went right, he names names and pulls no punches! Mr. Peebles has put to shame many other authors, claiming to want to teach us how to become rich in real estate or other industries, for holding out on us!

Must read for ANYONE aspiring to do big deals!.......2007-09-23

This is a very easy to read, step-by-step book of the anatomy of a deal. Often we say that we would like to be the lamp in the room of a big deal and Peebles puts us there time and time again! The candor and honesty expressed regarding the deal structure and his thoughts behind the decisions made was nothing short of generous! I have been in business for seven years. I could not figure out why my firm had not advanced to the next level... Now I understand! For a man, independently wealthy, he charitably gives the rest of us some insight to advancing our own goals and closing our own deals! I have recommended the book to at least 10 colleagues in two weeks!

I love the Peebles Principles.......2007-09-04

I read books all the time about very successful people, most happen to be in industries other than in the Real Estate industry that I am in. I have also read about a lot developers like Donald Trump, but until know this is one of the most successful Minority Developers I have the pleasure of studying. The ability to stand fast with no legs to stand on is a lesson in itself. You have to believe you are adding value in any relationship for all to feel a certain equality.

His vision and tenacity to follow through, seems to be a trait a lot of Entrepreneurs lack. This is a real How To Book, most will try to cafeteria style it, and do it there way, bit it will not work. From the moment I finished reading it,I started trying to build political contacts. I will be giving my first campaign donation this year. I never understood the importance of who you know, not what it is that you know, until I read The Peebles Principles. I would just like to congratulate Mr. Pebbles on his massive success.

It seems as if Mr. Peebles is unstoppable know, I just recently read that he is constructing the most expensive Minority Owned hotel in Las Vegas as we speak. This just gives the average person that does not have a Harvard Degree the confidence that you can do it if you want it bad enough. In closing I would recommend this book to anyone that has ever wanted to pursue a career as a Real Estate Investor. It gives you a different path to the promised land.

Darrick H Scruggs

Can this genius possibly have more fun?.......2007-08-01

Read this book. It will force you to completely rethink just how you can operate within the free-market business world. My once forgotten career dreams of yesteryear have been rediscovered and are now being fulfilled with a renewed vigor. Mr. Peebles has an astute business mind coupled with a tireless desire to succeed with his ethics intact.

Real People, Real Stories, Real Lessons.......2007-06-12

The Peebles Principles is an excellent, but at the same time, easy read. I recommend it to anyone in business or thinking about going into business. His story should be an inspiration to all who want to succeed in business and in life, regardless of race or economic background. It is a must read for everyone in my family.

Ten Little Fingers (Board Books for Babies)

Average customer rating:

Very cute book!
Loves It
Board Books
couold be better
Ten Little Fingers

Ten Little Fingers (Board Books for Babies)
Annie Kubler
Manufacturer: Child's Play International
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Board book

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ASIN: 0859536106

Product Description

This award winning series has been specifically designed for babies. A great introduction to books through well-known nursery songs and interactive text. By Annie Kubler. Ages: birth - 2 years Manufacturer: Marlon Creations

Customer Reviews:

Very cute book!.......2007-09-17

This is a very cute book! I'm 8 months pregnant and my husband has been reading this book to my belly for the past few months. The baby already loves it but i'm sure she'll love it even more when she can hold daddy's hands with her own 10 little fingers!

Loves It.......2007-08-27

My little absolutely loves these books. I have to read one or more of the everyday.

Board Books.......2007-06-08

Ten Little Fingers by Annie Kubler is one of a series of books that is a perfect fit for very little ones. The rhythm and rhyme draws their attention and the illustrations are big blobs of color, sharply delineated from each other. You can start with an infant who is old enough to focus and they will be enthralled by the colors. The size of the book is good for holding open with one hand as you hold the baby in the other arm.

couold be better.......2007-06-01

This is a finger play for babies and toddlers. I bought it to have at home for when my granddaughters visit. The book is cute enough, but there is just not "enough" meat to this book to justify a whole book for one finger play. I do like that the musical notes are provided, so that I can play the song on the piano. Just wish there were a couple other songs/finger plays.

Ten Little Fingers.......2007-05-14

The shipping fee is about same as the book price itself. That will end up about double price of a children book.

Average customer rating:

a teacher
Fit for a Princess
heartbreaking, tender
Boring, a waste of my time
To read and then reread for life

The Little Prince

Manufacturer: Harvest Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0156012197

Amazon.com

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry first published The Little Prince in 1943, only a year before his Lockheed P-38 vanished over the Mediterranean during a reconnaissance mission. More than a half century later, this fable of love and loneliness has lost none of its power. The narrator is a downed pilot in the Sahara Desert, frantically trying to repair his wrecked plane. His efforts are interrupted one day by the apparition of a little, well, prince, who asks him to draw a sheep. "In the face of an overpowering mystery, you don't dare disobey," the narrator recalls. "Absurd as it seemed, a thousand miles from all inhabited regions and in danger of death, I took a scrap of paper and a pen out of my pocket." And so begins their dialogue, which stretches the narrator's imagination in all sorts of surprising, childlike directions.

The Little Prince describes his journey from planet to planet, each tiny world populated by a single adult. It's a wonderfully inventive sequence, which evokes not only the great fairy tales but also such monuments of postmodern whimsy as Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities. And despite his tone of gentle bemusement, Saint-Exupéry pulls off some fine satiric touches, too. There's the king, for example, who commands the Little Prince to function as a one-man (or one-boy) judiciary:

I have good reason to believe that there is an old rat living somewhere on my planet. I hear him at night. You could judge that old rat. From time to time you will condemn him to death. That way his life will depend on your justice. But you'll pardon him each time for economy's sake. There's only one rat.

The author pokes similar fun at a businessman, a geographer, and a lamplighter, all of whom signify some futile aspect of adult existence. Yet his tale is ultimately a tender one--a heartfelt exposition of sadness and solitude, which never turns into Peter Pan-style treacle. Such delicacy of tone can present real headaches for a translator, and in her 1943 translation, Katherine Woods sometimes wandered off the mark, giving the text a slightly wooden or didactic accent. Happily, Richard Howard (who did a fine nip-and-tuck job on Stendhal's The Charterhouse of Parma in 1999) has streamlined and simplified to wonderful effect. The result is a new and improved version of an indestructible classic, which also restores the original artwork to full color. "Trying to be witty," we're told at one point, "leads to lying, more or less." But Saint-Exupéry's drawings offer a handy rebuttal: they're fresh, funny, and like the book itself, rigorously truthful. --James Marcus

Book Description

Few stories are as widely read and as universally cherished by children and adults alike as The Little Prince. Richard Howard's new translation of the beloved classic-published to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's birth-beautifully reflects Saint-Exupéry's unique and gifted style. Howard, an acclaimed poet and one of the preeminent translators of our time, has excelled in bringing the English text as close as possible to the French, in language, style, and most important, spirit. The artwork in this new edition has been restored to match in detail and in color Saint-Exupéry's original artwork. By combining the new translation with restored original art, Harcourt is proud to introduce the definitive English-language edition of

Customer Reviews:

a teacher.......2007-09-23

This is a wonderful story and a great book I was able to share with my students. The only drawback with the book is that the pages are not in color, but the extremely low price allowed me to purchase the books for my students out of my own pocket.

Fit for a Princess .......2007-09-15

I purchased this as a gift for my 7-year-old niece, who lives in a city distant from me. I'm told by her, and her parents, that it is a beautiful edition.

I can add nothing to the comments about this wonderful story, which speaks to the hearts of both children and adults.

So far as I know, it was a hit with my niece and her parents.

heartbreaking, tender.......2007-08-16

As I begin this review I think that there must be tons of reviews out already since it's just a classic. Does anybody still need a summary and opinion? Well, maybe you do. Maybe you're like me who knew about the book, has met many people who love it and could never bring yourself to read it. Well, for you, I will write this review.

He story is a fable: a stranded pilot meets The Little Prince who shares with him his discoveries about the people and things he has met on his journey away from home. The Little Prince is like a child in many ways as he is open, curious, and accepting. But he is wise, too, knowing about what's truly important in life: friendship, responsibility for your friends, and enjoying things for what they are without trying to make them into something that you want.

When parts of the book were read to me in middle school I immediately despised it. A little prince fussing over a pretentious rose, how stupid was that?! I had to turn 38 to be able to read this book about love and friendship and life because I couldn't allow myself to be vulnerable to its message before now. I'm grown-up enough now to mourn the lack of responsibility I've shown towards the people I've tamed. And even harder for me: I'm grown-up enough now to mourn the lack of responsibility that people who tamed me have shown towards me. And I'm working on accepting the fact that I need to let go and try again to do better every day.

Boring, a waste of my time.......2007-08-09

I would rate this book with zero stars but I was unable to do so. Unfortunately I was forced to purchase this book for a class. It was a major waste of money in my opinion. If I had children I would NEVER submit them to this book. I found no point to the story at all. I wish I could get my money back as well as the time I wasted on reading it.

To read and then reread for life.......2007-08-06

This fantastic little prince has taught me, or reminded me, of matters of consequence. This book should be read early in life; then, often reread, for the rest of one's life.

Average customer rating:

Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
Maybe not for kids? A bit depressing...
Great Story!!
This Book Will Deepen You
A great read for anyone with a heart

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
Kate Dicamillo
Manufacturer: Candlewick
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0763625892
Release Date: 2006-02-14

Book Description

A timeless tale by the incomparable Kate DiCamillo, complete with stunning full-color plates by Bagram Ibatoulline, honors the enduring power of love.

"Someone will come for you, but first you must open your heart. . . ."

Once, in a house on Egypt Street, there lived a china rabbit named Edward Tulane. The rabbit was very pleased with himself, and for good reason: he was owned by a girl named Abilene, who treated him with the utmost care and adored him completely.

And then, one day, he was lost.

Kate DiCamillo takes us on an extraordinary journey, from the depths of the ocean to the net of a fisherman, from the top of a garbage heap to the fireside of a hoboes' camp, from the bedside of an ailing child to the bustling streets of Memphis. And along the way, we are shown a true miracle — that even a heart of the most breakable kind can learn to love, to lose, and to love again.

Customer Reviews:

Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.......2007-09-23

This book was a request from my 9-yr-old granddaughter which I read before sending. I was delighted to find that it was a well-written and beautifully illustrated story that hooked me from Page 1. Edward Tulane is a non-feeling, sort of snobby, stuffed rabbit, who in a series of adventures and after being passed from home to home through no fault of his own, finds his heart...and love... and finally understands that even in the worst of circumstances there is always hope.

Maybe not for kids? A bit depressing..........2007-09-16

The story was beautifully written but chapter by chapter I became more and more depressed. Actually, I wanted to put it down and just not read it after a while, but I continued. After such a dreadfully painfull and heart-breaking story I would have liked more than one page for a happy ending. Would I recommend it? With some hesitation... Would I read it again? No...

Great Story!!.......2007-09-12

I love this story. It is an interesting tale of one pompous rabbit's journey in learning to love. Very sweet and teaches that there are good and sometimes not so good people in all walks of life.

This Book Will Deepen You.......2007-08-18

At first I thought this book was a sappy emotional rollercoaster. Good grief, win, lose, win, lose, win, lose...what is the point?

The trick is, I was getting hurt and hardened just like the main character. I was sucked right in to the author's evil scheme.

By the end of the book, I was ready for the same victory as Edward.

I'll tell you what happened at the end.

I was crying and laughing and had to re-read the last page because I couldn't believe it.

My wife looked over from her chair and said, "Are you crying?"

I said, "Yes. Promise me you will read this book, and not just skip to the end."

"Before I go to bed?" she said. It is 10:45pm.

"No, but you have to read this book. It's incredible."

So there you go. Check it out. She is reading it now, and I'm going to go lie down and look out the window at the stars and name the constellations!

A great read for anyone with a heart.......2007-08-07

"Edward Tulane" is a parable about learning to love, learning compassion, and then learning to love even knowing that it could lead to being hurt. DiCamillo is a marvelous story-teller, excercising tremendous control of the story. "Edward Tulane" reads like the layers of an onion being carefully and deliberately peeled back as Edward grows in his ability to love. A wonderful book to read with your late-toddler to pre-teen child, but also a great read for anyone with a heart.

Average customer rating:

Book Review - ON WRITING by Stephen King
A Way With Words
Book review of "On Writing"
From writer to writer
A Great Read

On Writing
Stephen King
Manufacturer: Pocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0743455967

Amazon.com

Short and snappy as it is, Stephen King's On Writing really contains two books: a fondly sardonic autobiography and a tough-love lesson for aspiring novelists. The memoir is terrific stuff, a vivid description of how a writer grew out of a misbehaving kid. You're right there with the young author as he's tormented by poison ivy, gas-passing babysitters, uptight schoolmarms, and a laundry job nastier than Jack London's. It's a ripping yarn that casts a sharp light on his fiction. This was a child who dug Yvette Vickers from Attack of the Giant Leeches, not Sandra Dee. "I wanted monsters that ate whole cities, radioactive corpses that came out of the ocean and ate surfers, and girls in black bras who looked like trailer trash." But massive reading on all literary levels was a craving just as crucial, and soon King was the published author of "I Was a Teen-Age Graverobber." As a young adult raising a family in a trailer, King started a story inspired by his stint as a janitor cleaning a high-school girls locker room. He crumpled it up, but his writer wife retrieved it from the trash, and using her advice about the girl milieu and his own memories of two reviled teenage classmates who died young, he came up with Carrie. King gives us lots of revelations about his life and work. The kidnapper character in Misery, the mind-possessing monsters in The Tommyknockers, and the haunting of the blocked writer in The Shining symbolized his cocaine and booze addiction (overcome thanks to his wife's intervention, which he describes). "There's one novel, Cujo, that I barely remember writing."

King also evokes his college days and his recovery from the van crash that nearly killed him, but the focus is always on what it all means to the craft. He gives you a whole writer's "tool kit": a reading list, writing assignments, a corrected story, and nuts-and-bolts advice on dollars and cents, plot and character, the basic building block of the paragraph, and literary models. He shows what you can learn from H.P. Lovecraft's arcane vocabulary, Hemingway's leanness, Grisham's authenticity, Richard Dooling's artful obscenity, Jonathan Kellerman's sentence fragments. He explains why Hart's War is a great story marred by a tin ear for dialogue, and how Elmore Leonard's Be Cool could be the antidote.

King isn't just a writer, he's a true teacher. --Tim Appelo

Book Description

"Long live the King" hailed Entertainment Weekly upon the publication of Stephen King's On Writing. Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the writer's craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every writer must have. King's advice is grounded in his vivid memories from childhood through his emergence as a writer, from his struggling early career to his widely reported near-fatal accident in 1999 -- and how the inextricable link between writing and living spurred his recovery. Brilliantly structured, friendly and inspiring, On Writing will empower and entertain everyone who reads it -- fans, writers, and anyone who loves a great story well told.

Download Description

For years I dreamed of having the sort of massive oak slab that would dominate a room.... In 1981 I got the one I wanted and placed it in the middle of a spacious, skylighted study in the rear of the house. For six years I sat behind that desk either drunk or wrecked out of my mind.... A year or two after I sobered up, I got rid of that monstrosity and put in a living-room suite where it had been....In the early nineties, before they moved on to their own lives, my kids sometimes came up in the evening to watch a basketball game or a movie and eat pizza....I got another desk -- it's handmade, beautiful, and half the size of the T. rex desk. I put it at the far west end of the office, in a corner under the eave....I'm sitting under it now, a fifty-three-year-old man with bad eyes, a gimp leg, and no hangover. I'm doing what I know how to do, and as well as I know how to do it. I came through all the stuff I told you about ... and now I'm going to tell you as much as I can about the job.... It starts with this: put your desk in the corner, and every time you sit down there to write, remind yourself why it isn't in the middle of the room. Life isn't a support-system for art. It's the other way around. --

Customer Reviews:

Book Review - ON WRITING by Stephen King .......2007-09-26

I picked up On Writing because you can't do it much bigger than Stephen King has. Most books on writing are by grammarmongers or literary types, and I was interested to get the perspective of a writer of popular fiction. Previously, I'd only skimmed through Terry Brooks's Sometimes the Magic Works: Lessons from a Writing Life, but I don't think Terry Brooks is a very good writer, so that was the end of that.

Half the book is King's autobiography, and he focuses on the points in his life that he feels helped shape him as a writer. I felt like I didn't need most of this, although it was nice to know even Stephen King worked at some terrible jobs before he made it big. Those reading this book just for the writing lesson, and who care not for Stephen King, can skip this whole section, although there are some interesting tidbits on the publishing process.

King's points are several. The two keys to good writing, he says, are mastery of the fundamentals and hard work. A good writer should write all the time and read all the time. I agree with this.

King's strategy for writing is this: to come up with a foundational situation, not worry about the plot, and make it up as you go. There certainly is something to be said for this kind of writing, and it has a very romantic ideal, but I think this also explains why quite a few of King's otherwise-amazing novels have lame, deus ex machina endings.

On Writing is written in King's distinctive, conversational, foul-mouthed style, which is just as engaging in non-fiction, although he runs a bit long-winded at times. The book is pretty short, though, and it's a fairly quick read.

I can't say I learned anything new about writing, but I did have some concepts reinforced (like don't use dialogue attributions), and it was nice to hear it from the most popular novelist of our time.

King says you can't make a good writer great, and you can't make a terrible writer competent, but you can make a competent writer good. If that's you, then to you this book might just be

RECOMMENDED

A Way With Words.......2007-09-17

Stephen King has the gift. The gift is a way with words that makes readers of his novels (and his non-fiction) FEEL what he is trying to convey.

It's no different in this wonderful writing guide. One of the most important points he makes to aspiring writers is that "most writing books are full of bs."
(Listen to that one, and learn, constant reader, especially if you want to be a writer!)

Part autobiography, and part instruction manual, this oh-so-fine guide to the writing craft will give astute readers the confidence and tools they need to become the writer THEY were meant to be.

Highly recommended!

Book review of "On Writing".......2007-09-16

Review of "On Writing"

Stephen King's book, "On Writing", is a fascinating and informative read. The beginning of the book is a short memoir of his life and soon evolves into some helpful rules of advice for writers.
In the beginning of his book, he tells the brief story of his childhood leading up to his first novel. We are introduced to his mother, a single parent of two young sons and their life moving from one place to another. Then his wife Tabitha, who is truly the love of his life and best friend. I found parts of his memoirs to be humorous, sad and full of determination. One realizes that King's desire to write began at a young age and his determination to continue what he enjoys was never halted. His creativity is fantastic and extremely suspenseful. His passion for writing fiction is truly unmistakable. The second part of the book, King shares techniques on how to become a good writer. This
interested me because I enjoy writing fictional stories. I was able to relate to a few of the techniques and welcomed every piece of information he had to offer. Although, some people may not look at him as a true writer, I am inspired by his works and amazed with his talent.
I would highly recommend this book. This is a great book for fiction writers just starting out. Stephen King's memoir's were inspiring, and his lessons on writing were vastly informative.

From writer to writer.......2007-09-14

As the title suggests, Stephen King's novel "On Writing" is a descriptive look into the writing process from one writer to another. Part auto-biography, part composition course, King skillfully weaves together his experiences in becoming a writer with advice for the reader on the do's and don'ts of good writing practices. Reminiscing about his childhood and adolescence in the first part of the book, King takes the reader back to a few experiences with a horrific babysitter, excruciating ear infections, critical old-maid teachers, and his growing fascination with the weird and fantastic through sci-fi books and movies. Through his various encounters with writing for home, school, and town newspapers, King develops his early literary framework that eventually becomes the basis for his famous fiction. He elaborates upon his college days, his family, and the publication of his first books, Carrie, and The Shining, as well as exposing the sensitive issue of his drug use and alcoholism while still early into his career as a writer. In the second part of the book, King gives the reader the necessary 'tools' of the craft including vocabulary, grammar, structure and style. He then goes even further with the lesson by inserting various pieces of writing which have been reviewed and edited and he also gives the reader exercises to practice with. The last part of the book is a detailed account of King's terrible accident in 1999 followed by a long recovery and rediscovering the strength to keep writing because "sometimes you have to go on when you don't feel like it." "On Writing" is a valuable piece of work for all writers of all stages to have in their collection. King's dark humor and sarcasm flow nicely with his practical, to-the-point approach. He does not intend to hurt the reader's feelings but he speaks the truth when pointing out not all writers are good writers; but with the correct tools, a little revision, and self-determination, a decent writer can look forward to becoming a good writer.

A Great Read.......2007-09-11

Part memoir, part guide to writing, Stephen King's On Writing is an enjoyable, fast paced, and easy read. King tells his life story in a frank and funny manner which is almost certain to coax laughter from readers. Near the end of the book, when King recounts his near-death experience, the tale is almost heartbreaking, but it is a tale of survival, love, and determination. Even readers who have never read any of Stephen King's work before can appreciate this book. I had never read any of Stephen King's work before, other than a wonderful short story entitled "The Reach," but I found On Writing to be interesting and informative. King's life story is fascinating, and his instruction on the art of writing is invaluable.

This book is a must-read for anyone who has ever dreamed of becoming a writer or who is currently an aspiring writer. On Writing has great tips about the writing, editing, and publishing process. King gives readers a rare look at his creative process, discussing changes he has made in his work and his struggles to complete some of his stories. His advice about the art of writing is simple. If you want to write, you have to be committed to writing. Becoming an author does not happen overnight, and it does not happen without a great deal of effort. Do what you love, and if that happens to be writing, then read and write to your heart's content. Writing should be for enjoyment. If writing reaps greater benefits that the sheer joy of writing, then so be it, and welcome.

The Blood Books, Vol. 2 (Blood Lines / Blood Pact)

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THE BLOOD BOOKS VOL 1,2&3
Disappointed
Blood book vol II
The Blood Books, Volume II
Love it!

The Blood Books, Vol. 2 (Blood Lines / Blood Pact)
Tanya Huff
Manufacturer: DAW
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 075640388X

Book Description

Vicki Nelson is an ex-homicide cop turned private detective. Mike Celluci, Vicki's former partner, is still on the force. Henry Fitzroy is an author of bodice rippers-and a vampire. Together, the trio are caught up in mysteries with a supernatural slant-from demons to werewolves and every otherworldly creature in between.

Customer Reviews:

THE BLOOD BOOKS VOL 1,2&3.......2007-06-27

BOUGHT AND READ ALL 3 VERY GOOD BOOKS AND REALLY
GLAD THEY ARE ON LIFTIME AS A SERIES.

Disappointed.......2007-06-27

I was really disappointed when I read the Blood books. Based on other reviews, I was expecting something better, something more like the Harry Dresden books which are so much fun to read. The Blood books seem to drag on, and the characterization is paper thin. I really wish I could get my money back. I feel cheated.

Blood book vol II.......2007-05-13

One of Tanay Huff's best yet! There was a change in her style for this book and added mystery. A real page turner. I love her chacters and how they interact with each other. A must read for any vampire lover.

The Blood Books, Volume II.......2007-03-21

Wonderful read! Again, Tanya Huff delivers a great story from her series The Blood Books. Very orginal storylines, and memorable characters. If you love reading stories with vampires, zombies, etc., this is one to add to your list!

Love it!.......2007-03-15

I love the books and love the show. If you haven't checked out the show Blood Ties yet you must. It's on Lifetime TV on Sundays. The book is a must. You have to get all three.

The World of Peter Rabbit (The Original Peter Rabbit, Books 1-23, Presentation Box)

Average customer rating:

The World of Peter Rabbit collection in presentation box.
Awesome
Great ccollectable
INSTINCT PURCHASING
It is best!!

The World of Peter Rabbit (The Original Peter Rabbit, Books 1-23, Presentation Box)
Beatrix Potter
Manufacturer: Warne
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0723257639

Book Description

All 23 original Tales by Beatrix Potter are available in a beautifully redesigned presentation box. This luxurious box features the new branded design, spot lamination and full-color original Beatrix Potter art, including a pop-up of Peter Rabbit and friends inside the lid.

Customer Reviews:

The World of Peter Rabbit collection in presentation box........2007-10-01

This is a wonderful collection of books for me to read to my grandchildren. A real heirloom for me to pass down through the family.

Awesome.......2007-09-21

Fantastic little collection.....one of those purchases that you end up being happy because it's nicer then you expected.

Great ccollectable.......2007-07-28

This is a beautifully presented set of books. Great gift for a child - for the parents / grandparents to read to them. Highly recommeded.

INSTINCT PURCHASING.......2007-05-12

I'm a young adult, and I had most of the collection as a kid.

I was perusing amazon, just for fun, and saw this set for a hundred bucks... I showed my sister....she encouraged the purchase...and I bought it. I'm in college, so a hundred bucks is like a thousand. It's a GREAT BUY, no doubt; this is a timeless collection, and this edition is a step up than the previous.

No regrets. Keeping it for my own kids.

It is best!!.......2007-03-08

I want to commend to other people to read this book. It is really interested.

Basic Statistics: Tales of Distributions (with CD-ROM)

Average customer rating:

Excellent Guide
A student-friendly book to help you succeed in statistics!

Basic Statistics: Tales of Distributions (with CD-ROM)
Chris Spatz
Manufacturer: Wadsworth Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0534611370

Book Description

Chris Spatz's best-selling statistics text relies on examples from the social and behavioral sciences, education, nursing/allied health, and business fields--as well as examples from everyday life--to teach students statistical reasoning and problem solving. Praised for his clear explanations, Spatz shows students how to start with a data set, identify the questions it poses, determine and carry out statistical procedures, and using plain English, tell the story the data reveal. A free CD packaged with the book provides objective questions and answers, additional problems and answers, and portals to websites with additional help.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Guide.......2006-10-17

This book proved a major turning point for me as an undergrad who didn't know what she wanted to be when she grew up! This book was inspiring and informative... even funny... statistics became tangible, interesting and fun. The author does an amazing job. I still use this book professionally when I need to brush up on stats analysis.

A student-friendly book to help you succeed in statistics!.......1998-10-23

Tales of Distribution is fun, well written and easy to read. Tales of Distribution is a college textbook worth reading if you need to put statistics at your command! Spats'z style is helpful to the reader and down to earth. This is a heavy-duty treatment of the topic; however, interesting examples of how to use statistics in day-to-day life makes this topic come alive. If you read this book, you will never be intimidated by statistics in your lifetime.

The author's discussion of "Rationale of ANOVA" and "Hypothesis Testing" is excellent. Frequent use of algebraic explanation is joined with graphic explanations to help the reader visualize the author's points. "Work Problems" at the end of each chapter show imagination and creativity. The author seems to have a sincere desire to help the reader at every turn along their journey of statistical discovery. The author also seems to have privilege insight into the reader's mind. He anticipates what the reader is thinking, and serves up a helping of practical advice at the exact perfect moment.

As a market-research practitioner, I found the book to be very refreshing and enjoyable to read. I read it on my summer vacation! My daughter purchased the book as the required text for her statistics class at UCLA. At the end of her class she had planned to sell the book back to the UCLA bookstore. After looking at the book for 60 seconds, I said to her "No, don't sell this book. This is great book. Keep it." To which she replied; "But Dad, I need the money. You can keep it if you pay me for it." To which I replied; "Haven't I paid for this book once already? If I pay you for it now, that would be the second time I bought the same book."

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