After seeing the classic old film, I wanted to read the book. And so, two years ago, at Christmas, I got the chance when I received 50 Classic novels from my brother's then girlfriend. This was the first one I picked up.
Have you ever wondered what lived on other planets? What would happen if there was intelligent life on Mars and they decided to come and visit? What would they look like? One evening, in the small town of Woking, England, the people find out first hand what happens when a large oval, metallic capsule crashes into an area just outside of town and opens up. What occurs after that is horrific and the stuff of nightmares. The aliens build their machinery from humans and destroy anything trying to stop them as the rest of the planet is invaded and conquered. However it's not to last. Within the week, as observed by the narrator - who is a journalist - the aliens become sick and they all die. From what? Well, I can't ruin the entire story for you, can I?
H. G. Wells (1866-1946), English author, futurist, essayist, historian, socialist, and teacher wrote The War of the Worlds (1898).
Herbert George Wells was born on 21 September 1866 in Bromley, Kent County, England, son of Sarah Neal, maid to the upper classes, and Joseph Wells, shopkeeper and professional cricket player. The Wells were quite poor and it was not the happiest of marriages; they would soon live apart though neither re-married.
The popular novel foreshadowed things to come for the human race: robotics, World Wars, warfare tactics including aerial bombing, use of tanks and chemical weapons, and nuclear power. Part prophet, part pessimist, Wells was a prolific author not just of science fiction but also fiction and non, utopian and dystopian short stories, travel sketches, histories, and socio-political commentary. While his most popular works tend to show a bleak future for humanity, he was not without his sardonic and wry wit; Every time I see an adult on a bicycle I no longer despair for the human race.
(bibiography: http://www.online-literature.com/wellshg/)
Si Morey is an illustrator who was asked by the U.S. Government to take part in an experiment; a top secret one. He was shown how it worked and - seeing he had a military record - they thought he'd be safe. All he had to do was observe and sketch what he saw and not interfere with anything. So, Si signed himself up and was trained to live in the year of 1882. However, did he really step out into that year? The U.S. Government believes he did; especially seeing he returned with a portfolio of sketches from a time that no longer exists. The bigger question for Si Morley is this: does he want to stay in his present time or go back for the woman he loves?
Jack Finney was born on 2nd, October 1911 and is one of the most incredible writers of time travel and sci-fi fiction around. This book is brilliantly written with a fantastic eye for detail and it will hold you to the very end. Jack Finney has also written another lot of books; such as: '3', 'About Time' and 'The Body Snatcher's. He passed away in California of pnemonia in 1995 survived by his wife, daughter and granddaughter.
What a brilliant book. I love it. Jack Heffron wrote this book to assist writers from all walks of life to tap in to their ideas better; to find that font of ideas that everyone around thinks that they have at their disposal. This book was first spotted at my local library and I kept borrowing it and didn't want to give it back; so I jotted down the isbn and began hunting for it around the bookstores. However, finding it was out of print, I went to the only store I knew that could get it for me and now I find this book an absolute must that all writers - published and unpublished alike - should have on their shelves. Whether your work is going well, use this book to open your mind more and make it flow better.
Jack Heffron is an editorial of Clerisy Press, and had been a professional editor for more than 15 years. He is the author of three books for writers - 'The Writer's Idea Book', 'The Writer's Guide to Places' and 'The Writer's Idea Workshop'. A founding editor of Story Magazine, is a two-time winner of the National Magazine Award for Fiction and editor for the critically acclaimed Best Writing On Writing series. He has published short stories in many literary journals and twice been nominated for the Pushcart Prize. His non-fiction has appeared in Oxford American, ESPN Magazine and Utne Reader among others. His work has been cited in Best American Travel Writing.
(bibiography: http://www.writingitreal.com/cgi-bin/get_bio.pl?name=Jack%20Heffron) if you'd like to know more.
What a touching book. Page by page, it's correspondence between two friends who haven't seen each other for a long time. However, it's not your ordinary book; it's got letterboxes that fold open with a postcard slotted in, a letter hastily written and sent off on the next page and some pretty and sometimes lovely scenery. But what's written is very much Chinese Whispers about their lives and it's hard to read anything between the lines until you get to the last page.
I bought this book because the title made me curious and what was inside made me even more curious. And every now and again, I pull it off the bookshelf and read it slowly and look at its beautiful art work. It's cleverly made and thought out; it's also a must read.
However, I'm finding it difficult to find anything about the authors online. Except what is written in the back of the book, which isn't current, I have found around 4 people with Tony Ferrante's name and they're all different. So, if you have information I may be able to add here, please leave a comment and I'll add it onto this review.
Wow! They don't make these kinds of books anymore. This book is the kind of book that will keep any kid who has been banned from the computer, X-Box or shoved outside occupied... well, hopefully it will. It's full of games and puzzles that kept me very much entertained when I was young and I was constantly carrying it around reading the jokes (even though quite a few of them were lame) and trying to figure out the puzzles in it.
I haven't seen a book like this since it was put out. There was a series of them if I remember correctly and I happened to get one; which I took care of. Seeing I don't know the authors, I can't dig up much about them. Also, I don't know all that much about the pubishing company either. So, I'm really sorry about how short this one is. If you do happen to come across this particular book, grab it and have a good read of what a kid from the 1980's used to read when we were at the birth of the computer age.
What a hilariously funny book to have read. It's an A to Z of household rules that have been coined by people from all walks of life about how no matter what happens or what you do to in your life surrounding the household, you will once in a while find that not everything will go according to what you plan. Even the smallest things like a shoelace are there to ruin your day and make sure you miss the bus or train when you need to catch them on the most important days.
I got this one out of a Bookcrossing Surprise Bookbaggie put on by a fellow Bookcrosser. Once I looked at it and read a few of the things inside, I knew it was going to find a good home here; and it took me about a fortnight to read it.
Born in Yonkers, NY, Paul Dickson graduated from Wesleyan University in 1961 and was honoured as a Distinguished Alumnae of that institution in 2001. After graduating, he served in the US Navy and later worked for the McGraw-Hill Publications as a reporter. Since 1968, he has been a freelance writer contributing articles to the Smithsonian, Esquire, The Nation, Town & Country, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post and writing numerous books on a wide range of subjects.
Dickson is the founding member and former president of the Washington Independant Writers and a member of the National Press Club. He is a contributing editor at Washingtonian magazine and a consulting editor at Mirriam-Webster, Inc. He lives in Garrett Park, Maryland, with his wife Nancy who works with him as his first line editor and financial manager.
(bibliography: http://pauldicksonbooks.com/bio.htm)
When a ball of fur is found on the doorstep of man's house one cold morning, he does the right thing and takes it to an animal shelter. However, when the kitten returns a few days later, he takes it in and feeds it; deciding that it can't hurt to keep it for a while. Over the next few months and eventually years, this bachelor dates a few women that this cat shows a liking or disliking for in a few distinctively cat ways. Then, the man dates a woman the cat absolutely approves of and he makes the mistake of letting her go. Will he be able to get her back to keep his cat happy and finally find true love before she finds another?
I read this book over a weekend when my parent's television was in being fixed. It wasn't because I was a cat person; it was because I found it an endearing story about how animals can run our lives. And if we don't listen to them, they can be sometimes right about things.
Lynn F Hoffman holds a PhD in anthropology from the Maxwell School of Syracuse University, where he wrote about men and women who go to sea in the American Merchant Marine. During the course of that research, he cooked on freighters and charter boats, served champagne to first-class, trans-Atlantic passengers. Dr Hoffman has crossed the Atlantic by steam, sail and plane. He is looking forward to rowing next time.
After a stint in the restaurant and bar business, Dr Hoffman returned to academia where he was a Scholar in Residence in Food and Culture in the Hotel and Restaurant Management Program at Dextrel for 15 years. He is the founder of the Drexel University Culinary Arts Major which accepted its first students in the Autumn of 1997. He's written restaurant reviews for the Philadelphia Weekly and Philadelphia Magazine as well as being the author of two textbooks: 'Good Food' and 'The Beer Book'.
Dr Hoffman is the author of the prize-winning novel 'Killers' and 1997's Christmas Selection from HarperCollins, 'The Bachelor's Cat'. 'Killers' has won awards from the Southwest Writer's Workshop and the Washington Prize for Fiction. His wine textbook 'The Short Course in Wine' is used in hospitality students and adult wine lovers. Another book he's written is titled 'Bang BANG' and it can be found on Amazon.com. Dr Hoffman lives in South Philadelphia where he drinks homemade wine and shops in the Italian market.
(Bibliography: http://www.redroom.com/author/lynn-f-hoffman/bio)
In this book, Alan Alda talks and listens in on what he's heard himself say over his life at critical points from the ever-changing 1960's through to his first Broadway show to the present day America of September 11. He notes that 'doorways are where the truth is told' and wonders which particular things help lead a life of meaning; be it art, activism, family, money or fame. This is a candid book as questioning as it is incisive as Alda amuses and moves us with his uniquely witty meditations on questions great and small.
I found this book at a book sale and wanted to know more about the man who is Alan Alda. This brilliant actor made me laugh and giggle in MASH when I was young; and the re-runs are just as funny years later. And in this book, when I sat down and read it, I could hear his strong, quick-witted voice in my mind as I read along. As the years passed, I saw him in 'What Women Want' and found that he hasn't lost his appeal as he's a very charismatic man and will always be able to make anyone laugh through his acting or words.
Alan Alda has led a fantastic career in the leading role of Hawkeye in the famed sit-com MASH throughout the late 1970's to early 1980's when it finished. He has been acting from a young age, however never went to acting school (with the exception of playing Theatre Games) as he believed he was a natural performer and to go would ruin his gift for being a natural. Previous to this book is his other one titled: 'Never Have Your Dog Stuffed: And Other Things I've Learned'
Michael's eight years old and it's Christmastime. He received exactly what he wished for: ski equipment. His parents also paid for lessons so he could go skiing whenever he wanted to. So, off he goes to the slops and meets his instructor, Mr Jingles - who is called that because he usually wears bells on his boots. However that day, he had one on his hat. During the next week, Michael is taught all kinds of lessons about skiing and he loves it. Each day, he gets better and better at it as he practices on the slopes; until he is shown one slope by Mr Jingles called Dips'n'Doodles. This slope is an advanced slope and Mr Jingles thinks Michael is ready for it; but is he?
This book was one of my all-time favourite books. It came in hard cover and I loved it then and still love it now. When I was young, I had never seen snow - not until I was thirteen and visited the Australian Alps and learned to ski there. But when you're young and read about places you've never seen, it becomes a dream to visit them.
Alvin Westcott was born in March 1930 in Mt Kisco, NY. He attended Mt Kisco Elementary School and later graduated from Rome Free Academy in Rome, NY. Following high school, Alvin attended the State University College at Oneonta,NY and the B.S. degree in Elementary Education was conferred on him in 1955. He then went to teach in Mt Kisco Elementary School and the Quaker Ridge School of Scarsdale, NY. In 1957, he was selected to be a graduate fellow in elementary education at Syracuse University at which institution he received hi M.S. degree. Alvin Wescott is currently an emeritus professor from SUNY-Oswego, having taught there from 1959 - 1996. He is the author of 12 books and many magazine and journal articles. He currently writes for Oswego Palladium Times and the Oswegonian - the SUNY-Oswego student newspaper. His art work is regularly displayed in local exhibits and he builds unusual constructions; such as the plywood castle in Sterling. His latest written work is a novel called Gila which is set in Arizona in the 1870's. His Sig Tau fraternity brother, brother in law and sister still live in Oneonta.
Catherine Symons co-authored this book; however, there is some information in the back of the book but nothing current. So, I'll put in what was in the back of the book. Catherine Bracco Symons was born in Iron Mountain, Michigan and her elementary and secondary education was taken in Illinois and Wisconsin. In 1951, she received a B.B.A degree from Mount Mary College, Milwaulkee, Wisconsin and in 1954, as a scholarship student, she received a her M.A. degree in education from National College of Education, Evanston, Illinois. Catherine was a kindergaten teacher in the Evanston Public School System, Illinois, 1954-55; in the Appleton School System, Wisconsin, 1959-66 and in the U.S. Naval Air Station, Millington, Tennessee, 1967-68. She was also Principal of the Stephen Foster Elementary School, Appleton, Wisconsin, 1959-66. Catherine Bracco Symons has been a member of the National Education Association, Wisconsin; Education Association, Wisconsin Elementary School Principals Association and The Scriptors (Literary Group), Memphis, Tennessee. She is married to Thomas D. Symons, a member of Kymberly-Clark Corporation and they have three children.
I have searched the net for more current information on Catherine Symons, however I have not been able to find any. If you find out more info about her let me know and leave a comment.
This is an anthology of Australian poetry by young and upcoming poets from all over this great brown country of ours. And it was the brilliant idea of an off-beat radio station in the early 1990's to get us to put pen to paper; unless we were already doing that and we needed help getting noticed. Triple J is a radio station on the FM band that is run by the Australian Broadcasting Commission that plays new and upcoming bands and unearths new talent to bring them into the spotlight of the public eye. This book was what they were trying to do with poetry as well. I sent in some of my work to be included, however it wasn't accepted.
I bought this book as a contributor to it and was only a little disappointed to find that my work wasn't included. But the work that was is absolutely cool, amazing and brilliantly funny and colourful too! Go out and find this book. I bought mine at 'The ABC Shop' in Brisbane City; however, you're probably best to find this particular copy online.
Triple J started out in Sydney as 2JJ - or Double J in the mid-1970's. Since then, it's been unearthing new talent and bringing brilliant and pumping music to its listeners without fail. In my 20's I was an avid listener for some time and found that they were always up for new things. When some of my favourite announcers left, I changed stations, but I do sometimes have a listen to see what they're up to. Triple J is on the FM band of 107.7 and has lasted the test of time - as well as the generation gap.
This book of twelve short stories is some of Jack Finney's best work. I love the way he turns the ordinary into the sublime through just a paragraph; a sentence, or a turn of phrase. This man is and will always be the one and only for me when it comes to time travel work. There is absolutely no comparison.
I first came across Jack Finney's work when my Mum lent me a book titled 'Time And Again' and for three days, I get didn't look up for so much as anything but food and toilet breaks. I actually fell asleep with the book in my hands each night... which says a lot. This little book of twelve short stories is like a taste of twelve little pies; a snapshot of what this man could be capable of... and more. In my honest opinion, I think this man wrote absolutely classic time travel and sci-fi. He belongs up there with Assimov and Tolkien.
Jack Finney was born on 2nd, October 1911 and he specialised in sci-fi and time travel books and short stories. He wrote 'The Invasion of the Body-Snatchers' and 'Time And Again'; the latter becoming a cult classic around the world. In 1954, his first book - 'Five Against The House' - was published and from there, he wrote more; his most famed and favoured one by millions was - and still is - 'Time And Again' which was published in 1970. Jack wrote a number of books and short stories until 1983 that have been loved by millions of fans all over; with 'The Invasion of the Body-Snatchers' being made into a film. His books are hard to find now; however I have found that 'Time And Again' has had another reprint (on Amazon I think) and the cover looks good! Jack Finney passed away on 14th, November 1995 from pnemonia in Greenbrae, California; survived by his wife, daughter and granddaughter.
The Wave is based on an incident that took place in a high school classroom in Palo Alto, California, in 1969. Ben Ross and his history class took part in an experiment when they were studying World War II when his class couldn't understand how the German people followed Hitler and the Nazis. Ben created an experimental movement called The Wave; and what starts out as a harmless game within his history class turns into a fast-moving cult-like following which gets out of control very quickly. But can Ben Ross and a few others of his students who have seen its affects and on-coming problems stop it before it takes over the entire community - let alone the school?
I first read this book in high school and loved it... even though I didn't finish it. So, years later, I read it again and loved it. And even now, in my thirty's I love still; even though it's a teen book. It's ideal for set reading in schools; even now as kids learn about how things can happen and peer group preasure through this kind of book.
Todd Stasser was born in New York and educated on Long Island, however he had always struggled with grammar and spelling during school. He travelled overseas to Europe and lived in a commune after dropping out of college; while there, he became a street musician and wrote poetry, songs and lots of letter home to friends back home. After returning, he studied literature and writing at Beloit College.
After college, Todd had a couple of jobs; one was at the Middleton Times Herald-Record Newspaper and later worked at Compton Advertising - both jobs were in New York City. In 1978, he sold his first novel Angel Dust Blues and used the money to start the Dr Wing Tip Shoo Fortune Cookie Company. Over the next 12 years, Todd sold more fortune cookies than books.
He is the author of more than 120 books that are aimed at teens and also children; with several of his books adapted into a television series and his novel 'How I Created My Perfect Prom Date' became a feature release 'Drive Me Crazy'.
Todd now divides his time between writing books and speaking at schools and conferences. When he's at home, he likes to play with his children, fish, play tennis, and ski. But his favourite new sport is surfing.
(bibliography: http://www.toddstrasser.com/html/ToddsLife.html)
After seeing the classic old film, I wanted to read the book. And so, two years ago, at Christmas, I got the chance when I received 50 Classic novels from my brother's then girlfriend. This was the first one I picked up.
