Amazon.com
Bernie Rhodenbarr, burglar with a heart of gold, returns for this 10th installment in a reliable series from the versatile and prolific Lawrence Block (70-plus books to date). In Burglar on the Prowl, Bernie is recruited by an old friend to burgle the home of a crooked plastic surgeon, removing some off-the-books cash from a wall safe. A simple enough job, but Bernie complicates matters by going "on the prowl" one restless evening―-randomly cruising for an easy job. While he's pawing through a woman's empty apartment, she returns home; Bernie hides hastily, only to overhear an act of violence that draws him into a hunt for the perpetrator and a deepening role in the victim's life.
Lawrence Block's prose is merely serviceable, but his plotting and storytelling are first-rate. He constructs a complex puzzle, yet weaves in each new development so seamlessly that you almost don't see it happen. Like its Bernie predecessors, The Burglar on the Prowl is droll and charming, and at times you can feel Block trying a bit too hard with the charm. However, a few truly horrific bad guys and some ugly violence keep the sweetness from cloying. And it's impossible not to like Bernie, a gentleman criminal with few peers in contemporary fiction. --Nicholas H. Allison
Book Description
A philosophical yet practical gentleman, Bernie Rhodenbarr possesses many admirable qualities: charm, intelligence, sparkling wit, and unwavering loyalty. Of course, he also has this special talent and a taste for life's finer things. So he's more than willing to perform some vengeful larceny for a friend -- ripping off a smarmy, particularly deserving plastic surgeon -- for fun and a very tidy profit.
But during a practice run at another address, Bernie's forced to hide under a bed when the lady of the house returns unexpectedly with the worst kind of blind date in tow. In no time, Bernie's up to his burgling neck in big trouble. Again. And this time it includes his arrest, no less than four murders, and more outrageous coincidences than any self-preserving felon should ever be required to tie together.
Customer Reviews:
Bloch's Burglar is first class mystery literature........2006-11-03
Bernie (the burglar) is always witty, inventive and in trouble. His fast-paced mysteries are a joy to read and Mr. Bloch's dialogue keeps the memory of Rex Stout alive. I have all the Bernie adventures and hope that his creator loves him as much as I do and will keep on writing for years and years.
Huh?????.......2006-08-06
I like Block and Rodenbarr and have read many in the series. This one is a real letdown. Recently authors appear to be having more and more problems bringing their tales to a satisfactory close. That's true in spades in this book. At the end the author actually has Bernie review what the police will say happened, what really happened, and what could have happened. It is all jumbled and unintelligible. The book ends with a classic showdown in a drawing room like some '30's series. That's no problem but the reader doesn't really know who half the people are or why they are there. It's just too much confusion for a story that's pretty dull to begin with. The author does take time to praise Bernie's illegal immigrant doorman. Apparently Block feels that the high crime rate, astronomical High School drop out rate and appalling illigitimacy rate are nothing compaired with the joy that comes from rich Manhattanites being able to find good menial help who know their place. People don't get much dumber than upper west side liberals.
A Great Roller Coaster Ride!.......2006-02-10
I've just finished reading THE BURGLAR ON THE PROWL, my third Lawrence Block book in the continuing adventures of master burglar, Bernie Rhodenbar. I have to say that I've enjoyed them all tremendously. The charactors are thoroughly enjoyable and the stories, though wildly improbable, are just too much fun to miss.
Mr. Block writes in a style that is quick but deliberately paced, keeping those pages turning well into the evening. The characters are funny, sterotypical, completely predictable, and absolutely marvelous. That perhaps is the great charm of these books - they are like riding a roller coaster. You can see what's coming a mile away, you anticipate the plunges, dips, swerves and loops. You know they're coming, you're absolutely delighted as you go through them, and you are always satisfied with the result once you're done.
Granted, these stories do not rise to the level of a really engaging John Le Carre, P.D. James or Collin Dexter mystery. Actually, they put me more in mind of a Lilian Jackson Braun "Cat" novel or a really funny episode of Monk on the television. If you want a dark, brooding mystery with gritty realism, leave Block's books on the shelf. If, on the other hand, you want a great experience of light reading on a cold winter's evening or while lounging on a sunny beach - these are the books for you.
What a coinky-dince!.......2006-02-07
In a series of unbelievable coincidences, a burglar breaks into a random woman's apartment to relief her of some of her possessions. Before he can make good his escape, the woman comes home with a man. The man date rapes the woman while the burglar hides under the bed. Meanwhile, an apartment upstairs in the same building is burglarized and Bernie (the coward that hid under the bed) is blamed. Now, the two people in the upstairs apartment die (as does the doorman) and it turns out that the murder is connected to a plastic surgeon that Bernie burglarized the night before. Another unbelievable coincidence. Not as unbelievable as the fact that Bernie starts dating the woman that he burglarized and when he tells her he hid under the bed as she was raped, this woman decides to continue dating him. How understanding! Most women hold grudges for petty things, how did this guy get away with that?!
The author has a good writing style, but the story is just too unbelievable.
The tenth Bernie is a ten.......2005-07-04
I discovered the "burglar" series at a used book shop during a rainy vacation on Cape Cod. My luck - it was the first in the series, "Burglars Can't be Choosers." I was hooked and have read them all. This latest in the series is a gem. Bernie continues to be hip, quick of wit, glib and, in general, as nice a crook and you are ever likly to meet. I doubt Block will ever change the "formula" (no insult intended) since his fans expect nothing less. This issue's plot has enough twists and sub plots to keep you wondering (and interested) and his signature wrap up explains what may have gotten past you. In this edition, I found the closing session in the bar with his partner in crime to be very useful. Block employed a great many characters with odd names (some even came equipped with an alias or two) so summing everything up for me was most appreciated. I hope there is another Bernie on the way soon but with ten alredy on the shelf, maybe that's too much to hope for? If you have never read one of the books in this series, do yourself a favor, jump in with both feet. I like to start at the begining of a series but Block has written each so that you can start anywhere and wind up having a great time along the way.
Average customer rating:
|
Cat Burglar on the Prowl
Manufacturer: Recorded Books, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette
ASIN: 078870530X |
Book Description
A FEW ALTERATIONS
Throckmorton P. Ruddygore, master wizard, had troubles--again!
Ruddygore had defeated the Dark Baron and exiled him from the magical realm of Husaquahr to Earth. But he hadn't counted on the Baron's using an earthly computer to create even more effective spells.
Of course, the Baron couldn't use those spells. But the forces of Hell soon sent him a second-rank wizard who could--and together they worked a scam so that Ruddygore couldn't cross the Sea of Dreams to deal with the Baron directly. Now the Baron was developing a scheme that would surely result in Armageddon before its time.
Once again Marge the fairy and Joe the barbarian were called upon to do the dirty work. They had to return to their home world and stop the Baron--if they could . . .
And that would be only the beginning of their assignment!
"A damn fine storyteller . . . Chalker is a master."
--Orson Scott Card
Customer Reviews:
Great, fast reading, odd concepts.......2003-09-26
This is a GREAT series from "The River of the Dancing Gods" to "Demons of the Dancing Gods" to "Vengance of the Dancing Gods". If you read those three and like them a lot, just go back to "River of the Dancing Gods", do not pass GO, do not buy "Songs of the Dancing Gods" (the fantasy fades into more drama than you want with a series like this), just go back to "River of the Dancing Gods" and read the trilogy again. I love thse books and recommend them to everyone I know. JACK, IF YOU'RE READING THIS, I HART THOSE BOOKS SOOOO MUCH.
-------- this much -------.
The Smoothest Fantasy Series I've ever read!.......1999-06-17
Litterally...smooth. There's nothing complicated about this series. This is one of those types that you just sit down and say "I really could care less." and start reading. It isn't deep. These were the two major emotions it set off in me: that feeling when you were an adventurous kid, wanting to run down a hill with a big sword to clobber some big mean monster so you could save the most beautiful girl (who you knew would want you in return), and WHAT IN THE WORLD COULD POSSIBLY COME NEXT. Don't try to outthink it, even though you might be able to. Don't go into it with expectations, they probably won't be met. Just read it with a smile and you won't be let down!
Book Description
The Dark Baron, defeated at last, had been stripped of all his magical power and exiled to Earth. But there he enlisted a computer to create even more effective spells. Helped by the forces of Hell, the Dark Baron is once again threatening Husaquahr -- and only Joe and Marge can stop him!
Customer Reviews:
Chalker at his hilarious best!.......2000-03-28
Chalker hits a high note with this one. Marge and Joe out in the absurd fantasy realm go from the frying pan and into the fire and back again! Transformations abound in this delightful spoof of every fantasy novel ever written!
Beware the rules....and have a great time!
Average customer rating:
|
Vengeance of the Dancing Gods
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000HZIB4U |
Average customer rating:
- Easy read with research info. to back up claims
- Tired anecdotal information
- Dangerous!
- Miracle Cures By jean Carper
- Great Reference Book
|
Miracle Cures: Dramatic New Scientific Discoveries Revealing the Healing Powers of Herbs, Vitamins, and Other Natural Remedies
Jean Carper
Manufacturer: Harper Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
| Alternative Medicine
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
Healing
| Alternative Medicine
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
Herbal Remedies
| Alternative Medicine
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
Naturopathy
| Alternative Medicine
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
Supplements
| Alternative Medicine
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
Vitamins & Supplements
| Nutrition
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Alternative & Holistic
| Medicine
| Subjects
| Books
Naturopathy
| Alternative & Holistic
| Medicine
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Alternative Medicine
| Medical
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Food: Your Miracle Medicine
-
Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You To Know About
-
What Your Doctor Won't Tell You : The Complete Guide to the Latest in Alternative Medicine
-
Your Miracle Brain: Maximize Your Brainpower, Boost Your Memory, Lift Your Mood, Improve Your IQ and Creativity, Prevent and Reverse Mental Aging
-
Stop Aging Now!: Ultimate Plan for Staying Young and Reversing the Aging Process, The
Accessories:
-
RESPeRATE Blood Pressure Lowering Device
-
Airborne Effervescent Health Formula, Original Orange, 10 Tablets (Pack of 3)
ASIN: 0060984368 |
Amazon.com
For a growing number of Americans, the time for alternative medicine has come . Miracle Cures, written by CNN's former senior medical correspondent, highlights several of the most exciting natural remedies currently under investigation. There's St. John's Wort (also called hypericum), which has proven effective in combating depression; gingko biloba, a circulation-enhancer that retards Alzheimer's and other age-related memory problems; grapefruit fiber, which combats cholesterol; and many others. All of the compounds and alternative treatments listed in Miracle Cures are regularly practiced in Europe, Asia, or both. So why aren't they used in the United States? Carper points out that since "nature owns the patent," there's little financial incentive for American pharmaceutical companies to investigate natural compounds. Secondly, most American doctors are simply unaware of the testing that has been done on these techniques; most research has been done by non-English speaking physicians and written up in foreign journals. Responsibly toting up the risks and benefits of each, Carper is hoping for a sensible integration of natural remedies into American medicine.
Book Description
From Jean Carper, America's Most Trusted Source of Cutting-Edge Nutritional Advice, the Bestselling Guide to the Dramatic Healing Powers of Herbs, Vitamins, and Other Natural Remedies
Miracle Cures is the breakthrough book that presents scientific evidence of the effectiveness of natural remedies, culled from the world's leading doctors and scientists, research centers, and major international scientific journals, including the Journal of the American Medical Association and the British Medical Journal, combined with the awe-inspiring first-person medically verified accounts of people who have successfully cured themselves with natural medicines.
Jean Carper Reveals the Natural Medicines
That Have Been Proven to:
Lower Your Cholesterol
Open up Your Arteries
Regulate Your Heart
Relieve Depression
Overcome Anxiety
Fight Sleep Problems
Regenerate Your Liver
Restore Your Memory
Customer Reviews:
Easy read with research info. to back up claims.......2007-09-29
I was extremely impressed with this book. It is very easy reading. Like other reviews said, there are only a few pages to each items. The author, I believe, is a medical research journalist. Her premise for this book was weeding out what really helps vs. those "cures" with no real substantiation. For example,CQ10, she gives the name of studies names of MD's. Her research is NOT just annecdotal.
My mother has congestive heart failure and was not doing well. Her cardiologist gave me a pretty gloomy report about her condition and I thought her days were extremely limited. After reading the book, I spoke to her cardiologist about CQ10 -400 mgs. a day. He didn't believe in it but said if I wanted to waste my money, go right ahead. Well, about two months later, he called to tell me her heart was a lot better. Hhhmmm? Yes, she was on his prescription meds but that treats symptoms. The book mentioned other countries, gave the name of a heart specialist in CT. In other countries, I remember Israel as one, CQ10 is standard treatment. The author, Carper, even gave the name of a cardiologist in CT who had wonderful results with CQ10.
To me, this book was not the usual hype. It has the documentation I needed.
Another example, St. John's Wart for depression. In Germany herbs are studied and every doctor and pharmacist is trained. There has been extensive research. Germany certainly is not 3rd world slouch in medicine. They prescribe St. John's Wart over Prozac. It's just as effective without the side effects.
Before you use any supplement, if you're smart;you go online and do some homework but in this book, Carper has given you the places to turn to back it up and has recommended the best of the herbal, vitamin cures.
Doctors are not trained in this area. My mother's cardiologist was honest and admitted it.
I was so pleased with Miracle Cures that I'm ordering her food book.
Hope this helps.
Tired anecdotal information.......2006-10-30
Please don't have false expectations or waste you money on this book before you at least look it over in the local bookstore or library. This book is full of fairly elementary information on a wide variety of herbals. Containing one to three page entries on a wide variety of herbal remedies such as ginkgo, sol palmetto, the wonders of cinnamon and the like. Anecdotal tales that have been around for years nothing beyond what the average salesperson at your local health and nutrition store might tell you. This book's contents hardly qualify as, "new scientific discoveries." Easily as much or more information is available through your favorite search engine. If these things truly were miracle cures the information could not be suppressed, these herbs didn't land in Roswell, they have been around for hundreds of years. If these miracle cures worked beyond a psychologically uplifting level all of us would know far more people who had been cured by herbs than we do those who have had chemotherapy.
Dangerous!.......2006-10-15
This book is dangerous! Couple this with Troudeau's scam and you have a society who will substitute the healing powers of herbs for the lab versions of drugs. Allopathic theory of "symptom-Cure" written in the context of alternative health could very well lead to death. Herbs are medicine, the original medicine, and to tout them as miracle "cures" which will invariably cause people, especially Americans, to rush for the "miracle," can be deadly. Noone should be on medicine or medicications for any length of time, and we certainly should be at a more advanced stage by now to recognize that ANY book that suggests miracle cures is written only for profit, not for the knowledge it imparts. Gangi's book, "Forget The Cures, Find The Cause," was written to combat Troudeau's scam. I believe her book should have superceded this one as well.
Miracle Cures By jean Carper.......2006-07-09
You have the choice to control your health by what you put in your mouth. This book is a benefit to your health as not all doctor's will tell you the truth. They want your business so will often tell a "half-truth". It's your body, TAKE CARE OF IT!
Great Reference Book.......2005-12-03
I will highly recommend this book to anyone looking for natural ways to control certain conditions that may be cuased mainly by lifestyle. Like cholesterol in some people, heart disease, etc... And if you can't affort a good naturopath, this book gives good advice... Because I know naturopath's can be very expensive, even in thou in my opinion they are worth the money, but not everyone has the cash...
My mother had her cholesterol at 210... After 3 months of taking Fish Oil, Garlic, Pro Fibe (A powder of fiber) and a greens drink, her cholesterol went down to 139!!! I know amazing... And she lost 10 pounds and felt better than ever. She takes her calcium liquid with magnesium and she loves it also.
With me my trigecerides and my heart were very high. My risk of heart attacks was extremely high. And after 3 months of taking Niacin (that's a B Vitamin), taking Fish Oils, and the greens drink, my triglecerides went down to like the 70's... And my risk for heart attacks went down 100%...
This book gives you a good starting point, if you will, for certain conditions.
I hope this review helped you and good luck!
Amazon.com
Soups and stews are much-loved kitchen standbys, and the reasons are obvious: they can be made out of just about anything on hand, they can serve as a starter course or as a nutritious one-pot meal, and most can be made ahead of time. So it's no surprise that the folks over at The Joy of Cooking headquarters thought to devote an entire volume of their All About series to these fabulous dishes.
Adapted from The Joy of Cooking, this volume is coauthored by original Joy author Irma Rombauer, her daughter Marion Rombauer Becker, and her grandson Ethan Becker. It retains the conversational yet instructional tone that made the original such a favorite, and covers everything a cook needs to know to become a master of soups and stews. It is a comprehensive treatment of the subject, with 130 recipes, but, more important, it carries on the teaching tradition of Joy by explaining what may seem like mysterious secrets to the inexperienced cook but turn out to be easy-to-follow rules. Once incorporated into one's repertoire, these techniques can transform a person from a novice to a truly accomplished cook. For instance, the authors point out that simmering a stock too long can result in bitterness and explain exactly how to tell when it has simmered long enough (when a piece of meat retrieved from the stock is completely devoid of flavor). Since good stock or broth is arguably the most vital element in any soup or stew, the book offers easy-to-follow instructions for all types of bases--including vegetable, fish, chicken, beef, game, and even "express" chicken and beef stocks for those short on time.
Like the original Joy, this volume covers the classics, such as Potato Leek Soup, Fresh Tomato Soup, and Beef Stew, and surprises with a delightful array of more unusual fare, such as Tomato Jalapeño Chilaquiles, Mongolian Hot Pot, and Wild Caribbean Black Bean Chili. Early editions of Joy used the phrase "making the pot smile" to describe the gentle simmering required for soups and stews. This volume gives not only the pot but the people who eat what's inside many reasons to smile. --Robin Donovan
Book Description
The book that taught America how to cook,
now illustrated with glorious color photography
ALL ABOUT
SOUPS & STEWS
A fresh and original way to put the classic advice of Joy of Cooking to work -- illustrated and designed in a beautiful and easy-to-use new book.
- Chapters covering vegetable soups and stews, legume soups and stews, chowders, meat and poultry soups and stews, fruit soups, and more
- More than 130 of Joy's most popular recipes -- from Fresh Tomato Soup to Mulligatawny Soup to Brunswick Stew -- plus recipes for 14 different stocks
- Easy-to-follow tips and techniques for effective storage, serving, and ingredient substitutions
Sixty years after Irma Rombauer advised new cooks to "Stand facing the stove," America's love affair with Joy of Cooking continues unabated. And why not? Joy in hand, tens of millions of people -- from novices to professionals -- have learned to do everything from make a meat loaf to clean a squid to frost a wedding cake. For decades, Joy of Cooking has taught America how to cook, serving as the standard against which all other cookbooks are judged.
All About Soups & Stews upholds that standard. While keeping the conversational and instructional manner of the flagship book, All About Soups & Stews is organized into ten chapters that cover stocks and broths, chowders, fish and seafood soups and stews, fruit soups, and more. This book incorporates more than 130 of Joy's best-loved recipes -- Chicken Stock to Irish Stew to Melon Soup. You'll also find recipes for a dozen or more condiments and quick breads, as well as techniques for straining and storing stock. Add to that more than 150 original photographs, specially commissioned for this volume, presented in the most easy-to-use design imaginable.
Whether you belong to one of the millions of American households that already own a copy (or two) of Joy, or you have never cracked the spine of a cookbook before, Joy of Cooking: All About Soups & Stews is for you. It is a spectacular achievement, worthy of its name. Joy has never been more beautiful.
The Indispensable Kitchen Resource...
All-New, All-Purpose, and now All-in-Color
Customer Reviews:
A comprehensive soup making guide.......2001-07-24
Finally a book on soups that feeds my passion for good soup recipes. This book contains a wide variety of soup/stew recipes. Not only does it contain american homestyle recipes, but it also contains other favorites such as egg drop soup, and other ethinic soups as well. This book is peppered with photos and illustrations that aide you in food preparation, as well as showing you what the final dish will look like. This book is enjoyable and worthwhile if you are a soup lover as I am. The book is very comprehensive, giving a wealth of good soup recipes, as well as pictures, and discussion of various soups, preparation methods and more. With this book you should be able to create some favorites of your own. I highly recommend this book to the soup lover in you.
Books:
- The Case of the Glamorous Ghost (Perry Mason Mystery)
- The Chatham School Affair
- The Cold Blue Blood: A Berger and Mitry Mystery (Berger and Mitry Mysteries)
- The Falls: An Inspector Rebus Novel
- The Fifth Victim
- The Hell Screen: A Mystery of Ancient Japan
- The House on the Borderland and Other Mysterious Places (The Collected Fiction of William Hope Hodgson, Vol. 2)
- The Infernal Device and Others: A Professor Moriarty Omnibus (Professor Moriarty Novels)
- The Joe Leaphorn Mysteries: Three Classic Hillerman Mysteries Featuring Lt. Joe Leaphorn: The Blessing Way/Dance Hall of the Dead/Listening Woman
- The Lamorna Wink (Richard Jury Mysteries)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- History: Fiction or Science
- Computational Electrodynamics: The Finite-Difference Time-Domain Method, Third Edition
- Artificial Liver Support
- Catalytic Activation of Dioxygen by Metal Complexes
- Cartoon Cool: How to Draw New Retro-Style Characters
- Developing Knowledge-Based Client Relationships, Second Edition: Leadership in Professional Services
- Cooking With Steam: Spectacular Full-Flavored Low-Fat Dishes from Your Electric Steamer
- Savannah Style: Mystery and Manners
- Architectural Detailing: Function - Constructibility - Aesthetics
- Silence of the Grave: A Reyjavik Murder Mystery
Burglars Can't Be Choosers
The Burglar Who Painted Like Mondrian (Bernie Rhodenbarr Mysteries)
Burglar Who Liked to Quote Kipling, The (Bernie Rhodenbarr Mysteries)
The Burglar Who Traded Ted Williams (Bernie Rhodenbarr Mysteries)
The Burglar Who Studied Spinoza
