Book Description
A delightful, fresh twist on the travel memoir, Almost French takes us on a tour that is fraught with culture clashes but rife with deadpan humor.
Sarah TurnbullÂ's stint in Paris was only supposed to last a week. Chance had brought Sarah and Frédéric together in Bucharest, and on impulse she decides to take him up on his offer to visit him in the worldÂ's most romantic city. Sacrificing Vegemite for vichyssoise, the feisty journalist does her best to fit in, although her conversation, her laugh, and even her wardrobe advertise her foreign status.
But as she navigates the highs and lows of this strange new world, from life in a bustling quartier and surviving Parisian dinner parties to covering haute couture fashion shows and discovering the paradoxes of French culture, little by little Sarah falls under its spell: maddening, mysterious, and charged with that French specialty—seduction.
“…a love song to Paris and France, yes, but a love song in a minor key…Sarah Turnbull seems to have gotten a lot closer to the real thing than most of us who will always be on the outside looking in...”
--Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post Book World
“…jewels of insight—and the book shines with them—make Almost French a worthy read. TurnbullÂ's story will entertain, and edify, both armchair travelers and those of us nutty enough to try living here.”
--Joe Ray, The Boston Globe
“TurnbullÂ's memoir is a charming, insightful meditation.”
--USA Today
“…full of honest ups and downs…its explorations of the “cultural quicksand” Turnbull gradually adapts to are fascinating. I hope to visit Paris one day, and am grateful to learn so many ways to avoid being an ugly American.”
--Seattle Times/Post Intelligencer
“YouÂ'll love this true story of a woman who left her life behind for a sexy foreigner.”
--Cosmopolitan
“Anyone who finds herself in a situation like TurnbullÂ'sÂ…will be luckier; sheÂ'll have TurnbullÂ's warm, clear prose to soothe frayed nerves.”
Â-Newsday
Customer Reviews:
Insightful and fun.......2007-10-06
Very well written. Entertainingly true story of an Austrailian journalist who moved to Paris and eventually adapted to her new life with the help of her French boyfriend. Of course, there are many missteps and misunderstandings along the way. Turnbull presents these in a way that shares both the frustration of the moment and the amusement of looking back from a more enlightened future. Provides an interesting outsider turned near-insider's perspective of French culture.
Great book.......2007-08-09
I really enjoyed reading this book! It is true that it might not have been very deep, but Sarah's comments on Paris made me feel like I was there again. Very therapeutical. Also, I recommend reading this book slowly, a couple of pages at a time, so you can really absorb every comment. If you read it all at once, it is easy to overlook small details. Read a page, laugh at her comments, think about how they are very true. Put the book down. Pick it up an hour later. I think you will get the most out of it if you pace yourself. In all, I recommend this book to anyone who longs for Paris.
Great read! .......2007-08-06
Being French, but having moved to The US when I was young I wanted to see if I could relate to this book. And yes I could. Sarah Turnbull really hits it right on. It is so refreshing to read a book that is fun, easy and accurate in it's description of a different culture. I really enjoyed reading this book.
Holiday in a book.......2007-04-08
I raved about this book to all my friends! Sarah's account of her trials and tribulations adjusting to life in France is so descriptive and humorous. When she describes any aspect of the Paris scene, I feel like I am right there with her. If you love to travel and love a good narrative, read this!
I would prefer more wining and less whining.......2007-03-29
This book actually annoyed me. The author finds herself moving in on a seemingly charming Frenchman and then complains about what her life is like with him. I still don't understand what the couple were doing together in the first place. It doesn't feel like there's any love between them....it seems that this was the opportune moment for her to try out what it would be like to live in Paris. I don't really see what it she brings to the table.....she's demanding, is not earning a living and does nothing to make their life together more pleasant....she just complains. She convinces him to move from a very comfortable (but boring) apt to a much better situated and much more expensive one. I don't hear that she helps him pay for this in any way....just expects it. That certainly has not been the way my life has been and if it had been I don't thing I'd be complaining. It just rubbed me the wrong way. She seems spoiled and he seems to play into it. I thiink he is far too patient with her. There were not enough cute and funny stories that could have been a part of this story.
Book Description
Retracing the confused and inconsistent pattern of planning for escalation of the Vietnam War, Edwin Moïse carefully reconstructs the events of the night of August 4, 1964, when the U.S. Navy destroyers Maddox and Turner Joy reported that they were under attack by North Vietnamese torpedo boats in the Gulf of Tonkin. The next day, President Lyndon Johnson ordered the first U.S. air strikes against North Vietnam, and on August 7, Congress passed the Tonkin Gulf Resolution, which gave the president authority to take 'all necessary steps' to combat further North Vietnamese aggression.
Many people, including some men who were on the destroyers that night, believe that what appeared on radar screens as torpedo boats were actually false images generated by weather conditions, flocks of birds, or American planes overhead. Using recently declassified records and interviews with participants, Moïse conclusively demonstrates that there was no North Vietnamese attack. But the original report was not a lie concocted to provide an excuse for escalation; it was a genuine mistake.
Customer Reviews:
Great Book.......2003-02-02
This is an excellent book and anyone with an interest in the Viet Nam War should read it. The events of July and August 1964 are thoroughly examined and analyzed step by step. There are interviews with many of the people who were involved in the incident on both sides. It has a good technical discussion of the military equipment(ships and radar/sonar systems) that greatly contributes to an understanding of what happened on those "dark and stormy nights". This is definitely the best book about the Tonkin Gulf incident. The author is a History Professor at Clemson University and I had the priviledge of taking his Vietnam War and Modern Military History courses back in 1993. He told our class that he was writing a book about the Tonkin Gulf incident so it was great to finally read it after all these years.
Am I Supposed to be Incredible, like our leaders?.......2000-05-26
Sometimes the details that matter aren't captured on videotape and broadcast around the world, like more recent events in the year 2001. What history doesn't have to show what was going on is a picture of how things were set up for this book. "Around noon on August 2, at the White House, President Johnson discussed the American response to the August 2 incident with Secretary Rusk, George Ball, Cyrus Vance, and Tom Hughes of the State Department; General Wheeler; Colonel Ralph Steakley of the Joint Staff; and Winston Cornelius of the CIA. At this meeting the president not only confirmed the decision that sent the Maddox back into the Gulf of Tonkin along with the Turner Joy, he authorized the continuation of OPLAN 34A raids (definitely the one scheduled for the night of August 3-4, and perhaps also those for the night of August 4-5; the procedure of waiting for the results of each raid to be evaluated, before approval of the next was initiated . . . would not have been practiced when there were to be raids on consecutive nights)." (pp. 103-4).
The amount of detail in this book could support a view that secret operations are those things which are not revealed in order to create the greatest spin in the direction of the psychological warfare advantage desired by whoever is keeping the secrets. To get a full appreciation of the kind of restraint which the American government displayed in this incident, the whole picture should be compared to how well the participants in World War II responded to the order given by the president in August, 1945 (a mere 19 years before the Tonkin incident) not to drop any more atomic bombs on people whose government exhibited any hostility toward military activities directed by the United States of America. President Truman's order was followed by massive conventional bombing, much as the history of American bombing in Vietnam shows how long a superpower can maintain a campaign of destruction against anyone who knows the truth about something which is supposed to be secret. This book shows great deference to the feelings of the anonymous secret operations experts who would never say anything that wasn't in the best interests of the powers that be. "Escalation" is an understatement for the overt actions taken against North Vietnam in August, 1964. Adopting a bombing routine as a conditioned response to false accusations in anticipation of making the bombing a regular routine, in the absence of any debate on why things happened as they did, was the real policy. Even now, most people who ought to know better are pretending that a lot of things revealed in this book are still secret. What people don't believe now is the preamble to the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which stated that the United States was going to be maintaining peace there, where it had no territoreal, military, or political ambitions. My ambition was to get the Combat Infantryman's Badge without getting killed, so I could be the CIB who failed to agree with whoever thought this ought to be. Check the facts in this book for a truly tortured bit of not being able to see a forest because the treehouse doesn't have any windows, and the trap door in the floor is closed.
Another manufactured crisis........2000-03-27
This excellent book demonstrates that the Gulf of Tonkin "incident" was not really an incident at all. It explains in detail the events that lead up to the Gulf of Tonkin resolution and the escaltion of the war that followed. My only complaint is that the author says that the Gulf of Tonkin incident was based on a "misunderstanding" and not "knowingly faked." Even if that is true, the fact remains that it was used as a convenient excuse to escelate war. In addition, the fact that there was no effort on the part of the government to determine the facts behind the Tonkin incident demonstrates that the government wanted war, and were just looking for the right excuse.
Average customer rating:
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Tonkin Gulf and the Escalation of the Vietnam War. (book reviews): An article from: The Australian Journal of Politics and History
David C. Marr
Manufacturer: University of Queensland Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
 Australia
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ASIN: B00097SF3S
Release Date: 2005-07-28 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from The Australian Journal of Politics and History, published by University of Queensland Press on June 22, 1997. The length of the article is 870 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Tonkin Gulf and the Escalation of the Vietnam War. (book reviews)
Author: David C. Marr
Publication:
The Australian Journal of Politics and History (Refereed)
Date: June 22, 1997
Publisher: University of Queensland Press
Volume: v43
Issue: n2
Page: p285(2)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
Intelligence in the field of counter-terrorism is a different and, in many aspects, arduous and dangerous task. The lives of many agents are in continuous danger. The rules of the game are cruelas moral and ethical considerations are negated by the bullet. There is no honor between rivals on the streets of Beirut or Baghdadonly the most quickwitted survive. A modern spy must blend in, live among the enemy, speak the language, befriend, and exploit the enemy at very opportunity. They are required to be streetwise, rough, tough, and ruthless. The Spycraft Manual is a step-by-step instruction book on the tradecraft and skills that spies use. Each individual subject contains masses of fascinating, previously undisclosed information, all graphically illustrated with simple black and white line drawings. From the seven basic drills of agent contact to satellite surveillance, The Spycraft Manual is a perfect reference to the whole world of espionage. The techniques and strategies used by actual spiesmuch of it revealed for the first time! The first and only practical guide to reveal the secret tradecraft techniques used by spies today. Step-by-step illustrated instructions, riveting case history sidebars, and complete history and current uses of techniques.
Customer Reviews:
excellent.......2007-10-07
well thought out layout and excellent attention to audience lead this book to the top of the pack. Great for anyone not taking 500-level espionage.
James Bond it ain't.......2006-10-15
I am writing this primarily as a counter to another poor review that expected more, and said that this was only for children and uninformed adults. How he decided that a real world example given in the book of a British operative seducing an Irish contact and having sex with her repeatedly to mine her for information on local IRA members, or an examination of using sexually compromising situations to recruit sources, or illustrations of how to seriously harm people and set booby traps is for kids is beyond me.
It's true that this is intended as a introductory work, but it is pretty much spot on. I've been trained in some of the methods described in this book and the portrayals are accurate, if a bit simple. There's a disclaimer early in the book warning that because of legal implications the author could only discuss things that already exist in the public sphere, and gives a bibliography of other private works as well as publically available military works for reference.
After reading this you will not be a secret agent able to HALO jump out of a Big Bird and infiltrate Damascus. You will, however, understand intellectually how it is done and might even have a leg up if you go to an agency or unit that does that kind of thing. This manual is good enough that when I was reading it in a cafe on a military base, (not a secret one) a Combat Diver NCO (read: special operator) in the US Army who happened by did a double take at the book and stopped to ask me about it.
For $15 or $20, it's a steal, unless you already know these kinds of things.
Sounds good on the web, but is lacking in person.......2005-12-04
I was quite excited about the premise of a well written guide book for tradecraft, but sadly I was dissappointed by the book in person. To me, it's more of book geared toward children and uninformed adults than any aspiring or practicing security professional. Alternatively, there are several books on the market that cover the same material in a much more indepths and professional manner. This book isn't that big, so you cant expect a full experience on all the topics. The surveillance section is only a few pages in length, while whole books have been written on the subject. Most of the book is a broad overview of several items and lack any real details that the book promises. There are several books similar to this that don't make you expect a full course in tradecraft like this one. In the end, its a good read for the inexperienced or those seeking a basic intro, but it definately is the bible of tradecraft that the description promises it to be.
Amazon.com
Jeff Cox provides the information new gardeners want in Perennial All-Stars: how to produce a garden full of healthy, attractive, low-maintenance plants. Cox, the enthusiastic host of HGTV's &Grow It!, has selected 150 perennials, both flowers and grasses, that grow well in North American climates. Each double-page plant entry tells how and where to grow the plant, how to propagate it, and a list of ideal planting partners. In addition, each entry displays a quick-glance sidebar that includes ideal hardiness zones, blooming season, size, color, light and soil requirements, and a substantial list of plant sources (detailed in the back of the book). Cox further assists the beginning garden planner with useful groupings: "Fragrant All-Stars," "Deer-Resistant All- Stars," "All-Stars for Full Shade," "All-Stars 4 Feet or Taller," and so forth. It's in no way intended to replace a complete plant encyclopedia, but novices will be happy with the excellent selection and informative, friendly format of Perennial All-Stars. --Barrie Trinkle
Book Description
No longer must you waste your time or money browsing catalogs or wandering the aisles of your local garden center. How often have you ended up with perennials that dont live up to the breathtaking photos that convinced you to buy the plants in the first place? Garden expert and HGTV host Jeff Cox takes the guesswork out of shopping for perennials by selecting 150 of the most beautiful, top-performing plants based on attributes such as bloom time, ease of care, disease resistance, and fall color. A Perennial Plant Finder helps you find the ideal plants for your garden whether you live in Palm Springs or Portland. Youll also find suggestions for hard-to-plant conditions like heavy shade with acid soil or drought-prone gardens with alkaline soil. This all-star lineup is pictured in 260 full-color photographs that show each plant plus how each looks in garden combinations with other great plants.
Customer Reviews:
great for gardeners.......2007-05-17
I am really enjoying this book. It has given me a lot of good ideas for my garden this summer. I already have some of the flowers it lists, and I agree they are winners. An excellent book for beginning and experienced gardeners looking for new flowers for their yard.
One of the best !!.......2007-02-26
My wife wore out her 1st copy and the yard looks great.
A great reference.......2007-01-11
Keep this book on your counter all spring and summer long - you'll find lots of reasons to refer to it.
Handy reference book to have around.......2006-11-04
Great for the beginner gardener, it's easy to understand and gives a lot of information on planning your perrennial gardens to look great from early spring right into the fall.
Inspiring and informative.......2006-08-19
Many of my gardening books are useful for referencing the occasional problem or plant profile, but "Perennial All-Stars" was an engrossing read from cover-to-cover. The author has a great deal of enthusiasm for his subject--so much so that I think he picked more than 10 'Top 10' perennials out of his favorite 150.
That's okay. I admire his devotion and his knowledge of the perennial flower kingdom. His 150 all-stars also purport to be easy to grow and maintain, which is what I was looking for when I decided to add to my garden this fall. Unfortunately the author was so persuasive, I'm going to have to dig a new bed to fit in all of my choices from his book.
If you have a rough idea of the plant you're searching for, the front of this book is cross-indexed by various perennial characteristics such as 'spring blooming,' 'deer-resistant,' and 'full shade.'
Each of the perennials that was chosen for this book, is described in the following sections: an overall description and photograph of the plant; how to grow it; propagating the plant (useful especially for the more expensive or hard-to-find perennials); the right site for growing the plant; and other plants that go well with it. A 'spotlight' section summarizes the USDA plant hardiness zones, season of bloom, height x width, color, light requirements, soil requirements, place of origin, and where the perennial and/or its seed can be purchased.
The author tried to choose perennials that would flourish in all of the U.S. hardiness zones, but there are some exceptions that can't take the heat and humidity of the Deep South, e.g. peonies, or won't live through a very cold winter, e.g. Broadleaved Bear's-Breech.
"All-Star Perennials" is very useful and interesting. Just plan on doing some digging when you do read it.
Average customer rating:
- It's GREAT!!!
- hilarious and spot-on
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Astrostyle: Star-studded Advice for Love, Life, and Looking Good
Tali Edut , and
Ophira Edut
Manufacturer: Fireside
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Children's Books
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| Baby-3
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ASIN: 0743249852 |
Book Description
What's Your Astrostyle?
From Dating to Dressing to Discovering Your Dreams
Will a Leo-Scorpio match spawn a royal rumble or a sweet success? Why do some Tauruses seem more in love with their reflections than with you? Which clothes will maximize your sign's mojo and which will prompt the fashion police to put you under house arrest? Dishing the hottest advice under the sun signs, AstroTwins Tali & Ophira Edut -- the official astrologers for Teen People -- will guide you through the wild world of relationships, personal style, and everyday life -- with glamour, style, and a pinch of celebrity stardust.
Spicing their savvy advice with insights into pop icons like J. Lo (a classic Leo megastar), Josh Hartnett (a sensitive Cancer boy), and Britney Spears (a feisty Sagittarius), the AstroTwins cover the whole universe of teen experience, including:
- Love: How to make any astro relationship last -- and how to end it fast
- Fashion: Cosmic wardrobe hints, custom-made for your sign
- Livin' it up: Tips on picking friends, managing your issues, and finding a favorite hangout
- Destiny: How the stars can guide you to fame, fortune, and figuring it all out
Customer Reviews:
It's GREAT!!!.......2004-03-19
This book is really cool. When I showed it to one friend, she showed it to her friend, and so on, and so on! Soon, they couldn't give it back! I especially love the part in the book where the AstroTwins tell you your best style.
-Isabel
hilarious and spot-on.......2003-11-19
Have been enjoying this tremendously since it landed in my lap. A very fun, funny read. Really entertaining whether or not you're a big horoscope reader - even by my crazy-high Aries standards. I was delighted to compare my fabulosity against that of Diana Ross and Posh Spice -- and to learn how to avoid becoming a Mariah Carey in my love life. These twins are charmers and know their pop stars as well as they know the stars in the night sky - this astrofiend looks forward to more from these guys!
Product Description
5 mass market paperbacks.
Average customer rating:
- Packs in anecdotes, diagrams, and plenty of history
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Astronomy: Looking at the Stars (Innovators Series No 9)
Susan Wills , and
Steven R. Wills
Manufacturer: Oliver Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Science & Technology
| Biographies
| People & Places
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| Subjects
| Books
Astronomy
| Astronomy & Space
| Science, Nature & How It Works
| Children's Books
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General
| Biographies & Memoirs
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History of Technology
| Technology
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General
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Astronomy
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ASIN: 1881508765 |
Customer Reviews:
Packs in anecdotes, diagrams, and plenty of history.......2002-02-04
Susan and Steven Willis' Astronomy: Looking At The Stars provides a history of the science, showing how early astronomers created the foundations for theories and changed their fields. From Copernicus' discoveries about the motion of planets to Tycho Brahe's introduction of astronomical investigative methods, this packs in anecdotes, diagrams, and plenty of history.
Average customer rating:
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In the gutter-- looking at the stars: A literary adventure through Kings Cross
Manufacturer: Random House Australia
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
British
| World Literature
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| 18th Century
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ASIN: 1740510127 |
Average customer rating:
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Just a Dancing Bear Looking for a Star: A Collection of Poems
Joseph Mayo Wristen
Manufacturer: American Literary Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
20th Century
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ASIN: 1561675423 |
Average customer rating:
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Looking at Stars (Facts About)
Donna Bailey
Manufacturer: Steck-Vaughn Library Div
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: School & Library Binding
Astronomy & Space
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ASIN: 0811425223 |
Books:
- Always Running: La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L.A.
- An Hour Before Daylight : Memoirs of a Rural Boyhood
- Angel By My Side
- Ball Four: Twentieth Anniversary Edition
- Being Martha: The Inside Story of Martha Stewart and Her Amazing Life
- Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux
- Blood Done Sign My Name: A True Story
- Bode: Go Fast, Be Good, Have Fun
- Born On The Fourth Of July
- Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War
Books Index
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Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong
Paris to the Moon
Joie de Vivre: Simple French Style for Everyday Living
French or Foe?: Getting the Most Out of Visiting, Living and Working in France
Entre Nous: A Woman's Guide to Finding Her Inner French Girl
