Ford Reviews

This tap will make a long journey shorter with little ones in the car. The tunes makes a change from the usual nursery rthyms that we endure in the car. The music is funky. The songs are funny and easy to learn. It is the only tape my husband will have in HIS car. Occasionally I find him tapping his toe to the music. The book helped me learn of the words and when my daughter is older I am sure she will enjoy reading it too. At 2 years she is still a little young to even appreciate the graphics. Our favourite tune is "Tickle Time". When the whole family joins in we usually end up on the floor laughing. This tape will always remind me of my family having a great time together. It does not fail to put a smile on my daughters face.

Sandra Boynton's book and cassette not only have the kids singing but my husband and I find ourselves humming the tunes too! We were facing a nine and eight hour car trips with three kids (3, 2 and 3 weeks) and this made the trip go FASTER! The tunes and words are catchy and easy to sing along with. Some of the songs are from Boynton's other books, like"Barnyard Dance". Others became new favorites to us; Oh Lonely Peas and Bad Babies. Unlike other kid cassettes we have, this creation is done perfectly! Kids and their parents can both enjoy the humor, music and cleverness of Boynton and Ford.This became the only tape played in our car whenever we went anywhere, in fact we played the tape so much from August to October we wore it out. I'm buying another set today!

Rhinoceros Tap is far and away the best tape/book I've seen in recent years. The songs are fun without making parents crazy. In fact, we all like to sing along. The only complaint I had was that the songs are pitched a little too low for children to sing comfortably. The tape is well done and the book is wonderful! One half is simply words and illustrations and the other half is the actual sheet music! WOW! I can't say enough about this set. It is definitely worth the price and the wait!

I think our children and grandchildren will regard Sandra Boynton as we and our parents regard Dr. Seuss. As usual, her stories are adorable. I saw highlights on the today show this morning and had to go buy it today. My daughter's a little young for it (7 months) but her 2 year old friends loved the music. It's a children's CD I like and do not find annoying (such as those by that purple creature).

The book is well done. There is a page for each of the songs with an illustration. There is also sheet music and lyrics for each song in the back of the book.

I'm sure we'll cherish this one for years to come!

This is a great CD for family fun in the car or at home. My children and I enjoy dancing around to the happy beat. The lyrics are clever and witty, and easy for children to memorize. (My 2 1/2 yr old daughter is always singing these songs.) This is a great and interesting alternative to other kids music. The book is another great Boynton book with colorful and charming illustrations.

We are constantly on the lookout for good quality music that appeals to our toddler but that doesn't simultaneously drive the adults in the house bonkers. Never fear, parents, you too will love these lively and very, very funny songs. My only warning is that some of them will get stuck in your head, so you're like to find yourself in public singing, "We're cows, such remarkable cows..."!

I saw Kay speak at the Oxford Michigan library. She has an unbelievable love for birds, and I truly appreciate people who have such a passion for anything (legal). While I only have a moderate interest in 'birding', I did find this book entertaining and easy to read. Itr consisits of aminly short 'stories' involving some bird related topic. I applaud Kay for working so hard for the birds and the environment- we need more people like her.

I loved this book! It's like reading Lake Wobegon tales for birdwatchers. The book is a series of short tales (could be good bedtime stories!) about birds and conservation as written by an avid birdwatcher and conservationist. Kay Charter's stories are unique, funny, sad, and clearly express her passion for birds.

The Charters own a 40+ acre bird sanctuary in Michigan. The book describes may of their birding adventures both on their property and on their travels. Kay Charter is serious about maintaining a safe haven for the birds she loves and works to protect. Her book warmed by heart with her efforts to save song birds and their habitat. It's easy to read a little bit at a time or straight through.

It's great reading for anyone interested in wild birds.

Kay Charter's book is a well-written story of a life dedicated to following one of the roads less traveled in our society - the road leading towards helping some facet of nature at the expense of accumulating conventional material wealth. In Kay's life, that road she chose to travel led to helping birds. In a series of marvelous vignettes she describes how her choice of roads unfurled before her over the past twenty years as she traveled around the country. Each chapter is very well-written. Most of them make a good point without being preachy. The book is easy to read in snatches of time here and there or in a few longer readings. Reading this book is well worth the time invested.

I started TEN THOUSAND ISLANDS on a Thursday afternoon andfinished it at 5 a.m. on Friday -- my first novel all-nighter sinceSILENCE OF THE LAMBS. Marine Biologist Doc Ford, Florida's most compelling, unromantic, anti-hero is at the top of his form. Nearly two decades ago, on Marco Island,FL, a brilliant 14-year old girl dug up an Indian grave and found a golden medallion once worn by the king of pre-Colombian Florida. A few months later, she's found dead, hanging from a tree. Now, 15-years later, someone's dug-up the grave and it's up to Ford and buddy Tomlinson to find out why. Based on a true story, the tale that follows is brilliant, compelling, terrifying and sometimes hilarious. I laughed and actually wept. Tomlinson steals the show as usual, but Ford is also elevated: He does psychedelic mushrooms and briefly re-meets his true soul mate -- two solitary islands among ten thousand in this touching, metaphorical tale. The real star, as usual, however, is the strange place called Florida and no one is better than White when it comes to capturing it on paper.

Randy Wayne White does indeed deserve the crown of successor to John D. McDonald. You don't realize how much better White's fiction is until you read Tim Dorsey or one of the other South Florida wannabes.

Doc Ford is at it again with his nutty sidekick, Tomlinson. Unlike "North of Havana," where Tomlinson's eccentricity becomes a nuisance, "Ten Thousand Lakes" makes the loveable hippy a nice contrast to Doc's more subdued (and ultimately lethal) manner.

The plotline, about a Spanish medallion with a cursed and spotted history, moves along briskly with an action-packed finale. Doc Ford's penchant for violence stays within the realm of believability and his survival tactics are exciting.

A fast and satisfying read.

I am glad to see that Randy Wayne White is finally being promoted by his publisher. He is a top quality story teller. He writes with humor yet is able to inform or educate the reader. I live in South Florida and look forward to the learning something new about the Flora and Fauna of this unique envionment. One of his earlier books got me interested in seeing the Tarpon and learning more about this fish. I wish him the success that he deserves.

I know this is supposed to be a romance but the back to back love sessions were a bit much. We don't have to have details every single time they make love. An author is prone to run out of creative scenes. And why must most of the main female characters be so hard up with chips on their shoulders? Yes, men love a challenge and women who play hard to get but too much independence and bitchiness is a turn-off. But the author did touch well on the life of a celebrity. Donald was my only likable character.

Since this has been my re-read all of Bette Ford week, I decided to input comments. I truly have enjoyed this book everytime I have read it, which is several times! Its a story about the professional basketball player, Donald Williams who becomes suddenly attracted to Taylor Hendricks. Their initial meeting in a restaurant is not a good one but its left some serious sparkling attractions on both parties. But then every good story has to have issues, RIGHT? Yes, Taylor has a younger brother who by the way is in college. He has some decisions he is trying to make that seem to affect this newfound relationship between Donald and Taylor. Well, my fellow readers, you'll just have to read this book and need I say it has a plot but then if you have read any of Ms. Ford's books it has those YES, sizzling, hot, loving scenes. Ms. Ford always delivers to her readers and you should enjoy this book. Here are some of her published books to read: All The Love, For Always, Forever After and One of a Kind.

This book is beyond excellant. A true page turner from beginning to the end. Taylor has helped raise her younger brother when her parents are forced to move to a warmer climate because of her father's health. Scott is now a hot college basketball player ready to submitt is name into the NBA draft.

Taylor is not happy with this and does not like the influence the sexy Chicago Bulls player Donald has on Scott. But her walls begin to crumble once she really gets to know Donald the man.

The love and passion between these two is HOTT! Although Taylor has some insecurities because of a pass experience she tries her best to not fall head over hills for Donald. But his genuine love for her is too hard to resist.

If you have not read this book, run and get it. You will not be dissapointed. You will hate when it ends.

While often embarrassing in a public place, laughing out loud while reading is an example of pure pleasure that so rarely occurs that any author capable of producing this effect should be commended. Douglas Adams is such an author. The only problem is his writing style should be taken in small doses, because when read all together you start to get buried in all the clever little comments and they lose their effectiveness. The first two novels in this series are two of the funniest books I have ever read. The basic plot is simple: Earth is destroyed to make way for an interstellar highway and Arthur Dent, one particularly hapless Earthman, is taken along by an interstellar hitchhiker to the far reaches of space. This synopsis does not do justice to the incredible universe Adams drags us into: Ships that run on improbability factors or restaurants checks, a two headed former president of the galaxy who is looking for a real good time, and other events and people too bizarre and numerous to summarize. The problem is that each succeeding book seems to jettison some whimsy for a more serious form of science fiction until in the last book the laughs are hard to find. The first two books deserve the highest rating, but this review is based on all the content contained within. But once you start, you'll want to read all of them, Adams does make sure that the reader wants to know how it all turns out. Hopefully you'll enjoy the journey.

I'm sure there is probably a fitting word in some far off galactic language but my bablefish is malfunctioning so I'll just have to resort to the English I have on hand. The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy includes all five books in the Hitchhiker's "trilogy" plus the short story "Young Zaphod Plays it Safe". Douglas Adam's had intended for there to be only three books but due to fan demand and the excess ideas running around in his head, lo and behold the trilogy became a series though most fans still refer to it as the trilogy. As a side note, Adams was in the beginning stages of writing a sixth book, The Salmon of Doubt, when he died.

Anyhow, back to the book, the first part, "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy", is the start of the beautiful (and slightly insane) series. The Hero? of the book is Arthur Dent, a man who wakes to find his house about to be demolished to make way for a hiway. He thought the big yellow bulldozer was the worst of his problems until his friend Ford Prefect tells him that Ford is an alien and that the Earth is going to be demolighed to make way for a SuperGalactic Hiway. Anyhow they are saved from Earth in the nic of time and so begins Arthur's amazing adventure through the cosmos. The characters that Arthur Dent meets along the way are well thought out and interesting such as the tempramental Zaphod Beeblebrox with his two heads, Marvin the chronicly depressed robot, and the annoyingly cheerful spaceship doors.

Of all the books included in this collection the first one is my favorite. You can almost see the crazy ideas oozing out of Douglas Adam's genius head. Read this book and witness the birth of your obsession. In these books there are no limits of time, physics, anatomy, or anything really and Adams takes full advantage of this like no other author I have read.
The other books in the series carry on the craziness of the first with most of the same characters and also some memorable new ones. After the first book, my next favorite has to be the fifth one "Mostly Harmless" which centers on Arthur's daughter Random.
Now This book is probably not for everyone. Such as if you have no sense of humor, are obsessed with neatness and order, or have a horrible fear of the number 42. Otherwise, buy this book and get ready to laugh out loud at the absurdity and incredible imagination that is The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.

I love this book. It has acompanied me on several trips (none of which I have hitchhiked through, though). And, of course, the intro by Douglas Adams adds a bit of class. The main charatcters in this book are all somewhat normal, although a few lean more twords a few fish short of a fish fry. (Tacky, I know. But isn't it delightful?) In this book, the author tells a tale which has made me laugh out loud in class precisly when I shoulnd't have. It is a wonderful book!

P.S. Im not really trying to be helpful, just trying to get others to read it.

After years without picking up a novel by Dickens (memories of starchy classes at school), I decided to plunge into "Bleak House", a novel that had been sitting on my bookshelf for about ten years, waiting to be read. Although I found it heavy going at first, mainly because the style is so unfamiliar to modern readers, after about ten pages I was swept up and carried off, unable to put the hefty tome down until I had finished it. This book is a definite classic. The sheer scope of the tale, the wit of the satire (which could still be applied to many legal proceedings today) and the believable characters gripped me up until the magnificent conclusion. One particularly striking thing is the "cinematic" aspect of certain chapters as they switch between different angles, building up to a pitch that leaves the reader breathless. I can't recommend "Bleak House" too highly. And I won't wait so long before reading more Dickens novels.

This is the second book by Dickens I have read so far, but it will not be the last. "Bleak House" is long, tightly plotted, wonderfully descriptive, and full of memorable characters. Dickens has written a vast story centered on the Jarndyce inheritance, and masterly manages the switches between third person omniscient narrator and first person limited narrator. His main character Esther never quite convinces me of her all-around goodness, but the novel is so well-written that I just took Esther as she was described and ran along with the story. In this book a poor boy (Jo) will be literally chased from places of refuge and thus provide Dickens with one of his most powerful ways to indict a system that was particularly cruel to children. Mr. Skimpole, pretending not to be interested in money; Mr. Jarndyce, generous and good; Richard, stupid and blind; the memorable Dedlocks, and My Lady Dedlock's secret being uncovered by the sinister Mr. Tulkinghorn; Mrs. Jellyby and her telescopic philanthropy; the Ironmaster described in Chapter 28, presenting quite a different view of industralization than that shown by Dickens in his next work, "Hard Times." Here is a veritable cosmos of people, neighbors, friends, enemies, lovers, rivals, sinners, and saints, and Dickens proves himself a true master at describing their lives and the environment they dwell in. There are landmark chapters: Chapter One must be the best description of a dismal city under attack by dismal weather and tightly tied by perfectly dismal laws, where the Lord Chancellor sits eternally in Lincoln's Inn Hall. Chapter 32 has one of the eeriest scenes ever written, with suspicious smoke, greasy and reeking, as a prelude to a grisly discovery. Chapter 47 is when Jo cannot "move along" anymore. This Norton Critical is perhaps the best edition of "Bleak House" so far: the footnotes help a lot, and the two Introductions are key to understanding the Law system at the time the action takes place, plus Dickens' interest in this particular topic. To round everything off, read also the criticism of our contemporaries, as well as that of Dickens' time. "Bleak House" is a long, complex novel that opens a window for us to another world. It is never boring and, appearances to the contrary, is not bleak. Enjoy.

"There is little to be satisfied in reading this book"?? I couldn't disagree more. Bleak House left a profound impression on me, and was so utterly satisfying a reading experience that I wanted it never to end. I've read it twice over the years and look forward to reading it again. Definitely my favorite novel.

I don't know what the previous reviewer's demands are when reading a novel, but mine are these: the story must create its world - whatever and wherever that world might be - and make me BELIEVE it. If the novelist cannot create that world in my mind, and convince me of its truths, they've wasted my time (style doesn't matter - it can be clean and spare like Orwell or verbose like Dickens, because any style can work in the hands of someone who knows how to use it). Many novels fail this test, but Bleak House is not one of them.

Bleak House succeeds in creating a wonderfully dark and complex spider web of a world. On the surface it's unfamiliar: Victorian London and the court of Chancery - obviously no one alive today knows that world first hand. And yet as you read it you know it to be real: the deviousness, the longing, the secrets, the bureaucracy, the overblown egos, the unfairness of it all. Wait a minute... could that be because all those things still exist today?

But it's not all doom and gloom. It also has Dickens's many shades of humor: silliness, word play, comic dialogue, preposterous characters with mocking names, and of course a constant satirical edge. It also has anger and passion and tenderness.

I will grant one thing: if you don't love reading enough to get into the flow of Dickens's sentences, you'll probably feel like the previous reviewer that "...it goes on and on, in interminable detail and description...". It's a different dance rhythm folks, but well worth getting used to. If you have to, work your way up to it. Don't start with a biggie like Bleak House, start with one of his wonderful short pieces such as A Christmas Carol.

Dickens was a gifted storyteller and Bleak House is his masterpiece. If you love to dive into a book, read and enjoy this gem!

This is the 1st of the Doc Ford books and the first that I have read, and I am excited about moving on to Heat Islands. I thought this was a great book and a lot of fun to read. I am excited to see what is next for Doc Ford and his cast of friends.

The best way to read this page turner is by actually being in Sanibel. Sanibel is indeed still Florida'a Florida. This is the last unspoiled place in Florida and Randy Wayne White captures it in all its glory. In addition, he brings forth yet another Doc Ford adventure with its many twists and turns. This is an intelligent person's mystery series and the perfect way to escape on a hot, lazy day.

This book did several things, all of which I loved. It introduced me to the author Randy Wayne White, the author of several novels set in Southwest Florida, and probably one of the best I've read since I first discovered Carl Hiaasen. It also helped me feel like I was actually living the slow life of the residents of Sanibel Island. Truthfully, Mr. White's ability to describe the lifestyle of the residents of Dinkins Bay makes me want to chuck it all and run away to join them.

But primarily, this book introduced me to Doc Ford, the protagonist of the novels written by Randy Wayne White. Doc Ford is an ex-government employee now trying to live out a quiet existence on the southwest coast of Florida (Sanibel Island). His dream and goal is to open a biological supply company and just slip quietly into retirement. But, as with all Doc Ford books, mystery and danger follow him wherever he goes.

In this book, the first Doc Ford story, the plot surrounds government cover-ups, unsavory militia in 3rd world countries, and a mystery surrounding stolen artifacts, a kidnapped child and the death of Doc Ford's childhood friend Rafe Hollins. All in all making for an excellent story that kept me up late at night reading 'just a few more pages' to find out what would happen next.

If you like Carl Hiaasen, or if you like books with that warm and slightly warped feel that comes with great Florida fiction, you'll love this book. In fact, if you like to read and can appreciate well-built characters and an engaging mystery, you'll also love it.

And if you're like me, you'll find yourself up late at night wondering what it would be like living life on the ocean and watching the moon rise in the Mangrove trees.

One of the few truly good STAR TREK novels with any appeal to a non STAR TREK audience. Ironic since the novel does not deal with the familiar STAR TREK cast of characters at all, but is set approximately 40 years before the time of the original series.

The story focuses on Krenn, a young Klingon Commander who is a practitioner of "that least Klingon of arts...strategy" and his relationship with Emanuel Tagore, an ambassador sent to the Klingon Empire to represent the United Federation of Planets.

Skillfully crafting the interactions between these two characters, Ford allows for an exploration of human nature on a general level, as Krenn struggles to understand the alien concepts of morality and humanism while Dr. Tagore tries to assimilate the Klingon's more Darwinistic philosophies and conception of honor.

The novel builds to a suitably satisfying climax where Krenn must think several moves ahead of events in order to secure himself, Dr. Tagore and their two respective Empires.

All in all, a tight, fascinating exploration of what the Klingons refer to as the Komerex Zha (The Perpetual Game) that represents life itself wherever it thrives in the universe.

John M. Ford's brilliant and powerful writing style was always awe-inspiring. The characters are fascinating. the dialogue is splendid. The quality of Ford's Klingons is superior to that of TNG's Klingons.

Not only it awed many people including me but also it influenced Ronald Moore's work on Klingon culture. Mr. Moore admitted he liked reading the book Final Reflection in Star Trek Magazine review.

However, this book may be contradicted and is not regarded as canon but the author's definitions of Klingon culture and Klingon sense of honor is never questioned.

Whereas a Klingon captain named Krenn tries to struggle to understand Human culture, a Human named Tagore attempts to comprehend Klingon culture.

The quote about naked stars in this book is inspirational.

May the Black Fleet salute John M. Ford for his incredible legacy to the world. He deserves to be remembered with no less honor than Kahless the Unforgettable.

As a Star Trek fan my favorite alien race is the Klingons. This is a superior Trek novel about their warrior culture which is a bit like the Samurai of ancient Japan. John Ford created a complex and believable culture of the type of Klingons which were seen only briefly, in the early motion pictures. For some reason, Krenn is depicted in the cover art as a fusion-style Klingon from the original series, but a careful attention to the physical descriptions in the book reveal the characters to be the ones from The Motion Picture. Lt. Cdr. Kelly is the only Human Fusion in the story. This book is extraordinarily well written, and is an example of truly excellent science fiction. You truly believe these aliens exist! A lot of the concepts in Next Generation were based on Ford's creativity. As are many of the novels inspired by "The Final Reflection" such as Jeffry Hertzler's "The Left Hand Of Destiny" and Kat Ramo's "Citizen Of The Empire". In fact, the whole subculture of the Star Trek Klingon fandom is patterned after "The Final Reflection".