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I came upon this book while browsing my local Barnes and Nobles. I was hesitant to purchase it thinking just what the world needs is another take off of Harry Potter. After reading several pages I relented and purchased Mister Monday. I could not put the book down. Garth Nix does an excellant job of intertwining the real world with that of the big house. His characters are believable and descriptions vivid. I found myself staying up late to finish so that I could pass it on to my students. They have enjoyed it too. I just purchased the second book (Tuesday) and I see that Wednesday (the third)is out in hardback. This is a great series of books! One that I highly recommend	His characters are believable and descriptions vivid	characters	positive	0
This is the first book in the Keys to the Kingdom series by Garth Nix. It was supposed to have a book every six months for 2 1/2 years, but it seems Mr, Nix unfortunately could not deliver on that so it is like most other series, in 1 every year or so(give or take a month). Which is kind of annoying if you wanted them every 6 instead of 12 months, but the quality of writing would be hurt I believe if that had occured so I am quite happy waiting for the book "Sir Thursday" right now. Mister Monday takes place on a Monday(make sense) when Arthur our "Hero" happens to become the heir to a will that was divided a century or so ago by the "Morrow Days," which are the days of the week,a nd they operate in the "Secondary Realms" only on the day in which they are named. This was not supposed to happen, the Days were supposed to keep the Will whole and pass it on to a rightful heir without conflict. Which of course can NOT happen or we would not have this great series. So Arthur has asthma VERY severely in fact and almost dies, but survive because Mr. Monday gives Arthur the minute hand to the "Key to the Kingdom" that he posesses. The key makes it possible for Arthur to live through a brutal asthma attack on the first day at this new school. Now Arthur starts to see things that he had never seen before, and must make it into Monday's postern to get to the house, grab the Hour hand to complete the key and take over 1/7 th of the houses power. So along the way he meets Suzy Turquoise Blue who once was a human like Arthur, but has become a "denizen" of the house where it is almost impossible to be killed/die and you never Have to eat or drink, and never get colds. They are used a fashion accesories and show the other denizens you have a status as they are hard to acquire and expensive. So Arthur and Suzy have many encounters and then are captured, and Arthur is thrown into the Coal Cellar of the realms and meets the "Ancient One" who tells him the stories and some of the secrets of the realms inside the house and about the "improbable stair" which only excists if you are able to see it and able to transfer from one realm to another quickly without losing it and being stranded in the realm forever. Eventually it leads to a battle which is quite large in scale and Arthur does triumph even with his asthma and various other faults, which makes him a likable character, he is not perfect, He is a child and has health problems, so he is more real than these characters who have no faults at all. This series is great, and I recommend it to anyone to read it, enjoy it and read the other 2(so far) in the series, as well as his Seventh Tower, and the Sabriel, Lirael, Abhorsen series, theya re all great	So Arthur and Suzy have many encounters and then are captured, and Arthur is thrown into the Coal Cellar of the realms and meets the "Ancient One" who tells him the stories and some of the secrets of the realms inside the house and about the "improbable stair" which only excists if you are able to see it and able to transfer from one realm to another quickly without losing it and being stranded in the realm forever	Ancient One	neutral	0
If you are looking for a thrilling mystery, this is the book for you! This book is about an asmatic boy who has moved to a new school and the first day has a asma attack. In having this attach Arthur Penhaligon meets two new friends (Leaf and Ed twin brother and sister) and also gets a suprise, Mister Monday and his buttler, Sneezer, appear with a flash of light and give Arthur a gift,(Arthur thinks Sneezer is up to something but does not know) a minute hand of a clock (the clock that was guarding the will) and a book (An Atlas he can't yet open). Arhtur does not know this but a will guarded by a clock face glass box and other odd things has been released which is the reason he got the key (clock hand) in the first place. During this book Arthur meets some odd people like some dog-faced men in bowler hats. At the beginning of the book he thought it was all a dream (from his asma attack) but he finds out that everything was very real. Arthur does not know the danger ahead of him untill the night somebody shows up at his window. This book is a wonderful choice. Garth Nix really outdid hiself when he wrote this one. This book reminds me of Ravens Gate in a way so if you read and liked it you will love this! One of the best books I have ever read. This is a dark side of the moon kind of book it is full of suspense and you never what will happen next. You will find yourself captivated by each letter in this book, you will see that you are swept away in the pages but don't want to come out! Mister Monday will do anything to get the key back (you will have to read to see if Arthur makes it through the book alive)!	Garth Nix really outdid hiself when he wrote this one	Garth Nix	positive	0
From a bestselling novelist with an unrivalled insight into the workings of power comes a compelling new novel exploring Winston Churchill's remarkable journey from the wilderness to No 10 Downing Street at the beginning of World War II. Saturday 1 October 1938. Two men meet. One is elderly, the other in his twenties. One will become the most revered man of his time, and the other known as the greatest of traitors. Winston Churchill met Guy Burgess at a moment when the world was about to explode. Now in is astonishing new novel, Michael Dobbs throws brilliant fresh light upon Churchill's relationship with the Soviet spy and the twenty months of conspiracy, chance and outright treachery that were to propel Churchill from outcast to messiah and change the course of history	Now in is astonishing new novel, Michael Dobbs throws brilliant fresh light upon Churchill's relationship with the Soviet spy and the twenty months of conspiracy, chance and outright treachery that were to propel Churchill from outcast to messiah and change the course of history	conspiracy	neutral	0
I picked this book up in Bangkok as I was browsing through a second hand book store, and didn't expect much until I read that this was a novel by the guy who wrote House of Cards, To Play the King and The Final Cut. As mentioned above, this covers the events leading up to World War 2. It provides a great insight into the behind the scenes goings-on in parliament, the rivalries and treacheries in the run up to Winston Churchill becoming Britains war time Prime Minister. It's a superb read, really gripping from the first page through to the end. Definately recommended for anyone who has an interest in WW2, Churchill or British history. In fact, I would definately recommend this to anyone, it's easy going and difficult to put down	I picked this book up in Bangkok as I was browsing through a second hand book store, and didn't expect much until I read that this was a novel by the guy who wrote House of Cards, To Play the King and The Final Cut	guy	positive	0
The story of Angela and Diabola all begins when Mrs. Cuthertston-Jones gives birth to twins with completly different personalities, one of the twins was born an angel and was named Angela where as her twin sister was born a devil and was named Diabola. Their parents knew they had to find a way to make Angela and Diabola be part good and part bad. After a while Mr. and Mrs. Cuthertson-Jones figured out that Angela and Diabola can only balance by being around each other. As the twins get older they start to balance. Just when things are getting way out of control Angela and Diabola start to balance themselves. I really liked this book because it was interesting and always kept me entertained. I also liked this book because it is funny and it's not too long	I really liked this book because it was interesting and always kept me entertained	book	positive	0
There isn't a way to review The Torment of Others yet because the American edition has not yet been released, (I got one from the UK about three months ago) so I'll just give you my review of both Temptation and Torment here. I hate giving away endings and plots, so I won't do that here, my advice is to read this entire series (Mermaids Singing, Wire in the Blood, Last Temptation) back to back and then buy Torment of Others as soon as you are able. The Torment of others is actually my favorite of the four and I can't wait for the next one. I don't really care for McDermid's other running characters, but I love the dynamics between Tony Hill and Carol Jordan. I don't usually like long-drawn out English romances that may or may not go somewhere, but this relationship is more realistic than most. Oh, and there are some murders to solve in these books, too. :)	I don't really care for McDermid's other running characters, but I love the dynamics between Tony Hill and Carol Jordan	Carol Jordan	positive	0
Some early young adult novels (it's a fairly new form of literature, you know) age gracefully and seamlessly. I'm thinking of course of Robert Cormier's "The Chocolate War" and (to a lesser extent), S. E. Hinton?s, "The Outsiders". Unfortunately, I have a nasty suspicion that these books are the exception rather than the rule. For every "Forever" there's a "My Darling, My Hamburger" that contains a great story bogged down by changes in the world. While Paul Zindel's classic tale of four teenagers and their relationship problems is at times both moving and perfectly toned, mostly the problems presented in it are as dated as they come. Even a plot synopsis makes this apparent. Friends Maggie and Liz aren't exactly close, but they hang out frequently together. Liz is the more beautiful and popular of the two with Maggie often following behind. When Liz and her boyfriend Sean decide to hook up Maggie with his friend Dennis, the blind date is as incredibly awkward as they come. Throughout the book the narrative switches between Maggie and her tentative relationship with Dennis and Liz's problems with Sean. Sean, like any normal teenager, is as horny as they come and is continually pressuring Liz to have sex. She'd like to, but she worries that it might end up in pregnancy. Unsurprisingly, that is exactly what happens and soon the big question in the book is whether or not Sean will do the honorable thing and marry Liz (!!) or if Liz will seek out an illegal abortion on her own. It's this last plotline that struck me as dated. The book was originally written in 1969, a full three years before Roe V. Wade and in many ways this abortion issue (while it still looms large) isn't the same. Sure, many girls will sweat over what to do with an unplanned pregnancy, but crossing the border to a state where abortion is legal is probably a more up-to-date literary solution than getting a back alley job. Then there's the debate about whether a girl should marry the guy who gets her pregnant, regardless of how old they are or what their future plans are. Maybe there are pockets of the country where this really is the only honorable solution to such a problem, but it's really not how the majority of teens would handle it today. The book is additionally riddled with small cultural time capsules as well. Talk about how Orientals kill themselves for honor, going to the movie theater to watch a documentary on pygmies, and the complete and total lack of any mention of STDs all combine to make this book an interesting window into the past. To some degree it does still speak to teens today. I was especially amused by the Sex Ed. teacher's advice on how to stop a guy from going all the way, (suggest going out for a hamburger). The characters were interesting as well. Liz, unfortunately, isn't a character you're going to identify with intrinsically. Yes, it's sad that she doesn't get along with her parents. But she's such a self-absorbed person, constantly ridiculing her best friend and at the same time dragging Maggie into horrid and dangerous situations, that by the end you feel zippo pity for her. In fact, you're supposed to end this story hating and pitying Sean who got her pregnant in the first place. Curse those lustful young men that refuse to marry their knocked up girlfriends! Curse them! This book probably read very well in the 1970s and I could even see it having some interesting points in the 1980s. But by the 1990s with the advent of AIDS better known and the options available to teens widening, books like this one began to read more as cautionary tales than as contemporary novels. I've no doubt that "My Darling, My Hamburger" was riveting and shocking when it first came out. Unfortunately, that's certainly no longer the case. I recommend it as a glimpse into the America that once was. If you'd like to know more about the history of the Young Adult novel, this is a good book to pick up. Just don't expect it to have too many insights to offer today. I'm afraid it's no longer that meaningful	The book was originally written in 1969, a full three years before Roe V	1969	neutral	0
This was a great book, which really pulls the reader in! Nix has done a great job with the adventure aspect of the novel, and there are many fantastic (if fantastically evil) creatures, described in detail in their essence and physical aspects included. It is a true heaven to those who love fantasy adventure novels, the rough story is as follows:. Arthur Penhaligon, an asmathic seventh grader is an intersting character, with a very unordinary life. One day, he is handed the Key and the Atlas, and the fate of his world falls on his shoulders, as a fatal plague sweeps the area. The fast and intense plot makes the book absolutely captivating, as Arthur finds out just how deep his adventure goes. It was a wonderful book, as was its sequel, Grim Tuesday. I have not read any further, but these two have persuaded me to pursue this series, and i hope it will motivate many others to as well	This was a great book, which really pulls the reader in! Nix has done a great job with the adventure aspect of the novel, and there are many fantastic (if fantastically evil) creatures, described in detail in their essence and physical aspects included	Nix	positive	0
We purchased the audiobook version of this book. It was an interesting story that my 8 yo loved, but my 6 yo was somewhat frightened by it(and he's not frightened by much lately). The characters are very interesting, deeply drawn and the relationship between the "good" twin (Angela) & "bad" twin (Diabola) is complex & rich. The reader did an excellent job (very important in an audio book). In addition, the layers of the story were sufficient for my husband & I to enjoy the book as well (we listened on a long car trip). The only reason I gave this 4 stars was the fact that my 6 yo was too young for some of the content, making this book not appropriate for all ages	In addition, the layers of the story were sufficient for my husband & I to enjoy the book as well (we listened on a long car trip)	story	positive	1
I like this book because it has action, suspense and a little bit of drama. What I liked most is the thematic of the book which says that "Everything came from Nothing" because it tries to explain the origin of the universe. The hero of the story is a normal kid who finds out that he himself is the heir to the power of the "Architec" the being that created all of the universe. After the Fetchers bring a disease to his planet Arthur starts his adventure in search of the cure for the deadly disease. This book is nice for schoolchildren because it teaches them good values	I like this book because it has action, suspense and a little bit of drama	drama	positive	0
For this new series of book, Garth Nix obviously had a younger public in mind than for his best selling Abhorsen trilogy. The plot is simpler, the protagonist is younger and the language is easier. Difficult words are being explained. Having said that, this must be an absolute thrill to read when you're nine or ten. It puts an ordinary boy in charge of the Center of the Universe, if just for the Monday, and which ordinary boy wouldn't think that a very attractive idea?. It's a story about adventure, but also about responsibility, and courage, and overall I could recommend it to any boy or girl, and their parents, to read it!	It's a story about adventure, but also about responsibility, and courage, and overall I could recommend it to any boy or girl, and their parents, to read it!	boy	positive	0
I read this book when I was 12 and I read it at least once a year since then. Each time I read it I remember what it was like to be an akward teen going through the angst of my senior year. I've had friends like Liz and Sean and I was a Maggie once myself	I've had friends like Liz and Sean and I was a Maggie once myself	Maggie	neutral	0
I picked up this book mainly because of its cover not knowing that is was a non-fiction book. I almost didn't read it; I'm so glad I did. This book is not a man-bashing book but an uplifting book for women--or more or less a cautionairy tale. I thought at first that I'm not really a wife. I'm in a long-time (15 years) relationship--engaged but not really looking to get married. However, after reading this book, I realize I am a wife and do fall into the trap of some of the same wifely aspects. I already recommened this book to a colleague who is several years younger and would recommend it to all young women and men	This book is not a man-bashing book but an uplifting book for women--or more or less a cautionairy tale	women	positive	0
Based on historical fact, WINSTON'S WAR is a solid and absorbing fictional rendition of the leadership struggle between Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and Winston Churchill between October 1, 1938 and May 10, 1940. As the book opens, Chamberlain has returned to 10 Downing Street a public hero after the signing of the Munich Agreement between himself and Adolf Hitler which gave the latter the Sudetenland in return for "peace in our time". Meanwhile, relegated to the periphery of British politics and virtually an outcast, Churchill obstinately lashes out against appeasement and loudly proclaims the necessity for total war to save democracy from the depredations of the Nazis. What subsequently follows is history: the German subjugation of the rest of Czechoslovakia and the invasion of Poland, the German-Soviet non-aggression pact, the Phony War, the Soviet invasion of Finland, the British military's Norwegian fiasco, and the crisis in His Majasty's government in May 1940 that ultimately elevated Winston to the premiership. The cast of characters in this sweeping story by Michael Dobbs of political maneuvering, skullduggery, and backstabbing is an historical Who's Who of the times: the ailing, haughty, and pacifist Chamberlain, who personifies England's bitter memories of the Great War and the popular concept of "never again"; the ambitious and self-absorbed Churchill, whose pugnacity sometimes clouds prudence; the defeatist, philandering, and anti-Semitic U. S. Ambassador to the Court of St. James, Joseph P. Kennedy; the alcoholic, disillusioned and psychologically tortured idealist, Guy Burgess (of Burgess, Philby, and Maclean of Cold War infamy); the stuttering King George VI, who whines that the German invasion of Poland interrupted his grouse hunting; and the Machiavellian newspaper mogul, William "Max" Aitken, Lord Beaverbrook. It's in the minor details with which Dobbs fleshes out the story of Chamberlain's fall and the rise of his nemesis, Churchill, to an epic 685 paper-backed pages (UK HarperCollins edition). And it's the length of WINSTON'S WAR that is, perhaps, a minor flaw. Some of the subplots seemed unnecessary, and should have been severely cropped by a ruthless editor: the love affair between the crippled WWI survivor "Mac" McFadden, barber to the politically great and one of Guy's information sources, and Carol, a housemaid and part-time prostitute; and between Bournemouth postmistress Sue Graham and Army Sergeant Jerry White - though the experiences of the latter did usefully tie the Norway debacle into the storyline on a personal level. Slightly more relevant, but still mildly tedious, was the dysfunctional relationship between Brendan Bracken, Churchill's closest confidant, and Kennedy's niece, Anna Fitzgerald. Perhaps Dobbs perceived a need to include Carol, Sue and Anna to make it less of a Guy Read. Chamberlain was toppled not because he sought to appease Hitler and avert a cataclysm, but because he didn't have the mettle to wage all-out war when the necessity for it was thrust upon him. That was to prove to be Winston's genius. The author's genius is in portraying the labyrinthine venality of Whitehall and Fleet Street powerbroking at a time when solidarity against a rapacious common enemy was desperately necessary. WINSTON'S WAR is the first in a series of novels about Churchill's wartime leadership. According to the back cover, the next book is apparently NEVER SURRENDER. I shall seek out and buy it immediately	What subsequently follows is history: the German subjugation of the rest of Czechoslovakia and the invasion of Poland, the German-Soviet non-aggression pact, the Phony War, the Soviet invasion of Finland, the British military's Norwegian fiasco, and the crisis in His Majasty's government in May 1940 that ultimately elevated Winston to the premiership	invasion of Finland	neutral	0
Dark fantasy writer Garth Nix expanded his readership with his excellent "Seventh Tower" series, an original and much-publicized fantasy work. Now he expands further, in a darker, grittier, more realistic fantasy set in our world, where a confused young boy has to escape dark forces that want to use him for their own ends -- or kill him. Arthur Penhaligon has asthma. As a result, he ends up in the hospital regularly. But one day he encounters a strange man called Mr. Monday and his creepy butler, who leave him with a Key shaped like a minute hand and a little book with dancing letters. When he returns home after another stay in the hospital, Arthur finds that the Key seems to be attracting unwanted attention -- a statue of a Komodo dragon comes alive, and a winged man-dog tries to come into his house. What's more, a House has appeared -- one that is also inside the little book. Soon Arthur is being pursued by more dog-faced Fetchers, and a strange plague is sweeping his town -- and somehow the Key is keeping him alive, even though he was supposed to die of an asthma attack. His answers lie inside the House. But what lies beyond it is like nothing in our world, where ghastly nithlings roam and the Piper's children run wild in the streets. And the sinister Mr. Monday wants the Key back. Garth Nix takes his focus from high fantasy -- such as the Abhorsen trilogy or the Seventh Tower series -- to a more modern fantasy that takes place in our world. Though Arthur skips to another world, he's clearly from our own. But Nix doesn't downplay his brand of horrific fantasy either; stuff that would seem silly for most other authors, like dog-faced monsters, is magic in his hands. The writing is detailed, evocative, and never lags for a minute. As in his other books, he melds an exceptional, original fantasy world with elements of horror. The handling of the parallel world, the Will, Sneezer, and the Key and Atlas are all wonderfully woven together, not to mention the characters of Dawn, Dusk, Noon for each day, and so on. At the same time, we have the bloodwinged, silver-tongued Noon and the ugly Fetchers, not to mention the hideous nithlings. This is dark fantasy at its best. Arthur is a likable kid, with an unusual problem for fantasy heroes (namely, asthma). Like most of Nix's heroes, the poor kid is desperately running and searching, and learning from those ahead of him. Quirky Suzy is reminiscent of a Lloyd Alexander heroine, strong and brave and just a little strange. "Mister Monday" is another great book from Garth Nix, combining darkness and fantasy and leaving the ending open for the second book of the series. An intriguing, enthralling book	Soon Arthur is being pursued by more dog-faced Fetchers, and a strange plague is sweeping his town -- and somehow the Key is keeping him alive, even though he was supposed to die of an asthma attack	Arthur	neutral	1
I was curious to see whether "Mister Monday" (first novel in a fantasy series that has since worked its way up to Thursday) was published before or after James Stoddard's "High House" as the two books have similar settings. Stoddard came first, but Garth Nix has put his unique stamp on the 'Universe manifested as a queer old House' theme. That said, this "Keys to the Kingdom" series is more disjointed and less appealing than Garth Nix's Abhorsen trilogy. "Mister Monday" reminds me more of "The Ragwitch" in that a young boy with absolutely no training learns that he is the Rightful Heir to some improbable kingdom (the Universe) and is also the only person on Earth who can stop/cure the newest, deadliest plague. Naturally Arthur wants to concentrate on curing the plague, since his own family is involved. Then he is saved from a lethal asthma attack by a man in a bath chair wielding the minute hand off of a gigantic clock. The man in the bath chair is Mr. Monday and he is being pushed about by his butler, Sneezer. These two men spend the rest of the book chasing Arthur through a sort of Victorian workers' hell, trying to get him to return the Key (the minute hand) to Mr. Monday. The book has lots of interesting magic, blue-and-yellow-striped dinosaurs, an angry old man who is chained to a gigantic clock, and a pair of truly macabre creatures who gouge out the old man's eyes every day at 12 o'clock. (His eyes grow back. Does this man remind you of Prometheus, kiddies?). Arthur must get through some horrifying trials to save his Earth from the plague, and to prove that he is the Rightful Heir. He shows that he has the Right Stuff--after all, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday have already been written--but this first book suffers from a multiplicity of themes. The author seems to have tried out several different settings (Victorian policemen and a sort of Bob Cratchit universe, along with dinosaurs, good and bad angels, and a really stinky and terrifying Roman bathhouse), then didn't want to discard anything. So, here it all is in "Mister Monday. ". I'm still debating as to whether I want to advance on to "Grim Tuesday. " Arthur has already saved my world from the Sleepy Plague and I'm not particularly taken with the rest of Nix's mixed-up Universe	"Mister Monday" reminds me more of "The Ragwitch" in that a young boy with absolutely no training learns that he is the Rightful Heir to some improbable kingdom (the Universe) and is also the only person on Earth who can stop/cure the newest, deadliest plague	plague	negative	0
In My Darling, My Hamburger, they talk about many topics amoung teens today. In the book a senior named Liz faces problems like: I love my boy friend, but do I love him enough to have sex with him; and If I do get pregnant what will I do? Will I have the baby or get an abortion? Paul Zindel did a great job writting this book. It expresses many problems that teens face today like dating, sex, teenage pregnancy, and many others. This book was one of the best books I have read ever	In the book a senior named Liz faces problems like: I love my boy friend, but do I love him enough to have sex with him; and If I do get pregnant what will I do? Will I have the baby or get an abortion? Paul Zindel did a great job writting this book	sex	neutral	0
I recommend that anyone looking to have some mischievous fun at chess should take up the the Budapest as an occasional surprise weapon. I found this book at a used book store for $5 a few years back and my investment has been paid back a 100-fold. The Budapest is great for quick kills versus weaker or similar strength players. A gross example: White N. N. (1600) - Me (2000), 1998; 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e5 3. d5 Bc5 4. Bg5?? Ne4! and white resigned after a few more moves and I was soon relaxing at Hardees while my competition was grinding out four-hour games. Of course 5. Bxd8 loses instantly to. Bxf2#. Boryk's book is much more easily absorbed than Tseitlin & Glaskov's, Budapest for the Tournament Player, with its head-spinning variations and transpositions. Instead, Boryk offers numerous games with ideas and strategies for Black. Nevermind that this opening is not popular with the GM set where they have everything memorized out to 20-25 moves. This is a great opening for chess improvisors and tacticians out here in sub-master land that like to mix it up. If you can get this book at a bargain price -- pick it up!	Boryk's book is much more easily absorbed than Tseitlin & Glaskov's, Budapest for the Tournament Player, with its head-spinning variations and transpositions	Boryk	neutral	0
The book had a far-fetched premise, but once I was able to move past that detail, the book was readable, albeit unrealistic. Without giving away anything significant, I can tell you that a major portion of the book was centered around a police officer assuming an alias. Unfortunately, I was a little surprised, and very disappointed in the way the author chose to "reveal" the main undercover operation to the criminal. The unraveling of the cover was brought about by a mistake that I found completely innane. I could not believe that a rookie, much less a seasoned officer would slip up as the author has Carol (and Tony) slip up. This disbelief is compounded by the lengths that are taken initially to insure that the operation is not comprimised. I was disappointed enough in the book to move along to another author, as opposed to reading the rest of the Carol Jordan/Tony Hill saga. I thought the writing skills of the author were good, but the storytelling skills were not	The book had a far-fetched premise, but once I was able to move past that detail, the book was readable, albeit unrealistic	book	negative	0
On the face of it, Arthur Penhaligon is very poor material for a hero. He is so severely asthmatic that an attack brought on by a compulsory cross-country run at his new school is about to end his life. Someone on the point of death is exactly what the sinister stranger Mister Monday wants, and he gives Arthur a key shaped like the minute hand of a clock. But it doesn't work as Mister Monday intended, for with the key in his hand Arthur can breathe as though he has never had asthma. However, along with the key comes a plague brought by bizarre creatures from another realm--dog-faced men in bowler hats called Fetchers. These, along with Mr Monday and his avenging messengers with blood-stained wings, will stop at nothing to get back the key, even if it means destroying Arthur and everything around him. In desperation, Arthur ventures into a mysterious house--a house only he can see. This is where Arthur must unravel the secrets of the key and discover his true fate. I found this book (especially the Prologue) more bizarre than either Sabriel or Lirael, but every bit as engrossing. I have to marvel at an author who publishes the first book in a long and complex series without having first written all the others. I wouldn't like it myself because if a brilliant deviation from the outlined plot occurred to me for a later book, but it needed a rewrite of the first book, this couldn't be done. Garth Nix has a hard act to follow in this first, highly imaginative book of The Keys to the Kingdom. And he has to do it six times!. Incidentally, I read the following in a review by a young reader here on amazon. com and had to smile. "Written slightly below the level of the Harry Potter books this series should still capture the attention and imagination of young readers attracted to these types of stories. I found it to be a fun and enchanting read, maybe a little tame, but then I'm somewhat older than the target audience. ". How he could have found Arthur's ordeals "tame" I have no idea! And the first Harry Potter book was very firmly a middle-grade novel, despite its length. Amazon. com rates its readership the same as for Mister Monday--ages 9-12, which would be about right. I call that the upper end of the middle-grade readership. Too many books suitable for this age group are classed as "young adult"--possibly because the readership of YA books is more likely to be 15 and under than genuine young adults, and many young readers like to feel they are reading above their age level, so authors and publishers pander to this. I do know that at age 15 I wouldn't have "been seen dead" reading a children's book because, even though 15-year-olds of my generation were considerably less sophisticated than today's 15-year-olds, I considered myself "too old--nearly grown up". Make what you like of that. :-)	Someone on the point of death is exactly what the sinister stranger Mister Monday wants, and he gives Arthur a key shaped like the minute hand of a clock	Arthur	neutral	0
This book explores the manner in which European - well British anyway - people became familiar with India from the 1700s on. It is mostly about the discoverers, but also reveals a lot about what they discovered. And the mysteries that remain. The ancient Harappan civilisation - so developed and yet so static - the Hindu culture and the Buddha who grew within it (but where have the Indian Buddhist gone today - how were they driven away or why did the philosophy become unfashionable), the Jains - a sect of the Buddhists? And then there are the aboriginal peoples of India, the Moslem invasions, and, of course, the British. I have had the good fortune to visit India on several trips - visiting the Taj Mahal, the caves at Elephanta, and Mahabalipuram. But the most spectacular site for me is Khajuraho. All these places are mentioned by Mr Keay (and, of course, many I have not visited) and I found it interesting to read about how each has a context in Indian history and helps us to understand better this continent of enormous population, of refined culture, and of such diverse mixtures of race. But the most amazing thing to me is the realisation that so many of these sites were abandoned ruins that had to be found, explored, restored, conserved. What rich pickings there were for those British colonials who took the continent to heart, and were not repulsed by its alienness. Khajuraho is a case in point, where the erotic nature of much of the adorned temples was a real shock to early explorers. And yet Mr Keay has some great words for it:"No pin-up ever approached the provocative postures, the smouldering looks and the langourous gestures of the Khajuraho nymphs. Serene rather than saucy, intent rather than ecstatic, they go gracefully about their feminine business, adjusting the hair, applying eye shadow, removing a splinter, approaching their lovers; then the kiss, the caress, the passionate love-making of first aquaintance, and the erotic experiments of a mature affection. Here there is love and beauty, passion and joy, instruction even and inspiration; but anything less sordid it is hard to imagine. One can only feel sorry for those generations of Europeans whose own sexual inhibitions prevented them from seeing it that way. "Mr Keay explores literature (such as the Ramayana), the leftovers of earlier civilisation (such as coins), architecture (Buddhist, Hindu and Moslem), and paintings. There are a couple of add-on chapters that seem a bit out of place, concerning flora and fauna. But I was a little disappointed that there was nothing of mathematics, astronomy, music. But having said that, this is a good read and a great adventure story that features some extraordinary people	The ancient Harappan civilisation - so developed and yet so static - the Hindu culture and the Buddha who grew within it (but where have the Indian Buddhist gone today - how were they driven away or why did the philosophy become unfashionable), the Jains - a sect of the Buddhists? And then there are the aboriginal peoples of India, the Moslem invasions, and, of course, the British	Buddha	neutral	0
The Keys to the Kingdom is an excellent new series by Garth Nix - a series I cannot wait for the sequel too! To get the concept of the book, you kind of have to read it, really. When Arthur is suffering from a asthma attack, two men appear to him, and one gives him a key shaped like the minute hand of an old clock. After that day, he starts seeing a large house. He is followed by creatures called Fetchers. Also, a book appears to him that is very useful. When a disease breaks out, he finds that it is spread by the Fetchers. Arthur sets off into the house to find a way to save his world	When Arthur is suffering from a asthma attack, two men appear to him, and one gives him a key shaped like the minute hand of an old clock	Arthur	neutral	0
I didn't like it AS much as some of the other books from Marshall (loved Spares, Only Forward and One Of Us), but still a darn good read. Really hated to see the protagonist slipping in thoughts of not having another book in him, hope that's not allegorical!. I do have a suggestion; if you're a "happy" person and like to read "happy happy" books, Michael Marshall is probably NOT for you. His characters/story lines are dark, the segues can be hard to keep up with, and you'll probably have to read the book at least twice to pick up on nuances you missed. The Intruders is no different in this regard, but that's why its so much fun to read! If you like to be mentally twisted up in a book, Marshall's writing will accomodate you. He often comes across as being a great deal more about the sidebars/interactions/thoughts/situations than his actual endings. So, if you are looking for black and white/easy reads, he(and this book) is probably not going to be your cup of tea. This is coming from someone who likes both, so not slamming one genre over another. However, from reading a few of the reviews it seems like it might be good to say this upfront	His characters/story lines are dark, the segues can be hard to keep up with, and you'll probably have to read the book at least twice to pick up on nuances you missed	characters	neutral	0
Based on historical fact, WINSTON'S WAR is a solid and absorbing fictional rendition of the leadership struggle between Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and Winston Churchill between October 1, 1938 and May 10, 1940. As the book opens, Chamberlain has returned to 10 Downing Street a public hero after the signing of the Munich Agreement between himself and Adolf Hitler which gave the latter the Sudetenland in return for "peace in our time". Meanwhile, relegated to the periphery of British politics and virtually an outcast, Churchill obstinately lashes out against appeasement and loudly proclaims the necessity for total war to save democracy from the depredations of the Nazis. What subsequently follows is history: the German subjugation of the rest of Czechoslovakia and the invasion of Poland, the German-Soviet non-aggression pact, the Phony War, the Soviet invasion of Finland, the British military's Norwegian fiasco, and the crisis in His Majasty's government in May 1940 that ultimately elevated Winston to the premiership. The cast of characters in this sweeping story by Michael Dobbs of political maneuvering, skullduggery, and backstabbing is an historical Who's Who of the times: the ailing, haughty, and pacifist Chamberlain, who personifies England's bitter memories of the Great War and the popular concept of "never again"; the ambitious and self-absorbed Churchill, whose pugnacity sometimes clouds prudence; the defeatist, philandering, and anti-Semitic U. S. Ambassador to the Court of St. James, Joseph P. Kennedy; the alcoholic, disillusioned and psychologically tortured idealist, Guy Burgess (of Burgess, Philby, and Maclean of Cold War infamy); the stuttering King George VI, who whines that the German invasion of Poland interrupted his grouse hunting; and the Machiavellian newspaper mogul, William "Max" Aitken, Lord Beaverbrook. It's in the minor details with which Dobbs fleshes out the story of Chamberlain's fall and the rise of his nemesis, Churchill, to an epic 685 paper-backed pages (UK HarperCollins edition). And it's the length of WINSTON'S WAR that is, perhaps, a minor flaw. Some of the subplots seemed unnecessary, and should have been severely cropped by a ruthless editor: the love affair between the crippled WWI survivor "Mac" McFadden, barber to the politically great and one of Guy's information sources, and Carol, a housemaid and part-time prostitute; and between Bournemouth postmistress Sue Graham and Army Sergeant Jerry White - though the experiences of the latter did usefully tie the Norway debacle into the storyline on a personal level. Slightly more relevant, but still mildly tedious, was the dysfunctional relationship between Brendan Bracken, Churchill's closest confidant, and Kennedy's niece, Anna Fitzgerald. Perhaps Dobbs perceived a need to include Carol, Sue and Anna to make it less of a Guy Read. Chamberlain was toppled not because he sought to appease Hitler and avert a cataclysm, but because he didn't have the mettle to wage all-out war when the necessity for it was thrust upon him. That was to prove to be Winston's genius. The author's genius is in portraying the labyrinthine venality of Whitehall and Fleet Street powerbroking at a time when solidarity against a rapacious common enemy was desperately necessary. WINSTON'S WAR is the first in a series of novels about Churchill's wartime leadership. According to the back cover, the next book is apparently NEVER SURRENDER. I shall seek out and buy it immediately	As the book opens, Chamberlain has returned to 10 Downing Street a public hero after the signing of the Munich Agreement between himself and Adolf Hitler which gave the latter the Sudetenland in return for "peace in our time"	Munich Agreement	neutral	0
Book: My Darling My HamburgerAuthor: Paul ZindelNumber of Pages: 122Publisher and Publication Date: 1969 Harper and Row publishersISBN: 0-553-27324-8Price (if available) and whether it is paperback or hardback: Hardback Imagine if you had parents that never trusted, or that never would believe you. Or even worse what if you had a stepparent that would call u some pretty bad names and your mom would take his side. Well that is kind of what this book is about. The main characters in My Darling My Hamburger are two girls named Liz and Maggie. They are of course best friends. They are also both seniors in high school. It is about time for prom and they both have dates. But you'll never guess what happens next!!! I think that this book is a really good book. Personal I loved My Darling My Hamburger. It has a really good moral. It was just like a real story. Everything in this book is based on what is happening in real life. That is just my opinion. When I read this book it reminded me of one of my friends sister. She has just graduated and basically the same thing that has happened to one of the girls in this story. I am not going to tell you the rest but I guess that you will just have to read and find out for your self. I would definitely recommend this book to People in 6th-9th grade. The main gender that would want to read this book would be girls because of what the story is based on and because they can relate to it the best. The people that wouldn't like this would be boys. Why? Because of what it is about. If you really want to know what happens then I guess that you will just have to read and find out what happen next	But you'll never guess what happens next!!! I think that this book is a really good book	book	positive	0
With apologies to anyone who is reading this as a duplicative review, I am going to review all four of Val McDermid's Dr. Tony Hill/Carol Jordan novels in one place and copy the reviews individually. I've now read seven of McDermid's books. She's not a great writer but she's a fabulous storyteller and her Tony Hill/Carol Jordan mysteries are the best of the bunch. The first two books aren't written terribly well, but the writing gets better as the series goes on. You may know these characters from the BBC series "Wire in the Blood" starring Robson Green. As an aside, while I generally find film and television adaptations to be far less satisfying than the source material on which they are based, the BBC series is really an exception. While the books have some detail that doesn't make it to the t. v. series, the television program really brings the characters to life and improves on the writing while staying true to the novels, although only the fourth book's plot actually made it to the screen. As noted by some other reviewers, these books are not for the squeamish. McDermid doesn't pull any punches in writing about vicious psychopaths who commit sex crimes and the books may well be disturbing to many. The second book in particular (more below) actually gave me nightmares. McDermid, however, really gets into the heads of her twisted antagonists and she seems to have done a tremendous amount of research. Most importantly, both Dr. Hill, a clinical psychologist who consults with the police as a profiler, and Carol Jordan, the police officer with whom he works most closely, always feel like real people with investigative abilities and compassion that are easy to admire and foibles that are easy to relate to. They have serious difficulties in forging personal relationships which makes their relationship all the more poignant. Each book focuses on two stories -- a main investigation involving a psychopath and a secondary case that is generally no less compelling, while also following the relationship that develops between the two protagonists. If you've never read any of the books in this series, I would recommend taking them in order. The fourth book is the best, the third the worst, but it's worth reading them in order for the character development (although you could easily skip the third). If you really think you only want to read one, or aren't sure and don't care about spolers, just go straight to the last one. Some people who have read the entire series have found the fourth book repetitive, but it's the one that really works on all levels. Overall, the series gets 4 stars, but here are my individual assessments:. SPOILER FREE REVIEWS. 1. The Mermaids Singing - 4 stars. The first of the series is really the only one that delves in any great detail into the personal lives of Tony Hill and Carol Jordan, who come together to investigate the brutal torture and slayings of four men in northern England. McDermid's Tony Hill/Carol Jordan books all deal with issues of sexual identity, but this one does is particularly focused on that as the police suspect a gay man of killing heterosexual men. McDermid shares the thoughts of the killer as well as those of Dr. Hill, who relates all too well to the motivations of the subjects he is asked to profile. The writing in this book is kind of clunky, but the insights of the author into how and why someone sets out to cause maximum pain and humiliation still make it a riveting, if disturbing, read. 2. The Wire in the Blood -- 4 stars. In this second book in the series, teenaged girls are being abducted and brutally raped and tortured to death. We are introduced to an extremely smooth and charismatic character, Jacko Vance, a television celebrity and former star athlete, that Dr. Hill and Carol Jordan called upon to investigate. This is the hardest of the series to read, probably because the killer's victims are all extremely young, naive and female, with no chance whatsoever of fighting back. This book deals with charisma and celebrity as well as sexual deviance and although the writing is still somewhat awkward, it's generally a more compelling novel than the Mermaids Singing. 3. The Last Temptation -- 3 stars. This is the weakest book in the series. On the plus side, McDermid decides to branch out from northern England and take the reader into continental Europe, particularly Germany, where Carol Jordan has gone as an undercover operative to investigate a drug dealer/slave trader. Tony Hill is also in Europe, helping the police solve a series of murders in which psychologists are the victims. McDermid brings to light some of the darker deeds of the Nazis that are generally not known and discussed and for this she should be commended. The writing also starts to improve with this book and the secondary protagonists, two female, European police officers who develop a long-term relationship with each other, are the best of any of the books. There are some serious problems with the novel, however, that make it the weakest of the bunch. First of all, in the other books McDermid is writing about the North of England, which she clearly knows like the back of her hand. The locale in the other books is really the third character after Tony Hill and Carol Jordan. The European locations never quite come to life in the same way. But the biggest problem with The Last Temptation is that McDermid tries too hard to force a particular ending. In order to get where she wants to go, she has to have Carol Jordan do something completely out of character and, frankly, she doesn't do a good job of convincing us of the reason. The whole book feels a bit contrived. Kudos to McDermid for trying something different instead of just writing variations on a theme, but the theme is one she does really well and this effort is a bit disappointing. 4. The Torment of Others -- 5 stars. There's a reason this is the only story that got used in the BBC series. By this point, McDermid had started to write really well, and she'd really gotten the hang of tying the two story lines together. In the main story, someone is killing prostitutes with the m. o. used by a man currently in an insane asylum. How does the killer know exactly what the prior murderer did? The mystery is more satisfying than that of the prior novels and the sub-plot, involving kidnapped boys, also intrigues. There's not much to learn at this point about Dr. Hill, but while the third book didn't entirely work, the aftereffects of that novel's events on Carol Jordan are all too real and bring the characters' relationship to a new level. If books on criminal profiling and psychological forensics are your thing, you'll probably really enjoy McDermid's work. If someone has recommended her writing to you and the Dr. Hill/Carol Jordan mysteries sound like they are too gruesome, check out the Grave Tattoo, which is a neat, little literary mystery	The writing also starts to improve with this book and the secondary protagonists, two female, European police officers who develop a long-term relationship with each other, are the best of any of the books	long-term relationship	neutral	0
This is a great first book of the series. I really loved the fast pace, the vivid descriptions, and the characters. Arthur is whisked away into another world, where he must face the ultimate challenge: to defeat Mr. Monday. With the help of his new interesting friends, Suzy and the Will, he will face his destiny to become the rightful heir(s). Everyone is sure to luv this book!. P. S. Mr. Monday rox my sox!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!	I really loved the fast pace, the vivid descriptions, and the characters	characters	positive	0
Garth Nix really glued my eyes to this book for hours! I couldn't stop reading all day! His book Mister Monday tells the story of young Arthur Penhaligon's adventure into the House. While at school Arthur obtains a "Key" shaped like a minute hand on a clock. In the never-ending height of the House, he is the rightful heir to the lower part. The only problem is that the other hand of the clock is owned by the old ruler, who doesn't want to give it away. Meanwhile the first section of the "Will" the creator of everything left behind, has escaped from it's highly secured prison on a dead star. Although The only reason Arthur is in this adventure is so he can save the world from the plague the "Key" brought with it. Garth Nix can build one idea off of the other, which would help him explain his thoughts. For example, when Arthur is in an elevator with the "Will" and Suzy Turquoise Blue, (They are going to the 379th floor, so they have the time) Garth Nix explained everything about the plague Arthur wants to cure. So basically the author took the opportunity to explain all the confusing parts in the book up to that point. I personally love fantasy books, and Garth nix can draw people like me into his writing. He has things relating to time, space, extremely tall houses that can slow time the moment you touch it. Stuff like that!. I loved this book, so I probably am going to read the next books in this series:. #2 - Grim Tuesday. #3 - Drowned Wednesday. #4 - Sir Thursday. Coming Soon. #5 - Lady Friday. #6 - Superior Saturday. #7 - Lord Sunday. Will Arthur save the world from the plague? How did the "Will" escape? Read Mister Monday and all those questions will be answered!	While at school Arthur obtains a "Key" shaped like a minute hand on a clock	Arthur	neutral	0
Sorry, but I'm distinctly in the minority here. This is one of the worst books I've read in a long time. To be sure, it's gripping, but that's not too hard an effect to achieve if you give free reign to a desire to shock and manipulate the reader with an ever more preposterous plot. The ultimate "explanation" for all of the super-oddities that pile up throughout this novel is so absurd and pathetic that it leaves a sour taste in my mouth at least. I'd certainly stress this advice to any prospective readers: if you like impossible, anything-goes sci-fi, this may be up your alley; but if you are looking for a serious mystery, with intellectual quality and complex, non-stereotypical characters, pass this one by	To be sure, it's gripping, but that's not too hard an effect to achieve if you give free reign to a desire to shock and manipulate the reader with an ever more preposterous plot	plot	negative	0
I thought that ANGELA AND DIABOLA by Lynn Reid Banks was a good and funny book, because at some parts it makes me laugh and at others it's very exciting. The kind of reader that might enjoy this book is someone that likes adventure, excitement and funny books like me. You should read this book because it's about twins that don't seem anything alike. You shouldn't read this book if you don't like it. How you know you don't like it is if you don't like exciting, funny and adventurous books. Angela is one of the main characters and on of the twins, and is a sweet, kind and, can you believe when she was being born she wasn't crying at all, that can't be. She wasn't mean and loud. Diabola in the other hand was born crying, kicking fighting. She had teeth to bite the nurse's thumb and forefinger. Their parents they think that Angela is an angel and can get whatever she wants. Then comes Diabola. Their parents paid no attention to her at all. Their mother always has to deal with her. Not many times the dad. She doesn't like it at all. It's like the parents have chores going on and off taking care of Diabola. The author's settings are in a lot of places, such as the hospital where the twins were born, their house where the twins live and plenty of others. Also in the story Angela and Diabola oops. you'll have to find out when you read this great book. I would recommend ages 8 and over because that's the ages it would make sense to, but if you are younger you can ask your parents to read it to you. Other books by this author is THE INDIAN IN THE CUPBOARD, THE FAIRY REBAL, I HOUDINI, MAURA'S ANGEL and many other good books	I would recommend ages 8 and over because that's the ages it would make sense to, but if you are younger you can ask your parents to read it to you	ages 8 and over	positive	0
I guess one could say there must be a sort of balance between good and evil. It is often said that one CANNOT exist without the other. At first I was amused an entertained by Angela and Diabola the novel by Lynne Reid Banks, but as it progressed and became exceedingly darker, I read the jacket to find that this book was recommended for ages 9-12. I don't think so. Especially in this day and age. Doing bad thing (especially super bad things) is never a good idea. However, there were a couple of things that bothered me about the story. I expected there to be some explanation as to the WHY the twins existed, something a little more magical or ethereal. The clever ruse of incorporating the two entities into one was interesting and the only way the author could justify Diabola's so called death, but I felt there should have been a little more explanation as where they came from. Also I felt there was a hint at Mrs. Cuthburtson-Joneses (the mother) having some sort of unrealized power that never was explored or expanded. I enjoyed the story, but I still don't think its right for pre-teens	Cuthburtson-Joneses (the mother) having some sort of unrealized power that never was explored or expanded	Cuthburtson-Joneses	neutral	0
Some early young adult novels (it's a fairly new form of literature, you know) age gracefully and seamlessly. I'm thinking of course of Robert Cormier's "The Chocolate War" and (to a lesser extent), S. E. Hinton?s, "The Outsiders". Unfortunately, I have a nasty suspicion that these books are the exception rather than the rule. For every "Forever" there's a "My Darling, My Hamburger" that contains a great story bogged down by changes in the world. While Paul Zindel's classic tale of four teenagers and their relationship problems is at times both moving and perfectly toned, mostly the problems presented in it are as dated as they come. Even a plot synopsis makes this apparent. Friends Maggie and Liz aren't exactly close, but they hang out frequently together. Liz is the more beautiful and popular of the two with Maggie often following behind. When Liz and her boyfriend Sean decide to hook up Maggie with his friend Dennis, the blind date is as incredibly awkward as they come. Throughout the book the narrative switches between Maggie and her tentative relationship with Dennis and Liz's problems with Sean. Sean, like any normal teenager, is as horny as they come and is continually pressuring Liz to have sex. She'd like to, but she worries that it might end up in pregnancy. Unsurprisingly, that is exactly what happens and soon the big question in the book is whether or not Sean will do the honorable thing and marry Liz (!!) or if Liz will seek out an illegal abortion on her own. It's this last plotline that struck me as dated. The book was originally written in 1969, a full three years before Roe V. Wade and in many ways this abortion issue (while it still looms large) isn't the same. Sure, many girls will sweat over what to do with an unplanned pregnancy, but crossing the border to a state where abortion is legal is probably a more up-to-date literary solution than getting a back alley job. Then there's the debate about whether a girl should marry the guy who gets her pregnant, regardless of how old they are or what their future plans are. Maybe there are pockets of the country where this really is the only honorable solution to such a problem, but it's really not how the majority of teens would handle it today. The book is additionally riddled with small cultural time capsules as well. Talk about how Orientals kill themselves for honor, going to the movie theater to watch a documentary on pygmies, and the complete and total lack of any mention of STDs all combine to make this book an interesting window into the past. To some degree it does still speak to teens today. I was especially amused by the Sex Ed. teacher's advice on how to stop a guy from going all the way, (suggest going out for a hamburger). The characters were interesting as well. Liz, unfortunately, isn't a character you're going to identify with intrinsically. Yes, it's sad that she doesn't get along with her parents. But she's such a self-absorbed person, constantly ridiculing her best friend and at the same time dragging Maggie into horrid and dangerous situations, that by the end you feel zippo pity for her. In fact, you're supposed to end this story hating and pitying Sean who got her pregnant in the first place. Curse those lustful young men that refuse to marry their knocked up girlfriends! Curse them! This book probably read very well in the 1970s and I could even see it having some interesting points in the 1980s. But by the 1990s with the advent of AIDS better known and the options available to teens widening, books like this one began to read more as cautionary tales than as contemporary novels. I've no doubt that "My Darling, My Hamburger" was riveting and shocking when it first came out. Unfortunately, that's certainly no longer the case. I recommend it as a glimpse into the America that once was. If you'd like to know more about the history of the Young Adult novel, this is a good book to pick up. Just don't expect it to have too many insights to offer today. I'm afraid it's no longer that meaningful	Sean, like any normal teenager, is as horny as they come and is continually pressuring Liz to have sex	sex	neutral	0
Angela and Diabola is a silly, funny and a great book. I loved the chapter: Diabola develops new skills. I loved it when Diabola went asking for money and said, " Give me some money and I won't hurt you!" to the man and sending away those 2 people with the invisibe gun that shot 1 of them away. I also loved the chapter: Gym and other lessons. I liked it when Dybo pushed miss Mursles off the climbing frame without any clothes on! Angela and Diabola is a great book for all ages because it is not violent but it is extra funny. I think that Angela and Diabola is the best book I read this year!!!!!!!!!!	Angela and Diabola is a silly, funny and a great book	Angela and Diabola	neutral	0
The wife and teenage son of a Seattle-area scientist are brutally murdered by a stranger claiming to be an FBI agent, and the scientist himself is nowhere to be found. A short time later, a nine-year-old girl named Madison disappears from Oregon's ethereal Cannon Beach while her inattentive mother, despondent over the deteriorating state of her marriage, dozes inside their beach cottage. But the tale of The Intruders truly begins when Jack Whalen, a former cop with a troubled past who has of late become an accidental author of sorts, gets an out-of-the-blue visit from Gary Fisher, a high school classmate he hasn't seen in two decades, and one to whom he was only mildly acquainted -- making the seemingly impromptu reunion even more suspicious to a been-there-done-that kind of guy like Jack. Fisher, now a lawyer teetering precariously on the brink of something he himself is struggling to understand, has ostensibly come to ask for Jack's opinion on an estate case he's handling, owing to Jack's past in law enforcement and their connection as former classmates. But, as always, there's much more to the story. Fisher's re-entrance into Jack's life is the catalyst for massive change, and the chaos that has been loitering outside the Whalen home for the last few years has finally found its way inside. Suddenly, everything Jack thinks he knows about his life is being challenged, especially in regard to his ad-executive wife, Amy, whose recent behavior has become increasingly peculiar. Except for overuse of the words "diffident" and "irresolute" (a nitpick, to be sure), The Intruders succeeds as a thoroughly gripping and surprising creepy tale -- although, in the end, it left me with more questions than answers. I wanted to learn more about the Nine, a secret organization central to the tale's mystery, and was left feeling a bit confused about certain key points to the story (namely a character who goes unidentified until the end). Plus, I wasn't satisfied with the resolution between Jack and Amy, and thought it was a bit anticlimactic. And yet, that aside, The Intruders captivated me from the first horrifying chapter -- so much so, that I read it all in one night. The Intruders is a tale that will appeal to readers who want an engrossing thriller with other-worldly tones. If you're geeky, as I am, then many of the ideas in the book will resonate with that part of you that believes -- or wants to -- in the things that go bump in the night. Just know that, whereas some books are a veritable feast for the mind that leave you filled to capacity for days, The Intruders is more like a frozen dinner: tasty, but not that satisfying	Plus, I wasn't satisfied with the resolution between Jack and Amy, and thought it was a bit anticlimactic	Jack	negative	4
I thought this book was good cuz it made me think about life. I thought that I was pregnant once so I understood what Liz was going through. Well, at least some of the stuff she went through. It also shows at the end how even though a couple breaks up they can still be friends	It also shows at the end how even though a couple breaks up they can still be friends	couple	negative	0
This is probably the grittiest of the Tony Hill/Carol Jordan stories and one of the best. Carol goes undercover in Europe to catch an international criminal and both she and Tony nearly lose their lives as a result. They both begin to acknowledge their feelings for each other but before it can go very far, events take over and in some ways, they end up even farther apart than they were before. This is not a story for the squeamish. There is quite a bit of brutal reality and a rape too terrible to even think about, but Val McDermid has created characters and a story that I just couldn't put down. It left me anxious to read the next book in the series	There is quite a bit of brutal reality and a rape too terrible to even think about, but Val McDermid has created characters and a story that I just couldn't put down	brutal reality	neutral	0
I was curious to see whether "Mister Monday" (first novel in a fantasy series that has since worked its way up to Thursday) was published before or after James Stoddard's "High House" as the two books have similar settings. Stoddard came first, but Garth Nix has put his unique stamp on the 'Universe manifested as a queer old House' theme. That said, this "Keys to the Kingdom" series is more disjointed and less appealing than Garth Nix's Abhorsen trilogy. "Mister Monday" reminds me more of "The Ragwitch" in that a young boy with absolutely no training learns that he is the Rightful Heir to some improbable kingdom (the Universe) and is also the only person on Earth who can stop/cure the newest, deadliest plague. Naturally Arthur wants to concentrate on curing the plague, since his own family is involved. Then he is saved from a lethal asthma attack by a man in a bath chair wielding the minute hand off of a gigantic clock. The man in the bath chair is Mr. Monday and he is being pushed about by his butler, Sneezer. These two men spend the rest of the book chasing Arthur through a sort of Victorian workers' hell, trying to get him to return the Key (the minute hand) to Mr. Monday. The book has lots of interesting magic, blue-and-yellow-striped dinosaurs, an angry old man who is chained to a gigantic clock, and a pair of truly macabre creatures who gouge out the old man's eyes every day at 12 o'clock. (His eyes grow back. Does this man remind you of Prometheus, kiddies?). Arthur must get through some horrifying trials to save his Earth from the plague, and to prove that he is the Rightful Heir. He shows that he has the Right Stuff--after all, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday have already been written--but this first book suffers from a multiplicity of themes. The author seems to have tried out several different settings (Victorian policemen and a sort of Bob Cratchit universe, along with dinosaurs, good and bad angels, and a really stinky and terrifying Roman bathhouse), then didn't want to discard anything. So, here it all is in "Mister Monday. ". I'm still debating as to whether I want to advance on to "Grim Tuesday. " Arthur has already saved my world from the Sleepy Plague and I'm not particularly taken with the rest of Nix's mixed-up Universe	Monday and he is being pushed about by his butler, Sneezer	Monday	neutral	0
On the face of it, Arthur Penhaligon is very poor material for a hero. He is so severely asthmatic that an attack brought on by a compulsory cross-country run at his new school is about to end his life. Someone on the point of death is exactly what the sinister stranger Mister Monday wants, and he gives Arthur a key shaped like the minute hand of a clock. But it doesn't work as Mister Monday intended, for with the key in his hand Arthur can breathe as though he has never had asthma. However, along with the key comes a plague brought by bizarre creatures from another realm--dog-faced men in bowler hats called Fetchers. These, along with Mr Monday and his avenging messengers with blood-stained wings, will stop at nothing to get back the key, even if it means destroying Arthur and everything around him. In desperation, Arthur ventures into a mysterious house--a house only he can see. This is where Arthur must unravel the secrets of the key and discover his true fate. I found this book (especially the Prologue) more bizarre than either Sabriel or Lirael, but every bit as engrossing. I have to marvel at an author who publishes the first book in a long and complex series without having first written all the others. I wouldn't like it myself because if a brilliant deviation from the outlined plot occurred to me for a later book, but it needed a rewrite of the first book, this couldn't be done. Garth Nix has a hard act to follow in this first, highly imaginative book of The Keys to the Kingdom. And he has to do it six times!. Incidentally, I read the following in a review by a young reader here on amazon. com and had to smile. "Written slightly below the level of the Harry Potter books this series should still capture the attention and imagination of young readers attracted to these types of stories. I found it to be a fun and enchanting read, maybe a little tame, but then I'm somewhat older than the target audience. ". How he could have found Arthur's ordeals "tame" I have no idea! And the first Harry Potter book was very firmly a middle-grade novel, despite its length. Amazon. com rates its readership the same as for Mister Monday--ages 9-12, which would be about right. I call that the upper end of the middle-grade readership. Too many books suitable for this age group are classed as "young adult"--possibly because the readership of YA books is more likely to be 15 and under than genuine young adults, and many young readers like to feel they are reading above their age level, so authors and publishers pander to this. I do know that at age 15 I wouldn't have "been seen dead" reading a children's book because, even though 15-year-olds of my generation were considerably less sophisticated than today's 15-year-olds, I considered myself "too old--nearly grown up". Make what you like of that. :-)	However, along with the key comes a plague brought by bizarre creatures from another realm--dog-faced men in bowler hats called Fetchers	key	neutral	2
I have been reading Agatha Christie and especially Poirot for last 10 years. After reading nearly 30 novels, Poirot had been a part of life. And the feeling of not seeing or hearing Poirot any more felt as if I have lost a close friend. I never knew Agatha Christie could bring so much of emotion. I'll rate this novel the third best I have read only after Murder of Roger Ackryod and Murder on Orient Express. I finished the novel last night and found it hard to sleep after that. Its too good. Finally we saw the perfect murderer, who did not do anything to be found guilty of murder. The flow was smooth and being the last case of Poirot, you are tempted to suspect everybody in it. In fact this novel should be read after you have read a substantial number of Agatha Christies. Hastings keeps on giving references to past cases. In one sentence I can sum it up as it was a wonderful and nostalgic experience going through the pages. A MUST READ	After reading nearly 30 novels, Poirot had been a part of life	Poirot	neutral	1