1 comments about Joy Adamson: Behind the Mask (Charnwood Large Print Library Series).

1. My goodness! What an expose' of an amazing woman. I only know about what Joy Adamson did as far as Elsa was concerned. I was a child at the time of the book and the movie called Born Free. It captivated me along with many many others in the world. Many people, it seems, do incredible things and must go up against amazing odds to accomplish things for the betterment of a species or whatever. I, of course, am referring to the accounts of Dian Fossey and a few others I can't remember right now.

   I don't know if this account is true or partly true or not - I only know that it shows that even the amazing are not so perfect as the movies will lead you to believe. I believe that there is truth in all things and ours is not to judge so harshly because we are not in their heads and hearts at all times.

   Joy Adamson because of her "abrupt" manner was able to do things that a "nice" person could not, perhaps? It is a shame, however, that it can be so difficult for people to separate who to be difficult to and who not to in their lives.

   This book was a good read, but like I said - probably shouldn't be taken as gospel.

No comments about A Lighter Shade of Blue: The Lighthearted Memoirs of an Air Marshal (Ulverscroft Large Print Series).

No comments about My Stroke!.

4 comments about Confessions of a Beachcomber (Large Print Edition).

1. Under inauspicious circumstances -- failing health -- Banfield arrives on Dunk island off of Australia's northeast coast. But as island lovers everywhere know, more often than not islands have a way of reintroducing vitality to the soul and regenerating failing health. Consider Robert Louis Stevenson! Such was the situation of Banfield when he arrived on Dunk Island.

   Banfield's greatest skill within this book is his journalistic training and keen powers of observation. His descriptions of island birdlife, in particular, present detailed glimpses of behavior and how individual birds interact with the rest of the island. "With the aid of a good telescope and a compact pair of field glasses, birds may be studied and known far more pleasurably than as stark cabinet specimens," he writes. It's no surprise to find out later that Banfield eventually persuaded -- similar to Thoreau and Muir in America -- the Australian government to set aside Dunk Island as a protected wildlife area.

   Banfield also turns his attentions to other island life, such as the coral reef and fishes surrounding the island, and including Aboriginals living on Dunk Island. While sounding condescending now, nearly a century later, his observations offer interesting insights into times past.

   Banfield's book reminded me of a non-political, "Desert Solitaire"-esque Edward Abbey turning his attention to a tropical island, in that the location is both a background and a source of detailed information. I enjoyed reading about the behavior of all island life and appreciated Banfield's obvious patience and skills as an observor. Being an island aficionado myself, I felt like I was enjoying the sights, sounds, and smells of some of my favorite places revisited.

   Overall, an excellent book to add to your library, whether travel, island, bird, or environmentally related.




2. Under inauspicious circumstances -- failing health -- Banfield arrives on Dunk island off of Australia's northeast coast. But as island lovers everywhere know, more often than not islands have a way of reintroducing vitality to the soul and regenerating failing health. Consider Robert Louis Stevenson! Such was the situation of Banfield when he arrived on Dunk Island.

   Banfield's greatest skill within this book is his journalistic training and keen powers of observation. His descriptions of island birdlife, in particular, present detailed glimpses of behavior and how individual birds interact with the rest of the island. "With the aid of a good telescope and a compact pair of field glasses, birds may be studied and known far more pleasurably than as stark cabinet specimens," he writes. It's no surprise to find out later that Banfield eventually persuaded -- similar to Thoreau and Muir in America -- the Australian government to set aside Dunk Island as a protected wildlife area.

   Banfield also turns his attentions to other island life, such as the coral reef and fishes surrounding the island, and including Aboriginals living on Dunk Island. While sounding condescending now, nearly a century later, his observations offer interesting insights into times past.

   Banfield's book reminded me of a non-political, "Desert Solitaire"-esque Edward Abbey turning his attention to a tropical island, in that the location is both a background and a source of detailed information. I enjoyed reading about the behavior of all island life and appreciated Banfield's obvious patience and skills as an observor. Being an island aficionado myself, I felt like I was enjoying the sights, sounds, and smells of some of my favorite places revisited.

   Overall, an excellent book to add to your library, whether travel, island, bird, or environmentally related.




3. The Confessions Of A Beachcomber is the fascinating autobiography of a man who left a high-stress, dead-end career to live the simple live of a beachcomber on Dunk Island off the northern coast of Queensland, Australia. An avowed disciple of Thoreau, Banfield sough as simple a life as possible and maintained that life on his tropical island for twenty-five years. He involved himself in observing the flora, fauna, and aborigines of the island, and through the publication of The Confessions Of A Beachcomber became one of Australia's highly regarded literary figures. Now available to an American readership through this Dixon-Price edition, The Confessions Of A Beachcomber is especially recommended reading for any one who has ever felt like chucking so-called "modern life" and return to a simpler, more basic existence in harmony with the environment and all that nature has to offer the contemplative life.



4. Ah the island life...a wonderful memoir of a more nostalgic time. Great read.

No comments about Life of Luther (Large Print Edition).

4 comments about Golden Afternoon: Being the Second Part of "Share of Summer," Her Autobiography.

1. At long last, the sequel to Sun in the Morning -- and as always, M.M. Kaye's writing is evocative, sumptuous, and addictive. (The Far Pavilions is one of the two books I always travel with -- the other is Gone With the Wind -- because I can start reading anywhere and become totally immersed, no matter how many times I've read it.) No one is better at evoking that time-lost period before the Second World War; the details are not only fascinating but reveal to us moderns what the world once was like (which in British India in many cases seems rather closely to resemble E.F. Benson's town of Tilling...). Since I owe not only my interest in, but my several-hundred-volume library on, India to reading The Far Pavilions, I must admit a certain partiality here -- and a burning desire to read the sequel to Golden Afternoon.



2. Ms. Kaye has the most wonderful way of describing scenes, colors, and events of an era never to be seen again. Her family led a story-book life of adventure and she makes it look so easy to overcome the forces of nature that were part of living there with very few, if any, modern conveniences. It was a delicious read and I hope Ms. Kaye is busily at work on the next book of her travels in China! I am grateful for this journey back into a gentler, quieter time.



3. This book is thoroughly enjoyable, with M. M. Kaye describing her idlyic days in India in a wonderfully interesting, humorous way, which makes this book a pleasure to read and a must own!



4. What a terrific book--nostalgic, romantic, funnny, poignant. I was utterly charmed once again by Ms. Kaye's writing. Her descriptions of visits to the Taj Mahal and spring in Kashmir are beautiful. I can't wait to read "Enchanted Evening."

5 comments about Nat King Cole (G K Hall Large Print Book Series).

1. I found this book to be revealing and enlightening about one of my favorite singers. Nat King Cole had a voice like no other before or since. With his calm demeanor you'd never think that he endured so much hell in his life. No wonder he smoked as much as he did. This book is one of the best I've ever read about the life of Nat Cole, but like some of the previous reviewers, I found little errors, too. I also felt that it had a strong sympathetic bent towards Nat's widow Maria, as if she were the heroine of the story. That isn't any wonder; this book was written in full cooperation with the Cole family, so I'm sure Mrs. Cole would have had to come out of it looking good, or she wouldn't have cooperated. Also Epstein says that shortly before Cole died, that he and his wife reconciled after Nat's torrid love affair with a twenty year old chorus girl. According to many other sources, though, they never did reconcile their differences. But this is what Maria Cole wanted people to believe. But still this book is very interesting. It reads like a juicy novel, but it's better, because it's a true story. It's engaging and will definitely hold your attention. You will feel like you knew the man personally. For anyone who loves Nat and his music, this book is a must.



2. i absolutely loved it, i'd buy 10 copies if it wasn't weird!



3. This book was extremely long. I skipped through parts of the first half. It got interesting to me during the second half. I was disappointed with the selection of photos. I wanted to see more. The writer did cover a lot of information. The research was well done. Yes, I would recommend it to anyone interested in Nat King Cole.



4. Rare to have such a comprehensive biography. In detail Mr. Epstein recounts incidents and the racial hatred encountered by Nat King Cole in vivid detail. Excellent read. The most compelling bio on Nat King Cole I've come across.



5. What crime do you commit when you assign a feeble-minded writer to compose a biography about a great artist? Employment of means unworthy of the ends. NAT KING COLE is a lousy biography primarily because its author, Epstein, doesn't know how to separate the essential from the nonessential in his subject's life. In addition, Epstein's ability to interpret his information is astonishingly inadequate. His style is pedestrian as well as inconsistent (he employs both a third-person narrative as well as inappropriate first-person asides.) His extrapolative generalizations are absolutely asinine. The examples are legion; here's one of them: "Like all things human, [the Golden Age of Jazz] could not last." (According to this "logic," nothing human endures, including Nat King Cole's recordings.) Epstein annoyingly and patronizingly refers to Nat as Nathaniel throughout most of the book. Infrequently, the biography sputters to life when Epstein allows Cole to speak for himself, but the comments included are rarely revealing. Worst of all, Epstein's biography sheds little, if any light on Cole's personal artistic development over time--and that is a major omission. The music receives short shrift in an otherwise tabloid account. A laborious, ungratifying read. NOT recommended.

No comments about The Master's Men.

No comments about Ngaio Marsh: A Life (Transaction Large Print Books).

1 comments about American Heroes: Their Lives, Their Values, Their Beliefs.

1. America changed the whole concept of what it takes to be a hero after we were infiltrated and violated, but we've always admired men who were "noble, honorable, brave, strong," a person of courage, a mythological figure who is larger than life, someone we feel is our soul and inspiration. Long ago, to be a hero, one had to be willing to sacrifice his life to defend this country.
   
   At Gettysburg, during our Civil War, Joshua Chamberlin fit the bill when he sued his courage and strength as a shield for those less brave and less stong. His determination and leadership were a turning point in that brutal battle -- as did a multitude of his nameless compatriots. Literature has been full of heroes like Helen Keller who overcame her disability and was able to influence our U.S. Presidents with her forebearance and fortitude. She wasn't pretty but her willpower and opportunities turned her into someone children could admire. We generally choose our heroes as youngsters and strive to become like them. This aspiration to heroic stature still exists and always will until the end of time.
   
   A reputation is based not so much on what you stand for, as on what you fall for; a true hero has high moral standards, compassion for his fellowman, stands behind his principles; most have strong beliefs and a determination to overcome obstacles. Above all, they are honest and above board when dealing with people of all ages and status. Heroism is a way of life rather than a single act or deed. It can encompass deeds, but it is the character of the hero more than the circumstances into which he finds himself.
   
   To lose heroic status, act selfish, dishonest, untruthful; "the media makes meroes out of people who really don't deserve it." Most of our heroes throughout the past have been military men, like Alvin York, Sam Houston, Robert E. Lee, N. B. Forrest, George Washington, Lincoln, and ball players, astronauts, one Jeffrey Rollins (son of John from Georgia, included in this book), even deejays (choose your favorite -- I've had a few). Billy Graham, a Southerner trained in Northern theology, was the self-proclaimed adviser and presided at pre-inaugural events for each American president since Harry Truman.
   
   Others listed in this book included Jonas Salk, Johnny Cash, Dave Thomas, and Jimmy Carter. Where are Mickey Mantle, MacArthus, Eisenhower, Charlie Chaplain, Mark Twain, Lash LaRue, George Custer, Huey Long; fame is so fleeting!