Best Crichton, Michael
In Jurassic Park , Michael Crichton taps all his mesmerizing talent and scientific brilliance to create his most electrifying technothriller. An island off Costa Rica will soon be the world's most ambitious theme park--a dinosaur preserve.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"They brought the dinosaurs back to life on an island, intending to make them into an amusement park or zoo of sorts."
"In the end, Crichton was a creative genius, taking thoroughly researched science and marrying it to fantastical imagination, adding a dose of wit and wisdom, he left us with stories to share and enjoy and learn from (both scientifically and morally) for generations to come, and Jurassic Park was his magnum opus: the testimony to everything that he did best."
"Being related to a grandfather with money and OCD eccentricity; I could vividly see the tantrums and fits about instant gratification and the fact that he (Mr. Hammond) would let no one thwart his dream!"
"Having seen the movie will spoil some of the beats in the book, but knowing they're coming makes a few of them better."
"Grew up reading this, lost my paperback, so bought the kindle version."
"He fails, but the dinosaurs wind up attacking a small circle of scientists and family he has brought to the island in the hope they will both enjoy the experience he has created and recommend it to the public at large."
"While not quite the story that the movie went with, it Is a well written story with interesting characters and realistic dinosaurs."
"The novel is wild from start to finish, one mystery after another based on mathematical, scientific, theoretical foreshadowing but never once do you know what shape the end will take."
#1 New York Times bestselling author, the incomparable Michael Crichton (“One of the great storytellers of our age” — Newsday ) takes to the high Caribbean seas for an irresistible adventure of swashbuckling pirates, lost treasure, sword fights, duplicity, and hair-breadth escapes in the New World. It’s simply an entertaining tale filled with crafty privateers, despicable villains, treasure hoards, double crosses and a sea monster. “The plot sucks you in like the giant kraken monster that nearly sinks our hero’s galleon.” (Benjamin Svetsky, Entertainment Weekly ). --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The characters are so clearly described and detailed that I could almost see them, and the storyline is so exciting that I read it in just a couple of days."
"Written in that popular Crichton style, this is an easy read for taking on vacation or a quiet weekend."
"If one has not read Crichton before, then I would encourage beginning to do so."
"More of a crazy attempt at capturing treasure from a totally corrupt cast of flimsy characters."
"Crichton will always be one of my favorite writers, but I think he delved into the wrong genre with this one."
"Didn't know what to expect from a recently discovered Crichton novel."
"The plot has plenty of twists and turns,the characters are engaging, and it kept my attention easily."
"It reads like a piece of history with quite a bit of suspense and twists."
Only Michael Crichton's unique ability to blend science fact and pulse-pounding fiction could bring such disparate elements to a heart-stopping conclusion. State of Fear takes the reader from the glaciers of Iceland to the volcanoes of Antarctica, from the Arizona desert to the deadly jungles of the Solomon Islands, from the streets of Paris to the beaches of Los Angeles. Michael Crichton (1942—2008) was the author of the groundbreaking novels The Andromeda Strain , The Great Train Robbery , Jurassic Park , Disclosure , Prey , State of Fear , and Next , among many others.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"And then along the way, in the discussions that take place between the characters as they discuss the environmental movement and whether or not it is solidly based on real science and actual data, there is a good amount of real data included, for example charts of the warming trends of cities throughout the world, that do not present the expected evidence of a general warming trend. The truth is not fully clear until the book is completed and the afterward is read (Crichton calls it his 'Author's Message' and in two or three pages he lays out very clearly his point of view with respect to the environmental movement and global warming, and it is quite interesting to read). I am appending it here to my review, confident that I am not violating any copyright restrictions since Crichton's own website also offers it for anyone to read. -------------------. Michael Crichton's 'Author's Message' from the book State of Fear: AUTHOR'S MESSAGE. A novel such as State of Fear, in which so many divergent views are expressed, may lead the reader to wonder where, exactly, the author stands on these issues. I conclude: - We know astonishingly little about every aspect of the environment, from its past history, to its present state, to how to conserve and protect it. - We are also in the midst of a natural warming trend that began about 1850, as we emerged from a four-hundred-year cold spell known as the "Little Ice Age." - I suspect that part of the observed surface warming will ultimately be attributable to human activity. - I think for anyone to believe in impending resource scarcity, after two hundred years of such false alarms, is kind of weird. I don't know whether such a belief today is best ascribed to ignorance of history, sclerotic dogmatism, unhealthy love of Malthus, or simple pigheadedness, but it is evidently a hardy perennial in human calculation. - There are many reasons to shift away from fossil fuels, and we will do so in the next century without legislation, financial incentives, carbon-conservation programs, or the interminable yammering of fearmongers. - I suspect the people of 2100 will be much richer than we are, consume more energy, have a smaller global population, and enjoy more wilderness than we have today. - The current near-hysterical preoccupation with safety is at best a waste of resources and a crimp on the human spirit, and at worst an invitation to totalitarianism. But I have great respect for the corrosive influence of bias, systematic distortions of thought, the power of rationalization, the guises of self-interest, and the inevitability of unintended consequences. Yet these no-longer-new ideas have hardly penetrated the thinking of environmental activists, which seems oddly fixed in the concepts and rhetoric of the 1970s. We can only change its state temporarily-- usually by preventing something-- with eventual results that we cannot predict and ultimately cannot control. Stable management of the environment requires recognition that all preferences have their place: snowmobilers and fly fishermen, dirt bikers and hikers, developers and preservationists. - We desperately need a nonpartisan, blinded funding mechanism to conduct research to determine appropriate policy. Those who fund research-- whether a drug company, a government agency, or an environmental organization-- always have a particular outcome in mind."
"Of course, that may be because I reside in frigid North Dakota, land of minus forty winters. For the sake of marketing, and for the sake of the artistry or the craftsmanship, in fact, I believe the writer tried to feed more of his opinion (albeit, certainly, an informed and persuasive opinion) than was truly necessary for the story. To summarize, State of Fear is a fun action-adventure ride with a heaping of science, pseudo-science, and political science all meshed together into a science fiction masterpiece."
"I thoroughly enjoyed the structure Michael chose to provide his readers an excellent rebuttal to those who want us to believe "global warming" predicts the end of our planet."
"Fast moving fiction that uses characters to present charts and graphs to explore Global Warming."
"That said the characters are a bit terse and the presence and execution of the ideas have the feeling of being forced. The main character works for a big guy but the character traits necessary for his job seem to be a bit lacking."
"If you can sort out fact from fiction (pretty easy in most Chrichton works), you may learn a lot from this very interesting story."
"In the beginning, the plot was interesting, but after awhile it became predictable and sometimes it seemed to be preaching even though the preaching was not more about keeping open minded and examining the data from a non-political viewpoint.."
Best Connelly, Michael
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER. #1 USA TODAY BESTSELLER Notable Book of 2016 -- Washington Post 10 Favorite Books of 2016 -- Colette Bancroft, Tampa Bay Times 10 Best Mysteries of 2016 -- Adam Woog, Seattle Times Detective Harry Bosch must track down someone who may never have existed in the new thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Connelly. But as he begins to uncover the haunting story--and finds uncanny links to his own past--he knows he cannot rest until he finds the truth. Swift, unpredictable, and thrilling, The Wrong Side of Goodbye shows that Michael Connelly "continues to amaze with his consistent skill and sizzle" ( Cleveland Plain Dealer ). Few mystery novelists make background facts and simple descriptions sing the way this writer does. And no writer exploits Los Angeles - its geography, its historical power wars, its celebrity culture, its lore - as compellingly as Connelly....he must be read." "If any novelist is worthy to walk once more through the front door of Raymond Chandler's iconic Sternwood mansion, it's Michael Connelly. For over two decades, Connelly has been brilliantly updating and enlarging the possibilities of the classic L.A. hard-boiled novel, first bestowed upon the world in 1939 with Chandler's debut, The Big Sleep . Moving effortlessly between Bosch's private and public cases, he ratchets up the tension...pulling off in the final few chapters a California noir sleight of hand that would make Ross Macdonald envious." "In each novel, Connelly has dug deeper into Harry's psyche, as he skillfully does in The Wrong Side of Goodbye ....Connelly's melding of the police procedural, private detective novel and intense character study remains solid. "....it is immensely satisfying to see Bosch's sustained and deepened passion for his mission- "Everybody count or nobody counts" - undiminished by age or circumstance, even as a younger generation of detectives of all colors and orientations share the stage to carry on the work that has given Bosch, and this series, such an enduring appeal.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"In his private investigator role, he is invited to meet an aging aviation billionaire, Whitney Vance, who has a proposition - find out if he has any surviving offspring who could become the heir to his huge fortune. At the same time, Bosch gets tied up almost full time with a major case for the small police force of San Fernando - a serial rapist who gains entry by cutting through the screen door of victims' houses. The hunt for the "Screen Cutter" heats up when more victims are identified and a criminal profile suggests that it is only a matter of time before the rapist also becomes a killer."
"In The Wrong Side of Goodbye, former LAPD detective Harry Bosch is hired as a private eye to find out whether a reclusive billionaire has an heir related to him by blood. The investigation will also expose him and his teenage daughter to great danger, as the board members of the billionaire’s company seek to protect their access to wealth and power."
"When he bucked authority while on the LAPD in order to do the right thing and bring justice to the guilty I rooted for him, but at times the older Bosch just seems churlish and a bit childish."
"He also fills in his time working as a private detective, in the course of which he's called to see an elderly billionaire, Wilbur Vance, who wants him to track down an heir."
"Something different from other previous books."
Best Carlson, Richard
With Don't Sweat the Small Stuff ...you'll also learn how to: * Live in the present moment. * Let others have the glory at times. * Lower your tolerance to stress. * Trust your intuitions. * Live each day as it might be your last. With gentle, supportive suggestions, Dr. Carlson reveals ways to make your actions more peaceful and caring, with the added benefit of making your life more calm and stress-free. Carlson urges small daily changes and uses examples of improvement from his own life to show how the advice works, making the book ideally suited to the audio format.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Fantastic read for anyone struggling with anything or finding yourself in roadblock situations."
"Best book I ever bought as far as bettering myself and the way I think and approach life."
"Was recommended this by a friend."
"Great book for anyone who ever doubts life & your reactions to it."
"great book i recieved a copy for christmas and read it like 5 times and had to buy a copy for my family members."
"Recommended read from a leadership conference."
"Great book."
"This is the 9th time I have purchased this book in 7 years, the first copy for myself and the next 8 purchased for family and close friends when I've been privy to tough or turbulent times in their lives."
Best Christie, Agatha
By morning, the millionaire Samuel Edward Ratchett lies dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside. Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I can tell you that it was all it hoped for in a Christie and M. Poirot is even more masterful in print than on the screen, I think."
"This is Agatha Christie's classic story which included her famous detective Hercule Poirot."
"Read it for a book club after seeing the movie."
"I am not usually a murder mystery fan, but I wanted to see how close the movie would be to the book."
"She is an author that continues to gain readers in each generation even after her death."
"A well known classic which I read in my youth in a Spanish translation, and after seeing the film I wanted to read in the original."
"This was a real "thinker"."
"good book for traveling- compact and easy read on a long flight."
Best Colson, Charles W.
He explores the love between parents and children, the love of friends, the love of men and women for each other, and the love of God that may enrich all love. An atheist until he was 30, he is remembered as a Christian apologist who expressed the great truths of his faith with penetrating logic and winsome wit.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Lewis brings theology, philosophy and plain old homespun wisdom alive in this profound book on the 4 loves."
"He listens in his car driving to-and-from work and absolutely loves them."
"Lewis wrote this book late in his life after he had experienced love with a colleague in writing. He gives sound advice that I believe applies to a broader base than his usual Christian readership. Charity is the deepest form of giving our feeling, freedom, and even our very selves, to each other and finally, to God, whom Lewis calls "Love Himself." Unlike other works, such as "Miracles" or "Mere Christianity" where logic sets the primary pace, "The Four Loves" is a book where Lewis brings much of his experience to light. Rather, Lewis uses logic to makes sense of experiences in his past to try and uncover truths about love."
"it is a really old book yet still commands a high price on amazon."
"C. S Lewis feels like and old friend as I have been reading his works since I was a child."
"My favorite quotes: "There is indeed a particular charm, both in friendship and in Eros, about those moments when Appreciative love lies, as it were, curled up asleep, and the mere ease and ordinariness of the relationship (free as solitude, yet neither is alone) wraps us round. "This headship, then, is most fully embodied not in the husband we should all wish to be but in him whose marriage is most like a crucifixion; whose wife receives most and gives least, is most unworthy of him, is - in her own mere nature - least lovable."
"That block being made up of Lewis's vast vocabulary and frequent references to books, poems and characters far beyond the scope of my reading experience."
"The scholar, Lewis, uses the Greek words for love, which are not under one umbrella, "love" which becomes meaningless in English."
Best Cornwell, Patricia
It’s Dr. Kay Scarpetta’s birthday, and she’s about to head to Miami for a vacation with Benton Wesley, her FBI profiler husband, when she notices seven pennies on a wall behind their Cambridge house. In this 22nd Scarpetta novel, the master forensic sleuth finds herself in the unsettling pursuit of a serial sniper who leaves no incriminating evidence except fragments of copper. "In her twenty-second Scarpetta novel, Cornwell's forensic knowhow is still at the cutting edge - even though Scarpetta was the prototype for most of TV's crack forensic investigators today - and her final scenes are both logical and shocking." "This is in many ways the best of the recent Scarpetta novels, boasting an involving story and some fine writing. This never-stop action plot is yet another gift to readers from Patricia Cornwell-a literary artist that is never going to stop writing some of the best and most memorable thrillers out there." Dr. Kay Scarpetta and her family and friends just keep growing as characters, and Cornwell's plots are still taut and tangled. VERDICT Deduction is the key to solving this mystery, and Scarpetta fans will relish this nail-biting novel, Cornwell's debut with publisher Morrow." "Dr. Kay Scarpetta... [is] an awesome force in the field of forensic science." "Bestseller Cornwell's thrilling 22nd novel featuring Dr. Kay Scarpetta . pits the chief medical examiner against a threat uncomfortably close to home. is an unslacking commitment to doing their jobs right-getting to the bottom of things, in Scarpetta's case; providing complexity and depth and suspense and thrills, in Cornwell's. This is in many ways the best of the recent Scarpetta novels, boasting an involving story and some fine writing. Everyone knows Scarpetta; she has the wit, intelligence, and strength that any forensic sleuth should own. This never-stop action plot is yet another gift to readers from Patricia Cornwell-a literary artist that is never going to stop writing some of the best and most memorable thrillers out there. Bestseller Cornwell s thrilling 22nd novel featuring Dr. Kay Scarpetta . pits the chief medical examiner against a threat uncomfortably close to home. Dr. Kay Scarpetta [is] an awesome force in the field of forensic science. In her twenty-second Scarpetta novel, Cornwell s forensic knowhow is still at the cutting edge - even though Scarpetta was the prototype for most of TV s crack forensic investigators today - and her final scenes are both logical and shocking. VERDICT Deduction is the key to solving this mystery, and Scarpetta fans will relish this nail-biting novel, Cornwell s debut with publisher Morrow. Dr. Kay Scarpetta and her family and friends just keep growing as characters, and Cornwell s plots are still taut and tangled. is an unslacking commitment to doing their jobs right-getting to the bottom of things, in Scarpetta s case; providing complexity and depth and suspense and thrills, in Cornwell s. I should warn you that there s a cliffhanger ending.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I missed the freshness of the first years when we met Kay, Marino, Bentley, and then Lucy. So to old fans or to newcomers to the series this took will prove a new years treat."
"I understand new readers need insight, but make it more intriguing, less explaining so people will want to buy the whole series to catch up instead of the repeat of your dedicated fans."
"Like many others, I suppose, I was first drawn to the Scarpetta series because of the fascinating mysteries that were being solved by forensics. When I began reading Flesh and Blood, I could only think of how very elitist, arrogant and egotistical Scarpetta has become.And how Lucy and Benton have both grown so very elusive and taciturn. Cornwell often uses a present tense narrative device as means to create tension and immediacy."
"I absolutely will not be tricked into buying another--very tired of Lucy the Wonder Girl, but mostly of the world of Dr. Scarpetta who is so important that bad guys seeks her out as a target and go to unbelievably extraordinary means to rub her out."
"I invested time wading through this, only to find...no finish...so I have to buy the next book?"
"Now, I'll look in a bookstore copy--if I feel sufficiently motivated, which I may not--to look at the next Cornwell Scarpetta book to see if I can tell just where it picks up and if it will actually conclude when I plowed through it to the end. In case you can't tell, this once-fan of this series was totally turned off by this latest book."
"I really enjoyed Cornwell's earlier Scarpetta novels."
"This seems like a disjointed unfinished rough about three chapters short of a decent ending."
Best Chandler, Raymond
The Big Sleep , Farewell My Lovely , The High Window , and Poodle Springs are dramatized by Robin Brooks; The Lady in the Lake , The Little Sister , The Long Goodbye , and Playback are dramatized by Stephen Wyatt. After serving for the Canadian Army during World War I he tried a variety of jobs before becoming a bookkeeper and auditor for Dabney Oil Syndicate. In 1939 he published his first novel The Big Sleep to instant acclaim in Britain and the US, introducing the world to his iconic private eye, Philip Marlowe, who later also starred in novels including Farewell My Lovely and The Long Goodbye .
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Love it!"
Best Clark, Mary Higgins
The second thrilling novel in the New York Times bestselling Under Suspicion series following The Cinderella Murder , featuring intrepid television producer Laurie Moran as she investigates the case of a missing bride—new from Encore at a great price! "Fans of MWA Grand Master Clark will find plenty of intrigue and excitement in this contemporary thriller...Clark keeps readers guessing and in suspense."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This collaboration between Mary and Alafair makes for a great series of books."
"I haven't read one of Clark's books in a long time and I was pleasantly surprised and reagreat lly enjoyed the book and will be borrowing the rest of the series soon."
"Mary Higgins Clark is always a great read and when you add Alafair Burke it is still a great read."
"Great book in a very great series."
"Typical great read as you would expect from M.H.Clark."
"A great book."
"This series has been very suspenseful."
"Great Mary Higgins Clark book as all her books are."
Best Card, Orson Scott
A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. “[Rudnicki's] deep, dispassionate, and sometimes lacerating voice gives a mesmerizing performance, managing to make Ender believable both as a vulnerable boy and as a brilliant military strategist….
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I am not generally a reader of the genre, and had doubts as to whether I would actually enjoy the book. If you like science fiction, the book reads incredibly well - and has enough technology and science elements to engross the reader of fantasy."
"The whole idea that while ender thought he would be taken on another long journey instead he defeated the buggers without his knowledge blows my mind ... And from the point of him commanding the fleet to him bringing along the new hive is crazy. Those fight scenes are important to Enders story and really except for the fact that ender needs a towel afterwards I completely forgot him and bonzo were naked. Secondly I think that ender is likely homosexual just because of the peace be with you kisses and the fact that he doesn't crave attention from any of the girls like Petra but feels lonely when rejected or hated by the boys."
"I don't believe in being genre specific, so I try my best to read a bit of everything; and I am glad I gave this YA Sci-Fi a try (yes, the rhyming was intentional). Ender's Game is rooted in a clichéd plotline (bug-like aliens have attempted an invasion, and earthlings must come together to fight this infestation from outer space. I've seen the other review comments and although most catch onto the Battle School and their desire to win this war at the cost of our youth, I haven't seen too many people mention that Orson Scott Card painted a picture of Ender in which Ender was far from innocent, even at six years old."
Best Clancy, Tom
The #1 New York Times -bestselling author and master of the technothriller returns with his All-Star team. Mark Greaney is the national bestselling author of The Gray Man series of books, the most recent of which is Dead Eye .
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"President Jack Ryan is up to his eyeballs in Russian intrigue when Russia decides to start annexing parts of the neighborhood."
"Although my enjoyment of this novel was tempered by the knowledge that this was his last work, I remained in awe of Clancy's ability to accurately portray very plausible world events, many of which eventually occurred. As a now-retired soldier and law enforcement officer, few things kill my enjoyment of these types of novels more than inaccurate, unrealistic details, especially when coupled with a completely improbable plot."
"For a book that has been in publication for this many years, there is no excuse to have editing errors a failing high school English student wouldn't make."
"Sadly, few of the Clancy books, especially those with his name attached AFTER HIS DEATH, are written in the same fashion as the ones that we all love to read beginning with Red Storm Rising."
"A must read for anybody interested in international intrigue and plausible tales of split second decisions."
"I decided to wait until COMMAND AUTHORITY came out in mass market paperback before reading it -- I have a nice hardback for the collection but I hate lugging around those thick hardcovers when I do most of my reading on the bus. I felt that the inclusion of the Jack Ryan Sr. murder investigation subplot 30 years in the past was a nice touch. It took a hundred or so pages for me to really get into the book but once I was hooked it was impossible to put down."
Best Covey, Stephen R.
This Signature Series is an unmissable audiobook companion to Stephen R. Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People . Dr. Stephen R. Covey is an internationally respected leadership authority, teacher, author, organizational consultant, and co-founder and vice chairman of Franklin Covey Co.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"or read something profound and just sit dumbfounded, going "Wow," and you have to take a moment to reflect on it? Ways you can start to shift your thinking by taking an emotional inventory of your life and what you're doing/feeling every day. This book is about the untouchable part of your human spirit that no one besides you controls. This book is about carrying sunny weather with you where ever you go, learning how much a proactive attitude benefits you, and really how sad and wasteful it is to walk through life allowing things to ruin your day."
"Great advice for anyone who wants to get ahead in life."
"The one good use for my old van tape deck."
"Classic self-help book."
"Arrived on time, product as described!"
"Great as Stephen always delivers."
"good book, good sharing of ideas."
"Good for office manager's, employee's, your life."