The Animal Dialogues: Uncommon Encounters in the Wild, by Craig Childs

Title:

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The Animal Dialogues:

Uncommon Encounters in the Wild

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Author:

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Craig Childs

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(Author of House of Rain and The Secret Knowledge of Water.)

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Nonfiction book released as hardcover edition December, 2007.

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ISBN number:

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ISBN-10: 0-316-06632-x

ISBN-13: 978-0-316-06632-7

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Published by:

Little, Brown and Company

Hachette Book Group USA

237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10169

http://www.hachettebookgroupusa.com/

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Price:

$24.99 US / $28.99 CAN

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"I have heard people tell me that at times they wish to get in touch with the animal spirit. I will tell you this about the animal spirit: it will tear you in two as quickly as it will bring you wholeness. It is not a thing of value or judgement. It is a thing of purity, and it will not take ussue with either death or ecstacy." -- Craig Childs

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In nature is truth -- and it pulls no punches for the unwary, the weak, or the outright stupid. Mr. Childs is clearly an experienced outdoorsman; this is becomes more obvious as one absorbs his spiritual yet practical essays of the wild.

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In this collection of essays (not in chronological order, but rather organized in nature's own forms), we are given songs of the wilderness, an earthy view of the animal spirit itself -- and that of a man who claims "all [my] relations" in his own way, in his own words. From the fiery sands of the desert to high mountain blizzard encounters, Mr. Childs takes us on a naturalist's tour of a world otherwise invisible to the majority of humanity. His feeling of kinship and joy in all of the aspects of nature, light and dark, are clear. Clear as a spring sunrise, just before a rain. His 'skies' are colorful and full of surprises.

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I opened this book thinking it would be yet another pitiful collection of backyard adventures dabbled in by some poor soul who thinks such a thing is the ultimate in contact with nature. Nothing could have been farther from the truth. This book was written by someone who is deep into the wild even when sitting on his own residence's front porch, yet has seen firsthand the haunts of mountain goats, grizzly, cougar, deer, who has seen the dance of life and death done in the sky itself by experts of flight in many colors and wing-styles. Mr. Childs gets his hands into nature long before he gets ink on them!

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If you like first-hand accounts of the wild and its denizens, dig deep into this book. It's a nice collection of tales. (In fact, it makes me wonder who Mr. Childs' agent is...ahem.)

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Special thanks to Hachette Book Group for the chance to review this collection of nature essays by Craig Childs. For information on other books offered or soon to be offered by HBGUSA, please visit their website.

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... Comments? Questions?

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-- The Fireside Reader

Devil's Peak, by Deon Meyers

Title:

Devil's Peak

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Author:

Deon Meyer

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(Author of Heart of the Hunter,

Dead at Daybreak,

and

Dead Before Dying. )

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Translated by K.L. Seegers.

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ADVANCE COPY.

Novel to be released as hardcover March, 2008, in its first U.S. edition.

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Note:

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This novel was published in English in 2007 by Hodder & Stoughton, a division of Hodder Headline, and in Afrikaans by LAPA in 2004 under the title Infanta.

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Mr. Meyer is an internationally acclaimed crime writer who resides in Cape Town, South Africa.

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ISBN number:

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ISBN-10: 0-316-01785-x

ISBN-13: 978-0-316-01785-5

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Published by:

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Little, Brown & Company

Hachette Book Group USA

237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10169

http://www.hachettebookgroupusa.com/

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Price (as hardcover):

$24.99 USD

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...

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This is a well-written, well-thought-out novel, replete with rich symbolism and a deep knowledge of not merely the material, but also the country in which it is set. Mr. Meyer takes us into the heart of South Africa: its people. Their problems, post-Aparteid, their joys.

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We are, in Devil's Peak, offered insight in regards to the South African police system. We are also offered insight into things the rest of the world holds in common with a land that, to such as I, feels exotic and utterly alien in context. I'm talking about alcoholism, illegal drugs, "sex workers" (the oldest profession, and an occasionally highly lucrative one to all accounts), corruption in law, poverty, and the deeper mysteries of the human nature. . Degrees of darkness... set in a land where degrees of color can mean an entire world of difference in how things -- and people -- get treated. White, colored, black. Culture clash -- the roil of Apartheid still not faded completely away, as it may never be. The dazzle and wild swings of the damaged psyche. Love of children. Love, itself, and its counterpart of blasting hate. Joy, too, and hope. The things that make it all worthwhile to struggle against the evils of our species.

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The reader is drawn in tighter and tighter as the story comes together. This novel is a highly skilled interweaving of several strong threads of story, all tied off in a carefully intricate, artistic knot. It is a master work.

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Since Mr. Meyer is South African and I am an American, I had never seen his work before. I must say that I am not only delighted to find another good writer with something real to say, but that I am also impressed with the level of skill shown by this author. I certainly hope we see more of his work here in the U. S. in future. It's serious stuff.

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...

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Special thanks to Hachette Book Group for the chance to review Deon Meyer's fascinating, engrossing novel. For information on other books offered or about to be offered by HBGUSA, please visit their website.

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Comments? Questions?

-- The Fireside Reader

Beginner's Greek, by James Collins

Title:

Beginner's Greek

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Author:

James Collins

(This is his debut novel!)

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Novel released as hardcover during January, 2008.

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ISBN numbers:

ISBN-10: 0-316-02155-5

ISBN-13: 978-0-316-02155-9

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Published by:

Little, Brown and Company

Hachette Book Group USA

237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10169

http://www.hachettebookgroupusa.com/

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Price:

$23.99 USD / $27.99 CAN

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...

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Mr. Collins has written in this novel a romance that, wonder of all literary wonders, keeps the reader on edge. Being no great personal fan of romances, I can honestly say that this is an exceptional story. I'd call it, ahem, a novel novel of love lost, won, mistaken, and ... traded!

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Subtle humor is the key. This is no mess of he-said she-said for endless, silly chapters in seemingly endless repitition. No flogging of shallow sexual/ romantic/symbolic (or real...) dead horses. This is simply a well-written, well-told story of the mating game. Er, with humor intact and in delicate literary lines.

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At first I was strongly reminded of the movie, "Serendipity". As time went on, I realized that it was very different in certain respects. The story starts off slow, then gathers speed and style as it proceeds toward an ending that draws a replete smile where 'The End' sits waiting.

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Go on. Have fun. Laugh at weddings, cry at funerals, or vice versa as the case may be. Just read it! You'll see what I mean.

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Special thanks to Hachette Book Group for the chance to review James Collins' debut novel. For information on other books offered or about to be offered by HBGUSA, please visit their website.

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Comments? Questions?

-- The Fireside Reader

Theft, by N.S. Koenings

Title:

Theft

Author:

N. S. Koenings

ADVANCE REVIEW

Fiction short story collection to be released as original paperback in March, 2008.

Note: READER'S PICK Guide Inside.

ISBN numbers:

ISBN-10: 0-316-00186-4

ISBN-13: 978-0-316-00186-1

Published by:

Back Bay Books/ Little, Brown and Company

Hachette Book Group USA 237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10169 http://www.hachettebookgroupusa.com/

Price:

$13.99 USD / $16.25 CAN

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Ms. Koenings is a toymaker and collage artist who grew up on three continents; she currently resides in Massachusetts. Her works are influenced by this and other labors, "many languages and music", and it shows. I noted that the blurb saysh she "spends most of her time thinking about love, accidents, evil, money, and the concept of 'the nation'", and she hopes that her novels are "joyfully defiant".

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I found her short stories to show a quirky depth of understanding about various natures, ills, and relationships within a given society. Her artistic angle leans this collection strongly to the "art read" side of the spectrum. It takes us to other worlds, shows us things only a visual artist would see and think of as significant enough to write about -- a way of seeing that the general populace of the world doesn't know exists.

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The best I can say on a personal basis is that this book is a window to worlds I'll probably never see in person. What it lacks in hard-hitting story, it makes up for in delicate, subtle barbs that latch on and creep through one like a secret storm. I found it to be 'interesting'.

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That said, I wouldn't buy another like it. It's simply not strong enough in style to appeal to the devoted reader. Very nice... but room for improvement. And a bit less wind, to my taste.

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... Special thanks to Hachette Book Group for the chance to review this short-story collection by N. S. Koenings. For information on other books offered or about to be offered by HBGUSA, please visit their website. ... Comments? Questions? -- The Fireside Reader