Laptop Reviews

Water for Elephants: A Novel

admin — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 03:34:32 +0000

Jacob Jankowski says: "I am ninety. Or ninety-three. One or the other." At the beginning of Water for Elephants, he is living out his days in a nursing home, hating every second of it. His life wasn't always like this, however, because Jacob ran away and joined the circus when he was twenty-one. It wasn't a romantic, carefree decision, to be sure. His parents were killed in an auto accident one week before he was to sit for his veterinary medicine exams at Cornell. He buried his parents, learned that they left him nothing because they had mortgaged everything to pay his tuition, returned to school, went to the exams, and didn't write a single word. He walked out without completing the test and wound up on a circus train. The circus he joins, in Depression-era America, is second-rate at best. With Ringling Brothers as the standard, Benzini Brothers is far down the scale and pale by comparison. Water for Elephants is the story of Jacob's life with this circus. Sara Gruen spares no detail in chronicling the squalid, filthy, brutish circumstances in which he finds himself. The animals are mangy, underfed or fed rotten food, and abused. Jacob, once it becomes known that he has veterinary skills, is put in charge of the "menagerie" and all its ills. Uncle Al, the circus impresario, is a self-serving, venal creep who slaps people around because he can. August, the animal trainer, is a certified paranoid schizophrenic whose occasional flights into madness and brutality often have Jacob as their object. Jacob is the only person in the book who has a handle on a moral compass and as his reward he spends most of the novel beaten, broken, concussed, bleeding, swollen and hungover. He is the self-appointed Protector of the Downtrodden, and... he falls in love with Marlena, crazy August's wife. Not his best idea. The most interesting aspect of the book is all the circus lore that Gruen has so carefully researched. She has all the right vocabulary: grifters, roustabouts, workers, cooch tent, rubes, First of May, what the band plays when there's trouble, Jamaican ginger paralysis, life on a circus train, set-up and take-down, being run out of town by the "revenooers" or the cops, and losing all your hooch. There is one glorious passage about Marlena and Rosie, the bull elephant, that truly evokes the magic a circus can create. It is easy to see Marlena's and Rosie's pink sequins under the Big Top and to imagine their perfect choreography as they perform unbelievable stunts. The crowd loves it--and so will the reader. The ending is absolutely ludicrous and really quite lovely. --Valerie Ryan

Catching Fire (The Second Book of the Hunger Games)

admin — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 03:31:25 +0000

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

Squishy Turtle and Friends (Cloth Books)

admin — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 02:34:32 +0000


-Ideal for babies and toddlers.-Textured fabrics and bright colors help to develop children's sensory awareness.-Rhyming text helps kids improve their listening skills.

Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know [Illustrated Edition]

admin — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 02:31:25 +0000

2011 Reprint of 1915 edition. Illustrated full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. This volume contains a collection of fairy tales from a wide array of classical works, which we have grown up throughout time. These tales are immortal and include the following: Enchanted Stag; Twelve Brothers; Puss in Boots; Jack and the Beanstalk; Princess on the Pea; Ugly Duckling; Light Princess; Beauty and the Beast; Hansel and Gretel; Jack the Giant Killer; Second Voyage of Sinbad the Sailor; Story of Aladdin, or the Wonderful Lamp. Illustrated with 8 engravings by Mary Hamilton Frye. Hamilton Wright Mabie (1846-1916) was an American essayist, editor, critic, and lecturer.

Ten Little Fingers (Board Books for Babies)

admin — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 01:34:32 +0000

This award winning series has been specifically designed for babies. A great introduction to books through well-known nursery rhymes and interactive text. Singing songs and rhymes is the perfect way to bond with your baby and share quality time. It also aids language development by introducing them to the natural sounds and patterns of speech. Combining these with actions also stimulates the brain and helps muscle development.

Legon Awakening: Book One in the Legon Series

admin — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 01:31:25 +0000

Set in a world that is not our own, Legon Awakening takes you through an epic journey into a land full of wonderment, illusion, and innovation.Join Legon and his sister, Sasha, as they search to understand their true heritage and unravel the possibility of being part human and part elf. Surrounded by Elves, the newly introduced Iumenta race, Dragons and Humans, our heroesâ�� lives are filled with adventure and fantasy in their search for answers, as they begin a larger-than-life quest of discovery. Not to mention the incredible battle scenes, which are sure to capture your imagination!

All Tied Up: Pleasure Inn, Book 1

admin — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:34:32 +0000

Need the job done right? Get a handyman with the rightâ�¦tools. Pleasure Inn, Book 1 Interior decorator Lindsay Bell jumped at the chance to help restore the old inn at Mason Creek. What could be more fun than letting her imagination run wild on an unlimited budget? Eagerly she plans to turn her assigned room into a fantasy BDSM playground. All she expected from her newly hired handyman was to help her tear down a support wall. She certainly didnâ��t expect Brad Caldwell to be so drop-dead gorgeous in a tool belt. When he proves to be a steady, hardworking, stand-up guyâ��unlike the men sheâ��s datedâ��Lindsay has a new and wicked idea. To take her new creation on a test drive down the road of their deepest, darkest, most delicious desiresâ��and seduce her way into his heart. Warning: Smokinâ�� hot sex with creative use of toys, and a dash of magic.

The World’s Greatest Books – Volume 02 – Fiction

admin — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:31:25 +0000


This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

Wife by Wednesday

admin — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 23:34:32 +0000

Blake Harrison:Rich, titled, and charmingâ�¦ And in need of a wife by Wednesday so he turns to Sam Elliot who isnâ��t the business man he expected. Instead, Blake is faced with Samantha Elliot, engaging and spunky with a voice men call 900 numbers to hear. Samantha Elliot:Owner of Alliance, her matchmaking firm, and not on the marital menu... That is until Blake offers her ten million dollars for a one-year contract. All she needs to do is keep her attraction to her husband to herself and avoid his bed. But Blakeâ��s toe-curling kisses and charm prove too difficult to combat. Now she needs to protect her heart so she can walk away when their mercenary life together is over.

The Seventh Sister, A Paranormal Romance (Parched, book 2)

admin — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 23:31:25 +0000

"He's watching me with wide eyes; I know he felt it too.... The vampire fills me with warmth but the Wek makes my soul flutter."(Book 2 of the Parched novel series)Â Zillael hates high school and the tiny one horse town she lives in. She has no friends and no social life, both by choice. All of that changes the afternoon the fog rolls in and she soon finds herself face to face with three parched vampires. But Zill also has a secret ability and as she uses it to fight blow by blow with the vampires, she's shocked when Derek Firth, the most popular boy in school, who she was quite rude to earlier in the day, jumps in to help her take them out. Zill slowly comes to realize that her world is not what it seems. Derek isn't just the nice, likable guy that all the girls crush on and all the teachers praise; he's a Wek. And, the fourth vampire that got away, well, he's bonded to her in the craziest way. Zill soon finds herself falling for the Wek and the vampire at the same time. She's also learning that she's not super strong with kick butt abilities for nothing. She has a purpose in life, and on the day the fog rolls back into town, she finds herself on the verge of discovering what that is. If this is the first book you've read in the Parched novel series, then the next book to read after finishing this one is Parched (book 1).**Final Edit on 10/25/2011 - If you have a previous version, please email Kindle Customer Service to request the most updated version. amazon.com/gp/help/contact-us/kindle-help.html/ref=hp_kindle_cu_kh_?ie=UTF8&nodeId=200127470