The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes [Complete Sherlock Holmes Collection #3] (Kindle Edition)

Grade 7 Up-Four short stories of mystery and intrigue by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle are performed radio theater style by the St. Charles Players: "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," "The Adventure of the Dancing Men," "A Scandal in Bohemia," and "The Adventure of the Devil's Foot." The narration is acceptable, although some characters sound flat and their British accent is too obviously forced. However, this detracts little from the overall entertainment value of the stories. The overall aural quality could be improved; a slight hissing can be heard throughout the narration. Though at times Holmes comes across as haughty, listeners become caught up in learning how he ingeniously solves the cases using clues that Watson, the other investigators, and most listeners miss. Fine for individual or group listening, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes could be used for entertainment or for a unit on the mystery genre in English classes. The lack of strong female characters in these stories may warrant including alternate classic mysteries with strong women, such as Simon Brett's Mrs. Pargeter, Agatha Christie's Miss Marple, Heron Carvic's Miss Seeton, or Dorothy Gilman's Mrs. Pollifax. A nice feature of this package is that each short story is completed with one cassette. Unless you have a great demand for classic mysteries, this audiobook is an additional purchase.

Sarah Smith, Harrison Community Library, MI

Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

These deluxe Oxford editions offer the exploits of Holmes and Watson the red carpet treatment they truly deserve. Along with the full text, each volume contains a scholarly introduction, illustrations, and other assorted extras. All public and academic libraries should have the full canon of Holmes's cases.

Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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The Help (Kindle Edition)

Starred Review. Four peerless actors render an array of sharply defined black and white characters in the nascent years of the civil rights movement. They each handle a variety of Southern accents with aplomb and draw out the daily humiliation and pain the maids are subject to, as well as their abiding affection for their white charges. The actors handle the narration and dialogue so well that no character is ever stereotyped, the humor is always delightful, and the listener is led through the multilayered stories of maids and mistresses. The novel is a superb intertwining of personal and political history in Jackson, Miss., in the early 1960s, but this reading gives it a deeper and fuller power. A Putnam hardcover (Reviews, Dec. 1). (Feb.)

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From The Washington Post

From The Washington Post's Book World/washingtonpost.com Reviewed by Sybil Steinberg
Southern whites' guilt for not expressing gratitude to the black maids who raised them threatens to become a familiar refrain. But don't tell Kathryn Stockett because her first novel is a nuanced variation on the theme that strikes every note with authenticity. In a page-turner that brings new resonance to the moral issues involved, she spins a story of social awakening as seen from both sides of the American racial divide.
Newly graduated from Ole Miss with a degree in English but neither an engagement ring nor a steady boyfriend, Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan returns to her parents' cotton farm in Jackson. Although it's 1962, during the early years of the civil rights movement, she is largely unaware of the tensions gathering around her town.

Skeeter is in some ways an outsider. Her friends, bridge partners and fellow members of the Junior League are married. Most subscribe to the racist attitudes of the era, mistreating and despising the black maids whom they count on to raise their children. Skeeter is not racist, but she is naive and unwittingly patronizing. When her best friend makes a political issue of not allowing the "help" to use the toilets in their employers' houses, she decides to write a book in which the community's maids -- their names disguised -- talk about their experiences.

Fear of discovery and retribution at first keep the maids from complying, but a stalwart woman named Aibileen, who has raised and nurtured 17 white children, and her friend Minny, who keeps losing jobs because she talks back when insulted and abused, sign on with Skeeter's risky project, and eventually 10 others follow.

Aibileen and Minny share the narration with Skeeter, and one of Stockett's accomplishments is reproducing African American vernacular and racy humor without resorting to stilted dialogue. She unsparingly delineates the conditions of black servitude a century after the Civil War.

The murders of Medgar Evers and Martin Luther King Jr. are seen through African American eyes, but go largely unobserved by the white community. Meanwhile, a room "full of cake-eating, Tab-drinking, cigarette-smoking women" pretentiously plan a fundraiser for the "Poor Starving Children of Africa." In general, Stockett doesn't sledgehammer her ironies, though she skirts caricature with a "white trash" woman who has married into an old Jackson family. Yet even this character is portrayed with the compassion and humor that keep the novel levitating above its serious theme.

Copyright 2009, The Washington Post. All Rights Reserved.

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Fantastic Mr Fox (Kindle Edition)

Kindle Price: $7.50 & includes international wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet

Amazon.com Review

In the tradition of The Adventures of Peter Rabbit, this is a "garden tale" of farmer versus vermin, or vice versa. The farmers in this case are a vaguely criminal team of three stooges: "Boggis and Bunce and Bean / One fat, one short, one lean. / These horrible crooks / So different in looks / Were nonetheless equally mean." Whatever their prowess as poultry farmers, within these pages their sole objective is the extermination of our hero--the noble, the clever, the Fantastic Mr. Fox. Our loyalties are defined from the start; after all, how could you cheer for a man named Bunce who eats his doughnuts stuffed with mashed goose livers? As one might expect, the farmers in this story come out smelling like ... well, what farmers occasionally do smell like.

This early Roald Dahl adventure is great for reading aloud to three- to seven-year-olds, who will be delighted to hear that Mr. Fox keeps his family one step ahead of the obsessed farmers. When they try to dig him out, he digs faster; when they lay siege to his den, he tunnels to where the farmers least expect him--their own larders! In the end, Mr. Fox not only survives, but also helps the whole community of burrowing creatures live happily ever after. With his usual flourish, Dahl evokes a magical animal world that, as children, we always knew existed, had we only known where or how to look for it. (Great read aloud for any age; written at a 9- to 12-year-old reading level)

Review

* The audio titles read by Roald Dahl himself have been solid backlist titles for over a decade now. Of historical archive interest, as well as being modern classics in their own right, these should provide a real audio backlist boost. * Roald Dahl and Collins brand strengthened via vibrant new look for the twenty-first century. * Narrated by Roald Dahl, who tells his own stories in his own inimitable way. * Five titles available. * Unabridged.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews


He's a chicken-stealing thief and a cellar-raiding rogue. He's also a loving husband and a caring father. He's even kind to rabbits. Oh, and he's a fox. What more could you want in a leading man?


Roald Dahl's "Fantastic Mr. Fox" tells the story of how Mr. Fox and his family fend off an assault by farmers Boggis, Bunce and Bean. Losing his tail to the farmers' bullets, Mr. Fox tries to wait out the farmers' vigil but Boggis, Bunce and Bean have other plans. They try to dig up the Fox family's den with steam shovels, forcing Fox and family ever farther underground. Derided by the townspeople for flattening a whole mountain just to catch a fox, the farmers decide to see who can last longer, them or Mr. Fox.


Mr. Fox, on the other hand, comes up with a brilliant way out, better left to be related by Dahl himself. Like any well-written children's story, "Fantastic Mr. Fox" is several notches above the average simplistic picture book but not so long that it can't be read in its entirety as a bedtime story. Since it's not dumbed down for young readers, it remains a favorite of adult readers as well.

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Amazon Kindle DX Leather Cover

Amazon.com

Designed by Amazon, this is the official leather book cover for Kindle DX. This unique book cover is not only stylish, but offers optimal protection and comfort. A patent-pending hinge secures your Kindle DX to the cover. Simply attach Kindle DX into the cover and rest assured it will stay firmly in place even when you're on the go. The genuine black leather is sturdy, offering the best protection for your Kindle DX; and the soft charcoal interior protects the screen from scratches.
This cover is contoured to fit Kindle DX's smooth, rounded edges. Reading with the cover on, you can easily access Kindle DX's navigation features and power switch, while still enjoying a perfect fit in your hands. Fold back the cover and read the Kindle DX comfortably. The black leather is textured with a traditional pebbled grain, giving your Kindle DX a sophisticated look.

This is the same cover design that is currently used for the Kindle 2. Since I also own the Kindle 2, I did not hesitate to order this cover again for the Kindle DX. (For the record, I own both which and the cover arrived this morning along with my new Kindle DX)
The thing that made me go for this cover over the M-Edge series is that it has discreet clips that fasten directly into the kindle and are very secure. It is similar to the mechanism that Sony uses for the PRS-505 and I find it very unobtrusive without having to deface the Kindle with velcro etc.



HOWEVER it should be cautioned that this hinge mechanism has the potential to crack your the front faceplate kindle if you do not open the cover from the front (don't try to open it from the back as the hinge only allows the cover to open fully one way). However, the people that had this problem with the Kindle 2 were reported the problem to Amazon and they replaced the Kindle. I personally have not had this problem, though but it is something to be aware of.
The thing I really like about this cover is the feel of the inside which is what you wind up holding the most while you are reading. It is a very soft luxurious feeling grey flannel. The front cover folds back on itself (like a paperback) so you wind up just holding something that is just as wide as the kindle itself (i.e. not "double-width" like an open binder). The flannel lining sounds like a little thing. However, reading is often about the "curling up with a good book in a cozy chair" experience and the flannel reminds you of your most comfy flannel PJs and the lining adds to that perception.
The leather of the cover, itself is not of great quality but it looks decent. There are also firm foam inserts inside the front and back cover to keep the screen protected.

All in all, I'm very satisfied with the cover.

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Mighty Bright XtraFlex2 Clip-On Light (Kindle Version) Black [Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging]

Product Description

Mighty Bright and Amazon.com have teamed up to offer this item in Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging, a recyclable, easy-to-open alternative to traditional packaging. This Frustration-Free Package is designed to be opened without the use of a box cutter or knife and will protect your product just as well as traditional packaging during shipping. The Mighty Bright Light ships in an easy-to-open recyclable box and eliminates 160 square inches of plastic and a 4 color printed paper insert. The Mighty Bright XtraFlex2 Light is a battery operated clamp-on accessory that is custom designed to illuminate your Kindle Wireless Reading device. Two Super LED lights in one head gives you the lighting power of 6 normal LEDs. You have the option of using one or two of the Super LED lights with just a simple tap of the proprietary sensor switch. The flexible neck allows you to position your lighting anywhere you want it. With the XtraFlex2, you can take your Kindle anywhere--in bed, on the bus or train, and have proper illumination at your fingertips.

I've seen LED booklights before, but avoided them because they weren't that bright or took odd, expensive batteries. The Mighty Bright is mighty good. It takes simple AAA batteries (2) and has a sturdy clip. The battery pack sits on the back of the clip so it doesn't "bulge" inside the cover of the book. The "neck" of the light is slim and flexible. It stays in place no matter what position you put it in.
In spite of what some have said, the light is very bright and usable even on the low setting. This light is also good for jobs around the house where you need a light in a dark place while you use your hands for tools. It costs a bit more than other booklights I've seen, but like the Kindle, it's worth it.
Edit: I have posted a couple of pictures of the light attached to the Kindle in the Kindle main page photo gallery.

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Belkin Neoprene Kindle Case

Product Description

The Belkin Neoprene Sleeve Case for Amazon Kindle 2 protects your Kindle from bumps and scratches, keeping your ebook reader looking new and working great. With a slim, good-looking design, this soft and durable neoprene case keeps your Kindle protected during your travels while minimizing additional bulk and weight for easy portability.

Keep your Kindle 2 looking new with the Neoprene Sleeve Case. View larger.
Small Size, Big Protection

Belkin's Neoprene Sleeve Case features a slim, form-fitting design that maintains the Kindle's convenient portability so you can take your collection of ebooks wherever you go.

The Neoprene Sleeve Case is made of neoprene, the same material used in wetsuits, and has thick padding all around protecting it from shock and scratches, so you'll feel confident carrying your Kindle 2 around. The case protects the reader's large screen, so you won't have to worry about scratching it up and ruining your reading experience. And you'll notice when you're zipping the case up that the zippers themselves are padded to prevent scratching the Kindle. Belkin has covered every detail for you with this protective sleeve.

Simple, Effective Design Offers Quick Access

The Neoprene Sleeve Case is designed so you can retrieve and put away your Kindle 2 quickly and easily. The case has two zippers configured in a unique asymmetrical design that provides easy access from both the top and the side. If you're on the train or bus, you'll be able to get your Kindle out for a quick read and put it away when your stop is approaching.

Faux Leather Adds Luxury and Usability

Belkin added some faux leather trim to both sides of the Neoprene Sleeve Case, which provides both a luxurious look, as well as a surface for some extra grip, so you won't have to worry about the case slipping out of your hands.

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Freakonomics (Kindle Edition)

Amazon.com Review

Economics is not widely considered to be one of the sexier sciences. The annual Nobel Prize winner in that field never receives as much publicity as his or her compatriots in peace, literature, or physics. But if such slights are based on the notion that economics is dull, or that economists are concerned only with finance itself, Steven D. Levitt will change some minds. In Freakonomics (written with Stephen J. Dubner), Levitt argues that many apparent mysteries of everyday life don't need to be so mysterious: they could be illuminated and made even more fascinating by asking the right questions and drawing connections. For example, Levitt traces the drop in violent crime rates to a drop in violent criminals and, digging further, to the Roe v. Wade decision that preempted the existence of some people who would be born to poverty and hardship. Elsewhere, by analyzing data gathered from inner-city Chicago drug-dealing gangs, Levitt outlines a corporate structure much like McDonald's, where the top bosses make great money while scores of underlings make something below minimum wage. And in a section that may alarm or relieve worried parents, Levitt argues that parenting methods don't really matter much and that a backyard swimming pool is much more dangerous than a gun. These enlightening chapters are separated by effusive passages from Dubner's 2003 profile of Levitt in The New York Times Magazine, which led to the book being written. In a book filled with bold logic, such back-patting veers Freakonomics, however briefly, away from what Levitt actually has to say. Although maybe there's a good economic reason for that too, and we're just not getting it yet. --John Moe

 

Steven Levitt, an economist at U Chicago, is less interested in numbers and more interested in why people turn out the way they do. He examines the influence of incentive, heredity, the neighborhood you grew up in, etc.

Some of his conclusions are less than earth-shattering. For example, African-American names (DeShawn, Latanya) don't influence African-American test performance. As a second example, Levitt compiled data regarding online dating websites and concluded that bald men and overweight women fared badly. Not rocket science.
However, Levitt livens up the book with some controversial discussions. He believes that the dramatic drop in crime in the 1990s can be traced to Roe v. Wade. He thinks that the children who would have committed crimes (due to being brought up by impoverished, teenage, single mothers) are simply not being born as often.
He also writes about the man who more or less singlehandedly contributed to the KKK's demise by infiltrating their group and leaking their secret passwords and rituals to the people behind the Superman comic book (Superman needed a new enemy).
 
Amazon kindle, kindle edition,kindle store

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Kindle DX Wireless Reading Device ;Amazon kindle

The Kindle Store: 400,000 Books, Newspapers, Magazines, and Blogs

At Amazon, we've always been obsessed with having every book ever printed, and we know that even the best reading device would be useless without a massive selection of books you want to read. Today, the Kindle Store has more than 400,000 books, newspapers, magazines, and blogs available, plus top newspapers, magazines, and blogs. This is just the beginning. Our vision is every book ever printed, in any language, all available in less than 60 seconds. We won't stop until we get there.

Whether you prefer biographies, classics, investment guides, thrillers, or sci-fi, thousands of your favorite books are available, including 101 of 112 books currently found on the New York Times® Best Seller list. New York Times Best Sellers and most new releases are $9.99, and you'll find many books for less.

Advanced Design


Sleek & Trim
Kindle DX is as thin as most magazines. Just over a third of an inch in profile, you'll find Kindle DX fits perfectly in your hands.
Beautiful Large Display
Kindle DX's large display is ideal for a broad range of reading material, including graphic-rich books, PDFs, newspapers, magazines, and blogs. Kindle DX's display is two and a half times the size of the Kindle display. Whether you're reading the latest bestseller or a financial report, text and images are amazingly sharp on the 9.7" screen.

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