Book Description
The Facts of Winter is a series of dreams, all dreamed by people in and around Paris during the winter of 1881. It is historical fiction once removed: an account of events that were imaginary even from the point of view of an invented past — although Poissel claimed (in a letter to his friend Bartholomeo Facil, August, 1905) that “the characters in this book are all true — all persons who really lived and slept that winter.”
Customer Reviews:
quaint and captivating.......2007-04-05
a unique little find that will transport you to the older and cuter world of France in the 19th C. every sentence bears the marking of literary care that is both terse and articulate. thus, the book as a whole carries the weight of time and dedication, yet reads with the simplicity that characterizes its subject of dreams.
a clever literary joke.......2006-05-06
This is a clever rouse, well executed by LaFarge, and is quite fun but there is no getting away from the fact that it is a pretty slight tome in all senses of the word. A nice book to dip into from time to time but not to be taken too seriously.
bathroom reader... not a novel.......2006-03-13
I typically try to give most of the McSweeney's books a try. Lets just face it-- they're usually either hit or miss. Facts of Winter is in a no way something to read in large sittings. I tried this and found myself bored within a few pages. Don't get me wrong, though. There's some great stuff in this book. I suggest sticking it in your bathroom or on your night stand and reading an excerpt or two at a time.
Moment of waking, almost........2005-12-03
A strange, haunted little book, like the lack of sound in a snow-covered landscape. A twisted meditation on history, memory, translation-how things hover below the surface of the real, waiting for language to thaw them and cast them out where we can see them just before they sink out of time or melt away. Sorry to be cryptic, but that's exactly what this book is. Really, it's about dreams-or, more precisely, about the state of uncertainty one feels when coming out of a dream, when the dream is still real, or before you realize that it's not.
Like Describing a Dream to a Friend.......2005-10-01
Paul La Farge's book THE FACTS OF WINTER is a haunting, funny, intriguing, little book. There are echoes of the unreliable editor of Nabokov's Pale Fire or the authorial self-awareness of Calvino's If On a Winter's Night a Traveler and the strings of strange little stories like Calvino's Invisible Cities. Yet, it is a lovely work in it's own right and is in no way derivative of these earlier works.
The book features a series of short dreams (1-3 pages) of Parisians in 1881. On facing pages, the reader is treated to French and English versions of the dream narratives followed by an academic-styled afterward examining the life of the ersatz author Paul Poissel. The writing is lyrical and the reader has a haunting feeling of the interconnectedness of certain images and ideas among the dreams that in a way that is highly pleasing but difficult to explain. If one reads even a little French there are certain sly winks in the French. As discussed in the afterward, the title itself is a pun in French: Les faits d'hiver or L'effet divers. The illustrations are an added bonus and suit the work perfectly. They remind me of Lorca's doodles.
Much like trying to describe a dream to a friend it is difficult to describe the way the book connects and intertwines as you read it which is perhaps why they other reviews are so brief and why I've resorted to so many comparisons. It is not a book for those who demand straightforward narrative, but for those who enjoy good, poetic writing and are willing to let the work wash over them it is a lovely read. It is the best thing I've read in months.
Product Description
Chess has developed such a large body of myth and folklore that sorting fact from fiction is not easy. As with Edward Winter’s previous volumes in his “Chess Notes” series—Chess Explorations (1996), Kings, Commoners and Knaves (1999) and A Chess Omnibus (2003)—this work (from a new publisher) features in-depth research into chess lore, corrections of popular misconceptions, biographical notes on famous players, and authenticated quotations. There is a rich selection of forgotten games, and many items include contributions from the author’s correspondents worldwide. Written for the general chess enthusiast and the devotee of chess history, the book is illustrated with more than 220 rare photographs and 122 diagrams of chess positions. It concludes with a bibliography and indexes of players, games and openings, illustrations, and general subjects.
Customer Reviews:
Philosophy of history.......2007-08-22
Historiographical analysis.
(L) I would like to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of Edward Winter's work but do note: I am not attacking or praising "the man" but offering effective exegesis on "his work."
The advantages are obvious: precise, well-cited, no grammatical errors in the text and to the novice reader, consistant. The information is quoted exactly from seconday sources and nothing is ever left out. Refuting fables written by other "historians" is very noticeable in Winter's work but it is necessary for any historical subject. It is clearly evident that no other chess historian stands on Winter's level and any "historian" should hopefully produce the same results in the future. To make matters simply, one only needs to read his article titled, "Worst-ever Chess Book?"
The disadvantages are not noticeable to the novice reader and now the subject turns into a philosophical and historiographical one. In The Idea of History (Oxford University Press, 1994The Idea of History: With Lectures 1926-1928, Revised edition with an introduction by Jan Van Der Dussen) R.G.Collingwood writes, (page 257)
"History constructed by excerpting and combing the testimonies of different authorites I call scissors-and-past history."
We see this in all of Winter's work such as, for example:
In contrast, on page 79 of A Short History of Chess (written in 1917 but not published until 1963) Murray wrote that Johann Allgaier `was the conductor of the Automaton when it played and defeated Napoleon'
or
The BCM (October 1922 issue, pages 375-376) reported that on the morning of Thursday 14 September 1922 Williams was found dead in bed:
or
1922: Samuel Reshevsky (C.N. 742)
A report on pages 16-17 of the January 1923 BCM:
It is very useful to note exact references and citings from other works but let's return to R.G.Collingwoood's, the Idea of History, in which he writes, (page 260)
"Now, anyone who had read Vico, or even a second-hand version of some of his ideas, must have known that the important question about any statement contained in a source is not whether it is true or false, but what it means. And to ask what it means is to step right outside the world of scissors-and-paste history into a world where history is not written by copying out the testimony of the best sources, by BY COMING TO YOUR OWN CONCLUSIONS (caps are mine)
Winter never comes to his conclusions but only compiles "facts" and "fables" from the works of others. His articles are a compilation of material already printed from other authorities or, "correspondents." He is not a writer nor an historian but an experienced researcher. Historians come to their own conclusions drawn from primary sources. Primary sources are archaeological artifacts, scientific data, etc. Secondary sources are books, articles, or columns, written about them.
To understand this concept more clearly, let's use the following model of history:
(a) Archaeologists discover primary sources: thier job is to dig up material and decipher these materials using scientific analysis.
(b) Researchers then compile this data and categorize this information.
(c) After the compiled work of the researcher from the material discovered by the archaeologist, the historian will now come to his own conclusion as to what happened, where, why, who, and when. He must produce exact, unbiased, and scientific analysis in a book (the secondary source)
(d) After the historian has drawn his own conclusions, there is one more person in our model, (often the most critical) and that is the writer: his job is to make a story out of it or to produce a moral or fable. This is where "lost in translation" occurs, or better yet, an old adage says: "traduttori traditori"
It is very easy to copy already printed material from other chess books, but coming to your own conclusions from primary sources, is the making of a real historian. There is nothing original, "stunning" or "riveting" about Winter's work...only that is brilliantly researched as compared to the works of other chess historians. This is the faux paus of his work but since there are only a handful of chess researchers/historians (the subject is very limited) his books are monumental compared to others.
One needs to be very skeptical about such historical tidbits, no matter how tedious or time-consuming it may be. Jan Timman writes the the following taken from his foreword of Winter's other book, A Chess Omnibus:
"He is particularly skilled at sifting research material from a multitude of sources thoughout the world and drawing everything together in the form of elegant essays and notes which take our knowledge forward."
This...I agree (T)
Chess Facts And Fables.......2007-05-14
Mr.Winter is THE MAN , of Chess History. I have played the art my whole life off and on , and I can tell you that no one has researched the science and mystery of the royal game as has this man.If you like to read in the WC , then I suggest you not take this into that chamber! You will never get off the Pot! The volume is packed with rare photos and is a treasure trove of inside information on the great masters and history of Caissa`s web!
A Thumbs Up!
"Disengaging Fact and Fable".......2006-03-04
This book is a generous selection of items from Edward Winter's long-running "Chess Notes" column. Its goal--like that of "Chess Notes" in general--is, first, to discover and investigate new (or forgotten) facts about chess history, and, second, to explode old fables circulating as "facts". There is no way to fairly review all of the material in the book, but a few examples will give the idea:
1). In the "Games" section, Winter presents many dozens of unknown games by famous masters--and also investigates in detail what is possibly the most famous game of all time (Morphy vs. the Duke and Count), noting that much of what is written about that game in various books has no basis in fact.
2). The "Biography" section contains much information on lesser-known or unjustly forgotten players (such as Gossip and Mary Rudge) and investigation of lesser-known aspects of famous players' life (such as Blackburne's feats as a problemist). But it also investigates and disproves fables (not to say libels) about famous players, such as the claim that Alekhine "smashed the furniture" after losing a game, or Sultan Khan being "completely illiterate".
3). The "Quotes" section--perhaps the area of chess history where fable is the most prevelant--Winter gives us forgotten genuine quotes about chess which are deserve to be remembered for being either especially insightful or spectacularly awful. But he also investigates the origins of oft-quoted chess cliches ("The threat is stronger than the execution"; "Chess is vanity"; etc.), finding that, in many cases, the master to whom the quote is usually attributed probably never said it.
Of course these are just examples--the book contains, literally, hundreds of items on every aspect of chess history, all throroughly researched.
So what? One could say. Why replace the amusing tall tales with dour, boring truths? But the book's real strength is that truth, in chess, is often stranger than fiction. The true biographies, games, histories, quotes, and incidents from players' lives and famous tournaments, are more often than not FAR more interesting and amusing, than the ersatz "Morphy once said", "Alekhine once did", "Steinitz once played" 'history' presented to us in one potboiler after another.
If one has any interest in chess history at all, one should get this book (and for that matter, Winter's previous ones). Not only will you be educated about chess history, you will also be greatly entertained. It is a rare book indeed that manages to do both well, and an even rarer one that can amuse and entertain so well without sacrifising anything in accuracy and thoroughness.
Book Description
This entertaining and informative guide to the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race(r) reveals the dramatic history of distance racing, listing the canine breeds that run from Anchorage to Nome, the rules refined over many years, the rigorous training regimes of mushers and dogs, the equipment, and the village checkpoints. Some content is drawn from IDITAROD SILVER, the best-selling twenty-fifth anniversary book now out of print. But THE IDITAROD FACT BOOK contains much new and updated content in a more affordable format with information about the champions, the dogs, organizers, volunteers, and sponsors who make this great race possible.
Average customer rating:
- A great book for a skater or a fan!
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Magic on Ice: Figure Skating Stars, Tips and Facts
Patty Cranston
Manufacturer: Kids Can Press, Ltd.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
| Performing Arts
| Arts & Music
| Children's Books
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General
| Reference & Nonfiction
| Children's Books
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Nonfiction
| Miscellaneous
| Sports
| Sports & Activities
| Children's Books
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Nonfiction
| Winter Sports
| Sports
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| Ages 9-12
| Children's Books
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ASIN: 1550744550 |
Customer Reviews:
A great book for a skater or a fan!.......1999-08-24
The book "Magic on Ice" is great for a figure skater OR a big fan of the sport. It includes pages on famous skaters, behind the scenes at competitions, judging, stretching, warming up, and skating on the ice. I gave it four stars because it's a good book but could be a little longer.
Average customer rating:
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I Wonder Where Butterflies Go In Winter and Other Neat Facts About Insects
Molly Marr
Manufacturer: Golden Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Nonfiction
| Bugs & Spiders
| Animals
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Zoology
| Science, Nature & How It Works
| Children's Books
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General
| Ages 4-8
| Children's Books
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ASIN: 0307113248
Release Date: 1992-03-01 |
Product Description
The Best Stories from the First Century of the Modern Olympics, by Tom Ecker. Fascinating reading, with anecdotes you've never heard before and many Olympic myths punctured. Hard cover. Well illustrated.
Customer Reviews:
Charmed AND Enchanted.......2006-10-31
This was a reread for me and an enjoyable one.
These are the final 2 stories in the Donovan Legacy. A family of witches, each with their own specialty.
In Charmed we have Anastasia story. She is the cousin who is an Empath. She is also a healer because of her strong empathatic feelings. After be turned away by her first love when he found out what she was, Ana has stayed away from men to protect her heart. Then widow Boone Sawyer moves in next door with his young daughter. She fears telling him what she is, then fate steps in. This was my favorite out of all the Donovan stories. It is so good. Emotional and loving.
In Enchanted we have the story of Liam Donovan a witch and a shape shifter. He goes to the woods to be alone to think about an important choice he is going to have to make. Rowan Murray goes to the woods to find herself. They find eachother and she discovers so much more about herself. This story had a lot more "magic" in it. It was fun and the characters wonderful.
Enchanted, also.......2005-12-12
This is the 3rd AND 4th book, but no one has mentioned "Enchanted". It is about Liam Donovan and takes place in Oregon. It is a nice story too; for entertainment. Rowan Murray is a schoolteacher who needs a vacation and befriends a golden-eyed wolf. Hint: her name is Irish, too...
Totally Charmed.......2005-11-16
I absolutely loved this story. I thought it would be cheesy mixing magic into romance, but I was SOOO wrong. This was a wonderful tale that I'll enjoy reading again and again. The Anastasia and Boone are great together, and Boone's daughter is priceless. To bad I can't say the same for the series. The idea of the Donovan legacy is genius, but all four books were not. Captivated was just moderately good, and Entranced was terrible. Please skip that one. But Charmed and Enchanted are totally enjoyable. Hey, 2 out of 4's not bad. Kudos Mrs Roberts.
Another Witch's Tale that is Charming!.......2005-08-19
Charmed is Nora Roberts' third book in the Donovan series, which focuses on a family of witches. Captivated led the series off and featured Morgana. Next came Entranced which introduced us to Sebastian, cousin to Morgana. Charmed features Anastasia, yet another cousin to both Sebastian and Morgana. If you read the series, you'll get the entire family breakdown including the cousin's parents, an eccentric bunch to say the least!
Each of the cousins are hereditary witches (born with elfin blood) and each have their own gift or special powers. Anastasia has the powers of healing. I have to admit my ignorance in knowing exactly what "powers of healing" entailed or meant, but now have a much better idea after finishing the book. While reading the first two books in this series, Anastasia was always growing herbs so I did know that herbal remedies played a part in her powers. What I didn't know was the depth of this power.
Anastasia has new neighbors move in next door to her Monterey beach house and soon meets a young girl who instantly wins her love and affection. Jessie is adorable, innocent and very social as she bounds through the hedge separating the two homes and introduces not only herself to Anastasia but also her new puppy. Jessie's father, Boone Sawyer, soon comes to retrieve his daughter and meets Anastasia.
This is your typical romance plot line but with a twist. Man meets woman, sparks fly, attraction becomes love and then ... The "and then" portion of this book is what sets it apart from other romance books. When Boone asks Anastasia to marry him, she asks for a week to make the decision. She has to try to figure out how she can tell him that she's a witch and not lose him. The decision is taken out of her hands when Jessie falls off of a ladder and is critically injured. Anastasia puts her powers to work to save the girl's life and Boone is caught off-guard and mesmerized by the special gift bestowed on Anastasia, even though he doesn't really understand what is happening. When Jessie is saved and Anastasia exhaustedly falls into an unconscious state, Boone doesn't know how to react. When Anastasia awakens, Boone doesn't handle the situation well and pushes her away. I won't tell you any more or the ending will be spoiled and this conclusion is definitely worth reading.
Charmed isn't for someone looking for a book that will make the brain work overtime, it's pure enjoyment and entertainment value only. It's a very quick read and can be accomplished in an afternoon.
If you'd like to take a break from the active world, sit back, relax and enjoy a tale, this would be a great book to spend the afternoon curled up on the couch with in front of a fire in the fireplace.
Charmed & Enchanted.......2005-07-20
both books are very riveting. I kept reading until I was done with both in 2 days. The ideas and people are very realistic and charming.
Amazon.com
Setting: Oregon coast, present day
Sensuality rating: 6
New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts delivers pure magic with the publication of Enchanted, part of the Donovan Legacy series. Lovely schoolteacher Rowan Murray has always done what others thought was best for her, until she decides to take a vacation at a friend's remote Oregon cabin. There she finds herself drawn to her neighbor, brooding Irish loner Liam Donovan, and to a golden-eyed black wolf who appears at her door. Rowan suspects there is more to Liam than meets the eye when he begins haunting her suddenly very steamy dreams. Together, Liam and the wolf--and the quiet majesty of the Oregon coast--influence Rowan to make her life her own and her hopes reality. --Alison Trinkle
Customer Reviews:
A magical addition to the Donovan series!.......2006-01-11
I recently re-read this story upon seeing some very negative reviews (with misspellings of characters' names too!) to find out why I liked it and if I still did. I DO!!
The Prologue of the book sets up the reader to know that Liam Donovan is a shapeshifter and likes to roam the forest as a wolf and that he knows some change is coming but he is very independent and in control so he feels he does not need to act or react to anyting that is happening.
Rowan Murray is a college professor from San Francisco almost engaged to another college professor and daughter of two more academics. She has come to her friend Belinda's cottage on the coast of Oregon for some time to herself to review her life and relax. Rowan is a person who has always done what her parents and later her boyfriend-almost-fiance Alan so she is taking three months to do what SHE wants. She has brought along loads of books of all types that she has wanted to read and plans to revel in her freedom. As she is unloading her car, she spots a black wolf with topaz eyes at the edge of the clearing. She is more surprised than afraid and when it doesn't rush her just talks conversationally to the wolf.
As Rowan begins her journey of self-discovery and makes friends with the wolf and her intriguing neighbor Liam Donovan, she begins to uncover talents and ideas and dreams that she had never indulged in before. I also felt for her calling her parents and trying to make them understand what she is doing and why.
This is a very interesting magical romance for the story and the self-discovery as well!
Enchanted.......2005-11-16
This one was the second best in the series, (Charmed, 3rd in the series, was the better of the four if you ask me. By the way, Entranced was the WORST! So don't bother.) There's just something magical about these stories. (No pun intended) So if you like a little magic mixed into your romance, then you'll enjoy these books.
Wrote Herself Short.......2005-04-21
I have the entire Donovan series and I have to say I was most disappointed by this particular book. Captivated, Entranced, and Charmed were all outstanding books with well written characters and plots. I'm sorry to say that Enchanted fell very short of the previous three tales. Yes, the story was cute and the characters of Liam and Rowan fit into it well enough, but there wasn't any of that sensual punch you found in the other books. Overall, as the last book in the series it was quite a let down.
Breathtakingly Romantic.......2003-05-05
Once I've got into the story, I could not lay it down for even just 2 minutes. It is breathtakingly romantic. The love between Rowen and Liam's wolf form is so touching and intoxicating. The little plays between them, the hug, the nuzzle and the kiss all display a profound love scene. The description of love-making through minds is so amazing that I could not help to appeal to God--Please make this possible earthly!
The romantic story is weaved between magic and ordinary life. It reminds readers the responsibilities they have for their own living, for the one they love and for society. But on the other hand, it also reminds us that some time and fun for ourselves may not only be inconflict with our responsibility, but may even help us to accomplish it better. Hope you all enjoy this book as much as I do.
What A Bunch of Hooey!.......2003-04-12
I'm a huge fan of paranormal books, regardless of genre, and I also enjoy Nora Roberts. So I borrowed this book from a friend because the premise sounded great. Needless to say, what a bore. The characters were underdeveloped, the magic lacking and the typical Nora Roberts passion gone. I was so disappointed in Liams and Rowans lack of feeling or expression of it. The flipant attitudes of the characters suprised me and by the end of the book I thought was a waste of time. My suggestion is to stear clear of this one and pick up The Passion by Donna Boyd!
Product Description
3 books 1. Captivated 2. Entranced 3. Charmed and Enchanted
Books:
- The Famished Road
- The Girls He Adored : A Novel
- The Gold Swan : A Novel
- The Guy Not Taken: Stories
- The Highest Tide
- The House of Scorta
- The Last Jew: A Novel
- The Last King of Scotland
- The Red Sea Rules The Same God Who Led You In Will Lead You Out
- The Shadow Lines: A Novel
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