Dragonfolio China

If you like beautiful books then this illustrated edition of a Terry Pratchett classic should really catch your eye!I have loved this book since I first read it, a long time ago. Like all Discworld novels, it manages to both turn the world upside down, while also making sense of it, and all the while allowing you to laugh. Gaurds, Guards first introduced us to Vimes, Lady Ramkin, Carrot, Nobby, Colon, et al! Not to mention an indept exploration of the Patrician and his mind! The plot is hilario... more

This isn't a review of the novel. The story remains as excellent as it ever. Alas, this special edition is just not worth the high RRP. It's a standard hardback sized volume with standard paper with a few illustrations every so often. I was hoping for something special but it fails to deliver. Compare this to the excellent Illustrated Wee Free Men that was published several years ago.I'm happy to buy special editions but this just feels like fan exploitation, especially considering the RRP is £2... more

Guards! Guards! - The Paul Kidby illustrated edition. Great illustrations to a great Discworld story. BUT: Did the dragon on the front board of the book burn off the dust-wrapper - or was there never meant to be one (a dust-wrapper)? Even at the discounted Amazon price, I would have expected a DW (got bored typing dust-wrapper...). Other than the lack of a DW, I would highly recommend this edition & say it is a thoroughly worthwhile addition to Sir Terry's wonderful series of stories. If t... more

I cannot tell you how badly this book is presented. The story is a great read and the characters are believable. But when your reading the text and it's full of typos, incorrect words (there are a lot of Spanish words which are either completely misspelled or broken up in to two words, rendering the book very poor to read) there are also random gaps on most of the kindle pages and huge variations in the font, for example on every couple of pages there's a huge word totally out of place. Do not b... more

I like Eric’s Podcast as he has a nice balance in telling about his own (non-Asian) experiences about China and mixture of hard facts I did not know before. I clearly recommend this podcast for everyone who is interested in China and its future (from a cultural but als capital perspective!).

Keep it up Eric!

This podcast gave me different perspectives about our future and especially China’s development.

There is something beneath the surface of the quiet northern coastal town of Burrowhead; a darkness that brings the coffins up through the soil of the graveyard like breaching whales. Horrific secrets of the town's history, too, are brought to like - some old, and some within living memory. Beneath the surface of this crime novel, with its police procedural investigation into a murder, there are hints about a dark pagan distant past...The expression of the darkness is firmly rooted in the presen... more

I read a lot. Sometimes folks refer a title to me ... sometimes I don't ALWAYS 'adjust' to the referring individuals taste. My niece recommended this title and said, "It's not so much the story line ... even though that's VERY good ... but, the WRITING style. After the first pages, I was HOOKED. Love Ms. Owen's style. Descriptive, picturesque speech.

Can't read, no school, starved and all alone but learns to read and then studies Einstein, really? Left all alone her whole life but the towns 2 most eligible bachelors fall for her, a good guy and a bad boy, really? I'm definitely in the minority.

I was very disappointed in this book after reading all the hype about it. While the reading is good, the story is so nonsensical- a 6 year old left alone in a shack raises herself, living in the same shack, using the same boat, and no one lifts a hand to help her? In more than 20 years, the boat never breaks down, the house doesn't need repairs and she's able to wear the same clothes for many years....she's got long hair that she says is ratty and tangled but description s of it has it down her ... more

This book had so many fantastic reviews. I was looking forward to reading it but quickly became disillusioned. I'm from NC and have never heard anyone talk with the type of accents Ms. Owens chose for her characters. It seems like a small thing but it was extremely distracting, and eventually became ridiculous, especially because the characters somehow switched back and forth between speaking like Mark Twain's Jim to perfect English. It made me wonder if the author has ever been to our fair stat... more

I am extremely stingy with my compliments for good books, but this tale is well-deserving of the praise. Of the last dozen or so books I've read, only two others earned five complete stars by me: She Read to Us in the Late Afternoons: A Life in Novels by Kathleen Hill, and Circe by Madeline Miller.I have to confess that I have also had magical moments with marsh creatures such as herons, eagles, and mud turtles. Like the main character, Kya, I am a compulsive collector of treasures from those Gr... more

This is one of the most moving, caring, emotional novels I have ever read. I read this book only because I had met Delia and have read her wildlife books she wrote with husband Mark Owens. After starting the book this was all I could think about for days. Kya's life become part of mine and the characters ceased to live on the page... they were alive with me and I was in the marsh, feeling every feather - the air, creatures and the plants. Jumpin' became a trusted friend and so many moments t... more