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Industrial Magic
Kelley Armstrong
http://www.kelleyarmstrong.com/
Cover Artist: Franco Accornero
Bantam Spectra
http://bantamdell.com
ISBN: 0553587072 $6.99 560 pp.
Alisa McCune
Reviewer
Industrial Magic is Canadian author Kelley Armstrong's fourth installment in the Otherworld
series.
The Otherworld series is a world not much different from our own, but includes demons, deities,
vampires, werewolves, witches, sorcerers, shaman, druids, necromancers, clairvoyants, and much
more. The supernatural world lies just under the surface of the known world and definitely has
nasty
teeth. With Industrial Magic, we are once again treated to a delightful adventure that will suck
you
in and not let go until the end.
At the conclusion of Dime Store Magic, Paige and Lucas have become guardians of Savannah.
Since
Paige's house was destroyed, they spent the summer driving around the country ending up in
Portland, Oregon. Industrial Magic opens with Paige being approached by Lucas' father, Benicio
Cortez. Benicio is a sorcerer and the CEO of the Cortez Cabal, a large company that employees
supernaturals and has shady moral dealings. Since Lucas is estranged from his father, Paige was
never supposed to be approached by Benicio.
Benicio is not to be denied his meeting with Paige. It would seem he has a case he wants Lucas to
take. Someone is killing Cabal children. The latest victim is Dana, a homeless teenage witch.
Paige and Lucas want nothing to do with the Cabals; especially after Savannah's father of the Nast
Cabal tried to take custody of her in Dime Store Magic. Kristoff Nast paid with his life for this,
but
Paige lost everything she held dear; her house, her reputation, and most of all, her coven. A trip to
Miami is taken to politely refuse Benicio and set clear boundaries with the Cabal regarding
Paige.
The adventure begins to unfold in Miami as Lucas and Paige struggle to keep clear of Benicio's
manipulations and still help the supernatural children being targeted. Nothing is ever as it seems in
the world of Cabals. This case pits Lucas and Paige against the killer and the Cabals. We quickly
realize why Lucas wants nothing to do with Benicio and the other Cabals.
Many of our favorite characters from previous novels appear in Industrial Magic Elena, Clay,
Jeremy, and Cassandra. We meet a new character, Jamie a TV personality who talks to the dead
and just happens to be a necromancer. Jamie really livens things up for Paige and Lucas.
Industrial Magic is a book not to be missed. The action is fantastic and the drama is very intense.
Kelley Armstrong creates such fun characters that really jump off the pages. The book is fast
paced
with lots of unexpected turns. Like the other books in the Otherworld series, I wanted more after
finishing Industrial Magic.
Kelley Armstrong is the Canadian author of four books in the Otherworld series; Bitten, Stolen,
Dime Store Magic, and Industrial Magic. The fifth book in the series, Haunted is to be published
in
the Spring of 2005. Available on her website, http://www.kelleyarmstrong.com, are three online
novellas that further the werewolves' storyline.
Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books
Azar Nafisi
Thorndyke Press
295 Kennedy Memorial Drive, Waterville ME 04901
158724487X, $13.95, 609 pp.
Coletta Ollerer
Reviewer
Azar Nafisi is a professor of literature living in Tehran during the rule of Ayatollah Khomeini.
Women are repressed in many ways including the wearing of the veil. Azar has lost her position at
the University of Tehran for refusing to veil her head and decides to meet with former students to
read western fiction and thereby study western ideas. They meet every Thursday at her apartment,
arriving veiled but removing them in the safety afforded there.
The first book they tackle is Lolita. They come to see how Lolita's character compares to their
lives
with respect to her powerlessness. Lolita has lost her parents. She is alone in the world and needs
to
depend on this terrible man, Humbert. He takes advantage of her circumstances and imposes his
will
on her. The little group comes to see the parallel under the rule of the Ayatollah. The Iranians are
powerless and have no place to turn to get away from the Ayatollah. The girls and their professor
came to see that "life in a totalitarian society is where you are completely alone in an illusory
world
full of false promises and where you can no longer differentiate between your savior and your
executioner." (p49)
The next book they study is The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald. Gatsby's dream is to find entrance
into
the world of the wealthy. The dream is so intense that "it removes from him the power to
differentiate between imagination and reality." (p260) Azar proposes that what the Iranian people
had in common with Gatsby was "this dream that became our obsession and took over our reality,
this terrible, beautiful dream, impossible in its actualization, for which any amount of violence
might
be justified or forgiven." (p260)
In discussing Henry James' novel, Washington Square, Azar compares the ordinary Iranian citizen
to
its heroine, Catherine. None of those who interact with her have the slightest empathy with her.
Their concern is with their own needs and desires. In Ayatollah Khomeini's Iran, the government
is
without empathy for its citizens while forging ahead with its own agenda. In the end Catherine is
victorious in her quiet steadfast way as are the Iranians who remain after the death of the
Ayatollah.
"A stern ayatollah, a blind and improbable philosopher-king, had decided to impose his dream on
a
country and a people and to re-create us in his own myopic vision. So he had formulated an ideal
of
me as a Muslim woman. . .and wanted me to look, act and in short live according to that ideal."
(p295)
Austen was among others of her century's novelists who made marriage the central idea of their
work. What women said and did and thought were the ingredients of the story and gave it its
momentum. With Austen it was not "the importance of marriage but the importance of heart and
understanding in marriage." (p542) Austen's ladies wanted the right to choose, a precious tenet of
democracy. Azar is pleased to understand that the girls in her reading group "by refusing to give
up
their right to pursue happiness, had created a dent in the Islamic Republic's stern fantasy world."
(p498)
This is a story which reveals the intricacies of life in a totalitarian, fundamentalist Islamic society,
how some in its members remain strong and others buckle and get lost in the political fog. "Like
all
great mythmakers, he (Ayatollah) had tried to fashion reality out of his dream, and in the end, like
Humbert with Lolita, he had managed to destroy both reality and his dream. . . . Yet he had done
this with our full compliance, our complete assent and complicity." (p438)
Executive Orders
Tom Clancy
Harper Collins
103 Westerhill Road, Bishopbriggs, GLASGOW, G64 2QT
ISBN 0006479758 8.99 Brit. pounds 1273 pages
John Gautry
Reviewer
Capitol Hill is obliterated along with the president and the entire congress when a plane crashes
into
it. Is this a terrible accident or is it a terrorist act?
Jack Ryan is thrust into the top seat at the White House with an entire congress to appoint. His
presidential style is refreshing and to the point. I like the way Jack Ryan comes across as a no
nonsense President who tells it as it is in no uncertain terms.
The US and Saudi Arabia become involved in a War with a new United Islamic Republic. The
White
House faces Terrorism on the home front on an unbelievable scale. Can Jack Ryan use his power
of
the Presidency to save the US from disaster at home and abroad?
How to Write Modern Poetry
Geoff Tims
Cool Publications
www.coolpublications.com
ISBN 1844811018 4.99 Brit. pounds 100 pages, PDF Format
ISBN 1844811026 11.99 Brit. pounds, CD format
Hugo Dell
Reviewer
An expert guide on how to get beneath the skin of poetry
Modern poetry is a literary minefield. Its seeming disregard for all the obvious rules of more
traditional poetry forms has often made it an easy target for critics who found it hard to
understand
and a difficult arena for budding poets who struggled to adequately find the form needed to bring
their thoughts to life.
As a journalist I'm wary of How-to books because they tend to marginalise the true effort
required
to create anything that's remotely adequate, let alone good. Their prescriptive approach tends to
favour a "now we do this and next we'll do that-" formula that rarely works.
All of which makes Geoff Tims' How to Write Modern Poetry the exception that proves the rule.
A
working poet who never stops seeking ways to improve his craft Tims' book has forsaken the
formulaic approach on How-to do anything for a compressed masterclass on the writing of
modern
poetry.
Opening with 'What is Modern Poetry' Tims analyses not just the genre but the form itself. He
makes
the point that good poetry is good poetry irrespective of style and draws real parallels between
the
different art forms, asking the reader to first look inside themselves before they think of putting
pen
to paper.
As you'd expect in a How-to book there is the inevitable step-by-step approach that, in this case,
feels entirely natural, chatty and unforced. The exercises at the end of each chapter have a specific
aim: to bring out the poet inside the reader. To sensitise us to the world around us, to make us
aware of the potent power of words and to teach us the secrets of the craft of modern poetry that
successful poets find out about the hard way.
Taking the unusual, and very brave, tact of developing a poem alongside the reader Geoff Tims
explores what exactly makes a poem great and then goes on to give examples, create crisis points
the budding poet must resolve and offer advice.
Watching the poem develop is akin to taking an apprenticeship beside a master craftsman. The
digital format of the book makes it perfect for skipping around through all its bookmarks and, for
once, I was able to read three chapters on the train and do the exercises without having to suffer
the
supercilious glances of fellow travellers prepared to make judgement about anyone trying to be a
poet.
Geoff Tims' book is thoroughly exhaustive of its subject as only a How-to book can be and
passionately personal in its arguments as you'd expect from a poet who's very much at the centre
of
his art. It is also tremendously helpful, full of insight, occasionally witty and always gentle in its
guidance. If all How-to books were like this the genre itself would see a revival beyond anyone's
expectations and there would be fewer badly-attempted poems about.
This book also helps with writing novels and short stories.
The Credence of Christopher Craig
C. D. Webb
AuthorHouse
1663 Liberty Drive, Suite 200, Bloomington, IN 47403
888.519.5121
ISBN: 1403374287 $18.95 259 pp.
Ben Jonjak
Reviewer
"The Credence of Christopher Craig" is a good book. It might even be a great book, but I would
like
to hear the opinions of some other reviewers before I make that assessment. Certainly it has its
flaws, but all books do, and the characteristic of a great book is that even its flaws lend a certain
charm and character to the work that supports it and authenticates it rather than making it
unreadable. "Christopher Craig" belongs in that group of works that is, at the very least,
ambitious
and cognizant of the make-up of a literary masterpiece. It does not always hit its mark, but it does
have enough success to be a wholly worthwhile read.
"Christopher Craig" is the story of two young men of privilege. They are both handsome,
moderately wealthy, appreciative of art and all things of the so called "higher class," and fortunate
in
their sexual exploits. Their names are David Dellacordia, and Christopher Craig, and the only real
difference between them is that David is straight while Christopher is unabashedly homosexual.
Despite this difference in sexual orientation, they form an extremely strong friendship that is
undeniably laced with sexual tension.
The novel is narrated from the present by the divorced and lonely David. It is an obvious nostalgic
recollection of what he considers to be the best time in his life. The device of David's narration is
a
superb approach to this story. It allows C. D. Webb to magnify the exploits of Christopher Craig
and
make him seem larger than life by keeping the reader forever at an arm's length. It is also a device
that humanizes David, and allows the reader to make some rather personal assessments of him
that
are strongly implied but not implicitly stated by the actual text.
The characters of "Christopher Craig" are extremely well fleshed out and believable. C. D. Webb
pulls no punches, and by the end of the work you understand both the highs and the lows that the
character's choices have produced. The writing is sometimes overly complicated, but in a way that
is
amusing and enjoyable to read. It is always appealing to see a writer take pleasure in their craft,
and
the faults of the writing of "Christopher Craig" are a result of too much enthusiasm rather than
incompetence. The only problem is a lack of variety in approach. The long, poetic descriptions are
always expertly crafted, but too many of them linked consecutively together becomes a little
tiring.
"Christopher Craig" is a book that belongs outside my typical preferred reading genre. It reminded
me fleetingly of "The Great Gatsby," but I'm really not familiar enough with this type of book to
make an accurate assessment of its quality. Still, I found it to be an enjoyable read, so I am very
curious as to what a person who is a fan of this variety of work might think. I believe there is the
real possibility that with one more rewrite, this could be a truly great book. Then again, it might
be
already.
Prot U
Eva Augustin Rumpf
Booklocker.com, Inc.
http://www.booklocker.com
PO Box 2399, Bangor, ME 04402-2399
Fax number - 207-262-5544
ISBN: 1591135095 $13.95 paperback, $6.95 ebook 184 pages
Lenore Thomson Bentz
Reviewer
This is a deceptively easy book to read -- a bit like last generation's medical-center satire, The
House
of God. The latter, once described as Catch-22 with stethoscopes, employed dark humor to
mount a
devastating indictment of the way physicians were trained in the 1970s. The ambitions of Prot U
are
not as large, but the book subjects academia to a similar farcical viewpoint, offering campus life as
a
microcosm of the perennial clash between politics and social responsibility.
For this reason, the book is fun to read simply as a short and well-paced novel about the colorful
characters fictional Protestant U has brought together for a single academic season. However, the
fact that the story is set in Texas allows the reader to infer a wry and subversive commentary on
the
corporate style of administration that emerged under the Bush governorship, and the difficulty of
journalists to buck the system on which their livelihoods depended.
As a journalist herself who has worked in Texas, Rumpf knows this territory well, and she clearly
enjoyed the opportunity to skewer some of the class and social roles that Texas culture appears to
encourage. The book manages, however, to keep its humor light, skirting the mean-spiritedness of
genuinely black comedy. At its core is a warm affection for the unsung heroes of our time, whose
refusal to delegate individual responsibility to the corporate body always has its price.
Eva Augustin Rumpf is a former reporter, university journalism instructor, and student media
adviser. Her articles have appeared in newspapers and magazines around the country, and she is
co-author of a self-help book on divorce. She lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with her husband.
PROT U is her first novel.
CityRats
Peter Z. Mantarakis
http://home.socal.rr.com/pzmworks/
Publish America
P.O. Box 151, Frederick, Maryland 21705
www.publishamerica.com
ISBN: 1413723969 $16.95 (301) 695-1707
Melissa Brown Levine
Reviewer
Stickball, street gangs, mischievous pranks, and a lost eye are major themes through out Peter Z.
Mantarakis' novel, CityRats. It is the coming of age story of Nick, a young Greek American
growing
up in New York's Hell's Kitchen during the '50s and '60s. Young Nick and his friends navigate the
mostly Irish and Italian lower middle-class neighborhood fending off gang attacks and hungry
black
rodents while playing a myriad of street games: punch ball, curb ball, and a tag, hide-and-seek
hybrid
called Ringalevio. Their pranks range from the tossing of water balloons off apartment roofs to
the
igniting of a Molotov cocktail.
Although the plot moves slowly after the reader is introduced to Nick during an examination
where
his doctor decides the boy's left eye (damaged after a group peeping-tom session goes bad) must
be
removed, Mantarakis does a skillful job setting the background for the profound changes Nick
eventually makes in his life. Nick's experiences in the streets of New York shape him into a savvy,
resourceful young man. The author, who also hails from The Big Apple, makes good use of his
own
background in crafting this well-developed story of one boy's perilous journey to adulthood.
The Rite of Passage
Joseph McCullough
Six Gallery Press
www.sixgallerypress.com
ISBN 097460335X $13.99 95 pp.
Liana Metal, Reviewer
http://lianametal.tripod.com
Have you ever wondered about life? About the meaning of your existence on earth? In this poem,
Joseph McCullough tries to analyze our existence on earth using a deluge of imageries and poetic
devices that will entice readers and keep them hooked from the first page to the very last.
Joseph McCullough, a teacher of Handicapped and English, and a graduate of Girard College,
Philadelphia Community College and Temple University, lives in New Jersey with his two
children.
THE RITE OF PASSAGE is his fourth book.
THE RITE OF PASSAGE is a rhapsody on life, eternal life, life on earth, but includes parts of the
author's own life as well. The readers can learn about the author's life on page 13: ' I venture to
add
to my generation but remain within my own life,/ one began at nine months before birth and by the
same time after/ left fatherless, raised in infancy by the concept of post world/ war housing
projects,removed by the state of law to be reared/ .'
Joseph deals with the concept of Religion on page 12: 'Religion must retreat from its words that
condemn persons/ if the lifestyle of its leaders exceeds those of its followers, /especially those
hard
pressed to have a place to breathe;/ .'
He talks about his country, America, on page 56: 'America, land of one continent abridged by the
oceans,/rifted by the spirographic turn of a galaxy in its universe/ .' The concept of being alive is
on page 65: 'Ever the present is there, the appearance of being in life,/ever the present,the
sensation
of being alive,the speed/ .' He then addresses the issue of women on page 66: 'Hidden by the
years and the slow decline of facades,/the woman looked about the earth,not that it mattered/
.'
There is an inspirational part on page 72: 'See for yourself the day, not from inside your
memories/but as new thoughts in life, without fear in being, with light / of darkness and clear of
shadows ' The issue of Religion is addressed once more on page 73: 'Religion, the speaking of the
mind to a creator of its origins,/the voice of being, life formed of the universal elements,/the spirit
before conception .'
On page 75, Joseph writes about his work and himself: 'Now this poem, a poet's analogue of
thoughts,abbreviated/from master scrolls of purist taste,saturate in repetition/ .' Next, on page 77
the author exhorts readers to self-inquiry to discover themselves: ' look at your own selves and
see
in silence your true vision.'
On page 88 the writer tries to find the purpose in life: ' Me, who I am, a person of self recognized
when requested/of life, chosen as a being of time rendering all associations/of humanity .' His love
for being alive is displayed on page 91 while the last part of his poem tells the readers that life
goes
on . At the epilogue,on pp.93-94, the author exhorts readers that their 'emotional passage of life's
journeys', 'are not in vain solitaire rides'.
To sum up, Joseph's work is amazing. The title is oblique and intriguing. The 'rite of passage', the
way we live our life, has both a literal and a metaphoric meaning . Focusing on the 'rite' we
understand that 'traveling' is the important element in our life's journey. The impulse and emotion
behind the poem seem true and the author leads us to a journey of discovery .
The poem is written in 'free verse', that is, he uses none of the established metrical patterns . It
mainly relies on alliteration and assonance. In this way, the author succeeds in giving readers vivid
detail for our imagination to work with.
This Rhapsody on the meaning of life is exciting in every aspect. It is a wonderful poem that will
satisfy all the poetry lovers and not only them. Prose lovers can read this poem too, as the
'free-verse' is appealing to a wider audience. Rich vocabulary selection and rich images comprise a
poem that will speak to the readers' hearts and make them question their existence on earth.
Screams From the Furnace
Marjaree Mayne
iUniverse.com, Inc.
ISBN: 059515414X $15.95; 303 pages
Patricia M. Moore
Reviewer
I have chosen this book to review for several reasons. The author is a friend of mine. I helped
with
proofing it for her and it is now being considered by another publisher. Due to adult content, it is
geared for the older crowd of mystery lovers.
The title alone, Screams From the Furnace, sets the tone for this psychological thriller. Ms.
Mayne's
main characters, comprised of some of Florida's street people, are well-researched. So well, in
fact, I
wouldn't be surprised if she hadn't actually lived on the streets herself for a time, her descriptions
of
street life are so realistic. She also seems to have an in-depth understanding of serial killers, at
least
this particular serial killer.
Although we know who the killer is almost from the beginning, that takes nothing away from the
anticipation and dread as he systematically sets out to cleanse his little piece of Florida of every
street person he can. Nor does it alleviate the excitement as the street people take it upon
themselves
to discover the killer's identity, intent on retribution.
Ms. Mayne's use of graphic detail and wording holds your attention:
He took another bite of his hot dog, chili dropping to the wood floor. Alfred looked down at the
reddish brown glob of food that had fallen onto the boardwalk by his feet. He set his hot dog
down
on the counter and, grabbing some napkins, he bent down to clean it up. When he stood back up,
he
froze, his hand still holding the dirty napkins. The most beautiful girl Alfred had ever seen was
walking straight toward him. Her exotic features and coloring, and her tiny, slim body and long
tanned legs held him motionless.
Once you have read Screams From the Furnace, I'm sure you'll want to read another of Ms.
Mayne's
unique psycho thrillers, Mirror Murder and, soon to be released, Don't Go Alone.
Erik Hazelhoff: In Pursuit of Life
Erik Hazelhoff
Foreword by Len Deighton
Sutton Publishing
Phoenix Mill, Thrupp, Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 2BU, United Kingdom
www.suttonpublishing.co.uk
0750932813 $25.00 396 pages
Pedro Blas Gonzalez
Reviewer
There are "intellectual" biographies and autobiographies, works that purport to demonstrate
cultural
pedigree, and then there are vital autobiographies. The latter type signifying more than a mere
succession of events instead the pulse of a conscious vitality that recognizes itself as passing
through life. Erik Hazelhoff: In Pursuit of Life is a trek through the Dutch writers' diverse
encounters with life. The work is a tale that, in juxtaposing life's most vexing and sublime aspects,
also succeeds in demonstrating its unity. Len Deighton writes in his introduction to the book:
"How
can one man have lived a hundred lives? A hundred lives! And not dull."
Erik Hazelhoff Roelfzema was born in Java in 1917. Amongst his long catalog of exploits we can
count MI6 agent, RAF De Havilland Mosquito pilot, Director of Radio Free Europe, co-creator
of
NBC's Today and Tonight shows, and writer, including Rendezvous in San Francisco and Soldier
of
Orange. In Pursuit of Life showcases a life of diligence, discipline, and the self-assuredness that
comes from resolve. The reader comes across this resolution early on in the work. Hazelhoff
writes:
"At the age of six I thoroughly approved of life." But the book is also sincere, witty, and
consistently
comical. The work is not stuffy, and heavy-handed as is the case with so many autobiographies.
Hazelhoff's cavalier manner is also made known in his many instances throughout the book where
he
pokes fun at his shortcomings. Concerning his failures on the domestic front, he tells us: "Perhaps
I
wasn't cut out for it, for in the course of this period all these elements somehow vanished my job
evaporated, my wife took off, my son became a hippie, my cat was run over, my dog got heart
worms, my cars were sold and I found shelter in the old Lambs Club on West 44th Street, New
York."
From the outset In Pursuit of Life proves to be a reflection on the nature of self-discovery. Early
on
the reader witnesses someone who, even though, aware of the role of chance, nevertheless
remains
cognizant of the importance of taking control of his life. In the first couple chapters we encounter
Hazelhoff trying to deal with the stratified Dutch society of the 1930's. Irony, too, is a staple
characteristic of this book. One day, as a teenager, he decides to move out of his upper class life.
He
attempts to accomplish this by becoming a writer. He then goes off on extended travels through
the
world. He becomes a deck hand on a fishing trawler, contemplates studying law, and tries his luck
at
making a living as a sidewalk guitar player. As a ranch-hand in Argentina he learns from his
employer, Don Mauricio Pieper that, on balance, "You will gain more in life than you'll lose." This
was to become a valuable lesson for one who would soon risk his life in the European skies. The
middle chapters of the book describe his experiences as a pilot in World War II. This section of
the
book details his military training and flying exploits with the same relish that Zorba the Greek,
Katzantzakis' greater than life character reserves for dolphins. The latter chapters are a reflection
on
the nature of business and the pleasures of private life. But regardless of the subject matter, the
book
is well balanced, displaying equal attention to the diverse aspects of his experience.
The final chapters convey a sublime sense of a man running out of time. In fact, the book reads
like
an adventure tale infused with a profound pathos. In the finale chapter titled Grande Finale
Hazelhoff says a final farewell to his friends and family. Concerning wisdom, which he describes
as
unteachable he has the following to say: "Scriptures seminars, books lectures, tracts, sermons,
nothing can convey it except silence, through meditation, contemplation of nature, introspection
and
similar profound practices. Wise men don't speak, and if they do it's usually in obscure terms
merely
hinting at an area to be explained. If you are searching for wisdom, only listen to people who keep
their mouths shut."
Erik Hazelhoff: In Pursuit of Life is more than a sterile recounting of his dealings with strange
people, places, and events. In the midst of adventures and worldly discoveries we find an
individual
who is consumed by the thought of passing time. And perhaps still more significant is the
depiction
of a time when the world was fresh, embracing the whims of visionaries and the vital energy of
individuals. In Pursuit of Life laments the loss of a world of possibility where mobility both,
vertical and lateral was once sanctioned by freedom and imagination.
O Cat West Encounters of the Heart
Emily Jean Carroll
Hats Off Books
Wheatmark, Inc.
610 E. Delano Street, Ste. 140, Tucson, AZ 85705
www.bookpublisher.com (888) 934-0888
ISBN 1587362163 $13.95
M. L. Rigdon
Reviewer
Emily Jean Carroll's O Cat West is not just another animal book; it's a heartwarming tale about the
impact this feline wanderer has on the people he encounters on his way home.
You see, O Cat is a frou-frou kitty, a ritzy looking fellow that looks out of place on a farm. When
circumstances take him far from home, O Cat proves that he's not all fluff. On his event-filled trek
west, we see humanity's problems through his eyes; a teenager in trouble, a lonely tramp, a
malicious
jerk, a woman on the edge of discovery and the loneliness of growing old. O Cat makes a defining
impression on everyone he meets.
What sets this book apart from most animal stories is its clarity and bare bones writing style. Ms.
Carroll's ability to intimately draw us into O Cat's world, where humans are alternately perplexing,
affectionate, violent and kind, does not rely on the cheap trick of sentimentality but does illustrate
a
deep-rooted understanding of compassion. O Cat's story is a study of the human condition
through
an impartial observer's eyes impartial as long as you feed him and scratch him in just the right
spot.
This book is a must for animal lovers. We know how pets bless our lives with comfort, loyalty,
companionship and frequent doses of comic relief. In Ms. Carroll's story, a feline becomes an
observer of how ordinary humans can rediscover and redefine themselves through surmounting
personal struggle.While winding his way homeward through this often-jumbled mess we humans
call
life, O Cat stays true to his own code and teaches us to take time for an in-depth look at the world
around us.
Healing Through Empathy
Francis V. Adams M. D.
iUniverse
ISBN: 0595316263 $12.95 112 pp.
Shirley Roe, Reviewer
www.allbooksreviews.com
Healing through Empathy is a collection of actual case histories, which demonstrate the
importance
of empathy in the diagnosis, treatment and outcome of disease.
We are introduced to Louis Goodman, suffering from chronic snoring with sleep apnea, Mary
Kelly
a young woman with her entire life ahead of her, stricken with cancer and five other fascinating
patients, all who benefit from a little old fashion caring on the part of the physician. Some are
healed
and some are left to face the inevitable with the help of their doctor.
Francis Adams is a pulmonologist in New York City and is the author of several other medical
books. In Healing through Empathy he challenges physicians and care institutions to restore the
balance between a hands on, personal approach and modern technology.
The case studies are written to inform and enlighten the general public to the great difference, the
choice of physician can make. The subject matter is often heavy however the author has managed
to
inject hope and wisdom, as only a Doctor could do. An interesting read for anyone facing a major
health issue or for those in the profession looking for a better approach.
In the back of the book the author has provided a list of resources available to readers who wish
more information. It's available from Amazon.com or www.adamsmd.com.
Alyice's Bookshelf
Rhinoceros Tap
Sandra Boynton, Michael Ford
http://rounder.com
info@rounder.com
ISBN: 1579401015 $11.87
Rhinoceros Tap is a very uplifting, danceable music CD. The upbeat, whimsical sounds allow
parents to get loose and act silly with their children.
I enjoyed the vast variety of musical styles it's a fantastic way to introduce young children to the
many styles of music without them realizing you're broadening their horizons, so-to-speak.
From country square dancing to rock to a touch of jazz to the sounds of theatrical performances,
this children's music CD is sure to become a household favorite!
Anchors And Sails
Bev Jaremko, author
Jeanette Debusschere, illustrator
http://www.anchorsandsails.com
ISBN: 1412021286 $30.22
With the short attention span of preschoolers, parents often find it difficult to teach their children
the
fundamentals of the alphabet, let alone how to read. After throwing their hands up in frustration,
they send their children off to preschool or kindergarten in hopes that the teachers have better
luck
than they did, but not anymore! Anchors and Sails is a fun, practical, easy-to-use program
designed
to help every parent teach their children to read in less than 10 minutes per day!
With so many "hands on" learning tools on the market, why would I recommend this particular
program? It was written by a mother who also happens to be a teacher. She knows first hand the
frustrations parents go through, but also understands the importance of a good, early start. Her
program does more than teach children how to memorize words, or use phonics. She helps
parents
become their children's first teacher by including a wonderful caution and tips chapter, and a
preface
that explains her method or style of teaching.
"F" is for Farm
Featuring: GoBabies (R)
Director: Burke Wood
http://alphabetroad.com
ISBN: 0972572406 $19.99
Are you tired of Sesame Street (R) reruns? In the grand tradition of Sesame Street (R), the
GoBabies (R) take young children on a journey of exploration, visual hands-on learning, and loads
of giggles! The Alphabet Road (TM) hasn't been this much fun in years.
But what makes the video series really stand out is the fact that you no longer have to
fast-forward
to your child's favorite part just click a button and you're there. This wonderful feature allows you
to pick different sections depending on your child's mood for the day and makes it feel like you
have
several videos on one disk.
"F" Is for Farm will have your children singing, dancing, signing, reading, and spouting off so
many
fun, yet smart facts that they'll have your relatives and friends thinking you have a child genius on
your hands!
One Incredible Dog! Lady
Chris Williams, author
Judith Friedman, illustrator
6 High Street, 2nd Floor, P.O. Box 54, Warwick, NY 10990-0054
http://www.moopress.com
dtinney@moopress.com
ISBN: 0972485333 $11.17 845-987-7750
All I can say is fantastic! One Incredible Dog! Lady is a real treat. The illustrations are done in
charcoal sketches which is great because they don't take away from the important lesson the
author
is trying to get out, but at the same time, compliments the book, beautifully.
In a world where life can sometimes be hectic, and often about self, it's nice to read a children's
book
that offers hope while teaching children the importance of reaching out and touching the lives of
others.
Lady is, indeed, an incredible dog. Her gentle nature nurtures many back to health through playful
acts, but more importantly Lady reminds us that sometimes, all we need to do is be there for the
ones we love.
While I understand that dogs like Lady don't come by easily, it would be a blessing if every
hospital
in the United States could have at least one such dog on staff!
Dr. Tootsie
Dr. Suzanne B. Knobel
Alexie Books
P.O. Box 3843, Carmel, Indiana 46082
http://alexiebooks.com/
sales@alexiebooks.com
ISBN: 096794161X $12.97
Dr. Tootsie is a cute story about a young girl who grows up on a family farm, hangs out with her
Gramp, and learns about life in some unusual ways, such as the time she picked up a copperhead
snake and didn't get bit!
Dr. Tootsie is a great story about how life can prepare each of us for becoming anything we want
to
be, including following in the footsteps of our parents. On the farm, Tootsie learned many things
about farm life, including the importance of life and hard work, but it was her dad's profession
that
intrigued her the most thus began her lifelong study of medicine.
I highly recommend Dr. Tootsie to preteens. It's a great book that teaches children to look
outside
themselves and towards helping others whether it be animal, nature, or human.
So What, Saw-Whet?
Rochelle Frank
Hummingbird Mountain Press
P.O. Box 127, Midpines, CA 95345
http://hummingbirdmountain.com/
hummingbirdmountain@sti.net
ISBN: 0974679208 $9.95
Young children are often fascinated with birds: wondering what they can do, what they eat, and
how
they live. But many books on the subject can be "too much book" for small children, leaving their
curiosities left unanswered. In So What, Saw-Whet, the author holds a conversation with the owl,
itself leaving children wanting to know what the owl is going to say next.
My son has been intrigued with the lifestyles of animals ever since he could walk, so when I heard
about So What, Saw-Whet? I just had to read the book. It's a very cute, simple book that teaches
young children the truth about Saw-Whet owls in a way that isn't overwhelming or
complicated.
The pictures are fantastic! Up close and personal, full of rich detail, and very lively. What a
wonderful match!
Pearls of Wisdom
Paula Le Flohic
Zodiac Publishing FZ, LLC
Dubai Media City, PO Box 502127
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 971-4-3903505
http://pearlsofwisdombooks.com
general@zodiacpublishing.org
ISBN: 1904566545 $17.99
Pearls of Wisdom, From Pregnancy to Pre-school is packed with bite-size bits of information
geared
towards making life easier for busy moms. With over 1,000 tips, this book isn't about the
psychological aspects of child-rearing, and it doesn't contain deep thoughts on how you should do
such and such to your child. Instead, Pearls of Wisdom shares insight from moms who've been in
the
trenches of motherhood and found some simple, and perhaps cost-effective, ways to help new
moms
transition into their parenting roles. If your tired of all the hype and philosophical debates, and just
want the facts, you'll enjoy Pearls of Wisdom, From Pregnancy to Pre-school
Mommy, I Can't Sleep! Music Therapy For All Ages
Carol Cartledge and Tina Dutcher
11919 Hemlock Ave., Hesperia, CA 92345
http://www.catentertainment.net
info@catentertainment.net
No ASIN or ISBN $14.95
Is your child having trouble sleeping? Wish you could get a good night's sleep? Tried every
"sleepy
time" musical CD on the market, and they just aren't working? Than you'll want to give Mommy,
I
Can't Sleep! a try. This gentle, soothing musical CD may just save your sanity!
Instead of singing lullabies to your child, which often cause a child to want to get up and dance
around, or at least sing in bed, the creators of Mommy, I Can't Sleep! use gentle musical tones
mixed with the soothing, relaxing sounds of nature. This combination of music and nature gently
guides your child into a natural sleep state. I highly recommend it for infants, toddlers, and even
that
snoring husband.
The Day The Zoo Came To Visit
James D.D. Smith, Ph.D., author
Stina Brown, illustrator
Xenopus Books
PO Box 84114, Canada Post, Market Mall
3625 Shaganappi Trail N.W. Calgary
Alberta, Canada T3A 0C0
http://members.shaw.ca/xenopus/
xenopus@shaw.ca
ISBN: 0973114207 $12.95 403-547-0633
The Day The Zoo Came To Visit reminds me of a book I relished as a young child, though the
name
of that book now escapes me. So when this book was delivered to my doorstep, I couldn't help
but
rush to read it.
To my delight it was everything I expected it to be and more. The book is beautifully illustrated
with
realistic looking animals, all proportioned to their correct sizes. The story is cute, comical, and
easy
to read.
But what makes this book unique is that is has a real educational value. Not only do children get
to
practice reading rhymes, they learn the alphabet as each animal is introduced in alphabetical order
and each letter of that alphabet is bolded for emphasis. There's even a game of hide-n-seek where
children are encouraged to find lemmings, which have been strategically hidden throughout the
book. And finally, Mr. Smith includes a few questions to ask your child to make the book more
interactive.
Finally, the ending touches on having good manners. The children had tried everything to get the
animals to leave, but they just wouldn't go. Until the children learned to say, "please" that is.
If you're looking for a colorful book that engages the interest of young children, while introducing
them to the love of reading, and still has educational value, you'll want to get your hands on a
copy
of The Day The Zoo Came To Visit, today.
Alyice Edrich, Reviewer
www.thedabblingmum.com
Arlene's Bookshelf
The Heart's Desire
Anna Furtado
Yellow Rose Books
PMB 210, 8691 9th Avenue, Port Arthur, TX 77642-8025
ISBN: 1932300325, $15.95, 198 Pages
Anna Furtado's debut historical romance novel, The Heart's Desire, is set in England during the
post-Norman Medieval Period, the early Renaissance. Henry VI is on the throne, and in the small
township of Willowglen, Catherine Hawkins, the local spice merchant and herbal healer, is about
to
encounter the meaning of the book's title. As she prepares for the annual Harvest Faire, Catherine
notices a young noblewoman, Lady Lydia Wellington, staring at her from across the street.
Catherine is both captivated and confused. "That grey-green gaze had probed into the depths of
her
soul and left her overwhelmed with puzzling emotions" (p.1).
Soon the two women meet, which leads Lydia to ask her aunts, the Ladies of Briarcrest, if she
may
remain after the Faire and learn more about herbs and spices from Catherine. Lydia and Catherine
begin working together, and a friendship is forged which perhaps promises more. Along the way,
the
reader meets Sarah, Catherine's amiable and spunky young assistant, Isadore, a cleric with both a
secret and an obsession, Lord Wellington, Lydia's self-serving father, and the irrepressible Ladies
of
Briarcrest, Beatrice and Hilary. Through various trials and tribulations inherent in the genre of the
historical romance, the reader is pleasantly swept along as each new conflict appears, as each new
impediment to possible happiness occurs, and as the two heroines find purpose and resolve they
never knew they had.
Furtado has created a novel that is rich and vibrant in its authenticity. Having spent two years
researching the period to insure the accuracy of the setting and the events, she has, quite
remarkably,
reconstructed a vivid interwoven tapestry of everyday life, the social mores, and these
unconventional women of the times. The descriptions of the ordinary workday scenes and of the
beginnings of the "enlightenment" in Catherine's Willowglen Township provide the reader with the
opportunity to become part of the story, and this is especially important when reading an
historical
romance. The timeframe in which the action takes place must be again brought to life, dusted off,
and given new insight and vigor. Furtado manages rather effortlessly to accomplish that. The
section
headings, no chapters here, inform the reader as the plot progresses of the place and time. It reads
similarly to diary entries.
The characterization is written succinctly and compactly, yet the reader never feels that Catherine
and Lydia have been slighted as determined, intelligent, and independent women in their
increasingly
dynamic evolution. There is a good deal of internal dialogue for both of these characters, which,
at
times, seems repetitious. Occasionally, the diction of the period reads a bit imperiously. However,
neither of these points detrimentally affect the storyline. The antagonists in this novel are not the
typical mustache-twirling villains. They are not so stereotypical as to be nothing more than
cartoon
figures, which all too often people the pages of this genre. In fact, all the characters who live their
lives on these pages are credible individuals with the same kinds of plausible hopes and aspirations
as
do those of us living in the present.
The Heart's Desire is Book One in a series entitled "The Briarcrest Chronicles." The conclusion of
this novel will very skillfully segue into Book Two. Furtado has a vision for this historical
romance
series, and her first published novel more than promises an admirable foundation. It strays
somewhat
from the formulaic historical genre, but this surfaces to be one of Furtado's strengths. The Heart's
Desire uses an intriguing and innovative approach with wonderfully vital and fascinating women.
This will surely compel the reader to enthusiastically, if not impatiently, await the next
installment.
Until Soon
Maya Indigal
Yellow Rose Books
PMB 210, 8691 9th Avenue, Port Arthur, TX 77642-8025
ISBN: 1932300317, $19.95, 285 pages
Andi Marlowe is a twenty-three year-old graduate assistant in the English department and a
part-time instructor at a small New England liberal arts school, Northeast Valley College. While
making a bothersome yet obligatory appearance at another boring fundraiser, Andi meets Cara
Jane
Lipinski, a senior history major, who also happens to be CJ Lipinski, the senior star of the college
basketball team. A spilt drink prompts the two women to strike up a conversation. Before CJ
leaves
the party, Andi offers assistance to CJ who is struggling with the completion of an important
history
research paper.
Soon after, the basketball star is dropping by Andi's office for research mentoring, and Andi
begins
to realize CJ is popping in for more than merely information about how best to write note cards.
There is a definite attraction for the beautiful graduate assistant. As the story progresses, Andi
also
realizes that her feelings for CJ go beyond simple friendship, and this presents a variety of
conflicts
for her as well as for those around her. The teacher/student boundary line, a spurned suitor,
unpleasant memories of a past love, and an entirely unforeseen medical crisis are but a few of the
troubling events that befall these two young women and which will affect the course of each
woman's life.
Until Soon is Maya Indigal's first novel, and it is an outstanding effort and worthwhile entry into
the
genre of lesbian romance. Indigal has meticulously fleshed out her characters completely and
carefully. The calm and cautious Andi and the sassy CJ represent their age group quite well, but
one
does not need to be in that set to appreciate the uncertainty, the humor, and the vulnerability of
these two very affable characters. CJ's interactions with her roommates are often quite raucous
and
humorous, and her relationship with her teammates and her understanding of the word team ring
true. The exchanges between CJ and her coaches also capture the mood and spirit of an athlete
and a
team that want to win that all-important championship.
The plot development, overall, is straightforward and most definitely comprehensible. Series of
events flow effortlessly into one other with a distinct rhythm and purpose. The only thing this
reader
found a bit excessively drawn was the devotion of so much of the storyline to the recuperation
scene. It was too repetitive of actions toward the last third. However, when Indigal recreates a
magical sledding scene, it is virtually a verbal snapshot of a wonderful time, on a perfect day, with
that ideal someone.
Conflict drives any story, and there are several struggles that present themselves for these main
characters that fully involve the reader. In addition, this reader would have preferred more
emphasis
on the conflict that involved Andi, CJ, and Jen, the assistant coach. There is a fair amount of
internal
conflict and internal dialogue involving Andi and CJ. Unlike some other novels, Until Soon
refreshingly avoids the often overdone, tedious, confusing, and mundane expression of this plot
device.
Indigal possesses an easygoing and comfortable writing style that is one reason this reader sat
down
and finished the novel in several hours. It is the sort of writing that deals with the kind of
believable
and common experiences that immerse a reader, a genuine "put yourself in their places" novel.
Until
Soon gives the reader that sense of having met some very congenial and agreeable people, the sort
one would like to invite over for an evening of good food, drink, and conversation. Until Soon is
an
enjoyable way to spend a few hours, and Maya Indigal is an author worth remembering. Here's
hoping she's working on her next novel!
Arlene Germain
Reviewer
Bethany's Bookshelf
Shining Through
Hugh Prather
Conari Press
c/o Red Wheel/Weiser
368 Congress Street, 4th floor, Boston, MA 02210
1573249548 $12.95 1-800-423-7087 www.redwheelweiser.com
Shining Through: Switch On Your Life and Ground Yourself in Happiness is a thirty-day self-help
guide for Christians seeking to revitalize their self-esteem, their faith, and the love in their hearts.
Brief essays and affirmations, along with mental projects to confront and higher goals of the soul
to
aspire to comprise this powerful guide that challenges one's way of thinking about God and
inspires
greater depths of dedication to Christian principles. Highly recommended as an eye- and
soul-opening experience. "Affirmation: Learning to respond to now is all there is to learn. Guide:
Each instant I remember, I will take a closer look at this present moment and all it contains. The
journey to God is the journey into now. To ascend into Heaven is to sink so deeply into now that
I
lose all interest to past and future. The ego was and will be, but only God is."
The Catholic Faith Handbook For Youth
Brian Singer-Towns with Janet Claussen and Clare van Brandwijk
Saint Mary's Press
702 Terrace Heights, Winona, MN 55987-1318
0884897672 $26.95 1-800-533-8095 www.smp.org
The Catholic Faith Handbook For Youth is a basic guidebook concerning all things Catholic.
Intended for young adults, yet accessible to anyone who may be fuzzy on the details of
Catholicism,
The Catholic Faith Handbook For Youth covers creed, sacraments, morality, and prayer, along
with
articles concerning information on current events from a Catholic point of view, advice for prayer,
profiles of thirty-seven Catholic saints, notes on the history of the Catholic Church, and more.
Full-color illustrations pepper this highly readible introduction to a spiritual way of life. Especially
recommended reading to share with one's preteen and teenage children in order to teach them
more
about Catholicism and what it means to live one's life by Catholic religious principles.
History Makers
William Ford III
Regal Books
2300 Knoll Drive, Ventura, CA 93003-7383
0830732454 $12.99 regalbooks.com
History Makers: Your Prayers Have the Power to Heal the Past and Shape the Future is a
Christian
self-help guide to renewing the faith and sincerity in one's prayer. Emphasizing the need to look to
biblical forefathers and pray for the renewal of their covenants with God, History Makers forsees
the
synergistic effect of combining prayers as having a lasting impact upon God's goals for humanity,
America, and the world. History Makers does not put forth such naive beliefs as to claim that
prayer
alone allows for earthshaking events such as the capture of Saddam Hussein, but it does stress the
positive repercussions prayer can bring on all walks of human life, culminating in what can only be
described as a translation "from censer to scepter". A zealous yet profound exploration into the
role
that faith can have, and an instructional in how to fire up one's faith to transcent curses of the
past.
Gifts of the Wise Men
Colleen Reece
Kregel Publications
PO Box 2607, Grand Rapids, MI 49501
0825436079 $14.99 1-800-733-2607
Gifts of the Wise Men: A Treasury of Christmas Stories is an anthology of simple, heartwarming
tales to share with readers of all ages. Color illustrations and a warm and loving theme pervade
the
stories. Some Christian themes are touched upon, such as the songs of angels and Jesus Christ's
personal Christmas wish list. Most of the tales are quite brief, and make for enjoyable holiday
bedtime or storytime reading. An enchanting and endearing anthology.
The Old Shepherd's Tale
Henri Sorensen
Housatonic Press
c/o The Myrin Institute
187 Main Street, Great Barrington, MA 01230
091309885X $16.95 www.myrin.org/hp
The Old Shepherd's Tale is a beautiful children's picturebook that contemplates the miracle of
Jesus
Christ's birth from the point of view of an old shepherd, and the animals thast shared the manger
where His life began. Moving oil paintings portray scenes of the ox, the cow, and the donkey, as
each is a witness to divine wonder and each offers their own gift to the newborn savior. The
message of an angel, concerning importance for the respect of the pain and contributions that each
animal gives to humans, is one that resonates with compassion and reverence for life at the
end.
The Lord's Prayer
Heidi Holder
Front Street
862 Haywood Road, Asheville, NC 28806
1932425039 $16.95 www.frontstreetbooks.com
Beautifully illuminated throughout by the museum quality artwork of Heidi Holder, The Lord's
Prayer is presented in the manner and form of a medieval manuscript with each spectacular
illustration accompanying each phrase of the short text of Jesus' famous example of prayer as
found
in the New Testament gospels. Holder's meticulous renderings of animals, birds, insects,
traditional
religious symbols, gardens, wildlands, and distant castles transform this picturebook into an
inherently impressive work of inspired and inspiring art. If you only have budge enough for
acquiring
a single picturebook for a Christian child, make it Heidi Holder's The Lord's Prayer.
Thank You, God
Charlotte Lundy & Miriam Sagasti
Bay Light Publishing
PO Box 3032, Mooresville, NC 28117
0967028094 $15.95 1-866-541-3895 www.baylightpub.com
The collaboration of author Charlotte Lundy and illustrator Miriam Sagasti, Thank You, God is
especially recommended for young readers ages 4 to 8, and features a prayer which was written
by
former president Jimmy Carter and is a wonderful picturebook about Patrick, who dreams of one
day flying airplanes. When Patrick's flight instructor tells him that he's a natural at flying, Patrick's
father explains to him how God gives everyone special talents in life like with Dr. Campbell and
his
special talent of compassion and caring for the sick, or neighbor Hankins with her special talent of
feeding and caring for the hungry, or Mr. Wilson with his special talent for building houses. Thank
You, God is ideal reading for children. Also highly recommended are the other titles comprising
this
outstanding children's picturebook series by Charlotte Lundy: Thank You, Moses; Thank You,
Noah; Thank You, Mary; Thank You, Paul; Thank You, Peter; Thank You Esther; Thank You
Solomon; That You, Ruth & Naomi; and Thank You, Jesus.
So That's What God Is Like!
LeAnne Hardy & Janet Wilson
Kregel Kidzone/Kregel Publications
PO Box 2607, Rand Rapids, MI 49501
0825427827 $TBA www.kregel.com
In So That's What God Is Like! author LeAnne Hardy draws upon her ten years of experience in
Africa serving as a missionary librarian to create the story of Temba, a young African boy who
tends
his family's goats with his big brother Sipo but is so small that he can only climb where his brother
can leap. When his mother carries a heavy tin of water upon her head to irrigate the corn plants in
the family garden, Temba is so small that he can only carry a little can of water upon his. Temba's
family are Christians and he loves his village church and his teacher. But Temba thinks he is too
small and unimportant to ask anything of God. With the help of Temba's Granny he learns that no
one is so small, so little, or so unimportant that God would not want to help and protect them.
Temba discovers that God is like a shepherd who is interested in the well-being of every member
of
the flock. Especially the little chicks, the little babies, and the little goats, and the little boys like
Temba. Janet Wilson's museum quality artwork adds a very special supportive imagery to this
original and heartfelt picture story for young Christian readers ages five to eight.
Christopher's Adventures
Susan Sherwood Parr, author
Doina Paraschiv, illustrator
Word Productions LLC
10-405 Delicado Place, NE, Albuquerque, NM 87111
0972859038 $TBA www.wordproductions.org
Christopher's Adventures: A Prayer On Angel Wings is a wonderfully written picturebook on
prayer
for young readers. Beautifully illustrated with Doina Paraschiv's artwork, the poetically lyrical text
is
about a little boy who goes to sleep one night and dreams an angel named Matthew shows him
what
Jesus wants him and all other children to do. Acts of prayer and kindness to those and for those in
need of help anywhere in the world. Christopher's Adventures is a welcome and enthusiastically
recommended addition to family and Sunday school children's books collections and reading
lists.
God Of The Valley
Steve Griffiths
Augsburg Publishers
100 Fifth Street, Suite 700, Minneapolis, MN 55402-1210
0806651520 $12.99 1-800-328-4648 www.augsburgbooks.com
God of the Valley: A Journey Through Grief is the personal testimony of a church minister who
works with bereaved families, and who lost his own wife at the far too young age of thirty-six.
Biblical passages are woven into this journey of faith in difficult times, which is penned as the
personal experience of one who is strengthened and comforted by God rather than as a clinical
advice book for grieving. A profound meditation on the sadness of life and the difficulty of
moving
on, as well as the immeasurable love of God.
The Truth Will Set You Free
Samuel L. Hoard
Concordia Publishing House
3558 South Jefferson Avenue, Saint Louis, MO 63118-3968
0758605471 $9.99 1-800-325-3040 www.cph.org
The Truth Will Set You Free is Samuel L. Hoard's autobiography. Beginning with his childhood
in
St. Louis, Missouri, going on to his college years in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and continuing with his
service to people from all walks life as a pastor and military chaplin, this personal memoir is laced
with anecdotes revealing the subtleties and cruelties of racism both with society and withing the
church. The Truth Will Set You Free is an account of an enduring passion for communicating the
Gospel despite social, cultural, and racial roadblocks. The life story of Pastor Samuel L. Hoard is
strongly recommended reading, especially for those engaged in their own struggle against injustice
and discrimination both within the Christian community and the broader secular society.
Susan Bethany
Reviewer
Betsy's Bookshelf
Ride 'Em Cowboy
Stefan Czernecki
Simply Read Books
501-5525 West Boulevard, Vancouver, BC, V6M 3W6, Canada
189496506X $16.95 www.simplyreadbooks.com
Engagingly written and distinctively illustrated with photography utilizing authentic folk art and
handcrafted props in make-believe scenarios, by Stefan Czernecki, Ride'Em Cowboy takes young
readers ages 4 to 7 seven through a day's work on the range. Beginning with the crow of a rooster
in
the morning and the cowboys saddling up their horses for a days work of roping, riding; and a
whole
lot more, to the end of a long day's work and time to kick up a little fun square dancing, singing,
and
spending their pay, to bedtime and dreams of riding the rodeo, this colorful, lively, wonderfully
entertaining picturebook story is a welcome and recommended addition to any child's reading list
--
especially if they have cowboy dreams of their own!
Becoming George's Brother
Maria McCool & Don Berry
Privately Published
1594572496 $16.99 www.mariamccool.com
Written by Maria McCool and illustrated by Don Berry, Becoming George's Brother is a
picturebook without a spine that addresses a fundamental question in family relationships - can a
younger brother ever earn equal respect and friendship with his older brother, who enjoys a
reputation for being everything the younger brother is not? Following two siblings as they work
hard
on a family farm, Becoming George's Brother is a heartwarming tale that offers a strong,
inspirational message of family togetherness and working to overcome difficulties. An enjoyable
tale,
Becoming George's Brother written with enough complexity to appeal to young readers just
approaching intermediate level comprehension skills.
It All Began With A Bean
Katie McKy & Tracy Hill
Tanglewood Press
PO Box 3009, Terre Haute, IN 47803
097493030X $14.95 www.tanglewoodbooks.com
It All Began With A Bean is a delightfully whimsical picturebook exploration of what would
happen
if 5 flies feasted on beans, 15 pigeon dined on raisins, 45 cats chomped on cheese, 135 dogs
woofed
down potato chips, thousands of kids (and their teachers!) chewed bubble gum, half a million
people
ate eggs; a million fish swam through soda, and more than a million people gulped big breaths
before
a race -- and then they all farted at the same time. Katie McKy's original story is wonderfully
illustrated by Tracy Hill -- the result is a modern classic that will thoroughly engage the
imaginations
of young readers ages 4 to 8 from beginning to end.
The Monster Run
MyLinda Butterworth & Matthew Mercer
KSB Promotions (publicity)
Day To Day Enterprises
17212 Canoe Creek Road, Oviedo, FL 32766-8533
1890905232 $14.95 www.TheMonsterRun.com
Nicole is afraid of the dark, but her father knows just how to get rid of night monsters and leave
her
feeling safe and loved. In The Monster Run, author MyLinda Butterworth draws upon her
experience as the mother of two children to write a superbly crafted children's book about being
scared of the dark in the middle of the night. This engaging and reassuring story for young readers
is
perfectly illustrated by Matthew Mercer. The Monster Run is a welcome addition to family and
community library collections for children -- especially children needing a little help at coping with
night time anxieties.
Milton's Dilemma
Patricia Gatto & John De Angelis, authors
Kenneth Vincent, illustrator
Providence Publishing Company
834 Tanglewood Drive, Tanglewood Lakes, Greentown, PA 18426
0965166198 $15.95 www.joyfulproductions.com
Milton's Dilemma by the husband and wife writing team of John De Angelis and Patricia Gatto
deals
directly with the consequences of bullying in a sensitive, practical, entertaining manner as young
readers ages 6 to 10 follow the journey of Milton from loneliness and anxiety to friendship and
self-acceptance. Kenneth Vincent's rather impressive artwork is a perfect enhancement of a reader
engaging story. Milton's Dilemma is a respected and commended addition to school and
community
library collections for children, nd especially recommended reading for any child having to deal
with
the issues of bullies and bullying.
The Sleepytime Ponies Trick A Trickster
Lana Jordan, author; Kd Allen & Teresa Giraud, illustrators
Lullaby Mountain, Inc.
PO Box 2882, Cedar City, UT 84721
0971069611 $12.95 www.sleepytimeponies.com
The debut title in a new series of read-aloud bedtime storybooks for children. Mother, Katie, and
Ben are flown to Thailand by flying ponies. There they shop at a floating market, make their own
kites, pursue Mouse Deer through the rain forest, and wonderfully enjoy themselves. Mouse Deer
is
a clever little southeast Asian character who can outwit and outrun just about everyone while
playing tricks and practical jokes. Along with their new friend Napat, they all try to catch up with
Mouse Deer and, with the help of the Sleepytime Ponies, beat him at his own game! An original
story by Lana Jordan which is nicely enhanced with illustrations by the team of Kd Allen and
Teresa
Giraud, The Sleepytime Ponies Trick A Trickster will leave young readers enthusiastically
awaiting
the next thrilling and entertaining picturebook adventure with the Sleepytime Ponies.
Betsy Hogan
Reviewer
Betty's Bookshelf
Nam Vet: Making Peace with Your Past
Chuck Dean
ACW Press 1200 Hwy 231 South #273, Ozark, AL 36360
http://www.acwpress.com/index.html
0967937108 $13.99 176 p.
The war in Iraq is winding down now, leaving in its wake thousands of men and women who have
seen and done things beyond their imagination. Some of them will return to the U.S. with joy at
resuming life-before-the-war. Others will return with PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder].
What is PTSD? In 1980, during his testimony before a Senate Subcommittee on Veteran Affairs,
Dr.
John P. Wilson (from Cleveland State University's department of psychology) stated, "We know
now that PTSD is a dynamic survivor response to the catastrophic stressors experienced in the
war
and to the intense social stressors after it."
PTSD is not malingering. It is not a mental disease. It can happen to anyone and affects sufferers
mentally, physically, emotionally, and socially. It can be difficult for a sufferer to recognize in
himself
or herself, let alone handle without help. It has been diagnosed in survivors of automobile wrecks,
rapes, POW and concentration camps, and catastrophes such as house fires and earthquakes, in
policemen and firemen and EMT workers... and in returning veterans, especially the men and
women
from the Vietnam War.
If such a veteran (or policeman, fireman, EMT worker...) is your friend, your spouse, your child,
you already know what havoc PTSD can wreck on a life, not only the sufferer's life, but the lives
of
all those in his or her circle of family, friends, and co-workers.
If you don't know such a person and think that you don't need to know about PTSD, consider
this:
72% more vets have killed themselves since returning home from Vietnam than died in the
conflict
itself. That is an unmistakable cry for help and the results of ignoring it (or denying that it can be
answered) leaves a whole generation of warriors to battle through it all alone. The Vietnam War
produced thousands of men and women who have never really come home, who are still fighting
their battles in the dark of night and the depths of their souls.
Add to that survivors from other wars, conflicts and catastrophes (including Sept. 11, Operation
Iraqi Freedom, and the car wreck down the street) and you come up with an inescapable fact:
sooner
or later someone you care about will be diagnosed with PTSD and you'll want to be able to say,
with
Seattle author and Vietnam veteran Chuck Dean, "...It doesn't have to be that way. ... there is real
help available, though it may not come from the quarter you expect... PTSD can be licked."
Chuck Dean, former international director of Point Man Ministries, knows firsthand about the
effects of PTSD on a person's life. Dean was one of the first paratroopers of the advanced forces
of
the 173d Airborne Brigade sent into Vietnam in May of 1965, the only American unit that never
set
foot on American soil during its entire existence and the first regular ground troops to be
deployed
to Vietnam to begin the war escalation.
After his year-long tour of duty in Vietnam ended in April of 1966, he returned home, where for
the
next twenty years he battled the demons of PTSD through two divorces and sixty-five jobs, with
every weapon he could put his hands on: drugs, alcohol, militia involvement, bouts of rage, you
name it, he probably tried it. Finally, in 1986, he did something he had never done before in all his
years of military service - he surrendered. Not to a foreign military power, though, and not to the
demons of PTSD, either. Dean surrendered to God - and was inducted into a new army - God's.
His
life changed dramatically as a result.
Since then, Dean says, "My trauma was brought into 'remission' over a decade ago. Now, I'm
giving
my time, strength, and resources to help brothers [in arms]... find release and final healing for this
inner sickness." One of the resources he uses is his book, Nam Vet: Making Peace With the Past,
which has sold over 90,000 copies and which he gives free to any veteran who wants one,
through
his web site (see below).
In Nam Vet, Dean first educates readers about the disorder itself and the effects it can have on
people. He then lists a series of small, doable steps that can be taken, one at a time, to pull PTSD
sufferers out of the pit they've been thrown into.
If you know someone who is struggling with PTSD or you would like to understand the issue of
the
Vietnam veteran as well as PTSD itself, this book is the place to start. Be forewarned - reading it
may not only change the way you look at others, it may change the way you look at yourself.
Chuck Dean has written many books for and about servicemen and they can all be ordered from
his
web site at: http://www.namvetbook.com/ or by calling his distributor's warehouse at
1-866-301-7323.
Runt the Brave
Daniel Schwabauer
Clear Water Press
P.O. Box 62, Olathe, KS 66051
www.tiranor.com
0974297216 $16.99. 224 p.
When you are small, it is easy for others to overlook you - and underestimate you. Runt isn't
taken
seriously by the other mice of Tira-Nor, not even his own family. Few outside his family even
know
that his real name is JaRed, for he has been called "Runt" all his life. He is smaller than the rest of
the
mice and his main talents are slipping about silently, making himself almost invisible, and believing
with all his heart in the words and ways of the unseen Maker, ElShua.
Although JaRed loves the safety and familiarity of Tiranor, he also hates it, for he longs for
adventure in the wide world outside, away from the sneers and bullying of his brothers and the
covert laughter of the other mice. His discovery and subsequent report of rat spies outside
Tira-Nor
brings him favorable attention from King SoSheth, who makes him a kingsguard. This makes his
brother HaRed jealous, and when he overhears the kingdom's seer secretly anointing JaRed as
king
over Tira-Nor, he tattles to King SoSheth.
Then the rat horde comes, sent by Lord Wroth, ElShua's bitter enemy, and led by the biggest rat
anyone has ever seen: GoRec. GoRec challenges the mice to send out a champion to fight him,
and
in the end, only JaRed has enough faith in ElShua's words to ask King SoSheth to send him. Can
he
prove to everyone that it takes more than size and strength to win a battle against evil? Runt the
Brave may be Missouri author Daniel Schwabauer's first novel, but it reads as smoothly and
grippingly as though it were only one of many. I look forward to his next book.
Betty Winslow
Reviewer
Buhle's Bookshelf
Teamster Rebellion
Farrell Dobbs
Pathfinder Books
306 W. 37th St., 10th Floor, New York, NY 10018-2852
087348973X $19.00 www.pathfinderpress.com
Farrell Dobbs was a coal-yard worker and one of the central leaders of the 1934 strikes when in
his
twenties. Some forty years later Dobbs was the national secretory of the Socialist Workers Party
and
wrote down an account of his experiences working in the coal yards and becoming involved in
unionist movement organizing the drive to establish Teamsters Local 574 and the rise of the
Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) as an effective nation-wide instrument to better
working
conditions for men and women like himself. Teamster Rebellion is Dobbs account of the
hard-fought
strike actions which were often all out battles with law enforcement and hired thugs operating as
strike breakers in the employ of the exploitative company owners and such big-business fronts as
Citizen Alliance. Teamster Rebellion is a welcome and recommended addition to academic and
community library American Labor History collections.
Socialism Betrayed
Roger Keeran and Thomas Kenny
International Publishers
PO Box 3042, NY, NY 10116
071780738X $14.00 www.intpubnyc.com
The collaborative effort of authors Roger Keeran and Thomas Kenny, Socialism Betrayed: Behind
The Collapse Of The Soviet Union 1917-1991 reveals the true story of what led to the overthrow
of
the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. a multi-faceted and meticulous presentation of historical
facts and personalities, the authors provide a wealth of insights and an especially perceptive
analysis
of the campaign to introduce capitalism from the top down, leading to the abandonment of
collectivism, socialism, and the communist ideal. Socialism Betrayed is a welcome and much
needed
contribution to the continuing international and scholarly dialogue regarding how capitalism came
to
replace socialism as the governing economic and cultural systems of the Soviet Union, the
downfall
of global dominance of Russia, and the rise of the bloody ethnic conflicts and civil wars that we
now
see happening between sister states within the former communist coalition.
Against the Tide
Debbie Hagan
Hamilton Books
c/o Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
Gulotta Communications Inc. (publicity)
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
0761828389 $30.00 1-800-462-6420 www.univpress.com
Against the Tide is the true story of a law school that dared to buck the American Bar
Association's
requirements for admitting candidates. In an era when only those who score high enough on
LSATs
and have the money to attend the most costly colleges can even attempt the bar exam, the dream
of
becoming a lawyer is open largely to those with money and privilege. The Massachusetts School
of
Law was not the first law school that attempted to be affordable, accessible to students of all
socio-economic groups, and relying on its own admissions standards rather than ABA-dictated
criteria, but it put up a fiercer fight than its predecessors. The MSL took the ABA to court more
than once after they withdrew their accreditation, accusing the ABA of antitrust violations and
anti-competitive tactics, arguing that the MSL attempted to fulfill as many ABA requirements as it
could, but the demanding costs of fulfilling them all would have resulted in a tuition spike that
would
price their courses out of the reach of the very community they were trying to serve. Against the
Tide is a courageous David and Goliath story, and even though The Massachusetts School of Law
did not gain accreditation from the ABA, it was victorious in other ways - for one, it earns
accreditation from the reknowned New England Association of Schools and Colleges. Highly
recommended.
Christ and Apollo
William F. Lynch
ISI Books
PO Box 4431, Wilmington, DE 19807-0431
1932236228 $15.00 1-800-526-7022 www.isibooks.org
Originally published in 1960, Christ and Apollo: The Dimensions of Literary Imagination is a
classic
examination of the works of Greek dramatists, Dante, Shakespeare, Proust, Camus, Graham
Greene,
and other great writers in light of their gravitation toward two opposing tendencies. One aspect,
symbolized by Apollo, is the tendency to desire escape from the finite real world and the human
condition of embodiment. The other tendency is symbolized by Christ, and offers a glimpse of the
infinite world. Christ and Apollo evaluates these traits with articulate philosophical reasoning, and
educated author and literary critic William F. Lynch explains why he feels limitation and finitude is
the great human good. An erudite and deeply thought out compendium, intended especially for
advanced literature and philosophy students.
A Chimp in the Family
Vince Smith
Marlowe & Company
c/o Avalon Publishing Group
245 West 17th Street, 11th floor, New York, NY 10011-5300
156924460X $14.95 1-800-788-3123
A Chimp in the Family is the true story of an ecologist and conservationist who took an infant
chimpanzee into his home when she was abandoned by her mother. Six months later, his son was
born. A Chimp in the Family is the unique account of rearing two babies side by side as one's own
kin. Offering heartfelt tales of struggling with infant care and the milestones of early childhood, A
Chimp in the Family also offers the unique difficulties in attempting to persuade a hand-reared
chimpanzee to socialize with others of its kind. Happiness and heartbreak blend in A Chimp in the
Family, which details social and emotional bonds between humans and animals from an intensely
personal point of view.
Genomic And Genetic Analysis Of Plant Parasitism And Defense
Shinji Tsuyumu, et al.
APS Press
3340 Pilot Knob Road, St. Paul, MN 55121-2097
0890543232 $79.00 www.apsnet.org
The collaborative work of editors and contributors Shinji Tsuyumu (Shizuoka University, Japan),
Jan E. Leach (Kansas State University), Tomonori Shiraishi (Okayama University, Japan), and
Thomas Wolpert (Oregon State University), Genomic And Genetic Analysis Of Plant Parasitism
And Defense is a compilation of the articles and essays that were presented at the 9th Japan/U.S.
Science Seminar on Plant-Pathogen Interactions, held the week of November 2, 2003 in
Shizuoka,
Japan. This seminar had as it focus a genome-wide analyses and the use of large-scale, high
throughput genomic tools in combination with classic genetic tools and resources to decipher the
molecular basis of plant-microbe interactions. Representing the cutting edge of research, Genomic
And Genetic Analysis Of Plant Parasitism And Defense is a seminal work and a strongly
recommended addition to professional, corporate, academic, and governmental Agricultural
Studies
reference collections and supplemental reading lists.
Genetics Of Populations
Philip W. Hedrick
Jones & Bartlett Publishers
40 Tall Pine Drive, Sudbury, MA 01776
0763747726 $82.95 www.jbpub.com
A superbly presented and comprehensive introduction to population genetics as one of the
fundamental underlying principles and processes of the evolutionary process, Genetics Of
Populations is now published in a newly updated and significantly revised third edition. Author
Philip W. Hedrick (Arizona State University) integrates theoretical issues with a clear and
acceptable
presentation of experimental population genetics with empirical data providing students and
researchers with one of the most articulate and up-to-date texts available. Features new to this
latest
addition is a focus on data from genome projects that compare population samples to identify
patterns of genetic diversity and genes that have been under selection. All of the individual
chapters
have been completely updated with the latest examples and approaches in this rapidly evolving
field
of study. Of special value for curriculum development are the new and updated tables, chapter
exercises, end-of-chapter problems, art, photographs, featured researchers, extensive
bibliography,
and detailed index. Highly recommended.
Morocco
Barnaby Rogerson
c/o The Globe Pequot Press
6 Business Park Road, Old Saybrook, CT 06475
1860111610 $24.95 1-800-243-0495 www.cadoganguides.com
The native land of the Berbers, Morocco is a fascinating land with a long history of invasions and
occupations by Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, and the French. It is the Islamic country of
such ancient cities as Casablanca, Marrakech, and Tangier. Now in a fully revised and updated
edition, Morocco is a superbly organized and enthusiastically recommended travel guide to
Morocco's regional highlights featuring more than 600 "hand picked" places to stay, as well as
restaurants, bars and cafes. Enhanced with 50 maps and town plans, Morocco provides the
traveler
with expert insights into Moroccan history, art, religion, culture, festivals, and even local market
days. Of special note is the wealth of ideas and advice for planning a trip.
Why Birds Do That
Michael Furtman
Willow Creek Press
PO Box 147, Minocqua WI 54548
1595430598 $15.95 1-800-850-9453 www.willowcreekpress.com
Birds provide endless fascination with their evocative songs, their complex and occasionally
comical
behavior, their variety, and their seasonal comings and goings. Why Birds Do That: A Collection
Of
Curious Avian Exploits by nature writer and photographer Michael Furtman explains forty
distinctive bird behaviors. Enhanced with more than one hundred color photographs and very
highly
recommended for ornithology students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in bird
behavior, Why Birds Do That explains why birds sing; why the singing principally takes place in
the
morning; why males of many species sport bright colors; why some birds hatch naked, while
others
come with thick and fluffy coats of down; and other common (and not-so-common) questions
concerning the birds we see in our backyards, our farms and fields, our meadows, glens and
forests.
The Army Of The Potomac: Volume II
Russel H. Beatie
Da Capo Press
Goldberg McDuffie Communications (publicity)
Eleven Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142
0306812525 $45.00 1-800-242-7737 www.dacapopress.com
The commanding officer of the Army of the Potomac, General George B. McClellan is one of the
most disputable and often denigrated figures of the Civil War. His personal character and his
military
performance were constantly under scrutiny during his lifetime, and down to the present day
continues to be a subject of controversy among Civil War historians. In The Army Of The
Potomac:
McClellan Takes Command, September 1861-February 1862, civil war historian Russel H. Beatie
offers the most accurate and unbiased account to date of McClellan and his fellow commanding
officers in the Union Army. Beaties spent years of research piecing together the details of
McClellan's command from original documents spread all over the world (many of which had
never
been dealt with previously) to humanize the leaders of the Union Army and illustrate how their
personalities influenced their command decisions. The second volume in Beaties' superbly written
"The Army Of The Potomac" series, The Army Of The Potomac: McClellan Takes Command,
September 1861-February 1862 cogently addresses such issues as why McClellan deserves a great
deal more credit than his is traditionally accorded for building the Union army; how McClellan
tried
to improve his communication difficulties and accede to the wishes of President Lincoln; why the
inter of 1861-1862 (the worst in forty years) and his nearly lethal case of typhoid fever had such a
profound impact on McClellan's actions. This definitive history is a core addition for any Civil
War
History reference collection or Civil War Studies reading list. Also very highly recommended is
the
first volume in this outstanding series from Da Capo Press, The Army Of The Potomac:
McClellan
Takes Command.
Willis M. Buhle
Reviewer
Burroughs' Bookshelf
Photoshop Masking & Compositing
Katrin Eismann
Peachpit Press, Inc.
1249 Eighth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
0735712794 $54.99 1-800-283-9444 www.peachpit.com
Digital photography expert Katrin Eismann presents Photoshop Masking & Compositing, a
straightforward guide to techniques and applications that utitlize the fine points of digital imaging
software for optimum results. Chapters address how to select and mask difficult elements such as
fine hair or translucent objects; mastering the Pen tool; working with layer, channel and vector
masks; and much more. Full-color illustrations throughout make the step-by-step guidelines
explicitly clear in this "must-have", user friendly instructional and reference resource for dedicated
digital photography artists and professionals.
Java Reflection In Action
Ira R. Forman and Nate Forman
Manning Publications Company
209 Bruce Park Avenue, Greenwich, CT 06830
1932394184 $44.95 www.manning.com
Java Reflection In Action by the collaborative team of Ira and Nate Forman is a practical "how
to"
manual for applying reflection to computer programming. Reflection is the ability of a running
program to look at itself and its environment, and change what it does according to what it sees.
It is
an inbuilt feature of the Java language and allows one to sidestep a common source of
maintenance
woes. Java Reflection In Action walks the programmer through a complete understanding of
reflection and some of the most useful reflective solutions to replace "hard-coded" ones. An
excellent self-teaching resource for intermediate to advanced students and practitioners of Java
programming, Java Reflection In Action is packed from cover to cover with examples, flowcharts,
sample code, and more, all effectively designed to facilitate instruction.
Visual Quickstart Guide: C Programming
Larry Ullman & Marc Liyanage
Peachpit Press, Inc.
1249 Eighth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
0321287630 $21.99 1-800-283-9444 www.peachpit.com
Co-written by Larry Ullman and Marc Liyanage (professional trainers of software engineers),
Visual
Quickstart Guide: C Programming is a text specifically intended for beginning to
intermediate-level
programmers who need to assimilate the basics of programming in C as swiftly as possible. Using
a
visual, picture and example-centered approach to show how to perform basic tasks, C
programming
eschews long-winded passages for direct results and an easy-to-follow system for immediately
looking up what one most needs to know. Individual chapters expertly and accessibly address the
basics of data types, control structures, creating one's own functions, managing memory, working
with strings, installing and using C tools, and much more. Visual Quickstart Guide: C
Programming
is an absolute "must" for students or professionals who need to learn or refresh their knowledge
of C
and have little time to spare.
Adobe Photoshop 7.0
Adobe Press
c/o Pearson Technology Group
801 East 96h Street, #300, Indianapolis, IN 46240-3759
0321115627 $45.00 1-800-428-5331 www.mcp.com
Adobe Photoshop 7.0: Classroom in a Book is a comprehensive guide to mastering the nuances of
the latest version of Adobe Photoshop. Intended for digital photographers of all skill and
experience
levels, from rank novice to expert, Adobe Photoshop 7.0 has black-and-white sample menus and
images on almost every page to illustrate various details of handling the software. An included
CD-ROM with lesson files rounds out this superb resource covering everything from basics such
as
photo corrections and retouching to advanced issues such as layer techniques, adding interactive
slices and rollovers, creating animated images for the web, printing consistent color and much
more.
A must-have all-purpose resource manual, Adobe Photoshop 7.0 is the book to get if you can
only
afford a single "how to" instructional guide to Adobe Photoshop.
The Model Railroad'er Guide To Freight Yards
Andy Sperandeo
Kalmbach Publishing Company
PO Box 1612 , Waukesha, WI 53187
0890245762 $18.95 1-800-533-6644 www.kalmbachbooks.com
The Model Railroader Guide To Freight Yards by model railroading expert Andy Sperandeo
presents a compendium of overviews with respect to basic freight yard functions and operations;
strategies for modeling freight yards based on specific prototypes; examples of interesting scenes
and structures to model; ideas for saving space when designing a yard plan; and track plans from
successfully modeled freight yards. Enhanced throughout with maps and illustrations for easy
planning and designing, and with an inspirational photo gallery concluding each chapter, The
Model
Railroader Guide To Freight Yards is a welcome and enthusiastically recommended addition to
any
dedicated railroad modeler's reference shelf collection.
Firearm Supressor Patents
N. R. Parker
Paladin Press
Gunbarrel Tech Center, 7077 Winchester Circle, Boulder, CO 80301
1581604602 $45.00 1-800-392-2400 www.paladin-press.com
A very highly recommended addition to dedicated firearm enthusiast's personal and professional
reference collections, Firearm Suppressor Patents, Volume 1: United States Patents is the first
book
in more than 25 years to specifically address the subject of firearm suppressor patents and reflects
some truly amazing advances in the technology, art, and science of devices that suppress the
sound
of gunfire. Author N. R. Parker is a silencer industry expert who presents the reader with analysis
of
37 significant, historic, and effective silencer designs patented in the United States. Also covered
are
some unusual suppressor device designs, as well as a few notable failures! Parker takes the reader
through the technical jargon of patent language to identify noteworthy, unique, and revolutionary
aspects of each design covered, detailing both the important construction elements and the
concepts
behind sound-suppression technologies. Of special note are the interviews with three of today's
top
suppressor device designers and the special section on the evolution of cutting-edge silencer
mounting systems.
Craftsman's Construction Installation Encyclopedia
Stephen Diller & Janelle Diller
Craftsman Book Company
6058 Corte del Cedro, Carlsbad, CA 92009
1572181516 $65.00 1-800-829-8123 www.craftsman-book.com
A 787-page compendium with an accompanying CD of all the material in the book (including the
figures and tables), Craftsman's Construction Installation Encyclopedia offers step-by-step
installation instructions for any residential construction, remodeling, or repair task that a
do-it-yourself homeowner or professional construction worker is apt to face. Organized
alphabetically and written with clear, accessible language that is ideal for the non-specialist
general
reader, Craftsman's Construction Installation Encyclopedia is enhanced with literally hundreds of
diagrams and illustrations showing how to build, install, or remodel each part of a specific job, as
well as providing information on handy materials, equipment, and even tools for designated
projects.
From Acoustic tiles, to bathroom fixture, to cabinetry, to heating & air conditioning, to painting,
to
plumbing, to stone masonry, to wall paper to wood flooring, Craftsman's Construction Installation
Encyclopedia covers every aspect of residential construction, remodeling, or repair. There are
even
manhour tables for each work item covered. Filled with charts and tables, Craftsman's
Construction
Installation Encyclopedia is also the ideal and recommended reference for creating estimates and
bids, as well as monitoring work crews and construction schedules.
John Burroughs
Reviewer
Carson's Bookshelf
The Economic Dynamics of Modern Biotechnology
Maureen McKelvey, et al.
Edward Elgar Publishing
136 West Street, Suite 202, Northampton, MA 01060-3711
1843765195 $125.00 1-800-390-3149 www.e-elgar.com
Collaboratively compiled and edited by Maureen McKelvey, Annika Rickne and Jens
Laage-Hellman, a trio of economic experts, The Economic Dynamics of Modern Biotechnology is
a
seminal and invaluable resource presenting insight into the economic influence of modern
biotechnology. Drawing upon examples from Europe to illustrate global trends, The Economic
Dynamics of Modern Biotechnology applies theory to unravel the modern issues of exactly how
new
facets of knowledge interact with market processes and the formation of industries. Raising
important theoretical and practical questions, chapters adddress such topics as risk management
and
the commercialization of human genetic testing, the impact of emerging bioinformatics, how to
conceptualize and measure modern biotechnology, and much more. The Economic Dynamics of
Modern Biotechnology is a welcome and recommended addition to modern economics shelves for
students, teachers, and professionals alike, shedding light on a newly emerging dimension of the
interplay between economic and life science forces.
The Future of Higher Education
Frank Newman, et al.
Jossey-Bass, Inc.
989 Market Street, 5th floor, San Francisco, CA 94103-1741
0787969729 $33.00 1-800-225-5945 www.joseybass.com
A collaborative effort by academics Frank Newman, Lara Couturier, and Jamie Scurry, The
Future
of Higher Education: Rhetoric, Reality and the Risks of the Market is a no-nonsense scrutiny of
the
risks inherent in making higher education a market rather than a regulated public sector
institution.
Revealing findings from a thorough four-year examination of the forces transforming the
American
system of higher education today, The Future of Higher Education covers intensified competition
between institutions, globalization of colleges and universities, the increase of for-profit and
virtual
institutions, the growing influence of technology on learning and its methodologies, and much
more.
A critical account that suggests strategies for adapting to the new era without sacrificing the
virtues
of the old, The Future of Higher Education is especially recommended for college professors and
administrators seeking to chart a successful future for themselves and their students.
Death In A Texas Desert
Carlton Stowers
Republic of Texas Press
c/o Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
4720 Boston Way, Lanham, MD 20706
1556229771 $18.95 1-800-462-6420
Compiled by true crime writer and newspaper journalist Carlton Stowers, Death In A Texas
Desert
is a very highly recommended anthology of seventeen crime stories taken from the pages of the
Dallas Observer. These were horrific cases of notorious events that range from the search for
alleged
murderer Ira Einhorn, to the legacy of racist killer bobby Frank Cherry, to the last, angry days of
George Hennard who opened fire in Killeen's Luby's Cafeteria killing 23 patrons. These are stories
of human experience at hits darkest as exemplified by Andrea Yates who killed her five children
and
the impact Rusty Yates, her husband and the father of her children whose life was irrevocably
shattered in a few short hours. Other stories are about missing children, a rest home murderer,
and
murders solved almost a century after they were committed. Through each and every story,
Carlton
Stowers takes his readers seriously and provides them with stories that are devoid of gossip and
exaggeration as we explore the darkest sides of criminology as they played out in the lives of real
people with real consequences for themselves and their communities.
Michael J. Carson
Reviewer
Christina's Bookshelf
Wise Woman Herbal Childbearing Year
Susun Weed
Ash Tree Publishing
P.O. Box 64, Woodstock N.Y. 12498
ISBN # 0961462000 $9.95
"Aren't herbs dangerous, especially during pregnancy?" a woman asks.
"I've heard they cause cancer," says another. "I can't imagine what they'd do to my unborn
baby."
"It's witchery," adds a third, "and I'll stick to regular doctors, thank you."
These are still many women's view on using herbs, a mid-wife, or a holistic approach, pregnant or
not. Vast numbers though, are looking into treating themselves, pursuing holistic doctors, and
using
midwives. They seek natural. In essence, women are going back to the skill they learned millions
of
years ago. They knew their bodies then and how to care for them. Then, along came those who
wanted further power and named this skill witchery. Suddenly men knew women's bodies better
than
they did. Weed leads readers back to this natural skill and power. She provides preventative and
healing remedies, herbal preparations, and points of safety, for before, during, and after
pregnancy.
Weed even added a chapter on newborns.
Book Contents Include:
-Foreword
-Introduction
-Using This Book
-Using Herbs Safely
-Before Pregnancy with sub-headings & categories (pages 1-12)
-During Pregnancy with sub-headings & categories (pages 17-49)
-Childbirth with sub-headings and categories (pages 55-74)
-After Pregnancy with sub-headings and categories (pages 77-84)
-Your Infant with sub-headings and categories (pages 95-114)
-Herbal Pharmacy with sub-headings and categories (pages 121-139)
-Appendix 1 (Herbal sources of vitamins & minerals)
-Appendix 2
-Glossary
-Index
Regular doctors and conservative medicines have their place, but herbal doctors and medicines do
as
well. Just why are many women going back to treating themselves, visiting holistic doctors, and
interested in natural? I believe deep down women know what works, what's safest, and what feels
right. They're reacquainting themselves with nature, and listening to and taking responsibility for
their own bodies.
'Childbearing Years' is for women wanting to take care their growing baby and of their bodies
naturally. Weed's style of presenting, and authenticity of facts, is straightforward and easy to
understand. Sketchings, alongside pages, are charming, as well as added notations. Everything
about
this book is comforting, nurturing, and encouraging. A valuable resource.
The Guess Who What When & Where Picture Trivia Book Series
Dave Cutler
GreyCore Press
2646 New Prospect Rd., Pine Bush N.Y. 12566
ISBN# 0974207446 $17.95 320 p.
You say you know movies? Can you name a film by a single photograph with a bit of trivia to
boot?
Okay, how about specifics? Can you remember the actors? The title? When it was released? Who
was the director? Well, Cutler's book will find out. What about your friends? Can they remember
film specifics better than you?
This book is incredibly easy to use. A large spiral ring binding allows for fast flipping and the
pages
stay put. Each movie's picture and trivia questions are neat and organized. This makes instant
quizzing and reference a breeze.
For each movie presented, Cutler provides two pages. On the left is a photograph from that
particular movie and on the right; is the trivia. The trivia is broken into four sections. One section
features 'PICTURE TRIVIA' WITH FOUR questions (who, what, when, who) and are worth
certain points. Another is titled 'BONUS TRIVIA' WITH three questions, worth ten points each.
The largest area covers interesting anecdotes and is titled, 'ABOUT THIS MOVIE.' To the far
right
of the page and sitting at an angle, the answers to the questions; all in small print of course.
Book Mechanics:
150 favorite movies
Easy-to-hold, easy to pass 6x6 format with large spiral binding.
Color and black and white photographs (depending upon film being color or black and
white).
Snappy colors, pictures, and questions.
Protective sturdy cardboard case enabling quick and easy slide in and out use.
Back matter that includes a listing of all the films featured with the companies that filmed
them.
Book Excerpts:
(actual picture examples of outside cover, film photographs and trivia questions available at
http://www.picturetrivia.com)
Who are the actors in this film?
What is the title of this film?
When was this film released?
Who is the director of this film?
Bonus Trivia
What classic rock song did the lead characters belt out in the "mirthmobile"?
In what city and state did they live?
To whose concert did they have backstage passes?
About This Movie
Before Austin Powers and Dr. Evil, there was Wayne and Garth, one of the more successful
"Saturday Night Live" sketches to be parlayed into a feature film. The stars of this comedy about
a
pair of friends with their own local public access show have indelibly made their mark on popular
culture with the catchphrase "Excellent!" and "Party On!"
The creator of this book, Dave Cutler, is an award-winning freelance artist. His images have
appeared in leading publications and corporate literature for 18 years. His fascination for
moviemaking began as a little boy and continues today. He's also published a children's book
titled,
'When I Wished I Was Alone,' Oct. 2003.
The publisher, GreyCore Press, says "This book is the first in a unique series of picture-based
trivia
books that use great b & w and color photographs to test reader's knowledge of their favorite
entertainment pastimes." Their next in the series will be PICTURES TRIVIA: SPORTS
EDITION,
scheduled to release in 2005.
My Rating
Quality excellent
Style of presentation and authenticity of facts, sources, etc. excellent
Ability to prove points excellent
Target audience or age group anyone, especially movie buffs of all ages.
Usage easily used as a game for one or more.
Cutler's trivia book is a treat for those bitten by the movie madness bug. A playful way to test
movie
knowledge and memory. Perfect on a coffee table, a desk, or as a gift.
Christina Francine Whitcher, Reviewer
http://www.CFrancine.bizland.com
Christy's Bookshelf
A Mouse Among Us
Allen Parker
PublishAmerica
P.O. Box 151, Frederick, MD 21705
www.publishamerica.com 301-695-1707
ISBN 1413740529 $12.95 146 pages
Humorist Allen Parker brings delightfully zany Christian nudist Chester back for more hilarious
antics in this sequel to Nudist Among Us. Along for the ride are Chester's long-suffering wife,
Karalyn, and amiable son, Ajay. This collection of short stories is guaranteed to not only entertain
the reader but to evoke smiles, if not side-splitting laughs. The stories ramble through Chester's
childhood and adulthood, with Parker's unique sense of humor shining through to perfection. It is
suggested that the reader may want to keep this book near at hand for those times when a good
laugh is needed. Is laughter the best medicine? You'll definitely feel good after reading A Mouse
Among Us.
Emeralds in the Snow
Maggie Bishop
High Country Publishers, Ltd.
197 New Market Center #135, Boone, NC 28607
www.highcountrypublishers.com 828-964-0590
1932158561 $12.00 188 pages
Lucky Tucker, member of the Sugar Mountain Ski Patrol, rescues Emerald Graham from a fall
while
skiing, and the two are instantly attracted to one another. Emerald is the granddaughter of
recently
deceased Everett Graham, a well-respected, wealthy businessman, and has lived a privileged life.
Raised in a family that never seemed to have enough money, especially after his grandfather
disappeared, Lucky has had to struggle to make ends meet. He is unsettled that Emerald has a
doctorate in math while he only attained a high school education, yet this does not seem to matter
to
Emerald. Despite their diverse backgrounds, the two cannot deny their feelings and enter into a
relationship. They discover a treasure map belonging to Emerald's grandfather, which guides them
to
land Lucky inherited from his grandfather. Lucky and Emerald hope this will lead them on a path
that will bring good fortune; however, the secret they uncover threatens to separate them
forever.
Maggie Bishop once more unveils a treasure-trove of information about the Appalachian region as
well as the sport of snow skiing. The familial connection between characters from Ms. Bishop's
first
book, Appalachian Paradise, and this one will, for some readers, feel like visiting old friends. The
author skillfully builds the story, with enticing characters and sweet romance, then offers
impending
doom to a relationship the reader has been rooting for, leaving a spiraling sense of anticipation
until
the end of the story. An engrossing read, one the reader will not want to put down.
Running of the Bulls: Book One
Frederick A. Babb
PublishAmerica
P.O. Box 151, Frederick, MD 21705
www.publishamerica.com 301-631-9073
ISBN 1413738648 $19.95 248 pages
Efigenia Hanns is orphaned at the age of ten, when her father is killed by a bull, her mother having
died in childbirth. Efi's aunt, Herminia, steps in to care for her and to run the ranch Efi's father left
her outside of Seville, Spain. Efi, in honor of her father, chooses not to sell the ranch, which is
used
for raising bulls for bullfights, although she receives a generous offer. When Efi is 18, the son of a
man interested in purchasing the ranch tries to rape her in order to control her, leaving Efi with
emotional scars about men.
Peter Collins' father is a surgeon who moves his family from Liverpool, England to Madrid, Spain
when Peter is ten. Throughout his young life, Peter has been fascinated with seeing a bullfight,
and
when he is 20, travels to Seville to visit with a family friend and attend his first.
On the train to Seville, Pete meets Efi and the two share an instant attraction. They begin to see
one
another and quickly fall in love, and with patience, tenderness and care, Peter helps Efi overcome
her secret fears about men. When Peter attends his first bullfight, he is disappointed and repulsed
by
the cruelty exhibited toward the bulls, the way they are tortured before dying. When he learns
Efi's
ranch provides bulls for the fights, he questions whether their love can survive this conflict. Efi,
however, feels this lifestyle is part of her heritage and does not understand Peter's feelings about
the
sport. Peter decides to return to Madrid, although Efi has hinted there may be a compromise. Will
their love survive this rift?
This first novel in a Spanish romance trilogy proves Babb to be a wonderful storyteller, offering a
powerful tale of love, passionate romance, and conflict. He educates the reader about the sport of
bullfighting in Spain, along with treasures of historical information, while weaving a spellbinding
romantic story. The ending leaves the reader anxious to read the next book in the series. A
compelling, thoroughly entertaining read.
The Black Pond
Chris Shanley Dillman
Publish America
P.O. Box 151, Frederick, MD 21705
www.publishamerica.com 301-695-1707
ISBN 1413738613 $17.95 126 pages
Annie Day, devastated over the death of her parents from a car accident caused by a drunken
driver,
accepts a position as live-in helper to Mrs. Sterling, an elderly blind woman who lives near the
college Annie will be attending. Annie befriends a stray dog she names Stormy, and when Stormy
is
struck by a car, Daniel, a veterinary student, helps rescue the dog and becomes Annie's
friend.
Annie begins a new life with Mrs. Sterling and quickly grows to love the log cabin they live in, as
well as the state park that backs Mrs. Sterling's property. During her forays into the park, Annie
discovers a black pond, which becomes her special place. She also finds a diary written by Mrs.
Sterling's daughter, who died tragically at a young age and who also was drawn to the black
pond.
Annie's rage over her parents' deaths begins to dissipate as she grows closer to Daniel and Mrs.
Sterling, but when she discovers a secret her parents kept from her, she allows her anger to lead
her
back to the black pond, a place that also harbors death.
This lovely story will leave the reader with a cozy, warm feeling. But beware, tears will be shed
along the way. Ms. Dillman's writing style is exceptional, her descriptive eloquently delivered, the
characters portrayed in such a way that the reader will quickly identify with and come to love
them.
With plenty of smiles to counter the tears, at its core is a heartwarming love story to lift the spirit
and brighten the day.
Christy Tillery French
Reviewer
Debra's Bookshelf
No Plot? No Problem
Chris Baty
Chronicle Books
San Francisco, CA
ISBN: 0811845052 $14.95 176 pages
Chris Baty, the author of No Plot? No Problem, is the founder of National Novel Writing Month,
a
bizarre, web-based movement, now in its sixth year, in which would-be novelists are invited to
unleash their inner muses, register (for free) at the NaNoWriMo website (NaNoWriMo.org), and
crank out the rough draft of a novel during the month of November. Incredibly, more than 25,000
people attempted to do just that in November of 2003, with some 3500 of them crossing the
finishing line. (Anyone who writes 50,000 words in the allotted time is declared a winner.) No
Plot?
No Problem is Baty's brief (about 50,000 words) and breezy companion volume to the literary
marathon.
In the first part of his book Baty offers readers mostly playful advice. Those undertaking the
month-long novel-writing challenge are advised to turn their loved ones into effective agents of
guilt, for example. Writers, too, are urged to procure a "wearable, writing-enhancing object" such
as
a baseball cap, the better both to put themselves in the mood to write and to signal to family
members "that you've slipped away into the shadowy Realm of the Novel, and that you are not to
be
disturbed unless they--or one of the more likable of the family pets--are on fire." Baty also
provides
practical advice about carving out time in one's schedule for writing. (One past NaNoWriMo
winner,
a woman from Indiana, reports escaping from her children to find writing time on the toilet. This
may be the way things are done in the Midwest, but I'm afraid a bathroom door is insufficient to
stop
the determined young of New England.)
In the second, more meaty part of his book Baty provides a week-by-week guide (intended to be
read at the appropriate points in the novel-writing month) to the writing process, with
week-appropriate pep talks, exercises, and tips. (For example, the tips provided for week one
"center on leveraging the adrenaline rush of the first few days, avoiding the pernicious desire to
self-edit as you write, creating a convenient home for your castaway thoughts, and maintaining
the
momentum by keeping your story a mystery to those around you.") These four week-specific
chapters are followed by a helpful section on the rewrite, the more exacting business of turning
one's
raw, hastily-scribbled prose into a passable novel once your novel-writing month is over.
No Plot? No Problem probably does not provide any advice about writing that readers would not
be
able to find elsewhere. But Baty is a very good, funny writer, and his enthusiasm for this insane
project is infectious. Having begun his fetching* little book a skeptic, you'll finish thinking that
writing a novel in a month is not so daft an enterprise after all. It may be that Baty's argument for
casting aside one's inhibitions and striving for quantity of words over quality will be just the
inspiration you need to sit down and produce a viable first draft.
* I love the book's subtly-textured, colorful cover, but the dark gray background of the book's
inset
notes make for difficult reading.
Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam
Paul Clayton
Thomas Dunne Books
St. Martin's Press
ISBN: 0312329032 $22.95 197 pages
Carl Melcher, the reluctant draftee of Paul Clayton's title, arrived in Vietnam at eighteen half
believing that his good karma would be sufficient to ensure his safety during his tour in the
infantry.
A host of needless deaths and the better part of a year later, Carl emerged from the jungle a more
mature figure, still the likeable, duty-bound character he had been when he went in, but a world
removed from the boys his age who had remained stateside.
Clayton's simply titled Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam, narrated in the first person by the title
character, succeeds in reading like the first-hand account of a naive GI's wartime experiences.
(The
novel is presumably autobiographical at least in part: the author is himself a Vietnam veteran who
served in the same infantry division in which his character finds himself.) The book is interesting
as a
primer in the day-to-day living conditions of a soldier in Melcher's shoes--the friendships with
fellow
soldiers formed quickly in the confines of a bunker, and sometimes terminated even more quickly
by
gunfire, racial divisions among the troops mirroring those ripping the country apart back home,
hard
slogs through a dense jungle in which an unseeable enemy may or may not lie hidden. Carl himself
never lays eyes on an enemy soldier during his tour, at least not a live one. He describes battle as a
hazy experience of firing blindly into the green without knowing who or how many one is
opposed
against. The overall feeling one has when reading about Carl is that he is a very small figure on a
large canvas, his fate entirely out of his hands, yielded to the army and to chance.
Despite the losses Carl suffers during his tour and the carnage alluded to in the book--there are no
grotesque descriptions of ripped flesh here--Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam does not grip the
reader
emotionally. This may be deliberate on the author's part, his readers intended to observe Carl's
experiences at a remove just as Carl is in a sense removed from them, unable even to see the
camouflaged enemy he fires at. More a memoir than a novel, Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam tells
its
protagonist's story in spare, sometimes inelegant prose which, if not rousing, makes for a very
quick
read. Anyone interested in a straightforward account of a soldier's experiences in Vietnam will
enjoy
Clayton's detailed account of Carl Melcher's tour of duty.
Codex
Lev Grossman
Harcourt
ISBN: 0151010668 $24.00 348 pages
With two weeks of free time to fill before he is due at his new job, a prestigious position in the
London office of his current employer, twenty-something investment banker Edward Wozny is
unsure what to do with himself. More accustomed to 18-hour work days than sleeping in, Edward
finds himself open to two time-consuming experiences he would never have considered
previously.
For reasons that are unclear to him, Edward is singled out by an English duchess and asked to
take
on the job of cataloging her family's library of neglected medieval manuscripts. He is at the same
time directed to keep an eye out for the work of a certain Gervase of Langford, the codex of
author
Lev Grossman's title. Edward thinks the job the duchess offers (through her representative) is
beneath him, and he is by no means qualified to perform it, but he nevertheless allows himself to
be
hired. Sucking up the rest of Edward's free time is an (allegedly) addictive computer game with
unusually realistic graphics that is lent to him by his friend Zeph. Edward manages through his
ineptitude to stumble into levels of the game that more experienced players are not even aware
exist.
In the weeks before his move to England, Edward becomes engrossed in both these activities, the
game and his search for the codex, to the point that he questions whether he will in fact return to
the
work that had until recently meant everything to him.
There is much to recommend Grossman's Codex. The book is filled with beautiful, vivid writing,
as,
for example, this description of Edward's childhood winters in Bangor, Maine: "It took a lot of
snow
to cancel school, but fortunately for Edward, Bangor got a lot of snow. If it started before he
went
to bed--and the later it started, the better his chances were--he would lie awake listening to the
snow-muffled silence, and once his parents were asleep he would shine a flashlight out the
window,
watching each snowflake gleam once as it passed through the beam and then vanished into
collective
anonymity on the lawn." The book's dialogues are well-written also, particularly those
conversations
in which Edward's friend Zeph has a part. Grossman manages to grab the reader's attention
immediately with a charming scene in which Edward first encounters the duchess, and he keeps us
interested for a surprisingly long time in the ostensibly unexciting question, Why did these people
hire Edward to catalogue their library?
In the end, however, the book is a disappointment, principally because its plot is incredible. I
cannot
believe that Edward became as captivated as he did by his search for the codex, by the duchess
herself--who for a time bewitches Edward from afar--or by the computer game, which despite its
spiffy graphics does not come across as all that intriguing and does not warrant the many pages of
description it is given in the book. Indeed, the subplot of the game might have been excised from
the
book without detriment to the narrative. One comes in the end not to care very much why the
duchess is interested in finding Gervase of Langford's codex--one of the book's great
mysteries--but
when the answer is finally given it too is difficult to credit. Further, when Edward is hired the task
of
finding the codex is presented to him as an afterthought, as something he might think about while
engaged in the more important task of shelving books. Yet Edward is somehow intended to
understand--and remarkably he does understand--that the discovery of the codex is all important.
Edward is so sure of himself on this point, in fact, that he goes to the length of hiring, on his own
authority, an assistant to help him with the task--graduate student Margaret, whose encyclopedic
knowledge of medieval manuscripts is yet another unrealistic element of Grossman's novel.
Lev Grossman certainly knows his way around a sentence. Given his talent, Codex could have
been
a great literary thriller. It's unfortunate that the book's plot does not hang together better.
Things My Girlfriend and I Have Argued About
Mil Millington
Villard
ISBN: 081296666X $12.95 384 pages
It can't be a good thing when your boss tracks you down to ask what you know about extradition
treaties. But Pel Dalton, Supervisor of the Computer Team in a university library--er, Learning
Center--is too busy mowing down children at the time to think much of it:
"I jerk myself above the barricade and let rip with laser death at some attackers. One dives behind
a
box in panic like some kind of silly eight-year-old (admittedly he does look about eight years old)
but I catch his companion (who's eleven if he's a day) on the shoulder and take him down."
Tapped to fill his abruptly resigned boss's shoes, Pel finds it harder than usual to feign
competence.
(He has about as firm a hold on his new responsibilities as Seinfeld's George Costanza did when
called upon to handle the Penske file.) Yet Pel might yet keep things under control at work--the
requisite meetings with Chinese mafiosi, the disappeared colleagues, the nerve gas and would-be
poltergeists--were his home life not so chaotic. Pel lives with his German girlfriend Ursula and
their
two sons, and virtually every waking moment in their household is filled with the happy couple's
bickering. Over every topic imaginable. Happily, their arguing does not arise from a deep-seated
problem in their relationship: that would make it difficult reading. Petty arguments are simply their
preferred mode of communication, and they do it marvelously.
"Did you hear that?"
"No."
"I'm sure I heard the door bang."
"It was probably just a dog somewhere."
"Yes, because--at night--a dog barking is almost indistinguishable from the sound of a door being
smashed open, isn't it? Idiot."
"I didn't say a dog barking..."
Mil Millington--who, as it happens, lives with his German girlfriend Margret and their two
children
and who is apparently found wanting by Margret at least as often as Pel disappoints Ursula--is a
writer worth watching. Things My Girlfriend And I Have Argued About is a hilarious, clever read
about which I couldn't possibly say enough good things. Just do yourself a favor and buy it--buy it
*now*, I mean--and read it, then get a few copies for your friends. It's really that good.
Debra Hamel, Reviewer
http://www.tryingneaira.com
Duncan's Bookshelf
The Notebook
Nicholas Sparks
Warner Books
1271 Avenue of the Americas, N.Y. 10020
ISBN: 044667609; $12.95 206 pp plus extra material
"I wait. Her words will hurt me. They will tear a piece from my heart and leave a scar. Who are
you?"
She is his wife, Allie. He is her husband of 49 years. For the past four years he has begun each day
by shuffling down the tiled halls, past the closed doors of other residents, to her room. He sits and
watches her looking out the window. Then Noah reads from their notebook a story of love that is
eternally optimistic.
Noah reads poetry. Together they watch a sunrise. They share a summer that ends when Allie
moves
away.
The Notebook spins a web around this question: will Allie return to Noah and will she break her
engagement to a successful lawyer to be with the man who truly loves her? (Nuff said) Read this
book. Be prepared to shed a tear or three. Be prepared for visions of two lovers holding hands
with
tenderness. Be prepared to feel sad for them both. That's all that needs to be said.
The Guardian
Nicholas Sparks
Reader's Digest
PO Box 262 Mount Morris, IL 61054
ISSN#: 1521-2661 Volume 130, $14.95 subscription; 283 pp
Sorry, Mr. Sparks! Your novel was explicitly unmemorable.
Have you ever started reading a novel and had that feeling, 'I think I have read this book?' I was
beyond page 60 when I rediscovered familiar territory. At page 120 I checked my file of book
reviews. There was no review for The Guardian. After page 200 I wondered, how could I read a
novel and not remember it? At page 260, on the beach at novel's end, I suddenly remembered the
ending when the stalker tries to kidnap the heroine and her guardian (the Great Dane) attacks the
stalker despite being immobilized by rat poison. The dog dies. Then I knew I read The Guardian,
once.
Sorry, Mr. Sparks! After reading your novel a second time I found it to be uncommonly insipid.
Don't ask for a recommendation.
Marty Duncan, Reviewer
www.omagadh.com
Fortenberry's Bookshelf
Mountain Cabin Mystery
Max Elliot Anderson
Winona Lake, Indiana
Tweener Press
ISBN: 0972925635 $10.95 123 pp.
Max Eliot Anderson's latest book in the Tweener adventure series is Mountain Cabin Mystery.
Three friends, Scott, Al, and Benji, get accepted to a wilderness training camp in the Rockies. But
this summertime trip into the mountains to learn outdoor survival skills is only the backdrop to a
rollicking adventure that climbs up your spine and hangs by its fingertips from the cliff of your
skull.
This book has a thrill-a-minute, from getting lost and scared half to death at night in the deep
woods, to crossing a frayed swinging bridge over a fathomless gorge, and wild animal attacks.
But
bear with me a moment (har-har) because even that's not all. This survival story takes a wild turn
for
the worse into the frightening world of international terrorism and kidnapping with the discovery
of
a remote cabin on the wrong side of a mountainous world of danger. Terrorists,* bears, and
hunger
stalk three defenseless kids -- the hunt is on! What can some lost kids just hoping for temporary
shelter, warm food, and a quick way home do against these odds? I do not want to spoil it by
giving
any thing away, so let's say that we can all easily relate to Benji's mom fainting when she merely
hears what her son has survived at the end of the book. Twice.
What Max Anderson does in these Tweener tales is recreate the good old kid's action adventure
story made popular during the pulp era. The most famous series of this genre is The Hardy Boys,
of
course, but Anderson's books are a bit different. Tweener books do not feature a single set of
kids,
but have different characters and locations for each book. Wild adventure is the only common
theme. However, these aren't dry imitations of past stories, but present-day, real-world Tom
Sawyer-savvy American adventure tales with a slight pop-Christian twist. Thrill and learn at the
same time. Or, to put it another way, enjoy a good read and never realize that you are being
taught
something important. Mountain Cabin Mystery teaches responsibility for one's actions and that
even
choosing the wrong path in life can be made right in the end by thoughtful, courageous actions.
You
can start out lost in the dark but still end up a hero in the light, if you truly try.
* My one complaint about this book, without being too literary about matters, is the handling of
the
terrorist element. Structurally speaking it was introduced too late. It enters around page 90, which
wouldn't have been so bad if previously alluded to or some how crafted into the plot. In old pulp
adventure mysteries it is fine to unveil the criminal, or blow the top off with the great secret, or
begin to unravel the mystery at page 90, but not to introduce these things. In the author's defense
terrorism can be said to be yet another thing the kids went through that day; however, he made it
the
central theme of the climax and book (through the events and then awe of the press conference
etc.)
It made the boys heroes, elevated the story to a whole new level, and hence is essential to the
book.
To stumble onto this plot twist in the last 30 pages is not the proper way to do it. Outside of this
technical flaw, the book is a fun read and there are no problems.
Words You Thought You Knew... 1001 Commonly Misused and Misunderstood Words and
Phrases
Jenna Glatzer Avon, MA
Adams Media
www.adamsmedia.com
ISBN: 1580629415 $8.95 310 pp.
I would say Jenna Glatzer has provided us a plethora of correct (or corrected) definitions in this
book, but that isn't quite true. As she points out, that'd mean there were too many. There is never
enough of Jenna and her sparkling wit. Words You Thought You Knew... is such a fun and
informative book it makes you wish it were longer. My wife even took to reading this pocketbook
aloud while we drive around in the car as entertainment or to challenge our oldest son. Sometimes
it
is the definition itself and sometimes it is her example sentences that get you, but-- Bob's your
uncle
Jenna certainly knows how to make you laugh and learn while driving over innocent
pedestrians.
When I was growing up my English teacher mother and I used to have fun doing crossword
puzzles,
word searches, and even reading dictionaries and encyclopedias. I know, weird. But it was fun
spending time exploring the world with her and beyond always learning a lot, I gained a lifelong
love
of languages. Dictionaries and the like can be dry reading though, so my favorite books of this
sort
were the ones of word origins, twisted usage, and mistakes -- like those books by the Funks
which
would tell of bizarre origins of words which have come down to us in modern English much
altered
from other cultures or in fact opposite of their original or intended meanings. The lively story
within
the story way of disseminating this information along with the often tongue and cheek language
made these books a real joy to read. Likewise with Jenna Glatzer. I recaptured that same sense of
wonder and humor reading her latest book. She admits when she discovers the new or we
uncover
our own common mistakes alongside her while she pokes fun at the absurd misuses that seem to
abound today.
My all time favorite entry was "irregardless," which seems to have spread like a virus in today's
speech. In a perfect example of Jenna's sarcastic no, wait, I mean non-Alanis ironic way of
teaching a lesson -- she writes: "There. Is. No. Such. Standard. Word. See how I did that? I put in
lots of periods to get my point across. Please don't use this non-word or I will weep."
I. Laughed. I. Cried. See how she did that? Read Words You Thought You Knew... and you'll
know
you don't know half what you thought you knew. This is an easily accessible, fun for all ages,
intelligent and witty phrase book. It's a thoroughly enjoyable way to learn or, more to the point, a
way to laugh through an afternoon and never realize you're actually learning a lot.
Thomas Fortenberry
Reviewer
Gary's Bookshelf
Skipping Christmas
John Grisham
Bantam Dell Publishing
www.jgrisham.com
ISBN 0440242576 $6.99
Once again John Grisham has stepped out of the realm of the legal novel to tell a most interesting
story that is also very funny. Luther and Nora Krank are going to do something entirely different
for
Christmas. Based on their daughter's plan to be in South America with the Peace Corps, Luther
decides that he and his wife should take a cruise and forget celebrating the holiday. But their plans
change when their offspring calls from the Miami, Florida airport to say she is coming home for
the
holidays and she has a fianc‚ she wants them to meet. Now they have just a few hours to put
things
together before she arrives. Christmas books and movies do not really thrill me usually, because I
guess there are so many of them, but this one had me laughing out loud at the zany comedic
situations that unfold from the first page. Grisham also does something else very well as he
changes
the mood at the end very much like the film "Planes, Trains and Automobiles." Instead of having a
Scrooge tone the novel leaves the reader feeling good about the holiday season. If the storyline
sounds familiar, that's because the novel is the basis for the film "Christmas with the Kranks."
A Tuff-To-Beat Christmas
Betty Briggs
Sunrise Selections
P. O. Box 51602, Provo, Utah 84605
www.sunrise-selections.com
ISBN 0965630749 $5.95 801 852-6141
Paige Covington, a spoiled brat of a teenager, learns the true meaning of Christmas in this very
well
written novel that is for all ages. I, like Page's parents, was a bit confused with something she
does.
The funny thing though is that after a more careful read I realized it is the key to the whole story
of
how this character changed and was more thoughtful of others rather than herself. The novel is
charming and educational for those of us who do not know the world of horse competition.
Winter's End
John Rickards
Leisure
Dorchester Publishing Co. Inc
200 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016
www.dorchesterpub.com
ISBN 0843954477 $6.99
I was drawn in from the first paragraph to the very end wondering who the real killer was.
Rickards
tells his tale with a fascinating set of twists and turns that are bound to keep readers turning the
pages and staying up late. In the sleepy town of Winter's End, Sheriff Dale Townsend has a most
interesting situation to deal with; a man with knives in his hands and a dead woman at his feet.
The
man is the only logical suspect. Townsend calls upon private investigator Alex Rourke who used
to
live in Winter's End to come back and help solve the case. As Rourke investigates he also finds
out
more about his own life and why he left Winter's End. What begins as a simple murder gets more
and more complicated from the first interrogation with the prisoner in which he is very bizarre. .
From then on the novel races along with interesting characters and situations that make it very
different from other thrillers.
Sevenacide
Robert Shuster
author@sevenacide.com
PMB 325, 244 Shopping Ave, Sarasota, Fl 34237-7125
I liked the premise the author has, that all seven short stories in this collection have something to
do
with rugby. Each of the very well done tales has a different theme that is horror, fantasy, or sf. "A
Woman for All Occasions" sets the tone of this collection. Doug Carpenter is not from all
appearances a "ladies man." If that is so, why are there always-beautiful women chasing after him?
One of his fellow teammates decides to investigate. What he finds out is very peculiar.
Odds & Ends
Mel Spivak
Infinity Publishing.com
519 West Lancaster Avenue, Haverford. PA 19041-1413
877-BUY-BOOK (877-289-2665)
www.buybooksontheweb.com
ISBN 0741421364 $9.95
I would have liked this collection of 7 short stories if the author had written stronger characters
and
spent more time unfolding each narrative. I feel that there is something missing with most of the
pieces in this short book of 43 pages. The author has written some great ideas but just doesn't
take
them far enough.
Dangerous Curves
Jacey Ford
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
www.penguin.com
ISBN 0425196852 $6.99
Ford is a master who blends, in generous doses, romance and suspenseful situations. Raine Robey
is
something of a maverick who left the FBI and set up a corporate security firm with two other
former
agents in Atlanta, Ga. She is also a very good computer hacker. So good that her former boss at
the
Bureau, and former lover, comes to her with a deal she really can't turn down.
Gets No Love
Eric Pete
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
www.penguin.com
ISBN 0451213246 $12.95
They don't come much better than this one. What first drew my attention was the funky title, later
the well-defined characters and the very tightly written story that just easily flowed along to its
smashing surprising conclusion. What also sets this apart from other fiction I have read is the way
the characters of Lance and Akhet, an ex thug and now rapper interplay with each other much the
same as Spenser and Hawk in the mysteries of Robert B. Parker. Set in the Big Easy the novel
also
gives a picture of the city of New Orleans. Two other characters who add a bit of conflict and
zing
are Val, Lance's one true love that he can't seem to win over, and Kyne who shows up at the most
inopportune times. "Gets No Love' could make for a great feature film. Eric Pete is an author to
watch
Duel & the Distributor
Richard Matheson
Gauntlet Press
5307 Arroyo St., Colorado Springs CO 80922
www.gauntletpress.com
ISBN 1887368728 $66.00
This is the book that celebrates the hit TV, movie with the script, the short story that started it all,
the short story the "Distributor" and its script. But this collection also has something else: behind
the
scene stories of what prompted Matheson to write the short story and its evolution to film.
The Prisoner the Official Companion to the Classic TV Series
Robert Fairclough
Ibooks, Inc
24 West 25th Street, New York, NY 10010
www.ibooks.net
ISBN 0743452569 $24.95 212 645 9870
In the 1960's a TV show from England made its debut in this country on CBS as a summer
replacement for the Jackie Gleason Show. Consisting of 17 episodes, one was never shown until
now in the U.S. "The Prisoner" gained a huge following and is a major comic book. Robert
Fairclough has written the most complete in-depth book about the show, stars, and episodes. This
book has everything you ever wanted to know about the show that was, and is, an even bigger hit
on
DVD. Included are color pictures, episode guides, a map of the village, and merchandise from
1967
to the present. The author also discusses McGoohan's show "Danger Man" and how it led up to
the
"Prisoner."
To the Stars
L. Ron Hubbard
Galaxy Press
7051 Hollywood Blvd., Suite 200, Hollywood, CA 90028
www.Galaxy-Press.com
ISBN 1592121756 $24.95
Galaxy is to be complimented for bringing back into print the science fiction of Hubbard that has
for
so long been out of print. Now in hardcover with new artwork, this novel of space travel has been
given a whole new life and a fresh generation of readers. What was most amazing to me was how
well this novel holds up, though it was originally written and published in the 1940s.
Into the Volcano
Forrest Devoe Jr.
Harper Collins Publishers
10 East 53rd Street, New York, New York 10022-5299
www.harpercollins.com
ISBN 0060723769 $22.95
Like many, I am a fan of James Bond and I have to say that Mr. Devoe has done a very fine job of
coming close to the Bond books of Ian Fleming that were so much fun to read. The novel takes
place in the 1960s and has the feel in writing style of Fleming's novels. Even the cover conveys a
likeness to the books of Bond by John Gardner and Raymond Benson. At the same time, this
book is
very much like the British TV series "The Avengers" Emma Peel and John Steed. Here the
characters are Mallory and Morse after a larger than life villain with an ultimate plot to destroy
the
world. Devoe keeps the action coming in a thriller that was fun to read. I look forward to seeing
more adventures of these characters.
The Edge of the Universe
Glenda C. Finkelstein
Booksurge
www.booksurge.com
1591096367 $14.95 866-308-6235 ext 20
Daylan is on a quest for seven keys to the Gates of Elysium and their Keepers throughout the
galaxy. His biggest foe is his own brother, the Emperor Moltor. The Emperor does not want
Daylan
to succeed and will do anything to stop him. Alabaster a slave when she meets Daylan, is freed by
him and travels with him on his quest. The novel has a straightforward writing style that delves
into
the characters as the story unfolds, instead of being the typical fantasy fare that is filled with
swords
and sorcery. Finkelstein tells an interesting tale that moves along to its final revealing ending.
Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Plunges into the Presidency
The Bathroom Readers' Hysterical Society
Portable Press
5880 Oberlin Drive, San Diego, CA 92121
unclejohn@advmkt.com
ISBN 1592232694 $12.95
This is a great book to test your knowledge of the presidency. There are so many interesting
tid-bits
of information that you can learn and enjoy about the highest office of this country that is easy to
read. Some of the things you may know already but there is no way that anyone knows it all.
Langston's Train Ride
Robert Burleigh, author
Leonard Jenkins, illustrator
Scholastic Inc
557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012
www.scholastic.com
ISBN 0439352398 $16.95 212 343 6100
Burleigh has written a kid's book about Langston Hughes, one of America's finest poets. Though
it
is a small book the artwork is lavish and the writing is very interesting, telling about how
Langston
Hughes rode a train on his way to see his father in 1920.
My Life
Bill Clinton
Knopf
www.aaknopf.com
ISBN 0375414576 $35.00
One of the country's greatest presidents now tells all. While I read, what to some may seem a long
memoir, I had the feeling that Bill Clinton was talking directly to me, unlike so many
autobiographies. He tells little stories to show where he learned the art of compromise, the use of
bluffing, what makes a speech good or bad, his lessons of life learned as a child that he carried
into
adulthood. He also unflinchingly talks about his many political races, what brought him into
politics,
his beliefs, his family's ups and downs, the state of the nation before he was president and after,
his
attempts for peace in different areas of the world, world summits he attended, treaties he
negotiated
and signed, governing the nation, legislation he passed, the 2000 campaign, and warnings to the
incoming Bush administration that the number one enemy of the nation was Osama bin Laden.
What
amazed me was how this book was never boring but always very interesting and knowledgeable.
After reading Clinton's book it is easy to see the major differences in the present administration
and
its disastrous shoot from the hip we can do it alone policy to world problems, compared to
Clinton's
all nations should participate in the process. "My Life" is a crowning achievement to one of the
most
insightful finest presidents to ever hold the office.
Gary Roen
Reviewer
Glavas' Bookshelf
Silver Moon: Your Magical Guide to Working with the Moon
Teresa Moorey
Random House Australia
20 Alfred Street, Milsons Point, SYDNEY NSW 2061, AUSTRALIA
http://www.randomhouse.com.au/
ISBN: 0712657150 $16.95 250 pages
I couldn't wait to get my hands on Silver Moon: Your Magical Guide to Working with the Moon.
This is especially true since I am a Cancerian, and the Moon rules the astrological sign of
Cancer.
Teresa Moorey lives in England with her husband and four children. She has written more than 30
books on witchcraft, astrology and related subjects. Selected titles include: The Little Book of
Moon
Magic, Spellbound!, Witchcraft - A Beginner's Guide, Herbs for Magic and Ritual - A Beginner's
Guide, and The Goddess - A Beginner's Guide.
Silver Moon covers many interesting aspects of the Moon, including it's various cycles,
understanding your own astrological Moon sign, astronomical facts, and heaps more! The chapter
devoted to Your Moon Sign is quite detailed. For each zodiac sign this chapter covers: a detailed
description of traits, talents, pitfalls, natal phases (looking at the new, waxing, full and waning
phases), mixing and matching (social skills), and an interpretation of your moon sign with each of
the zodiac sun signs.
The chapter titled Comforting Moon goes into stress-busting tips and ways to make your
instinctual
self (and that of others) feel good. This is done for each of the Moon elements and signs. Topics
covered include: home decor, your inner child, description of children affected by the particular
sign/element, intuition, stress busters, and ideas for building up your comfort-zone.
Astrologically, the Moon represents your home and family life, so it was good to see a sub-section
in
Comforting Moon devoted to 'Live-in Moons' that covers how your Moon sign combines with
another person's in a live in situation.
Another chapter I really enjoyed reading was Myths &Moonshine, Deities and Demons. This
covered the various Moon Gods and Goddesses in different cultures and explores folk tales like
'the
man in the moon'.... very enjoyable and informative!
For those of you who are a bit on the witchy side, you'll love the chapter about Magical Rituals
and
Spells... this obviously describes various hints for using the phases of the Moon for your rituals
and
spells. You will also find some simples rituals and hints that are handy if you are beginner (like
me!).
Rites for the various phases of the moon are also included.
For the gardener there is also information about using the Moon to plan your gardening
activities.
There is much more to be found in this treasure trove... it is an excellent resource book for anyone
who is interested in learning about the moon, how it affects you, and how you can use it's energy
on
a daily basis for everyday living. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the
Moon... even in a casual way!
Personal Prophesy
Deborah Leigh with Elizabeth Rose
iUniverse, Inc.
2021 Pine Lake Road, Suite 100 Lincoln, NE 68512
www.iuniverse.com
ISBN: 0595291953 $21.95 283 pages
Personal Prophecy is an interesting book that could be utilised by anybody that has a plain old
deck
of playing cards. So you don't need any fancy or expensive equipment (or knowledge) to get the
most out of this book.
The author, Deborah Leigh (I haven't figured out who Elizabeth Rose is yet), has been reading
ordinary playing cards for 20 years and learnt about this method of understanding life situations
from
her grandmother. She has taught others around the world to read playing cards and hopes to
empower others through this skill.
In reviewing this book I realised that I would have to split my thoughts about it into two sections
-
content and presentation.
The basic information required to have a go at doing your first reading is all there, and written in a
way that is easy to understand... not technical language and pretty down to earth. The meanings
of
the cards are presented individually in the various suites. For example, there was a chapter on the
general meaning of 'Hearts', following by individual interpretations for each of the cards.
Reading the cards was fun, but I found the spreads rather complicated for a beginner to try (that
includes me!). I feel that a simpler reading method would have been beneficial for the reader to try
before moving onto a more complicated spread. This would enable the reader to build a bit of
confidence in the interpretation of the cards.
Now, on to presentation... this is difficult to begin. As mentioned above, the actual content is very
interesting and usable by anyone, you don't need any previous knowledge or fancy tools to use the
information.
One of the downfalls of this book is its presentation. The formatting was inconsistent and would
have benefited from being professionally edited. This would have kept the information flowing in
a
coherent way; it would have also made it easier to find the information required when attempting
a
complicated reading. It seemed to me that the chapters would have been better organised by
keeping
all of the interpretative text together, rather than having it spread through various parts of the
book.
In summary, even though the presentation could have been better, I found this book a bit on the
addictive side and would recommend it to the beginner who is interested in learning more about
reading everyday playing cards. The language isn't complicated, and there are examples given for
interpretations. After reading this book, I don't think you'll play a card game again without trying
to
look at the hidden meaning in your friends' (and your own) cards!
Rose Glavas
Reviewer
Goldman's Bookshelf
Funny Letters From Famous People
Charles Osgood, editor
Broadway Books:
1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019
ISBN: 0767911768 $9.95 US $13.95 CAN
There is always something audacious about reading other people's letters. You have the feeling
that
you are secretly looking into the soul and mind of the letter writer without his or her
knowledge.
Unfortunately, in today's age of emails, television, and every other modern day distraction, we
have
little time or the patience for the letter writing that was quite prevalent years ago.
Luckily for us, many letters written by famous people have been saved, providing a virtual gold
mine
of information pertaining to these individuals. Gleaning through these letters, you will also
discover
a great deal of humor as evidenced in Charles Osgood's collection Funny Letters From Famous
People.
One of the difficulties of publishing this kind of a book is to decipher hundreds of letters before
deciding which ones to include in a book that has as its principal objective humor.
Osgood, who is the anchorperson of CBS News Sunday Morning, succeeds admirably in his
presentation of letters written by politicians, authors, artists and show business personalities.
We can't help but have a good chuckle reading the letters of Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin,
Groucho
Marx, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Eugene
O'Neill,
Charles Dickens, and many more.
As an example, an extract taken from one of Chopin's letters to his friend Julien Fontana
pertaining
to Chopin's health describes how awful he feels after contacting a cold and goes onto to say that
three doctors examined him. The first doctor said he was going to die, the second indicated that
he
was actually dying and the third told him he was dead already.
In another letter, American short story writer and novelist John Cheever and his wife Mary were
asked by their friend Josephine Herbst to take care of her cat Delmore. After several years,
Cheevers
writes to his friend to recount his experiences with the cat. He tells of how the cat used the
Kleenex
box as a place to "dump a load," and unfortunately for Cheevers, who had a cold at the time, used
one of the tissues to wipe his nose. Cheevers goes on to recount that he took Delmore to the
kitchen
door and dropkicked him into the clothes yard. I hope animal rights activists will not come
knocking
on Cheevers' door!
This is a wonderful collection of humorous letters to meander through, as it adheres to the often
-quoted adage "laughter is the best medicine."
Critical Condition: How Health Care In America Became Big Business-And Bad Medicine:
Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele
Doubleday
Division of Random House
ISBN: 0385504543 $24.95 US $34.95 Can
Investigative reporters and the only journalists in history to be awarded two Pulitzer Prizes and
two
National Magazine Awards, Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele have presented a riveting
expose
of the critical state of the health system in the United States with their book Critical Condition:
How
Health Care In America Became Big Business-And Bad Medicine.
Beginning with the assertion that American health care has been transposed from one of
compassion
to a system motivated by profit - the authors present a distressing analysis as to what went wrong.
Where forty-four million citizens do not have health insurance, and tens of millions more are
underinsured. And yet there seems to be this enduring myth propagated by many that the USA has
a
"world-class health system."
As mentioned by the authors, the USA spends more on health care than any other nation, when
you
compare it to Germany, France, Japan, Italy, and Canada. However, in these countries citizens do
not think twice about seeking care if they are ill. They do not worry who will foot the bills.
In the USA, it has become a lottery. If you are fortunate to be employed by a large company
providing generous health benefits, you win. On the other hand, if you are self-employed or work
for
a small enterprise providing little or no coverage, you lose. You may even go bankrupt and lose
your
home in order to pay your medical bills.
Relying on interviews, studies from various organizations as the World Health Organization, the
US
department of Health and Human Services, legal suits, brokerage reports, congressional hearings,
newspaper articles, magazine stories, SEC filings, professional journals, and a resevoir of many
other
sources (all of which are mentioned in the Notes section at the back of the book), the authors
deliver
legitimate arguments illustrating how an assortment of factors have crawled into the system with
calamitous effects.
Broken down into six chapters, Barlett and Steele judiciously examine some of these elements as:
rampant overcharging of patients who do not have insurance, dissuading people from purchasing
drugs from Canada with false information concerning the Canadian pharmaceutical industry,
caving
into the demands of special interest groups, the non-existence of independent monitoring of
diagnostic test results and hospital mistakes, permitting politicians and business people to assume
key roles to the detriment of the welfare of the citizens, a culture of cronyism giving rise to blatant
fraud in many instances, doctors having to deal with conditions apt to be found in undeveloped
countries, peopled shuffled around by individuals who do not have the foggiest notion as to how
to
deal with them.
In addition, we are informed of how private enterprises connected with Wall Street financiers and
Madison Avenue advertising firms have been permitted to join in as if health care was analogous
to
the selling of cars or MacDonald's franchises. As the authors rightfully ask: "Is this what health
care
in America has become?"
Although the authors portray a certain amount of cynicism, there is a glimmer of hope, as
evidenced
by the concluding chapter, wherein suggestions are offered as to how to revamp the ailing
system.
However, the question lingers on. Will Americans reconsider their values, priorities, budgets and
options and elect people, who will first and foremost take care of its citizens when it comes to
health
care? Something most civilized nations do.
Norman Goldman
Reviewer
Gorden's Bookshelf
Bare Bones
Kathy Reichs
Pocket Star Books
c/o Pocket Books, a division of Simon & Schuster Inc.
Rockefeller Center, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
ISBN: 074345300X $7.99 383 pages
If you read a number of books by any author, you will discover one of three facts about him/her.
The
quality of their writing stays the same, deteriorates, or gets better. It seems, with every new book,
Kathy Reichs learns a bit more about writing. In 'Bare Bones,' she has learned how to balance the
personal life of the protagonist with the action sequences. Reichs is becoming a serious writer and
not just an expert dabbling in storytelling.
Forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance Brennan's busy weekend starts on the sad note of
finishing
her work analyzing the bones of an infant placed in a woodstove. Her daughter insists on taking
her
to a weekend Carolina country barbecue known as a pig pickin' interrupting her preparations for a
planned beach vacation starting on Monday. Her special friend, Ryan, will be arriving Sunday
afternoon and she wants everything ready.
During the Saturday pig pickin', the family dog, Boyd, finds two garbage bags filled with
decomposing flesh and bones. Sunday, Tempe is called to a small plane crash with two dead
bodies.
Juggling the dead bodies and her romantic vacation with Ryan, Tempe Brennan's life becomes
more
complicated than she expected. Bones and bodies keep showing up and all Tempe wants to do is
go
to the beach with Ryan.
'Bare Bones' is joy for the mystery reader who likes forensics. It is filled with the oddities of life.
The
suspense and mystery builds throughout the tale to a climatic end. 'Bare Bones' is an example of
the
best the forensic mystery genre produces. 'Bare Bones' is solid mystery reading that is highly
recommended.
A Faint Cold Fear
Karin Slaughter
HarperTorch
Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022
ISBN: 0060534052 $7.99 422 pages
Slaughter writes hard edge suspense. 'A Faint Cold Fear' continues the storyline she previously
started with medical examiner Sara Linton. The writing is raw, the story complex, and the
suspense
non-stop. Slaughter hasn't developed a smooth style of storytelling. The reader will need to
overlook
the roughness but the story is strong enough to carry the reader past the problem.
Sara is called to a possible suicide at Grant College. Her pregnant sister, Tessa, rides along under
the condition she stays in the car. While Sara examines the body with her ex-husband and police
chief, Jeffery, Tessa is brutally attacked. Occupied with her viciously attacked sister, Sara tries to
autopsy the bodies that keep coming from the college campus. Murder and secrets seem to be the
main classes taught at Grant College.
If you like the hard edge female medical examiner mysteries, you will like 'A Faint Cold Fear.' It
isn't
the best you can find in the genre but it is better than the average. The tale is a little confusing and
weak in characterization but it will grab you by the neck and drag you to the final page. If the
blood
and guts doesn't bother you, 'A Faint Cold Fear' is a highly recommended suspense.
S.A. Gorden, Reviewer
http://www.paulbunyan.net/users/gsirvio/content.html
Gypsi's Bookshelf
Buzzwords: A Scientist Muses on Sex, Bugs, and Rock 'n' Roll
May Berenbaum
Joseph Henry Press
2101 Constitution Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20418
ISBN: 0309068355, $14.95 320 pages
"Why then do people become scientists? I can't speak for everyone, but I know why I did. I am a
scientist because there is no other activity I can engage in that I find more satisfying. I write these
essays in part to share with fellow scientists the joys and frustrations of the business and, as well,
in
part to show people who aren't scientists just how enjoyable the whole process can be. If these
essays don't shatter stereotypes, I hope that at the very least they cause them to crack a little bit."
(from the preface)
"I guess I'm interested in how maggots in particular and insects in general gain access to human
orifices because, as the possessor of more than a few of these orifices, I would like to take every
precaution necessary to keep them insect-free." (p. 35)
With Buzzwords, May Berenbaum presents a collection of essays, many previously published, that
show the lighter and usually humorous side of entomology. Berenbaum divides her book into four
sections: how entomologists see insects, how the world sees insects, how entomologists see
themselves and how an entomologist sees science. Topics include insect flatulence, the
misrepresentation of insects in comic books, the stereotypical role of entomologists in movies,
aged
ants, the smoking of insects, naming insects and, as the name suggest, insect sex life. None of this,
of
course, would ever have been considered a humorous topic to me prior to this book. A few pages
into it, however, and I was reading aloud the amazing, bizarre and comical facts about insects and
entomologists. I must add, though, that the final section was not nearly as interesting and it took
me
a lot longer to read it than I did the others; the first two sections were especially droll and I flew
through those hundred pages with amazing speed.
Of course, this being a collection of humorous essays, each one had to end with a punch line, a
pun
or a joke. At times they seemed forced and this tended to lessen my enjoyment of the essay
somewhat. Another detraction was the occasional incorrect punctuation. There was a tendency
for
quotation marks and parenthesis to start and never close, causing me to skim frantically down the
page to see just when the thought would end. Despite these objections, Buzzwords was an
pleasant and eye-opening read, fully deserving of four out of five stars.
Lord of Snow and Shadows (Tears of Artamon, Book 1)
Sarah Ash
Bantam Dell Publishing
(a division of The Random House Publishing Group)
1745 Broadway, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10019
ISBN: 0553803344; $21.95 496 pages
Gavril Andar's world shifts dramatically as he abruptly discovers the truth about his father and
himself and, immediately upon that knowledge, finds himself the ruler of Azhkendir, a snowy and
sometimes barbaric northern country. As the Drakhaoul of Azkendir, Gavril is also heir to strong
powers and their potentially fatal consequence of wielding this power. He has to somehow
balance
the expectations of his new country, of his loved ones and of himself a nearly impossible task
while
also defending Azkendir from attack, and protecting himself from assignation.
Ghosts, dragons and magicians mix with scientists, politicians and spies while werewolves and
alchemists battle against clan warriors and revolutionaries. Gavril's odd world is half fairy tale,
half
nightmare, with betrayal, murder, true love, and blood sacrifice all woven together to form the
thick
plot.
Unfortunately, despite many unique and creative ideas from Ms. Ash, there are also many stale
fillers
to be found in Lord of Snow and Shadows. I put the book down once, after reading a few pages;
I
have come across the "lowly boy meets noble lady and falls deeply in love" scenario (for example)
more than thrice and didn't wish to read it again. Fortunately, I re-read the cover, and was
intrigued
anew by the tantalizing mention of dragons and Eastern myths. I re-started it only to hit the "poor
boy suddenly discovers he is son of a king" bit. *sigh*
I kept on, and after trudging through the first fifty or so pages, I was rewarded for my diligence
with
an intriguing read. That is not to say that there were not still several slow and uninteresting parts
to
follow. Furthermore, I felt that, rather than end the book at the end, she drew it out to provide
enough to create a sequel.
I did truly enjoy the supernatural and mythical elements the dragons and werewolves in
particular but the human and political dramas were not as convincing. Ms. Ash's writing style was
generally engrossing and comfortable to read, but I just felt that so much more could have been
done
with such an inspired theme; the concept was exciting and fresh, but the execution was sadly
lacking. As a result, Lord of Snow and Shadow did not capture my imagination enough to make
me
eager for the sequel and I can therefore only rate it a three out of five.
Sir Apropos of Nothing
Peter David
Pocket Books
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
ISBN: 0743412346, $6.99 672 pages
"The entire thing had happened so quickly that I wasn't quite sure how to react. Part of me
wanted
to laugh, but most of me fairly cringed at what had just occurred. I didn't do particularly well with
blood. This tended to be something of a hardship for one endeavoring to become a knight,
dedicated
to serving good King Runcible of Isteria, a ruler who more often than not had his heart in the
right
place.
The recently slain knight also had his heart in the right place, This had turned out to be something
of
an inconvenience for him. After all, if his heart had been in the wrong place, then the sword
wouldn't
have pierced it through, he wouldn't be dead, and I wouldn't have been in such a fix."
Sir Apropos of Nothing by Peter David
Apropos, the result of the gang rape of a barmaid, starts life with a full set of teeth, a lame leg and
all the bad luck the gods can sling at him not to mention a hatred for the man who brought him
into
existence. He is still in his teens when his mother is murdered by a customer and he sets out to
bring
her killer to justice. Being a coward or, as Apropos might have phrased it, being quick to save
himself if danger is imminent he has no desire to inflict the justice himself; that's a job for the
King.
Petitioning the King sets off a chain of events that leaves him as the squire to an aged, derelict,
nearly amnesiac knight by the name of Sir Umbrage of the Flaming Nether Regions. And it just
gets
worse. Apropos is no hero, what's more he has no desire to be heroic, and yet he gets thrown into
position after position that require him to do just that. He is nearly killed by the children of the
harpies, he nearly gets trampled by unicorns, he smashes the skull of his best friend, he (just
barely)
rescues a pyromaniac princess, he kills a man who might be his father. . . After the adventures are
all
over and done with, Apropos is a knight (of nothing) and much the worse for wear. Which, of
course, is when things get even worse!
With Apropos, our anti-hero, it's one hilarious (mis)adventure after another, all provided at his
expense, and I loved it! Peter David has written Apropos with his tongue firmly in cheek,
throwing
out puns, irreverence, spoofs and laughs, often when one least expects it. I laughed hard, read a
LOT of it out loud and hated to see it end. Despite all the outrageousness, the fantasy is quite
plausible; it's well-written, easy to read and hard to put down. Oddly enough, I cared about the
scoundrel Apropos, and wondered with him if he really were a hero, or just a secondary character
in
someone else's story. Peter David has earned a place in my line of favorites, right up there with
Douglas Adams and Jasper Fforde. This book rates a full five stars.
novel contains adult language and situations
Deception
Denise Mina
Little, Brown and Company
Time Warner Book Group
1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
ISBN: 0316735922, $23.95 320 pages
We can't appeal against the sentence because life's mandatory for murder. We can only appeal
against the conviction. We have to show that the evidence was flawed and claim a miscarriage of
justice. It's the only grounds for appeal.
I've already spent forty minutes this evening in Susie's study sorting through piles of newspaper
cuttings and tapes and professional files. I'm going to come up here night after night, and go
through
every note and paper with microscopic care. Deception by Denise Mina
Susan Harriott has just been convicted of the murder of Andrew Gow and of his new wife, Donna
McGovern. She was Andrew's court appointed psychologist, and it is suspected (though not
proven)
that they were having an affair. Gow, a convicted serial killer and rapist, was released on appeal
and
murdered shortly thereafter, apparently by Susie in a jealous rage
Susie's husband Lachlan is certain that she would not and did not do such a thing. He is searching
through her study for anything that might could be used during an appeal. The novel is the journal
he
kept of his findings, his interpretation of what he finds, and his emotions, fears, doubts as he
uncovers layer upon layer of Susie's deception.
All that is given is Lachie's view; we see the world only through his eyes. We are surprised,
shocked,
and deceived along with him--and possibly, just possibly, surprised, shocked, and deceived by
him.
When the conclusion arrives, it is not a package of neatly tied-up ends. It is another question,
leaving the reader wondering what really IS the truth?
Deception is masterfully written. Any flaws that I might have noticed reading were so minor that
I'd
forgotten them by the end of the book. There is no question that it a full five star book, and it
comes
highly recommended.
The Tale of Hill Top Farm
Susan Wittig Albert
The Berkley Publishing Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
37 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
ISBN: 0425196348, $22.95 286 pages
"I'm afraid then," Mr. Heelis went on regretfully, "that we must assume that the painting has been
stolen."
"Some one from the village, I suppose," Miss Barwich said, and blew her nose. "Is there a
policeman?"
"I keep telling them," Crumpet whispered to Tabitha, "about that fellow Roberts. But of course
they
don't listen."
"They can't," Tabitha said. "Their ears don't work right." She frowned. "Or maybe it's their
brains."
Beatrix Potter is the heroine of this mystery, but not in the way that is popular lately: famous
historical or fictional person is secretly a great detective. No, in this gentle mystery, Albert mixes
fact with fiction and in telling of Miss Potter's first visit to Hill Top Farm as owner. There is no
gruesome murder, no horrid secrets, no fearsome villain. Instead, there are a few missing items in
the village of Near Sawrey that bring a ripple of disturbance to their (mostly) peaceful village.
Miss
Potter is not the detective, she doesn't seek out to find the missing items, nor does she use any
deductive skills to solve the mysteries. She is merely the central point around which the story
moves.
The thing that turns this from just the average village story, sprinkled with domestic mystery, to a
delightful and charming story is the animals. Miss Potter brings her hedgehog, two bunnies and
mouse with her. Also, the village has quite a cast of cats and dogs. What's even better--they talk!
Not to humans, of course, but to each other. There conversations are recorded in italics, so the
reader knows immediately which species is communicating. Albert uses it to make several
amusing
scenes where the animals are trying to tell the humans something, only to be told to stop
meowing,
or that there's no more fish, or that if they stop that noise they'll have to go outside. How shocked
the village residents would be to discover that their pets made great detectives!
Another feature that makes this book so interesting is Miss Potter herself. Albert gives the reader
glimpses of Miss Potters biography that made me sincerely want to read more. Luckily, Albert
included a biographical not at the end, following Potter's life up to the point when the Hill Top
Farm
visit took place. I was interested enough, though, to want to know of Miss Potter, of what
happens
next, of when she does finally move in to Hill Top Farm. I was inspired to re-read Miss Potter's
tales, as well, from the many mentions made of them.
I've used the word already, but "gentle" seems the best way to describe The Tale of Hill Top
Farm.
Pastoral, perhaps would also give the right impression; it is an escape from telephones and traffic
and tv (and murder mysteries) to a slower time, when the loss of the Parish Register is a dreadful
thing. Animal lovers will enjoy this book, though it might not be quite as satisfying to mystery
lovers. Personally, I'm looking forward to the next of "The Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter".
Skinny Dip
Carl Hiaasen
Penguin Books
(a division of The Random House Publishing Group)
1745 Broadway, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10019
ISBN: 0375411089, $16.00 355 pages
At the stroke of eleven on a cool April night, a woman named Joey Perrone went overboard from
a
luxury deck of the cruise liner M.V. Sun Duchess. Plunging toward the dark Atlantic, Joey was
too
dumbfounded to panic.
I married an asshole, she thought, knifing headfirst into the waves. (p.3)
She'd been kicking hard up the crests of the waves and then breast-stroking down the troughs, but
now she was loosing both her rhythm and stamina. This wasn't the heated Olympic pool at UCLA;
it
was the goddamn Atlantic Ocean. Joey scrunched her eyelids to dull the saltwater burn.
I had a feeling he didn't love me anymore, she thought, but this is ridiculous. (p.6)
Joey knew that her marriage to Chaz wasn't perfect, but she never expected that he would throw
her
overboard on their anniversary cruise. Imagine her shock, as he grabbed her ankles and heaved
her
over--and as she woke up alive, on a small island, rescued by a floating bale of pot and a former
police detective named Mick. Joey wants to Chaz to pay, and how! Instead of contacting the
police,
though, Joey plans to get revenge her own way. She and Mick come up with a plan to make
Chaz's
live thoroughly miserable and haunted up to the point where he'll find confessing to the police a
pleasure.
Chaz, on the other hand, thinks he has committed the perfect crime. He doesn't anticipate a
suspicious investigator sniffing around, or that his mistress would start causing problems, or that
his
boss would assign him a babysitter. . . and never in his wildest dreams did he think he'd be
blackmailed!
Carl Hiaasen's Skinny Dip is a hip, funny novel of betrayal and revenge with lots of clever lines, a
strong plot and several surprises. The secondary characters were just as detailed and real as the
primary ones were, and I became quite attached to a couple of them. Little side details --Detective
Rolvaag's snakes for instance, or Chaz's swamp adventures, or Tool's nursing home
adventures--were given just as much importance and gave the novel a great feel. I enjoyed it clear
to
the odd ending and give it a full five stars.
Novel contains adult language and situations.
Gypsi Phillips Bates, Reviewer
http://www.arachibutyrophobia.com/bibliophilia/
Harwood's Bookshelf
The Family: The Real Story of the Bush Dynasty
Kitty Kelley
Doubleday
1745 Broadway, NY 10019
ISBN 0385503245, $29.95 733 pp.
According to the dust jacket, The Family is "the book the Bushes don't want you to read." That is
a
little pretentious. Certainly it is one of many books the unelected president does not want anyone
to
read. But compared to the exposes by Michael Moore, Al Franken, Gore Vidal, and John Dean, it
is
more of an annoyance than a threat.
Kitty Kelley has written best-selling hatchet jobs about Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, Nancy
Reagan, Jacqueline Kennedy, and Britain's comic opera royalty. It is therefore no surprise that
The
Family, too, reveals information its target would rather see swept under the rug. Since Kelley's
previous targets had the wealth to do so, more than one sued her for allegedly peddling
disinformation. The courts did not agree: "I have never lost a lawsuit. Before publication, each
book
is vetted by several sets of lawyers; facts and sources are checked and rechecked and sources
documented." (p. xix) So if any allegation in Kelley's book is maliciously inaccurate, as opposed
to
being unintentionally so, it will be a first. To any fan of America's First Theofascists who want to
see
Kelley taken down: Don't hold your breath.
Kelley's book begins, "Flora Sheldon Bush was fuming. Her thirteen-year-old son, Prescott, was
supposed to have spent that August of 1908 at a New Jersey sports resort." That might have been
an
acceptable opening for a novel. But as an introduction to a work of nonfiction, it clearly reveals
that
Kelley has never written a competently supervised Master's thesis. Her research skills may be
tabloid-adequate. Her expertise in correct English is nonexistent. Fortunately, the facts she
documents speak for themselves.
More than half of Kelley's book is devoted to Bush ancestors and events prior to Bush Senior's
election in 1988. For readers who have no more interest than I have in high crimes and
misdemeanors perpetrated by dead persons whose influence on history was minimal, let me save
you
400 pages of reading by summarizing the content: The Bushes were not nice people. In the words
of
one of Kelley's interviewees: "You can't use my name. They'll come after me. The Bushes are
thugs."
(p. xx) That same source spelled out the way paid Bush Committee thugs violently prevented
opponents from voting and being counted in Miami in 2000. Bush Junior became King George the
same way Capone became King Al: assault and battery, violence and intimidation, and blatant
disregard for the law. The difference is that Al Capone's crimes did not include the treasonous
overthrow of the Constitution and abolition of America's elective presidency.
Kelley was unable to examine any documents that would have clarified whether Bush Senior's role
in
Ronald Reagan's Iran-Contra treason could have got him impeached or even executed, and
whether
Bush Junior's draft dodging involved criminal influence peddling. All relevant papers are either
secreted in a presidential library where they cannot be accessed, in violation of the Freedom of
Information Act, or have simply disappeared. Kelley did find that Bush Junior's compulsive lying
continues the policy he learned from his father. Bush Senior wrote a flattering account of his
service
in World War II. But as Kelley explains (p. 452), "If one accepts contemporaneous accounts in
1944
and official Navy documentation, the story Bush tells in the book he co-wrote with Wead is a
fabrication . The inescapable conclusion is that George lied about his heroism during World War
II
for political gain in 1988." That explains why Bush Junior lied about John Kerrey's heroism in
Viet
Nam. He projected onto his opponent the moral turpitude he saw in his family history. But like all
pathological liars, Junior balked at having his lying recognized and utilized. When John McCain,
the
kind of Republican Abraham Lincoln could have endorsed, was running against Bush for the 2000
nomination, and ran ads comparing Shrub to Clinton, asking, "Isn't it time we had a president who
told the truth?" Bush responded, "do not challenge my integrity." (p. 595) Bush Junior's integrity?
What integrity?
But the suppression of politically inconvenient material was not limited to information about the
presidential Bushes. Kelley had to get a court order to obtain documents relevant to peripheral
family members who failed to live up to the "family values" hoax that is part of the ongoing Bush
propaganda. "Any unpleasant fact that detracts from the family's wholesome appeal or reflects
negatively on their values has been deleted. Historians cannot rely on the Bush-Walker family
records released by the George Bush Presidential Library. There are simply too many errors and
omissions, some of which appear to be intentional." (p. xxv)
A former wife of a presidential sibling talked to Kelley about "the extramarital affairs of Jeb Bush,
and the drug use of her other brothers-in-law, including the President of the United States. She
said
about George W.: 'He and Marvin did coke at Camp David when their father was President, and
not
just once, either. This is a family of alcoholism, drug addiction, and even schizophrenia.'" (p. xxvi)
The same interviewee continued (p. xxvii), "I know you think the Bushes are such a good family .
I used to believe that about them, too, but I now know that they don't practice what they
preach."
Also relevant to the issue of the Bush family's alleged family values: "As President, Bush [Sr] kept
a
male fertility figure in the Oval Office bathroom. The carved wooden statue was anatomically
correct, if somewhat exaggerated. The President kept a roll of toilet paper on the extended male
organ. He liked to send young women into the bathroom and watch their reaction as they
emerged."
(p. 481)
Bush Senior won the 1988 election by appealing to the racism of the lowest segment of American
rednecks. That is not news. But Kelley shows that even Bush's collaborators in that atrocity
eventually either apologized for their roles, or at the very least distanced themselves from its "win
at
any cost" smear tactics. "George Bush did absolutely nothing to dissociate himself from any of the
Willie Horton ads. Instead, he blamed the media for perpetuating the charges of racism against
him."
(p. 464) And when Dan Rather tried to question Bush about Iran-Contra, the Vice President
utilized
the tactic, "When you have no defence, attack," and diverted the interview to a questionable
incident
on Rather's own resume.
Kelley's analysis of Bush Senior's appointment of Dan Quayle as Vice President strikes me as
purblind and na‹ve. There has never been any doubt in my mind that Quayle's nomination had one
purpose only: to guarantee that, no matter how much information about Iran-Contra came to
light,
no Congress in its right mind would ever impeach Bush at the cost of putting such an incompetent
moron in the White House. So what happened in 2000? An even more incompetent moron was
appointed President, in blatant violation of the true election result, simply because he belonged to
the right Party.
But for all of Bush Senior's crimes, he was not incapable of recognizing that the election of Bush
Junior was an unmitigated disaster. "Further, in April 2003, after his son had taken the country to
war against Iraq, the former President agonized with his friend . bemoaning the son's actions,
saying that George W. Bush "was undoing a lifetime of work." (p. xxiv) That is about the only
incident in Bush Senior's life that can be viewed favorably. The man was the most bigoted
President
America had ever had, and would retain that title until the treasonous appointment of Bush junior
to
the office he failed to win legally.
Kelley's final two chapters are about Bush Junior. That Junior is a religious maniac is no secret.
He
actually believes that a master of the universe named "God" told him to run for President. Since
the
Shrub's statement, reported in an Israeli newspaper, that his imaginary playmate told him to
invade
Iraq, could not be verified, Kelley prudently omitted it. Instead she merely reports (p. 572) that,
"George W. had come to believe that he had been 'called' to the presidency."
Surprisingly, Kelley ignores Bush's intellectual handicap. She does not even mention the Canadian
politician who made the self-evident observation that the man is a moron. But she does detail the
enormous amount of evidence that Bush is a disaster comparable with Herbert Hoover, a liar
comparable with Richard Nixon, and a theofascist comparable with Tomas de Torquemada. But
since Moore et al have made those points in spades, Kelley's narrative adds nothing to what has
already been published.
The Body Eternal
Jaish E'Sabab
Mumbai, India
varekat@hotmail.com
Bizybeez, Nettoor, Maradu, Cochin, India 682 304
$12.50 351 pp.
Jaish E'Sabab (pseudonym chosen to avoid possible fatwa) makes clear very early where he stands
on the subject of religion: "All religions are wolves in sheep's clothing moral pretense on the
surface and avarice for power and prestige at the core . Religion is one of the most divisive
phenomena the world has ever known." (pp. 58-59) "It was not God's plan to develop the human
brain . He loved the submissive the kneelers and crawlers. He hated the doubters, the
investigators, the thinkers, and the philosophers . He loved the credulous those who believed
without evidence." (pp. 14-15) "Religion is one such institution at which modern man clutches in
his
confusion and chaos." (p. 19) He points out the self-evident reality that (p. 53), "If it were in
modern
times both Moses and his god would have gone before the War Crimes Tribunal . Human
jurisprudence does not punish children for crimes committed by their parents. It is obvious that
the
God, who punishes Adam's disobedience, does not have a iota of justice in him."
Sabab is no fan of the forty-seven chromosomed retard in the Vatican: "John Paul's intransigent,
myopic and dogmatic proclamations have even more drastic and dangerous long-term
repercussions
than the persecution of Galileo. His dogmas on family matters are going to cost us dear. He is
strident and intransigent on his own definition of marriage and family values, values which are
grossly outdated." (p. 115) "The present Pope's dogmas on birth control and family welfare issues
will turn perilous to the future. The Catholic Church's ban on birth control is leading to a
population
explosion in many of the Catholic countries . Instead of acting as a frontline against AIDS, the
church is doing everything in its power to spread the dreaded diseases." (p. 116)
He is also no fan of Osama bin Laden's imaginary playmate: "Muslims believe strongly that Islam
is a
god-sponsored religion . if it was god-sponsored, why did Islam shed so much blood? Is it that the
enormous booty involved that (sic) made wars in the name of god very attractive?" (p. 207) As
with
the Christian chapter, the Muslim chapter incorporates a large amount of alphabetized
information.
And as with the Christian section, it is only as reliable as its sources (see below).
Sabab borrows from Epicurus in stating, "As for god being good or just, it is obvious that either
god
can prevent evil and injustice in this world but he will not or he wishes to prevent the evil and
injustice in the world but he cannot." (p. 44) And he does not buy into the claim of religionists
that
the differences between humans and other animals are qualitative rather than quantitative: "But
the
more we study animals the more we realize that the similarities between man and animals are far
more striking than the differences." (p. 25)
Chapter four is devoted, again with alphabetical listings, to superstitions most people see as
unrelated to religion, most notably the interpretation of dreams. Chapter five is a collection of
quotations pertaining to religion, of which the most currently relevant is from King George I, the
most bigoted president America had ever had until he lost the title to King George II: "I don't
know
that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one
nation under God." (p. 325)
Now for the downside: Sabab begins a paragraph, "According to Encyclopedia Britannica ." (p.
55) That passage is an early warning that this is not a work of scholarship. While Sabab includes
much information about Christianity, Judaism and Islam, a great deal of it usefully alphabetized, it
is
almost all obtained from encyclopedias, many of them by religious organizations, that parrot the
party line with depraved indifference to the findings of scholars. Britannica is actually one of his
more valid sources and that certainly does not say much for his others. Precisely because Sabab is
unfamiliar with the findings of historians, he quotes the party line straight from his questionable
sources.
For example, he contrasts Jesus' admonition, "Sell all you have, give it to the poor," with the
disciples' instruction "to sell all they have and hand over the proceeds to the Apostles for
distribution
only to the faithful." But "the poor," ebionim, was the name of Jesus' sect. It was Jesus himself,
following older Essene commune precedents, who ordered converts to liquidate their assets and
give
him the proceeds.
Sabab writes concerning the Pharisee Paul's arrest in Jerusalem, "It is strange that none of these
converts raised their voices when Paul was captured by the Pharisees and Sadducees or when he
was
taken in by the Romans." (p. 92) But the "converts" cited were Nazirites, members of a legitimate
Jesus commune converted by Peter. And long before Paul's arrest the Nazirites had permanently
repudiated him as a circumcised infidel. As for Sabab's contention that, "Religion has been with us
for hundreds of thousands of years," (p. 331) I can only recommend that he read chapter one,
"The
Origin of Religion," in Mythology's Last Gods.
Those are the chapters worth discussing. Chapter one, as well as the introduction and conclusion,
resurrect the dead-and-buried hallucinogenic doubletalk of sociobabbler Alvin Toffler. The reader
is
advised to skip those sections altogether.
There is no shortage of the kind of technical imperfections one must expect from an author whose
first language is not English. But they are unobtrusive, and unlikely to be noticed in a continent in
which correct English has been a foreign language since World War II. For readers who know
enough about the falseness of religion to be reading American Rationalist, The Body Eternal has
nothing to offer. But for their adolescent children, who are nontheists simply because their parents
are nontheists but are not yet familiar with any of the evidence or arguments, this book could be a
good place to start.
William Harwood
Reviewer
Henry's Bookshelf
Garden Plants of Japan
Ran Levy-Yamamori and Gerard Taaffe
Foreword by E. Charles Nelson
Timber Press
133 S.W. Second Ave. - Suite 450, Portland, OR 97204-3527
www.timberpress.com mail@timberpress.com
ISBN 0881926507 $59.95 440 pp.
Visually appealing with its hundreds of bright color photographs and encyclopedic in its scope and
content, this reference also has the clarity of organization and practicality of a garden handbook.
Each of the listings of the hundreds of Japanese plants gives notes on appearance, cultivation, and
use (e. g., ground cover, attractive spring flowers, potted plant) of the particular plant along with
the
Japanese and English names, interesting points, and related plants. As noted in the Foreword by
E.
Charles Nelson, the Japanese, with their insular culture, had no desire to go abroad seeking
foreign
plants--nor did they need to with the variety available in their homeland. Yet American gardeners
and others readily took to Japanese plants when Japan opened up to the West, and continue to do
so
increasingly in recent years. This attractive, complete, useful reference fully satisfies an interest in
the variety of Japanese plants. Both authors have extensive backgrounds and solid reputations in
horticulture.
The 100-Year Secret - Britain's Hidden World War II Massacre
Benjamin Jacobs with Eugene Pool
Lyons Press
240 Goose Ln., Guilford, CT 06437
www.LyonsPress.com; jennifer.doerr@globepequot.com
ISBN 1592285325 $24.95 214+xx pp.
Jacobs (d. 2004) was a part of the awful World War II episode written about--namely, the
bombing
of ships filled with Jewish concentration camp victims trying to flee from Germany in the closing
days of World War II. Pool, a graduate of Harvard, is a writer and English teacher. The episode
took place in the Baltic Sea. Jacobs' account moves smoothly from experiences of him and his
brother, including their separation and eventual reunion, to the larger picture of how the Jews
from
the camps came to be on the boats, were caught between the desperate Germans and the
advancing
British Armies (with the possibility the Germans meant to sink the boats once they were at sea),
and
British Royal Air Force operations and decisions which led to the bombing of the ships and deaths
of
more than 7,000 persons. Jacobs and Pool lean toward the position that the "R.A.F. sacrificed the
prisoners" in its effort to prevent German officials from escaping by sea to Denmark or Sweden.
The
authors see the British government's sealing of records relating to the episode until 2045 as
lending
support to this deduction. This tragic WWII episode is not unknown, and questions about it have
been previously raised. But these two authors give the most thorough account of it. Jacob's
first-hand experiences and the authors' inspection of the limited official and historical records
which
are available make this work stand out.
Japan & Paris - Impressionism, Postimpressionism, and the Modern Era
essays by Christine M. E. Guth, Alicia Volk, and Emiko Yamanashi
catalogue entries by Redmond Entwistle, Christine M. E. Guth, Alicia Volk
Honolulu Academy of Arts
900 South Beretania St., Honolulu, HI 96814
distributed by U. of Washington Press
ISBN 0937426644 $29.95 191 pp.
The aim of the Honolulu exhibition of Western and Japanese paintings was to "explore the history
of
collecting French painting in Japan...and the impact of early European modernism on Japan's
painting traditions." The European modernism influenced Japan's traditions mostly through
Japanese
collectors rather than independent curiosity on the part of the painters, or contact with Western
painters. This exhibition catalog is organized to efficiently educate readers on this little-covered
influence. Individual paintings by Western and Japanese painters are dealt with with a picture and
facing one-page analysis from the perspective of the exhibition's focus. Among the Western
painters
are Rouault, Matisse, Monet, and the lesser-known French artists Raphael Collin and
Jean-Jacques
Henner. Morita Tsunetomo, Wada Eisaku, and Kume Keiichiro are among the Japanese artists.
It's
interesting to see, once it is brought to light by the analyses, the Western modernist influence on
the
Japanese paintings. New light is shed on both modern European and Japanese art.
Shapers of Southern History, Autobiographical Reflections
edited by John B. Boles
U. of Georgia Press
330 Research Dr., Athens, GA 30602-4901
www.ugapress.org; jmcleod@ugapress.uga.edu
ISBN 0820324744 $54.95 334+x pp.
ISBN 0820324752 $22.95
Fifteen historians known for their work in Southern history connected with universities around the
U. S. respond to the editor Boles proposition that they write essays on the relationship between
their
earlier lives and their eventual work as historians. As Boles put it in his letter to them, he was
asking
them to "think autobiographically and ponder what in your background and life experiences
helped
determine you to become a historian of the South." Material could embrace education, mentors,
decisions, and successes and rejections. Boles is a history professor at Rice U. and managing
editor
of the "Journal of Southern History." The fifteen historians responded openly and thoughtfully.
The
essays are engaging for their personal tones as well as how the work of any historian is prompted
and molded by his or her penchants, experiences, and mentors and associates. Drew Faust, from
Harvard, begins his essay "Living History," with, "We create ourselves out of the stories we tell
about our lives...." Pete Daniel, on the other hand, in "Accidental Historian," begins, "Nothing in
my
family suggested that I would become a historian." The varied personal paths into the discipline
evidence why history is so informative and germane. It is because identity and memories are
bound
into it that it is able to speak about human affairs.
Designing MIT - Bosworth's New Tech
Mark M. Jarzombek
Northeastern U. Press
360 Huntington Ave. - 416CP, Boston, MA
www.nupress.neu.edu
ISBN 1555536190 $45.00 164+viii pp.
The re-creation of MIT in the early 1900s was intended to bring it out of the doldrums into which
it
had sunk. The financiers, industrialists, community leaders, and MIT administrators realized this
would require a major--and a complex and costly--commitment. The focal point for this
re-creation
was the construction of several new buildings on newly-purchased land in the Cambridge section
of
Boston. Without such a recognized, and notable, center, MIT would
continue to be seen as a lackluster urban university scattered among classrooms, office buildings,
and dormitories in Boston's Back Bay section. The architect chosen for this unprecedented,
highly-visible, and risky large-scale architectural undertaking was William Welles Bosworth, a
MIT
graduate in architecture recommended by John D. Rockefeller. Yet, Bosworth continually had to
reckon with the influence of other prominent architects who had put forth their own visionary
plans.
Among these were Ralph Adams Cram, who had designed West Point's campus; Steven Child, a
student of Frederick Law Olmstead; and the chairman of MIT's Dept. of Architecture, Desire
Despradelle. Jarzombek tells the story of how Bosworth managed to remain true to his own plans
rooted in his neoclassicism while accommodating the ideas of other architects and the preferences
of
the powerful patrons. This complex, historic project is followed with plentiful old photographs
and
architectural drawings from MIT's archives. The author, a professor in MIT's Dept. of
Architecture,
gives equal treatment to the diverse individuals who had a role in the shaping of the project, the
architectural concepts of the time, and Bosworth's work and resolutions of issues along the way.
Needless to say, the architectural project succeeded in putting MIT into the forefront of U. S.
science and engineering universities. And Bosworth's cluster of impressive buildings continues to
play a central role in MIT's staying in this position.
Art Deco New York
David Garrard Lowe
Watson-Guptill
770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003
www.watsonguptill.com; lwiggins@watsonguptill.com
ISBN 0823002845 $40.00
Garrard revives the restless, utopian, sensationalistic mood of the 1920s and '30s giving rise to the
inimitable Art Deco style not only by pointing to buildings and their design features representing
the
style, but also by including posters, advertising, architectural drawings, furniture, and varied
aspects
of popular culture. The author evokes an understanding of Art Deco not mainly by discussion of
aesthetics or art criticism, but by immersion in the spirit of the time between the World Wars,
frequently with bountiful and in many cases, unfamiliar visual matter. The Empire State Building
and
Paul Manship's sculpture of Prometheus ringed by signs of the zodiac in Rockefeller Center are
familiar Art Deco images, if often taken for granted. But designs of rooms, architectural details of
buildings, trains and cars, and magazine covers and clothing fashion are often overlooked. Garrard
demonstrates how deeply--thoroughly--Art Deco pervaded the culture; and points to elements of
this vibrant, short-lived cultural period which continue.
Before Scopes - Evangelicalism, Education, and Evolution in Tennessee, 1870-1926
Charles A. Israel
U. of Georgia Press
330 Research Dr., Athens, GA 30602-4901
www.ugapress.uga.edu; jmcleod@ugapress.uga.edu
ISBN 0820326453 $49.95 252+x pp.
ISBN 0820326461 $19.95
Israel draws the context in which the Scopes trial of the 1920s came about in Tennessee. The
Scopes' trial concerned the teaching of evolution in the public schools. But as Israel uncovers, the
trial was really about much more than this. Evolution, and more broadly scientific knowledge, was
but one of the elements of the wave of modernism that white Tennessee evangelical Christians felt
threatened their spirituality. With their temperance movement faltering at the time, they took to
strongly resisting the teaching of evolution as a way to have their values reflected in society.
Evolution was targeted especially because besides going against their religious beliefs, it was
viewed
as symptomatic of the professionalization and bureaucratization of the local schools which was
weakening their control. But Israel covers as well progressive individuals and forces in Tennessee
and the South which were not resistant to modern ideas and social change, and how these worked
within the regional culture strongly colored by the evangelicalism. With the resurgence of
evangelicalism in today's society and its concomitant influence on education, politics, and mores,
"Before Scopes" has relevance to current differences and their repercussions. Author Israel
teaches
history at the University of the South.
Victorian Sensation: or the Spectacular, the Shocking and the Scandalous in Nineteenth-Century
Britain
Michael Diamond
Anthem Press, London
distributed in U. S. by Stylus Publishing
22883 Quicksilver Dr., Sterling, VA 20166-2012
Jen@styluspub.com
ISBN 184331150X $18.95 329+x pp.
As in our own day, with the press's prolific growth in Victorian times, it turned to the infinite
phenomena of popular culture to sustain itself. And as in our own day, this was tied in with the
curiosity and voyeurism of the public for sensationalistic stories about crimes, celebrities,
politicians,
royalty and other public figures, including their scandalous sexual improprieties. Such stories
found
their way into public entertainment as well, primarily the stage. Diamond does not so much
critique
the Victorian press and stage, but goes into the cultural milieu for the stories and describes how
they
were treated in the press and in some cases on stage. In doing so, he brings the perspective of
contemporary media studies and cultural studies to his varied subjects. "Dickens' 'Oliver
Twist'...would have been called a 'sensational novel', had the term existed then." If the names of
the
persons in the stories and their dates were changed, one would hardly be able to distinguish them
from ones found in today's media. Diamond abundantly evidences that the public and the media it
supported in the supposed straight-laced English Victorian culture was not essentially different
from
today's.
Visions of Japan - Kawase Hasui's Masterpieces
Kawase Hasui
Hotei Publishing, Amsterdam
distributed in United States by Stylus Publishing
22883 Quicksilver Dr., Sterling, VA
Jen@styluspub.com
ISBN 9074822681 $39.50
One hundred woodblock prints of the 20th-century Japanese artist Hasui are cataloged in bright
colors on large pages roughly 9" x 11". Captions for the hundred are grouped following the
prints.
With annotations which are comments by Hasui on the particular print or informative remarks by
Narazaki Munishige, editor of a book on the artist's prints, the captions are instructive. Instructive
too are two introductory essays by Kendall H. Brown. The first is on the Japanese cultural
sources
of Hasui's prints; the second focuses on Hasui's life and art. The succinct text with the appealing
pictures of numerous prints offers an ideal introduction to and sampling of the woodblock prints
by
this outstanding Japanese artist who is regarded as one of the primary artists of the 20th-century
Japanese art movement known as "New prints" (Shin-hanga).
Printed to Perfection - Twentieth-century Japanese Prints from the Robert O. Muller
Collection
Joan B. Mirvass et al.
Arthur M. Sacker Gallery
Smithsonian Institution/Hoeti Publishing, Amsterdam
distributed by Stylus Publishing
22883 Quicksilver Dr., Sterling, VA 20166-2012
Jen@styluspub.com
ISBN 9074822738 $29.95 130 pp.
Displayed in a large-size, high-quality trade paper volume are over 100 prints from the collection
of
the noted collector Robert O. Muller (d. 2003) which have been bequeathed to the Sackler
Gallery
of the Smithsonian Institution. Besides the artist, name, and date for each print, there are
informative
annotations on the career of the artist and the subject and style of the print. Most of the prints are
in
the 20th-century Japanese style of "shin-hanga binga," whose artists were "struggling to
acknowledge tradition and at the same time transcend it." Introductory essays cover Muller as an
influential collector and place the prints in the context of Japanese artistic traditions. The varied
aspects of the text, including a "Glossary," provide a historical overview of Japanese prints as well
as a representative catalog of prints from the Muller collection of more than four thousand.
The Wishing Tree
Roseanne Thong
illustrated by Connie McLennan
Shen's Books
40951 Fremont Blvd., Fremont, CA 94538
www.shens.com; info@shens.com
ISBN 1885008260 $16.95 32 pp.
The boy Ming is disappointed in the wishing tree introduced to him by his grandmother when the
tree fails to give him his wish that his aged grandmother survive her illness. But after a time when
he
does not go to it anymore, he comes near it again when a group of friends invite him to go with
them. In talking with his friends and a nearby vendor, Ming realizes that the tree granted his
grandmother's greatest wish for him--that he be happy. The simple tale is based on a real tree in a
village in Hong Kong. The author Thong with bright pictures by McLennan describe how the
Chinese write their wishes on pieces of paper, and toss these into the branches of the tree.
Following
the tale, the author gives directions on how young readers can follow this practice for themselves
with their own wishing tree.
Women at the Table - Three Medieval Theologians
Marie Anne Mayeski
Liturgical Press
PO Box 7500, Collegeville, MN 56321-7500
www.litpress.org; sales@litpress.org
ISBN 0814658296 $18.95 159+xi pp.
The three medieval women theologians are St. Margaret of Scotland, St. Leoba of Saxony, and
St.
Radegunde of Gaul. Mayeski, a professor of historical theology at Loyola Marymount U. in Los
Angeles, studies biographies of the three written by contemporaries of theirs for a comprehension
of
the relationship between the theological thoughts and teachings of the women saints and
theological
issues concerning the Catholic Church during their lifetimes. As the author finds, it is significant
not
only that the women were chosen as subjects by leading biographers of their age. But individuals
were chosen for biographies because of their value in reinforcing the position of the Church and
elucidating its doctrines. The biographies of the medieval women saints were meant to be
instructive
on theological matters and religious virtues. But while the women patently made a significant
impression on their contemporaries, their theological contributions were not recognized in
following
eras of Church growth and theological development. By examining original biographical and
historical sources, Mayeski persuasively makes the point that the three women theologians stood
out
as spiritual leaders to their contemporaries; and thus there was a greater feminine influence on the
Church in its early period than is ordinarily recognized or acknowledged.
Grant Writing for Educators - Practical Strategies for Teachers, Administrators, and Staff
Beverly A. Browning
National Education Service
304 W. Kirkwood Ave. - Suite 2, Bloomington, IN
www.nesonlie.com; nes@nesonline.com.
ISBN 1932127305 $9.95 120+ix pp. 800-733-6786
Browning gained her lengthy experience in grant-writing mostly in the field of education aiding
school systems to obtain grants for various purposes. The three preliminary questions one has to
ask
before pursuing specific grants are where is the money? what format does the funding agency
require for applying for a grant? and thirdly, just what has to be written to attract serious interest
and give one a good chance of getting the grant? Then Browning elaborates on these basics in a
user-friendly style advising grant applicants how to follow through on the process of identifying,
assessing, and applying for the particular grant. A to-the-point handbook worth the attention of
anyone involved in the competitive task of seeking a grant.
Hiring the Best: Knowledge Workers, Techies, and Nerds - The Secrets and Science of Hiring
Technical People
Johanna Rothman
Foreword by Gerald M. Weinberg
Dorset House Publishing
353 West 12th St., New York, NY 10014
www.dorsethouse.com; info@dorsethouse.com
ISBN 0932633595 $43.95 336+xvi pp.
In this comprehensive, detailed handbook, Rothman recognizes what employers have to do to be
able to attract the best technical workers. It's not enough simply to advertise for job openings, but
the technical work has to be properly described to attract the right kind of prospective employees.
Otherwise, the hiring process will be inefficient, murky, and errant. Reviewing resumes, screening
potential candidates for interviews and preparing for these, and conducting an interview are other
topics. A consultant to technical firms, Rothman also goes into a personal touch with individuals
looking for employment which gives them a favorable impression of the company. This is
desirable
because a company might want to hire an applicant at a future time; and it creates a favorable
image
of the company among technical workers. This specialized hiring manual is timely considering the
present pick-up in activity in the technology sector of the economy. Many technology companies
have to start now preparing to hire new technical workers to be able to capitalize on the
opportunities shaping up.
The Toltec Oracle
Victor Sanchez
Bear & Co.
One Park St., Rochester, VT 05767
www.innertraditions.com; inbox@innertraditions.com
ISBN 1591430267 $35.00 288 pp.
Sanchez gives instruction for using the 35 cards with the folded chart with a place called "Heart"
in
the middle and places for the body, mind, emotions, and spirit in the four corners. Book, cards,
and
chart are neatly packaged in a colorful slipcase. Toltec religious and mythological figures are
pictured on the cards. In addition to giving directions on use of the cards for an astrology-like
reading of one's personality and future, Sanchez gives an overview of the Toltec spiritual
principles
such as dualism and interconnected fields of energy that their use is meant to incorporate. Sanchez
is
an anthropologist living in central Mexico, the area of the ancient Toltecs.
Sleepwalker
Michael Laimo
Delirium Books
PO Box 338, North Webster, IN 46555
www.deliriumbooks.com; srstaley@deliriumbooks.com
ISBN 1929653646 $50.00 407 pp.
In this latest signed limited edition work from the publisher Delerium specializing in regularly
bringing such valued books to fantasy literature fans, Richard Sparke has disturbing dreams about
his dead mother and daughter. The dreams carry over into his waking life, so that the line between
dreaming and reality becomes blurred. He seeks help for this from the psychologist Dr. Marcus
Delany; who tells Richard "lucid dreaming" is the professional terminology for his disturbing
experiences, even though Delany is not able to cure him of them. Richard's girlfriend Pamela tries
to
help him too, with her "portable time-trip unit." But the unit brings only a mixed blessing--giving
Richard some relief and deeper understanding of what is happening to him, but not able to free
him
from his "lucid dreaming." In this state where borders between different zones dissolve, a
homeless
man becomes Richard's double--setting the stage for the existence of only one of them. In Laimo's
skilled hands, these varied elements make for a spellbinding tale. Laimo is familiar to
fantasy-literature buffs as the author of previous novels and story collections and the Bram Stoker
Award-nominated "Atmosphere."
Speed Climbing - How to Climb Faster and Better, Second Edition
Hans Florine and Bill Wright
Falcon/Globe Pequot Press
PO Box 480, Guilford, CT
www.falcon.com; Theresa.eldredge@GlobePequot.com
ISBN 0762730951 $14.95 156+xii pp. 800-962-0973
In this second edition, the professional climber and record-holder Florine and the experienced
amateur Wright add refinements to their combined, incomparable knowledge about rock and
mountain climbing. There's instruction and techniques for "simul-climbing" (climbing with a
partner)
and solo climbing. Illustrations vary from photographs of climbers enjoying the sport to detailed
diagrams of crucial aspects of techniques and safety measures. The two authors bring in the
challenges and exhilarations of climbing while also pointing out its hazards and stressing
precautions
to follow for safety. An expert manual by experienced climbers.
Polly and the Piano
Carol Montparker
Amadeus Press
512 Newark Pompton Turnpike, Pompton Plains, NJ 07444
www.amadeuspress.com; mail@amadeuspress.com
ISBN 157467093X $19.95 36 pp.
Polly is a dog who becomes involved in her owner's desire to play a piano concert at Carnegie.
The
story is told by Polly from her perspective. Polly's "most unusual doghouse in the world" is under
the piano, where she is close up to her owner giving piano lessons and practicing Bach, Mozart,
and
Brahms in the hope of appearing in Carnegie Hall one day. Then the day comes when the pianist
does play in Carnegie Hall--bringing Polly with her, who sits under the piano just as she has for so
long in the pianist's home when she was teaching and practicing. The author is an accomplished
performer for solos and chamber music. A nearly hour-long CD of piano performances of hers
comes with the children's book for ages three to six.
The Frozen Coast - Sea Kayaking the Antarctic Peninsula
Graham Charles, Mark Jones, Marcus Waters, with Sarah Moodie
Lyons Press/Globe Pequot Press
PO Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437
www.GlobePequot.com; theresa.eldredge@lyonspress.com
ISBN 1592284426 $29.95 120 pp. 800-243-0495
The trio of authors are New Zealanders, with Charles the photographer. With the journalist
Moodie,
they do a journal of their incredible kayak trip around the Antarctic Peninsula jutting out toward
South America. Charles's dramatic photos shift back and forth between shots of the kayaking and
camping, and the forbidding, rugged, yet entrancing Antarctic landscape. The journal records the
hardships and satisfactions on the challenging trip. The section "Equipment" following the text
and
photos lists the varied gear and supplies needed for the trip--which list in itself testifies to the
uniqueness of the physical challenge and the hardships the kayakers had to overcome by careful
preparation, ingenuity, and determination.
Atlas of the Civil War Month by Month - Major Battles and Troop Movements
Mark Swanson
U. of Georgia Press
330 Research Dr., Athens, GA 30602-4901
www.ugapress.org; jmcleod@ugapress.uga.edu
ISBN 0820326585 $39.95 141+viii pp.
The scope of the 50 primary maps is virtually the complete theater of the Civil War lasting
roughly
four years--from the shifting northern boundary in Virginia and the Washington, D.C. area to the
Gulf Coast, from North and South Carolina to Missouri and roughly the middle of Texas in the
West. Each of the monthly maps identifies Union and Confederate positions and respective troop
and cavalry movements and naval movements; clashes of all sizes, including notable skirmishes;
and
the front lines over the large area as these shifted month-by-month throughout the War. Thus, one
can readily follow the overall strategies and activities of each side, as well as developments in
particular areas. On left-hand pages facing the full-page maps are details relating to what is
identified
in the maps. For example, the partisan disturbance in Alabama signified in the August 1863 map is
noted as "a band of deserters known as 'Jim Ward's Raiders' [operating] out of the Pea River
Swamp
south of Elba." In relation to the map for September 1863, the annotation for North Carolina cites
that Longstreet's soldiers passing through Raleigh sacked the offices of the pro-Union, pro-peace
newspaper the "Standard." Besides following the War with the succession of maps, the Civil War
buff and military historian also learns many little-known incidents and circumstances from the
annotations. Several secondary maps after the main ones record military activities in the
Southwest,
including the lower half of California and the western part of the Texas. The large-size reference
is
an ideal accompaniment to any book, movie, TV program, newspaper article, etc. on the Civil
War
to put its subject in context. And it also stands on its own as a clear, engaging overview of the
Civil
War.
Waltzing Through the Endtime
David Bottoms
Copper Canyon Press
PO Box 271, Port Townsend, WA
www.coppercanyonpress.org; angela@coppercanyonpress.org
ISBN 1556592159 $14.00 59+xiii pp.
David Bottoms' latest volume has 14 poems, some of them long. In selecting this poet's first book
as
the winner of the Walt Whitman Award from the Academy of American Poets, Robert Penn
Warren
remarked, "Underlying all [Bottoms'] work is the unusual conviction that the world we see is
trying
to tell us something." The poet has not changed this approach in his more recent poems. Not that
he
has figured out what this "something" is--"Every spring/the world is such a tricky magician,
tugging
whole maple trees/out of its black silk hat...Miracle or sleight of hand/is what I fret about..."; from
"Easter Shoes Epistle." Bottoms unerringly senses the slight, but definite impact made by the
complex world with its unexpected discoveries and juxtapositions, "the unpatrolled landscape/of
the
psyche unfurled..."; from his long poem "Homage to Buck Cline."
The Commandrine and Other Poems
Joyelle McSweeny
Fence Books
303 East Eighth St. - #81, New York, NY 10009
www.fencebooks.com; fence@angel.net
ISBN 097409093X $12.00 61 pp.
The title poem is a 15-page verse play of nine scenes that is like a comical Moby Dick with the
nonsensical, yet evocative, repartee of a Samuel Beckett play. The source of McSweeney's poems
is
a comic energy and skewed eye. The brief poem "Bugs Bunny, Or, The Mirror That Held a Little
Camera," beings, "I'm rundown. I've got a sunburn. These ears are my liability but they hold a
lot...."
Even when the comic style abates at times when a somber subject is raised, the language remains
sharp and inventive, as in "Youth Image" where the poet writes, "One bus and then another
passed
with unresolving traffic of weird angles, logos,/a world that wouldn't math up...."
Henry Berry
Reviewer
Hodgins' Bookshelf
Henderson's Spear
Ronald Wright
Alfred A. Knopf
Canada, Toronto
ISBN 0676973892, Can $34.95 405 pages
Note: At the instant of writing, the Canadian dollar's value has risen 18 or 20 U.S. cents since the
year of this book's publication.
Wright's fairly recent work (he is credited with several earlier volumes, and has published at least
one more* since "Henderson's Spear") is based on elements of his family's history, and a
fascinating
family it must have been.
Is "Spear" a Literary work? A small-c conservative view - as typified in a facile Lit. publishers'
rule
of thumb, "no genre fiction" - suggests that Wright's work is non-Literary, for it is easily fitted to
the
genre, "quest-type adventure". "No genre fiction" is simpleminded, though, and a more liberal, not
to say rational, view would be quite different.
At all events, this fine work is no penny dreadful. Nor does "mystery" belong in the
genre-description of this work, although certain family and other secrets remain intriguing
mysteries
until the last chapter. For instance, from first to last we wonder why page 1 is datelined,
"Women's
Prison, Arue. April, 1990" (and no, I don't think I should betray that secret here.) This simply isn't
a
whodunit ... although it does ask WHY?
Some of the compounded story is set in times since the Korean War, but the parts built around
title
character Henderson, he of the Spear, hark back to the perhaps the second half of the Victorian
era
(in all, 1837-1901).
It's a work having a rather complex structure, then, and quite early in its reading I decided it does
"Hamlet" one better by nesting a story within a story, within a story. That was however a merely
temporary thought which doesn't do "Spear" (not to say "Hamlet") adequate justice.
In it, a still fairly young woman tells, from prison, her life story to her estranged daughter. She
includes an explanation of how she had been conceived after her own mother's Royal Air Force
pilot
husband had been lost - had disappeared without a trace, in fact - during the Korean war.
Much later the reader eventually learns a quite different truth about the father's identity, but I'll go
along with Wright's attempts at keeping many details secret.
Alternating by chapters with the foregoing, there also is a third story of Henderson, a British army
officer who had lost an eye but gained a very special spear, an African assegai, in the course of
dealing with assorted renegades and the like in the "Dark Continent", during the days of
Empire.
... Except that the spear turns out to have been misrepresented by the youngish woman's mother.
It's
no assegai, or even from Africa, but rather from a tropical Pacific island. Here, though, it again
seems best to replace the veil of secrecy over the matter and preserve the mystery author Wright
has
so carefully fashioned, noting that for the mother had important secrets to protect, e.g., relating to
the legitimacy of her husband's odd disappearance.
A would-be reader, having sufficient patience and curiosity, is well advised to undertake a novel
of
this quality, certainly - but to do so with enough time foreseeably in hand to keep the story line
freshly in mind; for the work is complicated enough without extraneous distractions breaking in
upon one.
The locus of various chapters tends to wander, or to alternate, between England, West Africa, the
South Seas including that women's prison in Tahiti, briefly South Africa, and Canada. (Wright
himself lives in Canada, although he's not explicitly identified in the author blurb as
Canadian.)
In the voice of the title character Henderson - Wright uses several first-person voices, making
assignment of the word "protagonist" an uncertain task - a somewhat protracted African
adventure
is followed in the book by what actually had been an earlier and longer adventure, a royal cruise
aboard a hybrid-powered (sail and steam) Royal Navy warship, the HMS "Bacchante".
Wright doesn't seem to be a sailor, for both in the "Bacchante" and, later on, in a nameless but
also
hermaphroditic three-masted schooner yacht, steam is the power of choice - although the problem
of
coaling and of loading (fresh) water for such service never seems to arise. This is the one area in
which Wright's research and thoughtfulness seem less than prodigious.
The book thus is not to be mistaken for one of "my" beloved naval historical novels. Encountering
something akin to a naval historical fiction within a novel of mixed genres is simply serendipitous.
What absorbs probably far more pages is the weaving and ultimate unravelling of family secrets,
generally done dryshod and ashore.
Although we may be deeply absorbed it the telling of Henderson's African adventure while it lasts,
in
the end it proves little more than a red herring, with little bearing upon the principal tale being
spun.
Not, though, that I suggest giving the African parts a miss; they could have made a highly
readable
novella in their own right.
To illustrate why I consider the word Literature appropriate to the quality of "Henderson's
Spear",
let me quote the following excerpt, nearly all from page 149 in Chapter 6, as indicative of
Wright's
style:
[After a long spell of drifting in Atlantic doldrums near the Equator,] "Captain Scott ordered fires
lit,
and we steamed at half speed, the stiff new engines sending pulses of vibration through
`Bacchante's
frame. Every glass and metal object rattled, my outline in the shaving mirror was blurry as a
ghost,
and there was a leaden smell of baking paint from funnels and steampipes.
"This was my first crossing of an ocean, an immensity that cannot be grasped in abstract. In quiet
moments I stood often at the taffrail and gazed, as into a cold fire, at the churned glass flowing
from
the stern day upon day for weeks, reflecting there upon the great size of the world and the
smallness,
brevity and loneliness of our place in it.
"Landfall at Barbados ... could hardly have brought a greater contrast ... Swarms of shoreboats,
filled with laughing washerwomen, descended on us in a loud flotilla. On still nights, the rhythmic
gruntle and squeak of frogs carried across the water. And when we went ashore, even [lethargic
Prince] Eddy was intrigued by the hummingbirds - little flashes of crimson and emerald darting in
the
sun like fairy arrows."
Of course there's more, but as may be seen in these snippets, Wright's observations, imagery, and
use of words can be spellbinding.
Perhaps the last quarter or so of the work is set amongst the Pacific isles of Polynesia, either with
Henderson in the "Bacchante" which bore two grandsons of Queen Victoria on a peacetime
cruise,
or with the youngish woman of the piece, usually steaming about in civilian boats.
Even in those sequences, much of the action occurs ashore.
A question of historicity arises here. Wright calls the two young princes Edward (or Eddy) and
George. The younger lad, George, was an historical personage who would become King George
V.
However, Wright's "Prince Eddy" is fictitious, a weak and despicable character evidently invented
to
avoid directly maligning George's real elder brother, Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence. (The boys'
father would become King Edward VII, but Wright's fictitious Prince Eddy dies before ascending
the throne.)
Encyclopaedia Britannica (1957 ed.) tells that part of Wright's (and Henderson's) tale this way:
"On
Jan. 14, 1892, however, a heavy blow fell upon [future Edward VII] and his house by the death of
his eldest son Prince Albert Victor, ... after a brief illness. The young prince, who with his brother
George had made a tour of the world in H.M.S. "Bacchante" and after a short career at Oxford
and
Cambridge was just settling down to play his part in public life, had recently become engaged to
Princess Victoria Mary of Teck ..."
Thus the chief factors shared by Wright's imaginary Eddy and the historical Albert Victor seem to
be
their rich heritage, the "Bacchante" cruise, and their early deaths.
The farther one penetrates into this book, the more the episodes set in Africa, England, and
elsewhere seem like diversions, although interesting enough in their own rights. The real story
unfolds in mid-Pacific.
Here, especially, we see the importance of what I call "research travel" to the ability to write
impeccable travel-adventure fiction. How else than by visiting Tahiti, for example, should one
know
or even imagine the presumably authentic detail that a residence address might state the kilometre
number on the road encircling the island, as mentioned in Chapter Nine?
This book's pace is always leisurely, and occasionally it seems (to this slightly impatient reviewer)
simply too long drawn out. The essence of Literature, though, is that the reader is presumed to
have
ample time to savour fine words and phrases; he or she no longer must figuratively rush to catch a
train - but, having caught it, may now luxuriate in the parlour car, happily entertained by a really
good book.
* Wright is introduced as "historian, novelist and essayist" in a Christine Sismondo review in "The
Ottawa Citizen", Nov. 21, 2004.
The new work Sismondo discusses there is "A Short History of Progress" (House of Anansi
Press,
presumed 2004, 199 pp., Can.$18.95), in which Wright compares Earth as a whole to various
fallen,
or rather imploded, past civilizations. He suggests all Earth will be subject to the same fate as
was,
say, Rome, if we humans continue to rush blindly through our resources as if purposely trying to
deplete and destroy them.
His is a compelling argument in light of the "conspicuous consumption" around us, as practised by
those whom we may justly call "the unthinkers" permeating society.
Wright, says Sismondo, "... believes we are walking in the footsteps of the Sumerians, Romans
and
Mayans, defunct civilizations that were too successful for their own good."
"Consider the Easter Islanders," she summarizes. "... Rapa Nui [Easter Is.] was barren when
discovered [by Dutch explorers].
"Wright's cautionary tale includes a terrifying detail: Easter Island is so small that one could have
climbed to a good vantage point and discovered they were about to fell the very last tree ... And,
he
warns, we will soon be in the position to fell our last tree."
For this reason (or rather reasoning) alone, I should call Wright's new work "vital reading". No
comparable lesson is to be learned from "Henderson's Spear", though. The latter is simply a fine
piece of writing.
Pete Hodgins Sr.
Reviewer
JoAn's Bookshelf
The Puppeteer's Apprentice
D. Anne Love
Margaret K. McElderry Books
New York
ISBN 0689844247 $16.95 185 pages
Poor little orphan girl, Mouse, is mistreated at the manor house. She runs away but is rescued by
Simon, the storyteller, who is on his way to the fair in London. Although Mouse tried to be wary
of
strangers, she is taken in by Alice, a goose woman, and the beautiful Claire, both of whom are
traveling with Simon.
Mouse loves the wild freedom of the open road. She sees new places, listens to new stories and
sings new songs. Walking between Alice and Claire, Mouse is happier with her life than ever
before.
Mouse considers them her true friends, almost like a family, but one by one, they desert her. She
comes to realize that friendship can mean sorrow as well as joy.
Wonder-struck by a puppet show, Mouse senses her future lies in the secrets of the puppets. She
develops a daring plan to force the puppeteer to take her on as a helper. Although she realizes the
puppets are just pieces of wood, paint, and bits of cloth, she perceives that through the spirit of
the
puppeteer, they come to life.
Secrets abound that Mouse discovers, one by one, some discouraging, others exciting, always
mysterious. Now goose woman, Alice's tale, Simon's story, the puppeteer's nervousness make
sense.
She recalls the words a fortune-teller told her: a long journey, a great sorrow, a dream
fulfilled.
Anne Love's Puppeteer's Apprentice, set in medieval times, is filled with romance and magic to
entice the reader. In her Author's Note she gives references to puppets in Greece that date back to
421 B.C. In medieval times ordinary folks and peasants flocked to see the puppets perform, but
not
until the 18th century did society embrace the puppet theater. The novel has a bibliography for
further reading.
Anne Love has written six novels for children before writing this award-winning novel. The
Puppeteer's Apprentice received the Teddy Children's Book award, so named because teddy bears
are classic symbols of children. Simon and Schuster will publish her eighth novel, The Secret
Prince,
in 2005.
The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of
Thread
Kate DiCamillo, author
Timothy Basil Ering, illustrator
Candlewick Press
Cambridge, MA
ISBN 0763617229 $17.99 271 pages
Luke asked for a story with an unlikely hero and Kate DiCamillo wrote this best-seller which
follows
several unlikely heroes: a misfit mouse who prefers reading books to eating them, the princess
that
he cherishes, a bumbling servant girl who longs to be a princess and an unhappy rat who schemes
to
leave the darkness of the dungeon.
Divided into four "books," we meet Despereaux in Book One, the only mouse of his litter to be
born
alive. His mother thought he would die also. She named him "for all the sadness, for the many
despairs in this place."
His big brothers and sisters felt duty-bound to educate him in the ways of being a mouse. He
should
nibble on books, not read them. He should not creep too close to the king, even to listen to
music.
When the king chased Despereaux away, Princess Pea cried. That was when Despereaux broke
the
greatest rule of mice. He spoke to a human. He was a mouse in love with a princess. When
Despereaux would not renounce the princess, the Mouse Council sentenced him to the
dungeon.
The Second Book concerns a light-bedazzled rat in the dungeon, Roscuro, who will take any kind
of
risk to live in the light. He dares to go upstairs where chaos occurs with dire consequences. A girl
named Miggery Sow is instrumental in helping Roscuro work his revenge. Slow-witted Mig's
ambition is to become a princess.
The reader is told to go backward before we go forward. Thus the reader is jolted out of the story
as
the narrator continually addresses us as "Dear Reader."
The dungeon jailer, Gregory, wrapped Despereaux in a napkins and sent him upstairs. When Mig
shook out the napkin, he landed in a cup of oil. The cook demanded that Mig kill him, but she
only
managed to cut off his tail.
Despereaux becomes the knight in shining armor and goes on a quest to help the king find his
daughter, Princess Pea. Light and dark are used metaphorically and offer layers of meaning to a
seemingly simple, straight forward tale.
The illustrations by Timothy Basil Ering are gray and shadowy to give the impression of despair
and
sadness. Reminiscent of Stuart Little and Lemony Snicket's "unfortunate" books, this book will
appeal to readers who like precious books populated with talking animals - rats and mice. Even
the
author admits, "The story is not a pretty one, with violence and cruelty. But everything in this
world
cannot always be sweetness and light."
Kate DeCamillo breaks all the rules that are suggested to aspiring writers. She goes back and
forth
in time; intrudes herself, the author, by talking directly to the reader; even suggests that the reader
stop to look up difficult words in the dictionary. Her transitions from Book the First, Second,
Third
and Fourth are totally confusing. But she won the 2003 Newbery Medal. Go figure!
JoAn W. Martin
Reviewer
Jody's Bookshelf
Wives and Sisters
Natalie R. Collins
St. Martin's Press
New York, NY 10010
ISBN: 0312334281, $23.95, 270 pp
Over the years, I've met many authors online. It's scary when I have a copy of their first large
house
published book in my hands. What if they really can't write? What if I don't like the book?
Those were the first thoughts drifting through my mind when I opened WIVES AND SISTERS.
It
didn't take long before I didn't care who wrote the book, all I wanted to know was what happened
to the characters.
The book starts with the disappearance of an eight year old girl. Instead of making the scene
squimish, Ms. Collins handles it with tact and never forces the reader to actually watch what we
know in our imagination must have happened to a child.
Allison Jenson is six when her best friend Cindy disappears. The rest of the book revolves around
that one event. From the way Allison's family reacts to Cindy's disappearance and the way the
Mormon Church hushes it up in their small community.
From that moment on, Allison questions God and especially the Mormon Church. Each time this
reader thought Allison would make a break through, life, Allison's domineering father, or the
church
would knock her down.
In time, Allison walks away from the Mormon Church, but even as a young adult on her own, she
has lots of questions. During the highs and lows in her life, when most of us reach to our family
for
consulation or celebration, Allison relearns that in her family the Mormon Church is more
important
than family.
It slaps her in the face when she hears a family member say, "We're so grateful (he) died
honorably
serving God and spreading the Gospel. It's better he came home in a pine box than to have been
sent
home in disgrace."
While abuse, physical and sexual, are important to the story, the underlying theme is how all this
is
allowed because of the abuse within the Mormon Church.
While Ms. Collins held back on the graphical details pertaining to Cindy, she didn't pull any
punches
when it comes to the abuse within the Mormon Church. Or what it's like for those who were
raised
Mormon, but have left the church and remained in Utah.
This book will appeal to anyone who loves a suspense novel or those who have always wondered
about the inner workings within the Mormon Church.
Don't be surprised if you devour this book in one reading. Natalie Collins has captured the
essence
of a page turner by giving us a three deminsional characters, plenty of action and a healthy dose of
controversy.
To learn more about Ms. Collins and her earlier works, please visit
http://www.nataliercollins.com
Pioneer Road
Donna Blasor-Bernhardt
ArcheBooks Publishing
9101 W. Sahara Ave. Suite 105-112 Las Vegas, NV 89117
http://www.archebooks.com
ISBN: 1595070281, $26.99, 223 pp.
Each year millions of tourist drive the Alcan highway. To many, it's just another road that takes
them from one point to another. To the men and woman who helped build the road, it was an
experience of a lifetime.
For Alaskans, it's the road that connects the 49th state to the rest of our nation. As an Alaskan,
I've
never doubted the importance of this road. It took Donna Blasor-Bernhardt's latest book to
remind
me of the hardships these men and women endured who made the PIONEER ROAD
possible.
PIONEER ROAD is divided into five sections. Ms. Blasor-Bernhardt doesn't tell this story,
instead
this talented author stands back and lets the men ane women share their memories, while she only
narrates in a few select spots. Section one is for the military. Section two, the civilians. Section
three
pertains to the related projects going on at the same time and shows how they were all related.
Section four is the reunion of these brave men and women fifty years later. Section five is a list of
the contributors.
From John Clark Friese, various titles, employee of Pedersen Brothers Construction Company,
"The
highway, as it stands, is a real tribute to all the men from every part of the continent, who proved
to
themselves and the world that they had all the spirit and fight of their forefathers." This excerpt is
on
the Table of Contents page and it is an accurate summary of this book.
The men and women sharing their experiences while building the Alcan aren't professional writers.
However, many of their memories will amuse, sadden and even haunt the reader.
Mostly the contributors are men, but a few of the brave women who endured life in the far north
in
primative conditions are represented too. The stories contain mosquitoes, bears, moose and all the
various wildlife, the Liard Hot Springs, the cold, more about the cold, even more about the bitter
cold. But through them all, one thing stands out and ties them all together, the pride each person
had
for answering the call of duty and for having survived such harsh conditions.
This Alaskan, highly recommends PIONEER ROAD. It will appeal to readers who love Alaska,
have driven the Alcan, want to know more about WW II events or enjoy a good man versus
nature
story. Don't be surprised to reach for a tissue when the simple pride these men share shines
through
countless times.
Each essay is like an ingrediant in a special recipe. Taken individually, only a few stand out, but
mixed together, they form a wonderful book. This reader realized if any of them had been omitted
if
would be as obvious to the final outcome of the book as forgetting baking soda in a cake.
Just like a recipe, this book is set up so the reader can read the individual essays in short spurts, or
rush through to the end. I read through the first two sections, skipped to the reunion and went
back
to section three. Skipping around didn't hurt the experience at all.
This is Donna Blasor-Bernhardt's second nonfiction book this year. For information about
previous
books, and future works, visit http://www.alaska-wintercabin.com
Jody Pryor, Reviewer
http://www.jodypryor.com
Judine's Bookshelf
Let That Be The Reason
Vickie Stringer
A&B Publishers Group
1000 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11238
ISBN: 1886433852, $13.00, pp. 248
Description: Common Memoirs
What's hustling while on lock down? Sounds like selling goods while behind jail bars. But, I call it
working on a job, where you want out. Unfortunately low finances, poor relationships, or a lack
of a
higher education keep you mentally locked down. "Let That Be The Reason" you tell yourself
something like, "When I make me fifty thousand, I will stop..." (pg. 76)
In "Let That Be The Reason," Pammy dates Chino up until she is 8-months pregnant. He then
decides to leave Pammy stranded to fiend herself, as he marries another woman. Pammy has bills
to
pay but no college education, which makes it tough to find a good salary. "Only problem is
corporate America ain't trying to give a brotha or sistah a chance to really express themselves.
Especially with no background, no legit papers." (pg. 98)
So, Pammy's alter ego named Carmen chose quickly learn about the profits from sex and drugs.
When she has enough material wealth, Carmen wants out of the business, but the business won't
let
her go. Unaware of Carmen's exact situation, "Let That Be The Reason" her mom encourages her
with, "God will see you through this. He never fails." (pg. 84) Carmen eventually goes to jail, but
the book ends with a cliffhanger for the next novel "Imagine That."
Vickie Stringer portrays her past in this fiction novel. The theme deals not with the love of money
or
the risks of drugs and sex. (Although people not familiar with this lifestyle can receive a good
education on street etiquette.) Instead, the basic premise continuously revolves around the love of
family and the choices for financial freedom. "Let That Be The Reason" you read this book,
because
your autobiography probably has a similar theme.
Putting It On Paper: The Ground Rules for Creating Promotional Pieces that Sell Books
Dawn Josephson
Ground Rules Press
PO Box 8006, Hilton Head Island, SC 29938
ISBN: 0974496618, $19.95, pp. 172
Description: Dressed for success
Watch Out! There's a self-publishing, small press explosion. No longer does an author have to
wait
for a complete stranger to "approve" of their manuscript. With print on demand (POD), a galley
of
your published book could be in your possession in under a week of submission to the printer.
That's
the easy part. How do you convince readers to rush out and buy your book? With an effective,
profession maketing media kit, that's how!
"Putting It On Paper" provides a one-stop solution for a book media kit. With an separate focus
for
the cover letter, press release, mock book reviews, author bios, book sell sheet, and catalog sheet,
the new author CANNOT go wrong. Each chaper has a basic example, accompanied by a few
variations to give preference for style. The pictures used to depict the "Frequently Asked
Questions," "Key Points," and "Ground Rules in Action" sections excite the author to continue.
And, showing how a written article acts as effective "Back Door Selling" seals the new author as
a
credible source. "But if you give them some useful and practical tips that make a difference in
their
life, (the reader will) hunt down your book and pay top dollar for it." (pg 140)
Dawn Josephson helps you to dress your book for promotional success. I applaud her for
organizing
the media kit documents in a fun and easy to read format. "Whether you've self-published or gone
with a traditional press, marketing your book is your responsibility, so you need to start your
book
promotion activily as soon as possible." (pg 13) I recommend '"Putting It On Paper: The Ground
Rules for Creating Promotional Pieces that Sell Books" to all authors, especially newbies to
publishing.
Schemin' Confessions of a Gold Digger
Andrea Blackstone
Dream Weaver Press
P.O. Box 3402 , Annapolis, MD 21403
ISBN: 0974684708, $17.50, pp. 308
"Schemin': Confessions of a Gold Digger" chronicles a brief, wild period in the life of Jalita
Harrison. She transforms from a quiet, mild mannered, virgin college student into a conniving, sex
craved social climber, after a one-night escapade. The conversations with herself and others
graphically detail her experiences and how she used many, many men to finance her material
pleasures. Jalita sold her services to the highest bidder while holding allegiance to none. "A real
player like me doesn't need a dime to sucker people in the pit; suckers fall in regardless. I was
schemin' that's all." (pg 232)
The tables turn, when another more experienced woman knows Jalita has stolen her "man
property."
After a ride in a stretch limo, the events sound like something from the Jerry Springer show, with
sex, lies and vidotape. In the end, someone dies during a struggle for Jalita's self defense. Next,
another woman with friends want to kill Jalita because of her manhandling. But instead they beat
her
so bad, she has to spend time in the hospital. This episode helps Jalita to come clean, when she
learns one of her male associates is a near relative. She also begins to love herself, despite those
who
have never shown her any love.
Andrea Blackstone told me "Schemin': Confessions of a Gold Digger" is partially nonfiction for
her.
As I read, I prayed the only reality of this book was Jalita's biracial background. Andrea uses her
vivid imagination to show the fast lifestyle really leads no where but to disrespect. I recommend
"Schemin': Confessions of a Gold Digger" for the young wannabes to learn the dangers of
manipulating people with sexual favors.
Judine Slaughter, Reviewer
http://www.eybooks.com
Kimberly's Bookshelf
Winter's Gift
Jane Monroe Donovan
Sleeping Bear Press
310 North Main Street, Suite 300, Chelsea, MI 48118
ISBN: 158536231X $15.95 32 Pages
The old man's wife had said more than once that a star is a symbol of hope. She said, "No matter
how bad things get, you should always have hope." This past year the old man lost his wife. He
felt
more hopeless than hopeful. That feeling continued until he stumbled upon a lost mare that
needed
his help and eventually gave him a gift in return. This heatwarming story can be enjoyed by just
about any age.
The Scarlet Stockings Spy
Trinka Hakes Noble
Sleeping Bear Press
310 North Main Street, Suite 300, Chelsea, MI 48118
ISBN: 1585362301 $16.95 48 Pages
The year is 1777 and the Patriots are in the throws of war with the British. It would seem that the
British, with all of their money, men and equipment, would have the advantage. But the Patriots
had
young Maddy Rose and her scarlet stockings, and they would prove to be more valuable than
anything the British could offer up. This beautiful book, full of action, suspense, sorrow and hope,
will bring readers into the very heart of the American Revolution.
D is for Democracy: A Citizen's Alphabet
Elissa Grodin
Sleeping Bear Press
310 North Main Street, Suite 300, Chelsea, MI 48118
ISBN: 1585362344 $16.95 40 Pages
D is for Democracy
where citizens can choose
whom they wish to vote for
and freely share their views.
This introduction to the history of democracy and the gifts and rights it affords us should be
required
reading for every U.S. citizen, beginning with our youngest Americans.
Albert
Lani Yamamoto
Sleeping Bear Press
310 North Main Street, Suite 300, Chelsea, MI 48118
ISBN: 1585362514 $10.95 32 Pages
Young Albert is a boy whose imagination takes him many places and whose mind asks many
questions. On one rainy afternoon, Albert's mind comes up with yet another question, one that
will
take Albert and his imagination on the adventure of a lifetime! Readers can share in Albert's
adventures to infinity and beyond.
T is for Touchdown: A Football Alphabet
Brad Herzog
Sleeping Bear Press
310 North Main Street, Suite 300, Chelsea, MI 48118
ISBN: 1585362336 $16.95 40 Pages
S is for Super Sunday
and the splendid Super Bowl,
when two strong squads square off
with all their heart and soul.
This is the perfect book to introduce our youngest to the phenomenon and tradition that is
football.
Full of facts, figures, history and gorgeous artwork, even the most dedicated of fans might learn
something new.
Win One For The Gipper: America's Football Hero
Kathy-Jo Wargin
Sleeping Bear Press
310 North Main Street, Suite 300, Chelsea, MI 48118
ISBN: 1585362212 $16.95 40 Pages
George Gipp played not only with his body and mind; he also played with his heart. George Gipp
enjoyed playing many sports, but shortly after beginning college at the University of Notre Dame,
assistant football coach, Knute Rockne realized where George would excel. This touching story
follows George's rise to the top of the Notre Dame football program and his popularity that
ensued
across the country. Unfortunately, pneumonia took George from all of us much too soon, but his
last words to Knute Rockne live on and continue to inspire greatness. This is a must-have for any
football fan.
Kimberly Hutmacher
Reviewer
Linda's Bookshelf
Learn Faster & Remember More
David Gamon, PhD, and Allen D. Bragdon
Allen D. Bragdon Publishers, Inc.
252 Great Western Road, South Yarmouth, MA 02664
www.brainwaves.com
ISBN 091641079X $14.95 320 pp.
If reading and learning titillates and invigorates you, then you will love reading and learning from
Learn Faster and Remember More, a well-researched and well-documented book that beautifully
weaves together in passionate prose what researchers have discovered with what astute parents
have
observed plus a great deal more to keep readers turning the pages. In this fact-packed text,
Gamon
and Bragdon also include charts that clarify anatomy, puzzles that test concentration and enhance
memory, and even whimsical illustrations and cartoons to help set a light tone to capture readers'
attention. You can read it cover to cover, or because it includes a useful index, you can use it as a
handy reference book.
As the subtitle, The Developing Brain, The Maturing Years, and The Experienced Mind, reveals,
the
book is organized into The Developing Brain: The third trimester, The Maturing Years: From
college to retirement, and The Experienced Mind: Maintaining treasured qualities of life. Happy
expectant parents and caring parents of pre-high schoolers, who treasure learning and wish to
instill
in their children a high intellect, a deep sense of purpose, and a keen ability to communicate will
be
thrilled to gain from the abundant knowledge presented so palatably. Progressive parents,
teachers,
college students, thoughtful teens, and even pre-teens, who love learning, likewise, will treasure
this
wonderful book. Seniors, who maintain a hunger for continued learning, very well may relish their
discovery of this book the most. Mature readers can enjoy having confirmed for them so much of
what they believed to be a sound approach to parenting when they were raising their own
children.
Beyond that, mature readers -- whether having been parents or not -- can be encouraged further
by
the natural evolution to their current stage in life and to what lies ahead on the horizon. From
there
mature readers can be encouraged and inspired even further by embracing Building Mental
Muscle.
Both Learn Faster & Remember More and Building Mental Muscle are must read books. Highly
recommended.
Building Mental Muscle
David Gamon, PhD, and Allen D. Bragdon
Allen D. Bragdon Publishers, Inc.
252 Great Western Road, South Yarmouth, MA 02664
www.brainwaves.com
ISBN 0916410625 $14.95 320 pp.
As with your reading and studying of Learn Faster and Remember More, you will glean much
from
Building Mental Muscle: Conditioning Exercises for the Six Intelligence Zones defined as
Executive
and Social, Memory, Emotional, Language, Math, and Spatial. Gamon and Bragdon not only
have
ferreted out from recent research how the six zones of practical intelligence work, but also these
authors have devised exercises "to stimulate the cells in the different brain zones" to maintain
cellular
activity and to keep all "cognitive zones" in tiptop shape (p. 8). Just as Leonardo da Vinci so aptly
said in the 16th century, "Just as iron rusts from disuse, even so does inaction spoil the intellect,"
Learn Faster & Remember More and Building Mental Muscle make it amply clear that the "use it
or
lose it" concept is fully at work where the brain and mind are concerned.
In fact, the authors explain that excellent attention to each new learning experience fosters the
ability
to learn even more. The authors point to the crucial importance of physical exercise, as well as
mental exercise, in maintaining the optimum health of the brain. They also discuss how emotion is
tied to learning, to retention of information, and to the health of our brain cells and even further to
the vitality of our immune systems. Fact after fact will exercise your learning muscles. From their
report of Paul Ekman's research, one can even predict that some pharmaceutical companies that
earn
millions from the sales of antidepressant drugs probably would be happier if other reviewers and I
did not help you to find this book. Not everyone will be excited by this book, but those who are
enchanted with reading and thrilled with learning will be.
You will return again and again to this well-researched text, to its exercises, self-tests, logic
puzzles,
drawings, illustrations, and cartoons to refresh your memory and to build mental muscle. You will
want to share the information that you learn with those dearest to you, who love learning and
want
to nurture not only a healthy body but also a healthy, active mind and spirit.
In future editions of both books, the editor can eliminate the inadvertent use of hyphens in
compound adjectives beginning with an adverb and ending in -ly. The designer can add the price,
readable to the average reader, to the bar code of Building Mental Muscle, and the authors can
add
an index to make this book an even more useful reference tool for avid readers.
Linda Davis Kyle, Reviewer
www.writersfriend.com
Lori's Bookshelf
Honor Guards
Radclyffe
Bold Strokes Books
Philadelphia, PA
www.boldstrokesbooks.com
ISBN: 1933110015 $18.99 322 pgs
In this, the fourth novel in the "Honor" series, author Radclyffe continues the story of the
relationship between Blair Powell, the daughter of the president of the United States, and
Cameron
"Cam" Roberts, the Secret Service agent assigned to protect her. As with each of the previous
books, HONOR GUARDS picks up where the last novel (LOVE AND HONOR) left off. When
the
novel opens, Blair has already given an interview to a reporter revealing her sexual orientation and
her lover's identity, and she and Cam are waiting for the story to be printed and for the media blitz
that is sure to follow. In the brief time before that happens, they are able to be together as lovers,
luxuriating in one another's arms and trying to block out the rest of the world to focus on their
relationship.
But little do they know that behind the scenes, malignant forces are at work, including a
conspiracy
to assassinate Blair. Radclyffe has set this book from August 16, 2001 and onward toward the
inevitability of the 9/11 attacks. Interspersing the two lover's daily struggles with politics, privacy,
and the paparazzi are brief details of the conspiracy to unseat the government by way of terrorism.
Every step of the way, from the racy love scenes to the daily security worries weighing heavy on
Cam's shoulders, the reader is aware of the oncoming disasters, even as we root for Blair and
Cam
to cement their relationship once and for all.
A secondary plot line involving Secret Service agent Paula Stark and FBI agent, Renee Savard, is
interwoven into the story. Renee is still recovering from wounds suffered during a previous
attempt
on Blair's life, and Paula continues to be part of Cam's team protecting the president's daughter.
Their relationship unfolds sweetly and delightfully, and Paula plays a critical role in the exciting
events that unfold.
As usual with Radclyffe's books, the sex scenes are hot, the twists and turns of the plot are
engrossing, and the action scenes build slowly and explode effectively. Best of all, at the end of
this
fourth book in the series, the reader is left wanting more, and there is definitely room for another
novel. Highly recommended.
The Cost of Commitment
Lynn Ames
Intaglio Publications
PO Box 357474, Gainesville, Florida 32635
www.intagliopub.com
ISBN: 1933113022 $18.50 295 pgs
When last we saw Katherine "Kate" Kyle and her partner Jamison "Jay" Parker in the previous
book,
THE PRICE OF FAME, they had united to pull through a scandal of epic proportions. Kate had
been outed and had lost her TV anchor job, but Jay was still in the closet. Now, in this sequel,
Kate
has become the Director of Public Information for the New York state correctional system. She
takes some flak for being lesbian, but her relationship with Jay is still not known by anyone
outside
their circle of friends.
Jay has continued with her journalism career, and at first all seems well, but very quickly it
becomes
clear that rocky times are ahead. Not only are there dastardly forces at work behind the scenes
that
are undermining Kate and her job, but Jay cannot depend on her anonymity being guarded. Then
there is a struggle for power at the highest levels of the state and federal government, and certain
individuals are willing to sabotage or quite literally dispose of Kate to gain political advantage.
Neither Kate nor Jay know how devious and destructive those forces will be, but even though it
gradually dawns upon Kate that she is being more than undermined, she is not prepared for the
lengths to which desperate men will go. It will take all her physical and emotional strength to get
through the disaster that occurs and Jay will be tested, too.
Author Lynn Ames maintains the excitement of the two women's growing relationship while
making
sure that the romance and hot love scenes don't derail the action side of the plot. An exciting
romantic thriller, THE COST OF COMMITMENT will keep you awake late into the night
wondering how Jay and Kate can possibly get out of the mess they find themselves in.
Entertaining
right up to the last page.
Gloria's Inn
Robin Alexander
Intaglio Publications
PO Box 357474, Gainesville, Florida 32635
www.intagliopub.com
ISBN: 1933113014 $17.50 190 pgs
When Hayden Tate's aunt Gloria dies and leaves her niece half interest in an island inn in the
Bahamas, Hayden is ready for a change. She's ready to leave her lawn and landscaping business
behind, especially since her girlfriend has dumped her for a woman who Hayden says looks like a
Saints linebacker. Hayden tells us, "I gave that woman the best year and a half of my life, and she
did
this to me. Not to mention that she took half my wardrobe and most of my CD collection with her
when she left" (p. 14). In retaliation, Hayden plays one last naughty trick on the ex by leaving her
a
special "treat" in her car. (I can still smell the odor of cat excrement.) In her defense Hayden says,
"I
know what I did was disgusting and childish, but the woman broke my heart. Not to mention she
was in possession of my entire Melissa Etheridge collection. That alone was grounds enough" (p.
14).
Just the first few pages of this book will tell the reader that the narrator has a wacky sense of
humor
and that what's in store is going to be a funny romp. And indeed it is. The descriptions and events
of
the book made me laugh out loud at times.
Hayden flies in to Cat Island, meets the co-owner, Adrienne, and promptly falls for the tall
woman.
Adrienne has a few secrets she'd rather not reveal like the fact that at times she happens to hear
other people's thoughts. This makes for some pretty funny stuff. Before Hayden and Adrienne
have
even started to get to know one another, a load of guests women who come for a holiday
together
every year show up, and it's gangbusters. I don't want to give away too much of the plot, but this
one's a romance and a comedy and a drama - with some snakes and scary intrigue thrown in for
thrills and chills. Entertaining and recommended for anyone wanting a light-hearted and humorous
read.
The World Celaeno Chose
Jane Fletcher
The Dimsdale Press
BCM Box 4687, London, WC1N 3XX
ISBN: 0952362538 $16.95 350 Pages
In the Temple in the city of Fairfield, a young woman named Lynn does the important work of
helping women reproduce. She is a sort of psychic DNA-knitting doctor/priest called an imprinter.
Imprinters are chosen very young for their psychic abilities and are taken from the families to
serve
Celaeno, the great goddess of the people. Everything about Lynn's world is focused on prayer,
imprinting, and the teachings of Celaeno. The imprinting skill she shares brings in a fortune in
"offerings" (required by the Church) from eager women desperate for children.. There is no
separation of Church and State; they are one and the same.
After a couple of decades of this mind-numbing, psychologically draining work, the book opens
with
Lynn in a state of depression. Once a month during a religious ritual on the steps of the Temple,
she
sees the outdoors. Otherwise, she is locked into the tomb-like environment of the Temple, never
to
have a lover, never to have freedom, never to know anything but this life of service. She is
basically
held captive, a prisoner of her own abilities until the day Sister Smith, from the larger Temple in
Landfall, appears and wrangles with the authorities to take the talented imprinter far away to the
larger, more powerful Temple. Lynn is excited to make the long journey during which, perhaps
for
the last time, she can enjoy the forests, the freedom to walk on the woodland paths and see the
moon, and the cool air at night.
A squadron of Rangers, including Lt. Kimberly Ramon, is quickly assigned to escort the Sisters
and
Lynn on the long journey over the mountains and to the south. And this is where the adventure
begins. For the first time since childhood, Lynn is among real and interesting women, and she is
quite taken with Ramon, who has her own secrets and griefs. "As much as anything, Lynn enjoyed
the honest, open banter, although the jokes were frequently bawdy. To Lynn's mind they were fair
less offensive than the conversation of the sisters; the intimidation by pious quotes, the political
backstabbing disguised in religious platitudes. The soldiers spoke of a world Lynn would never
know, but it didn't matter. Their stories were like breathing fresh air after years of choking in
incense" (p. 90).
The soldiers are also brave, and when they are attacked on the journey, everything about the trip
changes. Lynn's ability to envision herself as a free woman begins to grow. But can she shake free
of
the grip of the Church? How far will the powers-that-be go in order to keep her to
themselves?
This fundamentalist society, operating based upon bits and pieces of lore, abridged history,
inaccurate facts, and misguided good intentions, is all the more frightening because it is peopled
only
by women. In Fletcher's world of Celaeno, it's not men with the compulsion to render matters of
life
into simplistic and often bone-crushing black and white; women can be and are just as
dangerous.
With rich, glorious prose, Jane Fletcher has created a spell-binding world and a variety of
fascinating
and multi-dimensional characters. The world is so compelling that I couldn't help but wish I could
quite literally go there! Lynn's quest, as well as that of Kim Ramon, makes for exciting reading. At
its heart, the book is an adventure/quest, but it is also a mystery. Who are these people? Where
did
they come from? What happened to the men, if, indeed, there ever were any? The back story of
the
previous 533 years is unraveled slowly, but surely, for the reader so that by the end of the book,
all
is revealed.
THE WORLD CELAENO CHOSE is absorbing and engrossing tale-telling of the highest order,
and
the really exciting thing is that although this novel is complete and "finished," the door is left open
to
explore more of this world, which the author has apparently done in subsequent books. I can't
wait
to read the next Celaeno volumes, and this book is a keeper that I will re-read again and again. I
highly recommend it.
Lori L. Lake, Reviewer
http://www.lorillake.com/
Magdalena's Bookshelf
Williams Sonoma Kids Baking
Abigail Johnson & Dodge Williams
Edited by Chuck Williams
Photography by Jason Lowe
Illustrations by Joy Gosney
Sonoma Publishing
3250 Van Ness Avenue San Francisco, CA 94109
ISBN 1405035625, $32.95
Kids just love to cook, and it is so educational for them (plus you get something generally edible
at
the end of the process - a real win-win). The key to a happy cooking experience with children is
the
obvious one, keep it simple. The item you cook should be more or less failproof, and something
which children will enjoy eating at the end of the session. The Williams Sonoma Kids Baking
book is
spiral bound, so it sits flat on the table, and is full of bright and provocative photographs which
will
encourage children of all ages to get cooking. Older children will enjoy reading through the basics
section which opens the book. There is information on measuring, sifting, preparing pans, beating
butter and sugar, cracking eggs, preparing fruit, and lots more. Everything is illustrated with step
by
step pictures.
The rest of the book is devoted to recipes, but these aren't ordinary recipes. They are designed to
be
very appealing to children. There are chapters on cookies, cakes & cupcakes, pies & pastries,
simple
breads and muffins, and yeast breads. The book reminds me of a child oriented version of Nigella
Lawson's How to be a Domestic Goddess, and is equally homey. As with the opening section,
each
recipe contains a series of photographs, designed to illustrate the specific actions required by
children. Each recipe is formatted the same, with a list of ingredients and tools at the front,
followed
by quantity information and a step by step guide, usually in 2 or 4 steps of before you start,
mixing,
forming and baking. There are tips for things children can do to increase the fun or take care, like
decorating cookies with friends, being careful with knives, licking the frosting off the beaters, or
painting the butter onto pastry with a brush.
For younger children, you can use this as a normal cookbook, but just let them take on tasks that
suit their capabilities. Children as young as 2 can grease pans, mix, knead, and mash, and while
they're doing it, they're learning practical maths, improving fine motor skills, and learning about
nutrition and how to cook. It's the basis for a lifelong love of good food and nutrition, plus at the
end of it, you get to serve a batch of things like chocolate chip cookie cake, gingerbread men
(good
for cooking parties too - decoration is lots of fun), carrot cake, mixed berry pie, elephant ears, or
blueberry-orange mini muffins. Yum! This is a book which you'll probably use yourself in the
kitchen
for its quick easy recipes, and children will be using it for many years.
Birds Without Wings
Louis de Bernieres
Knopf
1745 Broadway, 15-3 New York, NY 10019
ISBN: 1400043417 $25.95
In a small but ideallic town of Eskibahce, the villagers live in a kind of sleepy conviviality of
marvellous design, where "side by side, there used to live Christians who spoke only Turkish, but
wrote it in the Greek script, and Muslims who also spoke only Turkish, and also wrote it in the
Greek script." (29). Although the novel jumps around in time, especially in the early chapters, and
place, most of Birds Without Wings is set in this town now long gone, and in the pre-Captain
Corelli's Mandolin era of the early 20th century, about 1910 or so (just prior to and then during
World War I). Like all of de Bernieres' novels, perhaps with the exception of his last one, Red
Dog,
elements of postmodernism sit neatly alongside ancient forms of tragicomic epic. The book is
long,
but broken up into short, and easy to read passages titled with the names of specific characters.
Many of these are first person recollections, and vary depending on the character doing the
speaking. Of these first person narratives, we have Philothei, the young, beautiful, and simple
Christian girl. Her narrative begins at age six where the writing is free of punctuation and spelled
phonically, to mirror the way an unschooled six year old might write (though it is unlikely that she
would have been able to actually write). Philothei's own passages are chronological, and her
character develops, within the bounds of her simplicity, as the story moves forward. In some ways
she mirrors the innocence and simplicity of Eskibahce itself as it is also destroyed.
Other Eskibahce characters include Drosoula, Philothei's friend and constant companion (she
appears later in Captain Corelli's Mandolin), Iskander the Potter, who provides both prologue and
epilogue to the novel and seems to act as a kind of overall narrator. Other characters include the
two
boys, Karatuvak, a Muslim, and Mehmetcik, a Christian, who took their nicknames from the bird
whistles fastened for them by Iskander the Potter. Their friendship is touching, as is the exquisite
narrative of Karatuvak as he battles his way through Gallipoli:
All the green plants turned brown, all the flowers vanished away, the birds sat on the brances with
their beaks open, and the sun made the skin shrink and the eyes ache, and the lips crack, and the
dizziness overwhelms. There was so much thirst that the water boys couldn't keep up with us.
You
couldn't touch anything made of metal and you couldn't touch the stones. The sweat would pour
down our faces and down our chests, and pour off the backs of our necks and down our spines
and
between the buttocks, and our uniforms would have thick wavy lines of white where the salt had
dried out of the sweat. (385)
There is also Rustem Bey, the local landlord and Aga (a kind of wealthy community leader), who
begins in an unsympathetic manner, killing his wife's lover and cousin and then arranging his wife's
stoning, and ends by growing in girth and understanding, taking on a beautiful mistress, and
learning
to understand the nature of love and life. Rustem Bey doesn't actually get to speak in first person,
but we learn about him through his actions: his travels to Smyrna to buy a wife, his relationship
with
his wife Tamara, his humorous attempts at communication and friendship with the Italian
occupying
commander, Granitola, and his pain and incomprehension over the loss of his mistress Leyla. The
characters age beautifully, and the reader is eager for more of the quirky and believable Eskibahce
characters. de Bernieres has a wonderful sense of character and the delight in the eccentric detail
which takes the reader deep into the real impact of war, and regardless of the book's length and
heavy subject matter, provides a pleasurable and lighthearted read.
In between the rich characterisations of the Eskibahce villagers are the passages titled "Mustafa
Kemel. "These are deliberately written in very dry and cold prose, which resembles an
academically
styled, old fashioned history book:
In Mesopotamia the British begin a series of spectacular successes under Generals Maude and
Allenby, and Kut and Baghdad fall. Allenby pulls off some exceptionally brilliant and elaborate
deceptions. Mustafa Kemal agrees to take command of the 7th Army under Marshal Falkenhayn,
but
it is clear that his intention is to obstruct Falkenhayn whenever possible, because he believes that
the
Germans ultimately want to oust the Ottomans from the Middle East, and take control of it
themselves. (433)
These passages are quite extensive and take up a large portion of the book. The are clearly
designed
to provide a contrast between the public and private face of the war. In these passages, Kemel is
presented as a war hero, the brilliant self-titled Ataturk, who created the modern Turkey, but the
real
carnage which we see directly through the eyes of those on the ground, the carnage of Kemel's
exile
of the Greek Christians, and the ultimate impact of Kemel's arrogance is obvious enough to cast
these passages into ironic shadow. Although full of fairly interesting facts about the war, they are
nonetheless impersonal and a little tedious to read, standing out sharply against the beautiful
humanism of the character pieces.
Kemel isn't much of a character, and as such, he doesn't really change, even though we follow him
from birth through to powerful leader. He is more setting than character - the backdrop or even
instigator of the actions which are only important because of the impact they have on characters
that
can grow and change. The most beautiful and poignant passages are those where simple and
honourable characters begin to question the validity of faith, of god, and of empire. The
combination
of hard history and soft emotions work together to make the ugliness of war, nationalism and
religious intolerance a strong theme: "The triple contagions of nationalism, utopianism and
religious
absolutism effervesce together into an acid that corrodes the moral metal of a race, and it
shamelessly and even proudly performs deeds that it would deem vile if they were done by any
other." (286)
In the end, big abstractions like nationhood, god or even religious zeal are dwarfed behind the
simple notions of love, friendship, and loss. The stage of Birds Without Wings is huge, and the
tragedy grand scale, but its beauty lies in the multi-tongued relationships between Rustem Bey
and
Leyla and Rustem Bey and, between Ibriham and Philothei, between Philothei, Drosoula and
Leyla,
between Fikret and Karatavuk, Karatavuk and Mehmetcik, and even the delicate kinship between
the
"Franks" and the "Turks" in their trenches. As de Bernieres says, "Such people, even those as
insignificant as Leonidas, are the motor of history, which is finally nothing but a sorry edifice
constructed from hacked flesh in the name of great ideas." (131)
Magdalena Ball, Reviewer
http://www.compulsivereader.com/html
Margaret's Bookshelf
Kabbalistic Healing
Jason Schulman
Inner Traditions International, Ltd.
One Park Street, Rochester, VT 05767
1594770158 $14.95 1-800-246-8648 www.innertraditions.com
Kabbalistic healing: A Path To An Awakened Soul by and modern kabbalist Jason Shulman (a
recognized teacher in the Buddhist lineage of Shaka Kendo Rich Art, Abbot of the Clear
Mountain
Center and a faculty member of The New York Open Center, Esalen Institute, and Omega
Institute)
describes the ultimate healing possible for the human soul through an awakening of one true
nature.
Shulman covers the process of unification, of joining with reality, and the implications of that
process for daily life. Kabbalistic Healing is especially recommended reading for those who are
seeking a deeper and integrated understanding of themselves.
Gertrude Beals Bourne: Artist In Brahmin Boston
D. Roger Howelett
Northeastern University Press
360 Huntington Avenue, 416CP, Boston, MA 02115
0962814318 $40.00 www.nupress.neu.edu
Boston Brahmin Gertrude Beals Bourne was born on Beacon Hill in 1868 and began her career as
a
painter in the 1890s. In 1904 she married the architect Frank A. Bourne, where she founded the
Beacon Hill Garden Club and counted among her friends artists, architects, and all the leading
members of the local gentry. Gertrude continued to paint and exhibit her work in such venues as
the
Boston art Club, the New York Water Color Club, the American Water Color Society, the Art
Institute of Chicago, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, and the National Galley of Art right up to her
death in 1962. Compiled by D. Roger Howlett (President of Childs Gallery) and with an
informative
introduction by Patricia Hills (Professor of Art History, Boston University), Gertrude Beals
Bourne:
Artist In Brahmin Boston is the long needed summation of Gertrude's life and work which is
strongly recommended as an essential, core addition to any personal or academic American Art
History reference collection.
Folk Furniture Of Canada's Doukhobors, Hutterites, Mennonites And Ukrainians
John Fleming & Michael Rowan
University of Alberta Press
Ring House 2, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 2E1
0888644183 $60.00 www.uap.ualberta.ca
The collaborative project of John Fleming (Professor in the Department of French and the Centre
for
Comparative Literature at the University of Toronto) and Michael Rowan (Ontario-based
specialist
in folk art and ethnic furniture) Folk Furniture Of Canada's Doukhobors, Hutterites, Mennonites
And Ukrainians is an impressive visual record and commentary on the culture and values of four
ethno-cultural groups as reflected in their items of furniture. Many of the pieces represented were
saved or salvaged from workshops or barns by the efforts of pickers and museum personnel
traveling Canada's western provinces in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as by dealers and collectors
who recognized the cultural value of various pieces. Folk Furniture Of Canada's Doukhobors,
Hutterites, Mennonites And Ukrainians aptly illustrates the differences and similarities among the
four ethno-cultural groups while showcasing the Canadian character found in each item. The
superb
color photography of James Chambers beautifully captures both representative and exceptional
artifacts ranging from large furniture items such as storage chests, benches, cradles and tables, to
small kitchen items such as spoons, bread boxes and cookie cutters. Folk Furniture Of Canada's
Doukhobors, Hutterites, Mennonites And Ukrainians is especially commended to the attention of
folk art collectors, as well as students of Canadian history, art, and culture.
Margaret Lane
Reviewer
Mayra's Bookshelf
Whispers
Chester Aaron
Zumaya Publications
www.zumayapublications.com
1554101271, $13.00 189 pages
Eve Gallagher is a twenty-one-year old journalism student at Saint Catherine's College, a
Jesuit-run
institution in California. Brilliant, rebellious and driven, recipient of many awards, she is highly
admired by students and staff alike.
However, in spite of her success, Eve is haunted by dark memories of her childhood, memories
having to do with her sister Tessa, who died thirteen years ago under mysterious
circumstances.
One night Eve's best friend, Kirby, is brutally attacked allegedly raped in her dorm room. As
reporter for The Trumpet, the college newspaper, Eve is compelled to write the story. Without
being verified, the story goes to the media the Associate Press and the seven o'clock news.
Brother Julius, the president of the college, accuses Eve of being unprofessional and a provocator
and dismisses her from The Trumpet.
Enraged, Eve sets an emergency meeting with the Student Council to discuss the situation. Not
only
is her best friend in critical condition at the hospital, but she fears there is a horrible cover-up
taking
place on campus. Other women begin to step forward, declaring that they were raped but later
urged
by the Jesuit brothers to keep silent.
But is Eve's obsessive even pathological search for truth and justice a natural wish due to her
being a journalist, or does it go deeper? Indeed, it goes much more deeper. For what is happening
on campus is a metaphor for what happened to her beloved sister Tessa thirteen years ago. In
solving the mystery of the cover-up, Eve will finally solve the mystery of her childhood, and her
mind and soul will be in peace.
There are two interlaced stories in this novel, both equally powerful and disturbing. Though the
story begins like a traditional mystery, this is a mainstream novel and it should be read a such,
keeping in mind that a formula-type ending doesn't apply here. The author uses present tense but
this didn't detract me from submerging into the story. The writing is heavy in dialogue and light in
description, keeping in tone with the "journalistic" flavour of the story. This author has a
distinctive
style which I found to be forceful, intelligent and evocative. If you want to read a different
mainstream story with mystery elements and an unexpected ending, give this one a try.
Death On Delivery
Anne K. Edwards
Twilight Times Books
P.O. Box 3340, Kingsport TN 37664-3340
www.twilighttimesbooks.com Fax: (423) 323-0183
ISBN: 1931201609 $11.22, 242 pages
When local society matron Jania Yewbanks dies of "natural causes," her sister contracts the
services
of Brom Investigations to look into the case and prove that Jania's husband, Ted, murdered
her.
Hannah Clare, widow of Brom's ex-partner, cannot settle to be the adoring granny. A sharp mind
with a taste for danger, she needs work and action. Knowing her for twenty-four years and
seeing
her so eager to get back to work, Brom brings her into the case. Ted Yewbanks, now widowed
and
living alone, needs a housekeeper, and what better person than Hannah to take the job?
Then in the mid of her investigations Brom dies for no apparent reasons. Stunned, Hannah
realizes
his death resembles that of Jania's. Something strange and evil is working its way into this small
community. During the last few months there have been other unexplained, naturally caused
deaths
and this fact hasn't escaped Hannah's sharp eyes. Are they all murders? Soon a pattern begins to
emerge, and an innocuous-looking gift advertising ad in a woman's magazine seems to be at the
heart of these demises.
The characterization in this mystery really stands out. The minor characters are as complex,
interesting, and carefully drawn as the main ones. With an excellent understanding of human
behavior and motivations, this author has succeeded in creating a deftly crafted, classic
suspenseful
mystery that will keep you submerged from beginning to end. The climax made my heart race.
Hannah is certainly a character with her no-nonsense, practical, tough yet sensitive and
compassionate approach to life and I look forward to reading more of her future adventures in the
second book for these series.
Seeing Is Believing
Chris Grover
Amber Quill Press
www.amberquill.com
ISBN: 1592798322 $15.50 270 pages
An American living in London, Liz Moretti is one of two partners at Allington's Accounting &
Secretarial. In spite of a somewhat dark past from her days in Las Vegas, she now leads a
reasonably happy and normal life.
That is until she finds the dead body of her partner, Tony Allington, inside the trunk of her
car.
The fact that she'd just had a heated argument in a public place with the deceased doesn't help her
predicament. Soon enough she finds herself arrested for murder. Even though the charges are
dropped and she is released from jail, she must now face the harsh reality that someone out there
not
only desires to frame her, but very possibly kill her.
Deciding not to leave the matter entirely to the police, Liz begins to make her own investigations.
Thus begins this tightly-written, fast-paced mystery as Liz is drawn into a vortex of murder and
deception that seems to escalate into the elitist world of fashion and drugs.
Detective Sergeant Paul Wrayford gets more than he asks for when he arrests Liz Moretti for
murder. Not only is she an American, which by itself already puts his nerves on edge, but she's
also
too irresistibly pretty for his own good. Not completely sure whether she's a criminal or a victim,
he
must keep his sharp eye on her. But there's one problem: her mere proximity is enough to send his
objectivity into turmoil.
Having already read Ms. Grover's earlier works, I was expecting nothing short of excellent. I was
not disappointed. From the first few scenes the reader will be immediately submerged into the
story.
The relationship between Liz and Paul adds the perfect romantic touch without overwhelming the
mystery. An intriguing novel that will keep any sophisticated reader guessing for the culprits.
Highly
recommended.
Romancing The Soul: True Soul Mates Stories From Around The World And Beyond
Edited by Dorothy Thompson
Zumaya Publications
www.zumayapublications.com
3209 S. IH 35 #1086, Austin TX 78741-6905
Ph. 512-707-2694 (voice mail)
ISBN: 155410095X $13.00 350 pages,
Have you ever wondered what a soul mate is, how many kinds are there or if you have one? Have
you ever wondered if soul mates exist at all? You'll soon find the answers as you read these
uplifting, enlightening, spiritually-nurturing collection of poems and true-life stories written by
different people from all walks of life.
In the very concise yet fascinating introduction, editor Dorothy Thompson explains what a soul
mate
is, the different types of soul mates and how to identify yours. She goes on to describe in what
state
of mind and spirit you need to be for your soul mate to find you, as well as how karma fits into
the
soul mate phenomenon. Did you know your soul mate in a past life? Do you only have one soul
mate or more than one? Can your soul mate be a member of your family?
The stories in this book explore all these questions and more.
So buckle your seats and hold tight, for you're about to go on a magical journey. This is a book to
be cherished, to give to a special friend or keep at your bedside table to be read and re-read at
night
whenever you're feeling down. A feast for the soul. Highly recommended.
Mayra Calvani
Reviewer
Nancy's Bookshelf
Witchblood Written
Timothy Whitfield
KHP Publisher
www.khpindustries.com
ISBN 0967922054 $16.00 Pgs. 288
Witchblood will capture your soul and leave a small stain of your essence behind. Timothy
Whitfield
is a luminous author that one would be smart to keep a sharp eye on. With his refined style of
divine
pain and beauty mixed with dark fantasy and horror, he stands out like a symphony composer
conducting words in a meticulous cadence that keeps you locked in a trance from start to finish.
Not
only does Witchblood have a distinctive plot and ambience, it incorporates a lulling addiction that
will make you crave more.
The backdrop is Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, set in the nineteenth century. Darkness has found a
playground and begs those among the withered roads to come play in its wreckage. Angela a
young fallen angel is the only answer to saving those in the corrupt and depraved city. While her
innocence is no match for the putrid infestation that looms among the alleys and contaminated
buildings, her inner strength and courage is the key to survival. The shattered hope of the people
rests on her luminous wings, tainted with the same blackened soot that covers the streets and
walkways. Her character is powerful and draws you in with each breath she takes. Life for her has
not been favorable, but she is every bit a warrior, with a soft heart and raw past. Like anyone, she
finds the roads are paved with deception and temptation that threatens her chances to put an end
to
the evil once and for all. Each step of the way we battle the light and dark along with her, there is
no
easy way out. I found her character one I could relate to with her angst and insecurities. She is
written with realism and honesty. I believe others will find similarities with her too.
The other complex characters woven into the story, mirror much of what goes on in the modern
world an almost underground refuge for the discarded youth and those who are lost and lonely.
They are considered the filth, debris physically and emotionally starved, beggars that many
would
simply like to see fade away. They've given into the darkness and are left weak, surrendering each
day until there is nothing left of their pride and sanity. Angela must rise above the chaos and fight
for
a better future, for all involved. She stands as a celestial portal into a place worth living in.
Witchblood will take you down many beaten paths you may recognize as travels of your own.
This
is pure honesty at a gut-wrenching level, but done in a surreal and thought-provoking way.
Timothy
Whitfield will stir you with this haunting melody of words and emotions.
The Basenji Revalation
Simon Cleveland
Lulu Press
ISBN 1411612507 $TBA 237 pages
The Basenji Revalation is an addictive and suspenseful read. From the first paragraphs of the
prologue, I was sucked right in and was truly sorry to see the end. Written with vibrant imagery
and
solid character development, Simon Cleveland has landed himself an excellent novel.
Sam Johanek woke up one morning, a completely different man. His memories were gone, but a
voracious appetite and strange visions became the norm. His wife Maggie did her best to help him
recall past events, but it was to no avail. The only things that seemed constant were the strange
nightly rituals, the hunger for meat, and the Basenji.
Was there a coincidence in the night of the strange bite marks on his foot; the night the Basenji
dog
was delivered to his home from his mother who had passed away, and the fact that since that night
he'd been unable to recall a single thing? Nothing made sense, and Sam walked in a constant circle
of
confusion and angst. He felt tortured, ridiculed and watched. An old colleague wouldn't leave him
alone to do his work and he woke up to find himself in odd places. Urges controlled his behavior
and the rare little dog had a strange hold over him. If he allowed himself to be close to the Basenji
for too long unexplainable things happened.
Unable to handle her husband's strange behavior, Maggie seeks out a doctor who promises to do
everything he can to help. Together they gather together the facts of Sam's changes and uncover a
shocking truth.
The Basenji Revalation is quite engaging and at many times gave me the shivers. It is a
psychological
horror/thriller that will hold your attention from the get go. Our journeys take us as far as Central
Africa, a place that holds many secrets to Sam's current existence and the path the Basenji must
take. What's wonderful is how much depth the character of Sam possesses; I was able to get fully
caught up in his thoughts and the events that transpired around the plot. Between sacrificial
rituals,
demons, soul exchanges, entities, and old customs you will find out more about the Basenji than
you might find comfortable.
Simon Cleveland has pieced together a very interesting and complex story, delving between a past
and present, neither of which the character truly understands. It's smart and well thought out,
taking
the reader on a rare escapade that is somewhere between Hell and death.
Staying Dead
Laura Anne Gilman
Luna Books
ISBN 0373802099 $13.95 Pgs. 344
I didn't think I'd like this book as much as I did, but Staying Dead is more than worth the read.
The
characters were given full run of this book and it was nice to see a new take on a fantasy world.
Laura Anne Gilman knows how to keep the dialogue and action both real and fast.
Imagine a much different side of New York. A side that isn't all about the streets, alleys, buildings,
and piles of people looking for the one thing that is going to make them rich and famous. Forget
the
noise, hustle and bustle on the sidewalks, and the brashness of it all. This time it isn't the humans
walking around with inner demons. Imagine instead a world of mysticism, pure magic that has an
affect on the walking cesspool of real demons and monsters. Things crawl around at night while
invisible things creep along during the day. To see a ghost is nothing, but to capture it is quite
another. The streets are now home to those that wish to rule the world in a different manor,
complete with powers, greed, and a hunger that threatens all that is good within the city.
Darkness
has a new reign that only a few can stop.
Wren Valerie is a likable woman character for both her intelligence and strength. When she talks it
is
with class and a lot of thought. Her mission is as a Retriever. She has a talent to find missing
things
from people who don't wish to involve the police. Along with her partner and agent, Sergei
Didier,
they decide on a fee that works for them and take on tasks most can only dream about. Humor is
interjected from time to time as their professional relationship meshes with a budding personal
relationship. Their newest case is tracking down a ghost that was freed when a spell of protection
was stolen from a building. Supernatural chaos and suspense ensues and both Didier's and
Valerie's
lives are at stake.
Combining the eerie side of New York with the fantastical world of ghosts and magic, this is truly
something to experience. Staying Dead is full of rich detail, wit, romance and fantasy, sure to
please
most. Laura Anne Gilman writes with a unique style and easily pushes our imaginations to the
furthermost realms possible. Paranormal at its best.
Nancy Jackson
Reviewer
Paul's Bookshelf
Booby-Trapped: How to Feel Normal in a Breast-Obsessed World
Nili Sachs
Beaver's Pond Press
704 Ohms Lane #216, Edina, MN 55439
http://www.beaverspondpress.com
ISBN 1931646457, $25.00 280 pages
(deep breath) This book looks at a group of women in a psychological therapy group, exploring
subjects like femininity and body image in general, and breast size in particular.
The women are of varying ages and backgrounds. Their personal self-images range from pretty
good
to awful. The youngest member can't wait to show off her boob job to the others. Their reactions
range from support to anger that she would insert a foreign substance into her body in that way.
Why are breasts the most altered, and most hated, parts of a woman's body? Every woman wants
perfect breasts, but such things are very rare, at best. They are going to be off center, or not the
same size, or not "big enough," or something.
The niece of another group member is convinced that the road to happiness includes breast
implants,
so she plans to have the operation, with the support of her parents, to celebrate her sixteenth
brithday. A third member is diagnosed with breast cancer. Before she goes to the hospital, she
feels
the need to stand in front of the group and actually say the words, "I have cancer. I could die."
The
rest of the group is a constant presence in the hospital. When she gets out, and rejoins the group,
she
considers getting an implant to replace that which the mastectomy removed.
This is quite a book. It was a very good idea to do it as the story of several average women,
instead
of as some dry women's health book. Women don't need me to say that this book is well worth
reading. For the men out there who honestly care about their partner's health and well-being, this
is
highly recommended. If something is bothering her, but she refuses to talk about it, this book may
just give the answer.
Plowin' Newground
Jerry W. Brown
Dry Bayou Press
http://www.drybayoupress.com
161 Linda Marie Lane, Panama City Beach, FL 32407
ISBN 0970557523, $21.95, 406 pages
George "Jickie" Jennings is the son of a moonshiner from the Louisiana Bayou. He realizes, early
on,
that education was his ticket out, so scholarships to Tulane University, then UCLA-Berkeley, lead
to
him becoming a civilian scientist with the Defense Department. He is called back home when
Ersel,
his father, is severely injured in an accident.
The relationship between the two can best be described as difficult. During the Great Depression,
the family survived as best they could. Some money could be made by, for instance, catching
crawfish or helping a neighbor in their garden, and selling to one of the local businesses. Ersel was
drunk much too often.
At Tulane, Jickie falls for a woman named Rachel Goodman, who comes from a very religious
family. Her brother, David, the man of the family (their father had died), tells Jickie to end the
relationship, now, because he isn't Jewish. David even takes Rachel home to Texas, to prevent
them
from seeing each other. Jickie marries a local girl, but she later dies of cancer. In the early 1950s,
the
Civil Rights Movement comes to town, in the form of three young people helping the local blacks
to
register and vote. An attampt by the local Ku Klux Klan to encourage the three to immediately
leave
turns tragic.
Back to the present, actually the late 1970s, Jickie's bitterness and jadedness comes off as acting
like
a major jerk. When Ersel wakes up, there is no grand, tearful reunion (the two hadn't spoken to
each
other in more than 15 years). In fact, they spend most of their time complaining at each other. On
the good side, Jickie runs into Rachel, now Ersel's neurosurgeon, and they get back together. As
time goes on, the two men spend a lot of time with each other, get a lot of things out in the open,
and Jickie begins to start to let go of his pain and bitterness.
The reading may seem rather slow, but, by the end, the reader will realize that they have just
finished
a great novel. Not only is this an interesting story of a person's life, but one can almost hear and
smell the bayou while reading it. This is a fine piece of writing.
The Sixth World
Margaret Evans
Xlibris Corp
http://www.xlibris.com
436 Walnut Street, 11th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19106-3703
ISBN 1413400531, $19.54 400 pages
Set in present-day California, Joe Magee is a world-renowned anthropologist and expert on
Mayan
culture, working for a local museum. He is set to lead an expedition into California's Central
Valley
to explore the bizarre possibility that Mayan culture may have made it that far north, before they
disappeared many centuries ago. Magee is told to include Amy Parrish, another world-renowned
Mayan expert, in the expedition. The museum Board is less than convinced that it is a good
idea.
She moves into Magee's isolated house in the hills, and the two immerse themselves in Mayan
culture. One night, a strange computer virus is found on Joe's laptop, where he keeps his scientific
data. The computer seems to turn on by itself, and sends Joe's files to an unknown location. Sean
Gables is another museum employee, who is not what he seems. Sometimes, he is legitimately
helpful to Joe and Amy, and other times, he acts, well, the word "slimy" comes to mind. Strange
things are going on, but neither Joe or Amy can put their finger on it.
Later, a dead body is found in the nearby hills, a Hispanic male with his heart cut out. For most
people, this is just a particularly gruesome murder, but for Joe and Amy, it means a lot more.
According to Mayan prophecy, the Fifth World is ending, and the Sixth World will be coming in a
few years. It is to be preceeded by three human sacrifices. Days later, two more bodies are found
with their hearts removed, right on time. Someone is putting up a very large Keep Out sign. Joe
has
an anonymous benefactor paying him a lot of money to find Mayan culture in those hills. The
Sixth
World is characterized by a shift in the earth's magnetic pole, causing worldwide catastrophe. At
that
time, Mayan culture will rise again, and rule the world. During a mini-expedition in the hills with
some college students, Joe and Amy make some huge discoveries which prove that the rumors of
Mayan culture making it as far north as central California are not just rumors.
This is a really good thriller story. My only criticism is that the first half of the book could have
moved a little faster. Stick with the book, and this is a story that will give the reader plenty to
think
about. Also, keep an eye on the month of December, 2012. According to Mayan prophecy, at that
time, big things are supposed to happen.
Paul Lappen
Reviewer
Pisano's Bookshelf
In English of Course
Josephine Nobisso
Illustrated by Dasha Ziborova
Gingerbread House
602 Montauk Highway, Westhampton Beach, NY 11978 USA
www.gingerbreadbooks.com
ISBN: 0940112078 $16.95
What struck me first about this children's book title was not only the award sticker (2003
Independent Publisher Award Finalist and Book Sense 76 Pick), but the stunning artwork.
What endeared me to the book was the unique and entertaining story of an immigrant child's first
day of school. After new student Ling-Li tells about her life in China, Juan recalls life in Puerto
Rico
and Al relates his life in Jupiter, Florida, it's Josephine's turn to tell about her life in Naples, Italy.
Try
though Josephine may, she cannot gather all the English words. Unable to convey that she did not
live on a farm but visited one once, Joseph tells (and acts out) an amusing story about a cow, a
pig,
a river and green hair. Finally, with the help of the teacher, Josephine sets the story straight, in
English, of course.
After enjoying this fun and innovative experience, told by clever text and equally entertaining
illustrations, I look forward to seeing this author and illustrator again. No wonder the book
merited
awards!
Hot-Cha-Cha
Josephine Nobisso
Illustrated Joan Holub
Winslow Press
36 West 20th Street, 3rd Floor New York, NY 10011
ISBN: 0940112183 $15.95 1 (212) 366-4160
"Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar," a favorite childhood rhyme of the 70s is revived in
this
rappy, happy, snappy, and very foot tappy rhyming picture book (For Kindergarten to Grade 2)
by
award- winning author Josephine Nobisso.
When Maria puts her hand in the cookie jar, she pulls out a key. And so begins a fun-filled lesson
in
Who, What, Why, When, Where and How---the right questions to ask to get the details of a
story.
The author's use of vivid language and fast-moving text, combined with Joan Holub's zany, bright
and energetic illustrations, make finding out the details to the story a hop skip and jump (and
sometimes a cartwheel) for not only the children in the story, but their parents. It's likely that
readers
and their parents will feel the same way.
Albino Animals
Kelly Milner Halls
Darby Creek Publishing
a division of Oxford Resources, Inc.
7858 Industrial Parkway Plain City, OH 43064
ISBN: 1581960190 $12.95
Like its title, this non-fiction book geared for ages 9-12 promises strange and unusual things.
Between its covers lie pigment-less, ruby-eyed creatures of every shape, type and size imaginable,
including alligators, hummingbirds, peacocks, kangaroos, hedgehogs, dolphins and more. On its
72
pages, the stories of these unique animals unfold. Through clear, concise text, side bars and
illustrative diagrams, the author leads the reader on a path to greater understanding of animals, of
normal pigmentation, and of the absence thereof.
Kelly Milner Halls has broken down her fascinating subjects into Reptiles and amphibians, Sea
Mammals, Small Land Mammals, Large Land Mammals, Fish and Shellfish, Birds, and the Rarest
of
the Rare. With such diverse animal groups being covered, there is certain to be a subject that will
intrigue any child, regardless of his primary animal interest.
This book is so full of interesting information and pictures (although, at times, I questioned the
quality of the photos, which sometimes seemed Yellowed and blurry but it may have something to
do with the white background) and information that I actually got lost between its covers. Quite
an
achievement for a book which is technically a science book! Perhaps this is due to the great
reporting and story-telling skills of the author.
Lynne Marie Pisano
Reviewer
Pogo's Bookshelf
The Mystery of Things
Debra Murphy
Idylls Press
Salem, OR
http://www.idyllspress.com
1595970002 $29.95 388 pp.
Lenny Swiatko leave a note in the secretary's "In" box at the Milwaukee City Attorney's Office
before he takes the plunge. Dante defined seven levels of heaven and hell, but Lenny landed
headfirst
on the eighth floor below, tarnishing the reputation of the building. The Milwaukee highline is
shared by towers, rivaling each other for political and social power. Lenny's jump seemed
innocuous,
except his father was a cop shot in the line of duty. When Father Bricusse took flight from the top
floor of St Max's Cathedral into the atrium below where he was scheduled to give a speech for the
dedication of the building in the Redmond Theater, the circumstances are suspicious. Mysterious
coincidence? Priests aren't supposed to take up flying lessons and the only apparent connection
between them is Catholicism.
Father Bricusse was the Director of academic studies at the Heisler Institute of Western
Civiliation,
a prestigious Catholic educational organization. Foul play is suspected. With his sudden
inexplicable
death, Dr Franco Lanciano is confronted with the dilemma of closing the Institute to continue his
leadership without immediate faculty to fill his enormous shoes and cover his classes. A makeshift
solution is found to resolve the situation for his graduate students in Shakespearean tragedies by
placing the PhD candidate, James Ireton in charge. His dissertation nearly completed, James
Ireton
has already been awarded a future professorship at the Institute where he established a reputation
for
his brilliant scholarship and philandering. The police are perplexed by confusing evidence and
witnesses' accounts of the scene. Why did the good priest repeatedly try to contact James by
leaving
a message on his answering machine, "I am not what I am." Isn't that Iago's line? Can the plot of a
play be transferred onto the stage of life? Why toss a dead man's body over the side?
Bereft of their leader, the students grapple with daily reality as a killer stalks Milwaukee. The
names
of the dead are all too familiar, associated to James Ireton's conquests in bed and the prestigious
Institute with its wealthy sponsors. Dr. Franco Lanciano, the self-made millionaire sequestered in
his
lakeside villa modeled after the Vittorio Emmanuele in Rome, cluttered with marble statues and
cupid-pissing fountains, gets robbed during a fete, losing a small nude from the upper story
bathroom. Strange that it goes unreported, because it's a portrait of a model, Candy Duffy, a
professional escort of Vyacheslav Nesterov, boss of the Cream City mafiya. What's it doing in
Lanciano's bathroom upstairs? Where did a humble professor ever get such money to stuff a living
room with marble? Too many questions lie hidden behind the mask of social respectability and the
rivalry between mafia gangs to rule the city.
Speculations of the Instititue's involvement only make class discussions more intriguing. Who was
present at the opening when Father Bricusse felll like Lucifer from the sky? The class is a mixed
reprentation of Catholic diversity. Jack Segur, a Creole gay blade, the constant associate of James
Ireton who isn't interested. Then there's Richard Krato and his attendant lackeys, all SANA
members, representative of a repressive, reactionary Catholicism of the Church Militant. Bel
Gunderson is the working woman of the class, earning her way by selling beer on her derriere,
while
Mitch Showalter is known as the walking encyclopedia with the photographic memory, always
engrossed in a different book each day and spouting quotations by the page. The police
investigate
the list and settle their interests on the activities of James Ireton, since his women have a tendency
to
go missing and turn up dead.
Debra Murphy leads us into the complicated underground world, hidden in the shadows of tall
buildings of Cheddarville USA. Milwaukee, the center of turf wars of local mafiya and gangs from
Chicago want to take over a bit of the action. Conforming with the new regulations of Equal
Opportunity, the mafia's become a Rainbow Organization, recruiting for diversity. Suspicions fall
over the Heisler Institute with its flashy architecture and wealthy director who rose from obscurity
to own a piece of valuable lakeside property. Nobody seems to be what they claim to be, as the
facade of identities are peeled away to reveal not so pristine pasts. The coincidental deaths of
Lenny
Swiatko and Father Bricusse become more suspicious as Candy Buffy gets dropped. The statistics
just don't figure right. A common denominator is sought which points to the Student Apostate of
North America, a student cult of fanatic Catholicism, directed by Peter Krato.
Peerturbing, but fascinating, Debra Murphy sets up a complicated plot and casts it in Wisconsin,
where Joe McCarthy and Jeffrey Dahmer both originated. Criminals thrive on copy-cat crime,
imitating each other. Confronted with a serial killer, could the attacker be copying from
Shakespeare
by framing an innocent person? Disturbing, Debra Murphy explores what happens when a
fanatical
religious group become a cult, gaining financial support through modern media and instituting
nearly
paramilitary authority over its members with the insouciance of church, beaming on the activities
of
busy devotees recruiting proselytes for a new war to be fought between heaven and hell. Scary?
Very. Murphy uses extensive knowledge of Shakespeare and literature to develop her complex
plot
and characters, drawing from psychological studies of serial killers and their obsession with
religion.
Controversial, the novel brings back the horror of "blood libel" and the bitter issues of the
Reformation as Protestants refuted the dogma of transubstantiation, an anathema to Judaism the
frequent victim of the religious feuds from both sides. In reading this book, it is easy to
comprehend
the brutal reaction of the French during the Revolution with the massacre of Catholic religious
after
centuries of secret societies and oft-speculated Black Masses. The reputation of the Catholic
Church
has never been sterling or for that matter holy, since the time of Boccaccio's Decameron. With the
recent public furour regarding the sexual scandals of the sacristy that have rocked the walls of the
inpenetrable walls of Catholic silence, this book should definitely be put on your reading list if you
want provocative intellectual reading that hangs you in suspense until the last page.
Moreover, Murphy captures vividly the manipulative environment and pyschological security that
cults offer to students lost in a world of conflicting opinions. Lionel Krato founded SANA as an
organization to help lost kids regain control of their lives and get off the street a way out of the
eventual downward spiral to drugs and crime. However, the institution becomes dominated by a
stronger, more charismatic leader, who sees religion as a means to power. Politics, power and
religion are a bad mix, but given the modern conveniences of mass media, the brew can be
powerful,
depriving vulnerable old ladies of their bank accounts while filling the gas tanks of the
administration. Power perverted is just plain dangerous, especially if used for personal vendetta. A
heady mix of politics, mob rule and religious fanatics will keep you awake at night, thinking about
the spooky psychology of messianic killers who believe that only human sacrifice will appease an
angry God. Although the beginning is slow, it picks up speed as it goes along, guaranteed that the
reader will not be derailed or left behind in a shunting yard. Moreover, once the ride is over, the
scenes and characters are unforgettable, impressed on the mind with the image of Charles Manson
or
the Son of Sam. Upon arrival in Milwaukee, you'll navigate without a map, because the
descriptions
are convincingly real.
Pogo
Reviewer
Roger's Bookshelf
A Busy Manager's Guide to Employee Relations Excellence
John W. "Wes" Spence, CMC
First Books Press, now Known as Author House
ISBN 1410770419 $11.45 77 pages
Short Overview, Disappointing
The author of this book is a Certified Management Consultant and a Senior Professional in
Human
Resources. He certainly has the credentials to write a thorough, broadly instructive book on
effective employee relations. From that perspective, this book was disappointing.
There is a lot of information in this short book, but the view is wide and shallow. Each of the
topics
addressed could have been more thoroughly explored, adding value for the reader. However, for
the
reader looking for a decent overview, the book could be a valuable tool. The book's title suggests
that it's designed for busy managers, but even busy managers need more than the quick look
they'll
get in these pages.
The publisher didn't do this book any favors. I was distracted by poor design it's hard to separate
the page headings from the text, grammar and spelling problems, and a sans-serif type with an
unusually large amount of space between the lines. It appears that the publisher was trying to
make a
short manuscript appear longer by adding a lot of extra white space.
I found myself wishing that the author had invested more time in developing his manuscript and/or
the publisher had asked for more content. The index is a mere one page in length and in a different
type style than the rest of the book. The value of the book is diminished by the poor production
values.
Unfortunately, this publication is a light-weight entry into a field that is crying for heavy-weight
content. Perhaps the author will invest more time to create something more than a quick-and-dirty
look with a sales message. I was hoping for much more than I got.
The Winner's Way
Pam Brill
McGraw-Hill
ISBN 007142363X $18.95 307 pages
Intense Coaching for High Achievement
Ready to move to the next level in your life? Would you like to work with a coach who will give
you
a simple plan, convincing back-up research, and a sense of being challenged to perform? Warning:
Simple as it sounds, this is not easy work. However, Dr. Pam Brill psychologist, coach, seminar
leader, and consultant will be with you every step.
This is not a book that you can read quickly, toss it aside, and be cured of everything that has
inhibited your high achievement. The pages are full of strong content that will take a while to get
through. Reading, absorbing, and benefiting from "The Winner's Way" is more of a project than it
is
a pleasant Sunday afternoon read. If you're ready to make the commitment, investing your time,
attention, and energy with this volume will pay great dividends.
The book is organized into twelve chapters, an appendix, endnotes, and an index. Well
constructed.
The first part of the book introduces the reader to a range of concepts that will help focus the
attention on what needs to be done, and why. Brill starts with the idea of being in "the zone," an
important part of her work and philosophy. Using vignettes to illustrate her points and capture the
reader's mind and spirit, the author presents the experience of the intensity, the full focus, that
enables people to achieve at high levels.
Brill's research "concluded that there are three core elements that, when aligned at optimum
levels,
hold the power to boost you into and keep you in the Zone: Activation, Attention, and Attitude."
Brill explains each of these elements, then works with you to activate these powers to
achieve.
If you're not where you want to be, if you're not a winner in practically everything you do, this
book
can be a tool that will help you move to that special space in The Zone of achievement. If you're
ready, I recommend you purchase this book and get to work.
275 Corporate Real Estate and Place Mistakes and How You Can Avoid Them
Stephen Roulac
Property Press
709 Fifth Avenue, San Rafael, CA 94901
ISBN 1931578079 $39.99 275 pages
Comprehensive, Thought-Provoking
Written by a renowned expert in real estate and property space, this book is filled with
thought-provoking content for anyone involved in corporate real estate. Most readers will
recognize
at least one, if not several, embarrassing (and probably costly) mistakes that have already been
made.
These mistakes, and many like them, could have been avoided by a careful read of this book.
This comfortingly thick volume is organized into the following main sections, with chapters under
each heading: Strategy Management Operations, Deals/Deal-Making, Space, Place, and the
all-important How You Can Avoid Mistakes. Each of the 275 potential mistakes is presented
briefly.
The write-ups are more reminders and memory joggers briefly instructive, rather than in-depth
treatments of the topics. In many of the explanations, I found myself wanting more detail, while
appreciating the warning that the mistake could cost me in many ways.
The table of contents is comprehensive, enabling the reader to locate by category the topic(s) of
interest. As a reference book, the volume would have been more valuable with an index.
For corporate leaders, business owners, and even corporate real estate professionals who think
they
already have all the answers, this volume will serve a valuable purpose. If you are considering any
kind of a real estate move, first move through the pages of this book.
The Attitude of Leadership
Keith Harrell
Wiley
ISBN 0471420247 $24.95 258 pages
Inspiring & Instructive Easy Read
How would you like the opportunity to sit down, one-on-one, with 21 of the exemplary top
leaders
of our time? What would you ask them? Would you enjoy getting to know them and yearn to
begin
applying what you learn to make a difference in your own life and the lives of others? What
questions would you ask them to unlock the secrets of their success?
Oh, you might be a little bit intimidated to ask personal questions, like "what is your secret of
success?" "What are their best practices?" You want to know what really makes them so
successful,
what makes it all come together. It might be helpful to have someone else ask those questions on
your behalf. Keith Harrell is a been there-done that motivational speaker who knows how to get
inside the issues to learn the real truths. That insight is what makes him one of the most popular
figures on the speaking circuit today.
In these pages, Keith (you'll feel like you're friends from the beginning) takes us on an exciting
and
enlightening journey. Not only does he dig in to get profound answers for his readers, he offers
his
own expansion of the leaders' responses with challenges for us to consider how we might want to
apply the learnings to change our own lives. Each chapter concludes with a sort of official
biography
in smaller type to help us understand who we're learning from. In putting this book together,
Harrell
has selected well-known and not-so-well-known leaders. Each has an important message to share,
and the author's style brings those messages to life. And, as a bonus, there's an extra chapter filled
with a sort of rapid-fire collection of insights from other people Keith wants to share with us.
An index enhances the value of the book. For current and aspiring leaders, this is a worthwhile
read.
Management Skills for New Managers
Carol W. Ellis
AMACOM
ISBN 0814408303 $15.00 145 pages
Basic Information, Simple Workbook Presentation
This little book is designed to help new managers better understand the role their new role. A
written version of an American Management Association seminar, this publication is essentially a
combination of some instructional text and a workbook. The pages are filled with fill-in blanks,
check-off boxes, and similar exercises found in a seminar workbook.
This concise work meets its objectives of providing a self-learning tool addressing the
fundamentals
of management. Readers seeking something more sophisticated than a seminar workbook should
look elsewhere.
The book is organized into eight chapters, seven presenting content and a wrap-up summary.
Topics
of the instructional chapters are Defining Your Role, Effective Communication, Performance
Management, the Four Phases of Learning, Motivation, Delegation, and Coaching. Action-step
exercises are provided at the end of each chapter to help the reader focus new knowledge on
personal performance. The eighth chapter offers another form to re-cast what was written at the
end
of the chapters to create a big picture of forward movement.
For people looking for a simplified, yet wide-ranging and current, introduction to the basics of
front-line management, this book fills a need. The workbook format means that the engaged
reader
will write answers to a lot of questions and exercises while moving through the pages, rather than
simply reading text to grasp the new concepts.
Tell Me How I'm Doing
Richard L. Williams
AMACOM
ISBN 081440832X $19.95 126 pages
Ideal book for every manager and leader
There is no question that delivering good feedback is a substantial part of effective leadership.
Workers who receive continual, constructive feedback perform better, feel closer to their boss,
and
are more likely to stay with the organization. The same principles that produce results in the
workplace also enrich relationships on a personal level.
Learning how to deliver feedback and why it's so important are key skills for both managers and
non-managers, formal and informal leaders, and employees in every occupation. Applying the
techniques to our personal and family lives opens wonderful opportunities to build closer, more
meaningful, relationships.
In this book, the author teaches through a story of a consultant/coach working with a group of
managers in a workplace setting. The instruction, learner response, and individual applications of
the
knowledge gained are presented in story form. This design, used in a number of management
books,
can be quite effective. The learnings become more personal and easier to accept and absorb. That
communication method certainly works in this book, although some of the situations and
conversations do seem a bit stilted and contrived. It's easy to get past those stumbling blocks in
the
flow to gain the valuable messages in the book.
This is the kind of book that is a quick read, but stimulates readers to pause and take notes. It's
easy
to move through, not complicated. A feedback assessment inventory, referred to early in the
volume,
is offered in the appendix twice. Readers can complete the assessment as they begin to move
through the book, then again at a later time to measure their progress.
Wise leaders will pass this book around, and will probably buy multiple copies to inscribe and give
as gifts to their subordinate managers. Highly recommended!
The Art of Winning Commitment
Dick Richards
AMACOM
ISBN 0814407854 $24.95 202 pages
Balanced Approach to Gaining Commitment
To be an effective leader, one must inspire a broad and deep genuine commitment to a team's
mission, vision, desired results, and members. A number of books have been written on ways to
get
people to sign on, to agree, to perform. Applying the principles they promote will generate
performance, adherence, and a certain degree of loyalty. Full commitment is a different issue.
Richards presents an approach that is balanced between intellectual commitment, emotional
commitment, and spiritual commitment. Emphasizing the art of leadership, he shows how leaders
can craft deeper relationships that generate genuine commitment to produce meaningful
achievement
and fulfilling satisfaction.
In the area of intellectual commitment, four chapters present the elements of insight, vision,
storytelling, and mobilizing. Under emotional commitment, the chapters address self-awareness,
emotional engagement, and fostering hope. Rendering significance, enacting beliefs, and centering
build the understanding of spiritual commitment. The wrap-up chapter is titled Towering
Conclusions and Further Strategies. A brief list of resources (interviewees and websites) and an
index complement the text. Each chapter concludes with a handful of questions to stimulate
contemplation.
The entire text stimulates contemplation. Using a wide range of people and their experiences and
philosophies, Richards engages the reader in an introspective and educational journey. In chapter
after chapter, I found myself inspired and enlightened, motivated to apply what I was learning in
my
work.
You will find this book to be a sort of combination of a walk in the woods, a comfortable soak in
a
hot tub, and time in a classroom with an energetic professor scribbling concepts rapidly across a
white board while his writing hand struggles to keep up with his mind. Plan on reading this book
twice; you won't get it all the first time. Margaret Thatcher's quote will help you understand that
opportunity.
The Stress Effect
Richard Weinstein, DC
Avery, Division of Penguin
ISBN 1583331816 $14.95 177 pages
In-Depth Information for Stress Professionals
If you're a healthcare provider helping people deal with the stress in their lives, you'll find this
book
fascinating and illuminating. If you are not involved in stress beyond the level of being a carrier or
a
sufferer, this book may be too deep for you. The Stress Effect is the kind of book that will be of
high
interest to those who are really involved with health issues, but be beyond the level of
comprehension and attention-holding for the layman.
The author, a chiropractor with a substantial clinical background, has specialized in hormonal
function, imbalance, and the influence on stress and its impacts. He starts the book with an
explanation of how his interest in stress management grew through his practice. From his
experience, he gained an appreciation of what he calls "the triangle of health"---structural
integrity,
chemical integrity, and psychological integrity. A great deal of the book is focused on the
influence
of Cortisol on health, and how Cortisol imbalances can cause a whole host of problems.
Dr. Weinstein is engaged in a field that has become known as "functional medicine." Although I
would certainly describe myself as a layman (with minimal knowledge) in this field, I know
enough
to recognize the kind of work he is doing and how it fits in the field of medicine. Traditional
practitioners sometimes scoff at the approaches and connections made by functional physicians,
but
patients who have been assisted by non-traditional (some would say "more modern") approaches
swear by the emerging methods.
A wide variety of healthcare professionals will gain valuable insight and thought-provoking ideas
from this book. Physicians, therapists, counselors, laboratory professionals, and others will benefit
from this book's contribution to the field. Laymen who read the book will be inspired to query
their
caregivers about the concepts and will encourage them to read Dr. Weinstein's work.
Roger E. Herman, Reviewer
http://www.hermangroup.com
Sharon's Bookshelf
Intimate Invasions
M. R. Strict
Greenery Press
4200 Park Blvd., PMB 240, Oakland, CA 94602
1890159514 $13.95 www.greenerypress.com
Intimate Invasions: The Erotic Ins & Outs of Enema Play is a straightforward examination and
exploration of Klismaphilia, a type of kinky sex that despite its taboo, can be both erotic and safe
if
done properly. Author and experienced practitioner M. R. Strict addresses issues of psychology,
physiology, and personal safety with regard of using enemas for foreplay, role-playing or sexual
pleasure. The use of stories from people who have shared Klismaphilia experiences clearly
illustrate
this guide, which is not only an introduction but also a solid how-to manual. If one is going to
undertake Klismaphilia for consensual sexual fulfillment, it is above all vital to follow safety
guidelines - but whether one intends to personally undergo the experience or simply wishes to
learn
more about it, Intimate Invasions is not to be missed.
Unfair & Unbalanced
Patrick M. Carlisle
The Writers' Collective
c/o Gulotta Communications Inc.
341 Lexington Street, Newton, MA 02466
1594111111 $16.95 www.amazon.com
Unfair & Unbalanced: The Lunatic Magniloquence of Henry E. Panky by Patrick M. Carlisle is a
wry and captivatingly hysterical look at the baffling contradictions of modern life. Holding no
hypocricy sacred, chapters such as "O' Foreskin, Where Art Thou?" and "The Crisis in Pubic
Hair"
do not hestiate to push the envelope on human sexuality, while "Letter to Dave Barry", "The
Insatiable Meat Cleaver of Bette Davis", and "Letter to Ann Coulter" challenge other public
figures
in an eye-popping manner. Unfair & Unbalanced spares no effort to be hysterically funny, perhaps
at
the price of good taste but what is that, really? No fewer than four separate disclaimers lead into
the
hilarity, and the whetted observations within require it, for they are at least four times as
cutting-edge as the leading "fair and balanced" commentary.
The Dissertation Journey
Carol M. Roberts
Corwin Press, Inc.
2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 1320-2218
0761938877 $34.95 1-800-818-7243 www.CorwinPress.com
Nearly half of all doctoral students complete their course work but not the necessary final step of
composing their dissertations. The Dissertation Journey is a no-nonsense guide by Carol M.
Roberts
to avoiding procrastination, wasted effort, and confusion; it outlines practical, step-by-step
guidelines from conceiving a topic to publishing its results. Packed with both helpful general
suggestions and specific tips, tricks, and techniques tailored to the needs of doctoral students, The
Dissertation Journey includes checklists, sample forms, time management advice, the latest
insights
to making use of technology, recommendations for support groups, lists of resources for further
inquiry, and much more. The Dissertation Journey is especially recommended reading for anyone
approaching or hard at work on their own dissertation.
Lincoln's Ladies
H. Donald Winkler
Cumberland House Publishing
431 Harding Industrial Park Drive, Nashville, TN 37211
1581824254 $16.95 1-888-439-2665 www.cumberlandhouse.com
Now in a newly revised and expanded edition, Lincoln's Ladies is the eyebrow-raising true story
of
Abraham Lincoln's often troubled life and the women who influenced it. From his treasured first
love, who unfortunately perished shortly after they became engaged, to his tumultuous
relationship
with his wife Mary Todd, who is documented as verbally abusing him (and the domestic help) on
countless occassions and even chasing him with a broom, to numerous other women, not all of
them
romantic relationships, who came to speak with and know Lincoln in various ways, Lincoln's
Ladies
is a fascinating exploration of a great President's little-known private life. Written by an
award-winning journalist, Lincoln's Ladies is a must-read for anyone curious about the nuances of
history in general and Licoln's life in particular.
Victorian Boston Today
Mary Melvin Petronella, editor
Northeastern University Press
360 Huntington Avenue, 416 CP, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
1555536050 $22.50 1-800-666-2211 www.nupress.neu.edu
Compiled, edited, and organized by Mary Melvin Petronella for the New England Chapter of the
Victorian Society in America, Victorian Boston Today offers the contemporary reader twelve
truly
outstanding "walking tours" that reveal Boston's Victorian cultural and architectural legacy. The
tours comprising this traveler's compendium include: Boston's Nineteenth-Century Waterfront
(Pauline Chase-Harrell); Boston's South End: Mid-Nineteenth-Century Urban Planning and
Architecture (Margaret Supplee Smith and Richard O. Card); Ethnic Diversity in the Victorian
North End (Will Holton); The Commercial District with a Prior Look at Boston's
Nineteenth-Century Charles Street Jail (Robert B. MacKay); Touring Through Time to the Heart
of
Back Bay: Boylston and Dartmouth Streets with Copley Square (Margaret Henderson Floyd);
Boston's Victorian Authors: Thinkers in the Center of the Planet (Eguenia Kaledin and Mary
Melvin
Petronella); Black Heritage Trail (Sue Bailey Thurman et al.); Walking with Women in Victorian
Boston (Patricia C. Morris); Charlestown in the Victorian Era: From the Completion of the
Bunker
Hill Monument to the Coming of the Main Line Elevated (Edward W. Gordon); Victorian
Boston's
Chocolate Village (Anthony Mitchell Sammarco); Victorian Jamaica Plain: Monument Square and
Summer Hill (Edward W. Gordon); A Victorian Boulevard Preserved: Cambridge's Brattle Street
(Charles Bahne). Enhanced with a wealth of illustrations, maps, lively historical anecdotes,
landmarks, luminaries and landscapes, Victorian Boston Today is strongly recommended for
life-long Boston residents seeking to learn more about the history of their city and community, as
well as an invaluable resource for tourists, historians, and students of American architecture.
Fallen Order
Karen Liebreich
Grove Press
841 Broadway, New York, NY 10003-4793
0802117848 $25.00 1-800-788-3122 www.groveatlantic.com
Fallen Order: Intrigue, Heresy, And Scandal In The Rome Of Galileo And Caravaggio by
historian
Karen Liebreich provides the reader with an informed and informative description of a
seventeenth-century Rome which was riddled with politics and personal rivalries. The devious and
complicated workings of the Vatican, and the internal corruptions of the Catholic Church enabled
the sexual abuse of children (practiced by some of the leading priests) which lead to the disgrace
and
abolition of the Piarist Order in 1646 by Pope Innocent X. This was a priestly order which had
been
known throughout its history for impressive contributions to education, science, and culture, and
whose schools in Italy, Spain, and central Europe had evolved from shelters created to educate
poor
children into exclusive private academies. Liebreich spent several years researching the order's
archives and in the Vatican Secret Archive, discovered how the founder of the Piarist Order,
Father
Jose de Calasanz, knew of the scandal and tried (along with cardinals and bishops) to cover it up.
This highly recommended account of the 17th Century forerunner to today's pedophile priest
scandals reveals the consistent response of the Catholic Church hierarchy to child abuse.
Sharon Stuart
Reviewer
Sherry's Bookshelf
How to Get a Life: Empowering Wisdom from Thinkers and Writers
Edited by Lawrence Baines, Ph.D and Daniel McBrayer,Ph.D.
Humanics Trade Group Publications
Brumby Holdings, Inc.
12 S. Dixie Hwy., Lake Worth, Florida 33460
www.humanicspub.com
ISBN: (Paperback) 0893343994
ISBN: (Hardback) 0893344001 $18.95 200 pages
Flush out the negative and let the positive soak in with this resourceful high-minded inspirational
and
educational brain treat. This clever book allows you to travel back in time with the detailed
philosophies from extraordinary people like Ralph Waldo Emerson, Thomas Jefferson, Aristotle
and
Plato. Compare their thinking to contemporary reflective theorist like Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
and
Colin Powell. In all, 15 remarkable people are showcased through the unique concept that insured
accuracy and authenticity. Writers placed these chosen thinkers under a scrutinizing microscope
of
study and interpreted their philosophies and their wisdom leaving no stone unturned.
It is so easy for a crowded head to be looted by day to day drudgery and make us forget how fate
is
surprisingly delicate. It is easy to forget the priceless value of our time as it whizzes past us. This
book reminds us to reflect upon our use of our time and determine and work towards our
individual
happiness and success.
I especially enjoyed how the wisdom of each person was dissected in areas such as human
differences, success, change, religion and adversity. How to Get a Life is a wonderfully easy to
read
book organized so the reader can enjoy the book's fascinating concepts and see its pertinence to
their own life.
3 Doors
Kiane Simeon and Rochelle Simeon
AuthorHouse
1663 Liberty Drive, Suite 200, Bloomington, Indiana 47403
www.authorhouse.com (800) 839-8640
ISBN: 1418474894 $13.95
ISBN: 1418474886 $22.95 203 pages
3 Doors sizzles with excitement and delicious descriptions. Six fresh-faced children enter an arena
of
unplowed ground with the options of three doors. This artful tale unfolds with an earthquake and
an
obscure bookstore. The journey is a bucking bronco ride through goodness and wickedness.
Swept into another reality, the children's adventures include fanciful mysteries of a map, keys, The
Finders, No Face, Headhunters, beautiful people, hidden cities and staring demons in the face to
name a few. There are plenty of jitters, amusement and thrills. It is lively entertainment at its
best.
The authors are masters at switching seamlessly from calm to upheaval and keeping the reader
(child
or adult) engaged in every word. Beautifully written with a fullness of whit and whimsy. 3 Doors
is a
polished enchanting magical creation.
Empress of Clouds
Diana Hignutt
Behler Publications
Lake Forest, California
www.behlerpublications.com
1-800-830-2913 Fax: 949 716-8235
ISBN: 0974896241 $16.95 293 pages
Empress of Clouds showcases once again that Diana Hignutt is a master at the intersection of
fantasy and science fiction. The story unfolds as handsome and ambitious Prince Kilvris is
deliberating over the loss of his self-determined rightful place. The Warrior's Throne of Lorm was
bestowed upon another, Tolian. Tolian had been a man before being transformed into the Moon
Goddess for the purpose of fighting the seamy underbelly of a cunning Demon. Tolian, with or
without powers, proves to be resilient and revitalized by her struggles.
Ms. Hignutt guilefully adds an emotional signature to her writings. The book has an underlying
theme connecting the world of the actual to the world of her fantasy by focusing on real issues of
women facing fear and understanding their own power.
The book pulsates with imagination. The Druidic Prophesy, faeries, The Spirit Vision, a
mysterious
speaking bag, Druids, and Pilt, the winged cat make this a "no drift off moments" book.
Ms. Hignutt, through a tightly thematic treasure house of quality characters, transplants the reader
into a realm of mythic fantasy. This book is slathered in high wattage entertainment. Empress of
Clouds is a
smelting furnace of fantasy suspense written with a crisp tone loaded with energetic intensity. Ms.
Hignutt has upped the ante for writing fantasy/science fiction.
Time and Time Again
Nikki Grin
Dare 2 Dream Publishing
A Division of Limitless Corporation
Lexington, South Carolina 29073
www.limitless2d.net
ISBN: 0976076969 $22.95 147 pages
This new and upcoming writer weaves a tale of romance and suspense with ease. The main
character, Audry, suffers from perplexing visions. These relentless visions force her to take a
leave
of absence from her three-year position as a reporter. Audry becomes consumed with a stirring
purposefulness to understanding the visions and their meaning for her life.
After visits with her Doctor and a psychiatrist, Audry decides to seek out a different approach
with
Madam Lai. With Madam Lai's help, Audry's visions unfold with a connecting theme. The
meaning
becomes clear about the same time Audry is diagnosed with a brain tumor. Madam Lai is
convinced
the brain tumor will heal itself if the lesson from the visions is confronted.
Time and Time Again whispers in your ear the shear pleasures of finding your soul mate. Adult
Content
Weekends in New England
Linda Alexander
Behler Publications
22365 El Toro Road, #135, Lake Forest, California 92630
www.behlerpublications.com
ISBN: 097489625X $15.95 281 pages
Weekends in New England is like a fine martini. Gently stir in two marriages, two lovers, and a
twisted friendship and you have a scrumptious cocktail hour goodie.
Hannah, an ex nun, is battling against the sorrow of a cold marriage. She is like a boat whose
anchor
has worked itself loose and the tide is pulling her further and further out to sea. Peter, her
husband,
is a walking minefield. He is cold, patient and on occasion, explosive in his needs.
The story unfolds with Hannah and her husband attending a Denny Lorenzo concert. Denny is
an
exhilarative singer equipped with audience schmoozing powers. He is mentally cramped by his
own
peculiar predicament. His giddy with malice wife is a mastermind at manipulation.
Both Hannah and Denny realize their lives are falling short of their dreams. When a chance
meeting
occurs, an umbilical cord springs forth interlocking Hannah and Denny through an obstacle course
of religious barriers, moral dilemmas, and a life and death struggle. They embrace a place of
refuge
and exile within each other.
As the well-developed characters continue to negotiate between love, anger and being in love, a
bizarre development surprises the reader. The reader will be dazed with disbelief of a tormentor's
identity. This skillfully written novel flows with just the right amount of romantic confessions,
turbulent relationships, jealousy, and mystery. Ms. Alexander, once again, proves herself to be a
lively original thinker and a bright writer. Adult content
Sherry Russell
Reviewer
Sullivan's Bookshelf
Founding Myths: Stories That Hide Our Patriotic Past
Ray Raphael
The New Press
ISBN# 1565849213 $26.95 354 pages
In the ongoing debate between the two schools of how history is best presented: the great man or
the people's approach to the past, this volume is definitely in the latter classification. If you've read
Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States, you'll know what point of view to expect
from this read.
Raphael shows how such famous Revolutionary War names as Paul Revere, Molly Pitcher, and
Sam
Adams, among many others, have had their stories told to make them out to be heroes or
heroines.
Yet much in these tales is made up of whole clothe so that the story of this country's founding
looks
unassailable, squeaky clean, and completely and morally justified.
The real history, however, is at great odds with what has been portrayed over the decades,
especially
that which schoolchildren have been taught. Much that has been learned, sadly, has been
untruthful,
fanciful, and, in a few cases, fabricated to fit an assumed ideal.
Some individuals, like Revere, did ride to warn fellow colonists that the British were coming, but
were, in fact, minor characters in the whole warning scheme. Others, like Molly Pitcher, who
supposedly ran through gunfire at the Revolutionary War Battle of Monmouth, to give wounded
and
thirsty soldiers a drink of water from her pitcher, didn't actually exist, at least no one has been able
to find solid evidence of her mortality. Her epic may have been made up from an amalgam of
different women at diverse battles, however.
The author brings out many other little known facts: the real beginning of the revolution, for
instance, was in 1774, not the following year with events at Lexington and Concord. And the
loggerheads with the British didn't begin with the illustrious heroes known to all Americans, like
Sam Adams, his counsin, John Adams, or Ben Franklin, but with average Americans, farmers and
shopkeepers, who stood up as a group to defy and to say no to their British masters. Many of
these
groups, also, wrote their own 'declarations of independendce' before Thomas Jefferson sat down
to
write the cocuntry's declaration.
A majority of the American revolutionary period history that children study was written, not
immediately after the event, but much later. By then, hardly anyone was still alive to corroborate
happenings or to affirm what had been uttered. In the case of Revere, his story was put down in
Longfellow's poem: "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere," over 85 years after the event took
place.
And the poet based that work on erroneous accounts. The tale of George Washington cutting
down
his father's cherry tree and then owning up to the deed, is perhaps the best known myth of all
America's founding fathers. That anecdote, written in the fifth edition of Parson Weems' history of
the first president, was penned over 50 years after the supposed event. Weems fabricated the story
for a righteous purpose, or so he thought: to teach morals to youngsters. In short, he lied to show
that telling the truth was always better for you!
Throughout this current tome, many instances are given of Americans during the revolutionary
period as being fair-minded, honest, and kind. But that's mostly myth, too. A fact in point:
Americans, during the conflict, were brutal, killing in cold blood many wounded and captured
enemy: the British troops, the Tories (American loyalists to the crown who fought on the British
side), and the Indians (who were mostly allied with the British). Moreover, Americans treated
African-Americans, slaves, shamefully by enlisting their aid and participation in the war by
promising
freedom when the conflict ended but then putting them back into their chains after the shooting
was
over.
By the way, Patrick Henry's well known "...give me liberty or give me death..." speech is purely
made up by a writer decades after the fact. Few who had heard it delivered were, by then,
mentally
alert enough to verify what was really said.
Moreover, many of America's forefathers had questionable motives for joining in the revolution in
the first place. Several were looking to the West to gain large blocks of land, where the British
king
had forbidden the colonialists to speculate, to make fortunes with. George Washiington, Thomas
Jefferson, and Patrick Henry are among those who are suspected of such actions.
Detractors of these stories will shout "Revisionist history!" But the fact is, as Raphael points out:
the
original history was incorrect all along. Still, Americans don't always like to hear the facts of the
case.
'Like rumors, the tales [of America's founding] are too good not to be told,' writes the author.
"They
are carefully crafted to fit a time-tested mold. Successful stories feature heroes or heroines, clear
plotlines, and happy endings. Good does battle against evil, David beats Goliath, and wise men
prevail over fools. Stories of our nation's founding mesh well with these narrative forms.
American
revolutionaries, they say, were better and wiser than decadent Europeans. Outnumbered colonists
overcame Goliath, the mightiest empire on earth. Good prevailed over evil, and the war ended
happily with the birth of the United States. Even if they don't tell true history, these imaginings
work
as stories. Much of what we think of as 'history" is driven not by facts but by these narrative
demands."
A resident of California, this author and "people's historian," Ray Raphael, has written close to a
dozen history books.
Recommended!
The Red Pencil Convictions from Experience in Education
Theodore R. Sizer
Yale University Press
ISBN# 0300104588 $23.00 131 pages
All of public education's usual problems and their possible solutions, especially those related to
high
schools in the U.S., are discussed. The author bemoans the lack of change toward these better
ideas.
Among them are smaller student loads for teachers, flexible styles of education to accommodate
students' different modes of learning, and allowing the money used to pay for a student's
education
to follow that student wherever he goes in the educational establishment, rather than to let the
money follow the institutions.
Sizer isn't optimistic about public education's reform anytime soon. He sees the changes as too
much
trouble and effort for everyone who is connected with the process. No one wants to upset anyone
else or to make their work harder.
He concludes his slender, academically written (possibly causing it to be published in a university
press), somewhat difficult to follow volume with [...] a better way of casting adolescent
education--will be difficult. Doing right by our children will require courage to think in new ways
about learning in a democracy. We will need thick skins and stamina on a scale not seen on behalf
of
the education of young Americans since the first decades of the twentieth century."
This author has taught at Brown, Harvard, and Brandeis Universities as well as various schools of
secondary education in the U.S. and other parts of the globe. His best known book, among the
many
he's written, is Horace's Companion.
Jim Sullivan
Reviewer
Taylor's Bookshelf
Christian Spirit
Judith Fitzgerald and Michael Oren Fitzgerald
World Wisdom
PO Box 2682, Bloomington, IN 47402
094153264X $14.95 worldwisdom.com
Collaboratively compiled and edited by Judith Fitzgerald and Michael Oren Fitzgerald, Christian
Spirit is a welcome source of inspiration and meditation. An inspiring blend of images of early
Christian art and the wisdom of great Christian souls from the earliest times of the Christian
movement, Christian Spirit presents combinations of words and pictures that make it useful as a
resource quote book. Offering a 150 page glimpse into the wealth of wisdom that has illuminated
the
efforts of Christian seekers after the Kingdom of Heaven for two thousand years, Christian Spirit
is
exceptional and enthusiastically recommended reading for all members of the Christian community
regardless of denominational affiliation.
Jordan's Crossing
Randall Arthur
Multnomah Books
PO Box 1720, Sisters, OR 97759
1590522605 $11.99 www.multnomahbooks.com
Written by a missionary who served in Europe for twenty-two years, Jordan's Crossing is a novel
about an avowed liberal led astray first by greed, then when his young son is murdered, by
thoughts
of revenge and dealing out "justice" with his own hands. Hatred and revenge control him, driving
him to destroy his own family as surely as his son's killers, and only a divine miracle can stop him.
Jordan's Crossing is written with a passion for God and trust in His guidance, and reverberates
with
conservative Christian hope and morals. A deeply faithful and reverant book.
Incarnation
Irene Zimmerman
Cowley Publications
4 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
1561012564 $13.95 1-800-225-1534 www.cowley.org
Incarnation: New And Selected Poems For Spiritual Reflection is the latest compilation of poetry
by
Irene Zimmerman (a Catholic nun and poet-in-residence at St. Joseph Retreat in Bailey's Harbor,
Wisconsin) who created her verse out of her study of and devotion to a deep and abiding love for
God. Pontius Pilate At The Therapist: You say it could as easily have been/Barabbas' blood the
rabble asked for--/that it was their leaders who incited them./But don't you see? That's it exactly,
Sir!/The crowed called loud and clear for crucifixion./One has to pay attention to a people/who
obey
like that. You did precisely/what you had to do. Now win their leaders/loyalty and you've won the
peace./Sometimes a man, innocent or not,/has to die to pay the price of it.//The man was
innocent,
you say?/But don't forget you washed your hands of him--/a little water cleared you of the
deed./What a stroke of genius! Too bad/about your wife, though, washing her hands/a hundred
times a day./No doubt in time/to come someone will make a play of it./Tell her what's done is
done--/what's one life less as long as it's not hers./Perhaps you'd like to bring her too next
time.//That's fifty denarii, please. Thank you, Sir.
The Holman Guide to Interpreting the Bible
David S. Dockery and George H. Guthrie
Broadman & Holman Publishers
127 Ninth Avenue, North, Nashville, TN 37234
0805428585 $5.99 1-800-251-3225
The collaboration of David S. Dockery (President of Union University, Jackson, Tennessee) and
George H. Guthrie (Benjamin W. Perry Professor of Bible and Chairman of the Department of
Christian Studies, Union University, Jackson, Tennessee), The Holman Guide To Interpreting The
Bible sets forth the basics of interpreting, applying, and communication the Word of God in
teaching
and preaching. Enhanced with a mentoring session with the authors, the reader is shown the
steps
to interpretation, applying it to Philippians 2:5-1. Utilizing the format of a chart, the authors have
summarized the steps to interpretation and presentation that will prove a useful and practical
template for preparing any biblically based lesson or sermon. The Holman Guide To Interpreting
The Bible is a welcome and highly recommended "how to" reading -- especially for anyone
charged
with the responsibility for instructing a Sunday School class or addressing a Christian
congregation.
"Messianic Judaism Is Not Christianity"
Stan Telchin
Chosen Books
c/o Baker Publishing Group
PO Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
0800793722 $12.99 www.chosenbooks.com
"Messianic Judaism Is Not Christianity": A Loving Call To Unity by Stan Telchin (an
octogenarian,
Messianic Jew, and for fourteen years the senior pastor of a church in Maryland made up of Jews
and Gentiles from every walk of life, denomination, size and color) specifically addresses the
growing problem of the concept of Messianic Judaism originally intended to appeal to Jewish
people
unexpectedly appeal to Gentiles. Pastor Telchin reveals Messianic Judaism as a divisive movement
within the Christian community, as ineffective in proselytizing Jews, and reiterates God's intention
for the Christian Church to serve as "one new man" and as an advocate for unity among the body
of
believers in Christ. "Messianic Judaism Is Not Christianity" is highly recommended reading for
both
the clergy and those members of a Christian congregation having to deal with the attractions and
divisiveness of the appealing heresy.
Have You Seen The Star?
Joyce Carr Stedelbauer
Tate Publishing, LLC
127 East Trade Center Terrace, Mustang, OK 73064
0975257269 $14.95 1-888-361-9473 www.tatepublishing.com
Have You Seen The Star: Meditations & Poems To Enhance Your Christmas Celebration by
Joyce
Carr Stedelbauer is an ideal Christmas gift book as the author celebrates what the season means to
the Christian community and the world at large in scripture, prose, and poetry. Utilizing biblical
characters associated with the genealogy and birth of Jesus, the poetry will prove to be enduringly
appropriate and popular for Christmas seasons present and yet to come. Simeon: Simeon, a quiet
devout man, knew God through the ancient Scriptures. He found reason to rejoice in quoting the
Word as he walked to and from the Temple, fingering the knots on his prayer shawl --the tallit--
each not recalling a particular law. He understood David saying he loved the law of God. Simeon
waited, believing the prophecies of the coming Messiah.
Moments Together for Living What You Believe
Dennis and Barbara Rainey
Regal Books
2300 Knoll Drive, Ventura, CA 93003-7383
0830733485 $9.99 ww.regalbooks.com
Moments Together for Living What You Believe is a Christian devotional that offers scripture,
questions to ponder, and spiritual topics for discussion and shared prayer. Organized so that even
the most time-stressed Christian can set aside ten minutes of quality time daily for 30 days to
explore
and renew faith, Moments Together for Living What You Believe is a powerful tool that
emphasizes
the importance of connections with one another and with God.Written by the prisdent and
cofounder
of FamilyLife, a division of Campus Crusade for Christ, and his wife, Moments Together for
Living
What You Believe is a treasure for inspiration to faithful couples at home or on the go.
Make It Real
Frank Mercadante
Saint Mary's Press
702 Terrace Heights, Winona, Minnesota 55987-1318
0884898172 $24.95 1-800-533-8095 www.smp.org
The executive director of Cultivation Ministries, a non-profit corporation that supports adult and
teen leaders among Catholic youth ministries, presents Make It Real: A Practical Resource for
Teen-Friendly Evangelization, a straightforward guide for Catholic evangelists seeking to
compete
for teenager's attention agains the tidal wave of popular culture. Chapters cover how to grow an
outreach program, building a foundation that can endure the turbulence of teenage needs and life,
and walk the reader through how to set up sample sessions to get across the Catholic message.
Such
sessions include teaching young people about God's plan for sexuality, raising teenager's
self-worth
by letting them know of God's love for them, understanding who God really is, and more. A
superb,
hands-on practical resouce filled with ideas and test-driven principles for creating a teen-friendly
ministry.
Architects of the Culture of Death
Donald de Marco & Benjamin Wiker
Ignatius Press
PO Box 1339, Fort Collins, CO 80522
1586170163 $16.95 1-800-651-1531
In Architects of the Culture of Death, collaborative authors Donald de Marco (Professor of
Philosophy at St. Jerome's College) and Benjamin Wiker (Lecturer in Science and Theology at
Franciscan University) provide a clear definition of the concept "Culture of Death" which has
become a both a popular phrase in national political and cultural dialogue, as well as academic
circles. Architects Of The Culture Of Death provides an informed and informative delineation of
the
mindsets of twenty-three influential thinkers ranging from Ayn Rand, Charles Darwin, and Karl
Marx, to Jean-Paul Sarte, Simone de Beauvoir, and Jack Kevorkian. Highly recommended
reading
for students of philosophy and theology, the authors offer an understanding and restoration of the
human being as a person and the rediscover of a benevolent God arising from the concept of
"Personalism" as articulated by John Paul II, and appropriately serving as a hopeful antidote for
the
stark pessimism that has issues from the originators of the "culture of death" perspective in
contemporary human affairs.
Visions and Healing in the Acts of the Apostles
John J. Pilch
The Liturgical Press
St. John's Abbey, PO Box 7500, Collegeville, MN 56321-7500
0814627978 $14.95 1-800-858-5450 www.litpress.org
Professor of Scripture at Georgetown University John J. Pilch presents Visions and Healing in the
Acts of the Apostles: How the Early Believers Experienced God, a close and scholarly
examination
of the religious ecstatic trance experiences and healing events recounted in the Acts of the
Apostles.
Drawing upon insights from social sciences including cultural anthropology, cognitive
neuro-science,
and medical anthropology to facilitate interpretations of these events, Visions and Healing in the
Acts of the Apostles is a complex evaluation yet highly accessible and evenhanded in its treatment
of
potentially volatile subject. Offering insights that resonate within the realm of understanding
regardless of whether one believes the Apostles' visions to be literally factual or subject to
interpretation, Visions and Healing in the Acts of the Apostles is a welcome addition to religious
studies shelves.
Spring Training for Christians
Neal E. Snider
Augsburg Publishers
100 Fifth Street, Suite 700, Minneapolis, MN 55402-1210
0806651644 $13.99 1-800-328-4648 www.augsburgbooks.com
Written by a retired pastor, Spring Training for Christians: Getting Your Faith in Shape is a solid
manual for exploring and striving to improve the strength of one's faith in God. Spring Training
for
Christians emphasizes the importance of skepticism in regarding such variations of Christianity as
Deism, Pantheism or Materialism, drawing directly upon literal interpretations of the Bible
(although
some reasonable leeway is allowed in certain cases, literal interpretations are recommended as the
first recourse for those struggling to understand Biblical meaning). Jesus Christ is discussed "as a
prophet, Jesus spoke God's word with authority. As a priest, Jesus offered his own life as a
sacrifice
for the sin of humanity. As a king, Jesus rules the universe with the authority of God." Powerful
and
thoughtful discussions of faith in plain terms distinguish Spring Training for Christians, a primer
that
is direct and simple to understand for readers of all backgrounds.
John Taylor
Reviewer
Terry's Bookshelf
The Skeleton Man
Tony Hillerman
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0060563443 $25.95 256 pages
Recommendation: ****
Another Gem for Hillerman Fans
Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee are two of my most favorite fictional characters. I've followed them
since Chee was a pup learning the lay of the land from Leaphorn. The two law enforcement
officers
are responsible for a large section of the southwest known as "The Four Corners."
This slim new story based on a long ago air disaster over the Grand Canyon contains all the
elements
Hillerman's readers have come to expect: mayhem, mysteries, and, ultimately, a resolution and
healing. Reading the story about a strange old hermit that lived at the base of the canyon;
diamonds
long lost; a life cut short and a life lived in limbo left me wanting to know more and see more of
these characters.
Hillerman did not disappoint. I just wish the book had been longer. *Sigh* Enjoy!
Bye, Bye Love
Virginia Swift
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0060543310 $24.95 304 pages
Recommendation: * * * *
Sally Adler is My Kinda Gal
This is my first "Mustang Sally" mystery, but it will not be my last. :)
Imagine yourself as a child from the 60's-turned university professor and part-time musician.
Imagine
receiving a phone call from your favorite aging rock star. Imagine that rock star asking for your
help
in looking after his wife, an acquaintance of yours, because he's worried about her safety.
After picking yourself up off the floor and getting your heart rate back to normal, you set about
doing this favor for your "secret crush" and find yourself smack dab in the middle of two murder
mysteries, a commune of some pretty radical tree-huggers and then you have to dodge bullets
meant
for you!
Well, if you can imagine all of that, you'll enjoy Virginia Swift's book, BYE, BYE LOVE. I liked
Sally, her hunky lover, Hawk, and all the characters that populate this story, set in Laramie,
Wyoming.
The only fault I found in the book was on page 232, where the author has Olivia de Havilland as
the
sister of Joan Crawford. It was Joan Fontaine that was Ms. de Havilland's sister, not Miss
Crawford.
I look forward to more from Ms. Swift. She's got a good voice and an unique terrain on which to
spin tales.
Enjoy!
Terry Mathews
Reviewer
James A. Cox
Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
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