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Reviewer's Bookwatch

Volume 4, Number 11 November 2004 Home | RBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewers Recommend Bethany's Bookshelf Betsy's Bookshelf
Betty's Bookshelf Buhle's Bookshelf Christina's Bookshelf
Christy's Bookshelf Debra's Bookshelf Diana's Bookshelf
Emanuel's Bookshelf Fortenberry's Bookshelf Gary's Bookshelf
Gorden's Bookshelf Henry's Bookshelf Jennifer's Bookshelf
Jody's Bookshelf Kimberly's Bookshelf Levine's Bookshelf
Lori's Bookshelf Margaret's Bookshelf Medb's Bookshelf
Molly's Bookshelf Nancy's Bookshelf Paul's Bookshelf
Pisano's Bookshelf Pogo's Bookshelf Rick's Bookshelf
Roger's Bookshelf Sherry's Bookshelf Sullivan's Bookshelf
Taylor's Bookshelf Terry's Bookshelf  


Reviewers Recommend

Twilight of Love: Travels with Turgenev
Robert Dessaix
Picador
ISBN: 0330364995 A$40.00 275 pages

Dr. Ann Skea, Reviewer
http://www.ann.skea.com/

"One Saturday morning when I was about eleven or twelve years old, at about the time the first sputnik began criss-crossing the sky, I went into a bookshop in a suburb of Sydney and bought myself a Russian dictionary".

So, Robert Dessaix's obsession with all things Russian was born and "in the blink of an eye...the whole course of [his] life changed". Dessaix studied in Russia, reads and speaks Russian fluently, and knows Russian literature well but, until now, he has found writing about Russia "extraordinarily difficult". It is surprising then, that in Twilight of Love he chose to write about a Russian author whose work he confesses to never having totally enjoyed, even though he know it thoroughly.

Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev, the man, however, has somehow become someone Dessaix feels a kinship with. And following his footsteps around Europe, visiting towns he lived in and houses he knew well, Dessaix feels empathy and "a glimmer of fellow feeling" for him. Turgenev, it seems to Dessaix, shared his own feeling of dislocation and strangeness in the place in which he was born, and had a similarly strained relationship with the usual conventions of his society. Both, Dessaix suggests, experienced situations which taught them to "know what wormwood tastes like".

Yet wormwood has little to do with the flavour of this book, which is anecdotal, humorous, intelligent, literate and entertaining. Twilight of Love is a travelogue which reveals as much of Dessaix's own character as that of Turgenev. Dessaix's various travelling companions and friends, superfluous as they sometime seem to Dessaix's main journey, do reflect different aspects of Dessaix's own life and offer a sort of modern parallel to Turgenev's life and times.

Dessaix begins his journey in Baden-Baden, where he teams up with an old friend (a sophisticated, married German woman) to visit various Turgenev 'sites'. In France, with its more relaxed sexual ambience, Dessaix meets a young Frenchman, Daniel, with whom he once had an affair and who is now in his "Buddhist phase". With this new companion and his very different perspective, he tracks Turgenev to Rozay-en-Brie and to Courtavenel, the vanished castle of which was the place where Turgenev felt most at home. And in Moscow, it is Irina he meets again - a Russian woman with whom he has been friends since their studies at Moscow University in the mid-sixties. Irina is anxious that Dessaix approves of the recent dramatic changes in Russia, and his reminiscences of earlier times are as interesting as his visits to St. Petersburg and Oryol, and to Spasskoye, to which Turgenev had eventually come home and where some of his best-know novels were written.

As well as writing about Turgenev's life and of his friendships with other well-known Russians, Dessaix focuses his travels particularly on places associated with Turgenev's lifelong love of the opera diva, Pauline Verdot. Theirs was a three-cornered relationship in which Pauline's scholarly husband, Louis, was the third party. This unusual and long-lasting arrangement seemed to suit all three, but whether Turgenev and Pauline ever became lovers has long been the subject of debate. Dessaix speculates, but comes to no conclusions. Love is love, and it is expressed in many forms - and whilst this book is a travelogue of sorts, and a literary biography of sorts, it has more the product of Dessaix's own love of life and literature than of anything else.

Sometimes, like life, Twilight of Love is patchy, and sometimes Dessaix's reflections on his own past seemed to me to be random and irrelevant. Mostly, however, this book is an interesting, informed and easily read meander through some of Turgenev's writing, through Russian history, and through the vast range of ideas which attract Dessaix's active curiosity. By the end of it you may, like Dessaix himself, find yourself "warming to the idea of re-reading Turgenev": or, even, of reading Turgenev for the first time with Twilight of Love beside you as a sort of rough guide to some of Turgenev's eccentricities, tribulations and loves.

Higher Ground
Saxon Bennett
Bella Books
P.O. Box 10543, Tallahassee, FL 32302
ISBN: 1931513694; $12.95; 246 pages

Arlene Germain
Reviewer

Higher Ground

This new novel by Saxon Bennett tells the story of six disparate women living in Phoenix, Arizona. It spans a sometimes-tumultuous four-year period in their often-troubled lives. Vida, the outgoing and personable fashion model, has a disapproving and dour mate in Kirsten. Edie, the main character, writes timely articles for Phoenician magazine yet yearns to be a playwright. Her conversation is often liberally peppered with vulgar and obscene invective while her love life, or more accurately, her rapacious sex life is one brisk encounter, fling, and affair after another. Laura, a young and ostensibly innocent co-worker, is hopelessly in love with Edie. Rounding out this sextet are Bia and Juliette who have not only an unusual living arrangement but also a secret they desperately want to keep forever shrouded. Over the course of the book, the lives of these women intertwine and conflict in a somewhat soap opera fashion, but it is for the reader to discover what each woman is seeking so tenaciously and at what cost. "How am I supposed to go on with my life thinking that part of my life was a total farce ?" asks Laura.

Bennett's previous books were by and large light and entertaining reading, and her latest book is virtually the same. The plot development is quite simply stated so it is rather effortless to differentiate between the characters. However, a novel's characters and its narrative should seamlessly flow across the pages if it is to meaningfully engage and captivate the reader. At various times, the actions depicted here seem somehow too contrived, even stilted, to achieve these goals.

The premise is appealing, the concepts of friends vs. lovers and real vs. desirable expectations, but one wishes the author had developed these women in a less superficial manner. The progression of these women's lives as they moved through the chapters would have been much more satisfying for this reader had Bennett explored with greater depth and detail what it was that drove these women, what motivations controlled their lives. Perhaps, more scrupulous editing or an expanded storyline would have rectified the aforementioned two points.

The dialogue is often humorous, witty at times, revealing more character delineation than the narrative itself. Each character speaks her lines with those subtle telltale nuances of her personality. It is for the reader to decide if, in fact, she actually "likes" any of these women. Are they women one knows, admires, despises, or envies? Or, are they more often than not women without any redeeming qualities? Are they merely products of the contemporary corporate scene or society? Excess in varying degrees seems to be the byword for several of these women. Is that a good or a bad thing? Bennett leaves it to the reader to decide.

Bennett remains true to a formula she has created so her fans won't be disappointed with this latest work. For those who haven't read her previous fiction, Higher Ground will offer an uncomplicated bit of escapist reading for a few hours, an opportunity to meet some new characters, and to experience another lesbian author's writing. Whichever the case may be, one should read this novel and determine for oneself what that "higher ground" actually is.

NEW Game Of Business
Mitchell Axelrod
Axelrod & Associates
14 Seaman Road, West Orange, NJ 07052, 800-729-3576
http://www.TheNewGame.com
ISBN: 0973527501 $14.95 90 pp.

Bonnie Jo Davis
Reviewer

If you think you've seen and heard everything there is to say, The NEW Game of Business brings new distinctions and a fresh perspective to the world of business.

This slim, easy-to-read soft cover book is so good that it should be required reading in business schools around the world. Every entrepreneur and every company employee, from the janitor to the CEO should read and reread this book..

The author's quote in Chapter Five quite nicely summarizes the topic of this book. Mitchell Axelrod says this "I help you get from where you are, to where you want to be." The new game in town is that of reciprocity and no longer does the businessperson with the most toys win.

Consumers are tired of turning on the television every day to more bad news about badly run businesses. Corruption and scandal seem to rule the day and all this negativity takes a toll on the economy and well being of those who sell and those who buy. Mitchell Axelrod advises that thinking outside the box is so outdated that businesses need to throw away the box entirely and begin playing "The NEW Game of Business." This game is inclusive rather than exclusive and it is based upon service. Reading this book will help teach you the value of throwing out the old rules and writing a new script for a new game. A game where everyone wins.

The chapters of this book include: Play by the New Rules... "Caveat Vendidor!" Design a New Strategy... It's NOT just Business; It's Personal!, Practice New Economics... Good Deals are Good Business!, Seek a New Mission... Put People Ahead of Products and Profits!, Send a New Message... What Business Are YOU In?, Chant a New Mantra... "Serve, Deliver, Serve Some More!", Find New Solutions... Don't Fall in Love with Products or Services!, Acquire New Skills... Master the Tools of the Game!, Build A New Model... Integrate or Disintegrate! and Generate New Money... Profit is EVERYBODY'S Business!. The material covers everything a reader needs to know about generating a profit while gaining lifelong customers and keeping loyal and happy employees. Apply these proven principles used by companies such as Nordstrom and Starbucks and you will find your business growing exponentially while you achieve your dreams!

Mitchell Axelrod is a consultant, professional speaker, talk show radio host and frequently published author on the topics of marketing, sales, entrepreneurship, life skills and playing the new game. For over twenty-five years Mitch has been consulting with Fortune 500 companies, banks, insurance companies, small businesses and individuals on how to boost income, increase sales and profits while deriving more fun, fulfillment and satisfaction from work.

The Whole Hog
Lyall Watson
Smithsonian Press
ISBN 1588342166 $24.95 261 pages

B. A. Brittingham
Reviewer

For those too young to remember, NBC's Tonight Show was not always MC'd by Jay Leno. Once there was Johnny Carson. During his thirty-year stint as host, Carson and sidekick Ed McMahon sustained a casual joking disagreement on the subject of animal intelligence. At the time, McMahon was the paid spokesman for Anheuser-Busch (think beer wagon drawn by a team of magnificent Clydesdales) so his insistence that horses are smarter was understandable. Carson, who maintained that pigs possessed more brainpower, once brought an exchange to a quick close with, "Yeah, did you ever see a pig run back into a burning barn?"

Now we have it on good authority that Carson was correct. We might like to believe the graceful, noble steed is cleverer than a creature we have come to associate with gluttony, mud and all manner of "lesser" barnyard functions, (none of which seem to bother us when we are ordering breakfast) but naturalist Lyall Watson tells us otherwise. We also learn that there are a good many varieties of pig other than the one we've become accustomed to seeing on our plates.

Hogs may look like an improbable subject unless one is familiar with the broad spectrum of topics covered in this author's previous writings. Watson has given us an in-depth look at the wind ("Heaven's Breath" 1984), a discourse on Japanese wrestling ("Sumo" 1988), and has dealt with the interplay between morality and biology ("Dark Nature" 1996.) This, like all his other books, has its own unique structure, one designed specifically to support the subject matter.

It would appear that people/ pig history is solidly intertwined. Our evolutions may have even paralleled one another during the last several million years. Pigs were finally domesticated sometime around 9000 BC and Watson lists a number of reasons why this was an advantageous arrangement. Pigs are omnivorous, capable of foraging on their own but they also happily recycle kitchen and field waste. "Pig behavior is far more like ours . . .(they) enjoy company, even that of other species . . . (and) are easily trained to come and go . . ." The benefits of this relationship are tilted decidedly in favor of humanity, there being are no recorded instances of pigs indulging in a person roast.

Not only have they provided food --- possibly as far back as the late Stone Age --- but there have been fiscal advantages as well. During the emergence of Amerrica as a country, pig reproductive proficiency and the ease with which they could be raised saved many a settler from financial ruin, thus nudging the nation towards prosperity. The growth of Mid-America in general and the city of Chicago in particular --- you may recall Carl Sandburg's phrase "hog-butcher to the world" --- was fostered by the corn-fed pig industry.

And if all that were not enough, there is the matter of medical technology. Due to the similarities between their circulatory systems, human organ transplants have been facilitated by knowledge garnered through pig experiments. Because they develop many of the same illnesses we do, treatments can be tested on them for a look at how people might respond. "There is hardly any medical discipline that is not already benefiting from studies on specially bred pigs that can cram a generation into a single year, providing answers to the use of new drugs and procedures that would take 20 years to assess in human subjects," writes Dr. Watson.

There is much here to make the reader smile. For all the seriousness of his arguments, one gets the impression Watson has a great deal of fun writing. If there is a middle ground between the author's assurance that "this is not a textbook" and general informative entertainment, then Lyall Watson has staked it out. He makes a convincing case in favor of reassessing something we have grown so used to, we have ceased to see or even value it. That pigs are long-used, unappreciated, intelligent organisms should cause us to speculate on the depths of human callousness. Our large brains aren't the only things that conveyed us to this point in our development; we had help from an array of sources beyond ourselves.

In a society noted for cherishing the under'dog', the pig is long overdue for its turn in the limelight.

The Final Frontiersman
James Campbell, Atria Books
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
0743453131, $25.00, 300 pp.

Coletta Ollerer
Reviewer

Heimo Korth is a young man whose heart has always been in the wilderness. He longs for that life while experiencing a type of it as he spends much of his free time enjoying the woods near his home in Appleton, Wisconsin. An unhappy home life with a demanding and insensitive father gives him the wanderlust for Alaska. He is among many young men who venture into the northern frontiers for the adventure in the 70s. What makes him different is that he is only one of the very few who manages to make a living there, a rather meager one but a living nonetheless. He builds a cabin in the bush, in fact he builds a few. He traps for fur and hunts for food.

The story is respectfully and lovingly told by Heimo's cousin, James Campbell. James visits Heimo often and spends weeks at a time living at Heimo's place. He shares with the reader what it is like for him to live in the bush and anecdotally for Heimo and his family. Edna, an Eskimo woman and Heimo's wife, loves the wilderness. The family does look forward to spending six weeks in town during the short summer season. They have two daughters, Rhonda and Krin, who were raised on the frontier and know no other kind of life.

On December 2, 1980, the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) was signed into law. That changed everything for Heimo and others like him. "They granted renewable five-year permits to anyone who built his cabin before 1978".(p191) That meant that Heimo and his family could continue living in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge until the death of the last immediate family member. Hence the title, The Last Frontiersman.

The girls are home schooled but Rhonda wants to go to High School in Appleton. Her adventures there are complicated by her unusual Eskimo appearance. While she is an out-going and happy girl, she has to deal with racism and new surroundings of her uncle's home and family. He and his wife have problems controlling her activities and Heimo returns to bring her back to Alaska. Heimo and Edna reluctantly decide to leave the bush and go to live in Fairbanks in order to meet the needs of Rhonda and Krin as they go into their teens increasingly hungry for the company of children their own age. Heimo plans to go back to do some trapping occasionally but he and Edna realize that part of their lives is over.

Anyone interested in a wilderness existence will enjoy this book. The long cold winter, no electricity, water retrieved from the river in large buckets once or twice a day. Food consisted of caught animals and any basic stores they were able to afford on their infrequent trips to town. Meals were cooked outdoors in the Arctic summer, on a wood burning stove in the winter. Always the danger of a roaming grizzly while outdoors. The only way in or out of their part of the country is by air in small bush planes. The first cabin Heimo's family occupied was ten by twelve feet. Later he built one a little larger. The last frontiersman will be gone from the state of Alaska permanently in a few years. This book tells us what it was like.

The Warm Wind of Palestine
Scott Crye
Athena Press
Queen's House, 2 Holly Rd., Twickenham TW1 4EG, United Kingdom
ISBN: 193207757X US $14.95; UK 10.99 254 pages

Jason Crye
Reviewer

It is said that familiarity breeds contempt. With this in mind I hesitantly picked up my father's first novel, The Warm Wind of Palestine, expecting to know who he based each character on, see through the nuances in the plot, and ultimately know the ending by the first couple of pages.

Happily, I was wrong.

Mr. Crye has written a heart-warming tale of true friendship. His characters are faced with situations that test the limits of their courage, and their trust in each other and themselves.

Dr. Jenna Haabeb is a Palestinian doctor living in middle-America. She lost her family in an accidental bombing on the West Bank, and to forget about the tragedy, she plunged herself into her work, becoming a highly respected researcher in her field. Being an ethnic Palestinian in a post 9/11 America she is forced to deal with prejudice, hostility, and piercing curiosity. She is also strikingly beautiful, and reminded me of a more innocent version of Hemingway's Lady Ashley in The Sun Also Rises in that there is not a male character in the book that finds her unattractive. However, unlike the licentious Lady Ashley, Dr. Haabeb is more disposed to sipping her tea alone than dominating her would be lovers and painting the town red.

Other characters include: Jack Larsen, who wants to be a father figure to Jenna, but struggles because his own tenderness makes him feel weak; Steven, the bumbling police officer who is attracted to Jenna but his advances are stalled by his own prejudice and chauvinism; and Catherine, the all-American mom who will do anything for anybody.

Mr. Crye takes these characters on a number of adventures: parties and picnics, a trip to Paris, and a tragic accident. Through their discussions and reactions to what befalls them
The Warm Wind of Palestine serves as a vivid picture of the world today. Mr. Crye lightly takes on cultural prejudice, women's issues, and Mid-Eastern violence, never preaching, he seems to know exactly what to say to leave you thinking about the major issues of our times. Sometimes the jabs are so subtle you almost miss them, for instance there is a joke made about gambling at Bill Bennett's expense, but only the careful reader will catch it.

The story is slow at first, but it is almost as if you have to slow yourself down to get into the rhythm of the narrator's life. The simple prose is easy to read and engaging, though at times one wonders whether anyone could really be so easy going.

I began reading this book with the assumption that I would dislike it, but its simple style, subtle humor, and heart-warming story won me over. Let it win you over too.

A Filthy Business
David Compton, Behler Publications
22365 El Toro Road, #135, Lake Forest, CA 92630
ISBN 1933016043, $15.95, 275 pages

Dee Power
Reviewer

"A Filthy Business" by David Compton, sucks you down into the cold war of the sixties to where you can smell the cigarette smoke and almost taste the cold coffee. Based in Germany, Anders Desruisseaux is an agent handler for the U. S. Army Intelligence. His job is to recruit and manage private citizens to spy for the allies as they cross the borders into East Germany and back. He's nearly ready to hang up his holster and retire when one of his recruits bolts to the bad guys. The ensuing pages can't turn fast enough as Anders pursues his nemesis, Klaus Auerbach, to a surprising but satisfying end. The story is interlaced with insider glimpses of Anders' early training as an agent. Fiction based on fact, "A Filthy Business" does a fascinating job bringing to life the stereotype of "Agent Bond 007" in a believable fashion where the reliance has to be on patience, instinct and cunning rather than high tech gadgets. One small criticism is that while the bits of German dialog sprinkled throughout the book may add realism for some, it slowed down the pacing for this reviewer. If you've ever wondered what the life of a secret agent was really like, "A Filthy Business" is a must read.

Affirmations: Joyful and Creative Exuberance
Paul Kurtz
Prometheus
ISBN 1591022657, $10.00 120 pp.

William Harwood
Reviewer

Only a very small percentage of the population have any idea what Humanism is or what Humanists stand for. Not only King George's Theofascists, but also an overwhelming proportion of the moderate majority have been brainwashed that Humanism is a euphemism for dogmatic atheism. Not so, explains Paul Kurtz.

After coining the word eupraxsophy, from Greek roots meaning literally, "positive practice of wisdom," Kurtz explains, "There is no word in the English language that adequately conveys the meaning of humanism. It is not a religion; it represents a philosophical, scientific and ethical outlook. I have accordingly introduced a new term eupraxsophy in order to distinguish humanistic convictions and practices from religious systems of faith and belief." (p. 35)

Humanists believe in the positive practice of wisdom. "We do not reject any claim to knowledge prior to inquiry. We insist, however, that claims be framed in testable form and that the burden of proof rests primarily with the party asserting the claim." (pp. 23-24) In other words the onus is on persons who believe the universe is produced and directed by an all-powerful god to offer a reasonable modicum of proof. Unless they can do so, they can no more be taken seriously than Velikovsky or von D„niken.

"The methods of critical inquiry used so effectively in science need to be extended to all areas of human interest. Beliefs should be treated as hypotheses and be tested by evidence, logical coherence, and experimental consequences. All claims to knowledge should be open to revision in the light of inquiry. As a result, there is a progressive growth of knowledge." (p. 21) Can anyone oppose the growth of knowledge? Trick question. Proponents of both religion and the paranormal have systematically suppressed all knowledge that falsifies their dogmas for as long as they have existed.

Humanism endorses "common moral decencies." Among them are, "We should not kill or rob; inflict physical violence or injury; or be cruel, abusive, or vengeful." (p. 45) Don't the Jewish Testament's Ten Commandments embrace similar prohibitions? Not quite. Humanism repudiates such treatment of all humans. The Big Ten only prohibited killing, robbing or abusing other Jews.

Humanism embraces tolerance, a word not be found in Theofascist dictionaries: "We may not agree with them, but each person is entitled to his or her convictions as long as he or she does not harm others or prevent them from exercising their rights." (p. 47) Also, "We respect the right to privacy. Mature adults should be allowed to fulfill their aspirations, to express their sexual preferences, to exercise reproductive freedom, to have access to comprehensive and informed healthcare, and to die with dignity." (p. 16)

Humanism recognizes that "sin" by any other name means unnecessarily hurting someone. Obviously, engaging in joyful, shared, nonconsequential, uncoerced recreation does not qualify. "Yet there are the disciples of 'virtue' and the crusaders against 'sin' who consider the main problems in life to be the extirpation or control of the erotic. Erotic-phobia is only one aspect of a broader hedonic-phobia, or distaste for pleasure. Those who oppose the erotic are the enemies of human life." (p. 80)

Probably Kurtz was unaware just how literal that last statement really is. If the joy-haters of the Theofascism currently crippling America and other countries are not stopped, they are going to exterminate the human race by overpopulating Planet Earth until humankind can no longer feed itself. Will the current greatest threat to the survival of the human species be flushed down the toilet of history on November 2? We can only wait in dread.

Kurtz concludes his advocacy of sanity in the words, "It is time that we turn away from the ancient dogmas and doctrines of the past, and reach out to a new future. Using science, reason, and free inquiry blended with empathy and caring, it is possible to build a new civilization not mired in the false illusions spawned in the infancy of the race .. Humanism can help humankind achieve a new stage of human development."

Between Trapezes: Flying into a New Life with the Greatest of Ease
Gail Blanke
Rodale Press
Rodalestore.com Betweentrapezes.com 800-848-4735
ISBN: 1579549284 $22.95 256 pages

Peter Hupalo
Reviewer

Between Trapezes: Flying into a New Life with the Greatest of Ease by Gail Blanke is written for people in transition who are looking for guidance and inspiration.

Blanke says people seldom appreciate the opportunities created by changing life conditions. Rather, we want to be in a settled, predictable, stable state. Blanke writes: " the real thrill in life is not in the landing it's in the flying. The really exciting parts of life appear when you've left the past behind but you don't yet know what the future looks like."

Blanke argues that the time between trapezes is magical, but that most of us don't like in-between times. "These 'not knowing times' present opportunities to open yourself up to an infinite array of new possibilities. These are the times when you get to decide, and when you get to create a new self any self that you want to create, without limits."

Yet, we often imagine the worst-case outcomes, or at least a really bad outcome. While on the Oprah show, Blanke walked on stage, and Oprah told her staff to "Get the bench." Blanke immediately thought this must be akin to "Get the hook," but rather saw that Oprah was going to sit with the audience and allow Blanke the full hour to talk from the stage. Instead of meaning she was being benched, it meant Oprah trusted her with the show.

"We swim in a sea of interpretation. Something trivial happens, and we being only human instantly imbue it with meaning, not always correctly," says Blanke.

Blanke writes: " sometimes it's a good idea not to think too much about some things. Sometimes it's just a good idea to get out and do it."

Blanke suggests five steps to help you build a new life:

1) "Build the castle first." Picture what your ideal future looks like. Blanke suggests writing down a list of ten things that constitute your dream life.

2) Let go of the old ideas and concepts that no longer serve you. Blanke suggests you "cast yourself against type." For example, if you see yourself as shy, become gregarious.

3) Discover new possibilities.

4) "Never confuse falling with failing."

5) "Get the bench! Practice distinguishing between fact and interpretation."

In addition to using her own experiences as a public speaker, author, coach, and Avon executive, Blanke discusses stories about other people going through life changing experiences.

When speaking to college majors, Blanke said they shouldn't worry too much about their major and deciding a future. Blanke writes: "The greatest value of education is that it enables you to form a habit of discovery, a habit of learning, a habit of opening up to new possibilities, despite the fears that we all share in confronting the unknown."

Between Trapezes: Flying into a New Life with the Greatest of Ease is a good book to help people struggling with change in their life who are looking for inspiration and motivation.

Too Dangerous To Teach
Isobel Kleinman
Trafford
ISBN: 1412002761 $25.49

Ben Jonjak
Reviewer

While reading "Too Dangerous to Teach" I couldn't help but think of my own experience in high school. During the course of my high school career, there were three student suicides. Because I graduated from a class of 106, I have to assume that this has to be some astronomical magnification of the national average. The local newspapers and families kept calling these events tragedies, but somehow that word didn't seem appropriate to me. An attempted suicide is a tragedy and a failure involving many levels of a child rearing community. One achieved suicide is negligence, two is gross negligence, and three is criminal.

To my perspective, these "tragedies" were happening primarily due to the way students were being mistreated by the incompetent, power-hungry and self-deluded faculty and administration of my high school. Many students were depressed and confused, much to the indifference of the administration. The administration simply allowed a truly horrible environment to develop, one in which children were treated with disrespect and unintentionally led to exhibit spiteful, backstabbing behaviors rather than caring or nurturing ones.

But when I spoke out to this effect, people were appalled. Who was I, a sixteen year old know it all, to make these suggestions? How dare I be so disrespectful. How dare I speak out.

Similarly, at the heart of "Too Dangerous to Teach" is a discussion of the consequences of speaking out against the majority and holding firm to a higher moral standard than is being exhibited. After reading it, I believe that if Isobel Kleinman (or her alter-ego Elizabeth Feinman as it appears in the book) had taught in my school, there would have been at least one pair of open ears willing to hear my concerns. And who knows, maybe one responsible voice could have made all the difference.

"Too Dangerous to Teach" is a very interesting recollection of the frustrations of a Phy. Ed. teacher during the course of a full career. The book is refreshing in its openness and honesty; although, it does not really resemble a true novel in its organization. Each chapter is a series of anecdotes surrounding the difficulties of things such as: the inherent dangers and problems of teaching archery to fifty children, getting funding for extracurricular activities, and, of course, run-ins with administrators who really don?t have the first clue as to what you are dealing with. There is a common thread to the book, but this is not a "plot-driven" novel. This is more an example of literary non-fiction, and the draw of the work is the documentary style insights you get from Kleinman's experience. Reading it is very much like sitting down with the an experienced teacher and listening to her impart to you virtually everything she learned about her profession, both comical and sad, during the course of her lengthy career.

The book is written in a clear, if not especially daring voice. The stories are told in a conversational tone that isn't at all preachy, and the events dealing with human behavior are of the type that are too absurd to be made up. You never doubt the work's authenticity, and although this book does nothing special stylistically, it doesn't need to. This is a recollection of events told in a way to gain credibility, and stylistic experimentation would have detracted from that.

Above all, this book feels very true. The atmosphere of a modern school is recreated, and I had no difficulty visualizing the faces of my teachers and principal in the places of those that Kleinman described. Being a single person's account, it is natural to begin to suspect that the author could have intentionally or unintentionally misconstrued or misrepresented various conflicts in her favor. However, the accuracy of what is presented is unimportant in the matter of details. What is important is that the main character of the story is clearly very responsible and conscientious regarding the care of her students, and that the currently accepted standard of school administration got in the way of her doing her job to the best effect.

I think this book would resonate strongly with anybody in the teaching industry whether they are the type of responsible teacher Elizabeth Feinman is or not. I could see this book being of great interest to anyone who is starting a career in teaching, and I can foresee that books like this will be great for sociologists four hundred years from now who are trying to reconstruct the sources of the flaws in our culture.

It is hard to pinpoint exactly what it is in human nature, or culture, that makes such a mess of our school system. Part of it comes from people who lose track of just what it is they are trying to accomplish, that is, they forget that the children come first. Part of it might be from a socially conditioned drive for power and stature. I don't know, and neither, do I think, does Isobel Kleinman, but in "Too Dangerous to Teach" she provides the raw material from which a conclusion might one day be drawn.

"Too Dangerous to Teach" contains a lot of material, and, in all fairness, probably runs a bit too long. I couldn't help but think that somebody could make a great fictional novel from this vast work of recollections. There are so many characters that I began to lose track of who was who. A more "Hollywood" version of this story would combine the personality traits of various groups and present them in a single antagonist. The advantage of that would be that the more important themes of the work would be brought to the surface where they might be more effectively explored. However, having personally seen enough Hollywood garbage, I found the raw quality of Kleinman's writing to be rather relaxing. It is nice when you can enjoy a story without feeling manipulated.

After my own experience in high school, there is really no criticism of modern schooling that is too strong for my liking. Both teen suicide and school shootings are major issues today that were almost unheard of as recently as fifty years ago. "Too Dangerous to Teach" is both funny and frustrating, and it only goes to further show that there is something inherently wrong in the system. Changes must be made, but unfortunately, the public reaction is far too frequently a scolding of the messenger rather than an acknowledgement of his/her report. Sure, a major overhaul of public education is a big time undertaking. But in the end, don't you think the kids are worth it?

A Bit On The Side
William Trevor
Viking
375 Hudson Street, New York,NY 10014
ISBN 067003343X $24.95, 245 pages

Peter Lamal
Reviewer

As exemplified in the collection A Bit On The Side, William Trevor is one of the few masters of the short story. In common with such other great short story writers as Alice Munro, Hemingway, and Updike, Trevor's short stories approach the depth and complexity of novels. This is particularly true of a collection of short stories when they are linked, as in A Bit On The Side, by an underlying theme. In Trevor's case the theme of individuals who have experienced deep disappoinment, frustration, and rejection. Trevor's main characters lead lives almost devoid of positive social reinforcement.

The economy of speech of Trevor's characters is a central feature of the economy of his writing. In "Big Bucks", for example, a character hears "a statement made through what was being left out."

Another characteristic of Trevor's writing is his detailed descriptions of characters' immediate surroundings, particularly when they are most strongly experiencing disappoint and frustration. "Big Bucks" also provides examples of this.

Sometimes we cannot determine whether a character's stated reason for doing or not doing something, is the real reason. Just as in our own lives. Is the reason Michael gives in "Big Bucks" for not marrying the young woman he left behind in Ireland the real reason? In "On the Streets" a man accosts his ex-wife on the street from time-to-time. He is unable to recover from a long-ago humiliation he suffered at the hands of a couple, which he has repeatedly described to his wife, now ex-wife. He now describes the revenge he finally exacted on the couple. Or is his claim of revenge false? In either case, he has, if only briefly, been able to to have the attention of another person.

Trevor was born and spent his childhood in provincial Ireland and much of his writing conveys the extremely circumscribed lives once led by the rural Irish. Most of them, as in "The Dancing Master's Music," accept, sometimes not willingly, their barren presents and the certainty that their futures will be nothing but more of the same.

In addition to other short story collections William Trevor is the author of the highly regarded novels Felicia's Journey and The Story of Lucy Gault.

Dreaming of Amerika
Gabe G. Kubichek
Llumina Press
PO Box 772246, Coral Springs, FL 33077-2246
1-866-229-9244, orders@llumina.com
www.llumina.com
ISBN 1595262741 $26.95 320 pp.

Liana Metal
http://lianametal.tripod.com

Very Highly Recommended

Gabe Kubichek tells his true story about his childhood dream to go to America. His life story starts in 1933 in Hungary and ends now, in America. More about Gabe's dream at http://www.llumina.com/store/dreamingofamerika.htm

DREAMING OF AMERIKA, Gabe's first book , is set both in Hungary and America. Gabe grows up in Hungary during the years of the Depression, World War 2 and the Russian occupation, but his dream is to flee to freedom. After the failed Revolution of 1956, he flees to Canada and becomes an American citizen in 1970.

The book is divided into 19 chapters , all of which include historic events combined with the author's memoirs of the different periods of time he describes in detail. It is a well-constructed story of excellent quality whose high authenticity of facts makes it an interesting and enjoyable read. The content originality is enriched by the historic references and the photographs the author presents throughout his book. The style of presenting the story is highly appealing ,yet simple and clear at the same time, showing that Gabe is able to achieve his goal, that is, to inform readers about the turbulent events he witnessed and entertain them as well.

It caters to all adult non fiction lovers, especially those who are keen on history or/and memoirs from people who managed to fulfill their dream fighting against odds. However, the target audience may be wider: This book will also appeal to the female readership who enjoy reading love stories, as this story is packed with Gabe's love affairs and it is interesting to see a man's perspective on this issue. There is also a tint of the 007 spy character that adds mystery and action to the whole story and makes it more interesting.

DREAMING OF AMERIKA is undoubtedly a good story that has also got historic value and will satisfy the demanding reader. This book is available from Llumina Press, Ingram, and Baker &Taylor.

The Submarine: A History
Thomas Parrish
Viking Penguin
ISBN: 0670033138 $29.95 576 pp.

Michael Riggs, M.D.
Reviewer

Thomas Parrish is one of those rare writers who writes to invite, and despite the title of his latest work, he demonstrates that the best writers of the history of science do not produce the last word. The Submarine, like the author's previous Encyclopedia of the Cold War and American Codebreakers, leads readers into sharing a sense of fascination, into an urge to dig deeper and know more. Parrish's particular area of expertise is military history. It seems to me that, especially recently, we have been deluged with books about this subject, and as a person who normally prefers other kinds of history, I avoid the "chaps and maps" books with nearly the same enthusiasm that I do Tom Clancy. Had I not received The Submarine as a gift, and had I not read the first few pages in the presence of the giver, I would have missed a great book.

I do like books on the history of science and technology, especially recent ones. Science has a social dimension, a story, and the history of technology has become, especially lately, almost coextensive with the social history of organizational culture. Bureaucracies determine funding, and the history of bureaucracy is much more to my taste than is yet another map of the Battle of X. When someone writes a sentence such as "Something on the surface of the earth has always made us try to leave it", however, I am well and truly hooked.

Replete with anecdotes, aphorisms and warnings from Leonardo Da Vinci, tales of corporate and contracting scandals, The Submarine commanded my attention for more than five hundred pages, taught me more about naval warfare than either a history degree or any of my previous reading, and made a mockery of my firm resolutions to read for no more than an hour past bedtime. For general readers, and for those who, like me, must learn history by other means, The Submarine is the vehicle of choice.

The Miradors-Descensions Of a Man
B. Elwin Sherman
Publish America
ISBN: 1413718833 $19.95 163 pp.

Shirley Roe, Reviewer
www.allbooks.bravepages.com

A MIND LOST OR A SOUL DISCOVERED? This is the question this reviewer asks after reading B. Elwin Sherman's memoirs. The portrait of a time when nurse becomes patient, analyst becomes the analyzed and the tortures and tribulations of Ego attempt to conquer the emerging Muse of the Soul.

I feel the fullness of being empty
Right now there is comfort in feeling numb
Empty space is not the same as no space.

(And later-)

I'm living in a glass ship
Outside, it is night and a storm whips up
On the deck of my ship, someone lights a lamp
It flickers, then is gone.
But on the far horizon, a beacon sweeps the sky.

The Miradors is a literary work, set apart by its originality of thought and style. It reads like narrative mixed with poetry; varied, free verse and rhymed sometimes reaching didactic proportions. From gut wrenching emotion to light and humorous observation the reader is enlightened and exposed to a subject, often avoided. The author's personal experience gives life to his work and his literary skills are beyond reproach. He carries the reader along on his tumultuous journey with the subtle, gentle hands of the caregiver. Each reader will draw a different experience from this book, but the words will haunt you long after you close the cover.

Do not let the subject matter keep you from one of the best reads on the market today. Most impressive, highly recommended.

Writing Basics
Liana Metal
http://www.ebookad.com
http://lianametal.tripod.com
Ebook $4.50, 90 pp.

Bill Savanis
Reviewer

Very Highly Recommended

Would you like to write for online and print publications but you are not sure how to go about it? Read this ebook which is specially written for new writers, and learn all the basics you need to get started. You won't miss!

WRITING BASICS is an innovative writing guide for new writers and not only. It is simple and clear and it is a 'must' for those who wish to break into publishing, both in print and online. There is a market roundup included, as well as tips from various writers.

The author, Liana Metal, uses her own experiences to show readers how to achieve a good presentation of their work and how to promote it, and there is reference to a lot of other essential issues such as rejection, creating an ebook, and ways to market your articles/book.

WRITING BASICS caters to all writers, old and new, who are not familiar with online publishing. However, some parts of the book focus mainly on the new writer, giving away tips and suggestions on a variety of topics which are the 'essentials' in this competitive field. This book is s real page-turner!

You can get it from http://www.ebookad.com

Related Titles: Where to Promote your Book Online, Dallas Franklin


Bethany's Bookshelf

Hope For The Home Front
Marshele Carter Waddell
One Hope Ministry
PO Box 68188, Virginia Beach, Virginia 23471-8188
0972948805 $12.00 www.hopeforthehomefront.com

Written by the devout Christian wife of two decades to a career military sailor and commissioned officer in service to America, Hope for the Home Front: God's Timeless Encouragement for Today's Military Wife is a faith-inspired testimony and advice guides for dealing with the particular trials and tribulations of spouses separated by their loved ones by vast distances and even the threat of death in service to one's country. Topics addressed include how to confront fear with faith, raising children when their father is absent for long periods of time in service to one's country, learning how to stay together when duty forces a couple to be apart so much, and more. A deeply powerful testimony that combines personal experience, trust in God's plan, and practical wisdom into a heartfelt whole.

Keeping Company With Jesus
Jackie L. Smallbones
Augsburg Publishers
100 Fifth Street, Suite 700, Minneapolis, MN 55402-1210
0806651571 $9.99 1-800-328-4648 www.augsburgbooks.com

Written by Jackie L. Smallbones (an associate professor of religion and Christian education, who has taught biblical studies for more than twenty years in her native South Africa and the United States), Keeping Company With Jesus: Reflections on Gospel Stories is a straightforward guide to developing a closer relationship with Jesus Christ. The author's navigated rough times in her life, including dealing with unemployment and breast cancer, by holding fast to the words of Jesus and reflecting on his love, and the suffering he endured for all of humankind. Each chapter reflects upon a specific passage of the gospels, and a different aspect of how keeping company with Jesus affects both one's worldly and spiritual life. Questions for reflection and discussion round out this thoughtful work of love, reverence, and devotion.

Ditch The Diet And The Budget
Cynthia Yates
Harvest House Publishers
990 Owen Loop North, Eugene, Oregon 97402-9173
0736914609 $10.99 1-800-547-8979

Award-winning humor columnist Cynthia Yates presents Ditch the Diet and the Budget ... and Find a Better Way to Live, a no-nonsense guide to helping oneself trim expenses, cook and eat healthier foods at lower cost, and improve the overall quality of one's life in large and small ways alike. Yates explores seeking a Christian reconnection with the Holy Spirit of God, reconstructing one's patterns of interacting with others so as to take more control over one's own life, applying the 50 percent principle to cut one's expenses in half, and much more. A postive, can-do attitude and resource for engineering penny and pound-wise savings in one's life.

A Good Friend For Bad Times
Deborah E. Bowen and Susan L. Strickler
Augsburg Publishers
100 Fifth Street, Suite 700, Minneapolis, MN 55402-1210
0806651512 $12.99 1-800-328-4648 www.augsburgbooks.com

A licensed social worker and a professional bereavement counselor pool their years of experience in A Good Friend for Bad Times: Helping Others Through Grief, a Christian resource for helping friends and loves ones cope with terrible loss. Offering both general and specific advice, especially for dealing with the cruel reality of death, A Good Friend for Bad Times emphasizes the importance of being there, and describes helpful means of emotional and physical suppport in the first weeks, the first month, and the first year after experiencing a death. Highly recommended.

Fasting
Carole Garibaldi Rogers
Sorin Books
PO Box 1006, Notre Dame, IN 46556-1006
1893732649 $12.95 1-800-282-1865 www.sorinbooks.com

Fasting is a spiritual guide, and not intended specifically as a medical or scientific treatment of the subject - biological matters pertaining to fasting are only briefly summarized. It focuses upon religious and spiritual motivations for fasting; issues of fasting for weight loss or due to starvation and poverty are left to other books. Exploring the ancient spiritual tradition of opening one's eyes through limitation, Fasting discusses the practice as used in Christianity, Islam, during Yom Kippur, Lent, and Ramadan, for the purpose of making political statements or simply for personal discipline and enrichment. A reader-friendly guide that incorporates history, the personal experiences of those who fast, the mind-body spirit connection that can be obtained through fasting, and more.

Total Truth
Nancy Pearcey
Crossway Books
1300 Crescent Street, Wheaton, IL 60187
1581344589 $25.00 1-800-323-3890 www.crossway.com

Total Truth: Liberating Christianity From Its Cultural Captivity questions the modern American cultural attitude of keeping religion a private matter. Claiming that Christianity's truth is best served by being brought into the public sphere to maximize its influence, Total Truth delves into complex theological and behavioral questions. Examining how feminism contributed to the privatization of Christianity, the power of evangelicalism, flaws in modern scientific theory, and more. While the ideas presented in Total Truth are strong, and sometimes appears to discount the unshakeable reality that America is and always will be a nation of plural faiths, the passion in the author's conviction to improve human life on physical and spiritual levels through the power of religious virtue is undeniable.

Let Me Hold You Longer
Karen Kingsbury, author
Mary Collier, illustrator
Tyndale House Publishers
PO Box 80, Wheaton, IL 60189
1414300557 $14.99 1-800-323-9400

Let Me Hold You Longer is a beautiful, rhyming picturebook about the all too transitory joys of childhood and growing up. Warm, playful color illustrations add depth to the wistful verses that are a joy to read aloud to young ones. "The last piano lesson, / last vacation to the lake. / Your last few weeks of middle school, / last soccer goal you make. // I look ahead and dream of days / that haven't come to pass. / But as I do, I sometimes miss / today's sweet, precious lasts...

A Is For Ark
Colleen & Michael Glenn Monroe, authors
Michael Glenn Monroe, illustrator
Story Time Press
c/o KSB Promotions
55 Honey Creek, NE, Ada, MI 49301
0975494201 $17.95 www.storytimepress.com

A is for Ark: Noah's Journey is an alphabet book that combines the basic letters with the Biblical tale of Noah's voyage to save all the animal species on Earth from a great flood. Whimsical color illustrations of the many birds and beasts as well as Noah himself add a charming touch to this simple story, told with humor and grace. A truly fun way to introduce young ones to the alphabet.

The Color Of Me
Linda L. McDunn, author
Barbara Knutson, illustrator
The Liturgical Press
St. John's Abbey, PO Box 7500, Collegeville, MN 56321-7500
0814629520 $16.95 1-800-858-5450 www.litpress.org

The Color of Me is a picturebook that deals with a powerful theological question: What color is God? Amid a peaceful rain and a large gathering, a small child discovers the answer. God's creation and goodness embodies all people, all races, all colors. The starkly vivid illustrations, featuring thick black outlines and rainbow hues, underscore a profound message of faith, acceptance, love, and spiritual wholeness.

God Believes In You
Holly Bea, author
Kim Howard, illustrator
Starseed Press
c/o H. J. Kramer
PO Box 1082, Tiburon, CA 94920
1932073086 $15.00

God Believes in You is a children's Christian picturebook with an abiding message of faith and love. Following the adventures of a bull mastiff named Buddy, who must cope with a day at obedience school, the veterinarian, an unfriendly encounter with fire department dalmatians, and more, God Believes in You closes with the profound message that even though life can be challenging, God is always there for Us. Slightly stringy and whimsically enjoyable color illustrations bring the heartwarming tale and its simple message to vibrant life.

Susan Bethany
Reviewer


Betsy's Bookshelf

Living With Grief
Brook Noel and Pamela D. Blair, Ph.D.
Champion Press
4308 Blueberry Road, Fredonia, WI 53021
1891400088 $8.95 1-877-250-3354 www.championpress.com

Living With Grief: A Guide for Your First Year of Grieving is a brief yet compassionate book written by expert authors who have dedicated their lives to working with people who have survived great loss. Simple tips and advice for dealing with difficult times and seemingly overpowering emotions reverberate with timeless wisdom - don't worry about contacting people, expect to be distracted, understand that grief has no schedule, counsel on how to deal with troublesome dreams, what to do when faith is shattered, and more. A plain-terms guide to coping with an often harsh reality, highly recommended.

What's A Parent To Do?
Henry David Abraham, M.D.
New Horizon Press
PO Box 669, Far Hills, NJ 07931
0882822500 $14.95 1-800-533-7978

Written by a co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, What's A Parent To Do? Straight Talk on Drugs and Alcohol is a no-nonsense self-help guide to the extremely difficult task of preventing and dealing with epidemic drug abuse among children. Drawing heavily from the author's thirty years of experience treating substance-abusing young people and their families, What's A Parent To Do? covers how to protect one's children from drugs ranging from tobacco, alcohol and marijuana to acid, anabolic steroids, narcotics, psychostimulants, and other unsavory body- or mood-altering chemicals. Written in plain, non-judgement terms that focus primarily on helping families stay clean and healthy, What's A Parent To Do? is an absolute "must-have" for any parent or caretaker in today's unfortunately drug-saturated culture.

Betsy L. Hogan
Reviewer


Betty's Bookshelf

Color Play: Easy Steps to Imaginative Color in Quilts
Joen Wolfrom
C&T Publishing, Inc.
PO Box 1456, Lafayette, CA 94549
www.ctpub.com
157120105X $27.95 144 p.

If your quilting problem is poorly thought-out color schemes, then Color Play: Easy Steps to Imaginative Color in Quilts (by Fox Island [WA] resident Joen Wolfrom), may be just the help you need, to take your quilts from "Whatever..." to "Wow!" Wolfrom spends the first two chapters of Color Play taking apart and explaining the various colors that are found in nature and how they are combined, using the Ives Color Wheel (the yellow-magenta-turquoise color wheel used in fabric-dying, print-making, and photography) to show you exactly why they work so well together.

In the next six chapters, she explains and demonstrates how to use color to express moods, feelings, and seasonal images, while the last chapter includes instructions on how to use color to produce illusions of depth, luminosity, luster, shadows, highlights, and transparency. Scattered throughout the book are pages and pages of gorgeous color photos of quilts made by various quilters and textile artists that show the various principles of color usage, worked out in fabric.

Smashing Sets: Exciting Ways to Arrange Quilt Blocks
Margaret J. Miller
C&T Publishing, Inc.
PO Box 1456, Lafayette, CA 94549
www.ctpub.com
1571201106 $23.95 96 p.

Are the patchwork sampler blocks that you've made in various classes languishing in a drawer somewhere because you can't face putting together one more boring quilt top - and frankly, if you've seen one sampler top, you've seen them all? Well, you need to go out and buy a copy of Smashing Sets: Exciting Ways to Arrange Quilt Blocks, by Seattle professional quilter/author Margaret J. Miller.

Miller doesn't believe in boring quilts, and throughout her book's pages, she encourages quilters to "reach for the unexpected" when putting blocks together, by showing them how to use various methods of setting blocks in their quilts' interiors as well as innovative ideas for bordering them. Smashing Sets includes graphed design ideas, color photos of finished quilts, appendices of reproducible blocks, and a resource/bibliography list, and is filled with ways to make viewers take a second look at your next quilt top, even if it does include traditional blocks.

Jarhead: A Marine's Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles
Anthony Swofford
Scribner / Thomson Gale
PO Box 9187, Farmington Hills, MI 48333-9187
http://www.gale.com/scribners/
0743235355 $24.00 272 p.

Anthony Swofford begins his war narrative with these words: "As a lance corporal in a U.S. Marine Corps scout/sniper platoon, I saw more of the Gulf War than the average grunt. Still, my vision was blurred -by wind and sand and distance, by false signals, poor communication, and bad coordinates, by stupidity and fear and ignorance, by valor and false pride. By the mirage. Thus what follows is neither true nor false but what I know [italics his]." And what he knows about war now bears little resemblance to what he thought he knew on the day he enlisted at the tender age of seventeen and a half.

Swofford and his siblings were raised on military bases by a highly disciplinarian father who'd served in Vietnam and, according to Swofford's own remarks, taught his kids the meaning of unattainable expectations and failure and subsequent punishment. This made Swofford long to prove his manhood by joining the military. And in his mind, only the Marines (at least, the heroic mirage he'd made of it for himself) would do. "...I needed the Marine Corps to save me from the other life I'd fail at - the life of the college boy hoping to find a girlfriend and later a job."

And when Desert Storm began brewing and the U. S. Marines of Surveillance and Target Acquisition Platoon, Second Battalion, Seventh Marines, arrived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on August 14, 1990, Anthony Swofford was right in the middle, wearing cammies the color of desert sand and a high-and-tight haircut so short his head looked like a jar with a lid of hair twisted on. He was going to war, to kill rag-heads and impress girls and become a man! He had only been twenty for two days.

Then, gradually, reality began to intrude. He discovered that he no longer had freedom of speech: Marines do what they're told and say what they're told. He found sand in his food, his gear, and even his body crevices. He watched as comrades-in-arms turned from decent human beings into animals, desecrating corpses and abusing each other. And surrounded by pain and death and fear and ugliness, he found out that the mirage of manhood he had expected to find at the operating end of a sniper rifle was a myth.

Jarhead is the story of Swofford's arrival at this disillusionment, stripped of macho posturing and told in searing, grit-edged words that seesaw between poetic expression and acidic vomit. It leaves very little to the imagination and will surely gross out the weak-stomached, upset the easily offended, and disgust the ultra-patriotic, but maybe-for a moment- it will also give other tortured war survivors a place to say, "I was not alone. Someone else felt like that, too. Thank God."

Being a soldier is an honorable and necessary occupation, but it isn't glamorous. Those who want to offer several years (or perhaps all) of their lives to the military need to do it with their eyes wide open. They need to see the thrill and the service to your country and the chests swelled with pride and the snappy uniforms side by side with the vomiting and the crying and the fear and the stench of death. And they need to know that being a soldier isn't either/or, it's both. There are many books and movies that will show them the first part. We need movies like "Saving Private Ryan" and books like Jarhead to show them the rest. It's important.

One last thought: R.I.P. ["Rest In Peace"] is traditionally placed on graves in which the dead lay. This has never made much sense to me. Dead bodies do not thrash about, looking for peace; only the living do that. After reading Jarhead, it makes even less sense. It's not those who die in war, but those who survive it, who need peace. Anthony Swofford went off to college when he left the Marines, and he became a teacher. Now, he lives in Portland, Oregon, where he is currently working on another book. Rest in peace, Anthony Swofford. You need it, you've earned it, and I hope you find it.

Betty Winslow
Reviewer


Buhle's Bookshelf

The Financial Universe
Christeen Skinner
The Alpha Press
c/o International Specialized Book Services
920 Northeast 58th Avenue, Suite 300, Portland, OR 97213
1898595445 $25.00 1-800-944-6190 www.isbscatalog.com

The Financial Universe: Planning Your Investments Using Astrological Forecasting is not a typical financial guide. It deals specifically with using planetary bodies to predict cycles in the marketplace, both positive and negative. Offering suggestions and warnings that potentially reverberate up through the year 2020, The Financial Universe even contemplates the astrological sign of America as a nation, and considers the implications of this birth sign on the future of American finances as a whole as surely as what this means for one's own private investments. A fascinating compendium for astrology buffs, although lacking in economic advice other than astrological forecasting - the reader is already presumed to be familiar with the basics and the risks of the financial market.

Wall of Silver
Richard Kellogg
Avery Color Studios
511 "D" Avenue, Gwinn, MI 49841
1892384280 $16.95 1-800-722-9925

Former air force man and outdoors lover Richard Kellogg presents Wall of Silver, a treasure-hunting memoir. Following his instincts into an abadoned mine, he kicks off an amazing adventure interlacing detective work, memories, and a keen command of knowledge; it reads as fast-paced and fluidly as a novel. An introductory disclaimer warns the reader that Wall of Silver is meant strictly for entertainment value, and the sites it describes are private property, protected by trespass laws; neither the author nor the publisher sanction any activity taken to locate the property or places referred to. Wall of Silver is intended expressly for entertainment value only, and lives up superbly to that purpose.

Inside a U.S. Embassy
Shawn Dorman, editor
American Foreign Service Association
2101 E. Street N.W., Washington, DC 20037
0964948826 $12.95 1-202-338-4045 www.afsa.org

Inside a U.S. Embassy: How the Foreign Service Works for America is an anthology of brief essays and personal testimonies penned by experienced professionals and published by the American Foreign Service Association itself, that reveal the role a U.S. embassay plays oversees and the demands placed upon its public servants and diplomats. Focusing on individual stories rather than cold facts or an excess of statistics, Inside a U.S. Embassy Includes profiles of the wide range of U.S. embassy responsibilities, from ambassador and mission director to refugee coordinators, consular officer, security officer and more. Brief true tales include typical days in the life of the foreign service as related in one-day journals from individuals worldwide, and amazing glimpses of the foreign service in action during moments of crisis. A fascinating revelation of the tireless men and women who labor to represent America abroad.

Willis M. Buhle
Reviewer


Christina's Bookshelf

Welcome To Fred
Brad Whittington
Broadman & Holman Publishers
535 Maddox-Simpson Pkwy, Lebanon TN 37090-0756
ISBN# 0805425551 $12.99

Think clean can't be engaging? Not after reading this story. Whittington addresses an age old question while providing a playful read.

Being the son of a preacher who moves around a lot sure can alienate a guy. Mark struggles with other dilemmas too. For one, he's entering adolescence and for another, he's not so sure he believes the Bible is completely correct. An uncomfortable place to be. Add a town no bigger than a postage stamp that's behind the times when hippies and bell-bottom pants are cool, and you get sufficient ingredients for an intriguing state of affairs.

This is a coming of age story written in first-person through the eyes of the main character, Mark Cloud. He's eleven when the story begins and in his later teens when it ends.

Mark tolerated most everything about being the son of a Baptist preacher, except for one. He'd grown accustomed to spicy conversations halting when he walked by and to being at the church often, but he didn't like moving. They moved from house to house and from town to town, more than Mark figured they needed to.

When they moved from Fort Worth Texas to Ohio, the place was a land of stylish 60's. Life for Mark became grand. He even made a best friend named Marc. Because he and his friend shared the same name, only the spelling was different, Mark came to naming Marc "M." "M" was an African-American boy, which didn't matter, and lived next door. They did things together like hitting nails to watch sparks fly, riding their bicycles to the library, exploring, and reenacting episodes of the television series, I Spy. One late Saturday afternoon while playing, I Spy, Mark accidentally discovers a homeless woman who lived in a box down an alley behind a theatre. "M" didn't feel comfortable around her, but Mark felt drawn, probably just curious. He decided she needed him and did things like bringing her food and giving her money, what little he had. He soon learns she's using the money to buy alcohol so, doesn't give her any more. He takes to calling her The Creature, but not to her face, only with himself and "M." When The Creature becomes ill, he cares for her and learns her real name, and of how she came into her situation. This nauseates him for he's eleven years old after all. Little does Mark realize he'd eventually learn more about this woman years later.

Just as school ended for the summer, Mark's father announces they're moving back to Texas, this time to a place called Fred. He'd broken his own rule and become attached to this home. They'd lived in Ohio longer than a year. Mark didn't want to go.

Fred is different than Fort Worth and like a different planet when compared to Ohio. The guys wore their hair short and chewed tobacco, even the one's Mark's age. He felt like an outsider and they called him a Yankee.

Before long, Mark finds himself again dealing with his situation and the male Fredonian equivalents. He doubts if he'll ever fit in, yet does find a way to make a few dollars. He sells copies of a newspaper called GRIT. He also doubts if he'll work up the courage to tell Jolene how he feels about her, or live if he takes another ride with Darnell Ray in his pick-up truck.

He'd just about given up on being cool when his father decides they're taking a family trip to California. Mark's hopes rise, and he feels this might be his last chance to mingle among the cool and hip. He searches for trendy clothes, helps fix the ever-failing station wagon along the trip, and keeps his patience with his two sisters.

Time in California turns out differently than Mark had hoped, but he learns a few things, and finds an answer to the question he'd carried for years. The response and solution is no where near what he'd guessed, and neither is the source. That's surprising as well.

An unordinary story readers will thoroughly enjoy. It's impossible to read without laughing or to put down. Charming. Witty. Fun.

Milton's Dilemma
Patricia Gatto & John De Angelis
Illustrator: Kenneth Vincent
Providence Publishing Company
834 Tanglewood Drive, Tanglewood Lakes, Greentown, PA 18426
ISBN# 0965166198 $15.95 32 pgs.

Think bullying is just a right of passage and harmless? Think again. We've all experienced either being bullied, being the bully, or standing idly by while someone else was. The child bully has been around since the beginning of time. If the picking and bullying isn't stopped, victims may take matters into their own hands, and that could mean with a gun or a knife.

Patricia Gatto and John De Angelis describe a bullying as aggressive behavior repeatedly targeted at a child of lesser physical or emotional strength.

"There are three types," says Gatto, "physical, verbal, and social. Remember, a bully needs an audience, tends to be over confident, have a low frustration level, needs to be the center of attention, lacks empathy, and portrays a fearless nature and physical strength, qualities often admired by their peers."

Their book, Milton's Dilemma, was born when Gatto and De Angelis felt compelled to help victims. They present the reader with an age-old problem. The audience aim is mainly grades K-5, parents, educators, and anyone dealing with children.

Ten-year-old Milton Hastings, Jr. recently moved. His mom said things would be different, but this move proved to be the worst. Milton had lost his dad, and his mother seemed to have changed.

Before long, a bunch of boys at school began to tease Milton. They thought it an entertaining game. Milton eventually attempts to tell his mother because he can't take it any longer, however his mother is busy with her new job at a bookstore. She's the sole provider and must not loose her new position.

Milton retreats to a far corner of the bookstore and falls asleep. When he wakes, a large worn book sits floating in the air before him. As if that weren't magical enough, a gnome springs from the pages and tells Milton he'll help him with his bully problem. Milton enjoys his revenge on the three boys until one of them is in real trouble. Meanness isn't in Milton's makeup and he flees to the bully's aide. Can he help or is it too late? Will he be sorry? Maybe the gnome decides it is too late. The deed is to be finished.

Along with their book, Gatto and De Angelis visit schools, and provide tips for intervention by adults. They believe every child has the right to a safe and healthy learning environment. They also visit community events, wrote a screenplay called, 'Relocating Tony' and an article called 'Brace Yourself for the Bully.' They are members of the society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators, are founding sponsors of the 'Two River Film Festival,' are members of Penuinters, Inc., are active in a number of community and charity events for children, and are currently pilot testing a program called Author Pal involving authors and children.

Endorsements include:

--Judge Marjorie O Rendell, First Lady of Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

--Robert S. Conquest, MSW, a Certified Therapeutic School Social worker who provides the 'FORWARD' of Milton's Dilemma.

--The book is listed as resource material on the US Department of Health and Human Services (HRSA) website, 'Stop Bullying Now!'

For more information visit:

http://www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov

and the Gatto and De Angelis' website:

http://www.joyfulproductions.com

A Few Facts To Consider:

22% of kids in grades 4-8 say they have trouble with their studies because they are teased and bullied by other kids.
- TIME For Kids, Oct. 27, 2000

Each day about 160,000 kids miss school because they're afraid of being picked on.
--TIME For Kids, Oct. 27, 2000

School psychologist and psychotherapist Israel Kolman says adults have some mistaken attitudes toward children's aggression and that, unless real injury is involved, adults should allow children to get along by themselves and "should refuse to get involved in children's disputes and send them to work it out with each other instead."
--American Teacher, Feb. 2001

More than a quarter of teen students who responded to a survey in Fall 1999 by USA Weekend (the largest survey of its kind) report that they don't feel safe from violence on school grounds.

Some Survey Results:

4 in 10 students live in homes that have guns; more than half say they could access those weapons.

* 7 in 10 would feel happier if schools were safer; more than half say they would learn more.

* 1 in 10 say students carry weapons at school.
--USA Weekend, April 2000

Gatto and De Angelis' book and programs are insightful, entertaining, and important. Our children are precious and deserve the freedom to be themselves, to get an education without fear and to be safe. An anti-bullying program needs to be implemented wherever children and teens gather such as in schools; one of the largest places of offences.

Milton's Dilemma is recommended for those with children and/or who work with them. Children need adults who care about them no matter who they are, where they're from, or what they look or think like.

One of the most important topics for a book, or program, I've ever reviewed.

Moon Days Creative Writing About Menstruation
Cassie Premo Steele, Ph.D.
Ash Tree Publishing
P.O. Box 64, Woodstock, NY 12498 USA
ISBN# 1887714405 $12.95

Some cultures regard woman's puberty as taboo and something we should be ashamed of; not all. Steele profiles various cultures' ways of viewing womanhood, especially the Western one. Here, a woman is to look, act, think, and dress like a man. How did this come to be and who says so?

This book is about ending the silence and stigma that occurs concerning menstruation. Many women today still grow quiet when the subject comes up. Steele's book brings voice, an openness on the topic.

The book moves through four phases, just as a woman and their bodies do. The first phase is "Early Moons" those first periods. The second phase is "Waxing Moons: Coming to Light." It moves from adolescence to adulthood; of feelings, dreams and consciousness. It also discusses the position our culture places women in as daughters, wives, mothers, sister, and patients dealing with sons, husbands, fathers, brothers, and doctors. The third phase is "Full Moon Celebrations." This section provides the differences in how mainstream cultures differs from "natural" or "normal." The forth phase is "Re-entering the Dark: Poetry and Prayer." Here, poetry emphasizes the power of being female, suggests menstruation is more than physical. The back of the book contains notes, a bibliography, and a listing of contributors, including their picture and Biography. There are 27 contributors in all.

As a woman reading Steele's book, I nodded often and said, "Hmm-hmm, yes, that's true" often. Steele removes the baggage and gets to the bare truth. I liked her book so much I shared it with my daughters; ages seventeen and twenty, as well as women friends and relatives. I've always wanted my daughters to be comfortable and proud of being female, to not view themselves as weak or less than men. Women and men are just different. One is not better than the other. We discussed being women, shared our thoughts, concerns, and dreams. Steele provided a springboard.

Readers will find themselves nodding in agreement, and recalling their first period and everything happening around it. Most will smile, some shed tears, but all will feel a kinship with other women. A book to be treasured and shared by females everywhere. Like having a conversation with a wise, strong and loving mother. Perfect for mothers and daughters, or as a gift. Empowering and passionate. Highly recommended.

Dark Challenge
Christine Feehan
Dorchester Co., Inc.
200 Madison Avenue, Suite 2000, New York, NY 10016
ISBN# 0505524090 $6.99

Julian Savage was a dangerous Carpathian who had spent century after century away from his people in order to protect his twin brother. He was a powerful hunter who learned how to do his job well which was to hunt and destroy vampires. His was a lonely existence though and he felt weary. He knew his future was bleak. The Carpathian species was dying out due to a lack of females. The males desperately needed a lifemate. If they didn't find one, and most didn't they were left to either give in to the mounting urge to become a vampire or end their existence by meeting the dawn.

Just as Julian decided he couldn't take the bleakness of his world any longer he is given an assignment by the prince of his people. He is to find and protect a certain Carpathian female who is rumored to be the target of a society of human vampire slayers.

As Julian neared this female a need jumped in his heart. There came an excitement in his soul he'd never experienced before. Was it possible? After all of the gray centuries with no color, the struggle to hood onto emotion, to not become numb and void, and eventually loose his soul, could it be his lifemate? Only a handful of the males were blessed to find their lifemate, their other half.

Desari had lived a long time too and unlike many Carpathian females she had time to learn her own mind, a chance to grow and know who she was before being pressured into finding a mate. Too many females had mated young in order to ensure the continuation of their race. Desari enjoyed her career of singing and she controlled her own destiny thank you very much.

This book is a mixture of genres. It's classified as paranormal romance. If you like blends and romance too, you'll enjoy this story.

NOTE: This book is the fifth of a series, although each stands well on it's own.

Christina Francine Whitcher, Reviewer
http://www.CFrancine.bizland.com


Christy's Bookshelf

Dr. Zastro's Sanitarium - for the Ailments of Women
Ludmilla Bollow
Behler Publications
22365 El Toro Road #135, Lake Forest, CA 92630
www.behlerpublications.com 800-830-2913
ISBN 1933016019 $16.95 346 pages

Ludmilla Bollow has authored plays produced in more than fifty theaters across America and the world. The recipient of numerous play-writing awards, she has written two books of published plays as well as published articles, short stories, and poetry in magazines and journals. Her latest writing, Dr. Zastro's Sanitarium, draws the reader into the world of medicine and women during the late 1800's.

Dr. Zastro, a renowned physician of the 1880's, specializes in hypnosis and electromagnetic healing utilizing machines that employ electrical stimulus. Every year, Dr. Zastro selects six women, each with a different ailment, for treatment at his sanitarium for a period of three weeks. Although Dr. Zastro is devoted to the care of women, he holds the popular belief among males of the 19th century that females are the inferior sex. As a disciplined, self-isolating physician, Dr. Zastro is initially irritated by independent, free-spirited Yana Kejako, who has come to his sanitarium for treatment of an arm injury due to a horse-riding accident. Half-gypsy and half-Irish, Yana is an anomaly among women of the late 1800's: she is not afraid to speak her mind or question those in authority and does not submit to males. Although the two are diverse culturally and in mindset, they are drawn together with a passion that cannot be denied and which is freeing for both. When it seems they have found common ground through their love, an unforeseen event threatens to separate them forever.

Ms. Bollow has written a spellbinding story filled with yearning desire and heart- wrenching loss. Her characterizations are deftly portrayed and her depiction of the developing romance between Yana and Dr. Zastro delivered with sensitivity and sensuality. This historical peek into the views and practices of the medical field during the late 1800's regarding the treatment of women is fascinating to read, as is the manner in which females were perceived and treated by men. A compelling book, recommended without reservation.

Jeannie, a Texas Frontier Girl, Book Four
Evelyn Horan
Publish America
P.O. Box 151, Frederick, Maryland 21705-0151
www.publishamerica.com 1-301-695-1707
ISBN 141373443X $14.95 116 pgs.

At the young age of 17, Jeannie moves to her horse ranch and begins to live her life's dream, with the help of Slim, her ranch foreman. Changes take place in Jeannie's life over the next three years with her friends and family. She faces a personal loss and must decide what to do about the oil found on her property. She receives two marriage proposals, which is surprising to Jeannie, who has been concentrating on running her horse ranch and nothing else.

Will Jeannie decide to marry, and if so, who? Will she pump oil on her land? You'll have to read the book to find out!

The last in the Jeannie series, this book will bring tears and laughter but leave the reader with that warm, comforting feeling of having visited with an old friend. An outstanding series for adult and child alike, filled with characters who have become family, with plenty of warmth and love, and rounded out with enough historical information to edify while entertain. Highly recommended.

Hidden Prey
John Sandford
G.P. Putnam's Sons
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
www.penguin.com
ISBN# 039915180X $26.95 393 pages

Lucas Davenport is now working as a statewide troubleshooter for the Governor of Minnesota. Married to Weather, their son, Sam, is growing like a weed, and a new member has been added to their home: Lucas's 12-year-old ward, Letty West.

A Russian is found shot dead with fifty-year-old bullets, and Lucas finds himself heading the investigation with the aid of the FBI and Russian agent Nadezhda Kalin. Although the case seems a dead-end at first, slowly the clues start to come together, leading the investigators back to an earlier time period when there was a strong Russian underground in Minnesota. As the case unfolds and the investigation draws closer to the truth, more murders are committed. Could the Russian mafia be at play, or the Russian underground? Or was it simply a case of an attempted burglary gone bad? One eyewitness holds the answer but that person is not forthcoming and Lucas isn't having much luck locating this witness.

Gone is the edgy and somewhat randy Lucas Davenport from the past. Although Lucas is mellowing and beginning to happily settle into a contented family life, he is as fresh and vibrant as ever. A little disconcerting was the absence of Letty during the entire book as well as one small referral to Lucas's first daughter. It would be nice to see more of these two characters, presumed to be an integral part of Lucas's life. The plot is a good one, the pace is snappy and fast, and the characters, as always, never disappoint.

Hear No Evil
James Grippando
Harper Collins Publishers
10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022
www.harpercollins.com
ISBN# 0060564571 $23.95 310 Pages

Attorney Jack Swyteck is reluctant to represent Lindsey Hart in the murder charge against her until she reveals that he is the biological father of her adopted son. Lindsey has been indicted for the murder of her husband, Oscar Pintado, a naval officer stationed at Guantanamo, Cuba. Oscar's father, Alejandro Pintado, owner of Brothers for Freedom, a group that rescues Cuban refugees, is strongly pushing for the conviction of his daughter-in-law.

Jack's investigation leads him to Cuba several times, with twists and turns around every corner and a client who is not above lying to her lawyer. As Jack attempts to unravel the mystery behind the murder of Oscar Pintado, he also begins to try to search for more information about his Cuban mother, who died giving birth to Jack.

This installment may be considered by some to be the weakest yet in the Swyteck series. Although Jack is described as being "among the best Miami's criminal trial bar had to offer," he has a propensity to let questions go unanswered, does not confront his client over lies told, and when an important clue is revealed early on in his investigation, does not follow through. Jack comes across as depressed, slightly jaded, and cynical. In prior books, his best friend, Theo, has offered some comedic relief, but doesn't help much in that regard this time out. There are no "warm" characters other than the adopted son of Lindsey and Oscar, who is deaf. Although the plot is good, this did not quite measure up to the former books in the series.

Christy Tillery French
Reviewer


Debra's Bookshelf

A Puzzle in a Pear Tree
Parnell Hall
Bantam
ISBN: 0553584340 $6.50 349 pages

As Christmas nears in small-town Bakerhaven, Connecticut, both Cora Felton--the public face of the syndicated Puzzle Lady column, though not the brains behind the operation--and her cruciverbalist niece Sherry Carter are roped into participating in Yuletide festivities. Cora finds herself miscast as one of eight maids-a-milking in a production of The Twelve Days of Christmas, and Sherry is one of a number of young women playing the Virgin Mary in a live Nativity. When a series of acrostics (not crossword puzzles in this fourth installment of the series) is found with clues threatening the "leading lady"--apparently Becky Baldwin, star of the play and Sherry's rival for the affections of newspaper reporter Aaron Grant--and when one of the Virgins Mary turns up dead, Cora is more than eager for another round of amateur sleuthing. Also joining Bakerhaven's small and ineffectual police force in trying to solve the town's most recent rash of murders is Englishman Jonathan Doddsworth, a detective with Scotland Yard who happens to be in Bakerhaven visiting his estranged family. Meanwhile, regular cast member Harvey Beerbaum, Bakerhaven's other cruciverbalist, appears to be as suspicious as ever of Cora's alleged puzzle-solving abilities. In the future, however, he is apt to be more trusting: this time around Cora is finally forced into solving a puzzle in the presence of onlookers, an occasion in the Puzzle Lady's universe similar in import to Clark Kent having to change clothes in a crowded locker room.

The mystery in Hall's A Puzzle in a Pear Tree will keep readers happily guessing to the end, though they may be disappointed finally in a solution that is difficult to credit. But the most surprising thing about the book is the dramatic change in the character of Cora Felton. Portrayed in the first three books of the series as a chain-smoking lush, Cora doesn't pick up a cigarette or a bottle for the first 200 pages of this installment, and we never see her drunk. It is odd that this change in Cora's habits--if it is indeed to be a lasting alteration in her character--has occurred without comment, but it is nevertheless welcome: Cora's more usual celebration of her self-destructive habits and the author's treatment of them as charming, even comical, have been serious impediments to my enjoyment of the series. In A Puzzle in a Pear Tree we get the clever crime solver without, for the most part, the unfortunate habits that would render her noisome and obnoxious--and too close to an early death--in real life.

The Grim Grotto
Lemony Snicket
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0064410145 $11.99 352 pages

The eleventh book in Lemony Snicket's wonderfully miserable Series of Unfortunate Events opens with the much oppressed Baudelaire siblings hurtling down the freezing waters of the Stricken Stream atop a toboggan. Rather than meeting their deaths by cracking their heads against one or more sharp rocks, however, as one might suppose likely, our heroes soon find themselves aboard the Queequeg, a leaky submarine under the command of the boorishly loud Captain Widdershins. The craft is manned by the Captain's stepdaughter and by Phil, the unusually optimistic former employee of the Lucky Smells Lumbermill whom the Baudelaires first encountered in The Miserable Mill, the fourth book of Mr. Snicket's series. (Of the Gorgon Medusa, for example, a figure of Greek mythology whose glance turned people to stone, Phil says, "She was probably nice, when you got to know her." His rosy view of the world is comical, but it is not an attribute one looks for in an ally when one is fighting an evil villain and his henchmen.) As has been usual for them since the day they learned of their parents' death in a fire, the Baudelaires are hounded throughout this newest installment in the series by the wicked and shiny-eyed Count Olaf and his stylish girlfriend Esmee, both of whom have developed a new and presumably "in" villainous laugh with which to frighten the non-villainous. The Baudelaires are troubled as well by various horrific phenomena, most notably the Medusoid Mycelium, a poisonous mushroom that waxes and wanes dangerously in the grim grotto of the book's title.

The mysterious Mr. Snicket, as in previous volumes of his researches into the Baudelaires' misfortunes, amuses with his clever wordplay, educates with his tangential discussions of vocabulary, and, indeed, alarms us on his behalf with hints dropped into the narrative of his own harrowing life on the run. ("And a small, ceramic bowl, with a tight-fitting lid to keep something important inside, might be difficult to find in the laundry room of an enormous hotel," Snicket writes, for example, "particularly if there were a terrible villain nearby, making you feel nervous and distracted." Clearly Snicket has lived to tell the tale, but at what cost?) In the end the Baudelaires' lives remain miserable, but perhaps slightly less miserable than they had been, and they are at least a tiny bit closer to uncovering the secrets of the VFD, the enigmatic organization that is a force for good in their world. They are closer too, we must hope, to finally defeating Count Olaf and his troupe of wicked henchmen. There are, after all, only two books remaining in the series.

While written for pre-teens, the Snicket series (penned in fact by author Daniel Handler, who has also written some delightful books for adults) is bursting with allusions that will amuse parents. The books are fantastically clever and a joy to read aloud. (If you don't have children to read them to, you may want to rent some.) The Grim Grotto is slower going in its first third than it might be--it should perhaps have been shortened--but it is yet a delightful addition to the series. I urge readers unfamiliar with the books to give them a try. (Don't count on the soon-to-be-released movie version to retain the linguistic playfulness of the original, which is the series' principal charm! Read the books first.)

Suspect
Michael Robotham
Doubleday
ISBN: 1582881294 $TBA 351 pages

The suspect of Michael Robotham's title is Joe O'Loughlin, a perceptive and well-meaning psychologist who, at the age of forty-two, has recently been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. The news sends him into a spiral of self pity until a more immediate and terrible threat arises. Joe finds himself cast as the prime suspect in the unusually vicious murder of a young woman with whom he happens to have had an unpleasant history. Joe assumes at first, as we all probably would, that his innocence will eventually become evident to the dogged detective who has taken a dislike to him. But as the evidence against O'Loughlin adds up, the possibility of a lifetime of incarceration becomes terrifyingly real. With the police unwilling to credit his claim that a volatile patient of his is somehow behind the crime, Joe is forced to try to unravel the real killer's elaborate plot against him while on the run.

Robotham tells the story of Joe's descent into a nightmarish conspiracy in spare, highly readable prose that advances the plot quickly. Joe's back story is fleshed out in brief reminiscences that never interrupt the flow of the narrative. The only disappointment in the book comes in the pivotal scenes of its penultimate chapter, when the dramatic action is too rushed and as a result difficult to follow. That aside, Robotham's Suspect is a gripping, well-written thriller that readers will be loath to put down.

Mixed Nuts
Lawrence J. Epstein
PublicAffairs
ISBN: 1586481908 $26.00 305 pages

In his highly readable book Mixed Nuts, author Lawrence Epstein tracks the history of the comedy team from its origin in minstrel shows, through vaudeville, radio, and film, to its current incarnation in television sitcoms. Along the way Epstein discusses a host of old favorites--from Burns and Allen to Laurel and Hardy, Hope and Crosby to Martin and Lewis--as well as many teams readers will probably never have heard of. The book provides brief accounts of the teams' backgrounds and history, sometimes quoting material from their acts (Epstein provides, for example, a version of Abbott and Costello's "Who's on First," which was a pleasure to read), and explaining the teams' appeal given the social milieu of their eras. Gracie Allen's likeable character, for example, a non-threatening woman who maintained her dignity despite her trademark illogic, was "a perfect symbol for women caught between Victorian morality and modern mores." Jackie Gleason's Ralph Kramden, struggling to afford the accoutrements of middle-class life in the post-War period, appealed to an audience that was striving for, or had only recently achieved, similar goals. Comedy teams were affected not only by the historical circumstances of their times, of course, but more specifically by technological change. The advent of radio, free entertainment for the masses, is said to have killed vaudeville, but old vaudeville stars who could adapt to the new medium--whose rate of delivery was right for performance on air, whose humor did not depend on visual cues and appealed to a broad audience--teams such as Burns and Allen, thrived in radio.

Epstein's account of the comedy team is a quick and absorbing read. Though it is the product of a mountain of research, including dozens of interviews (with the likes of Jerry Stiller, Sid Caesar, and Soupy Sales), the book wears its erudition lightly. Mixed Nuts is filled with interesting bits of information, from the poignant--the tragic death of Lou Costello's infant son--to the just plain neat: Homer Simpson owes his "D'oh," for example, to Laurel and Hardy. Most importantly, however, in tracking the development of the comedy team, and in identifying for readers the strands that link current comedy teams--such as Frasier and Niles Crane of the sitcom Frasier--to their comic forbears, Epstein enriches our appreciation of comedians present and past.

Oracle Night
Paul Auster
Picador
ISBN: 0312423667 $14.00 243 pages

Writing twenty years after the fact, the narrator of Paul Auster's Oracle Night tells readers in detail about a nine-day period in his life, in 1982, that began with his purchase of a particular blue notebook, unusual for having been made in Portugal. The narrator, novelist Sidney Orr, is recovering from a near fatal illness at the time of the purchase, and he hasn't written anything for months, but the graph-paper pages of the notebook inspire him and he writes in it feverishly for hours on end, transported by the notebook such that he becomes wholly unaware of his surroundings. Sidney writes a story about a certain Nick Bowen, an editor at a successful publishing house who responds to a nearly fatal freak accident by abandoning his life and setting out to a randomly selected location, Kansas. He takes with him only what he happens to have been carrying, a manuscript of a previously unknown work--entitled Oracle Night--by a long dead novelist. Nick reads the manuscript repeatedly, and Sidney's would-be readers (and Auster's real-life readers) are told the story of this Oracle Night, that is, the novel within the story within Auster's novel.

Auster's Oracle Night, as the above suggests, is a Russian nesting doll of a novel. In addition to the principal stories mentioned above--Sidney's own story told twenty years hence, his short story, the novel within that story--other tales are slipped into the narrative--the reminiscences of various characters, stories told second-hand, Sidney's account of his courtship of his wife, delivered in footnotes. In some cases we are given cause to doubt the veracity of the stories, thus removing them that much further from the present "reality" in which narrator Sidney Orr is writing his account. (There is cause too, I think, for doubting Sidney's own story, which may be the point of the whole exercise.) What is remarkable about Auster's book, apart from this clever nesting of tales, is that each of the stories one encounters in the novel is so compelling, so vivid in the telling, even the brief ones, that one tends to forget while reading them that they are part of a larger whole. Written in deceptively simple prose, Auster's novel is a complex rumination on truth and storytelling, interesting enough to read in a single sitting, complicated enough to inspire late-night dorm room conversations about what he's really getting at.

Miriam the Medium
Rochelle Jewel Shapiro
Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 0743244788 $23.00 309 pages

Phone psychic Miriam Kaminsky may be able to predict the future and to ask advice of the occasional visiting spirit, but she has at least as many problems as the rest of us. Her husband's pharmacy is hemorrhaging money. Her previously overachieving daughter, who is too embarrassed by her mother's profession to mention it to her friends, has taken up with Great Neck's resident bad boy, a shaven-haired hoodlum who doesn't "do" parents. And Miriam herself has become an object of interest to a broken-hearted client, thuggish restaurateur Vince Guardelli, who just may have fitted an acquaintance or two in his past with cement shoes. As her family's financial difficulties escalate, Miriam must decide whether to sell her psychic abilities on a larger stage, a lucrative option which might further alienate her daughter and disappoint the spirit of her paternal grandmother, her psychic mentor, whose shimmering image appears to Miriam frequently.

Rochelle Shapiro's charming debut novel introduces readers to the unusual demands and work-a-day business of an occupation with which most of us won't be familiar. Her Miriam is a fully sympathetic character whose psychic ability is portrayed as more often a curse than an advantage. Not only is the information Miriam receives psychically often incomplete and misleading, but her talent colors people's perceptions of her: Miriam is either fraud or freak, psychic spy or potential savior. It is a burden with which Miriam's creator is herself familiar, for the book is at least to some extent autobiographical: Great Neck resident Rochelle Shapiro is likewise a psychic whose talent was first recognized by her paternal grandmother. Let's hope there's another great read waiting for us in Ms. Shapiro's future.

The Bookshop
Penelope Fitzgerald
Flamingo
Gerald Duckworth and Co. (c) 1978
ISBN: 0006543545 16.99 pounds 156 pages

Having lived for more than eight years in the East Anglian coastal town of Hardborough, Florence Green determines, in 1959, to purchase the aptly named Old House, a damp and decrepit and indeed haunted property more than 400 years old. Her decision to open a bookshop in the building, while approved by a certain Edmund Brundish, the town's most respected scion, is opposed by an unfortunately more influential resident of Hardborough, Violet Gamart, who has the vague plan of turning the Old House into an art center. Florence's defiance of Mrs. Gamart's will begins an undeclared war between the two women, only one of whom knows for certain that a war is in fact being waged. Penelope Fitzgerald's The Bookshop chronicles the quiet but persistent opposition Florence faces in opening and running the shop as well as her encounters with the odd cast of presumptuous characters who populate Hardborough.

The Bookshop offers some very nice writing, as Fitzgerald's description of a horse forced to submit to having its teeth filed: "Once released, the horse sighed cavernously and stared at them as though utterly disillusioned. From the depths of its noble belly came a brazen note, more like a trumpet than a horn, dying away to a snicker." But the book as a whole is not entirely satisfying. The characters are too outspoken to always be credible, including the precocious eleven-year-old who works in the bookshop with Florence. The poltergeist who punctuates the silence of the Old House with its rapping serves no obvious narrative purpose. And the jumps in the narrative, with motivations and intervening action left to the imagination, make the story feel incomplete.

Debra Hamel, Reviewer
http://www.tryingneaira.com


Diana's Bookshelf

Science: True Tales Series
Children's Press, A Division of Scholastic, Inc.
1-800-621-1115
Box 1795 Danbury, CT 06816
www.scholasticlibrary.com
ISBN# 0516233939 $21.50 Set of 5 books $107.50 48 pgs.

Awesome Science by Katherine Gleason ISBN# 0516237276
High-tech Inventions by Mary Packard ISBN# 0516237284
Medical Marvels by Catherine Nichols ISBN# 0516237268
Natural-born Killers by Linda Casterline ISBN# 051623725X
Up Close by Louise A. Gikow ISBN# 0516237292

If ever there were a set of books tailor made for me, this is the one. Science has always held a deep fascination for me. I remember as a child in junior and senior high school taking as many electives of the subject as were offered a trait that stayed with me throughout college. However science is not always as loved by children as it was by me; why even my own daughter has taken a favor to subjects of a less technical nature. This series helps to show everyone the fun and magic found in the different aspects of Science, while unmasking some of the mystery and making it widely accessible for children in, but not limited to, grades two through four.

All of the books in this set have a durable hard binding, with sturdy pages. In addition to being an informative chapter book, they each have a glossary and section with information on how to find out more about the things covered. Throughout the book the glossary words are darkened to make spotting them and thus discussion of the new vocabulary easy.

Awesome Science is broken into four chapters. The first covers the fascinating study of DNA, explaining the basics of this complex topic in a way that a child can easily grasp, yet covering ideas that I remember from my high school studies. In Chapter Two we look at the battle against fat and obesity. With this being an ever-increasing problem in our society, it is great to show children that Scientists are doing their part to help us all overcome the battle of the bulge, as well as showing ways they can handle that battle for themselves. Chapter Three looks at Dolly, the worlds most famous and controversial sheep, and introduces children to the fascinating study of cloning. Chapter Four starts with an introduction of the last known thylacines or Tasmanian tigers and discusses the efforts that are being made to bring back this wonderful animal using the processes of cloning the DNA.

High-tech Inventions is also broken into four chapters. Chapter One gives children a great look at the way computers used to be and even explains their inner workings, making it an utterly fascinating read. Chapter Two looks at the use of cockroaches in robotics technology, giving a lot of information that was used in making many robotics items. I wasn't aware that so much work had been done with the very insects that I as a Floridian try so hard to vanquish. Chapter Three looks at the environmentally friendly mode of transportation called the Segway HT, which operates without the use of a steering wheel, only by using a gyroscope. Chapter Four tells readers about Michael Moshier who designed his own personal flying machine, using his knowledge of past machines and modern technology.

Medical Marvels a four-chapter book as well. Chapter One looks at the amazing story of Phineas Gage, a man who had a metal rod enter his left cheek, pass through his brain and exit through the middle of his forehead, cracking his skull. Although he fully recovered, he was a different man in terms of personality and endeavors to explain why the transformation happened. Chapter Two is the story of conjoined twins Mohamed and Ahmed Ibrahim, who were joined at the head. It is the miraculous story of how modern medicine allowed these brothers to finally look at each other. Chapter Three is the heart warming story of Diamond Excell, born without shoulders or arms, and of inventor Ivan Yaeger who created the electronic arms that would allow her to hug her mother. Chapter Four is a story that is so near to my heart and one that has very recently come to an end, that of the only man who will ever be Superman to so many people, Christopher Reeve. The chapter tells the story of his tragedy and struggle to recover straight through to the triumph of his movements, something that is miraculous indeed for a quadriplegic. He was a great man that did a lot of work for the betterment of life for all in his position. Although he may be gone from us now, his courage and perseverance still lives on, and there may yet be those to recover from their own tragedies due to the hard work he did for them all.

Natural-born Killers is you guessed it four chapters. Chapter One is about the work of William Withering who is responsible for the medical use of foxglove to treat dropsy and other heart related conditions. I found it to be rather interesting that a poisonous plant can actually be used to heal. Chapter Two is about Bill Haast and his work with snake venom. He had the correct assumption that snake venom could be used to treat health conditions in humans. Chapter Three is about John Daily who studies poisonous frogs, and maps his research using the compounds of the poison to make a strong painkiller that will have fewer side effects. As someone suffering from arthritis I found his work to be of particular interest. Chapter Four is absolutely fascinating. It is about foods made from Bt plants. These are plants that contain Bt, which is a pesticide that kills insects that eat the plants. Currently the dilemma is that these foods are not labeled and thus consumers aren't fully informed about what they are eating.

Up Close is a chapter book, with four chapters. Chapter One is about Antony van Leeuwenhoek and his fascination with studying things under his homemade microscopes. It is interesting to see that he was so ahead of his time as well as being so detail oriented. Chapter Two is about the scientist and tools they used to study the belemnites eaten by the giant ichthyosaur. After research it was found that like many of today's animals, after eating they would regurgitate the hard shells as to not hurt any of their own internal organs. Chapter Three is about Kellar Autumn and his study of the gecko and its ability to climb walls. This study may well be something we all find a use for, in a more powerful adhesive gecko tape. Chapter Four is about Dennis Kunkel and his study of how places such as Mount St. Helens can recover after a natural disaster. It is curious indeed to watch as life begins to reemerge in a previously lifeless area.

All of these books are geared toward teaching second to fourth grade students Science and accomplish this in a way that makes learning fascinating, as it should be. Even as an adult reading the books, I found that each and every chapter offered me a bit of new information in such vivid words and pictures that the experience will stay with me long after I close the covers. This collection is something that should find a home in all classrooms as well as homes with children of this age range, even a little younger and older would surely benefit from this learning adventure. This is Science made fun, no easy task in this world of MTV, Video Games and instant gratification. Yet it gives the still wannabe Scientist inside of me a glow like that of a Bunsen burner that books such as these might just open the door for the next generation or explorers of information and seekers of answers to step through.

Getting to Know the U.S. Presidents Series
Mike Venezia
Franklin Watts, A Division of Scholastic, Inc.
1-800-621-1115
Box 1795 Danbury, CT 06816
www.scholasticlibrary.com
ISBN# 0516296701 $26.50 Set of 6 books $156.00 32 pgs.

George Washington ISBN# 0516226061
James Madison ISBN# 0516226096
James Monroe ISBN# 051622610X
John Adams ISBN# 051622607X
John Quincy Adams ISBN# 0516226118
Thomas Jefferson ISBN# 0516226088

I remember as a child how intimidating it was learning about the presidents. We were spoon fed cold hard facts regarding their lives and deeds, then expected to memorize and regurgitate them on demand. Up until now there really hasn't been a fun and non-intimidating way for kids to approach this until Getting to Know the U.S. Presidents Series written and illustrated by Mike Venezia, which is sure to set the standard for a long time to come.

What makes this series so special is a writing style, which blends historical facts with humor, making it fun to learn. As a parent, I know my child retains a lot more when they are attentive and the best way to hold her attention is to make things either fun or funny, which Mr. Venezia has down to a science. In addition to the text being designed with a child at heart, the illustrations are absolutely hilarious and adorable.

The books themselves are sturdy and designed in a way that they will last for many generations. If there had been tools such as this when I was a child, I am certain learning about the presidents would have been among my favorite parts of history. This is truly the child's presidential reference set that no home or school should be without.

Watching Nature Series
Edana Eckart
Children's Press, A Division of Scholastic, Inc.
Box 1795 Danbury, CT 06816
www.scholasticlibrary.com 1-800-621-1115
ISBN: 0516255665 Entire set of six $96.00

Watching the Moon, 24 pgs Hardback $16.00 ISBN# 0516275984
Watching the Seasons, 24 pgs Hardback $16.00 ISBN# 051627600X
Watching the Stars, 24 pgs Hardback $16.00 ISBN# 0516276026
Watching the Sun, 24 pgs Hardback $16.00 ISBN# 0516275976
Watching the Weather, 24 pgs Hardback $16.00 ISBN# 0516276018
Watching the Wind, 24 pgs Hardback $16.00 ISBN# 0516275992

Catching the attention of young children long enough to read them a book is often a chore. It's hard to compete with the likes of Spongebob Squarepants, Pokemon, or whoever is hot right now. Usually when I receive a book to review I like to test it on the target audience if that audience is someone other than myself, and that is exactly what I did with this series. Our test subject-my rambunctious never sits still for a minute niece-age three.

From the very first volume, she was absolutely captivated by the stunning photos, which held her attention long enough for me to slowly read the text on the page to her, allowing the words and their meanings, as well as how they interact with the corresponding picture to fully sink in. Even when I was done reading to her, she would often continue looking at the photos and commenting on each one, as well as asking questions not only what they showed, but what I read as well. I have to tell you that having a book that instigates as well as encourages such participation in reading from a child is a treasure, and one that a young reader, or a child which a parent or teacher wishes to encourage to develop into a reader would be blessed to have.

Each of these wonderful books give a bountiful amount of information, as well as including a list of words for the child to learn and additional ways to find information on each topic covered between the covers, helping the child to learn without even being aware they are something that is no easy feat, yet pulled off here beautifully. The series covers, the moon, seasons, stars, sun, weather, and wind; all topics of interest to a child who is trying to understand how the world around them works.

I highly recommend these volumes to anyone with children up to second or third grade, as well as being an excellent resource for daycares and schools. You and your young reader can't go wrong with the Watching Nature series written by Edana Eckart.

You Wouldn't Want Series
Illustrated by David Antram
Franklin Watts, A Division of Scholastic, Inc.
Box 1795 Danbury, CT 06816
www.scholasticlibrary.com 1-800-621-1115
Each book 32 pgs, Hardback $26.50

You Wouldn't Want to Sail With Christopher Columbus by Fiona Macdonald
ISBN# 0531123553
You Wouldn't Want to Sail on a 19th-Century Whaling Ship by Peter Cook
ISBN# 0531123561
You Wouldn't Want to be an American Colonist by Jacqueline Morley
ISBN# 053112357X
You Wouldn't Want to be a Mammoth Hunter by John Malam
ISBN# 0531123545

Sometimes being a parent has some really cool perks. I have always enjoyed reading to my children, and books like the ones in the You Wouldn't Want series always put a smile on not only my face, but my daughters' as well. These books are some of the best I have come across with illustrations, which are sure to bring a smile to your face and make your children chuckle. The text is highly engaging and so much fun to read to your children, and they will enjoy reading them to you as well.

The new additions to this series are:

You Wouldn't Want to Sail With Christopher Columbus speaks of young boys in the late 1400's and their dreams of exploring the world. It tells of the perks of traveling by sea as well as the various goods you can acquire and sell. Readers will also see why exploring was different than they might have expected, and not at all as glamorous as they might have thought. Explorers had to seek funding, prepare fleets, sail the ship which is no easy task in and of itself, navigate with some rather interesting tools, work hard and live in unpleasant conditions, help your crew deal with not only being homesick but also being stuck on the ship for months at a time, deal with the peoples of unexplored areas, load the ship and then make it home safely. When it is all over I would venture to guess that most who explored would have to seriously wonder if it was worth it and if they would really want to do it again.

You Wouldn't Want to Sail on a 19th-Century Whaling Ship tells the story of a 14-year-old boy who is embarking on the whaling ship named the Essex. It is his dream to be a whale hunter, but little does he realize what it entails. Such as, having to pay for any clothes that you may need, swabbing decks, serving meals, dealing with bitter cold weather, killing whales, slipping around in whale blood (yuck), the ship being rammed by whales, and facing starvation and the distinct possibility of cannibalism. While this story may be filled with some gruesome bits that might bother squeamish children, it is action packed and informative.

You Wouldn't Want to be an American Colonist teaches about the lost colony of Roanoke and then about the hardships of the next voyage. In no way does it sugar coat anything, detailing the trials and tribulations experienced, starting with the hard voyage over. It talks about the problems with the land, the weather and the bugs. It tells of many of the things they suffered and possibly killed half of the settlers, such as polluted water, and invasions from both the Natives and the Spanish. It also gives an idea of what happened when the settlers branched out and explored the area and were hampered by famine and starvation. This is guaranteed to get across much of the same information we teach our younger children in a way that they will retain it.

You Wouldn't Want to be a Mammoth Hunter, now that is something I knew without reading the book, but then I never have been much for physical labor. This book starts by showing the various animals present during the ice age and also how people lived during this time. The description of the dance that the mammoth hunters would do had both me and my daughter laughing out loud. The tools used to hunt these massive beasts are also discussed. It also looks at the uses for various parts of the animals aside from the meat, such as bone houses made from their bones, and clothes made from their skin. There is a great fun section about the mammoth and its habits followed by the hunt and kill. Aside from the dangers involved from beast itself, you have to be weary of others who want to steal your catch, but then there is the feast! This book, as all the others, is a lot of fun and packed with loads of information.

All of these books give a real glimpse into various lives in a way that puts them into perspective, but also entertains children while they learn. When it comes to this set of books I can't express enough just how much fun they are. This is definitely a reading experience that neither you nor your child will want to miss.

Diana Bennett
Reviewer


Emanuel's Bookshelf

Burned Alive
Souad
Warner Books
ISBN 0446533467 $24.00 227 pp.

Honor killings are an every day occurrence in many countries such as India, Israel, and Palestine. Unfortunately, over five thousand of these horrific murders plague the world by victimizing women throughout the world. "Burned Alive" is just one of many tales of these atrocities.

In this book, author Souad tells the tale of what is was like growing up an unwanted female in a violent, patriarchal society. In her village, men are treated like kings while women are treated like garbage. The birth of a female child is cause for grief, not celebration. In her small village, her brother and only male in the family is treated like royalty while she and her sisters are exposed to treatment worse than slavery. The author describes her own father as an evil and abusive man. When the author recalls a time when she accidentally let the sheep escape, she writes the following about her father:

He pulls me by the hair and he drags me on the ground into the kitchen. He strikes me while I kneel, he pulls on my braid as if he wants to pull it out, and he cuts it off with the big scissors used for shearing wool. I have hardly any hair left. I can cry, yell, or please but I'll get more kicks.

When the author does the unthinkable and shames the family by getting pregnant before marriage, her brother-in-law is given the duty of killing her. She describes in great detail how she had been doused with gasoline, lit on fire, and left to die. Her escape from her family, her village, and ultimately her country is a source of motivation.

"Burned Alive" is not the best book written on the subject of honor-killings or on atrocities committed against women. While the topic is important for readers to become aware of, the writing is the book is rather lackluster for such a powerful subject. However, for readers who are not aware of how thousands of the female population is murdered simply for being female, the book will serve as an interesting introduction to this shameful yet important issue.

Gettin' To The Good Wood
E. Joyce Moore
LessisMoore Publishing Company
http://get.me.to/goodwood
ISBN # 1883111757 $20.00 340 pp.

When I first started reading "Gettin' To The Good Wood" by E. Joyce Moore, I have to admit that I was a little skeptical. As far as I was concerned, the book already had two strikes against it. 1) It is self-published, which in this industry can be synonymous with poor quality. 2) The author does not necessarily have the credentials to write a self-help book on relationships. But as I began reading this author's work, I realized that my pre-conceived notions were wrong. Dead wrong. In fact, by the time I was done, I was thoroughly impressed and had learned quite a bit.

"Gettin' To The Good Wood" is a unique collaboration of essay-styled advice and personal experiences meshed with poetry in between. The book is divided into four sections titled Your Relationship With You, Relationships and God, Male/Female Relationships, and Other Relationships.

In Section One, Moore stresses the importance of knowing yourself before exploring relationships with others. She delves into subjects such as anger management, the need for closure from previous relationships, and the need to forgive.

In Section Two, the author discusses the need to have a relationship with God and the reason to pray for a mate, primarily from a Christian perspective. She gives biblical examples and quotes passages from various scriptures.

In Section Three, my personal favorite, the book digs deep into the male/female relationship phenomena. The author elaborates on the dating scene, pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, the realism of cohabitation versus marriage, and the difference between love and sex. Moore even reveals her humorous side when she suggests using the following approach after a man insists on sex before a woman is ready: "Great. Let's plan the wedding for this weekend. We'll need to make a list of what we need to do; I'll call my Mom tonight. What's that? What am I talking about? Well, you want to have sex. I don't want sex before marriage, so I thought you were asking me to No? Okay, well, you've answered your own question."

In the final section, the author discusses other relationships, such as those in the corporate world, relationships with other family members, and even relationships between races.

While Moore readily admits that she is not necessarily a relationships expert, she still does her homework and quotes experts like Dr. Phil when proving her point. The book does have a few problems though. It could use some fine-tuning from a professional editor. The poetry seems a bit out of place. And the writer's Christian perspective can be a turn-off for those who may not have the same belief. But don't throw the baby out with the bath water. The good definitely outweighs the bad. The author takes a complicated subject and explains it in everyday, plain English so that you won't have to run to a dictionary after reading every other sentence. It's the kind of book you would want your son or daughter to reference when they start thinking about having sex. To sum it up, "Gettin' To The Good Wood" is a heavily researched, easy-to-read, and thoroughly entertaining book on how to deal with all types of relationships.

Recommended.

The Root of All Evil
Joylynn M. Jossel
St. Martin's Griffin
http://www.joylynnjossel.com
ISBN 0312328605 $12.95 326 pp.

When Klarke Taylor's husband leaves her for another woman, her world catapults into one filled with turmoil, bills, and loneliness. But when Klarke discovers the personal e-mail address of a best-selling author named Reo Laroque, she figures life is giving her a second chance at lust, riches, and maybe even love. Although Reo enjoys the company of groupies who admire his work and his money, he longs for a woman he can bring home to his parents. The pair begin a series of steamy e-mail exchanges that leaves them both longing for the real thing. Klarke convinces the writer that they've met in an airport, when in actuality, they have never met. Of course, that will have to change. This premise sets the stage for Joylynn Jossel's (Dollar Bill) latest novel, "The Root of All Evil."

When Klarke's best friends Jeva and Breezy are introduced, we learn that they are having relationship problems of their own. Jeva longs for marriage with her long time live-in boyfriend, even though he is not ready to make that permanent commitment. She also struggles with the circumstances of her adoption, since she never knew her biological parents. Breezy, on the other hand, balances two men, one of them poor but a dynamic lover, the other one married, abusive, and paid. When the latter decides to break things off, she offers revenge a la Fatal Attraction.

"The Root of All Evil" is an interesting read, full of twists, turns, and a very unpredictable ending. Jossel even infuses some clever humor in the story, like when she writes the following:

"You didn't!" Jeva whispered.

"I knewed it!" Breezy exclaimed. "You gave him some Boyz N the Hood pity sex?"

"Evan lucked up on some life-crisis drama sex like Cuba." Jeva laughed.

Although I would recommend this book to those who are interested in a combination of street lit and chick lit, I did have a few problems with the book. While the Columbus, Ohio native and Capital University graduate knows how to craft a good plot, she seems to cross the thin line between sexy and vulgar, which may turn some readers off. Another problem I had with this book is the authenticity of the dialogue, especially when slang is mixed with proper English, all in one sentence. This combination makes for an awkward read. Yet even with these minor problems, I would still give this books a thumbs up because both the main characters and the peripheral ones are just like everyday people who deal with real-life situations, the plot is fast-paced and interesting, and the story is quite original. "The Root of All Evil" makes an entertaining read that many people will be able to relate.

Recommended.

Emanuel Carpenter, Reviewer
http://www.geocities.com/emanuelcarpenter


Fortenberry's Bookshelf

Review of Rise of the Vulcans: The History of Bush's War Cabinet
James Mann
Penguin
New York
ISBN: 0670032999 $25.95, 426 pp.

Rise of the Vulcans is an extremely important book. As its subtitle explains, this book explores the history of the current war cabinet operating out of the White House: Cheney, Rumsfeld, Powell, Wolfowitz, Armitage, Rice, etc. It is absolutely essential to have an understanding of the people who have shaped and controlled our government, especially its foreign policy, for most of the last thirty years. These individuals first rose to power under Nixon but have returned to power now through the Ford, Reagan, Bush I, and Bush II administrations. Their interconnected relationships and deep commitments to each other and their common hawkish agenda have been well-known but little studied in depth. James Mann has provided a rather comprehensive and fascinating study of this group of policy hawks who call themselves The Vulcans (this misnomer, by the way -- whether because of their desire to be seen as fire-wielding forgers of the new or simply as a joke spawned by the massive Vulcan statue in Rice's hometown does indeed sound better or perhaps more serious than what their name truly should be: The Martians).

Mann, in a deft biographical and intellectual history, explores the long-term working relationships of the Vulcans, some from school on up, and the dogged way they return each other to power. Regardless of who succeeds amongst them, they are committed to each other and forcibly bring along the crowd wherever they go. This clannish behavior is almost unique in the annals of political history, where parties have always favored their elites and powerbrokers and cronyism is almost synonymous with political career, but never has a single group accomplished such repetitive ascent over the course of decades. It is rather frightening when you dig into their collective history and discover the same handful of names and same handful of goals recurring as if in a feedback loop. This gives new meaning to the current mantra of "staying on message" -- it borders absolute obsession. It also strongly suggests that progress will never occur until the feedback loop is broken. One of the great strengths of democracy has always been its ability to field a thousand diverse voices and reach compromises between opposing ideologies. There is great natural balance in democracy that never occurs in dictatorships or closed societies. Hence the maxim "from many, one." This does not and cannot occur in a feedback loop. A single message defines itself; striving for a single goal has no other possible destination. This narrow one-way loop cancels out broad-based democracy and drives the nation further and further into a funnel, a corner, or a cul-de-sac.

This study of the newly re-christianed "neocon knights" is incisive, detailed, and downright frightening at times. No, make that very frightening. It was eerie reading about Vice President Dick "undisclosed bunker" Cheney designing and and testing just such a secret government in a highly classified Reagan-era project to create a secret government outside the bounds of the Constitution just in case of emergency, which at that time they felt would be the nuclear war with the Soviet Union they were themselves preparing to launch. Scary is the fact that on a yearly basis throughout the '80s he and Rumsfeld and other Vulcans (including such criminals as Oliver North) would disappear from Washington and operate a shadow government run by themselves practicing things like nuclear holocaust in secret bunkers they had built and designed for just that purpose. Snap forward to today and it throws a new light on Cheney constantly disappearing into bunkers throughout the Terror War plus also the questions about a shadow government currently operating and if President Bush II is really the one calling the shots. It seems rather like what it is: a neocon game plan carefully laid out, repeatedly practiced for more than a decade, and now being executed. And when we review their history next to our repeated dabblings in and wars with Iraq and Afghanistan, we find familiar patterns between their theories and our reality. Itis absolutely scare-the-pants-off stuff that seems more like fiction than reality.

Sadly, this book is all too true. This is a glimpse into the minds of the group that dominates American foreign policy and has repeatedly led us into war over the past thirty years. It is vital to understand what and who is going on in Washington. The Vulcans' policy is clear: to create an American empire or hegemony where world policy is determined solely by us, is unchallengeable, and enforced by our overwhelming military might. Worldwide everyone will either fall in line behind us or be run overby our tanks (wit us or agin us). These wars and policies effect everything globally -- from the economy and environment down to our prestige and trade relations. Why, how, and who is operating the machinery behind the curtains? The Rise of the Vulcans chronicles "the pursuit of unrivaled American power" by a single group over many decades and it is an astounding read. For anyone interested in current events, global geopolitical strategy, war, politics, or any tangent and intersection thereof, this book is a vital resource.

Newspaper Caper
Max Eliot Anderson
Tweener Press
Winona Lake, Indiana
ISBN: 0972925643 $9.95 135 pp.

Read all about it! NewspaperCaper hits the stands! The headlines should scream. This book is a must read! It begins: "Anybody who knew Tom Stevens was sure of one thing. The boy was going places." The author isn't lying. This book features a strong-willed protagonist in a thrilling mystery that is going places from word one. It is one of the better kid's adventure novels I have read in years with a non-stop, relentlessly driving pace. Every chapter ends with a cliffhanger, just like the good old days, but this is a smooth, intelligent story, and not the herky-jerky schlock we're sadly used to in the adventure genre. The lead player, Tom, is one of the most memorable characters I have ever read in this genre. He's a real go-geter and is in trouble up to his eyes, but he never flinches and plows straight ahead. The action does not lets up and builds to an amazing finale brought about byTom's brilliant strategies and breathless, daring work. In fact this is the best story of its type I have read since The Gold Ogre by Kenneth Robeson, a novel of the Doc Savage series of the 1930s-40s pulp era, that also featured a group of juvenile protagonists.

Newspaper Caper is the first ina new series of kids adventures by Max Eliot Anderson. The series is Tweener Adventures, billed as Christian but not overtly so in thetext, and this premier book is a smashing success. It features streetwise, take-charge kids and is written for those sometimes disenfranchised, always aching-for-adventure kids scattered about Suburbia like so much collateral damage of the modern age. This series is a refreshing take on the Hardy Boys-esque mysteries, fully modern and unique in that each novel is a stand alone tale without the same characters or locations being repeated. I'm not quite sure how that will play out over the coming years, if there will ever be any recurrent themes, characters, or storylines, but regardless of the direction it takes, Mr. Anderson has set himself avery high bar for the rest of the series.

I recommend this book for all school age readers looking for some adventure to spice up their life. They'll learn a lot from these kids, who run their own businesses, live up to their responsibilities, and aren't afraid to reach for and grab their own dreams. That regardless of anything else, is a great lesson to take to heart. There is one thing I greatly appreciated in these books. Mr. Anderson doesn't preach. He doesn't ram rod themoral and destroy the story along the way. He doesn't write down to kids. These are fresh, alive, and honest characters that leap off the page in an exciting world. Kids can truly relate to their lives, respect their choices, and simply sit back and enjoy the thrill ride.

Prague Pictures: Portraits of a City
John Banville
Bloomsbury
New York
ISBN: 1582343829 $16.95, 244 pp.

Prague Pictures is, to use a description from the book, an "ecstatic paen of amor urbi." The is a literary, sensual travelogue, heavy on art history, which journeys down the backstreets and alleyways of mankind to explore the mysterious nature of all cities via the lens of Prague. John Banville, in sinuous, often magically elusive language, explores a city that is identical in style. They make a good couple and his longing for her is palpable. But he shows his youthful enthusiasm and she reveals her deep experience and vast age, which turn the relationship into a dalliance of almost courtly love between a wily old queen and her peasant-of-the-moment, which surely cannot last.

This book has many aspects. The text is musical and beautiful, you can chew over every single passage and savor the alien flavors found, and yet, there is an invisible layer beneath the surface paint, a quiet music within the score that whispers constantly to the soul. There are a lot of details and history captured here (and sometimes the asides and footnotes intrigue so much I long for entire books on these subjects to be vulgarly inserted into the text). Not only does Mr. Banville capture the fascinating ancient history behind the city and its people, but he relates first hand the drab oppression of the recently deceased Soviet era, and the crazed new blossoming freedom of a people lost and searching the modern age for a new direction out of the fast food wilderness. Designed to emulate the pocket books of old, these pictures of the city are so illuminating and joyful to experience I wish for a volume twice the length.

Overall, there is a pervasive melancholy atmosphere. The nature of the book is of a lost love or a lover that always has eluded him. In fact Banville notes how most cities are like lovers spreading their limbs before us, but that Prague is more coy: "When I seek another word for mystery," he quotes Ripellino, "the only word I can find is Prague. She is dark and melancholy as a comet; her beauty is like the sensation of fire, winding and slanted as in the anamorphoses of the Mannerists, with a lugubrious aura of decay, a smirk of eternal disillusionment." This city has many masks and all of them reveal a side of the city, but none of them reveal the true nature beneath the surface. "There are as many Pragues as there are eyes to look upon it more: an infinity of Pragues." This is a line that seems to come directly from Michael Moorcock and his multiverse (that brothel in Rosenstrasse especially), but it also evokes the same forlorn conclusion about the lover mourning his loss, of never being able to truly possess his love. Prague is lost to everyone by the end of the book. The sadness of that final portrait, after the devastation of the 2002 flood (the Vltava living up to its ancient Celtic name), is heartbreaking. His ending statement is a wish, a tearful demand, "Prague always survives."

American Dynasty: Aristocracy, Fortune, and the Politics of Deceit in the House of Bush
Kevin Phillips
NYC: Penguin
ISBN: 0670032646 $25.95, xiv + 397 pp.

This is quite possibly the single most important political biography in modern American history. American Dynasty, by conservative intellectual Kevin Phillips, is a vast, detailed study of the Bush dynasty, which has become without doubt the most powerful family in American history. He studies all aspects of their rise to power, from the early 1900s down to the early 2000s. What is most disgusting though, is the outlandish (in what they have done and gotten away with) recurrent themes of criminality, corruption, and greed that pervade almost a century of various Bush machinations. The fact that this is all studied and exposed by a Republican heavyweight makes it all the more disturbing and damning.

At the heart of everything Bush lies deceit. There is a frightful, appalling record of abuses within these pages. And the scary part is that some portions of it, like the full details of Bush I's scandalous presidency and Bush II's entire presidency, are still harshly guarded secrets, thanks to George W.'s reversal of the policy for the release of presidential papers. But even what little is publicly known is devastating and criminal. Phillips uses terms such as Texanomics and megalomania to discuss aspects of Bushist thought and policy. War profiteering seems to be the main criminal enterprise of all generations of the Bush empire, but a fascist philosophy of life is the true root evil. The web of connections and actions taken throughout the decades are disturbing in the highest order. Fascism, as Mussolini defined it, is state corporatism, which is indeed the mantra of the Bushes. It is the subjugation of the individual to the machine with profit as the sole motivating factor. The Bushes espouse this publicly and follow it literally in their policies and government reforms. Furthermore, to protect their interests and to cover their activities, the Bush regimes follow a strict Machiavellian "security state" policy of covert operations and secrecy above all else. This rival philosophical stance to democracy is indeed a serious, and, sadly, apparently a growing threat. Secrecy and fascism are fundamentally opposed to everything we stand for. It is the one thing that most shakes America to its core.

The one point of the book I reject is Phillips conclusion that the entire American political system has taken a decisive turn towards an old style aristocracy, that we have witnessed the rise of a dynastic system in Congress and the Presidency. Though this is somewhat true on the surface, and while the Bush family is indeed a dynasty and Senatorial chairs (among others) have become in some ways hereditary, I believe American democracy to be much more vigorous than expected. The common man, though much maligned and subjected, will never allow the ascension of outright aristocracy. Even now we see the slow awakening and push back against such over reaches in terror power as the Patriotic Act, etc., so that over time much damage may be undone. The question is whether the people as a slow-moving inertial masscan act quickly enough to stop a single family from abolishing democracy. History reminds us that the occasional coup can indeed work. The public's awareness to this imminent danger need merely be awakened and I believe corrections are possible. That is, it is merely a small group of extremists forcing their narrowly focused agenda, rather than a broad based shift in American policy. I believe this book goes a long way towards the waking of America to the truth.

Given the urgency current political season, this book is an immediate must read. American Dynasty tells us something deeply troubling is occurring in America, tells us that we have taken our eye off the ball and allowed something fundamentally terrible to happen with the ascendancy of a powerful crime family. However, it does warn us and it is not too late. This book is political dynamite. It is impossible not to be profoundly shocked and substantially altered by reading it.

Worse Than Watergate: The Secret Presidency of George W. Bush
John W. Dean
Little, Brown & Co.
New York
www.twbookmark.com
ISBN: 031600023X $22.95; xvii + 254 pp.

Worse Than Watergate is a powerful criminal indictment of the Bush administration. This document of the most dangerous and secret of all American presidencies is a must read, but also a sad, bitter pill to swallow. How could America have been so hijacked, so subverted, so duped? It is hard for a citizen, a patriot, to read of these incessant crimes and machinations by this Machiavellian group of militant power brokers. The malignancy infecting the current administration is disheartening and stunning. The only hope offered is the overwhelming evidence of criminality Mr. Dean has assembled and the knowledge that Nixon was brought down by the Watergate scandal. The Plame scandal alone is worse than that. Perhaps, slim though it is, there is a possible reprieve: the tidal wave of corruption they revel in will also bring down this president and end this dark chapter in American politics.

Mr. Dean, speaking from first hand experience with administrative criminality as President Nixon's former counsel, states that the Bush administration is "surprisingly Nixonian." Not only the obvious fact that most of the administration is made up of neocons who got there start with Nixon and have served en masse in every Republican administration since, but in their policies and beliefs. Dean chronicles Bush's secrecy and the Bush family penchant for seeking revenge against any who dare speak out against them. Friends and associates are openly afraid of them. But far worse than Nixon is the Bush administration's belief in absolute secrecy as the exclusive right and primary tool of the office. Stonewalling is merely like breathing and they use secrecy as a weapon -- to both attack opponents from behind as fortification but also simultaneously to defend themselves from any possibility of assault. It gets psychotic though. Their love of secrecy runs to obsession and they have grown increasingly irrational in their declarations of entire segments of information and society as top secret. This has led them to repeatedly violate the law as well and overstep their authority, even going so far as issuing presidential decrees overturning existing laws (which is patently unconstitutional) in order to protect his father's papers and policies from review.

It is too detailed to get into all the points Dean made about the Bush administration's crimes, hidden agenda, scandals, and worse. One senses though that the book could have been a 1,000 pages long and not run out of material. But what is here is damning. Dean's assertion that these "high crimes and misdemeanors" of the president are far "worse than Watergate" not only have legal merit, but they have the moral authority of one who knows first hand about the evils of presidential politics. As he notes, regardless of their wall of secrecy or the outcome of the next election, history will be the true judge of this president, his administration, and their policies. This book is a first step towards recording that history.

Thomas Fortenberry
Reviewer


Gary's Bookshelf

Silver Tales Book One
Margaree Mayne and "Friends"
Madison Books
An Imprint of The Rowman and Littlefield Publishing
4501 Forbes Boulevard Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706
www.maggiemayneshow.com 1-800-462-6420
ISBN 1568332580 $17.95

The book is a compilation of five women who tell their life stories. All five are average females who show that even through the worst of times they all could make out ok and go on in life. Each of the ladies has a driving spirit that keeps them going. Their lives are inspirational in this first volume. I hope to see more books of the series in the future. "Silver Tales" should be required reading for courses at colleges across the country.

Nine Lives Too Many
John F. Rooney
Senneff House Publishers
P.O. Box 11601, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33339
www.senneffhouse.com
ISBN 0975275682 $14.95

With all the interest in terrorism today, this book comes along at a very good time. Rooney is a very fine writer who tells his story of domestic terrorism with a strong believable character and robust writing. The book is filled with non-stop action of a cat and mouse chase against the backdrop of time. The book dashes along to its final smashing ending. If, as the press material that came with this book says, this is the first of a series of novels, I would love to see what the author has in store, because this is an excellent page turning thriller.

Mr. President Private Eye
Martin Greenberg and Francis M. Nevins Jr. Editors
Ibooks, Inc
24 West 25th Street, New York, NY 10010
www.1books.net 212 645 9870
ISBN 0743487397 $6.99

What if the president solved mysteries in addition to being president of the United States? That is what all of the authors of mystery and sf in this collection had to come up with, and all did in a fun collection of stories. I love collections like this, especially when Greenberg is one of the names as editor.

Reckless Abandon
Stuart Woods
Signet
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
www.penguin.com
ISBN 0451213173 $7.99

Stone Barrington is back in this novel and better than ever. This one has something a little different that adds a bit of spice to the mix of an already great character. This time out Woods has Holly Barker from the "Orchid Beach" series on a case that begins in New York. This is not the first time Woods has brought these two strong characters together. They first met in the book "Cold Paradise" when Stone had some business in the Palm Beach area. One missing element here is, the sex is very much toned down and I, for one am glad because it tends to take away from the story. Woods is a great fast read for anyone who wants a quick paced book that is also good clean fun.

Battlestar Galactica Destiny
Richard Hatch and Brad Linaweaver
Ibooks, Inc
24 West 25th Street, New York, NY 10010
www.1books.net 212 645 9870
ISBN 0743486854 $22.95

Well, I really tried to like this continuation by the same two authors of the very fine book "Paradis" but shortly into "Destiny" I found that I was just plain bored with the whole story. It has many of the same characters but it just does not have the zing that other books by Richard Hatch and whoever had. I don't know why, because the idea of finding out Baltar's place in life was interesting but something is just not there for me at least in this new installment of the original "Battlestar Galactica " saga

Law & Order Dead Line
J. Madison Davis
Ibooks, Inc
24 West 25th Street, New York, NY 10010
www.1books.net 212 645 9870
ISBN 0743497988 $6.95

Being a fan of this great show helps but you don't have to ever watched the TV show to enjoy this first novel. The author follows the progression of the series but I especially liked the story for it's behind the scenes exposure of the world of publishing, as well as a good tale of murder mystery. One good thing with this novel is that you do not have to hear the actor who plays McCoy, who in my judgment tends to over act his part.

Are You Afraid of the Dark?
Sidney Sheldon
William Morrow
10East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022
ISBN 0060559349 $25.95

I have for a long time been a fan of this author because he tells a story that is easy to get into and fast paced. This one is one of his best. From the first page it held my interest all the way through. There are some surprises and a plot that could be classified as science fiction. His beginning where several people are killed for at the time, no apparent reason becomes very clear by the end, when the author also ties everything up in a very convincing package.

Bar Code Tattoo
Suzanne Weyn
Scholastic Inc
557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012
www.scholastic.com 212 343 6100
ISBN 0439395623 $5.99

In the near future at a certain age every one must have a bar code branded onto our person. This is the way for government to keep a record of everyone. A girl named Kayla does not want to participate, so she fights the system. The author is telling a very timely story for how people follow like sheep. Two examples are Nazi Germany and the present situation of how our government is handling the war in Iraq. This novel, for me at least, is very reminiscent of Orwell's 1984 or "Logan's Run." Weyn fills her tale with interesting characters and a not too distant future that could very well happen.

The 9/11 Commission Report
W.W. Norton
www.wwnorton.com
ISBN 0393326713 $10.00

This is the official report of the committee that President George W. Bush did not want to ever be formed to look into the events of the terrible day that changed the course of the world forever. Maybe he didn't want it shown as they do, that his administration dropped the ball on terrorism unlike any other. They totally ignored the information that was given to them well in advance of 9/11. The report traces terrorism from the mid 1970s to the present. Every President except George W. Bush made it a priority to fight terrorism. Bush on the other hand, was wrapped up with Iraq and Saddam. Bush himself was warned by out-going President Bill Clinton that Bin Ladin was the number one enemy of this country. Bush's administration was further warned numerous times that Al Quaeda and Bin Ladin were planning something big to take place in the United States. The commission has very carefully detailed the events of 9/11 and how they unfolded as well as made recommendations that all should be followed by our federal government in order to fight terrorism and make this nation safe.

Hello Darkness
Sandra Brown
Pocket Books
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020
www.simonsaya.com/mhclark 1-800-456-6798
ISBN 0743466756 $7.99

All I can say is wow what a great thriller. Brown has been writing in the suspense realm for a number of years but this is by far one of her best. A DJ of a popular radio station gets a very strange phone call while she is broadcasting. She is so worried about this call that she calls the police. This sets up the rest of this chilling novel that moves along briskly to its final chapter. Brown fills the book with likeable characters. She also has generous doses of mystery elements that keep the novel interesting. It is also interesting to me that Ms Brown like Mary Higgins Clarke has used a song title for her book.

Fantastic Cat
Andre Norton and Martin Greenberg Editors
Ibooks, Inc
24 West 25th Street, New York, NY 10010
www.1books.net 212 645 9870
ISBN 0743487265 $11.95

Cat fancier Andre Norton (The Agatha Christie of SF) was a purr-fect choice to edit with Greenberg this collection of cat tales. Some of the authors are C.S. Friedman, Tad Williams, Mercedes Lackey, Elizabeth Ann Scarborough, and there is even a story by Norton who does not usually write short fiction.

Super What?
Jax Abbott
Smooch
Dorchester Publishing Co. Inc
200 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016
www.smoochya.com
ISBN 0843953853 $5.99

What do you do when you are in high school and the super powers you have begin to go out of whack? Such is the problem for the narrator of this novel who has to be careful that her super powers do not reveal who she really is. She is like the animated movie "The Incredibles" just trying to fit into society. The novel touches on teenage problems in general, but also has its own conflict to be resolved. I would love to see more stories by this fine author.

White House Horrors
Martin Greenberg Editors
Ibooks, Inc
24 West 25th Street, New York, NY 10010
www.1books.net 212 645 9870
ISBN 0743487311 $6.99

The White House can be a strange place, as evidenced by these great stories by some of the best sf, fantasy, and horror writers in this fine collection. Greenberg has impeccable taste for choosing the best stories for his anthologies.

The Lone Star Plague
Kate Birch
Leisure
Dorchester Publishing Co. Inc
200 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016
www.dorchesterpub.com
ISBN 0843953853 $5.99

I love medical thrillers and this one is a great one. People are dying of a new disease and plague specialist Dana Sparks has a very short time in which to figure out how to stop this dreaded new threat to humanity. Birch hooked me from the first page all the way through with strong believable characters and a great conflict.

Star Trek the Case of the Colonist's Corpse
Bob Ingersoll and Tony Isabella
Pocket Books
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020
www.simonsaya.com/mhclark 1-800-456-6798
ISBN 0743464974 $6.99

Normally I do not get very excited about "Star Trek" novels because there are so many of them out. But this one is very different starting, with the title, the red outer pages, and the character Samuel T. Cogley who defended Captain Kirk in an episode of the original series, and you have the reasons I wanted to get into this unusual story. The authors have taken the look and the kind of title that were a part of the Perry Mason books by Erle Stanley Gardner and updated them into the "Star Trek" universe. The story is a good mystery as well by fans of both genres.

Gary Roen
Reviewer


Gorden's Bookshelf

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
K.J. Anderson
Onyx
New American Library, division of Penguin Group Inc.
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
ISBN: 0451411633 $6.99 246 pages

'Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow' is a movie novel based on 1930s comic books, science fiction pulp stories and the movie serial genre. Today it would be considered an alternate history action fantasy. It holds too closely to its heritage. The 1930s movie serial would change locations with the change in scene. This instantaneous travel between locations/scenes is one of the biggest drawbacks in the storytelling. Anderson doesn't modify the movie story enough to bring it smoothly to book form.

'Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow' is about reporter Polly Perkins of the Chronicle and her investigation of a megalomaniac creator of robots trying to destroy the world. The only man able to stop the robots is Sky Captain of the 'Flying Legion.' The story is pure hokum. But it is the fun hokum of 'Buck Rodgers,' 'The Shadow' and all those other fantasy stories of the 1930s.

'Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow' is a storytelling miss. You can still read and enjoy it if you take the story as is, with all of its faults. It is a fun afternoon reading. Anderson has flashes of brilliance modifying the screenplay but is unable to sustain the writing for the whole novel.

The Teeth of the Tiger
Tom Clancy
The Berkley Publishing Group
A division of Penguin Putman Inc.
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
www.penguinputnam.com
ISBN: 0425197409 $7.99 480 pages

'The Teeth of the Tiger' is what you expect in a Tom Clancy novel. The high stakes suspense story starts from the first page. The technology is a little lighter than in his other novels but the rich storyline is complex enough to hold the tale together. Clancy does have one annoying writing trait. He repeats the same explanations over and over. A writer might need to do this for technical details but Clancy repeats motivational and other general story details more times than needed.

'The Teeth of the Tiger' starts with a terrorist killing an Israeli agent and the latest events in the lives of two brothers, one an FBI agent and the other a marine. The story traces these dissimilar events into an organization setup outside the government but tied into the intelligence community. The purpose of the organization is the finding and elimination of threats to the US that can't be handled by the standard agencies, such as the FBI and CIA.

Clancy excels in creating an espionage thriller that demands the murder and mayhem action we've learned to expect in fiction since the 'James Bond' novels of a half-a-century ago. His original characters have gotten too old for the action stories he writes. In 'The Teeth of the Tiger,' he introduces Jack Ryan Jr. and his two cousins. Jack Jr. has the familiar part of the reluctant thinker forced into an action role and his two cousins are the covert warriors.

If you liked any of Clancy's other novels, 'The Teeth of the Tiger' is a must. Readers who enjoy the espionage genre should not miss this book. It is one of the smoothest and most logical spy thrillers written in the last few years. Clancy writes stories that you feel could be happening today.

S.A. Gorden, Reviewer
http://www.paulbunyan.net/users/gsirvio/content.html


Henry's Bookshelf

In the Dark
Ruth Stone
Copper Canyon Press
PO Box 271, Port Townsend, WA 98368
www.coppercanyonpress.org; angela@coppercanyonpress.org
ISBN 1556592108 $22.00 110+x pp.

Ruth Stone is 89, and nearly totally blind. At this age and with this condition, memories make up the substance of her life. For her, memory is virtually a sensation; memory brings her into an intimacy with her surroundings and her past. Feelings and moods are not transient for her. Rather, they are entire universes of different aspects of the world and existence. The "sadness of things/speaks for you." (from "Interim") The flower beds and lawns of a small college--one where Stone likely taught at one time--intone the "quiet authority of culture." (from "Border") The title is somewhat ironic, for Stone illumines her subjects in an almost preternatural way.

The Color of Me
Linda L. McDunn
illustrated by Barbara Knutson
Liturgical Press
PO Box 7500, Collegeville, MN 56321-7500
phone 800-858-5450; fax 800-445-5899
www.litpress.org; sales@litpress.org
ISBN 0814629520 $16.95 32 pp. ages 3-7

God creates a world filled with color. "Then God blessed the colors with love, life, and purpose." But there comes the time when the people God created on the Earth start to argue about what color God is--green like the plants, blue like the sky, and so on. It isn't long before they are saying that God has the color of their own skin--black, red, yellow, etc. Their disagreements lead nowhere, until a rainbow forms across the sky and, as one of the people says, they all realize that God is not any one color, but is the "same colors as we are, [and] everyone is made from God's colors." McDunn works at a monastery for Benedictine Sisters in Minnesota. Knutson's vivid full-page illustrations accentuate the simple story's lesson about the equality of all races in the eyes of God.

The Nutcracker Backstage - The Story and the Magic
Angela Whitehill and William Noble
Foreword by Wendy Whelan
New York City Ballet
Princeton Book Company
614 U. S. Highway 130, Hightstown, NJ 08520
www.dancehorizons.com; pbc@dancehorizons.com
ISBN 0871272644 $29.95 120 pp.

The authors of "A Parents Guide to Ballet" focus on Tchaikovsky's timeless ballet the "Nutcracker" which has delighted generations of children and parents. This book is for both children and parents about what goes into putting on a rewarding performance of the "Nutcracker." In this, it familiarizes children with auditions, costuming, professional and volunteer production staff, and staging if they should be interested in becoming involved in ballet. The mostly inherent, but occasionally explicit guidance for parents is how they can help children become involved. Bright color photos capture dramatic and colorful scenes from the play; while others equally as bright capture the varied behind-the-scenes activities. Tchaikovsky's music is briefly discussed to round out this introduction to the ballet.

Food Wars - The Global Battle for Mouths, Minds, and Markets
Tim Lang and Michael Heasman
Earthscan
London
distributed in U. S. by Stylus Publishing, PO Box 605, Herndon, VA 20172-0605
800-232-0223 www.earthscan.co.uk
ISBN 1853837016 $99.95 265+xvi pp.
ISBN 1853837024 $35.00 trade paper

Lang and Heasman's book "offers a panorama" of the modern-day, global food industry to impress on policy-makers, decision-makers in the industry, and the public that there are alternatives to the current practices which deliver much unhealthy food and at times leave food shortages in places. At the core of their recommended alternatives is a "new conception of health...linking human and ecological health." A professor and researcher respectively at London's City University, Lang and Heasman have a comprehensive grasp of the structure and workings of the food industry that goes beyond the perspectives and policies of any particular government or region. With this impressive grasp, they are able to propose workable alternatives to problems such as obesity, diabetes, and starvation caused mainly by shortsighted practices and ends of major institutions in the food industry.

Koto - A Traditional Instrument in Contemporary Japan
Henry Johnson
Hotei Publishing
Amsterdam
distributed in U. S. by Stylus Publishing
PO Box 605, Herndon, VA 20172-0605
800-232-0223 www.hotei-publishing.com, publishers@kit.nl
ISBN 9074822630 $78.50 199 pp.

"The koto...is a thirteen-string Japanese zither." The traditional koto is about six feet long with thirteen movable bridges placed under its strings. The player sits at the end known as the "head." Nontraditional kotos can vary in length as well as some of the design details. As with many objects and activities in Japanese society, the koto and the playing of it have been used to signify the social class and certain social situations. Varied individuals such as aristocrats, blind male professionals, and female amateurs indicated their status by how they played the instrument. An ethnomusicologist at the U. of Otago in New Zealand, Johnson ranges through the construction and design of the koto, music for it and the performance of this, the koto's place in Japanese culture, and changes in these as Japanese society has changed. Color photographs of different perspectives, including close-ups when called for, accompany the technical, historical, and sociological topics. With the size and quality of a coffee-table art book, this work makes this somewhat specialized subject readily accessible to readers with different interests about Japanese culture and musicology.

Journeying East - Conversations on Aging and Dying
Victoria Jean Dimidjian
Parallax Press
PO Box 7355, Berkeley, CA 94707
www.parallax.org; Travis@parallax.org
ISBN 1888375361 $16.00 158 pp.

Dimidjian found that four themes stood out in interviews she had with recognized spiritual leaders during her sabbatical from teaching. These are: interest in the subject of aging is growing as the Baby-Boom generation, to which the author belongs, ages; the integration of ideas from Eastern and Western cultures is continuing to grow; living and dying are intertwined; and lastly, what we "know" is never complete and is not in itself fulfilling. Ram Dass, Thich Nhat Hanh, Sister Chan Khong, Norman Fischer, and Michael Eigen are among the nine she interviewed. Seeing the interviews as extensions of her role as a teacher, Dimidjian helps to shape the interviews by thoughtful questions and perceptive comments.

Mechanical Occult - Automatism, Modernism, and the Specter of Politics
Alan Ramon Clinton
Peter Lang
Switzerland
www.peterlang.net; publicity@peterlang.com
0820469432 $63.95 225+xi pp. appendix, notes, bibliography, index.

Clinton sees the automatism attracting much interest in late 18th/early 19th century society as combining the modernist social elements of spirituality and psychology with the modernism's development of machinery and regimentation of factory workers to maximize machinery's potential. For the automatists to access the spiritual realm, they had to follow quite rigid steps or techniques of mind control and bodily discipline. But Clinton takes the subject of early 20th-century automatism outside of its association with magic, kinds of parlor entertainment, and seances communicating with the dead to connect it to literature and broader social activities. Yeats is the writer most readily connecting to automatism. But T. S. Eliot and Ezra Pound were also intrigued by automatism and to considerable degrees affected by it. Clinton does not just look for evidences of this influence in these major writers' works, but in how they created their works. The author sees similarities between these authors' work of creation and the techniques of the automatists. Social critics such as Freud, Adorno, and Horkeimer recognized the strong influence of automatism or something akin to it on modern individuals and the culture, including Hollywood in its early days. "Mechanical Occult"--by an author who is a postdoctoral fellow in the Dept. of Literature, Communication, and Culture at Georgia Tech with published articles on the subjects in the book--is a fascinating cultural study of a phenomenon which readers will come to realize, is not a bygone curiosity, but a multifaceted cultural element which continues to have effects on society.

Lawrence C. Goldsmith - A Life in Watercolor
Foreword by Mel Gussow
Introduction by Carl Little
Hudson Hills Press
74-2 Union St., Manchester, VT 05254
www.hudsonhills.com; artbooks@hudsonhills.com
ISBN 1555952429 $45.00 94 pp.

Goldsmith has been painting his watercolors since he graduated from Yale in the 1930s after studying under the noted watercolorist Eliot O'Hara. His travels to the Caribbean, Central America, and Southeast Asia after graduation infused his characteristic paintings done mostly in Maine and Vermont with a use of color both deft and delicate and an almost calligraphic sense of line and organization. Carl Little's title "Passion of Place" for his Introduction refers especially to Goldsmith's use of color. As Little notes, Goldsmith's paintings are essentially evocative rather than representational even though scenes are recognizable in them. Drawn early in his career to Turner's watercolor sketches, Goldsmith himself allows this. Winslow Homer and Andrew Wyeth are other detectable, but indirect influences. All but a few of the 62 full-page, full-color plates were done after 1990, Goldsmith's mature period when his distinctive, absorbing style was fully developed.

Street Saints - Renewing America's Cities
Barbara J. Elliott
Templeton Foundation Press
5 Radnor Corporate Center - Suite 120, Matsonford Road, PA 19087
800-561-3367; www.templeton.org; tfp@templeton.org
ISBN 1932031766 $24.95 320+xxvii pp.

Founder of the Center for Renewal in Houston, Elliott was able to do over 300 interviews with persons who are leaders in successful civic organizations. Although their ethnic, social, and religious backgrounds vary widely, there is a common thread running though all the diverse activities--namely, improvement of urban life in general or some specific group in particular. And the many individuals Elliott portrays on the basis of her interviews do this with singular and exemplary imagination, commitment, and effectiveness. Elliott goes beyond only praising the individuals by uncovering their motivations and describing their work to also go into the founding of their programs, how the programs are run, their interactions with communities and government at different levels, and the keys to their survival and success. Thus, readers are given not only engaging portrayals of exemplary social activists, but also outlines of their innovative, relevant programs which can serve as models for ones in other urban centers.

The Texas Rangers and the Mexican Revolution - The Bloodiest Decade, 1910-1920
Charles H. Harris III and Louis Sadler
U. of New Mexico Press
MSC01 1200, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001
800-249-7737; www.unmpress.com; asutton@unm.edu
ISBN 0826334830 $37.50 673+xiv pp.

During the decade of 1910-20, tensions between Mexico and the United States over incidents relating to Pancho Villa's threat to Mexico's president Venustiano Carranza and U. S. incursions into Mexico led by General John Pershing had become so tense that the "situation was not dissimilar to that of Jewish settlers in the West Bank"; with the small number of white Texans along the border being compared to the Jewish settlers surrounded by a much greater number of resentful Palestinians. In this situation, the Texas governors of this decade--Colquitt, Ferguson, and Hobby--used the Texas Rangers to protect Texas citizens and combat the tactics of Mexicans directed by Carranza and in some cases acting as vigilantes. The unique and in ways controversial activities of the Texas Rangers in this complex, volatile, and fluid situation is the subject the authors hone in on. Harris and Sadler, both former professors at New Mexico State U., bring to light little-known dimensions of the historical events, which continue to affect relationships and feelings between the white Texans and Hispanics in the area. There was much lawlessness on both sides. Mexican Army troops dressed as civilians crossed the border to raid Texas communities. After Texas Rangers executed two Mexican agitators after taking them by force from the F.B.I., the U. S. Attorney General issued an order that all prisoners henceforth be held by the U. S. Army. The situation was especially complicated not only because of points of opposition between Texas and the U. S. Federal Government, but also because of Mexican president Carranza's desire for recognition by the U. S. while trying at the same time to stand up to it. While concentrating on the unique role of the Rangers in this complex historical situation, Harris and Sadler also construct the context in which their activities took place.

In Search of P. D. Ouspensky - The Genius in the Shadow of Gurdjieff
Gary Lachman
Quest Books/Theosophical Publishing House
PO Box 270, Wheaton, IL 60189-0270
ISBN 0835608409 $24.95 329+xi pp.

Partly a biography of Ouspensky and partly an examination of the similarities and differences in his spiritual beliefs and those of his mentor Gurdjieff, Lachman's work basically searches for the reasons for or causes of the eventual estrangement between these two spiritual leaders of the early twentieth century. Lachman places them in the company of Madame Blavatsky, Rudolf Steiner, and Aleister Crowley. Ouspensky and Gurdjieff first met in Moscow; their lives were disrupted by the Russian Revolution; and both eventually ended up in London. Gurdjieff has the claims to greater fame and influence in the areas of the occult and mysticism. Although Lackman does not completely dismiss the bases for Gurdjieff's higher reputation, he does bring light to Ouspensky's originality, independence, and influence. Gurjieff's higher standing in relation Ouspensky is seen as a result of his craftiness, which is a type of worldliness whereby he managed his image to try to make for an assured and favorable legacy. While the relative stature of each in this vein of modern spirituality can finally be only opinion, in his search to establish such stature, Lachman opens up many dimensions of the modern-day spirituality espoused by these two, both of whom were undeniably influential. Lachman has written two previous books and has appeared on BBC programs on topics related to his writings of social critique and modern spirituality.

Cheeses of the World - A season by season guide to buying, storing and serving
Roland Barthelemy and Arnaud Sperat-Czar
photography by Czap and Jacques Guillard
Hachette Illustrated/Octopus Publishing Group
2-4 Heron Quays, London
distributed in U. S. by Client Distribution Services
193 Edwards Dr., Jackson, TN 38301-7716
phone orders 800-343-4499; fax orders 800-351-5073
ISBN 184430115X $29.95 213 pp.

Numerous cheeses are dealt with according to the season when they are made, with mention of why the particular season is the right time. The four major sections contain general material and information on the specific cheeses of the season. Color photographs of varying sizes from double-page and full-page to smaller complement the entertaining and informative text. The photographs of particular cheeses are not only appealing, but also make for a useful illustrated buying guide. Back matter includes a section on "1,200 cheeses from around the world" where the countless cheeses are grouped by family--e. g., The Chaource family, The Parmesan family. The majority of the cheeses are French, with cheeses from other European countries included also. Barthelemy is a cheese supplier who also has a hand in the ripening of cheeses. Sperat-Czar is editor-in-chief of the magazine "L'Amateur de Fromage." The photos are taken by photographers with backgrounds in high-quality, glossy general-interest and gastronomic magazines. "Cheeses of the World" is a work of an encyclopedic range with a focus on the enjoyment of cheese and background such as the making of cheese which can add to this enjoyment. Anyone from the long-time cheese lover to novice will learn something from it and consult it regularly as a guide in exploring the world of cheeses.

Florida's Lost Tribes
Theodore Morris, with commentary by Jerald T. Milanich
U. Press of Florida
15 NW 15th St., Gainesville, FL 32611-2079
800-226-3822; www.upf.com
ISBN 081302739X $29.95 70 pp.

The middle section is a gallery of the artist Morris's realistic colorful paintings of members of different tribes of Florida's Native Americans in daily activities in natural settings. In the paintings, their clothing and in some cases the dwellings and weapons, utensils, and other objects are shown. Below each of the many paintings, Morris tells about its subject; the activity pictured as a part of the broader society, including in some cases its historical reference; and details such as feathers for ornament or material of pieces of clothing. The text of the book is anthropological and historical material on Florida's number of tribes. Readers will find there were more than the Seminoles who became known mainly for their conflict against the U. S. in the 1800s. Both the paintings and the text cover Florida's tribes from pre-Columbian times to today. With Milanich's text relating all sorts of interesting facts about varied tribes in a readable style and Morris's bright pictures and brief informative comments, one learns about the diverse and thriving Native American cultures of Florida. Morris's paintings have been featured in solo exhibitions throughout Florida. Milanich is curator in archaeology at the Florida Museum of Natural History and author of previous books in Native Americans on the Southeast.

Arkham House Books - A Collector's Guide
Leon Nielsen
Foreword by Barry Abrahams
McFarland & Company
Box 611, Jefferson, NC 28540
800-253-2187; www.mcfarlandpub.com
ISBN 0786417854 $39.95 194+ix pp.

Books published by Arkham House are especially desirable with science-fiction and fantasy book collectors. The books have exceptional value not only for their scarcity, but because of the publisher's historical significance in this genre. Arkham House was started in 1937 by the writer August Derleth to publish the works of his friend H. P. Lovecraft who had recently died. With the success of this first venture, the House took on other authors, among them Lord Dunsany and Robert Howard. In 1947, it published Ray Bradbury's first book, "Dark Carnival." After introductory general material on the collecting, buying, and selling of Arkham House books, there are annotated bibliographies of every book published by Arkham as well as its two imprints, Mycroft & Moran, and Stanton & Lee. The detailed annotations identify the contents of the respective book and point out bits of information important to collectors; and they end with current prices for first printings of first editions of the book in its best condition with a jacket and without a jacket. But that's not all--following the three comprehensive bibliographies are sections on the 35 most valuable Arkham House books; its books ranked by scarcity; and a listing of the publisher's catalogs, which are also of interest to collectors, though not nearly so valuable as the books, the most desirable of which can cost a couple of thousand dollars. Nielsen is himself a collector of Arkham House books. This up-to-date, comprehensive, and easy-to-use handbook is plainly of interest to any collectors or dealers of Arkham House books and of books in the science-fiction and supernatural/fantasy genres.

Ordinary Mornings of a Coliseum
Norman Dubie
Copper Canyon Press
PO Box 271, Port Townsend, WA 98368
www.coppercanyonpress.org; angela@coppercanyonpress.org
ISBN 1556592132 $15.00 121+x pp.

Dubie's poems are infused with a paganistic energy--vivid, simple, preternaturally alert, free from any psychologistic traces. The volume's cover has a mask from a Roman fresco associated with initiation into the cult of Dionysus staring out wide-eyed. "Lizards with sails are screaming to her while the green spade/opens a whole nursery, a powdered vault of spotted dinosaur eggs/racked with loose hexes of eight,..." (from "The Young Professor of Wyoming Wears a Red-Banded Skin of Snake on the Spirit Finger of Her Right Hand That Shakes...") This could all be some kind of surrealism, except that it's more complex than surrealism. It doesn't just try to net the wayward detritus of dreams, but also to continuously evoke irrational but keenly felt fears, mysteries, and hopes.

Subway Style - 100 Years of Architecture & Design in the New York City Subway by the New York Transit Museum
Introduction by Joseph Giovannini
Original photography by Andrew Garn
Stewart, Tabori & Chang
115 West 18th St., New York, NY 10011
www.abramsbooks.com; cmorgan@abramsbooks.com
ISBN 158479349X $40.00 241+ix pp.

The official book of the Museum of New York's Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), "Subway Style" brings together hundreds of objects relating to all aspects of the subway system since its creation more than 100 years ago--from ironwork gates to promotional posters, subway cars to platform benches, tokens to decorative tiles. From the system's beginnings, in the designs for such diverse objects playing a part in the appearance and workings of the subways, the objects were intended to reflect the Art Deco, Machine Age, and other popular styles of the modern age. Annotations with the hundreds of color photographs cite not only aesthetic points about the objects, but also historical facts. This makes for greater appreciation of the various signs, car designs (including overhead straps), etc., familiar to the millions of daily riders, but also introduction to subway memorabilia no longer a part of the system, including maps to follow its growth. As Joseph Giovannini remarks in his "Introduction," more than New York City's towering skyscrapers, its subway system has the greater claim to representing the city because it is older and has a larger and more lasting part in unifying the city and in the lives of its inhabitants.

Classic Garden Plans
David Stuart
Timber Press
Haseltine Building, 133 S. W. Second Ave. - Suite 450, Portland, OR 97204-3527
www.timberpress.com
ISBN 0881926434 $29.95 160 pp.

Color plans of 16 noteworthy and in some cases famous gardens from around the world are filled in with the plants in particular spots, and in many cases the pools, stonework, and other features of them. These plans are complemented by luxurious color photos of the plants in bloom. Stuart's work is not only to highlight the classic gardens, but to aid gardeners in recreating them. Most of the gardens are seen as meeting some purpose of their creators. A Japanese garden is meant to offer surroundings for meditation; an Indian garden is for the concubines of a Hindu emperor; Monet's water garden in France was a place for him to paint and to find inspiration and solace toward the end of his life. A herb garden and an orchard are also included. The oversize "Classic Garden Plans" serves as a guide for garden design or a gift to a garden enthusiast. Stuart is a Scotman with a background in botany and writing who has done previous books on plants in history.

The Jamestown Adventure - Accounts of the Virginia Colony, 1605-1614
Ed Southern, editor
John F. Blair, Publisher
1406 Plaza Drive, Winston-Salem, NC 27103
www.blairpub.com; byerly@blairpub.com
0895873028 $11.95 253+xviii pp.

The 20 collected writings relating to the English colony of Jamestown in Virginia, the first English settlement in America, are arranged chronologically from 1605 to 1614. This covers the time just before the arrival of the first colonists on three ships to the marriage of John Rolfe and Pocahontas. The variety of historical documents collected by the editor, a graduate of Wake Forest U., brings out the many sides of the venture of Jamestown. The struggle of the first colonists and mysteries surrounding the fate of some of them are the usual focus of the Jamestown colony. But besides these familiar subjects, Southern includes in this anthology Spanish documents evidencing concern over the colony; English papers voicing the interests and worries of investors; and references by Shakespeare to Jamestown.

Castles in Medieval Society - Fortresses in England, France, and Ireland in the Central Middle Ages
Charles Coulson
Oxford U. Press
New York
www.oup.com
ISBN 0198208243 $99.00
ISBN 0199273634 $45.00

Coulson seeks to revise the understanding of castles as basically military structures to an understanding of them as images of the primary factors and the complexity of European society in the time from the fall of Rome to the late Middle Ages. This society was basically hierarchical and aristocratic. Today's conventional conception of a castle as more or less a fortification is a largely romantic notion bearing little relation to the true place of castles in medieval society. In medieval Europe, towns, ecclesiastical areas, estates and mansions, and even temporary earthworks of a traveling army were regarded as castles. The word "fortalicium" originally used for "castle" meant "element" or "sign" of fortification more than strictly a military fortification. In the medieval society, this was understood to mean above all "a symbolism of aristocratic armed power." As symbols of this power, castles were also social centers where most of the interaction of the different social classes took place. As Coulson remarks, there is no military history associated with most castles. In his revision of the conception of castles, the author elaborates on the presence of high-rankng women in many of them. Coulson is a research fellow at England's U. of Kent. He does not undercut the significance of castles in medieval society; rather, he shifts the understanding of what their significance was.

The Logic of History - Putting postmodernism in perspective
C. Behan McCullah
Routledge
29 West 35th St., New York, NY 10001
phone 800-634-7064; fax orders 800-248-4724
www.routledge.com
ISBN 0415223989 $104.95 212+viii pp.
ISBN 0415223997 $32.95

In this time of postmodernism, history, along with other methodical, painstaking, disciplines, has been marginalized, if not regarded as passe and irrelevant. For some readers, McCullagh's work is an introduction to the different tasks, considerations, and perspectives making up well-founded history. These include the study and weighing of documents and texts, grasping motives of individuals, and understanding societies and larger contexts in which individuals act and events take shape. For other readers, the work is a reminder of how history is done and what it is. In different places, the author faces the postmodern notions that because there are no objective truths, language is deficient, and all individuals have biases or unacknowledged agendas, there can be no history providing reliable or relevant information on human affairs and the course of time. But as the author remarks, "Historians as a profession have a social responsibility to protect the community from false and biased propaganda. Individual historians will have their own personal biases no doubt, but the profession has standards of rational justification...which can be applied to correct most personal biases." "The Logic of History" is an ideal explanation of what history is all about by an author mindful of the discipline's value to society. McCullagh is a lecturer in philosophy at La Trobe U.

Winter Music - Composing the North
John Luther Adams
Wesleyan University Press
215 Long Lane, Middletown, CT 06459
www.wesleyan.edu/wespress; selliott@wesleyan.edu
ISBN 0819567426 $24.95 204+xxiv pp.

Adams taps into sources of his music in the natural surroundings of Alaska, where he presently lives after periods of teachings at Bennington College and Oberlin Conservatory of Music. He is also a contemporary composer whose work has attracted much attention. Additionally, Adams notes the influences of modernist artists such as T. S. Eliot, the artist Mondrian, and Charles Ives. "Winter Music" is an eclectic collection of writings that includes diary-like entries, vignettes, and essays. There are also several music scores for appropriately trained readers to make the connection between finished music and its diverse sources of imitation, influence, and inspiration as divulged by the author.

Henry Berry
Reviewer


Jennifer's Bookshelf

Grandma Spoils Me
Mary H. Wright
Bluebonnets Publishing
ISBN: 0964549344 $16.95

Many parents feel that grandparents spoil their children. But what do the children think?

Henry knows that his grandma spoils him, but he isn't sure if she spoils him with love or with buying him things. He calls her whenever he gets angry. She cuddles with him as they watch scary movies together, and she hugs him when he is hurt. What do you think Henry decides?

The text is easy-to-read, bouncy, and children can easily relate to the situations in the book. Parents and grandparents will love the questions, comments, and feelings that their children will be left with upon finishing the book. Children will love the vibrant full-color illustrations by Bill Megenhardt that are fun and creative. This delightful, heartwarming book would work wonderfully for teachers as a "read-out-loud" book on Grandparent's Day.

This reviewer and her children highly recommends GRANDMA SPOILS ME by Mary H. Wright for children ages 2 and up and suggests that you purchase a copy to share with your children. This book would make a loving and most-cherished gift.

Emma's Strange Pet
Jean Little
HarperCollins Publishers
www.harperchildrens.com
ISBN: 0060283505 $15.99

Categorized as "An I Can Read Book" EMMA'S STRANGE PET is perfect for readers in grades 1st and up.

Max wants a puppy like his friend Josh, but his sister Emma is allergic to animals with fur. All seems lost until Emma tells her parents that she too wants a pet. So for her birthday they take her and her brother, Max, to the pet store where she adopts a lizard they name "Stranger." Max relates to Stranger as he is adopted too.

This book is wonderful in many ways as it talks about the affects of life-long allergies, adoption of children and pets, as well as the special bond siblings share, parent love, and how to compromise without giving in or creating hurt feelings. I found EMMA'S STRANGE PET by JEAN LITTLE inspirational, heartwarming, and fun to read with my younger children ages 7 & 8. After reading this book, my children asked several questions regarding adoption and different kinds of pets.

This splendid book would make a wonderful addition to any library and classroom for discussion on any of the topics I have mentioned here.

This reviewer (and her children) highly recommends Little's book EMMA'S STRANGE PET.

Jennifer LB Leese, Reviewer
www.geocities.com/ladyjiraff


Jody's Bookshelf

Millard Fillmore, Mon Amour
John Blumenthal
St. Martin's Press
New York, NY 10010
ISBN: 0312323689, $12.95, 309 pp

After reading the highly acclaimed "What's Wrong with Dorfman," I wondered if John Blumenthal could live up to my expectations. He succeeded.

Much like I fell for Dorfman in his earlier works, Plato G. Fussell is just as lovable and neurotic.

Plato has a few minor problems. When he's around beautiful women his language takes on a life of its own. Spoonerisms, where the first letter of words are mixed, such as, "I'm not a mar, cadam," for "I'm not a car, madam."

Worse, Plato tends to spew a few words backwards, calling his dachshund "Allebasi" instead of "Isabella."

In addition to the spoonerism and reversed words, (Plato doesn't care for words like Bob, noon, etc.) enough puns were peppered throughout the book to keep this reader entertained enough that a plot wasn't necessary.

Obviously, Mr. Blumenthal felt playing with words wasn't enough for this book. It's loaded with surprise twists and turns.

It's not uncommon for me to see an event in a story long before the author reveals it to the reader. Not so with the adventures of Plato G. Fussell. From the shocking discovery of Plato's new love interest identity, to the story of his ex-wife and concluding with the hidden family secrets, this was a touching, yet laugh out loud story.

Readers who enjoyed "What's Wrong with Dorfman" won't be disappointed. Nor will anyone who enjoys a good romp with a quirky cast of characters who first make you smile and then laugh.

Additional details about the author and his other works can be found at http://www.johnblumenthal.com

The Stone Prince
Gena Showalter
Harlequin Books
http://www.HQNBooks.com
ISBN: 0373770073, $6.50, 368 pp

I found this book at my local grocery store. The cover hinted the contents would provide pure entertainment. I wasn't disappointed.

Katie James doesn't want much from a man. Is it asking too much for him to be taller than her? Obviously it is if her previous dates are an indication.

After years of the dreaded "Second Date Syndrome" and the short men she's met, Katie finds the perfect man. Too bad he's made of stone just like the mount he stands atop in the garden of the newest house she's purchased to renovate.

As Katie lusts after the statue, her brothers attempt to set her up with their friends. In a moment of desperation or insanity, Katie isn't sure which it is, she kisses the statue. "If you were real, I'd gobble you up in one tasty bite."

"Then a deep voice whispered next to her ear, 'I believe that can be arranged.'"

The curse is partially broken for Jorlan en Sarr, a warrior from another planet and time.

This alien-man, who spent the last 900 years watching humans, must win Katie's heart within two weeks or he'll return to stone for eternity.

There are many funny moments, such as when Jorlan raids Katie's supplies for weapons. Soon he's totting around a spatula for protection. Which doesn't off much protection against her brothers when they introduce him to alcohol.

"The Stone Prince" is a romance, but it goes beyond the typical romance when Ms. Showalter tossed in a gorgeous hero from another planet. The mix of an alien hero in a romance provides an appealing treat for the reader.

This is Gena Showalter's debut novel. For information about future books, visit http://www.genashowalter.com

Jody Pryor, Reviewer
http://www.jodypryor.com


Kimberly's Bookshelf

P is for Pilgrim: A Thanksgiving Alphabet
Carol Crane
Illustrated by Helle Urban
Sleeping Bear Press
310 North Main Street, Suite 300, Chelsea, MI 48118
ISBN: 1585361348 $14.95 40 pages

Across the Atlantic Ocean,

A lone ship on a vast sea.

Ablaze with new hope,

All praying to be free.

Carol Crane's delicious verse and Helle Urban's vivid illustrations take us back in time to the first Thanksgiving and the rich history that surrounds it. No one does alphabet books as well as Sleeping Bear Press. They seem to have one for almost any interest. What makes their books special are the simple rhyming picture book texts that engage very young audiences and the more in-depth, detailed sidebars that capture the interest of older children and adults. I'm not ashamed to admit that I always learn something new when I pick up one of their titles!

A Turkey For Thanksgiving
Eve Bunting
Illustrated by Diane de Groat
Clarion Books
215 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10003
ISBN: 0899197930 $15.00 32 pages

While setting the table with candles and a paper turkey for Thanksgiving dinner, Mrs. Moose wondered aloud, "I wish we had a real turkey. Everyone always has a turkey for Thanksgiving. Everyone but us." Mr. Moose saw how disappointed his wife was and decided to set about making his wife's wish come true. With the help of some of his forest friends, he tracks down a nice plump turkey. Turkey is forced to Mr. And Mrs. Moose's house where he thinks he'll become their dinner. However, he soon realizes that he's mistaken when Mrs. Moose offers Turkey a chair at their table rather than a roaster in their oven. Just as Mr. And Mrs. Moose wish to share their Thanksgiving bounty with everyone, you will want to share this book with every child.

Thank You, Thanksgiving
David Milgrim
Clarion Books
215 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10003
ISBN: 0618274669 $9.95 32 pages

Follow one little girl through her Thanksgiving Day. She takes time to appreciate simple things that help her along in everyday life. From her warm boots and the beautiful music made by the birds, to the neighborhood park and the sliding hill, we see this child express her thanks, and in the end, share some of what she has with others. David Milgrim's subtle text is offset by his gorgeous illustrations that were executed in digital oil pastel.

Kimberly Hutmacher
Reviewer


Levine's Bookshelf

Mysterious Chills and Thrills
Laura Hickey
LH Publications and Productions
P. O. Box 914, Center Harbor, NH 03226
www.barnesandnoble.com, www.amazon.com www.laurahickey.com
ISBN: 097490130X $5.95

Laura Hickey's Mysterious Chills and Thrills will arouse the imaginations of the young adult fiction audience, speaking to six-year-olds and up in language natural to that age group. The ten stories chronicle adventures with a haunted house, attaches from an evil twin, jewelry that grants wishes for people to disappear, a costume that sentences the wearer to life as a shadow, and more equally bizarre outcomes. Hickey teases the reader with Twilight Zone like prologues accompanying each tale. Although the introductions were enticing, I did find myself disappointed that many of the stories did not appear fully developed, leaving me longing for a little more plot before being hit with an inevitably twisted ending. But, since I am further "up"there than the intended age range for this short story collection, I enlisted a second reader for additional feedback: My eleven-year-old son. He gave every story a "cool" rating. For Ms. Hickey I would say that translates into mission accomplished.

Drifting
Stephanie Gertler
Nal Accent/Penguin Group
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
www.penguin.com www.stephaniegertler.com 1-800-755-6262
ISBN: 0451212630 $6.99

The bond between a mother and her daughter can be stretched until it is nearly severed, but somehow the delicate threads withstand the trauma and continue to provide an avenue of connection. Author Stephanie Gertler explores this mother-daughter connection in its variant forms in her novel Drifting.

Dr. Claire Cherney finds herself steeped in the discomfort of empty nest syndrome after her youngest child, Natalie, goes off to college. The quiet and emptiness off the small bed and breakfast where she and her husband, Eli raised their daughter and son, Jonah while catering to patrons allows for thoughts of Claire's lost mother to creep into the forefront. Sulie walked out on Claire and her father when her daughter was not quite two years old, leaving a gaping want in Jack and a simmering anger in Claire. Her devotion and fierce love for her own children brings up the issue of how her mother could leave her.

As Claire takes steps to force herself out of her funk, Nicolas Pierce and his daughter, Kayla, check into the inn. It is the off-season, so Claire is taken aback but welcoming. The father-daughter duo reminds her of her beloved father who died eighteen years earlier. After recovering Kayla, who is blind, from an excursion on the beach near the inn, Claire becomes caught up with the pair and even more questions about her own mother surface as she wonders on the whereabouts of Kayla's mother. When Claire shares information Nick confided in her with Eli, who is suspicious of Nick from their first meeting, the father and daughter leave the inn quickly while the owners are out. After a little research, Claire and Eli discover the truth of why Kayla's mother was not traveling with her, sparking Claire to seek out her own mother and finally face the woman for whom she has harbored resentment for over forty years.

Gertler is a writer who is able to communicate emotion that expresses itself as a nearly tangible object to be held and manipulated, allowing the reader something to cling to. Drifting has a heartbeat, each page pulses with anticipation, fear, and hope. The writer has developed real life characters with real life problems that go beyond being believable: they are actual situations that can be read in a newspaper, seen on a television news show, or watched as they unfold in one's own family. The author exhibits impressive control over very difficult but timely subject matter. Drifting is an excellent read penned by a skilled, thoughtful writer.

Melissa Brown Levine
Reviewer


Lori's Bookshelf

Above All, Honor
Radclyffe
Bookends Press
PO Box 14513, Gainesville, FL 32604
http://www.bookendspress.com
ISBN: 0972492623 $17.50 216 pgs

Blair Powell is an artist living in New York City. She has spent years in the limelight, first as the only child of a governor, then after her father becomes president, as First Daughter to the widowed Powell. She's one of the most recognizable women in the world and must behave perfectly, assist her father, and periodically attend state dinners and international functions. Blair can hardly remember a time when she wasn't trailed by a contingent of Secret Service agents. But she has grown tired of this gig especially because she has spent years hiding something very important. The daughter of the president of the United States is gay.

How can Blair have a life, a relationship, or any privacy at all with a protective detail shadowing her every move? She becomes adept at slipping away from her protectors, and this becomes a major problem. Every seedy bar she enters, every apartment she sneaks off to, every unscheduled visit to a store or gym could potentially spell disaster for her. But to have freedom is more important to Blair than her own safety.

And then the attractive, honorable, and imminently capable Agent Cameron Roberts is brought in to whip the team into shape and crack down on Blair's incorrigible actions. No longer can Blair be allowed to run free. This doesn't square with Blair's needs and desires. She believes that "the handsome agent saw her only as an assignment an object to be moved, contained, and controlled on some giant chessboard. Blair might be the queen, but she had been stripped of her power. She was ruled by pawns, and she hated it. Especially when her keeper was a woman so attractive that she felt a twinge of desire every time she saw her" (p. 56).

Chess is a good analogy for the game of feints and dodges that goes on between the two women, one determined to keep Blair safe at any costs, the other determined to maintain her autonomy and freedom. Cameron is honorable and plays by the book. She will not surrender to her own emotions, even as she begins to feel more for Blair than she thinks she should. Neither woman fully realizes the danger that surrounds them, for there are forces at work behind the scenes that could bring death and disaster to Blair and anyone around her. Will Cameron be able to protect Blair? And can she protect her own heart from the growing affection she feels?

This is a classic lesbian romance with all the angst, all the action, and all the twists and turns that any reader could want. Not only did Radclyffe nail the Secret Service details and all the procedural issues facing a team responsible for such an important assignment, she is also right on with both of these engaging characters. Cameron and Blair are multifaceted, sexy, bull-headed, and downright fascinating. No wonder the author has been able to write a whole series. I look forward to reading the next book, HONOR BOUND. Highest recommendation.

The Gift
Verda Foster
Intaglio Publications
PO Box 357474, Gainesville, Florida 32635
www.intagliopub.com
ISBN: 1933113030 $17.50 212 pgs

Charming Cross-Genre Romance

Lindsay Ryan, a redhead who looks like "an older, Irish version of Shirley Temple," has no family to speak of and has been a loner for much of her life. It's not due to her looks she's a nice-looking mid-thirties-aged gal. But she's hiding a secret, which has kept her from getting close to anyone. She has recently moved to a new town and hasn't been at her job for many months when she is confronted with a vision so compelling, so palpable, and so frightening that she is moved to warn the family of a child she keeps "seeing" victimized.

Police detective Rachel Todd is sent out to investigate a stalker case and meets Lindsay, the alleged stalker. The two take an immediate dislike to one another, especially when Rachel decides Lindsay is some sort of lunatic and has her jailed. Rachel has been alone for the last few years after losing the people most important to her, and she's not too good with the touchy-feely stuff. She's focused on the day-to-day of her gritty, demanding job.

Both women's lives are turned upside down when Lindsay's visions start coming true. Rachel has to decide whether to believe Lindsay or not and before a plot of murder, kidnapping, and abuse is exposed, Lindsay will have to draw on reserves of strength she didn't realize she had. Rachel, too, must learn to trust in this cross-genre action/romance about two hearts who have loved and lost, but with any luck at all may be found once again. Entertaining and recommended.

Everyday Calm: 30 Ways to Soothe Your Inner Beast
Eric Maisel
Red Wheel Book Publishers
368 Congress St. 4th Floor, Boston, MA 02210
www.redwheelweiser.com
ISBN: 1590030796 $12.95 30 pgs

Do you often feel uptight? Unable to relax? Not finding it possible to have time for yourself to unwind and create a place of serenity?

With this latest card deck, creativity coach, writer, and psychologist Eric Maisel says, "Today is the day to be calm. Not yesterday. Not tomorrow." Maisel's simple, easy-to-use daily program to "soothe your inner beast" will help you achieve little moments of calm and serenity in your day. Each card contains a truth about being soothed, of finding calmn in the midst of chaos.

In an introductory section, Maisel tells us that using these cards will "teach you strategies for quieting your mind chatter, eliminating your negative self-talk, relaxing your body, and reducing your overall stress." All you do is take one card each day randomly or in order and reflect upon the advice and affirmations there. It's really quite simple and fast, too. After using these cards for the last few weeks, I can say that they've made me stop and think about how frenetic and crazy things can get. The first step toward becoming calmer is realizing when we aren't calm. As Maisel says, breath awareness, self-forgiveness, selective inattention, lack of sleep and many other things get in the way of feeling calm and serene.

Get these cards and try them out. You can use them with your partner or kids or friends or coworkers. Each one offers valuable advice and information that is well-worth discussing with people in your life. Or you can reflect upon the issues and ideas on your own. Either way, "Everyday Calm" is a great tool to use to find little corners of peace in a demanding and frustrating world.

Lori L. Lake, Reviewer
http://www.lorillake.com/


Margaret's Bookshelf

Moving Again Mom
Angela Sportelli-Rehak, author
Gregg Hinlicky, illustrator
Abidenme Books
PO Box 144, Island Heights, NJ 08732-0144
0971451524 $16.95 www.unclesamskids.com

The second book in the brand new Uncle Sam's Kids series, Moving Again Mom is the picturebook story of a family who must relocate. The youngest child is sad because she will miss her best friend. Learning to make the best of life's hardships, and cultivating one's inner strength in forging lasting connections, is a theme brought through the narrative text and inviting color illustrations. Highly recommended reading, especially for families who need to acclimate young children to the unfortunate reality of having to move.

The Land of Sokmunster
Mike Kunkel and Randy Heuser
The Astonish Factory
c/o Sphinx Group - Florida Office
14104 Beauville Court, Tampa, FL 33624
0972125922 $14.95 www.theastonishfactory.com

The Land of Sokmunster is a wildly adventurous and remarkably wordy picturebook about a young boy's adventure in the Land of Sokmunster, where a lost sock learns of friendship, an old sock king discovers forgiveness, and a boy ingrains the meaning of responsibility and caring for others. The sketchy artwork and its splashes of color help spell out the convoluted tale, which at fifty-five pages is lengthy by picturebook standards and of almost intermediate reading level, perfect for young people about ready to make the transition from picture books to more complex stories.

Zollie Goes West
Gary Consilio, author
Andrea Karcic, illustrator
Safari Express
PO Box 25592, Garfield Hts., Ohio 44125
0974262307 $15.95 www.zollie.net

Zollie Goes West is the first of a picturebook series meant to teach children valuable life lessons. Following the imagination of Zollie the Zebra as he goes to the library and learns about the amazing world of the West, as well as the connections between himself and a donkey - though they look very different, they are at heart similar. A powerful message of tolerance, acceptance, and the importance of striving for self-improvement pervade this upbeat children's book. Highly recommended.

What Are Parents?
Kyme Fox-Lee and Susan Fox-Lee, authors
Randy Jennings, illustrator
StoryTyme Publishing
7909 Walegra Road, Suite 112, PMB 178, Antelope, CA 95843
0975369903 $15.95 www.StoryTymePublishing.com

What Are Parents? is an upbeat, friendly picturebook follows the questions of an infant to journeys through a birthday hospital wondering, "What are Parents"? Clear, bright color illustrations sharply contrasted with thick outlines bring to life the celebrations of parenthood and new mothers and fathers of all types sharing the joy of holding their newborn children, and embarking upon the long, difficult, and ultimately rewarding experience of raising a human being. A delight to read aloud and share with the very young.

Musical Storyland
David Bowie, author
Jamilla Naji, illustrator
Worlds In Ink Publishing
3707 Fifth Avenue #132, San Diego, CA 92103-4221
0974556807 $19.95 www.WorldsInInk.com

Musical Storyland is a sing-along book featuring an enclosed CD with song tracks written by author and popular music artist David Bowie. The picturebook offers thrilling color artworks reminiscent of murals, illustrating each sing-out-loud song. An upbeat joy to experience and share. "When I Live My Dream": When I live my dream I'll take you with me / Riding on a golden horse / We'll live within my castle with people there to serve you / Happy at the sound of your voice...

John's Smiley Faces
Gina Ditta-Donahue, author
Anne Catharine Blake, illustrator
Magination Press
PO Box 92984, Washington, DC 20090-2984
1591470005 $14.95 1-800-374-2721 www.maginationpress.com

John's Smiley Faces: A Story About Anger is a book for parents and children alike that doubles as a useful teaching tool that instructs children in the importance of learning how to manage anger, and shows adults ways to help children channel their emotions into productive forces. Offering a "smiley faces" program that reinforces rewards for acceptable behavior and has limit-setting consequences for inappropriate physical expressions, John's Smiley Faces combines a simple narrative and a powerful step-by-step instructional that is extremely useful for teaching young people valuable life lessons. In a note to parents, a psychologist discusses both the value of anger and the critical importance of developing good coping skills early.

Learning To Slow Down And Pay Attention
Kathleen G. Nadeau & Ellen B. Dixon, authors
Charles Beyl, illustrator
Magination Press
PO Box 92984, Washington, DC 20090-2984
1591471559 $14.95 1-800-374-2721 www.maginationpress.com

Expert clinical psychologists Nadeau and Dixon have created an absolute must-have for young folks struggling to get a handle on their own ADHD. Now in its third edition, updated with more notes and resources for parents, Learning To Slow Down And Pay Attention is a straightforward self-help book written especially for children with Attention Defecit Disorder with Hyperactivity. The friendly, no-nonsense text offers practical advice and tips, for learning to relax, staying focused, remembering stuff, getting homework done, making friends and more, all without talking down to its young audience. Whimsical black-and-white cartoons help illustrate and reinforce the offered guidelines.

Mommy, Is It Kwanzaa Yet?
Barbara Ann Johnson-Stokes, author
Jumaah I. Johnson, illustrator
Baad Publishing Company
PO Box 1234, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034-0034
0972592105 $11.99

Mommy, Is It Kwanzaa Yet? is a picturebook that teaches young people about the holiday of Kwanzaa - an event that celebrates the abolition of slavery and the remnants of culture African-Americans have retained from their African heritage. The text is of intermediate level, though it presents understanding of the holiday through a young person's eyes it does deal with some fairly advanced and abstract concepts. The artwork is very simple, akin to what a gifted child could create with basic materials, and reinforces the youth-appeal and identification message of this educational introduction.

Ingrown Tyrone
Tolya L. Thompson, author
Brian Harrold, illustrator
Savor Publishing House
6020 Broken Bow Drive, Citrus Heights, CA 95621
0970829620 $16.00 1-866-762-7898 www.savorpublishing.com

Ingrown Tyrone is a simple children's picturebook that teaches young readers about a common health problem, as well as valuable lessons of self-esteem and acceptance. Ingrown toenails are, of course, a common podiatric problem treated among children of all ages, and young people often learn the hard way how critically important foot care and footwear is. In Ingrown Tyrone, the exploits of a young African-American boy learning to take proper care of himself and respect himself are presented with dazzling, jump-off-the-page full color illustrations meant to captivate the eye and drive home the story. An excellent book to share with young people, whether for storytime, bedtime, or general learning about good health habits.

Arthur
Kathleen Duey
Big Guy Books, Inc.
7750 El Camino Real, Ste F, Carlsbad, CA 92009
1929945051 $15.95 1-760-334-1222 www.bigguybooks.com

Book four in the "Time Soldiers" series originally created by Robert Gould, Arthur is a truly fantastic picturebook about a group of children called upon to serve the greater good through different amazing eras. Previous storybooks transported them to ages of dinosaurs and pirates; Arthur brings them to the time of Arthur's destiny, and they must dodge villains and even face a greedy, fearsome dragon to keep the wondrous events of history and mythology in balance. Perhaps the most distinctive feature of the Time Soldiers series in general and Arthur in particular is its absolutely stunning visuals - illustrated with full-color photographs, some mundane, some caputring magical beings all with a passion that leaps off the very page and impresses the simple story into one's heart. Highly recommended.

The Greatest Gift
Rainey, author
Karin Huggens, illustrator
DreamDog Press
3686 King Street, Suite 160, Alexandria, Virginia 22302-1921
0966619935 $9.50 www.dreamdog.com

The Greatest Gift is a combination book and sing-along CD that teaches young people about the joy of giving, rather than just focusing on "I want..." or "Give me...". Colorful creatures CiCi and Ace discover the value of reinforcing friendship by exchanging homemade gifts and cherishing each moment together. In addition to being splendidly illustrated with cheery color paintings throughout the picturebook, the song lyrics are all repeated inside the back cover to facilitate sing-along fun. An educational and uplifting, character-building picture book meant to be shared.

The Sidewalk Rescue
Hazel Hutchins, author
Ruth Ohi, illustrator
Annick Press Ltd.
c/o Firefly Books Ltd.
4 Daybreak Lane, Westport, CT 06880
1550378317 $19.95 1-800-387-5085 www.annickpress.com

Award winning author and illustrator duo Hazel Hutchins and Ruth Ohi present The Sidewalk Rescue, an amusing picturebook about sidewalk chalk drawings, adventurous and imaginative tales. Lighthearted color illustrations and and enthusiastic writing style characterize this upbeat tale, which encourages the development of creative thinking and storytelling. Delightful to read and share, and a fun introduction to the pleasnt pasttime of sidewalk chalk art.

You're Wonderful
Debbie Clement
Rainbows Withn Reach
c/o Express Fulfillment (dist.)
1000 F Taylor Station Rd., Columbus, OH 43230
0970598742 $19.95 1-614-856-9595 www.rainbowswithinreach.com

Written and composed by Debbie Clement, winner of the Ella Lyman Cabot Award for her excellence in music programs for young children with special needs, You're Wonderful is a song and picturebook for promoting self-esteem. An included music CD offers both vocal and instrumental versions of a very simple esteem-building song: I think you're wonderful / I think you're marvelous / I think you're beautiful, and magical / and filled with curiosity and dreams. The book is filled with colorful abstract art mosaics that captivate the eye along with the written lyrics. An amazing multimedia experience meant to share rapport with young people and teach them to have pride in themselves.

The Girl on the Yellow Giraffe
Ronald Himler
Star Bright Books
The Star Building, 42-26 28th Street, Suite 2C, Long Island City, NY 11101
1932065938 $15.95 1-800-788-4439 www.starbrightbooks.com

Featuring gentle watercolor illustrations by accomplished and award-winning artist Ronald Himler, The Girl on the Yellow Giraffe is a simple story about the power of imagination, and the wondrous visions a young girl sees as she travels a busy city neighborhood with her mother. Ordinary streets are transformed into avenues from a fairy tale, in this delightful and adventurous picturebook. An excellent story blending daily life and fantasy, meant to be read aloud.

Margaret Lane
Reviewer


Medb's Bookshelf

Schott's Original Miscellany
Ben Schott
Bloomsbury USA
ISBN: 1582343497 $14.95 144 pages

Untimely Death of Musicians
Chet Baker, death by defenestration, aged 58
Marc Bolan, overdose of tree while driving, aged 29
Buddy Holly, killed in "that" plane crash, aged 22
Gene Vincent, general rock'n'roll excess, aged 36
Denis Wilson, drowned; Beach Boy not Buoy, aged 39

excerpt from "Untimely Death of Musicians", page 28, Schott's Original Miscellany by Ben Schott

The deceptively thin Schott's Original Miscellany is a large and delightful collection of bizarre, interesting, or even sometimes useful bits of trivia such as how to wrap a sari, the knights of the Round Table, a discussion on pencil hardness and a the "to be or not to be" speech presented in Pig Latin.

Schott presents his facts in a completely serious manner that disguises a bit of dry wit. I read the book from cover to cover, sometimes laughing, sometimes saying "I didn't know that!" and sometimes just agog at the fact that such information is collected in one tome. I mean, where else could you find instructions for measuring bra size on the page facing the schematic of Dante's Inferno?

This is a five star book all the way and would make a perfect gift for any trivia fan. I'm just sorry I waited so long to buy it and I'm not sure how I ever lived without having the Irish Code Duello or Archaic Golf Club Nomenclature or various Sesquipedalians at my fingertips. Thanks Mr. Schott I look forward to the next two!

Evening in the Palace of Reason
James R. Gaines
Fourth Estate (to be released March 1, 2005)
ISBN: 0007156588 $23.95 288 pages

In music and virtually every other sphere of life in mid-eighteenth-century Germany, Frederick represented all that was new and fashionable, while Bach's music had come to stand for everything ancient and outmoded.

Evening in the Palace of Reason is a joint biography of J. S. Bach and Frederick the Great two prominent, and very different, historical figures. Gaines begins his tale with their first and only meeting. Frederick, the Enlightenment's poster child, scorns Bach and his music as old fashioned, unsightly and worst of all religious. He presents Bach with two musical challenges, which Bach responds to in his typical fashion.

After this initial introduction, Gaines begins the biographies of these two great men, recording their extreme dissimilarities and showing how these would culminate into Fredrick's difficult test, and Bach's equally difficult rejoinder. Into their stories, Gaines weaves many different threads musical history, musical theory, theology, religious history, philosophy and the basic history of their time and place to create a complex background on which to place the two, making for a detailed and fascinating story.

There were few "dull" places, though I did find some of the music theory hard-going, due to my lack of pre-knowledge. However, I came away from reading Evening in the Palace of Reason with a firmer grasp of not only Bach and Frederick, but counterpoint, Lutheranism, the 18th century, Prussian history and many more things I knew nothing about before I picked up the book!Though this is a scholarly work, Gaines did not target a purely scholarly audience, and as a result it can be enjoyed by layperson or historian alike.

I did find a few faults with this work, the most aggrieving being the lack of dates. Though I am a history enthusiast myself, I still need solid, concrete dates to place an incident within the framework of what was occurring in other parts of the world. Despite knowing when the Enlightenment "occurred", I would have preferred dates on the essential issues, such as the year of their births, the year in which they met, the year in which anything occurred. I found this lack of dates to be a continual frustration.

Otherwise, except for a few passages that were simply not well written, Gaines has done an admirable job with Evening in the Palace of Reason. This is a great read for amateur social or music historians, or biography aficionados. I thoroughly enjoyed it and rate it a solid four out of five.

Eats, Shoots and Leaves: the Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation
Lynne Truss
Gotham Books/Penguin Group
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
ISBN: 1592400876 $17.50 240 pages

"That imaginative chap Charlemagne (forward-looking Holy Roman Emperor) stirred things up in the 9th century when Alcuin of York came up with a system of positurae at the ends of sentences (including one of the earliest question marks), but to be honest western systems of punctuation were damned unsatisfactory for the next five hundred years until one man one fabulous Venetian printer finally wrestled with the issue and pinned it to the mat. That man was Aldus Manutius the Elder (1450-1515) and I will happily admit I hadn't heard of him until about a year ago, but am now absolutely kicking myself that I never volunteered to have his babies."
Eats, Shoots & Leaves (The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation) by Lynne Truss

Lynne Truss is a Punctuation Stickler, Her "zero tolerance approach" encourages other sticklers to go out into the punctuationaly-challenged world armed with White-out, sticky apostrophes, markers and the like to change signs and posters and get punctuation correct. She even advocates more drastic measures such as weapons and wishes for natural disasters: "If you still persist in writing, 'Good food at it's best', you deserve to be struck by lightning, hacked up on the spot and buried in an unmarked grave."

Eats, Shoots and Leaves is not the typical punctuation instruction manual. It is a lively and spirited book filled with humorous, yet entirely appropriate, examples to make her point that good punctuation is extremely necessary; it's not just about sticking to the rules, it's about writing intelligibly. For instance, "a woman, without her man, is nothing" has a completely different meaning than when those same words are punctuated as "a woman: without her, man is nothing." Wow, I said. She's right! Punctuation IS important.

Truss gives easy to understand instructions as to where and when and how to use such wonderful marks as apostrophes, commas, dashes, colons, semicolons, exclamation marks, ellipses, parentheses, brackets, and more. In addition, she gives a brief and fascinating history of the amazingly recent creation and use of punctuation. I had no idea punctuation was so new!

Truss also tickles the funny bone with example after example of punctuation misuse and abuse. Her chapter on the correct use of dashes and ellipses made me quite ashamed of my email habits, as I saw myself in many of her bad examples.

Eats, Shoots and Leaves is a cheery, enjoyable read about a subject I never expected to find cheerful or enjoyable. I have to give this book five stars, because not only did I come away much wiser and more vigilant about punctuation, I was highly entertained during the entire book. Thanks, Lynne, for waking me up and (hopefully) re-educating me about proper punctuation!

Auriel Rising
Elizabeth Redfern
G. P. Putnam's Sons
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
ISBN: 0399151052 $24.95 386 pages

"To Auriel, I will give the gift of gold. After the night of long and false captivity, the golden SUN is about to rise, and all this by the power of the Stone, lapis ex caelis; for be sure that as Auriel rises the LION shall fall."

So began the letter that would change Ned Warriner's life, that winter of 1609. He found it inside a leather volume that he had won at dice; after a bit of research, he determines it to be an alchemist's letter, the recipe for gold. Nothing is ever as simple as it seems, though, and this letter had the uncanny ability to bring death to those who saw it and talked about it.

Ned has just returned to London from exile and his former patron isn't as patronizing as Ned had anticipated, the love of his life has married one of his ill-wishers and his brother's business and life is in danger. Not exactly the homecoming he had expected.

His interest about the Auriel letter goes no farther than curiosity, but as he soon discovers, there are others that find it of much more significance. Ned finds that he has endangered his friends and family and a whole host of innocent others as this search for Auriel's gold becomes the center of political intrigue.

Having read Redfern's first novel (The Music of the Spheres), I was pleased to see the publication of her second novel. The plot of Auriel Rising is sound and thorough, bringing together many different points that seemed to have no possible connection. Ned Warriner is a likable protagonist, he and most of the other characters are convincing and on the whole the novel was fully credible. As an mix of alchemy and treason, it makes an intriguing read and I rate it a solid four out of five.

Medb, Reviewer
http://www.arachibutyrophobia.com/bibliophilia/


Molly's Bookshelf

We Both Read About Dinosaurs
Sindy McKay
Robert Walters, illustrator
Treasure Bay
17 Parkgrove Drive, South San Francisco, CA 94080
www.webothread.com www.amazon.com
ISBN: 1891327532 $3.99

Exciting Read . Recommended .. 5 stars

About Dinosaurs is another in the We Both Read series. Writer McKay has crafted an excellent tool for parents, teachers and children alike. With the advice of dinosaur specialist and paleontologist, Dr Matthew Lamanna and talents of paleo artist, illustrator Robert Walters, McKay's nicely crafted work is sure to please. McKay offers the reader a peek into lives of many of the hoary beasts we know as dinosaurs. Size, color, food and eating habits, mode of walking, protective strategies, possible coloration are all offered for reader consideration.

Text used may be challenging for the youngest readers however; most children are fascinated by dinosaurs, and have little problem tackling even the 'hard' words in a book about the critters. About Dinosaurs offers page after page of dinosaurs. There is factual information concerning them and opportunity for parents or teachers and children to read the work together. The joint reading format causes dinosaurs to be more reachable for even the youngest children even as it allows weaker readers the opportunity to attempt reading the 'child' page after Mom or other adult has read the 'adult' page.

Reading level suggested is grades 1 to 2; the book should not be restricted to only these two grades. Younger children will also enjoy looking at the pictures and hearing some of the information found on the pages. The 6 and 7 year olds will enjoy reading in the both read mode while older peer mentors will have a fine time reading the 'adult' page to the younger kids. Because the book is not a 'story book,' About Dinosaurs lends itself to use as a whole, or as a page or two at a time. I particularly like the addition of a photo or two of modern dinosaurs. And, as a teacher I liked the pages detailing 'other words to know' and Name Roots.

About Dinosaurs has a place in the home library, the school library and in classroom science units. Children will enjoy reading the book together as they work on a specific science study.

Nicely done, happy to recommend.

Tea and Chocolates
Jo Janoski
Publish America
PO Bx 151 Frederick MD 21705
ISBN: 1413725937 $12.95

Interesting read . Recommended 4 stars

The year was 1914. Two houses stood near one another on a Pittsburgh street. In one was a girl living in luxury. In the other was a girl living in poverty. The lives of Emily McNamara and Gracie Rooney were to be intertwined despite Gracie's dogged attempts to see that they were not. The girls met first as children entering school for the first time. Emily's wealthy mother did not appear to see her child's loneliness. Mrs Rooney only looked in envy at the big house where Emily lived as she imagined what Mrs Mc Namara might think and do. Each child was shaped in part by her mother's words and feelings for the life of the other. Gracie's near overwhelming jealously for the life she believed Emily to live grew until she was nearly overcome with it. As the years passed and the girls became women Emily quietly went about doing what she thought was good for those around her while Gracie allowed herself to be used by a man bent upon artifice. Gracie was unaware that Emily was the one who provided the refuge Gracie needed when she was the most desperate. Gracie's marriage to a kindly doctor provided some of the style and money Gracie had long sought. However, her resentfulness toward Emily continued unabated. The Great Depression, widowhood and loss of much of what life has to offer are all part of this tale of two women who live lives close in proximity, distant in substance.

Jo Janoski has woven a puissant tale around the lives of two very different women. Writer Janoski is a poet, photographer and now a writer of compelling novels. Tea and Chocolates is an absorbing tale featuring a well written and interesting premise. Reader attention is caught from the opening lines as we meet Emily preparing for school. Energy moves the narrative along. Dialogue is used to introduce the reader to the character of each of the major players. Backgrounds are filled with enough detail to draw the reader into the setting. The characters of Emily and Gracie are well fleshed, plausible and forceful. Janoski has deftly snared the basic nature of variance inherent to us all and presents a full picture of human nature with wit and style in this easily read fast paced work.

Gracie, who is depicted in the full ignominy of a woman consumed with wanting what she believes someone else has, is a calamitous figure. Gracie sets out to better herself only to find that she has worsened her state even more. Emily too knows suffering before the tale runs its course.

Dialogue is masterfully directed as the various players interact with one another. Writer Janoski presents a excellent and highly entertaining work in Tea and Chocolates.

A book to be enjoyed by high school age young women and by adults alike. Happy to recommend.

Molly Martin, Reviewer
http://www.angelfire.com/ok4/mollymartin


Nancy's Bookshelf

Everybody Scream!
Jeffrey Thomas
Raw Dog Screaming Press
ISBN 0974503193 $15.95 290 pages

Everybody Scream! is very much like a carnival. On the outside it's a whole world of eye candy, visually appealing colors, unique people, smells of greasy concession stands, and the thrill of the rides. Inside the carnival it is very different, secretive, disturbing, and rarely what it seems. Amid the bevy of faces, the smiles hide the demons, and they never work alone. All walks of life are welcome, but there are still the freaks among the freaks. Jeffrey Thomas gives us an unusual but eventful day of an annual fair set in the neurotic and infamous Punktown.

We're introduced to a surfeit of characters that manage to get themselves into one catastrophe after another. Where one addiction starts, another follows, like a worm that eats its way through their apple-flesh. No one is spared, but that's all part of the deranged fun. Behind the rides, among the roller coasters and flying machines, the inhabitants of Punktown troll the fair with all their angst, insecurities, and disgust for life tucked not so neatly away. It's about the next thrill, the next victim, and the next conquest while life itself becomes the blur you experience on the super fast rides.

The body count rises, people are missing, suspicion mounts, and still the park is alive and full with the melodic sounds of screams to mask the truth. From Del and Sophi, a couple with a multitude of problems in their relationship, to Pearl a performer with a parasitic twin, an entity she both takes care of and envies; they are just a few of the racy pawns in this wild game of a story.

Jeffrey Thomas has a surreal ability to get to the heart and deep in the headspace of every emotion his characters experience. Each sentence is a clear depiction of thought and inner voice to make me care about the person, even if I don't want to. For every vile act, there is still the human inside, and whether I agree with their actions or not, I'm along for their journey. Throughout the book I'm either cringing or smirking at its taut balance of lyrical disorder. Everybody Scream! will speak to everyone a little different. Full of edge, honesty, pain, and eroticism, it will satisfy any insatiable appetite looking for a damn fine read.

Ray McMickle and the Kentucky Vampire Clan
Steve Zinger
1st Books
ISBN 1414044631 $14.95 212 pages

Ray McMickle and the Kentucky Vampire Clan is a quick and satisfying story, with enough suspense to get your blood going. A loner doesn't fear being lost; it's actually quite familiar territory. The fear comes to fruition when you find an evil force that threatens to pull you in without consent or choice. Welcome to Lebanon Junction, Kentucky. Roy Stanich makes the mistake of venturing into a desolate old town that is known more for it's odd Woolly Worm Festival a little event to take advantage of some quick tourism. Right from the start things go wrong, and his presence is both unwanted and very much craved. Things aren't quite what they seem in Lebanon Junction and neither are the people.

All Roy wants to do is get to Meridian, Mississippi, but for some unknown reason, and by some mysterious force, he is unable to leave. Nightmares plague his mind, he hears strange voices, but nothing makes sense.

Enter Ray McMickle leader of a group of vampires, servant of the Black Hand. He believes in his ceremonies, and takes great pride in making others do what he wants. But even he has his limits. Once he sets his sights on the newcomer, he threatens to remove Roy of his soul. He is a dangerous creature with the ability to spread nothing but pure evil.

We are introduced to one unusual character after another. Mesmerelda is the beautiful redhead of the whorehouse, with her own secrets and stories. Scooter, the bartending Rastaman, tries to help Ray but instead puts his life on the line. Milly, an elusive woman who appears whenever she pleases is linked closely to an old ghost story rumor. And Smelly Jesus is an eccentric gent with the ability to see things and reeks of something foul.

Between the engaging dialogue, haunting sensuality, and the darkness that plays with your mind, it's a brilliant read. Steve Zinger has an eye for honest Southern detail and true gothic style. The ambience seeps right through the pages as you read, to the point you might as well reach out and grab a handful of it. Ray McMickle and the Kentucky Vampire Clan reads with sheer velocity, enough to have you to the end in one sitting.

This is an author to keep your eye on. His imagery, detail, and unique stories of vampires are exceptional. Make sure to also check out The Sab, another gothic gem that packs a hell of a punch.

Slayer
Karen Koehler
KHP Publisher
ISBN 0974768014 $15.00 308 pgs

Sexy and dangerous. Those words aren't only to describe the writing style of author Karen Koehler, but also to describe Slayer, a vampire novel that will leave you breathless by the end. Not only intelligent and thorough, Slayer opens you up to a world of the dhampiri's; creatures that have evolved from what we know as vampires. Trust me when I say this is completely different even if you are absolutely convinced you couldn't stand to read another book on vampires I promise you will find yourself entranced from the get go.

We are first introduced to Alex Knight, the quintessential vampire hunter and a master at his art of assassination. He slays vampires with skill, wisdom, and rogue panache. His supernatural powers enable him to be the best at what he does. For the fallen, the weak, and the brigade of vampires he is their enemy and demands the very poisonous essence they hold inside. It is a sleek ride into the underworld and what happens when it collides with our world.

Slayer has a rare complexity in its intense plotline. There is nothing repetitive of other vampire novels; it is in a class all its own. Vampires are my favorite and I've been reading several books about them as of late. Each one touches on a mere myth of the vampire and fully evolves into a story brimming of unique and imaginative settings. From the first paragraph I was swept away into a whole new world and damn did I enjoy the escape!

Karen Koehler brings a stylish touch to Alex Knight. Not only do you delve into his dark world, but you also get caught up in the action that plays out almost before your eyes. I was also enraptured by the ancient ways the vampire hunter honors. There is a lot of history here, which makes it even more intriguing to read. It doesn't let your mind stop working, or your blood stop pumping. Your adrenaline will get a workout. The characters are an amazing depiction of each and every one of us; lone characters that roam together or apart, each with individual traits. In any world, even the underworld, there are those fueled by thoughts, obsessions, cravings, desires, and danger. To say this is thrilling would be a severe understatement.

Everything within the realm of Slayer is detailed. From the weapon of Alex's choice; a 400-year-old Double Serpent Katana sword, to his reasons for the attack on vampires, to the very dark alleys he protects, you gain a strong sense of understanding and clarity. I found myself holding my breath more times than I care to mention. When I get locked into a character's headspace, than I know I'm reading about a character I will care about and continue to think about, even after I've finished. It also shows me that the author knows what she is doing, and I can certainly say that about Karen Koehler.

The Lost Village
Mark Edward Hall
Page Free Publishing Inc.
ISBN 1589610601 $19.95 508 pages

Between the never-ending battles of good vs. evil, there stands a secluded patch of land known as James Village, Maine. The Lost Village takes us on a quest, an exhaustive journey of human emotions, pain, suffering, and wanderlust. It takes us on an inner exploration of those very themes, and the inhabitants that reside there. From the haunting cover, rich with the infusions of blood stained tears of lost children, to the final page where one can actually catch their breath this is a genuine must read!

Mark Edward Hall is an insightful author with the ability to craft a brilliant story to speak to any reader of all genres. Throughout the prolific and sometimes somber story, the readers will be forced to question their own level of thought and conscience. He bestows upon each individual his vast ideas of a unique frame of mind, where you hope to wake up, but find solace in the realm between. It's a multifaceted story where you want to pay attention, because things go on many different routes. Each character is realistic with their own set of baggage, desires, despairs, and secrets. With absolute attention to detail, setting, and ambience, you are along for an incredible ride.

James Village is home to a plethora of strange and unexplained events, giving it a history that is dark and unpleasant. Sadly children have gone missing, yet the lack of grief among the families is unsettling. The ambience of the village is reminiscent of a walk through a forest late at night with a thick fog, disabling your view and fueling your imagination with disturbing apparitions. It's the unnerving realization someone or something may be watching you, but still you stumble on in the dark, hoping you don't lose your way or your mind. The Lost Village also suggests we as humans are far too removed from our past, ignoring it and seeing only what we're told to see. When we take a step back and dig from our insides, we may not like the outcome, but it's a part of us. The legacies and ancestry behind us may be a wake up call for the here and now.

The characters are well developed and thought out with qualities that allow you to forgive whatever sins they have. Within the pages of The Lost Village are the disappearances of the children, as well as their return. It's a constant uncovering of times, places, and the forgotten, with an ending that will surprise you. The most terrifying part of this compelling and supernatural story is that it borders on reality. I look forward to reading all of Mark Edward Hall's work.

BoyFistGirlSuck
Hertzan Chimera and Alex Severin
Massacre Publications
Vile001 $15.99 212 pages

BoyFistGirlSuck is a collection of twenty-eight stories that twist, mesmerize, abuse and play with your mind and senses. It's difficult to walk away from these without feeling a bit imbalanced and off kilter, though it's also the pure fun of it as well. While sometimes an extravagant descent into brutal inner thoughts and poignant dark matter, it also speaks clearly to the heart and soul of what it means to be human. From the creative mind and body of two innovative writers, Hertzan Chimera and Alex Severin, this is an explosive read.

Separated into three parts: Hors 'd oeuvres, Main Course and Dessert, there's bound to be something to get your finicky palate going. Of the twenty-eight offerings, I will touch on the ones that have stayed with me most.

There is poetry and grace to "Koda" both surreal and mesmerizing. Meiki ghosts roam, visions of love and death, sex and death, and the afterglow of death. Here are thoughts of someone who waits, thoughts that scour their lust for the dead. It's bittersweet humanity.

While "The Coat of Many Cunts" has an abrasive title, it is a favorite. It's a very open and honest depiction from a woman, a being, a vessel that has been lost on a journey, though knew very little of its true origin to begin with. I think there are many that can relate to the thoughts here, written with potent emotional power.

"The Compelling Iridescence of her Flesh" also shows shades of beauty. The story reads to me as if this "flesh" is somewhat like a flaw or scar. So ugly to one, yet so enchanting to another. It's almost like the way society puts a spotlight on a flaw, magnifying it until it's bigger than life. And there's the man who has become obsessed by it, lives and breathes it, until it's the reason for his existence. It's almost a parody of the way many people, vain and diluted, never see things as they really are, but rather, make it into what they want it to be, or who they want them to be.

"Gestation" is probably one of the most repulsive stories I've ever read, but I say that with a devious smile and it's meant as a high compliment. It takes a lot of imagination and clarity to create something this divinely insane. Can't say I'd read this to a loved one over dinner, it gets a little fishy.

"Red, Red, Wine" is about as gritty as the streets the Vampyres walk along. Some may be quite familiar with this one, it's certainly another favorite.

Other standout ditties to dine on include "Drumskin", "Face Seventeen", and "You Die Tonight Chisao".

Throughout all the stories, there are many different themes. Acceptance, isolation, denial, angst, fear, insecurities, wonder, loneliness, and also coping with shame; allowing one permission to think and share their dark thoughts. This is a collection where the rules of society aren't allowed, and a person has the right to just "be". The descriptions are vivid; very real yet lend an otherworldly texture to them. Sure it's not the kind of reading for everybody, but it has a lot to offer and perhaps some may not want to admit how often strange fluidities roam in their own minds. For an alternative read with raw emotions and mental fluctuations, BoyFistGirlSuck will fuel you for hauntingly wet dreams.

Loose Diamonds
Daria Karpova
Loose ID LLC
ISBN 1596320281 $3.99 ebook

Once in awhile I'm looking for a little something different to read, a moment to give my mind a creative break and just sit back with a glass of wine. I was looking for an escapade. Loose Diamonds delivers like a breath of fresh air. Thick with exotic settings, surreal locales, eccentric characters and sexy mystery, it more than pleases the short attention-spanned reader. For something saucy, Daria Karpova works her magic.

Sure there are the stories with the rogue guide who saves the pretty girl and whisks them away on his muscle-bulging body, basically playing hero. Well there's a little different scenario going on in Loose Diamonds, and she goes by the name of Cherise. Our vivacious and lust for life heroine is a girl after my own heart. With plenty of charisma, wit, and splashy dialogue, she makes the suave debonair Bond-style attitude work for her. While we do have the dashingly handsome rogue, Leif, he can't quite get a handle on the fashionable vixen and the two have more than a mere quarrel here and there. Things do get spicy somewhere but when and with whom I'll leave for you to explore.

Spicy however is an understatement as we are treated to a heist, an intriguing vampire, steamy erotica, and some rather expensive diamonds. Who has the diamonds and where is anybody's guess, and the reader gets the delight of being caught up in this wild goose chase. Daria Karpova brings back some fun to the literary forum with a dose of action mixed with adventure, opposites and attractions, and a little whodunit for good measure.

This is a quick read, fast paced, and keeps you glued to each word. Loose Diamonds is a sweet little package of a novella, guaranteed to bring a little color to your cheeks, a rush of adrenaline through your body, and a smile to your face. Daria Karpova incorporates a snappy style that I look forward to reading more of.

Nancy Jackson
Reviewer


Paul's Bookshelf

Inner Coach, Outer Power
Keith Varnum
New Dimensions Publishing
11248 North 11th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85020
http://www.thedream.com
ISBN 0972269908, $16.95, 320 pages

Using the author's own experiences, this book tells how anyone can free themselves from emotional and psychological boundaries and embrace the possibilities inherent in this thing called life.

There are lifelong spirit guides that Varnum calls Ascended Masters, nonphysical beings who impart their wisdom to him. Occasionally, they have to use the equivalent of a kick in the rear end when the author isn't "listening." Perhaps the author's bout of blindness, from which he cured himself, was some sort of mainfestation of him going in the wrong spiritual direction. There are a number of experiences which most of us would call "coincidence" or "just one of those things," but Varnum realizes is his inner coach pointing him in the right spiritual direction.

In his continual quest for spiritual education, Varnum gets much too close to what turns out to be a soul-destroying cult. Among the things experienced in this book are: talking to nonphysical teachers, out of body travel, time travel, near death experiences, reliving other lifetimes and experiencing miracles. Then there were the times that the author communicated with plants (and they communicated back), and he completely healed a very broken wrist within just a few minutes using reiki healing.

The old saying goes something like, "When the student is ready, the teacher appears." I must not be ready, because I had a very hard time "getting" this book. Whatever the reason, I don't mean to imply for a second that this is any sort of terrible book, because it isn't. I am sure that this book has helped, and will help, a lot of people; I am just not one of them.

Such Men are Dangerous: The Fanatics of 1692 and 2004
Frances Hill
Upper Access Inc Book Publishers
87 Upper Access Road, P.O. Box 457, Hinesburg, VT 05461
http://www.upperaccess.com
ISBN 0942679288, $22.95, 234 pages

This book compares the men behind the Salem Witchcraft Trials of 1692 to the Bush II Administration. The comparisons are distressingly close.

Massachusetts of the 1690s was a very rigid sort of place. Those in power were ideologues who believed that their version of Calvinism was the only way and the only truth. Everyone who came to Massachusetts was required by law to attend Puritan services. Belonging to any other church was forbidden, on pain of banishment or hanging. All dissent was equated to bonding with the devil. The Puritans believed you were "either with us or against us." Since Massachusetts thought itself a place where anyone could find work, poverty was considered a sign of general immorality and probable damnation.

America in 2004 is a place where those on the bottom are blamed instead of helped. Prisons are full of victims of poverty, and each year scores of Americans are legally executed. It stems from a point of view of self-seeking masquerading as righteousness, without regard for social justice. Selfishness is a virtue. Those who can't make it economically are wicked and contemptible. Today's leaders are as inhumane and self-righteous as those of 300 years ago.

Paul Wolfowitz and Minister Cotton Mather tried to emulate their famous fathers. They both also see only what they want to see, and are slippery and self-serving in argument. Deputy Governor William Stoughton and Donald Rumsfeld both hold rigid ideological views, lack humanity and mercy, and are war mongers and hypocrites. Stoughton and Dick Cheney are willing to bend their view of the world to accommodate their pursuit of wealth and power. Magistrate John Hathorne and Richard perle were not part of their respective elites, but they were the first to push their respective agendas. Governor William Phips and George Bush were intellectually lacking, but they did have a talent for forming alliances and cultivating people. They also had very foul mouths and furious tempers, and owed everything to family connections.

It's disheartening to know that Americans have evolved so little in 300 years. This is quite an eye-opener of a book. An interest in Massachusetts of the 1690s would be a big help, but this is still fascinating and thought-provoking. Highly recommended.

Staking Out the Home Landscape
Paul E. Stake
Touchstone Farms
P.O. Box 142, Bozrah, CT 06334-0142
http://www.touchstonefarms.com
ISBN 0971917205, $18.75 348 pages

This book consists of a series of newspaper columns on gardening, published between 1995-2002 in the Willimantic, Connecticut Chronicle. Stake was a professor in the University of Connecticut College of Agriculture and Natural Resources for more than 25 years, until failing health forced his early retirement.

A surprisingly large number of topics in the areas of gardening and landscape management are covered in this book. Gardening is not something that happens just during warm weather. The author looks at making plants go dormant over the winter, to storing seeds from one year to the next, to the care and feeding of christmas trees.

Subject areas in this book include flowers and vegetables, gardening mulch and fertilizers, weeds, herbs and wildflowers, trees and shrubs, lawn care, food safety, and enjoying birds. Some of the individual columns explore carpenter bees, earthworms, potting soil, russian sage, spaghetti squash, how to control aphids, herbs like goldenrod and purslane, chamomile, maple sugaring, pussy willows, apple disease and pest management, controlling moles in the lawn, selecting firewood, thanksgiving food safety and winter shelter for horses, among many others.

This is a fine example of, for lack of a better term, one stop shopping concerning trees, flowers and gardens. It's good for those who care about the scientific name of a plant, and those who just want to know when and where to plant. In one respect, this book is meant to be used in Connecticut, but, in another respect, it can be used anyplace. Both novice and experienced gardeners should read this book.

The Fluoride Deception
Christopher Bryson
Seven Stories Press
140 Watts Street, New York, NY 10013
http://www.sevenstories.com
ISBN 1583225269, $24.95 374 pages,

"If you accidentally swallow more than used for brushing, get medical help or contact a Poison Control Center right away." Those words, or something similar, are on every tube of fluoride toothpaste sold in America. What could be in it to cause such a warning? According to this book, it's the fluoride.

Fluoride is not some safe, innocuous substance that happens to fight cavities. It is used to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons, to prepare Sarin nerve gas, to produce high octane gasoline, also to make refrigerant gases and Teflon plastic. It is also used in drugs like Prozac and Cipro. Fluoride is a potential workplace poison and grave environmental hazard.

Since the 1930s, fluoride has been linked, in Europe, to a number of illnesses, like central nervous system disorders, breathing problems and a number of arthritis-like ailments. But during the Cold War, with help from researchers funded by the government and industry, no such problems were reported in America. It is as if "American" fluoride and "European" fluoride have two different sets of properties. Can anyone say "scientific fraud?"

Fluoride may actually help the teeth, but the evidence is not clear-cut. Cavity rates have fallen dramatically since the 1940s, but also in countries that don't fluoridate their water. Perhaps good nutrition, better dental care and antibiotics can explain it.

The vast majority, nearly 90 percent, of the fluoride added to drinking water is actually industrial waste, scraped from the smokestacks of Florida phosphate fertilizer mills. The companies are spared the expense of treating this "fluosilicic acid" as toxic waste. Instead, it is sold to towns all over America. Shipped in rubber-lined tanker trucks, it is dumped into municipal reserviors, supposedly to fight cavities.

On several levels, this book easily reaches the level of Wow. This well-written tale of public relations whitewash and corporate/government collusion at the people's expense has over 100 pages of footnotes, and is very much a Must Read.

In Praise of Slowness: How a Worldwide Movement is Challenging the Cult of Speed
Carl Honore
Harper SanFrancisco
http://www.harpercollins.com
10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022
ISBN 006054578X, $24.95, 310 pages

We live in an era of speed, where everything moves faster than ever before. Ever since the Industrial Revolution, the idea has been to cram more into each minute of the day. Any unoccupied time during the day, whether for adults or children, is considered a reason to panic. At what cost? Imagine the time spent, over a lifetime, sitting in commuter traffic, or being placed on hold. Imagine the health care dollars spent on stress-related illnesses. The average American adult spends only a half-hour per week making love. There is an alternative, called the Slow movement.

Now a growing worldwide phenomenon, the Slow movement is not a Luddite call to abandon technology. Cellphones and email can be very good things. Nor does it suggest that people should live their entire lives in slow motion, while the rest of the world acts like a video tape stuck on fast forward. Occasionally, Fast is necessary. Slow strives to find a balance in people's lives. Sometimes, slowing down leads to more energy.

Not everything in this book is possible for everyone but here are some examples. Cook a meal from scratch once a week. Eat a homemade tossed salad (made with locally produced vegetables) along with take-out Chinese food. Set the table for take out pizza, instead of eating in front of the TV; in fact, no more dinners in front of TV. There are a number of cookboooks that specialize in quick meals. When cooking, prepare more than is needed and freeze the rest.

If your child isn't doing well in school, a possible reason is that every spare moment out of school is filled with activities. It leaves them no time to relax or just be a kid. Ask them if that's what they really want. Turn off the TV.

There is a growing movement of health professionals who think that spending more time with each individual patient is not a bad thing. Consider trying alternative medicine, in addition to, not instead of, regular medicine. For those who need to lose a few pounds, try walking. It's free, you don't need to join a health club, and you may be surprised at what you will find in your own neighborhood.

This book is much needed, and I really enjoyed reading it. Stress seems to be endemic in the 21st century. Here is an antidote. This is very highly recommended.

Dragon Tamer
Cole Barton
Trafford Publishing
Suite 6E, 2333 Government Street, Victoria BC, V8T 4P4, Canada
http://www.trafford.com
ISBN 1553952766, $15.95 248 pages

Blake Morgan is a DEA agent. He is involved in two major arrest operations, one involving drug running in Mexico, and the other involving drug and people smuggling in Seattle. Both are solid arrests, the kind where convictions are practically guaranteed. That is, until both suspects are released, and granted immunity from prosecution by someone very high in the CIA. Supposedly, they are also good sources of information for the Agency. Blake knows that something very strange is happening.

Blake was born in a Japanese concentration camp in World War II Hong Kong. His parents, a Welsh father and a Hispanic mother, did not survive the war. Blake was adopted by Wang Chan, a rising member of the Hong Kong business community. Soon before the arrests mentioned above, Wang Chan is found murdered. Like most Hong Kong businessmen, there are rumors that he was involved in illegal activities. Unsatisfied with the pace of the official investigation, Chan's son, Raymond, goes to the Hong Kong triads (gangsters) and asks for their help in avenging his father's death.

While all this is going on, Blake gets word of a proposed alliance between one of the triads and a Mexican drug cartel, assisted by whomever in the CIA is in the habit of releasing drug dealers from prison. Profits are down, so it is proposed that they get together and market an ancient, and quite powerful, Mayan drug called jfuri. Just to make things more interesting, Blake has fallen in love with DEA Special Prosecutor Angela Townsend. It is up to Blake to fight his way through the conspiracies, corruption and general lying to get to the bottom of this, once and for all.

This is an excellent novel. Thriller readers will love it. The reader will be involved from start to finish, it feels very plausible, and the author knows what he is talking about, having actually been born in a World War II concentration camp in Hong Kong. This gets two thumbs up.

Bookstore Tourism
Larry Portzline
Bookshop Junkie Press
P.O. Box 6067, Harrisburg, PA 17112
http://www.bookstoretourism.com
ISBN 0975893408, $10.00, 104 pages

Bookstore Tourism is a new way to help independent bookstores by marketing them as tourist destinations and encouraging booklovers to plan bus trips to towns with unique bookstores. Instead of, for instance, taking a bus trip to the Statue of Liberty, why not take a trip to the bookstores in Greenwich Village?

The book looks at the present situation for the independent bookstore. The news is not very good. While some store are able to survive, even thrive, more stores are closing every day. There are a number of reasons, including the coming of the chains, the economy, skyrocketing rents and the internet. Another problem is the sheer number of new books published, reaching 175,000 in 2003 from over 78,000 publishers.

What can indie bookstores do to survive? First and foremost, customer service is everything. Selling used books creates more profit than new books. Get creative with entertainment and special events. Consider a makeover of the decor to find that balance between fun and functional. Including a cafe encourages customers to linger and buy more books. Get involved in the community. Perhaps shrinking the store is the way to go. Cross promote with neighboring businesses.

The book also explores the mechanics of setting up a bookstore tour. Included are things like making sure that the destination stores are still there, anyone can plan a bookstore trip, handling reservations, the best day to go, the best kind of transportation, seeing if the destination stores will hold special events during your trip, where to eat, things to do while in transit, publicizing the trip and dealing with the bus company, among many others.

Bookstore tourism is a wonderful idea (anything that helps independent bookstores is a wonderful idea) and this is an excellent book that ended much too soon. I really enjoying reading it. The author mentions that more books on independent bookstores are planned in the future. I can't wait.

Paul Lappen
Reviewer


Pisano's Bookshelf

Five Little Monkeys Play Hide-and-Seek
Eileen Christelow
Clarion Books, a Houghton Mifflin Company imprint
215 Park Avenue South New York, NY 10003
ISBN: 0618409491 $15.00

The "Five Little Monkeys" are back in action and inspiring laughs in their sixth fun-filled adventure.

Their mother is out dancing and babysitter Lulu wants them to sleep, but the Five Little Monkeys want to play hide-and-seek. Finally, Lulu, the sitter gives in, but the Five Little Monkeys, won't quit until they win. They play one game, then another, both at a loss, then the Five Little Monkeys, show Lulu's who's boss.

This active picture book, told in rhyming text with the help of humorous pen, ink and acrylic illustrations by the author provide little ones with something to look for on the colorful pages monkey fingers or toes, eyes or nose. In addition, the story reinforces counting skills and provides written numbers to point out.

There's always something fun in Eileen Christelow's books, and again, she doesn't disappoint.

Buildings in Disguise: Architecture That Looks Like Animals, Food, and Other Things
Joan Marie Arbogast
Boyds Mills Press, Inc., A Highlights Company
815 Church Street Honesdale, PA 18431
ISBN: 159078099X $16.95

Children and adults will enjoy Joan Marie Arbogast's nation- wide pictorial tour of buildings that don't look like buildings. A map of all featured buildings makes this book a must have on any cross-country road trip. Whether readers follow the guided text tour or browse through the intriguing pictures in this coffee table quality picture book, they are sure to find something of great interest.

There's a whole chapter devoted Lucy, the Margate elephant built in 1881, the oldest existing example of mimetic architecture. Following chapters highlight gas stations (you'll can gas up at a gas can, teapot, tee pee and more), and lodgings (you can stay in a windmill, teepee, or ship), restaurants (you can eat at a dog, milk bottle, ice cream cone and other fascinating food forums). The Flanders Duck gets to flap its wings in its own chapter. Next, are marvelous chapters on entertainment complexes (dinosaurs and other exciting event locales) and office buildings, where you'll see a bureau, a bulldozer. In each chapter are wonderful examples of amazing architecture and lots of interesting facts.

Arbogast ends her book tour with Sweet Willy the beagle, the youngest example of mimetic architecture (erected in 2003). Before closing, she shares her thoughts on the future of mimetic architecture and challenges the reader to design one of these buildings of his/her own.

Zak's Lunch
Margie Palatini
Illustrated by Howard Fine
Clarion Books, a Houghton Mifflin Company imprint
215 Park Avenue South New York, NY 10003
ISBN: 0395816742 $15.00

The author ( of the hilarious, punny picture books THE WEB FILES, EARTHQUACK, BAD BOYS, MOOSETACHE, BROOM MATES and more) and illustrator (UPSTAIRS CAT by Karla Kuskin) who brought the infamous, award-winning PIGGIE PIE now team up to serve ZAK'S LUNCH.

When Zak complains about the old ham and cheese sand- wich served for his lunch, his mother replies, "This is not a restaurant." Soon, Zak is lost in a world with his very own restaurant, with no old ham and cheese sandwiches and a frizzy-haired waitress named Lou. There, Zak can order anything he wants, even a triple-decker, super-duper burger deluxe!

Palatini's vivid imagination in ZAK'S LUNCH provides food for thought but leaves only a mouth-watering hunger at the end. While not the most-outstanding example of the author's humor and wit, die-hard Palatini fans like myself will appreciate the menu as well as the twist. Of course, Howard Fine's water- color illustrations add fun and festivity to simple meal.

Lynne Marie Pisano
Reviewer


Pogo's Bookshelf

Millard Fillmore Mon Amor
John Blumenthal
St. Marten's
Griffin, New York
http://www.johnblumenthal.com, http://www.stmartins.com
0312323689 309 pp. $12.95

Plato G. Fussell, a self-made millionaire through a lucrative obituary dotcom, fumbles his way through life with the obligatory shrink, Dr. Wang to assist him wiht his many neurosis and personal problems. Having sold the obituary business, life becomes tedious as Fussell has nothing to occupy his time, and has a mental breakdown in his late twenties resulting from the anxiety incurred from the loss of his business in 1994.

Facetiously, Fussell explains his millions:

" Like I said, a no-brainer. But as the imaginary achievements of my own somewhat overblown obituary plainly indicated, I was all of twenty-six years old and hadn't accomplished very much in life.Then I had what turned out to be a highly lucrative idea that capitalized on the brand-new Internet craze. I would write short, pithy biographies of famous people who, although not terribly old, were likely to die prematurely. People like rock stars with serious drug habits or criminals on death row or inept boxers or nearsighted ski jumpers or alcoholic authors who smoked three packs a day, that sort of thing. I'd construct a database and put the information along with my obituary template on a Web site called Obit dot com. Newspapers around the world could subscribe for an outrageously exorbitant annual fee and get instant obituaries seconds after these death-prone celebrities had met their Maker, thus completely eliminating the need for obit writers. I had nothing to lose. The whole enterprise cost me exactly $2,500, which I borrowed from my father, and most of that was spent designing the Web site and obtaining a mailing list. When it came time to pay him back a year later, I presented him with a check for $10,000." (p.76)

Unfortunately no-brainers have a tendency to lose the interest of the audience as the narration sprawls over three hundred pages with details of obsessive compulsive details of washing the flatware and spraying the house with Lysol to ensure that no germs thrive in his mother's house. Cumbersome, the narrative too often looks as if it's a hybrid of Woody Allen's Owl and the Pussycat without Barbra Streisand and the bathtub or a bad imitation of Yann Martel's Life of Pi, mimicking the name-game ploy. Plato G. Fussell suffers from taunts as a child with his name construed as "Play-Doh" the colored putty used in play-schools, echoing the far more lively banter of Pi explaining the origin of his name coming from the Parisian Olympic-sized swimming pool, Piscine Moliter, and the twist on the name as it is pronounced "pissing:" Pi skilfully using it to his advantage as an irrational number, 3.14159265. Repeated throughout the book, the pun on silly putty becomes lumpish and worn as the author fills up the pages with meandering disclosures regarding his mother's bowel habits and obsession with constipation and Lysol.

Married and thwarted early in life by a wife who uses the marital bed like a tennis court to take all, Plato suffers from additional ticks and neurosis whenever he's around beautiful women, mixing his syllables, spouting spoonerisms and reversing letters so that Daisy Crane comes out with Craisy Dane. Perhaps this could be used for hilarious word games in the hands of another writer, but it becomes tiresome repeated page after page with the insistance that such disorders are symptomatic of neurosis, possibly insulting every person who's ever suffered dyslexia or similar problems arising from concussions. The narrative becomes tedious with the oft-repeated Otalp and mirror writing which Dr Wang associates to Plato's excessive shyness. Personally dyslexic and given to letter reversals, I find the humor juvenile, not witty and certainly not scintillating.

In a complicated foil to regain the miffed beloved, Plato packs to visit New York to research Milliard Fillmore, his new passionate concern, in hope of finding the origin of a seemingly steamy personal letter, signed "L.M." as an attempt to "play hard to get." He packs three medium sized suitcases, a carry-on duffle-bag and a briefcase to make the short term journey, taking inventory that's listed over two pages which the reader happily skips. Coincidental that it looks like a chapter from Pi? But it misses the humor as Plato insists on taking two bottles of Lysol, three hotel-sized pillowcases and bedsheets as well as an assortment of over-the-counter pharmaceutical supplies that could be better obtained at the local drugstore. He barfs on the plane. The difference is that crossing the Pacific aboard a lifeboat shared with Richard Parker is novel and the chapter of inventory justified by the sudden trauma and conditions of the journey, just as survivors of El Capitan explain their rationing of food supplies. Here, the reader finds it difficult to justify the endless stuffing of words on a page to fulfill the obligatory number required by the publisher as the plot is admittedly as transparent as the plastic sheet spread over an abandoned picnic table in winter.

Fussel's neurotic, hooked on Xanax and addicted to wasting his life and money on shrinks. Wealthy beyond accountability, he tosses money about like confetti, getting entangled with Dr. Wang's estranged and also neurotic wife and introduces his mother to a home-care nursing assistant, enthusiastic about making his mother's bed. The scenarios are those rerun on American sitcoms, duly played out by characters without character, each monotonously reading the writer's cue. Fussell's mother, an agoraphobic, fills conversations by charting bowel movements. His father is a travelling salesman, who in the last pages is revealed to be an CIA agent in a bigamous marriage. Plato, rich from his obit dotcom, grandly tosses a few thousand to the other wife, presumably a Russian double agent serving in the CCI, for child support-- as if double agents ever live impoverished lives. How much is the US tossing out in Afghanistan and Iraq for false tips from informers regarding the whereabouts of the elusive, you-know-who, middle-eastern Dr Fu Manchu? When it comes to financing spies and wars, the US always has plenty of money to keep the disinformation system running. Plato ends up marrying the Craisy Dane and everything ends up happily ever after without the running commercials of Xanax and Lysol at the end sliding over the television screen--with so many insertions, it could easily have been a subsidized book.

As a television sitcom, it might work placing the burden of personalities on the actors, but as a novel it bumbles. The players stumble through their daily lives, collecting every possible neurosis available like Freudian devotees collecting rare fossils. Humorous? Funny? Ha-ha? Maybe, but more likely tedious.

Simply, the humor is beyond me as well as the testimonials on the covers.

Handmaid's Tale
Margaret Atwood
McClelland and Stewart
Toronto
0771008139 $TBA 324pp

Handmaid's Tale is set in the Republic of Gilead where the government is established on a twisted interpretation of Biblical laws interpreted by Christian fundamentalism. Controversial, the novel explores extremism of religious zealotry as isolated sections of the Bible get applied to daily life in a stringent society. Unlike Cat's Eye, the text is devoid of the elaborate structure of nuanced imagery and allusions which create the psychological web of Elaine Risley's anxiety, but adopts parsimony, frugal in wordplay and images, suitable to the puritanical atmosphere of the rigidly controlled society.

Accustomed to societies where clothing designates professions, red reminding us of firemen's uniforms, dull blue of surgery scrubs, navy blue of police and navy uniforms, the reader accepts the new society with its delineated classes. Credibility is established within a few pages as we see the world through an anonymous speakers eyes, glancing her appearance in a fish-eyed mirror as her uniform envelopes her from head to foot. Marthas are garbed in dull green, the drudges of household chores while Handmaids are ostentatiously hung in scarlet. Red the color associated with menstrual bloood, fertility and death with literary allusions to Hawthorne's choleric outburst at Puritanism in Scarlet Letter. We learn through her eyes of her role in the household as the Handmaid to the Commander, restricted to being the obligatory breeding rabbit to be impregnated to continue the ruling classes. Her social position is derived from a perverse interpretation of the Biblical story of Abraham and Sarah, designating Hagar as the Egyptian concubine to be driven away into the wilderness.

Trained into her new position by Aunt Lydia, a mix of sadistic Brownshirt and Madam, the speaker is subjected in a society that regiments her existence down to the details of formal greetings and acknowledgements, deprived of intellectual freedom. Reading is prohibited, viewed as stimulating individualistic thinking that may challenge the oppressive regime. Although biblically based, God is replaced by the state's restrictive theocracy instituting its own form of omniscience through a system of spies, regulations and constant surveillance. Physical movement is restricted as Handmaids appear publicly in pairs with strict agendas regarding their presence outside their respective houses, regulated by time and duties. A necessity to the state for progeny, they are easily disposed and subject to Salvagings:

"In the past," says Aunt Lydia, "it has been the custom to precede the actual Salvagings with a detailed account of the crimes of which the prisoners stand convicted. However, we have found that such a public account, especially when televised, is invariably followed by a rash, if I may call it that, an outbreak I should say, of exactly similar crimes. So we have decided in the best interests of all to discontinue this practice. The Salvagings will proceed without further ado." A collective murmur goes up from us. The crimes of others are a secret language among us. Through them we show ourselves what we might be capable of, after all. This is not a popular announcement. But you would never know it from Aunt Lydia, who smiles and blinks as if washed in applause. Now we are left to our own devices, our own speculations. The first one, the one they're now raising from her chair, black-gloved hands on her upper arms: reading? No, that's only a hand cut off, on the third conviction. Unchastity, or an attempt on the life of her Commander? Or the Commander's Wife, more likely. That's what we're thinking. As for the Wife, there's mostly just one thing they get salvaged for. They can do almost anything to us, but they aren't allowed to kill us, not legally. Not with knitting needles or garden shears, or knives purloined from the kitchen, and especially not when we are pregnant. It could be adultery, of course. It could always be that.
Or attempted escape." (p 276)

Chillingly realistic, Atwood draws her perverse totalitarian state from historical precedents: the Nazi dream of world domination and the ruthless Taliban subjugation of women with its extremist punishments and public demonstrations of stoning or dismemberment. Although presented as a an advancement of religious fervor and enlightenment, the Salvagings are as brutal as the Bacchanalian orgies with maenads tearing apart their victims for human sacrifice.

Presented as a diary from an anonymous source, Atwood extends the farce through the Historical Notes of Professor Pieixoto as he discourses on its possible archeological significance. The diary, he discloses was unearthed in an area once known as Bangor, Maine. Relying on pseudo-documentation he establishes credibility by making a comparison to the so-called "A B Memoirs" and "Diary of P" excavated in the vicinity of erstwhile Syracuse, New York.

Atwood sustains the farce convincingly through the use of literary allusions of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, but also distinctly to Thomas More's Utopia. The concept of sharing women as breeding rabbits is no new idea, being discussed as far back as the Platonic dialogues; it is the integration of historical events with fiction that makes the novel so unsettling with its reminders of Nazi Germany and its aspirations of creating a super race and the unspeakable experiments of Dr. Mengele and the transport vans used for gassing victims. The Guardians of tyrannical states tapping at the doors resounds of the mysterious disappearances of citizens in South America.

Critical of religious fanaticism and fundamental extremism found in secret societies such as the Ku Klux Klan or the Aryan Nations, Atwoods courts controversy and vitriolic debate as she challenges the reader to consider the significance of separation of state and church in a constitutional government. Certainly not cloying to become a favorite among born-again Christians, she exposes the weaknesses of literal interpretation of biblical text. Stripped of its traditional Oral Law and Talmudic interpretations, Biblical law can become a dangerous instrument in the hands of fanatics, resulting in the state becoming omnipotent, contradicting the basic midrashic lesson of the Tower of Babel. Diversity is essential to survival: intellectual freedom and equal rights should extend to all regardless of sex or social class.

Pogo
Reviewer


Rick's Bookshelf

Dandy & Company
Derrick Fish
Out of the Doghouse
Big Pond Comics
No ISBN Number $14.95 128 page

Running with the Big Dogs
Big Pond Press
No ISBN Number $14.95 128 page

Anthrology
Mainstay Studios
No ISBN Number $3.95 28 pages comic book sized magazine

All black and white interiors with full color covers

There are those that take the funny strips in the newspapers very seriously. Every time there is a change made, the fans cry out in anger and frustration. Sometimes it is something there is no control over, like the death of Charles Schultz, and the adventures of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the rest of the cast now told only in repeated strips from days gone by. Sometime it is that the creator decides to take a break, as in the case of Berke Breathed, and his beloved Bloom County yet when they return, they are but a shallow shadow of their once greatness. Poor Opus the penguin now having to appear in the appropriately named strip Wasteland is but a caricature of what he once was. Then again, sometimes, the artist just has run out of things to say, or is just tired, as in the case with Calvin and Hobbes. And I have to admit, even though it has been several years since the last new strip was printed, I still miss the adventures to the boy and his, for a stuffed toy animal, very active tiger.

But now I wallow in the despair of strips that try to claim the throne of greatness no longer with the discovery of the only rightful heir the web based strip Dandy & Company by Derrick Fish, now at last presented in two beautifully bound trade paperbacks, and a comic book sized magazine entitled Anthrology.

Yes, you read that correctly, web based. The place to find some of the brightest strips around, no longer hampered with syndication and distribution problems, creators are free to tell their stories the way the want to and with that freedom comes some of the best the medium has to offer. I have sampled many that the on line world presents, and for my money, the best hands down, is Dandy & Company.

This is the tale of Dandy, a talking dog that is anything but cuddly, instead filled with an attitude that would give any a good reason to visit the pound like they would want him anyway. His foil throughout the adventures is his, I dare not say owner or master, least Dandy track me down, so let's just say his boy, Bernard. It is obvious that Bernard loves his dog, always willing to forgive and forget the sometime mean spirited but always-hilarious pranks and jabs he suffers at the paws of his canine companion. The world in which they exist is rich with many supporting characters, including Dandy's little so cute you want to just pick him up and give him a hug brother named Mistake, and the female that makes Dandy's heart go pitter-patter, Maryweather, Bernard's parents, and many more, each as richly fleshed out and made alive as any character I have ever seen in any strip-period.

One of the things I love about these collections, besides the fact that I can hold them in my hand and read them as opposed to staring at my monitor, which I do too much as it is, is that in larger doses, you can see how it all fits together, how the world they live in exists and thrives, and the continuity of the strip and the adventures of a dog and his patsy, er, I mean boy.

It is obvious also that Mr. Fish, besides being a great artist and storyteller, is a fan of not only the medium he works in, but of popular culture as well. The strips are ripe with parodies on everything from Star Wars to Spider-Man, and all points in-between. But it is with the epics such as Beanie Quest (don't ask, just read) is where his talents shine even brighter. In my opinion, to turn a humor strip into an adventure strip and tell a compelling story without losing any of what makes this strip unique just goes to show what a master of the craft he is. I was also very impressed that he has no problem with breaking the fourth wall, inserting himself in a manner of speaking, into the strip where need be very reminiscent of the classic Daffy Duck cartoon Duck Amuck by the late great Chuck Jones. Mr. Fish even on occasions goes so far as to show us the process he uses to create that which we enjoy reading so much, which does not distract, only adds to the enjoyment and we are allowed peeks behind the curtain. Unlike The Wizard from Oz, we should pay attention to the man behind the curtain there is a major force brewing on the comic scene there.

Filled with in-jokes, filled with action and adventure, and most of all filled with actual laugh out loud humor, the entire Dandy and Company collection should be on the shelf of anyone who enjoys comics, or just enjoys to laugh. The adventures continue at www.dandyandcompany.com seven days a week where you can join me and thousands of others reading that day's fix while we wait for the next collection to come out something I hope will not be long in coming.

The Harvest
Scott Nicholson
Pinnacle Horror
www.kensingtonbooks.com
ISBN# 0786015799 $5.99 383-pages paperback

As a fan of horror I am always timid about moving to a strange place because we all know that if the house you buy isn't haunted, then there is either something wrong with the townspeople or something evil about to descend upon them. Maybe Tamara and her family should have taken that into consideration.

Tamara, a psychologist, and her family moved to a small town in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Lately she has been experiencing an increase in strange dreams and visions that she has been haunted with since childhood. In the past she had tried to ignore this, which she refers to as 'Gloomies' but after the lose of her dad she simply cannot ignore it, despite the fact her husband Robert doesn't believe her and it is putting strain on their marriage.

As her experience increase in strangeness, other members of the town are also having strange things occur as well. Something in the mountain is growing and it is using the townspeople as fuel to feed that growth. What is left of those fed upon is a husk, a zombie if you will, which in turn is sent out to do the alien's biding.

Tamara and an eclectic group of people are the towns or the world's only hope. That may sound cliche, but trust me, this is a scary book and should ultimately be read at night when your window is opened so you too can jump at all of the sounds outside.

There are two things about this work that are impressive, one being the author's ability to blend smoothly the genres of horror and science fiction, and two, the ability to balance a very large cast of characters successfully. In fact, in some cases, the readers hardly know the characters before they meet their fate but even so, readers have already made a connection wither it be someone they like or would like to see gone.

I cannot stress enough how much I enjoyed reading The Harvest by Scott Nicholson. Why this author's name is not up there with the likes of King and Koontz is beyond me he is that good. Pick up a copy for yourself and you can see what I mean. You can thank me later.

The Manor
Scott Nicholson
Pinnacle Horror
www.kensingtonbooks.com
ISBN# 0786015802 $5.99 320 pages

Sometimes awards aren't all they are cracked up to be!

Having been awarded a grant to work on his sculpture free for six weeks, Mason Jackson heads out to the Korban Manor. The manor once belonged to Ephram Korban a creative pursuit enthusiast who ended his own life. It is here in the home he built that the extraordinary cast of guests' gathers.

Most of the cast are what you would expect to see in a situation like this, with the exception of Anna Galloway, the parapsychologist who has dreamed of the manor long before she knew it was a real place, and Miss Mamie, who runs the manor and has some secrets of her own. But by no stretch of the imagination are the supporting characters boring, anything but, they are lively and add fun to this horrifying read.

The guests will soon find out that the manor is not built with the intentions of giving them a nice relaxing get away so much as it is to serve the purpose of the owner and the spiritual guests are in for just as much fun as the living guests. There is something in the house, something that wishes life and is willing to use everything and everyone necessary to obtain that goal. Mason and Anna must rush against time if they wish to stop this from happening, as the October Blue Moon nears their chances draws to a close.

This great story is filled with atmosphere that is perfect for a ghost story and a cast that comes to life on the pages. It is haunting and thrilling and should be read with munches close by so that readers aren't tempted to chew off their nails.

The Manor by Scott Nicholson should be required reading by not only every fan of horror out there, but by any who fancy themselves a writer of the genre to see how it should be done. I've said it before and it bears repeating, buy anything you can by Scott Nicholson that way when people tell you about this writer they just discovered, you can look at them, smile, and ask what took them so long.

The All-Star Companion
Edited by Roy Thomas
Twomorrows Publishing
10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC USA 27614
www.twomorrows.com
ISBN# 1893905055 $21.95 207 pgs

In the 1940's America as well as most of the world was at war. Patriotism was running high, and among those leading the charge were the comic book companies. All-American Comics, later to be owned by DC Comics was a company on the forefront of that charge, with their many super-heroes, or as they were called by many, mystery men, battling the many spies and saboteurs which tried to undermine the US and thwart the war effort.

But as great as their four-color adventures were individually, so much more so were they when they teamed up as The Justice Society of America, the first, and to many fans (including myself), the greatest gathering of heroes ever assembled.

And what a gathering it was: Hawkman, the reincarnation of an Egyptian prince who flew using the wonderfully mysteriously named nth-metal. Armed with ancient weapons, this fierce protector of the skies served many times as the chairman of the group. The Atom, although short in stature, this powerful pint sized hero made up in courage and fortitude what he lacked in height. The Flash Jay Garrick became the fastest man alive after inhaling the vapors from 'hard water' (I don't know what that means either, I don't think anyone does). Dr. Mid-Night, a brilliant surgeon who lost his sight due to the act of criminals, yet able to see in darkness and with the use of special goggles to see during the day, now fights crime with the help of his ever-present owl, Hooty. Green Lantern, he who wears the mystical ring of power whose green flame takes the shape of anything he can create with his mind, vulnerable only to objects made from wood. Dr. Fate was a master sorcerer, earths' protector against all things mystical. Black Canary, a female martial arts master in a pair of fishnet stockings. Hourman -- who gained super-human abilities for one hour thanks to his creation of his miraclo pill. Johnny Thunder said the magic word "cei-u' (pronounced 'say you') and a magic pink genie like thunderbolt would appear to do his bidding. The Sandman, wielder of powerful knock out gas that would place criminals sound asleep. Mr. Terrific was such a champion of fair play that he even had the words emblazoned across his chest like an insignia. Wonder Woman, the Amazon Princess who came to Man's World willing to fight to show the way to peace. Starman, the creator of what he called his gravity rod, allowing him to do things lesser men could only dream of. The Spectre, endowed by the Almighty to reap vengeance against the souls who would do humanity harm. The Red Tornado, a woman with more heart than ability, yet always ready to join in to help, and Wildcat, former world champion boxer, now using his fists to give criminals the 'old one-two' Later they were joined by the last son of Krypton, Superman, and the Dark Knight Detective, Batman. As I said, truly a collection of the mightiest heroes that era had to offer.

Their original adventures ran in issues of All-Star Comics from 1940 thru 1951, sometimes bimonthly, sometimes quarterly, yet always filed with action and adventure crafted by some of the biggest and best creators the era had. Boys and girls knew that when the put down their ten cents, they were in for excitement second to none. Even today, the team, now referred on the cover of their best selling monthly comic as simply JSA, features the cream of the crop with art and story other titles only wish they had.

Editor Roy Thomas, whose love for those characters and that time in comics' history has, with the creation of The All-Star Companion, created a veritable encyclopedia of information on the premier super team. The history of the team, the characters, the companies that published them and the creators themselves, all showcased with obvious respect for their history and the pop culture importance their creation encompassed. Filled with interviews and overviews, as well as beautiful art in scrumptious black and white interspersed throughout the pages, this is the perfect book not only for fans of comics' history but for fans of popular culture in general as in perfectly captures the moods of the times.

The All-Star Companion has earned a valuable place on my shelf, not only as a reference tool, but also for the enjoyable reading it contains. You should make a place for it on your shelf as well

Rick Mohr
Reviewer


Roger's Bookshelf

Weirdos in the Workplace
John Putzier
Prentice Hall
ISBN 0131478990 $17.95 194 pages

Offbeat and Educational

The title of this book alone will catch your attention and probably plant a seed in your mind that this is not a book you want to waste your time with. Weirdos? This sounds like a negative term, but it's actually not. Putzier, an experienced and respected human resources professional, consultant, and professional speaker, defines "weirdos" as people who are not like you. This assessment means that they are abnormal if we assume that you are normal.

The first section of this book is devoted to presenting a foundation-setting perspective that the workplace is a microcosm of society. Society is in the process of change, moving through the four stages of Stifling, Tolerating, Accepting, and Rejoicing. This same progression occurs in the workplace, seen as The Age of the Organization Man, The Age of Diversity, The Age of the New Economy, and The Age of the Individual. Those of us who have watched the shifts in attitudes and relationships have observed the shift from conformity to expansion and inclusion, to an honoring of expertise and performance. Now, with varying degrees of comfort, we are moving jerkily into an honoring of individuality

In the second section, Putzier describes over thirty different people that could easily be categorized as "weird." Another descriptor might be "unique." The colorful pictures he paints will stir memories in the minds of the readers, reminding them of the unusual co-workers we have all encountered over the years. Putzier takes diversity to a whole new level. In his vignettes, our author observes that each of these people and many more that we might call weird have something significant to contribute. And they all have the potential to be high performers, though not always in the same way that mainstream employees are superior achievers.

The weirdos are presented in a way that catches your attention and may cause you to smile, shake your head, or roll your eyes. And human resource professionals will bob their heads, recognizing similar situations. But Putzier goes further. Each description is a accompanied by an analysis that includes perspective and advice that stimulates thinking and may influence some more appropriate responses to unusual behavior in the workplace.

The book continues with insights into high performers an understanding of what makes weirdos tick and accomplish so much. Behavioral change maps guide the reader in valuable methodologies. This is a book that will introduce you to what the author calls "the new normal." Indeed, the workforce is changing and will be populated by more free agents and regular employees who will certainly be recognized as individuals in every sense of the word. Understand how weirdness is a positive and you'll change your perspective on the world of work.

Listening Leaders
Lyman K. Steil & Richard K. Bommelje
Beaver's Pond Press
7104 Ohms Lane, Suite 216, Edina, MN 55439-2129
ISBN 1592980732 $29.95 380 pages

How to Listen Your Way to Leadership Success

The belief that listening is a key ingredient to success as a leadership sits on the same pedestal as Motherhood, Apple Pie, and The Flag. However, just because we respect the importance of listening doesn't mean that we know what to do or do it very well. Now we have a guidebook.

Steil and Bommelje are widely respected as experts in the fine skills of effective listening, so they are well-qualified to write this book. Their credentials are impeccable.

The book presents ten "golden rules" of listening leadership, organized as Preparation, Principles, and Practices which lead to taking Meaningful Action. The authors nicely tie together good listening skills and leadership, showing how each skill contributes to and supports the other. Effective listening enables you to be a good leader, and effective leadership encompasses good listening.

Page after page is filled with teaching, practical advice, and examples of how real leaders use their listening skills to enhance their work. I was struck by the broad variety of leaders cited and with what they had to share through the authors. The wise range of people used as examples in the book serves to reinforce the universality of the principles. The way the teachings of the exemplary leaders are intertwined with the balance of the text enriches the readability of the book: it's almost storytelling a highly readable novel or collection of vignettes.

Adding value to the book is a list of the cited leaders, providing each individual's title and organization and the chapter where the leader's advice or experience is shared. The book also provides a list of resources for further research and a helpful index. Summaries at the end of each chapter make it even easier to acquire the vast knowledge included in these pages.

Recommended for current and future leaders who seek to strengthen their listening skills and their leadership effectiveness.

The Genomics Age
Gina Smith
AMACOM
ISBN 0814408435 $24.00 262 Pages

Valuable Introduction into DNA & Implications

We've all heard about DNA. It's an issue, a science, a research endeavor, a discovery, a breakthrough that affects all of us. DNA is in the news, in some context, practically every day. Science is unquestionably a central part of our lives today and in the future. But why did AMACOM, a publisher of business books, produce a book on genomics? This doesn't sound like a business topic.

Going beyond our initial reaction, we quickly see that the recent discoveries and their applications are indeed vital to business development. DNA won't tell you how to manage your people or your finances more effectively, but this book will deliver insights and simulate thinking that will influence thousands of businesses for years to come.

DNA research, with relatively recent discoveries, will drive the development of business endeavors that are the next wave of corporate birth. New companies will spring up to engage in more research in this emerging field, ushering in an era of business development built around DNA, genomics, biogenetics, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, education, and other aspects of our lives. Gaining a fundamental, yet comprehensive, understanding of genomics will give present and future corporate leaders at least an intellectual edge. Having read this book, I can better appreciate what I'm reading in the newspapers and magazines each day about this exploding field.

So who's the author? It's not some little-known scientist who will obfuscate the topic with complicated terminology. This book for Everyman was written by one of America's best-known science and technology journalists. Gina Smith was the technology correspondent for ABC news and has amassed over a decade of experience in researching and writing on technology for the Los Angeles Times, Wired, Popular Science, and other print and broadcast news sources. Even though I am not a scientist, I found the book easy to read and understand. Sure, there are some parts that get a little complicated, but a careful reading will produce significant comprehension. And, if you get confused, there's a 30-page glossary at the end of the book, before the eight-page index, to enlighten you.

Following a helpful introduction, Smith presents ten chapters to organize her material. She begins with an explanation of the basics of the DNA sciences, and then traces the evolution of genomic science from initial discoveries to future opportunities. Applications of DNA knowledge fill the next two chapters, before the book launches into an exploration of specific fields of opportunity. You'll learn about biogerontology the use of DNA research and manipulation to extend life. Combating cancer, cloning, stem cell research, and gene therapy are all explored. The closing chapter on DNA and Society examines some of the ethical issues that face us as we race into the future with new discoveries and applications.

Leaders will gain valuable knowledge that will help them understand this new field of research and development. A little corporate thinking and it won't be much of a stretch will stimulate your thinking about business opportunities. The quotations that are interspersed in the chapters are a little bit of a distraction, but do break up the text to make the flow more readable. I offer a strong recommendation for this book, which will appeal to a wide audience.

Roger E. Herman
Reviewer


Sherry's Bookshelf

Space: Frontier of the Mind, From Triangle to 10th Dimension
Ludwig Auer
National Printers
2005-1500 Riverside Drive, Ottawa, Canada, Ontario, K1G 4J4
ISBN: 0973116501 $29.95 625 pages

Space: Frontier of the Mind is high-grade educational entertainment. This is an incredible volume written in layperson's terms so that all can enjoy this remarkable collection of information.

If you have ever lain on a blanket gazing up at the sequined dancing night stars contemplating life, you will enjoy this book. Ever wonder why the planets orbit the sun in harmonic ratios or about the life cycle of the star? How about the Zodiac Circle or Einstein's prediction? This book is the ultimate gatekeeper to all those secrets.

I was fascinated from the first page. In the first chapter you are entranced with how Thales of Miletus, a great Ionian philosopher (624 to 547 B.C), managed to predict a solar eclipse far in advance. It is more than mind boggling to peer into the minds of great philosophers such as Pythagorus. Aristotle, Copernicus, Galileo, Sir Isacc Newton, and Albert Einstien. Better yet, the author's writing lets the information really penetrate and compute.

I never thought I would be so excited and intrigued by such a book and I never thought I would come away with such profound understanding of the mysteries that lie beyond. You feel like Columbus discovering America for the first time except you are discovering a whole New World of the heavens.

Anyone with an interest in astronomy, theories, religion, and/or astrology should treat yourself to this spellbinding beautifully written volume of intriguing information.

A Flamboyant Disarray of Dreams
Joy Lee Rutter
Behler Publications
22365 El Toro Road #135, Lake Forest, CA 92630
www.behlerpublications.com 1-800-830-2913
ISBN: 1933016027 $15.95 281 pages

To understand the extent of brain injuries is to possess the understanding of what it takes to work in a neuro-rehab. The main character, Joleen Cumberland, deals with hostile patients, verbal and physical assaults, miracles and her own personal burn out. Joleen is at her wits end after seven years of working at the rehab center, Rivers Edge. Everyday she had "a fear as if she was entering the belly of a gigantic sleeping monster".

Between her irritating co-worker, Brad and her new patient Mitch Stevens along with his brother Geoff, life starts to take an interesting twist. There are many gripping moments all through out the book. One in particular is when Joleen is kicked in the head by one of her patients. There are times when patients leap into rages, toss off prosthesis body parts and attack with toys. Through all this chaos, workers maintain their sanity, make major leaps in helping their patients and Joleen finds love.

The author has done a splendid job of bringing to life engrossing characters. The patients, co-workers and families are all substantial in description and dialogue. A Flamboyant Disarray of Dreams is a highly intelligent provocative novel. The book is enticing with its wild disarray, weird magical moments and plagued with paranoid delusions. A fast paced excellent read with an intriguing theory on the Roadrunner cartoon.

The Monster Run
MyLinda Butterworth
Illustrations by Matthew Mercer
Day to Day Enterprises
Oviedo, Florida
www.daytodayenterprises.com Books@daytodayenterprises.com
ISBN: 1890905232 $14.95 for ages 3-8

This irresistible book tackles the nasty monsters that live in every child's (and some adults) imagination when the lights go off. Nicole, like most children, is afraid of the dark. She is certain peculiar grotesque creatures live in every nook and cranny in her room. Soon as the off switch for the lights would click, the monsters inch out of their hidey holes to engage in what monsters do best - scare the bejebbers out of her.

One night her grandparents visit her and as only a grandpa can, he soothed her and chased her demons away with a special ceremony.

Every grandparent should own this creative book. This enchanting tale based on a true story, reveals the importance grandparents can play in a child's life. The book is vibrantly illustrated and will soothe any child's imagination. The Monster Run is a gatekeeper to keeping those pesky night monsters away!

Magical Peace - One Nation Under Love
Tarin Frances
Sirene Impressions
3712 East First, Long Beach, CA
Sireneimpressions@earthlink.net
ISBN: 0967444934 $14.95 151 pages

The author, Ms. Frances, shares her wisdom and philosophies for living a life of love and inner peace. This inspirational guide is broken down into three main areas. The first area challenges you to get re-acquainted with yourself. Ms. Frances invites you to explore who you really are and how you think. The second area is dedicated to radiating out to the others around us. The third section offers enlightening instruction on how to encounter our world and achieve an open heart.

Magical Peace is an exercise in facing the truth. By understanding fear, anger and judgment, the author desires to put the reader on a path of harmony and trust. Most intriguing are the accompanying black and white smudgy drawings. They delighted my imagination and engaged me in my own interpretations.

When a book inspires your thinking or ignites action to change your life in a positive manner it is an exceptional work. Magical Peace is definitely an instructional joyride to better living.

Making Right Turns in Your Relationship
Myron D. Lewis, MSW
Hansyd Publishing
PO Box 557, Harbor Springs, MI 49740-0557
(213) 242-0682 hansydpublishing@tm.net
0975489615 $16.95 208 pages

Making Right Turns in Your Relationship is a necessary guide for all people - whether married or not. Communication is key in life and after reading this easy to follow book, you will find ways to enhance all the relationships in your life as well as the one you have with yourself.

Through the author's own yearning to have a successful solid marriage, he researched on the subjects of marriage, love, communication, conflict-management, team work and self-esteem, to name a few. He now has packaged this wealth of information into a concise easy to understand format. This is a well organized book that will have direct positive impact on the quality of your relationships.

The twelve chapters illustrate how to construct a strong foundation for a healthy thriving connection. One of the important areas the author covers is on understanding, setting and managing boundaries. Mr. Lewis points out the importance of dealing with your emotions and body language. He generously shares experiences from his own life to highlight the importance of his discoveries. Through out the chapters, he offers enlightening exercises to benefit the couple in attaining their goals for forming a bond based on honesty, respect and love.

I have been married for over thirty years and have worked for over twenty years as a Grief Management Specialist, I have seen first hand the devastation that lack of communication, respect and boundaries have on a family. This is an excellent book benefiting all who read it.

Living Through Cancer: A Caregiver's Journal through his Wife's Surgery, Chemotherapy and Radiation
Kenneth R. Dickson
Jawbone Publishing Corporation
2907 Paddington Way, Kissimmee, Florida 34747
www.jawbonepublishing.com (407) 396-4245
ISBN: 1590940687 $14.95 163 pages

A seasoned couple living the luxury of a quiet retirement experienced the scare of their lives. After 50 years of weathering storms and sharing rainbows, the author's beloved wife was diagnosed with invasive bloodthirsty breast cancer. Like grim faced detectives, the author and his wife boldly faced and challenged their enemy with a determination to see it surrender to vigorous treatments and spiritual conviction.

Living Through Cancer takes you on a day by day account of how a tender devoted husband, equipped with a sense of humor and a sense of purpose, helped his strong willed wife battle this cancerous war. He opens his admittance window to his soul and allows the reader to witness his frustration, concerns and his innermost fears.

This genuineness of his truth creates a very unique helpful tool for many readers who are living with cancer. There is no formula for getting through such a crisis but there is an impressive resourcefulness in another person's story. It isn't often a man exposes his emotional self to explain his side of how he faced up to the truth, how he coped and how he interpreted his incredible wife's coping skills.

This book is purposeful and written from the heart in a detailed diary fashion. The author is absorbed by the promise to help others who find their lifeboat sailing against the wind.

We all think we are living on a safe foundation built on a rock that will never shatter but unfortunately, rocks do shatter. If your rock is shattered in your family by disease, this is a must have book.

Sherry Russell
Reviewer


Sullivan's Bookshelf

What's the Matter with Kansas? How Conservatives Won the Heart of America
Thomas Frank
Metropolitan Books
ISBN# 0805073396 $24.00 306 pages/indexed

How did hardworking Kansans go from voting in their own interests as Democrats to becoming and voting as Republicans? The author, founding editor of The Baffler magazine, who was raised in Kansas returned to his home state to learn what or who was to blame for this dramatic turnaround.

Kansas is now overwhelmingly one of the so-called 'Red States" in the U.S., voting almost solidly for the GOP party. Yet economic conditions for the working classes have not improved. In fact, they've worsened. Why, then the political contradiction, which Frank refers to as 'The Great Backlash'?

The answers, the author found, were twofold. The Republicans have appealed to workers' sense of morality. Abortion, same sex marriage, taking prayer out of school, removing the 10 Commandments from the public arena, and the teaching of evolution in public school, among other things, have been condemned over and over by conservative politicians, fundamentalist preachers, and many right-wing grassroots organizers. Economic conditions have been totally ignored in their arguments.

This center-of-the-U.S. state's population has always had strong religious leanings. Many religious zealots, like John Brown, the renowned Abolitionist, have been claimed by Kansans as one of their own. So the religious far right of the Republican Party has had a strong base in the state. Those are the Conservative members. Then there's the traditional bunch of Republicans, known as the Moderates, or business class. Most former Democrats are now considered in the Conservative group.

At the same time, the Democratic Party has been neglecting the poor, down-trodden, homeless, Union men and women in recent years. That's because the party of the working people and the poor has, more and more in recent years, shifted its focus to the center of the political spectrum.

That all began with the creation of the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC). As it wanted the big corporate dollars that Republicans had been getting with seeming ease, the Democratic Party moved its political positions rightward to be more favorable to big business. In doing so, the traditional worker was left behind.

President Clinton was the primary exemplar of the new DLC politician. Yes, he was successful in raising big corporate bucks, and in getting elected and then re-elected. But he also was he president who signed into law the Welfare Reform Act, which shocked many Democrats.

Frank fills his well-written volume with humorous anecdotes of right wing zealots, unthinking working people who now vote Republican, and politicians who wear their religions and morals on their sleeves.

In some ways, especially when the reader sees how easy many Americans can be duped politically, this volume can be downright depressing reading about the future of the Democratic party. Yet it is strangely uplifting, too, for Frank has finally put a finger on the problem and its cause that until now was hard to understand and to know exactly why it was happening.

"There is," writes the author, "a lesson for liberals in the Kansas story, and it's not that they, too, might someday get invited to tea in Cupcake Land [a wealthy, imaginary county almost totally Republican]. It is, rather, an utter and final repudiation of their historical decision to remake themselves as the other pro-business party. By all rights the people in Wichita and Shawnee and Garden City should today be flocking to the party of Roosevelt [FDR], not deserting it. Culturally speaking, however, that option is simply not available to them anymore. Democrats no longer speak to the people on the losing end of a free-market system that is becoming more brutal and more arrogant by the day."

Thomas Frank has written two other books. He's also contributed writing to The Nation and Harper's magazines.

This read is highly recommended to Democrats and Republicans alike.

The Little Red Writing Book: 20 Powerful Principle of Structure, Style & Readability
Brandon Royal
Writer's Digest Books
ISBN # 1582973369 $16.99 160 pages

This is a slim volume on English grammar and subjects related to the correct writing of the language. The book alludes by its title to Little Red Riding Hood, which it isn't connected with, by its hard cover to Chairman Mao's Little Red Book, which is unrelated, and by its briefness, subject matter, and layout to Strunk and White's Elements of Style, which it isn't. But this volume comes the closest to the last mentioned.

Basically, this new book details the accepted rules and regulations for writing in English. This read, however, is more elemental than Strunk and White's guide to the language. Perhaps sophomore English class (high school that is) would be the appropriate grade level to start using this handy new reference.

If the truth be told, though, most adults don't know these rules very well, if at all, either. So the help this little work can give to those of all ages, writing in what is to be hoped looks and reads like English, would be beneficial. Some of its advice, though, is pretty shallow and confusing. To wit: "Rule I: WHO vs. WHOM If he, she, or they can be substituted for the pronoun in context, the correct form is who. If him, her, or them can be substituted, the correct form is whom."

On the other hand, many inexpert writers are intimidated by standard English language texts that go into much more detail. Perhaps, then, this little writing book would be more welcome as a beginner's guide.

Recommended as personal buy or a gift for those who, or whom, are just starting out to compose, whether they be 9 or 90.

Though he's written eight books, and taken courses in fiction and scriptwriting at Harvard, Royal is actually an accountant and CPA. He's also a graduate in business from the University of Chicago. Royal resides in Hong Kong.

Jim Sullivan
Reviewer


Taylor's Bookshelf

Purity Of Heart
Pope John Paul II, author; adapted by Sam Torode
Philokalia Books
PO Box 65, South Wayne, WI 53587
0972535829 $13.95 www.philokaliabooks.com

Purity of Heart: Reflections on Love and Lust is the second book of a four-part series, "Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body in Simple Language." These transcribe a series of the pope's fifteen-minute talks, given from 1979 to 1984, which draw upon the Bible to offer an antithesis to the "sexual revolution." Stressing that true Christianity aims to redeem sexuality, not repress it, Purity of Heart points the way to redemption of the body through Jesus Christ, warns against "legalized sin" and the slippery slope of ignoring or minimizing the repercussions of adultery, the importance of honoring the body, the task of building a culture of purity, and much more. Each vignette is brief yet directly cuts to the quick of John Paul's philosophy and understanding. An absolute "must-have" primary source for Catholic Studies reference and resource shelves.

Seven Songs of Creation
Norman C. Habel
The Pilgrim Press
700 Prospect Avenue, East, Cleveland, OH 44115-1100
0829815937 $28.00 1-800-654-5129 www.pilgrimpress.com

Written by the chief editor of the Earth Bible Project, Seven Songs of Creation: Liturgies for Celebrating and Healing Earth is a resource intended to help worshipping communities develop liturgies to revere, honor, love, and serve Earth. Seven Songs of Creation is not meant to make the Earth the theme of worship, but rather to forge a way of worshiping God and Jesus Christ that takes into account the wonder and miracle of all living things. Song of Sanctuary, Earth, Sky, Waters, Sophia, Life, and Healing are presented in full musical notation, along with hymns, alternative prayers, litanies, blessings, confessions, reflections, and special text for celebrating the Eucharist. Especially meant to fuse reverence for God's natural creations with Christian service, Seven Songs of Creation is a superb resource for broadening spiritual depth and awakening the awareness of one's congregation.

Religious Thought And The Modern Psychologies
Don S. Browning and Terry D. Cooper, second edition
Fortress Press
100 Fifth Street, Suite 700, Minneapolis, MN 55402-1210
0800636597 $25.00 www.fortresspress.com

Now in an updated second edition, Religious Thought and the Modern Psychologies is a close study of how ethical and even religious assumptions have played a powerful underlying role in the formation of modern psychology - perhaps too powerful. Hermeneutical theory is applied in chapters discussing underpinnings of Freud, Skinner, Jung, aspects of Christian Anthropology, and much more. A scholarly text for intermediate to advanced psychology students, practitioners, theorists, and teachers, Religious Thought and the Modern Psychologies is an excellent resource and focus for discussion in the search to better understand the human mind, and the often fallible venues pursued to do so.

A Handbook of the Christian Faith
John Schwarz
Bethany House Publishers
11400 Hampshire Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55438
0764229060 $13.99 1-800-328-6109 www.bethanyhouse.com

Author John Schwarz applies both his worldly experience, his degree in Christian studies and his years of experience as a teacher at a Christian college and local church to A Handbook of the Christian Faith, a condensed, foundational text that discusses basic scriptures, history, beliefs, and practices that distinguish Christianity from other religions. Briefly touching upon many variants of Christianity from Catholicism to Pentecostalism to Mormonism, A Handbook of the Christian Faith is at heart a didactic and instructional text, enthusiastically recommended to anyone looking for a solid overview of what Christianity is all about. An easy-to-follow, well-researched, neatly presented, and all-around excellent basic reference.

The Fiery Throne
Walther Zimmerli
Fortress Press
100 Fifth Street, Suite 700, Minneapolis, MN 55402-1210
0800636201 $16.00 www.fortresspress.com

The Fiery Throne: The Prophets and Old Testament Theology collects writings by Old Testament professor Walther Zimmerli (1907-83), skillfully translated into English. Especially focusing upon the experiences, messages, traditions, and legacy of the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel, The Fiery Throne presents in-depth theology supplemented with extensive notes and bibliography for each essay to reveal how discussion on the issues has continued. A superb resource for advanced students and instructors of Old Testament theology.

Losing A Lost Tribe
Simon G. Southerton
Signature Books
564 West 400 North, Salt Lake City, UT 84116-3411
1560851813 $24.95 1-800-356-5687 www.signaturebooks.com

Losing A Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church explores the discoveries of recent DNA research, which correlates what the Church of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) have taught for 175 years - that Native Americans and Polynesians are descended from ancient seafaring Israelites. Molecular biologist and contributor to LDS missions Simon Southerton explains both the theology and the science, and the interplay between the two, in this fascinating, unfolding web adding to both physical and spiritual understanding of human history. An excellent, well-reasoned treatise and discussion.

Spirit In Drama
David W. Eggebrecht
Concordia Publishing House
3558 South Jefferson Avenue, Saint Louis, MO 63118-3968
0758603126 $26.99 1-800-325-3040 www.cph.org

Spirit In Drama: A Practical Guide for Churches and Schools is a straightforward guide to creating a positive and spiritually uplifting experience in religious theater. From choosing the right script to putting together a staff, casting, managing rehearsals, performance anxieties, and taking down the set, Spirit in Drama is an excellent overview and introduction, that tempers its practical instructions with emphasis on the power and grace of God that allows all involved to pool their talents and proclaim their faith. According to Spirit in Drama, "the function of religious drama is to make clear the message of the Bible"; the solid, no-nonsense instructions aid the reader in doing precisely that.

The Trouble I've Seen
Bruno Chenu
Judson Press
PO Box 851, Valley Forge, PA 19482-0851
0817014489 $20.00 1-800-458-3766 www.judsonpress.com

Written by Assumptionist priest and theology professor Bruno Chenu of France, The Trouble I've Seen: The Big Book of Negro Spirituals is an extraordinary exploration of the origin and history of Negro spirituals. Studying the origins of the spirituals particularly during the North American slave trade from the seventeenth through nineteenth centuries, and the common themes found among approximately 6,000 different spirituals, and drawing upon the personal testimonies of free and former slaves to flesh out its extrapolations, The Trouble I've Seen offers a unique and profound contribition to religion and spirituality history and reference shelves. The full text of 200 spirituals and a music CD of eighteen spirituals round out this truly remarkable and devoted compendium.

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.

Loving In The Master's Footsteps
Michael Fonseca
Ave Maria Press
PO Box 428, Notre Dame, IN 46556
0877939942 $12.95 1-800-282-1865 www.avemariapress.com

Loving In The Master's Footsteps: God's Dream For Us is a testimony of faith. Written as a sequel to Living in God's Embrace, Loving In The Master's Footsteps searches for ways in which one can love and devote oneself wholeheartedly. Chapters are supplemented with excerpts from scripture, presented first in literal translation, then summarized to be more accessible to the lay reader, then enhanced with a suggested session to reflect upon one's faith and relationship with Jesus, and ending with a poignant reflection. A moving and thought-provoking exploration of what it means to be Christian.

The Dolorous Passion Of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Anne Catherine Emmerich and Clemens Brentano
Anvil Publishers, Inc.
PO Box 2694, Tucker, GA 30085-2694
0970497539 $16.95 www.anvilpub.com

First published in 1833, The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ is a work based on visions of Anne Catherine Emmerich, a stigmatic German nun of the Augustinian order expected to be beatified soon, as recorded by author Clemens Brentano. Perhaps most widely known for its influence upon Mel Gibson's blockbuster movie "The Passion of the Christ". This new edition of The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ features an introduction that discusses individual passages that were applied to more than 40 scenes in the movie, as well as relating how the authors' lives interconnected and examining the history of Passion devotionals - a history that is not spotless, as some anti-Semitic Passion Plays become popular in the Middle Ages. A soulful rendition of a classic work of faith.

John Hus
Vision Video
PO Box 540, Worcester, PA19490
156-364-7834 $19.99 Catalog #4783D www.visionvideo.com

John Hus was a Catholic priest and a christian scholar in the 15th century central European country of Bohemia. Living one hundred years prior to Martin Luther, it was John's relentless dedicated to the pursuit of Biblical truths that planted the seeds for Luther and the Protestant Reformation that took place during the following century. A beloved pastor, John Hus was nevertheless condemned as a heretic at the Council of Constance for his uncompromising belief in the final authority of the Bible. Despite relentless pressure, John refused to recant and was burned at the stake in 1415, despite having been guaranteed safety by the emperor. He is reported to have died singing, a true martyr to his Christian beliefs. John Hus is a 55 minute, full color, live action film that is highly recommended viewing, especially for teenagers and adults. This DVD format is enhanced with the viewer's choice of English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French narrations, with or without English subtitles. For Sunday School and Seminary students, there are also available in a pdf format a "Christian History" magazine article on John Hus, and study guide pages from "Reformation Review".

John Taylor
Reviewer


Terry's Bookshelf

Night of Rain and Stars
Maeve Binchy
Dutton
ISBN: 052594754X $25.95 294 pages

Recommendation: ****

Maeve Binchy Never Disappoints

I liked this book enough to read it in one sitting. I'm not sure what other readers found, but having spent a lot of time in Greece and in the Greek Isles, I was enchanted by the story of four strangers, all running from something, who land on the magical Aghia Anna, forge friendships and confront their demons.

Binchy is a master at creating colorful supporting characters, so it's no surprise that this book's color goes to the wild Vonni (reminiscent of the teacher in EVENING CLASS).
I enjoyed every moment of the book and would recommend it to anyone who loves great stories, well-told.

Enjoy!

The Prince of Beverly Hills
Stuart Woods
Putnam Publishing Group
ISBN: 0399152202 $25.95 315 pages

Recommendation: *****

Woods is BACK!!!!

Although I've been disappointed with several of his last offerings, Stuart Woods is back in the game and has hit a home run with THE PRINCE OF BEVERLY HILLS, a lush tale about Hollywood in the late 1930's.

Former Beverly Hills detective Rick Barron has been demoted - - due to a messy liaison with his boss' niece - - and just happens to be in the right place (Sunset Boulevard) at the right time (about 2 in the morning) when a major movie star wrecks his car and, if the press finds out about it, his brilliant career.

Barron ends up on the movie studio payroll as the "clean up" guy and finds there is more to films than acting. He has to insure the movie star finishes his picture, despite a proclivity for alcohol. His predecessor had some pretty smarmy contacts, the remnants of which are left in the studio's safe. Even mobster Bugsy Seagall enters the scene.

Toss in a bevy of beautiful starlets, a lot of interesting story lines and Woods has given his fans a great read.

I look forward to more stories about Hollywood's Gilded Age and watching Woods develop Rick Barron into a movie mogul.

Enjoy!

Terry Mathews
Reviewer


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Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
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