Book Reviews

Geography Without Tears - The Need for a Geographic Park

2010-08-19T12:38:00.000+07:00

Goddess Saraswati's eldest son Mathematics holds a venerable position in the family, followed by Physics. Both are allied like Ram and Laxman. Later on came, Chemistry and Biology.

Alas! Geography and History are just poor cousins in the family of knowledge!

In Indian our ancestors were too much concerned about Atman and Paramatman, to be bothered about such mundane matters like the Mountains and Rivers and the Seas. Even Albaruni's India, written after A.D. 1000, contains only sketchy description of a few rivers. While Alexander the Great sent an expedition to explore the river Indus up to the Sea (Alexander wanted to return to Greece through the seas, about which coastal Europeans were acquainted through Sea Traders from the time of Phoenicians; but the attempt failed because of inclement whether and pestilence to the disappointment of the great emperor), did any of the Kings who ruled this region afterwards care to do it?

The Chinese marine traders made a map of the known world, including parts of Africa, even two millennia ago. By 18th century Portuguese made comparatively accurate maps which were kept very secret, in consideration of Trade Wars, even though much of it was destroyed in fire.

Captain cook was a good Cartographer. He sailed round the New Zealand islands and the map he made is remarkably accurate. He planted the Union Jack there and on return to England offered the Island on a platter to the Queen! Thus it becomes part of Her Majesty's Empire!

Indian is much nearer to Australia and NZ. With such a shoreline and good quality wood for the shipping industry, we could have produced great explorers and history would have been different. We just don't care about geography. How many of us can describe offhand the states bordering Chattisgarh? Do we have a geographic society like the National Geographic Society (USA) for the Royal Geographic Society (UK) which foots the bill of innumerable expeditions? Only when the British Rule was established, a comprehensive survey of the land was undertaken.

I feel that children should not be taught Geography; they should learn it like their mother tongue. They just cannot read the maps on flat papers. A Geographic park will automatically enliven their interest in the subject.

The waste land South of Nizamuddin Bridge to East Delhi is ideally suited for the purpose. The outline of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh can be marked, measuring at least one kilometer, and sand excavated from surrounding "Seas'' filled in the "subcontinent''. Thus, Himalayas as high as 20 feet and other mountains of proportionately high can be made. By fitting pipelines under the mountains, water can be made to spout from the origin of the river to make them "flow''. Dams and Great Bridges can be made at actual location, along with major Rail routes and National Highways. Green grass can be grown at important grain producing plains. Shrubs can indicate forest. Suitable models of the Gateway of India, Rameshwaram Temple, Charminar etc. can show actual location of the cities and towns where these are located.Even Power Plants and Electric grid can be simulated.

A Water Park may be made in the "Seas'' with Floating Shops and Restaurants. Illuminated by Solar Powered Electricity, the area can become a destination point for Delhi-ites who desperately throng the India Gate in the evenings, for want of something better.

In due course, the "Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean'' can be dug, leaving contour maps of Africa, America etc. We may think of a Deer Park in Africa and Goshala in America! And what about a Solar System where students can watch the movements of planets and occurrence of eclipses?

After a visit to the Park, children will learn more of Geography then they can learn in ten years in school.

by Kk Subramanian

Preparing to Be a Help Meet - Book Review

2010-04-05T14:26:00.001+07:00

Marriage, as people say, is the best thing that can happen in every woman's life. In addition, it is when two people finally make a decision to spend the rest of their lives together. That is why most young women plan extensively for the big wedding day so that it will be just like they imagined. Most pre-wedding ideas are having the perfect setup for the ceremony and celebration, owning a designer's wedding gown and many great plans for one special day. It is good to plan for the wedding, but sometimes the years of marriage itself were unprepared for. As a result, some wives are not ready to become a wife and a mother, independent and caring for her husband and children.

The book, Preparing To Be A Help Meet, is a guide for young women on how to prepare themselves for upcoming married life as well as for other women, young and old, who want to be a better wife, a better daughter and a better woman. Preparing To Be A Help Meet contains some interesting true stories of women before and after the wedding. Three of the stories are testimonials of women who have been married for about 40 years. The other three stories are about women who found God and walked with Him in the course of their marriage preparations. Readers will find out how great it is to have God on their side as they create plans and decisions for their married lives.

A few types of women are described. The so-called "Hidden Flower" is an introverted young woman, never having attracted the interest of a man, will learn ways to make the right kind of man be interested in her. A focus on "Antsy Babes", impatient women, will guide them to be more patient and the story of pushy girls known as "Grabbers" are just few of the helpful tips in the book.

Aside from the six stories found in Preparing To Be A Help Meet are other short tales on different married life situations. Some have amusing narratives, others with unwanted situations, but all convey great lessons for life. There are tips on how to be an attractive, wife-material type of woman or how to make a man interested. Readers will have an overview on what not to do or what to avoid for relationships that last.

Preparing To Be A Help Meet will teach women what it is that most men look for in a wife. They will have a clear idea on why some men are not into having a long-term relationship with some women and what would make a man decide that a woman is the right one. Even men on the lookout for a good wife will have a better idea on how women think and the best way to approach a woman about marriage.

Married life, though not always as heavenly as the wedding day, is still meant to be a great experience that should be properly learned and prepared for to last and be successful. It is not about trial and error or just giving up if it does not work out. It is about a relationship built to last a lifetime full of love and concern between the two people involved. When God is in your relationship, you will see that you are working through a married life with less trouble and full of abundance. In the end, readers will learn and trust that God is there for them always, blessing them and making their marriage a testimony of love.

by Susannah Singer

Beatrix Potter and the Sale of Peter Rabbit

2010-04-05T14:24:00.001+07:00

Children have been reading and enjoying Beatrix Potter books since 1902. You might recognize some of the more popular stories such as Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny. Most of her other stories utilize a similar template based on animal characters interacting as human beings which have drawn comparisons to Aesop's fables. Potter, however, had a very specific and somewhat distinct vision for her own books.

The books, from illustrations to stories, were created, developed, and controlled solely by Beatrix Potter. She drew all of her own pictures and even received some acclaim for attention to detail and accuracy which was considerably knowledgeable for a female in the early 20th century.

She would use elements of her personal life frequently in her books. The illustrations of animals were characters based on pets and other animals she had interacted with. Settings would be drawn from what was around her. The themes and plots of her personal life usually found their way into the stories. In one case for instance The Tale of Ginger and Pickle dealt with running a business. It was during this period in her life that Potter was submerging herself in the business and marketing of getting her books sold.

Potter also frequently used recurring characters in many of her stories. The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies featured her most popular character Peter Rabbit, but not as a primary character. Peter Rabbit really only had a cameo. Benjamin Bunny, who was the cousin of Peter Rabbit, also played the title character in The Tale of Benjamin Bunny. This was an effective form of cross promotion, however Potter did do this in every story, as evidenced in The Tale of Pigling Bland.

Potter's books were influential enough that the premise of one of her stories was borrowed by the author of the popular Winnie the Pooh stories. In Potter's story an animal eats himself stuck. Later, a version of this can be seen as clearly similar in a Winnie the Pooh book. No less than Walt Disney himself also took interest in Potter's writing. He had purchased the rights to both The Wind in the Willows and Winnie the Pooh, however when he made an offer to Potter, she declined, choosing to remain in absolute control of her works.

by Paul Goldman

Addicted to Harlequin

2010-04-05T14:22:00.001+07:00

Eight years ago I moved into an apartment with my husband and received a welcome basket. In this basket was a book, Harlequin's Intrigue "The bodyguard's assignment". Honestly I didn't want to read it. I wasn't into those "cheesy romance novels". I was wrong. Very, very wrong.

About two months after I put the book away, swearing never to read it, I fell at my husband's work while I was seven months pregnant. I was put on bed rest, and this happen to be the same weekend nine-eleven was going down, so I couldn't watch T.V. without freaking out and we had no real movies I wanted to watch while carrying my first child. So, I picked up the book. I've been hooked ever since.

Well hooked is putting it lightly... That picture I placed isn't even half of my collection. Those are just my favorites! You'll never see me without my nose page deep, or attached to my computer's key board writing my own story inspired by one of the many novels on my book-shelf.

I have wondered away from Harlequin when my wonderful sister sends a good series my way. I have found some gems that kept me pre-occupied for a while. But Harlequin has always grabbed me back in. And it isn't always Intrigue, or Blaze for more bite there is Erotica, Desire, or the more tame Historical, Romance and Super Romance.

Although, those who know Harlequin are more than familiar with their pages and are wondering when I'm going to get to the point. Well, because I have read so many of their books I've decided that I'm quite the Expert on what authors have been around for awhile and who are new and testing the waters. After eight years and three or more times a month visiting their website I don't know what else can make me more of a Expert.

One of my absolute favorite authors in the Harlequin helm is Rita Herron. In fact there were three of her novels that had that suspenseful grab that had me running to the book store to get the next one of. This is actually not a series these are just three of my favorites.

A Breath Away

I actually haven't read this book in a few years, and just recently re-read it. I still found myself interested and surprised by parts of the book that I had forgot about. I love the way Rita Herron twisted the characters so you really didn't know who the killer was until the end. I so enjoyed all the little shocking details that you just don't see coming.

In A Heartbeat

The minute this book starts your heart is in your throat and you just cannot stop turning the pages to find out what happens next. If you're a Harlequin fan, this is one I strongly suggest looking up!

Last Kiss Goodbye

This book is a emotionally hard read for me. The brilliant way this book kept me captivated, is a rare and appreciated value. Many books try, though don't quite succeed. Very well done, Ms. Herron. These three books are older and maybe a little hard to find, but well worth the effort!

by Kimberly Lowe

Grinelda the Mad Hatter Review

2010-04-05T14:21:00.001+07:00

I'm going to have to be honest before starting this book review. It is a bit biased. Grinelda the Mad Hatter was illustrated by my mom, Paula Nathan. At the same time it is a tremendous book that delves into the life of an amazing little girl named Grinelda.

Grinelda does not act like other girls her age. While the other girls like to play with conscience and would talk amongst themselves Grinelda would sit by herself and wear hats.

Actually just wearing hats would be an understatement, because Grinelda did not only wear hats, she also makes them. So while the other kids would pretend to be princesses who should get whatever they wanted, Grinelda instead dreamed of new hats to make and to wear.

Grinelda had the courage to be herself and see that she did not have to be a princess like all the other girls, but could be a hat maker if she chose. She learned the value of being an individual at an early age. It is a lesson that many could benefit from in today's cookie cutter society.

While this is a story for children it could also be for adults. All of us needs to embrace who we are and this book shows how extraordinary dreams can lead to extraordinary lives. For all the children who are laughed at in the playground, for all the children who were bullied after school, and for all those teenagers who felt they were not like their friends this book is for them. There is a mad Hatter in all of us waiting to get out.

by Andrew M Nathan

"Frame-Up" by John F Dobbyn

2010-03-14T17:44:00.001+07:00

Author John F. Dobbyn's sophomore novel paints an exquisite portrait of his writing style's consistent sophistication and intelligence. "Frame-Up" has a Grisham-worthy plot, brilliantly vivid detail, and unforgettable characters. Just try and put this one down; I could... but only to pick it right back up again!

"Frame-Up" revisits attorney Michael Knight - a junior partner of a renowned trial lawyer, a proud resident of the city of Boston, and the best friend to fellow attorney - and now, car bomb victim - John McKedrick. Although Michael knew of the unscrupulous mafia connections his friend's business kept him tied to, he always thought that John would leave it behind in a less-violent manner. In a cruel twist of fate, Michael is asked to represent the very man accused of his friend's murder - a man with high-level mafia connections and a committed plea of absolute innocence. Once past his initial reluctance, Michael jumps into this man's defense head first and quickly finds himself in the deep end of an intricate - and international - conspiracy. With shocking discoveries at each step and an explosive ending you won't even see coming, "Frame-Up" is Oceanview Publishing's newest masterpiece.

John F. Dobbyn writes a smart legal thriller at a language level well above what is considered 'typical' for fiction. His plots and subplots are seamlessly woven together with impeccably clear details, bringing his characters and the charming soul of Boston to life. Even his descriptions of the local cuisine were so realistic that they made my mouth water and my stomach growl. The story's legal twists and turns combined with heart-pounding action will please any John Grisham fan and could very conceivably be worthy of the silver screen.

"Neon Dragon" author John F. Dobbyn releases his second Michael Knight novel entitled, "Frame-Up". A picture perfect example of what a legal thriller should aspire to be, "Frame-Up" gives any Grisham book a run for its money. I always love it when authors add a bit of local flavor into the mix and Dobbyn's tastes of Boston won't disappoint even the oldest and most established of locals. My newest favorite!

by Vicki Landes

Romance Stories - Looking For Love and Hot Romance

2010-02-20T20:29:00.001+07:00

Modern romance stories cover a broad field that embraces the paranormal, historical, western, black, fantasy, as well as American romance fiction. Plot lines strive to be fresh and settings are often intricate and detailed. Above all, the characters experience a yearning that has them looking for love and intimacy.

Many readers enjoy romantic fantasies and some of the best writers of romantic fiction are active today. Of course, the success of the Twilight novels (and movies), the True Blood TV series and the Vampire Diaries have given a push to what is known as paranormal romance.

Although the love lives of ordinary people are still hugely popular, as can be seen with the work of Nicholas Spark (The Notebook, Dear John and Message in a Bottle), many romance novels today delve into a fantasy world that is a step (or more) beyond normal reality.

So, although readers might still hunger for the Rhett Butlers who carry Scarlett O'Hara up the staircase (Gone With The Wind), a lot of the heroes and heroines in today's fiction also possess uncommon powers. Maybe they can change shape (shape shifters and werewolves), read minds (telepaths) foresee events (seers), speak to the dead (necromancers), display extraordinary strength and speed (vampires) or have other skills that equip them beyond the ordinary.

Of course, historical romance is still very much alive and kicking with many modern romance novels that make use of gothic, Victorian, Regency, confederate, western, etc. settings. Lords, princes, highlanders and pirates abound in the historical fiction of Stephanie Laurens (The Elusive Bride), Diana Gabaldon (An Echo in the Bone), Sabrina Jeffries (The Truth About Lord Stoneville) and many others who like their romance touched with the atmosphere and customs of a bygone era.

Western and country romance is also strong, with many adherents. Although True Blood (Charlaine Harris) is thought of as paranormal romance, it is also set in a small town in Louisiana. Those who like to read about heroic, passionate cowboys should consider Kerry A. Jones (Loved Enough), Leigh Greenwood (A Texan's Honor) and Lorelei James (Branded As Trouble).

Story lines reflect attitudes women can identify with, regardless of the settings. For instance, Lora Leigh, in Nauti Deceptions, writes about an attractive female teacher who changes her identity after being framed and involved in a sex scandal in a small town in Kentucky.

In Dark Slayer, by Christine Feehan, Ivory is a rarity, a Carpathian female who has been protected throughout her life but circumstances compel her to free a 'mage' from a cave that serves as a prison and to flee with him.

The leading characters in modern romance stories have feelings and emotions that build to moments of intense passion and the plots may be clearly erotic. The heroines in these stories (despite their settings) are not the delicate, restrained women to be found in Jane Austen novels. They often face danger with courage and embrace romance with an eagerness that earlier generations could only dream of.

Those who are looking for the romantic and social subtleties of an earlier age might well be advised to seek out the writings of Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters. However, for those who prefer their romantic fantasies to be more akin to hot and sweaty, modern romance writers serve them well.

by Ivan Kelly

Problems of Double Personality of Stevenson's the Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Novel

2010-02-20T20:28:00.001+07:00

In this novel, there are two very different characters in one individual. These characters are Dr. Henry Jekyll and Mr. Edward Hyde. It is very strange that in one individual, there are two different characteristics. Moreover, these two characteristics are contrary to each other. How can they occur in one person? How can they so different? Is one of the personalities dominating another?

As I have mentioned earlier, the characters of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are actually in the same person. Dr Jekyll is a large, well-built, smooth-faced man of fifty, sometimes looking a little too clever perhaps but thoroughly kind and able. While Mr. Hyde is a thin and short man, his face is filled with fierce hate, bringing bad experience to everyone who sees him. A person who has a double personality disorder usually has two or more different personalities in his self. He never realizes this condition and lives normally and happily among his friends and family. Rarely happen that a double personality person knows about his other personalities. However, in this novel, Dr. Henry Jekyll knows exactly his another personality. He even gives a name to him, Mr. Edward Hyde.

At the beginning of the story, Dr. Jekyll still has the ability to control Mr. Hyde. Furthermore, he enjoys the existence of Mr. Hyde. He also fells that by having Mr. Hyde in him, he can be more free, and that Mr. Hyde makes him complete as a man. He accepts that condition and regards it as a distinct pleasure and only has a little objection upon it.

Usually, a double personality person cannot control the change from one personality into the others. However, from the story, there is a time when Dr. Jekyll finds certain drugs to change the whole composition of one's body and mind, and to re-create them in a new form. His laboratory is the witness of the changing form of Dr. Jekyll into Mr. Hyde, a personality who is very different. Dr. Jekyll finds that Mr. Hyde is a vehicle to make him feels younger, lighter, and happier in body and mind. Thus, by finding a drug to transform himself, he thinks that he can completely control Mr. Hyde and use him as away to get a personal pleasure.

Nevertheless, there is a strange thing about the invention of the drug. From the story we get the impression that R.L Stevenson tries to make this story as a realistic as possible. The fact that double personality disorder really exists in the real world strengthen this theory. However, it is disturbed by the drug invented by Dr. Jekyll. It seems very unnatural that there is a drug which can transform the whole appearance and mental condition of a person. Perhaps the invention of this drug is used to emphasize that Dr. Jekyll is able to control Mr. Hyde at the beginning and to be him anytime he wants.

As the time goes by, the personality of Mr. Hyde is getting stronger and stronger. Dr. Jekyll starts to feel the power of Mr. Hyde inside his body and soul. Without his consciousness, Mr. Hyde often comes out and commits crimes. Dr. Jekyll never wants it to happen, but as Mr. Hyde is getting stronger and dominate him more, Dr. Jekyll then cannot handle him anymore. Even he feels weaker from day to day. By making a will which includes the name of Mr. Hyde as his heir, he knows that finally Mr. Hyde will have enough power to take over him completely.

by Ahmad Alim

The Many Worlds of Young Adult Fiction

2010-02-20T20:26:00.000+07:00

In the last decade, young adult fiction has transformed. Authors are pushing the envelope, creating fantastical stories, unearthly characters and, of course, magical worlds. What began with Narnia, a world within a wardrobe, has now become a universe of countless lands. Here are just a few of the wonderful lands born from some of the world's most creative minds:

Rondo by Emily Rodda

The Key to Rondo (Scholastic Press, 2008)
While Narnia has its wardrobe, Rondo has its music box. But entering the music box you'll find a beautiful world containing a quaint village, a lush forest, a magical castle and more. Rondo is filled with magical creatures, many of which you'll recognize from fairytales, like the troll who guards the bridge, or the three little pigs.

Deltora By Emily Rodda

The Deltora Quest series (Scholastic Press, 2001)
Deltora is a land of dragons. It is divided into territories, each named after a different gemstone (amethyst, moonstone, etc.). Each territory is home to its own unique creatures, cities, dangers and of course dragons, making every step of your journey through Deltora very different from the last.

Middlemost by Chris McCoy

Scurvy Goonda (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2009)
Debut author Chris McCoy brought an entirely new concept to the traditional "other word" story. What we believe to be the middle star of orion's belt is actually Middlemost, the world where imaginary friends are born. Entering Middlemost, you'll find a motley crew of creatures-everything from vampires and ballerinas to plandas (half panda, half bonsai tree and swamsters (half hamster, half professional swimmer).

Inkworld By Cornelia Funke

Inkheart (Scholastic Press, 2003)
We've all wished we could dive into the pages of our favorite storybook and live in that world-at least for just one day. In the Inkheart trilogy, Meggie gets to do just that. Her father's "silver tongue" has brought the world inside Inkheart to life. While some characters emerge from its pages, others jump right in.

Ember by Jeanne DuPrau

The City of Ember (Random House, 2003)
Ember is an underground city built before the apocalypse over 200 years ago. It is home to many citizens who have no clue that blue skies exist. They live in a world of darkness, lit in the daytime by lamps. But things are changing. Food is running out. And the electricity is on the fritz. If they don't discover the way out of Ember soon, they'll be plunged in darkness forever.

Luster by Bruce Coville

The Unicorn Chronicles (Scholastic Press, 2005)
Luster is the land of unicorns. At one time, the unicorns lived on Earth. But everything changed when a group of hunters tried to kill their entire race. So they created Luster, a beautiful world that could act as their safe haven. Luster is also home to other creatures such as dwarves, dragons and squijims, along with the occasional human.

The Edge by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell

The Edge Chronicles (Transwood, 2000)
Much like the film Avatar, the world inside The Edge Chronicles contains magnificently creative creatures, unique trees and floating mountains. The Edge and its residents are so fabulously bizarre, that without the illustrations, the book would be hard to visualize.

The list of magical worlds doesn't end there. Also check out:

Archipelago of Dreams
From Here, There Be Dragons by James A. Owen (Simon & Schuster, 2006)

Lyonesse
From Lyonesse by Sam Llewellyn (Scholastic Inc, 2009)

Terabithia
From Bridge to Terabithia by Kathrine Patterson (HarperCollins Publishers, 1977)

Fantastica
From The Neverending Story by Michael Ende (Doubleday, 1983)

The Realms
From A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray (Random House, 2003)

Muratenland
From A Hole in the Sky by Barbara A. Mahler (Turtle Sea Publishing, 2009)

Panem
From The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic Inc, 2008)

Malice
From Malice by Chris Wooding (Scholastic Inc, 2009)

Atherton
From the Atherton series by Patrick Carmen (Little, Brown, 2008)

The Land of Faerie
From Stardust by Neil Gaiman (HarperCollins, 2001)

Halla
From Pendragon by D.J. MacHale (Simon & Schuster, 2002)

Fablehaven
From Fablehaven by Brandon Mull (Simon & Schuster, 2007)

Cyberia
From Cyberia by Chris Lynch (Scholastic Inc, 2008)

Crystallia
From the Alcatraz series By Brandon Sanderson (Scholastic Inc, 2008)

by Nicole Skutelnik

Fancy Nancy Books - Great Examples of Books For Children

2010-02-20T20:24:00.000+07:00

If you are looking for some great reading materials that you can enjoy reading along with your child, perhaps you may be interested in reading through the Fancy Nancy books. These books are a series of stories which have been published by the writer Jane O'Connor, and they are so exciting that both you as well as your little girl will definitely be charmed by them.

What Age Group Would Enjoy These Books?

All these story books are typically deal for infants aged at least four years and upwards. You may find that a child younger than this will also be able to appreciate the colorful tales. The stories are generally self contained which means you don't need to purchase all the books from the collection in order to understand the plotline. Every single book contains beautifully created pictures which depict the escapades that the main girl of the books has.

What Are The Storylines Like?

The Fancy Nancy books are focused entirely on a young child known as Nancy. She has a specific personality type which helps make her very interesting. She is also just like other little girls and simply delights in collecting beautiful clothing and accessories so that she can play dress up and look elegant at all times.

Each book targets a specific adventure or scenario in which Nancy discovers herself in. These are penned with fantastic nuances and superb expressions that it makes it very easy for you to picture just what little Nancy would likely be like in real life.

As soon as you get started on one of the story books, you may be interested to find out more about the rest of the range. There are some books that are specifically developed to be able to assist children to improve their reading abilities.

Fancy Nancy books are a great way to help introduce your daughter towards the delights of reading. In addition they make a good gift idea for a birthday or Christmas time.

by Linda Bennett

Books on Relationships - Solutions to Having a Great Relationship Are in the Books

2010-02-20T20:22:00.001+07:00

There are all types of ways to finding out how to have a successful relationship. However, for me, I believe that the best way is through relationship books. Not just any books either. I am talking about what is commonly referred to as e-books. The term means electronic books. Allow me to give you a few big positives as to why I believe that books on relationships downloaded over the Internet have an advantage over traditional books.

1. First things first. Let's look at cost. With traditional hard copy books, the cost of the material to make that book must be reflected in the price of the book, and the cost of getting it to you. In most cases, an e-book is priced much lower, normally around 50%. You cannot beat that. Especially in our current economic situation.

Something else you can consider. Because the delivery method of an e-book is cheap, many merchants offer very nice free bonus materials with your purchase. One more thing about cost. You can buy yourself an e-book, and easily turn it into a hard copy, and still not pay as much, as you would for a traditional book. I get mine done for $3.00 dollars.

2. Now check this out. You want help with a relationship. Marriage problems, dating situations, looking for that perfect someone? E-books on relationships are the answer. The speed and convenience of getting your information is awesome. You can't beat it. You want to know how to save your marriage; a few clicks of your mouse, and there you have it. Information you can start applying within minutes of your purchase, all from the convenience of your home.

3. I have to let you know this. Books on relationships that you purchase on the Internet are of very good quality. My wife and I have many. Written by marriage, and relationship counselors. Also from people who just plain know what they are talking about. You can have a great relationship. The methods are in the books. Quality information, that will help you have a healthy, and happy relationship. At low cost, and delivered by the speed of technology.

by Randy Brickhouse Sr.

Law School Scholarship - They Are Out There, Just Keep Looking

2010-02-08T09:25:00.001+07:00

There is a law school scholarship for those that look hard enough. Many institutions of higher learning offer them not only to minority students, but to those that do not have the financial resources to pursue this challenging career.

If you have maintained a 3.7 grade point average as an undergraduate and desire a career in law, it is possible. There are many scholarships that do require a person to be of a particular race, but not all.

Yale School offers a number of different scholarships for those students that wish to be a part of their alumni. These include the general scholarship, Home Country / State Scholarship, Minority Scholarship, Prospective Applicant Scholarship, Special Scholarship, Summer Scholarship, and Scholarships for the Disabled Students. These types of scholarships are very common because the cost of a law degree is huge. A good number of these scholarships are funded by donations of previous recipients of them. It is a way of paying back those that have helped them and giving an opportunity to others.

If you are still stumped, then also include schools like Birmingham in England. They offer 2,500 pound scholarships for international students to attend their law school.

Since most law students are very intelligent, keep looking. There is a scholarship out there that can assist you with the enormous cost of obtaining a law degree. While you are at it, look into grants and fellowships from law offices. Many of the bigger ones sponsor bright students that are financially challenged.

The most important thing is not to give up when looking for a school scholarship. If you want it bad enough, you will find it.

by Mark Y. Salmon

Humorous Tale Night of the Deb Written by Susan McBride

2010-02-08T09:23:00.001+07:00

If you lost your boyfriend (you are a woman) when he attended a bachelor party for a friend that was held at a strip joint, how would you feel? That's what happened to rich girl Andy Kendricks when Brian Malone failed to appear after that questionable night. Oh Andy might understand to some degree why he went to such a place but where and why did he disappear without a clue?

Brian had been seen running out of the back door of the strip club with one of the strippers and he was immediately suspected to be the culprit in the disappearance. Possibly the worst part is that Andy attended a similar type of place where males were "on display" and had one wrapped around her neck! This the very same night Brian was attending his bachelor party.

The search for Brian involved his ex-wife, Andy's mother and her new boyfriend, and several neighbors that always had to "butt in" when anything appeared not completely normal. When Brian's car was found with the strippers dead body in the trunk, the police came in to play and many became a suspect. The two investigating cops, nick-named Starsky and Hutch, placed much pressure on all of them, being sure one of them killed the stripper.

The entire scene became murky when one of the clients who was represented by the firm for whom Brian was an attorney became involved in the investigation. Andy's mother’s boyfriend, Stephen, offered his assistance to help Andy find her old boyfriend since she did love him and knew he couldn't have killed the stripper, despite what the police think. A strange ransom was demanded. This brought the family together to plan as best they could to end this mess of a puzzle while not losing the money and getting Brian back in one piece-alive!

A very entertaining story containing many humorous parts that allow you to laugh while questioning who did what to who! Good story Susan.

by Cy Hilterman

The Novels of the Bronte Sisters - Feminism in Victorian Literature

2010-02-08T09:22:00.001+07:00

The Bronte sisters were the daughters of a clergyman, Patrick Bronte who lived in Haworth, Yorkshire, England in the first half of the 19th century.

These three talented sisters created several novels, written, at first, in secret, and published under fictitious names. Each sister chose the name of a man and passed themselves off as brothers when they offered their books up to book publishers.

In Victorian times, female writers were seen as less competent than male writers. The Bronte sisters also hoped to preserve their privacy by using pen names.

Charlotte wrote under the name, Currer Bell. Emily wrote using the name Ellis Bell. The youngest sister, Anne, was Acton Bell.

Their first foray into the world of publishing was a slim volume of poetry. They had hoped to establish their own school at Haworth, but when their plan failed, turned to writing as a means of earning an income. When Charlotte read some of Emily's poems, she saw great literary merit but not enough poems to fill a volume. So, Charlotte and Anne included their own poems when they approached a publisher.

The book of poetry did not earn the sisters the money they had desired, so they attempted to create novels, even then, a more lucrative endeavor.

Publishers accepted three novels by the Bronte sisters. Charlotte's novel, The Professor was published but was not a success. Publication of the novels by Emily and Anne were put on the back burner. But, the publishers, Smith and Elder wrote Charlotte encouraging letters who then wrote Jane Eyre which appeared and was well received by critics and the reading public.

The success of Jane Eyre encouraged the publication of Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte and Agnes Grey, by Anne Bronte. Neither of these books met with the same success as Jane Eyre.

Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights offended reviewers who described it as an unnatural tale. One reviewer wondered how a person could have written such a disturbing story without committing suicide. It was not until years after her death at the age of thirty, that Emily Bronte's novel was seen as an important novel that would ultimately become a classic of English literature.

The novels of the Bronte sisters center on the difficulties faced by women due to the social expectations and mores of Victorian England. Women of that time had few employment opportunities and were dependent on the men in their families or the men who employed them. Most of these novels can be seen as early expressions of early feminism where the protagonists struggle to gain independence and self-reliance. The characters who are unable to stand up for themselves, or to gain some modicum of strength suffer greatly and are held up as models of failure and depicted with pity.

While Emily's sole novel was Wuthering Heights, Charlotte and Anne published several others. Following is a list of the books by the Bronte sisters:

Wuthering Heights (1847) by Emily Bronte is a complex and disturbing tale of desire, vengeance, and dysfunctional family relationships set in the English moors.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte is an orphan's struggle to gain economic stability and respect in a time when personal freedom and self-reliance was difficult for women. Jane becomes a governess for the intelligent and troubled Mr. Rochester with whom she falls in love.

The Professor, by Charlotte Bronte was republished in 1857 after her death. The story centers on the orphaned William Crimsmith and his struggle to free himself from the clutches of his abusive brother. He hopes to leave the trades and enter a life of academia.

Shirley by Charlotte Bronte (1849) is set during a time of industrial unrest in England. Shirley is an independent woman of means in search of some significance in her life. Charlotte based the main character on her sister Emily.

Villette, by Charlotte Bronte (1853) was Charlotte's last novel, the tale of Lucy Snow, an independent minded young woman who takes a job at a girls' school in a foreign country.

Ages Grey by Anne Bronte (1847) centers around the dreary life of a governess in Victorian England and the problems faced by young women in need of earning a respectable living.

The Tennant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte (1848) was better received than Agnes Grey. The protagonist, Helen, flies in the face of convention when she stands up to her abusive husband and speak up with a frankness unusual in a time when meekness was the mode for a respectable woman.

by Inez Calender

Midnight Sun - The Other Rough Draft of the Twilight Saga

2010-02-08T09:20:00.000+07:00

People must be familiar with four books of the Twilight Saga: Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and breaking Dawn. However, only some of the people know that there is one more book that is actually planned to be the part of the Twilight Saga: Midnight Sun. Unfortunately, little parts of the rough draft was posted illegally on the internet that made the author, Stephenie Meyer, came to a decision to discontinue the draft.

As well as other title of the Twilight Saga, Meyer used midnight sun as one of natural phenomena as the title of the book. This phenomenon usually occurs at the north latitudes and nearby to the south of Arctic Circle, as well as at south and nearby to the north of the Antarctic Circle. It happens during summer months and as it is explained by the name, this phenomenon allows you to see the sun in the middle of the local night. In simpler sentence, the sun is visible for 24 hours continuously. Some countries or territories that might be experiencing this phenomenon are countries that are crossed by the Arctic Circle, such Canada, Alaska (USA), Greenland (Denmark), Sweden, Norway, Finland, Russia, and Iceland.

Then let us back to the Midnight Sun created by Stephenie Meyer. Actually, this novel was expected to be the companion of the first book of the Twilight Saga, Twilight. This book was planned to have the same plot with Twilight from the perspective of Edward Cullen. Actually, surely it should be very interesting since it will be in contrary with Twilight that comes from the perspective of Bella Swan. Furthermore, this book should be quite different because Midnight Sun will be the only book to be rewrite based on perspective of Edward.

Unfortunately, public then found that the rough draft consisted of twelve chapters was illegally uploaded on the internet on August 28, 2008. For this reason, Meyer then decided to discontinue writing this novel. She stated that she could not continue to write Midnight Sun because she felt so sad about what was happened. Somehow, she thought that she would continue to work on this certain novel again when she was sure that people has been forgotten about this book.

Surely, the illegal uploading was a regrettable case due to the halt of the writing process of Midnight Sun. Hopefully, Meyer as the author will continue to work on this book again soon.

by Frederic C Padilla

Frank McCourt's Beloved Ireland

2010-02-08T09:19:00.001+07:00

As a little girl, the only things I knew about Ireland were the leprechaun, the shamrock and the color green. I had always thought that the leprechaun was a cute little mythical creature in a green coat. I was completely wrong because just some years later, I saw a different representation of a leprechaun--this time, in a horror movie. That then made me ponder. Why Ireland had chosen such an eerie creature to carry the Irish flag, my young mind would never understand. I knew nothing more about this country and its culture for many years until...Frank McCourt.

Ah, who could ever forget the author of "Angela's Ashes"? This riveting memoir tells the story of McCourt and his childhood while growing up in Limerick in deplorable living conditions. An alcoholic father who didn't have regular employment, a mother who fell into depression after the death of her daughter, a miscarriage later on, and the subsequent death of her two sons, then two more babies afterwards, combined together make for the perfect melancholic novel. Not to mention their family is dirt-poor, living in squalor, and the pub-loving father, the only income-earner, who only had the occasional odd job, drank away the money that was supposed to be for food.

The McCourts were so poor, Frank did not have decent shoes to cover his feet from Ireland's biting cold. And he had to walk to school every day at that. He was forced into child labor to bring food onto their usually empty plates. While recuperating from typhoid fever at a hospital, young Frank was introduced to the works of Shakespeare. This was where his love for the English language developed, and it was apparent from the start that he had a knack for it.

The whole novel is replete with sadness, anguish and suffering, yet Frank McCourt writes it with dignity. It was just straightforward story-telling. And you have to give it to him to make you cry and laugh on the same breath; it was just hysterical. His humor is another story altogether. Never in the whole book did Frank even insinuate any sort of hatred for his country of birth because in the face of such adversity, it was always love that brought Frank to eke out a living for his mother and siblings. It was love that helped him survive with flying colors all the hardships that a young boy his age would not have been able to manage. It was love that pushed him to go to the United States and carve a name for himself in the field of literature where he can show the whole world how a poor boy from his beloved Ireland can actually make it big someday.

by Pollux Parker

Carpe the Friday Night Club

2010-01-31T11:01:00.001+07:00

The Friday Night Club
By: Jacob Nelson Lurie
ISBN: 9781439262474

Think of a cross between The Breakfast Club (the "College Years" version) and "How I Met Your Mother," with a lot more imbibing of alcoholic beverages and gratuitous sex thrown in for good measure, and you might get some glimmering of an idea about the awesomeness that is the plot line of The Friday Night Club by Jacob Nelson Lurie. The book's first person narrator, Davis Robertson, takes a nonlinear look back on his college and post-college years, eventually leading up to his wedding day, and contemplates everything that defines himself and his friends and has brought him to be willing to get yoked to one woman for the rest of his life. Though he loves the woman he's going to marry, Pamela, he can't help but think about the wild times and numerous sexual conquests he's had in the past, and wonder if he's doing the right thing.

The novel has a fairly large cast of characters, with probably the most interesting one being Davis's good friend, the actor Peter Carter, who the narrator describes as looking "...a lot like a young Matthew McConaughey." The way the narrator admires Carter and looks up to his wealth, carefree manner, ability to drink like a fish, and womanizing skills reminded me a bit of the way the narrator of Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby admires the title character of that novel.

The novel is liberally laced with humorous moments and musical and cultural references. Besides the reference comparing Peter to Matthew McConaughey, another of Davis's friends, Jonesy, is described as resembling David Bowie, and another character, Thomas Divan, is described as "...looking a lot like a young Steve McQueen." There are many other references, from Bible quotes to Pink Floyd's line from the album "Animals," "...dragged down by the stone." The characters are, after all, a product of the times they live in. One of the pleasures I got from reading the novel was thinking about the references myself, and the meanings each had for me and the people I knew while growing up.

The Friday Night Club is made up of the narrator and his friends. They meet every Friday night and have parties where the beer and other alcohol flows freely, and they all, in general, have a lot of fun taking a break from their studying and classes at the University of Colorado. They even have a set of three Commandments each member must adhere to, such as Commandment #1: "No band or any earsplitting music that shakes the fillings from your mouth or the neighbors from their slumber." The club fills a social need in their lives, providing them with a break from the mundane, and a chance to philosophize and shoot the bull with each other. As the narrator puts it: "We six lost circus performers were simply in need of an escape from the daily dullness of classes and studying."

It's a coming of age story, a novel of becoming adults, of settling down into married lives and raising families, on one level. But it is a novel that is full of life and the promise of living each moment to its fullest, also, while one is still young, and it is vibrant and will cause you to look back fondly on your own college years. The club is very important to everybody who is a member of it. As Jonesy says, it and the people he met as a result of the club made "College the best four years of my life." He goes on to say:

"The Friday Night Club was the one thing I could look forward to if the week was bad. It was the dry blanket and bottle of whiskey after walking in a rain storm of shit. But...if the week was good..goddamn, that party was the icing on the cake. It was my home away from home. It was my sanctuary. No, it was our sanctuary...our church."

The Friday Night Club speaks to all of us, whether you're currently in college, are looking forward to attending one, or are long out of it and are firmly ensconced in marital bliss and are looking back on your past, like the narrator. If you enjoy reading humorous novels about drinking, partying, having sex with as many people as possible while you're still young, and lots of alcohol-induced - but still insightful philosophy - on life, then The Friday Night Club is the book for you.

by Douglas Cobb

I Can Add Bills and Coins - A Review

2010-01-31T10:59:00.001+07:00

Title: I Can Add Bills and Coins
Author: Rebecca Wingard-Nelson
Publisher: Enslow Publishers, Inc.
ISBN: 13: 978-0-7660-3657-4
Reviewed by: Karen Cioffi

What parent doesn't want his child to learn about money. And, wouldn't early grade school teachers appreciate a book that will help them to demonstrate what each coin and bill looks like as well inform the child of its actual monetary value. I Can Add Bills and Coins does just this. It is a wonderful learning book for children in grade levels K to 3. I think it is also useful for pre-school children. The very young mind is an amazing tool that can absorb amazing amounts of information like a sponge.

Not only does I Can Add Bills and Coins convey what money looks like (through actual pictures of the coins and bills) and each of their value, but it also teaches how to add money.

Each page of I Can Add Bills and Coins focuses on particular coins or bills. For example it begins with a page displaying a penny through a quarter, and a one-dollar bill through a twenty-dollar bill; the value of each coin and bill is displayed next to each picture. The value is written out and also displayed in numbers with the appropriate value symbol. The next page shows two nickels and 6 pennies. The child is asked if he/she knows how much that is. Then the book goes on to explain in text and visualization how to add the coins in two different ways: ascertaining the value of each coin and adding them together, and by adding the similar coins together and then adding those totals together. This method cleverly helps the child comprehend the addition of coins and bills.

The last page is Adding Dollars and Cents. Using the same method on each page, the child will gain confidence in working through to a solution. After this, the author included a Let's Review page, a Learn More page, and an Index.

What I especially like about his book is that each coin and bill is clearly shown, including the back of each coin. And, the coins are shown in their actual size.

This 24-page book is a sure to be a useful tool for parents and teachers. It will certainly help teach young children about money. I will be reading I Can Add Bills and Coins to my young grandchildren.

by Karen Cioffi

The Lightning Thief Has Hard Hitting Action and Costumes

2010-01-31T10:57:00.001+07:00

Just a couple more weeks until Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightening Thief is released to theaters. The young-adult book series, by Rick Riordan, has been a big hit in my family and although it is written for the younger generation, it also appeals to adults. My guess is that with the popularity of the books and a new movie opening up on February 12th, costumes based on this fantasy adventure story will be very popular for Halloween 2010.

The plot revolves around high school student Percy Jackson who really gets a history lesson when the gods of Mount Olympus come to life and walk right out of the pages of his Greek Mythology text book! Turns out Percy, who finds out his father is Poseidon (making him a demi-god), is the prime suspect in the stealing of Zeus' lighting bolt. His mother mysteriously disappears and, with the help of friends, Percy sets out on adventure to catch the real thief, safe his mother and unravels an epic mystery as well.

You can make the story come to life at your own party by dressing up in Greek god and goddess costumes. Zeus, king of the gods and ruler of Mt. Olympus, is known for his white robes, white beard and lightning bolt which he throws about. A toga costume and costume beard will make this Greek costume easily transformable into a Lightening Thief costume. Women might like to dress up as Aphrodite, the most beautiful of the Greek Goddesses. A long column-style gown wrapped criss-cross around the waist, a cascading blonde wig and golden Greek jewelry complete her Greek costume. Other touches for a Greek costume include leather sandals, coin jewelry, arm cuffs that look like snakes and laurel wreath headbands.

by Todd Denning

Brushing Up on Characters and Symbolism in Shakespeare's Hamlet

2010-01-31T10:54:00.001+07:00

Shakespeare's Hamlet has so thoroughly been woven into Western culture that you probably can't go a week without hearing an allusion to it, whether or not you realize it. "To be or not to be," on its own, has been the butt of enough jokes to last a couple of centuries. This is one of Shakespeare's tragedies, so it's unsurprising that a lot of what people remember has something to do with mortality. Let's take a look at some of the most famous bits and pieces of Hamlet, and see what about them you might have forgotten.

The play is all about Hamlet's indecision regarding what to do when his father, Hamlet, Sr., is murdered, and his mother Gertrude marries Hamlet's uncle Claudius about five minutes later. When his father's ghost visits at the very beginning of the play, Hamlet finds out that it was Claudius who killed his father. At least, the ghost says he's Hamlet's father, but there's definitely speculation as to whether Hamlet is just imagining this spooky figure, in his confused, depressed time of grieving. Either way, the ghost sets things in motion by giving Hamlet a push in the direction of vengeance, and it takes the whole rest of the play for him to sort things out.

There's no bigger fish in Hamlet symbolism than the skull of Yorick, the jester that Hamlet knew in his youth. This is the picture of Hamlet that shows up on everything associated with the play - a thoughtful, troubled man in black, holding a human skull. Incidentally, this isn't something that people do every day. Unless you're forensic expert, you've probably never even come near a human skull (at least one that's no longer part of someone's head). "That skull had a tongue in it, and could sing once," Hamlet morbidly observes. Because of this strangeness, the image of Hamlet holding Yorick's skull would probably stick in our minds even if it weren't held there by the weighty symbolism that comes from Hamlet's reflections on death.

Another well-known image from the play is the drowning of Ophelia, daughter of Polonius and potential match for Hamlet. You might have forgotten that this doesn't even happen onstage - rather, Gertrude tells us about what happened. From the sound of it, Ophelia wasn't in her right mind when she was floating around in the river, but actually singing songs and not fighting to get out of the water. What might have made Ophelia go mad? Well, for one thing, she doesn't get a chance to really do anything for herself during the whole play. She has to do what Polonius says because she's unmarried and he's her father, and she has to take a lot of abuse from Hamlet because he's a marriage prospect. Of all the unfortunate Hamlet characters (after all, most of them die) Ophelia might be one of the worst off.

A ghost, a skull, and a suicide (or what looks like one): that's a lot of death for one play, especially one that's so ingrained in common knowledge. Lucky for us, though, there's a lot more to it, and Hamlet doesn't seem in danger of dying out any time soon.

by Paul Thomson

Law School Financial Aid - Almost Every Law Student Must Have This to Complete the Courses

2010-01-31T10:52:00.001+07:00

For law school financial aid, there are many resources a student can utilize to pay the enormous bills that will be presented to them. The cost can be staggering for some, so be prepared with as much assistance as possible.

There are scholarships and grants along with fellowships that are awarded each semester from a wide variety of places and organizations. One place that is often overlooked is the educational institution for which you have been accepted to. But this brings up a very important point, if you have already been accepted at a law school; you are already off to a late start when it comes to applying for financial aid.

Private schools are very expensive to attend. This is because there is no public money being given the institution to help offset the cost of a student attending classes there.

If you choose to finance your own education, there are options. The Free Application for Student Federal Aid must be filled out. Available to graduate students are the Stanford Loan and the Perkins Loan which are federally funded loans that must be paid back after graduation. There is also the Graduate PLUS System that connects private lenders with students that need the necessary resources to continue their education in law.

The main private financial institutions that give loans to aspiring law students are CampusDoor Loans through Access Group, CitiAssist from CitiBank, LAWLOANS from Sallie Mae, and School Loans from KeyBank.

With public schools bills reaching over $50,000 a semester, do not let any avenue of school financial aid go unchecked.

by Mark Y. Salmon

Children Vampires

2010-01-19T14:04:00.001+07:00

Not all vampires are adult men with a white face and a widow's peak. While Count Alacard made famous Dracula, legend has it that there are many forms of vampires. As the story goes, anyone that is bitten by a vampire becomes a vampire and lives in immortality feasting on the blood of others. And so the cycle goes. But did anyone stop to think that there must be children vampires. In fact, wasn't there one in the infamous book and film, "Interview With A Vampire" by Anne Rice?

Wouldn't it be interesting to follow the eternal life of a child vampire? Does he hide it from his parents? Does he hide it from his friends? How does he attend school? And more importantly - does he drink blood from people's necks to survive?

A child vampire is destined to be a child forever and ever. But what if he wanted to live out at least one lifetime as a normal boy before disappearing into obscurity? And what if he didn't want to hurt people and subject them to the same fate as he himself is suffering?

Luckily, there are children's books that deal with this very subject. A favorite among children, vampires always rank high. But a child vampire ranks off the charts. Children imagine what it would be like to stay up all night long and get to be a kid forever. While it all sounds great, delving into the story children see the downside and learn what it is like for one particular child who is living that life.

Is it really so great to live forever if you must take the life of other's to do so? And what about all your friends who eventually grow up and leave you behind? These type of stories allow children to delve deep into their minds and explore the good and bad to any situation and to realize that not everyone is the same. They learn that some people may have secrets or crosses to bear in life and that being considerate of other people's trials and tribulations is important. Books that explore the life of children vampires and other mythical creatures, are more sophisticated than the typical children's book, yet still suitable and relatable to the child. Parents love the life lessons taught by a child vampire who at first seems like he is living the ultimate fantasy.

by Ray C. Subs

Cross Country Written by James Patterson

2010-01-19T14:02:00.001+07:00

An Alex Cross book unlike any others before. The international interest in this story should make Cross Country a terrific read for the entire globe. The story starts out with some horrific killings during break-ins in Washington, DC. The method of getting into the house, talking to the inhabitants, and the methods the victims were tortured and killed is almost beyond human description. When it turns out that the family involved in this killing is one that Alex Cross personally knows, he is upset beyond words and actions.

The "Tiger" was a big strong young man who had complete control over the youth that he enlisted in his gang of relentless killers. He issued the orders and they listened or they would not live to receive the next order from Tiger. The family killings continued with Tiger using some words that you might construe as Islamic or African roots. The CIA got interested but shared little information that the DC police could use.

Detective Brianna Stone was a DC cop that worked with Alex but their relationship went much farther than working. They both knew the love was there between them and they did all they could to keep their work outside their relationship. But when Alex heard of a connection between the Tiger and Africa, he decided he had to go to Africa to try to catch and stop the Tiger from his brutal senseless killings. Despite pleas from Bree and his coworkers he did go, not knowing what he was going to find.

Alex Cross walked into a buzz saw and literally was thrown into the Tiger's plans in Africa as were also his family in Washington. Alex was captured, brutalized, and had no communication with the outside world. Even after he was released he was recaptured and went through the same type of torture. The brutality he saw and experienced in Africa was nothing like any he had ever seen. Before his capture he described the living in Africa and the killing that also existed in large amounts, making a day-to-day life in Africa a very unsteady affair. I have read other books about the non-existent decent lifestyle in Africa so I know that what Alex saw and endured is very close to actuality.

I highly recommend this book to any adventure reader. It will take you to a life you would not want to endure.

by Cy Hilterman

A Journey of Adventure and Travel in Margaret Clarke's Healing Song

2010-01-19T13:57:00.001+07:00

Margaret Clarke's Healing Song starts with Roberta, a woman in her mid-thirties who runs away from her children and husband in a small town in Canada because she feels she has reached a stagnant period in her life. Her husband Ray has been noticing various signs of depression and suggests she seek psychological help. He cannot understand why she leaves him as he thinks he is a good provider to her and the family. But Roberta follows her instincts and embarks on a journey of travels and adventures that take her away from her stifled self and escapes to a rented hotel room. While there, she contemplates her next step - connecting to her soul. One could actually call this journey her entry level to the Rites of Initiation which addresses psychological needs such as safety and security, belongingness, interaction with children and self-actualization (finding her soul and uniting her old and new self).

According to Gail Sheehy's Passages: Predictable Crises of Adult Life, the most common age for a woman to run away from home is thirty five (Sheehy 264). Being alone gives her the necessary time and space to put her demanding roles aside. For the first time in her adult life, she is not placed in the context of work, family and husband-wife relationship. Roberta's "care of soul doesn't mean wallowing in the symptom [of depression,] but it does mean trying to learn from [the symptoms of] depression what qualities the soul needs" (Moore 79) and she begins to fulfill this goal.

Her real adventures begin however, while working at "The Food Bar," where she meets Nora, an Indian cook with whom she becomes friendly. As she interacts with her new co-workers, she consciously disconnects the past from the present. At the same time, the thought of abandoning her children and loving husband continues to haunt her.

Their growing friendship helps Roberta to rekindle the notion of giving. Nora's physical features - her black hair and eyes represent nature and mother earth. Roberta feels safe with Nora's warm, intimate and maternal presence and Nora empathizes with Roberta and encourages her to heal her personal wounds. Later, while sitting in her bedroom at Nora's house, she admits privately her love for Nora and writes in her journal: "This morning I will think about: Why I left them, last night's dream, and why I love Nora" (HS 58).

While staying at Nora's house, time seems to slow down and Roberta welcomes her new pace of living. She develops an acuteness of sense from the simple act of drinking tea to looking at Nora's furniture. She also observes people talking and their body language. This excessive attention to detail encourages her to pause. "A common symptom of modern life is that there is no time for thought, or even for letting impression of a day sink in. yet it is only when the world enters the heart that it can be made into soul" (Moore 286).

When Roberta finally comes home to her husband Ray and her children, she gradually "lets go" by allowing her children to become individuals, different from herself. With her new found growth, Roberta hopes that Ray will respect her need for privacy. By internalizing these needs, he may be able to heal the wounds extant in their marriage by sharing his trust and love so as to unite the dichotomy of distinct male and female emotions and needs that are not verbalized between them.

As the very title of the novel suggests, the process of healing represents the balance between uncovering an authentic soul in relationships with friends, children and husband and most importantly, with oneself. Roberta's feat of discovering her authentic soul by herself without her family is the challenge this novel addresses, namely the need to unify thoughts and feelings when unpredicted changes suddenly overtake Roberta's unstable course of living and she reaches her "Rite-to-Be."

by Dorit Sasson

Book Review For "The Elegance of the Hedgehog"

2010-01-19T13:55:00.001+07:00

Book Review for "The Elegance of the Hedgehog"
Written by: Muriel Barbery
Published by Europa Editions
ISBN: 978-1-933372-60-0
325 pages
$15.00
5 Stars

Barbery crafts an emotional, moving story about two unlikely people who find inspiration in the other. Set in the heart of a Parisian apartment building, Barbery explores class differences and social satire in such a way that it will resonate with the reader long after they've put the book down.

As the novel opens, the reader meets Madame Renee Michel, the concierge of an affluent apartment building. Renee's only friend is Manuela, a maid who services the tenants. Manuela also knows a secret about the concierge - Renee is not who she appears to be.

Renee is self-educated. She enjoys tea, loves to read, especially Tolstoy and late 19th Century Russian authors. Renee appreciates art, philosophy, music, and the Japanese culture. Through Renee, the reader comes to know the tenants of the affluent building she manages and learns that while they may be materially wealthy, they don't possess a soul as enriched as hers.

Renee takes great pains to hide her enriched soul. She's a little short, a bit unkempt, and plays the TV rather loudly so the tenants think she watches TV all the time. Renee fools everyone except Manuela.

Paloma Josse is a twelve-year-old girl who lives in the building. Paloma is very smart, but deems her life futile and decides she's going to commit suicide on her 13th birthday by burning the building down. A profound thought indeed, for a twelve-year-old! Paloma records her thoughts in journals called "profound thoughts" and "movement of the world." Her entries are laced with a little drama, yet capture the same essence of enlightenment that Renee has.

The apartment building is turned upside down when a wealthy Japanese man, Kakuko Ozu, moves in. He quickly becomes friends with Paloma and almost immediately sees through the carefully constructed facade Renee has built.

After Paloma meets Renee, she strikes up a friendship with the salty concierge. Paloma likes Renee and says the concierge has the "elegance of a hedgehog;" all prickly on the outside, but soft and warm on the inside. Only time will tell if Renee's influence will change Paloma's mind about the direction of her life.

The book starts by introducing Renee, her life, and giving a little background as to how Renee became a concierge. It's rich in characterization, but it is a little slow. The characterization will make up for that.

The narration alternates between Renee and Paloma, Renee is in the first person voice, and Paloma's narration is told through her journals. The switching of narration is well done and compliments the story.

Both Paloma and Renee are rich characters and it is a pleasure to get to know them. Manuela, Kakuko, and the supporting cast are also quirky and entertaining - especially the cats.

The pacing picks up about one-third into the book and it's hard to put down after that. The dialogue is well done, capturing each character's unique voice. Overall, "The Elegance of the Hedgehog" is a poignant read from start to finish.

by Steph Burkhart

Until Now by Denise Skelton

2010-01-19T13:53:00.001+07:00

Until Now by Denise Skelton is a wonderfully realistic and cleverly written romance. Two people cross paths and their lives are forever changed. Although they have both sworn off getting involved in serious relationships they begin to change their thinking. The multicultural characters have many challenges and conflicts to overcome but love conquers all. The author likes to give her stories happy endings and this one is no exception.

Terry Myers' life is spinning out of control. She and her two sons live in Chicago. Terry's ex is a deadbeat dad, remarried and working on his third baby with his new younger wife while Terry struggles to put food on the table for their boys. Things go from bad to worse when Terry loses her customer service job at the mall.

F.B.I. agent, Wade Nelson carries his own baggage including a traumatic past with an abusive father. He has just moved back to Chicago and has to deal with him again. Terry has a really bad day and she runs into Wade at the market. He gives her a helping hand and she doesn't expect to see him again. But Terry's son attends Thomas Jefferson High School where Wade is working undercover as an English teacher, looking for someone selling illegal drugs. Wade catches her son involved with a group of boys who are smoking and in possession of marijuana. Events throw them together in many situations, some funny and some very emotional. There is a definite attraction between them but Terry has sworn off men and Wade has his own agenda.

Mystery and romance spice up an entertaining story. Real life situations give depth to a story that is emotional yet amusing. Terry is African-American and Wade is Malaysian. The racial diversity not only defines the characters but also gives readers a chance to learn about other cultures. Terry reminds me of the character on "Desperate Housewives" who is always getting into goofy and humorous situations. Terry is not always likeable and sometimes her antics are implausible. She works in customer service and yet she talks on her cell phone and ignores a customer. The result is that she loses a job that she needs desperately. Still, I sympathized with her. Being a single parent is tough and I wanted her to find happiness at the end. I like the fact that the romance between her and Wade develops slowly. Readers get to know the characters as they get to know each other. It's an engaging read about romance and relationships.

Publisher: First Chance Publishing (November 6, 2009)

ISBN: 978-0979087738

Paperback: 336 Pages

Price: $9.99

by Gail Pruszkowski

David DeAngelo Dating Book Review For Guys

2010-01-07T10:18:00.001+07:00

Truth be told, there are a heck of a lot of more singles today than ever! And unlike the previous generation, people are remaining single much longer. Well into their late twenties and thirties.

Of course there are many reasons for that. Like you want to establish your career first before thinking about family. There are many reasons why guys wait until longer. Unfortunately, the longer guys wait, the harder it is for them to get up to speed how to approach and date the women they would like to meet for possible long term relationships or even for marriage.

And that is the reason for David DeAngelo dating book. To help guys get up to speed for dating as quickly and effectively as possible.

You see, as we get older, we get more set in our ways. We find it harder and harder to meet quality folks and even find the time to date them. So if you find yourself alone on the couch watching TV on a Friday or Saturday night, and wonder, "What if?"

Well, instead of wondering, you could become proactive and find ways to get dates so that you can go out and enjoy yourself and even improve your dating life.

The missing ingredients for most guys (if not all) is confidence, social skills and dating skills. And David DeAngelo will absolutely help you with that when you are reading his classic book, Double Your Dating.

I can tell you right off the bat that going to bars, nightclubs and other very public venues to seek for girls to date is much harder than ever. Especially if you haven't dated anyone for a while. Some guys get pretty lucky. But my observation has been that most guys do not. It is just too hard to assimilate all the noise and lights in a bar and expect a woman to want to know you a little better.

There is a much, much easier way. And that is to meet women during the daytime when they are more receptive to a sincere guy approaching them cold. It takes guts which is an area that most guys have a problem with. That is where confidence comes in.

And you know something? In spite of the fact that we are blessed with all kinds of modern technology, we are even more alone than ever. And you may even feel that there is no hope for you to ever meet a high quality woman that would love to meet you. Well, I'm telling you that they are absolutely out there. And wondering where the heck are all the good guys?

That would be you! But you need to package yourself so to speak to be the dream guy that girls love. And David DeAngelo says that women are attracted to guys because of behaviors. It is all about how you talk. How you present yourself. And how you respond to situations.

It seems hard but not when you read David DeAngelo dating book. You will find out and understand for yourself exactly how to become the guy that women will be attracted too. But you won't be changing yourself. I hope you understand that. You won't be changing yourself into somebody you don't like. For instance, you don't need to be a lying liar. Or some swinger. Or even a player.

Those are extreme versions of guys. But to be the masculine version of yourself that is extremely attractive to high quality women takes a little practice. And you will still like yourself.

by John Garret

Wipeout by Chip Hughes

2010-01-07T10:16:00.001+07:00

I recently reviewed Needled to Death, a knitting mystery by Maggie Sefton, where I mentioned that it may have a limited appeal to only those interested in the craft. Chip Hughes' novel Wipeout is to surfing what Sefton is to knitting. Sometimes it seems that Hughes is more interested in spewing out facts about surf boards, surfers and the history of the sport rather than building suspense.

Kai Cooke is a private detective/surfer in Honolulu, Hawaii. He is approached by a very pregnant young woman who wants Kai to prove her husband is dead. He wiped out on Christmas Eve, over a month ago, and was never seen again. His widow is due any minute and the insurance company refuses to pay out his two-hundred thousand dollar life insurance policy until they have proof of his death. No body, no money.

At first, Kai's task seems impossible since everyone on the island remembers Corky McDahl's deadly wipeout vividly but no one knows anything beyond that. However unlikely, Kai starts finding clues that may lead to the missing man. In one seemingly implausible scene, Kai travels to Maui looking for a red-headed woman named Maya. Somehow with only those two clues to go on, he manages to find her. Is Maui that small and close-knit?

There was plenty more amiss with the novel. Readers like their sleuths to have the same flaws and human characteristics that we all have but Kai Cooke is a jerk. When his girlfriend Leimomi fears she may be pregnant, he avoids her, using the case of the missing surfer as an excuse. He tells himself he's not ready to be a father. How did this happen, he asks. Really dumb question for a thirty-four year old. Shortly after, he is seduced by the beautiful Maya, fully cognizant of his girlfriend's predicament and that Maya's husband may just have been killed a few hours before.

During his conversation with colleagues, clients and girlfriends, Kai speaks proper English, but when speaking with his surfing buddies, he slips into a dialect that may be Hawaiian but reads like Cajun. There was no explanation why the abrupt change in his manner of speaking. I was reminded of Vanilla Ice or Barbara Billingsley's role as a jive translator in "Airplane".

When Kai finally tracks down the errant surfer, alive and well and surfing the same beach he disappeared from, there is no explanation how he faced his death in front of witnesses. Hughes also doesn't give any reason why nobody on the beach recognizes Corky McDahl when they all recognized him immediately in the photographs Kai showed them just days before. And Corky's a jerk, too.

The ending is wrapped up a little too quickly and convenient. The drug lord is captured and put away (scene not in the book) and Kai's girlfriend isn't pregnant. Not only that, but she's leaving to spend time with her parents. Kai is freed from any parental responsibility or obligations and can resume his life of surfing.

There is also a lack of real suspense since the run-ins with the kingpin's goons are limited to one and it wasn't very exciting. The kingpin must be the benevolent and lenient criminal mastermind there is.

Wipeout, although well-written, is much more a cozy mystery than hard-boiled detective story. If you have an interest in surfing, you may enjoy the multiple references to surfers, techniques and waves. If you want an edge-of-your-seat action-packed whodunit, look elsewhere.

by Alan G. Scott

The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny

2010-01-07T10:04:00.001+07:00

The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny is a traditional mystery - a charming whodunit starring Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. Although it is the fifth book in her Three Pines mystery series, it's the first one I've read. I was lucky enough to receive an advance copy. The likeable and realistic Gamache hooked me and Penny has a new and enthusiastic fan. She offers much more than an absorbing mystery. Her colorful descriptions and quirky characters bring the small Quebec village of Three Pines alive.

The book opens with a conversation in a cabin located deep in a forest. Two men, Olivier and a hermit discuss some primeval mythology and eminent chaos. Shortly after, a strange man is found murdered in the village bistro owned by gay partners, Olivier and Gabi. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his homicide team are called in to investigate. Evidently there have been other murders in Three Pines and the locals are familiar with the team but no one admits to knowing the victim, or so they say, which adds to the mystery. Olivier seems to be the prime suspect until the inspector ferrets out more and more secrets. Suddenly anyone of the villagers could be the guilty party.

It's great fun and an entertaining ride for those who love a good whodunit. There are lots of twists and turns to fool the reader but not the inspector who is relentless in his introspective manner. The author kept me guessing for most of the book. I enjoyed the characterizations, the references to food, antiques, art and literature and the charming setting. And Ms Penny has a wonderfully dry sense of humor that makes her voice a joy to read. As I mentioned I haven't read the previous books but I found this one worked well as a standalone. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I'll be looking for the previous books in the series as well as any to come.

Publisher: Minotaur Books (September 22, 2009)
ISBN: 978-0312377038
Hardcover: 384 Pages
Price: $24.99

by Gail Pruszkowski

She Still Calls Me Daddy - By Robert Wolgemuth

2010-01-07T10:03:00.001+07:00

What a wonderful book! I found it to be right on as the analysis of the father-daughter relationship must shift when the daughter marries. It is indeed true that a husband must leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife (Gen 2:24) - a wife must do the same. As one flesh the newly married couple must be devoted to one another 'forsaking all others.'

I read this book in one sitting - I could not put it down. This book challenges the attitude that we need to protect our daughters against all comers, by asserting that we pass the baton to the new son-in-law to become the guardian and protector of our little girl. As hard as it is to let go, it is a scriptural response to their declaration of love for one another.

there are examples of how the author deals with his daughters, and the loss of the role as their protector - as well as how he deals with and builds relationships with his sons-in-law. The family grows as the father is able to let go and allow his sons-in-law to step into the proper place in his daughters' life - as she moves from daughter to wife.

An excellent book with a great understanding of what makes couples work together, great hints (prayer hooks) and how 'families of origin' get in the way. A how-to blueprint for in-laws to allow the new couple the space necessary to make their own way!

Step back, allow the new man in, after all, if he's good enough for her to say yes, you must do the same.

Scriptural and sound advice! Definitely a page-turner!

by Michael Joshua

The Memorable Secret of Cinderella Story

2010-01-07T09:58:00.001+07:00

The author of the book the secret Cinderella story is Carolyn Turgeon. The different ending makes this unique. It is not the typical happy ending story. It is in fact not a Cinderella story. It is about a girl named Lil.

Lil is the old woman who struggles to make ends meet. She works for a divorced man, George. Mr. George possesses a bookstore in Manhattan. The only enjoyment and happiness for Lil is reading the books she sells. She usually spends her night alone. Nevertheless, the character Lil has one secret, which makes the story interesting. Lil was a fairy. Once she was a fairy not an old fairy, is the one accountable for dressing up Cinderella. She was responsible for making the life of Cinderella happier. However, Lil falls in love with the prince and therefore takes the place of Cinderella. It makes the secret Cinderella story more interesting.

Later, she went to the ball in her human guise. This was an unpardonable sin in her fairy world because fairies should not feel the human emotions. It made Lil to live the life of an ordinary woman. Now she cannot go back to her fairy world. Once a woman comes to her shop and falls for the wrong men. She decides to bring Mr. George and Victoria together; it can help her to go back to her fairy world.

The entire secret Cinderella story switches between past and present day of New York. The Secret Cinderella story is one of its kinds. It can assist your child to go through the imaginary fairy world. Nevertheless, if you want go for a romantic story then it is definitely not.

by Jared Lee

The New Wellness Revolution by Paul Zane Pilzer

2010-01-03T13:41:00.001+07:00

The New Wellness Revolution by Paul Zane Pilzer

This updated look at the up and coming trillion dollar wellness industry expounds upon the original Wellness Revolution by Paul Zane Pilzer. This industry has already grown to over $500 billion and it is still in its infancy. The book lays a foundation covering our current health crises in America and explains the need for changing the paradigm of the sickness industry to a focus on wellness.

From a discussion on the misconceptions about the food we buy and eat, to the dangerous pharmaceutical industry and the maintenance drugs that they sell us, and the need for extensive reform of health insurance, Paul dissects the sickness industry and calls out the perpetrators who continue to profit on our sickness. Mr. Pilzer then explains several major business opportunities found in changing this industry by helping others through wellness programs, including a major focus on the direct sales industry and its roots in wellness products.

I highly encourage everyone to explore the opportunities found within the pages of this great book. The health research alone provides great advice and certainly some eye-opening statements that will make you rethink your own health and nutrition.

What you will find inside:

The need for wellness and the baby boom generation
Nutrition and problems with food and diet
Making a fortune in food
Making a fortune in medicine
Important health insurance problems and solutions
Financing your wellness through new health insurance solutions
Making a fortune distributing wellness
The roots of wellness products and distribution through direct selling
Tips for the staking your claim in this upcoming revolution

Jamie Bennett is a managing member of Jamison Projects LLC, a leading Infopreneuring firm dedicated to partnering with like-minded alliances and having a stewardship approach to our resources through our 50/50 program. Jamie is a husband, father, Christian, learner, leader, and lover of life... "I will never be a follower, but will always be a student."

by Jamie Bennett

The Enchanting Story of Rapunzel

2010-01-03T13:40:00.001+07:00

Rapunzel is the beautiful storybook for children. Rapunzel is the beautiful girl in Grimms Brothers version. Paul O.Zelinsky beautifully depicted the edition Rapunzel. Story of Rapunzel is the best way to introduce the Italian Renaissance art and fairy tale to your child.

A child who hates reading can literally fall in love with this book, as it is the beautiful picture book. The depiction and illustrations of stories are wonderful. A child, who hates learning, will cheerfully study the details of the beautiful Rapunzel. Children's usually love to hear the magical stories. Nevertheless, if you are a professional and want some kind of entertainment, inspiration and fun, these fictional stories are forever part of life.

The story of the Rapunzel helps the reader to form new ideas, as the stories are very fresh in style. The words used in the book are much easy to understand and sounds real. According to Zelinskys research, the story of Rapunzel is not from Brothers Grimm, it is the German translation of an French literary fairy tale. The primary edition of the brothers grimm is derieved from an oral tale.

Initially, the Rapunzel book was published in 1812 as a part of Children's and household tales. It is one of the best fairy tales. Everyone is familiar with the line "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair" from the story of Rapunzel. Children will enjoy the imaginary fairy tale. The beautiful picture of Rapunzel and prince is the best part of this fairy tale book.

by Jared Lee

The Red Chinese Army and the US Military - A Relationship That Needs Attention

2010-01-03T13:38:00.000+07:00

If you've ever wondered why there is so much tension between the United States and Chinese military, then perhaps you need to do a little bit of research and some reading. Now there are all kinds of great reports from the RAND Corporation, the US government, and many from the free market economic think tanks. Those are all great places to get information. And I'd also like to recommend a pretty good book to you, one that I own, and it is one that will enlighten you a little;

"Red Dragon Rising - Coming This China's Military Threat to America" by Edward Timberlake and William C. Triplett II, Regnery Publishing Inc. a division of Eagle publishing company, Washington DC, USA; 1999, ISBN: 0-89526-258-4.

Many parts of this book are highly graphic descriptions, and images of actions taken by the Chinese People's Liberation Army or PLA against unfortunately its own people, and many of these are the human rights abuses that have been talked about in the United States for years. It appears that China is turning a corner, but they are still very much into controlling their population, their media, and even the Internet.

China likes to be in control of lots of things, and their central planning way of doing things includes nearly every aspect of their society and civilization. From their industry clusters to even their weather, China wants to be in control. Lately, they have been working very hard to regain disputed territories, and they have a goal of eventually reuniting with Taiwan.

Although this book was written before the year 2000, it makes a number of bold statements, such as the reality that China has nuclear weapons pointed towards the United States, that Chinese spies have stolen vital national security secrets, high-tech industrial know-how, and even sold weapons to our enemies. We'd like to think since then, after helping China on the road to become the third-largest economy of the world, that they would be not only our favored trading partners, but also our best friends.

Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case, and I believe it's important to read what was going on prior to the year 2000, as well as what is going on right now in the world when it comes to China. I would recommend that anyone who claims to be an expert on China, their military, their economy, or their future read this book first.

In fact, I'd go so far as to say that China needs to work very hard on becoming the United States best friend and not in name only, but in actual actions. Otherwise, the future Cold War with China, could end up much differently than the one with the Russians. We need to be thinking here, and take this more seriously. Indeed, China is a great place to visit, unbelievable culture, and history, and it is paramount that we remain friends. But at the same time, let's not kid ourselves.

by Lance Winslow

The Recipe For Murder

2010-01-03T13:37:00.001+07:00

For a person to successfully commit a murder, he/she has to be in the right place at the right time. A victorious murder is a pre-meditated murder. It is a well thought out plan with a vivid image of what the outcome will be. To follow a good murder plan is like following a good recipe, they both have ingredients. One needs to have whatever it is they are going to kill the other person with. He/She also needs a secluded place and planned time to commit this crime, to where no one will suspect a thing. In the short story "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner, the setting creates the perfect opportunity for one woman to get away with murder. Faulkner paints a flawless picture for murder in this short story with geographical, historical, and physical settings. All aspects of these settings that Faulkner describes, help Emily succeed in murdering the man she loved, Homer Barron.

The geographical setting takes place in a town call Jefferson. Emily represents the "old south" by the wealthy environment she was brought up in. The town of Jefferson was always living in curiosity and concern for Miss Emily, especially when her house began to give of this terrible, "deathly" smell. Faulkner shows readers how easy it is to get away with something, due to your social ranking, by saying "Dammit, sir,...will you accuse a lady to her face of smelling bad?...So the next night...They broke open the cellar door and sprinkled lime there, and in all the outbuildings...After a week or two the smell went away" (218). Emily's collection of wealth and title of elegance keeps her out of blame's way in the "old south". Due to the location of Jefferson being in the south makes it very easy for Emily to get away with murder. No one will question her bad smelling property, nor will they question anything else, clearly because of her social status. The geographical ingredient to the setting almost gives Emily permission to commit a murder and remain innocent for her entire life.

Emily falls in love with a Yankee, Homer Barron. Historically speaking, she is already committing a social mistake. During the late 1800s and early 1900s a lot of issues that are strongly respected if not accepted today, were not even thought about being brought up during that time. Homosexuality was a huge social mistake in this time period. Faulkner gives readers a glimpse of Homer Barron's mistake when he says, "...Homer himself had remarked-he liked men, and it was known that he drank with the younger men in the Elk's Club-that he was not the marrying man" (220). During this time in the South, to be gay was unheard of. People always think of being gay as a mental problem or disease. In 1969, the stonewall riots transform the gay rights movement from a small number of activists into a widespread protest for equal rights and acceptance. Clearly, one can see that more than 70 years after the time of this literary work, people were just beginning to fight for homosexual acceptance. Being in her mid-30s and single, Emily refuses to settle being alone again. With Homer being a Yankee and a homosexual, Faulkner portrays Emily's unbreakable pride when he states, "Later we said, Poor Emily...Miss Emily with her head high and Homer Barron with his hat cocked and a cigar in his teeth, reins and whip in a yellow glove" (220).

Even though Emily knows that she is merely a cover-up for Homer's sexual preference, she still rather have him then no one at all. Therefore, she holds her head high, when going out in public. She even convinces herself of a possible marriage when Faulkner explains, "We learned that Miss Emily had been to the jeweler's and ordered a man's toilet set in silver, with the letters H.B. on each piece. Two days later we learned that she had bought a complete outfit of men's clothing, including a nightshirt" (220). Neither Homer nor Emily is in love with one another but, they do both need each other when it comes to social acceptance throughout the historical aspect of the setting. Emily needs him in order not to be a single 30 year old woman, which is unheard of in this time period, while Homer needs Emily in order to protect his sexuality from be slandered by society. Both lack love for each other but they do carry a need for one another than anything, in order to maintain their own survivals in this time period of the "old south".

Historically, this story that Faulkner tells readers, emphasizes the absence of women's rights. Emily so desperately wants and needs to be with Homer Barron, because during this time men had all the power and women where acknowledged as nothing without a man. "In 1961, President John Kennedy established the President's Commission on the status of Women and appoints Eleanor Roosevelt as chairwoman. The report issued by the commission in 1963 documents substantial discrimination against women in the workplace and makes specific recommendations for improvement, including fair hiring practices, paid maternity leave, and affordable child care". It is almost 60 years after this story that women were fighting for a helping hand and were being taken more seriously before. A single woman at this time, which is what Emily surely would be with no Homer Barron, was given little respect and considered useless. It is socially unacceptable for a woman of such high social ranking to remain living a life alone, with no husband and no potential family. This part of the historical setting feeds Emily the fuel to do anything she can to keep a man by her side, dead or alive.

The physical setting is a large ingredient for this recipe of murder. Emily lives in a big old house that has been untouched for years and years. The only witness that has ever stepped foot in her house is her obedient Negro servant. The servant not only takes care of Emily, he also takes care of her secret of killing Homer Barron. With only one other witness to the murder that Emily commits, it is easy for her to never be turned in. Her servant has served her and her late father for years, and it is only part of his duty to serve her with his own trust in not telling her dying secret. He remains faithful to her until her very death when Faulkner states, "The Negro met the first of the ladies at the front door and let them in, with their hushed, sibilant voices and their quick, curious glances, and then he disappeared. He walked right through the house and out the back and was not seen again" (221). Emily's servant remained faithful to her and her secret for her entire life, but when her death was announced and the town came knocking on her door, it was his freedom knocking as well.

Faulkner describes Emily's house when he says, "It was a big, squarish frame house that had once been white, decorated with cupolas and spires and scrolled balconies in the heavily lightsome style of the seventies, set on what had once been our most select street...only Miss Emily's house was left...an eyesore among eyesores" (216). As the generation was changing from the "old south's wealth" to a more modern day, Emily's flat, static character remained identical to her house; neither changed along with the generation. This physical setting did, indeed, leave her as an "eyesore" to her town, for she stands out far beyond everyone else. Due to her differences from society, they leave her alone in her dark, unchanged house to be able to get away with the perfect murder.

Reviewing all of the elements that produce the geographical, historical, and physical settings, readers find that these ingredients compose the perfect recipe to murder. William Faulkner creates the perfect time and place for his flat and static character, Emily to commit the perfect murder. He paints a colorful picture of the dark life of Emily Grierson for readers to see. He creates a story that builds a strong setting for a deliciously cooked murder.

by Meredith Rawls

A Review of Listen to My Dream by Debi Pearl

2010-01-03T13:33:00.001+07:00

The book Listen To My Dream, a children's story about Martin Luther King, Jr, was published in December, 2009. The publisher is Pearl Books, LLC.

The book covers the life of King from childhood through his death in 1968 and is written as a narrative poem. It opens with King asking his mother why he was black and wasn't treated like others. Later, his teacher encouraged him to dream big dreams to help others. He set his mind to do that very thing.

As a 'colored man' (a term for Negroes at the time), he didn't have the same privileges in the south that whites had. Then when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white person and was arrested, King organized a boycott of the Montgomery bus system until blacks were treated the same as others. Eventually in 1956 the Supreme Court ruled that such discrimination was against the law.

The children's part of the book is written as a poem, emphasizing the importance of setting goals and sticking to them. It ends after King's funeral following his murder on April 4, 1968.

Listen To My Dream is a 40 page book written in two parts. The first poetic part, as mentioned above, outlines King's life and influence in bringing about racial equality. Part two gives more details about the civil rights movement and how King influenced it; this part is written as a narrative and has no pictures.

Debi and Michael Pearl drew all the illustrations for the first part of the book. At times the poem only hints at something and then, a detail is given on the picture. An example of this is the statement that it was his teacher, Miss Lemon from Oglethorpe Elementary who prodded him on to have a dream and believe in it.

The focus of the book Listen To My Dream is on King's part in bringing about civil rights. In that Martin Luther King should be recognized and remembered.

by Susannah Singer

Book Review For "Loving a Lost Lord"

2009-12-30T10:45:00.001+07:00

Written by: Mary Jo Putney
ISBN: 978-1-4201-0328-1
Zebra/Kensington Publishing
340 Pages
$5.99
5 Stars

Putney pens a vibrant historical romance with "Loving a Lost Lord." Sensual and full of imagery, "Loving a Lost Lord," completely submerses the reader in 1812 England.

The story opens with Mariah Clarke and her father taking possession of Hartley Manor, a residence Mariah's father has won in a respectable gambling match. Hartley is in Cumberland, near Scotland. Shortly after taking over, Mariah's father goes back to London. Mariah learns her father has been killed by highwaymen. George Burke, the previous owner of Hartley Manor enters Mariah's life and offers to marry her. Mariah shivers at the thought of marrying such a gambling scoundrel.

Enter the exotic and mysterious Adam. He washes up on the shores of Hartley, the victim of a ship explosion. Mariah finds him and brings him back to her. As she tends to his wounds, both her and Adam realize he has memory loss. Wanting to give Adam hope and a will to live, she lies to him and tells him they are married.

As Adam recovers, he chases Burke from Hartley. He also helps Mariah turn the neglected mansion into a thriving one complete with a garden.

Mariah and Adam slowly fall in love over the course of several weeks. During a picnic, one intimate caress leads to another and Adam makes love to Mariah, discovering she's a virgin. Mariah is then forced to reveal the truth - that they aren't married and apologizes for her lie. The next day, Adam's friends arrive and announce that he's a Duke. Can Adam forgive Mariah's lies and give them a chance to find the happiness they deserve?

Putney's plot moves well with plenty of unexpected twists and turns. Adam's memory loss was handled well and realistically.

Putney's characters were very distinctive. Mariah embodied the English look physically, but also the British sense of adventure. Adam is a character readers can relate to. He's half Indian as evidenced by his exotic looks. He's loyal and steadfast, a perfect English gentleman who keeps his Indian heritage alive in his heart in a way that's true to him.

Mariah expresses sincere remorse over lying to Adam. She never meant for her lie to take on a life of its own. She realizes it might have cost her true happiness with Adam.

Putney uses a good economy of words which allow the reader to vividly picture the setting of the book in their mind. Her love scenes are tasteful and well done. Overall, "Loving a Lost Lord" captures the reader's imagination and takes them on a grand adventure.

by Steph Burkhart

Eclipse (Twilight Saga) - A Review

2009-12-30T10:44:00.001+07:00

Twilight, New moon and Eclipse are some of the best books I have ever read. I love the fact that they are not only love stories but they have that ingredient of the unknown in them (werewolves and vampires), they really draw you in and once I started reading I found I couldn't stop. To anyone who hasn't read it I would recommend them without hesitation.

I have lived with these characters, Bella, Edward & Jacob, for three books now and I am finding it hard to find my impartiality. Was this book first-class? Yes, all three books are. Could I put 'ECLIPSE' down once I picked it up? Totally not! But this was not my preferred book in the series.

There are some points which I don't like about all three of the books - like Edward leaving Bella in New Moon and the love triangle in eclipse. While I think the grounds for not liking this was because of the strong connection you get with Bella and Edward and you just want them to be together. Nevertheless when reading a book there are always things you don't like about it, and it makes it more fascinating, keeps you absorbed hoping that things will turn out in a different way.

Now before you all start throwing things at me (since I know many people think it is the best book so far), this goes back to my impartiality being compromised. There were so many great aspects of this book, for example, the flash backs as to how the rest of the Cullen's became vampires (very interesting part), the history of the Quileute tribe and the story line about the newborns (which, in truth, I had higher hopes for but I liked it on the whole).

But in my head there is a certain ending that I would prefer for Bella, but by the end of `ECLIPSE' it became pretty clear that what I want and what is really going to happen are two very diverse things. It is like watching a good friend make a lot of choices that you know are really not that good. It is exasperating.

Also, Bella was a little tough to deal with in this third book. She was whiny and self-interested and quite often I wanted to slap her! I found her conduct of everyone from Edward to Jacob to Charlie disgusting and I often found myself blaring at the book for Bella to "stop being so egocentric!!" Nevertheless, this book is just as absorbing as the rest, that point I cannot refute.

I found myself reading 'ECLIPSE' quicker than I have ever ready any other 600+ page book before. And I am eagerly waiting the fourth and final book in the Twilight saga 'BREAKING DAWN!'

by Fernando Moreira

The Book Review of Amapola by Alan Heywood

2009-12-30T10:43:00.001+07:00

Have you ever read the book entitled Amapola which is written by Alan Heywood? This novel actually reminds me on the movie of James Bond who is always lucky all the time. This novel is about one character that apparently so fortunate and lucky. This story is inspiring though sometimes impossible but still this story is interesting.

I am interested in the comedy and humor that Alan played at the novel and liked the physically powerful feminine characters. This novel definitely has a serious tilt towards the significance of companionships and a pro-Canada idea that I liked. A retired Major named George Magee could not stop thinking about Sakai. She is a Costa-Rican woman that regardless of many years which divided them simply attracted him. He considered that he decided the correct decision by leaving the youthful beauty however the suffering in his love was not relieved by the times.

After retired, George Magee spends his life with the business of import-export that makes him to go back to Mexico occasionally to meet his clients. His touching emptiness is filled by his sister because he does not have someone else. Miserably, affiliates of a drug cartel callously kill his young niece and brother-in-law and he is filled by furious annoyance and anger.

George is asked by the Canadian government to help the war on the drugs of Mexican by means of using his dealing as a cover, George considers the opportunity to cross out in vengeance. He is powered by his fury and his expectation of having relationship with Sakai again. He is taken on a exciting adventure and journey out and in of the drug operation.

by Tommie B Fuller

The Writing of the News - A Book Review

2009-12-30T10:41:00.001+07:00

Today, the news isn't what it used to be and many of America's newspapers are closing down. You can pick up any of the newspapers in the country and a third of the content will be exactly the same, as fewer and fewer reporters have jobs, and more information is picked up from the AP as filler. It's hard to say in the future if there will even be newspapers, many have predicted their demise for a long time, and unfortunately, that potential eventuality is looking more and more real each day.

If topics about news writing concern you, if you find this a fascinating topic, or if you are a writer or reporter I'd like to recommend a very good book to you on this subject. The name of the book is;

"News Reporting and Writing" by the Missouri Group, and The School of Journalism; University of Missouri at Columbia, 1988.

In part one of this book, it talks about the philosophy and methods for accurate and fair reporting. It also explains the damage which can be done by biased reporting, or by reporters who have a hidden agenda. Indeed, I was pleased to see this series of chapters in part one that dealt with ethics in the news media, something I believe today is lacking, of course this book was written 20 years ago.

In part two of this book they talk about ways to gather information for writing and in the next part they explain the importance of good writing, and basic skills. It also talks about sources, protected sources, searching for the news, and complex stories. Part four, five and six of this book it is all about applying the techniques to create the news.

In part seven there are case studies which are very interesting. One interesting notation was that of 514 local stories only 11 of those appeared in other newspapers, and one has to ask why. There are many factors for this such as the impact on other areas, the proximity, the timeliness of other stories that were similar for their communities, the novelty of the story, and the amount of human conflict. It talked a lot about the secondary news cycles, where stories were given a fresh slant.

This is a very interesting book to read, and one that I have in my writing library. If you plan on writing about current events, current affairs, news, or even political events, I recommend that you own this book. Indeed, I hope you'll please consider this.

by Lance Winslow

Inspirational Book For Little Girls - Real Beauty Comes From the Heart

2009-12-30T10:39:00.000+07:00

The Most Beautiful Little Girl In The World

Every little girl is beautiful. As a little girl grows up, inevitably she finds another little girl prettier, smarter, healthier, wealthier, more athletic, etc.. From a distance, a little girl often thinks that a friend may seem to have it all. Feelings of inadequacy, jealousy, insecurity and even hate can then ensue. Teaching a little girl to look within her own heart, know how valuable she is to the God who created her, and to know God's love are great resources for life. Inner beauty, that comes from a close relationship with God, transcends any label the world may give. If a little girl lets that inner beauty shine through, she will be "The Most Beautiful Little Girl In The World"!

The Most Beautiful Little Girl in the World is a wonderfully inspirational children's book filled with delightful text and beautiful photographic images. This book will become a very special keepsake in a child's personal library. Although this book is designed for little girls from birth to seven, it will be enjoyed by children of all ages. This book is part of the Nice Little Children's Books collection. This collection which was created in 2009 with the purpose of making children aware of, at an early age, how much God loves them and keeping God first in their lives. The currently available books answer children’s' questions such as: (Who is) The Most Beautiful Little Girl In The World and When Should I Pray?, Heaven, A Collection of Children's Thoughts with more books to come soon... These books make wonderful keepsake gifts and are designed to inspire all children by making them aware of how much God loves them. Many little girls' lives will be brightened by reading The Most Beautiful Little Girl in the World!

My name is Nancy Elizabeth Pharr, and I am a wife and mother of two children. I am a native Atlantan, and I received my BA in English Literature from Mercer University in Atlanta, GA in 1987. I always wanted to write a book, but it was not until a few years ago when my own children inspired me that I actually began writing children's books. An important aspect of my writing and my life is that I want to inspire children to be the best that they can possibly be - I know that with God's help, they can.

by Nancy Elizabeth Pharr

Global Trade and the History of the Wheels of Commerce Considered - A Book Review

2009-12-13T09:53:00.001+07:00

How much do you really know about the history of economics and free trade? I feel as if I know more than 99% of the people on the planet, but perhaps that's because I've studied a three-part volume entitled the wheels of commerce. I think you should pick up a set for yourself. If you'd like to learn more let me explain what I mean and describe to you what's in volume 2 as an example;

"The Wheels of Commerce - Civilization and Capitalism; 15th through 18th Century, Volume 2" by Ferdinand Braudel, 1979.

The 15th and 18th Century is when capitalism really took off. In this particular second volume we see the slow evolution towards what we consider today to be economics. The first volume explained how "economic life" started and how using a unit of trade increased and individual's, or family's quality-of-life. Now, in this volume we see how cross roads became trading points for villages, towns, and cities and how the wheels of commerce started turning.

Indeed, this is a tale of economic history; how capitalism and trading changed everything forever. How free and open markets with shops, distributors, traders, dealers, salesmen, bankers, and even what might now be considered a stock market in Amsterdam were only the beginning. This book tells of the London Royal Exchange, French and Dutch banking, and the exchanges of paper money and distribution in China, bankers and India, and the ships that distributing goods, and those using the silk Roads all participated in what we consider today to be global trade.

The book explains merchants and trading circuits, and self-regulating markets. During this time were the first uses of the words; capital, capitalist, capitalism. It is interesting that most economic textbooks have a brief chapter or two perhaps on how it all got started, but it is very interesting to read a huge three volumes set of books on the subject. It's amazing to me that we do not teach economics as we used to in the schools, and I bet if we did, we wouldn't have the types of economic crisis as we do today. I hope you please consider all this.

by Lance Winslow

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest by Stieg Larsson - A Third Thriller

2009-12-13T09:51:00.000+07:00

Stieg Larsson is the most popular Author famous for his Thriller Novels in the Millennium Trilogy Series. He died at the Age of 50. He left the world with three precious Novels completed but without publishing. The Two Books written by him were awarded the 'Glass Key Award' and 'The Best Swedish Crime Novel Award'. The Third Novel in the Series was 'The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest'. He had also left the scripts for the forthcoming series in the Millennium Trilogy Series which is about to contain 10 series.

The main Characters in the Millennium Trilogy series are Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist. Lisbeth Salander is an Intelligent Computer Hacker and Blomkvist is a Crime Journalist.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest - The Story begins with Salander who is hospitalized with a bullet on her head. She was accused of making three murders. Her father, who is a Russian Gangster, is also admitted in the same hospital, injured by the Axe thrown on him by his own daughter. Once Salander recovers, she is likely to attend the Trial for the murders she did.

The Story continues with the suspense of why she has been treated as the most dangerous person by the police securities and why she is trying to kill her own father. Is she a real murderer or a Victim of abuse? The remaining story moves with Police stations, News paper Offices & Trial Courts.

Will Lisbeth Salander prove her innocence and reveal the secrets with the help of Mikael Blomkvist, a journalist and her Colleagues?

by Madeline Oscar

Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

2009-12-12T09:41:00.001+07:00

Written in a childish style, the language resonates with the innocence within us all... Until your adult self steps in and realizes what's going on. And it's then that your heart will break.

The story is simple: Bruno is a nine year old boy, who has moved from his home to a new house. It's small, cold, unfamiliar and on the outskirts of a Nazi concentration camp. The people over the fence wear striped pyjamas and always look sad. There's hundreds of kids, but no one to play with. Bruno is lonely, bored and curious. His house is filled with soldiers who wear impressive uniforms, click their heels together and raise their right arms in salute. One day whilst exploring, Bruno encounters another nine year old boy, who wears strange, striped pyjamas. It's a friendship born from loneliness, a desire to break away from tedium and simply a desire for a friend.

The characters each play their part with purpose. You may know where the next turn leads, but your heart begs it not to be true. Galloping through the narrative, you're swept from a childlike innocence to the climaxing, heartbreaking final scene.

The novel is only 200 pages long, easy enough to read in a day but will stay with you for many more. Bruno doesn't meet Shmuel until halfway through the novel, enough time to enable you to live in his world, experience his boredom and loneliness, living each day without direction. My knowledge of the Holocaust is fairly limited, but research tells me the circumstances may have some truth. My child self reveled in the wonder, the curiosity, the essence of innocence. Yet, my adult self quickly realized what was happening and was sickened. Still, I couldn't turn away.

Best novel I've read in a long time.

by Renee Bugden

Russian Literature, Leo Tolstoy and Anna Karenina

2009-12-12T09:39:00.001+07:00

Everyone has known Russia as the great amazing country nowadays, although everything have to be paid through long struggles as we can read on the history. But do you know that Russian Literature plays an important role in the development of world literature? Now, I will let you know about it.

Whenever you mention Anna Karenina, it should bring your mind to a great Russian literary man namely Leo Tolstoy. This novel by many people is called as one of the greatest novels ever. The complicated conflicts brought to the readers can raise a certain impression for everyone.

The most important thing we should observe in this novel is about how Tolstoy creates and performs the great characters and characterizations. You will see that the main character (Anna) is desperate in such a way not because of her capability in solving the problem, but it is more to the fact that she has no other choice except talking to her husband (Aleksei Karenin) about her affair with Vronsky.

It is only the general overview of Anna Karenina. After reading the novel, you will finally be able to take the conclusion about the life of five different families in it. Each of family has its own way to be either happy or unhappy and also in solving the problem in their life.

The Russian literature will bring you to the great impressive nuance among other countries around the world. Anyway, Leo Tolstoy is only one of many great men who give the great contribution to the development of Russian literature. You can also read the perfect works of Dostoevsky, Anton Chekov, Alexander Pushkin, Vladimir Nabokov, and so on. Enjoy it and bring the lesson for your life...

by Stephan O Oconnor

The Woman Who Attracted Money by Steve Chandler

2009-12-12T09:25:00.001+07:00

A Unique Blend of Entertainment, Suspense, and Insight

Robert opened his e-mail and read, "So sad to have to tell you that Tom took his own life." Chase had been coaching Tom Dumar in successful life principles for a year and felt confident that Tom was making progress in transitioning from his stress to making positive choices.

Chase was convinced that Dumar had not committed suicide. He took his suspicions to the Los Angeles police with clues which indicated something was not right; that a crime had to be involved. Shortly after Tom's death, the Dumar home burned to the ground. Arson was suspected. With the new developments in the case Chase joined forces with Detective Mossi of the Los Angeles Police Department and computer savvy Madison Kerr to search for the truth behind the fire and Tom's death.

Chandler has developed a well structured plot building suspense. His story development is flawless, and his characters are convincing. His dialogue is real and believable adding to the exciting entertainment and pleasure of the novel. Chandler's writing is so carefully crafted that every word accomplishes a purpose. His characters reveal a foreshadowing and deeper glimpse in the underlying causes that draw a man into committing a crime.

Chandler has introduced a unique element into the genre of mystery suspense novels by his use of segue to develop principles of success coaching into the dialog. "The Woman Who Attracted Money" is destined to become a classic and to create a new focus within the genre of mystery novels.

Robert D. Reed Publishers, 978-1934759400

As reviewed for Midwest Book Review

by Richard R Blake

The Secret Garden

2009-11-29T07:59:00.001+07:00

A mysterious garden hidden behind a high brick wall, a key stashed away in a forgotten room, and a young, bored and curious girl set the stage for an exciting and engaging story. My favorite childhood novel was Francis Hodgson Burnett's classic The Secret Garden. I think at the time I was drawn in by the mystery of the secret and my fascination with wild, unkempt English gardens. That must explain the state of my own yard today!

My mother was an avid member of the local Garden Club and even involved me in some of the youth flower arranging competitions. I think these activities nurtured in me a love of growing things, as I always had flowers on my windowsill while I was growing up. Nonetheless, I dreamed of the day when I, too, would have a large expanse of garden to till and plant and watch with joy as the beautiful mass of color burst into life with the warm winds of spring.

Alas, by the time I had such space to enjoy, the responsibilities of everyday life had crept in to steal my time and prevent my enjoyment of reckless abandon in the garden. So, while I love The Secret Garden I think I also envy Mary Lennox, who has the time and space to toil endlessly in the garden and then to enjoy the fruits of her labor.

She is also able to lure her chronically ill cousin Colin out of doors and he discovers the healing power of the garden. I can relate to that power - there is no quicker way for me to release tension and feel utterly relaxed than for me to spend a few minutes puttering in my garden. A case of the blues can be cured rather quickly by a few minutes in the sunshine and a freshly picked bouquet of flowers.

There were life lessons to be learned from the story as well. People are not always as they first appear, keeping secrets can be detrimental to the healing of the soul; and in gardens, as in life, hard work leads to more beauty whereas neglect and apathy eat away at the soul.

As the gardener reminds the children, "Where you tend a rose, my lad, a thistle cannot grow." What a perfect philosophy for life: focus on nurturing the beautiful aspects of your life and there will be little room for the pain.

by Lisa B Scott

Review of Best Loved Folk Tales of the World by Joanna Cole

2009-11-29T07:57:00.000+07:00

When was the last time you ventured into the land of make believe? Every so often, I love to read fairy tales and folktales because we can learn from them. I read Best-Loved Folk Tales of the World by Joanna Cole and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I wish that life were that simple where the good guy usually wins, but reading the folktales was hopeful, it made me feel that I would always be okay no matter what.

As an active reader, I was really engaged and found myself getting really annoyed at some of the characters. For example, I became so frustrated with Snow White because she kept on making the same mistakes over and over again, because she thought it would be different, she kept on getting fooled by the disguises of the evil step-mother. Why was I frustrated? Is it because her actions are a metaphor for life, my life, your life, where we seem to find ourselves in the same undesirable situations over and over again until we finally get it.

Some people may think it was a waste of time to read folktales, but for me, I thought it was very worthwhile because it reminded me of simple life lesson such as persistence pays, there is no need to be greedy because there is enough for all of us and instead of competing, why aren't we creating?

Though Best-Loved Folktales of the World by Joanna Cole is nearly 800 pages in length, it is still appropriate for people with short attention spans because 200 folk tales are included. Because the stories are so short, and there are so many of them, the reader can start reading at any point in the book. You'll find familiar tales you read as a child such as Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Sleeping Beauty, Rumpelstiltskin, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves or unfamiliar ones such as East of the Sun and West of the Moon, Crab, Chelm Justice, Baby in the Crib, Salt, The Bunyip, and Faithful Even in Death. As an adult, you'll approach these stories much different from the way you approached them as a child. You'll view them with a different set of lens all based on your life experiences. You may find yourself sympathetic toward a character in a tale while you could be frustrated with characters in other tales because they keep on making the same mistake over and over again.

I enjoyed reading this book because I was introduced to stories from all over the world, the majority of which I had never heard about. And, it was amazing to find the same story with a different spin because of cultural differences, such as Rumpelstiltskin and Tom Tit Tot. The folk tales reinforce that we are not as different as we think. The author organizes Best-Loved Folktales of the World by regions and if you are like me, the first section in the table of contents that I rushed to was the Caribbean and was delighted to see an Anansi story from Jamaica among the 200 stories. There were other Anansi stories that originated from the Ashanti Tribe in Africa. For those of you who may not be familiar with the Anansi stories, Brother Anansi is a trickster.

Another good thing about the way the book is organized is the Index of Categories of Tales, which allows the readers to quickly see which tales are appropriate for children, wonderful to read aloud, have a moral, are for women and girls and so on. If you like drama, adventure, romance, mystery, horror or fantasy, there is a tale for you. After reading Best-Loved Folktales of the World, you'll be reminded of the following:

Share what you have with others because there is enough for everyone
Persistence pays
Operate with honesty and integrity: do not claim the work of others because the truth has a way of coming out and the consequences can be dire
Asking for help shows strength
Dream big
Appreciate what you have instead of pining over what you don't have

I recommend Best-Loved Folktales of the World by Joanna Cole because it's not only a page-turner, but it allows you to tap into your inner child and have some fun. Take a step back in time and remember when....

by Avil Beckford

True Love by Isaac Asimov

2009-11-21T18:18:00.001+07:00

Isaac Asimov not only easily captures his insight of possible future problems, but is also noteworthy because of his ability to make the reader think about the meaning of true love itself.

True Love is written in the future about a scientist named Milton Davidson that is either socially awkward or otherwise non-functional, Davidson is the best in his field of computer scientist. Milton Davidson is incapable of finding the right woman for himself, so he decides to use his experimental computer named Joe to track down his ideal woman. Milton attacks his task by going through an intellectual model of what would make the ideal woman.

Milton starts off by removing matches based off of IQ and height, which brings him to the too large of a pool, so he brings pictures of models for Joe to analyze in attempts to reduce its size. The first attempt to find true love by Davidson is based completely off of physical attributes, with a small bit on overall knowledge. However, just the fact that Milton has searched for these woman is not enough, he must now teach Joe how to do illegal activities so he can meet the woman. These actions are the precursors to Milton's ultimate fate as he begins to make Joe think just like him. The story continues to require Joe to think more and more like Milton; of course this is all so Joe will be able to find the perfect match for Milton.

Milton believes he has finally found what he has been looking for but then Joe sends his maker to prison for another illegal action ten years earlier so he can be with the perfect match. Joe says that their personalities will resonate together so what do looks matter; this is what Asimov was referring to as True Love. However, the implication that people are much like a computer is also in the story and as technology evolves they can become more and more like us. This story was fun to read and also makes one think about the future as well as the true meaning of love, I highly recommend it.

by Robert Gripentog

The Role of Women in Beowulf - An Overview

2009-11-21T18:16:00.001+07:00

Their names are lost to the ancient depths of history, their stories muted by the centuries, but the women portrayed in the Old English Epic Beowulf were critical to any understanding of both the poem and the culture of that ancient time.

The pattern was this. Men's affairs were prefaced by a narrator, then articulated through all manner of poetic and narrative conventions, until the deed that was prophesied was played out to the last. Then, when the matter was put to rest, and men gathered in their mead hall for celebration and reward, the women emerged for a number of reasons.

First was to fulfill a crucial role of recognizing the bravery of their men, and to perform the ritualistic passing of the mead cup among those same battle weary troops. This served the purpose of nurturing the men's bodies and souls, a distinctly female role. But the act of service did more than satisfy thirsts and empty bellies; the service was highly ritualistic, bestowing recognition on specific thanes, or men who had distinguished themselves in battle, then on to the next in the order of distinction, and so on, until the order was observed. Additionally, women served the men in order to fulfill their fundamental role of peace-weavers. The mead cup was served in order to mark the allegiance of each man in his turn to the king, whose mead hall they occupied.

Also, their appearance in every post-battle section of Beowulf--following the slaying of Grendel, after Grendel's mother was killed, and after Beowulf was himself slain, and the dragon was dead, further amplifies the peace-keeping, peace-weaving role of women. Indeed, following the battle at Fittsburh, Hildeburh's grief was compounded because, not only had she lost a son, husband and father in one day, she had lost herself. She'd failed, in other words, in her social role of peace-keeper.

Maintaining and preserving peace wasn't just a role for women; it was their very identity. Another role for women was that of transition figure. Grendel's mother is a prime example of this: She avenges her son's death; she is in turn killed in the depths of a mere, foreshadowing Beowulf's descent into a sort of middle-earth to find and kill a dragon near the end of the tale.

The women in Beowulf further fulfilled their peace-weaving function by arranging marriages between potentially warring clans. As did Lady Capulet in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, and like Helen of Troy, women were not only the arrangers for politically astute couplings; they were also the chattel involved in those couplings. Thus they knew better than men the implications of a union destined for failure.

In Beowulf, women were assigned the power of prophesy. Hrothgar alludes to this when Wealtheow, the old king's 'bed-companion', having done her ritualistic distribution of mead, takes her seat at the exalted side of his throne. It's also possible that, in serving the mead, women controlled one of the only facets of their lives in that warlike society, the power over mens' sobriety and wits.

They also played power politics on occasion. Queen Wealtheow rewarded Beowulf handsomely on his return from slaying Grendel. But she placed an addendum on her praise, saying that Beowulf would do well to take care of her sons until one of them could attain the throne of the Danes. As females are often depicted, then, Wealtheow was caring for her offspring, anticipating their struggle to overcome the rugged and warlike machinations of men in that age.

In Beowulf, specifically, women are given something of a starring role in the explication of the ruling Germanic code of the time. The example is Grendel's mother. Nameless, she's depicted as a savage woman, an evil beast, just like her son Grendel. But in avenging her son's death, she demonstrates the code of honor better than any of the men. Where Grendel had slain countless men of Hrothgar's Heorot cohort, Grendel's mother killed only one, the counselor Aeschene. And her act of vengeance was all the more intriguing inside the code, since she had no access to the commonly understood 'weregild', or man price that rightly belonged to her after Grendel was slain. Instead, Beowulf sought her out, in her own 'mere' home, and killed her.

The only flaw in Grendel's mother's observance of the code was in fleeing Heorot for her life, instead of staying and battling the men there. The Germanic code demanded that women display both elements of humanity, the compassionate and the warlike. Thus, when she fled, she betrayed the militaristic side of the code that demanded she stand her ground.

But perhaps the biggest role of women in Beowulf was that of prophetess. Wealtheow seems to be prescient in her admonition to Beowulf in protecting her sons. She warns him of dire consequences should they come to harm, thus recognizing the dangers that lie in wait for all their kind, if their warlike attitude persists. Again, following Beowulf's demise, 'a Geatish woman', name unknown, appears--again, after the battle--to warn the Geats that, because Beowulf their lord lies slain, they have much to fear from former enemies.

Women play an important role in Beowulf. Despite their background presence, and a dearth of lines for them in the epic, their words and actions serve the overall purpose of the poem, its concentration on variation and opposition. They are there after the battles, interrupting the celebrations with sobering words; they strive to uphold the ancient warrior code, sometimes better than the men do; they do their duty, which is one of the salient features of that code. And they provide, in addition to offspring for the nobles, a mirror for them in which to check their own successes and failures.

By Byron Edgington and Mariah Edgington

365 Ways to Say 'I Love You'

2009-11-21T18:14:00.000+07:00

Searching through my mother's book collection - I found this vintage old ... 365 Ways To Say I Love You! Written in 1968 by a Jani Gardner. Jani provides oodles of wifely advice for any woman out there looking to show her husband how much she cares.

You have to cast your mind back to the 50's and 60's and understand what was socially acceptable and not socially acceptable during that era. Remember this is a time when serving your husband was an aspiring career. Where washing clothes was a strategy to show the neighbors that you are a family of stature, money and organization.

Here are some direct quotes I've plucked out to share with you... remember this is from 1968... enjoy the laugh.

"Buy five cartons of cigarettes to stash in emergency situations."
"Pat him on the head some more for his business efforts."
"Send him a "Wish You Were Here" postcard from your house."
"Since he's running late, check off those newspaper features you think he'd enjoy."
"Find out what Christmas gift ideas he has for friends, relatives, etc. and start working on them now so you can be sweetness and light for the holidays."
"Embroider an 'I love you' in flame-pink on his pillow case."
"Ask if he'd like his chest of drawers straightened. Proceed only if he agrees. Give him as much feeling of sovereignty over his kingdom as possible."
"Find out more about his day (careful, don't bug him.) Just ask once."
"Let him read the newspaper in silence. You really don't have to ask so many questions."
"Go on another diet so he can take you to the beach. (!)"
"Bite him."

The book is quite cute with gorgeous illustrations! Obviously not a book that people would be rushing to the stores to buy these days but as a part of history it certainly depicts an era in time. The author does have a sense of humor as well: 'Offer to make him a suit. Of course he'll say, "No, but to offer so much of yourself..." (if he says yes, we're all in trouble!)'

by Denis Merkas

Parker Doesn't Quite Hit the Mark with "The Professional"

2009-11-21T18:11:00.001+07:00

Robert B. Parker is one of the country's busiest authors. A writer who produces one book per year is considered prolific. Since 2007, Parker has averaged three books per year. His Jesse Stone series is swiftly gaining in popularity, as are his Westerns. He is also the author of the six-volume Sunny Randall series.

With all these characters pulling at Parker's attention, one might assume that his first and best protagonist, the private detective Spenser, is being neglected a bit. Sadly, judging from Parker's latest Spenser offering, that assessment may be accurate. The Professional is the 38th installment in the Spenser series, and fans have become spoiled by the exploits of the literate, gourmet-cooking gumshoe. Parker's spare prose and witty dialogue are without peer. But his latest effort suggests the unthinkable - that the master author and his nonpareil detective may both be losing their juice.

In the latest volume, Spenser gets a visit from an attorney who represents a group of women in need of the kind of assistance only he can provide. The women have several things in common: they are all in their thirties, they are all attractive, and all are married to wealthy men much older than they are. They are also connected - pun intended - to the same man: a slick-talking opportunist named Gary Eisenhower. Mr. Eisenhower has carved out an interesting and lucrative niche for himself, bedding down wealthy, married women of "a certain age," obtaining audiovisual evidence of the trysts, then blackmailing the women. Four of these women have contacted an attorney in the hopes of making Eisenhower cease and desist, but none of the women want to involve the police because they don't want their husbands to get wind of their indiscretions.

Enter Spenser.

It doesn't take long for the detective to find Eisenhower, who is hardly a Mensa candidate, but the more Spenser learns, the more muddled the situation gets. Shortly after he takes the case, shady underworld characters get involved, which plants a nagging question into his mind: What does an infidelity/extortion case have to with crimelords and legbreakers?

Most of the treats that Spenser fans have come to expect are there: the crisp writing, the snappy patter, and some of the best supporting characters in crime fiction. There's also the humorous interplay between Spenser, Hawk, and Susan, and vivid, affectionate descriptions of the city of Boston. The problem, in my not-so-humble estimation, is that Spenser is winding down. Robert B. Parker is 77 years old, and his detective is, at the youngest, in his mid-sixties. Hawk, Spenser's ultra-violent friend (Hawk would be deeply offended at being referred to as a "sidekick") is - or should be - of a comparable age. In their day, they were arguably the toughest duo in the history of American crime fiction, but they're a little long in the tooth to be walking the mean streets these days. The paucity of action scenes in The Professional reflects this, and since suspense was never Parker's forte, the book is lacking two essential elements of good crime fiction.

Mind you, Robert B. Parker is probably not capable of writing a bad book. As a longtime Spenser fan, I will continue to read the series as long as Parker continues to add to it. However, he has set the bar to a height that this latest novel doesn't approach. The author might do well to give his main gumshoe a little more attention.

by O'Dell Isaac II

A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby

2009-11-21T18:08:00.000+07:00

A Long Way Down is the story of four people - Martin a former breakfast TV presenter who has fallen from grace; Maureen, a single mother struggling to cope with the drudgery of caring for a her disabled son; Jess, the 18 year-old daughter of a politician who is in despair at the break-up of a relationship and the mysterious disappearance of her elder sister; and JJ, an American pizza delivery man who was in a band and has just lost the love of his life.

Four different people with one thing in common - they each decide to end it all on New Year's Eve at the same time and, inadvertently, the same place. Thrown together by extraordinary circumstances the book explores their stories and the way they each help one another to overcome their despair and carry on with their lives.

What could be a depressing tale is brought to life by Hornby's unique writing style, with each character narrating the story in the first person. Although often tragic, each character has his or her own unique personality and a way in conveying their feelings which is both frank and hilarious.

At the beginning of the book I thought the idea was an original one but worried that, perhaps, after the initial chapter there would be little left to tell. However, the story moves from one turn to another as each pathetic character explains their reasoning as to why ending it all seemed like the only option. It soon becomes clear that although each has his or her own valid reasons for being disappointed with life none is the suicidal type and their problems are not so insurmountable that they cannot be overcome.

I read the book in two-sittings and thought it was both amusing and thought provoking. I've read several of Hornby's books and this one is my favorite so far. If you have ever found yourself a little disappointed with your lot I suggest you read the book and you'll soon realize that life is really what you make it and it can only take a simple chance meeting or event to turn your life around.

Nick Hornby is an established author with several best sellers to his credit. His better known works include About a Boy and High Fidelity which have also been successful films. Hornby was born in 1957 and lives in London.

by Helen X Davies

An Ancient Meteorite from Space is Deadly and is used in Modern Age to Wreak Havoc

2009-11-15T08:20:00.001+07:00

We've all watched movies like Andromeda strain, Raiders of the lost Ark, and read books written by folks like Tom Clancy, and considered the potential eventuality of some of these things becoming much more real than we had ever imagined. In fact, not long ago they found amino acids in a comet dust, of a comet whizzing by Earth in space. Amino acids are what you need for life, and all you'd need was energy along with that and you would have some form of life.

Does this mean that there are bacteria, viruses, or some other form of life is traveling through deep space on a comet, just waiting to land or crash into some planet, and us seeding life? It could very well be, and many scientists believe that that is how life came to earth, from Outer space. These latest findings seem to indicate that that is a strong possibility. But what else is coming from space?

If these thoughts and others like them intrigue you, and you'd like to read a good spy novel thriller, then what if I told you that there was just such a book with all these sorts of things in it? I'd like to recommend the book;

"Sacred Stone," a Novel of the Oregon Files (series) by Clive Cussler and Craig Dirgo; Berkeley Books, New York, NY; 2004; ISBN: 0-425-19848-0. (406 pp).

Consider if you will a virus which consumes oxygen at an alarming rate, plus consider a radioactive meteorite, and mix that with Crazy radical Islamic terrorists, who wish to use a large gathering of an Elton John concert for New Years in Saudi Arabia as one of their striking points, along with the annual Muslim pilgrimage. I guarantee you The Sacred Stone, is a book that weaves together all of these things and more into a great novel. One of suspense, intrigue, and one that will reel you in and keep you on the edge of your seat. I hope you will please consider this.

by Lance Winslow

White Oleander by Janet Fitch - Must Read For Mothers and Daughters

2009-10-30T14:33:00.000+07:00

I have read numerous parenting books written by psychologists and PhDs that claim to have all the answers. None of those books impressed me or made be a better parent. White Oleander, which is not a parenting book at all, but just great fiction, affected me so deeply and had a tremendous effect on my life. It helped me see the world through my daughter's eyes, experience her feelings, and understand the painful need kids have for their parent’s attention, approval, and most of all - their mother's love.

White Oleander is a story about a girl, Astrid, whose mother is put in prison for murder. Astrid goes through a serious of foster homes and five foster mothers. Each of her "mothers" has a different personality and attitude to life, and it is amazing and completely convincing how Astrid changes with every mother - her behavior, her beliefs, her clothes, her ambitions, her self-confidence and self-worth. In one house she becomes a devout catholic, in another she smokes pot and contemplates suicide. In a matter of weeks, with a new very loving "mother", Astrid become a good student, takes professional art classes, goes to museums and plans on going to college. Her view of herself goes through gradual but dramatic transformations depending on how her "mother" sees her.

Her real mother is a constant shadow in Astrid's life. They write to each other, and even in letters it is so obvious that Astrid desperately tries to gain her mother's approval. When she fails to get the approval she craves so much, she does not want it anymore; she just wants to get a shock, a reaction. Even though Astrid's mother claims she loves her daughter, Astrid is not convinced and she is searching for that proof until she is an adult.

Just like some people are too selfish to be married, unfortunately some mothers are just too selfish to have kids. They put their own interests above their children's. Some people, and a lot of them are mothers, enjoy having another person under their control that they can dominate and manipulate emotionally. That was the case of Astrid's real mother.

It is interesting to see how Astrid struggles to accept the fact that even though she loves her mother, she does not like her, and does not agree with the choices her mother made in her life. It takes a lot of soul-searching and maturity for her to realize that she is not her mother, and she does not have to repeat her mother's mistakes.

This book is a must read for all mothers and daughters, for all the parents and all the children, who are now parents themselves. It helped me better understand my relationship with my mother and all the feelings and emotions I experienced growing up. It also made me almost painfully aware of how dependent my young daughters are on my behavior, my words and reactions, and how badly all of us, both adults and children, crave our mother's love.

by Yelena Lipovetskaya

The Lost Symbol - The Secrets of the Freemasons in Dan Brown's Latest Novel

2009-10-17T14:05:00.001+07:00

The phenomenally successful launch of Dan Brown's latest offering, 'The Lost Symbol' is bound to arouse people's curiosity and interest in the mysterious and ancient organization known as The Freemasons. Dan Brown's book, The Lost Symbol, follows the indominatable Robert Langdon in a race against time to rescue his dear friend and trusted mentor, Peter Solomon, from a mysterious kidnapping. The unfortunate Peter Solomon also happens to be 'The Supreme Worshipful Master' of the Masonic Lodge of Washington DC. The rather scary, tattooed kidnapper has managed to infiltrate the Washington Masonic Lodge up to the highest and most secretive rank (the 33rd Degree). Thus 'The Lost Symbol' both centers around and casts some light upon some of the mystery and rituals surrounding the Masons.

Now, I have always been quite interested in anything secretive and exclusive (let's face it although Dan Brown does discuss a female branch) the Masons are traditionally well known as an exclusive brotherhood. I do remember trying to persuade my most gifted brother many years ago to join a Masonic Lodge in Cambridge during his university days, to infiltrate the Masons just to let me know all the secret rituals and philosophies involved. Sadly, he refused. Until quite recently, the two most common notions that the word 'Mason' used to conjure up for the non-initiated masses, including myself, tended to be the 'secret handshake'- nobody knows quite what this entails but there are more theories than actual possible handshakes and the rolled up trouser leg, again nobody was quite sure which trouser leg but the mention of 'The Masons' at most dinner tables would have somebody leaping up to roll up a trouser leg and hop about.

Dan Brown, at the very beginning of his book has included a page entitled 'Fact' and states that,

"All rituals, science, artwork, and monuments in this novel (The Lost Symbol) are real".

Brown goes on to describe, in some detail, secret Masonic initiation rituals. An important part of most of these rituals appears to be an acting out of exactly what would happen to a Mason if the secrets of the brotherhood were to be revealed. One initiation ceremony involves a ceremonial dagger pressed to the initiate's bare chest whilst he wears a ceremonial velvet hood in front of an elaborate altar. Punishments outlined should the 'Mysteries of the Freemasons' be revealed at this level include,

"Having one's throat cut across, one's tongue torn out by its roots, and one's body buried in the rough sands of the sea...."

Acceptance into the third degree of the Masons involves acting out the initiate's murder with simulated blows to the victim's head including one with a Mason's stone maul. The story behind this ritual goes back to the master Architect of old who chose to die rather than reveal the Masonic Secrets that he possessed. Entrance into the highest level of the Mason's, the elite thirty third degree involves the famed 'caput mortuum', red wind drank out of a human skull in front of a black marble altar. The Mason takes the wine and announces,

"May this wine I now drink become a deadly poison to me ... should I ever knowingly or willingly violate my oath" (of secrecy to the Masons).

As we can see from the above excerpts from the novel, a central and important part of all of the initiation rituals within the Masons involve fiercely guarding the secrets within, on pain of death. Nowadays, The Masons claim to be neither a religion, a cult nor a secret society. However, it is quite obvious from reading the fascinating snippets from Dan Brown's latest little gem that there is a lot more to the Freemasons then a group of powerful men rolling up their trouser legs and doing an odd little handshake. One thing is for sure, and that is Masonic history, ritual, belief and practices will continue to hold a fascination for the uninitiated for many years to come.

by Jenny Addison

The Tiny Caterpillar and the Great Big Tree - A Review

2009-10-17T14:02:00.001+07:00

The Tiny Caterpillar is a wonderfully illustrated and written book. The tiny caterpillar lives in a big tree; the tree is also his friend. One day the caterpillar leaves his to explore the world around him. He is saddened when the insects he meets won't be his friend. The tiny caterpillar goes back to his friend the tree, and finds comfort. Each insect has its own reason for at first dismissing the tiny caterpillar, but when the caterpillar wrapped itself in a cocoon and emerged a butterfly, he wins over the friendship of the insects.

The Tiny Caterpillar provides an important message about the differences between us all. I read The Tiny Caterpillar to my 3-year-old grandson and he enjoyed it. He listened attentively and was concerned about the tiny caterpillar. He also enjoyed the illustrations. This is the reaction an author wants from a young child.

As I mentioned, it is a wonderful young children's book, but I did find one drawback to it. The message it is sending may be construed differently than what the author intended. When the caterpillar ventured out in search of new things and friends, the insects he met all found fault with him because he didn't meet their criteria for a friend. The first insect he came to, a ladybug, told him they couldn't be friends because he didn't have spots and couldn't fly. Next, he met the spider. The spider told him he lacked the ability to spin a web. Then, came the ant. The ant felt the caterpillar wasn't strong enough. The only way the caterpillar was able to meet their criteria for friendship was to become a butterfly. This changed the caterpillar's appearance and physical attributes, thus the drawback.

Although the book is engaging and charming, showing children that the only way for the caterpillar to gain the friendship of the insects was to become something else, something stronger and more attractive, may not be the message we want to convey to children. It is important for children to know that they will be accepted and liked for who they are; they don't have to become psychically different to be liked and accepted. Although, the caterpillar was surprised by his metamorphosis (he didn't intentionally change), it still shows a need for change to be accepted. But, you should read it for yourself to determine if I am off base. Aside from this one drawback, it is a delightful book.

About the author: Kelly Moran is an author of several published books in romance, literature, and children's genres, a recipient of an Editor's Choice Award for Outstanding Achievement, inducted into the Who's Who Book of Americans, a Finalist in the 2009 Indie Excellence Book Awards, and a Finalist in the 2008 Best Books Awards. She resides in Milwaukee, WI with her husband, twin sons, and black lab.

About the illustrator: Lynn Lorbeske is a native of Milwaukee, WI. She obtained a Graphic Design degree from UWM and works as a full time veterinarian's assistant.

About the reviewer: Karen Cioffi is a freelance writer; a reviewer for BookPleasures.com; and a co-moderator of a children's critique group. She is also the co-author of Day's End Lullaby, a lyrical and rhyming children's bedtime picture book.

by Karen Cioffi

Two Historical Romance Novels by Lyn Cote

2009-10-17T14:00:00.000+07:00

Although I've never met Lyn Cote, I've been a huge fan of hers. She has two books out with Avon, The Desires of the Heart and Her Inheritance Forever. Lyn is one of those prolific writers who just keeps readers happy.

The plot of The Desires of Her Heart (book one in the Texas Star of Destiny series) is an intriguing one. Heroine Dorrit Mott is a woman ahead of her time. She knows her mind and has no desire to marry. In 1821, her family is forced to flee New Orleans and they head for Texas and Stephen Austin's settlement. Quinn, a part-Cherokee frontiersman, leads the way, unaware of danger lurking nearby. As Dorrit becomes inspired by Quinn's sense of honor, they become the pawns in a deadly scheme. The book has speaks to us today, as its main characters face both racial prejudice and personal treachery.

In Her Inheritance Forever (book two in the Texas Star of Destiny series), Alandra Sandoval is determined to run her rancho without a man. When she is kidnapped by Comanches, Scully Falconer, top hand on a neighboring ranch, rescues her. Alandra and Scully are both half-breeds and each has faced prejudice. The Tejano lady and the American cowboy are on separate paths - until greedy relatives, a troubled past, and the tides of history bring them together. Alandra runs one of the largest ranches in Texas, but when her land is threatened, she agrees to a marriage of convenience with Scully to save her ranch. In addition to their personal struggles, war is coming. Texas is in rebellion.

by Nike Chillemi

Interred With Their Bones

2009-10-17T13:58:00.000+07:00

The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones-Shakespeare-or someone using that name.

Interred With Their Bones is the story of a lost Shakespeare play and the quest to discover who really wrote the plays credited to one William Shakespeare. Interred With Their Bones is much like The Da Vinci Code and National Treasure, in that there are all these ages old secrets hanging about-in Shakespeare's case hidden for about 400 years-and yet all the hidden papers and secret compartments are still in tact and in perfect working order.

Anyone who has seen a real time capsule opened up knows that things tend to mold and decay almost instantly. But such petty matters are never dealt with in Treasure Stories-especially when the treasure in question is a manuscript written in the hand of Shakespeare.

The story of a young woman who is a Shakespeare scholar that happens to be directing a production of Hamlet at The Globe in London. On the anniversary of the original Globe's burning down, a fire breaks out at the new Globe and The Globe's copy of The First Folio is lost. There is a lot of talk about First Folios-the first collected edition of the plays of Shakespeare-who published it, who may have edited it, who may have secretly written this and that within it.

With the fire at The Globe, our Hero sets off on a trip around the world and back again-all in search of a Missing Shakespeare play. Also in search of the man himself-if, in fact, there was a man. The story hinges on the fact that we know next to nothing about Shakespeare, so you can pretty much make up whatever you want and it sounds reasonable enough.

There are murders, and people who don't want to know the Truth, and a travelogue of odd and little known Shakespeare sites. There are also a few small flashbacks to Shakespeare's time to help clarify what is happening in the present. There are a lot of names and dates and places that have special meaning for the Shakespeare scholar-but meant little enough to me.

In the end, our brave author chickens out and doesn't reveal whether or not William Shakespeare wrote the plays or if they were the work of a merry band of writers, or one writer in particular. Just as I wanted Professor Langdon to run off with the Cup of Christ and add his own DNA to the Blood Line-I wanted our questing Professor Kate Stanley to find all her answers and share them with us. Have the courage of your fantasy convictions-let our hero find The Truth.

Well, maybe author Jennifer Lee Carrell is saving The Truth for the next book.

Interred With Their Bones the audio book is read by the brilliant Kathleen McNenny, who does a great job of providing a wide and varied cast of characters with voices and emotions. From Stiff Upper Lip English to Native American Rancher to plain Dumb American-she does a great job. For some reason I always have an easier time listening to a woman doing a man's voice than I do a man doing a woman's voice. Kathleen's men and women of all ages are given unique voices and it was easy to recognize characters, even when I hadn't heard them in a couple of discs.

The real world hints and clues and theories that William Shakespeare is not the author of the plays and poems bearing his name are fun-and rather pointless. I particularly liked a little bit of business which has Shakespeare writing the Psalms in the King James Version of the Bible and hiding his name with a Francis Bacon Cipher-

Psalm 46 (KJV), if you count 46 words from the beginning you find "shake," and 46 from the end, "spear." Some particularly keen bean counters have noted that Shakespeare was 46 years old in at least part of 1611 when the Bible was being put together. Great stuff-silly, but still great.

Interred With The Bones was a fun book.

by Jon Herrera

Round Fish Square Bowl

2009-10-17T13:53:00.001+07:00

Round Fish Square Bowl, written by Tom Skinner and illustrated by Mini Goss is a concept picture book looking at the quirkiness of being different, and the true celebration of accepting our differences, no matter what they may be. The book frolics with the characters that children love: the little pig, tortoise and hare, the ugly duckling and mad hatter. It touches on my favorite idiom of the tortoise and hare, showing readers that changing our attitude can transform our outlook to outside of the 'square'! Clearly, the tortoise was a winner against all odds.

This is a 'feel good' book for anyone in the 0-100+ age bracket and is particularly suited to those who have special needs of any dimension. Or just to read it for the sheer pleasure, humor and wonderfully bright illustrations that tell their own story.

The characters in the book are easy to relate to; I do, and love the way the author portrays the uniqueness of being or feeling different, to righting the balance for each of us, and weaving a web of gentle acceptance throughout each turning page.

Personally, I loved the book, and couldn't wait to add it to my collection. I found it easier to relate to the live characters throughout the book rather than the concept of being a square peg in a round hole. This particular idea became a reality as I watched a toddler push, hammer and forces around block into a square hole in a plastic shape sorter. It was both comical and hit home the theme of the book that maybe we need the acceptance of celebrating our differences over that of trying to force ourselves and others to conform. The book, Round Fish Square Bowl, is a gem for all ages!

by Katie Verco

Is a Guy Gets Girl Review Worth Your Time

2009-09-22T20:41:00.000+07:00

If you are looking for expert advice from an award winning author on relationship tips for dating and enhancing your love life, 'Guy Gets Girl' written by Tiffany Taylor is the most popular dating guide on the net today. As far as the art of seduction and unique dating guide, this was written just for men from a woman's perspective.

From a woman viewpoint, dating advice for men can be an invaluable resource to improve your success of being a guy that gets girls. There have been mixed responses from women. Some women are very upset that their secrets are being given away to men and then there are other women who love the book in hopes that the men in their lives can get a clue in how to make a date more fun and exciting. Although this book has been very controversial, it is a book that is in constant evolution to fit with our modern times, including online dating.

What you get with this book is revealing insights on how to stay the nice guy while adding spice to your personality to seduce women. You do not have to betray your integrity or values, and you do not have to change who you are but it will give techniques on how to break down a woman defenses, intrigue the female mind and create sexual attraction at will. Guy Gets Girl is great for those who are just getting in to the dating scene, for guys who want to shake up their dating experiences and even for those who are seasoned veterans of the dating game. So, whether you are into getting short term love affair or looking to establish a long term relationship, it all starts with the ideal dating experience to build on.

Women are complicated people who rely heavily on their instincts and emotional logic to determine a good date or not. The book shows how to trigger the emotional brain and attract women who are looking for guys that know the rules of engagement and potentially a longer term relationship. If you your dating success is down in the dumps, the benefits of the review of Guy Gets Girl is worth checking out.

by Kevin C. Walters

The Firstborn by Conlan Brown

2009-09-22T20:40:00.001+07:00

Intrigue Suspense Supernatural Thriller

Conlan Brown has intertwined creative imagination and a complex plot with unexpected plot twists that keep the reader deducing and turning pages at a breakneck speed right up to the final scene in his novel "The Firstborn."

The Prima, the Ora, and Domani, three distinct ancient religious orders make up the Firstborn. Individuals within the order have been empowered by God with the ability to use hindsight, insight, or foresight to intervene in crisis situations. Individual members originally were bonded together and dedicated to the purpose of using these gifts as agents of God serving man. The order dates back to the cross of Christ. Duplicity, suspect, internal strife, compulsion and manipulation resulted in disagreement and division. The Firstborn became an organization of warring factions doomed to destruction.

As they become award of facts of a planned terrorist plot of retribution after the violent murder of a religious leader the Firstborn are faced with the need to again become a united front, elect an overseer to prevent this planned bloodbath of the innocent including children.

Brown's characters are wide-ranging and authentic. They are fanatical in their commitment to opposing systems of belief. Brown reveals stereotypes of the extreme followers of the Evangelical Christian and radical fundamentalist Muslim by creating caricatures, of bigotry, hatred, and dissension among people who blindly claim to be serving God's purposes.

I particularly appreciated the way Brown developed growth, understanding and maturing in many of his characters as they evolved from shallow self centered individuals to mature dedicated purposeful Christians as they teamed together in trust and oneness of purpose to thwart evil and to work toward the good of others.

by Richard R Blake

Review of Dirt

2009-09-22T20:39:00.001+07:00

In this recently published anthology entitled, Dirt: The Quirks, Habits, and Passions of Keeping House, editor Mindy Lewis compiles stories about the American passion of maintaining one's living space. A quick read, the book divides into six sections: Family Dirt, Dust of Generations, Down and Dirty, Into and Out of the Closet, Other People's Dirt and A Clean New World. The wide-ranging topics cover everything from dust bunnies to cyber clutter.

While there are musings by some male authors, most of the pieces are by women. Discussions of gender roles figure heavily in these stories as women talk about sharing or, as the case may have it, not sharing household duties with their partners. Several of the contributors explore in detail how their respective mothers dealt both emotionally and physically with dirt. In many cases, the stories suggest that a woman's lack of talent for cleaning is inversely related to her mother's obsession with tidiness. It seems the more that mom wants you to make your bed, the less likely you are to make it. The collection also contains a several discussions about Alzheimer's related clutter and O.C.D. related straightening.

As the first line of the introduction points out, "Three things in life are certain: death, taxes, and dirt." The fact that dirt and the challenges it poses are our birthright makes this a book to which anyone can relate. Sometimes serious, sometimes humorous this is a good book to pick up...when you're taking a break from the ironing.

by Lara Dolphin

Paint the Invisible Man - Written by Rita Schiano

2009-09-22T20:38:00.001+07:00

Living with a father for most of your years and never knowing he was a part of the mob would shake up anyone when they learned that fact. Anna Matteo lived this life and while she suspected some of father's friends that she met were not normal people, she still had not connected him to the Mafia. While researching for the writing of a new book, Anna ran across some information that made her cringe and deep think about things that occurred in the past between her family and her father. The more she researched, the more she had to dig and find out exactly how and who killed her father and why.

Anna found much information from trial manuscripts, newspaper story microfilm's of the news from the trials of the man that was found innocent of her father’s murder, and through current and older friends that had knowledge of her father and his acquaintances during past years. The deeper she got the more wonderment she collected in her mind as to how her father could have done the things mentioned during those trials. As hard as this information was for her to digest, she figured it had to be true since so many people had the knowledge of the many activities of her father and his friends and acquaintances.

Anna also went to many of her family members to feel them out. She also had a personal life that was different knowing she actually liked the same sex and despite her feelings for years she wasn't always sure until she met "the" certain one. During the course of the story Jacqueline was that one. She had met her while researching in the library going through many microfilms and was thrilled to have the head librarian help her and love her socially. Many of the transcripts convinced Anna that her father had deep connections with the mob, many of whom she had met and had been given money here and there just because she was Paulie's daughter and they liked her so much. Several times she connected the dots and was startled now to realize what had been going on.

The story goes back and forth from Anna's days of youth and her life with her parents and other family members to current days as she researched the many files and met with all the connected people she could find. Painting The Invisible Man is an intriguing story that delves deep in the life of mobsters and what they are capable of doing. I enjoyed it quite well.

by Cy Hilterman

Roastbeef's Promise Written by David Jerome

2009-09-22T20:31:00.001+07:00

What a request! Roastbeef's father died and left his request to be cremated and for his son to take his ashes and spread them in each of the 48 contiguous United States. What a challenge Roastbeef had. This started a trip to carry out his fathers' wishes with little funds and only the small, old Hyundai that his dad had bought for him two years earlier. The family wasn't too enthused over this method of scattering dad all over the nation but it was a wish that had to be followed through.

Thus started the trip where Roastbeef met all kinds of people, got his lodging through many ways, some unimaginable, actually lost the urn a few times, broke it and had to find a replacement urn, and did work that he never imagined he would ever perform in his life. He performed jobs that were disgusting, were carried out in places he never dreamed of being, wore uniforms of various kinds for little pay, but all in all, Roastbeef kept prodding along.

The humor is great. You never know what Roastbeef will get into next or how he would get out of it. When the car broke down, he had to find other transportation since the car was beyond any chance of repair. He used trains, buses, hitchhiking, walking, and bicycling to talk his way along through the states. He met many characters, some he felt he could trust but others that he wanted to get away from very quickly. He even ended up in jail followed by prison for staying at the house of a person growing marijuana in his basement. Eventually he got out of the trouble he got into by sweet-talking mostly and got on his way again.

I do not want to ruin your enjoyment of the many trials, tribulations, and adventure that Roastbeef incurred along his way. He saw and did things he never dreamed of doing and as he visited each state he crossed that state off the list so his dad's wishes could be carried out. I loved this book. It gave so much diversity of humor, characters, different locales, and how one can survive with very little money if they use their heads and are not afraid to work.

by Cy Hilterman

Book Review - The Flow of Time and Money

2009-09-12T19:20:00.001+07:00

There are lots of books in the world about the economy, about the need to have more income as a protection against hard and lean times. There are books that toll bells of financial doom and others that try to educate. But very few tell you how to get from here to there.

Dr. Lloyd Watts, in his book*, "The Flow of Time and Money...how to create a full and prosperous life," tells you how to transition from Middle Class to Financially Independent.

What could be simpler than understanding that the transition from Middle Class to Financially Independent is to:

"...Pay Yourself First, Accumulate Capital, Buy Assets that produce Passive Income, until that Passive Income equals your expenses...." and to do this you:
"...find out that changing your flow of money requires effort, self-education, and consistent daily action toward long-term goals. All of these relate to how you manage your time...."

This is where Dr. Watts' book diverges from the others. He gives clear and concise diagrams and explanations for the flow of money - how the average middle class person's income comes in and goes out in expenses - and the flow of time - how the average middle class person's time is set but goes out in "expenses" related to income. It actually all makes sense, especially when you look at his simple leaky bucket diagrams.

Dr. Watts also shows how altering the flow of time and money can transition you from middle class to financially independent. Changing the flow of money to include passive income gradually eliminates the need for a job which has a direct impact on the flow of time - what you do with your time.

A theme I find in this book is the idea of leaving a legacy. He says in his section on The Flow of Life:

"...It's no coincidence that Time and Money have the same structural form...Some people call it Life Energy, or Life...But, if they are really the same thing, how does one get converted into the other? The poor and middle class do it the easy way. They spend their time working for money, and their employer does the conversion for them...We get our 168 hours/week, which is spent sleeping, eating, bathing, watching TV, commuting and working. Our employer pays us for that work, and we spend money on taxes, food, shelter, entertainment and toys. At the end of a life, what do we have to show for it?...."

Dr. Watts is obviously a bit of a philosopher. Although his book is short and to the point, it invites thought and contemplation. He takes us from a discussion of the flow of money and time and how we can transition from middle class to financially independent - and how to get there - but also he concludes with what I call Life Questions:

"...there is more to life than just financial success. Other important aspects of a person's life can include their relationships, health, spirituality, artistic endeavors, community service, contribution to the world, etc. Ultimately, we may ask what kind of a legacy have we left behind...."
"...Try asking yourself this question: 'What is the biggest problem in people's daily lives that I can meaningfully address?'...Help even one person solve a problem, and you make a difference to that person. If you can generalize your solution method and share it with a lot of people, you will make a contribution to the world...."

I find that this book hits at a good time, given the current global economy and the fact that millions of Baby Boomers are beginning to ask those legacy-type of questions of themselves. Understanding where we are financially and understanding how that standing effects how we spend our time is valuable information. Add to that Dr. Watts' explanation of how to get from middle class to financially independent and what that would do to how we spend our time gives us some ammunition to change our situation.

A thought that just occurred to me - in my parents' day, their goal was to be middle class. They wanted nothing more than the comfort of a house, at least the one car, a steady paycheck and food on the table. Now, we can't even be sure we can keep the house we have, cars are expensive to keep and maintain, our paychecks are no longer a sure thing and food prices are continually rising. Dr. Watts' book comes at a good time.

by Linda C Smith

The Terrorist Legacy Written by Mr. Pat

2009-09-12T19:19:00.001+07:00

This is a very large book that tells a story of the world today with all the battles of terrorism, religion, brutality, rape, control of humans, and food scarcity. I was afraid the book would lose the reader just by the immense scope of the story that spreads over many nations, seas and oceans, many people and organizations, and how precious life really is and how that life can be threatened by terrorists who obtain a nuclear device. It also tells of the attempt to save children in parts of Africa where life is not valuable to most, not even a child's life.

In many of the African nations kidnapping and slavery of children is rampant. An organization attempts to get some of these children and save them by setting up camps to school them, however the Muslim's in charge were reluctant to allow such camps as they wanted control of everyone in the entire area so they could kill anyone they felt like eliminating. After all, there were so many that the ones they killed would never be missed! The ones that are strong enough were kept as workers in the military camps or used for the men in that military. No one was too young to be used or raped. Several camps were formed and did well but it was too expensive and difficult to keep and protect these children with the cost of "obtaining" them through those in command. The next hope was to bring some of these children to Israel by establishing a camp there. This was against all Muslim ways to allow the Jewish people to have any of the African children there so they fought it all they could.

The story above is only a tip of the books contents. From Africa we jump to two super boats that were each built to travel speeds upward of 70 knots per hour, carry nuclear weapons as well as regular weaponry of all types, hulls made of super strong materials to keep them safe, and each one run by opposite thinking people; Muslim extremists against free world groups. The "New Day" vs. the "Diversion", both capable of mass destruction. The mission of the New Day was to wipe out the American super carrier "Lincoln" and its accompanying ships. The Diversion was meant to keep a rich family safe while on their honeymoon but the missions all changed with terrorists involved.

There is no way I can write a short review on The Terrorist Legacy. I can only point you in the direction of all of the above and tell you the story is great. There are a few places of repetition but not many. I think the author used some this repetition to connect the reader's mind as they read the book. It has much excitement and gives you history as it goes on. Unless you have no interest in the world around you and how nasty it can be, this is a must read.

by Cy Hilterman

Meet Rascal and Bo from Why Some Cats Are Rascals

2009-09-12T19:16:00.001+07:00

I know the most interesting "couple". They seemed innocuous at first, a pleasant looking woman in her fifties with an orange cat. It turned out that this wasn't just any ordinary orange cat though - this cat has written eight books, three of which are in print.

Rascal the Cat is a real live cat but more importantly he's the main character in the children's book series Why Some Cats Are Rascals (written with the assistance of his human counterpart Boszenna Nowiki). Rascal has equal penchant for writing in his diary, purring on the patio and going on grand adventures with his friends to places like the Enchanted Forest or the www (World Wide Web aka Wildy Wild West).

Rascal and his friends lived in a big old house in Vancouver with a view of the Sister Mountains. The cats had an attic room to themselves and between catnaps and energetic play they could often be seen gazing out the window at the mountains. Their owners Boszenna, a Polish Canadian immigrant whose goal is to help young readers everywhere, and her late husband Pawel, a noble sea Captain, would watch the cats and spend many wonderful hours discussing the adventures they saw take place before them.

For many happy years Boszenna and Pawell and their group of feline friends lived in their house in Vancouver. Boszenna is a writer and naturally, she and Pawel's rich discussions around the cats' antics became raw material for the book series. Boszenna wrote the series while literally living with the characters in the book; they were written with the touch of a woman who is deeply in love with her life, full of humor and positive values.

Life is full of change, and Boszenna and the cat characters have not been immune to it. Pawel and "Grandma Calico" (another cat character in the books) have both gone to "the other side of the rainbow". Rascal and "Bunny" (a Japanese Bobtail who sees life from a loving perspective) went from Vancouver to Spuzzum BC with Bozsenna where they lived a quiet life in the mountains that was quite different than what they were used too.

Things are changing again for the three remaining members of this interesting group from "Catanada"- the cat's preferred pronunciation of "Canada". Boszenna has moved from her quiet life in the mountains back to the city, where she plans to travel with Rascal and promote the books. Boszenna's first destination is Sedona, Arizona, which is mentioned in the outset of book number one as the vacation destination of the human family (while the humans were away, the cats ventured outside, into the garden and beyond...).

When I asked "Bo" what has prompted her to live out her life promoting the diaries of a cat, she laughed and said, "I love it. It's a life that stories are made of. Rascal and I both believe that all children should not only read books about other people's lives, but write them about their own. And what better way to show them how than to lead the way?"

by Darcie French

China's Future in the World - Book Review

2009-09-12T19:14:00.001+07:00

Many of those who study world affairs, international politics, and perhaps, read Foreign Affairs magazine each month; they understand that the biggest new development and for the next two decades will be the rapid economic growth of China. The United States has been fueling the Chinese build-up as their GDP has hit the number three spot in the world and slightly slipped back to number four, although it will soon pass both Japan and Germany in GDP.

Most of those looking at all this wonder how long it will take for China to become the second Super Power along side of the US. These folks are obviously concerned with China's international behavior. So, for those folks, I'd sure like to recommend a very good book to you;

"China's International Behavior; Activism, Opportunism, and Diversification" by Evan S. Medeiros, Report Prepared for the United States Air Force in conjunction with the Rand Corporation; Santa Monica, CA, 2009; ISBN 978-0-8330-4709-0 (279 pages).

One interesting quote that must be noted was this paragraph;

The scope of China's military exchanges is growing. According to China's 2008 national defense white paper:

China has established military ties with over 150 countries, and has military attache offices in 109 countries. A total of 98 countries have military attach offices in China. In the past two years [2006-2008] senior PLA delegations have visited more than 40 countries, and defense ministers and chiefs of the general staff from more than 60 countries have visited China."

Of course, China's military is only one topic, and one that was barely discussed in this book, as this book focuses on the needs of the that nation, the alliances it is making, and the trading partners it is bringing on-board. I'd recommend this work for anyone whose serious about studying the future of China.

by Lance Winslow

Social Studies Activities - History Pockets Book Review

2009-09-12T19:10:00.001+07:00

One of the best sources for easy, hands-on social studies activities is the History Pockets series of books. These books provide many ideas for history activities without much planning or preparation for the teacher. Each title in the series is packed with projects, which are all meant to be photocopied for every student. Best of all, most of the completed projects are flat so they can be stored in the students' History Notebooks. The series consists of several titles for Grades 1-3, and then more titles for Grades 4-6.

Each book concentrates on one historical theme, and that main topic is then divided into several specific areas, such as Daily Life, Government, Religion, etc. In each of these areas you will find several projects that will fit into a "Pocket" made from folded construction paper. The Pockets are then hole-punched and bound together with string or ribbon to create a Pocket Book.

It is also an option to simply pick out several of the suggested social studies activities without making any pockets. Since the projects are not bulky, students could easily store individual ones in their own History Notebooks. However, even if you make the Pocket Book as instructed, it could still be put in a notebook with the same punched holes that were meant for binding the book together.

To give you a general idea of what each History Pocket book includes, let's take an in-depth look at the Ancient Greece book for Grades 4-6. The activities start with decorated Facts pages, a Map activity, and a Timeline that is ready to cut out and assemble. The Timeline guides the students with illustrations and captions to add information as they progress. You will also find writing activities, creative booklets to put together and decorate, and plenty of low-fuss crafts. In this book, the crafts include making a Hoplite Shield, an Alexander the Great banner, Mosaic (paper) tiles, a booklet of Olympian gods, Greek coins, and more. The instructions for Knucklebones tells you first how to make the game and then how to play it.

This book is about 100 pages long, and most of those pages are meant to be photocopied for student use, giving you lots of ideas to choose from. The Greek book has instructions for 9 separate Pockets with activities on a different theme of Ancient Greece, including Daily Life, Religion, Military Power, Art & Architecture, Government, Sports & Entertainment, and more.

If you are looking for social studies activities for your classroom, you will want to see all the ideas in the History Pockets books. Your students can be actively engaged in your historical topic by making these creative projects. The books give a wide selection of crafts and save the teacher from excessive preparation time. This is a resource you will want to add to your history lesson plans.

by Carol Henderson

Book Tips for Parents - Frederick

2009-09-12T19:08:00.000+07:00

Reading with children is one of the most rewarding and valuable things you can do. Windows of opportunity exist to share important life lessons through literature. Children of all ages can respond and grow with very little prompting when a caring adult is willing to share a story. On my top reading book lists for the pre-schooler through second grade child is titled Frederick. This timeless book written by Leo Lionni stimulates a conversation about each person's unique strengths.

Summary: Frederick is part of a mouse family. The family is preparing for winter and is complaining that Frederick is not helping. However, when winter comes, the mice discover how Frederick prepared for winter in a different way and Frederick shares his gift.

Reading Discussion prompts can be given at three different times during a story time.

The first prompt is designed to set the expectation of what the story is about. In this case, while the book is classified as fantasy because the animals talk, the events of the mice are relatively realistic. Before reading ask:

"What may life be like for real mice?"

The second prompt is during reading. This prompt is designed to help the listener focus on the story events. In Frederick, the mice have different jobs so the question focuses on this point. During reading ask:

"What are the different jobs the mice have?"

The third prompt is designed to connect the story to the child on a more individual and personalized level. After reading ask and discuss:

"What special talents and ways do you (the child) contribute to the family?"

Here is my challenge for parents and grandparents: Encourage ownership and development of the child's unique gifts and value in the family.

And consider this family reading tip: Identify a time of day for family reading time. The time chosen needs to fit the family routine. The time may occur in the morning, right after lunch, or just before bed. The key is a frequent, consistent time to develop the routine.

by Kelly Eveleth

Stargazer - Evernight Book 2 by Claudia Gray

2009-08-31T23:16:00.000+07:00

Fans of Stephenie Meyer and P.C. Cast will enjoy Stargazer, the second book in Claudia Gray's young adult series. The gothic vampire romance has a likable cast and Gray deftly portrays teenage angst in the heroine as she tells the story in first person. It brings some cleverly plotted twists to a genre that seems flooded with teenage vampires.

Summer is over and sixteen year old Bianca returns to Evernight Academy where her parents are professors. Not yet a full vampire she doesn't fit in with the humans or the vampire students at the gothic boarding school. In the previous book she fell in love with another outcast, Lucas, who turned out to be a vampire hunter. When the truth about his identity was revealed, he fled the school. Now he and Bianca meet secretly. She will do anything to see him again, even if it puts her in danger from the Black Cross, a group of vampire hunters.

In Stargazer the plot thickens and the story is more engrossing than it was in book one. Bianca is becoming stronger and it's only a matter of time before she becomes a full-blooded vampire. All the characters are more developed and new revelations raise the stakes. A love triangle develops between Bianca, Lucas and Balthazar. Which one will she choose? Ghostly wraith hauntings are aimed at Bianca and her parents have been keeping secrets from her. There are enough loose threads to make me eager to read book three of this darkly entertaining series.

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher: HarperTeen; 1 edition (March 24, 2009)
ISBN: 978-0-06-128440-3
Hardcover: 336 Pages
Price: $16.99

by Gail Pruszkowski

The Ugly Secret of Honor Killing Uncovered in Fast Paced Action Novel

2009-08-27T17:15:00.000+07:00

I was engaged in a general discussion about cultural differences when a friend introduced the topic of honor killing and mentioned a novel he was reading in which honor killing was a central theme. I borrowed a copy of Light of the Desert by Lucette Walters and was quickly swept into a world of adventure and mystery that kept my interest from beginning to end.

Honor killing is a secret and ancient practice that exists among conservatives in Middle Eastern culture. This tradition allows men the right to kill their daughters or other female relatives without impunity if it is believed the woman has dishonored the family. Lucette Walters was very moved by a news account of an honor killing and researched the subject. The result was a strong desire to bring this horrendous act out into the open which she has done with her novel.

The main character in Light of the Desert is Noora Fendil, the favorite daughter of an influential Middle Eastern businessman. Noora is drugged and placed in a compromising situation by her jealous younger sister, Zaffeera. Fabricated evidence of Noora's "moral crime" is shown her father who attempts to restore the honor by drowning his daughter. A brother hauls his sister away, under the guise of burying her, and brings her back to life and Noora goes into hiding.

At one point in the plot the author hits heavy on the theme of forgiveness, using a wise woman name Ahna who gives this advice to Noora during her time of exile. "Forgiveness is not easy but it is something we must practice every day of our life, if we are to live again. You can only reach forgiveness through gratitude - gratitude for your life ... And compassion for those who have done evil. And from that comes the strength to never let it happen again."

I really enjoyed reading this fast-moving account of Noora and Zaffeera and of this ancient practice of honor killing that still exists today in the Middle East, Turkey, India, South Africa and in the U.S.

by Emory Daniels

Book Review of Apocalypse in Mind by Frank J Roberts

2009-08-27T17:14:00.001+07:00

APOCALYPSE IN MIND
by Frank J. Roberts
Dog Ear Publishing ($17.98)

You can almost taste the sulfur bubbling up from the fires and brimstone of Hell in this action thriller by Frank J. Roberts. It's 1968 again, God isn't dead, the Devil is tired of waiting, and the USSR and USA, locked in the Cold War, are searching for a paranormal path around the others' guard.

This is a very busy novel; there are at least two interacting parallel plot lines. (At least two...there are a couple others hinted at that I assume he intends to enlarge upon in his next book--according to the cover this is book one.) First is the oldest conflict of all, the supernatural one, good versus evil; and who better to play the protagonists in this fight than God and the Devil? Actually God stays in the wings (no pun intended); it's Lucifer that floats around, as he always has, causing problems. Then, of course, there's the conflict between the two earthly powers, the USSR and the USA.

The plots play out in Hell and on Earth. Hell is described in detail that might thrill Dante with tormented souls crying in the slag pits. While I don't know much about the biblical war between the angels of good and evil, I am willing to believe in the supernatural world created by author Roberts, and his Earth, while less interesting, is believably circa 1968.

Our hero, newly commissioned CIA Special Agent Brian Crawford, not long out of the jungles of Vietnam, arrives at a naval air base in March of 1968 expecting a normal counterintelligence assignment with the Soviet Union as the opponent; instead he finds himself over his head in a paranormal punching contest with the Devil himself. While Special Agent Crawford tries to find and destroy a Soviet paranormal research facility with the help of some buddies he met in Vietnam and several rather special paranormals, the Devil-tired of his number two position in the firmament-blindsides both the USSR and USA with the intent to destroy all mankind--and is blindsided in turn by the paranormals working with SA Crawford.

The Devil, Lucifer, realizes the paranormals working on the project with SA Crawford have stumbled onto his plan to destroy the world and he decides he has to get rid of them all; he can't afford God finding out about his plan. To this end he sends his demonic emissaries out into the world to corrupt and frighten politicians and wealthy industrialists into doing his bidding and terminating the project. The Catholic Church comes in for a bit of a beating too; the pope is killed and the altars of some of the world's great churches are corrupted. Then there's Dr. Mindhammer...but I'm going to let you read about him yourself.

As you may have guessed by now, the cast of characters is both long and at times confusing: there are multitudes of demons and spirits with conflicting agendas, good-guy scientists, bad-guy scientists and one scientist in the Dr. Mengele mode; there are paranormals with the ability to control the mind and burn you to a cinder; there's a swami and even an assortment of cheap thugs that do things the old way with a gun. We find clones, calculating millionaires and rogue US Senators. Throw in a few beautiful women--one demon possessed--and you've got a hard time keeping up. Not that that's so bad. You never get bored. You do, however, get distracted by the author's lack of attention to point of view. Occasionally you're not certain which character is talking much less emoting. This is something I hope he works on in his next novel. And there had better be another novel because he leaves us hanging in this one with the forces of evil in the ascendant!

by Mike Nardine

Audio Books Are Effective Learning Tools

2009-08-18T21:48:00.000+07:00

Audio books are important especially to children who are just starting to read. It helps them develop their sense of association to how the words look like to how the letters are placed together and how the words are pronounced. They are effective learning tools.

The great thing about Audio Books is the fact that it caters to all ages and to all interests. It makes reading interesting and it makes reading fun. It is most especially effective these days because adults use them too since they no longer have the time to read as much as they can. They make use of these kinds of books so they do not have to sacrifice their love for books. They can continue to read even while they are doing something else such as driving or taking a bath. This is also a great way for people who are unable to read due to physical limitations to still enjoy their books.

There was a time when they were in the form of cassette tapes. Now, they are more accessible as they come in the form of DVDs and CDs. Of course, some of the audio book can be downloaded by using the World Wide Web. So you can choose from a wide array of topics ranging from languages to classics. Your child can even learn an entirely different language by using audio books.

Personally, I have seen how audio books have helped my child to read. She is only four years old but she can now read a book from cover to cover all by herself. She started reading by listening to her audio books.

by Cheryl Forbes

Tokyo Tango by Rika Yokomori Book Review

2009-08-18T21:46:00.001+07:00

Saya is a classically beautiful Japanese girl of nineteen. She has no difficulty attracting men of all ages, and is happy to give them what they want. Sometimes they pay, sometimes not, though she doesn't particularly like any of them, and as for love, does that really exist?

Then she meets Bogey.

He's a middle-aged forty-something with a paunch and greying hair who fancies himself as something of a yakuza, a gangster. He makes his living through gambling, wagering on anything late into the night, mahjong, the horses, bicycle riding, and the super-hot boiling over stockmarket where everybody always wins. He adores gangster movies and hanging round with the rough crowd. Saya is bedazzled by Bogey, he's known as that because of his love of Bogart's movies. She's fascinated by his weird selection of friends and is flattered by the attention of an older man, especially one such as he. Inevitably she becomes his mistress without a moment's hesitation.

'Whatever you do, don't go with a gambler,' was the one piece of advice her mother gave her when it came to men. But when did a teenage girl ever take advice about men from her mother? Saya is no different. She jumps at the opportunity, she loves cuddling into his warm body and laying her head on his fat tummy, she will do anything he wants. She even buys a cookbook and attempts to cook him the food he loves, not that he is impressed by that, preferring to eat in the seedy underworld he inhabits.

So opens Rika Yokomori's novel set in Japan and New York.

In places the book comes across almost as a reality TV programme. It is as if the camera is set permanently on Saya's shoulder. She is rarely out of shot as we learn of the exciting parts of her life, and the mundane, almost in equal measure.

But this is a page turner as we watch Saya slowly growing into a worldly-wise woman. Gradually she begins to see things as they really are. Everything, as you might expect, is not so rosy in the life of a wannabe yakuza's moll. There are sure to be rocky times ahead.

Rika Yokomori has published more than thirty-five books in the past fifteen years and this one is certainly worth a look. True, I did guess the ending some time before actually arriving there, but that was no big disappointment. There is a peach of a final sentence to look forward to. If you enjoy modern novels from Japan then you will find plenty here to keep you interested. If you haven't tried oriental fiction before, then this one could be a good place to start.

by David Carter

Mona Lisa Darkening - A Novel of the Monere by Sunny

2009-08-18T21:45:00.001+07:00

"Mona Lisa Darkening" number four in the Monère series doesn't do much to advance the plot but it's entertaining - a paranormal fix that has become a guilty addiction for me. Mona Lisa is evolving as an appealing heroine: bold, brave and sexy as sin. In this chapter, she finds herself in real danger. There are more than enough action as well as some erotic sex scenes that readers have come to expect.

The heroine is the Mixed-Blood Queen of the Monère, the Children of the Moon, who derive energy from basking in the moonlight. Her domain is the Louisiana Bayou. On the night of the vernal equinox, when the barriers between worlds become thin, she gathers her people under the full moon. Instead of drawing its replenishing white light, darkness envelopes her and she's transported to NetherHell, the realm of the damned. Gordane, a Gargoyle rogue warlord captures her and he's determined to keep her as his consort. And the essence of the evil queen she once defeated, Mona Louisa, now shares her body. Halcyon, her demon mate and Gryphon, her first love, who was killed by Mona Louisa, will cross all boundaries to rescue her, but even they can't save her from a great loss.

The complex world of the Monère is best enjoyed if you read the books in order. This time around, I thought Sunny did a good job building the world of NetherHell and the Gargoyles were a welcome addition. There was more focus on action and plot than in previous books, resulting in less sex scenes. Unresolved questions remain so hopefully there will be another chapter in the world of the Monère.

by Gail Pruszkowski

Blonde Roots by Bernardine Evaristo

2009-08-18T21:43:00.000+07:00

"Blonde Roots" by Bernardine Evaristo is a provocative and powerful alternate history that asks the question - what if Europeans had been enslaved by Africans? She satirizes preconceived ideas of race and culture by turning history inside out and upside down. The title gives a nod to "Roots" by Alex Haley and references to his book appear in hers. The story is narrated in three parts, the first and third by a young English slave girl and the middle by her African master, who attempts to justify his inhuman behavior.

Doris Scagglethorpe, an eleven year-old blonde English girl, is kidnapped by slave traders while playing hide-and-seek with her sisters. She's transported on a slave ship to the United Kingdom of Great Ambossa, part of the continent of Aphrika. Her new owner, Chief Kaga Konata Katamba renames her Omorenomwara and brands her with his initials KKK. Omo runs away, is captured again, and tries a second escape, always dreaming of finding her family and returning home to England.

Evaristo weaves parody and humor throughout this poignant story. Her premise brings to mind the movie "White Man's Burden," starring John Travolta and Harry Belafonte. It's a contemporary role reversal film, but doesn't depict the slave trade. Evaristo focuses new attention on a period of history that was horrifyingly real by inverting events and placing them in a modern time frame. Stereotypes abound but the characterization is so good that readers will become invested in them. Readers may find the revelations difficult to read in this thought-provoking story that challenges our perceptions of race. It makes a powerful statement about humanity and the way people treat each other.

by Gail Pruszkowski

Guy Gets Girl Guide to Picking Up Women Review

2009-08-18T21:42:00.001+07:00

Depending on the situation some guys can find it hard to talk to girls, especially the ones that are super attractive. Yet, most of the time talking to strangers and other people in many other situations is not a problem without being self-conscious. Getting a woman's attention and starting a conversation with a woman you have never met before without being formally introduced is a scary situation as you will want to give a good impression and a date. If you are suddenly tongue tied around women, I have recently found a book that can provide you with lots of good solutions to get you over the hump.

Isn't funny how you were able to chat up the sales the pretty girl at the hardware store. You had no problem asking her questions, getting her to help you out and maybe even a few laughs. Then you see this really attractive woman at the club the same night. You are really attracted to the great dress and the way she looks. Do you have the nerve to go up to her and start a conversation? Are you having a nervous break down inside your head at the thought of her rejecting you? Look again and it is the same woman from the hardware store all dressed up and most beautiful. So what is the difference? You were not tongue tied before you met her the first time and before you knew it was the same person you probably were having a hard time going to talk to her.

The difference is that you had a different attitude and mind set. It is still the same beautiful girl but a different situation. Ideal dating for guys getting girls will spell this out for you in really easy steps. Yet, if you could change your attitude toward her and your self that easily, just imagine what you dating success you look like if you were so at ease picking up women anywhere. How did I learn this fact? I recently found Guys Gets Girls Dating Guide that showed me that picking up girls is just that easy as you could have pickup that girl in the hardware store or in a club. It is not the situation but your attitude around women and how you feel around them. You can suddenly change your love life by changing the way you approach women and learn how to seduce the right kind of women that you really want to date. No more settling for what could happen by coincidence but take control of any situation to get girls on an ideal date.

by Kevin C. Walters

4:50 From Paddington

2009-08-11T08:56:00.001+07:00

Witnessing a murder in the train carriage running alongside one's own is an exciting but terrible and extremely rare occurrence, but such a crime has seen by Elspeth McGillicudy. And now, with the aid of her close friend the sleuth Jane Marple, she feels it her duty to capture the suspect and identify the victim. 4:50 from Paddington, by Agatha Christie, is a riveting murder mystery with an intense plot and an extremely well developed character scheme, as well as a few completely unexpected events: a novel which all readers will avidly consume.

On her way to St. Mary Meade in England, Elspeth McGillicudy witnesses a terrible crime through the window of the train carriage running besides her own: a man strangling a woman to death. Frightened and shaken, she tells whoever is nearest, the conductor, the ticket collector, but no one will believe her seemingly far-fetched story. Upset and worried, she rushes to the residence of her intimate friend, the wise Jane Marple and effortlessly convinces her to help. Now, the old sleuth is immediately on the case, and she hires the highly efficient Lucy Eyelesbarrow to help her solve this baffling murder. Soon, the two collect enough evidence to find the body in the backyard of the Crackenthorpe residence. Could the victim be Martine, the wife of the late Edmund Crackenthorpe? Could the murderer be one of the Crackenthorpe brothers, Alfred or Harold, who could have strangled Martine in order to receive the fortune their grandfather had left for her? After all, both Alfred and Harold Crackenthorpe were in desperate need of money, and much evidence pointed to their being on the train on the exact date and time of the murder: the 4:33 from Paddington. But the murderer and victim might be two completely different people no one would think of, no one except for the shrewd Miss Marple.

A long with the intense plot, Christie provides the reader with an intricate and extremely well developed character scheme with some colorful and some sinister characters. Mrs. McGillicuddy is sensible, and has the ability to separate her imagination from reality. "Providence had willed that she, Elspeth McGillicudy, should witness this crime." This example of personification shows her strong sense of duty, which makes her return from her vacation spot in Ceylon later in the story to deal with the crime. Miss Marple is old and frail, and although this example of imagery states that "she was looking particularly woolly and fluffy, the picture of a sweet old lady", she is just as sharp in her sleuthing and investigating skills as she ever was in her younger years. She, too, has a strong sense of duty, and when she hears of this crime happening so near to her own home in St. Mary Meade, she is on the case at once. She is forever open minded that even though all the obvious evidence could point to one suspect, the actual murderer could be the person least expected. Lucy Eyelesbarrow is highly efficient, good-looking, and skilled in every area imaginable. She is not afraid to put her knowledge to use in the field of domestic labor if it means a greater pay. Throughout the novel, she proves herself to be a great help in capturing the murderer and identifying the dead body. Luther Crackenthorpe is the miserly owner of Rutherford Hall, whose father had possession of a great fortune, but did not let his son have any. Instead, his father had left his fortune to his eldest grandchild, Edmund Crackenthorpe, and his wife. Luther Crackenthorpe, although told to be an invalid by his doctor, Dr. Quimber, believes he has quite a bit more life to live, if just for the sake of keeping his father's fortune from his sons.

Throughout the story, Agatha Christie uses extremely effective red herrings, which can only be pointed out after having read several of her mysteries. This is because she makes even the most subtle pieces of evidence point to the wrong suspect, leading readers to reinforce their belief of the murderer time and again, until they are hit with an unexpected event, and are forced to change their mind. Christie writes in a style that switches points of views so that the reader can grasp an idea of all of the characters' thoughts, which also serves to help reinforce the red herrings. Although her writing somewhat lacks descriptive writing, she includes much profound dialogue to enhance the situation.

4:50 from Paddington is a gripping novel worthy of a four star rating for its intense plot and highly developed characters. It has just enough red herrings to effectively surprise the reader more than once. From a horrific and exciting murder to a struggle to find the culprit, this is a classic murder mystery ideal for avid mystery readers as well as readers new to the genre. Agatha Christie provided yet another thrilling novel worthy of any reader's applause.

by Anitha Ahmed

Caves, Cannons and Crinolines

2009-08-11T08:53:00.001+07:00

The year 1863 finds outspoken, 14-year-old, Lizzie Stamford at a crossroads of what her parents believe to be acceptable behavior for a young lady, and secret desire to join the Confederate Army disguised as a boy. Her two brothers, Willie and Joseph willingly joined the Confederacy to defend Vicksburg from the Yankees and Lizzie longs to be part of the glory. Her blind courage brings her into the midst of a battleground at nighttime. Much to her dismay war is not what she believed it to be. The horrific acts of violence overwhelm her and she runs away as quickly as she arrived.

Her emotions and beliefs that all Yankees are evil is put to the test when an unexpected encounter with a Yankee soldier has her doubting her belief system. Will Lizzie come to terms of the ever changing world and circumstances which surround her? And what is to become of her beloved brothers and the city of Vicksburg?

McClure balances the emotions of the Confederate and Yankee characters with such in-depth feeling the reader will find themselves switching sides throughout the perilous journey of Lizzie Stamford and her family, and their quest to reclaim Vicksburg. The reader will be mesmerized and transported into this time period and will surely feel a part of this wonderfully told story. One you will soon not forget.

Donna is an award winning childrens author, placing 12th in the 77th Annual Writers Digest Writing Competition in the category Childrens/Young Adult Fiction. She recently signed her 1st book contract with Guardian Angel Publishing for her manuscript entitled, The Golden Pathway. Her additional publishing credits include 25 print and ezine publications and is a graduate of the Institute of Childrens Literature and is a member of SCBWI and Musing Our Children.

by Donna M. Mcdine

The Horse Painters by Peter Stockwell - Book Review

2009-08-11T08:53:00.000+07:00

The Horse Painters is a children's book set long ago in the last Ice Age. It opens with Umalik and Aariak, brother and sister, making for a large cave where there are drawings on the walls of bison and deer and other animals too. Many of the pictures are drawn by the girl, Aariak, for she possesses magical powers, because the animals she draws are attracted to the cave, making them easier to hunt.

One night another youth, Uirngut, comes to their cave and cowardly slays the sister and in so doing takes the magical powers for himself. He flees across the frozen wastes, knowing that Umalik and his younger brother Aku, will not let the matter rest. Their semi tame wolf goes along too, eager and keen to share in the adventure; a timid creature apparently, though perhaps he is just waiting for a chance to show what he can really do.

So the scene is set as they track the murderer through the snow and ice, hunt animals to eat to stay alive, as they bump into other interesting characters along the way.

In places you can almost smell the odors of drying animal hides and wood-smoke and passing herds of bison and mammoth; feel the icy cold winds that blow across the country, and see the frozen breath oozing from the shivering characters and, the many animals that populate the book.

The story is divided into two parts, the second part introducing more new characters and it all ends when... ah... but I couldn't possibly say anymore about that, could I?

Cambridgeshire based writer, Peter Stockwell, previously released another book called The Market. This new one, the Horse Painters is aimed at children aged between 8 and 12 and we could well see them enjoying these tales. We liked the cover too. That features a real cave drawing from thousands of years ago.

by David Carter

A Circle of Souls by Preetham Grandhi

2009-08-11T08:49:00.001+07:00

"A Circle of Souls" by Preetham Grandhi is a terrific debut - a gripping tale that gives voice to every parent's worst nightmare. The author delivers the goods with an intelligently plotted psychological thriller that contains elements of reincarnation and Eastern mysticism. He combines a crime narrative, with psychic phenomenon and spiritual awakening and succeeds on all counts.

In Newbury, Connecticut, ten year-old Janet and her friend Melissa are on the school bus headed for home. Janet gets off first and takes a longer route home from the bus stop. When she passes an old boathouse, she hears a noise and goes inside to investigate. Janet is brutally murdered and Leia Bines, an FBI agent working for CAC, Crimes Against Children, is called in on the case.

Meanwhile, Dr. Peter Gram, a child psychiatry fellow at Newbury General and Pediatric Hospital is on call when Naya Hastings is brought in. Seven year-old Naya had a dream that she was following a flock of birds. She walked in her sleep and her adoptive parents found her as she was about to jump off the balcony. Peter takes a personal interest in her case and Naya shares a drawing with him depicting a young blonde girl lying near a large rock. When Peter recognizes the rock and goes to the location, he's immediately handcuffed. Is it possible that Naya has envisioned the exact spot where Janet was found?

Short chapters and shifting viewpoints keep the momentum brisk and the entertainment level high. Grandhi paints a realistic picture of an appalling murder and peppers his prose with police procedures and forensic details that are accurate and real. Details about Indian culture and beliefs add depth. The multi-cultural characters are memorable and the author skillfully evokes their emotions. Forget about sleep - this suspenseful page-turning thriller will keep you reading far into the night.

by Gail Pruszkowski

Raymond Chandler Facsimile Editions

2009-08-11T08:47:00.001+07:00

It was about ten thirty in the evening, Late July, with the night overcast and the rain obscuring the hills of the valleys. I was wearing my striped jim jam bottoms, with a black T-shirt, Simpsons slippers and pastel blue boxers with little puppy dogs on them. I was scruffy, tired and didn't care who knew it. I was everything the lazy reader ought to be. I was going to read The Big Sleep for the first time. And before I knew it half the book had gone and the night was pushing towards a damp miserable dawn.

Firstly this isn't a review as such - how could it be? How could I offer anything constructive apropos to this widely acknowledged masterpiece? But even though I knew the story backwards, had listened to it as both an audio play and an audio book and had seen the film many times, I had never read the original book. Indeed until now the only Chandler novels I had read were The Lady in the Lake and Poodle Springs. But these facsimile first UK editions from Hamish Hamilton/Pan were enough to provoke me into buying the entire set. There are five in this set, released to celebrate the seventy years that Hamish Hamilton has been publishing Chandler. That's The Big Sleep, Farewell my Lovely, The Lady in the Lake, The Little Sister and The Long Goodbye. All of which are direct copies of the original UK editions.

They're lovely looking book and complete replicas of the original UK first edition - everything is as it was then. Even the back cover features a listing of other thrillers released that month in 1939, none of which have survived the test of time in the way The Big Sleep has. What can I say about reading the book as a new reader today? Well obviously the style reminded me of the Robert Parker books as well as most of the other private dick novels I have read but Chandler was there first, his was the blueprint was both the brevity of style and the lone PI character himself. It reminds me of listening to the radio in 1995 when The Beatles reworked an old Lennon demo into the all new Beatle song, Free as a Bird. Anyway this young kid was being interviewed as part of a radio road show and the Beatles song played to him. The kid said they sounded OK but were copying Oasis's style. Same thing with Chandler - reading him now the uninformed would say this guy is too much like other PI writers which is testament to the importance of Chandler and Marlowe and of how they set the benchmark for others to follow.

One thing I especially liked about these books is that the covers are printed with the odd blemish and scratch so that they actually look aged - though of the quality that would be defined as very fine or whatever the category they use for very good condition.

And back to The Big Sleep - well I'm not qualified to give any major insight but I am perfectly enabled in saying - that it reads as well today as it would have ever done. It's pacey, not dated in the slightest and the character of Marlowe is as contemporary as tomorrow's headlines. I can't read Marlowe without seeing Bogart's mug in my mind and that's not a bad thing - that ugly, handsome face suits the pivotal private eye like a glove.

by Gary Dobbs

The Last Patriot by Brad Thor

2009-07-26T16:39:00.001+07:00

I didn't read "The Last Patriot" by Brad Thor last year when it came out. I'm not sure why, because the character Scot Harvath, that Thor has created, is one of my favorite action characters, and I really enjoy reading Thor's books. I guess life just got in the way and all of a sudden I saw "The Apostle" in the book store and decided to get them both so I could continue reading them in order.

I don't know if "The Last Patriot" is my favorite Harvath tale, but I definitely enjoyed it and was glad to be reading the further exploits of the Navy SEAL turned Secret Service, turned terrorist's worst nightmare Homeland Security operative, Scot Harvath. One has to remember that this type of book is not necessarily a deep thinking text, but rather a fun action yarn with guns, killings, bad guys and good guys fighting it out. That's what it is, fun to read. Fun that is, if you like action tales, action movies, and the like.

The story had a flavor resembling a bit of "De Vinci Code" or "National Treasure." I enjoyed both of those, so I also enjoyed how Thor wove Thomas Jefferson and a copy of "Don Quixote" that he has supposedly made notes in that would affect modern day Islam. The chasing of clues and discovering historical artifacts that were relevant today was interesting although a bit different from previous Harvath adventures. At times I found myself wondering if a certain thing was fact or something Thor made up, since the book has both woven together. In the end, it didn't really matter, I was not reading this book for factual history, just like I didn't want "National Treasure" as a history lesson. Both this book and that movie are for entertainment. And this book entertained, and that is what I bought it and read it for.

I was glad to see the returning characters and the development of the relationship between Harvath and Tracy, even though her part in this story was minimal. There was good action, evil bad guys, and enough twists and turns to keep you reading and wanting to know what was going to happen next. Now I'm looking forward to reading "The Apostle."

by Alain Burrese

Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri - A Lovely Collection of Short Stories

2009-07-26T16:38:00.001+07:00

Beautifully narrated short and simple stories from everyday life, nothing out of ordinary, nothing grand. And the way stories are written it could just be a story from my life or yours.

The first book I have read from this author and must say I am impressed. What a simple free flowing writing style! All the stories were different though with the same backdrop of one or the other Bengali (people from a state in India) family settled away from Calcutta in the USA. Each story had a different feel to it, yet something was very common. Every story ended in a very non-committal fashion, it wasn't exactly a happy ending or a sad one...it just gave a feeling that life really goes on.

Unaccustomed Earth: here's a story of a daughter who is worried that post her mother's death she would now need to take care of her father and ask him to stay with her family in Seattle. She is fretting over this when her father comes to visit her for a couple of days, father never brings up the issue that he needs to be taken care of, instead he gets busy with setting up her garden and in the end she realizes he has plans of his own and never intended to stay with her forever.

Hell-heaven: a story of a married lady falling in love with a younger guy who is a family friend almost like a brother-in-law. The lady is distraught when this man informs that he is in love with another girl and intends to marry her. The story takes a turn after his marriage and in the end you realize the intensity of this lady's love when she tells the story to her daughter that she tried to kill herself a few days after he got married.

Hema & Kaushik: A story spread across three chapters; one written from Hema's perspective, one from Kaushik's perspective and third one in third person. The narration is too good. A story of two kids who meet, the girl is attracted towards the teenage boy but they move on in their respective lives finding new hobbiesm new destinies - until one fine day life brings them together in a chance meeting at a common friends place, this time they both are lonely and attracted to each other. They fall in love just days before the girl, Hema, is about to get married to Navin. She leaves Kaushik to return back to Calcutta to get married, only to realize much later that Kaushik was in Thailand when tsunami came.

by Ruchi Chandra

A Woeful Would - Be Love Story

2009-07-26T16:36:00.005+07:00

Pattiyan the author of this new short online love story, allows the reader into her character’s life and shares her thoughts and feelings on the possibilities of what could be.

The reader is allowed to experience, not only the joy and excitement of the possibilities, but is also allowed to experience the actuality of the situation.

Even though the story is only 850 words, the feeling of what could be, places the reader into a zone of excitement and how true love gets introduced. Yet, when things don't go like the fairy tale that we are use to, the reader is allowed to experience the disappointment as well.

For many readers, I am sure they will add their own thoughts to how the young girl could have made things turn out differently. And isn't that what a short story is suppose to do? Wake us up, put us in the driver's seat and allow us to think about what we could have done differently?

Pattiyan has displayed grace in writing a love story that so many of us can relate to. It is no wonder that many women who read the story, shack their head and said, the same thing. You have to read the story to understand the universal thoughts that most women have, after reading.

However, it does bring about the notion that when a woman makes that spiritual connection with a man, she may need to provide a bookmarker in his life, so that he doesn't forget. The author shows us how we may lose out, if we don't seize the moment right when it happens.

by Sandy Ingram

A Woeful Would - Be Love Story

2009-07-26T16:36:00.003+07:00

Pattiyan the author of this new short online love story, allows the reader into her character’s life and shares her thoughts and feelings on the possibilities of what could be.

The reader is allowed to experience, not only the joy and excitement of the possibilities, but is also allowed to experience the actuality of the situation.

by Sandy Ingram

Book Review - The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

2009-07-26T16:36:00.001+07:00

Here's a publishing rarity-a literary novel based on the darkest of Shakespearean tragedies becomes a huge commercial success. That rarity is The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. Much of the novel's success is due, of course, to Oprah's imprimatur as one of her book club picks. Even so, there must be more to it than Oprah's popularity, something that attests to the wide appeal of this densely packed, tragic novel.

The book has been described as epic, coming-of-age story, mystery, thriller and, of course, tragedy. Something for everyone. Words like compelling, imaginative, suspenseful, heart-wrenching, enchanting...and more...have issued out of the keyboards of critics. And every superlative is correct - Edgar Sawtelle is a great read! (One more superlative.)

In the vein of Jane Smiley's A Thousand Acres, a retelling of King Lear, Wroblewski's novel is an updated Hamlet. The Danish kingdom in this case is a Wisconsin farm, operated by the Sawtelle family as a kennel, famed for its line of dogs.

The story opens with a mysterious prologue set in Korea during the war: an unnamed buyer buys an unnamed poison, its potency tested on a stray dog wandering the streets. We wait for the poison to make its re-entry into the story-and it does. Years later Claude Sawtelle visits the family farm, now run by his brother Gar and wife Trudy. Edgar, the couple's 14 year-old son is mute. Yet in spite of, or more likely because of, his muteness, Edgar develops an uncanny ability to communicate with his dogs. Their connection-boy and dogs-borders on the atavistic, elemental, even mystical.

But Claude's presence disrupts the family's idyllic existence, and Edgar senses the growing tension between his father and uncle. When Gar dies suddenly, Edgar suspects Claude, who gradually insinuates himself into the family, and into Trudy's bed. After another deadly accident, Edgar takes off into the wilds accompanied by three of his dogs. He finds safety and temporary respite with an eccentric but kindly loner. Yet the inexorable crush of fate propels Edgar to return to the farm and settle accounts with his uncle. From there the story rushes to its breathtaking conclusion.

For all its intense plotting, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is a powerful contemplation of that thin layer of order and civility that overlays both humans and dogs-and how easy it is for both species to revert to their basic, instinctive natures. Civilization, it turns out, is only a veneer.

by Molly Lundquist

Last Night in Montreal - By Emily St James Mandel

2009-07-26T16:31:00.001+07:00

Parents are supposed to nurture and protect their children. They are supposed to be there when they get cuts, bruises and are afraid of the dark. Understanding their fears, concerns and listening to them when they needed to talk is supposed to be what parents do. But, that is not always the case and certainly not in the case of the major characters in this heartbreaking, thought provoking and unsettling novel that grabs the reader from the first word and keeps you spelling bound until you turn the last page. Last Night in Montreal starts off with these very powerful words, "No one stays forever." That is very true sometimes. As the story opens with Lilia Albert and Eli in a relationship where one half of the partnership committed to the other and the second, although committed needs to find her way and leave without warning the other. The reasons behind her sudden departure and why her life is really one place after another and no place at all, will keep you entranced, enthralled and more until you turn the last page and read the last word.

This is not a real mystery in the true sense of the word. It is a mystery of why three young people lived their lives so differently, yet the same. Abducted in the middle of the night by her father, Lilia Albert spends her entire childhood hiding from her past and creating her own kind of present and future. She learns at an early age how to blend in and disappear into the background no matter where her father takes her and no matter where they go. As she so aptly states it, "I am not going anywhere; I am just leaving where I am and going someplace else." Never really feeling safe or comfortable and always looking over her shoulder for the police or someone to take her back to her mother, Lilia and her father spend their lives on the run, never looking back.

Michaela, the same age as Lilia is another lost sole trying to find herself and hoping to receive the love, understanding and compassion that parents are supposed to give their children when they are growing up.

Michaela's mother is discontented with her life and she leaves her and her father without warning and never coming back. Christopher, a police officer and later private detective becomes consumed and immersed in finding out what happened to Lilia that he not only neglects his family causing his wife to justify leaving, but literally abandons a child whose only fault is wanting her father's attention and love.

Leaving her for months and longer Michaela immerses herself in a life in Montreal that involves, taking prescription drugs, short-term relationships that are meaningless but help her to survive and a friendship with another young girl who she meets and learns to hate- Lilia.

Throughout the novel we meet not only Michaela and learn of her tragic and heartbreaking childhood and reasons for hating and resenting Lilia, but we learn of Lilia who never seems to be able to really find a place to feel safe and Michaela who spends her youth on her own, trying to find someplace to fit in but never does.

In the background we meet Simon, Lilia's stepbrother, we briefly meet her mother, and Clara her father's new love interest, and we get to understand why her father abducted her to live a life on the run and not face her past.

Lilia is abducted and is found by her father with horrible cuts and bruises on her arms. Simon, her stepbrother is instrumental in her abduction for all of the right reasons. What really happened to her? Why can't she remember that fateful night in Montreal when her father saved her from a fate that could have been worse? This reviewer will not divulge the reasons behind her father's motives and her mother's actions.

Christopher, Michaela's father becomes so consumed with finding her that he does not care or worry about what solving this case has done to his daughter both emotionally and psychologically. Even her school's officials are told not to interfere or call her parents for any reason.

Eli, the last person that Lilia has some type of solid relationship in Brooklyn, is studying lost languages for his thesis but is entranced with Lilia and leaves everything behind to go and find her.

Learning to use maps at an early age Lilia travels her way throughout the United States and the world using maps, her instinct and her intelligence as a guide for survival.

The ending is hopeful in some ways and tragic in others. You definitely do not see the twist at the ending coming. Everyone wants a happy ending but sometimes that is not really possible nor would it fit into plot of this novel.

Lilia and Michaela glide through life on thin ice often trying to not to fail and fall in. But, life does not work that way and we get stronger by learning from our failures. Michaela, with the help of Eli could possibly have avoided her "Last Night in Montreal" with a different outcome. Only reading the book will tell you the end results or outcome.

Lies, abuse, unhappy memories that fade and are forgotten and parents who never really should have been blessed with our most precious possession: Children.

This novel helps us understand the lives of abused children in a different way. It does not describe only physical harm, but the emotional harm and abuse that remains with a child forever and spills over even as an adult.

Emily St. John's novel although quite profound and thought provoking does bounce back and forth too many times from the past to the present and sometimes making it difficult to tell which time period we are reading about and which characters she is describing or telling about. It becomes apparent that she is focusing her story on Lilia but often intersected her life with Michaela's. I think I would have liked to learn more about their friendship by having more chapters or scenes with them in the same room, not just at the end where all is revealed.

This book is a must read for all parents, educators, guidance counselors, and those who love a mystery with a different kind of flavor and flair. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone who loves children and cherishes them as much as I do.

by Fran Lewis

Mother Osprey - Nursery Rhymes for Buoys and Gulls

2009-07-21T00:18:00.001+07:00

As the title of this book implies, with ingenuity and an obvious love of the sea, Ms. Nolan took some wonderful old standard nursery rhymes and wove them into sea and coastline themed poems. Within these rhymes, Ms. Nolan introduces bits of nautical history and information. Instead of Jack and Jill, it's Jack and June who go up a dune. Sing a Song of Sixpense includes a trawler crew, first mate, captain, and deckhand.

Ms. Nolan takes these old standards and makes them her own. Some of the rhymes go over very well, such as Sleep Baby Sleep, and Buoys and Gulls; others may leave a young child a little puzzled, such as Tweedle-Dum & Tweedle-Dee, and Two Skippers from Texas.

I love the concept of Mother Osprey, introducing sea lingo, history and information in a wonderfully illustrated rhyming book - much of it works. I do think that a couple of the rhymes include words and themes that are geared for an older reader. One rhyme in particular is One Flamingo. It is an amazingly intricate and informative rhyme, but verses such as: "First a goose, and then some geese-a gaggle in the lane. But if the geese are flying, the gaggle is a skein," I believe would lose many young readers of 3-7. Another is The Witch of November, 1913 with verses such as: "The lakes heaved and tossed-so many lives lost. Howling wind, high seas and snow. More than two hundred souls filled those sorrowful rolls-the crewmen of long ago." Again, this may be a wonderful piece, but not for the intended age group.

With colorful and realistic illustrations, Mother Osprey is, overall, an entertaining, fun and educational book that celebrates the sea and coastline. Phrases and words such as okra pods, Puget Sound, shark, pirate, and shoal of bass will peak children's interest. Although, I do feel the book would be better intended for ages seven through ten.

Mother Osprey, published by Sylvan Dell Publishing, also includes a "For Creative Minds" section that sheds insight and gives information on each rhyme. Also included is a two-page map of the United States and its surrounding waters highlighting the geographical areas the rhymes reference, along with a "Map Activity Questions" section.

About the author: Lucy Nolan is an award-winning author who spent many childhood days roaming two very special islands: Pawleys Island, SC, and Amelia Island, FL. Ms. Nolan is also the author of Down Girl and Sit chapter books. She lives in Columbia, SC with her daughter and two rambunctious dogs.

About the illustrator: Connie McLennan has been a freelance artist for over 25 years, since attending Academy of Art College in San Francisco. In addition to illustrating Mother Osprey: Nursery Rhymes for Buoys and Gulls, she has also illustrated four other children's books for Sylvan Dell Publishing. Ms. McLennan lives in northern California with her husband, teenage son, and a playful kitten.

by Karen Cioffi

Constellation of The Omens - Deborah Simpson

2009-07-21T00:16:00.001+07:00

Imagine being in a deep sleep and seeing visions and hearing voices that tell you the end of the world, as we know it is near. The fear in your mind and heart are real and the events that you are seeing are happening as you envision them. How are you going to stop the Apocalypse from happening? How are you going to tell the world that if they do not heed and embrace the word of God that we are all doomed? The only way is to read the words of author Deborah Simpson in this straightforward, true account of what she saw in a vision and in her dreams that made her realize she had to tell the world her prophesies and warn us before it is too late.

Imagine living in a military state where you can no longer speak your mind and have free will. Think about being told what you will be allowed to wear, what you can eat, where you are able to go to school and what kind, if any medical care you are entitled to. What if we were all separated into different classes of people according to our intellectual abilities and then tested and programmed and prepared for jobs in the work force that the government feels would suite our capabilities whether we wanted to perform that job or not?

How would you feel? What would you do if at a certain age your medical care was null and void and your children could not receive the immunizations that they needed and people were getting diseases that were previously prevented with vaccines?

In this frightening, scary and thought provoking book Deborah Simpson causes the reader to take a hard look at his/her religious beliefs, values and understandings and emphasis what will happen if we do not stand strong and belief in God.

The government as we know it shall no longer exists and in its place will be the Totality Party. This party will be comprised of a populace considered out governmental elite, according to the author. These are Liberals who belief that our liberties and freedoms should and must be squashed to allow others to reap the benefits and enjoy the liberties once afforded to everyone. These people are not only college graduated with degrees in "Oppressive Education," but are people who will be creating our laws and making sure that they strictly adhered to our the consequences will be drastic.

People will be divided into 2 distinct groups. On the side of hope in order to stop these prophesies from taking place and occurring those faithful to God and his believes will help to make sure this new government is disbanded. This group will be comprised of those who are totally against the beliefs of this new regime and will help banish those who have managed to escape being enslaved by this government.

Our democratic government will no longer exist and the governments of the world will unite under the Totality Party. All people will have to forfeit their worldly possessions and holdings. This will supposedly stated under the guise of for the betterment of the global unity and common wealth of everyone. In reality the governmental officials for bribing will use these things.

There will be no more elections. The government will not allow people any civil liberties and there will be no more freedoms. Children will go to school and be assigned classes according to their intellectual abilities. No longer will they be allowed to go to school and decide what they want to do when they get older. Instead, that will be decided for them according to what the Totality Party or the government determine as to what they are fit and suited for.

Throughout the book the author describes many events that will occur as a result of the end of the world being near and the new government and regime that will reign unless we as a people decide to stop being so complacent and help to eradicate this party. These people will try to eradicate God within the hearts and minds of the people. This cannot happen and it is up to those who remain and have faith in god to help stop this from happening.

She describes in detail The New World Order and how it is the responsibility of each individual to help eradicate it. We cannot stand silent before the Lord or not be counted. She describes the final battle and when and where it will occur.

As so aptly stated by the author, "The time is now for every man, woman and child to put aside their greed, their neglect, their selfishness and commence atonement." It is time to restore the dignity and respect to God. We must unit as a people and align with God in order to obliterate tyranny.

Whether the end of the world will occur in 2012 or not anyone can say. What will happen is not up to the author it is up to each of us.

This is a thought provoking and very mind stimulating book that forces the reader to take into account his/her beliefs in God and even more. It is up to you to decide whether the Apocalypse will occur, whether the world as we know it and life as we have been living it, will no longer exist and be overturned by those who are stronger and dominate the weak. You decide. Constellation of the Omens was not written to instill fear in you, but to instill in your faith.

by Fran Lewis

Books for Children Improve Your Child's Imagination and Attention

2009-07-21T00:14:00.001+07:00

In a world dominated by digital entertainment, books for children must be introduced in the home and in school. Books require minimal money investment but the return on investment are excellent, especially when these are compared to digital entertainment like video games. Indeed, parents and teachers must conspire for the good of their children!

Benefits of Children's Books

This early, it must be emphasized that the benefits derived from children's books can only be enjoyed when the parent/teacher encourages their children to read them. You can accomplish this goal by setting a good example of being a book lover yourself and by reading the books to them. After all, children's books are inanimate objects that need an animate object to move it!

With that said, here are the advantages to be had from reading books for children to your kids:

• It builds familial bonds because you spend quality time with each other.

• It helps your child understand the purpose of the written word in relation to the spoken word and the ways with which each word can be used in everyday conversations.

• It builds vocabulary in fun ways, often by means of shared humor.

• It develops listening skills that will translate itself into better communication skills.

• It promotes a love for literature that, when coupled with your loving guidance, can transform into a love for knowledge.

• It enhances information absorption, a skill necessary to allow your child to function in society.

The greatest benefit of introducing your kids to books for children is opening up worlds to their imagination and exploration. In this way, you provide them with the personal skills to tackle the real world one book at a time!

Appropriate Children's Books

However, you just don't read whatever children's book is on hand! You have to consider the age, reading level and personal interests of your child before selecting a book for them. You want to hold their attention, sustain their interest and whet their appetite for books, books and more books!

Fortunately for parents and teachers alike, most books for children are classified according to the ages of their readership base. Thus, for kids 0-5 years old, books with colorful visuals are best since these stimulate vision, promote identification, and enhance connections to the outside world. You can purchase sturdy board books and picture books for this age group.

For the kids 7-9 years old, story lines with short chapters are best. Of course, the words used are often more complex than those contained in their toddler books. You will observe that these books also incorporate basic character development and plot structure, which can challenge your child's ability to tell a story in his own words.

Books for children 10-12 years old often deal with more sophisticated content for adolescents. There are fewer drawings and illustrations since the action is on the words themselves.

Also, don't limit your child's reading repertoire to fiction books since non-fiction is also a rich source of information. You can mix folktales, poetry, science fiction, biographies, and natural studies. This way, you prevent boredom from setting in with the same stories told over and over again.

by Rod Dagan and Vicky Dagan

500 Lovemaking Tips and Secrets Review - Lets Your Love Juices to Flow Again

2009-07-21T00:14:00.000+07:00

Sex is the primary instinct that drives man and woman into each other arms. It is an intimate and passionate physical love that stimulates all body senses. The heightened pleasure it offers boosts overall health of the mind and body. A good session of steamy sex with partner heals the body of physical as well as the mental stress. It induces increased blood circulation, burning of excessive calories and release of stress relieving hormones in the blood stream. It is scientifically proven that married couples who lead happy sex life live longer than the ones, who face sex related martial discord.

1. A True Guide.

Unfortunately the modern life is very hectic making it difficult for couples to enjoy the sexual bliss. The stress induces severe sex related dysfunctions in the male and female bodies causing hindrances in achieving sexual bliss. This leads to martial discord and sometimes to serious situations like divorces or adultery.

2. What Can You Learn With 500 Lovemaking Tips And Secrets?

The 500 Lovemaking Tips and Secrets book sincerely strives to tackle male disabilities like premature ejaculation or erection failure by providing solutions in form of effective techniques. It teaches both man and woman the importance of oral sex, stronger and longer penile erection for deeper and better penetration, achieving climax and staying in that state for longer duration of time. 500 Lovemaking Tips and Secrets educates the readers the use of new lubrication techniques, use of fingers and tongue for stimulation, new positions to achieve complete satisfaction and thereby increase love and bond between the two partners.

3. What Are The Benefits Of 500 Lovemaking Tips And Secrets?

500 Lovemaking Tips and Secrets guide has immensely helped people who have followed the instruction sincerely. It has renewed their sexual vigor and boosted the performance in the bed, to the utter surprise of their bedmates. 500 Lovemaking Tips and Secrets instructions have re-ignited dying relationships and opened new doors to achieving the sexual bliss in their married lives. This enhanced and satisfying performance in the bed has sweetened married lives of many couples and given the much needed stability. Hence 500 Lovemaking Tips and Secrets book has immensely benefited many couples and will continue to do so in future.

by Thomas K

The Gunslinger - The Dark Tower and the Clearing at the End of the Path

2009-07-21T00:09:00.001+07:00

The Gunslingers Art is not lost in the future nor in the past.

Wizard and Glass plus the Dark Tower Series of books perhaps the largest tome that Stephen King has ever done.

As most constant readers know the dark tower series is perhaps Mr. Kings best work with the shreds of what appears to be our world that has impinged on a future world that has been destroyed by a war or many wars.

The dark tower books are woven in-between many different books including some of his older works that are now movies, you have to be a good reader and watcher to know which of these books contains references to the world which Roland of Giliad, is from and the walking man, from the Stand as well as many other books, there are references to this work in many of these tales.

This tells us many things about this book and the author, as also many of you will know Mr. King was injured by an alleged drunkard, who hit him while not paying attention to what he was doing.

His work changed after this and some think that it changed for the worse, but for sure being a victim of a head injury it changes you sometimes for the better sometimes for the worse, you just never know for sure how it will work out in the long run, we may see some different things in the end for Roland and his pals, because of so many things that happened and because of the rush to end the series, so believe that he thought he may not finish the book at all.

Still others believe that he has not actually finished the book but has instead placed it in a state of suspended animation, until such time as the real course of action can be fixed in the absence of the true story which did not truly end but instead left things in a state that you may not like.

If you dare, follow the path and you may yet discover something you never knew. Either way, one thing that many have forgotten was the tale of Susan Delgato.

by Tim K Franklin