Audio Books

This book was one of my all-time favorites when I was a kid! It was so exciting... very mysterious and magical. And full of goo! What kid doesn't love goo? Every kid needs a book like this.

An excellent item and although the cost to get it here quickly was expensive, it was worth it. Thank you

I had loved the book as a child myself. So I bought it for my neice. We read it together and she loves it as well. I haven't met a child (or adult) that doesn't like Dr. Seuss!

This was a gift for my niece. The adults in the room enjoyed it as much as she did.

I bought this book because it brought back such good memories of my child's childhood and my own as well. I look forward to sharing it with my grandchildren someday. This is a great book to read!

Blood of Angels is one of the best suspense novels I have read in quite some time. Set in Nashville it features Thomas Dennehy, a lead prosecutor who is known for his closing arguments and who has sent more than one criminal to death row. His new case, for which he plans to go for the maximum penalty, is against Moses Bol, a Sudanese immigrant accused of raping and murdering a white woman in a gritty part of town. As the case is contemplated a bombshell drops. An anti-death penalty professor claims he has incontrovertible proof that an executed convict that Dennehy put on death row, Wilson Owens, was innocent of the crime for which he was put to death. This throws the prosecutor's office into disarray, as well as the case against Bol, as an activist preacher claims Bol is innocent. In the meantime Dennehy thinks he's being stalked by someone, and acts directed at him get increasingly more frightening. He is soon visited, yet again, by his past, in a harrowing sequence of events.

This novel is definitely an intricate, well thought out work of suspense. The characters in this novel are very well drawn and Dennehy's relationship and interaction with them gives the novel a very personal touch.

Two thumbs up for this one.

The start was a bit misleading ( I thought I'd stumbled upon an anti-death penalty rant disguised as a novel ), but was pleasantly surprised to find myself in the middle of a fantastic thriller.

I recommend readers go through the bargain hardcover book section of their local bookstores and experiment with new authors on the cheap. That's how I found Reed Arvin and now I plan on reading all of his books.

Thomas Dennehy, Assistant District Attorney of Davidson County Tennessee, has his hands full in Blood of Angels.

The case of one Wilson Owens has come back to haunt the DA's office as new evidence has come to light that the State of Tennessee may have executed the wrong man two years ago.

Dennehy was the prosecutor in the case known at the Sunshine Grocery murders and has the singular notoriety of having convicted two men in separate trials and of separate crimes of killing the same woman. This in itself puts a tornadic twist into this book that would make it a brilliant story, but Arvin goes one-step further by hurling the racially charged murder of a local white-trash girl by a Sudanese immigrant into the mix.

Kwame Jamal Hale has come forward and delivered what may prove to be very damning evidence that he, not Owens, was the murderer at the Sunshine Grocery. His claim? He knows where the heretofore-undiscovered murder weapon can be found. Dennehy, his boss David Rayburn and soon-to-be retired fellow prosecutor Carl Becker, can only wait and watch as the circus rolls into downtown Nashville and the DA's office prepares to tender their resignations en toto, if it is proved that Wilson Owens was innocent and unlawfully executed.

Meanwhile the bond hearing of the suspected Sudanese murderer Moses Bol comes to court. The DA is dealt another blow when bail is set at $1.5 million and is paid by one Fiona Towns, a Presbyterian preacher of a dying central Nashville church that has less the dozen members.

These two stories together are not enough for Arvin. He tosses in the failing personal life of Dennehy, a cast of characters that make every page a thrill to turn and just enough action for you to gnaw your fingernails down to the cuticles. Dennehy has a wit and dark sense of humor that would be depressing if it were not written so well. Add his ex-wife, her wealthy doctor second husband, and a daughter that truly loves her daddy, and you have the full package in a legal thriller that you will be proud to recommend to every fellow fiction reader you know.

Armchair Interviews says: If you love legal thrillers, check this one out!

I loved "The Will" by Arvin and grabbed "Blood of Angels" as soon as it was released in hardcover. It is a book to own and I will read again one day. Great suspense, character developement and plot. This book has it all. It's one of those you can't put down once you start it.

As a former resident of Nashville and currently living in the city of Frankling (the hero's city) I was expecting to be somewhat familiar with the sites and locations. What I was not expecting was the absolutely riveting story - a police procedural of the first degree. I now know how residents of New York, DC, LA & Chicago feel when they read stories that take place in their city. The areas described are well-known and provide a reference point for the story.

This is the New South. Absent are evangelicals, the dominant Democrat party, close-knit generational families and a whites only landscape. Instead, Thomas Dehenny, the district attorney, is a driven, dedicated hard-drinking, divorced father who never attends church. One detects that the author (through Thomas) decries those who devote their lives to defending murderers and rapists. He asks, What about the victims? Who speaks for them?

In this case, there is a strong possiblity that the wrong man was executed. The crime involved two defendents - the shooter & the medic who actually killed the woman through negligance (he was on meth). At the same time, the city is rocked by the brutal murder of a Nationite woman by an African refugee. The struggle between low-class whites (The Nation) & the growing numbers of refugees and immigrants is real & depicted with accuracy. Into the fray steps Fiona Tonws, local Presbyterian minister/activist. Despite their positions, a romance breaks out between the two. The real villian is revealed midway through the book & he is as horrible and clever as they come. The ending was sheer perfection as was the entire story. I cannot say enough about this book! Buy it.

Others have covered the ground of the story itself pretty well so I'll try to add something new.
I liked "The Unpleasantness at the Belonna Club" and "Whose Body?" somewhat better than this title.... BUT this one is really still just a SUPER classic English murder mystery. The inclusion of Harriet Vane (mystery-writing wife of Lord Peter Wimsey), into the Wimsey series was, in my opinion, a big plus. She really gives Wimsey someone to play off of, in addition to the ever-present and loyal Bunter, Wimsey's astute right-hand man.
This work precedes "Thrones, Dominations," which was an incomplete manuscript by Sayers at the time of her death and was finished by Jill Paton Walsh, who did a superb job of tying up this worthwhile project. (I recommend that you read the two works sequentially!)
So, I highly recommend this fine mystery to all fans of the genre -- it's at least equivalent in pleasure value to Christie's "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd."

This entry in the Lord Peter Whimsey/Harriet Vane series is a little unusual because it has more humor than usual. You get to see a more light hearted Lord Peter, at least until the murder. Agatha Christi concentrates a little more on the relations between Lord Peter and Harriet, starting just after thier engagement and continuing through the honeymoon. You will have to sit through a lot of letter and journal reading in the beginning, but it is worth wading through for the background. A delightful story.

Busman's Honeymoon is a classic which deserves to be read and reread for a long time to come. It's beautifully written--funny, sad and suspenseful. Peter Wimsey is an extremely sympathetic character.

Lord Peter and Harriet Vane are married. In a series of letters we learn the details of the wedding and honeymoon. Due to the malicious meddling of Lord Peter's sister-in-law and the hounding of the press, the bride and groom decide at the last minute to be married in a small chapel in Oxford. Harriet has asked Lord Peter to buy her a beautiful and ancient farmhouse in the country where they decide to go for their honeymoon.

The adjustment to marring someone with money is a hurdle for Harriet. She buys him an expensive wedding gift that is just right, and with the last of her money she buys a gold designer wedding dress from Worth which suits her dark beauty perfectly. Lord Peter has made her independently wealthy but she has difficulty understanding the details. All that matters is that she has completely given her heart to Peter.

However, the honeymoon is not the quiet country idyll the Wimseys were longing for. The discovery of a body in the basement of their new home causes Lord Peter and Harriet to be swept up in a murder investigation and the press are once again at their door. While distracting, the investigation does not keep them from sharing many deep passionate moments. It does, however, cause them to confront difficulties in their personalities and temperaments.

Sayers writes with her usual wonderful characterizations and evocative style. The reader is transported to 1930's England, a simpler more elegant time. The intricacies of a grisly murder investigation throw into relief the charm of the simple life. Yet somehow this story has a more somber tone than the other Lord Peter mysteries, perhaps because it is the last book of the series. At any rate, once again Sayers delivers prime entertainment and an enchanting detective mystery, only this time Lord Peter is finally in a settled relationship with his beloved.

Summer 2004 Reading List - Mini Review

I was intrigued by the premise of this book: An accomplished detective and a famous mystery writer marry, only to discover a corpse in the cellar of their recently purchased home the day after their wedding.

This book is subtitled "A Love Story With Detective Interruptions" and lives up to that billing. I had not read any of the previous books in the Lord Peter Wimsey series but I did not find this an impediment. Sayers did a good job of making Busman's Honeymoon accesible as either a stand alone novel or part of her Wimsey/Vane story line. I so liked the characters that I am going to try to read previous installments in the series.

Chasing Fireflies: A Novel of Discovery
I have read everything Charles Martin has written and I was certainly not disappointed to read Chasing Fireflies: A Novel of Discovery. Martin has a way of capturing the pace and personality of the South, which makes it as much a main character as any of the people mentioned.
History and understanding of people does not happen at the rapid-fire pace often protrayed in most novels. Martin takes you on a trip of discovery that shows that you never really know a person until you take time to just be with them and hear their stories.
Worth EVERY minute you spend reading this book!

Everything by Charles Martin is amazing, and Chasing Fireflies is no exception. He explores themes of love, healing, and belonging in relevant ways without preaching through his novel. Martin is an excellent descriptive writer, as he takes the time to set up the environment for the reader before he dives into the action. You will feel well grounded in the story as he weaves several lines together. An excellent read!

This was an AMAZING story. Full of mystery, emotions, tragedy and triumph. It was so descriptive that you will feel a part of the book from the beginning and be sad when it ends. You won't be able to put it down. I'm an avid reader of Christian fiction, and Chasing Fireflies really touched me deeply. Charles Martin is a very expressive writer.

In Chasing Fireflies, Charles Martin once again brings to life an amazingly honest story of grace, tragedy, dignity, strife, perseverence, and heart. He does it all in a true page turner of a book amazingly void of gratuitous sex or violence - but with a story line so juicy and tangled that you don't even notice! Martin's books are incredibly well written and insightful, with characters you grow to know who are engaged in struggles you fight with them, and simple but dynamic lessons that you can't help but take away to somehow embroider into your own life. In his own way, Martin's books meet you where you are and help move you someplace special...

As with When Crickets Cry and Wrapped in Rain, I laughed and cried, sat on the edge of my seat, got mad, got even and absolutely hated closing the last chapter on a whole cast of characters I felt I'd gotten to know. And, as with his others, this is a book that I have bought and passed along, to people who have bought again - and passed along - to people who have done the same again and again.

Kudos to his family for encouraging Martin to find his voice! My family - and friends, and their friends, and more still - are so grateful for his gift. We can't wait for the next addition to the collection!!!

Charles Martin is my new favorite author! This is the 5th book I've read that he's written and all 5 are my favorite book. His writing is very real, very funny, and goes straight to the heart. Could hardly put it down. EXCELLENT!!!!

"Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy" is the awesome sequal to "I'd Tell You I Love You but than I'd Have to Kill You" both featureing Cammie Morgan in Ally Carters books.
Cammie finds her and her friends wondering why one of the corridors of the school is shut off to students. So, like good spys, they investigate.
They find the corridor stocked with stuff for students dorms.
Meanwhile Cammie's mom, headmistress of Gallagher Acadamy, shows Cammie a picture of her dad, who died while on a mission. In the picture he's with Mr.Soloman (who works a Gallagher now) and Mr.Soloman's shirt says BLACKTHORNE BOYS.
Cammie might of found out about another spy school for boys, has she.
All together add some romantic scenes, with another boy and Josh (Cammie's old boyfriend), Cammie's bra almost coming off, and the school almost closing and you have a really good story from Ally Carter.

Hope this review helps!!!!!
-Lainy-
ps. i spelled my name wrong when i created my account. How dumb!!!!!!

I liked this much better than the first book in these series. One reason being that I found the love interest much more interesting than Josh. Josh (from the first one) seemed too normal too me, and I feel like in a spy book, the love interest should be mysterious and cooler than the 'average guy'. Zach definitely had all these characteristics, with a cynical humor to boot. :) I also liked the fact that the spy situations seemed more real because the students weren't aware of what was real and what was a test.

This book was really good. One of my friends read the first book and said it was good, and said that I should read it. I thought that it would be really girly, but its not, although it is a great book for those who want a girly teen book as well. The sequel is no different. There is drama, action, friendship, and boys. Overall, a really great book.

In "Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy" is Josh still Cammie's boyfriend? Or is Zach her new boyfriend? Or are we supposed to find out in the 3rd?

So... We are back at the Gallagher Academy, a secret spy school for girls, and we are reunited with all together almost-perfect spy, Cammie Morgan. Cammie's mother is the school principal, her father died on a secret mission, and a new teacher (Mr. Solomon) seems to be a little too familiar with Cammie's family. We start out the book with Cammie being tested to make sure that she will stay away and not communicate with "The Subject" aka Josh. Through the begining of the book we are taking part in weird happenings at the academy and then we are trying to find out what BLACKTHORNE really is. Once we find out that Blackthorne is a secret spy school for BOYS (thanks to Cammie's EXCELENT spywork) we also find out that the Blackthorne boys are coming to Gallagher and we don't know if they are there to stay. Cammie is introduced to a Blackthorne boy named Zach who seems to take a very strong interest in Cammie and becomes VERY suspicious. Cammie runs into Josh on a mission with Zach and leads him to believe that Zach is her Boyfriend. Bex, Liz and Massie all come back and are better friends then ever! Altogether, in the end of the day... it's a TRUE spy ending that you don't want to miss out on. Will Cammie be with Zach again? Will Cammie go back to Josh? Does Josh REALLY not remember Cammie's BIGGEST secret? We won't know FOR SURE unless we read this and it still keeps us guessing and waiting for Gallagher Girls book three to come out! Have fun!
I loved this book and i hope everyone else will too! Be sure to read it, the worst that will happen is that you won't like it ( yeah right!) and you can just put it down! This book deserves its five stars! I was worried that it wouldn't be as good as the first book but i was proven wrong! For ANY age.
I hope you enjoyed my review! Check out my others!
<3 tAyLoR

Matthew Scudder is not a licensed private investigator. To claim he was one would not be ethical. Besides, private investigators have to keep up with records and billable hours... No, you can't hire him, but you can ask him to do a favor. In return for said favor, you can buy him a drink and give him a little cash.

At one point in his life Matt was a detective for the NYPD, but when a stray bullet from his gun struck and killed an innocent child during a shootout, Matt resigned. He buried his grief in a bottle and started doing favors for friends.

In Eight Million Ways to Die, Matt has reached a crossroads. After experiencing blackout that lasted several days that ended with Matt in the hospital, he knew he had to come to terms with his drinking. He agreed to go to AA, but he was not ready to label himself an alcoholic.

In need of money, Matt agreed to act as an intermediary for a hooker. She wanted out of the business but was afraid to tell her pimp. It was a simple job and the situation was settled without bloodshed or tears. Chance, the pimp, felt Kim wasted her money. She didn't need to hire Matt. All she had to do was tell him she wanted out. When Kim was found dead a few days later, the police and Matt assumed Chance was the guilty party.

The police would never be able to prove that Chance was guilty. Chance knew that, but the fact that the police assumed he did it and were not looking elsewhere irritated him. Kim was a hooker, but she was one of his girls. The cloud of suspicion was hurting his business. As Matt already had a vested interest in the case, Chance hires him. Matt would ferret out the truth.

It has been 25 years since Laurence Block's Eight Million Ways to Die was first released. New York City has changed since then, but it was easy to visualize the rabble and the rubble of the New York City of old through the eyes of Matthew Scudder. It was descriptive without the lengthy prose to go with it.

It is a classic hardboiled detective story. The clues are doled out at regular intervals. An astute mystery reader may be able to identify the killer before Matt puts the pieces together. I had my suspicions but there was enough doubt to keep me guessing right up until the end.

Eight Million Ways to Die is dark, cynical, violent and incredibly lonely--all that a great PI mystery should be. For the mystery fans out there, I highly recommend it.

I bought this thinking it was the first in the Matthew Scudder series, but it is actually about the fifth or so. It was excellent. Very well-written and I loved the Scudder character, especially his struggle with drinking and involvement in AA. If you like mysteries/detective novels, you will not be disappointed.

Lawrence Block is a writer's writer. His style, words, and plots are top notch. What do you get in this story? You get a grim and gritty New York - home to Matt Scudder, ex-cop and private investigator. You get Scudder's desperate efforts to overcome his addiction to alcohol. And you get the story of Kim, a prostitute, who pays Scudder to tell Chance, her pimp, that she wants to leave the business. Next, she is slashed to death. The obvious suspect is Chance, but Scudder becomes convinced that Chance didn't kill her, and Chance pays Scudder to find the murderer. As Scudder investigates, and more murders occur, it becomes clear that Kim had unknowingly become involved with a group of violent criminals. A nice feature of the story is that Block gives you all of the clues to pretty-much solve the mystery. Otherwise, you must wait until the final pages. It is a great story. Little wonder that Block has won so many awards for his mystery writing.

It's 2008, and it's the 25th anniversary of the Lawrence Block's Eight Million Ways to Die. So let's put out a celebratory edition! I've never read a Block book, so I'm not sure why this particular book warrants a re-issue in a special hardcover, but it does mark a significant milestone in Matt Scudder's career, so maybe that's why. This handsome hardcover also includes an afterword by Block, so fans of the Scudder series may want to pick this up to at least read that. For non-fans of the series, you can pick it up because it's a very good book.

If you're like me, you'll have to keep reminding yourself that Eight Million Ways to Die was written back in 1983. I kept asking why the characters didn't use cell phones until I remembered. Also, the image of New York as a crime-infested city kept jarring with the way it is now. The title of the book is said by a cynical cop who claims that there are eight million ways to die in New York. While there are probably still quite a few, I don't think there are that many any more.

Block does immerse you in the seedy atmosphere of the New York of 1983, though. His imagery is quite stark, and he constantly has Scudder reading the newspaper, pulling out headlines and news stories about how certain innocent people were killed, and commenting on how these will quickly get relegated to the back pages as something even more monstrous hits the front page. This atmosphere constantly weighs Scudder (and the reader) down, but at least the reader can put the book down if it gets too oppressive. What can Scudder do?

Scudder is an extremely interesting character, and evidently one who changes throughout his series of books. His alcoholism has been a constant presence in previous books, and this is the one where it comes to a head. He's constantly going to AA meetings, commenting on the speakers but not speaking up himself when it comes to his turn. He just can't see himself in these people, despite knowing that he has a problem. There's an interesting running plot element regarding this bottle of Wild Turkey in Kim's apartment, something that keeps attracting him even if he's not there investigating something.

While most of the characters are fairly one-dimensional, serving their purpose in the story and perhaps having one or two identifying traits, Chance himself also stands out as an extremely interesting character. He finds himself being drawn to Scudder, telling him things that he would never tell anyone else. He's an extremely deep character, almost as much as Scudder, and we find ourselves wondering how he's going to turn out as well. When he disappears for a while, I almost found myself dreading that Scudder would find out he got murdered as well.

Block's hard-boiled prose is excellent in Eight Million Ways to Die, and it's definitely what will make me go back and eventually read other books in this series. It's almost a contradiction, sinking into the muck that is New York while also feeling slightly optimistic as Matt comes closer and closer to redemption. It can be brutal at times, but he doesn't revel in the carnage. He doesn't hide from it, but he doesn't dwell on it either, except when Scudder himself does as he's trying to fight off temptation yet again. Block's dialogue is top notch as well, giving the book a noir feel that draws you in.

Eight Million Ways to Die is an excellent novel, and you don't have to worry that you're coming into it in the middle of a series. As a standalone, it's an excellent examination of an alcoholic detective's life. As part of a series, it's a turning point. Either way, you'll lose yourself in the past as 1983 rears its ugly head again. Scudder is great character, and this is a great book.

David Roy

Having only read one other Lawrence Block novel "A Dance at the Slaughterhouse", I was intrigued at the depth of Eight Million Ways to Die. The characters and the environment of New York being the backdrop for this story makes for an entertaining read. As well as Scudders unwillingness to accept that he's an alcoholic. The ending was a classic one. The way Block is able to bring to life the city as a main part of the plot in the story is amazing. Eight Million Ways to Die is a classic and will forever be remembered as one of the top 25 mystery novels of all time!

Other recommended books:
Death in Uptown by Michael Raleigh

Hello, Folks this is a great audiobook. Excellent, thrilling, gripping story. Wonderful sound effects. Jason Culp did a fantastic job as narrator. I will listen to F2F many more times. I am going to try and obtain some of Phil Finch's other audiobooks if available. Get this audiobook, now !

The worst part of this book is that it could be real, never let your children at the internet alone, and you have to take care of what are you saying on the net.

Anything by this guy is fantastic! What a future vision...paranoia about keeping your personal information off the public domain seems like a good thing after reading this work.

Great book Phil! Miss you guys!

Rusty In KC

Better than tape!

Once you log on the Net...anyone can find you! April 19, 2001 My father handed me this book becasue I was a "computer guy" and he thought I might enjoy it. (He would have given it 3 stars at most); but being as I am in computers...and you can do everything that is done in this book....I enjoyed it. Anyone who uses a computer, a chat room and a bulletin board will really appreciated it. The deaths are a little more gruesome than is required...but once you get pass that, the book keeps your attention.

It starts slow and picks up with every page. I could not put it down. I finished it on one day! This book is a thriller even up to the last page. A must read.... this is a thoroughly entertaining novel.

Note: I now turn off my computer at night.

My father handed me this book becasue I was a "computer guy" and he thought I might enjoy it. (He would have given it 3 stars at most); but being as I am in computers...and you can do everything that is done in this book....I enjoyed it. Anyone who uses a computer, a chat room and a bulletin board will really appreciated it. The deaths are a little more gruesome than is required...but once you get pass that, the book keeps your attention.

It starts slow and picks up with every page. I could not put it down. I finished it on one day! This book is a thriller even up to the last page. A must read.... this is a thoroughly entertaining novel.

Note: I now turn off my computer at night.

I absolutely LOVE these series. I'm now reading them for the 4th time. I love how Lund breaks down the parables and teachings of Christ to make them easier to understand. I also love the historical accuracy. He brings you into the story as if you really are there. I highly recommend these books!

This book is amazing. It has truly enlightened me as to the true nature of Jesus Christ. On one hand, He seems very conservative, but on the other, He seems so liberal! What a paradox. Lund does a fantastic job of capturing just how complex our Lord is, but how loving and accepting He is, too. Truly, He is a higher form of life, and that essence is easily portrayed in the story. There is also a very interesting fictional plot unfolding all around Jesus with the story's main characters who are the Jews and Gentiles that chose to follow Him during His earthly ministry (some fictional, some historical). If you've ever wished you could get into a time-machine and go back to the time of Christ and see Him for yourself, this book will help you vividly paint this dream in your imagination better than anything else. Plus, you'll get schooled in the biblical Gospel that Jesus taught without feeling that it's preachy. It's just Jesus. Like Him, the author invites people of all religions, beliefs, and unbeliefs to partake of his words. There's nothing to fear. Jesus is SO cool, you'll definitely feel that way afterwards if you don't already!

I have heard people say that the story of Jesus is the greatest story ever told, but have wondered how that could be when I found the New Testament so difficult to understand when reading straight from beginning to end. Now having finished this series of books I add my vote that the story of Jesus Christ is really the greatest story ever told.

Upon finishing I have felt driven to explore the New Testament again. I recently purchased a version of the New Testament which attempts a chronological harmony of the four gospels. I am amazed at how closely Lund's series shadows the chronological harmony version of the King James Version of the New Testament. Lund's work has helped me attain a level of clarity regarding the Savior's ministry that I didn't even know I was missing. Lund also did a great job in helping me understand which characters in the book are really from the New Testament, and where he was favoring certain scriptural interpretations over others. The chapter endnotes were fantastic!

Having now finished the whole series that this book belongs to I realize that without the historical insights that Lund provides into the political, social, and cultural setting of the people who lived in that area of the world at that time, I would not fully understand the life and mission of Christ as the Son of God and the Savior of mankind. For me this series is now the standard for all other historical fiction that attempts to represent the ministry of Jesus Christ, or the origins of Christianity.

I am not much of a reader. In fact, this is the first novel I have read in about 30 years. (I never seem to have the time)

Boy, did I ever pick a winner on this one!

It immediately immerses you into the lives of a Roman soldier, a Galilean family, a Pharisee and a Sadducee.

It so masterfully intwines these folks into many of the gospel stories and places you into the crowds that are following Jesus. From the Birth of Jesus, to the cleansing of the Temple, the sermon on the mount and the feeding of the multitude.

It also puts in detail the difficulties of a family split between becoming followers of Jesus and denying him, and the melting of hardened hearts.

I could barely put this thing down.

Now I am ready to take on "Come Unto Me" (Kingdom and the Crown Vol 2.)

I am now on the second book... the first book in this series is so wonderful. I takes you there to Jerusalem and Galilee. You feel as if you walk with Jesus and experience his miracles and teachings first hand. It is an ambitious achievement for the author. You learn and come to know Christ more deeply. At times it can get a bit preachy and I feel like I am in one of Lund's classrooms, but I dig it anyways (other people may not). But the story is well crafted.

I always hate it when authors take too much artistic license and try to guess what a real historical person is feeling or what their motivation is (when there isn't a written record of it anywhere and it is completely up to the interpretation of the author). I am grateful that Lund never attempts that, and for Heaven's sake, especially not with Jesus. All of the dialogue that is written for Jesus can be found directly out of the New Testament.

Read this book and come to know the Savior even more deeply than you have before.

Initially I borrowed this book from a friend and read it at bedtime. The short chapters are perfect for a quick read at bedtime, while waiting at the doctor, etc. Phillip Gulley is fabulous at taking the "normalcy" of life and applying Biblical principles to deepen the experience. His humor causes me to laugh out loud repeatedly. This is a fun and fresh way to look at the Eccelesiastes text. After devouring my friend's copy, I purchased this one to share with my dad. He is loving it as well!

Philip Gulley uses the words of Ecclesiastes, "For everything there is a season", as a springboard for essays on life. He happens to live in the small town of Danville, Indiana, where he grew up, so his stories have to do with the people and customs of his small town. Gulley is a Quaker pastor who holds to traditional values and the sovereignty of God, but this doesn't hinder his sly wit or wry observations on the absurdities of modern-day life. His choices of stories range from the addition of a screen door to his home under "A Time to Build" to a list of his prejudices and pet peeves under "A Time to Gather Stones Together". This is a good book to read a bit at a time as each chapter stands alone. It's also a good way to escape from stress and to get a laugh and a new perspective on life.

I was given a copy of this book by my sister, Mrs. Fruits, who is featured in the "a time to let go" chapter. I also have a signed copy. This is a wonderful book (along with Phil's others) to pick up when one needs a spiritual "pick me up". I have circulated these delightful books through the membership of my Episcopal church and have incorporated some of his stories into sermons. I am a Hoosier from Hendricks County who now lives in Washington State and it is often a nostalgic trip for me when I travel the roads and streets of Indiana in Phil's books. But anyone could benefit from these stories about every day people dealing with every day life.

This is an excellent book, as are all of Philip Gulley's. They are "feel good" books, and I enjoy them all. Although this particular book is not a story evolving around the local townspeople, as are many of his, it is still an inspiring read. I hope Mr. Gulley continues to crank out his particular type of humor/inspiration for years to come!

What a great book about the sweet simple side of life. It made me want to move to the author's small town and settle in with my family. I have enjoyed everything I have read so far by this author.

A warm, endearing story set during the time of World War II. The characters are well developed and the story is a reaffirmation of the good in people. A simple, yet memorable tale.

I don't how Hollywood missed this as excellent material for a movie. Disney, are you reading?

While at a garage sale this summer with my granddaughter, we came across some of the early Trixie Belden books, and I bought them for my g/d, after she promised to lend them to me when she was finished. I enjoyed them so much, even tho' they were "children's" books, that I started browsing Amazon for other books I had enjoyed in grade school.
The Four Story Mistake was one of them, and sure enough, Amazon had it available. I ordered it, got it in 3 days, and read it that night. Gosh, the memories that brings back. Very fun story. I intend to order the other books in this series, and continue browsing for other childhood favorites. It kinda varies the reading experience, plus is a nice walk down memory lane.

The series of stories starring the Mellandys was one of my faves as a child and now my daughter loves it as well!

This is Enright's second book in the Melendy family quartet, after The Saturdays. In this installment, the Melendy family (Mona, Rush, Randy, Oliver, Father, Cuffy, Willy Sloper, and dog Isaac) move from New York to a big house in the country called the Four-Story Mistake. Times are a bit tough, because World War II is going on, and they don't have a lot of money. But the house, and the 30 acre grounds, and the local village, prove to be paradise for kids.

One of the things I like best about Elizabeth Enright's books is that she knows what kids will find fun and cool, and she sprinkles her books liberally with the right stuff: caves and hollow trees, a window-lined cupola on the roof, brooks, ice skates, secret rooms, picnics, and tree-houses, to name a few highlights.

The other thing that strikes me on re-reading The Four-Story Mistake is Elizabeth Enright's wonderful writing. She offers paragraph after paragraph filled with dead-on little truths and humorous moments. She shares characters who feel like real people. Randy, the younger Melendy daughter, is my favorite (and one of my cool girls) but the rest of the family is lovable, too. I can especially identify with Randy's joy in finding out that her new bedroom has a window seat, where she can "curl up and read, just like a girl in a bookplate." Here's an example of the dialog from Chapter One:

""That suitcase looks as if it were laughing out loud," Randy said.
"Oh, stop being whimsical," snapped Rush."

I also love Oliver who, at seven, thinks that a damp basement room filled with old books is paradise, and knows that it will be more special if he keeps it a secret. He's this sturdy, determined little kid. When he learns to skate or ride a bike he just plods on through, trying until he can accomplish his new task. Rush, the older brother, is a boy's boy, always wanting to be outdoors, running with his dog, building tree-houses. But he's a piano prodigy, too, and a vigilant watcher of his sister Mona (a budding actress), making sure that she doesn't get a swelled head. Mona is a bit too overtly feminine for my taste, but she still shows moments of coolness. Near the end of the book, Mona is the one to suggest a late night summer visit to the brook with Randy and Rush.

There's not much of a plot to this book. It's more a series of small adventures, and the story of a family adjusting to a new home. But there are dozens of perfect little scenes that bring a smile, or a tear, to your eye. Oliver's exploration of the basement, and Enright's description of the basement's smell and atmosphere, reminded me exactly of the garage basement in my childhood home. The Christmas chapter made me cry. The family is just so happy! There's snow and carols and anticipation and making gifts for each other, and being okay with having fewer presents this year because of the war, and knowing that they're lucky to be together. I can't explain it, exactly. Soppy sentimentalism, I guess. But it made me cry. In a good way.

I'm so glad that I spent this time re-visiting the Melendy family. I loved them when I was a child, and I'm happy to report that, if anything, I love them even more now. If you have a couple of hours to spare, and you could use some laughter and warmth, I highly recommend this series. But start with the first book, The Saturdays.

This book review was originally published on my blog, Jen Robinson's Book Page, on June 16th, 2006.

"The Four-Story Mistake" is the second book in the Melendy quartet, and it's my favorite of the four. In a complete change of scene, Elizabeth Enright moves the Melendys out of their New York City brownstone and transports them to a marvelous old house in the country that has so much character, it seems like a personality in its own right.

Picking up from the early autumn after the summer that ends "The Saturdays", when the story opens, the three oldest Melendy children are desolated because their father has bought a house in the country without so much as a hint to any of them. After a rainy, boring train ride to the country, they take a taxi from the station to their new home, and what they find wins them over almost immediately. Enright describes a house any child would love to live in, big and white and square with a mansard roof, fireplaces and window seats, deep dormer windows and a cupola on top, a little square glass tower with four floor-to-ceiling windows, one facing in each direction. The house is called the Four-Story Mistake because the builder inadvertently left off a story while constructing it, and stuck the cupola up on top to compensate.

Once they're settled in their new home, adventures abound: Rush discovers they have a brook with a waterfall running through their property. Mrs. Oliphant, their devoted family friend, donates her ancient automobile called "the Motor" for transportation to school, and surprises them with four bicycles in the back seat. Randy manages to ride her new bike into the back of a bus, is taken to the traffic cop's home to recuperate, and finds the policeman and his wife have a pet alligator in their bathtub. Rush builds a treehouse and gets trapped in it in the middle of a howling thunderstorm. The children discover a secret room nailed up on the top floor of their home, furnished only with a life-size portrait of a mysterious young girl named Clarinda. They give a Christmas show for their friends and neighbors, to which Mrs. Oliphant brings five guests, one of them a radio producer; he's so impressed with Mona's acting talent that she's offered a part in a radio serial. Randy improbably discovers a diamond stuck to a caddis house in the brook. And Mona attends her first dance at school. Who wouldn't want to be part of this family?

The children are engaging characters, totally alive and doing every waking minute. When they're not physically active, they're reading, studying, drawing, painting, writing poems and plays, playing the piano, composing music and just thinking. Like all children, they get into trouble from time to time, but they care deeply for each other and their caretakers. In a preface to her book, Enright says somewhat wistfully that the Melendys are the family she would have like to have had. Perhaps that's what makes them seem so completely believable. We almost wish they were ours as well.

Enright is a born storyteller; her writing style is refreshingly free of preaching and moralizing. She respects her readers and never talks down to them. She tells her story mostly through Randy's eyes, but all of the children get equal play in the book. The adults in the family, Father, Cuffy and the handyman Willie Sloper, are benevolent authority figures who encourage the children to learn and explore, while imposing reasonable limits when necessary. Enright was a talented illustrator, and her pen-and-ink drawings, usually one full page drawing for most chapters, bring out each child's characteristics. We see Mona dressing up for her part in the show, Rush climbing down a tree, Randy in the cupola, her favorite room in the house, and placid Oliver, lost in a pile of old books he's just discovered in the cellar.

"The Four-Story Mistake" is highly recommended for youngsters between 9 and 12, as much for its fun and adventures as for its simple and timeless values of close-knit family life.

Judy Lind