Series Books

Basquiat is one of my favorite artists. I was first captivated by his works that were used in conjunction with Mya Angelou's poem Life Don't Frigten Me None. I was entranced by his art! I looked all over for a book that would give me a retrospective of his art. I found it. This book is wonderful. Great color great art work. Check it out. You'll Dig it too.

I am not convinced that this is the BEST Jean Michel Basquiat retrospective catalogue to date...but the work selected for this publication is certainly consistently better than most others published before or after this one. Basquiats peak of productivity was from1981-83 and much of that work is catalogued here..But the dissapointment is that many of his last works (circa 1988) will not be found here....but in the more extensive Basquiat catalogue published by the Tony Shafrazi Gallery.
There are also a few images here that will make you wonder why they were selected and some of the text seems to over emphesize  
the fact that Basquiat died of a DRUG OVERDOSE.
You can skip the text or consider it ....it's the work that counts in the end!

This is by far the best catalogue of Basquiat's work as it was shown at the Whitney. By far, this book superseed others as it relates to quality and quantity of plates. Strongly recomend.

If you are looking for a wonderful combination of Basquiat's work and biography, this is the book to own. This book is full of many beautiful color plates of his work, as well as the story of his short, successful, but tragic life as an artist who had his brief moment in the sun before succumbing to the drugs.

Such a tragedy for a talented fellow like Basquiat to succumb to the temptations of drugs at such an early age. His paintings are so raw and fresh. I feel as though he used canvasses as giant doodle pads which he displayed to the world. Many of our own doodle pads (next to our phones, on our office desks, etc.) end up in the [bin] but Basquiat's ended up in the galleries and museums of the world. Some think of his work as [bad] but I view it as a treasure. Fine art, cartoons, grafitti and doodling...the best things in life. This book is the best collection I've seen of his work. The reproductions are well done and the essays are enlightening. For the art afficianado, this book needs to join the collection.

I purchased this book for my husband after he saw this on PBS. He loves taking care of our lawn so this was right up his alley. We've had the book a year and we constantly get compliments on our lawn from all of our neighbors or guests we have over.

There are a lot of neat tips and tricks you can try using household items like dish soap, spices, baking soda, etc. I forget all of the things, but my husband is always using up something or other of mine for our lawn now. Some of the formulas definitely work for us, others I'm not as sure. But either way, my husband is having a ball trying all of these "recipes".

I'd recommend this book to someone looking to improve their lawn and who also likes to work on their lawn and try new things for it. Most of the tips are inexpensive and not too much time or trouble.

The product arrived promptly at my door in top condition following "one click" on my computer screen... which is just a hard to beat arrangement... Thanks Amazon

I have used the recommended schedule that Jerry suggests and my grass is thick and healthy. His recipes use items that are easily found in any store or around your home and don't cost a fortune. I am looking forward to seeing how my grass will fare throughout the summer. I am sure my neighbors are quite envious and can't figure why my grass is so GREEN. :-)

I had this book in hardback and lent it to a friend...I never got it back.....so I got another one. It is wonderful. A great reference for lawn care. There are somethings that I don't do but I have loved all the tips and tonics that he has. They really do help my lawn.

This book is great for the homeowner who likes a nice yard. Easy solutions to treat any lawn issue.

I read this book and thought, yes this Frenchman makes many derogatory and embarassingly insensitive remarks about the Inuit. However, contrary to what one reviewer said below in "Good descriptions, bad insights, July 27, 2005", the author slowly develops a great respect for the intelligence, culture and abilities of these people so much so that he begins to emulate them. It is a subtle conversion story wrapped in a fabulous adventure; thoroughly enjoyable and well worth reading.

My good friend and I were talking a while back after I had watched the movie The Fast Runner, which he had recommended. Talk got around to my deciding to send him my old childhood copy (out of print, I believe) of Peter Freuchen's Book of the Eskimos, and his deciding to send me his old childhood copy of Kabloona. Neither of us had ever heard of the other's book. I must say, as much as I've always liked Freuchen, I got the better of the deal!

What a wonderful book. So well written, such nice storytelling, so enjoyable, refreshingly honest, and unexpectedly insightful. It is haunting. It really is in a class by itself, although I have trouble putting my finger on exactly why this is so. All I know is that I did not want it to end, as I'm sure the author did not want his time in the North to end. And, like him, I don't think it will be the same if I go back and try it again. And I know I also had a strange feeling throughout which only later I identified as a form of envy, envy for the experiences this man had and for his ability to experience them so deeply. I've seldom felt envy mixed with awe and admiration like this before.

Of all the book, I was most deeply moved by his account of the priest out in the middle of nowhere who had survived and kept warm in incredible cold merely through the power of faith and prayer. Humbling.

A man comes out of nowhere, lives these experiences, writes this incredible book, and disappears back into nowhere. Amazing. Read it.

The audio CD is outstanding...indeed the best I have ever listened to. For one thing, the narrator is marvelous in recreating both the 1930's world of France and Frozen Canada. I can't think of any other book or audio that so successfully transported me into an alien culture. Considering that there are quite a few films and books about Eskimos, why buy this one written 70 years ago? Answer: the literary quality of this work surpasses the prose of the last quarter century. When you listen to the narrator weave his tale, it mirrors the experience of hearing a tobacco chewing explorer slowly recounting his adventures in the wild. The story dives deep into the interior life of the author as much as it details an ethnographic examination of (primitive) Inuit life. The myths and values of the Eskimos contrast sharply with the borgeouis morals of a gentleman of Paris. For example, in Eskimo culture, there is little concept of private property...that's why an Eskimo man will let you borrow his wife or a snow knife. Language in the arctic is far more concrete. A polar bear is HE WHO HAS NO SHADOW. Far away, in the cold Arctic, author Grontran De Poncins learns what it means to be human, a man preeminently. This is a romance, a classic reminiscent of Robinson Crusoe. If you buy the audio CD, you will not be disappointed.

This is a magical book which I first read when I was young. It inspired in me dreams of adventure which I did not follow, but which became a part of my inner life. Now that I am old, I am reading Kabloona again so that I can remember that I once was young.

I looked up at the bookshelf over my computer and spotted the battered 1941 edition of Kabloona that has been in my family for 40 years since I first read it in the village of Coppermine (now Kugluktuk) when I was a 12 year old boy in 1961. I decided to do an AMAZON.com search to see if anyone else knew of this marvel that had so enchanted me as a child, and found the site you are now visiting.

We were much more civilized in the Coppermine of 1961 than the same village the author had visited 20 years earlier. We had electricity, and communication with the outside world by a Morse code key at the Department of Transport office, plus we had a scheduled visit by a single-engine Otter every two weeks. It was a magical time for me (adults found it a difficult time, but they simply did not understand things)

The book Kabloona gave me insight into the minds of the people around me. We were a community of 200 Inuit (Eskimos) and 35 whites. The whites had as many of the amenities of civilization as they could garner, but the Inuit lived much as described in De Poncin's book.

I was enthralled by the awesome hunters with their dog sleds and their magnificent huskies, not show dogs or racing dogs, but working dogs that made the difference between life and death. The men would bring back the carcasses of seal and caribou, and the furs they had trapped. The women sewed the furs into beautiful garments that kept man, woman and child warm in intolerably hard winters. It was also the women's job to butcher the carcasses, which they did with incredible speed and skill using only the ulu, or woman's knife. I regularly witnessed the activities of this way of life. De Poncin described all this in his book, but he also gave me insight into the underlying culture I was immersed in.

You can't live the life I led 40 years ago as a boy in the high Canadian arctic, but you can vicariously journey there to an even more primitive time, and enter into the incredible peace and stillness of an arctic winter night in an igloo, or the warmth and safety of a house made of snow as an unbelievable storm rages outside around you.

I recently spoke by satellite telephone to a man in Coppermine from my home in Missouri where I now live, and found that the village I once knew is now a very different place. But you can go back to an earlier era with De Poncin. I assure you, you won't regret your wonderful voyage with him.

I don't know if I'm permitted to speak of it here, but I have described my life in those years in the Arctic in a book, The Boy Who Fell To Earth. It is available at Amazon.com for those would like to buy a hard copy, or can be read for free on my warmbooks.com web site.

land of the lost mammoths is a brilliant read for kids and adults 12 years and up. I am [...] and it is my favourite book.

What a terrific book! Mike Davis sweeps the reader along with his teenage adventurers Jack, Julia, Conor, and Qav into the icy haunted reaches of Greenland with a flair and a verve that took me back to boyhood days spent under the spell of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Lost World" (the inspiration for "Jurassic Park"), Jules Verne's "Journey to the Center of the Earth, and all the stories by Robert Louis Stevenson and H. G. Wells I could lay my hands on. Jack and his friends are brainy and brave, one or another of them knows all about carbon dating, kayaking, mountaineering, plate tectonics, and "refugia," and needless to say, all of this knowledge turns out to be handy, even life-saving, as they penetrate a weird and enthralling Arctic lost world. Through all their adventures, their loyalty and example of mutual aid are as impressive as their derring-do. For anyone who has ever wondered, as I did, why no one writes like Conan Doyle, Verne, Wells, or Stevenson any more -- Davis, a MacArthur fellow, does just that. This is a book to share with your friends of all ages. Perceval Press has done a beautiful job producing it, and the illustrations by William Simpson are as magical as the prose. He and Davis are a combination to compare with R. L. Stevenson and N. C. Wyeth.

As a mom who enjoys reading to her son at bedtime, I found Mike Davis' Land of the Lost Mammoths: A Science Adventure to be a real treat. The story moves quickly and is compelling, but most of all, it's refreshingly intelligent. So many books for kids today are "dummied-down" as though the authors are afraid to use language that might force a child to use a dictionary! Here, Davis informs and educates as well as entertains his readers. My son was thoroughly engaged and it raised some interesting discussions as we tried to figure out what would happen next. Also, my son loves science and the characters in this book reinforce the notion that science is a "cool" thing. A great message for a parent to share with their child.

Although deservedly touted as a "Science Adventure," Mike Davis's novel is much more than this. Certainly one of the most unique features of Davis's novel is its ability to stimulate further reading and interest in the geography and history of Greenland and the science and technology of Arctic exploration. However, "Land of the Lost Mammoths" also imagines a land of magic and mystery, of places that cannot be named and of persons that give name to dreams.

As the first in an anticipated series of adventures, Davis's novel is engrossing, imaginative, and magical. His trio of male and female protagonists (Julia, Conor, Jack and Qav) are inspiring not only for their accomplishments, but for their response to the discovery of a lost world. Moreover, Julia and Davis's rejection of traditional "damsel in distress" adventure scenarios in the course of the novel is inspired. Davis has clearly offered a novel that will appeal to the imaginations of readers of all ages.

"Science adventure" sounds like an oxymoron. But Mike Davis strays from urban theory here: a young adult science adventure with a few hints of sci-fi. "Land of the Lost Mammoths" is that rarest kind of kid book -- educational and fun, not to mention as intriguing to adults as to their honor student kid.

Four young students win special U.N. scholarships, thanks to their brilliance in biology, engineering, linguistics and ecosystems. They're going to Greenland, to study under celebrated scientist Professor Dansgaard. Jack, his half-brother Conor, Qavigarssuag ("Qav") and Julia soon find that Dansgaard is indeed brilliant, though rather eccentric.

But how eccentric? They find mammoth bones in Dansgaard's office, and learn that he believes that mammoths still exist somewhere nearby. He also believes that the descendents of an ancient Viking colony still live in hiding. The group travels to a legendary valley in a glacier, but things start to go wrong, pitting them against the forces of nature -- and a Viking sorcerer.

Perceval Press is best known for publishing spellbinding poetry, photography, music and other art. Here they take a small detour -- it's sort of a modern Jules Verne book for kids. Davis doesn't let the plot lag for a moment, and he's not afraid to sprinkle in stuff to give you thrills and chills. Is all this science and history boring? Heck no.

The plot is sprinkled with examinations of ecological and political ramifications. For example, Qav brings up the U.S.'s controversial presence in Greenland at one point. Another would be the conflict between the expedition members -- should they bring a gun into a Viking camp? The question of whether they should risk themselves to avoid contaminating an unspoiled culture is a hard one, and not one that Davis chickens out on.

The characters are well-drawn and likable, and Davis successfully makes them seem intelligent and innovative without being annoying. And William Simpson provides delicate, detailed black-and-white illustrations, complete with animal skulls and Celtic knots. It adds to the feeling that the present and past are twined together in this book.

"Land of the Lost Mammoths" is a surprising but very welcome "bedtime story" from Mike Davis, with enough fun and thrills to send readers scrambling for more research books.

This book is a must for any dragonlance fan. Have you ever read one of the dragonlance books and wondered how does Otik make his potatoes so that they are known all over.....well this book has the recipe in it but also the music from the songs that are in the books.This book also has some short stories that were never told in any of the novels. I love this book, no dragonlance collection is complete without it.

This is a wonderful addition to any avid fan's collection of DragonLance. I, found myself actually making the recipes, trying out the music and just having a great read over all. I found it gave additional insight into the characters and the world of Krynn. This is my second second time buying this book, lost the first one a while ago and I had to get it again.

Along with the Dragonlance Atlas, Leaves from the Inn of the Last Home sourcebook is a must have for those who are in love with the novels...yes the novels! I believe this is a book to supplement the AD&D RPG game for a DM to enrich the game with but its not your typical Sourcebook with rules etc. It is like a supplement to the novels choke full of stories and straight facts about the world of Krynn...this is a treasure! I guess another way to describe it would be: this source book could very well be what a shared author references when writing in the world of Krynn and you can own it!
Some info you can look forward to:

-Learn about some of the Ages
-Details on how the Companions met
-Read about some of the various artifacts including: Dragon orbs, Hammar of Kharas, Wyrmslayer,etc.
-Maps
-Songs
-Various legends and tales
-And various essays and much more!

If you are eating up the world of Dragonlance and want more of the details and you want them quick you got to grab this out-of-print gem and pick up the Atlas as well.

After a long search (and learning once the Ms. Weis herself hadn't manged to get a copy), I finally got my hands on a copy of this. It provides a great additional source for the history and world of Krynn, as well as some excellent songs, and my personal favorite, recipes (I particularly love the Kender Travelling Kiffles...difficult to make, but addictive). I hope they bring this one back into print as it's a great addition for the collection of anyone with ANY interest in the Dragonlance series.

Being a fan of Dragonlance for many years, but also being unlucky to not get this book the first time it was published, I was very happy to see that the publishers decided to put this book up for sale again. "Leaves from the Inn of the Last Home", is great if you want to know more history on the Dragonlance. It has a lot of info on the Gods of Krynn. There is deeply detailed information about the past of Krynn. Including wars, gods, dragons, and anything else you could possibly want to know.

There are also songs, poems, and recipes. Many of the songs and poems were published in the original Chronicles or Legends. But it is nice to have them in one place in easy reach. The recipes range from Gully Dwarf Stew to Otik's spicy potatoes. This book is definatley an entertaining companion to the Dragonlance world. People looked for it everywhere when it out out-of-print. So what better time to get it than now when they are publishing it again.

In November, Vienne Kenney makes a life-changing decision. After failing the bar exam, again, she decides to return to Clayburn, the town she left eight years ago. She learns quickly that the ghosts of her past still inhibit the small town. Nor has she found the strength to forgive her alcoholic father. She tries to make a go of her mother's café. With the help of town artist, Jackson Linder she might succeed at something. Jackson Linder left Clayburn eight months ago for reasons he would like to forget. Those who matter to him, realize the accident that took the life of his best friend's wife wasn't his fault. But he drank to forget and became chemically dependent. Months of rehab have sobered him. Trevor is remarried and happy. Can he return to a town full of gossips that won't let him forget?Award winning author, Deb Raney has woven yet another great story of overcoming insurmountable odds through the grace available in Christ. Christians are not immune to disappoints, failures, and tragedies. Sometimes these experiences can alter our lives in ways we could never expect. Sometimes, we find God forgives our past more readily than our neighbors or church associates. Through Vienne and Jackson's story, Leaving November, the heartwarming sequel to Remember to Forget, reminds us that our pasts are in the sea of God's forgetfulness. Where they need to stay.

LEAVING NOVEMBER
By Deborah Raney

Reviewed by Marion Kelley Bullock

Vienne Kinney failed the bar exam-- a second time. After she'd spent tens of thousands of dollars on a law degree that's now useless. Then her mother suffered a stroke and Vienne came back home to Clayburn, Kansas, determined to make a go of the fancy coffee shop that was once her mother's café. She must swallow her pride and try to forget that the townspeople probably view her as a failure-- just like her father, who was the town drunk.

Jackson Linder is back in Clayburn, after a mysterious absence of nine months. He must make his art gallery a success. How many people know his secret? He's working hard and keeping busy shooting prayers up to God-- the God whom he leans on.

Vienne and Jackson, two new business owners, form a tenuous friendship. When she finds out about Jackson's past, she vows to have nothing to do with him. If she dares to let herself fall for a man with the same addiction that killed her father, she fears it will end up like it did for her mom.

Leaving November explores the curse of addiction, the healing balm of forgiveness, and the faith in God that makes it possible to succeed one day at a time.

A beautiful story, I could never do it justice in a review. As have other Deb Raney books, it touched my heart in a special way. Vienne and Jackson, and even Pete, will live on in my memory because Deb made them real.

Vienne Kenney is back in her hometown of Clayburn, Kansas - but not by choice. After investing years of time and energy, to say nothing of money from a source she'd prefer to forget, she fails the state bar exam that would secure her future as a lawyer. But before she can fully absorb the impact this crushing disappointment will have on her life, her mother is struck down by a major stroke, and Vienne finds herself once again the resistant resident of a town filled with bitter memories.

Jackson Linder returns to Clayburn willingly, but with no fewer shadows in his past. Fresh out of rehab, he's determined to reopen his art gallery and make a success of his life - clean and sober this time. But he finds himself tempted by more than an alcohol addiction when the coffee shop across the street takes on a new look, a fancy new name - Latte-dah - and a new owner with mesmerizing turquoise eyes.

Jack is the very kind of man Vienne has sworn to never love. Never mind the crush she had on him in high school. Never mind his heart-stopping smile and kind eyes. She's suffered the effects of alcoholism enough for three lifetimes, and is determined not to make foolish decisions that will force her to relive her mother's sad existence. So what is she to do with her overwhelming attraction to the handsome artist across the street?

Second in Deborah Raney's Clayburn novels, Leaving November is yet another unforgettable journey into this charming town where everyone knows everyone else...or do they? Even simple folks have secrets, some of which have the power to shatter dreams, break hearts and destroy lives. This particular jaunt into Clayburn takes the reader on an exploration of heartbreak and healing, failure and forgiveness, and welcome redemption.

Due in no small part to Ms. Raney's deceptively simple writing style and captivating storyline, it's hard to say good-bye to the residents of this lovely town after each sojourn down its sidewalks. Remember to Forget was a beautiful introduction; Leaving November provides the reader a personal "stake" in Clayburn. I plan to take a little room next door to Latte-dah and wait impatiently to see whose story comes to light in Yesterday's Embers.

Deborah Raney's books are worth the wait, that's for sure. This second book in the Clayburn series is everything I hoped for - complex characters, unique setting, and a gentle reminder that makes the book worth reading again and again.

Vienne Kenny and Jackson Linder find that they must rely upon God to, "..make new creatures from the old. To change lives," and I thoroughly enjoyed peeking in on their efforts to gain that understanding. Watching them learn to forgive old and new hurts was sometimes painful, but always intriguing.

The Clayburn people are such fun, especially the oft-misunderstood Pete Truesdell. The characterizations are so well done, so true, that when I traveled to the small town that inspired her setting this past summer, I found myself searching for Jack's art shop and Wren's inn.

This is a great read, and I'm anxiously awaiting book three in the series!

As with any reader, I have my favorite authors, those whose books I anticipate, who get pushed to the top of my to-be-read pile. Award-winning author Deborah Raney is one of those authors. I met Deb several years ago through American Christian Fiction Writers, and we have been friends ever since. But that's not why I love her writing. She just happens to know how to capture my imagination and keep me turning pages.

She has a tendency though, to rob me of my much-needed beauty sleep. Her newest release LEAVING NOVEMBER (from Howard Books/Simon & Schuster) had me reading last night by flashlight! I never do that! Honest!

I had already spent a few hours last evening reading this can't-put-it-down book and had about four chapters to go. I took a break to work on my work-in-progress ABIGAIL, which all of these fine books I've been reading of late have inspired me to work on, then watched a rerun of House with my dear husband and scampered back upstairs to read the rest. Dear hubby came to bed, exhausted from having stayed up to watch the Red Wings go into triple or quadruple overtime and lose the night before, and hoped I didn't plan to have the light on much longer. I had two chapters left!

But, sweet, kind wife that I am - I decided to grant him his wish and turned out the light. But you know, those chapters weren't that long, and there were only two left! So I dug in my nightstand drawer for my flashlight pen - the pen that I use on rare occasions when I wake up needing to make a note of something or if perchance I had a midnight inspiration. (I usually don't.) I tend to want to spare the flashlight pen's batteries, but threw caution to the wind and turned it on to read.

I wondered how she planned to wrap up the story. Would the ending satisfy? Many books struggle with this - I'm at that point myself right now! I am pleased to announce that this book is thoroughly satisfying and deserves every sort of award out there! LOVED IT!

Here's a glimpse of the story:

Daughter of the town drunk, Vienne Kenney has escaped Clayburn for law school in California. But after failing the bar exam--twice--she's back home with her tail between her legs, managing Latte-dah, the Clayburn café turned upscale coffee shop. Jackson Linder runs the art gallery across the street and Vienne has had her eye on him since she was a skinny seventh grader and he was the hunky high school lifeguard who didn't know she existed. Now it's his turn to fall for her and suddenly Clayburn seems like a pretty nice place to be...until Vienne discovers that Jack is fresh out of rehab and still struggling with the same addiction that ultimately killed her father.

Deb's characters are so true-to-life - Jack was my favorite, but then I love a flawed yet tender hero - and Deb knows how to handle tough subjects yet leave the reader with hope.

You will want to read book one in this Clayburn series first - REMEMBER TO FORGET is the story of Trevor Ashlock and Maggie Anderson ~

Who hasn't dreamed of getting a chance to reinvent yourself and begin a brand new life? That's exactly what graphic designer Maggie Anderson is offered when a terrifying carjacking leaves her stranded a hundred miles from her New York apartment--and her abusive boyfriend. When a kind stranger offers Maggie a ride, she begins a cross-country journey that ultimately lands her in tiny Clayburn, Kansas. Reinventing herself as Meg Anders, she is welcomed with open arms at Wren's Nest, in exchange for helping Trevor Ashlock remodel the cozy inn. But can Maggie trust Trevor? Trevor has always been Clayburn's favored son, but tragedy has put his faith in crisis, and now he has trust issues of his own. Once Maggie realizes Trevor is for real, she falls for him...hard. But if she confesses all the lies she's let him believe about her, she will lose his trust and destroy everything she's worked so hard to build. Meanwhile, Kevin Bryson isn't crazy about the fact that his girlfriend and erstwhile punching bag has disappeared. When he unearths a clue to Maggie's whereabouts, her life may depend on revealing the truth to Trevor.

REMEMBER TO FORGET is the recipient of three awards:
* 2008 Christy Award Finalist
* 2008 HOLT Award of Merit
* FH&L Inspirational Readers Choice Contest Finalist

Great job, Deb!

This is probably one of the best lesbian characters ever written. The problem is we haven't had a Micky Knight fix in years. Where oh where are you JM??....Please give us more Micky Knight and Cordelia!!!

I have all of the Mickey Knight series and i am hungry for more. As an avid reader of true crime, authors like Ann Rule, Roy Hazelwood etc, i was surprised at how well written these books were. I couldnt put them down.
Come on Ms Redman when is the next one coming out ???
Mickey Knight is brilliant. The storyline typical of the deep south and its age old mystery and the book seems to drag you willingly into the depths of its darkened corridors. The women appear real, not wishy washy like most lesbian heroines. The plot seems to easily weave its way through the book yet it keeps you on the edge of your seat waiting to see just what is about to happen next. I have spent many a sleepless night reading these books. I just couldnt put them down once i started reading them. Oh for the tardis to take me to New orleans.

I only recently discovered Micky and have devoured all 4 novels over a span of 3 weeks. I adore hard-nosed Micky with all her foibles and weaknesses. Add to that an amazing cast of characters and you can't go wrong with this book or any of the previously published in the series. I recommend them all! I only pray that Ms Redmann keeps churning out more Micky Knight adventures. I, for one, am hooked! Bravo!

Finally this book is back in print. I read a friend's hardback copy, thinking the paperback would be out in a year or two. That was over five years ago. I was introduced to Micky Knight when
I picked up a mass market copy of THE INTERSECTION OF LAW AND DESIRE about ten years ago and looked for more books. Since the first two books were out of print, I waited for the next book in the series.
This excellent book about mothers and daughters kept me reading until my eyes wouldn't stay open. I finished it the following morning. Micky Knight has been described as "hard-boiled" by some reviewers, but I think that tough-veneered is a better description. In fact, she is extremely vulnerable. what I like most about Micky is that she doesn't just tackle ordinary crimes and shoot people and kick butt. Yes she does shoot a time or two, but it is usually not an easy thing for her and is almost always in self-defense and when she kicks butt, she doesn't bother to take names. Without giving away the plot, let me say this book is about daughters looking for their mothers -- including Micky.
Redmann writes complex plots and well-developed characters. There is a cast of friends beginning with Micky's lover Cordelia, and her ex-lover assistant DA Danielle Clayton (and her life-partner, Elly) Police Sargent Joanne Ranson and her life-partner Alex, Micky's cousin drag-queen Torbin and his life-mate Andy. We were introduced to them in the first of four mysteries and we learn a little more about them as the series progresses. There are some less likeable recurring characters, especially Micky's Aunt Greta and her despised cousin Bayard.
Micky Knight is a complex, usually likeable woman who cares deeply about others. If you haven't already read this book,do so. And read the three other Micky Knight books.

and it's a crying shame that they are not kept affordably in print--for one thing, it deprives Redmann of some very well earned revenue. In many ways, this 4th installment of Micky's adventures reads like the natural conclusion to the cycle of investigations opened by the first volume in the series, when we were introduced to a tough and beautiful lesbian babe-magnet with a smart mouth and endless compassion for those in trouble. She's physical (and even promiscuous--but the series is about how she gets tamed), she's achingly vulnerable, she's noble, she's got demons. Only in Lost Daughters do we meet her settled into a proper relationship, so the angst quotient is considerably lower than in the other books. Still, the conclusion to her search for her mother is unbelievably touching, and handled with just the right measure of reserve. Much as I'd love to see more of her, I wonder whether Redmann (whose website, ominously, appears to have vanished from cyberspace) is finished with her adventures. If she is, I just pray that she has another heroine in reserve for us to cheer on. Like the Meg Darcy books, with their lovingly depicted St. Louis locales, the Mickey Knight stories set us in a believable New Orleans, with its social strata, its weather, its flavors and smells.

This was a great story. There were so much information about that period of time. The book was very well done. A must read for anyone.

I have read many of Mrs. Blackwell books. As with all of the others, this one is hard to put down! I can't wait for the next one!

Too often, so many Christian novels seem to become simply retellings of the same "girl meets boy" story. However Lawana Blackwell has delivered a unique and beautiful story that is unlike any other I've read. It is set in Victorian England, a rare setting you don't see often in Christian fiction. Her cast of characters, ranging from the "upstairs" gentry to the "downstairs" staff could easily become nondescript, but instead Miss Blackwell gives them interesting, smaller stories that intertwine with the main character Sarah's own. Next, the true "romance" part does not come in until Sarah is of age. I enjoyed not being knocked over the head with romance in the beginning and being allowed to experience growing with Sarah as she is brought suddenly into opulence and learning to grow in her new surroundings. Only after she comes of age does the romantic story set in, and then it it's very sweet because you have grown with the characters and can root for Sarah and her future beau to get together since the reader knows them by now. If you want a change of pace from the typical, I highly recommend this book!

I really enjoyed this book. It reveals some injustices and hypocracies of Victorian society. People were shunned or kept at a distance because of their birth, religion, social standing or, as in Sarah's case, physical appearance. I wanted to strangle Mrs. Blake's snooty friends and Mrs. Blake too, at times, for her own snobbery. A very winning scene is that in which Sarah reproaches her guardian for her anti-Semitic views. Prejudice works two ways in this book; as another viewer stated, people automatically assume Ethan Knight (his name is very ironic) is a good man because he is going to take holy orders. This book encourages looking beyond the surface and getting to know people and accept them in spite of their background and mistakes,

I deduct one star because of a personal pet peeve. I didn't like Blackwell's characterization of Sarah's natural mother. Since I don't want to spoil things by revealing too much, you will have to read the book. I thought Sarah deserved better.

I bought this book because someone told me that Lawana Blackwell is a great author of inspirational/historical novels. Judging by The Maiden of Mayfair, I'd say my friend is right on the money. The Maiden of Mayfair is the first book in a Victorian series called Tales of London and it tells the story of a little orphan girl with a deformed hand and her sudden move from a seedy orphanage to a prestigious house in the Mayfair district. Dorothea Blake wants to mend her past mistakes by becoming her late son's daughter's guardian. Sarah is the product of her rogue son's indiscretion with a scullery maid. The woman was forced to abandon the baby in front of a church. Dorothea takes her in when she is thirteen and has no idea what to make of the girl at first, but it doesn't take much time to grow to love her. It matters little to her if the people in society shun her for taking in a grandchild who was born out of wedlock. The happiness that she gains with the presence of her granddaughter makes up for everything. However, there are secrets and deceptions that will come to light as the story progresses, things that could jeopardize Sarah's stability and happiness in her new home. There are various twists throughout the novel.

This is one of the most beautiful inspirational novels I have read. I love this story and the heartwarming and palatable way it's developed. And I love the characters! Naomi, Sarah, William, Stanley, Marie, Daniel and Dorothea are such wonderful, three-dimensional characters with flaws as well as virtues and I loved the warmth and familiarity between all of them. The servants are treated as family and you can feel the love come out of the pages. I wish I could read more about these characters, but I think the next installment will focus on a completely different story with its own characters. Ah, well. One of the things I enjoyed most about this novel is the subplot centered on the curator Ethan and his corrupt, conning ways. I like how everyone assumes he is a good man because he is training to become a vicar. What a realistic storyline! I loved the whole story and I couldn't put this book down. Lawana Blackwell is a wonderful storyteller and I look forward to reading more of her inspirational historicals. In the meantime, I recommend The Maiden of Mayfair and I cannot wait to give Catherine's Heart, the second book in the Tales of London series a whirl.

I have read several books by the Garretts and find them all to be wonderful sources of information and brings my Cherokee heritage home to rest in my heart. Thank You.

I am very Thankful that at this Time of Mother Earth The Elders are sharing The Ways of The First Nations of Turtle Island! I am looking forward to finding all the material available by the Garretts....

The Garretts pull from their experieces from the "real world," as well as their healings and practical experience with the Cherokee to give us excellent starting points in helping ourselves and others. For such a thin book, there is a lot of advice hidden in the stories and accounts, if you know what to look for.

I really enjoyed reading this material and consider it the best for Individuals of Indian ancestry who still believe in the Traditional Ways.

This is a must read book for first time people into the world of the Native americans. It will open a whole new door that you will bring out of it is the respect for all living things and for Morther Earth. The book helps you understand that certain things are sacred to the Native Americans and how it ties into their beliefs. Once you read this book you will begin to see things through the eyes of a different race, but from the point of a Native American. You will learn differemt ways of praying and saying thanks to mother nature. You will take things from the book and apllied to your everyday life. Wah Doh.

I love the storyline, It was easy to relate to the characters. Not one pimp,prostitute, sorid sexual escapades. True God given love. Awesome!!!!!

Kendra has done it again....definitely another great addition
to the Grace series. Kept my attention entirely and I didn't want to put it down. She is definitely an author on her way!~~

More Than Grace is the final installment of Kendra Norman-Bellamy's BET Grace Series.

Dr. Gregory Dixon and his wife, Jessica Grace Dixon, are excited about life as they raise their son Julian. Greg's career as a surgeon is booming and his superior abilities land him a temporary position at a well-known New York hospital. Despite Greg's hectic schedule which includes traveling to New York periodically to work, he and Jessica are still able to maintain the love and passion they had as newlyweds. However, unlike Greg and Jessica, their best friends, attorney Derrick Madison and his wife, Sherry will experience turbulence in their marriage. One of them desperately wants to have a second child while the other fights against it throughout the story. Will this once loving and vibrant couple allow this disagreement to destroy their marriage? Sherry at times will become discouraged and turn to Greg for encouragement. How will Jessica respond when Sherry goes to Greg for comfort? How will it affect Jessica and Sherry's friendship?

The ever-comical Mattie and Lena, (the mothers of Jessica and Greg respectively), have some major parts in this story as well. Both of them are keeping secrets that will be revealed throughout the story. These revelations will have major effects on their children. Will it bring the families closer together or tear them apart?

Meanwhile Derrick has to defend a young teenage boy who's accused of murder. Derrick tries to figure out why the boy, who's father is a wealthy businessman, would kill a woman for a watch. Did the teenager really do it or was he framed?

Again, Mrs. Norman-Bellamy paints a dynamic picture of prosperous Christian men and women who are faced with difficult decisions, but trust God to handle them. The story is filled with great surprises and it keeps the reader wanting more.

Great ending to a great series!

"More than Grace" opens with Gregory, Grace's husband, filling in at the prestigious Lenox Hill hospital in the absence of their top surgeon. Although this is an opportunity for Greg to flirt with his dream job of all time, his dream would cause him to make the decision to leave his position at Robinson Memorial where he is respected as being their top surgeon and love by many. When the position is offered and Grace and Gregory share what appears to be a blessing from God with the rest of the family, it is Grace's Mom who cannot bear to see them leave; she goes into a deep depression concerning them living in New York.

In the meantime, Grace and Gregory's long-time friends begin to go through serious marital problems of their own; their battles touching the lives of their closest friends, but nothing seems to help them get past their troubles to reconcile the strong marriage they always had.

As if this is not enough, Grace comes to find a piece of a missing puzzle in her life that will have an effect on her as well as her mother, as they work through this juncture in their lives.

What I like about this story is the fact that each character comes to a place of change and yield to what God wants them to do in their lives. The events intertwine, overlap and have links to the past that touche their present, but God brings them out victorious as they face these issues head on.

In this wonderful story, we find the characters of Norman-Bellamy's Grace Series at another level in their lives. There is a need for more grace as they each come to terms with something that requires they give more of themselves.


Review by Sharel E. Gordon-Love
Apooo Book Club

As I began reading this book, I couldn't help but wonder where Kendra Norman-Bellamy would take these charaters this time. Afterall, we have lived with them for the past few years or so. What else could we learn abou them? Would I be as intrigued with this book than I was with the first two?

MORE THAN GRACE was more than I thought it would be. The book is aptly titled because there is so much going on with all of the characters. I am sort of sad that this is the final book of the series. However, I know that Kendra will continue to write MORE books that represent family and most importantly (to me) books that represent the brothas.