Series Books

Found this book by talking through our favorite childhood reading adventures with my best friend. She recommended "Dandelion Cottage" and remarkably our library had it. I was charmed from the moment I stepped into it. What a wonderful writer, fabulous characters and simple hometown Michigan charm. Makes a homesick grown woman feel more like dusting than any Martha Stewart article ever could! I can't believe that somehow as a child I missed this series. I'm not setting about purchasing it so that along with Anne of Green Gables and Alcott's female heroines, this book can be in our family library and inspire my daughters like it has inspired me.

Reading Dandelion Cottage is like looking at my great-great grandmother and actually knowing her. My grandmother's family was from Marquette and then later relocated to Georgia. As I was growing up I was always told about The Dandelion Cottage and however fictionalized, the characters were modeled after my great-great grandmother and her friends. It's wonderful to know that through the reprint, that the book won't go lost.

This is one of my all time favorite childhood books! I was surprised to learn recently that there is an actual Dandelion Cottage still standing in Marquette, MI. The author of the book lived in Marguette. FYI, you can purchase a copy of the book through the Marquette County History Museum for $13.95 plus $4.00 shipping and handling. Check out their website at www.marwquettecohistory.org for details and more information about the book.

The book, "Dandelion Cottage", was read to each of our family members by our fifth grade teacher (she taught all 5 of us kids at a wonderful grade school in the 1940's, 50's and early 60's). She set aside time during the week to read aloud some portion of this exciting, strong character book to us. I can remember so well the time spent sitting in that classroom and listening to her read to us. This is a book that all young people should have the opporunity to read and enjoy.

I read Dandelion Cottage when I was about 10 yrs old and absolutely loved it. I'm delighted to see that it is still in print and now will give my granddaughter a copy for her birthday.
Dandelion Cottage still stands today and was based on a story of some little girls who actually used the house as their play house. It's a delightful story that takes one back in time. These charming little girls will touch your heart.

Fun, nice dialog, nice characters. The story's conclusion just didn't carry much punch for me.

I found this book to be funny and fast paced. The characters were warm and witty. I absolutely loved Aunt Kate! There is one woman you don't want to mess with:) The whole atmosphere of the book held me spellbound. I finished the book in 1 day. If you have the time it's a worthy read.

I found this book to be funny and fast paced. The characters were warm and witty. I absolutely loved Aunt Kate! There is one woman you don't want to mess with:) The whole atmosphere of the book held me spellbound. I finished the book in 1 day. If you have the time it's a worthy read.

I've read this book several times. I love coming back to it after a couple of years and enjoying it all over again. The best thing about Elizabeth Peters/B Michaels is that she creates a cozy atmostphere, with every day occurences (such as eating lunch...sleeping...,) yet, there are not so every day occurences thrown in - ghosts, etc. It makes it feel like is business as usual to suspect that a ghost is inhabiting your house. I just love the atmostphere she creates! She doesn't write these types of books anymore, - not a dynasty - like Amelia (love those too, of course), but these single book stories, and I miss them!

Ellie has agreed to house sit for her Aunt Kate. Her pompous fiance drives her down to impress the rich old lady, who dislikes him immediately. After Kate's departure with the fiance to the airport. Ellie experiences all kinds of strange manifestations involving the six founding families of the area. A rare book telling of their boring scandals seems to be the trigger. A neighbor agrees to help her solve the mystery. It seems like a practical joke, until an old friend of Kate's gets seriously injured....

This was a very quick read and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I picked it up and didn't stop reading until the last page. The characters are quirky and entertaining. The atmosphere appropriately creepy, and the story line engrossing. A very good read.

Richard Sparks' "Diary of a Mad Poker Player" is a wonderful read. It reaches out to the reader on so many levels.

It's the quest of a dedicated amateur poker player to win his way in to the World Series of Poker through a combination of online satellite tournaments and satellites held in brick and mortar casinos. Richard Sparks is an extremely witty man and a great teller of tales, and along the way he interviews everyone from legends of the game such as Doyle Brunson, Chris Moneymaker, and Sammy Farha, to unknown players who are hoping for glory after winning their way into the World Series of Poker through an online satellite.

I'm not sure there's another writer out there who could combine his quest for winning a seat in poker's richest event with the make and model number banjo played by Earl Scruggs, classic Monte Python sketches, and a few quotes that William Shakespeare might have authored, had the bard been born a few centuries later, instead of in his own, unfortunate time, before poker was invented. Not only does he combine all this irreverence, but somehow it works in masterstrokes of wit and wordsmithing.

Sparks also tells the story of how online poker came to prominence and how it led to the incredible growth in tournament poker in general and the World Series of Poker in particular. After all, at the turn of the century, the World Series of Poker was happy to have slightly more than 300 entrants pony up $10,000 each to play in its main event. In 2006, nearly 8,000 played, a number no one would have dared to imagine just a few short years ago.

He delves deeply into the legal status of online poker, as well as its safety. So just while you're having fun with Sparks' madcap romp through poker's highly textured landscape, you find yourself on a knowledgeable ride through the underpinnings of contemporary poker.

There's even some good poker advice tucked into its pages. Though it's not an instructional book by any means, the advice that bubbles up to the surface is sound and solid.

There's actually nothing about "Diary of a Mad Poker Player" not to like. It's authoritative, informative, insightful, wildly funny, incredibly witty, and a book you can go back to time and again. If Richard Sparks represents everyman in his quest to play at the WSOP, this is everyman at his best, and funniest. I highly recommend it.

"Diary" is terrific for learning the inside game of poker and laughing. There are very entertaining characters behind those reflector glasses and grain feed caps. I discovered important plays and strategies while enjoying the author's Monty Python-esque humor. Finally, my knowledge of "tells" has exceeded waiting for a gasp, heave or howl. I don't think amateurs or experts will be disappointed.

This is a sad poker book. (I have not read the Stu Ungar bio which must be even more poignant.) He gives a lot of the gritty details of his poker play. Don't get me wrong: the tone isn't sad, but the game play is.

In fact, he admits he never does very well at the tables, and I can't tell if that's due to bad beats or his own bad play.

Instead, try the Moneymaker book which at least has an upbeat poker ending or Aces and Kings, about several well-known players.

Or read Positively Fifth Street by James McManus about his adventures in the WSOP Main Event. It's not just upbeat; you can tell he understands the game.

P.S. Sparks has a new book out, Getting Lucky: the Education of a Mad Poker Player. In it, the author admits his game needed help when wrote this book. (As he was coached by Tom McEvoy before he wrote his new book, I'm sure his game has become much better!) For those who think I was too harsh with Mr. Sparks, I did buy his new book.

Great book! Sparks uses each chapter to capture different aspects of poker today. The book is very fast moving and hard to put down. I would definately recc it to anyone interested in either big time or online poker today.

This is an extremely novel book as it is a first hand account of a journalist's obsession with poker and of his online attempts to procure a seat for the 2004 World Series. The narrator, Richard Sparks, spends the first half of the diary talking about the game in general and providing us with accounts of his own efforts to gain a seat. Sparks is a good writer and possesses a creative mind. One would never describe him as boring. Overall, it's an average+ book, although it could have been a better. Sparks pastes in too many conversations from online poker chat boxes, and does not devote enough pages to the 2004 WSOP event itself. There is, however, one section in which Diary transcends, and that is where we are made privy to the transcript of the interview he had with Sammy Farha. It's absolutely excellent. We learn more about the man in those few short pages than we do over the course of all his ESPN human interest moments. There are other titles to buy ahead of this one, but it's still enjoyable.

Anyone interested in making any kind of a table should get this book. This book covers it all. There are so many things you think you know but are not aware of. This book shows how to design and make tables with ease. I read it and went on to make a table. This is a must for every woodworker.

I bought this book to learn about dining table construction.
The instructions are clear and concise and includes ALL the steps required to make 9 tables.
Kim Carleton Graves is obviously a very good teacher and it really comes across in this book.
I found this book a great learning aid and I'm sure I will refer to it time and time again.
Please publish a book on chairs.

Dining room tables are different in complexity than smaller tables, so its apropos that Taunton chose to put these tables in a separate book from their Tables book. I have both, and have built projects out of both. The Dining Table book deals has a nice layout and design section in the beginning where it describes the minimum and ideal dimensions for tables built for certain numbers of people.

The book contains a nice selections of projects, including a trestle table (pictured on the front cover), a shaker style kitchen table (which I built), various expandable tables, and a boat table constructed using a torsion box.

I would also recommend reading the Tables book by Taunton, as it has a dining room table designed by Frank Klausz which is awesome.

Taunton puts out great books with great authors, this book is no different. Great layout and information.
I can't add much to what was already stated in the earlier reviews except that Kim Carleton Graves was easy to contact through email. He responded quickly, professionally and was very informative.
In summary, buy the book you wont be disappointed.

I bought this book looking for a design I could use for a dining room table. What I found was not only a design that I loved, but clear step-by-step instructions, drawings, and great photographs. The section on table building basics which covers table size and clearance, wood movement, and torsion box construction was extremely informative.

It is missing 2 pages and some of the words are not spelled correctly, I don't know if it is the editors, publishers or whose fault. Makes you wonder if it is the original.

Es uno de los mejores libros y una buena razón para leer los clasicos. Me recuerda a Don Quijote - y aún hace una referencia al libro - en que hay muchos temas que desarrollan en el cuento: lealdad, fe, venganza, honor y, principalmente, el libre albedrío.
No hay ninguna sorpresa en el final, aunque cómo se llega al fin es muy entretenido. Es muy interesante cómo Dumas teje los cuentos dispares de los crímenes en el papel del inocente Edmond Dantés. Y aunque Edmond adopta su papel del angel vengador, aprendemos que hay nuevos principios para todos que siguen las palabras: esperar y confiar. Hay varias lecciones para muchas personas de esta època.

when i first started to read this book it leaved it marks on me,i didnt finished it because it wasnt my and i started to search it for about 3 months until i found it and i must say that this is the better book that i've read i'd pay 100 bucks for it....it doesnt have a price definitivamente un clasico.

Una de las mejores novelas que he leído y definitivamente la mejor obra de Alexandre Dumas. Expresa los sentimientos humanos y describe el ambiente de la época a la perfección en esta novela que combina suspenso e intriga. ¡Un libro que no se puede soltar ni un minuto!

This is the best novel ever created. It tells about a man, Edmont Dantes, who gets captured on his day of wedding by policemen. He had to sit in prison all his life, for a crime he did not do. The story tells how this enigmatic man escapes from prison, becomes overwhelmingly rich, and one buy one hunting down his enemies who put him in prison, not physically, but psychologically. I read this book 3 years ago, when I was 14, and beleive me, i got into this book so deeply, that I finished both volumes, each about 700 pages, in 10 days. That's an average of 150 pages per day. This is how interesting is this book. If you start this book, you'll see, you'll get into it very deeply, and you'll feel moments of revenge, sadness (your eyes might get pretty wet), and joy. It is very probable that after reading this book you decide to change your character and make it like the character of Edmond Dantes. This book is worth every single penny of its price and more.

I have just started to write plays and bought this book based on customer reviews. The reviews were right on, for this author gets his points across in a clear and concise manner. All of his suggestions are so valuable and useful not only for playwrining but fiction writing also. Mr. Catron has a passion that he realtes to the reader, giving them the incentive to start up and keep going to completion. Great book!

I only have one negative thing to say about Louis E. Catron's "The Elements of Playwriting," so I'll get it out of the way right off.

In various spots in the book, he makes critical remarks about both soap operas and the "Perry Mason" TV series that make me wonder if he's ever actually watched them. The writing cautions he connects with the remarks (respectively, always make sure your characters' emotions are motivated, and avoid a "deux ex machina" ending) are absolutely legitimate, but using these as illustrations are simply untrue.

In most other books such false reporting would seriously damage the writer's credibility in my view, and indeed it's the one thing that keeps me from awarding a full 5 stars. The one saving grace in Catron's case is that every other piece of advice is illustrated accurately, if not explicitly in the text. He shows quite well how to make your story appeal to directors, actors, and audiences, not only explaining what they look for but illustrating how to achieve it.

As with any book on writing, this is meant to be a book of ideas, suggestions, and recommendations to empower us as writers rather than restrain us. Where an accepted "rule" goes against the story we want to tell, we're expected to be true to the story rather than the rule. Every other book on this topic has taken this attitude, but Catron consistently takes the next step and cites plays that illustrate how nearly every rule has been broken by a successful play, and why that play succeeded in spite of breaking that rule.

Catron is a completist in other ways as well, taking the reader from the conception of a story all the way to a list of playwright's resources (such as directories of literary agents).

Whether your playwriting is a hobby, a sideline, or a prospective career - or even an established one - I highly recommend this book.

The Elements of Playwriting is a great book for anyone who wants to understand what it takes to write a play. Catron goes over everything a person needs to know including creating characters, building a plot, and constructing dialogue. I really liked the chapter on What Makes a Play.

Even if you are not a Playwright, but you are involved in the theatre in another capacity, such as an actor or stage manager - you would still benefit greatly by reading this book. It will give you a great understanding of what a Playwright must accomplish in order to get his play to the stage.

I completed the first draft of my play "American Brass" back in 1999. It was pretty awful. Then, I found this wonderful book by Prof. Catron. Following the guidelines and inspiration contained in his book I eventually transformed the draft into a stageworthy script.

Before reading his up front advice "Don't show anyone your first draft", I had given a reader a look at the play. The reader, an experienced theater person, tried to be helpful with constructive comments, which I came to understand after reading Catron's book meant - I had no plot, my characters were flat and I was writing narrratives rather than dialogue.

This book provides a clear understandable guide to the structure and dynamics of a successful play and how to write one. Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite.. and before each rewrite review Caron's book for insight and inspiration.

There's also practical advice - look to get your play on stage not necessarily on Broadway. So I had a high school do a reading and then a church group and now I have the area community theater interested in a full production.

Thank you Prof. Catron

I am a Midwestern physician by day and fledgling playwright by night. One year ago I decided to take an idea to paper and wrote my first play. The story was clear in my mind so the writing went easy. Within six weeks I had completed a rough first draft. At this point I ventured over to the local bookstore to see what books they had on playwriting. There were several, but Louis Catron's The Elements of Playwriting caught my immediate attention. Standing there, I skimmed the contents then read a few pages. The book was full of pearls gleaned obviously from a lifetime of experience in the theater. I bought the book and ordered a coffee to read more, (isn't that the way it always happens?)

Catron goads our left and right brains into action in ten chapters that range from how to get the play started, formatting the text and incorporating Aristotle's six elements of live theater into the work, to suggestions on getting your work published and performed. Various exercises to get the point across are used along the way. The book is a joy to read; a superb "nuts and bolts" treatise for the novice and veteran writer alike. I pick up something new each time I read it. I particularly enjoyed the discussion on how to be a playwright, involving as much with how one "thinks" as what ones "does."

In my opinion, Louis Catron's The Elements of Playwriting is the best book on the subject out there. It helped me complete my play and make it a more polished work. The book would be perfect as the main textbook in any college playwriting class. Louis Catron's "Elements" certainly "plays in the heartland!"

By the fall of 1944, the USS Tang, commanded by Commander Richard O'Kane, had compiled a war record of astronomical proportions. O'Kane's sub had sunk more tonnage, rescued more downed aviators, and successfully completed more surface attacks than any other American submarine. O'Kane had also been decorated numerous times with countless medals for bravery. However, the Tang still had one more mission left, and this one promised to be even more dangerous than the others.

O"Kane and his crew were ordered to sail to the Formosa Strait to intercept Japanese convoys operating there. But, on their way to the assigned area, the Tang ran into a terrible typhoon with extremely high winds and seas. Although the sub survived the typhoon, the men seemed to sense that this mission was shaping up to be very dangerous.

Arriving on station, the Tang quickly made her presence known by sinking several enemy ships. The sub had expended twenty three of the twenty four torpedoes allocated to her. All that was left was to fire the final torpedo into a wounded enemy vessel and head back to San Francisco. As soon as the final torpedo left its tube, the men began to celebrate. Unfortunately, the last torpedo proved to be the only one that failed to operate correctly. The torpedo malfunctioned, turned back on a circular course, and struck the Tang with such force that half the crew was killed instantly. Commander O'Kane was thrown into the water. The sub was mortally wounded, but the bow stayed afloat in the shallow water due to the air inside. Despite this, the men still alive inside the sub appeared to be hopelessly trapped.

Some of the men managed to escape from the 180-foot depth by using Momsen lung breathing devices. These allowed the men to ascend to the surface without suffering the bends. Nine men out of a crew of eighty-nine survived. The ordeal was just beginning for them, though. Soon, the survivors were picked up by a Japanese patrol boat. Due to the nature of the sub's attacks on Japanese shipping, the Japanese refused to consider the men of the Tang to be POWs, instead classifying them as special prisoners of Japan. No record of the men's survival was passed on to the Red Cross, so their families had no way of knowing the men were alive.

For the next several months, the men were routinely beaten, starved, and humiliated by the Japanese. They became extremely sick and lost lots of weight. Despite this terrible treatment, the men managed to survive until the end of the war.

Despite surviving captivity, the men faced other challenges upon returning home. Some of the men's wives had remarried after learning that the Tang was lost. Others faced constant flashbacks and dreams of being in captivity. Despite these setbacks, the men returned to mostly productive lives and had regular reunions.

This is an excellent book. Author Alex Kershaw does a fine job of describing the life of Commander Richard O'Kane and the USS Tang. O'Kane was a relentless commander who always sought to destroy as much enemy shipping as possible. He accomplished this feat with flying colors, as the Tang was responsible for the destruction of more enemy shipping than any other American submarine. The book is divided neatly into several sections, each dealing with a different aspect of the story. This division makes the book easy to follow.

I give this fine book my highest recommendation; it is a must-read for fans of submarine stories.

I have the privilege of being the friend of the son of one of the men who served on the USS Tang, and through him I learned of this book that includes considerable mention of his father. This personal aspect amplified the impact of the book for me, but even without this I could not have read the book and not been humbled by reading this true story of those who served. In these troubling times when irreverence and disrespect are rampant on virtually every front, "Escape from the Deep" is a welcomed and refreshing look at men who knew honor.

These submariners were true pioneers in many ways. Operations while under attack and previously untried escape techniques from a disabled submarine pushed them into extraordinarily dangerous uncharted territory. Additionally, when they served they did not know what the outcome of the war would be, and neither did their families. Germany and Japan were winning in those first years of the war. The times were perilous. We need to be reminded of this history and take nothing for granted.

The USS Tang was an aggressive attack submarine commanded by a determined and focused captain and a crew that rapidly became a formidable team. This story of first their operations and later the capture and imprisonment of the few survivors after the sub's sinking makes these men's lives and the lives those who never escaped real to the reader. Inasmuch as it is possible, you begin to try to imagine what it would be like if you were in those circumstances, and you know that it would take everything you have and then much more to endure. This is about courage, honor, guts, agony, and victory.

You come away from this book with a great appreciation for all those who sacrifice so much to try to ensure a future for the generations to come. These are the kinds of people who deserve our great thanks and respect. This book goes a long way to achieve this recognition. It is very easy to read, does not embellish at all, and simply is powerful. Alex Kershaw has done these men and us a service by telling this story.

I really enjoyed this book. It talks about the trials these men went through before the Tang sank, after it sunk, their imprisonment and when they came home. Another home run for Alex.

Alex Kershaw did a very compelling job on this book. My name is Bruce Keller and one of the survivors of the Tang,Floyd Caverly, is my uncle.The book, Escape from the Deep, is very informative as the the happenings that went on aboard the boat after it went down.I know that Alex did a lot of research when writting it.When I heard of the book I got one as soon as I could and had a hard time putting it down until I read it cover to cover. Then went back a read it again.

Being that I have a connection to one of the survivors, it was rather emotional at times in reading it. I would have to put the book down and compose myself to continue. Floyd Caverly, Unk as we call him has maitained quite a sense of humour in spite of all the hardship that him and the other survivors endured.

I would like to thank Alex for writting this book to tell the story of these brave men and what they did for this country and the world.

Thank you
Bruce Keller

Review: Escape From the Deep
Author: Alex Kershaw
Details: Hardback, 270 pages, by Da Capo Press, 2008, ISBN 9780306815195
Current retail: [...]

Premise: The Epic Story of a Legendary Submarine (USS Tang), her struggles after being hit by its own torpedo and the survivors and their interment as POWs.

Some of this story will be familiar to readers of Richard O'Kane's book, Clear the Bridge! O'Kane was CO, Medal of Honor winner, and one of the survivors of the accident. But this author has taken the story to new levels with interviews in the past of the survivors. It makes a much better learning experience and I found the descriptions of the escape from the escape trunk much more vivid and real. Only 62 pages were devoted to the buildup prior to the circular run of the Mk 14. A large portion was given to the escape and capture, then the interment and finally the post life accounts of the survivors. Clear the Bridge had none of those life stories.

The pictures were great and certainly most were never before seen photos from the families. The reunion pictures from 88 and 91 showed most to be in very good health with only O'Kane being a little older than the rest although he didn't pass until 1994. The book portrays him as near death upon their rescue at war's end. I'd never see an aerial view of the submarine dock at Midway and the picture of the emaciated POWs will stick in my mind. The most vivid was Clad Decker (one of the Wahoo survivors) photo being taken with a group of POWs at War's end. Thanks to the author for those pictures.

From the beginning when that Congressman in 1943 mentioned to the press that the Japanese were setting their torpedoes too shallow to closing when O'Kane's daughter tells us that he lived with guilt because he did not go down with this ship (he was on the bridge when the torpedo struck) the book was a superb read and of vast historical importance. One bit of the story that wasn't discussed was the trials after the war of the Japanese commanders of the camps and their superiors.

This book is a must for all serious WWII submarine collectors, historians, and enthusiasts. I rate it a 4 of 5, only because I didn't want it to end and wanted more and because only Fluckey's book Thunder Below, Blair's U-Boat War, and Blair's Silent Victory get a 5 of 5. I appreciate the author's work and his research and only wish others would use it as an example.

Ron Martini
SS 339 and SSBN 599 in the 60's

Wonderful book on CD. My mother listens to books on CD a lot, because her vision is failing. This is her favorite book ever.

My first time into a Terry Blackstock book has me reading everything she has written. She writes the kind of book you have to stay up and read because you can't put it down. This series is terrific but maybe not quite as good as the series she writes with Mrs. Lahay. What a great team they make. God is good and Terry leaves you happy that you know and are known by Him.

EVIDENCE of MERCY is Terri Blackstock's first book in her new "Sun Coast Chronicles. Once again Blackstock has penned a memorable narrative to introduce her new series. Lynda Barrett, busy attorney, has to sell her beloved airplane to cover the debt left by her father's death. Reluctantly she agrees to let Jake Stevens, shallow, handsome, carefree playboy and potential buyer, test flight her small Piper. While in the air they discover a mutual animosity that doesn't disappear when sabotage downs the plane. Jake wakes up in the hospital with a marred face, a missing eye and no feeling in his legs. Lynda soon realizes that someone wants her dead. The captivating narrative that follows as Lynda fights for an abused client, befriends a suicidal Jake and fights to stay alive will stay long term in your memory. If EVIDENCE of MERCY is any indication of the rest of the "Sun Coast Chronicles" series, it is sure to be Blackstock's best.
Beverly J Scott author of "Righteous Revenge" and "Ruth Fever." Reviewer for Intriguing Authors and Their Books at http://www.funeralassociates.com/authors.htm

I enjoyed this book after picking it up on a recommendation. The story flows smoothly and, while often a bit cliche, keeps you interested throughout.

The other reviewers here didn't mention the best aspect of the book in my opinion. There is a story within the story about an arrogant playboy who is paralyzed and maimed in the plane crash and has to come to terms with his character as his looks and career are derailed. He finds out much to his dismay that he really doesn't have any depth, having relied on his looks and focused on his Porsche, his pursuit of women, and his material possessions. This was truly a thought provoking treatment and was the highlight of the book.

As a mystery, it doesn't really work because you as the reader know who's who by halfway through the book. I also found the love story to be a bit contrived. There is a fair amount of suspense and the characters are pretty well developed, except for the villain, who is simply a one-dimensional character whose behaviors are never really explored beyond anger and resentment. This is too bad because there could have been some real development here, considering the rest of the characters have to undergo some brokeness to change.

Despite some flaws, I gave the book 4 stars because it is a fun book to read, and the values are sound. The insight into how fast life can change is also excellent.

She is one terrific author, she knows how to pace her stories, to keep you on the edge of your seat and to give you just enough of all the things we look for in books, interest, excitement, pause for thought, etc, and I highly recommend this one. Especially for those who enjoy Christian fiction, or even ifyou don't know about it, try this one to start...

The story - plot etc. was a joy to read.
I just can't believe that someone who is approaching 40 has remained so insensitive to their own emotions that they would surrender the love of their life for freedom of worry? 13 Years?
Especially as it ends up that Maggie has garnered soo many flying miles every time that Jack ended up in the hospital from wounds.

Thirteen years without her love and still has some worries.
Well it looks like Andy, her Buffalo bull is going to bring about some changes. No big city crimes here in Montana but cattle rustling can be dangerous if the thieves have guns.

I sometimes wonder how some of these women make it through life with putting themselves in danger. They just don't think. Of themselves and the trouble they get into or the danger to the ones that have to rescue them.

B.J and Dixie prove the be hilarious and excellent friends to Maggie. They sure go to extremes to bring about a reconciliation between the gorgeous Jack Dawson and Maggie Moran. Of course Jack is brought to the realization of the worry Maggie went through with his job [appears to be a woman's lot in life]and he did some serious thinking.

Ben, like all teenagers, causes enough agitation to his parents but seems to have paid attention to the given situations. Great kid.

Great supporting characters - silly women - great plot - very nice pace to the events.

Definitely Recommended - M - should be sexy enough for most readers.

Once again Dianne Castell have reach the tender emotions of the heart. This book is about family matters and second chances. She brings all the sensitivity, love and loyalty between friends and family and how life could be if we are brave enough to let love happen. This is a sexy, fun, heartwarming, down to earth story that will leave you wanting more. I recomend this book wholeheartely, you will not be disapointed.

Maggie Moran is a forty-year-old divorcee. Her teenage son is about to graduate from high school and his father is planning a visit to their Montana ranch for the celebration. Maggie divorced Chicago cop Jack Dawson thirteen years earlier, mainly because Jack seemed to thrive on danger and Maggie just couldn't handle the constant fear anymore. But even after all these years, she has never really gotten over mouthwateringly-sexy Jack. Now he looks better than ever, but Maggie can't make the mistake of getting involved with him again. He's still the same old Jack, right?

Jack Dawson was planning to leave Montana right after his son's high school graduation, but there were a few things he hadn't counted on. First of all, Maggie is sexier and more gorgeous than ever. Also, Jack assumed her father was still running the ranch and he isn't happy to find Maggie doing the bulk of the work. Worse yet, her prize bull has been stolen and Maggie intends to ride out on her own to look for him! That goes against Jack's every instinct as a cop, not to mention his personal feelings for Maggie. Sure, they've been divorced for years but that doesn't make it any easier for him to see Maggie in danger.

Maggie and Jack have already given the relationship thing a try and there were reasons why they divorced. Just how much have they changed over the years? They're having a hard time keeping their hands off of each other, but is there more between them than lust? What happens when Jack's visit comes to an end?

Witty, sexy and suspenseful, A FABULOUS WIFE is an excellent beginning to Dianne Castell's Forty and Fabulous series. Maggie worked hard to build a good life for herself and her son after her divorce. She's independent and perfectly able to take care of herself. Jack knows he deliberately courts danger, but would he ever understand the toll his career took on Maggie? It was obvious they never completely stopped having feelings for each other and I hoped they would find a way to resolve the issues that drove them apart in the first place. I loved meeting Maggie's two best friends and can't wait to read their stories as the trilogy continues!

The first book of Dianne's new trilogy - Forty & Fabulous demonstrates how this authur just gets better and better. This book shows how love is not just for the young, but something to be savoured by all ages. A chance at love the second time around presents itself when Jack Dawson comes to Whislers Bend, Montanta to attend his son's high school graduation. After seeing his ex-wife, Maggie Moran, who had divroced him 10 years earlier because she could not stand being a cops wife, he realizes that his lover for her had never died. When her ranch is threatened because her prize bull, Andy has been taken by cattle rustlers Jack offers to help her and protect her at the same time. At first Maggie resists, because she realizes she still loves Jack and it was so hard to give him up the first time round. Can she possibly survive doing it again? This story is one that will have you laughing in places, wiping tears in others, but also shows how maturity and true love wins out. I look forward to the next books on Maggies friends,BJ and Dixie. But above all - love the second time round can really have its rewards.

Also recommended: Court Appointed Marriage, The Wedding Rescue

Accompanied by his parents, Chicago cop Jack Dawson comes to Whistlers Bend, Montana to attend the high school graduation of his son Ben. However, Jack is stunned to see Maggie Moran, his ex-wife, who divorced him thirteen years ago when he chose urban cop and she selected ranch. Though both are fortyish, each keeps the thought to themselves that the other looks great, better than when they were married.

Maggie has problems as her prize bull Andy is missing and probably abducted which means her Sky Notch ranch is in jeopardy of foreclosure, but the worst is that she still desires Jack. He knows from the first moment he saw her he wanted her too. When he tries to keep her safe from cattle rustlers, she objects until he kisses her senseless. As they realize they remain in love, both worries that what divided them then remains in the way though the loft seems like so much fun when they visit it together.

The tense suspense takes somewhat of a back seat to the delightful second chance at love gender battle between two likable protagonists who fans will want to see compromise so they can grow old together. The story line hooks the audience from the moment that Jack sees Maggie moving at her usual pace that leaves world class sprinters lagging. The cattle rustling adds an element of tension that brings additional conflict between the lead duet, but the intensity of the tale lies between the heated relationship of a couple in love unable to find a common path.

Harriet Klausner

The Hunting of the Snark is a whacky piece of poetical silliness by Lewis Caroll. Complete nonsense, no-one knows what a Snark is, or why Snark hunters hunt it, or why anyone would want to become a Snark hunter to start with. Anyway, the poem is definitely amusing at times with some of the humour he slips in.

The Hunting of the Snark seems to be a very, very short imitation of The Canterbury Tales. The first chapter (titled a fit) introduces all of the occupations of all the different people going on a journey. However, instead of going on a general pilgrimage and telling tales along the way, their trip is very specific to hunting.

The Baker actually attempts to tell a story, but the Bellman (who leads the group) says there's no time for storytelling. They have to catch the Snark before nightfall.

Along with the Bellman and Baker, a Banker, a Bonnet-maker, a Butcher, a Boots, a Billiard-maker, a Barrister, a Broker, and a Beaver tag along to hunt for the Snark. The Beaver is afraid of getting cut by the Butcher, so he puts on a dagger-proof coat and talks to the Banker about buying an insurance policy.

The Beaver is involved in a hilarious scene with the Butcher later, when the two attempt to compute sums. But perhaps the funniest scene of the entire book is in the Barrister's dream when the Snark declares sentence on a pig, only to find out the pig has been dead long before the trial even began.

I'd highly recommend this short poem for Carroll fans, even though it's not big enough to contain but a small portion of what's to be found in the Alice books.

I have read a great deal of nonsense in the past, but this was by far the best nonsense that I have ever read. There is no point, no meaning, no sense, and no boringness. It is a delightful poem (which is well written and very fun to read aloud) about a crew on a ship hunting a snark. The crew includes a captain who only rings a bell, a beaver, a cook who only cooks beavers (the beaver and the cook did not get along well), a man afraid that the snark would turn into a boojum and make him disappear, etc. As you can tell, this makes for an insanely silly poem. The subtitle is rather fitting, as my sides were definitely hurting from laughter when I was done. Well done Mr. Carroll.

Overall grade: A+

Nonsense poems can easily miss the mark
Yet, this masterpiece has that spark.

"How do you kill a _____?", you ask
To find the answer was the hunters' task.

"What was their fate?", you wonder
Did they ever catch their elusive plunder?

A paragon of haunting Carollian lore
Be in no doubt that you'll finish wanting more.

This poem is just great!

First, this one of the most delightful pieces of writing that ever appeared in (more or less) English. It succeeds as a sustained exercise in illogic. I am sure that only a mathematical logician like Dodgson could possibly have pulled it off - only someone with such deep understanding of reason could master unreason so completely.

Second, Martin Gardner's commentary adds depth and background to the reading. Gardner explains terms that are now obsolete, but also adds his own analysis and a rich history of the Snark phenomenon. It should be no surprise that Gardner is still best known as the long-time editor of Scientific American's column on Mathematical Games, a mathematician himself.

I can't add much to the scholarship or praise that already surrounds this incredible poem. I would like to point out, however, that most non-native English speakers are unfamiliar with this poem. Many of them have only ever seen the serious side of the English language, and have never seen English at play. I consider this short work to be the ideal introduction to the very best of English-language nonsense.

//wiredweird