Writers Books

I keep this book out where I can keep referring back to it while insisting all my friends should have a copy too.

This book was a huge help. They help you to look at EVERY area of your home. The book is laid out very simple and you can skip over the chapters that don't pertain to your own home. They did offer some advice that I don't agree with (I don't agree with getting rid of EVERYTHING) and the idea of hanging drawstring bags on the inside of every closet door?? (I think that sounds a little tacky.) But, other than that this book is a quick read, which is helpful so you can get started right away! I defintly recommend this book to anyone trying to get organized!

I've read many books on how to organize, how to declutter, etc. but have found none to be as straight forward and helpful as this one. The authors do not spend too much time trying to entertain, they teach. Perhaps there are many others out there who are not messy as much as they are overwhelmed with where to put stuff. This book helps!

I love this book! It was the first book on organization I ever purchased, and I wouldn't be without it. It makes the awesome task of decluttering your entire home very manageable. The process is broken into easy steps, and once you get going, you can't believe you lived with clutter all your life prior to buying this book. I've read many other books, but this one is one of the best. I do have one caution. The first time I read the book, and went through the process, I followed every "rule." Basically, their motto is, "Get rid of everything you don't use, like, have room for, need or want." I got rid of binoculars (because I hadn't used them up to that point), a set of ivory dominoes (that I didn't know were ivory, until after I sold them,--because I didn't play dominoes), an antique 1 cent NYC parking meter (because it was my husbands before we got married, and we lived in a small apartment, and I had know emotional attachment to it, etc. So there are some things you keep, just because, even if you don't need them or think you don't have room.

This book will show you how to deal, once and for all, with chronic clutter, lack of space, and the irritating lost-and-found pattern in your home. This book will show you how to put your home in order and keep it that way. The authors have added one vital step, not normally found in a book of this type. They show you how to find more places to put stuff by simplifying first, then organizing.

Learn of the authors easy eight-step system for simplifying any room in your house.
Step 1. Prepare your family
Step 2. Collect containers
Step 3. Work in a clockwise pattern
Step 4. Evaluate and assign
Step 5. Ask yourself the right questions
Step 6. Group and store like items together
Step 7. Use memento boxes for sentimental items
Step 8. Enjoy the empty space

On your mark, get set, go .... It is best to purchase this book as a household reference book. Copies are currently available on Amazon at under $4.

George MacPherson Reid

The Junkyard dog is a great story. I recommend it to anyone who would like to read it.It tells you that no matter how ugly or dirty a pet can be they are still loveable companions. The story is about a girl who goes to the junkyard every day to feed a dog who is not well taken care of.She some askes the junkyard dog owner if she can heve the dog and he said yes. she was so happy she could have the dog she had taken care of for months.Her family then moved to a new home and took the dog with them and they lived happily ever after!

Harland Wygant's novel has all the elements of a good detective story. It's exciting from beginning to quirky ending and I can hardly wait for the next one!

My husband kept talking about what a good book this is, and fussed at me till I read it. Hate to admit that he was right, but it is a super good book. In fact, I spent most of one night reading it. Once I got going I just couldn't put it down. It was fast paced, and kept me guessing, right to the end. I would definately recommend this to anyone.

This is a great mystery. Couldn't put the book
down right from the first page. Really kept me
guessing. Hope more novels to follow by this
Author.

I finished reading your book and must tell you I thoroughly enjoyed it - truly! I read lots of current fiction, and I'd put your book up there with the best of them. It has everything I like in a book - good, strong characters, a fast-moving plot which isn't easy to figure out, possible sequels or prequels (hint! hint!), and good language (I hate to read much cursing). I really mean all of this - it took me two days to read, and I work 10 to 12 hours a day - it had to be good to keep me awake late at night. I sure hope you write more.

Somehow this bio transcends academic pretense to present a picture of a man in a room trying to write something, anything. Any writer who has ever struggled to fill the blank white page will greatly appreciate this work. It dymstifies without being stupefying. the translator should be applauded for what appears to be a first rate translation. hopefully the same translator will be involved for the next two volumes although this is such a personal look at the writer and thinker it is hard to imagine what else could be written in the other two volumes. this is the man stripped bare before a mirror while maintaining a dignity enjoyed by few writers of his era. Kafka was truly a writer ahead of his time, so far ahead of even the most serious of philosophers and thinkers of his age that he could have easily fit into the 1950s as in the turn of the century 20th. He in an odd way predicts the very alienation we now face in our daily lives writing from an era when seconds and minutes meant little but now appear to mean so much. He predates the modern era with a life that is Dante-esque in its vision of the 20th and 21st century as the fifth circle of purgatorial existence. Complete with not one but two Beatrices to accompany his short life. BRAVO!

Leaving description to Amazon and other reviewers, I wanted to leave only a few words of praise for this fine book, which oftentimes itself reads as lovely prose. Kafka's biography unfolds clearly; parallels between his work and the occurrences in his personal and professional life (Kafka was a lawyer and civil servant in the insurance industry) are presented honestly and convincingly. The book reveals a highly neurotic man that defied early 20th century Prague jewish community conventions, in the process leaving behind a profound footprint on world literature.

I enthusiastically recommend this book!

This is a dense, but very enjoyable, examination of the life and work of one of the more intriguing minds in literary history. Every page seems to offer something extraordinary, a detail so jarring, yet right, somehow, that it might have been lifted from a tale by Kafka himself.

The description of Kafka's father's workers casually brushing asbestos off their clothes after their factory shifts, as if primping for an evening on the town, is just one compelling, Kafkaesque detail in a book that's replete with them. The result is fascinating reading.

Along the way, many myths are debunked, including the wellworn cliche of how the writer's famous story, "The Metamorphosis," was born. The oft-told story of Kafka spying a roach crossing a page at a critical creative moment is roundly dismissed. Instead, Stach offers a more plausible version, masterfully recounted, beginning with the words: "Kafka lay on his back and let his eyes wander across the walls and ceiling. It was cold, and a gloomy gray November light was creeping in, as it had for days. Condensation dripped from the window."

As this quote indicates, this volume is a sustained glimpse into a fascinating writer and mind, made even more haunting by its superb translation (by Shelley Frisch).

This book itself is superb. The writing of Reiner Stach, at least as tranlated here by Frisch, is a wholly enveloping affair: sure enough, Kafka was a pessimist. Learning of his existence through the years 1910-15, I can't but think its a down-right shame the vegetarian hypochondriac with such a fragile psychology got no more satisfaction out of life than he did. There were fleeting glimses of ecstasy but on the whole, his was a sad, tortured life which has given me pause and cause to abandon dreams of ever wanting to cling to such high aesthetic standards as did Franz Kafka. Our tall, skinny genius became enmeshed and swallowed whole - very seldom was he able to emerge from underneath his crushing ambitions of literary perfection.

Stach makes you feel for the guy without for a second resorting to pithy sentiment and thinly veiled excuse-making. This book makes me want to enjoy life in so many more ways than Kafka seemed to have denied himself. Tragic (sort of). Crushing. It seemed preventable - as though he chose to suffer for his writing - but I live in America c. 2006.

I mark this book right up there with Joseph Frank's Dostoevsky (though I got a good deal more satisfaction out of Frank's work; it could have been simply the nature of the subjects being written about). As for the book itself -- Five Stars. Certainly.

>Washington Post, November 27, 2005

>Translated from the German by Shelley Frisch

>
> Like Pascal, Kierkegaard and Baudelaire, Franz Kafka (1883- 1924) is one of the great masters of spiritual desolation. We don't actually read his work, we are harrowed by it. In German of classical directness and purity, this desk functionary of the Prague Workers' Accident Insurance Institute presents tableau after tableau of what Pascal called " la misre de l'homme sans Dieu ," the misery of man without God. All of Kafka's unfortunate protagonists -- Georg Bendemann in "The Judgment," Gregor Samsa in "The Metamorphosis," Josef K. in The Trial -- struggle against the one great, serious truth about life: Each of us is fundamentally and inescapably alone, especially in the face of death.
>
> Oh, we may hope to lose ourselves in love, family or work, but these are just Potemkin villages, little more than flimsy movie sets. They can be knocked down with a single sharp blow. After all, a man could wake up one morning to find himself transformed into a gigantic cockroach or suddenly arrested without having done anything wrong. Far-fetched? By no means. Some sunny afternoon, the X-ray will unexpectedly reveal a shadow no bigger than a baby's hand; one evening, after a pleasant dinner with wine, the phone will ring. And then, we, in our turn, will twitch and twist and finally give in to the inevitable, like the tormented prisoner of "In the Penal Colony."
>
> Kafka's stories are all parables of despair and helplessness, sorrowful emblems of the human condition. The all-important message from the emperor will never reach our ears, the hunger artist must die because he can't find anything he'd like to eat, the mole-like digger will always fail to construct a burrow, impregnable to his enemies, the door into the castle isn't ever, ever going to open. Is no redemption possible in this world? Of course it is -- just not for us.
>
> Kafka's work is, famously, susceptible to interpretations of all kinds. Nonetheless, most readers still tend to see the stories as fundamentally existential or theological, the modern equivalents to Plato's fables about caves and the origins of love or of Kierkegaard's many brief philosophical fictions. But, since the death (in 1968) of Kafka's literary executor, Max Brod, who pushed a sacerdotal view of his friend's writing, modern scholarship has turned to examining the actual life of this enigmatic artist. Certainly nobody, with one celebrated exception, actually creates ex nihilo . And so, we have now seen the careful publication of Kafka's holograph manuscripts, the scholarly editing of his every scrap, commentaries stressing his links to gesture-rich Yiddish theater and to cultural Zionism, speculation about his sexual life -- did he really have a son by Grete Bloch? -- and research into his actual daily work at the insurance office (he was a recognized authority on industrial accidents).
>
> Reiner Stach's Kafka builds on much of this research. By focusing on 1910 through 1915 -- the time in his late twenties and early thirties when Kafka fell in love with Felice Bauer and began to produce his first great stories -- Stach aims to tell us all that can be known about the writer, avoiding the fancies and extrapolations of earlier biographers. The result is an enthralling synthesis, one that reads beautifully, in part thanks to the excellence of Shelley Frisch's English.

>
> Though he avoids invention, Stach knows too much simply to present the facts and just the facts. With the kind of lan we associate with European intellectuals, he actively engages with his material, commenting or reflecting on its meaning. Take the correspondence with Felice Bauer. Stach admits that Kafka would have been appalled by the publication of these letters, but he then reflects on letter-writing as "one of the essential forms of modern individuality," goes on to note that mail posted on a Saturday night in Berlin (where Bauer lived) would be delivered on Sunday morning in Prague, and that Kafka so fetishized this young woman's letters that he carried them along on business trips. All this, and more, then serves to enhance a patient presentation of an agonized epistolary romance, the central thread of these crucial years.

>
> The evening that Kafka met Bauer -- August 13, 1912 -- is, Stach asserts, one of those landmark days in intellectual and literary history, like the October afternoon in 1749 when Rousseau suddenly grasped the corrupting nature of civilization during a walk to Vincennes or the night of Oct. 4, 1892, when Paul Valry decided to renounce poetry. A few days after that casual meeting, Kafka composed -- in a single night from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. -- his first masterpiece, "The Judgment," in which a father unexpectedly condemns his son to death. Stach aptly summarizes its importance:
>
> "Suddenly -- without guide or precedent, it seemed -- the Kafka cosmos was at hand, fully equipped with the 'Kafkaesque' inventory that now gives his work its distinctive character: the father figure who is both overpowering and dirty, the hollow rationality of the narrator, the juridical structures imposed on life, the dream logic of the plot, and last but not least, the flow of the story perpetually at odds with the hopes and expectations of the hero."
>
> Many months go by before Kafka again sees Bauer. During this time he confesses in his letters that he lives for literature alone, that he is unsociable, fearful, sickly, unhealthily thin, self-pitying, obsessive, neurotic, without interest in children and probably incapable of sexual intercourse. He has nothing to offer her, except his devotion -- and he's not even sure about that, since it might interfere with his writing.

>
> Meanwhile, Bauer is dealing with problems of her own. Kafka doesn't know that her father once abandoned her mother to live with another woman, that her sister is about to give birth to an illegitimate daughter and that her brother is a swindler (who eventually flees to America to avoid his creditors). Bauer has compensated by becoming a serious career woman, the sales representative for a dictation system called Parlographs. Her family counts on her, expects her to make a good match. So, naturally she falls more and more in love with this loser from Prague.

> Whenever the two meet, they are tongue-tied, and yet before long there is uncertain talk of marriage, eventually followed by a painful engagement ceremony. Not surprisingly, Kafka finally realizes that he simply can't face the prospect of a wedding and suddenly calls the whole thing off, at almost the last moment. Though Stach ends his book shortly after this, in 1915, Kafka fans know, Felice and Franz eventually started seeing each other again and, in 1917, they announced a second engagement. Kafka cancelled a second time, this time for good: By then, he was spitting up blood and diagnosed with tuberculosis. Nonetheless, he still had eight years to live and, surprisingly, there would be other women, as well as work on stories like "The Hunter Gracchus" and "A Hunger Artist" and the never-completed masterpiece The Castle .

>
> I can't say enough about the liveliness and richness of Stach's book. Even his chapter epigraphs, while apposite, are delightfully original. When he discusses Kafka's official duties, he heads the chapter with a quotation from the Portuguese writer (and sometime office worker) Fernando Pessoa: "What are desires compared to a promotion?" When he discusses "The Metamorphosis," he opens with a line from the pulp detective Charlie Chan: "Strange events permit themselves the luxury of occurring." In short, every page of this book feels excited, dynamic, utterly alive. My copy is now covered with pencilings and marginalia.

>
> Above all, though, Stach repeatedly underscores that Kafka never valued incompleteness or endorsed a romantic cult of the fragment. "The opposite is true. He greatly admired perfect formal unity and was determined to achieve it, a resolution evident in every one of his endeavors. His pursuit of formal perfection meant, his literary texts had to develop organically from their fictional and visual seed. There could be no arbitrary plot twists." After reminding us of Kafka's need to work in sustained bursts, he zeroes in on the author's creative problem: "Kafka suffered not from a lack of ideas but from a lack of continuations . . . . He demanded much more from his texts than formal unity; he sought. a seamless linking of all motifs, images, and concepts. . . . Not one detail of Kafka's descriptions, whether the color of a piece of clothing, a gesture, or simply the time of day, is merely illustrative. Everything carries meaning, refers to something, and recurs." Little wonder, almost everything fell short, in this quest for perfection.

>
> Near the end of these "decisive years" Kafka was working on The Trial. By now, he had written a handful of masterpieces -- and important professional reports for his insurance company; he had fallen in and out of love with Bauer while also flirting with (or even succumbing to) her close friend Grete Bloch; he had talked with Martin Buber about Zionism, dealt with the novelist Robert Musil as his editor, and attended a ballet in which Nijinksy danced. Though we must imagine Kafka in his noisy family apartment, living on vegetables and hidden in his room, we shouldn't forget, he also traveled to Venice and once stopped in Trieste, where he could have glimpsed Italo Svevo and James Joyce. (As he had learned Italian for his insurance work, he might have spoken to them.) And even this introspective and solipsistic genius eventually noticed when Europe went to war in 1914, though not for a while. His diary entry for August 2, 1914, reads: "Germany has declared war on Russia. --Swimming in the afternoon."

>
> Could this last, I have long wondered, be an example of Kafka's wit? (He could supposedly set his friends roaring with laughter when he read some of his stories aloud.) Certainly, one suspects a smile behind this passage in a letter to Bauer from 1913: "Are you finding any meaning in 'The Judgment,' I mean some straightforward, coherent meaning that can be followed? I am not finding any and I am also unable to explain anything in it." Many feel just as puzzled even now when they first finish reading the story.
>
> Such a strange man. But, this fine book helps us better understand that apparently-inexhaustible strangeness. Right now, Kafka even seems a useful counter-example to the ongoing cult of celebrity authors and bright, edgy writing. He destroys more than he publishes, he takes art as serious and life-changing; he views writing as a vocation of dissatisfaction, unhappiness and sacrifice. As he writes to Bauer: "I have no literary interests; I am made of literature. I am nothing else and cannot be anything else." This certainly sounds grandiose and exaggerated, but, in Kafka's case, it's also true.

> Michael Dirda is a critic for Book World.

I'd never heard of or read Laddie until I reached 39 yrs of age, and though it seems it was written for youth I can think of many adults that would benefit from taking in such earnest literature. The cynical part of me wants to call this book dated, but in truth I find the story's lack of modern day cynicism refreshing. Enjoy this hidden jewel.

I loved this book. What a great example of good old-fashioned character and family values. My family and I love these kind of books for family reading time. What a great way to teach character.

By far the author of Laddie (Straton-Porter) is an outstanding story teller. Its warm, entertaining, one of the best books anyone could ever read for themselves or to their young children!!! In my life, this is one book I'm VERY GLAD I READ!!!!!!!

If you want to remember what the world looked like through a child's eyes, you'll want to read this book. Educators, naturalists and Theologians will be inspired by GSP's ideas. If you are interested in the author, visit the Gene Stratton-Porter Historic Sites in Geneva and Rome City Indiana. The story of "Laddie" has many similarities to the author's own childhood, making it even more interesting.

I chose this classic to read because it was listed as a "must-read" in the book A Thomas Jefferson Education to help parents and teachers learn how to mentor their children through reading of the Classics. I haven't yet finished it, but every spare minute I have (which is hard with three toddlers in the house!), I'm devoting to find out Little Sister's next adventure. I can't wait to see what happens with the Princess and Laddie, and am so glad when things go well for the family.

So vivid a story, I am pleased to be reading this as an adult. Somehow I wasn't required to read it in public school growing up, and therefore just didn't.

I bought this CD to send to my favorite mom for Mother's Day, and took a look at it before mailing it out. I didn't expect to like what is really a "chick" book, but found myself thoroughly enjoying LAUGH-OUT-LOUDS FOR MOMS. Some of the poems and stories focus on husbands/fathers, making this a book not just for the ladies, but for their husbands, too. And many of the poems directed to mothers can be read by fathers, who will identify with them as much as their wives will. I highly recommend LAUGH OUT LOUDS FOR MOMS, which will make a fantastic gift for a favorite mom on your list. LAUGH OUT LOUDS FOR MOMS isn't just for the female contingency!

Ms. Vogel's insights into the pleasures and pitfalls of parenting are dead on and humorous, and there are wonderful illustrations to complete the package. I can't imagine that any mom or dad, new or seasoned, wouldn't find the poems to be an absolute delight. What a marvelous gift it would make, though I plan to keep my own copy to enjoy for years to come!

Ms. Vogel's insights into the pleasures and pitfalls of parenting are dead on and humorous, and there are wonderful illustrations to complete the package. I can't imagine that any mom or dad, new or seasoned, wouldn't find the poems to be an absolute delight. What a marvelous gift it would make, though I plan to keep my own copy to enjoy for years to come!

Robin Vogel's LOL for Moms has that special place in my heart that can surely start anyone's day with a smile. I did laugh out loud as well as cried at some because as a child grows, your memory captures that special moment of something never to be forgotten yet never to return again. But you can re-live that moment by reading this book! I can relate to so many of her chapters, especially the college ones now. A must to read and re-read to keep a smile upon your face. Laughter IS the best medicine on Earth.

Robin Vogel's book Laugh Out Louds for Mum is funny but sweet, all at the same time. Her book now on CD and also available as an ebook for download, has wonderful illustrations, funny and real at home situations, and is a great read not simply for mothers, but for anyone who wants a laugh that is also a celebration of parenthood, children and life in general.

I initially borrowed this from the library, I picked it up because I loved the photo of Audrey. Every page is a little feast of information and every photo a work of 'Art'. I need say no more.

Legends aptly pairs essays with black and white photos to examine the lives of women who have changed the world - as presented by great women writers such as Meg Cohen, Anne Hollander, Patricia McLaughlan and others. Enjoy an inviting collection of contemporary biographical sketches which reveals these women's many contributions to modern society.

After reading Legends 2 : Women Who Changed the World through the Eyes of Great Women Writers by John Miller, Kirsten Miller (September 2004) my curiosity to know more about `the women who are considered legendary' in our times, lead me to the original Legends by John Miller.
As my life is always inspired by those who `live their purpose' I was not disappointed by John Miller's daring assemblage of writers to optimize in words, their thoughts of contemporary iconic women from Golda Meir, Bette Davis, Josephine Baker, Zora Neale Hurston, Helen Keller, to the power of Georgia O'Keeffe, the bravery of Amelia Earhart, the beauty and wit of Lucille Ball, to the omni-presence of Oprah Winfrey.
As I tackle my days of mountains and mountains of to do's, during my mandated 3:00 mediation time, I read a page for renewal and inspiration to tackle the next contract, the next segment of my radio show or write the next review. Each well written snapshot of each of these heroic women is pure energetic inspiration. Reading the shards of Ella Fitzgerald life, reminds me of how far our world has come and how GOD has kept watch over "women" who are the perpetual of the world (not the destroyers as our gender counter part seem). The passions of Martha Stewart no matter what is said, you can not tarnished her business greatness for turning the mundane into an empire, (no matter what you think today).
As I continue to read, I want my daughter to now know these books, Legends. I want her to know and revere the women who faced odds and simply saw obstacles as `what you face in life.' Babe Didrikson Zaharias, an Olympic Athlete, faced it all; controversy, cancer and unbelievable discrimination to live her purpose. Anne Frank, has shown us that our greatness will rise, no matter what the circumstances. Marion Anderson exhibited that greatness will fulfill its purpose, no matter where; before a segregated audience or from the Lincoln Memorial.
Women. We make the world revolve, we create new life, and we are the reason for the term `a glass ceiling' being incorporating into modern language. John Miller reminds us `women-you have to live with us because you can not advance without us.'

Rather ironic, really, that the editor of this fine book is a man ~ unless "John Miller" is the nom de guerre of some radical female. Still, editing the book can't have been very hard; Miller had some excellent writers to work with. The selection of the legends is somewhat more questionable. Of the fifty, less then twenty are neither from nor intimately associated with the United States; in the effort to remind people of the ability of the other gender to produce legends, the publishers have largely neglected the largest portion of that gender. And as if that restriction is not enough, the editor has not included anyone for whom a photograph is not available, thus denying any woman from the first 95% of history the opportunity to be a legend. Funnily enough, these censures aside, i really enjoyed this book. Quite unlike the usual "feminist book" (i hate the quotes, but you have to admit they belong there), this is neither strident not shrill, nor even obnoxious. It is beautifully written, nicely put together, with superb selection of wonderful photographs of handsome people. Can't ask for much more than that, eh?

I got this for my mum once and it is so good.A different author writes about each of the different famous women in the book in only praising tones and it is really great to look through.Each page is a seperate female,author,article and photograph. Some of the sheilas written about are:Marilyn,Audrey Hepburn(as the cover shows you),Twiggy,Anne Frank and lets not forget Mother Theresa.Or Princess Diana.Madonna does not make it into this book,thank the lord,and thankfully neither do big modern-day stars such as Britney Spaniels..I mean Spears.All-in-all as they say!,a very good book!

Recuperating from major surgery last year, I did not feel like reading much or watching television. The only book I read from first to last page and enjoyed enormously was this one. It's likeable, well-written, personal, and totally genuine and honest. All the gimmicks and sensationalizing which we find in many of today's biographies are absent here.

The author's sincerity and vulnerability are disarming and engaging. A charming coming-of-age memoir and a real treat for us readers. I recommend it highly.

Frank Mario Calabria is a man who defies his age and what can be done in life with pizzazz,a good mind and quick feet. It also helps to have a charming partner who lets you believe that you are leading the 'tango'.

His book "Let It Be A Dance" tells the story of a brash young man torn with the hormones of youth and the strict upbringing of an old world Roman/Catholic Italian family. His life is one of hard work, joy and adventure, and some times misadventures. As he traces his family and his own history through the temptestuous times of the mid 20th century, he paints a canvass of life with vivid color and clear memory; perhaps according to Angela, his wife, too clear.

One can find the passion of youth and the struggle to make a life that is above the ordinary. He does so with physical ability, charm and tenacity. His academic career, as a professor of psychology, is almost over shadowed by his passion for music and the wondrous ability to dance. Not the ordinary jazz and foxtrot of the forties, but all kinds of dance wherein he instructs the rhythmic nuances of motion to music.

This literary effort takes the reader inside a passionate and quick mind. A must read for anyone that has ever tapped their toes to a tune and loved the chase as well as the catch .....

In this wonderfully rich autobiography of a second-generation Italian-American boy growing up, I laughed out loud as Frank relates the humiliating experience of being "beaten up" by, of all things, a girl....even while wearing his beloved aviator cap. This episode was told with such reality; I felt I was there and I rooted for him. Alas, he was KO'd by Mary. All of the endearing adventures he encounters are laced with wit and humor. He doesn't pull any punches (no pun intended) when he talks about the oddities and eccentricities of his beloved family. He waxes eloquently about them, even nasty Uncle Frank, the godfather to our author, and his comic aunt who brings laughter to the dinner table with her "machine" to produce the melodic sounds of flatulence. As an Italian-American, I could relate to so many of the funny and, sometime, poignant vignette's Frank describes. A must read and so dearly enjoyed, it will be done in one or two sittings. You will not be able to put it down until Frank closes with his views on the "afterlife".

From a graceful waltz to an exotic tango, it can all be found in "Let it be a Dance." Frank's magical way with words delivers you to the very streets of his childhood, returns you to the uncertainties of adolescence, young love, adventure, and the marvels of fullfillment with career and family. His wit and honesty allows the reader to accompany him on his many heart felt adventures. I found myself gallantly reflecting and returning to times past, in my own life, and recognizing the splender of those times.
He travels a warm and uplifting journey through life's myriad of disappointsments, confussion, and exhilarating adventures, and invites us to come along. I couldn't put this page turner down. It was a gently reminder of all the warm and truely wonderful things life has offered all of us and how truely grateful I am to have had the opportunities to travel my own journey. If I am given a choice to sit it out or dance, I'll dance.

"Let It Be a Dance" is an extraordinary little book that has universal appeal. It transcends age, culture, and education and goes straight to the heart! At first blush this is an honest and touching autobiography of one man's life journey. The stories feel warm, ordinary, and hauntingly familiar. Calabria's descriptions are simple yet exquisitely vibrant. He speaks in pictures that enable the reader to literally envision his memories as if watching an old time movie. He paints an image of the neighborhood where he grew up that is so vivid you can almost see the houses, hear the music and smell the aromas of an Italian family meal.

It is a pleasure to read this story. Calibria is able to draw out your emotions as if he were playing a musical instrument. His wit is quick, unexpected, and hilarious. In an instant his stories can move you to unexpected tears or crack you up with laughter. This is a book that is likely to have a profound impact on it's reader but at the very least, everyone will enjoy the read and wish that Frank Calabria was their grandfather.

The magic of "Let It be a Dance" is that the author has managed to make the insignificant significant. He reflects on his life experiences with such deep respect that the ordinary becomes profound. Awesome stuff! His lesson is simple yet possibly life-altering. Learn to treasure both the sweet and the bitter sights, sounds and hidden memories of your life. Calabria is a master teacher; his lesson is there for the taking.

Eddie T. Samuels ('T' to members of his Rock band and his millions of fans) has come down hard. A decade of drinking and drugs finally catch up with him when he's accused of on-stage rape. He heads for rehab, then for a place in the woods where he can recouperate--guarded by the band's manager. He's sworn off drugs and alcohol, but women, betting, and music are still within bounds and a bet with his manager to date and bed his beautiful landlady seems like the dream distraction to wile away the weeks before he can rejoin the band. The last thing he expects is to fall for her. Eddie T. (Sam to the Texas locals) doesn't fall for women. But somehow, Lyla Lee makes him want to break the rules.

Since her husband's death, Lyla has retreated from the music she loved. Her life is full with her son, the convenience store she manages, and her friends--including persistant suitor, Tib. But 'Sam' exudes a chemistry that can't be denied. When he wins a bet with Lyla by getting into a sold-out museum show (those rock millions can come in handy), he insists on taking her out on a date--and desire transitions into love. It's an impossible relationship. He's a notorious rock star and she's a widow with a child. But all of a sudden, 'T' can't imagine a life without her.

Author Kay Layton Sisk creates a charming community. The evolving relationship impacts, and is impacted by everyone in the town. The musical obsession shared by Lyla and T serves double-purpose in explaining a part of their instant bond, and in creating the basis for multiple sensuous moments.

LYLA'S SONG is a fascinating story, filled with entertaining characters. I sat down in the morning to read for an hour and didn't look up until late afternoon (when I finished it). Well done, Kay Sisk. I'm happy to recommend this book.

The genuine Bad Boy has a soft spot in the heart of nearly every female. And Eddie T is the King of Bad. When he leaves drug rehab, he may be clean, but he's even madder at the world than he's ever been. Until, hiding away in rural America with his long-suffering manager, he meets a girl named Lyla. The musical matchmate for his soul. It takes a lot of heartache, but in the end Eddie and Lyla prove that dreams really can come true, however late a start a person might have. This is a wonderful book, the kind you just can't put down. Heartily recommended by Grace Ann Kone, who writes as Blair Bancroft.

Love a great romance, told with wit, humor, intelligence, realism and plenty of steam? You'll love this book! The secrets will break your heart and the emotion between T and Lyla keep you hooked until the last turn of the page. Great read!

At his last concert, Eddie T Samuels, lead singer of the rock group, Bone-Cold Alive, landed himself and his band into a lot of hot water. Now, recently released from the rehabilitation clinic for drug dependency, he's on his way, incognito, to a small back water town for three more weeks of seclusion and recovery. Reluctant and petulant, Eddie T agrees with Levi Fletcher, the rock group's Manager, to be Sam Thomas, chauffeur and `companion' to Fletcher. By keeping T out of trouble for a further three weeks, Fletch is hoping the singer will find it more difficult to revert to his old habits. Although her in-laws have plenty of money and would never let her do without, widow Lyla Lee is a proud woman, who doesn't feel comfortable relying on them or expecting them to provide a secure future for her son, Harrison. She rents out her home for a few weeks to a `gay' couple, Fletch and Sam, while she stays with her son in the small apartment above her convenience store. On their first day at the house, while she's showing them around, Lyla's convinced she's made a mistake. Sam Thomas is not at all a good influence and definitely not a character she wants her son around. She has serious doubts about this arrangement, but because she needs the money the rent would provide, she doesn't say anything.

Sparks fly from the first moment between Sam and Lyla. Sam, being the selfish, egotistically arrogant man that he is, goads Lyla at every turn just to get a reaction. Lyla treats Fletch with respect and Sam as the spoilt brat he is. The only thing that Sam and Lyla have in common is music. A strong and binding love to music, which draws them closer. Without realizing it, Sam starts to change, trying to become a better person just for her and eventually falls in love. Lyla finds herself falling deeper and deeper into love with him, but what will she do when she finds out who Sam really is? Can their fragile love survive? When I first started reading LYLA'S SONG, I wasn't too keen on Eddie T. In fact, I didn't like the hero at all. However, the deeper I got into the story, the more he grew on me, till I fell in love with the marvelously sweet man Sam Thomas is and Eddie T. could be.

LYLA'S SONG is a beautiful love story; a wonderful book. KAY LAYTON SISK's characters are excellent and add so much depth to the story, by the time you're done reading, you'll feel you know each one of them personally. Sam and Lyla will have you burning the midnight oil for sure. SISK's writing style is strong and compelling; her secondary characters help to carry the story along and each one of them is so well thought out, made fascinating in their own right. The story kept me enthralled right to the end. Ms SISK is sure to win hearts and score big with this novel!

Riviting! Once you begin reading this story, it is virtually impossible to put it down. The author employs her incredible talent for description & dialogue and weaves a delightful, heartwarming story of unexpected love. Lyla's Song is writing at it's finest! Outstanding! I am fervently keeping my fingers crossed for a sequel!

This book is essential if you want your manuscript to shine. Lyon goes through the motions in detail to ensure the reader's manuscript is the best it can be. Main topics covered are:characterization,imagery,syntax and a host of other tibits that should strengthen any manuscript.

This book is worth every penny I shelled out and more. An invaluable reference that if taken seriously, will seriously lead to any manuscript being taken more seriously by an agent or publisher.

From the back cover: "From the first chapter to the last, Manuscript Makeover will show you how to revise and rewrite for a cohesive and consistent story line, strong and memorable characters, and a distinctive style. With this indispensable guide, you can create compelling stories that attract literary agents, editors, and publishers."

Where would we be without how-to books on the multitude of subjects that make up good writing. These books remind me of what I like to call, iron gizmos, those things imbedded at the edge of a highway to keep us from drifting onto the shoulder. Thud, thud, thud, pay attention, keep focused. That said, good how-to books do much more than that, but the difficulty is finding one that, #1 you can understand, #2 you don't fall asleep reading #3 that excites and inspires #4 seems to be written just for you and your project.

I confess to having read (and used) all of Author Elizabeth Lyon's previous how-to books: A Writer's Guide to Fiction, The Sell Your Novel Tool Kit, A Writer's Guide to Nonfiction, and Nonfiction Book Proposals Anybody Can Write. My expectations, therefore, for Manuscript Makeover, were understandably very high. Lyon's latest book does not disappoint. It lays out for the reader a continuum of valuable guidelines on the journey to good and confident writing and revision. And thankfully, it sails through the #1 to #4 criteria with flying colors.

The 347 page book is divided into four parts:

· Style Speaks,
· Craft Works
· Characterization Endures
· Marketing Pays

Each of the four parts is then divided into subsections that cover things like viewpoint, movement and suspense, time and pace, structure, and a variety of approaches on characterization. The subsections get into the knitty-gritty, the why, the how, and the how-to of the particular area of writing/revising emphasized in that section. The subsections are detailed and thorough, meaning you won't have many--if any--unanswered questions after reading.

In the subsection on Style, for instance, one suggestion (of several) is to approach revisions from Inside-Out--deep listening to your story read aloud, which makes it easier to identify the "clunks, hisses, and coughs" in your manuscript. Or from Outside-In Simple Revisions for Style, which covers a variety of techniques such as varying sentence structure, sentence beginnings, word/sound repetitions, and so many more. In the Outside-In Advanced Revisions for Style
Lyon offers a chapter full of tips to take your writing from adequate to WOW.

Part Four: Marketing Pays Off wraps up "everything you need to know" before you put that manuscript in the mail to an agent or publisher.

Manuscript Makeover is organized and written in typical Lyon style, easy to follow and in a casual voice as though she is talking to you. A helpful feature: you do not necessarily have to start at the beginning and read the chapters in order. Each one contains basic and advanced information, but the book is so well organized, you can easily find and read the particular chapter covering what is troubling you the most about your manuscript.

Manuscript Makeover is a stand out among how-to books on writing and revising fiction because of its all-encompassing coverage and because of Lyon's writing style and organization skills. Read it and Manuscript Makeover will, thud, thud, thud--hold your attention and keep you focused (remember, the iron gizmos?) The title offers good advice: as a fiction writer this is a book you can't afford to ignore.

When I first started writing fiction, I spent hours scouring bookstores for how-to books. I wanted a book that would unlock the secrets to crafting a successful story. I wanted a comprehensive book that covered all the basics. I wanted to learn the rules and techniques needed to write a strong novel. The books I ended up buying didn't do that. I'd get an explanation of a certain technique in one book, and information about something else in another. But I could never get that one book that pulled everything together (a broad range of tips and techniques) and laid them all out for me.

Well, eight years later, I think I've finally found that book with Elizabeth Lyon's Manuscript Makeover: Revision Techniques No Fiction Writer Can Afford to Ignore (Perigee, 2008). This is the most comprehensive book on the craft of writing I have ever encountered. Though her book is geared toward revising a completed manuscript, she takes the reader through a step-by-step journey to discover which writing techniques work and why, which I think is helpful to both beginner and seasoned writers.

Ms. Lyon encourages the reader to look at their manuscript from a global viewpoint and to take the revision process all the way down to the sentence-by-sentence level. At the global scale, she discusses important topics such as targeting a specific genre, author voice, plot structure, theme, and building suspense. She also covers proper grammar and manuscript formatting and everything in between. Throughout the book she points out common mistakes to watch out for and how to fix them. Peppered throughout are examples of well-crafted scenes to help illustrate the techniques she's describing. Personally, I really appreciated the checklists at the end of each chapter.

And once you've polished your manuscript and it's ready to be sent out, this book even gives tips and guidelines on writing query letters and that dreaded synopsis.

It's not a how-to book that you will sit down and read from beginning to end in one sitting and expect to learn everything she is telling you. Instead, this is a strong comprehensive reference book that will teach you something new each time you read it. It's a book that you will come back to time and again. It's definitely a keeper. I only wish I had it eight years ago.

**Dorothy McFalls, who's still honing her writing skills, is excitedly waiting for her next Regency romance, The Nude (Five Star),to be published next year in May 2009. You can find Dorothy at www.dorothymcfalls.com **

I purchased Elizabeth Lyon's book just as I was starting a major revision on my novel. I've already applied many of her suggestions. Manuscript Makeover is well written and easy to use. I've highlighted or flagged almost every page! I wish this book had been available when I started my novel because it would have saved me a lot of time. I highly recommend it to any fiction writer, regardless of where you are in your project.

I've tried several of these books about editing or otherwise improving your fiction manuscript and am usually disappointed, but this one is actually useful. I've long said there should be a straightforward book that teaches what can otherwise take years of study of the market, publishing in general and the different types of fiction. This appears to be it.

Many new (and not so new) writers have little knowledge of the basics of writing a novel. The same 'beginner' mistakes are seen over and over, even with talented writers. Once past that hurdle (which can take years), few know what type of writing they do, so don't know how to effectively refine and market a completed work. Ms. Lyon addresses these issues in a no-nonsense style that gets the point across without preaching or talking down to the reader. Her examples are clear and get the point across. She is obviously well read herself, current on publishing trends and has a good eye for what works and what doesn't.

I've read well-known books that give such poor examples the lessons are rendered useless. In one book, the examples of what not to do are laughably awful. No one would ever make such mistakes, so the lesson is ineffective. In another, the examples of what not to do are from Pulitzer Prize winning novels. Hellooo! Then these egotistical authors, who shall remain anonymous, have the audacity to rewrite the excerpts to show how they should have been done. That was not useful in the extreme. I was unable to finish either of those books because I lost respect for the authors.

On the other hand, Ms. Lyon sites successful authors who are known for the quality she is describing and demonstrates with positive examples.

While some information in the book is fairly basic, some is pretty sophisticated, so all levels of writers can find value. The book is extensive and covers many subjects. Ms. Lyon understands that there are different writing styles and offers information that will speak to those different styles, often with 'if you are this type of writer, skip to Chapter x', saving the reader from slogging through information that wouldn't apply to them.

Overall, I was very impressed with the quality of this work and wish it had been available years ago. It definitely shortens the learning curve.

With "how to" books, I have a relevancy quiz: Does the book quickly tell me something new worth knowing, as I flip through its pages? This book did. So I bought it and put it aside without a second look. Recently I was struggling with a major ad campaign. I pulled this book off the shelf and began reading the plain, direct, revealing advice that each of these hugely talented and amazingly humble copywriting stars offers. And presto: I found my way again. I began writing above my level, too. I can't recommend the book enough, but you have to read it: it is not a coffee-table book, despite its looks.

Wow! There are over 200 ads in this book and I could spend hours just cruising through each of them. But this is more than just a book with top advertising pictured in it. It is also a primer on idea generation, perfect for anyone writing ad copy and feeling blocked.

The writers in this book are some of the industry's best and each has their own stand alone section that discusses their approach to the art and science of copywriting. They are essentially asked "How do you write your copy?", and then turned loose to answer. Amazingly, each seems to come up with a different answer and approach to their craft.

The book also appears under the the title "The Copywriter's Bible," but either edition is equally great. Different cover, same great content.

Brutal! I opened the book and cut my fragile fingers. Now they sting. How can I write copy with gravely injured fingers? I'd pay for tips on that!

While this is a very good book, you may be interested to know that it's merely a paperback version of the original book originally published in 1995. The trick here is the new paperback version doesn't contain any new material, yet it has a different title. The original book was titled "The Copy Book." If you already own this book, don't buy "The Copywriter's Bible." Same book, different name. I found out the hard way.

Yeah ... I'll jump on this wagon. It's a great book. And it's already done wonders for my daily idea-generation duties. Get it.