I Books

If your thinking that this is another sister-girlfriend book,
let me be the first to tell you, Not!
All I Need is full of unexpected twists and turns that three friends experience in life.
With busy shedules they have to find time to catch up with
each other.
Each woman feels that their friend has a better life. But ahh, if they could only walk in each others shoes.
Jacquie Bamberg Moore is a Welcomed newcomer

"ALL I NEED" was an excellent read. It kept me glued to the book from beginning to end. I hated to put the book down! Anyone who has Close friends should read this. I would love to read a sequel. I really identified with this book. In fact, I bought the book for my closest girlfriend. It was great!

If true friendship is valuable to you, read this book! You will not only relate, but I'm pretty sure you will identify with one of the characters. It takes you on a drama filled journey of three sister friends who are unique in their lifestyles, personalities, and principles. While Umi, an educated business diva struggles with balancing her business matters and personal affairs, Randi, the can't say no to sex diva, gets herself into some hot water trying to juggle her multiple male relationships. On the other hand, Michelle the educated, stay at home diva has the privilege of making sure the home front is comfy for her husband and daughter, not knowing that her life is about to take a major turn.   
In the midst of managing their own life drama's, their friendship will not only be tested, but pushed to a new level.

"All I Need," is a wonderfully written novel. Michelle, Randi and Umi are three long-time friends, who have built a strong sister based relationship. These three women are very different and unique in themselves, but they share in their love for one another. Michelle is a housewife and who has spent years wrapped into being a wife and mother. Michelle starts looking at her friends lives and begin feeling emptiness inside, when suddenly a horrifying incident strikes and changes her life instantly. Randi who is a researcher for a major newspaper gets wrapped up in raging hormones, which backfires on her. Umi has an advertisement career and she feels high in the clouds. Umi only wanting an elite prestigious man, soon finds out that a man with money doesn't always bring happiness.

Jacquie is definitely on my list of great storytellers. This novel will have you laughing and crying, oooohing and awwwhing, happy and even outraged. The characterization is so vivid, you feel as though you know each one of them. You will feel their pain and share in their happiness as you walk through their lives with them. I suggest everyone pick up a copy of this wonderful novel. With writing skills like this and the ability to grab her audience at the very beginning and hold them so until the end, Jacquie Bamberg Moore will be in the Literary Arena for a long time to come.

This novel is about the friendship of Randi Michelle and Omi. Each one has something different to offer their long time friendship. Omi is the career women in the group - who finds out not all kings come with shining armour. Michelle is happy being a wife and mother until tragedy strikes sending her in the arms of a tabboo relationship - Randi bored with being a researcher for the New York Times seeks her satisfication in the office but not doing office work. All three of these women show us what it means to be a true friend and how to rise above the bad. This book is a must read for everyone looking to strengthen their relationship with someone close to them.

From the back cover:

Adorned with twinkling lights and plastic reindeer, glowing with good old-fashioned Christmas cheer, and swarming with eager merrymakers, Susan Carpenter's house is truly a sight to behold--but one that Angel Fall's resident Scrooge absolutely lothes.

Luke Potter can't stand carols, crowds, or any kind of commotion--and he's determined to put a stop to Suzi Christmas's holiday hoopla. But before his case gets to court, he gets to know the surprisingly charismatic woman he's up against. Suddenly the season seems much more joyful--but Luke's reasons for rejoicing are about to run out because he's met her under false pretenses...pretending his name is Nicolas Claus. But when Suzi learns that Nick is really Luke, will she still love him?

And my review:

Wow! This was the first book I read by Sheila Rabe, but it certainly won't be my last. I borrowed it from the library and devoured it in a day. I just couldn't put it down. (I read about 200 novels a year, so a book has to be really good for me not to be able to put it down!) As soon as I finished reading it, I ordered it off Amazon. I just had to have my own copy, because I've already re-read it, and will probably read it every year.

I thought I would hate Luke, but I didn't. He grew and changed until you loved and understood him. Even the fact that he was lying to Suzi for most of the book couldn't make you hate him, because the author showed you how much it tore him up inside to do it. You could see that underneath all the crust, he was a good person. And Suzi--she was awesome!

There was no actual sex in this book, but it was sensual, which was the perfect balance for me. Also, there were two other romance subplots going on, which were also well written, but didn't detract from the main storyline at all. And there was also humor woven in there. There were many laugh-out-loud moments. Romance, drama, laughter and Christmas. What more could you ask for?

And this was one of the few Christmas romances where the Christmas part was an integral part of the story, not something that felt tacked on afterwards.

A definate keeper. I don't give out many five-star ratings. A book really has to earn one, but this one did! I can't wait to read more stuff from this author.

What a wonderful book Sheila Rabe has written! I read her Regencies years ago, and while they were good, I think she's truly found her niche with this warm, funny story. The clash between Luke, who hates Christmas, and Suzy, who loves it, kept me reading well past my bedtime. I'll probably re-read it before Christmas, just for the smile.

Jump start into the spirit of Christmas with this witty, fun, cleaver tale. Ms. Rabe has provided me with a delightfully entertaining book, that kept the candle burning long past midnight. Truly a feel-good read, which would make a great Christmas time movie or play.

What a wonderful book Sheila Rabe has written! I read her Regencies years ago, and while they were good, I think she's truly found her niche with this warm, funny story. The clash between Luke, who hates Christmas, and Suzy, who loves it, kept me reading well past my bedtime. I'll probably re-read it before Christmas, just for the smile.

This romance is a bit of a cross between a modern day It's a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Carol and How The Grinch Stole Christmas. Susan Carpenter, widow and mother, teaches a modern-day Grinch Scrooge, Luke Potter, the true meaning of love and the spirit of Christmas.

Sweet romance, a couple of kisses. Good to put in someone's stocking this year.

As the Fleet Intellegence Officer of Admirals Kimmel and Nimitz Edwin Layton was in a unique position to see and to understand what was going on regarding the battles at Pearl Harbor and Midway. This welcome reprint to the 1985 book has to be considered one of the more definitive books of the couple of hundred on the subjects.

Layton was a language officer stationed in Japan before the war to learn Japanese. He followed Japan and the Japanese developments closely. He was at Pearl before the attack and remained there throughout the war. He was on the Missouri at the Japanese surrender.

There are a series of revisionist history books that propose such things as Roosevelt and Churchill conspiring to let the Japanese attack at Pears. Yes there is evidence that we had some intelligence pointing to the Japanese attack. But you have to look carefully at how much material there was, how many messages had been intercepted, how few had been translated and you come up with the basic understanding that it just hadn't been put together. A lot like the situation with 9/11, Monday morning quarterbacking is much easier than being in the midst of the game.

Layton was there, he knew what Kimmel and Short knew, indeed he had briefed them with the material on hand. Could they have been better prepared, yes, Layton says, if Admiral Richmond K. Turner had forwarded the information. But like any inter-departmental power struggle, Turner held the information to himself.

I was also surprised by the relatively little animosity shown towards the Redman brothers who bounced Rochefort and Safford out. Indeed Layton points out that the do it themselves style of Rochefort and Safford probably wouldn't have done a very good job of managing the Navy Radio Intelligence activities that grew to almost 8,500 people by the end of the war.

All in all, a must read for anyone interested in what happened at Pearl and Midway.

And I was there.
This is a great book by one who was there, Adm Layton. He was Adm Kimmels intelligence officer at Pearl Harbor.
He shows how the incompetence of the Navy in Washington led to the surprise attack at Pearl, by the Navy, specifically adm Stark and Kelly Turner, not giving Pearl the vital information they had about Jap intentions, but refused to give Pearl. The Navy also had 2 intelligence groups fighting for the information, and control, evaluating, and dissemination of the information. This too sabotaged the intelligence efforts, and does to this day.
Gen Marshall is also responsible for the debacle. He was reprimanded, but Roosevelt set aside the Congressional verdict on him.
Kimmel was judged not guilty of any wrongdoing by the Navy, but found derelict by Congress, a tragic miscarriage of justice, due to lies under testimony by Stark, and Turner.

The Redmon brothers are faulted too for ousting the most brilliant Navy intelligence officer, Rochefort, who correctly guessed the time and location of the Midway battle.

Another tragic aftermath of Pearl, was the loss of Wake Island. Kimmel had a carrier task force sailing to resupply and relieve the garrision that was under attack by the Japs. This would have surprised the Japs and could have sunk many Jap ships, saved Wake Island, and kept open the supply lines to the Phillipines. Unfortunaely, Kimmel was relieved, and Adm Pye replaced him Pye lost his nerve and cancelled the mission.

MacArthur is noted, as being in charge of the Phillipines, and being under orders to attack Formosa with his B17's when Pearl was attacked. He had a 9 hour warning after Pearl had been attacked, and had been told to attack. It was not until years after this book was published that the records of why Mac did nothing in the Phillipines were found. He was paid $650,000 by Pres Quezon of the Phillipines to do nothing, as he wanted to be neutral. MacArthur lost the Phillipines, a far more important strategic outpost than Pearl, as well as half the B17's we had, and 1/5 of our fighters, on the ground, just as what happened at Pearl, only 9 hours later, after he had multiple phone calls from Washington to attack the Japs.

The battle of Guadalcanal and other Pacific battles is also gone into in some detail
It was Nimitz, not Mac Arthur that devised the island hopping idea.
A great book by a hero who was there.

First and major portion of book covering Pearl Harbor is excellent. However, after Layton's death, the book was continued from his notes and descriptions of campaigns after Pearl Harbor suffer in quality by comparison.

Before you jump on some revisionist books about Pearl Harbor, like Stinnet's Day of Deceipt, you should get it from the horses mouth! Layton, et al, tell a little known side of the war in the pacific. His opinions of some famous naval personalities like Stark and R.K. Turner will really have you thinking about how war is run when powerful, ambitious officers are running the show. It's a shame that lives had to be wasted while the U.S. got its act together to finally win the war in the pacific, but Layton's tale will give you a new perspective and supports much of what was previously written, like Prang's "At Dawn We Slept", about the debacle of Pearl Harbor and the genius that followed at Midway. Buy it!

Edwin T. Layton served as Fleet Intelligence Officer for Admirals Kimmel and Nimitz. He, along with the other members of station Hypo, were assigned the task of breaking into Japan's secret codes, especially their JN-25 cypher. Through exhausting efforts by its members, they were finaly able to penetrate enough of the JN-25 code to make reasonable assumptions as to what the Japanese navy was planning. "Magic" was the term used for the intercept and decryption of these secret codes.

However, no decoding was actually done at Pearl Harbor, because there was no "Purple" decoding machine there. All intercepts had to be sent to Washinton for decryption, and Hawaii relied on Washington for their information. Layton's thesis is that Pearl Harbor was denied vital intelligence which, if issued in a timely fashion, could have alerted Pearl Harbor to the impending attack which occurred on December 7, 1941. Although I agree with some of his thesis, I also believe that the Pearl Harbor commanders made terrible mistakes of their own which also contributed to the unpreparedness of Pearl Harbor.

One message that Washington failed to send Pearl Harbor which I believe, along with Layton, could have alerted the fleet to the attack was the so-called "bomb plot" message. In a nutshell, this message divided Pearl Harbor into several sections and placed ships in each section; almost like laying an invisible grid over the harbor. Of all the messages that Pearl Harbor failed to receive, this was probably the most important.

However, with this stated, I also believe that the commanders made grievous errors of their own. On November 27, 1941, a "war warning" message was sent to both commanders at Pearl Harbor. Both seemed perplexed and unsure of the course of action to be taken. Why was this? Both Admiral Kimmel and General Short were high ranking members of the military, yet they both dragged their feet when they received this message. Short simply ordered defense against sabotage instead of ordering an all-out alert, while Kimmel failed to order any further long-range patrols, plus he didn't order the battle force to sea. They seemed incapable of making any independent judgement of their own. Instead, they needed to be told directly what to do. These omissions are unforgivable.

Inter-service rivalry also played a role in the failure. As pointed out by Layton, there was very little inter-service cooperation or sharing of messages, so most of the time, one usually didn't know what the other was doing. Further, during the Midway operation, a rivalry betwen station Hypo and the Washington-based intelligence unit nearly cost us the battle, but fortunately, Layton and commander Joe Rochefort were able to convince Nimitz that Hypo, not Washington, was correct.

I thought this was a good book, but I disagree with Layton's assertion that Kimmel and Short were scapegoats and had no clue what was happening. Granted, there was some intelligence that was definitely denied to them, but they should have been able to interpret events on ther own, namely the war warning message. This book is a good counter-argument to other works, such as "At Dawn We Slept". The information about the battle of Midway is especially interesting, plus the story of the codebreaking activities was well-done.

I loaned the book from the library when I was 15. I remember that I had to periodically stop reading it because it was so funny that my eyes were full of tears of laughing. I re-loaned it some four or five times, until I moved and could no longer return to the public library where I had found it. After so many years I still remember complete passages of this book, and at that time I was reading three books per week, most of which I can't even remember the titles!

Do you want to have a permanent smile on your face? Just read this book.
It would be great to see the book re-printed.

I first read this book about 20 years ago and though it would make a great movie. I'm sure the Russians would enjoy it too.

This book is completely crazy! Absurd, funny as hell. (And if you are able to stop laughing for a moment: It is certainly not without sting.)

Today's news (Jan 8th, 2007) made it even funnier: I had no idea that the story of Foul Rock was directly inspired by reality! And now it is up for sale...

The "real" Foul Rock's name is Sealand, located outside the coast of England (although not in the same waters as the fictional Foul Rock). It was founded as a "nation" in 1967, attacked in 1968 - and the book about Foul Rock was published in 1969. There should be no doubt about the source of inspiration!

Now, there are two points worth mentioning: Readers too young to know anything about the Cold War will miss out on a lot of the humour. And, you should be rather familiar with the English language to understand all the word play.

I first read this book in a Norwegian translation. Several times, the only way to see the humour was to back-translate to English to discover the word play. Still I miss out some humour because I am not that familiar with British culture (e.g. the way the various British papers present the news - I guess that you have to know those papers to see the humour), but there's more than enough of it to make you laugh your way through this book anyway.

I beg for a reprint of this book - the day it is published, I'll buy about a dozen copies for use as gifts to selected friends.

A hilarious story suitable for young teens of either sex and those who are still young at heart. A cold war romance set on an island off the coast of England. Also a possible world record winner for 'longest book title in the world'. I enjoyed it immensly when it was first published and am now looking for a copy to give to my boys. (after I've read it again.)

This is a concise record of Kalman filtering and related estimation methods. It briefly covers both discrete time and continuous estimators and is particularly useful to extend your knowledge of if you are already familiar with some of the material. Also, the appendix has an interesting comparison of the analogous terms and concepts for estimation and control theory. The book makes a breadth of topics accessible to students, practicing engineers and others.

As you can see from the other reviews, Gelb's book is a classic in the Optimal Estimation. I used Gelb to supplement Brown & Hwang's Applied Kalman Filtering text. Brown & Hwang is very readable, written in a conversational tone. It is also *VERY* application focused and has many Matlab examples. However, in their rush to application, I felt Brown & Hwang did not clearly layout the development of the Kalman (it's all there but it is scattered around). On the other hand, Gelb's book is cogent - both clear and concise. I found that Gelb's development and summarization of Kalman and related optimization schemes gave me the foundational understanding to work Brown & Hwang's applicatios.
For this subject, you definitely need probability (thru matrix representation of covariance, means, etc) and stochastic process. Both Gelb and Brown & Hwang review the requisite probability/stochastic processes , but I would recommend a deeper grounding in the subjects (working thru Papoulis, for example).

I worked in the aerospace industry from 1980-1991. During my years at the Aerospace Corporation I got this book as a reference to the application of Kalman filtering to orbit determination and estimation problems. So my experience and appreciation for this book is very similar to my colleagues working nearby me at TRW or Hughes Aircraft and cosequently I am in strong agreement with some of the other amazon reviews of Gelb's book. I always found it to be a key reference for me.

This book should be a great reference for all engineering students who are dealing with dynamic systems, at entry level. Moderate advanced mathematics being involved, the book provides clear and straightforward discussion for a variety of estimation techniques. Moreover, I like the examples contained very much, since they offer you hand-on experience for understanding the techniques better.

I took an estimation class this semester, and the book required was "introduction to Random Signals and Applied Kalman Filtering" by Brown and Hwang. This book was good for those who want to just apply kalman filters, and assumes that you don't care much about the derivations. But it was my first course in estimation, so I needed to get a complete and in depth introduction to the subject. I searched on amazon, and I found this book. I borrowed it from the library, and it was simply great! I like this type of authors that explain all his proofs, and add this one or two lines that make your life easier. Last week, I ordered it from Amazon to add it to my own library. I recommend it to any serious student in estimation or/and control.

Aboujouj83
http://www.qnhl.com

Even if you're not single, there is remarkable charm and understanding in this little book about being a woman in what is STILL a remarkably marriage-obsessed society. It is a pleasure and a comfort to take part in poking fun of this reality. As ever, Author Rachel Carpenter's intellectual, dry wit comes through even in the context of the whimsical simplicity of the book. Anyone--male or female--who has ever actively looked for a life partner and consistently failed at doing so (in other words, everyone, right?) will gobble up these modern words of wisdom.

Whether you are happily married (like me) or still looking (like many of my girlfriends), this book is a good way to laugh at yourself. Even if you never looked for a partner you know someone who has offered you the perfect advice for finding a mate. I took the book to work and everyone enjoyed it and subsequently shared stories from their own experiences. Even the men loved it! They said it was fun to see us poke fun at ourselves.

A friend of mine had this book sitting on her coffee table and I opened it up and couldn't put it down. This is one of the funniest parodies I've seen in years. I was laughing out loud from beginning to end. Just when I thought I had the whole thing figured out, Carpenter would come up with another unexpected and delightfully amusing twist. I've bought four and am giving them as Valentine's gifts. Even my mother (married for 50 years!) loves it. Does anyone know who Rachel Carpenter is? Has she written other stuff? I searched her name on amazon and couldn't find other books but I'd sure love to read a novel if she's got one. Wow!

My husband brought this book to work today to show to his coworkers. It is kind of cute that he is responding so well to a pink chick book...So its clearly not just for girls.

Hilarious! A chick looking for her husband, from ballroom dance classes to AA meetings with amusing results. Does she find him? I don't want to ruin the surprise! Suffice to say, along the journey, she realizes that whether or not she finds The Man, she can lead a fulfilling, rich life.

This book is discussing about personality type. it is a great book one who want to know his or her temperament well.

I wanted to like this book. I picked it up as a tool for exploring the chemistry between characters in my writing. I always identify their enneagrams during character development, and it seemed like this might inspire thought and lead to new depths of understanding the way they relate.

Unfortunately, this volume is a bit skimpy. The section on enneagram interrelations runs from pages 9 to 157, and it only gets that much because the book has a large typeface, utilizes bullet points and lots of cartoons. I enjoyed what they have, but it feels like a teaser for a more indepth book.

I'll be looking for that book.

Great introduction to the fascinating personality theory known as the Enneagram. I've been studying the Enneagram for four years now and I continue to be amazed at its accuracy and complexity. I know many people who are interested in it, too, and who claim to really want to know "What type am I?! Is that a good one to be?!" In the past, I've enthusiastically loaned out the more in-depth, advanced books by Don Riso and Helen Palmer, authors who address the weaknesses of each type as well as the strengths... only to have my friends come back with only part of the book read, turned off to the whole theory because it seems too complicated or talks about the "cons" of each type. "But I only want to see how cool I am," they whine. "If I wanted to hear criticisms of myself, I'd call my mother." Never mind that the whole point of personality books is to UNDERSTAND yourself and others, to learn to appreciate the strengths as well as to learn how to grow and to improve upon the weaknesses...but... (sigh).

So, partly out of my own selfishness to keep some friends into the theory, I checked out "Are You My Type....?" and I am so excited. The authors have done a fantastic job of providing a good, solid introduction to the theory and gently describing some of the, um, less appealing qualities that each of the types has. The cartoon illustrations throughout seem a bit too silly at first, but once you see them in context to the text, you can see that they really enhance the text. A sense of humor with the Enneagrams is nice, too, as it does get taken a bit too seriously sometimes.

I've loaned this book out as an introduction to the theory and have gotten a lot more people interested in the Enneagrams and in learning about themselves. A very good thing!

I have studied the Enneagram for years and take it very seriously. This book is charming and delightful in it's very basic way of explaining types on a surface level. The cartoons capture the essence of the 9 types and make understanding the Enneagram fun and easy, even for the serious scholars! I love it! It will make you laugh and create an even deeper appreciation for the 9 types.

This is a great little book. It's fun to read, has great cartoons and will make you laugh. Just as important, it contains concise summaries and accurate information according to Enneagram theory. It also has great tips for getting along with the different types in relationship.

This is a great book. Not written by a textbook expert, but written by real-world experts = a FAS child and her mom. People who daily live with the effects of this birth defect. My husband and I both read it and learned practical, tried approaces. Thanks to Liz and her mom!

Awesome..very much to my heart. I have a 14 yr. old grandson with FAS.

Sometimes just being able to take hope that the one we love so dearly will "have a chance" is the greatest gift that can be given. That's where this story told by a mom and her daughter strikes home. It's a short book for a great story. There are no miracles except those that come from hardwork and the grace of life. But that grace is there. The mom give us good links; the daughter gives us insight -- both are invaluable. It's an inspiring story of the good that can be worked by effort and self understanding. The barriers of biology cannot be made to go away -- but they can be climbed over.

This is a well written account from a child and parent regarding the reality of living with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome/Effects. Not only is this an important internalization for the practitioner but an important tool for parents and family to work through the acceptance of the profound life altering condition this birth defect manifests. Regardless of your level of education this is an important publication for a devastating condition for parent and child.

Cynthia
Pediatric Therapist

This book is fantastic! It explains Fetal Alcohol Syndrome/Effects, and gives the reader understanding and tools to use to work with people who have FAS/E and also how to love and accept them and appreciate them as they are. I have an adopted son with FAE and when I first realized he had this I was very discouraged because all I had heard about FAS/E was so negative. I didn't know if I would be successful being the mom he needed me to be. This book gave me such insight. It also showed me that some of what I have dealt with with my son is normal and it is okay. It is a book that celebrates life in all its forms -- even the challenging form FAS/E creates. Thank you to Liz and Jodee Kulp for sharing their life with us.

As a requirement for The Summer Reading Clinc at Miami University, my colleagues and I were required to read "Beyond Tradtional Phonics" by Margaret Moustafa. This book was enlightening, one of the best I have read in a long itme. Throughout my course work to prepare for our reading clinic, I had become familiar with many of the concepts covered in this book, but Moustafa covers these topics : the need for the access to books of the appropriate reading level, the importance of teaching phoincs surrounded in literature and the fact that letter phonemes mean little to children if they are not able to read, in such a matter that I was thrilled to hear it again, and couldn't wait to share the books with fellow teachers at my school. The section of the book that I found to be the most alarming is the fact that so many children have less that .4 books on their appropriate reading level in their homes and that these studetns may attend schools that have less that .5 books per student available. This study contniues to report that in these schools, the students are seldom able to check out books to take home, because of the small number available in the first palce. This just reinforces the importance of have a variey of reading levels in your classroom library. All students need to find books that allow them to experience successful reading episodes. Moustafa's book makes you more aware than ever of the need to provide a wide reange of reading materials in your classroom library. I will work to diversify my book selection this year, and I hope many other classroom teachers will join me.

This book looks beyond our old assumptions about how children learn to read. Moustafa presents research to support the fact that traditional phonics drills do not help children learn letter-sound correspondances. Rather, children naturally use onset and rime to make these correspondances. Children also use onset and rime to figure out unfamiliar words in a text. Moustafa then presents ways to help any reading teacher improve their reading instruction based on this research.

This book is very easy to read. Moustafa uses language we can all understand. She does not try to speak over everyone's heads. Her ideas about the differences between traditional phonics instruction and a more modern approach to phonics instruction reaffirmed my own ideas about the role phonics plays in the teaching of reading. I used to teach in a more traditional way of taking parts and moving toward the whole. Then after inservices and courses I took on teaching reading I began to use a whole-to-part approach. Moustafa cited research that supports this type of approach. She also discusses the importance of giving children reading materials on their levels and providing time for shared reading experiences. In the research she presents, children experienced the most success when they were given time everyday to read and be read to. Reading teachers, especially new reading teachers, should read this book because most undergraduate programs do not provide enough instruction on how to teach children to read.

Margaret Moustafa's book explores the realms of language development beyond that of traditional phonics instruction that has continually plagued our educational systems. As a middle school language arts teacher I was pleased to see an appropriate instructional book written clearly and concisely in a matter that makes sense. Moustafa proves reading to be something we do naturally. Teachers need to teach kids to read in a natural way with authentic and practical language experiences. Moustafa also discusses the importance of a blend and balance of phonics and whole language instruction within the classroom.

On page 56 of her text she says, "If children are pronouncing print but do not understand what they are saying, they are not reading." As an educator, I believe Moustafa's statement summarizes many of the misconceptions children have about good readers. Reading is not just a performance-based activity, but rather more of a means of exploration and a transportation vehicle to knowledge. Moustafa helps teachers and parents understand that children need to see reading as a more natural occurrence that is attainable by all children.

This book is a must for all educators; undergraduates, graduates, veteran teachers, professors, and administrators in the school buildings and out of the school buildings. This book describes the process that children learn how to read-through meaning. Moustafa relates how phonics lessons do not allow children to make a connection with the outside world; reading within context does. Moustafa describes how important the learner's prior knowledge and experiences tie into learning how to read. She explains the difference between reading words and understanding the text being read. There is a difference, and we need to acknowledge that. In order to do this, the appropriate leveled books must be purchased for daily use in the classroom and used as take home books. Teachers need a vast amount of books on different topics and a range of levels.

This is my first time reading Amy Lane, and I can't believe she's self published! (I assumed she would be hot commodity to any publisher!) I loved this book so much. The characters are created with loving care, and in turn you fall in love with them, the story is heartfelt and simply beautiful. A great read for any fantasy or romance lover alike. I would classify it as a rare find amongst many imitators--this is the real deal. I'm really looking forward to Bitter Moon II.

This is a wonderful book, different from her Little goddess series, but just as good, even better.

Amy Lane truly is a great storyteller, even when the storyteller is one of her characters tell a 'Goddess Story'. She has a knack for writing heartbreaking stories of tragedy and love, with a sweetness and grace that really shines through.

Lane has also made a great transition from primarily first person narrative to third person narrative, which has really ruined some authors (thinking Patricia Cornwell's Blowfly et. al.)

That said, the punctuation and captialization issues with dialog, really do add up after awhile. ("Hello." He said. instead of "Hello," he said.) Not sure if it is just the ebook pdf version that has the problems.

As my review will give 4 stars, I just want to point out the flaws that most hesitant readers will see before taking a chance to enjoy this book.

1. The book art is bad. It was literally drawn by a high schooler.
2. Those who keep up with Lane on her blog will recognize most of the Moon family members, to a point where one may feel hit over the head.
3. The book description does not do it justice. AT ALL!
4. There is some blog/AIM/text messegeing speak, not a lot, but enough to bother me.
5. Although MUCH better editied than Lane's FANTASTIC Little Goddess Series, still could use some work with long sentences, and either over use or under use of commas.

ALL THAT BEING SAID...

Fantastic. Just great. As usual, Lane creates a vivid world full of enchantment, adventure and more. She works hard to incorporate some traditional fantasy elements, but is not afraid to reinvent the wheel. Whats more, she has a messege. And I am not talking about Toliken's "those who endure conquor", not CS Lewis's "Jesus loves you". We are talking about religous tolerence, family values, self acceptence, the meaning of love in several different contexts, the meaning of heroism, the definition of bravery and more (although I must admit my least favorite was religious tolerence, as it came on a bit strong).

Lane takes a fantasy world an injects it with a healthy dose of realistic characters and relationships. Although fantasy is her first love, she has an honest way of exploring relationships in all their complex glory, and I would love to see her take a shot at fiction (although I demand a sequel to Bitter Moon I and the Little Goddess Series first). I was quickly drawn into the story and characters, and could not put down the book. Packed full of action, this story hits the ground running, and does not stop even at the end, as it is clearly stated that it is just the beginning of a two book story.

I URGE anyone reading this review to buy this book, and support a self published author. Belive me, all the negitives at the beginning turned me off, and a number of my friends to whom I have recommended it to. But it is truly a good book, and well worth your time. If you enjoy Bitter Moon(and would be ok with highly graphic sex scenes), then buy Lane's other series, The Little Goddess Series, which begins with Vulnerable.

Lane is being courted by a publisher right now. With so many BAD books out there, I pray that her talent is realized and she gets picked up.

It just proves that Amy is very multi-dimensional! I feel this book is a 180 degree turn from her 'Little Goddess' series, but just as wonderful and engrossing. She has created a new world that is easy to slip into and layered characters that are hard to forget. I am eagerly waiting for part two to arrive. Please keep writing Amy, it is wonderful!