K Books

I own the original copy book this guy wrote back in the early 70's and found it to be both practical and enjoyable to read. For perspective, I develop and sell land. And I share his "treat your neighbors well and enjoy life" philosphy.

This new book has a lot of his personal history which many people looking for practical advice may not enjoy. But I enjoyed them. And mixed in with that history are absolutely great land ads he wrote. They could be used today and still be highly effective. I know I'm borrowing from them.

The rest of the book has lots of practical advice for people who want to buy and sell land from the developers stand point. He keeps it simple. And useful.

Overall, a real treat for me.

I am a real estate agent and I roll people's IRA or retirement funds into well chosen California Real Estate and I want to express just how great this book is. I love it! For anyone who wants to retire comfortably, I really recommend this book. It is so well written and it is very common sense. I look so forward for the new book "The Habitual Millionaire"

I especially enjoyed this book because I was a small part of the country property business when I lived in the Washington D.C. area 40 years ago during the 60's. As a salesman, I sold many of the properties developed by B.K. Haynes to enthusiastic and highly satisfied buyers. My work was made much easier when excited customers asked to meet the person who wrote "those wonderful ads." Haynes has the remarkable ability to form pictures in the minds of those ad readers looking for country property. They became doubly excited when the properties they looked at were exactly as he described them and precisely what they were hoping to find. His inclusion of world historical events in this book is a valuable tool that hopeful property developers might use to gauge the state of mind in prospective buyers. The How To features in this book are so clearly defined that readers should have little difficulty adapting them to their own property development efforts. With an entertaining narrative writing style, B.K. Haynes delivered what was promised in the book's title. He explained exactly "How I Turned $50 into $5 Million in Country Property - Part Time.

We recommend anyone who is interested in purchasing country property, even for personal use, to read this book. B. K. Haynes offers a lifetime of selling and investment knowledge with amusing stories thrown in! A great read, and a terrific teaching tool for all interested in land investment.

Ahmad and Linda Kangarloo, Middletown, Virginia

I bought BK Haynes book because he is from my home town and I thought it might be interesting. I am so glad I did! Not only does he share his life story but he also shares the secrets to how he went from being a poor kid in DC to being the multi-millionaire he is today. And the best part about it is that I can do the same thing! Mr. Haynes did not let small obsticles (like lack of funds) keep him from realizing his dreams. He is an inspiration and model that I plan to immulate.

I was getting to know a song by Charles Trenet, one about a rained-out fairground populated by semi-human monsters, and it flashed on me that it reminded me of one of the Moomintroll stories that had made a fine, somewhat creepy, impression in childhood. Turned out I was remembering "The Hemulen Who Loved Silence" from "Tales from Moomin Valley". That story, proved to have indeed featured a rained-out fairground -- well, not just rained out but spectacularly destroyed by flooding, something that happens frequently in Tove Jansson's books. that story proved to be just as great as I'd remembered, and maybe better as it had psychological insight and satirical wit that I suspect I didn't entirely grasp as a kid. I soon found myself reading one Moomin book after another.

They all have wickedly funny moments, they're all fanciful, they're all subtle in some way. But some of them are really aimed at kids and, despite their considerable charms, can wear thin at times.

Moominpappa at Sea is a really great one for the adult reader. Yes, it has all the fancy and fun of a children's book, but....good lord! it is wonderfully complex. very funny, psychologically perceptive, at times very creepy. Where, say, Moominvalley Midwinter is a series of loosely connected episodes, everything in Moominpappa at Sea fits together very cleverly, from the first sentence to the last.

the plot hinges on Moominpappa's vain, poignant quest to have his family feel like they still need him. Moomintroll on the other hand is making some kind of adolescent transition, getting away from the family, bonding in the dark on the beach with a strange creature.

Jansson is one of the only authors I've ever read, for either child or adult, who can so deftly put her fingers on life as we experience it - the mood shifts, the disappointments and inner worlds and longings, the quirks and kindnesses, the tangible atmosphere of the seasons and the weather and the seaside... by God, she's got it, and with a few flicks of the pen, she can realize them fully and make us feel them too (even when her protagonists are fictional, round little "Moomintrolls" off for a month on a mysterious windswept lighthouse island.) Astonishing. A book to read and reread by anyone in grade 4 and up, especially in August and September (though anytime will do.)

My parents used to read the Moominbooks when to us when we were young, and they made a lasting impression on me. For me, Moominpappa at Sea was probably my favourite, along with Comet in Moominland.

Given that the books were originally written in Finnish the translator has done a fantastic job to make the stories incredibly readable and finely nuanced in English. It's possible that the books appealed to us kids so much because they come out of a European culture quite distinctly different from most of the English and American stories we were used to.

The chapters are the right length to read aloud one at a time to kids. (Good for bedtime stories in the summer holidays, I seem to recall!)

I was fortunate enough a couple of years ago to take a ferry across the Gulf of Finland from Stockholm in Sweden to Turku in Finland, and the little rocky islands in the Gulf are almost exactly as I imagined them from the book...

I first discovered this book at the age of about 12 or 13, already older than the average moomin reader, but having read most of the others. It was obvious that this was no ordinary moomin book, and neither was it strictly a children's book. In fact it is a masterly observation of family dynamics, mid life crises and the human condition, but mixed with a mysterious and fantastic magic that leads to spine tingling excitement and making one question how we know what is real.

Every psychology student has something to analyse in every character, and anyone who ever had a moment of doubt about the meaning of their life has something to ponder. What father with a teenage family would not relate to Moominpappa's melancholy, feeling that his life is without purpose now his family appear to be independent, his urge to be needed, to be able to protect them? What homesick traveller could not understand Moominmamma's longing for her garden, (and its magical transformation which you will have to read for yourselves). The description of her homesickness brings tears to the eyes. And what put-upon mother could not identify with her delight in being able to disappear from her family just long enough to stop them taking her for granted? The glimpses of the fond, but no longer passionate relationship between Moominmamma and Moominpappa, and Moominmamma's endless patience for Pappa's foibles, their need for their own roles, and his inability to understand her own needs says more about the maried state than plenty of far more learned texts. We will all be able to identify the same dynamics in our own families and relationships.

Meanwhile Moomintroll's adolescent emotional awakening must bring nostalgic memories of first love to we adult readers, but must surely mystify the average 8 year old. Younger children do not usually have a developed enough sense of other people's individuality to understand the complexities of what is driving the Moomin family to their peculiar dispersal.

The allegory of the frozen Groke could represent so much - I feel a thesis coming on - but I think represents how people get into a vicious cycle;cut off emotionally because no one interacts with them, and becoming ever more reclusive and antisocialin a vicious cycle. She makes us think about how we subconciously excuse ourselves for avoiding the lonely, scared, mentally ill, etc among us, for fear we may be "tainted" them.

Although I'm sure children will enjoy it at one level I recommend it highly to everyone, particularly if you are in a life crisis. I have lent it to nearly all my close friends and no one has yet not enjoyed it thoroughly.

Anyone who enjoyed this book should also enjoy Moominvalley in November with a similar selection of odd characters who we will all recognize among our own aquaintance.

The good news is you don't have to be a child to be enchanted by the Moomins. The bad news (for me) is missing out on these delightful stories when a child. I always try to begin the Moomin tales in the middle of the day because I know I won't stop until the end of the story.

Moominpappa decides they all need an adventure, and he is most desirous of "taking care" of everyone so Moominmamma can rest and all can be safe and protected. They set sail on an evening in late August to a small island in the Gulf of Finland planning to live in a wonderful lighthouse. The island is strange, bleak and barren. The lighthouse appears abandoned and is locked. The Moomin family consisting of Mamma, Papa, little son Troll, and Little My all go about practical tasks of settling in, first a search to locate a key. The living quarters in the lighthouse are at the very top only to be reached by a rickety spiral staircase. Much to Pappa's dismay, the light is out, and he cannot make it work. The fall storms begin (Pappa never explains why he didn't begin his adventure in the spring) and the life on the island becomes terrifying as well as bleak.

Though the Moomins get angry at one another, they are unfailingly polite and cooperative with the exception of Little My who is a cheerful, cynical pragmatist. Mamma & Pappa are very permissive parents, but always interested in what Troll and Little My are thinking and doing. The author very gently shows how perhaps there is a downside to sleeping and eating when you want, sleeping where your fancy takes you, and going on any adventure that occurs to you. There is delightful comedy where the Moomins throw a birthday party for The Fisherman, and he discovers all his "presents" belonged to him in the first place.

Come, enter the world of the Moomins! You might want to stay!

Mortimer is a mouse, living in a dark hole under the stairs. In his opinion, his hole is "too cold, too cramped, too creepy." One night, as he's sneaking around the big house looking for crumbs that the human family may have left behind, Mortimer finds what he thinks will be a perfect new home for him -- the stable in a Nativity scene. The excited mouse struggles to drag all the Nativity figures out of this stable, and he nestles himself down in the manger. The next day, as he's out prowling for crumbs, he comes back to find that someone has put the figures back into the stable! Annoyed, he drags them out again, and so it goes for several days, until one evening, Mortimer overhears the human father reading the Christmas story to his children, about how there was no room for them in the inn. The little Mouse realizes that the statue he has been dragging out of the manger each day is a statue of baby Jesus. Touched by the story, Mortimer decides that he wants to make room for the baby Jesus, and carefully puts all the figures back in their places. And in the end, Mortimer own prayer is granted. He finds a home that is just right for him!

So cute!!!! The story is so fun to read and my twin girls age 6 loved to listen to it. We all loved the pictures. This will be a favorite Christmas treasure for years!!

Mortimer's Christmas is a wonderful story about giving unselfishly and the birth of Jesus and it is told in a way even the younger children can enjoy. I read this during a Preschool Story Time at our library and several parents and grandparents asked where they could get copies. The illustations were great and the story moved along quickly. Karma Wilson has found a way to share the true meaning Christmas with the little ones.

My preschoolers sat quietly and eagerly waited to hear the whole story. An awesome story that brings in the real meaning of Christmas.

This is perhaps the most powerful story about the Nativity outside of the New Testament. Kudos to Karma for the way she crafted a simple yet elegant story about one of the most important events in history. And the art? Jane is splendid. This is an all-star team who have created one of the most wonderful children's books I've ever come across. I now have a gift for everyone I know with small children. Keep 'em coming!

Dr. Carroll Quigley, favorably cited by then-governor Bill Clinton at his acceptance of the Democratic nomination for president in 1992, penned "Tragedy & Hope" in 1965 after his review of many pages of documents of what he describes as the "power elite." This elite, composed of powerful banking families (Morgan and Rothschild) and uber-rich industrial capitalists (the Rockefellers, Andrew Carnegie) along with the intellectual wells of John Ruskin and billionaire Cecil Rhodes, comprise a well-connected, well-established power axis that is intent on clutching the world's social, political, cultural, and economic powers into their tightly clenched fists. The banking houses, typically referred to as simply the "international bankers," have been the hidden money powers behind the revolutionary movements of the 20th century, including Bolshevik revolution to overthrow the Russian monarchy.

The overarching question of W. Cleon Skousen's "The Naked Capitalist" is a puzzling one: why do the world's largest fortunes, which have amassed their wealth under free market capitalism, support the socialist, fascist, and Communist powers with continuing financial aid? The answer is an unpleasant, but simple, one. These interlocking powers, the Federal Reserve System, treasonous tax-exempt foundations, the Council on Foreign Relations, Fabian socialism as articulated by Ruskin and Rhodes, and the American slide toward socialist economics, are in league to envision the new "Tower of Babel," namely a collectivist World Government, under their jurisdiction and guidance, naturally.

"Naked Capitalist" carries the themes of "None Dare Call It Treason" by John Stormer in that every Communist nation has a glittering, red-inked "MADE IN THE USA" stamp on its blood-soaked land. Coupled with John Ruskin's idea of keeping the wealthy elite in control of the masses, the Anglo-American establishment could shape each nation's political and economic future in its hand, eventually leading to the institution of a global government that all nation-states would recognize.

The power elite controls and manipulates the economic and political life of the United States still today. The Federal Reserve's siphoning off of American wealth through fiat currency, artificial "boom-bust" cycles, and the repayment of massive interest from the U.S. national debt by the American taxpayer is creating an enriched political class able to dominate the masses as easily as a farmer directs and controls his cattle. It matters not who wins the White House or controls Congress. The CFR, Trilateral Commission, and the Bilderbergers, bought both institutions long ago, and they are directly in league with the international bankers.

The most entertaining part of the entire book is Skousen's review of multiple historical instances throughout the 40s, 50s, and 60s where the power elite's exposure was all but inevitable. To paraphrase one commentator, the elites are running naked toward the finish line. The establishment elites are probably having a grand old time chuckling about the "old days" where there was a possibility they might be caught red-handed. Nowadays, they can flaunt themselves in the faces of the sleeping masses and still get away with things. With the advent of the Internet, however, they may not be so lucky these "last days."

I was a down-to-earth skeptic as I approached the claims of not only "The Naked Capitalist," but also many other well-known authors, who appeared to me at first to be a bunch of right-wing cranks (on par with leftist 9/11 "Truthers"). As I have extensively followed current events for the past three years, I concluded that the evidence is too overwhelming to be ignored. World government is in our future, and nothing can divert us from that road. Not even the election of Ron Paul to presidency of the United States would buck us off the path to global socialism, although he may have been able to shield us from the atrocities for just a few more years.

Have you awaken from your slumber yet?

This book (The Naked Capitalist), along with the book "The Bilderburg Group", explains exactly what is going on in Government. The power of the men in the secret groups are dangerous to all Americians, and there are many in our Government at all levels. They are the Bilderburgs, Council of Foreign Relations and Trilaterial Commission, determined to make us a socialist country.

If this book were written by anyone less credible, you'd have to pass it off as conspiracy theory nonsense. But Skousen is anything but a conspiracy theory nut. He is a very well respected scholar. So what makes this book so infuriating is to realize both political parties are being swayed towards collectivism and totalitarianism through the robber-barons' self-percieved notion of good for the world and their "generous" donations to non-profits that promote this communist agenda. Thus, the Naked Capitalist reveals the wealthy elite to be promoters of exactly what would destroy not them, but the vast middle class of America. Ever notice that Karl Marx was fighting against the Bourgesie and not the aristocracy? The Bourgesie is the middle class. The rich want us middle-classers to simply revert to the equitable poverty of socialism while they continue to live luxuriously at our expense. This is a must read.

"The Naked Capitalist", first published in 1970, is a review and critique of a much longer book, "Tragedy and Hope", first published in 1965. While the references are inevitably dated, this book contains insights that are essential for understanding our current situation. While I wholeheartedly recommend it, it important to take into account the book's context and point of view.

This book must be understood as an attack from the right on "Tragedy and Hope" -- not the 21st century neocon right, but the old fashioned right that may be best thought of as a libertarian point of view these days. Mr. Skousen's approach is consistent with his conservative religious background (LDS) and his background in law enforcement (FBI and later Salt Lake City Chief of Police). Skousen's academic background is reflected in his exegesis of "Tragedy and Hope".

I thought his defense of J. Edgar Hoover and Joe McCarthy was thought provoking, and not to be dismissed out of hand as most left-leaning people would tend to do. By illustrating the clear link between the Eastern Establishment and Communism, the author perhaps provides a better understanding of the criticism of corporate media as "Liberal". Corporate owned media did at times cover the issue of Communists in government in a way that tended to downplay the extent to which the government, particularly the State Department, was infiltrated by Communists, which could lead a right-wing or even a neutral observer to believe that the fourth estate had Communist sympathies.

But that's only part of the story. The corporate owned media has also had a history of covering up the extent to which Fascism has infested USA finance, corporations and government. One example from the time span that Skousen focused on, but which he failed to mention, is the Fascist plot to overthrow the US government shortly after the start of FDR's first term. Jules Archer's recently re-printed book, The Plot to Seize the White House: The Shocking True Story of the Conspiracy to Overthrow FDR, tells this story persuasively. The earliest incarnation of the HUAC (House Committee on Un-American Activities), the Special Committee on Un-American Activities (1934-1937) actually investigated not only domestic Communist activities, but domestic Fascist activities as well, including the plot just mentioned. Contemporary press coverage of the Congressional hearings and the plot itself was shameful for the most part, particularly the coverage by Time magazine and the New York Times. They covered the story in a way similar to later coverage of UFO and Elvis sightings, poking fun at the very suggestion that such a plot could even exist.

While I am grateful that Skousen wrote this unique review/critique of "Tragedy and Hope", I would urge readers to take "The Naked Capitalist" as a point of departure in their study of the power elite, not the final word. The plutocrats who run things behind the scenes take on many guises, using politicians and movements across the political spectrum to further their malevolent aims. They quite obviously used both Fascism and Communism simultaneously for a time and have moved on to other totalitarian movements, such as neoconservatism and various religious movements. Focusing excessively on these movements and philosophies only serves to distract us from discovering the actual puppet masters.

I must finally express my disappointment with the inclusion of a vitriolic attack by Al Smith on FDR's New Deal policies in an appendix. Al Smith had preceded FDR both as Governor of New York, and as a Democratic presidential nominee. Smith lost the nomination in 1932 to FDR, who, unlike Smith in 1928, went on to win the election. There is the argument that while Smith had maintained his previous progressive beliefs, the Democratic Party under FDR had moved on to Socialist tendencies. (In other words, the Democratic party left him, he didn't leave the party.) However, if Skousen were to choose a disaffected Democrat to criticize the New Deal, he could not have picked a better example of a sellout, a turncoat, and perhaps even a traitor, than Al Smith. Smith was first of all a sore loser, and secondly had by that time become a 100% owned asset of the Eastern plutocrats, the very class that "The Naked Capitalist" rails against. Smith was a prominent member of the Liberty League which sponsored the Fascist plot against FDR I referred to above. I again refer to The Plot to Seize the White House: The Shocking True Story of the Conspiracy to Overthrow FDR for details.

By suggesting that Al Smith was still the brown bowler wearing "Happy Warrior" in 1936 that he had been in the 1920s disingenuous to put it mildly.

A Christian Review of, "The Naked Capitalist" By W. Cleon Skousen


"A worthless person, a wicked man, goes about with crooked speech, winks with his eyes, scrapes with his feet, points with his finger, with perverted heart devises evil, continually sowing discord; therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly; in a moment he will be broken beyond healing. There are six things the Lord hates, seven of which are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood. A heart that devices wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and a man who sows discord among brothers." Proverbs 6:12-19 RSV

The above verse if the first thing that came to my mind once I finished reading this fine book. Skousen in "The Naked Capitalist" is really describing the events from 1913 through the 1960's that will someday lead to The New World Order. There have been so many great reviews on this book on Amazon.com that I would encourage the reader to not only read this review but the others as well. Skousen's book is a summary of Dr. Caroll Quigley's (a professor of Bill Clinton, and an insider to the New World Order boys) Book "Tragedy and Hope" in which Quigley being an insider and allowed to review the CFR's (Council On Foreign Relations) documents for two years in which he decided to write a book since he felt that there was no way we could stop this socialist empire now. Here are some of the highlights from this book that stuck out to me:

We were actually making post war plans to World War 2 a whole two years prior to entering the war (this is where we got the United Nations from).

The international bankers financed two conservative candidates to split the vote so Woodrow Wilson would be elected to office. Woodrow Wilson signed into law the Federal Reserve which is actually a private banking system. This took the power of making money away from congress and gave it to a private bank. (Does anyone recall the bible verse that says, "The borrower is slave to the lender.")

The international bankers are in Europe, the United States and setting up shop everywhere. Since they came into power they have set up communist government after communist government because it's easier to work with a dictator and get rich than it is with a free society.

These bankers will usually finance both sides of a war, and have been linked to just about every war since they took power. They also make a lot of profit, and as Skousen points out their oil plants and businesses are conveniently not hurt even though thousands upon thousands may die for their gain.

I enjoyed Skousen's ability to break down the Korean War and show how (with facts that are documented from sources in the back) Communists within the United States working in high positions of power were playing both sides. The plan was for the U.S. to fight for South Korea, oh but wait, we were supposed to lose. When our military was TOO good there were 100,000 Red Chinese waiting for them. Our military was not allowed to take our Chinese supply lines or to go in and take territory. I mean the communists in Washington had it all set up and we were supposed to lose. What right did our military have actually being good.

The CFR (Council On Foreign Relations) is a front group by the international bankers (like the Royal Institute Of International Affairs is in Europe) . This council works for the international bankers and supports socialist causes.

The builderberg group is a small group of elites that meet once a year and plan the direction of the world and it's propaganda for the next year. It is very secretive and if someone finds out your invited your invite is automatically revoked. Group made up of large corporate heads, political leaders, media elite, and the international bankers.

Tax exempt foundations are influencing public policy and directly influencing our schools. They are pushing propaganda and dumbing down our society. These foundations oddly enough are places the big corporate big wigs and international bankers can stash their money and not get taxed.

Bottom Line: I could go on and on.... Read the book it's only about 125 pages, but it is loaded with some of the most important information you could want or know about our government and the New World Order.

This is the perfect book for anyone considering scoliosis surgery or who has a loved one who is considering the surgery. It discusses all the little details from the technical terms of scoliosis to what sort of things you need to prepare to make your recovery easier. It's written from a patient's point of view which is just what most people need.

I had 2 scoliosis surgeries 2 years ago, and this book did a great job preparing me for the surgeries. I highly recommend it!

Very informative. A multitude of info. Comprehensive. Highly recommended for those considering this type of surgery.

What a blessing! I read this book over and over and over--so many times, prior to my surgery--and also referred to it afterward! I even took it with me to the hospital. It contains a wealth of information for scoliosis patients and their loved ones. I felt calm and at peace (relatively!) heading in to my surgery "adventure," both due to my faith and because I felt so well informed. I also felt prepared for my recovery time at home, thanks to his appendix: Getting Your House and Life in Order.

During the time I've been a member of the NSF Forum, this has been the most talked about and referred to book on scoliosis in the posts, being recommended wholeheartedly by many of us "post-ops" as a "must have" to those looking for information. Many have commented on how they could just not put their book down when it first arrived. While not a riveting best-seller for the general public, it does indeed make a fascinating "read" to those of us with the desire to know more. MANY THANKS to David for sharing his personal story, for doing extensive research, and for taking the time to pen this invaluable source of information on scoliosis surgery!

Excellent sourcebook from patient's perspective written in an understandable manner. Very direct, to the point and uncluttered by superflous information. I would recommend it to anyone who is planning to have the scolisis surgery and for their caretakers.

I read this book a long time ago when I borrowed it from the library. I liked it so much I bought it off of Amazon. I encourage others to read this amazing book.

Donnie feels himself disappearing as his sister starves herself to death. Donnie and big sister, Karen, are both sick, literally, of their parents fighting. We find out mid-way through the book that Donnie is on some kind of medication, and Karen doesn't like to eat . . . ever. But this books is not really about anorexia. It's part of the story, but there is not the usual focus that an anorexia book would have with lots of details about how a person with an eating disorder would think, act, and feel, like there is in say The Best Little Girl in the World by Levenkron.

Instead, this is told through Donnie's eyes, and we see snippets of Donnie's life. The story is not told in a continuous way. There are often large gaps between chapters. This allows the reader to get a wide lens view of what happens to this family. This story is really about a little boy with no one that sees him. His parents fight with each other and pick on Karen about her eating. Donnie gets a scrap of attention when he is running a fever. But most of the time, he feels invisible. He turns it into a game where he tries to make sure no one speaks to him at school. Everyone complies, except for a new set of twins from his school who insist on saying hi to him at least once a day.

As Karen's body disappears and becomes just skin, Donnie feels himself disappearing into her disease.

A great read for early teens. As an adult it made me think back to my teen years, both the pleasant and the unpleasant.

SKIN
Skin is a dark story about a fourteen year old boy named Donnie. Donnie's life is falling apart. His parents fight everyday, the girl he likes hates him, he doesn't have any friends, and his sister won't eat. All Donnie wants to do, is to be noticed, he wants his parents to pay attention to him for once, instead of his anorexic sister Karen. Karen always has the spotlight because, she has no fears whatsoever. Karen isn't afraid of cussing in front of her parents or at her parents, or running away or getting in trouble. Donnie wants to help his sister eat. He sneaks protein powder into her water when she's not looking. Karen still doesn't get any healthier or wider. Donnie is now the outcast at school. He goes through classes and the hallways, like an invisible man. Donnie doesn't notice anybody, and nobody notices him. Donnie just wants a good life. He wants his parents to stay together, and he wants Amanda to be his girlfriend, he wants friends that won't ditch him in the cafeteria. He wants his sister to be healthy. Amanda doesn't like Donnie, because he started a nasty rumor about her and himself. It made Amanda so embarrassed that she never wanted to talk to Donnie again. Even though she did talk to him soon enough. In the end, Karen isn't what you would exactly call healthy. But, Donnie did make new friends. He forgot all about his family issues and focused on what really mattered. His future. "Skin," can actually teach you a lesson on life. Be thankful for what you have and what wonderful things have happened to you. Don't think about the negative. Donnie thought about the negative, and every time, he felt worse and worse. Donnie's life was a mess. But once he started thinking of the positive, he could think clearly and fix his problems.

Fourteen year-old Donnie is fairly invisible. He and his sister Karen escape during their parents' blow-out screaming matches. When Karen is with her best friend Amanda, Donnie becomes invisible to them.

Donnie had two best friends last year. Chris and Bean are "best friends with each other, and I'm best friends with the two of them at the same time. Not individually, though, because they already have each other." This year, however, Chris and Bean decided to move up in the pecking order, which necessitates having someone like Donnie below them to cement their status.

Skin is an unflinchingly honest look at family dynamics and formative friendships. Dad never had a father of his own, so parenting is shaky territory. Mom is desperately concerned with saving her marriage and getting her teen daughter to eat. Karen creates a web of lies about her health, always full of excuses about how she just ate at Amanda's or doesn't feel up to having food right now. Karen's weight is ready fodder for arguments between Mom and Dad.

All od these tensions render Donnie, our narrator, to the the background at home, at school, and in life. Skin is a story of survival. How much can one teen absorb before he stands up to shake the world up?

Great book. Interesting characters and plot. Great book to read while cozying up at the fire on a winter night.

Souls of the North Wind is a coming of age story set in the Canadian artic just as traditional Inuit life was to be forever changed by White traders. Iksik accidentally makes an old woman angry and she curses the boy and his entire village. In order to end the community's suffering, Iksik must trek across the barrens and convince the old woman to lift the curse. His cousin, Kiviok accompanies him. Kiviok has his own problems, no one believes him when he says he can understand what his dog says. They all insist that only a Shaman would have such abilities.

Souls of the North Wind is remnant of the stories we all read as children about growing up, about being ourselves, and about questioning common stereotypes. I think this message is still just as valid today and just as important for children, young adults, and adults alike. A fairly slow pace but the story progresses smoothly and purposefully toward an inspirational and somewhat humorous end.

I've had this book longer than I care to admit, but various things in life prevented me from reading it. Being in the military, working on my own book, moves etc; That said, I picked it up the other day without any distractions and began reading it. I couldn't put it down!!! CHRISSY K. MCVAY is in a league of her own!!! The story is something I am sure teenagers would love but I would recommend this book to "ANYONE" without any reservations, because I can't imagine anyone of any age who can read not loving it! Much in the way that the "Harry Potter Stories" were originally aimed at children, but adults quickly fell in love with them as well, I sense the same bottled magic here. This story is filled with wisdom, humor, danger, sadness, struggles, magic, intrigue conflicting beliefs, and a sense of anticipation through out that makes you want to get to that next page! And although I don't want to give it all away, children making that right of passage to becoming adults. It is beautifully detailed to give one the feeling of being present and it leads you on to read more, as if you are caught in one of the currents of the rivers she so vividly describes. The amount of research she must have done must have been mind staggering but she weaves this all together in such a way that every page contains something that by its self, is worth the price of this book. Being part Indian myself, I was swept away by her ability to make me feel as if I was living in the Inuit world, traditions, culture, manner of belief, I was there! Anyone who has any love of the wilderness or a desire to know how things perhaps use to be should own this book! I classify this book having read it finally, because of all the beautiful thoughts it contains, and stories within stories, and life lessons as something I am greatful to own and blessed to have. I can easily see this as a movie that will hold it's own against any movie in this area currently out there or that has ever been made previously!

Chrissy K. McVay is the real deal! The praise you see for this book is genuine, because, this truly is a true literary master piece!!!

Buy it and I am confident not only will you love it. You will share it with friends you know love to read works that are bonafide classics!

The Call Of The Wild
Old Yeller
Big Red
Charlottes Web
Black Beauty
Are all recognized classics

And I beyond a shadow of a doubt believe...

'The Souls of the North Wind'

More than holds its own with all them!

Sincerely,
Chase von
The Last Panther Your Chance to Hear The Last Panther Speak

One-hundred-eighty-two pages of pure adventure, SOULS OF THE NORTH WIND captured me from the very beginning. I'm not surprised that it won the Silver in ForeWord Magazine's Book of the Year Award in the juvenile fiction category.

But don't let that "juvenile fiction" fool you! This entertaining, educational novel is as enthralling for adults as it is for children. It's a riveting coming-of-age tale of two Ihalmiut boys who have the adventures of their lives on the the rugged Canadian Tundra.

Your heart will go out to these youngsters as they set out on a quest to rid one of them of a curse. With the fate of their entire village depending on their success, will they be able to save him and lift the curse? Will they be in time to save their village? And what frightening experiences do they face along the way in this hair-raising tale?

Author Chrissy K. McVay apparently knows her subject matter; writing with vivid imagery she breathes life into each character in this fast-paced novel of a primitive culture that preceded our more civilized societies.

Readers of this book will be enlightened as they learn more about the fascinating customs and legends of the Ihalmiut people who inhabited this wild, yet breath-taking territory. Hopefully, they will find new beauty and significance in their own lives as they learn about these early people and their rich heritage.

McVay's writing is clear and crisp, with a gentleness of touch and a way with words that made me feel as though I were there--in the book--right beside the characters. This outstanding novel has won a treasured place on my library shelf, right along with some of the best wordsmiths of our time. I highly recommend it, and feel it would make an enthralling movie.

I look forward to reading more from Chrissy K. McVay, a bright new light in the literary world.

Review by: Betty Dravis, 2007

When Iksik returned from a trading trip to a Kabluna village in the midst of a late snowstorm he was hounded by a witch's curse, a curse that brought with it danger and death from an ancient predator. All except the lead sled dog, Kuiniq, died in the night and Iksik was left partially paralyzed and wandering the land of death before the Ihalmiut's shaman sang him back into life. Kiviok, Iksik's cousin, could hear Kuiniq's voice and words in his mind and Kuiniq told Kiviok something evil tracked them through the blizzard and killed the dogs.

The Ihalmiut people lost several more men during a hunt and blamed Iksik for their bad luck. The shaman who was to lead Iksik and Kiviok to the land by the sea fell ill and the cousins left their village alone before their people decided they must be killed to remove the curse Iksik brought back with him. Taking Kuiniq, Iksik's lead sled dog, and Atnaliki, Kiviok's pup, the two young Inuit men journeyed alone through unknown lands and people to ask the witch who cursed Iksik to remove her curse and stop the yellow-eyed demon that stalks them and all who help them. When they reach the sea they will have to face the demon and death before they can return home.

Although "Souls of the North Wind" is juvenile fiction, everyone will enjoy the story it tells. Chrissy K. McVay's adventure tale spans the difference between Inuit and the rest of the world, showing their way of life and their beliefs in a realistic and sympathetic light. The Inuit world of Iksik and Kiviok at first seems backward and simplistic, but through the main characters' eyes the reader sees an open honesty and lack of guile that is delightfully enchanting.

The language of the Inuit is strange and daunting to read but McVay presents these ancient traditions and beliefs in a way that makes them seem less foreign and almost familiar. Kiviok and Iksik's adaptability and simple acceptance of hardship are shown in simple, straightforward language that rings with truth. Although the story is simple one of adventure, change and growth McVay layers in deeper meanings with a deft hand. "Souls of the North Wind" is the kind of story that grows richer with each reading.

I LOVED this book! After reading the first I rushed to the store to get the whole series. This is a great series for girls who love God and love sappy cute romantic stuff. I would def recomend the whole series.. I think I finished them all in like 2 weeks.

I enjoyed this one and am looking forward to the rest of them in this series. I very much like Elizabeth and I admire her strenghth and courage to move so far away and to change her lifestyle in such drastic ways. She gave me hope as I too have recently moved far from friends and family and at times it can be so lonely and tough. This book not only had hope and courage and love -- it also had elements of humor and even horror (at least the mouse on the chair made me gasp!!!).

I absolutely loved this novel.

I am a Christian, and I enjoy Janette Oke's books dearly. They are so wonderfully written--such wonderfully story lines, great details, great plots, and great faith in God.

I have read many of her novels, but I must say this one was my favorite. Something about this wonderful story made me just couldn't put it down! I found myself wanted to read it until I finished.

The story is wonderful, with Elizabeth's heart for teaching and her courage to moving to the west, and I love that is a love story at the same time. And her faith in God is so wonderful as well...

It's so neat cause when I read Janette's books, I don't just read a great story, but I learn something at the same time---great principles to apply to life - every time

If you want to read a great story (with no worries if younger readers want to read it) I truly recommend this story!

I loved it!!!!!!!! And you will too.

This is my second favorite Janette Oke book. (My first is A Gown of Spanish Lace.)I am currently rereading it for about the tenth time and once again falling in love with all the characters.
It is about a somewhat pampered and sheltered young woman named Elizabeth who decides to accept a teaching position in western Canada where life is backward compared to her hometown.
She encounters a few obstacles with courage and spunk. She adores her students and is an awesome teacher and role model.
She is determined not to marry right away, but when an attractive Mountie comes into her life, her mind changes. Mine would too if I met someone like Wynn! Jannette Oke has good taste in men. :) I highly recommend the entire Canadian West Series for females ages 15 and up. I especially love the first 2 of the series. It is easy to fall in love with both the characters and Canada.
In order to really enjoy an Oke book you really have to read it slowly. So if you don't have the time and patience to spend a few days quietly reading a book, this isn't for you.I often have a hard time settling down for the first chapter or two of her novels since they are slowpaced, but then I am able to really get into the story and am glad I decided to slow down and smell the roses.
I hope someday Hallmark (or anyone else)makes this book into a movie.

When Oke Engages My Heart, by Sara Larsen

Anyone that likes a quiet, sweet story about the experiences, joys, and sorrows of life from the perspective of a woman will love "When Calls the Heart" by Janette Oke. Oke effectively engages us and connects us to her protagonist by using strong characterization, sensory details, diction, and appeals to emotion.
On the first page of the novel, Elizabeth thinks to herself. "And how are you this delightful spring morning? I asked myself. Why, I am just fine, thank you, I silently answered, and then almost blushed as I quickly looked around for fear that someone might be able to read my thoughts." This is one of the first glimpses we get into the life of our protagonist. By developing the thoughts of her character and letting us into her brain, Oke has quickly helped us understand the personality of her character, and thus we become involved with the character on a more personal level. By connecting us to her character, Oke can then communicate messages, emotions, or ideas to us through her protagonist.
The powerful sensory details used by Oke when Elizabeth is spending her first night out in the Wilderness allow us to almost see what our protagonist sees and smell what our protagonist smells, thus inviting our sympathy and involvement. "...the tall grass had recently been cut but had been left to lie, browning where it fell. It smelled musty and insects buzzed busily about it...the riotous colors flamed out over the sky in shades that I had no words to describe..." (73) We get a glimpse into the newness of Elizabeth's experience by reading these sentences and can vividly picture the scene before her. Because of Oke's use of imagery, we feel as though we are experiencing Elizabeth's world because we have a detailed description of what her world is like, which is essential because then Oke is able to get us to feel what she wants us to feel.
Oke lets us know the terror that Elizabeth feels when she hears a sound that she's never heard before, and we become further engaged in the story because we can almost hear these sounds for ourselves and feel the heat on our faces because of the details used. "A wolf pack!...They had smelled new blood and were moving in for the kill...the sharp stubble of the grass and weeds bit into the palms of my hands, but I crawled on. Another howl pierced the night...the flames were robust now...I continued to feed the fire and huddle over it, coughing and crying into the woodsmoke." (74) We can imagine what is happening, almost feel the thorns in our own hands, and we also feel the same fear that Elizabeth does. Oke entices us, by using such imagery, to experience this with Elizabeth, to take an active part in the story and connect with her protagonist.
On the fourth page of the novel, Oke's carefully-chosen words effectively illustrate her characters when Elizabeth is describing her family; we are invited to see these characters as she sees them, thus aligning our point of view with our protagonist's. She uses words like "flighty one," "adventure-seeker," "the romantic," "silliness," "dainty," "pretty," "plenty of male attention," and "never enough" to describe her sister Julie. By using four rather short sentences with well-chosen words, Oke develops a single character, letting us get personally involved with her description. It is easy to paint in our minds an accurate, though unique, picture of Julie. But again, we see these characters through the eyes of Elizabeth, and Oke can then get her message across to us by using her characters--characters that we now view in the way she wants us to view them.
Oke superbly uses diction to get us involved in Elizabeth's dilemma with the school stove, and just by reading these words we understand how she feels about herself and how she feels about her friend, Wynn Delaney. When Wynn Delaney walks in, we read words like "gasp," "choke," "embarrassment," "self-conscious," and "predicament," causing us to feel Elizabeth's humiliation. Words we read about Wynn Delaney include "benefactor," "save," "purposefully," and "friendship," (133) making it clear that Elizabeth was appreciative of Wynn's help. Oke strategically uses these words to cause us to subconsciously feel the same way that Elizabeth does; thus we see the following events from Elizabeth's point of view, which is Oke's objective, because then we become attached to our protagonist and sympathize with her feelings when things go wrong for her.
Oke gets us emotionally involved when Elizabeth is about to return home and leave behind the world she has come to love. She pauses when she hears her name. "A hand was placed on my shoulder, and through the mist in my eyes I saw a red-coated chest and I looked up into the face of Wynn Delaney. His eyes looked troubled as they gazed deeply into mine." (219) By this point in the story we have a firm understanding of Elizabeth's confusion about her relationship to Wynn, and we also know how reluctant she is to return home because we, too, have come to love this wilderness through Elizabeth's experiences. Oke now effectively touches our emotions, but is only able to do so because throughout the story we have come to know, experience, and love her characters, which she has effectively done through characterization, sensory details, and diction. Now that Oke has fully and completely engaged us with the story and with her protagonist, she gives us one last gift of connecting with our emotions. We leave the book feeling our hearts touched in some way.
Oke does an excellent job of connecting us to her protagonist and engaging each of her readers, no matter what background they have. If you want to be left with a happy feeling and you enjoy these kinds of books, you will love "When Calls the Heart."

While the read was enjoyable and well paced, I'm confused as to the abundance of 5-star ratings for this book. I felt the plot and identity of the Falcon was far too easy to pick out from very early on. Had I been younger and less apt to figure it out, I might have enjoyed it better. I give it a four-star rating though because Stefano was pure deliciousness. I do agree that this book would be excellent as a movie, and will nurse an unlikely hope that a talented filmaker will take it up as his next project.

This book is fantastic. I bought it about a year ago, and I have read it a million times. I loved the mystery behind the "falcon", and the touch of romance all around. The characters are fascinating and keep you hooked. READ THIS BOOK! YOU WILL LOVE IT!

Oh yesss! Dreams of handsome, heroic, brave, strong, romantic, dashing, yummy, etc. etc. guys! I think I'd better reread it right now; maybe I'll get some more nice dreams. Ladies, you need this book even if you have to put up with a cruddy used copy from Amazon resales. (I'll bet someone's stolen the copy from your local library!)

I have collected and read many of Barbara Michaels' Books and this one is My favorite. Set during the Italian Revolution, it gives you a different perspective of Italian History, through English eyes. It was very well written, so much so, that you feel as if the excitement in the book, is very real!! The main characters are intelligent, witty, and daring. You cheer for them throughout the book. I wish this were made into a movie, so visual people, like myself, could indulge in it further. Whether you're a closet romantic, history student, or mystery buff --- you'll want to read it twice....like I did!!!

This historical romance by 'Barbara Michaels' aka Elizabeth Peters, is set during the Italian Risorgimento of the mid nineteenth century. Francesca Fairbourn is the daughter of an impoverished English father and an aristocratic Italian mother. Her parents had eloped to England in a most romantic fashion, causing her to be disowned by her family. In true romance fashion the young woman died in childbirth leaving Francesca to be raised by her most impractical father. Shortly after leaving school at 18 Francesca's father dies leaving her totally alone in the world. At that dire moment a dashing young man comes to rescue her from a 'fate worst than death'. He turns out to be her half-cousin and has come to take her back to the family home in Italy. Once there Francesca finds herself embroiled in the Italian revolution, surrounded by anarchists, mercenary soldiers, spies, traitors and dashing romantic hero.

The novel has all the standard cliches of historical fiction and could have easily been just one of the numerous trashy examples of the genre well deserving the title of 'bodice ripper', but for the skillful hand of Michaels. The characters transcend the usual two dimensional character found in romances, the twists and turns of the plot are clever even though the reader will quite possibly solve at least some of the mysteries before the last few pages. The historical background is well researched and presented in an entertaining manner. It is, however, lacking the wry humor found in other works by this author (the Amelia Peabody and Vicky Bliss series).

For even an occasional reader of this type of fiction this one is a great find.

I don't even know what to say about this book but its great. Ever since reading the book it reminded me of the things that I thought were forgotten.

Anywayz this is a must in have in your collection since all the stories are real. All in all a great read.

Whether you're a woman and are "bi curious" or you're a guy--there's no need to explain why men would like this book--Awakening the Virgin is a mind blowing and satisfying read about women and women. I've only read one other book that comes close to this one, "The Other Woman" by Kim Corum. I hope to find more becuase these stories are HOT.

This book is exactly what the title says, a collection of short stories about first time lesbian experiences. The stories are written by women, usually in the first person, and are filled with flowery imagery. This title takes a deep look, mostly through repetition, at the sensual and emotional sides of lesbianism.

Each story left me with a sense of admiration and respect for the virgins at the leaps of faith they made in order to live out their first experience. Certainly in light of the social taboo and potential rejection a journey into homosexuality has the potential to be a devastating occurrence. The women all know this but follow their hearts into relationships to intensely rewarding ends.

This book allowed me a window into my own wife's past as an experimental teenager. I thought it was amazing how closely her story mirrored some of the stories in this book. I would recommend this collection to anyone who thinks they are a lesbian or anyone who is in a relationship with a lesbian/past lesbian.

One last note of warning, this is not a hardcore/pornographic novel; if you are looking for something like that I would recommend "Penthouse Forum" magazines.

I found this collection to be standard. Like most erotica, this compilation has a few shining stars as well as a few stinkers, with most everything else falling in the middle.

One of the stories was mediocre in its editing: There were a few times where the author's repeated use of the same word distracted from the reading (After reading only 2 pages, I wanted to ring up the author and yell, "Buy a thesaurus!")
Another story was poorly paced: I wanted to sink my teeth into erotica and instead I got three pages of fruit salad recipes.

That said, I must give credit for a few good choices by the editor. One nod goes to the fact that she tried to create a balance of romance themes and hard core sexual stories. A second nod goes to her attempts to cater to a wide variety of sexual tastes and fetishes, from vanilla to S&M.
If you're in the mood for a decent collection of varied erotica to have on your bookshelf, this is a nice choice. If you're just looking for some reading to whack with, I suggest you save your money and surf up nifty dot org or some other web source.

This book was the most awesome book on lesbian relationships I have ever read. The stories are emotional and erotic! I loved every story and highly recommend this book to all women, whether you are straight, bi, or lesbian. This book shows how women relate on all levels, especially sexually. A real eye-opener for the novice or curious.