K Books

There is something interesting about a fairy with attitude. Vidia is not one of the nicest fairies but she is still interesting. In fact she seems to make an appearance in every book. Also, Vidia's conflict with the Queen sort of humorous. This was a good mini quest.

My nine year old daughter loves fairy books about Tinkerbell and her friends. She absolutely devours them as soon as I get them. What a boost for her imagination!

We own all of this series! Started reading them when my daughter was 4 (she just turned 5 now), and they are age appropriate. Not too scary and always a happy ending. One book only takes us about 4-5 nights worth of reading together. The longer ones are good too "Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg" and "Fairy Haven and the Quest for the Wand", but they are a little bit scarrier than the short books (more appropriate for ages 5-7 I would think).

The is a great book for in-between readers--my five year old daughter is not quite ready for regular chapter books, but feels too old for picture books. She has been a frustrated and apathetic listener recently, but absolutely loved this book and asked me every hour to read more. My seven year old son overheard me reading it to her and joined in--and he loved it! Both kids have begged to get more books from this series. They are a great mix of wonderful color pictures, interesting story, and writing that appeals to a broad range of pre and elementary school kids.

Hi well to start I read this and a lot of the other disney fairy books and this one is my favorite. I guess I like it the best cause it's kinda a mystery and I love mysterys and it's about Vidia my favorite fairy. The only problem I can see is it's a short novel and I like long ones. But overall I like this book gotta go hope this was helpful Brooke.

On Aug 10, 2005 I was diagnosed with adult ADD and dyslexia. For over 55 years I did not know what my new opportunity was inside MySELF. This is the first book I read cover to cover in many many years. I took notes, read slowly but finished the book in less than a week, and tried to comprehend what Mr. Scalese had written. I even cried a few times reading this "How to help MySELF" book. The name for my guarding angel is MySELF. So today, I can be three persons in one whole.... Me, MySELF, and I
No need for me to slow down, just Calm Down.
I saw my third eye without self-hypnosis Tish (my word to relax) will help me for the rest of my life, as I am known today.

How often is it that we search for aid to improve our situations. Too frequently time and money is wasted on the quick fix. We get too busy to seek out solutions that exist within ourselves. We exhaust our efforts and agree to give up the fight. I have found more honsety and explanation from the great works of Stephen Scalese, to increase knowledge about myself. Listening to the whisper in my heart has led me to great opportunities I may have been to preoccupied to recognize. I would also like to extend thanks to Mr. Scalese.

This book has been a life changing experience. That little voice that has spoken to all of us from time to time, that may have saved our lives or helped in important decisions, is always with us. This book allows us to tap into that inner voice, and the results are astounding.

I read Stephen's book in July and have heard more than a few "whispers" over the past few months. I was involved in TM (Transendental Meditation) back in the 70's, but got out of the habit of meditating after a couple of years. The Whisper in Your Heart brought back all the positive aspects of TM without the negatives that caused me to quit before.

By tapping into that special part of my being, my inner voice, I've found answers to several questions that had been plaguing me for some time. I've also reduced my stress level and achieved a sense of calm I hadn't felt for years.

I'd highly recommend this book to anyone. All can benefit from its simple road map to inner peace and better decision making.

This book is a precious gem that will guide you to discover your real power within. I am greatly interested in discovering and unleashing the powers of subconscious mind and applying it in real life. The changes in my life that are already happening are exciting and promising. I already was able to get rid of long lasting and terribly disturbing stomach indigestion problem (about 6+ yrs old). None of traditional or chinese doctors were able to help, until i read these books and healed myself! It took me about 1 month. Besides that many different good things started to happen in my life and it always making me wonder "are they just a coincidents or the results of wisdom i am applying from these books?". I already making plans and working on to improve my life in all other aspects. Another book, that i am refering to is: "The Power of Your Subconscious Mind" by Joseph Murphy. Definitely get this Murphy's book. "The Whisper in your heart" takes an interesting approach to develop intuition, unleash the hidden powers you never suspected you had and explains how to talk to your subconscious mind in more "interactive" way. "The Power of Your Subconscious Mind" and "The Whisper in your heart" are nicely complement each other and are definitely classics and full of invaluable information on the subject.

I needed to read this book. I am in the process of pursuing a private pilots license and this was so beneficial to me to be able to read a book that answered those questions I would have never thought to ask.

I must agree with every positive thing said about this work. It has really inspired and carried me through into actually taking action. Like having a friend by your side, giving advice.

Very well written introduction for anyone considering becoming a pilot. This book provides a short, but thorough, analysis of just about all that being a pilot involves - from initial training to life as a General Aviation pilot. Finally - a book well worth the money!

Your Pilot's License provides a simple, concise guide to getting your license to fly. Eichenberger describes both how to actually fly a plane as well as the process by which one learns how and is licensed to do so. Eichenberger's experience as a flight instructor (CFI) clearly shows, as much of the book reads like a flight lesson.

The book is a must-read for anyone thinking about taking up flying or who has just started taking lessons. Not only does is summarize what to expect, it also provides a wealth of knowledge that should help make your lessons more effective. Eichenberger explains complicated concepts in simple English. Particularly helpful to the beginning pilot will be his explanations of how lift works and how to "fly the box" taking wind into account.

For those who have been flying for a period of time, the book offers very little (other than perhaps nostalgia about those first flights). If you don't already know what is covered in this book (and in some areas, significantly more than is covered) you really shouldn't be flying a plane.

For those looking to get their flight instructor certificate, this book holds particular value as it will help you learn how to teach your students! It is also very helpful in remaining us how if felt "from the other side."

I am a CFI (Certificated Flight Instructor) and have read several popular 'Private Pilot Training' manuals. Many of them are expensive, and very thick. I don't use them though...I use THIS book. It covers 90% of what I want covered in ground school, and I augment it with other materials as I see fit. It is quite inexpensive, and it is very well-written. I highly recommend this book to prospective pilots, to student pilots, and to certificated pilots as a handy 'quick refresher'. If you have ever considered becoming a pilot (trust me, it is worth every penny), this this book gives you a great overview of what flying is about.

Pam Vredevelt writes from a Christian point of view. She is a wife of a man in the ministry, a woman who gives talks, and a mother of three. Their third child was born with down syndrone. Pam went through a period of depression. Slowly, she began to realize that there is beauty in having a "special needs" child. The messages of hope throughout this book make it an appropriate book to give to any friend who is going through a difficult time. (ie cancer, divorce, etc.) I received mine as a gift, and have dog eared pages to refer back to.

Anyone who has faced disappointment, death or any kind of tragedy this book is for you. It is filled with hope. I will give this book as gifts to many of my friends and family. I hope others will treasurer it as much as I have.

I loved this book by Pam Vredevelt so much that I am reading it a second time. It is so encouraging because it gives the perspective of a parent in clear and heartfelt wording. I have many "Nathan's" in my classroom whose parents have surely felt some of the same grief and joy expressed by Pam. I applaud her for writing such an emotionally open and inspiring book becuase it has given me new perspective into what the parents of my students continually deal with.

Someone gave me a copy of this book years ago when I was going through tough times. Though details of my situation were in no way similar to the author's, I could relate to the fears and spiritual/emotional struggles she faced. Her story of hope and spiritual strength helped me to face and then conquer my own fears. I have since given several copies of this book to other friends facing their own life struggles, and have received much positive feedback. Highly recommended.

I am the mother of a child with Down Syndrome. My neighbor gave me this book and it was at a time when I most needed it. Sometimes raising a child with a disability can be challenging and this gave me hope. I sent it to two other people who could also use the same hope at a difficult time. It is inspiring to know that these children are not alone. I learned that from this book and it helps us as we go on this journey. Thank you Pam Vredevelt!

If you are interested in developing new skills in how to do the relationship dance, this is the book for you. Fearless Loving is a must read. It doesn't matter whether you're currently in relationship, whether you would like to be in a relationship, married, single, recently split up, or divorced. Rhonda has a talent for bringing together concepts and distilling them into bit size, chewable skills for taking action, which most any one of us can implement, given our commitment.

This book is a valuable tool for me, personally and for my sixteen year marriage/partnership. I'm finding new ways to really listen, communicate, to set boundaries, to clarify perceptions, to honor my feelings and to play.

Fearless Loving also offers an insightful and helpful protocol for people who are interested in a new way to date. I highly recommend this book to my friends and anyone interested in Love.

Rhonda Britten just gets it. This book is so wonderful. She can guide you along your path to loving in a way you never thought you could, but always wanted to. The most poignant truth for me is that everyone is innocent. That's so hard to think and act on, but she's so right about it. I would have everyone believe me innocent until proven guily, so it only seems fair for me to believe that about everyone else. This book will help you with understanding any type of love and how to do it best! She never coaches you to be someone you're not, and even highly discourages behaving as if you were playing a game. She teaches you how to test your prospective partner, or current partner so you can hear what they're not saying (which is more insightful than what they are saying). Rhonda will fill you full of courage and you will feel that you can love confidently without ever sacrificing who you are, or ever compromising what you need from a loving relationship.

Fearless Loving is well-written and packed full of useful tools that if followed will send you on your way to building new love relationships, enhancing the one's you already have and uncovering and discovering the ways in which we block or deny ourselves love. The author jumps into the trenches with you as she reveals her own personal experiences. This approach made it feel real and tangible. The best self-help book I've read in a long time!!

If you've ever been through divorce -- if you've ever had a failed relationship and aren't quite sure why things couldn't have worked out better -- if you're tired of playing relationship roulette -- READ THIS BOOK!! It's the guidebook for finding and keeping love that you've been looking for. And don't forget to read Fearless Living, too! It's your ticket to freedom and to the real YOU!

ok, i only first heard of Rhonda by watching the TV reality show "starting over" + then got hooked onto watching the amazing clarity with which she brought women from all walks of life to.
so my roomate bought this book to assist her from dating another jerk, and boy, is this book stellar! its not thick, not complicated, but really packs an emotional + mental punch. i have even more respect for this woman, who has been through so much + has found a way to positively help others. i've been telling all open-minded pals of mine who really do want to change any "failures" they have to read this. its really good stuff!

I not being one to read novels much at all, found this book very easy to read! I liked the fact that the author used historical documents to support his book, and had learned a great deal about Bat Masterson himself. The author also includes a lot of other characters that Bat had associated with during his time. I also come to learn that Bat had really been involved in a lot of small town politics, which in a sense was surprising to me for the life style he led.

I have not read other books of Bat Masterson, but I feel I don't need to after reading this book.

Bat Masterson: The Man and the Legend
I have been watching the old Bat Masterson TV series recently and I got curious about who he really was. This book is very well written and full of stories and excerpts for other biographies and newspaper articles to create a pretty complete picture of William Barclay Masterson.

This is probably the best biography of Bat Masterson out there. It is also a good history of 19th Century Kansas is that interests anyone. I learned that alot of western history took place in Kansas so I may want to travel there and check out the sights thanks to this book.

Mr. Dearment has provided an excellent read. The data is presented in a well thoughtout manner while the writing style is easy to read and comprehend. It seemed like there was less of Bat's later life presented then earlier days but that may be because there was more to present. I tend to read mostly non-fiction, historical books and found this to have been a very worthwhile project to read.

This is a well researched and written book about a western icon. Unlike many westerns, this one is a very interesting read - sharing not only the life of Bat Masterson but the gunfighters and others who lived around them and their experiences. For example, a whole chapter is on Jim Masterson and his experiences in southern Kansas and Colorado in the late nineteenth century. Although the book does an excellent job of covering Bat during his Dodge days and especially his two years as sheriff of the county and the "battle of the Plaza" afterwards, I especially liked the stories about his late years in Denver and New York, including his close calls with possible gunfights during that time. Yes, Bat Masterson did not kill 27 men, and only one is credited to him, but it is clear from this book, that the reason for this was that most people stayed clear of him because of the recognition of his prowess with a six gun. This book is not only a history of Bat Masterson but an excellent history of the gunfighters who crossed his path. Consequently, I highly recommend this for any individual interested in that period of US history.

This is a great resource for individuals looking for some leadership pointers.

Since I became a civilian a few years ago, I've struggled somewhat with explaining to my team how to adapt what I "know" about Army leadership into terms they can understand.

This book does a great job of putting the fundamentals of Army leadership into terms civilians can understand, and better yet, implement or integrate into their leadership experience.

The fundamentals apply to every organization, and I highly recommend it to any student of leadership!

I recently re-read this book, curious to know to what extent its content remains relevant. My conclusion? It is even more relevant today than it was when first published in 2004. In Richard E. Cavanagh's Foreword, he recalls a discussion during dinner with Peter Drucker and Jack Welch who shared the same opinion that the United States military services do the best job developing leaders. What we have in this volume is an adaptation by Frances Hesselbein and General Eric K. Shinseki (USA Ret.) of Field Manual 22-100, Army Leadership, with assistance from Alan Shrader. Hesselbein and Shinseki also wrote the Introduction. The material is carefully organized within seven chapters, followed by a Conclusion that reviews the most important points, correctly noting the unique and compelling role that the U.S. Army has played since June 14, 1775, when the Continental Congress authorized enlistment of riflemen to serve the United Colonies for one year.

With regard to the book's title, "Army leadership begins with what the leader must Be, the values and attributes that shape a leader's character...People want leaders who are honest, competent, forward-looking, and inspiring...People willingly follow only those who know what they are doing. One of the quickest ways for a leader to lose trust and commitment of followers is to demonstrate incompetence...Character and competence, the Be and the Know, underlie everything a leader does. But character and knowledge - while absolutely necessary - are not enough. Leaders act; they Do...They solve problems, overcome obstacles, strengthen teamwork, and achieve objectives. They use leadership to produce results."

I realize that these concepts seem simple. In one sense they are. However, in this context, I am reminded of what Oliver Wendell Holmes once said: "I would not give a fig for the simplicity this side of complexity, but I would give my life for the simplicity on the other side of complexity." The challenge to any organization when developing leaders is to guide those involved to the other side of complexity." The composite of excerpts from Be-Know-Do identifies core concepts, to be sure, but it also describes the character, competence, knowledge, and results-driven initiative that the U.S. Army seeks to develop within every one of its soldiers, regardless of rank. "No one is only a leader; each person in an organization is also a follower and part of a team. In fact, the old distinction between leaders and followers has blurred; complex twenty-first-century organizations require individuals to move seamlessly from one role to another in an organization, from leadership to `followership,' and back again."

Hesselbein and Shinseki are to be commended for their skillful adaptation of Field Manual 22-100, Army Leadership, but also for the inclusion within the narrative of relevant material from sources outside the U.S. Army organization. For example, they quote prominent business thinkers throughout the narrative: James Kouzes and Barry Posner on leadership by example (page 24), John Gardner on the importance of a shared vision (page 30), Patrick Lencioni on teamwork (page 86), and John Kotter on a leader's "quest for learning" (page 132). Readers will also appreciate the provision of various "Exhibits" such as 5.1 that provides a brilliant illustration of Team-Building Stages.

Those who share my high regard for this volume are urged to check out Frances Hesselbein's other works that include The Leader of the Future 2: Visions, Strategies, and Practices for the New Era co-authored with Marshall Goldsmith, On Leading Change: A Leader to Leader Guide co-authored with Rob Johnston, and Leading for Innovation: and Organizing for Results co-edited with Goldsmith and Iain Somerville. Also, I highly recommend the wealth of resources available at the Leader to Leader Institute (http://www.leadertoleader.org/), a non-profit and tax exempt organization that includes a subscription to its magazine among several membership benefits.

Although this book is required reading, not only for ARMY OCS, but also for other applications, it is quite possibly the most BORING read ever.

While the information is quite valid *and* genius, basically the ARMY's system on leadership, it is just plain boring... Sorry, it's the truth.

For the price, the information is golden. In fact, even if the price were higher it would still be worth what you pay. But even still, this was a painful 171 pages to read!!

BUY IT. READ IT. GET IT OVER WITH...! :)

The world's benchmark with respect to leadership is the market driven capitalist company, however it seems they have lost their way when compared to the US Army. After you read this book you will be shocked to find out how far ahead of private business the US Army is in the area of Leadership.

Ultimately the US Army has determined that in some fashion everyone that reports to you is also a leader and needs to be trained and respected as such. The US Army's leaders are actively developed at all levels so that they can lead and develop others - no lip service here.

I found this wonderful resource as part of research for my own guide for parents on interactive media in young childhood. A mother and excellent reporter sought answers to her concerns about the place of media on her little child. She offers us a readable and balanced summary of current knowledge. Together with Into the Minds of Babes: How Screen Time Affects Children from Birth to Age Five, by another concerned mother, we get an excellent picture of how babies actually interact with media, commercial claims aside. Highly recommended.

One of the key points the other reviewers may have missed is Thomas' finding that most of the marketing people and product designers she interviewed seemed genuinely interested in making a good product for children -- they too seemed to misunderstand the research, subconciously recalling the bits favorable to their beliefs and discounting the opposing studies. Many just did not have time to think about the culmulative effects of what they were doing. The book seems as much a call to stop and think about the big picture as an indictment of an industry.

For parents who recall the early days of "Program Length Commercials" (PLCs) like He-Man, and Transformers, and G.I. Joe, one might think that Strawberry Shortcake and the new Care Bears are nothing new, but Thomas points out that the trend is towards marketing to ever younger kids -- a phenomena called "kids getting older younger" (KGOY). She also raises serious issues about commercial culture sneaking into preschools via free products and materials, lending a sense of the school's endorsement of the commercial message.

A disturbing read that reaffirms one's desire to spend as much time as one can with one's kids in "free play" with generic toys.

My title pretty much sums up my thoughts, though I'll add that this book focuses on baby TV rather than consumer culture broadly.

I wish everyone who is planning to heap junk, I mean, presents on my children would read this book! I learned so much and I really enjoyed what a good writer the author is. It was like reading some of the very best feature articles in Newsweek. She provided very eye opening statistics about the incredible commerical success of baby products and contrasted it with the scientific knowledge that exists for how unlikely most of these products are to help children's thinking abilities develop. I am especially glad for the gathering of evidence for how TV/DVD viewing negatively affects very young children, a slap in the face to the juggernaut industry that now exists to crank out such product. Other parts of the book include relevant interviews, realistic offerings for how to live and cope with the information, and interesting information about how marketers view Generation X parents so that those of us who are that market can avoid traps! I wouldn't say that was necessarily the author's agenda - but it is mine and I think this book has helped with that!

If I had a lot of money, I would give this book to all my friends who have young children or are about to have children. If you have ever suspected that something is deeply wrong with our consumer/TV culture - especially where our children are concerned, this helps you put a definite finger on it. We and our children are being manipulated and harmed by money grubbing companies who hide behind "learning" as a way to rake in the cash. They both incite and take advantage of parents' concerns that they are simply not doing enough for their children and that they can somehow boost their children's IQs/talents by putting them in front of gadgets and videos. Some of the questions and research findings presented in the book have recently been supported by a U of W study showing that videos such as Baby Einstein are not helpful for infants and may even delay language development. The marketing profiles of the different kinds of moms out there, depending on their age and income/education level, are spooky. Marketers and the companies they work for know all about you and what makes you tick and spend. Some people call this free-enterprise, but some of the marketing and R&D you will read about in this book are completely unethical and some are really asking for a class action lawsuit. Squash consumer culture. Turn that TV off and talk to your baby, go take a walk, go to the park,...

In light of the previously posted shining reviews on this text, I suppose there is not much more to be said, but I felt compelled to bolster what has already been written. This book is, along with Norman Friedman's US Submarines since 1945, without question, among the definetive works on submarines of this period. Outstandingly researched and presented. Do not hesitate to buy this book. Top notch.

I was somewhat skeptical of this book when I saw nothing but 5 star reviews from purchasers of the title. However, having read it, this is THE Cold War submarine reference. It contains insights not only into the technologies deployed, but the rational (or in some cases the Irrational) that led to the development of the mysterious technological marvels we could only speculate on during the cold war. The authors clearly show both American and Soviet perspectives on the cold war submarine development. I found the information regarding the CONFORM design on 1967 to be of particular interest. Rickover's insistence on developing the 688 class killed CONFORM. Yet CONFORM was 40 years ahead of anything available at that time. It is interesting that the 688's were far more fragile than one might imagine. Yet Rickover insisted on having his way. Where would we be had the CONFORM design gone through?? This book is absolutely the best material that I have read to date on cold war submarines.

Not as many actual pix of subs as most books but it is very well written and also dabbles into the politics and design that went on with each new design of submarine. Nice charts and missile specs and things like that. Goes into greater detail of the US boats more than Soviet.

I sought a book with a serious overview of the topic of Cold War submarines, and not a book about one or another aspect of the topic. I ended up with a book that contains both an excellent overview as well as serious discussion of specific submarines, strategies, technologies and the men behind the scenes.
The story is well placed within the historical context of the political, military and economical events and processes of the Cold War. The text is well written and well structured.
Especially fascinating is the look behind the scenes of Soviet submarine design, construction and operations - those were among the best-kept secrets of the Soviet Union.
Besides dealing with "main stream" submarines, there are several interesting chapters about different experimental projects; rescue submarines and several fantasy projects, like freight vessels and aircraft carrying submarines.
Although the story is focused on the Cold War period, there is a detailed discussion of WWII technology that highly influenced Cold War designs, as well as descriptions of post Cold War vessels and fleets.
The book is well illustrated with photographs and line drawings.

I knew about a Polmar from reading references in some papers, so I finally decided to give a try. I wasn't disappointed. There were lots of technical details giving an overview. Better yet, it is a balanced account - by no means are Americans portrayed as all powerful.

If there were two things it can be improved on - well, one would be the placement of the endnotes. It is a matter of taste, but considering how many there were and how interesting they were, it might have been more convenient to have put them at the bottom of the main text as footnotes for each page.

The second is that I would have killed for a chapter or two on "other than the equipment". Subs are not just their designers, their admirals and the technicals - it is also the men, their organization and their training. Polmar briefly goes over the differences, but it could have been given a full chapter or at least an Appendix if extra efficiency measures were applied to the pre-Cold War history stuff.

Now, I'm going to buy another Polmar book that would hopefully fill up the gap. Wish me luck.

This story was so difficult to put down. Such a fast read and so many twists and turns in it. The characters were so real that I found myself trying to advise them. I also enjoyed the wonderful attention to the details of the time period. It is a story of family and of love, and ambition. But it is also a story of racism and involves some ugly truths about a time long ago.

The time is 1961. Miranda Lane, childhood movie star, is still a box office hit even at the age of 20. The book begins with a press conference in which Miranda announces her plans for early retirement. Shock consumes reporters, movie lovers are devastated, and the rumors begin to fly. But it is not the rumors that quickly bring Miranda back to the screen, it's her past. There are secrets...deep dark secrets that are out to destroy her and everything around her that she cares so deeply about.

Syble Lane is Miranda's mother. At an early age she began grooming Miranda, molding her to take the spotlight in the television industry at all costs.

She's a controlling, devious, cruel and smothering woman who takes all credit for her daughters success. The news of Miranda's plans for retirement infuriate her bring her to a state of revenge. It is with Syble that the dark secrets lie and the power to continue her control over Miranda.

THE COLOR OF BLOOD by M. K. Fottrell dabbles in a bit of several genres from thriller, mainstream, and mystery to even a bit of romance. The characters have been well created, each with their own unique personalities and views, allowing the reader to feel as though they are seeing the story through the eyes of each character. The plot often jumps to memories of the past as the story of the present continues on bringing to light a deeper side to the characters and allowing the reader to discover even more about each one as an individual.

Ms. Fottrell has done a wonderful job of creating a story line that will grab you and keep you in it's grasp until the very end.

A wonderful and sensitive story about racism. A quick and insightful read. Deals with a childhood actress and her overdominating mother who has many secrets of her own. When Miranda discovers her mother's damaging past, she needs to deal with the implications of the past on her life. Just a wonderful story and highly recommended.

This book is wonderful because it is so unexpected. The plot goes along nicely and then boomerangs into a new journey. Just when I thought I had figured things out--up popped a new element that took my breath away. This is a welcome change from the predicatable "safe" novels that publishers adore to churn out these days. I recommend this book!

Hollywood in the early sixties is a carefully segregated place, but races unite in outrage at a news conference of Miranda Lane. Once a revered child star, Miranda still retains her sparkling presence even as her glittering reputation lies tarnished. One reporter asks, "how does it feel to be called 'nigger lover' by whites and 'racist' by radical Negroes?" Yet even lurid tabloids headlines and outrageous accusations fall short of the outrageous truths that governs Miranda's life.

Sybil, "the blue-eyed tyrant" carefully controlled her daughter's career from the moment she was discovered. Miranda's announcement of retirement is her first independent decision, and it infuriates her mother. When Miranda moves out, Sybil threatens to destroy the fabric of her life. Sybil begins her retaliation by spending over 35 million dollars, the sum of Miranda's wealth, thereby forcing her daughter out of retirement. Then she reveals the ultimate secrets that undermine the very fabric of Miranada's identity.

Miranda begins a new life by moving to New York. Her mother's careful grooming has taught her to trust no one else. But in her fantasies she strolls storefronts without being recognized, and falls in love without a lack of trust. New York affords her the opportunity, at least, to begin her first romantic affair with Peter Brooks, a reporter she met during her retirement announcement. Her opportunity for self-discovery abruptly halts, however, when Sybil reveals a secret that thrusts Miranda into social, political and ethical turmoil.

Secrets and scandal emerge against the glitter of a Hollywood background in THE COLOR OF BLOOD. Author MK Fottrell moves seamlessly between past and present, locations and characters in this richly woven tale. Fottrell likewise fluidly blends a number of genres, including suspense, mainstream and romance. The psychotic Sybil provides the perfect anti-heroine, as she undercuts her daughter's success in retaliation for hurts both real and imagined. Indeed, the love/hate relationship between mother and daughter is beautifully portrayed. Miranda learned early to trust her mother because there never was anyone else, and that is the key her personality, her motivations, and many of her ultimate decisions. Such complexity gives THE COLOR OF BLOOD an extraordinary tone and remarkable depth. This cross-genre novel comes very highly recommended.