Shadow Books

The author, whose works we have admired previously, captures the essence of 20th century media and the strangeness therein throughout his elegaic Shadows, Angels and Joe Dimona.

The contributions of Dimona and his kind might be understated or underappreciated but many but they are central to the latter half of the 20th - a truly American century.

I had the privilege of meeting the late Tom Lahey, whose obituary in the NY Times did not do justice to his contributions so young Mr. Nirschel's work must suffice.

I Love this book. It is written in a subversive style, unlike almost anything I've read! The author throws convention away and has freed his imagination to ruminate about all the disparate threads in the life of an author most American's don't know. I'm originally from South Africa and Joe DiMona is regarded as one of the giants there, especially in old Durban and at University.
When I came to the states he was little thought of and hardly remembered. That has changed with this fabulous story about DiMona and America and all their points of intersection! I get it I get it, and love the way the author highlights each chapter with rock idioms and crazy swings from high art to a kind of street sensibility. It is rare I think that a funny book is written abour a funny man, rarer still that a brilliant book is done about a brilliant man; but the author is right on in both cases...Though I take exception to some of the political rhetoric I fully grasp the expose' of political charlatans, a problem incidentally not indigenous to America (or democrats).
This is a book as populist as the "Soprano's" and as wonderfully ornate in its' ambition. It's as if all America opened up to the author through Joe DiMona.

Joe DiMona finally has a recognition and appreciation worthy of his unique talent.

This is a sensational read

This is a different kind of biography. It is at once an analysis of an interesting literary career, a witty remembrance indeed, but also a politcal tome', a kind of paen to the lost world the author Joe DiMona knew. In the best parts of the story the writer, Martin Nirschel, laments the passing of DiMona and everything he embodied, while celebrating all that is enduring in the life of the artist, "His sphere expands even as the world he knows contracts". I enjoyed the story best on that level, Nirschel has a wonderful, elegaic style. He makes you feel a world long ago and his grasp of it is exquisite! Also, the book was written before the death of Tom Leahy, the president of CBS. The writing about Leahy, on the conflicting strains of power and success and his rather plain awe in being in Leahy's company stands as some of the most revealtory writing I have seen in a long while. This is a rare book about rather extraordinary people. A chronicle I think of the last days of the 20th century, even as the author wrote it I don't know that he envisioned how quickly and profoundly the world would change. The vantage point on DiMona, Leahy and the "end of the century" is breathtaking and informative.

Praise be!!! Someone has finally written something substantive about a very important though under-appreciated author, Joe DiMona. This is a very funny book and an extremely insightful one about the nature of art, politics and commerce. DiMona sold as many books as just about any American writer in the 1970's-1980's, yet no one seems to know anthing about him. I thought I was his only remaining fan til I saw this book. Martin Nirschel writes a really high powered bio that manages to encompass the last 10 or so years of DiMona's life and the strange after life, where all of the themes of his books would be played out in the Florida recount mess. Having read all of DiMona's books it is uncanny how closely the "recount" matched up with what DiMona wrote many years ago. Nirschel gets about as close to his subject as possible. There is not much objectivity, but the admiration for the work and appreciation of his subject jumps off the page. I wish the book were longer, it kept me wanting to read more and to get out some of Joe DiMona's dusty books from the 70's. Part of the story is like "Tuesdays with Morrie' and another part is a serious examination of the life of a writer and all of the pitfalls of success, while still others remind you of "Mystery Train" (a point the author makes at some juncture) where all of the loose ends of America tie together.
For Nirschel, Joe DiMona was great unifying figure, a social critic of the first order, a humorist and a wild spirit, forever young and free. With this book Martin Nirschel joins the same ranks as DiMona.

It is a tremendous read, fun, engaging, original but to darn short. I want more!!

Prior to this book, I didn't know much about the Jews who fled to China during WWII. This was an interesting and eye opening book. The story line follows a young girl and her family as they flee Austria and move to Shanghai, China. When the Japanese take over Shanghai, Jews are forced to live in an isolated part of the city guarded by soldiers. The living conditions are horrid. Many die. I highly recommend this book to anyone, young and old, studying the Holocaust.

Sometimes fiction is truer than memoir. In reading a memoir, the reader is outside the story, looking in; but in good fiction, the reader enters the story and experiences it almost as if there. With her newest book: Shanghai Shadows, Lois Ruby conjures up the magic of "being there." The setting of the book may be Shanghai, but the real story is human nature.
Ilse, her older brother Erich, and their mother and father have come to the awful realization that Austria is no place for a Jewish family. It is time to get out, but to where? There is only one possible place, Japanese occupied China--or Shanghai. At first, conditions are tolerable. As the political situation deteriorates and the United States enters the war, the immigrant population is imprisoned in a ghetto where the inhabitants have to deal with near starvation and an odious, cruel, but eccentric keeper of the gate. But it is the relationship that develops between Ilse and the little Chinese street-boy, Liu that make this refuge story so outstanding. Filled with daring resistance activities in which she and her brother participate, and inhabited by wonderfully drawn characters like Ilse's parents-- once proud and proper upper class Viennese Jews who evolve realistically as their fortunes change--this book is highly recommended.
Ages 11-14.
Reviewed by Rachel Kamin

Shanghai Shadows is another great read from Lois Ruby. The plot and setting are novel as well as well-researched. The main character Ilse is complex--at times not too admirable but always honest.

Recommended for mature readers--too old for most young children.

For suspense and surprises, twists and turns, no one invents plots like Lois Ruby. Shanghai Shadows covers six years in the life of Ilse Shpann, her brother, Erich, and their parents - six years as "stateless refugees" in Shanghai, to which they have fled from Nazi-occuped Vienna. Amidst intensely realistic evocations of the sights, sounds, smells, and diverse population of the city, Ilse matures from a willful child to a courageous, self-sacrificing (but still willful) young woman. Her acerbic sense of humor and love of adventure sustain her as conditions of life for Jews and everyone else go from bad to worse. Ilse and Erich both work for a resistance group; their father, an unemployed violinist, grows apathetic; their proper mother is the iron will that keeps together and alive until a secret from Mrs. Shpann's past shatters the family. So eventful a plot is held together by sparkling dialogue and superb characterization, with major and minor characters all interacting believably as well as coherently. The grimness of the Shpann's six years in Shanghai never overwhelms the story because it is mitigated by flashes of humor, humanity, and Ilse's indomitable spirit. Ruby is the author of Swindletop and The Moxie Kid among other books. The talent that was glimpsed in those reaches fulfillment here, in a historical novel that should not be missed! Highly recommended for grades 6 - 9.
Reviewed by Linda R. Silver
Association of Jewish Libraries Newsletter, Sept./Oct. 2007

This book is a huge blessing to the growth of the body of Christ. I think it is a great "initiation" for those who are just beginning to hear testimonies of supernatural Christian experiences on TV or even in church meetings, and who sense a drawing in their hearts to know if this REALLY can happen to "ordinary" people. And it's a great resource for those looking for even more courage to reach for the "higher depths" being offered by heaven now. In other words, I found this book to be down right reassuring!

It was wisdom to begin with child testimonies. That's so convincing and "false doctrine-shattering". And Julia's own story of God moving into her home is so appealing. The way she puts it, who wouldn't want to experience this? Makes me want to be one of those crazy mystics! I loved the research she included. It is powerful evidence. And so many of her phrases cause my heart to soar, such as, "The shifting shadows of doubt and unbelief are blown away by the kiss of God." "When His Presence manifests more fully, no one will be lost in darkness or stand gazing at supernatural signs. Instead, they will be on their faces in worship and burning with love---". How many people have asked "What good is this sitting in God's presence and visions and meditating on scripture?" This book reveals Heaven's purposes.

Jim's lists, facts and categories make the book a great reference manual. But Julia's creativity and often poetic phrases and pictures make us want to "go there" with God. She has certainly stirred my heart to find more time to sit with the Lord in heavenly places---or wherever He wants to take me. I'm praying that He shines a huge spotlight on this book, because the church needs to read it and let it draw them into the intimacy of His eternal realm.

Wow! A great book from two great authors! We all know we need Jesus but do we realize how much we need the Holy Spirit as well? This book will share with you real life experiences and modern day testimonies.

This book is good for those who are interested in experiencing God. I have been having supernatural experiences my whole life (I'm 43) and I wished I had this book when I was younger. It would have given me sound biblical counsel and let me know that I was not mentally unbalanced which I thought I was for many years. When I was little I remember hearing adults talk about special padded rooms and hospitals for those who saw things and heard things that no one else did. So I ran from my "gift" and did not understand it more fully until I became a follower of Jesus.

James Goll is a very good teacher. I first read his stuff back in 1988 or 89 and it gave me a much stronger foundation. His wisdom in knowing how to see beneath the surface to the root of an issue and understand it is remarkable and it much needed today.

Julia Loren's chapters are great. Her research gives you several books in one chapter. Sometimes I felt like I read half a dozen books in one chapter. I discovered some new people and found them myself online which has increased and validated my own experiences.

This book is one I would definitely recommend to anyone seeking real spiritual experiences with God.

This book talks about how God gives us spiritual experiences so we may know Jesus Christ in a real and powerful way. He wants to heal our wounds and hurts. We are to come like little children. He has so much more for us to experience.

Highly recommend this book to those who want a real expereince into the supernatural and want to be used by God to demonstrated His power through them. God wants to touch all of his children.

"Fantasy With Plenty of New and Different Twists"

Sister Light, Book One: Of Shadows
By: B.B. Walter

Reviewed by: Stephanie Johnson


Rose, orphaned since birth and alone after a terrible raid on the convent in which she was raised, finds she is unable to control her deadly gift as rage and fury overtake her. After a retaliation against the Kijack--the horrid creatures responsible for the raid--she finds herself in the care of a young nobleman, David of Constantine. David, who is betrothed to another woman takes pity on Rose and wants to help her at all cost, even if it is against the wishes of his fiancé.

Now the Kijack are mounting a full scale invasion of the kingdom. A war is beginning and David, Rose, and many others find themselves being drawn into battle.

Sister Light is a fantasy with plenty of new and different twists. It is a refreshing change of pace filled with action, adventure, romance, and revenge. Any fantasy reader will enjoy this story. The end leaves the reader with anticipation, hoping that book two will not be too long in coming.

Sister Light is aimed at intelligent readers who want something that has all the rumor of a classic but also an unrefined real-world depth. Walter opens her dark fantasy, Sister Light: Book One: Of Shadows, with a prophecy: "Beware the child with the pale blue eyes." From there she takes you on a compelling journey through the fantastical alternate world terrorized by the blood thirsty Kijack. The Kijack are bird like creatures with no conscience and a passion for torture. As such, an imminent sense of danger looms over the characters throughout the entire book. The author inextricably weds the characters to the land from which gave them life. She plays with the eeriness of a beleaguered homeland scattered with defenseless villages and wavering kingdoms. Loosely woven initially, Sister Light finds its voice as the story progresses. This author defies convention by shocking the reader with disturbing imagery and gothic vengeance. The divided provinces in this fabricated old world domain reach out beyond the pages to lure the reader within. I was captivated throughout the story due to the nonstop intensity and visual strength. There's a quality to Walter's storytelling that makes this novel very much like a disturbing fable. The story progresses with a glimpse into the sinister and ominous sovereigns where the enemies are plotting against the kingdom. There is no neat and tidy ending to this book. It openly entices the reader to continue the journey into the next book. I look forward to, not only seeing how the author hones her literary skills, but also to find out how it all turns out. Sister Light: Book One: Of Shadows is a must read for those who love a good fantasy with all the trappings of a gothic world full of turmoil, intimacy and horror.

Sister Light, the first published work by B.B. Walter, is a vividly descriptive tale. Each page sweeps you away with prose that propells the story forward. The primary character of this tale is wrought with inner turmoil that reflects the fastly approaching external conflict of the world around her. I was swept along right up to the end and left wanting more at the book's finale. I'm anxiously awaiting the sequel in this fast-paced fantasy trilogy! You must read this book!

This book is amazing. I loved every minute of it although I am not usually a Fantasy fan. The author is extremely descriptive and you can envision the characters and scenery in every chapter. I finished the first book (without wanting to put it down) and am left wanting to know when the second will be published...Most Excellent...

Carol Van Atta's debut novel, Slaying the Shadows, is a welcome addition to the faith-based supernatural thriller genre. With a story line that will keep you turning pages, twists and turns that will leave you guessing until the final page, and a theme that is as relevant for today as yesterday's news, Slaying the Shadows is a book well worth the time invested to read it. I recommend this book to anyone looking for something new and intriguing in Christian fiction.

What an enjoyable time spent reading this captivating story! It was very hard to put it down for even a minute! I now have a new clearer perspective of the spiritual world around me and the affects I can have on it! Can't wait to read the next one!

Once I opened this book it was a good thing I had a day off because I could not put it down. It was riveting.... I loved it.

Wow! What a thrill ride. This book captivated me from the first page. Cults, murder, angels, demons, and several twists and turns that were totally unexpected kept my attention throughout this adventure of good versus evil. I haven't read a book like this since Frank Peretti's This Present Darkness. Anyone who is a fan of the spiritual warfare genre will absolutely love this book. Incredible!

Never in my life have I started reading something that kept egging me to turn the page, read the next line, the next paragraph, the next chapter and ultimately the last page after many hours of sitting. I couldn't eat. I didn't want to look away and do anything else for fear that I would lose my page and forget something if I took too long away from these characters. My head was swimming with delight, joy, pain, sorrow and eventually finger biting chills. IF HOLLYOWOOD DOESN'T TURN THIS INTO A FILM, SHAME ON THEM. I can't wait to talk to anyone whose read it and discuss the MANY gems found within this AWARD WINNER. It's a staggering piece of LITERATURE that WILL make it into history.

My hats off to you Mr. Edwards; anything you write, I want to read. What an amazing and lush world you've developed. And the way you tell it made me hungry for more.

The surprises are emotion churning to the point of laughing, gasping, cheering and consequently uplifting. I forget the reason I purchased this novel. I don't care if I remember why. The only thing that matter's is that I lived long enough to read such wonderful words, placed in such a prolific manner, with such care for the person reading them. I hope there's a sequel. Heck, I hope there's a whole SERIES. I want to know more about DANNY BOY'S LIFE and family.

This book had me hooked within the first few pages. I could not put it down until I had read every last word. Writing from a child's point of view and making it believable is difficult but the author does it beautifully. The description of the town and character development make you feel like you are a part of the neighborhood. Snow Shadows is a book that causes a range of emotions, it will make you laugh, cry, feel anger and frustration, but ultimately leaves you with a feeling of exhiliration from taking a fantastic voyage through the life of a young boy from Cape Breton.

I started reading about this adorable little boy in Nova Scotia. WOW! This has to be the most incredible fiction I have ever read where I am convinced ALL of it is true; even though the author says on the back it relates to an incident that happened to his father and he had to wait 50 years to tell his dad's story. What a story! The characters are like no other, the writing is a style I wish I could copy. So damn easy to read I could NOT put it down. A roller coaster of emotions throughout and when you think you know what is about to happen you are so wrong. Surprises, laughter, tears. With the media currently engrossed in the actions of priests molesting altar boys this should become a best seller in no time at all. Whenever I used to hear Nova Scotia I immediately thought of LOX. Not any more. I think of Clark Kent, the Pope, Marilyn Monroe, Matadors, the Ice Capades, a miniature coffin, his Aunt Tillie and what Danny Boy had to do to his hockey skates. I could write for hours about Snow Shadows but I am limited to 1,000 words or less. Definitely 5 Stars Mr. Edwards.

A roller coaster ride of emotions that begins at the first line "When coke was a nickel and bread was a dime, I had pennies in my pocket all the time". The feelings that empower this piece of literature are far beyond my mere words. Flushed out to the point of tasting, smelling and thus feeling at every page turn. I sat and read it straight through from front to finish and was exhausted from the emotional turmoil. Never have I wanted to do anything more than read 'til the last page. One time I came close and that novel was The Good Earth. Not that I'm comparing the two, by far, but because the people and places come to life unfolding onto your world of consciousness and they don't leave. Ghosts that remain to utter phrases that will only come to be repeated through the ages and then collect for others to draw upon as their own. Yet, disguised within this lush surrounding of people you want to live with, is evil laboring to disrupt the safety of a world that tends to come unglued while a young boy travels lightly but poignantly through it. His presence captures the soul of every human being who cherishes life and does not allow its essence to be diminished by those who are destined to perpetuate evil. You cheer with this little boy through the good and gasp with him through the bad leaving one faltering for a breath as you wipe away the tears that come streaming down your face. Then when you think you know what comes next your arms grow goose bumps as the hair on the back of your neck stands at attention while your hand shakes and fights the lump in your throat as you read on, and on and on. As the end draws near, you don't want it to end and you don't want it to stop yet when the last line is read all you can do is exhale and wipe your face, with or without a tissue. It unfolds in front of you as would a movie and you leave talking about the characters within as the best show in decades.

This book has changed my life more than any other non-scriptural book. Covey's views and suggestions are so right and so clear. I wish I had followed his discipline suggestions sooner, now that I know my teenage son has ADHD and OCD. I just thought he wasn't talking to me, with my kind of child. His principles apply to everyone. Kindness, patience and PRACTICE are the key. This is only a drop in the well of knowledge in this book. Everything from communication with God in prayer to teasing is addressed.

I read this book for the first time back in 1980 when Steven R Covey was not a household name. It helped me to ACT where I had previously only THOUGHT about making changes in my life. I found that for me, it was a life changing event. I read it again in 2001 and it had the same effect. It amazes me that the council and advice offered within would be as applicable today as in 1980. That's the power of this book. It was deeper and wider than imagined and I believe it to be one of the best self-help books of all time when dealing with life in a spiritual realm.

I found this was very applicable Covey-ese in a spiritual setting. It made religious principles that I feel strongly about, more realistic for day-to-day situations. Although sometimes the advice was a little simplistic, it was generally very well thought out, and realistic.

This is the original from which Covey based all his later 7 Habits books, writings, seminars, etc. Much more powerful than expected, this is not a book for the squeamish. If you're afraid to improve, if you're afraid to make your life enormously successful, then stay away from this book. If you want to know what First Things First means, here's a great place to start.

This book is another example of coopers excellent writing style. His wonderful world where life depends on what side your on. A must read!!

As usual Ms. Cooper has outdone herself, stepping back into the artfully created world of her 'Time Master' trilogy. Going back into the recesses of history, she unveils some of the myth and legend of the time before the Lords of Chaos were displaced from their rulership. Good plot twists, excellent character development. If you found either of her previous Time Master trilogies interesting, this will be a must have series as well.

This book is the first volume to the 'Star shadow' trilogy which is a prequel to 'The time master' trilogy. I think the second and the third volume in the trilogy aren't yet available in the U.S.A. but I have the English edition and they are entitled: Eclipse (the second volume) and Moonset (the third volume). I give 10 to the entire trilogy because this volumes are also awesome. I think it's really interesting to read this trilogy before 'The time master' trilogy because you already have a background to the story and understand much better a lot of things. I think the story is very well structured and original and the characters aren't stereotyped. Chaos is ruling the world through the magi and the gods of order are exiled and can't reach the world, but there are people still loyal to the gods of order whom the magi call heretics. When the first magus dies, magus Vordegh becames first magus, but though he's a poweful sorcerer he's evil and insane and starts to take measures to erradicate the heretics that doesn't meet with a consensus among the magi... Iselia Darrow is loyal to the gods of order and was recently married to a man who's also loyal to her gods. She's captured by the chaos riders during a warp,(they don't know she's an heretic) and taken to the castle. Benetan Liss is the Captain of the chaos riders, he was captured when he was 12 and was betrothed to Iselia. When he discovers she's in the castle, feelings he didn't remember come back and he becomes divided between love and duty.... Louise Cooper's view of the eternal war between chaos and order is very interesting, and you get the idea that if the equilibrium of the world is to be maintained neither can rule forever!

I made the unfortunate mistake of thinking this book was a stand-alone; it isn't. This is the start of another series (likely a trilogy). Regardless, the book is very good in its own right and well worth the cost for a true Cooper fan.

Cooper sets up a very interesting set of characters, taking her usual cross-purposed individuals to new heights. Benetan Liss is the captain of the stormtroopers of Chaos' legions, yet he has numerous moral misgivings to the things he must do. Iselia, Benetan's one-time lover and now married to another man, is a staunch proponent of the now-demonized forces of Order, must hide her forbidden allegiance to those powers while she serves the historian Savrinor. Savrinor is the ultimate pragmatist -- to the extent that he keeps a near-literal "slate" of who owes him and who he owes. And of course, there are the extreme characters Cooper uses to polarize her undecided characters: Kaldar, Iselia's husband and mage of Order, and Vordegh, High Magus of Chaos, sadist, and murderously insane ruler of the mortal world.

At this stage, the Lords of Chaos and Order put in only minor appearances, unsurprisingly. Even though this is before the time period of The Time Master, Tarod seems to have a better-than-average grasp of the mind-set of humanity. The book is a very good lead-in to another series, one which should explain a good deal of the pre-Time Master mysteries. But unless you like waiting on a cliffhanger, you may want to wait until the rest of the series is in print.

This was a truly wonderful book. I would recomend it to anyone that likes to sit down with a good book that you don't want to put down until you've read to the last page.

I would have never thought another book could keep my attention like "Turn Back Time" did. This book has all the good things that the first had to offer. You can see the heartwarming family and friends, and within the first few chapters, you feel like you know them, like they are friends you've known forever. All the characters are someone that you can see in your own day to day lives. The loving, selfless mother, the hateful old grandmother, the sweet gossiper, and the loyal friends. This is a book that kept me turning pages, I couldn't read it fast enough. About the only time I stopped was to wipe the tears from my eyes as I read about the brave, loving, and unselfish Smith Delaney. Through the ups and downs, the little community sticks together like people should. I loved it so much, I didn't want it to end.

This is a delightful sequel to Turn Back Time.
These books are written so well that you feel that you are standing right there as a silent observer. Can't wait for the next one.

I could not put this book down! It is a sequel to TURN BACK TIME, where we are introduced to Hattie and Smith Delaney. Shadow and Sunshine is very well written. I recommend it highly.

What an incredible book. Never had I looked at what I thought was the most boring part of the Bible, and now see it was a type for the Church today. A short book, but one that will never be forgotten.

This is an excellent Bible study aid on the Tabernacle, I have read many books explaining the subject, but found the author's findings and exposition on this subject very enlightning, I highly recommend it to all students of the Word, especially those who wish to gain better insight on the tabernacle and its types and shadows and what it means to Christians today.

This book is for the Christian student of the Bible who is interested in gaining a deeper insight into the lessons and meanings of the Jewish Tabernacle and the activities/practices tied to it. You will be using your Bible while reading this book to unlock and understand how the Tabernacle's animal sacrifices portray the sacrificial lives of Jesus Christ and his church.

You will learn Scriptural concepts illustrated in the colors, measurements, furniture, curtains, animals, priests and compartments of the Tabernacle. Two chapters give a Scriptural analysis of the sacrifices related to the "Day of Atonement" and how they point to a future time of blessings for the world. Learn the intriguing significance of the "red heifer" that was sacrificed separately from the rest of the animals.

A wonderful resource and insight into this ancient holy place.

For most Christians, the Tabernacle contains a multitude of largely disconnected pictures of Jesus alone. This book shows, based on the Apostle Pauls exposition, that it shows not only the sacrifice of Jesus, but the place of the Christian also, and how we have privileges and responsibilities, too. It is fascinating to look at all the details and what they illustrate.