Colette Books

This book has been on my nightstand for over a year. Every evening, I read just a morsel of Colette's beautiful prose and savor it slowly, like a decadent piece of chocolate. Since this is an "un-biography" (because it was taken from her life's works and letters to personal friends), it doesn't have that pompous, omnipotent, movie-of-the-week quality of many celebrity biographies. And yet it paints a joyous, colorful, honest, lustful and mysterious life (was she or wasn't she bisexual?) lived very simply. I'm constantly amazed at how Colette can talk about something as elemental as her cats or her garden in such a tender, sensual way.

This is a rewarding treat for those who already adore Colette's work. And for those who are unfamiliar with her, it's a simple and elegant introduction! If you've only read Gigi, or The Vagabond, you'll find the woman who wrote them even more intriguing than her stories.

A friend suggested I read this book, after he listened to some of my short stories.
I am thrilled to read the book and learn how Colette's life as a woman shaped
her stories. I identified with her life and her writings and I now want to read more books by her.
Sherri Rosen Publicity, NYC

The saga of the battle with the alien race, the Anaz-voohri, continues with FIRE STORM.

As children, seven young girls were kidnapped and altered by the Anaz-voohri. ORION is a government agency seeking to destroy not only the Anaz-voohri, but any of the hybrids as well. Mythos is a shadowy organization opposing such wholesale destruction of human life. After all, the hybrids can still choose sides and their powers then be used against the Anaz-voohri.

Hunter Kent, aka Ajax, has an assignment for Mythos: to bring in Ally Curran, Chief of Research and Development for ORION. Ally has uncovered dark secrets about ORION and is questioning her allegiance to them. Will Hunter be able to curb his rebellious streak long enough to get the usually tame Dr. Curran to trust him?

OPERATION PLEIADES: FIRE STORM will leave you breathless! The wild escapades of Hunter and Ally are simply out of this world as one anxiously awaits what twists and turns will occur next. Colette Denee's contribution to this series is a stunning one, as she creates a superb adventure coupled with a beautiful romance. OPERATION PLEIADES: FIRE STORM is science fiction romance at its finest and fans of this genre should not miss out on this one!

OPERATION PLEIADES: FIRE STORM is a stand alone novel. Colette Denee provides all of the basic background information necessary to follow and enjoy the story. In fact, being unaware of the other stories provides a bit more mystery and a sense of intrigue while readers of the previous books in the series will appreciate the smooth continuity and additional depth provided with this latest installment.

OPERATION PLEIADES: FIRE STORM is a spectacular blend of science fiction and romance. This reviewer has not read any other works by Colette Denee but is very impressed with the fast pace she sets for her story. The characters are well developed and the interactions between Hunter and Ally are explosive. OPERATION PLEIADES: FIRE STORM is highly recommended and one of the best in what is a wonderful series!

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

Footsteps Through Time is a book of compilations created by our most important resources-children. Memories are made to be shared, and some of the memories that lie between the covers of this book will make you smile, some may make you laugh, and some of them may make you see yourself, and know you are not alone out there. Children are full of innocence and joy, and in a secret way, we adults envy them for their carefree, stress-free lifestyle. It is my most sincere wish that just for a short time, while you are reading this book, you let the stories within sweep you away and take you back to when you were a child. Forget the stresses of life and let joy and peace fill your heart. It is with an attitude of happiness that I share some of my most treasured memories with you.

"France and Germany at Maastricht is simply political science at its best. Its analytical narrative of Franco-German negotiations on political and monetary union is the most thorough and balanced account of the pivotal episode in the current project of European unity. It combines a comprehensive understanding of the national and sectoral interests at stake in the Maastricht negotiations with a firm grasp of the institutional and electoral environment in which negotiations proceeded. The depth and breadth of the research material required by a study of this variety alone is impressive, but Mazzucelli's lucid explanation of its meaning makes the book a valuable addition to the fields of European studies, comparative politics and international relations." -Carl C. Hodge, Okanagan University College

"In the present context of the efforts to promote a European Union and Franco-German relations, Dr. Mazzucelli's book constitutes an extraordinarily useful contribution to the statesman's, diplomat's, scholar's and layman's reflections on these matters and provides extremely useful leads to all those who, in one way or another, are responsible for the destiny of the European continent and its relations with other parts of the world, in particular its transatlantic allies." -His Excellency Alfred Cahen, Secretary General, Atlantic Treaty Association

"This very informative and balanced volume, rich in factual content and documentary materials, is recommended to politicians, diplomats, experts in European Union affairs and those who would like insight into "corridor diplomacy" during the Maastricht process. This book is also suggested to those who feel responsible for the success of Hungary's negotiations with the European institutions." -Hungarian Foreign Affairs Journal, Spring `97

"Mazzucelli provides an extremely detailed analysis of the national decision-making processes of two of the principal players in the Maastricht negotiations, and a comprehensive discussion of the national, subnational and transnational actors central to the negotiating process...The book's focus and methodological sophistication make it most useful for specialists in the field." -Choice, September `97

"The story Mazzucelli narrates is a fascinating one. The reader is taken inside negotiations in cabinets, ministerial offices and presidential palaces; in national parliaments, government conclaves, Commission meetings, and Council deliberations. We are given a detailed picture of the relationships developed at every level of the bureaucracy and between regional, national and Brussels bureaucracies. This is one of the best documented accounts I have seen of the manifold intricacies of EU politics and negotiation. Mazzucelli has an impressive command of both the primary and secondary materials in French, German, Italian and English. She is also a skilled and assiduous interviewer and has woven into her narrative information obtained over a period of several years. The book is impeccably footnoted and the 33-page bibliography is a mine of information. It is a pleasure to read a book produced with such care." -Glenda G. Rosenthal, Columbia University ECSA Review, Fall `97

"The originality of this work, over and above the attentive look at French and German behavior during this IGC, is that it analyzes the negotiation - which was so difficult for several Member States at domestic level - combining three approaches: "Jean Monnet's practical and purposeful way of doing things," Putnam's "two-level games" (this approach...seems particularly useful in the case of Maastricht, given its emphasis on both "internal bargaining at the domestic level and external negotiations at the international level") and the "four images" of civil servants described by Aberbach, Putnam and Rockman...Anyone involved in another European Union IGC should be very interested in this analysis..." -"Europe" Bulletin, "European Library," Brussels, 15 & 16 December `97

"Mazzucelli's book sheds light on the history of Franco-German governmental relations as the Cold War ended..., situates Franco-German bilateralism within a process of multilateral negotiations in the European Union..., and empirically confirms that it is not possible to understand European integration without taking into account the institutional diversity of states....This volume deserves to be read with interest...,and offers leads for theoretical reflection to all those who work in the areas of integration, foreign policy and the political sociology of European states." -Christian Lequesne, CERI, Revue Française de Science Politique, décembre `97

"In light of the recent events in Brussels, this analysis of French-German relations in the framework of European integration is extremely topical....It examines whether the two European powers, which played a leading role in the period considered, will continue to play a similar role in the enlarged Europe of the future....It should be pointed out that the study is heavily based on primary and secondary sources, as well as interviews with personalities from the political and academic worlds carried out in various European countries between 1992 and 1994." -The International Spectator, Rome, April-June `98

"According to Mazzucelli the process of EU intergovernmental conferences is not subsumed under the intergovernmental approach ....Neofunctional and federal approaches are also not regarded by her as useful for this analysis. In the author's view, these approaches underestimate the complexity of the integration process and do not consider sufficiently the contradictory relations between Brussels and the member states....Furthermore since intergovernmental conferences will be an important element of European integration, i.e., Amsterdam, works like this one by Mazzucelli are important for the analysis of the process of European unity." -Paul Luif, Austrian Institute of International Affairs, Austrian Journal of Political Science, Issue Number 4 `98

This is an oversized book suitable for the coffee table. There are 157 beautiful pictures of France taken from the air. Many of the pictures are double paged in size. The book provides an excellent pictorial overview of France as it covers every region of France.
Adults and young adults will be amazed.

Fifteen year old Gilberte (Gigi), born into a family of Parisian courtesans, is being raised to follow in the footsteps of her older female relatives. Well-educated at a girls' day school, and drilled in matters of etiquette, dress, and jewelry connoisseurship by her formidable Aunt Alicia (once one of the great ladies of the demimonde), she is the one hope for a family of women with no current income. When an old acquaintance, the wealthy but jaded Gaston Lachaille--thirtyish, bored with Paris high society and his extravagant mistress--begins to think of Gigi as something other than a child, her aunt and grandmother are delighted. However--surprise, surprise! The girl does not want to be mistress to the rich and famous, but prefers the idea of an ordinary life. This entertaining tale, rich with detail and amusing dialogue, is one of Colette's less "serious" stories, as well as one of her best known works (having been made into a movie musical starring Leslie Caron, Louis Jourdain, and Maurice Chevalier, lo! so many years ago).

Gigi was the first novel I read in French, and at the time that I read it, probably it was the raciest book I ever read, I was a mere lad of I don't know, eleven or so. I couldn't figure out exactly who was who. I tried reading GONE WITH THE WIND in French but that was too long. Gigi was perfect. She was, after all, a young girl, though from a different world than mine. She had several aunts who wanted to train her into the high level world of the Courtesan. A good parallel would be the recent novel MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA by Arthur Golden.

What distinguishes Colette from Golden is that the French writer built a legend around herself in terms of the beauty and poetry of her language. Not only did she possess a stern and acute mind from which no nuance of regret or longing escaped her gaze, but she wielded a pen like an angel. She was incapable of writing a phony sentence, and like the American modernist poet William Carlos Williams she found beauty in the ordinary and the commonplace. A swatch of wildflowers growing in the graveyard where Gigi's mother lies becomes the palette of an artist with the dappled colors suggesting possibility. Gigi's hopes, dreams and fantasies lie mingled, like sooty water, with the harsh realities of her existence. Basically she must find a rich man to cling to, or lose all her status.

For a young boy reading her story, and trying to puzzle through the evocative French, I found myself stumbling at times, but at the end I became convinced that I knew this girl, and I took pleasure in her small triumphs and her enemies became mine.

Today many of Colette's works have been translated but she is still very much caviare to the general. Another couple of books I can recommend to you are CHERI and its sequel, THE LAST OF CHERI. (Cheri's a guy despite his name which to me seemed feminine before I got the drift of things.)

This novel is brilliant in its content and evocative imagery, Collette's eroticism rivals Anais Nin's own erotic literature, and this novel is a superb example of this.Highly recomended!

This is the definitive reference for all things Irish in the New England States. Whether you're looking for events, education, artists, organizations or just a pub, here's the place to begin. It's very handily divided up by state and by category. The alphabetized index is extremely helpful too.