Fiction Books

Melissa Fox is totally messed up because her boyfriend Will Simmons dumped her and she can't understand that so she takes 27 sleeping pills to end her pain, but she ends up in the hospital. But before this all happened she turned almost everyone in the school against Jessica Wakefield because Will and Jessica like each other. But now Jessica feels the responsible when Melissa commits suicide. Will is always taking Jessica's side and that's one of the reasons why Melissa hates Jessica. But Jessica started going out with Jeremy and doesn't feel comfortable around him, she thinks she likes him but she actually likes Will.
Conner DeMercott and Elizabeth Wakefield like each other so they start dating. The problem is that Elizabeth's best friend Maria Slater likes Conner and she told her that. So Conner and Elizabeth decide to keep it as a secret. They mostly make-out but at the end Maria found both of them kissing in Conner's kitchen. Maria started to cry and she left.
This book is about love, life and time.

Melissa Fox is totally messed up because her boyfriend Will Simmons dumped her and she can't understand that so she takes 27 sleeping pills to end her pain but she ends up in th ehospital. but before this happened she turned almost everyone in the school against Jessica Wakefield because Will and her like each other. Will keeps on taking jessica's side and that's one of the reasons why Melissa hates Jessica. But Jessica started to go out with Jeremy and doesn't feel comfortable around him, she thinks she likes him but she actually likes Will.
Conner DeMercott and Elizabeth Wakefield like each other so they start dating. But Elizabeth's best friend Maria Slater likes Conner and told her that. so Conner and Elizabeth decide to keep it as a secret. They mostly make-out but at the end Maria found them kissing and she started to cry and left.
This book is about love, life and time.

i LOVE SWHSY it is the best book series i really liked this book because i LOVE seeing liz and conner together. i think i am the ONLY person who feels sorry for melissa, i mean will cheated on her and she obviously has issues i think if she had let jess explain things would have turned out differently. all in all it was a great book but im tired of everyone thinking jess is so mush Better looking than liz THEYRE twins i know everyone has thier "twin" and liz is mine keep on the look for me in the future im on to the next book

okay, we all love jess and liz and want to destroy anyone who goes up against them.this is how i first felt about melissa. she started all these rumors about jess. wait- before i go on ,i let you know i have only read a few of the senior year books. anyways, this book helped me understand liss more. she is not just completely evil, she has problems. like the deal with her mother. doesn't anyone else feel for her? SO in the end my oppinion of liss has slightly wavered from hatred to sympathy.

This is one of the best books of the series. I love the Conner-Liz thing. However... I just wanted to point out, I think in this book something like Maria and Liz go into the Riot and laugh as Tia pull them into the crowd. It's something like "Liz laughed then coughed at the second hand smoke." Smoking's been outlawed in California bars for a while. Just a comment.

I highly recommend 6 Days in January. This is a great novel that should be read by both men & women. It takes a deep look inside a black man's soul, mind, and heart regarding relationships. The main character, William McCall, is on a very rocky road of self-discovery, this same road has been traveled by many men & women whether they are aware or not. It is a long road of defining love, searching for love, being in love with someone & the feeling not reciprocated, breaking hearts (consciously or subconsciously), being on the receiving end of heart breaks, restoring broken hearts & moving forward with hopes for better luck the next time around. However, it is easier said than done & sometimes it takes years of soul searching & revisiting the past to become a better person & a better potential mate. How can you be able to love, in some cases open your heart to love again, if you don't know & love who you are? William Cooper did a superb job of demonstrating this for his readers in this book. Please, Please, Please pick up this book. It is a must read and I will guarantee you 3 things. 1) You will be able to relate to at least 1 of the characters or know someone personally with similar characteristics 2) After reading this book your perspective of love & black relationships will change in some shape, form, or fashion 3) You will not regret taking the time out to read this EXCELLENT book

This was the first book written and published by William F. Cooper and I have to say that yet again I was most impressed with his writing style. I read his second novel There's Always A Reason first and was so moved and overwhelmed with emotion, that I just had to read everything written by this author. I was not disappointed with this book at all.

Mr. Cooper shows the flip side to the dating relationship from a man's perspective. Most women feel that men don't have a perspective; that they don't feel like women do and that they control the ebb and flow of the relationship, but that simply isn't the case as Mr. Cooper shows in his novel. Men are perceived as "weak", "punks", or "gay" if they show that they feel pain from being hurt in a relationship. Mr. Cooper does an excellent job of showing that men can be sensitive and strong at the same time and that because a man cries that doesn't mean he is weak; just human.

Mr. Cooper also does an excellent job of showing how some men can realize that they are not acting and treating women right and they can choose to change. William McCall undergoes just such a transformation and I found it refreshing to watch his revelations unfold. In the beginning of the book we do see McCall as being weak, but not because his character is flawed, but because he loves too much when the love isn't returned. He tries everything he knows how to do to make her love him, but he finally realizes that it isn't him that is flawed it is her. He goes through many past experiences soul searching to find himself and in the end he does. Thank you Mr. Cooper, for reminding us women that men are really human beings after all and they hurt too at times. Sometimes we need that reminder with all the stereotypes out there about what "real men" are supposed to be.

This is a must read in my opinion and I look forward to many more novels by Mr. Cooper with great anticipation. He will most definitely be one of the best authors of our time and I am looking forward to the journey. Kudos to you William. Fabulous work.

William Fredrick Cooper is a great romantic writer. This book was a great and fast read and I could relate to all of his characters. You could tell from the 1st page that that this was going to be a great story. Anyone that has not read this book I would highly recommend it. William you have a God given talent with your writing.

Okay, so i'm a lil' backwards here. I read William F. Cooper's 2nd book 1rst and his 1rst book 2nd! Oh well!! LOL I'm sure my review would have been the same either way. While reading "6 Days in January" I saw a number of the same things going on in my life. Now I don't think I was ever a player, but I can relate to the William's character and his emotions. It's hard to be real person and show true emontions these days. William gave his ALL in hopes of winning his 'soulmate'. In the end it always seems the one 'just like him' ends up winning. I can truly relate to that feeling. It's crazy I know!

Now I can't say I would have ever went as far as William did to try and win Andrea's heart. I guess I've just never felt love like that yet. I hated how Andera used William the way she did. It shows how weak some women are. Yet a the same time, it showed the true devotion from a male's point of view that is so rarely seen. I love to see a man who isn't afraid to show his true emotions and his love. Cooper showed a lot of emotions in his William character. He did an excllent job writing his debut novel.

It's one of the books where you can put yourself into the roles of each charactor. You can identify with each one of them and the emotional turmoils that they go through. It keeps you anticipating more.

I picked up Infected several weeks back and loved it so I really wanted to pick up Ancestor as well, but was shocked at the price. After a little research, like 2 minutes, I found out it was a limited print and the only way to get it is eBay or other auction sites. Any way I found the whole book available as a free pdf download (see link below) and I'm sure glad I did.

Ancestor is an excellent read if you like the sci-fi thriller / horror genre and I thought a maybe better book than Infected. The action is fast paced and the contrary to what some are saying the dialog is well written, but does fly in the face of the FCC and is pretty accurate as to how soldiers / cops speak. There's also some sexual content that may offend the Bible carrying crowd, but again nothing out of the ordinary for most of us.

As with all thrillers some of the scenes are far fetched the ending is well out there, but if you want something totally believable head over to the non-fiction works. If you liked Infected, Amazonia, Black Order, Deep Fathom, or Tyrannosaur Canyon you'll love this book. You just have to be willing to read if from your computer (which I hate) or pay the $85 price tag for a used copy.

http://www.boingboing.net/2007/04/01/scott-siglers-ancest.html

Another great science fiction adventure novel with great characters from Sigler. I didn't like it quite as much as Earthcore, but it was still a lot of fun to listen to. Sigler does some great voices, which really adds to the fun and humor. Highly recommended.

The book is cover to cover action, spiced with science, and broiled to perfection with the flames of suspense and horror. Overall, Ancestor is a heaping helping of gory goodness that should sate the homicidal hunger of sci-fi fans as well as the mainstream horror fan.

There's non-stop action, remote islands & bioengineering gone horribly wrong...what more could you want? This one was hard to put down (or turn off if you listen to the pocast) because there was just so much happening all the time. I was riveted throughout the book and I still wonder if the end is really the end. I hope not!

Sydney Chapman, CIA agent, arrives at the Novozyme facility at the end of the meltdown. Novozyme, attempting to create an animal lifeform with human-type organs for transplantation, had broken down from a deadly virus that has jumped species and is fatal to humans. CIA director Longworth orders Chapman to wipe out all traces of the facility, and go after the three remaining facilities working on similar projects; Monsanto, Genetron, and Genada. Longworth insists on eradicating Genada first.

At Genada, three brilliant scientists believe they have discovered the key to xenotransplantation. Dr. Lin Jiandan (known as Jian) is an overweight, fifty-something Chinese woman who's genius has created the computer that can manipulate the genomes. Jian also suffers from horrible nightmares, night terrors she cannot escape from. Dr. Claus Rhumkorrf and Dr. Claudette Overgard are Jian's partners. Genada is owned and ran by brothers Dante and Magnus Paglione, Dante being the brains and Magnus the muscle. PJ Colding, Chapman's former partner, now considered a traitor, runs the Genada facility on Baffin Island in Canada. When Chapman's imbedded agent makes his move, the entire facility, along with the cows already implanted with embryos, evacuate on a massive C-5 aircraft piloted by Sara Purinam, heading for the island of Black Mantiou in Lake Superior. The C-5 is a fully equipped lab, and the island an isolated and heavily armed fortress. Keeping the island prepared is colorful caretaker Clayton Detweiler and his son Chris.

Time is running out for Genada. With the competition closing in and the CIA on their heels, Genada's future rests on the scientists and the embryos maturing in the cows. But Jian breaks down, with dire warnings that things are not what they think they are, and something is horribly wrong with the experiment.

Sigler has an extraordinary talent for attention to detail in his novels. While breathtakingly exciting in plot, he never misses the mark with his amazing ability to create fully fleshed characters. A character-driven story with a fast plot is always a not-to-be-missed reading opportunity. Sigler began his writing career using podcasts, gaining so much popularity that his novels were put into print. Sigler is now one of my favorite authors, and I can't recommend his works strongly enough. Don't miss his other works; Earthcore and Infected, and coming soon, Contagious. 'Ancestor' has the bonus of a short story added on, called 'Iowa Typhoon', an interesting but brief tale. If I could give this book ten stars I would. Though out of print, its definitely worth the used book price. Enjoy!

You really don't have to say much because Tracy always brings it. I loved Lamin!!! People go get this one. it does not dissapoint. I would give it 100 stars if i could

Tracy is a great story teller and the way she took us into the lives of lamin and made is fall for him weas terrific. Go get this book, if you aint up on it, you late!!! Tracy is one of the best out in the game.

I was so in love with the idea of Lucky and Lamin it's ridiculous! I loved everything about this book. I loved the loving relationship between Lamin and Lucky, between Lamin and Zion, and his relationship with his sister Olivia. The lives of the characters were so descriptive, I felt like I knew them personally. I HATED that Lucky and Lamin didn't end up together but it was for the best. Lucky wanted to try again (despite his betrayal) and he chose another path. I've read Tracy Brown's other works but I think this one by far was her best! LOVED IT!!!

I thought CRIMINAL MINDED was outstanding tracy brown did a great job writting this novel keep them novels coming ms. brown. This book will hold your attention from start to finish this book is so true in life some men think that the grass is greener on the other side but soon they fine out it's not and they never miss a good thing until it's gone. IF you are looking for a good read this is my suggestion.

I am a huge tracy Brown fan and loved all of her books so far and this one was great as well. The characters were well developed and the story line was great! This is another must read!

This is an amazing story and testament to Bazhe's indomitable spirit. I don't believe that any child, any human being should ever have to endure the sorrows and abuse that he did. That he emerged from that quagmire and found peace and happiness is quite miraculous.

Hi Bazhe I just finished reading your book it was amazing, and it brought me such inspiration. I thought I had it rough growing up; however your story made me realized the damages you had to overcome. It gives me strength to conquer and overcome my own damages. These were my favorites quotes from your book. I wish you knew the effect your story has on me.

Pg 40
"Why would God want us to suffer like Jesus? Why would people believe in such an evil, selfish bastard of a God?" Bazhe

I ask my self the same question

Pg 80
"Capitalism, baby! Time is money. In money, we trust. The profit is God."

That is the reality

Pg 121
"It's been said that the root of hell is in all of us. Some of us let it grow into a tree. Those who can't cut the tree are predestined to be evil."


Pg 163
"God has nothing to do with this. Keep him out of it. Keep him where he belongs, in a museum, along with the people who created him." Bazhe

The way I look at it. "The point is succeed whether god want to or not." Richard G Sam

After meeting Bazhe in Costa Rica and visiting with him was when I found out about his book. I came back to the states and purchased two books from him. When I finally picked it up to start reading it, I was so drawn into the book that I felt as if I was there living Bazhe's life with him. It was an amazing story and I do hope that a movie comes out about his life. What a story to tell. This is a must read for everyone. Once you start reading you will not want to put the book down.
As you are reading, you can smell the streets in Turkey and fell the fear and sadness as he is telling his story. Again, A GREAT BOOK

DAMAGES is a memoir of a brave young poet, artist, performer and writer whose life story holds as many elements of a richly detailed fictional novel as well as moments of eloquent poetry, philosophical views gained from living through the rise and fall of communist Yugoslavia and the subsequent fracture of that country into the parcels we now know, observations of the surface and the core needs of the people at the battled intersection of Christianity, Muslim faith, and atheism, and experiences of identity crisis that haunt many adopted children/adults.

To make this vast amount of information work for the reader, author Bazhe has wisely elected to tell his story as bifurcated between the realities of the present in relating to his adoptive mother on her deathbed and his at times lurid past to his birth mother, conveniently placed just up the stairs from his dying mother. It works as a gimmick or technique that allows the reader to understand the present Bazhe by allowing him to very gradually escort us through the damages of his early childhood through his bumpy road to manhood.

The crises here are from two vantages: Bazhe was reluctantly given up for adoption by his 15-year-old birth mother Mila (his very beginning was the result of a brutal rape), his adoptive parents were wealthy and privileged due, oddly enough, to the high communist government position of the father. His early years were frosted with gifts and advantage, but his childhood was damaged by his position of wealth in a country (Macedonia) struggling under dictatorship and inequality. Bazhe, a beautiful and bright child, drew attention beacuse of his androgynous appearance - a factor that would provide problems for him throughout his life. His father was highly respected by the people, but feared by his abused wife and child. Entering school, Bazhe gradually became aware of his same sex orientation and began to dress 'inappropriately' and attract male lovers in a community that would not tolerate homosexuality. His adventures in escaping to Turkey resulted in his being courted by a wealthy man into the world of cross-dressing and the eventual rejected demand that he undergo sex reassignment surgery. Returning home, his confession of his lifestyle brought the expected conflict from his parents and he fled to Belgrade where he became a Madam for the unwanted gay population of 'aunties'.

While undergoing this seemingly endless series of life changes, Bazhe searched for his birth mother without success. After a final life threatening incident that underscored the bitter and vicious collapse of his country's belief systems in the person of a brutish, abusive, conflicted anti-communist, Bazhe fled to America, only to return to comfort his mother at the time of his father's death. Upon arriving in Macedonia his mother's devotion is focused on her beloved adopted son and Bazhe discovers that his mother has progressive cancer: he spends his time as a nurse to his mother's increasing needs while finally making contact with Mila, his birth mother. The story of his life is related to the birth mother while Bazhe attends to his adoptive mother, and it is this dichotomy of allegiance that forms the true conflict of the book.

The story of Bazhe's life is fascinating and horrifying, and were that all that this book had to offer it would be enough. But DAMAGES goes far beyond that: this is one of the better insights into the history of Yugoslavia, Macedonia, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro - all places that we understand so poorly but all places that hold the keys to the discord between the religious seeds that lie at the center of the constant conflict we still are experiencing. Bazhe's comments on governments and religions are harsh, both in his evaluation of his native country and his adopted country of America. 'Anyway, it's we who are to blame. Everything about [God] is a myth. We're the creatures of our beliefs. We're the source of good and evil. Our big mistake was creating Him and all these evil religions, so we can be divided and hate each other to death as enemies. Whether Muslim, Buddhist, Christian, Jewish, or whatever, we stress the 'other'-ness of others when true differences between us don't exist. We are all humans. We're a grown-up race. We should see that religions are superfluous. In the past, religions made some sense: to give young nations identities and a reason to fight for survival. Now, we need a new identity. We need global unity. We need a new order and a new progressive faith of peace and love. It's time to put the holy books where they belong, on the shelves of museums'. Powerful words from a man who has survived a life few of us could tolerate. Perhaps we should listen. What on the surface is a fascinating autobiography by a very unique writer gains importance as the observations of a damaged philosopher! Grady Harp, July 08

"Damages," a brutally honest and poetically eloquent memoir by Yugoslavian-born Bazhe, is nothing short of brilliant! This first time book author (he's written and has published several poems and short prose pieces) is as self-assured and self-examining as anything by Didion, the biographical Gordon Parks, and Maya Angelou's "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings."

An orphan adopted from a Macedonian orphanage by an important and staunch Communist Official and his beautiful but barren wife, the infant Bazhe is reared in comfort, privilege, and under the iron-thumb of a wife- and child-abuser. A talented and strikingly beautiful little boy, after giving public performances for scores of spectators on several occasions, bets are taken on whether Bazhe is a boy or a girl. The child is then made to drop his pants and reveal his male genitalia.

Labeled `sissy' and often beaten in school because of his privilege and beauty, he even suffers a harrowing abuse at the hands of his father when his mother is away. Upon refusing to eat fatty meat during a meal, seven-year-old Bazhe is beaten by his father who then stuff's his member in the boy's mouth, choking him with the fluids of his ejaculation.

But most of the horrors and heartbreaks of this ultimately brave and resilient young man's life come later in this well-written, often brutal, but never gratuitous autobiography of a beautiful young man growing up gay and effeminate in a culture where such nature and appearance is illegal and met with great physical and verbal abuse.

Bazhe is a legal immigrant living in New Jersey when he gets the call from his mother Kostadina that his father has died. Feeling free of the iron fist of the man she hated most of the years she was married to him, Kostadina encourages Bazhe not to come for the funeral.

But a month later Bazhe returns to Macedonia to help his mother with family affairs, only to realize that she has been hiding her own serious illness from him.

With admirable devotion and against his mother's protestations, he stays to nurse her through her illness, which turns out to be colon cancer. The first half of the book is Bazhe's almost too-painful-to-read detailing of his caring for his mother and his guilt over his obsessive thirty-year search for his birth mother.

He actually finds his biological mother, the still beautiful and statuesque Mila who gave birth to him when she was fifteen years old after being raped by a government official in her native Croatia and, pressured by her family, turned the new born over to an orphanage.

Bitterness and regret clash uneasily as Mila and Bazhe meet. While Kostadina lays dying in her downstairs bedroom (but never unattended by her devoted son), Bazhe, not wanting her to feel that her position as his true mother is questioned, hides Mila upstairs where, over several days, he tells her the story of the life he lived and the life she missed.

And what a story it is indeed. Starting with his lonely childhood and adolescence, he reveals to her his first gay experience in the army, the scandal that he caused at the College of National Security, resulting in his expulsion, and his escape to Turkey.

There he was abducted, robbed, beaten, and raped by a pair of nefarious locals, and reduced to near starvation and homelessness before being rescued by Genghis, a wealthy Turkish bon vivant. Genghis falls madly in love and transforms Bazhe into a stunningly beautiful and high-class transvestite, replete with the requisite high-end jewelry, designer wardrobe, exclusive spa treatments, and plenty of spending money.

But sudden revelations about, and unexpected demands from Genghis send Bazhe fleeing back to his homeland, a country on the verge of great change and turmoil as the Bosnian-Serbian conflict begins to boil over.

No longer a transvestite but decidedly androgynous, Bazhe wanders into the underworld gay scene where `Aunts' (self-identified, usually flamboyant homosexual men) entertained `trade' in bushes, public parks, and public restrooms, often resulting in unspeakable violence from both policemen and sadistic partners.

After nearly losing his life at the hands of a sadist pick-up, Bazhe immigrates to the United States where he lives until he gets the call from his mother regarding his father's death.

Bazhe's birth mother is moved by this fantastical tale not told totally to anyone else. But a certain closure is attained here, and the young man reaffirms what he has always known: blood does not necessarily make a mother.

His devotion to his adoptive mother, his `real' mother, is the power that fuels this terrific book. His caring for her on her deathbed is so completely loved-filled, that by the time she dies in his arms, our tears flow as uncontrollably as his.

Indeed, this is the story of one individual damaged by so much of life's cruelties and injustices, but it is ultimately a tale of survival and the triumph of the spirit.

In spite of everything he was made to endure, Bazhe proves to be a person of great conviction and resilience. His story is a lesson for us all on when we fall down (or get knocked down) how to damn well get back up. Highly recommend.Looker: A Novel

This book touched my heart. It is a story about the adventures of a stray dog from birth to old age told from the dog's viewpoint. It gets very sad at some points in the book, but the ending will warm your heart.
A must read for dog lovers of all ages.

This book was really good. It's a sad story but ends out really well. It shows how that we have to just keep going, and if we do that, we'll find joy at the end.

I read my grandson's book and had to have it for my own collection. Since then, I have been buying it for all my animal loving friends.

Narrated by a good-natured dog named Squirrel, this heart-wrenching book describes her life after she is abandoned and separated from her family while only a puppy.

Squirrel encounters many obstacles as she struggles to survive. This is not an easy read--many of the horrors faced by Squirrel are all too real.

I read this book right after adopting a pair of kittens from an animal shelter. Having just seen how many abused and abandonded animals were living at the shelter made me even more aware of how hard life can be for a stray animal.

Please spay or neuter your pets and support your local no-kill shelter!

I love this book i read it in a week because it is so good you can ask my parents im attched to this book. If you are a dog lover you will love this book pick it up and read it give it a try~

I read this book years ago and I remember absolutely loving it. It's taken me years to find it again (I could never remember the title or author). I'm not sure I've ever read a book that has haunted me and disturbed me as much as this one.

A group of teens face an evil, deserted amusement park with rides and objects intent on doing them harm. Jenny, Dee, Michael and Audrey all set out to find Jenny's boyfriend, Tom and her cousin, Zach. Jenny constantly resists the charming Julian and proves herself as stronger than anyone ever thought her to be. Julian, who was introduced earlier in the series as the demanding and ruthless evil Shadow Man, shows that he has a much more caring and vulnerable side. Jenny and her friends face various obstacles and change along the way- their support, friendship and solidarity strengthening each other. The ending is bittersweet and, in my opinion, a tearjerker.

L.J. Smith should really consider writing a sequel to this series! The ending ends with some hope and really, I find the possibilities of what could be done now to be extremely interesting.

(Spoiler) What do you all think would happen IF Julian's name was carved once again? Would he be the same Julian with the same feelings, would he be as Julian was when he was first born, or would be another being entirely? These questions were never fully answered and I would love to know!

I do detest the ending however I don't think I'll spoil it for you but never the less still good story.

This entire Trilogy is just amazing. I was given a present of the first book when I was about 7 (10 years ago), and I immediately wanted the next two! I fell in love with Julian there and then, and was never able to understand why Jenny didn't just choose him! I've read these books over 20 times, and they're all falling apart. Everybody in the entire world should read them, because you're missing out if you don't. I highly recommend them. The last book is a nice finish, but it's incredibly sad. I wish it had ended differently! (...)

In the trilogy of the Forbidden game i thought that the first and third were the best books I've ever read, and although the second was good it didnt even compare to these. I thought the game was great but if I were jenny I'm afraid I would miss out on it because one look and a few words from Julian and I would run away with him straight away. The books were made to be so real that I'm still searching for my own door, call me sad but you have to admit if Julian wanted you, you wouldn't be able to resist!

This was the first LJS book I ever read and it awakened me. Never before had I realised what a book could truly do to a person. This, the final book of the Forbidden Game trilogy, really gives the reader an insight to all the characetrs. It shows how they have developed, especially Julian. It also brings out different feelingsof the main characetr, Jenny. She learns so much about Julian and learns to understand. This book is definatly the most important and is a wonderful way to end the trilogy.

This is my favourite book, only challenged by other of L J Smith's works. She is an amazing woman and it is well worth reading her stuff.

When I looked up Darryl Brock to see Havana Heat, I was thrilled to see that If I Never Get Back was rated 5 stars by *SO* many people. So I'm adding my own rave.

I read a library copy of this book shortly after it was published. I loved it so much that I immediately bought my own copy and some extras to give away. I even wrote a fan letter to Darryl Brock, who wrote back and included some cartoons & other items that were apropos to the story.

I love the entire book, but want to add special mention about the last page or 2. The ending is unique and charming and absolutely perfect. I can't help but smile whenever I think about it.

The book is like a grown-up fairy tale based on an actual historic era. If this appeals to you, READ THIS BOOK!!

"If I Never Get Back" by Darryl Brock has something enjoyable for everybody. It's a historical novel with adventure,danger,action,humor,fantasy and romance, but will be especially loved by those who love time travel and baseball(and train enthusiasts as well). You'll go back in time and escape to a time with no electricity,phones, credit cards, TV, radio or cars, but in the just post civil war era of 1869, there was our National Pastime - Baseball.

Sam Fowler does not start out as the most likeable character. He's a drinker,has a bit of an anger management problem, and is brooding over the separation from his beloved little girls due to a messy divorce. On top of that he has just been notified of the death of his own absentee father(no great loss to Sam) but has the dubious job of burying him.
The boozing had led Sam to "milky" periods where things are just not quite in focus. While at the train station on his way back from dealing with his father, he is having one of his episodes and falls into unconsciousness. He awakes on the same platform but things are quite different. He hops the train - some old classic - and finds himself aboard with one of the first pro ball teams - The Cincinnati Red Stockings.

Not knowing at first, if he is hallucinating or just having a bad day, he eventually comes to realize he has somehow gone back in time and forms a relationship with the team. He travels with this extraordinary group of young men and becomes a big part of their world.On his transcontinental travels- using the early RR system, horse and buggys, etc)there is one adventure after another. He falls in love with a woman he feels a deep connection, gets in hot water with some real toughs who are after him throughout, befriends the great Mark Twain, has a spiritual connection with an apparition,and plays baseball 19th century style - a might rougher and faster then today's version of the game. He's even involved in a shoot out in a poker game in a western saloon! While searching for the reason he is there(an enjoying the change of pace quite a bit), he becomes a new man. One we can't help but cheer for as his life is in danger at so many turns.

The book is a page turner. You can't help but become attached to Sam and the boys. Brock puts you right there in the 19th century, with remarkable detail of each city,the trains,food,clothes,dress,etc and through Sam we are living the life of someone who has gone back over a hundred years(this book was published in 1990, so there are even more differences now!).The Civil War plays a small but integral part of the story too. And then there is Baseball - we are treated to a real look at how the game was played, and feel the intensity with which they played.Even then, the game was popular and the players heroes. But think of never seeing them play unless you were fortunate enough to actually be at a game.

Also available in hardcoverIF I NEVER GET BACK. A Novel. check for best deal and availability

I for one was having such a great time, I hoped he would never get back! Baseball, apple pie,old trains, wonderful colorful characters...and a refreshing look at historical America....enjoy!.....Laurie

I first read this in high school. I reread it recently and am happy to say that is still one my top favorite books.

This is a book I've read several times. I'd like to know where Mr. Brock found out so much about Charlie sweazy, Asa Brainard et al, to make these characters come alive the way they do. There were a few political issue editorials Darryl brought into the story. But these surely do not detract from the book. I wish I had Andy Leonard as a brother as well.
You will hate to see the end of this book as it is entertaining(and historically accurate) from first page to last. As I said earlier, it's my favorite baseball book and one of my favorite of any genre.

This is one of the greatest baseball novels ever written. If you like baseball,time travel,romance and "rooting for the good guys" this is a book that will never get old. I'm sorry they never made a movie if it. However I doubt Hollywood could do it justice. Superb!!!!!!!!!!

I don't need to summarize b/c of course the all powerful Scott "Pope El Siglerino" has done a beautiful job in an earlier review. So, what I would like to get across is that this book, this series of crime novel is what makes my day do-able. I am, like many, an unfortunate desk jockey (gotta' pay the bills b!$tch) and the only way I can do my work is with some quality story telling, which is exactly what this is. Characters that pull you in, they spawn emotion responses as the story goes, I love the good guys, I love the bad guys, I love this book!! Reading this book is so easy b/c the writing is so ridiculously descriptive that my imagination can instantly produce the mental movie I always can see as i read/listen. Great book, read the sequels and pray for a continuation of this story...

Seth Harwood introduces us to the world of JACK PALMS in his first novel, Jack Wakes Up. Jack, a one-hit movie wonder finds himself in a world of crime and drugs after a close friend turns up dead after a deal gone bad. Who's responsible for the death, and can Jack actually trust the policeman investigating the case after finding out that he was the one who helped destroy Jack's career.

A definite must read.

I could not put this book down! Jack Palms is richly drawn. You feel for this man and sense his world, like you do when reading Chandler or Cain. But Jack is contemporary, young, and fun, and his story is fast-paced and full of action and surprises. Whether it's the girls and the goons, or the dealers and the Ducati, Harwood lovingly describes everyone and everything that is keeping Jack up past his bed time. Don't let this book slip by if you love a good noir or crime story or are just addicted to the action. Jack Wakes Up will keep you up even after the last page.

I loved this book, it read just like a great movie. Reminds me in a way of Die Hard.

I read this a few months ago and somehow wound up on the page again this morning. I saw that this book had gotten five stars from over 50 reviewers and the only other ratings are two four star reviews. That bothered me just enough that I felt like I'd better weigh-in for the sake of balance. C'mon guys, this was a great book and tons of fun, but on my meter a book has to be really special to hit five stars. Scott Sigler, the author of "Infected", and who pens the first review here, awards it five stars which is very kind of him and I know he is supporting a talented fellow podcast author. Yet Sigler's book "Infected" just blows away this book. Of course, it blows away most books. "Infected" is one of the most exciting and stunning novels I've read in years and if you haven't read it yet then don't waste any more time getting yourself a copy.

While "Jack Wakes Up" is a great book, I can't honestly place it on the same level as "Infected". Therefore I give the former four stars, maybe even 4.5 stars, and the latter five. Neither book is literature, but that's not what they are trying to do. They aspire to be edge of your seat entertainment and they both succeed. They're fun, enjoyable, exciting, packed with action, put a grin on your face, and are stories that will stick with you long after you finish the book. Maybe we just need more than five stars to work with so we can have more subtle gradations of quality and enjoyment. OK, that nitpicking over with, hey, please believe me when I say "Jack Wakes Up" is an extremely fun book and is done very well. If your a fan of action books in the Lee Child vein you're are definitely going to like this book. I bought it on a whim from Amazon based upon some good reviews, which it deserves, and was thoroughly happy with it.

Jack himself is a very well done character. A cast aside action adventure actor, wrecked by an ugly and publicly-messy divorce, down on his luck and short of dough, he let's a somewhat sleazy friend get him tangled up with some Czech guys looking to score some drugs. In the midst of the deal Jack finds his friend murdered in his house. Jack wants to stay away from the cops but also needs to make sure he isn't in danger too. The story hurtles forward from there with a cast of drug-dealers, cops, ex-KGB rogues, strippers and pissed off Colombians. Harwood writes well and doesn't fall prey to cliches, making his characters intelligent and believable. I enjoyed this book start to finish, admired the three-dimensional characters, and loved it that the plot refused to be drawn into stereotypes or any type of predictability. Harwood always happily surprised me as the story unfolded because people acted rationally except for when excellent reasons were provided for irrational behaviour. In other words his characters act in a self-beneficial manner except for when angry, stressed, or under the influence of hubris. Harwood does a great job of keeping things wildly fun but within the realm of possibility. The story was slightly more predictable than chaos theory, In other words, not very predictable at all. There was plenty of great action in this book, but it too was reasonably believable with the good guys getting their butts kicked as often as the other way round. If Seth Harwood publishes more books you can bet that I'll buy them. I'll also add another recommendation: if you enjoy this story, and you've already read "Infected", I'd suggest looking up Charlie Huston's "Caught Stealing" trilogy next. Those are great books in the same vein as this one.

This book is one of those that's been around for ages and it's still a great one for kids. They can add all kinds of info about themselves and they'll have it for years to come.

My mother bought me this book when I was a little girl (about 6 or 7). At the time I was learning to play the violin, but absolutely hated it. I tried in various ways to tell my parents this...even going as far as to tell my mom when she was pregnant that what I really wanted was a cello. None of my requests to switch instruments were heard until one day my grandmother happened to look inside this book. There is a page which asks you what your favorite instrument is. I of course had scribbled out the violin and circled the cello. Well, with the help of this book, and my grandmother, I finally had my wish come true, and started on the cello. I have been a cello teacher now for 19 years, and when I saw this book, (I was looking for a book for my own children), I remembered what a difference it made in my life. I also remember the book being a lot of fun to do as a kid, and I still have it!

I got this book when I was 9. I recently bought it for my niece who was 9. It's still in print 20+ years later. It's a fun book!

I had this book when I was young and recently found it in a box up in the attic. It was a grand trip down memory lane and I want my boys to have that same experience. What a great little book this is.

This was one of my favorite books growing up; I hope it will be one of my sons favorites as well