L Books

I picked this book up in a used book store. Although I am not a huge fan of his music I picked the book thinking it may be interesting. I was actually surprised to find out how good this book was to read. DMX discloses so much of his personal life in this book. He is very candid and does an excellent job telling his life story from his passion for pitbulls to his problems with drugs.

There aren't many people who possess the energy and resilience that DMX has. He connects with his audience in ways beyond belief. I met him at a recent performance, was on stage with him the whole time, and was literally blown away. He is one of the greatest performers in the industry today and should be recognized as such. I appreciate his honesty in his book and in his life. What a great man!!

I just grabbed this book out of curiosity. I knew of DMX and his music but no fan. Wow, was I impressed. To be completely honest, I figured it wouldn't be so good because frankly, how good of a story can a ghetto playa bring to the table?
Well, a very good one in fact. My favorite part of it was that he didn't restrain himself from sounding intimate. He would describe how he was living with nothing and then he had bought a little bouncy ball and that was the shiznit! lol I love that. He appreciated the small things. He still had a heart and needed love no matter how roughed up he was. I got mad respect for him and I feel his story was genuine. DMX did not try to make the projects seem cool or anything. I had a picture the entire time reading it. Dark, gloomy, dirty streets and bad vibes. I recommend this book. Seriously, just read it with an open mind. WOW.

Never could have imagined what a rough life DMX had. He has truly defied all odds!

This book offers nothing positive at all. DMX lived a negative life and he speaks negative rap. He robbed people (mostly women) as a youngster. He robbed other kids by using his dog. He stole cars. He stole for the thrill and because he wanted nice things without working for them. And he didn't care who he stole from. He stole a chain from his friend (TQ). He would offer his home made tapes for sell to people, take their money and not give them anything. He promotes violence. He spent most of his life victimizing people in and out of jail. At one point in the later chapters and in one of his raps, he implies raping men in jail. He summarizes quickly what his jail time was like, he avoids going into alot of detail about those years. He's showing you the slice of his life that he wants to show.

He spends too much time on the earliest years of his life which are uninteresting. He doesn't really cover the parts of his life that most people are interested in. He doesn't talk much about the actual business of music. He doesn't talk about how his life changed with the music business success. He doesn't talk about how he grew as a person or what he learned from his incarcerations. Did he spend his time in jail doing anything positive? Or was his jail time just fighting people and rapping about it?

I do appreciate his talent, but not his messages. There were alot of DMX songs that I used to listen to. After reading this book, I see him more vividly now. I see him as a horrible person who I would want nothing to do with. He isn't a person that should be celebrated, he should be ashamed for the life he has led.

You shouldn't buy this book. You shouldn't even borrow it. It's a waste of time to read, there are much better, more positive things that you could be doing with your life.

This is a very good book.
Dreikurs is the second master in the history of Individual Psychology.
Go look for him on wikipedia!

He shares with us some of his wisdom.
The adlerian principles are clearly described and Dreikurs uses them to make the differences between what is useful and what is not useful in children behaviour. Also he gives solution and discusses a lot of cases.
I consider this book like a referential one to understand the adlerian psychology.
In the meantime this book is gold for those who work with children!
Have a good reading!

This was my favorite book that my pediatrician recommended when my children were little; it had the best analysis of children's behavior and how to respond to them. My kids are now grown and I am buying this book for them to read in preparation for raising their children. It is a great resource for understanding children and how to respond to them appropriately.

I've been a child/family psychologist for over thirty years. This is, I'm convinced of it, the single most important book ever written for parents who want to learn a "system" for parenting their kids. I was exposed to this book in grad school in the late seventies, and I've been recommending it to parents ever since. Everyone loves it! I give it as gifts to new parents when their firstborns come into the world.

I would recommend this book to parents. It helps the reader to look at how situations are promoted through our actions and word usage. The book is a bit annoying as it is outdated in word usage, a little stereotyped as to "mother", "father" roles. However, still a good read, promoting democracy and independece to our children.

I am not done reading this book yet however, the tips are wonderful for any parent who is having troubles with their kid. Or this book is great for first time parents who want to raise their kid different from the way they were raised.

This book is pretty good for beginners. I have recently started teaching myself html and I was able to handle most of the things I was reading about without too much trouble. There were a couple of times I really needed to pause and go back and read it again. Then maybe I could put it together. Only one or two times did I just give up with total frustration. All in all it's a great handbook and I am sure I will get it all someday!

The text was easy to read and gave a great number of examples but lacked any questions or problems at the end of each chapter.

A very good book if you would like to understand how HTML works

I've been doing HTML work on and off for the last 5-6 years. This book is full of great examples for beginners or more advanced users who just forgot how to do something. You won't regret owning this book.

Although the author gives some superfials explanations on JavaScript, CGI & DHTML, this book offers and comprehensive and fairly complete explanation on HTML.
Higly recommended for those willing to learn and master HTML.

I graduated from the University of Redlands (California) with a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems degree a few years ago. Many of the textbooks I used were not very enlightening - I suffered through using them and immediately took them back to the bookstore for resale. This wasn't so with the CREATING COOL HTML 4 book. I use this as a reference book now.

One of the classes I took included a web design portion. How fun to create web pages that were exciting and not boring. It was easily accomplished using this book as a guide but someone who knows nothing about HTML design could easily use this and create.

The chapters are broken down from the basics to intermediate items. The author, Dave Taylor, explains exactly what entails a web page, what a URL is, basic html, graphics, tables, links, pointers, image maps, and other advanced designs.

Now many technical books are dry to read and often times leave the non-die-hard techies wondering what was just said. Not true with Taylor. He gets everyone to understand html - those creating their first web page to those who want to do more, those that want pizzazz on their pages.
If you're not a beginner, you may want to skip the chapters in which Taylor explains to new users about Web pages, how browsers work, what URLs are, and other basic concepts. (But it can be a good refresher for those who haven't designed web pages in a while). Next he expands into basic HTML, fonts, text styles, and gets the reader to understand the making of lists, special characters, pointers, and links. Next comes the explanation of graphics and the creation of tables and frames. But my favorite part is next - chapters on advanced items like background, marquees, image maps, JavaScript, forms, plug-ins, Dynamic HTML, style sheets, and much more.
Examples shown in the book are easy to follow and let the reader completely understand what the code does and how it will look on a web page. Nothing in CREATING COOL HTML PAGES is overwhelming and will let everyone create a web page of which they can be proud. I'm a computer programmer, and still use this as a reference. In fact, it's one of the most borrowed books in our office! This book is highly recommended for any level of html programmer.

I read The Forbidden Game series as a teenager and since have read it a dozen times at least. I cannot begin to tell you how amazing this series is. Vampire Diaries by LJ Smith was recently re-released and I must say as good as that series is this one is 10 times better. I really hope it gets released again for a new generation. This story is so unique, based around a girl who buys a game from a strange store. Her and her friends end up opening up a veil that has kept a demon in the shadows who has just happened to have been in love with her for years. He brings her and her friends into the game to relive their worst fears. Even as a teen I fell in love with Julian, the shadow demon. He is absolutely breathtaking and everyone who reads this series will fall in love with this tragic character. Don't just listen to me, read it for yourself. If you like: Vampire Diaries, Twilight, Vampire Academy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Tithe, or any other book similar to these you will love this one!

Who's this mysterous man, well who ever he is, he can have me any time. Very good book to read and can get addictive in the world of L J Smith.

like the other reviewers, i've read this book when i was 16. now at the age of 21, i still find this book captivating and have reread the series a dozen times over the years. the ending always makes me cry. the characters are memorable especially julian. this is a book you'll treasure and reread no matter how old you get.

This is the most awesome book in the WORLD!!! It's so sad that it is going out of print! I found this book last year while looking for a scary book to read and I found this! I have re-read and re-read it so many times that it's almost falling apart not to mention the times i have let MANY other people borrow it!!! Everyone LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!! Julian is like OH MY GOD HOTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!! I totally fell in love with the Prince of Shadows... I recommend it!!! HOpefully you'll get it before it's too late... Almost all L.J. Smith's book are going out of print!! Especially the NIGHT WORLD series that are awesome!!! Tells you of how when someone breaks the rules of the Night World they have to Pay!!!!!! Forbidden Game is a page turner and so romantic, courageous, loyal, evil, good, betrayal and everything!!!!!!!! READ IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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! Anyone who would like to discuss these books, I've set up a Yahoo! group for it called theforbiddengame. Please join, I really like to talk about these books!

This book is enticing, exciting and sad, all on one page. Usually when a book is a sequel, it is necessary to have read the first book in order to fully enjoy it. That's not the case with this novel. The author has succeeded in giving you just enough insight to the previous book that you don't feel lost if you haven't read it, without reiterating everything in case you have. Bernice McFadden is quickly becoming one of my favorite novelists

Wow, What a book and I was thinking sugar was good, they are both good reads.Sugar comes back to bigelow for a reason, and now we know why.Jude send her back in her dreams to let her know what happen to her, and bring the family together with the true who sugar dad is.I see why mercy was put in her life the way she was to see that lappy have done to alot of people in that town.This was a great book IM sorry it taking so long to read it.

The group felt many of the unanswered questions from McFadden's novel "Sugar" were answered in "This Bitter Earth."

Overall the group felt that each character kept too many secrets. Everyone felt that the secrets were the source of the problems. Joe kept secrets about being Sugar's father and learning the details of Jude's murder. The Lacey sisters held secrets about Sugar's family including Shirley being her great-grandmother. Sugar's life would have been drastically different, if most of these secrets had been revealed earlier.

I just love this author work, her books are so heart felt. thank you bernice mcfadden.

YES, A SEQUEL THAT CAN STAND UP TO THE FIRST BOOK. THIS BITTER EARTH WAS JUST AS GOOD AS SUGAR. SHE MADE SURE SHE KEPT US IN THE BOOK AND IN THE MIND OF ALL THE CHARACTERS. MANY OF TIMES I HAD TO SAY "COCOA, YOU ARE NOT SUGAR, COME BACK TO REALITY" I FELT THAT CHARACTER LIKE I FEEL THE MY HEART BEATING INSIDE OF ME. ONCE AGAIN A WELL WRITTEN NOVEL BY BERNICE MCFADDEN

If you have aspirations of being in radio or t. v., or film, or just being one great individual in life. You should read the book "Personality Radio" by Dan O'Day. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Especially if you are in radio. You can't go wrong. In this book there is a lot of how to's. It is your road map as you travel the airways.

Al MacDonald, K A T Z Radio St. Louis

I am a radio announcer in Australia, unfortunatly noboby here is teaching what Dan O'Day has put in this book, It gave me the edge over all the other jocks. I go back over it when Im becoming stale it really is a must read book for anyone in the industry.

I bought this book after seeing Dan at a workshop. There is no real secret to the stuff Dan teaches, most of it is simple common sense. But how many of us actually stick by the rules on-air each day? The material from jocks around the globe makes interesting reading, and although everything they suggest may not be relevant to your market, just one suggestion could make a difference and it's therefore worth buying the book to see. As Dan says "Don't be better, be different"! Buy it!

Whenever I need to recharge myself about this great business of radio, I breeze through the number of stories by the pros that Dan features in the book. Whether you're new to radio or you've been at it for years pick it up and get behind a mic.

Personality Radio will quickly become more important to you than a good pair of headphones or digital editing. The advice and instruction are of the utmost value for rookies and veterans alike. The book is well written and simply put...a great read!

More importantly, you will find inspiration and energy in this book. I read a small portion every day before I go on the air to draw on this inspiration and to crank up my energy level.

You will take heart to find there are hundreds of people who've walked down the radio path that have had the same problems, fears, adventures, and joy you have.

Personality Radio should be on ever air talent's bookshelf and in the air studio of every radio station.

I just finished reading Lord of the Fading Lands, and I have to say the only word that comes to my mind is disappointment. I seem to be in the minority, but I still wanted to post my review to voice some of the negatives I found. I was really looking forward to reading this book after finishing the Warlands Chronicles by Elizabeth Vaughan, as it was highly recommended by her readers. I was enthralled by the story of Ellie and Rain from multiple reviews and ran to my local book store to pick up my own copy. I was at once captivated, but as the book progressed regret seeped in, since my high expectations were not met. Here's why.

1. I was surprised to see quite a few similarities to one of my favorite fantasy series' The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan. My amazement had to do with the fact that this book is a romantic fantasy novel while WoT is epic fantasy, but there were parallels nonetheless. For example the death of Rain's mate triggered his rage and subsequent insanity which resulted in deaths of thousands of people. In WoT, Lews Therin Telamon went insane and broke the world after finding his Elyena dead. Also Rain is tairen (winged feline), while Lews Therin Telamon is the dragon - somewhat similar. Ellie is a poor woodcrafter's daughter, while Rand (the protagonist of WoT) is a poor shepherd. There is the light and the dark lord which is pretty much identical to the WoT, and the main similarity is the magic - five powers being wielded by the fey, which is exactly the same magic used by Channelers in the WoT. I'm not saying that these points are identical, just akin to one another.

I would be greatly surprised if C.L. Wilson never read the WoT, since there are too many likenesses between the two. That in itself is not what bothered me, since most of the fantasy writers draw from their favorite authors, legends, myths, religions, etc. What I didn't like though is the fact that even those attributes that I absolutely loved in the WoT fell flat for me in this book. Everything felt rushed, the heroes revealed too much too soon.

2. This brings me to my second point. Right from the start we are thrown into Celierian court intrigue, Feyan politics, Elden mage machinations, on top of Ellie's forced betrothal to Dan, family issues, new status as the Feyan Queen, her soul bond to Rain, search for her origin, and a number of other threads. This all happens in the first half of the book, when we are still trying to learn the characters and get used to the new world. It's like the author had all these ideas and tried to cram them into a less then 400 page book, and then tried to confuse the reader even further by adding words/sentences from a Fey language (for which no dictionary was provided by the way). I think the author could've served her readers better by concentrating on a few of the threads and leading them through to a culminating conclusion, versus trying to pack all of her ideas into one small book with no real ending.

3. I found characterization lacking for the most part. Rain killed thousands in his madness and even though I understand why he was left to live, the fact that he is arrogant enough to demand complete obedience from everyone is just ridiculous. The other Fey treat him as a close friend/companion, completely disregarding the madness that visited him before. Is it really gone? Why do they all believe that he is completely sane? How can they trust with such utter devotion when not too long ago by Feyan age he went berserk and almost killed everyone in the world? Marissya calms him down half of the time pointing out his mistakes in losing his tempter, but never have I seen her doubt \ his sanity. Also Rain apologizes to Ellie throughout the book. Either he is continuously aroused, for which he apologizes; or he snaps at her in rage, for which he once again apologizes. Or he forgets to compliment her, for which he apologizes still; or Ellie gets hurt and he nevertheless apologizes yet again for something that was completely out of his control. I found that some of these traits took away from what could've been a great protagonist.

Then there is Ellie, who is a naïve coward at heart with low self esteem. She lets her family put her in a compromising position which results in a forced betrothal, but still holds no grudge against her very unlikeable mother. That alone would be fine with me since it shows her meek acceptance due an unmarried girl of that time. But then in a couple of chapters she snaps at a queen's provocations about her height. So she seems to possess a backbone when mildly insulted by her queen, but when she is being force into marriage to an abusive brute all she can do is cry in her room. Her behavior throughout the book makes no sense, since those unexpected outbursts of spirit come randomly. I also couldn't feel her growth and development since they were baffling and sporadic.

This review is getting too long, so I think I'll try to finish it up. My main complaint about the book was the lack of magic that happens when a captivating story comes alive. I didn't feel it. The idea for the book was great and the cast of characters was well selected, but it lacked development, structure and suspense. Nothing in this book captivated my interest and I felt cheated since I expected so much more.

I loved this book, I was captured in the first few paragraphs and never lost my fervor for the story. Don't buy this without buying the next book, Lady of Light and Shadows, as well. This book is full of magic, true love, evil sorcerors and a believable society people with all kinds of beings. It is a richly texured story and I, for one, am a big fan. I hope the author lives in this world for a very long time becuase I never want to leave.

WOW, I LOVED THIS BOOK. I loved every single thing about it.
The side that loves fantasy will tell you that this is a wonderfully crafted magic book and that Mrs Wilson has met my most wildest expectations in the development of a new world, which has its own languages, geography, peoples. There are the inner laws of the Magic world and a whole History that goes back thousands of years. Suffice to say that I kept thinking LORD OF THE RINGS, which is my favorite Fantasy novel and one of my top 5 best books of all time.
The other side of me, the side that loves Fairy Tales and Romance will tell you that the romantic aspect of the book is as sublimely crafted as the Fantasy side if not more. It has all the aspects of an epic love story and if the Fantasy is LoTR reminiscent then the Romance reminds me of a Cinderella story, my favorite fairytale.

The Dark is Rising, and it happens to coincide with the fact that the Tairen are dying. And if the Tairen die, the Fey people will follow suit to their strong connection. The Tairen Soul, the King of Fey is desperate for a solution and dares to ask the Eye (...) to show him the way. The eye, shows him the figure of a red-haired woman who is the one that will save the. It just so happens that Ellie, the adopted daughter of a woodscrafter is also the Truemate of Rain. A truemate is the person that shares the soul of a Fey, the connection going beyond that of a wife or a mate of the heart and it is the most precious gift a Fey hope to receive in its existence. It doesn't happen to everyone, it hasn't happened in over a thousand years but most importantly it has never happened to a Tairen Soul.

The scope of the story is grand and with an epic quality to it.All characters are well developed and I loved the fact that the bond between truemates must be worked. It is not a given and it doesn't signify instant love. Even though they share a soul, there must be a period of courtship initiated by Rain and until Ellie accepts herself and him there can never be a true bond between them. It is interesting to note, that she can still deny him and carry on with her life. On the other hand, he will die if the bond doesn't complete. Not only his life hangs by a thread so does the future of the Fey and of their world.

BUY THIS BOOK.

Ana
[...]

Even though you may want to skip this because it's a fantasy, do yourself a favor and give it a chance. I almost passed it up and am grateful I didn't. Although Wilson creates her own world, it's similar enough to ours (similar fairy tales, sayings, customs, etc.) that you're never lost. And there's a nifty glossary at the back for her unfamiliar words--but the ones she uses are easily recalled throughout the reading.

The writing was great! The characters memorable. And each character comes loaded with perfectly reasonable flaws (except maybe Ellie, but I'm holding out hope that we'll see some more in the last two books)--but they are endearing nonetheless. Lots of detail, but it's never overwhelming because you grow to care about the characters and what is going on. You learn all about the Fey and the Tairen as Ellie does and it's a very effective tactic. Any questions you have about their world will be answered in the pages to come. Ms. Wilson opens with an incredibly scripted powerful scene that really drags you in from the beginning, and she manages to hold your attention throughout the rest (so much so that I called in sick to work to finish it).

This book and the sequel--Lady of Light and Shadows--are really 2 parts of the same book, and I would DEFINITELY urge you to buy them both if you're at all interested. The ending of Fading Lands is a stopping point, but you will immediately want to start the next one--Rain and Ellie's story isn't anywhere near over yet.

So interesting...with outstanding characters...ones you won't forget easily, and will re-read the books to to get to know them again. This series is without a doubt one of the BEST out there. C.L. Wilson actually wrote a story. And a darn good one at that. You have action, romance, and a wonderful fantasy story. The second book in the series...The Lady of Light and Shadows...is EXCELLENT also. I am so waiting for the final two books in the series coming out around Oct Nov of 08. It is SO rare nowadays to find a writer and series that takes your breath away!!!! C.L. Wilson has done that with this series!!!!

The Little House series are great read aloud books.

Our daughter is five and this series is perfectly age appropriate, even though an older child would enjoy them equally as well. For younger ones (three or so), there is a great picture book series called "My first little house books," or something like that. One of these is a story based of a chapter in this book and is called "Christmas in the Big Woods."

These CD's are great for long trips in the car. The narrator's voice is wonderful. The adults will find themselves enjoying listening themselves.

"One the Banks of Plum Creek" is the best of the series. It is the one where Mary and Laura go to school and where the character of Nellie Olson is introduced. Her brand of spoiled rotten meanness is nothing short of tantalizing to a five year old. Also, there are the wonderful Christmas chapters.

Just excellent, all around. I highly recommend the books to read alound and the CD's.

Whether you have read the Little House books or have never heard of them, this book on tape is wonderful for everyone from small children to adults. The narrator who reads it does an amazing job of capturing the childhood wonderment and emotions Laura was trying to convey. It is also so interesting to hear the way families lived back in the 1800's. I could listen to this book on tape over and over again.

Book review
I did my report on the book called On the Banks of Plum Creek.
The author of this novel is Laura Ingalls Wilders. It is also historical fiction.
This story is about a family that is very close. There is baby Carrie the littlest, the middle child was Laura but her nick name was Little Half Pint, and the oldest is named Mary. Mary was such a little lady she always did what her mother told her to do. But Laura was the rebel in the family she was always getting dirty or getting into trouble. But Carrie is too little to have a background. Pa traded his horses and bunny for a dugout from Mr. Nelson. There was a creek close to the house and they played there often but they must never go into the deep waters with out Pa or Ma (Laura learned that lesson fast).
I loved this book because I love the time period it was set in and I have read many stories by the same author like Little House in the Big Woods. It would suit some one who loves Family stories and the time period and his farm world it is more like a fun book to read but it is Historical fiction as well.

Laura Ingalls is now eight-years-old, her sister Mary is nine, and Carrie is still just a tiny tot. While they are all still quite young, they are expected to help out with the chores around the house - from sweeping to dusting, cooking and setting the table. But this year, the girls are in a strange new place. Looking to settle in an area where a school and church are close by, and the Ingalls' have a chance to grow a wonderful crop that will provide quite a profit, the family heads to Walnut Grove, Minnesota. Traveling by covered wagon, the family, along with all of their belongings, travels all the way through Indian Territory, across Kansas, Missouri, and Iowa, stopping at their destination in Minnesota. There, they are surrounded by Norwegian's who speak very little English. However, they are good neighbors who assist them in times of trouble. Trading their horses for a home located under the ground, Laura's family begins to call Minnesota their home. And, before long, Pa has built a lovely home by the banks of Plum Creek. He believes that his wheat crop will provide enough funds to pay off their debts when the time comes. But when locusts invade in cloud-like swarms, eating everything in their sight, the family must endure hardships that were unexpected.

But things are not all bad. Having never attended school before, Laura and Mary are finally near enough a schoolhouse where they can attend daily lessons that help them develop reading, writing, and arithmetic skills. It is at this particular school where the two older Ingalls girls are exposed to children - both male and female - who are close to their age. Some of whom title Mary and Laura "country girls." But the label does not affect how the two sisters view themselves, or their family; and only gives them the courage to befriend various girls who love to spend time with them. It is at school, however, that Laura encounters the spoiled, yet oh-so-pretty, Nellie Oleson, who goes out of her way to give both Laura and Mary a hard time. But Laura isn't having any of it, and resolves to get even with the vicious Nellie, even if it upsets her Ma and Pa. Luckily, with Ms. Beadle - the schoolteacher - around, Laura and Mary have the confidence to stand up for themselves, and receive the education that their Ma always wanted them to have; while getting the socialization they deserve. But even attending school doesn't excuse them from having to assist their family when the going gets tough.

Up until last year, I had been a diehard fan of the LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE TV series, but had never had the opportunity to delve into the wonderful tales told by Laura Ingalls Wilder herself. Upon reading the introduction novel, LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, I quickly fell in love with the Ingalls family all over again; and, since then, they have taken up residence in my heart, and kept me fascinated with the various adventures they experienced throughout their lives. Laura is such a lively, brave, fun-loving character; whose ambition, kindness, and, oft-times, naughtiness, make her appealing from start to finish. Her relationship with her family is hard to resist, as she manages to please and displease them on a daily basis, all to the jovial laughter of her father. I believe that Pa (Charles) is one of the most important characters in the series, as he is such a kind, loyal man; who rarely scolds, and spends his downtime entertaining his family with music from his fiddle, and stories that leave you chuckling. The family, as a whole, are the type of people you would absolutely love to have the chance to know. They are kind to strangers, helpful to neighbors, and both Ma and Pa are two of the most selfless people in literature. The information regarding Rocky Mountain locusts was both interesting, and frightening; but truly provides a wonderful history lesson for the young reader. While the introduction of the devilish Nellie Oleson provides quite a bit of humor, as she and Laura trade insults with one another at almost every meeting between the two. Ingalls did a marvelous job of penning such a cheerful addition to the series; and, thus far, ON THE BANKS OF PLUM CREEK has become my favorite LITTLE HOUSE book yet. A can't-miss addition to the series!

Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer

ON THE BANKS OF PLUM CREEK -- Who could forget the plague of grasshoppers, or spoiled Nellie's encounter with the crab, or Pa's sojourn in the blizzard, among other adventures?

We -- my three homeschooled grandchildren and I -- are going through the Laura Ingalls Wilder series of books for the second time. We read them aloud during story time, and love every minute. These are books written about an American pioneer family in the 1800s with a strong moral compass. In an unsentimental style, the author writes simply of the day-to-day life she experienced firsthand growing up. As the title of this review suggests, a central theme, not only of this book, but the entire series, is that "Pa loves Ma, and Ma loves Pa, and all's right with the world," including in the face of all kinds of adversity and opportunity alike.

I enrich this time for my grandchildren by stopping occasionally to explain and discuss what we are reading about, be it an unusual word usage, a custom no longer practiced, how to do something by hand, historical facts... We have even stopped to do some research and measure out the height of a bear. Our family tradition is that the eldest grandchild (now 11) reads the last page of these books. Otherwise, I usually do the reading. We also try to get started right away on the next book in the series, the same day as we finish the one before, so as not to lose our momentum.

After going through the series the first time, we discovered (almost by accident at the local library) several other series of books, written by other authors, about Laura's great-grandmother Martha in Scotland, her grandmother Charlotte in Boston, and her mother Caroline in Wisconsin, so we decided to start over with the first of those books and carry on through. There is also a series about Laura's daughter Rose which we have not gotten to yet.

Reading through the other series in order has been time well invested. Like Laura, we have strong family roots in Scotland. We have four generations of our family living within close proximity, so my grandchildren know my father, their beloved great-grandfather, quite well, and this series helps them gain a feel of family and historical continuity, generation to generation. (Check for related book series under: Martha Years, Charlotte Years, Caroline Years, Rose Years).

I am investing in and building our own set of all these books in hardcover, having told my grandchildren that I plan to be around to read them to *their* grandchildren!

I read this book after my mother past it on to me. I have since gone back and read Indigo as well. This story burned into my soul. I have read and re-read for the last week and a half. Everytime I get a few minutes I go back and re-read a part the evoked stong emotion. I cried and I laughed. The characters were so real that I felt like I was there. This needs to be made into a movie. I would love to see Raimond, Sable, Galen, Hester, and the Brat come to life on the big screen! Beverly give somebody movie-rights!!!!

Beverly Jenkins is an amazing author. I love all of her historical romance novels. 'Through the Storm' is my favorite so far.

Every time I read a Beverly Jenkins novel I learn something new about African American history. She put her foot in this book.

I thought this book was a well written and wonderful book. I had to re-read this book with my book club. We all enjoyed the book, we all cried at different parts. Sable was strong and relied on her strength, Raimond was a bit spoiled, like most men. However, he was able to get over himself and love Sable. The part of being re-captured back into slavery was quite sad, but love prevailed and I am truly happy that Raimond found her. Great book, filled with so much history. Love th bibiliography as always.

After reading Indigo and learning about Raimond and his brothers, I was hoping to read more about them. I enjoyed reading about the budding romance and attraction between Sable and Raimond. I tell you Ms. Jenkins' really knows how to make a story come to life. She makes you feel like you're right there in the heat of all the action and the drama. She entertains as well as educates. I can't say I've ever enjoyed a history lesson so much as when I'm reading one of her historical fictions. Also while reading this particular story my heart ached for the characters. And the trials they had to go through in order to maintain their freedom. Once again, the worst thing about a Beverly Jenkins' book is that you never want them to end. Keep 'em coming, Ms. Jenkins!

In his short excerpt, the author grabbed his readers' attention by introducing two very intriguing characters (Badar & Sarge). Both characters strive to win, one has an individualistic approach and the other one values his team. I can't wait to see which one will make the deadly mistake.

Even a "non-techie" can follow and appreciate Mr. Perry's writing. I will definitely read this.

Enjoyed the read! If you've ever read and enjoyed the works of Tom Clancy or Michael Crichton, this author (in my mind) will certainly entertain you. The writing is very descriptive, without falling into the trap of being so overly descriptive and full of figurative language that lulls you to sleep, or causes you to lose track of what is happening.

I look forward to reading the complete story sometime soon.

Hey that was a great short script of "Deadly Mistake". Excellent writting, clever characters, thrilling and action packed. So where can I get the rest? What happened at the end of the fight? See...you left me hanging...doh!

This excerpt is written so well that it suspends time and took me at the place and time. I like how the author described the actions and I was curious to find out how Sarge was going to cope with the lost of a couple of his team. The writing of this excerpt is excellent, the premise in intriguing that I want to keep turning the page. The only disapointment was that it ended so quickly.

Two primary protagonists introduced in two entirely different ways, both fabulously executed and both guaranteed to have the readers drooling for more! What a great start!

In a textbook example of a "show, don't tell" writing style, Sergeant Curtis Jackson is introduced as the leader of an elite hand-picked special forces style military unit in the middle of an undercover insertion in war torn Beirut, Lebanon. High speed action and thrills ensue as SNAFUs of a magnitude that could only be achieved by the juxtaposition of high-tech computerized technology with the military entirely foul up a precisely planned commando style operation. Suffering casualties, the team is forced to retreat and the reader is left hanging high and dry wondering whether a secondary extraction point will prove successful.

Badar Baqai, on the other hand, is introduced in a quiet family setting ... enjoying a breakfast, reading the newspaper and interacting with his son. But what we see in these casual daily events is a ruthless, A-type personality who plays every game to win, someone who does not suffer fools gladly and will tolerate no less than 100% effort in every endeavour. That Badar Baqai will at some point meet Curtis Jackson is never stated. But I'll put $100 on the table now against any odds that says they'll confront one another at some point in the full flowering of this novel.

I'm hooked! Let me have the whole enchilada! Clearly, Douglas Perry can write "quiet", he can write "loud"; he can write "fast", he can write "slow"; he can write "character", he can write "action"! That's a helluva lot to achieve in the space of a 5000 word excerpt to a new novel.

Great introduction, Mr Perry! Count on me to buy the final product when you're published.