Novels Books

Love love love these books. I am going to hate to see this series come to and end. Pleased with the condition of the book and was here very quickly.
Thanks
Connie in NC

this is an awsome read...just as goood as the first 5 in this series...can't wait to start number 7 and hope she writes more!!!!

I have enjoyed the entire Yada Yada series. I and my friends have been blessed.

These gals are a hoot. Even got their guys going. What a great story line. I enjoyed every line of every book. Wish there were more - what about new grandchildren and new members of Yada Yada? Peggy Touchtone Sholly

I've read the entire Yada Yada series and I have to applaud Neta Jackson. They are well written and the religion and spirituality isn't forced -- it is natural, with scripture to back it up. The recipes in the novel are a little strange, but you can jump over them. The characters are realistic and I've learned from the series. Definately a good read for Christians... especially as you are finding your own walk in faith.

I am a huge BJ Fan and i have read all of her books with the exception of indigo, and the new one wild sweet love. When i saw jewel i got really excited, but for some reason i feel like although the book was nice it was missing something, you know that bj flair that leaves satisfied and yearning for more. It didn't measure up to its predecessors. the book was enjoyable don't get me wrong, but it was just OK. As someone who has read her other books and fell in love with her memorable characters i have to say that this book doesn't quite make it.

I am a die hard BJ fan and she does not disappoint in this story about Jewel and Eli. Wonderful "girl-next-door" turned hot romance story! You got to add this one to your collection. You will not be disappointed.

Grayson Grove's bachelor, Eli Grayson, has one dream and that is to have a worthy newspaper for the growing all-Black town. Due to lack of funds, Eli was forced to close the town's newspaper, the Gazette. Upon receiving a letter from G.W. Hicks, owner of the largest Black newspaper syndicates in the country, Grayson's excitement is limitless. That soon puts him in a precarious predicament: now he's in need of a wife to placate Mr. Hicks' pledge to back the newspaper venture. Behind door #1 is the only daughter of lumber beast, Adam Crowley, the pragmatic Jewel. She's content wearing trousers, planting flowers, and tending to the needs of her father and five brothers. Secretly fantasizing about Eli, she's stunned when he requests her help with his ploy to gain Mr. Hicks backing in re-opening the Gazette. Against her better judgment, she consents and finds herself with a sullied reputation unless she does the unthinkable: correct the lie that she and Eli presented to Mr. Hicks.

Snap, crackle, and pop would be an appropriate description of the sparks that sizzle when the newlyweds accept the other's vices, and Eli exhibits his skills as to why he's known as the Casanova of Cass County and sensually deflowers the young virgin. The woman who caused Eli to bring shame to his family resurfaces with many secrets, and her malodorous scent of trouble soon follows as she maliciously begins her trek to destroy the men in the town.

Ms. Jenkins fluency in creativity flows so effortlessly that you naturally become enchanted with each character and their storylines. I've yet to put one of her books down and felt anything but pure enjoyment! Her characters are so loveable that with each read, she amazes you with their individual personalities. They're realistic, bear numerous flaws, but their hearts and souls are so full of love and life, reaching the ending is actually depressing. Jewel is a refreshing, compelling read that is innocent yet has numerous risqué scenes. It is mos def so hard to say good-bye to each of Ms. Jenkins' reads!!!!

Reviewed by Tazzyt2bossye
for Urban Reviews

Good plot....likeable characters...steamy sex... Not one of her better book. I have 4 of BJ's historical romance books: Always & Forver,Night Song,Through the Storm, and favorite one is A Chance at Love. But I would read another of her book.

Eli Grayson has put himself deeply in debt trying to keep the town's newspaper afloat so he is thrilled to learn that G.W. Hicks wants to invest in and reopen the Gazette. There's just one problem... Eli needs a wife!

Jewel Crowley can't believe the nerve of Eli, asking her to pose as his wife. Her reputation will be ruined if anyone hears of the ruse. Never mind that Eli is known as the Colored Casanova of Cass County! Will Jewel and Eli be able to turn this farce into a real marriage? And will their shaky relationship be destroyed when Eli's past comes back to haunt him?

Beverly Jenkins is a master at weaving history together with a solid romance to produce fantastic stories. JEWEL is no exception. She sheds light on little known tidbits of history, showing their importance by integrating them with vividly drawn characters. History truly comes alive in any book by Beverly Jenkins.

JEWEL is a fascinating portrayal of two strong willed characters. I love Jewel's spunk and her willingness to defy convention in order to maintain her independence and dignity! Seeing the time period through her eyes is a real eye opener as it gives me a new appreciation for just how far women's rights really have improved. Perhaps the only thing that could have made this great book better would have been if the resolution with Cecile had occurred just a tad sooner. Seeing her in the prologue whetted my appetite for what was to come and it was hard to wait so long for her reappearance.

Beverly Jenkins is an author I appreciate whether the setting is contemporary or historical. JEWEL shows exactly why Ms. Jenkins is a top selling author as her books are always enjoyable. Easily recommended!

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

Anyone who likes literary fiction and who also likes humor, will love THE SISTER MAFIA. Without reading any more than the first two chapters, I was enraptured by the literary turn of phrases along with laugh-out-loud humor. Somehow, a bunch of old ladies who are hell-bent to add to their bevy of grandchildren and who will do anything, including recruit the handsome priest at their church to help them, can only result in a joyful ride through the pages of this book. This author's ability to write humorous prose and still sound like literary British author Jasper Fforde sets him apart. I would love to read the whole novel.

This excerpt of The Sister Mafia left me laughing and hungry to know more about these hilarious sisters and the love and devotion it takes for them to join together in the unanimous pursuit of the one sister's goal and to have her experience what they all love so dearly and she wants more that anything - grandkids. I found the exchange between the sisters to be not only laugh out loud funny but also to have a very genuine sisterly quality.

This writer has a beautiful way of description and really is able to create a scene as well as the feelings the characters are experiencing without actually being inside of their thoughts. It is refreshing to read and allows the reader to contribute just enough of their own imagination to almost make them feel a part of the story. Take for instance the description of the surroundings outside the church after a light sprinkle. It really does feel refreshing and spring-like.

In addition, the writer has a pleasing dexterity with dialog and makes one feel as if you are right there with the sisters bickering and baraging the young priest in the confessional. Situations that might come off as sticky seems smooth and allow for the humor of each situation to come pouring out such as when the four are all in the car spying together or when Barb and her husband Les are arguing while both are on the phone with Barb's sister Patty. Jeff Hagkull has really captured what it is like to be a member in a family that has been comfortable with one another for some time and still makes it feel light and almost farcical.

I got to the end of the small excerpt and could not believe I had to stop reading. I can not wait for this book to be published so I can read on to find out if Patty really does get one of her son's to have a grandchild for her. I am sure it will be an enjoyable uplifting read.

Jeff Hagkull provides a well written and clever piece of fiction about 4 sister's in Turtle, MN. His unique dialogue and descriptions draw you in and make you feel a part of the story. It is both intelligent and easy to read which is a rare combination in literature. I can't wait for 'Sister Mafia' to be published so I can found out what happens!

I enjoyed The Sister Mafia. It has a good mix of humor and intrigue. Just from reading the short it begs you to ask the question, "How far will the Sisters go?". I liked the mix of character development and good Up North dialogue to go with the witty premise. It left me anxious to read more.

We can all identify with the sisters in this book....don't we all know someone just like them? It is the detailed character studies that make them very familiar, very likeable and their actions, very laughable! You get to know sisters very quickly and find yourself caught up in having to find out the outcome of their actions. It would make a great series and I hope to see the complete novel in the future. How long do we have to wait? A great book to curl up with on a long winter's day!

The opening line of this story is hilarious, "There are few worse places for a fully grown person than the backseat of her parents' car." This is obviously an understatement, as most of us would heartily agree. Having your parent's drive you home from graduate school is probably not at the top of any our proverbial lists.

Thus begins the story of a young woman and her forced exodus from graduate school. The crime is not entirely fleshed out, due to length issues, but it is clear that is has something to do with a girl from the main character's past.

The parent's are clearly shaken up at the turn of events, and the girl forces herself to remain calm during the long car ride home. It is a delightful narrative, with several moments of levity, amongst the serious turns of the story.

In a plot such as this, there are always clues to what is to come. In this piece, the author does a good job of relating past events, as well as current ones, and I felt a sense of nostalgia as the character recounts a trip to visit a troubled friend. Overall, I did feel as if the author used language well, and had a feel for familiar banter.

I would say that this is not in my personal top ten, but it is worthy of praise. The author is very talented, and I felt that this was in my top twenty picks of the contest. It could have been better, but for an unpublished piece of fiction, it was excellent.

The start of this excerpt sets a heavy tone for the rest of the story, with Katie leaving graduate school in disgrace and revealing that her older sister had a baby under embarrassing circumstances. When her mother started to cry in the front seat, this excerpt became almost painful to read.

The thought that Katie would think she had to make clear that she wasn't a sex offender was intriguing; I was curious about what happened at school.

I liked the brief flashback to Katie's childhood friendship with Molly, and her memories of Molly's mother. Before Katie jumps in to rescue someone else from her situation, I'd like to have more of a solid understanding of her own situation. What is she going to do, now that she's out of grad school? How is her relationship with her parents, now that she has been expelled? Why would she think she could save Molly, when it seems her own life is pretty screwed up?

The dialog between Katie and Molly is incredibly stilted, which may be intentional, but doesn't make for very exciting reading.

There are some nice hints that there are large parts of Molly's life Katie was never in on, despite thinking they were best friends back in junior high and high school. However, I'm not sure why at this point Katie feels like she needs to show loyalty to this woman who obviously couldn't care less about her presence in Chicago.

More direction, more insight into Katie's exact situation and what she plans to do now that she is reunited with Molly, besides sit around and watch her drink, would make for a more compelling story.

This is one of the best entries I've read, and I hope to see it advance in the next round. The writing is thoughtful, and the opening was excellent. Kudos to Sarah. Katy and Molly seem like "real" people with real problems. The use of details such as the baby toy on the floor of the car and the flavored water in the fridge add to the mood of hopelessness. This is a story I would finish and savor.

The Stars are Mostly Planes by S. Harris demonstrates the author's gift for telling a tale through a convincing character voice. If she isn't Katie Campbell herself, I'll be darned.

The only drawback of this excerpt is the lack of a clear overall story direction. It kind of sort reminded me of the way stories like 'Catcher in the Rye' and 'On The Road' unfolded. Just a telling, no solid direction other than to move forward in time.

Outside of that, I found the writing to be extremely engaging and Katie's character to be so real that I could 'hear' her in my mind.

Harris has done a wonderful job of presenting elements (such as Katie's expulsion, Molly's strange calls and the reappearance of April) that keep the reader asking 'what's going on?' without actually answering the previous question. There was an overarching sense that all these things somehow tie in together, as the young women's pasts once did.

There were a couple of lines that I thought were particularly well placed and written that captured sentiments perhaps only women can appreciate, but no doubt anyone would find a bit of humor in:
~'...why I can write essays on Wordsworthian sublimity but hold conversations like a menstruating seventh grader in a white skirt.'
~'The lady's b----s are really jiggly, like a couple of egg yolks slipping around beneath the rim of her shirt.

Overall, I found this piece of story telling to show a fair bit of originality in content and strong talent for delivery. I'll certainly be on the look out for this book.

Katie's voice is very real reading this excerpt. I don't know what she's done, but she's gotten kicked out of grad school and she's going home with Mom and Dad. This is a lot worse than the Principal's office--grim, and the words reflect it:

"There are few worse places for a fully grown person than the backseat of her parents' car. Particularly if your parents are driving you away from the life you thought you were going to have."

I don't know where the story's going. Katie runs on the edge of sympathetic character save I don't know what she's done, what she's going to do, and the word 'stalker' being mentioned in the synopsis. Stalker intrigues me, but in order for me to read on, I'd need a little more story. If I had a few thousand words, I might read on. Katie's got my attention--I don't know if the rest of the story would keep it.

Sarah Harris has created an interesting character and premise and I wish her much luck with her writing career.

You won't find many romances set in terminal cancer wards but there's so much more to this warm, wonderful story about a Boston reporter named Cady Winters who goes to St. Louis to take care of her dying grandmother.

She meets Dr. Keren Bailey, who is virtually dead on the inside because of things that happened in his past.

Cady brings Keren to life by drawing him into her life and family.

This book handles a depressing subject with sensitivity, warmth and just the right amount of humor.

The love scenes between Keren and Cady are phenomenal.

Kyla Winters and Zweli Randall are introduced in this book and they have their own story in Only You, the follow-up to Suddenly You.

I didn't know what to expect when I heard what this book was about, which is that a Boston reporter named Cady Winters goes to a St. Louis hospital where she meets an Iceman, an oncologist named Keren Bailey who is so emotionless that a terminal cancer ward is probably the best place for him to work. Cady is all fire and heat. Keren is ice and heartlessness until Cady starts to touch things in him that he never knew he had.

The thing I liked best about Suddenly You is how Ms. Hubbard finds the balance between life, love, death and forgiveness. Ms. Hubbard is very much in touch with how people deal with tragedy and she does an amazing job of showing how to get through it. Love is so important and most romance novels make it a joke in a way with contrived, predictable plots and love scenes that make you giggle instead of sweat. Crystal Hubbard knows what she's doing and she's very, very good at it.

Suddenly You is a very special romance because it strikes all the right chords of being romantic, sensual, funny and deeply touching. Suddenly You is a really beautiful story that celebrates life and love and how love really is the most powerful force on earth.

WOW! All I can say is this was a great debut novel! It captured me from the first words, the first page. I read it in 1 1/2 days. I couldn't help but enjoy Cady's fiery personality. And once I found out what made Keren act the way he did, you couldn't help but sympathize and fall in love with his character. They were perfect together. And the supporting characters were definitely memorable and people you hope to read more about in Mrs. Hubbard's future novels. This was a story that at times left me in tears and at others times had me LOL. I truly enjoyed Mrs. Hubbard's writing style, her attention to detail and her ability to make me feel as if I was watching a live performance. A Definte MUST READ!

I enjoyed the book. Cady was a breath of fresh air for the rigid doctor. Her grandmother was wise and gentle. She also was a cunning matchmaker. Both Cady and the doctor had to discover the truth about themselves to make thier relationship work. I like the ending it had me laughing so much I had to read it again.

Suddenly You by Crystal Hubbard is a very good book about a young woman who learns important life lessons in the course of falling in love with a doctor who needs to learn a few things about life and love himself.

This book is beautifully told with humor, warmth and intelligence.

I am looking forward to more books by this talented newcomer.

Second chances...

Following in her four older brothers' footpaths, Teresa July became a renowned bank robber and for many years she was able to stay one step ahead of the law, that was until one day her luck ran out and she was captured and finally sent to prison. After spending three hard years incarcerated, Teresa was released early on good behavior; however, her discharge came with a parole condition - Teresa had to live under the supervision of Molly Nance for an entire year learning how to become a respectable, proper lady and if she resorted back to her old unlawful ways, she would be thrown back into prison. Teresa was willing to do whatever it took to remain free from the hardship of prison life; but she didn't count on Molly's well-to-do, handsome son to throw a monkey wrench into the mix.

After the previous episode, the last thing Madison Nance expected his mother to do was to take in yet another female prisoner. The prior thief robbed his mother blind. This time Madison determined to protect his mother at all cost and the only way to do that was to keep the new houseguest, Teresa July, in check. But, Madison's task proved to be more than he bargained for, because not only was Teresa a bold, sassy woman, she was also very defiant and headstrong. Nevertheless, instead of her wild and unruly actions making him even more outraged, she turned him on like none other. And, it didn't help matters much that his own mother was trying to play matchmaker over them.

Wild Sweet Love by Beverly Jenkins was an amazing tale filled with spectacular African American, late 19th century, history and a superb love story between a man and a woman. It was a joy to get to know Teresa and Madison. Both were robust, smart and very outspoken characters with a passion that could not be denied. Wild Sweet Love brought forth a multitude of emotions from me. One moment I was bowing over with laughter because of Teresa's bold behavior or at Molly's matchmaking abilities and then in the very next, I became teary-eyed because of certain events and finally, the chemistry that sparked between Teresa and Madison left me breathless with great desire. Wild Sweet Love was one of the most unforgettable stories that I have read in a long time and I am positive that after you dive in the love story between Teresa and Madison, you will agree that it deserves to be a Joyfully Reviewed Recommended Read!

Nikita
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

I know this is fiction. But I expect it to make sense too. Teresa July said that her half brother was an Indian. But I did not get the fact that she was. Yet she called herself a Cherokee. Does she mean culturally and psychologically?

This is minor, but it just stuck out for me. Madison and Teresa July journey was fun to read and as always I learned some AA history. I think these two characters are my favorite. I really like Terasa.

She also mentioned Sisteretta Jones. I have had her on my list to read about for months. Maybe I will get to her soon.

I highly recommend y'all read anything Ms. Jenkins writes.

BJ is awesome writer. I fell in love with her when I was in high school. My first book was Indigo. She has an art of writing history and while including romance. She has a gift to want you to read more, and more, and educate you on the different topics that I did not learn in class.
Yes this is romance; however, you have you black history lesson included.

This book is great. Teresa July is a great character, I think all women can have sass but with passion. All women want to feel special like Madison made Teresa July feel.

This book was so good that I read all 367 pages of it in just a day and a half. Teresa and Madison surely knew how to do that "passion thing." I liked their constant bickering that only added to their passion. There is not a dull moment in this book. BJ gave very vivid descriptions and history lessons that do not take away from the book. I am starting to like historical romance better than contemporary romance. A must read.

The book was little slow at first but then the more I read the more I liked it. I found the characters very interesting especially Teresa July. Part of her personality reminded me of myself. So I could sort of related to her independence. The author gave good intimate details of the interactions between Teresa and Madison. This book had a good story. Overall, I enjoyed the book.

The writing in this book may well be described as a cross between PG Wodehouse and Evelyn Waugh. If you enjoy those authors you will enjoy Saki.

Hector Hugh Munro, who used the pen name Saki, is, along with Guy de Maupassant, O. Henry and Anton Chekhov, one of the most best writers of short stories in literature. This collection is well worth reading. I rate it at four stars because compared to the other aforementioned writers it has too narrow a focus. Saki's stories are almost unfailingly humorous and concerned with the foibles of upper middle class British society in the period from about 1890 until 1915. In this sense they lack the variety of O. Henry, the poignancy of Maupassant and the scope and harsh reality of Chekhov. The humor is also very, very British. This evaluation may be a bit unfair especially since all the other reviewers have given it 5 stars.

Having said all that, the stories are still very enjoyable and a delight to read. Many of the stories are about cynical young men, children behaving badly and often involve animals. Some are quite clever and funny in any culture. Most of them are quite short--three or four pages--and thus can be read in a brief period. One can read them while eating a meal, when riding on a bus or train, or in any situation where you have a few minutes to spare.

The book is divided into six parts, but this division is largely artificial and without real meaning. The first part (Reginald) deals with the affairs of a young man of that name. Reginald is a young man given to making sharp repartees to disrupt dinner parties. For example in the first story, which bears his name, he asks guests to their utter confusion, "What did the Caspian see?" In Reginald On Besetting Sins we find, "the cook was a good cook as cooks go; and as cooks go she went."

Part three, The Chronicles of Clovis, deals for the most part with another young man, the irrepressible Clovis, a seventeen-year-old scamp. Here we find perhaps Saki's most famous story, The Unrest Cure. Clovis is riding on a train when he overhears a man saying how boring his life is. Noting the man's address Clovis vows to make it less so. Upon arriving home the man receives a telegram saying that the bishop is coming to his house and his secretary will arrive shortly to make the arrangements. The secretary, Clovis of course, soon arrives and begins disrupting the life of the household. He informs the man that the bishop has arrived and is in the library and that the real purpose of the bishop's visit is to kill all the Jews in the town! The man is horrified and proposes to leave to get the police but Clovis tells him that the house is surrounded by people (including boy scouts!) with orders to kill anyone attempting to leave. Shortly thereafter local Jews began to show up in response to telegrams sent to them by Clovis. Chaos abounds and the man's boredom is definitely cured.

Saki's descriptions of people get right to the point: "He has delightful hair and a weak mouth. I shall take him with me to Homborg (sic) or Cairo." He describes a corpulent musician getting up from a nap thusly: "the musician's flabby redundant figure sat up in bewildered semi-consciousness like an ice cream that had been taught to beg." Then there is this description of the Salvation Army: " It was quite interesting to be at close quarters with them, they're so absolutely different to what they used to be when I first remembered them in the eighties. They used to go about unkempt and disheveled, in a sort of smiling rage with the world, and now they're spruce and jaunty and flamboyantly decorative, like a geranium bed with religious convictions."

Some of the better stories include The Lull about a politician who takes a respite from campaigning with the help of a precocious little girl; Dusk, a story about the dangers of believing people who ask you for money; The Story Teller, in which a man on a train tells a story to some children that they will never forget; Forewarned, in which a young woman who has been living isolated in a rural area all her life suddenly goes to visit in the city and finds the politics too much for her sensibilities; and Hyacinth, in which a small boy by that name disrupts an election.

The best story in my opinion is the one that isn't funny. The Image of the Lost Soul tells of a church statue (the Lost Soul) and a small bird who become friends. But there friendship proves fleeting and the church bell rings out the moral--"after joy comes sorrow." The last few stories are about war (Saki served in WW I and was killed by a sniper in 1916) and tend to be more reflective.

All in all these stories should not be missed.

Saki is the consummate stylist and chronicler of a stuffy Victorian England nearing the end of its reign and world dominance. He savors the comedy of manners with all its many class-based restrictions and inbred peculiarities and finds ways to highlight--through ironic twists of fate--the inherent and underlying pathos of a people so stuck on themselves they frequently are tripped up on their own vanities.Therein lies the "beauty" of a Saki short story: he fleshes out the quirks and peccadillos of human nature--its pomp and its farcical facets--and we come away the better (and ennobled) for it. If it's a Saki story--there's subtle mirth and magical missteps awaiting the reader.One wonders what great additions to his rather slim body of work there would've been had he not perished--fighting in the war that was supposed to end all war: World War I.... A man of "privilege" who purposely sought no special dispensation during the vicissitudes of warfare when mustard gas hung ominously in the air and men were often taken by disease sooner than they were by enemy fire. A short life it was for the "old boy," H.H. Munro...one that lives on in his brilliant body of work....Well-told tales that will live on as long as questing readers come calling at the "House of Saki."

Saki (H.H. Munro) writes with a facility and style that guides the reader unerringly to the surprise denouement in which propriety is set on its head. His bitingly clever turns of phrase are made bearable by his eagerness to challenge and thwart the norms of society.

For a perfect summer read try picking up an old favorite... this collection of the work of Saki (real name: Hector Hugh Munro) includes over 130 short stories, three novels and three plays and sports an introduction by Noel Coward. Though written 100 years ago, this vast body of work is amazingly fresh and contemporary. Many of the stories are under four pages long, but they manage to paint amusing pictures of the privileged class as seen through the eyes of an obviously gay, brilliant and somewhat bored young man who uses a sharp knife to pry up the upper crust and expose what's beneath. Sample the stories - his work is available on line - [.........]

How many of us have daydreamed about taking part in a think-tank discussion group with no other agenda than to kick around solutions to world problems? That is the premise of this novel experiment in philosophy. Sam Kramer, a young man in his late twenties, dropped out of law school to follow his bliss and 'make a real difference' by becoming a public school teacher. Although initially praised as a wonderful teacher, within a few years the reality of public school regimentation and ubiquitous cover-your-rear bureaucratic administrative policies is starting to get to him, and he begins to question his career decisions. At this point, he reads a rather cryptic insert in the Want Ads, and winds up as part of a small group, a cross-section of 'regular folks,' who are contracted and paid generously by a person known to them only as The Benefactor to meet on a regularly scheduled basis and discuss their views of life and society.
The ultimate assignment for this group is to come up with a social/political manifesto on which they can all agree, or on which each person can agree with most of it, and where disagreements continue, that each person will at least know and understand the view he or she opposes. The plot is thickened by various alliances and love interests that arise within the group and how these are worked through so that the overall project stays on track. Obviously a novel like this relies heavily on dialogue rather than plot, and Spiro manages to keep the dialogue interesting, moving and realistic. Unlike many other such philosophical novels, in which each character represents and speaks for a certain hard and fast view, Spiro brilliantly gets the various views and positions on issues outlined and explained through characters who are themselves intellectually complicated, often arguing as much with themselves as others in the group. Never once in the course of reading did I get the feeling this was simply Philosophy 101 by another name.
As the group moves toward success in its assignment, a question that lurked only in the background comes to the fore - "What is to be done with this manifesto, as well as the hours and hours of video-recorded dialogue of the group?" This points toward the larger question of how knowledge is used in modern society, a question that haunted many social theorists who have confronted it. The Benefactor, it turns out, owns all of this material and will make all decisions as to what will be done with it. Although it is never clearly resolved, there are ominous hints that they have mainly functioned all these months as a well-paid focus group for social and political ideas, and that the material will now be used not for idealistic purposes but rather for extremely conservative political spin doctors and pitch men to comb through for phrases and unconscious expressions, thus formulating evermore convincing ways of selling the conservative ideology to people across the political spectrum.
Despite these dark hints, this is a very enjoyable and readable novel, a great first effort by Daniel Spiro. Aegis Press as yet has a very limited catalog, but if it keeps publishing books like this one, it will soon be making its mark in serious literature.

My objective in reading the Creed Room was to capture an overview of Spinoza's Philosophy. But I was captivated by the writer's style and the fluid narrative by which he conveyed his philosophical message. Mr. Spiro seduces the reader's interest in Philosophy by somehow being insightful on both an earthy sensual and transcendental level at the same time. The Creed Room is a vehicle for any reader eager to experience the lucidity with which Spiro translates philosophical ideas into a practical creed.

The Creed Room by Daniel Spiro is an engaging, thought provoking read that examines a wide range of social and political issues through the eyes and ideas of its richly developed characters. It is highly readable, and extremely entertaining, as one easily and quickly gets caught up in the characters and storyline. Yet Spiro skillfully balances the entertainment with philosophy as he encourages the reader to look at many ideas from new perspectives. This book truly makes you think!!

I'm a businessman, not a philosopher. I read books on airplanes or in hotel rooms, not in my library; but I read and enjoyed this book on several levels.

Wit & Wisdom - the author has a knack for taking deep thoughts or pointing out societal hypocrisies in a way that is thought-provoking, approachable and funny. The witticisms may be terse, but leaves a lasting impression; especially his exchanges with his precocious high school students.

Respect for Points of View - the main point of his book is to encourage us all to think more deeply about issues and to respect, explore and incorporate other people's competing points of view. In this sense, it is a great relief from partisan arguments where each side paints the other side as irresponsibly ignorant. This new approach is frankly a more thoughtful, realistic and grown-up approach that I hope to embrace and share with my family and friends. More importantly, if more people approached issues in this manner, the world would be better for it.

Real Life - not to spoil the book for you, but the main character is a tortured soul thirsty for a big gulp of validation. The plot turns and twists are not those you'd expect, and will take you in a few surprising directions that keep the fiction interesting.

Taste of the Classics - I am not a budding philosopher because I never had the patience for gazing at my navel while agonizing over the concept of being; but in reading this book, I got a great appreciation for great thinkers and how their thoughts from decades, centuries and millennia ago relate to the seemingly insurmountable problems we face today. It's a truly refreshing perspective that by itself makes this book a must read for people who think and want to have a say about the issues we face today.

Are you a philosophy teacher? Looking for a reading that makes sense to students who believe philosophy and theology are boring? Want to have a philosophical take on American society and soul? This is the book! Spiro's understanding of philosophers and philosophical issues is that of a professional, and his story is most realistic.

I just finished reading Frank Nappi's first novel after hearing about the second one, which is being released this April. I usually only read baseball novels, but I figured I'd give this WWII one a shot while I wait for the next one, The Legend Of Mickey Tussler, which sounds like a fabulous baseball classic. This book is all that everyone before me has said. It is powerful, well written, and informative. I honestly think that it reads just like a movie would play out. I saw everything so clearly in my head. If The Legend of Mickey Tussler is even half as good, I will be a very happy camper!

Yes, I enjoyed the book. It was a quick read. I don't understand all the gushing reviews. I did not find the book emotionally stirring. Nor did I find the writing that compelling. If you are looking for a great book on a soldier's journey in WWII -actually a pilot- I recommend "In the Shadow of War" by Childers. If you want a truly lyrical novel of a soldiers travails during war -in this case WWI- I would recommend "A Soldier of the Great War" by Helprin.

James McCleary has been attempting to put the horrors of the battlefield behind him for years. Unfortunately, his sordid tries have fallen flat, and the days of battle are still ingrained in his mind, rearing their evil heads at the worst possible times. All John McCleary wants, on the other hand, is to know his father. The father who has cast him aside. Who has refused to learn more about him. Who has refused to let anyone in. Memory has left James trapped in a world of his own. A world where he is locked inside his own mind, where the only person who is permitted entry is himself. He cannot embrace his wife, nor his children, he can only sit and ponder what happened out there. Out on the battlefield all those years ago. While James is in this infirmary of a world, John is in his own place. For John is wrestling with the memories of a life with a man he calls his father. A man he is related to - flesh and blood - but who he knows nothing about, and, in return, a man who knows nothing about him. Now, the death of John's mother has begun to change things. Suddenly, the two men, father and son, are being brought together for a final exchange. As John begins searching through family heirlooms and artifacts in his parents attic, he suddenly begins finding missing pieces to the puzzle. A puzzle that will give him a glimpse into the frozen battlefields that have left his father eternally scarred mentally, and of a secret romance that kept him whole as he traveled through wartime Europe, fighting for our country.

I will admit right off the bat that I don't normally read books in this particular genre, and rarely read anything related to war - fiction or non. However, I was sucked in by Frank Nappi's ECHOES FROM THE INFANTRY from the very first paragraph. Nappi's descriptiveness is uncanny, and hard to resist, from the way that he illustrates the lasting effects of war, and how it can tear apart a family; to the flashbacks of various war scenes that can easily choke the reader up. Nappi's character development was also a shining point throughout this particular novel, as it showed the maturation of characters as realization dawned on them regarding different situations, while at the same time gave them the chance to learn more about their family's history by "digging through the past," as opposed to confronting various people to learn more about their father's heroic, yet troubled life. Whether you're a fan of war novels or not, Frank Nappi's ECHOES FROM THE INFANTRY will leave a lasting impression upon you, and have you wiping a tear from your eye once the book is complete.

Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer

I decided to pick up a copy of Echoes from the Infantry. Echoes is not a genre that would typically call out to me while browsing the shelves but I was glad I was able to break away from Oprah's book club, if only for the weekend. Usually anything with war gets crossed off my reading list, but it was well worth the departure.

Nappi tells the story of James McCleary, a World War II veteran who survives the horrors of war, but he's haunted by guilt and memories for many years to come. Nappi's writing is so eloquent; I often read sentences twice, just to absorb the impact. While at war, McCleary encounters a young girl standing over her deceased grandmother which he tries to forget but, Nappi writes, "She was always there, a restless soul, just like him, sustained forever by the enduring vitality of his memory." Before reading this story, I had never considered how a sharp memory could be such a curse to a war veteran.

The story toggles back and forth between war time and present day. During war time, the character development is so rich that the soldiers begin to remind me of people I know. Although the war details are at times disturbing, Nappi weaves in enough beauty to balance out the horrors. The soldiers at one point are described as lying there, "clutching the ground like orphans seeking refuge in the maternal folds of the earth." I am reminded that, despite the historical subject matter, Nappi is indeed an English teacher. Only a master of the language can come up with image-inspiring similes like that (at least I think that's a simile).

It takes me a while to realize why this book struck such a cord with me. Beyond the beautiful language and the true to life the characters is an incredibly moving story. My husband is shocked to see me flipping through the pages of a historical fiction novel so quickly (he can't get me to watch a minute of the history channel). He smiles knowingly as I read parts aloud to him, love letters. Echoes may be historical fiction but in the end, it's a love story, not just between husband and wife, but father and son. I think it's a story about forgiveness, of ourselves and others. I wonder how many men and women returning from war have stories like McCleary's, and are now battling guilt and shame within themselves.

The only time I really think about what it must be like to be a veteran returning from war is when I see those signs hanging from the parkway overpass welcoming home a soldier from Iraq, or when we adopt a soldier at Christmas time and send over a basket of cheer. This book made me examine my conscience and think about how I will honor our war veterans, past and present, and more importantly how I will teach my students to do the same. I have always thought there is no better way to teach a lesson than through a wonderful story. This story taught me a thing or two about patriotism that will long be echoing through my mind.

It's easy to overlook writing flaws when a story like this is so good. I can't knock this book in any way. It was a well thought out story with an unpredictable ending. I would tell you in advance that the story jumps back and forth from present time to WW2 quite often so be prepared. Some of the time the authors transitions weren't done that well and a few more narrative set ups would have been nice but I was never lost except in the comfort of the story. I would recommend and I personally look forward to reading his second book whenever it comes out. He has a lot of potential.

The artwork is beautiful but the first story has very little cultural sensitivity, indulging in all the tropes of 19th c. Orientalism with gusto and lack of any self-consciousness that I could pick up. Even when we're removed from the court of the Sultan (which is full of 19th c. cliches, although in text more than images), the first artist seems bent on making sure we remember this is an Exotic Story. Thus he meshes and combines all sorts of Eastern visuals willy-nilly, and so in the first story we end up with a bizarrely Asian Snow White in a more-or-less European land, except that for some reason some of the Prince's men wear medieval Russian costume. The Prince himself alternates through all sorts of time periods and cultures in his clothing. The anachronism and cultural hodge-podge could have been made into a witty commentary on the universality of fairy tales, or their multi-cultural existence (a version of "Cinderella" exists in almost every culture), but the specific cultures here chosen were not suitable for that. Instead, I got the somewhat distasteful feeling that the artist just wanted to give the book a "Gee, how exotic!" feel and considered all non-mainstream-Western cultures as equally exotic and somewhat interchangeable, useful for giving "flavor" to the story and nothing else. A dash of Chinese, a handful of Russian, a spot of Korean, a root of Turk thrown in...

Happily the ensuing chapters do not take this route, but it was a bit of a sour taste to start off on.

The story stumbles along at first, as well. It works a lot better once we're done with the framing prose narrative and get into the comic format. The prose-pieces suffer from overwrought, mannered, cliche writing. Of course it is consciously drawing on the way old fairy tales were written, but somewhat clumsily so, amateurishly. Since most of the book is in comic format though, this is not really damning.

However, the art IS gorgeous and the story IS compelling. I just wish it opened on a better note.

I have never read a graphic novel before this one, and I rarely read the comics in the sunday paper, so my experience with illustrated stories for older audiences is fairly limited. I have a thing for re-written fairy tales, and the beginning of this book looked very promising, so I crossed my fingers and hoped it would be a wise choice to purchase. It was.

It is such a fast and interesting read. The illustrations are NOT for the younger crowd (nudity, rape, murder,etc.), but it is done in such a way as to appear to the eye as a movie instead of a book. The writing is very well done and the story is quite seemless. The beginning of the book reads like a child's picture book, but then you turn the page and the real stories begin...

Having been driven from their homes by a villain intent on destroying their realm, the characters of familiar fairy tales make their new homes in the modern day world of New York City (a popular place to have otherworldly creatures). Snow White is an ambassador of sorts, sent to a kingdom where her mission is to convince the ruling Sultan to form a treaty with the refugees of Fabletown, a treaty that will unite them against the dreaded "Adversary" who is slowly murdering his way through the various fable realms.

She arrrives and, through a bit of trickery, she is wed to the Sultan whose biggest vice is his complete distrust of all women. After a first marriage that had failed on account of his wife's infidelity, the Sultan has taken to marrying a bride every evening and sending her to the executioner first thing in the morning. Instead of weeping piteously at this news, Snow White gains the interest of the Sultan with her wonderful stories that she relays to him each evening for three years, thus sparing her life and changing the broken heart of a cruel man.

This is the collection of stories that the Sultan will hear each night, stories of different fairy tale charcters and their lives before the migrations and during the invasions of the "Adversary". BEWARE: There is no happily ever after to many of these tales but there is enjoyment in every page.

Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall is something of a prequel to Bill Willingham's award winning Fables series. Taking place long before the events set forth in the regular series, 1001 Nights (re)tells the tales of several of the inhabitants of Fabletown. I've only ever read the very first Fables collection, Legends in Exile, but I never found myself lost while reading this collection of stories, as these are all based on stories that most of us are already familiar with. I find it extremely innovative how Willingham is able to tie together so many unrelated fairy tales and fables and create a new story with these plot points and bring everything together in a cohesive story that is both original and familiar at the same time.

The art of 1001 Nights is beautifully rendered, each story illustrated by a different artist, including Charles Vess, Brian Bolland, John Bolton, Michael Wm. Kaluta, James Jean, Tara McPherson, Derek Kirk Kim, Esao Andrews, Mark Buckingham, Mark Wheatley and Jill Thompson. Charles Vess' illustrations provide the beginning and ending stories, as Snow White travels as an Ambassador of Fabletown to try to drum up support against The Adversary. She travels to the lands of the Arabian Fables, and the Sultan kidnaps her and intends to marry her and kill her in the morning, but like Scheherazade, Snow tells him a story a night for 1001 nights, thus prolonging her sentence. Each of her tales involves something of a history of the inhabitants of Fabletown, including her own story, thus providing a rich background history to the rest of the Fables world.

If you have not read farther than the first collection of Fables stories, you won't be lost reading 1001 Nights. Since all these stories are based on fairy tales and fables that everyone is familiar with, there isn't much background needed to read 1001 Nights, nor does it appear to spoil anything farther along in the series, and I'm glad that I read this when I did, so that now I will have a more solid base to read the rest of the Fables tales.

I can't get enough of the Fables series. Snowfall has background stories from some of the main characters in the series. Some of them are cute, some are informative, some are heartbreaking, and all of them have great artwork in them. Regardless of whether you're a fan or not, 1001 Nights of Snowfall is a beautiful book. The re-imaginings of fairy tale characters as more in-depth people is as fantastic as the different artists' work.

This is another welcome addition to the series. I can't wait for the next one.