Non-fiction Books

Robin Jarvis' Wyrd Museum Trilogy is a fantastic blend of Fantasy and Horror with interesting characters and a great story line.
Jarvis starts his trilogy with the slightly more easy going, "The Woven Path" which is an exiting journey into the the past life of an old teddy bear. Neil Chapmann and his family move into the Wyrd Museam as his father takes a job as a caretaker. While exploring Neil comes across a room filled with mysterious treasures and meets Ted, the reincarnation of a world war two American pilot. The two of them are sent back in time by Ursula Webster one of the three sisters who own the museum. They end up in London during world war two. Unfortunatly an ancient power has been unleashed on the city and Neil and Ted only have a little time to finish their quest before the demon finds them.
This is a great book although it may be frightening for smaller children.

This book is about 11-year-old Neil Chappman, whose parents just recently got divorced and he now lives with his father. The father got a job as a caretaker at a creepy museum. Because the father hadn't much money, Neil and his father had to live at the museum. While exploring the museum, Neil got sent back in time where he had to save the lives of 4 people.

I liked this book because of the way the author used descriptive language, as well as the amazing characters that the author developed. This is a great book for anyone who loves fantasy and adventure stories, but it has some scary bits in it so it's probably not for little kids.

This story sends chills trough you, but I`m not completely shure how much little kids enjoy it, because there is quite a bit of describing and I`ve found out that the youngsters don`t really find that amusing - it bores them if it seems too long. Shure they can identify with Niel (a boy sent back to war-time London) and the Teddy, but him actually beeing a grown man must confuse them.

I enjoyed it nevertheless - the Webster sisters anre creepy without any other stuff happening, and the father is so adorably helpless. The Story itself is well writen too and will probably not dissapoint you. Try it.

The Wyrd Museum trilogy has some of the most spine-tingling moments I have ever come across in juvenile fiction. While it is probably a little too gruesome for the 9 and under set, it provides plenty of thrills and chills for everyone 10 and above.

When you have grown weary of the exploits of a certain young wizard, come and visit with the Webster sisters for a magical tale of a more sinister sort. Nothing in or around Hogwarts has ever been this creepy!

A must read!!! If they made a movie out of this, it would probably outsell Lord of the Rings or Star Wars. It keeps you on the edge of your seat and you simply can NOT put it down. If you like books with mystery, action, comedy, horror, drama, romance or ANYTHING of everything all three of the Wyrd Museum books deliver and keep you wanting more!!!

I loved this book so much I have decided it is definitely a keeper. I will reread it over many times

Funny, touching, passionate. Make me laugh and then cry. There's no doubt, this book is the best novel i've ever read.
Read it more and more!

WHEW! HOT, STEAMY. he's a hunk but he is mean in the beginning this book will make you cry. It is Diana at her best.

I enjoy all of Diana Palmer's books, but this one is especially good - highly recommended.

Description from the book back cover:

It all started as a joke. Sabina Cane was only pretending to be engaged to her best friend, millionaire Al Thorndon. Al had talked her into this scheme as way to trick his older brother, Thorn. Al had no choice but to lie and make Sabina his accomplice, and she thought it would be for just one night. So when Thorn accused her of being a gold-digger, she just laughed it off. She didn't think of the repercussions - that Thorn would dig up her long-buried secrets. Revealing them now would destroy everything she'd worked so hard to put behind her. But she couldn't let her best friend down, could she?

Diana Palmer is so good! This is another one of her wonderful novels. Why is it that I always get so upset at the male leads and then fall head over heels for him? It must be because she expresses the male character so well, you can't help but understand his conflict and reactions. I became emotionally involved in this book and it satisfied me in every way!

A fascinating look into the man behind such a creative literary & scientific mind! He is quite 'bare bones' about himself. Also suggested bio.: "The Lost Notebooks of Loren Eisley" ed. by Kenneth Heuer.

Thoughtful writing, and interesting, but Eiseley sure was a bitter and despairing fellow. He held grudges forever and never forgot a slighting, even from childhood. It appears that he wrote this at an advanced age, when his friends and associates were dieing off seemingly all around him, and he wasn't very happy about it and his own mortality. Interesting, but definitely a downer.

An excerpt from 'All the Strange Hours'

"...Oncoming age is to me a vast wild autumn country strewn with broken seed pods,hurrying cloud wrack,abondoned farm machinery,and circling crows..."
Frankly I lost my reference notes.But this is a wonderful read.You enter deep into the thinkings and passions from the heart of one man.Eiseley will invite you into his thoughts and observations about life and people like a quite and unassuming gentlemen.These stories bring you deep into the core of the Midwest cast of mind.
Great Read

There are few books written today that I don't want to rewrite. All the Strange Hours is one of them. This is the real thing- forget "Magical-Realism" and forget all other memoirs. This is unlike any memoir, or book I've ever read before, and should be getting out to a larger audience. You don't need to be into science, archeology, or even know who Eiseley is to appreciate this work. His writing is so good that it doesn't matter.
He also doesn't delve into the mundane things that most writers would- in fact, you go through the entire book, and you don't even know his wife's name. If I met Eiseley, I'd feel that I'd know little about what he likes to eat, or what kind of music he enjoys, or if he's a morning or night person. But none of that matters- because I feel like I know him on the inside. People who knew Eiseley say that those who read his works often knew him better than those who knew him in person. I'd list Eiseley easily as one of the greatest writers of all time, and at minimum I'd put him in the top 3 of great prose writers. Check him out, and you'll see. You won't be disappointed. Trust me- - I don't like most contemporary stuff, and if you don't either, this is great literature for you.

This is a beautifully written personal meditation on the impermance of life against the passage of time and the attendant sense of loss by a deeply compassionate existentialist who searches for the meaning within the design of nature. There is a palatable sense of both truth and despair. There is also a consistant thread of both awed respect and admiration for the immensity of "the terrible beauty" of existance. If you are looking for a book that balances the invisibly fine line between the light and the dark of insight from the perspective of a honest man who grasps both, this is your book.

After reading the reviews, I was looking forward to reading this book. I was very disappointed. It was predictable and trite. I was singularly unimpressed with the never-ending brawls. I got the feeling he was simply rewriting macho movie action scenes we've all seen ad nauseam. And of course, there had to be the beautiful women in distress that only Devlin could save. I found it interesting this "moral" man slept with the other woman character just hours after learning his love interest had been nabbed by the bad guys. But I guess we're supposed to accept that Jack Devlin just can't help himself and the ladies just can't resist him. This book is fine for those who enjoy this genre, I guess. From the reviews, I thought it was going to be a bit more cerebral and thought-provoking. It wasn't.

I purchased this book in 1995 in a drugstore. It is the best action novel I have ever read! I have looked in vain for another action novel of the same caliber for years. I have now read this book 3 times over the last few years and I never grow tired of it. Devlin is what every man wishes he could be. If you are looking for high art this is not the book for you! If you are looking for a double fisted, .45 caliber, ride of a novel, this is it.

having read all of Mr. Clarkson's book as well as hundreds of other action dramas I'd rate him right up there with anyone. Well written, hot, furious, and fun. It's a one day read, PERIOD!!!

John Clarkson has it all - terrific prose, interesting characters, intricate plotting and all the action I could handle in one novel.I am now off to read the rest of his novels!!!

If you want a book loaded with action, interesting characters, and very fast-paced get yourself a copy of And Justice For One. You'll be glued to the edge of your seat throughput the whole book!

Ask Mr. Bear is a wonderful little classic. I like to read it but more important, my 3 littlest cherubs love to have it read to them. It has a good storyline and the older artwork adds variety. They love the ending -- a big bear hug for mom! It is a favorite at our house with the under 7 year old group.

Wonderful children's classic to add to your child's collection. Heartwarming story about a little boy wanting to buy his mom a birthday gift and along the way he asks all his animal friends. The end is sweet and endearing.

I loved this book as a child, now my children love it. It gets them thinking about gifts they can give, and understand that a hug and a kiss for Mom is one of the best presents they can give. I've gotten a lot more of them since reading this book to them.

I can recall reading this book to my much younger siblings and then to my own 4 children; now I am reading it
to my grandson. I especially like the way the animals help the little boy find a gift for his mother with the perfect
gift not being something material but just a lovely big hug. What a wonderful message to pass on to a child.

The little boy of this story doesn't know what to give his mother for her birthday and so he consults a number of animals (chicken, sheep, etc.). None of the suggestions suit him until Mr. Bear suggests a precious something no mommie can get enough of from her little boy or girl.

This book was written in 1932 but its message is timeless. If you want a book that reinforces nonmaterial values, one that your child will love and that strengthens parent-child bonds, consider this one. Four generations in our family have met Mr. Bear and the fifth is just about ready to. Five stars, definitely five stars.

I really enjoyed this more classic McDonald book. I had just finished 'Dress Her in Indigo' and was very disturbed by that book. It was too dark for me, too mean, violent and too much senseless descriptive sex and musings thereof. Also, too many characters to keep track of most of them left you wondering at the end what their pertinence was, but I digress, this is a review of 'Bright Orange for the Shroud'. With the name of this book I couldn't imagine what it would be about and was completely surprised with the book and when the meaning of what it meant was revealed. It was all pretty sad.

This book took me back to the days of the "land deal" when you went to Florida in those days you were sure to be sharked by someone hustling you off to some "free" steak dinner to then con you into a purchase of a lot in one of these phony developments. Looking back on it I can't understand why nothing was done about it and why Florida was allowed to be raped by so many con artists. It was in a way a bad place, a taken advantage of place seems to be so to this day. It's all rather depressing which I think is what drove McD to write and muse about it and it colored his whole life and thoughts. To see such destruction so fast, so close up and to be there when poverty, ambivalence, shock, disbelief and naïvety prevented much being done about anything by the locals, was pretty sad indeed.

So anyway, it was a really good book and one this time I could relate more to the characters. One thing about Travis is that he seems attracted to sleazy women, they disappoint him, turn him off in the end and this keeps him free and clear of commitment...clever. One other observation is that Trav claims to have a "Calvinistic" conscience that keeps him from letting himself go too long out of shape physically but doesn't seem to apply to having a steady job with same work ethic. Pretty funny!

A friend of Travis McGee has been fleeced of all his money by a group of con artists. McGee promises to try and recover the pilfered money. Originally his plan is to con the cons, but he soon realizes that one of the gang is capable of murder.

This is a very good entry in the Travis McGee series (the sixth, I believe). In `Bright Orange for the Shroud' McGee faces one of the most brutal and memorable antagonists in Boone Waxwell, a local Floridian who is familiar with all the swampways, and is rumoured to have buried a few bodies there. The result is one of the darker and more violent of the McGee novels I have read.

I've read almost every title in the McGee series, and this is surely one of McGee's more disturbing adventures. As in 'A Fearful Yellow Eye', one of the villains is a rapist, so the reader should be prepared to read about that particular evil. (But it is just one aspect to the story, though.)
I concur with other reviewers -- the plot is straightforward. And the characters -- particularly the protagonists -- are easy to identify with and enjoy.
One thing was missing, however: MacDonald, through the worldview of McGee, usually works in a few mini-essays into the narrative. These insightful asides are usually about people, politics, or life in general. I don't recall any from this particular McGee mystery.

I have read the entire McGee series and am now working my way through the unabridged audiobooks which were published by books on tape.

This is perhaps the simplest plot of the entire series. The fewest characters. No visit from Meyer, the economist.

Just three good guys, some medium bad guys, and one really memorable, but believable, super bad guy.

John MacDonald demonstrates that a uncomplicated and realistic plot with great and convincing characterizations is a much better read than a complicated, hard to believe plot. When you finish, you will muse that this could have been true, and suspect the author heard the germ of this story over a few beers in South Florida 50 years ago.

Bright Orange for the Shroud, the fifth in his Travis McGee series, John D. MacDonald has really hits his stride. I have been reading this series in order, and each book gets better and better.

As always, McGee jumps in to help a friend who was swindled of his $250,000 inheritance (we're talking 1960's here). Arthur Wilkinson was scammed in a land deal by a crooked lawyer, a slick salesman, a brutal hoodlum, and even his own wife. McGee, Wilkinson and Chookie (Wilkinson's former girlfriend) combine forces to discover how the scam operated and to try and recover some of the money. Early on, we learn the identity of the bad guys, so there's no mystery here. But how McGee infiltrates this group to investigate their modus operandi is MacDonald at his best. When the situation suddenly goes out of control, you can't turn the pages fast enough.

Bright Orange for the Shroud doesn't follow the formulae of his previous books in that McGee doesn't develop a love interest. Also, there is less mayhem and murder, and more of the good guys are still alive at the end. In some of MacDonald's books, McGee travels the country, but McGee is best when keeping to his native Florida. His base of operation for this book is his own houseboat, The Busted Flush.

I can't believe this series was never turned into a television series or a movie. With the resurgence of interest in MacDonald, perhaps it's not too late.

This story is every bit as poignant and masterful as most reviewers have said. This is only my 4th novel by Ms. Vine and although I thought the previous two I'd just finished were lackluster The Brimstone Wedding negates any disappointment I may have had.

I did not realize, really, how invested I was in the story of Genevieve Warner and Stella Newland until page 260 when I cried. Just very suddenly cried. I feel rather silly writing that now so I think I must explain. The sadness at that point in the story was overwhelming. It was as if I'd been right there in the midst of it; that all throughout I'd been alongside these women whose lives could not have been more different and yet so much alike. It must be a gift - when you can render your reader helpless so that he has no choice but to enmesh himself in your tale. And for this to happen so effectively that no emotion from him need be manufactured artificially. How well Ms. Rendell knows the human heart.

I make it sound melodramatic, but this novel isn't melodrama. It's a bona fide mystery. The suspense is edgy and you're constantly egged on by Stella's piecemeal revelations that you keep turning the pages and reading as fast as you can to get to your payoff. And I guarantee, the payoff is divine. Sad, yes, but divine.

What Barbara Vine (aka Ruth Rendell) does best is make us uneasy. You can never settle right in and accept the persons and scenes quite the way they are presented. "What a lovely girl --- and yet?" is a typical reaction. In "The Brimstone Wedding" Ms. Vine is at her best, right up there with "Dark Adapted Eye." The novel is beautifully crafted, the prose spare and the atmosphere of the Fen Country in East Anglia is perfect. Because The Fens are a series of islands based in the boggy soil, the foundations are forever shifting. Nothing changes, but nothing stays exactly the same which is an excellent setting for this haunting tale.

Jenny/Genevieve Warner is a care assistant at a luxurious home for the elderly where she has built a friendship with terminally ill, exquisitely turned out Mrs. Stella Newland. Two women could not be more different on the surface. Jenny is a modern, practical, hard working country girl who has never traveled and is a product of village life and education. Stella comes from the gentry, married very well and seems so sheltered as to have come from a different age all together. Yet the sparkling Jenny's humdrum marriage is teetering because she has discovered passion in the form of a married lover. Stella has some dark secrets she has lived with for over twenty years and wants to share them with Jenny. Stella believes in nothing, but would like redemption. Jenny believes in everything: omens, charms, and every passing happenstance has psychic meaning for her. Jenny is willing to work her way to better things; Stella is passive. But why does Stella own a house that no one knows about? And why is she afraid to even ride in automobiles when she once was considered a dashing driver? Why does she refuse to sit outside in the sunshine?

The author keeps us asking these questions and sends us down some strange paths to get the answers. We know we are heading for a nameless horrific climactic event in Stella's past that will somehow impact on Jenny's present, but what can it be? Ms. Vine never falls into a Gothic romance-type of trap. Her people and events are sharp edged. Stella smokes irritably in spite of the fact she is dying of lung cancer. When Jenny finally works up her courage to leave her husband, he will not take her seriously; so what should be a grand melodramatic episode degenerates into farce. "I'm leaving you Mike"----"Well take the washer and leave the car, there's a good lass."

The author builds the tension until we are wrought up for at least a tornado strike, and she doesn't disappoint. Then when we think we have taken quite enough for one day, she adds another zinger. A great well-done page-turner.

This was the best book I've read in a loooooooong time! I read alot and am quite particular that the books I read have some substance and make you think a bit. This was all that and more! The last page literally popped my jaw on the floor! What a great read.....I'm anxious to read some other books by the same author.

Driven by atmosphere and character, this novel by Ruth Rendell writing as Barbara Vine, centers around two stories of infidelity and deception.

Genevieve, 32, a working-class caretaker at a private nursing home, confides her affair to her favorite patient, Stella, who is middle-class, educated, affluent and dying. Stella responds with the keys to a house none of her family knows she owns, a house no one has visited in 30 years. She asks Genevieve to report its condition.

Shocked that something so valuable could be simply abandoned -for whatever reason - Genevieve appropriates it as a trysting place, her curiosity only slightly piqued by the abandoned, burned car in the garage, the photographs hidden away, the food and champagne left in the refrigerator.

And so begins a story in tandem as Genevieve's stolen meetings alternate with Stella's story of her own doomed love. Character precipitates the events of the plot, and as we increasingly sympathize with Stella's shy dignity and Genevieve's fretful ardor, foreboding envelops the narrative like a London fog. Not to be missed.

Genevieve Warner, a young woman trapped in a hopeless affair and a loveless marriage, works at Middleton Hall, a home for the elderly. Most of the residents are pleasant enough, contentedly reminiscing about their lives to their carers, but Stella is different. Stella and Genevieve immediately form a bond, taking to one another, seeing little bits of their own personality and situation within the other. Unlike other residents, though, Stella is sharp, smart, and in control, and she does not share the memories of her past, so retains a definite air of mystery. But Stella is dying of lung-cancer, and now she feels a desperate need to tell someone the story of her eventful life, so that her secrets do not die with her, following her into the grave, unknown forever. Thus, she decides to tell her story to Genevieve, slowly unfolding a tale that is moving, powerful, and, ultimately, subtly horrific.

This, "The Brimstone Wedding", is yet another masterpiece of atmospheric fiction from Barbara Vine (Ruth Rendell). Yet again she synthesises her twin storylines - one in the past, one in the present - brilliantly, and they eerily mirror each other down the generations. She builds the atmosphere brilliantly in both the time periods, and the suspense is continually ratcheted up, helped along by subtle and tantalising hints as to what exactly Stella's shocking secret could possibly be.

This time around, the characters are also more likeable than is the norm for a Vine novel, so it has a warmer, deceptively (and dangerously) cosy feel, which is juxtaposed with the usual chilly atmosphere and down-to-the-bones and wonderfully detached writing style. They're characters you are motivated to care deeply about, which serves to make this not only a powerful in places but also very moving. Certainly, there was one point when I even shed a few tears.

The story is told brilliantly, giving readers enough information to satisfy, but yet as little as possible, to ensure that they need continually to turn the page to find out more. It all culminates excellently with a shocking revelation about the true nature of Stella's secret. This revelation is not overblown and exaggerated, as some authors might make it, instead Vine underplays it, clearing it entirely of melodrama and simply telling things exactly as they were, which forces the reader to actually think about it, thus bringing huge power to the climax.

This, a masterpiece that is the sum of many excellent parts, is a complete triumph for Vine, matching up very equally with my previous favourite of hers, the erotic and chilling genius that is "No Night Is Too Long". Neither of these books should be passed over by any reader worth their salt.

It's a good book to teach your kid. they can learn taking turn is a good way .

We did not get this book. I think that we have enough of these books for now. Maybe later.

This book is great. It shows that even the best of friends can fight at times. Also to take turns and there are some things that cannot be done alone. Also to be forgiving of each other.

Sister and Lizzie are best friends and do everything together. But sometimes Lizzie can be just too bossy. And sometimes Sister wants to do everything her way. When the two cubs start playing school, it comes to head over who gets to be the teacher. This story teaches forgiveness and understanding that to be a good friend it's about giving, not just taking.

I kept the Berenstain Bear books from when I was a kid and now my 6 year old read them. The are all great books to start a conversation with your child about the topic.
In this one, a very familiar situation arises between young friends (both want control and get in a fight. Mama Bear talks with Sister and asks her to consider her friend's feelings. Then the situation is resolved when the friend comes over to return a favorite toy.
These books aren't meant to offer coping strategies or tell the kids how to handle the situation but they are great to help get a conversation started between parents and kids and start the problem-solving process in the child.

A delightful tale by Oakland author Beresford McLean, Broken Gourds examines the social fabric in Albion, an imaginary Jamaican farming village, in the latter part of the 19th century. At the beginning of the tale, the village is divided into two classes: the few white (or whiter) folks who run the community's major institutions, and the farmers and other folk, relatively recently freed from slavery, and not so distant from their African roots. By the end of the story, this order has been mightily disturbed.
Central to this shift in power is Dada, one of the "broken gourds." His father, Prince, is the highest of the lowly, a farmer who owns a fair amount of the land in Albion, and who actually gets to approach the table of the upper class when the whole community gathers for lunch after church on Sunday.
Dada is no credit to Prince at all, as far as his father can see. Although seemingly not lacking in intelligence, Dada has yet to find his groove in life, and is content doing simple chores, sometimes even forgetting them, and keeping company with his friend, the other "broken gourd," Twig.
This aimlessness goes on, to Prince's consternation, until Dada is nearly 30, and showing no desire to move out of Prince's home, or otherwise distinguish himself. Dada himself is puzzled by his lack of purpose. The only one who seems to see who Dada is and where he might be going is Granny, Prince's mother, who holds to the traditions of her Ghanaian culture, much maligned among the "proper" folk. Granny sees that Dada has a great gift that he'll one day contribute to his community.
That day comes, and Dada is called upon by an angel in a visionary dream. He's so transformed, even his name goes, and he renames himself Brother Walk. He has become a healer, who will walk about caring for whoever needs his touch. Ultimately, his work brings about a surprising harmony in the community. The power of the village comes to rest in his hands, even as he once dreamed it would, without ever knowing how.
But all this is not without its upsets. For all the good that Dada does - and some of it very unconventionally, he's not without his detractors.
The tenor of the book is lilting and poetic, rich in unusual plot turns and endearing characters. The reader can become very fond of the community of Albion and its denizens - even the troublemakers. In his dedication, the author credits his parents with his "knack of storytelling [he] stole when they were not looking." He stole well; Broken Gourds is a transporting and heart-lifting tale of healing and redemption.

When we think of countries and civilizations we think of the cities that define them, the Great Zimbabwe, ancient Athens, and ancient Rome. We seldom think of a village, but it is the village that first nurtures the population and shapes its character, laws, and political structure. These eventually lead to the building of cities. "Broken Gourds" is the tale of one such village, Albion.

Albion is a small hilly village in Jamaica. There is a dirt path that goes from the plantations to the seaport in Port Maria. Many of the landowners and highly paid professionals that lived in Albion petitioned the city to widen the road and improve it for cars and trucks.

Victor Rawlings, the unofficial village representative, attempts to stop the construction of the road. He does this by telling the story of the village to the team of engineers sent to see the path and make recommendations to the city. Rawlings explains to the project manager, Margaret Duncan, that if the city builds the road where planned, it would destroy a historical plot of land and one building in particular. This broken down shack, called the Balm Yard and House of God is an important part of village history and symbolizes the community's soul.

The story of the Balm Yard begins with Dada a son of a prosperous village farmer, Prince, a well-respected community leader. Prince worries about Dada because he is both uninterested in and unfit for manly work. He is physically repulsive, his feet covered with oozing sores, and he constantly suffers from a head cold. The only one who understands Dada and suspects that he is blessed with more than a beautiful signing voice is his grandmother. Granny lives above the village in the mountains and still practices the ancient African religion of her ancestors.

As he grows to manhood, it becomes apparent that Dada lives in a dream world populated with spirits, duppys, who communicate with him. This gift further alienates him from his peers but renders him an ideal vessel for the spirits, and they soon make use of their vessel.

On the first day of August the spirit people lead Dada to a magical pool where he is cured of his afflictions. He in turn cures his gravely ill grandmother and his friend Twig, the village cripple.

Soon Dada becomes a priest and healer in the traditional African sense. He builds the Balm house as his counsel house and church and begins to take over the spiritual guidance of Albion. However, Dada's greed and carnal lust, especially his desire for one young woman he cannot have, leads to his moral and spiritual breakdown. Finally, his redemption leads to self -discovery, and he becomes a true spiritual leader.

As the story of the Balm Yard ends the present day storyteller and listeners learn of their connection to the past and come to understand the importance of the Yard's restoration

The story's narrative flows elegantly and the prose is a lyrical. However, the dialogue is forced and stilted in parts. Those looking for a novel with well-developed three-dimensional characters will be disappointed. This book is a narrative told by a village storyteller. It is more important what the characters represent, authority, friendship, and compassion, than who they are. Although Dada's character is more developed, even he represents different virtues and vices at different times.

"Broken Gourds" is a colorful tale of Jamaica's African roots and portrays well the world of magical realism that surrounds most Caribbean and Latin American cultures. Although I would have liked some of the characters to be more fleshed out, I appreciated the beauty of the narrative and found the story well told and interesting.

As an avid reader, I'm always excited when I come across such a fantastic book as Broken Gourds. Told in the warm vibrant style of story tellers from long ago, Broken Gourds is one of the best books I've read in a while. Set in a small village in Jamaica, its a story about traditions, religion, superstitions, and change as carried down through the generations of the village's residents. From the moment I picked it up, I became instantly transported to this little village in Jamaica. I simply could not put it down. Beresford McLean is a Master Story Teller



Laura Wandrie - NewAge Journal

Reviewed by: Tyrone Vincent Banks of Betsie's Literary Page.

A spiritual combination of "Flowers for Algernon" and "Phenomenon"


Broken Gourds is an intriguing story about a "simpleton" named Dada. Throughout most of his life he existed as an outsider, scorned by his family and laughed at by children and adults alike. What he lacked in social grace, common sense and intelligence was compensated for by his beautiful singing voice, peaceful demeanor and compassion. He was an outcast suffering from a disease that left gaping sores about his face that would never heal. His father Prince was afraid that he would never leave his home and therefore stifle his own search for a bride to replace Dada's deceased mother. Prince embarked on a campaign to build a life for his son and make him comply with his vision of success.

Dada saw no harm in the way that he lived. As long as there was food, a way to care for his crippled friend Twig and his grandmother - he was content. One day, he failed his father for the last time by setting Prince's livestock free and letting the water supply run dry. As Dada ran for his life with his father at wit's end threatening to kill him, his life changed. He was given a vision and a magical gourd that could fill a well as if an endless supply of water was enclosed within the small container. He was changing and he rushed to the side of his dying grandmother - and healed her with an embrace. The wounds that covered his face - disappeared. Dada's eyes opened and he was no longer an uninterested observer, he was now an instrument of change.

Dada became an instrument of God, much like the gourd that contained the endless supply of water; he was filled with the power of God. He established a place of worship called The Balm Yard and the miracles continued. All that he touched were healed and he took on a new name - Brother Walk. He would travel throughout Albion, Jamaica preaching and healing all within reach. Brother Walk was reborn and in this new form he learns about love, sensuality, self-sacrifice and temptation. He is given an endless amount of power and his followers hang on every word that leaves his mouth. However, we all know what happens with absolute power. This book has an ending that is both surprising and expected.

Read this book and take part in this journey reminiscent of Daniel Keyes' "Flowers for Algernon" and the motion picture "Phenomenon" told with the classic flair of Steinbeck. The journey is mystical and enjoyable and Beresford McLean's style is similar to that of a revered storyteller. His words and images will capture you and you will carry this story in your heart.

Inside each of us there dwells a person, unlovely and unloved,who wants desparately for us to be more than we are. Mr. McLean speaks to that soul in the person of Dada, the main character in this delightfully universal Jamaican myth. Through Granny, Dada, who later comes to be Brother Walk, and the other members of the community of Albion, we meet all the complexities of humanity and the many faces of god. We come face to face with the man and woman in each of us, the greedy child, the bully, the submissive and the dominant, the hopeful and the hopeless, the liar and the cheat, the angel and the devil, the listener to voices, the beater of drums and the dreamer of dreams.

I loved this story of change, resolution, justice, mercy, humility, magic and "Old Time Something come back again". I appreciated the author's themes and use of imagery, language, personification and local colour. I think you too will be unable to resist it for a gentle read or a headliner for your local public library book club! I highly recommend it! Happy reading!

The 'Foreword' is dedicated to Lester Adelson, M.D. who was then working with the coroner of Cuyahoga County in Cleveland Ohio. Legal medicine and autopsies help the living. Dr. Adelson believes his allegiance is to the TRUTH, not to the side that hired him. A Medical Examiner should study the dead to help the living. Murder cases are but a small fraction compared to accidental deaths (traffic, industrial, or at home). Suicide is much more frequent than murder. Sudden deaths can appear to be suicide, homicide, or accidental. Unsuspected infectious diseases are one threat to the community. The forensic pathologist is important to the public interest, and should be an impartial fact-finder.

Mervin Selkirk is conversing with Norda Allison when he slaps his seven-year old son Robert for interrupting. Suddenly Norda sees the sadistic streak behind the mask of smiling politeness and affability over the selfish personality. Norda dislikes this discipline but Mervin says she's a "softie". The result is the breaking of their engagement. A few days later Mervin punches Norda's boyfriend, Nate Benedict, in a restaurant. Mervin explains it as self-defense and his friends there back his story. Later Norda gets anonymous letters about suitors who killed former fiancees. The postal authorities couldn't catch the sender. Mervin's previous wife, Lorraine Selkirk Jennings, tells of a toy printing machine; this is enough for a search warrant on Mervin. The toy printing press doesn't match. His first wife tells of Mervin's ruthlessness and cleverness, and the power of his family. Then Lorraine sends a flight ticket to arrange for a meeting in person. The Jennings surprise Norda with their plans; is this some sort of trick? They have an excuse for Robert's absence. [Did you suspect anything?]

Something happens during the night, Norda packs and leaves, then visits Perry Mason to tell of the problems. The investigation does not agree with Norda's claims. Something's wrong here. The mystery deepens when a gun is found in the bed where Norda Allison slept. The police were called and took Norda in for questioning. We soon learn the reason for this activity: Mervin Selkirk was found shot dead in his car, parked at the Country Club. Perry is visited by Nate Benedict, who has a permit to carry the gun he brought on his flight from San Francisco. Nate also owns a gun like the murder weapon. Perry meets Mervin's father Horace Livermore Selkirk, as unscrupulous as he is powerful, and he is very powerful. Perry and Della use a ruse to interview Robert's baby-sitter. By following Barton Jennings they find a clue to where Robert was taken. New facts are discovered to complicate the mystery. Chapter 12 starts to uncover the mystery and the disappearance of Robert. Perry meets the young woman who was placed in charge, and talks to her about the laws and her actions.

The Preliminary Hearing starts in Chapter 14. Perry's cross-examination of Sgt. Holcomb raises questions about the prosecution's theory of the crime. Other facts are brought out in the testimonies to clarify the question of guilt. But there is a new fact that connects Norda to the dead body of Mervin! The judge calls for a conference at the noon recess and there is a new development that could free Perry's client. But a shocking surprise shakes Horace Selkirk. Hamilton Burger brings in his surprise witness who was at the Country Club parking lot (Chapter 17). Perry's cross-examination of Millicent Bailey neutralizes her testimony. Then Barton Jennings appears as a witness, and tells of what he knows. Perry's cross-examination has this witness contradicting his testimony. Then another witness is recalled so Perry can question her. Now there is another material fact that is brought out. Norda is released from custody. The last chapter resolves the outstanding questions and explains the unknown events. Erle Stanley Gardner describes the corrupt and powerful people who run society, albeit in fiction. Like other novels, the courtroom scenes are the dramatic high points.

This Perry Mason book is a suspenseful action thriller and a spectacular page turner. "The Case of The Deadly Toy" is about a woman, Norda Alison who is convicted of murder after her ex-fiancé is found dead and the murder weapon is found hidden under her pillow. This book is very well written and keeps you clueless of the real murderer until the last few pages in the book. Norda Allison is the victim of a conspiracy between her ex-fiancés former wife and her husband. Perry Mason does a great job keeping the reader active and having new suspenseful ideas on every page. Perry, his secretary Debra, his close friend and detective Paul Drake do a great job solving the mystery after all hope is lost. The book is very exciting after Norda's ex-fiancés former wife's son fires a gun shot heard early in the morning and Norda's ex-fiancé is found dead the next morning. I recommend this book to anyone who likes mystery books and I think everyone will love and cherish this book.

Mervin Selkirk is a wealthy man used to getting what he wants. He uses a campaign of terror to intimidate his ex-fiancé Norda Allison. He is in a protracted fight with his ex-wife, Lorraine Jennings, over their seven-year-old son. He also set up an ambush that allowed him to sucker punch a man with a pair of brass knuckles and break his jaw. Yes, Mervin is quite a guy, and it is not much of surprise when he turns up dead. The police decide to point the finger at Norda Allison, but she has Perry Mason on her side. With the help of Paul Drake and Della Street, Perry slowly uncovers the truth of what really happened to Selkirk.

This book is a classic mystery tale with excellent courtroom scenes. The setup is quick and interesting, and the investigation uncovers a terrific maze of clues and red herrings. Perry is obviously the star character and he is highly intelligent, driven to succeed, and quite funny at times. The author was an attorney himself, and that undoubtedly helps make the courtroom scenes so entertaining. The plot moves along briskly, at just over 200 pages there is little room for fat in the story.

Reading a Perry Mason novel is kind of like going to a Holiday Inn. They're all pretty much the same, and if you like one you'll probably like them all. That's no insult, because I happen to enjoy the series. For newcomers, this volume is as good as any for an entry point. If you're a fan, then you'll be perfectly at home with Perry, Della, Paul Drake, and even the ever-ineffectual Hamilton Burger. This book is not likely to help you think deep thoughts, but it's a highly enjoyable read that will entertain for several hours.

This is a wonderful mystery laced with humor. And the solution to the mystery is impossible to figure out...however, when you finish the book, and go back over some passages, you have to admit that all the clues were there.

Whenever I finish a Perry Mason, I want to start another (with the determination that this time I will solve the mystery before Mason.)
I feel the same way about Nero Wolfe mysteries such asBlack Orchids (Nero Wolfe Mysteries).

This Perry Mason book is a suspenseful action thriller and a spectacular page turner. "The Case of The Deadly Toy" is about a woman, Norda Alison who is convicted of murder after her ex-fiancé is found dead and the murder weapon is found hidden under her pillow. This book is very well written and keeps you clueless of the real murderer until the last few pages in the book. Norda Allison is the victim of a conspiracy between her ex-fiancés former wife and her husband. Perry Mason does a great job keeping the reader active and having new suspenseful ideas on every page. Perry, his secretary Debra, his close friend and detective Paul Drake do a great job solving the mystery after all hope is lost. The book is very exciting after Norda's ex-fiancés former wife's son fires a gun shot heard early in the morning and Norda's ex-fiancé is found dead the next morning. I recommend this book to anyone who likes mystery books and I think everyone will love and cherish this book.