Non-fiction Books

My encounter with this book was a bit magical. I arrived at a B&B in Vail and one of Mr. Nadolny's other books was on a table in the common area. I asked about it, and the proprietress said Mr. Nadolny had left that morning and had given her the book. I read it, loved it, and sought out his other works.

My favorite review of this book describes it as "a utopia of character." Truly it is. Yes, it's a nice little biography of an interesting life, but it is so much more. Sir John Franklin realized that each individual has his or her own "speed" in perception and action. Throughout his life, he observed himself and others objectively and developed his own "systems" for the most beneficial application of his own uniquely slow processing of impression and responses. He compensated with rigorous planning, precision, and observation - and by appreciating and effectively leading those who were faster.

Why is this interesting? I believe it is so because in our own times, everything moves way too fast for most of us...and those of us who might be naturally slow in the manner of Franklin suffer most from it. If Franklin were a boy today, he would likely be put on Ritalin, or diagnosed with "Sensory Integration Disorder" or some such thing, possibly placed in a "special" class at school...and his uniqueness would be deemed pathological and buried.

Franklin's qualities, and his persistent but self-accepting stuggle with them, made him the best of leaders and a deeply moral man. Rereading this book, I am led to realize that my own "true inner speed" is perhaps as slow as Franklin's, and that much unhappiness comes from not operating at that speed. This is painful - we can complain about our over-stimulated, over-informed, over-hurried times, but that is futile unless one decides to retreat completely to our own Walden.

Franklin found two things paralyzing: self-pity, and what he called "disapproval," meaning disgust with circumstances he could not change. So he resolved to avoid these and concentrated on his "systems." It worked...perhaps some of us can do the same. And if we are parents, we must make sure we understand and respect our children's "inner speed."

In sum, read this book - and do so more than once to absorb the nuances.

I read "Die Entdeckung der Langsamkeit" when it came out in German in 1983, and loved it. Unfortuntately, it was a borrowed copy, and I kept looking for it among my collection of German books when I often referred it to others.

Now I again had an opportunity to refer to it while reading Patricia Wood's new (and first) novel Lottery, which is also about a very slow person, Perry, who gains respect and friendship after what could have been the devastation of winning the Washington State Lottery. Perry is also a sailor, and Perry, like Franklin, has learned to be an "auditor" and a listmaker, to turn slowness into his strength.

In recent years, polar exploration has regained much attention; particularly so the voyages of Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton. Relatively little, in comparison, is known about Sir John Franklin, who after several expeditions to the Polar Sea lost his life shortly after having discovered the North West Passage in 1847.

Working from Franklin's own accounts, other historic sources and several scholarly treatises, German author Sten Nadolny in 1983 published an award-winning and (at least in Germany) highly successful novelized biography of Franklin. But "The Discovery of Slowness" (German title: "Die Entdeckung der Langsamkeit") is no mere rendition of the facts of Franklin's life, fascinating though they may be. Nadolny sees Franklin as a proponent of the idea of giving to all persons and things their own time; of not being unduly rushed, nor influenced by outside factors over which one has little (if any) control: then and now, an unusual concept in a world growing faster by the day.

Growing up in Spilsby, Lincolnshire, Nadolny's Franklin is a perpetual outsider, seemingly handicapped by his slowness, which renders him defenseless against spiteful attacks and unable to follow anything occurring at an even moderately fast pace, including speech. Early on, John thus turns his desires to the sea, which he perceives as a dark and boundless ally. He tries to run away to a nearby port, but is recaptured and sent to boarding school. There, an enlightened teacher eventually shows interest in him after having discovered that "the student F." (as he entitles a treatise based on his observations) is not simply slow but rather, takes particular care in observing things, and anything once lodged in his brain will be lodged there forever.

To deal with the difference between his own pace and that of the world around him, Franklin adopts a number of varying techniques: A stare enabling him to bypass quick action, memorized phrases to cover the breaks he needs in longer sentences, and a mental sorting system to distinguish issues in need of immediate address from those requiring long-term care. And as he grows older, his behavioral patterns progressively shape his outlook on the world and personal philosophy.

On his teacher's recommendation, Franklin is allowed to board his first ship at age fourteen. A few years later, he joins the Royal Navy and, rising through the ranks, witnesses the 1801 Battle of Copenhagen, the Battle of Trafalgar, and a campaign against American forces before New Orleans, during which he is wounded. Having already participated in the 1801-03 expedition to Australia led by his uncle, renowned navigator Matthew Flinders, Franklin receives his first commission for a voyage to the North as the commander of one of two ships sent to explore the Polar Sea north of Spitzbergen in 1818. However, both ships are damaged by the drifting floes of a large ice field and forced to return home.

Unsatisfied, Franklin requests - and eventually receives - a commission for a second voyage, this time a land expedition; his first attempt to discover the North West Passage. For its sheer gripping storytelling, this 1819-22 trip is one of the highlights of Nadolny's book; particularly the return journey, which confronts Franklin's crew with sorrow, hunger and death, from both starvation and murder. (No recommended bed-time reading if you value a good night's rest.) Yet, having first suffered humiliation due to what the Admiralty considers a "failed" trip, Franklin's no-frills account of the expedition garners him unexpected fame and fortune; and eventually a commission for a further journey to the North, which due to its thoughtful preparation and the extensive cartographic material and observations it yields is considered a success, although it, again, does not result in the discovery of the North West Passage. Franklin is knighted, his fame and fortune grows - but for the moment, no further voyage to the Polar Sea is in sight.

Somewhat reluctantly, he thus accepts the appointment as governor of Van Diemen's Land (which he will rename Tasmania, for its discoverer Abel Tasman); telling himself that a governorship - even of a penal colony - is not substantially different from commanding a ship. Like at sea, Franklin attempts to divide responsibility between himself and his "second(s) in command," taking personal charge of all matters requiring long-term care and leaving the issues requiring fast, immediate attention to his chief subordinates. Here, however, he is not dealing with loyal men who understand his philosophy: His personal secretary Maconochie is a pseudo-reformist radical; colonial secretary Montagu a crony of the local elite without any sympathy for Franklin's reformatory measures, whereas Franklin's efforts to better the fate of the convicts and aborigines reflect the humanistic qualities of a man whose empathy for all human beings and keen interest in science has developed over a lifetime spent in the company of sailors, explorers, American Indians and Inuit, through war and peace, hunger and satisfaction.

Facing opposition from the local ruling class and the politics of royal secretary Lord Stanley, Franklin is finally recalled in 1843. Upon his friends' intervention, he is granted an audience with prime minister Sir Robert Peel, who offers him the newly-created position as royal supervisor of educational affairs; but realizing that Peel merely wants to capitalize on his apparent reluctance to take action, not implement any true reforms, Franklin declines. At last, he is granted another commission for a voyage to discover the North West Passage: his last journey, during which he (and his crew) have to realize that there is one who is more patient than even the most patient of humans - death.

"Thou ... art passing on thine happier voyage now towards no earthly pole," reads part of a poem by Franklin's cousin Tennyson, printed on his Westminster Abbey memorial. Franklin was certainly not the only polar explorer to whom these words could be applied. As Sten Nadolny's book shows, he is as deserving of renewed attention as are his brethren in spirit; and not only because much yet remains unclear about the exact fate of his last expedition.

I like taking this book out for a long night stroll. Maybe it's lightly raining, of course it's dark with only street lights to light up the words on the page. It moves me through and through Lord! Child! it shorely am good it good it good! it so damn good!

this book is unusually thruthful and gripped me from the beginning to the very end - maybe because of the fact that I have something in common with Franklin. So convincinglty written , I'd like to have met the protagonist !

What a powerful novel. Anyone seeking to either whet their historical appetite or emerse themselves in well written, well researched and well balanced account of the early pioneering days of the USA should get this novel and settle into a damn good read.

The people come alive in the book. Exciting to read about the life of the old west.

DREAM WEST captures the spirit of the turbulent mid-1800's and the nearly forgotten stories centering around the remarkable Captain John Charles Fremont (the Pathfinder). This was a refreshing look at one of America's great explorers who pioneered and mapped much of America's western regions. This book includes such historic characters as: the legendary explorer Kit Carson, and Fremont's wife the famed novelist Jessie Benton Fremont, her father the famous Missouri senator Thomas Hart Benton, cameos appearances from almost every famous politician during the mid-1800 through the Civil War (Lincoln, Grant, Polk, Clay, etc.).

John Charles Fremont was one America's most magnetic personalities. Just to list a few of many remarkable accomplishments, such as:
* He was California's first Governor (albeit for a very short period).
* After California's statehood is approved he was the first Senator for California.
* Became rich during the famed gold rush. Later lost it in a swindle.
* On the Republican ticket as an antislavery advocate he ran for President in 1956,. In fact he becomes a perennial presidential candidate.
* He achieves the rank of major general during the Civil War where he loses most of his battles and resigns.
* Later he becomes a Governor of Arizona and passes much ground breaking legislation.

The only complaint I have with this book (very minor) is the author's lenient treatment of Fremont's war record. In fact Fremont was demoted because he couldn't beat Stonewall Jackson. He lets Fremont off rather easily. Notwithstanding, John Charles Fremont truly was an extraordinary man. This story captures his spirit.

Anyone who has traveled the west has run across historical markers of John C. Freemont-particularly on passes. This is a book of historical fiction. Since James A. Michener died we've been hungry for solid historical novels. David Nevin does a nice job satisfying that hunger here. <I>It was a sad book</I> -a story of an explorer with too much risk-taking, too much integrity, too much trust, and too much self-sufficiency to survive in the world of the military, business or politics. What he did do well with was in marriage and exploration. You'll be captivated by the story on his<I> winter </I> crossing the High Sierras. You may cry at his defeated attempt to cross the San Juan ranges in Colorado. If you like these lessons you'll love the book:
o (1) If you enter politics you've got to play politics.
o (2) People with great personal ambition who do not know how to compromise and horse trade usually get destroyed by those with those skills.
o (3) Don't enter business if you aren't going to learn the rules and watch the business.
o (4) Don't make many enemies If you want to keep from being lonely in your old age.
o (5) When the chips are down only those who love you stay with you-respect and accomplishment will not inspire permanent loyalty-only love does that.
o (6) Never conclude you are a failure in life-the next generation will decide that for you after you're dead.
o (7) Marriage is God's way of helping us see our most hazardous traits-listening and learning this from a spouse can save great pain later.
o (7) When somebody gets a really raw deal those who resent it most are the family not the victim.
o (8) When large sums of money are involved people change.
o (9) Being great at one thing seldom transfers to being great at another.
o (10) I don't think I would have liked Abraham Lincoln if I had lived at the time-some people look better a hundred years later.

Author of the romantic historical, The Rebel's Pledge, a 5 star rated novel of the colonial period.

Dream West is one of the best novels I have ever read. It is powerfully and skillfully written. The story is based on truth about the brave men and women who forged westward. Dream West will move you, inspire you, and enrich your knowledge of America's history.

EROTIC INVITATION makes you go wow-eyed. Oh yeah, it's a don't-want-to-miss book with a lot of sizzle and blazing heat.

Mallory and Jack are both lawyers trying to get a case, so they go to the resort where their prospective client invites them to visit. Mallory is a prim and proper woman on the outside, but her silk and satin leaves a thrill on the inside. The ever working Jack is stunned when he gets an invitation to join someone in a seduction. He is about to get an erotic lesson from the sexy Mallory.

From the first seduction to the second invitation to the wonder and love to confessing up and the beauty of love. What more can anyone want? Carly Phillips delivers everything we love in a romance; love, seduction, sex, and a happy-ever-after ending. The exotic invitation is still simmering inside me. Whether in a series or single titles, you don't read or see really hot, even erotic romances anymore, so this was a surprise and a fresh change of pace. I loved the new outlook and the seductiveness of the plot. I say, keep up the good work Carly Phillips!...

Only a year away from her goal, Mallory Sinclair is the last woman to remain line for partnership in her male dominated firm. A good old boys network runs the firm, and she has not yet entirely earned their trust; perhaps a woman never can. But she has earned a reputation for hard work and dedication. Further, Mallory's fierce control of her attraction to Jack Latham sets her apart from the other women in the office, although the no-office romance policy doesn't stop her from fantasizing. Now, as the only female associate in the firm, she is assigned to a very important divorce case to aid Jack. They will be spending an indefinite amount of time as the guests of their firm's biggest client while he decides if he's going of hire them to hand his divorce. Mallory vows to focus on the work at hand as she and Jack head to resort for an informal 'get-to-know-you' session with their eccentric client.

Jack, affectionately known as the Terminator and the firm's best-looking partner, is so named for the end he puts to marriages. According to office gossip, he does not believe in the institution of marriage or the idea of commitment. He certainly does not suspect that sexy lingerie that lurks beneath Mallory's power suits; consequently, he grossly misjudging her seductive qualities. So when he announces to Mallory that the firm's biggest client is sending them to a resort of the coast of Long Island, he underestimates the damage Mallory can do to his libido. One look in her eyes leaves him stunned. One foolish comment, and destiny is set into motion. Now they are courting the firm's biggest client in a divorce action that requires that they play hardball. Soon Jack finds that he would much rather be doing other things with Mallory, despite the rules of the office.

Jack longs to get beyond the frigid mask Mallory displays to see the woman beneath. He doesn't understand the conflicting emotions she inspires in him, and in his desperation to elicit a response, blurts his thoughts aloud. Mallory can't help wondering how she could be cold and frigid, as Jack accuses, if her taste runs to satin and silk. Perhaps he doesn't like the cold woman she created to survive in a man's world. But now they are away from the office, and ethics be damned. If he wants to see what lurks beneath the veneer of her exterior, then she has enough pride to show him. With all sorts of tantalizing, intriguing possibilities coursing through her imagination, Mallory begins her seduction. But perhaps the strongest lesson for both Mallory and Jack will not be in seduction, but realizing that an erotic invitation isn't enough without fulfillment.

Wow! Once again Carly Phillips creates an imaginative romp that really pumps the libido in EROTIC INVITATION. The tantalizing and intriguing plot delights the senses with its erotic overtones and subtle depths. In Phillips hands, mystery becomes a potent aphrodisiac, and seduction an art form. Her style is arousing, sultry. And the characters are sexy and believably distracted in their willingness to see the seduction through and deal with the consequences later. Not necessarily the most well thought out decision, but certainly the most human. Bold, sensual and daring, EROTIC INVITATION comes very highly recommended.

Lawyers Jack Latham and Mallory Sinclair go off to a resort to wait out a new clients's decision about hiring them to handle his divorce. Mallory has hidden her female side under conservative business wear, she's the office ice queen. He's the Terminator, a divorce lawyer who goes for the jugular. While there they discover their mutual attraction when Jack insults Mallory about her lack of femininity.

Carly Phillips really knows how to build up the sexual tension. The back and forth erotic invitations between Jack and Mallory is so much better than jumping straight into bed. These two characters have depth and self awareness. They help each other find themselves while falling in love. Highly recommended.

Real estate attorney Mallory Sinclair has worked extremely hard for the last eight years at the Waldorf, Haynes, Greene, Meyers & Latham law firm. She is one year away from becoming a partner, but the cost has been high, as Mallory has buried most of her emotions. Her ultimate objective is to gain her father's respect.

Jack "The Terminator" Latham is a partner at the prestigious law firm. He is known for his uncanny ability to sever marriages beneficially in favor of his clients. Between his work and his parents' relationship, Jack thinks marriage is worthless and women less than that.

The company's largest account is that of Paul Lederman, but he is beginning to look elsewhere for his legal services. Paul needs a good divorce attorney and has asked Jack to visit with him. The partners send Mallory along to help Jack keep Paul in the fold. When the two lawyers meet Paul's wife, Mallory acts frosty as if the lady does not matter. Jack accuses Mallory of being frigid so she counter challenges him to a battle of the boudoir even if it means costing her the legal partnership she once coveted.

The key to EROTIC INVITATION, the first Midnight Fantasies tale, is the vulnerable and scarred lead protagonists. Their life-altering week together is more than a catharsis as both realizes that you must take care of yourself, but a warm caring relationship makes it easier and more satisfying to do so. Carly Phillips shows her ability to melt two icebergs through the heat of love.

Harriet Klausner

Carly Phillips has a fan for life in me! EROTIC INVITATION has it all - believable, in-depth characters with faults, foibles and scars, sizzling passion, snappy dialogue, and a fresh, original storyline. It was so nice to read about two people that had at least been aware of each other for awhile and didn't just want to jump each other's bones after a chance meeting. Sexual tension runs high as does emotional intensity. Instead of hoping right into bed with each other, Mallory and Jack tease, tantalize and pick each other's brains.

Ms. Phillips sure knows how to write. I couldn't put this book down and read it straight through in three hours. Its going on my keeper shelf for sure!

Exposed by Julie Elizabeth Leto
Harlequin Blaze # 4 - August 2001
Sexy City Nights #1

Ariana has intrigued Max for a few years, but he's been too driven by ambition to act on it. When someone slips him a Mickey, suddenly Max loses his inhibitions. Ariana is about to embark on a huge undertaking. She's renovating her restaurant, and soon it will be on the list of places to be and be seen. When the man of her fantasies falls victim when someone puts something in his drink in her establishment, she has to see that he gets home safely. Ah, there begins the fun. Earlier, Ariana found a copy of a magazine, which showcased San Francisco and an erotic scene taken overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. It just so happens that Max has the perfect balcony to match that photo.

This is one to look for on eBay or the used booksellers! ... if you like sizzle, this one is for you ... Max and Ariana discover their hidden desires, both having focused their entire lives to their careers, their new adventures are liberating. Max discovers he's a bit of an exhibitionist. Ari finds that she's game when Max says anything goes.... Not all surrounds the sizzling sex; both Max and Ari have depth as characters and evolve. A very good read!

Sexy City Nights - Multi-Author series
Exposed by Julie Elizabeth Leto - HBZ-12 - August 2001
Body Heat by Carly Phillips - HBZ-8 - September 2001
Heat Waves by Janelle Denison - HBZ-12 - October 2001
L.A. Confidential by Julie Kenner - HBZ-16 - November 2001

favorite scene with ariana-
confronting her employee about the truth.

favorite scene with max-
confronting his ex-father-in-law to be about the truth.

favorite scene with ariana and max-
confronting max's ex-father-in-law to be about the truth.

This book is GREAT! I am anxiously awaiting the next book in this series of Ms. Leto. The book leaves you breathless and waiting to see what the characters are going to do next! I highly recommend this book to anyone! The book will keep you warm this winter!

EXPOSED is one of the first four inaugural books in the new Blaze line from Harlequin. Having been a fan of this author for a long time, I was really looking forward to her contribution and I wasn't disappointed at all. As in her previous books, Ms. Leto gives us a steamy but not over-the-top love story with likeable characters in a well-plotted, believable story, this time with a touch of mystery added.

Ariana Karas is a successful San Francisco restaurateur; Max Forrester makes a name for himself in real estate. Each has been covertly eyeing each other for a year or so each time Max stops by Athens by the Sea, but Max is about to marry a friend (think along the lines of a marriage of convenience). So nothing is more shocking than finding Ariana in his bed the next morning. Not only can he not remember much from the night before [other than it was one heck of a night], but it seems his bride-to-be had bolted for parts unknown prior to the ceremony, leaving behind a cryptic message.

Both Ariana and Max are good people who find themselves the targets of a deliberate set-up, a set-up that could ruin them both. They join forces to uncover the truth and in the process discover some startling and sizzling truths about themselves, not the least of which is the incredible sexual fire that ignites between them.

I knew I was going to like this book when I stayed up way too late at night reading. Ms. Leto evoked sympathy from me for Ariana and Max. They'd both been deceived and poor Max could have died from the drug in his drink, yet instead of flying off on a quest of vengeance, both showed maturity in dealing with the problem.

A good cast of secondary characters and some red herrings in the mystery add depth and tension to the story.

A final note of warning: You may never look at your clothes dryer in quite the same way ever again.

In San Francisco, Ariana Karas devotes her life to making her Greek restaurant, Ari's Oasis, a success. Maxwell Forrester is a regular at Ari's Oasis, but surprisingly may be the only repeat male customer whom has not tried to pick up Ari. Needing time off and wanting romance, albeit only for a week, Ari decides to see first hand how Max can fill her nights with warmth and sex.

Timing may be a bit off, as Max is to marry his best friend's cousin, a friend also, tomorrow. Max has chosen friendship as the key to his nuptials rather than love and his future spouse Madelyn apparently agrees. However, at his bachelor party someone drugs Max. When he awakens the next morning he finds the lovely Ari sharing his bed and his bride missing. Though he worries about Maddie and has problems remembering the night, Max finds he wants passion in his bed, which means Ari, but she wants a week or is she reconsidering perhaps a lifetime? However someone is exposing their tryst.

EXPOSED lives up to the Blaze imprint, as this contemporary romance is torrid. The story line heats up the pages and explains what is meant by a warm San Francisco night though the animal magnetism of the lead duo though the plot turns a bit thin with the exposure of the blazing affair. Still, fans will still relish the story line because the passion between Ari and Max is not just real, it is a feeling that every reader desires and Julie Elizabeth Leto catches every solar spark between her stars.

Harriet Klausner

This isn't a shabby cover piece, but the 70s paperbacks were a lot more original. On this book we really aren't given much to work with, just a very simple painting with very simple, non-detailed artwork. The gentlemen in the cover is either Fallon, or it depicts a stranger in the town of Fallon. I can't be sure because I didn't read the book. But based on the cover art, I probably don't want to.

"Fallon", by Louis L'Amour, was entertaining, fast reading, and lightly sprinkled with philosophical statements as are all the westerns I have read by him. Although there is romance in the novel, it is very light and occurs almost unexpectedly.

Macon Fallon is a card player on the run, but seeing a sign for an old abandoned town and finding two families with a broken wagon wheel, he schemes to re-establish the town with a new name. Ultimately, he hopes to sell the claim to a mine nearby the town, and then flee with the profits. But Fallon grows to like the town and its people, which makes the choice for him to leave more difficult. A final gunfight seals Fallon's fate in several ways.

This western from Louis L'Amour was released in February, 1963, remaining in print every since. The locale of this western novel is Nevada pretty much in the center of the state. The fictional town of Red Horse is very close to Iron Mountain, sandwiched in between the Desatoya mountains and the Toiyabe mountain range to the east. With Red Horse about 100 miles east of both Carson City and Virginia City. The town, whose elevation is a little over 10,000 feet, also lays north of the Great Basin.

As stated in the story, it takes place after a time that the wagon trains have pretty much played out, as true with many gold mines. The wagon trains coming through now are generally ones of merchandise and equipment to resupply the gold camps, rather than carrying settlers.

The new name of the town that Macon helps establish is Red Horse, previously know as Buell's Bluff, a gold camp town that went bust and became deserted. The theme of this novel is much involved with town building explaining in simple terms just what it took to establish a western town of the mid to late 1800's, and the components of a typical mining town on the plains. Mr. L'Amour, in fact, had actually built a replica western town only a short time prior to his death.

This town is directly situated in an area that the Ute Indians still claim, so there is a possiblity of Indian attack, and at one point in the story, Fallon comes under attack by a party of at least 6 Utes. Readers of Mr. L'Amour's books such as Bendigo Shafter, Passin Through, or Milo Talon, among others, will be reminded that he had great interest in western towns: what it took to build them and just what components comprised them. And though Fallon is a fictional treatment, the story offers great factual insight into both the elements of a western town and the various peoples who lived in them and made them survive.

The story moves along very well and is humorous at certain spots, and while I don't rank this story with Shalako, Hondo, or some others, it is enjoyable.

So if you are interested in Louis L'Amour and his work this one will offer a few hours reading. He spent his life writing these books and the enjoyment and practical knowledge he held readily comes through.

So saddle a good horse, check the bullet loads in your pistol, and get a good supply of water before we hit the trail. Remember, those water holes can be very far apart. With bandit gangs and predatory Indians sprinkled along the trails.

Semper Fi.

I can't believe this was the first western I ever read, I'll defintely search out more. This is good fun right from the first paragraphs "Macon Fallon was a stranger to Seven Pines, and fortunately he was a stranger with a fast horse" - from the opening lines I was carried along.

The story follows Macon Fallon, as you know from the above, a stranger to Seven Pines who manages to upset some gamblers and escapes from the lynching - but gets himself in a bad way travelling in the dry areas without water. Just in time he sees a small wagon train and hatches a plan. There is a deserted town up behind the trail, he realises if he can get the wagoners to set up the town again he can make a pile and start a new life out west. It is kind of a scam, but he feels some guilt, they are decent people and he doesn't swindle decent people.

The hero is good fun, at once self-deprecating good humour, and next strong and able hero to the wagoners and against the local unsavoury and highly violent gang. One of the Wagoners, Ginia, an attractive young woman, smart and brave.

the story bounded along, its a short and punchy novel, the only thing I found I disliked was the long discussion of poker hands. The hero and the writing reminded me strongly of Lee Child and I wondered if Child was a L'amour fan - maybe I need to read more of this sort of stuff.

Loved it, will read more of Louis L'amour's books.

With Fallon Louis L'Amour comes up with a very different main character. Fallon isn't a gunfighter or cattleman; he's a gambler and a complicated individual. I've read a great many excellent books by Louis L'Amour, and have enjoyed all of them but to be honest, they are uneven. By this I mean that some of them are much better than others.
Fallon is one that I flat out loved; one that I remember well, and of all of L'Amour's always fun to read Westerns, I think Fallon is one of the best.

Father's Arcane Daughter was one of my favorite books when I was little, and it still holds that spot now. The characters are realistic and interesting, the story moving and gripping, and the ending heart-warming and rewarding.
Winstong Carmichael is a seventh-grader with a priveleged upbringing and an impressive intelligence and maturity. Unfortunately, his undisciplined, overindulged, ten-year-old sister Heidi (short for Hilary) is a heavy weight on his shoulders. She requires constant entertainment from others, as she is not able to entertain herself, and has horrible manners and no consideration for others. Her hearing and coordination problems make her a bit dependant, but her behavior is what makes her a burden, one that Winston resents (he is actually unable to bring friends over because Heidi ruins the visits). Then,when he meets a woman claiming to be his long-lost half sister, Caroline, from his dad's previous marriage, Winston's life is turned around.
Caroline Carmichael was presumed dead years ago after a kidnapping, so many are suspicious of the new arrival's claims that she is Caroline, despite her physical resemblence to Caroline and extensive knowledge of Caroline's old friends and relatives. Is she really the person she claims to be, or is she trying to get her hands on the family fortune?
While the process of examination goes on, Winston gets to know a person who may or may not be his half sister, but is, without a doubt, a beacon of light in his life. The possible Caroline knows that Winston will be forever imprisoned by his sister's dependance if something is not done to help Heidi become as independant as she is able to be, so she starts down the road to teach Heidi proper, polite behavior, as well as teaching her how to best work with her hearing and coordination handicaps.
Through Winston's perspective, the reader will learn many hidden, sometimes ugly, truths about a seemingly normal rich family and about the woman who helps free the children from their gilded cage.

Father's Arcane Daughter was a childhood favorite that retains its appeal though I'm now in my 30s. As with all of Konigsburg's works, this book is a masterful tale that keeps you guessing until the very end. The central question of the book (is she or isn't she Caroline) becomes increasingly less important as her role in the family becomes increasingly more so. The unexpected ending is nevertheless satisfying, though I agree it comes all to soon. This excellent children's book is definitely on my must read list!

ISBN 0440424968 - For ages 10-14, Father's Arcane Daughter seems a little more adult than even that age group. It's a pity the book wasn't written as the full, grown-up novel that it should have been, but since it wasn't... read this one!

Twice upon a time, Winston got a new sister. The first time it happened, his parents brought home from the hospital a "creature". Heidi is handicapped and Winston, made to be responsible for her, builds a vocabulary just to describe her - none of the words are particularly nice. The second time, his half sister returned home sixteen years after she was kidnapped. At first unhappy at Caroline's arrival, Winston slowly comes to appreciate her presence in their lives, just as he really begins to question whether or not she is really Caroline.

An interesting story, told in Winston's words as he speaks to his sister (which sister is not identified for some time) about what happened twenty years ago, when Caroline came home. Well told, the reader gets the feeling, eventually, that either answer to the mystery of Caroline would be fine. It is far less important WHO she is than THAT she is.

This was a truly wonderful book. The characters' actions conveyed their emotions accurately, and the story was suspenseful. I would recommend this to everyone looking for a good book.

This is a truly riveting book, told masterfully by one of my favorite childrens' authors. The characters are multi dimensional and well-developed and the plot is unusual and insightful. I found myself unable to put it down, and when I finished it left a hauntingly beautiful echo that lasted for days.

This is childrens' book of true quality.

I have been teaching music to young children for 22 years and this book has changed the way I teach. I read it through twice and will read it again. The combination of technique and experience with warmth and humor is unbeatable.

Roger Mason, Ph.D.
Miami, Florida

This book is so easy to read, clear, and helpful to music teachers and students alike. It has step-by-step guidelines, reviews often, and is written as a story that can read in an hour. I found it very insightful and helpful in my teaching.

I bought this book on sale a couple of years ago and just got around to reading it this summer. I'm an elementary school music teacher. This book has helped me organize my approach to teaching note reading not just sight singing. Mr. Bertalot explains that his approach works best with 2 to 4 students at a time. Nonetheless, in the past 12 weeks of school, I've been using his approach with my regular classes (25 kids in each class with 2nd through 5th grades targeted). Much success already. There is a video that also goes along with this. I'm looking for a resource so that I can order it. If you teach kids or adults, this is a VERY helpful book. The appoach is fresh (yet, traditional) and well laid out. If you would like to e-mail me regarding the book feel free

This is the best approach to teaching sight-singing I've seen. The five wheels are an analogy to a car - four wheels plus the steering wheel. Each wheel represents a point that a choir director or music teacher should use to guide the student quickly to learn how to pick up a piece of music and sing it successfully. You can memorize the five wheels if you assign one to each finger of your hand.

But the author - wonderfully patient, experienced, and something of a genius among choir directors - doesn't leave you there. He then gives you 12 easy steps he has found will bring students to look at, think about, and thoroughly enjoy the sheet music they have in front of them.

Oh, how many hours have I wasted getting my choir to learn songs by getting them to repeat unthinkingly what I play or sing to them? The author of "5 Wheels to Successful Sight-Singing" makes every rehearsal a lesson in improving the student's ability to read music. For choir directors this saves enormous time - you just hand the music to the choir and they sing it, even if they've never seen the music before.

If you want to teach choirs or small groups of students to sight-sing quickly and thoroughly, I don't think you will find a better way to do it than by following the simple method in this book.

This short book was highly recommended to me, and as a choir director, I enjoyed reading it.

I have also read John Bertalot's Immediately Practical Tips for Choral Directors, and found that to espouse some of the same helpful ideas.

Bertalot's short book is a quick and easy read as it takes the shape of a fictional dialogue between a music student and a master teacher. Bertalot does not support the idea that sight-singing should be taught for a few minutes at the beginning of each rehearsal and put away. His main thesis is that children should instead to learn to read music while they are learning the very same music. Bertalot then provides instruction as to how to best go about doing that.

Some of his ideas may at first seem counterproductive. For instance, Bertalot thinks the accompaniment should be played as lightly and/or as seldom as possible. In addition, students should practice more often in small groups than in larger sections. While they may not pick up their part in rehearsal as quickly, singers will develop their inner hearing and ability to read the notes. Bertalot provides twelve very basic steps to sight singing, starting with the singing of one note and moving on from there.

This book is clear and concise, and Bertalot's ideas are well explained. Some may not like the dialogue-style of writing, as Bertalot's ideal "choirmaster" seems to have everything go perfectly for him. This book is geared for those who teach children. There is a short section at the end which covers different approaches for adults, but overall the book is less helpful for them.

I strongly recommend this book to any music teacher who works with children and singing. They will appreciate it.

Although P.G. Wodehouse's non-Bertie and Jeeves novels aren't as well-known to the casual reader, they're in many ways, even better than their more popular counterparts. FRENCH LEAVE is an ingeniously constructed farce that, unlike so many attempts in the genre, doesn't feel excessively dependent on random coincidence and implausible events. I will say, however, that I found the denouement slightly disappointing.

I highly recommend this book. It's one of my favorites by P.G. Wodehouse. It's very entertaining and funny!

Why, in Heavens name, should a modern reader take the time to read the novels of P.G. Wodehouse?? Is it because he was the funniest writer of the 20th century? He was. Is it because you will marvel at his complete mastery of the English language? You will. Is it because his heroes and villians are equally likable persons?? They are. The star of every Wodehouse novel is not Bertie or Jeeves or Lord Emsworth or Psmith or even Mr. Mulliner; the star, of course, is Wodehouse himself. And when he speaks, you should listen!

French Leave is a non-saga novel (meaning no Jeeves or Uncle Fred) with very appealing characters and wonderous and hilarious misunderstandings. It is the story of three American girls and their adventures in France: a story of love at first sight, of mineral-water millionaires, of rascally French policemen, and of a breach of promise suit that never happens. And like all Wodehouse settings, France seems like Heaven on earth. Warm sunshine seems to glow from each and every page. It is almost as if Wodehouse is speaking directly to his audience saying: Wouldn't you like to be here and spend time with my friends? I think all readers of French Leave would transport themselves there in a minute.

If you've never read Wodehouse before, I cannot but strongly encourage you to join the millions who have discovered this wonderful writer. French Leave is just as good a place as any to start. Because it is a later novel (written in the mid-fifties), it will prime you for some of the even wackier masterpieces of the 20s and 30s. Read on, ladies and gentlemen, and even you may find that song lurks in the depths of your heart.

I've read over 100 Wodehouse stories and this one is one of my favorites. The harmless phrase "Where is the dossier Quibolle?" had me rolling off the floor (you have to read the book to find out more...). Wodehouse also weaves in French pronounciations and hilarious interactions between the French and non-French characters in the novel. This book makes you laugh right from the Preface to the last page.

French Leave is the epitome of Wodehouse writing. Everyone gets into more scrapes than any other author could pack into 250 odd pages. I enjoy reading all Wodehouse books and this is an especial favorite. Mr. Wodehouse has a command of the English language we could all do well to emulate. You will enjoy this light look at love and foriegn countries!

I read "Swept Away" years ago, and when I went to the library to check it out again, it was gone. Disappeared. I cried. If any kind soul reads this and knows where I can get a copy of ANY of the "Unicorn Queen" books, I would be eternally greatfull if you would write to me and tell me where. Thank You!

I read this series in third grade and I can still sit down and read it over and over. The six books are one of my treasured series that I will never get rid of, and it fueled many stories of my own!

I'm launching a letter campaign to get these books back. It is ridiculous what people are spending for a book that should be available to young girls and old alike. Libraries can't keep these books in stock! If you want to help me this is what I'm doing: I will mail a letter a day to the Ballantine/Fawcet press asking that they publish The Secret of the Unicorn Queen Series. I will say that there is a genuine need for these books and that they will sell. In order to prove the high demand for these books it would be great to have other people send in letters too. Anyone who is interested can e-mail me (it's a hotmail account with my name) or just write and mail a letter. This shouldn't be a herculean labor, these books are marketable and will sell, the publisher can't go wrong. (I love the cover art too-Rowena is brilliant!)

I got the series from a friend and just keep readng them over and over! I love them! I just can't put them down! I woiuld recommend this series to ANY lover of fantasy! And the cover work is beautiful!

I read these books over and over until I was in middle school. They're great! I was a dummy and donated them to my school library of the time and they're long gone. That was over 10 years ago and I'm still kicking myself.

Got to agree with the guys above- I read this first in my early teens and it has travelled with me since. How many times have I read it? Ten? Twenty? It's comforting, in the way that a favourite novel is; disturbing; it's dystopic vision is still unnervingly true to life. Maybe not everyone would take to this book, but I for one will always want to ride a bke like Mitzi!

This book is the first that I have ever read cover-to-cover, in one sitting. Perhaps that enhanced its impact. Westall has put together a fine story, well before its time, which is an excellent read as well as informative and perceptive in its comments on technology and society. If you can get a copy, its well worth reading. If you've already read it, take another look. Time hasn't dulled its message.

I couldnt agree more with the guy from Ireland.. I read the book when i was the same age as he was, and REALLY loved it. Robert Westall had a keen eye as to what the future held. And it`s still good!

Like, I daresay, a lot of people, I first read this book when I was about 11-12. I've kept coming back to it ever since (I'm now in my mid-twenties) and it reveals new layers every time I read it.
It's superbly written, darkly funny, fast-paced, and thought provoking. The characters are facinating and the way Westall gradually reveals the Big Picture is just masterful. A classic.

Robert Westall is one of this century's greatest writers for young adults, and this, in my opinion, is his very best book (although "Devil on the Road" comes a close second - they're very similar in style). An SF classic which eschews the normal spacecraft and explosions for complex political and social ideas. There have been genuinely few adult SF novels published in the last thirty years which compare to this novel's intelligence and dark humour. I read this first when I was 13 and have re-read it more times than I can remember... Simply put, my battered yellowing copy of this is very dear to me, and I suspect, will always stay that way.