Short Stories Books

Those of us who admire the Brontes and their works owe a considerable debt to Juliet Barker. The letters provide a window into the lives of this talented family - in their own voices.

Ms Barker has provided just enough information around the letters to enable the reader to understand the context. For those readers who want more information, I recommend Ms Barkers biography 'The Brontes'.

Highly recommended.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

I recommend this book to anyone who is a Bronte fan. Because the letters were written mostly by Charlotte, they are very eloquent and narrative in their descriptions. In her letters, the reader can relate to her feelings of loss and loneliness when Branwell, Emily, and finally Anne passed away. It is truly sad that these 3 sisters were not able to live long lives, and that Emily and Anne did not receive the accolade they deserved while they were alive.

This is the one that, no matter how many other books you've read about the Brontes, is the best ever. The writer of this book doesn't hoard her knowledge, but shares it in such a way that the reader will be amazed that so much information has never before been made available to us common-folk. This book allows the reader to interpret, rather than tangle through spider webs.

Having purchased this book on a whim, I was delighted to find it so captivating. Barker lets the letters speak for themselves, only occasionally jumping in to clue the reader in on the context of the letters.

The book is broken into chapters by groups of years or phases of happenings with the Brontes. The first part of the book is filled with the letters about the happenings and dreams of the Brontes. In the latter half of the book you get a strong sense of Charlotte's growing isolation as her family vanishes around her in a very brief period of time.

The tragedy of this volume is that there aren't more letters from Emily, Anne, and Branwell. However, through Charlotte's letters you get a strong sense of what her siblings were like (or at least Charlotte's perception of them).

I would highly recommend this book for anyone who is researching the Brontes, or anyone who is just curious, as I was. It has made me want to go back and read Barker's first book on the Brontes, as well as others.

It is one thing to read a biographical account of the terribly short lives of the Brontes, it is quite another to read Charlotte's first-hand account of losing the people dearest to her. As I read her letters, I could sense the solitude at Haworth, feel the miserable weather, and hear the hollow ticking of the clock following each passing. The book is not all somber though. I am a new fan, and this book has left an indellible impression on me.

Two months after reading this collection, many of the stories are still vivid in my mind. I feel like I've stumbled across a modern classic, with fresh storylines, strong characters, and original language.

My favorites include Aunt Frank's Legacy, Remember Us, The Seal Man, and Nave Nave Mahana, but to be honest it's hard to pick any one story out. It's rare to read a book of short fiction where the standard stays so high throughout, but the diversity and richness of this bunch of stories kept me hooked. I read some to my husband as we drove cross-country, and he loved them too.

Saunders is a bold stylist, not afraid of examining both the dark and the tender sides of life. The mood is sometimes funny, sometimes bittersweet, sometimes hauntingly scary. He shows good insight into the ridiculous aspect of human nature and doesn't hesitate to point that up. In some stories I snorted out loud at the witty observations, in others I was scared for what would happen next. Often I was just deeply moved.

I'm looking forward to re-reading soon, and for anyone who enjoys entertaining and literary short fiction, I'd say that Brother is a no-brainer.

In the title story, successful composer Griffin Curzon attempts suicide and his inventor brother tries to resurrect him from his rapid mental decline to the man he once was. In the heart of his illness, Griffin writes in a letter to his brother this apt metaphor for life:

" `Brother,
We see merit in numbers, in sequences. We search for the infinite in variety. We are imbeciles. Every note of music is a whole, deep symphony of sound. Play it soft, than softer still, breath on it, then strike it hard, harder, hit it so it rings on and on, the texture wavering and changing. Then add rhythm, slow, slower, a little bit faster, build it up, rat-ta-tat. There is staccato, legato, on and on and on. One note, one beautiful, indivisible note.'"

In "Aerobatics," a father must face the inevitable changes in his relationship with his adult daughter, and in "The Seal Man," a lonely woman sees hope for herself in the arrival of a stranger to her island. The characters in these pages don't just make do, they transcend their circumstances. And the reader will find a variety of people here: transients who move into an abandoned zoo; an eccentric patron of the arts; a man coming back to his grandmother's house after her death; an infirm man bracing himself for death.

From "Sweet Mercy Leads Me On:"

"Now I'm lying awake trying to think of when I was at my happiest. Because of the drugs I've been given it's difficult to focus on anything but the present. My thoughts zigzag back and forth like a dog let loose in a park, picking up a scent only to discard it when a better one comes along."

Intelligent and sophisticated, these stories showcase Saunders' ability to render imaginative lives and settings in exquisite detail. Each story in the collection is a unique and lively world, yet each carries the mark of a sure hand, and the cohesive glue that binds them together is Saunders' understated brilliance and compassion for his characters.

If you have not already done so, I suggest you purchase a copy of this superb collection. You'll be glad you did.

Tom Saunders has tuned into the deep dark secrets of our world, of happiness and sadness, and has articulated them in the stories collected in "Brother, what strange place is this?".

The title story with the brother Griffin jumping out of a window only to survive and end up in an institution for the insane addresses the title question in an emotional and philosophical way, but really, all the stories in this collection are studies of the same question.

"Aerobatics" is the one that most got to me, the one I can't forget: A father tells his daughter about the time, when he was a boy, that he came home from school to see to his mother crying, "breaking her heart". He explains that up until that moment he was happy and then "suddenly I was landed with this knowledge about my mother...I wasn't prepared for what I saw...I wasn't prepared for a world where that sort of sadness was possible."

You have to be prepared to read this collection. You won't be, of course. Like the little boy who is suddenly faced with the shock of his mother in tears, one can never be prepared to face the depth of the world's sadness (for the boy) or strangeness (for the brother, Griffin).

Yes, I recommend this collection of stories. Tom Saunders is a sensitive and intelligent writer who is concerned with the truth of the human condition.

A Compeling Exploration

Tom Saunders' collection is the work of a true artist.
His writing leads you through a range of human interaction and emotion. In stories like THE RED TRAIN, Saunders tackles subjects that are delicate, controversial at best and with great sensitivity lays it out for the reader to advance conclusions. Without pretense or presumption he offers the reader the opportunity to explore. A true gift Brother, What Strange Place Is This? is a remarkable collection by a remarkable writer.

After decades of minimalism, modernism, postmodernism, and batty maunderings, Saunders' careful, credible storytelling is as an oasis to the parched mind. My own personal favorite in this varied collection, The Calle de Obra Pia, will sit you down on a piano bench next to a man who is hopelessly in love. You may like him--and this is true of all of Saunders' characters--or you may not, but I tell you that you will care about him, you will know him, you will very likely find in him yourself.

And this is the truth that infects Saunders' stories, and draws the reader into them: he does not write about Everyman; instead, he continues to show us variations on the species. None is wholly good nor entirely sympathetic. Each is as imperfect, as yearning, and as capable of greatness in small spaces as are you, as am I.

This collection is clean air. Do yourself a favor.

The Burning Plain is about fifteen emotional stories. The stories give the reader a lot to think about. Many of these stories are short interesting stories that give the reader what to think about, action, sad parts, and contains nasty events when people are killed. We recommend the book to the readers because it is a very interesting book because the way many short stories are put into one book. The book will make the reader feel grossed out because in the ways some people are killed. All of these stories take place in a rural place. For, example Talpa takes place in a village as well as Luvina. In the story Macario the setting is in a house.

ANGST. This is the best word to describe the human landscape that Rulfo has portrayed in this collection of short stories. A lanscape of extreme sorrow that blossoms over the arid plain, where poverty, opression and ignorance intermingle with faith to shape the tragedy of the post-revolutionary rural Mexico. A tragedy that has lived over 70 years and that may help explaining the nature of the mexican people, their doings and fears. But moreover its social meanings, Juan Rulfo, has created a masterpiece of storytelling, not only at the Latin-american level, but rather as an universal gift. This is not magic realism alà Garcia Marquez or Isabel Allende. This is bare boned reality, told with the beauty and the ease that just a master can reach, in which the words mix perfectly for creating short bursts of narrative, perfectly solved stories, that will fill the mind, the mouth and the eyes of the reader with the burnt sand of the plains, with the ashes of the dead, with the tears of the desperate. If you're ready to follow Tanilo's bloody footsteps toward Talpa, to hunt toads with Macario, or to fall under the spell of Niño Anacleto's preaching, or under the spell of misterious rural Mexico, dive into the pages of this collection of short stories, and compare it with any other you have already read, and you will understand why Rulfo never writed any further. Because he almost reached perfection.

One regrettable consequence of Garcia Marquez's fame is that Latin American literature has come to be identified exclusively with "magical realism". Everything has to be extraordinary, epic, full of tropical lust, palms, jaguars, people having sex in every corner, flying to the sky with a pineapple on their heads. But Latin America is a vast continent producing artist of universal stature, even if the rest of the world decides (to their disadvantage) to ignore all but the folkloric.

Well, Juan Rulfo is a master of the highest sort and this book is NOT magical realism, but pure, hard realism. He only wrote two books, this one and "Pedro Paramo", another masterpiece which I also don't count as magical realism, although some do, as well as a few lesser works. He didn't need to write much. His is a literature worked and reworked restlessly, until reaching perfection. Every single word fits perfectly with the rest. There are no digressions, no philosophy, no theories or grand landscapes. All his tales develop in Southern Jalisco, in a poor, dry, vast, sunburned and sad land. The prose is also dry, precise, economical and to the point. The characters are ignorant, miserable, but conscious and courageous. The titles say much: "It's because we are so poor" is one of them. However, you will not find self-pity or corny sad tales. Only bits of human misery perfectly narrated. By the way, this is the first review I write for Amazon in which I use the word "perfect". Probably it won't happen again, with one or two exceptions.

The Burning Plains is a compilation of short stories that Juan Rulfo published on diferent publications at different times. it's also at the moment, besides his masterpiece Pedro Paramo, the only material available.
The shorts stories are chilling, incledibly well written. It's superb, and the english translation more than acceptable.
To me the highlights of the book are "Talpa" and "they have given us the land" (the opener on the spanish version, but some reason is not on this english edition)but the whole book is amazing.
I bought this book for my girfriend as an exorsism from jennifer Wiener's "Good in Bed" I was worried about the translation but it didn't dissapoint me.
the ideal way to read The Burning Plain is in spanish, but since this book is not that surreal as pedro paramo is, this tranlation works just fine.
I hope this brief note helps you to choose a good book.

Rulfo's style, like his stories, is sparse, quiet, and often harsh. He offers disturbing tales of miserable people in barren places; yet there is also a strange beauty to be found in his work. I can think of few, if any, examples of such perfect prose. The characters--though they suffer--seem close at hand and perfectly real, and he gives the most incredible descriptions of landscapes that I have ever read in my life. It is easy to see his connection to "magical realism"--it is largely in the way he sets the tone of the stories, and in those unbelievably vivid descriptions--but his work does not fall into that category. There is no escaping the terribly blunt reality he creates.

Whether you are interested in Latin American literature or not, if you are at all interested in prose, you should read this book.

Candide: Or Optimism parodies the classic, romantic coming-of-age story, with the young title character, Candide - the ignorant, ever-optimistic metaphysician of Westphalia- confronting the evils of the real world. His forbidden love of a baron's daughter causes Candide to be evicted from his home and sheltered life into a desolate sixteenth-century Europe--where the strong prey on the weak and misery abounds in the heart of humanity. The master of social commentary dissects spiritual faith, ethics and legal systems, love and human vanity all in under 200 pages. Everyone can relate Candide's life story and journey to their own. Highly recommended.

I enjoyed this book, but it was irritating looking up the footnotes. They made it especially amusing and odd, but it definitely isn't my favorite.

Candide is certainly humorous for those that understand medieval to early modern European history.This satire is cynical much like Erasmus' "Praise of Folly". Voltaire attacks many of the issues of European society. You do not need to be a historian to appreciate this work, or have a great knowledge of European history to understand it.
Buy it and enjoy.

If you thought 18th century satire is irrelevant today, you might want to know the meaning of that Italian phrase, uttered by a eunuch at the sight of an abandoned and beautiful young lady in the story: "Oh, what a misfortune to be without balls!"

If you've made the decision to read Candide already, then this is the version you want to buy. Theo Cuffe's translation is more recent and much better than any other ones out there. I was thinking of purchasing the Oxford World Classics edition - after all, it's a few dollars cheaper and has a few more stories - but after contrasting paragraphs from Candide in either version, I decided Cuffe's superior translation warrants the extra money. This edition is also bound beautifully; it's a paperback but the cover is much firmer than a regular paperback and is adorned with eye-catching comic strips and a useful list (with pictures) of the main characters on the inside flap of the cover. This edition also has very thorough footnotes at the end; if you're like me and have little acquaintance with the 18th century and life through the era of Enlightenment, the handy footnotes will graciously guide your way. Aside from the footnotes, this edition also has additional pertinent writings from Voltaire including a poem he wrote on the disaster of the Lisbon earthquake and some excerpts from his Philosophic Dictionary.

Now, if you haven't made up your mind as to whether you'd like to read this, I strongly urge that you do. It's a rather short story but a very profound one. It's extremely witty, clever, and yet masterfully laconic. The story itself is an assault on the philosophic concept of "Optimism" as championed by Leibniz, Alexander Pope, and various other contemporaries of Voltaire who believed that all that happens in the world is for the best, and that we live in the best of all possible worlds. As Pope himself said famously, "whatever IS, is good." Candide, the young, naive and charming protagonist of our story is very much swayed in the direction of believing in Optimism because of the teachings of his philosopher teacher Pangloss. But as Candide inadvertently travels the world, matures, and learns from the sight of reality beyond the corridors of his residence at Westphalia, his perceptions begin to change, and we begin to develop nothing short of a sense for everything that is meaningful and meaningless in life. As Gustave Flaubert once said, the prose of Voltaire is mesmerizing and yet ingeniously succinct. You'll know the feeling once you travel the land of Eldorado, where people are indifferent to diamonds and gold lying in their streets and where everything is in perfect harmony, with non-other than the worthy Candide.

I think a lot of readers miss the point of this book. It is a romantic adventure story like the Odyssey and The Princess Bride, not some political rant or whatever people misconstrue it to be. It is named after the star of the book, Candide, a young nobleboy that's sent out on his own in the 18th century. Like Alexander the great, Candide has his Aristotle...in this case Pangloss, an amazing philosopher that believes everything has a purpose and works for the common good in the world. Throughout his adventures, Candide's faith in his mentor's teachings is continually tested, yet he stands firm in his beliefs instead of caving in capriciously.

You are no doubt getting ready to throw this book into your Amazon cart, but I beseech you dear reader, hold back and finish this review. For I need to impart in you the fact that this book is a love story as well! Candide, from his days in the Baron's court has been in love with the beautiful Cunegonde, whose stolen kiss is responsible for his banishment from the castle! On his journeys he meets back up with the fair maiden, in Portugal, and they go on a romantic boat-ride together! They sail to South America in the New World where they soon must split up.

Candide then travels to El Dorado where he meets the king! The king gives him billions of dollars worth of diamonds! He loses most of the diamonds on the way home, but he is still a millionaire. He then must travel to Venice where he is to meet back up with his love.

There were some funny parts in this book, but most of it was starkly serious. There was war, torture, natural disasters, and many other road blocks that Candide must overcome in order to get his prize, Cunegonde. I found this book to be a great motivational tool for myself. "You don't get the princess Cunegonde unless you sail to the New World and get a bunch of diamonds from the king of Eldorado," I keep telling myself.

I don't understand why so many people had a cow over this book. Apparently its author was thrown into prison for writing it! Maybe because it was a little violent and people weren't used to violence back then. Though I do admit, this book is strictly R rated, which makes me upset that they have school-kids reading this stuff. Kids, having never been subjected to the subjects of s e x and violence in this book may not understand it in a mature way without parental guidance.

The author picked a good name for the star of this book, as Candide is an unusual name and makes a good title. Can you imagine if he named the main character Steve? It just wouldn't have the same effect. I liked this book so I hope the author has some more fun adventure stories in the works.

JIM, who ran away from his nurse and was eaten by a lion.

It's small wonder that Edward Gorey chose to illustrate Belloc's verses, written nearly a century ago - in fact, they were such a clear and strong influence on his work, it's hard to believe he didn't write them himself. 'Cautionary Tales' is a literary work that was years ahead of its time, parodying the overtly-strict educational children's verses of the time with tales of children whose punishment is wholly disproportioned to their crime. Gorey's illustrations, published only after his death in 2000, complete the ghoulish verses with his trademark naïve and refined black and white crosshatching. Already in his seventies, Gorey has lost none of his charm and style and these illustrations are as nasty and sarcastic as anything he's done, perfectly complimenting the ironic text.

'Cautionary Tales' is the first work of Gorey's published after his death, and it's a perfect conclusion to his illustrious career, and one of his finest works. It's an essential to any fan of this great artist.

This was one of the loved books of my childhood in the original edition, of course.

I hadn't seen it for a very long time and was anxious to haev a copy for my younger grandchildren. Though old people can enjoy it as well.

Now plesed to have it on my own shelves

I got this to read to my nephews, and it did not disappoint when the time came to pick a story to read. I highly recommend this and the Gashlycrumb Tinies to anyone with children or nephews....

I just gave this to a friends' one year old for her birthday. In the inscription I wrote that she ought to read and learn, as whatever she does in life will come back to haunt her. My friend thought the book hysterical. Her husband thinks we're both odd...

One can imagine Edward Gorey mulling over these "Cautionary Tales",subsequently creating succinct Goreyesque illustrations for them. Then years later after presenting his family to us in "The Willowdale Handcar" he undoubtedbly mulled over ideas about families & children and came up with my personal favorite Gorey: The Gashleycrumb Tinies. If you like Gorey & you like the Tinies, you'll enjoy "Cautionary Tales".

4 stars only because I happen to like the devilishly wonderful "Tinies" better.

Philip Daughtry is a lyrical Shaman. His humanism is filled with magic, healing and joy, just what the world needs now!

Ever hear someone say, "I don't know how to describe it..."
Wel, it wasn't Philip Daughtry, because this is one author who has the chops to lay out a story with such eloquence and richness that you very well may end up seeing places you thought you knew, as if for the first time.

In his book, The Centaurs' Son, the author takes us on a whirlwind tour through parts of Europe, Mexico, the Western United States, and a handful of other destinations where we meet memorable and authentic characters all along the way.

We hack our path through the bush of Belize where we have a Shamanistic exchange with a jungle cat. In Ireland, we are a party to the distribution of a special sort of contraband bound to piss off the Pope.
We witness a funeral service for a mouse in Finland and we have a voyeuristic front row seat as our hero loses it in Paris to an enchanting Gallic Siren.

For those destinations new to the reader, Daughtry lends us his sharpened senses and artistic sensibilities, emersing us in the local flavors and customs with a ripping narrative style that keeps us fully engaged throughout.

This is great fun but not of the frivolous kind. It is a volume I intend to visit often for its beauty and stirring insights.

I began reading Philip Daughtry's "The Centaur's Son: Stories" on a plane from LA to New York and I soon became upset that I would be landing before I finished it. Having read it now I can say that I recommend it highly. Daughtry writes easily and meditatively in a voice that few writers are able- a first person who rarely breaks the (oft-ignored) basic rule of writing- show, don't tell. With the exception of a few wonderful third person stories most are told in this powerful fashion, and the effect as a reader is to be drawn in- to share the body of the storyteller, so that what he sees, you see, and what he feels, you feel. I felt cold, awed, lonely, and grateful watching a line of moose cross a foreign road in the snow. I felt an adrenalized fear as one narrator successfully approached an unbroken horse in the wild. It is because Daughtry's prose reflect the gait required to accomplish such a storied feat that he is so captivating. His sentences are at once careful and bold, both quiet and uninterrupted.

Out of many, these two eidetic images also reveal the insatiable desire in nearly all of Daughtry's characters (and I would assume, in Daughtry himself): that is, the desire to obliterate one's Self and be one with Nature. This human impossibility is discovered and experienced by the narrators (and reader) in ways comedic and tragic. For example, the innocent adventurer who approaches the horse is laughed at for his bravery, but the poet on the snowy road is humbled. All the same Daughtry's characters are immersed in their mission, they become their mission, just as his writing immerses me, becomes me, even many miles in the air. And even if a plane lands, or a writer must come home from his world explorations to find plastic red, white and blue cutlery (one of my favorite short-story-endings of all time) we are grateful for the trip, and grateful that Philip Daughtry is still trying to be immerse himself. I loved the book.

This book is filled with many great short stories but more importantly it's writing offers the reader an ability to see what the writer in this case Phillip Daughtry is writing and actually be there. When he writes about dust you feel the dust when he writes about a woman's curves you see them. It is really well done.

This book is one of storytelling's finest. Each short is a voyage that does not last long enough. I travel to each place Daughtry has been to - Ireland, Brazil, Belize, among many - and I return reluctantly. Days later, an image from one of his stories manifests in my head, and, having become so much a part of me, I can't remember if it is one of my own, if I was the one who made that trip, who nursed the dove back to life, who communed with wild horses, and who surrendered to the jaguar within. It can't be someone else's story, I think, it must be my own, because reading Philip Daughtry's work is like looking inward to a place where everything real and human and eternal is kept - safe. And when you find that safe place, you are grateful that it is there, and that he is its keeper. He is vulnerable, he is strong, he is everything we all are, unabashedly human, and loving, and seeking to be loved. Read this book and taste the salt in a soft ocean breeze.

I have loved these stories since my early childhood. In an age of [...]on the TV and movies. These stories will delight children young and old and make you wish you were born back when this stuff was comon place.

Centerburg Tales is the second book to hold stories about Homer Price and friends. The first four stories are tales from Grandpa Hercules, an old man known for his tall tales. All of the stories, including the three not told by Hercules, are fun to read, even outloud! Giant ragweeds, 'Eversomuch More-So' (which makes everything better) and a song you just can't stop singing! Good, old fashion, drug free, rocket-ship free, non-violent FUN for most of the family.

"That character," said Freddy after a long silence, "could make some little squirrel very happy."

I loved the silly stories of Centerburg as a kid and hoped that my nine-year-old nephew would not find the material too dated to understand. No worries! He laughs out loud at the complicated adventures that ensnare Homer Price and his friends. I'm pleased that he's enjoying a book that enlarges his vocabulary and his ideas about life way back in the mid-twentieth century.

The Adventures of Homer Price in the quaint town of Centerburg are flat out hilarious. Homer's uncle Hercules quickly sets the tone of disbelief by spinning some yarns that have just enough "truth" to them to be plausible. This is a truly a story of the American Scene in a time when people entertained themselves by gabbing with one another and singing songs together instead of hiding in the basement watching videos. Good old timey values like hucksterism, lying, and cheating face the good natured community of Centerburg and sometimes turn it upside down. Strange things happen in Centerburg, and the curious Homer Price is going to get to the bottom of it. Robert McClosky is also one of our finest illustrators and his lively drawings add texture and background to the story. Highly Recommeded.

This is a great sequel to the original "Homer Price". Homer and his friends are off on more wacky adventures, each one funnier than the last. The final story, in which Homer and his fellow citizens are literally dancing all over town, is one of the most hilarious children's tales ever written. McCloskey had magic in his writing pen and his drawing pencil; it's hard to say which are better, the stories or the illustrations. Suffice to say that they all add up to a wonderful book for young folks. Highly recommended.

I don't care about your lousy internal mistakes, give me the ENTIRE book series of 'Crest of the stars'! I not seen a lick out of you since the last one! I love this work and I demand to buy the rest!!!

For years, I have loved the anime. I was hoping someone would translate the books, and was happy to stumble across them in a bookstore. The books are better than the anime, and fill in some great details that the anime left out. It was also nice to see the artist's Ahb language that he created for the books. Though it can take a little getting used to the new words for things, I thought it added a nice, original element to the books. (The anime only used the true Ahb language for a couple words/phrases.) If you love the anime, you should read these books!

A group of bored teenage girls, who all have problems they wish to run away from, enter the anonymous world of online RPGs only to find themselves in a more terrifying situation than their previous ones.
Although the ending was a little too...unpredictable for my taste, the story was engaging throughout and kept me squirming at the edge of my seat. The translations were pretty accurate as well and did a good job of maintaining the original author's voice. Overall, a thrilling, original, and startlingly realistic work.

Sawako, an overachieving junior high school student, is extremely lonely. Her mother is gone, her father distant, and her friends are non-existant. When she receives an email on her cell phone inviting her to be a part of an interactive story, she jumps at the chance to belong - even though the message came from someone she does not know.

Two other junior high girls receive similar emails on their phones: Mayumi, who lives in the shadow of her intelligent and athletic best friend, and Mai, who would rather go clubbing (for the music, not necessarily the scene) than deal with the high expectations of diplomat family.

They develop a story about a young girl, her tutor, her stalker, and a detective. Each girl writes for a certain character and posts their chapters at the website. The mysterious Yukari, the girl who started it all, writes the role of the stalker. As the story's suspense escalates, life begins to imitate art. Suddenly, Sawako goes missing in both stories, leaving the other girls to wonder what happened to her - and if it will happen to them next.

Chain Mail: Addicted to You by Hiroshi Ishizaki embraces the story-within-a-story format from the very beginning, and keeps raising the stakes until the vey end. Cell phones are ever-present, making this cautionary tale ultra-contemporary. While racing through the book to find out who done it, American readers will subconsciously learn about Japanese culture and schooling.

Chain Mail comes courtesy of Pop Fiction, a new teen fiction imprint from TokyoPop.

I have not read the book yet so I cannot honestly review it.
My rating is based on the Anime which is absolutely awesome.
It is clear though that neither the editorial review abowe nor the other reviews on this page refer to the novel "Crest of the Stars II"!

With stories of loves-lost and found, less-than-best friends and men doing what men do best you'll find enough spice and substance to make you laugh out loud and find hope in the challenges of life in the real world. Readers will agree with the authors: "Fifty never looked so good!"
Sharon Ervin has published a list of novels, articles and short stories as long as the ruggedly muscled arm of her cowboy hero in "Rose." Peggy Fielding, a well-known writing instructor in Oklahoma and popular speaker at national writers' conferences, shows her own quick wit in her novella "Giving up Panty Hose." Peggy's heroine shows her philandering husband Rhett the front door while a handyman comes in the back! Jackie King has published a number of short stories about women and women's problems. Her novella, "Flirting at Fifty," will find you wishing for a leak in your roof so you can practice your flirting skills with the handsome handyman. Paula Jean Watkins, Tulsa County Public Defender, has written a story titled "Second Best" which reminded me of the old saying: "with friends like that who needs enemies?" A book with just the right combination of romance, laughter and real-life adventure.

This book totally reinforces the idea that women over fifty are still vibrant, sexy and ready to embrace life and romance.

Peggy Fielding touches us with her feisty heroine whose fearless dive into a new life nets her romance and more in Giving Up Pantyhose.

Sharon Ervin gives us a poignant tale of a woman whose inevitable loss of her husband is complicated by the intrusion of a man determined to make her his. Rose is a wonderful story, guaranteed for laughter and tears.

Jackie King regales us with a fast paced story of an older woman learning to flirt for the first time in her life. A great story, Flirting at Fifty is guaranteed to entertain.

Paula Watkins takes us on a journey of courage and miracles in Second Best, a story that will move your heart. Proving that true love overcomes all obstacles--even death.

Definitely a keeper! It's on my crème de la crème shelf.

The "middle aged plus" characters in Chik Lit for Foxy Hens are alive with humor, wit and -- yes -- desire!
What fun for those of us who no longer make the bag boys ogle. The Foxy Hens prove there's more to a vibrant woman than meets the eye, and shows the lonely hearts among us there are some pretty sexy "over the hill" guys out there too. A fun read.

Wow! What a gift! Not only four wonderful stories, but a great all-purpose gift for boomer men to give boomer women (and others). All four authors write from the heart with verve and good humor. Each story reminds us of imporant lessons (even those of us who don't have pantyhose to give up). It's good reading. Give it a try.

When passion grips you, you can be wracked with guilt. Lonely bodies can betray a faithful heart. Sometimes they can burn us alive. I have to tell you, after I finished reading Sharon Ervin's story; I had to take a cold shower. Peggy Fielding wrote about Rhett Prideaux, the philandering husband of our heroine, Lori. How dare he cheat on our sweet Lori? But revenge is sweet, and handsome. In walks the handy man from Heaven and I fell for him, just like Lori did. Oh, who needed crusty ol' Rhett when she could have tall, wide-shouldered, look good enough to eat Joe Casey? Jackie King wrote about Katy Cole, who fell in love with Garry Ray and what she believed to be a forever marriage. But her lousy, no-good, bum of a cheating husband took her along the first two times he had a date with his girlfriend. Revenge came in the form of tall, muscular, looked great in stone-washed jeans, Luke Wallace, a structural engineer I wouldn't mind checking my foundation. Paula Watkins tells a well-written story about two women who are supposed to be friends, each sharing her own view of the relationship and how she truly feels about the other one. Bertha is a true friend that loves Pandie dearly. Pandie is the kind of "friend" you only wish on your worst enemy. This story has a bite to it. It gnashes its teeth, grabs you and won't release you until its chewed on your heart. Do yourself a favor; give yourself the gift of this book. No matter what age you are, you'll feel like a Foxy Hen, too!

"City Heat" is an eclectic mix of skilled prose, thought-provoking poetry, and wonderful illustrations. The collection is a masterpiece from one the South's best humorists and storytellers. Each piece is a gold nugget in its on right. This is a "must buy."

William Park has the talent, sense of humor and noogies to tie together some wonderful writing that constantly leaves you wondering what's fiction and what's real, with marvelous illustrations, poetry and memoirs. Sometimes subtle, sometimes outrageous, this book will take you on a fascinating journey through this guy's yearnings, fascinations and oddities.

"The Duck Hunter" and "Florida Bound" are beautifully written stories about the South. The accents and remarks of the men on the front porch of the hotel in "Florida Bound" are funny, yet ring true. The ending of that story is terrifying and yet almost poetic.

A good read. I especially liked "The Third Game." I don't play chess, but could easily follow what the author was saying about the game, and about the dangers of success. I liked the way the story dropped back into history for the key, then roared into the climax.

A lover of both variety AND substance, I frequently growl over ingredients missing in many popular literary genres. Short stories vary, scene to scene, but lack the novel's gravitas. Humor and art seem perpetually oil and H2O. Where are those sytheses of prose, poetry, reflections, evocative art that stir my heart? City Heat is surely one.
Following Norman Mailer and Truman Capote (inventors of the "factoid" and the "non-fiction novel" respectively), Will Park has crafted one swell "book-pie," tasty and relevant and personal and poignant. This savory dish melds all that stuff I love, tossed in with some art for relish, a taste of memoir (listen up, Oprah!), a dash of Everyman and several cups of imagination in a melange so rich and compelling as to solicit a swoon if inhaled too fast.
Yet the prospect of reading straight-through is inviting. Each selection is a wonder, reviving new interest while transporting the reader light-years from the previous selection (though City Heat is NOT a work of science fiction--or porn, either, despite the tittilating title).
I was thoroughly satisfied to have touched and been touched by the psyches of kids, warriors, concubines found unexpectedly in swamps, foxholes, asphalt jungles. Wow.