Authors Books

There is something truly remarkable about the Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches, aside from the intricate plot and meticulously built fantasy world. It's the characters. Vilmos, Seth, Adrina, Emel, Xith and the others seem very real. They have hopes and dreams, fears and aspirations, likes and dislikes. In this first installment of the series, the reader meets the heroes who will change their world as evil new and old threatens.

Politicall intrigues lay at the forefront of events, as Adrina must make marriage choices, Vilmos must decide whether to become a councilor like his father, and Seth must learn about the ways of a foreign culture. All three must come to grips with their futures and the heavy burdens they must bear.

The story is richly detailed in parts, laying down elements of magic and lore logically. Stanek weaves the world's history and the story together very well, allowing the reader to truly see his world.

Ultimately, this is a series worth reading, but it is important to begin with this first book in the series to understand the goings on.

Dean and I have read both series. I personally loved both The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches and In the Service of Dragons and thought both held my attention throughout. Usually in a book series, the books get kinda dull as you go on. But not this series. It just gets better and better as you go.

This well-written book is terrific reading for all ages. Cool monsters, strange goings on and bad guys abound. This is one of those series where you just gotta get them all. Good thing all four books are available.

Robert Stanek, in my opinion is one of the greatest writers of all time. I can't wait for the third series to come out. Dean and I will be the first in line!!! Once again... two thumbs up to Robert Stanek!!

This book is not good. At all. It has overwhelming positive reviews, but if you want to see what it's actually like, I suggest you click on the front cover and read the first few pages. That should be enough to permanently put you off reading the guy. This book suffers from poor prose, wooden characters, abominable pacing, and really just sucks.

Comparisons to Lewis, Dahl and other great writers are right on, Stanek's Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches books are some of the best I've read in a long time. Kids in my classroom have enjoyed these books for years and I always enjoy seeing when all the books are checked out of my class library. In this first book, Stanek introduces the characters and his amazing fantasy world. The reader gets a firm understanding of the characters motivations through their actions, words and thoughts. The mysteries and the glimpses of the villians and the evil spreading into the world help to pull the reader deeper and deeper into the story. A grand start to a fun, fast-paced series.

I discovered Robert Stanek's work about a year ago and have been happily reading ever since. Great writing like this speaks for itself! This is such a wonderful book and beautifully illustrated. The author has created a fantasy world with depth and made it real. This is a book that deserves to be read by readers the world over.

First: this should be required reading for every young person in America. McCammon paints a perfect picture of life in the deep south during the 60's. The principles young Corey learns are as true today as they were then. Second: This book represents real life. Sure Corey's lessons came from more dramatic circumstances, but who among us didn't learn the same life lessons in our own fashion. This is one of the finest stories of innocence lost through experience examples I can ever remember reading. Thank you Mr. McCammon! This book IS what a great book should be: a compelling story that encourages us, the reader, an opportunity to drift away to a magic place.

If I was given the choice to read one book before I died, this would be the book. A true classic and should be required reading in every English class across America.

I've always thought a good author creates pure magic with a great story. Robert McCammon does just that with Boy's Life. There's mystery, suspense, humor, horror, spooky things, and just about every sentence will command that you keep reading well past the time you usually go to bed. This author is very gifted and as this was my intro to him, I plan on reading everything else by McCammon I can lay my hands on. Ignore the 'poor man's Stephen King' tags that were placed on him and discover another author who will take you far into a magical realm when you start reading the first page. You won't regret it. Brilliant book!

For many years, when asked what my favorite book was when I was a boy, I have replied, "Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls". I still love that book very much. Boys Life has taken over the #1 spot. Though the intended audience is not the same, the sense of storytelling and flavor is similar. Boy's Life is a cross between the aforementioned book, Summer of the Monkeys (also by Rawls) and several other books that I have read that evoke an authentic voice and time that harkens to an easier and more "innocent" time. Boy's Life is so full of life, death and mystery that it made me stay up too late on too many a night. I was both relieved and saddened to finish it. I love a book that makes you sense for several days that something is missing. That you are forgetting something, have left something behind, only to be reminded that you have left a world apart from your own and yearn to return.
I want to know what Cory is doing now. I want to know what Cory did after this period of time in his life. I want to know if the triceratops, the Lady, Rocket and other characters lived on in some way, other than the fertile imagination of this and other readers. I will wonder for a long time about my friends in Boy's Life as I have often wondered how by good friends Little Ann and Old Dan are doing in Dog Heaven.
Now, I must say this to you, the reader of this review. IF you haven't read this book and it has been recommended to you, as it was for me, and you still haven't picked it up, PLEASE DO. You will not regret it. You will be captured the way I and the hundreds of reviewers before me were. IT SIMPLY IS A MASTERPIECE! Thank you Mr. McCammon for giving me so many hours of true pleasure!

Whenever I have occasion to recommend for another serious reader a good book, Boy's Life is the first title to spring from my lips, almost without my knowing I've said it. Even though there's a thirty-year gulf between protagonist Cory's childhood and my own, I recognize every word of it. I remember so well the apple-flavored days of summer, the adventures both real and imagined, the off-beat characters of small towns, and the one weird girl in class nobody liked. McCammon drops the word "magic" quite often throughout the novel, and if I had to use one word to describe the cause of my deep-rooted love for it, I would indeed call it, simply, magical.

Although this book was first published in 1991, I only recently purchased it and read it. I stayed all night and a good part of the early hours of the morning reading Paradise and it was a paradise reading..I did not feel the time as I kept turing page after page. This is a keeper.

I absolutely loved this book. This was the first Judith McNaught book I have read but it certainly won't be the last. You just fall in love with Matt and Meredith from the beginning. This book made me laugh out loud and as another review mentioned...have your kleenex box handy as well. I couldn't put it down and my family barely saw me for the two days it took me to read it. I would recommend this romance novel to anyone with no hesitation!

Fabulicious! Romantic and funny and a little sad in between. Still don't quite buy Meredith's mother, but we'll let that slide because the rest of the book was such a treat.

You will love this book. It is such an enjoyable read - as are all of McNaughts other reads.

I am looking forward to my re-read already!

Paradise is one of my favorite books of all time - right up there with Gone with the Wind. The "leading man," Matt Farrell, is one of those characters that readers will "fall in love with." He is strong and successful, but his character has depth that makes you feel as if he is a real thinking and feeling man. He isn't perfect, but that's okay because perfect would be boring. The "leading lady," Meredith Bancroft is a great character too. I've had such luck with Judith McNaught books. I've searched and searched for another romance author I consider as good as Ms. McNaught and I am still unable to find one. Other Judith McNaught books I would strongly recommend are Whitney, My Love; Kingdom of Dreams; Almost Heaven; Something Wonderful; Tender Triumph; Perfect; and Every Breath You Take.

I've studied other books on Tantra and this one just doesn't compare. I'm into seduction and attraction, tantra just fits in there perfectly but this book was a waste of money.

Let me say that this book is a must have. I was able to reinforce information I already knew and learned things that I've never considered. In the end, they will be very, very, very happy and trust me, they will yearn for more.

Sex and the perfect lover, it is a fabulous book to read. This book does have delightful tips, and very well done Kama Sutra's illustrations.
The author relates her experiences of the Kama Sutra positions, Prolonged mental and bodily ecstasy easily kindled by lengthy stimulus on the sex organs.

I tried the techniques described in this book and ended up having the best sex of my life with my wife.

This book is for the sexually adventurous, lovers, couples and spiritual people who are willing to try all kinds of new things to improve their sex lives as well as their lives as a whole. This is a book about eroticism and how to become a perfect lover on the purest level.
I think a romantic vacation getaway should be planned and this book will be coming along; a second honeymoon to help us reconnect with my wife.

Okay, I'm being harsh, but as a caveat, let me say that I am open to new ideas, especially in the bedroom...but...
Puh-leeze! I mean, I was laughing out loud at the ridiculosity of this book. The idea that a woman will be over the moon with a simple switch to some of these lame positions is just plain idiotic. Or, putting a red light bulb in a room - ooooohh, baby bring me back to those teenage years! These sort of recommendations would be fine if there were more content to back it up. However, the most I got from this book was the theme - get into the bedroom, take your time, appreciate your lover. If you need a book to tell you things like 'light a candle to set the mood', then this one's for you.

I gained absolutely NOTHING from this book.
::blows raspberries::

Mr. Poynter's Publishing Manual is a must read for anyone interested in self publishing. He guides you through the entire process and no detail is left out. After reading this book you will be a publishing pro! This book will help you to maneuver through the publishing business with ease. Do not hesitate to buy this book. It's full of information that you will be able to refer back to time and time again. It's very solid and easy to read. The concepts are real and practical. It's the best self publishing book on the market.

I expected some key steps for the auther, especially a new author, to follow, once he/she has chosen to self publish. Instead this book is a manual on "publishing": the pre-print and print cycles of the standard print production cycle. As a practioner of advertising and promotion for over 40 years, I probably published thousands of publications: annual reports; data sheets; brochures. The process I knew; the insights as it related to the world of publishing fiction I did not.

If you are ignorant of the steps in the publishing process (novel, neighborhood flyer, brochure) and really want to know, this book can give you an idea of how it is done. It's an easy read for the layman, clear, and straightforward.

If you are like me, then self-publishing is an exciting opportunity. This book will give you a good overview in how the game of self-publishing is played. Without this knowledge, you are like the "Mark" who sits down at the Texas Hold 'Em table with no real clue. You can get taken to the cleaners very quickly.

Poynter covers everything from how to organize and write your manuscript, to editing, typesetting, printing, publishing, distributing and promoting.

My one criticism of the book is that it is still steeped in the traditional self-publishing model. There are many new opportunities occurring to get in print and leverage the power of the Internet to simplify distribution, reduce costs, and target your marketplace.

Highly Recommended!

Cheers!

This book is called a "manual" for self-publishing.

It isn't.

Lots of pages, but it never tells you how to take your manuscript and publish it yourself, from start to finish.

I started with this book, because of its title, its hype, and the reviews. But the books that actually HELPED me figure out HOW to self publish, were ones that I had to find elsewhere. The few actually useful books on this subject are not as slick and glossy or well promoted as Poynter's, but they have real step-by-step INFORMATION that will help you on your way.

I'd "pass" on this one.

I was one of the featured authors in Blog Talk Radio's Black Author Network. Although a great experience, I kept hearing literary consultants, publishers, and even some authors and the host talk about print-on-demand books not being "real self-publishing." Because both of my books are PODs and so far, I've been having a really good turnout, I started to wonder if some of the speakers on this radio show had such strong opinions on PODs, how do the publishers, libraries, and bookstores feel. Originally, I got a copy of this book to write an article to evaluate and clarify the myths about PODs, vanity press companies, and new publishing companies/authors. I took various notes to correct the myths that PODs like LuLu actually DO let you purchase your own ISBN, books CAN be bought through Ingram, and so forth, but the more I read this book, the less interested I was in defending LuLu, especially when LuLu Press's Public Relations team never bothered to respond to my Q&A trying to let them get their opinions out.

I kept on reading this book and learned so much more than I expected. Ella D. Curry of Sankofa Literary Society has repeatedly recommended this book on her show and makes it mandatory for start-up authors to get it because of the extensive information that Poynter brings to the table. I couldn't be more thrilled that I picked it up. When Poynter commented on PODs being the worst choice to use if a book is selling less than 40 copies, I put on my armor ready to do digital battle, but he explains his argument so well that you can't help but agree. In future, I will be going about self-publishing the traditional way. Regardless of having pretty good success with LuLu and not spending a gazillion dollars on books the way so many LuLu authors that I'm friends/associates/or have met, I still believe that I could do a better job by knowing what PODs do. This is partially the reason why PODs make so much money. The author avoids doing what PODs know how to do, but with books like these, there's really no good reason not to learn.

This is the story about Zhadist and Bella.Zhadist is the most tortured of the Brothers.Kidnaped when he was an infant,sold as a slave,"promoted" as a blood slave had to go through all kind of sexual and feeding tortures before he was saved by his twin brother Phury.
The guy was totally a pain in the a...s and with a good reason!He is like a woonted animal and also reacts in the same way.It is the first time that i have red about a male that has all the reaction of a woman being savagely assaulted,physically and mendally.
And then comes Bella.A well - bred vampire woman,that she is surounded by a loving family.She is an outcast of the Glymera (term for the aristocratic vampire sociaty)but she doesn;t seem to care a lot.
Their first interaction is in Lover Revealed.The book ends with Bellas abduction by the lessers.
And in this one is starting from that point.And then the story takes off.
I mean it.You see how he cares about her and starts to love her.The thing is that he feels unpure for her,damaged goods.
He can't understund how a woman whould be attracted to him,especially this woman.
It is fantastic!!!And Bella 2!She tries and tries all the time,to make him understund that it's not his fault that this things happened to him.

It is a fabulous romantic novel,full of action and hot scenes.In my opinion?The best up until now(and i already have red the 5 of them)

Excellent vampire series, especially if you're into Vampire Erotica, sounds a little Harlequine Romancy but this line of books has a very strong continuous story with a wonderful devotion amongst it characters and their mates. I found myself getting emotionally attached to each brother and their different personality traits. I can't wait for the next chapter to come out!

It is hard for me to write this review. I was so overwhelmed by this book and the hard journey that both Zsadist and Phury have to make in it. Zsadist begins the series as the least sympathetic of all the Brotherhood, but no one who loves this series can read this book and not FEEL something powerful for a male who faces his own demons and is able to go on bended knee to the woman he loves. I think we could all do with the strong, silent type of wounded, scarred male that Zsadist is shown to be. As always the dialouge is wonderful and the byplay between all the charaters is great. I love them all but this is hands down my favorite so far.

I wasn't really looking forward to reading Zsadist's story because he was such a hard character to like, but wow! This book blew me away. I've read it twice already and it was even better the second time.

The only negative thing I have to say about the BDB series is that it makes all others pale in comparison and finding other paranormal romances as good as these has proved impossible. Can't wait for the next in the series.

Ok, I have to say EXCELLENT BOOK!! Excellently written, definatley recommended!! BUT YOU HAVE TO READ THE OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES IN THE CORRECT ORDER...way too much stuff happens, and the reader would be lost. I really never saw this one comming, Ward does a great job of revealing her characters and forshadowing future books. After this book, I can't wait to see what Ward has in store for me in the next book, prob start reading it tonite!! Happy Reading

Every year, I use this book to help teach fourth graders to write letters- they really get it from this book! It's funny and appealing. I highly recommend it!

These books are so cute. Brand new and received in less than a week.

I bought this book for my grandson, age 3 1/2, based on readers' recommendations. He loves books and enjoys even long books like "Mike Mulligan" and "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs". He has a great imagination. Books he likes, he "reads" repeatedly. This book got read once and then was ignored. No questions; no comments other than "Let's read a different book". Why would anyone write a book about issuing ultimatums or even use the word in a pre-school book? I think adults will find this more amusing than children.

My grandchildren (2 and 3) have shelves of books, but this book was an instant success with my granddaughter who will be 3 in April. I had to read it to her at least twice a day during my visit. She would repeat with me click, clack moo as I was reading. She did understand that there was no milk, no eggs because the cows and hens did not get electric blankets. She liked the big drawings.

Click, Clack, Moo, Cows That Type, written by Doreen Cronin and illustrated by Betsy Lewin, won the Caldecott Award in 2001. This story is about cows typing on a typewriter and driving Farmer Brown crazy! Farmer Brown has been hearing click clack moo, click clack moo,clickety clack moo! And he is wondering cows that type? Impossible! Then, he finds notes written from a typewriter asking Farmer Brown for things the animals on the farm want. The cows and the hens want electric blankets!When Farmer Brown tells them they aren't getting what they asked for, the animals decide to go on strike. Farmer Brown has to do something about this! Duck comes by with another note from the cows saying they will give up the typewriter for the blankets. He agrees to give them the blankets in return for the typewriter. Farmer Brown thought this was a great deal! He left the blankets by the barn door and he waited all night for duck, but no typewriter! The next morning, Farmer Brown got a typewriten note from Duck! It said, the pond is quite boring, we would like a divingboard! SPLASH! Do you think they got it?
This is a funny story for people of any age! Read it when you get the chance!

Stanek definitely has outdone himself in the second installment of his Quartet. Overall, The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches 2 was a great second installment to the set, staying true to the series and providing decent plot development. It did give more details into the storyline than The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches but it still kept the reader hooked! I loved all imagary and description. Dean and I could sit and read it for hours you should get the Audio books as well the narrator really helps you feels the emotion the author is trying to convey.

After reading this book and the first one, I was very amazed at Stanek's talent. This is one of the most amazing stories I've ever read. It opens to the reader a whole new and vibrant world. And to the earlier reviewer who said that Stanek is America's Tolkien, I say ok maybe but more like America's C.S. Lewis. I would recommend this to everyone who loves action, mystery and fantasy books.

I definitely see why Robert Stanek is considered to be America's Tolkien. He writes with the deft hand of Lewis, and the clear eye for detail and worldmaking of Tolkien. Indeed some of the things I love best about the books as an adult reader are the careful prose, the solid pacing, the fascinating world, and the interesting characters. This is plain and simple good-old fashioned story-telling at its best. The kids in my classroom would mostly likely have a different line of thought as what I hear most about are the characters and the intruiging goings on. In this second book, Robert takes us farther into the mysterious otherwordly realm of under earth and farther into goings on in the kingdoms of men. This is where all the plot points of the previous book come together and the reader learns more about the villians from the evil shapeshifting queen to the evil maniacle king to the mysterious force that has returned from the distant past. One thing Robert knows for certain is plotting and pacing, and this ensures the story is a fast-paced rollercoaster ride all the way to the end.

One of the best things about the Ruin Mist series is that they keep gettin better and better, leading to some astounding conclusions (Kingdom's IV and Dragons IV).
The continuation of the previous book, this epic tale combines great characters, intruiging plot, and lush details and narrations- perfect ingredients for a great book. And a great book it is. Be sure to read all four of the kingdom's books, and the sequel series In the Service of Dragons.

Everything about the first book that made my son and I love it so much returns in this sequel.
The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous, and help to craft a definite image of the world unfolding to your eyes through the lushly detailed text.
My absoulte favorite part of this book, the thing that matters most to me, are the characters. The cast of characters in Robert's writing are always amazing, and they grow even more in this book.
The plot is epic and entertaining, but doesnt try to be more deep than it is, and makes for great reading.
Both my son and I blazed through it, eagerly anticipating the next adventure awaiting us.
For a great fantasy series you can't do better than the Ruin Mist books by Robert Stanek.

This book is amazing. It gives a really good explanation of the crisis in Africa. I love this book and highly recommend it!!!

I couldn't finish Eggers's other big book ("A Heartbreaking Work..."), but a colleague recommended this novel, so I decided to take a chance on it and was glad I did. The remarkable and true (though novelized) odyssey of Valentino Deng, one of the generation of Sudanese "Lost Boys," makes for compelling reading as we cross Sudan with Deng and his peers through hazard after hazard (thirst, starvation, animal attacks, gunship attacks). I like that kind of book where a lion eats some of the characters and a crocodile eats some others. (I won't tell you which.) I'd probably give it five stars except that the last third, where the survival stakes are not as high, loses steam. Still, this book prevails as an inspiring survival story.

I really enjoyed the way that Eggers is able to contrast the kinds of difficulties that exist across very different cultural experiences. It seems very illogical that the young men who had survived through the kinds of death and destruction that reigned in their homeland could come to a place like the United States and face challenges that often end in similar tragedy, that difficult obstacles exist no matter what the environment and wrong choices can end in disaster whether in a refugee camp or in an Atlanta apartment. How can you survive famine, lions, the SPLA the thugs of Khartoum only to fall victim of random crime in a so-called civilized, Western country? But when it happens it is only the beginning. The story is very much Homer's Oddysey without a home to come back to and with only an outside chance of creating one in a new place. Heartbreaking yet hopeful.

The book is a captivating story of one lost boy's journey. It is at times funny, sad, heartwarming. The reader adds a dimension of accessibility and warmth that makes the whole experience wonderful. I highly recommend it.

This book opened an entire world unknown to me, I absolutely adored this book for the gift of knowledge it gave me. After reading this I went directly to the National Geographic website and ate up anything and everything I could on Sudan, I then went to Valentino's website and donated what I could for the schools he is building. Never has a book moved me so much. This pairing of minds could not be a better match, I am elated these two men were brought together to tell such an important story.

I absolutely did not enjoy this book. I found myself skimming through it about a third of the way. It wasn't keeping my attention and there was way too much going on and I found it tedious to be expected to follow it all.

There was so much that I loved about this book! I loved author's writing style. I loved the chemistry between Sam and Ashela, between Ashela and her best friend, Kyliah and how so much detail went into telling what made the characters turn out the way they were. Although it took much too long for Sam to be introduced into the story, I still thought it was worth the wait. The love scenes were explicit yet tasteful, you certainly felt as if you're right there in the midst of the passion! Also, as long as this book was, when I finished it I kept wanting to read more. I was left with so many questions that I wonder if the author intends to write a sequel.

A Twist of Fate is definitely not a Christian lit book, so don't be tricked or fooled. It's a passionate, graphic and sometimes brutally honest look at the twists that peoples lives can take. If you're searching for a steamy romance with a thick plot, this is it!

Someone in my bookclub said this was going to be made into a movie. If so, Denzel would make the perfect Sam Ross!

I have ordered Preconceived Notions and I can't wait to read it.

This book is a spectacular event. This one of the best books I have read in a long while. Ms. Williams has manged to inspire dreamers to dream. I enjoyed this book completely from beginning to end. There is an Ashela in us all. Sam Ross is the true definition of a Strong Black Man. Ms. William's book gives us back the reality that it possible to be happy and successful.
Ms. Williams is truly one of the greatest writers of our time.

I think that Robin Williams has a way with words. Twist of Fate is an outstanding read, one you can't put down. A I was ready this book I felt like I was actually looking at it on the big screen. That's just how real Robin made her charactors.

Way to go Robin, keep up the excellent work!

This is a very detailed book that is really a coming-of-age tale of Ashela Jordan. It follows her from her childhood through challenging years as an adolescent and young adult into her life as a celebrated musician.

The author writes well and pays great attention to detail. However, there was just too much detail in parts for me and that resulted in the story seeming too long and drawn out. The book started with a very brief introduction to Ashela's love interest Sam before going back to tell her story from the very beginning of her childhood. Although the book visits Sam's rise from child to music executive, its almost 160 pages into the book before Ashela and Sam's stories intersect. Once they unite as adults the story picks up and moves along at a more satisfying pace.

An interesting, but often distracting, literary tool used by the author was the inclusion of many prominent celebrities in the storyline.

I certainly give much credit to author Robyn Williams for her attention to detail and a realistic portrayal of the music business, even though I wished for the plot to move along much more rapidly.