V Books

OK, for all of you who have literally tried everything within your reach and have failed or it was too drastic/hard you NEED to try this.
TRUST me when i tell you it will change your life for the better its fun! and simple yet cuts down to the point and you can still eat the things you grew up on and love!

i lost 65 pounds of PURE fat simply within a few months when i bought this book i didnt weigh myself every week but i knew i was losing because my pants were always looser on me then the previous week.

ive tried every diet out there (or at least it seems like it) and im only 18 and cursed with obesity in my family and a slow metabolism. Dont think i lost all that weight cause im young! my mother tried it with me and she lost 35 pounds! easier than she ever has and best of all kept it off! for about 2 years now EFFORTLESSLY!



good luck to everyone whos smart enough to buy it!!!
its a true GODSEND!

so honestly do yourself the biggest favor you can and buy this book..i promise it will help and it'll make it easy along the way =]

I've been on Atkins, Weight Watchers, low-fat, no fat, no fun, and all of them brought too much restriction to the table. Change One uses common sense and doesn't restrict anything except the size of your portions, which are usually much larger than they need to be anyway. I've lost weight slowly and sensibly on this diet without suffering or feeling restricted. One note: The hardcover has actual-size graphics of the recommended portions (baseball, tennis ball, golf ball, two CDs, etc.). The soft cover does not. I found these graphics to be much more helpful than trying to imagine what two golfball-sized portions of rice should look like. If you can, get the hardcover. If not, get a golf ball...

I have been on many diets, from weight watchers to all protein, and this is the best one I have ever tried. You are never hungry and there are so many different choices. The best thing is you only change one thing, once a week. There's no way that you won't lose weight and inches on this one.

I just found this book and am so glad it's been written. I've been thinking that if I could just make one simple change in my diet, I'd have a better chance at sticking to it. Rather than memorizing meal plans or calories or blocks or anything else, Change One breaks it down into simple steps -- simple changes you can make each week.

By giving up my coffee habit I realized having that wired up feeling all day clouded my concentration. Did you know one cup of joe raises your blood pressure by 14%! Fortunately for me I was able to find a wonderful tasting replacement made from soyabeans. You brew like coffee and it even helps lower my cholesterol. I found it online at www.S o y c o f f e e.c o m. Gaining this understanding will effect every move you make from this point on and will bring with it the necessity to share it.

These are changes I can handle. And these changes are what will help me make permanent changes to my eating habits.

I have been dieting forever and have read many diet books but what I like about this one is that. 1. It's a slow process that you gradually work in to. It begins with breakfast for one week, then lunch for one week, etc. Sometimes changing your eating habits all at once is a bit overwhelming. This book gives a gradual change. The weight lose might be slowever but if you stick with it and do as the book says, one week at a time, it will reprogram your eating and hopefully give you a new way of eating for life.

Lets face it, it's hard to break old habits. This book allows you to do it one step at a time, not just cold turkey.

I'd never read any of Bobbie Ann Mason's work before reading Clear Springs for a book club. I believe I may be missing out if her other books are like this one. There is a warmth to her story that makes it a real pleasure to read. Mason's language, too, is comfortable and highly readable. Her rhythms, especially, give a real richness to her prose. I highly recommend this.

Indispensible to serious readers of Mason's fiction, this memoir is true to family and community life in Western Kentucky (despite what other reviewers might say).

Bobbie Ann Mason has done a wonderful job with "Clear Springs". I did not grow up in Kentucky in the baby boom generation, but I did grow up in rural southern Missouri just after it, and this story is so very like what I was familiar with. Ms. Mason is of my mother's generation and except for the disfunction there are many similarities between this story and stories my mother has told. My family reminded me of the older Masons and not the disfunctional Lees. The isolation of rural life, but the joy in many ways that come from it. The curiosity of the outside world, but the fear of it. She relates that Clear Springs hadn't changed much since the Civil War and she was correct in that. The world that slowly evolved for most Americans changed before this rural generation's eyes. A Great book!

I'm an appreciative fan of Bobbie Ann Mason's short stories, about rural people raised with traditional values now somewhat at sea in a world of consumerism, pop culture, and a new morality. Young adults, whose parents would have stuck with a marriage come hell or high water, now divorce and drift through relationships. Their parents tied to the land and other life-long occupations, Mason's post-war generation is less rooted, freed of conventional beliefs, but often at a loss about what to believe in. Most striking as America grows increasingly urban, Mason's people continue to inhabit a rural landscape -- more worldly than their forebears, but not more sophisticated.

While some readers of Mason's stories and novels may have been puzzled by the point of view in them (ironic? matter of fact? sentimental?), this wonderful memoir should do much to clear up that ambiguity. Here a reader is introduced to the world of day-to-day experience that these narratives have emerged from. And you can begin to see how the matter of fact, ironic, and sentimental blend into a perspective that is distinctly rural American. The strongest individual (who is surely the source of many of Mason's fictional characters) is without doubt her mother, a remarkable woman with a quizzical sense of humor, a colorful manner of speaking, and a long view that comes of witnessing much of the 20th century at first hand.

A list of highlights in this book would go on for pages; there's just so much to savor and enjoy. There's Mason's own unsophisticated childhood (barefoot summers, crushes on pop stars, rock and roll fandom), the making of the film "In Country," and the continuing transformation of the rural Kentucky environment from horse-and-buggy days to the invasion of agribusiness -- a huge processing plant has sprung up across the road from the family farm.

I recommend this book to anyone who has enjoyed Mason's fiction. It is rich with thoughtful and well-observed detail reaching back across three generations of family history.

When writing a memoir, authors are advised to write the first draft as if everyone is dead - and then to prune the damaging parts in subsequent rewrites. Perhaps Mason pruned a bit too much. This otherwise lovely and affectionate memoir of how it was to grow up in a small, working-class town in Kentucky in the 40s and 50s is a bit long on respect and caution - and a bit short on grit.
Otherwise, I loved it. I grew up in Kansas in the 50s and can relate to the pace, small-town values, and lack of danger (except from the "evil Communists" and "the bomb") that Mason portrays as such inherent parts of her roots. Her language, esp in the first part of the book focusing on her own childhood memories, is rich and multi-layered and pulls readers into every scene right along with her. In the rest of the book, she uses the techniques of creative nonfiction to weave a background narrative that spans the lives of three generations of women within the community.
A worthwhile read; it won't change your life, but it might make you think, and it's certainly a pleasant trip to take with this accomplished author.

The language of "Come on Rain" is as colorful and vibrant as the beautiful artwork. Karen Hesse uses just about every literary device in this book which makes it a wonderfully interesting teaching tool. At the same time, it is a melodic read-aloud, first creating a true sense of heat, and following with the refreshment of impending rain. When the Mamas join in, my eyes still well up (even after 30+ reads). Although Mr. Muth received a well-deserved award for his illustrations, Ms. Hesse deserves a literary award for her eloquent and evocative writing.

Karen Hesse captures a beautiful moment in this book. She expertly creates a scorching, wilting summer day with vivid images. My mouth was parched just reading it, and then the rain came. You'll love the images created here of the "bare-legged mamas" and girls, both from Hesse's beautiful writing and Muth's spectacular watercolor illustrations.

I found the book "Come On, Rain!" at our local library and immediately picked it up. The first thing you will notice about this beautiful book are the gorgeous ilustrations! The pictures in this book are lovely and the prose is so happy and full of the anticipation everyone feels on a hot summer day while waiting for a cooling rain. You and you children will love this book!

"Come on, rain!" are the fervent words of Tess, as she looks toward the sky with a great deal of anticipation and hope. It has not rained in 3 weeks. Therefore, everyone in Tess's neighborhood and city was hoping for rain to bring relief from the scorching heat. Well, the best part of this story is that it seems her fervent words finally reached the clouds; for "over rooftops, past chimneys, into the way off distance . . . clouds came rolling in." As soon as Tess realizes that her wish for rain was on the way, she quickly gathers her close friends together (and their mothers too) to run, dance and play in the wonderful rain showers that fall upon the city.

The watercolor illustrations of Jon Muth do an excellent job of enhancing the movement of Ms. Hesse's story. The opening illustrations of bright yellow and gold give readers a sense of how hot and oppressive the heat was for Tess's neighborhood and city. Gradually as the rain clouds moves in, hues of soft grays, brown, and greens are used to depict the moments just before rain falls from the sky. By the time rain actually comes, the illustrations are filled with splashes of pink, violet and blues, which represent the renewal of spirit and feelings of relief for all in the city. You know, this is more than just another weather story! It is a story that shows how rain, a powerful element of nature, has the ability to invigorate all of life!

This lyrical ode to the coming rain, accompanied by the soothing wash of lush watercolors, make Hesse's Come on, Rain! sure to please young children. In prose that reads like poetry, young Tessie bemoans the heat of summer while waiting with confidence that rain will soon come. Along with her multicultural friends and all their mammas, Tessie dances in gratitude for the refreshing wetness the rain bestows. While the lyrical prose is of such beautiful quality it could stand on its own, the soft watercolor illustrations portray the emotions of the characters in such lovely detail; the two, the prose and illustrations, combine to create a delightful work of art. Even with the vertical lines of rain which one would expect to stop the motion of the story, Muth manages to create a sense of flowing from left to right, page to page, in keeping with the cadence of the text by using achromatic colors for the backgrounds of most pages. Recommended for children ages 4-8. Public librarians may want to share this title in a storytime about rain, along with Bill Martin's Listen to the Rain.

A must book for anyone who wants to understand why so many black boys and men seem to be targeted by the society for failure, criminality, jail, etc. I highly recommend it and the rest of rhe volumes in this series.

As an educator who strives to find direction on how to break the negative experience in pre K-12 education for a high number of Black male youth, I find this book, along with the other two in the series, to be informative and innovative when it comes to establishing a marker for administrators to use in order to monitor the teacher-student relationship and provide the positive environment that is necessary for all students, especially the Black male youth, to succeed.

This book is a must read for parents of African American boys and boys of color.

Reading this book revealed unfortunate truths that were not surprising to me at all. Serving as a public educator for over twelve years, it's sad but true as to why young black males at a very young age lose the desire, hope,and will to do better in school settings due to the facts listed in this book and many more since this book was written. I was overjoyed to see that Marcus Garvey Academy, a school that I taught at for eight years under the sincere leadership of Dr. Harvey Hambrick was mentioned. I was honored to read that Dr. Kunjufu took notice to how Marcus Garvey Academy in Detroit, Michigan and other schools assume pivotal roles in contributing to the solution to this horrible epidemic impededed on the futures and lives of young African American Males. Dr Jawanza Kunjufu did a great job at presenting multiple truths and the sad reality of how young black males are unfortunately targeted from the start.
Adra Young
Author of: The Everyday Living of Children & Teens Monologues

This an Dr. Kunjufu's many other books are exceptional in the fact that he details the facts straight to the point. I enjoy his methods of writing without pullng any punches. I wish that I had read this before my son started grade school, but now he is in the 4th grade and he went from being placed in special education, to a 4.0 dean's list GPA. God bless the power of prayer and guidance. Anyone can change their situation. I also just finsihed my Associate in Business, and I am in my Bachelor's Degree program right now for Marketing. Of course I will go on to the Masters programs and Doctorates. Learn for life...

"Please share a priceless thought through literature" "Give God the glory"

Thank You Dr. Kunjufu

Probably one of the most realistic alien invasion books ever and I'll be looking for the next in the series, if any. The aliens are TRULY ALIEN and therefore more scarey. The invasion is told in retrospect, but reads like what would really happen--a few cities wiped off the map, but most retained for "use."

Based on my reading of other books by these authors, the guts of COURSE appear to be by Wentworth. The thoroughly delicious inner monologues of the Jao and the descriptive passages of their physique are in that same supple style as seen in STARS ON STARS.

But the first chapter seems to lack pizzaz and most importantly, it lacks a hook to impell the reader foward to the next chapters. Still, once you get past that, you're in for a ride. So strap yourself in tight. Enjoy.

Excellent attempt at reconciling disjoint culture and thought processes. The main antagonist was displayed early with a bit too much emotional anthropomorphism. As the story evolves, other aliens follow suit. Has some valid earth historical contrast and comparison.

Could have been an earth based war story. Read for fun!

I won't go into details of the plot, since others have done that. Suffice it to say that this story seems so real you could almost believe it really happened in an alternate universe. I'm not one of those New Age groupies that feel all ETs are our space brothers, so I found the idea that our world was invaded by force quite believable. As was the fact that the aliens had different factions that fought amongst themselves. Why should ET be any different than humans?

For a very realistic take on an extraterrestrial intervention check out the Allies of Humanity.

I'm constantly on the prowl for sci-fi portraying convincing scenarios of human/alien contact. "Empire" is one of the best of such. The Jao are a fascinating species who come alive because of the level of imagined detail the authors have devoted to them, and because there is potential for "association" between them and humans. With the other aliens, the Ekhat, no bridge of understanding is possible, and these weirdly "musical" monsters provide a common enemy for humans and their Jao conquerers to unite against. But the question is whether the threat of annihilation will be enough to overcome the rivalries in the complex Jao organizational system and the bitter determination of earth's indigenous peoples to resist their fierce occupiers from the stars....

"Empire" does take its time establishing the main characters and the situation in which they all find themselves. But the investment in that steady build-up rewards the patient reader as the action revs up to a blazing fire fight in the sun. Don't stop there though. Then comes the Jao Naukra (enquiry/trial/calling-to-account) where consequences including death are risked by the leaders who exceeded the usual boundaries of authority. The forwarding of a "third way" at those proceedings reminds the reader that thinking outside the box may solve seemingly insoluble political/social/species conflicts. And although a courageous young Jao male and human female spearhead the push for groundbreaking changes, "Empire" does not forget that great revisions are often planned for by "elders," sometimes very Machiavellian ones.

This novel meets the very highest sci-fi standards. A sequel of some type would be wonderful -- perhaps set forty or fifty years in the future, permitting Aille and Caitlin to mature in wisdom and power in the reality they help create and their offspring to be the radical thinkers and doers....just a suggestion.

This one was intriguing, exciting, maddening and fun right from the beginning. It was also hard to put down.

The venue is Earth, at about our present level of technology. The time is about 20 years after an alien invasion. Humanity was conquered by the alien Jao and now lives a precarious existence. The existence is precarious because humans don't really understand their conqueror and the conquerors don't really understand humans. Any infraction is punished mercilessly but there is no rancor in the punishment. There is no rancor except from the alien who commands earth. He hates humanity. That makes the situation tense.

There is a reason for the conquest beyond mere imperial desires. The Jao are at war with the Ekhat. So is everyone else in the galaxy who is not Ekhat. This is for the simple reason that the Ekhat regard all other life as an abomination and wish to cleanse it from the universe. This is not a healthy situation for anyone who is not Ekhat. Unfortunately, humanity does not understand the extent of the problem and many of them do not even believe in the existence of the Ekhat. Many regard them as some sort of Bogeyman used by the conqueror to keep the subject races in line.

The Jao themselves are not completely unified. They are organized into great clans and political alliances and often let those ties overshadow the common good. So it is that the ruler of earth is of one clan and the Jao sent to serve as one of his top deputies is of the clan most at odds with his. This leads to even more clashes of will and ultimate goals.

Although this book deals with conflicts on many levels, it is mostly about indirect manipulations. Human factions try to manipulate each other to their desired goals. Jao factions do the same thing. Humanity tries to manipulate the Jao and the reverse is also true. When larger, even great schemes are laid on top of this cauldron of scheming, things get really complex. It is said that Byzantine court intrigues maid Prince Machiavelli look like an amateur. The machinations in this book put the Byzantines into the same category. It is all wonderfully intriguing.

This different view of the Vietnam War is filled with adventure, the danger, and the hardwork on the part of a young soldier and a German Shepard. The author's method of telling the story from two points of view adds to the knowledge of the war experience. What a surprise to learn that the dogs were not brought home again after their time in Vietnam! Luckily Cracker's fate was positively different.

This is book for children. I should have known this because Kadohata has written several children's books (Newberry Award on some of them) and the story line is appropriate for children, not deep enough for adults. The happy ending, although I'm not sure it could have happened that way considering the rules that the military enforced at that time (Vietnam War), could only be appropriate for children.

The rules have changed since this book was written, though, and I wonder if the change of rules would have made for any kind of story compelling enough to write a book about.

For a kid that has dyslexia this was a wonderful buy. He is beginning to love to read again... And this book helped.

I got this book for my 11 year old after he requested it at a book fair where they wanted 5.40 more for it and was thrilled to find it less here. Although, when I got it I figured it was a kids book, I found that after picking it up out of curiousity I enjoyed it too. The switching between the soldier and the dog thoughts are very smooth and the portrayal of a soldier and his relationship with a K9 I felt was pretty much dead-on. I like that they portrayed an era of history with a story but still stuck to reality. Happy Reading!

Cracker is a terrific story about one of the unsung heroes of the Vietnam War, namely the K9's. It's great the way the author has written from both the soldier and the dog's point of view. It's also great to see that war dogs are finally getting some attention. This book also introduces the Vietnam War to a new generation of kids. The war and the dogs that saved so many lives should never be forgotten. Anyone interested in another war dog historical fiction--this time a World War II real war dog hero should try Chips a Hometown Hero. Chips: A Hometown Hero Both of these books are great for any dog lover's collection!

When The Twins get parts in a Lillian Keller movie,Jessica finds a Ruby Necklace,She puts it on and that night has a dream about falling.The movie is aboout Lillian Keller and her cousin Hilda.Hilda is accused of Mudering her cousin,but she is innocent.The Twins invite their cousin,Robin to come see the makings of the movie.Elizabeth has the dream of falling,so does Robin.Where is Stacey is,Why didn't Stacey come along on the trip? anyway this guy who was at the party killed Lillian.

Twins Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield are lucky enough to score parts as extras in a locally filmed movie,about a real life murder!!...At the same time,Elizabeth discovers an old ruby necklace,having belonged to the murdered girl.she starts to have strange dreams in which the murder is played out,and as they unravel the mystery,their own lives are placed in danger,because the murderer is close.Very close...

The curse of the ruby neklace written by Francine Pascals is a great book to read. The book is about two teenagers girls who have to solve a mystery of a murder that happen years ago in an abandon mansion.The whole story stars out when elizabeth and her twin sister jessica wakefield get parts as extras in amovie their going to film.The movie is about this two girls Lillian and hilda who were both causins.The part of the movie their trying to film is when lillian is having her birthday party and she gets killed by hilda her own cousin at least that what everybody believes.The plot of the story is when elizabeth and jessica find out who really did killed lillian and clears out hildas name.The roles of the charecters in this story makes the readers think they are for real which makes you get into the book even more. I like the book because it's pretty well explenatory. The author does a great job at making you understand whats going on with the lives of the charecters.One thing that I did not like about the book is the way it ended.I was hoping the ending was going to be a little bit more exiting and scary but it ended up being normal like any other book I read.Other then that I thought the book was very interesting.This book really got my attention because I love reading mystery and scary stories.I like the way the author puts words in your head that creates a picture of whats going on with the life of the characters and the story itself.The curse of the ruby neklace is a fabulous book to read I would recomended to everybody.

This book Is one of my favorie SVT chilers. It is about Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield who get parts in a movie about the mysterious death of Lillian Keller. Jessica picks up a ruby necklace from the beach nearby the mansion where Lillian fell to her death. She has awful nightmares about Lillian and her last few moments of life. She gets frieked out by the necklace, so she gives it to Elizabeth. She, also get these nightmares. Then the twins cousin, Robin waeres the necklace when sleeping and ALSO gets these horrors. The girls piece togeter 2 and 2 and visit the cousin of Lillian Keller who supposidly pushed Lilian over the cliff because she was mad at her for getting her dead mothers necklace. She tells them the true story and they set up the real killer to tape. To truely relive the facts I told you, read the book, I left out a little for your sake. :)
You should also read "The Carnival Ghost", also by Pascal. I hope you like them as much as I did.

The curse of the ruby neklace written by Francine Pascals is a great book to read. The book is about two teenagers girls who have to solve a mystery of a murder that happen years ago in an abandon mansion.The whole story stars out when elizabeth and her twin sister jessica wakefield get parts as extras in amovie their going to film.The movie is about this two girls Lillian and hilda who were both causins.The part of the movie their trying to film is when lillian is having her birthday party and she gets killed by hilda her own cousin at least that what everybody believes.The plot of the story is when elizabeth and jessica find out who really did killed lillian and clears out hildas name.The roles of the charecters in this story makes the readers think they are for real which makes you get into the book even more. I like the book because it's pretty well explenatory. The author does a great job at making you understand whats going on with the lives of the charecters.One thing that I did not like about the book is the way it ended.I was hoping the ending was going to be a little bit more exiting and scary but it ended up being normal like any other book I read.Other then that I thought the book was very interesting.This book really got my attention because I love reading mystery and scary stories.I like the way the author puts words in your head that creates a picture of whats going on with the life of the characters and the story itself.The curse of the ruby neklace is a fabulous book to read I would recomended to everybody.

Hart has crafted a great story here. The plot is tight, and of course the characters are believable. In this book Annie struggles to free her beloved Max as he's being framed for the murder of a beautiful young woman. She is dealing with a truly crafty and cold-blooded murderer, but she does not hesitate to put herself in harm's way if it will get her to the truth. Ms. Hart builds up the suspense throughout the book right up until the end when he is finally caught. It is easy to see why Caroline Hart has won so many awards. She is truly gifted. I really do enjoy this series.

This is Carolyn Hart's 17th mystery in the Death on Demand series alone. She can't turn them out fast enough for me. I loved it, all the way through.

I had only two problems with the book: (1)I really relate to Max Darling -- what loving husband wouldn't? -- and he is incapacitated and powerless virtually the entire book. (2)For more than a hundred pages I believed I knew the identity of the murderer; I was wrong.

What a fine read. And when is No. 18 coming out?

I feel this may be the death knell of my love for the Death on Demand series. The previous book was disappointing as well. The "Max-in-peril" plot has been used twice before. And in those cases, Annie did not react like she did in this one. She was too serious, intense, morose. Not that I can't sympathize, but I guess my point is, the whole book was too serious, dark, etc. I like the lighter, funnier books Carolyn Hart used to do. I want Laurel being zany; Emma being intimidating; Henny channeling fictional detectives. And where's Miss Dora? I love her! Hasn't been in a book in ages. Plus, there weren't enough suspects in this one. It was pretty easy to narrow down 'who-dun-it'. I still give 3 stars cause Carolyn Hart is great, but I hope she returns to form in the next books.

Dead Days of Summer
Carolyn Hart

If you like murder mysteries or the author Sue Grafton, you will love Carolyn Hart's Dead Days of Summer. The book is one is a long series called Death on Demand. I have no idea where this book fits into the whole picture, but I never once felt that I was left out of the loop because I had not read any of the others. The book does not have a strong Christian base, but it does speak of the Lord, church, belief, and faith. There is even a character who quotes scripture. As a Christian you would not feel weird, or wrong reading this book.

The story opens up on the slow side, and introduces you to a lot of characters right off the bat. This is definitely one that you have to pay attention to from page one or you could get lost in the mix of all the mayhem.

Annie Darling is the main character. The story revolves around her and her husband Max. Annie is the owner of a mystery book store called Death on Demand. Max is a private detective, but cannot call himself one because of the laws of the island that they live on. Broward Rock is the name of the island that they live on. It is one of the islands off of South Carolina.

Annie and Max had lunch together and are walking back to their offices, Annie insists that Max go to the office today and maybe someone will come in. Annie goes to her bookstore and immediately picks up where she left off on planning Max's surprise birthday party. Her mother-in-law Laurel is helping with the planning. It is almost close of business time when Max calls and says that he has a client and will be home later and call if it is going to be real late.

The client that hires Max is a beautiful woman who says that she is looking for her brother who disappeared the previous year. She shows Max pictures of him, and a note that states that he is seen most nights at a place called Dooley's Mine, which is a sleazy bar, that not many people would be caught dead at. They plan to meet there later that evening to scope the place out and see if he is there.

Max never calls and Annie freaks out. She goes to Max's place of business and finds and intruder. She then calls the police. Nothing is making sense, and just as a precaution a missing persons is released, just on a hunch because there is not enough evidence to go on. Annie calls all of their friends and they all start looking for Max. The friends that she calls are a mystery writer, and ex-military woman, an ex-editor, an ex-reporter, an actress, a newspaper man, and others.

The next morning they find a woman who has been murdered, and Max's car just outside the cabin that she has been murdered in. They don't find Max though. Annie knows from gut instinct that this is the person who hired Max. When they don't find Max, the search is on even harder. One of the friends Emma, who is the author, hires a great attorney for them, since it now looks like Max is wanted for murder.

Later on the same day that they find the dead woman, they find Max. He wakes up, confused, sick, and covered in blood. When the police find him they take him into custody for the murder of Vanessa Taylor, who is the woman that they found dead in the cabin. Max has never heard of Vanessa Taylor, and cannot remember anything that has happened. The police chief ends up having to put Max under arrest for the murder of the woman. While he is in the cell, Annie enters the jail and they talk. She vows to find who set him up, and get to the bottom of all of this mess.

Annie, her mother-in-law and her friends do just that. The majority of the book is them sleuthing around and getting information. They follow leads and end up unraveling the whole set up. Max is freed and life goes on as usual.

The book on the whole is good. It takes a long time for the story to develop and get into the action. If you are into meat and grit from page one this one will leave you wanting. If you have patience and don't mind a long build up and climax, then this is the book for you. Ms. Hart has wonderful characters and many of them. She also finds a way to keep them all tied to the story, even if it is just a sentence in the middle of the book. That is a definite gift, and I am glad that she does not leave the reader wondering what happened to so and so even if they were a minor character. Not a bad read at all, life as usual...until the next Death on Demand book.

Max Darling, a murderer? Annie Darling knows there isn't a chance Max is a murderer, but all of the evidence is stacked against him. After all, his car is found with the murder weapon inside and Max himself was covered in blood with no memory as to what had happened. Annie is willing to do whatever it takes to clear Max's name, even if it means putting herself in harm's way. Will Annie and her friends clear Max's name or will Max forever be branded as an adulterous murderer?

DEAD DAYS OF SUMMER is Carolyn Hart's 17th book in the series, but it is my first foray into her world. Needless to say, it will not be the last Carolyn Hart book I read! Ms. Hart draws even a new reader to the series into her vastly entertaining world, populated by the most colorful characters. Annie and Max have a variety of quirky friends and Ms. Hart makes the most of each individual's unique skills in this clever mystery. In fact, the characters are the true heart of this tale as the mystery itself is fairly easy to figure out. It is the characters who keep the reader turning the pages. After all, who knows what crazy plan this group will come up with next in their quest to clear Max's name?

Carolyn Hart does a beautiful job at establishing the community on Broward's Rock, South Carolina. Not only are the inhabitants vividly portrayed, but one gets a real sense of the layout of the island. Generally, the further a series progresses, the harder it is for new readers to jump in the midst of the storyline as the characters and settings are fairly well established. Instead, Carolyn Hart easily welcomes new readers into her Death on Demand series with DEAD DAYS OF SUMMER. Count me in as a new fan!

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

I bought this for my 4 yr old daughter last year for Christmas 2006. She was almost 4. She loved it and still goes back to it, to look at. It is a great book with wonderful illustrations and very good information. I highly recommend it for ages 2 up to about 9 or so.

Our grandson loved this video. Its a nice change from all the other stuff they watch on TV.

I like any kind of books or dvd's about dinosaurs. I find it to be very interesting about how they lived and finally died off.

An adequate generalized book for kids. Beautifullly illustrated. The categorization is interesting although completely unscientific...obviously that is intentional...it's a worthy addition to a child's library.

Perhaps I'm a little premature in writing this review as we just received the book yesterday, but both my 3 year old and 5 year old really seem to enjoy this book. My daughter who, I'm sorry to say, would generally rather watch TV chose to read this book instead. Only problem is my son wants me to read it at bedtime and he is used to finishing a book and there's a lot of print and info. But we'll take it in segments. I think this will be enjoyed for quite a while. A good purchase.

This book completes the series of Mandala coloring books by this author. Well worth the money spent.

I teach an alternative high school class and these designs have helped my students focus and relax at the same time. Anyone who works with troubled teens should have these at their disposal...one more item to add to your bad of tricks!

I think this will be fun to color with my granddaughter. We love to color things together, and we love designs. Thanks.

I enjoyed this book very much. I kept it on my coffee table and would color in it to relax. Now that each page is colored I have moved it to my bookshelf.

Out of the half dozen coloring books we bought last year this one was our favorite. Every design felt well thought out and was quite fun to color. My only complaint is that there weren't more pictures to color. This is well worth buying if you're looking for a challenge to your coloring skills.