Contemporary Books

I could not read these fast enough.
Makes you want to join their group whether you are a Christian or not!!

When I first started reading this book, I fanned the pages in front of me, not really wanting to read the last installment of the Yada Yada prayer group. I didn't want to see the series end. Like so many fans of this series, my prayer life changed right along with Jodi's.

I followed Jodi from book one when she wondered what if anything could she get from praying with women so different from herself to now wondering, in book seven, what would she do without them.

So often we get used to the spiritual crutches that prop us up in difficult times. We usually struggle when the time comes to let the crutches go and to fully rely on God. Jodi sees changes in the Yada Yada group and in her family life. Instead of resisting the change by holding on to her friends and family, Jodi learns to celebrate what God has done and is about to do in all their lives. Boy, Jodi has spiritually matured over the course of these books.

I thought this book nicely concluded the Yada Yada series. I sooo look forward to Yada Yada House, the new series. I understand that some of my old Yada Yada favorites will make appearances in the book. That's good, because I miss them already!

I'm not wishing my life away, but December can't arrive too soon!

This book is funny,soul searching and makes you want to read the whole
series. Start with the first book and you will easily identify with one
of the women. Jodie is mine. This series helps you to take a good hard
look at you and your life. GREAT READING !!!

I read this one even faster than the last 6. I was so sad to realize this series is over. Felt a little better to find out the author is coming out with another series that will include some of the original characters.
Great reading!!
Book was in wonderful condition and arrived very quickly!
Thanks
Connie in NC

This is a spiritually stimulating series full of warmth and wit and a delight to read. It captured my interest and my heart. Good job!! A series everyone should read - you will be a better person for it. Peggy Touchtone ShollyDown Home Delicious

Harry Mulisch is not well known in the United States -- and it's a shame. The Assault is an undiscovered masterpiece: a moral quandary is wrapped in a thriller and a deeply philosophical work; the result is stunning. The Assault is one of the best novels I've ever read; it ranks easily along works by Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Garcia Marquez, Lessing and even Tolstoy. I recommend this novel wholeheartedly. It will stay with the reader and reveal hidden layers of meaning over time.

----

I'm sorry to say I was not very taken with Mulisch's other major oeuvre, "The Discovery of Heaven." Unlike "The Assault" which is stunning in its minimalism, "Discovery" is excessively verbose and so pretentiously intellectual that it made me imagine Umberto Eco on speed.

I read this book for the first time many years ago, and I have re-read it a couple of times since then. I purchased another copy of it recently as a gift for an old friend from college. After my first reading of it, my conclusion was that it was probably the best novel I had ever read. This judgment was confirmed by a friend (a college librarian), who independently told me that she had the same opinion. I have recommended the book to many people since then. The novel tells the story of a teenager from the traumatic event that he undergoes in the last year of World War II in the Netherlands (1944-45) through several later stages in his life, and how he comes to terms with this event both psychologically and with regard to figuring out the details of what happened. The book has a beautifully crafted plot and is written in wonderful sparse prose. In the Netherlands, this novel was extremely popular and has probably become on the the most widely read novels ever.

A historical subject and a story which is full with hidden references and symbols. Mulish is always amazing and never boring. Makes excellent subject for a reading class.

I just wanted to comment on Peter Reeve's review. He says there is 'not much' of a Dutch literature.
Come on, Mr Reeve, the fact that the Assault is the only book to be found in American bookstores doesn't mean that the Dutch don't have a literature but rather that Americans can't read Dutch and that they think they don't need any more translated literature!
Mutatuli, Hella Haasse, Anna Enquist, Margriet de Moor, Frederik van Eeden, Louis Couperus, Joost van den Vondel, Godfried Bomans, F. Bordewijk, Gerrit Achterberg, Annie M.G. Schmidt, ...
These are but a few random stars of the Dutch literature. Saying there is no or almost no Dutch literature is the same thing as saying there is no American literature.

In a Haarlem street the Dutch Resistance kills an active collaborator. In retaliation the Germans have destroyed a house in that street in which live ten-year-oldAnton Steenwijk with his parents and elder brother. Anton survives, but his parents and brother are killed. As Anton grows up, he wants to suppress all memories of that time, and it is not a coincidence that he chooses to become an anaesthetist. But of course the trauma is buried within him, and affects his mental life in many ways, some that are inexplicable to him. But the members of the resistance who had carried out the assassination are haunted also, by their knowledge that their deed had led to uninvolved people being shot. All these states of mind are explored in this story, as much that lay concealed emerges over the 36 years after the event. The reader is engaged as taut knots are loosened and unwound.

During all this time the world moves on and new political issues arise - Vietnam; the anti-nuclear movement. Do they leave the old issues behind or are they connected with them?

This short book's limpid prose is very precise, profound and rich in unobtrusive symbolism. It is all very compelling

If you can get past an idiotic short introduction by Bill Murray, you'll enjoy a wonderful experience. Billy Collins has created true poetry that will make you think and laugh.

I heard Billy Collins speak in Wellington early one chilly Sunday morning. He commented that he was amazed anyone would want to get out of bed and listen to him on such a cold day ...he wouldn't! Of course we all thought it worth the effort, nothing beats hearing a really superb poet reading his own work superbly.I heartily recommend this cd, it's always in the most played pile near my cd player and on my ipod,so that I can listen to him any time.
A great selection of his work and interesting pre-ambles before each poem.

As always, Billy Collins is above and beyond in his poetry readings. Great humor, great heart and an accessibility rarely found in intellectual circles! You will fall in love with him and with poetry all over again.

This is a figure of speech of course - once upon a time... never mind, but you'd burn your dinner or if it's cooked, then the food on your fork will miss you mouth, if you try to cook or eat as you listen to Billy Collins read. It's a treat.

My high school students fell in love with Collins. Even the chronically apathetic perked up during his reading... use this in your classroom, and follow it up with selections from Poetry 180. You'll be glad you did.

Bloom is captivating, mind-blowing and a wonderful emotional read.

I have never read a novella so captivating, well rounded, fast, believable and daring...and when Lily said, "I'm going to love him like my life depended on it." I could have fell out of my chair.

Thanks Dom...for writing what love should be. Many people need to read and learn a great lesson...forget opinions and love freely.

Wow!

BLOOM by Linda Dominique Grosvenor is the second installment in the Cradle Robber series, a series that portrays loving relationships between older women and younger men.
Lily Manchester's husband, Barry Johnson, enlisted in the Army eleven years ago and never returned from his tour of duty. Since that time, Lily's poured herself into her floral shop, Bloom located in Bliss, North Carolina. That is until the day a very handsome delivery man, Alex James delivered more than flowers to Lily's flower shop. Instantly, they are attracted to each other, but Lily convinces herself that it could never work out between the two of them, mainly because of his age. She didn't want to be the talk of the town and risk losing everything that was important to her, mainly her reputation and her business
Despite Lily's objections, Alex boldly pursues her. As their love blossoms, Lily struggles with the disapproval of her mother's best friend, Mrs. Miller. Out of the blue, the ex-husband returns, which further complicates things. Will Lily give into love with Alex, or will she find herself thrust back into the familiarity of the past with her ex?
This was a romantic love story proving that age is nothing but a number. Lily shows us that sometimes it's okay to throw caution at the wind in our pursuit of happiness. Although BLOOM is a short read of only 125 pages, the characters were well developed and the story line was very engaging. I thoroughly enjoyed this installment in the Cradle Robber series and I look forward to reading the next installment, Class Act by T. C. Matthews.
Reviewed by Vanessa A. Johnson, Readincolor Reviewer

This story of Lily and Alex is short, but very sweet. Lily is the owner of Bloom, a floral shop that she started after her husband of 1 year left for the Armed Services and never looked back. After picking up the pieces of her life and starting a successful business, Lily is living the single life.

Until Alex, the new flower delivery guy walks into her shop and into her life. As is fitting for such a short book, the action starts quickly in the first few pages as Alex starts a bold pursuit of Lily. Not one to take no for an answer, things look like they may get off to a good romantic start, even though Lily has strong reservations about dating a younger man. Things are moving along well until Lily's ex, who has been gone for more than 11 years, comes back to town.

The story is good from page one until the conclusion.

Life in Bliss, North Carolina was anything but bliss for Lily Manchester the lovely but lonely owner of Bloom, who had been deserted by her husband years before. Seemingly, her only life passion was her flowers, that was until she met Alex James. Grosvenor handles this story with such delight. Definitely far from the ordinary romance. It was uplifting with its share of surprises. A definite must read for this summer.

BLOOM is the second book in the Cradle Robber series. This series embraces love between an older woman and a younger man.

Lily Manchester's husband enlisted in the Army eleven years ago and never returned. From the time of his departure, Lily's life and "love" has been her floral shop, Bloom. One day a very handsome delivery man, Alex James, delivers more than flowers to Lily's shop. There is an immediate attraction between the two, but Lily is determined to keep from being the "talk of the town." 

"We (women) weren't looked upon as savvy when we dipped below thirty. I didn't even want to think about what they would call me if I was ever caught up in a scandal liaison of any sort with Alex." [excerpt]

Despite Lily's fears, Alex boldly pursues her - determined to prove himself worthy and mature for his age. As their love "blooms" Lily struggles with the disapproval of a motherly, but nosy customer and the surprising return of her ex-husband.

This was a sweet love story proving that age is nothing but a number. Lily was at a stage in her life where it was time for a relationship - time to learn how to love again. Her fears were very real and the decision to be open-minded was a lesson for the readers about taking risks. It was a delight to read about a young man who truly pursued love rather than another sexual conquest. The author is to be commended for creating an extraordinary male character like Alex.

While BLOOM is a short read, the characters were well developed and readers will find the storyline to be engaging from the first page to the last.

You'll remember Conor for a long time after finishing this book. I hated for it to end. I look forward to reading more from Barbara Bretton.

Is there such a thing as too much perfection in a romance book? If so, this book is it. "The Day We Met" is a beautiful, glorious story of two people who fall head over heels in love at first sight, in the most improbable circumstances imaginable. When I say improbable, I don't mean that it comes across as improbable, because Barbara Bretton makes it work.

As in very many romantic novel, their love is as real as real could be, but as always, there are road blocks to a permanent relationship. And here Barbara Bretton cruises off charted territory to explore the complications of a "later in life" love story. There's her daughter (a major complication who thinks that her parents will still get together), there's his career (which just happens to be on the rocks just now), and there are all the special problems of step-families and second loves everywhere. But all this wouldn't be that unsurmountable a problem, if it weren't for her past ghosts about step-fathers. Her worries for her daughter keep that an obstacle that seems firmly in place - until the happy ending, where all our problems are resolved in one tidy sweep.

I loved this book - who wouldn't? The love story is so perfect, the hero is so exactly right, that if anything, its almost too much. And that's my only complaint. She is content with the relationship the way it is, but it is him who wants more, and because of that he seems to have to prove his love to her constantly, over and over again, and not until he makes the ultimate sacrifice - risking his life - is she finally able to understand that this was meant to be. I know that I'm the woman, and I should be enjoying this - but somehow I'm not. How come HE has to prove his love? She doesn't put her tiniest pinky out for him - like a previous reviewer mentioned, she doesn't come to the courtroom, to watch the most important court case of his life. She doesn't bother finding out what had happened, why he's so upset. Hey, I'm not complaining - like I said, I'm coming from the woman's point of view and it's always nice to see a hero put himself out over and over again for the heroine. Oh, it makes sense, but still...

Definitely a very, very enjoyable story about the perfect love between two people who were very definitely meant for each other, and the obstacles they have to overcomeBut certainly very highly recommended, a perfect perfect story and one that I enjoyed very, very much.

WOW! 5 STARS! This is the most romantic book I've ever read!!! The Day We Met is, to me, what romance is all about - two people meet, they have an instant connection, and they see the romance through to the end with a minimal amount of difficulty. The story of Maggie O'Brien, a divorced mother of two, and Conor Riley, a cop with a past, is riveting! They are passionate for one another, romantic with one another, and put their own happiness above what others think. Although they face some family opposition (particularly from Maggie`s daughter, Nicole), the story is really a true romance - Maggie and Conor get to know one another more and more and the more they learn, the deeper in love they fall. In fact, Bretton does a great job of introducing us to Nicole and Charlie (Maggie`s kids) and showing us how real life and its angst didn`t stand in the way of this couple. `The Day We Met' is a perfect romance, and is not riddled with love scenes and gratuitous sex in order to be romantic (although the chemistry is very evident!). The best part about this story was that it was perfect - in addition to very involving writing, the characters did not have to suffer enormous tragedies or be separated from one another and put through `tests' to find their way back to each other. There were no games between the couple - it was just romantic!

I so loved this book! Even though Maggy and Conor were lovers from afar at first, i couldnt help but fall in love with this book! I especially loved the trials and tribulations Maggy had with her daughter, Nicole. Thumbs up and I'm on to the next BB book!

Whew! what a touching and well-written piece of fiction. From its first page where the heroine learns to her dismay about the upcoming wedding of her ex-husband, to the edge-of-your-seat heartfelt conclusion where not is all what it seems, the reader is caught up into a Barbara Bretton's world, worthy of any respected classical writer's. Definitely a must.-----Martin Boucher

EXPECT THE SUNRISE is the third book in the TEAM HOPE series by Susan May Warren. Each book follows the lives of search and rescue members that make up Team Hope. EXPECT THE SUNRISE takes place in the Alaskan wilderness after the plane piloted by Andee MacLoad, a mountain rescuer, crash lands during a storm. Sterling "Mac" MacLeod, an FBI agent, is one of seven survivors and immediately suspects there is a saboteur on the flight, with the Alaskan Pipeline as its target. Andee and Mac clash when decisions have to be made regarding the safety of the passengers. With Andee's best friend injured, she decides to hike out on her own in search of help. Mac fears she is the saboteur and insists they stay together, not wanting her to get the opportunity to accomplish her plan for disaster. What results is an intriguing story as Andee and Mac struggle with trust, survival, and secrets that could shatter their growing interest in each other.

I thoroughly enjoyed the TEAM HOPE series. With adventurous stories set in the great outdoors, Susan May Warren captivates her audience with deep characters, rich plots, and enough suspense to keep you guessing.

A terrorist is going to blow up the Alaska pipeline. Mac and his partner are there to stop the violence. But Mac's partner is critically wounded in the fire-fight. Mac frantically tries to save him, waving maniacally to a helicopter flying overhead. He attributes his partner's death to the fact that the pilot didn't stop.

Mac is living with a chip on his shoulder after the death of his partner, still blaming the helicopter pilot for his loss. Andee, a member of Jim Micah's SAR team, is spending her summer flying in Alaska. She meets Mac on one of her flights. They share a Scottish heritage, but as they grow closer they learn that they share so much more. Can they overcome the past? Or will they miss out on what promises to be a beautiful future?

Susan May Warren is a master of romantic suspense storytelling! Her characters are authentic role models of Christian behavior in extreme circumstances. The way she records their thought processes makes me sit back and examine my own reactions to less stressful experiences. Not only have her novels afforded me many hours of wonderful entertainment, but they have also helped me to deepen my relationship with God and others.

In Expect the Sunrise, the third book in the series Team Hope, Susan May Warren delivers. The book opens with the heartbreaking scene where FBI agent Stirling "Mac" McRae's brother is dying in his arms, and he believe's it's his fault. All of a sudden a bush plane passes overhead and he signals that he's got an emergency, but the plane ignores him. He vows to find out who the pilot was who left his brother to die. After healing some from his brother's death, he must take a plane trip in a small craft. Andee MacLeod is the bush pilot and this is her last flight before winter sets in, as she tries to climb above a storm front, the plane crashes. Some of the passengers are injured, including Andee's best friend. To make matters worse, Mac discovers there is a terrorist in the group, but he doesn't know who. In fact, he suspects Andee. The same group of terrorists have also taken Andee's father captive, a bush pilot to taught his daughter to fly and a former star FBI agent. Throughout the book, the author demonstrates God's love, forgiveness, and grace. This is an exciting read and is well written.

Susan May Warren is a terrific author. This is her best series yet, and this book may be the best in the series as well. I love how her characters always seem so real. I had trouble putting this book down. I'm still eagerly awaiting the fourth book in this series!

This is the third book in the Team Hope series and hopefully not the last! This was another wonderful addition to this series. The characters are such a joy to get to know.

Mac and Andee end up stranded in the Alaskan mountains after Andee's plane crash with several other passengers. The tale of their harrowing journey out is definitely worth the read. Add in terrorists and you have a great suspense novel.

The most charming Regency romance I've ever read, effervescent, witty, ridiculous, and lovable.

The five children of the late rake Frank Merrivale may be orphans, but as long as the oldest of the brood, the intelligent, competent, humorous and delightful Frederica has her way, they will lack for nothing. Frederica's goal is to launch her jaw-droppingly beautiful, sweet, but empty-headed sister Charis into the ton to make an eligible marriage. Without closer family on whom she can rely, she descends on the unsuspecting Marquis of Alverstoke, a very distant cousin, and applies to him for help. The extremely wealthy Lord Alverstoke, an older and experienced man of the world, whose life consists solely of the social round, and whose chief fear is boredom, decides to assist Frederica and her family, largely to annoy his sisters. As he comes to know the Merrivales, especially Frederica and her younger brothers Jessamy and Felix, he is not only never bored, as they get into one scrape after another, but he begins to feel an unfamiliar soft emotion...

Not to be missed--a meringue of a book.

Frederica is one of my favourite Georgette Heyers. The love that develops between Alverstoke and Frederica is very moving partly because it seems so unlikely at the outset. He starts out bored and cynical and the description of his increasing involvement with Frederica's delightful but unpredictable family is wonderful, funny and realistic. There is lots of humour and wit, loads of brilliant detail of the sights of London, new fangled inventions such as hot air balloons, steam engines, bicycles. All the characters are believable, very individual and fantastically well described. My favourite funny bit is the Baluchistan Hound bit - read it!

I read and reread Heyer, pick her up when I'm feeling blue or dismayed by the quality of some of the current Regencies I find at the library, and use her literary genius to restore my faith in the historical romance. Over time Frederica has become my favorite for its wonderfully drawn characters and its peek into London of the time. The novel is filled with fascinating historical accuracies that Heyer weaves seamlessly into the story. Heyer's intelligent and laugh-out-loud dialogue and situations never, never fail. Who else could have an entire key scene rise and fall on restorative pig jelly? The novel Frederica is the best of the best! It's fun and touching and entertaining and hilarious - and without a single sex scene Heyer still creates a wonderfully engrossing love story. (Is there some kind of publishing rule against that now? There is such a thing as too much information, you know.) Anyway, read Frederica, then Arabella, then Venetia. Then, because I favor the more mature heroines (and those quirky, socially-ambivalent heroes,) try The Nonesuch and Lady of Quality and Black Sheep. Oh, what the heck. Read any of Heyer's regencies. It's her genre. Bless her. Lily's Sister

Frederica is one of Heyer's older heroines (not one of the silly ingenues, who of course can also be fun to read about). Frederica and the other characters in this book are very well developed and easy to love. Frederica is a wonderful, unselfish sister to two younger brothers. Alverstoke is a good man who has- up until now- led a selfish life in which he has never gone out of his way to help anyone. Can he learn something from her and her family (including the Baluchistan hound)?

Frederica is a funny book, but it is also a very romantic book. A satisfying read, a gentle comedy, and a book you will enjoy reading many times.

Never read or heard of G. Heyer until recently and Frederica was my introduction to this most talented author. This a sweet and fun story about finding unexpected love in the midst of family upheveal. The dialouge is hysterical. I laughed out loud on several occasions. Buy this book...you will not be disappointed!

A Heart of Devotion by Tia McCollors is a story filled with many twists and turns. It is a journey into the lives of two friends...their struggles and triumphs in relationships with God, men, family, and each other.

This page-turner delves into issues that many Christians face in their daily lives, but are not often discussed openly. It is refreshing to see them addressed in this book. What type of issues? ...issues of celibacy, dating and Christianity, unplanned pregnancy, friendship and accountability, trust in others and and faith in God.

A Heart of Devotion is an easy read and you will find it hard to put down.
Each character, major and minor, is well rounded and you will not be able to wait to find out what is going to happen with them next.

A Heart of Devotion is a compelling story of the many spiritual battles women face today in a world full of temptation. The author did a great job developing the different characters.

It's a must read for anyone needing encouragement. It spoke to me in so many ways. This is a spiritually powerful book and I highly recommend it.

I just finished reading A Heart of Devotion. This book is causing me to take a 2nd look at my relationship with the Lord! There are times we get so caught up in being a "good Christian" we forget about the human side of us. It is often easier to judge instead of understanding others'dilemmas/issues. It's a book that makes you think, reflect and decide what has been working in your life and what hasn't. If you want to be uplifted and inspired read this book. It is a testament to falling down, getting back up and thriving!

This is the BEST fiction novel that I have ever read!!! Tia McCollors did an outstanding job! As a young Atlantan woman, I felt a deep emotional connection with the main character, Anisha, who like me, can sense a deep calling towards entreprenuerial endeavors. I love that McCollors connected common life situations in the novel with it's corresponding scriptures in the Bible without being over-the-top religious (it was a classy approach and smooth enough not to scare anyone away). This book gave me hope and inspired me to keep being the Christian I am, no matter what life throws at you, even through the pains of love, heartbreak and torn relationships. I recommend this book to all single, God-fearing, Christian women who inspire to follow the perfect will of God while battling the many obstacles that this un-so perfect world throws us each day.

This book gave me the healing i needed....i'm in the same situation. It is so ironic how great this book is, i am in love with this book, and recommend it to every single woman...

This is one of those books I found as a child AFTER seeing the Disney movie and reading that it was based on a book. As usual, the book is so much better! If you've never read this book, but you're fond of the movie, or of dogs, you will love it. The story is truly heart-warming, and I love that certain scenes are oh-so familiar if you've seen the movie, but so much of the story is completely new! Did you know Perdita is NOT the name of the "leading lady"? That's all I'll say about the actual story, but please, read it for yourself, even if you don't have kids. It's a wonderful read-aloud book, too--the first time my husband ever heard about this book was when I made him lie down and let me read it to him. We didn't have a child then, so now we get to share it with our son, too. Truly, a wonderful book. However, just so you know--the second book is not nearly so good! I own both of them, but I probably won't read the second one more than one more time, when I read it to my son. It's just not at all the same thing--aliens in London? Anyway, read 101 Dalmations and I know you'll enjoy it!

I loved this book I read it when I was very young, I fell in love with it then, I lost the book and for years thought of getting it again. I feared that I would not like it as much, it was as I remembered, and not the Disney version. I still love the book it did not let let me down. It made me laugh, cry and now understand my dog a little more (ha ha)

I owned this book by Dodie Smith when I was a boy. I loved it and from this story I developed an even stronger love for dogs and animals in general. Written in a most loving way, the story takes us beyond the later Disney film's watered down presentation of the story and dives deep into the realm of dogs. We discover the magic of "dogdom" and how dogs of every kind communicate with each other and with their humans (as Dodie states, and I am certainly paraphrasing, dogs own their humans, but let them think they own the dogs because it is so sweet!)

I have only one complaint about this publication of the book. the illustrations are just short of atrocious. I had an earlier edition of the book that had wonderful drawings that clearly were created with a real understanding of the story and what Dodie was trying to say. The illustrations in this edition look like they were pulled from someone's generic dog clip art. They are technically fine in their own right (I could NEVER draw like that), but they just don't capture the magic of the book.

If you can look past the illustrations, this is a wonderful story and a well written book.

101 Dalmations has appeal to dog lovers of all ages, breeds and sizes.

Dodie Smith - Thanks for leaving this gem for all to share.

This is a charming and delightful book that is deserving of its status as a classic of children's literature.

It takes a dog's eye view of the world, and features as its heroes Pongo and Missis, a pair of Dalmatians whose litter of puppies disappears one day.

As they set off to reunite their family, they find themselves in a struggle against the illegal coat-making operation of one Cruella Deville, an iconic villainess whose name and passion for high temperatures hint that she may be the devil incarnate.

The book becomes a fantastic quest book that takes place in the heart of England. The adult dalmatians find friends and foes along their path, and end up liberating nearly a hundred little puppies.

Smith has fun with the details and logistics of feeding, disguising, and transporting the refugee puppies, and young readers will enjoy learning the particulars of the secret lives of dogs.

The original animated movie adaptation is a good and fairly faithful movie in its own right, but the book is better by far.

Some parents might shy away from the book because of the gruesome idea that Cruella literally skins her young charges, but I think that the darker elements are an integral part of the winning tone, which refrains from talking down to children.

Highly recommended!

I won my tattered, dog eared, Disyned-fied copy of "100 Dalmatians" in a school auction when I was 7 years old. I learned to read late because I'm dyslexic (hence any bad spelling you may notice) so this was the first real chapter book that I ever owned and the very first I read.

It was great. This is a fabulous novel for all ages but especially for kids. I'm not going to re-hash the plot because I think the whole world knows it by now. The themes of good parenting, loyalty, and of course, good, intelligent, kind dogs are things that every child should learn. It is true that this book contains some talk of puppy killing, which didn't disturb me, and I'm guessing that today's 7 year olds wouldn't be scared by it either.

Another reason to read, or let your child read this book is that it will encourage a love of dogs, and having grown up with dogs every minute of my life, I can tell you having one (or more) helps immensely in all kinds of situations, social and otherwise. It provides an example of love and loyalty, as well as the responsibility involved in feeding and caring for a dog. However on that note Dalmatians, contrary to the lovable Pongo, Missus and Perdita in this book, do not make good dogs for children. They don't have the temperament for it. If you read this book and decide to get a dog for your child (an excellent idea) I recommend a good old fashioned mutt (they're smarter because they're not inbred) or a border collie, which can actually be trained to be nannies for children because of their sheep herding instincts.

Anyway, five stars. Great for the whole family, and an excellent way to encourage reading in a child of any age. At 18 years old I still love reading this book. And the sequel, "The Twilight Barking" isn't half bad either.

Ms. Palmer paints a visual masterpiece of love, loss and revitalization. From the onset I was drawn to the solid imagery and heartfelt rendition of "True" love. Would love to see this work expanded. The Letters sparked my interest in getting to know Edward and Marie better. Great story.

Marie lost her beloved husband Edward and is terribly sad because she misses him so much. While searching through Edward's things, she comes upon a chest under his desk. Opening the trunk, she finds letters Edward had written to her over the years but had never given to her. As Marie reads the letters, her life with Edward rushes back to her; the joy and love of this man. The letters are accompanied by paranormal happenings, including the sensation of the presence of Edward. As she sits with the letters scattered about her feet, she knows he is with her always.

THE LETTERS is a well-written short story by Pittershawn Palmer. Her descriptions are so good, it is as if you are there with Marie, suffering her sorrow as well as rejoicing in her happiness. It is an uplifting story about love and loss, sorrow and joy, and above all else, hope. It is a story anyone who has ever lost a loved one can relate to and appreciate.

Reviewed by Alice Holman
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Reading "The Letters" is somewhat like standing in the middle of a tug of war between bitter weeping sorrow and sweet triumphant Love. The very balanced sense of Love as a haunting from the past and as a healing comfort for the present is exquisitely sublime. What makes this story a small masterpiece, I believe, is the pulse of regret and joy that throbs and glows through every meaningful detail. Pittershawn Palmer is a truly notable talent who has provided readers with a memorably brilliant work of short fiction.

Aberjhani
author of The Harlem Renaissance Way Down South
and ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE

Can our past somehow awaken the present, so that we can traverse a future that we can not now imagine, because of the death of a loved one? How can I or anyone comprehend the abyss that the soul must seek out in trying to find meaning, when love ones transcends the now into the realm of the everlasting eternity of the grave. Marie like others who have had to experience the pain and cacophony of voices, asking why and what has her union meant, with the man she so admired, for his devotion to what he consider as the Goddess(Good) of his entire being.
Heavenly, Godlike, supremely good and Devine, adjectives that now can only accurately describe a dream of the man she knew as Edward. In Pittershawn's box of letters Marie comes to understand how Edward's devotion and love can never die in her heart because of these letters. Marie has found out even in death Edward has found a way to envelop her into a spiritual embrace that strengthen her for the tomorrows. One has to ask, why and how did this wonderful writer Pittershawn Palmer come up with this ideal of these letters? Could they possible suggest past memories in a previous life with someone who meant so much to Pittershawn? Could she be tapping into the genetic collective to resolve the love story asking to be told? Mental transmutation or psychic science which even today is perplexing the psychologist speaks to the inquiring mind that endeavors to read these letters. Pittershawn left me wanting more of these letters, letters that Sade describes in her song as "No Ordinary Love." Reading these letters by Ms. Palmer, I wanted to become a psychoanalyst prying more words from her pen. I could then know more of the love, hurt and redemption of Marie's heart because Edward's soul has found a way to extend a love that has never died. In the end curiosity killed this black cat because of Pittershawn's box of letters. Letters this brother can not wait to open.

[...]

Pittershawn Palmer's elegant short story gives the reader a rare and wonderful journey with a true literary writer. Why have I not read her work before, I asked myself as I read her deeply moving tribute, her extraordinary expression of loss. Ms. Palmer uses the English language as if she owns it, and perhaps she does, for her words are at once paintings, shadows, sunlight and stinging arrows. Some of her phrases jumped out at me, and I still remember them. Writing at its best. Gwynne Forster