Short Stories Books

This is a classic case of the author's many friends/family members writing great reviews for him/her. The book is TERRIBLE. First of all you can barely get through a page without finding several spelling and grammar errors. The stories are supposed to be adult-themed (foul language and all) but are obviously written by a child. The thinking and facts do not make sense and are not researched. This is like a collection of some high school kid's short stories. I myself quit school without finishing but stayed long enough to at least learn proper grammar and how to spell! I feel terrible, I had my mother buy this because of the great reviews. She paid $25 for a joke. The positive ratings have been "spammed".

There's something fishy about all customer reviews on this book. They all give 5 stars and all have 100% review-reader agreement that the reviews are useful...
Having read Trifecta of Suspense I liked it very much at first but then I grew tired of the characters.... The author does not make them believeable and while that's OK at first it ends up being like reading essays by a middle school student... I am a scientist myself so the desription of the scientist in "Sheep" is just downright laughable. Usually authors do a little research first above how there characters work, live etc.
That's just one example so if i take it as an artistic touch instead of plain lack of knowledge of what real people in the real world are doing, then OK, it's interesting...

Very gripping stories, well told. Makes you feel as if you are in the story. Character development was great. Meaningful and memorable cast.
Recommend this one highly.

NOVITSKY out did himself with SHEEP and THE CEMETERY FENCE. Putting them both in here with THE MISTY DINS, put this book over the top.
The Honeymooners quotes in THE CEMETERY FENCE were a nice touch.

Clearly a new and rising talent.

Amusing, creepy, scary, and romantic. Not that I look for romance in a book. My wife wanted to make sure I mentioned that. It was romantic in a manly way though. The stories were entertaining in many different ways. That is what I liked most about it. They also tie in so perfectly in the end. They make you feel like getting to the finish is worthwhile instead of being left hanging. The geography lesson of the US was a plus. I've never been to NY or some of the other states mentioned but now I feel like I know them a little bit better. I never heard of Radcliff Kentucky until reading the misty dins. All in all I would recommend trifecta of suspense to anyone looking for a mystery novel. It is actually three in one.

Looking forward to more by this author.

THE BOOK TAKES OFF LIKE AN EXPLOSION - I SEE A CULT LIKE FOLLOWING

I really think that the author of this book trully out done herself a great book. I can not wait to read more from this auhor.

Looking at the cover of this book, I wasn't eager to read this book. Once I started to read it, it was soo good! I read this book in one day! Please go out and get this book, you will not be disappointed!

For starters lemme start out by saying that i slept on this book for 2 yrs b/c honestly if that is supposed to be a picture of Milton, the main characters boyfriend, 1 he aint cute and 2 he look like a dyke not even a man. And too me the cover is just cheezy looking, however this book was excellent. At first i couldn't see how this book could have so many twists and so much evil could happen to the main character but i must say all in all she overcame everything and good things come to those who wait. I understand Milton was abused but what he did to Myra was unforgivable and it was sad but things like this really happen. If you sleeping on the cover like i was don't immediately pick this up and read now. It kind of reminds me of "Harlem girl lost" by Treasure E. Blue just the way the turn of events took place. Go buy and read!!!!!!!!!!!!

Such hardknock lives but I always like happy endings....this was my firs AG McCall read...she went back and forth but she kept it all under control...seems like everything got a little rushed in the end... it will keep you company because you won't want to put it down...all in all I gave it 3 stars.....plus there's room for a sequel....I think....

I do not know what to say about this book. I don't think words would do it justice. This book is one of the best well put storys. IF YOU HAVEN'T READ IT, YOU ARE SURELY MISSING SOMETHIN!!!

I didn't like this at all. Very poorly written. Many better books out there.

On March 28, 2003 Writer's Digest announced that A Christmas Dozen won the Honorable Mention in Best Inspirational Book category of its Self-Published Book Awards. (author note)

Steve Burt's stories are perfect reading especially at Christmas but heart warming the whole year. We will include each of these with the traditional "Twas the Night Before Christmas" reading during family gatherings. Great writing and touching themes to each of the stories for all ages.

I find that my reaction to Steve Burt's stories in A Christmas Dozen, is always the same - a smile and a tear. A smile because my heart has been warmed and a tear because of the sublime beauty of the human spirit expressed in simple words. These stories are a delight and should be read by anyone, young and old, seeking a peaceful respite from the chaos of a hectic holiday season or from the normal hustle and bustle of everyday life. The few minutes you spend reading one of these gems can alter your mood for the rest of the day. Steve Burt has truly given us a gift to treasure!

Playing these tapes in my car gives me the feeling of having my own personal counseling session. The Story-telling and stories are supberb. While listening - you smile, giggle,laugh and cry. They are fantastic. I recognize areas, names and characteristics of many of the locals on the east end. Thank you Steve.

When I was 8, the same age as the girl in the story (a princess-of course!)I read this book time and time again. I couldn't get enough of it. My mom had died when I was a baby, so I never knew her, and longed for a silver haired granny in a tower who would wash my face with water from a silver basin and have stars on the ceiling of my bedroom. Anyhow, I just read it again after many long years....almost 50! and it's just as good a story now as then...very sweet and nicely written. Excellent!

So it's written for children but I could hardly tell the difference. The simplicity of the storytelling made it all the more appealing and the veins of courage, humilty, and human frailty running through it were impressive and awe inspiring. Like I said it's simple but don't let that word fool you. It's brilliantly written and encourages the reader to look at his or her own character. "As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man." Proverbs 27:19 It's a lesson we could all learn if not relearn...

This book is a good classic for everyone to read because it is an enchanting story about a princess named Princess Irene and the adventures she has. She meets a boy miner named Curdie and she finds a great great grandmother living in the top tower room of Irene's house. Her nurse doesn't believe Irene--that she actually has a grandmother living in the top of the house. Irene eventually goes into the mountain and finds Curdie tied up. I really like the story because I like adventure and I also like mysteries and this story was sort of like a mystery (especially when I had to stop at the end of a chapter and wait to find out what happened next). I also think you could learn a lesson or two from this book: you don't have to see to believe (Curdie learned this). Irene learned that if you are not sure whether or not something is a dream or real, it can be real, and it is wonderful when it is.

Review by EGM, age seven.

Macdonald inspired C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and Lewis Carroll. He is the father of modern fantasy. This is one of his best. Directed more for kids, but like all of his tales, sophisticated enough for adults.

The Princess and the Goblin is a truly delightful tale that is beautifully told by George MacDonald and deserves five stars. But, I will not attempt to review the story itself, for there are such wonderful descriptions and testimonies from other reviewers on this page concerning the content of MacDonald's work. However, I would like to describe the Puffin Classics edition in a little more detail. Please be aware that the Puffin's paperback cover is very soft and not as durable as other paperback covers. As well, the paper quality is rather grainy, which may not hold up well in the years to come. Thus, I have allotted this product four stars. On a positive note, I am pleased that the publishers kept the nostalgic illustrations by Arthur Hughes. Also, this copy has been edited well for typos and simple mistakes. With these particular points in mind, I would like to encourage the potential buyer to consider other editions of the text as well. Everyman's Childrens Library (The Princess and the Goblin (Everyman's Library Children's Classics Series)) has produced a hardback copy, which may be a better choice if the copy is to be given to a child. Also, for the MacDonald researcher or literary student, I would highly recommend the Johannesen edition(The Princess and the Goblin (George Macdonald Original Works)) since it is an authoritative edition. However, when it comes to the price, the Puffin Classics edition can not help but to be rather tempting. I hope these few notes have been helpful - Happy shopping.

It's been 15 years since I first encountered this book - part of a vocabulary challenge in the sixth grade. I still remember most of the stories, and I must have infuriated my parents using each word incessantly as I learned it. I can't recommend it highly enough.

This animated book gives children a new way to learn the definitions of words. It was highly recomended to me, and I loved it!

I love this book.This book is one of the best books ever.The reason why I gave this book five stars because its funny and senstive. My favorite word was laxcity.Laxcity means that you dont even care about whats gioing on.I think that this book is good for all ages. I hope that you read this fantastic book.

I use this book with my third grade students. We read a story per week. Many of their parents tell me it becomes a topic of conversation each week as the child teaches Mom and Dad a new word. It is fantastic.

This book is one of the best books I had ever read in my life.I would recommend this book to every one because its funny and great.

Pick up any book Brandon has a part of. This guy is remarkable at what he does. I started reading him because i wanted to read a "supernatural" book. When reading the "unreal" it is just that....unreal. But his way of writing will have you wanting more.

This is another great book he has put together. Left me on the edge of my seat expecting more and actually receiving it. Good read. Pick it up

I thought this book was a little over the top. This was the first book I read of Mr. Massey and it didn't really sell me. I will probably try another book of his before I make a final judgement. I love to write and Mr. Massey is inspirational. He is very passionate about his writing and I admire him for making his dream come true. I think the best is still to come with Mr. Massey.

Although the plot was mildly interesting, it was a little too 'far out there' to be truly captivating. I wasn't especially impressed by the author's writing style; I found his repeated inferences to the black culture interupted the material's flow. I most likely won't seek out other works by this author.

Drew (short for Andrew) is a successful novelist who appears to have everything. He has a hit thriller series, a nice large home in Atlanta, several wonderful friends, and is eagerly awaiting his new book deal (which promises to make him hundreds of thousands). The only thing missing is the love of a good woman, or to finally admit that he is in love with his best friend, Carmen. A slave to habit, his life, which is clearly outlined and followed, is disrupted when he meets the "woman of his dreams" (Mika) in Starbucks. She seems, initially, to be everything he wanted....beautiful, smart, rich, sexy and seemingly independent. However, after a night of passion, Mika turns into something he doesn't want and can't handle. As the novel unfolds, Massey introduces an element of the supernatural that promises to hold the attention of the reader until the very end. With a stormy parental relationship with his father, and his mother's psychic dreams, Drew realizes that he is in trouble, but is unsure of how to escape the one he thought that he desired. Filled with psycho cats, a sweet ghost named Sammie, and a scary groundskeeper (Walter), this novel has it all.....a little romance, some mystery, some deaths and a great story. I won't tell you what or who Mika is, reading this novel will tell you that, but I will say that Massey is among the few today who can create a story to be rivaled by Tanarive Due or Octavia Butler. Read this novel and you will not regret it.

So I had to take a break from the romance novels and hit up one of Brandon Massey's new thrillers titled "Within The Shadows".

If you love a good thriller, then this is the book for you! It started off with a bang! It ended with a bang! This book shows you that you should be open for the possiblity of anything happening in your life! The good, the bad and the UGLY!

Brandon's main character Andrew realized all that. He was a creature of habit until the one fatal day he did something he didn't normally do! Yep, it costed him a lot when he stepped out of his normal habit and didn't FOLLOW his CONSCIENCE!!!! True enough some good came out of it. BUT a whole lot of bad and ugly came out of it ti! It was a great tale of friends, family, and lust!

Take a ride with Andrew as he deals with writing a book, selling his 4th novel, sex, love, and the ghostly adventures!!!!!

I've been curious about Wives and Girlfriends and I finally read it. I read it one day. It was a pretty good read.

I truly enjoyed this book!! I absolutely love the surprise ending. It was well written, fast paced and suspenseful. Highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a great mystery book.

Yes, I read this book, and I was surprised. Whew! it took me there, I'm so glad everything ain't all what it seems, just read the book, then you'll decide that sometimes things are not always fairytales.

I LOVE THIS BOOK. IT HAD A TWISTED THAT WAS UNBELIEVEABLE. YOU MUST COP THIS NOT YOUR AVERAGE CHEATING BOOK PLEASE BELIEVE. THAT'S ALL I'MMA SAY ON THAT. YOU MUST READ.

Wives and Girlfriends by Nishawnda Ellis is an explosive tale full of deceit and suspense. Tera Larou was a professional girlfriend who decided it was more fun playing that role. She would not `befriend' single, eligible bachelors though. She aimed for rich and powerful married men. She hit the jackpot the night she met Dominic Jones, the most prominent Black man in Boston. He owned his own computer consulting firm and Tera wanted to keep this `suitor' for life. She figured as long as she played her position, he would never leave her. It was extremely hard for Tera to keep up her end of the bargain. She began to have feelings for Dominic which turned her into a liability for him. He attempted to break it off but Tera would not allow it. She began to break all of her own rules and turned into the jealous girlfriend who would stop at nothing to get her lover to see things her way.

Donna always felt that Dominic was cheating on her but she had never done anything about it. As their home life started to be disrupted by Tera, Donna decided it was time to confront Dominic about his infidelity even though she had no hard evidence.

Wives and Girlfriends is a fast and excellent read. The imagery is captivating and engaging. The characters were realistic and I felt connected with each of them. This novel was so good, I could not put it down. It grabbed me from the first page and kept my complete attention until the end. The plot and subplots were strong and the suspense was well-paced. I recommend Wives and Girlfriends to readers who enjoy murder mystery and urban fiction. I look forward to future works by Nishawnda Ellis.

Reviewed by Darnetta Frazier

This books is wonderful! I am using it in small groups at work and the kids absolutely cannot get enough of this book. I bought all titles in the series! Great for paired reading among siblings, parents and children, and friends!

Our students really love all the books in this series. They frequently choose them to read to each other during free choice time. I would really recommend this book to other teachers as a great source for oral reading practice!

My seven year-old grandson introduced me to Mary Ann Hoberman's work. He loved reading to and with me. I'm a volunteer reading tutor and I use her books to teach first graders to read. They love it.

I highly recommend the books by Mary Ann Hoberman to excited kids about reading.

Judith Hays

I love Mary Anne Hoberman's "The Cozy Book", it is always a great bedtime story. So, when I found this title on Amazon, I couldn't resist. My son is 7 and enjoys reading, so this was perfect for us; he reads to me, I read to him, and we read the last verse together. The stories are cute and short, good if you only have a few minutes at the end of the day. The emphasis on reading is an added bonus.

This is a light book that contains short stories. The stories are cute and quirky, fun to read. Our 7 year old collects books and this one is one of her many favorites. We bought this book for a gift. We have the larger version. We take turns reading together, I read a verse and she reads one. Our daughter started reading before age 5 and I know it's because we read to her every day and just before she went to bed.

This is a great compendium of short stories from the mind of the man who dreamed up Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, and Matilda, all renowned stories for children. The book pulls together some of the best from several of his collections.

Dahl, who was married for a long time to actress Patricia Neal (The Day the Earth Stood Still), hosted a British television show in 1961 called "Way Out," an anthology show whose episodes are hard to find today. He later hosted another anthology show called "Tales of the Unexpected" (1979-88). Both shows featured a number of Dahl's own stories. Some of Dahl's work has also been adapted to other television programs, notably "Alfred Hitchcock Presents."

The hallmark of Dahl's stories is a good dose of irony, coupled with a macabre sense of humor. Dahl's stories work fantastically well on this level, bringing the reader to laughter in a horrified kind of way. His dialogue is sharp and characters are well drawn and very human, even at their worst. In "Lamb to the Slaughter," for example, a woman kills her cheating husband, then disposes of the murder weapon in a singularly unique way. The reader will feel for her and root for her to get away with it, and she does. Another frequently adapted work, "Man from the South," tells the story of a man who likes to wager with other people's fingers.

For readers who fondly remember Charlie Bucket and Willy Wonka from childhood, and who also appreciate poking fun at the dark side of human nature, The Best of Roald Dahl is highly recommended.

Very often the writer's skill can be appreciated after reading their short stories. The short form requires discipline and has to catch the reader's attention in a short time. Roald Dahl managed to do this in his short stories (the shorter ones from this collection are the best!). The stories are truly timeless - although written between 1945 and 1965, they have not aged at all. They still keep the readers holding their breath and having goose bumps. There are horrors, great insights into human soul, relationships, perversions, addictions...
I knew only "James and the Giant Peach" before I was recommended this collection by a (British) friend, who I am very grateful to. I have been returning to the stories over and over again. My favorites are probably the most morbid ones, starting with "Man from the South" through "Skin", "Royal Jelly" to "Pig". I like also "Taste" which is more focused on psychology. Anyway, Dahl knew how to find an original subject, how to twist the plot leading to the unexpected and very satisfying finale, and how to use the English language.

Roald Dahl is best known for his children's books, namely CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY and JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH. This book collects some of his best adult short stories from his long career. The dark humor and morality that guides his children's books are amplified here. Outlandish, often unlikable characters often personify one or more of the seven deadly sins and usually pay for it. Dahl's dark sense of humor is fantastic and almost every story ends with a delightfully surprising and ironic twist. Dahl's macabre sensibility might draw comparisons to Poe, but his style is not nearly as laborious. Gems from this collection include: "The Man From the South," (a story that Quentin Tarantino, among others, has paid homage to); "Skin" about a million dollar tattoo; "Pig," in which a vegetarian boy discovers the joys and horrors of meat; a story about a hair-brained wife-swapping scheme; and "The Sound Machine," which allows one to hear the screams of plants. My only complaint about the collection is that the order is chronological and some of the more absurd stories fall in the middle, which makes some of the later, less absurd stories a bit of a letdown. But overall, a fantastic collection.

As a child, I loved Roald Dahl's books from James and the Giant Peach to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Now that I am a little older, I started to read his mature works. I never go so enthusiastic about reading a book. You get it all with Roald Dahl, humor, suspence, brutality, and horrific stories all end with a surprising twist that you will never suspect. The best reading in years. Highly Recommended. My favorite is The Great Switcheroo. He is definatly one of the greatest writers of our time.

Have loved his kids' books ever since I was a child and am now reading them with my daughter. This one is for grownups only, though! I described this collection to friends by saying "Roald Dahl is the British Flannery O'Connor." If you like dark, funny (sometimes truly twisted) short stories where, in surprise endings, those who scheme and plot always get theirs, you will truly enjoy this book.

I'm a big fan of these annotated books, not only for their visual appeal on the bookshelf, but for their ability to transport me away from the everyday world. And you may think you know Oz because you can sing "Over the Rainbow" and "Follow the Yellow Brick Road", but I assure you, this book will take you farther into Oz than you ever went before. Unlike The Annotated Alice: The Definitive Edition, which is dense with text, this volume is packed with art and illustrations, including a lot of full color pages. The movie images floating in your brain take on a different hue when you see the illustrations which actually brought the Ozian creatures to life. As with all the annotated works in this "series", this one has crisp, cleanly printed pages, an artsy dust jacket that is pleasing to behold, and tons of Baum biographical information, and of course, lots of notations. If you are an Oz fan to begin with, you owe it to yourself to buy this book. If you just like children's stories and the history behind them, this is also for you. And don't forget: the book is better than the movie, anyway!

This is a wonderfully informative book. It has its biases, but they're of the harmless, author-worship variety. The only caveat I'd add is that this isn't the book to have as your sole copy of The Wizard of Oz. It's nearly impossible to read the actual story amidst the annotations. That's not a criticism: that is, after all, the purpose of the book. But if you've never read the story, or want to read it to your children, get a simple copy of the book as well.

The "Annotated" series is simply wonderful. Best of all, they are getting better and better all the time. My first was The Annotated Alice: The Definitive Edition and since then, I've gained a small collection of annotated books. These books were the original DVD commentary track. Now, it just seems strange when I'm reading a book and there's no footnote for further insight!

This was the second Annotated book I bought. The first two books I bought in this series represents the top two lifelong obsessions within fantasy: Wonderland and Oz (now, if only they'd do Neverland to complete my personal trilogy!).

Upon first reading, I'll admit -- this was a bit hard to start. Sure, it was interesting, but compared to the introduction to the Alice book, it seemed a bit rambling. It seemed like I'd never get through to the actual book!

Recently, I decided to give it another go. So, starting from the beginning again, I read. Age must change my opinion on things. It was no longer so rambling. I rather enjoyed the introduction -- in fact, wish it was longer!

When your first introduction to the Annotated series is Alice, a highly satirical book with a lot of symbolism, you may have expectations of all the secret meanings revealed. Don't expect it here. As is stressed in the introduction, this was a story purely meant to delight. While there are similarities in the ultimate purpose of writing it -- a boredom with the children's books of the day -- the two are completely different in their approach. Carroll used the book to make fun of the children's books of his day. Baum just wrote a good story.

So, therefore, the annotations have more to do with what was going on around Baum at the time, things in his life that may have had some influence, and criticism rather than the hidden symbols found within. You'll get a history lesson of turn-of-the-century America that we may not hear much. You'll learn about changes to the book made over the years.

The greatest thing about this edition is that it's a facsimile of the first edition. The pages aren't perfect -- there are age marks every now and then. But you'll finally be able to see what exactly made this book so novel in 1900 -- colors and text are reproduced in a way most editions do not. Most other editions using Denslow's drawings are usually incomplete with a more modernized setting for the fonts. This causes many pages of illustration to be omitted as the illustrations are a bit more difficult to reproduce when the original text is overlapping.

The accuracy of the reproduction may be a huge downfall for the annotations, though. Unlike most annotated novels where you'll find the numbers within the text and the annotation in the margins of the book, the numbers have been moved to the edges of each line of text with the annotations on a separate page. Probably, this was done to interfere with the original text, but it means that some confusion might come in when to look at a note. Two numbers may try to squeeze into a single line, which is a little awkward. Or, because the note numbers are no longer attached to the text, we won't know what words those numbers are attached to until we look at the next page (or a few pages ahead, depending on how long the note is).

This isn't quite enough for me to take any stars off, though. It may be an inconvenience, but it's no way to judge the quality of the book. In fact, the rarities -- bonus story, reproductions, and art in the Deslow Index -- more than make up for the structure.

This is an over-sized book, so if you want to add it to your Oz collection, it might be out of place a bit -- if you want an edition to fit in perfectly with your other Oz books, I'd suggest getting The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Books of Wonder) along with this just for casual reading or completeness on the bookshelf.

This book was purchased for my grand daughter who is 18 years old. She thoroughly enjoyed receiving it as a gift. She liked reading the "annotated information" while reading the story. It was a hit as a Christmas gift.

This is a wonderful story told by a master. The illustrations are just beautiful. I've been watching the film since I was five years old and have always loved it. Now I love the book.