Short Stories Books

I picked this book up by chance, while browsing my local library. I found this book to be highly informative and interesting. I am very uneducated regarding the cold war and I know little about the history of any countries besides the United States.

This book paints a distinct and painful picture of life on the run.

What I never realized was just how many refugees there are. All over the world people are forced to give up everything they know, everything they have worked for, everything they have grown accustomed to. That is unless all of there possessions are destroyed before they can willingly leaving them behind.

This book shows how any major change in thinking or political structure can affect millions and millions of people.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in human beings.

... as we are sometimes so very fortunate
to stumble upon. Handily makes you stop, think,
reevaluate self and the world around you as
you only thought you knew it.
Only criticism: too short. I want more.

Simply stated, I was profoundly affected by this book and will never look at the world the same way again.

Everyone should read it, maybe the Earth would become a better place.

If I made a list of books everyone should read, this one would right now be number one. Everything that has happened in the last 10,11 years since the breakup of the Soviet Union, is in here- East Germany, Liberia, Somalia, Rwanda, Bosnia- each story told in the context of the lives of one or a few people, which makes these stories so vivid and real. You'll remember the newspaper headlines, and the stories, but in this book it's like you are experiencing it all for the first time, and personally. Fritz is a terrific writer, I promise you won't be bored. Finally it has very special meaning for Americans. Fritz keeps referring to us a s "the world's only superpower", a concept that hasn't really sunk in for most of us, or most of our "leaders" either. So we really need to do a lot of heavy thinking about what we do, how we act, in fulfilling this historicaly unique role. Buy it!

Fritz' repertorial skill and novelistic approach make a less-than-palatable subject read like a gripping detective novel.

His eye for detail and empathy with the people - and the voices - of those tortured souls literally "Lost On Earth" make this book an invaluable document for our fragmented times.

Breast cancers are not an easy subject to talk about, let alone craft a story depicting deathbed wishes and privileged promises. Author Kim Louise went one better by giving new meaning to emotion. A Love of Their Own is a heart warming story with poignancy hanging in the balance for heartache and grief to be equal partners in defining the true meaning of dedication. More often than not it's always the speculation of loss, or some quirky notion that we somehow can live and deal with inevitable odds that are destined to cause pall. Kim Louise wrote one hell of a story where Amara Fairchild's close friend and mentor is diagnosed with breast cancer. From here the story steadily forms definitive character development as emotions are taken to limits not easily broached. Amara's devastation is further tested when her mentor makes her promise to raise four-year-old triplets and the husband (Ross) she's leaving behind. Is such a request too hard to fathom? Can this be done without her best friend's husband being equally affected? Amara is between a rock and a hard place...a decision must be made knowing that to do so would have a profound effect on her current and subsequent life.

Despite obvious surface tendencies to dismiss and look askance at this situation, the author gave reason to depict her characters with substance and a unique show of moxie. Such a subject totally unexpected that raises questions are sure to be explored psychologically and with intrigue to want to anticipate, if not be inquisitive enough to read on. I was able to read this story as it gripped me emotionally, instinctly placing me in scenes that I felt closest to anticipating Ross' every move! Without the many positive aspects that this story is aligned with I doubt it would have manifested the need for one to dig just a little deeper to understand why Amara would want to make such a decision. I was amazed at the amount of research done to make this story not only believable, but one where anyone associated with the malady would readily understand and empathize with Brenda. As heart wrenching as this story is, there will bound to be readers who'd be quite surprised how Ross handles the situation without stereotypical responses akin to lack of emotion form a man. As such, it was refreshing to have the male character show so much feeling.

The story is so complete that it radiantly gives illumination to secondary characters as if they should have been written with more involvement. But then again, Ms Louise's writing was just that tight in the sense that just enough coloring was given to enhance all intent. It was refreshing to see the hero of the story show real emotion. Even though the story deals with such serious issues, it still allowed you the wherewithal to know that some aspects and stages of the book lent itself to breezier and lighter moments.

I read this book three times and everytime I read it, I love it more. Amara Fairchild was a true Hero in this book, she was so courageous and strong willed because she made a promise to her dying friend and mentor Brenda Hayward to marry her Husband Ross and become a mother to her triplet daughters when she passes on. Of course she's reluctant to do this, so is Ross... they experience many trials and tribulations, they agree to disagree about what's best for the girls.. eventually Ross and Amara they come together, they fall in love, they have to somehow find a way to cope with the loss of wife and friend, the girls have to learn how to cope with the loss of their mother. I cry EVERYTIME I read this book, the writing is superb and this is a book I'm greedy with because I won't lend it out.

Ok this author was recommend by my Ms Betty, she has read just about every A.A around so I trust her completely, Also on a side if you want a excellent reviews on books, check out free4lyfeu2. So back to the book, I didn't think it was a good premise. I mean marrying your best friends husband because of her promise on a death bed? I was so wrong. Amara and Ross were not perfect both had issues and but the love was there. The book did not have them fall in love by chapter 3, and that made the book even more special, I love the fact that there was still a mourning process, Also the daughters, took the story anyone who wants a hot, love story with a little pain, and lots of joy. PLEASE READ THIS BOOK.

This book tackled a real situation that we sometimes find ourselves in. I loved that Ross was able to let go and see Amara the way he wife wanted him to.. She chose her because she did not want him to be alone and because the girls already liked her.
I also enjoyed the interaction between Amara and the girls. I must say that I read this book more than one time. And cried everytime when the little girl got lost in the mall.

Amara Fairchild is shocked when her dying mentor and best friend Brenda Hayward asks her to marry her husband, and to help raise her children immediately after her death. Of course, neither Ross, Brenda's husband, nor Amara immediately agree to this. However, when they see that Brenda is holding on to that one last breath waiting for their positive response, they reluctantly agree. From there, the story unfolds into a tale of love lost and love found on the oftentimes bumpy road to happily ever after.

It has been a while since I read a novel by Ms. Louise, and once I read A LOVE OF THEIR OWN, I couldn't fathom why I waited so long to read this one. It was a beautiful tale of heartache, loss and finding love again. There are so many positive aspects to this story that combine to make this book one worth reading many times over. Louise masterfully depicts the woes of breast cancer, the importance of monthly breast exams, and how the death of a loved one from this dreaded disease affects everyone, especially small children. It was refreshing to see the hero of the story show real emotion. Ross cherished his wife and did not want to sully the memories of her with thoughts or feelings for another woman. Even though the story deals with such serious issues, there are also moments where you laugh out loud, and, of course, fall in love again. Never again will I hold onto a Kim Louise book. As soon as it reaches my hot little hands, I will find the quietest spot in my house and lose myself in her work. (RAW Rating: 4.5)

Reviewed by Renee Williams
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers

This book was a disappointment for me. Although the plot of the book was good and interesting, the author introduced so many characters, many at the same time that I found it confusing and I had to go back several times to previous pages to see who the heck certain characters were! It took me three times the amount of time to finish this book as it normally would. It felt more like a text book than a romance novel. Could we keep the focus on fewer characters next time? Geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeez!!!

THIS IS MY 1ST BOOK THAT I HAVE READ BY ALTONYA WASHINGTON AND LET ME TELL YOU I READ THE BOOK IN ONE AND WENT BACK TO MAKE SURE I DIDNT MISS ANYPARTS :) BUT WOW THE WHOLE BOOK WAS AWESOME AND I WILL DEFINETLY READ THE OTHER ONE

AlTonya has a great recipe that blends romance, passion and suspense that makes a great novel. The Ramsey's have become one of my favorite family series. In this installation Fernando Ramsey and Contessa Warren hook-up and the sparks fly right off the page. Both characters hide behind their hard-up images, but once they get together, the real Contessa and Fernando are revealed. Their story is full of love, revelations, romance and lots of passion. She catches us up with Ramsey's that we already know (Quest and Quay) and she gives us a deeper look at the ones that we are waiting to find out more about (Yohan, Moses and a few others).

You know AlTonya had to throw a twist in there to keep us in suspense and begging for more. I am NOT too proud to beg either! I can't wait for the next book. Those Ramsey's are just YUMMY! Plus, I can't wait to find out the answer to the murder mystery.

I have a favorite scene that deals with my favorite Ramsey and 15 minutes! Be sure to pick up this book to find out what it is....

AlTonya has done it again with another hot story involving the Ramsey family! The first 2 stories involving the twins were hot but this one is on fire! I can hardly wait for the next installment because there is so much drama and deceit going on within this family that I want to know how it all ends! Like the first two of this series, I didn't put this book down until I finished it. WooHoo this story had me on the edge of my seat.

Fernando Ramsey grew up believing that a woman was an object only used to satisfy a man's desire. With a father like Marcus Ramsey how could he accept anything else? His father is the master of manipulation and never treated his mother with the respect that she deserved. Nevertheless, Fernando yearns for a magical love that his parents never possessed. Fernando never thought he would find that kind of love until he met Contessa Warren. Here is a beautiful woman that is sexy-as-hell and vastly feisty - just the type of woman Fernando desires.

Contessa Warren is on a mission to discover all the dirty little secrets the Ramsey's have hidden in their closet. She is positive the family is tangled up in a scandal or two and she believes that she is just the person to uncover them all. However, there is just one problem with her plan - Fernando Ramsey. Contessa isn't sure how it happened; but she finds herself instantly falling under Fernando's alluring charm. Will Contessa be able to continue her quest to reveal all the Ramsey skeletons, knowing it could cause great disgrace to Fernando's family name?

With A Lover's Mask being the third book in the Ramsey family saga, I am finding it very difficult not to repeat myself over and over again about the superior writings of this series. Readers, if you are a huge fan of tantalizing suspense, deceitfulness, love, passion and countless shocking secrets then this series is just what the doctor order. I am simply amazed at AlTonya Washington's storytelling - each book gets better and spicier than its predecessor. I loved everything about A Lover's Mask! From the spectacular mystery to smoking hot sexual encounters. The sensational foreplay between Contessa and Fernando will have you going up in heated flames while the dramatic suspense will have you tangled up in a massive web. Just when you think you have figured everything out, Ms. Washington flips the script on you and throws you for a tale spin. To receive the full impact of the Ramsey clan, I would suggest reading each book in the order that it was release. However, if you just happen upon this fantastic novel first you will not feel at a lost because Ms. Washington gives great background details in A Lover's Mask.

Nikita Steele
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

I really enjoyed this book. Ms. Washington has it going on when it comes down to her writing. She keeps you in supspense and just when you think you know whose who, guess what? You're wrong. I just pray that you continue doing what you're doing. You are truly blessed.

Ms. Washington's love mysteries have a twist of their owns. They keep you guessing. When you think you have solved the plot, there is another mystery developing right under your nose. I can not wait to find out who really killed Ms.Black or did she kill herself.
Abxious in Okinawa, Japan

I loved this book, even though Quay was chasing Tyke I figured if he would have stopped she would have found her way back. But even thought I loved their love story I think Quest and Mick love story was the best in A Lover's Dream...

Quay and Tykira's story was worth the wait. The murder mystery that started with Lover's Dream was concluded in this book. I was surprised. I received a email from Altonya saying the next installment will be about Fernando Ramsey and Contessa due in 2007. I can't wait. I highly recommend this book.

Renowned rail designer, Tykira Lowery, has not set foot in Seattle since she left home for college years ago - all due to her painful breakup with Quaysar Ramsey. Out of the blue, the Ramsey Group contacts her with a challenging job offer that she can't refuse. Completing this major, multi-dollar task would make her already successful business skyrocket to a whole new level. Not about to allow a grand opportunity to pass her by, Ty decides to return to Seattle with her business team. She vows to maintain tight control over her emotions and uphold a professional relationship with Quay, or better yet, steer clear of him as much as possible. But, Ty quickly finds out it is much easier said than done to stay out of Quay's arms.

Quaysar Ramsey has been in love with Ty for a very long time; but, he has always been determined to keep her at a distance. Dangerous threats have been made against all the woman in his past and he is not about to endanger Ty's life. For years, Quay was able to stay away from Ty; however, when she returns to Seattle at the request of his twin brother, Quest, Quay finds it difficult to deny his raging desire to claim Ty as his own. Will the hardship from their devastating breakup continue to be a major obstacle between them? And, more so, if by a miracle Quay and Ty are able to reunite as a couple, will the demon from Quay's past resurface and cause major havoc, possibly ending Ty's life?

AlTonya Washington is back again with her sequel novel in the Ramsey family saga. A Lover's Pretense was just as hot and intense as its prelude. All I can say is WOW! I loved A Lover's Pretense! It seems as if each new segment in the Ramsey family series just keeps getting better and more exciting. Ms. Washington has mastered the act of teasing and torturing the reader until you find yourself rapidly flipping page after page, eager to see what will happen next. Even though the main feature in the phenomenal A Lover's Pretense was Ty and Quay's love story; it also revealed the person behind the murder mystery that carried over from the first novel; touched on up on Mick and Quest's life after marriage; taunted about the future love interests of more Ramsey men and developed another secret that stemmed from the original anonymity. Whew! Readers, if you admire a cocky, dominate, suave, compassionate, sexy-as-hell type of man - then Quay is THE man. Ty had a lot on her plate in her dealings with Quay, yet, she handled herself and Quay with class and style. Although Ms. Washington did an excellent job of giving great background information, I would suggest reading A Lover's Dream before tackling A Lover's Pretense because of the continuation of the suspenseful murder mystery and, more importantly, to experience the satisfaction of Mick and Quest's union. A Lover's Pretense is positively a Joyfully Reviewed Recommended Read!

Nikita Steele
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Did you ever read a children's bobk that has no pictures? This book stands on its own and stimulates the child's imagination. Hats off to the author for having the guts to create such an amazing book!

As a retired Teacher,College Professor, Clinical/Counseling/ School Psychologist in private practice for over 25 years, I have had the opportunity to read many texts on children, parents, & how to help them. This one speaks directly to the childs unconscious, much like the fables of Hans Christian Anderson did, and carry powerful messages of good role model behaviour. For the child it's an easy read of recognizable situations which are instantly remembered for reference.This gives the parent a wonderful opportunity to share the stories and to discuss the implications as similarities impact on the childs real life.I wish it had been available when I was working-it would have been of considerable value to my students and patients. Highly Recomended.

"Marcy" is a wonderful and worthwhile book filled with exquisite life lessons in each story for both children and parents. The stories are creative, enjoyable and deal effectively with life situations that parents and children face. It allows an adult to really understand and appreciate a child's experience through a child's eyes. Your child will love these simply sweet stories while learning powerful lessons. If you're interested in being the best parent you can be, this book is a great tool.

Marcy and Her Friends is a very realistic and touching book. The situation are so real that it seems like they are written about each one of us. I can see why children can relate to these stories. It takes a great insight to be able to write a book about children from their points of view. Reading the stories,we the adults can learn a lot about situations that our children are facing and dealing with. I highly recomend it. And maybe someone will take the challange to translate it to Hebrew.

Deeply insightful. Kids can identify with problems presented in this book and gain strength from the situational analysis. Adults can re-visit childhood events and place them in perpective. It is a powerful book with positive messages, conveyed in easy to understand language. Strongly recommend this book!

Excellent as with all of the Miss Marple stories by Christie. I was disappointed a little because I thought I was getting a collection of Marple stories I did'nt already own. In fact, the book begins with the Tuesday Club Murders (which is already on my bookshelf). This was an error on my part because I should have checked the book out in more detail before purchasing. Still, a good collection to buy if you don't already have the stories in separate books. Besides, we Christie fans never tire of rereading about the exploits of her most famous detectives.

This short story collection is wonderful! Twenty delightful stories featuring Miss Jane Marple solving difficult cases. Miss Marples sharp observations, her spunk, wit, and intelligence shine through in these tales, making clear why Agatha Christie has created one of the greatest female sleuths of all time. If you're a fan of Christie's or Marple's, you can't go wrong with this colleciton.

Quick response, book in good condition. there was a printing defect with the book, but it is still OK.

The words quoted above appeared in a short story by Agatha Christie called "The Four Suspects." They were not spoken by Miss Marple but by "that well-groomed man of the world, Sir Henry Clithering," retired now and residing in St Mary Mead or nearby, but "until lately Commissioner of Scotland Yard." The words were addressed to Sir Henry's new neighbour, a certain Miss Jane Marple. There is EVERY reason to assume that Miss Marple agreed.

An earlier reviewer quoted a short passage from "An Autobiography" by Christie. I shall quote a little more extensively from the same source: "Miss Marple," wrote Dame Agatha, "insinuated herself so quickly into my life that I hardly noticed her arrival. I wrote a series of six short stories for a magazine, and chose six people whom I thought might meet once a week in a small village and describe some unsolved crime. I started with Miss Jane Marple, the sort of old lady who would have been rather like some of my grandmother's Ealing cronies--old ladies whom I met in so many villages where I had gone to stay as a girl. Miss Marple was not in any way a picture of my grandmother; she was far more fussy and spinsterish than my grandmother ever was. But one thing she did have in common with her--though a cheerful person, she always expected the worst of everyone and everything, and was, with almost frightening accuracy, usually proved right...."

Later, she added, "Miss Marple was born a the age of sixty-five to seventy--which, as with Poirot, proved most unfortunate, because she was gong to have to last a long time in my life. If I had had any second sight, I would have provided myself with a precocious schoolboy as my first detective; then he would have grown old with me."

The first sextet of magazine stories were published in the late 1920s but did not achieve the dignity of book publication until 1932, two years after the publication of "Murder at the Vicarage," the first novel to feature Miss Marple.

The 1932 volume contained the first sextet of stories mentioned by Christie in her autobiography, plus a second sextet and one more story to provide a satisfactorily ominous title for the collection, "The Thirteen Problems." (In the US, the book appeared--less happily--as "The Tuesday Club Murders.") Christie wrote seven more short stories for Miss Marple. They all are included in this volume. The later stories are good enough, but Miss Marple had so grown in stature that her true milieu was the full-length mystery novel.

I suggest that special note be taken of the tenth story, "A Christmas Tragedy." This story represents a sea change in Miss Jane Marple. In all prior appearances she had been a mere device, a voice through which the author could resolve her little puzzles. With this story, the fully developed, elderly, tough as nails, knitting Nemesis of the novels emerges.

These twenty stories are competent, if not brilliant. No-one, least of all Agatha Christie, would call them literature. They are amusements, clever puzzles set to dialogue. As such, most of them are splendid. There are a couple of minor misfires, one in which the solution to a coded message is in English when by the logic of the story it should have been in German, another in which Christie chose to emulate the mechanically-oriented stories common in those days among the works of her less-talented contemporaries. A classic Christie work incorporates some deceptively simple example of what might be called mental sleight-of-hand. Stories that depend on gimmicked mechanical implements and the like seem somehow beneath Dame Agatha's dignity.

Reading these stories quickly demonstrates that Agatha Christie was born one of nature's great re-cyclers. Dame Aggie had a strong tendency to ... ahem, quote from herself when a good plot was involved. For those who would put a more positive spin on the simple facts, then it might be said that within these stories may be found seeds that later sprouted into full-length mystery classics such as "A Murder is Announced" and "Murder Under the Sun."

The collection, I was surprised to discover, was dedicated to Leonard and Katherine Woolley. Sir Leonard Woolley was a great archeologist who famously excavated the ancient city of Ur in Sumeria, a land that would one day come to be known as southern Iraq. He became a media superstar when he dug down through the artifact-laden soil of Ur to find a very thick layer almost entirely free of man-made remains, and beneath that yet another layer of artifacts. Woolley attributed the break in the artifact layers to an extensive flood--or as he suggested a bit prematurely and the newspapers shouted loudly to all the world, not a flood but The Flood. When the shouting was at its height, Christie was already a world-famous author and an enthusiastic traveler. She visited the dig at Ur and stayed on for some time to lend a hand. There she met and fell in love with archeologist Max Mallowan, whom she married in the same year that she published "Murder at the Vicarage."

Doubtless, anyone who has slogged this far is wondering why I've wandered so far off-track with all this biographical blather. The reason is simply that I am astonished to see Katherine Woolley's name in the dedication. When Christie arrived, Lady Woolley was very much in residence at her husband's archeological site. She regarded herself as Queen of all she surveyed and she went out of her way to make sure that the upstart mystery novelist knew it. Christie got on with Leonard Woolley, but she simply could not abide his wife. In one of her novels, she made a perfectly obvious caricature of Lady Woolley into the murderess. When she transformed the book into a stage play, Christie slyly converted her novel's villainess into her play's comic relief.

This collection of the twenty Marple short stories are, as I've said, not literature themselves, nor even necessarily vintage Christie. Nevertheless, they are clever, entertaining and an invaluable memento of one of the great literary characters of the Twentieth Century.

Five stars for Agatha, for Jane and for St Mary Mead.

"Miss Marple insinuated herself so quickly into my life that I hardly noticed her arrival," Agatha Christie wrote in her posthumously-published autobiography (1977) about the elderly lady who, next to Belgian super-sleuth Hercule Poirot, quickly became one of her most beloved characters. Somewhat resembling Christie's own grandmother and her friends, although "far more fussy and spinsterish" and "not in any way a picture" of the author's granny, like her, she had a certain gift for prophecy and, "though a cheerful person, she always expected the worst of everyone and everything, and was, with almost frightening accuracy, usually proved right."

Although Christie herself considered Miss Marple her favorite creation - preferred even over the prim and proper Belgian with the many "little grey cells," of whose exploits she occasionally tired and whom she brought back again and again chiefly because of her audience's undying demand - there are only twelve Miss Marple novels and twenty short stories: while no small feat in any other author's body of work, just over one tenth of the lifetime output of the writer justifiedly dubbed The Queen of Crime.

This compilation unites the twenty short stories revolving around St. Mary Mead's elderly village sleuth, beginning with the canon of originally six and, after an expansion for republication in book form, later thirteen stories which, in addition to the novel "A Murder at the Vicarage" (1930) introduced Miss Marple to the world; a series of unsolved problems told by her guests one Tuesday night, to be followed by six further problems narrated during a similar gathering at the home of village squire Colonel Bantry and his wife Dolly, about a year later. In attendance on those two nights are a number of people who make recurring appearances next to Miss Marple; first and foremost her doting nephew - thriller novelist Raymond West - and retired Scotland Yard Commissioner Sir Henry Clithering, as well as village solicitor Petherick, and of course the Bantrys (who will move center stage, much to their embarrassment, in "A Body in the Library," 1942); furthermore Raymond's new flame, artist Joyce (later reincarnated as his wife Joan), a doctor, a clergyman, and a well-known actress. Later stories also feature appearances of Miss Marple's niece Diana "Bunch" Harmon, married to the vicar of Chipping Cleghorn, a village not unlike St. Mary Mead (see "A Murder Is Announced," 1950), St. Mary Mead's Dr. Haydock, several maids called Gladys, as well as Inspectors Slack and Craddock and Colonel Melchett of Melchester C.I.D. and village Constable Palk; and of course the usual cast of other unique characters, many of whom could just as well figure in one of the elderly lady's "village parallels," those seemingly unimportant events summing up her knowledge of life, on which she unfailingly draws in unmasking even the cleverest killer. Avid Christie readers will also recognize certain other character types, plot snippets, settings and other features here and there; for Dame Agatha was known to draw repeatedly on devices she found to have worked before, and she tended to use her short stories as mini-laboratories for elements later expanded on in novels. Caveat, lector, of premature conclusions, however, for Christie was equally known to throw in a little extra twist in such cases: what is a real clue in one instance may well be a red herring in another and vice versa, and one story's innocent bystander may easily be the next story's murderer.

"The Thirteen Problems" (1932, a/k/a "The Tuesday Club Murders"):

"The Tuesday Night Club:" Sir Henry Clithering opens the evening with the case of a woman's mysterious poisoning by arsenic.

"The Idol House of Astarte:" A man inexplicably dies after a costume party's nightly excursion to a pagan temple.

"Ingots of Gold:" Raymond West tells about a treasure hunt, sunken ships and murder on the Cornish coast.

"The Bloodstained Pavement:" Joyce and the case of a drowned wife in a Cornish watering place called Rathole.

"Motive vs. Opportunity:" Mr. Petherick's tale of a will that mysteriously vanishes from its sealed envelope.

"The Thumb Mark of St. Peter:" Miss Marple's story how she quashed rumors about the sudden death of her niece Mabel's husband.

"The Blue Geranium:" Opening the second round of mysteries, Colonel Bantry's narration about a prophecy involving death and three uncharacteristically blue flowers.

"The Companion:" Two English ladies go on a holiday in Tenerife, but only one returns home alive.

"The Four Suspects:" Sir Henry Clithering's account of the murder of a retired secret agent.

"A Christmas Tragedy:" Having failed to prevent a murder, Miss Marple is all the more eager to unmask the murderer.

"The Herb of Death:" Mrs. Bantry's gifts as a storyteller, a serving of sage and foxglove, and a charming young girl's unexpected death.

"The Affair at the Bungalow:" Double-dealings, charades and mischief on stage and off, just outside of London.

"Death by Drowning:" A village girl "in trouble" finds a desperate solution - or does she?

From "The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories" (1939):

"Miss Marple Tells a Story:" Miss Marple assists Mr. Petherick in the case of a client accused of having murdered his wife.*

From "Three Blind Mice and Other Stories" (1950):

"Strange Jest:" A rich iconoclast's final joke - at the expense of his heirs?*

"Tape-Measure Murder:" Miss Marple's knowledge of village life and human nature (once more) corrects the all-too straightforward path of Inspector Slack's investigation of an elderly lady's murder.*

"The Case of the Caretaker:" Dr. Haydock's story about a rural rascal, a poor little rich girl, an old estate and its grumpy caretaker.*

"The Case of the Perfect Maid:" Domestic service and burglary in a Victorian estate-turned-apartment building.*

From "The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding" (1960):

"Greenshaw's Folly" (republished in "Double Sin," below): A reverse-locked-room mystery at an eccentrically-built country estate.

From "Double Sin and Other Stories" (1961):

"Sanctuary" (first published 1954, a/k/a "The Man on the Chancel Steps"): The last secret of a man found dying on Chipping Cleghorn's church steps.*
_______________________________

*Republished posthumously in "Miss Marple's Final Cases" (1979).

With the exception of Nietzsche, never has been philosophy been so much fun! Mist comes across to me as a romping Borges - by this I mean it is full of ideas and creative, as is Borges, but Miguel De Unamuno seems to have the almost girlish exuberance of the Spanish while the Argentinan stays more alof and academic.
Contemporary philosophy normally involves a trained vocabulary and historical understanding, but De Unamuno manages to make this an interesting story and throwing in bones for us to ponder. I often found myself pausing and chewing on my lip, lost in thought. Oh, and how I laughed! At one point the absent minded main character has fallen is asleep and is called to dinner by his servant. Wondering whether the voice was in his head or not he exclaims: "Psychological mysteries!"
It is a shame De Unamuno is not better known.

This is one of my favorite books of all time. It's about everything and nothing at the same time. It's a tragic love story, a philosophical quest, and a literary experiment all in one. An existential novel about how to write an existential novel! Unamuno's writing is both very funny and deeply insightful, and at the end, he has you questioning whether or not you yourself are alive. A mind-bending work, and one I have read again and again.

" Ni los recuerdos ni los suenos son tan efimeros como la NIEBLA"

This book deals with human emotions, thoughts and fears in a deep, meaningful and funny way. It has a little bit of everything, private conversations with God, the search for the true meaning of life, the quest to find an everlasting love, the fear of facing death, and the hardships that every single human faces during a lifetime.

I read it in Spanish, and I have to say it is one of the best written books I have read so far. Every single word is where it should be, and the story flows magnificently. Im sure that with a good translation this book won't lose its magic in English.

Although it deals with very serious topics, the story is simple, well written, funny, easy to read and with a very unexpected twist at the end...

It simply belongs to a class of its own.

Miguel de Unamuno was definitely ahead of his time. This is a wonderful book, full of great lines you'll be quoting (e.g., "The best mnemonic device is a notebook in your pocket."). The structure of this book is really unique, and the story is so unusual! The main character in the book wants to kill himself and the author won't let him, so the character argues with the author. Very twisted, very mind-bending, very wonderful. The writing is clever, the characters are familiar but I've never met them before, and the style is engaging. I'm off to read more Unamuno!

This is the typical novel that when in schooldays, the Teacher order the pupils to read it. And obviously, you do (or you pretend that you do) without paying very much attention on what you read. Sometimes this novel do not appear in the Compulsory Lecture Program, and you escape from it. This is what happened to me...
Later, a friend of yours (in my case it was my partner) recommends you to go over it again, and you discover a Gem.
There are very little things than can be said about the plot, the characters, the language... because I risk to spoil the whole experience of reading it. But I would not avoid saying that Unamuno was one of the most clever writers that ever existed in my country (everyone has heard of him here), and that in "Mist", mostly all things that worries the Human being, such as love, relationships between men and women, marriage, the Meaning of life, the aim of Literature itself... is within its pages, and that is exposed in a very surprising and entertaining way.
As every Masterpiece, it admits many different lectures and points of view, and it might be a very good piece of literature to be discussed in one of those Book Clubs that are so popular in the States.
Trust me: Read it and you won't be disappointed.

This book read like a hollywood movie. This is a well written colorful story. I admired the way that he weaved the lives of all these characters together with such richness. I have a new favorite author.

I thoroughly enjoyed this latest "story" by Victor. The character development as well as the plots were great and the book overall was rip roaring fun. I truly enjoyed the dialogue between the characters as well as the time Mr. McGlothin took to research the dialect and news of the times. I believe we have another hit. Great Work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Victor, you've done it again! This one was off the chiz'zain, LOL! No seriously, I really enjoyed Ms. Etta's Fast House. The setting and the characters were great. Reads just like a motion picture and it would surely be a good one, when that happens. I recommend this one to all. If you haven't read it, go out and get it, it's guarenteed to entertain you.

Victor McGlothin has written a fascinating story that reads like a screen play adventure that will grab and hold your attention to the very end. This novel dramatically unfolds the life and times of a smooth operator by the pseudo-name Baltimore Floyd, who is clever to the bone. With his versatile show stopper personality, Baltimore is able to amass friends on both the straight-laced and shady side of the track. Those daring enough to ride with Baltimore, are sure to encounter some interesting times ahead that will guarantee them a storehouse of memories to rehash with friends and family alike. Also, because of the era in which the story is told, the reader gets a cultural education that engages the mind on many different levels. The character Baltimore is cataclysmic and he is a force of nature. Well done Victor.

Sisters of Adinkra Book Club
Dallas, TX

This book was phenomenal. This was a fast pace tale about a hustler named Baltimore Floyd who always came to the rescue for a friend. When the tables turned and he got into trouble his friends came through for him. I loved this character. He was a true ladies man who got caught up in the game.
The character development was great. The descriptions were so vivid that I felt like I was watching a film. It was an emotional roller coaster. The historical information and medical facts were very impressive. The author really did his research. A few of the facts that I enjoyed were the integration of the The St Louis police force and the training of the African American surgeons at "Homer G. Phillips Hospital" in St Louis. This book reminded me of a time in the past where the community united to help one another.
I loved this book. I highly recommend it. McGlothin has done a phenomenal job with this story. He captured me and I did not want it to end. I can hardly wait for his next journey because I know it will be a great one. Keep them coming!!!

In the last few years, so many memoirs and stories have been written by Iranians and published in English (mostly by Iranian women). It looks like the market is hot for these titles. This has resulted in publication of many disingenuous works that are politically reactionary and artistically inferior (such as Reading Lolita in Tehran).
"The Mullah with No Legs and Other Stories" is politically progressive (even though it does not directly deal with politics) and artistically superb. It is a personal journey of an Iranian boy written with an excellent humor and wit. The stories are mostly sad, but you can't stop laughing! This book reserves recognition. Read it! (I have heard that the author's name is a pen name. I don't know why he did not publish this work with his real Persian name.)

I have read so many so called memoirs about Iranians, mostly about Iranian women, with a few exceptions, such as Persepolis and funny in Farsi, I have found most of them dishonest and insincere; full of illusions and delusions not memoirs! However, "The Mullah with no legs and other stories" by Ari Siletz is the most honest account of a society going through rapid changes and a true experience of a little boy trying to come to terms with his society, his family, and himself. I enjoyed reading this book tremendously and I visited the "garden of memory" with Ari in every page of this book. I was laughing in one moment and crying in another moment. It touched my heart. I recommend this book to everyone who loves literature and enjoys reading and learning, Iranians, non-Iranians, men, women, adults, and children! Ari, please write more, we need more of you and less of those who write for an emerging marker of the "Iranian women memoir industry".

There is a reason why all the reviewers (so far) give this book 5 stars; it belongs on the national best-seller list. The Mullah With No Legs and Other Stories is a thin volume (perfect for busy lives)of beautifully crafted short stories. Written by Iranian-American Ari Siletz, it has to be THE book for academics and lovers of literature with an interest in cross-cultural literary themes. The characters in Siletz's stories are acutely drawn and treated with a degree of sensitivity and mischievous humor normally attributed to some of the best writers of our era. His stories are infused with warmly depicted, foible-ridden individuals whose lives unfold in completely recognizable ways to the Western reader, albeit laced with an Iranian gestalt: ancient Persian traditions, religious custom, and highly complex familial motivations. Because he is a masterful story-teller with a brilliant affinity for evocative prose, Siletz belongs firmly in the world of literature; but he has the insight and observational acumen of a skilled anthropologist. These are the reasons I think The Mullah With No Legs And Other Stories belongs on the bestseller list. His talent eclipses that of many contemporary writers whose names are now household words.

Siletz has a graceful manner in telling stories that leads the reader into territory that feels unfamiliar at the outset, but brings understanding of the commonality of the human condition by the end.

His stories have an autobiographical feel to them, but they are fiction. They are based on his childhood experiences in Iran and are written with an eye towards enlightening American audiences about life in Iran.

One of my favorite stories was "The Dog" for it showed the cultural differences in how dogs are perceived between Iranians and Americans. The funniest aspect was showing how his Iranian family was surprised to hear that anyone could make money selling dog food, dog toys and dog soaps. Because dogs, while not forbidden are considered to be unclean.

A favorite line of mine was "Give a parched Iranian the choice between a glass of water sniffed by a dog and a glass of radioactive waste, and he will have to think about it."

I highly recommend this book, and it will soon be back in print!

Initially, seeing the word "Mullah" in the title, I thought this was going to be mostly about politics and Mullah/Islam bashing.... I was so off!
This is a must read. I enjoyed this book on so many levels. I was able to see a side of Iran and the Iranian culture not usually talked about, through the eyes of a child, an Iranian adult, with a twist of an American perspective making serious subjects/moments humorous to read. It was well written. Sanazbanu N.

I enjoyed this book. I do think this is a book for all children , it has great stiries for the whole family. I love to read this book to my daughter.

I can only hope that this brilliant book helpd educate muslims and non-muslims about the true beauty of Islam.

My favorite short stroy is the Black Ghost. The children run from fear of her and her young son is dreadfully embarrassed until the black ghost rescues one of the boys. Reaching out from under her black abaya, the mysterious woman is soft and gentle. The young boys confront their friend, "You never told us you had such a nice mother."

Children's Nonfiction

This is a wonderful book. It's informative, non-judgemental, and non-proselytizing. I was especially impressed that the authors managed to tell a series of situational stories from a child's point of view. My favorite was the one about the little boy who becomes separated from his parents at Mecca and finds shelter with a kindly old man. This book covers such topics as Muslim minority children having to choose between adherences to their religion, e.g. forgoing observance of prayer times and dietary restrictions for the sake of convenience and fitting in with the crowd. I could feel the self-consciousness myself when a little boy overhears his friends mistaken his mother for a ghost after being frightened by her veil, and the guilt when a young girl succumbs to temptation and devours the delicious candies that contain pork byproducts.

This book is so informative and well-written it should be in every muslim house. However, this book is not only very good for muslim children, it is also an excellent book for non-muslim children to read and learn more about islam. It can be used as an excellent tool in a classroom to dispel any misconceptions non-muslim children may carry against their muslim classmates. They will be able to learn more about prayer, fasting, eid and other things that their muslim classmates and friends follow in their lives.