Q Books

I found it a fascinating of how one man could become a major dealer in nuclear technology.

The lax security in the European nuclear program allowed a Pakistani engineer Khan to steal the centrifuge designs. Khan took those designs to Pakistan to help create a nuclear bomb there. Soon Khan became the head of a major nuclear organization in Pakistan. Soon the Pakistani had developed centrifuges technology that could bypass the international controls on making nuclear bombs.

Here contrary to the writer, I am not so sure from his evidence the US atomic program for peace failed as he suggested. The appeal of Khan technology to rogue countries was they could bypass the checks here. So Khan sold this technology for large sums to Iran, Libya, North Korea and maybe one more.

Part of the problem stopping Khan was finding what was happening. Then it was his prestige in Pakistan. Plus the free world's need for Pakistani support both in the cold war and the war in Afghanistan after 911 but eventually in January 2004, under world pressure Khan was arrested and put under house arrest. So finally stopping Khan, leaving us with a problem of knowing how much damage Khan did!

Now it is a few years since the book was written. Iran is still trying to make a bomb. At best, Khan would have given it a boost. The Libyan spent much money for nothing and eventually gave up on nuclear bombs, so his contribution there was useless. North Korea appears according to recent information gave up earlier on this type of uranium enrichment technology and went back to the power reactor method. Maybe he helped with the bomb design. The last unknown country, I cannot comment.

Finally I am left wondering what happened to the money the Pakistani got from these countries? Khan lived a good life but he did not take much of the money. I suspect that it went to the Pakistan's nuclear program which I find a disturbing conclusion.

Overall if you are interested in this, you will find this a fascinating read.

George Tenet reportedly described A.Q. Khan as "at least as dangerous as Osama bin Laden." Corera adds that Khan has had greater impact on nuclear proliferation than any other individual - yet, his story begins simply as the right man in the right place. Trained as a metallurgist in Europe, he began work in '72 at a research lab in the Netherlands at the forefront of Europe's efforts to develop the latest centrifuge technology for nuclear fuel, providing independence from the U.S.

Next to the research lab was a plant holding thousands of tall, slender centrifuges connected by a maze of metal piping. Each machine only enriched the gas a tiny amount - thus, the need for a connected cascade. Each centrifuge consisted of 100 parts, many engineered to within /001 of a mm. and able to withstand very high speeds. One tiny mistake and the centrifuge spins out of control, often crashing into other machines and destroying the entire cascade.

Khan's first job at the research center was to translate documents for a new German-designed centrifuge - the P2. Security at the site was lax, and within three years Khan's co-worker became convinced Khan was a spy. Authorities were alerted, but according to most accounts, the CIA helped convince them just to watch Khan and remove his access to secret materials. Realizing he'd been found out, Khan returned to Pakistan, taking thousands of pages of documents and even discarded parts with him.

At about this same point in time the U.S. learned of Pakistan's intent to use fuel reprocessing (aided by France) to make a bomb. France as convinced to stop the program, leading Pakistan to instead focus on Khan's knowledge of centrifuges. (Other advantages of using centrifuges were that much less space and power were required than reprocessing or gaseous diffusion - making the program much easier to hide.)

Khan knew Pakistan lacked the manufacturing skills ("couldn't make a pin"), but he also knew who the component suppliers were for the research lab where he had worked. Thus, he utilized a network of Swiss, German, U.K., U.S., China (bomb design), North Korea (missile design), and Niger (yellowcake) suppliers. By 1987 Pakistan had the bomb. Soon after, Khan began marketing his/Pakistan's skills - North Korea, Libya, and Iran. Throughout this period and on to the present, the U.S. knew of Pakistan's activities but refrained from taking strong action because their cooperation was needed to help defeat the Russians in Afghanistan, and then after 9/11 in terror-reduction efforts.

An IAEA inspection in '03 found Iran with 160 cascaded P1-design centrifuges and evidence of uranium enriched to between 36 - 70%. Iran's original efforts began under the Shah in 1976, were known about in the U.S., and reportedly led Saddam Hussein in Iraq to press for his own program (began by purchasing a reactor from France). Iran, like its mentor, Pakistan, eventually also decided to go the centrifuge route after the U.S. pressed France to renege on an agreement to provide Iran with a fuel reprocessing (enrichment) plant. In addition, taking a lesson from Iraq's reactor being destroyed by Israel, Iran built its facilities in a dispersed, underground manner.

Currently it is not clear what Iran's strategy is. It may simply be building a large, legal stockpile of power-plant level fuel - ready to upgrade to weapons grade on short notice in only 20% of the time required starting from scratch. Or, it may have a parallel setup that is creating bomb-grade material at the present.

Pakistan's proliferation activities continued after 9/11 - however, dissidents in various countries provided information that led to finding enrichment centrifuges on a ship bound for Libya. Libya decided to renounce its program, and the information garnered from them and their suppliers helped prove to Pakistan's leaders that Khan and his associates were running amok.

A.Q. Khan has now been under house arrest in Pakistan for several years, unable to even use the telephone. Hopefully his proliferation activities have all been undone. However, his network suppliers have by now learned how valuable their offerings are, and it is also known that he also worked with those wanting to start a program in Saudi Arabia.

A.Q. Khan was the world's leading black market dealer in nuclear technology and a hero in Pakistan: Khan was known as the Father of the Bomb and built a global network selling nuclear secrets to Iran, North Korea and Libya. It's surprising to note that this is the first book-length survey of the rise and fall of the man and his role in spreading nuclear technology. It use interviews with politicians and key members of his own network to survey not only Khan's life and influence on the spread of nuclear technology, but the methods and intentions of the rogue states who bought from him. New details on how the CIA penetrated his network and broke his ring makes for a unique and eye-opening analysis which is a top recommendation for both general-interest collections strong in terrorist studies and military holdings.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This book is an excellent piece of work on Nuclear Proliferation. Things that I would have liked to see in this book :

*) Substantiated material with actual interviews with intelligence officers. Author uses lots of qoutes from private conversations, but how did he get access to those ? That makes me question a bit the authencity of the research.

*) The book keeps on jumping back and forth, which is an excellent case to muddy the presentation. I would have liked a chronological order maintained in the book so that thought processes can be collected and processed efficiently.

Overall it is an eye-opener.

This is a pretty good book giving a balanced view of what was known or suspected of Dr A.Q. Khan's activities. It does explain how Mr Khan got his Nuclear education and how he found his way into a nuclear program in Europe in the early 1970s. It gives some clear indications of the divisions that separate India and Pakistan which are remote from most of us who have been born in the USA, and how these may have served as a powerful motivator for Dr Kahn.

The book places many things into context and gives enough chronology that you can sort the various pieces out. There are some factual matters that can be argued with mr Corera, for example he claims Iraq had no nuclear program, despite the US having found a viable centrifuge buried in an Iraqi Scientist's garden. The book does give some idea of what the intelligence community knew and when they knew it. I personally am heartened that the intelligence comunity was able to penetrate this network when they realized this would be highly desirable. The CIA has suffered in the area of being able to recruit agents on the ground as a result of late 1970s reforms which emphasized technology approaches to the cold war as opposed to human intelligence.

The book also does a good job of bringing out the US dilemma in terms of asking an invaluable ally in Purvez Muscharev (sp?) to take down a national hero. A job that was a very delicate undertaking.

great for people who love to doodle and who enjoy reaching inside and having fun with your inner self

An excellent variety of simple, but quite creative activities to start you thinking about yourself. I wish there were follow ups of this kind.

Spiritual Doodles and Mental Leapfrogs: Playbook for Unleashing Spiritual Self Expression
What a disappointment. If I had seen it before buying I would not have purchased it. It is written in poor hand-printing which makes it hard to read. The suggestions seem recycled, not new and not interesting. I would have returned it except for the bother of shipping it back to Amazon.

This is a great book to get you started in self-expressive journaling and doodling. There is such a variety of reflections and exercises- you can pick and choose the ones you're in the mood to do. I haven't finished going through all of the exercises, but it is a fun book so far. The pages are filled with doodles and drawings by the author. They invite play and spontaneity. It is a great way to get to know yourself better and explore a new means of self-expression.

This book is a wonderful tool for someone needing to find themselves. I also use this to channel my anger. It was very well done and I think everyone should have a copy!!!

This book is about web testing in general, not just performance testing, and is a must have for the professional testing engineer. Chapters 7 and 8, on performance and scalability give a very good introduction to the subject, and include a great sample performance testing plan.

Michael Czeiszperger
Web Performance, Inc. Stress Testing Software
http://www.webperformanceinc.com

The Web Testing Handbook is an excellent guide to `real world' testing of web sites and web applications. The book includes techniques, tips, checklists and - what I found really useful - lists of relevant URLs giving me instant opportunities to obtain up-to-date research, statistics and further expert opinion. The book also overcomes the problems many people have with endless acronyms by containing explanations of underlying web technologies. As a tester, I found the level just right - not over my head and not (like many Internet books) around my boots.
The book's approach is pragmatic and doesn't seek to give instant answers where none exist. Neither does it push academic approaches, which are never going to work in a high-pressure industry. I found the discussions of issues and solutions to be practical and useful. There is also a case study to reinforce the points made by the author - as well as making the topics more interesting. I would recommend this book to anyone directly or indirectly involved in web testing. It shows testers what to test and how. It gives test managers a framework and an approach to managing web testing - even including information on software tools. It is informative, understandable and, above all, readable.

When looking into books for any tech-related topic, I look for two qualities to assess the value of the book. The first is the depth of the subject matter of the work. I look for books that teach me new technologies, technique, or process. The second is the book's lasting value as a reference for future work. When spending money, I'd like to be sure that the lasting value of the book is at least potentially there. This book has neither of those qualities, here's why:

- Depth of Subject Matter -
It's difficult to determine who this book is written to educate. The forward identifies the audience as existing software testers looking for education in the finer points of web software testing. That's legitimate, but it falls far short of this or any other unstated goals. The delivery of material in this work is quick and dirty. There's no topic that extends beyond a single-digit number of pages. This makes plenty of sense in the early chapters where the discussion of things like hardware compatibility are discussed. Other areas deserve far better coverage. The topics of browser compatibility, performance testing, and scalability testing, for example, are scantly explained. It's a disservice to the reader, since these are paramount topics for the intended audience. Another downfall to this approach is its failure to discuss the organizational differences between an IT team deploying software frequently versus one deploying incremental releases on a yearly timeframe. To be fair, the authors touch on this topic, but it's nothing comprehensive.

- Reference Value -
The reference value of this book is almost zero. I run a test team for a web based business of considerable size, and I have to say I found some actually misleading advice in the work. A lot of the explanations of what's smart and what's avoidable fall completely off the mark. Even worse, and this is actually enough of a reason to start looking for a different book right away, is the poor quality of the references throughout the book. While they spend some considerable time explaining the difference between the time in a normal software development cycle and one that operates under 'web time', they cite sources from two and three years ago that are completely irrelevant considering the widespread and fundamental changes to the online software development domain. They establish 'web time' as an accelerated, hectic calendar where nothing is the same after two months of churning, but then cite references from 1999 market research studies to back up their points. Though definitely not intentional, it's very neglectful. I turned to the front of the book at one point to re-verify the copyright date. ...

So, for me and for my needs, this book is essentially worthless and I'm sad to have spent [$$] to learn this. The topics are covered only as summaries, but those that deserve and in some cases completely require a much deeper explanation are treated similarly. Regarding the intended audience, it's still a head scratcher because of the delivery of the material. It's not heavy in any one area, so it's difficult to determine if this is for a QA manager (can't work, not enough attention to process), the new tester (can't work, not enough detail on the actual testing), the converting tester (might work, but the high-level descriptions coupled with the indescriminate delivery of the subjects would confuse anyone without due insight), or the experienced web tester (can't work, too much of the data is elementary to those already functioning as a tester in the web space). I don't suggest it, and I wouldn't suggest it in a future edition if they work to update the references.

I've purchased and been reading this book. I've also reviewed the downloadable sample documents "Master Test Plan" and this is almost exactly what I need for the test plan I'm writing for our extranet site. Before finding this book, I spent hours searching for methods and techniques to use for developing a through test plan. Once I found this resource, my searching was over.

Testing Web-based applications and web interfaces is a new focus for many companies. Web-based application testing is different from the traditional client / server, PC, and / or mainframe system software products. Also factored in are code quality, browser compatibility, site navigation, user interaction, performance, and scalability.

Recognizing that companies need to conduct evaluation as they develop their "next generation" web sites and applications, The authors have written an insightful introduction to the concepts and techniques for conducting various tests. The book starts with an introduction to web programming, servers, architecture, and all those something 2 something terms (Business to Business (B2B) and Market to Market (M2M) for example). To select and conduct appropriate tests requires an understanding the purpose of the application and the architecture that supports it.

The authors reference a study by Creative Good during the 1998 holiday season on 10 leading Web shopping sites. The study found that for every US$1 spent on advertising generated US$5 in additional review while US$1 spent on "customer experience" improvements yielded more than US$60 in additional review. What more motivation is needed to ensure your Web site is usable?

This handbook guides you through the web testing process. The book is easy to follow and avoids dry "theory" talk that you find in many technical books. How often have you read such a book and found yourself unable to apply it to real world situations? You'll find a handy checklist of test conditions along with URLs for further references associated with the section to help you apply the test concepts. You can take the relevant items from the checklists and create your test case templates. The authors took another step and created a companion Web site using an imaginary company as a case study and included downloadable sample business requirements and test plans associated with the case study.

Covering all of the possible bases, the book offers guidelines and checklists for conducting all kinds of testing that applies to web-based applications, from interface usability to server functionality. It also includes common software development scenarios and provides possible options for handling them. For example, a team may require everyone to work on the weekend to test the Web site's ability to handle a large number of users. However, it may not be the best way to go functionally and financially. The authors explain the reasoning and present available options.

While traditional software developers are probably most familiar with concepts like load testing (determining how much load a server can handle) and software testing (making sure that all of the functionality works), human factors professionals have touted the concept of usability testing as a way of determining how well a user might be able to navigate and use a web site or application. Jakob Nielsen has been one of the most vocal in this. The book provides a variety of methods for testing usability.

The book provides something for everyone in a software development shop including developers, testers, managers, and project managers. Testers get help on how and where to begin. Managers can benefit from the test strategies and planning. Companies new to testing and not knowing which tools and resources to use will want to review the book's unbiased discussion and resources of such tools. You won't feel overwhelmed by the resources because it's organized by sections, which helps you focus on current needs.

The book is well laid out and it's a fast read. It would be difficult to miss its concepts. This well-rounded book would be a boon to any software development team's library even if it were only one person playing all the parts.

I just finished a masters program in public policy, and though this book was not used in any of my classes, it was recommended reading. I have to say that it provides a great introduction to bureaucracies and why they are the way they are. (Spoiler: it's not, as many believe, because bureacrats are idiots) Coming from a background of small, private-sector organizations, this was especially useful for me.

I appreciate Wilson's taxonomies of various organizations. Every political scientist has to have a 2x2 matrix to divide the world, but one of Wilson's, that divides organizations into "production," "coping," "craft," and "procedural" is particularly useful. If you are planning a career in public service, you'd do well to take some time to match your personality to the type of organization you're thinking of joining.

This is a book used for my public management class and I have to say, it is pretty interesting. I feel that there is some overlap in chapters, but overall it's a good book.

Overall good book offering the student of Bureaucratic Behavior a unique insight into the wide variety of personality traits that are commonly found in today's bureacracies as well as an in-depth vew of how the US form of Governemnt operates in a sometimes difficult arena of these personalities. I do believe chapter summaries could have been better developed and in some cases there was too much in the examples and in some there was too little. Overall a good book on the subject.

Though the author does name drop Max Weber twice, this book is far from a concise sociological understanding of the concept bureaucracy. So reading it from this standpoint, the material would appear a bit long winded and inconcise. I would not recommend this book if you are interested in understanding bureaucracy from a sociological perspective. The focus is strictly government bureaucracy (mostly if not entirely a United States bureacracy analysis). "Search inside this book" and you can see how the author breaks up this focus. ( Don't be fooled by reading the paged provided to you by Amazon, the rest of the book isn't at all like those few beginning pages. The book gets more uninteresting as you read the following chapters.) In my opinion the book is overloaded with example that, as reader, you kind of lose focus as to what the points of those examples are. And it's almost as though these "examples" that the author provides are really suppose to be stand alone "stories of interest" The book was written in 1989 so all the examples are dated in that respect so if you purchase this book now in 2007, these examples may not be of any interest in and of themselves like I believe the author intended them to be. For 25 plus dollars I would say that this book really isn't worth a purchase but if money is not an issue or if you can get this book for less then whatever you know. It not even a very good book on government bureaucracy either in my opinion because the author really isn't very insightful in his analysis. Just read the review by Tansu Demir found in the review section and save your money.

Wilson, as usual, writes amazingly well in this comprehensive book covering bureaucracies, how they operate, and why bureaucrats act the way they do.

He discusses the different organizational features that persist across all bureaucracies, and why it is that once a bureaucracy is created it's almost impossible to get rid of. This may pique your interest if you've been following the recent attempts to solve our intelligence problems by adding more layers of bureaucrats, as if that will somehow solve the problem.

Highly recommended to all students of American politics.

An Enchanted Season is a heart-warming collection of holiday stories by four spellbinding authors.


Melting Frosty by Maggie Shayne

Matt's dad died when he was young, leaving them deep in debt. To try and raise some cash for Christmas gifts, his mother sells his dad's clothes including his old felt hat, which was the only thing of his father's that Matt really wanted. Matt's not real fond of Christmas after that.

Holly's entire family died in a car accident when she was twelve, but she was spared. She says she was with them on the other side and they're ok; her mom told her she was coming back for a reason. She told Holly to remember her every year at Christmas, which was a big holiday for their family. If she does, her mom will be there with her.

Years later Holly's aunt has arranged for her to spend Christmas in her family's old house, and she feels drawn to it for some reason this year. Meanwhile, Matt is flying to New York, with the intent to buy the house. Their paths cross in a series of happy coincidences - or are they?

I like how Holly's cheerful nature affects Matt, pulling him out of his crotchety mood. The whole story makes me feel warm and squishy inside. How's "squishy" for descriptive? But take it from a reader who normally doesn't like anything too sappy - this story is just right. Maggie Shayne's paranormal romances were among the very first of the genre that I ever read, so she will always have a special place in my heart and on my bookshelf.


Charlotte's Web by Erin McCarthy

Charlotte Murphy and Will Thornton have been friends forever. Both are in love with each other, but neither knows about the other's feelings. Charlotte is a witch in denial about her powers. She has always felt different from the rest of her power-endowed family. Charlotte's sister encourages her to work a lust spell on Will, but Charlotte's not sure she wants him just because she put a spell on him.

This is for the friends-to-lovers fans out there, and I definitely count myself in that group. Will and Charlotte have the kind of stunning chemistry and intense emotional bond that I love to read about. Their story is laced with spicy sensuality and it gave me happy tingles. It's no wonder Erin McCarthy's books are so incredibly popular.


Beat of Temptation by Nalini Singh

Tamsyn has known since she was fifteen and her mating instinct was awakened that she is destined to be with Nate. But Nate is ten years older than Tammy, and he knows the dangers of mating before both parties have had a chance to live and explore the world. He doesn't want to rush her into a full-mated commitment until she's older. But Tammy is impatient, and they're both very sexually frustrated.

Tammy and Nate's story has a breathtaking intensity and depth of emotion that's rare and wonderful. The author does an amazing job of building this world where changelings, humans and Psi coexist, sometimes less than peacefully. I had heard very good things about Nalini Singh's work, and now I know why. You'll want to check out her other books, especially Slave to Sensation, where Nate and Tammy are first introduced.


Gifts of the Magi by Jean Johnson

Steve Bethel and his fiancée Rachel are in danger of losing their home, which is also a bed and breakfast, if they can't make the mortgage payment. Now they're facing a record-breaking snowstorm, and guests are calling to cancel their reservations. But the arrival of three mysterious guests might be their salvation.

This is a well-written story of love, compassion, generosity and miracles, and Jean Johnson makes it feel warm and cozy despite the blizzard. This story includes a touch of holiday cheer from a variety of religions, which I really liked. Steve and Rachel have been in a bit of a rut because of financial stress, and I loved seeing them re-ignite their passion for one another.


This anthology is just right for the holidays, with lots of warm fuzzies and gentle passion. Every story is tight and exquisitely written, so if you enjoy Christmas romances with a paranormal twist, you'll definitely want to pick this one up.

4 Kisses, 1 Pepper

~Lindy
Reviewer, TwoLips Reviews, LLC
www.TwoLipsReviews.com

I bought this book solely for the story by Nalini Singh. ANYTHING by Nalini Singh is wonderful and well worth the price! I would highly recommend this book and Nalini's story to every romance reader. Buying this book was the highlight of my holiday season! :o)

Other reviewers have done an excellent job of describing the stories. Unlike the others, however, I found Nalini Singh's the least appealing - this was my first read of this author, and, while I certainly enjoy the paranormal and offbeat, I was turned off by the incessant and boringly repetitious beat of temptation and sexual frustration - Nate's reason for resisting Tamsyn for 4 years didn't make any sense given the whole belief structure around mating. And there was a stray subplot about an evil Psy; I think it was intended to link to Nalini's other books, but given the other 3 stories stood on their own, the subplot seemed out of place. Gifts of Magi, while obvious in its intent, was the best crafted - interesting characters, some surprises, and not a lot of repetitious descriptions of what people were thinking. It was a very nice way to end the book. Maggie's Melting Frosty was almost equally heartwarming and certainly more moving - 2 people who reacted very differently to a devastating family death at a young age, who found each other (AND they relatively quickly recognized they were meant for each other). Erin's story of 3 witches (wasn't there a TV show about 3 sister witches?) was ok - 2 people in love with each other for a long time, but not showing anything until the holidays. The witches aspect was secondary to the romance.

This is a paranormal anthology containing 4 short stories with a paranormal and Christmas theme.

Melting Frosty by Maggie Shayne - Both Matt and Holly have had traumatic experiences in their youth surrounding the holidays. But the two of them end up having very different feelings about the Holidays. Holly loves and embraces them while Matt despises them.
This story starts out a little cheesy and far fetched but quickly turned into an enjoyable Christmas tale about two strangers with more in common than they originally thought.

Charlotte's Web by Erin McCarthy - Charlotte and Will have been best friends for a long time. Both of them are also secretly in love with the other, they just don't know how to change this friendship into a more intimate relationship. Luckily Charlotte's sisters, who fancy themselves witches, have some ideas of their own.
This was one of my favorite stories. Charlotte and Will are adorable and along with all the heat and chemistry there are some funny moments, too.

Beat of Temptation by Nalini Singh - Nate and Tammy are changelings, part of a leopard pack. On her 15th birthday they knew that their souls were connected and they were fated to be mates. Because of their age difference Nate has been putting off consummating their relationship, claiming he wants Tammy to see the world before they settle down.
This is probably the least Christmas related story of the bunch, pretty much the only link to Christmas is that of a tree. I have never read this authors work so at first I was a little lost in the Psy-Changeling world, but this quickly became one of my favorites. The author did an excellent job of making me see and believe these characters. The emotions they go through are written so clearly that it's easy to feel them.

Gifts of the Magi by Jean Johnson - Rachel and Steve have taken over his family Bed and Breakfast. But due to a tornado and their insurance company claiming bankruptcy they are coming close to losing it all. Then in the middle of a snow storm 3 strangers come to stay. This is a twist on the three wise men.
This story was by far my least favorite. It is one hokey moment after another and the dialogue was so cheesy, it was really hard for me to get through. It really came close to ruining this book for me. The story was just boring and too miraculous; it came off a little preachy and just did nothing for me.

As far as anthologies go this one was very enjoyable, had it not been for the Jean Johnson's story I probably would have given it a 5. The first three stories are wonderful, unique and very entertaining.

Berkley brings four gifted authors together in An Enchanted Season for a magical book filled with some delightful tales of romance and inspiration.

~Melting Frosty by Maggie Shayne~

Matt and Holly both suffered tragic loss during the Christmas holidays when they were children, but each reacted completely differently to the pain. While Holly looks for the joy and love in all things, Matt expects only emptiness and sorrow. Brought together by a series of miracles, stranded together by a snowstorm, this pair will have an everlasting effect on each other...

If ever a story were written that made one believe in miracles - especially the miracle of love - it would be Maggie Shayne's Melting Frosty. She had my eyes watering by page three of her story and the waterworks never really stopped after that. I don't truly know which touched me more - Matt's despair or Holly's hope. Both were palpable in their intensity and made for an unforgettable and heart-warming read.

~Charlotte's Web by Erin McCarthy~

Friends. That's what Will and Charlotte have always been, much to her dismay. Oh, it isn't that she doesn't want his friendship, it's just that she has longed for much more than that for years. But Will doesn't seem to see her as anything more than a buddy. It's time for Charlotte to tap into the magic of the holiday season and her family's own witchy heritage to try and catch Will's attention in a big, romantic way...

I am always a sucker for romances with friends who have loved each other from afar for too long. In Charlotte's Web, Erin McCarthy does the theme right with the love affair between Will and Charlotte. Pair Charlotte's barely hidden desire with long-stifled magical abilities that have a delicious way of granting her fondest wishes where Will is concerned and you have a sexy, fun tale that you will be more than happy to snuggle up with on a cold winter's night...

Connected Stories:
A Date with the Other Side
Heiress For Hire

~Beat of Temptation by Nalini Singh~

It is years before most shape shifters find their mate - years during which they enjoy independence and sexual freedom with multiple partners before settling down. Nate was always drawn to Tamsyn, although he was much older than her. But when she turned fifteen, something clicked and they recognized each other as mates.

Still, Nate was determined to allow her space and freedom in which to mature and find herself before he claimed her as his. Admirable enough, but that very space and freedom turned torturous for the frustrated Tammy, until four years later when she is so ready to explode she'll do anything to break Nate's hated self-control...

With the first book in the Psy/Changeling series, Nalini Singh garnered another fan with this reviewer. With each subsequent story in this riveting series, she proves she is no one-hit wonder, delivering intense stories filled with passion, intrigue, and best of all, love.

Beat of Temptation follows very admirably in that vein. While it is technically the fourth story in the series, the fact that it is a prequel makes it easy to read out of series order, granting newcomers the chance to sample this talented author's work without first needing to read the other books in the series. Of course, I fully expect anyone who reads Beast of Temptation will rush right out to purchase all of the other books in this series.

The first in this saga to mate two Changelings together rather than a Changeling with a Psy, this tale was no less fascinating for it. In fact, watching Tammy and Nate's denied lust for each other escalate into uncontrollable passion made for some extremely powerful scenes that defy the reader to put the book down until the story's end.

Throughout it all, we still enjoy glimpses of the Psy world as they plot against the Changeling packs for their own financial gain.

Fans of the Psy/Changeling series will adore this glimpse into Nate and Tammy's past, and new fans will find it an excellent entry point to this mesmerizing world.

Connected Stories:
Slave to Sensation (Psy-Changelings, Book 1)
Visions of Heat (Psy-Changelings, Book 2)
Caressed By Ice (Psy-Changelings, Book 3)
Mine to Possess (Psy-Changelings, Book 4)

~Gifts of the Magi by Jean Johnson~

Steve and Rachel are just one mortgage payment away from losing their cherished bed and breakfast inn. The biggest blizzard to hit town in years seems to dash all of their hopes and dreams as reservations go unfulfilled from guests unable to make it to the inn. But the blizzard brings some very unusual miracles, too...

Jean Johnson is a new author for me. I found her story, Gifts of the Magi to be just as spellbinding and emotional as the other stories in An Enchanted Season! Truly, Ms. Johnson easily holds her own in this roster of very talented authors and is a writer I will be looking for more from in the future.

In her story, she brings us the gift of miracles large and small - some magical and some simply born of the human spirit. These miracles will stay in my heart for a long time to come and I daresay will have me considering people in real life a little differently from now on.

This book was extra-ordinary in every way comprehendable. It has opened up a door for me. Because of it, I now plan on reading more novels in this category.

This Sci-Fi novel takes you on a riveting journey of a socially rejected hybrid and his team of wizards, the Elites, who are out to fufill what they believe in. Rights for the good magic users. But, many obsticles stand in their way. This brings us to the other main group of characters.

Division 33, the best team of Enforcers in the galaxy, enforcing the law among all citizens. With many twists between these two sets of characters, the author, astonishingly enough, is able to add a political plot into effect. Two parties create the pro-magic users and the against-magic users. Keeping this in mind the novel is full of Demons and Vampires which keep you interested in the somewhat short boring parts of the Political arena.

To top this all off, it's hard to believe that all this turmoil is part of a plan of a master-minded individual. Can the Elites reach their goal as they explore caves, space stations, and high-security prisons. Read the book and find out. This book, part Sci-Fi, part Fantasy, and part Political has the biggest, and most surprising ending I have ever read.

I suggest you read this book as soon as you can, because it is certain there are more books to come from this author, and each one will take us on a breath taking journey of deceit, frendship, death, and journey for righteousness.

This book was really exciting. The writings by the author were so surprising. It was a real page turner and I am not a science fiction reader as such. It will keep you interested from beginning to end. Can't wait for the sequel from a very talented young man and writer.

I bought the book from daniel shortly after he published it. In that time i have read it six times. It is a great book that combines science-fiction with a political twist a great book which should be read by any science-fiction fan.

This book is the best I have read. Highly recommended! Can't wait for more from this author!

After reading this book it seems to me the author had his friends write the preceding reviews. Notice how most seem to be from the same state of Missouri? I don't want to put Daniel down, most youth at 14 don't sit down and write books. Unfortunately, there's a reason for that. His command of the english language is very far from complete both grammatically and in terms of spelling. I am thinking there was no copy editor, small publisher.

The plot itself is bland and progresses badly. Even when time is spent trying to give characters depth they end up shallow and boring. The dialogue is poor. The universe has a lot of stolen elements from Dungeons and Dragons (except as futuristic sci-fi) with no really original content or application. I kept thinking this had the potential to be an above average book if the author had written it 8 years later than he did.

If you want to support a writer that might really be worth reading after he finishes college, buy this book. If you're not feeling charitable...don't.

but I teach 9th graders and I'm not its intended audience. This too spare book I found ultimately uninvolving. Augie's troubles left me flat. Lydie Rose would have been the main character in a high school book and the hinted at fantasy would have been more blatant.

"THE GYPSIES NEVER CAME is an insightful, touching account of a teenage boy's coming to terms with his physical disability and the deeper, unseen loss of his father. Stephen Roos tells this story with an abundance of wit, humor and audacity, brilliantly exploring the many ways that Augie masks his pain. Roos writes in a terse, masterful style that makes this story even more real and touching. What a lovely read this brilliant novel will make for any teenager and for any parent who is trying to understand one."

Stephen Roos' Gypsies Never Came tells of a small town, a kid with a deformed hand, and a collection of secrets which eventually involves Augie the secret-keeper himself. A fine story evolves of close-knit secrets, insecurities, and the power of friendships.

And also thought-provoking, too. Yes, the story is heart-felt. Wonderfully so. But it also makes you laugh (out loud!) and it makes you think too. It's about time stories for middle-graders got their brains back, isn't it?

Augie, the hero of this beautifully written book, is unusual in many ways. He suffers from a physical handicap and a yearning for the father he has never known. When a wonderfully eccentric girl comes to town, she changes his life. At first Lydie Rose is a thorn in Augie's side as she encourages him to celebrate the fact that he is different from other kids. While he slowly comes to believe that the "gypsies" will come for him, the reader is drawn into his world, a realistic small town. I gave this book to my young brother because I recall reading another of the author's books when I was his age. That book was funny. This book is funny too, some of the time. But it is much more than that. It is a story that stays with you, filled with interesting characters. My brother insisted that I read it myself and I enjoyed it as much as he did

Apparently someone else had this guerrilla marketing strategy, but I'm very pleased to have coresponded w/ Benjamin about this matter. High five for taking the initiative and emailing me back.

I enjoyed this book on many levels for its mystery, its action and the way it leaves the reader to decide for themselves how America's history of war and conflicts has shaped the country and our lives.

The narrator is, in a way, an Every Person, and his resolve is tested and eventually reshaped by the circumstances he finds himself in as well as the people he meets along the way. There is a wierd similarity to The Five People You Meet in Heaven, but I found the way this book was presented to be more thought provoking.

As for the story and plot itself, it is difficult to review line by line without giving away some of the books more interesting items. There are many characters in this book, but if I had to pick a favorite, it would be the unnamed ancient man.

I recommend this book. It's worth the while and you can pick up some interesting historical tidbits along the way.

Six Gallery Press is trash. We all know to get our books from Wasteland Press.

Recently, I shared a concern of sorts related to this book. For the record, Mr. Adams actually took steps to track me down through my publisher and explain what ACTUALLY happened with regard to the reviews below. A man with a good heart takes those steps. After receiving a response from Mr. Adams, I am convinced the comments placed below are not warranted, as the issue referred to was out of his (Mr. Adams) control. I am looking forward to receiving this title and personally, I recommend all who read this get a copy as well. God Bless.

I'd have given this book a 4 or 5 star review, but the author has someone running all over recommending the book when it has no business being even tied to the book. Get the book, but write the author and tell them to rein themselves in: it's bad taste and lessens the importance of the work!

My philosophy is that if a cookbook has one really good recipe, it was worth its purchase price. Stubb's cookbook has more than one of what I consider to be a really good recipe. His recipe for Wicked Jezebel Ribs by itself paid for the book as far as I'm concerned.

I've used Stubb's sauces and rubs for some time. I've also ordered food from there shipped to us, and it was great. Now I know much more about the man and also have some excellent hints on grilling. If for nothing else, you must try the "Marley-B-Que" meatloaf.

I was disappointed with the recipies in the book. The recipies were take off's for Stubbs products. Love Stubbs products, but not this book of recipies.

Interesting insight into the cook, Stubb,great recipies for barbq and a well presented hard cover book, but for the price lacks content. Should be more recipies

I live in Texas and though not a native, I always wondered what all the fuss was about. Texans talk barbecue like New Yorkers discuss subway routes. Bring up the subject of 'que and every Texan has a diffferent opinion of which recipe is the best and which joint serves the best.

Except when it comes to Stubb's. It's on everybody's list.

If you're a regular person like me and just want to go outside and barbecue a great meal, without a lot of fuss, this is the book for you. This book has the right number of recipes--from ribs to chicken to cornmeal-crusted trout that you grill until crispy. Though Stubb's sauces and rubs are sometimes called for, you don't need 'em.

I can see why Stubb became so popular. I especially like Stubb's brisket and rub tips--lots of detailed info, but his technique is simple and straightforward. Most of the dishes can be made year-round including a crock-pot pot roast and skillet shrimp. Besides a big helping of meat recipes there's also quite a few fresh salads. Favorite recipes I've tried so far: Wicked Jezebel Ribs, Thai Coconut Chicken, and the Dark Caramel Pecan sauce--good to keep on hand for ice cream on a hot night out here in the Hill Country outside Austin.

What is it about being born on a Wednesday? Zoe Knight was born on a Wednesday... Was that Strike One? Her husband cheated on her... Was that Strike Two? If that's the case, Strike three is going to be a real doozy! Do curve balls count? Will it end there or is whatever happens next going to make it a completely new ballgame??? So many secrets.

Zoe is definitely not living the charmed life. Her children bring their own set of problems. Death or despair seem to be waiting for her around every corner. Some of the things a girl goes through in a lifetime can definitely break any camels back.

Have you ever had a lifelong friendship tested? A trust broken? It's enough to break your heart. See how Ms. Sloan has Zoe deal with these issues along with everything else going on in her life. It has to take a strong woman to deal with the difficulties Zoe is made to face and come through the other side a better person. Ms. Sloan is great for showing that side of her female characters, for whatever doesn't kill you tends to make you stronger. At least in Zoe's case it does.

Pick up where Zoe's troubles began... on Wednesday.

I really enjoyed this book and it felt like I knew the characters personally. I admired Antonio and the twist in the story took me by surprise. I hope there is a sequel. Keep up the good work.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Zoe's woes don't just happen on Wednesday, the drama touches every day of the week. Especially since Zoe is catching it from all angles--current man with baby's mama drama; ex-man who still wants to be the next man; family members who can get on the first and last nerve. What's a women to do? Pick up and run away from home? Hey, that is a thought. But Zoe toughs it out and what she does should surprise everyone. Being born on Wednesday does have its advantages. Hats off to Gayle Jackson Sloan. You'll also enjoy Saturday's child. Naleighna Kai, author of Every Woman Needs a Wife.

This was a satisfying second effort by Gayle Jackson Sloan. The book started out a bit slow but then it gripped me towards the middle to no end. It's been years since I read Saturday's Child. I actually want to go back and read it again to refresh my memory on the drama that went down with Sara. With her life finally together, she was a great shoulder to lean on in Wednesday's Woes, but Sister Zoe was the main attraction. Gayle's descriptive style of writing and word usage puts the reader right at the scene of chaos!

There was however a couple of loose ends in this book. I was intrigued by Stephanie's attitude and questionable sexuality. Why was she completely cut out of the book after the funeral was all said and done and her checked bounced? What happened to Gina?? Also, Zoe's dislike of Chris's girlfriend Tribby was mentioned far too many times. I was hoping the girl would at least make an actual appearance in one of the chapters.

I haven't read enough about this family yet. Another "follow-up" please?

Wednesday's Woes was an excellent piece of art work, comparable to Terry McMillian. The novel discussed death, sisterly love, sexual relationships, divorce, blended familes, and so much more. However, Terry can't touch Sloan's sex scenes. Gayle gave you something to think about...
Get a copy today and enjoy the twists and turns as "Wednesday's Woes" dazzles you until the end!~LeBlanc author of "Characters of Lust"