Ravenous Books

Inspired by a potato on her kitchen table, Esmé Raji Codell wrote this book to let parents know that just as a potato is "plentiful and versatile" (p 3) so too is children's literature. She states that this is a "recipe book" to give parents ideas for how to incorporate children's literature into their child's life, whether it be as a "main course or a sustaining side dish" (p 3).

The book is divided into nine main parts. The first part is an overview for parents of why reading is important. Codell uses research, theorists, and practical first-hand experience to give parents an understanding of the importance of reading and a basic knowledge of some of the lingo that educators use when discussing reading. She then moves on in parts two through eight to share ideas for how to incorporate reading into your child's life in a variety of different formats and using different types of literature. The ninth part, "Storytime Central", shares lists of recommended books for a variety of different topics not previously mentioned.

Looking through parts 2-8, you will find ideas for encouraging children to read both with a parent and on their own. Using humor and personal anecdotes, Codell shares a plethora of ideas ranging from simple (sit down and read a book) to complex (organize a "parade of books' for your community). For each idea she gives examples or tips for how to actually do the activity. These ideas are coupled with lists of recommended book titles. Pictures of actual book covers are found throughout each section, enticing the reader to go find a copy and flip through the pages for themselves. Also found throughout are sidebars and boxes containing book reviews and "Dear Madame Esme" questions and answers.

The main strength of this book is its lists of book titles. The lists of books in each part are a resource that can be utilized by parents and educators alike when searching for quality children's literature. Codell covers a wide range of topics such as math, history, science, folk tales, breakfast, mysteries, and baseball. In addition to these topical lists, there is a list of all of the Newbery and Caldecott award winners among the appendices at the back of the book. Also at the end are detailed indices that are broken up by author, title, and subject which allow for ease in finding information among all of these lists.

This book is not an exhaustive list of all of the quality literature available today, but it is definitely a huge springboard for launching into the wonderful world of children's literature. Codell encourages reading as often as possible beginning from the day children are born. By reading with children she says that you are doing something for them "that is not only fun, but essential, important, and lasting" (343).

I thought it was a book on how to get my child to read, to enjoy reading. The title is deceptive. Instead, its a book advertising other books and it doesn't even tell you what the books are about or for what age group. A total waste of money!!!

This book is loaded with great ideas! I school my children at home and love to find any type of book activities to encourage reading. There is so much in this book. I was checking this out at the library and renewing it until I reached my limit on renewals so I would take it back and then request it online again. I finally bought it.

This book is packed with great ideas, methods, and resources to inspire children and parents for reading activities. My family enjoyed it very much. It clearly brought up my son's reading interest. Day after day, he has read a lot and has become one the best readers in his class from below average. He often ranks high in the Beestar weekly reading program (a nice web site http://www.beestar.org). I'm very happy with this book. I highly recommend it.

I am very pleased with this purchase and found it to be a great value. I didn't realize what a huge book I would receive and I am thrilled with the information crammed inside. There are so many wonderful ideas with book lists galore. I have actually carried this book around my public library looking up different recommended titles! This is a wonderful book for both parents and teachers and makes a perfect gift!

I bought this for a gift to my boyfriend, I filled it out and gave it to him, it had alot of helpfull questions

This is the most awesome communication tool I have ever found. If you are looking for a way to get to know your partner and offer a safe way to discuss those topics that sometimes seem difficult to bring up...buy this book. Very thought provoking, insightful and well written. Complete the book, trade with your partner and start asking questions and reviewing each other's answers. This book could possibly keep you out of the counselors office and/or prevent you from marrying the wrong partner. Well worth the price!

Great Book! Highly recommended. My boyfriend and I completed one separately and then traded. While completing the book myself, I discovered a few things about myself that perhaps I wouldn't have thought of before. It's a great self discovery as well as a partner discovery.

This is a book of questions--and a fabulous one at that. You can fill it out and hand it to your new lover as a primer for getting to know you (and if you do, make sure you buy two copies so s/he can do the same for you!) but even more than that, there's so much in here that will make for great conversation even with your partner of many years. The questions are smart and incisive, and some of the check-box answers are, on occasion, laugh-out-loud funny.

I would love to see this book syndicated as the questionnaire for a dating website. It would blow the doors of Match!

Ravenous Dusk is part two - the first book is Radiant Dawn. Like Delta Green (Cthulhu Mythos) and Other Nations (T and P Marsh) - (both are about those "others") these two books are a MUST read. Excellent storyline, good plot, great characters. You do not have to know "the mythos" to read Cody Goodfellow's books. They stand strongly on their own.

There are some chapters that will make you howl laughing. Other chapters will make you shed a tear. These are books I was not able to put down easily - and they are thick and juicy!

I picked Ravenous Dusk up immediately after finishing Radiant Dawn, and I definitely feel rewarded. His writing has improved though the course of this work as it lacks the spots where one gets lost in the first novel.

I would definitely have to say he removed the kids gloves in this book. Where before the horrors were hidden behind the scientific rhetoric, he definitely reveals a world that is beyond human through the course of the novel, a world that would make Cthulhu fans very happy. It is not force either. He works the Mythos into his work rather naturally.

Additionally, I enjoyed the level of conspiracy and plotting in the book. It is convoluted and confusing, but it makes sense in retrospect. I enjoyed the fact that not everything was what it seemed, and he kept stuff covered rather well.

He follows Cundieffe, Storch and Stella to reasonable ends that allows one to be satisfied with the characters. In his efforts to cover more of the story, he does create many more narrating characters. While it does fill out the larger picture, I do believe it was a little excessive.

Finally, my only real complaint is when Armitage enters the picture most of the way though the novel with a thin allusion to his actual presence in the novel beforehand, it stretched my level of believability of the story (yeah, I know it is pretty far fetched, but there was no lead up to this event). The issue could have been belayed through better planning.

If you have a chance, I would definitely give this novel a read. It is fun and absorbing.

Excellent. It's best to read Radiant Dawn before you read this book, since Ravenous does continue the story started in Radiant, but both books are wonderfully written. The characters are well drawn, the story is complex but fun to follow and although it's not exactly true to the usual idea of the Lovecraft mythos, it's close enough to be fun to read. Yes, please read these two. They are well worth the money. Mr. Goodfellow, do you have any more novels ready to publish? I will buy them

Imagine this- a few years back there was a strange meeting where James Ellroy, Robert Ludlum, David Foster Wallace, Swamp Thing-era Alan Moore, Mendel, Darwin, and the ever-expanding tissue mass from the end of Akira were all sitting around a table, holding a séance where they brought back the ghost of H.P. Lovecraft. Imagine that Lovecraft gave them a message from beyond the grave- "I was right! The Old Ones exist! You have to tell the world!"

"But how will we do that?" the strange and majestically gifted group asked.

And then the ghost commanded them to write a pair of seriously epic horror/action literary thrillers (RADIANT DAWN & RAVENOUS DUSK) under the pseudonym of Cody Goodfellow.

I know the whole scenario is ludicrous, but that's the feeling I had when I was reading these books. Both RADIANT DAWN and RAVENOUS DUSK contain moments of real vision and creativity equal to the greats mentioned above- the intricate plotting, conspiracy, and character arcs of Ellroy, the clean, propulsive action of Ludlum, the rampant intelligence and density of Wallace, the sense of comic book activity elevated to high literature that Moore can pull off, the biological and evolutionary radicalism of Mendel and Darwin- it's all here, amidst Lovecraft's tentacles and the machinations of our own obscure political landscape. And it kicks ass.

The plot of the books is so labyrinthine that describing them here would be futile, but I can say that it involves an ever-expanding global conspiracy revolving around mankind's place on Earth and the potential awakening of creatures vast and ancient and powerful. Central to the tale are three fully-developed characters, Zane Storch, Stella Orozco, and Martin Cundieffe. Storch is the battle-scarred ex-soldier who just won't stay down (think Marv in Sin City, but slightly smarter and more driven). Stella is the feisty everywoman just trying to stay alive at any cost. Martin is, well, Martin is a lot of things, but first and foremost he's a cunning FBI agent with a knack for finding the right info while the world is going crazy around him. The dynamic between hard-charging Zane and wiley Martin will be especially resonant to readers of Ellroy's L.A. Confidential or American Tabloid (Zane is the Bud White to Martin's Exley, the Pete Bondurant to his Ward Littell).

RADIANT DAWN & RAVENOUS DUSK (effectively parts 1 & 2 of one giant story-yes, you need both books, and no, you can't skip ahead to RAVENOUS) are fiercely smart, fast-paced novels for the reader who wants cinematic thrills and chills, and as a nice bonus, fascinating ideas. There are moments here where both Goodfellow's line-by-line writing and his gift for the epic and visionary are nothing less than stunning. Remember the first time you read Clive Barker's "In The Hills, The Cities"? Remember that moment towards the end where your jaw dropped and you realized King wasn't pulling your leg when he said this Barker guy was the real deal? There are hundreds of moments like that throughout Goodfellow's RD books.

Both are highly and absolutely recommended.

All I can say is my girlfriend and I had a great time using the kit. It gave us great starting positions, we would have never thought of, and made it easy for our imaginations to take over once we got started. I can see this game being used many times without getting boring and I can't wait until we get it out again.

Thoughtful without being sentimental a fresh new perspective respectful of the genre but not limited by reverence.

Not just another pretty homage.

Congratulations !

This book is one of my four-year old daughters' top five books, and mine too. We checked this out at the library, then had to buy it because it became a favorite. We love this book!

I enjoyed this series. I've read the first three books and waiting only to read the other three or is it four more? She puts a story all together in both heavy intimate content and character building.

So this is the first book I have read along these line after reading Sherri King in the analogy Manaconda I absolutley had to follow up and read this. Seriously it was so hot and the action fight scenes I didnt think I would care for that in my erotica but it all blended together so well. I am definetly reading this entire series I will buy it in ebook format to give my wallet a break..lol
Really though check it out you wont regret it action, drama, HOTTT sex scnenes LOTS of them..its intense, I'm off to read book two.

RAVENOUS is the first book in the Horde Wars series and as such sets the stage for all the books to come. It is from Ellnora's Cave and therefore you have some idea what to expect. Not only is it a very senusal read it is a very good story.

Earth is in the middle of two factions. It is the battleground in a war against the Daemon Horde. The Shikar have battled the Horde for centuries. Now a human woman has come to the attention of the leaders of the Shikar. She is Cady Swann. When she was 15 the Daemons killed her parents and devoured her brother. Since, she has used the psychic powers she has, to fight the evil. She is able to sense the monsters and has learned to kill them.

Obsidian is the leader of one of the best groups of warriors and has been sent to bring Cady to the center of the earth where the dimension they occupy is located. This arrogant male is stunned and his interest is captured by the beautiful, firey woman.

Although the book was almost to hot for my tastes, the story was excellent and I had to buy the rest in order to see what happens. Each book is complete in itself. Each novel tells the story of one of the members of the Shikar.

I liked the paranormal asspect and the plot is wonderful. If you like science/fiction fantasy with a hot sensual relationship, these books are for you.

I purchased this book because the premise looked interesting to me and I read great reviews about it. Unfortunately, the explicitness of this book overshadowed the plot. I also had trouble believing that Cady and Sid were in love instead of just lust. The sexual encounters were numerous and very explicit. It seemed as though the majority of the book was about the sex that Cady and Sid were having instead of the war that they were fighting.

This book is not a love story. A physical relationship between Cady and Sid is not treated as something special or sacred here. (They actually let people watch them!) Beware! The underlying plot is interesting but, the writing style is not for everyone. I won't be purchasing another one of these.

I have read thousands of books and this is the first review I have written. Not because the book was good, rather the book was so bad I didn't want anyone else to cough up money for this. If you like nothing but sex and don't care if the plot is missing, well this book is for you. I warn you; even the sex scenes are lame. The back cover sounded interesting and the cover pic was great so I bought it, I wasted my money.
I am a lover of books and I expect a book to be like a seven-course meal, but this was like chewing bubble gum- very little favor and does not satisfy the hunger.
If paranormal is what you are looking for then try these good books: The Nightlife by Rob Thurman or Simon R. Green's Nightside books.
If romance is for you try the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich.
If you want a seven-course meal of paranormal romance then read Laurell K. Hamilton, Patricia Briggs, Kim Harrison, Lilith Saintcrow, J.R. Ward, Charlaine Harris, Rachel Caine's Weather Warden books, Katie MacAlister's Aisling Grey Guardian books, or books by Kelley Armstrong.
I hope this helps someone looking for a truly good read. I would hate for someone else to lose his or her hard earned cash and be disappointed. But for those that want a no-brainer, low-budget sex book, well this is it.

T.M. Gray is a gifted writer. She is an illusionist, a seductress, a black widow spider, drawing readers into her web of deceptions, and then devouring them wholly. The Ravenous successfully explores the territory of ancient lore, religion and custom without straying from the modern yet colorfully-locale settings that are her hallmarks. A fast and satisfying read. I loved it, just like I love all her books. In my house T.M. Gray's novels are a must read. Don't miss this one!

Mark Edward Hall
Author of The Lost Village
and The Holocaust Opera

In the Ravenous, author T. M. Gray brings together a number of relatively familiar icons of horror fiction - Druids, creepy forests, small towns on the edge of nowhere that the world has forgotten, and ancient, buried secrets, the shoots them off in unique and interesting directions. The novel is set in the fictional town of Gotham Creek, Maine, tucked in under the ancient branches of oaks too tall to be growing where they are and forgotten by everyone until a pilot passes on the location of the trees to an interested environmentalist, who makes it his duty to invade.

With the National Forestry Service, the FBI, and at least one tree-hugging anarchist invading, and their secret society corroding from the inside, the residents of Gotham Creek have a world of trouble looming. The trees aren't happy - and these are big, hungry, unpleasant trees - the bad Ents from Tolkien fed by the lottery of Shirley Jackson. Virgins are a hot commodity, and the young people of the town are ready to break and run because they are starting to discover the secrets of their fathers the hard way.

Gotham Creek is a Druid town. It has been for countless generations, and it's a comfortable place to live for nine of every ten years. This is the tenth, and things are going to hell -- fast. Murder. Secret rituals, and a cast of unforgettable characters involved in everything from loose sex to ritual sacrifice make this a fast-paced, entertaining read. While not tall on terror, you'll remember the characters and the trees for a long time to come. The Ravenous is a fine effort from a bright new talent. Recommended.

I was wondering about the influx of writing coming out of Sacramento, so I decided to investigate its two foremost writers. I took one glance at this new fancy book by Karen Gordon and said to myself "where's the paprika," or "where's Rosemary Furfaro?" It turns out that this cookbook-looking event and delicacy was directed to the right person. Gordon has created Gothic language handbooks in the past (which happen to be one of my favorite periods of literature). She has also recently released the fairytale spin-off, The Red Shoes, with its intricate and infinite connections. Another book by her is to be released later this year. I say move over Vollmann, here we have a fervent producer of quantity the like style of a Japanese garden.

Yet The Ravenous Muse carefully explores the theme of food in the great corpus of literature. We are talking about quotations from writers that even the snobs don't know about: Andrei Bely, Elias Canetti, René Char, Eduardo Galeano, Witold Gombrowicz, José Lima, Flann O'Brien, Frederic Prokosch, and Raymond Queneau. Queneau may be the most important in terms of Gordon's esthetic because they share a certain intangible quality that makes their books emanate a rare original flame.

A wide-ranging collection of literary quotes featuring food, this is a wonderful gift book for literary and gustatory gourmands! From the abstract and brief ("Toasted Susie is my ice cream."-Gertrude Stein) to the Flann O' Brien's complex and lengthy description of foods used as bribery: "...promised him metheglin and mugs of viscous tar-black mead...corn-coarse nourishing farls of wheaten bread dipped in musk-scented liquors and sodden with Belgian sherry" --this goes on and on!) to a bowl of porridge that "gave an "ominous, leering heave (Stella Gibbons' "Cold Comfort Farm"), this is a delight, especially for avid readers.

Some selections are a line or a paragraph; others extend to a few pages. Ms. Gordon also includes anecdotes and her own comments on some of the excerpts. There is no discernable order to the (mostly non-American) authors sampled in this 248-page book, but there is a very useful index and brief biographies of each author--including recommendations of other fare that you might enjoy. Recommended!!

Werewolf novels seem to be all too rare within the last few years, so it's always a treat to see one hit the bookstores, especially when it's one by Ray Garton. Admittedly, I've only read three other novels by Mr. Garton, but all three of those were outstanding.

Unfortunately, Ravenous was a bit thin. The premise, lycanthropy as an STD, was a nice twist, especially the way it transformed the usual solitary werewolf into a virulent plague of monsters, spreading like wildfire throughout a small northern California town. The characters were the usual sampling: rugged yet caring sheriff, mysterious werewolf-hunter, naive kid, abused wife, random small-town folk. Nothing special there, though Garton did do a fair job of giving some of them a bit of depth.

What kind of irked me about this novel was the same thing that made it appealing: the way lycanthropy is spread. The werewolves as described here are nearly unthinking monsters for the first weeks and months of their transformation (though they do get much more intelligent and cunning as the years go by). So... why is it, if these things are only interested in screwing and eating, and are EXTREMELY difficult to kill, the world is not inundated with them? Even one werewolf, as shown in this book, can bring a town to its knees within a matter of days; why then is there no AIDS-like plague of lycanthropy spreading across the globe?

On the surface I guess that seems to be a minor gripe, but the more I thought about it, the more it bothered me and took away from my enjoyment of the book. It seems to me that Mr. Garton took the lazy way out in not dealing with this major issue. On the other hand, though, the ending sets up a sequel which (if he writes it) may just adress things.

All in all, not the worst horror novel I've ever read, but nothing spectacular either. A nice way to spend a few hours.

One of my favorite books so far in 2008! Highly Recommended from one of the best in the business.

I admit to reading a lot in the paranormal and science fiction genres, especially about werewolves. This is the first novel I read by this author, Ray Garton.

These are not the noble, tragic, and misunderstood werewolves which seem so popular these days. I would hesitate to even connect them with the wild wolves aside from they look like wolves, at least in a way. These are thoroughly evil creatures who seem to be bent on domination. We are told that many of the werewolf myths are very false. Werewolves become werewolves through sex with an infected one. In this book, that seems to be rape. If you're eaten, you're just eaten, not a future lupine.

We meet a survivor, Daniel Fargo, of an attack who arrives in a small town on the heels of a man named Irving Taggart. We later find out that Taggart and two of his cohorts killed this man's family on Thanksgiving Day several years earlier. There are unexplained murders, quite gruesome and bloody, with a dead man exiting the morgue and eating a deputy, or a suburban mom eating her cat before deciding her husband would be a better meal. The sheriff of this small town is warned by Fargo and he finds himself between the evidence and reason.

In reading this, the plot kept turning. I won't give away the story, but Garton is not afraid of pulling out the stops and going with the plot however he sees fit. This is not the story of the Big Bad Wolf and Little Red Riding Hood. Think about the story if the wolf won.

Been a Garton fan since CRUCIFAX AUTUMN (brilliant) and this is the best novel from Ray since the wonderful SEX AND VIOLENCE IN HOLLYWOOD.

A fast-paced bloody novel and a new take on the werewolf mythos.

Hoping for a sequel...or 2.

Sheriff Arlin Hurley is faced with a dilema: a woman has just been attacked and raped, and a deputy murdered. The assistant coroner thinks it's an animal, but all evidence points towards a man. As the mystery (and plot) unfolds, the town of Big Rock is thrown under the shadow of the big bad wolf...

Don't get me wrong. I absolutely love Garton's take on the werewolf genre. In fact, that's one of the reasons I picked this up--I wanted a horror novel that I could sink my teeth into, one with bite (how're the horror puns treating you?), that didn't rely upon much social commentary. I love Stephen King, I love Bentley Little, I love satircal horror--but I just wanted a horror novel that I could read and be entertained, without having to think too much.

I got it. And not much else, unfortunately. I wasn't expecting Shakespeare, no. You don't WANT Shakespeare, in a horror novel. But...naming a chapter "The Calm Before the Storm?" Having someone "pursue other pursuits"? To laugh a laugh? To scream a scream? For the action to keep flowing, the text has to keep flowing. And in that regard, Garton's novel fails. It all leads to an ending that is unsatisfying (though there is the hint of a great horror ending here, Garton doesn't build us up to it fully enough). I felt genuinely let down. And that is hard to come by in a horror novel, when you KNOW what to expect.

Garton's premise is brilliant. His notion of lycanthropy being an STD is almost revolutionary in the horror genre. But his execution of the story flounders; and ultimately, so does the story itself. I know most readers won't care; they're in it for the blood and guts and gratuitous sex (of which there is a lot, and I mean a lot). And kudos to Garton, for giving his readers what they want. But anyone who pays close attention is going to walk away disappointed. And it IS a disappointment--"Ravenous" had such a wonderful premise, I almost don't want to admit that the story didn't work for me. But it didn't, that's the cold hard truth, as painful as a werewolf's fang.