Reds Books

Jeff Brooks has a chance that will make or break his career as a publicist. He's been hired to do whatever it takes to clean up Sheldon Summerville's bad girl reputation. Sheldon's father has a huge company merger coming, a merger that includes Sheldon's marriage to the son of the other company's owner. Sheldon has known for years that the marriage was coming, so she's been living it up until the day she will be forced into marriage. Jeff finds that taming Sheldon is more difficult then any other job he's ever had. Especially since he's falling in love with her.

Beyond Daring is the second book in Kathleen O'Reilly's Red Choo Diaries and you don't want to miss it! The passion between Jeff and Sheldon singes your fingers as you turn the pages along with a love story that will leave you sniffling.

Melissa reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Publicist Handler, Jeff Brooks gets more than he can handle in the form of spit-fire and scandal-maker, Sheldon Summerville. Jeff is hired by her wealthy father to mold Sheldon into the quiet society wife that she'll one day be when she marries the son of another wealthy family. Jeff must keep Sheldon in line, out of the spotlight and make her father happy with the results. Unfortunately for Jeff--who is trying to straighten out his own playboy image--the headstrong rich girl fights him at every opportunity, making his body yearn...

Public relations take on a whole new meaning in Kathleen O'Reilly's hot and spicy sequel of the Red Choo Diaries. Beyond Daring, book two, brings readers the sexy and bad-boy Brooks brother, Jeff, whom we met in Andrew's story (Beyond Breathless). This sequel lives up to its predecessor, fulfilling the readers expectations of sweet and stormy romance and mixing delectably well with the steam and sensuality we've come to hope for. Sheldon and Jeff have a bumpy and difficult road ahead of them as they battle their feelings for one another. Sheldon has a bad girl image with a soft heart within. She wants more out of life than what her father wants of her, but she'll do anything to ensure the Summerville name lives on, and that her father is happy. She's screwed up so much in the past, it's time for her to step up to the plate so to speak and do her parents proud. Jeff wants to make a life of his own, not falling back on the Brooks money, nor does he wish to follow in his brother's footsteps. He wants out of the shadow of his brother's success and has tended to goof up in spite, staying outside the mold of what is expected of him.

Kathleen O'Reilly does her characters proud in her latest romance. Jeff and Sheldon are so right for one another, their tumultuous relationship rolls off the pages in waves. The reader can feel their inner turmoil, their attraction, the love growing and the respect they come to have for one another.

Another enjoyable facet of Beyond Daring is the humour and family ties. Andrew and Mercedes (sister) are ever-present, ready to give Jeff a hard time and then some. But the familial bond is in attendance and the read is that much more enjoyable. I am extremely anxious for Mercedes' story (coming in May 07). The tease that we receive in Beyond Daring for her story is just the beginning and has me eager for more.

Beyond Daring is another hot, steamy, and chalk-full of romance delicious read by Kathleen O'Reilly. She is an author that delivers time after time and has earned her place on my keeper shelf. Readers won't want to miss it!!!

Sheldon Summerville, the wealthy "Toothbrite King's" daughter, feels worthless. She believes she is a disappointment to her parents, unlike her med student sister. Sheldon is afraid to let anyone see what she is really like, so she puts on a simpleton/party girl act, performing or seeming to perform scandalous acts in public, which appear in the newspaper to her parents' dismay. Finally, in an attempt to show that she can contribute something to her family, she agrees to become engaged to Josh of Con-Mason, USA. The marriage in reality would be a merger.

Jeff Brooks, the younger brother of a highly successful Wall Street Exec, is working for a public relations firm, happily just getting by, or so he lets on to everyone else. His brother has supported him most of his life, but he wants to make it on his own. Then he is assigned to makeover Sheldon's image. While he is trying to improve her image, he is fighting the attraction he feels for her. He is the only one who can see through her act to the real person underneath.

Sheldon botches up every PR opportunity Jeff sets up for her. She is attracted to him, but she can't get him to let down his guard.

Jeff finally lets loose after a Fourth of July party in the Hamptons. He and Sheldon share an intimate evening, which ends disastrously. To make matters worse, Jeff's younger sister, Mercedes, shares the tale of their encounter in her online sex blog, The Red Choo Diaries.

This is a funny, passionate story about two people, who have a lot in common. They both refuse to let the world see them as they really are. As they get to know each other, they discover themselves. The sexual tension is highly charged throughout the story. I could not put the book down. I am looking forward to the next installment of The Red Choo Diaries. I loved the first book in this series and I feel the same way about this one. The witty dialogue, fast paced action and the situations they find themselves in will keep you reading. If you like your storylines steamy, this one is for you. You may also want to read the first book in The Red Choo Diaries series, "Beyond Breathless."

Dottie Jones

Corporate America is not for the faint of heart. It's a tough no nonsense business, where money trumps all else. Jeff Brooks has been told that by Andrew, his hugely successful hedge fund manager of a brother, before. Jeff may not be a billionaire like his older brother, but he is earning his own way. In fact, when it comes to the public relations business, Jeff is the ultimate miracle worker. He is the best PR man at Columbia-Starr Communications. That is why Jeff is chosen to handle the Wayne Summerville account. Jeff is to help Wayne transform his wild daughter's image. This is the BIG time! Wayne Summerville is the head of Summerville Consumer Products, the Number Two consumer product conglomerate in the world. In just a few more weeks, Summerville CP will sign all the papers to merge with Con-Mason USA. Then Wayne's daughter, Sheldon, will become engaged to the Con-Mason heir, Joshua Mason. Oh yeah, this is the big time. This would make Jeff's career! All Jeff has to do is keep his hands to himself.

Sheldon Summerville is a party girl, socialite, and professional shopper. She is blessed with a face and body that no man can resist. The tabloids continuously print Sheldon's latest wild and scandalous actions. To the world, she seems to be the ultimate empty-headed blonde of jokes. She shares her body with someone new every night. And Sheldon wants people to keep on thinking that the image is her true self. No one has ever gotten close enough to see through her simpleton act, until Jeff Brooks. Mister PR Man has a five step plan to reform her public image, but Sheldon wants nothing to do with it. All Sheldon wants is to push Jeff's hot button and see if she can seduce him into her bed. So far he is resisting, barely. However, the more time Sheldon spends with Jeff, the more in love she falls.

***** Those who read Andrew's story in BEYOND BREATHLESS, get to see how he and Jamie are doing. Even though Andrew is a secondary character this time around, his romance with Jamie goes a little further. You will have to read to understand what I mean though. In my personal opinion, Jeff and Sheldon's story is even better than Andrew's. Saying it's "H-O-T" is putting it in an extremely mild way. As I have said before, Harlequin does not call this book line BLAZE for nothing! (So if you do not enjoy peeking in and seeing the realistic things that happen between two lovers when they let themselves go, then do not bother picking up any book in the BLAZE line.) And of all the BLAZE novels I have read, author Kathleen O'Reilly is one of my favorite writers! Kathleen's husband must walk around with a big smile on his face all the time, because this author has an outstanding and passionate imagination. Very recommended reading here. *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

THIS BOOK ABOUT FRANK MAHOVLICH IS WELL WORTH READING. THE BIG M WAS ONE OF THE BEST AND CLASSIEST PLAYERS OF ALL TIME. HIS GRACE AND POWER ON THE ICE WERE A THINK TO BEHOLD. HIS SON TED, DOES A GREAT JOB TELLING HIS STORY AND HITS ON ALL 8 CYLINDERS. I ESPECIALLY ENJOYED THE PARTS CONCERNING PUNCH IMLACH AND HIS DICTATOR WAYS AND THE VARIOUS OTHER COACHES AND PLAYERS THAT THE BIG M PLAYED FOR AND AGAINST. A GREAT READ FOR ALL HOCKEY FANS.

This book has been very enjoyable. Ted Mahovlich has done an excellent job in telling us the interesting story about his father. He showed us the Punch Imlach lacked class and Frank Mahovlich had a lot of class and finally enjoyed his career when he joined the best organization in sports at the time the Montreal Canadiens. I would recommend this to any hockey fan or sports fan in general

Frank Mahovlich was one of THE great players in the history of hockey. This books gives a thoughtful and intelligent insight into the mind of the quiet giant who won four Stanley Cups with the Leafs and two more with the Canadiens.

Told alongside the biographical narrative of The Big M is the author's experience of going on the road with his father, in the touring team of NHL past masters. Not only does this expose the reader to some beautiful anecdotes about other former stars of the game, but also captures the bond between father and son in a most moving way.

Ted Mahovlich is a very accomplished writer, telling his father's story with compassion, respect and honesty in a fine style that makes the book hard to put down. A must for any fan of hockey and/or good writing.

This book is great, not your normal biography. Ted Mahovlich captures a seldom read about side of his father Frank, along with the exploits of his spectacular career. The author spent considerable time traveling and playing with the old-timer greats while interviewing them as wells as capturing moments the common fan is not privey to. If you are a hockey fan -- this books for you. (Yes I know I live in Texas, but I moved here)

My husband brought this book home for our two-year-old. We all love to read it! Our daughter likes to guess who is coming in the door based upon the description, as well as reciting the "refrain" with us. At dinner the other night, someone mention splashing, and she said, "Stan and Stella in the big red tub. I splash, you splash..." Great find!

My 6 and [...] girls LOVE this book! It's funny and has great illustrations. We recently read this in my 6 year olds class and everyone there loved it. My sister, a librarian, also finds this to be a big hit at storytimes.

What a great book.
My children (age 2 and 3) absolutely love it and can't listen to it enough.
Literally, it is wonderful. It rhymes, it has repetitive words that my children join in to "read", and it's funny (when the hippo joins in). If you look closely at the last page, you can figure out how Stan and Stella's imagination thought up all those animals in their tub! My children enjoy finding all the animals in the story (on the last page).
I want to get another copy just as a keepsake for when they have children someday.

The pictures are bright and large and vibrant. The story rhymes and it is just a great story for little kids. My daughter is one years old and she sat and listened and loved the pictures. It is also neat because it is using the kids imagination. You will have to read it to find out. I am a librarian and I am buying MY own copy.

The third volume in this well detailed history of the Eastern air war is well illustrated with photos and large CGI profiles of aircraft from both sides. Unfortunately, the latter are only of single engined fighters, apart from a couple of Bf 110s, unlike Vol 2 which covered a variety of types such as bombers, ground attack and transport aircraft.
The maps at the back could be much more detailed as it is very often not possible to relate the action being described to a location on the maps due to a sparse collection of place names. One map even has locations marked as numbers one to nine but no key to the numbers giving the actual place names!
There is the usual collection of typos and at times it is clear that English is not the authors first language, but overall this series gives a very good general coverage of this vast aerial campaign and when it eventually concludes, it will be the best generally available account of the air war as viewed from both sides.
A couple of slight snags are that the series has now had three different publishers, each with their own approach to presentation. The first volume was rather poorly presented with somewhat murky printing and no colour, the second addressed this and added better quality paper and printing plus colour and kept the same dust jacket style. The third departed completely from the dust jacket style so that, on the shelf, it appears to be unrelated to the first two. The first two also had gold blocked black boards, while this volume has silver blocked green boards. The second is that the first volume was published in 2000, the third in 2006, and the next one is only being written in 2008. According to the author, the series will probably run to eight volumes so, unless the rate of publication speeds up, we will be waiting for some time yet for the series to be completed.

The series "Black Cross Red Star" is a milestone in many respects. If you are interested of the air war over the Eastern Front these books are goldmines of information and contain many fabulous photos.

All books in the series are also well-balanced in the perspective as they have been made by specialists on both the German and Soviet air forces.

In this third volume the air war over Stalingrad and the Caucasus is highlighted. But unlike most other books on the Eastern Front this does not mean that the northernmost sector, over Murmansk, is forgotten. On the contrary the authors report extensively on this plus also on special female pilot detachments of the Soviets and the last great German successes, over Leningrad and Rzhev.

Being an author myself I am in awe at the amount of research that Christer Bergström and his friends have done. They have not spared themselves, that's for sure.

Finally I wish to stress that the photos, maps, paintings and lists are in themselves reason enough to acquire these books.

Sub-Title: Everything for Stalingrad

This series of books, now in it's third volume (out of I believe four total) is a breakthrough in the description of the air war in the eastern front. For the first time we here in the west have been able to take advantage of the information being released out of the former Soviet Union. In this volume, the information is just about evenly balanced between information from the German and the Soviet sides in the battles. This includes not only the text, but also the pictures.

I didn't count them, but this book probably has about 200 pictures. You get the feeling that just about every type of plane flown by both sides. This includes more Me-109 variants than you can imagine as well as the Soviet and American planes such as P-39's, P-40's and B-25's given to the Soviets as part of Lend Lease.

The sub-title referring to Stalingrad shouldn't be taken as meaning the book is only about Stalingrad. It spends a lot of time talking about the battles around Leningrad, and has a quite complete description of the air attacks on convoy PQ-17.

This is a large format book, printed and bound using high quality materials.

This is the best volume so far of this series. A fast reading and excellent discription of the air war around Leningrad. The best was the portion of the book in the Caucasus air war. The description of the battle around Stalingrad was good but only gave one side of the description from either side in details many times about incidents.Christer Berstrom as always gives a very interesting view of the air war in the Arctic. I still believe it's one of the best descriptions so far to come of this aspect of the war in Russia. This seems to be winning team working on these volumes. Now I'm waiting for volume 4 to finish the story for this campaign in the south. Check out Vlad Antipov's book on "Dragon's On Bird Wings" for further reading of the southern air war from a Russian fighter regiment's view of Stalingrad and the war in the south.

Knights on "shining white horseS",fighting for their maidens and their God-nope--efficient highly trained killing machines at hire to the highest bidder and will switch allegiance from one side to the other at the drop of a hat or wave of a banner.This book really brings home the savagery of the Wars of the Roses and is a great archaeological compliment to the study of this period which Shakespeare so eloquently covered in his histories.Politics was never a pretty game and the gruesome finds here just had to be told.One skeleton shows wounds to the head where he was turning his head in order to avoid the numerous chopping of a "muscle bound" knight.Seems those knights probably had a weight set and continually practiced the martial arts in those dreary castles during the winter and didn't just wait around depressed waiting for spring to come to indulge the "pinings of love"!As a matter of fact they liked to campaign during the winter,never one to turn down a good days wage to the highest bidder!!! Chop-Chop!!By the way the guy on the front cover was a victim of a warhammer.A person could argue that perhaps it was a trepanation to relieve a headache,if they want to be in denial though.

I have had a chance to see the book , it was borrowed from a different Universities Library. I am an undergraduatwe at the University Of Akron, I ordered the book in August of last year and was told it would take six weeks to arrive. I ordered it with a deal that Amazon had with it and the armor of Wisby, It was of a similar situation concerning a mass grave discovered in the 1930,s I received that one right away and can whole heartedley recommend it. I origionaly ordered it for a class I had last semester in Medieval Archaeology. I passed the class but not with Blood Red Roses, it was duwe in October of last year. I am sorry to report that regardless of contacting Amazon, Im am told that the order no longer exists. I am also sorry to state that as a result of this, I am recommending that Amazon not be contacted with orders for Books.

I just recived the book today and I HIGHLY recommend it! :) It covers every ascept of the amazing find, from the site, to armor and weapons, to where my intrest lies, the skeletal finds. The case studies are very intresting! :) If you have no idea where a Sacrum is or what Spina bifida occulta is, they cover that in the back of the book. Great for anybody intrested in medieval archealogoy or physical anthropology.

There are few authoritative works in print that add significantly to our knowledge of how people fought and died during medieval warefare. Blood Red Roses attempts to do so.

I was somewhat put off by the cover illustration of a skull with a big square hole in the side of it. This made me fear that this book was not likely to contain any "real science". In my opinion, serious books don't need to convey their content with gruesome photographs designed to capture "the publics" attention.

This book is a compilation of contributions from people who worked on the site, and/or are "experts" of varying degree in associated fields of study. The benefit of this is that you get different perspectives on the subject. The negative part of this is that all of the authors started out their chapters with very repetitive introductory material. I kept thinking, "gee, this is the same thing I read in the last chapter". What was the editor thinking?

The material presented was, in scope, remarkable. The editors picked a big nut to chew, and their attempt to relate the physical findings to a wider historical, archaeological and social perspective is to be commended.

The actual material presented varied in quality.
Part I, covers the site discovery, some historical background to the battle, excavation technique and the finds themselves. I thought this was by and large, well presented. Some of the authors convinced me they were good thinkers and writers. It was a little disconcerting to see so many footnotes referencing other works by the contributors to this one (they all referenced each other! - usually notes refer to definitive works by acknowledged authorities in the field - which these folks are not, except maybe in the "science" of phrenology).

Part II is the best. It covers the analysis of the human remains. Expertly presented in my opinion. There is even a handy anatomy chart in the appendices for you folks who never bothered to learn anatomy. What I like best about this section is that the author is content to relate what the bones revealed. Other writers in this book were willing to reach beyond what was evident.

Part III is the weakest part of the book. This section deals with arms and armor of the period, and speculation concerning combat techniques. Nice background info, including the bit about how the author has "shot arrows into the air during a snowstorm at night" to verify that arrows are hard to see in flight. There were no weapons found in the grave pit, but this didn't stop the authors from speculating about whether a hole in a skull was made with a pike or a hammer. There was also repetitive speculation as to why these soldiers had head wounds - why weren't they wearing helmets?!!! All the contemporary art shows combatants wearing helmets! Some serious reaching going on here. It's okay, I think to say, "I don't know" from time to time.

Part IV wraps everything up by wondering what it all means. They attempt to discern much from the bones exhumed from the grave. To
a large extent they are successful, although I felt they pushed a little too hard to reach some conclusions.

The appendices are excellent! Case studies, lots of detail data, good reference material.

In conclusion: These folks did a LOT of work putting this book together. It is unique as far as I know in it's attempt to nest a grave exhumation into a wider, more meaningful dissertation.

The line art (illustrations) are really good - the photographs were well chosen and big enough to see detail. Oxbow Books put this out on good white paper. This book is a keeper.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in military history, wound ballistics, or archeology. The good parts are really good, and the not so good parts are still better than some other published works.

I love hearing about ordinary people, placed in extraordinary situations. Great stories about people who are your next door neighbor - which is kinda what the Red Cross is all about.

A book that takes you inside the American Red Cross and introduces the volunteers and employees who live the mission- helping neighbors in crisis, locally, nationally and around the world.
Michele Turk has also done a terrific job of illustrating how this organization rises to the occassion- from wartime to the devastating natural disasters and acts of terrorism- and how Americans depend on the Red Cross to respond.
The mission is what it's all about, and Ms. Turk presents the stories of volunteers and staffers in a way that makes you appreciate the blood, sweat and tears that they have given to the people they have served.
It's an inspiring book and one that should encourage you to call your local chapter and volunteer!

This is an amazing collection of true stories of generations of Red Cross volunteers, which is both a compelling look at the lives of these brave and adventurous Americans as well as an intimate account of the events that have shaped our modern society, from wars and disasters to improvements in safety and community development. I read the book cover to cover on a long flight and was in tears more than once. The lives of the volunteers and the way in which Ms. Turk organizes and presents their Red Cross focus shows the real life generosity of spirit and humanism of the Red Cross, without sugar coating some of the controversy surrounding its bureaucracy.

As I read the individual stories I found myself smiling and tearing.

Ms Turk brought the oral history of the American Red Cross to life in such a way that captured the compassion, dignity, and gentleness of generations of Red Cross responders.

Instead of shying away from the tough criticism challenging the American Red Cross, Ms Turk helped the reader understand that in spite of difficult challenges the American Red Cross is always there providing vital services in the most difficult situations.

Readers may find themselves motivated by this book to discover how they too can make a difference by getting involved in helping others in need.

Fun having the same story brought up to date and a terrific way to show how things change.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading "Carmine:A Little More Red"; it is a creative interpretation of a classic. The illustrations are beautiful!! While the vocabulary was too advanced for my 3- and 4-year old children to grasp, the pictures held their attention and I am sure that it will be a treasured book for years to come.

Little Red Riding Hood is reincarnated in this imaginative retelling of a favorite tale, Carmine taught to read by a beloved granny who uses alphabet soup to instruct the child. She started with a spoonful of letters and now Carmine can read a whole bowl. Whenever Granny makes a fresh pot of soup, like today, Carmine is invited for lunch. Before she leaves, Carmine sorts through her clutter for anything she might need on her journey, pencils, paper and paint. Accompanied by her beloved dog, Rufus, Carmine has been known to dilly dally on the way to Granny's house, although she has been warned by her mother that the route is fraught with danger. This time a lurking wolf spots the child, who has stopped to paint a picture for her grandmother, distracted by nature's abundant beauty. Racing ahead... well, you know this story. Luckily for Carmine, her Granny doesn't meet the same fate as the original grandmother, this one hiding in the closet as the hungry wolf gathers an armful of soup bones to take home to his pups. Happily reunited, Carmine, Granny and Rufus sip their soup while admiring Carmine's latest work of art.

The artwork in this book is vivid and imaginative, combined with a layout that introduces new vocabulary words used in context with the illustrations. This artist thinks outside the box, using both visual images and language to inspire young readers, cartoon balloons filled with Carmine and the Wolf's dialog as they confront their situations. Words like pluck, dawdle, mimic and nincompoop add alliterative rhythms, balanced with lively drawings, a bright palette accented with every shade of red: scarlet, carmine and fuscia. A multi-level reading experience, Carmine is a fabulous addition to a child's library, a visual and verbal feast as exuberant as its young heroine. Luan Gaines/ 2005.

Little Red Riding Hood. There is probably more psychological baggage and scintillating undertones associated with this little tale than any other story in the Grimm repertoire. Accordingly, with every year more and more alternate versions and retellings hit the market full force. From James Marshall's classic version to Ed Young's stylized Chinese retelling ("Lon Po Po", in case you're interested), there are more little girls in red hoods out there than you can shake a fist at. "Carmine" is one of the most recent additions to the fold, and it makes for a lovely little read. Bringing together such disparate elements as the alphabet, gradations in color, a heightened sense of tension, and even a recipe at its conclusion, "Carmine" is not the most accessible of Little Red tales out there, but it's certainly one of the most pleasant to thumb through. You're not going to get the straight dope on Little Red with this version, but for the modern kid Sweet's interpretation of the events involving one girl in a hood, one granny, and one wolf makes for a perfectly nice and perfectly new story of its own.

Each plot twist in this book begins with a letter of the alphabet. So the first step in the story comes with the word "Alphabet". Carmine loved going over to her granny's for a little alphabet soup. "Beware". There was a wolf about and Carmine was warned to go straight to granny's and not to dilly-dally. Unfortunately, Carmine is a world class dilly-dallier. There are few dallys she hasn't dillied (or, alternately, dillies she hasn't dallied). Since Carmine is a fan of painting she spots some poppies on her route and decides that granny deserves a picture of them. "It may seem farfetched to think that any painting can be improved by adding a little more red, but Carmine believes it to be true". Unfortunately, the wolf is most certainly about. After a quick conversation with Carmine's terror stricken dog, it heads straight for granny's and catches her unawares. Fortunately for everyone involved, the soup bones by granny's pot strike the carnivore as more enticing than her old creaky ones. Carmine learns her lesson, granny loves her painting, and a fine bowls of alphabet soup are had by all.

The essential conceit of beginning each new thought with a letter of the alphabet is all well and good but there isn't much rhyme or reason to Sweet's choices. All the same, I was a little amazed at how effectively the author cranks up the suspense when the wolf has visited granny and her cry for help has been foreshortened. Adults familiar with the original granny-in-the-belly-of-the-beast versions of this tale will be as relieved as their offspring to learn of her safety. The story itself does, I should add, make the reader think for a moment that the wolf has returned home to its young with its arms full of granny's bones. But however bleak that image, it is quickly remedied by a simple extraction of the old lady from her own closet.

Prior to reading "Carmine", my only other association with Melissa Sweet came with her lovely illustration work done on Catherine Thimmesh's fabulous, "The Sky's the Limit". In that book Sweet conjured up a very satisfying selection of mixed media. "Carmine", similarly, draws upon a variety of different elements. Open the book up and immediately the first thing you see is a collection of color swatches. Each shade of red is spelled out with alphabet soup letters and they have everything from Sienna and Vermillion to Crimson and Magenta. The rest of the book is a combination of cartoon and illustration. Sweet makes continual oblique references to fairy tales and nursery rhymes throughout the story too. For example, the wolf creeps by Little Boy Blue asleep on a haystack and The Three Little Pigs make a brief appearance in a small cartoon panel. What could have come across as haphazard or messy in the hands of another artist merely takes on a rather vibrant and exciting feel under Sweet's direction.

The version of this story that "Carmine" seems the closest to (at least in spirit) would probably be Lisa Campbell Ernst's, "Little Red Riding Hood: A Newfangled Prairie Tale". Both books feature the heroine on a bike on the cover. Both are updated retellings and both end happily for the wolves involved. Both even have recipes for the foods mentioned (muffins in Ernst's, alphabet soup in Sweet's). But while "Carmine" is a far more stylized retelling with a very real sense of tension to it, Ernst's tale makes for a much better readaloud, especially when you take into consideration its homey southern drawl. All the same, "Carmine: A Little More Red" is a lovely modern take on a old story and one that I'm sure many a child (particularly those enamored of the many shades of rouge) will find themselves enjoying.

This is one of those books I bought from a garage sale who knows when and I squirreled it away for a rainy day. After Hurricane Ike and no power, I dug it out and thought it would be a fun read by candle light.
I really liked this book a lot. I burned though this book in just a few days lavishing in the twisted little details of the story. It reminded of many good short stories or twisted tales I read as a kid but with a more adult perspective. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

Costello has crafted a tale that is truly worthy of a young Stephen King with his tale of a an old man's eerie cartoon strips that are either forseeing future tragedy or perhaps creating them.

Scott Bowman, the novel's main character, fights to keep his family safe from the horrific events foretold in the ancient cartoonist's ink sketches. Only, will mistakes from his own past come back to haunt him?

Displaying a knack for tension, suspense and character development, Costello easily draws the reader into the tale and won't let go until the very end.

I really enjoyed all three of Costello's works! My personal favorite was "The Cartoonist" and is an excellent plot for film adaptation. All three novels were front to back reads, I couldn't put them down and highly recommend this author to any horror fan!

Sean Costello was once touted as the next Stephen King. However, Any fan of SK will fall in love with 'The Cartoonist'. Great story, will draw in until you cannot put it down until you are done. Simply awesome!!! And if you like this one, you then have to read his third book "Captain Quad". Overall an excellent read!!!

a breath of fresh air amongst all the garbage that is out there. this is one of the few books that simply and excitingly tells the truth of the greatest spy network in history. is there any wonder that the russians were so far ahead of us during the cold war considering the lead they had built up? this book reads like a novel with exciting caracters only the caracters are real. it takes less than 200 pages for v.e. tarrant to do what most authors of dubious reputation like louis kilzer only try to do. tell an incredibly fascinating and true story that is historically accurate. 5 big stars

This book details the devastating (to the Germans) effect of the 'European' spy ring known as 'The Red Orchestra', whose many sources included a direct pipeline to OKW. It tells the story of the beginnings, people, and fates of those involved. It tells of the info. so massive in size that was given to the 'Director' in Moscow, that the 'Ultra' intercepts the west was receiving was miniscule in comparison. For the first time in available info. to the west some of the exact transmissions from the ring that the Soviet military were able utilize most effectively.

It clarifies in an easy and readable manner the significance of codes the ring used, (Werther was not a person, but a 'cover code' signifying the text info. was army related. 'Cover code' Olga was info. about the Luftwaffe). It also shows the breadth and depth of the 'underground' of people involved in destroying the Nazi regime, Communist and non-Communist. (Rossler was a right-wing conservative).

Drawn from sources recently made available from the ex-Soviet state, interviews with survivors, and established known data from the War, it puts to 'lie' the historically flawed book "Hitler's Traitor" by Kilzer and shows him to be a 'sensationalist' whose book should be in the 'fiction' classification.

Reads like a fast-paced thriller .

The book tells the story of the biggest intelligence -gathering operation in the history of espionage .

On June 22 ,1941, Hitler launched the invasion of Soviet Union .The attack code- named "Barbarossa " led to the biggest land campaign in the history of war .Eastern campaign was four days old ,panzers smashing their way through forward Soviet defences ,when German long -range radio monitoring stations at Kranz on the Baltic coast of East Prussia intercepted cryptic messages beamed by clandestine radio transmitters.

Signal intelligence squads of Funkabwehr immediately swung into action. Using director- finder sets took cross bearings of these transmissions ,established that directional lines traversed Brussels ,Paris ,Lucerne and even Berlin itself .From the nature of these transmissions German intelligence admitted that this was the work of Soviet spyring in Reich and occupied territories ,recipient of enciphered messages was housed in Moscow.

Welcome to Red Orchestra .Though created by the GRU( Soviet Military Intelligence ) it included in its ranks people of several nationalities ,coming from different walks of life ,having diverse political persuasions ,but all united in their hatred for Nazi regime. Red Orchestra network of spies ,agents ,informers frustrated Hitler's
bid to conquer Russia.

Soviet spy apparat (network) in Berlin while transmitting information used call signs "Choro " , "Wolf " .After much dedicated and laborious detective work the cryptoanalysts of "Funkabwehr " uncovered their identies ."Choro "was Lieutenant Harro Schulze -Boysen, a Luftwaffe desk officer in the Reich Ministry of Aviation .This allowed him to access highly sensitive information ."Wolf "turned out to be Dr . Arvid Harnack ,a senior Civil servant in the Reich Ministry of Economics .Being members of Berlin high society they brushed shoulders with highest ranking officers of German High Command and Nazi party.

Another important cog of GRU spy network was Grand Chef's circuit,which operated from Belgium ,Holland ,France .But who was Grand Chef ? He was Leopold Trepper alias Adam Mikler ,Jean Gilbert , a Polish Jew.Recruited into the GRU,he went to Belgium .There he opened a commercial enterprise as a cover for his clandestine activities .His firms Simex ,Simexco -after the German Occupation of western Europe -did lucrative business with Todt organisation which supervised works of construction and fortification for "Wehrmacht" .Money generated from the business was used by Grand Chef to further expand activities of the network .As the author aptly puts it " Third Reich was subsidising the Red Orchestra just as a living organism will nourish the cancer that is eroding it "


It was during the course of such interactions Trepper's agents heard Hitler's preparations to invade Russia.However the most important source of intelligence for GRU proved to be "LUCY".LUCY worked for Soviet
Soviet intelligence which operated from neutral country Switzerland .The network dubbed "DIE ROTE DREI"(The Red Three) was erected by GRU agent ,a Hungarian map maker Sandor Rado ,whose call name was DORA.

LUCY was Rudolf Rossler, a German refugee publisher living in Lucerne,Harsh treatment meted out by Alfred Rosenberg who seized his profitable theatre company made him a rabid anti-nazi.Rossler alias LUCY ,whose identity was to remain secret long after the war had ended ,received information from sources in German High Command (OKW).The post war CIA study had partially unmasked their identities .The most important among them were Lt.Gen Fritz Thiele,second -in-command of OKW's communications branch and Baron Rudolf Von Gersdorff chief of intelligence on the staff of Army Group Centre on theEastern Front.

Thus through LUCY the GRU penetrated German General Staff .Scarcely ten hours passed between taking of a decision by OKW and its receipt in Moscow which means the decision was known to STAVKA(Soviet High Command)even before it came to the notice of German field commanders.
This was intelligence windfall of the first order which had no parallels anytime in history.

The operation of Soviet spy networks helped Red Army to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat .War began disastrously for the Russians .If only Stalin had heeded to the warnings of Red Orchestra of about impending German attack ,Wehrmacht could have been stopped on its tracks.

The book contains some startling revelations .This pertains to Operation Case Blue launched on June 28,1942 by Wehrmacht .Mr .Tarrant has debunked the claim of leading historians of the war on Eastern Front who said Stalin again ignored intelligence warnings and was responsible for the destruction of South -Western front with the enemy reaching the banks of Volga at Stalingrad.

Author has shown that Stavka was aware of German intentions thanks to Red Orchestra .Entire ten pages of Hitler"s Directive No:41 setting out the strategic intentions of summer offensive was transmitted to Moscow thanks to Lucy.This enabled Stalin and his generals to devise a strategy where by Germans were lured deep into the Soviet territory .In military parlance this is know as elastic or mobile defence.Red Army retreated,shirked contact with the enemy,surrendering vast swathes of land in the process.Author says Germans where drawn into the jaws of enormous steel trap which snapped shut in Stalngrad.

Knowledge bestows power and intelligence represents highest form of knowledge .Soviet foreknowledge again of German intentions helped Red Army to parry enemy blows .This was precisely what happened during Operation Citadel .Thanks again to LUCY, Red Army was able to blunt the German drive to pinch out the Kursk Bulge .

Some what strange it looks,Soviet histriography of war has virtually ignored the contribution of Red Orchestra in that country's victory over Nazi Germany .On the contrary author under the chapter ,"Ultra Myth " has reproached attempts made by some historians in the West to belittle its role.

By the end of 1943, Red Orchestra networks were all dead ,snuffed out in a massive counter -intelligence operation launched by Abwehr and Gestapo.LUCY's sources too perished due to purge unleashed by Nazi regime against senior Commanders of German Officer Corps for their attempt to assassinate Hitler on July 20, 1944.However by this time the tide of war on theSoviet front had changed ,Red Army began its inexorable advance towards Berlin .


Based on solid ,painstaking research ,this book I rate the book best read in recent times Author has shed new light on the war in the Eastern Front ignored by historians in the West for which he needs to be felicitated .Now it appears the history of Soviet-German war needs revision ,reinterpretation.

The book tells the story of the biggest intelligence gathering operation in the history of espionage. I n fact "RED ORCHESTRA" was a loose collection of Soviet spy apparats ,networks which operated in Nazi Germany ,Nazi -occupied France,Belgium ,Holland and in Neutral Switzerland.Erected by the GRU, (Soviet Military Intelligence)its purpose was to spy on Nazi Germany .It included in its ranks people from different walks of life .Some of its members were strategically -placed German officers ,who fed the Soviet Agents operational decisions ,details regarding German conduct of war in the eastern front.

The organisation ,played a key role in thwarting Hitler's designs to conquer Soviet Russia..The Nazis Came to know about Red Orchestra after Germany had launched its invasion of Russia.The founder of Soviet spy network in western Europe was a Polish Jew ,LEOPOL D TREPPER. However ,the most important among all the espionage network was the Lucy Ring ,which operated from Switzerland.Lucy warned Russians about Hitler's plan to invade Soviet Union, even went to the extent of giving the precise Time and date ,when invasion will commence.Strangely Stalin chose to ignore those warnings.As a result Soviet Union ,came to the brink of military disaster.

As the war progressed , Lucy started passing on top- grade intelligence to Russians .Top secret plans of the German High command ,were known to Soviet front -line generals ,even before they were known to German Field Commanders .Lucy's sources of imformataion were two senior officers who served in communications Branch;Col.Rudolf Von.Gersdorff, Chief of Intelligence in the staff of Army group centre.(Eastern Front)The information Relayed seriously compromised the German Military operations in Russia..During the latter half of the 1942,contrary to what I had known ,the WEHRMACHT was drawn into the jaws of an enormous steel trap Which eventually led to Stalingrad.Subsequently, on July 1943,again thanks to the intelligence provided by Lucy, the Red army was able to stop the German drive to pinch out the KURSK salient .

By this time ,Soviet spy networks were all rolled up by a massive counter-intelligence operation launched by the ABWEHR and the GESTAPO.Swiss network also stopped functioning.Lucy sources dried up due to ruthless purge unleashed by the Nazi regime against senior commanders of German officer corps for their alleged complicity to assassinate Hitler on July20,1944.But success came too late for Germans.Strategic initiative had already been wrested by the Red army as it began relentless drive towards Berlin.

Gripping ,thrilling absolutely marvellous book,the best that I have read in recent times.Based on solid painstaking research ,Mr Tarrant has shed some new light on Russo-German War for which he needs to be felicitated. This book is bound to alter how the posterity may look at this event.-Reviewed by K.Mukherji (mukherjik@hotmail.com

I was very pleased with my purchase. Item was new and pkgd well.

This bible is basically a repackaged version of various Tyndale House Living Bible publications from the 1970's. It's a paraphrased version using modern english. That of couse brings with it all the ups and downs of the "Living Bible" concept. The paraphrase makes it easier to read. But there are some verses that seem too far from the accepted translations. So for shear accuracy and study I would vote no on this one. But for an enjoyable reading from cover to cover, I don't this I could have done it (and understood it) without this paraphased version. The quality of the book is good with several clear modern day pictures of the holy land and maps inside each cover.

This bible does a wonderful job of interpreting scripture in an easy-to-understand language. I highly recommend it to anyone wishing to deepen their knowledge of the bible.

Allthough removed from most translations of the bible this must be one of very few bibles that has Gods personal name (JEHOVAH) where it should be ! Well at least in the Hebrew scriptures or (old testament) ! Psalms 83:18 in this translation says untill they know that you alone, Jehovah ,are the God above all gods in supreme charge of all the earth! After all which one of us has a personal friend that we dont know the name of ? That being the case how much more so that we know Gods personal name!!John 17:3 says and this is the way to have eternal life-By knowing you,the only True God,and Jesus Christ,the one you sent to earth,Also does'nt Revelation warn of ones of adding or subtracting from the holy writings ? - Revelation 22:18-19! And yet some translations have had The Authors name removed !It is so good to see it included in this translation !!