Reds Books

Open letter to the author:
Mysterious Heritage is so great, Pat. I remembered the story, but I didn't remember it being that good. Did the publisher give you editing help, or did you get that polished on your own? The breaks in the story came at just the right times. I always knew where I was in time. All of the characters were accounted for at the end. As soon as I finished it, I started rereading it. You really did yourself proud, Pat.
What started out as a contemporary novel for the present day part thirty years ago has now evolved into a period novel. 1973 is almost another character in the novel.
I think you should call Oprah's office and find out how to submit a published novel for consideration for her book of the month. A lot of her choices have black characters. If you could get her endorsement, you'd have a best seller.
...I certainly will take you up on your offer to read my novel when it is written. Who can pass up PROFESSIONAL HELP!!

In Across the Red River to her Mysterious Heritage by Patricia Shipp Lieb, Mary Gray, a young black woman with blue eyes searches for her heritage. When she comes close to answers, she is involved in a car accident that leaves her in the mind of a white woman who died in the 1920s. Mary thinks she is this woman, Kate Wagner, and tries to find her way back to that era. The story takes the reader through time, and into the lives of complex characters, until near the end when the story reveals shocking results and Mary Gray is once again herself and satisfied with her idenity. The suspensful story holds the reader's attention from the first page to the last. The author must surely be a master.

I thought the Adventure books were great!(Chatterer the best!)I first started reading them when I was about 7 or 8. I'm now 13 and I still enjoy the books. They really do help kids appreciate nature and most importantly, life. These would be great books for kids ages 5 to 10, I think.

Chatterer the Red Squirrel is a precious animal adventure story that young children will love. While reading it to my 7 year old, my 11 and 13 year olds would inevitably wander into the room. Chatterer is a mischievous little red squirrel. If he's not picking on Shadow the Weasel and learning the hard way what an unruly tongue can do, he's in Farmer Brown's Corn CRib stealing corn. His mischieviousness finally catches up with him and because of his carelessness Farmer Brown's boy traps him. He then becomes a prisoner, although a quite comfortable one. He soon realizes that freedom is much more important than anything else. Throughout the story he learns many life lessons, although they seem small, which we as humans should take to heart. I would highly recommend this book.

Philomel Cottage: Alix Marin, in love with a man for 11 years, suddenly falls for a stranger and marries him instead. After moving to the country things begin to become curious. Her new husband stories don't seem to add up. She decides to investigate and finds out she is the one in danger...

The Red Signal: Dermot West joins his best friend and others for dinner and a little entertainment with a psychic. Dermont mentions a sixth sense he has as a sign of danger. He calls it the red signal. He doesn't mention he has only experienced it twice, once long ago and tonight at dinner. The message from the psychic during the entertainment is "Don't go home. Danger awaits you." Who is she speaking to? Does it go with the red signal Dermont senses?

The Spanish Shawl: A writer is looking for a story idea to write a mystery. He comes up with, THE MYSTERY OF THE SECOND CUCUMBER, a garden mystery. But before he could begin to write the story, he receives a phone call from a foreign woman who says... "Cucumber." In going to meet her he finds himself wrapped up in a "real" cucumber mystery...

Of course Agatha Christie is a favorite of mine. The audio of these short stories are wonderful! I stumbled across this one at my local library. It had a cast of voices and sound effects.You can't go wrong listening to, or reading anything by Christie.

Some questions left unanswered, the mastery has been left a mystery. Christie achieves her purpose by leaving the audience hanging. If the reader wants more, then the reader has been entertained.- M. Jarvis, BDH

Another absolutely poetic, beautiful book by John Burningham on children's solitude, self-esteem and imaginary friends.

I thought this book was interesting and sweet. It has been especially effective when I have read it with or shown it to children who have had rough times at home or might feel alone like the main character. I strongly recommend this title.

Christopher Logue has a lot of guts. He's gotten into the ring with the likes of Fagles, Lattimore, Fitzgerald, Pope, and most courageously, Homer himself - and acquitted himself well. Mr. Logue has pulled "The Iliad," into the 21st Century with less a translation than a re-write. It appears there are numerous volumes containing sections of Mr. Logue's work, and it's a little hard to keep track, but two editions offered on Amazon.com's website, "War Music," and the wondrously titled, "All Day Permanent Red," seem to contain it all.

Mr. Logue writes in a robust verse form that retains the epic language while exploring possibilities for a cinematic look on scenes and situations, as well as opening the field to modern metaphor. Unlike Barry Unsworth's interpolations in "The Songs of the Kings," Mr. Logue's don't jar, but rather deepen, and lift the story from some mythical past to something that is played out continually. A great device considering "The Iliad" is arguably the blue-print for every war story ever written.

I think "All Day Permanent Red" would work for readers with no pre-knowledge of the source, and though I've been through at least three previous translations it certainly worked for me.

Five Stars!

First "War Music", then "Kings" followed by "The Husbands" and now "All Day Permanent Red". Christopher Logue continues to dazzle and thrill with his books based on Homer's Iliad. It's the wonderful juxtaposition of classical images and modern day description that just works. It works when by all accounts all you should have is a hopeless mess. I can't rationally analyze why, but for me the poems operate on a almost physical level. I can feel that sun in the azure sky, so bright it hurts BEHIND your eyes, I can hear the crack of the oiled leather tack on foam-mouthed horses rolling their eye whites to Olympus, I can hear the flight of whispered arrows and I'm dazzled by the Sun God reflecting past glories off burnished armor.

What an achievement. And now there's a new volume to read, "Homer's Cold Calls" which is proving very difficult to find here in the USA and I will be having a buddy buy for me in the UK.

All The Young Dudes is a fantastic read. The author had access to the founding members of Mott and uses this inside information to paint a thorough picture of how things were; how the members thought about various times of their careers; the ups and downs; David Bowie, etc. For instance, I didn't know that Ian Hunter was the bassist for the New Yardbirds. Or that he played with Ritchie Blackmore once. But I don't want to ruin all the surprises. Suffice to say, it is a fantastic book. Complete in every way. You couldn't ask for a better or more thorough biography. There are lots of rare pics and a complete discography too. I loved this book!!

Whether you are a Mott/Ian Hunter fan or not, you can enjoy this book. Although the early background/biography sections aren't as interesting as the career of Mott The Hoople, this book is very entertaining. It shows the inner workings of a legendary band, and in the process, the inner workings of the music industry. This book is easy to read and a must for Ian Hunter/Mott fans. These guys had a lot of funny things happen to them as they became unlikely pop stars.

This is one of the best books I have ever read.

As I searched for a novel on the Filipino American experience, I brought with me a list of 60 books related to the topic to the two largest bookstores in my area. Out of all 60, only two of the novels were on the shelf. I was saddened by the fact that out of the hundreds of books they had in both stores, only two were about Filipino Americans. But it must have been fate that my choices were limited which led me to the wonderfully written memoir, Almost Americans - A Quest For Dignity, by Patricia Justiniani McReynolds. Patricia, or Patsy as she is called by her parents, recalls her life as a daughter of a Filipino man, Jose, and a Norwegian woman, Ruth. Born in 1926, Pasty recalls the struggles her parents faced, working as domestic servants, surviving through the Depression, dealing with racism and anti-Asian laws, and living in the United States as immigrants during a time when they were not allowed to become citizens. As Patricia tells her story, we are given a first hand history lesson of the lives of immigrants in America, and the advantages and disadvantages of being a Filipino during those times of Depression and World War II. Later in her adulthood, we see Patsy fight to gain acceptance in a society where very few Filipinos, yet alone, half-Filipinos, are visible during her years at UCLA, where she received a Bachelors in Fine Arts, and soon after. She, herself, feels the sting of discrimination when the parents of her Caucasian boyfriend disapprove of her and when they must leave California due to anti-miscegenation laws to get married in New Mexico. Along with their hardships, we get a glimpse of the Filipino culture through the life of her father, Jose. As a Filipino myself, I was elated to finally read a novel that I could truly relate to and connect with. It is not possible to tell the story of Filipino Americans without mentioning the history of Filipinos in the Philippines, which is told through the stories of Jose, who reminds me very much of my own father. Patricia pointed out several things about the Filipino culture that I myself never realized. An example is the fact that the letter "F" does not exist in many Filipino dialects, making it hard for Filipinos to pronounce. Another is that many Filipinos mix up "he" and "she" because Filipino dialects do not differentiate pronouns into male or female, such as the word "siya." Asides from learning more about Filipino history and culture, Almost American also made sense out of many things I previously did not understand about my parents and grandparents. Growing up, I found it so hard to understand why they were so strict, why they worked so hard, why they mispronounced so many things, and reading about the life of another Filipino American, Patricia Justiniani McReynolds, finally answered many of my questions. I recommend Almost Americans - A Quest For Dignity to anyone who wants to learn more about an important part of American history that for so long has been left out of many history books - the Filipino American experience.

Fill in the blank: The Filipino in America is best known for _____. It is hard to complete that statement, for although Filipinos have been in this country for almost 100 years, they have hardly been noticed. Their calm adaptability, their inward acceptance of the racism and oppression which all immigrants experience and "hiya", the Filipino balancing act of self-effacement and face-saving, have enouraged Filipinos to disperse quietly into America's mainstream. Today Filipinos are America's fastest growing Asian population. Patricia Justiniani McReynolds traces her father's life from his beginnings as the son of wealthy landowners in the Visayas, the central portion of the Philippine archipelago. The author's father, Jose Justiniani comes to the U.S. in 1913 in search of adventure and wealth. His youthful gambling ways are tempered after his marriage to Ruth Kongswold, a wide-eyed Norwegian immigrant who throughout their long marriage bows to Jose's masculine authority. Author McReynolds is the beneficiary of this mixed couple's strong love for one another and devotion to her, their only child.

Lacking education in a trade or profession, Jose finds work as a man-servant to a wealthy Los Angeles white businessman. Jose is on call at all hours and suffers daily the demeaning yes-sir-ing and yes-ma'am-ing, his job demands; a fact not lost on Patsy as she grows up.

The family's visit to the Philippines in 1936 when Patsy is 9-years-old, opens her father's world to her: the large and generous family; the vast land-holdings and spacious house. Once a Spanish colony, the Philippines is now U.S. property with a citizenry restless for independence. The Philippine-Norwegian-American family is welcomed like celebrities with lavish parties in Manila and Saravia -- later known as Sarabia. In 1936, there are only hints of a Japanese military threat and the terrible war which would engulf the country in half a decade.

After their Philippine visit, the family resumes life inthe U.S. and Patsy make! s it safely through a normally rebellious adolescence. Jose, resigned now to never finding meaningful work in the U.S. continues as servant -- a fact hidden from his family in the Philippines through careful choice of words. But Jose's jovial spirit has been broken. One day after two decades of faithful service, he simply quits his job and leaves without retirement or severance. Times are tough for the family, but the couple manages to put Patsy through college.

McReynold's account leaves us with a deeper understanding of the Filipinos who have come to this country in waves: first, at the start of the century, as did Jose Justiniani; after World War II; and more recently in the 1980s. Filipinos have come as laborers, service providers and professionals. "Almost Americans" belies its title, for it is truly an American story. During its telling, McReynolds deftly embroiders her story with insights into Philippine history; its long subjugation under Spanish rule; its resistance to U.S. takeover; finally, independence. Filipino contributions to America are considerable, but remain to this day -- despite this year's Philippine centennial celebrations -- largely unheralded.

After reading "Among Red Poppies In The Sand," I was enthralled by how much history the author could weave into a book reflecting on her first visit to Israel. I love good poetry, and hers was touching, tender, and powerful in the fullness of its brevity. She has a discernible originality in both her prose and poetry which shows a graceful yet determined style. I look forward to further works from the pen of Marcia Rome Moskowitz. Thanks for a wonderful read. Arnold P. Abbott, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Exceptionally insightful,written with great feeling and emotion and with a plea to all the world for Peace, this book brings to light the feelings of Jews around the world for their homeland.
The text recognizes the significance of Israel as the birth place of faith and spiritualism for Muslims,Christians,and Jews.

One of the things I've always loved about the adventures of Psi-Judge Anderson is that her stories really could take place in any time period or locale. The fact that they take place in the post-holocaust 22nd century of Mega-City One is often incidental. While the More well known Judge Dredd often deals with high-tech plots, mutants, etc..., Anderson's stories are often tinged with more horror than Sci-Fi elements. This is certainly the case with the second book in the Anderson series from The Black Library, "Red Shadows" which is a terrific serial killer mystery that has Anderson and the rest of the Judges completely befuddled.

William Ganz seems to be killing his victims at random from a list he carries. All he knows is that all of them have a red aura about them. He can see this because he is a powerful psychic, not only able to see people's auras, but because he is also a Tele-Dominant, and able to force people to do his bidding, and to make them see what he wants them to see. The murders become increasingly brutal. Even longtime Judges are shocked by the savagery of the killer. The victims all have their throats cut, some have all their organs removed or limbs hacked off. Clearly this is one very ticked-off murderer. When Anderson psi-scans the dead victims to see what they saw before they died, she has images of a delivery man bringing flowers or candy, yet each time it's a different looking man, and yet surveillance cameras never see any such delivery man.

It is only after several murders that Anderson discovers the man's incredible psychic powers...powers which he uses to murder two Judges, and powers which may be even greater than Anderson's. That's not the worse thing though...the killer has now seen Anderson, and her aura glows with the brightest red he's ever seen. Now he's forgotten about the rest of the names on his list and is setting his sights on Judge Anderson.

"Red Shadows" was a fantastic, and thoroughly grisly story. Be warned that the murders and murder scenes are quite graphic as writer Mitchel Scanlon pulls no punches. For perhaps the first time we see Anderson truly in doubt and in fear. Once Ganz goes after Anderson it's a great game of cat and mouse that Scanlon delivers with the skill of seasoned mystery writer. "Red Shadows" was a thrill to read and I hope to see more from Scanlon.

Reviewed by Tim Janson

By the year 2126, atomic war has decimated humanity and the world is a bleak wasteland, inhabited by mutants and freaks. Most people live in vast, walled cities. Boredom, unemployment, and crime is sky high. The authorities must use an iron fist to keep the 400 million citizens in check. Justice is upheld by the implacable Judges. They are empowered to act as judge, jury, and executioner. Radioactivity has given some people dangerous talents: telekinetics, pyromaniacs, telepaths, and more. It is the Psi Division's task to do what the regular judges cannot: deal with supernatural phenomena and hunt mutant psychics down. Its ranks are comprised of telepaths and psychics, able to scan minds, even those recently deceased. Psi-Judge Cassandra Anderson is the best in the division.

The Necropolis Event (in "Fear the Darkness") ranked alongside the Apocalypse War as one of the worst disasters to have ever befallen Mega-City One. Judge Edward Weller still has nightmares because of it. It is also why he despises all psychics, even psi-judges. And Psi-Judge Anderson, in Weller's opinion, is the worst, simply because she is the best in the Psi Division. Needless-to-say, Weller is NOT happy when he finds out Anderson is assigned to assist in his case.

Psi-Judge Cassandra Anderson hunts a teledominant. This serial killer mentally dominates the minds of other people and makes them believe anything he wants them to. Every time Anderson scans a victim's mind, she sees only what the victim saw. Since the victims saw only what the killer wanted them to, Anderson has no idea as to what the killer looks like. To make matters worse, Judge Weller's prejudice ways keeps him from sharing vital information with Anderson. Yet even when they find out who the killer is, they must still find the person who is pulling the killer's strings.

***** Author Mitchel Scanlon often mentions names some of today's famous people or film characters within this series. They are slight, little mentions that many readers may not even notice. But for big fantasy and sci-fi fans, like myself, you will get a chuckle each time one of them jumps out at you. Other than this, the author keeps his sense of humor under wraps and gives his readers some of the best futuristic fantasies of the year. Author Mitchel Scanlon has a new fan in me! Fabulous! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

I found this book to be a very interesting accounting of the war in Vietnam through the eyes of airborne advisors and Vietnamese airborne soldiers. Having been there as an advisor to an airborne battalion, the recollections of others reminded me of many events that occurred while performing those duties. I thank Mr. Strode for putting together a book that will preserve some of the history of Americans and Vietnamese.

The best book available in English on the elite of the Republic of Viet Nam Armed Forces. Though it lacks informatio on the last two years of the war like the hard fought battle of Hill 1062 in the First Corp in 1974. Also lacking was the biography of all Airborne Division battalion commanders. Still it deserve high praise for giving credit long overdue to the heroic ARVN paratroop soldiers. The best fighters in the Viet Nam War.