Seven Books

This book was a revelation, I see too much of myself and mistakes I made. A must read for any investor!

It is a must read for anyone who is serious about investing. Great investment details with personal stories, and it can be beneficial to both experts and beginners.

Making money in the stock market would be a lot easier if we did not succumb to the whim of our emotions. In order to beat the stock market, you must assess your weaknesses and overcome these emotional traps: envy, pride, lust, avarice, anger, gluttony, and laziness. The author explains how all of us are sinners, but some of us can be saved.

Simply saying that you will avoid making these mistakes is easy but doing so when under the pressure that the market inflicts is much more difficult. Every trader needs to go through the list of emotional breakdowns above and think about how they react to these emotions. Write down the mistakes you make because of fear or greed. Think about times when you have been reckless in your trading and write down a plan to overcome them.

Before you make another trade, create a plan to overcome the seven deadly sins of trading. Doing so will do more to your profit than anything else you can do.

SEVEN DEADLY SINS OF INVESTING: HOW TO CONQUER YOUR WORST IMPULSES AND SAVE YOUR FINANCIAL FUTURE probes the psychology of investors and investments, sharing the knowledge Maury Fertig has gained from a long career at Salomon Brothers to help save investors from their self-defeating impulses. Each investment decision holds possible dangers: the author analyzes common problems and paths and offers up solutions based on psychological insights.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This is an unusual book on investing, as it provides neither advice on investing nor investment strategies. Instead it focuses solely on explaining the negative impact of specific investor emotional traits on investment performance. It is written in an easy-to-understand, friendly, conversational style.

Specifically, Fertig covers seven psychological factors that result in causing investors to perform poorly. These factors include: envy, pride, lust, greed, anger, gluttony and sloth. He covers these topics one at a time, and includes interesting personal stories and examples that clearly illustrate his key points.

From my own investment experience spanning 49 years, I can attest to the critical importance of keeping your emotional behavior and psychological weaknesses in check, otherwise investment results suffer. Too many investors buy at the top and sell at the bottom, because they were never strong enough to overcome their weaknesses. Hopefully, by reading this enjoyable book and thinking about their own situations and need for discipline, and taking corrective ACTION, the reader will improve his/her investment performance.

We live in an age of instant gratification, instant messaging, and an overabundance of stock market commentary from the TV talking heads and media outlets. All this extraneous information (not knowledge) negatively impacts investors thought processes. Investing is not a game and should be considered a place to have fun. Investors need to get control of their internal weaknesses and realize what factors need to be overcome to be successful. This book fills that need very well. Along with books on charting and stock market strategies, this book is part of the trilogy of books that potential investors need to read to become successful.

He is large, ugly and not leaving their kitchen. He is a Wizard's Enforcer. He is Archer's Goon. But what is he doing in the Sykes' kitchen, claiming to be sent by Archer and demanding the "two thousand" promised by Howard's dad, Quentin, who had better come up with the payment--and quickly?

At first Howard is relieved to find the two thousand is only words, and that his writer father has already sent them. But he sent them to Mountjoy, the man with whom he usually deals. What does a man Quentin has never heard of want with them?

Howard is determined to find out, and before he knows it he is drawn into a bizarre plot that threatens not only his own family but the whole world.

Wickedly witty and full of Diana Wynne Jones's usual non-stop action and amazing plot twists (though the plot is not as convoluted as in many of her later books) Archer's Goon is a great read for both young and not-so-young.

(BTW, I find it extremely irritating that the BBC turned Archer's Goon into a TV serial but Television New Zealand never bothered to buy it. While it's probably available on DVD, DVDs from the BBC are horrendously and inexcusably expensive.)

This is my favorite of all her books that I've read (that being most of them). It's absolutely excellent, and the best example of her juxtapositions of mundane and esoteric reality there is. This trick of hers is something other authors try in vain to do - a very difficult trick indeed!

"A Goon is a being who melts into the foreground and sticks there."
"All power corrupts, but we need electricity."
"It pays to increase your word power."
- from the author's note

Although Jones seems to be classified as a "children's" author, I've found her a very fine fantasy writer with a sly sense of humor ever since I took amazon.com's advice and first read HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE. While ARCHER'S GOON (a stand-alone work rather than a volume in any of Jones' series) has a young protagonist, but like Jones' other work can be enjoyed by any fantasy reader, since she doesn't talk down to her audience.

On the morning the story opens, Howard Sykes faces a typical day of school, avoiding violin practice, and the usual clashes with his little sister (nicknamed 'Awful', with a voice like an ambulance siren). Just an ordinary day in an ordinary little town, right?

Then the title character, a huge thug promptly nicknamed 'the Goon', shows up.

"What's Dad done?"
"Told her. Sykes got behind with his payment. Archer wants his two thousand. Here to collect it."
"Who *is* Archer?"
"Archer farms this part of town. Your dad pays, Archer doesn't make trouble."

In exchange for being let off his taxes - and maybe other things - Howard's father has been sending 2000 words in an envelope to City Hall every month for years. Sykes tries to laugh this off, saying it's a private joke he used to break his writer's block years ago - but now one sibling after another of the seven siblings running the town wants to get hold of the last batch of words and figure out what Archer's been up to all this time. Despite being adults, the siblings don't get on any better than Howard and Awful do; they've just got a truce by which they've divvied up the city. (One sister runs law enforcement while her twin handles crime, for example; Archer runs city power, Hathaway transportation. The brother who got last choice got waste management.) We eventually meet each sibling in turn; in some cases, the main characters must work out where that particular sibling's HQ must be, given their discipline.

The siblings settled into town about a decade before the story opens, planning to use it as a base for taking over the world - but they can't even get along with each other except for staying out of each other's way, and some seem to have changed their minds about running the world. But at least one appears to be interfering with all the others - all of them seem magically constrained to stay within the city limits, although they all deny knowing who did it, how, or why. The siblings have different personalities, and one or two really *are* efficient enough at organization to run the world if they can get free of the town.

Sitting down and asking myself why I like this book so much, I think it's basically the same reason I like some of GK Chesterton's grand conspiracy stories: on the surface we have an ordinary, apparently completely mundane and boring setting - but underneath that surface, even the most mundane activity may cover the activities of some agent of a colorful conspiracy. For instance, Hathaway doesn't get out much, which explains the town's disorganized road construction programs and why potholes don't get fixed properly. Archer has his secret lair in a bank vault and likes gadgets. The brother who runs entertainment travels with an entourage of disco dancers and the local cathedral choir when he wants to foil eavesdroppers.

The Goon himself *looks* very threatening, and refuses to leave without Archer's overdue batch of words, but he's easily bullied about little things like where he puts his feet, and can almost be overlooked like a large pet or easygoing protector - a dangerous assumption to make, perhaps.

This book was way fun to read, full of humor, magic and character. Amazing to think that when Diana Wynne Jones wrote this even SHE didn't know what was going to happen.

Howard Sykes comes home one day to find a goon- a huge dirty guy, anyway- sitting in his kitchen, saying that he comes from Archer, and refusing to move until he gets the 2000 words Howard's father owes him.

But the words got misplaced by Fifi, a college student who stays at the Sykes's house. So Fifi, Howard and Howard's little sister, Awful (who can live up to her name at times) go to find it.

Well, one thing leads to another and they soon find out that the whole town is run by 7 wizards (who are all related).

For me to give you a play by play here would take too long, but if you're thinking of reading this or just looking for a great book to read, I HIGHLY recommend this.

I'm not gonna lie to you. This book is about a Goon belonging to Archer. To be exact, it is about the repercussions of living with a Goon for an extended amount of time. I've slowly been devouring the collected works of Diana Wynne Jones and so far I haven't been disappointed by a single one of her titles. Each book is even odder and more bizarre than the last, often causing the reader to clasp his or her head from time to time and shout, "How does she think this stuff up?". "Arthur's Goon" is no exception to this rule. A brilliantly warped view of absolute power corrupting absolutely and the power plays that go on between siblings (no matter what their age), this book deserves to be remembered as one of the best children's novels out there today.

Walter comes home one day to discover a Goon sitting in his family's kitchen. Your typical hired heavy, the Goon has been sent by the mysterious Archer to collect from Walter's dad about 2000 words. It seems that for the last 13 years Walter's father (Howard) has been writing 2000 words a month and sending them off to a mysterious somebody. Now the words have become misplaced and the Goon has been sent to collect. As Howard steadfastly refuses to type any more, things start to go a little crazy. It isn't long before Walter and his family come to realize that their town is run by seven power mad sibling wizards. These wizards have been trapped in the town and each one runs a different part of it. For example, Dillian farms (that means runs) the police force while Shine farms crime. Now it's up to Walter to solve the mystery of the seven mysterious beings and to figure out who exactly is behind their entrapment within the town.

Author Jones is equally a master at engaging peculiar characters as she is creating complex multi-layered plots. You grow to love the Goon as he grows horribly lovesick for a young college student staying with Walter and his family. And who wouldn't identify with Walter when he has to deal with his appropriately nicknamed little sister Awful. I would venture to guess that she's the worst little sister character I have ever encountered in a kid's book, and that's saying a lot. Then there's the mystery to contend with. As Walter meets more and more of the seven the reader slowly is given clues to understand who's behind it all. Not since Raskin's, "The Westing Game" did I have this much fun with a mysterious kid's book. And to be honest, I never guessed the ending until I was told. The surprise twist this book carries is a doozy. If you figure out who's behind it all before they tell you then you're probably the kind of person who downs Agatha Christie novels like pop tarts.

Unfortunately, I have a bone to pick with this book. Sad to say, either I wasn't bright enough for some of the loose ends here or they were just too darn loose. The ending of this story is never fully explained and (to be frank) I don't believe we ever do find out EXACTLY how the seven brothers and sisters were trapped in the town at all. Some of these points are glossed over so beautifully that it takes a full three hours after putting the book down to realize what it is that you have missed. Now I'm 26 years of age and if I can't understand parts of this tale it's probably a fair guess that your average 10 year-old reader with have similar problems.

Still, that's my only quarrel. There's so much to love here that I feel a little dour making these kinds of comments. I mean, how can you dislike a book where a character like Awful is constantly asking the seven wizards where they come in order of birth so that she can better understand the pecking order in the family? It's a delightful tale about family fights and what it is that exactly makes up a family at all. And then of course there's the goon. Last of all I display for you the fabulous goon that starts this book rolling and, quite possibly, ends it. Here's to goons, ladies and gentlemen! May they grace the pages of more and more children's books in the future.

Babylon Boyz by Jess Mowry kept me up all night reading to see what happened next. This is a story about Dante, Pook and Wyatt, three brothers who live in Oakland, Cali. Dante has a heart problem caused by his mom's addiction to crack before he was born. Pook is gay. And Wyatt is a cool fat dude. Babylon Boyz is a story about life in the hood and thuggers and drugs, but it's really a story about friendship and that it's more important to stay true to your friends than the game. Friends care about you, the game doesn't. If you like this book you should also like Voodu Dawgz, Skeleton Key, and Way Past Cool by Jess Mowry.

Babylon Boyz, by Jess Mowry, is a thrilling novel about inner city life. It's based around the lives of three youg teens. Starting out with the words "Hey Homo," it captured my attention right away. Pook is the homosexual who is out of the closet. Wyatt is very overweight and Dante is a Rastifarian with a serious heart condition. These boys are best friends who want more than anything to get out of Babylon, their dangerous ghetto. Throughout the story they encounter many problems including: dealing drugs, fights, gang problems, tagging bathrooms and running from Air Touch. (A big gangster/bully)
A quote that particularly stuck in my mind was: "We all just little black ants in Babylon, waitin' to get stepped on and too stupid to see it." It's kind of true because these boys know that they will never be good enough with society looking down on them all the time.
I guess the whole reason I liked the book was, even though the characters may come off rough edged or as black trouble makers they are not. If other people took the time, they would find a bunch of passionate young men.
I would recommend this book to all mature audiances because the content may not be appropiate for children.

(Submitted by Justine Spencer)

Life ain't always like some of you may live it the easy way- sometimes life sucks, and sometimes it ain't fun at all. And that's the way it is for these three homies, the Babylon Boyz.

Take Pook, tall, gorgeous, and gay. Always fighting for who he is, always wanting to get outta Babylon and be a doctor.

Take Dante, who's never had a chance. His mom was heavy into crack when she was pregnant with him, and died when he was born-born with a bad heart. If he's really good, no smoke, no alcohol, no excitement of any kind, he might live till he's 30.

Take Wyatt, over 300 pounds of flab with a 300 pound attitude to back it up. Don't mess with him-you don't want to know how he sneaks his gun into school every day.

For these brothers, life is not fun. Life is not easy. Everyday they fight the gangstas in the street and the jocks at school who hate gay boys, fat guys, and guys with bad hearts and a worse attitude.

These are the good guys, Pook, Wyatt, and Dante, but what will happen when they witness a crack dealer's arrest, and end up with his gun and the briefcase he threw out of the car just before the cops caught up with him? It could be money-money for a new heart, a medical education, a new start. It could be crack, crack that they could sell for that money. But either way, that briefcase is guaranteed to be danger. What will they do with it?

Jess Morwy wrote the awesome book, Babylon Boys about friends sticking together to stand strong in Babylon. The Babylon boys stick through rough times making good or bad choices to stick with one another. The book is written in third person narrative explaining what kind of life people in Babylon live. (Troubles you face in Babylon are watching for cops, protection to family, drugs, and even school problems as well). Babylon relates to real life in Chicago's South side and also New York's crime and hatred. Most cities face problems with drugs, cops, and wrong decision just like this book and more problems. There are lots of things to like about this book, such as when they make fun of one another in a profanity kind of way and get in fights with older people because they think they are not the same because they of a bad heart, are fat, or even gay. This book is an adventure for thrill seekers, or even a book to imagine and learn what it would feel like to live with troubles everyday and only way out is a illegal way out would you take it.

Since childhood, they have been best of friends, three troubled boys, Pook, Wyatt, and Dante. They want nothing more than to escape their ghetto, crime-filled neighborhood, where everyone around them seems like "little black ants...waitin' to get stepped on an' too stupid to see it." They have no way of reaching their dreams-until they discover two packets of cocaine worth thousands of dollars.

What would you do? Would you sell drugs at your school, deteriorating your community and getting the money YOU desperately need for medical school, a heart operation for your dying friend, and most importantly, a one-way ticket from behind the bars of your own neighborhood?

That's exactly what these three boys had to decide when Pook and Dante witnessed Air Touch, a rich and popular drug dealer, throwing a suitcase full of what they thought was money, out of his car window during a police chase. Later, they bring the suitcase home realizing they had brought home the same terrifying evidence that had killed Dante's own mother.

And everyone knows, "It only gets worse before it gets better." Not only was this incident a problem, dilemmas rained in regarding Pook's homosexuality, the homelessness of a younger boy the trio makes friends with, and Wyatt's obesity. And the new homeless "boy" has a great surprise for us all!

I would recommend this book to all mature readers age twelve and up, regardless of gender. Also, just because a tree died to make this book, doesn't mean you'll die reading it. Actually it's the complete opposite. Reading this book gave me a much closer view into our own great neighboring cities about how life really is for some kids like you and me. And not only does Mowry do a spectacular job of revealing the secrets of Oakland, California, she verbally indicates the setting of lower class residents all over the United States. If you're also in to fiction, this book is definitely calling your name! This book deserves to be put in every hotel side drawer in America!


Monique K.
Des Plaines, Ilinois

The book I read was A Bear called Paddington, and it was very good. The author of A bear called Paddington was Michael Bond who has been writing children's books since 1995. A Bear called Paddington is a fantasy story.

A bear called Paddington has 8 stories in the book. First story...Mr. and Mrs. Brown find a bear who had came to America from darkest Prue. The train Stations name was Paddington so they named him Paddington. Paddington has no family so the Browns takes the bear to there house. Second story... Mr. and Mrs. Brown have 2 children, Judy and Jonathon, they really like Paddington. Paddington always has his hat o which actually saves his life. When Paddington was in the bath and forgot how to swim so he poured the water on the floor out of his hat. Third story... Paddington, Mrs. Brown ad Judy go underground somewhere, and o the way there, they lost all there money so as soon as they get there they don't have ay money for tickets. So all 3 of them looked for the money for the tickets. Fourth story Paddington, Judy ad Mrs. Brown go shopping and Paddington have never been on an elevator so he wants to go on one. They got off the elevator and Paddington hates it so much. Fifth story... On day a grocery man tells Paddington how to get paint off stuff. After hearing that, Paddington wanted to try, so he found an old and tried to erase it but it makes an even bigger mess. Sixth story... The whole family went to the theater. Paddington loves it so much that now he wants to be in show business. So he creeps I the actor's dressing room to find the main person, Sir Sealy. Sir Sealy gives Paddington a special part in the play. Seventh story... the whole family go's to the sea and Judy, Paddington and Jonathon enter a sad castle contest and one of them wins. Eighth story... Paddington gets a magic kit for his birthday in the end he vanished 2 thing's and broke one thing.

This book was one of my favorites, it was so good. One bad thing is that it was very easy to understand. I would recommend this book to third or fourth graders.

Paddington is very funny when he does little mistakes. Paddington is a very interesting character that is lovable to everyone. Whenever I'm bored I read it, usually, even though we have already read it. You should mainly buy it for your kids, but you should read it to them because adults like it as much as the kids do. I like all the Paddington books, but my favorite one is the first one. Paddington is a wonderful character and he is my most favorite on earth.
by a 9 year- old (almost)girl from the USA

We LOVE this CD set! I bought it 2 years ago for my daughter to listen to for naps and bedtime, and now at age 5 she's STILL asking for it every night.

I like the fact that both CDs are over an hour long, she likes that there are several stories on each CD to keep her attention. The plots aren't too complicated for her to follow, but they do force her to pay attention and focus on the cd, which is key for naptime. :) Stephen Fry's voice is wonderfully soothing to listen to, and he does a great job of distinguishing between the various characters -- key for books on CD!

As she's gotten older Caroline has begun to appreciate some of the silliness that is Paddington, but the stories are nicely entertaining even without that element. We parents don't mind listening to Paddington in the car when we're on trips. All in all, I say this CD set is well worth this money, it's one that will really grow with you!!

This proved to be a wonderful purchase. The stories are entertaining for both parents and children and are perfect for long car trips. Excellent alternative when you don't want the kids in front of the television.

A classic! I loved Paddington as a child and I'm thrilled to have this in our CD collection. (I'd even listen without the kids!). Stephen Fry reads the stories very well.

Hands down this was my favorite book out of the entire series. There was action between all of the characters. Can Tom and Natasha get out of the Caymans alive? Will the injection end Heather's life? Will Gaia finally give into her urges to be with Ed? Will Tatiana go crazy without her mother? There's even action with Loki and his goons. If you got sucked into this series like I did... you must buy this book. I guess the main question in this book is this: Can Gaia actually have a normal life?

Oh how the excitement bubbles from me.

Heather is now blind.

Josh is dead.

Things are looking up for Gaia and Ed because she has finally told him the truth.

And Loki finally learns the truth about his relationship to Gaia.

This book was excellent. And the ending was a huge surprise! Hopefully though we will not end up being subjected to the same droning and wallowing from the last few books. Can't wait for Lost(Fearless #25)

I always thought the first six books in the series were the I'd risk my life to save from a raging fire type books. None of the following grabbed me quite like those six fast paced, wonderful books had.
Then #23 and #24 arrived at my door.
They are wonderful! Things are definetly getting more exciting in Gaia's world. #24 is a shining star of a book, and high above #13,14,ect (which I liked but did not love). Often the books would blend together because the conflict was drawn out to0 long and there was imo, no stand out story line. Not so in #24.
Heather has recovered from her brush with death after getting tangled up with a psychotic hottie who poisoned her with a drug that would make her fearless but also a loopy fruit loop. The damage has been done though and Heather now lives in a world of darkness. The change of her in this book is amazing. She went from self-centered prima donna to mother teresa type character who's found some amount of peace. That's the one word I would use to describe this book-peace. Each of the characters finds an amount of peace in this book. The struggles are over (for now). Gaia also has found a peacefullness now that Loki is no longer tearing her life apart like a human bulldozer and she and Ed relish the break from chaos and confusion by spending time with eachother.
But how long will this serenity last?
Hello! This is Gaia's world so we know it ain't going to last long!

This book was, oh it was just so, you can't imagine how... (Taking a second to regain composure.) This book left me utterly wordless. I mean it was just so good. Thats all I can think of right now. It left such a profound after taste that right after I finished it I had dreams about it all night. In this book, Gaia goes through the most world rocking adventure than any other in her past. She finds answers to some myeteries that have been taunting her. To make it more better, there is actually some her and Ed time in this book. Some parts in this book will leave you astonished, others will make you yelp for joy. Caution, while reading the end of this book, I advice you to not sit on anything that is more than 1 ft off the ground. Because what happens will surely just make you fall off and dance to the floor. Read this book, you will eat it right up!

This book was great. I couldn't wait to read it because of what happened at the end of #23. You'll love this book. Heather comes out fine and I really hope Tom is okay. What's with the ending. I really want to read #25. I can't wait! If you want to know if this book is worth your time it is!!!

Great book. Very good stories. Well translated. Easy on the eyes to read! Well done, guys!

But, why didn't anyone think of this before? This book basically works like those reading segments you find in books like the Genki series. Only this time you won't find the usual stuff about Mr. Yamada's introduction to the staff of his new company, or Mr. Smith's first experience with tempura, but several selected short stories by two of the most revered masters of modern Japanese literature: Natsume Soseki and Ryunosuke Akutagawa. If you don't like literature, let me put it this way: at least one of the writers strongly inspired one of Akira Kurosawa's greatest films: Rashomon. Like those manuals to study Japanese, this volume comes with mp3 files to help you with both your reading and your listening, and you can find them for free at the website of the publishers. I've written in other reviews there's no single bulletproof method for anything. There's no such thing as a method for everyone. The great thing about this book is this: the last word that comes to mind is "method", because it's not about learning Japanese language itself as much as it is about Japanese literature. I'd suggest it for intermediate students, though, because of the basic knowledge it requires.

An excellent resource for intermediate students of Japanese working their way to a more advanced level. The author puts all the necessary learning tools in one convenient location. And the free MP3 files help students fine tune their reading, kanji, and pronunciation skills. I would like to see more products like this. I would buy more products like this.

I studied Japanese for three semesters ten years ago and have had no opportunity to practice it since. I'm not exactly a blank slate, but I certainly don't remember very much -- maybe 35 kanji (numbers, sun, moon, etc.) and roughly 85% of the kana.

With what basic knowledge of Japanese sentence structure, common particles, and a few verb-ending constructions (v~te, v~tari, v~nakareba, v~tai are common) I've retained, I can read these stories at about one page per 10 minutes with no other reference material needed.

It's that "no other reference materials needed" that makes this an outstanding book.

The first stories have the same slightly repetitive nature that textbooks use to help one learn kanji or sentence structures, but these are classic stories with a repetitive stylistic element, rather than the mindnumbing textbook equivalent. All the benefits of "I am Smith. Who are you? I am Jones. Are you American? Yes, I am American. Are you American? No, I am Canadian. Is your friend Canadian?..." without the boredom!

Granted, some of the kanji I've learned to recognize are not really the highest priority, in terms of usefulness -- "eyebrows" and a phrase for someone who's blind (now considered too rude to use) are in there -- but I've also learned kanji for several useful nouns and adjectives in painless increments, just while reading.

Best, it's fun and gives me a sense of accomplishment I just don't get from reading, say, a Japanese newspaper at the rate of one sentence per half-hour, surrounded by dictionaries.

This book is an excellent aid for inforcing knowledge of Japanese grammar. On every page, there is a section that lists almost all the words in the order they first appear, their readings, and their translations. I personally find myself in the habit of always looking at this mini-dictionary whether I know the words or not. The English version of the story is translated to the more fluid side than literal side. I like to see if how they translated each sentence is how I would have, and with every word's meaning right there all that is left is to understand the grammar.

The book states that these versions of the stories were chosen for their moden Kanji use. I have come across several words using different kanji than I am used, and even some words using Kanji that I never knew had Kanji. Luckily I have a friend and teacher to ask questions. Often he tells me that those Kanji could be used that way but that they rarely are. Sometimes he is suprised by the use of Kanji altogether.

If nothing else, these are classic Japanese stories, in actual Japanese writings, with downloadable readings by a native speaker. And they are interesting, good reads. I only give the book 4 stars instead of 5 due to: uncommon Kanji use, artistic licence with the English, convenient current meanings in the dictionary, and the occasional forgotten word from the mini-dictionary.

James Qwilleran stayed the compulsory five years in Pickax to complete the requirements placed on his inheritance. He is now officially a billionaire. Now it is time to decide what to do with the rest of his life. He intends to go somewhere--a quiet island with a beach or a mountain hideaway--someplace where he can have seclusion and quiet to sort out his options and make plans.

Qwill (as his friends call him) decides on a whim to spend three months in Spudsboro, a small town in the Potato Mountains. It was recommended highly by some friends who camped there recently. Finding a house to rent is always difficult with two Siamese cats as roommates. The only thing he can find is a huge house on the very top of Big Potato Mountain. It was originally built as an exclusive lodge for well-to-do tourists. More recently it was the home of the area's most influential businessman--owner of the local newspaper. It didn't take long for Qwill to discover the house he rented had been the scene of a ghastly murder a year earlier.

I do admire Jim Qwilleran's ability to converse with everyone he meets. He is well practiced, of course, since he made his living for years as an investigative reporter for various newspapers. He knows just how to steer the conversation and just the right questions to ask. He makes people so comfortable that they usually tell him anything he wants to know. Of course, he has an uncanny ability to read people and know when he is being lied to. Within two days of arriving in town, he is sure that the wrong man is in prison for the murder.

The author does an amazing job of making us empathize with Qwill's frustration with the situation he has gotten himself into. He came to the mountains for solitude and a time of reflection. He had no desire to get mixed up in the politics of the region--environmentalists vs. developers. He really had no desire to get mixed up in the mystery surrounding the murder. But...being a reporter for so many years (and truly caring about the innocent man in prison), he just could not resist finding the truth. It doesn't take long. Qwill has learned to trust his instincts--and the instincts of his cat Koko. Together they follow the clues and confront the real murder.

I highly recommend that you get acquainted with Jim Qwilleran through the "Cat Who..." mystery series. You will like him.

This is a great book about a man and his to crime finding clue cat Koko and YumYum. There is a mystery on potatoe mountain on a death of a local well known man. Was the wrong person framed. This book is fantastic except kind of has a dissapointing end. But i loved it anyway. I hope you enjoy this book and look for my other reviews

The Cat Who is the best serries ever full of humor wit and complexity,
James Macentosh Qwilerin is a off beat repoter/Billion air with his 2 cats Koko and Yumyum who are no shorter than extra ordinary.
This is the best book serries I have ever read and would recomend it to any one over 10.
[...]

In an earlier book in this series Jim Qwilleran inherited a pot full of money but there was a stipulation. He had to live in Moose County for five years or he forfeited his windfall. As this book begins, Qwilleran has just completed his five years and is contemplating his future. He has come to love Moose County and it's quirky residents but he was born and raised a city boy and sometimes he longs for more action. The former reporter decides that he needs some time in a quiet atmosphere to think through his options and one of his friends suggests that he spend some time in the Potato Mountains.

In order to find a summer retreat that will accept pets, Qwilleran has to rent a huge former mountain inn that sets on the peak of Big Potato Mountain. It turns out that the last owner of the home was murdered and as normal, Koko immediately begins to exhibit strange behavior. Yum Yum on the other hand starts to tear out bits of her own fur, a behavior that has Qwilleran very upset until the veterinarian tells him that this is not unusual in a spayed female. It is a trait that I have witnessed in my own spayed female cat and this little sidebar makes it very clear that Mrs. Braun most assuredly knows her cats.

Qwilleran for his part has all kinds of trouble in the unfamiliar mountain setting. He has learned some things about rural life during his sojourn in Moose County but the mountains provide an entirely different set of challenges. He gets lost on the mountain roads, almost falls over a waterfall, gets lost while hiking in the woods and gets trapped on the mountain after a dam break. What's a poor city slicker to do?

Despite all of his trials, Qwilleran still manages to get involved in local politics. More specifically he gets involved in a fight between the Spuds (people who live in town and support development) and the Taters (mountain people who oppose development) and he finds that a serious injustice has been done to one of the Tater families. With the help of Koko, Qwilleran wades through the evidence (and a mudslide) and discovers the truth, which once again puts his life in danger and requires a cat to save the day.

The mystery itself, as is often the case in this series, plays a decidedly secondary role in a plot that is laced with humor and oddball characters, including an old mountain man who builds Qwilleran a gazebo that has no door. This book is also a warm fuzzy mystery with a conscience as Mrs. Braun goes to great lengths to point out what happens when humans try to bend mother nature to their own ends. As usual, the writing style is engaging, fun and entertaining. This author's characters are always unpredictable and unforgettable and the cats are fascinating. Mrs. Braun even throws a few witches into this book, just to keep things interesting. This is one of the best books in the series so far and it was a real pleasure to read.

In "'The Cat Who Moved a Mountain', Jim Qwilleran took a vacation to the Potato Mountains to have a much-needed rest away from it all. It was here he found he had rented a hotel that had been the site of a year old murder. The locals tell him that the man is now in jail. But Qwill finds out that they have the wrong guy! Then, with the help of Koko, he finds the real murderer and lures him into addmitting it was him. Then Qwill has a near-fatal run-in with the murderer. What will happen? I'll let you see for yourself! Enjoy the book!

This is number six in Lilian Braun's long running 'The Cat Who' series and marks the beginning of Jim Qwilleran's transplantation to the far northern town of Pickaxe. Qwilleran has managed to become the heir of the community's wealthiest resident and must stay in Pickaxe for five years in order to inherit. As we all know now, he lasted a lot more than five years, and may still be north of everywhere enjoying the foibles and gossip that play such an important part of the world's coziest cozies.

Qwill has just moved into the Klingenshoen mansion with his two Siamese cats - Yum Yum the delectable and arch-detective Koko. Koko, through various manipulations of his owner's behavior, manages to arouse Qwill's curiosity about the disappearance of a housemaid a few years previously. In the process of investigating, the newspaperman introduces us to many of Pickaxes residents for the very first time. When he isn't being his by trucks, that is. It is interesting in retrospect to meet these characters again, who often started out one way and then became something else as Braun added layer after layer to her confection of characters and mysteries (and cats).

I can only read so many of these in rapid succession before I have to stop. Lilian Braun has a tendency to let her characters run in a groove with very little development over a number of volumes. She makes up for this by using Qwilleran to create witty dialogue, but there are only so many Pickaxe witticisms that one can read before feeling a desire for something with a bit more meat to it. This volume is a change of pace (if you've been reading in sequence). There's a bit less sarcasm and a bit more story and that makes this one of the best of her early books.

Don't look for a complicated mystery here. Braun's villains tend to be obvious, and more often than not the means are just as visible. You read these tales for lightweight enjoyment and the zany characters that chitchat their way through the pages. And, of course, you read them because you can't resist Qwill's owners, the Siamese masterminds.

These are great stories Lillian Jackson Braun does a wonderful job of writing. I hope to one day have all the Audio Tapes in the series. Amazon.com is a great company to do bussiness with.

In the 6th book in The Cat Who...series, James Qwilleran aka "Qwill", is just settling in to his new life as a millionaire in Pickaxe City (400 miles north of everywhere). He has moved his two beautiful Siamese cats (KoKo and Yum Yum) into the old Klingenschoen mansion and is settling in for a five year stay to fulfill the requirements of Aunt Fanny's will.

As the book begins, Qwill is lying in a hospital bed, suffering from amnesia caused by a bicycle accident. His old friend, Arch Riker, flies into town to assist Qwill in regaining his memory, and succeeds in bringing Qwill out of his fog. While beginning to heal, Qwill starts to have vivid dreams of the moments leading up to the mishap, and eventually remembers that it was no accident...a truck had purposefully run him off the road! While trying to piece together who may have meant to harm him, Qwill begins some renovations to his new home. During his explorations of the mansion, Qwill stumbles across the room of a former employee, Daisy. Her room was completely painted with a graffiti style mural of daisies, and it arouses Qwill's keen curiosity. He begins to ask questions about the former employee of Fanny, and finds that Daisy disappeared rather abruptly. And when everyone that Qwilleran speaks to about her begins to have "accidents", he becomes suspicious that someone will kill to keep Daisy hidden forever.

This is my favorite cozy mystery series! I had read all of the books in the past, and wanted to read them again for a second time. This time around, I have chosen to listen to them on CD, as I love the voice of George Guidall. I am happily rediscovering how Qwill became a resident of Moose County, and how many of the series regulars join him from "down below". In this installment, Qwill hires Iris Cobb as his house manager. She cooks for him (and the cats), and is in charge of cataloging all of the antiques in the old mansion. For those that have not read the series, I do recommend reading the first several first. Many others can be intermixed, but this book offers good insight as to how Qwill became associated with Moose County. This is a great series by my favorite author!

The first book in the series is called "The Cat who Could Read Backwards". Enjoy!

At first when I started to hear the tapes, I was thinking that the narrator's voice was not dynamic enough. But by the middle of the first tape, I was ok with it. I've just gotten so tired of listening to Los Angeles radio stations in the car (we sit in traffic a lot out here) that I thought it would be nice to be entertained by something I really love. I was glad I did. Even if you've read the books in the past, it's fun to let the narrator do the reading for you. AND... something I thought was neat and that made me laugh was... when the narrator would be talking about Koko and Yumyum and a noise they were making, he would sound EXACTLY like my own Siamese cat. So it made it funny, because I knew exactly the "language" he was referring to. (He must have studied Siamese cats before attempting this narration!)

Anyway, I will probably buy more "Cat Who" books on tape. I don't anticipate L.A. traffic to be letting up anytime soon. And for some strange reason, listening to it in the car makes me feel like my own cat is in there with me. I say if you live in a city with heavy traffic... buy the tapes!

Lillian Jackson Braun opens this, her sixth cat mystery with Jim Qwilleran waking up in a hospital bed and not knowing who or where he is. It seems that he had been run off of the road by a truck as he bicycled on Ittibittiwassee Road. As he tries to regain his memory the reader is led along with him while he thinks back on events leading up to his accident. Most of these events involve the perplexing disappearance of one Daisy Mull who had been employed by Qwilleran's "Aunt Fanny." Once he is home from the hospital things begin to happen at a more rapid pace and a mystery that no one in Moose County had thought about all that much ends up bringing down some of Pickax City's leading citizens and leads to more deaths. Had Qwilleran paid attention to Koko's clues a little earlier some of this mayhem might have been avoided but the Siamese wonder can't seem to make his human friend understand. Koko finally gets so disgusted with Qwilleran that he refuses to have anything to do with him.

Braun also uses this book to set up Qwilleran's new life in Moose County. Arch Riker comes up from Down Below for a visit and hints that he might just like to make the move to Pickax City himself and Mrs. Iris Cobb does make the move and becomes Qwilleran's housekeeper, cook and the curator of his newly acquired house full of antiques. Ever the ladies man, our hero has hooked up with the lovely green-eyed Dr. Melinda Goodwinter and the relationship has blossomed since it began in the last book. He even begins to hint at a marriage. He also makes the acquaintance of Amanda Goodwinter who seems to be a perfect match for the newly divorced Arch Riker.

There are a few more twists and turns in this story than in some of the previous books but once again the mystery is not the main attraction of the book. Braun's talent for creating memorable characters and settings is very much in evidence in this book and she appears to have even created a man for Iris Cobb. Just Like Iris' first husband, nobody can stand this guy either. As usual, the cats steal the show as they march together in a dinner line and wait impatiently for the mail to come through the slot so that they can dive in the pile. And once again the cats save Qwilleran's life. This time it is Koko that comes to the rescue at the end of this highly enjoyable and entertaining book.

The only reason I gave this book 4 stars rather than 5 is that David Macaulay has set the bar so high for himself over the years by writing and illustrating some real masterpieces such as Castle and Cathedral. City is also a great book, just not quite as amazing as others he has written. I bought this for my son, who has always been intrigued by construction projects, but I have also enjoyed it quite a bit.

This video presentation of the building of the city of Rome is a must for anyone interested in the classics or architecture.
I intend to share it with my Latin classes so that they can appreciate the genius of the Roman civilization. Did you know the Romans invented building arches with cement?
Warmly,
Robert D. Askren,Ph.D.

When taken together as a collection, Macaulay's books, from Castle and Cathedral and Pyramid, Mill, Unbuilding, Mosque, and most definitely this one, City, create what is probably the most readable, retainable, and approachable exploration of the story of architecture that's out there. These books, each highlighting an era and a project, are all a lot of fun to look at, read, and think about, and in this volume, City, the foundation and construction of a Roman population center is detailed. From the explanation for why the Romans built cities from scratch, to the selection and preparation of the site, to the actual erection of a brand new city, Macaulay leaves nothing unexplored or unexplained. These books are as enjoyable for adults as they are for children, and are truly classics of our time.

In this book, David Macaulay expertly describes and illustrates the construction of the imaginary Roman city of Verbonia. It is based hundreds of real Roman cities built between 300 B.C. and A.D. 150. I was amazed at the planning that went into the city, and the systematic and precise manner that everything was managed. I was fascinated to learn how they built the aqueducts for the city's water supply, even going through hills, and the sewer system underground to keep the city sanitary. The architecture of the forum and baths was so intriguing. Of course, this might be expected from the author of "The Way Things Work"! His detailed drawings are fabulous. This a terrific book for learning about Roman cities in this time period and for studying the way the cities were put together to provide for all the needs of the inhabitants.

When David Macaulay published this book in 1974, he was following in the path of the great American illustrators Edwin Tunis and Eric Sloane. They produced many memorable history books for young adults in the years following the Second World War. Tunis and Sloane blended well written history with well done pen and pencil illustrations. "City" follows the standard convention of beginning with a parcel of undeveloped land and showing the building process as the project progresses to a completed Roman city.

What makes this book so important is that David Macauley was able to expand the age paremeters and produce a beautiful book that could appeal to both young children and adults. His skills as a story teller and illustrator allowed people to look architecture and history in a new light. There are other illustrators with stronger drafting skills but there is nobody with more imagination. Macaulay is not afraid to enter into an image and tear it apart and look at it from many different viewpoints. There is a sense of movement and playfulness in his illustrations that make him unique.

This book is so important in the history of children's non-fiction literature because David Macaulay opened the doors for a whole series of children's book illustrators who have produced hundreds of illustrated history books.

Ned Begay, a six year old kid, who had to leave his Navajo home, in America and join a boarding school, had to learn the English language and the American ways. In the boarding school, he was not allowed to speak his native language and if he did, there were consequences. Japan was one of the most powerful countries, at that time. Soon Japan started attacking America and World War 2 began. Marine recruiters started looking for Navajos to join the Marines. Ned Begay joined the Marines. He was a code talker, who was not allowed to tell anyone, not even his own family. He would send and receive messages in a secret code. The code was extremely difficult to learn and only a Navajo could learn it. For every letter in the English Alphabet, a Navajo word was assigned. After a lot of practice of the code, Ned was shipped to Hawaii, to battle the Japanese. They had to take an exercise on the big island of Hawaii to experience all kinds of terrains. They had to cross a desert, on foot, in two days and everyone had only one bottle of water. By second day, everybody had collapsed, and only the Navajos had water left. The Navajos were nothing but the best. They had to write a letter to the Colonel to get some drinking water in the desert. After a few days, Hawaii was filled with blood, and dead bodies. Read the book, to find out what happens next. I liked the book " Code Talker " because of the facts that are in the book. One fact I learned was Japan took food from the poor and gave them to their Army. The food was donated to Japan by America, before the war.

Ned Begay, a six year old kid, who had to leave his Navajo home, in America and join a boarding school, had to learn the English language and the American ways. In the boarding school, he was not allowed to speak his native language and if he did, there were consequences. Japan was one of the most powerful countries, at that time. Soon Japan started attacking America and World War 2 began. Marine recruiters started looking for Navajos to join the Marines. Ned Begay joined the Marines. He was a code talker, who was not allowed to tell anyone, not even his own family. He would send and receive messages in a secret code. The code was extremely difficult to learn and only a Navajo could learn it. For every letter in the English Alphabet, a Navajo word was assigned. After a lot of practice of the code, Ned was shipped to Hawaii, to battle the Japanese. They had to take an exercise on the big island of Hawaii to experience all kinds of terrains. They had to cross a desert, on foot, in two days and everyone had only one bottle of water. By second day, everybody had collapsed, and only the Navajos had water left. The Navajos were nothing but the best. They had to write a letter to the Colonel to get some drinking water in the desert. After a few days, Hawaii was filled with blood, and dead bodies. Read the book, to find out what happens next. I liked the book " Code Talker " because of the facts that are in the book. One fact I learned was Japan took food from the poor and gave them to their Army. The food was donated to Japan by America, before the war.

This is a great book. Not much else to say. 5 stars!! especially if you are into fictional stories based on real historical events!

We read this book aloud while on a driving vacation through Navajo country in New Mexico and Arizona. My children (girl 10, boy 8 and girl 5) were completely enthralled with both the story and the insight into the Navajo people. Although a work of fiction, the book reads very convincingly as a memoir. The author succeeds admirably in relating the cultural challenges faced by patriotic Native Americans serving in the military as well a giving a non-romanticized portrayal of the realities faced by the soldiers who waged battle in the Pacific. We particularly appreciated the lighter moments -- one tale of boot-camp swimming "lessons" had the kids screaming with laughter. A great read pure and simple, but also one with good lessons to be learned.

Bruchac has created a terrific historic novel that has enough action for young male adults and enough history and research to appeal to an adult audience. Bruchac does a wonderful job of giving a sense of the complexities of growing up on a Navajo reservation in the first half of the book. The irony of a nation trying to wipe out the Navajo language but using it as a crucial means of communication during 20th century wars should not be lost on the reader while reading the second half of the book. Bruchac's narrator tells this tale in an even-keeled, even-tempered manner. The reader is allowed to gain his own sense of injustice our nation has inflicted upon its Native American population. Bruchac's description of the progression of America's involvement in World War II's Pacific campaign is well laid-out and dramatically presented. Highly recommended.