Shadow The Books

If you adore Mary Pickford, this is an autobiography to get--I mean, Mary wrote it!

The woman is legendary, so talented. I love her writing voice, (did you know she can also write?) sometimes it's almost as if she's right there telling you her life story.

Besides, I enjoy reading more on Charles "Buddy" Rogers, (her 3rd husband) who she talks about in this book. He's so charming in Pickford's My Best Girl (1927).

Mary Pickford wrote this fine autobiography back in the 1950's and it was a huge best-seller. Often unfairly knocked by later historians (especially Pickford biographers) mainly for the lack of undiluted intimacy, those critics fail to take in to count the era it was published. It's a superb history of her unparalled stardom (you will note those most of those same critics nevertheless use her book to an outrageous degree for the sources of information of their later efforts). I feel the woman who the world loved in the 1910's and 1920's at level it never would another movie star very much comes through the pages of this lovely book.

I'm so impressed by the collaboration efforts of all the poets in the society. The poems are deep, sensual and horrific, all in the same respect. The writings are riviting and moving and encapsulates human suffering and the human condition oh so well. I felt like I was getting a chance to peer in on the "dark side" and see what transpires. Dreamscapes, tea parties, and more await the wise reader who chooses to delve into this book. It was an incredible read.

The title is apt - Symphony of Shadows is a poetic exploration of the darker stuff of life. Not for the faint of heart, the poems in this book make you pay attention and think, which is actually what this group of poets known as the Black Rose Poet's Society wants to do with all of its collective heart. Check out Crow's "Tea with a Demon" to see a well-crafted interweaving of the mundane with the extraordinary. Susanne Psyris' "Filthy Habit" sums up a smoker's guilty thoughts, and Kerry Marzock's "Shadow Dancing" is otherworldly and beautiful. Carol Digou's "Shadows of the Soul" speaks to what much of this book is about: things unrealized, wasted or deliberately destroyed. These poems can be mined for deeper and multiple meanings. Symphony of Shadows deals with emotional and physical pain, rape and death, but don't let THAT stop you from partaking of the many truths found in this slim volume.

I have just spent an enjoyable couple of weeks meandering through this book acquiring all manner of new knowledge.

While this book is a treat for the prose alone, the knowledge presented had me wanting to rush in many different directions to explore new possibilities. The story of the Thames is as much a part of British history as any conventional reportage of people and events.

The book would have benefitted from some tighter editing. As written, the text seems to suggest that Claudius was in Britain only a decade or so after Julius Caesar instead of almost 90 years later. While in the lifetime of the river itself this time difference is almost infinitesimal, it jars and is unnecessary.

I found myself drifting in the book: fascinated by the facts, interested by the speculation and intrigued by the possibilities. 'Water is utterly mysterious'

'Thames' contains a bibliography which provides a starting point for further exploration.

Highly recommended, but not necessarily as an authoritative source of historical dates.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

Chapeau! Kudos! Peter Ackroyd has done a terrific job with this book. From his early novel _Hawksmoor_, Ackroyd has evolved into the chronicler par excellence of London, both through his book of the same name and by the flavour of London life in his biographies of Shakespeare, Chaucer, Sir Thomas More, Dickens, Blake, and other works (both fictional and non).

This cornucopia has history, geography, geology, spirituality, sociology, literary and cultural referencing, psychology, life cycles, transport, trade, ecology, hedonism, commercialism. It's a staggeringly accomplished chronicle and a worthy tribute to the liquid heart of London.

Ackroyd ranges masterfully from facts and statistics - some of them fascinating - through to dreams and legends. Although London dominates, this deals with the villages and towns along the Thames - e.g., Windsor as represented by the poet Alexander Pope. The historical thread moves from the prehistoric river, and the Thames Caesar conquered, through to the modern flood protection afforded by the Thames Barrier. Notwithstanding its erudition, the flow is ceaseless and the touch light, so that it's an easy, satisfying read.

Thankfully, Ackroyd controls his trademark fascination in filth and murk aspects, balancing them judiciously with the elevated, refined and spiritual. He delightedly describes the Fleet as "merd-urinous", "wholly rank" and "the excremental centre of London's polluted life". This is tempered by the view "at twilight, a soft grey, a lacustrine light."

With its buried coins and weapons, syringes, severed heads, the river is a "depository of past lives" but Ackroyd gives us a final vision of "estuarial river" rushing to the "sea's embrace."

I can do no better than let the chapters speak for themselves:

1. "The Mirror of history": river as fact (statistics) and metaphor - the "museum of Englishness", symbolizing the national character. Time of the river: Hydrologic and geologic.
2. Father Thames - river deities, Thames Basin, birth/source aspects
3. Issuing Forth: tributaries, especially the Fleet.
4. Beginnings: Ice Ages, barrows, and henges; Caesar and Vikings.
5. The sacred river - saints and ruins: includes Norman palaces, Westminster Abbey, monasteries(work and education), plague and fire.
6.Elemental and Equal: riverine cycle/essence and social upheavals/revolutions.
7. The working river -: River boats, London Bridge and subways, river law and conservation; the criminal element (theft, witches); watermen, porters, weir keepers.
8. River of trade - wharves, mills, breweries, docks, modern decline - new financial districts e.g. Canary Wharf and Docklands.
9. The Natural River: fog, wind, rain, the Thames Barrier (flood protection). Sacred woods and trees, villages, swans and whales (!)
10. A stream of pleasure - pubs, sports, carnivals, Lord Mayor's pageant, physic gardens Contrasts with mortality, sewers, and typhus in the 18th-19th centuries.
11. The healing spring - wells, hospitals, flowers. A rhapsodic chapter....
12. The river of art - Turner, Conrad, Jerome - chroniclers (the 16th-century antiquarian John Leland), novelists (Dickens, Grahame), poets Chaucer, Spenser, Milton, Pope, Shelley, Arnold.
13. Shadows and depth - Visions of Carroll and Traherne. Local history; dreams and legends.
14. The river of death - riverine findings (coins, weapons, syringes, severed heads). Mythology. Suicides, murders, drownings.
15. The river's end - the estuarial river which "rushes to the sea's embrace."

A grand achievement. Prepare to be delighted, amazed - and moved.

This book was a "quickie" due to President Hunter's sudden call to the presidency. And with his death a mere nine months later, it seemed like a still-born presidency. This book, then is a way to remember those all too short days of President Hunter's ministry.

President Hunter's essay cover a wide variety of topics. Unlike "The Teachings Of Howard W. Hunter," you get the flow and logic and CONTEXT of his statements. You feel his warm, and inviting voice, and his persistent call to holiness.

As an author and teacher, I find that I am constantly going back to President Hunter's words and ideas. There is something here that transcends his mere nine months of presidency.

This book is a collection of some of the sermons of President Howard W. Hunter, prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. His topics include living a Christ centered life and dealing with adversity. It is a great book for those seeking inspiration in daily living of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

This was one of the best books on life's little experiences that i have ever read. I really couldn't stop reading the funny and sometimes embarrassing momments of Louis Plummer. She is such a gifted writer. I went out and bought 5 more copies to give as gifts. Louis Plummer makes life come alive and makes everyone to record their little life experiences and by doing so realize the joy we all share in life. I loved it what more can i say.

I began reading this book for an english class at about 3 in the morning and after reading only a few pages I just could not put it down. There were times where I was laughing so hard I had to cover my mouth because I didn't want to wake-up my roomates. Plummer is an amazing writer, her essay's are inspiring, and original. This is a book that I have been recommending to all of my friends. If you like clean humor and wit then this book is for you.

"I offer a whole-hearted recommendation for Akendo Ntangku's novel, Through the Eyes of a Warrior. It is not often that an author's debut novel tells such a profound and thought-provoking story. Let's hope this is the start of a long career for Akendo."

- Rusty Shelton, Phenix Literary Publicists, Austin, TX




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I saw the commercial of this book on dishnetwork, chanel 749, and know this is a great classic. Everyone should make sure the read this book. It is thought provoking and a 'must have' piece, if you appreciate good story telling.

As an avid reader I was really impressed with this book. It moved along with adventure, mystery and unexpected circumstances in Jacobs surreal world. It is definately, action packed as Jacob experiences different circumstances at the controls of the biplane which take him back in time and adds to his confusion of where he is going. I would definately recommend this book.

I am extremely impressed with the imagery and style that Brattain uses. Jacob's surreal world is full of action and moves along quickly. Jacob's many adventures and strange twist will make you contemplate your own life. The use of flashbacks to tie together Jacob's life was interesting way to develope a plot. Great book would definitely recommend it.

Ann Turner Cook was one of the celebrated Gerber babies at the beginning of her life. She is presently a retired English teacher, living in Central Florida, where she researches for her mystery writing with her husband. She acted as an emissary for the Gerber Company and has made several guest appearances on national talk and news shows, including The Today Show; Good Morning, America; Entertainment Tonight; Sally Jesse Raphael; and the Rosie O'Donnell Show. She is just as cute now as she was as a Gerber baby.

Brandy O'Bannon is trying to save her job with the Tavares Beacon by writing an interesting feature article for her editor, Mr. Tyler. It concerns an old mansion that is decaying and about to be sold to a developer. Brookfield Able bequeathed the old mansion to his sister Sylvania, with the understanding that she could sell it if she so desired. There are rumors that the mansion is haunted, and the tale of a bizarre drowning forty-five years ago adds to the mystery. Brandy enlists the aid of Sylvania's grand-nephew, architect John Able, to gain access to Sylvania and the mansion's sad and eerie history. John and Brandy connect after sharing life-threatening experiences as they "look around" the mansion for artifacts and find human remains:

"At the same instant, the moccasin's fangs sank into John's hand. She gave a sob, sprang out of the boat, and rushed toward John as the moccasin drew back and slid over the edge of the pier into the water. John had dropped to his knees, supporting his wounded arm with the other hand."

Ann Turner Cook's twenty-six years of teaching high school literature shines through in her writing. The plot is first-rate; characters are people who are easy to relate to and care about; the action is nonstop; and the denouement is excellent. Ms. Cook intertwines a sad but wonderful ghost story into her plot, which keeps the reader guessing from page one until the delightful finale. I got totally caught up in her tale and couldn't put the book down! I personally wish I could have experienced Ann T. Cook's teaching, because I'll bet she was a superb teacher. Trace Their Shadows is an entertaining mystery and ghost story that can't help but please.

Shelley Glodowski
Reviewer

Mount Dora is a sleepy lakeside community outside bustling Orlando, far away from the big mouse and screaming rides, and is known more for antiques than crime. My most personal memory of Mount Dora is a wonderful, sleepy day of drinking far too many Dos Equis at the Mexican restaurant while celebrating Cinco de Mayo, years ago.

In contrast, author Cook takes you along with Brandy O'Bannon, an enthusiastic if inexperienced journalist, to the Mount Dora where cottonmouths strike out of the dark and old murderers flit across the mists. A classic mystery novel, Trace Their Shadows has more than a fair share of crime, clues and villains.

Cook brings an old south knowledge of the people and place alive, reviving memories of the Florida, good and bad, that is rapidly disappearing, replaced by developments and theme parks. O'Bannon reminds me of what I imagine Nancy Drew would be if she were plopped into the twenty-first century, a little more worldly-wise, but still inquisitive and forever into things she shouldn't.

Trace their Shadows is well crafted, an entertaining trip across the new Florida to the old.

Anthropologist Dutch Van Deer discovers a find of a lifetime, an underground cave of indian artifacts and graves. Some of the bones do not appear ancient and Dutch sets out to try to find out who the bones belong to and runs up against a stonewalling police department, an angry Native American community and a menacing, megalomaniac industrialist, and an ex-love of his life. As Dutch gets closer to the truth, the unimaginable happens...the murders start up again.

Gary Gottesfeld is a wonderful writer. I have read all of his books I have gotten my hands on. He only wrote 4 or 5 books and quit. I'd love to find out what happened to him. If anyone knows please let me know. Thanks, Linda

Anthropologist Dutch Van Deer discovers a find of a lifetime, an underground cave of indian artifacts and graves. Some of the bones do not appear ancient and Dutch sets out to try to find out who the bones belong to and runs up against a stonewalling police department, an angry Native American community and a menacing, megalomaniac industrialist, and an ex-love of his life. As Dutch gets closer to the truth, the unimaginable happens...the murders start up again.

Gary Gottesfeld is a wonderful writer. I have read all of his books I have gotten my hands on. He only wrote 3 or 4 books and quit. I'd love to find out what happened to him. If anyone knows please let me know. Thanks, Linda...

This book is well written and quite well documented. It contains some of the best endnotes I've seen in a long time. The author drew from several other diaries (often not published) to present a more well rounded view often elaborating in the chapter endnotes. My only complaint is that the notes were presented at the end of the chapter instead of as page footnotes. I was constantly flipping pages to access the notes as I read. Overall an interesting book to anyone fascinated with WWII.

This book kept me glued to the page. A gripping account of a teenager stuck in a concentration camp without having done anything wrong. A surprising lack of rancor, the author gives a picture of the good and bad in the people on both sides of the conflict. Also unusual are the admissions of less than perfect actions on his own part. It almost made me feel like I had been there.